Vol 2 No 244.pmd
Transcription
Vol 2 No 244.pmd
P 8.00 VOLUME 2 NUMBER 244 MONDAY MARCH 23, 2009 Rape suspect’s stay in HAU alarms parents, Gabriela ‘We will not risk the safety of our children’ BY JOEY PAVIA AND JOEY AGUILAR A NGELES CITY – Students of Holy Angel University (HAU) and their parents are alarmed over the decision of one of the biggest school in Central Luzon to continuously employ the services of an English professor earlier charged with rape before the Department of Justice (DOJ). PAGE 6 PLEASE LIST OF PRIORITIES Noli urges Pinoys to put housing above cellphones BY DING CERVANTES MABALACAT, Pampanga – Vice Pres. Noli de Castro has appealed to Filipinos to escalate housing above owning cellphones and texting in their order of priorities. In his speech before members of the Pampanga Press Club here, De De Castro Castro noted that while “housing is the biggest investment of the ordinary citizen”, it comes lower in their priorities than cellphone ownership and texting. “So I ask our countrymen to put more priority to housing, education and health,” said De Castro, even as he vowed to finish his job as housing czar of the Arroyo administration in the last 15 months of his term. “We in the housing sector continue to undertake means to make amortization for your dream house affordable. We have restructured the policies of housing agencies and made them investor-friendly so that we can lure businessmen and other developers to continue to put up PAGE 6 PLEASE Volunteers from the Bethesda Springs of Hope Healing Ministry and St. Luke’s Medical Center attend to Aeta patients during the medical and dental mission held at the Pastolan Aeta Village in the Subic Bay Freeport. PHOTO BY MALOU DUNGOG 1,300 Aetas benefit from U.S. medical mission BY MALOU DUNGOG SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – About 1,300 members of the indigenous Aeta tribe here benefited from a medical-healing mission conducted recently by the Bethesda Springs of Hope Healing Ministry, a Catholic Christian ministry based in Columbus, Ohio. The ministry sent some 40 doctors, nurses, dentists and x-ray technicians to the Pastolan Aeta community here to minister to the PAGE 6 PLEASE CIAC negotiating with major carriers from Middle East CLARK FREEPORT – The Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) expects a “major carrier” from the Middle East to finally launch regular flights at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) here and also link the airport to Europe. CIAC president and chief executive officer Victor Jose Luciano said that negotiations with the ma- jor Middle Eastern airlines are now being finalized. He declined to give details pending the outcome of the negotiations. He said that the Middle Eastern airlines will connect Clark not only to the Arab countries where hundreds of Filipino workers- mostly from Northern and Central Luzon- are employed, but also to EuPAGE 2 PLEASE SBMA cites freeport’s economic contributions BY MALOU DUNGOG SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Officials of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) said that Subic Bay has significantly achieved its business objectives of attracting investments and generating employment opportunities after 17 years of existence as a special economic zone and freeport. SBMA Chairman Feliciano Salonga and SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza jointly cited Subic’s economic contributions on Thursday, after the agency marked the 17th year of the passage of Republic Act 7227, which created, among others, the Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone (SSEFZ). RA 7227, also known as the Bases Conversion Development Act of 1992, mandated the development of the SSEFZ into a self-sustaining, industrial, commercial, financial and investment center to generate employment opportunities in and around the zone and to attract and promote productive foreign investments. It was signed into law by President Corazon C. Aquino on March 13, 1992, after its consolidated version was finally passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate the month before. “The Subic Bay Freeport, we are proud to say, has consistently delivered on its objectives in the past 17 years,” Salonga said. “And it will continue to deliver despite the hurdles brought about by the ongoing global economic slowdown,” he added. “One bright note here is the continuing increase of our labor force, which grew by almost 18 percent last year. The biggest chunk of this – or more than 41 percent – are employed in the services sector; followed by ship- GROUNDBREAKING. Mayor James “Bong” Gordon, Jr. (2nd from right) and Wilfredo M. Tan (3rd from left), President and CEO of Hausland Development Corporation lead the groundbreaking rites of the Bonaggapo Homes in Purok 3, New Cabalan, Olongapo City. Joining them are Vice Mayor Cynthia G. Cajudo (2nd from left), First Lady and Zambales Vice Governor Anne Marie Gordon (middle), Pag-IBIG Head Josephine Reyes (right) and Mariano G. Tan (left). Photo By Malou Dungog building/marine-related services, which employ some 35 percent of our work force,” Salonga said. He also pointed out that the 87,502 jobs in the Subic Freeport as of December 2008 “is more than thrice the number of workers employed by the US Navy at the heydays of the then Subic Naval Base.” Meanwhile, Arreza said that in the last 17 years, the SBMA has generated $5.75 billion in committed investments, $11.21 billion in exports, and P2.21 billion in seaport revenues. He added that with the operation of various investor-firms since 1992, the Subic Freeport had also contributed to the national treasury a total of P9.93 billion in collections by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), and P55.35 billion in cash and non-cash collections by the Bureau of Customs (BoC). Arreza also revealed that despite the global economic downturn, the agency is actually eyeing further growth through a new development roadmap that has identified five major investment areas in the free port – namely, logistics, manufacturing, shipbuilding, tourism, and business process outsourcing and knowledge-based industries. “After fulfilling our mandate of attracting investors and creating jobs, we have to re-invent the purpose of the SBMA. Now we’re aiming to take the Subic Freeport, as well as the neighboring communities, to a higher level — creating a multiplier effect in Central Luzon and the rest of the national economy,” said Arreza. Arreza added that the importance for the SBMA to deliver on its key metrics cannot be overemphasized “because Subic has always been an enabler from the time it was born 17 years ago to today.” “If Subic succeeds, it creates a positive image for the country as well. If Subic goes down, it can drag the rest of the country, too. This is why our biggest moral purpose is to unite around a sense of achievement for the sake of our country,” Arreza said. Ama inasarol ng anak, patay BALAGTAS, Bulacan – Brutal na pinaslang ang isang 60 anyos na ama ng kanyang menor de edad anak sa Barangay Borol 1st ng bayang ito nang nakaraang linggo. Ang biktima ay nakilalang si Levy Pascua, 60anyos, may asawa, tubong Tiwi Albay at kasalukuyang nakatira sa Kalye Pogi, Barangay Look 1st dito samantalang ang suspek naman ay itinago sa pangalang Ron-ron, 15 anyos. Ayon kay Ricardo Santos, isa sa nakasaksi, bandang alas-6 ng gabi nang marinig nila na nagtatalo ang magama na aniya’y karaniwan namang nangyayari sa biktima at suspek. Ngunit ilang sandali lamang umano ng marinig nila ang biktima at humihingi ng tulong. Ayon pa sa mga saksi parang nawala sa katinuan ang suspek at makailang ulit na hinataw ang kanyang ama gamit ang isang asarol na gamit sa pagbungkal ng lupa. Nang mahandusay na ang duguang katawan ng biktima ay kinaladkad pa umano ito ng suspek at inihulog sa balon. Dahil dito ay agad namang rumesponde ang mga barangay tanod at kapulisan na nagresulta sa pagkakadakip sa menor de edad na suspek. Ang biktima ay nagtamo ng maraming tama ng asarol sa katawan partikular sa kanyang ulo na naging sanhi ng kanyang kamatayan. Ayon kay Ron-ron, wala siya sa kanyang sarili ng gawin niya ang krimen, at sinabi pa na parang may bumubulong sa kanya na lahat ng mga tao ay sumasaludo sa kanya. Hindi rin umano niya matandaan ang dahilan ng kung bakit niya hinataw ng asarol ang sariling ama. CIAC negotiating with major carriers from Middle East PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • MARCH 23, 2009 • MONDAY FROM PAGE 1 2 ropean countries. “Next, we will have to find a direct link to Canada, Japan, and Australia,” he said, amid the possibility, he noted, that Cebu Pacific could launch flights to Australia. CIAC launched here yesterday its first “roadshow” to promote both international and domestic flights at the DMIA. CIAC chairman Nestor Mangio said “in spite of the global crisis, the DMIA stands firm in its aim to be the most competitive logistics center in Asia and the premiere gateway of the Philippines”. “In the ASEAN region as well as Japan, Korea and China, there is the potential of 500 million tourists who can be lured to visit our country,” he noted. This, even as Luciano expressed optimism that CIAC would be able to choose soon its private sector partner in the construction and operation of a new passenger terminal at the DMIA. “It’s the first time in our nation’s history that we are going into a joint venture mode (for the terminal construction and operation),” Luciano said. Under such scheme, private parties interested in the joint venture would present its proposal which would be open to challenge from other interested parties. “There will be 30 days within which any other interested party can challenge the proposal, then we choose the best,” Luciano said. He said he expected the new passenger terminal, which is expected to increase the passengers’ capacity of the DMIA from its present 1.5 million to as much as seven million per year, could be finished by next year. One CIAC source, however, admitted to Punto it would be “physically impossible” to build such a terminal before the term of Pres. Arroyo ends in June next year. CIAC is now evaluating Pacific Avia Group, Inc. (PAGI) as its possible joint venture (JV) partner in the terminal project that could cost anywhere from P3 billion to P7 billion. CIAC vice president for administration and finance Romeo Dyoco, who chairs the joint venture-selection Committee (JVSC), said whoever will be CIAC’s partner will “design, finance, construct and operate” the proposed terminal 2 which will increase the passenger capacity of the old but upgraded terminal FROM GLOOM TO BOOM Ecija farmers’ tell their hybrid rice tale BY ANSELMO ROQUE SAN ISIDRO, Nueva Ecija – Three months ago, several farmers here complained about the poor growth of their hybrid rice plants. They exhibited a picture of gloom as they predicted a low harvest this cropping season. Last Wednesday, during a harvest festival in Barangay Pulo here, they established a picture of boom and boon. Farmer Renato Linsangan, 64, of Barangay Mangga, this town, attested in his testimony during the festival’s brief program, that he was happy he did not destroy his rice plants at the height of reports, fanned by attestation by many farmers, that what were distributed to them were “defective” and “fake” hybrid seeds. That time, he said, he noted that some of his young plants were maturing prematurely. He also wanted to plough-under his plants (binalak ko pong balasahin) but changed his mind after consulting with technicians and the outstanding farmers. “Ngayon po, kapag inihagis ninyo ang platong plastic sa aking bukid, hindi po malalaglag sa lupa dahil sa makapal na bunga ng aking tanim na palay (If you throw a plastic plate now in my farm, it will not fall on the ground because of the plentiful grains in the panicle of my rice plants),” he said. Another farmer, Alberto Galvez of Barangay Pulo, also in this town, said the evaluation, based on crop cuts in several portions of his farm, indicated that his harvest would be 204 cavans per hectare. “Tuwang-tuwa po ako sa aning ito (I am very happy about this big harvest from my growing the SL-8 hybrid rice variety),” he said. Galvez said he was one of those gripped by the “hybrid rice scare” due to the appearance of bolsters (bearing fruit) even while the plants were still very young. In the harvest festival here Wednesday, the members of an evaluation team said farmer Alberto Galvez will harvest a total of 204 cavans per hectare, based on crop cut in various portions of the field, from his planted SL-8 hybrid rice variety. The evaluation team is composed of representatives from the office of the provincial agriculturist, Central Luzon State University, National Food Authority, Regional Field Unit of the Department of Agriculture in Central Luzon, and the irrigator’s association. They disclosed that in the actual harvesting evaluation they conducted in nearby Gapan City, Ariel delos Reyes of Barangay Sto. Cristo Norte, emerged as topnotcher with a harvest of 213 cavans. They continue their evaluation in other towns and cities in Nueva Ecija as the harvesting activity progresses. Serafin Santos, provincial Farmer Alfonso Galvez (center) of barangay Pulo, San Isidro, Nueva Ecija shows to Henry Lim (right), chair and chief operating officer of SL-Agritech Corporation which is the producer of SL-8 hybrid rice variety, and Cesar Cucio, chair of the Nueva Ecija provincial board committee on agriculture, a bundle of his bountiful harvest. An evaluation team, which visited his farm Wednesday, said he will harvest 204 cavans per hectare. agriculturist of Nueva Ecija, said that Nueva Ecija is expected to register an all-time high rice production record. He said results of early harvest in some parts of the province indicated good performances of hybrid rice and inbred rice varieties. Republic of the Philippines NATIONAL WATER RESOURCES BOARD DON PEPE HENSON ENTERPRISES, INC., Applicant. x —————————————————x Cse No. 09 – 1299 NOTICE OF HEARING The Applicant requests for the issuance of a Certificate of Public Convenience to operate and maintain a waterworks system within Friendship Plaza Subdivision, Barangay Pampanga, Angeles City, Pampanga with authority to charge the following rates: PROPOSED RATES Residential / Institutional / Public Taps Consumption, cu. m. 0 – 10 11 – 20 21 – 30 31 – 40 41 – 50 Over 50 Peso / cu.m. P 301.00 Min. Charge 31.20 per cu. m. 32.30 per cu. m. 33.30 per cu. m. 34.40 per cu. m. 35.50 per cu. m. Commercial / Industrial Consumption, cu. m. Peso / cu. m. 0 – 25 (mins) P 1505.00 (min,) 26 – 1000 64.50 per cu. m. Over 1000 68.80 per cu. m. With Power Cost Adjustment Notice is hereby given that this application will be heard by the Board on April 14, 2009, hearing will start at 9:00 o’ clock in the morning at the NWRB – WUD Conference Room, 8th Floor, NIA Building, EDSA Quezon City at which time Applicant shall present its evidence. At least fifteen (15) days prior to the scheduled hearing , Applicant shall publish this notice once in one (1) daily newspaper of general circulation in Pampanga and serve by personal delivery or registered mail a copy of (i) the application and its attachments, and (ii) this notice to all affected parties appearing on page 2 hereof. Parties opposed to the granting of the application must file their written opposition with this Office supported by documentary evidence on or before the above hearing, furnishing a copy of the same to the Applicant. Failure on the part of any affected party to file his opposition on time and to appear at the hearing will be constructed as a waiver of his right to be heard and the Board will proceed to hear and decide the applicant based on the evidence submitted. Failure by the Applicant to appear at the hearing shall amount to lack of interest on its part and the instant application shall be dismissed accordingly. Witness the Honorable Executive Director of the National Water Resources Board this March 6, 2009. By Authority of the Board: Affected Parties: Luciano speaks with members of the Alliance of Travel and Tours Associations of Pampanga. PHOTO COURTESY OF CIAC-PAO 1 that was constructed by the Americans when Clark was still a US air force base. He said PAGI has been accepted by JV-SC “for detailed evaluation and eligibility check” which is expected to be finished by March 13. After passing this requirement, PAGI “will be subjected to a competitive challenge of stage 3” process, it said. CIAC cited the need to construct a bigger passenger terminal “due to the significant increases in the volume of flights and international passengers during the past three years” and its “mandate” to transform the DMIA into a premiere international gateway of the country. In May last year, CIAC announced the bidding for the terminal project, soliciting three companies which submitted bid documents. Admiral Energy of the US passed the bidding but later failed to submit proof of its track record in the operation of an international passenger terminal. THE SECRETARY Sangguniang Panlungsod Angeles City, Pampanga (SGD) NATHANIEL C. SANTOS Deputy Executive Director Officer-in Charge THE BARANGAY CHAIRMAN Brgy. Anunas, Angeles city, Pampanga THE PRESIDENT – HOA Friendship Subdivision Brgy. Pampang, Angeles City Pampanga THE GENERAL MANAGER Angeles City Water District Angels City, Pampanga Punto! Central Luzon: March 23, 2009 “We are calculating a minimum total harvest of 1.6 million metric tons,” Santos said. “It will top by more than a million tons our harvest last year,” he said during the festival’s program Wednesday. Converted into cavans of 50 kilos each, the expected harvest will total to 32 million. Santos attributed the expected unprecedented high harvest due to the increasing average production by the farmers because of their application of new technologies in production, expansion of production areas due to improved irrigation facilities, lowered cost of inputs particularly chemical fertilizers, and favorable weather conditions. He said the production area for the current dry season cropping totaled to 145,000 hectares compared to last year’s 131,000 hectares. In the last wet season cropping, the total area was 170,000 ha. The provincial agriculturist is certain that Nueva Ecija will maintain its standing as the No. 1 rice producing province in the country. Based on the “Rice Figures in the Philippines” (PhilRice, 2007), Nueva Ecija had an average production of 1.13 million metric tons since 2002. It was followed by Isabela, 1.006 mt; Pangasinan, 832,114 mt; Iloilo, 763,893 mt; Cagayan, 548,369 mt, and Tarlac, 469,316 mt. Santos said that of the total rice area in the province, some 41,000 hectares were planted to hybrid rice, mostly SL-8 variety, and the rest inbred rice varieties. He said the cold spell and the tolerable 1.7 percent mixture of off-type seeds, which resulted in the appearance of early bolsters, made many farmers uneasy. But those who followed the advise from the teams of experts which monitored the growing of the variety in the farms, in applying remedial measures later confirmed that their plants growth vigorously well. SL-Agritech Corporation chairman and chief operating officer Henry Lim, who attended the festival, said that the SL-8 rice seeds they produced and sold were proven not really defective but suffered only some initial problems due to climate change and mixtures that were difficult to avoid in seed production. “The report about the early bolsters were overblown and caused anxiety among the farmers,” Lim said. Lim expressed sadness about the report that some 1,000 hectares of land planted to SL-8 in Nueva Ecija were destroyed by the farmers because of unwarranted fear that the plants would not perform well. He announced here that his corporation, which has been described by the father of hybrid rice, Prof. Yuan Long Ping of China, as the pioneer in the breeding of hybrid rice for the tropics, said a better performing hybrid variety than their SL-8 will be introduced soon for commercial production. He said farmer Aida Badong of Barangay San Nicolas, Baao, Camarines Sur achieved a harvest of 344 cavans while Fernando Gabuyo of Tondod, San Jose City, Nueva Ecija harvested 345 cavans from their respective one-hectare SL8 farm. Former food minister Jesus Tanchanco, meanwhile, said it is about time for the government to look into the re-strengthening of the devolved agricultural extension service in agriculture as he noted that it has become “comparatively ineffective”. He added that during their time (the Marcos years), the field technicians played a very important role in guiding and assisting farmers in their rice production efforts. He added that it was during those times that the country experienced rice production surplus. Tanchanco, who is currently the chair of a national businessmen and industrialists association’s committee on agriculture, said he was told that some field technicians who also planted the hybrid variety are the ones who plowed-under (binalasa) their newly transplanted rice plants because of some unusual growths they observed. Naturally, he said, some alarmed farmers followed suit. PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • MARCH 23, 2009 • MONDAY 17 YEARS AFTER RA 7227 3 Taking the road PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • MARCH 23, 2009 • MONDAY FIFTY SIX flights a week: to Hongkong, Macau, Malaysia, South Korea, as well as to Cebu and Caticlan. Five airlines: Cebu Pacific, Seair, Tiger Airways, Air Asia, and Asiana. Entitlements to 20 countries, including Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Australia. The first flight to the Middle East beginning in April. A new terminal with a capacity of three million to seven million passengers to be ready by next year. Top notch visionaries for managers – in Clark International Airport’s President-CEO Victor Jose Luciano, EVP Alex Cauguiran, down the line to rank and file. Everything is in place – or nearly in place – at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport to make Clark as a destination and a point of embarkation. Let that be known to one and all. Hence, a series of road shows in various key cities in Northern and Central Lzuon as well as Metro Manila. “This odyssey will create awareness for DMIA and its flights and further spread the good news that there is now a gateway that provides domestic and international flights for our airline guests, some of whom are our modern day heroes, the overseas Filipino workers.” So said CIAC board chair Nestor Mangio at the road show launch. The seriousness of the mission of “creating a brand” for the DMIA – and a concomitant warranty for its realization is most manifest in CIAC tapping the consulting service of no less than a champion of the balikbayan program, former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor. It must be impacted in the history of Clark that the now highly successful signature festival of Clark, the Hot Air Balloon Festival was a brainchild of Gabor, who started it in 1994. So was the Paskuhan Village and the Floricultura. With the CIAC – and Gabor – plus the support of the travel and aviation industry and the media, there is no way for that mission of promoting the Philippines through the DMIA to fail. And for Clark to be ever nearer in realizing its full potential as the premier gateway of the country. 4 EDGAR V. MOVIDO Founder LLL Trimedia Coordinators Publisher General Manager Atty. Gener C. Endona Editor Joey R. Aguilar Editorial Consultant Caesar “Bong” Lacson Marketing Manager Joanna Niña V. Cordero Administrative Staff Ma. Teresa U. Villanueva Layout Dondie B. Ventura Circulation Jose Yabut/Gilbert Mendoza Business & Editorial office at Unit B Essel Commercial Center, McArthur Highway, Telabastagan, City of San Fernando Tel. No. (45) 636•6327 Cel. No. 0917•481•1416 e-mail address: [email protected] pdf file at http://www.punto.com.ph Punto! Central Luzon is a proud member of The Philippine Press Institute O p i n i o n Legislative lapses acaesar.blogspot.com Zona Libre Bong Z. Lacson NO COMEDY of errors but a farce, abutting on idiocy, if I may be so candid about it, was a recent session at the hollowed – yeah, right, not hallowed – hall of the sangguniang panlalawigan. Witness your honorable representation from the 1st District of Pampanga asking honorable councilor from Bacolor why the town council “proceeded with the approval of the conversion of Xevera Phase 1 despite a memorandum circular from the Department of Land Reform suspending the conversion of all lands from agricultural to residential.” The circular, prompted by the severe rice shortage last year was dated April 18, 2008. On record, the Bacolor council approved the ordinance reclassifying the land owned by Globe Asiatique Holdings, Xevera’s developer, on May 20, 2008. Aha, a clear violation right then and there! Not so fast though, as obtains there is a contradiction, okay, difference, in the terms: conversion vis-à-vis reclassification. Clearer now, the honorable board member was on a totally different plane of thought there from the issue on, well, board. So honorable councilor prefaced his response on the difference between conversion – banned by the DLR memo, and reclassification, a totally different matter. Furthered he that authority at their level, the sangguniang bayan, was limited to reclassification and exclusive of conversion. Hence the reclassification ordinance, that honorable board member inadvertently – to be kind to him – took as conversion. Thundered 3rd district board member at poor councilor: “You are here to answer our questions by “Yes” or “No” and not to lecture us. Honorable as he is, I have not the gumption to call 3rd District board member stupid with that statement. But pray, tell, how the hell can a why question be answered by either yes or no? To paraphrase: Why did the Bacolor sangguniang bayan approve the conversion of Xevera Phase 1 despite a DLR memorandum circular suspending all conversions of agricultural lands to residential? Yes, Sir. No, Sir. A proposition most stupid, if not outrightly idiotic. Save for the beautiful mind of the honorable 3rd district board member. A lapse there, if I may say. As great a lapse, if not greater, as that in the period of time – all of 30 days – given the sangguniang panlalawigan for the review of the Bacolor ordinance: submitted in August 2008 and taken only in March 2009. Well over six months or some 180 days past deadline. Rendering the review purely moot and academic, as my favorite lawyer, Attorney Agaton is wont to say. The other 1st district representation put some sense and legal frame on the Bacolor ordinance admitting the sangguniang panlalawigan could have “overlapped” its functions when it asked for the Xevera housing plan details, something outside the provincial board’s ambit and an intrusion into, if not a usurpation of, the authority of the municipal mayor and the municipal engineer. So did the brighter head from Mabalacat knock some sense into the thick craniums of his peers? Not in any way. What he raised were some suspicions, if not innuendoes, of some motivations that inspired him to “lawyer” for Xevera. Ah, what tangled web the green- eyed spider weave! Yeah, right. As one stalked, er, haunted, by a bittersweet Bacolor past. TODAY IN HISTORY Mexican presidential candidate assassinated ON THIS DAY in 1994, Luis Donaldo Colosio, Mexico’s ruling party’s presidential candidate, is gunned down during a campaign rally in the northern border town of Tijuana. As a member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the political party that held power in Mexico for most of the 20th century, Colosio became the protÝgÝ of future Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari and was elected to the Congress and Senate. In 1988, he was the campaign manager of Salinas’ successful presidential campaign and the same year was named PRI party head. In 1992, President Salinas appointed Colosio social development secretary. He became increasingly reform-minded in this capacity; although his promises to reduce Mexico’s widespread poverty failed to stop anti-government guerrilla activity in the state of Chiapas. Salinas designated Colosio his successor in late 1993, making him the PRI candidate and thus the favorite to win the presidential election scheduled for August 1994. Colosio campaigned as a man of the people and often appeared without the protection of bodyguards. On March 23, 1994, he was assassinated at a campaign rally in Tijuana. Mario Aburto Martinez, a factory worker, was arrested at the scene and later convicted as the sole shooter. During the next few years, however, evidence was uncovered suggesting a conspiracy that may have led all the way up to President Salinas’ office. Colosio had promised to fight Mexico’s rampant political corruption, of which Salinas, who had ties to organized crime in Mexico, was guilty. In the wake of the assassination, Salinas appointed Ernesto Zedillo the PRI presidential campaign. Zedillo was elected in an election unusually free from fraud, and served as Mexican president until 2000. Salinas spent the late 1990s in exile but returned to Mexico in 2000. His administration has been implicated in other political assassinations, and in 1999 his brother Raul was convicted of ordering and financing the September 1994 murder of Jose Francisco Ruiz Massieu, the secretary general of the PRI. Regarding Henry BY HENRYLITO D. TACIO Have faith Minerva Zamora-Arceo (COURTESY OF MABUHAY NEWS) IF THERE’S one person who truly had faith in himself, it was Thomas Alva Edison. This American inventor had only three months of formal schooling. And yet, history records show that he knew more failures than successes. For 13 months, Edison kept on searching for a filament that would stand the stress of electric current. As he pondered whether he would be able to discover the elusive thing, he got a note from people backing his experiment that they would no longer be giving additional funds for what he was then doing. News like that may bring a person to quit, but not Edison. In fact, it did not deter him from continuing his work. He refused to admit defeat and worked without sleep for two more days and nights. Eventually, he managed to insert one of the crude carbonized threads into a vacuumsealed bulb. “When we turned on the current,” he recalled, “the sight we had so long desired finally met our eyes!” Before that, however, Edison had to endure a string of failures. “What a waste! We have tried no less than 700 experiments and nothing has worked. We are not a bit better off than when we started,” a couple of men who were working alongside him said. He just shrugged this comment, telling them, “Oh yes, we are! We now know 700 things that won’t work. We’re closer than we’ve ever been before.” However, the story did end there. When Edison finished doing the first electric bulb ever, he handed a finished bulb to a young helper. The lad carried it nervously up the stairs step by step. At the very last moment, he dropped it. The whole team had to work another 24 hours to make another bulb. When it was done, Edison looked around and then handed it to the same boy. The bulb changed history but the confidence the inventor had given to that boy definitely changed his life forever. Edison knew that more than the bulb was at stake. He had given the boy a second chance. That faith in him probably changed the boy’s life. “We live by faith or we do not live at all,” said Harold Walker. “Either we venture – or we vege- tate. If we venture, we do so by faith simply because we cannot know the end of anything at its beginning. We risk marriage on faith or we stay single. We prepare for a profession by faith or we give up before we start. By faith we move mountains of opposition or we are stopped by molehills.” The New American Webster Handy College Dictionary defines faith as “belief without proof.” It also means “confidence” and “reliance.” To William Wordsworth, “Faith is a passionate intuition.” Having a hard time understanding what faith really is? Martin Luther King, Jr. describes, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” Poet Rabindranath Tagore has this view: “Faith is the bird that sings when the dawn is still dark.” “To me,” said John Dewey, “faith means not worrying.” The late Bishop William A. Quayle used to tell of an experience during a sleepless night. After rolling and tossing far into the night, he said that he seemed to hear God’s voice telling him to go on to sleep and let God run the world the rest of the night. Faith can move mountains, but don’t be surprised if God hands you a shovel. In his book, The Edge of Adventure, Bruce Larson tells a story about a letter found in a baking powder tin which is wired to the handle of a pump. It offered the only hope of drinking water on the seldomused trail across a desert. The letter in the tin read as follows: “This pump is all right as of June 1955. I put a new leather sucker washer into it, and it ought to last several years. But this leather washer dries out and the pump has got to be primed. Under the white rock, I buried a bottle of water. There’s enough water in it to prime the pump, but not if you drink some first. Pour in about one-quarter, and let her soak to wet the leather. Then pour in the rest medium fast and pump like crazy. You’ll get water. The well has never run dry. Have faith.” If you were the person who found the letter, what would you do? You are very thirsty and Let’s Talk About it there’s immediate water. Will you do what you had been instructed to do? A postscript of the letter reads: “Don’t go drinking up the water (in the bottle) first. Prime the pump with it first, and you’ll get all you can hold.” Hebrews 11:1 states: “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Joshua was a hard-headed person, so to speak. When a flood hit his area, he climbed to his roof. A rescue boat came by but Joshua called back to their offer of help; “No, thanks. I have faith in the Lord. He will save me.” The waves came higher and Joshua scrambled to the highest part of his roof. Another boat came by to save him, but Joshua waved them off, professing his faith that the Lord would save him. When the waves began lapping his feet, he pulled himself to the tip of the roof. A helicopter swooped down to save him, but Joshua was still depending on the Lord. Of course you know what happened next. Joshua got drowned. When he stood before the Lord, he complained, “Lord, I had such faith in you. Why didn’t you save me?” To which the Lord replied, “What more do you want from me? I sent you two boats and a helicopter?” A famous heiress keeps her priceless collection of jewels in the vault of a large bank. One of her prize possessions is a very valuable string of pearls. It is a scientific fact that pearls lose their original luster if not worn once in a while in contact with the human body. So once a week, a bank secretary, guarded by two plainclothesmen, wears these priceless pearls to lunch. This brief contact with the human body keeps them beautiful and in good condition. Our faith is a lot like the pearl. It must be used in order to be useful. It must be worn out among the masses of mankind where faith and hope are needed. As someone puts it: “Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it by the handle of anxiety, or by the handle of faith. “ For comments, write me at [email protected] Vibrant Clark LISTENING to an enthusiastic speaker like former Tourism Secretary Mina Gabor is very refreshing and inspiring. Unlike other tourism officers who are bankrupt in ideas, Gabor has a lot to offer to Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) as far as selling Clark is concerned. So getting her as a consultant is a good job. During the North Luzon Tourism Roadshow organized by CIAC last Friday, Gabor was very optimistic on the potentials of Clark and Northern Luzon as prime destinations in the country. Sometimes, in our weakest moment even for a nation, all we need is a little nudge to move forward. And Gabor is doing just that for Clark . Gabor, CIAC, ATTAP and Clark Freeport Tourism Association are planning a series of road shows in various cities in North and Central Luzon to strengthen this tourism project. Matched with a strong leader like CIAC President and CEO Victor Jose “Chichos” Luciano, Gabor and all the stakeholders in this campaign for tourism will open numerous opportunities for employment and livelihood. It is not surprising that CIAC is pulling the strings on this campaign considering the creditable developments at the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA). As soon as Luciano took over as CIAC boss, improvements continue to unfold in the country’s next premier airport. Of course Luciano was able to invite several airlines to fly in Clark including his former company, South Korea ’s second flag carrier Asiana. Asiana was named airline of the year by the Air Transport World (ATW). They are flying in 62 major cities and destinations worldwide including China , Japan , Korea , United States , London , Paris , India , Malaysia , Singapore , Hongkong , Taiwan , Russia and Sydney . It has 65 modern aircraft and the first airline to be ISO 2002 certified for aircraft maintenance. Luciano said DMIa is more than ready to accommodate huge aircraft and additional flights. Given its existing state-of-the-art radar and high standard support infrastructure, Luciano said the construction of the proposed US$142-million (P6 billion) Terminal 2 is on the way. Meanwhile, CIAC Chairman Nestor Mangio said the new terminal will accommodate three to seven million passengers. This is in preparation to the influx of international and domestic passengers brought by Tiger Airways, Cebu Pacific, SeaAir and Asiana airlines. DMIA recorded three million passengers last year and at the rate it is going, there is no doubt that such projection will be accomplished. DMIA has 56 flights a week. More and more people travel at ease through DMIA. Most of the flights are Clark to Hongkong, Macau, Bangkok , Singapore , Malaysia , South Korea , and domestic destinations like Cebu and Caticlan. Mangio said that despite the current global economic crisis, DMIA likewise stands firm as a logistics center in Asia . He added that CIAC has secured air entitlements to at least 20 countries including Qatar , Kuwait and United Arab Emirates . What is happening inside the Freeport Zone and DMIA reminds us that we should not be totally hopeless amidst the economic meltdown. We are affected yes but as President Arroyo’s boys always say, “it is all about the attitude.” In a lighter note, I would like to thank our guests during the Pampanga Press Club 60 th anniversary at Xevera Mabalacat last May 19. Despite the hot and humid weather, Vice President Noli De Castro, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde, SCADC Chairman Edgardo Pamintuan and several under secretaries and assistance secretaries made it to the affair. Thanks to Usec. Rellie Fajardo, Asec. Clayton Olalia, Asec. Rafael Yabut and Director Dennis Cunanan. Also, our friends from the local government units were also present namely; Mayor Denis Pineda, Mayor Lyndon Cunanan, Mayor Oscar Tetangco, Mayor Marino Morales and Councilors Jay Sangil and Mariucel Morales. Our special thanks also to MNTC Vice President for Corporate Affairs Marlene Ochoa, Dante Velasco of Creative Points, Chief Supt. Leonilo Cruz, Pamcham President and ADCL Chairman Renato Romero, ADCL vice president Sonny Dobles, CDC Pres. Benny Ricafort, CIAC Pres. Chicos Luciano and more. And lastly, congratulations to all the newly elected officers of PPC. PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • MARCH 23, 2009 • MONDAY Editorial 5 “Whether the accusations against the professor are true or not, HAU should deal with it with utmost concern to the students and delicadeza. Please take note that the suspect had previous alleged sexual acts committed on a minor,” said a parent of an engineering student who refused to be named. She was referring to HAU professor Arnel Atienza Ocampo who was charged with multiple counts of rape in relation to Republic Act 7610 before the DOJ in Manila last February 13. He said “HAU already erred in checking the background of Ocampo and now they continue to act blind.” This developed as the Gabriela, a national alliance of women’s organization, asked HAU President Dr. Arlyn Villanueva to hold a dialogue with them today “in the pursuit of justice and upholding the rights of women.” “What alarms us is that Mr. Ocampo continues to teach in your university,” said Gabriela Secretary General Emmi De Jesus in a letter to Villanueva dated March 17. “Last March 11, 2009, the father of the former HAU student sought the help of Gabriela saying his daughter was a victim of rape by Arnel Ocampo, a faculty member of your University,” added De Jesus in her letter. According to the victim’s father, his daughter was 16 years old and a freshman during the school year 2006-2007 when she was reportedly raped. Parents of the victim, identified only as “Rose,” said a sexual harassment complaint had been filed against Ocampo in Magalang Institute in 1997 by the parents of a fourth-year high school student. He said Ocampo was dismissed by the school. Ocampo then filed a case for illegal dismissal before the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) but it was dismissed. Meanwhile, HAU students also forwarded text messages to Punto saying: “HAU has bin d subj of media (tv/radio/newspaper) for 3wks now. Our reputation is badly tarnished. Our skul did not allow our accused prof 2take a leave wen he ws filing one wks ago. Wat is our school doing?? We must do something abt dis nw!! …pass 2 ur clasmeyts if u care for our univ..” Some students interviewed by Punto also said that their parents are planning to transfer them to other schools next semester after knowing that HAU still allows Ocampo teach. “Nagtataka lang kami bakit hindi siya inaalis at patuloy parin siyang nagtuturo sa school. Ayaw naming isipin na may palakasan dito pero yan ang nangyayari. Yung mga alam naming matitino inaalis naman, baligtad na yata ang mundo,” the students said. Parents also said that they will not risk the safety of their children. “Madami pa namang mga eskwelahan na kapakanan ng mga estudyante ang inuuna,” they said. This reporter called up twice Angelita Ayson of the HAU personnel department, who was tasked to speak on behalf of the school on March 20 but she was not available. She failed to return calls even as the mobile phone number of this reporter was given to a certain Nimfa. HAU issued a statement earlier saying that they will cooperate with the DOJ on its investigation regarding the case. Earlier, Ayson said they had not suspended nor sacked Ocampo. Noli urges Pinoys... FROM PAGE 1 PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • MARCH 23, 2009 • MONDAY housing projects,” he said. A group called CIA Bayanihan Textpower Brigade, Inc. which was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2006 as a non-profit, nonsectarian, charitable and humanitarian organization, has reported that among 87 million Filipinos, 43 million own a cellphone. Describing the Philippines as the text capital of the world, the group said that over 600 million text messages are sent in the country everyday. It cited a survey indicating that “cellphone load is number one on the product list of priorities by the Filipino people, beating coffee, shampoo and snacks and other food needs.” “Telephone companies are earning billions of pesos daily from he sale of 6 cellphone loads alone,” the group added in its website bayanihan-cia.org. But De Castro urged homeless Filipinos to spend less on cellphone use and spare what they could save for low-cost housing amortizations. He cited the case of hundreds of families to be relocated here to give way to the long-delayed Caloocan-to-Clark north railway project, who would pay only a little over P200 as monthly for 30 years. “You probably spend P300 a month for texting, so why not spend less for homes for your families?” he asked. De Castro also stressed that all housing agencies under the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) which he heads has been streamlined to prioritize a specific function. “Thus, the Na- sick, in partnership with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and volunteers from St. Luke’s Medical Center in Manila. SBMA Administrator Armand Arreza said the “medical-healing mission” led by Maribi Mapa-Garcia, a founding member of the Bethesda ministry, also dispensed medicines and other health supplies worth P800,000. The missionaries and volunteer medical-dental personnel were welcomed by Pastolan Aeta chieftain Conrado Frenilla, who expressed his appreciation of the medical assistance on behalf of his constituents. SBMA deputy administrator Raul Marcelo, who coordinated the mission, said that in accordance with the ministry’s program of providing an “experience of hope” to communities, the whole-day mission started with a holy mass and a valuesformation seminar. Lecture on the proper use of medicines, as well as hygiene and dental care, was also held including actual medical and dental examination of patients. “It is an activity that really makes you feel happy,” Marcelo said. “Nakak- FOR LOCAL EMPLOYMENT NABCOR (Agri Fruit Freezing Corporation) PROCUREMENT/PURCHASING STAFF Preferably Male (single or Married); Engineering / Industrial management graduate / with job experience; Good Communication skills; Willing to be trained; At least 1-2 yrs work experience; Knowledge in purchasing jobs/production requirements; Able to perform multi-tasking job; Between 22-35 yrs old Clark Electric Distribution Corp. Electrical Engineer Staff • • • • • • • Graduate of BS Electrical Engineer Preferably with licensed by the PRC Male, 22-30 yrs old With working experience in line distribution is advantage With good oral & written communication skills Computer Literate Hard working, patient & trustworthy • • • • • • • Candidate must possess at least a Bachelor’s / College Degree in Accountancy Must be a Certified Public Accountant With working experience in the same field is advantage Can work independently with minimal supervision Self motivated, flexible & has the ability to assume expanded responsibilities With good moral & written communication skills Proficient in MS Office ARBEE’S FOOD PRODUCT Driver/Salesman • Male • Not more than 40 yrs old • Vocational Grad/College level • With experience in sales PUREGOLD Section Supervisors tional Housing Authority (NHA) is now in charge of relocation projects,” he said. To attract more investors into the government’s low cost housing program, De Castro said: “we have made more convenient and efficient the process for obtaining housing and other related permits,” adding “we decreased the number of documentary requirements and we imposed deadlines for every process required”. De Castro also vowed to carry out relocation projects only in consultation with those affected. “We listened to beneficiaries of housing programs and coordinated with them in pushing new approaches in housing,” he noted. He referred to this as “beneficiary-led relocation and private sector supported development for resettlement sites.” agaang talaga ng kalooban.” Arreza also said that due to the successful medical mission with the Pastolan Aetas, the SBMA and Bethesda Springs of Hope Healing Ministry are considering the possibility of conducting regular joint medical-healing missions among underprivileged communities around the Subic Bay Freeport. “We’re always willing to lend a hand, especially when you have partners who are evidently happy in treating and comforting the less-privileged,” Arreza said, referring to the volunteers from Bethesda and St. Luke’s. Male/Female; Graduate of any 4 yr courses; with 1-2 yrs supervisory experience in handling FOOD, NON FOOD, HOME & APPLIANCE Section; Responsible for the achievement of sales target. HR Supervisor/Staff/Clerks • Warehouse Supervisors • Male/Female; Graduate of any 4 yr course; with 1-2 yrs relevant experience in warehousing operations. Accounting Staff/Audit Staff • Male/Female; Graduate of Accountancy; Business courses; Computer Science; Working experience in retail industry an advantage. Fresh Graduates are welcome to apply. • Male/female; Graduate of Marketing, Fresh Graduate are welcome to apply Maintenance Supervisors • Male; not over 36 yrs old; Licensed Mechanical or Electrical Engineer; with 1-2 yrs related supervisory experience. Treasury Staff • Marketing Staff Female; not more than 25 yrs old; Graduate of Business courses; Fresh graduates are welcome to apply. Cash Management Staff • Female; not more than 25 yrs old; Graduate of any Business courses; Fresh Graduates are welcome to apply. • Male; Preferably Graduate of Fine Arts or equivalent, with working knowledge on free hand drawing, creative arts & ADOBE Photoshop; Fresh graduates are welcome to apply. Visual Artists Merchandising Assistant/ Staff/Clerks • Female; Graduate of Business courses; working experience in a retail industry an advantage. Fresh Graduates are welcome to apply • Male; Graduate of Computer Science, Computer Engineering or Information Technology; with working knowledge in AS400, Visual Basic, SQL, Visual Fox pro, web Development, Data Warehouse & MS Access. Male/Female; not more than 25 yrs old; Graduate of any Business Courses; Fresh Graduates are welcome to apply Maintenance Staff • Technical Support • Male; Graduate of Computer Science or Engineering; with working knowledge in Windows (X, MS Office, Hardware & software Installation; Fresh graduates are welcome to apply. • Male/Female; Graduate of Business Administration course, Accountancy & Computer Science; with at least 6 months work on financial environment; Fresh Graduates are welcome to apply. • Management Trainees • Male/Female; Candidate must possess at lest a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Studies/ Administration/Management or equivalent; with at least 2 years relevant experience in retail industry. Male; not over 30 yrs old; Graduate of Mechanical or Electrical Engineering; 2 Yrs vocational courses Aircon Technician are encouraged to apply. Inventory Control Staff Financial Control Staff/Clerks • STREETFIGHTER (PG13) 1220FS • 1240MF • 245 • 450 • 655 831LFS • 900LMF • 1036END WATCHMEN (R13) 1210FS • 1230MF • 345 630LFS • 700LMF • 945END YOU CHANGED MY LIFE (GP3) 1120FS • 1140MF • 200 • 420 • 640 835LFS • 900LMF • 1055END SUNDO (PG13) 1015FS • 1030MF • 1215 • 200 • 345 • 530 715 • 841LFS • 900LMF • 1028END Programmers Administrative Staff • Female; Graduate of psychology, Behavioral Science or Human Resource Management; Knowledgeable in all HR facets. With 1-2 yrs supervisory experience. Fresh Graduates are welcome to apply for HR Staff & Clerks. AMINADO SI Oyo Sotto na masaya ang buhay niya ngayon at inspirado siyang magtrabaho. Si Kristine Hermosa nga raw ang inspirasyon niya ngayon at ito raw ang nagpapangiti sa kanya. “Siyempre kasi mas okay kami ni Tin [palayaw ni Kristine] ngayon, although hindi pa talaga kami. I’m happy na kahit anong mangyari, nandiyan kami para sa isa’t isa. Sa ngayon kasi, wala lang talaga yung label na kami na. Pero I’m praying and hoping in the future na pareho naming maramdaman na mag-move to a higher level yung relationship namin. Kumbaga, maging kami. Hindi natin alam, di ba? Sana, sana kami na talaga,” pahayag ni Oyo. May kinalaman ba sa pagiging open nila ngayon tungkol sa relationship nila ni Kristine ang pagkakaayos ng annulment case niya at ang dating karelasyon na si Diether Ocampo? “Wala naman,” sagot ni Oyo. “Siguro ang masasabi ko lang mas relieved lang sa part ko na alam kong maayos na at wala kaming magiging problema ni Tin in the future. Kasi mahirap din, e, kahit sabihin mong null and void yung kasal nila, siyempre iba pa ring mag-isip yung mga tao. Paano na lang kung nagkaroon kami ng relasyon nung time na yun, baka sabihin mang-aagaw ako, di ba?” Cesar Pambid Mas relieved ba siya ngayon na sinasabi nina Kristine at Diether na pareho na silang free ngayon, especially si Diet na open na ring ipakilala sa mga tao ang kanyang bagong girlfriend? “Oo naman. Pero ang mas mahalaga kasi ay yung alam ko na okay silang dalawa at magkaibigan sila hanggang ngayon. Maganda kasi at least walang magkakaaway.” Nagkaharap at nagkausap na ba sila ni Diet? “Oo naman, pero hindi yung araw-araw. Minsan nagkikita kami sa ASAP. Nagkukumustahan lang, hindi yung talagang Kristine Hermosa harap-harapan na seryosong usapan,” ani Oyo, sabay sabing never pa raw nilang napag-usapan ni Diet si Kristine. Ano ang reaksyon niya na sa mga interview ni Dina ay sinasabi nitong bagama’t hindi pa nga raw kayo magkarelasyon ni Tin ay boto naman siya sa aktres? “Happy kasi si Mama naman ever since, madaldal lang talaga si Mama. Meron lang siyang nasasabi na hindi niya sinasadya. Pero kapag nakikita naman niyang happy kami, kapag nakikita niyang mahal namin yung tao kung sinuman, walang problema kay Mama. “Nakakatuwa nga minsan si Mama dahil siya pa yung naghahanap minsan kay Tin. Sasabihin niya, ‘Ow, where’s Tin? Bakit hindi mo kasama?’ Sasabihin ko, may work, e. Tapos kukulitin na niya ako na baka nag-away lang daw kami ni Tin,” kuwento ni Oyo. Ano ang nagustuhan niya kay Kristine? “Ayokong mag-compare, pero si Tin kasi yung sobrang totoong tao. Nami-misinterpret lang siya minsan ng RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN (GP3) tao. Pero totoo lang talaga siya. Si Kristine kasi, hindi naman siya yung mahirap mahalin. Madali lang siyang 1040FS • 1100MF • 100 • 300 • 500 • 700 mahalin,” sabi ni Oyo. 838LFS • 900LMF • 1038END So, si Kristine na ba ang babaeng pakakasalan niya? “Sana, kasi kaya nga hanggang ngayon hindi pa ako pumapasok sa relasyon. Gusto ko kasi kapag pumasok THE PUNISHER: WARZONE (R13) na ako sa relasyon, dire-deretso na, e. Gusto ko, siya na yung magiging asawa ko. And kung magkakaasawa 1200FS • 1220MF • 230 • 440 • 650 ako, ayokong matulad kami sa Daddy ko at saka kay Mama na hiwalay, e. Sinasabi ko yun kay Mama, gusto ko maayos yung pagsama namin. Kaya siguro hindi pa kami ni Tin, parang alam mo yun nagpapakiramdaman. 832LFS • 900LMF • 1042END Kasi siyempre kakagaling lang niya sa failed relationship, e, pagwawakas pa ni Oyo Boy.” The Gossipmiller by Internal Auditor • 1,300 Aetas benefit from... FROM PAGE 1 JOB OPENINGS Male/Female; Graduate of 4 yrs Business courses; with relates working experience in Inventory Management in a retail industry an advantage; Fresh Graduates are welcome to apply. Architects Male; Graduate of Architecture preferably licensed; with at least working experience in commercial building planning & design; with working knowledge on Auto Cad & 3 D presentations; Possesses good drafting skills; Fresh graduate are welcome to apply PLEASE INQUIRE / APPLY AT PESO NEW CITY HALL OF ANGELES CITY, PULUNG MARAGUL, ANGELES CITY OR CALL TO TEL. NOS. 045-892-2591/045-322-7230 local 206-207 STREETFIGHTER (PG13) 1050FS • 1100MF • 100 • 300 • 500 • 700 840LFS • 900LMF • 1035END RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN (G) 1050FS • 1100MF • 100 • 300 • 500 • 700 840LFS • 900LMF • 1040END THE PUNISHER: WARZONE (R13) 1200FS • 1240MF • 245 • 450 • 655 840LFS • 900LMF • 1045END WATCHMEN (R13) 1200MF • 300 • 600 845LFS • 900LMF • 1145END SUNDO (PG13) 1050FS • 1100MF • 1240 • 220 • 400 • 540 720 • 845LFS • 900LMF • 1030END YOU CHANGED MY LIFE (GP3) 1200FS • 1220MF • 230 • 440 • 650 840LFS • 900LMF • 1050END Nalaos nang singer tatapat sa mga sikat ISYU NGAYON na kinuhang contract artist ng Viva Artists Agency si Champagne Morales, pantapat daw kay Sarah Geronimo. Pumirma kasi ang comebacking singer ng two years sa Viva at renewable ng one year. Nilinaw ng VAA na magkaiba ang linya nina Sarah at Champagne. Mas magco-concentrate si Champagne sa hosting panlaban kina Toni Gonzaga, Nikki Gil, at Bianca Gonzales. Gusto talaga ng Viva na ma-explore si Champagne bilang host. Doon muna ang focus nila kaya bibigyan daw siya ng isang show sa cable channel. Pero balak din nila itong bigyan ng second album. Kung sabagay, produkto ng SOP si Champagne at naging co-host din noon ni Manny Pacquaio sa Sports Idol ng IBC 13. Tinanong nga namin si Champagne kung hindi ba siya pinagselosan noon ni Jinkee Pacquiao? Hindi naman daw. Actually, ipinagtatanggol pa nga raw siya noon na hindi siya ganoong klase ng babae. Kilala raw siya ni Jinkee. Noong bigyan nga siya ni Pacman ng tiket para manood ng kanyang laban sa abroad, kasama naman niya ang kanyang daddy kaya wala talagang tsismis na nangyari sa kanila. Matatandaang si Champagne ang naging champion ng Metro Pop Star Search for a Star ng GMA-7 noong 1998. Rhian Ramos perfect leading lady para kay Richard Gutierrez SA TOTOO LANG, gandang-ganda kami sa billboard nina Richard at Rhian na nasa malapit sa GMA 7. Bagay talaga sila, parehong class ang dating ng dalawa. Nu’ng una, akala ng i-lang fans ay mahihirapang makahanap si Richard ng babaing kapareha niya after being paired with KC Concepcion and Angel Locsin dahil masyadong defined at guwapo ang mukha niya. Then came Rhian. Sa Zorro, talagang perfect ang chemistry nila sa looks department. Kung sa akting naman, di patatalo si Rhian who developed into a very fine actress simula sa Captain Barbell. Yung tinatarayang trying hard na baguhan noon na nakapasok dahil sa nepotism, proved that she can be great in the acting department. Kahit na si Richard, talagang ipinagtatanggol siya. Sa presscon ng Zorro, Richard is all praises for Rhian at aniya, hindi niya akalaing magiging tunay na aktres si Rhian Ramos. Go, Rhian, go, many people are behind you! PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • MARCH 23, 2009 • MONDAY FROM PAGE 1 Kristine Hermosa pakakasalan na ni Oyo Boy Sotto Rhian Ramos Parents, Gabriela... 7 Scenes from a wedding BY THE sea they met, so by the sea they did wed. Ma. Iona Katrina F. Lacson, geography instructor at UP Diliman and third child of Bong and Dottie Lacson met David Allan Dy, research and development exec at Canon Philippines and eldest child of Ernie and Puny Dy, met at the sea off Baler on a dive. And fell in love. Two years after, on a balmy day in late Feburary at St. John the Nepomucene church in San Juan, Batangas they tied the knot with close family and friends – traveling all the way from California and New York, Metro Manila and Tarlac, Iloilo and Pampanga – in happy, joyful attendance. Reception – at the La Luz Resort – was naturally by the sea. The best wishes for the newly-wed. Corals and fish make the cake. The groom’s family. Sealed with a kiss. PUNTO! CENTRAL LUZON • MARCH 23, 2009 • MONDAY 8 Love before the House of God. Mr. & Mrs. David Allan Dy Reception by the sea. Family of the bride. Emotional high for father of the bride. Photos courtesy of Fotogra Weddings. fotogra.ph.