On Thursday, bank manager Leonora Dizon of Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Ayala branch testified on Corona’s checking amount with account number 1445-8030-61. She said the account was opened in 1989 and remains active.

Documents presented by the manager showed that the account had year-end balances for the following years:

December 31, 2005 – P149,767.36
December 31, 2006  – P153,395.12
December 31, 2007  – P5,069,711.18
December 31, 2008  – P1,525,872.87
December 31, 2009 – P678,501.83
December 31, 2010 – P12,024,067.70

When added to the bank balances of Corona’s 5 peso accounts in PSBank shown Wednesday, Corona’s declaration of P3.5 million in cash and investments in his 2010  Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN) amounts to around 11% of the cash he had in the banks.

* Corona had a total bank balance of P10,087,966.44 by end 2007. This is higher than the P2.5 million cash and investments Corona declared in his SALN for that year.

* Corona had a bank balance of P9,178,501.83 by end 2009. This is higher than the P2.5 million cash and investments Corona declared in his SALN for that year.

* Finally, he had a bank balance of P31,752623.09 by end 2010. This is higher than the P3.5 million cash and investments Corona declared in his SALN for that year.

In her testimony, Dizon said there is no indication that the checking account is linked to a savings account.

Defense counsel Serafin Cuevas asked the court to issue subpoenas for Corona’s monthly statements of account to show that the end-year balances did not come from a single transaction or one-time deposit.

Read the full article on this report at www.abs-cbnnews.com

Of the four latest fatalities, three were from La Libertad town in Negros Oriental, the province hit hardest by the quake, radio dzBB’s Glen Juego reported.

At least 52 were reported injured while 71 remained missing as of 8 a.m. Wednesday, the NDRRMC report showed.

But as of Tuesday afternoon, Col. Francisco Zosimo Patrimonio Jr., commander of the Army;s 302nd Brigade, said the death toll stood at 48 and that the number of missing persons was 100.

Patrimonio said the figures were culled from consolidated reports gathered from Guihulngan City, and in the towns of La Libertad, Tayasan, Jumalalud and Bindoy.

Roads, bridges

According to the NDRRMC, 10 bridges in Negros Oriental remain impassable due to following damages: collapsed span, damaged approached, collapsed abutment, collapsed center span, twisted bridge, mis-aligned spans and collapsed pier.

A road in Dumaguete North road is also impassable because of cracks and cuts damages.

At the same time, two roads in Badian, Cebu are also impassable because of huge rocks fall, landslides and road slip.

Aftershocks

Meanwhile, the aftershocks from the magnitude-6.9 quake that jolted Negros last Monday breached the 1,000 mark, with at least one of them registering at magnitude 5 early Wednesday.

As of 7 a.m. Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology had recorded 1,181 aftershocks, radio dzBB’s Allan Gatus reported.

Of these, 69 were felt in Negros Oriental, one of the areas hit hardest by Monday’s quake, the report said.

Phivolcs records indicated at least 12 quakes between 12:01 and 6 a.m. Wednesday, with one of them registering at magnitude 5.1.

Among the quakes that registered at magnitude 4.0 and greater were:

• 4:18 a.m., magnitude 4.3, Tayasan, Negros Oriental;
• 4:37 a.m., magnitude 5.1, Guihulngan, Negros Oriental;
• 4:48 a.m., magnitude 4.3, Guihulngan, Negros Oriental; and
• 5:59 a.m., magnitude 4.4, La Libertad, Negros Oriental.

The magnitude-5.1 quake was felt at Intensity II in Hinigaran in Negros Oriental; and in Lapu-Lapu City and Cebu City in Cebu.

The magnitude-4.3 quake at 4:48 a.m. was felt at Intensity II in Cebu City. The magnitude-4.4 quake at 5:59 a.m. was felt at Intensity I in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu.

But the dzBB report said Phivolcs expects the aftershocks to “weaken” in the coming days. — RSJ, GMA News

First, however, the police will have to find them.

Have something to report? Tell us in text, photos or videos.

Mayor Michael Rama instructed Cebu City Police Office Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe Tuesday to run after the individuals who spread false information on the tsunami, which triggered panic in parts of Cebu City after the earthquake struck at 11:49 a.m. last Monday.

City Intelligence Branch (CIB) Chief Romeo Santander said they have identified the suspected culprits and are only confirming their whereabouts.

Witnesses told police the duo cruised the streets announcing that a tsunami already struck some coastal areas of Cebu City at 2 p.m.

Santander revealed they were private individuals whose motive was unclear. “They will have to answer for the frenzy they created,” he said.

A complaint of tumults and other disturbance of public order or Article 153 of Revised Penal Code awaits them.

The tandem’s announcement contributed to the mass hysteria, even if authorities already lifted the tsunami alert by then.

See the video below:

Local officials from Barangay Quiot–Pardo tried to pacify the panic-stricken crowd and assured them the reports of a tsunami were false.

Students and office workers went out and ran for their lives. Roadside vendors abandoned their stalls. In panic, some motorists left their vehicles on the road, contributing to a gridlock.

At least five road accidents were recorded by the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management.

Santander added they will also summon some police officers assigned to Colon St. who allegedly ran when they heard the same pronouncement.

“Instead of appeasing the public, they also added to the disorder,” he said.

Santander admitted they were hampered by the lack of a public address system, that’s why they tapped the help of barangays.

Police held an emergency meeting Tuesday afternoon in Camp Sotero Cabahug to discuss preparations and counter-measures in case of earthquakes. (DSM/With ETB of Sun.Star Cebu)

Latest reports said emergency volunteers treated at least 921 people after devotees pushed and shoved to get near the sculpture of the Black Nazarene during the traditional procession.

1000's of people gathered in Feast of the Black Nazarene

The Philippine Red Cross has treated 421 injured devotees, while the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and other rescue and first aid units have treated around 500 people.

big crowd in the Black Nazarene procession

News footage of the procession showed a steel railing being toppled right after the Mass celebrated by newly installed Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Tagle at the Quirino grandstand. An elderly woman and a barefoot man were also seen grimacing in pain before being carried off to get medical treatment.

ABS-CBN reporter Sol Aragones said hundreds of devotees surged forward “like a wave” to get near the relic right after the Mass. She said many devotees sustained leg and head injuries during the mini-stampede.

A man injured his neck after a fellow devotee who was trying to wipe his white cloth on the image fell on him.

Meanwhile, the procession was stalled after the rear tires of the carriage carrying the image of the Black Nazarene broke down. One of the ropes connected to the carriage also broke, causing a delay in the procession in the area of Roxas Boulevard and Padre Burgos Street near Manila Hotel.

The procession also stalled after and tension ensued after devotees refused authorities’ efforts to shorten its route.

Manila police and some of the millions of devotees engaged in a shoving match at around 9 p.m. after authorities tried to implement the decision of Monsignor Clemente Ignacio, rector ng Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, to no longer follow the original route and instead bring the religious icon directly to the Quiapo church.

Devotees of the Black Nazarene became angry when police tried to direct the carriage carrying the image along Palanca Street left toward Villalobos Street in Manila.

People also tried to overturn an L300 van with a speaker system that police tried to address the crowd.

It has been stuck for more than two hours now at Palanca.

At least 2 million devotees from across the country are taking part in the traditional grand annual procession of the Black Nazarene.

The event highlights the 405th celebration of the feast of the traslacion, which commemorates the transfer of the sacred image from the Recollect Church in Intramuros, Manila to the Quiapo Church in 1787.

Check out the video below:

The procession from Rizal Park to Quiapo Church is expected to last from 10 to 12 hours, or until midnight.

President Aquino earlier warned that terrorists could carry out an attack during the procession for the Feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila. With reports from radio DZMM

Banana Island, officially named as Dicalabuan Island, one of the jewels of Calamianes. It is one of the islands, and islet belongs to the Calamianes group of islands. The Calamian Group of Islands, also called the Calamianes, consist of over 80 islands and islets. Some of them are still deserted and unpopulated.

Clear water in the beach

It cost you more or less two hours of travel to Banana island by boat from mainland Coron. The island boasts of fine white-sand beach on clear water, a sandbar that submerges during high tide, a good coral area perfect for snorkeling, a fantastic view of sunrise and sunset, a quiet tropical beach life.

white sand beaches

it's nice to swim in the beach here

Cristal clear beaches in the island

How to get there:

There is no public transportation to the island, going there requires you to hire a boat. Cost varies depending on the capacity of the boat and other itineraries. You can arrange for your ride in the mainland. A 10-seater boat can take and fetch you there for as low as P4000.00.

Swim, relax, play, freeze the time. Witness the sun as it rises and vanishes into the horizon, the moon and the night stars as they glitter in Banana Island. This is the Banana island paradise!

Sabi ni Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigal Valte, pinatutunayan lamang ng nasabing survey na hindi gobyerno ang nagtaas sa bansa bilang ika-8 sa “friendliest country” kundi ‘third party assessment’.

“We’re also happy to note that in one of the surveys conducted by HSBC, the Philippines ranked as one of the… the eighth friendliest country out of most of the countries rated in the world. And this is why we believe na talagang it really is more fun in the Philippines,”sabi ni Valte.

Ang ranggo ng mga bansa ay ibinatay sa mga sumusunod na kategorya: kakayahan na makipagkaibigan sa mga locals o mamamayan; tagumpay sa pag-aaral ng lengguwahe ng mga locals; kakayahan na makisalamuha at pagiging kampante sa bagong kultura.

Ayon pa sa survey, ang Pilipinas ay isang bansa ng “friendly wallets” kung saan marami sa mga “expatriates” ang nagkakaroon ng access sa mga luho o luxuries kabilang na ang domestic staff, swimming pools at nagkakaroon pa sila ng properties.

Ang New Zealand naman ang nanguna sa survey kung saan nakakuha ito ng pinakamataas na puntos sa apat na nabanggit na kategorya. Report source

Some said the fish might have fallen from a passing aircraft. Yet some believed the incident was a sign that the world is coming to an end.

But fish falling from the sky is not supernatural nor is it doomsday’s beckoning. It actually has a name: Lluvia de Peces.

Residents of Loreto town in Agusan del Sur experienced this phenomenon Friday morning when dozens of 3-inch-long mudfish rained on them. PAGASA-Butuan Chief Engr. Lolit Binalay told Bombo Radyo a similar incident had happened in Lake Mainit in Agusan del Norte a few years back.

The same thing happened to a village in Powys, Wales in 2004  and to Folsom, California in 2006, among reported others.

How does it happen? Whirlwinds over water develop into waterspouts and become a swirling force that can suck in almost anything of the water’s content: fish, eels, and even frogs.

According to American scientist Nilton Renno, fish can “fly” into the sky along with the waterspout. He told Scienceline.org that “even if the waterspout stops spinning, the fish in the cloud can be carried over land, buffeted up and down and around.”

Loreto residents said they were surprised by the phenomenon because the sea and the river are far from their place. But according to Renno, fish can “swim” in the clouds and reach places until the wind can no longer support its flight, and that’s when they come down.

The fish are sometimes taken so high into the atmosphere that they land dead.

Seventy-two of the fish that fell on Agusan del Sur survived the “journey” and have been placed by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources personnel in an aquarium for experts to study.

The Philippines may not hear of it often as it is an uncommon phenomenon.  But ‘fish rains’ have been reported for centuries.

According to a BBC report, “fish are the most common thing to have rained down on you – other than rain itself, of course.” People have heard of frogs, tomatoes, and lumps of coals falling from the sky in few bizarre instances.

Weather has been inclement in Agusan del Sur since the past week, marked with a downpour on Friday that BFAR believes may have triggered the formation of a waterspout.

Click here to watch a short documentary by the BBC – fish fly into the sky but “what goes up must come down.” — LBG, GMA News

The discovery, previously unknown to the public, is among the largest collection of Philippine archaeological gold in the country as well as in the rest of the world.

Recovered in association with 10th to 13th century Chinese’s ceramics, the gold ornaments show similarities in form and iconography with artifacts of other cultures in the region. Experts believe the discovery will rewrite history.

Nothing of this scale and magnitude and magnificence has ever been seen before, says Dr. Florina Capistrano-Baker, former curator of the Ayala Museum, of the gold find.

Gold specialist Dr. John Miksic of the National University of Singapore describes the Surigao treasure as the single most important tangible heritage of the country.

Experts say jewelers today cannot imitate or even come close to the quality of the workmanship of the intricate designs of our ancestor’s gold.

Part of the Surigao treasure is the Sacred Thread, which is worn during ceremonies and weighs more than four kilos. Baker says the belt-like object is so heavy a mannequin broke because of its sheer weight.

PROBE reporter, Cheche Lazaro, searches for Berto Morales in Surigao. From then on, Lazaro uncovers that Bertos gold discovery takes many twist and turns — involving threats to his life and family.

With the help of historians and experts, Lazaro reveals an amazing story about Philippines forgotten civilization before the Spanish colonization of the archipelago in the 16th century and how the archaeological gold artifacts associated with the pre-colonization period point to a sophisticated civilization — something that will give us a sense of identity and pride as people.

Supported by historical accounts about pre-colonial Philippines, the Surigao gold collection show that we were important players in the region 1,000 years ago and that gold was an important link between our country and the rest of our neighbors.

The title is “Gintong Pamana” literally pointing to the gold jewelry pieces, which were buried in Surigao. Well, I don’t exactly remember the places where it was dug but the person who lucky to find this gold jewelry named Berto Morales. He was the one who first discovered the Surigao gold treasures.

Berto Morales was a bulldozer (scraper) operator for flattening a dug ground for an irrigation project of a government agency – NIA (National Irrigation Administration). It was then when he realized that there was a shiny stuff on the ground that he went down from his truck and inspected it. It was a belt that he first saw. At first, he did not know that it was gold but since pinoy have an innovative way to check things, he went to his truck and got some muriatic acid – placed some on a cloth – wiped the belt and wa-lah there it is, GOLD.

He took the rest of the afternoon off while inspecting the perimeter for some more gold. And to no surprise, he could find more. Amazing, fantastic is the first word I thought. After he had gathered everything he can find, he broke his truck so that he won’t go on overtime, and so he can go home cleverly disguising the sack of gold with “saba” (small bananas) on top of it. All the gold pieces that he found were interesting and well crafted. I must say that Mang Berto is a poor fellah and since – the first thing that came into his mind is “wow, since I found all this gold, my family, and I won’t have to suffer this life anymore.”

So being the human that he is, his first instinct was to sell something that is valuable to get money in return. And so he did that, not knowing what the true value of the gold pieces were. After all the conspiracies and the selling that happened all the gold pieces were sold to private individuals, to private collectors and all that; Furthermore, have been passed/sold around, been divided into pieces and all the horrific things that can be done to a gold. Maybe most of the pieces were bought by the Ayala group of companies because they have a lot of it in their museum. Alternatively, maybe most of the private owners and collectors thought that it should be displayed to the public since it is a heritage that our ancestors left for us. The gold pieces were from the 10th to 13th century? Well, it is; proven by scientists and all. It was dated before the Spaniards took over us. Amazing isn’t it? Check the video how Berto Morales got the gold jewelry below:

Wow! Imagine the gold pieces like the 4kg gold sash (commonly known as the “golden thread”) were molded into perfection without using the technology that we have now in shaping gold accessories. I mean it is astonishing to see those gold pieces because they were as if professionally made. And believe it or not, professionals think that one of the gold pieces that’s in the exhibit is actually a Hindu god. It is the Kinnari – a kind of god in the Hindu religion showing that our early religion could have really been Hinduism or Buddhism.

According to the documentary, Antonio Pigafetta, who was the assistant of Magellan during his travel to the Maluku islands and later the Philippines, said in his journal that you can find gold by the size of walnuts and eggs in the region and by the riverbanks. He also described the lifestyle of the Filipinos back in the 1500’s as sophisticated. Putting this into account it means that our lands were very rich then. It is also said that the Boxer codex, (a journal of a Governor General, was bought and renamed as such) described and ILLUSTRATED how Filipinos looked like on their initial contact with the Spaniards. The book also contains more descriptions and illustration about the Spanish contact with various Far East countries. The way I see it, I say, it is a big chunk of our early history which we Filipinos never get to see because it is in the Lilly Library in Indiana University.

It is with these facts that opened questions in my mind. Did the Spaniards colonize us so that they can utilize the gold reserves of our country and were the Yamashita gold originally belonged to the Filipinos? Was it found here and molded into gold bars? There could be possibilities that the answers are YES but there could be no assurance at all since we were deprived of this information from the Spaniards and the Japanese.