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Page 9
VOL. 29 w
NO. 06 w
February 6-12, 2015 w
NATIONAL EDITION w
NEW JERSEY w
NEW YORK w
201-434-1114 w
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MILF vs BIFF fight erupts
Action seen as bid to save peace process
By Jeoffrey Maitem and Karlos Manlupig
COTABATO CITY -- The Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) on Thursday (Feb. 5) afternoon launched an operation
to flush out members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom
Fighters (BIFF) in North Cotabato province more than a week
after the debacle in Maguindanao province.
A firefight broke out between the MILF forces under
commander Jack Abbas and BIFF members in Barangay
(village) Kabasalan, Pikit town, around 5:50 p.m. on Thursday,
military officials said.
The MILF operation could be the group's “way of showing
they are partners and antiterrorist,” said an official of the
Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities
(CCCH), who asked not to be named.
“The fighting is going on now. Residents are evacuating,”
Capt. Jo-anne Petinglay, spokesperson of the Army's 6th
Division, told the Inquirer by phone.
The BIFF, led by Kagi Karialan, resisted the MILF forces
and exchanged gunfire, a military source said.
Abbas led some 1,000 men from the 108, 109 and 110
HEIGHTENED ALERT. Government troops position their tanks on Feb. 4 along the highway in Mamasapano where a clash between
members of the SAF and the BIFF on Jan. 25 left 44 police commandos dead. On Feb. 5, fighting between Moro rebels and their breakaway
Base Commands (BCs) in the operation against the BIFF in
group erupted in the town of Pikit, North Cotabato, where the BIFF, fearful of retaliation from government forces, had sought refuge. The
Kabasalan, Pikit, officials said. The Inquirer also learned he
MILF offensive is widely seen as their attempt to show the former is PH partner in the anti-terror drive. Jeoffrey Maitem
u
Page 4
Libertito Pelayo, Filipino Purisima forced to resign?
Reporter publisher, 78
By Nikko Dizon and Julie Aurelio
Libertito Pelayo
Libertito Pelayo, editor and publisher of the
Filipino Reporter, passed on peacefully last
February 3 after a lingering illness. He established
the Filipino Reporter in 1972. Bert was Defense
Reporter of the Roces' Manila Times together with
the late Bobby Ordonez and Teddy Africa of the
Philippines Herald, and the late Manong Joe de
Vera, the dean of the Defense Reporter group of the
then Manila Daily Bulletin.
In New York, he was a member of the New York
Press Club and the Asian American Journalists
Association.
He is survived by his wife Linda, children Joy
McCarthy, Patrick, and L.P., and six grandchildren.
Bert was 78.
Funeral mass Saturday, February 7, 10 a.m., at
the Holy Family Parish, 175-20 74th Avenue, Fresh
Meadows, NY 11366.
PH protests Chinese ramming
of 3 Filipino boats Page 6
BEFORE THE FALL (OUT). President Aquino, Interior Secretary
Mar Roxas and then police Director General Alan Purisima, the
Top Guns at the PNP, celebrate “Araw ng Parangal sa Kapulisan” in
April 2014. Purisima reportedly directed the SAF operation in
Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, on Jan. 25, 2015.
MALACAÑANG PHOTO
MANILA -- Did he or didn't he?
That was the big news until
Malacañang denied that suspended
Philippine National Police Director
General Alan Purisima despite
widespread and persistent news had
resigned.
C o m m u n i c a t i o n s S e c re t a r y
Herminio Coloma told a news briefing
he had no information on Purisima's
supposed resignation.
“It's confirmed that there's no
resignation letter,” one Palace source
told the Inquirer.
Sources said that during
Thursday's (Feb. 4) meeting in
Malacañang to discuss the “fallout” of
the Fallen 44, one official told the
u
Page 4
US toughens stand on sea row
MANILA -- It is even “more
critical” now for the United
States to show support for the
Philippines in its dispute with
China over the South China
Sea region, according to
former US Ambassador to the
Philippines John Negroponte.
Negroponte, who was the
US ambassador here from
1993 to 1996, said the two
countries shared a common
concern about the South
China Sea “jurisdictional
disputes” and warned that if
the problem is not managed
properly, it “could lead to
serious miscalculations.”
“The Philippines and the
United States share an
interest in maintaining
cooperative ties with China,
while at the same time
pursuing maritime policies
aimed at preserving freedom
of navigation, adherence to a
code of conduct, and support
for a “rules-based” settlement
o f c l a i m s d i s p u t e ,”
Negroponte said in a speech
on Jan. 30 before the Makati
Business Club on the political
challenges and economic
prospects facing US policy
toward Southeast Asia and
the Philippines.
Negroponte said the
South China Sea disputes
were not a concern only for
claimant countries but also
for the 10-member
Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean), the
United States and all Pacific
countries supporting
freedom of navigation and
depending on open sea lanes
for strategic and commercial
activities.
He said the US policy on
the South China Sea has
evolved from one described
as “nonposition” to one now
of “far great engagement.”
Recalling his time as US
ambassador here,
Negroponte said he had
encouraged Washington to
pay attention to and have
close consultation with the
Philippines after the 1995
Mischief Reef dispute with
China.
“Since then, the US has
made discussion of conduct in
the South China Sea as part of
our regular dialogue with
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February 6-12, 2015
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Marwan is dead, says FBI
By Christine O. Avendaño;
Nikko Dizon and Arlyn de la
Cruz-Correspondent at Large
Plan to oust Aquino over
Mamasapano carnage bared
By Maila Ager
MANILA -- Jemaah
Islamiyah terrorist Zulkifli bin
Hir, alias “Marwan,” is dead, the
U S Federa l B u rea u of
Investigation said on
Wednesday (Feb. 4) night.
In a statement sent to the
Inquirer, David Bowdich,
assistant director in charge of
the FBI's Los Angeles office,
said tests showed the DNA
sample sent by the Philippine
government belonged to
Marwan.
“Although the results of the
DNA examinations do not
provide absolute
identification, the results do
support that the biological
sample provided by Philippine
authorities came from
Marwan,” Bowdich said.
He said there was need for
further tests and analysis by
laboratory examiners “in an
effort to fully identify the
subject of DNA provided to the
FBI.”
The government learned
about the results of the DNA
tests on Wednesday morning, a
ranking government official
told the Inquirer.
Marwan, a Malaysian-born
bomb expert who had a $6million price on his head.
Nagbi-build up sila, nagmi-meeting sila,
may series of activities sila. In the
MANILA -- Various groups have coming days, may makikita na kayong
allegedly started organizing themselves mga placards…These are connected to
to take advantage of the people's the communist insurgents na sila rin
sentiments on the Mamasapano naman nag ambushed din ng very same
incident to raise a ”social upheaval” and people - 'yung SAF (Special Action
eventual ouster of President Benigno Force), or mga sundalo pero ngayon
Aquino III, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV kunyari nagsisimpatya sila,” he pointed
disclosed on Thursday, Feb. 5.
out. (For now, that is what they are
Trillanes, citing information that he hoping for. They are building up their
has been getting, identified these forces, holding meetings, having a series
groups as “elements” from the Catholic of activities. In the coming days, you will
David Bowdich: Results do support that the biological sample
Church, communist groups, and some begin seeing placards…These are
provided by Philippine authorities came from Marwan (inset). AFP
“political forces.”
connected to the communist insurgents
FILE PHOTO OF DAVID BOWDICH
He said he already passed on this who were also behind the ambush of the
information to the intelligence very same people - the SAF, the soldiers,
“Yes, it's true. The US has and cut off the index finger of
community.
but they are now pretending to
confirmed it's Marwan,” said his right hand for DNA testing.
“May nag organisa, nag mi-meeting sympathize (with the victims).
the source on condition of The finger was sent to the FBI
sila. 'Yung sequence of events nila
But Trillanes, a member of the
anonymity for lack of authority for lab tests. One military
ginagawa nila. You can feel it moving, majority bloc in the Senate, did not see
to speak to the media.
source, however, said the
pati sa media may nag operate na,” he any reason why Aquino should be
Members of the Special testing was done in Singapore
said during a weekly forum in the ousted over Mamasapano incident.
Action Force (SAF), the US- a n d w a s c o m p l e t e d o n
Senate. (There were those who
He said Aquino may have “character
trained police commandos of Saturday, five days after the
organized it, they are already meeting. flaws” or “lapses” but these are not
the Philippine National Police, encounter.
They are already arranging the enough reasons to remove him from
killed Marwan in the operation
Sources said the DNA
sequence of events. You can feel it office.
launched before dawn on Jan. sample provided by the
moving, there are people already
“May mga shortcomings, mga
2 5 i n M a m a s a p a n o , Philippine government
operating it even in the media.)
character flaws, may mga lapses, pero
M a g u i n d a n a o p r o v i n c e . matched with DNA from
While the public's sentiments over his heart is in the right place I believe so
Marwan's Filipino deputy, Marwan's brother Rahmat
the death of 44 Special Action Force and hindi s'ya magnanakaw. So bakit ko
Abdul Basit Usman, who Abhir, who is being held at the
( S A F ) m e n i n M a m a s a p a n o , nga s'ya ulit tatanggalin? That's the
carries a $3-million price on U S d e te n t i o n c e n te r o n
Maguindano were “valid,” the senator question d'un sa mga gustong sumama
his head, escaped.
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
said, the groups taking advantage of the sa ganyang pagkilos,” said the senator.
Unable to bring Marwan's
They said Rahmat was
situation were hoping that would lead to (He has his shortcomings, character
body, the SAF troopers took arrested in California in 2007
a “social upheaval.”
flaws, and lapses, but his heart is in the
photos of the slain terrorist
“For now, ganun 'yung hope nila.
u
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u
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February 6-12, 2015
Page 3
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Aquino unfazed by widespread outrage, says spokesman
By Julie Alipala, Nikko Dizon
MANILA -- President Aquino is
handling the criticisms against him
for the Mamasapano debacle with
“equanimity and objectivity.”
This was how Malacañang
described Aquino's attitude
following the backlash he received
after the Mamasapano massacre from the ties that bind him with
suspended Philippine National
Police Director General Alan
Purisima and his supposed lack of
empathy for the families of the slain
commandos.
Aquino is facing perhaps his
worst public criticism, surpassing
even the attacks he received for
backing the controversial
Disbursement Acceleration
Program (DAP) and protecting his
allies implicated in the
multibillion-peso pork barrel scam.
“(The President) said in his
speech on Friday that as the father
of the nation, he could not let his
anger or emotion get the better of
him because we have to know the
whole truth, since this will pave the
road to justice,” Communications
Secretary Herminio Coloma said.
Public dismayed
It took Aquino four days after
the Mamasapano bloodbath to
address the nation and when he
did, he spent most of his time
explaining why the Special Action
Force (SAF) commandos had to
take down Malaysian terrorist
Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan.” He
did not delve much on why the elite
force suffered heavy losses during
the operation.
The public was further
dismayed when he admitted he had
been consulting with the
suspended Purisima on the
“intricacies” of the operation
against Marwan.
Purisima had planned the
operation before he was suspended
by the Sandiganbayan on graft
charges.
But what triggered widespread
anger against the President was his
decision to skip the arrival honors
for the slain SAF men at Villamor
Air Base and instead attend the
opening of a car manufacturing
plant.
Private grieving
Sources told the Inquirer that
Aquino decided not to go to
Villamor Air Base on that day
because he wanted to give the slain
SAF's families time to grieve
privately.
He more than made up for his
absence the following day at the
wake of the Fallen 44 held in Taguig
City when he spent about 30
minutes with every family from
noontime to shortly after midnight.
There were rumors that
disgruntled security forces and
politicians linked to corruption
allegations were banding together
Insp. Gednat Tabdi, Senior Insp.
Cyrus Anniban, Senior Insp. Rennie
Tayrus, Insp. Joey Gamutan and
Insp. John Gary Erana.
President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
to overthrow Aquino, who has less
than two years remaining of his
term.
“At this time, it's best not to fall
for the stories filled with intrigues
that are being peddled and without
concrete basis because that doesn't
help the country,” Coloma said.
Coloma said the President
continues to do his job and was
allowing all the investigation into
the Maguindanao massacre to take
place.
“If the President would speak
now, there might be people who'd
say he is exerting undue influence
on those who will give their
testimonies,” Coloma said. “Let's
wait for the complete narration of
facts and at the right time, he will
express his position on these
matters.”
'He should step down'
In Zamboanga City, the family of
a police officer killed in the
Maguindanao massacre said
Aquino should consider stepping
down if he could not protect and
support his own people.
“He should step down if he
cannot protect his soldiers and
policemen or if he can't stand by
them,” said Ray-Anne Pabalinas,
one of the sisters of slain Senior
Insp. Ryan Pabalinas.
The officer was among the 44
SAF members killed in the clash
with Moro rebels on Jan. 25. He was
the operations officer of the 55th
Special Action Co. and among the
seven officers killed in the
encounter.
The other slain officers were
Senior Insp. Max Jim Tria, Senior
'Pain forever'
Ray-Anne said her family could
no longer find any trace of sincerity
in the President and that they
wished he would resign.
Ray-Anne, a nurse by
profession, told the Inquirer that
her family in General Santos City
and her brother's wife, Erika, were
still trying to put sense after the
deaths of the SAF members.
“We can accept that they died in
the line of service but we cannot
understand why they had to be
mutilated. It was an overkill and
nobody's coming forward to
explain,” she said.
Ray-Anne said her brother's
body bore hack wounds aside from
bullet wounds.
Erika said her family also
wanted to find out why her
husband and his colleagues were
left alone to fight the battle.
“We demand justice and
accountability,” she said, sounding
highly emotional as she talked with
the Inquirer.
“The pain is here,” Ray-Anne
said, pointing to her heart, “and it
will stay here forever. The anger
may ease up if there's justice.”
February 6-12, 2015
Page 4
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Entire police force in crisis - Espina
widespread public anger and
thrown in doubt the peace
agreement signed by the
government and the MILF in March
last year.
The PNP has formed a board of
inquiry to investigate the incident.
A report is expected in a month's
time.
Other investigations have been
launched or planned, including a
p ro b e by a p ro p o s e d t r u t h
commission that requires
legislation.
By DJ Yap, Gil C. Cabacungan and
Nikko Dizon
MANILA -- The entire
Philippine National Police is “in
crisis” with morale in the ranks low
in the aftermath of a botched
antiterror operation in
Maguindanao province that cost the
lives of 44 police commandos more
than a week ago.
That was clear in the silence
with which the PNP Special Action
Force (PNP-SAF) responded to
President Aquino's offer of talks
with the grieving officers at their
headquarters early on Sunday.
After condoling with the
families of the slain commandos,
Aquino met with an SAF company at
Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig and
asked the officers to speak up.
But as a video released by
Radio-TV Malacañang (RTVM)
showed, the President ended up
doing a monologue, talking for
more than seven minutes but
getting no response from the
policemen.
Most of the troopers, standing
at attention, either looked straight
ahead or looked down.
Malacañang, however, sought to
“clear up the impression” of the
silent treatment that Aquino
received from the SAF.
Communications Secretary
Director Getulio Napeñas, relieved Special Action Force Acting PNP chief Leonardo Espina with Interior Secretary
Mar Roxas: Demoralization. LYN RILLON
(SAF) chief
Herminio Coloma said Wednesday
that he was at the meeting, which he
described as “orderly.”
Coloma said the President
would continue to listen to the SAF
despite the troopers' silence.
“Perhaps we shouldn't impute
different meanings [to the SAF
reactions] because I saw that the
PNP-SAF listened to [the President]
intently and they did not show any
negative reaction to the President at
that moment,” he said.
Demoralization
But Deputy Director General
Leonardo Espina, the PNP officer in
charge, admitted the
demoralization at a hearing on the
MILF vs BIFF ...
From page 1
would mount a similar operation against
the breakaway group in Sultan sa
Barongis town, Maguindanao.
Fearing retaliation from government
troops, the BIFF forces retreated to Pikit
town after the Jan. 25 bloody clash in
Mamasapano, Maguindanao, that killed
44 Special Action Force commandos, the
military source said.
As they left the scene after killing
Jemaah Islamiyah bomber Zulkifli bin Hir,
alias “Marwan,” in his hideout in MILF
territory, the SAF troopers clashed with
MILF and BIFF rebels.
At least 18 rebels and four civilians
were also killed in the encounter.
Racing against time
The high death toll has sparked public
outrage, and the MILF's role in the clash
has threatened to throw a monkey
wrench into the passage of a draft law
carving a new Bangsamoro region in
Mindanao.
Congress is racing against time to
pass the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law
(BBL) by March in keeping with its
timeline of having the Bangsamoro
government in place by the time
proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law
(BBL) in the House of
Representatives on Wednesday.
Espina said he addressed the
policemen on Monday to boost their
flagging spirits after the fighting
between SAF commandos and
guerrillas from the Bangsamoro
Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF)
and Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) in Mamasapano town,
Maguindanao, that dealt
government security forces their
biggest single-day combat loss in
recent memory.
Of the 392 SAF commandos
thrown into the operation to take
down international terrorist
Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” and
President Aquino steps down in June
2016.
Accused of coddling the JI terrorist,
the MILF had maintained it had no
intelligence information of his presence
in its territory.
Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF chief
negotiator, had expressed hopes the MILF
would be vindicated by the investigations
of the clash once the “truth” comes out.
The MILF informed the CCCH that it
would conduct a peace assembly in
Barangay Kabasalan on Thursday,
Petinglay said.
Through proper coordination, the
military was informed of the MILF's
movement in the area, she said.
The CCCH official said the operation
was coordinated with the CCCH and the
Army's 602nd Brigade and 7th IB.
Von Al Haq, MILF vice chair for
military affairs, said they still had no clear
reports from the ground but were able to
monitor the BIFF movement in the area.
Late Thursday afternoon, civilians
were frightened by the presence of MILF
and BIFF in Kabasalan, Petinglay said.
The two groups have been monitored
in the area since Tuesday, forcing civilians
to flee and seek refuge in nearby villages,
she said. “We have soldiers in the area
tasked to ensure the safety of civilians,”
she said. Inquirer.net
local terrorist Basit Usman, 44 were
killed in a 12-hour gun battle with
the Moro guerrillas.
The SAF commandos killed
Marwan in the operation but
encountered Moro guerrillas as
they withdrew. Usman, for whose
capture the United States is offering
a reward of $3 million, escaped.
“I as your leader now will see to
it that we will find justice for our
men, whatever form it will be,”
E s p i n a re c a l l e d t e l l i n g t h e
policemen during the flag-raising
ceremony at Camp Crame, the PNP
national headquarters in Quezon
City on Monday morning.
The deaths of the 44 police
commandos has sparked
Purisima
forced ...
From page 1
President that the people his “bosses” - wanted him to fire
Purisima, whose role in the Jan.
25 massacre of the commandos
in Maguindanao province is
under investigation by a PNP
board of inquiry.
They said that Aquino had
made no categorical response to
this supposed clamor for the
sacking of Purisima, a close
friend, who has been under
preventive suspension for six
months while undergoing an
i nve s t i g a t i o n f o r a l l e g e d
corruption.
“The President's message
for (Friday, Feb. 5) was still a
draft. In fact, making a national
address was still a plan. There's
nothing concrete. The President
can always change his mind. He
will address the Mamasapano
incident and whatever the fate of
Purisima would be,” the source
said. But it appeared that two
other officials who attended the
meeting wanted to force the
President to make Purisima
resign and thus spread the word
that the suspended PNP chief
had resigned.
“They appeared to want to
preempt the President's
decision by leaking it to the
media,” said the source.
Another source said that
accepting Purisima's resignation
would cause more trouble for
the beleaguered President.
The source said under
Section 12 of Republic Act No.
3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt
Practices Law, one cannot accept
the resignation of a government
employee facing charges in
court. This is because the
government employee should
'Crisis in the PNP'
Espina said he owed it to the
150,000-strong police force to be
honest.
“You know in order to set
everything right, you need to level
with everybody. Say the truth, so
that you'll be able to define the
p ro b l e m p ro p e r ly,” h e t o l d
lawmakers and journalists, who
were allowed briefly into the
executive session by the 75member committee conducting
hearings on the proposed BBL.
“I told them we have just lost 44
people. This is reallylet's admit itit's
a crisis in the PNP,” Espina said.
He said he also told the
policemen not to allow their grief
and anger over the incident to take
their attention off their duty.
u
Page 5
face the charges against him or
her, the source said.
“If he wants, the President
could fire Purisima. Firing him
and accepting his resignation
are two different things,” the
source said.
'Very cooperative'
The board of inquiry has
interviewed 307 of the 420
witnesses to the massacre and is
waiting for Purisima to testify or
submit a statement to complete
its investigation into the bloody
mission.
Director Benjamin
Magalong, the board chair, said
he was in constant
communication with Purisima,
who according to the sacked
Special Action Force (SAF)
commander, Director Getulio
Napeñas, was giving him
instructions up to the time the
mission was underway in
Mamasapano town,
Maguindanao province.
“We are waiting for him, he
promised to give his written
statement any time soon,”
Magalong told reporters after a
PNP command conference on
Thursday. Napeñas claimed he
reported to Purisima and
President Aquino about the top
secret operation to arrest two
high-profile terrorists Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir, alias
Marwan, and his Filipino deputy
Basit Usman.
The operation was planned
even before Purisima's sixmonth suspension last
December on corruption
c h a rg e s . D e p u t y D i re c to r
General Leonardo Espina, the
PNP officer in charge, and
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas
only learned of the operation
after it was already underway.
Magalong said Purisima was
“very cooperative” and that the
PNP chief was probably doing a
last-minute review of his
statement.
AFP-PNP ties strong
Among those interviewed by
the panel were commandos who
joined the operation, civilians
and officials of the Armed Forces
of the Philippines.
The AFP recently came
under fire for allegedly not
coming to the aid of the
embattled SAF troopers. The
AFP said it was likewise not
informed of the Mamasapano
operation.
Magalong also said the
board was waiting for the report
of the AFP's own inquiry.
In a press briefing in Camp
Crame on Thursday, Espina
sought to downplay media
reports about a purported
strained relationship between
the police and the military as a
result of finger-pointing on the
alleged lack of coordination that
resulted in the heavy SAF losses.
“We are all OK in the PNP, our
relationship with the AFP
remains to be very, very strong,
and both organizations will
continue to serve and protect the
people as we are mandated and
expected to do,” he said.
He said he had been told by
the board that it would likewise
need his statement on the
operation.
“I want this to be a very
truthful inquiry. Let us wait for
the report of the board of inquiry
and not speculate. The board
was created for an operational
audit, what was done right and
what went wrong, so we will
know the lapses,” Espina said.
“There were lapses,
definitely. There were 44
policemen dead. We will meet
again on the results of the probe
so we will not make the same
m i s t a k e a g a i n ,” h e s a i d .
Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 5
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Entire police ...
From page 4
“We cannot stop working because
this may be taken advantage of by the
enemies of the state, who may, for
example, attack our detachments. So I
said let's focus on our jobs,” Espina said.
N e i t h e r E s p i n a n o r I n te r i o r
S e c re t a r y M a r Roxa s , wh o h a s
supervision over the PNP, was informed
about “Oplan Wolverine,” the SAF
operation to get Marwan and Usman.
Espina told the House committee
that he learned about what happened
from the sacked SAF commander,
Director Getulio Napeñas Jr., who sent
him a text message “after the fact,” that
is, when the operation was already
finished and the police commandos
were already under fire from Moro
guerrillas.
There was also no coordination with
the military in the area, he said.
Purisima's role
The SAF reportedly took directions
from Director General Alan Purisima,
the suspended PNP chief.
President Aquino, in a televised
address to the nation last week,
admitted that Purisima had been
advising him on the operation.
Asked about talk of “two chains of
command in the PNP,” Espina said: “I'm
not aware of that. As far as I'm
concerned, I'm the OIC, as you know
with only limited powers.”
He said he did not think the
leadership issue contributed to the lack
of coordination, but added that he felt it
would have helped if he had at least been
told about the operation quietly.
“If somebody whispered something
to me, then I could have had the
opportunity to review [the plan]. I've
seen this for months and years. I always
ask for tactics. This is a military area, and
I know that peace talks are [going on],”
Espina said.
Espina raised a number of questions
about the incident, including what he
called “overkill” by the MILF.
“We observe and respect the peace
talks. If they failed to coordinate, there
was still overkill. There was no intent [to
allow] anybody to leave [the area alive],”
he said.
Espina said the SAF commandos
were “finished off” after the encounter.
“They were stripped of their weapons,
and their cell phones were taken, and
[the MILF] called their wives to say not
to call anymore because their husbands
were dead,” he said.
He said it seemed the MILF had no
intention of admitting its mistake.
“Even assuming they did not
coordinate, they were chasing criminals
… These are just some questions I'd like
to ask,” he said.
Asked if he agreed to proposals to
defer talks on the proposed BBL, Espina
said the PNP supported the peace talks
“because first and foremost we are
peacekeepers.”
Plan to oust
Aquino ...
From page 2
right place, I believe, and he's not a thief.
So why will I remove him from office?
That's the question that should be asked
to those who plan to join the movement
to oust him.)
He also reminded that if Aquino
were ousted from office, he would be
replaced by Vice President Jejomar
“In conflict, we almost mediate so
there is order. That's our mission. So
whatever it takes for peace to be
achieved, we will do it,” he said.
Espina said his only concern was
“the implementation by the other party,”
referring to the MILF. “They should show
sincerity,” he said.
He implored the MILF to return the
weapons and equipment taken from the
slain SAF commandos. He said he
received information that the entire
cache was already being sold for P4
million.
“I ask the MILF [to return the
weapons]. That's not yours. That's ours.
You killed our men' don't add to that,” he
said.
Gratitude, praise
In Malacañang, Coloma said Aquino,
in his meeting with the SAF troopers,
thanked them for their service to the
country and praised the heroism of the
44 officers who gave their lives and
those who took part in the mission and
were wounded.
Coloma said the President asked the
troopers if they had something to tell
him.
“And because no one spoke up, [the
President] told them that he was ready
to listen to them and they could course
their message through their superior
officers. They can write to him. They can
also set an appointment with him,”
Coloma said.
The next day, Roxas had a follow-up
dialogue with the SAF, Coloma said.
He said the President's dialogue
with the SAF was “continuing,” to find
out how the troopers feel after the
Mamasapano incident.
And it is not only for the PNP, Coloma
said. The President's ear is also ready for
the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“The President knows that as the
Commander in Chief and father of the
nation, he has to know what [soldiers
and police officers think and feel], the
public servants and the people,” Coloma
said.
Cayetano against BBL, says MILF to
boost army that can threaten Republic
... Senator doubts Moro rebels' commitment to democracy, good governance
By TJ Burgonio
MANILA -- Given their
history of breaking their word,
the Moro Islamic Liberation
Front could not be trusted to
pursue democracy, Senator
Alan Peter Cayetano said
Thursday, Feb. 5.
Cayetano recalled that
MILF broke away from the
Moro National Liberation
Front after the latter forged a
peace agreement with the
government in 1996, and built
its military out of foreign aid.
“When they take over and
with the BBL (Bangsamoro
basic law), will they have good
governance? Will they be
committed to democracy? Will
they help our poor
countrymen? My answer is no
because they are a terrorist
group,'' he said in an interview
with the ABS-CBN News
Channel.
The MILF has come under
fire over its role in the Jan. 25
killing of 44 Special Action
Force troopers in
Maguindanao.
Cayetano was among the
first to declare withdrawal of
his co-authorship of the draft
B B L c a r v i n g a n e w,
Senator Alan Peter Cayetano
autonomous Bangsamoro
region in southern Philippines
amid mounting outrage over
the killings of the 44
commanders.
Mohagher Iqbal, MILF
chief negotiator, had said the
truth would vindicate the
rebel group in the
investigation of the bloody
encounter.
Iqbal had maintained that
the MILF hierarchy had no
intelligence information on
the presence of Jemaah
Islamiyah bomber Zulkifli bin
Hir alias Marwan in
Mamasapano town.
The SAF troopers clashed
with members of the MILF and
the Bangsamoro Islamic
Fre e d o m F i g h t e r s a f t e r
reportedly killing Marwan in
his hideout. Zulkifli's Filipino
cohort Basit Usman escaped.
Cayetano warned that the
Bangsamoro's future police
force could become the
country's “biggest private
army'' if it would not
coordinate with the national
government.
“What if they have an
8,000-member police force,
and then we don't coordinate
because there is a terrorist or
drug lords there? We will be
creating the biggest private
army this country has ever
seen,'' he said.
Cayetano also made no
distinction between the MILF
and BIFF, saying they were
closely linked.
“In their culture, you're
either an enemy or an ally. So if
you're a family, you'll be
p r o t e c t e d ,' ' h e s a i d .
Inquirer.net
Command responsibility
An ally of the President in the House,
however, said Aquino should take
command responsibility for what
happened in Mamasapano to regain his
credibility.
Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello said an
“explicit acceptance” of command
responsibility would be the first step for
Aquino in regaining his credibility.
Although Aquino has admitted
knowledge of the SAF operation, he did
not say whether it was he who gave the
order to launch it.
Bello said that after owning up to it,
the President should appoint an
impartial truth commission to take the
place of the eight bodies that have
announced separate investigations into
the Mamasapano incident.
Bello also reiterated his advice to the
President to stop listening to his
advisers who had failed to take the pulse
of the nation.
u
Page 6
Binay, who has been accused of
amassing unexplained wealth while he
was the mayor of Makati City.
“Para tayong naghanap ng batong
ipopokpok sa ulo natin (It's like we're
looking for a rock to hit our heads with.).
We don't want that. Personally, I don't,
so you can count me out sa mga yan…”
said Trillanes, who was actively
participating in the Senate investigation
on the allegedly anomalous deals
involving the past and incumbent
officials of the Makati City government.
Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 6
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH protests Chinese ramming
of three Filipino boats
Associated Press
MANILA -- The Philippine government says it has protested to
Beijing after a Chinese coast guard ship allegedly rammed and damaged
three Filipino fishing boats and endangered the lives of fishermen at a
disputed shoal in the South China Sea.
The Department of Foreign Affairs says it also lodged a separate
protest with Beijing on Wednesday, Feb. 4, over what it said was the
illegal collection of endangered giant clams by Chinese fishermen, in
the process destroying coral outcrops at Scarborough Shoal off the
northwestern Philippines.
The incidents are the latest in a long-running territorial dispute that
has strained relations between the two Asian neighbors.
China took effective control of Scarborough in 2012. Chinese coast
guard ships have also surrounded Second Thomas Shoal, where
Filipino marines are manning a grounded navy ship. Inquirer.net
US toughens
stand ...
From page 1
both China and the Philippines. It was
important for the US to support our
Philippine ally then, and it is even
more critical to show support now,” he
said.
Negroponte, who last week
cochaired with Ambassador to the US
Jose Cuisia Jr. a meeting and business
mission of the US-Philippines
Society's board of directors, said the
United States supports a “claim
s e t t l e m e n t p ro c e s s b a s e d o n
recognized maritime law” such as the
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,
and pushed for Asean and China to
recommit to its 2002 Declaration on a
Code of Conduct so as to “reduce
tensions and avoid the risk of
escalation.”
He noted that China had already
said it would not take part in the
Philippines' arbitration case against it
before a UN arbitral tribunal.
The Philippines submitted a case
Marwan ...
From page 2
on charges of conspiring to
provide material support to
terrorists and giving false
information to authorities.
With Marwan killed, the SAF
operation was successful, but the
high death toll among the police
commandos ignited widespread
public anger, throwing in doubt
the peace agreement signed by the
government and the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) in March
last year.
The operation being top
secret, the sacked SAF
commander, Director Getulio
Napeñas, bypassed the ceasefire
mechanisms agreed upon by the
government and the MILF.
Napeñas said he did not trust
the MILF, which was why he kept
the operation secret.
He admitted, however, that he
was reporting to PNP Director
General Alan Purisima, who has
been served a suspension order by
the Ombudsman stemming from
corruption allegations.
Even Interior Secretary Mar
Roxas and Deputy Director
against China with the UN tribunal in
2013 to challenge Beijing's's ninedash-line claim on its maps which the
latter has used as a basis to claim
almost the entire South China Sea
region, including areas considered to
be under the Philippines' exclusive
economic zone.
Negroponte hailed the “smart
policy course toward arbitration” that
President Aquino and Foreign
Secretary Albert del Rosario took in
dealing with its dispute with China.
This a pproa ch ha d “b roa d
bipartisan support in Washington and
is also gaining appreciation by other
claimants,” according to Negroponte
as he noted Vietnam's move last
month to also submit its position to
the UN tribunal supporting the
Philippine position.
A n o t h e r c h a l l e n g e fo r t h e
Philippines and the United States that
he said was as “critical as the South
China Sea” dispute, was that of
“dealing with the impact of climate
change, responding to natural
disasters and building
resilience.”Christine O. Avendaño.
Inquirer.net
General Leonardo Espina, the PNP
officer in charge, were kept out of
the loop.
'We got him'
Even before the result of the
test was disclosed, the surviving
members of the assault team had
expressed confidence they had
killed the most wanted terrorist in
Southeast Asia.
“We got him, it is him. We are
sure of that,” Senior Insp. Recaredo
Marasigan, a member of the team,
told the Inquirer.
“Our 44 comrades did not die
in vain. They were courageous and
they fought well until their last
breath. If the DNA test yielded
negative, then this is what we will
do. We will make a plan again and
we will still go again to
Maguindanao or to whichever
place he is hiding.”
Marasigan is one of the 392
SAF officers and men who
volunteered for the highly covert
operation.
The 38-member assault team
(37 according to an earlier report)
was able to move undetected until
the first shots were fired from the
nipa hut where the commandos
MILF to decommission firearms in February
By Nikko Dizon
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -The peace panels on Saturday, Jan.
31, announced that the
ceremonial decommissioning of
forces and firearms of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)
would take place in February.
The decommissioning or
disarmament of the MILF is
considered the most tangible
proof that the Moro secessionist
movement had ended and the
rebels were now ready to lay
down their firearms.
“ To
t h e
M I L F,
decommissioning is not only an
emotional issue, it is an ultimate
sacrifice. It is also sensitive, that it
is almost a taboo to discuss. But
there is no other way, there is no
escaping that decommissioning
MILF weapons and combatants and putting beyond use - have to
be undertaken by MILF, as part of
the comprehensive
Entire police ...
From page 4
“It's frustrating, the way he is
totally loyal to incompetent and
questionable subordinates and
runs his Cabinet like a [University
of the Philippines] frat,” Bello said
in a text message.
Shut up
“The President must
undertake a deep reform of his
style of governance and listen to
critical voices. There is no
alternative but this,” he said.
Senate President Franklin
Drilon said leaders of the police
and the military should keep their
mouths shut and reserve their
statements about the police
operation for official
investigations.
“Don't start throwing
accusations at each other in
public,” he said.
Drilon also said the verbal
had cornered Marwan.
“It is not within my authority
to talk about who gave the orders
but even if this was a mission that
was an order from the top, what
the public needs to know is that we
were all volunteers. We all
volunteered to be there. Many of
us could have stayed behind but
we were all committed to tackle
the mission as one command.
That's how committed everyone
was,” Marasigan said.
An intelligence researcher and
analyst, Marasigan received and
prepared all the intelligence
information from the field.
Real-time intel
Knowledge of the operation
included information about the
target, identified as combined
forces of the MILF and the
Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom
Fighters (BIFF).
The information on the ground
as explained by Marasigan was so
precise that it included
information on the river channels,
the number of houses in the area four where Marwan was hiding
plus 12 others within the 500meter-to-1-kilometer radius of the
normalization process of the
Bangsamoro (under the CAB),”
MILF chief negotiator Mohagher
Iqbal said.
The peace panels led by Iqbal
and government chief negotiator
Miriam Coronel-Ferrer held a
joint press conference to address
the bloody Mamasapano incident
that threw a monkey wrench in
the peace process.
Turkish ambassador Hayder
Berk, head of the Independent
Decommissioning Body (IDB),
said at the press briefing that
“decommissioning is an
important and integral part” of
the peace process.
He also stressed the need for
“trust and cooperation” in the
decommissioning process.
Ferrer said that the list of the
first 145 MILF members to be
decommissioned would be
handed over to the IDB “this
week.”
“Government in turn will
prepare the socio-economic
package that will be given to the
decommissioned combatants in
order to facilitate their path to
productive, civilian lives in their
respective communities,” she
said. Ironically, she added, three
days before the “fateful events in
Mamasapano,” MILF chairman
Ebrahim Murad had already
handed over the list of 75
weapons to Berk and the other
IDB members in Camp
Darapanan.
The list of firearms had
included their make and serial
numbers.
Ferrer also said that the
estimated number of firearms
and forces initially relayed by the
MILF to government were not far
from the estimate of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
“We are working on very close
estimation of numbers but it
requires the IDB to verify all of
these,” she said. Inquirer.net
tussle between the PNP and the
Armed Forces of the Philippines
(AFP) was exacerbating an
already tense situation.
“Given their positions in
government, the tense situation is
not helped any by such exchanges
between these officials,” said
Drilon.
Two versions
AFP chief Gen. Gregorio
Catapang Jr. on Wednesday said
the military was prepared to help
SAF members who were sent to
arrest a Malaysian terror suspect
in Mamasapano, but the
coordination came too late.
Following Catapang's press
conference, Napeñas, who was
relieved as SAF chief following the
debacle, held a press briefing at
the PNP headquarters in Camp
Crame to refute the AFP chief of
staff's claims. Napeñas said the
police commandos had
coordinated properly with the
military and disputed statements
that the military did not know the
location of the SAF forces.
Espina also said he learned of
the Mamasapano incident when it
was already underway.
targeted hut - and the exact
number of enemy forces.
“We studied the enemy, the
people, the terrain. We knew the
names of every commander and
where they were and we knew
that, all in all, there were 1,009
forces in the area,” Marasigan said.
The SAF commandos even
brought with them floaters and
ropes because aerial shots of the
target area showed three river
channels in the area.
“We were able to enter
undetected. They only knew that
we were there when it became
positive that Marwan had been
killed. Marwan was still in the hut
when many of them responded.
Right there, we lost 11 men,”
Marasigan said.
The assault team also had
“real-time intelligence.” Marasigan
cited this as a big factor why they
proceeded with the mission. “The
source of the real-time intelligence
is both technical and human,” he
said.
The enemy response was just
enormous, according to
Marasigan, explaining the heavy
loss of SAF lives.
“We were not able to leave the
All's well
Malacañang played down the
seeming tension between the
military and the police over the
Mamasapano debacle, saying that
all is well despite their different
versions of events.
“There is no gap or fighting
taking place between the AFP and
the PNP. They are united under
one flag and republic and they are
performing their duties, faithful
to the republic,” said Coloma.
Coloma said the military and
police were both sending across a
singular important message: that
they are public servants and they
are committed to securing the
country and defending our
communities and state.With a
report from Leila Salaverria.
Inquirer.net
area at once because of the sudden
massing of the enemy forces. Their
response was swift. About 500800 meters separated us. The
blocking force pinned us down,” he
said.
Asked what happened to the
other SAF forces in the area and
why they were not able to
reinforce the assault teams,
Marasigan said: “I don't know
what happened to our troops on
the highway. What I know is what
happened to our team and the
team that was slaughtered. They
died as true warriors. It's my
honor to have fought alongside
those men.”
Rigid training
The rigid training and
preparation for getting Marwan
began as early as January 2014,
Marasigan said.
The original date of assault
based on “Oplan Wolverine” was in
December 2014. Many of the
troops thought they would not be
able to spend Christmas with their
families. Then the opportunity
came in January this year and the
operation was launched, he said.
Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 7
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
UK moves toward making babies from DNA of 3 people
LONDON -- Britain moved
Tuesday, Feb. 3, toward allowing
scientists to create humans from the
DNA of three people.
The technology aims to liberate
future generations from inherited
diseases, but critics say it crosses a
fundamental scientific boundary
and could lead to “designer babies.”
The U.K.'s House of Commons
voted 382-178 in favor of legislation
to license these experiments. If
approved in the House of Lords,
Britain would become the world's
first nation to allow genetic
modifications in human embryos.
“This is a bold step to take, but it
is a considered and informed step,”
Health Minister Jane Ellison told the
Commons.
The technology is completely
different from that used to create
genetically modified foods, where
scientists typically select individual
genes to be transferred from one
species into another. But critics say
it crosses a red line, since changes
made to embryos will be passed on
to future generations, with the
potential for unforeseen
consequences.
While this legislation was
drafted specifically to grant
p erm ission on ly for cert a in
specified techniques, critics fear it
will encourage scientists to push for
other experiments in the future.
T h e p ro t e s t s a re “ a b o u t
protecting children from the severe
health risks of these unnecessary
techniques and protecting everyone
from the eugenic designer-baby
future that will follow from this,”
said David King, director of the
secular watchdog group Human
Genetics Alert.
The technology altering a
human egg or embryo before
transferring it into a mother with
defects in her mitochondria, the
energy-producing structures
outside a cell's nucleus. These
genetic defects can result in
diseases including muscular
dystrophy, heart, kidney and liver
failure and severe muscle weakness.
Scientists would remove the
nucleus DNA from the egg of the
prospective mother and insert it
into a donor egg from which the
nucleus DNA has been removed. The
resulting embryo would have the
nucleus DNA from its parents but
the mitochondrial DNA from the
donor. This can be done two ways before or after fertilization - in the
techniques approved by the
Commons.
Scientists say more than 99
percent of the DNA in the resulting
child would come from its parents,
with a tiny fraction coming from the
donor egg.
Britain's Chief Medical Officer,
Dr. Sally Davies, said the law would
give women with mitochondrial
disease “the opportunity to have
children without passing on
devastating genetic disorders.”
Britain has long been a leader in
reproductive technology; the
world's first baby from in vitro
fertilization, Louise Brown, was
born in the U.K. in 1978.
U.S. regulators are moving more
slowly: Scientists at a U.S. Food and
US cops want Google
to disable traffic app
WASHINGTON -- Sheriffs are
pressuring Google Inc. to turn off a
feature on its Waze traffic software
that warns drivers when police are
nearby. They say one of the
te c h n o lo g y i n du st ry ' s m o st
popular mobile apps could put
officers' lives in danger.
Waze, which Google purchased
for $966 million in 2013, is a
combination of GPS navigation and
social networking.
As many as 50 million users in
200 countries, including the
Philippines, turn to the free service
for real-time traffic guidance and
warnings about nearby congestion,
car accidents, speed traps or traffic
cameras, construction zones,
stalled vehicles or unsafe weather
conditions.
To Sergio Kopelev, a reserve
deputy sheriff in California, Waze is
also a stalking app for law
enforcement.
There are no known
connections between any attack on
police and Waze, but Kopelev and
others are concerned it's only a
matter of time. They are seeking
support among law enforcement
trade groups to pressure Google.
Kopelev and his colleagues
raised concerns during the meeting
of the National Sheriffs'
Association winter conference in
Washington.
Slain NYPD officers
They pointed to the Instagram
account of the man accused of
fatally shooting last month of two
officers of the New York Police
Department (NYPD). Ismaaiyl
Brinsley posted a screenshot from
Wa z e a l o n g w i t h m e s s a g e s
threatening police.
Even so, investigators do not
believe Brinsley, 28, used Waze to
ambush the officers, in part
because police say he tossed his cell
phone far from where he shot the
officers.
Charlie Beck, chief of the Los
A n g e l e s Po l i c e D e p a r t m e n t
(LAPD), also cited the killing of the
two NYPD officers to make his
point that Waze posed a danger to
lawmen because of the app's ability
to track their locations.
In a letter that Beck sent to
Google chief executive officer Larry
Page on Dec. 30 last year, the LAPD
police chief said people were using
the “unwitting” Waze community
as “their lookouts for the location of
police officers.”
Drug Administration meeting on the
techniques last year warned it could
take decades to determine if they
are safe. Meanwhile, experts say the
techniques are likely being used
elsewhere, such as in China and
Japan, but are mostly unregulated.
“Scientists around the
world…have raised many cautions
about the risks to any children that
might result from these techniques,”
said Marcy Darnovsky, who directs
the Center for Genetics and Society,
an American advocacy group. “We
urge women who might consider
undergoing this biologically
extreme procedure to carefully
investigate.”
But Rachel Kean, whose mother
is a carrier of mitochondrial disease,
said the techniques offer hope to
women who face a devastating
dilemma of potentially passing on
genetic defects. Kean's aunt suffered
several miscarriages and stillbirths
and was ultimately killed by the
disease.
“Knowing that you could bring a
child into this world for a short,
painful life of suffering is not
something I would want to do,” said
Kean, an activist for the Muscular
Dystrophy campaign.
A spokesman for Prime Minister
David Cameron said he was a
“strong supporter” of the legislation.
Cameron's severely disabled son,
Ivan, died at age 6 in 2009 from a
rare form of epilepsy.
No date has been set for debate
in the House of Lords, but it is
expected to be in the next few weeks.
It would be unusual for it to reject
Rachel Kean activist and campaigner poses for the Associated Press outside the
Palace of Westminster, after she witnessed the vote on 3 parent babies in the House
of Commons, in London Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015. Britain's House of Commons gave
preliminary approval Tuesday to permitting scientists to create babies from the
DNA of three people, a technique that could protect some children from inheriting
potentially fatal diseases from their mothers. The bill must still needs approval by
the House of Lords - and a further Commons vote on any amendments - before
becoming law. If so, it would make Britain the first nation to allow embryos to be
genetically modified. Britain has long been a leader in reproductive technology; the
world's first baby from in vitro fertilization, Louise Brown, was born in the U.K. in
1978. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
legislation that has passed
overwhelmingly in the Commons.
The techniques would likely be
used about a dozen times a year in
British women with faulty
mitochondria. Each case would be
closely scrutinized, and doctors
would track the health of any
children born as well as their future
offspring, said Lisa Jardine, who
chaired a review by Britain's fertility
regulator.
“Every medical procedure
ultimately carries a small risk,”
Jardine said, pointing out that the
first in-vitro baby was the product of
an experiment with unproven
methods.
Kean understands the
opposition: “It's everybody's
prerogative to object, due to their
own personal beliefs,” she said. “But
to me the most ethical option is
stopping these devastating diseases
from causing suffering in the future.”
Inquirer.net
Stop the IRS from
taking your savings!
Report your foreign
bank account.
Robert S. Barnett, CPA, JD, MS (Taxation)
(516) 931-8100 ext. 314
[email protected]
Albert Dumaual, JD, LLM (Taxation)
(516) 931-8100 ext. 317
[email protected]
Potential for misuse
Waze is a traffic and navigation
application that users contribute
information to in order to share
real-time road information.
“I am concerned about the
safety of law enforcement officers
ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW
www.cbmslaw.com
and the community, and the
potential for your Waze product to
be misused by those with criminal
intent to endanger police officers
u
Page 8
Offices in New York City and Long Island
February 6-12, 2015
Page 8
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
For one Fil-Am, working in PH is a career option
By Aurora Almendral
Rovaira Dasig remembers when
she first saw Monday Street and the
house in Mandaluyong to where her
mother had been sending
balikbayan boxes packed with
American goods for as long as she
could remember.
“I felt really tall,” Dasig, who
stands about five-foot-three, says.
The roads were cramped, the rooms
were tiny, the ceilings low, everyone
was shorter than she was. She saw a
kid pooping in the street.
The houses were made of
exposed cement blocks, cobbled
together as materials became
available. Everything was bathed in
the cold, dim light of cheap
fluorescent bulbs.
That neighborhood, where she
might have grown up if her mother
hadn't made their way to the United
States, isn't a slum. The people who
live there own their homes and have
decent, working-class jobs.
But it's a far cry from where she
grew up in America.
The small town where her
mother eventually settled the family
sits at the foot of Mount Rainier,
outside Seattle. The air was clean,
and it was the sort of place that had
homecoming football games, county
fairs and Daffodil Princess contests.
It was a place where Dasig could
grow up and be class president and
valedictorian, then study economics
at Wellesley College, the elite East
Coast institution.
Expat Rovaira Dasig
Biñan-born
Dasig, 26, was born in Biñan,
Laguna, and moved to America as a
toddler. Her life has followed the
trajectory imagined by every
Filipino ever to have applied for an
immigrant visa at the US embassy.
But like many young Americans,
finding opportunity and meaning in
her work has superseded the need
to achieve the suburban dreams of
the generation before hers.
Dasig moved to Manila two
years ago and says, “It's not the
same place our parents left behind.”
She believes that the generation
of Filipinos who grew up outside the
country have a place in the new
Philippines - and it's not the one
where an enlightened Fil-Am
returns to the homeland to lend a
helping hand to the destitute
masses who have been left behind in
this poverty-stricken country. To
Dasig, this savior complex is
woefully outdated.
“The Philippines is going
somewhere whether you're here or
not,” she says. “You either catch that
wave, or you don't.” Dasig believes
that Filipinos outside the
Philippines should start seeing the
country not as a place that needs
saving, but as one where they can
come back and live out their dreams.
To that end, Dasig founded
PULSE with Melissa Gibson, a
Filipina-Canadian also based in
Manila. Dasig describes PULSE as a
“business incubator for the creative
economy.” With PULSE, Dasig hopes
to pave a path for the diaspora to
come back to the Philippines and
build careers in the creative sector film, the arts, music, design, fashion,
food and tech - and “recognize that
they can do what they already do,
are good at, and love, in the
Philippines.”
Arts incubator
The pair is now scouting spaces
for an arts incubator, where painting
studios, workspaces and innovative
kitchens come together in a heady
mix of creative collaboration. In the
coming months they'll launch an
artists-in-residence program,
mentorships, workshops and
weekend excursions to help reveal
Manila's creative side to the
country's massive diaspora.
Dasig knows firsthand how
immigrating can change the course
o f a f a m i ly ' s f o r t u n e s . S h e
appreciates the role that call centers
The Pulse website at http://pulse.ph/ (Source: pulse.ph)
Entrance to Monday Street. Photo by Rovaira Dasig
and the BPO industry have played as
the current engines of the economy,
“but it's not sustainable because it
doesn't cultivate our culture.”
Dasig believes the Philippines is
more than it's ability to serve the
world, that it's greatest resource is
the people's creativity, and “it's high
time for the world, especially the
children of the Philippines diaspora,
to recognize the brimming potential
of the country.”
Those who choose to move to
the country to practice their trade
may make the Philippines a better
place in the process, but the
Philippines will be saving them just
as much. Inquirer.net
Hawaii doctor shortage San Francisco official drafts ordinance as a
result of Fil-Am woman's crosswalk death
worries state officials
HONOLULU -- Hawaii
residents are half as likely as US
mainland residents to get access
t o p hy s i c i a n s t h e y n e e d ,
according to report the John A.
Burns School of Medicine
(JABSOM). Physician Workforce
Assessment.
T h e JA B S O M P hys i c i a n
Workforce Assessment cites a
statewide shortage of 890 fulltime doctors, an amount that is
expected to jump to 1,500 within
five years. The number could be
higher, considering that almost
one-third of physicians currently
practicing in Hawaii are age 60
and over.
State lawmakers are
continuing to monitor Hawaii's
doctor shortage, which has made
access to medical care
particularly challenging for
residents on the neighboring
islands and in rural
communities.
The shortages are
particularly acute for doctors in
the fields of family medicine,
general surgery, pathology and
internal medicine.
“Without enough providers
and physicians, we are all at risk,”
says JABSOM's Dr. Kelley Withy.
According to Withy, a local flu
epidemic would overburden
physicians' offices, send patients
to emergency rooms for
treatment and result in higher
costs for everyone. Worse yet,
not everyone would receive
treatment.
The Legislature will consider
a handful of proposals to ease the
shortage, including using
unfunded state “matching
money” to secure tuition loan
repayment stipends for
healthcare workers who pledge
to work in rural or underserved
areas for at least a two-year
period.
The Physician Workforce
Assessment is available online
a t : w w w. a h e c . h a w a i i . e d u .
Inquirer.net
SAN FRANCISCO -- Supervisor
Norman Yee's legislative aid
announced February 3 that, in
response to community protests, the
City Attorney has drafted legislation
to prohibit tour bus drivers from
simultaneously acting as tour
guides. Violators will be cited and
fined.
NaFFAA San Francisco Bay Area
had staged a rally in front of City Hall
and called on Supervisor Yee to
request the City Attorney, which has
regulatory and safety oversight over
tour bus operators in San Francisco,
to change the current policy, and
instead require a separate drivers
and tour guides to reduce
distractions that lead to traffic
accidents.
The protest stemmed from a
fatal accident on October 23 last
year, when 68-year-old Priscilla
Moreto known as Precy to her many
friends, associates and neighbors
was run over by a tour bus driver as
she walked in a crosswalk in front of
City Hall.
The police investigation found
that Moreto was in a clearly marked
crosswalk with flashing yellow lights
when she was struck by the tour bus
moving at five miles per hour. The
Police investigation also found the
driver of the tour bus that struck
Precy was focused on showing the
City Hall to his passengers instead of
the road. Inquirer.net
US cops ... From page 7
safety and security and work in
partnership with the NYPD and
other police and departments of
transportation all over the world …
to help municipalities better
understand what's happening in
their cities in real time,” said Waze
spokesperson Julie Mossler.
“These relationships keep
citizens safe, promote faster
emergency response and help
alleviate traffic congestion,” she
added. “Police partners support
Waze and its features, including
reports of police presence, because
most users tend to drive more
carefully when they believe law
enforcement is nearby.”
Google declined to comment.
Google has a complicated
relationship with government and
law enforcement. The company is
regularly compelled to turn over to
police worldwide copies of e-mails
or other information about its
customers.
Last year, after disclosures that
the National Security Agency had
illicitly broken into Google's
overseas Internet communication
lines, Google and other technology
companies rolled out encryption for
users, which the US government said
could hamper law enforcement
investigations.
and the community,” Beck said in his
letter to Page.
The executive director of the
Fraternal Order of Police, Jim Pasco,
said his organization also had
concerns about Waze.
Wa z e u s e r s m a r k p o l i c e
presence on maps without much
distinction other than “visible” or
“hidden.” Users see a police icon, but
it's not immediately clear whether
police are there for a speed trap, a
sobriety check or a lunch break.
The emerging policy debate
places Google again at the center of a
global debate about public safety,
consumer rights and privacy.
Waze response
Waze rejected the allegations of
the police officers, arguing that the
application is welcomed by many
law enforcement agencies.
“We think very deeply about
Not appropriate
Nuala O'Connor, head of the
Center for Democracy and
Technology, a Washington civil
liberties group, said it would not be
appropriate for Google to disable the
police-reporting feature.
“I do not think it is legitimate to
ask a person-to-person
communication to cease simply
because it reports on publicly visible
law enforcement,” she said.
According to O'Connor, a bigger
concern among privacy advocates is
how much information about
customers Waze shares with law
enforcement, since the service
monitors their location continually
as long as it's turned on. Reports
from AP and AFP. Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Toys and housewares buyers invited
to Manila FAME flagship event
SAN FRANCISCO -Philippine trade officials are
inviting toys and housewares
buyers to the Philippine home
and fashion industry's flagship
event, the 61st Manila FAME, on
March 13-16.
The Center for International
Trade and Expositions and
Missions (CITEM) Design and
Lifestyle Event will be held at the
SMX Convention Center, Pasay
City, Metro Manila. The second
installment will be on October
22-25, 2015.
Manila FAME, Asia's longest
running design and lifestyle
event, is a sourcing destination
for high-quality Philippinemade products with an artisanal
touch.
The 61st edition of Manila
FAME will feature Design for
Exports Scenography; Red Box, a
17-year-old
Filipino-Canadian
inventor is
making the
world a
better place
Ann showcasing
her flashlight
By David K. Ongchoco; Student
correspondent; University of
Pennsylvania
Filipino-Canadian Ann
M a ko s i n s k i c a u g h t m e d i a' s
attention after winning the 2013
Google Science Fair in the 15-16
age group category.
She was named one of Time
magazine's 30 Under 30 Youth
Changing the World, and was
featured on “The Tonight Show
with Jimmy Fallon,” NBC News,
PBS, Yahoo News and more.
Makosinski has become an
inspiration to youth around the
world, showing that one can invent
t h e f u t u re w i t h i n s p i ra t i o n ,
curiosity and a desire to work
towards a goal.
collective of local designers on
the rise creating cutting-edge
products; Manila Wear a chic
showcase of fashion objects from
the Philippine fashion industry's
brightest talents; and our
continuing advocacy of
Philippine artisanship through
the highly popular Craft Spots, a
O n e To w n , O n e P r o d u c t
Marketplace that showcase
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Page 12
Ann showing the flashlight to one of the judges
Ann Makosinski was inspired to create a body heat-powered lamp
by a friend from Mindanao who has to live without electricity
Her claim to fame: a flashlight
powe red solely by body heat,
inspired by her friend from
Mindanao who got failing grades in
school because she couldn't spend
time to study at home since there
was no electricity.
In an interview with NBC,
Makosinski said, “When something
happens to someone you know, it
usually affects you more… It opens
your eyes that something like this
could happen to other people
around the world.”
Having done science fair
projects since Grade 6, Makosinski
was spurred into action. She had to
learn manual skills in a machine
shop, winding tiny transformers
and working with small electronic
parts.
She also sought help from
experts; after three months of hard
work in the lab, she was able to
come up with a working flashlight.
The flashlight makes use of
Peltier tiles, which can produce a
small amount of electricity when
heated on one side by the palm of
your hand or your forehead, and
cooled on the other by air passing
through an aluminum tube. She's
currently talking to multiple
manufacturers, and has filed a
patent for her invention.
“The biggest misconception
about students who join science
fairs is that we're these super
genius kids. But in fact, I'm not the
genius nerd some people expect
me to be. The only difference is,
we're always questioning how
things work,” she said.
Headlamp
She has been presenting newer
iterations of her flashlight, like the
Peltier headlamp which she
previewed at the 2014 Intel
International Science and
Engineering Fair. The headlamp
includes a charging unit, allowing it
to store a charge during the day
and be switched on when needed.
She has also given several TEDx
(Technology, Entertainment ,
Design) talks about her journey,
which started with her interest in
insects - she was amazed at how
complex they were despite their
size.
She recalled some of her most
memorable moments: “I
[email protected]
remember the first time I arrived
on the Google campus and biked
around to explore (the area). It was
amazing. I also remember meeting
younger children and youth close
to my age after speaking to them,
and just seeing how inspired they
were was so surreal.”
Reflecting on everything that
has been happening to her,
Makosinski said: “Anything is
possible. Sometimes you won't get
where you want to be in the way
you expect, but with hard work and
being kind to others, you can
achieve anything. So, be nice to
other people! Go up to the people
standing in the corner alone in the
room at events; you never know
what it might lead to. I know I used
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February 6-12, 2015
Page 10
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Take strategic pause
The call for the creation of an independent truth
commission that would look into the botched police operation
in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, is snowballing. It's a call
Malacañang needs to heed, if only because there is much more at
stake here than clearing the miasma of conjecture, speculation
and rumor-mongering that has been simmering in the face of
scant information about what the government has
disingenuously called a “misencounter.” The best remedy
against the risk of false narratives becoming dominant and
entrenched is the plain truth. But more than that, the truth in
this case is also critical for something else: It may be the one
thing that will save the peace process that the government and
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front have painstakingly cobbled
together, achieving milestones as yet unprecedented in any
previous attempts at forging a peace agreement for Mindanao,
but which is now in danger of falling apart.
Days after the firefight in Mamasapano, while there was not
only grieving over the deaths of the 44 Special Action Force
commandos (the MILF lost 18 men of its own) but also rage at
President Aquino (on two points: his seeming inability to own
up to the command responsibility required to approve an
operation of this scale and import, and his appalling,
inexplicable absence at the arrival honors for the Fallen 44 at
Villamor Air Base, choosing to attend the opening of a carmanufacturing plant instead), the government and MILF panels
signed protocols for the decommissioning of the rebels'
weapons. On the face of it, that development would be a
welcome one, confirming that the peace process was
progressing apace, especially in the delicate area of the rebels
laying down their arms as a good-faith measure that they are
sincere in the quest for ending violence in Mindanao, in
exchange for the government institutionalizing their stake in
rebuilding and developing their land.
That is, by any measure, a development worth applauding.
Unfortunately, in the immediate and volatile context of what
had just happened in Mamasapano, the signing of the latest
protocols, no matter that it might in fact have been on schedule,
took on the appearance of a rushed response by unnerved peace
negotiators bent on saving the peace agreement from the tide of
public opinion that had swamped the MILF and its perceived
less-than-honest participation in the peace process. President
Aquino and his chief negotiators, Teresita Quintos Deles and
Miriam Coronel Ferrer, echoed by their MILF counterpart
Mohagher Iqbal, have all insisted, rightly, on not abandoning the
peace process, and on seeing in the tragic deaths of 44 SAF
troopers the opportunity to work, more than ever, on a just and
lasting framework that would prevent more lives from being
wasted on an endless, and endlessly brutalizing, war.
Who would argue with that? And yet, might it not have been
prudent at this point to step back a bit, take a deep breath, and
allow that strategic pause for the nation to dispel its doubts and
anxiety? The negotiating panels are, after all, not talking to each
other in a vacuum; they must know, above all, that the result of
their extraordinary labors at attempting peace for Mindanao
would have to pass the ultimate test - the support of the Filipino
people. But the public is decidedly in no mood right now to
proceed with hammering out niceties with the MILF in a
business-as-usual fashion - not because it has become a convert
Senate Bill to Increase
Annual H-1B Cap
Bipartisan efforts in the U.S.
Senate are once again sparking
hope for a meaningful and sensible
change to the country's
immigration laws. The new
proposed bill entitled,
“Immigration Innovation or ISquared Act of 2015” introduced
on January 13, 2015, focuses
mainly on expanding laws applying
to high-skilled guest workers.
Under present law, a maximum
of 65,000 new H-1B visas are
issued each fiscal year. An
additional 20,000 visas are made
available to graduates with
master's degree or higher from U.S.
universities.
For years, U.S. companies
especially those with technology
components have been clamoring
for a significant increase in the
number of new H-1B visas issued
per year. The annual H-1B cap of
65,000 which has remained
unchanged for ten years can no
longer keep up with the demand of
the present time. An increase to the
current cap would allow U.S.
companies to hire much-needed
high-skilled workers.
In April 2013, the United States
Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) received
approximately 124,000 petitions
in one week's time and in April
2014, the number increased to
around 172,500 petitions which
the USCIS received within a similar
timeframe.
The proposed I-Squared Act
seeks to increase the current
annual H-1B visa cap from 65,000
to 115,000, and if there is high
demand, it would even allow for an
increase of up to 195,000 per year.
The proposed bill would also
eliminate the 20,000 limit on
advanced degree petitions.
The proposal is seen to benefit
U.S. companies in need of workers
with advanced degrees from U.S.
universities in the Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Math
(STEM) disciplines.
The proposed bill would also
allow dependent spouses of H-1B
visa holders to work, increase
worker mobility so they can change
jobs with ease, allow dual intent for
foreign students, recapture unused
green cards approved by Congress
in previous years but were not
used, and exempt from visa caps,
“persons of extraordinary ability,”
“outstanding professors and
researchers,” U.S. degree holders in
STEM disciplines, and dependents
of employment-based immigrant
visa recipients.
Many have high hopes for this
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Page 12
Pope Francis beyond
Manila
u
Page 12
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Joseph G. Lariosa
Correspondent: Grace G. Baldisseri
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do
not reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the publisher.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
2711 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07306
What events are shaping
beyond Pope Francis' successful
visit to the Philippines? The
Associated Press' Nicole Winfield
asked en route to Rome from
Manila on the papal flight last Jan.
19.
Which cities in America will
you visit? While there, will you go
to California for the canonization of
Junipero Serra?
Do you intend to preside over
the beatification ceremony of El
Salvador's Archbishop Oscar
Romero? Where? And are you
heading to some African and Latin
American nations?
“There'll be a war between
Cardinal Amato and Monsignor
Paglia over which of the two will do
the Romero beatification,” Francis
said, chuckling. Beatifications are
normally done by the cardinal of
the dicastery.
A shy conservative prelate,
Archbishop Romero turned into a
b l u n t , fe a rl e s s c r i t i c o f E l
Salvador's military junta for its
abuses. A sniper killed him while
he was raising the consecrated
host at Mass.
The three US cities are
Philadelphia (for the meeting of
f a m i l i e s ) , N e w Yo r k a n d
Washington, plus perhaps a
stopover at the United Nations,
Francis said.
What if President Barack
Obama or the US Congress invites
you? Francis waved that aside - for
now. “I'd like to go to California for
Junipero Serra's canonization, but
there is the problem of time,” the
Pope added. It requires two more
days. So I will do that canonization
at the National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception in
Washington.
Born in Majorca, Spain, in
1713, Father Serra joined the
Franciscan order in 1730. He
became an eminent theological
professor before relinquishing his
comfortable life to evangelize in
the Americas. From 1769 to 1835,
90,000 Indians were baptized
along the US West Coast, from San
Diego to San Francisco.
The decision to canonize will
not be unanimous. Some
prominent critics dub Serra as less
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Page 14
February 6-12, 2015
Page 11
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Reckless leadership leads to massacre
In the aftermath of one of the
worst massacres in Philippine
history, questions were raised on
who was responsible for the
bungled police operation in
Mamasapano, Maguindanao,
which is within Muslim Islamic
Liberation Front (MILF) territory.
And as the story had evolved, the
massacre of 44 commandos of the
elite Special Action Force (SAF)
was the result of a poorly executed
operation to capture Malaysian
Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” a
member of the al-Qaeda-linked
Jemaah Islamiyah, and his Filipino
henchman Abdul Basit Usman, a
bomb-maker for the Bangsamoro
Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
What makes the situation
confusing is that the MILF and BIFF
have overlapping territories, or a
camp within a camp. Surmise it to
say, the MILF and BIFF manage to
co-exist peacefully; after all, a lot of
their members are inter-related.
The only difference is that BIFF
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
Forty-four members of the
Special Action Force, the elite group
of the Philippine National Police,
were killed by the rebel Muslim
group the Aquino government has
signed a peace agreement with. Yet,
social media denizens are in an
impassioned discussion over
Philippine Miss Universe pageant
candidate MJ Lastimosa's “cake
gown.”
Last Jan. 26, Direk Joey Reyes
posted this in his Facebook wall:
“Dear Janet, Now you can be at ease.
There is another woman more
hated than you in the Philippines.
Take care.”
Janet, of course, is Janet
Napoles, the pork barrel queen
wants total independence while
MILF was willing to settle for
autonomy. But what obfuscates the
whole thing is that MILF is at peace
with the government while BIFF is
at war with the government.
Government forces should
therefore take extreme caution
when entering MILF/BIFF
territory. In fact, the peace accord
that was signed by the Philippine
government and the MILF a year
ago stipulated that any military or
police operation into MILF
territories has to be coordinated
with the MILF to avoid accidental
shootouts.
It did not then come as a
surprise that when 392 SAF
commandos were sent last January
25 to Mamasapano to serve
warrants of arrest against Marwan
and Usman, all hell broke loose!
According to the Philippine
National Police (PNP), which has
jurisdiction over the SAF, the
commandos had a firefight with
Opinion
By Perry Diaz
Marwan's group and claimed that
Marwan was killed. However, in
their haste to withdraw from the
scene after Marwan was
terminated, they left his body
behind but not before someone
took a photo of him. But some
people are questioning the
authenticity of the photograph,
which makes one wonder if the
Philippine government would
claim the $5 million bounty that the
U.S. has posted for the capture of
Marwan? But would Uncle Sam give
the reward without producing
Marwan's body?
Reinforcement denied
According to the PNP, a large
group of combined MILF/BIFF
forces pursued the withdrawing
SAF troops and a gun battle ensued.
Pinned down and surrounded by
the Muslim rebels, the beleaguered
commandos requested for
reinforcement from a nearby
military base. However, the
military was unable to respond
because there was no order from
the chain of command. And this
was where the debacle began to
unravel.
According to media reports, the
military was waiting for an order
from the commander-in-chief,
President Benigno Aquino III, who
was then in Zamboanga
monitoring the SAF operation. But
the order never came.
And this was where weird
stories began to circulate. A story
goes that no sooner had Aquino
approved the operation than he
flew to Zamboanga where he
waited in the wings ready to go to
Maguindanao when the operation
had succeeded. And the spectacle
of Aquino receiving his laurels for
the capture of the suspected
terrorists would certainly add a
feather to his cap, not to mention a
great photo-op material for his
memoirs.
Chain of command
But what was really strange in
this potential “movie production”
a la “Zero Dark Thirty” had the
operation succeeded, are the two
“players” Aquino hand-picked to
play key roles in the hunt for
Marwan and Usman.
Media reports said that the two
whom Aquino put in the chain of
command were Executive
Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa and
suspended PNP Chief Alan
Purisima, which begs the question:
Why were they included in the
chain of command of this
operation?
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Page 12
Confronted with brutal realities,
what do Filipinos do?
through whom senators and
congressmen robbed billions of the
people's money.
Thinking it was Social Services
Secretary Dinky Soliman, who
rounded up almost 500 destitute
families in Pasay and Manila and
brought them away from the sight
of Pope Francis and the foreign
press during the Papal visit two
weeks ago, I commented, “Korek,
Direk.”
Reading the other comments, I
realized the subject of the post was
Stella Marquez-Araneta, head of
Binibining Pilipinas Charities,
organizers of beauty pagents in the
country to select candidates for the
Miss Universe, Miss International
and other beauty pageants.
Marquez-Araneta was being
bashed for preferring a Colombian
over Filipino fashion designers to
do the gown for Philippine
candidates to the international
beauty pageants.
Binibining Pilipinas Mary Jean
Lastimosa, she with the perfect
body and the “bomb walk”, made it
to the Top Ten but not to the Top
Five. A big disappointment for
beauty-contest fanatic Filipinos.
Blame was heaped on the national
costume designed by Colombian
Alfredo Barraza, which was dubbed
as the “cake gown” because it was
festooned with what looked like
flower cake icings. The gown was
really ugly.
The discussion was spirited and
amusing.
The media headlines last Jan. 26
was the massacre of members of
elite SAF in Mamasapano,
Maguindanao by the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front which happened
the day before, early morning of
Sunday. They were in a mission to
capture Malaysian bomb maker
Zulkifli bin Hir alias ”Marwan” and
Basit Usman, a Jemaah Islamiyah
bomb-making expert, in
Tukanalipao village.
Marwan and Basit Usman are
among the most wanted terrorists
by the US' Federal Bureau of
Investigation. Marwan has a $5
million price on his head and $1
million for Basit Usman.
On Jan. 27, Interior Secretary
Mar Roxas gave an update: a total of
392 SAF men participated in the
operation. A total of 44 SAF men
were killed while 12 others were
wounded in the clash with Moro
rebels. The 336 SAF men who
participated in the operation are
alive and have been accounted for.
It's the worst tragedy in the
history of the country's police force.
But people would rather
discuss about MJ Lastimosa's cake
gown.
That's our coping mechanism.
Confronted with harsh realities, we
escape to fantasyland. That's why
the movies of Vic Sotto and Vice
Ganda are box-office hits.
That's why our suicide rates are
not as high as that of developed
countries. That's why we don't have
incidents of people on a shooting
spree. This is the third day since
that condemnable incident. There
has been no word from the
President of the Philippines.
President Aquino is into his
own coping mechanism.
Gloria Arroyo that you can attack
incessantly in order to boost your
own stock; this time around, it is
the once-supremely powerful
Aquino who has been made into
the bad guy, with the blood of 44
members of the police's Special
Action Force in his hands.
Then again, as they say, every
problem will present itself as a nail
to you, if your only tool is a
hammer. You can't really blame
Aquino and his courtiers for
thinking that they can turn things
around with some high-pressure
PR ops, some well-timed surveys
and all the other propaganda bells
and whistles that have lulled the
President into believing that he
will always be impervious to his
critics.
The other thing is, the palace is
up against an outraged public
whose anger about what took place
in Mamasapano was not
precipitated by any conscious
campaign by media to stir it up.
Unless I am very much mistaken,
media is not really the
battleground here: the hearts and
minds of the enraged people,
which may or may not be swayed
by media, are.
***
President Aquino was
noticeably absent once again, this
time during the handing out of
awards to the country's Ten
O u t s t a n d i n g Yo u n g M e n i n
Malacañang Palace last Feb. 3.
Anyone who's heard of the TOYM
awards knows that this prestigious
annual event is always held in the
palace - and that the President
always gives out the iconic
trophies.
This year's TOYM ceremony
was also the first that Aquino
himself skipped. The current
u
Page 12
Now, the PR war
After the actual shooting war,
which ended terribly, Malacañang
now wants to win the battle of the
media, where it believes it has the
home court advantage. Maybe it
will win this new encounter - or
maybe not.
Malacañang-watchers report
that a full-court propaganda press
has been launched by the palace by
the river, with a two-pronged
objective: to exonerate President
Noynoy Aquino and to work for the
passage in Congress of the
proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.
A power couple with familial
links to Aquino has reportedly
contracted the services of a former
official of this administration, who
has been sidelined by a
controversy in his agency. Another
palace propaganda “fireman,” who
has a day job with a broadcast
network, has also been mentioned
as among those handpicked by the
couple to operationalize the
campaign.
At l e a s t o n e p ro m i n e n t
journalist has reportedly already
been approached to help in the
effort. Other media personalities
have also already been identified
for conscription in reversing
Aquino's political fortunes.
The preliminary script has a
rogue private armed group (PAG)
perpetrating the killings in
Maguindanao, instead of the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front. (This
poses a problem, of course, given
that the MILF has already long
admitted that it was involved in the
encounter; but perhaps the
secessionists, who also stand to
benefit with the passage of the
BBL, can be convinced to declare
that they - like Aquino - had
nothing to do with what happened,
either.)
For the life of me, I don't see
how even Malacañang's vaunted
propaganda machinery can turn
the sow's ear of bad publicity that
Aquino has been getting into the
silk purse of popularity and
political invincibility that he had
just a couple of years back. But
then, if that same juggernaut can
turn Aquino from a do-nothing
lawmaker into a powerful political
force that destroyed all opposition
in 2010, maybe it can do something
just as miraculous this time
around.
Of course, converting the
tabula rasa that was Noynoy into a
winnable candidate is way easier
than getting him off the hook for
the Mamasapano massacre. It's
different when you have a ready,
easily demonized opponent like
February 6-12, 2015
Page 12
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Reckless ...
From page 11
And this is where the weird
got weirder. Rumor has it that
the operation was hatched by
no less than Ochoa who heads
the Presidential Anti-Organized
Crime Commission (PAOCC) to
“neutralize” terrorist forces. As
the head of PAOCC, Ochoa is
known as the “Anti-terrorism
Czar,” a position that gives him
near-absolute power in fighting
crime. Yet, the country today
has never been as crime-ridden
as it was before, which makes
one wonder why Aquino would
entrust Ochoa, a lawyer with no
law enforcement or military
background, with such a very
very - important authority?
And the weirdest thing was
that Aquino appointed the
disgraced and suspended PNP
Chief, Gen. Alan Purisima, to run
the SAF operation to get
Marwan. And not only did he
run the botched operation, he
controlled its implementation
directly under Aquino and
Ochoa. Indeed, one might say
that Aquino, Ochoa, and
Purisima were the triumvirs
who conceived, planned, and
executed the failed operation to
capture Marwan and Usman…
at the price of the lives of the 44
fallen heroes.
What is appalling is that the
people who should really be
running the show were taken
out of the loop and totally kept
in the dark during the execution
of the operation. Had the
established line of authority
been followed, Department of
the Interior and Local
Government (DILG) Secretary
Mar Roxas, PNP officer-incharge Deputy Director General
Leonardo Espina, and SAF
Commander Director Getulio
Napeñas should have been the
ones running the show. Ochoa
in his role as Anti-terrorism
Czar should only have an
oversight role while Aquino
could just have stayed in
Malacanang to monitor the
operation.
But as it turned out the
whole situation was a fiasco!
Out of control
Some media reports were
critical of Aquino who played
the role of a “Field Marshal,”
directing the battle from a
vantage point. He delegated the
operational control to Purisima
who received detailed reports
from the field totally bypassing
the PNP hierarchy.
When the operation went
out of control and the
MILF/BIFF joint forces
ambushed the SAF commandos,
Aquino was reported to have
p a n i c ke d . H e re p o r t e d ly
instructed Teresita Deles, the
Presidential Adviser on Peace
Process, to call for a ceasefire on
the ground. However, it was
reported that the MILF/BIFF
rebels did not stop firing at the
SAF troops.
And this was where the
situation became very political.
When the SAF forces asked for
reinforcement, they were told
not to do so because Aquino
didn't want to jeopardize the
peace process with the MILF.
Pinned down for more than 10
hours, the SAF forces were easy
targets to rebel snipers. It was a
massacre… a slaughter!
When the gunfight was
over, the government reported
44 commandos killed. However,
in addition to the 44 SAF
commandos, an MILF
spokesman reported that eight
members of the Citizen Armed
Fo rc e G e o g ra p h i c a l U n i t
(CAFGU), two members of the
Civilian Volunteer Organization
(CVO), and six informants were
killed. The MILF/BIFF forces
suffered 18 deaths.
Blame game
But who would blame
President Aquino or Ochoa or
Purisima? They're
untouchable! But somebody
has to take the fall for the slain
commandos. In a situation like
this, the low man on the totem
pole usually becomes the
scapegoat. And who else could
the scapegoat be other than the
SAF Commander, Director
Getulio Napeñas, the “low man”
in the chain of command? With
the removal of Napeñas, the
bloodhounds found somebody
to blame for the deaths of the 44
commandos.
But at the end of the day,
one can say that it's not a
scapegoat that got them killed,
it's reckless leadership that led
to the massacre of the Fallen 44.
([email protected])
Toys and
housewares ...
From page 9
carefully crafted products from the
various regions of the Philippines that
make use of indigenous raw materials
and local skills and talents; and
International Hall, a business venue
that brings together under one room
international exhibitors, notably Asia
Pacific and ASEAN countries, tapping
into local and international market.
FAME Buyers and enjoy the treats
Now, the PR ...
From page 11
President has always give them out in
the past, including the one given in
2011 to businessman Tony Tiu, who
used up his 10 minutes of Warholian
fame when he was identified by the
enemies of Vice President Jejomar
Binay as the “dummy” of the Veep in
the company that owns a large
agricultural estate in Rosario,
Batangas.
But the latest TOYM awardees,
who include the deserving Doris
Dumlao of the Inquirer, were instead
given their trophies by longtime
Aquino crony and Cabinet Secretary
Rene Almendras. There were no selfies
with the President, who did not even
have a prior engagement with an
Senate bill ...
From page 10
proposed legislation which is
authored by Senators Orrin Hatch (RUtah), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Jeff
Flake (R-Arizona), Amy Klobuchar (DMinnesota), Chris Coons (DDelaware), and Richard Blumenthal
(D-Connecticut).
According to Chris Coons (DDelaware), “Our immigration system is
broken, though, and while I still believe
the Senate should come together again
on comprehensive immigration
reform, it's important that we make
progress in the areas that Democrats
and Republicans do agree on…”
It can be recalled that the
remaining embers of hope for a
comprehensive legislative fix to the
broken immigration system died in the
hands of House Republican leaders
who snubbed and refused to even take
up the Senate-passed comprehensive
immigration reform bill.
Although the partisan divide on
this particular bill is clear, it seems that
other proposed bills on immigration
also suffered the same fate. In 2013,
the bill, S. 169, which mirrors the
and perks of the Manila FAME Buyer
Program like Free 3D/2N first class
accommodation, pre-arranged visits to
exhibitors' factories and showrooms,
VIP assistance and services, among
others.
For more event information, visit
http://www.manilafame.com and
www.citem.com.ph
Fo r re g i s t ra t i o n a n d o t h e r
assistance, email the Philippine Trade
and Investment Center-Silicon Valley
at [email protected] , [email protected] or call at
(415) 773-2336 and (408) 980-9637.
Inquirer.net
automobile manufacturer this time
around as a convenient excuse for his
absence.
Aquino's absence at official events,
even those held in the palace, has been
explained by a very close associate of
his succinctly: the President is
“depressed,” this former Ateneo
classmate who runs a very lucrative
agency told a mutual friend recently.
The President's depression over
the Mamasapano incident is
understandable. After all, he chose to
be in Zamboanga City last January 25,
the 82nd birthday of his mother Cory,
so he could be close by when the PNPSAF brought in wanted Malaysian
terrorist Marwan from Maguindanao.
Considering his well-advertised filial
piety and how the SAF operation
turned out, I can really understand
why Aquino is in the dumps.
proposed I-Squared Act, did not even
make it beyond the committee level.
Meanwhile, another bipartisan
bill, known as “The Startup Act” was
also introduced in the Senate on
January 16, 2015. The proposed bill
seeks to create, among others, an
entrepreneur's visa which will allow
foreign-born entrepreneurs to remain
in the U.S. to launch businesses and
create jobs.
This proposed bill introduced by
Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and
Mark Warner (D-Virginia), together
with Chris Coons (D-Delaware), Roy
Blunt (R-Missouri), Tim Kaine (DVirginia) and Amy Klobuchar (DMinnesota), is the fourth version of the
“Startup Act” which they have been
working on for more than three years.
The fate of these proposed
legislations remain uncertain.
However, it is high time that our
legislators set aside partisan politics
and put in place reforms that have
been long overdue.
(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.)
Take strategic pause
From page 10
to the idea of a tit-for-tat response against the rebel group (in social media,
for instance, many more voices remain committed to peace than to waging
all-out war) but simply because it is still grieving. Not all of the fallen have
been buried, the tears haven't dried up, and emotions remain high.
So many questions continue to swirl about the Mamapasano firefight.
Aside from the board of inquiry that Malacañang has formed, the House
and the Senate are set to launch their own investigations. The truth
remains out there, and perhaps the government and MILF panels can use
this period to take stock of how easy it took, despite the meticulous
confidence-building measures forged in the peace agreement, to bypass its
mechanisms and bring it to this dangerous pass. What happened in
Mamasapano may have revealed a glaring blind spot worth studying before it's too late. Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 13
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
American Sniper ignites debate about hero
status and glorifying the US war machine
SOURCE: NEWS.COM.AU
Was American Sniper Chris
Kyle a hero or a villain?
The former US Navy Seal's
war record - 160 confirmed kills
including 19 kills in a 24-hour
period - is the subject of the
Hollywood blockbuster that has
grossed more than $128 million
at the US box office. But the
movie has been labelled “prowar” and has been compared to
Nazi propaganda by some early
reviewers.
Australians are expected to
flock to the cinema to catch a
glimpse of Bradley Cooper's
portrayal of the now-deceased
Kyle this weekend. Before that,
we take a look at the man behind
the rifle and what people are
saying about him.
America's deadliest sniper?
Chris Kyle was killed in 2013
by a fellow veteran at a shooting
range in the US, aged 38. His
legacy as America's deadliest
sniper was already written.
During four tours of Iraq,
Kyle recorded 160 kills though
that number is somewhat
misleading. The real number is
closer to 250 because 90
additional kills were never
confirmed. He did most of his
damage in the city of Ramadi in
2006 where he was dubbed the
'Devil of Ramadi' by insurgents.
His long-distance kills are
what separated Kyle from other
snipers. In Fallujah in 2004, then
one of the most dangerous cities
in the world, Kyle delivered a kill
shot from more than 1400m.
Later, he eliminated an enemy
holding a rocket-propelled
grenade from almost 2km away.
Former Black Team sniper
Howard Wasdin later
commented that “you've got to
be good” to take a man down
from that distance, according to
the New York Post.
“There was a point I was
arrogant enough to say you
don't need any luck. But a 1,600yard shot? OK, you've got to be
good - you really need to refine
your breathing and squeezing
skills, eye relief, shoulder
placement, all that. But you still
have to have a little bit of luck,”
Wasdin said.
His exploits were first
covered in detail in the book
Modern American Snipersby
Chris Martin and later in the
Clint Eastwood-directed film
making waves for its depiction
of Kyle's heroics.
Hero or Villain?
A prominent billboard in
west Los Angeles was defaced
with the word “murder” on
Tuesday (Jan. 27) night local
time, Sky News reported.
Despite all the Oscars buzz and
glowing reviews, there are still
many who believe the film
glorifies war.
Slate reported American
Sniper “convinces viewers that
Chris Kyle is what heroism looks
like: a great guy who shoots a lot
of people and doesn't think
t w i c e a b o u t i t ”. T h e
Guardiancalled the real
American Sniper a “hate-filled
killer”.
Controversial documentary
maker Michael Moore tweeted
that “snipers aren't heroes” and
that he was taught snipers were
“cowards”. He later clarified his
tweet, saying he was not talking
about Chris Kyle specifically.
Actor Seth Rogen compared
the film to a fictional Nazi
propaganda movie from
Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds.
“American Sniper kind of
reminds me of the movie that's
showing in the third act of
Inglorious Basterds,” he wrote.
In that film, a German
rifleman shoots dead hundreds
of enemy soldiers to the cheers
of a pro-German audience in a
French cinema.
280 Luis Munoz Marin Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07302
Former US Navy SEAL Chris Kyle killed 160 people during four tours of Iraq. Picture: Paul
Moseley / The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Source: AP
Sniper Chris Kyle served four tours of Iraq and was once dubbed the 'Devil of Ramadi'.
Picture: Rick Homan Source: Supplied
201-333-8060
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
February 6-12, 2015
Page 14
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
'Seize the day' people: Kids of war revisit UST
By Nathaniel R. Melican
MANILA -- They are called
“Batch '45” of the University of
Santo Tomas (UST) - not for
hurdling any course at the
country's oldest university but for
surviving the war years inside the
Manila campus when it was turned
into an internment camp by the
Japanese army.
Twelve foreign nationals who
were still children when World War
II broke out returned to UST on
Tuesday, Feb. 3, to retrace and
share their experiences from 194245, in one of the activities marking
the 70th anniversary of the
Liberation of Manila.
The former internees, along
with family members, came as a
group called the Bay Area Civilian
Ex-Prisoners of War (Bacepow).
Among them was George Baker,
who was only 10 when he and his
family were detained at UST.
In hindsight, he said, UST was
unlike other POW camps in Europe
and in other parts of Asia since it
was initially run by Japanese
civilians who allowed the internees
some measure of freedom inside
the camp.
“For the children, they can
wander around without being
afraid of anything. So long as we
obeyed the Japanese, we were fine,”
s a i d B a k e r, a B r i t o n w h o
immigrated to Canada a few years
after the war.
“BATCH '45.” George Baker (second from left), a British national who was only a child when he and other foreigners were
detained by Japanese forces at the University of Santo Tomas during World War II, leads a tour for other former internees
and their family members at the UST main building on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
For the adults, they survived
the first two years of internment by
helping each other in what
Filipinos now call the “bayanihan”
spirit. The Japanese allowed them
to form committees taking care of
their daily needs, keeping the
peace and even providing some
forms of entertainment.
“It was very well regulated. It
was a cooperative enterprise
where everybody did what they
were supposed to do and made
things pleasant for everybody until we were starved,” he said.
Fo r c o n d i t i o n s c h a n g e d
drastically in 1944, when Japanese
military officials took over, Baker
recalled. The organizations set up
by the internees were dissolved
and food rations were tightened,
causing more deaths due to
malnutrition.
After a talk with UST students,
Baker led fellow former internees
in a tour around the UST main
building, describing how it looked
during the war and telling more
stories about life inside the camp.
Mary Beth Klee, whose mother,
Leonore Iserson, was also detained
at UST as a teenager, said the
internees kept despair at bay by
not giving up hope that their
American liberators were coming.
“The will to live and survive
was so strong. They found meaning
to endure, survive and triumph,”
said Klee, who is writing a book
Pope Francis ...
From page 10
than saintly, the New York Times reports.
Deborah Miranda, professor at
Washington and Lee University, flay
mission mythology as masking the forced
stay of about 310,000 Indians in what is
now California. Only one-sixth remained
100 years later,
Mission Dolores, in San Francisco's
Mission District, was founded by Serra in
1776. Made of adobe and wood, the simple
white church abuts a garden and cemetery
of slanting tombstones of people with
Spanish and Irish names.
More than 5,700 Indians, many of
whom died prematurely, are buried at the
mission. In one unmarked trench are the
remains of 363 Indians who contracted
measles from Europeans. All are buried
under what is now church offices, a school,
and a parking lot. The only indicator at the
mission of their deaths is one thin, wooden
gravestone.
The Pope plans to go to the Central
African Republic and Uganda this year. “I
think this will be toward the end of the
year, because of the weather,” he said.
“They have to calculate when there won't
be rains, when there won't be bad weather.
This trip is a bit overdue, because there
was the Ebola problem. It is a big
responsibility to hold big gatherings contagion, no?”
The Latin American countries foreseen
to be visited this year - everything is still in
draft form - are Ecuador, Bolivia and
Paraguay. These three.
“Next year, God willing - but everything
is still in draft - I would like to go to Chile,
Argentina and Uruguay. Peru is missing
there, but we don't know where to put it.”
The afterglow from Francis' Manila
visit continues. On the papal flight, Filipino
reporter Kara David of GMA7 asked: Is
there something the Holy Father learned
based on the stories told by her
mother.
The “Santo Tomas Internment
Camp” was finally reclaimed by
American forces on the night of
Feb. 3, 1945 - a most memorable
moment for the internees.
“It was an exciting time. After
American tanks rammed through
UST's fences, there was joy all
around. I specifically remember
one of my older brothers bringing
us the food, rice, and tobacco he got
from the looted Japanese barracks.
We were surprised that there was
that much supplies around,” Baker
recalled.
Iserson even “dressed up” for
the jubilation that followed that
night and on the succeeding days,
Klee said. “There was a joyous
atmosphere all around that night
they were liberated.”
After the war, Baker went on to
become one of the engineers who
wo u l d b u i l d C a n a d a' s f i r s t
telecommunication satellite.
Iserson, meanwhile, excelled in
her studies back in the US and led a
long career as a librarian. She died
in 1996 at age 67.
“My mom and her friends that I
have met, they're real 'seize the
day' people. This experience of
being interned here made them
feel like every moment of your life
is precious and if you have the
opportunity to be free, make
something of your life and take it,”
Klee said. Inquirer.net
from the Filipinos?
It was challenging, and, as we say in
Spanish, “pasada per agua” (it rained on the
parade). It is beautiful. The gestures! The
gestures moved me, Francis said. They are
not protocol gestures, but felt gestures,
gestures of the heart. Some almost make
one weep. There's everything there: faith,
love, the family, the future.
A second gesture is an enthusiasm that
is not feigned, a joy, a happiness (alegria), a
capacity to celebrate.
Even under the rain, one of the masters
of ceremonies told me that he was edified
because who were serving never lost the
smile on their face. No, no! It was a smile
that just came, and behind that smile there
is a normal life, there are pains, problems.
There's a word that's difficult for us to
understand because it has been vulgarized
too much, used too much, but it's a word
that has substance: resignation. A people
who knows how to suffer, and is capable of
rising up.
A reporter said: In Manila, we were in a
very beautiful hotel. Everyone was very
nice and we ate very well, but as soon as
you left this hotel, you were, let's call it
morally accosted, at least by the poverty.
We saw children among the trash, treated
p o s s i b ly, I w o u l d s ay, a s re f u s e
[themselves].
We know of cardinals who served
among the lepers, so I'd like to know why it
is so difficult to follow that example.
Francis said: And here there is hunger,
one next to the other. And we have the
tendency to get used to this, no? To this
that… yes, yes, we're here and there are
those thrown away. This is poverty, I think
the Church must give an example, a much
greater example here, refusing every
worldliness. Do we consecrated bishops,
priests, sisters, laity truly believe that the
gravest sin and the gravest threat is
worldliness? It's really ugly when you see a
consecrated man, a man of the Church, a
sister, who is worldly.
February 6-12, 2015
Page 15
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Battle of Manila exhibit reminds
Filipinos not to forget lessons of war
By Nestor Corrales
MANILA -- “We should
never forget the lessons of war,
the loss of lives and heritage.”
T h i s wa s t h e c e n t ra l
message of the opening of the
commemoration of the 70th
year of the Battle of Manila,
which kicked off at the Ayala
Museum in Makati on Tuesday,
Feb. 3.
The event dubbed as
“Manila, My City at War!” is a
month-long series of exhibit
and symposiums showing the
various losses brought about
by war.
“We won the war. It is a very
important event in the
Philippine history that the
Filipinas Heritage Library
wants to share to the Filipinos
e s p e c i a l ly t o t h e yo u n g
generation,” said Faye Johanna
Cura, associate manager of the
Filipinas Heritage Library
(FHL).
Cura said the young
generation should learn from
the hurts and hardships of our
forefathers.
She said the exhibit and
mini conference at Ayala
Museum would allow the
young generation to “dig a little
bit from our history and learn
from it.”
During the opening
ceremony, Col. Emmanuel de
Ocampo, a war veteran, shared
his experiences during the war
and how Filipinos survived
against the Japanese forces.
Ocampo said, “Filipinos are
not war-like but no one should
touch the Filipinos because
they will fight until their last
blood.”
Director Uro de la Cruz,
who compiled photographs of
Teodulo Protomartir during
the postwar in Manila, showed
the crowd what Manila and
other places in the Philippines
were like before the war.
Inside the museum,
a r t wo rks , p h o to s , m a p s ,
military artifacts and various
memorabilia were displayed
for public viewing.
“ We h ave o r i g i n a l
documents and military
artifacts,” Cura said, adding that
the exhibit would enlighten the
historical awareness of the
present generation.
The exhibit will run from
Feb. 3 to March 3. Resource
speakers, including academics,
cultural advocates and war
veterans will give a talk on life
in Manila pre-war, during the
war and post-war.
Cura said the generation
today had a different
perception of war.
“War for us is ISIS and the
continuing war in Mindanao. I
think we have to know also how
o u r g ra n d fa t h e r s fo u gh t
because we can learn for them,”
she said.
“Are all the loss of lives and
heritage worth it? What are we
willing to risk?” she asked
saying all these questions
would be answered during the
symposiums.
She said it is important that
the present generation “put a
value to things now” and
preserved our heritage as
Filipinos. Inquirer.net
74th UST on-the-spot painting contest
commemorates World War II
By Edgar Allan M. Sembrano
The contest this year is in
cooperation with Metrobank
Foundation and the Embassy of
the United States in Manila.
Sponsors include Giordano and
Rebeo.
The theme of this year's
contest owes to the fact that
UST became an internment
camp of the Japanese during
World War II, said Red de Leon
of the UST Museum of Arts and
Sciences, organizer of the
annual contest.
Fifteen universities and
colleges from all over the
National Capital Region will
participate in the contest. A
lecture series on the visual arts
will be held as well.
The UST On-the-Spot
Painting Competition is the
oldest of its kind in the country
and has produced many of the
biggest names today in
Philippine art.
UST Rector Magnificus Fr.
Silvestre Sancho organized the
First Annual National Painting
Contest in 1941 and
consequently acquired works
by Fernando Amorsolo, Vicente
Manansala, Carlos “Botong”
Francisco and Galo Ocampo for
the UST Museum.
This move by Father Sancho
revolutionized the museum,
which previously had been a
repository of natural-science
artifacts. Hence, it became
known by its present name, the
UST Museum of Arts and
Sciences, the oldest museum in
the Philippines.
Inquirer file photo
New US bill would reunite Filipino
WWII vets, spouses, children
WASHINGTON, DC -- Leaders of
Filipino-American organizations
lauded a bill that would amend the
Immigration Act of 1990, which led to
the naturalization of Filipino World
War II veterans but did not apply to
their spouses and children.
The National Federation of Filipino
American Associations (NaFFAA)
commended Congressman Mark Takai
(Dem-Hawaii) for introducing the bill
known as the Filipino Veterans Family
Reunification Act of 2015 (HR 483).
“We thank Congressman Takai for
resuming previous efforts to reunite
Filipino veterans with their families,
many of whom have been waiting for
more than 20 years to obtain a green
card,” says NaFFAA National Chair JT
Mallonga.
“Because of numerical limits in the
1990 law, children of Filipino World
War II veterans have had to wait up to
23 years to come to the US,” Mallonga
added. “Our veterans are in their late
80s and early 90s and being separated
from their loved ones is a big sacrifice.
We hope Congress will act on this
bipartisan bill soon, as a humanitarian
gesture and as a way of thanking our
veterans for their own sacrifice and
service during the war.”
The organization also thanked Rep.
Joseph Heck (GOP-Nevada) for cosponsoring the measure. This latest
initiative comes on the heels of another
legislative proposal by Sen. Mazie K.
Hirono, Sen. Dean Heller and US Rep.
Grace Meng to ensure that Filipino
World War II veterans receive their
rightful benefits.
Called “The Filipino Veterans
Promise Amendment,” the bill would
provide Filipino World War II veterans
a process to prove that they indeed
served and are eligible for the benefits
they have been promised. About 4,000
veterans whose claims were rejected,
have appealed to the Veterans
Administration. They maintain that
their rejection was based on unfair
procedures in determining service
eligibility.
F i l i p i n o A m e r i c a n ve te ra n s
advocates are also working on a
separate issue that would secure a
Congressional Gold Medal Award for
Filipino veterans who served between
December 1941 through July 1946, as
members of the US Armed Forces of the
Far East (USAFFE), Philippine Scouts
or guerillas. Inquirer.net
NaFFAA Commends Family
Reunification Legislation
Students from different fine arts schools compete.
Meanwhile, the First
National Art Competition
Exhibit, the result of the
painting contest, opened to the
public March 12, 1941, under
the auspices of professor Galo
B. Ocampo of the UST College of
Architecture and Fine Arts.
The same month, the
inaugural winners were
declared by the judges, a
prestigious panel that included
architects Juan Arellano and
Andres Luna de San Pedro,
University of the Philippines
School of Fine Arts dean
Fernando Amorsolo, and UST
School of Fine Arts faculty
members Victorio C. Edades
and Rafael Enriquez Jr.
“Pounding Rice,” by Vicente
Manansala, was proclaimed
winner for the Filipiniana
category while “Pater Noster”
by Jose de los Reyes won in the
religious category. The painting
titled “Panday Pira” by Fermin
Sanchez won in the Historical
category.
Museum
The UST Museum recently
reopened to the public after
months of renovation and
refurbishment.
Also in the offing is the
Santo Tomas Internment Camp
commemorative exhibit
starting Feb. 3. It will feature
a rc h iva l p i c t u re s o f t h e
internment-camp years as well
as various articles, memorabilia
and books.
The museum will also hold a
documentary exhibit on the
visit of Pope Francis in the
university last Jan. 18. The
papal exhibit opened last Feb. 7.
Inquirer.net
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National
Federation of Filipino American
Associations (NaFFAA) commends
Congressman Mark Takai (D-HI) for
introducing the Filipino Veterans
Family Reunification Act of 2015 (H.R.
483). This bill would amend the
Immigration Act of 1990, which led to
the naturalization of Filipino World
War II veterans. However, the law did
not apply to their spouses and
children.
“We thank Congressman Takai for
resuming previous efforts to reunite
Filipino veterans with their families,
many of whom have been waiting for
more than 20 years to obtain a green
card,” says NaFFAA National Chair JT
Mallonga. “Because of numerical
limits in the 1990 law, children of
Filipino World War II veterans have
had to wait up to 23 years to come to
the U.S. Our veterans are in their late
80s and early 90s and being separated
from their loved ones is a big sacrifice.
We hope Congress will act on this
bipartisan bill soon, as a humanitarian
gesture and as a way of thanking our
veterans for their own sacrifice and
service during the war.”
Mallonga also thanks Rep. Joseph
Heck (R-NV) for co-sponsoring the
measure.
This latest initiative comes in the
heels of another legislative proposal
by Sen. Mazie K. Hirono, Sen. Dean
Heller and U.S. Rep. Grace Meng to
ensure that Filipino World War II
veterans receive their rightful
benefits. Called “The Filipino Veterans
Promise Amendment,” the bill will
provide Filipino World War II veterans
a process to prove that they indeed
served and are eligible for the benefits
they have been promised. About 4,000
veterans whose claims were rejected,
have appealed to the Veterans
Administration. They maintain that
their rejection was based on unfair
procedures in determining service
eligibility.
Filipino American veterans
advocates are also working on a
separate issue that would secure a
Congressional Gold Medal Award for
Filipino veterans who served between
December 1941 through July 1946, as
members of the US Armed Forces of
the Far East (USAFFE), Philippine
Scouts or guerillas.
February 6-12, 2015
Page 16
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Filipino artists, galleries
showcased in Singapore
By Lester G. Babiera
SINGAPORE -- In this city
state's flagship art fair that
focused on Southeast Asian
art, artists and galleries from
the Philippines proved they
could compete in the global art
scene.
Nine galleries and 30
artists from the Philippines
participated in the fifth Art
Stage Singapore held January
21 to 25 at Marina Bay Sands
Expo and Convention Center.
Art Stage Singapore is one
of the biggest art fairs of
Southeast Asia.
Prominent galleries from
different parts of the world
graced the fair.
Filipinos dominated the
fair's Southeast Asia Platform
titled “Eagles Fly, Sheep
FlockBiographical Imprints:
Artistic Practices in Southeast
A s i a ,” w i t h s i x a r t i s t s
represented by four
Philippine-based galleries.
The Drawing Room had
Yason Banal and Ged Merino.
Silverlens represented Wawi
Navarroza and Gary-Ross
Pastrana. Kiri Dalena was with
1335 Mabini. Buen Calubayan
was presented by 1335 Mabini
and Blanc Gallery.
The Southeast Asia
Platform program of Art Stage
Singapore gives a perspective
of the different arts in the
region. It aims to introduce the
art of Southeast Asia through
biological sketches from
selected artists. The selection
varies, from paintings to
installations, photography
and performance art.
Amused at reception
Artist-run gallery Light
and Space Contemporary is
one of the notable Filipino
galleries at the event. It
presented works by Ernest
Concepcion, Geronimo
Cristobal and Jason Paul
Tecson.
“We were invited here
when the director of Art Stage
Singapore saw Tecson's work,”
said Cristobal, also a curator of
L i g h t a n d S p a c e
Contemporary. “Though we
are just a small gallery, we
decided to step up and
participate in an international
show.”
The director of Art Stage
Singapore is Lorenzo Rudolf.
He also started Art Basel
Miami Beach in the United
States.
Cristobal added they were
amused at the reception of the
foreign audience.
“People liked our works,
especially Tecson's pieces
which are made out of refuse
and garbage,” he said.
Other Philippine galleries
represented in the art fair
were Altro Mondo, featuring
Olivia D'Aboville and Kim
Santiago; and Art Informal
that highlighted Christina
Quisumbing Ramilo, Eugenia
Alcaide and Jason Montinola.
The Drawing Room, which
also has a gallery in Singapore,
presented Juan Alcazaren.
Finale Art File focused on Wire
Tuazon.
Jack Teotico of Galerie
Staphanie said his gallery had
Rodel Tapaya represented by Arndt
u
Page 17
Ronson Culibrina's Warehouse scene
February 6-12, 2015
Page 17
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Wawi Navarroza at Singapore Art Stage 2015
Artist Shintaro Miyake sketching during the art fair
Filipino artists,
galleries ...
From page 16
Rom Villaseran featured in the
fair. He explained the artist's
work, “Dragonfly,” connoted the
dragonfly's ability to exist before
mankind in the present, and
probably way past man's
extinction.
Nice to be around
Other Southeast Asian
galleries recognized the works
of Filipino artists and displayed
their works in Singapore Art
Stage. Most of these galleries are
also in Singapore.
Signature Art Prize 2011
winner Rodel Tapaya was
presented by Arndt which has
galleries in Singapore and
B e r l i n . L e s l i e d e C h ave z
represented Arario Gallery of
Photos by Lester Barbiera
Seoul, Cheonan and Shanghai.
Andres Barroquinto, Renato
Habulan and Guerrero Z.
Habulan were with Galerie
Sogan & Art from Singapore.
Taksu from Singapore, Bali and
Kuala Lumpur showcased Argie
Bandoy, Lyle Buencamino and
Norberto Roldan.
Mizuma and Yavuz galleries
of Singapore exhibited Anton del
Castillo and Winner Jumalon,
respectively. The works of Jaime
Ernest Concepcion at Light and Space Contemporary.
Roque and Ronson Culubrina
were featured by Michael
Jansenn of Singapore and Berlin.
Raffy T. Napay, presented by
Singapore's Artesan Gallery +
Studio, said that he liked the
experience of participating in
international art fairs. He won
the Ateneo Art Awards in 2013
and got a residency program in
Artesan.
“The experience of being
here is good,” Napay said. “It was
also nice that there are many
Filipino galleries here as well as
foreign galleries representing
Filipino artists.” He was the only
artist exhibited by Artesan
Gallery + Studio, which
displayed five of his works.
Big galleries participated,
such as Galerie Perrotin, Pearl
Lam Galleries, White Cube
Gallery, Sundaram Tagore
Gallery and Chemould Presscott
Road. Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 18
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
30/01/2015: PH EMBASSY MOURNS FALLEN SAF TROOPS
Day of mourning. Embassy personnel joined other Philippine Foreign Service Posts as well as public institutions
and military installations in the Philippines in mourning the 44 members of the Philippine National Police
Special Action Force who fell during an armed encounter in Maguindanao last Sunday, January 25, 2015.
January 30 was declared by President Aquino a national day of mourning. (Photo by Jervin Reyes)
The Embassy lowered the Philippine flag to half-mast as a sign
mourning and of solidarity with families of the 44 members of the
Philippine National Police Special Action Force. (Embassy Photo by
Elmer G. Cato)
AABANY congratulates Glenn Magpantay
as recipient of the NY State Bar Association's
Haywood Burns Memorial Award
5-Week Adult Conversational
Filipino, Level I
NEW YORK, February 2, 2015 -The Asian American Bar
Association of New York (AABANY)
i s p ro u d t o a n n o u n c e t h a t
AABANY's LGBT Committee Chair
Glenn Magpantay was the recipient
of the 2015 Haywood Burns
Memorial Award, presented by the
New York State Bar Association
(NYBSA) on January 29, 2015 at the
New York City Hilton Midtown as
part of their Annual Meeting.
The Haywood Burns Memorial
Award, given to honor the late civil
rights lawyer and academic Dean
W. Haywood Burns, is presented
each year by NYBSA's Committee on
Civil Rights to an individual who
has contributed to New York State
in a manner that reflects Dean
Burns' commitment to the struggle
for justice and the qualities that
made him an outstanding advocate
for civil rights and the
empowerment of the powerless.
AABANY was proud to nominate
Mr. Magpantay's nomination for
this award.
Mr. Magpantay is now the
Executive Director of the National
Queer Asian Pacific Islander
Alliance. Immediately before that,
he spent sixteen years at the Asian
American Legal Defense and
Education Fund (AALDEF),
defending and promoting the
voting rights of Asian Americans.
Mr. Magpantay has fought to
expand access to the right to vote,
leading AALDEF's Annual Asian
American Election Protection
Project, the nation's largest poll
monitoring and multilingual voter
survey program for Asian
Americans. As a civil rights litigator,
Mr. Magpantay engaged in impact
litigation and has filed several
briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court
regarding involving voting rights
and language access in the Asian
American community. He has
AABANY's LGBT Committee Chair Glenn Magpantay. AABANY Facebook photo
fought for the fair political
representation of racial and ethnic
minorities in Congress, the State
House, and City Hall and worked on
many redistricting battles. Mr.
Magpantay is an adjunct law
professor at Brooklyn Law School,
and an undergraduate teacher at
Hunter College. In addition to
inspiring many lawyers and law
students to engage in pro bono
work through his organizing efforts
as a former Chair of AABANY's Pro
Bono Committee, he also inspires
the legal community through his
teaching and scholarship on many
topics, such as constitutional
theory and strategies to safeguard
minority political participation. Mr.
Magpantay currently serves as the
Chair of AABANY's LGBT
Committee, which he founded.
As stated by Executive Director
Yang Chen in the introductory
remarks given on the night of the
awards ceremony, “Glenn is an
exemplary advocate, scholar,
mentor and leader in the public
interest. He gives voice to the
voiceless, power to the powerless.
He stands up for the unrepresented
and under-represented in our
society.... Now more than ever we
need lawyers and individuals like
Glenn to teach us and remind us of
the need to continue fighting for the
civil rights of all Americans.
AABANY commends NYSBA for
recognizing Glenn with the
Haywood Burns Memorial Award,
and we congratulate Glenn on a
well-deserved and auspicious
honor.”
About AABANY
The Asian American Bar
Association of New York is a
professional membership
organization of attorneys
concerned with issues affecting the
Asian Pacific American community.
Incorporated in 1989, AABANY
seeks not only to encourage the
professional growth of its members
but also to advocate for the Asian
Pacific American community as a
whole. AABANY is the New York
regional affiliate of the National
Asian Pacific American Bar
Association (NAPABA).
The Filipino School of New
York & New Jersey in partnership
with FANHS Metro NY will offer a
5-week program for Adult
Conversational Filipino, Level I.
MANHATTAN: Beginning on
February 25, 2015 and ending on
April 1 (no class on March 18), the
classes will meet once a week
every Wednesday evening from
6:00pm to 8:00pm at TBD in
Manhattan, NY.
*Deadline for enrollment is
Friday, February 20.
This is the perfect class for
those planning a trip to the
Philippines or wanting to brush
up on their Filipino. Open to
Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike,
learn more about the Philippine
national language and culture
through this introductory class.
The course covers the basic
rules of grammar, verbs, and
common vocabulary to get you by
everyday situations in the
Philippines or while in the
company of Filipino speakers.
Learn to understand and use
familiar everyday expressions
and basic phrases. Introduce
yourself and others. Ask and
answer questions about yourself
and have simple conversations
such as where you live, people you
know, and things you possess.
Learn to interact with others at a
beginner level. There are also
discussions on the history,
culture, and business practices of
Filipinos.
This course will be taught by
Agnes “Bing” Magtoto, known in
the Filipino community of NY for
her expertise in Philippine
language and culture and for
teaching this course to many
students over the years. She is
currently Adjunct Professor
teaching Elementary Filipino I &
II, a language and culture course
at NYU. Bing is also an awardee of
the 2012 The Outstanding
Filipino Americans in New York
award in Education, Research and
Te c h n o l o g y a n d t h e 2 0 1 4
Lifetime Achievement Award
Recipient from FANHS-NY!
Bing has developed training
modules using creative processes
as a participatory and
experiential approach to
learning, organizing and
programming. She is creative
pedagogy facilitator who has
conducted cultural and people's
theater workshops throughout
the Philippines, US, Canada
Europe and Asia. Bing is also a
stage and film actor. (More
information on Bing can be found
here: http://apa.as.
Nyu.edu/object/apafac_magtoto.
html)
Tuition for the 5-week course
is $250.00/person plus an
additional $50 registration fee to
cover administrative costs (a total
of $300). (This is much lower than
the average cost of similar
programs in the area.)
Enrollment is limited to ten (10)
students per class, so applicants
are requested to sign up early.
Registration will be taken on a
first come, first serve basis. A
diagnostic test will be given to
registered students prior to the
start of class.
Required reading material
must be purchased in advance
before classes begin. This
includes Conversational Tagalog:
A Functional Situational
Approach by Teresita Ramos
(University of Hawai'i Press)
which can be purchased at almost
any major bookstores or online
through Amazon.com. Additional
reference materials and handouts will be provided by the
instructor during class.
For more information or to
request an enrollment form,
please contact Venessa Manzano,
School Director, at (774) 2574669 / [email protected] or
visit our website at
www.filschool-nynj.org.
February 6-12, 2015
Page 19
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
FilCom in New York Discuss State of Affairs and
Future of Filipino-Americans in Symposium
NEW YORK, 4 February 2015 -The National Federation of Filipino
American Associations (NaFFAA)
led a discussion among
organization leaders, FilipinoA m e r i c a n l o c a l g ove r n m e n t
officials, youth and senior
community members on the
current state of affairs and the
future prospects of the Filipino
community in the US at a
symposium last 31 January 2015 at
the NYU Palladium in New York City.
In his remarks that prefaced the
dialogue, Consul General Mario L.
De Leon, Jr. acknowledged the
positive move that NaFFAA initiates
to f i n d ways to s o l i c i t t h e
commitment of all sectors of the
community in pursuing the
objectives of the general FilipinoAmerican population. He cited the
rising image of Filipino-Americans
in the US in number (Filipinos are
now the second-largest Asian
ethnicity in the US), status
(leadership roles are being held by
more and more Filipinos in every
sector) and dynamism (young
Filipinos are breaking out in their
participation in the community and
the society) and urged the audience
to take full advantage of these
trends to further elevate the profile
of the Filipinos in the US. He as well
underscored the importance of
ensuring sustainability of
community organizations many of
which have been around for more
than 30 years by welcoming the
increasing the participation of the
e m e rg i n g g e n e ra t i o n i n t h e
community and empowering them
with leadership roles. This way, he
adds, the community can “gain the
respect and cooperation of your
second home, the US.”
President and CEO of New York
Power Authority, Mr. Gil Quiniones,
who also represents the AsianAmerican Community in New York
State for Governor Cuomo, echoed
the Consul General's sentiments
and adds that Filipinos should learn
how to navigate the system in the
US. He urged the Filipinos to
leverage on their number in electing
more kababayans in influential
positions in American politics to
have a stronger voice in advancing
our interests.
On the discussion about
availability of Filipino community
spaces and centers, PAGASA Senior
Association Representative Myrna
Santos expressed concerns on
maintaining their office in New
Jersey because of rising expenses,
while Mr Gil Quiniones suggested a
shared-space arrangement with
other communities to foster
cooperation and at the same time
realize savings for the
organizations.
NaFFAA-Pennsylvania member
Ernie Gange presented Amerasian
Photo Project Creator Enrico
Dungca, to talk about is photo
collection that chronicles the plight
of children born to Filipino mothers
fathered by American servicemen
assigned in former US military
bases in the Philippines. Gange
encouraged the audience to help
them in lobbying for the tens of
thousands of Filipino Amerasians
the opportunity to reunite with
their American fathers and their
fatherland.
The generational gap between
the first generation leaders, young
professionals and youth leaders
was discussed next, and panelist
Lumen Castaneda (UNIFFIED
Founding President) stated that she
finds it does not exist, at least in the
organizations she leads. She
mentioned the efforts she exerted in
including the young members in the
projects and roles during her
Presidency in AFTA and her current
role in UNIFFIED.
Yo u n g
professional Kate Pangilinan
related the difficulties of the
engaging the second-gens in
community-building. According to
her, one major roadblock is the issue
of burnout. She cited the academic
and co-curricular activities and
distractions that the youth have to
juggle with that faze the students in
their responsibilities with the
community. In the end, the panel
facilitated by Makilala host Rachelle
Ocampo resolved that the younger
generation should be given more
influential roles and be empowered
with decision making capabilities to
hearten them to get more involved
in the community organizations.
UniPro Director Ryan Natividad
presented “By the Numbers” to
demonstrate the strength of the
Filipino population in New York in
numbers and statistics and how
much this force can be used in local
policy making and advocacies.
The audience was educated and
enlightened on lobbying,
relationship-building with the local
government and making use of nonprofit groups for advocacies and
Clockwise from Top Left: New York Power Authority President and CEO Mr Gil Quinones,
Consul General Mario L. De Leon, Jr., NY State Assemblyman Ron Kim deliver their
addresses during the symposium; Second-gen leaders pose with Vice Consul Khrys
Corpuz after the event; Panelists Kate Pangilinan and Lumen Castaneda discuss to
resolve the intergenerational gap in the community. (Photos from Makilala TV facebook
page and Lumen Castaneda)
issues that the community want
to push for, on a panel participated
in by Cheska Tolentino, Government
Affairs Manager at the Transport
Wo r k e r s U n i o n , B r o o k l y n
Community Board; Chris Widelo,
Associate State Director at AARP;
and Brooke Richie-Babbage,
Founder of Resilience Advocacy
Project.
To provide an overview of
future plans of NaFFAA for the
community, NaFFAA National Board
Member Merit Salud and NaFFAA
State Chair Steve Raga outlined
their priority projects for the year
including two initiatives focusing on
highlighting Jose Rizal's legacy in
New York.
NY State Assemblyman Ron Kim
expressed his solidarity with the
Filipino community as an AsianAmerican in his closing address,
saying that being a minority, he
empathizes with the FilipinoAmericans and encouraged leaders
to work together with the State to
further their interests and pursue
the community's goals.
Since 1997, the National
Federation of Filipino American
Associations (NaFFAA) has been the
standard bearer for promoting the
welfare and well-being of all
Filipinos and Filipino-Americans
throughout the United States. As a
non-partisan and non-profit
organization, NaFFAA is the largest
national affiliation of Filipino
American institutions, umbrella
organizations and individuals. Its
thirteen-member regions cover the
continental United States, Alaska,
Hawaii, Guam, the Marianas Islands,
and American Samoa.
McDONALD'S SHARES LOVIN' WITH NEW YORK TRI-STATE CUSTOMERS
Some lucky customers will be able to pay for their McDonald's food or beverage with simple acts of Lovin' as part of brand first effort
ISELIN, New Jersey FEBRUARY 2, 2015 -- McDonald's
is now randomly accepting Lovin'
as a form of currency. Following
the launch of McDonald's “Pay with
Lovin'” Super Bowl commercial,
the company is bringing the idea to
life at participating restaurants
across the U.S.
Customers who enter
participating McDonald's
restaurants* in the New York TriS t a t e a re a a t ra n d o m i z e d ,
predetermined times between
Monday, Feb. 2 and Saturday, Feb.
14 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time
each day will be selected at
random to participate. Once a
selected customer has completed
his or her order and presented a
method of payment, the restaurant
Guest Service Manager or Lovin'
Lead will explain that McDonald's
is doing something special that
day, and the customer will be given
the option to pay for his or her
order with an act of Lovin' instead.
For instance, breakfast might cost
a friendly fist bump to the crew
member on duty, lunch could be
paid for with a call to a loved one
and dinner could go for a
compliment**. “McDonald's is in a
unique position to bring a little
more lovin' to our customers,” said
Deborah Wahl, chief marketing
@McDonalds and visiting
McDonalds.com.
* Drive Thru not included
** Examples only
About McDonald's New York
Tri-State Restaurants
McDonald's is the world's bestknown brand and is the global
leader in food service. There are
more than 600 McDonald's
restaurants, owned by 100
franchisees, located throughout
the New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut Tri-State area. Visit
www.mcdonaldsnytristate.com or
follow us on Twitter
@ M c D N Y Tr i S t a t e f o r m o r e
information about other
McDonald's area programs.
officer for McDonald's USA. “We're
on a journey to change the
relationship and conversation and
Pay with Lovin' is a direct way for
us to engage with our customers.
We believe that a little more Lovin'
can change a lot.”
Locally, McDonald's will be
sharing photos and videos of New
York Tri-State customers Paying
with Lovin' on Twitter
@McDNYTriState and
McDonaldsNYTriState.com. Upto - t h e - m i n u te u p d a te s a n d
additional surprises will also be
announced on these channels.
“Pay with Lovin' is a wonderful
reminder of what McDonald's has
always been about great food and
great fun,” said Paul Hendel, a
McDonald's franchisee based in
Manhattan. “It's going to bring a
brand new energy to our
restaurants while also
strengthening our relationships
with our customers.”
McDonald's is encouraging
people to share their Lovin'
experiences and join the
conversation by following
NO PURCHASE OR ORDER
NECESSARY
Begins 2/2/15, ends 2/14/15.
Subject to Official Rules available
at participating restaurants and at
www.mcdonalds.com/pwlrules.
Not available in Drive Thru. See
Rules for complete details,
eligibility, restrictions, prize
information, ARVs, odds and how
to participate without purchase.
Void where prohibited. Sponsor:
McDonald's USA, LLC, Oak Brook,
IL 60523.
February 6-12, 2015
Page 20
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Lobby group urges more
Philippines-US trade links
By Amy R. Remo
The US-Philippines
S o c i e t y, a n o n p r o f i t
organization dedicated to
raising the Philippines' profile
in the United States, wants
more American firms to tap
t h e l u c ra t ive t ra d e a n d
investment opportunities in
the domestic market and take
advantage of the stellar
performance of the local
economy.
In a briefing on January 30,
former US ambassador to the
Philippines John D.
Negroponte noted that the
country is a logical partner for
the US as it has a natural
advantage given the historical
ties between the two
economies.
That advantage is being
boosted by the fact that some
major American firms have
been in the Philippines for 80
to 100 years, providing a “very
deep” base of experience from
which new investors can draw
strategic insights.
Add to that also is the fact
that the Philippines has a
strategic geographical location
in the region; is a largely
English speaking nation; and
boasts of a highly educated
workforce, Negroponte said.
This is why the USPS,
Negroponte added, has
committed to make more
efforts along the lines of
bringing back home a better
awareness of opportunities in
the Philippines, particularly in
the sectors of energy, services,
mining, tourism, real estate,
infrastructure and even
technology.
“The progress of the
Philippines has been very
impressive, and we expect that
positive trend to continue. It is,
thus, important for us to help
strengthen that message of
positive developments and the
opportunities that these
represent for US firms. After
difficult times, it's time to look
at the good news. A [2014 GDP
growth of] 6.1 percent is
impressive,” Negroponte said.
John Maisto, who served as
a director of Philippine affairs
in the 1980s, noted that the
Philippines has a strong edge
when it comes to technology
“because of the number of
Filipinos, with an average age
of 23 years, able to deal in this
new system of communication
in doing work.”
“We look at all things as we
try to highlight the
opportunities that the
Philippines has to offer. It's not
just the geographical location
but also the educational levels
of attainment. These are the
positive things we want to be
build upon to make the
Philippines more competitive,”
Maisto said.
“What we've also seen here
is the interest of the
government to implement
smart policies to attract more
foreign direct investments and
provide the right atmosphere.”
Maisto however stressed
that while huge opportunities
abound, the Philippine
government has an “obligation
to push forward and take
advantage of these
opportunities. Investments
have to be seduced, attracted
and that's the challenge of
Philippines being in a dynamic
region as Asia.” Inquirer.net
Near-term focus shifts to boosting after-sales service
TOYOTA M o to r
Philippines (TMP) is gearing
up to sustain its strong
performance over the next
five years, as it targets to
almost double its vehicle
sales to about 200,000 units
by 2020 and retain its market
leadership in the local
automotive sector.
For 2015, however, TMP
has opted to be more
conservative in its
performance, forecasting
only a 4 percent growth in
vehicle sales to 110,000 units
from the 106,110 units sold in
2014.
TMP president
Michinobu Sugata said the
automotive firm wanted to
focus more on its after sales
service, given the growing
number of Toyota vehicle
owners in the country.
“We will try to focus on
after sales service this year
because last year, we received
737,000 units for after sales.
So in order not to sacrifice our
customer satisfaction, we
decided to put more focus on
after sales enhancement this
year rather than sales,”
Sugata explained. “There are
nearly one million Toyota
vehicles on the road due to
[rising] car sales, expansion
of dealer network, and
attractive products and
services.”
“This is a transition year
for Toyota. Looking at growth,
at our midterm goal for sales
by 2020, we're going to aim
for 200,000 units, and that's
more or less 40 percent of the
market. In order to reach that
n u m b e r, w e h a v e t o
s t r e n g t h e n o u r
fundamentals. Of course,
after sales service capacity
expansion first. We're going
to expand the dealer network
with 10 new dealerships. Last
year we had 45, and this year
we are aiming for 55 dealers
nationwide. Most of the
expansion will be done on the
provincial side,” Sugata
further noted.
The TMP chief admitted
that by having this focus,
vehicle sales will be affected
this year, and most likely the
company's market share,
PH no more the
‘sick man of Asia’
By Ben O. de Vera and Amy R. Remo
Posting an economic growth of 6.1
percent last year, the Philippines is no
longer the “sick man of Asia,” the
country's chief economist said on
Thursday, Jan. 29.
“Overall, the Philippine economy's
performance in 2014 and the
preceding years starting in 2010
shows how our country can no longer
be called the 'sick man' of Asia,” said
Socioeconomic Planning Secretary
Arsenio Balisacan.
The economic growth in 2014
marked the second consecutive year
the country posted the fastest rate in
the region after China.
“Our economic growth is becoming
more competitive with our East and
Southeast Asian neighbors. We have
avoided the dreaded boom-and-bust
cycle that has hounded our economy
for decades,” said Balisacan, also
director general of the National
Economic and Development Authority
(Neda).
In his presentation at the 5th
Ayala-UP School of Economics
Economic Forum, he said the country's
growth rate of 6.3 percent in 20102014 was the highest five-year average
during the past 40 years.
In the fourth quarter, the economy
grew by 6.9 percent, better than the 6.3
percent in the same period in 2013.
The Philippines' fourth-quarter
gross domestic product (GDP)
expansion was the third highest in the
region, after China's 7.3 percent and
Vietnam's 7 percent.
The fourth-quarter GDP growth
was the fastest quarterly figure in 2014
- the economy grew 5.7 percent in the
first quarter, 6.4 percent in the second
and 5.3 percent in the third.
Budget and Management attributed
the increase in public expenditures in
the fourth quarter to “effective” use of
government agencies' cash allocations,
on top of the “timely” release of
employees' bonuses, including
yearend bonuses and productivity
enhancement incentives.
DAP ruling's effect
Public spending slowed last year
mainly due to the “chilling effects” of
the Supreme Court decision that
stopped the flow of more money
through the controversial
Disbursement Acceleration Program
(DAP). Government agencies had also
been more careful in their
disbursements amid a more watchful
eye of the Commission on Audit.
The Neda chief said the full-year
GDP target for 2014 was not met
mainly due to the sluggishness of
government spending for the most
part of the year. For the entire 2014,
government consumption rose a mere
1.8 percent, lower than the 7.7-percent
increase in 2013.
which may see a slight decline
But “the worst is over” as far as the
this year.
p ro b l e m o n u n d e r s p e n d i n g i s
There will also be a lesser
concerned, Balisacan said.
number of launches for model
“We have learned our lesson. We
changes, the first of which
have identified the nature of the
was held Thursday night, for
problem. The glitches in the previous
the all new Alphard. Sales for
quarters have been resolved, although
the third generation Alphard,
not completely; some work remains in
which retails for over P3.2
progress,” he said. “We made catch up
million, is expected to average
in the fourth quarter; not all is lost.”
about 20-35 units a month, up
The effects of the uptick in
from 17 units for the previous
government spending during the
generation. Initial orders are
fourth quarter would spill over to this
seen reaching 40-50 units,
year, the Neda chief said. “The funds
Sugata added.
obligated in the last quarter of 2014
Profitability, however,
will impact on the economy, to be felt in
will not necessarily be
the first half of the year. We expect a
affected because sales of
robust performance of the government
parts are likely to increase
sector in the first two quarters,” he
and will make up for the
State spending up
said.
lower volume of cars sold.
Balisacan told reporters that
The government reported on
Sales of automotive parts
during the fourth quarter, the
Thursday that the GDP expanded by
are projected to increase by
government made strides in
6.1 percent in 2014lower than the 7.215 percent this year. Last year,
addressing anemic government
percent growth posted in 2013 as well
auto parts sales comprised
spending on public goods and services,
as below the 6.5-7.5 percent goal
about 20 percent of the
which had slowed growth in the
earlier set by the Development Budget
company's P100 billion in
previous quarters.
Coordination Committee or DBCC.
revenues.
Government consumption grew
The GDP growth last year was,
Sugata further noted that
9.8 percent in the fourth quarter, a
nonetheless, within the 6-7 percent
a bigger focus on after sales
reversal of the 0.4-percent decline in
range, which Balisacan and Budget
service was meant to ensure
the same quarter in 2013 and of the
Secretary Florencio Abad had said was
that the company will be
2.6-percent drop in the third quarter,
more “realistic” to be achieved.
equipped with the expected
Philippine
Statistics
Authority
(PSA)
The services sector contributed 3.4
u
Page 22
data showed.
percentage points or over half of last
u
Page 22
In a statement, the Department of
Toyota to double PH
production by 2020
By Amy R. Remo
Inquirer.net file photo
February 6-12, 2015
Page 21
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Meet Salamander: this Philippine-made trike floats!
Innovative company unveils the Salamander, the country's first amphibian tricycle
By Alvin Uy
MANILA – One would think that
this vehicle is the stuff only of spy
movies, but last week, H2O
Technologies Inc. unveiled to the
media its first-ever amphibious
tricycle called the Salamander at
the Capitol Commons Center in
Pasig.
H2O unveiled two prototypes:
One runs on an electric motor and
the other operates on a gas motor. It
took the company five years to
develop this final and fullyoperational prototype.
“ W i t h a n ave ra g e o f 2 0
typhoons and perennial monsoon
rains that expose over half of the
country's 42,000 barangays to the
dangers of flooding, the
Salamander would be the ideal
vehicle for commuters as well as
local government use. This is why
we created the Salamander,” said
David Ong, chair of the board for
H2O Technologies.
He went on further to say that
“when you look at what the country
needs in order to begin
resuscitating and rebuilding the
drainage and infrastructure, it will
take a lot of money and a
considerable amount of time. We
know it will happen eventually, but
in the meantime, the country needs
a way to continue operating. That’s
why the Salamander provides the
The Salamander will help us to overcome the challenges we have today during
rainy season with flooding.”
The Salamander will carry a total of five passengers plus one driver both on
land and in water.
perfect alternative which works
today but will also work in the
future when the infrastructure
issues have been resolved.”
“The Salamander will carry a
total of five passengers plus one
driver both on land and in water.
Therefore, in a barangay which may
simply be waiting for flood waters
to subside, the Salamander would
be perfect to allow workers to get
back to their normal modes of
transportation and make their way
back to work,” he added.
With its nimble size and high
passenger payload capacity, it is the
perfect vehicle to navigate around
H20’s creative talent Atoy Llave
said that “as a member of the Board
and cofounder of H2O
Technologies, I couldn’t pass up the
opportunity to contribute to the
design of this great landmark in
Filipino innovation. So our team
worked hard to ensure that we
delivered some great style without
compromising on structural
requirements.”
Llave’s Atoy Customs is a
byword in the automotive
aftermarket industry, and is known
for very elaborate custom vehicle
projects seen in major car shows. It
is also known for designing custom
the inner streets of small towns and
barangays.
The Salamander uses a
patented solution that allows the
vehicle to use the same engine that
seamlessly switches from land to
water travel as required by the
driver. On land, it can reach speeds
of up to 80 kilometers per hour, and
in water, up to 6 knots (11 kph) on a
full load.
As a rescue vehicle or a
waterway commute, its hull has
been designed to withstand
considerable amount of damage
and still maintain buoyancy and
stability. Custom car guru and
Smart spending: Why investors
are applauding Amazon earnings
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Amazon.com Inc.'s
fourth-quarter earnings roundly
beat analyst expectations, sending
the Seattle e-commerce giant's stock
soaring 14 percent in aftermarket
trading. Here's a closer look at what
investors applauded and hope
continues.
Smart spending
Operating expenses rose 15
percent to $28.74 billion but that
was less than some analysts had
expected Amazon would spend.
Investors have long wanted Amazon
to show some restraint as it invests
in its business, and this metric
seemed to be a sign that Amazon is
willing to do that.
Wedbush Securities analyst
Michael Pachter said the lowerthan-expected costs were related to
flat fulfillment expenses - what the
company spends on its distribution
centers and deliveries - during the
holiday season even though Amazon
shipped 100 million more free
items.
The company also spent less on
marketing expenses since the
launch of its new hardware like Fire
TV and the Fire Smartphone are
behind it.
“They're getting far more
efficient at delivery,” said Pachter.
“They're spending like slightly tipsy
sailors rather than drunken sailors.”
Prime membership growth
Prime membership grew 53
percent in 2015. Two-day shipping
In this Dec. 1, 2014 photo, Teresa Clark fills an order at the Amazon fulfillment center
in Lebanon, Tenn. Shares of Amazon.com jumped over 8 percent in aftermarket
trading after the e-commerce giant beat quarterly profit expectations by a mile, the
company announced, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
costs Amazon a pretty penny but
membership means more revenue
from customers in the long run.
Pachter estimates there are about
35 million Prime members
worldwide. And he pointed out the
company is making untraditional
efforts to get more members. For
example, it cut the price of its Prime
membership to $72 one Saturday in
January and let non-Prime members
stream its Golden Globe winning
series “Transparent” starring Jeffrey
Tambor.
“Little promotions like that are
going to drive prime membership
and they'll continue to really
promote it,” Pachter said.
Will it last?
Some caution that one quarter of
disciplined spending does not a
trend make. In a call with investors,
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster
pointed out that over the past two
years it has been a “little bit of a
roller coaster” for Amazon's gross
margin, a key metric that shows how
big a percentage of revenue is spent
on investing back into the company.
“There've been points of
optimism followed by points of
frustration,” he said and asked the
company how they plan to “smooth
out some of this roller coaster
mentality.”
CFO Tom Szkutak acknowledged
that Amazon has been in a “heavy
investment cycle.” He said the
company is being “selective” about
its investment opportunities but
didn't give any details, saying it is
still finalizing spending plans for
2015. “The question is, is this a onetime hiccup or are they going to
repeat it,” Wedbush's Pachter said.
“If I see this for two, three or four
q u a r t e r s I w i l l b e l i e v e i t .”
Inquirer.net
vans and food trucks for celebrities
and major companies and
franchise chains.
According to the company’s
chief engineer Lamberto Armada:
“[E]lectric vehicles and the
infrastructure needed to support
these vehicles are still in their early
stages. Years from now, there will
be charging stations situated
throughout the urban areas, but
right now, people will have to
resort to other methods instead.
That’s why we created the fuelbased version as well to ensure that
we are able to bring our innovation
u
Page 22
Apec meet starts in Clark
By Niña P. Calleja
MANILA -- Senior officials of member-countries of the Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) will kick-start its first
meeting at the Clark Freeport Zone to tackle developments,
challenges and opportunities in the service industries.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said
on Friday, Jan. 30, that the Apec Senior Officials, in partnership
with the Apec Business Advisory Council of the Philippines and
the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council, will have a publicprivate dialogue on services on Feb. 3 at the Clark Freeport Zone as
one of the related meetings of the ongoing First Senior Officials'
Meeting (SOM1).
“The event is the first in a series of dialogues on services in
2015 envisioned to guide Apec's public and private stakeholders
in examining developments, challenges, and opportunities for the
services sectors,” the DFA said.
The officials also seek to identify new strategies for building
the full potential of the services sectors in the region.
It intends to generate policy options towards removing
barriers to services trade and develop an innovative approach in
pursuing the services agenda of Apec, while fostering
collaboration among economies.
At least 22 speakers, including representatives from the
academe and private sector from across the Asia-Pacific region as
well as from international organizations such as the International
Trade Centre and the Asian Development Bank, have been invited
to share their expertise on information technology and business
process management, creative industries, and research and
development services.
“Government representatives from the Apec member
economies, together with their private sector counterparts will
evaluate the current work on services being done in various Apec
fora, and discuss how Apec could promote services in the region,”
the DFA said.
Several meetings to tackle developments in the service sectors
are slated. A second public-private dialogue is set at the margins of
the Second Officials' Meetings this May in Boracay. The first
Regional Conference of Services Coalitions and Service Industries
will be held at the margins of the Third Senior Officials' Meeting
later in the year in Cebu.
The SOM1 runs from Jan. 26 to Feb. 7 at the Clark and Subic
freeport zones. Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 22
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Mamasapano carnage
scaring away investors
Agence France-Presse
COTABATO -- A bloodbath in
the southern Philippines has
placed at risk billions of pesos in
potential investment, a business
leader in the region said
Monday, Feb. 2.
At least three foreign firms
looking to partner with local
businessmen have put
investments on hold after a
deadly clash between
Philippine forces and Muslim
rebels, Mohamad Omar Pasigan,
president of the Bangsamoro
Business Club, told AFP.
The botched anti-terror
operation on January 25 left 44
police commandos dead in the
southern island of Mindanao,
along with at least 11 rebels.
“Security is everything for
businessmen out to make a
profit… They know when to take
a risk and when to pull out,”
Pasigan said.
“They are willing to come
here and invest, but then this
fighting happened.”
The value of investments on
hold due to the fighting, in the
real estate and agriculture
sectors, is estimated at
“billions” of pesos, he said.
Malaysian businessmen due
to arrive on Monday to inspect
sites in Cotabato city have
cancelled their trip, Pasigan
said. The group was looking to
build small hotels and
department stores.
Jordanian businessmen
looking to invest in up to 50
hectares (123 acres) of banana
farms left abruptly on Sunday
without finalizing a deal, he
added, while Singaporean and
Malaysian partners seeking to
replicate their mini shopping
mall business in Johor Baru said
they were postponing their
investment.
Pasigan declined to name
the businessmen since their
plans were not finalized. He said
his group was helping
foreigners find local partners.
Philippine laws prohibit
foreign nationals from owning a
majority of local businesses.
The firefight between
members of the police Special
Action Force and the Moro
Islamic Liberation Front broke a
long-standing ceasefire and
endangered a peace treaty
signed in March 2013.
Economic planning
secretary Arsenio Balisacan
acknowledged that the
government must quickly bring
calm to the region.
“The perception of risk is
bad for business… At this point,
(the fighting) doesn't have any
significant impact but again it's
closure we need,” he told
reporters recently.
Balisacan said the South,
wracked by decades of conflict
that has left tens of thousands
dead, had the potential to be a
growth driver, given its fertile
land for agriculture and rich
mineral deposits.
“It's a missed opportunity if
we don't resolve this problem at
the soonest time possible,” he
said. Inquirer.net
Toyota to double
PH production ...
From page 20
growth in the Philippine
automotive sector, where sales are
expected to reach 500,000 units by
2020.
To cater to an expected surge in
sales, TMP plans to roll out a P2.5billion capital outlay program this year
to prepare for a model change of the
Innova. This expenditure will be
similar to the over P2 billion spent for
the model change of the Vios, Sugata
said.
The planned capital budget, which
has yet to be approved by TMP's parent
firm in Japan, will be used to speed up
the assembly line. Last year, TMP was
able to produce a record 41,644 units,
and expects further increase in
production to 43,000 units. However,
the actual capacity of the plant was
only 35,000 units, which meant that
workers worked overtime or on
double shifts.
“Our production capacity was not
enough at 35,000 units. But we
produced 41,644 units last year by
rendering two [additonal] hours each
day. So as we expect a moderate
Meet Salamander ...
From page 21
PH no more ...
From page 20
ye a r ' s g ro w t h , wh i l e t h e
industry and agriculture sectors
chipped in 2.5 percentage points
and 0.2 percentage point,
respectively, PSA data showed.
BPO, other growth drivers
Balisacan told a press
conference that the growth
d r ive r s i n s e r v i c e s we re
business process outsourcing
(BPO), real estate and renting,
among other business activities.
In terms of year-on-year
growth, the industry sector
posted the highest expansion of
7.5 percent in 2014 and 9.2
percent during the fourth
quarter.
“ [ T ] h e a c c e l e ra t i o n i n
industry growth was due to the
double-digit expansion in
construction, even as
manufacturing remained as its
biggest growth driver,” Balisacan
said.
Despite missing last year's
target, Balisacan said the
Philippines remained one of the
fastest-growing economies in
the region last year, posting a
full-year GDP growth just behind
China's 7.4 percent.
In the October to December
period, the services sector was
likewise the biggest contributor
to growth with a share of 3.3
percentage points. Industry
contributed 3.1 percentage
points, while agriculture had a
share of 0.5 percentage point.
T h e s u s t a i n e d g ro w t h
averaging over 6 percent during
the past few years showed that
the country was “maintaining
the trajectory toward the path of
high growth,” Balisacan said.
More jobs
Sustaining robust growth
over a long period of time would
bring about an economy that
attracts more investments and
generate more jobs to ultimately
slash poverty, according to the
Neda chief.
At the Ayala-UPSE forum,
Balisacan said the government
“should be spending more” to
place the deficit at 2 percent of
the GDP.
In the fourth quarter,
g ove r n m e n t c o n s u m p t i o n
contributed only 0.8 percentage
point to the GDP growth. Robust
consumer spending amid strong
flows of remittances from
Filipinos overseas and an
improving economy in general
allowed household
consumption to account for 3.7
percentage points or over half of
the GDP growth in the last three
months.
Sustainable
Despite potential external
shocks to be posed by the
downward trend in global oil
prices as well as a still fragile
world economy, the Philippines'
growth target of 7-8 percent for
2015 is “sustainable and
achievable,” Balisacan said.
Other economic managers
lauded the 2014 growth figures.
“Our improved growth in the
last quarter of 2014 is a
testament to the soundness of
the Aquino administration's
fiscal management strategy …
News like this is certainly a good
way to begin the new fiscal year,
with expenditures making a
positive showing in the last three
months of 2014,” Abad said.
For Finance Secretary Cesar
Purisima, last year's fourth
quarter and full-year growth
“resoundingly affirm that the
Philippine economy is on an
upward growth trajectory
b u o ye d b y s t r o n g
macroeconomic fundamentals.”
Peter Perfecto, executive
director of the Makati Business
Club, said the group was
“pleased” with the economy's
performance in 2014.
“Given that the growth is
broad-based, featuring
expansion in the three major
sectors, we believe that this lays
the foundations for more robust
growth this year, especially in
the first quarter. With our
hosting of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation
meetings, the expected increase
in public and private
construction … will be able to
greatly assist in attaining our
year-end goal of around 7
percent,” he said.
PPPs to drive construction
“Furthermore, the most
expensive public-private
partnership (PPP) projects, such
as the airports, subway and the
Cavite-Laguna Expressway, will
be bid out and some even
awarded this year, which will
drive up construction activities
again,” he added.
Edgardo Lacson, Employers'
Confederation of the Philippines
(Ecop) president, said the
economy would further grow in
2 0 1 5 d u e t o a c c e l e ra t e d
infrastructure spending, low oil
prices and renewed mining
activity.
He said the start of election
spending in the fourth quarter,
resolution of the port congestion
problem in Manila and a stable
foreign exchange rate could
further fuel economic
expansion.
“For 2015, I see major
drivers being improvement in
infrastructure (ports, airports
and roads), power availability,
peace and order (the SAF
massacre may be detrimental to
the ongoing peace talks), stable
peso, favorable business climate
and political positioning for
2016 elections,” said Dan
Lachica, head of Semiconductor
and Electronics Industries in the
Philippines Inc. Inquirer.net
to the people who need it today.”
“The Salamander will help us to
overcome the challenges we have today
during rainy season with flooding, but
also be ready as the market shifts to
more sustainable and ecofriendly
electric vehicles in the near future,”
Armada added.
Its founder and managing director
Dominic Chung, who was equally excited
about the launch, said, “The team we
have is an all-Filipino team and our R&D
(research and development) facility is
based in an undisclosed location in
Metro Manila, and we’re taking the
simplest of resources - water - and doing
things with it that will help our country
move forward.”
Cooking up something else
Aside from the Salamander, this
innovative company revealed that it is
working on a gas-less “gas cooker” that
runs on water. Chung also said that a
number of parties were interested in
investing in their company but that
“while we have multiple interested
increase this year, we have to expand
production capacity a bit to
accommodate [the increase].
Otherwise, our workers will have to
work three or four hours overtime or
two shifts. We may hire more workers.
At the moment, we have 1,500 people
at the factory,” he added.
On another development, Sugata
said they are still awaiting the issuance
of the Philippine automotive industry
roadmap, which he stressed was
“indispensable” for setting the
company's mid-term manufacturing
goals.
“We are optimistic that the
Department of Trade and Industry's
comprehensive program for auto
manufacturing industry will jumpstart
broad based industry growth,
especially in the parts manufacturing
sector and auto supporting industries,”
he said.
“The passage of the Philippine
Auto Roadmap comes at an opportune
time when regional competition is
expected to be more intense as the
Asean Economic Community
integration commences this year.
Under a highly competitive economic
region, the auto roadmap will be vital
in stimulating higher growth and
expanding the domestic market,”
Sugata added. Inquirer.net
parties wanting to invest, we have
delayed our decision because we want a
partner and not just an investor.”
“ We a r e c l e a r o n o u r c o r e
competency of controlled innovation
and so we also know that manufacturing
en masse is not something we are
equipped for. The launch of the
Salamander highlights an exciting time
for the Philippines on many fronts but
none more so than that of knowing that
the inventive, creative and innovative
Filipino spirit is alive and well,” he said.
“And it’s great to see that with more
ambassadors like H2O Technologies
stepping up and showing that ‘Filipinomade’ can foot it with the best. I’m
certain that the collective future of
Filipino innovation and engineering
innovation are in great hands,” he added.
As of this writing, there was no final
pricing yet for the two versions of the
Salamander, but it was estimated to be in
the range between P200,000 and
P500,000, depending on the final
specifications.
The public launch of the Salamander
is expected to be held at the 2015 Manila
International Auto Show on April 9 to 12
at the World Trade Center. Inquirer.net
To advertise, please call
201-434-1114
Or send an email to [email protected]
February 6-12, 2015
Page 23
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
3 Filipinos on lists of 2014's best
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Vilma Santos. Photo by Lester G. Babiera
Vilma Santos leads awardees
of NCCA's Ani ng Dangal
Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz
and actress Angeli Bayani made
it in the “2014's best” lineup
drawn up by the blog
whitetanktop.com, for their
work in “Norte, Hangganan ng
Kasaysayan,” which premiered
at the Cannes International Film
Festival in 2013.
San Francisco-based blogger
Kirk Michael related that he
almost did not draft a “best of
2014” list “had I not spent a stray
Sunday afternoon watching a
four-hour Filipino film.”
He compared Bayani's
acting to Maria Falconetti's in
Carl Theodore Dreyer's 1928
silent film, “The Passion of Joan
of Arc.”
Nora Aunor and Bembol Roco play a childless Badjao couple in “Thy Womb.”
then stream 'Norte' and then
give yourself a couple of weeks
to recover.”
He gave “Norte” the No. 1
spot in his Top 12 films. “This is
slow cinema so good that I didn't
need to check my cell phone; I
didn't need to urinate. [It] is not
just the longest film on the list,
but the most profound and,
moment to moment, the most
beautiful,” he said.
Gorgeous suffering
The blogger commended
Larry Manda's cinematography.
“The digital camera is so crisp
and bold you can't believe there
aren't special effects involved.
But it's just the blockbuster of
Diaz's imagination…the payoffs
keep coming. The gorgeous
suffering; the epic
accomplishment. Lav Diaz: No
mediocre.”
u
Page 24
'Most beautiful'
Filmmakers make it big in this
The critic wrote: “Bayani's
year's Ani ng Dangal. A total of nine
performance is so immense, I
Batangas Governor and
Filipino films will be given the award
can't even deal [with it]. Bayani
multiawarded actress Vilma Santos
for having won trophies in various
hit
that Falconetti level and may
will lead this year's Ani ng Dangal
international film festivals: Siege
n
o
w
ascend directly to
awardees of the National Commission
L e d e s m a ' s “ S h i f t ,” P a t r i c i a
heaven…rewatch
'Joan of Arc,'
for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
Evangelista's “The Barber of Guiuan,”
The award is given to Filipino
Will Fredo and Ida Tiongson's “In
artists who had reaped international
Nomine Matris,” Joel Lamangan's
recognition in the previous year.
“Kamkam,” Francis Pasion's “Bwaya,”
The awards will be handed out
Roberto Reyes Ang's “TNT,” Carlo
Feb. 13 at the Old Senate Hall of the
Obispo's “Purok 7,” Eduardo Roy's
National Museum of the Philippines,
“Quick Change,” and Pamela Reyes
MANILA -- International
in line with the National Arts Month
and Mikhail Red's “Rekorder.”
superstar Katy Perry has
(NAM) celebration.
Lav Diaz, probably the most
announced she would bring the
Santos, widely considered as the
critically acclaimed Filipino
Prismatic World Tour to the
most lastingly successful Filipino
filmmaker last year, will receive the
Philippines on May 7, 2015.
actress of all time, will receive the Ani
award. Hazel Taples Orencio, who
Presented by AEG Live, the tour
ng Dangal award for winning best
performed for his movies, will also be
will be in support of Prism,
actress in the 2014 Dhaka
awarded.
which debuted at number one
International Film Festival for her
O t h e r a rt i s t s t h a t w i l l b e
on Billboard 200. The platinum
very moving portrayal of a bit actor in
recognized under the National
album has given Katy her biggest
Jeffrey Jeturian's critically acclaimed
Committee on Cinema are Jun Lana,
single “Roar,” while “Dark Horse”
and commercially successful indie
Ronnie Quizon, Jake Cuenca, Liza
just became her lucky 13th Top
movie “Ekstra.”
u
Page 24
Ten hit on Billboard Hot 100.
Tickets go on sale in stores
and online starting Feb. 13
through TicketWorld. Ticket
prices are P15,900 for VIP,
P13,500 for Patron, P10,500 for
Lower Box Premium, P 8,900 for
Lower Box Regular, P6,000 for
Upper Box A Premium, P 4,000
for Upper Box A Regular, P3,000
for Upper Box B Premium and
P900 for Upper Box B Regular.
Booking fees not included.
“I'm thrilled to bring the
Prismatic World Tour to some of
my favorite places in Asia, as
well as some sensational places
I've never been. I can't wait to
take in the sights and the culture, Katy Perry cemented her status “I Kissed A Girl,” “Hot N Cold,”
and share my music and meet all as a best-selling superstar with “Thinking of You” and “Waking
of the new fans,” said Katy.
the global success of her second Up In Vegas”).
The Prismatic World Tour is studio album, “Teenage Dream,”
Prism has equaled the sales
Michael Buble charms his Filipino fans for the third time during his one-night only concert
currently ongoing, continuing to which debuted at No. 1 in eight success of its predecessor and
at the MOA Arena Saturday night. Don Lejano/Inquirer.net
be a hugely successful global countries and spent more than generated five hit singles, two of
spectacle, with 17 sold out two years on Billboard's Top 200 which, “Roar” and “Dark Horse,”
arenas in the UK, 66 in North album sales chart.
hit #1 for multiple weeks,
America and 25 in
She became the only female helping Katy set a new record at
Australia/New Zealand in 2014. artist to have five No. 1 singles Top 40 for most total weeks (46)
The
tour continues in 2015 from one album on the Billboard at No. 1 on Billboard airplay
“Without you, my life would've
By Don Lejano
throughout Europe, Asia and Hot 100 chart (“California chart's archives. This makes her
been completely different,” Bublé told
South America where Katy will G u r l s ,” “ Te e n a g e D re a m ,” the only artist in 2014 with top
the sold-out crowd during his twoMANILA -- Canadian crooner
headline
Rock in Rio in Brazil on “Firework,” “E.T.” and “Last spins at three different radio
hour concert at the Mall of Asia Arena
Michael Bublé was in this city for the
Sept. 25.
Friday Night”). The special station formats (Top 40, Hot AC
Saturday night (Jan. 31). He added that
third time to once again perform
The
state-of-the
art
stage,
edition,
“Teenage Dream: The and AC radio).
being popular in the Philippines paved
before his adoring Filipino fans, who
specifically designed by Katy, Complete Confection,” added
She is the first artist to
the way for his successful singing
according to him were the reason why
allows
her
to
get
closer
to
her
“Part
of
Me”
and
“Wide
Awake”
surpass
the 75-million digital
career.
he made it big in the music industry.
fans
than
ever
before.
The
oneto
Katy's
list
of
nine
Top
40
award
threshold,
counting
The
show
was
opened
by
the
a
The four-time Grammy winner
of-a-kind set design will provide chart-toppers (dating back to digital downloads and oncapella group Naturally 7, which
said the Philippines was the place
concert-goers with a truly her multi-platinum debut demand streams - 20 million
showcased vocal plays to the delight of
where he first had success and became
magical experience from every album, 2008's “One of the Boys,” ahead of any other artist.
the concert-goers. The group's leader
famous and that he considers it his
angle in the arena.
which generated four hit singles: Inquirer.net
u
Page 24
home away from home.
By Lester G. Babiera
Katy Perry is coming back to Manila
Michael Bublé serenades Manila
for third time, calls PH his 'home'
February 6-12, 2015
Page 24
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Michael Bublé ...
From page 23
said Bublé instructed them to make sure
that everybody in the audience was
ready for his set.
Soon after the opening act, Bublé
emerged from a fiery stage set-up, aptly
singing Fever, which he followed up with
his 2013 smash hit It's A Beautiful Day.
Incidentally, after referring to the
country as his “home,” the crowdpleaser Bublé delivered a heartfelt
performance of his hugely popular
ballad Home.
Among the other hits that he sang
we re Tr y A L i t t l e Te n d e r n e s s ,
Everything, Haven't Met You Yet, That's
All and Save The Last Dance for Me.
He also had renditions of Daft Punk's
Get Lucky, The Beatles' All You Need Is
Love, and Backstreet Boys' Everybody.
At one point during the show, Bublé
Screengrab from Judy Ann Santos Instagram account.
said he learned that the country was
going through tough times and so he
t h o u g h t h e' d i n c l u d e h i s o w n
composition, Hold On, in his repertoire.
He said he hasn't sung that song in a long
time.
He closed the show with Cry Me A
River, the first single from his 2009
album Crazy Love.
Among the celebrities spotted
during the concert were sweethearts
Matteo Guidicelli and Sarah Geronimo,
news personalities Julius and Christine
Babao, singers Martin Nievera and Erik
Santos, celebrity doctors Hayden Kho Jr.
and Vicky Belo, former Customs
Commissioner Ruffy Biazon and lawyer
Ferdinand Topacio.
Bublé previously held concerts in
Manila in 2003 and 2005.
He is heading to Seoul and Tokyo for
the continuation of his “To Be Loved”
world tour, which commenced last June
2013 in London. Inquirer.net
Judy Ann Santos blasts President's absence
in SAF arrival honors; irks Kris Aquino?
MANILA -- Actress Kris
Aquino has unfollowed
“friends” on social media in
s u p p o r t o f h e r b ro t h e r,
President Benigno Aquino III,
who has received flak for not
attending the arrival honors for
42 members of the Special
Action Force (SAF) killed in
Mamasapano, Maguindanao
Could Judy Ann Santos be
one of those that Kris
unfollowed?
On Friday, Jan. 30, Judy Ann
posted on her Instagram a
screengrab of a National
Journal article titled “Obama
Cancels Schedule to Meet
Returned Bodies of Fallen
Troops.” The article was about
US President Barack Obama
canceling a trip to honor troops
killed in Afghanistan in 2011.
She captioned the
screengrab with “Just saying …
Obama knows his priorities…”
a reference to President Aquino
who chose to attend the
inauguration of a car plant in
Laguna instead of meeting the
bodies of the lawmen at the
Villamor Air Base in Pasay City
on January 29.
Judy Ann defended her post
to bashers saying she also had
the right to express her views
on the issues.
“Dear @ellahdecastro.. I
respect your opinion.. Lahat
tayo may karapatang magbigay
ng sarili nating opinion at
saloobin sa mga bagay na
gobyerno ang involved (We all
have the right to express our
opinion and feelings about
matters involving
government),” responded Judy
Ann to the Instragram user
who called her “epal” (slang for
interloper) for posting
Obama's picture.
Judy Ann added: “You might
want to check other ig accounts
of other public figures as well…
we all share the same
sentiments…”
On her own Instagram, Kris
admitted being hurt by the
comments of some of her
friends when she apologized to
singer-couple Ogie Alcasid and
R e g i n e Ve l a s q u e z f o r
Anbeli Bayani (left) in “Norte”
misinterpreting their posts.
gradually goes mad from remorse.”
She also hinted at
unfollowing friends for
Devastating critique
From page 23
“defending people I love.”
Sachs chose another Filipino film for
User @yanplatino asked
his “best of 2014” roster: Brillante Ma.
“Norte” earlier landed on the
Kris: “So why did you unfollow
Mendoza's “Thy Womb,” which he
“favorite films of 2014” list by Chicago
some of your friends? Did they
posted in ninth place.
Reader's JR Jones and Ben Sachs.
threatened (sic) your brother's
Sachs hailed “Thy Womb” as “a
“Norte” was No. 3 on Jones' Top 10
life? Nasaktan ba nila ang
devastating critique of everyday
list
where
Pawel
Pawlikowski's
“Ida”
feelings mo? (Did they hurt
misogyny in developing societies,”
was No. 1 and Luc and Jean-Pierre
your feelings?) Na-offend ka
pointing out that Mendoza's films are
Dardenne's “Two Days, One Night” was
ba? (Were you offended?) ”
“commanding, visceral experiences,
No. 4.
u
Page 26
literally filled with blood, sweat and
Jones said of “Norte”: “This
tears.”
harrowing Filipino take on 'Crime and
He described Mendoza as “an oldPunishment' runs for 250 minutes, but
school melodramatist with an acute
never feels slow mainly because [it's]
sensitivity to the pulse of the moment”
inherently suspenseful. Time works
and lead star Nora Aunor as “one of the
here as a vise, closing relentlessly on the
Philippines' most admired actresses.”
characters as the wronged man reaches
Inquirer.net
a state of moral purity and the killer
3 Filipinos ...
Distractions dilute drama series' impact
By Nestor U. Torre
ABS-CBN's third and last
“Christmaserye,” “Exchange
Gift,” recently concluded its
r u n , g iv i n g f a n s o f KC
Concepcion and Paulo Avelino
a special surge, because the
abridged TV series featured
the first screen outing for their
new “real-and-reel” love team.
So, how did they fare as a
romantic tandem? Very well,
indeed, although KC appeared
to be a bit more mature than
her leading man.
Not to worry, the disparity
quickly became irrelevant,
because the series turned out
to be a study, not of young
romance, but of married life,
with KC and Paulo portraying
a mismatched couple (she's
rich, he's less so) who are
unhappily married - up to the
point where they both want
out of their turbulent
marriage.
What seems to be the
problem? Aside from their
conflicting backgrounds, he
hates her penchant for
threatening his pagkalalaki,
while she gets ticked off by
hisexcessive sense of pride.
From page 23
Montebon, Novo Concertante Manila
Choir, Saint Louie University Glee Club,
Alvin Paulin and Aleron Choir.
Diño, Allen Dizon, Diane Ventura, Justen
Aguillon, Nerissa Picadizo, Sandy Talag
and Miggs Cuaderno.
The awardees under the National
Committee on Visual Arts are Ronnie
Dayo, Robert John Cabagnot, Glenn
Isaac, Mario Cardenas, Kenneth
Cobonpue, Jophel Botero Ybiosa, Gina
Meneses, Phoebelyn Gullunan, Jamille
Blanca Aguilar, James Singlador, Danilo
Victoriano, Ruston Banal, Trisha Co
Reyes, Justen Paul Tolentino, Jamia Mei
Tolentino, Jesus Ramos Tejada and
Maria Angelica Tejada.
ABS-CBN's Leonardo Katigbak and
GMA News TV's “Bayan ko” also got into
the list of awardees under the broadcast
arts section.
For the National Committee on
Dance, the recipients will be the HaliliCruz Ballet Company, A Team, Xtreme
Dancers, Johnny Sustantivo Villanueva,
Miguel Leopoldo, Kayleen Mae Ortiz and
Margaret Chua Lao.
Sophia Marie Lee, winner of the
Scholastic Asian Book Award, is the sole
recipient under literature.
The National Committee on Music
will recognize Lloyd Edisonne Judilla
Arts Month
Unlike the previous years, the NCCA
will not hold the Philippine Arts Festival
(PAF) this year.
The PAF is one of the biggest events
of NCCA every February where flagship
projects of the Subcommission on the
Arts' committees are held in different
parts of the country.
“Instead of holding the Philippine
Arts Festival in celebration of the NAM
which the NCCA has been holding for
several years now, the nationalgovernment agency for arts and culture
is spurring local government units,
schools and nongovernment
organizations to mount events in their
communities for the celebration,” the
NCCA said.
The events aim to promote “local
culture and the arts scene, and [to
feature] the talents, performances and
creativity of the many artists and arts
groups in the seven arts.”
However, there will be formal
opening and closing programs for the
NA M a t t h e R i z a l Pa rk ' s O p e n
Auditorium in Manila on Feb. 1 and 28,
respectively. Inquirer.net
Vilma Santos ...
Concepcion and Avelino. Turn in earnest and felt protrayals.
A third fly in their marital
ointment is the fact that their
7-year-old son, Jacob, is much
too wise for his age, and too
smartypants for his breeches.
In fact, the show's writers
have most injudiciously opted
to use Jacob as the pint-sized
know-it-all solver of his
parents' problems!
He's given dialogue that's
much too long and adult. And
it turns out toward the series'
end that he's the one who
wants to get “annulled” from
his always bickering folks!
This weird turn of events
diminishes the plus points
that KC and Paulo have scored
for the series, by way of their
earnest and felt portrayals.
Other distractions include the
leads' “sidekicks,” who are
supposed to provide “comic
relief” but are in fact too stiff
and awkward to be amusing.
A l l t o l d , h o w e v e r,
“Exchange Gift” should be
appreciated for dramatizing
some factors that contribute
to an unhappy and troubled
marriage. Trouble is, they end
up being rather predictable, so
the series' actual impact is not
as strong as it obviously
intends to be. Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 25
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Celebs rejoice Toni Gonzaga,
Paul Soriano engagement
“Storm Children (Mga Anak ng Unos), Book One”
Diaz's 'Yolanda' docu
NY premiere at MoMA
L a v D i a z ' s “ Yo l a n d a ”
documentary “Storm Children
(Mga Anak ng Unos), Book One”
makes its New York premiere this
month. Diaz's latest work is part of
this year's Documentary Fortnight:
MoMA's International Festival of
Nonfiction Film and Media, Feb. 13
to 27, at the Museum of Modern Art
in New York City.
The fest is an “annual showcase
of films that examine the
relationship between
contemporary art and nonfiction
practices and reflect on new areas
of docu filmmaking.”
The MoMA website describes
the film about three kids displaced
by Supertyphoon Yolanda as “a
moving reflection on climate
change and human resilience.”
Screenings are on Feb. 14 (7:15 p.m.
at Theater 1) and Feb. 16 (7 p.m. at
Theater 2). Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer.net
MANILA -- Celebrities and
friends of actress Toni Gonzaga
and director Paul Soriano took
to social media to congratulate
the newly-engaged couple.
TV host and Toni's sister
Alex posted on her Instagram
account that finally, she will now
have a brother.
“Finally i can share this to
everyone!!!!!!!!! I will have a
BROTHER!! I'm medyo saaad
coz may kahati na ako sa ate but
I can never think of anyone
more deserving and suitable for
my sister so i'm still really really
happy!” Alex said.
Toni's close friend and
Pinoy Big Brother co-host
Bianca Gonzalez said that she
was in tears upon learning of
her friend's engagement.
“So HAPPY you can finally
scream about your love. I'm in
TEARS. I am beyond happy for
you, soon to be Mrs. Toni
Gonzaga Soriano,” Bianca
posted on her Twitter account.
Actress Miles Ocampo and
Iya Villania-Arellano said that
they were happy for the couple.
Meanwhile, Kris Aquino
thanked the couple for inspiring
others to believe in “true love.”
“@celestinegonzaga,
THANK YOU! For the trust &
love.@paulsoriano1017 Thank
You for inspiring all of us to
continue to believe that true
love honors, expresses,
Toni and Paul announced their engagement in an exclusive tell-all interview
on The Buzz on Sunday, Feb. 1.
respects, cherishes and keeps
its promise.#longlivelove
#excitedninangofallmedia” she
said.
Kris also revealed that she
h a d b e e n a s ke d to b e a
godmother in the couple's
wedding.
Toni and Paul announced
their engagement in an
exclusive tell-all interview on
The Buzz on Sunday, Feb. 1.
After seven years of being in
a relationship, Paul proposed to
To n i l a t e e v e n i n g a f t e r
celebrating the actress'
birthday on January 20.
The proposal was witnessed
by Toni's parents and Alex.
During the interview, Toni
and Paul expressed their
feelings for each other. In an
emotional message to her
fiancè, Toni said that Paul
proved that “true love waits.”
Inquirer.net
A cake for Heart-Chiz
By Mikee Delizo
Luis and Angel
Luis Manzano, Angel Locsin
start planning their wedding
MANILA -- Actor and TV host Luis
Manzano shared that he and actress
Angel Locsin have started to plan their
wedding even if they are not yet
engaged.
"Two nights ago we were having a
simple dinner out, napag-uusapan
namin. In fact, nilalatag pa nga namin
kung sino ang pwedeng kumanta sa
wedding namin. Nandoon kami sa
point na 'yon na we were having
dinner with her friends at pati sila,
'yung suot nila ay pinag-uusapan na
nila," Manzano said.
"So kumbaga, things are starting
to fall into place. We are starting to
have a clearer picture ng gusto namin
for the wedding," he added.
When asked if he feels the
pressure of proposing to Locsin
fo l l ow i n g t h e m a ny c e l e b r i t y
engagements and weddings in 2014,
Manzano said: "Ang proposal o
pagpapakasal ay hindi parang damit
na kapag uso eh sumakay ka. Sa akin,
when I feel it's the right time... When I
feel it's also the right time for her, then
I would also set it up na."
The TV host went on to say that he
prefers to propose to Locsin privately
when the time comes.
"The proposal itself, I would
rather have it private. Hindi ko naiisip
gawin sa TV. I believe na it's something
very personal, something very sacred
na mas maganda kung kayo na lang,"
said Manzano, who shared that Locsin
also wants a simple wedding.
Meanwhile, Manzano said that he
is still undecided when it comes to
joining next year's elections.
"Sabi ko nga, one foot is in yes, one
foot is in no. The question is which
foot moves to the other side," he said.
Currently, Manzano is gearing up
for the return of hit game show
"Kapamilya Deal Or No Deal."(MNS)
Soon-to-wed Heart
Evangelista was all smiles at
the ceremonial cake cutting
arranged for her and fiancé
Senator Francis “Chiz”
Escudero Monday, Feb. 2, at
The Music Hall of Metrowalk
in Pasig City.
The event, sponsored by
cheesecake brand Uncle Tetsu
that Heart endorses, was held
a day after her bridal fitting.
The back-to-back
occasions made Heart
ecstatic. “Ang saya-saya.
Sobrang daming nagaganap sa
buhay ko ngayon. Sobrang
excited ako. Ang daming
blessings na nangyayari.
Nakaka-overwhelm,” she said.
According to Heart, trying
o u t h e r we d d i n g d re s s
reminded her all the more
that “I'm gonna get married
na.”
She added, “Medyo naging
emotional ako. It's wonderful.
Finally, 'di ba? After this
napakahabang journey of my
life of finding Mr. Right, ang
dami ko nang iniyak, I finally
found that someone.”
Heart said all is set for her
wedding on Feb. 15.
Compared to other celebrity
nuptials, theirs will be simple.
Heart shared, “We want
Heart and Uncle Tetsu President Walter Co during the cake cutting ceremony
people to see who we are
behind the cameras,
especially you see Chiz as a
senator, you see me as a kikay
girl on TV. What they will see
is who we really are
surrounded by the people we
love. The simpler, the better.”
Meanwhile, Heart has
accepted the possibility of her
parents not attending her
wedding.
“Okay na sa akin. Hindi ko
na siya masyadong iniisip kasi
baka maiyak pa ako eh,” she
said.
Heart assured fans she
will continue with showbiz
work even after marriage. She
also related how she and Chiz
are planning to wait for a year
at least before having a baby
owing to prior commitments.
Manila Bulletin
February 6-12, 2015
Page 26
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
'Horror queen' Lilia Cuntapay
assaulted in S. Cotabato event
By Edwin Fernandez
K O R O N A D A L C I T Y,
Mindanao -- She came to Tupi,
South Cotabato, to entertain.
But Lilia Cuntapay, the socalled Queen of Philippine
Horror movies, got the horror
of her life and ended up
injured on the face when a
mentally-disturbed man
struck her.
The incident took place
Friday night (Jan. 30) but
authorities only confirmed it
Monday, Feb. 2.
Based on the report
released by the Tupi police,
the 80-year-old Cuntapay was
a guest during the foundation
anniversary of the Gen.
Paulino Santos Memorial
Institute on Friday.
She was silently sitting
beside the school stage while
waiting for her turn to go up
when a man, later identified as
Aljay Sacramento, 29, arrived
and without a word, struck her
in the face.
Dr. Grace Tanzo, resident
physician of Allah Valley
Medical Specialist here, said
Cuntapay suffered bruises on
the left face. Her eyes swelled
and showed discoloration.
‘Horror Queen’ Lilia Cuntapay.
Photo from Cuntapay's
Facebook account
Her blood pressure shot
up, she said, adding that the
actress had to be admitted at
the hospital.
“As of now she is being
secured by two policemen, her
room is off-limits to visitors,”
Tanzo told dxOM-FM in
Koronadal City.
It was not immediately
known if Cuntapay would file
charges against the man but
Celebs weigh in on SAF 44
By Dolly Anne Carvajal
The SAF 44 tragedy is too gruesome
the suspect's relatives have
for words. After the euphoria brought
reportedly apologized to the
about by Pope Francis' visit, we are
actress for the incident.
now in a state of mourning for the
Born on January 3, 1935,
“Fallen 44” Special Action Force
in Tuguegarao, Cuntapay
policemen who were killed in
taught in primary schools in
Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Talk
Tuguegarao after earning her
about extremes.
Bachelor of Science in
No question must be left
Education degree.
unanswered and no promise, left
After years of teaching,
unfulfilled, so that our fallen heroes can
she quit and went to Manila
rest in peace. It is not enough to just
and engaged in a buy-and-sell
sympathize with their families, we
business. Later she became
should also empathize with them.
an office worker at the
Celebs share their sentiments on
National Police Commission
the raging national issue.
(Napolcom).
Cuntapay is known for her
China Cojuangco-Gonzalez
Edu Manzano: It was an honor to have
debut role in the Filipino
First and foremost, I am sending served with such a dedicated unit.
horror film series, Shake
my sincere condolences to those who
Rattle and Roll.
have lost their loved ones. What Throughout your lives will never be
She also starred in her
happens after these troopers are laid to forgotten.
first leading role, “Six Degrees
rest? This cannot just fade away.
of Separation from Lilia
Accountability is what I want, as a Joel Lamangan
Cuntapay,” which won her the
Filipino. Who ordered the serving of
In our history, it is one of the most
Best Actress trophy in the
the warrant? Was he aware of the condemnable acts of the government
2011 Cinema One Originals
repercussions of such an order? Why against its men who are trying to
Digital Film Festival.
didn't the army help when the troopers protect it. It will remain in the nation's
She was one of the 40
requested for backup? We need memory for a long time because of the
actors trained in the first
answers. The PNP-SAF families and we, pain caused by the betrayal of trust. It is
batch of acting workshops for
the Filipino people, seek justice.
indeed a day of mourning for the
LVN Pictures. She played as
death of our fallen policemen. But it
nanny of the baby of now
also marks the death of the people's
presidential sister Kris
trust in a government that failed in its
Aquino in the Shake Rattle
duty to protect its citizens, especially
and Roll series.
its defenders.
u
Page 27
Shalani Soledad-Romulo wishes that
justice would be served soon.
Shalani Soledad-Romulo
The death of the 44 SAF heroes is
heartbreaking. As we continue to pray
for them, their families and our men in
uniform, we also wish that justice
would be served soon.
Edu Manzano
The tragedy of the SAF 44 affected
me more than I thought it would. I find
myself feeling indignation, confusion,
anger and deep sorrow. Having been an
enlisted soldier, I am familiar with the
camaraderie and brotherhood they
shared. On a more personal note, I
worked closely with the SAF for six
years during my tenure as chair of the
Optical Media Board. It was an honor
and a privilege to have served with
such a dedicated, cohesive and
upstanding unit. Rest in honored glory,
brave men of the Fallen 44. While your
deaths are too painful to remember, the
valor and bravery you showed
Judy Ann Santos
blasts ... From page 24
The presidential sister responded:
“Kasi tao ako na hindi mapigilan ang
sariling ipagtanggol ang mahal ko. (I am
a person who cannot stop myself from
defending people I love).” She added,
“Truth, I have friends who privately
spoke to me about how they wished the
president had done things differently,
the word there is private & w respect.
We listened to each other, we may not
agree but at least we listened.”
Ogie Alcasid
My wife (Regine Velasquez) and I
have been praying unceasingly for the
families of the SAF 44. The
Organisasyon ng Pilipinong MangAawit plans to mobilize our fellow
music artists for a fundraising concert.
It is truly sad. One can't help but be
angry, too. It's as if our emotional
maturity is being put to the test. We
pray for grace, mercy and patience.
John Estrada
It's heartwrenching, to say the
least, watching our heroes arrive in
coffins and seeing their families try to
make sense of their loss. I cannot
imagine the sacrifices our policemen
and soldiers have made so that we can
sleep soundly at night. We should start
honoring our brave men and women in
uniform every single day, even with
small gestures like taking time to talk to
them, to say thank you and smiling at
them.
Tommy Abuel
A thorough investigation must be
conducted to determine the truth so
that the policemen who died will get
the justice they deserve and the
perpetrators will be punished.
u
Page 27
And in instances that she got hurt,
she simply quit reading their posts.
“Nabasa ko naman yung mga
mensahe, ayokong pahabain kaya exit
na lang (I read the messages. I didn't
want to prolong the issue so I just
exited).” she said.
Kris is currently following 285 users
on Instagram. Judy Ann is not one of
them. Meanwhile, Judy Ann is still
following Kris on Instagram.
President Aquino's absence during
the SAF arrival honors sparked national
outrage, with #NasaanAngPangulo
trending worldwide on social media.
Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 27
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Eula Valdes joins cast
of The Half Sisters
Screengrab from Paolo Ballesteros Instagram account
Paolo Ballesteros charms
Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell
MANILA -- Actor and television
host Paolo Ballesteros was recognized
again for his talent as a makeup artist
after Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell replied
to his latest “transformation” posted
on Instagram.
“We have some competition lol
@angeliespeno awesome job!!” the
Miss Universe 2014 fourth runner-up
and Filipino fan favorite said in the
comment tagging her makeup artist.
In the latest edition of his “makeup
transformation” series, Ballesteros
made himself look like the 22-year-old
Jamaican beauty. The actor fixed his
hair and wore black teardrop earrings
to score Fennell's signature look.
“KACI LYN FRANCISCO… JAMAICA
#makeuptransformation
# t ra n s f o r m l a n g n a n g t ra n s f o r m
#missuniverse2014 #jamaica
#kacifennell,” the caption of the photo
read.As of posting time, Ballesteros'
imitation of the Jamaican beauty
queen has garnered 26,100 likes on
Instagram.
Ballesteros also transformed
himself to look like the North Cotabato
beauty and Philippine bet Mary Jean
“MJ” Lastimosa.
Ballesteros' makeup
transformation series has gained
international acclaim after several
news outlets featured his creations. He
was also recognized by supermodel
Tyra Banks for doing a great job.
Earlier reports revealed that
Ballesteros is the great grandson of
National Artist Fernando Amorsolo.
AJH. Inquirer.net
‘Horror Queen’ ...
Cuntapay also starred and
appeared in the following: “Kwintas
ng Mangkukulam,” “Lokomoko High's”
spoof of the Party in the USA music
video, “Midnight DJ,” “Nobody, Nobody
But …Juan,” “The Last Prince,”
“Wansapanatym,” and “Sa ngalan ng
Ina.”
Cuntapay has an upcoming biopic,
with actress Cecille Miller playing the
young Lilia. Inquirer.net
From page 26
At age 56 and making her name in
Philippine movies, Cuntapay retired
from Napolcom in 1991 and starred in
the film 'Aswang.” In 2009, she
appeared as a quack doctor in the
ABS-CBN TV series “Precious Hearts
Romances Presents: Bud Brothers.”
Celebs weigh in ...
Viewers of GMA Network's
The Half Sisters, the Philippines's
number one daytime show today,
will have all the more reason to
stay glued to their favorite
Afternoon prime series as veteran
actress Eula Valdes joins the cast,
bringing an interesting twist to
the story.
Eula will play the role of
Ys a b e l a Z u ñ i g a , t h e r i c h
haciendera who saves Benjie
(Jomari Yllana) from an accident
that left him suffering from post
traumatic experience. She will do
anything to fight her love for
Benjie whatever it takes.
Eula says she is very thrilled
to join the cast of the network's
top-rating series and to work
again with Director Mark Reyes.
“Excited ako to work with Direk
Mark Reyes again whom I worked
with the first time I transferred to
GMA via Kamandag years ago.
And of course I'm delighted to be
part of the #1 daytime soap
nationwide.”
She is likewise very delighted
to reunite with Jean Garcia and
share the screen with her good
friend in the program. They last
worked together in the network's
Pinoy version of the Koreanovela
All About Eve in 2009. “Of course,
I'm also looking forward to work
with my original loveteam Jean
Garci. Yun ang lokohan namin
before na kami ang magkaloveteam.”
Reyes couldn't be more proud
of the program's success since its
pilot airing last year. He is very
happy for the Filipinos'
overwhelming support for his
program which explores the
phenomenon about heteropaternal superfecundation.
“A good script and a great cast.
That is the formula of The Half
Sisters. From its unique premise
to its unpredictable plot twists
and sympathetic characters in
complicated story arcs, is what
makes the show the number one
daytime drama. And things get
more exciting as Ms Eula Valdes as
Ysabela Zuñiga joins the already
stellar cast led by Jean Garcia,
Jomari Yllana, Gloria Romero,
Barbie Forteza, Thea Tolentino,
Derrick Monasterio and Andre
Paras. The iconic rivalry of Jean
and Eula will once again be
enjoyed by local audiences in the
next chapter of the consistent toprating afternoon prime show of
GMA.”
Eula Valdes
Meanwhile, The Half Sisters is
still the uncontested number 1
daytime drama soap nationwide,
according to data of the industry's
widely trusted ratings service
provider Nielsen TV Audience
Measurement.
The series remains the
program of choice of viewers not
only in Mega Manila and Urban
Luzon, but across National Urban
Philippines. It is a certified hit
compared to its counterpart
programs in ABS-CBN: It's
Showtime, Kapamilya
Blockbusters and the recentlylaunched Flordeliza.
Based on household ratings
data recorded in NUTAM for
January 1-23, 2015 (January 1823 based on overnight data), The
Half Sisters scored a rating of 17.5
percent, leading ABS-CBN's It's
Showtime's 11.5 percent by 6
points, Kapamilya Blockbusters's
10.5 percent by 7 points and
Flordeliza's 8.5 percent by 9
points.
In Urban Luzon, which
comprises 77 of national urban
television households, The Half
Sisters marked another winning
performance over its counterpart
Programs in ABS-CBN. It
registered a rating of 20.1
percent, 9.9 points higher than
It's Showtime's 10.2 percent, 11.1
points higher that Kapamilya
Blockbuster's 9 percent and 13.3
points higher than Flordeliza's 6.8
percent. The Afternoon Prime
series likewise led in Mega
Manila, which represents 59
percent of urban TV households
in the country, after generating a
rating of 20.8 percent, while It's
Showtime trailed behind by 11.5
points with only 9.3 percent,
Kapamilya Blockbusters dropped
by 13.2 points with only 7.6
percent and Flordeliza trailed
behind by 15 points with only 5.8
percent.
Aside from Jean, Jomari and
Eula, The Half Sisters is topbilled
by Barbie Forteza, and Thea
Tolentino, Derrick Monasterio
and Andre Paras and Gloria
Romero, Mel Martinez, Vaness del
Moral and Ryan Eigenmann.
Expect more revelations and
twists as the drama continues in
The Half Sisters, which airs
worldwide via GMA's flagship
international channel, GMA Pinoy
TV.
talents and knowledge with other
people.”
Having helped out with her
dad's shoots, and having learned
Final Cut Pro at age 10, she
mentioned how, if all the “science
stuff” didn't happen to her, she
would be pursuing a career in
media production. “My favorite
films are anything by Mel Brooks,
'Pelle the Conqueror,' and 'City
Lights.' I'm still passionate about
film, and I would love to end up as
some female version of Bill Nye.”
Her advice to her fellow youth
is: “What you want to do with your
life later should not be what
others, like your parents or
friends, say you should do. It
should be what you want to do.
You have one life, one chance, so
don't waste it on doing something
you're not interested in.”
She added, “Don't let things
wait, do it now!”
She hopes to combine her
interests in film, science, social
media and entrepreneurship in
the future, and hopefully inspire
the youth to invent for a better
world. But for now, her immediate
goal is to find a way to light up the
world of her friend in the
Philippines, and of course, finish
her college applications, just like
every other graduating high
school student. Inquirer.net
From page 26
17-year-old ...
Otherwise, we will allow the
culprits to literally get away with
murder. It should also serve as a
wake-up call for the government to
take a long, hard look at the terms
and provisions of the Bangsamoro
Basic Law.
Chris Tiu
We salute our courageous heroes
for their gallant effort. Our prayers
go out to the SAF 44 and their
families. We hope that those
responsible will be held accountable.
Rest assured, the service rendered
by these heroes to the country will
not be forgotten.
From page 9
Rocco Nacino says one of his relatives
was among the slain policemen.
Rocco Nacino
It's sad to know that something
like this happened. It really hit me
hard because a relative is among the
SAF 44, PO2 Nicky Nacino. I just pray
for peace after this tragedy.
Inquirer.net
to be that person who stood alone
at social gatherings, and when
people came up to me it was the
greatest thing, to see that
someone cared and was
interested.”
Makosinski draws
inspiration from many sources.
She mentioned the likes of
Charlie Chaplin, Tesla, Tyler
Oakley, Ravi Shankar, Mel Brooks,
PK Page and Houdini. She
explained: “I look up to people
who made something of
themselves and shared their
February 6-12, 2015
Page 28
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
BMX rider Caluag PSA Australia bars 'ex-convict'
Athlete of the Year
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
By Cedelf P. Tupas
MANILA -- The saving grace of the
country's Asian Games campaign last
year is getting another accolade for his
golden performance in Incheon, South
Korea.
BMX rider Daniel Caluag will be
feted as Athlete of the Year by the
Philippine Sportswriters Association
(PSA) in its Annual Awards Night
presented by Milo on Feb. 16 at
1Esplanade at Mall of Asia Complex in
Pasay.
The 27-year-old Caluag was the lone
gold medalist of what was an otherwise
gloomy campaign by the country in the
Asiad. His triumph in BMX racing on the
final few days of the Games was actually
the first cycling gold medal of the
country in the meet.
“The entire PSA organization
congratulates Daniel Caluag as the
recipient of the 2014 Athlete of the Year
honor with his exemplary feat during
the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South
Korea,” said PSA president Jun Lomibao
of Business Mirror.
The Filipino-American BMX racer
will lead some 70 prominent sports
personalities and entities that will be
honored during the awards night
backed by ICTSI, Philippine Basketball
Association, Philippine Charity
Swe e p s t a ke s O f f i c e , P h i l i p p i n e
Amusement and Gaming Corp., Rain or
Shine, Globalport, Air21, Maynilad,
Accel and National University.
This year's honor roll will include
the 1973 Philippine men's basketball
team (Lifetime Achievement Award),
Tim Cone (Excellence in Basketball),
Hall of Fame (Mitsubishi), Alyssa Valdez
(Ms. Volleyball), Jean Pierre Sabido (Mr.
Taekwondo), and Princess Superal and
Tony Lascuña (Golfers of the Year).
The PSA will also hand out the
President's Award, Executive of the Year,
Sports Patron of the Year, National
Sports Association of the Year, the Tony
Siddayao Awards for outstanding
athletes 17 years old and younger,
Posthumous, and the Milo Outstanding
Athletes.
Caluag blitzed the Asiad field
despite his absence in races sanctioned
by the UCI (Union Cycliste
International) last year, making sure the
160-strong Philippine team averted a
gold-medal shutout.
Major awards and citations will also
be handed out by the country's oldest
media organization with Smart,
Meralco, and the MVP Sports
Foundation as principal sponsors and
the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)
as major sponsor of the formal event.
Inquirer.net
UFC photo
UFC Fight Night comes
to Manila May 16
SAN FRANCISCO -- The UFC's longawaited debut in the Philippines will
take place on Saturday, May 16, at
Manila's SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Ultimate Fighting Championships
officials recently confirmed the longrumored booking following an earlier
report from Combat Press. UFC Fight
Night 65 takes place in Manila and airs
live in the US on FOX Sports 1 one day
earlier due to the time difference.
“We are thrilled to be kicking off our
Asia event calendar in Manila this year,”
executive vice president and general
manager of UFC Asia Ken Berger stated:
To advertise
please call
“The UFC has a loyal and passionate fan
base in the Philippines, and we're
looking forward to bringing the very
best of mixed martial arts to Manila for
the first time.”
There are no announced matchups
for the event as of yet. Tickets for UFC
Fight Night 65 go on sale in March.
The Manila debut is first of what is
expected to be three UFC events in Asia
this year. Manila will be the only
Southeast Asia event in 2015, according
to SM Lifestyle Entertainment exec
Edgar Tejerero. Inquirer.net
201-434-1114
There are some things
“Money” can't buy.
An Australian visa for one.
Flamboyant American
b ox i n g c h a m p i o n F l oyd
Mayweather Jr., acknowledged
as the world's highest-paid
athlete and who likes to be
called “Money,” was recently
denied a visa to visit Australia,
according to smb.com.au and
billionairesaustralia.com.
The immigration bar led to
the cancellation of
promotional activities lined up
for Mayweather in Sydney and
Melbourne on Feb. 5 and 6.
Reports said the 37-yearold Mayweather was
prevented from entering the
country because of his
previous criminal offenses for
domestic violence, including a
prison term for physically
abusing his former girlfriend.
The unbeaten Mayweather
had also been accused of
beating four other women in
the past. He has denied the
allegations.
Regarded as the world's
No.1 pound-for-pound fighter,
Mayweather was denied the
visa following an online
petition that was signed by
46,000 people across the
continent. The petition read:
“A l l o w i n g a c h r o n i c
perpetrator of violence like
Floyd Mayweather Jr. to visit
Australia sends a terrifying
message - that vicious, repeat
abuse isn't serious.”
Mayweather's Australia
promoter Max Markson said
he would appeal the decision.
Originally set Jan. 29 and
30 in Sydney and Melbourne,
Mayweather's promotional
tour was deferred due to the
visa problems. Mayweather
and 30 others in his entourage
flew instead to the Caribbean
on his private jet, purportedly
to while away time.
Pacquiao fight negotiations
Meanwhile, last-ditch
negotiations for his projected
megabuck bout against Manny
Pacquiao are said to be
continuing in the United
States, where the Filipino
superstar has been holed up
since last month.
Pacquiao had dinner with
Prince Harry of Wales in
London in the last week of
January, served as a judge in
the Miss Universe pageant in
Miami and, on Thursday, Feb.
5, was among the invited
foreign celebrities in the
National Prayer Breakfast in
Washington, D.C.
Hosted by the US Congress,
the affair was graced by
President Barack Obama and
Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai
Lama.
Meanwhile, HBO Sports
president Ken Hershman said
We d n e s d ay, Fe b . 4 , t h e
network has done all it could
for Mayweather-Pacquiao to
push through on May 2.
In an interview with
newsday.com, Hershman
denied a report that HBO,
which owns the right to
telecast Pacquiao fights, would
prefer to wait until 2016, when
Mayweather's deal with rival
network Showtime runs out.
“Our position has been
consistent throughout this
w h o l e p r o c e s s ,” s a i d
Hershman. “We're here to
stand by and help wherever we
can to make this fight happen.”
Roy Luarca. Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 29
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
6 Healthy Habits To Implement In
February, American Heart Month
Misconceptions Are Among The Greatest Obstacles For
Heart Health, Says One of the 'Best Doctors in America'*
Despite decades of medical
research and public campaigns to
ease the problem, heart disease is the
No. 1 killer in the United States and
throughout the Western world.
One of the problems driving
heart disease is the messaging, says
Robert Thompson, M.D., an
integrative medicine specialist
deemed by his peers to be in the top 5
percent of U.S. physicians. While
there's plenty of good research to
indicate good advice, the general
public, and many of his peers in the
medical community, are stuck with
faulty conclusions, he says.
“Perhaps the biggest
misconception is that an
overabundance of calcium, which
may include supplements, is very
good for people, especially women,
but that's simply not true,” says
Thompson, author of “The Calcium
Lie II: What Your Doctor Still Doesn't
Know,” (calciumliebook.com), a new
book that details the roles minerals
play in overall health and how to
identify and correct deficiencies and
imbalances.
Calcium is just one of 12
substances, as well as traces of 64
other minerals, that make up our
bones. Excessive amounts of calcium
hurt our bodies in many ways,
especially the heart and the brain, he
says. We cannot possibly replace
minerals with just calcium, which
hardens concrete and makes bones
more brittle.
One study, published in the
British Medical Journal in 2008, was
meant to assess the effect of calcium
on bone density and fractures in
postmenopausal women.
Researchers found that participating
women were significantly more
likely to suffer heart attacks while
taking calcium supplements.
“This is far from an isolated study
there are others, including 15 studies
combined into a meta-analysis
yielding similar heart-health results,
which show an increased risk of
heart disease by at least 30 percent,”
says Thompson, who offers practical
recommendations for what
individuals can start doing for better
overall health in recognition of
American Heart Month, celebrated in
February.
Drink at least 64 ounces of
water a day. As a general rule, we
need to drink half of our bodyweight
in ounces of water daily. For a 150pound individual, that's 75 ounces of
water. Those who are overweight, or
are heavy exercisers or live in warm
climates may need more. Take care to
drink quality water. Get a quality
filtration system at home, which can
range from $200 to $3,000.
Take ionic sea salt-derived
minerals. We all need a diverse
range of minerals and virtually none
of us get enough. Ionic minerals are
the only ones that are completely
available for our bodies to use
because they are water-soluble and
they naturally carry an electrical
charge that allows them to be carried
through the cell membranes. All sea
salt-derived trace mineral products
are recommended at least three
grams per day.
Use only vitamin supplements
made from 100 percent organic
whole foods that have been vineripened. Almost all of us need
supplements because contemporary
food supplies lack adequate amounts
of vitamins and minerals, thanks to
soil depletion. Most store-bought
vitamins include just one component
of the many complex molecular
elements contained in the naturally
occurring vitamin source. You need
all of the nutrient components to get
the full benefits.
Get your fill of essential fatty
acids; raw nuts and/or seeds are a
good source. In 2003, the Food and
Drug Administration approved the
following health claim for seven
kinds of nuts: “Scientific evidence
suggests but does not prove that
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 05 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 05 Crossword
eating 1.5 oz. per day of most raw
nuts as part of a diet low in saturated
fat and cholesterol may reduce the
risk of heart disease.” Omega-3 and
Omega-6 are considered essential
because humans can't manufacture
them within our bodies. Research has
now shown that plant-derived
Omega 6, and not fish oil, is the best
oil for humans.
Eat high-quality proteins.
Seafood, eggs, beans, chicken, game
meat, duck and turkey are excellent
sources of essential amino acids that
are the building blocks of every
protein molecule, hormone,
neurotransmitter, cell membranes
and immune molecules. Proteins can
also be obtained from grains,
sprouted grains, raw nuts and raw
seeds. Vegetarians and vegans need
to play close attention to combine
protein sources to get the full
complement of amino acids.
Walk at least 30 minutes every
day. This activity has a huge effect on
relieving the physiologic effects of
stress on the human physiology.
Exercise is good, but walking is
amazing. No other single activity will
more significantly or more rapidly
affect the adrenal stress response in
humans than walking, which
probably works so well because it
slows us down. And, it is an incredible
way to build relationships.
“Also, I recommend ingesting
essential monosaccharides, which is
new and unknown territory for most
people,” he says. “They are the
simplest form of carbohydrate
molecules found in the body, are
essential for protein molecules and
can be found in maple syrup, sweet
potatoes, parsnips, beets and
onions.”
About Robert Thompson, M.D.
Dr. Robert Thompson is a boardcertified obstetrician and
gynecologist, and a nutrition
specialist who helps patients get
long-term relief from chronic
disease, including obesity, diabetes,
hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue.
His newest book, “The Calcium Lie II,”
is available for free at
calciumliebook.com. Dr. Thompson
received his medical training at the
University of Kentucky and has been
a leader in medical advances for more
than 30 years.
*Robert Thompson, M.D., was
added to the peer-reviewed
directory, “Best Doctors in
America,” in 1996.
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Operatic solos
6. Hens make them
10. Sea eagle
14. Allowed
15. Not false
16. Six-stringed
instrument
17. Teenager
19. Largest continent
20. Detects
21. An Old Testament
king
22. Where a bird lives
23. Tether
25. Concur
26. Rodents
30. Persons
32. Mimic
35. Cultivated land
39. Movie house
40. Seamster
41. Not functioning
properly
43. Pettifogger
44. Order of business
46. Throw
47. Latin name for our
planet
50. What we pay to the
govt.
53. Dry
54. Barbie's beau
55. Andean animals
60. Wash
61. Vague
63. Applications
64. Flower stalk
65. Claw
66. Collections
67. Arid
68. Napped
DOWN
1. "What a shame!"
2. Go on horseback
3. Computer symbol
4. Afflicts
5. Metal
6. And so forth
7. Lubricating oil
8. Gunfire
9. Bristle
10. A preacher
11. Part of a stair
12. Clamor
13. Gladden
18. South southeast
24. Gorilla
25. Put to rest
26. Wealthy
27. Dogfish
28. Small
29. Flight attendant
31. Gist
33. Girlfriend
(Spanish)
34. Container weight
36. Countertenor
37. "Comes and ____"
38. Makes a mistake
42. Accord
43. A single-reed
woodwind
45. Hackles
47. Anklebone
48. Delete
49. Stud
51. Santa's helper
52. Narrow fissures
54. Smooch
56. A Freudian stage
57. 5280 feet
58. At the peak of
59. Dispatched
62. An uncle
February 6-12, 2015
Page 30
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Rentals
u
Help Wanted u
Jobs u
Personal u
Services
Housekeeper Needed
Live-In Housekeeper needed
to help with cooking/
cleaning
We place:
Nannies-Housekeepers-Companions
Must have prior experience.
NATIONWIDE PLACEMENTS
Call 202-468-7874
Live in Live Out Full Time Part Time
MANDATORY SCREENINGS
TOP SALARIES
Complete your online application today!
www.householdstaffing.com
610-664-5233
JOB OPPORTUNITY
Hi-School Science
Teacher - Vance County,
North Carolina
6 days/week.
To advertise, please call
201-434-1114
Or send an email to
[email protected]
Teach Science subjects to hischool students; design &
implement cohesive lesson
plans; administer assessment
test; manage student behavior
BS Deg in Education or rel fld
Certified to teach in NC
Email resume to
Vance County School
[email protected]
JOBS JOBS JOBS
JOB OPPORTUNITY
JOB OPPORTUNITY
JOB OPPORTUNITY
Heavy duty truck repair
shop in Brooklyn, NY
needs the following:
Elementary School
Teacher - Vance County,
North Carolina
Middle School Math
Teacher - Fort Apache,
Arizona
Estimator Project
Manager, New York
County, NY
Teach students basic academic,
social & other formative skills at
the elementary level; design &
implement cohesive lesson
plans; administer assessment
test; manage student behavior
Teach Math subjects to middle
school students; design &
implement cohesive lesson
plans; administer assessment
test; manage student behavior
Consult with clients, vendors,
personnel to discuss & formulate
estimates & resolve issues;
analyze blueprints & other docs
to prepare time, cost, materials,
and labor estimates; prep
estimates; confer with engineers,
architects, owners, contractors
1: BODYMAN
Large truck repair collision shop
min. 4 yr. experience
Full time, benefits, 401K
fax 718-272-7974
or [email protected]
or call 718-272-8850
2: TRUCK DIESEL MECHANIC
Large truck repair collision shop
min. 4yr experience
Full time, benefits, 401K
fax 718-272-7974
or [email protected]
or call 718-272-8850
3: WELDER/FABRICATOR
Large truck repair collision shop
min. 4yr experience
Full time, benefits, 401K
fax 718-272-7974
or [email protected]
or call 718-272-8850
4: SERVICE WRITER/CLERK
Large truck repair collision shop
Full time, benefits, 401K
fax 718-272-7974
or [email protected]
or call 718-272-8850
Certified CNA/HHA
Needed
Preferrably knows how to
drive.
Live-in
5-7 days/week
Call Beth 732-821-0475
BS Deg in Education or rel fld
Certified to teach in NC
BS Deg in Math or rel fld plus 5
year exp or MS Deg
Certified to teach in Arizona
Email resume to
Vance County School
[email protected]
Email resume to Theodore
Roosevelt School
Theodorerooseveltschool
@hotmail.com
BS Deg in Architecture,
Engineering or rel fld plus 5
year exp or MS Deg
Email resume to Kel-Mar
Designs Inc
[email protected]
JOB OPPORTUNITY
JOB OPPORTUNITY
JOB OPPORTUNITY
Middle School Math
Teacher- Charleston,
West Virginia
Business Manager, New
York County, NY
Financial Records
Manager, New York
County, NY
Teach Mathematics, social &
other formative skills to middle
school level; design &
implement cohesive lesson
plans; administer assessment
test; manage student behavior
BS Deg in Math or rel fld plus 5
year exp or MS Deg
Certified to teach in West
Virginia
Email resume to Theodore
Roosevelt School
[email protected]
Plan & execute concerts & other
entertainment performances in
US; manage needed
promotional & marketing
needs, travel & lodging of
artists, venue & govt permits
req, collect fees s for the
company accdg to contracted
terms; confer with clients to
develop strategies for their
careers
MS Deg in Entertainment
Business or rel fld
Email resume to MESI dba
Saleaflor Entertainment
Presents
[email protected]
Monitor financial activities such
as cash flow, evaluate needs for
procurement of funds &
recommend investment of
surplus, advise mgmt on shortterm & long-term financial
objectives, supervise in-house
bookkeeper
BS Deg in Accounting or rel fld
plus 5 year exp or MS deg
Email resume to RN Express
Staffing Registry LLC
[email protected]
[email protected]
February 6-12, 2015
Page 31
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
In honor of the slain members of the
PNP SAF in Mamasapano, Maguindanao
Inquirer.net
February 6-12, 2015
Page 32
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS