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Showing posts from March, 2024

The Sad Truth About School History Classes (and Why I Enjoy History as a Hobby Better)

I'm no historian and this blog is just written as a hobby . Yes, you got that right and I don't record or write history for a living. It's a shame that history is an interesting subject but people can lose interest . A person would be excited to learn mathematics but can be momentarily hating mathematics . It's because teachers, regardless of what subject, are made to teach any subject with too much memorization, too little emphasis on understanding, and too much focus on grades over learning. People tend to say that grades matter more because they want monuments of stone over monuments of learning. They value the praises of medals more than a lifetime of learning. That's why some honor students fail in real life.  I saw this meme and I can relate to it. I remember elementary Civics and Culture subjects. From the second year to the third year under K+10--there's Asian History and World History . There was the whole bland textbook. Teachers occasionally do film s

The Hypocrisy of the #JusticeForFlor Movement

  It may already be past the late Flor Contemplacion'death anniversary. However, I felt like writing this piece because of two severely miscarried cases . The first case was the Vizconde Massacre (read here ). The second case is that of the Chiong Sisters (read here ). The cry has stayed the same since 1995 up to 2024. It's still #JusticeForFlor and it'll be 40 years by 2025. As far as concerned, a movie was made about the Vizconde Massacre while the trial was going on. A film about Flor's life was made in the same year she was executed. A movie about the Chiong Sisters Case was only made in 2018. Some people insist that Flor was innocent. However, we need to compare the justice system of the two countries. I used to believe that Hubert Jeffry P. Webb and Francisco Juan "Paco" G. Larrañaga were guilty. I was shocked to find out that a friend of mine was with Paco in Quezon City , on that same night of the crime. There were several witnesses. Why didn't the

The Case of Helle Crafts Murder Would Show Why DNA Testing is VERY IMPORTANT

I wrote an essay discussing if both Jacqueline Jimenea Chiong and Marijoy Jimenea Chiong were victims of a body never found murder case . Let me be clear that I still believe that I still believe the body found in Tan-awan, Carcar, was really Marijoy's and Jacqueline's really dead but her body was never found. The claim made by Enrique Uy of this first-degree cousin of the Chiong mother should be put into question . I once reasoned out, "The other body was never found." I was told to try looking into Helle Craft's case. It makes me think, "What if this is what happened to Jacqueline?" I even remember the speculation that Jacqueline may have been woodchipped?" I can't prove my speculation but if her body was, that may explain why the other body was never found. In other cases, the body would be too decomposed by now . The body found in Carcar was later moved out of its burial site to be cremated.  In the case of Helle, this information from Histo

I Find This Claim by the Uy Brothers' Father Questionable

The big questions that still linger are namely:  Where are the bodies of the Chiong sisters? What happened to the body of Jacqueline Jimenea Chiong? Is she the victim of a murder case where the body was never found? Was the body in the ravine really Marijoy? Take note that I do believe the body found in the ravine is Marijoy. My defense is that nobody claimed forward to claim the body. The family may have been unable to recognize the body due to a state of shock. If so, where's the family claiming the body that may not be Marijoy? Just listening to this claim by Enrique Uy, the father of the next two suspects, James Anthony Uy and James Andrew Uy, still gives me a sense of skepticism. This raises some questions namely: Who is this first-degree cousin of the Chiong mother who died before signing the affidavit? How was this conversation between the Chiong mother and a daughter (take note that there are three sisters in that family) even discovered? If the sisters weren't brought

The Fate of the Late Flor Contemplacion's Family

PEH.ph Some time ago, I wrote a critical review of the movie called The Flor Contemplacion Story . I rewatched it because it was uploaded on YouTube by VIVA Films themselves. The fate of the family of the late Flor just got worse. After the rightful execution --I'll share whatever data I got from the Internet. Take note that I'm just another writer, not a big-time historian. So what really happened? One "sequel" to the movie was given in Magpakailanman (Whenever) on GMA-7. It was when Flor's only daughter, Russell Contemplacion, who got pregnant at 17 years old with her estranged irresponsible partner, gave the details of what happened. Unlike the "hit movie", the episode showed that her father Efren, her brothers Xandrex and the twins Jonjon and Joel (who starred as themselves in the film) got into shady dealings. Xandrex even died in jail on September 1, 2012, though the cause may have not yet been revealed, until this very day.  The details given by

Case Unclosed on the Chiong Sisters

Apology: I'm sorry that the video above is in Tagalog, so sorry in advance to non-Filipino readers. As long as an injustice happens, nobody should shut up about a case unclosed . Like the Vizconde Massacre case, nobody really knows who did the crime. With Davidson Rusia's story put into question, one must wonder what really happened in detail. I still believe that the body found in Carcar is really Marijoy Jimenea Chiong . However, the claim that the sperm of the main suspect, Francisco Juan "Paco" G. Larrañaga, and the rest weren't found, makes you wonder who did the autopsy. In my case, the body found in Carcar wasn't formally identified until fingerprints were taken by the police. Nobody claimed the body of the woman found in Carcar.  It's easy to say that Give Up Tomorrow is biased because the maker of the video, is a "relative" of Paco (read here ). However, Marty Syjuco is the brother of the brother-in-law of Paco. The brother of one's

Taiwanese Aboriginal Song 我們都是一家人 (We Are All Family)

Here's another Taiwanese aboriginal song called 我們都是一家人 (Wǒmen dōu shì yījiā rén). The song above mixes Taiwanese Mandarin and aboriginal language. The song means "We are family". This would be another Amis Tribe song in Taiwan.  Above is a version written in the Amis language. This would sound more authentic than the mixed language or the ones written in Mandarin.  Enjoy!

What It Felt Like Entering the National Museum of the Philippines in Cebu City

National Museum As a man in his late 30s, I can really miss the memories of the 1990s and the early 2000s (which included my college years ). I miss a lot of people who are no longer with us too. I'd like to share my experience at the National Museum of the Philippines-Cebu . I haven't gone to a historical site in like, forever . Maybe, I could talk about some "historical sites" I "visited" a short time after the pandemic such as Bonsu Temple (a Buddhist temple in Pasil) and the Colon Chinese Temple (which I heard is no longer lived by anyone, if I'm not wrong). I wanted to go to Casa Gorordo, to relive some of my college days. Going to the NMP-Cebu made me feel like a student again.  Entering meant I had to get my ID. I presented my UMID ID as a registration. It was composed of two floors. It's spacious so getting lost (at first) can be expected for a first-time visitor. The first floor contained artifacts. That would remind me of the days at the Un

Neurofibromatosis: A Disgusting and Really Painful Neurological Disorder

Son Dakika In this random blog, I would also write about science and medical articles when I feel like it. I'd like to recall the amazing story of Chandra Wisnu from Indonesia, whose wife never left him even after he became "infested" with the bubbles. There's so much ignorance about neurofibromatosis. For starters, it's not contagious  as it's actually a genetic disorder .  For the overview, the Mayo Clinic gives this definition and why it's not just disgusting but also painful , which makes it more unbearable than a scar left behind: Neurofibromatoses are a group of genetic disorders that cause tumors to form on nerve tissue . These tumors can develop anywhere in the nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord and nerves. There are three types of neurofibromatosis: neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), neurofibromatosis 2 (NF2) and schwannomatosis. NF1 is usually diagnosed in childhood, while NF2 and schwannomatosis are usually diagnosed in early adulthood. T