AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
In spite of fashion being an abstract world where people's personal opinions, styles, and fantasies come into play, there are still a few basic rules that must be followed.

The infamous statement "But rules are meant to be broken!" can be used as an argument against this — but it must be known that only those who want to look like fashion victims will say this.

In our country, many people are guilty of committing fashion crimes. If only there was such a thing as "fashion police," faux pax will lessen in number and the top five fashion crimes won't be on anyone's record anymore. Unfortunately, these fashion no-nos can still be spotted all over the metro.

1. Wearing clothes that are too tight and too short. It's not a mystery why people, especially women, love miniscule pieces of clothing. Wearing thigh-high skirts and shorts, ultra-cropped tops and body-hugging dresses generate a lot of attention and that's something women want. Sure, men will turn their heads but if you actually hear

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AP Photo/Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/dapd
Should the feared 7.2-magnitude earthquake strike Metro Manila, the cities of Marikina and Pasig that lie along the West Valley Fault have pledged to be prepared to respond to this and other similar disasters.

Last month, the mayors of the two cities, hospital directors, and representatives from the Department of Health, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, World Health Organization, Philippine Red Cross and medical societies signed the Comprehensive Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction and Response Plan (CEVRRP), considered a "main line of defense" against a big tremblor that could hit the metropolis.

Under the plan, Marikina and Pasig should set up right away a central field hospital in an open area to be manned by volunteers from different hospitals in case of a big earthquake. The hospital must have an emergency room, holding area, minor surgical room, operating room, ward, supply section and an ambulance port.

The two cities must also have a central funeral facility where

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AP Photo/Julie Jacobson
As the countdown to Manny Pacquiao's fight versus Shane Mosley intensifies, speculation about its outcome has also reached fever pitch. While Mosley has never been knocked out, Pacman's staunch supporters are saying that Pinoy champ may be the first boxer to pull it off. There's a good chance that he will.

In the past, Pacman had knocked out some of his opponents faster than you could say, "Let's get ready to rumble."

With a record of 52 wins, including 38 knockouts (KOs), Pacman has recorded some of the fastest knockout wins in boxing history. In his 38 KOs, 13 were full knockouts, meaning Pacman won the match after delivering a fight-ending blow or combination that rendered his opponent down on the canvass and unable to rise after the ten second count. The rest were Technical Knockouts  (TKOs).

Check out Pacquiao's five fastest KO finishes:

Done in less than three minutes: Round 1 casualties

Manny proved to four different boxers that his flurry of punches in round 1 was enough to

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AP Photo/Chris Carlson
Aside from becoming the first ever eight-division world boxing champion and being elected congressman, Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao is also a certified champ in yet another playing field: TV ads.

Commercial titles

As his boxing career heated up, Pacman also invaded television sets as he appeared in a variety of TV commercials.  As his number of boxing titles increased, so did his product endorsements. Now, Pacman is everywhere.

In his countless ads, Pacquiao isn't just a skilled and disciplined boxer. He's the ideal father, the devoted son, the fun-loving friend, and the alpha male. Check out the "titles" he acquired in his TV ads.

Kitchen King. Pacman knows what is best for you, your fridge, and your kitchen. He has an ad for almost every item in your  grocery list. He's hawked Datu Puti soy sauce and vinegar, Magnolia ice cream and fresh milk, and a host of other items.

Manny always has something to say and has a story to tell regarding these items.

For instance, Pacman's Datu Puti

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Screengrab from ABS-CBN TV Patrol clip
The U.S. Court of Appeals has found probable cause for former Police Officer Michael Ray Aquino to be extradited to the Philippines to stand trial for the Dacer-Corbito double-murder case.

"Upon review of the record, we conclude that competent evidence supports the probable cause finding in this case," according to a May 3 certified true copy of the court's judgment affirming the ruling handed down by the District Court for New Jersey last Oct. 14.

"The certified judgment is issued in lieu of a formal mandate and is to be treated in all respects as a mandate," according to the clerk of court.

The appellate court on April 25 denied Aquino's third appeal against the extradition requested by the Philippine government under Gloria Aquino in connection with the November 2000 murder of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito.

The U.S. has 60 days to enforce the extradition.

Aquino had challenged the District Court's decision granting the government petition to

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When The Amazing Race Asia was aired last year, a lot of the contestants gained Filipino fans.

Of course, we had our Filipino "contingent" Jacinta James and Lani Pilinger, along  with Richard Hardin and Richard Herrera who eventually won the race.

But fans of the show will surely remember the neck-to-neck battle at the finale between the all-girl team from Singapore, Michelle Ng and Claire Goh and the Riches.

Of course, we all know what happened to the two Richards but what about the equally competitive team from Singapore?

Well, one-half of the Singapore team, Michelle Ng, currently calls Philippines her home. She says, "I'm all about the adventure. I really want to experience everything I can before I grow old and cannot move anymore, so here I am in the Philippines."

Michelle admits that she misses her friends in Singapore especially her teammate and best friend Claire Goh. However, she is on another adventure right now as she chases her dreams of cracking the Philippine showbiz

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Photo sourced by VERA Files
Even if they are thousands of miles away, overseas members of Abra indigenous peoples (IPs) are actively involved in a virtual community that uses the ancient, indigenous practice of dap-ay and the social networking site Facebook to help their fellow Maengs in this northern province.

Dap-ay di Maeng (Dap-ay of Maeng), a Facebook page composed of members of the Maeng indigenous people, includes  overseas workers who sponsor and raise funds for feeding programs, medical missions, and medical equipment for schools and barangay health units in their respective towns.

The four Maeng towns include Tubo, Luba, Villaviciosa and Manabo.  Maeng is one of the 10 IPs in Abra collectively known as Tingguian.

Dap-ay is the Maeng's system of governance that dates back to the 16^th century, according to the Ancestral Domain Sustainable Development Protection Plan (ADSDPP) 2004-2014 of Tubo.  The system manages and directs the "social-economic, cultural and spiritual life of the people in a

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Photo courtesy of Hyperion
Prizewinning German cellist Alban Gerhardt has chosen to team up with celebrated Filipino pianist Cecile Licad in his latest CD "Casals Encores" under Hyperion label set to be launched in June.

Gerhardt told Strad Magazine, the Bible of string players, that the first thing he does when planning a recording is to choose pianists of the first rank. He had mustered the courage to ask Licad and could hardly believe it when she agreed.

"The caliber of her playing lifts the piano parts to an unprecedented level of quality," he added.

Gerhardt, who was last heard in the Philippines in 2009 with Licad, said his musical partnership with the Filipina piano virtuoso has been an "incredible journey" for him—i.e., from being a stubborn, rather small-minded typical "German" musician to being much more open, spontaneous and flexible especially in the approach to  Brahms or Beethoven.

"Cecile (Licad) has taught me how to look beyond what is 'right' or 'wrong', purely by her playing, not by trying to

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