leawalkerblog

The Pork Barrel Scam

Posted on August 26, 2013 by leawalkerblog

I am a taxpayer. And therefore, I believe I have the right to complain. And express my sadness over this pork barrel scam.

In my line of business, brokers are charged the following:

Withholding tax – normally it is 10% . But when income is above P720k per year, it goes up to 15%. That’s automatically deducted by the developers from the professional fee.

Percentage Tax – this is an additional 3% charge on a monthly basis based on the monthly earnings if income is below P1,900,000.00 per annum.

Value Added Tax – if income is above P1,900,000.00 in a given year, automatically you will be charged 12% tax on your monthly income.

Quarterly Tax – computation is based on the quarterly income less previous taxes paid.

Semi-Annual Tax – computation is based on the semi annual income less previous taxes paid.

Income Tax Return – computation is based on the yearly income less all previous taxes paid.

So imagine paying all these taxes in a year’s time for a billion Filipinos.

This totals to several billions , if not trillions, of pesos per year. Pesos which were supposed to go to road expansions, construction of farm to market roads, bridges, public schools, public hospitals, etc.

But instead, it went to our lawmakers’ personal pockets and bank accounts. Providing them mansions not only in the Philippines but also abroad, among other things.

Obviously, according to the news, our senators and congressmen have a budget of P270M pesos per year. And instead of putting it in different projects, they siphoned off most of these monies into their personal accounts using fictitious Non-Government Offices who supposedly won the bidding of “this and that” project. They’ve perfected this scheme for years already. Until the whistle blowers came out and gave an expose’ …

Unbelievable right? I find it so revolting because here we are, ordinary citizens, working our asses off and happily paying our taxes, only to find out that only a small portion of our money goes to the real projects. While our lawmakers are partying abroad, living in their mansions, riding in their expensive vehicles, the masses have nothing to eat, can’t afford their hospitalization bills, can’t afford to send their children to school, etc.

I am writing about this because I am heartbroken. How did this happen? Why was this allowed? How could they eat escargot somewhere else when most Filipinos go to sleep hungry.

I’m sorry my friends for venting my frustration here. But as a Filipino, I would like to say that I too, am in favor of scrapping the pork barrel.

I am hoping that through social media, our lawmakers would know that the public is watching.

To our “Honorable” Congressmen and Senators , please have mercy on our country and the Filipino people. Maawa po kayo, tama na…

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Philippines, pork barrel scam | 3 Comments

Recreation at SM Lanang Premier

Posted on August 25, 2013 by leawalkerblog

My nephews, Blaire (we call him cholo) and Marco, wanted to watch the cartoon movie, Planes. So John and I took them to SM Lanang during the holiday last week.

The movie has already started when we arrived. So to kill the time, we had an early lunch at Classic Savory. Incidentally, I would like to share that food is good at Classic Savory. I like the taste of their chicken. And if you buy a combo meal, it comes with drinks, noodles or pork ribs. Plus turon, a local dessert made of banana and jackfruit. For P195 per order, I think that’s a good deal. 🙂

After lunch, I bought the theater tickets for the 2:10pm show. Then, proceeded to SM Bowling area. This is located on the second floor near the cinemas.

I found out the following:

a) Shoe rental is P30.00 per head for adults and kids.

b) Cost per game is P90.00 per head.

c) They offer drinks – coffee, juice, beer, etc. And food as well. So you can eat while enjoying the game. 🙂

d) Other activities include: billiard , closed room for videoke and several video games.

In our case, we taught my nephews how to play bowling.

John and I both needed practice. It’s been forever since we played bowling. But we all had fun, specially the kids! 🙂

After several games, it was time for Planes already. The story of the movie was definitely for kids. But we liked it still. Plus Gabriel Iglesias (Fluffy) played Ned and Zed. 🙂 I just have to say this, “Fluffy – you are one of the funniest people on earth! ” If you guys, are wanting to have a good laugh, try Gabriel Iglesias. You won’t be disappointed. Believe me!

The recreation area of SM Lanang Premier is a good venue for families to have clean fun. 🙂

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Davao, davao city | Tagged Classic Savory, fluffy, gabriel iglesias, Planes, Premier, SM bowling, SM Cinema, SM Lanang | Leave a comment

Panatang Makabayan…

Posted on August 20, 2013 by leawalkerblog

Do you still remember when we were young and in elementary days? This Patriotic Oath was pronounced every morning after the flag ceremony. I went to a public school. As most Filipino kids do . We were asked to memorize this oath so we would strive to be good citizens who love our country and its people.

So allow me to remind all of us what we have pledged a long time ago. And check what happened…

PANATANG MAKABAYAN

Iniibig ko ang Pilipinas

Do we really love the Philippines? Sometimes, I don’t know how to answer that. I just know that I stopped reading the news a long time ago because there is no good news. I only get a glimpse of what’s shared in Facebook sometimes. Which makes me think all the more that most of our lawmakers don’t really love the Philippines. They only love themselves, their families, their friends and their pork barrels. 🙂 And to hell with the Filipino people who pay taxes and who do not have a choice but go abroad to work for their families.

How about the flashfloods these days. Isn’t most of these caused by illegal loggings? And the garbages we throw on the roads, in the canals, in the gutters?

And then we pray for God to save us. I wonder what God thinks every time we make a mess and we come running to him to save our nation and the people living in it. Oh, I just hope that he won’t get tired…

Ito ang aking lupang sinilangan. Ito ang tahanan ng aking lahi. Ako’y kanyang kinukupkop at tinutulungan. Upang maging malakas, maligaya at kapaki pakinabang.

Yes, the Philippines has been very good to all of us. Hasn’t she?

I grew up in Mindanao, a beautiful part of the country, that is said to be dangerous. Funny how many Filipinos, would never dare to step in our soil. But those who were brave enough to try, decided to stay. Doesn’t that tell you something?

I like road trips. And I’ve traveled most of the Philippines by land. I can only describe our country side in one word. Beautiful. Yes, that’s how it is. That’s what it is….

And when we were kids, we promised to love her. She has given us so much, it is only proper and right for us to love her back as much as we can.

Bilang ganti, diringgin ko ang payo ng aking mga magulang. Susundin ko ang mga tuntunin ng aking paaralan. Tutuparin ko ang mga tungkulin ng isang mamamayang makabayan at masunurin sa batas. Paglilingkuran ko ang aking bayan ng walang pag-iimbot at ng buong katapatan.

Ahh.. easier said than done. Paglilingkuran ko ang aking bayan ng walang pag-iimbot at ng buong katapatan.

I will be 42 years old soon. And I have been very vocal about my admiration for our Mayor. I heard him give a speech almost 30 years ago. I remember thinking that this guy , loves Davao. I told myself then, if I am already allowed to vote, I will vote for him.

And then he changed the landscape of Davao City. From that of a scary place to one of the most livable cities, not just in the Philippines but in Asia and beyond.

If only our lawmakers have the same love for our country, then maybe the Philippines will lead once again. I remember the time when the conversion was 1:1 , against the US dollar. That’s how rich our country was. Why not, we have gold. We have silver. We have oil. We have gas. Isn’t that why China is interested with Spratlys?

Every Filipino should have been born rich!

Ahh… If only…..

Sisikapin kong maging isang tunay na Pilipino sa isip, sa salita, at sa gawa.

More than the thought and the words, we need to show her how much we love her. In our own little way. You know, like keeping the candy wrappers with you until you find a trash can. 🙂 Or picking up the plastic you see on the beach. Yes many of us , throw plastic bottles and plastic wrappers to the sea. Do you know how this affects nature? The fish we eat, might eat them too. Gross right? But there it is.. Or worse, we’re killing the sea creatures because we are poisoning them. Right now, we still have seafood. What about our children? (I have none) . But I have nephews. They may have children someday too.

As we commemorate on the death of Ninoy Aquino, let this day remind us that as ordinary civilians, we too can become heroes.

Let us do what we can to show our, Lupang Sinilangan, that we love her. Sa Isip. Sa Salita. At sa Gawa.

Lea C. Walker

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged holiday in the philippines, ninoy aquino day, panatang makabayan | Leave a comment

Kadayawan 2013 – Street Dancing Parade

Posted on August 17, 2013 by leawalkerblog

Wow, the Kadayawan sa Dabaw’s Indak – Indak sa Dalan (street dancing) parade, left me speechless today! Despite the scorching heat of the sun, the participants were all out in their presentations.

The kaleidoscope of colors, vigorous dance steps , the loud banging of the drums and the excitement of the viewers showed how happy Davaoenos are in celebrating this year’s thanksgiving festival.

This year’s winners are the following:

A) Open Category:

Champion – Panay National High School , Sto. Nino, South Cotabato

1st Runner Up – Tribo Sulalan from Polomolok, South Cotabato

2nd Runner Up – Tribo Talaingod, Davao Del Norte

B) Davao Category:

Champion – Holy Cross College of Calinan

1st Runner Up – Magallanes Elementary School

2nd Runner Up – Sta. Ana National High School

Congratulations Davao City, headed by Mayor Rody Duterte, for another successful Kadayawan Festival. 🙂

Let me commend also our local police officers for the peace and order. I’ve seen 911 personnels, ambulance and their chopper kept hovering on top, making sure that everything was in order. I’ve also seen a lot of barangay tanods who helped kept the people away from the participants.

Davao, you’ve reached another milestone today. I am so proud to be a Davaoena!

To everyone who made all this possible, congratulations!

Mabuhay ka Dabaw! 🙂

Woo..hoo!!!

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Davao, davao city, Davao del Sur | Tagged Davao City, Kadayawan, Kadayawan 2013 winners, kadayawan sa Dabaw 2013 | Leave a comment

Kadayawan 2013

Posted on August 10, 2013 by leawalkerblog

Kadayawan is a Thanksgiving Festival celebrated by Davaoenos every August of each year. This time the culmination will be on August 17 – 18, 2013 with Indak – Indak sa Kadalanan (Street Dancing Parade) and Pamulak Kadayawan (Floral Float Parade).

Here’s the Official Schedule of Activities which I copied from Davao City’s website:

Kadayawan 2013

How To Go To Davao City:

a) By plane (Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, etc.)

b) By bus (from nearby provinces)

c) By Sea

Where To Stay:

This link will give you information about Davao and the hotels located here. Nearest to the action would be Marco Polo, Royal Mandaya Hotel and Humberto’s Inn.

http://www.davaoproperties.com/links

Where To Eat in Davao City:

There are so many options. So no one, I repeat, no one is going to get hungry. 🙂

The malls are packed with restaurants. The hotels offer buffet or ala carte breakfast, lunch and dinner. Fastfood courts abound. There are Mcdonald’s and Jollibee’s everywhere, if you want to be on the cheap side.

My favorite restaurants are featured here –

https://leawalkerblog.com/category/restaurants-in-davao-2/

If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.

Happy Kadayawan everyone!

See you in Davao soon. 🙂

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Davao, davao city | Tagged Davao City, how to go to Davao City, Indak Indak sa Kadalanan, Kadayawan, Kadayawan 2013, Kadayawan Schedule of Activities, pamulak Davao, Street Dancing Parade, where to eat in Davao, where to stay in davao | Leave a comment

My Late August Welcome :)

Posted on August 10, 2013 by leawalkerblog

Hey, how are you guys? 🙂

It feels like forever since my last entry. Sorry I’ve been remiss on this blog. It’s been a really busy month so far.

So let me share with you what’s going on with me and the Real Estate industry in Davao:

CELERINA HEIGHTS – is a new subdivision project of Santos Land Development Corporation located in Brgy. Cabantian, Davao City, Philippines. It’s a mid cost subdivision which will be selling lots and house/lot packages. The Ground Breaking and Blessing was done last month. As of the moment, development is on-going. For those who want to reserve in advance, please contact lea@davaoproperties.com . Prices for the lots will start at Php5,000.00 – up.

PALMETTO PLACE: Lombardy is the 3rd building of Palmetto Place Condominium located in Maa , Davao City. Its Topping Off Ceremony and Blessing of the Model Units was done on July 30, 2013. For more details of the project, please check this link:

http://www.davaoproperties.com/house-for-sale/hfs-260

Bigger units are also available. 🙂

Yours truly with Engr. Leonora Gutierrez, DMCI’s Marketing Head.

OCEAN COVE: This beachline subdivision is located in Talomo, Davao City. This French Riviera themed community boasts of world class amenities. Details of which can be found here – http://www.davaoproperties.com/lots-for-sale/lfs-12

Recently, I was invited to a Luncheon Gathering at their newly built clubhouse. 🙂

With Ms. Avic and Alan Barquillon of Filinvest Land, Inc.

Yes, my business isn’t just all work. I get to join parties and the likes too! 🙂

Incidentally, Davao City will soon be celebrating the Kadayawan Festival. So for those who plan on visiting us, the Street Dancing parade will be on August 17, 2013 and the Floral Float Parade will be on August 18, 2013.

See you in Davao my friends! 🙂

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Davao, davao city, real estate | Tagged Beachfront Lots for Sale in Davao City, Celerina Heights, Condominium for sale in Davao, DMCI, Filinvest Land, Inc., Ocean Cove, Palmetto Place, Real Estate in Davao, Santos Land | Leave a comment

Photo Of The Day: Tinuy-an Falls

Posted on July 31, 2013 by leawalkerblog

Tinuy-an Falls is located in Surigao Del Sur, Mindanao, Philippines. From Davao City, travel time is more or less, 6 hours by land trip. That’s why it is advisable to book a hotel either in Mangagoy, Bislig, Surigao del Sur. Or at a beach resort in Barobo, Surigao del Sur. Sleep there for the night. And proceed to the waterfalls the next day so you’ll have enough time to enjoy the place.

I know I wouldn’t want to do a “hit and run” for such a visit, considering the presence of the Philippines’ largest waterfall.

Yes, it is far. But the trip is worth it. 🙂

Lea C. Walker

www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Surigao, Tinuy-an Falls | Tagged beautiful waterfalls, places to go in surigao, places to swim in surigao, Surigao Del Sur, tinuy-an falls, tourist attractions in surigao, waterfalls in the philippines, where to go in surigao | Leave a comment

Our Dengue Ordeal – II

Posted on July 26, 2013 by leawalkerblog

I am happy to announce that John is now on his way to recovery from Dengue Fever. Thank God!

For those who are not familiar with this illness, details can be found here – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dengue_fever

Let me share with you though our experience.

Symptoms of Dengue Fever

1. Chills

2. Fever – in John’s case, it went up to 39.5′ c

3. Joint and Muscle Pain – he said that everything was so painful. He felt bad for every kid who had to go through it. If he was in so much pain, imagine how difficult it must be for little kids or babies.. 😦 No wonder some kids don’t make it. Very sad right?

4. No appetite

5. Diarrhea

6. Abdominal Pain

7. Lumbar Pain

8. Tiredness

9. Rashes – measle like rashes that looks so tiny and red

What To Do If You have Dengue Fever:

Dengue has no known cure. So when you have signs of Dengue Fever, get a CBC test immediately to check your latest blood count. Normal thrombocyte is 150-450 . So if it’s less than that, then your platelet is low.

In our case, I admitted John at the hospital when his result was 121. He looked so pale already and very weak, that’s why. I was glad that I did so because in a few hours, his platelet dropped to 71. Very fast right?

When that happens, it is better if you are brought to the hospital because they can give you a drip and they can monitor your vital organs for internal bleeding.

But if you have no access to one, for instance you’re travelling in a jungle or something, make sure that you have plenty of fluids. The doctors told me to let John drink at least 2 liters of fluid. But he drank more – water, Gatorade , juice . Anything is ok, as long as it is not red and can affect your stool. Like I said, you have to check for internal bleeding. Red drinks or food may give you the impression that you’re bleeding. So to be safe, don’t take dark colored food or drinks.

In the Philippines, we have durian. So if the patient can take durian, fresh fruit /shake or juice, it is best. Because durian can easily make your blood platelet rise. John doesn’t like durian, so it didn’t help us. 😦

So I just made sure that he drank a lot of fluid.

And fed him with sweets for energy. Crackers and fruits helped too.

HOW TO AVOID DENGUE FEVER:

Honestly, I don’t know how. Wherever we go in the Philippines, there are mosquitoes. One of them could be a dengue carrier.

Our house is always closed because it’s fully air-conditioned. And after my nephew had one, we made sure that there are no stagnant water around. So I really don’t know how to prevent / avoid getting one.

I guess, all we can do is put a mosquito repellent. And pray that you do not get bitten when you leave the house.

IMPORTANT:

When you travel to tropical places, just make sure that you have insect repellent on you. Get vaccines for other illnesses. Sad to say though, there’s none for Dengue Fever. So make sure you sleep with a mosquito net if you are in a non-aircon room.

Drink lots of fluid. Be careful and enjoy your trip.

Before I end this article, I would like to say, that God is real. Talk to him like you are talking to your father. He cannot say no to his beloved daughter or son, when you pray and ask for his help.

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Davao, davao city, philippines | Tagged davao dengue, dengue cases in the philippines, dengue fever, dengue fever cure, facts about dengue fever, how to avoid dengue fever, symptoms of dengue fever | Leave a comment

Our Dengue Ordeal

Posted on July 24, 2013 by leawalkerblog

This past week has been a really tiring one. I feel so exhausted even if I am just the watcher of John. We’re still in the hospital as I write this. I thought I will share this experience with you now. Hopefully, you will never go through dengue fever in your lifetime. But if you do, I hope that this post will help you.

The Philippines, being a tropical country, has millions of mosquitoes. During rainy days, they breed. And in our case, John got bitten by a dengue carrier. 😦

We don’t know exactly where he got bitten but we thought that the fever was caused by his bronchitis.

I only wondered when he started chilling. And his fever went up to 39.5’c. He said that his whole body ached as well. Classic case of dengue fever, I thought. My nephew had it before, so that somehow taught us a lot about dengue.

I brought him to the emergency room of DMSF Hospital. Since that’s where my family goes, the nurses and doctors knew us. They immediately took care of John. And got some tests done, ie: cbc, urine and chest xray (for his cough).

Among the 3 tests, they were more worried with his cbc result. The thrombocyte was only 121. The normal reading is 150 to 450.

We were advised to admit John immediately. But they had no available private or suite room. So they helped us get one at the newest hospital in Davao, MDMRCI. Or Metro Davao Medical and Research Center.

The admission was fast. The E.R. personnel immediately put a dextrose on John. During this time, he looked so pale already. And very weak. Scared and terrible, if you want me to describe how I felt. I hate dengue fever. There is no cure for it. The only thing the hospital can do is put you on dextrose and monitor your platelet count. Sucks right? The fear of not knowing what’s going to happen next was suffocating.

The next cbc came with 71 count. Drastic drop from 121. So I gave him a combination of gatorade and tawa tawa. The local herb that’s known to increase the blood platelet fast. His infectious doctor told us that it is not proven yet. But thousands of Davaoenos swear that it really helps. We used the tawa tawa also with my nephew and he survived. Thank God. I gave him lots of water too. As much as he can take. Obviously, the dengue virus can only be erradicated with fluids in your system. The often you urinate, the better.

Another symptom is diarrhea. Sorry for being so graphic but there it is. There was nausea and vomitting as well. During this time, he had no appetite at all.

The doctors continued to monitor.if there was any sign of bleeding. They checked on his liver and kidney because John complained of abdominal pain. He was given paracetamol for the fever. Hydrazek for the diarrhea. Omeprazole for the stomach pains. And 160cc of dextrose per hour for fluids.

A client-friend told me that he would need glucose for more energy. So I had our driver buy Krispy Kreme donut. And waffles at Pancake House. I am glad to note that John ate those. He also ate an apple. A small slice of watermelon. And fita crackers. In 5 days he has drank more than a gallon of water. A dozen of 500mg blue gatorade for electrolytes. 3 picthers of boiled tawa tawa with honey.

As of this time, John is resting. He is not 100% well yet. Infact his blood platelet dropped to 79 from 81 yesterday. But the doctors tell us that he is ok since they do not see any signs of bleeding.

I am praying that he will get better soon. In Jesus name.

Lea C. Walker

http://www.davaoproperties.com

Posted in Davao, davao city, Uncategorized | Tagged chest xray, davao, dextrose, drastic drop, health, medicine, platelet count, tawa tawa, thrombocyte, tropical country | 2 Comments

Genting Highlands – Malaysia

Posted on July 16, 2013 by leawalkerblog

I wrote about this 2 years ago but I noticed that my photos have been corrupted. So I thought that I will just reblog this post.

Genting Highlands is about an hour away from Kuala Lumpur. When you’re in Davao City, that’s like going to Buda. Where the temperature is a lot cooler and the air is fresher.

I’ve read about Genting Highlands online when I did a research before our trip. So somehow I knew that we will be taking a cable ride. So I’ve conditioned my mind to that already… 🙂 I have a fear of heights you see, but me – being me.. that will not stop me from experiencing another adventure!

So together with the rest of the group, John and I , fell inline. A very long line, that is.. Like Singapore, tourists flock to Malaysia specially Kuala Lumpur. I didn’t mind the long wait though because that means delaying the inevitable. haha…

After almost an hour, we were able to board the cable car. I thought it was going to be a short ride. But it turned out to be 3.8 km long. We were told later on that the Genting cable car is the longest in the world. uh- huh! If I had known earlier, I guess I wouldn’t have had the guts to do the ride.

The view was spectacular. It’s nice to be on top because you get to see everything. We were so high, some trees looked liked dwarfs already.

What I liked about it is that, it’s well-maintained. And it’s very safe. So somehow, that eased my mind.

The moment we got out of the cable car, the cold breeze touched my face. The temperature is a lot lower comparing to where we took the ride from.

The place is amazing. They must have spent billions developing it. The resort stands on top of the mountain. And it offers hotels with casino. There are children’s ride , shows and several restaurants to choose from.

This place was no doubt built with the tourists and their needs in mind. They even have a shopping arcade there! Who would think of shopping mall on top of the mountain huh?! Malaysians, obviously. LOL

Since, this is a vast resort, do not forget to wear comfortable shoes. You will need to walk all over the place to see everything. That’s why a comfy walking shoes is a must! A drape or a jacket also if you want to explore outside the huge complex. That is if you do not like feeling the cold air….

After spending several hours at the resort, it was time to leave. I told John that I couldn’t take the cable car again so we just took a taxi going down. It was a 15 min. ride and the fare was only 50 singapore dollar. Yes, for those who do not like riding in a cable car, there are taxis at the hotel. Just go to the hotel entrance and the incharge will call the taxi for you. I found out that some tourist buses go up there. That’s why I wondered why ours , didn’t. The snake-like road is wide and it is concrete so it’s not scary at all.

Plus you’ll find some temples along the way. I am glad that we took a taxi going down because we did not miss a thing!