Smitten

The Delta Lambda Sigma sorority of the University of the Philippines - Diliman is more than 65 years old. The wooden frame of their cork board in one corridor of Palma Hall looks like it's as old as the organization. I like it.

Killing season

This was the headline of the Philippine Star, one of the country's biggest daily newspapers, last Thursday. This year is an election year for us—local and national, though not including the president—and the first probable political assassination has just occurred. It won't be the last. Robberies have been on the rise too—"fundraising" for election campaigns. Very few of the killers or robbers will be caught, and even fewer will actually be punished. Welcome to Philippine politics.

Discreet advertising

I'm not crazy about electronic billboards in general, but if they were all as tastefully done as this one, I may not mind them too much. Especially if there are no other billboards on the road—a rarity in Metro Manila. This is the only billboard I've noticed along Roxas Boulevard. I guess no one's willing to spoil the view of Manila Bay and its wonderful sunsets. I'm glad.

Load me

This is my neighbor's gate across the street. The wife is a stay-at-home mom and has a little business going on the side—loading credit for prepaid cellphones. The Philippines is supposedly the texting capital of the world, and most people choose prepaid lines rather than subscriptions because one can buy credit in small increments. This has spawned an entire industry of selling phone credit, and these banners can be found all over Metro Manila. All you need is a computer, internet connection and a business agreement with the service providers. She sells load (that's what Filipinos call cellphone credit) to two of the biggest cellphone companies in the Philippines: Smart and Globe.