Two Movies about the "Chop-Chop Lady Murder Case"

In early 1994, two movies about the Elsa Castillo murder case, infamously known as the "Chop-Chop Lady Murder Case" opened in theaters. OctoArts Films' The Elsa Castillo Story: Ang Katotohanan and FLT Films' Chop-Chop Lady: The Elsa Castillo Story.

OctoArts Films' presentation opened on January 27 that year. It has Kris Aquino in the title role. Important supporting roles were portrayed by Eric Quizon, Miguel Rodriguez, and Johnny Delgado. Laurice Guillen, Delgado's real-life wife directed this production.

FLT Films' version opened on February 2, with Lorna Tolentino in the title role. Under the direction of Edgardo "Boy" Vinarao, it also featured Mat Ranillo III, Mark Gil, and Amy Austria. Aside from featuring the witness Rio Ravelo as himself, the movie capitalized on endorsements from Epimaco Velasco, the Director of National Bureau of Investigation, and Adelina Santos, the victim's mother.

Sliced Chico

Last December 3, a post showed unripe fruits hanging from the branches of the chico tree in our backyard. Almost a month later, the fruits have ripened. A picture of a ripe fruit and another one, which had been peeled and sliced, is presented.

Pritos Ring

Many of us probably know the Pritos Ring, a brand of tsitsirya (junk food) that we used to buy from the neighborhood sari-sari store when we were younger. Pritos Ring is manufactured by Honai Food Corporation in Caloocan City. During the '80s and '90s, the packaging was bright red; it is now fuchsia pink. The font however remained the same. Following are pictures of the 30-gram pouch:

Front portion of the pouch

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 35g
Servings Per Container: about 0.800

Amount Per Serving
Calories 160 Calories from Fat 50

                                        % Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 9%
Sodium 320mg 13%
Total Carbohydrate 25g 8%
Protein 2g

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Rear portion of the pouch

Ingredients: Wheat Flour, starch, MSG, iodized salt, sugar flavoring, edible oil and artificial food color

Manufactured by: Honai Food Corporation, 720 A General Luis St., Bo. Kaibiga, Caloocan City, Philippines

Tel. No.: (632)9840317, (632)9840319, (632)9840321

Some Movies Based on '90s Pinoy Sitcoms

Philippine television saw the heyday of some sitcoms during the '90s. The popularity of these programs warranted movie adaptations that also became box-office hits. Some of these sitcoms are Home Along Da Riles, Ober da Bakod, and Oki Doki Doc.

Home Along Da Riles: Da Movie is based on Dolphy's long-running sitcom on ABS-CBN. This co-production between Dolphy's RVQ Productions and ABS-CBN's Star Cinema opened on August 26, 1993.

Oki Doki Doc is another ABS-CBN sitcom that was made into a movie. Both television and movie versions feature Aga Muhlach as the friendly neighborhood veterinarian. The movie version was Star Cinema's initial offering for 1996, opening on January 11 that year.

Some Notes About Championship Sweeps at the Philippine Basketball Association

In sports terminology, sweep pertains to winning all the games in a championship series. Only three teams have did so at the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA):  Swift Mighty Meaties, and Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants, and Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters.

Yesterday, Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters defeated Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the conclusion of the 2012-13 Philippine Cup. The first sweep happened at the 1992 Third Conference when Swift Mighty Meaties defeated Seven-Up Uncolas. The second sweep was during the 2009-10 Philippine Cup when Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants won over Alaska Aces.

Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters (Source: Web site of the PBA)

* Interestingly, Seven-Up Uncolas' franchise is now held by Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters - from soft drink to cellular phone.

* Rain or Shine Elasto Painters coach Yeng Guiao was the coach of the Swift Mighty Meaties team that made the first sweep in 1992.

* Purefoods Tender Juicy Giants is currently known as San Mig Cofee Mixers. In 2010, it defeated the Alaska Aces team, which is then coached by Tim Cone. Two years later, Cone is the head coach of San Mig Coffee Mixers.

2013 is 60 Years of Philippine Television

Officials and employees of leading television network ABS-CBN gathered earlier tonight to launch the year-long celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of Philippine television. According to a report by the news program TV Patrol, ABS-CBN Chairman Gabby Lopez and President-CEO Charo Santos-Concio led in reminiscing about the network's history.

The launch was also highlighted with  performances by Gary Valenciano, Kuh Ledesma, Jed Madela, Erik Santos, KZ Tandingan, Yeng Constantino, Jovit Baldivino, Marcelito Pomoy, and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra.

It can be recalled that Alto Broadcasting Systems (ABS) made its first TV broadcast in October 1953. In 1958, a merger with Chronicle Broadcasting Network (CBN) resulted in the formation of ABS-CBN. The declaration of Martial Law in 1972 led to the network's closure. A few months after the People Power EDSA Revolution, ABS-CBN reopened.

SOURCE: ABS-CBNNews.com

Expensive Personal Computers During the 1990s

We now live in an age were information and communications technology has become democratized. Mobile devices and computers have become user-friendly: There is no need to study complicated programming codes to operate these devices.

Owning a personal computer during the mid-1990s used to be very expensive in terms of money and space. A proof is a newspaper advertisement that was placed by ElectroWorld, an affiliate of appliance store chain Abenson, on the Philippine Daily Inquirer in April 1996.

In this advertisement, the Compaq Presario 7110 M540 personal computer along with the EPSON Stylus COLOR printer is sold for a whopping PhP 59,995! The set have a 3-year limited warranty. No surcharge is imposed on major credit cards, such as BPI Express Credit, Citibank, Diners Club International, Equitable Visa, and Unicard.

Specifications are enumerated for comparison with present-day computers.