I wasn't able to attend the Quadricentennial Celebration of the University of Santo Tomas last January 27-28, 2011 cause I have a graveyard shift at that time. My batch mates and friends were asking me already if I were going to attend or not. I really wanted to go because of the fireworks. Lol. Of course, I really wanted to celebrate this once in a lifetime event with my friends, my fellow THOMASIANS!
Found some video clips and I was about to cry while I was watching these clips.
I AM A PROUD THOMASIAN!
Saturday, January 29
Friday, January 28
10 killed in fall from 28th floor
 |
| DEATH PLUNGE. A service platform at the 28th floor of the Eton Residences on Paseo de Roxas corner Gallardo Street in Makati City collapsed on Thursday, plunging 10 construction workers to their deaths. (Inset) Rescuers retrieve the bodies of the workers. RODEL ROTONI |
MANILA, Philippines—An urban nightmare played out to a horrified lunchtime crowd at the Makati central business district Thursday as cables of an overloaded gondola at a construction site snapped, plunging 10 workers aboard to their deaths, authorities said.
The gondola, a motorized steel basket-like platform, plummeted as it was coming down from the 28th floor at the Eton Residences Greenbelt, crashing to a halt at the seventh floor and throwing out its 11 passengers.
Only one worker survived the accident at the 39-story premium residential condominium undergoing construction on Gallardo Street in Legaspi Village. He identified himself to responding firemen as Rowel Perez, 23, before he was rushed to Ospital ng Makati, where the other victims were taken.
Guillermo Torres, project manager, said it was actually difficult to determine from which floor the gondola originated. “Only the survivor could give an accurate account on where they actually came from.”
Dead on the spot were Joel Abesilla, Celso Mabuting, Michael Tatlonghari, Kevin Mabunga, Borz Cristobal, Rommel Perez, Vicente Piñon, William Bañez, Jaykie Legada and Jeffrey Diocado, according to Senior Fire Officer 2 Gerson Moncada of the Makati Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
Moncada said the gondola was carrying more than its capacity of two persons at the time of the accident at lunch break.
Overloaded
“According to an eyewitness account, the workers rode the gondola instead of taking the stairs during their break time. However, since the platform can only carry a few workers, the cable snapped,” Eton said in a statement.
Denny Villanueva, a driver at a neighboring building, said he saw the gondola as it was hurtling down.
“It dropped so fast. They were all crammed inside. They were probably hitching a ride down for lunch,” Villanueva said.
Another witness, food stall attendant Mary Ann Centro, 34, said the gondola hit the seventh floor with a terrible sound—“so loud I thought the building had collapsed.”
“I started to scream, too, as passersby pointed and shrieked, ‘Tulungan niyo mga tao!’ (‘Help those people!’),” Centro said.
When she stepped out from her stall, she saw two bodies hanging from the debris catcher wire mesh.
Centro said work on the construction site had been going on for a year and there was only one major accident. “Last year, a steel bar fell on a car, but no one was hurt,” she said.
Broken limbs
FO1 Jomar Jumawan, one of the BFP rescuers, said the victims—all glass installers of Arlo Aluminum under contract with Eton—had broken limbs and bloodied heads.
“Six victims were piled up on the debris catcher. Two were sprawled on the floor below it. Three victims were found on the edge of the eighth floor,” Jumawan said in Filipino.
SFO1 Frankie Romaraog of the BFP-Emergency Medical Services said Perez, the lone survivor, had a dislocated shoulder. “There was blood on his head, and oozing out of his nose,” said Romaraog, who still had blood on his gloves.
It took rescuers at least two hours to retrieve all the bodies. Three hours after the accident, the red gondola, splayed out and broken, could still be seen suspended on the seventh floor.
Eton spokesperson Erwin de Pedro later arrived at the construction site and read the company’s statement.
“Our hearts go out to the victims’ families. Eton Properties would like to assure the public that the company is doing all it can to ensure that Eton and its contractor extend all necessary assistance to the victims,” De Pedro said.
Safety investigation
When informed by the media that the city engineer’s office had ordered the stoppage of the construction, De Pedro said: “We have yet to talk to our contractor about that, but we will cooperate with any investigation by the government.”
Moncada identified the contractor as CE Construction. The project was under manager Guillier Torres, he said.
De Pedro entered the building with the Department of Labor and Employment occupational safety engineer, who had come to inspect the site for safety regulation violations.
The spokesperson stressed that Eton placed a premium on safety and enforced strict safety regulations in all its construction projects.
But due to the accident, Eton is reviewing the compliance of its contractors and construction management consultant to these safety regulations, De Pedro said.
“Eton, its contractors and construction management consultant are cooperating with police authorities and the city engineer’s office as they investigate the cause of this accident. In the meantime, the company’s priority is to ensure that the victims’ families are informed and extended needed assistance by the contractor,” De Pedro said.
Palace sympathies
Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay ordered work at the site suspended “until we are sure that the workers there are safe.”
“We extend our sympathies to the families of those who were tragically killed in the accident. Nobody would like an accident like this to happen, even the owners of the building,” said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.
The labor department said it had sent inspectors to the Eton site to investigate compliance with safety standards.
“We’ll see if the accident that happened was related to the conduct of their work and if the construction firm is liable,” said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.
Lucio Tan Group
The company’s website describes Eton as the global real estate arm of the Lucio Tan Group and a sister company of Philippine National Bank and Philippine Airlines. It says the company also has operations in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The Philippines, particularly Metro Manila, has been experiencing a construction boom since last year, boosted by low interest rates, the large amount of foreign remittances from 9 million Filipinos working abroad and the need for more office space to accommodate the country’s growing outsourcing industry. With reports from Christine O. Avendaño, Jerome Aning, Doris C. Dumlao, Miko Morelos and Associated Press
Article taken here.
The gondola, a motorized steel basket-like platform, plummeted as it was coming down from the 28th floor at the Eton Residences Greenbelt, crashing to a halt at the seventh floor and throwing out its 11 passengers.
Only one worker survived the accident at the 39-story premium residential condominium undergoing construction on Gallardo Street in Legaspi Village. He identified himself to responding firemen as Rowel Perez, 23, before he was rushed to Ospital ng Makati, where the other victims were taken.
Guillermo Torres, project manager, said it was actually difficult to determine from which floor the gondola originated. “Only the survivor could give an accurate account on where they actually came from.”
Dead on the spot were Joel Abesilla, Celso Mabuting, Michael Tatlonghari, Kevin Mabunga, Borz Cristobal, Rommel Perez, Vicente Piñon, William Bañez, Jaykie Legada and Jeffrey Diocado, according to Senior Fire Officer 2 Gerson Moncada of the Makati Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
Moncada said the gondola was carrying more than its capacity of two persons at the time of the accident at lunch break.
Overloaded
“According to an eyewitness account, the workers rode the gondola instead of taking the stairs during their break time. However, since the platform can only carry a few workers, the cable snapped,” Eton said in a statement.
Denny Villanueva, a driver at a neighboring building, said he saw the gondola as it was hurtling down.
“It dropped so fast. They were all crammed inside. They were probably hitching a ride down for lunch,” Villanueva said.
Another witness, food stall attendant Mary Ann Centro, 34, said the gondola hit the seventh floor with a terrible sound—“so loud I thought the building had collapsed.”
“I started to scream, too, as passersby pointed and shrieked, ‘Tulungan niyo mga tao!’ (‘Help those people!’),” Centro said.
When she stepped out from her stall, she saw two bodies hanging from the debris catcher wire mesh.
Centro said work on the construction site had been going on for a year and there was only one major accident. “Last year, a steel bar fell on a car, but no one was hurt,” she said.
Broken limbs
FO1 Jomar Jumawan, one of the BFP rescuers, said the victims—all glass installers of Arlo Aluminum under contract with Eton—had broken limbs and bloodied heads.
“Six victims were piled up on the debris catcher. Two were sprawled on the floor below it. Three victims were found on the edge of the eighth floor,” Jumawan said in Filipino.
SFO1 Frankie Romaraog of the BFP-Emergency Medical Services said Perez, the lone survivor, had a dislocated shoulder. “There was blood on his head, and oozing out of his nose,” said Romaraog, who still had blood on his gloves.
It took rescuers at least two hours to retrieve all the bodies. Three hours after the accident, the red gondola, splayed out and broken, could still be seen suspended on the seventh floor.
Eton spokesperson Erwin de Pedro later arrived at the construction site and read the company’s statement.
“Our hearts go out to the victims’ families. Eton Properties would like to assure the public that the company is doing all it can to ensure that Eton and its contractor extend all necessary assistance to the victims,” De Pedro said.
Safety investigation
When informed by the media that the city engineer’s office had ordered the stoppage of the construction, De Pedro said: “We have yet to talk to our contractor about that, but we will cooperate with any investigation by the government.”
Moncada identified the contractor as CE Construction. The project was under manager Guillier Torres, he said.
De Pedro entered the building with the Department of Labor and Employment occupational safety engineer, who had come to inspect the site for safety regulation violations.
The spokesperson stressed that Eton placed a premium on safety and enforced strict safety regulations in all its construction projects.
But due to the accident, Eton is reviewing the compliance of its contractors and construction management consultant to these safety regulations, De Pedro said.
“Eton, its contractors and construction management consultant are cooperating with police authorities and the city engineer’s office as they investigate the cause of this accident. In the meantime, the company’s priority is to ensure that the victims’ families are informed and extended needed assistance by the contractor,” De Pedro said.
Palace sympathies
Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay ordered work at the site suspended “until we are sure that the workers there are safe.”
“We extend our sympathies to the families of those who were tragically killed in the accident. Nobody would like an accident like this to happen, even the owners of the building,” said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.
The labor department said it had sent inspectors to the Eton site to investigate compliance with safety standards.
“We’ll see if the accident that happened was related to the conduct of their work and if the construction firm is liable,” said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.
Lucio Tan Group
The company’s website describes Eton as the global real estate arm of the Lucio Tan Group and a sister company of Philippine National Bank and Philippine Airlines. It says the company also has operations in Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The Philippines, particularly Metro Manila, has been experiencing a construction boom since last year, boosted by low interest rates, the large amount of foreign remittances from 9 million Filipinos working abroad and the need for more office space to accommodate the country’s growing outsourcing industry. With reports from Christine O. Avendaño, Jerome Aning, Doris C. Dumlao, Miko Morelos and Associated Press
Article taken here.
Thursday, January 27
Happy Quadricentennial Celebration, UST!
I AM A THOMASIAN ENGINEER!
I AM A PROUD THOMASIAN!
PROUD THOMASIAN AT 400!
Sunday, January 23
Na-MAGIC ako!
Tapos na ang mga MOCK calls namin ng madaling araw ng Sabado (Jan. 22). Yung iba sa amin eh nakapasa, may mga hindi naman nakapasa. Buti na lang nakapasa ako. Thank God talaga! Sa mga hindi nakapasa sa amin, meron pa silang Stratified Training na tinatawag. Mas okay na yun kaysa naman sa matanggal sila sa company di ba? So ang ginawa na lang namin eh inuman na lang.
Sa UP-Ayala Technohub yung office namin so dapat sa Seafood Island kami iinom kaya lang pagpunta namin doon, ubos na yung beer. Eh anong oras na kasi yun, almost 4AM na rin at pasarado na rin sila. So we decided to look for another resto at ang ending namin eh sa Burby's Convergys Bldg. sa Commonwealth Ave. So doon na lang kami at order namin eh 2 beer towers. Hindi siya yung draft beer na expected namin, San Mig Lights pala ang laman so mas okay. Hehe!
So puro kwentuhan at kalokohan ang napagkukwentuhan namin at dumating sa point na parang MAGIC. Akala ko kasi kalokohan lang. Inabutan ako ng tissue ni Aries. Though bago niya sa akin inabot yun eh sinulatan na niya. Hindi ko naman siya tinignan kasi baka magalit. Kasi sa akin pinahawak eh. So after ng ilang minutes na kwentuhan eh tinanong na niya ako.
FIRST SCENARIO:
1. Pili daw ako ng two numbers from 1 to 5. So pumili naman ako at ang napili ko eh 2 at 5.
2. So ang natira eh 1, 3 at 4. Pinapali niya ako ulit ng two numbers. Ang pinili ko naman eh 1 at 3.
3. So ang natira eh 4.
4. Tapos tinanong niya kung naglalaro ba ako ng bahara. Sabi ko naman, "Oo naman!" So pili daw ako ng two suits. Pinili ko naman eh CLUB at DIAMOND.
5. Tapos sa natirang suits, pili daw ako ng isa. So ang pinili ko eh HEART.
6. Tapos nagmarunong ako, so sabi ko 4 OF SPADES! Hindi daw, sabi niya eh, 4 OF HEARTS! Explain pa niya na yung numbers, yung natira. Tapos yung sa suits, yung pinili mo talaga. So 4 OF HEARTS daw.
7. Sinabi na niya, buksan ko na daw yung tissue paper. Pagkabukas ko, napamura ako kasi yung lumabas, 4 OF HEARTS talaga!
Grabe, ang galing niya! Napabilib talaga ako sa kanya. Hindi ko talaga inexpect na tatama siya. Tapos tinuloy namin yung inuman. Haha! Tapos nagkwento pa siya na tinatanong siya ng iba pa naming officemates about sa problem sa buhay nila at sinasabi niya kung ano yung nasa isip niya at totoo daw yung mga yun. Grabe, ang galing niya. Though inamin naman niya na yung iba eh hindi naman daw nangyayari.
Tuloy pa rin ang kwentuhan tapos sabi niya may isa pa daw siya papagawa sa akin. So, sabi ko naman eh ok lang. Nag-eenjoy na kasi ako eh. Haha!
SECOND SCENARIO:
1. Pili naman daw ako ng number from 6 to 10 at wag ko daw sasabihin sa kanya.
2. Ok, so nakapili na ako. Ang napili ko eh 7.
3. Tapos may sinulat siya sa tissue paper ulit at inabot sa akin. Wag ko daw muna buksan. Sabi niya, "Eto ba yung number na pinili ko?"
4. Binuksan ko na ulit yung tissue papaer, napasigawa ako ulit kasi yun yung number na pinili ko.
Ang galing talaga niya! First time ko talaga na-MAGIC ng ganito at sabi ko eh ibloblog ko ito. Dapat kahapon ko pa ginawa niya lang may pinuntahan ako eh! So ngayon ko lang nagawa!
Ang galing mo talaga, ARIES!
Wednesday, January 19
UST Engineering Alumni Homecoming (January 22, 2011)
Dear Friends and Fellow Thomasians:
WELCOME HOME !!!
Since 1907 the Faculty of Engineering of our venerable university has produced countless Alumni in various fields, namely:
(a) Engineering: Civil, Chemical, Mining (course nonextant), Mechanical, Electrical, Electronics & Communications, and Industrial;
(b) Fine Arts and Architecture (subsequently covered by separate and distinct university units)
(c) Computer Science, Information Technology, Information Systems and Information Management (the ICS Department was previously attached to the College of Science, and I.M. ceased to be offered 2007); and
(d) Non degree specializations from the then Institute of Technological Courses (nonextant since 2004)
Today, many of our colleagues are engaged in industrial, agricultural, business, academic and environmental endeavors, etc. Others are with the various branches of public service, including the United Nations; and not a few are nuns and priests. You all have succeeded in your chosen fields and in your unwavering advocacy of Thomasian Ideals.
On behalf of students, parents, staff, faculty members and administrators, may I thank you dear esteemed Alumni for your loyalty to our university and our Faculty of Engineering. We salute you for constantly inspiring the youth and everyone of us. After the Quadricentennial Celebrations, we all relish the fact that all of us are Resident Thomasians - for we always regard our Alma Mater as our Home and we long to be with the University of Santo Tomas whenever we are away from her.
May we take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the UST Engineering Alumni Association, Inc. (USTEAAI) and its Officers, led by President Restituto Cabrera, for their hardwork and devotion in making this 2011 homecoming magnificent, successful and very memorable.
MABUHAY!
JOSEFIN S. DE ALBAN, JR.
Dean, Faculty of Engineering
================================
WELCOME TO OUR UST ENGINEERING ALUMNI HOMECOMING (JANUARY 22, 2011, ROQUE ROANO BUILDING)
Call (632) 406-1611 Loc. 8275; (632) 731-4041 for the details.
Saturday, January 8
Bigla Akong Natakot!
Around 3:10AM na ako nakarating sa Ampid, San Mateo, Rizal kanina. Ganitong oras na lagi ang uwi ko galing work. In fairness, maaga ako makakauwi unlike before na 3:30 to 4AM na yata ako nakakauwi kasi effort umuwi ng ganitong oras galing UP-Ayala Technohub. Sasakay pa ako ng pa-Fairview at bababa ako sa Sandiganbayan para sumakay ng tricycle papuntang Puregold, San Mateo tapos sasakay ako ulit ng jeep mula Puregold hanggang Ampid. Effort di ba? Pero kanina eh napadali kasi biglang may dumaan na jeep na pa-San Mateo Maly at iniwan ko na agad yung mga officemates ko at sumakay ako bigla. Sorry naman! Bihira ang biyaheng ganun sa madaling araw.
So, balik muna tayo sa kwento ko kung bakit ako natakot. Pagkasakay ko ng tricycle eh kala ko diretsong bahay na agad ako. Yun pala eh si kuya driver eh may dinaanan muna at kala ko may kukunin lang. Yun pala eh may inaawat siyang nagaamok o nag-aaway na pala dahil parehas silang nakainom. Takot talaga ako kasi ang daming kaaway ng isang lalaki na may hawak na screw driver at yung iba naman eh mga upuan ang hawak at handa na ihampas kay kuya. Eh biglang sumulpot si kuya sa harapan ko na may hawak na screw driver. So sabi ko kay kuya driver eh, "Tara na, Kuya!" Narinig naman ako ni kuya pero deadma lang at inaawat pa rin. Narinig ko na lang yung kakilala ni kuya driver na sinabi, "Natatakot na yang pasahero mo!" Which is true naman! Takot na takot na talaga ako ng mga oras na yun! Hindi ko na alam ang gagawin ko kasi baka ako pa ang mapagbuntunan ng galit eh!
Ayan, nakaalis na kami kasi medyo humupa yung galit ng karamihan. So pagkaalis naman ng ilang segundo eh may narinig kami na tunog ng bakal na tubo at ng lumingon ako, hinahampas na nila yung lalaki na may hawak na screw driver. Bigla namang bumalik si kuya driver sa eksena. Sabi ko naman eh, "Kuya, tara na po! Tara na po, Kuya! Alis na tayo!" Si kuya driver eh deadma pa rin sa akin. Sobrang takot na takot na ako ng mga oras na iyon kais baka madamay talaga ako.
So may inangkas si kuya na lalaki para ibaba sa baranggay hall yung lalaki. So nagawa naman niya kasi on the way naman iyon papunta sa village kung saan ako nakatira! Tapos, tanong pa sa akin ni kuya eh kung pwede bumalik, hindi na ako sumagot at takot na takot na talaga ako. Buti naman eh naramdaman na ni kuya yung takot at hinatid na ako sa bahay namin. Pagka-abot ko ng bayad ko eh humingi ng tawad si kuya. Binilisan ko na talaga makapasok sa bahay sa sobrang takot.
Thank God na lang at walang nangyari sa akin.
Sunday, January 2
Goodbye, 2010! Hello, 2011!
 |
| Me at Puerto Galera. March 2010 |
not my year...
made a lot of mistakes... learned from my mistakes...
cried a lot... really cried a lot...
i was almost there... ready to give up my life...
soul searcher... was able to find my way back...
been a bum for almost 5 months...
was able to get on track...
been so worried for one special person... a lot!
second year to celebrate my birthday... jobless!
2010.
had wonderful times with my friends... thank you!
been so grateful with my family... no questions asked!
met new people in my life...
some left... some stayed...
some became close to me...
went back to Puerto Galera with my gay friends... memorable!
learned a lot... really!
2011.
hoping for a good year.
have vacation abroad... preferably Asian cities...
start my master's degree...
to be with my partner... to take care of him...
start my life with my partner... can't wait for this...
expand my learnings...
soul searching again... to discover what i really want!
waiting for some signs...
live my life to the fullest...
Saturday, January 1
Happy New Year!
“Another fresh new year is here . . .Another year to live!To banish worry, doubt, and fear,To love and laugh and give!
This bright new year is given meTo live each day with zest . . .To daily grow and try to beMy highest and my best!
I have the opportunityOnce more to right some wrongs,To pray for peace, to plant a tree,And sing more joyful songs!”
- William Arthur Ward
GOOD BYE, 2010!HELLO, 2011!HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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