The Filipino Express Issue 30

Transcription

totalprosports.com
VOL. 27 w
NO. 30 w
NATIONAL EDITION w
NEW JERSEY w
NEW YORK w
AUGUST 2 - 8, 2013 w
(201) 434-1114 w
$1.00
BOC workers slam corrupt tag
MANILA --- More than
3,000 employees of the Bureau
of Customs (BOC) wore black
armbands yesterday to protest
allegations of corruption in
their ranks.
T h e B O C E m p l oye e s
Association (BOCEA) called a
press conference yesterday to
express disgust over the
accusations of corruption in the
bureau.
BOCEA president Romulo
Pagulayan said President
Aquino's condemnation of the
BOC, the National Irrigation
Administration and Bureau of
Immigration was “very
disgraceful and humiliating to
these agencies.”
T h e s w e e p i n g
generalization affects and
demoralizes all officers and
employees of the BOC. This is in
complete disregard of their
right to dignity and due process
as provided for in our
Philippine Constitution.”
Vincent Villanueva of the
BOCEA read another statement
of their organization
reaffirming its commitment to
cooperate with the
administration.
“We are part of your team,
Mr. President, along with your
political appointees,” read the
statement.
“We have done our share
in making your appointees look
good. Yet the employees, the
rank and file have for the last
few months been the political
punching bag by those who
have misinformed you because
of their greed.
“As government officers,
no matter what rank we have...
we are co-owners of our agency
and we are bound to protect the
interest of the government and
the principles of the men and
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Killing of Filipino nurse condemned
By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA
(© 2013 Fil Am Extra Exchange)
BIR Commissioner Kim Henares PDI Photo
BIR chief: 90% of PH
professionals tax evaders
There were around 1.7
million self-employed
professionals in the country
who paid a total of P9.8 billion
in taxes in 2010, or an average
of only P5,764, according to
Revenue Commissioner Kim
Jacinto-Henares.
Henares said in 2011 that
professionals, based on their
income levels, should each be
paying P100,000 in taxes on
the average, indicating a 90percent tax evasion rate
among doctors, lawyers,
accountants, engineers,
architects and entertainers,
among others.
Ideally, the Bureau of
Internal Revenue (BIR) should
be collecting P100 billion in
taxes annually from these
professionals, she said.
The discrepancies
prompted Henares to issue in
Fe b ru a ry 2 011 Reve n u e
Memorandum Order No. 32 0 1 1 o rd e r i n g l aw ye r s ,
doctors, engineers and other
taxpayers rendering
professional services to be the
first to be subjected to an audit
to determine whether they
paid the correct taxes in 2010.
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr.
CHICAGO (FAXX/jGLi)-Philippine Ambassador to the
U.S. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. on
Saturday (July 27) condemned
the senseless killing of a
Filipino nurse who was shot
dead in Memphis' suburb of
Cordova,Tennessee during a
carnapping incident last July
20.
"The Philippine Embassy
has been informed of the
shooting death of Mr. Erano
Catap Santos, a 33-year-old
Filipino nurse from Angeles
C i t y, P a m p a n g a i n t h e
Philippines, outside his
apartment in Cordova on 20
July,” Ambassador Cuisia said in
a statement.
“We grieve with Mr.
Santos's loved ones and join
them in condemning this
senseless killing,” Ambassador
Cuisia said. “We are confident
that authorities will be able to
bring to justice whoever is
behind Mr. Santos's death.”
Ambassador Cuisia said
the Embassy is coordinating
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Obama names Philip Goldberg
new US Ambassador to PH
By Michaela Del Callar
has to be confirmed by the US
Senate.
The American diplomat
was at the center of controversy
in one of his most recent posts as
ambassador to Bolivia, which
expelled him in 2008. Goldberg
w a s a c c u s e d b y B o l iv i a n
President Evo Morales of
"fomenting civil unrest."
Goldberg, a career member
of the Senior Foreign Service,
Class of Career-Minister, is
United States President
Barack Obama has appointed a
new ambassador to the
Philippines, replacing Harry
Thomas Jr. who ends his tour of
duty this year, an embassy
statement said on Thursday.
Obama named Philip S.
Perennially undertaxed
Goldberg, a seasoned career
She said the BIR would
diplomat, as Thomas's successor,
embark on a “name and
who has been assigned in the
shame” drive to get the
Www.nndb.com photo
Philippines in 2010.
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Goldberg's nomination still
Philip S. Goldberg
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August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Public school teachers paying
more taxes than lawyers, doctors
By Dona Z. Pazzibugan, Paolo G.
Montecillo, Philip C. Tubeza
Public school teachers were
not happy that they were made
the poster boys and girls of the
Department of Finance (DOF),
which ran a print ad Wednesday
showing that they were making
more money than half of the
lawyers and doctors in Makati
City as what their tax returns
showed.
“It only goes to show that
teachers, while among the
lowest-paid government
professionals, are religiously
paying taxes and those who
dictate their income from clients
in private practice pay less than
we do,” said Benjo Basas, chair of
Teachers' Dignity Coalition.
The ad published in
newspapers showed 54 percent
of all self-employed doctors,
l a w y e r s a n d , i r o n i c a l l y,
accountants in Makati City, the
country's financial district, paid
less than P35,000 in taxes last
year.
The amount was less than
the P35,952 that the government
collected every year from a public
school teacher earning P21,500 a
month.
The ad showed that there
were 318 accountants who paid
taxes last year in Makati. The top
tax-paying accountant paid P4
million. The one at the bottom of
the list paid just P120.
Doc's P10 tax
The ad also showed that one
doctor paid P10 in annual income
taxes last year. Another doctor
paid P82.50 in taxes, less than the
price of a cup of coffee in some
shops.
One lawyer out of the 534 in
Makati paid just P200 in taxes.
Another paid P475, “a small
amount compared to what
lawyers usually charge their
clients.”
Basas said the DOF merely
confirmed the unfair tax
structure.
BIR chief: 90% of
PH professionals
tax evaders
From page 1
country's highest-paying and
p e re n n i a lly “u n d e rt a xe d ”
professionals to pay the correct
taxes.
President Aquino cited the
BIR figures in his 2011 State of
the Nation Address and said
that, “(I)f this is true, then they
each must have earned only
P8,500 a month, which is below
the minimum wage. I find this
hard to believe.”
“Today we can see that our
taxes are going where they
“We are actually asking the
government to reduce our taxes
so we can have a bigger takehome pay,” said Alliance of
Concerned Teachers (ACT) chair
Benjie Valbuena.
Valbuena said it would be
better for the DOF to ensure that
big tax evaders, “including highranking government officials
who receive big taxable bonuses,”
were prosecuted.
“We pay high taxes because
we are forced to. They should
zero in and make an example of
big businessmen,” he said.
Valbuena said the taxexemption level for teachers had
been pegged at P50,000 since
2008 “so any salary increases are
just eaten up by taxes.”
The ACT chair said public
school teachers were not happy
paying taxes unless the taxable
amount was lowered. “They
should increase the tax
exemption because it's already
outdated.”
Shame campaign
Commissioner Kim Henares
of the Bureau of Internal Revenue
(BIR) said professionals who
were not paying proper taxes
should be ashamed of
themselves.
The ad is part of the DOF
a n d B I R' s w e e k l y s h a m e
campaign against professionals
who make as much as millions
annually but contribute the least
to government coffers.
“The goal of the campaign is
to increase transparency in tax
payments and to encourage
people to be more conscientious
in paying the right taxes,” the ad
read.
The Philippine Medical
Association (PMA) said it was
closely working with the BIR to
encourage its members to pay the
right taxes. “We believe that taxes
are the lifeblood of this country,”
said PMA president Leo Olarte.
Tax info campaign
He said the PMA and the BIR
should, and therefore there is
no reason not to pay the proper
taxes. I say to you: 'It's not just
the government, but our fellow
citizens, who are cheated out of
the benefits that these taxes
would have provided,'” he
added.
In March, Aquino made
the same admonition before a
group of businessman at the
annual meeting of the
Federation of Filipino-Chinese
Chambers of Commerce and
Industry Inc. in Pasay City as he
expressed shock that only 105
of the FFCCCII's 207 member
firms and organizations had tax
identification numbers (TINs).
Pay up
“I wonder what happened
to the others,” the President
had conducted several tax
information and education
campaigns for PMA members to
ensure that they can comply with
their tax obligations.
“We are Filipinos first
before we become doctors,”
Olarte said.
He added that the group
also supported the tax-reform
program of President Aquino.
In an interview, Henares
said self-employed professionals
and entrepreneurs each pay an
average of P12,000 a year in
income taxes.
“That means your income is
only P5,000 a month. That's
below minimum wage. How can
you possibly live on that?” she
asked.
She said the BIR believed
that the average annual tax
payment of self-employed
professionals should be closer to
P200,000.
Pay correct amounts
Professionals still have a
chance to amend their tax returns
and pay the correct amounts
before the government starts to
build cases against them,
Henares said.
“They should put it right. If
they don't, they take the chance
that they will be investigated.
Maybe not now, but sooner or
later we will catch up,” she said.
The BIR chief said the
government's tax collection
system of “self-assessment”
presumed that all returns filed
were correct. However, some
signs were just too glaring to
ignore.
Criminal charges to be
filed vs tax evaders
MANILA -- Tax evasion
charges will be filed against
professionals found to be
misdeclaring their income
to avoid paying more taxes,
a Pa l a c e o f f i c i a l s a i d
Thursday.
"We're identifying
those professionals who are
paying less than what they
should pay and we'll file tax
evasion charges against
t h e m ," P r e s i d e n t i a l
Spokesperson Edwin
Lacierda told a news
briefing.
The Dept. of Finance
has came up with an
infographics campaign with
data showing "ridiculously
low tax payments" of selfemployed professionals in
Makati City.
The DOF data shown
in the infographic revealed
that professionals such as
d o c t o r s , l a w ye r s a n d
accountants paid less than
P35,000 in taxes in 2012 -much lower than what a
public school teacher paid
for the same year.
It said a public school
teacher earning P21,500 a
month paid more than
P35,900 in taxes.
The infographic,
posted at the Official
Gazette, is part of the Tax
Watch campaign of the BIR
and DOF.
It seeks to increase
transparency on tax
payments and to encourage
people to be conscientious
in paying the right taxes.
NBI to probe
$30M extortion
MANILA -- The National
executives for $30 million if they
Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
wanted to get the contract to
will investigate the extortion
supply trains for the MRT.
allegation against Metro Rail
The firm was reportedly
Transit (MRT) general manager
"blacklisted" from the bidding
Al Vitangcol III, who is currently
after it refused to pay the
on leave, and other officials of
g ove r n m e n t o f f i c i a l s $ 3 0
the Department of
million, a claim denied earlier by
Transportation and
presidential spokesperson
Communications (DOTC).
Edwin Lacierda.
Justice Secretary Leila de
Earlier reports said Czech
Lima said the NBI would be
Ambassador Josef Rychtar
stepping in the controversy
claimed Vitangcol and other
upon instructions from
officials tried to extort $30
President Benigno Aquino III.
million from Inekon Group in
Like CCT beneficiaries
"The President has tasked
order for them to land a contract
For instance, Henares said
the NBI to undertake the Inekonto supply 48 new trains for the
tax payments of some lawyers,
DOTC
investigation,"
De
Lima
MRT
expansion.
doctors and accountants were so
told reporters in a text message
Vitangcol went on leave in
small that it was as if they made
Monday. "As always, the thrust is
light of the allegation against
less money than families under
to ascertain the facts and the
him.
the government's conditional
truth and determine
Transportation Secretary
cash transfer program.
accountability if warranted."
Joseph Emilio Abaya said
The BIR uses various
A Philippine Star report
Vitangcol had denied to him the
techniques to detect delinquent
said officials from the DOTC had
allegation.
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Page 9
a sked Czech firm I n ekon
said. “Of these 105 firms, only
54 filed tax returns. To make
matters worse, 38 firms and
organizations actually filed
returns with zero tax due. That
means that only 16 of the 207or
only around eight percentof
your member organizations
paid taxes. The 6.6 [percent
economic] growth rate did not
seem to affect your members.”
As a response, FFCCCII
president Tan Chin said in a
message to the Inquirer, “In
light of the good governance
program led by our President,
the federation will ask the
entire Chinese community to be
very diligent in paying their tax
o b l i g a t i o n s .” I n q u i r e r
Research (Philippine Daily
Inquirer)
Deputy who shot Fil-Am
exonerated; Filipino
community dismayed
By Roy C. Mabasa
Manila --- The Filipino
community in the United States
is dismayed by findings of an
internal investigation that said
a police deputy was justified in
shooting and killing a FilipinoAmerican holding a knife and
scissors at a store in Sterling,
Virginia, last May.
In a statement, National
Fe d e ra t i o n o f F i l i p i n o
American Associations
(NaFFAA) chair Ed Navarra
said that while they
understand that sheriff
deputies need to use force to
p ro te c t t h e m s e lve s , “ we
continue to believe that when
guns were fired at Mylene
“Mhai” De Leon Scott, it was an
unreasonable and excessive
use of force which showed a
reckless disregard for the life of
an innocent woman.”
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August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 3
After bus ban, Erap targets smoking,
unkempt jeepney drivers next
MANILA -- After drawing
flak for declaring a bus ban,
which he has since modified,
Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada
said Tuesday his next targets will
be jeepney drivers who smoke at
the wheel and fail to groom
themselves.
I n a ra d i o i n te r v i e w,
Estrada said a Land
Transportation Office circular
bans smoking in public vehicles
and added that jeepney drivers
should always be presentable.
“Ipakita natin sa dayuhan
na tayong mga Filipino ay may
disiplina din (Let us show
foreigners that we Filipinos are
also disciplined),” Estrada said.
Aside from dressing
properly, jeepney drivers will
also be required to wear shoes,
not slippers.
This is not the first time a
local government has tried to
impose a dress code among
jeepney drivers.
Erap's appeal
Meanwhile, Estrada
appealed to his critics to give the
Manila government enough time
to properly implement the city
ordinance he has since said does
not ban all buses but only
“colorum” vehicles.
He noted that different
agencies are working to thresh
out the issues raised by Manila's
attempt to ease traffic in the
national capital.
“Bigyan nila kami ng time
upang maging maayos ang
panuntunan kontra kolorum na
sasakyan at maisaayos ang daloy
ng trapiko sa lungsod (We ask
them for time to properly
implement the anti-colorum
measure and ease the traffic flow
in the city),” Estrada said.
On Monday, Manila allowed
buses to enter the city on
condition they load and unload
passengers only at designated
bus stops, adding that they would
add more bus stops if needed.
“Kung kulang ang bus stops,
magdadagdag pa kami (If there
are not enough bus stops, we will
add more),” he said.
Estrada said the Manila
Traffic Management Committee
chaired by Vice Mayor Isko
Moreno is working on improving
the ordinance's implementation.
“ F o r n o w, i t i s j u s t
experiment ang ipinatutupad na
bus ban at patuloy itong
rerebisahin (For now, the bus
ban implementation is just
experimental and it is constantly
being revised,” he said.
“It is just temporary,” he
added.
But he remained firm that
h e w o u l d n o t re p e a l t h e
ordinance.
He pointed out that there is
still much to do before the city
government can satisfactorily
address the traffic problem.
“Kailangan pa natin ayusin
ang sidewalk at illegal vendors
(We still need to fix the sidewalk
and illegal vendors),” he said.
Enforcers of the Land Transportaion Fanchising and Regulatory Board checks their
database for the validity of the franchise of a bus traversing EDSA. The LTFRB, along with
the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has banded together for Oplan Goliath
aimed at cracking down on colorum vehicles and other violations passing Epifanio De Los
Santos Avenue in Munoz Quezon city last August 01, 2013. (Michael Varcas)
LTFRB, MMDA intensify
anti-colorum drive
By Carlo Suerte Felipe
Several buses, taxis and a
private van were impounded by
the Land Transportation
Franchising and Regulatory
B o a r d ( LT F R B ) a n d t h e
Metropolitan Manila
Development Authority
(MMDA) during the start of
Oplan Goliath on Thursday.
Armed with laptop
computers, enforcers of both
agencies posted themselves at
the Balintawak-EDSA
southbound area in Quezon
City at around 5:30 a.m., and
started flagging public utility
vehicles (PUVs) which are not
registered in the LTFRB's
franchise database as well as
those that are operating out of
line.
Within one hour, 13
provincial buses were caught
plying out of their designated
routes. Some of the
apprehended bus unit belong to
legit bus companies such as
Solid North Transit and Five
Star Company.
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Page 6
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 4
Ballsy willing to testify in $30M
extort try probe: Palace
MANILA -- President
Benigno Aquino III's sister
Ballsy Cruz is willing to testify
in any investigation on the
alleged extortion attempt on a
Czech firm in connection with
the Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT
3) project, Malacañang said
Wednesday.
"If you want her to
testify, invite her. She will be
ready, willing, and able to
speak to whoever wants to ask
for her views," presidential
spokesperson Edwin Lacierda
said at a press briefing.
Ballsy and her husband,
Eldon Cruz, had been rumored
to be part of a group that
allegedly tried to extort $30
million from Czech firm
Inekon in exchange for the
contract to supply trains for
the MRT 3.
The couple reportedly
went to Prague in 2011 and
met with Czech businessmen
but Czech Ambassador Josef
Rychtar, who brought up the
extortion attempt, had cleared
the two.
Ballsy has also denied
any involvement in the
controversy and dared her
Ph.new.yahoo.com photo
Ballsy Cruz
accusers to come forward.
"She is prepared to speak
on her behalf and to say what
kung ano ang nangyari. Wala
siyang alam. She was already
cleared by the Czech
ambassador," said Lacierda.
Earlier this week, Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima said
A q u i n o h a s t a s ke d t h e
National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI) to look
into issue.
T h e H o u s e o f
Representatives is also being
urged to conduct its own
investigation.
Lacierda said Congress is
free to proceed as it sees fit.
"It's within their
prerogative if they choose to
investigate. Who are we to
stop a separate branch of
government? [But] as far as
the executive branch is
concerned, the NBI will
investigate it. DOTC
( D e p a r t m e n t o f
Transportation and
Communication) will share
information with the NBI," he
said.
Asked if there's a
possibility of a joint
investigation, he said he does
not know.
"I have no idea if that's in
the works... it's up to the
House leadership. As far as we
are concerned, all… Any issues
governing or surrounding the
executive branch... we are
passing it on to NBI to
investigate because they are
the lead investigative agency
in the executive branch. So we
defer to them," Lacierda said.
De Lima clears Noy
allies in 'pork' scam
Ahead of NBI probe completion
By Benjamin B. Pulta and Angie
M. Rosales
Department of Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima, even
before the National Bureau of
Investigation's (NBI) conclusion in
the ongoing investigation of the
alleged diversion of senators' and
congressmen's Priority
Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF), more commonly known as
“pork barrel funds” to fictitious
non-government organizations
(NGOs), immediately cleared
President Aquino's allies but left
the non-allies' clearance hanging.
More Palace allies have been
cleared by the Justice chief in
connection with the ongoing
controversy over the alleged
anomalies involving legislators'
pork barrel funds.
Speaking with reporters, De
Lima conceded that while the
NBI's study of the so-called P10billion pork barrel scam is still
ongoing, they see no evidence
against Agriculture Secretary
Proceso Alcala and three
administration senators Aquilino
“Koko” Pimentel, Antonio Trillanes
BOC workers slam
corrupt tag
From page 1
women who have strived hard to
do things right and make things
right.”
Villanueva said the country
has about 600 entry points, with
about five private wharfs and
ports.
“The outports that should
have been controlled solely by
BOC are controlled by politicians
who belong to oligarchs who can
manipulate designations of port
collectors,” he said.
The BOC does not have any
ship or boat that could help it in it
the conduct of patrol, Villanueva
said.
The BOCEA said Customs
personnel have long been made
the “whipping boy” of politicians,
such that their accomplishments
have been left in the shadow of
accusations of corruption.
“Even if Customs personnel
have apprehended million worth
of these products of illicit trade
and environment crimes, nothing
s e e m s e n o u g h ,” r e a d t h e
statement.
“Even if we've been able to
slam the statistics of our
accomplishments in the faces of
these politicians, they will not be
recognized as newsworthy
because for these people, positive
things are not controversial that
would make them more
IV and Loren Legarda whose
names she said does not appear in
affidavits of whistleblower Benhur
Luy or any state witness.Yet much
earlier, reporters were given
names from the affidavit of
Merlina Pablo Sunas, one of the
witnesses, linking Sen. Ferdinand
Marcos Jr., and Sen. Loren Legarda,
although both Marcos and Legarda
had also earlier denied that their
PDAF funds were used or diverted
to the claimed fictitious
foundations of Janet Lim Napoles
of JLN Group of Companies that
were submitted to the NBI.
Sunas was reportedly Napoles'
trusted employee of 12 years
whom she appointed president of
the allegedly bogus nongovernment organization People's
Organization for Progress and
Development Foundation Inc.
It was noted that while Legarda
was cleared of any involvement, De
Lima failed to clear Marcos, who
was also named in the affidavit.
Marcos is not seen as a Palace ally.
But De Lima insisted that “at
this point in the absence of any
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Page 5
controversially 'pogi' in the eyes
of the public.
“Some politicians are even
the ones that hamper the
development at the bureau by not
passing the Customs and Tariff
Modernization Act (CTMA) which
has been drafted since year 2006.
It (CTMA) has been lobbied
several times only to be ignored
by politicians who have vested
interests making BOC a money
milking agency.”
The BOCEA said employees
are also hurting from allegations
that the government has lost
P200 billion due to corruption.
“Statistics with no basis
have been slapped on our faces by
those influential persons who are
close to the speechwriters of the
President,” read the statement.
The BOCEA said the BOC has
difficulty meeting revenue targets
because international free trade
agreements have led to the
decrease in the rates of imported
goods.
The 5,000 tariff articles'
rates ranging between 20-30
percent in the 1990s have
dropped to an average of zero to
seven percent, BOCEA added.
BOCEA legal officer Antonio
Bonifacio said they are also
pushing for the repeal of
Executive Order 47 broadening
the powers of the secretary of
finance over the BOC issued
during the Estrada
administration. (The Philippine
Star)
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 5
De Lima clears
Noy allies ...
From page 4
document or proof linking them to
the alleged scam they are not
covered by the investigation. They're
not involved in this, unless something
comes out implicating them,” she
said.
“There appear to be unseen
hands or elements that are trying to
muddle the ongoing NBI probe.
That's not fair because in the middle
of this investigation, the NBI is being
put in a bad light,” she stressed.
De Lima warned unnamed parties
may be held liable for obstruction of
justice but did not give details.
The Justice secretary, who supervises
the NBI fact-finding probe on the
P10-billion scam allegedly
perpetrated by businesswoman
Napoles, denied a banner story of
another newspaper that implicated
Secretary Alcala to the controversy.
The Palace has virtually cleared
Alcala a day before.
De Lima appeared to have
taken the same move, saying she had
clarified the issue with the NBI and
Luy's lawyer Levito Baligod, saying
that “there was no mention of
Secretary Alcala in the affidavits.
Lawyer Baligod said they don't even
know how exactly the pork barrel
was used in the DA (Department of
Agriculture) projects.”
De Lima conceded that Luy has
said that pork barrel of several
congressmen went to DA projects but
said that as to the three senators, she
quickly denied reports that they were
named in affidavits of Luy and other
witnesses such as Merlina Sunas.
“I'd like to categorically deny
that. I've seen most of documents, but
not all, and I did not see the names of
any of these three senators (Legarda,
Senator Trillanes and Senator
Pimentel). I confirmed this with the
NBI and lawyer Baligod and the three
names were not found in the
a f f i d a v i t s ,” s h e r e v e a l e d .
De Lima has refused to confirm if five
senators earlier implicated by the
whistleblower were indeed in the
sworn statements in the case.
'“Yes, there are lawmakers, but
as to who exactly we cannot confirm
yet. That is why the NBI has not
subpoenaed anyone yet. There's still
no basis to invite those who were
really named in affidavits,” she
stressed.
At the center of the controversy
is Napoles who reportedly put up
bogus NGOs and collected donations
from PDAF of lawmakers, as well as
the P900-million Malampaya Fund
and P728-million Fertilizer Fund.
The funds were then allegedly
remitted to Napoles' many bank
accounts, according to affidavits
submitted by Luy and whistleblower
Sunas to the NBI.
E a r l i e r H o u s e o f
Representatives legislators were at
odds over the allegation that 98
lawmakers were involved in the
alleged misuse of the PDAF as
disclosed by Abakada partylist Rep.
Jonathan de la Cruz, Cavite Rep.
Elpidio Barzaga and Capiz Rep.
Fredenil Castro said De la Cruz
should substantiate his allegations.
De La Cruz claimed that 98
lawmakers had channeled their
PDAF to questionable nongovernment organizations but that
they have not been named and only
those non- allies of the Palace are
being mentioned in the controversy,
The party-list solon furnished media
men with a copy of an initial draft of a
special audit report conducted by
CoA baring a number of projects
funded from the PDAF of 98
lawmakers released through four
government agencies
the
Department of Social Welfare and
Development national Captial
Region (DSWD NCR), the National
Agri-Business Corp. (Nabcor), the
Technology Resource Center (TRC)
a n d t h e N a t i o n a l L ive l i h o o d
Development Center (NLDC). The
paper further revealed that the funds
totaling P2.193 billion, were released
to 15 non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), supposedly
for the funding of 244 projects.
At the Senate the other day Sen.
Miriam Defensor-Santiago filed a
resolution that will effect its gradual
phaseout of its provision in the
national budget beginning next year
until it becomes non-existent in
2016.
Santiago's proposal
immediately drew support from
Senate President Franklin Drilon,
saying that it appears to be feasible
and would no longer need an
enactment of this into law. Majority
L e a d e r A l a n Pe t e r C aye t a n o
expressed reservations in supporting
Santiago's proposal, although he is
willing to back up any proposal that
will free PDAF from graft and ensure
the delivery of program to
lawmakers' constituents.
At t h e S e n a te ,
finance
committee chairman Sen. Francis
“Chiz” Escudero yesterday urged
transparency in the use of
lawmakers' pork barrel as he called
on his colleagues from both Houses
to “itemize” their respective
proposed PDAF allocation under the
2014 proposed national budget.
Appearing in a news forum at
the Senate, Escudero also expressed
his position on the proposed
abolition of PDAF made by Senator
Santiago, admitting that he prefers
the idea of reforming the pork barrel
s ys t e m ra t h e r t h a n s c ra p i t
completely.
Santiago's proposition, he said,
merits a study although it need not be
enacted into law by Congress, should
it be eventually adopted, saying that
the matter can be debated upon by
lawmakers when they start
deliberating the proposed 2014
national budget.
An estimated P27 billion has
been allocated for PDAF of senators
and congressmen in the P2.268
trillion proposed general
appropriations act (GAA) for next
year and the Department of Budget
and Management (DBM) has already
provided a “menu” suggesting the
areas in which the funds should be
used, Escudero said.
“On my part, I will encourage
my colleagues, both senators and
congressmen, and try to convince
them to submit a detailed allocation
of their pork barrel. If each of the
department offices have managed to
provide detailed appropriation of
their budget, I'm sure my colleagues
can do the same as they will be
dealing with P70 million to P200
million (PDAF) compared to billions
of line agencies,” he said.
“We can come up with a
provision for realignments if there
would be some adjustments. But just
the same, even the realignments
should have posting and notice
requirement so we can easily trace
where these PDAF will go,” he said.
Escudero said that the issue on
the alleged misuse of pork barrel of
some lawmakers, should be taken
into serious consideration, the
reason some reforms are needed to
be made to prevent this from
happening in the future. The senator
agreed with Santiago prohibiting
NGOs from being among the
recipients of the fund, saying that
lone agencies and other government
offices should be tapped for
implementation to allow
accountability in its disbursements.
In the same forum, Escudero
expressed dismay over the apparent
indifference of his colleagues in
taking up his called investigation into
the latest PDAF controversy.
Escudero said he does not want
to preempt blue ribbon committee
c h a i r m a n S e n . Te o f i s to “ TG”
Guingona's moves on the scheduling
the hearing and starting the inquiry,
saying that it is the prerogative of any
panel chairman how to handle the
issue.
It's unfortunate, he added, that
when the issue already broke out,
only a few of his colleagues are
willing to discuss the issue in public.
Escudero echoed the position
aired by Drilon on the issue on the
improbability of the House of
Representatives' panel inquiring into
the PDAF controversy inviting some
senators who have been dragged into
the fund mess.
As a matter of interparliamentary courtesy, Drilon said
they do not ask members of the lower
house to attend their hearings the
issue involve some congressmen.
“That cannot be done because
of the inter-chamber courtesy. Except
when it was a voluntary act on the
part of the senator and vice versa. I
think that only happened once here
or twice in the Senate where there
were congressmen who appeared
here and that was on their own
volition. (Daily Tribune)
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 6
$50-M Assistance Package Highest Since 2000; PH May Get 3rd Warship
US boosts military aid
By Roy C. Mabasa
Manila --- The United States
will raise its military assistance to
the Philippines by about two-thirds,
the Department of Foreign Affairs
(DFA) has disclosed.
Foreign Affairs Secretary
Albert Del Rosario said Washington
had increased its military assistance
package from $30 million next fiscal
year to about $50 million, the
highest level since US troops
returned to the Philippines in 2000.
“For military financing, it's an
allocation that is worked out by the
US Congress, and it's usually for
acquisition and maintenance,” Del
Rosario told reporters.
Del Rosario also revealed that
the Philippines may acquire a third
Hamilton-class cutter to boost its
efforts to patrol sea borders in view
of recurring standoffs with China
over territory in the West Philippine
Sea (South China Sea).
The Hamilton-class high
endurance cutter is the largest and
newest warship in the Philippine
Navy. The first two ships were
acquired free of charge under the
excess defense articles (EDA) under
which Washington provides old
equipment no longer in active use.
But $25 million was spent to
refurbish them.
The second cutter, the BRP
Ramon Alcaraz (PF16), is set to
arrive in Philippine waters today,
Aug. 2.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario
More than a year since it was
turned over by the United States and
after 53 days in voyage,
A “sail past” will be held today off
Casiguran in Aurora to welcome
Alcaraz.
Formerly known as the USCGC
Dallas (WHEC-716), the 378-foot
H i gh E n d u ra n c e Cu t te r wa s
transferred to the Philippines in
May 2012 in a simple ceremony at
the former naval base in Charleston,
South Carolina.
A senior military official,
however, told Reuters that the
Philippines may shelve the plan to
acquire the third cutter and use the
funds to upgrade the two vessels
now in its fleet with a missile
system.
Since 2002, the United States
has provided the Philippines a total
of $312 million in military aid as
well as various types of military
equipment.
Until the early 1990s, US
troops operated from two large
military bases in the Philippines,
providing a security umbrella in the
country's decades of fighting
against Maoist and Muslim
insurgents.
There are now plans to allow
Washington wider access to civilian
and military bases to help its former
c o l o ny e n h a n c e i t s d e fe n s e
capability.
Meanwhile, the Philippine
government is looking forward to
sustain its warm relations with the
Un ited S t a tes follow in g t he
appointment of new US
Ambassador Philip Goldberg.
US President Barack Obama
recently nominated Goldberg to
replace US Ambassador to the
Philippines Harry Thomas Jr., who
has been assigned to the country
since 2010. The new diplomatic
post of Goldberg is still subject to
the approval by the US Congress.
“We have a very good and
warm relationship with the US
under Ambassador Harry Thomas.
We would also expect a warm
relationship with the US under the
Ambassador designate Goldberg,”
Presidential Spokesman Edwin
Lacierda said.
“He is going to undergo
confirmation yet so it will be
sometime before we will see him
here in the Philippines,” Lacierda
added.
Prior to his appointment,
Goldberg served as assistant
secretary for intelligence and
research at the US State Department
since 2010.
Goldberg was also former
ambassador to Bolivia from 2006 to
2008. He previously served in
different capacities in Chile,
Colombia and South Africa.
On complaints by some
groups on the appointment of the
n e w U S a m b a s s a d o r to t h e
Philippines, Lacierda reiterated that
his nomination will still be subject
to confirmation before the US
Congress. “We don't know yet how
soon he will come here,” he added.
(With reports from Reuters, Elena L.
Aben and Genalyn D. Kabiling)
As head of one of 16 elements
in the US Intelligence Community, a
position he has held since 2010,
Goldberg is involved in providing
value-added independent analysis
of events to US State Department
policymakers; ensuring that
intelligence activities support
foreign policy and national security
purposes; and serving as the focal
point in the State Department for
ensuring policy review of sensitive
counterintelligence and law
LTFRB, MMDA
intensify ...
From page 3
"Most of these buses, for
example, are only allowed up to
Bulacan. But they will still pick up
passengers and service them
until Cubao or Pasay," said LTFRB
Executive Director Roberto
Cabrera III.
Cabrera said that there are
8,264 provincial buses and
around 3,600 city buses
authorized to operate within
Metro Manila. Around 3,500 or
30% are considered without
franchises.
"When PUVs are operating
beyond their lines as stated in
their franchise, they are already
considered as colorum," said
LTFRB Chairman Winston Ginez.
enforcement activities around the
world.
From June 2009 until June
2010, Goldberg served as the
Coordinator for Implementation of
the United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1874 (Sanctions) on
North Korea.
In 2006, then President
G e o r g e W. B u s h n o m i n a t e d
Goldberg as Ambassador to Bolivia.
However, on September 10,
2008, the Bolivian government gave
72 hours for Ambassador Goldberg
to leave the country, after the US was
accused of funding opposition to
then Bolivian President Evo Morales
by providing opposition leaders and
critical think-tanks with millions of
dollars.
The US State Department
subsequently issued an official
statement saying that Bolivia had
committed a grave error and that
the allegations against Goldberg
were baseless.
Prior to his stint in Bolivia, he
served as Chief of Mission in
Pristina, Kosovo (2005 to 2006).
A native of Boston,
Massachusetts and a graduate of
The Rivers School and Boston
University, Ambassador Goldberg
served as Charge d'Affaires and
Deputy Chief of Mission at the US
Embassy in Santiago, Chile from
2001 to 2004. (With reports from
Reuters, Elena L. Aben and Genalyn
D. Kabiling) (Manila Bulletin)
One AUV private van was
also apprehended as it was
ferrying passengers to Ortigas
Center in Pasig. According to the
passengers, they were picked up
at Hagonoy, Bulacan. The driver
was also in possession of a DOTC
ID.
Passengers who were on
board colorum buses were asked
to alight and transferred to the
bus service of the MMDA to bring
them to respective destinations.
There was a notable traffic
build-up in the area as buses
tried to avoid the MMDA and
MMDA and LTFRB enforcers by
taking the inner lane of the
highway.
Before noon, a total of 20
buses and 4 taxi cabs were
apprehended and impounded.
Operators of the said PUVs will be
summoned to a hearing at the
LTFRB.
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 7
Deputy who shot
Fil-Am ...
From page 2
Loudoun County
Commonwealth Attorney
James E. Plowmen released
the report on the
investigation into the death
De Leon that exonerated the
deputy who shot and killed
Scott inside a Costco
Wholesale Store in Sterling.
Plowmen said that after
reviewing voluminous
evidence, including
numerous interviews, police
reports, surveillance video
footages, photographs and
extensive background and
medical records, he found
that the deputy's actions were
appropriate.
On the afternoon of May
29, Loudoun County sheriff
deputies responded to a
report of a disorderly person
at the Sterling store. When the
deputies arrived, they found
the 38-year-old Scott, a food
server at Costco, armed with a
knife and a pair of scissors.
The deputies said that
Scott did not respond to
commands to drop the knife.
When she continued to
advance toward them even
after being hit with a Taser,
one of the deputies shot her.
After the report
exonerating the deputies was
released, the NaFFAA issued a
statement expressing
solidarity with the Scott
family “that continues to
grieve and suffer as it deals
with the consequences of a
painful loss.”
“ We a r e e s p e c i a l ly
concerned with the wellbeing and welfare of Mhai's
two children who are now
bereft of a mother who loved
them dearly,” said Navarra.
“Mhai's wrongful death
cries out for justice and the
Filipino American community
will pursue every means to
ensure that justice is done,” he
said. “Law enforcement
authorities must be held
accountable for negligence
and failure to exercise
prudence in cases where
other options would have
saved the life of innocent
victims.”
Navarra reiterated
NaFFAA's call for the Loudon
County Sheriff's Department
to review its policies
re g a rd i n g u s e o f fo rc e
“especially when confronting
people who pose challenges
because of cultural, racial and
p s y c h o l o g i c a l f a c t o r s .”
(Manila Bulletin)
Trillanes to use chairmanship
to push reforms in AFP
MANILA -- He led
mutinies in the past in protest
of corruption and landed in jail
for them. Now Sen. Antonio
Trillanes IV, a former soldier,
said he will use his new
assignment in the Senate to
push for reforms in the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Trillanes has been named
chairman of the Senate
committee on national defense
and security, which oversees
matters relating to national
defense, the military, and
external and internal threats to
national security, among
others.
Trillanes said he
personally asked for the
chairmanship of the
committee.
" N a n i n iwa l a t ayo n a
mayro'n tayong kakayanan na
gampanan itong tungkulin na
'to," he told reporters on
Monday. "At the same time, ito
ang opportunity namin na
maitulak ang mga reporma as
Armed Forces na sinimulan
namin noong Oakwood."
In 2003, Trillanes and
some 300 junior military
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV
officers and enlisted men
occupied the posh Oakwood
Tower in Makati City to
denounce corruption in the
government, particularly the
military.
He was jailed, won in the
2007 senatorial elections while
in detention, and later that year,
marched out of a courtroom
together with his co-accused in
a coup d'état case and took over
the Peninsula Manila Hotel to
reiterate their call for the
ouster of then President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo.
As chair of the national
defense committee, Trillanes
said he will prioritize measures
that would uplift the morale
and welfare of soldiers, such as
those increasing their
subsistence allowance and
combat pay.
He was one of the authors
of the AFP Modernization Act,
which was signed into law in
2012.
Trillanes also said he will
hold a private briefing with
concerned officials to have a
general view of the country's
security situation, focusing on
issues like the insurgency
p ro b l e m , o r g a n i z e d a n d
transnational crimes, and the
Philippines' external defense
p o s t u re a m i d te r r i to r i a l
disputes with China.
"We need to have baseline
information kung ano ba talaga
ang security situation ng ating
bansa on all fronts," he said.
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 8
'The Apprentice Asia' winner hopes to inspire Pinoys
Jonathan Yabut (Photo by Annie S. Alejo)
By Annie S. Alejo
The cheers of friends and
supporters during the viewing
party of the second part of “The
Apprentice Asia (AA)” finale at the
H y ve o n We d n e s d ay n i g h t
sounded almost as if they were
watching a game of sports. As the
final episode progressed, the
excitement was palpable, and no
matter who won between the
Filipino contender Jonathan Yabut
and Singaporean Andrea Loh who
was present at the party with
majority of the show's contestants
from all over Asia this was clearly
going to be a victory celebration.
Yabut emerged victorious,
the first ever Asian Apprentice off
the reality show's debut season. A
27-year-old senior product
manager, he is a Bachelor of
Science in Economics graduate
from the University of the
Philippines who has squared off
against his former Mavericks
teammate Loh, a lawyer who
graduated with honors from the
University of Singapore.
“People always ask me,
'Would you do it again if you were
given a chance?' My answer is a
definite no,” Yabut tells Bulletin
Entertaimet with a laugh. “It's
very stressful! My tip to (Pinoy)
Season Two aspirants: Prepare for
the worst. The moment you wake
up at 5 a.m., you sleep at 11 p.m.,
you eat something that's different
from your culture, you interface
with different nationalities it's
very very different. But I think
Obama names Philip
Goldberg new US
Ambassador to PH
claims, calling them "baseless."
Bolivia's declaration came
after heightened protests against
Morales, a former coca farmer who
legalized to some extent the
production of cocaine in Bolivia.
From page 1
Assistant Secretary for Intelligence
and Research at the Department of
State, a position he has held since
2010.
From 2006 to 2008, he served
as Ambassador to Bolivia and as
Chief of Mission in Pristina, Kosovo
from 2005 to 2006.
Expelled from Bolivia
In 2008, Goldberg was
ordered home by Bolivian
President Morales after he accused
the American of "fomenting the
civil unrest that threatens not only
the country's first indigenous
Indian president, Evo Morales, but
the unity of the nation itself."
According to the Daily
Telegraph, Goldberg was declared
persona non grata for "conspiring
against democracy and seeking the
division of Bolivia."
The US denied Bolivia's
Rose through the ranks
Goldberg also served as
Charge d'Affaires and Deputy Chief
of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in
Santiago, Chile from 2001 to 2004.
In 2001, he served as Acting Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Legislative
Affairs.
From 1996 to 2000, he served
as Special Assistant and then
Executive Assistant to the Deputy
Secretary of State and as Bosnia
Desk Officer from 1994 to 1996.
Goldberg's previous overseas
assignments include: Consular and
Political Officer at the U.S. Embassy
in Bogota, Colombia and PoliticalEconomic Officer in Pretoria, South
Africa.
He began his career as a
Liaison Officer for the City of New
York for the United Nations. He
received a B.A. from Boston
University. - VVP, GMA News
there's no other way to cram it all
in two months... It's life changing!”
On the last boardroom faceoff, host Tony Fernandes minced
no words in saying that he came to
that meeting already with a
decision but that he had changed
his mind. After hearing what both
contestants had to say, he lauded
Loh's skills throughout the season
but in the end, he looked at Yabut
and said, “You're hired!”
Yabut, of course, wins the
coveted title and the opportunity
to work for and with Fernandes,
who is not only the show's
counterpart to the original US
version's Donald Trump, but is, in
fact, a multi-awarded business
mogul and aviation tycoon. He is
the Group Chief Executive Officer
of AirAsia, and has also been
named Forbes Asia's 2010 Asia
Businessman of the Year. Clearly, a
major perk of the show is learning
from the best.
“I told him one time, I
whispered to him, 'Sir, if ever I win,
I want to be in AirAsia,'” Yabut
shares. “I'm such a traveller at
heart. Sabi ko sa application video
ko, 70 percent of my allowance and
savings go to travelling. Kahit magover na 'yung credit card ko, makatravel lang. Magsu-swipe ako ng
KLM flight to Europe and travel.”
He envisions helping AirAsia
become even bigger and known
worldwide. “I think this is the time
when the political and economic
power is shifting to Asia. And what
you want is a brand known all over
the world that even if you ask an
American or a European what
AirAsia is, they know exactly what
it is. AirAsia is a symbol that the
power is now in our region.”
Loh, during her speech after
the screening, admitted, “I'm still
getting over it. It's difficult to
watch it on television along with
the rest of Asia, let alone.”
Nevertheless, she also pointed out
how it was “difficult to compete
with someone you respect, but at
the same time, it's the best kind of
competition to have.”
She added, “It's difficult that
only one person can get the job... As
Mr. Fernandes himself said,
'Nobody remembers who comes in
second place.' Well, I plan to
c h a n g e t h a t .” T h i s e l i c i te d
applause from the other
contestants, as well as the
attendees.
Filipinos have traditionally
done well in these Asian-based
re a l i t y s h ow c o m p e t i t i o n s .
“Amazing Race Asia” has, in fact,
produced a pair of Pinoy
champions already. “Kasi palaban
tayo talaga,” Yabut declares. “I
think the Filipino is 'pabida'... We
always feel like we are the
underdogs. That we have to prove
so much about ourselves, because
we know who we really are.
“To be honest, that's really
why I joined 'The Apprentice
(Asia).' I'm sick and tired of people
ganging up on the Filipinos
thinking that we're just a bunch of
domestic helpers... We are so much
more than that. I want to show
them that the marketing and sales
Filipinos are arguably the best in
Asia, and (this show) was a
platform for me to say that.”
He repeated the same
sentiment in his passionate victory
speech, wherein he thanked his
former companies and bosses and
people who rooted for him. “It's
not about me... it could have been
anyone,” he reiterated.
He also turned to the other
contestants on the stage with him
and thanked them one by one.
Turning to the only other Filipino
contender who made the show,
Celina Le Neindre, he remaked,
“This woman really helped me win
this competition. It was so nice to
have her (in my team for the
finale)... Picking her has really,
really shown how the Filipinos are
always there for each other
through thick and thin.”
He ended his speech with the
same line he uttered during the
last fundraising task: “In the end,
inspiration sparks hope, hope
sparks action and action sparks
change.”
“The Apprentice Asia” is an
AXN made-in-Asia-for-Asia
original production, and is the
Asian adaptation of the U.S. reality
series helmed by reality TV guru,
Mark Burnett (“The Voice,”
“Survivor”) and FremantleMedia
Asia. (Manila Bulletin)
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 9
JCPD Leads Multi-Agency Operation;
35 Arrested and Multiple Weapons
Seized During Sweep
JERSEY CITY --- Mayor Steven
M. Fulop and Jersey City Police
Department officials announced the
arrest of 35 individuals on a variety
of charges, including drug and
weapons offenses, that resulted as
part of multi-agency overnight
operation. During the sweep, which
concluded in the early morning
hours, police also recovered multiple
weapons.
More than four dozen
municipal ordinance and motor
vehicle summonses were also issued
as part of the operation.
The Jersey City Police
Department was the lead agency,
with cooperation from the Hudson
County Sheriff's Office, the Hudson
County Prosecutor's Office, and the
federal Drug Enforcement Agency
(DEA).
“What the police did was target
the areas that have been a source of
ongoing crime and conduct
important surveillance that led to a
significant number of arrests and
likely future arrests,” said Mayor
Fulop. “By working with other law
enforcement agencies, we can pool
our resources to send a strong
message to the criminal element that
if you commit a crime, you will be
arrested.”
Beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday,
July 26th, 2013 a total of 45
plainclothes officers and supervisors
fanned out across the South and
Killing of Filipino
nurse condemned
From page 1
with the Memphis police and is in
touch with Erano's aunt in San
Diego.
He said the Embassy will
extend all possible assistance in
facilitating the repatriation of the
victim's remains to the Philippines.
Santos, who migrated to the
United States only last year, was
found dead with a gunshot wound
outside his apartment in Cordova,
22 miles east of Memphis.
We s t D i s t r i c t s , c o n d u c t e d
surveillance of hot spot locations and
ga t hered im p ort a n t c rim in a l
intelligence.
From their
surveillance, the officers arrested 25
individuals on a variety of charges,
including drug distribution charges.
A second part of the operation
began at 8 p.m. and involved 22 JCPD
uniformed officers, including
Emergency Squad officers and
officers from the Hudson County
Sheriff's Office, targeting the hot
spot locations that had been
monitored by the earlier teams of
officers.
This phase resulted in the
arrest of 10 individuals on a variety
of charges, as well as the issuance of
42 municipal ordinance summonses
and 11 motor vehicle summonses.
O f f i c e r s a l s o re c ove re d t wo
handguns (1 of those defaced), one
replica handgun, one replica Uzi, one
crossbow handgun, 14 knives, 19
pairs of handcuffs, one blackjack, 15
bags of marijuana and two bags of
cocaine.
“The arrests last night are the initial
results of targeted policing in the
areas that have historically been
problems,” said Mayor Fulop. “We
will continue to allocate police
resources to those locations that are
experiencing the highest levels of
crime, so that all of our residents can
feel safe.”
Source: Press Secretary, City of Jersey City
Witnesses said Santos was
shot following an altercation with
an unknown suspect who fled the
scene in the victim's 2013 Honda
Civic sedan.
It was reported that Santos
worked at the Health South
Hospital in Memphis. He was found
dead at Stonebridge Crossing
Apartments at Cordova, where he
lived.
“The suspect should have just
taken the car and left it at that.
Erano should have not been killed,”
his grieving aunt, Lourdes Likes, of
San Diego, California, was quoted as
saying by an ABS-CBN report.
Mayor Fulop trains with
Fire Department recruits
JERSEY CITY -- Mayor
Steven M. Fulop joined 21
Jersey City probationary
firefighters last Tuesday, July
30, 2013 at the Morris County
Police and Fire Training
Academy, 500 West Hanover
Avenue, Parsippany.
Mayor Fulop spent the
morning training with the
firefighters to experience
firsthand what Jersey City's
bravest undergo on a daily
basis. Part of the training also
included Mayor Fulop
participating in a “live burn”
to experience the hot and
smoky conditions in which
firefighters work. A live burn
is fire simulator in which fire
is fed by propane gas.
“Just last week, on a day
when temperatures reached
100 degrees we had a fouralarm fire in Jersey City that
sent two dozen firefighters to
the hospital,” said Mayor
Fulop. “Our firefighters put
their lives on the line every
day in some of the most
difficult conditions to protect
our residents, so I look
forward to training with them
and learning firsthand what it
takes to be a Jersey City
firefighter.”
Public school
teachers ...
From page 2
taxpayers under its Run after
Tax Evaders program. One
such method uses industry
benchmarks to find which
individuals or businesses pay
less than the average annual
taxes of their colleagues.
Another indirect
method of detecting possible
tax evaders is comparing the
increase in a person's net
worth against the reported
increase in that person's
income.
Mayor Fulops dons
a firefighter’s suit
The 21 probationary
firefighters entered the
academy on June 3rd and will
graduate on Aug. 9th at an 11
a.m. ceremony at City Hall,
2 8 0 G rove S t re e t . T h e
firefighters were hired with
The BIR also compares
the amount of money an
i n d iv i d u a l s p e n d s i n a
particular year. If the money
spent by one person is higher
than the money he made, the
BIR assumes that this person's
income was not declared
properly.
Henares acknowledged
that the process of bringing all
suspected tax evaders to court
could not go as fast as the
government wanted.
“We have only 2,000 people
who do investigations. How
can we reach everyone?” she
said, adding that the BIR
hopes the weekly awareness
campaign would contribute to
funding from an $8.1 million
federal SAFER grant from the
Federal Emergency
Management Agency
(FEMA).
Source: Press Secretary, City of
Jersey City
higher collections from
professionals.
Receipts
Ordinary citizens can
also do their part by
patronizing only legitimate
businesses that issue
receipts, Henares said. She
conceded that businesses
that were not issuing receipts
often offered cheaper prices
for goods and services.
“But what do we want?
As employees, our taxes are
withheld from our salaries so
we don't have a choice. If we
don't do our own policing, we
lose in the end,” she said.
(Philippine Daily Inquirer)
Editorial & opinion
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 10
A conspicuous
silence
All was rosy with the arrival of Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe and his top-level meeting with President Aquino
last week.
The two leaders talked about peace and prosperity in the
region. Malacañang characterized Japan as one of its two
strategic partners (the other one being the United States). Abe
identified four initiatives in relations between Japan and the
Philippines: to foster together vibrant economies, promote
cooperation in maritime affairs, strengthen assistance to the
Mindanao peace process and promote people-to-people
exchanges.
The centerpiece of the visit was the mutual commitment
to stand together against China, which claims territories in the
Philippines and in Japan.
Indeed the two nations are doing very well in moving
forward after being bitter enemies 70 years ago during World
War II.
Unfortunately, what happened what did not happen
would be more accurateduring Abe's visit last week was
consistent with the Philippine government's weak and
inconsistent stance on the issue of comfort women since the
first such victims recounted their ordeal more than 20 years
ago.
Palace officials paid no heed to a handful of elderly
women who had gathered near Malacanang demanding justice
for what they experienced as sex slaves of Japanese soldiers
during the war.
In May of this year, the mayor of Osaka said wartime sex
slaves performed a necessary role for Japanese
soldiersprovide release for troops perennially confronted with
the horrors of war and the threat of death.
Estimates put the number of slaves at 200,000, coming
from the Philippines, Korea and China.
The Japanese government has not quite done enough to
acknowledge the damage that the slave system has done on the
lives of thousands of women, many of whom are now dead, or
ill, or weakened by old age.
In fact, some leaders dared say the women were never
coerced to provide “release” to the soldiers.
The Philippine government has not been able to stand up
for our comfort women, seeing the issue as uncomfortable and
inconvenient to bring up during talks such as the one that
transpired between Mr. Aquino and Mr. Abe. Even the Supreme
Court ruled that the government was under no international
obligation to espouse the claims of the comfort women. This
decision gained prominence, not for its implications on the
women but for the plagiarism allegations against the justice
who penned it.
We did not have any reason to believe President Aquino
would act differently, because he did not even react to the
Osaka mayor's statement. That Mr. Abe had come and gone
without the touchy issues being mentioned was no surprise at
all. It appears the issue will continue to be swept under the rug
until there are no longer any comfort women crying out for
justice. (Manila Standard)
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
USCIS Issues New Guidance
on Same-Sex Marriage
The USCIS issued new
guidance on same-sex marriage
last July 26 which answers
frequently asked questions on
filing of petitions, applying for
immigration benefits, reopening
previously denied petitions,
changes in eligibility, residency
requirements for naturalization
and inadmissibility waivers.
The guidance is intended to
effect a quick implementation of
the Supreme Court decision in U.S.
v. Windsor which declared
Section 3 of the Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA) as
unconstitutional and ensure that
same sex couples are given the
same immigration benefits as all
other couples.
A U.S. citizen or a lawful
permanent resident who is in a
same-sex marriage can now file
an I-130 petition on behalf of
his/her same-sex spouse. The
USCIS will adjudicate the petition
and the visa application or
adjustment of status in the same
manner that it adjudicates a
petition or application filed on
behalf and by an opposite-sex
spouse. Also, a U.S. citizen who is
engaged to a foreign national of
the same sex may file a petition on
Form I-129F on behalf of his/her
fiancé/fiancée so long as other
immigration requirements are
satisfied.
The guidance further states
that the validity of a marriage for
immigration benefits is
determined by the law of the place
where the marriage took place
and not the place of domicile. This
rule is “subject to some limited
exceptions under which federal
immigration agencies historically
have considered the law of the
state of residence in addition to
the law of the state of celebration
of the marriage.” However, this
would depend on “individual,
fact-specific circumstances”.
Further guidance will be issued
on this.
Same-sex marriage is
presently recognized in the
District of Columbia and 13 states,
namely, California, Connecticut,
Delaware, Iowa, Maine,
u
Page 12
Forgetting to weep
their life expectancies. In Mexico
City, the average lifespan for a
cartonero is 39 yearsthree
decades shorter than the national
average. One out of three babies
born to Egyptian garbage dump
families dies before the age of one.
Scavengers sifting through
garbage dumps of Manila's
Payatas, “Smokey Mountain” of
Cebu, and Mandurriao in Iloilo,
are half a world away from Brazil.
That's where over three million
people gathered for World Youth
Day.
From Rio de Janeiro, Pope
Francis reached out to them. He
asked that 35 Argentine landfill
workers or cartoneros come up to
the main altar. They're dubbed
“catadores de materiais
recicláveis” in Portuguese, which
is spoken in Brazil.
Poverty and hunger slash
In Payatas here, scavengers
cook papag from food scraps
winnowed from dead cats, glass
shards and, sometimes, human
cadaver parts. “It tastes sour,” a
13-year-old says. “It fills our
stomach but doesn't last till
evening.”
“With crude rakes, it'd take
20 minutes to sort out from
rotting litter 'recyclables',” recalls
Fr. Heinz Kulüke who lived among
160 families in squalid Cebu huts.
Adults earn barely enough for
rice. “There is no future,” a 15year-old scavenger told Father
Kulüke who now heads the
worldwide Society of the Divine
Word.
“Reach out to the farthest,
the most indifferent,” Francis told
the youngsters. As a World Youth
Day spinoff, the Pope wants them
to create “a mess in dioceses” and
“people to go out… to defend
ourselves against everything that
is worldliness… comfortableness,
that is clericalism, that is being
shut-in on ourselves.” Earlier in
Rio's cathedral, BBC's Julia
Carneiro reported, Pope Francis
prodded bishops and priests to
“leave the comfort of your
churches and go to the favelas
(shantytowns)… We cannot keep
ourselves shut up in parishes, in
our communities, when so many
people are waiting for the Gospel.”
“Pope Francis proved to be a
u
Page 14
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 11
China's
salami-slice
strategy
OPINION
force focus on asserting
reva n c h i s t te r r i to r i a l a n d
maritime claims in the South and
East China seas, its army has
been active in the mountainous
borderlands with India, trying to
alter the line of control bit by bit.
By Brahma Chellaney
Japan Times
NEW DELHI --- China's
furtive, incremental
encroachments into neighboring
countries' borderlands
propelled by its relative power
advantage have emerged as a key
destabilizing element in the
Asian security landscape. While
China's navy and a part of its air
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
No doubt, the Magdalo
group of military officers and
soldiers has come a long way
from that early morning of July
27, 2003 when they jolted the
nation with the protest they
staged against Gloria Arroyo at
Oakwood Hotel in the heart of
Makati's business district.
S o m a ny t h i n g s h ave
happened. Even the name of the
hotel has changed. It's now Ascott
Hotel and Oakwood has moved to
Pasig City.
Last July 22, after the
traditional State of the Nation
Address by the president at the
opening of Congress, new
members of the House of
Beijing's favored frontier
strategy to change the territorial
and maritime status quo is
apparently anchored in “salami
slicing.” This centers on a steady
progression of small actions,
none of which serves as a casus
belli by itself, yet which over time
lead cumulatively to a strategic
transformation in China's favor.
By relying on quiet salami
slicing rather than on overt
aggression, China's strategy aims
to seriously limit the options of
the targeted countries by
confounding their deterrence
plans and making it difficult for
them to devise proportionate or
effective counteractions.
This, in part, is because the
strategy while bearing all the
hallmarks of modern Chinese
brinkmanship, such as a reliance
on surprise and a disregard for
the risks of wider military
escalation seeks to ensure the
initiative remains with China.
Changing the territorial
status quo has been the
unfinished business of the
People's Republic of China since
its founding in 1949. The early
forcible absorption of the
sprawling Xinjiang and Tibetan
plateau more than doubled the
landmass of China.
This was followed by the
advent of the earliest incarnation
of the salami-slicing strategy,
which led to China gaining
control, step by step between
1954 and 1962, of the
Switzerland-size Aksai Chin
plateau of the original princely
state of Jammu and Kashmir. An
emboldened China then went on
to seize the Paracel Islands in
1974, the Johnson Reef in 1988,
the Mischief Reef in 1995 and,
most recently, the Scarborough
Shoal (2012).
At the core of the challenge
posed by China to Asian security
today is its lack of respect for
existing frontier lines. In other
words, China is still working to
redraw political boundaries.
A l o n g l a n d f ro n t i e r s ,
ro d e n t - s t yl e s u r re p t i t i o u s
attacks usually precede its salami
slicing. The aim is to start eating
into enemy land like giant
rodents and thereby facilitate
salami slicing. The use of this
strategy is becoming increasingly
apparent along the Himalayan
border with India, the world's
longest disputed frontier.
Here one form of attacks
has involved the Chinese military
bringing ethnic Han pastoralists
to the valleys along the line of
control and giving them cover to
range across it, in the process
driving Indian herdsmen from
their traditional pasturelands
and opening the path to salami
slicing.
This strategy, which can
also begin with the Chinese
military nibbling at an
unprotected border area, has
been especially employed in the
u
Page 14
Magdalo: 10 years after Oakwood
Representatives Gary Alejano
and Ashley Acedillo invited
relatives and close friends to a
thanksgiving dinner at Lexington
Gardens in Pasig.
Alejano and Acedillo belong
to the Magdalo partylist which
represents some 200,000 former
and retired military and police
personnel, urban poor, and the
youth from all over the country.
Re-elected senator Antonio
Trillanes IV was there.
The gathering was more
meaningful because that was five
days before the 10th anniversary
of what is commonly referred as
the “Oakwood mutiny.”
On July 27, 2003, they
gathered at Oakwood Hotel,
placed bombs around it, and
demanded for the resignation of
Gloria Arroyo from the
presidency (who is now in
detention accused of electoral
sabotage and plunder), then
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes
(who committed suicide in 2011),
the Philippine National Police
Director Hermogenes Ebdane,
and Victor Corpus, then chief of
the Intelligence Service of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines.
They accused the named
officials of corruption including
selling arms and ammunition to
rebels.
They were charged with the
unbailable crime of coup d'etat.
In the seven years in detention,
they were not the only one
subjected to all sorts of pressures,
but also their families.
Some of them succumbed to
the pressures, but most of them
July 27, 2003. Ltsg Antonio Trillanes IV and Capt. Gerry Gambala led the protest against
Gloria
Arroyo at Oakwood Hotel.
u
Page 29
Bam-Bam loves pork
In what is probably his first
newsworthy pronouncement
since somehow becoming a
senator, presidential cousin
“Bam-Bam” Aquino came out in
defense of the non-government
organizations that receive pork
barrel funds. Not all NGO
beneficiaries of Congress pork,
Bam-Bam said, pocket the funds
that they get and kick back huge
percentages to the lawmakers
that gave them money.
Please bear with me while I
try to regain my ability to write.
There, it's back.
Perhaps Bam-Bam needs to
review the alleged scam that
diverted an estimated P10 billion
in pork funds through the fake
NGOs supposedly established by
businesswoman Janet Lim
Napoles. According to the story,
Napoles exploited rules that
allowed pork to be given to NGOs
to fund their projects; this giant
loophole in the disbursement of
pork funds lies at the very heart
of the scandal that is now rocking
both Houses of Congress.
A recent report by the
Philippine Center for
Investigative Journalism on the
Priority Development Assistance
Fund, as pork is now known,
painted a picture of a Congress so
awash in funds that it enlisted
NGOs to roll out projects and
s e r v i c e s t h a t g ove r n m e n t
agencies should be
implementing. While the report
did not say how this practice
began, it was clear that by the
time Napoles was exposed as
having set up bogus NGOs and to
have funnelled scads of pork to
them, according to her own
former people, an entire decade
of big-time thievery had already
taken place.
And Napoles is just one
fake-NGO racketeer. Who knows
how many other “entrepreneurs”
have found the loophole and used
it to make money for themselves
and the lawmakers who employ
their services?
Why, if Bam-Bam had not
been elected solely by trading on
his family name and his supposed
physical resemblance to his dead
patriot-uncle, I'd even suspect
that he doesn't want the NGO
loophole closed because he has
just entered the Senate and
would like to see if the Napoles
system would work for him, as
well. But while saying that is
tantamount to uttering political
heresy in Yellow circles, I can't
find any other reason for Bam-
Bam's defense of giving largely
u n a c c o u n t a b l e , l aw m a ke r handpicked and even out-andout bogus NGOs the taxpayers'
money that should, by rights, be
handed over to state agencies to
use for official projects.
Of course, Bam-Bam has six
years to prove that he is worthy of
h i s e l e c t i o n a s s e n a t o r.
Pe r s o n a l ly, I ' m gl a d t h a t ,
whatever he does, he can't do as
much damage as the last Aquino
who came down the road and
who was perhaps even to his own
surprise elected to the highest
office in the land.
Still, Bam-Bam should think
long and hard before he says
anything, now that he is a senator.
Many Senate neophytes, after all,
tried to make an immediate
splash upon their arrival only to
find themselves way in over their
heads and, afterwards, becoming
permanent members of the
Committee on Silence.
But that's what you get
when you elect people like BamBam, the latest member of the
three-year student government
and, judging from his latest
statement, probably the most
clueless. May his pork-loving
tribe decrease.
***
Speaking of Napoles, the
younger daughter, Jeane, has
become quite the celebrity of late,
like the Hollywood denizens she
claims she regularly hangs out
with in her social media posts.
While not yet in the same league
as Museum of Me founder,
curator and lone subject Robbie
Antonio, the young Napoles
certainly knows how to spend
whatever small change her
u
Page 14
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 12
Philippines pushes back against China
By Chico Harlan
The Washington Post
MANILA — China's most
daring adversary in Southeast
Asia is, by many measurements,
ill-suited for a fight. The
Philippines has a military
budget one-fortieth the size of
Beijing's, and its navy cruises
through contested waters in
1970s hand-me-downs from the
South Vietnamese.
From that short-handed
position, the Philippines has set
off on a risky mission to do what
no nation in the region has
managed to do: thwart China in
its drive to control the vast
waters around it.
Analysts say the
Philippines' strategy, in standing
up to Asia's powerhouse, is just
as likely to backfire as succeed.
But it provides a crucial test case
as smaller countries debate
whether to deal with China as a
much-needed economic partner,
a dangerous maritime aggressor,
or both.
The Philippines doesn't
view China exclusively as a
threat, officials here say, noting
that trade between the countries
is growing. The Philippines has
also used caution at times, most
notably by holding off on
provocative plans to drill in what
could be the nation's richest oil
and gas field. But analysts point
to a series of steps taken in
recent months that suggest that
Manila is increasingly willing to
confront Beijing. They also note
that the Philippines has
suspended or canceled several
development deals that
depended on generous Chinese
aid.
Earlier this year, the
Philippines filed a case with the
United Nations contesting
China's maritime claims. More
recently, the Philippines has
increased its manpower on
disputed islands, approved
upgrades to decrepit military
equipment and discussed plans
that would give the United States
expanded access to Philippine
air and naval bases. Speaking to
his armed forces in May,
Philippine President Benigno
Aquino III said the nation
needed to protect its maritime
territory from “bullies.”
Battles over territory in
Asia go back centuries, but China
has made an increasingly
aggressive play in recent years
to recover land that it says fell
wrongly into foreign hands.
China has made a case for
ownership of nearly the entire
TED ALJIBE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES US and Philippine navy personnel prepare to launch an unmanned aerial vehicle from a boat off the naval base
in Sangley point, west of Manila. The six-day exercises were held last month, close to Scarborough Shoal, which China insists it owns.
South China Sea, marking its
territory with a nine-dash line
on a map that it submitted to the
United Nations in 2009.
At least four other
neighbors Brunei, Malaysia,
Taiwan and Vietnam are
skirmishing with China over the
tiny islands and the waters
within that boundary. They
covet sovereignty not just as a
matter of pride but also to claim
rich fisheries and underwater oil
and gas resources.
But they have reason to
tread cautiously. China is
Malaysia's largest trading
partner. Brunei depends on
China as a market for its fossil
fuel exports. Taiwan's president,
Ma Ying-jeou, has fostered a
major improvement in relations
with Beijing.
Comparatively, Vietnam
has been more willing to anger
China. The two nations have a
legacy of centuries of animosity,
including a brief border war in
1979 and more recent clashes at
sea. But the two are also
communist partners, capable of
USCIS issues new
guidance on
same sex
marriage
From page 10
Massachusetts, Maryland,
Minnesota, New Hampshire,
New York, Rhode Island,
Vermont and Washington.
The USCIS is currently in
the process of identifying I130 petitions which were
denied after February 23, 2011
solely on the ground of DOMA
and will attempt to notify
petitioners that their cases will
b e r e o p e n e d . H o w e v e r,
petitioners are advised to
email USCIS at [email protected] notifying
the agency that their cases
should be reopened.
Additional evidence will be
accepted during this process.
For those whose petitions
were denied before February
23, 2011, it is required that
petitioners email the agency at
U S C I S - 6 2 6 @ u s c i s . d h s . g ov
before March 31, 2014 for the
USCIS to reopen their cases. It
will reopen all applications
associated with the I-130
petition including applications
for adjustment of status and
work authorization.
The USCIS guidance also
patching up frayed ties.
Some Filipinos say their
country is more suited than
others in the region to play
tough with China.
The Philippines has deep
ties to Washington, stemming
from a U.S. colonial period that
ended in 1946. China and the
Philippines took opposite sides
in the wars in Korea and
Vietnam, as well as in the Cold
War.
clarifies that the spouse of a
same-sex marriage is now
eligible to benefit from the
status as spouse
accompanying a family
sponsored or an employmentbased immigrant or spouse of a
nonimmigrant, asylee or
refugee. Also, the effect of
same-sex marriage on the
qualifying relationship as a
“child,” “son or daughter,”
“parent,” or “brother or sister”
for immigration purposes will
be the same as opposite-sex
marriage.
T h e re s i d e n c y
requirement for naturalization
for the same-sex spouse of a
U.S. citizen will be three years
so long as the couple were
living in marital union three
years immediately preceding
the filing of the N-400
application.
Eligibility for waivers of
inadmissibility on the basis of
the status as spouse of a U.S.
citizen or lawful permanent
resident also extends to the
same-sex spouse and the case
shall be adjudicated in exactly
the same manner as those of
opposite-sex couples.
(Editor's Note: REUBEN S.
SEGURITAN has been practicing
law for over 30 years. For more
information, you may log on to
his website at
www.seguritan.com or call
(212) 695-5281.)
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 13
Biden: Alliance with Phl
at the 'core' of US strategy
By Camille Diola
The Philippine Star
American Vice President Joe
Biden said in a speech that the
alliance with the Philippines is
among the cornerstones of the
United States' defensive and
economic strategies in the Asia
Pacific region.
“The core of our strategy in
the region are our alliances: Japan,
S o u t h Ko re a , Au s t ra l i a , t h e
Philippines, Thailand,” Biden said,
sharing his take on the United
States' policy in the region at the
Center for American Progress on
Thursday (Manila time).
Biden said the US' strategic
ties with these countries that have
transformed economically the past
years are at the center of President
Barack Obama's “re-balancing”
policy, shifting its focus from
Western nations to Asia.
“Economically and
strategically, it's clear why the
United States has to re-balance, to
direct our resources toward the
Asia Pacific region,” he said.
Biden also admitted that
building alliances with the five
countries as well as India, Singapore
and Indonesia have not been
without risk, as many of them suffer
from disputes.
“In the Asia-Pacific, we saw a
region of remarkable promise but
also genuine uncertainty and
Vice President Joe Biden, speaks about the U.S.
policy toward the Asia-Pacific region at an event
hosted by the Center for American Progress, in
Washington, July 18, 2013. AP PHOTO/MANUEL
BALCE CENETA
political risk. Many nations have
experienced rapid economic
transformation that has
fundamentally created a new
dynamic: rising ambitions and
rising tensions,” Biden said.
To address the challenges, he
said that the US' “entire national
security and economic teams” are
committed to solving concerns in
the Pacific region.
The strategy consists in
“strengthening our alliances,
deepening partnerships and
investing like never before in
regional institutions to help manage
disputes peacefully,” Biden said.
Seeing the disputes over the
South China Sea with China
claiming almost the entire territory,
B i d e n u rg e d C h i n a a n d t h e
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations to draft a binding code of
conduct over the sea territory.
“That means no intimidation,
no coercion, no aggression and a
commitment from all parties to
reduce the risk of mistakes and
miscalculation,” he said.
“It is in everyone's interest
that there be freedom of navigation,
unimpended lawful commerce,
respect for international laws and
norms and a peaceful resolution of
territorial disputes,” Biden added.
Biden also said the US wants
to help create 21st century “rules of
the road” to help Asian nations
integrate and achieve security and
prosperity.
To spark growth, nations must
raise their standards. He says there
must be fewer border barriers and
better protections for intellectual
property, the US vice president said.
Another highlight of Biden's
address is about the US'
relationship with a growing
superpower in Chinacalling the ties
both of “competition and
cooperation” and not of inevitable
conflict.
He said Americans like to
compete and that competition is
good for both countries. U.S.-China
relations have been aggravated by
economic rivalry, accusations of
cyber hacking and China's inaction
in extraditing NSA leaker Edward
Snowden. With reports from AP
US commander: China's aggression
leads to US, allies' closer ties
By Camille Diola
MANILA --- United States
Pacific Air Forces Commander
Herbert Carlisle said China's
behavior in the South China Sea
has led to stronger ties between
the US and its Asian allies which
include the Philippines.
“Some of (China's) fairly
assertive, aggressive behavior has
in fact brought our friends and
they're relying on us to be there
and to be present,” Carlisle said in
reports from Washington on
Monday.
The US has lately shifted its
military and diplomatic focus on
the Asia Pacific partly due to
Beijing's claims, with Vice
President Joe Biden saying that
the “core” of such strategy are
alliances with Japan, South Korea,
Au s t ra l i a , t h e P h i l i p p i n e s ,
Thailand and Singapore.
“One of the main tenets of
o u r s t ra te g y i s to ex p a n d
engagement and interoperability
and integration … with our
friends' and partners' militaries,”
Carlisle said.
Carlisle also weighed in on
China's military buildup, saying it
runs the risk of having unintended
consequences sooner or later.
“Being fairly aggressive runs
the risk of creating the potential
for miscalculation,” he said.
Carlisle warned that such
U.S. Air Force General Herbert “The Hawk”
Carlisle. US ARMED FORCES PHOTO
aggression may result in an
unprecedented response from the
different countries that Beijing
does not anticipate.
“It's a complex, changing
environment. Every action has
unintended consequences and
second and third order effects,”
Carlisle said.
The American general also
gave an overview of the Pacific
Command's positioning in the
region, saying that the Air Force's
F-22 fighter jets are present there.
Unmanned spy aircrafts as
well as a new F-35 fighter plane
will be sent to the area where
there is increasing tension. (The
Philippine Star)
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 14
China’s salamislice strategy
From page 11
two highly strategic Buddhist
regions located on opposite ends
of the Himalayan frontier Ladakh
and Arunachal Pradesh.
To assert its claims in the
South and East China seas, China
unabashedly plays salami slicer.
The tools of salami slicing here
r a n g e f r o m hyd r o c a r b o n exploration leases to asserting
expansive fishing rights all
designed to advance its territorial
and maritime claims.
In the East China Sea, China
has employed paramilitary
agencies, such as the Maritime
Safety Administration, the
Fisheries Law Enforcement
Command, and the State Oceanic
Administration, in a campaign of
attrition against Japan over the
Senkaku Islands, which it calls
Diaoyu an offensive that has
already succeeded in shaking the
status quo by making the rest of
the world recognize the existence
of a dispute. This has
emboldened Beijing to gradually
increase the frequency of Chinese
patrol ships around the islands
and to violate the airspace over
them.
Taking on Japan, its former
occupier and historical rival, is
part of China's larger search for
new seabed resources and for
strategic ascendancy in the
western Pacific by breaking out of
what it perceives to be “first
island chain” a string that
includes the Senkakus, Taiwan
and some islands controlled by
Vietnam and the Philippines.
China's aim in the South
China Sea is to slowly but surely
legitimize its presence in the 80
percent of the sea it now claims
formally. Through repeated and
growing acts, China is etching a
lasting presence in the claimed
zones.
Among the ways Beijing
has sought to establish new
“facts” on the ground in the South
China Sea is to lease hydrocarbon
and fishing blocks inside other
disputant states' 200-nautical
mile exclusive economic zones
(EEZs), as defined by the United
Nations Convention on the Law of
the Sea (UNCLOS). Such leases
are designed to circumscribe the
UNCLOS-granted economic
rights of other claimant states
while expanding China's control
of the region's oil-and-gas wealth.
China has even established
“Sansha City” on Woody Island in
the Paracels as its administrative
base for the South China Sea,
setting up a local civilian
government and a military
garrison there to oversee the
entire region. And in its latest
effort to present a fait accompli
over its occupation of the
Paracels, it has started tourist
cruises to those disputed islands.
To be sure, Beijing usually
is careful to slice very thinly so as
to avoid any dramatic action that
could become a cause of war.
Indeed, it has shown a knack of
disaggregating any action into
several parts and then pursuing
each element separately in such a
manner as to allow the different
pieces to eventually fall in place.
This shrewdness helps to
keep its opponents off balance,
and in a bind on how to respond.
In fact, as a skillful salami slicer
t h a t a c t s i n s i d i o u s l y,
camouflaging offense as defense,
China acts in ways not only to
undercut its opponents'
deterrence but also to cast the
burden of starting a war on them.
Any targeted state is
presented with a strategic
Hobson's choice: either endure
the salami slicing or face a
dangerous and costly war with an
emerging great power. This is the
choice, for example, Manila has
faced over China's effective
seizure of the Scarborough Shoal.
China's tactics and strategy
thus pose an increasing challenge
to several of its neighbors who
face a deepening dilemma over
how to thwart the salami slicing.
Exchanging notes with each other
and with the United States, the
geographically nonresident
Asian power may be necessary to
find ways to try and stop this
creeping, covert warfare.
After all, China's
multipronged actions,
cumulatively, carry the potential
of fundamentally altering the
Asian power dynamics to shape a
Sino-centric region.
Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist
and the author, most recently, of
“Water, Peace, and War” (Rowman &
Littlefield).
Bam Bam loves
pork
From page 11
retired military officer of a father
and her billionairebusinesswoman mom gives her.
While 23-year-old Jeane has
reportedly deleted many of her
social media accounts, where she
details her passion for being
photographed with people like
Justin Bieber and for ultraexpensive couture clothing, shoes
and bags, enough traces of her
arriviste lifestyle remain in sites
like Vimeo and Instagram. And
enough people have gathered them
to piece together the portrait of a
young woman in a hurry to make
like a Filipino Kardashian in
London and LA, among other
places.
And yes, retired Marine Maj.
Jaime Napoles, I'm told, gave Janet
her start as a businesswoman
selling vehicle and ship spare parts
to the Philippine Navy. The Napoles
couple, along with 16 others, were
Forgetting to weep
From page 10
pontiff of surprises,” writes the
Boston Globe's Lisa Wangsness.
That can blur context. After all, the
world first met Jorge Cardinal
Bergoglio of Argentina as Francis
only four months agosans ermine
cloak and regalia. As the 265th
successor to Peter, he now jolts an
over 2,000-year-old institution not
only by homespun word but mainly
by compelling example.
Don't tool around in fancy
cars, the Pope told his priests.
Francis dumped Vatican MercedesBenzes for a simple van. “Seeing the
Argentinian pope riding in a Fiat
Pinto, one of the least expensive of
cars his own choice around the
streets of Rio filled me with the
d e e p e s t t e n d e r n e s s ,” I l z e
Scamparini wrote in The Guardian.
“A pope who dares to change a
centuries-old mentality risks being
taken for an exotic populist.”
After election, Francis turned
down sprawling pontifical
apartments. “There's enough room
here for 300,” he said. Instead, he
lodges in a no-frills Vatican hostel.
In Buenos Aires, he turned over Villa
Miseria to a religious order that
operates it as a hospital. He lived in a
two-room rented apartment and
took the bus to work.
He wears sensible black shoes
and gets his own coffee from a
vending machine. “This is Jorge,” he
told his startled newspaper dealer
in Brazil, to suspend delivery. On
Holy Thursday rites he washed the
feet of a Serbian woman prisoner.
“A simple gesture is not a
simple gesture when it is the Pope's
gesture,” notes theologian Robert
Dodaro. This sparked unease among
traditionalists. Some grouse he
“desacralizes” the papacy.
Eternal Word Television
Network's Mitch Pacwa notes few
complaints. “All the popes are
against consumerism, but this guy
brings the hay down to where the
goats can get it.” More people
outside the Church sit up when
Francis speaks.
“Sergio, how good you are
actually implicated in the purchase
by the military of those infamous
Kevlar helmets in 2001, which
soldiers claimed did not stop
bullets; they were acquitted in
2010 of the charges.
Jeane's mom, if her own
former associates are to be
believed, has long since graduated
from supplying helmets and car
parts and became the business
colossus that she now is, with
connections to anyone important in
government over two
administrations. Not bad for a
retired soldier's wife, huh?
But like many conspicuously
consuming offspring of the
nouveau-riche, Jeane has not been
very good at being discreet about
her family's new wealth. And it is
certainly not helping her mother's
case when the young woman
displays her baubles and celebrityspiced selfies for all to see in the
social media.
But she really must meet
Robbie, if she ever dreams of being
featured in Vanity Fair like him.
Now, those are the world-beating
selfies to shoot for.
here,” Francis said, giving Jewish
ra b b i S e rg i o B e rg m a n f ro m
Argentina a warm abrazo. “Did you
sneak in?” Vatican protocol officers
barred Bergman from a delegation
of Jewish representatives at an
interfaith meeting. Quietly, Francis
sent word that Bergman was his
coworker.
“Now that I am before Francis,
I again embrace my Rabbi
Bergoglio,” Bergman recalls telling
the Pope in an article in Argentina's
La Nacion. “A Jewish tradition
prescribes reciting a blessing when
one is before a wise man and great
teacher… I prayed in Hebrew the
blessing. At the end, both of us said
amen… I'm still overwhelmed at
writing these lines.”
After Rio, Francis will find
more work cut out. That ranges
from rooting alleged corruption
within a change-resistant curia,
bishops who lag in enforcing sex
abuse protocols, surging
secularization in the West, and
pentacostalism that saps the Church
in Latin America.
“This new protestantism
drained followers even from
Candomblé, the African religion
brought by the slaves. In this
religious democratization, 80
percent of babies were baptized, but
church attendance fell to 57
percent,” says a Datafolha survey.
Before Rio, Francis addressed
papal nuncios from over 60
countries. They make
recommendations for local bishop
appointments. Give me names of
priests who live in poverty and
demonstrate concern for the poor,
he asked.
Who will Francis appoint to
replace Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone,
the Vatican secretary of state who
resigned last month? “Then we'll
have some sense of what this papacy
is going to be about,” foresees Fr.
Mark Massa, dean of Boston
College's School of Theology.
Francis is 76. An illness as a
student left him with one lung. Time
magazine's cover story says this
pontiff would get people to heal “a
society that has forgotten how to
cry.”
E-mail: [email protected]
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 15
Top Eight Best Diving Spots in the Philippines
The Philippines was cited as one of the top three best diving spots in the world, together with Maldives and Palau.
Among the internationally recognized best dive spots in the country are;
Malapascua Island, Cebu
Tubbataha Reef, Sulu Sea
Malapascua is one of the least spoiled
tourist spots in the Philippines. Labeled
as the next Boracay by the Lonely
Planet, Malapascua has everything for
the traveling diver. It is famous for its
rare sharks. Malapascua diving offers:
the only daily thresher shark sightings
in the world, white tip sharks, mantas,
hammerheads (seasonal), wrecks,
mandarin fish, pygmy seahorses,
cuttlefish, beautiful unspoiled coral
gardens and a huge diversity of marine
life.
It is famous for its diverse marine life.
Tubbataha Reef Marine Park is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is
home to some of the most beautiful
coral reefs in the world and the best
place for snorkeling and diving in Asia.
The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park covers
33,200 hectares, including the North and
South Reefs. It is a unique example of an
atoll reef with a very high density of
marine species; the North Islet serving
as a nesting site for birds and marine
turtles. The site is an excellent example
of a pristine coral reef with a spectacular
100-m perpendicular wall, extensive
lagoons and two coral islands.
Puerto Galera, Mindoro
Anilao, Batangas
This diving site is noted for its colorful
reefs. A little further from Anilao using
Batangas Pier as jump-off point, Puerto
Galera is a natural harbor with fine
beaches, green scenery and sheltered
coves. Puerto Galera has grown to
become a diving haven due to its
marine diversity, complemented by
other activities. At least two dozen sites
have been identified, each providing
good opportunity for photography.
Most divers prefer to go to Puerto
Galera from March to October.
Anilao's proximity makes it a popular
destination for weekend diving trips.
Even excursions are ideal in this
southern town where resorts are
situated within short boat rides to
excellent dive sites. Diving is mainly in
coral slopes and shallow gardens
among sandy patches. Choose from any
of the 24 dive sites between the coast of
Anilao and Maricaban Island. The most
popular site is the Cathedral (average of
60 ft.), a roofless cavern with a blessed
cross flanked by two large sea mounts.
u
Page 18
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 16
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 17
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 18
Top 8 best diving spots
in the Philippines
Apo Reef, Negros Oriental
From page 15
Apo Reef National Park is another
UNESCO World Heritage Site. Apo
Reef National Park is acclaimed as one
of the best diving sites in Asia. It is a 34kilometer reef, with a narrow channel
running east to west, dividing this reef
into two lagoon systems, north and
south. Apo Reef is the second largest
contiguous coral reef in the world and
the largest in the Philippines.
Balicasag Island, Bohol
Balicasag is considered as one of the
best dive spots in the country. Balicasag
is considered as one of the best dive
spots in the country. The waters are
brimming with schools of tuna,
snappers, groupers, mackerel and
surgeonfish. Dolphins and pilot whales
can also be viewed from a distance.
Palawan's Surrounding
Islands
Coron, El Nido and Busuanga are just
three of the many dive sites in Palawan.
Coron Bay is one of the most popular
diving destinations in the Philippines.
This site is one of the most famous
wreck diving destinations in the entire
world due to the amount of historic
sunken ships which can be visited and
seen with great clarity due to this area's
waters usual transparency. El Nido is
one of the world class diving
destinations in the Philippines. El Nido
Boracay, Aklan
Boracay is the best tropical beach in the
world. Boracay is one of the most
popular diving areas in Southeast Asia.
Boracay is a great dive holiday location,
simply because it combines a wide
range of dive activities with one of the
best beaches in the world plus the
numerous good quality resorts,
restaurants, bars and night time events.
There are 15 diving sites in the area.
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 19
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 20
La Union breathes new life
to freeport development
By Cristina Arzadon
SAN FERNANDO CITY --After nearly two decades and
two master plans, the Poro Point
Freeport Zone (PPFZ) is back on
track into becoming a premier
business and leisure destination
in northern Luzon.
The Poro Point
Management Corp. (PPMC),
which is tasked to develop La
Union's free port, has tapped
fresh eyes from urban
developers Palafox and
Associates to take a new look at
the 236-hectare former US
military facility that used to
house the Wallace Air Station.
Florante Gerdan, PPMC
president and CEO, says Poro
Point has been twice master
plannedin 1996 and in 2002.
Both plans guided development
planners, investors and business
locators in transforming the
property into a trade and
tourism hub.
Gerdan says a new master
plan is underway to cope with
new real estate market
conditions in the context of
market trends in the Asian and
international settings.
“ We h ave m a d e
adjustments through the years.
Today, we want to revalidate
whether the previous plans still
apply,” Gerdan says during the
stakeholders' meeting and
master planning earlier this
month.
One of three economic hubs
under the Bases Conversion and
Development Authority (BCDA)
next to the John Hay Special
Economic and Freeport Zone and
the Subic Bay Freeport, the Poro
Point freeport has some 146 ha
of investment area available for
development.
The free port houses the
Vo i c e o f A m e r i c a r a d i o
transmitter, a Philippine Air
Force facility and a lighthouse
complex.
First to build a hotel and
casino complex in 2006 was
property developer
Thunderbird Resorts Inc., whose
Santorini-inspired
accommodation facility sits on a
65-ha plot inside the free port.
The PPMC seeks to further
develop the seaport, airport,
information technology park and
light industrial area and a
tourism complex here.
Ives Nisce, chair of the
PPMC board, says Poro Point is
the smallest former military base
in Luzon compared to Subic in
Zambales, which covers 40,000
ha, and Camp John Hay in Baguio
City, which spans 600 ha.
“But we (Poro Point) are
unique because we are both a
seaport and an airport,” he says.
Nisce says Palafox
Associates shares its initial
assessment during the
multisectoral meeting hoping
t h a t i n te re s t g ro u p s , t h e
government and the private
sector and communities
surrounding the port would
provide inputs for the new
development plan.
“We need comments and
additional inputs from various
sectors to chart the direction that
we will tread for Poro Point,” he
says.
FIESTA Casino in San Fernando City, La Union
u
Page 22
Cagayan De Oro becomes
country's most competitive city
By Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat
Cagayan de Oro City, home
to the famous “Oro Ham” and
known as the “City of Golden
Friendship” but was recently
rocked by a deadly bomb that
killed eight people and wounded
others, bested all other cities in
the country as the most
competitive city while the lowly
municipality of San Francisco of
Agusan del Sur ranked as the
most competitive municipality in
the 1st Cities and Municipalities
Competitiveness Index
conducted by the National
Competitiveness Council (NCC).
The 1st Cities and
Municipalities Competitiveness
Index, which covered the entire
year of 2012, showed Cagayan de
Oro City and San Francisco
municipality making good in all
three competitiveness indicators
economic dynamism,
infrastructure and government
efficiency.
Notably, the major cities in
the National Capital Region,
Cebu and Davao did not make it
to the list of 122 cities and 163
first class municipalities that
were included in the report.
NCC co-chair Guillermo
Luz explained that some major
cities failed to submit complete
data while Makati City, the
country's premier financial
district, did not submit at all.
“We cannot rank them
because they did not submit data
or if their data is incomplete that
would put them at a
disadvantage when the overall
data is computed,” Luz explained.
Rounding out the top five
cities were Iloilo City of Iloilo;
San Fernando, Pampanga;
Butuan City, Agusan del Norte;
and Bacolod City, Negros
Oriental. The most competitive
municipality was San Francisco,
Agusan del Sur, followed by
Guagua, Pampanga; Carmona,
Cavite; Date, Camarines Norte;
and General Trias, Cavite.
While more than half of the
top 50 cities and top 50
municipalities were located in
Luzon, NCC noted that the
highest-ranked city and
municipality were both in
Mindanao.
“The results indicate that
g ove r n m e n t i n i t i a t ive s to
harness the potential of the
Mindanao region are on the right
track,” NCC said.
“What this tells us it is very
inspiring because we would have
looked at the usual suspects but
PORO Point receives and stores gasoline that supplies Northern Luzon
Manila Solar City may rise
in the middle of Manila Bay
MANILA -- A world-class
commercial, residential and
tourism center may soon rise in
the middle of Manila Bay.
actually there are small places
Manila Solar City, which
that must be doing very good.
spans 148 hectares, is a
Maybe they are doing far better
reclamation project that will
in running their cities and
feature a park and a Boracaymunicipalities,” Luz said.
inspired man-made beach. It will
On economic dynamism,
also have a terminal for
which collects figures on
international cruise ships, which
business registration,
are expected to bring between
employment, and financial
2,500 to 5,000 tourists every
institutions, the top three cities
week.
were Quezon City, Koronadal,
"That (Manila Solar City)
South Cotabato; and Marikina
will be a big boost to the Ermita
City. The top municipalities were
a r e a , s u r r o u n d i n g a r e a s ,"
Calasiao, Pangasinan; San
Edmundo Lim, vice chairman of
P3.5 billion na utang," Manila Vice
Nicolas, Ilocos Norte; and Sta.
Manila GoldCoast Development
Mayor Isko Moreno said.
Cruz, Laguna.
Corp., said.
But some environmental
The developer said the
groups are opposed to the planned
T h e s e c o n d f a c t o r,
project will create 100,000 jobs
Manila Solar City. "Reclamation
government efficiency, which
for construction workers. Once
has proven many times to cause
tracks transparency and
construction is completed,
flooding... Lalong babagal yun
accountability, public finance,
another 500,000 workers will be
daloy ng tubig mula sa waterways
performance recognition,
hired for operations.
ng Metro Manila papunta sa
business responsiveness and
"Right now, the study shows
Manila Bay," Ivan Henares,
basic government services, the
that Manila has the most number
president of the Heritage
top cities are Iloilo City, Bacolod
of jobless people. A hungry
Conservation Society Youth, said.
City, and Cagayan de Oro City. The
stomach knows no law. So we can
But Manila GoldCoast's Lim
best municipalities were
eliminate criminality," Manila
said they will design Manila Solar
Kabugao, Apayao; Pontevedra,
Mayor Joseph Estrada said.
City in a way that it will not cause
Capiz; and Nueva Valencia,
The developer said the
flooding in the city.
Guimaras.
government will earn P17 billion
"We're going to make sure
On infrastructure category,
in
tax
revenues
from
the
project
there's
no baha. We call it disasterwhich gathers data on indicators
every
year.
Some
P10
billion
worth
resilient.
The way it's designed (it)
such as road network, basic
of real estate taxes will go to
becomes like a breakwater yung
utilities, and registered vehicles,
Manila city government.
mga storm surge nababawasan,"
the top cities were Naga, San
"This is one way of
he said. Despite environmental
Fernando of Pampanga; and
answering the fiscal situation of
groups' concerns, Estrada is
u
Page 21
the city, wherein Mayor Erap
optimistic the project will be
iniwan sa kanya ang city na may
approved by President Aquino.
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 21
Cavite-Laguna expressway bidding in December
11 groups vie for P35-Billion road project
By Miguel R. Camus
A statement from the PPP
Center said the firms included
San Miguel Corp., AC
Infrastructure Holdings Corp. of
Ayala Corp., Makati
Development Corp. of Ayala
Land Inc., Metro Pacific Tollways
Development Corp. of Metro
Pacific Investments Corp. and
Aboitizland Inc. of Aboitiz Equity
Ventures Inc.
Also bidding for the toll
road are Megawide Engineering
Excellence of Megawide
Construction Corp., Korea
Expressway Corp., Malaysianbacked Alloy MTD Philippines
Inc., Macquarie Infrastructure
Holdings (Philippines) Pte. Ltd.,
Leighton Contractors
(Philippines) Inc. and Egis
Projects Developer of
Infrastructure and Service.
The Cavite-Laguna
Expressway is the third project
of the DPWH under the PPP
program and its biggest so far
with an estimated cost of P35.42
billion for the four-lane, 47kilometer expressway.
The project will start from
the Manila-Cavite expressway in
Kawit, Cavite, and end at the
South Luzon ExpresswayMamplasan Interchange in
Biñan, Laguna. When
constructed, the Cavite-Laguna
Expressway will decongest
traffic along the Cavite-Laguna
road network and reduce the
travel time to and from Metro
Manila.
The prospective bidders
were given until Sept. 23 to
submit their prequalification
requirements.
The DPWH recently
restructured the toll road into a
“pure” PPP deal, which means
the private sector will be
responsible for the financing,
design, construction, operation
and maintenance of the entire
project.
Based on the original
structure, a private group would
operate the entire toll road but it
would build only the 28.9-km
stretch from Kawit to Aguinaldo
Highway in Cavite. The
government was to tap overseas
development assistance (ODA)
funds to build the remaining
18.1-km stretch.
Public Works Secretary
Rogelio Singson said he expected
the actual bidding to take place
in December this year and the
c o n t ra c t wo u l d l i ke ly b e
awarded to the winning bidder
by January 2014. Philippine
Daily Inquirer
Cavite-Laguna Expressway Route Map http://www.dpwh.gov.ph: The big-ticket CaviteLaguna Expressway public-private partnership (PPP) project has drawn the interest of at
least 11 firms, which have purchased prequalification documents released by the
Department of Public Works and Highways.
Philippine garments regaining US buyers
United States buyers are
making a comeback into the
Philippines, especially for
garments.
“We got a consensus that
all of our members are really
receiving more purchase orders
now from their principals. And
those buyers that stopped
buying five years ago during the
recession have started coming
back and inquiring... In fact,
their orders have doubled just
about two to three months ago,”
said Robert Young, president of
the Foreign Buyers Association
of the Philippines (FOBAP).
Cagayan De Oro
becomes
country’s ...
From page 20
C a gaya n d e O ro . T h e to p
municipalities were Daet ,
Camarines Norte; Mexico,
Pampanga; and Virac,
Catanduanes.
O n
s e l e c t e d
competitiveness indicators,
Bacolod ranked first in terms of
new business registrations as
well as in the renewal of business
registrations.
In terms of power cost,
Penablanca of Cagayan Valley
was number one as having the
lowest power rate per
kilowatthour while Taragona of
Davao Peninsula ha the lowest
water cost per cubic meter.
In terms of fastest
processing time for new and
renewal of business registration,
Bogo of Central Visayas was top
of the list while Naga of Bicol
Region has the fastest processing
time for construction permits.
Mexico, Pampanga has the
Young particularly cited a
group representing the various
department stores in the US
seeing an increase of 65 percent
in the apparel volume on higher
business placed by its American
clients. It is looking for vendors
in children knit playwear and
women woven sportswear
categories.
He said the increased
orders for Philippine garments
confirmed his observation
during a recent visit to the US.
“Every year, we have to
observe the market. For the first
time in my five years trip, this
least number of steps to register
a new business while Calbayog of
Eastern Visayas having the least
number of steps to process a
construction permit.
Luz said that NCC will be
conducting annual report to
provide LGUs a means to
evaluate performance and
formulate development plans.
The report, Luz said, will
not only provide potential
investors with information on
cities and municipalities but also
enable local governments to
better management their
localities.
Based on indicators, local
governments can now
benchmark their performance
against each other and
eventually against other cities in
the ASEAN.
Luz said that by next year,
the Competitiveness Index aims
to include more cities and
municipalities.
He also said it is still too
early and difficult to assess the
impact of the recent bombing in
Cagayan de Oro on the city's
competitiveness. (Manila
Bulletin)
year is really different in the
sense that there is really an
increase in the market activities.
You can see that shops are really
full with the likes of Neiman
Marcus, Macy's, Kohl's, Target
and Wal Mart which are our
members in FOBAP,” he shared.
“I also made informal
interviews with the sales
managers. They said they have
to get part-time sales people to
accommodate increased
shoppers... This somehow
indicates that the US economy
has definitely improved,” he
added.
Young was optimistic that
the Philippines will receive
more orders due to the
increasing labor cost in China.
This, as the US also planned to
shelve its trade privileges for
Bangladesh on concerns over
safety problems and labor rights
violations in its garment sector.
“Somehow we will be
getting some share of these
orders on the garments and
hard goods (comprising
handicrafts and housewares),”
he said. Aside from the US,
Young said some European
buyers also expressed interest
to place more orders with the
Philippines.
He said the country has
many niche products that are in
demand overseas.
“The basic items in the
garments are denims and Tshirts. These are easy to stitch,
these are not complicated. On
the hard goods, we have the
placemats, the bowls made out
of acacia wood and woven and
the abaca-woven bags,” he
added. (PHILEXPORT News and
Features)
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 22
Foreigners cite new flip-flop on how gov't treats contracts
By Irma Isip
The controversy arising from
calls to rescind the agreements of
the two water concessionaires in
Metro Manila is yet another
manifestation of how “difficult” it is
to do business with the
government, according to the
European Chamber of Commerce of
the Philippines (ECCP).
In a statement yesterday,
Henry Schumacher, ECCP vice
president for external affairs, said
this issue adds to the growing list of
projects entered into by the
government with the private sector
whose contracts the bureaucracy
would not honor later.
This inability to respect the
sanctity of contract has created a
trust gap with government among
investors that could have a chilling
effect on investors, the ECCP said.
“The bashing that Manila
Water and Maynilad Water went
through recently in connection
with their concession agreement
with MWSS (Metropolitan
Waterworks and Sewerage System)
illustrates the difficulty in doing
business with the government,”
Schumacher said.
He said the billings have been
in place for more than 15 years ,
were agreed to by MWSS in the
concession agreement it signed
with them in 1997, and are effective
up to 2022. He was referring to the
terms of the agreement that allows
the concessionaires to pass some of
their expenditures to customers.
“After all these years, the
MWSS suddenly found something
wrong with the water charges. This
controversy, another midstream
change, will certainly end up in the
Supreme Court,” Schumacher said,
referring to the usual fate of
disputes that private entities have
with the government.
Schumacher cited one which
has taken the same route is the San
Roque Power Corp. whose case is
now with the Supreme Court for
resolution of its claim of tax refund.
San Roque Power, he said is
“an investor (which) fights to get
from government what
government granted more than a
decade ago as an incentive (dutyand tax-free importation of capital
goods) when invited to invest.”
“These uncertainties are
breeding a huge trust deficit,” he
added.
Schumacher cited the review
of the Mining Law and the attempt
to change the mining fiscal regime
as another example of
government's policy flip-flopping.
“Will new miners come?
Unlikely. Will existing miners go?
More likely,” Schumacher said on
the impact of government's move..
According to Schumacher, the
case of the coal-fired power plant
of Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc.
in Subic is another example of
contract disrespected. The project
has been stopped by a court ruling
d u e to o p p o s i t i o n o f s o m e
stakeholders.
“Government has to
understand that 'trust' is the asset
it has to have. It's precisely because
“Infrastructure projects of
national significance (given that)
Luzon badly needs additional base-
resulted in a booming tourism
industry there beginning 2012.
“The Ilocos Norte
experience, however, showed
that the community was not
prepared with the entry of a
huge number of tourists,”
Palafox says.
From page 20
The new development
plan would be presented to
BCDA on Oct. 15.
Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee
Marcos earlier admitted that
Ilocos Norte's tourism facilities
from hotel accommodation to
common essentials like toilets
and rest stops were no match to
the droves of tourists who
visited the province as a result
of widespread tourism
promotions.
Urban planner Karina
Palafox says initial site analysis
h a d s h o w n Po r o Po i n t ' s
potential as a key urban hub in
the Ilocos region.
Palafox says Poro Point's
development options include a
r e g i o n a l t o u r i s m c e n t e r,
agribusiness hub, information,
communication and technology
hub and a governance center.
The Palafox master plan
divided Poro Point to at least
seven major sections. These are
an exclusive zone for high-end
and mixed residential including
an ICT and business park; an
area for mixed-used
developments such as industrial
park, medical village, campus
and golf course expansion; an
area for town center composed
of government offices, church,
commercial mall, convention
center and protective services; a
recreational zone where the
lighthouse now stands to
include a museum,
amphitheater, restaurants and
tourism center; a seaport zone
for warehouse complex or
He hinted that the upcoming
public-private partnerships in
infrastructure whose contracts
would last for 25 years could go the
way of these other projects due to
the government's propensity to
change the rules in the middle of
the game.
Schumacher said San Roque
Power stands for many investors
who will be short-changed by the
government if the Supreme Court
does not change its verdict from
“retroactive” to “progressive” or if
the government understands the
damage this case will do to
investors (existing and future) and
supports the change from
retroactive to progressive.
La Union
breathes new ...
She adds the new master
plan will be in harmony with the
two previous plans, including
the development trends in Asia
for smart and gateway cities
which are airport-railway-port
driven.
of changing rules midstream that
investors are more and more
reluctant to invest long-term. Who
guarantees that the rules agreed
with this administration will be
honored by successive
governments?,” Schumacher said.
PORO Point Lighthouse in
San Fernando City, La Union
stockyard, cruise ship repairs,
railway extension; and two
other zones for tourism and
transit hub.
The plan notes touristmagnet sections, such as the
lighthouse area, the free port's
highest point, where it can
accommodate thousands of
tourists during festivities. The
lighthouse also has a vantage
p o i n t o f t h e Po r o Po i n t
peninsula.
“We want to establish a
marketable, viable and effective
development plan. But we need
to ask La Union's stakeholders,
'What does your city and your
community aspire to become?'”
Palafox says.
She says La Union could
learn from Ilocos Norte's master
plan (which Palafox Associates
also developed) which has
“Poro Point might want to
look at how to prepare
communities [once the
development plan takes off],”
Palafox says.
During the workshop,
most participants raised the
threat of more oil spill from
vessels and the shipyard as a
major concern that the plan
should address.
The Ilocos shorelines have
had incidents of oil spill, most
recent was in February when a
sunken Burmese cargo ship
leaked oil in Bolinao,
Pangasinan, that eventually
spread to coastal waters from La
Union to Ilocos Norte.
A Department of Tourism
representative in the Ilocos
region also notes the need to
expand La Union's tourism
market from a mere pit stop to
one where visitors could have
choices for products. Inquirer
Northern Luzon
Schumacher: Bashing of water companies adds to the growing list of projects
entered into by the government with the private sector whose contracts the
bureaucracy would not honor later.
load plans) should be given priority
and importance. They should be
insulated from unfounded issues
that only result in costly delays in
the implementation of such
projects,” Schumacher said..
According to Schumacher, as
“executives expect to have to
n av i ga te t h e c o u n t r y ' s b a d
infrastructure, the rigid labor
market, red tape and remaining
pockets of corruption, they are
certainly not keen on tripping over
t h e f i n e p r i n t o f l aws a n d
implementing rules and
regulations, and local power
brokers with agenda at odds with
Manila.” (Malaya Business News)
ENTERTAINMENT
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 23
A melancholy stroll down memory lane
with Dionne Warwick
THE POP diva's voice warmed up just in time for the classics. (Photo courtesy of Ovation Productions)
By Jenny Santillan-Santiago
“The sweet acceptance I got
from the Filipino audience brought
me great joy and happiness… I look
forward to coming back soon,”
international pop diva Dionne
Warwick told Inquirer in an e-mail
interview shortly before she left
the country on Friday, July 26.
“The past few days spent
touring and performing around
your wonderful country was quite
an experience,” added Warwick in
summing up her recent four-night
concert series. “It was a great
pleasure to be back in Manila.”
The legendary singer did
receive a warm reception from her
fans in four key cities of the country
where she performed for the
“Dionne Warwick Philippine Tour
2013.” It was certainly a feat for the
72-year-old to hold successive
shows in Manila (a fund-raising
dinner show at the Manila Hotel
forthe benefit of the Missionaries
of Mary, Mother of the Poor on July
20), Davao City (SMX Convention
Center, July 21), Quezon City
(Smart Araneta Coliseum, July 23)
and Baguio City (University of
Baguio, July 25).
Earlier, the tour promoter,
Ovation Productions, said in
publicity materials that the
highlight of Warwick's tour was the
“grand concert” at the Smart
Araneta Coliseum.
At the Big Dome
So on Tuesday night, it wasn't
surprising that thousands of
Warwick fans braved the heavy
downpour and traffic to watch the
awaited event.
At 8:16 p.m., the front act,
Tavares, got the party started with
its 1975 hit song, “It Only Takes a
Minute.” The American R&B, funk
and soul groupcomposed of
brothers Pooch, Chubby, Butch and
Tinyregaled the audience with six
more of its 1970s and 1980s chart
toppers, including “A Penny for
Your Thoughts” and “More Than a
Woman.”
The brothers earned loud
cheers when they addressed the
crowd in Filipino, using common
words and phrases they had
learned, like “Iniibig kita,”
“Masarap,” “Salamat po” and “Ano
kayo, baliw?” (this one drew
guffaws).
The crowd had more than
warmed up by the time the
brothers sang their final song,
“Heaven Must Be Missing An
Angel,” an international chart
buster in 1976. The audience
couldn't ask for more after the
group rendered another mega-hit,
“Hard Core Poetry,” for encore.
But before their final bow, the
brothers delivered this message
with big smiles on their faces:
“Manila, we love you. We're coming
back. Remember who sang this
song (“Hard Core Poetry”)… not
Stylistics (another famous soul
group)! God bless!”
Main event
After a five-minute break,
Warwick appeared on stage
dressed in apple green pants and a
multi-colored top.
“It's a pleasure to be here in
Manila,” she addressed the crowd.
“I want to re-introduce you to songs
that you remember, and those that
will be remembered.”
Warwick, considered one of
the greatest pop singers of all time,
asked the audience to join her in “a
s t ro l l d ow n m e m o r y l a n e ,”
promising to give them their
money's worth.
Such an introduction was
enough to raise the crowd's
expectation. For her opening
number, she didn't pick any of the
classics by the legendary songwriting tandem of Burt Bacharach
and Hal David that made her
famous around the world. Instead
she sang “Heartbreaker,” composed
by the Bee Gees. Not a few
eyebrows were raised when
Warwick struggled with the song, if
only because it was her biggest solo
hit in the 1980s.
Warwick's five-member
band came to her rescue, pumping
u p t h e vo l u m e a n d n e a r ly
drowning her weak, hoarse voice.
That was certainly a
heartbreaker.
Warwick then moved on to
the next songs on her set listan
Antonio Carlos Jobim medley
culminating in “Aquarela Do
Brasil”still in the same soft,
gravelly voice. At that point, a few
persons in the audience were seen
stepping out.
For sure, many wondered
what had happened to the onceexquisite, powerful, haunting voice
that made her one of the biggest
acts in the 1960s and 1970s.
A turnaround
The more loyal fans who
stayed on their seats were amply
rewarded because Warwick's
performance picked up very likely
because her voice had warmed
u
Page 24
Folk-rock legend Florante to
light up Fiesta In America
TFC hunk Piolo Pascual and
young chanteuse Angeline Quinto may
be headlining Fiesta In America
2013's concerts, but Florante De Leon
may yet steal their thunder. A
performer-composer who helped
break the ground for OPM (Original
Pinoy Music), the singer best known
as Florante has recently signed up for
two evening concerts (Saturday,
August 17 and Sunday August 18) that
is expected to rock nonprofit Fiesta In
America's 15th Anniversary edition at
the Meadowlands Expo Center in
Secaucus, NJ.
Florante is a pioneer of Pinoy
folk-rock, which fused Filipinoidentity lyrics with the '60s musical
genre exemplified by Bob Dylan, Joan
Baez, Gordon Lightfoot and others. He
was the prime exponent of the Pinoy
songwriter-turned-performer during
the so-called DZRJ-AM radio boom in
Manila of the 1970s, which later
ushered in the “Manila sound” and the
rise of OPM popularized by later
artists such as Freddie Aguilar, Heber
Bartoleme, Sampaguita and Hot Dog.
His influential hits include “Ako's
Isang Pinoy” (I Am A Filipino),
“Digmaan” (War) and “Pinay ”
(Filipino Woman). His last major
appearance was a March 2012 concert
headlined by comedian Rex Navarette
at the Thunder Valley Casino
Resort (Lincoln, CA). After his Fiesta In
America commitment, Florante is
slated to perform in Sydney and
Melbourne, Australia.
Florante
Fiesta In America 2013 is a
unique blend of trade expo and
multicultural festival, business
networking and live entertainment
that alsofeatures Chinese sensation
Eric Xie, Korean and Chinese dance
ensembles, kung fu and arnis
demonstrations, free business
workshops and a special cooking
show by EWTN cable TV chef Fr. Leo
Patalinghug.
For more information, call
212-682-6610 email:
[email protected] or visit our
website www.philippinefiesta.com.
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 24
Claudine Barretto seeks court protection
order versus Raymart Santiago
A COMPOSED Claudine Barretto leaves a Marikina court
shortly after she filed a petition for a temporary protection
order against her husband, actor Raymart Santiago. Her
lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, earlier said she was crying
throughout the proceeding. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
By Nathaniel R. Melican
MANILA --- Saying she
has had enough of “all kinds of
stress” due to “a series of
events” she has been dealing
with since 2005, actress
Claudine Barretto asked the
court, on Monday, to order her
husband, actor Raymart
Santiago, to stay away from
her and their children.
Barretto, who according
to her lawyer Ferdinand
Topacio was weeping all
throughout the proceeding,
specifically asked the
Marikina Regional Trial Court
to issue a temporary
protection order (TPO) that
would prevent her estranged
husband from getting within
300 meters of her and their
household.
Barretto refused to talk
to reporters as Topacio
explained that the petition
would allow a judge to issue a
T P O i m m e d i a te ly wh i l e
scheduling hearings to
determine whether a
permanent protection order
should be granted.
“The important
component of the relief is that
we are pleading [with] the
court to tell Raymart to stay
away from my client, their
household and their kids…
within a certain radius of 300
meters,” he said.
“Our petition also asks
R ay m a r t t o s t o p
communicating with the kids
as they try to settle their
differences,” he added.
Barretto's case was later
raffled off to the Marikina RTC
Branch 192, a family court
presided over by Judge
Geraldine Macaraig. The court
refrained from releasing
further details, citing the
confidentiality given to such
sensitive cases.
For his part, Topacio said
the actress had been thinking
of filing the petition for some
time although she made up
her mind only last weekend.
“This was precipitated
by a series of events which I
am not at liberty to discuss.
She has been enduring acts
since 2005 even as she
wanted to make their
marriage work,” the lawyer
added.
When asked for more
details, Topacio said the
actress was subjected to “all
kinds of stress: physical,
emotional, psychological,
even economic stress.”
He also said that
although the case had been
filed, Barretto still had mixed
feelings about the whole
thing.
“She decided just over
the weekend and even then,
she was ambivalent [about]
the matter. Even after the
filing, she was still crying. We
were coaxing her to eat
something because she hasn't
eaten anything since last
night,” he added.
To p a c i o s a i d t h a t
Barretto had held back
against filing the case because
she knew it would be her last
resort as it would not help
repair their marriage.
“She felt she had no
other recourse. She realizes,
as she confided to me, that this
is the point where there is no
more turning back and that
this is the beginning of the end
of the marriage,” he noted.
However, he could not
say if her action would lead to
an annulment case. “We're
taking this one step at a time.
Anyway, our allegations in the
petition do not involve the
validity of marriage. It's more
of the stress factor which
escalates the conflict between
husband and wife.”
Topacio also revealed
that Barretto had sought the
services of a clinical
psychologist to give her
counseling to help her cope
with what she has been going
through.
Only recently, the actress
revealed in media interviews
that Santiago had not been
living with her and their
children for at least a month.
More than a year ago, the
couple presented a united
front when they faced off with
Philippine Daily Inquirer
columnist Ramon Tulfo in
court following a brawl at the
airport, which led to the filing
of cases and countercharges
between both parties.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
FRONT ACT: Tavares brothers (from left) Arthur “Pooch,” Perry Lee “Tiny,” Feliciano “Butch”
and Antone “Chubby” (Photo courtesy of Ovation Productions)
A melancholy
stroll ...
From page 23
upon her fourth song, “Do You Know
the Way to San Jose?” It is her biggest
international hit on record, the one
that fetched her first Grammy
Award, in 1968. Though it sounded
like she sang the song in a lower key,
the rasp in her voice had become less
pronounced.
Warwick's performance kept
improving as she proceeded to
interpret her bestsellers“Alfie”
(Bacharach's personal favorite),
“You'll Never Get to Heaven,” “I'll
Never Fall in Love Again,” “This Girl's
in Love With You,” and “I Say a Little
Prayer,” among others. Some songs
she jazzed up; others she tackled in
lower keys.
Two new songs
Her set list also included two
new songs from her latest album
“Now,” which she released in
October to mark her 50 years in the
music business“Love is Still the
Answer” composed by Bacharach,
and “99 Miles From LA” written by
David.
Towards the second half of
Warwick's 90-minute performance,
members of the audience were
completely smitten. They gladly
complied when she asked them to
join her in singing “Walk On By,” and
then again for her final three songs“I
Know I'll Never Love This Way
Again,” “What the World Needs Now,”
and “That's What Friends Are For.”
Warwick's vocal power may
have diminished, but she will always
be loved and idolized as the
inimitable performer and recording
artist who immortalized some of the
most romantic songs of all time. No
need to make her over. (Philippine
Daily Inquirer)
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 25
Raymart breaks silence, says
Claudine making up stories
MANILA -- Actor Raymart
Santiago denied Tuesday the
"accusations" of his estranged wife,
actress Claudine Barretto, who filed
a temporary protection order (TRO)
against him on Monday.
The 40-year-old Santiago, in a
statement given to ABS-CBN News
Tuesday afternoon, said he was
forced to speak up for the welfare of
his children with the 34-year-old
Barretto.
"Matagal akong nanahimik
pero dahil sa mga mapanirang
akusasyon na ibinabato sa akin,
napilitan akong sumagot para na rin
sa kapakanan ng mga anak namin,"
he said.
The couple have two children - an adopted daughter, Sabina, 9; and
a biological son, Santino, 6.
"Walang katotohanan na
inabuso ko ang ina ng mga anak ko.
At bilang ama, hindi ako gagawa ng
hakbang na ikapapahamak ng mga
anak ko," Santiago said.
The actor's brother, singerhost Randy Santiago, earlier came to
the defense of his younger sibling
when rumors surfaced that Barretto
appeared to have been a victim of
domestic violence.
A photo on the actress'
Instagram page, showing her with
what appears to be a bruise on her
right cheek, first triggered the
speculation in June.
The photo was posted and
deleted within the same day.
On Monday, July 29, Barretto
sought a TPO against Santiago for
her and on behalf of their children
from the Marikina Regional Trial
Court.
Barretto, however, refused to
give further details about the TPO,
including the reason for the legal
step.
"Ayaw ko talagang magsalita. I
am not ready to talk. I don't want to
talk. I just want to be protected. I just
want my children to be protected.
'Yun lang masasabi ko," she said in
an interview on radio dzMM.
In his statement Tuesday,
Santiago said, "Hindi ko siya
pinagbuhatan ng kamay. Maraming
mga nakakakilala sa akin na
makakapagpatunay niyan."
He brought up the supposed
capacity of his wife to "make up
stories." This, following a string of
controversies involving the actress
and a feud among her family
members early this year.
" M a r a m i r i n a n g
makakapagpatunay na may
kakayahan siyang gumawa ng
kuwento," Santiago said.
"Again, I strongly deny her
accusations. Lalabas din ang
katotohanan. Sasagutin namin ang
lahat sa korte sa tamang panahon,"
he said.
Ai Ai delas Alas feels 'reborn’
Ai Ai delas Alas
MANILA -- After enduring a
tumultous first half of the year, Ai Ai
delas Alas is returning from a wellspent vacation in the United States
feeling "reborn."
The 48-year-old actress, who
returned to Manila early this week,
referred to her month-long vacation
as her "road to redemption," pointing
to the quality time she was able to
spend with her three children.
"Parang road to redemption
pag nakikita ko 'yung mga anak ko,
parang lumalakas ako, para ko silang
vitamins... [I feel] reborn! Ai Ai
reborn, lahat-lahat na! Resurrected!
Kung anu-ano nalang," she said.
In recent months, delas Alas
a n d h e r f o r m e r p a r t n e r,
businessman Jed Salang, made
headlines when the actress broke
down in a televised interview
claiming she is a victim of domestic
violence.
Delas Alas has since filed a case
against Salang for violation of the
Anti-Violence against Women and
Their Children Act of 2004.
The former couple, who were
married in a civil wedding on April 3
and separated on May 2, last faced in
court on June 19.
Asked if she has completely
move on from her failed relationship
with Salang, the actress said, "Ay,
waley, alam mo naman ako, made of
wood, cement, ganyan, para akong
bahay! Konting pahinga lang...
Kumbaga, pag dapa, bangon ulit."
T h e " Ta n g i n g I n a" s t a r,
however, is now decidedly more
cautious when it comes to
relationships, saying she should
start to be less trusting.
"Kaunting ingat and vigilance,
and dapat stronger. Kailangan kasi!
Problema ko talaga 'yan eh. Masyado
akong trusting, 'yun ang problema ko
talaga, kahit noon pa.
"[Kahit] huwag ito 'yung pagusapan natin, 'yung nangyari sa 'kin
ngayon. Kahit noon pa, 'yan nalang
problema ko, hindi lang sa love life,
sa maraming tao," she said.
Whereas before, delas Alas
expected acts of kindness to go both
ways, the actress said she has come
to accept that not everyone would
reciprocate.
"Kasi parang feeling ko lahat ng
tao, kung ano 'yung ako, siya rin 'yon.
Kung ano 'yung trato natin sa isa'tisa, kung mabait ako sa'yo, mabait ka
rin. Hindi naman pala gonon, iba-iba
pala ang klase ng tao. So 'yun 'yung
sinasabi kong vigilance," she said.
Now feeling "re-energized,"
delas Alas said she is thrilled to
resume work on the action-comedy
film "Kung Fu Divas," wherein she costars with actress Marian Rivera.
Delas Alas will start promoting
the movie, leading up to its
nationwide release on September
25.
Why Venus Raj regrets
relationship with Andrei
MANILA - Beauty queen
Venus Raj regrets entering into a
relationship with former TV
host Andrei Felix, saying that
this once caused a rift in her
family.
The Miss Universe 2010
fourth runner-up revealed for
the first time that there was a
time when her siblings made
her choose between them and
Felix.
Raj said she initially chose
to be with Felix, which led to
months of being away with her
family.
“Marami kasing taong
nasaktan eh. Maraming taong
nadamay, especially 'yung
pamilya ko. Umabot kami sa
p o i n t n a n a g - a way - a way
kaming magkakatapid. Umabot
sa point na pinapapili ako ng
mga kapatid ko kung sila or siya.
Mas pinili ko siya. Hindi kami
nag-usap ng mga kapatid ko for
a few months. Na-miss ko ang
pamilya ko doon,” she said
without citing the reason
behind the rift.
Realizing that she wants to
return to her family, Raj decided
to break up with Felix, ending
their one-year relationship.
“Nag-usap kami. Sinabi ko,
'Siguro oras na para maghiwalay
tayo. Sana may natutunan ka sa
kung anong mayroon tayo dati,
sa mga pinagdaanan natin.' Sabi
ko, 'Sana may natutunan ka at
gamitin mo 'yun sa mga susunod
mong relasyon nang hindi na
maulit 'yung nangyari sa atin,'”
she said.
Raj admitted that she
believes that Felix helped her
become a better person “in
some aspects.” The beauty
queen stressed, however, that
she should have listened to
those who were against the idea
of her being in a relationship
with the TV host.
“Sana pala nung mga
unang panahon na iniisip ko na
papasukin ko ba 'tong relasyon
na 'to o hindi, sana pala nakinig
ako sa kanila. Sana pala hindi na
umabot sa ganito,” she said.
Andrei Felix and Venus Raj
Raj and Felix met as cohosts of the ABS-CBN morning
show “Umagang Kay Ganda” in
2011. The two were eventually
replaced by other hosts in 2013,
when the show underwent
some format changes.
The beauty queen
stressed that their exit from
“Umagang Kay Ganda” had
nothing to do with their split.
“Hindi po 'yun dahil sa
trabaho kung bakit nawala
kami. Mas malalim ang
pinanggagalingan nun, mas
personal ang pinanggagalingan
nun,” she explained.
Showbiz has taken a back
seat for Raj, who is currently
busy taking up a master's
degree in Community
Development at the University
of the Philippines.
Asked when she plans on
settling down, she said: “'Pag
dumating na po 'yung tamang
lalaki para sa akin. Kahit bata pa
o matanda ka na, basta alam mo
na 'yan ang tamang tao para
sa'yo. Kasi lifetime mong
makakasama 'yan.”
Raj's mother, Esther
Bayonito, for her part said she
only wants her daughter to find
a man who would love her for
the rest of her life.
“Kahit 'di kagwapuhan,
kahit hindi mayaman. Dahil ang
lalaking magiging asawa mo,
siya ang kahalili ko sa
pagmamahal ko sa'yo,” Bayonito
said, addressing Raj.
Billy Crawford, Nikki Gil break up
MANILA --- Kapamilya
stars Billy Crawford and Nikki
Gil have ended their
relationship, which would have
turned five years next month.
This was confirmed by ALV
Talent Circuit, which manages
the careers of the 31-year-old
"It's Showtime" host and the 25year-old "ASAP" mainstay.
"On behalf of our artists,
Billy Crawford and Nikki Gil, we
are greatly saddened by their
admission that they have indeed
mutually agreed to end their
relationship of more than four
years," the statement read.
"With due respect to their
privacy, we are refraining for
issuing any other facts or
statements related to the issue at
this critical juncture," it added.
Billy Crawford and Nikki Gil
The reason for the breakup, which reportedly took place
last week, was not specified.
Gil was reportedly seen
emotional inside her "ASAP"
dressing room last Sunday. On
Monday, and in subsequent
episodes of "It's Showtime" this
week, Crawford continued to
regularly co-host the program.
Last January, Gil openly
shared that she feels Crawford is
the man she will spend the rest
of her life with. "Parang in terms
of, kumbaga, checklist, check na
check lahat. Mga 98 over 100
siguro," she said at the time.
Crawford, for his part, has
said he "couldn't ask for more" in
their relationship. "Hindi naman
siya perfect... wala namang
relationship na perfect, but it's
more than perfect for me," he
said in March.
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 26
Alessandra de Rossi has eyes on her acting rather than awards
By Walden Sadiri M. Belen
The possibility of being
nominated and winning an acting
award is not a prerequisite for
Alessandra de Rossi in accepting a
movie project. The 29-year old
actress says that she will even do a
few sequences in a film or even a
TV series as long as she believes in
the project. That said she's one of
actors adhering to the old adage
that there are no small roles, only
small actors; and in "Liars," a 2013
Cinemalaya Directors Showcase
entry where she plays lead,
conveying the film's message than
earning another acting award is on
her mind.
Like in her past movies,
Alessandra took the lead part in
"Liars" because she found the
movie project interesting. She also
deemed it a movie that would
enhance her acting craft.
"Maganda siya. Pag
tumatanggap ako ng movie
sinisigurado ko na maraming
matututunan ang mga manunuod
gaya nito. Malaki ng iniiwang
tanong like sasabihin ninyo ba
yung totoo na alam ninyong
ikakasira ng buhay ng isang tao o
itatago na lang ninyo na lang sa
sarili ninyo para everybody happy,"
shared Alessandra.
I n " L i a r s ," s h e p l a y s
journalist Eloisa Avelino who
discovered that some of the
members of the country's Little
Maja Salvador
League baseball team who won the
championship in the Little League
World Series were overaged and
non-residents of their community.
Her moral dilemma then is
whether she'll be true to her
profession as a journalist and
expose the scandal or be
n a t i o n a l i s t i c a n d ke e p h e r
discoveries a secret for her
country.
"Pinakita ko rito kung
papaano nag-struggle si Eloisa
bilang isang journalist. Makikita
rin kung ano ang naging effect sa
kanya nang nalaman niya ang
katotohanan. Minsan kasi pwede
naman tayong manahimik na lang
sa totoo lang. Pero may mga times
na hindi pwede kasi may mga
taong madadamay. Ngayon kung
wala namang madadamay I'm all
for white lies. Wala namang
masisira dyan. Protektahan na lang
natin yung pwedeng protektahan
di ba," she explained.
Describing her role as very
mature, one of her challenges she
revealed was acting as a 21-year
old and then transforming herself
to a 31-year old. Playing a
journalist was a serious role for
her, she added.
"Grabe ang naging
preparation ko rito pero masaya
ako kasi nagbabalik ang team-up ni
direk Gil Portes and Senedy Que,"
she related.
Alessandra said that she was
happy to be reunited with Gil
Portes. She said that her director
motivated her by reminding her
that she has to do good because
she'll be pitted against Gov. Vilma
Santos in the movie "Ekstra."
"Ang bilis ng buong shooting
and ang saya lang talaga. Puro Take
One lagi si direk ever since ganun
naman siya kaya napaka-natural
ng dating. Yung bang feeling mo
magkamali pero siya good na yan.
Pero okay palagi kasi napakanatural ng dating kasi kung paulitulit rehearsed na siya na practiced
na hindi na siya natural," she
opined.
To date the following are
Alessandra de Rossi's awards: Best
Actress- at thev2013 Asean
International Film Festival and
Awards (AIFFA) for the film-“Santa
Niña,” Best Supporting ActressURIAN 2013 for the film- “Mater
Dolorosa,” Princess of RP Movies
2002 from the Guillermo Mendoza
Memorial Foundation Inc., MMFF
2001 Best Supporting Actress for
"Hubog," FAMAS 2000 Best
Supporting Actress for "Azucena,"
and Most Promising Young Actress
2000 from the Guillermo Mendoza
Memorial Foundation Inc.
Also in "Liars" are Jan Harley
Hicana, John Michael Bonapos, Cris
Villanueva, Richard Quan, Jim
Rocky Tangco, Sue Prado, Dax
Alejandro, and Arnold Reyes.
Manila Bulletin
Alessandra de Rossi
Kim Chiu
Kim appeals: Let's
not talk about Maja
MANILA - More than six
months since she expressed
re g re t ove r h e r “ wa s t e d ”
friendship with Maja Salvador,
Kim Chiu still chooses to keep
mum every time she is asked
about her former best friend.
In an interview at the
sidelines of the “Bakit Hindi Ka
Crush ng Crush Mo” press
conference, Chiu shrugged off
questions about Salvador's tweet
allegedly defending her from
bashers.
“Let's not talk about her,”
Chiu briefly said.
On June 25, just as Chiu was
being criticized about her
relationship with her late mother,
Salvador tweeted: “You don't
know her... You just know her
n a m e . . . # P l e a s e D o n' t J u d g e
#PleaseRESPECT.”
While Salvador did not
indicate who she was pertaining
to, many netizens believed she
was asking the public to respect
Chiu, who was then mourning the
loss of her mom.
Insisting that she does not
want to talk about their falling
out, Chiu just smiled and said:
“Masaya ako kasi thankful ako sa
mga nandiyan for me. 'Yung
totoong nandiyan for me.”
Chui was referring to her
family and her rumored
boyfriend Xian Lim.
u
Page 27
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 27
Lea reveals possible
movie with Aga
MANILA - After nearly
two decades since their last
onscreen partnership,
Broadway actress Lea Salonga
revealed there have been talks
about a possible reunion movie
with actor Aga Muhlach.
Muhlach and Salonga
starred in two movies in the
1990s -- "Bakit Labis Kitang
Mahal" and "Sana Maulit Muli."
“There have been [talks]
but can we get physically ready
first for this? I think I've had a
head start. I've lost a little bit of
weight and it's starting to show
so it's his turn na lang,” Salonga
said.
Saying she rarely accepts
movie projects, Salonga said
she would rather work with
people she's already
comfortable with.
“Minsan lang kasi ako
gumawa ng pelikula. As in once
every 17 years. I don't do
movies very often so I want to
be with people that I'm already
comfortable with. There are
certain risks that I'd like take
when I perform live. But when I
do a film, I'd like to stay with a
team na nakasanayan ko na,”
she said.
The Tony-award winner
also noted that she and
M u h l a c h h ave a c e r t a i n
chemistry, which makes their
working environment light.
“I think we have
shorthand as far as what we do
on screen. It's very easy for a
director to say 'You two do this,
do that.' Tapos na agad ang
usapan. Madali,” she said.
While she has not been
active in the movies, Salonga
said she is happy that people
are still clamoring to see her
and Muhlach together on
screen again.
On being 'very opinionated'
Meanwhile, Salonga
finally broke her silence amid
criticism that she is “very
opinionated” as seen in the
various episodes of “The Voice
of the Philippines” where she
sits as one of the coaches.
Salonga said she
appreciates the feedback but
said people should know that
she's really a very
straightforward person.
“There are critics both
from members of the press as
well as all over social media. But
tumataba din ang puso ko when
I get messages from people that
Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta
Lea Salonga
know me as a human being na
nagsasabing, 'Nakikita na ng
buong bansa kung anong
k l a s e n g t a o k a .' I a m
opinionated, I word things
strongly. I hold no punches, I'm
very direct and I'm very
straightforward,” she said.
Salonga added:
“Whatever approach I'm taking,
I'm taking from a place of
sincerity and truth. If people
like it then great. May tao talaga
na may gusto sa approach ko,
m e ro n d i n g m ga t a o n a
nalalakasan ang dating. Who
else can you be but you? So it's
fine.”
Dawn, Richard to
star in new movie
MANILA -- SEASONED
actors Richard Gomez and Dawn
Zulueta will revive the magic of
their team up on the big screen in
an upcoming Star Cinema movie.
The two recently signed a
contract with ABS-CBN's film
outfit for the said movie project,
which is part of Star Cinema's
20th anniversary year-long
celebration.
According to both actors,
they are excited to do the film,
because a lot of their supporters
are asking for it, especially after
they've done "Walang Hanggan"
on television.
"Matagal na din kasi kami
hindi gumagawa ng pelikula.
Actually dati ang ginagawa namin
puro movies, tapos ngayon lang
kami gumawa ng teleserye tapos
ganun pa ka successful kaya
talagang kinagulat namin," Dawn
said.
The 44-year-old actress
added: "Ngayon na babalik kami
sa dati naming gawi, which is
movies, I'm excited and at the
same time kind of nervous kasi
parang 20 years in the making
ito."
The two are known for their
movies "Filipinas" (2003) and
"Hihintayin Kita Sa Langit" in
1991.
Joining them in the project
are box-office actor John Lloyd
Cruz and "Maria Mercedes" lead
Kim appeals:
Let’s not talk
about Maja
From page 26
“Pamilya ko, of course,
lagi naman silang nandiyan,
sila ang inspirasyon ko sa
kung anuman ang nangyayari
sa buhay ko. Hindi naman sila
bumitaw sa akin. And si Xian
siyempre,” she said.
Chiu said her loved ones
stood by her amid all the
intrigues and they
star Jessy Mendiola.
Richard said he's excited to
work again with John Lloyd after
they've done few episodes of
comedy series "Palibhasa Lalake"
in the past.
"I'm happy to work with
John Lloyd. Bata pa kami noon
and yung genre namin ay comedy,
but this time it's a serious movie,"
he said.
For Dawn, she said she is
looking forward to working with
the younger generation of stars.
"I'm very excited because I
really wanted to work with John
Lloyd. Si Jessy, I've seen her
already and naging successful
naman yung mga ginagawa
niyang teleserye."
In a separate interview with
Jessy, she said she was surprised
of her inclusion in the project. She
discovered that she's part of the
movie through the
announcement made by her
mother station on its primetime
newscast.
"Nagulat ako and totoo ba
ito? Tinext ko agad yung Star
Cinema. I want to do it. RichardDawn yun and John Lloyd Cruz,”
she said.
It's going to be a big movie
for me because it's going to be my
second film," she added.
The Richard-Dawn reunion
movie will be shown in theaters
before this year ends.
continuously help her in
coping.
Meanwhile, Lim said
Chiu is truly fortunate to have
so many good people around
her.
“Marami kami, hindi
lang ako. Iyon nga ang
sinasabi ko kay Kim. She's
really privileged na marami
sila.
‘Yung ibang tao kapag
nangyari sa kanila iyon,
siguro one or two people lang
ang tutulong. Kay Kim ang
dami. Naramdaman niya
iyon,” he said.
SPORTS
Rios will exploit
Pacquiao's mistakes
By Nick Giongco
Brandon Rios said he will
exploit whatever mistakes
Manny Pacquiao will make
when they meet Nov. 24 at The
Venetian in Macau.
A costly mistake in the
dying seconds of the sixth
round is the general
consensus on why Pacquiao
lost the bout against Juan
Manuel Marquez who
knocked out the Filipino while
leading and controlling the
fight.
“Manny makes a lot of
mistakes and (trainer) Robert
(Garcia) and I will be working
hard on making a plan to
exploit them,” said Rios as
their seven-city press tour hit
Beijing yesterday.
Rios said he will begin
training camp as soon as he
returns to Oxnard, California,
after the press tour and he
expects to begin the tough
grind with a 12-round
sparring session immediately.
“I can't let this
opportunity slip through my
fingers,” added Rios, 27, who is
the betting underdog in the
scheduled 12-round
welterweight war at the
15,000-capacity CotaiArena.
Pacquiao is likewise
pressured to put on a show of
force following his disastrous
sixth-round knockout loss to
Juan Manuel Marquez last
December and the split
decision defeat to Tim Bradley
six months earlier.
“I'm 34 and I now need to
train over a longer period. The
focus of this camp will be on
speed and footwork, which
have been my advantages in
previous successful fights. I'll
be more careful to avoid the
careless error I made against
Marquez.”
Despite the smackdown
that Marquez dealt him,
Pacquiao remains confident
that it's premature to count
him out.
From Beijing, Pacquiao
and Rios will travel to
Shanghai for another press
c o n fe re n c e a t t h e Fo u r
Seasons before making a brief
stop in Singapore for a private
function with officials of the
Marina Bay Sands. Manila
Bulletin
TV5 deplores
'Favoritism' by
PR firm
A senior sports
correspondent of TV5 deplored
what she said was a
mishandling by organizers of
the recent visit of the NBA
superstar LeBron James of the
Miami Heat that deprived the
broadcast station of a chance to
cover the event.
TV5 correspondent Chiqui
Roa-Puno, in a letter to Ogilvy
Public Relations managing
director Leah Huang, said her
channel was “unfairly denied
coverage opportunities by your
ground team while our
counterparts ABS-CBN, GMA,
and Solar Sports were accorded
(coverage opportunities).”
Roa-Puno also questioned
the number of times TV5's
request for coverage
opportunities were seemingly
deflected by the PR firm.
Officials of the broadcast
network owned by business
tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan,
however, were later surprised
to learn that other broadcast
networks, including foreign
teams and freelance journalists
engaged in podcasts and web
syndications, were given
chances to interview LeBron.
According to Roa-Puno,
her crew was not remiss in all
requests and follow-ups for
interview. She claimed to have
been promised by an Ogilvy
staff that TV5 slots would be
worked out but to no avail.
Roa-Puno also questioned
Ogilvy's action, saying: “We are
crushed and disillusioned, that
Ogilvy PR did not give us the
same importance and respect.”
Huang can't be reached for
comment but one of the staff of
the PR firm said they will issue a
statement to clarify the matter.
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 28
Pacquiao expects
good fight vs Rios
By Nick Giongco
Pacquiao, whose last outing
was a sixth-round knockout
loss to Juan Manuel Marquez
of Mexico.
It was business as usual
for Manny Pacquiao on
Friday afternoon (July 26)
in Macau as the Filipino
kicked off a seven-city
promotional tour for his
Nov. 24 welterweight war
with Brandon Rios.
Pacquiao spoke as
though he was on a
diplomatic mission,
expressing his delight over
the trip to the former
Portuguese colony and
assuring everyone who
bothered to listen that his
fighting days are far from
over.
“I'm happy to be back in
boxing again. This is a big
opportunity for us to fight
here in Macau.
It's very close to the
Philippines, so I'm expecting
more Filipinos than Mexican
people are going to watch on
N ove m b e r 2 4 t h ,” s a i d
Pacquiao on the dais.
Rios exuded confidence
when it was his turn to talk
on the podium and made the
guarantee that the boxing
world will “see a new
superstar.”
Manny Pacquiao
Pacquiao, aiming to
bounce back from back-toback losses in 2012, sees a
slambang showdown with
Rios.
“It's going to be a good
fight because Rios likes to
fight toe-to-toe and loves
action in the ring so what we
have to do is to train hard
and prepare 100%
physically and mentally, and
of course we always pray to
God that nobody gets hurt,”
said the 34-year-old
“I'm going to show the
world, everybody that
doubts me, everybody that
talks bad about me to say I'm
a punching bag, they'll find
something out different.”
From Macau, Pacquiao
and Rios are going on a tour
of two Chinese cities-Beijing and Shanghai--as
well as Singapore and the US
mainland in the next two
weeks.
Pacquiao remains the
heavy betting favorite
despite his two straight
losses but Rios is the type of
fighter who can't be taken
for granted. Manila Bulletin
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 29
Magdalo: 10 years
after Oakwood
From page 11
stood firm. They even staged
another protest in November 2007,
at the Manila Peninsula.
But throughout their
imprisonment, they felt the
support of the people which
Trillanes, a former Navy captain,
tested with a senatorial run. He
wo n c a m p a i g n i n g f ro m h i s
detention cell.
They were granted amnesty
by President Aquino in late 2010.
The officers' desire to serve the
people never wavered and they
prepared for it. Almost all of them
continued their studies online.
Trillanes defended his thesis for his
Masters in Public Administration at
the University of the Philippines
National College of Public
Administration and Governance
while in detention.
Alejano obtained a Master's
degree in Public Administration at
UP Open University. Acedillo, who
was released on bail in 2008,
earlier than others, got his Master's
in Management at the Asian
Institute of Management.
Trillanes said what they were
celebrating last Monday was
“another milestone in Magdalo's
journey.”
Alejano said, “Clearly, what
we are now and what we are doing
now are results of our desire for
change for the better for our
country 10 years ago when we
staged a protest at Oakwood hotel
in Makati. Sa kabila ng mga
pagsubok at kakulangan,
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV
Former Marine Capt. Gary Alejano and
former Air Force Lt. Ashley Acedillo
napagtagumpayan naming ito dahil
sa grasya at biyaya ng Diyos at
pangarap ng bawat isa ng isang
maayos at masaganang bansa para
sa Pilipino.”
Acedillo said, “Having the
benefit of 10 years hindsight,
whatever limitations we had both
in the means available to us and the
scope of our youthful judgment in
2003 when we decided to go to
Oakwood, the crucible of many
years in prison and the hardships
that came with it only served to
sharpen our minds ever more,
allowed us to mature, and harden
our resolve even further.”
He was reluctant to use the
word “success” to what they
achieved so far saying they owe it
all to God and the Filipino people.
“Whether allowing Sen.
Trillanes to win in the Senate and
the Magdalo in the Lower House,
granting President Aquino the
grace and courage to give us
amnesty or even allowing the truth
of our grievances against
corruption and bad governance to
see the light of day lahat ng ito
kaloob lamang po sa amin ng
Maykapal at ng sambayanan.”
The 56 bills they have filed, in
close coordination with Trillanes in
the Senate, reflect their focus. One
is the creation of the Philippine
Veterans Authority that will
consolidate at eight separate
agencies currently e working and
operating for the welfare of
veterans and military retirees.
Another is a bill to create a
National Capital Commission to
c o m p re h e n s ive ly s t u dy t h e
potent ia l of reloca t ing a nd
transferring of the national capital
and permanent seat of the national
government of the country from the
City of Manila.
Another is a bill that seeks to
create the Government
Reorganization Commission to
undertake studies and propose
measures to abolish, merge,
integrate, transfer, regroup, or
restructure departments, bureaus,
offices, government-owned and
controlled corporations and other
agencies of the Executive Branch in
order to eliminate overlapping
and/or fragmentation functions of
programs and activities. “Clearly,”
Acedillo said, “ hindi pa po tapos
ang misyon namin- for God,
country and the people.”
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 29 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 29 Crossword
US Pinoys for Good Governance
headed by Loida Nicolas-Lewis is
spearheading the "Boycott China
Products Initiative" which she hopes
will draw attention and global
support for the recent Chinese
military excursion in the area of the
West Philippine Sea.
"I'm calling on all the global
Filipinos living outside of the
Philippines because our country is
faced with a huge challenge," said
Nicolas-Lewis. "China, the sleeping
giant, needs oil and where have they
found it; it is right within the
Philippine boundary of territorial
waters."
Boycott is not new brand of
protest; trade embargo has been
imposed on a wider range.
Six scores ago, Dr Jose Rizal
encouraged the people of Dapitan
to boycott the Chinese shops to
stop monopoly and unfair trade
practices. He then organized
farmer's cooperative program and
the sari-sari shop to compete
against the Chinese exploitation.
Nick Joaquin said, “because
Chinese financiers had a
stranglehold on native agriculture,
Rizal set up the Cooperative
Association of Dapitan Farmers, a
pioneer in economic nationalism.
Those who now dismiss Rizal as a
bourgeois champion of bourgeois
interests should note how he
ignored even his ethnic roots to
champion Filipinoism, the small
traders, the peasants.”
As a consequence, Rizal wrote
to his mother: “I had a lawsuit with
the Chinese, and I vowed not to buy
any more from them, so that
sometimes I find myself very hard
up. Now we have almost neither
dishes nor tumblers.”
Communist China recently
declared Loida Nicolas Lewis public
enemy as retaliation.
Nestor Palugod Enriquez
www.filipinohome.wordpress
Coming to America
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
ACTION
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August 2 - 8, 2013
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NANNY WANTED
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Elmhurst, Queens.
$8 per hour in cash
Please call Ming Chao
@ 917-763-2533
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 31
August 2 - 8, 2013
Page 32

The Filipino Express Issue 30

Transcription

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