The Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) has always been sacred to me. When I first found out about it back when I was still a med student, I made it a point to go there every year thereafter. I felt silly whenever I get excited for MIBF, but I couldn’t help it - there’s a nerd in me I can’t quite quash! And to make things even more exciting, MIBF is launching a campaign for literacy this year, with the aid of four impressive “MIBF bookworms” for 2012.

I got the chance to know more about all four bookworms – a.k.a. official ambassadors of the 2012 Manila International Book Fair – and it felt like peeling an onion. Allow me to dish out what I’ve learned about the four MIBF bookworms.

MIBF Bookworm Tado Jimenez

Tado Jimenez is funny in a caught-you-off-guard way. I can’t predict what he’ll say next; I’m sure, however, that it will be shocking and funny. I can’t count how many times I mouthed “Oh my God” whenever he answered questions from the press. Yes, when Tado talks, the press laps it up.

Tado is also quite down to earth. It’s like he’s not a celebrity (except that you’re acutely aware that he is). There’s no VIP aura anywhere around him. And his political will is apparent in his words and actions. If he’s running for candidacy, I believe he deserves to win.

MIBF Bookworm Stanley Chi

Stanley Chi is no stranger to me. He has been my partner (in crime) for more than a year now. It still surprises me, however, that he could do so much in so little time. How on earth does he manage his time?

Stanley, unbeknown even to his own peers, has been doing his share in promoting education. He is an art teacher and has given free classes to NGOs catering to orphaned and abused children. He told me in confidence (oops, sorry for divulging your secret!) that he wanted to use his earnings from his latest book for a literacy fund meant for one of his pet organizations.

MIBF Bookworm Ramon Bautista

Ramon Bautista is beloved by many, given his internet antics. His social media reputation also precedes him, given the outrageous tweets and videos he posts regularly. All that, I’ve known ever since. But I didn’t know that his being a director also meant he had the drive to make every video look as good as it should, even if he was in front of the camera, not behind it.

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If you’re an animal lover, you might have received a scam email from the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) asking for money. PAWS is a non-profit organization catering to the needs of pets who have yet to find a home. But it looks like scammers have found a way to use a PAWS email scam to get the better of us.

Scammer Using PAWS to Solicit Money

Just today, I received a scam email from someone claiming to be from PAWS. Her alleged name is Anna Cabrera and is supposedly the director of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society. The email address used to send the scam letter is phllpaws@yahoo.com.

The real email address of PAWS is philpaws@yahoo.com (with a letter “i” instead of a letter “l”). It’s the kind of trickery that you might fall for if you aren’t too careful.

In any case, the scammer thinks it’s a good idea to ask money from strangers – instead of from relatives and friends – after “being robbed at gunpoint in Spain”. Below is the screenshot of the actual email sent to me (click to enlarge).

In the email, a photo of a cat plus the contact information of PAWS was also given. It’s just horrific when people use animals and charitable organizations to scam other people out of their hard-earned money!

I’m wondering how many animal lovers have succumbed to this scam. I have also emailed PAWS to inform them of this ongoing email hoax. If you know someone from PAWS, please show them this blog post.

The scammer contacted me on my personal email – and that’s information not too many people even know of. I have no idea if PAWS got hacked or if their email has been accessed by a scammer, but in any case, let us spread the word and warn fellow animal lovers. And let’s hope the person who sent this PAWS email scam is identified; using animals to scam people out of money is just heartless. Don’t forget to share on Twitter or Facebook!

The Lower House is about to decide on the Reproductive Health Bill debacle. The RH Bill has been a hot topic the past few days because it touches on religious issues, such as the use of contraceptives. But unbeknown to many critics of the RH Bill, something monumental has already happened in the Catholic Church: Pope Benedict XVI has issued a statement last 2010 that the Church no longer prohibits condom use.

During an interview with The Pope for a book on the Vatican, he explained how condoms are not an absolute evil.

Condom use, in certain situations,
is a responsible act.
– Pope Benedict XVI

I remember learning about Pope John Paul II and his morphine declaration: if morphine is used to relieve pain, even when it is at doses that may cause death, it is justified as the goal is to relieve pain, not to bring death. It was such a humane statement that incurred both praise and backlash. I feel that the statement issued by Pope Benedict XVI on condom use is going to accomplish the same controversy.

Is the Catholic Church Against Condoms?

Is the Catholic Church against condoms or not? Catholics have always been adamant about the derogatory nature of condoms. But last 2010, the Pope has explained a few things about condom use that have arguably changed the landscape of Catholicism. Below are the facts taken from the interview.

• The Vatican believes that condoms are not necessarily evil. Pope Benedict XVI said it was alright to use condoms and any other prophylactic measure meant to decrease HIV infection risk.

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