MAY 2012
Transcription
MAY 2012
3rd Year of Promoting CommUNITY libret MAKING WAVES FOR THE GLOBAL FILIPINO ROCK & RULE over Scarborough Shoal a.k.a. Huangyan Island No. 33, MAY 2012, ONTARIO, CANADA INQUIRIES: 647-718-1360; 647-707-7201; [email protected] Legal issues on Scarborough Shoal should not be left to charlatans to explain T We love our country too JOE RIVERA, http://anuncomplicatedmind.blogspot.ca HE May 11 “global protest” by Filipinos at home and expat Pinoys abroad against China’s bullying tactics in the South China Sea turned out to be more “local” than widespread judging by the measly number of people who attended. Even the “hakot” crowd of President NOYNOY AQUINO’s Akbayan Party-list supporters could only muster close to 300 souls in what was expected to be a big protest before the Chinese consulate in Makati City. Abroad, the one-hour noon protest in the U.S. and Canada was so disappointing that organizers were quick to blame those who did not participate for their lack of patriotism, prompting an organizer from Toronto to say that he’ll “puke” the next time he sees mem- bers of so-called nationalist groups in Toronto show their allegiance to the Philippine flag during the annual Independence Day (June 12) ceremonies. The protests in the U.S. and Canada were organized by the U.S. Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG), a group closely identified with President Aquino and known supporters of U.S. State Secretary HILLARY CLINTON. One of the leaders of the USP4GG, FilAm lawyer LOIDA NICOLAS is an older sister of IMELDA NICOLAS, chairperson with the rank of a cabinet secretary of the Commission for Filipinos Overseas, a state agency responsible for promoting the interests of expatriate Filipinos abroad and strengthening their ties with Filipino communities overseas. Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC) president NORMA CARPIO (2nd from left, seated) and ABS-CBN managing director MARCO AMORANTO (3rd from left, seated) sign partnership papers naming ABS-CBN as the official presenting sponsor of PIDC’s July 28 Mabuhay Festival at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre’s Hall D. Witnessing the signing are (seated, from left) MIKE APRIETO, PIDC executive vice president for marketing and promotions; LYRA FAJARIT, The Filipino Channel (TFC) Canada regional finance officer; (standing, from left) RIZZA FLORES, TFC regional marketing head; ROSARY ESCANO, regional marketing specialist; PIDC’s MINDA NERI; and MARIO MARASIGAN, TFC sales manager. Photo: libreto PIDC, ABS-CBN ink partnership Philippine Independence Day Council’s Beauty Pageants Candidates and story on page 23 Recently crowned Binibining Pilipinas 2012 winners at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, the Philippines are (from left) Bb. Pilipinas 2nd runner-up ANNALIE FORBES, Bb. Pilipinas International NICOLE SCHMITZ, Bb. Pilipinas Universe JANINE TUGONON, Bb. Pilipinas Tourism KATRINA JAYNE DIMARANAN, and Bb. Pilipinas 2nd runner up ELAINE KAY MOLL. The Department of Foreign Affairs clarified that the protests were a purely private undertaking and not state-sanctioned. There were reports of heated exchanges among the Filipino-Americans who attended the protests in the U.S., decrying the low turnout and blaming their fellow Filipino countrymen for being cowards in willing to give up their territories without a fight. Similarly, in Toronto, the few people who showed up were disgusted and questioned why the protest was so poorly organized. The protest organizers, however, put the blame on the failure of the community to meet the test of nationalism when it really counted. The Toronto spectacle was a dud for obvious reasons. First, the Scarborough Shoal issue or the bigger dispute in the South China Sea between the Philippines and China, to begin with, was a non-starter and the attempt to draw the attention of the international community to alleged Chinese aggression and “creeping invasion” was misguided. At the heart of the ongoing row between the two countries is ownership of the disputed rocks or islands. The question then is who has sovereign title and this issue is unresolved, yet the Philippines claims that China has invaded its territories. The Philippines has asked the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea to intervene as an arbiter, but China made it known to the Philippines that it will not agree to U.N. arbitration on the ground that the Philippines’ claim has no legal basis. Parties to an international dispute have the right to decline arbitration. To page 38, please Papasin gets shot at Ms. U Canada S TATUESQUE 5’7” beauty KESIAH KATHLEEN LIANE PAPASIN, 21, will vie for the honour to represent Canada in the 61st Miss Universe beauty pageant to be staged later this year. But first, Kesiah has to win in the pageant’s prefinals at the St. Lawrence Theatre on May 17, when she hopes to be chosen one of ten ladies who will advance to the Miss Universe Canada 2012 finals in June. Newspapering colleague TESS CUSIPAG told libreto that Kesiah is an alumnus of Miss Manila with which she became a personality development coordinator inn this year’s pageant (see page 25), that she joined joined Turismo Pilipino in the Philippines, and that she has participated and earned experience in other pageants. A resident of Etobicoke, Kesiah was born of Filipino heritage and raised in Toronto. To page 18, please BE THERE. Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn, hundreds of bees in the purple clover, Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn, but only one mother the wide world over. GEORGE COOPER MAY 2012 Pacquiao nixes retirement M ANNY PACQUIAO, the boxing world’s only eight-division champion, expects to pick up more fights and spend more time in the ring. “I have no plans to retire. I still love what I’m doing,” Pacquiao (543-2, 38 KOs) told media, as soon as he set up training camp in Los Angeles for his title defense against junior welterweight titlist TIMOTHY BRADLEY JR. (28-0, 12 KOs) at the MGM Grand Las Vegas on June 9. Pacquiao’s thoughts on his boxing future come amid a comment on “possible retirement” undefeated FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. made after his May 5 win over MIGUEL COTTO for the junior middleweight belt. The boxing world still drools with anticipation for an elusive Pacquiao-Mayweather rendezvous, expecting it to happen after the Filipino fighter gets over Bradley and when the American pugilist serves 87 days, to start on June 1, behind prison bars. “I saw the Mayweather-Cotto fight,” said Pacquiao, adding that it was a good fight that made fans happy. He, however, reserved his take on Mayweather’s plans to retire. “That’s his decision. A very personal decision,” he said. Back at the Wild Card gym of world-renowned coach-trainer FREDDIE ROACH, Pacquiao said he needed to work real hard for his upcoming fight. “Bradley is strong, undefeated and young. I have a great deal of respect for his talents and his accomplishments,” he admitted. “We are on a steady pace to get Manny to where he will peak on June 9,” Roach said. “We built a good base to build on in our training in the Philippines. Now it’s time for the hard work and the strategy.” Roach wanted to see a Pacquiao- Mayweather faceoff, but said that Floyd is ducking Manny. He predicted that if the megafight ever happened, Manny would beat Floyd. “The way to beat Floyd is to outwork him every minute of every round. Manny is the only fighter capable of executing that game 3 plan,” he noted. “Activity kills Mayweather. You need to stay busy against him and not let him dictate the pace by slowing down the fight,” he added. “Southpaws are his other weakness. Manny is just a bad combination for Floyd to fight. If it would bring Floyd into the ring, I’d agree to have Manny fight him righthanded,” Roach pointed out. Meanwhile, boxing analysts see the Pacquiao-Bradley 12-rounder as a tougher thriller and hotly contested fight. Bradley’s class, speed and skill may give him that chance to loosen and wrest the title belt from Manny’s waist. If it is worth the gauge, Pacquiao’s unimpressive and controversial majority decision win over rival JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ (54-6-1, 39 KOs) made the world see how vulnerable and susceptible Pacquiao was to Marquez’s crisp and precise counterpunching and straight shots. Bradley is strong effective with his straight right hand, known as a southpaw’s fear. Bradley will have to wait for all the chances to land his right against Pacquiao. Bradley’s jabs and left hooks are with purpose and he lands them well, as seen in his triumphs over LAMONT PETERSON and LUIS CARLOS ABREGU. Lastly, Bradley is still undefeated. He will be highly motivated to preserve his unblemished record. With a possible clash with Mayweather in the horizon, Bradley wants to win. On the other hand, after Mayweather cashed in on higher PPVs in his victory over Cotto, Pacquiao trains harder to beat Bradley to get that fat chance to trash Floyd. Patuloy na itinatanong at isinisigaw ng maraming kababayang nawalan na ng tiwala! KATARUNGAN, buhay ka pa ba? KATARUNGAN, nasaan ka? Jun Enverga to receive Queen’s anniv’y medal E LECTED Toronto School Board Trustee TOBIAS ‘Jun’ ENVERGA JR. is set to receive a commemorative medal highlighting the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty QUEEN ELIZABETH II’s accession to the throne as Queen of Canada. Known for his active part in community group Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF), Jun Enverga will join as awardee kababayan and Vancouver community leader TOM AVENDANO who received the medal at Ottawa’s Rideau Hall on February 6. Enverga and Avendano are among the few Canadians of Filipino roots and among the 60,000 Canadians who will have been conferred the medal when the jubilee ends. In a press release, PCCF publicist GLORIA RAFANAN said the medal cited Enverga for “advocating for the community and charity”. Rafanan said Enverga told her “the honour is not his alone” but also for the PCCF and other groups and persons who supported him through the years. Rafanan said Enverga likewise dedicated the medal to wife ROSEMER ENVERGA and three daughters. PR What’s up this issue? PHL Flag Day, May 28 Wakeboarding @ the Camarines Sur Watersports Complex page 8 Global study ranks PHL top nation in biz English proficiency page 18 Be cool in Bicol page 11 Pops-Martin TO gig page 34 Beauty pageants: Shameless Subculture, page 12 HIT THE DIRT -- PR 911: Comedy of presscon errors, page 13 FCT Young Entrepreneurs, Professionals awardees, page 28 SINGHITS, page 35 4 MAY 2012 Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn, hundreds of bees in the purple clover, Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn, but only one mother the wide world over. GEORGE COOPER A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts. WASHINGTON IRVING MAY 2012 5 Canada’s sinister immigration backlog solution W ITH a clear majority in Parliament after leading two minority governments, nothing can now stop the ruling Conservative Party in having its way over the next four years. This is why Canada’s Minister for Citizenship and Immigration JASON KENNEY appears to be in a hurry to overhaul the country’s immigration system every time he announces new policy changes. Kenney is in fact dismantling Canada’s immigration system at will. Public consultations which he himself has initiated will never change his position. People are being encouraged to speak up but only for the sake of token participation. It’s only a matter of time before we witness a virtually new program for selecting immigrants in this country. Nixing 280,000 applicants Under the pretext of eliminating the backlog in the main federal economic immigration program, Minister Kenney recently announced that he is cancelling all applications submitted prior to February 27, 2008, for which an immigration officer has not made a decision based on selection criteria by March 29, 2012. Close to 280,000 applicants will be affected by this decision. “The Federal Skilled Worker JOE RIVERA Program backlog is a major roadblock to Canada’s ability to respond to rapidly changing labour market needs,” says Kenney. “Having to process applications that are as many as eight years out of date reduces our ability to focus on new applicants with skills and talents that our economy needs today.” Tories -- immigrants’ party? Before being elected as majority government, the Conservative Party had been singing a different tune over the last four years. They were the political party of immigrants, the Tories claimed. The Tories were praising immigrants for being essential to Canada’s prosperity. There was no mistake in Kenney’s appeal to Canada’s newcomers when he portrayed himself as hero to new immigrants. That was before. Alas, the federal elections are over, and the Conservative Party has suddenly been afflicted with mega-amnesia. For four years as a minority government, the Tories could not cut back the flow of immigration applicants to this country so they had to maintain or increase the projected number of immigrants to Canada every year. Canada’s minority population is getting larger due to immigrants from non-Western nations and all the political parties are after their support. Who created the backlog? Well, things are different now. The immigration minister doesn’t have to worry about the minority population vote anymore. That’s why it so easy for Kenney to put the blame squarely on the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW) as the main reason for the immigration backlog. As he is fond of saying, the backlog is simply a mathematical problem. “When total applications exceed total admissions, you get a backlog.” Of course, the minister is right. But who made this happen in the first place? Wasn’t it Kenney himself who smugly boasted that the backlog issue reflects well on Canada— that it is the Number 1 choice destination of immigrants in the world? Because Canada, according to Kenney, is a land “of opportunity, prosperity and democracy.” When you keep opening up the application process, it is only logical that you create a line-up. And when there are only a few applicants you can accept to come to Canada, then you create a backlog. If you keep doing this every year, the line-up grows longer and longer. In short, the backlog issue is never a function of the number of applications accepted or the government is willing to entertain, but the number of applications actually processed and approved. So, is the culprit the FSW program or the federal government and its bureaucrats? Unfair treatment It is fairly reasonable to expect the federal government to close the door to new applications, but not to eliminate those applications made earlier. Because these early applicants will be reimbursed for their fees, the federal government deems this is fair treatment. It would never be fair. The Canadian government has dashed their hopes and dreams. They gave up other options, and for some, opportunities for personal advancement which are no longer available after waiting so long. Others have postponed marriage or raising their families. So how can you be fair to these people? To page 30, please Your Filipino Friends Ready At Your Service! Gani Gregorio Assistant Sales Manager Rafael Nebres General Manager Kit Santos Sales & Leasing Consultant Tony Paragas Used Car Manager To All My Kababayans: Feel free to come and visit me, whether “bibili ka o hindi”. It is always a pleasure to talk to a Kababayan. MABUHAY! rafael@ myactionhonda.com [email protected] NEW & USED CAR SALES, CAR PARTS, CAR SERVICE, BODY SHOP “WHERE CAR OWNERSHIP IS MADE EASY” 4334 Kingston Rd., Scarborough ON (south of Lawrence Ave. East) Tel. (416) 281-1234 6 MAY 2012 A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. TENNEVA JORDAN On May 3, World Press Freedom Day UN: Free, pluralistic, independent media essential “F REEDOM of expression is one of our most precious rights. It underpins every other freedom and provides a foundation for human dignity. Free, pluralistic and independent media is essential for its exercise.” This On World Press Freedom Day on May 3, United Nations Secretary-General BAN KI-MOON and UNESCO Director-General IRINA BOKOVA said in a joint statement issued on World Press Freedom Day on May 3. Ban and Bokovas said “media freedom entails the freedom to hold opinions and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers, as stated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” “This freedom is essential for healthy and vibrant societies,” they said. Both added that the prevail- ing mix of new and old media “is promising to transform societies through greater transparency and accountability”. “It is opening new ways to communicate and to share information and knowledge.” Media killings Ban and Bokova said “media freedom also faces severe pressures across the world”. Last year, UNESCO condemned the killing of 62 journalists who died as a result of their work. “These journalists must not be forgotten and these crimes should not remain unpunished.” The UN officials noted that as media moves online, more online journalists, including bloggers, are being harassed, attacked, and killed for their work. “They must receive the same protection as traditional media workers,” they said. The two said they would call on States, professional media and non-governmental organisations everywhere to join forces with the United Nations to promote online and offline freedom of expression in accordance with internationally accepted principles. “This is a pillar of individual rights, a foundation for healthy societies and a force for social transformation,” they said. Little reason to celebrate On the same World Press Freedom Day, National Union of Journalists of the Philippines chair NESTOR BURGOS JR. said “there is precious little reason to celebrate this day ... not when all over the world, governments of all stripes and ideologies continue to try to suppress this freedom along with the freedom of expression; not when media workers continue to be murdered, assaulted, threatened, harassed even as they see their rights to welfare and safe working conditions violated by media owners seeking more ways PHL ratifies antitorture protocol Graders to use native tongue B T HE Philippines has ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, a move the Brussels-based European Union (EU) welcomed. The EU Delegation in Manila has supported and funded Philippine human rights programs. CATHERINE ASHTON, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said “the Philippines has further reinforced its commitment to the complete eradication of torture.” The April 17 ratification came after the Philippines acceded to the Rome Statute on August 30, 2011. Ashton said it “demonstrated the Philippine government’s strong commitment in favour of promoting human rights.” PNA E World War II veteran ALFONSO FABROS (seated with cap), 111 years old, is among those honoured during the observance of Araw ng Kagitingan and Philippine Veterans Week at the Capas National Shrine in Capas, Tarlac. Photo: ROLAND NABLO/PNA New finds boost the Philippines’ status as biodiversity powerhouse XPERTS discovered in Southern Leyte province two non-poisonous frog species that are new to science, further reinforcing the Philippines’ standing as a world haven for biodiversity and bolstering calls for more efforts to conserve such natural resource. The species are temporarily called “platymantis 1” and “platymantis 2” and were found in Mt. Nacolod during a biodiversity assessment, said TERESA MUNDITA LIM of the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), which conducted the activity with Fau- to cut costs and maximize profits. “The Philippines continues to mock its claim to being a democracy, unable to shake off the infamy of being the third most dangerous country for journalists, next to conflict-ridden Iraq and Somalia where most victims are casualties of war,” Burgos said. This has earned the Philippines the title of “global poster boy” for impunity, not least because of government inaction and apathy on media murders. He noted that “not a single mastermind in any of the 151 media murders since 1986 is arrested, prosecuted and convicted.” The murders of media workers and all other extrajudicial killings are a matter of State accountability, Burgos added. “If the Philippine press remains free despite all the threats against it, it is not because of government but because the press insists on being free,” he ended. CATHERINE TEVES na and Flora International. “We keep on discovering new species in our country but that’s not enough -- we must conserve and protect what we have,” Lim said during the species’ unveiling at the National Museum. PAWB said the Philippines is among the world’s 18 top megadiverse nations and the country hosts about 70 to 80 percent of biodiversity on earth. Aside from climate change, PAWB cited illegal logging, land conversion, overharvesting of resources, indiscriminate mining and infrastructure development as among threats to Philippine biodiversity. The Southern Leyte find enhanced the variety of the Philippines’ frog population, covering about 180 frog species. “Several of the species are endemic to our country while others are invasive,” Lim noted. The government will announce the final names of both frogs after the discovery is published in a scientific journal. To page 29, please EGINNING in June, schoolchildren attending kindergarten to grade 3 in the Philippines will get lessons in their mother tongue. Education official ALBERTO MUYOT said the mother tonguebased multilingual education MTB-MLE) system would enable children-starters to read and write by the time they reach grade 1. The system is done as a learning or subject area and as a medium of instruction. As a subject area, it will focus on developing the children’s reading skills and fluency in their mother tongue. Except for Filipino and English, the native tongue will be used as the medium of instruction in all learning areas. Filipino will be introduced in the first semester of grade 1, while English will be taught in the second semester. Twelve Philippine languages will be used as a medium of instruction. The languages are Tagalog, Kapampangan, Pangasinense, Iloko, Bikol, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Tausug, Maguindanaoan, Maranao and Chabacano. The MTB-MLE aims to enhance language, cognitive and academic development of the child; as it creates socio-cultural awareness among children by promoting their local heritage, language and culture. The Philippine government’s K+12 Enhanced Basic Education Program comprises mandatory kindergarten, six years of elementary education, four years of junior high school and two years of senior high school. PNA It’s more fun in the Philippines T MAY 2012 7 CIDA allots P43-M for Mindanao peace efforts HE Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is providing some P43 million (C$1 million) for conflict-displaced persons in Central Mindanao. The CIDA funding is part of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Protracted Relief and Recovery Operations (PRRO) project. The funds will also indirectly support peace-building efforts in strife-torn communities in Mindanao, southern Philippines. Canadian Ambassador to Manila CHRISTOPHER THORNLEY said he was “hopeful that Canada’s partnership with the WFP will positively impact those living in conflict-affected areas.” This is “especially since indicators on poverty, nutrition, and basic education suggest these communities are far below the Philippines’ national average,” Thornley said. Canada’s support will enable WFP to complement the Philippine government’s rehabilitation efforts in Mindanao. The project will be carried out through food-and cash-forwork activities and other training initiatives targeted at livelihood opportunities, and through feeding programs directed at pregnant women, young mothers and children under five years old. Relatedly, the Canadian Embassy in Manila has organized THE PHILIPPINES a roundtable discussion for members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and representatives from civil society and the Commission on Human THORNLEY Rights. The embassy partnered with Pinoy Equitas, a group of human rights workers and advocates who received training in Canada. “The enhancement of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) culture in the military can be achieved through education and training, advocacy campaigns and engagement with stakeholders,” said Ambassador Thornley. “Through supporting events like the roundtable discussion, we aim to assist in the compliance and awareness of IHL among military personnel,” he added. Canada recommended human rights education for the uniformed services in the Philippines during the universal periodic review of the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2008. Thornley said “Canada will continue to make human rights protection and promotion a priority of our work in the Philippines.” PNA 2nd Ministerial Meeting, Abu Dhabi Dialogue IN A GLOBAL COMMUNITY Free Czech language lessons offered THE CZECH REPUBLIC Embassy in Manila has offered this month a free Introductory Czech Language and Culture Course, the country’s contribution to Viva Europa 2012, the European Union’s cultural showcase in the Philippines. The course provided basic insights on the Czech language focused on conversational skills, and on the Czech culture, arts, and lifestyle, particularly on Czech food, history, geography, and literature. PNA Kurdistan region safe for OFWs THE IRAQI KURDISTAN REGION (IKR) is safe for overseas Filipino workers, said Philippine Labour and Employment Secretary ROSALINDA BALDOZ. “Kurdistan is now recognized internationally because of the relative safety that led to its economic growth, which in turn, gives greater incentive for the Kurdistan Regional Government to maintain the satisfactory level of peace and security of the region,” Baldoz said. There are 24 representatives from as many countries in the IKR. “The presence of multinational companies, a growing expatriate community, and the existence of a vibrant international tourism industry also attest to its congeniality,” Baldoz said. Of the 452 OFWs in Iraq, 178 are in the Kurdistan region and most are working in the oil and petroleum, telecoms and hotel industries. PNA US, PHL troopers build school in N. Ecija FILIPINO AND AMERICAN troopers participating in the Balikatan civilmilitary exercises helped build an elementary school in a remote village in Peñaranda town, Nueva Ecija province in the Philippines. LEONOR RAMOSO-MADLA, principal of Callos Elementary School, said the help of the troopers was in time for the opening of classes in June. The school has some 400 pupils, mostly from poor families. “They provided the materials in cooperation with private groups like REACT Philippines. Madla said the troopers also taught male villagers carpentry and related skills. The soldiers also gave out school needs and toys to children in the village. PNA Japanese NGO gives out wheelchairs JAPANESE non-government organization (NGO) The Volunteers Group to Send Wheelchairs to Overseas Children recently turned over 80 wheelchairs to five facilities for children with disabilities in Metro Manila, the Philippines. The NGO gathers used wheelchairs in Japan, refurbishes them and sends them to beneficiaries abroad. The Japanese government funds the cost of refurbishing and transporting the wheelchairs through the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO projects. Japanese Embassy Minister for Economic Affairs AKIO ISOMATA led guests in the turnover. The Japanese grant aid started in the Philippines in 2002, and has since disbursed some P165 million for 27 projects in the Philippines. PNA Philippine President BENIGNO SIMEON AQUINO III exchange pleasantries with guests during the recent 2nd Ministerial Meeting of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue at the Cultural Center of the Philippines complex in Pasay City. The dialogue is a regional consultation among Asian countries of labour origin and destination on the administration of the temporary contract employment cycle. It brings together the labour ministers of the Colombo Process Countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam) and the Gulf Cooperation Council states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Singapore and Malaysia). Korea and Japan participate as observers. Photo: ROBERT VIÑAS, Malacañang Photo Bureau, PNA Baguio’s honest taxi driver returns C$8,020 to Canadian passenger H ECTOR BALDO, 50, a hardworking taxi driver in Baguio City, said he was briefly tempted. But goodness and honesty took over him, and he never wavered to return a fat wallet a passenger left in his taxi. His passenger, a Canadian citizen, received the wallet with all its contents intact. Among the contents were C$8,020, a few thousand of Philippine pesos and a credit card. Its return to the Canadian citizen, who was in the city to observe the Holy Week, was facilitated through the authorities. “I just did a simple thing -- to return to passengers what they inadvertently left in our vehicles,” Baldo told the Philippines News Agency when asked of his honest and remarkable deed. “The thought of my family, especially my children whom I also want to cultivate good moral values, immediately changed my mind,” he said. Baldo said there were more people like him in the taxi transport industry. For his honesty, Baldo was guest honoree of Baguio City mayor MAURICIO DOMOGAN during a recent Monday flag ceremony at city hall. Domogan said Baldo epitomized the honesty and trustworthiness of Filipinos, adding that city residents and those in the rest of the country should be proud of the taxi driver’s honesty. The city council commended Baldo. Baguio City is the summer capital of the Philippines because of its cool climate. 8 Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. AUTHOR UNKNOWN MAY 2012 PHL tricolours: Symbol of Filipino unity O N May 28, Filipinos will once more start displaying the flag of the Philippines conspicuously in homes and other public buildings for 16 days -as it has been in recent years. Displaying the country’s tricolours has become part of a revered tradition and culture of nearly 100 million multi-ethnic and multi-lingual people from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi. But many ask: How many of the population are familiar with the flag’s specifics, despite the display on National Flag days? The flag is a horizontal bicolour with equal bands of royal blue and scarlet red, with a white equilateral triangle at the hoist side. The blue field is displayed on top in times of peace; the red field on top in times of war. At the center of the triangle is a golden yellow sun with eight primary rays, each containing three individual rays. At every corner of the triangle is a fivepointed golden yellow star, each oriented such that it points towards the tip of the vertex at which it is located. The flag is horizontally divided into two basic colours -- royal blue and scarlet red -with a white equilateral triangle based at the hoist side. The flag’s length is twice its width. The sides of the white triangle are equal to the width of the flag. The Philippine flag was designed in 1897 by EMILIO AGUINALDO while in exile in Hong Kong. Official sources say the white triangle stands for equality and fraternity; the blue field for peace, truth, and justice; and the red field for patriotism and valour. The eight primary rays of the sun represent the eight provinces that declared a state of war, as soon as the first armed uprising was initiated in the 1896 Revolution of independence from Spain, and the country placed under martial law by the colonial state. The eight provinces were Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna, and Batangas. The three stars represent the three major geographical divisions of the Philippines: Lu- HONOR BLANCO CABIE The Philippine flag (right) flies with the Canadian flag and the Toronto Police Service flag during the summer Filipinos Making Waves Festival post-parade program at downtown Yonge-Dundas Square. Flaglets, compliments of the Philippine Consul General in Toronto, also adorn all booths and every nook and cranny of the square. Photo: libreto zon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. Some note the symbolism given in the 1898 Proclamation of Philippine Independence differs from current official explanations. A school of thought says the white triangle signifies the emblem of the Katipunan, the secret society that opposed Spanish rule, which was ushered in by FERNANDO MAGALLANES in 1521 until the Spanish armada was beaten by the troops of US Admiral GEORGE DEWEY in 1898. Another school of thought says the flag’s colours celebrate the flag of the United States as a manifestation of Philippine gratitude for Waling-waling orchid joins Sampaguita as nat’l flower P HILIPPINE Congress has approved a bill declaring the waling-waling (Vanda Sanderiana) orchid as another national flower. Reps. MYLENE GARCIA-ALBANO (Davao City) and MARLYN PRIMICIAS-AGABAS (Pangasinan), authors of House Bill 5655, said walingwaling orchids have grown popular worldwide as an endemic Philippine flower that epitomized the trait and character of Filipinos as a people. Waling-waling, called as the queen of Philippine flowers, abound in the tropical forest of Mount Apo in Davao and Zamboanga del Sur. Garcia-Albano noted the ornamental value of waling-waling, which has become popular in Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong and Hawaii. Producing waling-waling hybrids has also evolved into one of the world’s multi-billion dollar orchid and cutflower industries. She said the waling-waling would bear the same status as the sampaguita (Jasminum Sambac) that was declared the country’s national flower by Governor FRANK MURPHY in 1934. Sampaguita is also one of the three national flowers of Indonesia. In approving the measure, PrimiciasAgabas, chair of the House committee on revision of laws, also gave credence to the cultural importance of the sampaguita on the intangible cultural heritage of the Filipino people that remained relevant, valid and widely held, particularly among the current generation. PNA American protection against the Spaniards during the Philippine Revolution. Still another says that one of the three stars represents the island of Panay, not the entire Visayan islands. Historians say it has been common since the 1960s to trace the development of the Philippine flag to the various war standards of the individual leaders of the Katipunan. But while some symbols common to the Katipunan flags are adopted into the iconography of the Revolution, historians say it is inconclusive whether these war standards can be considered precursors to the present Philippine flag. The first Philippine flag was sewn by MARCELA MARINO DE AGONCILLO with the help of her daughter LORENZA and DELFINA HERBOSA DE NATIVIDAD, niece of reformist leader JOSE RIZAL. The flag, although flown in battle on May 28, 1898, was formally unfurled during the proclamation of Philippine independence on June 12, 1898 in Kawit, Cavite. The flag was first flown with the red field up on Feb. 4, 1899 to show that a state of war existed. Aguinaldo was captured by the Americans two years later in Palanan, Isabela. He swore allegiance to the United States. The defeat of the Philippine Republic ushered in American colonial rule, which made the display of the Philippine flag an illegal move by the Sedition Act of 1907. This law was repealed on Oct. 30, 1919. With the legalization of the Philippine flag, the cloth available in most stores was the red and blue of the flag of the United States, so the flag from 1919 onwards adopted the navy blue color. The Philippine Legislature passed Act. No 2928 on March 26, 1920, which legally adopted the Philippine flag as the official flag of the Philippine Islands. Up until the eve of World War II, Flag Day was celebrated each year on Oct. 30, commemorating the date the ban on the flag was lifted. Eventually, Flag Day was marked every May 28. PNA Cagayan: Vault of Asia’s past F MARYLOU FORONDA INALLY, archaeologists have settled their own disputes. It was in Cagayan province in northern Philippines where the first Asian lived; and Cagayan is believed to be a repository of Asia’s past. “Cagayanos should be proud of their province’s wealth of wonders and discoveries not found elsewhere in the country,” said National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) consultant Dr. JESUS PERALTA during a recent seminar. “The oldest man in Asia existed in your very own backyard,” said Peralta, himself a researcher who joined archaeologists. It was in the 2007 excavations that a multi-national team of archaeologists discovered the Callao Man (MT3), confirmed as the oldest man in the Philippines, the East and Southeast Asia. The team of Dr. ARMAND MIJARES found a human bone, the third bone on the right foot, that “indicated human presence in the island of Luzon for about 76,000 years ago. It is older by 26,000 years to previous discoveries”. The MT3 was discovered in Barangay Nabotuan, Solana, Cagayan; a find that challenged the Tabon Man of Palawan then believed to be the country’s oldest. Mijares said the Callao Man was similar to the Agta of Luzon. It is older than the Man of Flores, discovered in the island of Flores in Indonesia. Acclaimed as one of the richest reservoirs of the past, Cagayan has also played host to a wide variety of flora and fauna that To page 30, please 9 This heart, my own dear mother, bends, with love’s true instinct, back to thee! THOMAS MOORE MAY 2012 Simple life, basic learning, big dreams PROUDLY FILIPINO dakila An asphalt sidestreet for a school. A straw mat for a chair. An acacia tree for a roof. Chalk and blackboards, charts, pencils, paper for use. In an era when education has become a costly commodity, these young student-volunteers share basic knowledge with streetchildren in a learning atmosphere all their own. They are the future graduates of the School of Hard Knocks, whose battle cry is ‘Make do and do without!’. Who knows? One of them may be a future president. PNA Achievers in New Zealand lauded A Bulacan’s youth wave PHL flag in world Legofest MBASSADOR VIRGINIA BENAVIDEZ of the Philippine Embassy in WelULACAN’S Blue Ocean 10 lington honoured seven is the Philippines’ lean but Filipinos in New Zealand “for their mean contribution to the steadfast efforts to promote the world of robotics. best of what the Filipino is”. From April 25 to 28, the tenBenavidez commended SYLVIA SHIRIN ZONOOBI, ANTONIO member team represented the NOBLEJAS, ANITA MANSELL, OS- country in its first participation to CAR and MIRIAM BATUCAN, IVY the FIRST Lego League (FLL) World ROSE PADILLA, and JOSEPHINE Festival in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. The Philippine flag flew with GARCIA-JOWETT. Zonoobi is the first Filipino appointed as Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Refugees and Migrant Communities in the 2003 New Year Honors List. Noblejas was a Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) awardee for Services to the Filipino community in the 2008 New Year Honors List. He received the Banaag Award in the 2008 Philippine Presidential Awards. B To page 28, please the colours of 35 other countries and 40 U.S. states that joined the competitions. The FLL is a competition revolving around designing and programming Lego robots to complete tasks that may suggest solutions to real world problems. Blue Ocean 10 is composed GLADYS LEIGH MALANA, TRISHA CARMELA SANTOS, RAMKERT DEL PRADO, LADY ALEIN GOLENG, KEIGHT DELA CRUZ, DAVE ADRIAN BIEN, MICHELLE ALCANAR, JULES MARTIN AGSAOAY, JONATHAN ALEJANDRO and TIM JHARMAL FABILION. Team coach is BERYL CRUZ. Fr. EDWIN GARIGUEZ receives Goldman Environmental Award “P ROTECTING the rights of the poor should take precedence over corporate greed.” This Fr. EDWIN GARIGUEZ said after receiving the Goldman Environmental Award at the San Francisco Opera House in the U.S. on April 16. “Genuine development must prioritize the need to ensure ecological sustainability over market profitability,” Gariguez said. “We must never sacrifice people and the environment for short-term benefit of the few,” he added. Gariguez offered his award to the Mangyan community, with whom he made an 11day hunger strike to protest large-scale mining in Mindoro province, the Philippines. The award is annually given to grassroots environmental heroes from each of the world’s six inhabited continental regions. People in Mindoro knew Gariguez as a humble priest, an anti-mining advocate and a facilitator of change and social justice. The award, they said, recognized the priest’s active involvement in the 13-year struggle of Alyansa Laban sa Mina (Alliance Against Mining), a broad coalition of Mindoreños fighting against the presence of the Intex Resources nickel project in a Mangyan inhabited locale. Gariguez is the Secretary-General of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines - National Secretariat for Social Action-Justice and Peace since 2010. He is regarded as a champion advocate for the passage of a new minerals management policy in the Philippine legislative assembly, thereby ensuring that the rights of the people are respected and that Philippine natural resources are protected. PNA Team members are all high school students of the Dr. Yanga’s Colleges Inc. in Bulacan. The team recently invented an innovative solution that could address food contamination problems, particularly in meat. Named MAGISv2 or Meat’s Anti-Germ and Infection Solution, the invention could check if meat is safe or unsafe for human consumption. In February, the DCYI Blue Ocean 10 bested 15 other schools in the FLL Philippines competitions, winning three of five major awards -- the champion, project, and core values awards. PNA Fr. EDWIN GARIGUEZ with his Mangyan flock 10 The one thing children wear out faster than shoes is parents. JOHN PLOMP MAY 2012 Aquino cites boxing champs Nominations on for overseas Filipino, group Pres’l awardees S Philippine President BENIGNO SIMEON AQUINO III congratulates World Boxing Council flyweight champ SONNY BOY VILLALUZ JARO, International Boxing Federation flyweight champ JOHN RIEL ‘Quadro Alas’ REPONTE CASIMERO and World Boxing Organization light flyweight champ DONNIE ‘Ahas’ LIBOON NIETES during a courtesy call at Malacañang. Jaro became the country’s newest world champ after knocking out Thai PONGSAKLEK WONJONGKAM. Casimero won a TKO against Argentinian LUIS LAZARTE. Nietes won by unanimous decision against Mexican RAMON HIRALES GARCIA. Malacañang Photo: ROBERT VIÑAS, Zambo tutor to represent PHL in world leadership tilt Z AMBOANGA City’s Taluksangay National High School (TNHS) teacher SHATEEN SERAÑA is set to represent the Philippines in the 2012 Innovative Teachers Leadership Award finals in Athens, Greece in November. Seraña returned from Auckland, New Zealand where she bagged a coveted finalist’s spot in the Asia Pacific regional competitions from March 20 to 22. She was one of three Philippine representatives to the regional competitions Microsoft Partners in Learning organize yearly. Seraña’s teaching strategy on mangrove planting was adjudged the best presentation on project-based learning activity. The project had multipronged goals, but ultimately intended to develop the communication skills of students, engaging them to do community extension activities that addressed the relevant issue of rampant disregard for the environment, specifically cutting down of mangrove trees. The project involved parents and students, all members of the Samal, Yakan, Tausug and Badjao populace. Despite limited resources, students did community seminars on mangrove planting, leading to greater awareness on coastline rehabilitation. The project’s impact on the lives and values of people earned the judges’ nod. City mayor CELSO LOBREGAT commended Seraña for her feat and for bringing honour to Zamboanga City and the country. Lobregat said Seraña’s initiative had tremendous impact to efforts on environmental protection. PNA TAND to be recognized. The Philippine Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has begun its search for the 2012 Presidential Awards for overseas Filipino individuals and organizations. The deadline for the submission of nominations is on June 15. The Presidential Awards is a biennial search to recognize exceptional individuals and organizations for their outstanding contribution to Philippine progress and development. The awards are also conferred on overseas Filipinos who have shown excellence and distinction in their work or profession. Instituted in 1991, it has been conferred on 338 overseas-based individuals and organizations from 44 countries and territories. dakila U P noy Championships in Naga City. Rillera says he is very excited with the “once-in-a-lifetime experience”. This is the first time the Philippines had a slot in the scholarship grant from the British Council of the Philippines and the British Embassy of Manila, provided in cooperation with the Philippine Sports Commission and the Manuel V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation. In a press launch, British Council country director AMANDA BURRELL welcomed the athletes. British Ambassador to Manila STEPHEN LILLIE gave a message about the 2012 London Olympics. JUSTINE GILLIE, assistant-principal of St. Bede’s, talked about the high-level athletic and English language training the young athletes would enjoy. PNA Tolentino was born in Balanga City but grew up in Orani town. Three years ago, he became the first Philippine-based fashion designer to expand to the U.S., when he opened a boutique on Melrose Ave. near Beverly Hills. He has dressed people for the Oscars, Golden Globes, Grammys, Emmys and American Billboard awards. He has presented clothes promoting Philippine fabrics in Los Angeles, New York, San Fran- cisco, Palm Springs, San Diego, Hongkong, Switzerland, Bali, the Bahamas and soon in Barbados. At the Galing Bataan Trade Fair, Tolentino displayed 65 gowns worn by celebrities like AMBER RILEY and MICHELLE TRACHTENBERG. “Dreaming is free. But we should be focused on what we do. We should study hard to attain goals,” said Tolentino who began his career at Slim’s Fashion School in Manila. PNA London training set for 11 Batang Pinoy athletes A Aquino hails Fukushima heroes HILIPPINE President BENIGNO SIMEON AQUINO III cited four Filipino caregivers for their compassion, dedication to work and for opting to remain and take care of patients at the height of the nuclear scare after the 9.1 magnitude temblor and tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11, 2011. Before attendees in the Abu Dhabi Dialogue in Pasay City, Aquino hailed the caregivers for showing to the world that “wherever Filipinos have work, they have been a force for good.” Filipinos have had a positive effect on their host countries, Aquino said. At the height of the Fukushima tragedy, “brave and compassionate Filipino caregivers and nurses refused to abandon their patients”, he said. The Fukushima Heroes are GEMMA JUANAY, JULIET TOBAY, SANDRA OTACAN and MERCEDES JOIE AQUINO. They worked in an institution for the elderly in Fukushima Prefecture, near the no-go zone the government earlier declared as such. Despite imminent danger and risk of nuclear radiation, the four chose to stay on duty. PNA PROUDLY FILIPINO ZORAYDA DEE DADIS two-week summer workshop at the St. Bede’s International School in London awaits 11 Batang Pinoy athletes. The training will prepare them for their attendance to the 2012 London Olympics. The athletes are boxer ROBERTO MIGUEL JARNAIZ, triathlete GABRIELLE ALLEN SANTIAGO, taekwondo jin IRENE THERESE BERMEJO, swimmer ARIANA CARAOS HERRANZ, judoka FLOYD DEREK RILLERA, badminton’s JOHN EDGARD REYES and JOELLA GEVA DE VERA, discus thrower GARRY SANTIAGO, runner MARY ANTHONY DIESTO, archer BIANCA CRISTINA GOTUACO, and weightlifter JOHN KYLE MACROHON. They all are multiple gold medalists in the 2011 Batang Pi- The completed nomination and endorsement forms with supporting documents may be submitted: ♥ Online through www.2012pr esidentialawards.cfo.gov.ph. ♥ By mail addressed to CFO at Citigold Center, 1345 Pres. Quirino Avenue cor. South Superhighway, Manila, 1007 Philippines. CFO said all nominations by mail or online must be received by CFO on or before June 15. Non-submission of required documents may cause the disqualification of a nominee. For more information, one may reach the Awards Secretariat at tel. nos. 632-561-8291 or 632552-4700 locals 761-767; fax no. 632-561-8291, or email jramos@ cfo.gov.ph and npangilinan@cfo. gov.ph. PR Bataan honours int’l fashion designer NITED States-based Hollywood fashion designer OLIVER TOLENTINO received honours for being one among the new breed of heroes who maximized the use of talent to bring glory to country. Tolentino was guest of honor during the commemoration of Bataan Day and Araw ng Kagitingan, when Allied troops surrendered to the Japanese Army, and suffered and died in the infamous Bataan Death March. Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children. SAM LEVENSON MAY 2012 11 Surfing at Puraran Beach Mayon Volcano & Legazpi City Cavorting with butanding in Donsol IT’S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES Be cool in Bicol! T DANNY CALLEJA IRED of the city’s rat race and packing up for a summer vacation? Try the Bicol region in the Philippines and discover with awe its array of hidden natural and historical treasures. Bicol bestows upon every visitor its natural and century-old man-made wonders distributed among its provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate and Sorsogon. Bicol is a peninsula famous for its majestic mountains and volcanoes like Mount Mayon, Isarog and Bulusan. Apart from hospitality that Bicolanos offer as a priceless present, the region has a lot of “must visit” places for vacationers -- hot springs in Sorsogon, waterfalls in Albay and Catanduanes and world-class resorts making it the preferred destination of those who love a cool, relaxing and adventurous vacation. Legazpi City, Bicol’s centre From Manila or elsewhere, vacationers may come directly to Legazpi City, the regional centre of government, transportation, communication, commerce, hospital services and education. The city is served by at least five commercial flights daily. Land trips are available 24/7. City hotels, lodging houses and restaurants offer a fantastic view of Mayon Volcano, dubbed as the world’s mountain with the most perfect cone. Shopping is not a problem in the city, where giant department stores, food shops and souvenir stores abound. From the city, the regional Philippine tourism would be so glad to guide visitors where to go first and stay last to complete a once in a lifetime journey through the wilds, islands, deeps and heights of the region. Albay’s tourism stops Those taking a luxurious option may go to and stay at the Misibis Bay Resort and Spa, a private tropical hideaway built on a pristine stretch of beach along the southern tip of Cagraray island in Bacacay, Albay. The five-hectare island resort boasts of lavishly furnished villas and world-class amenities, reachable from Legazpi City in 45 minutes of scenic travel by land, 15 minutes by a private helicopter, or 30 minutes by fast watercraft. Vacationers can experience the diversity of Misibis Island, the country’s leading luxury island playground. Tourism regional director MARIA RAVANILLA says that visitors to Albay, besides getting up close with Mt. Mayon, cool down at the waterfalls, explore caves and the wild of offshore islands, feast on local cuisine, bury their feet in the volcanic black sand beaches, hike up Ligñon Hill, and visit century-old churches including the Cagsawa Ruins. Catanduanes’ eco treasures From Legazpi City, the Pacific Ocean-located island province of Catanduanes invites tourists to its virtually still untouched ecologi- cal treasures. The island is two-and-a-half hours by ferry boats with regular daily trips from Tabaco City, 30 minutes away from Legazpi City. Catanduanes prides itself of Puraran Beach in Baras town, site of the “Majestic” waves prized by surfers. The island has yet-unspoiled white beaches, diving spots for snorkelers and scuba enthusiasts, and cascading waterfalls farther inland -- a paradise waiting to be discovered. Sorsogon’s ocean gentle giants Another destination is Sorsogon, famous for Donsol’s butanding (whale sharks) or gentle giants of the ocean, with which swimmers may interact with, specially in May. Staying in Donsol overnight at any of the dozens of resorts and lodging houses is as exciting, as visitors may watch swarms of fireflies lighting up the beach and river banks right off the sanctuary of the whale sharks. Down southeast of Sorsogon are clean beaches lining the coastlines of the Pacific Ocean and San Bernardino Strait. Also in sight is the vast virgin forest of the Bulusan Volcano Natural Park lying down the slopes of restive Mt. Bulusan and rimming Bulusan Lake and the mangrove forest of Prieto Diaz town that serves as sanctuary of hundreds of bird species including migratory ones. Nearby is Barcelona town, home of Sorsogon’s oldest church built in 1874 out of corals that formed its walls. Enchanting carvings on the coral façade make it a priceless relic. Matnog town at Sorsogon’s southern tip serves as the jumping board between Bicol and the Visayas. Matnog is gifted with preserved nature, immaculate white to pinkish powdery sand beaches kissed by crystalline waters, uphill caves, fish and lobster farms, fish and marine turtle sanctuaries and an amazing view of sunrise and sunset. The larger part of the town’s mainland is rimmed by high mountains teeming with coconut palms and lush green growth that offer a soothing feeling of relief from the air pollution in urban cities. Accommodation and food in these areas are less expensive. Masbate’s cultural, historical treat From Sorsogon, Ticao Island in Masbate province is ideal for sea diving in the Manta Ray Bowl down Ticao Pass off Fernando and San Jacinto towns. The island, an hour boat trip from Bulan town, offers accommodations and fine dining in beach resorts along the Pass. From Ticao, access is easy to the Burias Island for a visit to historic Claveria town that offers a lot of cultural experiences, beautiful sceneries, religious antiquity, superb cuisine and impressive hospitality. Claveria has an underground cave where stone caskets with human remains believed to be more than 500 years old exist. The cave is accessible through an underwater entrance Kayaking at Bulusan Natural Park Hideaway at Misibis Bay R & R at San Isidro Beach called Boca Engaño. It is also home to the San Isidro Beach that is being compared to the Miami Beach of Florida, USA and Cancun of Mexico. The beach laces the southern strip of Burias Island and spans more than 10 kilometers of pure white sand and turquoise water . It boasts of diverse marine ecosystem that houses endemic species of sea plants and animals. For introverts avoiding the din of bars and entertainment houses in the cities, the beach length is an enchanting paradise of coral reefs and crustaceans that outnumber the people residing alongside its shores. Camarines Sur’s watersports complex Nearly three hours from Legazpi City is the Camarines Sur Watersports Complex (CWC). Located in Pili, Camarines Sur, the CWC is the wake boarding playground of Bicol for those who are looking for real water sports adventure. The place could be a take-off point to the Gota Village Resort in Caramoan town, another world-class vacation and eco-tourism spot of Camarines Sur. Be cool in Bicol Completing this vacay island hopping in Bicol shows a vacationer that the region is a combination of the old and the new. Old churches, untouched natural wonders, rich history and culture and the picture of modern Bicol never ceases to impress. Come and experience the wonderful destinations in the region and feel the real meaning of vacation and relaxation. It’s cool to be spending summer in Bicol. PNA 12 S MAY 2012 Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs ... since the payment is pure love. MILDRED VERMONT UMMER is almost around the corner and Filipino community organizations in the Greater Toronto Area are once again soaked in unabashed excitement over their so-called cultural offerings to more than 250,000 Filipino-Canadians in the area. This is usually the time of the year when these organizations wake up from their winter hibernation to prepare for the parade of Filipino beauties -- young and old, Mr. and Miss or Mrs. -- along with the retinue of roast pigs or lechons that vie with the frenzy and revelry of the entertainment festivals that go with the celebration of Philippine Independence Day on June 12. Transparency, accountability Two major organizations are currently embroiled in a simmering feud about transparency and accountability in financial reporting of the monies raised by their respective beauty pageants. The Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC), the “mother” of all these so-called organizations, has raised some questions on the way its beauty pageants were run before by a former officer who now sits as a ranking official of the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF), a rival and spin-off group. At the centre of the feud is the allegation made by former PIDC president MINDA NERI that ROSEMER ENVERGA, now an official of the PCCF, did not make a full financial disclosure with regard to the beauty pageants she managed when she was with the PIDC. Enverga, in a press conference she called recently, denied any wrongdoing with her previous running of the PIDC beauty pageants. Becoming a bad habit This kind of bickering between organizations within the Filipino community is neither unusual nor unheard of. With hundreds of groups organized and motivated to cater to the entertainment of Filipino residents in the metropolitan area, it is almost natural to expect that rival groups would eventually clash and even hurl allegations of improprieties against each other. That has been the practice among Filipinos everywhere, whether at home or overseas. It is as if without the in-fighting, everything becomes lifeless and dull, a habit that does not speak well of Filipinos, a baggage they have not done away with even in the Diaspora. Best there is? But it’s not the feuding among Filipinos in Toronto that is really depressing. Rather, it is the subculture that these socalled leaders have brought to this metropolis. It is their penchant for crowning Filipino women and girls as beauty queens that has become a shameless exercise, not to mention the appetite for showcasing “bakya” entertainment for the masses, as if this is the best of Filipino culture that one can offer. Brazen cultural celebration During her press conference, Enverga said that with more than 250,000 Filipinos in the Greater Toronto Area, “we can have as much fiestas and festivals every year, yet we cannot be able to accommodate” all our Filipino kababayans.” “This goes also true to beauty pageants; we can have as much beauty pageants. The more, the merrier. So much the better if we can have a lot of choices,” she added. Who are these beauty queens? Let us just mention the titles: Miss PIDCPhilippines, Miss Philippines-Canada, Little Miss Philippines-Canada, Mrs. Philippines-Canada, Paraluman, Miss Carassauga, Miss Caregiver, Miss Manila, Miss Santacruzan, Reyna Elena, Miss Photogenic, Miss Congeniality, Miss (insert name of town or city in the Philippines), etcetera, etcetera. Why do the likes of Enverga and other so- Shameless subculture JOE RIVERA http://anuncomplicatedmind.blogspot.ca called Filipino leaders in the community keep on celebrating our culture in this brazen way? Fleeting entertainment, a stoop so low Beauty queens do not represent Filipino culture, and putting these women on the pedestal shows an utter misunderstanding of cultivated behaviour that underlies the fabric of one’s culture. In holding these beauty contests every year, these so-called leaders are entrenching this tradition as a subculture, no matter how useless and insignificant to our lives and struggles in this foreign city. Sure enough, they offer us fleeting entertainment and diversion from the humdrum struggle of survival that most of us go through. But we are stooping so low in the estimation of other people who think that Filipinos are a beauty pageant-crazy nation. Much ado over ‘Miss-whatever’ To say that we can hardly accommodate the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos living in the Greater Toronto Area only blows up our collective low self-esteem, that there’s really nothing we can be proud of except for our “Miss-whatever” contests. A young Muslim woman replying to an opinion survey whether beauty contests are degrading wrote the following response: “I agree that beauty contests are degrading. They degrade women to mere objects. The sponsors exploit women by requiring them to parade in swimsuits or even lingerie. They are judged mainly on their physical appearance rather than on any other qualities they may possess. “When the women parade themselves on stage, the judges will look at a number of things, but the most important criteria will probably be poise. To achieve proper poise, a woman’s body should be well proportioned -- having a neck proportionate to her height, lanky legs, and so on. This process of evaluating poise can be compared to dog shows where golden retrievers of the wrong bodily proportions are kicked out of the competition. I feel judging women primarily on their looks degrade womanhood.” Indeed, beauty contests project an unrealistic image of the ideal woman in the eyes of the public. We are already inundated with silly standards of beauty by the mass media; we don’t need beauty pageants to further aggravate such situation. Lessons from history Just consider this as a thought. The first modern beauty pageant was held in 1854 by P.T. BARNUM of the renowned circus called the Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus, but his beauty contest was closed down by public protest. Barnum also held dog, baby and bird beauty contests, quite an unpleasant category in which we can lump our present-day beauty contests. Including young children in beauty competitions further degrades this tradition. Like the American reality show, “Toddlers and Tiaras,” a search for Miss Little Philippines is totally disgusting, an excuse for physical and emotional abuse of the child. Most psychologists are unanimous in finding that children’s beauty pageants are not in the best interests of healthy child development. There is enough undue, exaggerated focus on superficial beauty in our culture without children being pitted against each other in a contest of looks. Our so-called leaders in the community like Enverga and company pay no apparent regard to considerable body of research that demonstrates why beauty contests are harmful to kids. Shrugging away insecurities This Filipino passion for beauty queens is a mere extension of our collective appetite for shallow entertainment as a panacea for our shortcomings as a people. We tend to hide under the veneer of popular songs, dances and other forms of amusement in order to distract others from seeing our borrowed and western-oriented culture. Because we are good entertainers, we keep others amused and somehow forget our insecurities. As a people, we tend to be easily distracted by the more mundane and ordinary pursuits in life. Take the case of the Gawad Kalinga (GK) Global Summit which is going to be held in Toronto this coming June 8 and 9. This GK summit is about GK’s role in eradicating poverty and their thrust on learning social enterprises as a platform for liberating the poor from the vicious cycle of poverty. Yet, the Toronto organizers have focused on promoting a gala concert by Philippine musician RYAN CAYABYAB and his ensemble of singers on the eve of the summit, instead of giving play to GK founder TONY MELOTO who is scheduled to give the keynote speech the following day. This much shows our priorities and scale of values: singing and hobnobbing with the community’s rich and famous trump the substance of the GK Summit. Inane, shallow pursuits Just like the celebration of our national independence, the significance of the day is lost and buried in the various festivals and beauty pageants which people would rather see in droves. But the shameless part of all this preoccupation with the commonplace and banal is obviously the role played by our so-called community leaders in promoting this heritage of trumpeting our biggest shame: our penchant for celebrating the inane, our propensity for embracing shallow pursuits over substantive issues that truly affect us as a community. [email protected] The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. RAJNEESH BUTCH GALICIA Hit the Dirt P OPINION PR 911: Comedy of presscon errors the Philippines at the Shangri-la EDSA Plaza on September 26, 1997. Thinking about it today, I find it pretty scary yet funny to be telling PR aces what PR basically is and why, perhaps, PR continues to be the most pro-active mode to get people, products and services in the public eye and mind. ♥♥♥♥♥ FYI, my mentor Tony V. is not, definitely not, the TONY TARUNGAN who has lately been making quite Columnists/Writers/Contributors: a big buzz in mainELEONITA MENDOZA ♥ JEANETTE RICASIO stream and commuROSANNA JAVIER ♥ AMOR GABORNO nity boards lately. TINA RADIMISIS ♥ TED MICHALOS Trust T (Tony). It’s Images: MIKE APRIETO ♥ STUDIO 75 not about good PR. MON TORRALBA TERESA TORRALBA It’s the antithesis of Director, Creative Director, Advertising & Promotions PR, the nemesis of goodness. BUTCH GALICIA MIKE APRIETO Editor/Writer Account Executive Some call it DDT (Department of Dirty ADVERTISING INQUIRIES: Call 647-718-1360 and 647-707-7201 or e-mail Tricks or pamatay [email protected]; EDITORIALS: e-mail [email protected] ot), a sinister plot carREAD libreto’s full-colour issues ONLINE at www.filipinosmakingwaves.com ried out by those who Publisher: MENTOR PRODUCTIONS hide behind aliases 1002-650 Queens Quay West, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3N2 to spread lies, smear reputations, divide Unless otherwise specifically noted as belonging to libreto, all articles, photographs, logos, slogans and everything else subject to copyright laws remain the sole intellectual loyalties in organizawork and property of its individual owners. All submissions are edited. tions, and craft un- UBLIC RELATIONS (PR) is public responsibility. With these five words, I echoed what PR guru TONY VASQUEZ impessed on me as the cardinal definition of PR. That was when -- as his senior manager for PR -- he asked me to write and deliver a case study presentation for the Metro Rail Transit Development Corp. before Philippine PR practitioners gathered for the 5th National PR Congress of the Public Relations Society of C ERTAIN accomplishments, accolades, awards and possessions do make us proud. Having a dog coming from a good breed and being able to show them for all the world to see is something to definitely crow about; and more so if they are registered with the Philippine Canine Club Incorporated (PCCI). The Canine Club of Southern Mindanao (CCSMI), a local organization under PCCI, hosted recently the 63rd, 64th, 65th and 66th All Breed Championship Dog Shows at the Victoria Plaza Mall. A host of dog owners, dog breeders, vets, dog trainers, dog enthusiasts and dog lovers were treated with the joy of seeing beautiful dogs. For this self-confessed dog digger, all 102 registered show dogs coming from 19 breeds belonging to nine dog groups were a sight to behold. To say that I was dog intoxicated would have been an understatement. Where else can you find a venue or an event with a wide assortment of beautiful dogs in one place? I went gaga over three French bulldogs – one of which was “Dime” who is blue-eyed, beagles, and a single entry dachshund which is my all-time favorite breed. Awesome were the Siberian huskies … makes one feel that seeing them is an oddity considering that this is tropical Philippines and they are originally from the freezing cold Siberian Peninsula. These huskies plus chow chows, Pomeranians, Australian Shepherd and a whippet were breeds I saw for the first time. It was my first to witness a conformation dog show after my first German shepherd show in Baguio 15 years ago. 13 pananaw MAY 2012 ROSANNA JAVIER On My Toes Barking rights My friend PAUL RAINIER and his vet friend Dr. RUSSEL CELIS were gracious to fill my knowledge gaps in dog shows. These conformation dog shows are for evaluating breeding stock. The dog’s conformation (overall appearance and structure) shows its ability to produce quality puppies and this is what is being judged in the show. All the 102 dogs were qualified to compete because they are registered with PCCI and they met eligibility requirements for their breed. Spayed or neutered dogs are out. In the show, each dog was presented to the judge by a handler – professional, owner founded scandals. They excel in public intrigue and deception to either build a rosy image of their masters or get the latter out of a stinking rut. Tarungan’s saga is just another can of worms one may unlid when the time is ripe. Smell something fishy? ♥♥♥♥♥ Ever heard of the three monkeys? One that cannot see, one that ... I thought so. ♥♥♥♥♥ On April 19, I got an invite from a certain Rosemer to a press conference “to shed light and for clarification with the ongoing issues regarding the ‘allegations’ of the Pageants’ Financial Documents.” (sic) The presscon would be on April 22, 1 to 3 p.m., at the Blessed John XX111 Church Hall. ♥♥♥♥♥ I like the time, between lunch and snacks when folks like to have a power nap. I like the place -- a church revered as an edifice of truth, civility and serenity. Above all, the presscon’s time and venue -- which organizers said is linked to an alleged financial mess -- churns out an image that the organizers lacked financial resources. Great planning! I rate the timing and placing as a ten. ♥♥♥♥♥ To page 14, please or breeder. The judge examined the dogs, and then gave awards to how closely the dog approached the image of the “perfect dog” in the breed’s standards. These standards include specifications for temperament, movement and structure. The judges checked the teeth, muscles, bones and coat texture according to the breed’s standard. They even often even held the testicles of the dogs to check if there are indeed two, otherwise the dog would be disqualified. Most dogs in these conformation shows compete for points. It takes fifteen points to become a “Champion of Record”. The number of points awarded at a show depends on the number of males (dogs) and females (bitches) of the breed. Five points is the maximum that can be awarded to a dog in any show. Males and females competed in these classes: Sheep Dogs & Cattle Dogs – e.g. German Shepherd; Pinscher & Schauzer-Mossoid – e.g. Boxer, Dobermann; Jack Russele TerTo page 32, please 14 MAY 2012 PR 911: Comedy of ... The sweetest sounds to mortals given are heard in Mother, Home, and Heaven. WILLIAM GOLDSMITH BROWN From page 13 Immediately, I replied my regrets, but said: “However, if you are going to give a press statement, I would love to have an emailed copy. “Would it be okay if I send you a couple of questions that you may answer by e-mail?” I never received even a . (as in dot) for an answer to this day. ♥♥♥♥♥ Then on April 21, I got another alleged Rosemer invite to a presscon that said she invited others: ♦ “So they will be on hand to hear what I have to say and will not accuse me of stabbing them in the back, something that they have done to me during a press conference that they have called on March 14, 2012;” ♣ “So they can clarify to me (Rosemer) and the media their public allegations of impropriety which not only lack specifics but also have not been substantiated;” and ♠ “So they will be available to respond to any questions the media may ask with respect to their false accusations of impropriety.” The sender “hoped to get to the bottom of the issues”. ♥♥♥♥♥ On first and final reading, I saw the invite as honest and honourable. But I also feared that it could spark unnecessary public confrontation as interesting as a Pacquiao-Mayweather word war on who gets a bigger part of pay-per-view receipts. It’s been said. In propaganda, good or bad publicity is still publicity. ♥♥♥♥♥ Many of those invited to the presscon, I learned, sent regrets. Maybe, they had a valid reason, like being busy reading Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or watching Les Miserables. Or busy writing a spoof cookbook sequel Grater Expectations that is all about chewing and eating one’s own potty-trained words. ♥♥♥♥♥ On April 19, I was also invited by Philippine Independence Day Council’s (PIDC) AURORA ELEFANO for a press presentation of the organization’s beauty pageant candidates on April 22 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. I sent Elefano my regrets. I likewise asked for press materials for libreto. She promptly sent the PIDC pageants information and materials, most of which are published in this issue. Along the way, I reflected: The presscon and the presentation were on the same day, at almost the same time. Was it coincidence? Or was there somehow an attempt to derail a perceived competitor’s legitimate activity and event? Out of the blue, I remembered a similar act that happened nearly six years ago played by a similar cast. ♥♥♥♥♥ Rudeness and evil intent has its own way of exacting on and getting back at itself. ♥♥♥♥♥ A press conference is a very effective PR tool to clarify issues. But when a presscon surfs the twists and turns of utter denial and selective amnesia, it may totally destroy credibility and integrity. (Watch edited parts of the presscon at ROMY MARQUEZ’s The Filipino Web Channel newsblog at http://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=h0BAxCQYRoc&feature=channel&list=UL) ♥♥♥♥♥ After that kind of presscon, no matter how smiles looked in post-event photos, I can imagine everyone coming out of a church with a million imaginary knives in their backs. ♥♥♥♥♥ Hey! Haven’t you heard? The Avengers are making a name again! ♥♥♥♥♥ I watched the video. No, not The Avengers, but the one on the presscon. Honestly, I give ROSEMER ENVERGA high grades for publicly disclosing the programs and projects the Philippine-Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF) undertook last year. Her confident disclosure of how much went to a program or project, without eye blinkers or space stares but with a big smile, should earn her heaploads and truckloads of jackpot points. She scored, believe it or not, a PR coup. ♥♥♥♥♥ Random musings: Can competitor PIDC officials ably do the same? Refreshments, please. When was the last time PIDC officially declared how much they netted and where the earnings went? Never? Ever? C’mon. ♥♥♥♥♥ I recall CARLOS PADILLA’s essay on the moral need for organizations to open up their books, in the ennobling spirit of transparency and accountability. I agree, Mr. Padilla. But is it also legal? Really? Do I have to open the book and read CHARLES DICKENS’ Great Expectations? ♥♥♥♥♥ More queries: Did PIDC ex-prexy MINDA NERI, in an earlier press conference, really refer to 2010 PIDC pageantry documents as financial in nature? What is the only word in the English language that has three consecutive double letters? Bookkeeper! Are these documents the ones submitted to PIDC in a top secret meeting of PIDC past and present officials in early April, as a tabloid so pre-emptively published? What Bond flick do I like best? Doc No! Are these the documents said to be going under the PIDC’s audit scalpel? Yes, no, whatever, maybe. May I suggest that responsible people should say pointblank that the documents are not even about funds, the documents were non-issues, and the documents do not merit public concern. This way, people dragged into the mess could start focusing on more important matters, forget a family feud between and among PIDC formers and incumbents, strike this pretty petty issue out, and move on. ♥♥♥♥♥ Yehey!!! Talipapa habitues and nginutuhan queuemates can now concentrate on Ka Tarungan. Whatever, we need Agent 007. ♥♥♥♥♥ Tylenol, please, I’m dizzy with TMI (Too Much Information). So are you? ♥♥♥♥♥ Wetaminit, kapeng mainit! I was told that publisher-editor RAMON DATOL suggested a cordial dialogue of the ‘presscon protagonists’ with community media, which a respected media organization should call and supervise. The Philippine Press Club-Ontario (PPC-O), then under the leadership of TENNY SORIANO, had been doing that before; and positive results have been obtained, Datol said. I highly agree with Mon. This may work. Can the PPC-O or any other community media group make the arrangements? I’m sure PPC-O president ROSE TIJAM can facilitate such, with the help of her officers. ♥♥♥♥♥ Wandering thought: If you heard an animal talk, will you not run? Being a Disney fan, I’d dare face an animal that has the gift of glib gab. I hope it’s not Alvin. I like that chipmunk. ♥♥♥♥♥ ACE ALVAREZ did well in the April 22 press conference Enverga called to clarify a reported mess surrounding her handling of PIDC beauty pageants. At the time in question, PIDC prided itself of cultural and charitable aims and gains. Alvarez is publisher of the lightswitch Manila Media Monitor. He produces local TV’s highly-rated Front Page Philippines. With these credentials, he surely is a welcome presence in any press conference. ♥♥♥♥♥ However, when he admitted on-mike his “closeness” to Toronto school board trustee TOBIAS ENVERGA JR. and wife Rosemer, and went to the latter’s defense, he could have been misconstrued to have become the Envergas’ publicist, spokesman or lawyer. In that presscon, he might have honestly shed off some skin as a mediaman. Alvarez might have also committed a classic PR blooper when he grilled Balita’s TESSIE CUSIPAG, wife of community media icon RUBEN CUSIPAG, whose paper’s editorial handling and reportage of the issue was at its best, in terms of investigative journalism. (See ROMY MARQUEZ’s The Filipino Web Channel newsblog at http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=IQko9JP6-CI&feature=channe l&list=UL) ♥♥♥♥♥ Unsolicited advice: When one flashes you the finger, wave back in royal fashion and smile. You trashed the ugly act with five upright fingers and you had the last grin. ♥♥♥♥♥ In an ideal PR presscon, the host is supposed to get media to his/her side; not be adversarial and confrontational with media. In an ideal PR presscon, the media ask the questions; not the host or a spokesman grilling the media. To make PR efficient and effective, it should respect and co-exist with media. Above all, it should be professional. What transpired, however, might have only muddled what could have been a cordial meeting of the minds through dialogue -- exactly what an ideal presscon pursues. ♥♥♥♥♥ Ssshhhh! I’m reading Great Expectations ... and checking on my facts and figures. ♥♥♥♥♥ Is the so-called community media partly to blame for kowtowing to the whims of and for allowing their noses to be ringed in and pulled by so-called leaders? Someone quipped: Pera-pera lang ‘yan (It’s all about money). Another shouted: Meron ba ako diyan (Where’s my share)? One more interjected: May envelope ba (Is my bribe in an envelope)? When will artificial behaviourists in community leadership and media stop insulting the intelligence of the public? On the other hand, when will the public stop praising so-called leaders and media as shining beacons in the wide sea of stupidity? ♥♥♥♥♥ When things go from bad to worse, I always say: “Pards, dahan-dahan lang. Nakakasira na sa ating bad image (Buddy, take it slow. It’s starting to ruin our bad image).” ♥♥♥♥♥ Pasingit lang. My idol social blogger JOE RIVERA seems to be on top of big-ticket beauty tilts that community groups put up. He must have named every single one there is. To Joe’s Missisology, I add my own set of Misses: MissAccount, MissBehave, MissConTo page 15, please If you have a mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go where a prayer has not already been. ROBERT BRAULT NITZ MENDOZA Open Line Mary’s Fertility Relic Belt ‘P RAY the Rosary, practice the first Saturday Devotion to Mary and consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart’. This admonition was in connection to Our Lady’s apparition at Fatima in 1917. That was how we were always almost told by the sisters in school when were young. Why not, with Russia an equally leading power as America at that time. Russia is one of the largest countries in the world located in Northern Eurasia covering about a1/8th of the Earth’s inhabited area. It shares boundaries with Norway and Finland, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania, North Korea, Mongolia and China. It is the greatest constituent of the Soviet Union and the world’s first constitutionally socialist state, widely recognized for its decisive role in World War II. Today, Russia’s population has declined to only 143 million, with life expectancy for male at 62 years, and women at 74 years. The population crisis is attributed to socio-economic factors and instances of decadence related to alcohol, smoking and violent crimes. This is a threatening issue with quite a PR 911: Comedy of ... From page 14 duct, MissDeed, MissEducate, MissFit, MissGuide, MissInform, MissJudge, MissLead, MissManage, MissNomer, MissPlace, MissQuote, MissRepresent, and MissTrust. Nyek! Sorry, Joe. I am not referring to beauty queen titles. Those were preferential titles for some of our so-called community leaders and dealers. ♥♥♥♥♥ I know that PCCF president JIMMY MARASIGAN, PIDC president NORMA CARPIO and Filipino Centre Toronto (FCT) head LYNDA JAVIER have praised them for a job well done. But I’d like to further commend PCCF’s GLORIA RAFANAN, PIDC’s RORY ELEFANO and FCT’s AIDA D’ORAZIO for great PR work. May I add FAYE ARELLANO, a veteran journalist herself in the Philippines, who has done a lot of excellent press and public relations work for the Our Lady of Assumption Church and its ministry for caregivers. They have regularly and adequately promoted what their respective organizations have been doing for the community’s good. To all of you, I doff my hat. ♥♥♥♥♥ I believe that there are more good PR writers and practitioners in the community, who would rather talk and write about the good than harp on the bad and the ugly. PR is Public Responsibility. PR is Public Response-ability. PR is Public Respect. Your most sane interpretation of the above is always better than mine. ♥♥♥♥♥ BTW, PR911 is not a short course about an American Airlines flight from Tarungan to Liar’s Lair, somewhere. [email protected] 15 pananaw MAY 2012 OPINION number of its aging population. Relatedly, State Highways coordinated with the Orthodox Church of Greece and organized a trip for the visit of Mary’s Belt to Russia. The relic, believed to have been worn by Mary, is associated with the miraculous restoration of fertility. With a birth rate of 1.4 children per couple way below a target of 2.1, the Russian Parliament voted on restricted abortion to address a thinning population. The visit of the miraculous Belt of Mary is believed to stimulate the people’s interest in the spiritual revival of their society and family values. It is said that it is much easier to control the demographic trend by curtailing births through contraceptives and birth control means, but it is very difficult to raise the birth rate once it has diminished. Regaining fertility is not that easy especially when control pills and abortifacients have long been taken to suppress women’s fertility. This will naturally create a crisis further exacerbated by men’s longevity. When the able, working and contributing sector of a country diminishes in number, a domino effect will possibly bear unwelcome results on the privileges and benefits to be enjoyed by the receiving and aging population. A reduced workforce will affect the economy. The financial source cannot evenly compensate financial need and demand. The show of people’s faith was very overwhelming with Prime Minister VLADIMIR PUTIN, who at that time was a vying candidate for prime minister, heading the group to meet and receive the relic at the airport. Some 400,000 devotees, mostly women, stood in line, stretched to about four kilometres from the Central Orthodox Church to Moscow’s outskirts at subzero temperature. It took almost 24 hours of waiting for one to be able to get near to kiss the relic. It stayed in St. Petersburg for four days and had a monthlong tour of the country. It was also brought to the pregnancy centres where women considering abortions went to receive counseling. This was how boiling their faith was in contrast to the freezing cold weather. at the time of that visit. The relic was brought from Orthodox Vatoped Monastery of Mount Athos, Greece, the first time it ever left the place since it was deposited on its altar. According to tradition, this cincture of Mary was taken at her grave by St. THOMAS the Apostles. Marked for his always being tardy, the Blessed Mother had been dead and buried when the good apostle came back from his mission. He hurried to the graveyard and asked the tomb to be opened. To page 32, please JEANETTE RICASIO Youthful Times C May Day! ONGRATULATIONS! To those who’ve successfully finished exams. Even if you haven’t gone through that/ failed... Still, awesome job for makin’ it that far! To those taking summer school ... yeah have fun. As for the inscription above right... How true is that? I just wanted to share a different perspective to, I thought, most of us accept as a common statement. Even if you really knew about it, allow it to serve as a reminder. I guess the start of summer would be an awesome time to reflect on your past year’s actions/decisions. If ya didn’t like it. Obviously, change wouldn’t be a bad thing for ya. You might even become a Youtube celeb when you finally find the confidence in something you believe in. Haha! From ‘personal reflection’ to becoming a Youtube celeb. Horrible transition but this month’s article’s got me askin’ ma Facebook council who their fave Youtube people are: MATT: Kipkay, www.youtube.com/user/ kipkay. If you’re into science/ technology/ creating gadgets, this an awesome channel devoted to hacks, pranks and how-to videos. I’ve seen the guy transform lighters into ‘laser’ lighters. Kind’a geeky, but fun! VERNOON: (The) Philip DeFranco (Show), - Random Facebook Image from my News Feeds http://www.youtube.com/sxephil. If you’re bored of CNN type of news, why not see what goes down with pop culture? Similar to RAY WILLIAM JOHNSON, PHILIP DEFRANCO shares whatever fun facts within the ‘popular community/issues/occurences/common interests (could be gaming, viral videos ... viral things really) have to offer. Comments are encouraged once the video ends with the ‘question of the day’. I think ... he talks fast. haha AL QUINN: Onision, http://www.youtube. com/user/Onision. Along the lines of Smosh, Cyr, NigaHiga randomness. Onision is ... another random/funny blogger full of dumb/genius fun. I would check out his Chibi videos. Actually, all Youtube celebs make really random videos LOL. DENISE: Alex Goot, http://www.youtube. com/user/gootmusic. Pop/rock/punk/acoustic cover/original filled channel by a talented To page 18, please 16 A MAY 2012 When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. SOPHIA LOREN, Women and Beauty T some point in their life, everyone gets into financial difficulty - they simply have too much debt to deal with. The truly frustrating part for most people is that they also don’t know where to turn to for help, or even who to ask if they have questions. The purpose of this column is to provide answers to some of the more common questions and to help people deal with their debts. If you have a question about how to deal with your debts you may send them to libreto@ hoyes.com and we’ll do our best to respond to them quickly. The most common and/or most interesting questions may be used as the basis for future articles in this paper. I’m going to go back to a topic I discussed briefly in both the January and February issues of libreto – debt settlement companies. On May 4, 2012 the Ontario Ministry of Consumer Services issued a Consumer Alert on Debt Settement. (For a copy of the Alert go to: http://www.sse.gov.on.ca/mcs/en/ Pages/alert_debt_settlement.aspx) The Ministry of Consumer Services is warning consumers to exercise caution when considering a contract for debt settlement services. TED MICHALOS Dealing with debt Debt settlement Complaints about companies offering debt settlement services are increasing. Most complaints are about unclear or misleading contracts, excessive fees, and failure to reduce debts as promised. Services may be marketed as “debt settlement”, “debt management”; “debt arrangement”; “debt reduction”; or “debt consolidation”. Companies may tell you that they can reduce the amount of debt you owe to your creditors. If you’ve been following my articles in libreto, you’ll recall that I have been warning people about these businesses for a very long time. They prey upon the fact that you are looking for ways to reduce your debt and you just don’t know how to go about it. business KALAKAL TINA RADIMISIS Legal Help On The Go FSCO delays haunt car accident victims T HERE are still delays getting a mediation date with Ontario’s mandatory accident benefit dispute process. Despite hiring outside mediating companies, the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO) has failed to provide a timely process for resolving disputes over accident benefits. There is still a minimum one year waiting period to get a mediation scheduled. This is a great concern, as victims of car accidents must first go to mediation through the FSCO before they can sue or arbitrate and then receive the benefits they so desparately need. It sometimes leads one to wonder if these delays are done on purpose. By the time a mediation is scheduled, a victim of a car accident is left with no treatment, no income, and unpaid housekeeping, caregiving, and attendant care expenses. The bills continue to grow and victims look to social assistance or take loans from friends, family members, or banks, or get another mortgage on their home. By the end of the minimum one year waiting period, these vulnerable accident victims just want to compromise their rights to benefits to avoid the drawn-out battle. This, of course, works to the insurance company’s benefit. Given these ridiculous delays, many lawyers have decided to bypass its mediation process altogether by commencing lawsuits in the courts after 60 days have passed since they filed an application for mediation. Unfortunately, for some reason, FSCO doesn’t allow arbitrations to be scheduled despite the legislation advising that it can, and despite recent arbitration decisions. The problem with commencing a lawsuit is that the legal process does take longer before a victim of a car accident will receive any compensation for benefits. With an arbitration, the process is usually quicker. This, therefore, causes concern as to whether FSCO is really an impartial institution government regulated body. There are serious concerns about FSCO. Plaintiff personal injury lawyers have been advocating and pressuring FSCO to make the changes needed to help victims of car accidents obtain justice in a more expeditious manner. It has been a long battle. It seems that only when there is a public outcry does the government listen, especially when it is an elections year. I urge you to contact your local MPP’s to express your demand for the crucial changes needed to balance the justice scale. In the meantime, if in the unfortunate event that you are involved in a motor vehicle accident, please remember that JEWELL RADIMISIS JORGE LL.P. specializes in personal injury and has over 60 years of cumulative experience in the field. We are extremely knowledgeable in personal injury law, including motor vehicle accident cases. Our firm can build your case to be the strongest that it can be and ensure that you get the best legal help possible. If you have any questions or need any legal help, please do not hesitate to contact me at our 24 Hour Hotline at (416) 917-2597. The problem is, since you’ve probably never done anything like this before in your life, how do you know who is legitimate? Who can you trust? A warning sign that works pretty well is to ask about fees. Everyone will give you a free consultation. But if they ask you to start paying them fees before they work out an agreement with your creditors or before they even speak to your creditors, then they probably aren’t legitimate. You should never have to pay up-front fees. A second equally good warning sign involves referring you elsewhere. If the person you are dealing with has to send you to another company or person to actually make the deal, then why did you have to pay the first person? What exactly did they do? If you have any doubts, do some more homework. Check the internet, ask if and how they are licenced by the government, ask them how many of their “clients” successfully complete their programs. If they can’t or won’t answer your questions, then you should probably find someone else to deal with. Dealing with financial problems is never easy, but the last thing you need is to be “taken to the cleaners” by someone you turned to for help. TED MICHALOS CA Trustee, co-founder and president of Hoyes, Michalos& Associates Inc. Trustees in Bankruptcy, www.hoyes.com, 310-PLAN (310—7526). Sutherland to pour US$50M for Cavite facility expansion B BERNIE CAHILES USINESS process outsourcing (BPO) firm Sutherland Global Services disclosed a US$50-million expansion plan in the Philippines that would hire 8,000 people for its Integrated Technology and BPO Campus to be set up in Carmona, Cavite. DILIP VELLODI, Sutherland’s chairman and chief executive, said: “A favourable economic environment, availability of high quality talents, a robust infrastructure and business friendly government policies have been prime drivers for our rapid expansion in the (Philippines). The Carmona campus will be an integrated delivery center for our global clients.” In the Philippines since 2005, Sutherland employs some 13,000 people. Over 70 percent of its services are delivered out of Philippine New Wave cities. Globally, Sutherland is one of the world’s largest pure-play BPO companies with over 30,000 people working out of its 35 operations centers and 10 countries -- the United States, the Philippines, India, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico, and Colombia. Established in 1986, Sutherland offers an integrated set of back-office and customer facing front-office services that support the entire customer life cycle. PNA ADVERTISE: Call 647-718-1360, 647-707-7201 [email protected] Editorials: 647-706-4902 [email protected] READ THE ONLINE EDITION AT www.filipinosmakingwaves.com All mothers are working mothers. AUTHOR UNKNOWN MAY 2012 17 An Open Letter to the Filipino Commu nity Recently we w ere given the o pportunity to h your communi elp a member ty sort out thei of r finances – they debt! had too much They met with one of our pro fessionals and to: worked out a p lan • Stop credito r calls • Stop collecti on actions • Stop new in terest charges • In short, to d eal with their d ebts We will treat y ou professiona lly, politely an We understand d with respect the anxiety yo . u are feeling – y where to turn o ou don’t know r what to do. Before you sig n any contract with a debt co settlement com nsultant or pany please gi ve us a call. T is free and the he initial meet re are no up-fr ing ont charges. Call us at 310 -PLAN (3107526) or 1 Visit our web si We’d like the op te at www.ho -866-747-0660 yes.com portunity to h elp you deal w ith your debts! Ted Michalos , CA Trustee 18 A MAY 2012 Mother love is the fuel that enables a normal human being to do the impossible. MARION GARRETTY, A Little Spoonful of Chicken Soup for the Mother’s Soul Study ranks PHL top nation in biz English proficiency GlobalEnglish Corp. study has ranked the Philippines as the world’s best country in business English proficiency, even beating the United States. Released early May, the results of GlobalEnglish’s annual Business English Index (BEI) showed that only the Philippines attained a score above 7.0. This level of BEI, the only index that measures business English proficiency in the workplace, was within range of a high proficiency that indicated an ability to take an active role in business discussions and perform relatively complex tasks, the study said. Hub for call centres “This is particularly interesting because the Philippines, a country with one-tenth of the population of India, recently overtook India as a hub for call centres,” the study noted. Over 400,000 Filipinos are employed in call centres, roughly 50,000 more than in India. Of the 76 represented countries in the study, the Philippines -- scoring 7.11 and the May Day From page 15 individual who collaborates with other Youtube artists such as DAVE DAYS and CHAD SUGG. His covers include RIHANNA’s We Found Love, It Girl by JASON DERULO, and What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction. TIMOTHY: Peter Chao, http://www.youtube. com/user/pyrobooby. Haaaha. Get ready for racist (but funny) jokes, explicit dialogue, and thick accents. He’s a comedian. DARSH: Ryan Higa, http://www.youtube. com/user/nigahiga. Funny/creative videos ... safe humour. Lots of rhymes and jokes ... especially parodies. Just the team to make anyone laugh. One of the early bloggers todate (they started making videos in 2006). They were lone country in the intermediate level, was joined by Norway (6.54), Estonia (6.45), Serbia (6.38) and Slovenia (6.19) in the top five. Rounding up the leaders are Australia, Malaysia, India, Lithuania, Singapore, and Canada. The ten worst are Armenia, Cote d’Ivoire, Taiwan, Honduras, Columbia, Chile, El Salvador, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Brazil. Economic growth, success GlobalEnglish noted that a country’s business English capability indicated its economic growth and business success. “It is not surprising that both the Philippines and Norway --the only two countries in the top five in both 2011 and 2012 -- are improving their economies, based on the latest GDP data from the World Bank,” the study said. Meanwhile, struggling economic powers Japan, Italy and Mexico and fast-growth emerging markets Brazil, Columbia and Chile scored below a 4.0 in business English proficiency. probably most known for How to be Ninja, How to be Gangster, Human Ipod. Has done collaborations with KEV JUMBA, who also collaborated with HAPPYSLIP. JEANETTE: I have a lot. I’m just listing down those who haven’t been mentioned yet. ♥ Jenna Marbles, http://www.youtube. com/user/JennaMarbles. Probably most popular for How to trick people into thinking you’re good looking and How to avoid talking to people you don’t want to talk to. She is beyond hilarious, and makes genius vlogs. It’s her personality that shines through the videos, making her addictive to watch. ♥ Petrilude, http:// www.youtube.com/user/ petrilude/featured. Although there’s MICHELLE PHAN and a bunch of other awesome makeup artists, Petrilude is really interesting. Not only does he cater to both male/female sexes, he’s a visual effects makeup artists. He makes complex makeup procedures look easy and canbe-done. He has a pretty good eye! Very creative costume ideas. ♥ Jolene Sugarbaker, www.youtube.com/user/ JoleneSugarbaker/featured. I’ve been addicted to his/her videos lately, particularly because I love cooking and craft shows. He is a comedian who is popular for his persona as The Trailer Park Queen. Cookin’ With Joelene is not your ordinary funny, over the top cooking show. He knows how to cook and he explains everything thoroughly. His most popular video is probably baking chocolate cake with mayonnaise. ♥ RRcherrypie, http:// www.youtube.com/user/ Papasin gets shot at Miss U Canada From page 1 While at the 2004 Canadian Model and Talent Convention in Toronto, then 13-year old Kesiah met NATALIE GLOBOVA, Miss Universe 2005. She recalls Glebova say: “You should join pageants and if you lose, try again till you win”. Kesiah has since won pageant awards and titles. Kesiah was born with unilateral clubfoot and moderate hearing loss. She had to wear corrective braces for a year and both ears are aided. Kesiah did not let her physical challenges hinder her dreams and goals in life. She registered her- self in the Eleanor Fulcher International modeling workshop to boost self confidence. She took ballet, tap, jazz and modern dance classes, and private lessons in Tahitian dancing. She joined local swimming competitions till age 16; and got gold and silver medals. In high school, she excelled in school sports, coming out first and broke school records in women high jump junior. Kesiah is in her 3rd year in Health Studies at York University aspiring to be a physician’s Assistant; inspired by her parents and older brother, who are all nurses. She works every summer at a bank to help finance her dreams. Raised in a close knit and religious family, Kesiah learned at an early age not to be judgmental, as she dislikes stereotyping. She believes in equal opportunity and treatment for everyone. She also believes in sharing her blessings by volunteering in fund raising activities for the underprivileged. She remains a good role model and a proud mentor for aspiring young models. www.filipinosmakingwaves.com This has placed these countries at a disadvantage when competing in a global marketplace. Beginner, basic level ranks The study pointed out that shifts in global talent have put even English-speaking countries at risk. “Surprisingly the BEI score for global workers in the U.S. declined from 6.9 to 5.09 since the original 2011 BEI benchmark, which is attributed to a majority of test takers being foreign-born engineers and scientists,” it said. The rest of the world ranked beginner and basic level. On a scale of one to ten, the average 2012 BEI score across 108,000 test takers around the world is 4.15, which is lower than last year’s 4.46. Nearly four out of ten global workers were ranked as business English beginners, meaning that on average, they can not understand or To page 28, please SEAN S. (Bboy Speedz) bustin’ a breaker move in Chinatown. Photo: ME! RRcherrypie/featured. Probably most popular with the use of Konapun and other miniature foodrelated items/toys/models. RRcherrypie is one of the most adorable channels ever! It showcases Japanese products, particularly DIY (Do-It-Yourself) candies, as well as ridiculously step-by-step miniature cooking. Apparently, some viewers find pleasure listening to the sounds of his cooking videos. ♥ EpicMealTime, http://www.youtube. com/user/EpicMealTime. Food. An explosion of junk food. In your face calorie count ... Experimental and deadly if consumed ... that is all. And that’s that for Youtube madness (sort’ve) folks :) You will get addicted to some of these. Also, these are awesome to kill time while waiting for the next anime episode or something. Although I must admit ... Youtube is one of the worst distractions ever if you plan to use it for study breaks. Hokay! So what goes down in the GTA under my watch? The Juan Tomas Show Band featuring master gui- tarist JUAN TOMAS, vocalist ARABEL CASTILLO and a talented flamenco/bolero band, and local talents like me and guitar protege TISA SPARKS playing Paganini and Albeniz. Catch us at the Scarborough Civic Centre on June 3 around 1 p.m. for FREE. Talent competition Pinoy Showdown 2012 is on. Winner receives $1,000 cash prize. The finals is on August 18 at 5 p.m. at the Korean Cultural Centre. Auditions will be conducted at the TriCare Academy School on July 7 from 3 to 7 p.m.; Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre, July 14, 12 to 4 p.m.; and Warden Hilltop Community Centre, July 21, 12 to 5 p.m. Before ending, I would like to say Happy Birthday to KEVIN JEE! and TERRY ALICE!!! Happy 20th you too! :) Also, welcome to Ontario to one of my close buddies from Saudi Arabia, SEAN SAVARES. You have $20. CHUCK NORRIS has $10. He’s still richer than you. - Anonymous La-La-Listening to Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode Mother - that was the bank where we deposited all our hurts and worries. T. DEWITT TALMAGE MAY 2012 19 20 MAY 2012 The real religion of the world comes from women much more than from men - from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES ANITA DIAZ Sales & Leasing Consultant Tel.: 905-896-0759 ext. 1140; Cell: 647-818-9331 Toll Free: 1-877-523-3500; [email protected] New & used vehicle sales & leasing Always over 150 used cars available Parts & service open Saturdays Drive clean test & repair facility CAA-approved garage 230 Dundas St. E Mississauga, Ontario L5A 1W9 (3 Blocks East of Hurontario (Hwy. 10) www.readyhonda.com Shuttle service Service/Body shop loaner cars available Body shop services & N/C estimates Professional detailing available Vandalism repairs Glass replacement services