Best of the Week: Rankings, Rihanna, and Rapture

List of the Week:

Asian University Rankings

School season will be on again in a matter of weeks and incoming college students are asking themselves, “Did I choose the right school for me?” Well, worry no more, folks; we’ll help you pick which school deserves your (parents’) hard-earned cash. The Asian University Rankings list was released this week and fortunately, we have four reputable schools in the Top 200. State-run University of the Philippines is the country’s best university again, placing 62nd in Asia. Ateneo de Manila University is back in the second place, ranking 65th. The University of Sto. Tomas and De La Salle University were at 104th and 107th, respectively.

Event Of The Week: Billboard Music Awards 2011

And because the earth did not stand still last week, the music industry celebrated via the return of the Billboard Music Awards. After five years of dormancy, the BMAs return to the Hollywood scene in grand fashion via noteworthy performances, including that of Millennium Award winner Beyonce Knowles. Eminem and global sensation Justin Bieber dominated the trophy count, with six each. What everyone is talking about, though, are the kisses: Justin Bieber and girlfriend Selena Gomez in a lips-to-lips engagement; and the not-so-new-to-lesbo-kisses Britney Spears sweetly kissing Rihanna during their performance of S&M.

Snooze Of The Week: Rapture, After 5 Months

As we all know, the world didn’t end last Saturday and we are all back to living our normal lives, without the fear of being beamed up to the heavens all of a sudden. Rebecca Black can still be excited for more Fridays and Janno Gibbs can continue to proclaim his love of Sabado. However, this might not be for long since Harold Camping, the Apocalypse prophet who ordered those billboards to be put up in various railroad crossings around Manila, has rescheduled the Rapture for October 21, 2011. Charging his second failed foretelling of the end of the world to miscalculation, Camping said the earth will crumble to its end on October 21. He says he misinterpreted May 21st to be the start of a five-month hell-on-earth devastation, but is now enlightened that it is just the start of the “spiritual phase” leading to the snoozed doomsday. Whatever the man says, if he wants to go ahead, we’ll let him. No hurries.

Public Servant Of The Week: The Acting Ombudsman

Speaking of actors and awards, here’s one actor who indeed deserves some recognition. Acting Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro has taken office since May 6 (when former Ombuds-girl Merci Gutierrez finally listened to the clamor for her to resign) and has been since then closing pending cases in his office at the rate of a whopping 200 cases a day. That’s like the number of cases Gutierrez would have solved in 54 lifetimes! Notable cases he’s recently closed include the alleged inaction of Deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzales III over the extortion case against infamous hostage-taker Rolando Mendoza. Casimiro’s decision affirms the President’s orders of dismissal of Gonzales, relieving the Deputy Ombudsman from his administrative duties. Casimiro also suspended aspiring senator and now Local Water Utilities Administration chairman Prospero Pichay for alleged unlawful investment of funds. If found guilty, Pichay may face administrative and criminal charges, aside from the fact that instead of getting another shot at being “planted in the Senate,” he may end up in the kangkungan instead.