The Faye Story --- Flyingroc.org comment page

The Faye Story
posted by flyingroc on 10/29/04

UPDATES

If you're a Filipino, you might have received an email lately about "Faye". It's a story about how this 11 year old Filipina who overcame many obstacles to win first prize in the Intercontinental Science Quiz Net in Australia, and how she was never honored for it. It's a touching story with a good moral lesson, that we Filipinos pay too much attention to inconsequential things like Jasmine Trias and too little attention to more important things, like Faye.

You can read the full text of the email here.

When I read the story, I was pretty skeptical. I mean, a single mother raising her precocious child alone. She seeks the help of powerful senators, who only seek to use them. Full of integrity, if not riches, the mother refuses their help, and goes into debt to be able to compete in Australia. When they get there, the mother and child are robbed (by another Filipino, no less). But despite all this, Faye wins the prize. And instead of being bitter that her country, the Philippines has not lifted a finger to help her, she declares her love for the Philippines.

Whew, it feels like something from a telenovela. Which is why I'm skeptical. So I did some cursory digging. I searched for Intercontinental Science Quiz Net, hoping to find the competition's website if they had one. What turned up was an opinion column by Patricia Evangelista. Remember her? She was the one who won this public speaking award in London. There was quite a discussion in the FSA yahoo groups about her speech.

I can't link to the actual column, because the Star seems to be having technical problems, but here's a Google cache of it. She basically repeats the story, and credits a paid ad by the Bread of Life Ministries from some unnamed newspaper.

That's where the trail runs cold. There is no website for "Intercontinental Science Quiz Net". Nor is there a website for "Mathematics for the Young Asians" which Faye was purported to have joined. On the other hand, there are dozens of "Bread of Life Ministries" websites, but none seem to mention this story.

So what to make of this story? As far as I know this is a story from a paid advertisement. As such it is not subject to the journalistic scrutiny (such as it is) given to news articles. Nobody seems to have posted anything on the Web about the competition she entered in Australia, except for one columnist at the Star. Which is weird, since there purportedly were 57 countries represented in that competition.

Without more evidence, I don't think we can be certain about the thruthfulness of this story, but right now I'm considering this story just that: a story. If you have more info about this story, please comment, or send me email. I'd be very interested.

UPDATES

re: The Faye Story
comment by f on 10/29/04 05:03:08 PM

the only thing missing in this story is: when they finally got back to their town they found their house burnt to the ground :)

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 10/31/04 12:22:40 AM

How do we get in touch with Faye and her mother. Please let us know.

Thanks,

re: The Faye Story
comment by e on 10/31/04 03:09:20 AM

I have to agree with you on your observation. I did the same after reading the story. And true enough, found the only link to the subject "Intercontinental Science Quiz Net" - the article of Patricia.

I also find it conflicting that they are comparing the case of Jasmine Trias (and I'm not a fan of Jasmine), to Faye's. That Faye was not given credit for what she's done for the country, yet her real name was withheld. How can one give due credit to someone we can't even name??

So, as the Aussies would say.. "this is absolutely bollocks!"

re: The Faye Story
comment by flyingroc on 10/31/04 08:52:45 AM

I also tried to email Ms. Evangelista but the mail bounced because of a full mailbox.

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/01/04 08:29:30 PM

I've also tried searchign the web just to ascertain the truthfulness of the story coz im so much interested... to help in whatever way i can to make the gov't true to its purpose and existence.

But until now, im still searching.

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/02/04 02:31:47 AM

we of the science and math circles think that the faye story is just a story. we have never heard of that competition or the indonesian one. we should have known it because contests like that are usually well published. if "faye" was brave enough to have done all that she was supposed to have done, then why hide under a mask now?

re: The Faye Story
comment by tembong on 11/02/04 03:17:54 AM

The subject is true, but I think the story is fiction. You know here in our country, a stories like this (wining something in abroad) will cause for a celebration around the country. Filipinos are hungry for winning: in sports, academic, jueteng or lotto because this country is so sick due to corruption. Our media wont slip this kind of story to publish, it would be a headline to make a big sale on their paper. For the author of this story, shame on you, stop using Jasmine Trias on this tale.

re: The Faye Story
comment by baby apollo on 11/02/04 06:52:08 AM

since everyone agrees that "faye" is a hoax. can people please stop forwarding this story around! i've recieved this story more than 10 times! i did a search about it and nothing came out except for this bulletin board.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Rodel B on 11/02/04 08:28:06 AM

hehehe...lesson of the story - don't believe everything that goes into your mailbox.

The Faye Story
comment by jeng on 11/02/04 02:00:16 PM

the reason why I ended up linking to this website was the same reason you had for finding out if this is true,.... uummmm... I guess the story of another Filipino taking advantage of a mother and daughter in a foreign land is the same as sending the email to everyone? kapwa Pinoy din...maybe they want to prove if Pinoys are all suckers for the telenovela syndrome?

re: The Faye Story
comment by michael on 11/02/04 06:32:27 PM

Based on reliable source, Jessica Soho
has already interviewed "Faye" yesterday [November 2, 2004]. ABS-CBN is also scheduled to interview her today.

The reason for the late revelation - that none should receive the glory except God alone.

This is not about a media scoop, a paid ad, an article to discredit the
government,politicians with hidden agendas, but to glorify God in His faithfulness and goodness to those who trust Him.

re: The Faye Story
comment by beng mi�on on 11/02/04 09:33:05 PM

"This is not about a media scoop, a paid ad, an article to discredit the
government,politicians with hidden agendas, but to glorify God in His faithfulness and goodness to those who trust Him."

kudos to you michael for understanding the aim of the article.

well, here's my take on the article.

I personally know "Faye" and her mom and i can attest the credibility of their claim.

To you Faye congratulations! I, together with my family and friends salute you!

GOD BLESS!

re: The Faye Story
comment by caz_814 on 11/02/04 09:37:05 PM

ei michael i wil luk 4ward 2 dat! Dat wuld be the only proof that the story of Faye "is not oly a story". U know im deeply touch by her story so i search for articles about the international science quiz held in australia but to no avail, i found none ;)

re: The Faye Story
comment by randie ongoco on 11/02/04 10:20:40 PM

hi there everybody!

I strongly believe that the article is true.

Here are my comments:

"That Faye was not given credit for what she's done for the country, yet her real name was withheld. How can one give due credit to someone we can't even name??"

> well, logically speaking, "Faye" is not her real name its FAYE NICOLE SAN JUAN.

That's her real name. I learned her real name from reliable connections.

Backing michael's post, i also learned that she was already interviewed by jessica soho and abs-cbn.
So better watch out for that...

People always want to take credit for everything.

It's not surprising why signages announcing projects never fails to miss out on the words: donated by, through the efforts of, a project of...so on and so forth.

" I didn�t win on my own. I was lucky enough to be under the tutelage of some of the best minds in the country. Great writers like Krip Yuson, Gemino Abad, Butch Dalisay, Boo Chanco and Ed Maranan, along with former ambassador Ed Espiritu took me under their wing. They never told me what to do or say � I would never have said what I did in the finals if I didn�t reach that conclusion on my own. They asked me questions, listened to what I said, and opened my eyes to a less narrow and more holistic perspective. "
- excerpts from Pinoy Idol/ Crazed
Patricia Evangelista

Faye is not taking credit for anything. She didn't win it on her own. She owes everything to to GOD, her mom, , to all the experiences she encountered.

The article is a great reminder of how should we all give everything back to God.

A great reminder of the resilient Filipino character that Faye displayed.

Mabuhay ka Faye!

re: The Faye Story
comment by Dell on 11/03/04 12:33:41 AM

Guys, guess we're focusing on the veracity of the article when its not the issue. The issue is, there was suposedly a certain brilliant "FAYE" who not only won an International MATH/Science Quiz but stompped First World countries at that, who was snobbed by Senators/Congressmen (i guess they may have also asked help from the latter.), who got nicked by a fellow Filipina and was even dead-broke. WHEW!!! Do you think Filipinos are really like that? That not one good Filipino ever existed that tried helping them out? If the story was true, its really scary. If not, then were being played with like pieces of pawn on a chess game.

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon (sg) on 11/03/04 12:49:33 AM

Kabayan,

For the authenticity of the story, please contact:

Bread of Life Ministries
tel: (632)372-5407 to 11
Fax: (632)372-9234
Email: bread@skyinet.net
or visit link:
www.crossroad77.com

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon (sg) on 11/03/04 12:58:38 AM

Misplaced Priorities Can Mislead The Nation

Copyright © 2004 by BREAD OF LIFE Ministries
Crossroad77 Mother Ignacia Ave. cor Sct. Reyes St.,
Brgy. Paligsahan, QC 1103 PHILIPPINES
Tel: (+632) 3725407 to 11 | Fax: 3729234
E-mail: bread@skyinet.net

re: The Faye Story
comment by Momon corpuz on 11/03/04 01:55:47 AM

http://www.crossroad77.com/cyber/content-cy.htm

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/03/04 03:23:45 AM

I heard the story first hand and i believed it, why is it hard for us to believe that a filipino can win in the competition and despite all odds still proud to be a filipino?

re: The Faye Story
comment by Fin on 11/03/04 05:31:26 AM

Something about a science quiz in Australia, and a student winning, was posted on the Bulletin Board of Poveda Learning Center (along EDSA) recently, did anyone here see that? Could it be that our dear "Faye" is a student there?

re: The Faye Story
comment by ASUNGOT on 11/03/04 07:17:46 AM

Too good to be true! I have searched google until my hand got sored yet nothing, I mean nothing came out of the Intercontinental Science Quiz Net.

Fabricated? Perhaps. Pinoy pa!

re: The Faye Story
comment by eruwen on 11/03/04 08:17:34 AM

i know faye personally. why can't people see the "real" story of that article. please try to understand the true essence of the article.

i assure everyone, faye's story is 100% true. it is NOT a hoax. you should hear faye's personal testimony...

faye was interviewed yesterday (nov.2) by jessica soho together with patricia evangelista. wait for it to be aired on gma7 soon.

faye is a good-hearted girl. why do people have to pull her down? she's done nothing wrong.

read between the lines people! you're reacting that way because you know its true!

re: The Faye Story
comment by bisaya on 11/03/04 12:41:27 PM

binu-ang...

I think this is just one of the many sentimental stories that easily touches the basic human emotions, and it did to me...but since no corroborating evidences found elsewhere in the worldwideweb except for the few pinoys...sori lang mga amigos. I tend to side with the host, I'm also skeptical.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Roy on 11/03/04 02:19:41 PM

Not a Jasmine trias Fan but I hate to say pati ba naman yung patotoo ay gawagawa na rin yata.dyan naman tayo magaling tayong mga pinoy mag-ilusyon. sakit nun diba pero totoo. It's just another "Urban Myth" parang yung story ni Oprah and Tommy Hilfiger.How's that compare to Jessica Soho's interview? Ultimately a crap story pero dapat sana maging inspirasyon na rin sa atin na gumagawa ng totoong pangyayari na ikarararangal ng ating bansa. Sana totoo...tsk..tsk..tsk..

re: The Faye Story
comment by mrss on 11/03/04 02:19:55 PM

go bisaya!

i also think it's pure binu-ang! it's too melodramatic to be anything else.

re: The Faye Story
comment by sHeY on 11/03/04 06:28:44 PM

I just think its sad that filipinos have to write about things like this, because you know they do happen. I'm not sure if this story is true, but doesnt it hurt to know that our country is so screwed up? Our priorities are all screwed up, and its a great reality check!

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/03/04 07:12:40 PM

but .... the means don't justify the end.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Concerned Filipino on 11/03/04 08:50:26 PM

Very, very touching story...

But so sad that she was never given that needed attention and support by the Philippine Government, our Government.

I wish (not hope - because malabong mangyari) that our greedy elected officials somehow wake-up and realize what should be their supposed priorities.

To FAYE and her MOM... MABUHAY KAYO...

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/04/04 12:08:29 AM

i think i will have to wait for the Jessica Soho story to come out before i comment. i believe there are still Filipinos out there that are as good hearted as Faye.

re: The Faye Story
comment by leila on 11/04/04 12:08:59 AM

i think i will have to wait for the Jessica Soho story to come out before i comment. i believe there are still Filipinos out there that are as good hearted as Faye.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Uragon on 11/04/04 03:59:34 AM

I watched Jessica Soho's interview with Faye last night. But despite the interview, I was still skeptical about this whole thing, although I wish that I would be proven wrong. The medal and certificate are cheap, I don't think that a competition of an international caliber would award a paper certificate. A shallow reasoning, aint it? But that's the truth. Sometimes we have to evaluate seemingly insignificant things to be totally aware of the situation.

The interview also said that her thesis bested other entries. Her thesis was on sterility (pagkabaog) of fruit flies induced by sunlight. This type of research is just an exercise in basic genetics in many universities around the world. By the way, it's UV that causes sterility. I suppose that the species she used was Drosophila melanogaster. Most probably, this type of work will not win in a competition in a first-world country where life sciences is second priority after physical sciences - robotics, energy, etc. I suppose also that the immediate application of the thesis is pest control of fruit flies(to increase food or fruit production). Well, this argument won't work in Australia. They have much food.

I'm not trying to pull down Faye, I really wish that I'd be proven wrong (by facts, evidences, perhaps interview with the Australian Embassy or a confirmation by the Australian equivalent of our Department of Science and Technology).

Cheers!

-Uragon

re: The Faye Story
comment by Dee on 11/04/04 05:13:27 AM

Same here to Uragon. I watched the interview and I wasn't really sold. It just kind of repeated the story over and showed some medals and certificates and pictures which did not seem very authenticate. I wish there are some legality proofs from the contest itself.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Rose Porteus on 11/04/04 06:35:33 AM

I live in Australia and I've never heard about this until I got one of these emails.

I have also searched high and low, but can't find anything about an International Science Quiz Net. The interesting thing I did find is this same story only seems to show up on many Philippines-related websites and literally word-for-word identical in most cases. It's not been reported by Reuters, AAP or any press ther than the Philippines and things related to BREAD OF LIFE Ministries.

It's a feel-good story with no real foundation. If you like it and it makes you feel better, all to the good.

In reality it is one of many hundreds or thousands of such emails that Filipinos feel compelled to send to everyone in their email address book.

And as for 'the Aussies would say.. "this is absolutely bollocks!"'
Not true. That is an English expression.

We would say "What a load of bullshit". :)

re: The Faye Story
comment by wasted on 11/04/04 08:49:45 PM

i wish i didn't get this faye email from a friend.... WASTED TIME... don't deserve all this attention... go on with your "Filipino" life style... and i'm not proud to be one of you guys...but i did't have a choice..anyways i'm glad i live soooo far away from your twisted country...

re: The Faye Story
comment by Smitty on 11/04/04 08:55:59 PM

typical filipinos
hopeless people
hopelesss country
nothing to be proud of
feel sorry for all of you

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/04/04 08:56:34 PM

re: The Faye Story
comment by flyingroc on 11/04/04 09:01:48 PM

Please, there is no need to be rude to a whole nation.

re: The Faye Story
comment by To: randie ongoco on 11/04/04 09:08:01 PM

randie ongoco.... you're STUPID,GAGO to believe the story. ENGOT, TANGA, BOBO,PILIPINO ka kasi....

re: The Faye Story
comment by flyingroc on 11/04/04 09:16:39 PM

Please, people, be civil.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Uragon on 11/04/04 10:27:59 PM

I am surprised that what is supposed to be a discussion, a search for truth, a verification (am I right, flyingroc?) has been tainted with uncivilized remarks. Even racist. I feel sorry for Smitty for having such a norrow mind.

re: The Faye Story
comment by to: Smitty on 11/04/04 10:38:21 PM

Smitty posted:
"typical filipinos
hopeless people
hopelesss country
nothing to be proud of
feel sorry for all of you"

From what country are you? And so what if you come from a first world country? Did you contribute something to make your country great? I think not. You're one shameless, racist, pea-brained animal trying to become a person of intellect, pretending to know so much about the Philippines!

re: The Faye Story
comment by to: Smitty on 11/04/04 10:47:29 PM

re: The Faye Story
comment by flyingroc on 11/04/04 11:00:09 PM

Dear friends, please let's not turn this discussion into attacks against each other. I am doing this in my free time, so I cannot moderate all these comments.

Some of these provocative statements are just that. They are meant to provoke a response. Please just ignore them.

Everybody take a deep breath. And try to be nice. In the end we all ahve to live with each other whether we like it or not.

re: The Faye Story
comment by FayeIsReal on 11/05/04 08:51:09 AM

100% real po si Faye!

Actually, thrice ko nang narinig si Faye magtestify sa Bread of Life QC. The first time was when she won third place against other Asean countries. The second and third time were about her winning the intercontinental quiz bee at Australia.

You should have heard her. A very humble girl. I usually cry after hearing her. Bakit hindi? I usually complain how life can be so unfair to me no matter how hard I study. And here is Faye, a 12 year old girl who continues to give her best despite disappontments in life, simply because she wants to satisfy her audience of ONE... ayan naiiyak nanaman ako!

She used to study in a Catholic school. She was then top 1 of her batch. Unfortunately, a lot of moms thought that it was not proper for a non-Catholic to have such recognition (grabe, poltics kaagad!). Faye seemed odd to her peers because she does not practice Catholic rituals. To make a long story short, the school authorities removed her from the honors list.

After being part of the Top 5 in her competition against Asean countries, her school decided to give Faye another chance to be a part of the honors list by giving her a series of special exams. This was on the condition that she gets a perfect score. With God's grace, she was able to ace her exams. Her mom decided to transfer her to another school the following year.

It was while studying in her new school that she was faced with the opportunity to represent the country in Australia. At first, Faye was hesitant to go to Australia to join the competition. They were not able to secure government support. All they had at that time was little savings that Faye was planing to use for her future trip to Korea for the Prayer Study Tour. She prayed hard. Eventually, she was convinced that God wanted her to go to Australia.

The rest of Faye's struggles were enumerated in the article. Pero here's an interesting info:

During the final round of the competition, the question was to enumerate the four enzymes that help in the digestion of food with explanation of their uses. Faye was excited because she knew the answer. She knew the answer because one time she came across the enumeration of the four enzymes while reading her mom's reviewer. Faye later took the reviewer to her class. Faye's mom was not able to review that day and flunked her medical exam. To make a long story short, " napalo " si Faye. Siguro that's why she remembered the enumeration quite well

By the way, it was the Japanese who cheered Faye during the competition. After the Jap representative was eliminated, the Japanese went to the Philippine's side. The Japs brought down their flags evertime Faye would dish out a correct answer and wave their hands. They even chanted PHI-LI-PPINES.

After winning the competition, the Phil. embassy was of no help to Faye and her mom. It was again the Japanese embassy that secured their
" exit pass " in order for them to be able to return to the Philippines.

According to Faye, the prize money that she received was just enough to buy tickets to go home. Although she arrived in the country without a hero's welcome, and without extra money to spend, Faye was still very thankful for the experience. She said she was even thankful for the Filipina who stole their money, tickets and passport. According to Faye she learned to trust God during that time when they had nothing.

In fact, Faye and her mom slept at around 2 am during those days that she was preparing for her competition. She needed to finish her schoolwork before she could proceed with her review for the intercontinental quiz bee. And to think that she's just 12 years old ...

Nakakagulat ang mga comments dito ng mga non-believers. She is real and the story is no make-believe. I believe that we need people like her to serve as that nation's inspiration and not as a means to pull each other down or to make sarcastic comments about Filipinos or the Philippines in general.

Mabuhay ka, Faye! Sa mga hindi naniniwala... good luck!

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/05/04 09:02:14 AM

"What turned up was an opinion column by Patricia Evangelista. Remember her? She was the one who won this public speaking award in London. There was quite a discussion in the FSA yahoo groups about her speech.

I can't link to the actual column, because the Star seems to be having technical problems, but here's a Google cache of it. She basically repeats the story, and credits a paid ad by the Bread of Life Ministries from some unnamed newspaper." - flyingroc

I got a clip of that paid ad by the Bread of Life Ministries from the Philippine Inquirer, October 18, 2004. Look it up yourselves.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Yeah on 11/05/04 10:44:08 PM

Yup, Faye is a real person. Nobody questions that. We saw her in Jessica Soho Reports last wednesday.

But the story? I very much doubt it.
And to "FayeIsReal" who posted on 11/05/04 08:51:09 AM, you just repeated Jessica Soho's report. But you forgot the following: Jessica interviewed an embassy official by phone and the official said that they have no knowledge of the competition and they are still investigating its veracity. And what about the fact that the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation has no record of Faye Nicole San Juan leaving the country?

I have an idea. I'm going to cirsulate an email that a certain "Trisha" won an International Essay Writing Contest in Sweden, then they were nearly not able to participate because of lack of funds, the mother dare not go to politicians for help because they might just use her daughter, that they... etc, etc. Yeah, some story alright.

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/05/04 11:10:57 PM

well, while we are at it: let's make it InterCONTINENTAL Essay Writing Contest NET

we could also look for a group who would publish a full page ad about it. any takers?

=)

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/05/04 11:37:11 PM

re: The Faye Story
comment by Dee on 11/05/04 11:41:30 PM

I don't believe in plain blah blah. There must be some legality check on the contest itself.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Yeah on 11/06/04 12:16:04 AM

I remember in late May of 1992, a Filipino, claiming to be a hermaphrodite (with male and female organs), announced that he was pregnant. The story was soon picked up by news agencies throughout the world and was even the subject of many a late night talk show hosts monologues. However less than two week later, it would prove to be a hoax.

Let's see what happens to this Faye story.

By the way, how did that man become pregnant? Maybe he f***ed himself? In plants, we call it self-pollination. :)

re: The Faye Story
comment by HERMAPHRODITE on 11/06/04 12:21:43 AM

I'm a hermaphrodite. And I'm pregnant. And I won first place in an international science quiz contest last month in Hungary. Please believe me. Many people know me personally.

Got the point?

re: The Faye Story
comment by projectcedric on 11/06/04 03:13:38 AM

It's not healthy.
Your sense of humour.

re: The Faye Story
comment by bing on 11/06/04 04:09:19 AM

Being a born-again Christian living in Germany, my heart's desire is similar to that of Faye. If there is anything great I accomplish in life, I would give back the glory to GOD ALONE. There would be NO NEED for me to CONVINCE the unbelieving WORLD of my LIFE STORY. It would be enough that I tell the TRUTH regardless of whether evidences can be produced or not. When JESUS did great things, no evidence was necessary to open the eyes of the blind. Sad to say, some people are CONVINCED of the TRUTH only if IT IS IN THE INTERNET. They ignored the fact that the INTERNET is not a guaranty of RELIABLE INFORMATION. To comment on FAYE's stories, we should keep in mind that there are also private competitions sponsored by private people. I may be wrong but in such a case, normally the media is not involved. I am not surprised that a Christian Filipino would EXCEL in their FIELDS against the GOLIATHS of this world. For God uses the DESPISED to SHAME the WISE so that THE GLORY is given back to HIM.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Dee on 11/06/04 07:06:36 AM

"Do not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain for Yahweh will not leave unpunished anyone who takes his name in vain." ................................
"Do not give false witness............."
All we want to know is the truth.

re: The Faye Story
comment by allan on 11/06/04 09:01:14 AM

I agree that the internet is not a guaranteed reliable source of information.

I got the Faye story from the Internet -- and I'm skeptical about it.

btw, I'm also skeptical of stories published as an advertisement (especially full page ADs) -- since they are self serving and usually not subject to editorial scrutiny (except perhaps for grammatical errors). It is an extra revenue of the newspaper, so the publishers will be attracted to publish these kind of things. You have to read between the lines to know what is the intent of the AD -- to generate donations? to attract followers? Luckily, there are a lot of people who are smart enough to know the difference between fabricated story from factual.

I'm also skeptical of stories written by columnists who tend to forget adding the necessary details that would support what he/she wrote (e.g. Patricia E).

Faye winning the best in Physics award because of her thesis on "The Effect of Ionizing Radiation on the Philippine Fruit Fly"? I think categorizing the this thesis under physics doesn't fit well.

The original AD by Bread of Ministries said the location of the Intercontinental Science Quiz Net is Brisbane. The recent column of Patricia Evangelista said International Science Quiz Net is in Sydney. Hey! these articles are published in newspapers. The authors can't even agree on the name of the competition -- and they are silent on the venue.

If this story is MEANT TO BE PRIVATE -- then why put a FULL PAGE AD about it? Perhaps the Bread of Life Ministries have a different definition of the word 'PRIVATE'.

I was thinking that in order to verify whether Faye and her mother actually went to Australia is to check their passports -- but then I remembered from one of the "stories" that their passports are CONVENIENTLY "stolen" from them by this "uncaring" pinoy. From the Jessica Soho program, the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation said they have no record of Faye Nicole San Juan leaving the country.

I believe any Filipino (of any religious affiliation) can excel in his/her field of expertise. I believe there are a lot of pinoys involved in the cutting edge of science and technology -- many of them chose to be silent on their accomplishments. They don't need a full page AD to brag about it.

Still a skeptic? Yes I am.

I really wish the story was true, but ...

re: The Faye Story
comment by Katz on 11/07/04 05:25:18 PM

Well, it could be true or false... but the story does not have to be factual to get the message.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Alex on 11/07/04 08:32:00 PM

Here's the link to Patricia Evangelista's speech and article about Faye.

http://www.gov.ph/forum/thread.asp?rootID=31748&catID=11

Pay attention to the article Filipino Idol, CRAZED By Patricia Chanco Evangelista
The Philippine STAR 10/22/2004

At about the 5th paragraph she wrote; "But when the competition gave me the platform to speak about a borderless world, I spoke I said everything I wished I said years ago. I was like a madman on a soapbox, I condemned the Filipinos who chose to leave, said they deserved to be pushed down the road to hell on a handcart. Traitors and turncoats, I called them."

What message would this be to all the Filipinos abroad?

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 02:05:58 AM

that a filipino could excel anywhere and in anything needs no further proof. that god is all good all knowing and all loving is not at issue here.

what i think is the issue is accuracy in reporting and checking your sources which i suppose are journalistic values.

patricia evangelista i think is in the middle of big lesson here. NAKORYENTE SIYA. she should have personally checked her sources and she should have been more cautious in brandishing what she presumed as facts by making sure her sources are pure.

the fact that she had to go with jessica soho to interview faye means she did not do check her story before launching into a tirade against jasmine trias, politicians and the government.

she cannot blame us for doubting faye's story for there are many holes in it: 1)contest location--sydney is not brisbane and is in fact far from it; 2) bureau of immigration certification--no one named faye nicole san juan left the country at the time they claim she did; 3) phil embassy denial of being asked for help in connection with faye and her mother (no self respecting embassy would refuse to help a kababayan in need. they are after all there to help filipinos overseas); 4) japanese embassy denial of giving aid to faye and her mother--though patricia evangelista, in her 2nd article, said that it was a private person who helped them; 5)the contest and its organizers are not within the purview of all the search engines of the net--though not everything may be found in the net, the chances of that is slim especially since this particular contest was participated in by 57 countries.

nevertheless, i am still willing to believe so long as there is incontrovertible proof. but in the meantime i suspend judgment.

what we could do to check:
1) inquire wih australian embassy if
a)visa was issued
b)if they know anything about said quiz. i'm sure that they would have checked it out since the granting of the visa would depend on the veracity of the contest

2) inquire re-entry details with bureau of immigration. they should have a record of people coming in, with or without a passport.

any suggestions, as to how else?

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 03:25:59 AM

Did the same thing as the others after reading the e-mail and found only this website. How can I believe the story?

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 03:26:43 AM

Did the same thing as the others after reading the e-mail and found only this website. How can I believe the story?

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 03:33:06 AM

The characters in the story had too much bad luck it is almost unbelievable. I can't believe anyone could be so unlucky.

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 03:33:14 AM

The characters in the story had too much bad luck it is almost unbelievable. I can't believe anyone could be so unlucky.

re: The Faye Story
comment by bing on 11/08/04 12:33:20 PM

Only two (2) important matters are to be considered in this Faye Story. First, the story is FALSE. If so then the "guilty ones" will not be spared from God's judgment unless they repent. Second, the story is TRUE. If so then I would challenge all the "guilty ones" to repent and see the godly message of the Faye story.

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 04:46:27 PM

the last message is too simplistic.

to challenge faye's story does not augur disbelief in god.

in fact in challenging her story with its many flaws we are using our intellect which is god given talent and is one of the two components of human nature.

we are in fact glorifying god in making use of said talent.

please do not oversimplify.

something's not right in her story and as such we should be intellectually honest to look for ways of ascertaining the truth.

it's not about taking sides. it's about common sense and using our intellect... with all due respect to the parties involved.

ms evangelista should not feel offended for being doubted. she put hereself in a position to be doubted. i guess this is a lesson for her as a budding journalist.

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 05:09:32 PM

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 05:58:07 PM

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 06:33:00 PM

re: The Faye Story
comment by flyingroc on 11/08/04 07:09:05 PM

um, anon, please stop hitting reload, and reposting your comment. We get the point :-). Try copy and pasting this url:

http://flyingroc.org/comment?id=65

This is a bug. I think I will need to fix this, but I don't really have time, so just bear with the occasional inconvenience folks.

re: The Faye Story
comment by lie on 11/08/04 08:18:43 PM

its all up to you. if u believe the story or not. well it is indeed inspiring. i would still call it a myth bcoz it still cant be proven true. sometimes we also have to know if its real so that we could be more inspired. problem is, it would be unfair to us if we believe in it right away- thats why many feels the need to investigate. lisod na sad kung magpailad ta. it would be difficult if we are fooled. :)

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 08:20:30 PM

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/08/04 08:22:00 PM

oops.

re: The Faye Story
comment by nhellie on 11/09/04 01:13:27 AM

i thinks the story's stupid.

i live in sydney and i tell you, people here are very friendly.

the chances of a traveller in sydney getting robbed of bags is slim. unless you're really stupid to give it away. even then ppl probably wont even take it coz they don't wanna be responsible for whatever's inside.

people here, even filipinos, are rather well off to even bother stealing a bag from an 11 year old.

also, someone would have given them help if they asked. so stupid for them to walk, unless they wanted to exercise, in which case, 2 km is considered a moderate walk - that's not pityful.

they could have went to the police and filed a report of the incident and claimed the loss on travel insurance (smart travellers always have travel insurance and they put important documents such as passports and tickets on money belt, not on purses or bags).

also, with security being strict, it would have been impossible for them to be able join the the contest without a valid identification. even more impossible to buy plane tickets without valid passports.

all i can say is... if indeed the story is true... THEYRE SO PATHETIC. THEY'D BETTER GET A LIFE!!! There's more to life than feeling sorry for yourself.

I swear, i hate soap operas. hehehehe...

PS: what's wrong jasmine having a warm welcome? singing is a great talent. why would science quizzes be weighed more?

re: The Faye Story
comment by nhellie on 11/09/04 01:24:16 AM

its me agian!!!

hahahaha!!!

here's another funny one...

"Given a budget for only a one night stay at the hotel, mother and daughter had to check out the following day. "

-Why would you stay on a hotel if you're short of cash???

haaaayyyyyyy....

re: The Faye Story
comment by cupido on 11/09/04 03:58:24 AM

totoo po si faye at yung pagkapanalo nya sa australia... and actually po, sa end ng november, papunta sila ng mommy nya sa portugal to participate in another contest - the "Science Without Borders" International Search for Science Talents.

Alam nyo kung bakit sila pupunta? Gusto daw nila patunayan na totoo yung sa australia kaya they are repeating the experiment - repeatability nga naman.

hehehehehehehehe... lakad uli ng 2 km, tapos may kinausap na daw sila dun sa Lisbon na nakawan sila ng passports, etc... ehehehehehe.

Hay naku pipol!

re: The Faye Story
comment by Ka Pedro on 11/09/04 04:32:56 AM

To Nhellie: you're amazing!!! so you also approved that Angelo dela Cruz is a hero, also that "F4" boy deserved a Malacanang welcome?

Yes, the story is true and false, depends on what side of the fence you're in. The battle between good and evil!

This is similar to a court case wherein the prosecutors need to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of the crime committed. And the accused extend the hearings via varied delaying tactics.

My reaction to the story is that our lady president and his men are not yet ready to govern this nation of "praying while texting" Catholics, disillusioned JIL, "pirated" Muslims, uneducated/underemployed/unemployed natives, Mike Velarde's legions, Taas-Noo Manalo, sensation-Media, Tagalog, Ilocano, Bicolano, Bisaya, Waray, etc...

My ideal of a president is the one who can unite the mulims and the non-muslims...The Muslim people owns Mindanao, which has the capacity to feed the whole world, and, thus, national progress must start from that place.

Another ideal trait of a president (and his men)is to be futuristic nerd. Did you know why traffic is worst in Metro Manila today, because 50 or less years ago there are groups of men who lobbied and made sure that cummuter trains will not be built in the city...these people served the wills of those people who produce tires for our cars. Our leaders then agreed and thus the result...

The fact that Malacanang welcomes Jerry Yan of "F4" is not presidential! Ask our president who is her favorite and she will tell you that she's a big fan of David Copperfield, the magician. Because she's a magician herself now.

Another one is that she welcomes Angelo dela Cruz, a non-hero, as a true hero. And her idiotic kababayan Senator Lapid ride on with some celebrity gimiks... wow what an administration!

Jasmine Trias doesn't deserved the treat in Malacanang also. Philippines have aplenty of good singers in Japan, Europe, and other countries, who send the mighty US dollar back home. And they are not treated like Jasmine Trias.

Jasmine didn't represent the country during the American Idol contest. It's the media who traced her roots in Cavite. It's not Jasmine who did because she doesn't care! She's an American. And Filipinos are not like Chinese who retain their unique identity anywhere in the world.
Yes, that's showbusiness and the show must go on...

Maybe our leaders are not leaders at all because they all are "green card" holders!

This pain me because I love this country and nobody cares anymore, except Faye... the Bread of Life Ministries, my wife and my children, and other people I knew.

PS:
For those who hates Filipinos, like Rose Porteus and Smitty, from now on you're cursed...you will live like worms in hell...your finances will broke, and you will have illness medicines can't cure...that's the wrath of the Filipino witch...HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

re: The Faye Story
comment by Ka Pedro on 11/09/04 04:33:15 AM

re: The Faye Story
comment by Dee on 11/09/04 04:48:36 AM

So you call yourself a Christian?!

re: The Faye Story
comment by TO KA PEDRO on 11/09/04 04:51:32 AM

KA PEDRO!

Wow, bilib din naman ako sayo. Kung taga Bread Of Life ministry ka, ganun ang tingin mo sa ibang religions? And you curse people! Kung ganyan mga tao sa BOL Ministry, aba'y lalayo na ako sa congregation nyo. Tsaka very OFF yung discussion mo about the president, lito lapid, F4, jasmine trias, angelo dela cruz, etc etc.

Balik tayo kay Faye...

re: The Faye Story
comment by Hmmm on 11/09/04 04:53:44 AM

Oo nga, you call yourself, ka pedro, a christian? isang palatandaan kung religious cult ang isang group if they claim that salvation is throught their church only. kapag nag-claim nyan si ka pedro, kulto ang church nyan.

re: The Faye Story
comment by KA PEDRO on 11/09/04 05:56:58 AM

TO DEE, Anon, and Hmmmm: Sabi ko nga this is the debate between good and evil, it depends which side of the fence you're in. I did not claim myself as Christian because nobody can monopolize Christianity today - what with so many pretenders that be. Even dogs are claiming christianity! What I know is that I am sticking to the document that started it all.

On the OFF ang topic: maybe you didn't understand fully well the source document me and you are posting comments to...please read again para naman bumilib ako sa inyo! Or you don't know what you're into as of now because you're already blinded by hatred? Pity you....

On the religious cult: did you see the word "salvation" in my previous comment, I don't see any. Putting words to somebody's comment is of the lowest form of argument...I don't know if you can do better than that.

PS:
Let me know your challenging thoughts, that is if you have any. Let the true Filipinos think!

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/09/04 05:59:09 AM

bu ang

re: The Faye Story
comment by KA PEDRO on 11/09/04 06:11:21 AM

To anon: see what I mean... you don't deserved to be in this site. I advice you go out as fast as you can click "Shutdown" and go to a Nursing School and enroll. If you're a Jasmin Trias-mentality Filipino you will do exactly that.

re: The Faye Story
comment by KA PEDRO on 11/09/04 06:11:28 AM

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/09/04 07:01:39 AM

kay ka pedro

ako, alam ko i'm on the side of the good...

...good in english that is.

sorry guys, i couldn't resist.

by the way, what original document are you talking about? the paid ad of the Bread of Life Ministries?

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/09/04 07:05:16 AM

That is right, Ka Pedro never mentioned that he is a christian or someone from BOL. Personally, I find his arguments quite reasonable except of course for the "P.S." which was uncalled for and for the "personal attacks". By the way, Mr. Anon, I never claimed that disbelieving Faye story augurs disbelief in God. What I meant by "to repent" was for those who falsely accuse, once proven wrong, the truthfulness of Faye's testimony which is intended for GOD'S GLORY to acknowledge their mistakes and cease making fun of it.
I kind of sympathize with Filipinos like Faye becoming victims of fellowmen abroad. I too am not spared from that. To name a few example, instead of gratitude I received condemnation from the Pinays I have helped and loved, the kind of help they really needed which they personally asked me of. But I do not shut my doors for them because I believe this is the only way for me to remove the "heaps of burning coals on their heads".
I understand the skepticism of some on the words of others. There are indeed many fake stories but it does not make everybody a liar. I think we all need TO KNOW the person talking before we judge whether he or she is a liar or not. I too had difficulties of convincing my fellow Filipinas here of the fact that I worked for Siemens before. Since the project office of Siemens does not exist in Manila anymore there is no way for them to find out the truth except for finding those whom I worked with. And the information is definitely not found in the Internet.
Jasmine Trias is well-received because she is an "AMERICAN" idol. Had she become a "GERMAN" idol, the reception would have not been the same. Sadly, many but not all Filipinos are "idols" of anything American. We also have a Vanessa Strudel, a very good Filipino-German singer, who also won a competition here but did not make a name in the Phils. She even can be seen in MTV.

re: The Faye Story
comment by bing on 11/09/04 07:07:30 AM

SORRY, forgot to type my name THIS IS BING.
That is right, Ka Pedro never mentioned that he is a christian or someone from BOL. Personally, I find his arguments quite reasonable except of course for the "P.S." which was uncalled for and for the "personal attacks". By the way, Mr. Anon, I never claimed that disbelieving Faye story augurs disbelief in God. What I meant by "to repent" was for those who falsely accuse, once proven wrong, the truthfulness of Faye's testimony which is intended for GOD'S GLORY to acknowledge their mistakes and cease making fun of it.
I kind of sympathize with Filipinos like Faye becoming victims of fellowmen abroad. I too am not spared from that. To name a few example, instead of gratitude I received condemnation from the Pinays I have helped and loved, the kind of help they really needed which they personally asked me of. But I do not shut my doors for them because I believe this is the only way for me to remove the "heaps of burning coals on their heads".
I understand the skepticism of some on the words of others. There are indeed many fake stories but it does not make everybody a liar. I think we all need TO KNOW the person talking before we judge whether he or she is a liar or not. I too had difficulties of convincing my fellow Filipinas here of the fact that I worked for Siemens before. Since the project office of Siemens does not exist in Manila anymore there is no way for them to find out the truth except for finding those whom I worked with. And the information is definitely not found in the Internet.
Jasmine Trias is well-received because she is an "AMERICAN" idol. Had she become a "GERMAN" idol, the reception would have not been the same. Sadly, many but not all Filipinos are "idols" of anything American. We also have a Vanessa Strudel, a very good Filipino-German singer, who also won a competition here but did not make a name in the Phils. She even can be seen in MTV.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Hmmm on 11/09/04 07:57:24 PM

Ka perdro! Ang sabi ko, KAPG NAG-CLAIM KA about dun sa salvation. Di ko sinabi na sinabi mo yun actually. Intindihin mo nga muna. MAs mabilis kasi bibig mo (este kamay pala sa pagta-type) kesa utak mo!

re: The Faye Story
comment by KA PEDRO on 11/09/04 09:56:46 PM

To Hmmmm, you really belong to the type of people who uses the lowest form of argument...sorry about this but you just proved it. One suggestion lang, read Dan Brown's novels and you may gain insights from him.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Hmmm on 11/09/04 10:34:32 PM

Nabasa ko na lahat. Angels and Ka Pedro, este, Angels and Demons pala, sabagay pareho lang yun. Da Vinci Code, Digital Fortress, etc.

Di ko rin mapigilan...

"...the type of PEOPLE who USES the..."

Magtagalog ka na lang pwede? Alam mo bang nababasa ito ng buong mundo?

re: The Faye Story
comment by Peter on 11/09/04 10:54:20 PM

Pambihira itong si Ka Pedro. Nakakaawa naman... Tingnan nyo kung paano mag-conrast itong dalawang statements nya:

(This pain me because I love this country and nobody cares anymore, except Faye... the Bread of Life Ministries, my wife and my children, and other people I knew.

PS:
For those who hates Filipinos, like Rose Porteus and Smitty, from now on you're cursed...you will live like worms in hell...your finances will broke, and you will have illness medicines can't cure...that's the wrath of the Filipino witch...HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA)

Kala mo sa una, santo, mabait, maka-Diyos. Santong kabayo pala! Banal na aso! Natatawa ako... hihihihi! (remember the song?)

There are really false Christians, claiming to be as such, but their actions do not support their intentions. Pity you, ka pedro.

re: The Faye Story
comment by Detective on 11/10/04 09:28:36 PM

Kilala ko yan si Ka Pedro. Heto name nya: PETE LACABA

E-mail address: kapete@ispbonanza.com.ph

re: The Faye Story
comment by A pro Fil Kano on 11/10/04 10:37:04 PM

Summary of arguments seems to be this is a well written fiction & the Bread of Life Church is claiming it is fact in spite of no supporting evidence other than the reputation of the church :)

If this is right then the loser in this matter is the Bread of Life Church as they tie their reputation to the story

Of course reporters who "report" the content of paid ads don't do their own reputations much good either :)

re: The Faye Story
comment by jen on 11/11/04 01:01:16 AM

hi,
>
> i have read your article/column in the internet while i was searching for the
> faye story. i just knew about it last nite when i saw it on net25 news.
>
> this might help answer some of your queries about faye. last nite me and my
> husband were watching this news or forum i should say at channel 25, where
> the host of the segment interviewed both the president and principal (in the flesh/live) of St
> james college where they say faye is enrolled at. they had a
> discussion about it and they re-told the story that we had read on the internet
> again.
>
> according to the president and the principal of the school faye does really
> exist, she is a 6th grader in their school and she really is one of their
> finest and brightest student. as for the contest/quiz, they said they knew
> about the contest but they were told that it will be on december, they said
> they didn't knew that the schedule of the contest was changed to september.
> they didn't have any knowledge that faye and her mother had already flown to
> australia last september, not until they were back in the philippines and faye is already being interviewed on national TV (GMA7 & ABS-CBN)
>
whether true or not we must admit the story has a moral lesson.

we should not pull down other people and we should give credit and respect to where it is due.

i think that the story should serve as an inspiration and not as a source of blatant argument and debate.

> i hope this helps us guys.

re: The Faye Story
comment by to Jen on 11/11/04 02:17:14 AM

Duh! Hindi nagpaalam sa principal at teacher man lang? Something fishy...

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/11/04 07:46:32 AM

you know, people can argue with due respect to the parties involved. again, do not fall under the simplistic trap of concluding that just because people doubt faye's story they're already castigating her to hell. let's deal with this with clear heads keeping in mind the evidence at hand.

it's true you just dont normally absent yourself for something like this without informing at least your adviser and maybe the principal. unless of course you'll just be gone for 1 saturday and 1 sunday and therefore your classes would not be in any way affected by your travel. that is, your absence would go unnoticed.

also, we should also ask whether the australian embassy did issue a visa and if yes, for when. what documents were submitted? did the school issue a certificate of enrollment (which any self respecting embassy would do)? did the school ask why? did faye even ask the school to issue one?

since there are questions, let us try to be mthodical in finding out the truth. it should be easy enough.

let's ask the Bureau of Immigration again whether a faye nicole san juan did leave the country in september. that should put an end to this. if she didnt leave the country and there is no record of her re-entry then, i'm sorry to say that that would make mother and daughter liars.

n.b. with or without a passport, there should be a record with the BOI of one's departure and re-entry. anyone who has left the country should know the existence of embarkation cards and customs declarations.

n.b. 2 i'm sorry that ka pedro muddles things with his acrimonious non-sequiturs

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/11/04 07:52:13 AM

**(which any self-respecting embassy would demand/require)**

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/11/04 07:59:59 AM

ako rin nabasa ko dan brown's angels and demons and the da vinci code. all i can say is, (i'm) NOT A FAN.

if you've read one you'd know who the culprit is in the other

the books have minor flaws which, be it fair or unfair, turned me off.

so what's the lesson there supposed to be?

re: The Faye Story
comment by gustav on 11/11/04 02:08:54 PM

Ka Pedro says

quote

Yes, the story is true and false, depends on what side of the fence you're in. The battle between good and evil!

unquote

You seem to be a decent guy yourself but my question to you is, does truth matter to you? If you are Christian, do you believe what Ephesians 4:14-15 says, that we must speak the truth in love?

Are you telling me that there are 2 sides to the Faye story, the truth and the lie and they similarly offer the same God given-wisdom to counter the forces of evil?

re: The Faye Story
comment by fwend on 11/11/04 11:19:06 PM

Hay. I look at the Faye story as a guilt-tripper for Filipinos. Too bad it appears to be a hoax. I agree with the skeptics. It's very improbable that a contest of that magnitude could be kept quiet. 57 countries participated and not one artice about it on the net? Hm... Let's just take the moral of the lesson and leave it at that.

re: The Faye Story
comment by fwend on 11/11/04 11:19:37 PM

re: The Faye Story
comment by MajGen Concern on 11/12/04 01:45:10 AM

Just a side comment: How can the Filipinos bring back patriotism in their country if the Filipinos themselves don't know the meaning of it.

Don't worry about me - it's just an observation from the discussions you have here. I now leave and do some soul searching myself.

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/12/04 07:02:13 AM

Who says Filipinos lack patriotism? Who says Filipinos don't know the meaning of it? I believe that Filipinos know it and we don't need a fabricated story to know it.

What we are discussing here is whether the story of Faye is true or not (beside from the fact the story is supposedly to arouse patriotism in some sense). Since the story didn't come clean, a lot are skeptic. However some are content to accepting what the media says or what an advertisement says -- these latter group of people are simply not using their common sense.

re: The Faye Story
comment by anon on 11/12/04 11:32:56 AM

korek ka dyan!

di tayo uusad kung tuluyang (was it ever there?) mawawala ang common sense.

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