It’s the Filipino people Mr. President, not GMA or Corona

by Justin David G. Pineda
IT’S already February 2012 and the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona is still the highlight of everyday events in the government and media. But unlike Jeremy Lin’s sudden hype because of his skill, [1] the impeachment is like a paid advertisement to sway people’s minds to rebel against “betrayal of public trust.” However, even though the Filipinos have a hasty generalization mentality, day by day it changes due to extreme lack of capability both skill and evidence that the prosecution has been showing in the trial. [11]
Not a few people will conclude that whoever is against the President of the Republic is a pro-GMA person. You can see that everywhere in argumentation in social networking and media sites. It has always been argued that we deem wanted GMA to be liable for her sins to the country. Yes, I agree with these people 100%. If needed, then she should give back all the money she has allegedly stolen from the Filipinos and pay the price of her crimes in jail. But I always say that GMA is just one small part of the story of the Filipinos. Furthermore, saying that if you’re anti-GMA then you should be pro-PNoy is such an illogical statement.
On the GMA Case
In the first place, I don’t agree with how the government handled her arrest and even stopped her from leaving the country last November 2011. The issue there wasn’t whether she will escape the country or not. The issue was whether the government followed the rule of law or not. [12] Let’s always remember that the court would and should never rule based on speculations. Speculations include thinking that she will just escape or faking her illness. If that were true then there should be evidence. There was even no formal case filed by the government against her. Better yet, let’s put ourselves in her shoes being barred from leaving the country even though no formal charge was filed. You’re being blocked because of speculations. Wouldn’t that sound unfair? It is not the fault of the court that they allowed GMA to leave. It is the fault of the government for failing to file a formal case against GMA. PNoy has been in his throne for more than a year already before this incident happen. He could’ve tasked his officials to spend time filing cases against GMA. But he spent those time just bragging and blaming the previous administration in his SONA justifying that he cannot do much because the government funds were missing. He spent his time being a pot calling the kettle black.
In the February 23, 2012 trial of CJ Corona, Senator Gringo Honasan asked clarificatory questions to DOJ Sec. Leila De Lima regarding her disobedience on the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issue on the GMA case. De Lima explained that the DOJ Circular 41 gave them the power to issue a Watch List Order (WLO) to hold GMA. She admitted she defied the TRO and proceeded to block her. Sen. Honasan asked if there should be a “probable cause” in determining whether an individual should be placed under WLO. The Secretary said no. But since she defied the TRO issued by the court, she was given a show-cause order why she shouldn’t be held for contempt. The Senator then asked, why a show-cause order is needed. De Lima replied, “because there is due process.”
How easy it is for the DOJ Secretary to issue a WLO without even determining a probable cause yet when she’s the one with criminal liability, she’s given a proper time to explain herself because of due process.
Days after the TRO incident, on November 18, 2011, the Pasay Regional Trial Court (RTC), after recommendation from the DOJ-Comelec joint panel, issued a warrant of arrest against GMA. This move made the TRO useless and created a probable cause against GMA. [7] However, ask yourself this: Is this how the court handles a case against an accused? The moment, the same day the recommendation from the joint panel was released, the court has already determined a probable cause against the respondent. If you go to the Comelec office, you would see a lot of voluminous documents on the case yet they were able to issue an arrest warrant within 2 hours. Are they fast readers and fast typists? Days ago, the government was questioned on legal basis. In this case, they made the process look legal through technicalities. But would you call that due process? In the first place, would you call that ethical?
Of all these Filipino cases, how many of them are being attended to and being determined with a probable cause in just 2-hours?
On the Corona case
PNoy’s hate on Corona sitting as Chief Justice was first felt during the Presidential Inauguration when he chose Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales to administer the oath-taking ceremony instead of the CJ. [8] He continued mentioning the midnight appointment of Corona and how his appointment will become a hindrance to the administration’s plans for reform.
I personally didn’t like Corona to become the Chief Justice when appointed by GMA on 2010. I believe that he shouldn’t have even accepted the position. I wanted Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio [13] become the CJ. I’ve read his profile and decisions made and all were superb. Of course, in a legal argumentation, 2 lawyers will have 2 opposite arguments that have good points. For one side, a president can appoint a CJ when one vacates it. It so happened that CJ Puno’s mandatory retirement was on May 2010 which was an election month. [14] On another side, there shouldn’t be no appointments due to election ban. Two arguments both found in the constitution. And so the appointment became legal after decided by the Supreme Court. But I don’t really think that it’s the end of the world for PNoy. For me, what happened was part of democracy. One part of the government cannot always be on the same page of the other parts.
The President have been so consistent in criticizing and lambasting the CJ. The Judiciary, on the other hand, has always been silent and the least expressive to the public. The sympathy of the public went to the President especially because the CJ was appointed by an unpopular president. The President in return continued his acts.
Then came the Criminal Justice Summit on December 6, 2011 wherein both the CJ and the President attended. Instead of giving a talk on Criminal Justice, the President slammed the Chief Justice and the Supreme Court in its face. The CJ just kept silent, emotionless and calm. [6] But it was a sign that the President really wanted the CJ out.
One week later, 188 Congressmen signed an impeachment complaint of Corona. He was impeached by the House of Representatives on 8 Articles of Impeachment. [5] It was a very fast move, just like how an arrest warrant was issued against GMA. Eight articles of impeachment were read, verified and signed by more than 188 representatives within 5 hours and transmitted to Senate.
The trial began before the Senate even started. After filing the impeachment complaint, members of the prosecution panel led by the Justice Committee Chair Niel Tupas Jr., they claimed that the CJ has amassed ill-gotten wealth and various properties beyond his capacity to pay as a Chief Justice. Days before the trial, the Land Registration Authority (LRA) released records and claimed that CJ Corona has 45 properties. These properties were disclosed by the prosecution team in a press conference.
For Malacañang’s part, the President admitted urging the Congressmen to file the impeachment complaint. I really feel that they were expecting Corona to resign because the plaintiff admittedly claimed that impeachment complaint is very weak. [31] Other signatories of the complaint also admitted that they didn’t read the whole contents of the complaint and just relied on the Powerpoint made by Tupas. [20] PNoy for his part started drafting replacements for Corona even when the impeachment hadn’t started yet. [21]
They never knew that CJ Corona will not give up easy and fight back. The Chief Justice answered all allegations one by one and even fired back to his critiques. High profile lawyers offered legal services pro-bono to defend him. [22]
And the prosecution team with more than 50 private lawyers have been humiliated publicly due to their lack of preparation and fishing expedition. They cried foul when Retired Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas, lead defense counsel, [2] had been very strict in following rules of court and evidence. He has been objecting a lot silencing the prosecution and ruining their plans of presenting a lot of witnesses and evidences which Cuevas claims as “immaterial, irrelevant and impertinent.”
The reason why I’m personally against the removal of Chief Justice Corona in the Supreme Court is simply the cases filed were so weak that the accusers didn’t even have any idea about what they complained about. [15] They’re just pulling up people issuing subpoena to whoever they wanted. It pains me to see how these politicians embarrass a person without any concrete basis. But in a wider scope, the President is trying to become a dictator- first by controlling the executive, second by controlling the legislative and now trying to control the judiciary. This plan is contrary to what democracy speaks about. He wants everybody in the government agree with him. If not, he/she will be impeached or terminated. The worst part is, these offices affected by the impeachment focus more on the impeachment rather than their primary work- the Senate, the Congress (who has only 2 sessions in quorum last January), [32] the Judiciary (especially the Supreme Court) and the Office of the President.
So the question is: Is this the government that we want? A government that chases the allegedly bad without the due process? A government that promotes character assassination? A government, which Senator Bongbong Marcos defines, that enforces “selective justice?” [16]
On the Filipino case
Supposed GMA and Corona both are sent to jail hypothetically, what good will it bring to the Filipino people? Freedom? Growth in economy? Trust in government? [4] You answer.
The problem with the President is that he is too busy and obsessed catching who he thinks is bad to attain peace. He wanted to build a “matuwid na daan.” However, catching bad guys is supposedly the norm. Meaning to say, it should be given that for a country, it is peaceful. It is not something to brag or to give so much limelight. Because for Filipinos, a straight path is just the same with a zigzag path. Those are just 2 roads. Catching the bad guys won’t bring the poor out of hunger. Putting GMA in jail won’t increase the economic growth. Ousting Corona won’t lower the oil prices and the primary commodities.
My point is simple. Let the courts handle these cases. End of story. Focus more on building the country and not focus on persecuting individual people. They are entitled to due process and presumption of innocence for God’s sake.
The economy drastically went down months right after PNoy stepped in Malacañang. [9] He focused on a crusade to battle the corrupt but only there. He tighten the release of the taxpayer’s money because he doesn’t want the money to go in the pockets of the corrupt. But if you will not let the money go into cycle, then there won’t be any improvements in the country at all. This is what is happening.
The unemployment rate is higher. [10] Children who go to school are lower. [17] Basic commodities are getting higher as well but he is not doing anything about it. If he’s doing something about it, nobody knows. What people see in television is his love life and campaign against GMA and Corona.
Does he have any concrete projects that are being/already implemented? If there are, what are they? Please don’t tell me Condition Cash Transfers (CCT) amounting to PHP 21 Billion annually. [30]
Specifically, he must address concerns on education, employment, environment and technology. There are so many projects that can be done for those categories mentioned. But I see none.
It’s true that PNoy is doing selective justice. He does what he wants. He will humiliate anybody who is against him and defy the rule of law. There is no accountability on his part also. I remember the Qurino Grandstand Hostage taking last August 2010. A lot of Chinese tourists where killed including the hostage taker. The President didn’t apologize for what happened because he said his administration did its best to help. [28] But did they? The Undersecretary for DILG Rico Puno was not terminated even if he didn’t act properly during the hostage crisis. Puno is close friend who help campaigned him in the elections. [29]
When the presidential speech writer Mai Mislang tweeted various derogatory statements regarding Vietnam during their State Visit there, she was even defended by the President. [3] When his “kabarilan” Sec. Ronald Llamas was caught buying pirated DVD’s and his car caught with an AK-47 rifle, he wasn’t fired. As a matter of fact, the President defended him. [24][26]
When the NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula, was allegedly involved in a kidnapping of a Japanese alien, without proper conference or meeting, he was kicked out and humiliated in his office. Gatdula filed a TRO seeking to stop a preliminary investigation which perceived to be biased because of the DOJ panel doing reviews without getting his side. The court sided with Gatdula and issued a TRO. But the great Leila De Lima didn’t follow it and continued with her investigation. [25]
The Retired Lieutenant Jovito Palparan who was accused by the government for kidnapping and killing of student activists was issued a WLO by the DOJ. He was following and attending the hearings set for him. When the WLO expired, he wanted to leave the country. Even if there are no pending cases on him and the WLO has already expired, he was still barred by Sec. De Lima. [27]
I mentioned these things because the President’s campaign is for public trust and accountability. He tries to use force and power to put down his enemies who he thinks are criminals without the due process. But as you can see, he himself runs a corrupted administration. He doesn’t discipline or admonish incompetent and sinful officials he appointed for as long as they’re his friends and do things that pleases him. While personal vendetta is being promoted, who in the 90 million Filipino people are benefiting from it?
With all fairness to GMA, she did bring the economy through BPO’s. She did build those roads in the North. She did something. [23] Public office is public trust. But public office has also other tasks other than establishing it as a public trust. In its essence it says for service of the public, not for the service of personal interests.
I’m deeply dismayed and bothered that our President has been a spoiled brat doing what he pleases in bigotry and conceitedness. Enough is said during the Sendong when he was partying when his people are dying in Mindanao. [33] Enough is said that he there was a flood control project there which he scrapped because it was GMA’s project. Enough is said that he vetoed budget for Disaster Management program in the National Budget. [34]
What is next Mr. President? I respect democracy and I respect the millions of people who voted for PNoy. But he must serve not only for those who voted for him. When I chance upon my ITR I saw I paid more than a 100,000 Pesos for taxes yet I don’t see even little improvements in our country. All I see and hear are complains and blames because of the corrupt past administration.
I hope it’s not all about politics and media sensation. The Filipinos deserve more than that. In the end I ask this current government, What makes you different from what you say is a corrupt administration if yourselves don’t follow the law, protect your own and neglect the needs of your people?
The President is elected for the Filipino people and not to chase Arroyo and Corona.
References:
[1] Linforgraphic: The journey of Jeremy Lin by Inforgraphic World from http://infographicworld.com/linfographic-the-journey-of-jeremy-lin/
[2] When the going gets tough, the tough get going by Fil V. Elefante from http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/opinion/23410-when-the-going-gets-tough-the-tough-get-going
[3] Journalist twits President’s speechwriter for rude tweets ABS-CBN News (with a report from RG Cruz) from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/01/10/journalist-twits-presidents-speechwriter-rude-tweets
[4] Fidel Ramos: Impeachment won’t solve poverty by DJ Yap from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/151943/fidel-ramos-impeachment-wont-solve-poverty
[5] 188 solons impeach CJ Corona by Cynthia D. Balana, Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/109793/188-solons-impeach-cj-corona
[6] Aquino lambasts Supreme Court in front of Corona by Christine O. Avendaño, Marlon Ramos from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/105887/aquino-lambasts-supreme-court-in-front-of-corona
[7] Court issues arrest warrant vs GMA by Dexter Ganibe, dzMM from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/18/11/court-issues-arrest-warrant-vs-gma
[9] Rappler Animate: How Aquino handled the economy by Lala Rimando Katherine Visconti and Emil Mercado from http://www.rappler.com/business/1230-rappler-animate-how-aquino-handled-the-economy
[10] As Aquino perorates, unemployment rises by J.A. de la Cruz from http://businessmirror.com.ph/home/opinion/23775-as-aquino-perorates-unemployment-rises
[11] Santiago lectures lead prosecutor in impeachment trial by Kathrina Alvarez from http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2012/02/13/santiago-lectures-lead-prosecutor-impeachment-trial-205888
[12] The directive to bar the Arroyos from leaving the country stays — de Lima by Leonardo Postrado from http://www.mb.com.ph/node/341505/the-directive-bar-arroyo
[13] Justices of the Supreme Court from http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/justices/j.carpio.php
[14] Corona assumes as Chief Justice By Genalyn Kabiling and Jeamma Sabate from http://www.mb.com.ph/node/257841/corona-a
[16] Bongbong: PNoy has ‘selective’ justice by Ryan Chua from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/11/22/11/bongbong-pnoy-has-%E2%80%98selective%E2%80%99-justice
[18] Oil firms hike prices by P1.35 by Neil Jerome Morales from http://www5.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=780241
[19] The NFA Says Get Ready for P2 Per Kilo Increase in Rice Prices from http://www.agriculture-ph.com/2011/04/more-rice-crisis-price-increases.html
[20] Corona asks Senate to subpoena Belmonte by Christian V. Esguerra from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/126561/corona-asks-senate-to-subpoena-belmonte
[21] Palace: We’re not disregarding JBC by Willard Cheng from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/29/11/palace-were-not-disregarding-jbc
[22] Lawyer defends pro bono work for Corona by Karen Boncocan from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/141257/lawyer-defends-pro-bono-work-for-corona
[23] Arroyo to Aquino: It’s the Economy, Student by Michael Lim Ubac from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/126851/arroyo-gets-back-at-aquino
[24] Aquino rebukes adviser over fake video discs by Virgil B. Lopezfrom http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2012/02/04/aquino-rebukes-adviser-over-fake-video-discs-204382
[25] Gatdula TRO effect downplayed by Evangeline de Vera
[26] Aquino defends Llamas over AK-47, says adviser has right to protect himself by Chichi Conde from http://www.interaksyon.com/article/15004/aquino-defends-llamas-over-ak-47-says-adviser-has-right-to-protect-himself
[27] Palparan barred from leaving RP despite lapsed WLO by Benjamin B. Pulta, Pat C. Santos and Virgilio J. Bugaoisan from http://globalbalita.com/2011/palparan-barred-from-leaving-rp-despite-lapsed-wlo/
[28] Aquino rejects call for apology for Hong Kong deaths by Jill Beltran from http://www.sunstar.com.ph/manila/local-news/2011/08/23/aquino-rejects-call-apology-hong-kong-deaths-174809
[29] Rico Puno qualified to handle peace and order – Palace from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/09/02/10/rico-puno-qualified-handle-peace-and-order-palace
[30] DSWD wants P39.4-B for conditional cash transfer by RG Cruz from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/08/01/11/dswd-wants-p394-b-conditional-cash-transfer
[31] ‘Masama pagkakagawa ng complaint’ – Farinas from http://pcij.org/blog/2012/02/07/masama-pagkakagawa-ng-complaint-farinas
[32] ‘Impeachment trial affecting quorum at House’ by Paolo Romero from http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=773571&publicationSubCategoryId=
[33] Palace defends PNoy for attending PSG party by Willard Cheng from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/12/19/11/palace-defends-pnoy-attending-psg-party
[34] Gov’t courting disaster, solon warns by Jester Manalastas
2012
02/27
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Ang elitistang mas masahol pa sa malansang isda

 

Nagsisilbing identidad ang wika ng isang bansa. Ang Japan ay may Nihonggo at ang France ay may French. Gayundin, ang Pilipinas ay may Filipino. Hindi ako isang linggwistiko na eksperto sa pinagmulan ng wikang Filipino at ang kanyang porma. Ngunit alam kong ito ang wika ng ating bayan; ang wika na ginamit ng mga bayani na siyang nakipaglaban sa mga mananakop upang makamtam ang minimithing kalayaan. Ang wikang ito ay nagmula sa ating mga ninuno na siyang ginamit sa pakikipag-usap sa araw-araw. Ang wikang ito ang bunga ng tradisyon at kultura ng ating bayan. Ang wika na siyang sumisimbulo kung sino tayo- mga Pilipinong malaya.

Kaya naman ganun na lamang ang aking pagkadismaya at pagkalungkot sa ilang mga Pilipinong kung tratuhin ang ating pinakamamahal na wika na parang basura. Sabihin na lang natin na oo, sa pangangailangan ng makabagong panahon ay kailangan natin matuto ng Ingles upang magkaroon ng komunikasyon sa ibang mga tao lalo na ang mga banyaga. Pero sinasabi ko sa kahit sinuman, na hindi ibig sabihin na kapag ika’y magaling magsalita ng Ingles ay isa kang intelihenteng tao. Siguro’y nagtutunog matalino ka ngunit hanggang sa pandinig lamang iyon. At sinisiguro ko ring walang katotohanan na ang Ingles ay siyang wika ng karunungan. Kung gayon at sinasabi iyan ng iilan, ibig ba nitong sabihin, ang mga taong hindi nagsasalita ng Ingles ay mangmang? Ilan ba ang hindi gumagamit ng Ingles? Sa Tsina pa lamang, mahigit isang bilyon na. Ibig ba nitong sabihin, wala sila silang sapat na karunungan gaya ng mga taong nagsasalita ng Ingles?

Naalala ko noong ako’y nag-aaral ng isang asignaturang Filipino noong kolehiyo, pinag-aralan namin sa isang estadistika na maraming mga pamantasan sa probinsiya ang bagamat hindi kilala ay maganda ang estado sa board exams. Nang alamin kung paano sila natututo, sinabi ng pakultad na nagsisimula siyang magturo ng Ingles. Kapag ang mag-aaral ay hindi na makaintindi, magtuturo siya ng Tagalog. Kapag hindi pa rin makaintindi, isasalin niya ang kanyang turo sa Bicolano. Doon natututo ang mga estudyante sa pakikipag-usap sa sariling wika. Mahirap ipilit ang mga bagay na hindi talaga kabilang sa ating pagka-Pilipino, dahil hindi rin ito natural na kabilang sa ating pagkatao.

Bakit, kapag ba gusto mong matuto sa Matematika, Agham, Kasaysayan o anumang disiplina, kailangang marunong kang mag-Ingles para gumaling? Hindi ka ba gagaling kapag sarili mong wika ang gagamitin? Ang mga mayayamang bansa gaya ng Hapon, Korea, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia atbp., huwag natin silang mamaliitin na hindi marurunong dahil hindi nila ginagamit ang Ingles at pinagyaman nila ang sarili nilang wika. Mahal ng kanilang mamamayan ang kanilang wika at umunlad sila gamit ito.

Sa personal kong karanasan, alam kong kulang ang ginagawa ng gobyerno at akademiya na palaganapin ang wikang Filipino sa kanilang mga sistema ngunit alam ko ring mayroon silang ginagawa para paunlarin ito. Alam kong maraming pwersa ang nagbabanggaan kung ano ba talagang wika ang dapat bigyang prayoridad na matutunan dahil na rin sa globalisasyon. Pero kapag ika’y lumabas at saan man magpunta dito sa Pilipinas, ang natural na wika pa ring ginagamit ay Filipino- hindi lamang ng mga tindera, tsuper, katulong, kundi lahat ng mga Pilipino. Ang wikang Ingles ay maaaring makapagpakita na tayo’y may iba pang wikang alam. Ngunit mas malakas pa rin ang tawag ng ating pagka-Pilipino kahit saan man tayong lugar sa mundo mapunta.

Kaya ito lamang ang masasabi ko sa taong halos sambahin na ang banyaga at itapon ang sariling wika: Kung hindi dahil sa wikang ginamit ng ating mga bayani upang ipaglaban ang ating bayan, malamang ika’y nabubuhay na alipin pa rin. Ngunit siguro nga, maging alipin ng banyaga ang gusto mong gawin sa buhay mo. Sa kasamaang palad at riyalidad, wala namang pakialam ang tao kung marunong kang mag-Ingles o kung ano pa mang wikang banyaga ang alam mo. Ang importante ay marunong kang makisama, makipag-usap at makaintindi sa kapwa ng walang panlalapastangan. At huwag kang umastang akala mo’y kung sino kang marunong at superyor, kasi mas matalino ang sambayanang Pilipino kaysa sayo. Meron ka na bang napatunayan sa pag-i-Ingles mo? Kung susumahin, ilan ka ba sa bansang ito na itinakwil ang wikang Filipino? Isa? Ilan naman ang ininsulto mong tao dahil sa mababang pagtingin mo sa sariling wika? Hmm.. mga 90 milyong Pilipino? Kung si Dr. Jose Rizal ay babangon mula sa kanyang libingan at nalamang isa kang Atenista na itinakwil ang iyong pagka-Pilipino, malamang sa malamang, itatakwil ng ating pambansang bayani ang kanyang pagiging Atenista. Noong sinabi ni Rizal na ang taong hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika ay mas masahol pa sa malansang isda, hindi naman niya literal na tinutukoy ang amoy ng isda. Masyadong mababaw iyon. Ibig lamang niyang sabihin, hindi kailangan ng Pilipinas ng mga elitisang mangmang at hambog gaya mo.

2011
08/30
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Doing the Math

My dad told me that it’s best to invest on real estate like a house or a condo unit because its value appreciates as time goes by. Yes, I agree. And because people like me who’s not born rich, starts from the bottom going up the ladder. If that’s the case then it means that the state of being rich is low when you start working and it goes up as time flies. This concludes that the hindrance for abundance is ‘time.’ That’s because everything takes time yet life is short.

Anyway, another thing my dad told me was that investing in cars and technology (i.e. expensive cellphones/laptops) is bad because its value depreciates in a short span of time. As Moore’s Law applies in essence, the value of a gadget is half after less than a year in parallel with a technology that is double the power of the current one. Also, the value of a car depreciates drastically while its maintenance is very expensive. So, it’s still impractical to get one when you have a lot of other more important priorities that you support financially.

A couple of weeks ago, my dad gave my a new Toyota Innova J series (Diesel). It’s the cheapest among the Innova series but I would agree that the differences vary very slightly like accessories and such. But the important thing is the engine, which is good because it has the same engine as the Fortuner. It also has comfortable seats good for 8 people and a compartment at the back. So, the mission given to me is to survive a life with a car. My philosophy always says “practicality and simplicity.” At first I don’t really like having a car because it’s expensive etc. But now that I have one already, then it’s time to use it in the most practical and simplest way possible.

I did a lot of changes in my car style when I handled the Innova. Vast changes occurred and that’s because it’s my responsibility now:

I don’t rush when I drive. Never anymore. When there’s a jeepney trying to cut my way even if the driver counter flowed, I’d still give him the space. That’s because I know it’s a pain in the ass if the jeep bumps on me and I would to pay for the repairs.

I always try my best to drive in the coolest way possible. My average speed in the highway is just 60kph. I don’t race with other cars even if they’re provoking me to. I don’t speed up when it’s Yellow in the traffic light. Instead, I start slowing down and hit the brakes even if it’s not turning fully stop yet.

I don’t try to play with vehicles who are very careless. I sound the horn very loud so they would know that somebody is beside or near them even if they get annoyed.

I don’t rush on bumpy and moon-styled roads. I drive slowly to avoid all those holes and other road texture problems. I don’t mind anymore even if the car behind me is rushing (unless it’s an ambulance) and keeps on sounding the horn so I would rush.

I clean the car very often both external and internal. I do the cleaning or sometimes the car wash boys do it. But I have my own stuff as well. I don’t want the car look dirty.

I want the car to be safe. My dad started it with an centralized lock with an alarm. I do have my own security by putting lock on the steering and the brake pedal. I also invest in putting the car in a safe parking lot with a roof even it costs quite expensive. And everywhere I go, before I bring the car to the destination, I make sure that there’s a secured place for the car to stay.

And I learn how to look for the cheapest gasoline stations in the area to maximize my money. I also learn how to look, study and measure all the routes when going to office, Cavite etc. to be able to maximize the gas. It makes me learn a lot actually. I get exposed to shortcuts and alternative roads.

In the end, even if it’s just a month old, I feel like I’m already raising a child. Taking care of a car is so expensive. But it makes you more responsible and mature. At the same time, you get the comfort that some don’t experience.

 

2011
08/19
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Ang Nakalalasong Amag sa Tinapay

Upang matahak natin ang ating layunin sa buhay, marami tayong kailangang hakbangin sa hagdanan ng kaunlaran. Gayundin, marami tayong mga pagsubok na daraanan upang makamit ito. Hindi ba napakasarap sa pakiramdam ang matamo mo ang iyong pinaghirapan matapos ang matitinding pagsubok? Kahit gaano kaliit o kalaki ang iyong planong abutin, kapag natamasa mo ito, isang malaking ginhawa ang papasok sa ating katawan. Ngunit paano kung ika’y naluklok na sa pangarap mong estado sa buhay? Dahil mas malayo na ang narating mo sa iba na maaaring nagsisimula pa lamang, iba na ang pamantayan mo sa buhay. Dito nagkakaroon ng problema. May katotohanan din ang sabi-sabi na kapag ika’y nasa tuktok na, nakakalimutan mo ang nasa ilalim mo.

Personal kong nasaksihan ang indirektang sapilitang pang-aalipin ng mga nasa taas sa mga taong nasa ilalim nila. Sang-ayon naman ako na dapat may mas nakakataas sayo o may mga posisyon na pagpipilian base sa kaalaman at karanasan. Ngunit sukdulan akong hindi sang-ayon sa pang-aabuso ng mga nasa taas sa mga tao sa ibaba nila. Ganoon ba talaga kapag ika’y mas makapangyarihan kaysa sa iba? Sadya bang hindi maiiwasan ang tukso nang kapangyarihan?

Naniniwala ako na nilikha ang tao na pantay-pantay at may pare-parehas na karapatan at kalayaan. Hindi maaaring mas maraming karapatan ang isang taong mas mataas ang posisyon kaysa sa isang taong kinasasaklawan ng kanyang kapangyarihan. Sabi nga ni Marjorie Evasco, “We’re all the same. We all eat and we all shit.” May kaakibat na responsibilidad ang lahat ng tao ano man ang estado nito sa buhay. Isa sa pinakaimportanteng responsibilidad ng bawat nilalang dito sa mundo ay ang respetuhin and kapwa lalong-lalo na ang kanilang pagkatao.

Kaya naman ganito na lamang ang aking pagkamuhi sa mga taong pilit na nang-iipit at nang-aalipusta nang kapwa sa pang-aabuso ng kanilang kapangyarihan at talikuran ang karapatan at dignidad ng kanilang kapwa kasama na rito ang kanilang mga tauhan. Tapos na ang giyera at pananakop ng iba’t ibang mga banyaga. Ngunit gaya ng kwento ni George Orwell na hango sa Stalinism, mismong mga ka-uri na natin ang nagpapahirap sa atin. At totoo iyon. Tumingin ka lang sa iyong paligid at makikita mo na kung ano ang sinasabi ko.

Marami sa atin ang pilit na kakapit sa patalim upang magtuloy-tuloy ang buhay sa mundong ito kahit ang naghihintay na kapalaran ay mapait at hindi patas. Hindi naman natin sila masisisi. Sa kabilang dako, mayroong mga tao na prinsipyo ang pinanghahawakan sa sarili. Isang bagay na hindi matutumbasan nang kahit anong salapi o suhol. Hindi naman ibig sabihin na ang mga taong kumakapit sa patalim ay walang prinsipyo. Ang prinsipyong tinutukoy sa isang ma-prinsipyong tao ay gagawin kung ano ang tama at iwawasto, hindi gagawin at hinding-hindi tutularan ang mali.

Dapat nating himukin ang bawat tao na kasapi sa ating komunidad o organisasyon na ipaglaban ang kanilang karapatan at dignidad. Kung sila’y natatakot at pilit na kumakapit sa patalim, walang progreso at hustisyang magaganap. Ang pagkapit sa patalim ay isang gawain upang makapagatuloy sa buhay ngunit siya namang tuloy-tuloy sa pagsugat sa kanilang mga sarili. Hindi lubusang natatamasa nang mga taong ito ang tunay na ibig sabihin ng kalayaan. Dapat nating sugpuin ang walang awa at ganid sa kapangyarihan at patalsikin sa pwesto ang ganitong mga tao. Hindi sila karapat-dapat sa posisyon na kanilang kinabibilangan ngayon. Kahit man isang pangarap at bagay na inaasam-asam mula sila’y bata lamang na mapabilang at makakuha ng isang mataas na posisyon, wala silang lugar para rito. Dapat sila’y nasa kulungan upang pagbayaran ang kanilang pagmamalabis at pagpapahirap sa mga taong kanilang nasa ilalim.

Kapag tayo’y magsasama-sama at pag-aalabin ang prinispyong maka-tao, sinisiguro ko na walang maaapi at walang sinuman ang susubok na manapak ng karapatan ng ibang tao. Wala nang matatakot pa na baka sila’y lalong saktan kapag itananong at inilaban ang karapatan. Tandaan natin, kakaunti lamang ang nasa itaas. Marami ang sama-sama sa ilalim. Gaya nang pagpapatalsik sa isang pangulo matapos itong mawalan ng suporta, ganito rin ang mangyayari sa iba pang mga pinuno na hindi kayang gampanan ng maayos ang trabahong iniatang sa kanya.

Gaya ng aking nabanggit, marami ang nangangarap mapunta sa itaas. Marami ang gustong mapunta sa isang maginhawang pwesto. Pero mas mataas ang pwesto, mas marami ang responsibilidad. Ang amag sa tinapay ay nakakalason sa taong kakain nito. Ngunit sa isang mundo na maraming nagugutom, pilit nila itong kakainin. Pero hindi ba kung isang parte lamang ng tinapay ang may amag, maaari naman natin itong tanggalin at kainin ang tinapay pagkatapos?

2011
07/25
CATEGORY
Personal
Social issues
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Dissecting RH Bill’s Intestines

by Justin David Pineda

Tourist guide Carlos Celdran’s association to the church as “Damaso” and to himself as Jose Rizal, a hero for freedom is a fallacy. [20] First of all, priests today neither live extravagantly nor have control on the law. That’s why their stating their stand. Second, we’re no longer colonized and Celdran was not shot at Luneta after what he did. (with pun intended)

But seriously, a lot of people who are skeptics always tend to conclude that the stand of the church is very close minded and conservative. May it be written that these assumptions are true. However, that doesn’t conclude that whatever they say has no merit or point because that’s just one big hasty generalization. Further, we should treat religion as a concept and don’t judge it based on the people; because people (even fictional character) like “Damaso” commit mistakes. But the concept of religion remains and it has something good in it. You don’t judge a stand guilty by association to the church and just go to the other side and proclaim that it’s okay to get excommunicated. It’s just not logical.

Objective of the RH Bill

Obviously, before we can make an opinion regarding the RH Bill, we should have read the whole bill first. I’ll base my stand on the bill itself supporting it by factual data. So as a start, we must define what the Reproductive Health is. And as the bill defines: [1]

(Sec. 4, c.) …as the state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters relating to the reproductive system and to its functions and processes. This implies that people are able to have a satisfying and safe sex life, that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide if, when and how often to do so, provided that these are not against the law. This further implies that women and men are afforded equal status in matters related to sexual relations and reproduction.

The definition of reproductive health in the context of the bill relates to “satisfying and safe sex.” There is nothing wrong with that. But later on, we will use this definition in application to the bill’s provisions.

So in summary (assuming you’ve read the bill), the main points that the bill wanted to achieve are to educate the people regarding reproduction (i.e. sex and its factors) and to promote responsible parenthood to manage population and reduce poverty. [3]

Fuzzy Logic

If the argument of the bill is when we reduce the population, we reduce the poverty then these pro-RH legislators believe that population is the cause of poverty. But is the population the real cause of poverty? Let’s say that the population is reduced from 100 million to 50 million (hypothetical). Do you actually think that even reducing the population by half (well, I exaggerated it), poverty will be reduced in percentage (not on number of people of course)? I won’t dwell on comparison and contrast between other countries that are populated and yet far with the country’s economic status because it’s very relative and very debatable. But the bill’s premise does not necessarily follow this logic. I would like to stress out that population is not the cause of poverty. If you don’t agree, tell me what kind logic will result to reducing population equals reducing poverty. If you say Singapore, then why are they paying the people to give birth to children and ask foreigners to live in their land?

Practicability of Contraceptives

 

As per the RH bill, it considers contraceptives as “essential medicines.” [1] 

SEC. 10. Contraceptives as Essential Medicines. – Hormonal contraceptives, intrauterine devices, injectables and other allied reproductive health products and supplies shall be considered under the category of essential medicines and supplies which shall form part of the National Drug Formulary and the same shall be included in the regular purchase of essential medicines and supplies of all national and lord hospitals and other government health units.

These essential medicines will be available to every part of the country, which will be distributed by the baranggays to the people. As of writing, there’s no amount yet stating how much should be allotted for these medicines. But if it’s for the whole of the country, surely it will range from about hundred millions to billions of pesos. That amount of money is not just something that we can easily get.

Let’s now try to dig on some historical account on the effectiveness of contraceptives. During the ’90′s, until the late 2000′s, USAID has supported the Philippines by giving budget to contraceptives costing $3.1M US annually. [11] DoH on its part, has also been giving budget for family planning and responsible parenthood annually. As planned on 2010, Sec. Enrique Ona said that P931M is his budget for family health program where P400M of it will be used to buy contraceptive pills, condoms and injectables. [10]

If I may ask, there already have been efforts already by the government and other organizations about population control and responsible parenthood. But are there any positive changes on the growing population of the country? What I’m saying is, there are already existing efforts and it’s pointing out to saying that contraceptives are not the answer to population control and poverty reduction.

Hence, why is the government giving so much budget and attention to contraceptives and treating them as essential medicines when according to the World Health Organization (WHO) the top ten causes of death in the Philippines are: lower respiratory infections, Ischaemic heart disease, tuberculosis, hypertensive heart disease, perinatal conditions, cerebrovascular disease, violence, diarrhoeal diseases, diabetis mellitus and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [8] There is not one disease that is related to the use of contraceptives. Why not instead of looking for ways to treat these diseases, the government is focusing on these things? That’s just unfair. According to Atty. Jo Imbong of the CBCP, the primary cause of maternal death is pneumonia. [18] Were they able to put the cure for pneumonia an essential medicine for the mothers?

Rep. Liwayway Chato has a point in saying that the bill is not applicable at most cases for couples. She says that what if the couple wanted to have intercourse at that particular time, would the girl care to say stop and let’s go to a baranggay and ask for a condom? [18]

Legal Issue

Eric Manalang, President of the Pro-Life Philippines, says that the main source of the RH bill didn’t come from Philippine legislators. The RH bill was initiated by the US as a form of aggression to preserve resources for America. [20] Atty. Imbong points to the same thing. She further states that the country has accepted the idea of Reproductive Health as discussed in the international context which involves abortion. Although the bill doesn’t explicitly say abortion, it adapts the idea without even scrutinizing it properly. Thus, during international meetings about it, no Philippine delegation was present. [18]

During an interview with Tomas Osias, executive director of the Commission on Population, he admitted that the bill might involve abortion. Later on he apologized for saying such, for he was pressured. Benjamin De Leon, professor at UP and the president for Forum for Family Planning & Development Inc, says that abortion is just a definition of term. But if we’re to apply the definition, we are killing already. [19] Both the former and the latter are pro-RH and have been involved with meetings and fora about the bill.

For this matter, there may be some grey area whether or not abortion is present in the bill implicitly. That’s because both the church and the pro-RH have different definitions of start of life. But what we know is that abortion is killing. Abortion is bad.

Not using the grey line of abortion, there is one law that overrules the RH bill. And this is Article 15 of the Philippine Constitution. Its excerpt: [17]

Section 1. The State recognizes the Filipino family as the foundation of the nation. Accordingly, it shall strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its total development.

Section 2. Marriage, as an inviolable social institution, is the foundation of the family and shall be protected by the State.

This concludes that the bill wanted to be passed is unconstitutional because of human life prevention.

Medical Issue

The bill states that contraceptives are defined as essential medicines. [1] Aside from pregnancy prevention, it also helps in menstrual disorders like lack of blood, excessive blood, menstrual cramps etc. [12] But in the context of the bill, it seems like these other features are just “added features” because the main premise of the bill is for population control. That’s why I don’t see the point of calling it an essential medicine when your intention is not to get pregnant. Medicine is something you take in order to get well and remove sickness.

Manalang states that when you take a chemical or mechanical is not healthy. [19] Probably that’s right. But what are the effects of contraceptives? According to Medicine.NET, here are some of the side effects: dizziness, headache, lightheadedness, stomach upset, bloating, or nausea, severe depression, groin or calf pain, sudden severe headache, chest pain, shortness of breath, lumps in the breast, weakness or tingling in the arms or legs, yellowing of the eyes or skin. [13] Further research says that it increases carbohydrates in your body. [15] Another research states that contraceptives saturate the gallbladder bile with cholesterol. [14]    

Chato on her part says that the natural state of a woman is to get fertile. In the context of the Reproductive Health, it doesn’t promote reproduction healthy. The bill mainly states in favor for safe and satisfying sex. She further says it is unhealthy. [18]

For my part, you don’t connect maternal problems that are naturally occurring to the problem of population or poverty. It’s a very different case. When they promote the use of contraceptives, they don’t include its negative effects. Now tell me, is that healthy?

Moral Issue

 

Since there is a grey line between the start of life then let us not use that as an argument. A good question to ask is: What is the implication of giving away contraceptives for free to individuals who are not even married and say, college students? What is the implication of giving the law to the hands of the youth to protect them from their parents who are stopping them to have sex and use contraceptives?

Rep. Janette Garin, pointed out that there are 12-15 year old girls whom she assisted to give birth and she said it was pitiful. She also mentioned cases of abortion because of unwanted pregnancies and experiments. [18] But I don’t agree that giving them contraceptives is the answer. On the other hand, I agree with Manalang that these things that Garin mentioned are effects. These already happened because of a cause. Let’s just put it this way. How can you promote responsible parenthood when you morally allow and uphold unmarried couples or individuals have casual sex? I hope we’re at the same page here.

Rep. Luz Ilagan, another pro-RH legislator was asked by Karen Davila if there is an age appropriation when for example a girl would like to have a pill or any kind of contraceptive. She answered that the bill is giving an informed choice. So, if the girl is educated and undergone their seminars then she is free to get what she wants as mandated of their bill [20]

A gun pointed at one’s head

Well, if you don’t believe that it’s God’s will not to follow the RH bill, I’ve given you other reasons why. I still have to go back to the main premise of this bill: What is the cause of poverty? Is it population? In my 21 years of existence in the country, I found that the country is rich full of resources. I found that we have the agriculture and also the brains. But why is it that we’re still in poverty? Again, I think it still boils to corruption and lack of opportunities. Is the problem with corruption and lack of opportunities resolvable? I think so. But not through the RH bill.

You don’t correct a mistake by another mistake. Meaning, Garin’s reasoning that in order to prevent unwanted pregnancy then you should use contraceptives is very incorrect. [18] You should teach them that to prevent unwanted pregnancy (which might lead to abortion, poverty and maternal disorder) is to teach them not to have casual sex and not to have sex and use contraceptives.

Celdran accuses the church of being anti-poor because they protest against distribution of contraceptives for free which targeted the poor. He further says, “Why not rally in 7-11 or Mercury Drug or Forbes Park?” [20] Well, I say that they all have the right to protest not only the church but any taxpayer who works very hard. Why will the government use the people’s money to buy contraceptives to tolerate the libido when in fact what these people need is livelihood? Hence, the government is trying to institutionalize it, mandating its office to provide these services. Isn’t this something to think about?

If allowing unmarried couples and the youth to have access to contraceptives then again, this makes the bill promiscuous and unconstitutional as per Article 15 of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines. [17] In relation to this, Prof. De Leon and Rep. Garin say that Pulse Asia and SWS survey reveal that 9 out of 10 people wanted the bill to be passed. In reply, Manalang said that little noises like surveys are politically motivated. More importantly, he noted that surveys are incomparable to a constitution ratified by at least 76% of the Filipino people. [20]

I agree with Rep. Chato about the importance of people- that people aren’t hindrance to development and are the nation’s investment. [18] The problem lies on opportunities. Once you’ve given opportunities and challenges to people then they will stop thinking about immoral stuff like casual sex. They will think with goals. At the end of the day, the population will reduce naturally.          

References:

Articles

[1] Full text of House Bill No. 5043 (Reproductive Health and Population Development Act of 2008) from http://jlp-law.com/blog/full-text-of-house-bill-no-5043-reproductive-health-and-population-development-act-of-2008/

[2] The RH Bill: A Legislation with Good-Sounding Objectives by Jen Yoro from http://jlp-law.com/blog/full-text-of-house-bill-no-5043-reproductive-health-and-population-development-act-of-2008/

[3] Reproductive health bill: Facts, fallacies by Edcel Lagman  from http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/talkofthetown/view/20080803-152296/Reproductive-health-bill-Facts-fallacies

[4] Church, Palace agree condom not abortifacient from http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/03/30/11/church-palace-agree-condom-not-abortifacient

[5] 2010 World Population Data Sheet from http://www.prb.org/pdf10/10wpds_eng.pdf

[6] Ang panukalang batas na Reproductive Health and Population Development Bill from http://www.popcom.gov.ph/RH%20BILL/Layout%20of%20Q&A%20on%20RH%20Bill%20(for%20inputs%20of%20partners).pdf

[7] POPCOM History from http://www.popcom.gov.ph/about_us/index.html

[8] Mortality Fact Sheet 2006 from http://www.who.int/whosis/mort/profiles/mort_wpro_phl_philippines.pdf

[9] Doctors warn DOH on contraceptives from http://ph.news.yahoo.com/doctors-warn-doh-contraceptives.html

[10] DoH Sets P400 Million for Contraceptives by Hannah L. Torregoza from http://www.mb.com.ph/node/280901/doh-

[11] US keeps hands off RH row by Alcuin Papa from http://philippines.usaid.gov/newsroom/us-keeps-hands-rh-row

[12] Oral Contraceptives from http://www.medicinenet.com/oral_contraceptives/article.htm

[13] Medical Uses of the Oral Contraceptive Pill from http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/med-uses-ocp.html

[14] Effects of oral contraceptives on the gallbladder bile of normal women from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1244533

[15] Some effects of oral contraceptives on carbohydrate metabolism from http://journals.lww.com/obgynsurvey/Citation/1967/04000/Some_Effects_of_Oral_Contraceptives_on.39.aspx

[16] Effects of Oral Contraceptives from http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.pa.09.040169.002051?journalCode=pharmtox.1

[17] 1987 Philippine Constitution from http://www.chanrobles.com/article15family.htm

 

Videos

[18] Strictly Politics: Reps. Janette Garin, Liwayway Chato and Atty. Jo Imbong from http://www.youtube.com/user/casarnold

[19] Headstart: Eric Manalang and Benjamin De Leon from http://www.youtube.com/user/neilmarion

[20] Headstart: Carlos Celdran and Rep. Luz Ilagan from http://www.youtube.com/user/neilmarion

2011
05/16
CATEGORY
Christianity
Current issues
Social issues
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Understanding Ecatel

Understanding Ecatel

By Justin David Pineda

Some people have been visiting to websites hosted in Europe which are part of the Ecatel network. Seclist says that the Ecatel network is the source of a rootkit callesd Zero Access, “…purpose of this rootkit is to set up a stealthy, undetectable and un-removable platform to deliver malicious software to victim computers.” [1] As of writing, the Elcatel Network is rated second, in the Top 10 Hosts Bad for the 1st quarter of 2011. [2]

A malware site has only one goal: to do something bad to you like getting confidential/private information and doing something harmful to your computer. Considerably, many sites under the said network are considered harmful but of course, we cannot generalize that all of them are. But since it’s coming from the same network, then we might consider it as suspicious.

The Ecatel Network is part of the Russian Business Network (RBN) which is known for cybercrime activities since 2007. News also say that Russian authorities don’t give enough attention to the cybercrimes made.

A lot of articles tell that this particular network is noted for spammers. Spamhaus event named it as “The Most Notorious Spammers.” Further, it listed 15 known sites which were classified as popular for Zeus Botnet Command & Control Activity, Showshoe Spam Sources, Heavily Abused Redirect, Botnet Pharma Spammers and Cybercrime Hosting of Fake A/V Malware. [4] It also plants rootkits on infected machines which can monitor and control personal workstations illegally. Some sites under Ecatel also trick users of Fake Antivirus crimeware. These crimeware resulted to more than 250,000 computers became affected. [5]

To make our measurement of Ecatel Network’s maliciousness quantitative, let’s look at the numbers: [6]

1 Zeus server

3285 malicious URLs

1076 badware instances

846 spam bots

16 spam IPs

Here are also the IP addresses that are considered the “dangerous” as related to Ecatel Network: [7]

62.41.26.0/24

62.41.27.0/24

89.248.160.0/21

89.248.168.0/24

89.248.169.0/24

89.248.170.0/23

89.248.172.0/23

89.248.174.0/24

89.248.175.0/24

93.174.88.0/21

94.102.48.0/20

94.102.49.0/24

94.102.62.0/24

Now that we know some knowledge about Elcatel and how it can affect us then I suggest that we do best practices when doing transactions through the net. Of course, it’s good to have an AV with updated set of signatures. I know that new malwares are emerging everyday but AV will also help somehow. We should also have our personal firewall installed because it will help in classifying rules. For example, there might be site redirection and might bring you to a malicious site. If the firewall has restricted that particular IP/URL to your network, then it can’t enter. And try to avoid going to sites that you are not familar with. Chances are, it may be a malicious site. But when that comes and there’s a pop-up that says that you need to run this kind of AV, you know that it is a Fake AV. So don’t.

Finally, as what I always say when there is an infected workstation, remove it from the network immediately and run an AV with updated set of signatures. But to be sure, it is a best recommendation to re-image the system to completely remove any malware.

References:

[1] Reverse Engineering the source of the ZeroAccess crimeware rootkit from http://seclists.org/pen-test/2010/Nov/33

[2] Top 10 Bad Hosts – 2011 Q1 from http://www.hostexploit.com/

[3] Shadowy Russian Firm Seen as Conduit for Cybercrime from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/12/AR2007101202461.html

[4] The Spamhaus Project Reports Ecatel.net Network Host The Most Notorious Spammers Cybe from http://www.scamfraudalert.com/identity_theft_phishing_spam_blackmails/13773-spamhaus_project_reports_ecatel_net_network_host_most_notorious_spammers_cybe.html

[5] White Hat Hacker Cracks ZeroAccess Rootkit from http://www.informationweek.com/news/windows/security/228300156

[6] AS29073 – ECATEL-AS from http://badhost.info/AS29073

[7] Ecatel: Need more proof of their being crimeware? from http://hphosts.blogspot.com/2010/04/as29073-ecatel-need-more-proof-of-their.html

2011
04/30
CATEGORY
Computer studies
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NETWORKING 101

NETWORKING 101

By Justin Pineda

This article is created to serve as an introduction to basic networking concepts. This involves some discussion about the Internet, network devices, how it works and the like. We will also talk about some technical concepts for us to better understand the networking process (i.e. how a data is transmitted over the network).

Introduction

 

In today’s world, the Internet plays a vital role in communication. Everything became easier because of the Internet. Distance is not a barrier anymore. Before the arrival of Internet, the popular mode of communication to far places requires time, like when sending a mail for example. Now, it’s just a click away through e-mail. We can also talk to our friends real-time through Instant Messenger (IM). Now, do you know how data is transmitted to your friend when you chat?

A normal flow of communication contains a sender, a receiver and a channel. This also applies to a network. But of course, aside from the humans, devices also play its role. When you chat for example, the data is translated into a series of numbers which we call binary numbers (1 & 0) to be understood by the computer and to be able to send it to its proper channel. There is a process of converting these messages to binary numbers through layers and network protocols.

Elements of a Network

 

As mentioned, the communication process for computer networking remains the same. What we need to understand now are things that make up the communication for computer networking. There are four elements:

1.                  Rules

Like when sending a snail mail to a friend, there are procedures on how to successfully send it. This includes putting it in an envelope, writing the address both of the sender and receiver of the mail at the back of the envelope and putting stamps. This is same with networking where rules, which are technically termed as protocols, define how the data is sent.

2.                  Message

Message is the actual data itself. It is the file that you have sent through email. It is the video you are waiting to view in You Tube. This is the message in the letter you sent. This is self-explanatory.

3.                  Medium

The medium is the element that says in what way the message is sent. For example in networking, for a typical Local Area Network (LAN), standard workstations are connected through a cable (a straight cable to be exact) while other laptops/net books connect via Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity).

4.                  Device

Of course, the device is an essential element as well. Different devices have their own role. Computers are used by the end users and these are connected to a switch and data are transmitted by a router to another.

These elements comprise the network. We will take a look at each element and give more details to each one of them.

Network Architecture

If you are tasked to create a network, what will your basis be? Will you just buy workstations and connect them in a switch? There are concepts you need to consider in order to build a good network. You need to design your network based on the following key factors:

1.                  Fault Tolerance

In creating a network, you shouldn’t think of an ideal scenario where everything is all right. You have to think of possible problems which your network might encounter. For example, you put all your workstations connected in one switch. You find it very easy to do, setup and configure. But what happens if the switch goes down? Then your network will go down as well. Fault tolerance refers to the capability of the network to withstand forms of interruptions of its service. So most cases, there are back up servers, generators and network planned topologies in order to cater this particular concern.

2.                  Scalability

So you have created the fault tolerant network that is good for the users in it. But is your network ready for a dynamic environment? Have you considered that the network may grow and will require more space, bandwidth etc? Scalability refers to the capability of the network to adjust in changes in the components of the network, may it be the number of users or devices.

3.                  Security

When you design your network, considerations must be made in order to group workstations based on security importance. What is security in this context? Security refers to giving access that is only needed by a particular type of user. For example, company reference materials should only be available within the company’s network. External users should not be able to access these files. These particular privileges of access should be determined in the network design. The example I gave is what we call Intranet, which means access only “inside” the local network. You have to consider which part of the network should be given Admin access, User access and Guest access.

4.                  Quality of Service (QoS)

The demands for network bandwidth vary from the type of work that people have. Which is more likely to consume more network bandwidth, the cashier or the web developer? You need to give priority over the ones who need more. In the field like IT Security, Security Analysts like me need more bandwidth because we are all connected to the Internet and all our work relies on having good network connection access.

Network Communication

So let’s say that you try to send an e-mail through http://mail.yahoo.com. The first thing you do is to type the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the website which is – http://mail.yahoo.com. The URL is equivalent to an Internet Protocol (IP) address which is represented by numbers. We have URL’s so that we don’t need to remember numerical forms of addresses. Instead, we just type it based on the name that we associate with it like “mail” and “yahoo.” A particular protocol which is the Domain Name System (DNS) resolves the URL to its corresponding IP address. So think of the IP address a Website ID and the URL as the Website name.

The image above shows how the personal workstation travels going to http://mail.yahoo.com with IP address – 203.84.219.114.

I just showed you how data travels to the domain Yahoo. Anyway, when the website appears in a web browser like the Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, the data from the Yahoo site goes to your network and displays it. So from data understandable by the user, it goes through different layers which translate this data understandable by machines that can travel through different media (such as cables, atmosphere etc). A reference model is used for protocol classification per layer. We call it the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model. The OSI model has 7 layers which defined to sort of give us an understanding of how data is transmitted and retransmitted.

So going back to the Yahoo mail site, the user interface that we see in the web browser is in the Application Layer of the OSI model. This is the topmost layer of the OSI model. This is quite easy to understand since the Application Layer gives interface of the data to the user. For this example, the protocol used is Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP). HTTP is a protocol used to be able to browse web pages. There are a lot of Application Layer protocols aside from HTTP.

The next layer is the Presentation Layer. Its main responsibility is to do compression/decompression, coding, conversion and encryption/decryption. For example, when you load an HTTP, when we try to save images, there’s a default “Save As” to type of image which the site dictated what it should be like .jpg, .gif etc. Same is true with video types and media files. Sometimes for proprietary sites they have their own extensions.

After the data is compressed, converted and coded, it checks the status of the data and connection. Did the data go to the correct destination? Is the connection active or not? Is the device idle or has been receiving information?

Let’s now go to the next layer called the Transport Layer. This layer is responsible for determining the kind of services the client/server are running and directing this particular service to the right port. For example, when you visit the site http://mail.yahoo.com, you go to a particular IP address 203.84.219.114. This particular domain might be running different services. Like for example, if you open its site through HTTP, it actually connecting to Yahoo’s domain through port 80. If you are trying to send an e-mail through Yahoo mail, a connection is made through port 25 which is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP).

There are two popular protocols under the Transport Layer- User Datagram Protocol (UDP) and the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The former is connectionless while the other is connection-based. There are services that are considered very essential to have an established first to make that the communication of data is received successfully. The three way handshake is a process used by TCP to ensure that connection is established before transmitting data. For example, in SMTP, the sure way to send an e-mail is to established a connection between the client and the server. Otherwise, we are not sure whether the data is sent properly or not.

Basically, we learned how services are connected through ports. But before we’re able to send the data to the right service, we have to send the data to the right network. This what makes the IP address necessary. This next protocol is called the Network Protocol. An IP address can be private or public. A private IP is an address given by a router used for local network. These include IP families from 192.168.x.x, 172.x.x.x and 10.x.x.x. Any IP addresses under those mentioned families are considered to be private. Public IP’s are numbers otherwise and doesn’t exceed 255.255.255.255. There are other conditions though. But for simplicity sake, public IP’s are those that host a site for a particular organization.

Each Local Area Network (LAN) has a gateway. When a particular host tries to send a data to another IP, it first checks whether the said destination IP is found within the network. If it finds it, then it is send directly to it. However for most cases, the destination is outside the LAN. Now, a target IP that is not found on the LAN is directly sent to the default gateway. This gateway passes the data to other routes in order to find the right destination. The router has three processes: forward the packet to the next route, deliver the packet to the destination or drop the packet. There are mechanisms through routing protocols used on how to determine best paths for data routing.

2011
04/27
CATEGORY
Computer studies
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