Squatting. It's More Fun in the Philippines. Or Is it?

I still cannot get over the news days ago about the Php 18,000 subsidy the government is planning to give to each of the more than 19,000 squatter families along the San Juan River, Tullahan River, Manggahan floodway, Maricaban Creek, Pasig River and Esteros Tripa de Gallian, Sunog Apog and Maypajo for their relocation. I found it ridiculous that these illegal settlers, I mean informal settlers will be paid to relocate after occupying spaces that they are NOT supposed to inhabit.

Anti-Squatting Law and Its Subsequent Repeal

The Anti-Squatting Law was instituted by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos. He penalized squatting and other similar acts under PD 772 in 1975. However in 1992, the passage of Lina Law, otherwise known as RA 7279 or Urban Development Housing Act of 1992 (UDHA) imposed a requirement of relocation before eviction. Furthermore in 1997, then President Fidel V. Ramos decriminalized squatting through RA 8368 or the Anti-Squatting Law Repeal Act. Even if the law claims it does not intend to compromise the property rights of legitimate landowners, clearly RA 8368 and the Lina Law gave our professional squatters the upper hand in settling into areas they do not own. 

Squatting. It's More Fun in the Philippines

Live by the historic Pasig River.

Cramp in ingeniously-made shanties.

Bask in the colorful waterways of the city.

Feel the heat and enjoy the beautiful chaos.

Be paid Php 18,000.

It’s more fun being 
a professional squatter.

The Resume of Dr. Jose P. Rizal

Today is the 152nd birth anniversary of the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
If he were alive today, at 35 years old, his resume would look like this:

Mutual Funds: Know How Your Money Earns

If you are planning to invest in a mutual fund, it is a MUST that you understand how your money will earn.  Information pertaining to this can be looked up in the internet, but the investment jargon may complicate what should be a simple computation. Asking a licensed representative is the BEST OPTION since you can immediately throw in questions whose answers could shed light on your investment options.

This blog will simplify information on how a mutual fund investment earns. To understand it best, I came up with a scenario to see how an EQUITY MUTUAL FUND earns. Note that an equity mutual fund is just one type of a mutual fund. At the end of this blog, I will provide a simple explanation how this differs with the other types.

WARNING: This blog includes simple math calculations. Read at your own risk.

Mutual Funds Basics

About half of the population of America invests in mutual funds. In the Philippines, mutual funds are gaining popularity as it is in a sense an investment vehicle for beginners. But while many recognizes the value of having investments, many are still unaware of how to start investing in mutual funds and which fund to invest on.

Here are the basic information one should know about mutual funds.

Banned Names

In the Philippines, you can practically bestow your child whatever name you fancy for there is no law that regulates the names given to Filipinos. Fortunately, there are no known Filipino parents who have given names to their child as ridiculous as Demonyo (Devil), Tumbong (Anus) or Karahasan (Violence). Ridiculous as these names are, parents from Japan, Denmark and New Zealand have tried to bless their child with these not-so-common names. No wonder their governments, and some others, have a list of banned names, while Iceland has the Personal Names Register, a list of 1,712 male names and 1,853 female names where parents can choose Icelandic names from.

Read on to know which names got the “nays” and which name scored an “aye.”

Le Prenom (What's In a Name?) and the Philosophy of Names

[Spoiler alert.]

Le Prenom was this year’s opener for the 18th French Film Festival held at Greenbelt 3 in Makati. The film revolves around a dinner invitation by Elisabeth to her brother Vincent, who is expecting a baby boy. Everyone is in high spirits trying to guess the name of the baby until Vincent reveals the name is going to be Adolphe. Chaos ensues after the announcement. Bickering brings forth shocking revelations in their lives.

But what’s in Adolphe that had caused such a pandemonium?

A Guide to the 18th French Film Festival

I cannot remember when I started watching foreign films in festivals, but I know why I did: they were FREE. Some of the festivals I have seen were French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and Korean. These events are included in my anticipated events each year. And dear am I glad when I stumbled upon the schedule of the French Film Festival this year? Most definitely. 

The French Film Festival is on its 18th year and will be open to the public on June 7 to 9, 2013 at the Greenbelt 3 cinemas. 

The line-up of films includes:

Click on the film titles to view the trailer in Youtube.