Here are the Top 7 magazines in the Philippines in terms of readership based on the survey conducted by Synovate Inc. from September 2010 to July 2011:

1. FHM Philippines – an average of 653,000 readers a month
2. Reader’s Digest – an average of 475,000 readers monthly
3. Cosmopolitan Philippines – an average of 465,000 readers a month
4. Yes Magazine – average of 463,000 readers a month
5. Panorama – average of 263,000 readers a month
6. Good Housekeeping – average of 244,000 readers a month
7. Metro Weddings – average of 239,000 readers a month

The Department of Education announces the amendments to the administration of the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE) including the change of examination date which has been moved from August 31, 2011 to September 28, 2011.

NCAE which used to be given to fourth year high school students is now administered for third year high school students both in public and private secondary schools. Also covered to take the NCAE are fourth year high school students who are applying for scholarship programs offered by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

DepEd Order No. 28 s. 2011 stipulates that the fourth year students who will take the NCAE for CHED and TESDA scholarship should belong to the top ten percent (10%) of each secondary high school regardless of school size. Also, they should have a general weighted average of eighty percent (80%) in third year and should come from a family whose gross annual income is not more than P300,000.

A letter of intent signed by the parents of the examinees must be submitted signifying that they are interested to apply for the CHED/TESDA scholarship. NCAE is also open to other interested fourth year students, out-of-school youth and A & E passers.

The results of the NCAE will show the interest and career inclination of the student, whether it is technical-vocational, entrepreneurial, or a full college education course. “This way parents and students will be guided on what career track is best to take after high school graduation, and we want to remind people that the result of the NCAE is not mandatory but recommendatory,” explained Luistro.

The NCAE is an important tool of the government to address job mismatch, cut unemployment rate, and reverse the local “brain drain” phenomenon. Present conditions indicate that a large number of college graduates fail to find appropriate employment suited for the course they finished. This has resulted in unemployment and oversupply of college graduates in white collar jobs while resulting in shortages in skilled manpower.

The NCAE is an assessment of students’ aptitudes and skills and estimates what field or discipline the student can excel in. It is non-discriminatory for people who have aptitude for technical-vocational and entrepreneurial courses.

According to Malacañang announcement, June 12, 2011, Sunday, will remain a regular holiday in celebration of the 113th Independence Day. Not as expected, it will not be moved to June 13, Monday.

“We have holidays that were moved to the nearest Monday but there were also some not moved primarily because these celebrations are meant to stay on that day. June 12 was not moved,” said Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte.

So basically it just means “may pasok” on June 13, 2011. And it will be the opening of classes for private schools, colleges and universities.

Career and education network QS reported that four Philippine universities made it in the Top 200 Asian Universities for 2011.

Philippines’ Number 1 is the University of the Philippines, which ranked at Number 62 in Asia. It was followed by the Ateneo de Manila University (No. 68 in Asia), University of Santo Tomas (No. 104 in Asia), and De La Salle University (No. 107 in Asia).

Occupying the 201+ ranking in Asia are Mindanao State University, Xavier University, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Silliman University, Father Saturnino Urios College, Mapua Institute of Technology, Adamson University, Saint Louis University, Central Mindanao University, University of San Carlos, and University of Southeastern Philippines.

QS links high achievers from the graduate, MBA and executive communities around the world with leading business schools, postgraduate departments at universities and with employers, through websites, events, e-guides and technical solutions.

Here is the speech of His Excellency President Benigno Aquino III at the 104th annual convention of the Philippine Medical Association:

Iyong speech ko po ngayon ginawa nilang English. Sabi ko, nasa Pilipinas tayo, pare-pareho tayong mga Pilipino, bakit English? Mayroon raw ho kayong foreigners. Philippine Medical Association may foreigners? Wala naman akong nakita. Problema lang ho, huli na ho; ‘yung speech nasa English na. Pasensya na po muna.

Yesterday, I was in Sta. Ana Hospital, in Manila, to inaugurate their new facilities—a 10-storey structure. And over there, in one of the rooms, I saw them treating a little child. I inquired about the condition of the child, and I was told that he had delayed development. I wonder if this was brought about by a lack of resources on his parents’ part to give him the nutrition every child needs within the critical first two years of life. His face was different from those of the other children we commonly see playing in some public park. There was no careless smile on his face, no energetic grin, and I got the feeling that simply—from a simple lack of resources—this little kid probably had already lost his childhood.

This young Filipino is just one person amid a large number of our countrymen who urgently need health care. I am told four out of ten Filipinos never get to see a health professional in their entire lives. So it is in this light, we could even say that the little kid I talked about was lucky to even have access to treatment. Our people find it difficult as it is to put food on their tables, to send their children to school, to buy what they need for day-to-day survival, and to the extent that a serious sickness can serve as a death sentence. This to me is unacceptable. I have pledged to significantly reduce poverty before the end of my term, and an essential component to that is to provide wider access to basic healthcare. I believe it is part of our civic duties to muster every resource we can, to explore every idea, and to exert every effort to eliminate this problem.

Allow me then to talk about what we are doing now. Our healthcare reforms aim to provide medical treatment to the people who need it most and to enhance the kind of services that people can avail of. Each and every Filipino deserves to be cared for in times of sickness—and we are moving as quickly as we can toward this goal.

This year, we have allotted a total of 7.1 billion pesos to the Health Facility Improvement Program—5.7 billion pesos will go to the upgrading of our rural health units and barangay health stations, with 1.4 billion going the way of enhancing DOH-retained hospitals.

One month after our administration took office, we passed PhilHealth Board Resolution No. 1417, which adopted the National Household Targeting System. With this, it is now easier for us to identify the poorest of the poor, who need the benefits offered by PhilHealth and other government institutions.

We have also been reaching out directly to those who need medical assistance. Ten thousand nurses have already been deployed to the poorest communities targeted through the RN HEALS program of the DOH. They will be assigned to the rural health units that were once undermanned, and they have been strategically paired with their areas so that they can be close to home, and for them to better understand the concerns of the locals.

But our projects are not just about treating people who are already sick. As many of you must have shared with your patients countless times, “prevention is better than cure.” We have launched the “Iligtas sa Tigdas ang ‘Pinas” campaign—napaka-poetic po ni Secretary Ona—which aims to immunize 18 million Filipino children from measles. So far, we have immunized more than 12 million of them, and we can expect to reach the full 18 million in the following weeks. We have also been preventing disease through other means, such as cleaning up the pollution, and various other pollutions, in the country. For instance, from 166 micrograms of total suspended particulates per cubic meter of air, we have progressed to a more acceptable 120 in February: 166 was when I took office; the UN standard is only at 90 micrograms. In more concrete terms, what was once a metropolis shrouded in smog is now a metropolis tidier and clearer. The air that we breathe in the NCR now is kinder to our lungs, and as a result, we are much safer from respiratory disease. Can I just highlight that particular fact? What did we do? Obviously, when we want to address air pollution, trees are one of the more important lines of defense. But a tree planted today will reap benefits for us ten years down the line. What did we actually do? We have a Clean Air Act Law. The law states that smoke emission testing should be done. Our LTO and the DENR studied smoke emission testing centers, and they determined that a particular machine for testing can only service about 80 vehicles per day. The LTO went back to its records, found out that there were so many reporting 300 to 600 vehicles being serviced per day. In other words, anything above 80 was fake. There were too many people with a lack of conscience, our air quality suffered. We imposed the law, we closed these unscrupulous entities: The air improved quite significantly.

Our administration has always been about the Filipino people—responding to their concerns and sharing and easing the burdens they have to carry. This is why I find it important to talk about a 16-year old girl I met in Baseco. At an age when she was supposed to attend proms and to study for college entrance exams, she was already facing the challenge of raising two children. She went from childhood to motherhood with no decent high school education. She already had enough trouble feeding herself, much more two babies who needed milk, diapers, vitamins and what have you, and, most importantly, time. Who is responsible for this? What brought about this situation?

This is why it is important for us to talk about responsible parenthood. We need legislation that prevents this tragedy from happening. I have read the Philippine Medical Association’s stance on reproductive health, and I am glad to note that it is consistent with my own. Let me reiterate my position for the nth time: Reproductive health must be against abortion; it must educate couples as to their responsibilities to their children, and give them a full menu of options on family planning, as they are in the best position to decide on matters affecting their families.

In short, we do not want, and we will not, force anyone to go against their individual consciences. All we want is to give our people a chance to make their own intelligent and well-informed decisions. I hope when Congress does send me the bill, it is consistent with my own five-point position.

I know some sectors are against this bill, but it is the right thing to do. It is right to educate our people, instead of holding them hostage to the scant resources available to them, and it is right to grant them free will, which is their inherent right—the concept upon which this democracy and, not to mention, the Catholic Church, were built. I urge the Church to work with us instead on the many areas where we do agree—poverty alleviation, peace and order, and perhaps, even responsible mining. Let us work together. This single issue does not have to be as divisive as it has become.

A reporter once asked me what has changed in my life since I assumed the presidency. My answer I think was simple enough. I think it is easier to say, What has remained unchanged? For instance, I think all of us will from time to time to eat in a restaurant: Meals have become impossible to even consume without having to look around if there are cameras pointed at me waiting to take a photo of me taking a bite. As you know, I am still single. If I ever get a chance to go out on a date, it seems I have invited the entire Filipino people to join me at our date. And I wonder who gave them the right, and I wind up apologizing to whoever had the misfortune of joining me in that circus.

But perhaps the more important question is this: What has changed in the lives of our people this past year? This is what we have continuously toiled for—that we be able to help our fellow Filipinos unshackle themselves from poverty by providing them access to medical care or support legislation that will take us a step closer toward true social justice.

In the end, what we want is simple: We want that little boy in Sta. Ana Hospital to be able to wear a real smile on his face; we want the young mother in Baseco to be able to raise her children in an environment where they would know better than to repeat the mistakes of the past; we want each and every Juan de la Cruz to reach his fullest potential.

The bottom line is this: The future is made in the present. We can opt to be observers whose futures are cast to the wind, or we can choose to participate—to be part of the solution—in rebuilding this country and in giving Filipinos better lives.

So again, thank you for your support. More importantly, thank you for your hard work that has spanned more than a century.

And before I end, may I just really highlight a sample of the changes that are already happening? In Sta. Anna Hospital, they really built quite an impressive facility; and I’m sure most of us would have an opportunity to see: 10 stories, a new building, completely equipped, with a very energetic cadre of doctors, nurses, administrators. Everybody was just so upbeat. Mayor Lim was saying that they will be able to treat over a hundred thousand patients with this facility, where everything is free.

What is the difference? Was it not too long ago when you go to a government hospital that the common refrain was that they lacked everything? They lacked the doctors, they lacked the nurses, they lacked the medicine. Sometimes they even lacked the electricity to turn on the lights in these hospitals. Now we have an example of a cooperation between the national government and the local government unit. Focus on those who have the least, their burdens have been eased.

This is just one of the examples that I think I will have to highlight come the time for the State of the Nation Address in July. There is a lot of good news. Perhaps we still have to improve our ability, on our messaging, to get this across. But I’m sure in your respective communities you have already seen the changes.

Thank you. Good day. Mabuhay kayong lahat.

Here are the top 10 poorest congressmen in the Philippines based on the summary of the 2010 Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) of House members:

1. Anakpawis Partylist Rep. Rafael Mariano- (P75.71K or P0.08M)
2. Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Teodoro “Teddy” Casiño- (P91K or P0.09M)
3. Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino- (P190K or P0.19M)
4. Kalinga Partylist Rep. Abigail Faye Ferriol- (P470K or P0.47M)
5. TUCP Partylist Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza- (P694.72K or 0.69M)
6. Akbayan Partylist Rep. Arlene “Kaka” Bag-ao- (P712K or P0.71M)
7. ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. Dante Antonio Tinio- (P969K or P0.97M)
8. Camarines Norte Rep. Elmer Panotes- (P1.05M)
9. Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Neri Colmenares- (P1.20M)
10. Gabriela Partylist Emerenciana “Emmi” De Jesus- (P1.24M)

The Aquino administration through the Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippine issued advisory regarding the
holidays before the year ends.

The days before December 25 (Chrristmas Day) and January 1 (New Year’s Day) which falls on the Fridays will become also
a holiday.so, aside from the 25th and the 1st, these days are non-working holiday, tagged as “special” additional breaks.

Rizal Day on the other hand was moved to the nearest Monday as stated to a proclamation falling on the 27th of
December which is also a non-working day for laborers.

Here is the complete list of the December 2010 holiday calendar:

Friday, December 24 – Additional Special (Non-Working) Day*

Saturday, December 25 – Christmas day; Regular Holiday; NWD*

Sunday, December 26 – NWD

Monday, December 27 – Monday nearest Rizal Day, December 30; Regular Holiday ; NWD*

Tuesday, December 28 – WD

Wednesday, December 29 – WD

Thursday, December 30 – WD

Friday, December 31 – Last Day of the Year; Special NWD*

Saturday, January 1 – NWD

Sunday, January 2 – NWD

Monday, January 3 – WD

The dates with asterisk are under the Proclamation No. 1841 s. 2009, which has been retained as relevant for December
this year after deliberation by the Office of the President.

Seven Asians were honoured for their selfless and devoted agenda in furthering the welfare of their fellowmen through the 2010 Ramon Magsaysay Award.

President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III lead the presentation of awards. He also had his congratulatory speech at the end of the program.

The recipients of the highly-coveted award are Tadatoshi Akiba of Japan, Huo Daishan of China, Pan Yue and Fu Qiping both from China, A.H.M. Noman Khan from Bangladesh, and Christopher and Ma. Victoria Bernido represents our country.

The award which remembers the late president of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay, is the counterpart of the prestigious Nobel Prize. This annual event was organized by the Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation lead by its Board of Trustees.

The awardees are chosen for their unrelenting advocacy of uplifting their nation as well as the whole Asia.

Akiba is a three-term mayor of Japan who pursye the stopping of nuclear proliferation. Daishan is a journalist who take care of the Huai River which benefits million of residents of China. While Khan’s advocacy is for the people with disability, Pan Yue and Fu Qiping strengthen environmental protection. Meanwhile, the Bernido couple fosters quality education through science and technology.

All of them except for Pan Yue and Fu Qiping accepted the award at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Reports said they have their personal reasons for not attending the ceremony.

August 30 which is our National Heroes Day was declared by Malaca?ang as holiday.

Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had already plotted the holidays for this year to allow businesses to adjust schedules and promote productivity. However, the Aquino administration had revised some of the holiday schedules.

After reviewing the Proclamation 1841 signed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declaring the regular holidays, special (non-working) days and special holidays for the academic year 2010, Malaca?ang had retained August 30 as non-working holiday.

Meanwhile, August 21 would be the holiday in observance of Ninoy Aquino Day instead of August 23.

Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that the administration is not trying to repeal the holiday economics law, which requires that most holidays, except those with religious significance, be shifted to the nearest Monday.

The typhoonn Ondoy and Pepeng lead Meralco to take Twitter seriously.

A day before the typhoon Pepeng, a user of Twitter account @manilaelectric broadcasted brownout rumors. The said Twitter page is even linked to the website of Meralco.

Another account, @meralco, which is the exact corporate name of the company has already a handler.

There were a lot of misinformation happened due to the unauthentic social networking accounts.

It was after typhoon Ondoy when people are finding information source regarding the electricity termination and return. The account @manilaelectric gained Twitter followers by the minute.

Twitter user @manilaelectric, who said that “he was coordinating with Meralco offices… was not only creating panic but also misinformation,” Zaldarriaga stated.

These Twitter users pretended as Meralco official were found and contacted to disrupt their activity. @manilaelectric which uses the Meralco’s logo without authorization was scared off to refrain from using it.

On the other hand, @meralco was found to be handled by an American electricity price analyst based in Cagayan de Oro. The handler said he was using the account for social experiment.

Fortunately, Meralco was able to use the @meralco as their official Twitter account.

@meralco, which now has more than 10,000 followers, is currently handled by Kirk Campos of Meralco’s corporate communications department.

We could now tell Meralco our queries and suggestions to the said account without worry. Be sure to submit your service ID numbers to @meralco through direct messaging.