Month: July 2010

No Approved Therapeutic Claims in the Probinsyas

Bernardo Arellano III 3 Comments

Having spent many years in the provinces here in the Philippines, I grew up with the way of life of the probinsyanos. I’m particular in the Visayas and Mindanao areas, where my family came. Of course, cable TV and internet are available only in towns or in major urban areas, however, radio is still the number one form of communication and entertainment in the rural areas. Of course, when it comes to marketing, local AM and FM radio stations are the main medium of advertising.

However, sometime in the mid-2000’s, there seemed to be a “boom” of herbal products and alternative medicines over the air. All of a sudden, the usual farming fertilizers and poultry feeds were replaced by alternative herbal products and related stuff. Of course when it comes to marketing the product, they were insisting that your health is guaranteed to improve-to the point that even the most serious of the conditions may be healed by the alternative medicine. Of course given the lack of access to health facilities and the rural masa cannot afford to buy expensive medicines, they’ll surely be attracted with the ads and buy those!

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Be the Super One and win a Super Phone!

Bernardo Arellano III Leave a comment

For someone special, you wouldn’t like to feel that you are away from him or her. You’ll be wanting to talk more, and be with you more. However, the distance, the time, and even the expense of getting yourself in touch with your loved ones, is keeping you from expressing your appreciation fully. I for one, would like to keep in touch with my special someones at the lowest price possible. Given the times we have, it pays to have an effective way in communication. Good thing though, mas abot mo ang mundo, pati na ang iyong mga minamahal sa buhay as Globe unveiled its newest perk-Globe Super One.

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How Does It Feel Like Being a Caviteño Commuter?

Bernardo Arellano III 17 Comments
Waiting Commuters at Talaba, Bacoor, Cavite -- ang tagal dyan kahit bukana na ng Maynila!

The first is, have you tried combat commuting? I think if you live in Manila, it is essential to know combat commuting. Its a war waged every single weekday in the Philippine capital. The climax of the war at Hell’s Gate? Rush hour madness. Everyday, people try to cram themselves in buses, jeepneys and metros. Well, asi es la vida en Manila! Can’t deal with it? Might as well leave for the provincias.

Now, for a Cavite resident like me, traveling from home to work is a fact of life. Manila has become crowded and the urban expansion reached the doorsteps of its neighboring provinces, one of which is Cavite. There may be 12 million residents in Metro Manila but including the Greater Manila Area (encompassing Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan), we may even be comparable with the population of that of Mexico City, Tokyo or Mumbai! Cavite has the largest share of GMA residents-3 million people, tw0-thirds of it lives in towns near Metro Manila and along Aguinaldo Highway-the sole main artery of the province. Three million, the most populous province in the country-and with real estate blooming like lumot in the pond, its like a heart chocked with cholesterol! After all, Cavite IS a bedroom of Metro Manila.

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