4AM AND THINKING OF FOOD By: Owen S. Bayog

I was talking to my wife on the phone during her break - I told her that I am hungry and I am browsing photos of food and then I saw this photo of her Chicken Pork Adobo.  She told me that she will cook it for me some time next week.  Meanwhile...

I will be having this one!

Man indeed cannot live by bread alone.

OIL COMPANIES RAISE PRICES ANEW by: Owen S. Bayog

Another round of oil price hike was implemented last May 2, 2011 a day after workers are calling for wage increases during the commemoration of the Labor Day.  Ronald Ian Evidente (spokesperson) of Kilusang Mayo Uno says this is what the people get from Pnoy after May 1.  The renewed call for wage hikes for workers has not been addressed by the present Aquino administration.

Pnoy has has failed the expectation of the people, Evidente added. "Kayo ang Boss ko" which had been a tag line during Aquino's Inaugural speech was also hit by KMU by coming up with "Kung kami ang boss mo, matagal ka na pinatalsik!"  Wokers vow to hit the streets in protest and push for increase on wages as prices of oil and commodities are ever increasing.

In Manila, the Department of Energy (DOE) distributed gasoline subsidy for drivers known as Pantawid Pasada Program.  Evidente further lashed on the said program referring this as "Palubag Loob" for the drivers but does not solve the problem on the series of Oil Price Hikes being implemented by the main players in the oil industry.

Evidente told NDB that Pnoy should be held responsible for oil increases - his connivance with the oil companies has worsen the economic survival of the Filipino people. Drivers should not be blamed to protest and go on transport strike, they have families to feed and children to send to school, Evidente concluded.#osb

FACEBOOK USERS BOMBARDED BY SPAM By: Owen S. Bayog

Facebook users worldwide now are receiving tons of spam messages on their respective accounts.  Spam comes with a message using a friends' account and disguised to be as a message, a video link on Osama Bin Laden and sometimes would just pop out from the chat screen.  The said spam mails contain malicious files, computer viruses that will harm computers.

Millions of spam messages have been sent to facebook users all over the world and it is still going on as of this writing.  The spam mails are Trojan horse files that can infect ones' computer without any visible signs.  It will cost a user to have its' computer reformatted once infected by the said virus.  Creators of computer viruses sees facebook as a huge pool of users as victims, referring to 500 million facebook users and other social media sites today.

Computer security analysts says spam messages are being sent from botnets called Cutwail and Rustock. Botnets are groups of computers that are controlled by hackers who are creating havoc on the internet right now.  From the said spam mails passwords are being copied in order to have access to an account.  Those who use the online services for shopping and other business transactions are the targets of these hackers.

Dave Marcus, McAfee's director of security research and communication says they are finding ways to combat the said hackers.  Marcus also divulge that they have shut down two botnets over the last few weeks which are Mariposa and Waledac.  A lot of computer users have no idea whether their computers have been infected as botnets are engineered to avoid detection of anti-virus programs.#osb

RESCUE OPERATIONS GOING ON by: Owen S. Bayog

Members of the Chamber Volunteer Fire Brigade (CVFB) and the Bacolod Fire and Protection (BFP) deployed rescue teams in flooded portions of Victorias City and E.B. Magalona as heavy rain continues since last night.  CVFB is at Barangay 13, Victorias City as residents in the flooded areas are being assisted to evacuate to higher grounds.

THE BACOLOD SIDEWALK by: Owen S. Bayog

Walking on the side of the streets of Bacolod will be as crowded as this one - A photo shot at Libertad Market yesterday afternoon when a question in my mind popped like - Side what?

Bacolod City - the problem of the City sidewalks remain to be what it is - 

crowded with vendors and illegal structures.

The City is told to be a place where people can thrive, but for whom should these sidewalks belong? Is it for the vendors because they are the ones who need to survive and earn a living? What about the people who pay their taxes? Should they also be given the right to be on the sidewalks and be safe on the City streets?

Understanding the economics of man - but whose right are we talking about here?

What about the laws and regulations in the City, where and to whom shall it be applied?

STREET CHILDREN IN THE CITY (005) By: Owen S. Bayog

Government should be held responsible for the growing population of street children roaming in the City, Bacolod - which had been cited to be a "child friendly" and "livable City" in the country.

WORKERS HIT THE STREETS TO DEMAND WAGE INCREASE By: Owen S. Bayog

I vividly recalled when I was still an activist when we launched a nationwide campaign 

for wage increase for workers, today I was covering the labor day rally and all the more I believe that a national legislation should be made now for the P125 Wage Increase for private workers and P6,000 for the Government employees.

The prices of oil and other commodities had gone up several times and the real value for the wage increase that was proposed several years ago has diminished - amid the present crisis, a wage increase for the workers 

will momentarily ease the burden of the people but will not address the economic imbalance brought about by the unjust distribution of wealth and power in the country.