About Philippines

Three bombing incidents as Filipinos celebrate Valentine's day. The first blast took place around 6:30PM outside the Gaisano Mall in General Santos City and killed at least three people and wounded at least 33 others. The second bomb went off almost simultaneously in Ecoland Bus Terminal in Davao City wherein five people were injured. And the third bomb killed 3 people on the spot and at least 74 people others injured at around 7:50PM in Makati City. Abu Sayyaf, Al Quaeda linked group claimed responsibility in a phone call between the explosions, calling it retribution for a major military offensive against Islamic gunmen in Mindanao.

Did you know that Kissing festival started here in our country and last years Valentine's day broke the Chile's record in Guinness World Record Book. Here's the News from AP: More than 5,300 couples kissed for at least 10 seconds last Valentine's Day in Manila for an event dubbed "Lovapalooza," breaking Chile's record of 4,445 in the Guinness World Records book. This year's "Lovapalooza 2" will commemorate the feat with "a million kisses, a million heartbeats, and probably a million people falling in love for the second time around," said a statement from toothpaste maker Unilever Philippines, one of the event's organizers. The kissing festival was being held simultaneously at midnight (11 a.m. EST) in at least four cities nationwide. Live bands, couples and other promenaders began the all-night party at Manila's brightly lit Bay Walk along Roxas Boulevard - a long stretch of which was closed to vehicles, snarling traffic.

A 6.9 earthquake hit the southern Mindanao late Saturday, February 5, 2005. News excerpt from the INQ7 : An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale was recorded late Saturday with its epicenter in the sea south of Mindanao island, about 500 kilometers from Dent Haven near Lahad Datu on Sabah's east coast. The Prime Minister's Crisis and Disaster Center issued Malaysia's first tsunami alert after the meteorological department told it about the Philippine earthquake. Center director Muhamad Muda said parts of Sabah, especially the state capital Kota Kinabalu, Tawau, and several coastal areas, felt the tremor.... Police urged locals in some areas to evacuate coastal homes. Several seaside resorts on Sabah's west coast immediately alerted their guests. News organizations in Sabah were flooded with calls ,while people in Tuaran near Kota Kinabalu were caught in traffic jams as they fled towards Mount Kinabalu. Police were seen in many places calming the