The Filipino Express v27 Issue 38

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VOL. 27 w
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NATIONAL EDITION w
NEW JERSEY w
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SEPT. 27 - OCT. 3, 2013 w
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Undocumented Filipino immigrants
to be tackled in Obama visit US envoy
By Julliane Love de Jesus
MANILA -- One of the agenda
of US President Barack Obama's
first visit in the Philippines is to
address the increasing number
of undocumented Filipino
immigrants in the United States,
the US Ambassador to the
Philippines said.
SMILES AT THE SUMMITRY. Presidents Aquino and Obama are photographed
here in the 2011 Asean Summit in Bali, Indonesia. They will meet again at the
2013 Apec, and on Oct. 11-12 here in Manila, which the US president is visiting
for the first time. MALACAÑANG PHOTO
“Clearly, there will be
discussions about economy and
trade as well as military and
most importantly, people
relation because we have 4.5
million Filipinos living in the US.
Plus, helping the TNT, they'll be
able to discuss that also,” US
Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr
said on Tuesday.
TNT, an acronym for “tago ng
tago” (loosely translated
“always hiding”) is a local term
that refers to Filipinos who stay
ove r s e a s w i t h o u t p ro p e r
documentation and keep hiding
from authorities to avoid
deportation.
Thomas, in the Kapihan sa
Embahada forum, said that the
visit of Obama, who he said was
“very much looking forward” to
the Philippine trip, was “still
being finalized.”
The US president, who took
office in 2009, will be visiting
the Philippines from Oct. 11 to
12 on the invitation of President
Aquino.
“As you know, he (Obama)
has a very good relationship
with President Aquino. You may
recall that President Aquino
was the first Asean president
who President Obama had
discussions with in New York,”
he added.
In 2012, Aquino met Obama
at the White House for a
working visit.
In a statement released by
the Palace last week, Obama will
meet Aquino to “discuss ways to
further strengthen the enduring
Philippine-US alliance,
including the expansion of our
security, economic and peopleto-people ties.”
His visit to the country is
part of a four-nation tour in
S ou t hea st Asia in clu din g
Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia
from October 6 to 12.
(Inquirer.net)
UN worried about PH
humanitarian crisis
MANILA -- The United
N a t i o n s s ays m o re t h a n
100,000 Filipinos who have
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Page 8
been displaced by two weeks of
fighting between government
troops and Muslim rebels in a
southern city are facing a
humanitarian crisis.
Obamacare prices finally revealed
THE WHISTLEBLOWERS. Department of Justice Secretary (DOJ) Leila De Lima
gestures as she speaks in a huddle with 'pork barrel' scam whistleblowers (from
right) Benhur Luy, his mother Gertrudes, and Merlina Sunas (left) with lawyer
Levito Baligod (second from left) during a break at the continuation of the Senate
Blue Ribbon Committee hearing into the issue yesterday. (Bob Dungo, Jr.)
Napoles couple charged
DISPLACED Villagers queue up to enter a stadium that houses tens of
thousands of evacuees who were displaced by the fighting between
government forces and Muslim rebels in Zamboanga City. AP
T h e U N re s i d e n t a n d
humanitarian coordinator in
the Philippines, Luiza Carvalho,
said Wednesday that the
standoff involving rebels who
s e i z e d h o s t a g e s a s t h ey
attempted to occupy
Zamboanga City has left about
132 people dead, 158,000
affected and over 10,000
h o m e s d e s t roye d . Ab o u t
109,000 are displaced in
Zamboanga and almost 19,000
in neighboring Basilan
province.
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BIR Finds P61-M Tax Liabilities; 6 Whistleblowers Testify
By Jun Ramirez, Leonard D.
Postrado and Hannah
Torregoza
Manila -- The Bureau of
I n te r n a l Reve n u e ( B I R )
yesterday filed tax evasion
charges against suspected
P10-billion pork barrel scam
mastermind Janet Lim
Napoles and her husband for
alleged non-filing and
p ay m e n t o f i n c o m e t a x
totaling to more than P61
million.
“Spouses Janet and Jaime
were charged with willful
attempt to evade and defeat
tax for taxable for the years
2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010,
2 0 1 1 a n d 2 0 1 2 ,” B I R
Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto
Henares said in a criminal
complaint filed before the
Department of Justice (DOJ).
A l s o y e s t e r d a y, s i x
whistleblowers appeared
before the Senate Blue Ribbon
Committee's inquiry into the
P10-billion pork barrel fund
scam and testified under oath
how Ms. Napoles, the alleged
mastermind of the fund
scandal, used fake receipts,
invented beneficiaries and put
several properties and nongovernment organizations
(NGO) under other people's
names without their consent.
Fil Am fugitive in murder case
sentenced to thirty five years
By Joseph Lariosa
(© 2013 Fil Am Extra Exchange)
Judge James Obbish of the Cook
County Criminal Circuit Court in
Chicago after a bench trial for
the 1996 gun slaying of a former
friend outside a pool house in
the north side of Chicago.
Spiller was accused of killing
another Filipino American,
Roberto “Bobby” Castillo, 53,
with a .45-caliber pistol outside
Marie's Cue at 3241 West
Montrose Avenue on Nov. 29,
1996. After he surrendered in
1996 after posting $20,000 for a
$200,000 bond, Spiller, a truck
CHICAGO (FAXX/jGLi) -- A
Filipino American, who fled to
the Philippines while facing
murder charges 15 years ago in
Chicago, Illinois and allegedly
became a bodyguard of a
Filipino politician, was
P44.68-M Tax Liability For
sentenced Wednesday (Sept.
Ms. Napoles
25) to 35 years in prison.
Giovanni D. Spiller, 67, born
Napoles has a tax liability
in Manila, Philippines, was
of P44.68 million, while her
captured last year after 15 years
husband owes the
on the run. He was sentenced by
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Page 2
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Giovanni D. Spiller
Page 2
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Drilon sued Jinggoy rats on colleagues
for plunder
COA slammed: 'Selective justice is injustice'
MANILA -- Former Iloilo
Rep. Augusto Syjuco has filed a
P65-million plunder suit before
the Ombudsman against Senate
President Franklin Drilon in
connection with an allegedly
irregular and poorly
constructed three-story
government building in Iloilo
that was built when Drilon was
s t i l l j u s t i c e s e c re t a r y i n
President Corazon Aquino's
administration in 1991.
In the complaint he filed last
week, Syjuco, who is himself
facing graft charges, accused
Drilon of receiving kickbacks
and rebates or commissions
from his pork barrel releases as
a senator for the construction of
the P200-million Iloilo Hall of
Justice and a later retrofitting of
the building.
Describing the alleged
offense as a continuing crime,
Syjuco said Drilon allegedly
tried to fix the building's
structural defects by spending
another P50 million for repairs
in 2012, this time using Drilon's
Priority Development
A s s i s t a n c e F u n d ( P DA F )
allocations as a senator for that
year.
Exposed by quake
In the complaint, Syjuco said
the building's questionable
structural integrity and defects
were shown following a 5.7magnitude earthquake that hit
Iloilo in February 2012.
He said that no other
building was badly damaged
except for the Hall of Justice
which was why the regional trial
courts, the offices of the clerks of
Napoles couple
charged
From page 1
government P16.43 million in
taxes. Henares stresses that the
P61-million tax evasion suit is
just the beginning of the many
tax complaints they are set to file
in the future.
“Let me clarify that this case
is only filed based on the
properties under their names.
This is the first stage because
t h e re a re o t h e r t y p e s o f
properties that are in the name of
corporation. This case is only in
relation to properties in Janet
and Jaime's name,” Henares told
reporters in a press conference at
the DOJ.
Zero income In 2006, 2009
Re c o r d s f r o m t h e B I R
showed that Napoles only
declared P195,800 in her income
tax return (ITR) for 2004; P0.00
as her annual income in 2006;
P100,744.59 in her 2008 ITR;
P0.00 in 2009 ITR.
Her husband, on the other
allegedly making millions of
pesos in kickbacks from the PDAF,
Estrada said the Aquino
administration also used the pork
barrel system to get its way in
Congress, such as the conviction
of Chief Justice Renato Corona in
his impeachment trial.
“After the conviction of the
former Chief Justice, those who
voted to convict were allotted an
additional P50 million as
provided in a private and
confidential letter memorandum
of the then chair of the Senate
committee on finance [now
S e n a te P re s i d e n t Fra n k l i n
Drilon],” Estrada said in his
speech.
Senate President Franklin Drilon
Court, the Philippine
Mediation Center, the Iloilo
Provincial Prosecutor's Office,
Iloilo City Prosecutor's Office,
and the Public Attorneys' Office
(PAO) decided to vacate the
building.
'Undue influence'
“It is of public knowledge
that respondent Franklin M.
Drilon and his co-conspirators
unlawfully received a
kickback/commission of more
than P50,000,000 for the
construction of a substandard
Iloilo Hall of Justice which
amount represents the money
needed for the retrofitting of
said building after it was found
out to be inherently and
structurally defective,” the
complaint said.
It said the project was
awarded without a proper
bidding process being
conducted and that Drilon, as
j u s t i c e s e c r e t a r y, h a d
“unlawfully intervened and
exerted undue influence in
granting the construction of the
Iloilo Hall of Justice Building to
K a n l a o n B u i l d e r s , I n c .”
(Inquirer.net)
hand, never filed his income tax
return.
“She [Napoles] did not file
any ITR for the years 2010, 2011,
and 2012,” Henares said.
Luxury Cars, High-End
Properties
What was surprising,
Henares said, was that the
Napoleses were able to purchase
and register in their names,
various real properties, a
number of motor vehicles such as
Ford Lincoln Navigator, Honda
Civic and Porsche Cayenne,
several insurance policies and
club shares despite her declared
annual income, which was just
almost at par with a minimum
wage earners.
Among the properties they
acquired were condominium
units in City & Land Mega Plaza
and the Discovery Center, parcels
of land in Pangasinan and
Kidapawan City.
Napoles' residential
properties, which were earlier
reported, ranged from her longtime home in Biñan, Laguna
province, to a house in Ayala
Alabang Village in Muntinlupa
LATEST WHISTLE-BLOWER? Sen. Jinggoy Estrada says each senator who voted in May
2012 for the conviction of then Chief Justice Renato Corona at his impeachment trial
got a P50-million allocation. Raffy Lerma
By Norman Bordadora
Misery loves company.
The much-awaited privilege
speech of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada
predictably took to task his other
colleagues in the Senate and some
members of the House of
Representatives for the alleged
abuse of the Priority
Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF).
“Selective justice is injustice,”
Estrada said, pointing out that out
of the 371 lawmakers with
“irregularities” in the PDAF noted
in the Commission on Audit (COA)
special report, the government
seemed to focus only on himself
and Senators Juan Ponce Enrile
and Ramon Revilla Jr. The three
are already charged before the
Ombudsman.
“We have been singled out,”
Estrada lamented in his 17-page
City, one house each in Forbes
Park and in Dasmariñas Village in
Makati City, units in Serendra and
Pacific Plaza Towers in Bonifacio
Global City and in Eastwood City
in Quezon City, and houses in
Tagaytay Highlands and Punta
Fuego in Nasugbu.
Henares added that the
Napoleses were able to invest
millions of pesos in various new
corporations.
P59.51M Ms. Napoles
Acquisitions
I n s u m , t h e B I R
Commissioner said that the
acquisitions of Janet amounted
to P4.17 million in 2004; P22.29
million in 2006; P4.35 million in
2008; P9.84 million in 2009;
P6.33 million in 2010; P5.64
million in 2011; and P6.89
million in 2012.
P23.79M Mr. Napoles
Acquisitions
Jaime's total acquisitions
amounted to P1.42 million in
2004, P5.51 million in 2006,
P0.78 million in 2008, P9.25
million in 2009, P2.1 million in
2010, P1.17 million in 2011 and
speech that curiously did not
contain a single line in his defense.
Entitled “The Untold PDAF
Story that the People Should
Know,” the speech told a not so
pretty story of how senators and
congressmen are readily
“rewarded, bribed,” and given
“additionals” by the executive
branch to get its way.
The speech was considered in
the Senate as an attempt by
Estrada to balance the adverse
public opinion against the
opposition lawmakers who have
been implicated in the P10-billion
pork barrel scam masterminded
allegedly by Janet Lim-Napoles.
Estrada said the supposed
“government-wide” performance
audit conducted by the COA
covered only three national
agencies and five provinces.
Pilloried in the media and
charged in the Ombudsman for
P3.65 million in 2012.
“A s f a r a s t h e B I R i s
concerned, whoever is the
registered owner, we will look at
his capacity to purchase. If he or
she doesn't have the capacity to
p u rc h a s e t h e n h e o r s h e
committed tax evasion. So ayun
ho yung first case we are filing,”
she said.
28 Properties
The BIR chief said the 28
properties earlier reported in the
media as belonging to Napoles
were a “good lead.” But the
bureau could not rest its case
solely on news reports, Henares
said.
“We have to know when did
she purchase them and for how
much. Then we have to situate it
every year and look at her
income tax returns and, based on
that, come up with a case if there
is a case,” she said.
6 Whistleblowers Appear In
Senate
M e a n w h i l e , t h e
whistleblowers finally surfaced
after the Department of Justice
(DOJ) complied in the subpoena
Incentive after the fact
“Where did the money come
from? I am sure [Budget]
Secretary [Florencio] Abad
knows the answer to this. And I
am sure that this was not a
unilateral decision of Senate
President Drilon to hand out P50
million to each senator,” Estrada
said in English and Filipino.
Estrada said he voted for the
removal of Corona but did so only
because he believed it was the
right thing to do.
“I stand by my decision in my
vote to convict the former Chief
Justice and assure our people that
I was never influenced by this
incentive, which came after the
fact,” Estrada said.
Estrada also hinted at the lack
of transparency on how many
millions of pesos in pork barrel
funds the executive branch
actually released to its allies
during the previous
administration.
“The unclear system in the
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Page 6
issued by Sen. Teofisto “TG”
Guingona, chairman of the Blue
R i b b o n p a n e l , fo r J u s t i c e
Secretary Leila De Lima to bring
them to the inquiry.
The whistleblowers who
attended the hearing were
Benhur Luy, Napoles' second
cousin and former personal
assistant, his mother Gertrudes
Luy, who served as nanny of
Napoles' children, Merlina Suñas,
Marina Sula, Arlene Baltazar, and
Monet Briones.
All former employees of
Napoles, some of the
wh i s t l e b l owe r s we re a l s o
assigned to head some of the
NGOs of the alleged pork barrel
scam mastermind.
Sula, Napoles' personal
finance officer and documentary
processor, told Senate probers
she was in charge of the Napoles'
keys, titles, and other pertinent
papers of her vast properties
and, thus, has direct knowledge
on her assets.
Properties Under Other
Persons' Name
Napoles, she said, named
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Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 3
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Obama visit seen to boost security ties amid China row
By Tarra Quismundo, Michael
Lim Ubac
MANILA -- US President
Barack Obama's visit to the
Philippines early next month
will help expand security ties
with the United States' longtime
Asian ally and former colony, the
government said Saturday.
Obama's Philippine visit, the
first by a US president since
George Bush in 2003, is part of a
four-nation Asia tour that
includes Indonesia, Brunei and
Malaysia from Oct. 6 to 12.
The US president will be
visiting the Philippines from
Oct. 11 to 12 on the invitation of
President Aquino, said
presidential spokesperson
Edwin Lacierda.
Malacañang said it could not
provide any more details of the
Obama visit , which was
announced by the White House
early Saturday.
Obama's long-anticipated
visit to the country will “bring
new impetus” to the ties
between the United States and
the Philippines, a former US
colony that is now one of its
strongest Asia-Pacific allies,
said Foreign Secretary Albert
del Rosario.
“The visit of President
Obama highlights the
continuous strengthening of our
two countries' strategic
partnership and enduring
alliance, fortified by our shared
history and our common
commitment to the ideals of
freedom and democracy,” Del
Rosario said in a text message.
“President Obama will meet
President Aquino to discuss
ways to further strengthen the
enduring Philippine-US
alliance, including the
expansion of our security,
economic and people-to-people
t i e s ,” s a i d L a c i e rd a i n a
statement.
Philippine Ambassador to
the US Jose Cuisia Jr. said the
visit will give Obama a firsthand
look at reforms and
developments in the country's
governance and economy.
“The visit to Manila is an
opportunity for President
Obama to personally witness
the economic transformation in
the Philippines that was
engendered by President
Aquino's good governance
agenda,” he said in a statement.
Increased US presence
The visit comes amid talks
between the two treaty allies on
expanding US military presence
in the country, at a time when
the Philippines seeks to counter
what it perceives as a growing
threat from China.
The proposed deal, called
the Framework Agreement on
Increased Rotational Presence
and Enhanced Defense
Cooperation, will allow more US
troops, aircraft and ships to
temporarily pass through the
Philippines, as Washington
refocuses its attention on Asia.
Obama's visit follows recent
high-level visits of US officials to
the country, including US
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel
earlier this month and a
delegation from the US Congress
in February.
Hagel said after a visit to the
Philippines last month that the
two sides were moving toward
c o m p l e t i n g a f ra m e w o r k
agreement.
The treaty-reviewing Senate
voted to close down the US'
large bases in the Philippines
amid growing anti-US
sentiment in 1991.
But the Philippines now
faces territorial disputes at sea
with China and has asked for US
assistance to better monitor
coastal waters.
The US, meanwhile, is
seeking to bolster its ties across
Southeast Asia, partly to
c o u n t e r C h i n a' s g ro w i n g
military power.
A done deal?
Philippine officials earlier
expressed optimism the talks on
the framework agreement on
increased US presence here
would be finalized this year. The
third round of talks was
scheduled in Washington on
Friday.
The militant Bagong
Alyansang Makabayan said
Obama's visit could signal that
the agreement was “already a
done deal,” warning of possible
breaches of the Constitution.
“The Manila visit could
mean that the agreement is
already a done deal. The
agreement could be signed
anytime soon, or even during
Obama's visit. This sets the
stage for US de facto basing in
our country, in violation of our
Constitution and our
s o ve re i g n t y,” s a i d B aya n
secretary general Renato Reyes
in a statement.
Leftist groups have long
been opposed to US presence in
the Philippines.
Greater bases access
The Philippines said in June
it was looking to give the US, as
well as Japan, greater access to
its bases, as it seeks to counter
what it perceives as a growing
threat from China.
China which contests
m a r i t i m e a re a s w i t h t h e
Philippines, Vietnam and Japan
on Friday issued its latest
warning for the US to stay out of
disputes.
The US “should not send
wrong signals that support or
connive with relevant countries
to act on their own initiative,”
senior Chinese military officer
Wang Guanzhong told a US
official in Beijing.
The Obama administration
has repeatedly urged freedom of
navigation and has stepped up
military cooperation with the
Philippines and Vietnam.
Obama will take part in the
Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation summit in Bali,
Indonesia, then head to the
sultanate of Brunei for the East
A s i a S u m m i t a n d f i n a l ly
participate in the Global
Entrepreneurship Summit in
Malaysia, an initiative on job
growth that the US leader
designed as a way to reach out to
the Islamic world.
'Muddled message'
Russia traditionally
participates in the regional
meetings, potentially giving
Obama his latest opportunity to
meet Russian President
Vladimir Putin.
Russia has spearheaded a
proposal for Syrian President
Bashar Assad to put his
c h e m i c a l we a p o n s u n d e r
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Page 13
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Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 4
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH picked to head
UN body's meeting
on women's rights
By Tarra Quismundo
body.
MANILA – The Philippines
has been chosen to head next
year's meeting of the United
Nations' body pushing for
women empowerment and
gender equality, reflecting “the
international community's
recognition” of the country's
capacity to take on a leadership
role in a sector of critical global
importance.
“The Philippines is honored
by this position of leadership
which recognizes the country's
long-lasting and continuing
commitment to gender equality
and the advancement of women.
Under the Philippines'
leadership, we will continue to
build on the Commission's
accomplishments and help
ensure that current efforts
contribute to a future of gender
equality and empowerment of
women,” Cabactulan said in a
statement.
The Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) said in a statement
late Friday that the Philippines
has assumed the chairmanship
of the Bureau for the 58th
Session of the Commission on
the Status of Women (CSW),
represented to the post by
Philippine Ambassador and
Permanent Representative to
the UN Libran Cabactulan.
The commission is the
“principal global policy-making
body dedicated exclusively to
gender equality and
advancement of women,” the
CSW website said.
Composed of 45 UN member
nations elected every four years,
the body meets annually at the
UN Headquarters in New York to
discuss progress in pursuing
women-related programs, to
determine further steps to
undertake toward advancing
women empowerment and
gender equality around the
world and to “set global
s t a n d a rd s a n d f o r m u l a t e
concrete policies.”
Cabactulan said in a
statement that the Philippines is
thankful for the “confidence
placed by the international
community” in an important UN
T h e P h i l i p p i n e
chairmanship will see action at
the 58th CSW session set in
March 2014, where the body will
hold discussions around the
theme “Challenges and
Achievements in the
Implementation of the
Millennium Development Goals
for Women and Girls.”
Representatives from other
CSW members including
Switzerland, Georgia, Sudan and
El Salvador will join the
Philippines in the CSW's 58th
Session Bureau.
The Philippines has played
an active role in the CSW
sessions, serving as vice chair
and Asia Pacific representative
to the 56th and 57th CSW
sessions, the DFA said.
In this year's annual CSW, the
Philippines “played an
instrumental role” in breaking a
decade-long impasse on an
agreement toward ending
violence against women and
c h i l d r e n , t h e D FA s a i d .
(Inquirer.net)
UN worried about PH ...
From page 1
The Philippine military says the operation to flush out the remaining
rebels and free the last hostages is nearing an end.
According to authorities, 110 rebels and 18 security forces have been
killed since September 9. Most of the about 200 hostages have been
freed. Associated Press (Inquirer.net)
Misuari promised fighters P10,000 and
a firearm each
ARMM governor
b u d g e t o n M o n d ay. H e
declined to identify the island.
H a t a m a n
s a i d
surrendering fighters told
authorities that Misuari
cajoled them into sailing to the
southern city, saying they
would be rewarded money
from the United Nations and a
firearm if they succeeded in
declaring independence.
Moro National Liberation Front
Chairman Nur Misuari. Inquirer
Photo
By TJ Burgonio
MANILA -- Nur Misuari,
who promised P10,000 and a
gun to each of the fighters that
tried to declare independence
in Zamboanga City, is believed
to be in Sulu, according to
Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao Gov. Mujiv
Hataman.
“We have a report that he's
now in Sulu, not in the
mainland, but in an island.
He's mobile,'' Hataman told
reporters after the Senate
hearing on the ARMM billion
“Misuari just told them to
go there because they're going
to get paid by the United
Nations. If they go to
Zamboanga City and are able
to raise the flag, and the UN
will declare their
independence, they'll get paid
P10,000 per participant
through the ATM,'' he said.
They were told that upon
the arrival of a UN
peacekeeping force, they
would get their prize, plus a
firearm, he added.
The UN has twice issued a
statement denying it would
send a peacekeeping force and
recognize Bangsamoro
independence declared by
Misuari fighters, Hataman
said.
President Aquino, who
oversaw the military offensive
to flush out the rebels for nine
days before flying back to
Manila Sunday night, said
charges of rebellion would
also be filed against Misuari
for his key role in the attack.
The national police has
filed rebellion and other
criminal charges against 29 of
his followers.
Hundreds of Moro rebels
landed by boat in the city on
Sept. 9, and threatened to
march to the city hall and
declare independence, but
were repulsed by soldiers.
They retreated to the seaside
villages and seized 200
civilians, some of whom had
escaped or been freed.
After days of fighting,
government troops have
boxed in the rebels, who were
down to 30 to 40 and were
holding at least 20 hostages,
as of Monday.
Hataman said the group of
Ustadz Habier Malik was
confined to six buildings in
Sta. Barbara and surrounded
by security forces, as of
Monday.
“The security forces are
very cautious because of the
h o s t a g e s ,' ' h e s a i d .
INQUIRER.net
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 5
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Blast plunges 3 Mindanao Provinces into darkness
By Edd K. Usman and Aaron B.
Recuenco
Kidapawan City -- The
provinces of North Cotabato,
Sultan Kudarat, and
Maguindanao in Central
Mindanao were plunged into
darkness shortly before 8
o'clock last night after an
improvised explosive device
blew up Tower 141 of the
National Grid Corporation of the
Philippines (NGCP) in Barangay
Kayaga, Kabacan, North
Cotabato.
Capt. Antonio Bulao,
spokesman of the 602nd
Infantry Brigade, said they
suspect members of the
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom
Fighters (BIFF) to be behind the
bombing. Bulao said after the
blast the 138KV line connecting
Bukidnon to Cotabato City and
the 138KV line connecting
North Cotabato to Sultan
Kudarat also tripped off.
Before the Tower 141 blast,
Bulao said power lines in the
town of Tulunan in North
Cotabato were also strafed by
suspected members of the BIFF.
Military and police units in
North Cotabato were earlier
placed on red alert following
reports that BIFF rebels were
planning to harass the villages.
MNLF's Last Stand
Earlier in the day, Moro
National Liberation Front
(MNLF) founding Chairman Nur
P. Misuari's highly trusted
followers in the Zamboanga City
standoff sought prayers as they
brace for a last stand against
government forces after today's
prayers (Juama'ah), expressing
their readiness to die.
This information is
contained in a text message in
Ta u s u g d i a l e c t s e n t o u t
yesterday. It reportedly came
from MNLF Commander Ustadz
Khabier Malik, who is still
holding out in the embattled
city.
“We are already prepared
and complete with our white
attire that we are going to wear.
Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar,
Allahu Akbar,” the text message
added.
Among Muslims, the dead is
buried with a white cloth, not
black as is practiced among
Christians.
6 Killed In Clashes
Malik's men have been
battling the military and police
forces since Sept. 9, and
sporadic encounters continued
yesterday, the standoff's 18th
d a y, k i l l i n g t h r e e M o r o
guerrillas.
But the same operation in
Barangay Rio Hondo resulted in
the death of three soldiers and
wounding of six others,
according to Lt. Col. Ramon
Zagala, chief military
information officer.
45 MNLF Men Surrender
Also yesterday, 45 more
MNLF fighters surrendered to
the military, bringing to 83 the
number of MNLF men who had
surrendered to the military in
less than 24 hours.
Zagala said the military
continues to conduct clearing
operations in areas where these
MNLFs are. They also rescued
six hostages. (With reports from
Ed d K . U s m a n , A a ro n B .
Recuenco, Nonoy E. Lacson, and
Alexander D. Lopez)
Malik's message being
spread through text was
translated into English by
Julmunir Jannaral, a Tausug
journalist with PTV4.
“Please pray for us so that we
can live up to the coming Friday
(Sept. 27) because after we have
prayed for Friday prayer, we will
continue or push through to
bring the jihad fi sabilillah to the
battle front,” Malik's message
stated.
A member of the MNLF, who
requested anonymity, said he's
90 percent sure the message
came from Malik.
Poison Gas
As Malik's men prepare for
their last stand, lawyer
Emmanuel Fontanilla, MNLF
Group spokesman, accused the
government and the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
of using poison gas in their
recent bombing operations in
Zamboanga City.
I n te r v i e we d ye s te rd ay
afternoon, Fontanilla said they
received complaints from their
combatants that military planes
dropped poison gas in their
recent air raids.
HERO'S BURIAL. Philippine Marines salute their fallen comrade, Private
First Class Jeffrey Castillo, before his mother Virginia (middle) and
relatives in Lingayen, Pangasinan, yesterday, Sept. 26. The young soldier
was among those killed in the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF)
siege of Zamboanga City. (Jojo Riñoza)
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 6
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Jinggoy rats on ...
From page 2
apparent secret arrangements
and how much each lawmaker
received could be the reason why
the DBM refuses to render a
complete account of releases to all
lawmakers as requested by the
COA,” Estrada said.
Jessica ''Gigi'' G. Reyes
Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile
Gigi can be state witness
vs Enrile Miriam
By Mario Casayuran
Manila -- Sen. Miriam
Defensor Santiago, chairperson of
the Senate constitutional
amendments committee, said
yesterday Jessica ''Gigi'' G. Reyes,
former chief of staff of Sen. Juan
Ponce Enrile, is eligible to become
a possible state witness against
the senator in the plunder case
arising from the controversial
P10-billion pork barrel scam.
Senators Enrile, Jose
''Jinggoy'' Estrada and Ramon
''Bong'' Revilla Jr. were charged
Napoles couple
charged
From page 2
Some of her properties in the
Philippines and in the United States
under her children's name and to
other persons without their
knowledge.
Among the Napoles assets she
mentioned include those at
Discovery Suites; Eastwood
Condominium, which was used by
Benhur Luy; Eton Properties,
Rockwell Condominium; Antipolo
City; Hotel Inn in Anaheim and a unit
at Ritz-Carlton Residences, both in
the US; and Manila Polo Club shares.
Sula also said she pays for the
taxes of all Napoles' properties, open
bank accounts, including at Land
Bank of the Philippines and
MetroBank branch in Magdalena,
Binondo, Manila.
At one time, Napoles had asked
her to bring a bag of money to Ruby
Tuazon, a former representative of
Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jose
“Jinggoy” Estrada, at her house.
Document Shredded
Mary Arlene Baltazar, Napoles'
bookkeeper, testified that Napoles
started shredding documents of the
bogus organizations she created
under Benhur Luy's name and Suñas
in January 2013.
Baltazar said she herself started
learning there were irregularities
within the foundations being
controlled by Napoles when the
Bureau of Internal Revenue and the
Securities and Exchange Commission
(SEC) found out that there is no
deliveries consummated on the
projected coursed through the
government agencies identified by
legislators after they tried to obtain a
Certificate of Good Standing from the
Commission.
No Projects Delivered
“In 2012, kailangan ng mga
with plunder before the office of
t h e O m b u d s m a n a f te r t h e
Commission on Audit released a
report on the questionable
release of their Priority
Development Assistance Funds
(PDAF) to bogus non-government
organizations from 2007 to 2009.
Earlier, a lawyer for Enrile
said the senator did not authorize
Reyes to sign any paper in
connection with any transaction
concerning the release of his
PDAF funds to NGOs linked to
(government) agencies ng Certificate
of Good Standing from SEC, pero
naghigpit naman ang SEC before
issuing the certification, so we
Merlina Suna crafted Certificate of
Project Completion and project
existence signed by her, and the
board secretary. Doon namin
n a l a m a n n a wa l a p a l a m a n g
deliveries ng mga NGOs na iyon,”
Baltazar said.
She and Sunas, she said, worked
together to secure a certification
from the SEC.
“Unang nabigyan ng Certificate of
Good Standing ang Gaugdanan Para
sa Mangunguma Foundation (which
she heads), based on what we
declared to BIR on grants and
purchases, doon binase ni Merlina
Suna ang Project Completion
Certificate kahit walang deliveries,”
Baltazar said.
“The Gaubdanan Para sa
Mangunguma Foundation complied
only on documentary requirements
but no deliveries were made for the
project,” she added.
When they were able to get a
Certificate of Good Standing for four
N G O s , i n 2 0 1 3 , t h ey s t a r te d
transferring documents at 18-B
Pacific Plaza Towers, and there
started destroying the original
documents.
Sula said among those
documents are SEC registration
papers, memorandum of agreements
with government agencies, Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR) registration,
and local government permits of
Suna's Masaganang Buhay
Foundation and Peoples'
Organization for Progress and
Development Foundation of Luy.
“Nagtuloy-tuloy ang shredding sa
mga natitira pang official receipts,
bogus receipts at OR with BIR
markings, and all documents such as
SEC, BIR permit related to foundation
like Masagang Buhay Foundation,”
Baltazar said.
According to Baltazar, Napoles
spared the documents of foundations
whose presidents are still loyal to her.
(Manila Bulletin)
Economic stimulus fund
“The Department of Budget
and Management (DBM) website
only provides information on
P DA F re l e a s e s f ro m 2 0 0 9
onwards. Why was there no
information on releases in 2008?
2007? 2006? And other years? If
you open the 2009 pages, the
PDAF releases for then Senators
(Rodolfo) Biazon, (Mar) Roxas,
(Aquilino) Pimentel and Senators
(Francis) Escudero, (Antonio)
Trillanes and Manny Villar are
among those conspicuously not
posted,” Estrada added.
These current and former
senators are known allies of
President Aquino.
Estrada said Drilon and
former Senate Presidents Juan
Ponce Enrile, Manny Villar and
Edgardo Angara “all know that the
budget negotiations they conduct
with the House and the DBM
include negotiations not only for
PDAF and the infrastructure
projects of legislators but also for
so-called congressional initiatives
or budget insertions.”
“At one point, when Sen.
Edgardo Angara was chair of the
finance committee, I remember
he even advised the senators in a
caucus that there was a so-called
economic stimulus fund where
legislators from both Houses
were allowed to avail of
allocations for projects over and
above the regular pork barrels.
Thereafter, we were all asked to
submit our listings to the
committee,” Estrada said.
Puzzling DBM silence
Estrada challenged Abad to
release to the COA the complete
documents so that the agency
could complete the audit of P115
billion worth of pork barrel funds
released from 2007 to 2009. The
COA special audit managed to
audit just P41 billion of the pork
released during the period.
“It is puzzling that the DBM
has kept silent in the midst of the
discussions about the nation's
treasury,” he said.
Estrada lashed out at his
colleagues, Senators Teofisto
Guingona III and Alan Peter
Cayetano in particular, for
focusing the blue ribbon inquiry
on him, Enrile and Sen. Ramon
Revilla Jr.
Estrada said the blue ribbon
panel failed to investigate the
COA's finding of P1.2-billion
questionable transactions of
some local government units
f u n d e d f ro m t h e P DA F o f
administration allies Cayetano,
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago
and former Senators Francis
Pangilinan and Manny Villar.
“Why were they not
mentioned? Was it because they
are your allies? I am not saying
that they have sinned. This is
based on the COA report that
there were irregularities in their
allotments,” Estrada said.
Allies in House
Estrada also turned his fire on
the irregularities involving public
funds allegedly committed by
staunch Aquino allies in the
House of RepresentativesHouse
Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales
II and former An-Waray Rep.
Florencio Noel.
“Were their PDAF properly
used? It doesn't appear so
because according to the COA
special audit report, 28 suppliers
of Mandaluyong City denied
having undertaken 167
transactions amounting to
P28.744 million,” Estrada said.
“It means there were 28
suppliers of Mandaluyong who
said they had no transactions
worth P28.7 million in the city of
Mandaluyong so it could be said
that they were also ghost
projects,” Estrada added.
Never a bribe
During interpellation, Drilon
asked Estrada if the P50 million
given after the Corona
impeachment trial was “a bribe.”
“But categorically Senator
Estrada, categorically you can
state that it was not a bribe?”
Drilon said.
“It was not a bribe. It was
never a bribe,” Estrada said.
On interpellation by Enrile,
t h e S e n a t e P re s i d e n t a n d
presiding officer during the
Corona impeachment trial,
Estrada said “somebody ”
approached him as regards the
needed conviction “but did not
promise any reward.”
Enrile pressed Estrada to
identify the person but Estrada
said, “I would rather keep it to
myself since I was never swayed
u
Page 7
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 7
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Gigi can be state
witness ...
From page 6
alleged pork barrel scam
mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.
In her keynote at the annual
postgraduate course of the
University of the Philippines (UP)
Department of Emergency
Medicine yesterday, Santiago listed
the following reasons why she
thinks Reyes could be used as state
witness against Enrile:
1. There is absolute necessity for
her testimony with respect to the
senator.
2. Without her testimony, no other
direct evidence will be available
for the prosecution to prove
plunder against Enrile.
3. Her testimony could be
substantially corroborated in its
material points.
5. There is no evidence that at any
time, she has been convicted of
any offense involving moral
turpitude.
A former judge, Santiago also
discussed the establishment of
conspiracy in criminal cases.
She said that under the Revised
Penal Code (RPC), “a conspiracy
exists when two or more persons
come to an agreement concerning
the commission of a felony, and
decide to commit it,.
In criminal law, the basic effect
of conspiracy is that the act of one
is the act of all.
“Assuming for the sake of
argument that giving pork barrel
funds to the phony Napoles NGOs
was the criminal design of his COS
(chief of staff), under our laws, he
merged his will into the common
felonious intent. The senator can
no longer repudiate the conspiracy,
after it had already materialized,”
she said. (Manila Bulletin)
4. She does not appear to be the
most guilty.
Jinggoy rats on ...
From page 6
by the influence of this person.”
Integrity of impeachment
“I just want to preserve the
integrity of the impeachment,” Enrile
said.
“I was never swayed by anybody.
Not even Senate President Drilon. Not
even the one close to Malacañang. I was
never swayed,” Estrada said.
Just as he inhibited from the blue
ribbon proceedings, Estrada didn't
offer any explanation of his
involvement in the Napoles PDAF
scam.
He instead scored Guingona for
repeatedly asking resource persons to
name him, Enrile and Revilla as those
that endorsed Napoles' fake NGOs as
recipients of their PDAF.
“I am not stopping nor do I plan to
stop resource persons from naming
names if this is part of their narrative,”
Estrada said, lamenting that the names
of the three senators were being
mentioned “like a broken record.”
Estrada also called out Cayetano,
who during the course of principal
whistle-blower Benhur Luy's
testimony, asked if one of those
involved had the slogan “Gusto ko
happy ka” in apparent reference to
Enrile.
“I know these people know they
are the ones I'm referring to. My only
message to them is, 'For every finger
you point to accuse and taunt, four
fingers are pointed right back at you,'”
Estrada said.
'Blatantly incomplete'
“And since he is fond of quoting
from the Bible, perhaps he can reflect
on this. Let the one without sin cast the
first stone. Don't be too self-righteous.
And most of all, don't be too
hypocritical,” Estrada added.
Estrada lashed out at the COA for
its “selective and blatantly incomplete”
report on the use of lawmakers' PDAF.
“The COA report also said that it
was not able to establish total releases
for each legislator. Is this the reason
why only P2 million was audited for
Congresswoman Henedina Abad?
P178 million for Congressman Niel
Tupas? P197 million for Congressman
Isidro Ungab? P351 million for Sen.
Alan Peter Cayetano? P5 million for
former Sen. Mar Roxas? P3 million for
Senator Trillanes?” Estrada said.
“In contrast, the PDAF of Enrile,
Estrada and Revilla are closely
examined and entirely audited. What
makes us so special, COA Chair PulidoTan?” Estrada added.
Estrada said the COA report on the
PDAF only audited P41 billion out of
the P115.987 billion in pork released
between 2007 and 2009.
He said the COA report also failed
to identify the legislators behind P69.2
billion in infrastructure projects and
the legislators behind the more than
P1 billion in PDAF releases.
“P70 billion are unaccounted for.
Shouldn't the public know who the
legislators are behind these? Can't they
be identified or does Chair Pulido-Tan
just refuse to do so?” Estrada said.
Selective reporting
Estrada also trained his guns on
the report presented by Tan before the
Senate inquiry.
“The special audit report also
covered PDAF releases to 371
legislators. Yet during the hearing
again, Chair Pulido-Tan conveniently
mentioned and repeatedly named only
four legislatorsEnrile, Revilla, Estrada
and (Gregorio) Honasan,” Estrada said.
Estrada said that when Sen. Nancy
Binay asked that she name the other
legislators in the COA report, Tan
excused herself.
“We therefore ask why Mr.
President. Why the propensity for
selective reporting? Why are certain
p i e c e s o f i n fo r m a t i o n re a d i ly
released?” Estrada said.
He also scored Tan for releasing
the audit report to the media and then
offering her often quoted “kahindikhindik [appalling]” commentary.
He also criticized Tan for traveling
abroad too many times a year. Estrada
said that Tan traveled five times in
2010, nine times in 2011 and 10 times
in 2012.
“And one more thing about the
COA, Mr. President. Since when did
COA ever start to have its findings
validated by a broadsheet?” Estrada
said.
“Chair Tan's statement in a
newspaper was quite appalling. 'The
Inquirer validates our findings. It's
providential.' Is this the kind of
Commission on Audit we have now?”
Estrada added.
“We all here are victims of a flawed
system which is so ingrained that it has
been institutionalized,” he said.
(Inquirer.net)
Corruption, violence won't affect
US-PH ties Ambassador Thomas
By Julliane Love de Jesus
MANILA -- US Ambassador
to the Philippines Harry K.
Thomas Jr. said Tuesday that
reports of corruption and
violence in the country,
particularly the Priority
Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF) scam and the ongoing
standoff in Zamboanga City,
will not, in any way, “affect” the
strong US-Philippines ties.
In the launching of the
Partnership for Growth (PFG)
between the US and the
Philippines, Thomas said the
US government would
continue to provide economic
and trade assistance.
The US state will provide
$434 million to cover
additional job opportunities
a n d p ro m o t i o n o f g o o d
governance to help eliminate
corruption in the country.
The US ambassador, at the
Kapihan sa Embahada press
forum Tuesday, said that the
issue of corruption highlighted
the need for the PFG.
On the damage inflicted in
Z a m b o a n g a C i t y by t h e
ongoing fight between
elements of the Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) and
government troops , Thomas
said the US Embassy has set
aside P28 million to aid
US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas Jr.
affected communities.
“We will continue to work
that issue in Mindanao
[because] clearly, we condemn
the violence by the MNLF and
the Bangsamoro Islamic
Liberation Front (BIFF) in the
strongest terms. We call for an
end to this. We call for an
observation of human rights,”
he said.
He also said that the US
military has provided training
to Filipino troops.
“Our Joint Special
O p e r a t i o n s Ta s k F o r c e
Philippines has been training
and advising the Philippine
National Police (PNP) Special
Action Forces (SAF) as well as
the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) SAF so they
can take charge,” he added.
The PFG was signed by
then US Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton and Foreign
Affairs (DFA) Secretary Albert
Del Rosario in November 2011
to “fight corruption and
enhance economic
opportunities.” (Inquirer.net)
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 8
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Obamacare Premiums Report Shows Low
Prices For Uninsured With Wide Variation
The average price for basic
health coverage purchased on
health insurance exchanges
created by President Barack
Obama's health care reform law
will be $249 a month, not
counting subsidies, in 48 states
reviewed by the Department of
Health and Human Services,
according to a government
report published Wednesday.
The health insurance
exchanges, marketplaces for
uninsured people and
consumers who don't get health
benefits from their employers,
are scheduled to launch on Oct. 1
for an enrollment period that
runs through the end of March
for 2014 coverage. This latest
analysis of what the health
insurance plans will cost comes
just six days before people will be
able to find out what they'll
actually pay.
"For millions of Americans,
these new options will finally
make health insurance work
within their budget," Health and
Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius said during a
conference call with reporters
Tu e s d a y. R e p o r t e r s w e r e
provided access to the report
prior to its publication.
The figures released by the
Department of Health and
Human Services represent
averages and prices will vary
widely by geographic location as
well as family size, age, tobacco
use and income. Even the average
price of a so-called bronze plan,
designed to cover 60 percent of
medical expenses not counting
monthly premiums, masks big
variation. The average price of
the cheapest bronze plan in
Minnesota is $144 while in
Wyoming, comparable coverage
costs $425 on average, not
including subsides.
For people who currently are
uninsured and who qualify for
financial assistance or
enrollment in Medicaid, the
federal-state health program for
the poor, the average prices look
to be low: 56 percent of
uninsured will be able to get
coverage for less than $100 a
month per person, Gary Cohen,
director of the Center for
Consumer Information and
Insurance Oversight, said during
the conference call.
The report cited examples of
families and individuals who
could qualify for subsidized
coverage that would greatly
reduce its cost, and Cohen said
some low-income people will
even be able to obtain a bronze
plan with no monthly premium
because of the subsidies.
A 27-year-old in Dallas who
earns $25,000 a year will be able
to purchase a bronze plan for $74
a month, including federal tax
credits to discount the price. A
family of four in Dallas with a
$50,000 household income could
choose a bronze plan for as little
as $26 a month, including the
subsidies. A family of four
earning $50,000 a year
purchasing the least expensive
bronze plan would pay $36 a
month in Charlotte, N.C., $32 a
month in St. Louis and $24 a
month in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.,
including subsidies.
Premiums for the cheapest
silver plan on 36 state-based
health insurance exchanges the
federal government is at least
partially managing are 16
percent lower than originally
projected by the Congressional
Budget Office, Cohen said.
Prices for some people who
already buy their own insurance
will rise above today's level,
however, largely because the
health care reform law doesn't
allow insurance companies to
exclude people with pre-existing
conditions, guarantees a
minimum benefits package,
doesn't allow women to be
charged more than men, and
limits how much more older
people must pay. The current
market favors healthier people,
but is more challenging for older
and sicker people, who often
can't find coverage.
Less than 4 percent of people
who currently have health
insurance are only covered by
Jack Lew To Congress: Debt Limit
Will Be Reached On October 17
WASHINGTON -- The debt
ceiling will be reached Oct. 17 and
the Department of the Treasury
will have less cash on hand than it
p re v i o u s ly e s t i m a t e d , s a i d
Secretary Jack Lew in a letter
released Wednesday.
"Treasury now estimates that
extraordinary measures will be
exhausted no later than October
17. We estimate that, at that point,
Tre a s u r y wo u l d h ave o n ly
approximately $30 billion to meet
our country's commitments," he
said in a letter to House Speaker
John Boehner (R-Ohio). "This
amount would be far short of net
expenditures on certain days,
which can be as high as $60
billion."
Lew said in the letter, which
was released to the media, that the
Treasury had estimated in August
that it would have $50 billion on
hand to fund current obligations.
The letter ratchets up the
pressure on Congress to pass a bill
raising the statutory borrowing
authority of Congress.
Congressional Democrats and
President Barack Obama have
vowed not to negotiate on the debt
ceiling. House Republicans,
meanwhile, have floated a number
of provisions attached to a debt-
Jacob 'Jack' Lew, U.S. treasury
secretary, speaks at the Bloomberg
Markets 50 Summit in New York on
Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2013. The
conference brings together the
world's most influential leaders in
finance, business and government
to discuss the global economy.
Photographer: Michael
Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images|
Getty
ceiling hike, including a one-year
delay of the Obamacare individual
mandate and language backing the
construction of the controversial
the Keystone XL pipeline.
The Lew letter rejects an
approach by House Republicans to
prioritize payments to
bondholders in an effort to avoid a
shutdown. "Any plan to prioritize
some payments over others is
simply default by another name," it
says. "The United States should
never have to choose, for example,
whether to pay Social Security to
seniors, pay benefits to our
veterans, or make payments to
state and local jurisdictions and
health care providers under
Medicare and Medicaid. There is
no way of knowing the damage any
prioritization plan would have on
our economy and financial
markets."
The United States reached its
borrowing limit of $16.7 trillion on
May 19, but since has been using
"extraordinary measures" to fund
the government's obligations.
Lew warned that another debtceiling standoff would harm the
economy, similar to the damage
caused by the 2011 showdown
over the debt ceiling between
congressional Republicans and
President Barack Obama.
Worries over the debt ceiling
have already led markets to fall in
recent days. The longer
brinksmanship continues, the
greater the chance that markets
will destabilize further. HuffPost
insurance they buy directly, as
opposed to getting it through
work or from a government
program like Medicare. While
some of these people will qualify
for financial assistance, some
will see higher sticker prices for
coverage.
The Obama administration
and the states cooperating with
implementation of the health
law, and some independent
analysts, maintain that's why
prices on today's individual
market for health insurance can't
accurately be compared with the
cost of plans sold on the
exchanges.
"There have been a lot of
products on the market where
people thought they had health
insurance, but then they found
out it didn't cover hospital visits,
for example," Cohen said.
Improved benefits and consumer
protections in exchange plans
make them more valuable, he
said.
"People will have highquality coverage that will cover
essential health benefits, that
will be there when they need it,
and the rates they will have to
pay for those plans are
reasonable and good rates,
particularly after the application
of tax credits, when they are
extremely reasonable," Cohen
said.
The health care law provides
Fil Am fugitive ...
From page 1
driver, failed to show up during a
court hearing on April 14, 1997,
prompting Cook County Criminal
Circuit Court Judge Henry R.
Simmons to issue a no-bond warrant
of arrest for Spiller.
Judge Simmons also ordered the
confiscation of the $200,000 bond for
his provisional liberty.
As soon as the alarm went off
after Spiller cut off the monitoring
device, Cook County sheriff deputies
made a break for his home on April 13
and found Spiller gone. Spiller left the
bracelet behind.
Spiller fled to the Philippines.
In early, 2012, a person, who
knew Spiller, spotted him in Hemet,
Southern California, and contacted
the Chicago police and the FBI after
reading an article from a Chicago
Tribune series.
Spiller was arrested on Feb. 21,
2012 near his home in Hemet,
sporting a new name, Johnny
Harrington, an identity he obtained
from an imprisoned criminal.
According to reports, when
Spiller fled his home in Chicago, he
went to Memphis, Tennessee and
went to a Greyhound bus station.
Spiller later phoned a cousin that
he made it back to the Philippines. It
was reported that Chicago police got
information that Spiller worked as a
bodyguard for a Filipino government
official. The report could not be
verified.
EXCHANGED HEATED WORDS
Court records showed that
tax credits on a sliding scale
based on income. People earning
from the federal poverty level,
which is $11,490 for a single
person this year, to four times
that amount, or $45,960, may be
eligible for financial assistance.
The value of the tax credit is tied
to the second-cheapest silver
plan where a person lives. People
who earn up to 250 percent of
poverty can get extra help
covering their out-of-pocket
expenses. In about half the states,
Medicaid benefits will be
available to anyone who makes
up to 133 percent of poverty,
which is $15,282.
Health insurance sold on the
exchanges is categorized by
metal levels from bronze to silver
to gold to platinum, denoting
how generous their coverage is.
Lower-end plans generally will
have lower monthly premiums,
but higher out-of-pocket costs,
while higher end plans will have
higher premiums and less out-ofpocket spending. People younger
than 30 or who can't afford
insurance even with subsidies
can opt for high-deductible
catastrophic plans that aren't
eligible for tax credits. Nearly all
legal U.S. residents are required
to obtain health coverage or face
a tax penalty under the law's
individual mandate. Farah
Mohamed contributed to this
report. HuffPost
Spiller met Castillo, 53, by the door
of Golden Cue and exchanged heated
words after greeting each other. This
prompted Spiller to pull out his .45
pistol and fired at Castillo several
times. Castillo was rushed to the
Illinois Masonic hospital but he was
pronounced dead on arrival.
Autopsy report showed Castillo,
a real estate businessman also of
Chicago, sustained two bullet
wounds on the chest, one each on the
back, left leg and right forearm.
One of Castillo's two children,
Carlo, now 39, told this writer at that
time that his father and two friends
were going to the Grand Victoria
casino at a Chicago suburb.
Carlo added that according to
information supplied to him by
witnesses, Popoy was at the Golden
Cue. He was told that when his father
saw Popoy, they exchanged heated
words. Popoy, according to Carlo,
challenged his father to a fight but his
father declined the dare. Carlo said
that it was while his father was
walking away when Popoy shot him
in the back, as well as other parts of
the body.
Carlo said that the feud between
his father and Popoy came into the
open when his father and Popoy had
an argument at the now closed "IC"
(Imus, Cavite) restaurant on Irving
Park Road a month before the
shooting incident.
Castillo was a native of Taal,
Batangas, while Spiller, is a native of
Manila and born to Filipino mother
and a black American father.
Calls placed by this reporter to
Carlo Castillo and his mother, Irene
Castillo, the widow of Roberto
Castillo, for comment were not
returned.
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Will become first city in New Jersey to guarantee sick days
Jersey City Council passes
earned sick days bill
Inauguration of Dr. Sue Henderson as the 12th president of New Jersey
City University on Sept. 20, 2013. Reena Rose Sibayan/The Jersey Journal
First woman to lead
NJCU inaugurated
Promises to continue fulfilling 'American mission’
By Aiyana Cronk
To the ovation of an audience
of her peers, students, faculty and
f a m i l y m e m b e r s , D r. S u e
Henderson was inaugurated as
the 12th and first female -president of New Jersey City
University in Jersey City this
morning.
Henderson has held the
position for a year, but today she
was officially celebrated as leader
of the largest higher education
institution in Hudson County.
"(Henderson) will help to
complete NJCU's transformation
into an epicenter of change in the
state and in the country," Luke
Visconti, chairman of the NJCU
Foundation Board of Directors,
said during the ceremony at the
school's Margaret Williams
Theater.
Not a single speaker went
without acknowledging
Henderson's keen insight from
years of experience in leadership
in higher education, often citing
her "energetic" attitude.
"NJCU is a stellar example of
the diverse landscape of the
United States," Duy Dao, an NJCU
alumnus said. "And this will only
continue under the dedication
and commitment of Sue
Henderson."
In her inaugural address,
Henderson committed to work to
improve and grow NJCU as a part
of Jersey City.
"We have already begun to
fulfill the American mission for
high education," Henderson told
The Jersey Journal. "But this is
only possible due to the positive
energy from the faculty and
communication within the
community."
Gail Marquis, a former power
forward for the U.S. Olympic
basketball team and mistress of
ceremonies at today's
inauguration, believes that
Henderson has not only begun
her tenure at NJCU but within the
community.
"This is a two-fold
achievement, first for NJCU and
second for Jersey City," Marquis
told The Jersey Journal. "I have
known (Henderson) for over 10
years, and who you see here right
now is who she is, an innovative
and energetic woman."
The ceremony is being
followed by a campus reception
and then a full day of celebratory
events.
Tonight, the college will
launch a free jazz series with a
concert at the J. Owen Grundy
Pier at Exchange Place.
A month-long series of
programs and cultural events is
intended to showcase NJCU's
deep roots in the Jersey City
community, its 84-year tradition
of academic excellence, its
broadly diverse campus
community, and its motto: "Enter
to learn, exit to serve." The Jersey
Journal
By Ady Barkan, Center for Popular
Democracy
JERSEY CITY, Sept. 25 -Tonight the Jersey City Council
adopted an ordinance that would
allow 30,000 workers to earn paid
or unpaid sick leave. The measure,
proposed last month by Mayor
Steven Fulop, passed by a vote of
seven to one. Once signed by
Mayor Fulop, the ordinance will
make Jersey City the first city in
New Jersey and the sixth city in the
nation to pass what advocates say
is a commonsense policy that
makes families more secure,
boosts the economy and protects
the public health.
“We applaud Mayor Fulop and
the elected officials of Jersey City
for moving to enact paid sick days
legislation. The rapid spread of
this important policy from city to
city across the country shows that
the public is strongly supportive
of policy that improves the lives of
working families,” said Andrew
Friedman, Executive Director of
the Center for Popular Democracy.
“Progressive coalitions around
the country are leading the way,
ha nd-in-ha nd w it h elected
officials who are committed to a
robust economy that creates good
jobs and expands our country's
middle class.”
Coalition Hails Victory
That Paves the Way for
Similar Legislation in
Newark and Statewide
“This legislation means I no
longer have to worry about losing
pay or getting fired if I need to take
time off work when my little girl
gets sick,” said James Burks, a
security worker in Jersey City. “All
families deserve that kind of basic
security, and I'm proud that my
city is doing its part to protect
working families struggling to get
by.”
The Jersey City ordinance
allows workers to earn up to five
paid sick days a year for all
workers in businesses with ten or
more employees. Employees are
eligible to earn one hour of paid
sick time for every thirty hours
worked, for up to a maximum of
forty paid sick hours per year.
Workers in businesses with less
than ten employees are eligible to
earn up to 40 hours of unpaid sick
time. It will go into effect 120 days
from its passage, on January 25 of
2014.
“Mayor Fulop and members of
the Jersey City Council deserve
credit for taking the lead on one of
the major worker's rights and
public health causes of the day,”
said Kevin Brown, State Director
of 32BJ SEIU. “With this law on the
books fewer workers who become
ill will have to choose between
losing a day's pay or going to work
sick. Workers will be less likely to
face financial hardship if they
become ill, and the public will be
at less risk of the spread of illness.”
Advocates testified at the
Council hearing that the bill
means more than just protection
for workers, and has been shown
to strengthen the economy and
protect the public health of other
communities that have
implemented it. In particular they
cited studies in San Francisco and
Seattle which showed no negative
impact from earned sick days on
local economies. Both cities
outpaced neighbors that lacked
earned sick time protection.
“Workers coming to work sick
actually costs our nation $160
billion annually, far more than the
cost of workers staying at home to
recover,” said Bill Rodgers,
Professor of Public Policy and
Chief Economist at the Heldrich
Center for Workforce
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Page 14
HCCC Center for Distance Education
expands course offerings and increases
number of sessions per semester
Online students may work towards degree with same academic support and financial aid opportunities
JERSEY CITY, Sept. 25, 2013 -Residents and business people
interested in pursuing a degree or
certification from Hudson County
Community College (HCCC) via
online studies now have more
opportunities to do so.
Dr. Jennifer Dudley, Dean of
Non-Traditional Programs for the
College, announced that HCCC has
expanded the online course
offerings to include nearly 60
purely online and hybrid courses.
Additionally, the number of times
when individuals may begin online
courses has doubled from four
times a year to eight.
“We want individuals to know
that when they opt for online or
hybrid courses from the HCCC
Center for Distance Education,
they are receiving the exact same
instruction and coursework they
would receive if they were taking
face-to-face classes here,” Dr.
Dudley said. “HCCC online and
hybrid courses are taught by the
same qualified instructors, meet
the same rigorous standards, with
credits every bit as transferable as
all other HCCC classes. Plus,
students enrolled in online
courses may also be eligible for
financial assistance.”
The HCCC online and hybrid
courses are completely mobile and
may be accessed and taken via
computer, smartphone and tablet.
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Editorial & opinion
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 10
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
‘Home for all’
The lapsed, the wounded, and those banished to the fringes
of the Catholic Church are finding hope in Pope Francis' words
in his wide-ranging interview with the editor in chief of La
Civilta Cattolica. “[T]he thing the church needs most today is the
ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it
needs nearness, proximity,” the Argentine says, touching off
sparks. That he sees it as “a field hospital after battle” speaks to
those who are living lives not pleasing to the institutional
Church but yearning to remain in its fold. The faithful are
“thrilled” that he envisions the Church as “the home for all.”
They are comforted that he is “sending a message of tolerance
and maturity.” They deem his remarks “more important than an
encyclical.”
Francis refreshes. He flings open doors and windows to let
the musty air out. Not for him an exclusionist Church battening
down the hatches to keep out those who question or who rail
against what is and dare to say what can be“a small chapel that
can hold only a small group of selected people.” He rues that it
has “locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules,” and
declares that it has “to find a new balance.” He disdains what it
has become: “We must not reduce the bosom of the universal
church to a nest protecting our mediocrity.”
Those long chagrined by the Church's certain arrogance in
these parts, grade-school children are taught that only
Catholics deserve, and can attain, salvation; couples who make
an informed choice in planning their families are threatened
with damnation are taking heart in Francis' call to the Church to
“step outside itself and go to those who do not attend mass, to
those who have quit or are indifferent.” He demonstrates to
them that he sees the “holiness” in “the patience of the people of
God,” such as “a woman who is raising children and a man who
works to bring home the bread,” that he does not think that
“'thinking with the church' means only thinking with the
hierarchy of the church.”
The local Catholic hierarchy and its lay leaders and lawyers,
still engaged in ruthless opposition to the Reproductive Health
Law, are not singing hosannas to the Pope's remarks. They say
only that there is “no contradiction,” no break in Catholic
doctrine, only a need to be mindful of how they “care” for the
poor and “those who are distant from the Church.” There is no
assurance to the flock of a re-calibrated approach toward those
antagonized, isolated, threatened and condemned for acting
within their right and conscience in taking full responsibility
for their lives and the children they choose to bring into this
worldor not. Being put on the defensive for “moral ghettoes,”
the local Church appears to be digging in its heels and girding
for renewed “obsession.”
Francis, who has early on called for reforms in the Church,
names “attitude” as the first reform: “The ministers of the
Gospel must be people who can warm the hearts of the people,
who walk through the dark night with them, who know how to
dialogue and to descend themselves into their people's night,
into the darkness, but without getting lost.” It's as if he
apprehends the anguish of those who, by dint of their
nonconformist lives, are made lepers, outcasts. “The people of
God want pastors, not clergy acting like bureaucrats or
government officials,” he says. “The bishops, particularly, must
be able to support the movements of God among their people
Obama Urged to
Stop Deportations
Immigration advocates are
appealing to President Obama
to exercise his executive power
and stop the deportation of
thousands of undocumented
immigrants in the country while
Congress is at a standstill on
immigration reform. At present,
over 1,000 undocumented
immigrants are being deported
per day. Last year, more than
400,000 were deported.
President Obama changed
his policy on deportation last
year and deferred the
deportation of thousands of
young people who were illegally
brought into the country as
children. Over 455,000
undocumented young people
have so far been granted
deferred action.
T h i s t i m e , h o w e v e r,
President Obama, in an
interview, indicated that he
cannot change his policy on
enforcement nor expand the
coverage of the deferment
program. He also told
progressive and labor leaders in
a meeting that he cannot ease
e n fo rc e m e n t b e c a u s e h i s
priority is to push for the
passage of the immigration
reform bill. According to an
advocate, the goal is “getting the
immigration reform passed, and
that solves the problem not
starting a whole controversy as
to whether he is easing up.”
Meantime, the President
instructed the U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
div ision to fo c u s o n t h e
deportation of felons and
multiple offenders. Advocates
say that the ICE and the
Department of Homeland
Security continue to deport
undocumented workers who
are without any criminal record
and are separated from their
families. Last month, however,
ICE issued a directive advising
agents “to keep enforcement
actions from unnecessarily
impacting parents and primary
caregivers.”
The President's refusal to
stop mass deportations has
prompted immigration
advocates to launch campaigns
to demonstrate their frustration
and disappointment. Seven
undocumented workers
affiliated with the National Day
Laborer Organizing Network
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Page 12
Creeping amnesia
you,” then National Press Club
with her physician-husband and
over the phone. “OK if I give them
your address?” Gifted with
backbone, Monteclaro later
lodged a habeas corpus petition
(GR No. 36142) for arrested
journalists. “Sure, Ed. I'm not
going on the lam,” we told him.
Honolulu Star Bulletin's Carl
Zimmerman hitched a ride in the
car that ferried us to Camp
Crame. “Here it is, Carl,” we said
on being shown the order.
“We're being nailed under
something called Proclamation
1081.” The colonel snatched it
and bristled: “Foreign
correspondent? You are not
allowed to see this.”
What cuts is detention's
open-ended nature. It is harder
on families. A lawyer, my
daughter now lives in California
late Fr. James Reuter. The Jesuit
waited until her St. Paul third
grade class was dismissed. “Not
everyone in prison is bad,” he
reassured her. “Your father and
other newsmen are not
criminals.”
“Could all the journalists
please follow me,” Col. Generoso
Alejo told the detainees. “You
have a visitor.” It was almost
midnight, at the tail end of
martial law's first week. Outside,
silence blanketed the streets
emptied by the dusk-to-dawn
curfew.
In the lower bunk, Evening
News' Luis Beltran groaned and
rose. From the upper bed, I
shimmied down. We followed
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Page 14
president Eddie Monteclaro said
two kids. She remembers the
Founded in 1986
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Jonathan Suarez, Joel Baclit
Correspondent: Contessa Bourbon
The opinions expressed by columnists are their
own and do not reflect the opinion of the paper
nor that of the publisher
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
Sept 21, 2013 is the 41st
anniversary of the imposition of
martial law. There were 22
Manila-based journalists
arrested by military teams that
shoved “assos” into our faces.
“What's an 'asso?'” asked our
grandson, a University of
California Irvine freshman.
Few remember the “arrest
and seizure orders” issued
under Ferdinand Marcos' ruleby-bayonet. “Journalists must
remind people of what they
prefer to forget,” columnist
Simeon Dumdum wrote in
“Speak Memory.”
“Soldiers are here, asking for
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Page 12
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 11
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
OPINION Beware of the 'fourth monkey’
By Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz
Call it an allegory or a fable, a
parable or a proverb or whatever.
Its key feature is the realistic
thought or practical lesson is
forwarded by the known saying
in the realm of what is right and
proper what is true and real. And
this is exactly the content and
intent of the famous or infamous
story of “The Three Monkeys.”
The story goes that there
were these three monkeys sitting
down in a row each one making a
gesture as a sign of what
everyone of them is all about.
The first one has his hands
covering his two eyes to mean
that he sees nothing nothing
good, nothing bad. The second
monkey has his two hands
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
Concrete blocks or just rocks
and corals?
That is the latest question
troubling the strained
re l a t i o n s h i p b e t we e n t h e
Philippines and China over the
disputed Bajo de Masinloc, also
known as Scarborough Shoal, off
the South China Sea. This time,
though, the dispute is playing out
through photographs, more than
words.
A week after the Armed
Forces of the Philippines came
out with photographs showing
concrete blocks in Bajo de
Masinloc, China released photos
that showed only rocks and
covering his two ears to convey
the message that he hears
nothing nothing right, nothing
wrong. The third money has his
both hands covering his mouth to
signify that he is saying nothing
nothing true, nothing false. So it is
that three monkeys represent the
stance of people who see nothing,
hear nothing, and say nothing.
These are wherefore portrayed
as individuals pretending to be
not only blind, but also deaf and
dumb exactly like the three
monkeys.
Needless to say, the likes of
the three monkeys are big
liabilities of society in terms of
people living in these difficult
and trying times. When men are
killed everyday in many places
and in many ways; when women
are customarily violated in their
inherent dignity and physical
integrity; when children are
abducted for whatever evil
reason people who play blind,
deaf and dumb become social
liabilities themselves.
When politicians rob the
citizens of the continuous taxes
the latter pay, assiduously serve
themselves instead of others,
abuse their authority and power
against the very individuals who
put them in office and shoulder
the costs of all their luxurious
expenses people who pretend to
be blind, deaf and dumb lose
their right to have honest and
sincere public servants.
When the government is
precisely either really incapable
of serving or in fact incapacitated
from ruling people who act as if
they are blind, deaf and dumb
deserve the pathetic government
they thus have.
But wait! These trying times
have even brought about a fourth
monkey: One that does nothing.
Yes! This fourth monkey can see,
hear, and talk.
But act he does not.
Lo and behold! He sits
comfortably, has his hands cozily
folded as he listens to what is
taking place, merely looks at
what people are doing and that's
it! But when the right time comes,
when the right occasion and
opportunity are present, this
monkey jumps to action
denouncing what is wrong, etc.
and eventually announcing his
availability to serve the people, to
save the country, etc.
Call this fourth monkey an
astute one, a smart aleck, a good
opportunist or whatever. But the
advisory is the same: Beware of
the “fourth monkey!”
PH, China in battle of photos on Scarborough
shoal
corals.
The photos sent by China to
Philippine officials were said to
have been taken second week of
September to support the
statement issued by China's
Foreign Ministry that the
Philippine claim was
“fabricated.”
Defense Department
Spokesman Peter Paul Galvez
and Philippine Navy
Spokesperson Lieutenant
Commodore Gregory Fabic both
declined to comment on China's
photos and referred the matter
to the Department of Foreign
Affairs.
The Philippine Navy, in a
monitoring report on Sept 10,
found “at least two concrete
PH Navy photos, Sept. 2, 2013
Chinese photos taken second week of Sept. 2013
blocks,” on Bajo de Masinloc,
which military officials feared
would serve as foundation for
future construction.
Navy officials, however,
cannot tell from the photos if the
concrete blocks were placed
there recently or had been there
before April 2012.
Navy Chief Vice Adm. Jose
Luis Alano earlier said the
removal of concrete blocks in the
area, currently guarded by at
least three Chinese ships, is
under discussion.
The concrete blocks in
Scarborough shoal, Huangyan
Island to the Chinese, are the
latest issue in the long-running
dispute between the Philippines
and China over rock formations
124 nautical miles west of
Zambales. These are within the
200-nautical-mile Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ) of the
country but have been under the
control of China since April
2012.
DFA Spokesperson Raul
Hernandez skirted the issue
saying, “We think that to address
the issue, the action to be taken
the unmitigated temerity to ask
for the permission of a mere
c o n s t i t u t i o n a l b o d y, t h e
Ombudsman, if it can let her out
to testify in the ongoing public
probe of the committee.
As legal analyst Mel Sta. Ana
wrote, Drilon's sudden
subservience to the
Ombudsman is laughably
wrong, because a mere law gave
the anti-graft prosecuting
agency its powers, while the
Senate (as pointed out by blue
ribbon panel chairman TG
Guingona) has the Constitution
itself as its supporter in
c o n d u c t i n g a p ro b e t h a t
includes Napoles' all-important
testimony. “Given the craving of
the people to know the truth, the
most logical, reasonable and
proper thing [for Drilon] to do
was to support Senator
Guingona and assert the
Senate's constitutional powers
which include the summoning
of the witnesses in aid of
legislation,” Sta. Ana wrote.
And as an interested party in
the case, after having been
linked by Napoles associates to
the businesswoman, the least
Drilon could have done was to
stay out of the way of Guingona's
committee, if the Senate
president truly has nothing to
hide. Instead, Drilon held a press
conference saying that he
cannot, as Senate chief, sign off
on a subpoena demanding that
Napoles attend the Senate
hearings, because the
Ombudsman did not
recommend it after Drilon
himself had solicited the
Ombudsman's opinion on the
matter.
And how, pray tell, can the
Ombudsman (wise as she is) tell
the Senate how to conduct its
independent investigations in
aid of legislation? In this upsidedown world where political
alliances bleed over from one
branch to the next, from one
department to another, there
should still be a limit to what
those in power are allowed to
get away with.
It is best to describe Drilon's
a c t i o n i n p i t hy P i l i p i n o :
Binababoy na ni Drilon ang
Senado.
Over at the Executive, where
Drilon obviously gets his orders,
as he always does, there is also
more pambababoy. The Office of
the Solicitor General, acting as
the legal counsel of President
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Page 12
'Baboy’
To paraphrase someone
famous, who was unfortunately
not speaking in reference to
Senate President Franklin
Drilon: “Saan ka kumukuha ng
kapal ng mukha?”
How soon people forget.
Only a little over a year ago,
Drilon started the process of the
impeachment and eventual
conviction of then Chief Justice
Renato Corona by giving a
privilege speech on the floor of
the Senate calling for the top
jurist's removal from office.
Now, Drilon, as Senate
president, cannot even allow his
own chamber's blue ribbon
committee to let alleged pork
barrel scam mastermind Janet
Lim Napoles testify on the very
serious charges leveled against
her. Drilon can demand that the
head of a supposed co-equal
branch of government be
impeached, tried and convicted,
but he refuses to let a private
businesswoman already
detained by the state explain her
role in the multi-billion-peso
scam that has rocked the entire
infrastructure of governance
and cast a long shadow on
Drilon's own protestations of
innocence, besides.
But then, Drilon has always
been famous for standing up for
his allies until they become
potential liabilities to him. In the
case of Napoles, who has long
been in an apparently fruitful
relationship with Drilon,
according to her own former
associates, the Senate chief has
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Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 12
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Bad deeds shouldn't
go unpunished
By Val G. Abelgas
Two acts of goodness awed
Americans in the past week,
one involving a homeless man
in Boston who found a
backpack containing $2,400 in
cash and $39,500 in traveler's
checks and turned it over to
the police, and the other a 19year-old Dairy Queen
manager who gave $20 to a
vision-impaired customer
who lost the amount to an
elderly woman who refused to
give back the money she had
picked up after the former
dropped it unknowingly.
The homeless man flagged
down a police car to turn over
the precious bag, while the
store manager had witnessed
the elderly woman pick up the
$20 bill knowing it belonged to
the vision-impaired customer
and had demanded that the
woman return the money. She
refused and the young man
asked the woman to get out of
the store. He later approached
the victim-impaired customer
to give him $20 from his own
pocket.
Both good Samaritans
were in dire need of money.
The homeless man was
ro a m i n g t h e s t re e t s t o
scavenge for food when he
found the bag in front of a
department store, where a
Chinese tourist had dropped
the bag that contained the
money and his passport. The
store manager has been
working since he was 14 to
raise money for his college
education.
And yet, the homeless man
was honest enough to return
the money and the store
manager was kind enough to
give his own $20 to the visionimpaired customer.
They were refreshing
stories, especially for Filipinos
who have witnessed greed and
lack of compassion among
their leaders and supposed
leading members of their
society in the past several
weeks. The stark contrast
between the two Americans in
dire need of money yet
selflessly helping complete
strangers, and several Filipino
officials and businessmen who
are awash with cash and living
in mansions and yet yearning
for more becomes magnified
in the wake of the
shamelessness with which the
pork barrel scammers robbed
the people blind of their
money.
The Filipino people
continue to be shocked and
angered as details of how
businesswoman Janet Lim
Napoles and several senators,
congressmen and bureaucrats
conspired to pocket billions of
pesos in pork barrel funds that
were supposed to be allocated
for development projects
throughout the country.
It's incomprehensible how
these crooks can sleep at
night, knowing that they took
the money from the people
who have looked up to them to
deliver them from poverty. It's
revolting how these greedy
politicians and businessmen
can party and celebrate while
the majority of their
countrymen wallow in
poverty and despair.
No wonder that in the past
few years, including the last
three years under President
Aquino, we have not heard of
new roads, bridges, school
buildings, health centers,
public housing or flood control
projects being built. No
wonder Philippine agriculture
has lagged behind its
neighbors because the billions
of pesos that should have been
Creeping
amnesia
From page 10
Daily Mirror's Amando Doronila,
Philippine News Service's Manuel
Almario and Taliba's Benny
Esquivel. Ben David, Celso
Carunungan and Luis Mauricio
(now all deceased) preceded us
into the barred reception room.
Our “midnight visitor” turned
out to be our jailor, the then PC
commander Gen. Fidel V. Ramos.
“Nothing personal, gentlemen,” he
said after amenities. “I was
ordered to neutralize you. Please
cooperate. We'll try to make things
Obama urged
to stop ...
From page 10
recently held a protest,
handcuffing themselves at the
gates of the White House and
carrying signs with the words,
“Mr. President Stop Deportations.”
Chris Newman, legal director
of the same organization behind
the protest expressed his concern
saying, “There's a clear
contradiction in the president's
position right now. He's saying
either the House Republican's will
come around on the path to
citizenship, or I'll be forced to keep
deporting people. And that's an
untenable position.” Advocates
maintain that the president has
the power to stop deportations
and are determined to keep
challenging him.
Meanwhile, advocates are also
intensifying their campaigns to
From page 11
PH, China in
battle ...
From page 11
would be to focus on the
expeditious conclusion of the
legally-binding code of conduct
on the SCS and also on our
preparation of our memorial
for the arbitration case with
China.”
He did not reply when
asked if the concrete blocks on
Scarborough Shoal would be
included in the Philippine
petition before the United
Nations Arbitral Court nor did
he provide updates on Foreign
Affairs Secretary Albert del
Rosario's earlier
announcement that the
Philippines would file a
diplomatic protest.
Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin first presented the
photos of concrete blocks in
Scarborough shoal numbering
75, taken by the Philippine
Navy, in a congressional budget
hearing last Sept. 3.
Gazmin said the photos,
pressure Congress to pass the
immigration reform bill.
Thousands of people are expected
to join a rally and a concert at the
doorsteps of Congress on October
8.
The House Republicans'
refusal to bring the immigration
reform bill to the floor has
increased the frustration of the
immigrant community. Although
many are “losing heart” with the
bill being sidelined for many
reasons, immigration advocates
will not stop pushing for the
overhaul of nation's immigration
system. As Jaime Contreras of the
Service Employees International
Union pointed out, “It's time for
Republican leaders to start
standing up to the extremists and
let them know that inaction is not
an option for us. We will not stop
until we win this fight.”
(Editor's Note: REUBEN S. SEGURITAN
has been practicing law for over 30 years.
For more information, you may log on to
his website at www.seguritan.com or call
(212) 695-5281.)
starting to lap at the riverbanks of
u
Page 14
‘Baboy’
taken on Sept. 2, showed
“concrete blocks inside the
shoal” which he said “may serve
as foundations, platforms, a
prelude to construction.” The
photos also showed Chinese
Coast Guard vessels about 3.2
nautical miles off the shoal's
entrance.
Aside from the concrete
blocks, there is a photo showing
two vertical posts at north off
the shoal's entrance, which
were first seen as early as July
this year.
Immediately after Gazmin's
congressional disclosure,
Chinese Foreign Ministry
Spokesperson Hong Lei said,
“No one knows the situation on
the Huangyan Island better
than China. What the
Philippines said was
completely fabricated.”
Hong reiterated China's
claim over the shoal. “I would
like to underline that China's
activities on the Huangyan
Island and in its adjacent waters
fall entirely within the scope of
China's sovereignty. China
urges the Philippines to stop
stirring up new troubles and
work together with China to
easier for you.”
H ave we c o o p e ra t e d by
fo rg e t t i n g ? “ T h e b ra i n h a s
corridors surpassing material
place,” Emily Dickinson wrote.
We recall the firstand onlyMass
the detainees were allowed to
offer. An imprisoned SVD priest, Fr.
Constante Floresca, officiated.
“Don't you feel offended for being
arrested for illegal assembly?” his
fellow detainees joshed him. “Your
Master was nabbed for
subversion.”
Through gritted teeth, Amando
Doronila read the gospel of his
choice: “Those who take by the
sword will perish by the sword.”
Within an hour, the order came
down: “Until further notice, Mass
will not be permitted.”
uphold peace and stability in the
South China Sea and restore
bilateral relations,” he said.
Philippines officials fear
that the concrete blocks in
Scarborough shoal would lead
to another “Mischief Reef.”
In February 1995, the
Philippines discovered a cluster
of huts in Mischief Reef in the
Spratly Islands, 130 nautical
miles west of Palawan. It is now
a military garrison.
The islands in the Spratlys in
the South China Sea are being
claimed partly by the
Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia
and Brunei and wholly by China
and Taiwan. The 10-member
Association of South East Asian
Nations is in talks with China for
a Code of Conduct in the South
China Sea.
The Philippines has
questioned before the U.N.
Arbitral Court China's ninedashed line map which gives the
Asian superpower 90 per cent of
the vast South China Sea.
(VERA Files is put out by veteran
journalists taking a deeper look at
current issues. Vera is Latin for
“true.”)
Noynoy Aquino, has asked the
Supreme Court to lift the courtordered suspension of the release
of the remaining pork barrel funds
of members of Congress for the
current year, saying that the
“reforms” it is undertaking will
ensure that no hanky-panky will
attend their expenditure.
How in the name of all that is
legal, logical and proper can
Malacanang ask for the release of
pork barrel funds when Aquino
himself has already declared that
the appropriation of such monies
has been abolished? What could
have possessed Aquino to ask that
the funds be released, when the
public's anger over the Napoles
scandal keeps escalating and when
no reforms have been put in place
apart from abolishing the name of
the Priority Development
Assistance Fund?
I'm sorry. But if that is not more
pambababoy, then I cannot tell the
difference between an actual pig
and the head of the Senate.
And where does Aquino get the
gall to say that he has reformed the
pork barrel system when the
Napoles scandal is only now
the presidential palace and into the
living room of the President
himself? The story of the wholesale
looting of the so-called Malampaya
fund, a largely unaudited trove of
easily accessible money that only
Aquino and his predecessors can
disburse (and which they have,
often through Napoles and her
fellow “business persons” in the
past) promises to dwarf even the
pork barrel scandal, regardless of
what Malacanang's propagandists
and media allies do to prevent that
from happening.
(Here's a hot tip: Nearly all the
Malampaya drawdowns have gone
to “soft” projectsthe same ones that
Napoles accessed for
“consumable” projects that can
never be traced.)
Drilon and Aquino,
unfortunately, are way beyond
turning a foul pig's ear into
beautiful silk purse that Jeane
Napoles could carry. Instead, the
expensive bag they made entirely
out of pork will soon be exposed as
a smelly part of the anatomy of the
animal that has become the
animate symbol of how our
leaders, no matter how selfrighteous, have enriched
themselves.
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 13
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Obama visit
seen to boost
security ties ...
From page 3
international control, at least
temporarily halting a US
push for a military strike in
retaliation for the regime's
alleged use of the weapons.
Michael Green, who was
the top Asia adviser to
former US President George
W. Bush, said that Obama's
“muddled message” on Syria
could cast a pall over his
public reception in Malaysia
and Indonesia.
“If the process that the
Russians have manufactured
goes nowhere, which is very
likely, and we're back to
debate and possibly the use
of force, that is not the
context that you want to take
into countries like Malaysia
or Indonesia,” said Green,
senior vice president for Asia
at the Center for Strategic
and International Studies.
“You can't always make
the summit about Asia when
something in the other part
of the world is catching the
White House press corps'
attention,” he said.
Rounds off Asean visits
With the trip, Obama
would have visited all
members of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean), except communist
nations Vietnam and Laos.
The US has been seeking
better relations with both
nations.
Obama in July received
Vietnamese President
Truong Tan Sang, who was
paying the second visit by a
Vietnamese head of state to
the White House since the
two nations fought a morethan-a-decade long war in
the 1960s and 1970s.
Obama pledged to visit
Vietnam but did not give a
date. Vietnamese-American
activists had urged Obama
not to visit on his upcoming
trip, saying he should first
s e e k i m p rove m e n t s i n
human rights.
The US president, who
spent part of his youth in
Indonesia, has put a priority
on building relations with
Southeast Asia, seeing the
fast-growing and largely USfriendly region as neglected
in the past.
The trip is “part of his
ongoing commitment to
increase US political,
economic and security
engagement with the Asia
Pacific,” the statement said.
(Inquirer.net)
Japan, U.S., ASEAN must team up to
counter China's maritime advance
Source: The Japan News
It is becoming apparent that
China intends to strengthen its
hegemony in the South China Sea
while stalling for time in drawing
up a code of conduct to avoid
hostilities.
China and the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations held the
first official talks among senior
officials to move toward deciding
on a code of conduct to regulate the
activities of countries concerned in
the South China Sea.
Yet China remained halfhearted
over the issue throughout the talks,
with the meeting only deciding on
the establishment of a meeting of
experts.
In the South China Sea, China is
in conflict with such ASEAN
countries as the Philippines and
Vietnam regarding sovereignty
over the Spratly Islands and other
islands and reefs.
China asserts a claim of
exclusive sovereignty over not only
the Spratly Islands but nearly all of
the South China Sea. Yet it has not
brought the international
community around to its point of
view.
For over a decade, the ASEAN
countries have been trying to
secure agreement from China on
the establishment of rules of
conduct to prevent overt hostilities
in the South China Sea. Yet, with its
ove r wh e l m i n g m i l i t a r y a n d
economic power, China refused to
hold such a meeting until recently.
It is regrettable that even when
China finally did come to the
negotiating table, it proposed
discussing other issues instead and
would not go into a detailed
discussion on the code of conduct.
Scarborough stare-down
In the South China Sea, with no
code of conduct for concerned
countries, the crisis is only
deepening. The current focal point
lies in the conflict between the
Philippines and China.
Around the disputed
Scarborough Shoal, over which
both countries claim sovereignty,
naval vessels from the two sides
faced each other for two months.
The government of the Philippines
said that after it moved its vessels
away, China placed concrete blocks
on the shoal.
Earlier this year, the Philippines
filed a request for arbitration under
the U.N. Convention on the Law of
the Sea, asserting that China's claim
of sovereignty over the shoal is
unlawful. This month, China held an
exhibition inviting heads of ASEAN
member countries. But the
president of the Philippines was
not invited.
The snub must be interpreted
as an attempt by China to rebuke
the Philippines over the country's
having taken legal action against
China.
It is understandable that the
Philippines, pressured physically
by China, has been intensifying
relations with the United States and
Japan.
While having expanded a joint
military exercise with the United
States, the Philippines is moving
ahead in talks with the United
States that are likely to lead, in
effect, to the stationing of U.S. forces
in the Philippines again. There is a
possibility that the Subic naval
base, once a strategic foothold for
the United States, will again be used
for the deployment of U.S. forces.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe,
since he took office last December,
has intensively visited ASEAN
countries and presented his plan of
providing 10 patrol vessels to the
Philippines.
For both Japan and the United
States, which face the expanding
presence of China in the East China
Sea and the western Pacific, the
significance of cooperating with
ASEAN member countries by taking
concerted actions with them is not
limited to the South China Sea. It
will help their efforts to check China
from expanding its maritime
activities elsewhere as well. The
Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 19, 2013
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 14
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Jersey City ...
From page 9
Development at Rutgers University.
“When sick workers stay home, the
spread of disease slows and
workplaces are healthier and more
productive. And by letting workers
earn sick days businesses put money
in the pockets of low-income
workers who go out into the
marketplace and spend it on goods
and services. It's a win-win for
workers, employers, and local
economies.”
A study will assess the impact of
the ordinance on workers and the
city's economy during its first year of
implementation and make
recommendations on whether to
extend paid sick days to additional
workers next year.
With support across party lines
polls consistently show that over
80% of voters, including Democrats,
Independents and Republicans alike,
support paid sick days and local and
national leaders, including President
Obama, committing to “redouble our
efforts on behalf of fairer workplaces
and healthier, more secure families,”
momentum for earned sick days
HCCC Center ...
From page 9
The courses include various classes
in Accounting, Anthropology, Art
History, Biology, Nutrition, Business
Law, Food Service Sanitation,
Culinary Arts and Hospitality
Industry, Computers & Computing,
Macro- and Micro-economics,
C o m p o s i t i o n , U . S . H i s t o r y,
Introduction to Film, Humanities,
Literature, Marketing, Mathematics,
Philosophy, Psychology and much
more. Students may fulfill the
mandatory student orientation
online as well.
“The College has made a
significant investment of time and
legislation is growing across the
country.
Jersey City joins five other cities
Washington, D.C.; San Francisco;
Seattle; New York City; and Portland,
Oregon that have taken action to
help boost the economy by making
sure workers can hang on to critical
income when ill. In NYC, paid sick
days legislation was a powerful
determinant in the outcome of this
month's Democratic primary for
mayor, as voters were less likely to
vote for Christine Quinn after she
blocked action on paid sick days for
three years. Currently, Washington,
D.C. is working to expand their
existing paid sick days laws to cover
all workers.
Campaigns for
statewide sick days laws are moving
forward in Vermont, Massachusetts,
Oregon and elsewhere.
“Elected officials are quickly
realizing that passing earned sick
days laws is the right thing to do for
workers and the smart thing to do for
local businesses and consumers,”
said Bill Holland, a Jersey City
resident and executive director of the
New Jersey Working Families
Alliance. “Newark's City Council is
already gearing up to pass an
ordinance giving all of their city's
workers a chance to earn paid sick
time. Passing earned sick days in
New Jersey's two largest cities would
be a powerful catalyst for bringing
this movement to the rest of the
state.”
Statewide coalition members
that supported the bill in Jersey City
and are working to bring similar
legislation to Newark include the
Center for Popular Democracy, the
Time to Care Coalition, SEIU 32BJ, the
New Jersey Working Families
Alliance, the New Jersey NAACP,
Health Professionals and Allied
Employees (HPAE), New Jersey
Citizen Action, CWA District 1, and
AFSCME.
Just this April Assemblywoman
Pamela Lampitt introduced an
earned sick days bill that would
protect 1.5 million New Jersey
workers.
“The Jersey City Council vote is
an incredible victory for working
families, public health and the
economy,” said Phyllis Salowe-Kaye,
Executive Director of New Jersey
Citizen. “While the fight for earned
sick days for each and every New
J e r s e y a n i s f a r f r o m o v e r,
Wednesday's vote proved beyond
doubt that the momentum is on the
side of working families.”
capital in the Center for Distance
Education's faculty, staff and
technologies so that we could grow
our online and hybrid course
offerings and make it easier for
students to learn,” stated HCCC
President Dr. Glen Gabert. “We know
that for many individuals, these
classes provide the best
opportunities to work towards a
degree or certification at times that
are convenient for them, and without
the bother and expense of
commuting.”
Dr. Gabert stressed that in
addition to 24/7/365 technical help
desks, the College's Center for
Distance Education also offers
24/7/365 online tutoring. Offerings
from the College's Center for
Academic & Student Success are also
available through the Center for
Distance Education, including the
one-credit “College Survival Skills”
course which helps prepare students
to succeed academically and to make
informed study and career decisions.
Information on for-credit
s t u d i e s m ay b e a c c e s s e d a t
www.hccc.edu/onlinelearning and
prospective students are urged to
register now as the “Fall B” session
begins October 23.
Hudson County Community
College's Center for Distance
Education also offers more than 300
noncredit courses online.
Information on these classes, their
costs and availability may be found at
www.ed2go.com/hccc/.
Bad deeds ...
From page 12
spent for constructing farm-tomarket roads and irrigation canals
or to help farmers purchase seeds,
fertilizers and other farm
implements are instead going to the
pockets of politicians and nefarious
businessmen.
No wonder the country
continues to be hounded by
blackouts because the hundreds of
millions of pesos in Malampaya Fund
that, by law, should have been used
to improve power generation, are
being misappropriated by our
leaders.
And despite the anger that the
scam has generated among the
people, these officials continue to
hang on to the pork barrel fund as if
their lives depended on it. Just last
week, a group of congressmen said
they would appeal to the Supreme
Court to lift its temporary
restraining order on the release of
pork barrel funds because their
constituents who are benefiting
from the funds would suffer, like
their scholars and people who are
given amounts from the fund for
their health care.
Wasn't the Priority Development
Assistance Fund designed to finance
development projects that would
have lasting benefits to the country
and the people, and not for
individual beneficiaries that only
promote the culture of mendicancy?
Before, politicians would use their
own money for donations to
funerals, hospitalizations,
scholarships and basketball leagues
that are obviously aimed at getting
the people's votes, but now they are
using the people's money for their
own political agenda.
Now that the prime suspect,
Napoles, is under detention and she
and her alleged cohorts are facing
charges of plunder, graft and bribery,
I hope that the Ombudsman gives
priority to the case so that justice can
be meted out in the fastest possible
time. We don't want to see this case
go the way of other high-profile
cases that remain unresolved up to
this day the Ampatuan massacre
trial, the Garcia plunder case, the
plunder and poll fraud charges
against Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, etc.
The Filipino people are so
trapped in pessimism and
hopelessness that nobody seems to
believe the major players would be
meted prison sentences. The people
have so much lost trust in the
country's judicial system and in the
integrity and credibility of their
leaders that they believe, and
seemingly ready to accept, that only
the minor bureaucrats would get the
deserved punishment for this
crime.
This should not happen because
if it does, the future generation of
Filipinos will continue to accept
bribery and corruption as part of a
nation's life. Can you imagine a new
generation of Filipinos that believes
only through thievery can they
succeed in life? Can you imagine a
society that does not believe in
justice and honesty? Can you
imagine a nation where greedy and
dishonest individuals are rewarded
w i t h f a m e a n d p o w e r, a n d
hardworking and honest ones are
relegated to the margins of society?
We s h o u l d p r e s s u r e t h e
government to prosecute the
culprits in the pork barrel scam and
that all guilty, whether friend or foe
of the Aquino administration, must
be meted the maximum
punishment. We should pressure
Aquino to abolish the pork barrel
system, which is the biggest source
of corruption in the government.
We should pressure Aquino to make
good on his promise of reform. We
should never let go, never allow this
biggest thievery in our country's
history to go the way of all other
scandals in the past.
Let us listen to former Chief
Justice Reynato Puno when he
called for the abolition of this evil
called pork. He said: “The fight
against evil requires that we not
only start the fight but we finish the
fight. The fight against evil demands
a period. The fight cannot be
postponed by a comma, cannot be
suspended by a cease fire. Evil
deserves but one end defeat.”
The homeless man and the store
manager are reaping the rewards
for their good deeds. Americans
who were inspired by the homeless
man's selfless act have put up a fund
for the man that has now raised
more than $100,000 and growing.
People touched by the young store
manager's generous act have
offered him jobs and educational
assistance. Foot traffic to the Dairy
Queen store he manages has
doubled since and the food chain
owner, billionaire Warren Buffet,
has personally called to commend
him.
In contrast, the greedy and
shameless businessmen, politicians
and bureaucrats who are
responsible for the biggest theft on
e a r t h s h o u l d b e m e te d t h e
maximum possible punishment,
and their wealth garnished and
channeled to projects for the
people.
Good deeds don't come
unnoticed; bad deeds shouldn't go
unpunished.
([email protected])
‘Home for all’
From page 10
with patience, so that no one is left behind.”
Discernment is “essential,” according to Francis. He takes a dim view of
those who constantly search for “disciplinarian solutions” and “who long
for an exaggerated doctrinal 'security'.” It is thus not a surprise that he
reads Dostoevsky, quotes Puccini's “Turandot,” listens to Mozart, Bach and
Wagner, and loves Fellini's “La Strada.” A profound intellect marks this
man, by his own description “a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.”
“Essential,” too, is the woman “for the church,” says Francis, as though
speaking of the group of nuns whom the Vatican had accused of “corporate
dissent” from the Church's teaching and pursuit of “radical feminist
themes”charges that the nuns deny. Yet, and regrettably, he merely calls for
further investigation of the role of women in the Church. When will that
role become finally clear? Does he not say that “Mary, a woman, is more
important than the bishops”? (Inquirer.net)
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 15
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Flash mob of 300 choristers, dancers greets Baclaran Marian devotees
Massive sudden performance marked 44th anniversary of CCP
Devotees of the National
Shrine of Our Mother of
Perpetual Help in Baclaran
thought it would be just another
announcement after the Mass
when its rector, Fr. Ino Cueto,
CSSR, asked them to stay.
They were surprised when
hundreds of choristers started
singing on the altar and dancers
performed on the aisle of the
church. As part of its 44th
anniversary celebration, the
Cultural Center of the
Philippines (CCP) pulled a flash
mob, a sudden burst of the
performing arts in a public place
last Sept. 18 at around 11:45
a.m. Some 300 choristers from
several choir groups, led by the
Philippine Madrigal Singers,
rendered songs.
LEAD conductor Mark Anthony Carpio of Madrigal Singers; CCP
vice president Chris Millado; Our Lady of Perpetual Help rector
Ino Cueto, CSSR
SOME 300 singers from various choral groups perform at the
Perpetual Help Shrine. Photos by Lester G. Babiera
A photo of the surprised and elated devotees of the National
Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help in Baclaran
CCP vice president and
artistic director Chis Millado
said the flash mob was in
celebration of the CCP's 44th
a n n ive r s a r y. H e s a i d t h e
anniversary rites used to be beld
in CCP but the CCP felt there was
need to bring culture and the
performing arts outside, right in
the midst of the public.
“We chose Baclaran because
we knew that every Wednesday,
many people flock there,” he
added.
The choral groups came
from De La Salle UniversityDasmariñas chorale; Our Lady of
Fatima University; Philippine
Normal University; Philippine
Ve t e r a n s A f f a i r s O f f i c e ;
Redemptorist Church;
Technological Institute of the
Philippines; and University of
Makati and CCP.
The mob performed Ryan
Cayabyab's “Hibang sa Awit”
along with “All Will Praise the
Lord,” “Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin”
and “One Voice.”
Fr. Cueto said this is the first
time a flash mob happened at
Baclaran Church. He explained
he readily gave permission for
the performance since devotees
loved musical performances.
CCP did a flash mob last year
at the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport Terminal
3. Aside from the flash mob, the
CCP celebrated its anniversary
this year with a jazz festival.
INQUIRER.net
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 16
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
“BAHAY Kubo,” by Diosdado Lorenzo
“PARADIS '98,” by Jerry Elizalde Navarro
“DANCING Girls,” by Ricarte Puruganan
'Magnificent' auction features Justiniano Asuncion,
'Botong,' Galo's 'Sarimanok,' Navarro's 'Paradis'
Leon Gallery will hold the
Magnificent September Auction
on Sept. 28, 2 p.m., at the AIM
Conference Center, JV del Rosario
Foundation Bldg., Benavidez
Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City.
The auction will feature highly
important Philippine art from the
1 9 t h c e n t u r y. M o d e r n a n d
contemporary works will also be
bid out.
Highlights are “Barcos… en el
Horizonte,” by Felix Resurreccion
Hidalgo, consigned directly by the
descendants of Hidalgo; a large
48” x 48” oil work by Anita
Magsaysay-Ho; and Jorge Pineda's
(1837-1907) “Chongka,” a 1933
oil-on-canvas, and “Bamboo in the
Fields,” a 1934 oil-on-canvas.
Also to be auctioned off are
Justiniano Asuncion's (18161901) “India Mestiza de China”
and “Española,” both 19th-century
watercolor-on-paper, from the
collection of Spanish scholar
Ramón Menéndez Pidal (18691868), professor of Romance
philology at University of Madrid
(1899-1939).
Notable works by National
Artist Vicente Manansala to be
auctioned off are “Fish Vendor”
and “Mother and Child,” both 1969
oil-on-canvas works contained in
intricately carved wooden frames,
from the collection of the late
journalist-columnist Joe Guevarra.
Manansala's “Trees” (1979) will
also be bid out.
National Artist Cesar Legaspi's
(1917-1994) “Waterfall,” a 1992
oil-on-canvas, will also be be bid
out.
Other notable works: Manuel
Rodriguez Sr.'s “Bayohan” and
“Warrior,” 1971 and 1975 etchings
from the Father of Philippine
Printmaking; Pineda's (18791946) “Bamboo in the Fields,” a
1934 oil-on-canvas; Tam Austria's
1980 “Mother” and Child”;
Diosdado Lorenzo's (1906-1983)
“Bahay Kubo,” a 1953 oil-on-wood.
Others: Lee Aguinaldo's
“Yellow Circulation” 3; National
Artist J. Elizalde Navarro's (19241999) “Unforgettable Visit to
Manhattan, New York,” a 1954 oilon-canvas, and his “Paradis '98,”
an acrylic-on-canvas; Serafin
Serna's (1895-1985) “Dalagang
Bukid,” a 1954 oil-on-canvas;
Miguel Galvez's (1912-1989)
“Lavanderas,” an oil-on-canvas;
Teodoro Buenaventura's (18631950) “Untitled,” a 1929 oil-oncanvas;
Gabriel Custodio's (19121993) “Asinan sa Cavite,” 1996 oilon-canvas; Solomon Saprid's
(1917-2003) “Sabungero,” a brass
work, from the Cecille Mitra
collection (her husband, Speaker
Ramon V. Mitra, was a cockfight
aficionado); Dominador
Castañeda's (1904-1967)
“ B e a c h c o m b e r s ,” a 1 9 4 5
watercolor-on-paper; Alfredo
Carmelo's (1896-1985) “World
War II Dog Fight” I and II, both
1 9 4 5 wa te rc o l o r - o n - p a p e r ;
Legaspi's “Heroes,” a 1979 oil-onwood;
National Artist Federico
Aguilar Alcuaz's (1932-2011)
“Still Life,” 1963 oil-on-canvas, and
“Baguio Trail,” a 1987 oil work;
u
Page 19
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 17
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
EXPRESSWEEK
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 18
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
NOLI ME TANGERE-OPERA: A Rare Musical Experience
It Is Every Filipino's Story Set To Maestro Felipe de Leon's Finest Score.
Plays Limited Engagement at The Kaye Playhouse, Hunter College Oct. 4-6, 2013
New York, Sept. 26, 2013 -- At
the sitzprobe, one of the very first
rehearsals with the cast of around
30 actors and 35-piece orchestra
musicians, seasoned Filipino
American conductor Michael
Dadap said he hopes that New York
audiences would not miss this rare
opportunity to catch the limited
run of Philippine National Artists
Felipe de Leon (music) and
Guillermo Tolentino's (libretto)
finest work, NOLI ME TANGEREOPERA, inspired by the 1887
classic romantic novel by the
Philippines' National Hero Dr. Jose
Rizal, which runs at The Kaye
Playhouse, Hunter College Friday,
October 4 through Sunday, October
6, 2013.
“Filipino Americans are not
known to produce a full-scale
opera because it's very expensive
to produce one. At the same time,
Filipino American investors, in
particular, are more attracted to
shows that are not ours; they're
very skeptical. I understand that
sentiment though,” said Dadap.
He continued, “However, both
Filipino American and American
audiences shouldn't miss this rare
musical experience. NOLI ME
TANGERE is every Filipino's story
set to Felipe de Leon's finest score
[which Bayani de Leon, son of the
esteemed composer, also claims].
This operatic masterpiece by de
Leon and Guillermo has great
sense of nationalism; the lyrics are
in Tagalog [supertitles in English
will be provided], which makes it
even more powerful for the
Filipino Americans in the
audience.”
Of note, de Leon and Guillermo,
who was obsessed with Dr. Rizal's
landmark novel, finished the opera
in 1957. According to dramaturg
Randy Gener, the opera was,
however, “not the first Filipino
opera ever written. That honor
belongs to 'Sandugong Panaginip,'
a 1902 work with a libretto by
Pedro Paterno and music by
Ladislo Bonus. The difference is
that 'Sandugong Panaginip' was a
one-act Tagalog opera made up of
five scenes, while De Leon's 'Noli'
opera was written with two acts,
making it the country's first fulllength grand opera.”
Loida Nicolas Lewis, New
York-based businesswoman,
philanthropist and this
production's chairperson, first
saw a performance of NOLI ME
TANGERE-OPERAits American
premiere performed by a diverse
cast singing the songs in Tagalogat
Harris Theater at Millennium Park
in Chicago June last year.
That rare musical experience
has prompted her to bring de Leon
and Guillermo's opus to New York.
“The music of de Leon is worldclass in that vein of Puccini and
Ve rd i . H o w e ve r, d e L e o n' s
kundiman strain throughout the
piece is very strong,” said Lewis.
“Filipinos should be proud. This is
our own. Ang galing natin.”
The musical presentation, an
opera in Three Acts, follows the
story of Juan Crisostomo Ibarra
who returns to the Philippines
after pursuing scholarly studies in
Europe. He plans to open up a
school and marry Maria Clara, his
bethrothed. However, parish priest
Padre Damaso, the archenemy of
the Ibarras, is out to hinder
Crisostomo's plans, which creates
"a dramatic storyline of forbidden
love, betrayal and revenge."
NOLI ME TANGERE-OPERA
stars world renowned Filipino
opera singers Sal Malaki (Juan
Crisostomo Ibarra), Antoni
Mendezona (Maria Clara), Andrew
Fernando (Padre Damaso), Robert
Perla Gomez (Elias) and Maria
At the sitzprobe, Sal Malaki plays Juan Crisostomo Ibarra; Antoni
Mendezona plays Maria Clara (Photo by Oliver Oliveros)
Christina Navarro (Sisa) and
young singer Kirby Asunto
(Basilio). It also features a diverse
ensemble cast: Brad Arreglado,
Jonathan Estabrooks, Rosemarie
Flores, May Hackett, William Lim,
Brittany Palmer, Allan Samonte,
Rina Saporantos, Elijan Sirilan,
Zion Sirilan, Ulises Solano,
Sherwin Su, Lisa Villamaria and
Resty Yongco.
Besides, Dadap, creative and
production team members include
Rene Dalandan (stage direction),
Kristin Jackson (choreography),
Jeff Davis (lighting design), Jerry
Sibal (set and costume design),
Natalie Qing Zhang (stage
management) and Clare Chujie Xu
(assistant stage management).
Major sponsors are Reginald F.
Lewis Foundation, Goldman Sachs
& Co., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.,
Alvarez Educational & Charitable
Fdn. CiAT Funds, Philippine
Development Foundation, US
Philippine Society, Leslie Lewis
Sword, GMA Pinoy TV/ GMA Life
TV and Maharlika Restaurant.
For tickets ($60-$150), call
646-415-1853, email
[email protected] or visit
nolimetangereoperanyc.org.
rd
FOPSNJ Inc. Celebrated 43 Anniversary
and “Gabi ng Parangal” with Glamour
By EJ Rapada
Newark, NJ -- The Federation
Of Philippine Societies in New
Jersey (FOPSNJ) Inc. recently
celebrated its 43 rd Founding
Anniversary on September 7, 2013
at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.
This celebration signifies the
consistent effort and strong desire
of elected officials and members of
the board to keep the objectives of
the federation real and substantial.
The event was attended by
more than 150 community and
political leaders as well as friends
and supporters and highlighted
the recognition of some 25
Filipino-American Organizations
and an outstanding FilipinoAmerican community leader.
The following organizations
have been selected by a committee
based on their outstanding work
in promoting the rich Filipino
heritage, and supporting and
helping kababayans in their own
unique ways. We congratulate the
AB BA Ha p py Va lley Glob a l
Foundation, Bayanihan Club of
Union, Bicol USA, Calamba
Association Northeast,
Catanduanes USA, Cultural Arts
and Dance Company of the
Philippines, Filipino International
Community of America (FICA), FilAm Chambers of Commerce,
Filipino American Garden State
Association, Handang Tumulong
Foundation, Kapampangan
Consul General Mario L. De Leon Jr. (Front row, 6th from left) with the officers of FOPSNJ. Rev. Gaudy Soriano, FOPSNJ President, is
at the back row, 2nd from right.
Association, Maharajah, National
Association of Filipino American
Associations (NAFAA), NY-NJ-PA
Friends of Asingan USA, Knights of
Rizal, Pan American Concerned
Citizen Action League (PACCAL),
Philippine American Community
Executive Council (PACEC),
Performing Arts of the Philippines
(PAPI), Philippine American
Friendship Committee (PAFCom)
Inc., Philippine Chamber Rondalla,
Philippine Independence Day
Council Inc. (PIDCI), Phil-Am
Pagasa, Philippine Community
Center Foundation of NJ Inc.,
Senior Club Incorporated and
Tarlaqueños Foundation. Also, we
congratulate Atty. Victor Sison,
former Judge of Jersey City who
was presented with the Most
Outstanding Leadership Award.
Current and former beauty
titlist were also invited and were
presented during a
choreographed Parade of Beauties
that included Ms. Evelyn Dangcil
(Miss Young Philippines NJ 2012,
Ms Jessica Soriano (Miss Teen
Philippines NJ 2012), Ms Monica
San Agustin (Miss Pearl of the
Orient 2012), Mrs. Joy Aligarbes
(Mrs Philippines America 2012),
Ms Christine Soriano (Miss Diwa,
Miss NAFA and Miss Luzon) and
Mrs Henrietta Abenoja (Mrs
Federation)
Hon. Mario L. De Leon Jr.
Consul-General of the Consulate
General of the Philippines in NY,
Hon. Zaldy Patron and Hon.
Rolando Lavarro, President of the
City Council of Jersey City were
among the honorable guests and
speakers of the night. Some former
FOPSNJ Presidents also graced the
occasion headed by Dr Zal and Dr
J o s i e Ve l e z , t h e Fo u n d i n g
President of the Federation
together with Ms. Zenaida
Almario, the Immediate Past
President, Mr Dan De Guzman, Mr
Ronnie Atinaja, Ms Carmen Flores,
Ms Fe Martinez, and Ms Phoebe
A n d e s re p re s e n t e d by h e r
daughter Pam.
During the program, Rev Dr
Gaudencio Soriano, the very
hardworking President of FOPSNJ
gave his farewell address as he
intends to retire from his active
role as officer and member of
various Fil-Am Organizations.
The event became possible
through the sincere efforts and
cooperation among its officers and
members especially the Awards
Committee headed by VP Francis
Sison and assisted by Mr Walter
Romano, Mr Sonny Austria, Mr
Dick Ong and Mr Brian Manongdo
and the Event Chairperson VP
Elvira Ramos-Reyes assisted by
assisted by Rolly Postadan and
Tony Abellar. The Registration and
Accomodation Committee was
headed Ms Nueva Elma assisted by
Ms Beth Manalo, Ocer Dangcil and
Eloise Soriano and the
Communications Committee and
Event's Master of Ceremony Mr
Emiljun Rapada.
Special thanks and
appreciation is also given to the
very talented and impressive
performance of Faye Danika Go
and Christine Soriano, the Cultural
Arts and Dance Company headed
by Mr Rolly Postandan and a very
special performance by the
Philippine Chamber Rondalla
headed by Ms. Tarit Ramos.
To all the supporters, friends,
officers and directors of FOPSNJ,
we thank you for your untiring
support and generosity.
In the words of President
Soriano, “Pinasasalamatan ko ang
ating Panginoon at sa inyong lahat
na nagmamahal sa ating Inang
Bayang Pilipinas at para sa ating
m g a k a b a b a y a n n a
pinagtutulungan nating tulungan.
Maraming salamat po.
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 19
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
SF Museum to host 'Farms to
Tables: Filipino-Americans
Then and Now’
‘Magnificent
auction ...
From page 18
Ricarte Puruganan's (1912-1998)
“Dancing Girls,” a 1995 acrylic-oncanvas;
National Artist Botong Francisco's
(1912-1969) “La Jota Montadena”
a n d “ S ayaw Pa n a s a h a n , b o t h
watercolor-on-paper; Romeo V.
Tabuena's “Harvest,” a 1960 oil-onboard, and “Nightfall, a 1976 acrylic;
Eduardo Perrenoud Jr.'s (1913-1995)
“Market Scene,” signed, dated and
inscribed “Manila 1972,” an oil-oncanvas; Romulo Galicano's (b. 1945)
“Babaeng T'boli,” a 2005 oil-oncanvas;
Macario Vitalis' (1898-1990)
“Untitled,” an oil-on-board; Oscar
Zalameda's (1930-2010) “Sailboats,”
a 1966 watercolor-on-paper; Gabriel
Custodio's (1912-1993) “Ruins of
Intramuros,” a 1954 watercolor-onpaper; Godofredo Mendoza's (b.
1948) “Church,” a 1971 oil-on-canvas;
Onib Olmedo's (1937-1996) “Man
with the Red Band,” a 1978 oil-oncanvas; Galo B. Ocampo's (19131985) “Sarimanok,” a 1951 oil-onmasonite-board; Pablo Amorsolo's
(1898-1945) “Road by the Sea,” a
1944 oil-on-canvas;
Tam Austria's (b. 1943) “Mother
and Child II,” a 1985 oil-on-canvas;
Rodolfo Ragodon's (1929-2001)
“Church of Villadolid, Negros,” a 1993
watercolor-on-paper; and Romulo
Olazo's (b. 1934) “Diaphanous” 589, a
1984 oil-on-canvas.
Contemporary works to be
auctioned off are by Ronald Ventura,
Randy Solon, Jigger Cruz, Rodel
Tapaya, Constantino Zicarelli and
John Santos.
But perhaps the most notable
contemporary work to be bid out is
Esquillo's “Daang Ligid Krus” (1996),
a 73” x 65” work that won the Asean
Art Award and the Philip Morris Art
Award, and probably the most
traveled Philippine artwork for
having been exhibited abroad, such as
at the Asian Art Museum of San
Francisco in 1998. The work is owned
by artist Claude Tayag.
A foreign work in the auction is
Joan Miro's (1893-1983) “Dans La
Lueur Oblique,” a 1976 mixed-media.
Lito B. Zulueta
Complete catalog access at
www.leon-gallery.com/auction. Call
tel. 8467416 or e-mail [email protected]. Inquirer.net
SAN FRANCISCO -- With this year's
theme “Farms to Tables: FilipinoAmericans Then and Now,” the Asian
Art Museum will be hosting its annual
festival celebrating Filipino-American
history and culture on Sunday, Oct. 6,
at 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Asian Art
Museum, 200 Larkin Street.
The theme represents the past,
present and future of FilipinoAmericans in California who shaped
the farm-labor movement and
influenced culinary traditions.
Local chefs, entrepreneurs,
activists and other artists who
promote healthy community-based
living through art, culture and
delicious food will be on hand to meet
the public. This program is free as part
of the Target First Free Sunday
Program.
Program Highlights
Spiritual leaders in the Babaylan
tradition will join Igorot-inspired
dancers and musicians playing the
ga n g s a ( a m e t a l a n d b a m b o o
instrument), guiding the audience
from the steps outside Samsung Hall
into the heart of the building with the
sounds and movements of the
Philippines.
Opening remarks will be delivered
by Assemblymember Rob Bonta,
Philippine Consul General Marciano A.
Paynor, Jr. and Asian Art museum
director Jay Xu.
Asian Art Museum. Photo taken from
http://sfappeal.com
In this demo, artist Christine Balza
will share her knowledge of the
ancient Filipino script Baybayin, last
actively used in the 1800s.
Famed chef Cocoy Ventura and
other culinary leaders and activists
will give instructions on healthy living
and Filipino-American food.
Highlight is the video screenings of
two documentaries “Rescue in the
Philippines” and “An Open Door,”
which trace the previously untold
story of the Philippines' part in helping
about 1,200 Jews escape the Nazis and
immigrate to the Philippines during
World War II. Introduction will be
made by community advocate Rudy
A s e r c i o n ; Q & A w i l l f o l l o w.
(Inquirer.net)
THE NINE CANDIDATES FOR DIRECTORS
Sofia
ABAD
Olivia
DAVID
Albert
DIALA
Prospero
LIM, MD
Violeta
Elsa
MCGOUGH MOLE-LAMBERT
Angie
MOLINA
Rolando
POSTADAN
Tambi
WYCOCO
Fe MARTINEZ
Sole candidate
for President
PIDCI elections on Saturday, October 5, 2013
12 pm to 6 pm at the Philippine Center in NYC
The Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc. (PIDCI) elections for President and seven members of the Board of Directors are scheduled at the Philippine
Center at 556 Fifth Avenue, between 45th and 46th Streets, in Manhattan, New York 10036-5002 on Saturday, October 5, 2013 from 12:00 pm to 6 pm.
The sole candidate for President is Fe Martinez who is running for a third one-year term.
There are nine (9) candidates who are vying for seven (7) seats that are being vacated on the Board of Directors. They are: Sofia Abad, Olivia David, Albert
Diala, Prospero Lim, MD., Violeta McGough, Elsa Mole-Lambert, Angie Molina, Rolando Postadan, and Tambi Wycoco.
The PIDCI plans, organizes, produces, executes, manages, directs and presents the annual commemoration of Philippine Independence in New York City.
This includes the Independence Day Parade, Street Fair and Cultural Festival, the Mrs. Kalayaan and Diwa Ng Kalayaan Pageants, the PIDCI Grand Marshal
Gala and the Philippine Independence Ball.
The authorized electors of PIDCI member organizations are encouraged to attend and exercise their right to vote on election day.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Japanese firm registers
first electric tricycle in LTO
BEET Philippine Inc., a
Japanese electric vehicle startup
company, has successfully
registered its electric tricycle
with the Land Transportation
Office (LTO), offering roadw o r t hy e l e c t r i c t r i c yc l e s
powered by lithium battery and
AC motor that could be driven
almost anywhere in the country.
The LTO-registered BEET etrike has five main components,
such as the lithium ion battery,
AC motor, inverter, vehicle
control unit (VCU), and battery
management system (BMS),
which keep the e-trike stable
through various road and
weather conditions.
“These components will be
provided by the leading
companies from Japan with
great considerations for safety.
The latest technology allows
lithium ion batteries to run
stable under high temperature
and humidity climates, while the
BMS has safety functions to
c o n t ro l i r re g u l a r b a t te r y
conditions. Air-cooled AC
motors, which are more
powerful, allow drivers to drive
up a steep incline easily,”
LTO Assistant Secretary Virginia Torres (middle), and BEET President
and CEO Tokushi Nakashima (rightmost) test the BEET electric
tricycle. Contributed photo
explains Tokushi Nakashima,
President and CEO of BEET
Philippine Inc.
He adds, “The inverter
controls the motor resulting in
an increased efficient power
conversion.
The VCU with its fail-safe
function manages and controls
the whole vehicle and makes
regenerative braking possible.
Various problems related to
batteries, motor controllers, or
the motor can be solved using
BEET's advanced technology.”
Nakashima has 15 years of
electric vehicle development
experience in Japan, and
established BEET Philippine Inc.
last March 2013 to popularize
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 20
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Road projects to make destinations accessible
Gov't allots P14.4B
for tourism infra
By Michelle V. Remo
The government has
earmarked P14.4 billion out of
the proposed national budget
for next year for road projects
meant to make tourist
destinations accessible.
The proposed 2014 budget
for tourism infrastructure
marked a 20-percent increase
from the P12 billion allotted
this year, a report from the
Investor Relations Office (IRO)
showed.
Next year's budget for
tourism infrastructure will
cover 167 kilometers of roads
to be constructed and
rehabilitated, all leading to
various tourist destinations
across the country.
The projects will be
implemented by the
Department of Public Works
and Highways.
The allocation of a higher
budget for tourism
infrastructure comes amid
pronouncements that tourism
will be one of the sectors to
receive more government
support in its bid to attain the
Aquino administration's jobcreation and poverty-reduction
goal.
Under the Department of
Tourism's medium-term plan,
jobs in the tourism sector
should increase from the
projected 4.9 million this year
to 7.4 million by 2016.
The share of tourism jobs to
total employment in the
country should also rise from
the projected 13 percent in
2013 to 18.8 percent three
years from now.
The government has a
daunting poverty-reduction
goal of reducing the proportion
of Filipinos living below the
poverty line from 27.9 percent
as of the first semester of last
year to just 16.6 percent by
2016.
u
Page 22
UK firms eye opportunities
in Philippine power sector
M A N I L A - - S i x U n i te d
Kingdom-based firms are
visiting the Philippines this
week to look into business
opportunities in the power and
renewable energy, the British
Embassy in Manila said Monday.
In a statement, the embassy
said the trade delegation from
Arup, CiDRA Corporate
Services, Gilbert Gilkes &
Gordon, Lloyd's Register, Lucy
Switchgear and TSORS Limited
is participating in a trade
mission on September 25 to 27.
“This initiative will
showcase UK capabilities in
these sectors, aiming to make
the UK a partner of choice in
projects that will help address
t h e c o u n t r y ' s i n c re a s i n g
d e m a n d f o r p o w e r,” t h e
statement read.
They will participate in
PowerTrends, an energy and
exhibition event at the SMX
Convention Center in Pasay City.
It is part of the four-day trade
mission organized by the British
Embassy with UK Trade and
Investment (UKTI).
On September 27, a UK
Business Forum on power and
renewable energy will allow
local industry players to explore
the UK technology and services
on offer.
UKTI has also arranged
various business meetings and
activities for the delegates to
know more about long-term
Philippine energy needs and
projects.
“The Philippines has been
steadily growing
. and making its mark in the
international scene including in
energy,” Iain Mansfield, UKTI
Manila director, was quoted as
saying in the statement.
Mansfield noted the trade
mission is part of a series of
engagements between the UK
and the Philippines. The
initiatives form part of moves to
double trade with the
Philippines within five years.
Major British companies in
the country include Unilever,
Shell, HSBC, Standard
Chartered, Pru Life, De La Rue,
GSK, AstraZeneca, Diageo, G4S,
Arup, and Halcrow.
Boracay on list of top destinations of Chinese tourists
The Philippines' Boracay
Island is one of the 20 most
popular destinations among
holiday-makers from China, the
world's largest tourism spender,
based on data from popular travel
site TripAdvisor.
This is despite the territorial
dispute between the Philippines
and China that has triggered some
unfavorable travel advisories
against the former.
TripAdvisor released a list of
the top 20 most popular outbound
destinations for mainland Chinese
travellers based on July and
August 2013 figures on
Daodao.com, a customized version
of TripAdvisor designed
specifically for Chinese travellers,
according to a statement released
from Singapore on Tuesday.
In July and August 2013,
millions of unique visitors came to
Daodao.com to research outbound
destinations, representing an
increase of over 250 percent
compared to the same time last
year.
Boracay, known for its white
sand beach and vibrant nightlife,
ranked 16th on the list, beating
Kyoto, Kota Kinabalu, Hanoi and
Kuala Lumpur but lagging Hong
Kong, Phuket, Taiwan, Bangkok
and Paris. (Inquirer.net)
International travel
fest set in December
Blame it on the country's
longest Yuletide season or the
fun in the Philippines gaining
global recognition, but all
roads this early seem to lead to
the SMX Convention Center
Manila for an international
travel festival come December.
And international that
festival is certain to emerge,
w i t h w o r l dw i d e s e r v i c e
provider Amadeus and the
British, Turkish and European
chambers of commerce setting
the pace for the influx of other
Manila and foreign-based
global exhibitors in the event.
This Christmas gathering of
global tourism players is
matched only by the
convergence of their similarly
increasing number of local
counterparts at the festival led
by the various regional offices
of the Department of Tourism
nationwide and its attached
agency Tourism Infrastructure
Enterprise Zone Authority.
The local exhibitors include
tourism destinations in Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao from
Cagayan Valley in the North to
Palawan in the West, all the
way t o S o u t h C o t a b a t o ,
Cotabato City, Sultan Kudarat,
Sarangani and General Santos
City in Region 12.
Thus, the nation is bound to
see a vast cosmopolitan crowd
whirling around the scene of
the International Travel
Festival (ITF) 2013, now
covering, not only what used to
be a solely inbound
promotional event dubbed
“Travel Philippines Show”, but
also outbound travel named
“Euro-AmeriAsian Travel,
Trade & Cultural Expo.”
“So expect both inbound
and outbound tourism
destinations featured in the
ITF,” said chief executive officer
Mitch Ballesteros of expo
organizer Exlink Events.
u
Page 22
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 21
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Palace asked to name 'Investor
Relations Manager’
By Amy R. Remo
Businesses are seeking the
appointment of an “investor
relations manager” who will
serve as an ombudsman in
championing the concerns and
issues of existing and potential
investors in the country.
Henry Schumacher, vice
president for external affairs of
the European Chamber of
Commerce of the Philippines,
defined the investor relations
manager as a “high ranking
official within the government
network who investors can talk
to, can present their cases of
unfair treatment to and who
will guide their valid concerns
through the government
bureaucracy.”
The said person will also be
tasked to “assist in finding
constructive solutions for both
the unhappy investor and
governmentarriving hopefully
at win-win situations.”
In a statement issued on
Tuesday, Schumacher said the
need for an investor relations
manager in the government
was long overdue.
While the Department of
Trade and Industry (DTI) used
to have an ombudsman for
investors, the person
occupying the position lasted
for only a few years and was
never replaced.
Such a point person has
been deemed crucial in
protecting and fighting for the
interests of investors, a
number of whom have been
wooed by the government to
set up shop in the Philippines.
“Ideally, such a person
would have a Cabinet rank and
assigned to the Office of the
President. Why? It needs this
kind of authority to cut through
all the red tape, the fine print of
laws and implementing rules
and regulations, and the
unwillingness of fellow
government officials to see the
'big picture' rather than shortchanging the old investors to
look good in terms of tax
r e v e n u e s ,” S c h u m a c h e r
explained.
He further stressed the
need for such an investor
ombudsman as he cited the
case of energy developer San
Roque Power Corp. (SRPC),
which “did not find a
'champion' within government
who would take up the cudgels
for it, fight for it, or remind the
new set of government officials
that the promises of former
governments need to be
honored.”
He said SRPC was invited by
the government to invest in a
hydro power plant in the late
1990s and was provided with
the incentive that all capital
goods could be imported duty
and tax free.
The company brought in
equipment in the early 2000s
and had to advance the
payment for about P500
million worth of value-added
taxes on the premise that the
amount would be refunded
once all documents were
provided to the Bureau of
Internal Revenue.
(Inquirer.net)
Davao chamber identifies crops
deemed key to competitiveness
A woman displays a coconut oil-based
lipstick at an exhibit marking the 27th
National Coconut Week in this photo taken
at SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City last
Aug. 29. The Davao City Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, Inc. has identified
coconut as one of the crops that can help
local farmers face stiff competition in an
integrated Southeast Asian economy
starting 2015. -- Jonathan L. Cellona
DAVAO CITY -- The Davao
City Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, Inc. is advocating the
development of what it
describes as “five golden crops”
not only to provide more income
to farmers but also to prepare
them for competition when
2015 ushers in the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations
Economic Community.
“These are crops that can be
intercropped in farms,” Davao
Trade Expo (DATE) 2013 events
and program head John Carlo B.
Tria explained in a recent
interview.
The five crops, he said, are
cacao, coconut, coffee, corn and
cassava. DATE is scheduled to be
held from Oct. 17 to 19 at this
JCI-Manila unveils
2013 Beyond Prison
Walls Project
JCI-Manila President Jonas Ang (second from left), together with 2013
Behind Prison Walls Project Chair Anthony Tamayo (rightmost), JCISenator Randy Manaloto and Solidad Reynoso, assistant to the
President of Columbia Technologies Inc., lead the ceremonial ribbon
cutting of the “Beyond Prison Walls Project: Innovations in
Education” launched at the Medium Security compound, Bureau of
Corrections facility, Muntinlupa City. JCI-Manila donated a computer
laboratory for the student-inmates of the Bilibid Extension School.
Manila Bulletin (Photo by Dennis Caparas-Abrina/UPH Media
Bureau)
Organic Farming
city's SMX Convention Center.
CLOCK TICKING
Mr. Tria noted, for instance,
that “[t]here are many
opportunities in coconut... for
hybrids, macapuno production,
coco diesel, activated carbon,
coco coir and coco peat.”
Through intercropping,
farmers should be able to
increase income by maximizing
yield of their farms, though
involving various produce, he
added.
The country's agriculture
sector has to be more productive
to be competitive considering
that tariffs on agricultural
products from Southeast Asia
Farmers from the province of Benguet proudly show freshly
harvested organic lettuce after completing the three-month
Kabalikat sa Kabuhayan Farmers Training Program, as part of the agrilivelihood project of the SM Foundation headed by Cristie Angeles
(seated, 2nd from right) Manila Bulletin. (Rizaldy Comanda)
3,000 unregistered Chinese working in the country -- TUCP
A R O U N D 3 , 0 0 0
unregistered Chinese workers
are currently working in a
construction firm without
alien employment permits
(AEP), the country's biggest
labor organization said
yesterday.
In a press release, the Trade
Union Congress of the
Philippines (TUCP) said the
C h i n e s e a re wo r k i n g i n
Batangas and Bataan under a
“multinational private
contractor.”
Sought for details, TUCP
Spokesperson Alan A. Tanjusay
declined to give specifics
saying they are still in the
process of verifying some
information.
TUCP said the scheme
allegedly involved the
application of AEPs for 300
individuals but the unnamed
contractor would “employ
hundreds of other foreign
workers.”
“Weak enforcement and
lack of enforcers of labor laws
allows the issue to persist,”
TUCP said in a statement.
“This phenomenon has
very serious adverse
implications not only in the
local construction industry but
also in the current
unemployment and
underemployment situation in
the country,” Gerard Seno,
executive vice-president of the
Associated Labor UnionsTUCP, was quoted as saying in
the release.
“If this phenomenon is not
addressed immediately, it will
undermine the entire job
security in our country,” Mr.
Seno added.
Officials from the
Department of Labor and
Employment (DoLE) were not
available for comment as of
press time.
T h e L a b o r S e c r e t a r y,
through its regional director
who has jurisdiction over the
applicant, issues the AEP to
allow foreign nationals to work
in the Philippines.
The AEP is valid for a year
or coterminous with the
duration of the employment.
With 1.2 million members,
TUCP is the biggest
confederation of labor
federations in the Philippines.
It was founded in 1975 by
23 labor federations which saw
the necessity and importance
of uniting themselves into a
strong and dynamic labor
center. The TUCP, is currently
composed of almost 30
federations with members in
all sectors and industries from
agriculture, manufacturing
and services sector. -- Mikhail
Franz E. Flores (Business
World)
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 22
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Help sought for social enterprises
SOCIAL ENTERPRISES need
support from the government and
investors for the sector to grow,
social enterprise experts said
yesterday.
“As a sector, the social
enterprise is still in the process of
becoming. It has not quite
matured. It is important to involve
the government so that it can
support the growth of the sector,”
Marie Lisa M. Dacanay, president
of the Institute of Social
Entrepreneurship in Asia, said
during a panel discussion at the
Impact Chat -- Exploring Impact
Investment Opportunities in the
Philippines event yesterday at the
SGV Foundation in Makati.
Ms. Dacanay noted that in
2007, there were 30,000 social
enterprises in the country.
The government is starting to
recognize the sector, she also said,
citing a bill in the Senate that
would grant incentives to social
enterprises.
The Poverty Reduction
Through Social Entrepreneurship
Program Act, or House Bill 1026,
filed earlier this year by Senator
Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV,
would identify strategic economic
subsectors and provide incentives
and support to social enterprises
so that the poor could become
wo rke r - p a r t n e r s , s u p p l i e r partners, client-partners and
owners of social enterprises, Ms.
Dacanay said.
Among the incentives the bill
would grant social enterprises is
non-collateralized lending, she
noted.
“There are a lot of loans for
social enterprises, but they don't
have access to those because
banks require collateral. Social
enterprises, of course, don't have
that. We believe the government
can supply that kind of incentive to
social enterprises because social
enterprises are actually helping
the government solve poverty and
inequality,” Ms. Dacanay said.
Rico Gonzales, managing
editor of social enterprise
incubator Xchange, said that
private investors might also boost
the growth of social enterprises,
but the former are hesitant
because of the high risks.
“A lot of social enterprises are
very young, and their risk profile is
high. It's not what investors are
prepared to see,” Mr. Gonzales
said. “There has to be, on the
investment side, an appreciation
of becoming really patient, where
people are willing to stay longer
and tolerate more risk loss,” he
said.
Micro, small and medium
enterprises are said to comprise
99.6% of the total enterprises in
the Philippines. DJBE (Business
World)
Davao
Chamber ...
From page 21
economies will be lowered across
the board within the region by
2015.
“We have chosen these
'golden crops' as our focus for
DATE 2013 so that farmers and
the government will put more
focus on them,” expo chairperson
Agatha Salanatin-Valencia said
separately.
She said expo organizers have
continued to note the effect on
farms of decades of official
neglect -- an impact that needs to
be addressed promptly as 2015
approaches.
Gov’t allots
P14.4B ...
From page 20
Solon wants Cebu LRT among PPPs
HOUSE Assistant Majority
Leader and Cebu City
Representative Gerald Anthony
Gullas, Jr. is batting for the
inclusion of the proposed Cebu
Light Rail Transit (LRT) System in
the national government's list of
high-priority public-private
partnership (PPP) projects.
“We are hopeful that the
proposed Cebu LRT network will
eventually be included in the
lineup of urgent PPP ventures,” Mr.
Gullas was quoted saying in a
statement released yesterday.
Mr. Gullas filed House Bill (HB)
1338, a proposed law to establish
and fund the Cebu LRT in Metro
Cebu.
According to the statement, the
LRT line would run between the
cities of Talisay and Mandaue. New
railways would also connect
Talisay to Dalaguete town in the
south and Mandaue to Sogod town
in the north.
“An LRT line is the only way
Metro Cebu can cope with future
demand for a fast, safe and reliable
public transport system,” the
statement read.
The release cited a study by the
Japan International Cooperation
Agency, which reported that Metro
Cebu's population alone is
expected to double from 2.5
million to five million by 2050.
He also said that since most of
the roads in Cebu can no longer be
widened, “the options left are for
us to either build new road tunnels
underground, or to put up an
overhead LRT line.”
Joselito Herrera, Mr. Gullas's
public relations consultant ,
explained in an e-mail: “Years ago,
the DoTC forged a $1-billion buildoperate-transfer agreement with
the AMA Group Holdings Corp. to
build a 71-kilometer, three-phased
LRT project in Metro Cebu.”
“As planned then, the project
would run through Metro Cebu
from the Municipality of Carcar
(now a city) in the south to Danao
City in the north.
However, the project was
eventually dropped after the DoTC
found it difficult to get lower offers
from other private entities,” Mr.
Herrera said.
Asked for comment, Alma Mae
A. Agne of the PPP Center's
knowledge management division
said in a separate e-mail: “The only
light rail project being undertaken
by the government is the LRT Line1 Cavite Extension. What we
currently have in the pipeline are
priority projects that have been
identified by our implementing
agencies, in this case the DoTC.”
“They might have something in
mind for Cebu, but at this point
they have not indicated what
exactly these PPP projects are.
What is clear for now is the
ongoing Mactan-Cebu
International Airport project,” Ms.
Agne said, referring to the P17.5billion PPP for the airport's
rehabilitation and expansion.
“As to the House bill filed at the
lower House for a Cebu Light Rail
Tra n s p o r t Sys te m , we w i l l
coordinate with our colleagues
here at the PPP Center and find out
more details about it,” she said. -I.C.C. Delavin (Business World)
It likewise has a goal of
bringing down the
unemployment rate to 6.5
percent by 2016 from 7.3 percent
as of July this year.
The targeted number of jobs
in the tourism sector is anchored
on the objective of increasing the
number of foreign tourists
visiting the country to 10 million
by 2016.
For this year, the government
projects foreign tourists to hit 5.5
million.
Tourism has been identified
as one of the government's
priority sectors, or those that
h ave a h u g e p o te n t i a l to
substantially trim down poverty
by generating more jobs.
Economic Planning Secretary
Arsenio Balisacan, also director
International
travel fest ...
From page 20
“The fast growing
registration of participants in the
festival affirms the global
tourism industry's increasing
momentum for sustained
growth, with vacationing OFWs
(overseas Filipinos worldwide)
adding impetus to the
phenomenon,” Ballesteros said.
Practically promoting a
genuine two-way tourism traffic,
the ITF is seen to contribute
substantially to the continued
rise in global tourism, now
reportedly worth an estimated
$1.15 trillion from a yearly
revenue hike of 1.5 percent over
the past five years.
Ballesteros said the
outbound trips of foreign-based
international airlines flying
Filipinos to overseas
destinations would also have a
beneficial impact on inbound
travel since they would have to
promote the Philippines in their
home countries to be able fill up
airline seats on their return
flights.
“Thus, the net effect of brisk
inbound and outbound travel is a
DATE, the longest-running
Expo and Conference in
Mindanao, is now on its 15th year.
The expo last year yielded
total sales of P233 million -- up
279.15% annually -- with 176
exhibitors, 7,149 visitors and 687
delegates.
“We are looking beyond
traditional crops like banana and
pineapple and, instead, urge our
farmers to focus on these five
'golden crops'...” said Frederick P.
Puyod, Davao business chamber
trustee.
Ms. Valencia noted growing
local and foreign demand for the
five crops.
But while the potentials are
great current supply is
inadequate to meet demand, she
said. -- C. A. Carillo (Business
World)
general of the National Economic
and Development Authority,
earlier said that higher
investments in tourism
infrastructure should be one of
the initiatives for job creation.
Other priority industries
moving forward, he said, were
manufacturing, business process
outsourcing and agriculture.
Despite its rich natural
resources and abundance of
attractive sites, the Philippines
lags behind most of its Southeast
Asian neighbors in terms of
tourist arrivals. Compared with
4.3 million foreign tourists that
visited the Philippines last year,
there were more than 8 million
foreigners who visited Indonesia,
about 22 million went to
Thailand, and over 25 million
toured Malaysia.
With the Philippine tourism
sector's big room for growth, the
government banks on higher
public investments to maximize
the growth potential of the
tourism sector.
thriving tourism industry that
gets a boost from both ends,”
Ballesteros earlier explained,
citing tourism's total
contribution of $6.3 trillion and
255 million jobs to the global
economy in 2011 alone.
To participate mostly in the
ITF, therefore, are numerous
exhibitors involved in both
inbound and outbound
businesses such as airlines,
international hotel and resort
chains, travel agencies, tour
operators, MICE (meetings,
incentive travel, conventions and
events) organizers, shopping
malls and global retail brands.
Also expected to participate
in the ITF on December 10 to 11
are transfers and transport firms,
cruise ships and domestic
passenger vessels,
telecommunication companies,
destination owners and
managers, banks and financial
institutions, and the academe
and various service providers,
among many others.
More information about the
ITF can be obtained from Exlink
Events (tel: 632 6433887;
mobile: 0920 9242532, 0920
9 8 1 4 3 7 6 ;
email:[email protected]; or
v i s i t t h e w e b s i t e
www.exlinkevents.com). Manila
Bulletin
ENTERTAINMENT
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 23
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
The Philippines,
Pinoys in coming
Oscars race
JM RODRIGUEZ in “Metro Manila”
The Philippines and
Filipino actors are featured
in two foreign films vying for
the Oscars.
British filmmaker Sean
Ellis' “Metro Manila” was
chosen to represent the
United Kingdom in the
Academy Awards' best
fo re i g n l a n g u a g e f i l m
category of the Oscars. Shot
in the Philippines, “Metro
M a n i l a” to p - b i l l s J a ke
Macapagal, John Arcilla,
Althea Vega, JM Rodriguez
and other Filipino actors. It
won the audience award at
the last Sundance fest.
According to Variety,
“Metro Manila” became
eligible in the Oscar derby
because of a 2006 rule
change permitting the
submission of a film not in
the official language of the
nominating country. “Metro
Manila” is in Filipino and is
only the UK's 11th entry to
the Oscars.
Singapore is fielding
Anthony Chen's “Ilo Ilo,”
which includes Filipino
actress Angeli Bayani in the
cast, as its entry in the Oscar
race. In the movie, which
won the Camera d'Or at the
Cannes last May, Bayani
plays a Filipino nanny
working in Singapore.
The Philippines is
sending Hannah Espia's
“Transit,” about Filipinos
based in Israel.
( I n q u i r e r. n e t )
Lauren Young topbills
Dormitoryo
MANILA – Actress Lauren
Young is happy that she gets good
review on her acting
performance from co-stars,
especially from seasoned actress
Lorna Tolentino.
T h e t wo a re c u r re n t ly
working opposite each other in a
sci-fi television series called
"Genesis," starring Dingdong
Dantes, which is slated to be
released on October 7.
Lauren said she started
working with Lorna in ABS-CBN
when she was just 15 years old.
The veteran star is among the
many names in show business
that saw her grow as a person
and as an actress.
"Now that I'm 19 and I get to
work with her again, nakita niya
siguro na nag-grow din ako. It's
nice when you hear people
Lauren Young
recognizing you, especially from
Ms. LT (Lorna)," said Lauren.
Lauren said that she has
always dreamed of becoming an
actress.
Mayim Bialik in Oliver Tolentino gown; Anna Faris and Julia Louis-Dreyfus in Monique Lhuillier gowns
(Photo from Reuters)
Pinoy-designed gowns
shine at 2013 Emmys
By Jecelyn V. Macahindog
The recently concluded
Primetime Emmys not only
gathered the brightest
Hollywood stars on TV but it
showcased Filipino creations
on the red carpet and on stage
as well.
Two Pinoy fashion
designers have dressed yet
again big winners and
nominees at the 2013 Emmy
Awards held Sunday in Los
Angeles, “TV Patrol” reported
on Monday.
Cebu native Monique
Lhuillier made Julia LouisDreyfus (best comedy actress
for “Veep”) shine like a disco
ball with her sequined
strapless gown. Anna Faris
also wore a Luillier gown, in
yellow.
“He's amazing, his
attention to the detail… He's
got an incredible flexible
p e r s o n a l i t y. I t ' s b e e n
wonderful,” Bialik said of
Tolentino.
Famed Pinoy couturier
Oliver Tolentino dressed two
nominees at this year's
Emmys. They were Mayim
Bialik (best comedy
supporting actress nominee
for “Big Bang Theory”) in an
emerald green dress, Allison
Holker (best choreography
nominee for “Dancing With
The Stars”) in a dark olive
green mermaid gown.
Tolentino has dressed up
the likes of “American Idol”
alumna Carrie Underwood
a n d F i l - M ex i c a n J e s s i c a
S a n c h e z , s i n g e r Fe r g i e ,
actresses Emmy Rossum,
Olivia Munn, Anna Paquin,
among many others.
“ M a s a r a p
a n g
pakiramdam… It took us like
almost three to four months of
preparation for the Emmys,”
Tolentino said in an interview
with ABS-CBN Hollywood
correspondent Yong Chavez.
Lhuillier's high-profile
clients include singer P!nk and
actress Reese Witherspoon.
Her recent works include the
black wedding gown of singer
Av r i l L av i g n e . ( M a n i l a
Bulletin)
Kristine Hermosa just
waiting for right offer
MANILA -- Actress
Kristine Hermosa admitted
that she misses showbiz
work, adding that she's now
ready to face the cameras
again.
Hermosa, who was last
seen on TV in the 2010
fa n t a s y s e r i e s " N o a h"
m a r r i e d O yo S o t t o i n
January 2011.
Hermosa said she's
ready to return to work.
"Sana actually. Anytime
basta may magandang offer,"
she said, adding she misses
working with her
contemporaries.
"Pero wala pa kasing
bagay na bago na
k a k a i b a ," s h e a d d e d .
"Maraming offer pero hindi
ko pa nararamdaman."
For his part, Sotto said he
is just ready to support his
wife's showbiz comeback.
"A k o , a y a w k o n g
makialam kay Tin kasi alam
niya na 'yon. Alam niya gusto
niya pero di pa niya
nararamdaman," he said.
Kristine Hermosa
u
Page 26
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 24
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Toni to pop the question to
Paul, if…
By Pau Aguilera
A c t re s s - T V h o s t To n i
Gonzaga might just be the one
to get down on one knee and
ask for boyfriend director Paul
Soriano's hand in marriage. On
one condition, though.
“Pag naiuwi mo iyan, ako
ang magpo-propose sa iyo,”
Toni said on “The Buzz,”
referring to the Best Foreign
Language Film award, which
the acclaimed Paul Sorianoproduced Filipino independent
film “Transit” could have a shot
at after it was named the
Philippines' official entry to the
said category in this year's
Oscars.
A l t h o u g h
t h e
pronouncement may be a bit
premature considering
“Transit” is yet to make the
shortlist of nine entries and
then to the list of the five
finalists that would compete in
the category, Toni has every
reason to be optimistic and
excited.
“Nag-cameo kasi ako doon.
So puwede akong rumampa
doon talaga,” she continued.
More, Toni also related that
Paul is now in talks for “Transit”
to be screened abroad.
“They will be competing
Lovi Poe in 'Sana Dati'
Direk Paul and Toni (photo from Instagram)
against 70 countries and we are
aiming for the Oscars. Actually
next week tinanong ko na kay
Paul kung puwede ko iannounce he is already
meeting with Hollywood
producers who are interested
in distributing 'Transit' and
promoting it in the States.”
The 29-year-old shared
how her partner broke the
news of the selection to her.
“It was a tough decision
daw for the Film Academy of
the Philippines but actually it
came as a shock to them. I got
the text from Paul, I was
sleeping. I woke up 2 p.m. kasi
galing kami sa shoot, tapos ang
text lang niya sa akin, 'Please
wake up, good news.'
“So I called him right away
and he said na, 'Tin, God is good.
'Transit' is chosen as the
representative of the
Philippines na makapasok sa
Oscars.' I think the Oscars is
going to be in March and the
whole campaign will be in
December and January,” Toni
narrated.
“Transit,” starring Ping
Medina, Irma Adlawan and
Jasmine Curtis-Smith, tells the
story of an overseas Filipino
family in Tel Aviv, who hides
from the immigration police
upon the danger of deportation.
The Academy will
reportedly release the list of
eligible foreign film entries
several weeks after the Best
Fo re i g n L a n g u a g e F i l m
submission deadline on Oct. 1.
(Manila Bulletin)
Lovi Poe
Hawaii-bound
for 'Sana Dati'
By Jecelyn V. Macahindog
Lovi Poe will fly to Hawaii this
October to attend the 33rd Hawaii
International Film Festival (HIFF)
for her starrer “Sana Dati.”
Cinemalaya's Best Picture
“Sana Dati (If Only)” made it to the
HIFF's Festival selection and will
be screened from Oct. 10-20 in
Oahu, and Oct. 24-27 in Kauai &
Big Island.
As described on HIFF's official
website: “A moving film about
contemporary love and
relationships in present day
Philippines, IF ONLY is imbued
with a romantic spirit set to send
audiences on an emotional roller
coaster.” Written and directed by
Jerrold Tarog, the film also stars
Paulo Avelino, TJ Trinidad and
Benjamin Alves and is currently
enjoying its local commercial run.
Lovi shared it will be her first
time in Hawaii and that she will be
joined by Tarog in attending the
annual festival.
“At least si Jerold pwede akong
i-shoot doon. Lalakad kami ro'n,
may short film kami ro'n!” the
Kapuso Network's Primera
Aktresa said during the press
c o n f e r e n c e f o r t h e f i l m' s
commercial launch.
“Ang plano ko, mag-diet
ngayon. Mag-pictorial. Magbikini… I'll be leaving mga first
week ng October,” she added.
It isn't the first time the 24year-old actress will be gracing an
u
Page 25
Why did Paulo Avelino back
out of series with Angel
Paulo Avelino
MANILA -- Actress Angel Locsin
said she does not feel bad over the
alleged decision of actor Paulo
Avelino to back out of an upcoming
series which they are supposed to
headline.
Locsin said she understands
that Avelino has a more important
personal matter to attend to.
She did not give further details.
“Sinabi sa akin na hindi nga daw
matutuloy. May common friend
kami na nag-explain na mayroon
yatang personal problem si Paulo
na kailangan niya i-prioritize. Hindi
ko alam kung nai-share niya sa inyo,
pero 'yun lang ang masasabi ko.
Naiintindihan ko naman iyon,
kailangan niya talaga unahin yun,”
she said.
Locsin, however, said she would
definitely feel offended if Avelino
backed out because he just does not
want to work with her.
“Kung ako ang dahilan, siguro
magtatampo ako. Anong ginawa ko?
Baka gusto mo naman ako subukan,
kaya ko rin naman umarte. Pero
hindi naman iyon ang dahilan.
Siguro baka may ibang
pagkakataon pa. Siguro hindi lang
ito,” she said.
Locsin said she has heard a lot
about Avelino, although she has yet
to meet the newbie Kapamilya
actor.
“Yung project kasi na ito,
originally si Paulo daw ang ka-love
team although hindi ko pa naman
nakakausap si Paulo. Actually hindi
ko alam kung nagkita na kami ever.
Alam ko lang na magaling siyang
artista,” she said.
Reports say that the soap Locsin
is talking about will also feature
Maja Salvador and Jericho Rosales.
The working title of the supposed
upcoming series is “Hanggang
Kailan Kita Mamahalin.”
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 25
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Young Pinay wows
'X-Factor USA' judges
By Alex Brosas
Teener Ellona Santiago left a
lasting impression on “X Factor
USA” judges during her first
audition.
Performing Little Mix's
“ W i n g s ,” E l l o n a f ro m S a n
Lorenzo, California stunned
judges Kelly Rowland, Demi
Lovato and the hard-to-please
Simon Cowell.
Although coy in the short
interview before her
performance, Ellona had the
judges on their feet when she
delivered the upbeat
performance. She received a
standing ovation right after.
“First of all, I thought it was so
cute how you're like 'Yes, yes, you
know. I'm really shy…' and then
you're like…What in the word?
Who is this person? And that's
what I love the most because
whoever that girl was, she came
out and she made business.
Wow,” Kelly said.
“Ellona. I'll remember this
name, Ellona Santiago because
Ellona, you are the girl I think I
wanna work with most now in
this competition. I love this girl.
You are seriously good,” Simon
said of the Fil-Am singer.
When Ellona asked Simon if
he remembers her. he answered
in the negative. She told him that
she was on the first season of “XFactor” as member of the group
InTENsity but got the boot from
the top 12.
“Oh, you were in a group, with
Paula's group? And I like you. I
Lovi Poe ...
From page 24
international festival. Recall that
Lovi attended the 69th Venice
International Film Festival last
year for Brillante Mendoza's
critically acclaimed “Thy Womb.”
Lovi lauds “Sana Dati” for
being “different.”
“Ang mga tao naman, mahilig
sa love story but then, that doesn't
mean you have to stick to the same
kind of love story every time, same
formula. This one, it's very
different. Para siyang sa ibang
bansa talaga. Si Jerold kasi, he
won't stick to the usual thing, he
hates that. Kaya kami, kapag naga-acting kami, sasabihin niya,
dapat 'yung natural lang, never go
overboard.”
Apart from the HIFF, “Sana
Dati” will have its international
premiere at the 18th Busan
International Film Festival (BIFF)
in Korea, happening Oct. 3-12. The
film is part of the 54 films in
showcase for A Window on Asian
Cinema.
No more revisiting the past
Given the intriguing plot of the
film (Lovi's character Andrea is
involved with three men), many
wonder if the actress has dealt
with similar complications in her
love life.
“Well, in real life naman, a lot
of people are going through that.
Klarisse de Guzman
Myk Perez
Mitoy Yonting
Janice Javier
'The Voice' grand finalists step forward
By Bhenj Agustin
Ellona Santiago is happy over the
chance to prove her music worth
as a soloist (www.dailymotion.com)
did,” Simon said.
“Had I been here first season,
you would have gotten through,”
Demi mused aloud.
“Fortunately, this year, we'll
gonna have so much fun together
and you're going to say 'Simon
you'll never gonna forget about
me ever, ever, ever again,'” Demi
said.
“I think you've made this easy.
Absolutely, yes,” Kelly said.
“You are exactly what this
competiton is looking for. It's a
yes,” Demi said.
“Ellona, it's a million percent
yes,” Simon said.
“This chance is more
important than my last chance
because I'm going to try to make
it up there not as part of a group
but as a soloist. I'm so happy,”
Ellona said. (Manila Bulletin)
Let's be honest… it's a sad truth,”
she said, adding that love can be
selfish at times.
“I think all of us naman, eh.
We're all capable of being selfish.
We don't know it pero may ibaibang level of being selfish. The
fact na nga lang na, like si Andrea,
she can't move on from her past.
The fact na meron siyang present,
pero hindi siya maka-move on
from her past.”
Unlike her character in the
film, Lovi denies having emotional
baggage from past relationships.
She claims to have never revisited
the past. “Ako, kapag tapos na,
tapos na.”
Asked if that was the case
between her and actor Jake
Cuenca, Lovi said, “Things happen
for a reason. Siguro, we grew
separate ways and we both want
separate things, but I'm very
thankful naman that he was a part
of my life.”
Past is past and the present for
Lovi is not with her “Akin Pa Rin
Ang Bukas” co-star Rocco Nacino.
“Wala akong present ngayon,
wala akong kinu-konsider na
present. I'm not emotionally
ready.”
She also denied the reported
encounter between Jake and
Rocco. “No, that's not true. I don't
know nga where that issue came
from. Hindi ako aware sa situation.
Wala silang dahilan (para magaway ) ,” L ov i s a i d . ( M a n i l a
Bulletin)
The four contestants who
will battle it out in “The Voice of
the Philippines” grand finals
next week are Janice Javier of
Team Apl, Myk Perez of Team
Bamboo, Mitoy Yonting of Team
Lea and Klarisse de Guzman of
Team Sarah.
In an interview with
Bulletin Entertainment a few
days before their selection,
Klarisse said she's banking on
the soulful quality of her voice
more than its range to see her
through the competition.
“Madami na pong bumibirit na
singers so sa tingin ko mas may
bago akong maipapakita sa
music industry,” she said.
Janice believes experience
could spell the difference
between winning and losing.
“Half of my life ay
bumibiyahe ako as a singer so
marami na ang nakarinig sa
akin. Mas pressure yung nagpeperform gabi gabi, sa harap ng
iba't ibang tao na humuhusga sa
iyo.”
Mitoy is banking on “kapal
ng mukha” to connect with the
audience and the judges in
order to win their hearts.
Turning serious, however, he
hopes people would vote based
on singing skills more than
anything else. He doesn't
discount the possibility that
someone with lesser experience
can win the title. Still, he
resolves to give his all till the
very end.
For Myk, putting the right
emotion in every song could
give him a piece of sky.
“Kung happy po yung song
ko, gumagalaw po ako kahit na
may gitara, kahit na hand
gestures lang. Kung malungkot
yung song ko, nafi-feel ko
talaga.”
The first ever “The Voice of
the Philippines” grand finals
will be held on Sept. 29 at 8:15
p.m. aired on ABS-CBN. There
will be a performance night on
Sept. 28 at 9 p.m.
The mentors in the first ever
“The Voice of the Philippines”
are Lea Salonga, Apl.de.ap,
Bamboo and Sarah Geronimo.
(Manila Bulletin)
BANDANA, hoodie over mesh top, basketball shorts, sneakers. Did Rihanna just step off the plane? Uh, yesand
was out of here in a jiffy. MAGIC LIWANAG/CONTRIBUTOR
A tardy, lackluster RiRi
By Allan Policarpio
The wait for pop superstar
Rihanna's one-night concert on
Thursday, September 19 at the
SM Mall of Asia Arenaa part of
h e r “ D i a m o n d s Wo r l d
Tour”was long and tedious.
based DJ duo GTA pumped up
the crowd with blasts of
earthshaking club beats from
their booth. Or at least they
tried to. This front-act set
lasted close to an hour, but
hardly anyone cared enough, or
was drunk enough, to dance.
The Arena lobby was
packed and bristling with
activity an hour prior to the
show's scheduled 8 p.m. start.
The metro crowd's most
fashionable, in varying levels of
undress and overdress, filled
the air with distinctive chatter
and laughter. Local stars like
Kathryn Bernardo caused a
commotion among young girls.
Men most likely dragged by
their girlfriends made a bee line
for food and drinks.
Thinking their idol would
turn up any minute, the crowd
erupted in shrieks and chants
of “Rihanna! Rihanna!” when
GTA exited. But what followed
was another hour of sitting
around, leg stretching and
“selfie” sessions, as the crew set
up the equipment. A few
started cheering and
applauding, as though willing
the show to begin.
Around half past 8, Miami-
Finally, at a little past 10, the
Pop juggernaut
lights went down and LED
screens sprang to life, showing
some Egyptian- or goddessinspired image in black and rich
golden hues. Then a curved LED
wall was raised, revealing the
Barbadian pop juggernaut atop
a short flight of steps. “Ma-nila!” shouted Rihanna, wiping
away the crowd's restlessness.
We had half-expected her to
be in a costume that would
flaunt her famous curves.
Instead she was in a baggy, allwhite urban street wear
bandana, hoodie over a mesh
top, basketball shorts,
sneakers. For a split second, it
seemed she would start
r a p p i n g . We l l , s h e d i d
something pretty close.
u
Page 26
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 26
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Angel Locsin breaks
silence on 'scandal’
MANILA -- "Malinis ang
konsensya ko."
This was Angel Locsin's
assertion when asked to
address a supposed write-up on
a "photo scandal," which
allegedly shows her in a red
dress with one breast exposed.
"Ah, matagal na 'yun," the
28-year-old actress said at the
sidelines of the filming of the
ABS-CBN sitcom "Toda Max"
early this week. "Ilang beses na
rin naman sa akin pinost 'yun
ng mga bashers sa Internet.
Hindi ko naman alam kung ano
gagawin ko, kung ano eh..."
Asked to clarify if there is
any truth to the allegation and
that she may have simply
forgotten the supposed photo
was taken, Locsin stressed,
"Sigurado ako na hindi talaga
'yon [totoo]."
Shrugging, the "Lobo" star
continued, "Pero 'yung sa mga
gano'ng klaseng bagay na may
mga lumalabas, wala naman
akong magagawa eh, 'diba. Pikit
nalang ako."
Locsin was also asked to
comment on celebrities who
have figured in "sex scandals,"
or private videos that have gone
viral online. Recently, TV host
Angel Locsin
Wally Bayola and Parokya ni
Edgar frontman Chito Miranda
were embroiled in similar
controversies.
"May barkada ako, meron,"
said Locsin, who is known to be
a close friend of Miranda. "Pero
hindi naman nagbago 'yung
pagtingin ko sa kanya. Kasi
kilala ko siya eh."
Asked for her message to
"bashers" who claim there is
truth to her alleged "photo
scandal," Locsin only said, "Hi!"
"Kasi wala naman akong
isyu sa kanila, 'diba. Hindi ko
naman sila kilala nang personal,
so wala, 'Hello' lang," she said.
A tardy,
lackluster RiRi
From page 25
Moving about with the
swagger of a hip-hop artist,
Rihanna threw herself into the
hard-hitting rave ditty “Phresh
Out the Runway,” from her latest
album “Unapologetic.” Her moves
were rough, angular, provocative,
haphazard. She shook her taut
buns, thrust her hips, stuck out
her tongue, grabbed and rubbed
her crotch. She did all theseas her
album title suggestsunabashedly.
(Through the years, she has
morphed from a pop-R&B
Beyoncé-lite into a risqué
performer churning out sexually
charged songs.)
on laziness.
Suspect singing
R i h a n n a' s s i n g i n g wa s
suspect, and there was no
indication of choreography
outside her freestyle gyrations
and come-hither moves. Surely,
her monster hit “Umbrella”
deserved a modest production
number. As for the much
ballyhooed multiple costume
changes in bigger cities, there
was no trace of it. OK, she took off
her shorts later to reveal that her
top was really a swimsuit.
M e rc i f u l ly, t h e c o n c e r t
(sponsored by PLDT Fiber and
Smart Music) picked up spark in
its final 30 minutes. Rihanna
managed to salvage the
otherwise uninspired show not
because she made more effort,
but on the sheer strength of
popular hits that she sang one
after another.
Rihanna, who, at 25, has
seven studio albums and 12 No. 1
singles under her belt, continued
her set with more upbeat
songs“Mother Mary,” “Talk That
Talk,” “Pour It Up,” “Numb” and
“Birthday Cake”a collaboration
with her controversial, on-andoff lover, Chris Brown. Playfully
skipping around like a child,
Rihanna at this point gave a
delightful performance of the
reggae-inspired “You Da One,”
“Man Down” and “No Love
Allowed.”
The audience went wild,
dancing and singing along to
“Hate That I Love You,” “Take a
Bow,” “Love the Way You Lie,” “We
Found Love,” “S&M,” “Don't Stop
the Music,” “Only Girl (In the
World)” and “Where Have You
Been.” At last, some decent
choreography. At one point,
Rihanna descended the stage to
high-five fans who had paid
P26,990 for SVIP section spots.
Though the first hour of the
concert was interspersed with
such hits as “Rude Boy” and
“What's My Name?” we had a
niggling feeling that things were
just trudging on instead of
whipping past. Despite her
antics, what came across was an
air of nonchalance that bordered
For an encore, Rihanna
slowed down with the torch
ballad “Stay,” before concluding
amid much screaming and
cheering with “Diamonds.” There
she was finally, shining bright like
a diamond … though not as
intensely as we hoped she would.
INQUIRER.net
Lauren Young
topbills ...
Lauren also said she's very
proud of her sister because
Megan really gave her all in the
local competition and she knows
her sister will not disappoint the
country in the international
pageant.
"I'm very, very proud of her
because I saw how hard she
worked and how dedicated she is.
She's not only doing it for herself,
but also to make her country
proud," said Lauren.
She said Megan's win in Miss
World-Philippines helped eased
the constant comparison
between them. Lauren said she's
happy to do her own thing while
supporting her older sister in her
latest endeavor.
"It's easier kasi before people
used to think na lagi dapat
kaming magco-compete sa isa't
isa, ngayon nawala yun. And at
the same time it's overwhelming,
especially for her, kasi siya yung
naka experience and I'm just the
sister, the second shock absorber
lang sa lahat ng nangyari," said
the young actress.
When asked if she's also keen
in joining beauty pageants,
Lauren said her main focus now
is her show biz career but
wouldn't say no to that
possibility.
"I can't think of that right now
because that's Megan's thing, it's
hers and ayoko na mag share
kami doon. I want to see how it's
like for Megan. If it works for her,
and if one day it is right for me,
then I will."
From page 23
Now this dream is becoming a
reality especially that she's back
on television via the newest
psychological drama thriller
"Dormitoryo" on GMA 7.
The said project is her first
lead role after signing her
exclusive contract with the
network in April.
Although she's top billing the
program, Lauren said it's a group
project. "I'm happy but I see it as
an ensemble, na kung wala 'yung
isang tao or character na ito, hindi
siya mag work the way it's
supposed to work. I don't see it as
I'm the lead star, may kanya-kanya
kaming moment to shine to show
our talents as an artist," she said.
The once-a-week show which
will premiere on September 22
will also feature Mayton Eugenio,
Joyce Ching, Ruru Madrid and
Enzo Pineda.
Meanwhile, Lauren shared
she's flying to Jakarta, Indonesia
to watch older sister Megan
compete in the Miss World
competition on September 28.
Lauren and the rest of their
family and friends are currently
ironing out details on the said trip.
"All our family and friends are
planning to go to Indonesia to
watch her. Complete kaming
lahat, mga titos, titas and cousins,"
said Lauren.
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 27
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Sarah Geronimo on Matteo: Hello, young lovers!
'Gusto ko manahimik’
MANILA -- Sarah
Geronimo opted to keep her
silence on rumors
romantically linking her to
Matteo Guidicelli, saying she
would rather remain
"truthful" about her situation
with the actor.
The 25-year-old singer
was asked on the matter in a
media huddle at the sidelines
of a press conference held
early this week for her latest
endorsement.
Noting that Guidicelli is
endorsing a competing brand,
Geronimo said, "Hindi naman
kami pwedeng mag-usap
dahil sa competitor siya, 'di
ba?"
Geronimo was also brief
with words when asked if she
remains in good terms with
the 24-year-old actor, only
saying, "Okay naman."
Guidicelli, who co-starred
with Geronimo in the 2011
romantic-comedy film "Catch
M e , I ' m I n L o v e ," h a s
repeatedly denied courting
the actress, stressing they are
only friends.
Quizzed on the status of
her relationship with the
actor, Geronimo appeared to
grasp for words, before she
In the middle of the fuss and frenzy of the first CineFilipino awards
ceremony, young sweethearts Jasmine Curtis-Smith and Sam
Concepcion shared a sweet moment checking out an iPhone message.
The gorgeous couple made waves all night. Sam attended the awards
show to stand by Jasmine, whose film, Mike Alcazaren's “Puti,” won
three trophies. Photo by Arnold Almacen. (Inquirer.net)
Sarah Geronimo and Matteo Guidicelli
began by saying, "Ayaw ko
pong ano... Kumbaga, okay
lang na hanggang doon na
lang muna natin..."
"Kung ano man 'yung
sasabihin ko, ayaw ko naman
pong magsalita ng... Basta
gusto kong maging truthful sa
inyo the best way that I can.
Gusto ko pong manahimik na
lang muna," she said.
Rumors romantically
linking the Kapamilya stars
surfaced early this year when
Guidicelli was reported to be
the only showbiz personality
seen at Geronimo's private
b i r t h d ay p a r t y i n J u ly,
following his guest stint on
her US concert series in the
previous month.
At the time, Geronimo
appeared more open in
addressing questions about
Guidicelli, describing him at
one point as, "Napaka-cute na
tao, napaka-respectful,
marami endearing qualities at
nakakatuwa."
Actress Angeli Bayani
among Toronto fest's
top discoveries
Angeli Bayani, at right
The website ioncinema.com listed Angeli Bayani among the “Top 20
New Faces” at the recent Toronto IFF. Bayani, who had two films in the
fest (Lav Diaz's “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” and Anthony Chen's
“Ilo Ilo”), was hailed as “an elemental force … her affecting
performance is unmatched … she could soon be a household name.”
(Inquirer.net)
PH documentary on
Living Asia Channel
Butch Nolasco. Inquirer file photo
The first episode of “National Treasures: A Journey Through History”
started airing on September 22 on the Living Asia Channel. The
historical series is produced by the Eggie Apostol Foundation, with the
National Commission for Culture and the Arts. It is directed by awardwinning documentarian Butch Nolasco. Architect Augusto Villalon is
the program's writer and presenter. The docu chronicles “the unique
and colorful history of the Philippines through significant structures,
monuments and archeological artifacts.” “These are our country's real
treasures,” Villalon said.
SPORTS
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
Page 28
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Why Darchinyan, instead
'Run for Pinoy Glory' of Rigondeaux?
reset to October
Run for Pinoy Glory 2013 has
been re-scheduled to Oct. 20 at
the Camp Aguinaldo Grandstand
in Quezon City.
“Run for Pinoy Glory A gift to
our Filipino Paralympians” will
harness the bayanihan spirit to
honor Filipino paralympians for
bringing glory to the country
through the world's biggest
sporting arena for persons with
disability. By participating in the
run, athletes and non-athletes,
able-bodies and differentlyabled will get a chance to boost
the morale of the paralympians.
A unique feature of the run is
a special category for
participants in wheelchairs,
which highlights the paralympic
aspect of the games.
Registration will end on Oct.
17 at the Fitness and Athletics
BGC and the Chris Sports Outlets
at SM MOA, SM Megamall, SM
North EDSA, SM Manila, SM
Sucat, Glorietta 3 Makati and
Festival Mall Alabang. Race
categories are at 3K, 5K and 10K.
The event is being organized
by Shadowfax Events, in
partnership with De La SalleCollege of St. Benilde's Junior
Marketing Association (DLSCSB-JMA) and the Philippine
Sports Association for the
Differently-Abled (PhilSPADA).
Supporters are the British
Embassy Manila, National
Council for Disability Affairs,
AFP, and SM Malls. (Manila
Bulletin)
2013 World ringfest:
Barriga heads PH bets
By June Navarro
LONDON Olympian Mark
Anthony Barriga will spearhead
the Philippine campaign in the
2 0 1 3 A i b a Wo r l d B ox i n g
Championships in Almaty,
Kazakhstan.
Ed Picson, the Association of
Boxing Alliances of the
Philippines executive director,
yesterday said they also tapped
flyweight Roldan Boncales Jr.,
bantam Mario Fernandez,
lightweight Junel Cantancio and
light welter Dennis Galvan for
the Oct. 14 to 26 meet.
Picson said Asian Games gold
medalist Rey Saludar and World
Series of Boxing mainstay Charly
Suarez were supposed to join the
team but both suffered shoulder
injuries that sidelined them
indefinitely.
S a lu da r tore a mu scle
recently during a three-week
training camp in Guangzhou,
China, while Suarez suffered the
Pba-online.net photo
Mark Anthony Barriga
same fate in the World Series of
Boxing held in Italy.
“ We h a v e v e r y g o o d
substitutes for them. Our boxers
went through a process the past
few months and these are the
names that came up,” said
Picson, who graced the PSA
Forum at Shakey's Malate with
national coach Pat Gaspi.
(Inquirer.net)
By Beth Celis
IT'S HARD to tell if Top Rank
promoter Bob Arum has indeed
lost faith in Nonito Donaire Jr.
after the “Filipino Flash” was
soundly beaten over 12 rounds
by two-time Olympic gold
medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux
last April. Arum could just as well
be challenging the fallen fighter
by pricking his pride.
“Listless” was how Arum
described Donaire in his last fight
which he lost by unanimous
decision.
“Donaire is coming off the
worst performance I have ever
seen,” Arum said in a report in
Philboxing.com. “He was
seemingly unprepared for the
fight.
“When something like that
happens, I don't know for sure if a
fighter can snap out of it, so it
remains to be seen.
I don't know if we'll see the
Donaire that we were used to
seeing before the fight with
Rigondeaux or another version of
Donaire. That should make the
rematch with Vic Darchinyan
interesting.”
For Darchinyan, who was
knocked out by Donaire in the
fifth round of their first fight in
2007, the Nov. 9 rematch
presents an opportunity to
redeem himself.
“He wants redemption, and
by beating Donaire, doors will
open for him again,” said
Darchinyan's manager, Frank
Espinoza. “He's at that point in
his career where he doesn't want
to wait any longer.”
Born in Armenia, the 37year-old Darchinyan totes a
record of 39 wins and five losses.
Since his dethronement by
Donaire, his career has taken a
roller-coaster ride; he lost two of
his last four fights. In contrast,
Donaire's star rose steadily until
Rigondeaux came along.
Donaire's trainer, Robert
Garcia, said his ward has gotten
back into top shape and looks
better than ever for his next fight
in Corpus Christi, Texas.
“I've never seen him like this
before,” Garcia told Chris
Williams of Boxing News. “He's
fast and he's strong.”
Williams does not believe
him, though.
“It's doubtful that Donaire is
better than ever,” wrote Williams.
“He was also talking up Donaire
before that last fight with
Rigondeaux and you saw what
h a p p e n e d i n t h a t f i g h t .”
Williams questions the
wisdom of having Donaire figure
Nonito Donaire Jr. (Sfexaminer.com photo)
In a second fight with
Darchinyan, whom the Filipino
beat convincingly, instead of his
tormentor Rigondeaux.
“It doesn't make sense,”
Williams said. “Donaire is moving
up to featherweight but is
fighting a super bantamweight in
Darchinyan.
“It looks strange that Donaire
is fighting Darchinyan instead of
Rigondeaux. What is this move all
about? Is Top Rank counting on
casual boxing fans not having any
memory of Donaire's loss to
Rigondeaux, or have they simply
accepted this loss and moved
on?”
The good news is Nonito Jr.
has reconciled with his father
Nonito Sr. through the instigation
of his wife Rachel.
For sure, no black candle will
be lit by anyone for Nonito Jr. on
Nov. 1.
Sept. 27 - Oct. 3, 2013
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THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Magna cum laude engineer finds his passion in apple pies
By Ma. Esther Salcedo - Posadas
He is no ordinary civil
engineering graduate. He was a
high school salutatorian at La
Salle Greenhills before he went
on to graduate with magna cum
laude honors at the University of
the Philippines.
Chito Benito's choice of
academic degree was influenced
by his father's long career in civil
engineering. He wanted to
follow in his footsteps. Thus
after college, Benito went on to
work for leading tech companies
such as Motorola and Ericsson.
Until at some point, he had a
realization.
“I think it's not for me,” he
explains that a corporate person
needs to be somewhat
charismatic (given the need to
make justifications up the
ladder), a trait that he doesn't
think applies to him.
“Medyo OC ako (I'm a bit
obsessive compulsive). I like
getting to the bottom of things.”
But according to him, he is less of
a people person.
In 2007, he resigned from his
last corporate job to initially
focus on building their new
home. By the time the house was
finished a year later, he was
already involved in a kart racing
business (supplying parts) in
Carmona.
The opportunity to bake pies
came completely by accident, as
what happens with many
ent repreneuria l vent ures.
Around 2008, his wife Pateet
wanted to bake some walnut pie
and surfed the Internet for a
recipe. The baked pie didn't turn
out so well.
Even as a kid, Benito would
help his sister in the kitchen. So
he decided to fix the recipe.
Together with his wife, the trial
and error experiment lasted for
about a year before they found a
taste and quality they were
comfortable with. By 2009, they
started giving away the apple
pies and also started to develop
blueberry cheesecake. A year
later, they were already selling to
family and friends.
Benito says, “My experience
in racing helped me to develop
recipes.” In racing, you have to
tweak until you get a faster kart,
he asserts.
Catherine's Cakes and Pies
(named after his youngest
daughter) sells mainly through
Facebook and has rapidly grown
since the business officially
opened in 2012. According to
Benito, the page has already
garnered at least 1,400 likes and
his pies have already caught the
attention of foodies like Sandy
and Nina Daza as well as Lori
Baltazar.
CATHERINE'S Cakes and Pies
recently introduced individual
sizes for blueberry cheesecake,
chocolate cheesecake, walnut pie
and apple pie (P99). photo by Ma.
Esther Salcedo-Posadas
CHITO Benito with his classic apple pie (P695 for a 9-inch pie) that started
it all. photo by Ma. Esther Salcedo-Posadas
What's the secret? Aside
from product sampling and
word of mouth marketing,
Benito invests in Facebook
advertising where he pays as
little as P0.50 per click.
“What I learned about social
marketing is that you need to do
it constantly. Looking back, if you
don't remember a product, you
won't think of buying it. That's
why big companies invest in
advertising,” he says.
Even for just one order of a 9inch apple pie, Benito will
personally deliver (P45 delivery
fee) to Muntinlupa, Las Piñas,
Parañaque, Taguig, Pasig, San
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Juan, Mandaluyong, Makati,
Pasay and Quezon City. He
mentions that he now gets
orders on a daily basis and
schedules his deliveries on
Fridays. He requires a one-day
lead time for small orders. For
orders worth P4,000 and above,
he can deliver on other days. His
maximum production capacity
per day is around 50 pies.
When asked whether he is
content to maintain an online
Facebook store he replies, “Yeah,
it's not enough. I'm on the
lookout for a store.” In fact, he
wants to be big enough to one
day manage sending his apple
pies to anyplace around the
world. But before he can do that,
he has yet to achieve his retail
store that will cost him an
investment of around P1 million
to P2 million to start.
In social marketing, Benito is
careful about overselling his
products. That is the reason he
likes Facebook advertising as it
is a passive way of attracting
customers. He tries not to be
intrusive. He is also still
constantly developing his apple
pies that if someone criticizes
the products, he would search
for a solution. Benito also shares
his self-taught business
philosophy, “You have to have
one perfect product or one really
appealing product. It's better to
have one than to have ten that
are mediocre.” Inquirer.net
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