San Beda Grad Is 2014 Bar Exams Topnotcher

The long wait is over. The Supreme Court released today the results of the 2014 Bar Examinations with 1,126 passers out of a total of 6,344 examinees.

Supreme Court of the Philippines
Image credit: Wiki media commons

San Beda College (SBC) graduate Irene Mae B. Alcobilla grabbed the top spot with an average grade of 85.50%.  She edged out  Christian A. Drilon of Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) with by a very slim 0.05% lead. Drilon got a grade of 85.40% to settle for 2nd place.

PBA Legend Ricardo Brown Calls Rain Or Shine-Ginebra Game "Disgraceful", Belga, Alamzan and Peña Meted Stiff Fines

PBA Legend Ricardo Brown took to social media to express his disgust over the conduct of  last Sunday's Rain or Shine and Ginebra game, calling the entire episode "an embarrassment to Philippine basketball."

In a Facebook post, the former rookie of the year and MVP questioned why Rain or Shine coaching staff or management failed to rein in Belga's behavior towards the fans who paid good money to watch professionals play "high level basketball."

Image credit: Facebook

Rain or Shine Power Forward Beau Belga's actions directed against the Ginebra fans has caused an uproar and the play had to be stopped when bottles and other objects were thrown inside the court.

Power Forward Beau Belga taunts Ginebra fans during last Sunday's game

The PBA has already cracked the whip on key players involved in last Sunday's Rain or Shine and Ginebra fracas by meting out a total of 70,000 pesos in fines against Power Forward Beau Belga for "unsportsmanlike behavior". 

According to Interaksyon.com, Belga's teammate Raymond Almazan also was slapped a fine of 40,000 while Ginebra San Miguel's Dorian Peña will have to fork out 10,000 as well. Referees of the Ginebra-Rain or Shine game were also reprimanded for not spotting several flagrant fouls committed by both teams players which could have altered the result of the game.

In a statement, the PBA said "...let it be stressed that the fans are the lifeblood of the league. There is absolutely no excuse for any player to engage the fans in a hostile and provocative manner."

Mystery Man Came Out Nowhere And Buys 200 Filipino Soldiers Krispy Kreme Donuts

About 200 Philippine Army soldiers were given a  pleasant treat by a mystery man who bought all of them donuts at a local Krispy Kreme outlet, a gesture that boosted the morale troops' morale in light of recent controversies rising out of bloody encounter between state security forces and muslim rebel groups in Mamapasano, Maguindanao last January.

Image credit: Gem Dy Facebook Account

Capt. Gem Dy of the Philippine Army recounted in a Facebook post that she and her comrades were lining up to at the Krispy Kreme Bonifacio High Street outlet when suddenly a man who introduced himself as Dexter Koh asked her how many soldiers were there for an event participated in by the Army. When she replied that there were 200 of them, the mystery guy promptly order Krispy Kreme donuts for all the guys including those outside the shop. 

Image Credit: Facebook

According to an ABS-CBN report, the soldiers were overwhelmed with gesture and are very thankful that there are people who still appreciate the sacrifices and efforts of the Philippine Army.

Indeed these gestures no matter how small go along way in keeping our soldiers' morale high. After all, they are ready to sacrifice everything, even their lives to protect us, our families and our way of life.

Read The Full Mamasapano Inquiry Report: Pres. Aquino, Gen. Purisima & Napeñas Broke Chain of Command

PNP Board of Inquiry investigating the bloody Mamasapano clash concluded that the President Benigno S. Aquino III, former PNP Chief Alan Purisima and former Special Action Force (SAF) Chief Getulio Napeñas broke chain of command which made the operation to arrest a notorious Malaysian terrorist  defective at the very start according to a report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI).

In January 25, the Philippine government launched a secret operation to arrest or neutralize Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir aka Marwan who was hiding in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Code named OPlan Exodus: operation resulted in the death of the Marwan (as confirmed by the US FBI) but at the cost of 44 SAF commando lives plus 18 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and 4 civilians.

The incident has roused public anger against the administration of President Aquino and seriously jeopardizing the future of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the fruit of years of negotiations with the MILF, now pending in Congress.

According to the PDI, the BOI report also cited the following factors that led to the disaster in Mamasapano, Maguindanao:

Planning Defects

* Poor analysis of the area of operation;
* Unrealistic assumptions
*Poor intelligence estimate;
* Absence of abort criteria;
* Lack of flexibility in its CONOPS;
* Inappropriate application of TOT;
* Absence of prior coordination with the AFP and AHJAG.

Operational Defects

* Mismanaged movement plan from staging area to Vehicle-Drop-Off Point;
* Failure to occupy the designated way points;
* Ineffective communication system among the operating troops;
* Unfamiliarity with the terrain in the area of operation;
* Non-adherence to operational/tactical Standard Operating Procedures;
* Lack of situational awareness among commanders and
* Breakdown in the command and control

You may read the full report of the Board of Inquiry below: 

Senate Bill To Stop Employers From Accessing Employee Social Media Accounts

In a move to protect millions of employees' right to privacy Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago today filed Senate Bill No. 2681 known as the "Social Media Privacy Act" which prohibits employers from compelling employees and applicants for employment to provide access to their social media accounts.