The Philippine Azkals Defeated by Kuwait, 3-0, in Their First Match

Truly, the Philippine Azkals are the underdogs. Kuwait is just too tough for them, especially in the second half. The defense was awesome that the Azkals had a hard time controlling the ball. Their passes were mostly deflected by the Al-Azraq defenders.

Three goals against none is just an enough reason the Azkals really had a hard time against Kuwait in front of 5000 Filipino fans. However, they still have another chance in their second match on July 28 here in the Philippines.

Yousef Naser scored Kuwait’s lone goal in the 17th of the first half after 2 missed chances by the Azkals.

The second half became tougher. The game went more physical. The Philippine Azkals could not just contend with Al-Azraq’s solid defense, awesome attacks and good ball positioning. Kuwait again scored in the second half courtesy of Mesad Nasa and Fahed El-Ibrahim.

But things are not over yet for the Philippine Azkals. They only needed to on top by four or more in the second leg to qualify for the third round.

This is so far the furthest and highest achievement of the country in the field of football.

Hacker group strikes again, wishes Aquino good luck at SONA

After attacking the website of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) Friday, a hacker group hit another government website early Saturday, and left a message for President Benigno Aquino III.

The group, calling itself PrivateX, attacked the site of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), then wished Aquino good luck in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) this coming Monday.

A screenshot of the FDA website after it was attacked by a group that hacked the OVP website.

GMA News

PrivateX, the hacker group that attacked the OVP website Friday, hit the FDA website the next day and left a "good luck" message to President Aquino for his State of the Nation Address on Monday.GMA News

“GoodLuck to SONA PNOY," the group said in a popup message that greeted visitors to the FDA website before dawn Saturday. PNOY (short for President Noy) is Aquino’s nickname.

It was not immediately clear if the message was a taunt to Aquino as the hack came a month after Malacañang hinted it will make a security review of government websites.

The idea to review security stemmed from attacks on government websites by the hacker group Philker.

Last June 14, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the National Security Adviser “is studying the creation of a task force to undertake a security review of government websites."

In Saturday’s attack on the FDA website, visitors were greeted with a series of popup messages similar to those in Friday’s attack on the OVP website.

The messages in the FDA attack included “Sorry, not intended hacked... i swear.PrivateX," “guess who?rhodzx labzx" and “I will be always here..~MJM~."

But in some cases, the popup messages triggered “VBS malware-gen" alerts from antivirus software, indicating the possibility that malware may have been planted on the hacked site.

After clicking on the popup messages, visitors to the FDA site were then redirected to a web page where the hackers expressed support for the AntiSec movement.

The AntiSec movement, started by hacktivist group Anonymous and joined by Lulz Security, seeks to attack government and corporate sites and leak their information online.

“We do support Antisec movement that originated with the hackers Anonymous and Lulzsec," PrivateX said in the redirected site on Pastehtml.com.

It “assured" the FDA site administrator that no data was taken during the hack, but added government “needed" the attack.

“We are not trying to destroy government websites but you need this," it said.

The group even wished nursing board examinees “good luck."

Visitors trying to leave the site were also greeted with a popup message saying “see you again." — LBG, GMA News

Romi Garduce in summiting the "7 Continents' Highest Peaks" with GMA-7

Romi Garduce - Garduch to his mountaineering friends - is a pride of the Philippines. Aside from being one of the first Filipinos to climb Mt. Everest in May 2006, he has climbed alpine mountains from all over the world. His notable climbs are those in the Seven Summits' list: the seven highest mountains on each of the seven continents. In order of his conquests: Kilimanjaro - Africa (2002); Aconcagua - South America (2005), Everest - Asia (2006), Elbrus - Europe (2007), and McKinley or Denali Peak - North America (2008).

Sir Romy, who turns 40 in 2009, is a member of the UP Mountaineers and works as an IT consultant in Proctor & Gamble Philippines. (PinoyMountaineer.Com)

Broadcast company GMA Network, Inc. (GMA) supports veteran mountain climber Romi Garduce in his quest to be the First Pinoy to have scaled and summited the seven highest mountains in seven continents.

GMA's "Seven Summits Expedition of 2011" will capture Garduce as he climbs the last two mountains before attaining the prestigious Seven Summits record in Mountaineering.

To date, he has successfully climbed six of the famous seven peaks: Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa (2002); Mt. Aconcagua in South America (2005); Mt. Everest in the Asian continent (2006); Mt. Elbrus in Europe (2007); the Denali Peak in North America (2008); and Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia (December 2008).

This July, Garduce furthers his quest by climbing the 16,023-foot Carstenz Pyramid in Indonesia. Carstenz, the tallest mountain in the Australasia/Oceanea geographical region is considered a more challenging climb by seasoned mountaineers and is the alternative to Mt. Kosciuszko in Australia.

By climbing both peaks, Garduce joins an elite group of mountaineers to achieve this feat and is prime to complete his Seven Summits campaign in Antarctica later this year.

Since 1991 Garduce espoused environmentalism through close encounters with Mother Earth as a member of the University of the Philippines Mountaineers (UPM). And two decades after his first climb, Garduce continues to raise awareness for the environment through his treks.

"The expedition is a testament that we Filipinos value our tenancy on Earth. This is also my serious attempt to put the Philippine flag on this world renowned record," Garduce said.

A mountaineer for almost half his life, he knows the rigor of preparing for a climb, which takes much longer than staying on the summit. "It takes more than competence and training to be a winner in this adventure sport. We derive meaning only if we back the summit with a cause," he added.

By December, Garduce will end his 10-year odyssey by attempting to conquer the formidable Vinson Massif—a 16,067-foot mountain near the base of the Antarctic Peninsula in harsh below-zero temperatures—and would become the first Filipino to successfully climb the world's Seven Summits.

Catch a detailed account of Garduce's expedition this July and December 2011 as GMA News and Public Affairs takes the lead in adventure sports coverage.

by: PEP

Hometown Online Visiting

Filipinos who have long been away from their country can virtually "return home" through the popular social networking site Facebook.

The online pages have become venues for prospective "balikbayans" who want to be updated on happenings in the places they had left for work abroad or for good. They may give comments and suggestions on how their hometowns may improve.

"San Vicente is a little community in the Philippines, on the main island of Luzon, 350 kilometers south of Manila," reads a Facebook account of the town of San Vicente in Camarines Norte in welcoming "fan" or "friend" to view and post.

As of July 10, the page has been "liked" by 462 people, including the town's mayor, Joseph Stanley Alegre. Persons who "like" the page can post.

Hundreds of people with roots in the small municipality have already posted.

"I miss Mananap," says one Facebook user, referring to a village that has a waterfall.

"Then go here so you won't miss it," the page administrator tells the user.

The conversation goes on and on until the discussion boils down to the fiesta and the reunion of users who have liked the page.

Also posted are photos of tourist attractions or landmarks that, evidently, make people long for their hometown more.

In the Facebook page of Daet in Camarines Norte, one user says, "I am proud I am from Daet where the Bagasbas Beach, the number one surfing destination in Bicol, is found."

But he was quick to say that he was missing his hometown. The user works as a management trainee in a food company in Qatar.

In the page of Milagros, Masbate, many persons are exclaiming love for their hometown.
"How is there in our place?" asks a user, who works as a security guard in Malabon City.

"I feel sad that I have to leave Milagros soon after the town fiesta. I miss the place," says another, who is working in a health facility in Quezon City.

Progress check
In the Facebook page of San Ramon, Uson, Masbate, many have expressed gladness over the progress of the barangay in a photo of two traders on board a motorcycle that is overloaded with what appears to be farm produce.

"I salute San Ramon for the development," comments one user, an interior designer based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"The people in San Ramon are lucky now. In my time, it's hard because the road is very bad," replies another.

In the page "Cawayan Masbate Watch," one user posts: "I really miss my birthplace ... But I'm counting the days to be there again! Hope that it will be soon ..."

"How are you Pio V. Corpus. My birthplace," says a user in the Facebook page of Pio V. Corpuz who is now living in San Diego, California.

"Wow, I miss the place. Maybe five years from now, I'll go there on a vacation," says another now residing in Cebu City.

Home soon
The Facebook page of the town of Balud, Masbate-the westernmost town of Bicol-is full of posts from persons missing the far-flung town.

"Things have changed in Balud. I'm missing it," says one user.

"Balud, I'll be home soon. I've been gone for almost three years. You have changed much," says another.

Still another commented that he suddenly missed his hometown upon seeing a photo of its pasture lands. He now lives in Calamba City in Laguna.

In the Facebook page of San Fernando, Masbate, one user tells all other persons who like the page "The only thing that changed in San Fernando is the mayor [who runs it]."

Richard Gacu, 24, of Talisay, Camarines Norte, who has been a Facebook user since last year, "liked" the page of Camarines Norte in May.

"I did it because I am proud of my hometown," he said. He now works as a documentation officer in Metro Manila.

Dustin Sierra, 21, the administrator of the Facebook page "Tamban Camarines Sur" said he created the page to update all those who were born in and spent a part of their lives in Tamban on what has happened in the place long after they left.

"It is also meant to update them on important local developments."

The page, he said, was for those who who had ties to Tamban who were missing their families, looking for childhood playmates, craving for native fares and missing the good times of the bygone years.

Anyone who is not a minor can create and administer a page in Facebook, the social networking site founded by Mark Zuckerberg, Chris Hughes, Dustin Moskovitz and Eduardo Saverin in 2004.

As of July 2011, it has at least 750 million active users around the world.

Philippines seen to remain No. 3 in global outsourcing

Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - The Philippines is seen holding on to the third spot in the global offshoring market, with revenue for the year expected to reach $10.7 billion for a 7.4-percent share of the market.

According to Canada-based research firm XMG Global, India will continue to be the world leader, with an estimated global take of $61.5 billion, or 42.5 percent of offshoring revenue in 2011.

China will come in second with a 31.5-percent share of the pie and $45.7 billion in offshoring revenue.

XMG Global forecasts the global offshoring market to hit $144.8 billion this year. Including onshoring, the overall outsourcing market should register $464 billion in revenue, 9.2 percent better than the $425 billion posted a year ago.

According to XMG Global's mid-year report on the global outsourcing market, industry players in the Philippines and India had started to feel the adverse effects of the weak dollar. Both countries were highly dependent on their United States-based clients for their revenues.
"The US economy, which remains to be a large market for offshoring, is still on the road to recovery with a forecasted 2011 (gross domestic product) growth rate of 2.6 percent, slowing down from last year's 2.9 percent," said XMG Global chief analyst Lauro Vives.

Chinese outsourcing service providers, meanwhile, were hardly swayed, as most of them relied more on East Asian clients such as Korea and Japan. Even the Japan crisis had little effect on China's outsourcing revenue, despite the temporary halt in the implementation of some outsourcing contracts from Japan.

"The disaster may, in fact, open more opportunities, as Japanese companies consider increasing offshoring contracts for non-core operations to reduce business risk," XMG Global said.
According to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines' Road Map 2011-2016, revenues from information technology and business process outsourcing in the country could hit at least $20 billion by 2016 and even as high as $25 billion with stronger public-private partnership.

A $20-billion industry could provide employment to as many as 900,000 individuals. A $25-billion industry, on the other hand, could give jobs to as many as 1.3 million people.