The Filipino Express v29 Issue 25

Transcription

President Aquino officially declared
2015 as ‘Visit the Philippines Year’
PH envoy
to UN: Sea
row a global
concern
Page 7
VOL. 29 w NO. 25 w June 19-25, 2015 w NATIONAL EDITION w NEW JERSEY w NEW YORK w 201-434-1114 w $1.00
Feds arrest Fil-Am engineer on bribery charges
By Ricky Rillera
NEW YORK CITY Federal
agents arrested a Filipino
American engineer June 4 on
suspicion of providing bribery and
kickbacks to employees of a New
York utility company.
Rodolfo Quiambao, president
and chief executive officer of Rudell
& Associates, Inc., an engineering
and design firm based in Long
Island City, allegedly provided
more than $6.9 million in bribes
and kickbacks to supervisors of
Consolidated Edison of New York
(ConEd), a provider of electric, gas
and steam utility services in New
York City, in exchange for receiving
contracts for his company.
Quiambao's arrest was part of a
continuing government
investigation of bribery and
k i c k b a c k s i nvo lv i n g C o n E d
employees. The operation netted
10 supervisors and one employee
who were arrested and charged in
2009 with receiving bribes from
contractors. All eleven pleaded
Bribery suspect Rodolfo Quiambao. PH Daily Mirror file photo
guilty to federal offenses.
Quiambao was released after
posting a $1 million bond secured
by a property located in Douglaston
Parkway in Douglaston, New York,
which he and wife own. However,
he may not leave New York City,
Long Island, NY, and New Jersey
without the Court's permission.
Surrender passports
Quiambao must also
“surrender all his passports and
must not obtain other passports or
international travel documents,”
according to the Court's conditions
of his release signed by U.S.
Magistrate Judge of Eastern
District of New York Marilyn D. Go.
Judge Go also ordered to unseal the
complaint and arrest warrant
against Quiambao referenced as
Docket No. 15-M-475.
The charges and arrest were
announced by Kelly T. Currie, acting
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern
District of New York; Raymond R.
Parmer, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge
of U.S. Immigration and Custom
Enforcement (ICE), Homeland
Security Investigation (HSI) in New
York; Shantelle P. Kitchen, Special
Agent-in-Charge, Internal Revenue
Service, Criminal Investigation
(IRS-CI), New York; and Michael
Nestor, Inspector General, The Port
Authority of New York and New
Jersey, Office of the Inspector
General.
The Court has granted the
government's and Quiambao's
request “to exclude the time period
from July 6 to August 6 in
computing the time within which
an information or indictment must
be filed.” This gives both parties
time to engage in plea negotiations
that may result in a disposition of
the case without trial.
As alleged in the complaint
against Quiambao, his firm, Rudell,
was awarded contracts by ConEd
from 2001 to January 2011 through
competitive bidding process and
sole source.
This involved, among other
things, the “creation of plans and
designs for new electrical control
systems and public improvement
projects as well as drafting new
diagrams, maps and schematics
relating to existing Con Ed
electrical control systems.”
The complaint alleges that
from 2007 to January 2011, Rudell
received “approximately $30
million in payments from Con Ed,
which were approved by a ConEd
Section Manager. The supervisor
pleaded guilty of receiving checks
from Quiambao amounting to
allegedly $6.9 million.
u Page 6
Poe zooms past Binay
Pulse Asia: VP suffers 7-point drop in ratings
Filipino American World War II veterans in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Photo by RICKEYMINOR.COM
U.S. lawmakers stop 'raid' on
Filipino veterans fund Page 5
Her surging numbers in a
nationwide survey may finally
inspire Sen. Grace Poe to run for
higher office next year, as the
politics of the underdog seems
to be working in her favor.
Derided as a foundling and,
thus, arguably not a naturalborn Filipino qualified to run for
President, Poe vaulted over Vice
President Jejomar Binay in the
results of the latest Pulse Asia
survey.
The results showed that the
neophyte senator, adopted
daughter of the late actor
Fernando Poe Jr. and actress
Susan Roces, has become the
No. 1 presidential candidate of
choice of voters for the 2016
national elections if it were held
today.
Binay was the erstwhile
front-runner until the attacks
on Poe, launched by the Vice
President's camp when the
survey was being conducted,
u Page 4
Clinton promises middle class prosperity at NY rally
Agence France-Presse
NEW YORK -- Hillary Clinton on
Saturday, June 13, launched her bid
to become the first woman
president of the United States,
promising the struggling middle
classes renewed prosperity at the
first big rally of her campaign.
She chose home turf in New
York, an overwhelming fan base
where she served as senator for
eight years, to deliver a deeply
personal speech outlining why she
wa s r u n n i n g a n d t o u nve i l
progressive policies.
Several thousand of her most
devoted admirers braved scorching
heat and a strict security cordon to
pack a relatively small venue at a
memorial to famed World War II and
New Deal president, Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
“I may not be the youngest
candidate in this race. But I will be
the youngest woman president in
the history of the United States,” she
said to cheers and applause. “And
the first grandmother as well!”
Chants of 'Hillary'
She was joined on stage by
husband and former president Bill,
their daughter Chelsea and their
s o n - i n - l aw M a rc M e z v i n s k y,
u Page 4
Magnate Donald Trump announces bid for US presidency Page 4
Democratic presidential candidate, former Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton gestures to supporters as she arrives to speak Saturday,
June 13, 2015, on Roosevelt Island in New York. AP
June 19-25, 2015
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
MILF: No second phase of arms, forces
decommissioning if BBL is not approved
By Nikko Dizon
SULTAN KUDARAT -- Soon after
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) handed over 75 weapons to
the government on Tuesday, June
16, MILF chief Murad Ebrahim said
any further surrender by the Front
of its firearms would not continue
without a Bangsamoro Basic Law
(BBL) taking effect.
“The second phase will be tied
up to the BBL because that's what
is in the (peace) agreement,”
Murad told reporters after the
ceremonial decommissioning of 75
MILF firearms and the decision of
145 MILF combatants to return to
normal life.
MILF chief negotiator
Mohagher Iqbal said in a separate
interview that the ceremonial
decommissioning of the weapons
was an “obligation” on the part of
the MILF.
“It's in the signed document that the MILF has to undertake the
decommissioning process. That
day has come,” Iqbal said.
By signed document Iqbal was
referring to the peace agreement
called the Comprehensive
Agreement on the Bangsamoro
(CAB) signed by the government
and the MILF in March last year.
Under the CAB, the
normalization component takes
place alongside the political
component, which is embodied in
REBEL ARMS. Guns of different types are laid out on the table after they were
“decommissioned” by the MILF in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao province.
Witnessing the handover are President Aquino, MILF chair Murad Ebrahim,
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles. Grig C.
Montegrande
the BBL. The law will establish the
Bangsamoro autonomous region.
The so-called decommissioning of MILF forces meaning firearms and combatants
- is part of the normalization
c o m p o n e n t , a d d re s s i n g t h e
security aspect of the rebels' return
to the normal life of a citizen of the
Republic.
The normalization component
also includes socio-development
programs, confidence-building
measures, such as the
transformation of camps to
ordinary communities and
amnesty, and the creation of a
reconciliation committee.
Under the peace agreement,
the second phase of the
decommissioning process will
involve 30 percent of the MILF
forces, meaning firearms and
combatants.
As agreed upon by both parties,
the second phase will take place
upon the ratification of the
Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL),
which will create a new
Bangsamoro autonomous region.
This would replace the
Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM).
The third phase will involve
decommissioning 65 percent of
u Page 8
Pope Francis delivers his message on the occasion of an audience with
participants of Rome’s diocese convention in St. Peter’s Square, at the Vatican,
Sunday, June 14, 2015. Francis engaged in some self-promotion during his
weekly blessing, alerting the thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square that his
first solo encyclical is coming out and inviting them to pay attention to
environmental degradation around them. AP photo
Pope urges revolution
to save Earth, fix
‘perverse' economy
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis
called Thursday, June 18, for a bold
cultural revolution to correct what
he calls the “structurally perverse”
economic system of the rich
exploiting the poor that is turning
Earth into an “immense pile of
filth.”
In a sweeping manifesto aimed
at spurring action in U.N. climate
negotiations, domestic politics and
everyday life, Francis explains the
science of global warming, which
he blames on an unfair, fossil fuelbased industrial model that he says
harms the poor most. Citing
Scripture and past popes' and
bishops' appeals, he urges people
of all faiths and no faith to undergo
an awakening to save God's
creation for future generations. It's
u Page 5
June 19-25, 2015
Page 3
154th birthday gift for Rizal: SC stops work on Torre de Manila
Office of the Solicitor General as
earlier ordered, to explain within a
nonextendible period of five days
why it had issued a cease and desist
order (CDO) against the building's
construction on its own while the
case was pending in court.
By Tarra Quismundo
N a t i o n a l h e ro J o s e R i z a l
received a “birthday tribute” three
days before the nation
commemorates his 154th birthday
anniversary.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday,
June 16, stopped the construction of
Torre de Manila, a 49-story building
slammed as an “eyesore” right
behind the national hero's most
recognizable monument at Rizal
Park, popularly known as Luneta, in
Manila.
In an 8-5 vote, the high court
issued a temporary restraining
order (TRO) “effective immediately
until further orders from the court
enjoining respondent DMCI Project
Developers Inc. from continuing
with the construction and
development of the Torre de Manila
condominium project.”
The ruling is a fitting gift for the
national hero, said the Knights of
Rizal, which sought the TRO against
the building's construction on Taft
Avenue and asked for its demolition
t h ro u g h a p e t i t i o n f i l e d i n
September.
“The International Order of the
Knights of Rizal expresses great
happiness in the SC decision for the
TRO despite expected strong
opposition to the campaign by some
sectors,” said Knights spokesman
Michael Charleston Chua.
He expressed hopes that the
ruling would “lead to a more
permanent resolution in the future.”
Towering over Rizal Monument at Rizal Park, the controversial 46-story Torre de Manila,
described by opponents as an eyesore around the skyline of a heritage site, is almost
complete. On Tuesday, June 16, the Supreme Court finally acted, issuing a temporary
restraining order on its construction. Marianne Bermudez
National heritage
“This is not just a beautiful
birthday tribute to our national
hero, but a gift to future generations
[that] will benefit in the
preservation of the visual corridor
of our national monument and
landmark. We won a battle but the
fight continues. Let us continue to
be vigilant,” Chua said in a statement
on Tuesday.
In its petition against DMCI, the
Knights of Rizal cited several laws
that the firm had violated in pushing
through with the building's
construction, including measures
that protect national heritage and a
Manila zoning ordinance that allows
school and government buildings of
only up to seven stories to rise in the
area.
Heed TRO
Asked to comment on the high
court's order, DMCI lawyer Leonid
Nolasco said the legal team would
inform the development firm to
heed the TRO.
“We have not yet received a copy
of the TRO. We will advise our client
to comply with the TRO of the
Supreme Court,” the lawyer said in a
statement sent via text message.
Oral arguments
In the first en banc session after
its recess that began in May, the high
court also resolved to set oral
arguments on the case on June 30.
The tribunal also required the
National Commission on Culture
and the Arts (NCCA), instead of the
30.7% complete
The NCCA served the CDO
against DMCI on Jan. 13, but
construction of the building
continued to rise despite the order.
DMCI's latest construction
update on Torre de Manila posted
on its website was as of Dec. 19 last
year, or six months ago. The
company said the building was
already 30.7 percent complete, with
“ongoing structural [work] at the
32nd floor.”
Eight justices voted to grant the
Knights of Rizal the TRO even before
the oral arguments.
They were Associate Justices
Presbitero Velasco, Arturo Brion,
Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Lucas
Bersamin, Martin Villarama Jr., Jose
Mendoza, Estela Perlas-Bernabe
and Francis Jardeleza.
Those who voted against issuing
a TRO before the conduct of oral
arguments were Chief Justice Ma.
Lourdes Sereno and Associate
Justices Antonio Carpio, Mariano
del Castillo, Jose Perez and
Bienvenido Reyes.
City Council
Associate Justices Diosdado
Peralta and Marvic Leonen were on
u Page 12
leave.
June 19-25, 2015
Page 4
Magnate Donald Trump announces
bid for US presidency
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Donald
Trump, the flamboyant US real
estate magnate and television
personality whose fortune is
valued at $9 billion, on Tuesday,
June 16, announced a longshot
bid for the presidency on the
ticket of the Republican Party.
Known in the US as The
Donald, Trump is a celebrity, a
businessman and a master of
self-promotion. He will be
e n te r i n g a n i n c re a s i n gly
crowded presidential race,
competing for the Republican
Party's nomination with such
big names as former Florida
governor Jeb Bush, who is the
son and brother of two former
US presidents.
Trump made the
announcement in New York
City before a small crowd of
supporters, some wearing
campaign shirts saying “Make
America Great Again!” and “No
More Career Politicians.” In his
well-known bombastic style, he
mixed boasts about his wealth
w i t h p ro m i s e s to d e fe a t
effortlessly the Islamic State
group and negotiate trade deals
with China.
“Sadly, the American dream
is dead,” Trump said. “But if I get
elected president, I will bring it
back bigger and better and
stronger than ever before, and
we will make America great
again.”
Clinton
promises ...
From page 1
Developer Donald Trump delivers remarks during his announcement that he
will run for president of the United States, in the lobby of Trump Tower, New
York, Tuesday, June 16, 2015. Trump, the 12th high-profile Republican to enter
the 2016 race, announced his candidacy in a free-ranging 40-minute speech in
which he boasted about his ability to fortify the border with Mexico to prevent
“rapists” from entering the U.S. AP photo
Trump has teased
presidential runs before, but
has always backed out. This is
time he is the 12th high-profile
Republican to enter the 2016
race, with more to come in the
weeks ahead.
And while he is not viewed
as a front-runner, Trump is
doing just well enough in early
public opinion polls that he may
earn a place on stage during
Republican presidential
primary debates.
Trump's announcement
drew immediate scorn online
from a series of Republicans,
who fear he will turn an
otherwise serious Republican
primary contest into a circus.
“I just apologized to my
toddler for bringing him up in a
country where Donald Trump
runs for Prez, gets better than
2% in the polls,” veteran
Republican strategist Liz Mair
tweeted.
The Democratic National
Committee was just as sarcastic
on Twitter, saying that Trump
“adds some much needed
seriousness that previously
been lacking” from the
Republican Party.
As part of the campaign
Trump is required to reveal his
net worth, sources of income,
liabilities and assets, as well as
the same information for his
wife and dependent children.
Trump said Tuesday he is ready
to do that, pegging his net worth
at roughly $9 billion.
Inquirer.net
blasts of pop music, an African
American drumming band from
Brooklyn and rock group
Echosmith, who were tasked
with whipping up the crowd.
She vowed to make
preschool and quality child care
available to every child, make
college more affordable by lifting
“the crushing burden” of debt,
equal pay for women, raising the
minimum wage and an end to
discrimination against the LGBT
community.
Clinton promised to
maintain America's global
leadership, to counter threats
posed by Russia, North Korea
and Iran, cyber attacks and by
the Islamic State extremist
group in Syria and Iraq.
embracing, holding hands and
waving to a rapturous sea of
waving flags.
With chants of “Hillary” and
whoops of delight it was a
festival of wholesome middleclass America, decked with red,
white and blue flags, bordered
by leafy trees and overlooked by
the skyscrapers of New York.
She drew on the
disadvantaged background of
her mother, who was forced to
work as a maid aged 14 after
being abandoned, to tell voters
that she understood first hand
their problems.
“My mother taught me that
everybody needs chance and a
champion. She knew what it was
like not to have either one,”
Clinton said.
Old? Out of touch?
Student Cristina Greenfield,
18, who will vote in 2016 for the
first time, dismissed concerns
that Clinton is old and an out-oftouch.
“I'm a big fan of her, what she
stands for. She has a big leg up on
the other candidates,” said
Greenfield.
Her political foes paint
Clinton as out of touch and not
trustworthy.
They have pilloried her
charitable work with the Clinton
Foundation, paid speeches,
private email accounts and her
record as secretary of state.
A CNN poll found last week a
growing number of Americans
say she is not honest and
trustworthy (57 percent, up
from 49 percent in March).
Fan base
“That's why I believe with all
my heart in America and in the
potential of every American to
meet every challenge, to be
resilient no matter what the
world throws at you, to solve the
toughest problems.”
She sought to present herself
as warm, caring and relaxed, and
the most qualified candidate,
with the domestic, security,
intellectual and foreign policy
credentials that made her the
best candidate for the job.
Her arrival was preceded by
Ta x b r e a k s , u n i v e r s a l
preschool
In her speech, she launched a
stinging attack on the
Republican party, painting her
conservative foes as out of touch
and lampooned their tax breaks
in favor of the super wealthy at
the expense of the middle class.
The 67-year-old former first
lady and secretary of state
promised tax relief to small
business owners, to make
America the clean energy
superpower of the 21st century.
Not for billionaires
“America can't succeed
unless you succeed, that is why I
am running for president of the
U n i t e d S t a t e s ,” s h e s a i d .
“Prosperity just can't be for CEOs
and hedge fund managers.
Democracy can't be just for
billionaires.”
Friends and staff have long
described Clinton as warm and
fun, and are working to soften
her sometimes frosty public
image, which helped cost her the
Democratic nomination to
Barack Obama for the 2008
election.
She cracked jokes in an effort
to present a more human touch
and presented herself as the
natural ally of Roosevelt, her
husband and Barack Obama.
“I've been called many things
by many people,” she said to
laughter.
“Quitter is not one of them.”
Inquirer.net
Poe zooms ...
From page 1
appeared to have backfired.
Re p o r t s o f h i s h u g e b a n k
accounts, based on data gathered by
the Anti-Money Laundering Council,
may also be eroding Binay's numbers.
Poe, who has not confirmed her
intention to run either for President
or Vice President, also maintained her
lead among vice presidential
hopefuls, the results of the survey
released on Thursday, June 18,
showed.
30 percent for Poe
Nationwide, those preferring Poe
as their presidential candidate went
up 16 percentage points to 30 percent
in June from 14 percent in March.
Poe ranked second in June 2014
with 12 percent and fourth in
September 2014 with 10 percent. She
reclaimed the second spot with 18
percent in November 2014.
Voter preference for Binay, who is
facing corruption charges for alleged
irregularities in Makati City when he
was mayor, suffered a 7-point drop to
22 percent from 29 percent in March.
Binay was the leading
presidential aspirant with 41 percent
in June 2014, but his numbers
declined to 31 percent in September
2014 and to 26 percent in November
2014 as reports of his alleged hidden
wealth mounted, exposed through the
Senate blue ribbon subcommittee
hearings.
Duterte, Roxas
Davao City Mayor Rodrigo
Duterte ranked third anew in the June
survey with 15 percent from 12
percent in March.
Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar”
Roxas II and former President and
now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada
were tied in fourth place with 10
percent each.
The survey, conducted from May
3 0 to J u n e 5 , c ove re d 1 , 2 0 0
respondents, 18 years old and above.
It had a margin of error of plus or
minus 3 percentage points.
The respondents were asked, “Of
the people on this list, whom would
you vote for President of the
Philippines if the 2016 elections were
held today and they were
candidates?”
Also on the list were Senators
Miriam Defensor-Santiago (6 percent
from 9 percent) and Alan Peter
Cayetano (2 percent from 3 percent)
and former Sen. Panfilo Lacson (2
percent from 1 percent).
Potential VP bets
Poe also increased her lead
among potential vice presidential
candidates to 41 percent from 29
percent in March.
Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who
recently announced his disinterest to
run for President, remained in second
place with 15 percent, down by a
point from 16 percent.
Cayetano remained in third place
with 12 percent from 13 percent,
followed by Duterte and Sen.
Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who
shared the fourth spot with 9 percent
apiece.
They were followed by Lacson (6
percent), Sen. Antonio “Sonny”
Trillanes IV (5 percent from 6
percent) and Camarines Sur Rep. Leni
Robredo (1 percent from 0.4 percent).
Across areas, classes
Poe was the preferred President
across geographic areas, posting
double-digit increases in the rest of
Luzon (36 percent from 13 percent),
Metro Manila (32 percent from 18
percent) and the Visayas (30 percent
from 16 percent) except in Mindanao
(15 percent from 11 percent).
Likewise, Poe was preferred as
the country's next top leader among
socioeconomic Classes ABC (31
percent from 12 percent), Class D (31
percent from 15 percent) and Class E
At the same time, voter preference
for Binay declined in the rest of Luzon
(22 percent from 32 percent), Metro
Manila (22 percent from 26 percent),
the Visayas (26 percent from 35
percent) and Mindanao (18 percent
from 22 percent).
It also declined in Class D (20
percent from 30 percent) and Class E
However, voter preference for Binay
increased among Classes ABC (29
percent from 22 percent).
Possible Senate bets
Pulse Asia noted that 14 of the 46
possible senatorial candidates, who
are either incumbent or former
members of Congress, have a
“statistical chance” of winning a seat
in the Senate.
Leading the senatorial race are
Lacson (67.4 percent) and Sen.
Vicente Sotto III (63.4 percent), who
both have the statistical ranking of
first to second places.
They were followed by Marcos
(54.2 percent) Sen. Ralph Recto (47.6
percent) and Presidential Assistant
for Food Security Francis Pangilinan
(46.9 percent).
Completing the top 14 are Senate
President Franklin Drilon (45.9
percent), former Sen. Juan Miguel
Zubiri (43.9 percent), Sen. Sergio
Osmeña III (41.2 percent), Philippine
Red Cross Chair Richard Gordon (39.7
percent), Duterte (39.2 percent),
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima (38.7
percent), Sarangani Rep. and boxing
superstar Emmanuel “Manny ”
Pacquiao (37.6 percent), Taguig City
Rep. Lino Edgardo Cayetano (36.1
percent) and former Sen. Jamby
Madrigal (33.9 percent). Inquirer.net
June 19-25, 2015
Page 5
U.S. Congress seeks to confer
gold medal on PH veterans
By Nimfa U. Rueda and Niña P. Calleja
LOS ANGELES -- Just in time for the
celebrations marking 117 years of
Philippine independence on Friday, US
legislators on Thursday, June 11,
introduced a bill in the US Congress
seeking to confer the highest
congressional honor on Filipino and
Filipino-American soldiers who
fought with US forces during World
War II.
“Filipino veterans fought bravely
alongside American forces during
World War II, and our recognition of
their service and sacrifice is long
overdue,” said Hawaii Democratic Rep.
Tulsi Gabbard at a press conference
she called with Sen. Mazie Hirono
(Democrat-Hawaii) to announce the
bill's introduction.
“The Filipino veterans of World
War II have faced many challenges in
their fight for compensation, family
reunification and verification of
wartime service,” said Hirono.
“Awarding the Congressional Gold
Medal would go a long way toward
making sure that their story is never
forgotten,” she said.
Highest civilian awards
The Congressional Gold Medal is
bestowed by the US Congress to those
“who have performed an achievement
that has an impact on American
history and culture that is likely to be
recognized as a major achievement in
the recipient's field long after the
Pope urges ...
From page 2
an indictment of big business and
climate doubters alike.
“It is not enough to balance, in the
medium term, the protection of nature
with financial gain, or the preservation
of the environment with progress,” he
writes. “Halfway measures simply
delay the inevitable disaster. Put
simply, it is a matter of redefining our
notion of progress.”
Environmental scientists said the
first ever encyclical, or teaching
document, on the environment could
have a dramatic effect on the climate
debate, lending the moral authority of
the immensely popular Francis to an
issue that has long been cast in purely
political, economic and scientific
terms.
Veerabhadran Ramanathan, a
Scripps Institution of Oceanography
scientist, said the encyclical would be a
“game-changer in making people think
about this.”
“It's not politics anymore,” he said,
adding that science is usually difficult
for people to understand but that
people respond to arguments framed
by morality and ethics.
The energy lobby was quick to
criticize the encyclical and its antifossil fuel message.
“The simple reality is that energy is
the essential building block of the
modern world,” said Thomas Pyle of
the Institute of Energy Research, a
conservative free-market group. “The
application of affordable energy makes
everything we do - food production,
manufacturing, health care,
transportation, heating and air
conditioning - better.”
Francis said he hoped his effort
would lead ordinary people in their
daily lives and decision-makers at
achievement.” US citizenship is not a
requirement.
The award is the US Congress'
highest expression of appreciation for
distinguished achievements and
contributions. The Congressional Gold
Medal and the Presidential Medal of
Freedom are the highest civilian
awards in the United States.
The US Embassy in Manila said the
bill was supported and introduced by a
bicameral and bipartisan group of
legislators that included, besides
Gabbard and Hirono, Senators Brian
Schatz, Harry Reid, Dean Heller and
Tim Kaine; and House Representatives
Joe Heck, Juan Vargas, Mark Takai,
Mike Thompson and Jackie Speier.
Vets campaign for recognition
About 260,000 Filipinos fought for
the United States during the war and
were promised equal treatment as
American veterans after the war.
But in 1946, the US Congress
enacted the Rescission Act that took
away full recognition of the Filipinos
and stripped them of their benefits,
leaving bitterness in the former
colony. Decades of campaigning
followed to change US policy.
Claims denied
In 2009, Congress approved a
stimulus package that included onetime payments of $15,000 to Filipino
veterans in the United States and
$9,000 to those living in the
Philippines.
u Page 6
critical U.N. climate meetings later this
year to a wholesale change of mind and
heart, saying “both the cry of the Earth
and the cry of the poor” must now be
heard.
“This vision of 'might is right' has
engendered immense inequality,
injustice and acts of violence against
the majority of humanity, since
resources end up in the hands of the
first comer or the most powerful: the
w i n n e r t a k e s a l l ,” h e w r i t e s .
“Completely at odds with this model
are the ideals of harmony, justice,
fraternity and peace as proposed by
Jesus.”
The encyclical “Laudato Si,” (Praise
Be) is 191 pages of pure Francis. It's a
blunt, readable booklet full of zingers
that will make many conservatives and
climate doubters squirm, including in
the U.S. Congress, where Francis will
deliver the first-ever papal address in
September. It will likely put several U.S.
presidential candidates on the hot seat
since some Republicans, Catholics
among them, doubt the science behind
global warming and have said the pope
should stay away from the debate.
“I don't think we should politicize
our faith,” U.S. Republican presidential
candidate Jeb Bush, a Catholic convert,
said on the eve of the encyclical's
release. “I think religion ought to be
about making us better as people and
less about things that end up getting
into the political realm.”
Yet one of Francis' core points is
that there really is no distinction
between human beings, their faith and
the environment.
“Everything is related, and we
human beings are united as brothers
and sisters on a wonderful pilgrimage,
woven together by the love God has for
each of his creatures and which also
unites us in fond affection with brother
sun, sister moon, brother river and
mother earth,” he writes. Inquirer.net
U.S. lawmakers stop 'raid'
on Filipino veterans fund
By Bert Elijera
LAS VEGAS -- A plan to use
money intended for Filipino
World War II veterans to pay
for a hospital construction in
Colorado was rejected by the
U.S. Congress, thanks to the
efforts of lawmakers from
H a wa i i , C a l i f o r n i a a n d
Nevada.
The Department of
Ve t e r a n s A f f a i r s h a d
proposed to tap into the $56million still unspent from the
Filipino Veterans Equity
Compensation Fund to fill in a
$150-million shortfall in the
troubled construction of a
veterans hospital in Aurora,
Colorado.
“That is not acceptable,”
said Sen. Mazie Hirono, DemHawaii. Lawmakers secured
funding for the hospital from
elsewhere, but shielded the
Filipino veterans fund from
the proposed raid.
The reprieve allowed
Hirono and a bipartisan
group of lawmakers that
included Republican Dean
Heller of Nevada to push
through legislation that will
enable more Filipino veterans
to qualify for the benefit.
Bill to reopen program
They encouraged the VA
to come up with a fairer plan
to extend benefits to more
veterans, while in the House
of Representatives,
Republican Joe Heck of
Nevada introduced a bill to
reopen the program and
allow more veterans to
reapply.
In 2009, as one of the first
acts of his administration,
Obama distributed $15,000
to Filipino Americans and
$9,000 to Filipino veterans
living in the Philippines as
compensation for their
services during World II.
Filipinos fought alongside
Americans against the
Japanese after President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
commissioned them into the
U.S. Army at the start of the
Second World War.
Other Filipinos joined
guerrilla forces that harassed
the Japanese, paving the way
for the return of Gen. Douglas
MacArthur to the Philippines.
Rescission Act
In 1946, however, the U.S.
Congress passed the
Rescission Act that singled
out Filipino veterans as not
U.S. veterans and therefore
not eligible for most benefits.
L o b by i n g e f f o r t s by
Filipino veterans and their
supporters forced the U.S.
Congress to pass legislation
extending benefits, including
the Filipino Veterans Equity
Compensation Fund.
The deadline to apply for
benefits, however, was set for
September 2010, and of the
43,000 claims filed, only
18,929 were approved and
considered eligible.
It was either the Filipino
veterans, most of whom live
in the Philippines, missed the
deadline or their names were
not on the roster of accepted
list provided by the U.S. Army.
Other fell victims to
military politics or outright
racism, veterans advocates
said.
This rare win in the U.S.
Congress to protect the
Filipino veterans fund may
finally bode well for the
veterans, now in their late 80s
and 90s, advocates said.
Inquirer.net
June 19-25, 2015
Page 6
Once a student, Palestinian
returns to PH as envoy
By Nina P. Calleja
The new nonresident
ambassador of conflictafflicted Palestine to the
Philippines was a foreign
student in Manila in the 1980s
up to early '90s who completed
his undergraduate and
graduate studies and learned to
speak fluent Filipino.
Dr. Anwar Al-Agha calls
himself a “product of
Philippine education.”
Last Monday, he presented
his credentials to President
Aquino at Malacañang.
“Marami akong kabarkada
dito (I have many friends
here),” Al-Agha, 48, told the
Inquirer in an interview.
Al-Agha first came to the
Philippines in 1986, just after
the People Power revolution
that toppled the dictator
Ferdinand Marcos.
He took up Mass
Communication at Far Eastern
University from 1986 to 1990,
and after that obtained a
Master of Arts in Teaching and
Doctor of Education from the
University of the East.
“I came here mainly to
study. The Philippines is a
lovely country that maintains a
good quality of education and
where English is the medium of
instruction,” Al-Agha said.
Soon after leaving the
Philippines, he worked as a
television presenter and a
university professor in
Palestine. Later he took posts at
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said he was glad to be
back in the country after two
decades and hoped to enhance
U.S. Congress
seeks ... From page 5
H o w e v e r, c o m m u n i t y
advocates said thousands of
veterans' claims were denied,
usually because US authorities
did not accept records from the
P h i l i p p i n e s , t h e ve t e r a n
soldiers' only means of proving
their service.
US Army retired Maj. Gen.
Antonio Taguba also spoke at
President Aquino receives new Palestinian Ambassador to the
Philippines Anwar Al-Agha at Malacañang. Al-Agha as a young man
studied in the country.
relations between Palestine
and the Philippines.
He is assigned to four other
countries aside from the
Philippines - Malaysia,
Thailand, Brunei and Maldives.
He and his wife are based in
Kuala Lumpur.
He was in the country all of
last week to attend the
Independence Day celebration
in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, on Friday,
along with other members of
the diplomatic corps.
Mugged in Manila
Al-Agha during the
interview spoke fondly of his
student days in the Philippines,
even about the time he was
mugged on Recto Avenue in
Manila.
“I was held up one time
after my class at UE,” he said
chuckling.
He was 25 then and was
close to finishing his studies at
UE. A man approached and
pointed a knife at him.
the press conference on behalf
o f t h e F i l i p i n o Ve t e ra n s
Recognition and Education
Project.
Two F i l - A m ve t e ra n s ,
Purple Heart recipient Maj.
Jesse Baltazar and retired
Senior Chief Petty Officer
Remigio Cabarcar, attended the
press conference.
Very timely
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia
Jr. said the announcement was
very timely as the country
“He was drunk and he
asked for my watch. I told him,
'No, this is not a good watch.' I
dealt with him quietly,” he said.
Instead he gave the man all
his cash amounting to P300.
The man took the money and
was about to walk away when
Al-Agha realized he didn't have
any money left to get home.
“That was terrible. I asked if
he could spare me some
change,” he said, which the
mugger gave him.
Al-Agha said he made a lot
of friends in the Philippines,
some while as a trainee at
network giant ABS-CBN and
who are bigwigs in the industry
now.
During his courtesy call on
President Aquino, Al-Agha
extended the gratitude of
Palestinian Authority
President Mahmoud Abbas for
the Philippines' continued
support of Palestine which has
been locked in a territorial
conflict with Israel. u Page 12
celebrated its Independence
Day on June 12 and prepares to
observe Philippine-American
Friendship Day on the 4th of
July.
“Our friendship has deep
historical roots, which include
fighting side by side in wars for
liberation,” Cuisia said.
“I am pleased to see this
friendship continue to grow and
hope that our veterans receive
the recognition they deserve,”
he said. Inquirer.net
Ex-consul general gets 8 years
for claiming to be UP alum
By Dennis Carcamo
MANILA -- The Sandiganbayan
sentenced a former Philippine consul
general in Japan to eight years in prison
for falsely claiming to be a graduate of a
communication course at the University
of the Philippines.
The anti-graft court also ordered
Maria Lourdes Ramiro-Lopez to pay
P5,000 fine for falsification of a public
document in connection with the entry in
her personal data sheet (PDS).
During the trial of the case,
Ombudsman prosecutors showed
Lopez's school records that she did not
complete the required number of units to
finish the degree of AB Broadcast
Communication in 1970.
"The falsity of the statements made
by the accused in her PDS, specifically her
degree received is confirmed by the
testimonies of competent UP school
officials who attested to the fact that per
school records, the accused did not
graduate and her units cross-enrolled in
Feds arrest ...
From page 1
Throughout these years, the Section
Manager “steered ConEd work to Rudell”,
“supported the awarding of contracts to
Rudell” and “reviewed and authorized
payments to Rudell under those
contracts.”
Bribe concealment
In addition to Rudell, the complaint
also alleged that Quiambao also
controlled another company, Rudicon
Power Corp. which was used to “conceal
payments” made to former employees of
ConEd as part of the bribery and kickback
scheme. Rudicon was not a vendor to
ConEd.
According to the complaint, the
amounts of checks issued from Rudell to
Rudicon and then to the companies that
former ConEd employees owned were
“approximately the same.” Many of the
checks referenced in the memo line
specific projects that Rudell was
performing for ConEd.
Quiambao allegedly helped these
former ConEd employees set up their
respective companies to channel the
bribes that they received.
“For more than a decade, Rodolfo
Quiambao allegedly played dirty to make
sure he received the contracts, and
millions of dollars, that he wanted. And,
ordinary New Yorkers, who rely on Con Ed
for electricity, gas, and steam, bore the
costs,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Currie in a
press statement.
“Today's arrest is one more domino to
fall in a long line of Con Ed employees and
contractors involved in systematic
corruption that has left the consumer to
foot the bill through higher rates,” said
HSI New York Special Agent-in-Charge
Parmer in a press statement. “HSI
remains committed to working with our
law enforcement partners to investigate
and expose money laundering activities
regardless of the scheme.”
The 71-year-old Quiambao faces a
maximum sentence of 10 years in prison
and a $250,000 fine, if convicted.
H-1b Labor dispute
In an unrelated case, in February
2015, Administrative Law Judge Lystra A.
Harris of the U.S. Department of Labor
finalized a January 2013 order by a DOL
administrator that calls for Rudell &
Associates and its president, Quiambao,
to pay about $295,541 in violation of the
H-1B provisions of the Immigration and
Nationality Act.
Miriam College (formerly Maryknoll)
were not credited," the tribunal said in a
decision.
The court ruled that Lopez "took
advantage of her official position when
she filled up her PDS."
The magistrates added that the data
sheet was filled for purpose of her
promotion, giving her a "legal obligation
to disclose the truth of the facts stated in
the documents."
In 2013, the Ombudsman dismissed
Lopez from government service after
finding her administratively liable for
dishonesty, misconduct and conduct
prejudicial to the interest of the service.
Lopez began her career with the
Department of Foreign Affairs as a
Foreign Service Staff Employee I at the
Philippine Consulate in New York City.
She then rose through the ranks and
served as Foreign Service Officer IV, FSO
III, FSO II, FSO I, Counselor and Chief of
Mission II, CM I, Foreign Affairs assistant
secretary and Philippine Consul General
in Osaka, Japan. Philstar.com
The case was filed by 50 H-1B foreign
workers, most of them Filipinos, against
Rudell and Quiambao. In January 2013,
they requested a hearing to seek review of
a determination made earlier that month
by the administrator of the DOL's Wage
and Hour Division.
According to court documents, the
foreign workers claimed that Rudell owed
them a greater amount in wages than the
administrator determined, failed to pay
immigration and other fees, which were
improperly deducted from their wages,
and owed them interest on the back pay to
be awarded.
However, the complainants failed to
attend the scheduled hearing on
September 2013. As a result, Judge Harris
upheld the administrator's
determination (low amount) and ruled
that “it will become the final and
unappealable order of the Secretary of
Labor.” Rudell & Associates and
Quiambao are currently on the DOL's list
of employers who have willfully violated
H-1B program rules. The list was last
updated by the DOL in December.
Honors and achievements
Quiambao is from Sta. Ana, Pampanga
and a graduate of civil engineering from
the Mapua Institute of Technology in
Manila. He came to Seattle in 1968 as an
associate engineer in a Boeing 747
project. Before venturing into his own
business, he worked for Cahn
Engineering, Chemplant Design, Inc. and
Treadwell Corporation. He is married to
Connie, a dentist.
Included in Quiambao's list of
commendable projects as an engineer are
the engineering/architectural interior
design of JFK International Terminal 4
and the Iglesia ni Cristo Church in Forest
Hills, New York. His firm was involved in
the rehabilitation of the World Trade
Center in 2003.
He was elected Grand Marshal by the
Philippine Independence Day Council,
Inc. in 2004. In 2007 he was honored by
the Asian American Business
Development Center in New York as one
of the “Outstanding 50″ individuals with
“outstanding leadership, vision and
accomplishments who have built a
successful business or who have
distinguished themselves within their
community.”
He was also a recipient of the Pamana
ng Pilipino Award given by the Philippine
government. The award is conferred on
“Filipinos overseas who have brought the
country honor and recognition through
excellence and distinction in the pursuit
of their work or profession.” Inquirer.net
June 19-25, 2015
Page 7
PH envoy to UN: Sea row a global concern
Says island-building destroyed ecosystem
By Christine O. Avendaño
As the Philippines marked
Independence Day on Friday, June
12, the United Nations was listening
to the country's call for an
expression of global concern over
China's massive land reclamation in
the South China Sea.
Speaking at the annual meeting
o f S t a t e Pa r t i e s t o t h e U N
Convention on the Law of the Sea
(Unclos) at UN headquarters in New
Yo r k , P h i l i p p i n e Pe r m a n e n t
Representative to the United
Nations Lourdes Yparraguirre said
China's massive land reclamation
activities to build artificial islands in
the South China Sea should concern
the entire international community.
“[China's island-building]
threatens the integrity of the
convention, our constitution for the
o c e a n s ,” Yp a r r a g u i r r e s a i d ,
referring to the Unclos, which 167
countries, including the Philippines
and China, have signed.
The Unclos “defines the rights
and responsibilities” of the
signatories “with respect to the use
o f t h e wo r l d ' s o c e a n s , a n d
establishes guidelines for
businesses, the environment and
the management of marine natural
resources,” the Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Sunday.
In her speech, Yparraguirre
cited instances of China's violations
of Philippine territory and
sovereignty that deprived the
country of its rights to its exclusive
PH Permanent Representative to the
U.N. Lourdes Yparraguirre
economic zone (EEZ). She said that
in 2012, China reneged on a mutual
agreement to withdraw naval
presence from Panatag Shoal
(Scarborough Shoal), located 223
kilometers west of Luzon, well
within the Philippines' 370-km EEZ,
and 1,440 km southeast of the
nearest Chinese coast.
To this day, China controls the
shoal, barring Filipino fishermen
from their traditional fishing
grounds there, she said.
Conduct of claimants
Yparraguirre said that by its
large-scale reclamation work in the
South China Sea, China also violated
the 2002 Association of Southeast
Asian Nations-China Declaration on
the Conduct of Parties in the South
China Sea, the Convention on
Biological Diversity, and the
Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species of Wild
Fauna and Flora.
“To undertake this … ocean
filling or reclamation [China] … has
had to dredge out and pulverize
entire systems of coral reefs that
took many centuries to grow,
reducing them [to] landfill, and thus
devastating the already fragile
marine ecosystem and biodiversity
of the region by irreparably
destroying the habitat of depleted,
threatened or endangered species
and other forms of marine life,” she
said.
Citing data from marine experts,
she said China's destruction of coral
reef systems in the South China Sea
and their transformation into 800
hectares of landfill had resulted in
an estimated economic loss of $281
million annually.
“There should be no attempt to
assert territorial or maritime claims
through intimidation, coercion or
force, including through unilateral
and aggressive action such as
massive, large-scale land
reclamation. There should be no
pattern of forcing change in the
status quo in order to advance a
[claim] of undisputed sovereignty
over nearly the entire South China
Sea,” Yparraguirre said.
PH-claimed reefs
Recent satellite photos showed
Chinese land reclamation at
Philippine-claimed reefs in the
Spratly archipelago, including
Mabini (Johnson South), McKennan
(Hughes), Panganiban (Mischief),
Calderon (Cuarteron), Gavin
(Gaven) and Kagitingan (Fiery
Cross) reefs.
The photos also showed what
appeared to be barracks, port
facilities and an airstrip under
construction, raising fears that
China intends to use the artificial
islands for military purposes.
Yparraguirre said China was
building artificial islands at the reefs
to change the features in the area
ahead of a ruling from the UN
arbitral tribunal on the Philippines'
petition to nullify Beijing's claim to
almost all of the 3.5-million-squarekilometer South China Sea.
Besides the Philippines, Brunei,
Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan also
claim territories in the South China
Sea.
The United States, which is
rebalancing its naval forces to the
Asia-Pacific region, has called for an
“immediate and lasting” halt to
China's island-building, warning
that it is escalating tensions and
undermining peace and stability in
the region.
On June 10, Yparraguirre,
speaking in a forum organized by
the Philippines on the sidelines of
the Unclos meeting, said the South
C h i n a S e a wa s “ a l re a dy a n
environmental crisis” and reminded
the signatories to the convention
that they all shared the duty to
protect and preserve the marine
environment.
Edgardo Gomez, professor
emeritus at the University of the
Philippines Marine Science Institute
and National Scientist of the
Philippines, told the forum that the
annual loss of $281 million due to
the destruction of coral reefs in the
d i s p u te d a re a s a f fe c te d t h e
Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia,
Vietnam and China.
The DFA said Gomez “applied
calculations of ecological
economics” to arrive at the figure.
Gomez called for a stop to the
destruction of coral reefs, as well as
to the exploitation of endangered
species and overfishing and
destructive fishing in the South
China Sea.
'Peace park'
Another expert who addressed
the forum, Youna Lyons, senior
research fellow in the Ocean and
Policy Program of the Center for
International Law of the National
University of Singapore, proposed a
moratorium on further
development and dredging to build
new features in the South China Sea
“in order to save what can be saved.”
Lyons also proposed the
establishment of a “peace park,” as
suggested by marine science
experts, focusing on a
representative network of shallow
features in the Spratly archipelago
in the middle of the South China Sea.
Inquirer.net
The reclamation
activities of China in
Panganiban (Mischief)
Reef, an area within the
Philippines' exclusive
economic zone in the
disputed West
Philippine Sea (South
China Sea), has
progressed in a few
months, latest satellite
images showed.
PH to present China sea
case at Hague next month
Agence France-Presse
MANILA -- The Philippines will argue
its case against China's claim over most of
the disputed South China Sea at The
H a g u e n ex t m o n t h , t h e fo re i g n
department said Monday, June 15.
The Netherlands-based UN court is
scheduled to conduct a hearing from July
7 on a case lodged by the Philippines in
2013 which China has spurned, foreign
department spokesman Charles Jose said.
“Right now we are preparing for the
oral arguments in The Hague on July 7 to
13. Our team from Manila and from the
United States will be flying there,” Jose
told reporters in Manila.
Philippine officials and diplomats,
assisted by US lawyers, will represent the
country in the proceedings, Jose said.
China claims almost all of the South
China Sea, even areas close to the coasts
of its neighbors. Its claim is disputed by
the Philippines as well as Brunei,
Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan.
The waters are a crucial sea lane and
rich fishing ground also believed to hold
large mineral resources.
The Philippines asked the UN
tribunal in January 2013 to declare
China's claim invalid and against
international law.
Manila says some of the areas claimed
by its powerful Asian neighbor encroach
on the former's exclusive economic zone
as defined by a 1982 UN convention on
the law of the sea, which both countries
have ratified.
Recently the Philippines has accused
China of taking more aggressive
measures to press its claim.
These include reclaiming land to turn
previously submerged islets into artificial
islands capable of hosting military
installations.
This has alarmed foreign
governments including the United States
and Japan, raising fears it could
eventually impede freedom of navigation
and commerce.
The Philippines says next month's
hearings will be crucial to the fivemember tribunal's decision on whether
Manila's complaint has legal merit as well
as whether the court has jurisdiction over
the case. Inquirer.net
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June 19-25, 2015
Page 8
Fil-Am's novel sparks drive versus
domestic violence, human trafficking
By Mila de Guzman
SAN FRANCISCO -- “We need to
bring more awareness about
domestic violence and human
trafficking to get more Filipinos
involved in resolving these
problems as a community,” ConsulGeneral Henry Bensurto, Jr. said in
his opening remarks at the “Saving
Beverly” fundraising event held on
June 5 at the Philippine Consulate
here. Bensurto expressed the
Consulate's commitment to partner
with organizations around this
cause.
“Saving Beverly” is a campaign
to bring awareness to the plight of
victims of domestic violence and
human trafficking. The drive began
when a San Diego, California group
sponsored a “Saving Beverly”
gathering last year, inspired by the
novel Mango Bride, the first book by
award-winning author Marivi
Soliven Blanco.
Explaining the genesis of the
campaign's name, Soliven Blanco
said many women had confided in
her that they could relate to
“Beverly,” one of the two main
characters in her novel, whose
dreams for a better life in the U.S.
turned tragic after enduring years
of physical abuse from her
American husband, whom she had
met by mail.
Novel idea
The idea for her book started in
Berkeley 17 years ago, before the
age of email. “I was flabbergasted
when I saw an ad in the East Bay
Express, encouraging men looking
for love to write to women in the
Philippines for a five-dollar fee per
woman.”
Through her job as a Tagalog
interpreter on a domestic violence
hotline, Soliven Blanco, who now
lives in San Diego, became
knowledgeable and passionate
about the plight of Filipino
immigrant women suffering from
domestic violence, leading to her
penning Mango Bride.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the
she and her husband are raising
three children. Now a director of
programs at a non-profit
organization in Portland, Oregon,
Santos Lyons said that she first
hesitated to speak on her
experiences as a survivor of
domestic violence but changed her
mind when she realized that silence
contributed to the culture of
violence.
She related, “A year after we
were married, my ex-husband
turned violent and, with a knife in
his hand, threatened me that he was
not going to give me custody of our
son.”
Instead of keeping the problem
to herself, she started calling a
friend, who patiently listened and
believed in her, becoming her
“hotline.” Having this kind of
support gave her the courage to
leave the marriage and find a safe
place for her and her son.
Award-winning author Marivi Soliven Blanco, reading excerpts from her
novel, Mango Bride, which inspired the Saving Beverly fundraising
event on June 5 in San Francisco.
Philippines Harry Thomas, Jr., the
evening's keynote speaker, stated,
“Domestic violence and human
trafficking are not unique to the
Philippines.” He cited tragic
examples from countries he had
visited during his course of duty.
In the Philippines, he welcomed
hopeful developments, such as the
establishment of an organization in
Baguio called SAVE Our Women,
which provides a safe haven for
victims of domestic violence. In
New York, the Damayan Migrant
Workers Association assists
Filipino domestic helpers who need
housing and legal assistance.
Trafficked Filipinos
Thomas said that in Arizona
there is a growing problem among
Filipinos, who now make up the
largest Asian group in that state. He
noted with alarm that almost 50
percent of human trafficking
victims there are Filipinos, mostly
employed in the elderly care
industry.
“While they enter the country
with working visas, they are
subjected to low pay and poor living
and working conditions,” Thomas
reported. He added that because of
their vulnerable status, these
workers hesitate to work with
groups like the International
Rescue Committee, which assists
people caught in the exploitative
web of human trafficking.
Aimee Santos Lyons is a victim
of domestic violence, but unlike
“Beverly” she has survived her
nightmare of abuse. Santos Lyons is
now in a loving relationship, and
Services available
The Immigration Center for
Women and Children (ICWC) and
Asian Pacific Islander Legal
Outreach (APILO), the Bay Area
beneficiaries of the fundraiser,
provide the type of services needed
by women like Santos Lyons.
Susan Bowyer, the deputy
director of the ICWC, shared the
case of Maria, an undocumented
farmworker in northern California,
who suffered repeated beatings
from her husband.
After the abuser was finally
charged and deported, the ICWC
h e l p e d M a r i a a p p ly fo r a n
immigration status through a
legalization process within the
Violence Against Women Act.
Bowyer reported that Maria has
since become more involved in her
community and has just received
her permanent resident status.
Leah Chen Price, the director of
APILO's Anti-Trafficking Project
said that. not having an
immigration status often prevents
women from leaving their abusive
situations.
She described their direct legal
Top 10 facts you need to know about US immigrants
Inquirer.net
WASHINGTON, DC -- To mark the
second annual Immigrant Heritage
Month, when Americans celebrate
their immigrant roots and tell their
families' stories of sacrifice and
c o n t r i b u t i o n , t h e C e n te r fo r
American Progress published a fact
sheet titled 10 Facts You Need to
Know About Immigrants Today.
Given that immigrants are an
important part of the U.S. economy
and American society, it remains
imperative that the DACA expansion
and DAPA program - which are both
currently held up in the courts - move
forward in order to provide a
temporary but much needed sense of
relief for millions of American
families.
Ultimately, Congress must pass a
permanent pathway to citizenship,
which will add an estimated
cumulative $1.2 trillion to the U.S.
GDP over 10 years, increase the
income of all Americans by an
estimated cumulative $625 billion
over 10 years, and create as many as
145,000 new jobs per year.
Fixing the American immigration
system will ensure that all people
living in the country can maximize
their potential and contribute to a
s h a re d A m e r i c a n p ro s p e r i t y.
Highlights include:
a) There are 41 million foreignborn individuals living in the United
States.
b) The majority of the foreignborn are from Latin America and
Asia, with a small number arriving
from Europe and Africa.
c) Latinos and Asian Americans
are a growing segment of the
American electorate.
d) Across the country, there are
over 904,000 LGBT adult
immigrants.
e) Immigrants play a significant
role in the U.S. economy.
f) There were 11.2 million
undocumented immigrants in the
United States as of January 2012.
g) As of March 2015, close to
750,000 people have applied for the
Deferred Action for Childhood
Arrivals, or DACA, program, and
665,000 people have had their
applications approved.
h) An additional 5 million parents
and DREAMers will receive
temporary work permits and relief
from deportations under the
deferred action programs.
i) The deferred action programs
will significantly boost the U.S.
economy.
j) Undocumented immigrants
paid $11.84 billion in state and local
taxes in 2012.
services, outreach and advocacy to
survivors of domestic violence and
trafficking, which are culturally and
linguistically appropriate for
immigrant clients.
Arati Vasan, an attorney at
APILO, noted that they take into
consideration the cultural barriers
that often keep Filipino and other
women from seeking refuge from
violence, such as being told, “It's
better for the kids if you stay,” or
“Domestic violence does not
happen in our community.”
Va s a n c o m m e n d e d t h e
Philippine Consulate's willingness
to provide interpreters to their
Filipino clients.
Close to home
Before performing his musical
selections, Ro Ambrosio Birco, a
Cantor and Assistant Organist at
Mission Dolores Basilica, revealed
that he was not aware that his
family had been affected by
domestic violence until he read
Mango Bride the night before.
Birco dedicated his a cappella
rendition of Frank Sinatra's song
“My Way,” mentioned in Blanco's
book, to his mother and all those
affected by domestic violence. He
also played on the flute the lilting
“Flor de Manila” (Sampaguita) by
Dolores Paterno.
Michael Magnaye, who
organized the fundraiser, ended the
program on a high note, saying the
gathering was a testament to how
different groups could coalesce to
fight domestic violence and human
trafficking,
The development director at
the National Council on Crime and
Delinquency, Magnaye stated,
“Tonight we see the power of unity
and action. Diplomats, community
activists, philanthropists, writers,
artists, lawyers, non-profit and tech
workers, and members of the
community at large have come
together because we all care about
our immigrant kababayans, whose
v o i c e s n e e d t o b e h e a r d .”
Inquirer.net
MILF: No
second ...
From page 2
MILF forces. According to
the CAB, this should take
p l a c e u p o n t h e
establishment of the
Bangsamoro Transition
Authority (BTA).
The fourth and last
phase will have 100 percent
of the MILF forces
decommissioned. Based on
the CAB, this would take
place upon the election of
Bangsamoro officials of the
new Bangsamoro
autonomous region.
Not surrender
On allegations that the
7 5
f i r e a r m s
decommissioned on
T u e s d a y
w e r e
unserviceable weapons,
Murad said these were all
inspected and verified by
members of the
I n t e r n a t i o n a l
Decommissioning Body
(IDB).
“The IDB saw that all are
functioning. These were all
taken directly from the
ground,” Murad said.
Iqbal said the MILF
leadership held intense
dialogues with their
combatants, which
included explaining that
decommissioning does not
mean “surrender” but
“moving forward.”
“This is not a loss on the
part of the MILF. We gain
something out of it. It is
showing that the MILF is an
entity that complies with its
obligations no matter how
hard it is because it is an
obligation,” Iqbal said.
Inquirer.net
June 19-25, 2015
Page 9
Manhattan Borough President, Ms. Gale Brewer shared remarks
during FYLPRO Summit Welcome Dinner at the Kalaayan Hall in the
Philippine Consulate of New York.
FYLPRO marching with Ambassador Jose Cuisia, Jr., Mrs. Vicky Cuisia,
Consul General Mario De Leon, Jr. and Mrs. Loida Nicolas-Lewis at the
Philippine Independence Day Parade in New York. Photo Courtesy of
Yetbo Loverita
FYLPRO with Mrs. Loida Nicolas-Lewis who shared invaluable
leadership insights to the FYLPRO delegates.
FYLPRO delegates gather in NYC leadership
summit, embarked in strategic planning
NEW YORK -- Delegates of the
Filipino-American Young Leaders
Program (FYLPRO), which started
in 2012 as a brainchild of
Philippine Ambassador to the
United States Jose L. Cuisia Jr,
gathered in NYC this month and
developed strategies that
addressed key advocacies and
legacy projects that promote
development of the Filipino
community in the US and the
Philippines, FYLPRO President Bea
Querido announced.
FYLPRO delegates from around
the United States to include Boston,
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
Maui, San Francisco, Seattle, and
Washington D.C., among other
cities, traveled to the Big Apple to
partake in a series is various
community events and an
important strategic planning
workshop led by FYLPRO delegate
from Los Angeles Ryyn Chua,
Director of Programming.
“The delegates all see the value
of FYLPRO and we want to enhance
it, become self-sustaining and
create the community impact the
Ambassador envisioned,” Chua
said. “We are 40 strong now each
with significant projects and
commitments to our respective
communities - but the workshop
further proved FYLPRO's true
potential.
FYLPRO delegates agreed on
five core values to serve as guiding
principles for the organization:
i n t e g r i t y, i n n o v a t i o n ,
collaboration, pride in being
Filipino, and compassion.
To further explore the group's
mission, the group identified its
core purposes:
Serve as a bridge to connect the
Philippines to FilipinoAmericans
Delegates of the program have
been carefully picked for their
academic, career and communitybuilding excellence. Many
delegates have initiated FYLPRO
legacy projects, to give back and
address issues of interest in the
Philippines.
Examples include Michael Vea
and Angela Cabellon's Teach for the
Philippines, modelled after Teach
for America, a knowledge-process
outsourcing IT company called
Panalo, which bridges entities in
the United States with top-talent
personnel in the Philippines by JR
Calanoc and a textile business
borne to preserve the indigenous
silk-weaving practices of Eri Silk
Worm social enterprise by Jan Paul
Ferrer.
Represent in numbers and
credibility
FYLPRO aims to empower its
delegates to ensure that they hold
key leadership positions in
government, boards and
commissions, corporations and
community groups.
Ryan Letada, founder of
innovative program Next Day
Better, cited how crucial it is to for
the next generation of Fil-Am
leaders to recognize the impact of
“having a say” in community
building. Several delegates also
hold key positions in all levels of
government influence, including
White House Deputy Director of
Asian-American affairs Jason
Tengco to Kauai County Planning
Director Mike Dahilig of Hawaii.
Enhance the Filipino brand by
seeking to discover, design and
define
During the summit, the
delegates dove deep in reasons
why their passion to make a
difference in the Filipino
community is adamant.
“What makes you angry,” Chua
challenged the group.
Representation of Filipinos in
mainstream media may be at its
early stages, with the likes of
esteemed boxer Manny Pacquiao
gaining worldwide recognition, but
there's still significant
stereotyping and non-recognition
about the Filipino culture - in
careers, music, food, fashion,
despite being the second largest
Asian-American population next to
the Chinese in the United States.
Querido further described the
group of FYLPRO delegates to
consist of young leaders with the
ability to creatively navigate the
challenges of our global society.
“This group is edgy,” Querido
added. “We all come from different
backgrounds yet the stories are the
same across the board.
“We all want to see the Filipino
community become a highlyinfluential demographic in the U.S.
and the world.”
The delegates also participated
t h
in the 117
Philippine
Independence Day Parade along
Madison Avenue, spreading
awareness of the program as they
waved the Philippine flag in the
streets of New York.
The weekend also included a
Welcome Dinner with local
government officials and captains
of business to include Mr. Roberto
Llames, President of Enterprise
Solutions, and FYLPro sponsor.
Llames offers his reflection upon
meeting the delegates, “It's so
refreshing to see the vibrancy of
FYLPRO and the qualifications of
a l l t h e d e l e g a t e s a re ve r y
impressive.
The leadership, energy, and
enthusiasm the group exhibits
towards civil engagement as well
as entrepreneurship is so
refreshing to see in a young and
dynamic FilAm community. I sure
wish we had a group similar to
FYLPRO when I started my
c o m p a ny a l o n g t i m e a g o .
Congratulations on a successful
summit and for all the
accomplishments of FYLPRO and I
look forward to FYLPRO
continuing to make a significant
impact for the betterment of the
FilAm community.”
They also met with community
leader Mrs. Loida Nicolas Lewis in
her Manhattan residence where
they discussed the importance of
the participation of the Filipinos in
the United States in the 2016
Philippine elections. Lewis came
away impressed by this group of
[email protected]
leaders, “Bravo to FYLPRO dynamic, ambitious, determined
and compassionate. They are set to
light their world on fire with their
passion. Keep on, my young
leaders!”
“We intend to do the FYLPRO
summit annually to get an update
from all delegates who despite
their busy careers and personal
lives, continue to do legacy projects
to give back to the community,”
Querido said. “This is a worthwhile
endeavor and I urge the support of
the leaders before us, to reach out
and collaborate.”
The new batch of ten FYLPRO
delegates is scheduled to head to
the Philippines in July for the
a n n u a l F Y L P RO l e a d e r s h i p
immersion.
About FYLPRO
F Y L P RO i s a n o n - p r o f i t
organization that was established
in 2012 by Ambassador of the
Republic of the Philippines to the
U.S., Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. and Mrs.
Victoria J. Cuisia in cooperation
with the Ayala Foundation Inc. to
identify, each year, ten outstanding
young professionals in the Filipino
communities across the United
States called FYLPRO delegates.
The leadership immersion in the
Philippines provides the delegates
with invaluable community,
business, and government insights
and access to a distinguished
network of captains in industry
and government.
June 19-25, 2015
Page 10
Land of political dynasts
The 1987 Constitution actually prohibits political dynasties but a staggering 75 percent of the Philippines' political elite
come from politically entrenched families.
To the question of whether she would support the longmoribund antipolitical dynasty bill now being pushed in the
Senate, Sen. Nancy Binay had a quick response: No, she would
not, she said, because if doctors and lawyers are allowed to take
after their parents in the choice of professions, why not the
offspring of politicians? And besides, she argued, why limit the
choices of voters? They get to make the final decision in an
election, anyway, even if candidates are dying to get into public
office. (“Eh kami, kahit gustong-gusto naming maging public
official, for as long as the people don't vote you into office, eh
hindi ka magkakaroon ng posisyon.”)
It didn't take long for an actual physician to respond to the
senator's analogy. As Dr. Toto Carandang of the Philippine
General Hospital wrote in an open letter on social media, “we do
not earn our degrees by popularity or democratic voting. We
earn it.” Indeed. Medical personnel, along with those in most
other professions, endure arduous years of study and
preparation before they are given the license to practice, and
only if they hurdle the qualifying examinations in their field.
No such examinations are required of politicians, only the
capacity to present a facsimile of sincerity before the voting
throng, the capacity to charm and say the right words before an
expectant audience. To be fair, a number of politicians have
recognized the need to prepare for public service, and thus take
up courses in public administration, say, to better understand the
legal and structural underpinnings of government, or kick off
their political careers from the bottom rungs, to better get a
handle on the gut-level grind of public governance.
Senator Binay, along with others like her in Congress, did
neither. For many years she toiled in obscurity as a “personal
assistant” to her parents as they took turns as mayor of Makati,
before her father vaulted to the vice presidency on the strength of
his trumpeted achievements as chief executive of the
Philippines' wealthiest city. She held no elective or appointive
position in government that would have somehow prepared her
for work as a public servant, let alone a senator of the realm. She
had no known positions on any public policy, she articulated no
argument on any of the burning social and political issues of the
day. In short, she, along with others like her, sallied forth solely on
the strength of who she was.
And in Philippine politics, who she was was in fact her ticket
to the Senate, on her very first electoral try. Would she have
picked up votes outside Makati had not her father been the VP,
and had not his formidable, well-oiled war machinery heaved
into action? Would people have taken so much as a second look at
this virtual unknown, had it not been for her surname and all that
came with it? Many others more well-known to the populace and
who have accrued substantial political gravitas to their names Risa Hontiveros, Teddy Casiño, among others - all floundered at
the polls; Nancy Binay triumphed because of her being her
father's daughter.
Her argument that the choice should be left to voters, as in
her case, neglects to mention that, with political dynasties, voters
are left with hardly any choice. With power and influence
concentrated in dynastic families for years, even decades, the
electoral system is eventually skewed to favor them and their
u Page 12
PH EB-3 Visa Preference
Unavailable for July
Every fiscal year a limited
number of immigrant visas are
made available for each preference
category. If the visa demand for a
particular category is excessive
and could not be satisfied by the
number of visas allotted each year,
the category is oversubscribed.
The cut-off date indicated in
the visa bulletin released by the
Department of State each month is
the priority date of the first visa
applicant who could not be
reached within the limit. A visa
number is immediately available to
an applicant whose priority date is
before the cut-off date.
The cut-off date for a particular
category may advance, remain
unchanged, retrogress and even be
listed as unavailable depending on
the visa demand.
Opinion
By Oscar Franklin Tan
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Joseph G. Lariosa
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
When Dan Brown described
Manila as “the gates of hell,” no less
than the Metro Manila
Development Authority chair
protested. When Hong Kong
columnist Chip Tsao called his
Filipino kasambahay (domestic
helper) a potential enemy of the
state, no less than our consul
general there responded. Yet when
a racial slur against ChineseFilipinos is published mere days
before Independence Day, no one
speaks out.
No less than National Artist for
Literature F. Sionil José wrote these
hurtful words in his Philippine Star
column: “[M]any of our ethnic
The July 2015 visa bulletin
shows that the U.S. Department of
State did not assign a priority date
for the Philippine employmentbased third preference (EB-3) for
skilled workers, professionals and
other workers, and instead listed it
as “unavailable.”
In the past two months, the
priority date for the Philippine EB3 has significantly retrogressed,
rolling back seven years and three
months in May, and moving back
another two years and six months
in June. Despite the roll back, the
visa demand under this category
remained high. The Department of
State therefore made this category
“unavailable” to keep the visa use
within the annual limit.
“Unavailable” means that the
quota for the Philippine EB-3 has
been used. It is of course possible
that the EB-2 category may have
some unused visa numbers that
may be available for September
use. If not, then visa numbers
under this category will become
available on October 1, 2015, the
start of the new fiscal year.
The EB-3 cut-off date for all
other countries except China and
India will move forward by one
month and seventeen days, to April
1, 2015.
The cut-off date for China's
employment-based third
preference for skilled workers and
professionals will remain at
September 1, 2011 and other
workers will also remain at
January 1, 2006. Meanwhile, EB-3
cut-off date for India will move by
ten days to February 1, 2004.
The employment-based
second preference (EB-2) will
remain current for all countries
except China and India. China's
second preference cut-off date will
move by four months to October 1,
2013 while India's cut-off date will
u Page 12
Anti-Chinese-Filipino
slurs are invisible
Chinese will side with China so I
will not ask anymore on whose side
they will be if that war breaks out. I
will ask instead my
countrymenthey who are aware of
our revolutionary and heroic
traditionthe Filipinos who revere
Mabini, Rizal, all those who
sacrificed for this land and people:
'What will you do now?'”
Chinese-Filipino friends
spontaneously asked if José wants
to force us into internment camps,
as 120,000 Japanese-Americans
were during World War II. Such
spontaneous responses from
nonlawyers are bone-chilling. In
1944, US Supreme Court justices
rejected Fred Korematsu's
challenge to the exclusion order
that forced him out of California,
citing unprecedented concerns
regarding espionage and that
“hardships are part of war.” It is one
of very few decisions to validate
government action based solely on
race.
Justice Frank Murphy's dissent
used the word “racism” for the first
time in a US high court opinion.
Justice Robert Jackson, later US
chief prosecutor at Nuremberg,
framed how the crime “consists
merely of being present in the state
whereof he is a citizen, near the
place where he was born, and
where all his life he has lived.”
Korematsu ranks among the
most reviled of US judicial
decisions, second only to the
decision that upheld slavery, and
senior government lawyers turned
out to have suppressed the lack of
u Page 14
June 19-25, 2015
Page 11
The folly of our 'freedom’
own identity is as yet a dream, a
hope of those who strive for real
independence and freedom. Those
who fought and died opposing
dictators and foreign powers, did so
in vain, many a historian would
claim.
These idealistic sentiments of
national independence make many
an educated, thinking and
intelligent Filipino squirm with
embarrassment, frustration and
shame. Others fume with repressed
fury, anger and frustration. They
see so plainly that such magnificent
values and ideals that once inspired
the freedom fighters to fight and to
die now see them betrayed,
trampled and shredded.
Such freedom dreams are the
s t u f f o f I n d e p e n d e n c e D ay
speeches that are repeated at
boring college graduations where
the majority of students and
parents are giggling, tittering and
checking their Facebook profiles
and taking selfies non-stop. Few are
listening with attention to the once
long lost ideals of what it is to be a
free nation.
The reality today is a divided
and conquered people. To be
conquered is a tragedy, but to be
conquered and not know it is the
greatest tragedy of all. The once
beautiful Philippines is a nation of
100 million people ruled by 140
dynastic families. Perhaps twenty
of them are the mega rich who are
mightier than the rest. All have
countless relatives and provincemates imbedded in the heart and
veins of government sucking the
life energy of the people into their
own financial blood streams.
The stock market booms for the
few yet the nation is impoverished,
made a mighty slum. It
manufactures little, imports almost
all. There is no ability to defend or
the poor to prosper. The corruption
of the elite has siphoned the wealth
into the accounts of the ruling elite
and dynastic families and the
coffers of the multinationals. They
u Page 12
Freedom can mean many
things. On Independence Day, what
is remembered and celebrated is
freedom from colonial rule, from
occupation by another nation.
Some politicians and nationalists
celebrate it as the “granting of
Independence,” as if it was a gift
that was bestowed by a generous
colonial power and for which we
should be forever grateful. In fact it
is a right to be regained.
Hundreds of thousands of
Filipinos fought and died in bloody
atrocious wars against the Spanish
and then soon after, against the
American occupying forces and
later against the Japanese. We must
remember that nothing was “given”
that was not first taken away by
force of arms.
There is no gift of sovereignty
and independence is a sacred right
for people to rule themselves and
freely elect their own leaders.
National Freedom for a people
is to freely chart ones own destiny,
write a constitution, elect a
government of the people, for the
people, by the people, who can
freely choose those who will serve
them with loyalty, integrity,
honesty and sacrifice.
They want their leaders to be
wise, educated, dedicated to
building a nation where the great
universal values of human and
economic rights and rule of just
laws are respected and practiced
equally for all. The Filipino patriots
who fought for freedom wanted a
nation like that, where there would
be equal opportunity and freedom
to live a dignified life and to prosper
by hard work.
A nation where the national
resources and wealth are used
fairly to generate wealth that is
distributed fairly and which
provides the means to live out the
values enshrined in the
constitution. Independence is
supposed to bring this great benefit
and many fought and died for such a
freedom.
True independence is to be free
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
Will Aquino frustrate Roxas' presidential
dream again?
The call of Liberal Party's
Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice for Sen.
Grace Poe to be more transparent
on the issue of her residency in the
Philippines signals the drawing of
the line between Poe and the
Liberal Party's presidential bet,
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.
Erice was quoted as saying that
he believes that the lady senator,
whose surging popularity makes
her the frontrunner in the 2016
presidential elections, is a natural
born Filipino citizen and should
have no problem with the
Constitutional requirement of
citizenship for the presidency.
Erice said it's in the
requirement of a 10-year
residency immediately preceding
before the election that it's not
clear whether Poe is qualified or
not. “”Si Senator Poe is a natural
born Filipino, wala dapat magquestion doon. But I think Senator
Grace should be more transparent
as far as accusation she's been
using US passport 2006, 2007,
2009, according to former Senator
Tatad,” the LP congressman said.
Erice sounded like United
Nationalist Alliance interim
president and Navotas City Rep.
Toby Tiangco who first exposed
the issue of Poe's residency after
the lady senator turned down Vice
President Jejomar Binay's offer for
her to be his running mate.
Roxas also wanted Poe to be his
running mate but the latter also
declined.
The message behind Erice's
Opinion
By Fr. Shay Cullen
PREDA Foundation
from the restraining and
controlling power of any powerful
and dominant nation and to be free
from the economic chains and
political engineering of
m u l t i n a t i o n a l c o r p o ra t i o n s .
Sovereignty is the golden word of
national freedom and expresses the
values that can bring a people to a
dignified life free from poverty,
hunger, oppression, sickness,
homelessness, unemployment and
exploitation.
In the Philippines, a real sense
of patriotic nationhood, a nation in
diversity but united proudly in its
statement is: “Don't run now. Do it
in 2022 when you have met the
residency requirement.”
Or to be more blatant about it,
Erice is telling Grace, “Don't run
against our candidate, Mar Roxas.”
LP is worried because indications
are getting clearer that Poe might
run for president as an
independent with Sen. Chiz
Escudero as vice president.
Sources said a number of
businessmen, known to be sources
of election campaign funds are
encouraging Poe to run.
The popular Poe running as
president has rendered askew the
plans of the Liberal Party for Roxas
i n
2 0 1 6 .
LP leaders thought that Binay, who
defeated Roxas in the 2010 vice
presidential race, was the only
block to Roxas' finally making it to
Malacañang in 2016 after he gave
up that dream in 2010 in favor of
Aquino.
LP thought they succeeded in
getting rid of Binay as a contender
in the 2016 race after the Senate
B l u e R i b b o n s u b c o m m i t te e
investigation on the allegedly
ove r p r i c e d M a ka t i Pa r k i n g
Building 2 led to more exposes of
the Binay's unexplained wealth.
Binay and his son, Makati
Mayor Junjun Binay are facing
plunder charges before the
Ombudsman. It is expected that
the charges would be filed before
the Sandiganbayan soon which
could lead to possible detention of
the vice president. His wife, former
Makati Mayor Elenita Binay, is also
facing graft charges.
While Binay's rating continues
to decline, Poe's soars. Roxas,
meanwhile, remains among the
cellar dwellers.
The entry of Poe in the
presidential race gives Aquino a
choice to endorse a candidate with
better chance of winning in the
2016 elections to protect him once
he is out of Malacañang.
Supporters of Roxas say that
Aquino has been known not to
abandon a friend in difficult times.
But political observers point out,
“Is Mar among those considered by
Aquino as 'close friend'?''
Roxas is not a Ronnie Puno or
an Alan Purisima. He was not even
taken into confidence by Aquino in
the Mamasapano operation.
After failing to bring Poe in to
their fold to contain her political
surge, The Liberal Party is now
joining UNA's efforts to disqualify
u Page 12
her.
surrenders in the past, many of us
take a more realistic, historical
view.
For instance, has the
government ever come up with an
audit or a study that tracked the
surrender of rebel firearms in the
past, found out what the rebels
who got money in exchange for
yielding their guns did with their
state-given windfalls and even
discovered how many of the
weapons that were actually turned
in got “lost” or were returned
eventually to insurgent hands? In
all likelihood, there has never been
such an audit or study, which is
why Aquino can tell everyone who
cares to listen that what he
witnessed yesterday was actually
something new.
Needless to say, Aquino
p ro b a b ly b e l i eve s t h a t h i s
negotiations with the MILF are
unique, as well, forgetting that so
many of these talks have been
conducted, with varying levels of
success before. In the case of the
previous administration, the bid to
carve out a new homeland for the
Moro rebels in Mindanao even got
as far as the holding of a plebiscite
and a suit in the Supreme Court,
where the Memorandum of
Agreement on Ancestral Domain
was struck down as
unconstitutional.
Aquino and his administration
can't even guarantee that their
draft Bangsamoro Basic Law, the
contemporary version of Gloria
Arroyo's MoA-AD, will pass in
Congress, be voted upon in a
plebiscite or be questioned in the
high court in the time that he has
u Page 12
Self-delusion
Those who cannot remember
the past, the philosopher George
Santayana famously noted, are
condemned to repeat it. Yes,
including the mistakes.
In the history-free fantasy
world inhabited by President
Noynoy Aquino, the turnover of
about one percent of the known
not actual, mind you - firearms of
the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
is a “groundbreaking” event. The
surrender of rebel arms to the
government, of course, has been
going on since there have been
internal rebellions in modern
times, including those of the
Hukbalahap, the Moro National
Liberation Front or the New
People's Army.
Of course, yesterday's
ceremony in Sultan Kudarat,
where Aquino himself witnessed
the “decommissioning” of the rebel
guns, is new to him, because this is
the only time that he has become
President. And because Aquino
will no longer be President in
about a year from now, it's safe to
say that he won't be able to
guarantee that the same firearms
that were surrendered to the
government now won't return to
rebel hands later.
Then there's the small matter
of the money and other benefits
given by the Aquino government to
the rebels who gave up their
firearms. Given the illicit trade in
firearms that has gone on for
generations in Mindanao, where
they say the locals would rather
part with their spouses before
surrendering their guns, how can
the government - any government,
not just this guarantee that the
Sultan Kudarat event will end the
proliferation of such weapons
there?
In other words, how can
anyone be sure that the rebels will
not use the P25,000 each that they
received from the government to
buy new and more lethal weapons?
And how many international
monitoring teams will be needed
to stop the Moro rebels from
upgrading the vintage Garand
rifles and other ancient guns like
the ones they surrendered into
better killing implements?
If, like Aquino, everything that
happens to you is new, then you
may be forgiven if you're as
optimistic as he is. But because
we've had so many such “symbolic”
June 19-25, 2015
Page 12
154th
birthday gift
for Rizal ...
respect it.
For his part, Manila Mayor
Joseph Estrada said he would
study the court order before
issuing a comment.
From page 3
House applauds decision
In the House of
Representatives, members of
the committee on Metro Manila
development, who castigated
DMCI for proceeding with the
project despite CDO issued by
the NCCA, applauded the TRO.
Quezon City Rep. Winston
Castelo, committee chair, said
the high court's decision
showed that “our monuments
and shrines are supreme over
altering our skyline.”
Castelo hoped the tribunal
would move to have the
structure demolished.
Akbayan Rep. Ibarra
Gutierrez said the TRO was a
vindication of the efforts of
Manila Vice Mayor
Fra n c i s c o “ I s ko M o re n o”
Domagoso, presiding officer of
the City Council, welcomed the
TRO against DMCI Homes Inc.,
saying that the stay order settles
the public clamor for a stop to
the construction of the tower.
“We expect DMCI Homes
I n c . t o c o m p ly w i t h t h e
restraining order, and at the
same time, present its legal
d e f e n s e d u r i n g t h e o ra l
arguments,” Domagoso said in a
statement.
Domagoso said the City
Council would wait for the high
court's final decision and
Self-delusion ...
From page 11
remaining in Malacanang. And
yet they can claim with straight
faces - yes, including people like
top government peace process
official Teresite Deles, who has
really seen all of this before that what is going on is really
something new.
It's bad enough that Aquino
and his minions have deluded
themselves into believing that
they have invented the peace
process and that they will be the
ones who will silence the guns
in war-torn Mindanao. But
when they start asking us to buy
into the delusion, as well, that's
when the trouble really starts.
Because I don't really know
if anyone in his right mind will
accept that the same MILF that
can't even return the guns of the
Fallen 44 is really sincere when
it takes the government's
money for antique guns that no
self-respecting rebel will even
touch. Aquino can persist in his
delusion - as for me, I'm not
biting.
***
The performance of
Philippine athletes in the just-
Congress and citizens to bring
to public attention the
impropriety of the DMCI
project.
“I hope that it will be an
initial step toward a permanent
injunction to protect the
sanctity of the Rizal Monument
skyline and uphold historical
heritage over rampant
c o m m e r c i a l i z a t i o n ,” s a i d
Gutierrez in a text message.
A ko B i c o l Re p . Ro d e l
Batocabe said the Supreme
Court showed its “progressive
and activist bent” by not
allowing corporations to
desecrate symbols of
independence.
“This is not only a simple
case of a photobomber but more
importantly, it is an issue of
preserving our heritage and
legacy for the next generation,”
Batocabe said. Inquirer.net
ended Southeast Asian Games
in Singapore is like the
performance of the entire
country under the Aquino
administration: People are
asking us to be happy about
rising a notch from the previous
seventh-place finish overall to
sixth overall, like it's the best
thing that ever happened to us.
Of course, we used to
always dominate our neighbors
in sports before, like we used to
dominate the Asean economy.
No more.
Now we're supposed to be
overjoyed to be sixth in a field of
11. Hooray.
Once a student ...
From page 6
In 2012, the Philippines was among
the 138 countries that voted in favor of
t h e U n i te d N a t i o n s re s o l u t i o n
recognizing Palestine as a nonmember
state.
In 1947, the Philippines was also
among the first countries to vote for the
two-state solution to the PalestineIsrael conflict.
Will Aquino ...
From page 11
A sign of desperation.
Last June 15 I wrote that the
difficulty of Binay to get persons he is
eyeing as running mate to accept his
offer does not augur well for his
presidential bid.
But, even if Manila Mayor Joseph
Estrada declined Binay's offer for him
to be his running mate in the 2016
elections, the latter can still retain the
The folly of ...
From page 11
rule to benefit themselves and their
multinational partners and they favor
foreign powers both military and
economic. The majority of the 100
million Filipinos are excluded from the
growing prosperity of the elites. The
people have been captured,
imprisoned, exploited and no end is in
sight. When serious opposition arises
the local politicians take care of it. They
rule by fear. As I previously wrote; They
issue threats of execution and impose
the death penalty for so-called
unspecified crimes, crimes that are not
investigated, are undocumented,
unknown and for which there is no
evidence, no accusers, or prosecution
and trial. The innocent are judged guilty
and killed.
It is state sanctioned murder. But it
works. The politician points a finger,
utters a name, sends a text, makes a call
and the victims journalists, pastors,
priests, human rights workers, even
PH EB-3 visa ...
From page 10
remain at October 1, 2008. Also, the
employment-based fifth preference
(EB-5) will remain current for all
countries except China. The EB-5 cutoff date for China will move by four
months to September 1, 2013. All the
other employment preferences will
remain current for all countries.
The family-based preferences (F-1
to F-4) will move slowly. The worldwide
preference cut-off dates are as follows:
F-1 (unmarried sons and daughters of
U.S. citizens) October 1, 2007; F2A(spouses and children of permanent
“We thank the Philippines and the
Filipino people for supporting the full
recognition of the state of Palestine. We
hope that very soon we will have a
better situation,” Al-Agha said.
Palestine closed its embassy in
Manila in the '90s due to financial
constraints, he noted.
But Al-Agha said he hoped the
relations between Palestine and the
Philippines would improve once the
political situation in his country got
better. Inquirer.net
team title that he coined: BEST (BinayEstrada).
Binay can get Sen. Jinggoy Estrada
who has been charged with plunder for
his misuse of his Priority Development
Assistance Fund and is currently in
detention as his running mate. That
would still be BEST.
Last June 15 on the sidelines during
the hearing of his plunder case, Sen.
Estrada was asked if he would be open
to run as vice president to Binay. His
answer, “Why not?”
There's Binay's BEST.
street children are shot or stabbed
dead. It is the way of some powerful
politicians to assert and hold power
over others from whom they demand
submission and docility, praise and
adulation.
It is murder on a grand scale, but
one by one.
It is a ruling system of tyrannical
dictatorship in a fake democracy. It is
killing done in the name of public
service. How gullible and ignorant are
those who swallow that lie and praise
the tyrants and their “safe” cities. These
elites will rise to even greater power
and any appearance of 'Independence'
will be truly gone.
People have to be given faith and
believe that change is possible, that
Eternal Goodness is a force for freedom.
They need to be organized, awakened,
educated, inspired to struggle for
justice and resist the rule by the few
over the many. It's risky, the death
squads are ready and waiting and the
true patriots are all dead. Or are they?
[email protected]
residents) November 8, 2013; F-2B
(adult unmarried sons and daughters of
permanent residents) October 15,
2008; F-3 (married son and daughters
of U.S citizens) March 15, 2004 and F-4
(brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens)
October 22, 2002.
The Philippine cut-off dates are: F-1
March 15, 2000; F-2A November 8,
2013; F-2B May 15, 2004; F-3 August
22, 1993 and F-4 December 8, 1991.
(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) 6955281.)
Land of political dynasts ... From page 10
scions every time, their wealth and reach giving them undue advantage to
harness the public will by feudal patronage, by vote-buying, or, if necessary,
in certain areas of the country, by violence and harassment.
The “equal access to opportunities for public service” mandated by the
Constitution has gone out the window, and the country is left with more of
the same - the same surnames, the same faces, the same vested interests, the
same historic ills.
Take it from how the members of the House reacted to the idea of the
antipolitical dynasty bill being given a second reading: They threatened to
walk out of the plenary, and so got the planned vote scuttled. It's the nation's
turn to walk out for good from this corrupt and corrupting setup. Congress
must pass the antipolitical dynasty bill, or let it die trying. Inquirer.net
June 19-25, 2015
Page 13
Nominate Great Pinoy Teachers for “Nobel
for Teaching” One-Million-Dollar Prize
June 11, 2015
Va r k e y
Foundation has officially opened
the nominations and application
process for the Global Teacher
Prize 2016. The award is
considered by some as the “Nobel
Prize for Teaching”, with 1 million
USD presented annually to the
teacher with greatest
contributions globally. In March
2015, former US President Bill
Clinton handed the prize to Ms.
Nancie Atwell (US). The judging
panel, known as the “Global
Teacher Prize Academy”, consists
of head-teachers, educational
experts, commentators,
journalists, public officials, tech
entrepreneurs, company directors
and scientists from around the
world. The panel includes Dr.
James E. Ryan, Dean, Graduate
School of Education, Harvard
University; Ms. Carina Wong,
Deputy Director, Bill & Melinda
Gates Foundation; Ms. Lila
Ibrahim, Chief Business Officer,
Coursera; and Dr. Tuan Pham,
Founder, Topica Edtech Group.
“This is just the beginning of
the road. The truth is that there is
never any reward that will be
enough to fully repay the debt we
all owe to our teachers.” President
Bill Clinton shared.
Ms. Nancie Atwell, the teacher
honored with the Prize in 2015,
founded the Center for Teaching &
Learning as a demonstration
school in 1990. The independent
Former US President Bill Clinton and Other Dignitaries Presenting Global Teacher Prize to 2015 Winner Nancie Atwell
K-8 school based in Edgecomb,
Maine, has gained recognition for
its small class sizes, researchbased curriculum and teacher
training programs. The majority of
her students excel in high school,
and 97% matriculate to college or
university. Ms. Atwell has also
become known for readingwriting workshops where children
have the freedom to choose what
they read and can tackle as many as
40 books a year. Her 1998 book
about these workshops, In The
Middle, has sold more than half a
million copies and has become a
blueprint for other teachers across
the U.S. She plans to use all of the
prize money for her school. Among
her top priorities are expanding
the school's library system and
maintaining diversity among its
student body, giving tuition
assistance to 80 percent of them.
Former Presidents and Prime
Ministers of nearly 30 countries
280 Luis Munoz Marin Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07302
have issued a Pledge to Restore
Teacher Respect. According to it,
“Frequently the ills of society are
laid at the door of teachers. They
are blamed for everything from a
decline in manners among young
people to a lack of basic skills in the
workplace. They have even, on
occasion, been blamed for a
country's poor economic
performance.”
Dr. Tuan Pham, Founder of
Topica Edtech Group, and member
of the Academy of Global Teacher
Prize, shared: “This Prize aims to
honor the great contributions of
Teachers, so that children around
the world will dream of becoming
g re a t te a c h e r s t h e m s e lve s .
Teachers are providing inspiration
and knowledge for the young
generation to tackle the world's
problems: climate change,
diseases and poverty. They are also
s p a r k i n g c r e a t i v i t y, a n d
encouraging people to move
forward, and therefore advancing
human civilization”.
This meaningful and
honorable global prize is still less
known in South East Asia, so many
teachers with great contributions
may be in a disadvantage of not
being nominated and honored.
Therefore Topica's founder was
invited to the judging panel as a
Young Global Leader honored by
the World Economic Forum, and
representing an organization with
strong contributions to education
in the Philippines, Indonesia,
u Page 27
Pioneering teacher
Loline Lualhati-Reed
laid to rest in London
Page 14
201-333-8060
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
June 19-25, 2015
Page 14
Pioneering teacher Loline Lualhati-Reed
laid to rest in London
By Melissa Legarda Alcantara
Filipino cuisine
is world's 2nd
best - CNN poll
By Yuji Vincent Gonzales
In the same manner that “a
way to a man's heart is through
his stomach,” the way to get to
know a nation's culture better is
through its cuisine.
This was CNN's message in
its latest listing of culinary
hotspots, where the Philippines
was hailed the second best food
destination in the world.
Garnering a total of 1,528
votes from Facebook users,
Filipino cuisine ranked behind
topnotcher Taiwan, which
recorded 8,242 votes.
“Blessed with an abundance
of seafood, tropical fruits and
creative cook, there's more to
Filipino food than the mindboggling balut (duck embryo),”
CNN said in its report on
Monday, June 15.
The CNN report highlighted
the world-famous adobo, which
it said was originally Mexican
that Filipinos devised as a
cooking method.
“Adobo, for instance, is an
ubiquitous dish whipped up in
every household in the
Philippines. It's Mexican in
origin, but Filipinos found that
cooking meat (often chicken and
pork) in vinegar, salt, garlic,
pepper, soy sauce and other
spices, was a practical way to
preserve meat without
refrigeration,” the report said.
CNN also cited festival
mainstay lechon or roasted pig:
“Lechon, meanwhile, is the
Philippines' most popular party
guest. An entire pig is spitroasted over coals, with the
crisp, golden-brown skin served
with liver sauce, the most
coveted part.”
A m o n g o t h e r fe a t u re d
dishes from other countries
were Taiwan's famous beef
noodles, Italy's parmigianoreggiano, Thailand's fried
chicken, Japan's Kobe beef sushi,
Hong Kong's steamed soup
dumplings, India's Bengali food
platter, Greece's skewers of
grilled kebab on pita bread, and
Vietnam's cruncy spring rolls.
Eight of ten countries in the
list are from Asia.
“Filipino food isn't as well
known as the other cuisines on
this list, but with more than
7,000 islands and a colorful
history, this archipelago has
some delicious dishes of its
own,” the news website added.
Inquirer.net
Anti-ChineseFilipino ...
From page 10
evidence that submarines were
lurking along the US West Coast and
contacting Japanese-American
sympathizers. US presidents since
1976 have denounced the
internment as a national mistake.
Wikipedia summarizes: “The forced
relocation and incarceration [were]
determined to have resulted more
from racism and discrimination
among whites on the West Coast,
rather than any military danger
posed by the Japanese Americans.”
My friends' other reactions
spanned indignation and
befuddlement. One raised ethnic
cleansing. Another quipped that his
peers do not even cheer for China in
basketball, much less a maritime
border dispute. Another recalled her
grandmother's pride at serving as a
nurse for Filipino guerrillas. The
most pained reactions came from
the youngest. Those below 25 could
not think of a single pro-China
friend. A student sent me a
screenshot of Facebook users
talking about attacking their
Chinese-Filipino neighbors the
moment hostilities break out.
My Chinese-Filipino friends
would laugh at the thought of
defecting to China. Studying in the
United States, I felt I built rapport
with my mainland Chinese
classmates despite their impatience
with my broken Mandarin.
This illusion was shattered
when they held a separate Chinese
New Year celebration, inviting only
Chinese-American students born in
China. Later, one sheepishly
explained that they did not find their
overseas Chinese classmates
LONDON -- A beloved Filipina
pioneer and teacher, Loline Lualhati
Reed, who dedicated her life to
promoting international relations
with the Philippines and improving
the lives of Filipino migrant workers
abroad, passed away at the age of 72.
Her funeral took place here in
London on June 16.
After suffering a brain aneurysm
on the evening of May 25 2015,
Loline slipped into a coma and did
not regain consciousness. She was
transferred to hospital and placed
on life support while doctors
searched for possible transplant
patients, because she had wished to
be an organ donor.
In the morning of May 27, when
it became apparent that no suitable
recipients could be found, due to her
rare blood type for the UK, the
hospital withdrew Loline's life
support. She passed away peacefully
and without pain, surrounded by her
immediate family of husband
Kenneth, children James and Diana,
and her son-in-law Nicolas.
Following Loline's passing,
Kenneth told his children, “She had a
good life, a good death, and we all got
to be there.”
Loline was born in 1942 in Taal,
Batangas, at the ancestral house of
her relative Marcela Mariño de
Agoncillo. She was one of the
original members of the Bayanihan
National Folk Dance Company of the
Philippines and later taught at the
Philippine Women's University in
Manila.
In 1967, she married Dr.
Kenneth Reed, an Australian
micropaleontologist, at Malate
Church, before moving to Lagos in
Nigeria, where he worked for an oil
company and she worked at the
Philippine Embassy. Together the
couple had two children, Diana and
James, who are both based in the UK.
Loline was widely regarded for
her invaluable contributions to
helping Filipinos establish
themselves in Europe, and especially
in Britain. She was known for her
passionate work as a board member
of the Global Filipinos Diaspora
Council, as president of the InterCultural Society of London, as
chairman of Welcome to London
International Club and chairman of
the Overseas Women's Club.
Loline also co-founded the
Filipino Women's Association in the
UK, and was instrumental in
establishing a chapter of the EnglishSpeaking Union (ESU) in the
Philippines. Loline and her husband,
Kenneth, hosted student
participants at their own home
when they came to compete in
London ESU contests.
In the 1980s, Loline initiated and
actively participated in campaigns
against Philippine sex tourism and
the trafficking of women and
children. Through these campaigns,
she became acquainted with the
founding members of OFW charity,
Kalayaan, in its fledgling days. Six
years later, as the collapse of the
Marcos dictatorship loomed, Loline
was one of the two people who
inaugurated the “Vote Aquino”
campaign in Europe.
Loline's tremendous
accomplishments for her country
did not go unnoticed. In 2006, she
was honored with the Banaag
Presidential Award, closely followed
by the Nicanor Reyes Medal for
Outstanding Work in International
and National Service from the Far
Eastern University of the Philippines
in 2008; she received the Hall of
Fame and CAPA Awards from the
Philippine Women's University.
Loline's daughter, Diana, set up a
Facebook page in tribute to her
mother's memory. Hundreds of
family, friends and acquaintances
shared moving and personal
memories of Loline, the
Chinese enough.
Our mindsets were worlds
apart. I found a coveted seat in Prof.
Laurence Tribe's constitutional law
class (he taught President Barack
Obama, Chief Justice John Roberts,
and Inquirer publisher Raul
Pangalangan) after a Chinese
classmate dropped out, completely
dazed after the first lecture on free
speech. Similarly, none of my
Singaporean friends see me as
anything other than Filipino.
What shocks me, however, is
how the racist slur seems invisible. I
was deeply hurt when I first saw
José's words prominently quoted on
Facebook by a former Cabinet
secretary who I know as a great
patriot, to the protest of his own
Chinese-Filipino friends.
One friend told me to calm down
as there are tensions on both sides
and he heard stories of Chinese
harassing Filipino workers in China.
I responded that José's writeup
features only Filipinos. A friend who
graduated from law with honors
saw the slur merely as a rhetorical
question.
I cannot celebrate
independence when I can be so
casually told in public that I am less
of a Filipino or a person solely
because my grandparents were
immigrants. Do we subconsciously
insist on defining patriotism as an
accident of birth instead of a
lifetime's conviction? How do we
continually decry mistreatment of
Filipinos overseas yet tolerate such
vitriol at home?
We should all be more critical of
what we read. I decried a former
Court of Appeals justice proposing
that a Philippine Islamic State in
Syria might emerge because
Congress may suspend separation of
church and state in Mindanao, which
is legally impossible. Last June 13,
Lualhati Reed (in front) with Bayanihan, Itik-Itik at Winter Garden Theater on
Broadway. Inset: Loline Lualhati Reed, 1942-2015. Contributed photos
warmhearted Filpina who touched
their lives.
“I first met Loline when she
helped organize 'East Meets West,' a
concert featuring Ballet Manila,”
wrote one family friend. “She
worked very hard and was always
very kind… A true lady and patron of
the arts… a loving mother [and] a
devoted wife… Thank you so much
for the so many lives you have
enriched just by knowing you.”
A fellow alumna of Far Eastern
University recalled how Loline
“would always find time to visit or
help her alma mater whether by
helping prepare current students to
compete in the English Speaking
Union or sponsoring expeditions to
study the Tamaraw [in Mindoro].”
A former student praised
Loline's dedication and patience as
her high school teacher. “Our class
was very fortunate to have the then
Ms. Loline Lualhati as our teacher in
Literature,” they wrote with
fondness. “She was a very good,
understanding and accommodating
teacher, that's why she was well
loved by her students… Ma'am
Loline, I know you are happy where
you are now. It's been a great
opportunity to have known you.
Thank you, thank you.”
On June 17, 2015, Loline's
friends and family gathered at the
Jesuit Church of the Immaculate
Conception in Mayfair, London for
her funeral. A tribute event in her
honor will be held in London later in
the year. Inquirer.net
the essay “Religious police in the
Bangsamoro?” implied that a
Philippine Shari'ah legal system
might sanction throwing battery
acid on a woman's face, yet failed to
discuss our obvious constitutional
prohibition on cruel and unusual
punishment. Perhaps bigotry can
masquerade as political
commentary in a charming enough
writer's hands.
Days after Independence Day, I
invite my fellow Chinese-Filipinos to
support our peace process. Who but
our Muslim brethren will
understand, more than we ever can,
the pain of opening one of the
country's most respected
newspapers and seeing a literary
giant so casually and thoughtlessly
slander one's family and friends en
masse, and have the entire country
look on as though it were the most
ordinary thing in the world?
Inquirer.net
June 19-25, 2015
Page 15
ConGen and Madame De Leon welcome
guests in the reception line seen here is
Bohol-native Archbishop Bernadito Auza, From left: Madame Fe Cabactulan, PH Permanent
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the Representative to the UN Lorie Yparraguirre,
Madame De Leon and ConGen De Leon
UN. (Photo by Dondee Santos)
Officials of the Philippine government led by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert Del Rosario don their
Filipiniana for a photo opportunity in front of the Philippine Center after the flag raising ceremony on Fifth
Avenue New York. (Photo by Dondee Santos)
Left: ConGen and Madame De Leon pose with the PIDCI Board with Miss Intercontinental Cristi
McGarry; Right: ConGen parties with the Fil-Am youth.
Clockwise from Top left: Gail Banawis leads the singing of Lupang Hinirang; The FilipinoAmerican Association of Pittsburgh Dance Troup (FAAP) demonstrates a T'boli dance;
Angel, vocal soloist from FAAP is being interviewed by Vice Consul Khrys Corpuz; FAAP ConGen remarks, “With all of these reforms and initiatives laid out…true democracy and economic
advancement is already in the horizon.”
dancers perform a Maria Clara suite. (Photos by Elton Lugay and Dondee Santos)
Filipinos in New York Celebrate
PH Good Governance Reforms
on Independence Day
NEW YORK, 16 June 2015 -- The
Philippine Center New York was the
th
place to be last 12 June when the
Philippine Consulate General (PCG) led
th
celebrations to commemorate the 117
anniversary of the Declaration of
Philippine Independence.
The day started with the officers and
staff of the Philippine Center offices
Philippine Consulate General,
Philippine Mission to the United
Nations, Philippine Center Management
Board, Philippine Trade and Investment
Center, and Philippine Department of
Tourism NY - honoring the flag with a
flag raising ceremony in front of the
Philippine Center along Fifth Avenue.
Messages of congratulations and pride
from President Benigno Aquino III and
Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario were
read by Ambassador Lorie Yparraguirre
and Consul General Mario L De Leon
respectively to their colleagues.
In the evening, Consul General Mario
L De Leon and Madame Eleanor De Leon
hosted a reception for the diplomatic
and consular corps, Filipino community,
family and friends at the Kalayaan Hall.
ConGen De Leon welcomed the
attendees and highlighted the theme,
“ K a l a ya a n 2 0 1 5 : Ta g u m p a y s a
Pagbabagong Nasimulan, Abot Kamay
na ng Bayan” (Independence 2015:
Triumphs on Reforms, Within the
Nation's Reach) in his remarks. The
ConGen stated indicators on the
progress in the Philippines' economic
performance which can be attributed to
the good governance efforts of the
administration. He urged the Filipino
diaspora to help this development
further by doing their part in nationbuilding through dialogue, advocacies
and civic engagement. He congratulated
the community of the US Northeast for
the strides that were made to attain the
level of an emerging presence in the tristate area and the mainstream US
society. “We are having the benefit of a
sort of 'coming of age' of the Filipino
community,” he stated, citing the
Filipino-Americans occupying elected
and appointed positions in the US
government.
Entertainment was provided by the
youth members of the FilipinoAmerican Association of Pittsburgh
Dance Troupe, who travelled to New
York to perform their 20-minute suite
comprised of Maria Clara dance, vocal
solos and Muslim dances.
All night, the guests were treated to a
Filipino fiesta complete with favorite
dishes prepared by some of the top
caterers in New York and New Jersey.
June 19-25, 2015
Page 16
Fernando Q. Kabigting
An Artist’s Journey
Consul General Mario L. De Leon Jr. (R) and Mrs. Eleanor De Leon (2nd from L), together with Mr. Fernando Kabigting, Mrs. Menchu Kabigting, their daughter Patricia (3rd from R) and
Kabigting family friend Ms. Vivian Talambiras (L) cut the ribbon that officially opened the exhibit “Seeing Beyond: An Artist's Journey” on June 10 at the Philippine Center New York
Gallery. The exhibit runs from June 10 through 25. Photos courtesy of Vice Consul Khrys Corpuz. Artwork by Sonny Austria.
Latest Works of Filipino Artist Fernando Q. Kabigting Take Center Stage at PHL
Consulate General New York's 2015 Philippine Independence Day Celebration
NEW YORK, 10 June 2015 -Diplomats, artists and members of
the Filipino-American community
in New York City graced the opening
of the latest works of renowned
artist Fernando Kabiting titled
“Seeing Beyond: An Artist's
Journey” at the Philippine Center
New York Gallery last June 10.
Guests were treated to a first
look of over 30 of Mr. Kabigting's
newest and never-before-seen art
pieces that depicted Philippine
landscapes and popular landmarks
painted mostly on old wood used as
train tracks sourced from various
places in the Philippines.
In his opening remarks, Consul
General Mario L. De Leon Jr. related
how he was first introduced to the
latest works of Mr. Kabigting in
2014 when he met with Mrs.
Menchu Kabigting. He further said
he was deeply moved and inspired
by how Mr. Kabiting rose above a
formidable trial that left him with a
permanent physical infirmity, and
how, instead of allowing this trial to
stop him, he has used this to become
an even greater artist.
“Mr. Kabigting's works that we
exhibit today reflect his fortitude,
dedication to his craft, and a passion
to create beauty,” added the Consul
General.
Speaking on behalf of the artist,
Mrs. Menchu Kabigting recounted
how her husband suffered a
debilitating stroke in 1999 that left
his right hand, the hand that he used
to paint, completely paralyzed and
his left eye blind. Determined to
continue with his craft despite the
daunting physical infirmity, the
artist trained his left hand to paint.
The challenges to his vision also led
him to venture to water color from
his previous oil and charcoal media,
which resulted in dramatic and
striking color palettes.
“Art to Didi, as he is called, is
synonymous to life, to breathing
and to praying,” said Mrs. Kabigting.
She disclosed his art led him to a
new horizon and to a freer level in
expressing his ideas and feelings
with a tone and style that reveal a
c o m p l e te t ra n s fo r m a t i o n i n
Fernando Kabigting.
Mrs. Kabigting echoed her
husband's appreciation to the many
guests that attended the exhibit
opening, making special mention of
the friends that helped them
overcome the difficulties that the
family faced as a result of the stroke.
She added that this may be the last
one-man exhibit that Mr. Kabigting
may mount.
Mr. Kabigting's last exhibit at
the Philippine Center New York,
which happened to be his first oneman show, was in 1988, when he
brought his signature paintings
done on “batya” or wooden basin.
Since then, he had numerous oneman exhibits at the United Nations
Headquarters in New York in 2009,
at the Italia Gallery in Bacolod City
in 2012, and at the Ayala Museum in
2014.
Mr. Kabigting is now based in
Thus tonight is not just the
opening of his exhibit, it is a
CELEBRATION HONORING THE
GOODNESS OF GOD, OF PEOPLE
AND OF SPECIAL GIFTS AND
TALENTS...A NIGHT GIVING LIFE
ALSO TO AN IMPORTANT FACET
IN OUR FAITH and CULTURAL
HERITAGE: THAT OF “JOYFUL
SERVICE”!
- Mrs. Menchu Kabigting
Among the paintings featured at the exhibit “Seeing Beyond: An Artist's
Journey”: (clockwise) Bird of Paradise, Sunflower, Antipolo Bells, A Meadow's
Treasure, Hope Springs, Nana's Hut, Inside Looking Out, Floral Spray, The Old
House Church Bells and Pink Parasol.
The Philippine Consulate General opened
the exhibit of the works of Mr. Fernando
Kabigting (seated, accompanied by his
wife, Menchu Kabigting, standing) titled
“Seeing Beyond: An Artist's Journey” on
10 June 2015 at the Philippine Center New
York Gallery, where its window display
featured two of his pieces depicting Paoay
Church and Mt. Mayon.
Iloilo, the hometown of his wife,
where he continues to paint.
“Seeing Beyond: An Artist's
Journey” is the centerpiece cultural
presentation of the Philippine
Consulate General in New York for
the 2015 celebration of Philippine
Independence Day. The exhibit will
run until 25 June 2015.
Also featured are: (clockwise) Calaca Church, Kulintang, Molo Church, Iloilo,
Bells on the Hill, Mother and Child and San Jose Church in Iloilo.
June 19-25, 2015
Page 17
Philippine Design, Textiles and Fashion take center stage
at Embassy's National Day gala evening
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- “A Gala
Evening Celebrating Philippine
Design, Textile and Fashion” was a
huge success, drawing a diverse
crowd of US government officials,
members of the Washington
diplomatic corps, members of the
Filipino-American community, and
the general public, and shining light
on the fabric and designs that make
the Philippines unique.
On the eve of Philippine
Independence, piña (pineapple
fabric) took center stage with the
Grand Dame of Philippine Fashion,
Ms. Patis Tesoro, making her
Washington debut at the Ronald
Reagan Building and International
Trade Center on 11 June 2015 in
th
commemoration of the 117
Anniversary of the Proclamation of
Philippine Independence.
Guests cheered as they viewed
Ms. Tesoro's collection of some 60
breathtaking pieces made from
piña, considered the finest of all
Philippine hand-woven fabrics. Ms.
Tesoro was given a standing ovation
at the end of the show.
“Congratulations are in order! It
was such a success! Patis Tesoro is
definitely an icon of Philippine
fashion design,” said Lucie Patton,
Chair of Flower Mart 2015.
“Kudos to you all for putting on
such an elegant yet trendy and fun
event! Quite a wonderful nod to the
beautiful Philippine community,”
said Lydia Benson.
The Gala Event, which was
sponsored by the US-Philippines
Grand Dame of Philippine Fashion, Patis
Tesoro, talks about her piña collection
and the piña production process.
Embassy Photo by Ivan Gonzales
Society, is a testament to the beauty
of Philippine fashion, which is
continuously getting international
attention.
"Philippine fashion has earned
world-class recognition, and the USPhilippines Society is pleased to
sponsor this Gala as a way to share
with you stunning examples of some
truly innovative advances in design,”
said Ambassador John Negroponte,
Co-Chair of the Society.
In his remarks, Ambassador Jose
L. Cuisia, Jr. pointed out that since
piña production is an age-old
tradition in the Philippines, the
evening was a celebration of the
uniqueness and beauty the country
has to offer.
“This Gala Evening is a fitting
culmination of a month-long tribute
to Philippine indigenous fabrics and
the individuals who turn them into
exquisite works of art. Piña has long
been a symbol of elegance and
sophistication, and in many ways is a
celebration of the Filipino people's
innate creativity and dynamism in
constantly changing times,” said
Ambassador Cuisia.
The envoy also dedicated the
Gala Evening to the women behind
the creation of one of the most
exquisite, sought-after handmade
fabrics in the world.
Majority of the piña produced in
the Philippines comes from the
province of Aklan, with numerous
families depending on the piña
industry for livelihood. In November
2013, Typhoon Haiyan devastated
Aklan and seriously affected the
piña production.
The Gala Evening was a way for
u Page 18
Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund,
celebrates with Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia and his wife Ma. Victoria J. Cuisia
during the Gala Evening in commemoration of the 117th Anniversary of the
Declaration of Philippine Independence at the Ronald Reagan Building and
International Trade Center on 11 June 2015. Embassy Photo by Ivan Gonzales
Piña takes center stage as volunteers model Ms. Patis Tesoro's fashion
collection. Embassy Photo by Ivan Gonzales
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love, compassion, help and protection, because I am your merciful mother,
to you and to all ......’
Pilgrimage
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June 19-25, 2015
Page 18
Triumphs, positive developments
th
highlighted at 117 Independence
Day celebration
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In
th
commemoration of the 117
anniversary of the
Proclamation of Philippine
Independence, the Philippine
Embassy in Washington, D.C.
looked back at major triumphs
of the Philippines in the past
year and honored outstanding
Filipinos who have made
significant contributions in
raising the country's profile in
the United States.
“There is much to celebrate
in terms of developments in
the country, and this year's
Independence Day celebration
is an opportunity to reflect on
what the Philippines has
achieved,” said Ambassador
Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. during the
Embassy's Vin d'Honneur on
11 June 2015 at the Ronald
Reagan Building and
International Trade Center.
In his remarks,
Ambassador Cuisia welcomed
guests to the Independence
Day celebration by recalling
significant milestones of the
Philippines in the past year.
T h e e nvo y c i t e d t h e
country's continuous positive
e c o n o m i c t r a j e c t o r y,
improvement in the recentlypublished Rule of Law Index of
the World Justice Project, and
the good governance platform
of the Aquino Administration
as reasons for celebration.
In a message to the Filipino
community in the United
States, Ambassador Cuisia
noted, “This year's theme,
Kalayaan 2015: Tagumpay sa
Pagbabagong Nasimulan, Abot
Kamay na ng Bayan
(Independence 2015:
Triumphs Through Reforms
W i t h i n N a t i o n' s Re a c h )
highlights our cumulative
efforts to improve the quality
of life of every Filipino even in
Mark Pulido, the first Filipino American mayor of Cerritos, center, opened the
photo exhibit.
Cerritos holds exhibit
of Fil-Am contributions
to American life
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., right, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer,
center, and Consul General Mario De Leon Jr.Eexchange pleasantries
during the Philippine Independence Day celebration in New York City
last June 7, 2015. Photo by Sonny Austria
the face of daunting
challenges.”
“These triumphs are a
tribute to our bayanihan spirit
and resiliency as a people, and
to our country's positive
transformation which the
international community has
welcomed with renewed
confidence and hope,” added
the Ambassador.
The Vin d'Honneur was
also a celebration of the strong
ties between the Philippines
and the United States.
“The friendship between
the Philippines and the US has
deep historical roots, which
include fighting side by side in
wars for liberation. We are
pleased that this friendship
has continued to grow, with the
US having the second largest
t o u r i s m a r r iva l s i n t h e
Philippines last year and the
US consistently ranking as one
of the top three trading
partners of the Philippines for
decades,” said Ambassador
Cuisia.
“The most personal aspect
of our relationship, however, is
the Filipino community in the
US. With close to 3.4 million
th
Filipinos, we represent the 4
largest immigrant group in the
US,” added Ambassador Cuisia.
Two Filipinos who have
called the US their home yet
strongly embody the
bayanihan spirit were honored
during the Vin d'Honneur - Dr.
Conrado Gempesaw, President
of St. John's University and the
first layperson to lead the
Catholic university, and Rear
Admiral Babette Bolivar, one of
the highest-ranking FilipinoAmericans in the US Navy.
The Embassy presented Dr.
Gempesaw with a plaque of
u Page 27
By Vecile Caguingin-Ocoa
CERRITOS, California -- The first
Filipino American Mayor of this
diverse city, Mark Pulido, marked the
th
117 anniversary of Philippines
Independence Day by opening the
“Pinoy sa Amerika,” a photo exhibit at
the sprawling Cerritos Public Library.
The exhibit runs until June 20 and is
free to the public.
Curated by the Frontliners Media
Group (FMG), the exhibit shows
photographs of some 50 immigrants
selected from their fields of expertise
or vocations as nurses, teachers,
writers, business owners, artists,
musicians, cooks, salon stylists, among
others to highlight their various
contributions to American life.
“It inspires me that you have
selected the subject “Pinoy sa
Amerika” so that you've captured
Filipino Americans in every walk of life
and the diversity of all professions that
help build American society,” Pulido
who was re-elected this year to the
City Council, told the FMG officers and
members.
Dedicating the exhibit, Pulido said
he was glad to have brought his six-
Philippine
design ... From page 17
people in the US to help contribute to
the preservation and enrichment of
the piña industry in the Philippines,
as proceeds of the event will benefit
Aklan Piña MANTrA, a women-led
fiber production microenterprise.
“With your generous support, we
aim to give the women of Aklan hope
and help them rebuild their lives after
Typhoon Haiyan disrupted their
main source of livelihood. We
dedicate the success of this Gala
Evening to them,” the Ambassador
stated.
Guests at the Gala Evening were
also treated to other designs uniquely
Filipino. Also on display at the Ronald
Reagan Building were signature
pieces by multi-awarded furniture
designer and manufacturer Kenneth
Cobonpue.
Among the special guests that
evening was Ms. Christine Lagarde,
ye a r - o l d s o n a n d 1 3 - ye a r - o l d
daughter, giving them a chance to see
in the photographs a reflection of
themselves and the models to aspire
for what they want to be in the future.
Joel Pastor, representing FMG
responded that it was but fitting to
hold the group's commemoration of
Philippines Independence Day (from
Spain) in a city that is fast growing
with about 50,000 residents, with a
large Filipino American
representation of approximately 15
percent.
Cerritos has registered massive
economic growth in the last few years,
with a $45 million expansion of one its
banner shopping malls and a reported
$1.6 million surplus in the city's 20152016 fiscal budget. As reported early
this month by the Long Beach Press
Telegram, with this projected surplus,
there are no lay-offs, furloughs or cuts
to the city's programs and services.
“We are honored that Cerritos so
fittingly approved to display these
immigrants' achievements,” said
Pastor.
Among those images in the exhibit
are neurologist Dr. Pamela Alvarez;
u Page 22
Managing Director of the
International Monetary Fund.
The Gala Evening was organized
by the US-Philippines Society in
cooperation with the Embassy. Other
partners include the Philippine
Department of Tourism, Karma
Beauty Lounge by Erwin Gomez, All
Nippon Airways, Megaworld, Philip
Morris, The Filipino Channel, U.S.
Education Finance Group and other
sponsors.
Through her work, Ms. Tesoro
shares her knowledge of the
elaborate piña production process
with the belief that knowing how piña
fiber is made will help bring the ageold craft to the modern times. As part
of her Washington visit, Ms. Tesoro
delivered a lecture entitled “The Piña
Process” on 12 June at the George
Washington University Textile
Museum.
Tesoro's and Cobunpue's pieces
will be on exhibit and open to the
public at The Gallery of the Ronald
Reagan Building and International
Trade Center until July 15.
June 19-25, 2015
Page 19
Philippine American Friendship Day
celebration in Jersey City on June 28
By Jujo Conol
Are you ready? Everybody is
welcome to join in these events !
You don't want to miss them !
Being that Jersey City has the
2nd biggest Filipino population and
the most dense Filipino population
along the East Coast, the 25th Annual
Philippine American Friendship
Grand Parade is considered as the
Biggest Celebration of the year. It
will be held on Sunday, June 28,
2015.
As the main organizer, the
Philippine American Friendship
Committee, Inc. (PAFCOM) together
with its community partners,
intends to ratchet up and bring this
celebration to a high level.
Considered as a family and
community event
annually
celebrated by Filipinos and nonFilipinos alike, the overarching
Filipino and American friendship is
extolled, underlined and
emphasized.
This year's El Señor Presidente
as he is fondly called, the former
Judge Victor G. Sison and the Grand
Marshal Dr. Zorayda De Leon, along
with other Parade and Festival
Committees are working
indefatigably
so that the
community would witness the most
ambitious and impressive parade
and festival to date. The Jersey City
government under Mayor Steven
Fulop, Council President at Large
Rolando Lavarro Jr, and the Council
members are giving their full
support. The office of the Hudson
County of NJ also provides its full
assistance. The attendance of other
government officials of neighboring
cities are expected to attend the
event.
During the Parade, there will be
the participation of different ethnic
groups with their costumes, dances
and music representing the
different provinces of Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao. Pafcom's
muses, the 2015 Ambassadors of
Goodwill, in their colorfully
dressed floats, groups of marching
bands and other organizations will
be parading. Awards will be given
to the mostly unique, artistically
and impressively choreographed
group presentations.
Among the corporate sponsors
of PAFCOM are local business
groups like Hudson Rehab Spa with
it founding partners, Dr. Beth
Divinagracia and Michael Florendo;
Marketing Director, Hudson Toyota;
CarePoint Health; Forever Living
Products by Rosalinda Rupel; Pat
Berberabe's Max's Restaurant and
Fiesta Grill Restaurant.
As done in the past years,
celebrities from Manila, Philippines
will entertain the public with songs,
dances and anecdotes. The Filipino
Channel (TFC) / ABS-CBN
I n te r n a t i o n a l i s PA FCO M ' s
exclusive media partner. It intends
to fly in two of its popular
celebrities, namely, Geneva Cruz
and teleserye heartthrob Jason
Abalos coming from his latest hit
Two Wives. They will join the
parade and will be part of the
entertainment during the Festival
in Lincoln Park, the Filipino
Channel (TFC) hour will be around
the area at 4pm.
Among the local talents singing
and regaling the crowd in
attendance during the Festival are:
JENN CUNETA, GAIL BANAWIS,
KIRBY ASUNTO, GEO ED REBUCAS,
ALYSSA JADE SHOEMAKER, ANGEL
RAM, REIGN ACEDERA,
RADHARANI MARTINEZ, JELYN
ECHON, LEILA CICCO, ELAINE
FICARRA, ANNE FRANCES
GARRANA. RELM MUSIC BAND,
and COMEDIAN RYAN PUNO. The
Cultural dance groups that will be
performing are: BMNYE, Dance
Theater Philippines and FICA
Dance Group.
The press media covering the
event will be The Filipino Express,
Asian Journal and the web-based
publication, The FilAm.net. Ness
th
To commemorate this 25 Year anniversary of PAFCOM, the
4 PAFCOM FRIENDSHIP INVITATIONAL EL PRESIDENTE GOLF
th
CUP kicks off on 27 JUNE. Every One is invited to relax and
participate in the annual golf tournament before the Grand PhilAm Friendship Day. This is a one day 4-Person Straight Tee at
Passaic County Golf Course, 209 Totowa Road, Wayne, NJ 07470.
Registration has already started to early bird participants!
Sponsors to date are Hudson Rehab Spa, Fil Aid Foundation
and Oscar Printing. Participating golf aficionados will receive
complimentary PGA Tour to the Barclay's Golf Tournament 2015.
Additional fundraising is ongoing, the proceeds will go to
PAFCOM Cultural celebrations.
The brand new 2016 Camry Toyota fully loaded will be raffled
on September 18, 2015 at Hudson Toyota Showroom at 599
Route 440, Jersey City, NJ.
Th
PAFCOM is getting bigger, stronger
and here to stay in New Jersey !
Mabuhay!
Bantog Photography and DMC
Videography will share their
innovative and artistic talents in
order in showcasing PAFCOMNJ's
vision and goals.
To summarize, please note
the event schedule:
9 am Assembly time at
Claremont Avenue and West
Side Avenue
10am Sunday Mass at our
Lady of Victories, 2217
Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City
11:30 am Parade starts at
Claremont Avenue and West
Side to Lincoln Park
Vendor's Booths open at
10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Stage Entertainment at 1:00
pm to 6:00 pm
June 19-25, 2015
Page 20
Remittances breach
$2-B mark in April
INFLOWS ROSE 5.4% AT $7.81B IN FIRST FOUR MONTHS
By Paulo G. Montecillo
Cash sent home by overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs) rose in line with expectations
in April this year, which became the earliest
month in history that saw remittances exceed $2
billion, documents from the Central Bank
showed.
Growth in remittances fell off March's high
but still stayed at a healthy pace, keeping up
with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP)
official forecast for 2015.
“The steady demand for skilled Filipino
manpower provided support to the continued
growth in remittance inflows,” the BSP said in a
statement Monday, June 15.
In April, remittances grew by 5.1 percent
year-on-year to $2.01 billion, slowing down
from the 11.3-percent expansion recorded a
month earlier. The total for the four months
stood at $7.81 billion, up 5.4 percent year-onyear.
The BSP expected remittances to grow by 5
percent this year as Filipinos retain their jobs
abroad despite weak economic conditions in the
developed countries.
Remittance growth slowed to a crawl earlier
this year, expanding just 0.5 percent in January.
Officials attributed the temporary slowdown to
the weakening of the peso, which meant
Filipinos received the same amount of money in
peso terms despite the fewer dollars sent home
by migrants.
Apart from the global demand for OFWs,
remittance growth was also supported by local
banks' ever-expanding network of offices,
branches and partnerships with foreign
companies. This made it easier and cheaper for
Filipinos to send money through formal
channels.
The United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab
Emirates, United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan,
Hong Kong and Canada remained the main
sources of cash transfers.
Bulk of the month's inflows came from landbased OFWs with contracts of more than a year.
Longer contracts increase the likelihood that
remittance growth would remain stable.
Money sent home by migrants accounted for
nearly a tenth of gross domestic product (GDP)
in 2014. These cash transfers are the biggest
source of dollar income for the Philippines,
keeping the peso firm. Remittances are also a
main driver of domestic consumption, which
benefits industries such as retail and wholesale
trade, financial services, food production and
real estate. Inquirer.net
4 priority PPP projects
worth P141 Billion set
LRT4, C-5 bus scheme, gas pipeline, Naia dev't
By Ben O. de Vera
Four public-private partnership
(PPP) projects with an indicative cost
of P141 billion will be presented to the
National Economic and Development
Authority's (Neda) board for approval
on Monday, June15.
On the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation Senior Finance
Officials' meeting last Friday, June 12,
PPP Center deputy executive director
Eleazar E. Ricorte told reporters that
the four infrastructure projects to be
tackled by the joint Neda-Investment
Coordination Committee (ICC)
technical board and Cabinet
committee meeting were the Light Rail
Transit (LRT) Line 4, the BatangasManila (BatMan) 1 natural gas
pipeline, the C-5 modern bus transit
system and the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport (Naia)
development project.
“There's a high chance of these
projects being approved because these
are priority projects,” Ricote said.
Once cleared by the Neda-ICC, the
four projects will be forwarded to the
Cabinet-level Neda Board chaired by
the President for final approval.
The P50.2-billion Ortigas-Taytay
LRT Line 4 project to be implemented
by the Department of Transportation
and Communications (DOTC) will run
from the intersection of Ortigas
Avenue and Edsa to the municipality of
Taytay in Rizal. The 11-kilometer rail
project will have six stations passing
through Ortigas Avenue and Taytay
Diversion Road.
The P10.5-billion BatMan 1,
meanwhile, will facilitate the delivery
and supply of natural gas via a 110kilometer transmission pipeline from
Batangas province to Metro Manila.
This Philippine National Oil Co.-led
energy project will entail a private
partner to build pipelines as well as
install compressor, control and
metering stations, supervisory control
and data acquisition systems and
valves.
The DOTC-led C-5 modern bus
transit system worth P6.3 billion aims
to connect the cities of Parañaque,
Taguig, Makati, Quezon City and
Valenzuela through a bus rapid transit
(BRT) system along C-5 Road. The
private sector partner will finance,
build and develop the BRT while
operating an interim bus service.
The Naia development project to
be jointly implemented by the DOTC
and the Manila International Airport
Authority, which will cost P74.6
billion, “will improve, upgrade and
enhance the operational efficiencies of
all existing terminals of the Naia
covering both landside and airside
(except air traffic services) to meet the
I n te r n a t i o n a l C iv i l Av i a t i o n
Organization standards and develop
the main gateway airport of the
Philippines,” according to the PPP
Center. Inquirer.net
Asian American buying power rose
more than $50B in 1 year - Nielsen
US dining chain Applebee's
comes to the Philippines
By Doris Dumlao-Abadilla
American family dining chain Applebee's
Grill and Bar, the world's largest casual
restaurant chain, is breaking into the Philippine
market as part of bid to establish a formidable
business across Asia-Pacific.
The first Applebee's restaurant is set to open
in Bonifacio Global City this July and the second
one in Eastwood City shortly after, New York
Stock Exchange-listed DineEquity Inc.- owner of
iconic American food franchises Applebee's and
IHOP announced on Monday, June 15.
“The Asia Pacific region is clearly one of our
greatest opportunities for growth across both
our brands, and we are delighted with the
success and the warm reception we have
received from our guests in the restaurants that
have opened there,” said Daniel del Olmo,
president of International DineEquity Inc.
Del Olmo and other top officials of
DineEquity were in town to sign on Monday an
agreement with current local IHOP franchisee,
Global Restaurant Concepts Inc. to bring
Applebee's to the Philippines. This agreement
provides for the development of three initial
Applebee's locations.
DineEquity's local partner, Global
Restaurant Concepts, already operates seven
IHOP restaurants in the Philippines, including
the newest location at the Fairview Terraces
Mall in Quezon City, which opened recently.
“Global Restaurant Concepts Inc. has been a
great franchise partnerin fact, they were named
IHOP's International Franchisee of the Year for
2014 - and they have done a terrific job of
incorporating local favorites and flavors in our
menu that are not only delicious, but remain
true to our heritage of delighting our guests
through culinary innovation,” said Del Olmo.
Applebee's deemed as the “quintessential”
American family diner has been serving
handcrafted burgers, steaks, ribs, sandwiches
and salads and appetizers since the first location
debuted as “Applebee's RX for Edibles and
Elixirs” 35 years ago in a suburb of Atlanta,
Georgia. Based in Kansas City, Missouri,
u Page 22
N E W YO R K C I T Y - - A s i a n
American buying power increased 7
percent from $718 billion to $770
billion in 2014 and continues to rise. It
is expected to reach $1 trillion by year
2018 and currently exceeds the
economies of all but 18 countries
worldwide. These are just some of the
findings in a new report released by
global performance management
company Nielsen.
The third edition of Nielsen's
Asian American consumer report,
Asian Americans: Culturally Connected
and Forging the Future, profiles the
fastest-growing and most racially
diverse segment of the US
multicultural majority.
To help marketers understand
and better serve Asian American
consumers, the report highlights how
Asian Americans are making a
powerful impact on today's US
economy and culture with their
unique tastes, preferences and
trendsetting habits.
“Asian-Americans are focused on
the future, trendsetting and leading
the way in technology, digital
entertainment and fresh food while
maintaining strong ties to their
cultural heritage,” said Betty Lo, vice
president, Community Alliances &
Consumer Engagement, Nielsen.
“Increasingly ambicultural, Asian
Americans' cultural identities are
shaping the mainstream market.”
The report examines Asian
American consumption behaviors in
relation to the food, beverage, health
and beauty categories.
In addition, Nielsen has provided
more detail on the ever-evolving
technology and digital content
categories, where Asian Americans
continue to “over-index” and are
trendsetters when compared to the
general consumer market.
Some insights from the report are:
a) Nearly 28 percent of Asian
Americans live in a multigenerational
household, contributing to a diverse
shopping list that reflects the age,
health and dietary habits of the entire
family.
b) Millennial Asian American
women are 31 percent more likely
than non-Asian American millennials
to use a manufacturer's coupon when
they make a purchase; the search for
quality and value drives their
purchasing decisions, including how
frequently they buy and how much
they are willing to spend.
c) Asian Americans are selective
shoppers and will spend more on
foods that support a longstanding
tradition of holistic wellbeing. They
are 31 percent more likely than
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June 19-25, 2015
Page 21
Veteran shoemaker bats for a resurgent Marikina shoe industry
By Myrna Rodriguez Co
In the almost 50 years he and
h i s f a m i ly h ave b e e n i n t o
shoemaking, Francisco Medina
witnessed the changing fortunes of
the Marikina shoe industryfrom its
glory days in the 1960s to its
decline in the '90s with the advent
of liberalization up to its present
efforts to get back on its feet.
There was a time when almost
every household in this former
Rizal town ran a shoe-making shop
on its ground floor. Whole families
engaged in the craft, with children
learning how to make shoes even
before they began to read and
write.
Over time, some home-based
workshops grew into industrial
p l a n t s t h a t m a s s - p ro d u c e d
footwear. Out-of-towners were
soon enticed to settle in Marikina
to work in shoe factories, leading to
the expansion of the trade and
growth of the population.
The story goes that the shoemaking tradition in the erstwhile
farming community was started in
1887 by Laureano Guevarra, who
disassembled a broken pair of
imported shoes in order to fix it,
having failed to find anyone in
town who could repair it.
This was the springboard for
the first Marikina shoe production.
In time, Kapitan Moy, as he became
popularly known, employed
residents in his factory between
the planting and harvesting
seasons.
By the turn of the century,
shoemaking had become
entrenched as a steady source of
livelihood for people in Marikina.
Medina was among those born
to shoemaking.
It was his parents' small shoemaking shop in Barrio San Roque
that raised and sent their brood of
10 to school. The children were
expected to learn shoemaking and
be useful around the factory.
A mechanical engineering
graduate, Medina was at first
disinterested in the shoe trade. He
enjoyed marketing heavy
equipment for a multinational
company. He, however, had to say
goodbye to corporate life when the
assassination of Ninoy Aquino in
1983 triggered a political crisis and
economic slowdown.
With a substantial separation
pay and no job prospects in sight, it
made sense to go into business he
was familiar with. That was how he
became a second-generation shoe
entrepreneur.
He called his company Kijem
Collections, which was later
incorporated into MEDZ Shoe
Corp.
Running his shoe company has
been a roller-coaster ride but he
managed to cling on, even as
colleagues in the industry have
been falling by the wayside.
At its peak, there were some
2,000 industry players in Marikina.
When trade liberalization
other,” he said.
Kiko Medina, veteran shoemaker
and industry leader.
happened, this was cut by half.
“Today, there are just over a
hundred of registered
shoemakers,” Medina said.
The heydays
The industry flourished from
the 1960s to the 1980s.
Those were the years the
Marikina shoe trade fairs thrived.
The first was put up in Santa Elena,
Marikina; another was in Cubao,
Quezon City and the other in
Manila.
“Marikina became popular
because of these trade fairs, where
shoes can be bought much cheaper
than in department stores. Why?
Because we eliminated the
middleman; manufacturer and end
user directly transacted with each
Why women welders are
preferred in Mideast
By Kristine Felisse Mangunay
Filipino female welders may (or may not) have
a reason to celebrate.
Women appear to be more “in demand” in the
Middle East because they are perceived to possess
certain traits that employers find crucial, according
to Director General Joel Villanueva of the Technical
Education Skills and Development Authority
(Tesda).
For one, women are regarded as meticulous.
For another, they are seen as rather serious types,
said the official in charge of the agency that
oversees technical-vocational education in the
country.
“I asked in the Middle East, 'Why?' And they
said: 'Men go out frequently (magimik) at night.
The women, after work, will return to the dorm.
The women are asleep, while the men are (out),'”
Villanueva said in a talk with editors and reporters
at the Inquirer main office in Makati City on last
June 11.
According to the Tesda chief, the biggest
employers of Filipino female welders, apart from
those in the Middle East, are Keppel and Hanjin,
which build ships in Cebu and Zambales provinces,
respectively.
Even before the female students could
graduate from the course, these companies were
already lining up to hire them, Villanueva said. It is
this employability of technical-vocational
graduates in general that should push others to
enroll in any of Tesda's programs, he said.
“Numbers don't lie. Last year, of the 250,000
graduates of
Tesda, 150,000 were college graduates. The
rest were college dropouts in their third year or
fourth year because they had realized that despite
a college degree, [they] would still be part of the
unemployed and underemployed. Imagine the
money, time and effort that they have to spend,” he
said.
This year appeared to paint the same picture.
'Oversubscribed'
Citing a Commission on Higher Education
report, Villanueva said half of the country's college
students were enrolled in “low-priority
disciplines” and half of them were enrolled in
“oversubscribed courses.”
“So when they finish college, [they] already
know where they are going,” he said.
Although Tesda courses like bartending, coffee
serving and housekeeping are popular among
many Filipinos, other people continue to look
down on technical-vocational education,
Villanueva said.
“They think [that] to be successful in life, you
need to be a college degree holder. If you don't have
a diploma in your living room, you are weak. But it's
not true,” he said.
Success stories
He said it was this “stigma” of industrial
education that Tesda was trying to eradicate by
producing successful and employable graduates,
and by promoting “success stories” of these
graduates.
He cited the example of Ryan Cordova, a Tesda
mechatronics graduate who now manages a
company in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Tesda
mechatronics students are taught how to configure
devices, such as digital watches, thermostats and
photocopiers.
Another example, Villanueva said, is Marjo
Lardera, a consumer electronics servicing
graduate, who, despite being armless, became
known for his ability to fix appliances and devices,
like refrigerators and watches, in Iloilo. “I think
u Page 22
Did Imelda Marcos help?
Yes, he answered, and not just
because of her passion for shoes
and her penchant for wearing pairs
from Marikina.
“She put up a training center
for the industry. When the
Marcoses fled, the facility became a
white elephant,” he said.
Nonetheless, the industry
continued to thrive.
“With the import control
policy, there was practically no
competition from outside. We
enjoyed a sellers' market when the
United States and Japan ordered in
volume. For 10 years, we dictated
the price, the terms,” he recalled.
How much of a seller's market
it was is illustrated by a vignette
Medina related: Henry Sy of SM
fame would be seen going around
shoe factories in Marikina around
Christmas time.
“Whatever it was we were
willing to sell, he would buy right
then and there, paying in cash,” he
said.
Double whammy
Then the double whammy hit.
First, Taiwan began producing
cheap shoes. By the early '80s, the
Americans and Japanese had
stopped buying from the
Philippines and shifted to Taiwan.
Then, in 1994, the Philippines
j o i n e d t h e Wo r l d Tra d e
Organization, which committed
the country to trade liberalization.
The floodgates for imported goods
opened, all but drowning local
industries.
After the export trade fizzled,
the playing field changed
drastically. Big players who lost
their export clients began focusing
on the domestic market, edging out
the small ones.
“Small and medium
enterprises were marginalized
because we didn't have the massproducing technology and could
not compete in price,” he said.
Some shoe companies shifted
to other businesses. More simply
stopped operating.
Those who stayed on had to
cope with the grim reality of a
buyer's market: big inventory
levels, marginal pricing, postdated
check payments by two,
sometimes three months. Harsh
terms for a small entrepreneur.
His own company managed to
survive because he had fortunately
found a market niche - braided
footwear - and had extensive
marketing experience from his
corporate days.
He also took advantage of
government programs that taught
him financial management,
inventory control, and other
systems. He remembers training
programs conducted by the
Te c h n i c a l S k i l l s E d u c a t i o n
Development Authority, the UP
Institute for Small-Scale Industries
u Page 22
APEC Lifting Asia-Pacific Trade
Barriers for Small Businesses
ATLANTA, Georgia, 15 June
2015 -- Senior commerce, trade and
small business officials from the 21
APEC members are ramping up
efforts to make it easier and less
costly for micro, small and medium
enterprises to take advantage of
new Asia-Pacific trade
opportunities.
Measures to lift trade barriers
faced by small firms, the
preeminent drivers of employment
and growth among the region's
economies, were taken forward by
officials and industry
representatives meeting in Atlanta
over the last week. The focus is on
creating openings for small
businesses to integrate in global
value chains, or the different stages
of international production and
trade of goods, by partnering with
larger companies in cross-border
supply chains.
“In the 21st century economy,
the cost of every product made,
m ove d , b o u g h t a n d s o l d i s
determined by how efficiently it
moves through its supply chain,”
explained Bruce Andrews, Deputy
Secretary of Commerce for the
United States, in opening remarks.
“Small and medium size businesses
understand better than anyone else
how strengthening global supply
chains will foster the long-term
competitiveness of economies
across the Asia-Pacific region.”
Small and medium enterprises
account for more than 97 per cent of
all businesses, about 60 per cent of
GDP and half of the labor force in
APEC member economies but a
relatively low proportion of their
exportsless than 25 per cent in the
case of the United States as well as
I n d o n e s i a , J a p a n , M a l ay s i a ,
Singapore and Chinese Taipei,
according to the APEC Policy
Support Unit.
A new APEC Startup Accelerator
Network for Early Stage Investment
kicked off, providing technology
startups from the region an
opportunity to showcase their ideas
before angel investors and venture
capitalists as well as mentoring on
cross-border business
development from startup
community heads and large
companies including Coca-Cola and
Intel. It sets the stage for the 3rd
APEC Challenge offering a
USD100,000 cash prize to the
region's most innovative
technology startup, as selected by
an international panel of investors
and industry executives.
A new APEC Small and Medium
Enterprise Global Value Chain
Business Matching and Internship
Consortium was also introduced,
consisting of small and large firms
f ro m A P E C e c o n o m i e s . T h e
initiative will jumpstart
information-sharing between them
to pinpoint viable opportunities for
small businesses to participate in
the conception, design, production,
m a rke t i n g , d i s t ri b u t i o n a n d
support for consumer use of
manufactured goods from blue
jeans to commercial jets. An online
u Page 22
June 19-25, 2015
Page 22
Why women
welders ...
From page 21
that's the only way. Even if I talk
about it and people don't see in
their neighborhood success
stories, they will continue to
have that stigma and that
penchant for college diploma,”
Villanueva said.
Tesda graduates' higher
chances of succeeding are also
what drives him to make sure
that Tesda programs reach
every region of the country,
according to Villanueva.
Mobile training centers
Only recently, Villanueva
s a i d , Te s d a s i g n e d a
Veteran
shoemaker ...
From page 21
(UP ISSI), and the Small
Enterprises Research and
Development Foundation
(Serdef).
“Those who didn't take
advantage of the trainings
were the first casualties,” he
recalled.
For the industry to again
thrive, Medina said it needed to
do things differently.
No players
He said the industry was
floundering not because there
is no market, nor because
competition from imports is
hard to beat.
“The industry is
floundering because there is
no industry to speak of,” he
said.
“We are a country of 100
million people. With per capita
demand conservatively pegged
at 1.5 pairs of shoes a year, this
translates to a total demand of
150 million pairs. The local
industry combined - Marikina,
Cebu, Antipolo, Montalban,
Laguna - cannot produce 20
million pairs a year,” he pointed
out.
Medina said the shoemaking craft and
entrepreneurship tradition,
which all but died with the
liberalization scare, must again
memorandum of agreement
with state-owned Philippine
Amusement and Gaming Corp.
for the agency's acquisition of
40 more mobile training
centers.
Villanueva said Tesda
brought a mobile training class
to Bagong Silang in Quezon
City and trained people in
disaster preparedness, smalle n g i n e r e p a i r, e l e c t r i c
installation maintenance and
basic computer skills.
“We spent about P1.5
million to P2 million for
scholarship programs,” he said.
“We are also encouraging
technical-vocational
institutions to apply for mobile
training centers they can use.
Right now, for example, in
Region VII (Central Visayas),
there are about 47 schools
offering the mobile (service).
They just park the vehicle, the
truck,” he said.
Free online courses
To reach more people,
Tesda is offering for free 29
online courses, such as web
development, cell phone repair
a n d c o m p u te r h a rdwa re
servicing.
Villanueva said seven of the
online courses were
“downloadable.”
“Certification comes in
after you go to a [Tesda]
assessment center. You really
have to demonstrate (before
you get a national
certification). In Tesda, that's
how it is,” he said. Inquirer.net
be championed.
“Today, we need new
industry entrants; and for
them to come forward, there
should be a pool of skilled
shoemakers,” he said.
Another project in the
works is a common service
facility that will make available
state-of-the-art equipment for
small shoemakers wanting to
avail themselves of technology.
Bright entrepreneurs and
trained manpower
The Philippine Footwear
Federation, of which Medina is
a board director, is fortunately
going in the right direction
when it began to put up, with
the assistance of the
Department of Trade and
Industry and (DTI) and the
Tesda, a training center for
shoe craftsmen to ensure a
continuous supply of skilled
manpower. Ongoing is the
development of the curriculum
for modular courses.
The federation is also
working with the Department
of Education to include
shoemaking in the technology
and entrepreneurship
component of the K to 12
course design.
In the federation itself,
there is a handful of new
members - third generation
shoe entrepreneurs who
Medina calls the industry's
“shining hope.”
“They are more pro-active,
creative and energetic,” he
said.
His own daughter, Abby, is
one of these “young turks.” She
has her own brand called “Shoe
Room,” which she successfully
sells online.
Road map to development
For the shoe industry to be
resurgent, a holistic plan of
action needs to be formulated
and implemented by the
industry itself, the government
and other stakeholders
working together. He looks to
UP ISSI and Serdef for guidance
in drawing this map.
The action plan should
include leveling the playing
field for small and large players
alike; putting in place an
infrastructure for rawmaterial procurement;
studying the market and
formulating market strategies;
and productivity improvement
through training and modern
systems.
Medina himself advocates
concentrating on high-quality,
handmade products for the
higher-end market.
The road map cannot be
pushed without political will.
“Whoever will manage the
economy should prioritize
sectors that will create jobs
and promote inclusive growth.
And the shoe industry is one of
the most labor-intensive you
c a n t h i n k o f ,” h e s a i d .
Inquirer.net
Cerritos
holds ...
From page 18
medical doctor Maria Teresa
Galarpe-Pastor who conducts
yearly medical missions to
the Philippines; LPGA golf
tour 2015 awardee Demi
Runas; wood sculptor Rick
Bagabaldo from Paete
Laguna, where the best wood
carvings in the Philippines
can be found; Edgar Acosta,
owner of the Hollywood
landmark “The French Crepe
Company” based in the
popular Original Farmers'
Market.
Also pictured are
“suman-maker” Carmen
Casino from San Gabriel
Valley; Ana Burog, owner of
“Burog's Barong,” supplier of
traditional Filipino clothing
in Los Angeles; Aquilina
Soriano Versoza, executive
director of the Pilipino
Workers' Center and who is
behind the affordable
housing project “Larry Itliong
Village” for low-income
families in the neighborhood;
musician Mathew Ignacio, a
gifted artist who plays the
cello, piano, guitar and
accordion; Chief cook Pepito
Pangpangan of the Original
Barrio Fiesta; Odette Ricasa, a
globetrotter who has traveled
to 261 countries.
There's also nurse Aida
Ve r g a r a , a c h e m i c a l
engineering graduate who
shifted to a career as a nurse;
Maricel Cabacunga, a nursing
graduate who works as a
cashier in a Filipino store;
Marilyn Ramirez, a wellloved teacher at St. Genevieve
High School in San Fernando
Valley.
The exhibit spans many
other professions such as
journalist, photographers,
cook, mechanic, electrical
engineer and waiter. The
exhibit is at Cerritos Main
Library at 18025 Bloomfield
Avenue Cerritos. Inquirer.net
APEC lifting ...
From page 21
platform is under development to
expand the scale and scope of
exchanges.
“We are pushing to make our
supply chains more innovative
because when individual companies
embrace new technology, we can
build tighter links between firms in
every phase of the production
process,” Andrews said.
Officials further mapped out
complex non-tariff policy barriers to
facilitate small business
participation in Asia-Pacific trade.
Examples include unnecessarily
complex regulatory requirements as
well as local content requirements
under which producers of
manufactured goods must ensure
that a certain percentage of their
components are made in that
economy and other localization
hurdles.
Steps were additionally taken to
widen trade participation in
particular sectors. This includes
training for hundreds of small and
medium enterprises from APEC
economies on meeting product
safety regulations for temperature
Asian American
buying power ...
From page 20
average to buy organic foods and are
23 percent more likely to evaluate
the nutrition of products. Their
households spend more on wine and
kitchen appliances/gadgets used for
cooking, which supports a high
tendency to entertain family and
friends at home. According to
Scarborough Research, they are 140
percent more likely to buy a bottle of
wine worth $20 or more.
d) Asian American households
spend 70 percent more than their
average share on skin-care
preparation products and 25
percent more on fragrances. They
are also highly loyal to brands and
will spend more to guarantee they
are of high-quality reputation and
value.
e) Eighty-eight percent of Asian
Americans own credit cards,
compared with 66 percent of the
general population.
f) Asian Americans are leaders
when it comes to technology, mobile
and social media usage. They also
watch and download more movies
than any other ethnic segment.
Overall, 42 percent of Asian
Americans are more likely to agree
US dining chain
Applebee’s ...
From page 20
Applebee's now operates in more
than 2,000 locations in 49 states, 16
countries and one U.S. territory.
Estimated investment to open an
Applebee's restaurant
internationally is under $500,000
while for IHOP, the estimated
investment per restaurant is under
$300,000.
Archie Rodriguez, chief executive
officer of Global Restaurant Concepts,
sensitive exports ranging from
agriculture, to pharmaceuticals, to
flowers new logistics technology
that tracks and ensures product
integrity, and supply chain financing.
The session was led by regulators and
experts from Georgia Tech's Supply
Chain and Logistics Institute and the
National University of Singapore.
“We can help goods and products
move more efficiently between our
economies by transforming and
modernizing how our governments
do business at the border,” Andrews
added. Technical collaboration is
concurrently underway among APEC
members to help each other ratify the
World Trade Organization Trade
Facilitation Agreement by year's end
and proceed with rapid
implementation, simplifying customs
procedures to save exporters,
including small businesses, time and
money.
“ To g e t h e r w i t h o u r A P E C
partners, we can create a seamless,
sustainable regional economy in the
Asia Pacificone which will make it
easier for companies of all sizes to do
business in the region,” Andrews
concluded. - Issued by the APEC Small
and Medium Enterprise Working
Group
that the Internet is a source of
entertainment.
Nielsen worked closely with its
Asian Pacific American External
Advisory Council, which comprises
industry, community, academia and
business leaders, to establish best
practices for panel recruitment and
procedures to better reflect the
consumer habits of the Asian
American community.
In addition, Nielsen continues to
partner with Asian American and
Pacific Islander-serving
organizations to understand what
issues matter most to this uniquely
diverse community.
“We are proud to work closely
with Nielsen to accurately reflect the
unique patterns and behaviors that
make up the multi-faceted Asian
American community,” said Mike
Sherman, co-chair, Nielsen Asian
Pacific American External Advisory
Council and Asian American
Advertising Federation (3AF) board
member.
“Diverse voices matter, and in
order to ensure they are heard loud
and clear, we encourage Asian
Americans to say 'yes' if the
opportunity to participate as a
Nielsen household arises,” Sherman
added.
To download a copy of the full
report, visit www.nielsen.com.
Inquirer.net
said in a press briefing on Monday
that the first Applebee's restaurant
would open in a 200-square meter
location in BGC in the same building,
W Global Center, where the first local
IHOP store opened. The second
location in Eastwood will have a
footprint of 300 sqms.
Rodriquez said he was very
confident that Applebee's would be
well-received by Filipino consumers
in the same way as IHOP had gained
traction. For IHOP, average spending
per head is estimated at P300 to
P500. “We hope we can do the same
w i t h A p p l e b e e ' s ,” h e s a i d .
Inquirer.net
June 19-25, 2015
Page 23
Lav Diaz, Nora Aunor bag
top awards at Gawad Urian
By Arvin Mendoza
The long take of “Mula sa Kung
Ano ang Noon (From What Is Before)”
stretched all the way to the 38th
Gawad Urian as the film took the
awards' top honors on Tuesday night
(June 16) in a ceremony punctuated
by pleas for full support for quality
local films.
In the battle of independent
movies of the highest caliber, the
members of the Manunuri ng
Pelikulang Pilipino awarded “Mula sa
Kung Ano ang Noon” the best picture,
opting for an exquisite, slow cinema
masterpiece with a story that
emphasized on the country's
traditional rituals, relationships and
values.
Shot in black-and-white imagery
that clocks in at over five and half
hours, the film tracks the lives of
underprivileged villagers in a remote
province in the Philippines during the
reign of the late dictator Ferdinand
Marcos as he declares martial law.
“It is such a triumph. Hindi po
kami nag-Pasko nung 2013. Marami
po kaming sakripisyo for this film,”
actress Hazel Orencio said on behalf of
director Lav Diaz.
“Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon” also
won the best director award for Diaz,
as well as screenplay and editing.
The Gawad Urian for best actor
went to Allen Dizon for playing the
role of a coffin maker in Jason Paul
Laxamana's “Magkakabaung.”
“Tatlong beses na po ako nanalo sa
ibang bansa. Sa Pilipinas po mas
kinabahan ako kasi mas talented ang
mga Pilipino,” he said.
Eula Valdez, bagging the best
actress award for “Dagitab,” told the
On Freedom Day
Toni Gonzaga
Paul Soriano
tie knot
Lav Diaz. Inquirer file photo
audience: “Ang balak ko lang po talaga
n gayo n g ga b i ay r u m a m p a …
kumpleto na po ako. Hindi ko po talaga
ito ini-expect.”
Proving once again that her
brightness would never wane,
superstar Nora Aunor bagged this
year's Natatanging Gawad Urian, the
night's top award for a film artist.
“She is the most excellent actress
of this country,” said multi-awarded
director Brillante Mendoza as he
introduced Aunor to the audience.
“Nakapakasarap ng pakiramdam,
ngayon lamang damang dama ko ang
pagbibigay sa 'kin ng parangal ng
Gawad Urian,” Aunor said, tearfully.
“Ibig sabihin lang po nito dapat akong
magsipag lalo at gumawa ng mas
marami pang pelikula na
makapagbibigay ng aral sa ating mga
k a b a t a a n s a k a s a l u k u y a n .”
Inquirer.net
SEALED WITH A KISS. TV host-actress Toni Gonzaga marries longtime boyfriend director Paul
Soriano on Friday in solemn rites at the United Methodist Church in Taytay, Rizal province. The
ceremony was “filled with love, light and humor,” observed singer-actress Lea Salonga, who was
one of the couple's celebrity godparents. Contributed photo from Oly Ruiz
By Marinel R. Cruz
Isn't it ironic that lovers
should tie the knot on
Independence Day?
But actress-TV host Toni
Gonzaga and commercial and
film director Paul Soriano
chose to exchange “I do's” at 3
p.m. on Friday, the country's
117th Independence Day, at
United Methodist Church in
Taytay, Rizal province, where
the bride spent her growing up
years.
It was there where the
bride first sang before a crowd
and was told that she could
start a singing career, the bride
was quoted in an earlier
interview.
The 30-year-old Toni, born
Celestine Cruz Gonzaga,
looked very regal in a gown by
popular American fashion
designer Vera Wang. She said
she has always admired
Wang's bridal dresses and
would often visit the New
Yo r k - b a s e d d e s i g n e r ' s
boutique when she was
abroad.
Soriano, 33, donned a
Hugo Boss suit and tie.
He arrived at the church at
2 p.m., waving at the large
crowd gathered outside. His
bride arrived a little past 3
p.m.
When the groom met his
bride at the altar, he shouted, “I
love you Celestine,” in what
appeared to be a reenactment
of a soda TV commercial in
2001 that featured Gonzaga
with actor Piolo Pascual. The
commercial opened the doors
u Page 24
Juday, Ryan join MTRCB campaign
BOARD'S COMMERCIAL STRESSES THAT SMART VIEWING STARTS AT HOME
GMA News TV “May Pag-asa”
station ID wins again
After bagging the World Bronze
Medal at the 2015 New York Festivals
last April, GMA News TV's “May Pagasa” Station ID continues to bring
home accolades from award-giving
bodies.
In May, the Station ID won Silver in
the Advocacy Marketing Category at
the Philippine Association for
N a t i o n a l A dv e r t i s e r s PA N A t a
Marketing Effectiveness Awards. The
body honors the best communication
tools in the country.
In the recently concluded 2015
Asia-Pacific Tambuli Awards on June
9, GMA News TV's “May Pag-asa”
Station ID brought home another
Silver in the Advocacy Category. The
A s i a - P a c i f i c Ta m b u l i Aw a r d s
recognizes brands from around the
world which not only deliver results
but promote social good, celebrate
human truths, ignite purpose and
effect real change.
The Station ID presented a moving
and heartwarming collection of
stories of hope featuring the little
known trials and tragedies that the
channel's personalities have
overcome … such as venerable talk
show host Winnie Monsod's having
recently had a stroke, Peabody award
winning documentarist Jay Taruc
taking care of his daughter with spinal
muscular atrophy, investigative
journalist Malou Mangahas having
been imprisoned during Martial Law
etc. The campaign showed that the
GMA News TV anchors, like their
viewers, have gone through trying
times yet have bounced back.
The inspiring campaign was the
brainchild of Nena Dumol who was
diagnosed with Lupus in 2011 but
continues to work as a Senior Program
To advertise, please call
201-434-1114
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
In time for its 30th
anniversary, the Movie and
Te l e v i s i o n R e v i e w a n d
Classification Board (MTRCB)
recruited celebrity couple
Judy Ann Santos and Ryan
Agoncillo to join the
government agency's
Matalinong Panonood (smart
viewing) campaign.
Board Chair Eugenio
“Toto” Villareal told the
Inquirer that this latest
information campaign seeks
to involve parents in
monitoring their children's
viewing fare.
“Our goal is to empower
parents and other responsible
adults at home - whether they
are aunts, uncles,
grandparents or nannies - in
choosing children's viewing
fare,” said Villareal.
The board chief said the
advertisement was a product
of a focus group discussion.
“We wanted to know the
parents' concerns and base
the commercial on real-life
situations,” said Villareal.
“We based the script on
common experiences, on
problems parents encounter
e v e r y d a y,” s a i d t h e
c o p y w r i t e r, a dve r t i s i n g
veteran Lilit Reyes.
The board also consulted
Ryan Agoncillo and Judy Ann Santos waived their fees
for the board's ad.
the Agoncillos, to elicit
their insights as parents to
two kids, Yohan, 10, and
Lucho, 4, said the copywriter.
“TV has such a big
influence on the youth,”
Santos, who is now two
months pregnant, told the
I n q u i r e r. “ We f e e l i t ' s
important for parents to be
aware of their kids' viewing
habits.”
Difficult questions
In their own home, the
Agoncillos limit the kids'
TV watching to one hour a day.
“As of now, I don't encounter
major problems because
Lucho is only interested in
e d u c a t i o n a l s h o w s l i ke
'Sesame Street,'” she said.
Yohan would sometimes
stumble on confusing issues
while surfing the Net or
watching videos on YouTube.
“If the kids' questions are too
difficult, I turn them over to
their father,” she said, half in
jest. She recounted a specific
u Page 24
June 19-25, 2015
Page 24
Vice Ganda's 'strip act'
enlightens viewers
By Nestor U. Torre
Recently, Vice Ganda made
viewers of “It's Showtime” sit up
and really pay attention, when
he utilized his “Madam Bertud”
“advice” portion on the
noontime program to take a
strong stand against bullying,
which the young woman he was
advising was complaining about
as a constant bane in her day-today existence.
She wept when she recalled
insults about her looks,
especially the dark color of her
skin - and Vice taught her how to
counter such taunts, and render
them powerless to hurt her.
Even more tellingly, Vice
went beyond “theoretical”
counseling in teaching her how
to be “proud to be me” - by
removing all of his makeup, false
eyelashes, contact lenses and
hair extensions to reveal the real
Vice Ganda in all his
“imperfection” - and yet his pride
in himself and his essence
remained unabated.
Proud to be unique
It was a dramatic and
powerful “teaching moment,”
not just for the constantlybullied young woman, but also
for the show's viewers, who
were persuaded to not care what
others thought of them but be
proud instead of what made
them different - and unique.
That isn't an easy lesson to
learn in these parts, when we're
so dependent on and even
subservient to others' opinions b u t V i c e' s g ra p h i c “ s e l f exposure” made it easier to
understand and imbibe.
Vice Ganda's instructive
“strip act” on “It's Showtime” is a
good example of how some
celebrities make pertinent use of
t h e “p la t fo rm” t h a t t h e i r
popularity provides for them to
push their pet advocacies. Not
many local stars do it, but it's
become a big stellar mission and
conviction abroad.
Sterling examples include
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie,
who've raised millions to fund
Juday, Ryan ...
From page 23
incident, when Lucho asked
about the gender of a gay
character on TV. “My son wanted
to know: Was a cross-dressing
actor a man or a woman? So I
explained to him that she might
have a man's body, but her heart
was female,” she related.
In the board's ad, a child
a c to r, wh o p o r t raye d t h e
Agoncillos' daughter, asked
about the meaning of the word
kabit (mistress), which she had
picked up while watching a
teleserye.
“This is a common dilemma
since love triangles and illicit
affairs are popular topics in TV
shows and movies,” Reyes said.
“I can relate with the
situation presented in the
Daniel Padilla shares stage with Kathryn Bernardo, driving the fans crazy.
Mr. DJ, can I make a request?
Vice Ganda's “teaching moment” was powerful for the
show's viewers.
housing for disaster victims,
a m o n g t h e i r m a ny o t h e r
advocacies; Oprah Winfrey,
who's subsidized a high school
for girls in Africa, and is now
finding additional money to pay
for her school graduates' college
education - in the best US
universities; and Ellen
DeGeneres, who boosts gender
equality and helps needy
families and schools.
In fact, probably 30 percent
of all stars have become so
enlightened and proactive about
using their “celebrity power” to
do a lot of good that it's become
more than just a trend, it's
practically a habit.
We trust that, with local
stars like Vice Ganda, Dingdong
Dantes and Ogie Alcasid
showing the way, many more of
our stars and starlets will see the
light and follow suit.
commercial,” Santos said.
She, however, acknowledged
that, as a working mom, she
cannot always be present to
answer her kids' questions.
“That is why it's important that a
grownup is constantly present to
watch over the kids,” she said.
“You should always talk to your
children, too.”
The commercial, which will
be shown on television and in
cineplexes, was directed by Jose
Javier Reyes.
The shoot was a reunion for
the couple and the filmmaker
who directed them in a series of
films, starting with “Kasal,
Kasali, Kasalo” in 2006.
“The board wanted the noacting, natural vibe that 'Kasal'
had,” the filmmaker told the
Inquirer.
The filmmaker felt strongly
about participating in the
Consciousness-raising
Why, just last month, KC
Concepcion and some
photographer colleagues put up
a consciousness-raising and
fund-generating photo exhibit
on the harrowingly tragic
earthquake in Nepal, so local
awareness of the power of
celebrity clout is palpably
growing. Much more needs to be
done, of course, and local stars'
efforts shouldn't stop at the
“one-shot” level. Indeed, Vice
himself has again shown the way
in this extended regard, by
stipulating that his show's Proud
to Be Me campaign should be
done on a weekly basis, every
Thursday. Thus, everybody in
the show proudly appeared with
no makeup on - and the effect
was stirringly liberating for
them - and for the show's
viewers, as well! Inquirer.net
board's information campaign.
“These days, media
practically shapes the minds of
the youth,” said the director. “TV
plays the role of surrogate
p a r e n t s ,” e s p e c i a l l y i n
households where one or both
parents are working either here
or abroad as OFWs.
“Other adults in the family
need to take a proactive role if
the parents are unavailable,” the
director said.
Santos confirmed that she
and her husband waived their
talent fees for the new TV
campaign.
“For the love of country,” she
explained her reason for joining
the advocacy. “We are all in the
same boat. As parents, we share
this big responsibility of guiding
young people so that they will
become good citizens as adults.”
Inquirer.net
He may not be Frank Sinatra or
Michael Bublé, but give props to
Daniel Padilla for attempting to
expand his fans' playlist, along with
his personal repertoire, by dishing
out standards in his concert “Most
Wanted,” held at SM MoA Arena on
Saturday night (June 13).
By his lonesome, he performed
hits from another era: “Fly Me to the
Moon,” “Isn't She Lovely,” “How
Sweet It Is (To be Loved by You).”
With “X Factor Philippines”
champ KZ Tandingan, DJ, as Padilla
is called by his adoring public,
crooned “Moon River,” while he
belted out “Nothing's Gonna Stop
Us Now” with “The Voice of the
Philippines” finalist Morissette
A m o n . W i t h Ky l a , h e s a n g
“Moondance.”
Of course, highlight of the
evening was DJ's duet with screen
partner Kathryn Bernardo, “So
Real, So Good,” which drove the
KathNiel fans bonkers.
Other guests include “Your Face
Sounds Familiar” finalists Nyoy
Volante and Edgar Allan Guzman
and the Harana Boys (Marlo
Mortell, Joseph Santos, Michael
Pangilinan and Joseph Marco).
Spotted in the audience were
ABS-CBN executives Charo SantosConcio, Cory Vidanes, Malou Santos
and Kapamilya stars Dominic
Roque, Melai Cantiveros, Jason
Francisco, among others.
Direction is by Johnny Manahan
and musical direction by Marvin
Querido.
DJ was not able to do his final
song, “For Once in My Life,” because
the fans had become unruly by then,
swarming the stage and forcing the
security to step in and whisk their
idol backstage. Inquirer.net
Two PH films in New York
Two Filipino movies will be
screened in the New York Asian
Film Festival, from June 26 to July
11. In the lineup are Khavn de la
Cruz's “Ruined Heart: Another Love
Story Between a Criminal and a
W h o r e ” a n d D o d o D a y a o' s
“Violator.” The fest's website called
“Ruined Heart” “neon-smeared pop
poetry…a gangland art flick” and
“Violator,” “a barebones indie that
achieves a kind of monumental evil
majesty as it progresses.” Bayani
San Diego Jr. Inquirer.net
On Freedom
Day ... From page 23
The wedding's other principal
sponsors were Manila Mayor
Joseph Estrada, Sen. Ferdinand
“Bongbong” Marcos Jr., ABS-CBN
chair Gabby Lopez, ABS-CBN
president and CEO Charo SantosConcio, Sarangani Rep. and boxing
icon Manny Pacquiao, Tony Awardw i n n i n g s i n g e r - a c t re s s a n d
Inquirer columnist Lea Salonga, TV
host Kris Aquino, celebrity
cosmetic surgeon Vicki Belo and TV
host-talent manager Boy Abunda.
ABS-CBN network executives
Cory Vidanes, Linggit Tan, Lauren
Dyogi and Taytay Mayor Janet de
Leon Mercado also served as
principal sponsors. Gonzaga's
sister, Alex, was the maid of honor.
Inquirer.net
for Gonzaga's entry into show
business.
Never alone again
“Tin (Gonzaga's nickname) said,
'No more good night, no more
curfews and Skype [conversations]
where Paul would say he was alone
again,'” said Angeli PangilinanValenciano, recalling Gonzaga's
wedding vows.
Valenciano's husband Gary, one
of the principal sponsors who
played a big role in the couple's
meeting, sang during the ceremony.
June 19-25, 2015
Page 25
Rachelle Ann Go debuts in West End's 'Les Miserables'
Three days before her debut as Fantine in
London's West End production of “Les
Miserables,” Filipino singer-actress Rachelle
Ann Go took to Instagram to share her
preparations prior to the musical's opening
night on Monday.
In her Instagram post on Saturday, Go
posted a photo of her wearing an apron
costume.
“I was so nervous! I couldn't even take off
my apron during the scene. I will be relaxed
this Monday, June 15. Well, I will try. Oh,
Lord,” Go said.
On Sunday, June 14, a day before the
scheduled opening night, Go posted a photo
of a Les Miserables book by Victor Hugo,
saying she was reading Fantine's lines.
“Reading Fantine's bit again! I say
enough … Too many tears already!
Tomorrow is the day!” she said.
Hours before her debut performance, Go
also took to Twitter on Monday to express
her excitement and gratitude.
“Heart is beating so faaast! Please pray
for me,” she said. “1 hour to go! Thank you
guys for all your love and support!”
Tony Award winner Lea Salonga, who
once played the role of Eponine in the
musical's 10th anniversary production in
1993, replied to one of Go's tweets and
wished her luck.
“You will be amazing! Toi toi toi! Break a
leg! A million blessings unto you,” Salonga
said.
Prior to being chosen as the new
“Fantine,” Go also played the role of “Gigi” in
the West End revival of “Miss Saigon,” which
gave her the Best Featured Actress award in
the BroadwayWorld West End awards and
t h e W h a t s o n s t a g e Awa rd fo r B e s t
Supporting Actress in a Musical.
“Les Miserables” is celebrating its 30th
anniversary this year in London. Inquirer.net
Screengrab from Rachelle Ann Go's Instagram account
Jasmine still in post-break up healing
Jasmine Curtis Smith
Actress-host Kris Aquino
Kris Aquino admits nose job
The secret is out: actress-host
Kris Aquino has admitted that she
underwent non-surgical nose
enhancement.
Aquino talked about her nose
job after she was teased by her
friend, comedian Vice Ganda.
"Hindi ba tinanong kita before
kung nose mo ba talaga yan o
medyo naglagay ng bridge? Kasi
maganda ang nose mo," Aquino told
Vice Ganda.
Vice then replied: "Sabi niya
kasi, 'naglagay ka ba ng konti?' Sabi
ko, 'hindi.' Sabi niya, 'ako naglagay
ako ng konti pero hindi naman
halata.'"
"You are so maldita. Ewan ko sa
iyo. Nagkabukingan talaga tayo
ngayon," Aquino said. "Proud to be
me. Ewan ko sa iyo. Tapos lahat sila
ngayon sasabihin, 'Oh my God,
umamin si Kris.'"
Aquino then shared how the
cosmetic procedure was done.
"Walang nilagay. Hindi tinrim.
Mayroon kang i-inject dito (points
to the sides of her nose) para hindi
nagpi-flare. Ang sakit, Lord, I swear.
Bawal kang patulugin para they
know. But they didn't put anything,
ito lang (points again to the sides of
her nose) para hindi nagpi-flare.
Basta 'yon, in-inject, ang sakit.
Pamatay sa sakit," she said, adding
that she could not remember the
name of the procedure.
The TV host also revealed the
reason why she had her nose done.
"You know why? Kasi kapag
may crying scene ka gumaganunganon 'yung ilong mo (nagpi-flare).
Kasi nakaka-distract. Si direk Chito
ang nagsabi sa akin, hindi kita maclose up kasi nagpi-flare 'yung
nostrils mo kapag umiiyak ka. Sabi
ko, 'direk, siyempre umiiyak ka,'"
she said.
Earlier, Aquino said she is set to
do three movies this year. (MNS)
After hosting a reality dance show, "Move It", on Sunday
evenings, Jasmine Curtis Smith is glad to be one of the hosts
now of the new TV5 Sunday noontime show, “Happy Truck
ng Bayan”, that started airing last June 14.
During its presscon, Jasmine is asked if it's true she
cried when she saw ex-BF Sam Concepcion in a restaurant
at the Fort and she felt so hurt because he gave her a cold
shoulder.
“If you don't mind, I'd rather keep na lang to us what
happened,” she says.“Healing is a process and we want to
move on. It's in the past na so huwag na lang pahabain pa.
And right now, we're in 'Happy Truck ng Bayan', so
kailangang happy na lang tayo and let's talk about happy
things.”
Is it true her Ate Anne Curtis has something to do with
the break up? “No, not true. What happened between us is
strictly between us, so 'wag na magdamay ng iba, please. As
of now, I'm happy to be single again and I'm not in a hurry to
be in another relationship.”
She's just happy to be doing a lot of work. She has
finished a horror movie with Regal, “Mara”, with Isabelle
Daza, and she'll soon start a new movie with APT
Entertainment, with Alden Richards and the teen loveteam
of Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali.
“And I'm happy to be part of 'Happy Truck ng Bayan' na
magliligid sa iba't ibang lugar bringing happiness to the
viewers with fun games and big cash prizes,'she adds.
(MNS)
Ina: Battle-scarred and beautiful
Like many mothers, Ina
Raymundo has stretch marks on
her belly. Instead of hiding
them, however, she proudly
shows them off, calling them
battle scars.
She believes these kinds of
marks make a woman look more
beautiful and give them a sense
of empowerment.
“Parang it is my way to
encourage other moms na 'wag
mahiya. This is a way of
changing people's lives,” she
said in an interview.
Ina advises moms not to
neglect their physical
a p p e a ra n c e a f t e r h av i n g
children. She advises they keep
abreast of how to look and feel
good.
“Some are not informed
kasi. Lack of knowledge. Feeling
nila tama 'yung ginagawa nila
pero hindi,” she said.
Ina walks her talk. Despite
having five kids, she has
remained beautiful and in great
Ina Raymundo
shape, earning praise from
followers on social media.
“I'm very flattered na
nagiging inspiration nila ako.
Lalo na 'yung followers ko sa
Instagram na sinasabi nila na
they lost pounds because of me,”
she said.
Ina shared how she keeps
fit, enumerating activities like
Zumba and boxing as her
favorites.
“'Yung workout ko hindi
masyadong high intensity. Kasi
kapag nabigla 'yung katawan
mo parang tatamarin ka… you
feel turned-off agad,” she
explained.
Ina advises those too lazy to
go to the gym to start with
simple workouts like walking
for 10 minutes.
“Kasi baka too much kapag
nabigla 'yung katawan mo.
Dapat hinay-hinay lang. Eepekto din naman yan slowly,”
she said.
Ina said it isn't advisable or
necessary to drastically lessen
fo o d i n t a ke . I n s te a d s h e
suggests for them to simply
count calories. She shared how
she actually takes six small
meals a day. She even has a cheat
days when she eats anything she
wants. (MNS)
June 19-25, 2015
Page 26
Barbie Forteza happy and
proud of 'The Half Sisters’
Another villain role for
Joanna Marie Tan
Kapuso teen star Barbie
Forteza believes that the
unique story of The Half Sisters
is the secret behind the
continued success of the
program.
“Number one, yung story
talaga. Since day one, naintriga
ang mga tao. Talaga bang may
ganitong rare case (heteropaternal superfecundation)?
Hanggang sa nakaka-relate na
yung mga tao sa istorya ng
pamilya, story ng teenagers na
may puppy love, etc. Kaya
pampamilya talaga yung
show,” Barbie shares.
She plays Diana in the GMA
Afternoon Prime series. She
also considers the good
working relationship of the
whole team on and off cam as
the winning formula that has
made the series the no. 1
daytime show nationwide.
Barbie also says that she is
very close with Thea Tolentino
w h o p l a y s A s h l e y, h e r
conceited twin sister in the
series, “Okay na okay kami.
Gusto ko siya kasi totoo siyang
tao. Hindi siya plastic at
maarte. Sinasabi niya yung
Actress Joanna Marie Tan will earn
the ire of viewers anew taking on an
antagonists' role on GMA 7's latest
afternoon primetime drama “My
Mother's Secret.”
As Karen, Joanna will compete with
series heroine Neri (played by Kim
Rodriguez) for the love of Kiko
Estrada's Craig. More, Karen will also
make life miserable for her younger
sister Heidi, played by Tricia Cabais.
J o a n n a d i d n' t h ave q u a l m s
accepting the role, relating how it
poses creative challenges for her as an
actress. Note that prior, Joanne turned
heads for her “bida-kontrabida” role in
“Strawberry Lane.”
“What challenges me is how will I
do a villain role that's different from my
past villain role,” she remarked.
Joanna plans to portray Karen with
“depth.”
“There are old fashion ways of
portraying a villain. I don't want that. I
want people to see where my character
is coming from. I want them to
understand why I do bad things,” she
opined.
Joanna is thankful that the series
director Neal del Rosario pushes his
actors to do their best.
Happy as she is with her current
career trajectory, Joanna wants to do
more “mature” roles in the future. She
made clear, however, that this does not
mean she is ready to accept sexy roles.
“Portraying mature roles doesn't
mean I have to show this or that. It's
more on how I should attack a role or
what the story is about. If I'm ready and
Kapuso teen star Barbie Forteza
gusto niya, prangka siya pero
hindi bastos. Click kami kasi
gusto ko yung puede akong
magsabi na alam kong hindi
niya ako paplastikin.”
Apart from Barbie and
Thea, The Half Sisters also
stars Jomari Yllana, Jean
Garcia, Eula Valdes, Andre
Paras, Mel Martinez, Vaness del
Moral, Wyn Marquez, and Ryan
Eigenmann.
Barbie is nominated in the
Best Supporting Actress
category in the 38th Gawad
Urian for her performance in
Mariquina. (MNS)
Triumphs ...
From page 19
achievement for his commitment to
promoting quality education for all.
Through Dr. Gempesaw's vision and
leadership, he forwarded academic
initiatives that advocate inclusiveness
in higher learning.
Rear Admiral Babette Bolivar
received a plaque for her excellence
and meritorious conduct in exercising
military command, and for inspiring
men and women in uniform. She is the
Filipino-American with the highest
naval commissioned officer ranking.
Several American officials shared
their well wishes for the Filipino
people and reiterated the support of
the US for the Philippines.
C o n g re s s m a n M a t t S a l m o n ,
Chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia
and the Pacific of the US House
Committee on Foreign Relations,
recognized the principled stand for
regional peace, stability, security, and
freedom of navigation and overflight
the Philippines has practiced in the
region, particularly in the South China
Sea.
“We remain committed to honoring
our long-standing alliances and
partnerships with Asian countries in
the region and the Philippines
continues to contribute to regional
peace and security in contested areas
such as the South China Sea,” said Rep.
Salmon.
Rep. Salmon stressed the
importance of the arbitration case filed
by the Philippines in peacefully settling
the South China Sea issue and in
preserving regional peace, security and
stability. For this reason, he likewise
Joanna Marie Tan
if my body is also ready it's then that I
would think about doing sexy roles,”
intimated Joanna.
Stepping into showbiz when she
was only seven years old, Joanna is
thankful that God surrounded her with
“positive people” who inspire and help
her attain her dreams.
“I was really a nobody before. I was
just an extra walking in and out of
scenes,” she recalled.
Aside from being an actress, Joanna
was once a Sangguniang Kabataan
Chairman in Caloocan City.
She was recently chosen as one of
the four World Youth Alliance (WYA)
Ambassadors in the Philippines, along
with Kristoffer Martin, Charice Pineda
and Julian Trono. (MNS)
expressed the hope that China will
participate in the arbitral proceedings.
The Congressman also recognized
the countless contributions of the
Filipino-American community to
economic growth, cultural
understanding, and US politics.
In his speech, Secretary of Veterans
Affairs Robert McDonald recalled
moments in history when Filipinos
showed courage in fighting for
freedom, an act which he said deserves
the trust and friendship of the
American people.
“We forget today what a tinderbox
Asia was in 1898 when the people of
the Philippines declared their
independence from Spain. Japan just
fought a war with China and would find
another one with Russia in a few years.
China was on the verge of a civil war,
the Boxer rebellion, and half a dozen of
foreign powers were still jockeying for
position in the region. There would be
two world wars upcoming and a lot of
suffering and sacrifices by the Filipino
people before their independence
would become a permanent reality,”
said Secretary McDonald.
“Through all those years, the
F i l i p i n o p e o p l e w e re n o l e s s
courageous, no less resourceful and no
less deserving of freedom than any
other people. And in their past sixtynine years of peaceful independence,
they have proven themselves fully
deserving of our trust and our
friendship,” Secretary McDonald
added.
Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman
of the Foreign Relations Committee,
also addressed guests and shared his
best wishes and optimism for the
future of Philippines-US relations.
u Page 27
June 19-25, 2015
Page 27
Sevrine Miailhe says goodbye for now
THE RUSTAN'S BEAUTY AND WELLNESS EXECUTIVE FLIES HOME TO FRANCE, BRINGING
A DEEP LOVE FOR THE PHILIPPINESAND LESSONS IN PATIENCE AND GENEROSITY
By Marge C. Enriquez
(Contributor)
The modern Filipino dining
room is furnished with a long dao
table and benches, stainless steel
batibot chairs, a turned floor lamp
made of soft wood called galipawen
and a woven abaca rug, all done by
artist-furniture maker Yolanda
Johnson.
Like a veritable art gallery, the
walls are spruced up with paintings
by Filipino modernists such as
Fernando Zobel, Mia Herbosa,
Antipas Delotavo and Rodel Tapaya,
and a cluster of photographs by
Jaime Zobel, Neal Oshima and Wawi
Navarroza. Against a mocha accent
wall, a Filipinized version of the
iconic painting of “Girl with the
Pearl Earring” hovers over the
Batangas table.
“Everything here is from the
Philippines,” says French national
Sevrine Miailhe (pronounced
MeeEYE). The 46-year-old Rustan's
executive proudly wears a
Philippine carabao horn necklace
that enhances her Michael Kors
shift. When she and her children
leave for France in July, they'll be
bringing all of these artworks and
f u r n i t u re t o d e c o ra t e t h e i r
apartment in Bordeaux, the city
proper of France's wine epicenter. “I
will tell people that these are all
available in the Philippines,” she
adds.
Recognized by the French
government for her service and love
for the Philippines, Sevrine received
the medal of the National Order of
the Legion of Honor (Ordre national
de la Légion d'honneur), the highest
award given to an individual by the
French government.
French Ambassador Gilles
Garachon acknowledged Sevrine's
role in strengthening ties between
the French and Filipino
communities. “My love for both
countries has helped me bring
people together in my modest way,”
says Sevrine, who is also the
advertising and communications
manager for Rustan's.
Endless discussions
Sevrine is married to
winemaker and businessman
Edouard Miailhe. Although the
Miailhes own a vineyard and
Triumphs ...
From page 26
Members of the FilipinoAmerican community raved
about the event, saying it was
one of the best Independence
Day celebrations they
attended.
“This year's celebration,
held in one of Washington's
most prestigious venues,
makes us even prouder to be
part of this great community,”
said one of the FilipinoAmerican guests during the
Vin d'Honneur.
Ambassador Cuisia ended
on a high note by expressing
his optimism towards future
developments not only in the
connected with Rustan's, she will
certainly miss the familial culture in
the Philippines. “Nobody forgets
anybody's birthday. You go to work
with a happy heart, and share the
joy of seeing your coworkers and
finding out what happened. We do
argue, but we say sorry to each
other afterwards. I come back and
say, 'I have to voice it out. I didn't
mean to offend.' Once I've said my
piece, we move on. People here do
care for each other.”
With Rustan's CEO Zenaida Tantoco, who hired Sevrine
Sevrine Miailhe: “As I move to Bordeaux, I
will promote the Philippines.” Photo by
Nelson Matawaran
winery, Chateau Siran, one of the
oldest estates in southwestern
France, they had a trading and real
estate business in the Philippines.
Faced with more responsibilities in
managing the winery, Edouard
decided to relocate his family to
France.
Still, the Philippine connection
is strong. He considers Chateau
Siran a Filipino winery and hoists
our national flag. He was recently
appointed Philippine honorary
consul.
When the Miailhes were
married in France in 1998, Sevrine
was employed at McCann-Erickson
handling L'Oreal, the world's largest
beauty company. Working for an
exacting and demanding client,
Sevrine learned the discipline of
communication and developed an
eye for aesthetics.
“We did photo shoots and ads,
and showed them to L'Oreal's
marketing management. We would
do as many as 25 layouts as there
were endless discussions in figuring
out the perfect ad, the perfect catchy
sentence, the typeface, where the
model was facing. If the client
wasn't happy, we had to redo them,”
she recalls. The work experience
came in handy later.
In 1999, Edouard had to take
care of the family's properties in
Philippines but also in the
relations of the country with
the US.
“Without a doubt, our
alliance is enduring, forged by
common sacrifices, anchored
on a commitment to
democratic values and
deepened by a shared history.
As we look towards the future,
we can only see more positive
developments in the politicalsecurity, economic and people
to people relations,” said
Ambassador Cuisia.
Other dignitaries who
attended the Vin d'Honneur
were Philippine Senator Alan
Peter Cayetano; Philippine
Congressman Scott Davies
Lanete; former US Senator
Joseph Tydings; US
Manila, and so Sevrine and her
eldest child Theophile moved to the
Philippines. According to French
labor laws, a woman can take a leave
of absence from work until her
youngest child turns three years
old. Her leave took longer than
expected when she gave birth to
Eliot, Anabelle and Benjamin.
While the four children were
growing up, Sevrine sat on the
board of Alliance Française and the
M u s e u m Fo u n d a t i o n o f t h e
Philippines, and cofounded the
International Food and Wine
Society.
When Benjamin turned three
years old, Sevrine decided to resign
from McCann-Erickson and sent her
resumé to major department stores
in the Philippines.
Beauty addicts
With her experience with
L'Oreal, Sevrine found a job as the
marketing and communications
manager of the cosmetics division
of Rustan's. Six years ago, the
division seemed like a microcosm of
the Philippine society - there was
lack of synergy and brand identity.
“People didn't know how to
communicate with each other,” she
recalls. “Now everything is aligned.
When you put things together,
everything makes more sense. I am
a team-builder, not a one-woman
show. I've been lucky that the
people I've worked with are
dedicated and trusting.”
Congressman Bill Huizenga;
Ambassador John Negroponte,
Co-Chair of the US-Philippines
Society; Ambassador Scot
Marciel of the US Department
of State; Maj. Gen. Leslie Smith,
representing US Army Chief of
Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno;
as well as Ambassadors and
various dignitaries from the
US Government and
Wa s h i n g t o n d i p l o m a t i c
community.
Representatives from the
US Agency for International
Development (USAID), think
tanks, American businesses,
foreign militaries, and
religious organizations also
joined the festivities.
Under Sevrine's tutelage, the
cosmetics, skincare and fragrance
brands strategized their marketing
instead of just touting products. All
the brands came together under
one umbrella.
In the past six years, Rustan's
developed departments for special
events, loyalty program and digital
marketing.
“It's not enough to have a
Facebook page and post. A manager
develops her own plan and
organizes it in a way that the brands
help each other and don't compete
directly. There are global ideas to
follow and Rustan's image to build
up. You also optimize budget,” she
says.
Then again, Rustan's was
famous with the mature clientele
but appeared intimidating to the
younger market. “We created an
interactive event where we could
engage customers, let them come to
the counters and have fun things to
do,” she says.
The annual Beauty Source
i nv i t e s b e a u t y j u n k i e s a n d
glamorous women to enjoy the
games, or try out the beauty
products and services. “This was a
great occasion to tell the younger
crowd that we were ready to talk to
them,” says Sevrine. The launch
heralded the Beauty Addict, a
rewards card which offers clients
more perks so that they could get
more from their cosmetics brand.
Although she will still be
Nominate great
Pinoy teachers
for “Nobel ...
From page 13
Thailand and Vietnam. The
organizers are expecting that Topica
will help promote the Prize widely in
the region, finding and encouraging
many nominations for great teachers
in each country. Besides the main
award worth 1 million USD, 49 other
great teachers will be honored
globally by this Prize. Apart from the
Topica representative, Philippines is
also represented by another judge
M s . J u l i a Ab a d , H e a d o f t h e
Presidential Management Staff,
Office of the President. Other judges
has not been named from Indonesia,
Greatest virtue
Sevrine will visit the Philippines
for training. “I want to make sure the
team can maintain the professional
standards we've put in place and
help everybody grow.”
She knows that nobody is
irreplaceable in management. Still,
she hopes that she helped her
colleagues gain more confidence. “I
give them a task to do on their own.
You tell them it's not working and, if
they did great, they can call it their
own.”
Later in the interview, her son
Eliot, 14, asks for merienda. “He
wants McDo. No way!” says Sevrine.
The children have adapted to
local flavors, and savor favorites
such as tinola, sinigang, pancit,
instant noodles, corned beef and
Spam.
“We don't eat salty things for
breakfast . French culture is
baguette, butter, jam, a sweet and a
hot chocolate for dipping the bread.
Salty is not part of French culture.
Eggs and pancakes are super
American. Dried fish is not an
option,” she says.
Eliot squirms at balut, but he
likes dilis. Sevrine recalls that when
the children were toddlers, people
were amazed to see Filipinospeaking blondies.
The family will always
remember the smiles of the
Filipinos and their generosity of
spirit. Sevrine says her greatest gift
from the Philippines is the virtue of
patience: “In France, people tend to
box other people in and make
judgments. Filipinos are more
accepting and kind. I hope I don't
lose my patience and that I am
k i n d e r w h e n I g e t b a c k .”
Inquirer.net
Thailand and Vietnam.
What did the best teacher you
ever had give you that no one else
could? If you could say one thing to
your favorite teacher from school
days, what would it be? Teachers
deserve recognition for the magic
they create every day. Now you can
nominate the Pinoy teacher who
helped open your eyes or has lit your
child's imagination on the official
website of the Global Teacher Prize:
http://www.globalteacherprize.org/
nominate
To support nominators without
English fluency, the main information
on the Prize has been translated to
Ta g a l o g
h e r e :
https://topica.asia/prizeph. Topica
is also ready to help translating
nominations into English if needed.
Inquirer.net
June 19-25, 2015
Page 28
PH clinches basketball title, concludes SEA
Games with 29 golds
By June Navarro
SINGAPORE -- Sinag
P i l i p i n a s m a d e s u re i t s
Southeast Asian Games
basketball crown won't land on
somebody else's head.
The Philippines extended
its supremacy in the region
Monday night (June 15),
clipping Indonesia's trip to
glory with a 72-64 victory to
claim the men's basketball title
in the 28th SEA Games here.
With history and
reputation on the line, the
Filipinos came close to another
potential meltdown that
hounded them against
Thailand in the semifinals the
other night before Mark Belo
and Kiefer Ravena turned up
the offensive attack.
“Sometimes, this team
drives me crazy. But they're just
kids and they commit errors,''
said Sinag coach Tab Baldwin.
The Nationals found the
Indonesians a tough nut to
crack on the path to nailing the
country's 17th cage crown in
these Games.
Ahead by double-digits, the
Filipinos saw the lead
evaporate with Rony
Gunawan's jumper pulling the
Indonesians within three
halfway through the final
period.
Belo used veteran guile and
conspired with Ravena to fend
off the Indonesian foray in front
of a wildly cheering Filipino
section at the OCBC Arena here
as the cadet squad of the Gilas
program sent the 462-athlete
delegation home on the wings
of victory after two gruelling
weeks of competition.
Sinag's act of triumph
finally closed the lid on the
Philippine campaign of 29 gold,
36 silver and 66 bronze medals,
good for sixth overall among 11
countries.
Though the result didn't
exactly create tremors in the
medal tally, a debacle by the
Philippines in a sport closest to
its heart is by no means
acceptable.
Since basketball made its
debut in 1977 Kuala Lumpur,
the Filipinos have captured all
but one of the SEA Games
basketball golds and won 11th
straight since Malaysia beat
them to break the chain in the
1 9 8 9
f i n a l e .
“This tournament's tough. It
was never easy playing against
those professional teams,'' said
Baldwin.
Just like the Thais and the
Singaporeans, the core of the
Indonesian team also plays in
the Asean Basketball League.
Inquirer.net
The Philippines Men's Basketball team win the gold beating Indonesia in the finals during
the 28th SEA Games held at the OCBC Arena Hall 1, Singapore Sports Hub. Also in photo
PSC Chairman Richie Garcia and POC 1st vice president Joey Romasanta. Raffy Lerma
No stopping PH sports'
decline in SEA Games
By Marc Anthony Reyes
SINGAPORE -- The
Philippines improved a notch
by finishing sixth overall but
failed to arrest the continuing
and alarming decline of the
country's performance in the
Southeast Asian Games since
2005, when as hosts the
Filipinos ruled the
competition for the first time.
From then on, the
country never made it to the
top fou r in t he m eda l
standing, which has since
been dominated by the likes
of Thailand, Vietnam and
Indonesia.
From 113 gold medals
back in 2005, the Philippines
plunged to sixth overall in the
2007 Thailand edition with
just 41 golds. After finishing
fifth in 2009 in Laos with 38
golds, the country slipped
again to sixth in the 2011
Indonesia Games where the
Philippines garnered 36
golds.
The Filipinos tumbled to
a record-low seventh overall
in Burma (Myanmar) two
years ago when they came up
with 29 golds - which they
matched this time. It was a
haul well bigger than that of
the seventh-placed Burmese.
T h e re wa s a c a t c h ,
though. The 2013 PH
delegation totaled 208. This
time, the country sent 400plus athletes.
Before the contingent left
for Singapore, chief of
mission Julian Camacho had
Gold medalist Samuel Thomas Morrison of the Philippines during the awarding ceremony
of the 28th SEA Games mens under 68kg final held at the Singapore Expo Hall 2 after
defeating Trung Duc Phan of Vietnam. Raffy Lerma
The Philippine delegation led by flag bearer Alyssa Valdez of the
volleyball team parade during the Opening Ceremony of the
28th SEA Games held at the Singapore National Stadium,
Singapore Sports Hub. Raffy Lerma
projected a harvest of 50
golds and an improvement
on the 2013 finish.
“There were gold medals
that simply slipped away
from us,” said Camacho,
referring to the narrow
defeats in several sports.
Track and field athletes,
including the men's 4×400meter relay team, lamented
six heart-breaking nearmisses.
Swimming, traditional
boat race, archery and
rowing failed to put away
asingle gold. The victory
drought in swimming - where
38 golds were at stake here started in 2011 yet.
Philippine Sports
Commission chair Richie
Garcia said he is not blaming
the athletes for the country's
below-target performance.
Vowing to help raise the
skills level of the national
coaches, Garcia said the
mentors should be able to
focus 100 percent on the PH
team in future Games,
instead of concentrating on
jobs in the collegiate or
commercial leagues.
He said the size of the
country's contingent swelled
in these Games due to the
decision of officials to field
men's and women's squads in
softball, water polo and
volleyball, among other team
sports.
Garcia also echoed the
call of POC president Jose
“Peping” Cojuangco Jr., for the
SEA Games Federation to
separate Olympics sports
from non-Olympic
disciplines or indigenous
sports. Inquirer.net
Morrison on Vietnamese opponent:
He had no fire in his eyes
By Marc Anthony reyes
SINGAPORE -- “I saw that he lost fire
in his eyes.”
Tw e n t y - f i v e - y e a r - o l d S a m u e l
Morrison took that as a cue to go for the
kill - or gold for that matter - against his
Vietnamese opponent late Sunday, June
14, in the action-packed taekwondo
competitions.
“I was very pumped up when I came to
the finals but I saw his face and there was
no fire in it,” said Morrison, a son of a
retired American marine serviceman
now based in Maryland. “My goal then is
that by the second round, it should be
over.”
True enough, the 2014 World
University Championship gold medalist
piled up a big points in the first two
rounds to finish off Vietnam's Phan Trung
Duc (19-12) for the men's 68kg gold.
“I offer this win to God, my teammates
and coaches,” said Morrison, a tall, rangy
volume kicker who is also captain of the
men's team.
“All the hard work paid off. I'm very
thankful,” added the Olongapo-born
Morrison who came from the World
Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia
prior to the the SEA Games here.
His victory sparked a late charge for
the PH jins who were embattled the first
two days in combat disciplines, as it was
followed by another golden turn by
Pauline Lopez. Inquirer.net
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL
201-434-1114
June 19-25, 2015
Page 29
Fil-Briton Woodland gets
Fifa OK to play for Azkals
By Cedelf P. Tupas
DOHA, Qatar -- Filipino-Briton Luke Woodland sat on pins
and needles until he received the news he so desperately wanted
to hear since joining the Philippine Azkals camp last June 1.
It hurt him that he couldn't warm up with the team, much
less sit on the bench in the Azkals' 2-1 win over Bahrain last
Thursday, June 11, because of an eligibility issue.
“I wanted to be part of the team so bad so I just kept my head
up and stayed ready,” said the 19-year-old former England
Under-18 player who has been cleared by the International
Football Federation (Fifa) Players' Status Committee to play for
the Philippines.
'Sporting nationality' switch
The Fifa panel approved his switch in “sporting nationality”
last Monday, June 15.
Because of the Fifa approval, Woodland became available for
selection in the World Cup Qualifying match against Yemen
scheduled Tuesday night, giving Azkals coach Thomas Dooley a
formidable option on defense and in midfield.
“When he came in, we already saw his quality,” said Dooley.
His mother's country
Woodland's case was delayed as he needed confirmation not
only from England but also from Wales, Ireland and Scotland
(countries that are part of Great Britain) in his request to switch
countries. Players are allowed to transfer “sporting nationality”
only once, with Woodland making his decision to switch to his
mother's country after playing for England from the Under-16 to
-18 levels.
“Obviously it's been a long time coming,” said Woodland. “I
have followed the team for quite awhile now. The chemistry is
good. Everyone is on the same wavelength.”
Rob Gier hailed Woodland's attitude despite the earlier
setback. “His attitude has been spot-on, fantastic,” said the
Azkals skipper. “He's integrated with the team really well.”
Inquirer.net
Why Work-Life Balance Is The Wrong Idea
A Better 'Balance' Is Finding The Right Job For Your Purpose, Says Talent Expert
The corporate world is
susceptible to fads.
Work-life balance, a push to
properly prioritize work in relation to
lifestyle, features the kind of fad-ish
thinking that can lead gifted people
down the wrong path, says talent
expert Brian Mohr.
“Think of those who love their job
- for them, it's not exactly 'work' as
they exercise their capabilities fully
toward a goal that they believe in,”
says Mohr, co-founder and managing
partner for Y Scouts (yscouts.com), a
purpose-based leadership search
firm.
“Finding the right fit - whether an
organization is searching for
leadership or an individual is seeking
the right job is more important than
people realize. The problem of worklife balance starts farther upstream.
When the appropriate person is
aligned with the appropriate goal,
balance is natural.”
A concept like work-life balance is
a claim on how we should prioritize
our lives, which, if believed, can be
confusing. Mohr discusses how an
organization's employees, from
bottom to top, can benefit from a more
helpful perspective.
Don't buy into the notion of the
“work you” as being separate from
the “real you.” We spend 8.8 hours of
each day working, according to the
United States Bureau of Labor
Statistics the largest amount of time
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 24 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 24 Crossword
spent in any single activity (sleeping is
second at 7.6 hours). Work-life
balance enforces a strange notion that
you are essentially different on the
clock than off the clock, which hurts
both employers and employees. Who
wants this divided personality? Why
not be yourself while doing what's
important providing for your wellbeing and that of your family?
“Costumes are for Halloween,”
Mohr says. “In my line of work, I want
to offer a leader who is authentic and
not some impostor version of who
they really are.”
Not everyone is working for the
weekend. Rather than work-life
balance, it's more helpful to think of
your role in a company or nonprofit as
work-life symbiosis. Just do the math.
Working nearly nine hours in a role
that you do not like doesn't stack up
well with two days that quickly pass
by assuming you hate your job. How
many years of your life do you want to
waste not doing what would make you
happier?
“Most importantly of all is aligning
the right people with the right role,”
Mohr says. “That means aligning the
purpose and values of an organization
to the purpose and values of the right
p e o p l e . Eve r yo n e o w e s i t t o
t h e m s e lve s to f i n d t h e r i g h t
organization.”
Ta k e a c u e f r o m y o u r
technology. In today's world, we
simply cannot compartmentalize
different areas of our lives like people
used to. You can communicate with
your spouse at any time and know
people better through social media
than through real-life interaction.
And, for work, most of us carry our
work around in our smartphones. If
not text messages, then we get emails
sent to our phones.
“Whether through our technology
or the software running in our brains,
we don't simply turn off work when
we leave the office,” he says. “We
should drop the idea that 'work' and
'life' are somehow separate. They're
not.”
About Brian Mohr
Brian Mohr is co-founder and
managing partner for Y Scouts
(yscouts.com), a purpose-based
leadership search firm that connects
organizations with exceptional
leaders. Y Scouts operates under the
belief that people are the only real
competitive advantage in business
and the best employer/employee
connections start by connecting
through a shared sense of purpose
and values. Previously, Mohr worked
as a talent strategist and in leadership
management for major corporations,
including P.F. Chang's China Bistro and
Jobing.com. He is a graduate of the
Advanced Executive Program at
Northwestern University's Kellogg
School of Management.
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
1. Trainee
6. A person who is in
charge
10. Found on most
beaches
14. A drama set to music
15. Affirm
16. Smell
17. Half of a sphere
19. Exploded star
20. Black Sea port
21. At this time
22. Got bigger
23. Ways out
25. Inhabit
26. Perishes
30. Chemical cousin
32. A former Turkish
term of respect
35. Not excessive
39. Noisy quarrel
40. Spin
41. Labored respiration
43. High ranking officer
44. Guarantee
46. Learning method
47. Severe pain
50. Clairvoyants
53. Not right
54. And so forth
55. Imperium
60. Against
61. Fastidious
63. Adolescent
64. Weightlifters pump
this
65. Small cities
66. Feudal worker
67. Small slender gull
68. Sudden burst
DOWN
1. Small salmon
24. 3 in Roman numerals
2. Copied
25. An evil
3. Greek territorial unit supernatural being
4. Anagram of "Sire" 26. Deceased
5. Thigh armor
27. Questionable
6. Derisive laugh
28. F F F F
7. Happenings
29. Snakelike
8. Spray can
31. Bog
9. Sketched
33. Nursemaid
10. Composer
34. Colors
11. Love intensely
36. Tropical tuber
12. Book of fiction
37. French for "State"
13. A slow
38. Expunge
speech pattern
42. Spartan
18. Latin for "Peace"
43. G
45. Parson
47. Winged
48. Segments of
DNA
49. Frequently
51. Record
(abbrev.)
52. Fungal diseases
of plants
54. Send forth
56. Raindrop sound
57. Hawkeye State
58. Litter's littlest
59. Being
62. Hotel
June 19-25, 2015
Page 30
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June 19-25, 2015
Page 31
ASIA SOCIETY MUSEUM PRESENTS EXHIBITION OF
DAZZLING EARLY GOLD FROM THE PHILIPPINES
PHILIPPINE GOLD: TREASURES OF FORGOTTEN KINGDOMS
On view in New York
September 11, 2015 through January 3, 2016
Asia Society Museum presents
an exhibition of spectacular works
of gold - including exquisite
regalia, jewelry, functional and
ritualistic objects, ceremonial
weapons, and funerary masks from collections in the Philippines
and supplemented with objects
from the United States.
Philippine Gold: Treasures of
Forgotten Kingdoms, is on view in
New York from September 11,
2015, through January 3, 2016.
The exhibition showcases recently
excavated objects that highlight
the prosperity and achievements
of the little known Philippine
Kingdoms that flourished long
before the Spanish discovered the
region and colonized it.
Comprising approximately
120 objects from the tenth through
thirteenth century, the exhibition
demonstrates sophisticated goldworking techniques developed
during this period. The vast
majority of works in the exhibition
are on loan from the Ayala
Museum and the Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas Gold Collection and
have never been shown outside of
the Philippines.
Many of the works, unearthed
between the 1960s and 1981,
affirm the unprecedented
c r e a t iv i t y, p r o s p e r i t y, a n d
sophisticated metalworking
tradition of the precolonial period.
They also attest to flourishing
cultural connections and maritime
trade in Southeast Asia during
what was an early Asian economic
boom.
“Asia Society is thrilled to
showcase these stunning gold
treasures from the Philippines
that are not only historically
significant, but which
demonstrate a rich cultural
heritage and point of pride for
Filipinos,” says Asia Society
P re si de n t a n d CE O Jo se t te
Sheeran. “The Philippine Gold
exhibition showcases the great
history of a little-known but
captivating era.”
Philippine Gold: Treasures of
Forgotten Kingdoms is organized
by guest curator Florina H.
Capistrano-Baker, Consulting
Curator, Ayala Museum, and
Adriana Proser, Asia Society's John
H. Foster Senior Curator for
Traditional Asian Art.
The exhibition is accompanied
by a season of programming that
highlights the richness and
diversity of Philippine culture and
current affairs, and explores its
cuisine, performing arts, film,
design, literature, and more.
Archaeology
The exhibition is organized
into four sections, starting with
archaeology. In 1981, a hoard of
gold objects was accidentally
discovered in the hamlet of
Magroyong near Butuan. Objects
from this cache, now in the
collection of the Ayala Museum,
are among the most intriguing in a
collection of over 1,000 gold
objects assembled from the 1960s
to 1981 by the late archaeologistcollector Cecilia Y. Locsin and her
late husband architect Leandro V.
Locsin (1928-1994).
Together, the Locsins were
able to collect and preserve for
study and posterity pieces that
they acquired from not only
dealers, but also grave diggers,
farmers, and fishermen active in
the destruction and
commercialization of Philippine
archaeological sites. If not for the
Locsins, many of these pieces
would likely have been sold for the
value of the ore and melted down,
which was the fate of many of the
gold articles unearthed in the
Philippines over the centuries.
Trade
The second section of the
exhibition, on trade, highlights
early Filipino works that share
stylistic, iconographic, and
technical similarities with distant
and neighboring cultures. These
shared features suggest direct and
indirect contacts with trading
partners in the Asia-Pacific region
and beyond. Early Chinese
historical sources document
various Asian trade missions from
different kingdoms, including the
ancient kingdom of Butuan. It is
recorded, for example, that the
Butuan king Ch'iling or Kiling sent
emissaries to the Chinese imperial
court in 1003 and 1007. The
impressive quality of recovered
gold treasures from Butuan
suggests that the flourishing port
settlement played an important and little studied - role in early
Southeast Asia with possible links
to the powerful trading empire of
Srivijaya in what is now Indonesia.
The Kingdom of Butuan
The third part of the exhibition
focuses on the polity known as
Butuan in the southern
Philippines that rose to
commercial prominence in the
tenth century and declined in the
thirteenth century. The personal
adornments recovered from
Butuan appear to be primarily
elite regalia. The vast array of
golden objects suggests they did
not belong to a single individual
but to several persons of different
heights, weights, and gender.
These splendid adornments and
ritual objects were probably part
of a ruling family's bahandi or
collective heirloom wealth. The
identity and fate of the royal family
who presumably owned the
treasures are unknown.
Surrounding Kingdoms
The early use of gold
throughout the islands that
comprise what is now called the
Philippines was widespread. From
the illustrations and descriptions
in The Boxer Codex (ca. 1590), a
unique document now in the
collection of the Lilly Library at the
Indiana University Bloomington
that will also be on view, it is
evident that both men and women
wore gold rings on their ears, neck,
arms, and legs. The final section of
the exhibition will also feature
works of gold from Filipino
cultures beyond Butuan, such as
the islands of Luzon and the
Visayas where chiefs wore
multiple layers of gold chains often as many as twelve - wrapped
around the neck, with others
hanging down in impressive
lengths.
Critical support for Philippine
Gold: Treasures of
ForgottenKingdoms comes from
Ayala Corporation.
About Asia Society Museum
Asia Society Museum presents
a wide range of traditional and
contemporary exhibitions of Asian
and Asian American art, taking
new approaches to familiar
masterpieces and introducing
under-recognized art and artists.
The Asia Society Museum
Collection comprises a traditional
art collection, including the initial
bequests of Mr. and Mrs. John D.
Rockefeller 3rd, and a
contemporary art collection
focused on new media. Founded in
1956, Asia Society is a nonprofit,
nonpartisan, educational
institution headquartered in New
York with major cultural centers
and gallery spaces in Hong Kong
and Houston, and offices in Los
Angeles, Manila, Mumbai, San
Francisco, Seoul, Shanghai,
Sydney, and Washington, D.C. Asia
Society Museum is located at 725
Park Avenue (at 70th Street), New
York City. Hours are Tuesday
through Sunday from 11:00 A.M. 6:00 P.M. and Friday from 11:00
A.M. - 9:00 P.M.
Closed on Mondays and major
holidays. General admission is
$12, seniors $10, students $7, and
free for members and persons
under 16. Free admission Friday
evenings, 6:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M. The
Museum is closed Fridays after
6:00 P.M. from July 1 through
Labor Day. Find out more at
www.AsiaSociety.org/museum.
June 19-25, 2015
Page 32
EXPRESS

The Filipino Express v29 Issue 25

Transcription

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