Two newcomers take centerstage in 39th National MILO Marathon Iloilo race

After a two-week hiatus, the 39th National MILO Marathon made a big return in Iloilo this Sunday, and drew over 17,000 runners who participated in the country’s most prestigious footrace. The local government of Iloilo showed its support for the MILO Marathon with the presence of Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and Vice Mayor Jose Espinosa, III. Mayor Mabilog demonstrated the importance of exercise to his constituents by participating as a runner in the 5K race while Vice Mayor Rojas sounded the gun start.

With the advantage of two additional weeks for training, NMM regulars Romulo Balinas and Lorena Blanco shared the spotlight at the 21K centerpiece event. Balinas clocked in at 01:17:13, besting hundreds of runners in the men’s 21K division. Bennis Murillo (01:18:04) and Norlan Warizal (01:19:20) completed the top 3 male 21K finishers.

The male champ was delighted with the outcome of his performance despite a setback during the race. “I am glad I was the first to cross the finish line even though I knew I was losing speed towards the finish,” Balinas said. “The cramps slowed me down in the last 5K of the race but it’s a good thing I was able to cope up with the pain - a skill that I owe to my training,” he said. After placing seventh from last year’s elimination race, the University of St. La Salle Bacolod alumni steeled himself to reach for the top rank. “I literally pushed myself to undergo rigorous training in the last three weeks,” he said. “With this victory, it only shows that hard work does pay off.”

Your Own Property: Own A Home In 5 Easy Steps At Avida's Homepossible Event

Avida Land makes home-buying easy and stress-free with HOMEPOSSIBLE: SIMPLIFIED, a one-day event that lets you own your dream home in the simplest way possible.

On Saturday, March 29, visit any of the following HOMEPOSSIBLE sites: Avida Showroom Glorietta (2nd Floor, Glorietta 4 Makati), Avida Towers Centera (EDSA Mandaluyong), Diversion 21 Hotel (Iloilo), and Avida Towers Riala Project Pavilion (Cebu).

Myrtle's Cosplay Supporters Converge Like The Avengers!

Dressed  in their costumes, Myrtle’s fellow cosplayers, friends and fans seemed like the “Avengers” when they converged outside of the PBB House. They showed their support for the #3 most popular cosplayer in the country next to Alodia Gosengfiao and her sister Ashley. Myrtle’s fan page has reached over 200 thousand already just a week after entering the house. With placards that read “Let’s save our Cosplay Princess!”, they went on full force to campaign for their PBB favorite. For them, this young lady deserves to stay inside the house. “We love Myrtle! We watch PBB Teen Edition everyday because of her, ” said one of the cosplayers.

She comes from a good family in Iloilo and is currently an Accounting student at UP Visayas. Intelligent and fun-loving, she’s also a Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) President  who can balance her academics and extra-curriculars quite well. According to her family and friends, Myrtle is a breath of fresh air - kind and sweet to everyone around her. Joining PBB was something her parents didn’t support at first. Being a responsible lady, her parents were convinced when their daughter promised them that she will not let anything get in the way of her studies. 

AKSYON PILIPINAS: Earthquake Alert Cebu-Negros

A 6.8 earthquake just hit the Visayas Region this morning with the epicenter at 72 KM North of Dumagete City in Negros Island.  According to Pacific Tsunami Warning Center there is no Tsunami warning levels but wants to practice caution:

NO DESTRUCTIVE WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS BASED ON
 HISTORICAL EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI DATA.


 HOWEVER - EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL
 TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN
 A HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES
 IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS
 POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.


THIS WILL BE THE ONLY BULLETIN ISSUED FOR THIS EVENT UNLESS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE.


THE JAPAN METEOROLOGICAL AGENCY MAY ALSO ISSUE TSUNAMI MESSAGES
FOR THIS EVENT TO COUNTRIES IN THE NORTHWEST PACIFIC AND SOUTH
CHINA SEA REGION.  IN CASE OF CONFLICTING INFORMATION... THE 
MORE CONSERVATIVE INFORMATION SHOULD BE USED FOR SAFETY.  


(from PTWC)


Two other after shocks, a 5.6 Magnitude earthquake, and 4.8 Magnitude earthquake were also recorded with epicenters also near the original. No official numbers of damage and casualties were reported yet many expressed and reported the event online via social networking sites.


If you are living in the said areas of Panay, Negros, Cebu and Bohol and felt the tremors, do contact local authority for help and report any damages. We at AKSYON PILIPINAS will also post information from affected areas.

(from AKSYON PILIPINAS)

Blessed Perdo Calungsod and six others To Be Canonized by The Pope

Another Thing to be thankful this Christmas is the announcement of the beatified people now to be canonized by Pope Benedict XVI. And one of them is our Blessed Pedro Calungsod, He  was beatified on March 5, 2000. His origins are debated if it is Cebu, Iloilo or Bohol, he and his companion Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores faced martyrdom in the Marianas Islands.

Blessed Pedro Calungsod will be the country's second canonized saint next to San Lorenzo Ruiz (Beatified and Canonized by Pope John Paul II).  Along with him are other beatified people and others given the Title of Servant of God. People are still waiting for the official canonization rite of the Vatican.

Complete list of the causes of saints below:

WWF and BPI Foundation reveal results to Climate Risk Assessment Study

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines), in partnership with the Bank of the Philippine Islands Foundation, Inc., has released the results on the welfare of four cities – Baguio, Cebu, Iloilo and Davao – in adapting to climate change. The paper, entitled Business Risk Assessment and the Management of Climate Change Impacts, began in August 2010, reveals city-specific socio-economic baseline data for the selected cities. The selection of the cities was based mainly on the occurrence of storms, floods, drought and other extreme climate events during the past decade.

“Knowing that our country is a shared gift and responsibility, BPI firmly believes that companies must take advantage of business opportunities such as rethinking future investments and remodeling future infrastructures for the nation to grow and prosper under the circumstances brought about by this study,” says BPI President Aurelio Montinola III.