The Filipino Express v27 Issue 43

VOL. 27 w
NO. 43 w
NATIONAL EDITION w
NEW JERSEY w
NEW YORK w
NOVEMBER 1 - 7, 2013 w
(201) 434-1114 w
$1.00
By Chino Leyco
Manila -- Business
environment in the Philippines
significantly improved this year
following a series of reform
measures implemented by the
government, pulling the country's
standing 30 notches higher to
108th, according to the latest
World Bank survey on the Ease of
Doing Business.
The Washington-based lender
noted that the Philippines is
among the Asian economies that
registered the biggest gains in
terms of enhancing its “business
environment.”
The annual WB survey on the
ease of doing business in 189
economies worldwide, examines
10 government rules obtaining
permits to start up a business,
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HIGHER AND HIGHER - Workers and overhead cranes work the top finish of a building under construction in Pasig City, reflective of the boom in high-rise realty development. The World Bank reported
that the Philippines is among the Asian economies that registered the biggest gains in terms of enhancing its “business environment.” (Jim Guiao Punzalan)
US Coast Guard recovers body of missing China sends sympathy
Filipino oil worker in Gulf of Mexico
to Filipino doctor’s kin
By Tarra Quismundo
MANILA -- Search and rescue
crews of the United States Coast
Guard recovered Tuesday the body
of a missing Filipino oil worker
who accidentally fell off an
offshore platform in the Gulf of
Mexico on Sunday, the Philippine
Embassy in Washington D.C. said
on Wednesday.
In a statement, the Embassy
said the body of Filipino welder
Peter Jorge Voces, 38, was found on
Tuesday morning off the Louisiana
coast pinned just below the
platform from where he fell
Sunday night.
“It is with deep sadness that
we learn about the loss of our
kababayan (countryman). Our
thoughts and prayers are with his
loved ones in the Philippines,” said
Philippine Ambassador to the US
Jose Cuisia Jr.
At the time of the accident,
Voces was working with a derrick
barge crew in dismantling a
platform of Houston-based Talos
Energy in an area called Vermillion
Block 200, located some 88.5
kilometers south of Freshwater
Bayou in Louisiana, the embassy
said.
The Philippine embassy
q u o t e d Ta l o s E n e r g y
representative David Blackmon as
saying that Voces was “knocked off
the platform by an empty storage
tank,” pushing him overboard into
waters roughly 30.5 meters deep
around 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Voces' body was found pinned
just below the platform, the Coast
Guard told Philippine officials.
It was not clear how the
storage tank ended up collapsing
DEATH IN THE FAMILY. The Bunyis of Imus, Cavite - Mikaella (left), Dr. Rizalina Bunyi, Dr.
Nelson Bunyi, Francisca Ysabel and Jose Lorenzo. Photo reproduction by Raffy Lerma
By Maricar Cinco, Tarra
Quismundo
spokesperson Hua Chunying has
said China would provide
assistance to victims of the SUV
The Chinese government has (sport utility vehicle) crash at the
extended its sympathies to victims popular tourist site, an incident
of Monday's terror attack at that authorities labeled a “terrorist
Beijing's Tiananmen Square, attack” on Wednesday.
where a Filipino doctor was among
Beijing regularly calls such
those killed and her family among incidents “terrorism” and blames
the injured.
them on Muslim Uighurs from
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Chinese foreign ministry
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By Alma Buelva
President Benigno Aquino III
addressed the Filipino people on
national TV last Oct. 30 in a bid to
enlighten the public on major
controversial issues related to the
President's Social Fund and the
Disbursement Allocation Program
(DAP).
The speech, which aired in
major TV channels and lasted for
about 15 minutes, focused on the
benefits of DAP as a mechanism to
fund projects that were within the
proposed budget and that had a
clear benefit to the country, and
the President's Social Fund which
the Executive uses to finance
Aquino
defends
DAP,
rebukes
detractors
Residents visit their departed loved ones at a common grave on the eve of the All Saints'
President Aquino on the night of Oct. 30 went on national TV to address the Filipino
Day and All Souls' Day celebration at a cemetery in Las Pinas, Metro Manila, October 31,
people about DAP and corruption in government.
2013. (MNS photo)
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November 1-7, 2013
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada
Chinese paramilitary policemen and uniformed policemen, in blue, seal off a pavement leading to Tiananmen Gate, following a
car fire in Beijing Monday, Oct. 28, 2013. AP FILE PHOTO
Chinese cops nab 5 suspects
in Tiananmen attack
BEIJING -- Chinese
authorities have captured five
suspects in a fatal car crash on
Beijing's Tiananmen Square,
state media said Wednesday,
describing the incident as a
“terrorist attack” for the first
time.“The arrests were made 10
hours after the incident, which
has now been identified as a
terrorist attack,” broadcaster
CCTV said on its verified Englishlanguage microblog account.
CCTV said the three people in
the car, all of whom died, were
from the same family, and another
five people had been arrested in
connection with the case.
Police had alerted hotels in
the capital to look out for eight
suspects from China's restive
Xinjiang region after the incident,
which killed two tourists,
including a Filipino woman, and
injured dozens in the symbolic
heart of the Chinese state.
T h e s u s p e c t s a p p e a re d
mostly to be from China's mainly
Muslim Uighur ethnic minority,
who are concentrated in farwestern Xinjiang, and the names
CCTV gave for the three people in
the vehicle appeared to be Uighur.
Beijing has blamed Uighur
groups for what it calls “terrorist”
attacks in Xinjiang, but details of
alleged incidents are hard to
confirm, and exile groups accuse
China of exaggerating the threat
to justify religious and cultural
restrictions.
In the incident on Monday, a
sport utility vehicle (SUV) veered
inside a barrier separating a
crowded sidewalk from a busy
avenue and then plowed through
pedestrians as it sped toward
Tiananmen Gate, where it
crashed into a stone structure
near a large portrait of Mao
Zedong, which hangs near the
entrance to the former imperial
palace, and burst into flames.
Suicide attack?
The vehicle's three occupants
were also killed in the crash.
The Philippine Medical
Association identified the Filipino
woman as Rizalina Bunyi, an
obstetrician and gynecologist.
Her husband, pediatrician Nelson
Bunyi, and two children were
injured in the crash.
State-run media previously
said that police were looking for
two men from Xinjiang in China's
far west, which is home to the
majority of China's Uighur
population.
The new police notice, issued
on Tuesday, did not state the
suspects' ethnic backgrounds, but
seven of their names were among
those commonly used by Uighurs.
The notice included the two
men from the earlier notification,
one of them from Lukqun, where
state media said 35 people were
killed in June in what Beijing
called a “terrorist attack.”
From page 1
injured and their performance of
consular duties. We will continue
to offer necessary assistance and
properly deal with relevant
matters,” Hua said.
China's far western region of
Xinjiang, but Uighur
organizations dismiss that as an
excuse to justify religious and
security restrictions.
“We are distressed by this
unfortunate incident and express
condolences to the victims and
sympathies to the bereaved
families and the injured,” Hua
said in a press conference in
Beijing on Wednesday.
Hua said Chinese authorities
responded to the incident
immediately to “ensure that the
injured get timely and effective
treatment.”
“We also informed relevant
countries' embassies in China of
the incident and facilitated
consular officials' visits to the
Filipino family
A Filipino doctor, Rizalina
Camia-Bunyi, 55, was killed while
her husband, Nelson, and two
daughtersFrancisca Ysabel, 23,
and Mikaella, 21were among 38
tourists injured when the
speeding SUV driven by Uighur
Usmen Hasan crashed into a
crowded sidewalk and burst into
flames in Tiananmen Square, the
symbolic heart of the Chinese
state.
Four others were killed,
including a tourist from southern
China's Guangdong province,
Hasan and his wife and mother,
who were with him in the vehicle.
The Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) earlier said Bunyi's
family was in a stable condition at
China sends
sympathy ...
Tongren Hospital in Beijing.
Their relatives left for Beijing on
Wednesday to check on their
condition and help arrange the
repatriation of Bunyi's remains.
Also on Wednesday, Chinese
authorities announced they had
arrested five suspects in the
alleged terrorist attack some 10
hours after the incident.
Those detained were Uighurs
but the overseas World Uyghur
Congress said the official
narrative of the Tiananmen
incident was full of holes and
discriminatory.
T h e D FA d e c l i n e d t o
comment on the investigation of
the incident, saying it was giving
priority to looking after the
Filipino victims.
“We are not in a position to
comment on the ongoing
investigation of the incident by
the Chinese authorities. At this
time, we are focused on attending
to the welfare and immediate
P60M compensation eyed
for HK hostage victims
By Nancy C. Carvajal
MANILA -- Chinese-Filipino
businessmen based in Manila
are planning to raise P60 million
to compensate the families of the
victims of the 2010 Rizal Park
hostage crisis that left eight
Hong Kong tourists dead.
This was according to Ike
Gutierrez, spokesperson and
longtime confidante of former
President and now Manila
Mayor Joseph Estrada.
Gutierrez spoke of the plan in
an interview Saturday, days after
Estrada announced his intention
to personally apologize to Hong
Kong officials for the tragedy,
which happened during the
term of his predecessor, Alfredo
Lim.
In support of the apology, a
recently passed city council
re s o l u t i o n i n d i c a te d t h a t
Estrada's gesture was in line
with his plan to revive Manila's
tourism and investment climate,
especially at Chinatown.
President Benigno Aquino,
however, remained firm that the
government, which had
expressed condolences to the
needs of the victims,” Raul
Hernandez, spokesman for the
DFA, said on Thursday.
Deeper pain
Bunyi's father said Thursday
that learning that his daughter
died not in an accident but in an
act of terrorism deepened his
family's pain.
“My daughter and her family
had nothing to do with the
Chinese government. It's their
government's problem that they
should fix,” said Rodrigo Camia,
84.
Bunyi and her family left for
China on Sunday for a vacation.
They were supposed to return to
the Philippines on Thursday, in
time for All Saints' Day.
“I've heard about the arrests,
too, but that's no good news.
Nothing good comes out of this
because I lost my daughter,”
Camia said in a phone interview
from his home in Imus City, Cavite
victims' families, should not
extend a formal apology to their
government since the killings
were caused not by the state but
by a single person, a dismissed
police officer.
According to Gutierrez,
E s t ra d a “ a l s o t h i n k t h a t
President Aquino should not
apologize for the incident
because it was a local issue and it
was the mayor at that time who
should have apologized.”
Lim, who lost to Estrada in
his reelection bid in May, was
among the officials initially
charged for the deaths of the
Hong Kong nationals, but was
later cleared of liabilities.
Estrada is scheduled to leave
for Hong Kong on the last week
of November to deliver a letter of
apology, with the intention of
“normalizing relations” between
the Philippines and the Chinese
administrative region.
Following the Aug. 23, 2010,
tragedy, a formal apology has
been one of the long-standing
demands of the Hong Kong
government, which also advised
its citizens against traveling to
the country. Inquirer.net
province.
The Camias and the Bunyis
are seeking help from the DFA for
the immediate repatriation of
Bunyi's remains and for the
return of her family.
Bunyi's daughters were
injured and her husband had a
fracture that needed an
operation.
“We want them (Nelson and
his two daughters) treated here
before [Rizalina's] body arrives,”
Camia said.
Ma still doesn't know
Camia has yet to tell his 83year-old wife, Pacencia, that their
daughter had died. Pacencia has
weak lungs and is frail.
“I just told her to wait because
[Rizalina] might call us soon. I
didn't know what else to tell her,”
Camia said. With a report from
AFP. Inquirer.net
November 1-7, 2013
Page 3
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Village poll loser guns Cop killed as losing bet sets Comelec
office on fire in Iligan City
down brod, 2 sisters
By Marlon Ramos, Tina G. Santos,
Felipe Celino
A barangay captain in Capiz
province shot and killed his three
siblings after he and his daughter
lost in Monday's grass-roots
elections, bringing to at least 34
the number of people killed in
poll-related violence, the
P h i l i p p i n e N a t i o n a l Po l i c e
reported.
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas
in a news conference on Tuesday
said that while the polling was
generally peaceful, he was
appalled by the incident on the
island barangay (village) of
Manapao in Pontevedra early
Tuesday.
“It's disheartening and
saddening. It makes me wonder
what this barangay official was
thinking,” said Roxas, who ordered
the PNP to go after the gunman.
Insp. William Limjuco, the
Pontevedra police chief, said
Manuel Arcenas, 58, the outgoing
barangay captain of Manapao,
gunned down his brother Ramon,
56, and sisters Jennifer Nuyles, 53,
and Evelyn Espinar, 51.
The shooting happened after
Ramon was proclaimed winner as
barangay captain. Manuel was
ending his term and was running
for councilor. So, he fielded his
daughter Isabel, 19, to run for
barangay chief. Father and
daughter lost.
Josephine, Ramon's widow,
told the police she saw Manuel
holding a carbine rifle with two .45
cal. pistols tucked in his waist
when he arrived at the house of
their neighbor, Winnie Baticula,
where her husband and sisters-inlaw were having coffee.
She said Manuel, using the
carbine rifle, shot his siblings one
by one and then left. Ramon
suffered a bullet wound in the
head, while Evelyn and Jennifer
had multiple bullet wounds.
In addition to the three
siblings gunned down early
Tuesday in Pontevedra, nine
others were killed in Monday's
polling in 42,000 barangays
nationwide. At least 22 others
were killed in the run-up to the
balloting. Another 41 people were
wo u n d e d i n 4 6 p o l i t i c a l ly
motivated incidents, the PNP said.
The figures surpassed the 25
poll-related incidents recorded
d u r i n g t h e 2 0 1 0 b a ra n gay
elections that left 15 people dead.
Palace: Incidents minimal
In an attempt to play down the
violence, Malacañang on Tuesday
expressed skepticism about the
toll of lives. “Reports on the
number of incidents on Election
Day need to be reviewed and
analyzed further for the PNP to
determine with certainty if indeed
By Richel Umel and, Orlando
Dinoy
ILIGAN CITY -- A police officer
assigned as part of the security
team for election officials here was
killed after a man who allegedly
resented his defeat in Monday's
race for the village chairman of
Barangay Rogongon, set the local
office of the Commission on
Elections (Comelec) on fire, early
morning Wednesday.
Senior Inspector Rommel
Villafuerte, city fire marshall, said
Police Officer 1 Rey Borinaga was
trapped in the two-hour fire that
hit the Comelec office here starting
2:15 a.m.
Villafuerte said the suspect,
Lumboy Conto of Barangay
Rogongon, was immediately
arrested.
He said Conto had admitted
lobbing a molotov bomb into the
Comelec office and claimed his two
other brothers were with him.
The fire immediately gobbled
up the building and nearby stalls of
sidewalk vendors, he said.
He estimated the damage to
property at about P800,000, which
included the worth of equipment
razed by the fire.
Annaliza Barrido, city election
officer, said Borinaga had been
sleeping alone inside the office to
secure election documents and
computers used in Monday's poll.
Borinaga, who would have
turned 34 on Wednesday and even
had an advance birthday
celebration inside the Comelec
office on Tuesday evening because
his duty would have ended at 9 a.m.
the following day, Barrido said.
Asked about Conto's claim he
was a defeated candidate, Barrido
said she was still verifying that
information because all the local
Comelec's records in relation to the
recently concluded polls had
burned along with the computers
and other equipment.
Inspector Robert Delos Reyes
of the city police office said Conto
was temporarily being held at the
police holding office, as of
Wednesday, while an arson case
was being prepared against him.
He said the police were also
investigating the suspect's claim
that he had his two brothers with
him when he threw the molotov
bomb that started the Comelec fire.
Conto told reporters he got
mad at Comelec officials because
he did not win as chairman of his
village.
Reyes said the police were also
thinking of having Conto undergo a
psychiatric test to determine if he
was sane or not.
In Digos City, the police said the
barangay tanod (village
watchman) injured in the preelection shooting and explosion
that targeted the village hall in
Barangay Matti there had died of
complications at the hospital he
was being treated in.
Superintendent Querubin
Manalang, city police chief, said
Larry Remios succumbed to his
wounds Tuesday.
The attack on the village hall
took place at around the same time
several men attempted to burn a
school building in barangays Zone
3 and San Jose, also in Digos.
Manalang said the attacks were
election-related.
Shortly before polling
precincts opened on Monday,
armed men also lobbed a
fragmentation grenade on the
house of Davao del Sur provincial
prosecutor Artemio Tajon, a
known supporter of the proposal
to divide Davao del Sur and for the
creation of the second province of
Davao Occidental.
Tajon, who has survived the
grenade attack with his family also
had an earlier brush with some
politicians, who forced the
resignation of members of the
board of the Davao del Sur Electric
Coop., to which, he was a member
of so they can be replaced with
their own men.
The police said they were
considering all angles in the attack
on Tajon, including his work as
government prosecutor, but could
not make conclusion if it was
politically motivated or not.
Uighur jade vendors in foreground wait for customers Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2013, at an outdoor curio
market where Chinese police have been checking their IDs every day since a vehicle attack in Beijing,
China. Members of China's ethnic Uighur community in Beijing say they're facing stepped-up
scrutiny from police following Monday's deadly vehicle attack at Tiananmen Square in Beijing that
killed five people. AP PHOTO
Uighur group slams
China's terror claim
Agence France-Presse
BEIJING -- An Uighur group on
Thursday dismissed Beijing's
account of a “terrorist attack” at
Tiananmen Square as a dubious
pretext to repress the ethnic
minority, as state-run media
hinted at potential repercussions.
Beijing police said on
Wednesday that Usmen Hasanin
an SUV (sport utility vehicle)
carrying his mother and wife,
jihadist banners and machetes
sped onto the pavement, crashed
in Tiananmen Square and set the
car alight on Monday.
The crash in the symbolic
heart of the Chinese state killed all
three people in the car and two
tourists, including a Filipino
woman, with 40 others injured.
Five other suspects with
Uighur-sounding names were
captured within 10 hours,
although police only announced
their detention two days later.
The mostly Muslim Uighur
minority are concentrated in
China's far western region of
Xinjiang, where ethnic tensions
and discontent with the
government periodically burst
out into violence.
Beijing regularly calls such
incidents “terrorism” but Uighur
organizations dismiss that
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November 1-7, 2013
Page 4
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Noy's LP cronies go
scot-free in pork scam
By Benjamin B. Pulta
REMEMBERING NINOY, CORY. President Aquino and sisters Pinky Abellada and Ballsy Cruz
hear Mass at the tomb of their parentsformer Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and former
President Corazon Aquino at Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City. Niño Jesus Orbeta
Aquino: I am not a thief
By Christian V. Esguerra, Michael
Lim Ubac
President Aquino on
Wednesday night made a rare
public address on prime time TV in
defense yet again of the
c o n t rove r s i a l D i s b u r s e m e n t
Acceleration Program (DAP) and to
assail certain politicians for
allegedly seeking to muddle the
issue and bedevil his
administration.
“The issue here is theft. I am not
a thief,” he declared in a fiery 12minute speech that purportedly
sought to set the record straight on
Aquino defends
DAP ...
From page 1
imperative social and humanitarian
programs such as those related to
calamities.
The President, which lately has
been branded by his critics as the
“pork barrel king”, turned the heat
back to those who are accused of
s t e a l i n g f ro m t h e p e o p l e by
repeatedly working with bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs).
Speaking in the vernacular,
Aquino said not once did he hear
those who are accused of plunder say
that they never stole anything from
the government. The President said
those who are linked to the multibillion pork barrel scam have
resorted to muddling the issue
instead.
“Kung di mo kayang ipaliwanag,
palabuin mo. Kung di mo kayang
bumango, pabahuin mo. Kung di mo
kayang magpapogi, papangitin mo [If
you can't explain it, muddle it; if you
can't deodorize it, make everyone else
stink; if you can't look good, make
everyone look bad.],” Aquino said.
Also, to those accused of
wrongdoing who said he is just like
them, Aquino said: “Hindi tayo
pareho. Hindi ako nagnakaw at hindi
ako magnanakaw. [We are not the
same. I have never stolen. I am not a
thief].”
The President summed up the
DAP as a result of good governance.
By eliminating certain malpractices
such as connivance of some in bidding
t h e c o n t rove r s i a l e c o n o m i c
stimulus program whose
constitutionality has been
questioned in the Supreme Court
and the special funds that critics
describe as the President's pork
barrel.
“Those who have been accused
of stealing are those who are sowing
confusion; they want to dismantle
all that we have worked so hard to
achieve on the straight path,” he
said.
“We were stolen from, we were
deceived and now we are the ones
being asked to explain? I have
Not one Liberal Party senator
or congressman, as well as Noy's
allies in both houses of Congress,
nor even a Cabinet official will be
charged for plunder on the pork
barrel scam.
Justice Secretary Leila de
Lima admitted as much to
reporters yesterday, October 25.
Despite glaring proof to the
contrary, De Lima claimed that
partisan politics played no part
in indicting opposition
lawmakers and virtually clearing
Palace allies for their alleged part
in the scandal over the diversion
of lawmakers' discretionary
funds.
De Lima confirmed that no
member of the ruling Liberal
Party nor allies of President
Aquino would be included in the
second batch of Priority
Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF) charges being prepared
by the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI) and expected
to be filed before the
Ombudsman next week.
De Lima has also asked the
Department of Foreign Affairs
(DFA) to cancel the passports of
the non-allies of Aquino, namely
Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile,
Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon
Revilla Jr., along with the others
named in the DoJ-NBI complaint
of plunder lodged before the
Ombudsman on grounds of
“national security (see related
story, page 1).
De Lima admitted that the
NBI probe on the pork
controversy is limited to the
testimonies of whistle blowers
against alleged brains of the
scam, Janet Lim Napoles and
supporting evidence gathered by
the team.
She justified the exclusion of
the allies of Aquino who were
also named in the Commission
on Audit (CoA) special report
and the non-investigation by the
NBI on the Aquino allies and
party mates, claiming that the
NBI cannot investigate
everything in the CoA.
“The NBI cannot investigate
everything in the CoA report due
to limited resources,” she said.
She failed to explain why the
investigation was focused solely
on the non-allies of Aquino who
are key opposition figures at the
same time, using the same
resources.
The cancellation request of
the Justice chief of the passports
of the three senators came a day
after Aquino, in his talk in the
Fo re i g n C o r re s p o n d e n t s
Association of the Philippines
(Focap) forum claimed that the
attacks against his Disbursement
Acceleration Program (DAP) was
a conspiracy he blamed on “well
known political persons” who
had conspired to attack his DAP
funds.
“All of these attacks came
after plunder cases, among
others, that were filed in the
Office of the Ombudsman against
a few well-known politicians.”
He did not name names, but
was obviously referring to the
three non-allied senators for the
alleged attacks on his DAP funds.
“Since I am in a room full of
journalists, perhaps I can leave it
to you to connect the dots,” he
said during the Focap forum,” he
was quoted as saying.
Aquino is known for his
vindictiveness.
The DAP issue came to fore
after Senator Estrada, in a
privilege speech, mentioned that
senators were given P50 million
each as “incentive.”
As the P50 million
“incentive” was bared which
implicated LP stalwart Sen.
Franklin Drilon, then the finance
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Page 5
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for contracts, in padding costs,
overpricing, and kickbacks, the
government is able to save and earn
money, he said. He also credited
government-owned and controlled
corporations like the Manila
Waterworks Sewerage System
(MWSS) who now contribute
dividends to the government which
form part of the DAP funds.
He then addressed the issue of its
abolition by simply asking if it's
wrong when it is the DAP that helped
fund vital programs such as the
Project NOAH and has contributed
1.3 percent to the country's GDP in
recent years.
The President's Social Fund,
Aquino said, was used, for example,
in providing “assistance to the
families of soldiers and policemen
who fell in the line of duty while
responding to the threat posed by
the MNLF-Misuari Faction in
Zamboanga. There were also those
who fell in the course of rescue and
relief operations in the wake of
Typhoon Sendong. The PSF funded
these; without it, without calamity or
contingency funds, they would have
continued to suffer.”
Finally, Aquino once again called
the Filipino people his “bosses” and
urged them not to give up and
continue the fight against corruption
in government.
Nothing in the speech, however,
addressed the issue of the P50
million to P100 million “extra pork
barrel” or incentives that were
released to select senators after the
impeachment of then Chief Justice
Renato Corona. Manila Bulletin
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Page 5
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Estrada, Revilla:
We didn't steal too
By Maila Ager
MANILA -- Senators Jose
“Jinggoy” Estrada and Ramon
“Bong” Revilla Jr. said they, too,
did not steal from the public
coffers.
Estrada and Revilla made
the remarks after President
Benigno Aquino III, in a
televised address to the nation
Wednesday night, said that he
was not a thief.
“Ako naman po suportado
po ako sa mga sinabi nya
hahabulin nya yung mga
nagsamantala sa kaban ng
Only non-allies will be charged with plunder, says De Lima
bayan. Ako'y kaisa nila. Kaisa
senators said they were unaware of
ako ng gobyerno nyo nya sa
Senators (from left) Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla. Inquirer photos
such a program, which was moreover
paghahabol ng magnanakaw sa
not included in the 2012 budget.
ating gobyerno,” Estrada said in
The Palace damage control went
a radio interview on Thursday.
Dragged into the PDAF scam, I
But Estrada expressed
awry as it was later found that several
From page 4
(I support his statements
want to tell you that I have never
hopes that the President was
senator allies got 100 million and not
that he will go after those who
stolen anything from the
not referring to him as one of
just P50 million.
chairman, and said to have been a
take advantage of the public
public coffers)
those muddling the issue on
Also Abad was hard put to justify
bribe to get the senators to convict
funds. I'm with them,I'm with
PDAF is Priority
PDAF by allegedly diverting the
the PDAF as stimulus to the senators.
then impeached Chief Justice Renato
his government in going after
Development Assistance Fund
public's attention to the alleged
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago
Corona, the Palace quickly came up
the thieves in government)
(PDAF) or “pork barrel” funds.
anomalous Disbursement
wants the allies of Aquino to also be
with its damage control, with Budget
“Sapagkat ako kahit akoy
Estrada and Revilla were
Acceleration Program (DAP) of
charged with plunder, naming at least
Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad
nasangkot sa diumanoy PDAF
among those facing plunder
the government.
two of them, Senate President Drilon
saying that the millions given to
scam, gusto ko pong sabihin sa
charges for allegedly funneling
While he exposed in a
and Sen. Francis Escudero along with
senators were from the unknown
inyo na kahit kailan
their ”pork” to bogus nonprivilege speech the additional
the three non-allies of Aquino, saying
DAP funds, to “stimulate” the
hindi ako nagnakaw sa kaban ng
government organizations
“pork barrel” funds given to
that they were given P100 million
economy.
bayan,” he said.
identified with detained Janet
senators who voted to impeach
However, virtually the majority of
(Because even If I were
Lim-Napoles.
u
Page 12
u
Page 14
Noy’s LP cronies
go ...
November 1-7, 2013
Page 6
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
EU earmarks P148-M aid for
quake-hit Central Visayas
MANILA -- The European Union
on Thursday, Oct. 31 said up to €2.5
million (P148 million) in
humanitarian assistance to was
earmarked to help survivors of the
7.2-magnitude earthquake that
rocked Central Visayas in midOctober, the 28-nation bloc's
representative office in Manila said
Thursday.
Sourced from the EU
Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
Department (ECHO), the fund will be
used to deliver emergency relief in the
sectors of shelter, water and
sanitation, primary health care and
the management of evacuations sites,
the EU noted in an e-mailed
statement.
“We have seen the destruction and
suffering caused by the powerful
Social Welfare, Habitat
for Humanity put up
hospital tents in Bohol
comprised of galvanized iron
devastated the Davao region
sheets for roofing, mesh wire,
and Compostela Valley in 2012.
MANILA -- The Department
steel bars and other materials
As of Oct. 29, DSWD had
o f S o c i a l We l f a r e a n d
for the repair of partially
recorded a total of 17,793
u
Page 8
Development (DSWD) and
destroyed houses,” she added.
families staying in 371
Habitat for Humanity recently
Vince Delector Jr., manager
evacuation centers in Bohol.
completed the construction of
of the Water, Sanitation and
Based on the DSWD's latest
three makeshift hospital tents
Sustainable Operations Team
validation report, the number
in Carmen, Loon and Sagbayan
of Habitat for Humanity, said
of totally damaged houses in
towns in earthquakesome 10,000 shelter kits will be
the province rose to 12,672.
devastated Bohol province to
provided to the affected
Evacuation centers in Cebu
prevent an outbreak of disease
families while 2,000 core
have closed but 1,364 families,
and to immediately address the
shelters will be built within the
or 6,806 individuals, who are
medical needs of the evacuees.
next two years.
home-based or staying with
Social Welfare Secretary
Delector said Habitat for
their relatives or friends
Dinky Soliman said the hospital
Humanity will start the
continue to receive food
tents were manned by doctors
construction of permanent
assistance from the DSWD and
from the district hospitals and
shelters in Barangay (village)
local government units (LGUs).
municipal health officers.
Mantacida in Catigbian, one of
Meanwhile, Soliman said
Soliman said hospital tents
the hardest hit areas.
the devastation brought by the
were also being put up in the
“In building the houses, we
earthquake showed the strong
towns of Tubigon, Sagbayan,
will use bamboo and cement,
partnership and coordination
Clarin, Calape, Buenavista and
encasing the shelters in a
of the national government and
A house stands next to a ground rupture creating a rock wall in the village of Anonang, Inabanga town,
Bohol Island brought about by the 7.2-magnitude quake which hit the province October 15. AFP
Inabanga.
lightweight steel frame with a
LGUs in times of disaster.
“Based on the extent of the
cement foundation,” Delector
In the aftermath of the
damage, we are partnering
said.
earthquake, the DSWD assisted
with Habitat for Humanity to
According to Soliman,
the affected LGUs, working
provide shelter kits for families
Habitat for Humanity has been
round the clock to bring
with partially destroyed
a long-time partner of the
immediate relief to the shaken
houses, and construct shelters
DSWD in building shelters for
communities.
for families with totally
victims of disasters, such as
The DSWD, in coordination
Agence France-Presse
in a crack of the Earth, while a big hole
damaged houses,” the secretary
Typhoon “Sendong,” which hit
with the LGUs, specifically the
MANILA, PhilippinesA deadly on the ground opened up at a banana
said.
Cagayan de Oro City in 2011
Municipal Social Welfare and
earthquake that struck Bohol last farm.
“The shelter kits are
and Typhoon “Pablo,” which
u
Page 7
week created a spectacular rocky
Renato Solidum, head of the
wall that stretches for kilometers institute, said the ground fissures
( m i l e s ) t h r o u g h f a r m l a n d s , from the quake, which killed 198
astounded geologists said Thursday.
people on Bohol and two nearby
Dramatic pictures of the Earth- islands, were among the largest
altering power of the 7.1-magnitide recorded since the government
q u a k e h a v e e m e r g e d a s t h e agency began keeping quake records
government worked to mend the in 1987.
broken central island of Bohol,
“Most of our other quake records
ground zero of the destruction.
show a lateral (sideways) tearing of
A “ground rupture” pushed up a the earth, though we've also had coral
stretch of ground by up to three reefs rising from the sea,” he said,
meters (10 feet), creating a wall of citing a 6.7-magnitude earthquake
rock above the epicenter, Maria Isabel that hit the central island of Negros
Abigania, a geologist at the Philippine last year.
I n s t i t u te o f Vo l c a n o l o g y a n d
The Philippines lies on the soSeismology, told Agence France- called Pacific Ring of Fire made up of
Presse.
chains of islands, created by volcanic
“Our people have walked five eruption, that are also frequently hit
kilometers (three miles) so far and by earthquakes.
not found the end of this wall,” she
President Benigno Aquino told
said, as experts from the institute reporters Thursday the institute had
surveyed the damage.
assured him the worst was over,
“So far we have not gotten any though Bohol would continue to be
reports of people getting swallowed hit by aftershocks over the next few
up in these cracks. The fault runs weeks.
along a less-populated area.”
“There is no immediate danger”
A photograph on the institute's either from the aftershocks or from
website showed part of the rock wall the ground fissures, said Aquino, who
grotesquely rising on farmland slept in an army tent there overnight
behind an unscathed bamboo hut.
Wednesday in solidarity with the
Another house was shown lodged survivors.
Bohol earthquake creates
miles-long rocky wall
By Cynthia D. Balana
November 1-7, 2013
Page 7
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
There's 'opportunity
in tragedy' in Bohol
By Carmel Loise Matus
“This way to the fault line.”
Wooden signs that carry this
message have risen in Inabanga
town in Bohol to lead tourists to the
fissure in the earth that released the
7.2-magnitude earthquake that
brought this province to its knees
nearly two weeks ago.
Residents and local officials put
up the signs after tourists asked
around for direction to Anonang
village where they wanted to see
how the earth cracked and pushed
up a rock face 3 meters high, causing
death and devastation in most of the
island-province on Oct. 15.
Seeing that there was so much
curiosity about the fault line, the
provincial officials decided to turn
t h e t ra g e dy i n t o a t o u r i s m
opportunity by adding the crack in
the earth to tours of Bohol.
Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto said he
picked up the idea from geologist
Jane Punongbayan of the Philippine
Volcanology and Seismology
(Phivolcs) who had told him that the
Japanese government used the
same strategy after the Fukushima
earthquake and tsunami of March
2011.
That information and the
growing tourist interest in the fault
line, Chatto said, led to the decision
to make the fracture a tourist
attraction to help bring the province
back on its feet.
“Bohol still captures tourist
interest with its so many other
points,” he said. “People would like
to see what happened to these
churches after the earthquake,” he
added, referring to centuries-old
churches on the island that the
earthquake had reduced to rubble.
Like Europe
Chatto pointed out that some
countries in Europe offer the ruins
of collapsed buildings as tourist
attractions.
He said the ruins of churches
and the fault line would now be part
of the Bohol tourism product, as
these are parts of the province's
history.
The earthquake destroyed six
churches in Bohol. These are the
churches in the towns of Clarin,
Inabanga, Loon, Maribojoc and
Tubigon.
At least 17 churches were also
damaged in the quake. These are in
Antequera, Baclayon, Bilar, Calape,
Carmen, Corellas, Cortes, Danao,
Dauis, Dimiao, Lila, Loay, Panglao,
Sikatuna, Tagbilaran, Talibon and
Trinidad.
Most of these churches were
among the oldest in the Philippines
and had been declared heritage
sites by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (Unesco).
The Department of Tourism has
announced plans to restore the
churches, but Tourism Secretary
Ramon Jimenez has also said the
Residents take shelter during a heavy downpour as they queue up to receive “temporary cash
transfer” given by the government at quake-hit Sagbayan town, Bohol province, on Oct. 17,
2013. The Department of Social Welfare and Development and Habitat for Humanity recently
completed the construction of three makeshift hospital tents in Sagbayan, Carmen and Loon
to prevent an outbreak of disease. AP PHOTO
Social Welfare, Habitat ...
From page 6
Development Officers (MSWDO) of the affected towns, closely monitored
the situation, provided relief goods and deployed stress debriefers and
counselors for the grieving families.
In the town of Bilar alone, Soliman said, the local government was
quick to respond to the needs of the people in Barangay Bonifacio, which
was hardest hit by the tremor, while the DSWD identified the different
evacuation sites and provided relief goods to affected families.
Inquirer.net
This hanging bridge over Sipatan River in Sevilla, Bohol, looks deserted after the powerful earthquake that hit Bohol on Oct. 15. Bohol
officials are hopeful business will rebound as soon as tourists return. Marianne Bermudez
restoration will take time and a lot of
money.
Ample funds
Malacañang, although keen to
see the restoration effort start, has
said priority should be given to
providing relief to more than
380,000 people displaced by the
earthquake.
The Palace on Saturday gave
assurance that it has ample funds
for relief and rehabilitation after the
United Nations flashed an appeal for
$46.8 million (P2.1 billion) in
international assistance for the
people displaced by the earthquake
in Central Visayas.
Malacañang said its Quick
Response Funds stood at P2.3
billion.
Deputy presidential
spokesperson Abigail Valte said the
funds were administered by
different agencies and could be used
only during calamities.
Valte said the funds were parts
of the budgets of the Department of
National Defense (P326 million),
Office of Civil Defense (P554
million), Department of Education
(P455 million) and Department of
Agriculture (P196 million).
The Department of Social
Welfare and Development (DSWD)
has roughly P200 million remaining
in its quick response fund, Valte
said.
And there is about P600 million
more in response funds from the
Department of Public Works and
Highways and from continuing
appropriations, she said.
“So we would like to assure our
countrymen in Bohol that we have
funds that can be mobilized to help
in the recovery of Bohol. So let's not
be worried,” Valte said.
Additional funds
Budget Secretary Florencio
Abad also gave assurance that the
administration was prepared to
provide quick relief to the quakestricken provinces of Bohol, Cebu
and Siquijor Island.
Abad said P1 billion from the
calamity and contingency funds for
2013 was “ready to support the aid
requirements of all affected families
and communities.”
He said the calamity fund had a
balance of P176 million and the
contingency fund, P824 million.
Inquirer.net
November 1-7, 2013
Page 8
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH, Indonesia, Malaysia seal fisheries
pact covering Sulu-Celebes Sea
By Kristine Angeli Sabillo
MANILA, Philippines The
Philippines, Indonesia, and
Malaysia on Wednesday
signed a fisheries
management agreement in
East Kalimantan, Indonesia, in
a bid to promote sustainable
production in the SuluCelebes Sea.
Signed by the countries'
respective agriculture and
fisheries agencies, the
Regional Strategic Action
Program aims to protect the
Sulu-Celebes Sea which is
within the jurisdiction of the
three nations and among the
200 most critical eco-regions
in the world.
Signatories to the
c o m m i t m e n t w e r e D r.
Sudirman Sa'ad, Director
General of Marine, Coast and
Small Islands, Ministry of
Marine Affairs and Fisheries
(MMAF) from Indonesia;
Datuk Ujang Sulanim,
Permanent Secretary of the
Ministry of Agriculture and
Food Industry Sabah from
Malaysia; and Atty. Asis G.
Perez, Director of the Bureau
of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources (BFAR) from the
Philippines.
“Much support is still
needed to implement the
regional program ranging
from funding support to
informed local participation
and action,” said Datuk Rayner
Stuel Galid, current Chair of
the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine
E c o re g i o n ( S S M E ) S u b Committee on Sustainable
Fisheries.
He applauded the program
which takes on “the
challenging task to undertake
marine biodiversity
conservation in the SuluCelebes Sea.”
The signing of the program
was the culmination of a twoyear process that involved
consultations with
stakeholders, experts and
agencies. It is based on
common problems besetting
the area and their potential
impact on the 40 million
people residing in the region.
The Sulu-Celebes Sea is in
the region that harbors the
highest marine biodiversity
among the world's oceans. It
has an annual potential fish
yield of 675,380 metric tons
which provides food for the
region.
However, recent studies
showed that overfishing has
resulted in the decline of fish
size and catch.
“The decline in fishery
resources, in addition to the
fast growth of the population,
greatly affects the economic
situation of these fishing
c o m m u n i t i e s ,” a j o i n t
statement on the program
said.
The program will focus on
the conservation of small
fishes such as sardines, longjawed mackerel, big-eye and
round scads, and frigate
mackerel which are most
abundant in the area.
“By focusing our
conservation plan on small
pelagic fisheries, we ensure
that the welfare of
economically marginalized
communities is being taken
care of.
Small pelagic fishes like
sardines, scads and mackerel
do not only provide source of
income to fishers but they are
also the more affordable
protein source for lower
income population in the
region,” United Nations Office
for Special Services regional
project manager Romeo
Trono said. Inquirer.net
EU earmarks
P148-M aid ...
From page 6
earthquake,” EU Ambassador
to the Philippines Guy Ledoux
was quoted as saying in the
statement.
“We stand by the people of
the Philippines in this hour of
need and this EU assistance
reaffirms our commitment to
immediately respond to the
needs of the families affected
by the disaster,” Ledoux added.
On Oct. 15, a 7.2magnitude earthquake struck
the Central Visayas region
damaging infrastructure in
Bohol province and
US Coast Guard
recovers ...
From page 1
onto Voces as US authorities were
still investigating the accident, as of
Wednesday.
A massive search was led by the
US Coast Guard, which sent two
cutters, two helicopters and two
planes for the effort. Six civilian
offshore supply vessels also
assisted in the operations.
The Filipino worker's body is
now in the custody of his employer
Offshore Specialty Fabricator LLC.
He is known to have been deployed
by Manila-based manning company
88 Aces Maritime Services.
Philippine Consul General in
surrounding islands.
B a n g ko k - b a s e d E C H O
regional health coordinator
To r b e n B r u h n a n d E U
humanitarian aid officer in the
Philippines Arlynn Aquino
assessed the priority needs
during a two-day visit in
Calape, Maribojoc and Loon
towns in Bohol on Oct. 17 and
18, the statement noted.
An estimated 3.1 million
people were affected by the
disaster, while over 200 were
killed and nearly 800 were
injured, according to
government.
Around 350,000 people
have been displaced, of which
80 percent were relocated in
makeshift shelters in
evacuation centers.
Chicago Leo Herrera-Lim, whose
jurisdiction covers the Louisiana
area, extended condolences to the
Voces family and assured help in
repatriating their loved one's
remains. The mission will also
provide assistance in securing
Voces' benefits from his employer.
“We will do everything possible
to bring Mr. Voces home at the
soonest possible time,” Herrera-Lim
said.
Voces was the fourth Filipino
killed while working in offshore oil
rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, the
Embassy said. In November last
year, three Filipinos died and three
others sustained serious injuries in
an explosion at an oil platform some
248 kilometers from where Voces
died. Inquirer.net
Uighur group
slams ...
“Some of the violence by
Uighursthey are more sporadic,
individualistic, out of desperation.”
From page 3
'Terrorist attack'
According to Chinese state-run
media, a “terrorist attack” in
Xinjiang left 35 people dead in June
and 139 people have been arrested
in recent months for spreading
jihadist ideology.
Ethnic tensions have risen in
Xinjiang since millions of members
of China's Han majority have moved
to the resource-rich region, where
they largely control the economy.
Rioting in the capital Urumqi
involving both ethnic groups in
2009 left 200 people dead.
Seytoff warned Uighurs could
face tighter repression after
Monday's incident, particularly in
the capital, where the WUC said 93
people had been rounded up.
Security had been bolstered
across Xinjiang, where officers
already maintained checkpoints,
broke up small gatherings and
raided homes, he added.
State-run media warned on
Thursday that Uighurs would be the
“biggest victims” of the Tiananmen
Square attack.
Police had refrained from
stating the attackers' ethnicity but
the Global Times, which is close to
the ruling Communist Party, said
that all those involved were
Uighurs.
The paper, which often strikes a
nationalist tone, called for a “united
f r o n t a g a i n s t t e r r o r i s m .”
Inquirer.net
as an excuse to justify religious and
security restrictions, and
information in the area is tightly
controlled.
Full of holes
Alim Seytoff, a US-based
spokesman for the overseas World
Uyghur Congress (WUC), said the
official narrative of the Tiananmen
event was full of holes and
discriminatory.
“The Chinese claim is in a way
very unbelievable, to some extent
outrageous,” he told Agence
France-Presse. “The only reason
this is labeled a terrorist incident is
because the passengers happened
to be Uighurs.”
Seytoff questioned why an
attacker would kill his own family
and how religious material could
survive in a car engulfed in flames.
“If [Hasan] were a terrorist,
why would he bring his mother and
his wife?” Seytoff said.
“The car was burned almost to
the ground, the three people were
burned to death and the flag wasn't
burnedin the car?”
The account fit what Seytoff
called a pattern of authorities
labeling Uighurs terrorists based
on “thin evidence.”
“We do not believe there is any
kind of organized resistance
against Chinese rule,” he said.
November 1-7, 2013
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Councilman Lavarro endorses “Candidates for
Excellence” in local Board of Education race
From left to right: Deputy Consul Jaime Ramon Ascalon, SF Supervisor Jane Kim, West Bay
Pilipino Multi-Service Executive Director Rudy Asercion, filmmaker/actress Georgina
Tolentino, SF Bulls mascot, SF Police Deputy Chief Special Operations Mike Biel, AARP
California State Associate Director Ahnileen Martinez, SF Police Captain, South Station Mike
Redmond. PHOTO BY BONNIE KWONG/NIWA P.R
SF honors first Fil-Am
woman Olympic gold
medalist
SA N F R A N C I S CO - - C i t y
officials on Sunday, Oct. 27, led the
unveiling of a plaque
commemorating Victoria Manalo
Draves, the first Filipino-American
woman to win two Olympic gold
medals for the United States in
1948, at the park named after her.
The officials were joined by
representatives of AARP, which
sponsored the event, and West Bay
Pilipino Multi-Service, which
initiated the Family Day
celebration on Folsom Street
between 6th and 7th Streets in San
Francisco's South of Market area.
The San Francisco Board of
Supervisors named the park after
Draves.
“We are grateful for the
generous support of our
presenting sponsor AARP,” said
Rudy Asercion, executive director
of West Bay Pilipino Services.
“With their help, we're paying
tribute to Victoria Manalo Draves
and encouraging young FilipinoAmericans to reach for higher
goals.”
“What a wonderful way to
close out Filipino American
History Month,” said
Ahnileen Martinez, AARP
California state associate director.
“AARP is honored to support the
West Bay Pilipino Multi-Service in
celebrating the contributions of
United States Olympian and goldmedal winner Victoria Manalo
Draves and recognizing her part in
weaving the fabric of the Filipino
American History in this country.”
Special guests at the unveiling
included San Francisco District
Supervisor Jane Kim and
Philippine Deputy Consul Jaime
Ramon Ascalon. Supervisor Kim
read the text of the plaque aloud
after the unveiling:
“Victoria Manalo Draves was
the first Asian-American woman to
win an Olympic medal when she
earned two gold medals in the 3meter springboard and the 10meter platform diving
competitions at the 1948
Olympics. Born in the South of
Market area to an English mother
and Filipino father, Ms. Manalo
Draves attended the school
adjacent to this site, which later
became Bessie Carmichael
Elementary School. Ms. Manalo
Draves achieved her success
despite facing discrimination early
i n h e r d i v i n g c a r e e r. H e r
achievement continues to serve as
an inspiration for all athletes
interested in competition
regardless of race, creed or
national origin.”
After the dedication, students
at the Bessie Carmichael
Elementary School participated in
sports and other family-friendly
activities to celebrate Filipino
American History Month. AARP is a
nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization of retired persons
with a membership of more than
37 million.
JERSEY CITY, NJ -- Jersey City
Council President Rolando
Lavarro announced that he is
endorsing the “Candidates for
Excellence” team for the Jersey
City Board of Education race
scheduled for November 5.
Lavarro has supported
candidates in the local board race
who have gone on to win and are
now moving the school district in
a positive direction.
“It is important for our
community to get involved and
vote in this and every Board of
Education election,” said Lavarro.
“I believe this is an issue that
concerns us all, whether or not
you have a child in the public
school system. We can't have a
world-class city with a failing
school system. And we can't fail
the children in our community.”
The Jersey City Public Schools
is a comprehensive community
public school district with 38
schools and an enrollment of
close to 28,000. The Jersey City
Board of Education members act
as advisors to the Superintendent
and the schools' administrators,
and serve as liaisons between the
schools and people in the
community. The Board manages
a budget of over $630 million,
which is partly funded by
Council President Rolando Lavarro
taxpayer monies.
Candidates for Excellence is
comprised of Jessica Rosero Daye
(1I), a bilingual special needs
advocate; Micheline Amy (3I), a
Human Resources executive;
Carol Lester (6J), a veteran board
member and founder of a local
charter school; and Ellen Simon
(1P), a parent activist for districtwide excellence and co-founder of
Parents for Progress. Their full
bios and platform can be found
onwww.jerseycitycandidatesfore
xcellence.com.
For the first time, Jersey City's
school board election will be held
during the November general
election.
B a l l o t s m ay b e
confusing as the teams are not all
in one column, in addition to the
gubernatorial and statewide
candidates to choose from.
Lavarro asks that voters exercise
patience and diligence, and take
note of the names and ballot
positions of these board of
education candidates, as every
vote will have direct impact in the
local community.
“ We n e e d t o v o t e f o r
candidates with the highest
qualifications and commitment to
our children and city. On
November 5, vote for the entire
Candidates for Excellence team
Daye (1I), Amy (3I), Lester(6J),
and Simon (1P).”
Lavarro has a scheduled
breakfast rally and volunteer
canvassing for Candidates for
E x c e l l e n c e o n S a t u r d a y,
November 2, 9:30am at 2175
Kennedy Boulevard, corner
Morton Place. The public is
invited to meet the candidates
and volunteer to go door to door
to get out the vote. The event is
co-hosted by Freeholder Bill
O'Dea and Ward B Councilman
Khemraj “Chico” Ramchal.
New Orleans tour of the Filipino American Tombs
By Nestor Palugod Enriquez
On July 24, 1870, the first
Filipino social club, Sociedad
de Beneficencia de los Hispano
Filipinos was founded. The
Society brought the tomb for
12 vaults and added another
row for the members of the
Filipino Commnunity in good
standing. The contract dated
January 13,1898 stated that
the members paid $100 for
perpetual care and
improvements. This would be
known as the Filipino Tomb of
St Vincent De Paul. These are
stone testaments of the
earliest Filipino American
Community, engraved with the
names and dates of earlier
generation. By the end of the
19 t h century, the fourth
generation of Filipino
American was born. The cities
of the dead have been New
Orleans tourist attraction. This
guided tour of cemeteries is
most popular packaged in the
United States. The above the
ground burial became a
necessity as New Orleans is
below sea level, creating the
spectacular museum. It is also
the evidence to the residents'
loving care for the dead. These
cemeteries were heavily
damage by Katrina, and it is
estimated that millions of
dollars are needed for
restoration. There are 42
cemeteries in New Orleans,
each with unique stories, but
no doubt St Vincent DePaul #2
where the Filipino Tombs is a
New Orleans tombstones
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Page 12
Editorial & opinion
November 1-7, 2013
Page 10
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
That's the spirit
“The Great Wall of Bohol” is how the phenomenon that
appeared in the wake of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck
the province is now being called. Such was the power of the Oct. 15
temblor that it forced up a 3-meter-high rock wall and produced a
big gash in the land that now runs through some of the most
bucolic farmlands and woods on the island. It's a remarkable sight
illustrating the geological violence that occurs during an
earthquake, and Boholanos were quick to spot an opportunity
when a number of tourists began asking to see the fault line. These
days, Barangay (village) Anonang, which hosts a portion of the
fissure, carries a sign that says: “This way to the fault line.” And
visitors are streaming in.
Bohol may have been devastated by the quake, but it's clear
that it hasn't lost its entrepreneurial bent for tourism. Before the
quake, the province had enjoyed a reputation as a national
trailblazer in turning its myriad attractionsfrom pristine beaches
to the rare tarsier, from the Chocolate Hills to centuries-old
churchesinto an innovative tourist experience that integrated
leisure, adventure, history and heritage. Like Bali, Bohol was an
enchanted island that had it all, and hordes of local and foreign
visitors have heeded its siren call. This year, some 2,770 Japanese
tourists and 10,932 Koreans visited Bohol from January to Junea
14-percent increase from the same period last year.
Prospective visitors will be happy to know that the popular
Loboc River Cruise, the flagship tourist attraction in the town that
also hosts a world-renowned children's choir and a historic church
that dates back to 1734, has resumed operations, a mere two
weeks after the quake and after the damaged docking piers were
quickly repaired. Loboc's San Pedro Apostol Church, however, said
to be the second oldest such structure on the island, suffered
massive damagea toppled façade, its intricately decorated ceiling
turned to rubble, half its bell tower shorn that would take years
and enormous resources to rehabilitate. It was among six churches
designated as national cultural treasuresaside from Loboc, those
in Baclayon, Loon, Dauis, Maribojoc and Dimiaothat either
sustained heavy damage or, as in the case of Loon's circa-1850
Church of Our Lady of Light, were completely destroyed.
In all, six Bohol churches were pulverized and 17 others were
badly shaken. Fr. Milan Ted Torralba, executive secretary of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines Committee for the
Cultural Heritage of the Church, estimates the rehabilitation cost
for the Bohol churches, not counting those likewise affected in
neighboring Cebu, to reach at least P100 million.
Raising all that money and directing it to the restoration of
religious edifices, no matter their historic and cultural import, will
take time and a careful calibration of political realities. Right now,
much of the rehabilitation effort is aimed at providing immediate
relief to some 380,000 people displaced by the disaster. Damage to
infrastructure is also significantsome 12,102 houses now
uninhabitable, 55,846 partially damaged and 38,342 partially
affected. With aftershocks still ongoing, that tally may still rise.
Bohol will be unable to resuscitate its tourism industry
without adequate and safe infrastructure. But it is refusing to yield
to paralysis and confusion. The initiative to turn the island's fault
line into a tourist sightto mine opportunity in disaster, in effecthas
the blessings of the local government. “Bohol's attractions have
not diminished but added,” said Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto. “[It] still
captures tourist interest with its so many other points… People
would like to see what happened to these churches after the
earthquake.”
And so the ruins and the fault line will now be part of the Bohol
Immigration Reform
Still Possible This Year
With the recent government
shutdown and the self-inflicted
beating the Republican-controlled
House of Representatives
experienced resulting from it,
many are wondering whether
there is still hope for immigration
reform this year.
The President announced
immediately after the government
shutdown ended the urgent need
to pass a law fixing the broken
immigration system. Although
opposition from Republican House
members continue to stall the
reform bill, using the “shutdown
loss” as more reason to be “less
than willing” to support it, GOP
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida
indicated in an interview that there
are still House Republicans who
are working out a solution to
legalizing the 11 million
undocumented in the country.
The proposed solution
involves a piecemeal approach
where House Republicans could
pass a separate measure dealing
with border security and later on
pass another measure placing the
11 million on probationary status.
The legalization, however, can only
move forward if E-verify is
operational after five years. The
goal, according to Rep. Diaz-Balart,
is to command the support of a
majority of Republicans.
A l s o , Re p u b l i c a n H o u s e
members who support reform
believe that they can bring
together a majority of Republican
caucus to pass certain bills, thus,
moving the debate to a committee
of House and Senate negotiators
who could try to negotiate on a
comprehensive package. The final
deal will ultimately address the
problem of the undocumented.
So far, measures involving
border security and making it
easier for high-skilled workers and
farm laborers to get visas have won
the support of many House
Republicans. The House Judiciary
Committee has approved bills
which address single issues on
immigration but none dealing with
legalization of the undocumented.
Democrat House members, on
the other hand, remain firm in
demanding a vote on a
comprehensive reform bill similar
to that passed in the Senate.
According to Minority leader
Nancy Pelosi, 28 Republicans have
expressed their support for a path
to citizenship.
Meanwhile, leaders of
business, labor unions and
religious organizations joined
forces on October 29 to pressure
the House to pass the immigration
re fo r m b i l l . T h e c o n c e r te d
lobbying effort involved over 600
u
Page 12
A hundred names
u
Page 14
Founded in 1986
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Jonathan Suarez, Joel Baclit
Correspondent: Contessa Bourbon
The opinions expressed by columnists are their
own and do not reflect the opinion of the paper
nor that of the publisher
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
Muslims in mosques from
Quiapo to Cotabato call Divinity
“Allah.” In Cebu Daily News, an
imam writes a weekly column on
his faith. Liberty of faith and speech
are constitutionally-buttressed
rights here. Muslims form five
p e rc e n t o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n ,
Catholics 83 percent and Iglesia ni
Kristo 2.3 percent.In next-door
Malaysia, “Allah means Godunless
you're a Christian” notes Time
magazine. Or Sikh, Hindu or
atheist. Only Muslims may invoke
“Allah” says a new court decision.
Yet, four years back, KL courts
ruled that “Allah” transcended
different faiths.Why this flip-flop?
“Islam (is) vulnerable to
conversion efforts by other faiths,”
the decision says. Allah was “not an
integral part… in Christianity.”
No? Herald editor Fr. Lawrence
Andrew will appeal. Non-Muslim
Malaysians were livid. “Appalling,”
snapped Jagir Singh of the Council
o f B u d d h i s m , C h r i s t i a n i t y,
Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism.
Sabah and Sarawak churches,
where Christians are a majority,
p ro te s te d . B a h a s a - s p e a k i n g
Christians used “Allah” even before
the formation of Malaysia. They'll
continue to invoke “Allah” and use
“Al-Kitab”the Bahasa bible, allowed
by Malaysia's Parliament in 2011.
These rekindled 2007's uproar
when government confiscated
15,100 bibles. Printed in Indonesia,
the text used “Allah.” The High
Court, however, shredded that ban
in December 2009. And nonM u s l i m p l a c e s o f wo r s h i p ,
including Sikh temples, were
ransacked.
In Geneva, the 17th UN
Commission on Human Rights last
week grilled Malaysia. This
Universal Periodic Review was
second for Malaysia since 2009.
Austria and others prodded KL to
allow freedom to practice, even
change religions. Keep your pledge
to abolish the 1948 Sedition Act
and Printing Presses and
Publications Act of 1984, the US
urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Razak: These laws leash
media through permits.
“The fear is Muslims will start
practicing Christianity if both
groups refer to God by the same
name,” Waleed Aly wrote in Sydney
Morning Herald. Do Malaysian
Muslims need a form of protection
from their own ignorance?
u
Page 12
November 1-7, 2013
Page 11
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Opinion 16-year-old girls
By Anna Marie A. Karaos
While surfing the cable
channels one Saturday afternoon, I
chanced upon Karen Davila's
interview with 60-year-old singer
Fre d d i e A g u i l a r a b o u t h i s
romantic relationship with a 16year-old girl. This piece of news
was something I belatedly came to
know about over a lunch
conversation with colleagues at
work but did not particularly pay
much attention to. After listening
for a few minutes to the interview, I
decided to switch channels.
What I saw next glued me to
the television set for the next hour.
It was the interview of CNN's
Christiane Amanpour with Malala
Yousafzai, the 16-year-old girl
from Pakistan's Swat Valley who
has earned world acclaim for her
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
Re t i re d P h i l i p p i n e N av y
Commodore Rex Robles had very
serious doubts about the concrete
blocks in Bajo de Masinloc as
foundations for structures similar
to what the Chinese did in Mischief
Reef when he first saw the photos
presented by Defense Secretary
Voltaire Gazmin during a budget
congressional hearing last Sept. 3.
“Those blocks did not look like
the beginnings of underwater build
up,” said Robles, who had taken up
advanced engineering courses.
Robles' doubts have been
proven correct because further
investigation by the military
showed that those concrete blocks,
numbering 75 scattered within the
120-square-kilometer
bravery in defying the Taliban's
prohibition against young girls
attending school. Malala started
writing blogs at age 12 to let
people know about the dire
situation of ordinary people under
Taliban rule.
She wrote of how the Taliban
destroyed the schools in the Swat
Valley, with the Pakistani army
unable to stop them. In October
2012, Malala was shot in the head
and neck by a Taliban assassin as
she was going home in a school
bus. Surviving the attack and after
months of rehabilitation in
Birmingham, England, she
continued her advocacy for the
right to education.
I had heard Malala's story
before and remember being
inspired by it. It was a joy to hear
her speak. She talked of how she
came to a decision to fight the
Taliban not with violence (such as
throwing her shoes at them if they
came after her) but with words.
She would use words to conquer
her enemy. She would talk to them
and make them realize that in
speaking up for every young
person's right to education, she
would also be thinking about the
Taliban's children, wives and
mothers. She would tell them that
their jihad must be fought with
words and reason. It amazed me
that a girl her age could be so wise.
Malala is compassionate and
courageous. Her compassion is the
fount of her courage. She talked
about a former schoolmate of hers
who was married off to an older
man at 14 and was pregnant with
her second child at 16. This made
her want a different life not only
for herself but also for all the girls
in her village. She revealed that she
used to be afraid of death but now
she is not. At the moment when she
thought she would die in the hands
of the Taliban, she could feel that
the world didn't want her to die.
She said she realized that even
death didn't want to kill her. From
that moment she wouldn't fear
death again.
Enthralled by Malala's
captivating smile and youthful
wisdom, but thinking also of
the16-year-old girl in Freddie
Aguilar's love life, I remembered
my sister's granddaughter who is
roughly their age. She will be
graduating from a high school in
Agusan del Sur and hopes to go to
college in a university in Cagayan
de Oro. Her father would rather
have her study in Manila but the
girl is quite convinced she would
be much happier living and
studying in a smaller city. My sister
asked me to talk to the father to
persuade him to listen to his
daughter.
How many parents listen to
their 16-year-old daughters? How
many adults even pay attention to
the 16-year-olds in their family?
Have the parents of Freddie
Aguilar's girlfriend done so? How
many of the 16-year-old girls we
know have caring adults around
them who would listen when they
have to make a decision whether to
date or marry an older man?
Listening to Malala made me
realize what a tremendous force
young girls are in a society. Malala
has had the chance to speak to
world leaders and heads of state to
convey her honest thoughts and
appeals, and she had definitely
gotten their ear. Malala says she
wants to become prime minister
someday. When that day comes, I
have no doubt that she would be a
great leader of Pakistan.
I also have no doubt that there
are many Malalas among our
young population who would give
anything for a good education,
who feel in their guts that they
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Page 14
Embarrassing findings on concrete blocks
in Bajo de Masinloc
strategically important shoal, were
not put by the Chinese, but by the
Americans, who were in nearby
Subic naval Base for more than 80
years until 1991, when the
Philippine Senate junked the RPUS Military Bases Agreement.
At the Sept. 3 congressional
budget hearing, Gazmin said the 75
concrete blocks, each block
approximately two feet by two feet
were believed to have been put up
by China, who were in control of
the area since June 2012 after a
two-month standoff precipitated
by the arrest of the Philippine Navy
of Chinese fishermen in the area.
At the height of the standoff,
there were about 80 Chinese ships
and fishing vessels as against three
by the Philippines (vessels owed by
the Philippine Coast Guard and the
Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources). The Chinese withdrew
most of their vessels except three.
Since then the Chinese ships never
left the shoal, only 124 nautical
miles away from Zambales.
Gazmin and his spokesman,
Peter Paul Galvez, went on to
conclude that the concrete blocks
“may serve as foundations,
platforms, a prelude to
construction.”
They cited the case of Mischief
Reef in the Spratlys in the West
Philippine Sea when in 1995, the
Philippines, with a lot of help from
the United States Intelligence,
discovered a cluster of huts in
Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands,
130 nautical miles west of
Palawan. It is now a military
garrison.
Robles said in Mischief reef, the
Mischief Reef
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Page 12
'Boy Scout' Aquino
To paraphrase Friedrich
Nietzche, finding out that you've
been told a lie isn't as bad as
realizing that you can no longer
believe in the person who lied to
you. And when the liar pretends to
be an upright person, it's that
much worse.
I've been asked if I find nothing
wrong with President “Boy Scout”
Aquino sleeping in a tent when he
visited Bohol province recently
when he actually didn't, as some
people in the social networks have
alleged. My initial response to the
question is, what does it matter
where Aquino sleeps or even who
he sleeps with?
If Aquino felt he had to go all
the way to Bohol, where the recent
earthquake caused so much
misery and devastation, to get
forty winks under the stars, that's
not really a story. Except, of course,
if you're a Palace propagandist
who reflexively tries to impart a
positive spin on every little cute,
populist thing that Aquino does.
More troubling to me is the
accusation of presidential
prevarication lobbed at Aquino by
Chinese foreign ministry
spokesman Hua Chunying. Hua,
reacting to Aquino's statement
before the Foreign
Correspondents Association of the
Philippines that he did not discuss
the killing of a bunch of Hong Kong
tourists three years ago in Manila
with Chinese Premier Li Kequiang
at the sidelines of the recent Apec
summit in Brunei, said the
President told Focap “an outright
lie.”
“ I h ave a l re a dy b r i e fe d
journalists on Oct. 11 about
Premier Li Keqiang's short
discussion with President Aquino
on the Hong Kong hostage incident
in Brunei,” Hua said. “[Li] hopes
that the Philippines can treat the
matter seriously and offer a fair
and reasonable solution as soon as
possible [while] President Aquino
pledged to carry on with relevant
investigation[s] and properly
handle the incident.”
Now that was truly a painful
sight, that of a mere low-level
Chinese bureaucrat calling out the
leader of our own country for lying
in public. However, if Aquino was
really telling the truth, it's safe to
say that a Chinese ministry
spokesman wouldn't even dream
of calling him a liar.
This is not about a powerful
nation bullying a smaller, weaker
neighbor, as Aquino's flacks always
say when they talk about our
tenuous relationship with China (a
situation, by the way, that Aquino
almost single-handedly caused).
This is about telling a lie and
getting caught red-handed for it.
Still, to me, if Aquino can lie to
an entire roomful of foreign
correspondents about his
discussion with Li, why can't he lie
about sleeping in a tent in Bohol?
And how can anyone really believe
that Aquino possesses all the
virtues he professes to have, if he
cannot even tell the truth to a
gathering of reporters?
Besides, why did Aquino feel
that he needed to lie about meeting
Li anyway? And did he actually
think that he could get away with
that?
But lying about sleeping in a
tent is one thing. Playing fast and
loose with the facts about meeting
the head of another country is just,
in a word, idiotic.
***
Fo r m e r S e n a t o r Pa n f i l o
Lacson, as a prominent ally of
Malacañang, must certainly have
known about “the dark side” of the
Aquino administration, as he calls
it. Lacson struck a nerve when he
told the Philippine Constitution
Association that the government
cannot justify burying its citizens
in debt when it also claims to have
billions upon billions in savings.
Lacson accused the Aquino
government of perpetuating greed
and corruption when it used
purported savings to fund projects
identified by legislators through
pork barrel funds, all while the
Philippines continued to pile up
debt that he estimated at around
P5 trillion. And Lacson, who never
used his pork barrel funds during
his entire term as a senator, has the
credibility to talk about the
allocations that Malacañang has
been freely giving Congress.
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Page 14
November 1-7, 2013
Page 12
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Aquino: I am
not a thief
From page 4
pursued truth and justice, and
have been dismantling the
systems that breed the abuse of
powerand yet I am the one now
being called the 'Pork Barrel
King?'”
Aquino then vowed to go
after those who pocketed
millions in pork barrel funds.
“If you think that this will
stop me from going after you, if
you think that you can divert the
public's attention, if you think
you can get away with stealing
from our countrymenyou have
sorely underestimated me and
the Filipino people,” he said.
“If there still remains some
vestige of kindness in your
hearts, I hope that you stop
acting in self-interest, and
instead act to help your
fellowmen.”
The President called
attention to the purported
strategy being employed by
those accused in the alleged
misuse of the congressional
Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF).
“If you can't explain it,
muddle it; if you can't deodorize
it, make everyone else stink; if
you can't look good, make
everyone look bad. You have
heard what they are saying: That
we are all the same,” he said,
claiming that his accusers “have
taken the advice of an old
Estrada,
Revilla: We
didn’t ...
From page 5
Corona in 2012, Estrada said he
made no mention of the DAP.
Estrada said it was Budget
Secretary Florencio Abad,who
had claimed that the additional
funds given to the senators were
coursed through the DAP.
Despite this, Estrada said he
still considered the President a
friend and ally of his
administration.
“Alam mo si Pangulong
Aquino kaibigan ko naman yan
at until now, I consider mytelf as
politician from their camp.” He
did not name the politician.
Aquino, whose net
satisfaction rating dipped in a
September survey, then
sought to differentiate himself
from the group.
“We are not the same. I
have never stolen,” he said. “I
am the one who goes after
thieves.”
The President, midway
through his six-year term, said
he had appointed “people of
unquestionable integrity who
are fulfilling their sworn
duties.”
In seeking to clarify the
pork barrel controversy
himself, the President asked
the public to come up with an
“understanding and a resolve
that aligns with the truth.”
“I laid out the truth of what
has been happening in our
nation,” he said.
The address, which took
place on prime time television,
marked the first time that
Aquino asked networks for
“air time to directly address
the Filipino people,” according
to a Palace briefer.
“Disappointing,” said
Peachy Bretaña, an antipork
activist. “He didn't get it,” she
said on her Twitter account.
“It's the system.”
It was also the second time
that the President sought to
address the public on the pork
barrel controversy, since the
scandal erupted four months
ago following a series of
I n q u i re r ex p o sé s wh i c h
an ally of this administration.
I'm very supportive of all his
legislative agenda…” Estrada
added.
L i ke E s t ra d a , Re v i l l a
through his lawyer also
asserted that he did not steal
from the public coffers.
“Hindi ako magnanakaw at
wala akong ninakaw sa kaban
ng bayan,” he said in a text
message sent by his legal
counsel, Joel Bodegon.
(I'm not a thief and and I did
not steal from the public
coffers.)
In fact, Revilla said, he was
the first to deny any
involvement in the PDAF scam
and had even called for a
thorough investigation of the
issue.
outlined how Janet LimNapoles allegedly
masterminded a P10-billion
scam that diverted lawmakers'
pork barrel allocations into
massive kickbacks.
Million People March
The first came on Aug. 23,
three days before the Million
People March against pork
barrel in Manila. That time, he
declared in another televised
address that it was “time to
abolish” the PDAF.
Taking its cue from the
P re s i d e n t , t h e H o u s e o f
Representatives then deleted
the PDAF item in the 2014
national budget, but
distributed a total of P25.4
billion among six agencies. The
biggest portiona total of P9.654
billion for the Department of
Public Works and Highwayswas
to be spent on projects to be
“suggested” by each House
member in a mechanism
reminiscent of the old PDAF
system.
Napoles and Senators Juan
Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada
and Ramon Revilla Jr. are
among 38 people under
investigation by the Office of
the Ombudsman for plunder in
connection with the scheme
that allegedly defrauded the
government of funds meant to
ease rural poverty.
“Did we not appoint the
Commission on Audit (COA)
leadership that reviewed the
documents leading to the
A closer look at the concrete blocks from the air.
“The concrete slabs were needed
as 'sinkers' to keep the balance of the
old decrepit ships which were placed
in the shoal for the U.S. Navy's
shooting and bombing runs,” one of
From page 11
those interviewed said.
President Aquino has accepted the
Chinese pumped in massive volumes
report. That's why when he was asked
of cement into the ocean in Mischief
at last week's forum of the Foreign
Reef for the foundation of the
Correspondents Association of the
structures that they have now.
Philippines, he dismissed the issue
After the Gazmin congressional
saying, they “blocks “are very, very old
expose, military investigators
concrete blocks. Some of them have
interviewed former navy officers, light
barnacles attach to them. They are not
keepers, and fishermen familiar with
a new phenomenon.”
Bajo de Masinloc and their findings did
When we asked the U.S. Embassy
not support Gazmin's allegations of
for comment about the military
the Chinese role on the concrete
findings, we were referred to the Office
blocks. No wonder the Chinese
of Gazmin “for any clarification of his
categorically denied the allegations.
remarks.” Gazmin's office didn't
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson
answer queries about the latest
Hong Lei said “ No one knows the
development on their expose.
situation on the Huangyan Island
Those who are shocked and
better than China. What the
embarrassed about the findings on the
Philippines said was completed
concrete blocks are asking why did
fabricated.”
Gazmin present before Congress
Philippine military investigators
u
Page 14
unverified information? For higher
said the concrete slabs were placed
defense budget?
there in the 80's by the U.S. Navy, who
There must be a smarter way to get
used the shoal as impact or shooting
“Handa ako at haharapin ko
bigger budget than giving false
range. The blocks, now covered by
ang anumang imbestigasyon
information. Imagine, the country
algae, had been used by the U.S. Navy
upang linisin ko ang aking
could be going to war over something
as “sinkers” to preserve the wreckage
p a n g a l a n s a m g a
untrue.
of old ships they used for target
kasinungalingan laban sa akin,”
Ano ba yan?
practice.
he added.
And whatever the President
says, Revilla said: “The DAP is
presidential pork and that is a
immigration reform is an important
subject that needs to be addressed.
fact.”
And I am hopeful.”
“The President's
From page 10
As GOP-Rep. David Valadao of
explanation on DAP raised more
California pointed out, “If anybody has
leaders and focused on 150
questions than answers. No
the power to bring it to a vote it's him,”
Republican House members from 40
senator or congressman knew
referring to Rep. Cantor who sets the
states. Sponsors included the U.S.
about the DAP. It did not pass
House Calendar.
Chamber of Commerce, the National
through Congress.
The immigration system is broken
Immigration Forum, FWD.us, a
Then too, he did not know
and ignoring it is not good for the
political action group set up by Silicon
that the DAP was used in the
country. Many studies have shown
Valley executives including the
impeachment of Chief Justice
that comprehensive immigration
founder of Facebook, Mark
Renato Corona,” the senator
reform would expand the nation's
Zuckerberg, and the Partnership for a
added. Inquirer.net
economy.
New American Economy, led jointly by
With the intense lobbying efforts
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New
and pressure from all sectors of
York, Rupert Murdoch and Bill Marriot
society, we hope that the GOPJr.
controlled House finally address the
House Speaker John A. Boehner of
problem and pass the immigration
Ohio and Majority Leader Eric Cantor
reform bill this year.
of Virginia expressed their support to
pass their own version of the
(Editor's Note: REUBEN S. SEGURITAN has
From page 9
immigration bill this year. When asked
been practicing law for over 30 years. For
whether the House can still act on
more information, you may log on to his
shrine, an abbreviated tablet
immigration reform despite the fact
website at www.seguritan.com or call (212)
that it has only four legislative weeks
of history of the longest
695-5281.)
left, Speaker Boehner said, “I still think
Filipino American
generation, the MadriagaBurtanog line. The name and
date are engraved in stones
the first 50 years of Malaysian
proving that Filipino
independence won't hold for the next
From page 10
America n Mont h ea rly
50. Now they're lashing to resist the
beginning.
death throes of their supremacy.”
“Young, educated, urban Malays in
That “supremacy” remains law for
R h o n d a Fo x , a 6 t h
particular
are deserting this brand of
now. “Islam is the religion of the
generation of the Madriaga
politics in droves. They're becoming
federation but other religions may be
line provided me with all this
increasingly skeptical of their own
practiced in peace,” Malaysia's
information. She is good long
privileged status. Upwardly-mobile,
Constitution says. Malaysia signed the
time friend from New
they are unlikely to be swayed by a
UN Declaration of Human Rights.
Orleans. She is in charge of
Mecca-oriented compass.”
Article 18 undergirds “freedom of an
the family history now of the
Not the “old guard Malays. (Yet)
individual or community, in public or
9 generations that stared in
they confront the fact that the
private, to manifest belief in teaching,
the mid 1850
privileged position they've held for
practice, worship, and observance.”
Embarrasing
findings ...
Immigration ...
New Orleans
tour ...
A hundred names
November 1-7, 2013
Page 13
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Town making waves in world of surfing
SAN JUAN, La Union -- With
oversized boards on their backs or
heads, bare-chested men walking
along the national road in this
coastal town in La Union province
have become a familiar sight as
residents prepare for the single,
biggest water sports event here
from Oct. 24 to 27.
San Juan town has been
making waves in the international
surfing scene following its annual
surfing break that has attracted
local and foreign board riders
since the event was organized
eight years ago.
This year's event, billed Soul
Surf, continues to capture the
hearts of surf enthusiasts who
have helped La Union draw
tourists and generate economic
activities for locals.
Event organizer Lemon Dines,
La Union Surf Club vice president,
said this year's goal was to peel the
roots of surfing and strengthen
the image of La Union culture by
combining surf, arts and music.
“Surfing in La Union has come
a long way. We were merely
known for our beaches. Today, we
have established San Juan as the
surfing capital in the north,” he
said.
The club expects to attract a
huge crowd from different regions
flocking to the shores of La Union
for the four-day event.
Days before the competition,
hotel operators have reported
high room bookings from the
high-end resort hotels down to the
homestay facilities in this town.
Tourism officials said hotel
bookings were placed months
before the surfing competition.
The event is more than sports
as it aims to present the province's
tourism and culture by combining
surf with music and the arts.
San Juan is the most accessible
and nearest surfing site north of
Metro Manila next to Baler town in
Aurora province, Daet town in
Camarines Sur province and
Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte
province.
The surfing event won the
2012 Association of Tourism
Officers of the Philippines and
Department of Tourism (ATOPDOT) best tourism event for
sports and wellness category.
The award was given during
the ATOP national convention on
Oct. 4 in Legazpi City. It was the
second time that the surfing event
brought home the same award. It
won its first award in Palawan
province last year.
“We are eyeing the Hall of
Fame award if we win the same
title next year,” Dines said.
This year's event courted
bigger public-private
partnerships with the entry of
more corporate sponsors that
teamed up with the provincial
government and the DOT.
Dines said the event
incorporated environmental
preservation as beach cleanup is
undertaken before, during and
after the event.
The event has also provided
livelihood for residents of the
coastal village of Urbiztondo who
set up small businesses like
souvenir shops selling key chains,
T-shirts and other items and
snack counters.
Dines said La Union's young
surfers had generated income as
well by becoming tutors for
beginners. “They have made use of
their earnings in going back to
school as education still comes
first,” he said. Cristina Arzadon,
Inquirer N. Luzon
SURF'S UP It's surfing time in La Union province this time of the year. The so-called north
swell, which begins in October until May, is when waves are high and suitable for board
riders. October is also San Juan town's annual surfing break, the biggest water sports
event in La Union from Oct. 24-27. CRISTINA ARZADON/INQUIRER N. LUZON
Ilocos Norte, Hawaii revive talks for ties
LAOAG CITY -- Ilocos Norte provincial officials have started talks with their counterparts in Hawaii and
the Ilocano community there to revive sisterhood ties to boost cooperation in agriculture and education.
The Ilocos Norte provincial board on Monday passed a resolution requesting Hawaii Rep. Rida
Cabanilla and Hawaii Sen. Brickwood Galuteria to revive the sister state-province relationship and
encourage Hawaiian-Ilocanos to rediscover their roots as part of the bicentennial celebration of Ilocos
Norte in 2018.
Board Member Da Vinci Crisostomo said the Ilocos Norte government wanted to revive the exchange of
practices in promoting sustainable agriculture and education excellence, including tourism and cultural
activities.
Last week, Vice Gov. Angelo Barba visited Hawaii and met with Ilocano groups there to renew ties.
The provincial government is also offering special incentive packages for balikbayan (returning
Filipinos) should they wish to invest in the province.
In 2002, then Gov. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and then Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle forged a
sisterhood agreement between Ilocos Norte and Hawaii. Leilanie Adriano, Inquirer Northern Luzon
November 1-7, 2013
Page 14
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Aquino: I am
not a thief
From page 12
discovery of PDAF abuse? And now,
can we not expect a fair and just
investigation, because the
Ombudsman we appointed walks
alongside us along the straight
path?” he asked in a televised speech.
“Might I remind those who have
forgotten: The real issue here is
stealing. This is the topic they have
constantly tried to avoid ever since
their wrongdoing was exposed. I
can't help but shake my head, since
the first thing I expected was for
them to at least deny the
accusations,” he said.
“After all, is that not the natural
reaction of anyone who is accused of
anything? And yet, in the midst of all
their extended counter-accusations
hurled against me, not once have I
heard them say: 'I did not steal.'”
Pump-priming tool
Little was known of the DAP until
Estrada in a privilege speech said
that “incentives” were given to the
senators to convict Chief Justice
Renato Corona for dishonesty in his
statement of assets, liabilities and
net worth.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad
later acknowledged that P50 million
Noy’s LP
cronies go ...
From page 5
each while the rest of the senators
were given only P50 million.
Santiago said that the three
senators already charged with
plunder Enrile, Estrada, and Bong
Revilla are expected to be joined
shortly by other senators, as soon as
the Justice secretary finds the NBI
reports to be sufficient in substance.
But this won't happen, because
the Justice Secretary herself has
already stated that the second
tranche of plunder cases which is
probably the last of the plunder
complaints, will not include the
allies of Aquino.
The DoJ chief revealed that the
lawmakers and non-government
organizations included in the CoA
report apart from those linked to
Napoles would be subject of the
investigation of the Inter-Agency
Anti-Graft and Corruption Council
(IAAGCC).
“It is not our fault, it was not
deliberate on our part that only
o p p o s i t i o n l aw m a ke r s we re
included in the first batch of
charges. We don't look at political
affiliations of respondents. We only
based our findings on evidence
gathered,” the DoJ chief stressed.
During the impeachment
p r o p e r, H o u s e p r o s e c u t o r s
confirmed that they had signed the
impeachment complaint against
Corona without reading the same
and that they felt it was poorly
prepared.
S u b s e q u e n t i nve s t i ga t i o n
showed Malacañang also tapped
funds in the form of discretionary
funds contrary to the constitutional
requirements on the disbursement
of public funds.
“The senators suspected of
plunder have lost their moral right
to steer the debate from the PDAF to
the DAP. I myself believe that the
DAP should be abolished for being
unconstitutional. But I will not allow
my colleagues to deflect their
to P100 million in additional pork
barrel were given to the senators
after Corona's conviction.
But Aquino said that the DAP
was in fact used in pump-priming
the economy, pointing to rosy
reports from the World Bank and
the investment upgrades received
by the Philippines from creditrating agencies. He said that his
special funds were used to address
devastation caused by Tropical
Storm “Sendong” in 2011 and the
recent assault of the Moro
National Liberation Front in
Zamboanga province.
“Let me make it clear: The
Disbursement Allocation Program
is not pork barrel. Of the DAP
releases in 2011 and 2012, only 9
percent was disbursed for projects
suggested by legislators. The DAP
is not theft. Theft is illegal.
Spending through DAP is clearly
allowed by the Constitution and by
other laws,” he said.
Aquino said the DAP was only a
name for a process in which
government can spend both
savings and new and additional
revenues to priority projects.
“Where did these funds come
from? They came from our efforts
to stop the connivance of some in
bidding for contracts, in padding
costs, overpricing and kickbacks.
They came from the proper
spending of our budget. They came
from the good governance now seen
in our GOCCs,” he said, referring to
government-owned and -controlled
corporations.
He explained that there were
some agencies that, for a variety of
reasons, were unable to implement
their projects right away, but there
are those that are very efficient in
implementing their projects.
“When projects are stalled,
naturally, we will not spend for
them. We did not allow these funds
to remain dormant.
We looked for programs under
implementing agencies that had
proven themselves to be fast and
efficient, and we channeled our
savings into these programs
together with the additional
revenue of the government,” he said.
“My bosses, we have fought so
many battles. And I am grateful that
no matter how foul the slander and
the sabotage, you never let go, you
never gave up.
Together we proved that there
are no tyrants if there are no slaves.
Now, those who have abused our
trust want to cast us off the course
towards the fulfillment of our
collective aspirations. I do not
believe that you will let this pass.
And so long as you are with me, I will
continue to stand for our
principles,” he said. Inquirer.net
criminal liabilities concerning PDAF
by harping on the DAP system from
which they themselves profited,”
she said.
According to the Budget
secretary, the biggest recipients of
the controversial DAP, receiving
P100 million each, are the following
senators: Enrile, Drilon, and
Escudero. Other allies were said to
have gotten more than P50 million
but were not listed by the Budget
chief.
“They can shout to high heavens
about how useful their projects
were, but that is begging the issue.
The issue is whether the DAP is
constitutional, whether those
senators received kickbacks from
their bonanzas, and why those three
were favoured over the rest by
receiving double the amount,” she
said.
“President Aquino's priorities
are correct. For purposes of
deterrence, it is more efficient and
bloodcurdling to send senators to
jail, if they are guilty of plunder.
Analyzing and retrofitting the pork
barrel system should come later,
because it will take more time and
requires highly technical skill,” said
Santiago.
Santiago repeated her advocacy
that “justice delayed is justice
denied,” and urged public support
for the Ombudsman in resolving the
preliminary investigation so that if
merited, criminal cases can be filed
in court this year.
“Clearly, the persons in interest
are availing of the hoary courtroom
tactic by the defense to delay the
case, so that the endgame will never
be reached. Trial courts all over the
country are too familiar with this
tactic to lend credence to the
various efforts of persons in interest
to distract public attention and
resort to technicalities,” the senator
said.
Santiago said that, having been
an RTC judge herself, just like the
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio
Morales, she knows that
preliminary investigation should
not be treated as a full-scale trial,
but basically as an examination of
the affidavits of the complainant
and the counteraffidavits of the
respondents.
“If the public supports her, the
Ombudsman can actually finish the
preliminary investigation in only
two or three months. The justice
s e c re t a r y s h o u l d n o l o n g e r
entertain any motion for
reconsideration, because the justice
department already reviewed at
length the NBI evidence.
When media asked whether pr
However, contrary to Aquino's
stand, Santiago said that it is not an
excuse for pork barrel to be
retained, just because it will help to
ensure the reelection of incumbent
representatives.
“To help the best and brightest
to get elected to public office, it is
not necessary to convert the office
of the congressman into a local
DSWD with freebies for all
constituents. That is a matter for
campaign finance reform. Ideally,
government should finance and
strictly regulate campaign
advertising. In other words,
government should subsidize
campaigns, to make sure that
candidates do not resort to votebuying using pork barrel which are
public funds,” she said.
Santiago said there is no
provision in the Constitution stating
that distribution of freebies in the
community is part of the function of
a lawmaker.
“Candidates should win on the
basis of academic excellence and
professional excellence. They
should not win reelection by using
pork barrel to bribe voters. That
system is corrupt and breeds a
culture of dependency on the
person rather than on the
institution of government,” she said.
Santiago, reacting to a recent
speech by Aquino, said that he is
“mostly correct” in insisting that the
first item of business concerning the
pork barrel scam should be to jail, if
warranted, the senators and
representatives charged by the NBI
with plunder before the
Ombudsman. The Daily Tribune
‘Boy Scout’
Aquino
From page 11
New presidential
spokesman Sonny Coloma was
quick to say that Lacson can say
whatever he wants. However, it's
safe to say that Lacson has now
said goodbye to any plans he
may have had about being
named to an appointive
government office under this
administration.
Lacson, after all, cannot be
expected to remain on the good
side (never mind if it's really the
dark side) of Aquino now that
the former senator has joined
the growing chorus of people
who are openly against the
government's misuse of pork
barrel funds. But perhaps, for
Lacson, there is really nothing to
16-year-old
girls
From page 11
must ma ke somet hing of
themselves, who have seen
enough of the poverty and
desperation that could kill the
spirit and drive young girls to
early marriage or motherhood.
Yet, in a study of sexual
practices among young people
in a poor community in Quezon
City, six to seven respondents
out of 10 believed that young
people have their first sexual
experience between the ages of
13 and 15. A more disturbing
finding of the same study is that
a quarter of the women who
be gained anymore from being
an ally of Malacañang, now that
more and more people have
become outraged by the money
politics practiced by its
occupant.
This is not to say, of course,
that Lacson has gone over to the
other side merely for political
self-preservation. Anyone with
half a brain will be able to come
to the conclusion that this
supposedly virtuous President
was a little too loose with the
taxpayers' money that he's been
entrusted with.
What I am saying is that
Aquino may soon run out of the
political allies he will
desperately need when push
comes to shove. And when that
happens, he will only have
himself to blame except that
Aquino has never been know to
accept blame for anything.
became pregnant before
reaching the age of 19
experienced pregnancy
between the ages of 12 and 15.
What is being done by the
government, the churches and
families to protect our young
girls from being trapped in a life
that they have not chosen to
live?
Our 16-year-old girls are an
unnoticed force in our society.
Think of Malala and of the
possibility of our country one
day having a great woman
president who was like her as a
16-year-old.
Anna Marie A. Karaos is associate
director of the John J. Carroll Institute
on Church and Social Issues. Philippine
Daily Inquirer
That’s the spirit
From page 10
tourism product, he said. The famed Chocolate Hills, too, will
now have the added attraction of a mound or two split open by
the quake, revealing the limestone core. The new tourism
activity even has a proposed name this early: the Geo-Science
tour of Bohol. Said the governor: “Bohol will be a good learning
center for culture, arts, heritage, environment and geology.”
That's the spirit. But the Boholanos' resilience and
indomitability in the face of disaster cannot stand alone. Now is
the time for everyone to put their money where their mouths
and social media hashtags are, and make an effort to back the
province in its efforts to get back on its feet. The mantra of the
season should be “Visit Bohol.” Inquirer.net
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL
201-434-1114
November 1-7, 2013
Page 15
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Search is on for 2014 Philippine Independence Day Parade Grand Marshal/s
NEW YORK – The Philippine
Independence Day Council, Inc.
(PIDCI) is once again looking for
individual(s) who may qualify to
serve as Grand Marshal/s for the
Philippine Independence Day
Parade 2014 commemorating the
116th Anniversary of the Declaration
of Philippine Independence in New
York.
The Grand Marshal/s will lead
the annual Philippine Independence
Day Parade presented by PIDCI
along Madison Avenue in Manhattan
on Sunday, June 1, 2014.
Ms. Olivia “Ollie” David, a newlyminted member of the Board of
D i re c to r s 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 5 o f t h e
Philippine Independence Day
Council, Inc. (PIDCI) has been
appointed Chairman of the 2014
Grand Marshal Search Committee.
The committee is now accepting
nominations from organizations for
candidates that meet the Selection
Criteria for the Independence Day
Parade Grand Marshal/s.
Please note that all Nomination
Forms must be mailed only and
postmarked no later than
Wednesday, November 27, 2013.
Nominations received after this date
will not be considered.
Nomination forms are available
from the Grand Marshal Search
Committee Chairperson Ms. Ollie
David at telephone number (732)
221-7397 or from Co-Chairs Dr.
Prospero Lim at (347) 248-5106 or
Ms. Angie Molina (718) 687-0976;
or PIDCI President Fe Martinez at
(973) 222-0085; or any member of
the PIDCI Board of Directors.
The Philippine Independence
Day Parade Grand Marshal is one of
the highest honors, if not the highest
honor, bestowed by the Philippine
Independence Day Council annually
to an individual/s in the FilipinoAmerican community.
The Selection Criteria for the
Independence Day Parade Grand
Marshal are: (a) The nominee must
be of Filipino ancestry; (b) He/she
must be a role model in the
community; (c) He/she must be a
resident of any of the states within
the jurisdiction of the Philippine
Consulate General in New York; (d)
He/she must be willing to support
the projects of PIDCI; (e) He/she has
active involvement in the Filipino
and/or mainstream community, and
can draw public interest to the
events of the PIDCI; (f) He/she has
the financial resources and/or
ability to raise funds in support of
the activities of PIDCI; (g) If selected,
he/she agrees to promote PIDCI; (h)
If selected, he/she agrees to
conform to the rules of PIDCI; and (i)
If selected, he/she agrees to attend
meetings of PIDCI where his/her
presence shall be required and at all
major events, including but not
limited to “An Evening with the
Consul General”, the Grand Marshal
Gala, Mrs. Kalayaan Pageant, Diwa
ng Kalayaan Selection and Pageant,
Independence Day Parade, and
Independence Day Ball, sponsored
by PIDCI.
Responsibilities of Nominators:
(a) Verify that all information
contained in the Nomination Form
and its supporting documents are
true and correct; (b) Serve as the
contact person between PIDCI and
his/her nominee/s who is/are
selected as Grand Marshal/s; (c)
Exert reasonable efforts to make
sure that his/her nominee/s who is
selected as Grand Marshal/s
attend/s all PIDCI functions; and (d)
Assist his/her nominee/s who is
selected as Grand Marshal/s in
fundraising activities
Steps for the Grand Marshal
Nomination Process for
Nominators: (a) Complete the
nomination forms; (b) On a separate
sheet of paper, the Nominator will
write up to 300 words why this
nominee/s deserve to be chosen as
the Philippine Independence Day
Council, Inc. (PIDCI) 2014
Philippine Independence Day
Parade Grand Marshal/s; (c) Include
the nominee/s' Current Curriculum
Vitae (resume) to include the
nominee/s' accomplishments,
qualifications and awards as part of
the documentation; (d) Signature of
the Nominator confirms the
accuracy of information provided;
(e) Signature/s of the Nominee/s'
confirm the consent to serve as
Grand Marshal/s; (f) Send
completed nomination to the
Chairperson, Grand Marshal Search
Committee; (g) Completed forms
and documentation must be
submitted by mail only to the Grand
Marshal Search Committee
postmarked on or before
Wednesday, November 27, 2013.
Nominations received after this date
will not be considered; and (h) For
additional information, please call
any member of the Grand Marshal
S e a rc h C o m m i t t e e o r P I D C I
President Fe Martinez; or any
member of the PIDCI Board of
Directors as listed in the form.
The 2013 Independence Day
Parade Grand Marshal is Dr. Rebecca
“Dolly” Rivera, and she joins the
stellar list of 22 accomplished
individuals in the Fil-Am
Community who served as the
Independence Day Parade Grand
Marshals. They were, from the most
recent: Dr. Prospero Lim (2012); Dr.
Edita and Nick Libramonte (2011);
Dr. Zenaida and Bejamin Santos, Sr.
(2010); Dr. Teofila Malanum Santos
(2009); Monsignor Oscar A. Aquino,
JCD (2008); Dr. Emmanuel M.
Pangan (2007); Dan de Guzman
(2006); Dr. Linda R. Pelayo (2005);
Engr. Rudy Quiambao (2004); Fe
Martinez (2003); Jean Lobell, PhD
(2002); Dr. Vivina Malantic (2001);
Dr. Raul Sala (2000); Joanne D.
Benitez (1999); Loida Nicolas-Lewis
(1998 Philippine Centennial);
Libertito Pelayo (1997); Manuel
Aldana (1996); Deacon Gary
Villanueva, MD (1995); Dr. Estela
Gonzales (+) (1994); Dr. Alice
Francisco (1993); Ric Crudo (+)
(1992), and Lilia Clemente (1991).
Completed forms are to be
sent to:
Philippine Independence Day
Council, Inc.
291 Broadway, Ste.1501
New York, NY 10007-1858
Attn: Ms. Ollie David
Chairperson, Grand Marshal
Search Committee
Fil-Am labor leader arrested in immigration rally
By Maricar MC Hampton
WASHINGTON, DC -- No, I
wasn't surprised. I was expecting to
be arrested,” said Gregory Cendana,
as he reflected on being arrested
during the immigration reform rally
dubbed “March for Dignity and
Respect” held last Oct. 8.
Cendana, executive director of
Asian Pacific American Labor
Alliance (Apala), was among the
hundreds of activists, including
eight Democratic congressmenJohn
Lewis, Luis Gutiérrez, Raúl Grijalva,
Keith Ellison, John Crowley, Charles
Rangel, Al Green and Jan
Schakowskywho were
apprehended as they gathered at
the National Mall to put pressure on
Congress to pass the comprehensive
immigration reform legislation.
Inspired by others who were
willing to take a stand for what they
believe in, Cendana decided he
wanted to follow suit.
“If others are willing to risk
facing arrest, I wanted to be able to
do that, too, especially as a young
Filipino gay man,” he said. “I felt like
it was an opportunity to really show
Congress that we mean business
and we want to make sure
immigration reform passes.”
As thousands of protesters were
busy chanting, dozens of Capitol
police handcuffed them before
leading them off to police wagons.
Those arrested were charged with
crowding obstruction and
incommoding, Capitol police said.
Cendana recalled, “That
weekend, there were more than 200
events that happened across the
country, and this was kind of a
culmination of different activities.”
“I knew that going to the rally, I
would be participating in the
exercise of civil disobedience.
People knew that before they went
there. So we blocked off a street in
front of the Capitol.
“We were put in a facility and I
was there for more than 12 hours.
(Then) they asked us whether we
would accept the fine and I said yes.
The fine was $50.”
Although Cendana cannot
confirm the exact number of
Filipino-American organizations
present, he believes he was the only
Filipino arrested.
Cendana said he was thrilled
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that the arrests brought national
attention to the cause of
immigration reform. “The aim was
to get a lot of people engaged, not
only in the rally, but in civil
disobedience. This is one of the
bigger civil disobedience
demonstrations in support of
immigration reform. Basically it was
a big rally of more than 20,000, and
200 of us led the march to the
Capitol.”
Cendana admitted it was not his
first arrest. “I was arrested in front
of the White House back in 2009,
also on account of immigration
reform.”
So, will he consider doing it all
over again? “I will always be open to
it,” he said, “especially over this next
couple of months, I know the
conversation around immigration
reform is going to pick up.”
Inquirer.net
November 1-7, 2013
Page 16
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Spooky places in the
Philippines
TEACHER'S Camp
By Pam Pastor
Feel like ghost-hunting this Halloween?
Check out these spooky places around
the Philippines.
Baguio
Hot spots: Diplomat Hotel; Laperal
White House; Teachers Camp; Loakan
Road
Famous ghost story: Taxi drivers tell
stories about a white lady who flags
down their cabs and disappears when
they look into their rearview mirror.
What to do there if ghost-hunting isn't
your thing: Hit the ukay-ukay stalls.
Pick strawberries. Go to the Good
Shepherd Sisters convent and buy ube
jam. Check out the Botanical Garden
and Mines View Park. Play mini golf at
Camp John Hay and hang out at TamAwan Village.
TAGAYTAY
Los Baños
Hot spots: UP Los Baños; Mt. Makiling
Famous ghost story: Students talk
about a haunted room in one of the UP
Los Baños dorms. Legend has it that
somebody committed suicide there
and that the body was found in the
closet.
What to do there if ghost-hunting isn't
your thing: Climb Mt. Makiling. Eat
buko pie. Explore the campus and have
a picnic with friends. Rent a private
pool and have a swimming party.
Pampanga
Hot spots: Clark Air Base; Clark Air
Base Hospital; Clark Museum
Famous ghost story: Clark Air Base
Hospital was recently featured in the
National Geographic documentary
series “I Wouldn't Go In There” and the
show explored its bloody history and
the eerie shadows, creepy whispers
CLARK Air Base
and ghostly appearances that have
taken over the place.
What to do there if ghost-hunting isn't
your thing: Eat sisig. Swim in the hot
springs. Trek to Mt. Pinatubo. Check
out the museums. Try boating and
kayaking.
Panay Island
Hot spots: Antique, Capiz
Famous ghost story: Stories about
aswangs have been circulating for
centuries nowthese creatures have
become a big part of Philippine
folklore. Tales of tiktiks going after
pregnant women abound in these
provinces.
What to do there if ghost-hunting isn't
your thing: Hit the beaches. Eat
seafood. Go diving. Visit the churches.
Try kayaking. Cross a hanging foot
bridge.
The abandoned Diplomat Hotel in Baguio City
Corregidor Island
Hot spots: Corregidor tunnel
Famous ghost story: Camera-toting
visitors talk about ghostly orbs that
appear in their images. Appearances of
ghosts have also been reported, with
some claiming to see spirits of Japanese
soldiers who bombed themselves
before they could be captured by the
Americans during World War II.
What to do there if ghost-hunting isn't
your thing: Spot monkeys. Explore the
ruins. Check out the lighthouse. Visit
the war memorials.
La Union
Hot spots: San Juan
Famous ghost story: There is said to be a
headless priest roaming around
Pindangan Ruins at night.
What to do there if ghost-hunting isn't
your thing: Surf! Or just enjoy the
beach. Swim in a lagoon. Go resort-
hopping. Have a picnic.
Manila
Hot spots: Manila Film Center; Balete
Drive in Quezon City; a mall in
Muntinlupa
Famous ghost stories: There are a
number of tales about that mall cinema
in Muntinlupa. One mall goer claims to
have gone in and seen that the theater
was packed so he just watched the film
while standing. When the lights went
on, he saw that the theater was
practically empty.
What to do there if ghost-hunting isn't
your thing: Shop. Eat. Watch big
concerts and smaller gigs in bars. Join
Carlos Celdran's walking tours. Ride
the ATV in Intramuros. Join Ivan Man
Dy's food tour.
November 1-7, 2013
Page 17
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
By Paul Albert Palmero
The Binibining Pilipinas 2013 Golden batch already
drew first blood with Datul's first-ever Miss
Supranational crown in Belarus last September. It was
quickly followed by Cindy Miranda's semifinals finish in
the Miss Tourism Queen International pageant in China
early this month.
Towering beauties
Ready to compete
Two beautiesAriella Arida and Bea Santiagoshare
the current spotlight as they battle it out in their
respective competitions. Arida is in Moscow for the Miss
Universe pageant, while Santiago has over a month left
before she flies to Tokyo, Japan, for the Miss
International contest.
Interestingly, the Philippines is no stranger to both
pageants, having won twice in the former and four times
in the latter. This year, a win for either or both will again
position the Filipino woman as a truly global face of
beauty.
Traveling alone,” Arida spontaneously answered
when asked what her fear was in this once-in-a-lifetime
endeavor. “I actually fear travel more than competing in
this pageant!” It is technically her first time to fly alone
“on a mission” and the pressure is on for her.
Ready to befriend and get to know her 86 fellow
contestants, Arida also dreams of having fellow Filipina,
Miss Canada Riza Santos, as her roommate.
Santiago looks forward to her pageant with the same
verve and anticipation.
“I've seen some of my fellow contestants' photos.
Among them are Miss India, Miss Australia, Miss
Kyrgyzstan, Miss Korea, to name a few. I'm confident I
can stand out and do it,” Santiago declares.
The girls only see more success coming for the
Filipina. Wurtzbach is a believer in second chances. “Yes,
I'm prepared to learn and grow even morethat's why I'm
giving it another try next year,” she says. As for Arida,
whether its growth, development or success, there's a
reason behind everything: “I'm doing this for the
country. For the Philippines.”
Photography: Pam Sta. Cruz-Bella
Styling: Luis Carlo San Juan
Cindy Miranda, Mutya Johanna Datul, Ariella Arida, Bea Santiago and Pia Wurtzbach, clothes by Bb. Pilipinas Charities, Inc.
EXPRESSWEEK
November 1-7, 2013
Page 18
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
FALDEF's inaugural “Defend, Serve, Educate” Gala and Awards Night
By: Kate Blanco [Volunteer, FALDEF ;
Fellow, NAACP LDF]
From left: Atty. JT Mallonga, Cely Deauna, Consul General
Mario de Leon, Jr. and 2013 "EDUCATE" Trailblazer, Dr. A.
Gabriel Esteban, President of Seton Hall University
From left: Atty. JT Mallonga, Roger Alama, Consul General
Mario de Leon, Jr. and 2013 "DEFEND" Trailblazer, Atty. Sanford
Rubenstein
From left: Atty. JT Mallonga, Nimfa Du Tinana, Consul General
Mario de Leon, Jr. and 2013 "SERVICE" Trail Blazer, Johanna
Puno Hester, President of APALA, AFL-CIO
From left: Atty. JT Mallonga, Atty. Merit Salud, Consul General
Mario de Leon, Jr. And Ryan P. Haygood, NAACP LDF Director of
Political Participation Group
From left: FALDEF General Counsel, Steven S. Siegel, Chairman
Robert C. Rivas, Consul General Mario de Leon, Jr. with Texas
Regional Public Defenders Office, 2013 "SERVICE" Trail Blazers,
Atty. Anthony Odiorne and Joseph Ward
From left: Atty. JT Mallonga, Jose Ramos, General Mario de
Leon, Jr. and 2013 "EDUCATE" TrailBlazer - New Jersey State
Nurses Association, Norma Rodgers- President-elect of NJSNA,
Judy Schmidt-President and Interim CEO of NJSNA, and
Rosemarie Rosales, DSE Co-chair
The Filipino American Legal Defense and
Education Fund, Inc. (FALDEF) held its
inaugural “Defend, Serve, Educate” (DSE)
Gala and Awards Night last October 26 at the
Double Tree Hotel in Newark, New Jersey.
The event honored individuals and
organizations committed to serving the
public and advancing FALDEF's mission to
defend, serve, and educate the Filipino
migrant community.
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational
Fund, Inc. (NAACP LDF) and Sanford A.
Rubenstein, Esq. of Rubenstein & Rynecki
received the “Defend” award. They were
recognized for their work on behalf of the
minority and immigrant communities
demonstrating a strong commitment to
promoting justice and social change both in
and out of the courtroom. NAACP LDF has
inspired and closely guided FALDEF early on
with its advocacy. Attorney Ryan Haygood
accepted the award on behalf of the
organization.
The “Serve Award” was conferred to
Texas Regional Public Defenders Office for
Capital Crimes (RPDO) , and Ms. Johanna
Puno Hester, President of the Asian Pacific
American Labor Alliance (APALA, AFL-CIO).
Their dedication to public service has had a
significant impact on the Filipino/migrant
community, national, or international level.
Their overall accomplishments reflected the
high tradition of selfless public service that
is at the core of FALDEF's mission. Joseph
Ward, Mitigation Specialist, and Anthony
Odiorne, Assistant Public Defender, received
the award for RPDO.
Filipino-American Dr. A. Gabriel
Esteban, President of Seton Hall University
and the New Jersey State Nurses Association
were presented with the “Educate” award.
They were honored for their efforts which
have contributed significantly to the
education of the public on social and/or
political issues that are highly relevant to the
minority and immigrant communities. Their
work promoted FALDEF's mission to
empower the community through
education. President-elect Norma Rodgers,
President and Interim CEO Judy Schmidt and
Ro s e m a r i e Ro s a l e s , C o r re s p o n d i n g
Secretary for PNANJ and NJSNA Region 3
President, received the award for NJSNA.
Along with honoring trailblazing
organizations and individuals, the DSE Gala
reminded Filipino Americans of their duty to
the community. Sherrilyn A. Ifill, current
President and Director-Counsel of NAACP
LDF, was the evening's Keynote Speaker. Ms.
Ifill highlighted the integral partnership
between LDF and FALDEF. She recalled that
the late John Payton, the sixth President and
Director-Counsel of NAACP LDF, played a
pivotal role in FALDEF's formation in 2008.
As she commended FALDEF's successes, Ms.
Ifill stressed the importance of its
partnerships with other communities of
color, and the value of learning from
different civil rights organizations in
addressing our shared struggles. She
extolled FALDEF's key role in bringing light
to issues of labor trafficking, and how NAACP
LDF itself could learn from FALDEF's
initiatives to educate and assist community
members through seminars and legal clinics.
Echoing Ms. Ifill's moving speech, Ms.
Johanna Puno Hester, National President of
APALA highlighted the Filipino American
u
Page 19
Photos by Shawn Shariati, FALDEF Legal Asst.; Mark Cruz, FALDEF volunteer
Marla Raush: Filipino-American Mompreneur
Sharon Gersava expresses her
gratitude to the organizers of
the Epoch Awards
Sharon Gersava, Communications/Admin Head at Children's
Garden of the Philippines received a portion of $50,000 at the Epoch
Awards to further the work she is doing to rescue Filipino street
children.
On her first trip to the United States, Gersava was awarded the
Innovative Start-Up Award to continue rescuing street children in the
Philippines through livelihood projects, feeding programs, education
programs and a day care center. With a group of volunteers, Gersava is
fueled by a passion to see young lives restored and children given a
hope and a future in a loving and safe environment. The Epoch Awards
took place last October 28 at Atlanta's Historic Fox Theatre and brought
together more than 400 people to offer gratitude, celebration and
encouragement to 'unsung heroes'--those who are actively tackling
some of the world's biggest problems, such as sex trafficking, poverty,
the need for clean water and more--without recognition.
The purpose of the Epoch Awards is to create a hotspot of sorts for
those who are wrecked by the plight of people around the world.
Through the partnership of many individuals and organizations, six
individuals were awarded between $5,000 and $10,000 to further their
causes, end injustice and bring light and hope to the burdened. From
nearly 600 nominations from 33 countries and 32 states and six
continents, the 20 finalists and six winners were chosen by the Epoch
2013 Nominations Committee, which included a line-up of individuals
known for their innovative outlook and creative solutions, as well as
their lifestyle of service.
Filipino-American
businesswoman, Marla De Castro
Rausch, founded Animation Vertigo
over ten years ago. Animation
Vertigo specializes in motion
capture tracking and animation
solutions for leaders in film,
television and video games. The
company now boasts a resume of
some of the world's most famous
video games. With Offices in
California and in the Philippines,
Animation Vertigo has helped
create the human-like qualities and
features in games such as Injustice:
Gods Among Us by WB, Call of Duty
Black Ops 1 and 2 from Activision
Quantic Dream's Heavy Rain, and
the recently released Quantic
Dream's Beyond: Two Souls.
Marla and her team create
realistic movements and facial
queues of some of Hollywood's
finest actors like In their newest
work, Quantic Dream's Beyond:
Two Souls. The psycho thriller
video game, featuring Ellen Page
and William Dafoe, boasts 3D
animation so realistic that it's
graphics, worthy of the silver
screen, are being recognized
internationally by the gaming
industry.
As a female entrepreneur, her
journey was unique as she
successfully broke into a male
dominated industry. Marla saw a
void in the motion capture industry
for stability it broke her heart to
hire and fire talented editors with
each project. She took a stand to
reinvent how business is done.
Marla De Castro Rausch
Born and raised in the
Philippines in the 1970s, Marla
wanted to introduce the vast
creative talent of artists from her
home country to the 3D animation
and motion capture industry. She
established a production center in
Manila, Philippines, with an
Animation Vertigo team that is
comprised of well-trained, seasoned
trackers and animators, who
surpass quality standards, deliver
on-time results and produce
compelling and realistic results.
Prior to establishing Animation
Vertigo, Marla worked freelance in
S p e c t r u m S t u d i o s a n d S o ny
Computer Entertainment America
as a motion capture tracker. It was
there that Marla learned the ins and
outs, and gained knowledge and
experience of the animation and
motion capture industry. During the
'90s, Marla worked as a Visa Officer
for the Canadian and Australian
Embassies in the Philippines, where
she strengthened her ability to work
with various nationalities a
strength she still practices every day
as CEO of a Filipino-American based
business. Marla also worked as a
financial advisor with Ameriprise
Financial and American Express
Financial Advisors, which taught her
how to manage her business's
finances. She also holds a bachelor's
degree in mass communications
from the University of the
Philippines. Since 2004, Marla has
been utilizing the skills from her
past jobs and education while
running Animation Vertigo. She
created a business model that has
worked for almost a decade now.
“Making use of what I've
learned, where I've been and what
I've seen has given me the
confidence to handle the business
negotiations, technical knowledge,
and logistic and organizational
needs to meet the ever-changing
arena of the animation
entertainment industry.”
Today, Marla is a member of the
Motion Capture Society and the
International Game Developers
Association. She resides in Irvine, CA
with her husband and two children.
November 1-7, 2013
Page 19
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Life and happy music in the
1st Philippine Ukulele Festival
From left: Lito Pernia, NAACP LDF President
Sherrilyn A. Ifill and Atty. JT Mallonga
FALDEF’s ...
From page 18
community's shared struggles
with other minority groups. She
emphasized that the Filipino
American community must take an
active role in understanding and
addressing civil rights issues that
permeate through all communities
of color. Both Ms. Ifill and Ms.
Hester strongly encouraged the
Filipino American community to
reach back out and assist FALDEF
in its mission to defend, serve, and
educate.
The evening also provided an
opportunity to honor Dr. Rebecca
C. Rivera for her steadfast
commitment to the welfare of the
Filipino-American community. She
was awarded the President's Circle
Award for her strong support of
FA L D E F ' s s e r v i c e t o t h e
community.
The beloved leader, Consul
General Mario De Leon gave the
closing message wherein he
acknowledged the community
leaders from various states for
their support, and urged them to
be a collective force which is a
necessary evolution in the
immigration system. He
Atty. JT Mallonga with Dr. Rebecca C. Rivera
congratulated the Directors and
Officers of FALDEF for their
accomplishment and for the role
they fulfill in the Filipino American
fabric. Also in attendance, seated
next to Consul General De Leon,
was newly appointed Ambassador
Deputy Permanent Representative,
H.E. Mr. Eduardo Jose A. Vega.
It was a pleasant surprise and
acknowledgment for FALDEF that
Ms. Gwen De Vera, Region 1
NaFFAA Director of South Jersey,
arrived with Senate and General
Assembly Citation Certificates
f ro m t h e o f f i c e o f S e n a to r
Menendez for the great honor and
pride that each Director and Officer
brought to the community and
their families.
The DSE Gala was a great way to
celebrate the work that FALDEF
has done since its inception, and to
thank those who have been
working diligently to promote an
inclusive society and to fight for the
rights of Filipinos and Filipino
Americans. Nevertheless, many
s p e a ke r s q u i c k ly re m i n d e d
everyone that there was still much
left to be done on the field. Mr. Lito
Pernia of FALDEF was the chair and
Ms. Rosemarie Rosales was the cochair of the organizing committee
for the event.
While stringed instruments
are famous amongst Filipino
music lovers, the ukulele is
seldom played in the country due
to its scarcity. Music stores in the
Philippines offer limited options
for ukulele enthusiasts; most of
the time, only the basic types of
ukulele are sold and only one or
two brands are carried by
selected stores, leaving
customers frustrated.
Thus, the country's first allukulele shop was born. Having
opened last November 2012 at
The Collective in Makati City,
Ukulele Philippines not only
offers high-quality instruments,
but it also gives every Filipino the
opportunity to appreciate and
create wonderful music using
this beautiful 19th century piece
of art.
The shop boasts of ukuleles in
various shapes, sizes and designs
from different authentic ukulele
makers throughout Europe, US,
a n d A s i a . We l l - k n o w n
international brands available at
Ukulele Philippines include
Anuenue, Hulala, Lanikai, Magic
Fluke and Flea Ukulele, Kamoa,
Eleuke, Bugs Gear, Mahalo, Kala,
Makala, Diamond Head, Deviser,
and Luna. It also offers models
from local brands, such as Harana
Ukulele, Susing's, Chestone, and
Ferangeli.
Ukuleles in various shapes and sizes
In line with its mission-vision
of spreading the “HUV” (Happy
Ukulele Virus) and increasing
awareness on the instrument,
Ukulele Philippines and Ukulele
Underground Philippines held
the 1st Philippine Ukulele Festival
this October. The idea came about
after several jams and talks
between Ukulele Philippines and
the Ukulele Underground
Philippines (UUP), who have
deemed it high time to bring the
love for the ukulele to the next
level. The three-day event kicked
off with the Festival proper at the
SM Mall of Asia Music Hall,
followed by an intimate dinner
concert at Buddha Bar in
Kalayaan Avenue, Makati, and
ended with a Ukulele Workshop.
T h e Fe s t iva l fe a t u re d
performances by several of the
world's best ukulele players as
well as our very own virtuosos.
F ive i n t e r n a t i o n a l a r t i s t s
headlined the event: Aldrine
Guerrero, Kalei Gamiao and
Derick Sebastian from Hawaii,
USA; Kyas Ryo from Japan; and
Apirak Sirinanthakul from
Thailand. Manila Bulletin
Education is fundamental to growth and development. In a country where poverty and social dilemmas hamper many
underprivileged sectors, providing meaningful learning opportunities is pivotal in order to make accessible education a reality
for all. One such noble mission has been achieved by Berjaya Philippines, as it brings quality learning closer to the poor when it
unveiled the Berjaya Culinary Arts Garden during the 10th anniversary of Gawad Kalinga held at the GK Enchanted Farm in
Angat, Bulacan.
Berjaya Group unveils Culinary
Arts Garden at GK Enchanted Farm
Corporate Philanthropy
Envisioned as one of the vital
cornerstones of learning inside the GK
Enchanted Far, touted the first ever Farm
Village University in Asia, the Berjaya Culinary
Arts Garden is a 30-hectare training facility
that perfectly supports the Farm's dynamic
role as incubator-hub for the country's
growing social entrepreneurship.
Serving as the primary food center of the
GK Enchan ted F arm , which pro v ides
livelihood to 200,000 partners, the Berjayasponsored facility also serves as a schoolwithin-community for students and social
entrepreneurs where they can develop their
skills and products. Besides a sizable demo
kitchen and service area where guests can eat
organically-grown healthy meals prepared by
its upcoming culinary arts students, the
facility also has its own herb garden. It also
l o oks a ft e r t o th e p r e s erva t ion of i t s
surrounding environs with its ingenious
Biomimicry design allowing it to tap solar
energy through solar panels and rainwater
harvester roofs.
According to Paul Soo, Berjaya Group
country head, “The real profit lies in the heart.
Getting into this partnership has sparked
change not just for the people that we help, but
it comes back to us a motivation, as an
inspiration to do more for our society. We
really want to be part of the Philippine society
by becoming involved in this endeavor.”
The groundbreaking was graced by Vice
President and Housing Chief Jejomar Binay,
along with GK's Founder Tony Meloto and
Executive Director Luis Oquinena, local
government officials of Bulacan, and Berjaya
Group officials led by Berjaya Group Country
Head Paul Soo, Director Tan Eng Hwa and
Iannis Hanen, CEO of Friendster. Manila
Bulletin
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
November 1-7, 2013
Page 20
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH business community's role in Asia Asean integration
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) seen to be far off
By Paolo G. Montecillo
By Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala
Manila, Oct. 25 – Earlier this
month, I had the privilege to sit, as
part of a group, with 21 world
leaders from the Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation (Apec)
economies, including President
Aquino, to discuss with them this
year's pressing issues regarding
business and the regional economy.
This small, private dialogue during
the recently concluded Apec
Summit in Bali was organized by
the 64-member Apec Business
Advisory Council (Abac), which was
formed by the Apec leaders in 1995
to serve as the business sector's
voice in Apec. This gave us the
opportunity to formally present
Abac's recommendations to spur
regional growth in a sustainable
and inclusive manner.
As one of the three appointed
Abac members for the Philippines,
together with Doris Magsaysay-Ho,
Tony Tan Caktiong and Guillermo
Luz as an alternate member, I
attend a number of the quarterly
meetings to meet with our
counterparts from other Apec
economies and help prepare a set of
recommendations in our annual
report to the Apec leaders. This
year, we focused on deepening
regional economic integration,
promoting infrastructure growth,
strengthening food security, and
fostering the growth of small
businesses as key initiatives.
A key message we relayed to the
Apec leaders was the importance of
Apec having a more ambitious
agenda on its trade, investment and
services liberalization targets,
especially with the notable lack of
p ro g re s s i n t h e W TO D o h a
negotiations. We reiterated our
support for the eventual creation of
a Free Trade Area of the AsiaPacific, whose current building
blocks are the TransPacific
Partnership, the Regional
The Philippines and its
regional neighbors have made
significant strides in breaking
d ow n t ra d e b a r r i e r s a n d
promoting financial integration,
despite challenges posed by
various economic crises in the
last five years.
However the creation of an
i n te g ra te d A s s o c i a t i o n o f
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)
economic zone by 2015 may still
be out of reach, a new report
from the Asian Development
Bank (ADB) indicated.
“Asean seeks to create an
Asean Economic Community
(AEC) by December 2015.
Although it has come a long way
toward meeting its own targets, it
is likely to fall short by the
deadline,” the ADB said in its
inaugural Asian Economic
Integration Report, which it
planned to release twice a year.
“How close it gets to these targets
will depend on he progress of
reforms in the next two years.”
The ADB said progress
toward the AEC had been steady
but slow.
Philippines, Thailand helped
boost Asean's growth in H1
By Ronnel W. Domingo
Jaime Augusto Zóbel de Ayala currently serves as chairman and chief executive
officer of Ayala Corporation. Photo grab from JAZA facebook.
Comprehensive Economic
Partnership, and the Pacific
Alliance (the regional free trade
agreement among some Latin
American economies).
Another issue that we felt
deserved the Apec leaders'
attention is infrastructure
development. This year, Abac
issued a report highlighting the
crucial role of major infrastructure
investments across Apec in meeting
its growth targets and facilitating
desired regional connectivity. We
expressed our concern for the slow
implementation of the larger
Public-Private Partnership (PPP)
projects in the region while noting a
McKinsey Global Institute report
which estimated that we have a
global infrastructure requirement
of $57 trillion to sustain economic
growth over the medium term.
Through an Abac project known
as the Asia Pacific Infrastructure
Partnership (Apip), Abac
Philippines has hosted meetings in
Manila between some Abac
m e m b e r s a n d i n te r n a t i o n a l
advisors specializing in
infrastructure financing. This was
done with the engagement of our
PPP Center and government
agencies engaged in PPP projects in
order to exchange ideas and learn
from best practices in the region.
Though many of us in the business
c o m m u n i t y h ave e x p re s s e d
concern about the pace of PPP
projects, we have found that this
has also been the experience of
other Apec economies.
Engagement with groups such as
Apip provides us with access to
The strong showing of the
Philippine economy, along with
that of Thailand, helped raise the
combined gross domestic product
(GDP) of the 10 members of the
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean).
Collectively, the Asean's GDP
grew by 5.7 percent in the first
half of the year.
The so-called Asean-5, as a
sub-group, grew by 5.1 percent
from January to June, faster than
the 4.9 percent recorded in the
previous year.
The Asean-5 is composed of
the founding members of the
regional grouping The
Philippines, Thailand, Singapore,
Malaysia and Indonesia.
According to the Jakartabased Asean Secretariat, the
services sector over the last seven
years has become a catalyst for
regional economic growth, while
the agriculture sector has
decreased its impact on GDP.
In 2012, the services sector
contributed the highest share to
GDP among all 10 Asean memberstates, ranging from 35 percent to
more than 60 percent of GDP.
The other five Asean
members are Brunei, Cambodia,
Laos, Burma (Myanmar) and
Vietnam.
In the Philippines, the
services sector accounts for 56.9
percent of the economy, second
only to 61.8 percent in Singapore.
u
Page 21
PH now under Swiss investors'
radar - Ambassador Sieber
MANILA -- Swiss companies
are giving the Philippines a closer
look as the Southeast Asian place to
invest in, lured by the investment
grade rating awarded by major
debt-watchers earlier this year.
“The Philippines is now on the
radar screen as it continues to
attract more Swiss investments
while those already invested have
been expanding their operations,”
Swiss Ambassador to the
Philippines Ivo Sieber said in an
interview with reporters Monday,
Oct. 28.
Meteomedia, a Weather Station
Measurement Network company,
which operates in Germany
Switzerland, is expanding in the
Philippines, according to the
ambassador.
The company is expanding
partnerships with Globe Telecom,
Smart Communications and SM
Swiss Ambassador Ivo Sieber
Prime Holdings. Meteomedia
provides custom-made weather
forecasts for telcos, mining
companies, and retailers, using
data processed from over 17,000
stations across the globe.
Apart from Meteomedia, Swiss
companies are keen on investing in
business process outsourcing
(BPO).
However, many issues have
emerged in the process of placing
the Philippines under a magnifying
lens, the ambassador noted, saying
Swiss businessmen are
particularly wary of the Patrimony
Law which limits foreign investors
from full ownership of businesses
and properties.
The private sector in
Switzerland as well as in Europe is
watching how the Aquino
administration is doing with
corruption.
“A lot of companies are taking
note of these issues as well as the
passage of important pending bills
Screengrabbed from http://www.worldbank.org
PH business...
From page 1
access to credit, trading across
borders, tax system as well as
insolvency procedures.
WB noted that the
Philippines' instituted
regulatory reforms in key areas
resolving insolvency, online
filing of taxes helped improve
the country's ranking to 108th
from 138th spot in 2012.
This signals that the gap
between the developed nations
and the Philippines is narrowing
as it improves regulations to
foster entrepreneurship and
trade.
Without going to specifics, the
Philippines would have ranked
133rd in 2012 survey but WB
apparently “overlooked” some of
the reform measures
implemented.
The Philippines is joined by
nine other economies, namely:
Ukraine, Rwanda, the Russian
Federation, Kosovo, Djibouti, Côte
d'Ivoire, Burundi, the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
and Guatemala that saw
significant gains in this year's
ranking.
Singapore remains the most
business-friendly economy,
u
Page 21
u
Page 21
November 1-7, 2013
Page 21
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
UK sees PH as PAL London flights showcase of
'emerging power’ PH pride at World Travel Market
By Matikas Santos
MANILA -- The Philippines is
among several countries that the
United Kingdom (UK) considers as
“ e m e r g i n g p o w e r s ,” n e w l y
appointed British Ambassador to
the Philippines Asif Ahmad said
Wednesday.
“We have identified a number
of countries and we have a special
n a m e fo r t h e m : “ e m e rg i n g
powers,” Ahmad told reporters in a
round table discussion Wednesday
after he has formally presented his
credentials to President Benigno
Aquino III Tuesday.
“[It] shows that you're not just
emerging as an economy but you
can become powerful on a global
stage,” he said.
Ahmad cited the slowdown in
the growth of developed countries
such as the UK, United States of
PH business
community’s
role in Apec
From page 20
information on other PPP
experiences and allows us to
contribute to developing a better
process on a region wide basis. In
fact , in some respects, the
Philippines is ahead of other
countries in the PPP arena, and it is
they who look to the Philippines as
a m o d e l . N e e d l e s s t o s a y,
infrastructure through a PPP
framework will be a long-term
fixture in the Philippines, and Apec
and Abac will play a growing role in
creating the connectivity we all
need.
Apec and Abac have also been
working closely for years on
regional approaches to
strengthening food security. One of
this year's milestones was the
completion of a comprehensive
roadmap toward regional food
security, which was prepared by
the newly-created Apec Policy
Partnership for Food Security. Two
of the proposed action plans are
reducing food losses through the
effective use of cold chain
technology and promoting the use
of international food safety
standards in Apec economies. If
the roadmap is properly
implemented, we should see wider
collaboration and investment in
research and development for
modern farm management in the
next few years.
In our quest to develop deeper
America, as well as other European
countries and the fast growing
economies in Asia such as the
Philippines.
“The UK, Europe, and North
America, we are the old economies
that have led the world in
innovation, creativity and growth
for centuries. Suddenly the brakes
are on our economy and we have to
remodel our engagement,” Ahmad
said.
“It's in Asia where the big
engine of growth actually is, and
the Philippines of course is now
growing only second to China,” he
said.
The Philippine economy grew
by 6.6 percent in 2012 while the
fourth quarter of that year was at
6.8 percent. In comparison, China
grew by 7.8 percent in the fourth
quarter while Vietnam was at 5.4
and Singapore was at 1.1.
economic integration, we also
placed a high priority on the
growth of small and medium scale
enterprises (SMMEs) and the
creation of new businesses. As the
backbone of every economy,
SMMEs must have access to
finance, to international markets,
and to innovative solutions. For
financing, Abac recommends that
Apec economies encourage private
individual investors, such as angel
and venture capitalists, to get
involved in funding SMMEs. One
feature of all Abac meetings now is
the holding of regular SMME
Summits in more economies to
bring together successful SMMEs,
IT and innovation companies, and
funders to network and learn from
each other and, of course, to
generate new business
opportunities. We will continue
working within Apec on ways to
assist SMMEs and target specific
outcomes that will be felt by them.
These are just some of the
highlights from the large body of
work in which Abac is involved. It
has been a long, productive year for
Abac, but new challenges continue
to surface and many opportunities
continue to be left unrealized. We
rema in op t imist ic t ha t t he
Philippines' participation in these
global dialogues will benefit the
country, push economic reforms,
and encourage us toward a path of
competitiveness in the global
economic environment.
Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala
is chair and CEO of Ayala Corp.,
member of the Apec Business
Advisory Council, and co-vice chair
of the Makati Business Club.
Inquirer.net (October 25)
PH business...
From page 20
followed by Hong Kong, New Zealand, the US, Denmark, Malaysia,
the Republic of Korea, Georgia, Norway, and the United Kingdom.
Among its regional peers, the Philippines still runs behind its
Southeast Asian neighbors Malaysia (6), Thailand (18), Brunei
(59), and Vietnam 99). However, its standing is better than
Indonesia (120) and Cambodia (137).
The World Bank, meanwhile, noted that the primary
hindrance for entrepreneurs in the Philippines is the
government's start-up regulation, which requires 15 permits that
would take up to 35 days before business can start actual
operation. Manila Bulletin
The resumption of non-stop
flights to the United Kingdom will
serve as the main focus of tourism
promotions by the Philippines
under the Department of Tourism's
(DoT) “It's More Fun in the
Philippines” campaign at this
year's WTM to be held from Nov. 4
to 7.
PAL will share the 300-squaremeter Philippine pavilion with 40
other Philippine exhibitors,
including the DoT, at WTM 2013
where almost 5,000 exhibitors
from 184 countries are expected to
generate more than GBP1,859
million in travel industry deals.
According to Susan del Mundo
of DoT's Tourism Promotions
Board, “This is the biggest
Philippine participation since
joining WTM back in 1980 or any
travel fair worldwide. A total of 90
DoT officials led by Sec. Ramon
Jimenez will be at WTM.”
Buyers and Sellers from every
sector of the travel industry around
the world converge at WTM,
London's biggest annual travel
event attracting more than 47,000
global travel professionals.
PAL President Ramon S. Ang
said: “In the first six months of
2013 alone, we had more than
60,000 arrivals from Britain. This
elevated the UK to the Philippines'
top ten visitor markets for the first
time the only European nation on
the list. With PAL's new non-stop
flights, we are sure those numbers
will increase further.”
The return of Philippine Airlines (PAL) to London starting November 4 will be
the centerpiece of the country's participation at the World Travel Market
(WTM), the biggest global event for the travel industry which opens on the
same day PAL arrives at the British capital.
The DoT had predicted a 65%
increase in European visitors to
about 575,000 this year alone and
the doubling of current arrivals to
around 700,000 in the coming year.
“It is not just tourists who stand
to benefit but more importantly
our 664,000 Filipino *kababayans*
in Europe, particularly the 250,000
living in the U.K., who will now be
able to return home more often via
the airline that knows them best,”
Mr. Ang said.
He will lead a delegation of top
PAL and government officials on
the inaugural flight including the
British Ambassador to the
Philippines Asif Ahmad. Upon
arrival at London's Heathrow
airport in the afternoon of Nov. 4,
Philippine Ambassador to the UK
Enrique Manalo will be welcoming
the inaugural flight passengers.
From the airport, some PAL
executives will proceed to the PAL
booth at WTM.
The five-times-a-week service
to London will use PAL's Boeing
777-300ER aircraft which features
one of the most spacious cabin
equipped with modern inflight
amenities. Inquirer.net
Iraq war opens door for $3-B Clark project
By Jun Malig
CLARK FREEPORT -- Although
the Iraq war has brought nothing
but devastation to that country
since 2003, the conflict has opened
the door for the development of a
$3-billion project in this economic
zone in Pampanga province.
D e n n i s L l oyd Wr i g h t i s
president and chief executive
officer of Peregrine Development
International Corp., the American
company that is developing the
177-hectare Sabah Al-Ahmad
Global Gateway Logistics City
(GGLC) here.
A former senior officer of the c o nv i n c e KG L , t h r o u g h i t s
m u l t i n a t i o n a l e n e r g y f i r m investment arm KGL Investment
The famed Manila Bay sunset. Photo by DON LEJANO/INQUIRER.net
Halliburton KBR, he was sent to C o . ( K G L I ) , t o f u n d t h e
Kuwait when the Iraq war broke development of the GGLC.
out.
The GGLC was renamed Sabah
During that period, Wright said
he worked with many companies,
among them the Kuwait and Gulf
Link (KGL). He said Ed Birkins, a
fellow senior corporate officer, was
a close friend of the KGL's
managing director at that time.
In 2004, Wright decided to
venture out on his own and formed
Peregrine with some friends and
business associates. After two
years, his company was able to
Al Ahmad GGLC in honor of Sheikh
Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah, the amir of Kuwait, who
made a state visit to the Philippines
in March 2012.
“It was a combination of Ed's
personal relationship and our
c o m p a ny ' s re p u t a t i o n t h a t
convinced KGLI to look into GGLC,
as well as another opportunity we
d eve l o p e d i n t h e d o m e s t i c
u
Page 22
5 infra works to be completed by 2016
By Doris C. Dumlao
At least five major
infrastructure projects will be
completed under the public-private
partnership (PPP) framework and
several others likely to be in full
blast of construction before
President Aquino steps down from
office in 2016, the chief of the
government's PPP Center said.
Speaking during the 8th
Philippine Forum organized by The
Asset Magazine and the Fund
Managers Association of the
Philippines (FMAP) last week, PPP
Center executive director Cosette
Canilao said the five projects likely
to be completed during this
administration were Daang Hari
tollroad, School Infrastructure
project phases one and two, the
modernization of the Philippine
Orthopedic Center and the Naia
Expressway.
Speaking to reporters after the
forum, Canilao said it's also
possible to complete the integrated
transport fare collection system
within Mr. Aquino's term. “Once this
project is approved and rolled out,
it's possible that this will be
completed. It's not too
complicated,” she said.
For his part, Transportation
Undersecretary Rene Limcaoco
said most of the infrastructure
projects under his department's
pipeline would likely take off, not
just those to be bid out under the
PPP framework but likewise those
that would be undertaken by the
government itself.
Canilao said the following
projects would be at the height of
construction within Mr. Aquino's
term: Light Railway Transit Line 1
extension, Mactan-Cebu
International airport upgrading.
By year 2015, she said most of
the big-ticket projects would be in
full blast of construction while
2014 would, for some, be the year to
raise funds. Canilao is expecting the
rollout of the PPP projects to be
faster in these last three years of the
u
Page 22
November 1-7, 2013
Page 22
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Proudly Pinoy: Local sandals brand remains durable after 2 decades
By Shane Gee
Jose Ignacio Cuerdo could very
well be considered as a jack of all
trades. Joey, as he is fondly called by
the people close to him, is a tourism
consultant, an outdoor events
specialist, an outdoor athlete, and a
businessman.
But among all the different hats
he wears, Cuerdo is a cut above the
rest as he happens to be the
developer of the Philippines' first
outdoor sandal brand called Mojo.
“Mojo for me is my passion and
love for the outdoors. It is here
where the birth of ideas come, and
it is also where the product of these
ideas is tested,” says Cuerdo.
“Mojo therefore represents
everything that the outdoors holds;
freedom of space and movement,
vibrant mornings in anticipation of
new things to come, love in
romantic sunsets, and the
spirituality of an appreciative
heart, acknowledging that
everything is all a gift from above,”
he adds.
Cuerdo grew up in Mindanao,
where his backyard was basically a
view of everything beautiful in
nature.
At a very young age, he was
exposed to caves, cliff jumping into
rivers, exploring huge land areas on
horseback and … stopping to pick
afternoon snacks from the nearby
trees.
“It was only natural I guess that
I would carry this passion for the
outdoors throughout the rest of my
Iraq war opens ...
From page 21
shipping market. This also led to
KGL making investments in Negros
Navigation,” Wright said. “The
Philippines was a real sweet spot
for us. But remember, this was in
2006-2008 when no one believed
in the country or even thought
about investing in the Philippines.
So it was our personal
relationships, knowledge of the
country and our professional
reputation that made it happen.”
KGLI initially infused $30
life,” he recalls.
Cuerdo admits that being an
avid outdoor sportsman became a
great influence in developing his
own footwear brand.
“I know what I need when I
travel, and if the market does not
have that need, then this need
becomes a potential product which
can be shared to the growing
outdoors market,” he says.
The birth of the Philippines'
first outdoor sandal brand came in
the early '90s when the then young
Cuerdo was just about to graduate
from t he Un iversit y of t he
Philippines Los Baños.
CUERDO admits that being an
avid outdoor sportsman became a
great influence in developing his
own footwear brand.
Already an avid mountaineer
back then, Cuerdo says they were
using the regular slippers bought
from department store for their
campsite and post-climb activities.
“These parts of my adventures,
the campsite and the bus ride back
home, were when I realized the
need for sturdy, slip-free, and
comfortable sandals to answer my
needs. From the bus stop to my
house, my slipper straps would pop
out of their sole, as I lugged my 50kilo pack on tired dragging legs,”
notes Cuerdo.
“The inspiration of Mojo
sandals was really to make a
product that I needed as an
outdoorsman. During that time, I
had a friend in our group who had
an outdoor sandal from the US.
Back then it was very difficult to
order things from the US and way
too expensive for a student on a
budget,” he further says.
With his experience on poorlymade, regular slippers, Cuerdo
then decided to study sandalmaking on his own. He acquired
some shoemaker tools, rubber
sheets, adhesives and straps using
his very own allowance as a
startup.
But still not being able to
perfect the art of sandal-making, he
recalls that the first sandal he made
was a flop. Still, the young Cuerdo
was determined to develop his own
kind of sandalssomething which is
sturdy, slip free and comfortable.
“I set out to find a shoemaker
who was willing to make the sandal
I had in mind. From the corner of
Shoe Avenue in Marikina, I began
my search, knocking on doors of
shoe makers, describing the
concept. Around 10 houses down
the road, one family was open to the
idea,” he says.
“The rest, as the cliché will go, is
history,” he notes.
Mojo slippers and sandals
became the first outdoor sandal to
surface in the local market in 1991.
Its first offering was a prototype
sandal with its special purpose for
use at the campsite in the outdoors.
With its durability and design,
Mojo products quickly spread its
reach not only to the outdoor group
but also to divers, making it truly
the original and official sandal for
the Philippine adventurer.
million into the GGLC project and is
set to pour in more to complete the
$3-billion investment until 2019.
Wright said Peregrine also
convinced KGLI to invest in
maritime shipping.
“In addition to GGLC, we also
deve lo p e d t h e st ra te g y a n d
opportunity to invest in Philippine
maritime shipping. We were
successful in attracting the same
group of Kuwaiti investors to also
invest in Negros Navigation,” he
said. “This was highly successful
strategy and proved to be the right
decision as Negros has since gone
on, with some additional
investment dollars, to acquire
Aboitiz Transport. It is now one of
the biggest and most successful
domestic shipping companies in the
country.”
Wright is a firm believer in the
potential of Clark Freeport and its
environs to become “the second
most recognized name in the
Philippines.”
He said Clark is the natural
alternative gateway to the
Philippines after Manila with
perhaps the best infrastructure and
the largest and best international
airport in the country. Inquirer.net
OUTDOOR sandal brand developer Jose Ignacio Cuerdo
“There is definitely prestige in
being dubbed as the Philippines'
first outdoor sandal brand. It is
definitely an advantage. Being
dubbed a pioneer, with the brand
coming out in 1991 carries images
of experience, durability and the
concept of: 'they-must-knowwhat-they're-doing,'” Cuerdo says.
“Not everyone though can get to
be a pioneer or innovator. And
innovation is a continuous process.
This I guess will be my biggest
lesson, to stay focused and in the
game. Being a pioneer will only be
remembered by one generation, if
you stay out of the playing field for
PH now ...
From page 20
such as the Anti-Trust bill to
improve the competition in the
Philippines and the Mining Law,”
Sieber said.
In terms of the transportation
infrastructure, investors consider
the Philippine situation as
“remote” because of the
difficulties in traveling around the
archipelago.
The Swiss envoy said the
Philippines' transport
infrastructure is still being viewed
as by the Swiss and European
5 infra works ...
From page 21
Aquino administration, noting
that “lessons” had been learned
f ro m t h e f i r s t h a l f o f t h e
President's term.
“We've done already the
setting down of the processes.
We're still improving it but the
foundation is already there.
During the remainder of the term,
hopefully it will be faster. We're
looking at standardizing some of
the bid documents so that the
bidders, once they receive the
drafts, they know what to expect,”
Canilao said.
During the forum, when asked
by The Asset editor-in-chief Daniel
Yu to assess the performance of
the government's PPP program in
the first three years, Canilao gave a
score of six out of the highest
possible score of 10. On rating his
department's infrastructure
program, Limcaoco gave a rating of
five out of 10.
Canilao said the government
too long and everything will be
forgotten,” he adds. Cuerdo
operates as a single proprietor of
his Mojo slippers and sandals for 15
years before the Mojo trade name
and insignia, trademarked in 2007,
was sold to Outward Adventure
Wear Inc. (OAW Inc.) in 2011.
Today, Cuerdo owns and runs
Outward Adventure together with
his wife, Thea Yusay-Cuerdo,
With the help of new business
partners, Cuerdo's sandal company
is now in continuous growth and
expansion of its retailer lines.
Inquirer.net
investors due to the difficulty in
moving around the archipelago.
Still, the positive points
include the usual accolades given
by foreign investors a welleducated, English-speaking and
young workforce.
In addition, Sieber noted the
growing economy that churns
with a sizeable number of
consumers are major to lures that
make the heads of investors turn.
The P6.31-trillion economy,
which grew 6.8 percent in 2012, is
expected to expand by 6 percent to
7 percent this year after growing
7.6 percent in the first half.
was likewise working to amend
the build-operate-transfer law to
boost the PPP program for the
longer haul, no longer for the
current pipeline.
“We don't need it (for this
term) but nonetheless, we're
rushing it, hoping that it will be
passed by summer recess,” Canilao
said.
She said among the most
important provisions would be to
identify and set parameters for
projects of “national significance”
as well as to extend the mechanism
for Swiss challenge, or the process
of inviting counter-proposals to
unsolicited projects.
Right now, rival bidders are
given 60 days to make a counter
offer. “We're hoping for at least six
months,” she said. At the same
time, the amendments call for the
creation of a PPP governing board
and a legal framework for a PPP
Center. Flexibility is likewise
sought on the contingent liability
that the government can take in
relation to projects in the pipeline,
she said. Inquirer.net
ENTERTAINMENT
November 1-7, 2013
Page 23
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Richard, Dawn to
star in new soap
MANILA -- It's confirmed:
Actor Richard Gomez will
reunite with former girlfriend
Dawn Zulueta in the upcoming
series "You're My Home."
Gomez and Zulueta said they
are happy to work again
together for their fans after the
success of their love team's
reunion in last year's
phenomenal hit series "Walang
Hanggan."
" R i g h t a f t e r ' Wa l a n g
Hanggan' maraming may gusto
na gagawa kami ng soap pero it
to o k a wh i l e . S o n gayo n
pagpasok ng 2014 mayroon
silang mapapanood na Richard
and Dawn," Gomez said.
"Siyempre gusto na naming
i-announce sa mga fans na
matagal nang naghihintay, to
give them an idea kung anong
klase na magkakaroon kami,"
Zulueta said.
The two said the upcoming
series is a family drama.
"This time we start off as a
married couple and what a
married couple goes through -conflicts (and) differences,"
Zulueta said.
"Then along the way kung
ano 'yung mga romantic, 'yung
mga sweet moments doon na
lang papasok. Ang importante ay
makita nila 'yung value nung
soap. It's really about family,
how they cope up with
struggles," Gomez added.
Ser Chief and Maya with United Kingdom's Ambassador to the Philippines Asif Ahmad
New British envoy
enjoys 'Be Careful'
By Pau Aguilera
Richard Gomez with former girlfriend Dawn Zulueta
According to Gomez and
Zulueta, they both have the
support of their respective
partners.
"In fact, matagal na niyang
g u s to n g m a s i m u l a n d a h i l
madami nang naghihintay na
mga fans na magkaroon ng
follow up 'yung Richard and
Dawn," said Gomez, who is
married to 4th District of Leyte
Rep. Lucy Torres. "Matagal na
niyang alam na mayroon kaming
project (ni Richard)," said
Zulueta, who is married to Davao
Del Norte Rep. Anton Lagdameo.
Joining Gomez and Zulueta
in the new series are Iza Calzado,
Ella Cruz, Francis Magundayao,
Shaina Magdayao, Enchong Dee
and Cherry Pie Picache.Apart
from the series, Gomez and
Zulueta are also set to do a
movie.
The new United Kingdom
ambassador to the Philippines, Asif
Ahmad, is apparently hooked on
ABS-CBN's “Be Careful With My
Heart.”
“Oo (nanonood ako ng) isang
serye na tungkol sa isang yaya
(Maya) at kay Ser Chief… Magandang
kuwento, kasi ito ay pagkakataon na
ang isang yaya mapaghusay ang
kanyang buhay,” Ahmad shared in a
recent interview with ABS-CBN
News. Asked what he understands in
the top-rating daytime series, he
replied, “Konti lang sa dialogue.
Lahat ay love team at iba't ibang
shot.”
The 57-year-old British
diplomat replaced Stephen Lillie as
Britain's Ambassador to the
Philippines last July and is being
recognized in the country for his
passion to learn the Filipino
language. The linguist that he is,
Ahmad also speaks English, Bengali,
Farsi, French, Kutchi and Urdu.
“Kasi para sa lahat ng diplomat,
ito ang bagong initiative ni William
Hague (British Foreign Secretary).
Ako'y nagsimulang mag-aral ng
Tagalog sa London sa loob ng pitong
buwan. Ngunit ang pang-unang guro,
siya'y nagkasakit. Nagsimula ang
ibang guro, si Janice Pabida, siya ang
magandang guro,” he related.
On his dedication to be proficient
with the vernacular, Ahmad believes,
“Para sa akin, ito ay pagkakataon na
mapahusay ko ang aking wika at
magkaroon ng mga bagong kaibigan
sa Pilipinas. Siguro para sa mga
katrabahador sa embahada natin,
mayroon ng bagong kaugnayan,
negosyo at mamamayan ng
Pilipinas.” Manila Bulletin
British Embassy launches 5-month festival
Eula Valdez, Arnell Ignacio topbill
'The Addams Family Musical’
Arnell Ignacio and Eula Valdez
By Crispina Martinez - Belen
Atlantis Productions is
staging another smash-hit
Broadway musical comedy that
will certainly excite local
theatergoers. “The Addams
Family Musical” stars film, TV
and stage personalities Eula
Valdez and Arnell Ignacio in the
lead roles of Morticia and Gomez
Addams. Also in the cast is K-La
Rivera.
Directed by Bobby Garcia,
this “magnificently macabre new
musical comedy” by Marshall
Brickman and Rick Elice, will run
from Nov. 15 to Dec. 1 at the
Meralco Theater.
Says Bobby: “It has always
been a great way for us to end the
year and start off the holiday
season with a family musical
comedy. And this year it's 'The
Addams Family.' It's wacky, zany,
good fun… and it is perfect for the
entire family. I am thrilled that
Eula and Arnell take on the iconic
roles I grew up with!”
It's Eula's third musical, the
first being “Zsa Zsa Zaturnah,”
which proved unforgettable to
the actress because “naka seven
runs kami!” Eula's second
musical was “Nine,” another
Atlantis Productions
presentation. In “The Addams
Family Musical,” Eula plays the
role made famous in the hit film
by Angelica Huston.
On the other hand, this is
Arnell's second musical under
Atlantis, the first being “The Full
Monty.”
Featuring an original story,
the musical calls to mind of every
father's nightmare! Wednesday
Addams, the ultimate princess of
darkness, has grown up and
fallen in love with a sweet, smart
young man from a respectable
family, a man her parents have
never met.
And if that weren't upsetting
enough, she confides in her
father and begs him not to tell her
mother. Now, Gomez Addams
must do something he's never
done before keep a secret from
his beloved wife, Morticia.
Everything will change for the
whole family on the fateful night
they host a dinner for
Wednesday's “normal” boyfriend
and his parents. Manila Bulletin
By Edu Lopez
T h e B r i t i s h E m b a s sy h a s
launched “This is Great Britain,” a
five-month festival celebrating all
that is best about Great Britain and
its partnership with the Philippines. A
series of events from film premiers to
screened performances from the
highly acclaimed National Theater, to
trade shows, business networking,
celebrations of food, encouraging
entrepreneurs, fashion and
education will culminate in a 3-day
festival on Bonifacio High Street in
March 2014.
The season of events will start in
the week of 20 October which marks
Philippines-UK Friendship Day. With
the help and support of friends in the
British Alumni Association, the
British Council, the British Chamber
of Commerce and many others, there
will be two weeks of events including
a performance of Shakespeare's
Macbeth by the National Theater, a
concert by the renowned British boys
choir Libera, a parade of classic
Austin Mini cars, an equestrian
event, the launch of a British book
month and a celebration of British
education.
The grand finale on Bonifacio
High Street in March will take place 7
to 9 March and bring together all that
is best about the UK, including many
companies who are trading and
investing with the Philippines as well
as film, music and culture. Manila
Bulletin
Pinay impresses ‘X Factor Israel’ judges
By Rowena Tan
A Filipina caregiver from Israel,
Rose “Osang” Fostanes, received a
standing ovation and four votes of
“yes” from the judges of “X Factor
Israel” on Oct. 26 to make it to the
roster of the show's contestants.
“I love my job, and I love to take
care of old people and give them
some attention… Maybe if I join and
win in this competition, my life will
really change,” she said in the
introductory video segment that
preceded her audition.
u
Page 24 Rose “Osang” Fostanes (Screengrab from YouTube)
November 1-7, 2013
Page 24
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Fil-Am enters 'X Factor USA' Top 12 Eugene Domingo
wins Best Actress
in Tokyo film fest
By Michael Joe T. Delizo
Contrary to the title of her
number, a world of opportunities
has just opened to FilipinoAmerican Ellona Santiago who is
now in the top 12 of the “X Factor
USA.”
Santiago's swinging
performance of Britney Spears'
“Till The World Ends” prompted
coach Demi Lovato to give her a
standing ovation and call her
“true diva.”
“You really, really kicked butt
and I'm so proud you worked it
and you were a true diva up
there. It was amazing,” said
Demi.
For Judge Paulina Rubio,
Santiago's performance was the
“best opening” number for the
Top 16 first live show, saying
“Wow, wow, wow.”
“That's unbelievable. I loved
you from the beginning 'til end.
Congratulations. Really a good
job,” Rubio continued.
Judge Kelly Rowland was
also impressed by Santiago's
“magical” performance in that
she can dance and sing at the
same time.
“You are gonna be one to
watch in this competition. Demi,
you cannot let her go,” she said.
Meanwhile, Simon Cowell,
who is known for his scathing
critical remarks, gave plaudits to
the 17-year-old singer.
“What I love about you,
Ellona, is that you're here to win
Filipino-American Ellona Santiago
it, not just to take part in this
silly competition but to win it try
to go on to a solo record. If she's
one of my girls, I'd keep her,”
Cowell remarked.
Santiago was born in the
Philippines but raised in the
United States. She's currently
s t u dy i n g i n S a n L o re n z o ,
California.
Along with Santiago in the
top 12 are Khaya Cohen, Rion
Paige, Carlos Guevara, Carlito
Olivero, Tim Olstad, Jeff Gutt,
Lillie McCloud, Rachel Potter,
Alex & Sierra, Restless Road and
Sweet Suspense. Manila Bulletin
MANILA -- COMEDIENNE
Eugene Domingo bagged the Best
Actress trophy in the 26th Tokyo
International Film Festival for
independent film "Barber's Tale"
(Ang Kuwentong Barbero).
Written and directed by Jun Lana,
the film is his second in a trilogy
which started in "Bwakaw" in 2012.
According to the its official
Facebook page, "Barber's Tale" is a
film set in a remote province in the
Philippines at the onset of Martial
law in the early 1970s.
"The story revolves around the
free-spirited and newly widowed
Marilou, played by Eugene, who
inherits their town's only
barbershop from her husband," it
said.
The page also reads: "Having no
other means to support herself, she
musters the courage to run the
barbershop, a traditionally male
trade. However, despite the skills she
gained from years of observation and
being an assistant to her husband, as
a female barber she fails to attract
any customers.”
Domingo personally accepted
the award in Tokyo. The film was also
shown in theaters, halls and other
Eugene Domingo
screening facilities in Minato City,
Roppongi Hills in Japan.
Other stars featured in the movie
a re G l a dy s Re ye s , S h a m a i n e
Buencamino, Nonie Buencamino,
Niccolo Manolo, Iza Calzado, Eddie
Garcia, with the special participation
of Nora Aunor.
" B a r b e r ' s Ta l e" w a s a l s o
screened in 2013 Abu Dhabi
International Film Festival.
Phoemela Baranda has
15-year-old daughter
Phoemela Baranda
MANILA -- After keeping her
secret for a long time, TV host and
model Phoemela Baranda admitted
that she has a 15-year old daughter
named Kim.
Baranda said she got pregnant
when she was only 18. "My mom told
me to hide [my pregnancy] because I
was modelling at that time," she
explained. Baranda narrated that she
had to go to the US when she was four-
months pregnant, and only returned
after she had already given birth.
"Nung una, ipinapakilala ko siya
bilang pamangkin ko. Nung 5 to 8
years old na siya, sister ko na siya," she
explained.
Baranda admitted that her
relationship with her daughter was
awkward at first, but she made it a
point to take over her responsibilities
to her daughter after her mother
passed away.
According to Kim, she knew that
Baranda is her real mother when she
was 11. She stressed that she didn't
feel betrayed because she
understands the nature of show
business.
Kim also admitted that she is
ready for whatever changes this
"coming out" will bring. "I was raised
to be strong," she said.
As a message to her mother, Kim
said she appreciates all that her
mother is doing to make up for lost
time. She also said she is not
interested in knowing who her father
is.
Pinay impresses ... From page 23
Performing Shirley Bassey's “This Is My Life,” Rose a native from Taguig City,
stunned judges Ivri Lider, Shiri Maimon, Rami Fortis and Moshe Peretz.
After the performance, Rose got emotional because of the reaction she received
from the judges and audiences. “Rose, take it in because you deserve it so much,”
Judge Ivri Lider said adding, “The song you chose is so right for you.”
“It was wonderful. No words. You have the X factor,” Rami Fortis said.
“It sounded like it is a CD. It is perfect. I just can't believe it's your first time to
perform on stage,” judge Shiri Maimon said.
Meanwhile, Rose, a lead vocalist for a band that performs in a small bar in Tel
Aviv, said that she is still single because “I've been looking for many years and I
forgot to find somebody…”
The 46-year-old singer is a metapelet (Hebrew for caregiver) who lives in a
small house with three other caregiver friends. Manila Bulletin
November 1-7, 2013
Page 25
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Losses that
affected them most
By Dolly Anne Carvajal
As a Dollywood All Souls' Day
tradition, I asked some celebs,
whose death (aside from their
loved ones) had the biggest impact
on them? Since I'm the No. 1 fan of
Michael Jackson, needless to say,
his demise left a permanent hole in
my heart.
As we remember our dearly
departed on Nov. 1, may it also
remind us of our own mortality.
Life goes by so fast so we should not
pass up the chance to make a
difference. That way, our presence
will still be felt even in our absence.
humble husband will say Direk
Lino is much more talented than
him.
Beauty queen shows off her collection which she only started after winning in Binibing Pilipinas. August Dela Cruz/Inquirer
Rufa Mae Quinto
Rufa Mae Quinto
Rudy Fernadez's and Francis
Magalona's deaths made me so sad.
Daboy was my BFF. Until their final
days, they both gave their very best
to keep us entertained.
Rita Avila
Rita Avila
The death of Lino Brocka really
affected me. I wanted so much to
work with him. Even if I didn't get
to meet him, I was afraid to sleep
alone when he died. Now, I am
married to a director (FM Reyes)
and people compare him to Direk
Lino. I get a sense of pride that
somehow, I get to “experience” a
Brocka. Though I'm sure my ever-
Shamcey Supsup, bride in waiting
excel in school, graduating
her wedding, Supsup found the
magna cum laude with a degree
time to offer some advice to
On meeting Shamcey Supsup
i n A rc h i t e c t u re f ro m t h e
Ariella Arida, the Philippines' bet
- the woman who made famous
University of the Philippines. She
in this year's Miss Universe
the “tsunami” walkin person, you
also topped the national
pageant to be held in Russia on
would be struck by how delicate
licensure examinations for
Nov. 9.
Aiko Melendez
she is, contrary to the perception
architects.
Supsup acknowledged that
I really cried when I heard that
that she is a feisty and fiery
This year, she is preparing for
there was tremendous pressure
Michael Jackson died. He's an icon
beauty queen.
another milestonebut this time it
on Arida, especially because her
for all time. His humble beginnings
At her launch as one of the
is romantic, not scholastic.
predecessors did well in the
inspired me. His music will remain
endorsers of the Watsons' chain
She got engaged in June to
contest. Aside from Supsup's
on my play list forever.
of health and drug stores, along
her boyfriend of two years Lloyd
third runner-up finish in the
with fellow beauty queen Venus
Lee. The wedding is set for
competition, Raj was fourth and
Karylle
Raj, she brought more books
December. There was a minor
Janine Tugonon, first.
I remember crying so much
than gowns.
glitch when she lost her wedding
Supsup advised Arida to
when I watched Princess Diana's
Supsup was not into frilly and
ring in Nueva Ecija where she
remain calm. “If we were able to
funeral on TV. She was one person
fancy stuff before becoming
judged a pageant.
make it, she could, too,” she said.
who did so much good for so many
Binibining Pilipinas Universe in
(Following Chinese custom,
“She is not different from us.
people. And that was very
2011 and placing third runnerSupsup started wearing her
Stars just aligned for us. If she is
inspiring.
up in the international pageant
wedding ring on the day of her
destined to win, it will happen.
that same year. She would rather
engagement to Lee.) With or
But she needs to prepare and
Mr. Fu
buy books than designer bags
without expensive gems, she is
listen to people who have her
I grew up watching Inday
and shoes.
expected to make a radiant bride.
best interests at heart, like her
Her love for books helped her
Although busy preparing for
family.” Inquirer.net
u
Page 26
Stars unite to help Bohol
earthquake victims
CLOCKWISE: Jeff Tam, Cesar Montano, The Author with Noel Cabangon; Leo Valdez and Nyoy Volante;
Dingdong Dantes, Mark Escueta, Brod Pete, Mike Elgar and Norby David
By Giselle Sanchez
Less than 48 hours after Bohol was hit by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, Cesar Montano
and Noel Cabangon were already on television calling all artists to help them do a
fundraising concert for the victims. I had to call Sunshine (awkward!) just to ask for
Cesar's number (because I lost it) and she gladly gave it. My father is from Clarin, Bohol
and I really wanted to help. Last Friday, I think Teatrino had more number of stars
onstage than the actual audience who volunteered to help. Manila Bulletin
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Maja on Matteo-Sarah
‘romance': I’m not surprised
MANILA -- Maja Salvador
said she was not surprised when
reports surfaced that her exboyfriend, Matteo Guidicelli, is
now supposedly in a relationship
with her former co-star, Sarah
Geronimo.
Salvador was asked on the
rumored romance at the
sidelines of a press conference
for her new film, "Status: It's
C o m p l i c a t e d ," w h i c h h i t s
theaters on November 6.
"Dapat maging happy po
tayo," the 25-year-old actress
said of Guidicelli and Geronimo's
alleged relationship. "'Diba, ang
love, dapat sine-share 'yan sa
isang taong espesyal talaga sa'yo,
and kung nahanap nila 'yon sa
isa't-isa, spread natin ang love."
Rumors romantically linking
Geronimo and Guidicelli
surfaced early this year, when the
actor was reported to be the only
showbiz personality seen at
Geronimo's private birthday
party in July. This followed his
guest stint on her US concert
Maja Salvador
series in the previous month.
Both Kapamilya stars have
since become evasive of
questions on their supposed
romantic ties. While they would
not deny the rumored
relationship, both Geronimo and
Guidicelli would also not confirm
it.
Salvador confirmed her
separation from Guidicelli in
August 2012, after a one-year
relationship. At the time, the
actress maintained they split
amicably and that there was no
third party involved.
Asked Thursday if she was
surprised to learn of Guidicelli's
a l l e g e d n e w re l a t i o n s h i p ,
Salvador said, "Hindi, hindi na
po. Kasi dati, na-link naman na
po sila."
The "Ina, Kapatid, Anak" star
was referring to the 24-year-old
actor expressing admiration for
Geronimo as early as 2010, a year
before they went on to co-star in
the film "Catch Me, I'm in Love."
In the romantic-comedy
movie, the two also starred
alongside actor Gerald
Anderson, Salvador's current
boyfriend and Geronimo's
erstwhile suitor.
On this apparent "switching"
of partners, Salvador said, "Maliit
lang naman po 'yung mundo
u
Page 27
November 1-7, 2013
Page 26
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Comedy flick stars Powkang
as 'Call Center Girl’
MANILA -- After the success
of the big-screen drama "A
Mother's Story," Pokwang is set to
topbill a movie anew, this time as
a call center agent in a Star
Cinema comedy offering.
The 43-year-old actress,
whose real name is Marietta
Subong, plays the title character
in the Don Cuaresma-directed
movie "Call Center Girl," which is
part the 20th anniversary line-up
of the ABS-CBN film production
outfit.
In a teaser for the film,
Pokwang as her character is seen
adjusting to her job in the BPO
industry. Implied to be a mother,
the character appears to brings
wit and her somewhat offending
humor to work.
During an apparent call from
a customer, she says, "Are you sad,
feeling lonely? Still single
because you're fat?"
The role is Pokwang's first
lead character portrayal since "A
Mother's Story," which was
released in November 2011.
After the acclaimed drama film,
the comedienne co-starred in
four other movies, including the
romance anthology "24/7 In
Love."
Pokwang
Melai Cantiveros and Jason Francisco
“Call Center Girl," which also
stars Jessy Mendiola and
Enchong Dee, is expected to hit
cinemas later this year.
Melason returns
to primetime via
‘Honesto'
Aljur gears up for second concert
By Crispina Martinez - Belen
GMA Artist Center prime artist
Aljur Abrenica is very excited about
his forthcoming concert at the Music
Museum in Greenhills on Nov. 7. He
has, in fact, been preparing for
several weeks now.
Dubbed “Come And Get Me,” it is
a special treat for Aljur's fans where
he will perform personally chosen
songs and medleys. He might also
sing some tracks from his debut
album, although Aljur stressed that
there will be another occasion for its
launch.
“Sobra talaga akong excited sa
darating kong concert dahil
maihahandog ko sa mga manonnod
ang ilan sa mga paborito kong kanta.
Dapat din nilang abangan ang mga
inihanda naming sorpresa para sa
kanila. Makakasama ko ang ilan sa
mga magagaling na performers sa
industriya,” Aljur shared.
Guests Julie Anne San Jose,
Rochelle Pangilinan, his brother and
Kapatid star Vin Abrenica, with
whom he will be singing duets, and
Kris Bernal, his leading lady on GMA
Network's “Prinsesa Ng Buhay Ko.”
The top-rating series which also
features Renz Fernandez in his first
leading role in the Kapuso Network
signifies viewer acceptance of the
Aljur-Kris team-up in comedy. Aljur
attributes the success of “Prinsesa
Ng Buhay Ko,” however, to team
effort. “We're working hard to make
our viewers happy and contented.
And we're glad that it is doing well in
the ratings game.”
At the recent press conference
for “Come And Get Me” held at the
now popular Victorino's Restaurant
along Sct. Rallos corner 11th
Jamboree, Aljur was also asked if
girlfriend Kylie Padilla would be
among his special guests in his
concert. He revealed having asked
her but she has yet to accept the
invitation. “So 'di ko alam kung
pupunta siya o hindi,” he said,
hoping, of course.
“Come And Get Me” is produced
by GMA Network and MJM
Productions. Major sponsors are
Asha, Cravings, Blue Water Day Spa
and Century Tuna. Minor sponsor is
Tupperware. Manila Bulletin
MANILA -- On-screen couple
and real-life sweethearts Jason
Francisco and Melai Cantiveros,
popularly known as Melason, are
back on primetime via the
upcoming ABS-CBN series
"Honesto."
In an interview with
reporters, Francisco and
Cantiveros said they are excited
for their new project together.
"Parang feeling mo palagi
kapag first project mo [excited].
At siyempre ang kasamahan
namin ay big stars talaga so
t a l a g a n g m a e - e x c i t e k a ,"
Francisco said.
"Sobrang excited. Thankful
talaga kami at sinama kami dito
sa [soap]," added Cantiveros,
wh o i s n ow fo u r m o n t h s
pregnant.
The couple also shared
details about their wedding,
which will take place in General
Santos City in December.
They confirmed that hostactress Kris Aquino will be one of
their principal sponsors.
" P a r t n g a m i n g
pagkakabalikan talaga yung 'Kris
TV,'" Cantiveros said of Aquino's
morning show, where she and
Francisco served as guest cohosts for a time.
"Korek, love, love talaga 'yan,"
Francisco added.
The two also confirmed that
they have invited some of their
close friends in show business to
their wedding, among them
Angelica Panganiban and John
Prats. (MNS)
Losses that ... From page 25
Badiday. It was indeed a big loss to the industry. I believe no one can
match her credibility and popularity as a show biz talk show host. I
will always admire the kind of impact she made. She coined a lot of
popular expressions like “careful” and “promise.”
Eugene Domingo
Corazon Aquino. She was the perfect image of a wife, mother and
woman for me. I admired her strong faith. Her strength as a woman
was remarkable, from being a housewife to assuming the highest
position in the country. When our country is chaotic, I miss her prayer
rallies. When I face challenges, I always think of how difficult her life
was, and how it was rewarding, too. Inquirer.net
November 1-7, 2013
Page 27
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
DSWD says family of Freddie's gf belongs to 'poorest of the poor'
By Madonna T. Virola
CITY OF CALAPAN -- The
Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD) said the
family of singer Freddie Aguilar's
16-year-old girlfriend belongs to
the “poorest of the poor” in Oriental
Mindoro, having been a recipient
since 2008 of the agency's
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino
Program (4Ps) or the government's
poverty alleviation program.
Maridel Rodriguez, the
designated DSWD provincial link to
4Ps, said the controversy over
Aguilar's much-publicized
involvement with the minor would
not affect her family's enrollment in
the 4Ps program, as “it's a separate
case.”
Rodriguez, in a recent interview
with the Inquirer at the agency's
office at the Capitol complex here,
showed official records that listed
the birthday of Aguilar's girlfriend
as Nov. 29, 1996. She would turn 17
on her birthday next month.
A n o t h e r D S W D o f f i c e r,
designated as Oriental Mindoro
municipal link to 4Ps but who
declined to be identified, said the
agency was able to confirm the
girl's date of birth from an
interview by a municipal field staff
member with 4Ps beneficiaries on
July 10, 2012.
The municipal link officer said
the agency visited the family again
recently on instruction of DSWDMimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque,
Romblon, Palawan) director Wilma
Naviamos. During the visit, the
girl's mother showed DSWD
representatives her child's original
birth certificate to put an end to
speculations.
Aguilar's girlfriend is the
second of three children. The eldest
is now 19 years old and the
youngest is 14. Her parents are both
farm workers who do odd jobs
between farming seasons.
DSWD records showed that all
three children were 4Ps
beneficiaries in 2008, each
receiving P300 as financial
assistance when they were still 14
years old and below the age
requirement to qualify as a
beneficiary. At present, only the
youngest remains a beneficiary. The
whole family received P500 for
health and nutrition assistance.
Enough, please
In an interview with the
Inquirer, the girl's parents said they
wanted an end to the media frenzy
that followed the revelation of their
daughter's relationship with the
singer who became an
international sensation because of
the song “Anak.”
They said there was nothing
they could do to change their
daughter's mind who had
apparently “fallen in love” with the
singer.
The parents said they were hurt
by comments that their daughter
was “cheap” and they wanted to
bask in Aguilar's popularity.
The mother, 41, said they had
become the subject of unkind
rumors in their barangay (village).
But she said despite the flak her
daughter was getting, the girl had
never been happier. “She's really in
love,” the mother said.
The mother said the family had
to leave their home and rent an
apartment a few kilometers away,
as “here, we can be quiet, away
from possible fights.”
She said her husband, who is
also an electrician, had a project
closer to their rented apartment.
She stressed they got a loan to
pay the apartment's monthly rental
fee of P3,000.
“We're not making Freddie pay
for this; that may be in people's
mind,” she was quick to add, to stop
people from jumping to wrong
conclusions.
The mother said they expected
their daughter, who was living in
the singer's home in Manila, to visit
them anytime.
She said Aguilar and their
daughter met in May during a local
election campaign where the singer
was a guest and the girl had a
production number in the program.
Inquirer.net
THE MAN who composed the worldwide hit “Anak” and his young girlfriend
struggle against all odds. Facebook
OLD HOME. Today
only half of the 10 x
10-meter family
home of Freddie
Aguilar's girlfriend in
Oriental Mindoro
remains after it was
damaged by Typhoon
“Caloy” a year ago.
Pauleen Luna. Photo by Joseph Agcaoili
Pauleen Luna on Ka Freddie
On singer Freddie Aguilar and his 16-year-old girlfriend, actress
Pauleen Luna quipped: “We (she and Vic Sotto) shouldn't be
compared to them. I'm no longer a minor. In May-December
relationships, for as long as there is respect and you are not
stepping on other people … there's no need to worry.” Bayani
San Diego Jr. Inquirer.net
Maja on
Matteo-Sarah...
From page 25
namin, and hindi naman po namin
'yun plinano."
"May mga bagay na hindi po
natin hawak na magugulat nalang
tayo na nangyayari, na nandoon na
tayo sa sitwasyon na 'yon," she
said.
No comment on Gerald
In tackling questions about her
own relationship, Salvador is
playing a similar tune as Guidicelli
and Geronimo. She appealed for
privacy whenever Anderson and
their alleged misunderstandings
were brought up.
Salvador dodged several
questions about the relationship,
ranging from the alleged
disapproval of Anderson's parents
of her, to whether she feels
insecure of the actor's on-screen
partners.
"Sorry po, alam niyo naman
ako... Ang love life, sa akin, kung
pwedeng sa akin lang, sa akin lang
po. Sorry," she said.
"Hindi po sa nagiging madamot
ako sa mga sagot, pero alam niyo
naman pong very private ako
pagdating sa aking love life. Kasi
nga po, hindi naman siya parte ng
ating trabaho," Salvador added.
As for her message to fans who
have expressed support for her
and Anderson, despite the initial
criticisms over the couple's
severed ties with actress Kim Chiu,
Salvador appealed for
understanding for her hesitation
to open up about her relationship.
"Thank you, salamat po.
Maraming minsan, gusto maging
updated, pero pagpasensiyahan
niyo na po. Feeling ko hindi... May
mga bagay na pwede naming ishare, may mga bagay na sana sa
amin nalang din, para may matira
naman sa amin," she said.
SPORTS
Pacquiao finds rest refreshing
By Nick Giongco
One year removed from active
duty, Manny Pacquiao feels his
hibernation has only made him a
much-improved fighter.
Fans were horrified the last
time the Filipino boxing icon saw
action as Juan Manuel Marquez
sent him into the dreamland
during their bout at the MGM
Grand in Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2012.
It was Pacquiao's worst defeat
in a stellar career.
Next month, Pacquiao comes
out of a long rest as he faces the
wild-swinging Brandon Rios at The
Venetian in Macau on Nov. 24,
needing no less than a smashing
showing to revive his career.
During a recent teleconference
call, Pacquiao said he feels extraspecial and that the inactivity has
worked for him and not against
him as he prepares to take the sting
out of his young and hungry
Mexican-American rival.
“(I feel) very fresh, fast and
strong,” said Pacquiao from his
training camp in General Santos
City.
Instead of returning to the ring
following the Marquez debacle,
Pacquiao opted to relax his 34year-old body, enabling him to
rethink what had happened the
previous year. Pacquiao said he has
gotten over the fourth Marquez
fight, stressing that losing is simply
a “part of boxing.”
As he enters the most crucial
stage of his buildup for the 27-yearold Rios, Pacquiao is upbeat about
his chances of redeeming himself
from his last performance.
“Training hard and focus are
important,” said Pacquiao, who has
to look vintage against Rios to gain
the respect and admiration of fight
fans. Manila Bulletin
Rios out to defy odds
By Nick Giongco
Brandon Rios sees himself in a
similar position where Manny
Pacquiao was when the Filipino
faced the feared Marco Antonio
Barrera ten years ago in San
Antonio, Texas.
“Everybody's giving me no
chance (to win),” said Rios during a
teleconference call on Tuesday
afternoon (Wednesday in the
Philippines) from his training
camp in Oxnard, California.
Like Pacquiao against Barrera
in Nov. 2003, Rios is being seen as a
virtual punching bag in their
welterweight war scheduled Nov.
24 at The Venetian in Macau.
Defying huge odds, Pacquiao
scored a one-sided victory over
Barrera, catapulting him into
stardom.
But Rios doesn't see himself as
someone who will assume the form
of a cannon fodder, boasting that
Pacquiao will be in for a big shock
when they get it on at the 15,000capacity Cotai Arena.
“ Eve r y b o dy h a s a l r e a dy
marked me off. They're
overlooking me. I just want to show
the world and let them know that
he's in there with a live dog, he's not
in there with a little puppy. He's in
there with a live dog who wants to
show the world that he's the best
and that he wants to be the best and
wants to fight the best.”
That's not all, Rios said during
the phone patch that also included
his trainer Robert Garcia and Hall
of Fame promoter Bob Arum.
“This is the guy that has heart
and balls and who gives everything
in the ring. I've been reading
articles and I've been hearing all
kinds of stuff that people are
doubting me. I don't need to keep
saying it, but there is just a lot of
stuff out there,” said Rios. Manila
Bulletin
Nike run set Dec. 1
The Nike We Run MNL
(Manila) returns for its third
edition on Dec. 1, with at least
15,000 runners expected to take
to the streets of the historic
Marikina City and compete in a
10K race celebrating the spirit of
unity the Filipino way.
“For this year's race, we have
incorporated the personality of
the people of the Philippines to
motivate and inspire them to
lead a more active lifestyle.
Filipinos are kindred spirits who,
without hesitation, unite for a
good cause and help each other.
Taking this, we hope that every
Filipino runner can inspire and
motivate another and run the
race together” said Courtney
Cole-Faso, Country Marketing
Manager of Nike Philippines.
Competing runners must
sign up with a “buddy” to
constantly motivate each other
and achieve their goals as they
prepare for the race.
Nike will organize training
sessions next month to help
runners prepare for the event
that will hold counterpart races
i n S a o Pa u l o , S e o u l , a n d
Singapore, among other cities.
The training sessions will be
conducted in various locations
around the city, and runners will
participate in various Nike
Training Clubs, get tips from
athletes and get an experience
only Nike can bring.
Runners can also prepare for
the race through the more than
18 million strong Nike
Community and the new Nike
Challenges, a feature that allows
runners to set a distance goal,
invite Nike friends to join, and
race to the virtual finish line.
Manila Bulletin
November 1-7, 2013
Page 28
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
San Mig Coffee reigns supreme
By Tito Talao
San Mig Coffee's Marqus
Blakely has delivered the final
compelling proof to his
worthiness as Best Import of the
PBA Governors' Cup.
Before a conference-record
crowd of 21,319, Blakely scored
a climactic 19 points, grabbed 13
rebounds and provided the two
most critical defensive stops in
Game 7 of the PLDT-Telpad
Finals last night, October 24 as
the Mixers downed the Petron
Blaze Boosters, 87-77, for their
10th franchise championship at
the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
His steal off an Elijah Millsap
pass and ensuing fast break
layup gave San Mig an 80-75 lead
with two minutes left. Another
defensive gem on Millsap in the
closing seconds sealed the
victory.
Of the four other Mixers in
double figures, none stood
higher than Marc Pingris, who
also had 19 points, hauled down
17 rebounds, eight offensively,
and blocked five shots in a
performance eerily reminiscent
of his spectacular show in the
FIBA Asia Championship
semifinal game against South
Korea two months ago.
Pingris was unanimously
named Papa John's-PBA Press
Corps Finals MVP with averages
of 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3
assists, and 1.5 blocks.
San Mig coach Tim Cone
San Mig Coffee import Marqus Blakely proudly hoists the trophy after the Mixers brought down
Petron Blaze in Game 7 last night in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
(Bob Dungo Jr.)
claimed a milestone in his career.
“It's incredibly humbling,”
said Cone, who clinched his 15th
career title to tie the legendary
Baby Dalupan. “Just an
incredible journey for me.”
Dalupan, unbeknownst to
Cone, celebrated his 90th
birthday just a week ago.
An eight-point lead in the
fourth quarter by the Mixers was
too much to overcome for the
Boosters, who were mauled
under the boards, 57-46, and
choked by San Mig's heavy
defensive pressure all night long.
If not for their two-of-11
three-point shooting, the Mixers
would have come out with a
more comfortable halftime lead
than 41-39.
But with Mark Barroca going
0 for 3, James Yap 0 for 2, and PJ
Simon 1 for 3, San Mig had to
compensate with a 56 percent
field goal shooting (17 of 30)
from within, collecting 16 points
from the perimeter (to Petron's
10) and 24 from inside the paint.
Marqus Blakely was four-ofsix in two-pointers, Barroca,
s c o re le s s i n G a m e 6 la s t
Wednesday, four-of-seven, Marc
Pingris four-of-six and Yap,
interestingly, three-of-five,
including an offensive rebound
layup that broke a 35-all count in
the second quarter.
The defense-dominated first
half had five deadlock and two
lead changes, with neither team
u
Page 29
November 1-7, 2013
Page 29
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
San Mig Coffee ...
From page 28
putting together runs longer
than nine points. San Mig went on
a 9-0 tear highlighted by a Joe
Devance triple to open a 19-13
lead, but Petron came back with a
six-point spurt to level at the end
of 12 minutes, 19-all.
No San Mig player had more
than 8 points as the Mixers chose
to spread the offense around,
taking turns in testing Petron's
match-up zone defense which
accounted for the Mixers' 40
percent shooting overall in the
first half.
Junmar Fajardo led Petron
with 12 points yet he struggled
early from the line, missing fourof-six free throws. Elijah Millsap
added 11 points but played just 20
of the first 24 minutes after
picking up two quick fouls and
eventually his third off a driving
Simon with 65 seconds remaining.
Millsap would get whistled for
his foul halfway in the third,
leaving the Boosters without an
import at the height of a torrid
exchange where Petron took a 5348 lead on back-to-back goaltending calls on Pingris and
Blakely.
After a 19-point first quarter
and 22-point second, the two
teams battled through a 24-point
third, with Devance's threepointer beating the buzzer to give
the Mixers a 65-61 lead going to
the fourth. Manila Bulletin
SCENIC WONDER. Drawn by the beauty of the Banaue Rice Terraces on the back of a P1,000 bill, world-renowned wakeskater Brian Grubb conquers the engineering marvel in
the Mt. Province, known to Filipinos as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” DANIEL DEAK BARDOS/CONTRIBUTOR
Grubb wakeskates 'eighth wonder of the world’
WORLD renowned wakeskater
Brian Grubb, a frequent visitor to
the country, saw the back of a
P1,000 bill and knew immediately
what his next challenge would be.
“Since I first saw the drawing
of these huge rice terraces on the
back of the bill, the idea of having a
session there wouldn't let me go,”
said Grubb. “It was only a drawing
but it looked like a perfect winch
spot and probably a super scenic
location.”
And so one more time, Grubb
packed his bag and headed here.
Fellow wakeskater Dominik
Preisner of Germany tagged along.
Their mission: An epic winch
EXPRESS SUDOKU
HOW TO PLAY: Place a number from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that each
row, each column and each 3x3 block contains all the numbers from 1 to 9
Solution to Issue 42 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 42 Crossword
session at Banaue's world famous
rice terraces.
“The whole project was a real
adventure for us and the team. It is
still incredible that we were
wakeskating at such a fascinating
place,” exclaimed Grubb.
Wakeskating is one of the fastrising water sports in the world,
where an athlete skims bodies of
water atop a wakeskate while
being pulled by a winch. For his
Banaue stunt, Grubb had to take
special precautions so as not to
ruin the natural beauty of the
environment or disturb the culture
of the people living there.
Photo courtesy of Daniel Deak Bardos
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Panache
6. Weapons
10. Anagram of "Salt"
14. French for "Sister"
15. Nameless
16. Flutter
17. A kind of macaw
18. Magma
19. Not genuine
20. Unacquainted
22. Portent
23. Implored
24. A task requiring a trip
26. Cease
30. Fury
31. Accomplished
32. Adhesive strip
33. Helps
35. Javelin
39. Squeeze out
41. A pike with an
ax head
43. Cheapskate
44. Fraud
46. Its symbol is Pb
47. Missing In Action
49. French for "Friend"
50. Jittery
51. Skillet
54. Wagers
56. Plunder
57. Deductive
63. Cocoyam
64. Old stories
65. Heart artery
66. Clairvoyant
67. 1 1 1 1
68. Got up
69. Sacred
70. Obtains
71. Cheerful
DOWN
1. Brother of Jacob
2. Maize
3. Foliage
4. Emanation
5. Vagabond
6. Mine passageways
7. Unassisted
8. Exploded star
9. Caught
10. Inexpensive
11. Andean animal
12. Captured
13. Go on a buying
spree
21. Homeric epic
25. Small brook
26. Flower stalk
27. Cab
28. Chooses
29. Autocratic
34. Without disgrace
36. Require
37. Outcropping
38. Countercurrent
40. Murres
42. Friendliness
45. Nightclub
48. Not digital
51. Animal tissue
52. Cowboy sport
53. Alpine call
55. Hiding place
58. Not a single one
59. Greek letter
60. Prune
61. At the peak of
62. Gentlewoman
ACTION
CLASSIFIED
Rentals
Help Wanted
Jobs
November 1-7, 2013
Page 30
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
u
u
u
Personal u
Services
BILINGUALS
NEEDED!
International
Company looking
for bilingual
individuals for the
Marketing
Department.
$39,000+
per year
Full time & part
time.
Must have reliable
transportation.
Please send
resume to:
ultrapurejob@hot
mail.com
WOMAN
CARETAKER
WANTED
Kind, thoughtful,
strong woman to be
the second caretaker
of an elderly woman
in the Closter, NJ
area. Must speak and
write English and
must drive.
Hours are 10 AM to 9
PM, Monday through
Friday.
GOOD SALARY.
Please call PAT at
201-741-6745 and
leave a message with
your name and phone
number and I will call
you back.
HELP
WANTED
CAREGIVER
NEEDED
Looking for live in
woman to take
care of elderly
woman.
Full time
compassionate live
in caregiver needed
for elderly male
stroke victim.
Loving home in
Flushing, NY.
When calling
needs to speak
English but not
for job.
Call George
(973)835-5225
Very fine salary.
Caregiving/nursing
experience a plus.
Please contact
[email protected]
The Filipino Express is only
$40 a year for 52 issues
November 1-7, 2013
Page 31
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
November 1-7, 2013
Page 32
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS