Philippines' Richest 2008

After 13 long years of being on top, Bill Gates is the richest man in the world no more! He settled for the 3rd richest dude on the face of the earth while Warren Buffet, an American investor, now holds the title previously earned by Gates. In the Philippine setting, something like it happened too. Jaime Zobel de Ayala, the richest Filipino last year, settled for 3rd and was overtaken by Mall Mogul Henry Sy as this year's wealthiest Pinoy Billionaire. Complete list below.

By Joe with 8 comments

Philippines' Largest Airlines

After telling you about the Philippine's Tallest Building & 5 Largest Malls, I now give you the Philippines' Five Largest Airlines in terms of Fleet & Destinations. Let's start from the bottom up, shall we?

Air Philippines
Slogan: "Fly with us!"
Established: February 1995
Fleet: 10 aircraft

Destinations: 8 Local

Accidents: 2 since 1996, 1 killed 131 people

Zest Airways (Formerly Asian Spirit)
Slogan: "Asia's Most Refreshing Airline"
Established: September 1995
Fleet: 11 aircraft
Destinations: 14 local, 2 International (Macau & Seoul)
Accidents: 4 since 1999 (one of which killed 40 people)



Southeast Asian Airlines (SEAIR)
Slogan: ---
Established: August 1995
Fleet: 11 aircraft
Destinations: 23 Local
Accidents: no record

Cebu Pacific
Distinction: Currently the leading the domestic carrier
Slogan: "It's time Everyone Flies"
Established: August 1988
Fleet: 21 aircraft, 17 on order
Destinations: 42 (includes flights to China, Japan , Korea & SE Asia)
Accidents: 2 since 1998, 1 killed 104 people

Philippine Airlines (PAL)
Distinction: First Commercial Airline in ASIA!
Slogan: "It's about Experience" / "Asia's Sunniest"
Established: February 26, 1941
Accidents: 22 since 1950
Fleet: 46 aircraft
Destinations: 42 including (USA, Canada & Australia)
*formerly had flights to Europe, Africa & West Asia

By Joe with 8 comments

Pinoy Urban Legends 2.0

As promised, here's the part two of Pinoy Urban Legends. Enjoy!

1. In UP Diliman, a student decided to take an early morning drive with his Volkswagen of a car around campus. Later that day, his body was found a few feet from his car that had run out of gas and had thousands of kilometers added to the odometer. The stude was said to have starved to death. People said that the student was made fun of spirits in the campus and he ended up wandering around and around, without ever finding his way back. The catch: today, if you happen to wander around that particular campus around daybreak, you may encounter the little red Volkswagen car with a desperate student driver who'll ask you for directions back to the dorm. Never ever give him directions or you'll end up just like him.

2. A student attending an all-girls school in Manila under the administration of nuns stayed late in school to research about a project she was supposed to pass that week. As she was about to leave, she noticed while walking along, the corridor a classroom with lights still on. Out of curiosity, she headed to that room and went inside. Before she was able to enter the room she heard a screeching sound of chalk forcefully sliding through the face of the blackboard. When she went in she found a nun writing on the blackboard "HELP ME, I'M IN HELL." Before she could even think of screaming, the nun turned to her... faceless.

3. A Woman in her forties was invited to stand as principal sponsor in a wedding to be held in one of the big churches in Manila. The bride and groom had told her not to be shocked when she sees one of thier special guests, who was supposedly a long lost kumpadre. So she went to the wedding and there she saw the man, walking very oh so slowly along the aisle. She thought then that if the man were really alive, she'd at least expect him to be confined to a wheelchair, either because of old age or his reported illnesses or both. But the man was walking all by himself, albeit a cane and some bodyguards surrounding him. Then came the signing of the marriage contract, and the woman had thought of checking if the man and his famous signature would match. They did. She later learned that his being alive is top secret, and is known only among the man's followers. The man is none other than Ferdinand Edralin Marcos.

4. Two reporters were invited to a party in a house somewhere in new manila. They went there and partied the whole night. They met "people" that were supposedly members of prominent families who were willing to pay a big sum of money if they agreed to publicize their business. So they gave the reporters their contact numbers before the two headed home. The next day, they reporters tried to contact the businessmen but they failed to get answers. Every number given to them was owned by somebody else. Being reporters and having connections, they researched about the busienssmen and their businesses. Shocked they later found out that all the people in the party were dead for a very long time.

5. A group of medical students from a reputable University decided to play a harmless prank on their easily-frightened classmate. They planned a special study session to be held in the cadaver room with their intended victim. When the girl arrived for the session and found no one in the cadaver room, she thought she was too early and decided to read her notes. The rest of her group mates were actually hiding and they switched the lights off. The girl screamed and screamed for minutes banging on the door locked by her classmates. After some time, the screaming and the banging stopped. The pranksters began to wonder what happened and dedcied to go in the room. Upon turning the lights on, they were shocked to see their hapless classmate gnawing on a piece of the cadaver.

6. A man was driving alone along a dark road in the middle of the night (some say it is Balete, others do not specify). He noticed another car behind him. Nothing strange there. But after a while, he noticed that the car was still there and seemed to be following him. To be sure, he took a series of turns. But the car was on his tail, what more he kept on flahsing the headlights. The guy decided to stop the car and confront the driver. The driver of the car that was following him immediately got off his car white-faced. "Pare, kanina pa kita pinatatabi kasi merong babae sa likuran ng kotse mo na may dalang kutsilyo na tinututok sayo. Pero nung nag-flash ako ng headlight biglang nawala."

Read Part One here...

By Joe with 11 comments

Top 5 Biggest Philippine Malls

Filipinos love for "malling" is fast becoming our way of life. It doesn't matter if we come to malls to splurge on goodies we love or just to sit by the benches and watch people walk by, going to malls has become a Filipino identity. So it is no surprise that some of the biggest malls in the world are found here in our country. And to think we're 3rd world! Oh yeah, I forgot. We were upgraded to 2nd World (read article here).

So here's the list of the Philippines most gargantuan shopping malls...

1. SM Mall of Asia (2006) - All Filipinos know that MOA is the largest mall in the Philippines. Although there have been so many questions if it is indeed the largest mall in Asia...well, no. It is 3rd largest mall both in the world and in Asia because the two largest malls in the world are found in China. So yup, it is the biggest mall in Southeast Asia!!! It has a total floor area of 407,101 sq m. I love MOA simply becuase it is true to SM's slogan "We got it all for you!". I love its clean white interiors and how it is so spacious even at its peak days!

2. SM City North EDSA (1985) - the first ever supermall in the Philippines is also the mall closest to my heart becuase this was where my family and I go to almost everyweek when I was little. I practically know where every shop is at SM North. Tagged as the flagship of SM Malls, it has a total floor area of 351,861 sq m. But wait, if you've been passing along EDSA or North Avenue this past few days, you'd surely notice that it is undergoing renovation. Rumors has it that by the time of its reopening, it will be the biggest mall in the Philippines! Beating the record set by MOA. By its completion, it would have a GFA of 460,000 sq m! Currently though, it is the 6th largest mall in the world.

3. SM Megamall (1991) - located in the busy business district of Ortigas is the Philippines' bronze medalist in the race for the biggest mall... the SM Megamall. I remember it to be the talk of the town when it was completed June of 1991. Above anything, it boasts of the first ever ice skating rink in the country. I remember when I was younger, me & my cousins would always beg our parents to take us to Megamall just to glide in the icy rink (when I say glide that means walking with the support of handrails and slipping every other minute...haha) . With a GFA of 331,679 sq m, it is the 7th largest mall in the world.

4. SM City Cebu (1993) - Queen city of the South would not let their most precious mall be left out of this list. Currently the 11th biggest mall in the world, SM City Cebu was opened Novemeber of 1993. After its redevelopment in 2007, the mall now has a GFA of 268,611 sq m. It was also one of the first Philippine malls to have an IMAX theater. I remember that the first and last time I went to SM Cebu was when I was 7 years old and becuase there was an Ice skating rink inside it, that was what I enjoyed the most about the mall. I was young, what can I say?

5. Robinsons Midtown (1997) - formerly known as Robinsons Place or RP as me & my friends call it, the lone non-SM mall in the list is the 240,00 sq m wonder loacted at Ermita, Manila. It is currently the largest Robinsons Mall in the Philippines after the addition of its Midtown wing. The record of the biggest Robinsons mall was formerly held by Robinsons Galleria at EDSA. The first time I've been here was when I was in college already and I would have never learned about it if not for my friends. I've got to say that its Midtown wing is really nice because it is spacious and I love my space when I'm walking inside a mall. Although, I am open for discussion if somebody would contest that Glorietta is the fifth largest mall in the Philippines. I was not able to get the exact GFA of Glorietta, that's why.



Just in case you would be asking me about Berjaya Times Square in Malaysia (dubbed as the biggest mall in SEA), here's my explanation. BTS is a mall and a residential building in one and if we would compare MOA's GFA to the GFA of the mall in BTS, MOA is much bigger. Berjaya only has 320,000 sq m... not even close...

Figures from Forbes, ECSU and wikipedia

By Joe with 24 comments

Pinoy Urban Legends 1.0

Urban Legends are modern folkloric tales thought to be factual by those circulating them. Urban legends are not necessarily false but, most often than not, they are distorted, exaggerated and sensationalized overtime. Some of the more popular Urban Legends are those of Bloody Mary, the Blair Witch and those that involve psycho killers. The Philippines has its share of creepy urban legends and although Halloween is still weeks away, let's look back at some of the scariest apocryphal tales.

1. A couple was driving along a dark road in the middle of the nigh. The car broke down and after much tinkering, the guy decided to go and ask for help. He told his girlfriend to lock the doors and windows and not to go out while he was gone. And so, he left. Because the guy was taking too long to return the girl fell asleep, only to be startled by a squalid old man in tattered clothes knocking at the window. Scared for her safety she tried to shoo the man away but to no avail. The old man became more aggressive which caused the girl to scream. She blew the horns madly thinking somebody would hear and help her. The old man went away but came back several minutes after. He knocked at the door and showed the girl the bodiless head of her boyfriend. When she started screaming again, the old man showed the girl the car keys.

2.A woman was working in a post office. She was supposed to use a sponge to seal the envelopes but one day she didn't. She used her tongue instead. Days after , she noticed that her tongue had a strange lump in it. It got so big that she was having a hard time eating or talking. That was when she decided to see a doctor. He cut open the lump and a live roach crawled out! Turns out, there were roach eggs on the envelope flap and they hatched in her tongue!

3. They were roommates. The other one was getting ready for a party while the other was getting ready to sleep. So the former closed the lights as he went out of the room. When he reached the parking area, he realized that he forgot his keys so he went back to get it. He didn't bother to open the lights anymore since he knows where it is and he does not want to disturb his sleeping roommate. After the party, while he was driving back to his dorm, he noticed that there was an ambulance following him and some police cars too. As soon as he entered the grounds of Ateneo, the ambulance was still tailing him. When he reached his dorm, there was a crowd surrounding his room. His roommate was murdered, his body dismembered and on the mirror was a note in blood "thank you for not opening the lights".

4. Four female friends went on a joyride to Batangas one weekend. That late evening, in one lonely stretch of road, they decided to have some photo-souvenirs of their spontaneous foray. So, they went off their car, and took pictures of themselves three at a time (the fourth was behind the camera). Something entered their minds and began to play hide-and-seek. After their game, one of their friends did not return. They searched for her to no avail. She was never found. A few weeks after the sad incident, the film they had in their camerea was developed. The owner of the camera took a look at the developed pictures and started screaming. In one of the pictures, among her three friends, was an old lady with her arm slung across the shoulder of their missing friend.

5. It was the onset of sem break. While a resident was still packing her bag, her roommate was ready to go. Since the former wasn't done yet, the latter went ahead. Then the roommate's parents came in looking for her. The resident told them that she already left. When the resident was about to finish her packing, she opened the closet and saw her roommate inside--already decomposing.

6. A girl was left alone in a jeepney. The girl then noticed the driver kept on glancing at her with a menacing face. Scared because she was alone and it was past midnight, she ordered the driver to stop so that she could get off but the driver did not respond. Worse, the driver drove off his route and drove in streets she've never seen before. Then after some time, the driver went back to his route and brought the girl home. When the girl got off the jeep, the driver got off too. "Miss, pagdating mo sa bahay hubarin mo yung damit mo tapos sunugin mo. Kasi kanina nung tiningnan kita sa salamin wala kang ulo. Baka kasi namanigno ka kaya nagiba ako ng daan para maligaw kung sinoman yung manignong sumusunod sayo."

More Pinoy Urban Legends on part 2...

By Joe with 10 comments

Survivor Philippines

Philippine television is overflowing with franchises of international hit shows like Ugly Betty, American Idol, Project Runway and many more. It still maddens me that GMA got the rights to bring Survivor (the first ever reality show that rocked my TV viewing habits) to the Philippines because I was such a fan of this show. I liked it more than American Idol, The Amazing Race or Fear Factor. I watched the first 6 seasons religiously as if I'd die if I'd miss a single show. It would have been a little better if ABSCBN would have been the network to have made a Pinoy version of it since it was them who've introduced it in the Philippines afterall via Studio 23. I don't wanna make conclusions this early but I don't think GMA would satisfy my expectations. They should have just left Survivor alone.

Although I must admit, the promotion they have made for Survivor is pretty impressive, but hey that's what they did with Pinoy idol and we all know what happened? It was a big fat F! F for FLOP! I still want to believe though, that Survivor would turn out to be different especially after hearing that its the News & Current Affairs Deaprtment that would be handling Survivor. but then again, I wouldn't be surprised if Paolo Bediones single-handedly make this the worst show on Philippine televison this season!

I was able to watch the full Wednesday episode of it and because it runs 30 minutes for 5 days a week, unlike the original 1 hour weekly show, I just have to say it doesn't work. That episode was boring because there was no highlight. Survivor is not made for Philippine weekday primetime. With regards to the choice of castaways, they got it right. They were able to get a good bunch. Paolo Bediones is still annoying as host. Ugh! Jeff Probst wanna-be!

Here's the show I am waiting for and IMO, unlike Survivor, this one can be lengthened to be shown 5 times a week. Me, biased? NOT!

By Joe with 5 comments

Philippines' Tallest Building

We all know that the World's tallest building right at this very moment is the Taipei 101 and that by September 2009, the title of the World's Tallest Skyscraper would belong to Burj Dubai. Now the question is do you know the tallest building in the Philippines? Do you know how it ranks among the world's tallest? or at least in Southeast Asia?

I'll give you a hint. The Philippines' tallest is located at Ayala Ave. corner Rufino Street in Makati City. It houses call centers like Citibank, Convergys and IBM Daksh. The first ten floors of the building is occupied by one of the oldest banks in the Philippines with which the building was named after. Have a guess? If you're guess is PBCom Tower...you're right! It is the Philippines' tallest building.

Completed in the year 2000, PBCom Tower is 259 meters high and has 52 floors. It is ranked 83rd tallest in the world. It is owned by Philippine Bank Communications hence the acronym PBCom. The building is ranked 8th tallest in Southeast Asia but according to sources, it would drop to being only 19th tallest in SEA a few years from now. Huh? So is there be a building on the works to become the Philippines' tallest skyscaper? Yup. There are actually three proposed buildings that would surpass the PBCom tower soon.

Skycity that would be erected at Mandaluyong City would stand 335 meters high by its completion in 2012. Another structure that would try to topple the PBCom is the Lopez Center Tower that would be soaring the Rockwell skyline at 320 meters. But the one I am excited about is the tallest of them all. The PAGCOR tower after its completion in 2012 would be the Philippines tallest building ever. It would be 655 meters high which would be taller than Malaysia's Petronas Tower, Chicago's Sears Tower and Taipei 101! If this is really true then this building would put the Philippines on the map! Haha...

By Joe with 19 comments

Philippines in Winter Olympics

Despite being a tropical country, the Philippines has participated at the Winter Olympics not just once but thrice already! I bet you didn't know that. I was also shocked about this info but it is true. The Philippines joined Winter Olympics Sapporo 1972, Calgary 1988 & Albertville 1992. Filipino Athletes participated in two winter sports: Alpine skiing & Luge. Unfortunately, no Filipino has ever gotten a single medal for the country.

By Joe with 3 comments