Airlines of the Philippines Banned to Fly in EU?

I feel sad when I learned in the news that airlines in the Philippines are not allowed to fly in the European Union.

The European Commission spokeswoman for transport affairs Helen Kearns announced that it has banned all airlines in the Philippines and Sudan from flying into the EU for "serious and persistent non-compliance" with the bloc's air safety rules.

The news further adds that "neither of the two countries has planes flying directly into the EU, but the blacklisting increases pressure on them to improve safety as European citizens could be discouraged from taking their flights."

Meanwhile, the head of the Civil Aviation Authority, Alfonso Cusi insists that, "our aircraft meet the international standards in safety. I have invited the EU safety aviation commission to come to the Philippines for re-inspection this May to show that we have corrected the problem they have raised."

The flag carrier of the country, Philippine Airlines is registered to fly to the EU but PAL's last commercial flight was in 1999.

Photo above is a stamp issued on March 15, 1991 celebrating the 50th anniversary of Philippine Airlines.

Gibraltar's latest King George V stamp

Gibraltar issues it's latest stamp featuring King George V, who was king of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 1910 until his death in 1936.

The stamp set was released on March 26, 2010.

Cebu Stamp Club's March 2010 CSCI Newsleter

This is the CSCI Newsletter March 2010 issue recently released by Cebu Stamp Club, Incorporated (CSCI). The newsletter is in pdf format and given for free to Cebu Stamp Club members and friends.

Email cebustampclub_inc@yahoo.com for a copy of this latest publication

Two Star Wars Darth Vader Additions

The fearsome Darth Vader is among my favorite Star Wars figures. My collection of this Sith Lord includes stickers, figures, bobble heads, books, mugs, etc.

Just last week, I was excited to see two Darth Vader toys up for auction in Ebay so I wasted no time in bidding. Lucky me, there were no other bidders so I won the items.

The toys were delivered to my house last Saturday to my heart's delight.

What struck me with the new additions to my Star Wars collection is the Darth Vader figure from POTF2. Anakin Skywalker's face is shown once the helmet is removed. The other figure from the Bespin Duel comes with a cape made of cloth.

It's Palm Sunday!

It's a beautiful and significant Sunday today. Me, my wife Julie and youngest son Jerald Kervin found ourselves rushing to St. Joseph Parish in Mabolo, Cebu City to attend the morning Mass and join in the Catholic celebration of Palm Sunday.

There were multitudes of people bringing with them palm leaves with crosses tied on them to be blessed by the officiating priest. We wasted no time in buying some palm leaves from peddlers nearby.

I was happy to see an old family friend, Fr. Alcazaren blessing the palms and officiating the Mass. Glad too that I brought along a camera and took pictures of the ceremony inside the church.

Palm Sunday is the final Sunday before Easter and signals the beginning of the Holy Week. Today commemorates the triumphant entry of Christ to Jerusalem with people laying palm branches on his path.

Cebu Joins Earth Hour

"The world will be brighter if people just turn off the lights."

This is what organizers of Earth Hour believe in. I admire their zeal in enjoining people to turn off their lights for just an hour to help decrease harmful carbon emissions that threaten the Earth's climate.

Although this is only the second year the Philippines joined this worldwide campaign, I believe a lot of good will come out from this worthy endeavor.

Here in Cebu, local organizers claimed that their campaign was a success. The city's demand for power dropped to 249 megawatts when Earth Hour started at 8:30 p.m.

Organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Earth Hour started in Sydney, Australia on March 31, 2007 with millions of houses and establishments turning off their lights to show their concern on climate change.

Australia Post issued stamps last year to highlight Earth Hour.

My New Star Wars Collection Cabinet

These past two months, I got occupied supervising the people involved in renovating my house. This is one reason that I was out of touch with everyone except of course in attending Cebu Stamp Club meetups.

One of the things I requested my carpenters is to make me a cabinet that would be bigger than the usual cabinets sold in furniture stores and malls.

Of course I got what I wanted! I have a new cabinet for my Star Wars items. Although the paint job will have to wait for another month right after they finish work on the second floor, I can't wait to display some my collections at once.