The Swine flu epidemic has been all over the news this past few days and it still continously spreading across several territories. As of this writing, the World Health Organization has raised the Pandemic alert index of the new strain of Swine flu into phase 4. That is 2 steps short of declaring full pandemic in a global scale.

I am not a health authority that is why i would like to decline commenting about the virus cause, roots and characteristics as well as its treatments and preventions to avoid giving incorrect information about the virus. Nevertheless, I will give my inbouts and say regarding this fearful epidemic and how it is being regarded the world over.

A pandemic is a term used to define a case of a certain infectious disease that spreads uncontrollably through population across a certain region, most notably a continent or worldwide. Since the Swine virus has already spread to several countries, many scientist and experts have dubbed it as the new pandemic of the modern time. Some expert have also mentioned that the disease has been overdue. This is primarily because the virus has been present with us long before. And only through a longer period of being present that it was able to mutate into a new strain. A mutated new strain means it is resistant to vaccines available ( fortunately the virus reportedlly appears to be vulnerable to antiviral drugs like Tamiflu ). But it takes more than a new virus spreading among humans to make a pandemic. The virus has to be able to spread efficiently from one person to another, and transmission has to be sustained over time and geographically.

Hence the WHO has set its guidelines on how to classify a certain infectious disease by its impact and transmission. That is through a 6-phase pandemic alert more relatively known as EPR or Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response. Stage 1 refers to INTER-PANDEMIC STAGE whereas new virus is found in animals but no  reported human case.  Stage 2 is also an inter-pandemic phase but there is higher risk of human cases. Stage 3 is a PANDEMIC ALERT status wherein no or very limited human-to-human transmission. Stage 4 is another pandemic stage status but shows higher evidence of increased human-to-human transmission. Stage 5 is a PANDEMIC STATUS with evidence of significant human-to-human transmission. The 6th Stage is the highest stage alert wherein the disease is already considered Pandemic since it has a efficient and sustained human-to-human transmission. Currently the outbreak of the swine flu is on the move outside Mexico as it already dwelted its first fatality in the United States. Just as the whole world is beginning to recover slowly from the impact of the global recession, this outbreak came to add woes.

Unlike the previous outbreak cases of this 21th century like SARS and the Bird Flu, this one was elevated to the 4th Pandemic Stage by the WHO. With the way the virus behave, it was feared that it might reach higher stage in the coming days. The more recent illnesses and the reported deaths suggest that a pattern of more severe illness associated with this virus may be emerging. Most people will not have immunity to this new virus and, as it continues to spread, more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths are expected in the coming days and weeks.

We just hope and pray that like SARS and Bird Flu, it will come to past and we again can defeat this threat before it become worse and a PANDEMIC in global scale.

Its very sad that our seafarers are the object and the ones primarily affected by the hijacking of  ships along the Gulf of Aden. Since Filifino seafarers makes up one-third of the whole world's shipping manpower, they are the most prone to pirates' attacks. As an OFW myself, i can relate to these people's ordeal. They accepted jobs that are very risky, although well paid, because their own country cannot provide them jobs that will be enough to support their families. I said risky since our government was powerless in this kind of situation. Our own Navy are very ill-equipped that it cannot afford even to match up with the pirates. With just one frigate, several corvettes and mostly patrol crafts, considering  also the distance of our country from the area, its not new to us that our government can't do much. They are just depending from other powers ( U.S., China, France, Germany, etc) in protecting its own citizens. Last year, a total of 208 Filipinos on board 17 vessels were abducted by Somali pirates. The sad thing here is most of the seamen were released without any help from the government as usual.

The case of the the Philippine tanker MT Stolt Strength which until now remained stranded some 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of the Somali coast , after it was freed by pirates, is one example of a direct attack on philippines soil since the ship is a philippine flag vessel. But what can our government do is just coordinate and seek help from friendly countries to assist our seamen in time of distress.

After the much publized plight and rescue of American ship captain Richard Philips caught international attention, the government have finally decided to form a special task force to assist Filipino seafarers being held captive by pirates in Somali. That is almost after a year of continous attack on ships with Filifino seamen on board. A usual slow reaction of the government to the crisis. Its very hard to imagine that this OFW are not given the proper help by the government in spite of the fact that they are the ones that keep our economy afloat in face of the world wide recession.  Most of the  government actions are  politically motivated and some "papogi"or mere showing off since this isuue has caught international attention.

Kawawa talaga tayong mga OFW. Di tau aasikasuhin kung hindi controversial ang issue.

On May 2 the anticipated battle between the two most exciting fighters in recent years will try to test each other’s mantle. Ricky Hatton, unbeatable in 140 lbs, will be up againts pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao whose exciting style was followed by millions of fans all over the world. It is for sure another PPV hit.

Ricky Hatton has openly said that he will surely take this fight a serious since his credibility as one of britain’s greatest fighter is on the line once again. He lost a shot to the pound for pound title when he was defeated by Mayweather in their last battle but this time he will definitely take the top ranking. Although the odds are againts him, Ricky Hatton is a known pressure fighter and speed has been the key to him. He was an unbeaten fighter before the Mayweather bout and could have beaten Mayweather as well had luck was on his side that night. He fought with speed and intensity and his fighting style is a good test for the PacMan.

Manny Pacquiao on the other hand is the most exciting fighter to watch. In all of his fights he always offer the best fights in every round. This has made him the darling of the sportfans the world over. His exciting style and tremendous speed and power is hard to encounter. He had proven this during his fights againts the biggest name in the sport like Marco Antonio Barrera , Erik Morales , Juan Manuel Marquez and Oscar dela Hoya. All of this boxers are future Hall of Famers. Summarizing everything, This will make the bout one of the most action-packed battle in recent memory.

As the countdown for the much awaited Pacquiao-Hatton bout nears, many people especially Filifinos still doesn’t have any clue about this Ricky Hatton. Some of them have not heard of him until the time it was announced that he will be the next opponent of the Pac Man. What are his achievements or is he dangerous for Manny?

Ricky Hatton also known as the “The Hit Man” is a two-time IBF and IBO Light welterweight champion. A former WBA Welterweight Champion. Hatton is also the former WBU, WBA Light Welterweight Champion and WBC, WBA, WBO Inter-Continental Light Welterweight Champion, and current Ring Magazine Junior Welterweight Champion. He had a professional record of 45 wins of which 32 is by KO and a loss ( by Floyd Mayweather). He is also undefeated in Light Welterweight (the weight which pacquiao will fight him). He was widely regarded as one the greatest boxer ever produced by Britain. Hatton is also one of the most popular British athlete ever, having a very huge fan base.

He entered his professional carreer in September 1997 againts Colin McAuley where he won the bout by a first round knockout. He then went on to win his next 38 bouts and coming out undefeated. But it was his win againts Kostya Tszyu, then widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world that gave him the recognition and attention and being heralded as one of boxing’s elite. Before the fight, the majority of boxing critics had given Hatton little or no chance and this victory was referred as one of the best victories by an English boxer in the last 2 decades. On November 2005 he defeated Carlos Maussa and by the year end, he was named the 2005 Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year.

Hatton moved up weight to Welterweight where he relinquished his light welterweight crown in the process. He defeated Luis Collazo in a tough fight that send Collazo to the canvass in the early seconds of the first round but continue to be a hard fought battle for the remaining rounds. He then went back to Light Welterweight to fight Juan Urango to take the unified IBF and IBO Light welterweight belts. Hatton is also the first man to send Jose Luis Castillo, a fighter who nearly defeated Floyd Mayweather, to the canvass during their bout on June 23 2007.

Then on December 8 2007, he agreed for a welterweight fight againts the then pound for pound king and undefeated Floyd Mayweather. It was considered the best welterweight event since the De la Hoya- Trinidad match of 1998. The event was dubbed the “Undefeated” since they are both undefeated coming to the fight. It was the highest PPV in history reaching more than 2.4 million buys and breaking existing records in the process. Hatton was defeated by an 10th round KO.

After the loss he return to the ring and went down to Light Welterweight again defeating Juan Lazcano on May 24 2008 and then Paulie Malignaggi on Nov 22 2008 for the IBO Light Welterweight title and Ring Magazine Light welterweight title.

Now the question is..Is Ricky Hatton ready for Manny Pacquiao? or maybe the real question is .. Is Manny Pacquiao ready for Ricky Hatton?

The decision of the Court of Appeals to acquit Lance Cpl.Daniel Smith didnt come as a surprise to me. And I believe its a right decision after all. It would have been more drastic if ever the CA sentenced Daniel Smith guilty even though Nicole recanted her statement. After all those circus like accusations with acting of Nicole plus heavy and sensational coverage of local and international media networks, the whole incident just fell on the floor like an emptied glass. Gabriela and some other groups are still saying that the decision is unjust. O’ cmon, after what Suzette had done?. You just cant accept the fact that this Nicole made fun of you and the whole system. She played you with her fingertips. Now the mother of Nicole is saying that there is no justice in this country. What? You have won the case in the lower court and convicted an innocent man. The incident is not rape ..its consensual sex.

I still cant understand these groups. They believed Nicole’s statement from the very beginning because they were all carried away by their anti-government and anti american stance that they forgot to ask themselves if what this lady is telling is real or not. This Nicole allowed herself to be used by the politicians and anti VFA groups for her own goal- T0 realize her American dream. Nicole is not the victim here..there are a lot of woman that really needs your attention although not as sensationalized and popular as this bitch’s case.

How about when there will be another real rape case involving a foreigner and another filifina, do you think people will still believe it.? I believe most people will THEN see it as another “Nicole-Style treacherous deed“. What will happened then to the next real victim.? This lady fully tainted the already tainted image of a filifina. The image of a materialistic filifina as what some other nationalities says.

I was very shocked and apparently puzzled about the shooting of broadcaster Ted Failon’s wife, Trinidad Arteche Etong in which Ted Failon is the primary suspect. Opinions may vary to everyone depending on the news that reached them. Authorities has filed a case of Obstruction of Justice againts Mr. Failon for getting rid of the evidence/s in the crime scene that could have helped the investigators.

Let us be careful and avoid drastic conclusions and blames..its a family issue and a national issue as well. We dont want to see an innocent man ended up in jail, his reputation and life shattered. Still we dont want to see a criminal at large, acting like nothing happened and still runs for a public office either.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
Annex A
CITY OF MAKATI

I, SUZETTE S. NICOLAS, of legal age. Filipino, a resident of Zamboanga City, after being duly sworn in accordance with law, hereby depose and state:

1. I am a Bachelor of Science graduate, major in Management Accounting, of the Ateneo de Davao University. Soon after my graduation, I took up nursing in 2004 at the Ateneo de Zamboanga City and at the same time assisted in managing our family owned canteen located inside the military base of the Southern Command. My mother was a civilian supervisor of the Philippine Navy for 25 years while my deceased father was a Philippine Navy Officer.

2. Since our canteen also catered to American servicemen who stayed at the military base every time their vessels docked in Zamboanga City, my family came to know many American servicemen who would go to our canteen to eat and buy souvenir items. We treated them as family and we would go out of our way to talk to them, play cards and on many occasions, my mother would even cook special meals for them. They would even entrust their ATM cards to us to withdraw money for them from the bank. My former boyfriend, Brian Goodrich, is also an American serviceman.

3. After working in Swift Foods Inc. since January 22, 2007, I decided to quit my job as a Credit Accountant to pursue my studies in the United States through the help of my family, relatives and close friends. I know that they supported me so that I could finally move on after my tragic experience in 2005 in Subic, Zambales which led to the trial and conviction for rape of Daniel J. Smith.

4. Deep inside, however, I know that I may never be able to move on for as long as I continue to search for answer to so many questions that have lingered in my mind regarding the incident in Subic more than three years ago. Daniel Smith was convicted of rape because the court accepted my version that he took advantage of my intoxication in raping me inside a van that took us to the seawall located at the SBMA Alaba Pier at around 11:30 in the evening of November 1, 2005.

5. Daniel Smith’s witnesses said that while we were at the Neptune Club, I sat on Daniel Smith’s lap and that we kissed each other passionately. I remember that before I met Daniel Smith at the Neptune Club, all I ate was a slice of pizza at the Grand Leisure Hotel. After the pizza, everything else was alcoholic drinks from vodka sprite, B52, Singaporean sling, B53, long island ice tea to bullfrog all of which I drank bottoms up. I do not recall Daniel Smith having ordered any alcoholic drink for me. My drinks were all paid for by Chris Mills who invited me to go to the Neptune Club.

6. I had no opportunity to deny in court that I kissed Daniel Smith but with the amount of alcoholic mixed drinks I took, my low tolerance level of alcohol and with only a slice of pizza all night, it dawned upon me that I may have possibly lost my inhibitions, became so intimate with Daniel Smith and did more than just dancing and talking with him like everyone else on the dance floor. Looking back, I would not have agreed to talk with Daniel Smith and dance with him no less than three times if I did not enjoy his company or was at least attracted to him since I met him for the very first time on the dance floor of Neptune Club.

7. When I danced with Daniel Smith for the third time, my companion, Chris Mills has already left Neptune Club since he had to catch their curfew time at the military base. The lighting was sufficient for people to recognize each other and other marines were with their Filipino partners drinking, dancing and enjoying each other’s company and kissing and hugging among partners was a common scene.

8. With the events at the Neptune Club in mind, I keep on asking myself, if Daniel Smith wanted to rape me, why would he carry me out of the Neptune Club using the main entrance in full view of the security guard and the other sources? Why would the van park right in front of Neptune Club? Why would Daniel Smith and his companions bring me to the seawall of Alaba Pier and casually leave this area that was well lighted and with many people roaming around? If they believed that I was raped, would they have not dumped me instead in a dimly lit area along the highway going to Alaba Pier to avoid detection?

9. I told the court that Daniel Smith kissed my lips and neck and held my breast inside the van. Recalling my testimony, I ask myself now how could I have remembered this if witnesses told the court that I passed out and looked unconscious when I was brought to the van by Daniel Smith. How could I have resisted his advances given this condition? Daniel Smith and I were alone on the third row of the van which had limited space and I do not recall anyone inside the van who held my hand or any part of my body. What I can recall is that there was very loud music and shouting inside the van.

10. If the travel from Neptune Club took only several minutes and with the driver of the van trying to beat the curfew time of his passengers, how could I have instantly regained my consciousness and talked to the people upon reaching the seawall of Alaba Pier? When people gathered around me at the seawall, everyone seemed to have drawn the conclusion that I was raped except for one who called me a bitch.

11. Based on the account of SBMA police, I was very hesitant to board the mobile police car that brought me to the headquarters for investigation. I was so confused and the first thing that entered my mind was how would my mother and boyfriend react if they learn that I was last seen with Daniel Smith and that a condom was seen on my pants after Daniel Smith left the van? I was scared of losing not only my American boyfriend but the chance of living in the United States. In fact, I did not immediately tell my boyfriend that I was raped by Daniel Smith. All I said was that something bad happened to me.

12. I expect many sectors to question my motives in executing this statement more than three years after the incident. However, as I practically grew up interacting with American servicemen in Zamboanga City who treated me and my family very well, and thinking over and over again how I may have conducted myself at the Neptune Club, I can’t help but entertain doubts on whether the sequence of events in Subic last November of 2005 really occurred the way the court found them to have happened.

13. My conscience continues to bother me realizing that I may have in fact been so friendly and intimate with Daniel Smith at the Neptune Club that he was led to believe that I was amenable to having sex or that we simply just got carried away. I would rather risk public outrage than do nothing to help the court in ensuring that justice is served.

AFFIANT SAYETH NAUGHT.

SUZETTE S. NICOLAS
Affiant

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN TO BEFORE ME this 12 day of March 2009, affiant exhibiting to me her Philippine Passport No. PPO845449 bearing her photograph and signature, issued on 18 Feb 2005 at Zamboanga City and valid until 18 Feb. 2010.

Doc. No. 37
Page No. 9
Book No. 1
Series of 2009

ABRAHAM REY M. ACOSTA
Notary Public for Makati City