Renewed fighting erupts as Zambo crisis enters 3rd day

SC stops pork barrel releases
Residents of Barangay Sta. Catalina get out of harm’s way as Army and Marine soldiers stand their ground near the area where Moro
National Liberation Front rebels are reportedly holding several barangays hostage on Tuesday.
Renewed fighting erupts as
Zambo crisis enters 3rd day
MANILA – In a unanimous
vote of 15 justices, the Supreme
Court (SC) issued yesterday a
temporary restraining order (TRO)
that stopped the government from
further disbursing the remaining
Priority Development Assistance
Fund (PDAF), known as pork
barrel, allocated to members of
Congress in the 2013 national
budget.
In the same TRO, the SC also
stopped the government from
disbursing the Malampaya Fund
for non-energy related projects
under the phrase “for such other
purposes as may be hereafter
directed by the President” under
Section 8 of Presidential Decree
No. 910 issued in 1976.
The TRO is effective
immediately “until further
orders from the SC,” Spokesman
(Please turn to Page 6)
Misuari’s group vows no surrender
ZAMBOANGA CITY -Fighting raged anew between
government forces and rogue
Moro National Liberation
Front (MNLF) rebels
erupted Wednesday morning as
the Zamboanga crisis entered its
third day.
This, as the military also
tightened security in Basilan and
Sulu after it was monitored that
MNLF rebels were also monitored
massing up in remote areas of the
said island provinces.
Military sources said that more
than 300 MNLF fighters and their
supporters were monitored to have
consolidated in the hinterlands of
Sulu Monday night allegedly with
the plan to hoist their flag in the
provincial capitol.
In Basilan, a military officer
said about 200 fully armed MNLF
rebels have massed up outside
Lamitan town.
The MNLF faction of Nur
Misuari said it is not keen on
negotiations with the government.
Rev. Absalmom Cerveza,
spokesperson of Misuari’s group,
said they are not going to negotiate
with the government and they will
not surrender.
“We have been speaking to
the government for the last 35
years. And at the end of the day,
this is what happened,” Cerveza
said in an interview with ANC.
“If you will talk about Misuari’s
surrender... no surrender, no
retreat.”
But Cerveza also said there is
still a possibility that they will
“listen” from other parties.
“We are not keenly interested
in negotiations,” Cerveza said.
“However, we are still human
beings. We are still civilized
people. And always there is a
chance that we will listen to what
is reasonable, what is beneficial,
and what is to the best interest of
our people.”
Cerveza said a possible
mediator should be allowed, but
“we will not offer anybody or ask
anybody to mediate for us.”
“We are not anymore interested
in mediation,” he said.
Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, the
Armed Forces of the Philippines
(AFP) public affairs office (PAO)
chief, said there is no ceasefire
President Aquino with Jeanne
Napoles
Palace: Photo
with Napoles
is ‘authentic’
Nur Misuari
with the MNLF despite orders to
its troops to stand down to allow
the crisis management committee
to resolve the problem peacefully.
Zagala stressed their
(Please turn to Page 8)
MANILA -- He may not
personally know Janet Napoles,
the alleged pork barrel scam
queen, but President Aquino
was caught in a picture with her
daughter, Jeane, during an event
in Cebu last year.
Malacañang has confirmed
that the photograph is authentic
but insisted it was “no big deal.”
“I understand the photo was
taken at an event last November
(Please turn to Page 12)
2
Sept. 12-18, 2013
August
1-7, 2013
Sept. 12-18,
2013
3
4
VIEWS & COMMENTARY
Sept. 12-18, 2013
Obama may have to ‘stand down’
GUEST EDITORIAL
Erasing Obama’s red line
SYRIA is looking more and more like a deep dark hole US
President Barack Obama is tumbling into.
The “red line” he warned the Assad regime not to cross a year
ago has become a hollow catchphrase, a gesture that is noble yet
devoid of substance. The French have a word for it: beau geste.
There is growing evidence that the Assad regime has crossed Mr.
Obama’s red line. Hundreds of people died after deadly sarin gas
was unleashed on rebel-held areas outside Damascus last month.
The Assad government denies it was behind the attack, and points
its finger at the rebels.
Mr. Obama’s response should have been swift and decisive.
A surgical missile strike to take out a chemical weapons plant,
perhaps, would have sent a clear message to the Damascus
government that Washington will not let such a horrific act go
unpunished.
If Mr. Obama had ordered the bombing, he would have some
difficulty explaining and defending the decision in Congress and
the international community, but the battle would have been
half-won by this time. To mollify his critics he could say that if he
had not acted expeditiously, Assad would have been emboldened
to commit more atrocity, and so would have other rulers with a
cruel bent as well. He could also say that he would not stand idly
by as thousands are gassed to death.
There would be an outcry, yes, and political consequences. But
it would be fait accompli, and Mr. Obama would have come out
as a resolute leader not to be messed with.
Bill Clinton did not drown under a wave of censure when
he ordered cruise missile attacks on perceived terrorist targets
in Sudan and Afghanistan just days after the US embassies in
Nairobi and Tanzania were bombed, resulting in heavy American
casualties.
Mr. Obama had that small window of opportunity, but he
dithered. That window is now closed.
Now he faces a rising tide of disapproval for military action
in Syria at home and abroad. Mr. Obama himself acknowledges
that it will be difficult swaying the US Congress over to his side.
He also made a pitch at the Group of 20 Summit in St.
Petersburg, Russia, on Friday, but only half of the group signed on.
Mr. Obama can’t look to the United Nations for backing, either.
Ahead of the G20 meeting, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon wagged
a finger at any military action against the Assad regime without
the Security Council’s seal of approval.
So where does that leave Barack Obama? Adrift in political
limbo, his prestige badly dented. He’s now back-pedalling.
“I didn’t set a red line,” he declared. “The world set a red line.
My credibility’s not on the line. The international community’s
credibility is on the line. And America and Congress’s credibility
is on the line.”
Those are the words of a man desperately trying to escape
blame.
But let’s look at the fallout from Mr. Obama’s wavering. Bashar
al-Assad and his cohorts must be gloating. The atrocity will soon be
an afterthought, and the rage will dissipate, they must be thinking.
(Please turn to Page 7)
NEARLY 12 years ago, in
the days immediately following
the September 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon, President
George W. Bush sent an armada
of 14 ships to the Mediterranean
as he launched the Global War on
Terrorism against Al-Qaeda.
The Taliban, which controlled
Afghanistan, demanded evidence
that Osama bin Laden was
involved in the September 11
attacks and that if evidence
warranted, they would put Bin
Laden to trial. The US refused
and on October 7, the allied
forces of the United States, United
Kingdom and other allies invaded
Afghanistan. By mid-November,
Kabul had fallen to allied hands.
Less than two years later, on
March 19, 2003, on the pretext
that Iraq was in possession of
weapons of mass destruction,
Bush again ordered an invasion
of Iraq and the toppling of the
Saddam Hussein regime. The
US launched the invasion again
with the British, Australia and
Poland. Its traditional allies
Germany, France, New Zealand
and Canada refused to join the
invasion, dubbed as Operation
Iraqi Freedom.
The invasion did not have the
sanction of the United Nations
and was preceded by worldwide
protests, including an anti-war
rally in Rome attended by three
million people. But 64% of
Americans had approved the war
action although 62% feared that
war would increase the threat of
terrorism against the US.
Baghdad fell and so did
Saddam. But no weapons of mass
Will a military strike end the
civil war in Syria? Experts believe
even the most debilitating strike
would only prolong the civil
war. They also feared that a
military action by the US would
completely negate any possibility
of negotiations between the Assad
regime and the rebels.
Although the 2001 and 2003
strikes did not have UN sanction
and was opposed by some of
America’s allies, it was widely
supported by the Americans
and a world wary of terrorism.
President Barack Obama is now
threatening to stage a military
strike on Syria even without the
authority of the UN although
he is seeking the approval of
Congress. Even its longtime ally,
the United Kingdom, has voted
against military action.
A poll conducted by Reuters/
Ipsos a few days ago showed
that 56 percent of adults say the
US should not intervene and 19
percent support a military action.
Two earlier surveys also showed
weak support for intervention in
Syria.
Obama is going out on a limb
here. He has staked his image
(Please turn to Page 6)
The ‘Queen” and ‘robbing hoods’
NEVER before in the history
of the Philippines has a corruption
scandal rocked the corridors of
power to its foundations as it had
with the pork barrel scam. With
at least 12 senators and more
than 180 congressmen allegedly
involved in robbing their pork
barrel allocations with the help
of greedy and unscrupulous scam
operators, it makes one wonder
if the country’s Fifth Republic
could survive this mother of all
scandals? The question is: Does President
Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III have
the cojones to bring them – many
of whom are his political allies -to justice? And if they’re brought
to the court of law, are there
judges who are brave enough
to mete out justice? Or, are we
going to see another spectacle of
a moro-moro that the lawmakers
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destruction were ever found.
In 1990, President George H.
W. Bush also ordered an attack on
Iraq, but it was to defend Kuwait
and to punish Saddam Hussein
and his army for invading tiny
Kuwait. It was an international
conflict, and the US attacked
with the expressed authority of
the United Nations, and the entire
world supported its actions.
And now, America has come
at another crossroads: Should it
punish Syrian President Bassar alAssad with a military strike for his
regime’s alleged use of chemical
weapons against the opposition in
a two-year-old civil war that has
killed more than 100,000 people?
Or should it stand idly by and
allow the sovereign Syrian people
to decide their own fate?
The 2001 invasion of
Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion
of Iraq achieved its immediate
objectives – to topple the Taliban
and Saddam regimes. However,
the invasions obviously failed
in its final objectives – to crush
terrorism and to end the civil strife
in both countries. Afghanistan and
Iraq are still being devastated by
deadly civil wars and terrorism
remains a worldwide problem.
Editor
Chief Photographer
Art Director
Marketing Director
Account Executive
Account Executive
IT Specialist
The Philippine Tribune is published by the PHILIPPINE TRIBUNE INC. Views and opinions
expressed herein by writers and columnists do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher,
management and staff of Philippine Tribune.
love to play? In the past, the masa – the
people – ignored the charades
the lawmakers would play when
a corruption scandal erupts.
Congress would go through the
motion of conducting televised
“blue ribbon committee”
hearings. But when the hearing
is over, they’re back to square one. Nothing is accomplished and the
lawmakers go back to their old
haunts. It’s all for show and the
public couldn’t care less. But not
anymore!
The “Queen”
A few weeks ago, Janet
Lim Napoles -- who earned the
sobriquet “Pork Barrel Queen” –
was exposed for allegedly running
a scam. With the collusion of some
lawmakers, Napoles siphoned off
billions from the lawmakers’
pork barrel allocations. Recent
evidence showed that she ran the
scam for 10 years and pocketed
P10 billion based on a 70-30 split,
with the lawmakers’ getting the
lion’s share.
Wi t h a w h o p p i n g 7 0 %
kickback from pork barrel funds
that were supposed to be used for
projects for their constituents,
these corrupt lawmakers are like
Robin Hood… in reverse. Instead
of robbing the rich to give to the
poor, they steal from their pork
barrel allocations with the aid of
Napoles. It was a perfect scam
until a whistleblower, Benhur
Luy, sang like a canary. As the Department of Justice
( D O J ) i n v e s t i g a t e s L u y ’s
accusation, the DOJ filed an
unrelated charge of “serious
illegal detention” – a non-bailable
offense – against Napoles for
allegedly detaining Luy against his
will. A judge issued a warrant of
arrest against Napoles; however,
she fled into hiding when someone
from the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI) allegedly
leaked it to her. She came out of hiding after
P-Noy offered a bounty of P10
million to whoever could provide
information that would lead to her
arrest. Strange as it might seem,
Napoles surrendered last August
29 to P-Noy. Claiming that she
feared for her life, she said that
P-Noy is the only person she could
trust. Makes one wonder if P-Noy
might have done “business” with
her when he was a congressman
and a senator?
(Please turn to Page 7)
Sept. 12-18, 2013
5
‘Expecting the best’
PAUL in Ephesians 3:20 says,
“God can do anything far more
than you could ever imagine or
guess or request in your wildest
dreams! He does it, not by pushing
us around but by working within
us, His Spirit deeply and gently
within us.” That’s what God can
do in our lives. Somebody said,
“God gave us atomic bomb power.
He offers that to us, but we go
around living defeated lives.”
What is the key to unlock
T H E M e r r i a m - We b s t e r His commandments. He warned
Dictionary defines the word them, though, that a human king God’s great power? Jesus, said,
“grace” as an “unmerited divine will demand so many things from “According to your faith, it will
assistance.” The Heritage them, from taking their sons and be done to you” Matthew 9:29.
Dictionary describes it as daughters to serve him to getting God says, “You’ve got to choose
“The state of being protected a tenth of their flocks and making how much I bless your life.” This
or sanctified by the favor of them all slaves. “When that day is what God has set out in His
God.” No matter how we comes, you will beg for relief Word that is called, the law of
define or describe “grace,” it is from this king you are demanding, expectations that says basically,
unmistakably a gift from God. but the Lord will not help you.” we get what we expect out of life.
There are two basic
It is something that we have to (1 Samuel 8:18). We all know
be thankful for and show our the story of King Saul – how approaches to life that you get to
gratitude to God.
he disobeyed God and how the choose. First: The pessimist. Job
Grace is like cog in a wheel. wicked spirit came upon him and was a pessimist. He says, “What
It keeps us in constant motion made him turned his back to God. I always feared has happened
in our walk with God. We have The ancient nation of Israel went to me” Job 3:25. Do you know
to ask God daily for grace and through intense rebellion and sin anybody like that? They set
expect it from Him. Grace against God, but when the people themselves up! Unlike Job, Paul
enables us to have peace and repented and returned to God, He was second: An optimist. He
joy even in the midst of trouble forgave them and by His grace says, “I live in eager expectation
and suffering. When we know opened His heart once more to while I’m going through all these
trials” Philippians 1:20. He was
that we have a God Who loves the people.
us unconditionally, it is easy to
Grace is so natural to God. an optimist. He could be cheerful
believe and hope that His grace is Grace is God’s voluntary and even when he couldn’t be happy.
Faith is “Expecting the best.”
sufficient for all our needs.
loving favor that He gives to
When the people of ancient those He saves. No one deserves Why should I expect the best?
Israel clamored for a king, God salvation and we cannot earn it There are many reasons. They
picked Saul even though He did through penance or good works. are best illustrated in the story
not want Israel to have a human God gives it to us freely if we of David and Goliath. David had
king because God was Israel’s acknowledge that only He, through great expectations of what God
king during that time. God, Jesus, can save us. We become could do. Expecting the best
however, acquiesced. “Do as Christians through this unmerited honors God. It increases your
they ask” he told the Prophet grace and favor from God. Let the ability when you’re expecting
Samuel. (1 Samuel 8:7-9). By Holy Spirit lead you to the truth of the best. The winning edge is
attitude, not ability. When David
His grace, the Lord granted what God’s saving grace.
the Israelites were demanding,
Think about His grace today went out to fight Goliath, he took
(Please turn to Page 7)
five stones with him. Goliath had
even if they were not heeding
four brothers. David says, “I’ll
just take out the whole family.”
Super confidence!
Everybody else was saying,
“He’s too big! We can’t kill him!”
But David was saying, “Yeah, he’s
too big and I can’t miss him!”
Expecting the best!
Not only that, expecting the
best, encourages others. Optimism
ALL FOR
JESUS
A gift called ‘Grace’
is contagious. It really is! Faith
brings optimism! Faith is good
for you!
Genuine Christians are happy
people. They are more ethical in
their personal dealings, and you
can trust them. They are known for
their integrity. These are positive
people. Faith brings optimism.
How do you stay optimistic in
“Expecting the
best honors God. It
increases your ability
when you’re
expecting the best.”
discouraging times? Well, faith
is like a muscle. The more you
use it, the stronger it gets. Let me
give you Six Steps How To Stay
Optimistic:
1: Start your day with faith.
In order to stay optimistic, when
everything else seems to be going
wrong, start your day with faith.
David says, “In the morning, O
Lord, You hear my voice, in the
morning I lay my request before
you and I wait in expectation”
Psalm 5:3.
David says, “I start my day
in faith, I go before the Lord.” If
you have a sluggish start in the
morning, don’t start with “Bad
morning America.” If you want
to read something in the morning,
read the Philippine Tribune and
read Pastor Ben’s articles to make
your day. Start your morning with
good news! Read the Bible!
Have a quiet time. Listen
to some praise music. Start by
hearing from God before you
hear from anybody else! Start
your day in faith! If you want to
be optimistic in negative times,
first, you’ve got to start your day
with faith.
2: Look for the good in your
situation. Not everything is good,
but look for the good in your
situation. Paul says, “For those
who love God, who are called
according to His plan, everything
that happens, fits into a pattern
for good” Romans 8:28. Look for
good in your situation. Be realistic
and optimistic at the same time.
3: Give your problems to
God. Worry comes when you
assume responsibility God never
intended you to have. When you
start trying to play God, you’re
going to get discouraged. And so,
what do I do when the situation
looks impossible?
Paul says, “We were crushed
and over-whelmed, and saw
how powerless we were to help
ourselves, but that was good
(why?) for then, we put everything
into the hands of God for he can
even raise the dead. And He did
help us, and we expect Him to do
it again and again” 2Cor 1:8-10.
You have to trust the Lord when
it’s out of your control.
4: Eliminate negative words.
Have you ever talked yourself into
feeling bad? You can complain
and it becomes a self-fulfilling
prophecy. Paul says, “Don’t use
harmful words in talking. Use
only helpful words, the kind
that build up” Ephesians 4:29.
That means, you should not
have negative words in your
vocabulary.
(Please turn to Page 11)
6
Sept. 12-18, 2013
Aquino, Drilon deny
pork deals with Janet
MANILA - Alleged pork
barrel scam operator Janet LimNapoles could be known to
several lawmakers, but President
Aquino said he could not recall
any encounter with her when he
was still a senator.
“I hope I am not turning senile
but I don’t recall any incident,”
Aquino told reporters yesterday
after attending the 7th ASEAN
Navy Chiefs’ Meeting in Makati
City.
“I tried to research in my mind
if I ever came across her or even
heard of her name… Did I ever
meet her? …I can’t even say I ever
said hi to her,” he added.
He said Napoles did not
even look familiar when she
surrendered to him at Malacañang
on the night of Aug. 28.
“I was trying to look at her
and I don’t remember her…I am
normally very good with faces…
but I’m poor with names. She
doesn’t look familiar whatsoever,”
he said.
He said he even had some
doubt if Napoles was indeed the
person authorities are looking for
when she was presented to him,
as he noted some differences
compared to her pictures in the
newspapers.
Aquino said he could not
have any dealings with Napoles
because as an opposition senator,
he no longer had his Priority
Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF).
“If her interest in a legislator
was to find out how to access the
PDAF, it’s useless to talk to me,”
he said. Senate President Franklin
Drilon admitted that he knows
Napoles but said he did not provide
a single centavo of his PDAF
to any of her non-government
organizations (NGOs).
“There is a clear effort
to implicate me as guilty by
association with the pictures
shown last night on TV,” Drilon
said.
Photos of Drilon and his wife
Mila with Napoles were shown
on a television news program and
found its way into social media.
Cops on alert for ‘Edsa Tayo’
MANILA —The National
Capital Region Police Office has
placed all of its police offices under
full alert status in anticipation of
the antipork barrel rally in Quezon
City on Wednesday.
Police Chief Superintendent
Marcelo Poyaoan Garbo Jr. said
the highest alert was placed in
the entire NCRPO at 6 a.m.
Wednesday, while the Eastern
Police District and NCRPO’s
Regional Public Safety Battalion
shifted to full alert at 9 p.m.
Monday.
He said around 3,000 police
officers from the NCRPO,
(Please turn to Page 7)
SC stops pork barrel releases
(From Page 1)
Theodore Te said in a press
briefing.
The TRO, however, does
not cover the disbursement of
Malampaya Fund for the purpose
of “financing energy resource
development and exploitation
programs and projects of the
government,” also provided for
under Section 8 of PD 910.
In a full court resolution after
yesterday’s full court session, the
SC directed the government to
comment in 10 days on the two
other petitions. The Court also
decided to conduct oral arguments
on the cases against PDAF and
Malampaya funds on October 8.
Ordered by the SC to implement
the TRO were the Department of
Budget and Management (DBM),
the National Treasurer, and the
Office of the Executive Secretary
“or any persons acting on their
authority.”
The three cases filed so far
were ordered consolidated into
one case.
In issuing the TRO, the SC
acted on the petitions filed by
the group of Greco Antonious
Beda B. Belgica, a former Manila
city councilor, and Pedrito M.
Nepomuceno, former mayor of
Boac, Marinduque.
The SC had earlier required
both Houses of Congress to
comment in 10 days on an earlier
petition against PDAF filed
by lawyer Samson Alcantara,
president of the Social Justice
System (SJS).
In the petition of Belgica’s
group, the SC was asked to declare
unconstitutional a portion of the
last sentence of Section 8 of PD
910 which states: “and for such
other purposes as may hereafter
directed by the President.”
PD 910 was issued on March
22, 1976 and mandates the use
and disposition of Malampaya
Fund and other funds of a similar
nature.
According to Belgica,
Malampaya Fund and other similar
funds can only be used “to finance
energy resource development
and exploitation programs and
projects of the government.”
But he said the Executive
Department had taken advantage
of the said portion of the last
sentence in Section 8 to insist that
the proceeds of the Malampaya
Fund can be used to finance any
project of the President.
“The Executive Branch’s
interpretation of ‘such other
purpose’ to mean virtually
anything the President desires
renders Section 9 of PD 910
without a discernible standard
since it does not provide ‘adequate
guidelines or limitations’ to
map out the ‘boundaries of the
delegate’s authority,’’ he said.
He pointed out that “PD 910
regulates presidential discretion by
the standard that the Malampaya
Fund be used only for energyrelated projects, such standard
is rendered useless by the said
phrase.”
His groups cited in the
petition the ongoing Senate
investigation in connection with
the pork barrel scam, which
reveals the allocation of around
P900 million in Malampaya
Fund for the benefit of fake nongovernmental organizations that
were supposed to serve agrarian
reform beneficiaries.
The group cited Agrarian
Reform Secretary Virgilio de los
Reyes who reportedly confirmed
that indeed that P900 million
has been siphoned from the
Malampaya Fund for purposes
unrelated to energy development.
Obama may have to...
(From Page 4)
and credibility by insisting on
a military action despite strong
resistance from the people,
Congress and the world. Even
fellow Democrats, who have long
been known to oppose military
conflicts, are wary of supporting
the military action because of a
feared backlash from their warweary constituencies.
Although the Senate panel
has narrowly endorsed a military
strike, the Senate is still expected
to reject it when the senators
vote on the plan this week. The
call faces major defeat in the
Republican-controlled House
of Representatives despite
endorsements by Speaker John
Boehner and former Speaker
Nancy Pelosi.
The Syrian question has put
Obama, some Democrats and
many Republicans in unfamiliar
footing. Obama has consistently
called for exhausting negotiations
before any military action in the
past, and the Democrats have
always been against military
intervention by the US. The
Republicans, on the other hand,
have always stood for use of force
against dictatorial governments.
Political observers are claiming
that Obama is forced to take
action after he warned Assad that
if he stepped over the “red line”
(use of chemical weapons), the
US would act militarily against his
regime. They claim that a military
intervention is an expensive and
deadly way to save face.
But this is not just about
Obama saving face or salvaging
his credibility. It is about whether
America has the duty and
responsibility to serve as the
world’s policeman and go after
rogue dictators, or whether it
should stand idly by and let Assad
continue to use chemical and other
weapons of mass destruction
against its own people.
Does America have the right
to intervene in an internal conflict
of a sovereign state? Or is it
America’s moral responsibility
to come to the aid of an aggrieved
sector of that sovereign state?
It is a dilemma that has
confronted American leaders for
decades, and will continue to
hound future presidents. But the
US is a member of the community
of nations under the umbrella of
the UN. The UN Security Council
has rejected Obama’s military
action. The American people are
against it. The US Congress is
almost certain to vote against it,
too. In this scenario, Obama may
have no recourse but – in military
parlance -- to “stand down.”
([email protected])
Sept. 12-18, 2013
The ‘Queen’ and ‘robbing hoods’
(From Page 4)
Rumors abound that Napoles
would turn state witness. Could
it be that the charges of “serious
illegal detention” was used to
secure and protect her from people
who might want to assassinate
her? Dead people can’t testify. “Robbing hoods”
According to news report,
Levito Baligod, lawyer of the
whistleblowers, said that the
DOJ is preparing to file plunder
complaints against Napoles and
at least 10 people including
lawmakers and officials of
government-owned and controlled
corporations (GOCC) implicated
in the pork barrel scam. But the
DOJ would not confirm or deny it. However, the special audit report
compiled by the Commission on
Audit (COA) linked Senators Juan
Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada,
Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., and
Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan
to the scam. Lately, Senators
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos
Jr. and Loren Legarda were added
to the list. Since plunder is a nonbailable offense, would the DOJ
arrest them and detain them? But how about the other
senators and congressmen whose
names appeared on the COA
special Audit report? Some people
noticed that the senators linked
to the scam are members of
the opposition. Interestingly,
administration allies like Sen.
Ralph Recto and former Sen.
Edgardo Angara were not
included but their names appear
on the COA special report. This
led many to believe that P-Noy is
using the pork barrel scandal to
bring down opposition leaders,
particularly those who are vying
for higher office in 2016; i.e.,
Estrada, Marcos, and Revilla. A
news report even insinuated that
Napoles is P-Noy’s “attack dog.”
Assuming that Napoles would
turn witness for the government,
how strong is the evidence against
the lawmakers? Will it result in
a conviction? Without the ability
to scrutinize their bank accounts
because of a constitutional
provision that protects Foreign
Currency Deposit Act (FCDA)
accounts, the government could
not pore into a depositor’s “secret
account” without the depositor’s
authorization. And who in his
right mind would do that? Institutionalized corruption
And this is where the problem
lies: the constitution protects the
corrupt!
In my article, “Institutionalized
corruption,” (November 23, 2012),
I wrote: “In many countries, like
the United States, people with
ill-gotten wealth deposit their
money in banks in Switzerland or
the Cayman Islands, where bank
secrecy laws protect the identity of
depositors. But in the Philippines,
a corrupt official, a drug lord or
a jueteng operator doesn’t need
to go abroad to hide their dirty
money. Yep, they can go straight
to their local bank and open a
foreign currency deposit account
and nobody can see it, not even
government investigators.
“Known as ‘Foreign Currency
Deposit Act of the Philippines,’
Republic Act (RA) 6426 was
signed into law by then President
Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1974
during the martial law era. The
law states that any information can
only be disclosed ‘upon written
permission of the depositor.’ Many believe that it was enacted
for the purpose of hiding the illgotten wealth of Marcos and his
cronies.
“But RA 6426 survived when
the people power revolution
toppled the Marcos dictatorship. Oddly, it remains in the books to
this day. Perhaps, the lawmakers
find it useful.
“After Corona was impeached
and removed from office, there
was a move by a few lawmakers
to amend or repeal RA 6426. But
P-Noy didn’t warm up to the idea
and it ended up in limbo, never to
see the light of day again.”
Betrayal of public trust
A gift called ‘Grace’
(From Page 5)
and think about Him Who wants
to give you eternal life. All of us
will die. Our days on earth are
numbered. We have either eternal
life or eternal death before us. Which one will you choose?
It does not matter where you
have been and what you had done
in your life, the Lord is waiting for
you. Jesus welcomes you with
open arms as He says “Come to
me, all of you who are weary and
over-burdened, and I will give you
rest! (Matt. 11:28, J.B. Phillips,
New Testament).
We invite you to join us in our
Sunday morning worship at 10:00. We are Silver Lake Foursquare
Church, also known as, Open
Door Christian Fellowship. We
are located on the second floor of
the historic Mayfair Hotel, 1256
West Seventh Street, Los Angeles,
California 90017.
If P-Noy is really serious
about fighting institutionalized
corruption, he needs to do, at a
minimum, two things: (1) Endorse
and prioritize the Freedom of
Information (FOI) bill, and (2)
Remove the secrecy lid of FCDA
or, better, repeal it. If he fails to act, then he might
as well kiss his anti-corruption
crusade goodbye. The people
have suffered for too long from
the “robbing hoods” of Congress. Now is the time to exact vengeance
against these despicable lowlifes
masquerading as honorable public
servants.
What is happening to our
country today is a systemic
pillaging through executive
and legislative fiat that has
institutionalized a criminal
enterprise by those elected to
serve the very people who voted
them into office. That is betrayal
of public trust of the highest order! Its’ time to send the “Queen”
and the “robbing hoods” to where
they belong: the New Bilibid
Prison in Muntinglupa.
([email protected])
Erasing...
(From Page 4)
Russia, which insisted it
needed more solid evidence
the Assad government had
used chemical weapons against
its own people, will gain pogi
points for having called for
prudence. And the Syrian rebels
will feel abandoned and more
vulnerable.
The red line will be completely
erased and forgotten.
7
PH mulls removing
blocks at S’borough
MANILA - Philippine
officials are considering removing
concrete blocks allegedly installed
by China on a disputed shoal in
the South China Sea, the Filipino
navy chief said Tuesday.
Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano
said no further activity had been
detected at Scarborough Shoal
since the defense department
accused China last week of
laying 75 concrete blocks on an
underwater section of the outcrop.
The territory is claimed by both
Manila and Beijing.
Discussions were under way
about how to “address” the issue
but the final decision on whether
or not to remove the blocks rests
with the Philippine government
not the military, he said.
“That’s being discussed as to
how to (do it), but I do not like
to preempt what will the decision
(be),” said Alano, adding that the
military continued to monitor
activity at the shoal.
Filipino officials have warned
that the block-laying could be
a prelude to China building
structures on the shoal, which lies
just 220 kilometers (135 miles)
off the main Philippine island of
Luzon.
Cops on...
(From Page 6)
excluding the augmentation
from National Support Units and
from the Metropolitan Manila
Development Authority, will be
A Chinese foreign ministry
spokesman last week denied that
Beijing had laid concrete blocks
on the outcrop, while asserting it
was part of China’s territory.
The shoal is about 650
kilometers from Hainan island,
the nearest major Chinese land
mass, but China claims most of
the South China Sea including
waters near the coasts of its
neighbors.
Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and
Vietnam also have competing
claims to parts of the sea, and the
rivalries have been a source of
tension for decades.
The Philippines engaged China
in a tense standoff at Scarborough
Shoal in 2012.
Manila has said the Chinese
had effectively taken control of
it by stationing vessels there and
preventing Filipino fishermen
from entering the area.
In January the government
asked a United Nations tribunal to
rule on the validity of the Chinese
claims to most of the sea.
China has rejected the move,
saying it wants to solve the dispute
through bilateral negotiations with
concerned parties.
deployed to the prayer rally and
vigil tagged “Edsa Tayo” at the
Edsa Shrine from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
They are also tasked to assist
MMDA in traffic monitoring and
control.
12
88
Sept. 22-28,
12-18, 2013
2013
August
MNLF mobilizes
fighters in Malaysia
Troops patrol Zamboanga streets with their armored trucks and high-powered firearms.
Troops, MNLF rebels in standoff...
(From Page 1)
paramount concern is the safety
of the civilians. The military on
Tuesday said the Moro rebels
were believed holding 160-180
hostages.
When asked about the fresh
fighting in the city, Zagala said
the rebels were trying to do some
harassment and the government
forces just responded.
Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan,
Jr., the AFP spokesman, said
sporadic fighting occurred
Wednesday at Barangay Sta.
Barbara.
“Nagpaputok lang sila, hindi
naman exchange of fire. . . there
are reported fires coming from
the (MNLF) Misuari breakaway
group,” he said.
Meanwhile, Information
gathered from the field showed
that the firefight at Barangay Sta.
Barbara, which is located several
hundred meters away from the
city, occurred around 9:40 a.m.
At around 11:00 a.m., an
explosion reportedly occurred
at Martha Drive in Barangay
Catalina.
Fighting broke out anew
around 3:30 p.m. when troops
from the 3rd Marine Battalion
encountered members of the
MNLF breakaway group at
Barangay San Roque.
A military source said the
MNLF fighters engaged by the
Marine troops were the same
group that came from Barangay
Sta. Barbara where a fighting also
erupted in the morning.
The MinHRAC, on the other
hand, said residents of Barangay
San Roque have evacuated to a
church next to the San Roque
Elementary School after a group
of armed men were sighted in
the area.
MinHRAC said the residents
were secured by barangay
officials. However, one of the
armed barangay tanods (village
watchmen) was allegedly
“mistaken by soldiers as an MNLF
member and was shot.”
Authorities have yet to confirm
this information.
Reports also showed that
establishments and homes near
and around the Zamboanga City
Airport have closed their doors
as fighting earlier in the day
allegedly reached Canelar Street
and Nunez Extension.
Another report indicated that
a barangay hall in Barangay Sta.
Barbara was razed by armed men
in civilian clothes, believed to be
rogue MNLF rebels.
Meanwhile, the AFP PAO chief
stressed the breakaway MNLF
group of Misuari should be held
accountable for the Zamboanga
crisis, saying “they’s broken our
laws.”
When told that the rogue
MANILA - The Moro National
Liberation Front (MNLF) has
activated some 4,000 foreign
trained Tausug fighters embedded
in Sarawak and Sabah in Malaysia,
group spokesman Emmanuel
Fontanilla said yesterday.
Fontanilla said the mobilization
of the fighters was aimed to protect
Tausugs, who he claimed have
been the subject of a crackdown
by Malaysian authorities.
He said the MNLF fighters were
in addition to the Sulu Sultanate
Army led by Agbimuddin Kiram,
the brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul
Kiram III, leading the armed
struggle to reclaim their ancestral
land in Sabah.
MNLF founding chairman Nur
Misuari had declared Sarawak and
Sabah as part of the Bangsa Moro
Republik (BMR).
Fontanilla however clarified
the MNLF fighters in Malaysia
will act only in self-defense
against any attack from Malaysian
forces.
Fontanilla declined to elaborate
how the armed group, called the
Bangsa Moro Army in Malaysia,
was “activated,” but a source
revealed at least five countries are
supporting it with arms shipments
that had arrived in the disputed
territory.
“Just like what happened in
the early ‘70s at the height of
Mindanao conflict, Sabah and
Sarawak will be the main base
of the Bangsa Moro Army,” the
source said.
The source said the MNLF in
the early ‘70s had set up guerrilla
and training camps in Sabah with
the consent of the Malaysian
government at the time.
The source added huge arms
shipments were also sent to
MNLF in Mindanao weeks before
Misuari declared independence in
Talipao, Sulu last Aug. 12.
“MNLF troops are now bearing
modern assault weapons coming
from foreign supporters,” the
source said.
Fontanilla however denied
the arms shipment, saying the
reports were part of government
propaganda.
MNLF group spokesman has
made a statement that they will
release hostages if the military
will withdraw, Zagala said: “As
far as we are concerned, as far as
the AFP is concerned, we have a
mission there, and we have a duty
to our country.”
The official noted that the
Misuari breakaway group is
armed and hostile and has broken
our laws, destroyed the peace, and
put in danger not just soldiers but
innocent civilians.
“So definitely as an
organization, the Armed Forces of
the Philippines has a constitutional
mandate to protect the people. . .
so this condition they are asking
(is) unattainable,” he added.
He further emphasized that
the military’s end goal is to
prevent followers of Misuari
from escaping.
Sept.
5-11,
2013
Sept.
12-18,
2013
August
15-21,
2013
119
Plunder case against
Napoles, others
to be filed on Monday
MANILA - President Aquino
said on Tuesday the plunder case
against businesswoman Janet Lim
Napoles will be filed not later than
Monday (September 16).
In an interview after the 7th
ASEAN Navy Chief’s Meeting
in Makati, Aquino said: “Iyong
the first charges with regards to
this issue, I understand, will be
filed not later than Monday. There
is a possibility it can be filed by
Friday.”
He said he will soon be briefed
on the case.
“I will be given--as I promised
you all ‘di ba--a briefing on what
the lawyers called the theory
of the case, the evidence that
supports the theory of the case.
“Iyong theory is what
transpired? Evidence is what
proves that this thing that we
alleged transpired, happened.
Then pati iyong analyses and
possible defenses that can be
brought to the court.
Aquino also denied knowing
businesswoman Janet Lim
Napoles, the alleged mastermind
of the P10 billion pork barrel
scam.
Aquino said he tried to recall if
he ever met Napoles when he was
still a congressman.
Napoles surrendered to
President Aquino last August 28
after a warrant was issued on
August 14 for her arrest over a
serious illegal detention case.
“I looked at her. I can’t
remember her,” Aquino said,
recalling the encounter when
Napoles was brought to
Malacanang after she surrendered.
The President said he might
have shaken hands with her in
the past but does not even recall
saying hi to her.
“I tried to recall her name. I
hope I’m not turning senile but
I can’t recall her name,” he said.
Napoles is accused of setting
up fake non-governmental
organizations to act as conduits
of lawmakers’ pork barrel funds.
Plunder is defined as the
acquisition of ill-gotten wealth
of at least P50 million through
a series of criminal acts by any
public officer in connivance with
subordinates or associates. It is a
non-bailable crime.
N a p o l e s ’ l a w y e r, L o r n a
Kapunan, welcomed the
P r e s i d e n t ’s a n n o u n c e m e n t
but said those who revealed
the irregularities should also be
charged.
“Bottomline there is
nagpapasalamat kami at finally,
nandiyan na iyung plunder
charge,” she said.
“Tignan natin iyung COA
report. There are 82 NGOs. If we
are to believe the whistleblowers,
7 or 8 lang sa 82 na iyan ang
Napoles-related NGOs,” she said.
Meantime, documentary
evidence collated by whistleblowers in the P10 billion pork
barrel scam is now undergoing
further review before being
submitted to the Department
of Justice, the whistle-blowers’
lawyer said Tuesday.
President Obama meets with Cabinet members and national security officials
Obama open to diplomatic
solution on Syria problem
WASHINGTON -- President
Barack Obama pledged Tuesday
to explore a Russian initiative to
reign in Syria’s chemical weapon
arsenal. But during a prime time
Oval Office address the president
expressed skepticism about the
Russia proposal.
Obama argued it is in U.S.
national security interests for
Syria to face consequences for
chemical weapons use.
The president also stressed
that any U.S. military action in
Syria would be limited in scope
and duration.
“We cannot resolve some else’s
civil war through force,” Obama
said. But the situation changed on
Aug. 21 when evidence emerged
of a poison gas attack perpetrated
by the regime of President Bashar
al-Assad.
“When dictators commit
atrocities they depend on the
world to look the other way.”
The speech was originally
scheduled to explain why he was
asking Congress for authorization
to take military action against the
government of President Bashar
al-Assad in retaliation for its use
of chemical weapons.
Obama’s speech came after
days of frantic activity over Syria.
Earlier Tuesday came word that
Secretary of State John Kerry
will travel to Geneva to meet
Thursday with Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov to pursue
talks on the Syrian crisis. The
announcement comes after Syria
accepted a Russian proposal to
turn over its chemical weapons to
international monitors.
The rapid-fire diplomatic
developments elicited some
President Barack Obama
skepticism from many regional
and international players, who
questioned the motives behind
the Russian gambit and speculated
that Moscow’s plan would enable
the Syrian authorities to buy time.
There are also questions about the
viability of the plan, which is still
being developed.
10
Sept. 12-18, 2013
11
Sept. 12-18, 2013
DBM released pork to NGOs sans solons’ OK
MANILA -- From all
accounts, it is the Department
of Budget and Management
releasing the legislators’ Priority
Development Assist-ance Funds
(PDAF) without their knowledge
and consent to various agencies
of the executive department
and funneled to the bogus nongovernmental organizations
(NGOs).
In the case of Sen. Ferdinand
“Bong-Bong” Marcos, at least
his one-half year-long pork barrel
appropriation, or some P100
million was said to have been
downloaded by the state-owned
National Livelihood Development
Corp. (NLDC), all of which ended
up in the hands of bogus nonNGOs, using falsified documents.
It has been testified to by
some agency heads that whatever
documents allegedly from senators
have been submited personally
by the so-called whistle-blower,
Ben Hur Luy and other so-called
whistleblowers under the custody
of Justice Secretary Leila de
Lima and her National Bureau of
Investigation.
In much the same way, with
the congressional probers on the
alleged pork barrel scam zeroing
in on the legislators’ supposed
participation on the multibillionpeso rip-off, recent developments
seem seem to point out to the
operation of a well-organized
syndicate operating in the very
premises of the Department of
Budget and Management (DBM)
in connivance with certain officials
of the implementing agencies and
their cohorts masquerading as
non-government organization
(NGO) representatives, preying
on the unsuspecting lawmakers.
This was discovered after a
source provided a select group
of reporters a copy of former
Camarines Sur Rep. Arnulfo
Fuentebella’s special allotment
release order (SARO) involving
P5 million of his priority
development assistance fund
(PDAF) which had expired
December last year, but the DBM
‘Expecting the best’
(From Page 5)
5: Associate with positive
p e o p l e . I t ’s i m p o r t a n t i n
discouraging times that you
attach yourself to positive people,
hopeful people. That’s one of the
reasons why it’s good to join a
good, warm, and loving Christian
family like “All For Jesus.” A
group where you always hear
good, positive news. Get around
some positive people, because the
wrong crowd can bring you down.
Paul says, “Bad companions ruin
good character” 1 Corinthians
15:33.
6: Remember your future.
You want to be optimistic. If you
are a born again Christian and
you put your faith in Christ, this
life is not the end, there is heaven,
and there is the coming return of
Jesus Christ, and that gives you
hope. That’s your future. Living
by faith is expecting the best. If
you haven’t committed your life
to Jesus, you have every reason in
the world to be worried.
If you want to learn more,
you’re cordially invited to join
us in one of our meetings. Be
a support partner of All For
Jesus Ministries as well. In the
meantime pray this prayer:
“Lord Jesus, I am a sinner.
My sin deserves judgment but
I need mercy. I open my heart
now to you. I turn from my sin.
I take my place at your feet. My
blessed Redeemer, I give you my
heart. Come into me and be my
Lord and Savior. Thank you
for saving me. In Jesus’ name,
amen.” Come and visit us.
WORSHIP AND BIBLE
STUDY SCHEDULE: Sunday
@ 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday and Thursday @
7:00 p.m. Email us at all4jesus@
ca.rr.com or call us any time at
562-896-0107 and let us know
you’re coming. Our meeting
place: 10356 Monterey Street,
Bellflower, CA 90706.
managed to release Fuentebella’s
PDAF’s corresponding notice
of cash allocation (NCA) in
January this year, weeks after the
expiration of the said SARO.
In the case of Marcos, the
senator’s signature as well as
that of his office chief of staff,
Ramon Cardenas, appearing in
the memorandums of agreement
(MoA) they had supposedly
entered into in “endorsing”
the grant of Marcos’ priority
development assistance fund
(PDAF) last year, have been
“forged.”
Marcos categorically denied
any involvement in the so-called
pork barrel scam, saying that
records of his office will bear him
(Please turn to Page 16)
12
Sept. 12-18, 2013
SC justice says pork unconstitutional
MANILA – An Associate
Justice of the Supreme Court
on Wednesday admitted that
the congressional Priority
Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF) is unconstitutional based
on its preliminary findings of the
petition filed against it.
Associate Justice Diosdado
Peralta made this admission
when pressed by Senate President Franklin Drilon during the budget
hearing of the Senate committee
on finance whether the issuance
of a temporary restraining order
against PDAF was based on a
preliminary finding that the fund
was “unconstitutional.”
The high tribunal issued the
TRO Tuesday, stopping the
release of the remaining PDAF of
the legislators this year as well as
the release of Malampaya funds.
“In effect, there’s a prima
facie finding on the part of the
Supreme Court that the PDAF is
unconstitutional…At least on a
temporary basis, there’s a prima
facie finding that the PDAF
is unconstitutional just on the
temporary basis that’s (why you
restrained it?)” Drilon asked.
“The TRO speaks for itself.
On the preliminary basis, that’s
correct,” Peralta said, responding
to Drilon.
“As to whether or not we will
declare it unconstitutional that
will be determined after the oral
argument…” he said.
The oral argument on the
petition questioning the legality
of PDAF was set on October 8.
But Associate Justice Marvic
Leonen , who was also present
during the budget hearing, gave
a different answer when asked of
the same question by the Senate
leader.
“The TRO only addresses the
non-expenditure of the PDAF.
Why it should not be extended…
What we are only asking is
that the PDAF(should) not be
spent. We have not declared the
legality or unconstitutionality,” Leonen said.
Drilon said the SC
should decide immediately on the
petition, saying that its “inaction”
before the year ends would mean
that it was exercising the “power
to impound.”
“If you don’t decide by
December 31, you in effect by
that inaction is impounding on the
release of these funds. Whether
or not you can do that is a matter
that I leave to your discretion.
But that is the effect if you don’t
decide this by December 31,” said
the Senate leader.
“Under our system of
government, the role of the
executive is to release or not to
release. The Supreme Court if
it will not decide by December
31 exercises the power of the
executive not to release,” he
pointed out.
Palace: Photo with...
(From Page 1)
in Cebu. She had her photo
taken with the President, as did
a dozen other people who lined
up to have their photo taken
with him,” Deputy Presidential
Spokeswoman Abigail Valte said.
The photo showed the
President and young Napoles
at an event shortly after the
national thanksgiving mass for
the canonization of San Pedro
Calungsod in Cebu.
The picture, originally posted
on the Instagram account of
Napoles, circulated in the internet,
prompting Palace officials to
explain the nature of the
photograph.
Presidential Communications
Development and Strategic
Planning Secretary Ramon
Carandang admitted that the
Palace has a similar photograph
of the President and Napoles
taken by the official photographer
during the Cebu event.
“I can confirm that there was an
event that the President attended
and there were 100 to 200 people
there and at least a dozen people
had their picture taken with him,”
Carandang said.
“Now we looked at the record,
it seems Jeane Napoles was there
and had her picture taken,”
he added. “It’s no big deal,”
Carandang claimed.
Carandang added that the
President did not personally know
Jeane Napoles during the photo
session in Cebu.
He said it was possible that
Napoles was accompanied by her
mother, Janet, the businesswoman
who’s implicated in the alleged
misuse of the pork barrel funds.
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Sept.
Sept.12-18,
12-18,2013
2013
13
UN finds 8 massacres
staged by Syria regime
GENEVA -- At least eight
massacres have been perpetrated
in Syria by President Bashar
Assad’s regime and supporters and
one by rebels over the past year
and a half, a U.N. commission said
Wednesday.
The commission’s probe
highlights the worsening pattern
of violence against civilians,
including executions and hospital
bombings, as the government
battles to retake lost territory
from the rebels, including Islamist
foreign fighters who also have
carried out war crimes.
“The perpetrators of these
violations and crimes, on all sides,
act in defiance of international law.
They do not fear accountability.
Referral to justice is imperative,”
says the report by the U.N.
commission investigating human
rights abuses in Syria.
The report updates the
commission’s work since 2011 to
mid-July, stopping short of what
the United States says was an
Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack
on rebel-held areas that killed
hundreds of civilians.
Calling Syria a battlefield
where armed forces are getting
away with large-scale murder,
the commission said that in each
of the incidents since April 2012
“the intentional mass killing and
identity of the perpetrator were
confirmed to the commission’s
evidentiary standards.”
T h e c o m m i s s i o n ’s f o u r
independent experts also note
that they are probing nine more
suspected mass killings since
March. In those, it said, the illegal
killing has been confirmed but
the perpetrator cannot yet be
identified. In other cases, it said,
the circumstances of the killing
were not sufficiently clear to be
able to determine the legality.
“Relentless shelling has
killed thousands of civilians
and displaced the populations of
entire towns. Massacres and other
unlawful killings are perpetrated
with impunity,” the commission
concludes. “An untold number of
men, children and women have
disappeared. Many are killed in
detention; survivors live with
physical and mental scars of
torture. Hospitals and schools have
been bombarded.”
A confidential list of suspected
criminals is being produced by
the commission and kept under
lock and key by U.N. High
Commissioner for Human Rights
Navi Pillay.
“It’s a long list,” one of the
commission’s members, Carla del
Ponte, told reporters on Monday.
The allegations of chemical
weapons use received have been
“predominantly by government
forces,” said the commission,
but it has not yet been able to
determine whether they were used.
The commission is expected to
eventually weigh in on who bears
responsibility, after a separate
team of U.N. chemical inspectors
reports on any evidence of the use
of chemical weapons. That report
will not apportion blame.
The information in the latest
report was based on interviews
conducted in the region and from
Geneva, including via Skype and
telephone.
Brothers Wilfredo and Rex Maralit with assault weapons
PNP checking PH links of FilAm
brothers in gun smuggling case
MANILA —The Philippine
National Police (PNP) has started
looking for documents to check
if the three Filipino-American
brothers who were charged by the
US government with gunrunning
had businesses in the Philippines.
Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta,
PNP Firearms and Explosives
Office (FEO) chief, on Sunday
said he had ordered his men to
check if Ariel, Rex and Wilfredo
Maralit were incorporators of
companies engaged in firearms
trading in the country.
Rex and Wilfredo, both
members of law enforcement
agencies in the United States,
were arrested separately by
American authorities last week.
Ariel, on the other hand, is
believed to be in the Philippines
and is now the subject of a joint
manhunt by US and Philippine
authorities.
The three have been charged
with conspiracy to violate the
US Arms Export Control Act and
unlicensed firearms dealing.
Since he was appointed head of
the PNP unit tasked with issuing
permits to firearms dealers and
owners in 2012, Petrasanta said
he had yet to hear the names of
the Maralit brothers in connection
with gun trading.
“I have not encountered them
or heard their names,” Petrasanta
told the Inquirer in a phone
interview.
“But I have directed [my
subordinates] to check closely if
there are companies [engaged in
gun trading] which listed them as
incorporators. We’re checking if
they have legitimate businesses
here,” he said.
Since they were accused of
smuggling firearms from the
United States to the Philippines,
Petrasanta said the PNP-FEO
would have no records of the
Maralit brothers bringing in guns
and ammunition to the country.
Petrasanta said his office
could not also determine through
which ports the firearms were
illegally shipped as the Bureau of
Customs had not discovered the
contraband.
In its complaint, the US
Attorney’s Office said the Maralit
brothers smuggled high-powered
assault rifles, sniper rifles,
handguns and firearm accessories
from the United States to the
Philippines between January 2009
and March this year.
US authorities said Ariel was
assigned to look for buyers in
the Philippines while his two
older brothers “used their law
enforcement credentials” to
source the firearms after looking
for gun dealers and suppliers on
the Internet.
They said the Maralit brothers
shipped the disassembled firearms
to the Philippines as packages
labeled “televisions” and
“industrial sliding door tracks.”
14
HEALTH & WELLNESS
13
July
25-31,
2013
Sept.
12-18,
2013
Food combinations can
supercharge your health
SOME foods are simply
known for their nutritional
benefits. As stand-alone items,
certain fruits, vegetables, grains
and legumes have proven time and
again to be excellent choices for
total body wellness as they boost
immunity, burn fat and help your
body operate at peak.
It makes sense that certain
super food combinations would
increase the benefits many times
over. Some food combinations
seem like they are meant to work
together.
By adding these duos to your
diet a couple of times each week,
you’re going to multiply the
overall wellness effect. Food
Synergy author and dietician,
Elaine Magee, puts it best, “The
total is greater than the sum of the
individual parts.”
Top Ten Food Combinations
for Better Health
1, Vitamin C and Iron Combining iron-rich foods
(leafy greens, dried fruit,
artichokes and legumes) with
those packed with vitamin C
(tomatoes, peppers, citrus and
leafy greens) helps your body
absorb iron more efficiently.
Bean and tomato salad tossed
with steamed broccoli, chopped
peppers and olive oil will boost
your absorption of iron and
vitamin C so that you get more
oxygen to the muscles and brain.
Researchers at the University
of Illinois at Urbana found that
the combination of broccoli and
tomatoes reduced the size of
tumors in rats.
2. Green Tea with Lemon
Adding lemon juice to green
tea increases the benefit of the
powerful catechins green tea
contains – making the tea five
times stronger.
Purdue University discovered
that adding lemon to green tea also
slowed the breakdown of these
antioxidants in your digestive
system so your body achieved
more complete absorption.
Consuming green tea when
you eat fish helps block mercury
from entering your bloodstream.
You can drink several cups each
day without harmful side effects.
You’ll see a difference in your
skin health and weight. People
who drink green tea daily tend to
lose ten pounds more per year than
those who don’t.
3. Salads with Healthy Fat
Salads that contain leafy
greens (such as spinach) and
tomatoes are rich in carotenoid
antioxidants. Your body will
absorb these antioxidants better
if you add olive oil or avocado, healthy fats that are heart-healthy
and delicious.
A study conducted at the
University of Geneva found that
eating a salad with a cup of green
tea as your last meal stops your
body from storing excess fat and
boosts your metabolism by 4%
while you sleep.
4. Avocados and Tomatoes
Eaten together these vegetables
are extremely healthy for you.
Researchers at Ohio State
University discovered that the
monounsaturated fat found in
avocados boosts the cancerfighting properties of lycopin
found in tomatoes -- making it
four times more effective.
Beta-carotene – proven to boost
overall immunity – is three times
more effective when combined
with fresh avocado. Add these
fruits to salads and pasta, or
make salsa and guacamole for a
powerful antioxidant snack
5. Iron-Rich Grains and
Vitamin C
According to Boston University
professor of nutrition, Joan Salge
Blake, when you add orange juice
or fresh berries to whole grain
cereal, your body is able to absorb
six times the amount of iron, while
providing sustained energy for far
longer than either of these foods
consumed alone.
6. Dark Chocolate and
Apples
Apples are rich in quercetin
– an anti-inflammatory crucial
to heart health. Dark chocolate
contains powerful antioxidants
called flavonoids. Eaten in
moderation, this pair forms a
tasty snack that fights blood clots,
improves circulation and reduces
your chances of heart disease.
Tossing the phytochemical
strengths of raspberries,
pomegranates and red grapes in
to the mix adds cancer-fighting to
an already delicious and nutritious
combination.
7. Peanut Butter, Dark
Chocolate and Milk
Creating a ‘peanut butter cup
smoothie’ is a quick and delicious
way to strengthen your heart and
keep your bones strong. A study
done at Hackensack University
Medical Center showed that the
combination of monounsaturated
fat in peanut butter helped the
body absorb more vitamin D
from milk than was possible
from drinking milk alone. Boost
the effects even more by adding
fresh berries!
8. Bananas and Yogurt
Monique Ryan, author of
Sports Nutrition for Endurance
Athletes, suggests a smoothie
containing bananas and yogurt
for better absorption of musclerepairing glucose and amino
acids. After intense physical
exertion, this combination speeds
up muscle recovery while adding
strength.
A study in Australia suggests
that combining carbs with
caffeine post-workout also boosts
muscle energy better than do
carbohydrates alone.
9. Omega-3 Fish and Broccoli
The carotenoids and vitamin C
found in broccoli combined with
the omega-3 fatty acids found in
foods such as salmon and tuna
(Please turn to Page 20)
TRAVEL & TOURISM
Sept.12-18,
12-18,2013
2013
Sept.
Pangasinan takes steps to boost tourism
WITH ITS rich history
and great travel destinations,
Pangasinan recently took steps to
strengthen groups in the tourism
and culture sectors to make them
more effective in promoting the
province.
According to Chief Officer Ma.
Louisa Elduayan of the Pangasinan
Tourism Operations Division, the
moves are necessary to bolster
Pangasinan’s tourism industry and
reinvigorate Pangasinense culture.
“ We r e g u l a r l y m e e t
designated tourism officers of
local government units [LGUs]
and convene them in trainings
and seminars, [and] help them
in planning and [validating]
tourism sites as part of the
integration of the provincial and
municipal governments’ tourismdevelopment plans,” Elduayan
said.
Pangasinan offers a wide
variety of reasons for sports,
history and architecture buffs,
nature lovers, adventurers,
families-on-bonding-trips, food
enthusiasts, pilgrims, and plain
excursionists, to make Pangasinan Hundred Islands
their choice destination and Bolo in the native language refers
to a species of bamboo that was
vacation home.
Pangasinan prides itself of its abundant in the interior areas, and
“historic past and cultural heritage, favored in the practice of weaving
a paradise with its rich, abundant light baskets and winnowing
resources and panoramic land and plates called bilao. Historians
seascapes, and progressive with believe that both names may have
been used at the same time.
its warm, industrious people.” Pangasinan has a prominent
Pangasinan literally means
the “place where salt is made,” place in Philippine history. The
owing to the rich and fine salt province figures prominently as
beds which were the prime source the battleground for many wars
of livelihood for the province’s in the country. Lingayen Gulf was
coastal towns. Another name the headquarters of the Chinese
for the region, but not as widely pirate Limahong who came even
known is Caboloan. The word ahead of the Spanish forces. In
World War II, General Douglas
MacArthur landed in Lingayen to
resume military operations against
Japan. Andres Malong, a Filipino
officer commissioned with the
Spanish forces, led the first revolt
of the province in 1660.
Prominent among the province’s
popular tourist destinations is the
Hundred Islands National Park
in Barangay Lucap, Alaminos
City, Pangasinan. This National
Park covers a land area of
1,884 hectares with 123 islands.
However, only three islands
have been developed for tourists,
namely: Governor, Quezon, and
Children’s Island. Of the three
Islands, only the Governor’s
Island keeps a guesthouse which
is ideal for family use. The
guesthouse has 2 bedrooms,
living room, dining room, comfort
room/bath and kitchen. The bahay
kubos at Children’s Island are for
budget travellers as it consists
only of screened bedrooms with
kerosene lighting and one drum of
fresh water and linens. Common
areas are provided for dining
and cooking as well as for toilet
and bath. Quezon Island is for
picnickers and campers.
Other tourist spots
recommended by Philippine
Travel Destinations are:
Balungao Hilltop Adventure.
Nestled at the foot of Mt.
Balungao, this nascent hot and
cold springs resort offers both fun
and relaxation to weary travelers.
The resort also boasts of having
a 600-meter long zipline — the
longest in Region 1. For those who
are looking for some adventure,
Balungao Hilltop Adventure
also offers ATV Riding, Hiking,
Mountain Climbing, Mountain
Biking, and Trail Walking.
Calasiao Church. If you like
visiting old buildings and learning
about history, then a trip to the Sts.
Peter and Paul Parish Church in
Calasiao would just be the thing.
This Baroque church, which was
built during the Spanish colonial
era, was declared a National
Cultural Treasure by the National
Museum of the Philippines and
the National Commission for
Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Princesa Urduja House.
Named after the legendary warrior
15
princess Urduja, this attentiongrabbing building serves as
the residence of the provincial
g o v e r n o r. T h e b u i l d i n g ’s
impressive architecture and ornate
furnishings are a sight to behold.
A portion of the residence is open
to organized public visits.
The province of Pangasinan
also has plenty of natural and
man-made attractions that you
must visit. Among them are the
Mangrove Nursery and Fish Farm,
the Capitol Building, the Veterans
Memorial Park War Museum, the
Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic
Center Lagoon Ride, the St. James
the Fortress Church, the Baniaga
River Water Sports Adventure,
the Umbrella Rocks of Agno, the
Bolinao Caves, and Tondol Beach.
El Puerto Marina. This beach
resort and spa is probably one of
the best in the area. The rustic
atmosphere is well complimented
by the modern and elegant
furnishings. Everything you’ll
need to have the perfect vacation
is here: spa, restaurant, bar, skin
boarding, surf boarding, ATV
rental, videoke, billiards, and
darts.
Capitol Resort Hotel. This
provincial government-owned
hotel fronting the Lingayen Beach
is conveniently located at the
provincial capital district. You
can have a fun and relaxing time
either by strolling at the beach or
at the plaza. You can also visit
the Veterans Memorial Park War
Museum nearby. The hotel also
features air-conditioned rooms,
open cottages, swimming pools,
and a driving range.
Colegio del Santissimo
(Please turn to Page 17)
16
Sept. 12-18, 2013
Piolo, Shaina left Star
Magic Ball together
PIOLO Pascual and Shaina
Magdayao were spotted leaving
the Fairmont Hotel in Makati
together after the 7th Star Magic
Ball last Saturday.
The two arrived separately
at the red-carpet event, with
Pascual saying he can’t walk
beside Magdayao because of the
long trail of the actress’ gown.
The two even said they would
be with their group of friends.
“Marami akong date, isang
buong grupo ng mga kaibigan ko.
All of my friends are here. Finally
magkakasama na kaming lahat
na magkakatrabaho,” Magdayao
said.
As for Pascual, he said: “Date
ko sila lahat. I’m there naman to
be with everyone. Shy and I are
going to be there. We are going
to be together along with a lot of
other friends.”
But as the night progressed,
Pascual and Magdayao were seen
together several times and even
left the venue together.
Pascual and Magdayao have
been consistent in saying that
there is nothing romantic going
ENTERTAINMENT
August 1-7, 2013
Jessy Mendiola and Sam Milby
Sam Milby, Jessy seen
together at Star Magic
Piolo Pascual and Shaina Magdayao
on between them. Earlier this year,
Pascual said they are just enjoying
each other’s company.
“My friendship with Shaina
is okay. We’re able to know each
other better and at the same time,
siguro we just have the same
interests. Marami naman siguro
nakakakita sa Intagram ng mga
pinaggagagawa namin,” he said.
“There’s a thin line sa being
showbiz and wanting it personal
kasi whatever you say, it may
appear as a showbiz answer or
what have you. Gusto ko sana
walang sabihin, I don’t want to
comment. I don’t want to say
anything about it pero dumadating
tayo sa point na nakukuwestiyon
ka. As much as you want to be
sincere, iba pa rin ang dating sa
tao eh,” he said.
FOLLOWING Sam Milby’s
admission that Jessy Mendiola is
his new object of affection, many
people expected that the two
would be walking the red carpet
together at the recently concluded
Star Magic Ball.
But to everyone’s surprise,
Milby arrived first at the Fairmont
Hotel in Makati on Saturday,
while Mendiola came in a little
later without an escort.
In an interview with ABS-CBN
News, Milby said their separate
arrival should not be an issue.
“We are walking alone. We are
all going to be together naman.
We’ll all be seated in the same
area anyway,” he briefly said.
This was echoed by Mendiola,
adding that they all just want to
have fun during the annual event.
“Nauna si Sam. Magkikita naman
kami sa loob eh. Siguro mas
maganda if we’ll just have fun
inside,” she said.
In a previous interview, Milby
admitted that he likes the 20-yearold actress for her simplicity and
beauty.
“Nililigawan ko si Jessy. She’s
aware. I did let her know my
intentions, yes. I like her, she’s
beautiful. I like her simplicity.
Hindi siya maarte,” he said at
the time.
In a separate interview during
the Star Magic Ball, Mendiola
said she’s not yet ready to enter
a new relationship but hinted
that Milby has a chance to win
her heart.
“Oo may pag-asa naman,
mabait naman,” the “Maria
Marcedes” star said. “Consistent
naman siya manligaw. Very
reliable.”
Meanwhile, Milby reacted to
reports that actor Jake Cuenca is
also courting Mendiola. Unlike
him, Cuenca allegedly doesn’t
want to announce on national
television his intentions for the
actress.
“It is better to be discreet pero
at the same time, there are times
na nagha-hangout kami and I
want to be honest sa mga tao,”
Milby said.
Milby and Mendiola were
seen together most of the time
throughout Saturday’s party.
DBM...
(From Page 11)
out that no such “transaction” had
transpired.
The senator himself discovered
this after he had ordered a review
and an investigation into the
supposed fund releases to NLDC,
reported to have been used as a
conduit for an estimated P1 billion
worth of pork barrel funds of five
senators and eight congressmen
that was allegedly received by
NGOs controlled by the alleged
brains of the scam, Janet Lim
Napoles.
This was after his office
received last Wednesday, Sept.
3, a letter from CoA supervising
auditor Magno Oasan inquiring
about the authenticity of the
supposed various papers on his
funds said to have been released
by NLDC, an agency under the
management of the Land Bank of
the Philippines (LandBank) that
supposedly is the lending source
of poor farmers in remote areas.
Sept. 12-18, 2013
Pangasinan...
(From Page 15)
Rosario. Erected along the Agno
River in Lingayen in 1890 by
the Dominicansas an exclusive
school for girls, the Colegio
del Santissimo Rosario had a
dormitory for the ninas, a clausura
for the madres and a chapel. It
served as barracks of American
soldiers for two (2) years during
the Filipino-American war and
was damaged from the bombings
that came with the Lingayen
Gulf Landings during World War
II. When the Dominican sisters
constructed another school in
San Manuel town, they retrieved
materials from the Colegio and
used them for their new school
building, thus leaving its ruins.
Casa Real. Constructed in
the 1840s, the Casa Real was a
royal house where the Alcalde
Mayor resided and held office as
the Governor and the Judge of the
Court of First Instance. It became
the station of the Spanish soldiers
and their native recruits who
helped fought the Katipuneros
during the revolutionary war
against the Spanish rule. At
the end of that century when
the Americans colonized the
province, it was named Capitol
and served as the Office of the
Governor. This 1,728 sqm. public
edifice served at one time or the
other as the office and residence
of the Alcalde Mayor and the
Gobernador Civil, the courts of
the judiciary, public elementary
school and government offices. It
was declared a National Historical
Landmark by the National
Historical Institute in 2002.
(Ms. Annie Cuevas-Lim is the
regional director of the Philippine
Department of Tourism-Los
Angeles Office.)
Moroccan-themed birthday party
THE fulfillment of my work is
not when I am paid high or when I
earned more but when my clients
I serviced extend the gratitude
of being serviced, showing how
happy they are meeting their
expectations and experiencing
the kind of event they actually
dreamed and imagined.
I am so honored to be
given the chance to provide
my decorating service, event
planning/ coordination and
providing her a wonderful cake
and cupcakes during her 35 th
birthday celebration. I am talking
about the ever sweet, sexy and
humble zumba instructor and at
the same time a full-time nurse
at Torrance Memorial Medical
Center – Shirley Rose Maderazo.
I love this client of mine not
only because she’s my fellow
“Batanguena” but because of
her positive and bubbly attitude.
Those kinds of traits of hers made
my work even lighter. She was so
happy and appreciative of all the
service I delivered to her...all she
had are nice things to say about
what I did.
Shirley was born in Rosario,
Batangas, Philippines on Aug. 29,
1978. She currently has a daughter
but looking back at how she was
when she’s still in the Philippines,
she would recall how sweet it was
to be courted in an old-fashioned
way, where guys would politely
ask parents to come and visit her
in the house and offer her flowers
and fruits and serenade.
Right now she enjoys her life
Ina with the birthday celebrant Shirley Rose Maderazo
with families and friends here in
the US. She does know how to
balance her life by doing zumba
regularly being a dance instructor
and ofcourse her full-time career
as a nurse.
Among her many inspirations
is her mom Flor Gamboa who was
able to raise all of them alone at
a young age. Shirley admires her
mom being that smart, pretty and
for being a great cook. Her other
inspiration is her dad Romulo
Maderazo who successfully won
his battle with cancer not to
mention how he surpassed the
pains of chemo therapy. She’s just
happy that her dad is still there
enjoying life and his grandkids.
One of the happiest moments
of Shirley’s life was when she
found out she’s pregnant and
that she’s having a baby girl.
And if there were something
else she would love to fulfill in
this lifetime, she’d go to places
she’s never been to yet like Paris,
London and New York. She also
finds it nice to try backpacking in
Asia and Europe. Although one of
Shirley’s dreams too is to own a
dance studio or gym in the future
which I personally believe is not
impossible to happen.
And here is what she has to say
17
about The Sweetest Things by Ina:
“I wanted to celebrate my
35th birthday and it was sort
of last minute. I had less than a
month to get my birthday party
organized. I asked for Ina’s help.
Not quite sure of the theme yet.
She pitched in ideas and right
away she just knew what I wanted.
I was a bit apprehensive at first,
I figured I might not be able to
afford her services. But I told
her my budget and she did an
outstanding job. We had the party
in our backyard. She decorated it
Moroccan style per my request.
It was amazing. Everyone loved
it. It made my party looked extra
special. I especially liked the
fact that I didn’t have to worry
about setting up. She took care
of everything. I got to enjoy my
party the way a celebrant should.
It was the best party ever. It even
attracted party crashers. And the
cake was a masterpiece. Such
great price for a big cake! It
included little cupcakes too. Best
of all it didn’t just look good, it
tasted real good too.”
For inquiries or reservations,
please contact The Sweetest
Things by Ina at 562-881-8743
or send your e-mail to info@
thesweetestthingsbyina.com. You
may also check out the website
www.thesweetestthingsbyina.com
18
Sept. 12-18, 2013
Sept. 12-18, 2013
protect from nursing home costs.
The government will not place
a lien on your home as long as
your spouse is living in the home. The danger is that the spouse who
is living in the home could die
first, or also end up in a nursing
home. Then the home is no longer
protected from Medicaid liens. This kind of problem can be
Medicaid placing a mortgage
lien on your property?
I RECENTLY talked to
a personal friend who will be
moving out of the country. Both
husband and wife have been
retired for many years and actually
never worked here in the US. But
I do know that they have a lot of
equity in their house due to their
location.
So, I offered my services and
asked if I could give them a home
valuation of their property value,
hoping to help them list this
home before they move out of the
country. I was really surprised
when they told me they had a lien
on their property and how they got
to this scenario.
Since both husband and wife
never worked here in the US, they
are not eligible for SSI which also
means they won’t be liable for
Medical and Medicaid, true? Not
really, what they did was apply for
SSI thru the equity of their home
and from getting the SSI, they
were able to apply for Medical
and Medicaid.
Fortunately, they have a lot
of equity on their home and they
know how to research and play
with the system. They are in
their late 70’s and they racked
up about $300,000 in Medicaid
debts, including the monthly SSI
contribution that they were getting.
Yes, the SSI they managed to
received are being reversed back
to the government. This worked
out well for them because they
had a place to stay and they were
very frugal with their expenses
and wanted the freedom of free
health care. Sometimes, the stress
of health care debts will stress
you out.
Now, more senior citizens
are becoming concerned about
nursing home costs. No one really
wants to go to a nursing home. Nearly every elderly person would
prefer to stay at home. However,
no matter how much children love
their parents, caring for an elderly
parent at home can be so stressful
that a stay in a nursing home often
becomes costly yet necessary. Medicaid is the most common
way of paying for nursing home
costs. When you apply for
Medicaid for nursing home costs,
they will count your assets to see
if you qualify. They do not count
the value of your home. However,
there is a trap here. Even though
the Medicaid rules say that your
home is an “exempt” asset that
is not counted when you apply
for Medicaid, once you are on
Medicaid, they may be able to
put a lien on your home. A lien is
like a mortgage. It will guarantee
that the government will be paid
back money that they pay for your
nursing home costs.
If you are in a nursing home,
Medicaid can pay your nursing
home costs. If you pass away and
your children want to keep the
home, they are forced to buy it. If
they cannot afford to do that, the
government could sell the home,
and keep the proceeds from the
sale, up to the amount that is owed
to them. If there is any money
left over after all expenses, your
children get to keep the extra.
Because of the great danger of
losing the home to nursing home
costs, it becomes important to
understand how you can protect
your home from Medicaid liens. The first thing to remember is that
a Revocable Living Trust will not
protect your home from nursing
home costs! This is one of the
most common misunderstanding. Many people have a “living
trust” and think they are safe. A
living trust (also called Revocable
Living Trust) will protect your
assets from probate, but it will not
To advertise, call (562) 865-5620
prevented by advance planning. In my opinion, the best method for
protecting the home from nursing
home costs is for the parents to
give the home to the children,
but to keep a “life estate.” A “life
estate” means that the parents can
live in the home for the rest of
their lives. Yet, they have given
the home to the children.
19
This is an eye opener for me, I
never knew that Medical expenses
could get tied to your mortgages,
so thanks for the inquiry I hope
this topic will be helpful. Please
call Ken Go of 1 st Innovative
Finance Group at 562-508-7048
or write to kennethgo@verizon.
net.
20
20
COMMUNITY
CHSNAF presents
‘Wings of Music’
concert in Las Vegas
Sept.
Sept.12-18,
12-18,2013
2013
COURTESY CALL. Resort World Manila officials paid a courtesy call on Philippine Consul General Maria Hellen Barber De La Vega at her office in Los Angeles. RWM, led by Vice President for
Marketing Communications Martin Paz, is conducting “Thrill the World Roadshow” in Los Angeles,
San Francisco and New York to promote and encourage tourists to come and have more fun in the
Philippines. From left: RWM Public Relations Manager Archie Nicasio, Philippine DOT-LA Deputy
Director Manny Ilagan, Prince of Broadway artist Jon Joven, Consul General Maria Hellen BarberDe La Vega, RWM Vice President for Marketing Communications Martin Paz and Asian Journal
Publisher Roger Oriel.
FACCSB holds Gala Awards on Sept. 28
CARSON --- The Filipino
American Chamber of Commerce
South Bay Los Angeles (FACCSLAA) will kick off the 2013
Filipino American History month
with the gala awards dinner on
Saturday, September 28 at 6:30
pm at the Carson Double Tree
by Hilton.
Evelyn Andamo, president of
FACC-SLAA said that People’s
Community Organizing for
Reform and Empowerment and
Dolly Anthony will receive the
heroes and leaders awards for
their work in the community.
P-CORE has been actively
working with the youth in
environmental health, substance
abuse, advocacy for WWII Filipino
Veterans, arts and culture. Dolly
Anthony is one of the founders
of the Sampaguita Youth Dance
Troupe, a cultural group in the
South Bay. She is a pioneer in
inculcating Filipino culture and
heritage among the youth.
The main speaker for the
awards dinner is top rated Filipina
American entrepreneur Gina
Lopez Alexander who grew up
in the South Bay. Alexander is
the president of the company that
makes the unique Gina Alexander
Photo Handbags.
Gina Alexander is a fashion
veteran, having studied in
Europe, apprenticing with LAbased fashion houses, and finally,
opening her own kiosks stores
at the Hollywood & Highland
Retail complex and The Grove.
Now, with a growing company,
ALEXANDER’s Photo Bags
have been sold through Fredericks
of Hollywood, Nordstrom,
ICE Accessories and Saks
Inc. department stores and can
currently be found on partnered
retail locations such as ebags.
com, 40+ boutiques nationwide
and over 600 professional
photography studios worldwide.
Actor and director Bernardo
Bernardo and Television host
Lorian Fausto will be the emcees
for the gala awards dinner.
THE College of the Holy Spirit
North America Foundation, Inc.
(CHSNAF) presents an evening
of magical wonderment that will
transport you from the princely
salons of the European masters to
the soothing strains of the romantic
Parisian cafés, to the Oba-Oba
frenzy of the Brazilian dance floor
and finally to the familiar love
songs of the Philippines.
The concert, dubbed “Wings
of Music,” will be held on Friday,
October 18, 2013 at 5:00 in the
evening at the Skyview Rooms 5
& 6 at Bally’s in Las Vegas.
Tickets are on sale for $25 for
non-alumnae and $20 for CHSM
alumnae and can be ordered
through Lulay Sicat at (702) 3495714 or Rose Garzon at (702)
497-2159. This concert is the
second part of a trilogy of events
in the Centennial celebration of
the College of the Holy Spirit,
Manila that includes a Conference
on Oct. 18-19 and the Gala Dinner
Dance in the evening of Oct. 19.
For more information, send your
inquiries to chsnvmarilou@yahoo.
com.
The Oct. 18 concert lets your
spirit soar across time and space
with five of our best performing
artists.
Molly-Vivian Huang, an
internationally acclaimed pianist
who has performed in the concert
halls and with numerous orchestras
in Europe, Asia and the United
States and a recent recipient of the
International “Sebetia-Ter” Prize
for Music, opens the program with
Widmung by R. Schumann and
F. Liszt, which aptly sets the tone
Food combinations...
(From Page 14)
create a brain booster of intense
proportions.
Separately, both protect
the cells of the brain, increase
alertness and focus, improve
memory and overall cognitive
ability. Combined, they have been
shown to improve the scores of
students who eat it prior to testing.
10. Vegetables and Water
Dieticians around the world
believe that changing two simple
things will improve your chances
of shedding unwanted weight and
keeping it off: Eat your vegetables
and drink more water. Vegetables are naturally high
in vitamins and nutrients, low in
calories and provide antioxidants
that boost immunity, increase
e n e rg y a n d i m p r o v e y o u r
metabolism.
Adding vegetables throughout
your day will give you digestionimproving fiber. Making sure
you’re properly hydrated will
positively impact every cell in
your body and keep you out of
the 75% of Americans who are
chronically dehydrated.
Learning how to combine your
foods will ensure you’re making
every bite count.
Reducing inflammation,
slowing aging, improving heart
and brain health, getting control
of your weight and preventing
disease, all depend on nutrition.
for the concert as a “Dedication”
to her Alma Mater, College of
the Holy Spirit Manila, whose
centennial this concert celebrates.
She follows this with the reprisal
of her performance of Liszt’s
compositions 50 years ago at the
Golden Jubilee Music Festival
of the Holy Ghost College, (now
College of the Holy Spirit).
Linda Montesa, who holds a
Masters degree in Music from
the famed Peabody Conservatory
of Music in Baltimore, and
is a multiple awardee for her
performances in concerts and with
various symphony orchestras in
the United States, Europe and
Asia, demonstrates her piano
virtuosity with her impeccable
rendition of Chopin’s Andante
Spianato and Grande Polonaise
Brillante, Op. 22.
Carmen Dayrit-Padilla, a guest
pianist and Battig scholar from the
Philippines, joins Molly- Vivian
on stage. Although trained in two
different institutions, they share
through Sr. Baptista Battig, OSB,
a common musical heritage tracing
back to Ludwig van Beethoven.
Together, they take us to
the elegance of Old Vienna, the
passion of Sevilla and the lively
frolicsome life in the Russian
countryside with their vibrant
interpretation of the old masters.
And in a smooth seque, Carmen
and Molly-Vivian introduces
us to one of the best love songs
of the 20th century by Michel
Legrand, hauntingly interpreted
by the renowned jazz singer, Louie
Reyes, evoking all the wistful
longing of a love to which “all I
ever will recall of my life is all of
my life with you.”
This mood is quickly dispelled
by a shift to the lively rhythm of
the samba with Socorro de Castro,
composer, arranger, jazz pianist
and Louie Reyes, combining their
talents into a double powerhouse
rendition of Jobim’s classic, One
Note Samba.
Molly-Vivian and Carmen
return to the stage with a twopiano interpretation of the popular
Filipino love song, Gaano Kita
Kamahal, by E. Cuenco. As a
fitting finale to the celebratory
presentation, all the five artists
will perform Bayan Ko, by J.
Alejandrino.
ADVERTISE
BUSINESS & FINANCE
SCE suggests solutions
to reduce summer bills
ROSEMEAD — Southern
California Edison (SCE) reached
a new year-to-date peak power
demand of 22,534 megawatts
(enough to power about 14 million
average Southern California
homes at a point in time) last
week. With the high heat expected
to continue sporadically over the
next few weeks, SCE is offering
customers solutions to combat
high electric bills.
“We’re well aware of the higherthan-normal bills our customers
may face after an especially
hot month, when they’ve been
using their air conditioning more
than usual,” said Seth Kiner,
SCE’s vice president of customer
programs. “We want people to
know that there are tools and
incentives that can help them keep
track of their energy spending,
as well as payment solutions for
those that may need assistance.” For example, more than
333,000 SCE customers have
signed up for the Budget Assistant
tool, which alerts them when
they approach their set monthly
spending goal. The My Account
feature on SCE.com can also help
customers monitor their energy
usage, view their current bill and
projected next month’s bill. Save
Power Days reward customers
with up to $100 a year in bill
credits for conserving energy from
2-6 p.m.
SCE customers may also make
payment arrangements and/or
see if they qualify for financial
assistance programs. More details
are available at www.sce.com/
highbillhelper.
Customers who don’t have air
conditioning or don’t want to use
it can also escape to cool centers,
which offer respite from the heat.
A call to 211 can help locate
nearby locations.
SCE recommends these easy
ways to save:
• Set thermostats no lower than
78 degrees.
• Use electric fans instead of
air conditioning when practical.
• Turn off unused appliances
and equipment, and shut off lights
when leaving a room.
• Close drapes and blinds to
keep out direct sunlight.
• Avoid using humidifiers at
the same time an air conditioner
is running.
• Limit the opening and
reopening of refrigerators, which
are major users of electricity in
most homes.
PH foreign reserves up to $83.2B
MANILA - The gross
international reserves ( GIR)
of the Philippines increased to
$83.201 billion as of end-August
2013, the central bank announced
today.
According to the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP), the
country’s GIR reached $83.20
billion at the end of last August,
inching up from July’s $83.17
billion. It was also the highest
level since April’s $83.21 billion,
the bank added.
“At this level, reserves can
adequately cover 12 months’
worth of import of goods and
payments of services and income,”
the BSP said in a statement.
“The increase in reserves
was due mainly to inflows
from revaluation gains on the
Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’
(BSP) gold holdings, foreign
exchange operations, and net
foreign currency deposits by the
Treasury of the Philippines,” the
central bank said.
These inflows were partially
offset by withdrawals by the
Philippine national government,
which paid off maturing
obligations during the month,
BSP said.
Sept.12-18,
12-18,2013
2013
Sept.
21
21
Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide product
marketing, speaks on stage during the introduction of the new
iPhone 5c in Cupertino, Calif., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013.
Apple launches cheaper,
multi-hued iPhone 5C
CUPERTINO, California –
Apple Inc introduced two new
iPhones on Tuesday including
the “iPhone 5C” that comes in
five colors and starts at $99 with a
contract, priced to bring one of the
industry’s costliest smartphones
within reach of the masses in
poorer emerging markets.
Chief Executive Tim
Cook kicked off the event at
t h e c o m p a n y ’s C u p e r t i n o
headquarters which also ushered
in the pricier iPhone 5S. Shares in
Apple, which had been in negative
territory most of the morning,
briefly went positive and were
down just 0.5 percent at $503.48.
Cook expects Apple to ship the
700 millionth device – an iPhone
or iPad – based on iOS mobile
software sometime next month.
The world’s most valuable
technology company is trying
to beat back rivals like Samsung
Electronics Co Ltd and Huawei
Technologies Co Ltd in markets
like India and China, where it is
quickly losing ground.
Wall Street approves of the
move to offer a more basic version
of the device, although some
investors warned initially that
it would reduce margins and
potentially tarnish a brand that
has been linked to premium users
since its 2007 inception.
Now they hope a bigger
emerging-market presence can
help reverse a 29 percent fall in
the company’s share price since
it hit a record high of $702.10 a
year ago. The selloff was fueled
by fears of slowing growth and a
perception that Apple’s ability to
innovate and shake up industries
was dwindling.
22
8
Sept.
Sept. 12-18,
12-18, 2013
2013
What is Medicare Part A?
TODAY we will focus on
one of the four major types of
insurance coverage within the
federal Medicare program. I am
referring to the Medicare Part A
which covers hospitalization or
inpatient services. Citizens or
permanent residents who have
worked for at least ten years, the
equivalent to 40 credits and have
paid Medicare taxes during those
years are eligible for a premium
free Medicare Part A when they
turn 65 years old.
Individuals who have less than
40 credits and are 65 and over can
also elect to enroll with Medicare
Part A but will pay a monthly
premium. How much you have
to pay depends on the number of
years you or your spouse have
worked and paid Medicare taxes.
If you have worked between 7.5
and 10 years or 30-39 quarters
you will pay $248 per month and
if you have fewer than 7.5 years
or less than 30 quarters you will
pay $441 each month.
Qualified individuals will have
a seven month window to enroll
with Medicare. These individuals
can enroll three months before
they turn 65 years old, the month
they turn 65, and the three months
after they’ve turn 65. This is called
Initial Enrollment Period. Many
times these eligible individuals
are automatically enrolled in Part
A. Medicare will send the initial
enrollment package containing
the red-white-and blue Medicare
ID card, the Welcome to Medicare
Booklet and the Initial Enrollment
Questionnaire. Those younger
than 65 with ESRD or with certain
qualified disabilities are also
automatically enrolled in Part
A after receiving 24 months of
disability benefits.
Generally, Medicare Part A
coverage includes the following:
in-patient care at hospitals, or
skilled nursing facilities, at
home health care services when
custodial care is not the only care
needed, blood transfusions after
you pay for the first three pints
used within a calendar year, inpatient care received at a religious
non-medical healthcare facility,
and hospice care.
It is important to be aware that
these aforementioned benefits are
not 100% zero costs to Medicare
beneficiaries. This coverage
are subject to co-payments and
deductibles. In 2013 the deductible
for hospital stay is $1,184 per
benefit period. It means you
have to pay the deductible before
Medicare Part A kicks in. After
that you pay $0 for the first 60
days of each benefit period. On
days 61-90 your co-pay will be
$296 per day and from day 91-150
of hospital stays your co-pay will
be $592 a day.
During your stay in a skilled
nursing facility, Medicare Part
A will only pay the first 20 days.
The days after that, day 21-100
will be yours to pay for $148 per
day. Medicare Part A does not
cover custodial care. In a home
health care it will not pay for nonmedical personal care services
including the 20% of the approved
cost of medical equipment or nonskilled care. Also, remember that
Part A will not cover your medical
expenses when traveling abroad.
As I have mentioned at the
beginning of this article Medicare
Part A is just one major part
of Medicare however, it is
essential for us to get a thorough
understanding of what it is, what
it covers, and its limitations.
One must also enroll with Part
B (medical services) and Part D
(prescription drugs) unless you
have a valid reason not to join
when you’re first eligible. Part C
known as Medicare Advantage
is another great option worthy of
your attention. All these major
parts of Medicare are working
together design to provide you
a well rounded health plan. Like
everything else nothing is perfect
but I believe that overall Medicare
is still a robust, comprehensive,
and affordable health care program
widely available for millions of
people in their retirement age.
If you are turning 65 and have
questions, concerns, or in need of
assistance feel free to call me. I am
(Please turn to Page 26)
iLaw
Atty. Miguel Inumerable
In family law, judgment
or court order much better
than mere agreement
SO AFTER a long struggle,
your former spouse tells you it is
OK for you to have the children
next weekend. You feel grateful
for what little he or she consents
to willingly give you. After some
more ‘pahirapan’ and six months
later, your former spouse tells
you that you only owe her /him
half the amount of your child’s
schooling and not much else.
You borrow some money and
you pay the amount . A month
later, he or she tells you that
unfortunately that was enough
and he/ she now wants you to pay
additional amounts due to this or
that. You’re frustated and angry
because you thought you had an
agreement and now the tables
have been turned once again.
Next time around, you put
things in writing. You think that
should be sufficient. But when
you failed to get the children on
your agreed weekend, you call the
local police department and show
them the paper indicating what
you had agtreed to. The police
officer appeared sympathetic but
then tells you that unfortunately,
they cannot enforce it because it
is not a court order or judgment
that was signed by a judge.
A well-drafted agreement
meeting all legal requirements
should be , for the most part,
a legally binding document.
However, by itself, it is not
immediately enforceable. It may
take a finding by a court, by way of a
court order or judgment, executed
by a judge, for the terms to be
enforceable by law enforcement
agencies and other agencies of
government. Obtaining a court
order or judgment , most likely,
would require a court filing,
due process notice to the other
party and a hearing of sorts.
Representation by a lawyer
is advisable in most situations.
One should consult with an
attorney with regards to his
or her individual situation.
(Miguel P. Inumerable, Esq.
has been practicing law for
over 25 years and is a graduate
of UCLA Law School. He is
bilingual in Tagalog and English
(Please turn to Page 23)
U.S. & WORLD NEWS
A policeman escorts George Zimmerman from the home of his
estranged wife in Florida.
Zimmerman detained
after wife’s 911 call
LAKE MARY, Florida -Shellie Zimmerman will most
likely not press charges against
husband George Zimmerman,
Lake Mary Police Chief Steve
Bracknell said. He added that, at
this juncture, his Florida police
department does not believe it has
a strong enough case to pursue
domestic violence charges against
the acquitted killer of Trayvon
Martin.
According to Bracknell,
officers were sent to the home of
Shellie Zimmerman’s father after
she reported that her husband,
who was acquitted in July of
second-degree murder charges,
had battered her father and was
outside the home threatening the
family with a gun.
Upon the officers’ arrival,
Zimmerman was detained in
one of the police vehicles as the
officers took statements from
Shellie Zimmerman and her
family, according to Bracknell.
Bracknell also stated that
initially Shellie Zimmerman
told officers that she had seen
her husband touching his gun,
but that she later told police
she never actually saw the gun.
The police chief said that, based
on his understanding of Shellie
Zimmerman’s intentions, she
will not be pressing charges at
this time.
George Zimmerman could,
however, face charges involving
violations of Florida’s domestic
violence laws. The Lake Mary
Police Department is currently
working with the Seminole
County State Attorney’s office to
see if they have a strong enough
case to pursue such charges, but
according to Bracknell, “We
simply do not have a case at this
juncture.”
31 killed in clashes in India
NEW DELHI -- Indian
authorities have said the death
toll in communal clashes between
members of two communities
in the northern state of Uttar
Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district
since Saturday has reached 31,
with one person being stabbed to
death Monday.
“The death toll in the violence
in Muzaffarnagar and other areas
has climbed to 31,” principal
secretary of Uttar Pradesh’s home
department, R.M. Srivastava,
told the media in state capital
Lucknow.
In family...
(From Page 22)
and has represented thousands
of clients through the years. He
practices family law, business
law, litigation, immigration and
probate. He has his main law
office at 300 W. Glenoaks Blvd.,
The clashes started in
Muzaffarnagar following the
murder of a person of a particular
community whose members
lynched two members of another
community in retaliation some
days back. The unrest then spread
to nearby villages, prompting
authorities to impose curfew and
deploy Indian Army troops.
State Chief Minister Akhilesh
Yadav has called the incidents of
violence “sad and unfortunate”
and vowed to take strict action
against those found guilty.
Glendale, California 91202
and a satellite office at 2149 E.
Garvey Ave. North, West Covina,
CA 91791. In addition, he has
locations in Rancho Cucamonga,
Orange, Long Beach, Torrance,
and Panorama City available
for direct consultations. Please
call him at (818) 242-4200.),
21
Sept.
Sept. 12-18,
12-18, 2013
2013
23
Pope calls for peace in Syria
VATICAN CITY — Tens
of thousands of people filled St.
Peter’s Square for a four-hour
Syria peace vigil late Saturday,
answering Pope Francis’ call for
a grassroots cry for peace that
was echoed by Christians and
non-Christians alike in Syria and
in vigils around the world.
The Vatican estimated about
100,000 took part in the Rome
event, making it one of the largest
rallies in the West against proposed
US-led military action against the
Syrian regime following the Aug.
21 chemical weapons attack near
Damascus.
Francis spent most of the vigil
in silent prayer, but during his
speech he issued a heartfelt plea
for peace, denouncing those who
are “captivated by the idols of
dominion and power” and destroy
God’s creation through war.
“This evening, I ask the
Lord that we Christians, and
our brothers and sisters of other
religions and every man and
woman of good will, cry out
forcefully: Violence and war are
never the way to peace!” he said.
“May the noise of weapons
cease!” he said. “War always
marks the failure of peace, it is
always a defeat for humanity.”
Meanwhile, Manila Archbishop
Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle
urged Filipinos yesterday to shun
individualism and join millions of
Catholics worldwide in prayer for
the restoration of peace in Syria .
“It is time for us, Filipinos,
to be part of the whole world in
pushing for this cause,” Tagle
said in an article posted on the
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) website.
Tagle said the Filipino people
should unite with the whole world
in seeking an end to the conflict in
Syria as well as other countries
being marred by violence like
Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Myanmar,
Cambodia, and East Timor.
24
Sept. 12-18, 2013
Sept. 12-18, 2013
25
26
SPORTS
Sept.
Sept.12-18,
12-18,2013
2013
Nadal beats Djokovic,
wins US Open crown
NEW YORK -- Hard to
believe this is the same Rafael
Nadal who was home during the
U.S. Open a year ago, nursing a
bad left knee.
Hard to believe this is the guy
sent packing in the first round of
Wimbledon in June, losing against
someone ranked 135th.
Looking fit as can be and
maybe even better than ever, the
No. 2-ranked Nadal pulled away
from No. 1 Novak Djokovic 6-2,
3-6, 6-4, 6-1 on Monday in a taut,
tense U.S. Open final for his 13th
Grand Slam title.
“Very, very emotional, no?”
Nadal said during the on-court
trophy presentation. “Probably
only my team knows how much
(this) means for me.”
They started in sunlight
and finished at night, a 3-hour,
21-minute miniseries of
cliffhangers and plot twists and a
pair of protagonists who inspired
standing ovations in the middle
of games.
There was no quit in either of
them, during points that lasted 15,
25, even more than 50 strokes.
“Probably nobody brings my
game to the limit like Novak,”
said Nadal, who collected $3.6
million in prize money, including
a $1 million bonus for results
during the North American hardcourt circuit.
This was their 37th match
against each other, the most
between any two men in the Open
era, and Nadal has won 22. It also
was their third head-to-head U.S.
Rafael Nadal celebrates victory
Open final in the last four years.
Nadal beat Djokovic for the 2010
title, and Djokovic won their
rematch in 2011.
They know each other’s games
so well, and play such similar
hustle-to-every-ball styles, but
in the end, it was Nadal who was
superior.
“He was too good. He definitely
deserved to win this match today
and this trophy,” Djokovic said.
“Obviously disappointing to lose
a match like this.”
Nadal improved to 22-0 on
hard courts and 60-3 overall in
2013 with nine titles, including
at the French Open, which made
him the first man with at least
one Grand Slam trophy in nine
consecutive seasons. The 27-yearold Spaniard’s total of 13 major
championships ranks third in the
history of men’s tennis, behind
only Roger Federer’s 17 and Pete
Sampras’ 14.
PH billiard
artists reach
KO stage
FOUR Filipinos led by World
No. 2 Dennis Orcollo nailed backto-back victories Monday to reach
the knockout stage of the WPA
World 9-Ball Championship at Al
Arabi Sports Club in Doha, Qatar.
Underscoring his lofty billing,
Orcollo blitzed past Tomasz
Kaplan of Poland, 9-4, to advance
from Group 16 on a day when five
other Filipinos were relegated to
the losers’ bracket.
Qatar-based Filipino Antonio
Gabica joined Orcollo in the
Round of 64 after slipping past
German Dominic Jentsch, 9-7,
while unheralded bets Israel Rota
and Marlon Caneda also advanced
after impressive victories.
A house pro based in the
remote Saudi Arabian town
of Sakaka Aljouf, Caneda
pulled off the shock of the day,
shutting out World No. 15 Nick
Ekomonpoulos, 9-0, even as Rota
dumped Abdullah Al Yousef, 9-5.
The third day of the $250,000
tournament started with nine
Filipinos on course for spots in
the Round of 64, but Francisco
Bustamante, Lee Van Corteza,
Marlon Manalo, Ramil Gallego
and Jeff De Luna were not as
lucky, dropping their second
games that sent them to the losers’
side, where they face must-win
matches.
Bustamante took a 6-9 loss to
Marlon Gama of Portugal, leaving
him in a do-or-die encounter
with German hotshot Thorsten
Hohmann, while Manalo hardly
put up a fight in a 1-9 loss to
Dennis Orcollo
Kuwaiti star Omar Al-Shahen.
China’s Wang Can proved
too sharp for Gallego, 9-1, while
De Luna ran into an in-form
Mika Immonen and dropped
a 6-9 decision. The World No.
2 Corteza wasted a one-rack
lead near the end and dropped a
narrow 8-9 decision to Albanian
Nick Malaj.
Efren “Bata” Reyes, Mark
Antony and Carlo Biado remain
in contention, but they have to
beat their rivals in the losers’
bracket to advance.
What is...
(From Page 22)
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or call directly at 323.470.7345.
Sept.12-18,
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2013
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