Who Ranked Davao City As The Safest City In The Philippines?

One of the things that Rodrigo Duterte is brandishing as one of his major contributions in Davao City is its low crime rate. In fact, many are saying that Davao City is the safest city in the Philippines. The question is, who ranked Davao City as the safest city in the Philippines, in terms of crime rate?

If you Google “Davao Safest City”, it will give you search result that points to one particular website – Numbeo.com. It is a Serbian company that holds the world’s largest database of user contributed data about cities and countries worldwide.

User contributed data, meaning, visitors to the site can contribute data about any cities in the world. It doesn’t user Google’s Location (like in smarphones) so it doesn’t pinpoint the location of the PC being used.

I tried to contribute some information about Pasig City but the website doesn’t give the link to the questionnaires about the Crime Index so I have to email Numbeo. They provided me the link and I’ve answered the questionnaires. It didn’t ask me for any information at all – no name, location, age, gender – nothing. There are four answers – Very, Fairly, Not a very, Not at problem at all.

So I finished the questionnaires for Pasig City and found out that I’m among the 1,109 contributors who answered the questionnaires. I then compared it to the data for Davao City. It has 469 contributors as of today. Davao City has 1.449 million population (as of 2010). So 469 answers (out of 1.449 million) concluded that Davao City is the safest city in the Philippines.

The problem with the questionnaire is you can answer it repeatedly. So the 469 contributors can be a single person. I tried to access the same questionnaires using another browser (without even rebooting my PC or modem to renew my IP address) and I was able to answer it again. This is not the most scientific or statistically-accurate way of rating a city, especially that we’re talking about Crime Rate. I took Statistics as a subject and this way of gathering data is definitely not the best way to do it.

Now I’m very upset that Duterte’s camp is using the information from this highly-questionable method and website, to brag that Davao City is the safest city in the Philippines. I’m hoping they could back up this claim by providing figures from the Philippine National Police (PNP) instead.

On the contrary, I stumbled upon a Wikileaks article regarding Davao City saying:

“Davao has made a remarkable turnaround in the past 20 years from the "murder capital of the Philippines" to a peaceful and secure pro-business environment that is internationally recognized as one of the most livable cities in Asia. Although the methods which seem to have been used in Davao to obtain peace are not ones we would want to see replicated, Davao serves as an example of the progress which can be made if peace can be established and good economic policies put in place.” (Bold letters for emphasis are mine)

Who or What is Numbeo?

Email from the Founder/CEO of Numbeo on where to get the Crime Index Questionnaire.

The Crime Index Questionnaire

The Crime rates in Davao, Philippines as answered by 469 contributors. 

The famous screenshot of the ranking of Davao City as the safest city in the Philippines. Look, the contributors even posted an even safer city – Fruitful and Feisty Filipino Memes – as a way of mocking this list.

I tried to answer the questionnaire again from the same PC with the same IP address, but on a different browser, and I was able to access the questionnaires again. So the 469 contributors could be a single person or a small group of people (lower than 469)

Even Wikileaks never mentioned Numbeo as a source of Davao’s ranking as Safest City in the Philippines

Technorati Tags: Davao City,Safest City in the Philippines,Questionable

5 Reasons I Will Not Vote For Duterte

As a blogger and a Wikipedia contributor, the #1 rule I learned is to credit your source for everything you’re saying on your blog (or article) that is not your personal opinion. When you’re stating your source, it should be from a generally-accepted reliable website (.com) and not from a blog.

Image courtesy of The Philippine Star.

On the topic of why I’m not voting for Duterte, here are my reasons for #NoToDuterte:

1. Duterte disregards rules – the filling for the Certificate of Candidacy (CoC) was already scheduled October 12 to 16, 2015. Duterte filed his CoC November 27. For me, it’s general disregard for rules. My Facebook friends are seeing it as a political strategy to gain attention, but for me, I see it as a reason not to vote for him. I’m seeing an indecisive candidate.

He held 2 press conferences saying, he is not seeking the presidency – and yet, he filed a CoC. For me, that’s a sign of being indecisive and I will not vote for indecisive candidates.

“Ending weeks of speculation, he announced this during a press conference in Davao City on Monday afternoon, October 12. This is the second press conference he has called to confirm he is not seeking the presidency.” Source and Source.

2. Duterte is known for human rights violation – he was quoted, on criminals, “Kill all of them”. Source

For me, killing another human being is not acceptable for whatever reason. Even Hitler deserves to be in prison to reflect on his crimes. I believe every criminal has the right to repent. I still believe in our current criminal justice system. There is no Death Penalty in our law.

Duterte, by the way, admitted to these killings. Source

“His strongman approach was criticized by no less than the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and other human rights advocates as a form of vigilante justice”. Source

3. He’s not successful at keeping a marriage – I don’t trust a political candidate who can’t keep a wife happy. “Court records show that it was his wife, Elizabeth Zimmerman Duterte, who was on the receiving end of  “emotional abuse” from Rodrigo whom she described as a “womanizer” who had frequent “outbursts of temper.” Source

This is the best quote that describes his character, as a person:

“The court cited the results of an examination by a clinical psychologist who found Rodrigo unable to “remain committed to a person or a relationship.” He carries a “gross indifference to others’ needs and feelings, heightened by lack of capacity for remorse and guilt.” Source

4. I generally hate political dynasty – and Duterte has been mayor of Davao City since 1988. I’m a strong opponent of political dynasties and I criticize even the Eusebio family for that.

Even before Duterte became mayor, his father Vicente Duterte (died in 1988) served as Davao Provincial Governor from 1959 to 1965. Source

“Digong is among the country’s longest-serving mayors. He has been Davao City mayor for 7 terms, totalling more than 22 years. When not a mayor, he was vice mayor under his daughter, Sara, or congressman.” Source

5. Davao as one of the safest cities in the world is questionable – Again, we have to dig deeper at the source of this statement. I found out that this list was from an unpopular website, Numbeo. I myself is subscribe to news organizations and agencies. Yet, this is the first time I heard about this unpopular website.

According to Google, it is the world's largest database of user contributed data about cities and countries worldwide. Sorry, but I only trust news websites.

User contributed data is similar to a popularity vote. Not necessarily from a news-worthy website like BBC, CNN, or even Inquirer. The ranking of Davao is not based on research. It’s not even based on the statistics by the Philippine National Police.

I tried Numbeo’s way of obtaining data and found out how questionable their method is. Click here.

On the other hand, I find two things I like about Duterte:

1. He believes in a Federal form of government, which I also, strongly believe. To quote a website: “He considers federalism the only way to solve corruption, criminality and the Bangsamoro problem.” Source
2. Davao City as a 911 system for emergency – which is always a good thing. I admire Duterte for this. Source 

In the end, I still won’t vote for Duterte since the negative side of him surpasses the positive ones. I don’t care if majority of my Facebook friends will cast their one vote for Duterte, but mine will not be counted for him. #NoToDuterte

Technorati Tags: 5 Reasons I Will Not Vote For Duterte,Blogger,Wikipedia

5 Tips to Boost Your Immunity during the Holidays

The holidays are fast approaching and we’ll definitely be busy with several events this Christmas and New Year. December is often the time of the year when high school reunion are held as well as company Christmas parties. In addition to these two events, I’ll also be attending two more additional Christmas parties from several camera clubs and some out-of-town trips.

Travelling and taking pictures are ways to reduce stress levels.

December is also the time of the year to be reunited with friends and “inaanak”. I currently have 6 –one in Quezon City, one in Marikina, and four here in Pasig City. I’m often the one who visits them to bring their “aginaldo” and have chitchat with their parents.

With several events during December, I boost my immunity in 5 ways:

1. I don't smoke and I limit drinking alcoholic beverages.

2. I get adequate sleep daily.

3. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

4. I reduce stress levels by listen to music on Spotify, taking photographs, and watching Kalyeserye. The latter never fails to give me good vibes and makes me laugh.

5. I take vitamins like FERN-C. It’s a great source of added immunity.

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables is a sure way of boosting our immunity.

Fern-C can definitely help us have a stress-free Christmas because it’s an immune-system booster and a potent anti-oxidant. It increases body resistance against infections and is a source of added immunity. It is also the first and only Quali-C sodium ascorbate in the Philippines, which assures you and your family of a safe, world-class product.

Fern-C contains sodium ascorbate produced by DSM of Switzerland, the second-largest producer of vitamin raw materials (next only to nature). In the Philippines, FERN-C is the only vitamin C which carries Quali-C®. Quali-C® assures that you and your family are getting only the safest, world-class quality sodium ascorbate.

The advantage of sodium ascorbate versus ascorbic acid is that it’s alkaline. Sodium ascorbate is a form of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) which is more bioavailable and “alkaline”, unlike the ascorbic acid form of the C vitamin, which leads to stomach upset in some people. (Inquirer.net)

For only P6.50/capsule, we can get a tried and tested immunity booster and potent anti-oxidant that’s subok na.

Please visit FERN-C’s official website and like their Facebook page. You can also follow them on Twitter and Instagram.

Technorati Tags: FERN-C,Subok Na,Nuffnang Philippines

My Belkin Wishlist

A few years ago, I always associate Belkin with modems and routers. It’s almost synonymous with networking items. However, a recent visit to Lazada website reveals that Belkin is more than modems and routers. Belkin now caters to almost all our digital needs – from USB cables, to charges and smatphone holders.

Since Christmas 2015 is fast approaching, I decided to list down my Belkin Wishlist – 5 must-have equipment for someone who’s living the digital life. My list includes the following:

• Belkin Mini Surge Protector – P1,190.00
• Belkin Universal Charger Kit – P2,390.00
• Belkin Micro USB Cable – P450.00
• Belkin Stylus – P325.00
• Belkin USB Keychain – P1,590.00

Belkin Surge Protector – our supply of electricity sometimes is unreliable. We often encounter power interruption which affects our electronic gadgets like desktop PC. A surge protector is a must-have for anyone who owns a PC. This will prevent unnecessary loss of data when these power outages happen.

It’s damage-resistant feature is what I like about this surge protector.

Belkin Universal Charger – I currently have 2 tablets and a smartphone. Unfortunately, they’re not using the same charger. Two connects via Micro USB while the other tablet is using an old, round charger. Good thing there’s the Belkin Universal Charger which I can use for all of my gadgets. A single charger to rule them all.

2.4A output ensures fastest charging.

Belkin Micro USB Cable – is very efficient in transferring data between my tablets and smartphone to my PC. This will ensure faster transfer of pictures between my gadgets and PC, for backup purposes.

I love the color of this ultra-compact cable – red.

Belkin Stylus – will be very useful for my 2 tablets. I can draw on my tablets with the Belkin Stylus for a more detailed drawing. Plus, editing pictures will be more effective since I can touch the details of the pictures that the fingers can’t reach.

I like the pen-like feel in hand feature of this stylus.

Belkin USB Keychain – is a very fashionable keychain and flexible cable in one. I can forget about bringing USB cables when I’m travelling since I’m always carrying my keychain around.

This one is a very stylish keychain that is available in 5 matte metallic colors.

You guys can also list down your Belkin Wishlist by visiting the website of Lazada here. Be sure to follow Belkin’s Facebook page as well for updates regarding other wonderful gadgets.

Technorati Tags: Belkin,My Belkin Wishlist,Lazada

#HappyBdayPilipinas

As we celebrate our country’s 117th Independence Day tomorrow, June 12, 2015, Jollibee launched a hashtag asking us what gift are we going to give our country.

Jollibee also launched the hashtag #HappyBdayPilipinas and their picture inspired me to create my own promise/gift to the country.

Here are the first things that I thought when I read Jollibee’s campaign.

As a gift to the Philippines, I will strive to follow our traffic rules.

As a gift to the Philippines, I will strive not to litter our streets.

As a gift to the Philippines, I will strive to enrich my own knowledge of Philippine Civilization/Culture.

I also create this one, just a reminder, to give everything we got, in whatever we do, that represents the Philippines. In Clash of Clans, you get the chance to compete with other nations and display the Philippine Flag on your village/map. It’s a great thing for foreigners to know that Filipino CoC players are dedicated and strategist when it comes to the game, and all other things.

As a gift to the Philippines, I will strive to get 3 stars in Clash of Clans. 3 stars meaning you’re victorious and a you planned your attack very well.

BuzzNet Tags: Jollibee,Gift Ko Sa Pinas,117th Independence Day,#HappyBdayPilipinas

South Star Drug Nagpayong Opens

Nagpayong is a sub-barangay (or Sitio, Satellite) of Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig City. It’s the last area in Pasig City that you’ll come across along Sandoval Avenue on your way to San Lorenzo Ruiz, Taytay, Rizal. The Pasig City Jail, Bahay Aruga, Nagpayong Elementary School, and Centennial Homes are some of the landmarks that you’ll see here.

Today, South Star Drug Nagpayong opens. It’s located along Sandoval Avenue right beside the Nagpayong Sub-Barangay (Satellite) Hall. South Star Drug is a chain of drugstores in the country that was established in 1937 in Naga City. Today, South Star Drug (a.k.a. SSD) has more than 250 branches in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Metro Manila and Bicol Region.

The opening of South Star Drug Nagpayong is a major improvement in this part of Pasig City. With a huge number of residents, I’m pretty sure South Star Drug Nagpayong will flourish. Hopefully, other major stores like 7-11 will also open a branch here.

BuzzNet Tags: South Star Drug Nagpayong,Pinagbuhatan,Pasig City

Sumakah Festival 2015

Sumakah Festival is held in Antipolo City. Sumakah stands for Suman, Mangga, Kasoy and Hamaka (Hammock). Last May 9, 2015 was my first time to attend the festival. It’s a long parade – composed of floats, drum and lyre, street dancers, barangay officials and yes, even Ms Gay candidates dressed in Sumakah-inspired outfits.

The parade was too long and tedious. They should have focused on street dancers only or drum and lyre. They also could have organized/paraded the floats on another day so that photographers could have taken better pictures. Even the participants are joking that it was “alay-takbo” because they are in a hurry. They also started late – past 7am, instead of 6am which they announced on their flyers/FB page.

Here are some of the pictures that I've taken of the Sumakah Festival 2015 and a little video. The song that they used in the parade is no other than the famous song “Tayo Na Sa Antipolo”.

BuzzNet Tags: Sumakah Festival 2015,Antipolo City,Maytime Festival

The Flying Adventure Continues In Lubao

LUBAO, PAMPANGA - Expect a bigger and more festive event as Pilipinas International Balloon Festival Inc. (PIBF) together with the Arts, Culture and Tourism Office (ACTO) and Pampanga Provincial Government spearhead the 2nd Lubao International Balloon Festival (LIBF) on March 26-29, 2015 in Pradera Verde, Prado Siongco, Lubao, Pampanga.

It will be the biggest annual hot air balloon festival in Southeast Asia that will feature more than forty (40) colorful hot air balloons coming from different countries all over the world, fourteen (14) of which are special shaped balloons like Darth Vader, Yoda, Humpty Dumpty and Frog.

Aside from the majestic balloons that are all set to soar, there are other activities such as cultural presentation, water balloon fight, motor paragliding, paint ball exhibition, night glow and fireworks display.

Local concessionaires will also be featured aside from carnival and kiddie activities, making LIBF 2015 a family oriented event and a great attraction for tourists.

Known celebrities and bands such as Kamikazee, Mitoy with the Draybers and The Voice of the Philippines Season 2 – Final 4 will be performing and jam with us on this four-day event.

Tickets for the festival are priced at Php250. Tickets can be purchased at SM ticket outlets located at SM Cinema area or you can visit www.smtickets.com for online purchases.

Details of the event can be checked at www.lubaoibf.com or thru our social media accounts Facebook: www.facebook.com/lubaoibf, Instagram: @lubaoibf and Twitter: @lubaoibf (use the hashtag #LubaoIBF)

LIBF 2015 is sponsored by San Miguel Corporation, San Miguel Beer, Petron, Meralco, North Luzon Expressway, Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdog, Magnolia Ice Cream Best of the Philippines Collection, Magnolia Pure Water, Victory Liner, Resorts World Manila, Click the City, and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. Our official media partners are: Inquirer.net, Inquirer LIBRE, Inquirer BANDERA, Diva and Universal Channel, NET25, UNTV37, WISH 107 5, Sonshine Media Network International, DZAR 1026, ABS-CBN Publishing Inc., Working Moms Magazine, CHALK Magazine, Star Studio Magazine, Lifespots Magazine, Mellow 94.7, wheninmanila.com and Philippine Bloggers Network.

Lubao International Balloon Festival 2015

BuzzNet Tags: Lubao International Balloon Festival 2015,Lubao,Pampanga

I Finally Attended the Blogopolis (Part 2 of 2)

The Blogopolis 2015 is composed of 4 segments:

1. Movement: Social Relevance
2. Machinery: Content Shift
3. Accessory: Social Marketing
4. Armory: News Online

The last speaker for Segment 2 was Jackie Go and her topic was “Steadfast Blogging Through The Years: Growing With Your Blog”. She mentioned about the 3 Cs of steadfast blogging:

1. Content -- commit to posting regularly, at least 3 times a week, product finds
2. Connectivity -- mingle online, be visible in different social media channel, engage
3. Core -- blog because you want to, not for anything else, be consistent online & offline, learn as you go along

After Segment 2, there’s even a Guest Speaker – and he’s one of the writers of Berto in Brogues. Their blog is all about the modern Filipino gentlemen. The most important thing I got from this Berto is that “True creative content promotes, inspires and influence. The content lies in your intent”.

Lawrence Munsayac of Asus presented their latest products, mostly the Zenfone and tablets. The name Asus was actually derived from Pegasus, the winged-horse of Greek mythology. They even gave away a Zenfone after their product talk.

For Segment 3, the Googly Gooeys gave a talk on “Venture Global, Deliver Local: Maximizing Opportunities Beyond Borders”. Their story is truly amazing and it made us realized that there is a bigger market outside of the Philippines that our blogs could reach.

The Googly Gooeys mostly blog about universal topics using colorful images and comic strips. Their blog is all about colorful, happy life, locally-celebrated global events and local attractions. They advised us to tap the international audience on social networking sites. They also mentioned about The Big Blog Exchange – a program that swaps bloggers from around the world similar to exchange students, to make them experience blogging from another country.

Globe has 2 representatives that spoke about the latest plans of Globe, particularly the #MyLifestyleBlog. They even presented us with their latest TV commercial and challenged us to create a story about our daily lifestyle experience for a day, for a chance to win an iPhone 6 with 64 gig of storage capacity.

For the last segment, it was Stacy de Jesus and Tony Velasquez who spoke about using social media to report about current events, help with weather updates, and promote tourism in the Philippines through social media.

Stacy de Jesus works for Rappler and she showed us some of the hashtags and projects that they initiated on social media to promote awareness: #ShowThePope #SharePH and Project Agos.

Tony Velasquez talked about political participation through social media. He was the most humorous and lively among the speakers, joking about the upcoming 2016 presidential elections, wherein we could probably have our first black president. He calls for calmer and more rationale debate on social media (through comments).

For the panel discussion, the question “kelan po ba nagiging credible and opinion ng netizens” was raised. They responded by saying “when it’s viral” and that (as a media organization) they “look for representative comment” (out of random, similar comments). They also encourage people to speak up and get involved (with current events).

The Blogopolis 2015 ended up around 7:30 PM and it was indeed a very informative seminar/gathering of bloggers. All these were made possible by the numerous sponsors present during the event – Globe, Asus, Dusit Thani Manila, Acer, Airbnb, Great Taste, KitKat, Nissin Yakisoba, Pop’n Chips, Security Bank, X.O., Western Digital, SM Supermalls, Zipniture, Zomato, Adobo Magazine, ETC, Print Social, among others.

See you again next year fellow bloggers for Blogopolis 2016.

Jackie Go

JPV of Berto in Brogues

That gorgeous guy from Asus Philippines

Globe representative who showed us their latest TV commercial

Googly Gooeys

Revo Naval talked about “Craftsmanship in Today’s Communication: The Shift of Communication Platforms”.

Blogopolis 2015: Shifting Gears

Jim Paredes of APO Hiking Society was present at Blogopolis 2015. He announce that a Jim Paredes App will be released very soon.

That guy from Zomato

Stacy de Jesus of Rappler

Tony Velasquez of ANC

 

BuzzNet Tags: Blogopolis 2015,Nuffnang Philippines