DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo's dead....

DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo

Now those who read my previous Let's Do The News segment may remember that DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo's missing in the island of Masbate where his Cessna was crashed.

Just so we thought that he'll be showing up with a comedy fish on his face but...I'm afraid we have some bad news...DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo's dead. Very sad, we offer complete condolences to his family and all of DILG.

Here's an article from Yahoo Philippines News:

After two days of intense search and rescue operations following a plane crash, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo has been found dead.

An emotional DOTC Secretary Mar Roxas announced the development Tuesday morning. He noted President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III personally called Robredo's wife to convey the sad news.

Roxas said divers saw Robredo still inside the plane, at sea depths of 180-feet. He added the plane fuselage was discovered 7:35 am Tuesday, and Robredo's body was retrieved 8:15 am. 

Roxas said rescue operations for two other pilots, Captain Jessup Bahinting and Nepalese flight student Kshitiz Chand, has been turned into a retrieval operations.

"Airplane was inverted. In that configuration, two pilots are inside cockpit. Jess being a passenger, mas madaling ma-access," said Roxas in a televised press conference. 

As of now, Robredo's body is in Masbate and will be flown to his hometown Naga City. 

He noted that Robredo's remains are in "sensitive state", given that the body has been underwater for two days now.

"Jess was underwater for more than two days now so changes in pressure and atmosphere [will make preserving the body for transport] complicated," he said. 

On Saturday, a single-engine, four-seater Piper Seneca plane carrying Robredo en route to Naga City from Cebu City crashed off Masbate after reports of engine trouble.

Don Abrazado, Robredo's aide, survived the crash. Officials say investigation will resume after the bodies of the pilots have been retrieved. 

Palace mourns passing of "family member"

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. says Cabinet members are mourning Robredo's death. He said Robredo was a "dedicated public servant".

"Secretary Robredo was a dedicated public servant and a champion of good governance whose track record in public service has been an inspiration to all those who believe in government as an instrument for positive change," Ochoa said in a statement.

Ochoa said "prayers go out to the families of Robredo" and the DILG employees "who lost a leader who tirelessly worked and contributed greatly to President Aquino's campaign for good governance as a means to improve the lives of our countrymen."

Source: http://ph.news.yahoo.com/robredo-found-dead-in-plane-wreckage.html

The King of Comedy is gone...forever...

DOLPHY

The King of Comedy is gone...forever.

We heard the news that legendary comedian, Dolphy (whose real name was Rodolfo Vera Quizon Sr.) passed away at the age of 83. Some say, he died at the Makati Medical Center at 8:34PM, Tuesday, after several moments fighting against his COPD disease.

Very sad day...very sad to see a legendary face fade away in the industry.

For almost six decades, Dolphy's been around for several movies with his trademark humor and style that impresses Filipinos worldwide. He's also involved in several TV shows such as the famed John en Marsha, Home Along Da Riles, Home Along D Airport, John & Shirley, and TV5's Pidol's Wonderland.

Dolphy also released his own biography in 2008 to commemorate his 80th birthday titled "Dolphy, Hindi Ko Ito Narating Mag-Isa".

Dolphy has several awards and accolades such as the Grand Collar of the Order of the Golden Heart, Lifetime Achievement Award from Gawad Urian, Cinemanila International Film Festival, PMPC Star TV Awards, Metro Manila Film Festival (Best Actor in Father Jejemon, Best Supporting Actor in Rosario), and so on. There are too many to list about Dolphy's achievement ever since his tenure.

The only Dolphy moment I always loved is the Banayad Whiskey joke from the movie FATHER EN SON. There are various Dolphy moments we love to preserve, even his passing.

The king of comedy may be gone forever but we're sure he left traces of himself behind us...

DOLPHY: 1928 - 2012

Scoop: http://pep.ph/news/34556/comedy-king-dolphy-dead-at-83

The end of an era for Sergio Pininfarina

Very sad moment to hear one of the finest in the automotive industry is gone without a reason. Now, we heard that famed car designer, Sergio Pininfarina, passed away at the age of 85.

Back in 1966, Sergio took over the Pininfarina when his father passed away. During his reign, Pininfarina was collaborated with other car makers such as Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Chevrolet, Bentley, Volvo, and others even the Hyundai Lavita MPV.

PRESS RELEASE:

Turin, July 3 2012 - Life Senator Sergio Pininfarina, Honorary Chairman of the Pininfarina Group, passed away last night at his home in Turin. Until the last moment his wife Giorgia and sons Lorenza and Paolo were close to him.

The Board of Directors and the Company gather around the family in the undying memory of the entrepreneurial figure of Sergio Pininfarina, who led the Company for many years with steady hand bringing the business in the world, following the tradition of elegance and style constantly renewed with the highest standards of innovation and harmonious beauty.

Sergio Pininfarina was born in Turin on September 8, 1926. He graduated in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic of Torino in 1950, then he began his career in the family firm, Carrozzeria Pinin Farina; in 1960, he undertook the responsibility of General Manager of the firm; in 1961 he became also Managing Director and in 1966, at his father's death, he took over the Chairmanship of the Company; in 2006 he became Honorary Chairman. In 1961, the President of the Italian Republic, Giovanni Gronchi, changed by decree the name Farina in Pininfarina. In 2005 he was appointed Life Senator for honouring the Country by high merits in the social field.

Among the most significant stages of his activity in Pininfarina: from 1955 to 1958, the planning and the construction of new facilities at Grugliasco (Torino); the construction of the new Studies and Research Centre inaugurated in 1966; in 1972, the Wind Tunnel on 1:1 scale started its activities, the first in Italy and one of the few in the world; in 1979, Pininfarina took the form of an holding Company; in 1982, a new company "Pininfarina Studi e Ricerche S.p.A." was settled at Cambiano (Torino); in 1986, a new plant in San Giorgio Canavese - near Turin - started operating; in the same year, Pininfarina successfully entered the Italian Stock Exchange; in 1986, with the setting up the company "Pininfarina Extra S.r.l.", the Pininfarina Group enlarged its design activities towards all the areas of the industrial design, beyond the traditional one of the means of transport; in 1987 a new plant in Bairo Canavese is acquired; in 1991 "Pininfarina Deutschland GmbH" was set up; in 2002 it is inaugurated in Cambiano the new Engineering Centre; in 2003 the incorporation of the new Company "Pininfarina Sverige AB".

Main past positions include:

From 1974 to 1977 he has been professor of "Car Body Design" at the Polytechnic of Torino. President of the Industrial Association of Torino (1978-1984);

Member of the European Parliament (1979-1988);

President of the Federation of Industrial Associations of Piedmont (1983-1988);

President of International Organisation of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (1987-1989);

President of Confindustria (1988-1992);

Board Member of AUME (Association for the Monetary Union of Europe, 1989-1997);

Vice President of UNICE (Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe, 1990-1994);

President of Comitato Leonardo - Italian Quality Committee (1993-1996);

Co-President of "Comitato per la Direttrice Ferroviaria Europea Transpadana" (1991-2001);

President of Banca CRT (2001-2002);

Chief of the Italian delegation in the Intergovernmental Italian- French Commission for the new high-speed railway link between Lyon and Turin (2001-2005);

Chairman FIDIA S.p.A. (1996-2006);

Co-President Italy-Japan Business Group (2004-2007);

Chairman Editrice La Stampa S.p.A. (2004-2008);

Member of the Board of Directors of Ferrari S.p.A. (1969-2011).

Sergio Pininfarina received numerous honours. The main are: he was appointed "Cavaliere del Lavoro" by the President of the Italian Republic (1976); Légion d'Honneur (Chevalier, 1979, and Officier, 1997), "Honorary Royal Designer for Industry" (1983), Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (1988), Designer Lifetime Achievement Award (1991), Super Trophée de l'"Automobile Magazine" (1992), "Guglielmo Tagliacarne" award (1994) , the "Italy in the World" award (1994), the Career Award Compasso d'Oro (1995), the "France-Italie" Award (1997), "Lion d'Oro" (1998), "Trophée du design" (1998), Premio Leonardo (1999), "Head of the Century in the International Automotive Hall of Fame" (2001), the award "Torino libera" (2001), Business and Culture Award (2003), Palme d'Or du Festival Automobile International (2005), Automotive Hall of Fame of Dearborn, Michigan (2007); European Automotive Hall of Fame of Geneva (2008).

He received 4 Honorary Degrees: in 1993 the Honorary Degree in Economics and Commerce by the LUISS-Rome; in 2002 the one of the Royal College of Art of London and the one in Industrial Design of the Polytechnic of Milano; in 2004 the one as Doctor of Fine Arts from the College for Creative Studies-CCS of Detroit;

Scoop: http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/03/legendary-designer-sergio-pininfarina-passes-away/

In Loving Memory: Caroline John

Caroline John and Jon Pertwee

Fans of the classic Doctor Who may remember Caroline John, the actress who played Liz Shaw, one of the classic Doctor Who companions since the Jon Pertwee years. It's sad to say that this memorable actress who became The Doctor's companion in the past has passed away.

"Caroline was a brilliant actress and in her role as Liz Shaw, a tremendous co-star for Jon Pertwee in his first year as the Doctor.  She was not just a sidekick but a scientist in her own right and a match for the universe's number one know-all. The Doctor's companions should never be his assistants - they're the people who keep him on his toes, and that's what Caroline did.  From everyone at the show, our thoughts go out to Caroline’s family." said Steven Moffat, the lead writer and Executive Producer of Doctor Who.

R.I.P. Caroline John, 1940 – 2012.

She'll be joining the ranks of other deceased personalities who are greatly involved in Doctor Who, especially Elisabeth Sladen who died last year but still one of the all time Doctor Who greats.

Scoop: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/doctorwho/articles/Caroline-John

Photo: BBC Worldwide

Whitney Houston Dies At The Age Of 48

Whitney Houston

Yes, that is a very sad news for those who are enthusiast to one of the greatest singers of all time. Whitney Houston, a pop music legend whose fame was ravaged from the case of her drug use and her marriage to Bobby Brown, was died at the age of 48. Her cause of death was not known as investigation found the body of Whitney Houston at the fourth floor of the Beverly Hilton hotel at Beverly Hills. We can't believe she died before the Grammy Awards tomorrow! That was tragic but we surely miss Whitney Houston for such memorable songs. Guess my Dad sometimes likes songs from the late Whitney Houston...

Scoop: http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/news/whitney-houston-superstar-records-films-dies-005927033.html

[Obituary] MOMO founder Gianpiero Moretti

MOMO logo

It was a sad day for us, petrolheads, because the founder of MOMO, Gianpiero Moretti, passed away at the age of 71. As we're sure you know, MOMO is an Italian brand famous for making steering wheels and sometimes the rims. In his twenties, Gianpiero Moretti created steering wheels that amassed a success after Ferrari factory driver John Surtees adopted a MOMO wheel in his 158 F1 racing car in 1964.

Farewell, Mr. MOMO

Gianpiero Moretti (1941-2012)

Scoop: http://www.autoindustriya.com/auto-industry-news/momo-founder-passes-away.html

Abel founder died

EVE burst Error

Time for the news. And this is a sad one because the founder of video game developer Abel, whose name was Hiroyuki Kanno, died on December 19 due to cerebral infraction and brain hemorrhage. Now, we really don't know what's Abel but some say that they were behind video games you haven't heard of such as YU-NO and EVE burst error.

Yep, those are the eroge came from the 1990's, back when the Sega Saturn was still alive, and Mr. Hiroyuki Kanno was behind these. Sad to see one of the geniuses pass away...

Scoop: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-12-25/yu-no/eve-game-creator-hiroyuki-kanno-passes-away

Indy 500's Worst

Indy 500 crash

Consider this the worst-case scenario happened at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway because not only the 15-car wreck is tragic, it killed the 2-time Indy 500 champion, Dan Wheldon.

This 15-car crash and the death of the champ sparks the biggest catastrophe in Indy 500 history. We would like to express our deepest condolences to Dan Wheldon's family and friends, especially his fans.

Scoop: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/16/indycar-driver-dan-wheldon-dies-in-15-car-wreck/

The whole world bids farewell to Steve Jobs

Obituary to Steve Jobs

Apple's gain is also Apple's loss. The company recently launched the iPhone 4S served as a (so-called) gain but the death of Steve Jobs served as Apple's biggest loss.

Steve Jobs was one of the forefathers of Apple, Inc., who was one of the legendary faces who've revolutionized the Apple brand forever. He died from cancer at the age of 56.

The statement from Apple Inc said that it had lost a visionary and creative genius. In fact, we will never forget Steve Jobs as a legendary genius that helped Apple created the most memorable items such as the Apple I from 1976, Apple II from 1977, Apple Lisa from 1983, Macintosh from 1984, NeXT Computer from 1989, iMac from 1998, iPod series from 2001, iTunes Store from 2003, iPhone from 2007, and iPad from 2010.

A few months ago, Steve Jobs resigned from being Apple's head and his position was passed to Tim Cook. It is said that he had an indefinite medical leave in January without reasons.

It has been an honor to have Steve Jobs because Apple Inc wouldn't gotten this big if it weren't from him. Thank You Mr. Steve Jobs for everything to help Apple stand up against the competition no matter how bad today's economy is. The global community would like to express their heartfelt condolences to the death of Mr. Steve Jobs.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs: 1955-2011

Rest in piece, Mr. Hot Wheels

We would like to express our sincere condolences to the death of Elliot Handler, the co-founder of Mattel who gave birth to Hot Wheels, the toy car collection adorned by kids of all ages because of its collection and wild sets (that has some traps, traps, and some roller-coaster like roads).

Elliot Handler (age 95) died on Thursday by a heart failure. He created Hot Wheels that made a sensation for young boys just like Barbie that attracts young girls. It even collaborated with Electronic Arts for the PSOne video game and Hot Wheels spawned cartoons of those from Acceleracers to Hot Wheels Battle Force 5.

With the death of the creator, we will surely miss him because of his extreme creations that fueled the young boys for collecting lots and lots of Hot Wheels cars. I maybe not a Hot Wheels fan but I am surely missed him. He maybe passed away but the Hot Wheels legacy lives on because boys of all ages adorned these collection.

Scoop:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2011/07/mattel-elliot-handler-hot-wheels-barbie/1?csp=34

Bitter farewell for Peter Falk a.k.a. Columbo

A moment of silence...

Another legendary celebrity was gone but never forgotten...

Legendary star Peter Falk, famous for being Columbo, passed away at the age of 83.

Scoop:

http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b249197_Columbo_Star_Peter_Falk_Dead_at_83.html

We may not remember who's Peter Falk but we will surely missed him. What I do remember him that he was on a Japanese Toyota Corolla commercial aired in 1995. Yes, about some of them remember that ad...

さようなら, 川上とも子さん. orz

Scoop: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-06-10/utena-voice-actress-tomoko-kawakami-passes-away

In that article, famous anime seiyuu, Tomoko Kawakami (日本名：川上とも子) passed away since June 9, 2011, her agency said.

She was debuted in 1994 at the anime Metal Fighter Miku and we will remember her as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Hikaru from Hikaru no Go, Chiriko from Fushigi Yuugi, Sugar a Little Snow Fairy, Ai Mori from The Law of Ueki, Athena Glory from Aria, Hinata Fuyuki from Sgt. Keroro (Sgt. Frog) and many others.

Reports said she was hospitalized in 2008 by an unknown illness. Later, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, reports also said.

We can't believe she died. We will never forget her anime roles.

RIP 川上とも子 (1971-2011)

Sayonara...

STILL STILL Bumuhos Man ang Ulan...

Okay, you got me, I'm still obsessed by the "Bumuhos Man ang Ulan" tune. One day, this would be my ringtone and I would often hear this theme song from Green Rose all day.

Anyway, as I heard from someone at Japan, back on April 18, the author of the Japanese light novel titled MM! (日本名：えむえむっ！), Mr. Akinari Matsuno, died.

Obituary to MM! light novel author,
Akinari Matsuno

Scoop: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-04-26/mm-light-novel-author-akinari-matsuno-passes-away

For those who don't know what's MM!, it's a light novel serialized on Media Factory's MF Bunko J. It highlights on some masochist named Taro Sado. We saw him fell in love with a woman who is in fact, a cross-dressing male named Tatsukichi Hayama. To get rid of Taro's masochism, he seeks help from Mio Isurugi and Arashiko Yuno, the only girl who made Taro a masochist. In the beginning, this light novel spawned to drama CDs and later on it spawned an anime series aired from October to December 2010 by 12 episodes. Talk about freak insanity happened on this light novel.

10 volumes were published and with Matsuno-sensei's death, the MM story remains left untold and unfinished.

I guess this is a sad fate and it's "Bumuhos Man ang Ulan" for us.

So, we're all going to miss AJ Perez, right?

Everyone around the Philippines noticed that AJ Perez, the Star Magic talent and one of the stars from the previously aired drama Sabel, died from the car crash.

Scoop: http://www.pep.ph/news/29122/(UPDATED)-Star-Magic-talent-AJ-Perez,-18,-is-dead

How tragic could that happened for that young actor. Deepest condolences to AJ Perez's family.

As I read some tweet on twitter, I noticed that the parents of AJ Perez donated his corneas to the 17-year-old gospel singer Fatima Soriano. A very generous offer indeed.

Never realized that AJ Perez died in time for Holy Week. Anyone noticed it, right?

NEVER FORGET, AJ PEREZ. (-_-;)

MR. GEMBALLA FOUND DEAD IN S. AFRICA!!!

Terrible news for those who are a big fan of Gemballa, the famous Porsche tuner as seen in video games such as Shutokou Battle Zero-One (Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3), Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition, and other racing video games that has a Gemballa featured on it.

I found news about Mr. Uwe Gemballa, the founder of Gemballa currently missing on South Africa. Authorities told.

Mr. Gemballa's dead!!

Full scoop: http://www.gtspirit.com/2010/10/03/uwe-gemballa-found-dead-in-south-africa/

Other scoop: http://jalopnik.com/5654064/uwe-gemballa-found-dead-in-south-africa

Side note: He was involved by some criminal from the Czech Republic? How could we, car addicts and racing game sims alike, been so blinded by that. Time flies fast. Hope the new Gemballa owner will clean the name's reputation.

First the master test driver, then the Segway tycoon, now the founder of Gemballa! Who would be next?! Hope nothing's happen bad to the wealthy men involved in the world of transportation.

Rest in piece Mr. Gemballa and Arigato Gozaimasu.

Sayonara, Gemballa-san. (Sorry if I had to put Japanese phrases because Japanese car enthusiasts took a liking over Gemballa because of video games)

Death of a Segway tycoon

Segway, a popular two-wheel vehicle, is a fun ride for those who are had it with their bikes or scooters. Some people know that Segways are fun to ride, some think that Segways eco-friendly, others think that Segways are boring due to slow speed.

The most trending news in the Segway history is the death of the man responsible for running the Segway business, Jimi Heselden.

Scoop: http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/segway-company-owner-jimi-heselden-dies-driving-segway-off-cliff/19649734=

Jimi Heselden OBE, age 62, died in an accident with his own Segway. Seems that the his Segway killed the CEO. How tragic and ironic.

Rest In Peace Mr. Segway CEO. Most Segway fanatics who read about this news should be careful while taking a spin on their Segway.

...and then there were fewer.

Besides, are there any Segways sold in the Philippines? 

The first recorded Lexus LFA crash in world history - WHAT THE FUDGE?!

Just what the fudge is going on around here? Just when we thought the Lexus LFA, coming soon worldwide, wows us with its majestic V10 performance, here's something that yells JDM fans "Anong nangyari?" or what happened?

First Lexus LFA crash in world history

Spotted in Germany, a prototype Lexus LFA crashed a BMW, with the result of the death of the chief test driver of Toyota Motor Corporation. We are not sure if that chief test driver was (cue the Semblance of Dualism music please) Hiromu Naruse, the man who hones our favorite Toyota sports cars.

This is surely to be the world's first LFA crash in world history, surely most Toyota fans will remember the Hiromu Naruse name in memory. Sniff... You won't regret how brutal is this crash but this is surely to be the biggest disaster of deterrence.

Without Naruse-sama, will the "FT-86 project" continue on? Would Toyota survive in the brink of the worldwide recall disaster?!

Ugh! Hope loyalists will try to spare their beloved Japanese car brand if they can. 

Read the article at:

http://www.examiner.com/x-8811-Detroit-Autos-Examiner~y2010m6d23-Lexus-LFA-onroad-testing-leaves-2-dead-2-injured

Best to cue the MGS4 Love Theme if we had time.... and leave it to the authorities to find out case to case.

The reasons how an automobile manufacturer disappears....

Hey car addicts,

As you realize, one of readers might question me that how does one carmaker dies?

In my opinion, there are numerous reasons how a single carmaker dies, and how it will affect owners of the cars built by the now-extinct brand...

1) Because of the economy

2) Because of sales

3) Because of some issues

4) Because they don't want it...

Just ask the American brands such as Plymouth, Eagle, Geo, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer and now, Mercury. These are the American car brands who already bitten the dust due to the severe economy, sales, and some different issues.

We are sure we are going to miss these car brands... even premature ones like the Pontiac Vibe, Pontiac G8, and the Mercury Milan Hybrid..... (sniff)