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CALIFORNIA, USA -- People showed up to protest government spending, bailouts, taxes, and the economic crisis in the United States. Do you have a similar video, photo or story? Send it to dropbox.yousendit.com/inquirerbox.

By Anna Valmero INQUIRER.net Last December, blogger Mike Garcia posted on Multiply an entry about a retired janitor from the University of the Philippines Diliman. People then re-posted the story in their own blogs, while some forwarded it to various mailing lists. This story eventually got the attention of the Filipino cyberspace community, in particular the university’s alumni. Meliton Zamora or “Mang Mel” has been the university’s janitor for four decades. But after he retired, he was informed that he would only get about 90 centavos as retirement pay for 171 days. He also revealed that he has been guarantor for several UP student loans. UP students apply for loans at the Student Loan Board of the University to pay tuition fees. But to get that, they would need a UP employee as guarantor. The guarantor pays for the loans if the students fail to do so. Filipino blogger Garcia was among the students who benefited from Mang Mel’s kindness. Last December, Garcia visited Mang Mel's house near UP Diliman and was surprised to find the sad plight of the retired janitor. Garcia learned that some students were not able to pay their loans, which Mang Mel was guarantor. Thus those debts were deducted from his retirement pay. Garcia eventually called on other students who failed to pay their loan to help Mang Mel. This call later turned into a concert, where proceeds were given to Mang Mel. “Hindi naman ako nagsisi na tumulong ako noon, basta sa akin ang mahalaga makatulong ako sa mga estudyante [I do not regret that I've helped students by being guarantor. What's important is that I've helped them],” said Mang Mel with glimmer of hope in his eyes. credits, a bulk of also affected his retirement pay. But the story doesn't end there. Mang Mel said there are discrepancies in the computation of his leave. In this video, Mang Mel recounts his predicament:

COMFORTABLE shoes and sturdy umbrellas are essential things you need when you’re out job-hunting. But have you seen someone who is out hunting for worn-out shoes and broken umbrellas? One morning, I saw this man with curly long hair carrying a backpack and some umbrellas, walking alone in Kalaw Avenue. What caught my attention was a square tarpaulin attached to his backpack that says: "Repair shoes payong tahi sandals bumabasa ng kapalaran." In English, that roughly translates to, “I repair shoes, umbrellas, sandals, and I can also read your fortune.” His name is Felix Cerbito, 59 years old, a native of Northern Samar. Cerbito said he lives and works in the roadsides and walkways of Metro Manila. For him, work means waking up at five o' clock in the morning, walking and searching for worn-out shoes and umbrellas that needed some fixing. He had been doing this since 1998. "Nag-aral ako ng paggawa ng sapatos sa Luneta. Nanonood lang ako sa mga nagagawa tapos natuto na rin ako [I studied shoe repair in Luneta. I just watched those who were repairing then I learned aftewards.]," said Cerbito. Prior to being a walking repair man, he was a carpenter. "'Yung kaalaman ko sa karpintero, napakinabangan ko ng kaunting panahon kasi wala ng ma-aplayan, wala namang tumatanggap.[I benefited from doing carpentry briefly until no one wanted to employ me anymore]," Cerbito added. In a week, Cerbito earns P200 from sewing umbrellas, which costs P20; repairing shoes for P80; and shining shoes for P40. But he admitted that he used to earn P400 a week. "Ngayon mahina na. Bihira lang maka-200. Kapag wala akong kita, P50 dalawa ng sapatos. Kapag mahirap ung nagpapagawa, minsan P25. [I now earn less. I rarely earn P200 these days. If I don’t have any income at all, I charge P50 for a pair of shoes. If the customer can’t pay that much, I charge them P25]," said Cerbito. Fixing worn-out shoes takes two hours and a half. But if the soles of the shoes need replacement, it would usually take him five hours to finish one. This is so since he would often buy the soles from a store. It takes him 30 minutes to fix umbrellas. During our interview, he admitted that walking gives him blisters. But he’s not complaining. He earns an honest income this way. "Sa paglalakad, nagsugat paa ko, paltos sa kalalakad. Minsan, 'yung kinita kong P50, pinambili ko nalang ng tinapay. [My foot gets blisters from walking. Sometimes, I use my P50 to buy bread]," said Cerbito. Cerbito hopes to spend his remaining years in a real home, not in the streets. "Ang gusto kong gawin sa buhay ay may matirhan ako. [I want to live in a home someday]," said Cerbito.

By Marjorie Gorospe INQUIRER.net ROAMING around a historical place like Intramuros can be more nostalgic if you take a ride on a “kalesa” or a horse-drawn carriage. No need to hire a tour guide because your English-speaking kutsero or coachman can definitely give you background of this historic place. In my recent tour of the Intramuros, I met Emiliano Ortaleza, a coachman for 40 years. Always ready with a smile and a warm greeting to potential customers, Ortaleza has been doing this job to earn enough money to get by every day. Ortaleza goes around Intramuros using a borrowed kalesa and a horse named Alasan. As I found out later, there is no specific season when tourists would be around to ride his Kalesa. But during these slow seasons, Ortaleza has to give the kalesa’s owner his share of the daily revenues. Through the years, Ortaleza who is a father to eight children, has learned more about the history of Intramuros and English. Although he never finished a formal education, Ortaleza admitted that the Department of Tourism’s seminars has helped him become more confident in dealing with foreign tourists. “Mahirap lang kapag iba iyong accent nila minsan pero kaya naman [I sometimes have difficulty understanding them especially if they have an accent],” Ortaleza added. In my conversations with him, Ortaleza showed me a scar on his leg that was a reminder of accidental fall from his Kalesa. Ortaleza cherises times when people remembered him. “Minsan kahit nasa ibang bansa na ‘yong naging pasahero ko natatandaan pa rin ako, pinapadalhan pa nga ako [Some of my passengers still remember me even if they’re abroad. They sometimes send me gifts],” Ortaleza added. After four decades of doing this job, Ortaleza admitted he never gets tired smiling and accommodating local and foreign tourists. Ortaleza also shared another secret – and it’s not about the fastest route around Intramuros. He said that as long as you are honest and you don’t take advantage to your customers, you will always be on the right direction in life.

YouTube singing sensation turned international star Charice Pempengco returns to Manila for a one-night concert for Filipino fans. An up-and-coming international artist, Pempengco has performed with foreign artists like David Foster, Celine Dion, Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli. She has appeared in popular television shows including Oprah. In this video, INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Anna Valmero talks to Pempengco about her plans.

VICE President Noli De Castro, a Black Nazarene devotee, shares his thoughts on the annual feast and on this year's preparations. As in previous years, De Castro says he offers a prayer to the image. Video taken by INQUIRER.net reporter Thea Alberto.
Thousands of devotees of the Black Nazarene attend mass at the Quirino grandstand. Mostly dressed in maroon and yellow, throngs of young and old devotees join the procession, blocking the path of the Black Nazarene as it inches its way to the Quiapo Church. Photos taken by INQUIRER.net reporters Thea Alberto, Izah Morales, Lawrence Casiraya and Marjorie Gorospe.

For every plate of steamed rice on the table, cups of sweat were poured to plant, care for, harvest and process these golden grains. The true heroes who put rice on our tables can be found in Nueva Ecija, the rice capital of the Philippines. INQUIRER.net multimedia reporter Anna Valmero asks farmers in the rice fields of Sta. Rosa about their concerns and humble wishes. Video taken by INQUIRER.net production specialists Janie Christine Octia and Rastle Lozano with Lawrence Casiraya and Leo Magno. Royalty-free music courtesy of Kevin MacLeod.

HOW did the economic crunch affect Filipinos'celebration of the coming of the new year? INQUIRER.net VDO went to different places to ask what adjustments Filipinos made to maintain a festive mood while tightening their belts. As expected, fireworks were still aplenty, and injuries were still reported. Video and photos taken by Janie Christine Octia, Izah Morales, Anna Valmero, Marjorie Gorospe, Lawrence Casiraya, Erwin Oliva and Leo Magno.
Also, hundreds fill up the plaza of Eastwood City in Libis with their eyes on the clock tower for the countdown to 2009. Meanwhile, the sleepy town of Mangaldan in Pangasinan wakes up when a Judas Belt firecracker combination worth P20,000 was set off, lasting for a little more than a minute. In Imus, Cavite, residents welcome the new year and turn the streets into a virtual war zone. Video taken by Leo Magno, Erwin Oliva and Alex Villafania of INQUIRER.net VDO.

By Lawrence Casiraya INQUIRER.net YOU only have a few seconds to light a 5-star and move away before it explodes. He can make one with a few more seconds to spare. Seven seconds, to be exact, was all it took for Dennis Asturias to get a piece of paper, take a pinch of pulbura -- a chemical concoction of potassium chlorate and sulfur, or referring to it as "devil" ("Yun pampasabog") -- with his silvery fingers, fold it a couple of times in the process putting the mitsa or fuse (that piece of coiled string wrapped in red) and finally chuck it in a cardboard box already full to the brim with thousands of 5-stars he has made. The speed by which he can make these deadly firecrackers is nothing short of amazing, considering he uses his bare hands -- no gloves, nothing to protect his fingers, only a towel wrapped around his head to wipe his sweaty arms. In a town where 80 percent of the population is involved in the production of firecrackers, it shouldn't be difficult to find people like him who can finish a few boxes of 5-stars in a day. The boxes are used packaging for cigarettes, I couldn't help but notice the irony in that. Dennis is from Pulong Buhangin, a remote barangay of Santa Maria, Bulacan, acknowledged as the center of Bulacan's fireworks industry. Pulong Buhangin, therefore, is the core of this industry because this is the production hub. Don't expect to find gated factories, though. Apparently, we discovered during our trip that led us to Pulong Buhangin, fireworks -- like Bulacan's candies and sweets -- are literally homemade. We found Dennis in a small nipa-lined shack in the backyard of, we assumed, was the employer's house. The wall carried newspaper clippings of his favorite basketball team. Different shacks like his carried signs like "production,""wrapping," and "bodega" or storehouse. Others like him, meanwhile, were making fountains, kwitis and sawa -- the last one is a kind of firecracker, literally a snakelike string of hundreds, sometimes thousands of 5-stars. Dennis was not at all disrupted even when we were interviewing him while he was pinching, wrapping and chucking -- all in one fluid motion. "Maliit pa lang ako hanapbuhay ko na to. Ten years old pa lang ako tumutulong na ko sa packing (I've been doing this work since I was 10)," he says. Dennis is now 27 years old. But he says this only serves as his sideline, or something he does to earn extra when he can't find a regular job in Manila. He says he earns about P700 per week. Of course, the inevitable questions: How many times has he been in any accident involving fireworks? He casually replies, "Di pa ko napuputukan ni minsan (I've yet to mishandle firecrackers by accident).” In this video, he even shares his secret on how to light a 5-star properly and safely.

WHAT would a Civil Engineering Licensure Examination (CELE) board topnotcher construct? A home for the squatters was the answer of topnotcher Maricel Aquino who garnered a score of 99.1 percent in the November 2008 CELE. “Ayaw ko kasi ng may palaboy laboy. Nung nagtrabaho ako dito sa Manila, nakita ko ang gulo. May mga squatters. Gusto kong magconstruct ng matitirhan nila [I don’t want to see people loitering in the streets. When I started working here in Manila, I saw chaos. There were many squatters. I want to construct a home for them.],” said Aquino. Aside from building a home for the squatters, Aquino would like to focus on the field of sanitary engineering in the country. “Basura. ‘Yung ang nakikita kong unang-unang problema. Para sa akin, dun bumaba ang Pilipinas. [Garbage. That’s the primary problem I see in our country. For me, it has degraded the Philippines.],” explained Aquino. Aquino earned her degree in BS Civil Engineering at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), which was noted as the best performing school in Civil Engineering with 100-percent passing rate (28 passers out of 28 examinees). Despite working full-time in the quality control division of EBA Construction simultaneous with her review classes from June until August, Aquino managed to balance her time and top the exams along with 1,672 passers. “Ito talaga unexpected sa akin. Planado na kasi para sa akin ung buhay ko. Magta-trabaho muna ako before review. Iipon muna ako. [It was really unexpected. I already planned my life. I will work first before review. I’ll save up money for the review.],” related Aquino. For Aquino, taking the refresher course in her review classes helped her a lot in answering the three-part and two-day examination. “Nag-resign na ako nung September at nag-focus na ako sa review. Nakatulong talaga ‘yung refresher course kasi halo- halo ‘yung tanung dun. [I resigned from my job in September and focused on the review. The refresher course helped me a lot because the questions were mixed.],” added Aquino. Having been exposed to Civil Engineering work, Aquino sees the field of Civil Engineering as a bridge that connects everything. “Lahat ng fields sakop niya: civil works, construction, sanitation, piping. Lahat ng nakikita mo diyan, hindi mo pwedeng masabi na walang connection ung CE dun. [All of the fields are covered like civil works, construction, sanitation and piping. Everything that you see is interconnected with Civil Engineering.],” explained Aquino. Aquino will be leading the oath taking of the new civil engineers on December 20, 2008 at the Plenary Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City.