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y r a s r e v i n n A r a e Y First t s o P o c s i c n a r F n a of S VOL. 2 ISSUE 1 WWW.SF-POST.COM SHOWBIZ Phil on breakup with Angel: No one to blame -page 13 OCT 31, 2013- NOV 6, 2013 Aquino stands firm on DAP M ANILA, Philippines – A defiant President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday night defended the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) despite widespread clamor for the abolition of the program that has been slammed as unconstitutional and another pork barrel fund with a different name. Aquino, in his address to the nation that was broadcast live on television and news websites, maintained that the DAP is constitutional and has been effectively used as a mechanism to stimulate economic growth. President Aquino Kapunan quits as Napoles lawyer in detention case ANILA, Philippines - The lead defense counsel of Janet LimNapoles in the serious illegal detention case before the Makati Regional Trial Court branch 150 has withdrawn from the case. In a phone interview, lawyer Lorna Kapunan said she had a difference in opinion with co-defense counsel Alfredo Villamor which could jeopardize the defense of Napoles. “You cannot have a difference in opinion when you strategize for defense,” she said. “That’s why we are withdrawing from the serious illegal detention case.” Kapunan said Napoles has been informed about the issue, and that she has chosen Villamor to continue representing her in the serious illegal detention case. “That’s the policy in our law firm,” she said. “If we are not the handling lead counsel, we withdraw from the case.” Kapunan said she had informed the court through a letter to Judge Elmo Alameda that Villamor would become the lead counsel of Napoles. She will still formally manifest with the court her withdrawal of appear- M ance for Napoles, she added. Speaking to reporters, lawyer Diosfa Valencia, Makati RTC Branch 150 clerk of court, said Kapunan has yet to file a formal motion informing the court that she has withdrawn from the case. “As of now, our records show that she is still a counsel in the case,” she said. “She has yet to file a motion to withdraw.” Valencia said Kapunan’s withdrawal will not affect the case of Napoles as Villamor is still representing her. The court will have to approve Kapunan’s withdrawal, she added. At the hearing, Villamor’s crossexamination of Benhur Luy was cut short when Alameda left the bench and went to his chambers. Shortly thereafter, Alameda reappeared in court with a note which he asked to be handed to Prosecutor Christopher Garvida. “That is confidential,” he said. “That is not from me.” Earlier, Kapunan went to the office of Alameda to hand the note. (Cont. on Page 7) FREE PROUD MEMBER He said there has been are sowing confusion; no anomalies involving they want to dismantle the implementation of all that we DAP projects, unlike have worked the Priority Develop- so hard to ment Assistance Fund achieve on the which the administra- straight path.” tion claims has already “We were been abolished. stolen from, “The issue here is we were detheft. I did not steal,” ceived—and he declared in a fiery now we are 12-minute speech that the ones being purportedly sought to asked to exset the record straight plain? I have on the stimulus pro- pursued truth gram and on what crit- and justice, ics have described as and have been presidential pork bar- d i s m a n t l i n g rel. the systems “Those who have been that breed the accused of stealing are those who (Cont. on Page 15) SF Post marks first anniversary S AN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Post, one of the newest Filipino newspapers in Northern California, celebrates with this issue its first anniversary with a renewed commitment to “inform and educate varied communities primarily in Northern California, and to bridge the information highway by disseminating factual news and informative issues that are relevant with the times.” “As The San Francisco Post celebrates one year of uninterrupted service to the community, we take this opportunity to thank you for helping us succeed and to invite you to join us in a celebration of this accomplishment,” said Teresita Estanislao, CEO and editor-in-chief of the weekly newspaper. “For the last 12 months, we have communicated with the Filipino-American community, providing excellent news, advertising content, and service. We believe we have made significant contributions to the Fil-Am community and we will continue to inspire and focus on newsworthy stories and articles. We constantly seek ways (Cont. on Page 3) 22 killed in Philippine barangay elections oo much violence!” Joseph Dechavez of Muntinlupa City blurted out. “What’s with these people? Is government money really worth all this trouble? And to the lowest levels? Ugh!” Dechavez remembered that barangay (village) elections used to be colorless, boring and amateurish, reminiscent of high-school politics. T But the campaign for this year’s barangay elections had been bloody, and Dechavez complained about being bombarded every day with news of shootings and ambushes involving candidates. The Philippine National Police reported on Monday that 22 candidates—11 of them (Cont. on Page 15) USD to PHP Rate $1.00 = P43.11 as of Nov. 6, 2013 NATIONAL PAGE 2 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 The San Francisco Post HAPPY 58th BIRTHDAY Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, Executive Minister, Iglesia Ni Cristo on Oct. 31, 2013 Greetings from Law Offices of Crispin C. Lozano & The San Francisco Post Brother Angel Lobaton Sister Edna Navarro Brother Don Orozco, Metro Uno Wirless, San Jose CA 408-280-6099 408-794-9336 408-667-1641 Delay sanctions vs Iran, US Congress urged WASHINGTON – The Obama administration is asking Congress to hold off on enacting new sanctions against Iran. It says a pause in the push to impose new penalties would give negotiators flexibility in talks now under way to get Iran to comply with demands it prove its nuclear program is peaceful. Even as US officials argue that tough sanctions are what brought Iran to the negotiating table in the first place, the White House and State Department said Friday the administration wants lawmakers to wait on new sanctions legislation to give the negotiations time to get traction. Some lawmakers have argued that now is not the time to ease pressure and that pursuing new sanctions will give the US additional leverage in the talks. But, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said it was the consensus of the administration’s national security teams that a pause “would be helpful in terms of providing some flexibility while we see if these negotiations will move forward.” She said the position was delivered to lawmakers and congressional aides at a White House meeting on Thursday. “We have conveyed that any congressional action should be aligned with our negotiating strategy as we move forward. So while we understand that Congress may consider new sanctions, we think this is a time for a pause, as we asked for in the past, to see if negotiations can gain traction,” Psaki told reporters. She noted that additional sanctions can always be imposed later if the Iranians fail to meet their obligations, and she stressed that no existing sanctions are being lifted. At the White House, national security council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said the negotiations would not last indefinitely without progress and movement from Iran, which has long defied international demands to come clean about its nuclear intentions. “The window for negotiation is not open-ended, and if progress isn’t made, there may be a time when more sanctions are, in fact, necessary,” Hayden said. “We have always said that there would be no agreement overnight, and we’ve been clear that this process is going to take some time.” Bipartisan pressure in Congress to ramp up sanctions on Iran has been rising for some time and hit a new high last week after negotiators from the United States, the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany met with Iranian officials in Geneva. HealthCare.gov up again after data system crash The website at the center of the U.S. healthcare reform law was back up Monday after a data center outage prevented Americans from enrolling in subsidized health insurance, the latest technical problem to plague the online insurance exchanges. The outage, which started before dawn on Sunday, affected not only the federal government’s online exchange, HealthCare.gov, but also those run by 14 states and the District of Columbia, the Department of Health and Human Services said. HHS spokeswoman Joanne Peters said on Monday the website itself as well as a crucial piece of Obamacare – a data services hub that determines if people are eligible to buy health insurance on the exchange – were both back online as of 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) after being restored late Sunday and tested overnight. The outage was the latest problem in the troubled rollout of the online health insurance exchanges set up by President Barack Obama’s 2010 Affordable Care Act. Since the exchanges’ problem-plagued October 1 launch, information technology experts from both the government and private contractors have been scrambling to fix the technical issues that plague the system, with a “tech surge” of additional experts beginning about a week ago. HealthCare.gov was working on changes to its online account creation when the outage occurred, Peters said in a statement. Representatives of the Connecticut and New York exchanges said earlier Monday they were able to access the federal data hub again. Verizon Communication Inc, whose Terremark unit operates the data center that failed on Sunday, did not respond to a request for comment. In a conference call from Washington on Monday, HHS spokeswoman Julie Bataille said the tech surge team had installed enhanced monitoring tools on HealthCare.gov, enabling it to see which parts of it are stumbling badly. The team has reconfigured system components to make two improvements, she said: web pages that show which insurance plans are available now take seconds rather than minutes (or more) to load, and notices that tell people what subsidies they are eligible for show up properly rather than being blank pages. On Friday, the government said HealthCare. gov would be operating smoothly by the end of November. Sunday’s outage severed connections with the federal data services hub, which links the online health insurance marketplaces with numerous federal agencies and can verify people’s identity, citizenship, income, and other information. Without the hub, consumers are unable to apply online for coverage or determine their eligibility for federal subsidies to help pay for insurance premiums. The hub was built by a technology unit of UnitedHealth Group Inc. $1M settlement for campaign fund violations bared SACRAMENTO – California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that the California Attorney General’s Office and the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) have jointly secured a $1 million civil settlement against two outof-state organizations for violations of the California Political Reform Act. According to the terms of the settlement, the Arizona-based Center to Protect Patient Rights (CPPR) and Arizona-based Americans for Responsible Leadership (ARL) have admitted to making millions of dollars in unlawful intermediary contributions in connection with the November 2012 election in California and have agreed to each pay a fine of $500,000. “This case demonstrates in clear terms that California’s campaign finance laws are in desperate need of reform,” Attorney General Harris said. “California law currently contains a loophole for certain groups to evade transparency by maintaining the anonymity of their donors. I fully endorse swift legislative action to change the law. In October 2012, $11 million was funneled to a campaign committee supporting Proposition 32 and opposing Proposition 30. A civil investigation was initiated by the FPPC, which was represented by the California Department of Justice’s Civil Law Division. Following the election, the California Department of Justice’s Criminal Law Division opened an investigation to examine potential criminal wrongdoing. PAGE 3 BUSINESS Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 BSP bullish on GDP growth Your top actions to MANILA -- The Philippine tic product (GDP), grew by my as shown by the country’s keep your home out economy will likely sustain or 7.6 percent in the first half of below-target inflation rate, the even surpass its first semester 2013, surpassing China’s per- value of publicly listed shares, of foreclosure growth until the end of 2013, formance in the same period. and low exports and imports The San Francisco Post D id you receive a Notice of Default on your home? Are you denied a Loan Modification? If this is your situation then your home by: is in danger of being Atty. Crispin C. Lozano foreclosed and you must have a plan of action to keep your home. Below are some of the ways you can do to help you keep your home while your financial situation is in trouble. 1. If you have two loans on your house and it is underwater, the second loan probably has no equity and its lender would not be able foreclose if you have been late in payments even for years. If this is your case, then your payment priority is to the first loan because this is the lender that is in position to foreclose your home. 2. If your available money is not enough even for the first loan of your house, you have to analyze your financial position. If you have plenty of credit card debts, you can eliminate those debts by filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy. By this time your credit score is already very low and filing bankruptcy will pull it down just a few points. However after your discharge from bankruptcy you can immediately rebuild your credit. Debt settlement or debt consolidation will not solve your problem because it is a process that will take three to five years with your credit keep going down. Debt settlement is a waste of money and almost everyone who paid large sums of money for debt settlement ended up filing bankruptcy. After filing bankruptcy you can rebuild your credit within three years. You can buy again real property after three years. Credit cards and auto loans will be offered to you within months after your discharge from bankruptcy. 3. You should review all your expenses and eliminate whatever expenses that can be dispensed with or eliminated. 4. You should try again to modify your loan even if you have been denied before. After your bankruptcy discharge, your financial situation will improve a lot because you have no more unsecured debts and you will have a better chance of getting approval. I have clients who were previously denied for loan modification because of large unsecured debts but after their discharge from Chapter 7 bankruptcy, their financial situation improved and they were now approved for loan modification. 5. In addition, your chance for loan modification application is improved with the settlement by the U. S. government of its lawsuit against the banks. The top five banks agreed to set aside $17 billion to modify your loan and possibly reduce the principal amount by about $20,000 on the average if your house is underwater. You may also be able to refinance your mortgage is you are current in your payment. 6. If you received a Notice of Trustee Sale, you can stop the sale by filing bankruptcy before the Trustee Sale date. If you have filed a Chapter 7 before and you were already discharged, you can file a Chapter 13 even immediately after your discharge in Chapter7. The purpose of filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy is to stop the Trustee Sale and to offer a payment plan for your secured debts such as your house and autos. With the automatic stay from the Court, creditors are prohibited from selling your house until the court approves your payment plan. While you are in Chapter 13 proceedings you can continue to apply for loan modification. 7. If you are a victim of mortgage fraud, you can litigate your case. A Temporary Restraining Order from the court will stop the foreclosure of your house. ankruptcy Basics 1. Bankruptcy will actually improve your credit within one year because your unsecured debts are discharged. Although the bankruptcy will be in your records for 10 years, not filing bankruptcy will make your credit even worse until most your debts are paid. 2. If you are being sued by your creditors, most money judgment can be eliminated in bankruptcy. 3. Collection actions continue and you can be sued if you are in debt settlement. 4. Chapter 7 will eliminate all unsecured debts. If you are near retirement age, you must eliminate most of your debts. 5. Bankruptcy will stop foreclosure actions. If your trustee sale date is 10 days before, you can still file for bankruptcy. 6. If your salary is being garnished, you have a court case about debts or you are being harassed by creditors, bankruptcy can stop garnishment, court cases, harassing creditors and eliminate the debt. 7. Bankruptcy is cheaper, faster and safer than debt settlement which has no guaranteed success. B PLANNING F0R 2013 YEAR END TAXES by: Alvin C. Maglan, CPA tarting your own business can be a challenging but rewarding endeavor. There are essential steps that should be taken to ensure that your efforts will be profitable: 1. Naming Your Company. Your company name is the first impression of potential clients or customers. Think of a name that is unique, and lets potential customers understand what you do so you spend less money on advertising and marketing. You should consider filing a trademark on the name you’ve chosen. 2. Writing a Business Plan. A strong business plan shows potential in making the business succeed. Every budding enterprise should have a business plan to focus the direction, one that helps secure investors. The more prepared you are before you start your business, the more successful it will be in the long run. Below are some essential elements of a strong business plan: - Cover page-short identification and description of your business - Table of contents-allow readers to reference a specific section. - Executive summary-overview of your total plan, outlining the steps you will take. - Business background-highlights your skills and experience in the field. - Marketing plan-details the products and services you’re offering, your marketing strategy, and plans for marketing and advertising your S business. - Action plan-details the specific action-items you will utilize to create and deliver the products and services. - Financial management, statements, and projections-source of start up capital, budgets, projected expenditures, expected return on investment, projected cash flows, accounting strategy and more. - Operations-hiring procedures, insurance, leasing equipment and other expenses and costs. - Appendix-statistical analyses, sample marketing materials and resumes. 3. Financing Your Business. Securing start-up capital is essential. If you use your own money to start your business, you’ll have more control and fewer debts to repay in the future. However, using your own capital may necessitate that you start with a smaller business. If you plan to rely on outside investors, be prepared: Securing a loan or finding investors may require anywhere from two or three months, or longer. You may also be expected to obtain money to finance between 2530% of the start-up costs. Many small businesses receive funding from friends and family. When using these contacts, make sure that everyone understands the inherent risks of investing and that full disclosure is advised. 4. Choosing a Location. The right location is key to your success. Operating a home based business is one way to keep initial costs down. If it’s necessary for you to maintain an office or storefront, there are a few important factors to look for: - Consider rental costs, parking, accessibility, and the strength of the surrounding community. - Think about the size of the location, and whether it allows room for your business to expand in the future. - Remember to budget for any potential renovations on your location, as these will impact your start-up costs and dictate how soon you can operate Your business. Before finalizing your location, contact the local zoning office to ensure the space to allow your type of business. As a general rule, don’t sign any contracts or enter into agreements until the most important details of your business are settled, including licensing. 5. Establishing your Business. Acquire the appropriate licenses to operate and choose the business entity type that best meets your needs. The type of licenses required for starting a new business vary from state to state and county to county. Before operating your business you need to ensure that you contact the state, county and local government agencies for permits required for your business. Next, you’ll want to establish yourself as a business entity. There are many reasons to establish a business entity to protect your personal assets and create additional tax benefits. 6. Finally, success is never final. Arm yourself with knowledge. The internet is a great tool for conducting your primary research. Other resources include business publications or hiring business consultants, lawyers or accountants that could help you in starting your own business. Al Maglan is a CPA licensed in California and Nevada. You can contact him @ 510 432 7438. You may e-mail tax questions at amaglan@ aol.com or taxsaverspro@ gmail.com. buoyed by positive business and consumer sentiment that has resulted in industrial production and consumer consumption. Most of the economic indicators tracked by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) pointed to signs that the country’s growth for the year would likely breach official government targets. “The safe way to say it is that we will be close to 6 to 7 percent. After all, we already did over 7.5 percent in the first half,” BSP Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo said late last week. “If you look at the overall economic growth, it may even be higher than what we have today,” he added. The Philippine economy, as measured by gross domes- The Philippines was also the fastest-growing economy in Southeast Asia. At a press briefing last week, Guinigundo said seven of the 11 economic indicators tracked by the central bank showed that growth may have continued to accelerate in the second half of the year. These positive indicators were results of the BSP’s quarterly Business Expectations and Consumer Expectations surveys, total orderbook index for businesses, book-tobill ratios of local firms, commercial electricity consumption, average price-to-earnings ratios of publicly listed firms, employment, and the volume of production index for manufacturers. These measures outweighed the signs of a slowing econo- numbers. Guinigundo said the National Statistics Coordinating Board (NSCB) follows a similar method in projecting growth. Indicators tracked by the NSCB include hotel occupancy, the number of new businesses in the country, merchandise imports, tourist arrivals, domestic liquidity, and power consumption. He said the NSCB was just as optimistic, with eight of its 12 economic indicators pointing to faster growth in the second half of the year. Given these signs, Guinigundo said it would be highly improbable for the Philippine economy to grow below the government’s target range for the year. MVP sees start of exploration at Recto Bank MANILA, Philippines - Businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan expressed hopes that fresh talks between Philex Mining Corp.’s Forum Energy plc and China’s state-owned oil producer China National Offshore Oil Co. Ltd. (CNOOC) would finally pave the way for exploratory works in the disputed Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea. “That’s what we’re aiming for. We hope to do that to reach a commercial basis for further exploratory and drilling work on the concession but further subject to approval of their government and our government,” Pangilinan told report- ers on Friday. However, Pangilinan declined to provide details on how the talks were going, citing confidential agreements. He said Forum is waiting for the conclusion of negotiations with CNOOC prior to engaging talks with other interested parties. From a business perspective, he said, Forum Energy is keen to start drilling on the disputed territory “as soon as possible” but security issues prevent them from doing so. Any agreements would also have to conform to sovereign laws, he said. “We are a Philippine contractor so we are bound by Philippines law so we cannot do that if we do not conform to Philippine laws. We have to recognize Philippine sovereignty,” Pangilinan said. Forum Energy has a 70-percent stake in the area, which is covered by Service Contract 72 while Monte Oro Resources and Energy Inc. holds the remaining 30 percent. The Energy department has granted Forum Energy an extension to August 2015 to complete the second sub-phase obligations of drilling wells on SC 72. The area is estimated to contain prospective resources of as much as 16.6 trillion cubic feet of gas and 416 million barrels of oil. (Cont. on p 1...SF POST) Source of Information” and became a weekly publication, coming out every Thursday. Since then, several veteran journalists have joined the newspaper, including Val G. Abelgas, who has been a professional journalist for 42 years and has served as managing editor of various daily newspapers in Manila and editor of various Filipino publications in the United States, as editorial consultant and political columnist; and Perry Diaz, also as political columnist. Also writing political columns for The San Francisco Post are Atty. Crispin C. Lozano, who also serves as the publication’s general counsel, and Don Orozco, bureau chief in Silicon Valley. Other members of the staff are Adda Humady, advertising manager; and Alvin Maglan, controller. The San Francisco Post has a website, www.sf-post. com, that enables the publication to reach Filipinos all over the world. It has its offices at 1290 B Street, Suite 203 Hayward CA 94541, and may be reached thru telephone number (510) 885-8827; Fax (510) 5387115; and e-mail: infos@ sf-post.com. to improve on what we are doing in order to satisfy the needs of our community and bring the newspaper to a new level,” Estanislao added. “Thank you for helping us make the past year successful!” The newspaper, which is based in Hayward, started as SF Fil-Am Post “Your Bridge to the Fil-Am Community” with the first issue coming out on Oct. 25, 2012. It was then a monthly publication but on March 7, 2013, the newspaper was renamed The San Francisco Post “Bay Area’s best PAGE 4 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 OPINION The San Francisco Post O A good time to listen to his “bosses” he people cheered when President Aquino called them his “bosses” as he thanked them for treading “the straight THE NUCLEUS OF and righteous THE MATTER path” and creatBy ing change durVal Abelgas ing his second State-of-the-Nation address on July 25, 2011. Now, more than two years later, his sincerity in calling the people his “bosses” and in promising to tread the “daang matuwid” with them is in question. The President has obviously chosen to ignore the voice of his “bosses” who have repeatedly called for the abolition of the pork barrel system in protest marches, through the internet and through the media. His “bosses” made clear their stand against the abuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the congressional pork barrel, and the illegal use of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), one of several presidential lump sum pork funds, when they brought Aquino’s approval ratings down by at least 15 percentage points in separate surveys by Social Weather Sta- T (An Employees owned Publication) Distributed weekly in Northern California 1290 B Street, Suite 203, Hayward, CA 94541 Tel # 510-885-8827, Fax # 510-538-7115 [email protected] Teresita Estanislao Editor-in-Chief & CEO Val Abelgas Editorial Consultant Crispin C. Lozano General Counsel Adda Humady Advertising Manager Don Orozco Bureau Chief, Silicon Valley Alvin Maglan Controller Inquirer.Net Content Syndication Partner San Francisco FilAm Post, LLC Publisher of San Francisco Post & SF Filam Post The San Francisco Post will be happy to hear from you. Comments, letters to the editor, contributions, story/picture submissions can be sent via email to [email protected] or via snail mail to: ATTN: San Francisco Post, 1290 B Street, Suite 203, Hayward, CA 94541. All submissions are subject to editing for style and accuracy. All Rights Reserved. NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS San Francisco Post reserves the right to refuse any advertising not in keeping with the publication nature of San Francisco Post, sf-post.com, and all or any other material published under Sf FilAm News, a Limited Liability Company. For Corrections: Advertisers agrees to verify the corrections of the advertisement. San Francisco Post will be responsible for only one incorrect insertion. Any error must be reported immediately. For Damages: Advertisers agrees San Francisco Post, sf-post.com and all or any other material published under the company shall not be liable to the customer for damages resulting from failure to include in the advertisement any item of advertising or from errors in spelling or grammar or omission printed or not printed in the advertisement in which the error or omission occurred, including but not limited to the loss of business by Advertiser. For Content: Advertisers assumes full responsibility containing the right to use any name, address, trademark, service mark, trade name, or other copy in any advertisement. Advertiser assumes full responsibility for determining that the advertising will conform in all respects to all applicable laws, including but not limited to, all licensing requirements of federal, state or local licensing authorities. tion and reportedly a survey commissioned by Malacanang. According to the SWS survey, conducted from September 20 to 23, Aquino’s approval rating dropped to +49 percent from a high +64 percent in June. This was one of the steepest drops suffered by Aquino since he took office on July 1, 2010. Not ready to believe the SWS survey because his approval and trust ratings barely changed in a similar survey by Pulse Asia, Malacanang, according to the Philippine Star, commissioned a survey that showed an even worse drop – a net approval rating of only +35 percent, 44-percent less than Pulse Asia’s figures and 14-percent lower than those of SWS. It was even worse for both the Senate and House of Representatives, whose approval ratings dropped by at least 14 percentage points -- +39 percent for the Senate and +32 for the House. The worst drop was on the ratings of Senate President Franklin Drilon, the biggest supporter of pork barrel in Congress whose approval rating dropped to 50 percent from 62 percent in June and a trust rating of only 46 percent. The surveys reflected the anger of the people over the misuse of pork barrel and DAP funds as the surveys were conducted at the peak of the pork barrel controversy in late September and early October. But obviously, the surveys didn’t matter to Aquino and his congressional cohorts. The senators later voted to realign their PDAF funds into Aquino’s calamity fund, while the congressmen passed in less than one hour a General Appropriations Bill that included their pork barrel as line items for projects of their choice. Aquino, on the other hand, continued to defend his illegal use of the DAP funds, which were culled from unspent or unappropriated funds of the various government agencies in 2012. He said he smelled a conspiracy among suspects in the plunder charges and some elements of media, and insisted that the DAP funds should be treated as stimulus to economic growth. How could the billions stimulate the economy when most of the funds went to the pockets of the lawmakers and unscrupulous businessmen like Janet Lim Napoles? The sentiment of the people did not seem to matter to Aquino, who said in 2011 that he would vow to the wishes of his “bosses.” His arrogance in the pork barrel controversy has betrayed his insincerity and dishonesty in dealing with the people’s trust and money. Even former Sen. Panfilo Lacson, (Cont. on page 15) Dictatorship sans martial law n September 21, 1972, then President Ferdinand E. Marcos declared a craftily dePERRY SCOPE signed – nay, By conjured -Perry Diaz martial law; thus began an authoritarian regime that lasted 14 years until it ended in an attempted coup d’etat that morphed into a successful “people power” revolution. Another coup d’etat that was promoted as a “people power” revolution ousted then President Joseph “Erap” Estrada in 2001, which brought his vice president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, to power. For the next nine years, Gloria ruled with a tight grip on the House of Representatives, the Supreme Court, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The only body that she couldn’t control was the Senate. Man of destiny Then came Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, a lackluster senator, who suddenly found himself in the limelight upon the death of his mother -the wife of the martyr Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. -- who was catapulted to the presidency in the aftermath of the EDSA people power revolution in 1986. The only son of Ninoy and Cory, Noynoy was bandied about as a “man of destiny.” Regrettably, while Cory remained “iconic” until her death on August 1, 2009, democracy never took hold after the ouster of the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos. EDSA was nothing more than a transitory event that bridged the oligarchic rule of Marcos to the oligarchic rule of Cory. But, curiously, one had to look up the “social registry” of the country’s elite to realize that while the president was replaced, the same people played the field, plundering the treasury – or whatever was left of it -- with gusto. And now, 27 years after that momentous passage from an authoritarian regime to a democratic regime, things didn’t change much. As a wise man once said, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Indeed, the Phil- ippine economic landscape changed and pronouncements of growth abound. The ruling elite is celebrating; the Philippines is no longer the “Sick Man of Asia,” they say. While that might be true from their lofty standpoint, it is not what the suffering people -- masang tao -feel. And underneath all that hyperbole about an “emerging Asian tiger,” the people remain in a perpetual state of bondage. Scandals galore And it is in this context that the administration of PNoy -- short for “President Noy” -- as Aquino wants to be called, is going through a conglomeration of scandals and anomalies involving lawmakers, Cabinet officials, members of the Judiciary, military officers, local government officials, scam operators, and non-government organization (NGOs). Never in the history of the nation had so many people been caught in a web of corruption that was spun to snare billions of pesos from pork barrel allocations. With the Supreme Court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping further disbursement of pork barrel funds, known officially as Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the Aquino administration continues to use the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), which was created without any congressional authorization. In a speech before the Philippine Constitution Association on October 24, 2013, former Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said: “Recently, a newly minted program named Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP, which the DBM [Department of Budget and Management] claims to be in existence since 2011, surprised everyone, including myself and all the senators and congressmen, both active and retired. “Further, DBM has claimed that the P50 million to P100 million in additional pork barrel allocations to most senators after the conviction of the former chief justice in May 2012 came from DAP, funded by savings in 2011, or what is termed in the GAA as Unused Appropriations amounting to P238.8B. When we speak of Unused Appropriations, it consists of two items, namely (a) Unreleased Appropriations (P79.6B) and (b) Unobligated Allotments (P159.2B).” (Cont. on page 15) Jail the tax evaders the prosecutors’ office and filed with the courts. Only one tax evader has ever been convicted with finality by the courts, but the guilty party remains at large, so actually not a single tax evader has ever been jailed in the PhilipMY HUMBLE pines. And to think that we OPINION read of several complaints By by the BIR against show Atty. Crispin C. Lozano business people and businessmen. Whatever haphy were we not sur- pened to all these highly prised when Bureau publicized complaints? Did of Internal Revenue chief the suspected persons setKim Jacinto-Henares said tled with the government that no Filipino has ever and paid their tax arrears, or been jailed for evading were they settled privately taxes? Henares, a no-non- and a portion of the tax arsense lawyer, expressed his rears went to the pockets frustration over the slow of some BIR examiners or wheels of justice as she said DOJ prosecutors? Or were that while the BIR has filed the complaints filed against almost 200 complaints with the show business celebthe Department of Justice rities announced only for against suspected tax dodg- publicity purposes? ers since she took over the It is so unfair to ordinary tax agency’s helm three citizens who dutifully and years ago, only 10 of these properly file their income complaints have gone past tax returns when you know that so The San Fancisco Post many wealthy 1290 B Street, Suite 203 Hayward CA 94541 businessmen Ph: (510) 885-8827 Fax: (510) 538-7115 Email: [email protected] and politicians manage to dodge paying the right taxes on their income by utiFREE EMAIL SUBSCRIPTION FORM lizing accounting firms that know how to Name: _________________________________________________ go around the Email (required): ____________________________________________ country’s various tax laws regulaOther Email Add: __________________________________________ and tions and know __________________________________________ corrupt people inside the BIR W Send this filled up form to us and we will email you a soft copy of our publication weekly. who are willing to turn a blind eye on irregularities in the income tax return for a few thousand pesos. Just look at the list of the top taxpayers in 2012 and you will find that not one of the top 10 wealthiest Filipinos are in the top 10 taxpayers list. Only a handful of these billionaires are even in the top 50 of the taxpayers list. And interestingly, not a single senator, congressman or Cabinet member is in the top 500 of the taxpayers list either. The government often has to resort to borrowing from foreign institutions to make up for budget deficits, and yet tens of billions of pesos are lost annually to uncollected income taxes, tariffs and duties, and other taxes that are imposed on income, good and services, etc. It is not surprising that among the government agencies deemed as most corrupt are the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs, which are tasked with collecting revenues for the government. Congress continues to enact tax laws to generate more revenues for the government, but because of corruption in agencies tasked to collect them, the government always end up short on revenue collection targets, and thus has to either accumulate huge budget deficits, borrow from foreign institutions, or cut down on expenditures, thus resulting in sharp reduction (Cont. on page 7) WORLD BRIEF The San Francisco Post PAGE 5 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 Merkel may have been monitored by US since 2002 BERLIN – German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said Sunday that U.S. intelligence agencies broke German laws if they monitored cellphones in Germany, following a new report that the United States may have been monitoring Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone since 2002. Merkel’s communications may have been tapped even before she became leader of Germany in 2005, according to the German news magazine Der Spiegel, citing a leaked National Security Agency document from former contractor Edward Snowden. Eavesdropping activities were run out of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin as well as in about 80 other embassies and consulates around the world, including 19 in Europe, the magazine reported, citing another document leaked by Snowden. If it were disclosed that diplomatic facilities were being used to do spying, “serious harm” could be done to relations with host countries, Der Spiegel reported one document said. But the magazine said that it was not clear from the leaked documents whether intelligence agencies had been listening to Merkel’s conversations or whether they had simply been collecting connection data. The allegations over spying have created an uproar in Europe, especially in Germany, where furious officials have said that they felt U.S. spy agencies had treated them not as being among America’s staunchest allies but as though they were untrustworthy enemies. Merkel said last week that she would press for clear guidelines about what U.S. intelligence agencies were permitted to do on German soil. Friedrich, the interior minister, was quoted on Sunday as saying that he wanted legal consequences if crimes had been committed. “If the Americans eavesdropped on cellphones in Germany, they broke German law on German soil,“ Friedrich, the interior minister, was quoted as saying on Sunday by the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “Eavesdropping is a crime and those responsible must be held accountable,” he said. Merkel spoke to Obama by telephone on Wednesday to demand an explanation about the alleged spying. In their conversation, Obama told Merkel that he had not known that her cellphone had been monitored, the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported on Sunday, without citing its source. U.S. spy agencies sometimes use “false architectural features or roof maintenance sheds” on diplomatic outposts to hide antennas used for intelligence gathering, according to one NSA document published Sunday by Der Spiegel. On its cover, the magazine printed a photograph of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, circling the roof shed that it said it believes contains monitoring equipment. The Berlin embassy is unusually central for an American diplomatic seat in this securityconscious era, 300 yards away from the German parliament and within sight of the chancellery where Merkel works. 11 dead as storm lashes northern Europe LONDON—At least 11 people were killed on Monday as a fierce storm tore across northern Europe, causing mass disruption to transport. Four people were killed in Britain and three in Germany as heavy rain and high winds battered the region. The storm also claimed two victims in The Netherlands, one in France and one in Denmark. Rough conditions at sea also forced rescuers to abandon the search for a 14-year-old boy who disappeared while playing in the surf on a southern English beach on Sunday. British Prime Minister David Cameron described the loss of life as “hugely regrettable.” Winds reached 99 miles (159 kilometers) per hour on the Isle of Wight off the southern English coast, according to Britain’s Met Office national weather center, while more than 500,000 homes in Britain and France were left without power. Heavy rain and winds of 80 mph elsewhere brought down thousands of trees and left hundreds of passengers trapped in planes at Copenhagen airport. In Britain, a 17-year-old girl died after a tree fell on the parked caravan where she was sleeping, while a 51-year-old father of three died when a tree hit his car, police said. The bodies of a man and a woman were later found in the rubble of three houses in London that collapsed in an explosion thought to have been caused by a gas pipe being ruptured in the storm. A woman in Amsterdam was killed by a falling tree as she walked along a canal, while in Germany three people were killed when trees fell on their cars. A 22-year-old man was killed by a falling branch in the central Dutch town of Veenendaal, although high winds had died down by early evening. In France, a 47-year-old woman was swept away by waves on the island of Belle-Ile in Brittany and her body was found on a beach several hours later. The storm claimed an eleventh victim in Denmark when a man was hit by a flying brick as a wall collapsed in the port town of Gilleleje. Some 460,000 homes lost power across Britain, with a further 75,000 homes affected in northern France, according to industry organizations. Thousands were later reconnected. The electricity also went down at a nuclear power sta- Syria meets deadline for chemical weapons plan UNITED NATIONS -- The Syrian government has submitted a formal declaration of the chemical weapons in its possession and a plan for their removal, a crucial step in an international agreement to destroy or remove its stockpiles and weapons. The declaration was in line with the deadline set by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the international agency overseeing inspections of Syria’s chemical weapons. The organization made the announcement Sunday, saying Syria had submitted its declaration Thursday, three days before the Sunday deadline. The OPCW governing council will review Syria’s plan by Nov. 15. The organization did not release details of the Syrian declaration, but analysts have said the removal and destruction of Syria’s chemical stockpiles will likely be an extensive international effort. International inspectors have al- ready been getting access to sites within Syria. Michael Luhan, a spokesman for OPCW, said Sunday the Syrian government has so far been cooperative. Washington estimates Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s military has about 1,000 metric tons of deadly chemicals and precursors, including nerve agents and mustard gas. Most of the chemicals are precursors, which can be collected and then shipped out of the country, said Paul Walker, an analyst at Green Cross International, an environmental group based in Geneva. Chemical weapons or bulk chemicals would be difficult to ship out of the country. But precursors are not that different than other industrial chemicals that are shipped around the world. But officials still face an unprecedented challenge in the form of a tight deadline and removing chemicals from a country mired in civil war. Under the agreement, Syria has until the middle of next year to complete the destruction or removal of the weapons. Most of the chemicals are in areas controlled by the government, but Assad’s regime is facing countless rebel groups whose actions are difficult to predict. Norway has already turned down a U.S. request to assist in the destruction of the weapons, citing regulatory concerns and the tight deadline. Still, Walker and other analysts point out that both the United States and Russia have extensive experience in disposing of chemical weapons. Both Russian and U.S. officials have discussed the plan with Syrian officials. “For the United States and the Russians this is just heavy duty engineering,” Walker said. “It’s very doable.” PRESS RELEASE oday we dwell on a subject matter that will make all my column readers whether what they read and hear is true or false. We will try to see if there is something behind the news or is just another propaganda. LET’S HAVE COFFEE Good or Bad, at the end By of the day it will still be Don Augusto Orozco a PRESS RELEASE. ….. According to reports, the Philippines is currently the most improved country when it comes to doing business. Fact is our country jumped from 138th place to 108th place. It is in the top 10 most improved economies in business regulation over the past year. World Banks “Doing Business 2014” by the World Bank ranks us highly. What do you think? Is this another of those PRESS RELEASE. ….. Senator Jinggoy Estrada has announced his plan to accompany his wife to the US to seek a second opinion on his wifes’ medical condition. Precy, wife of Senator Jinggoy was recently diagnosed with a lump and cysts in her breast. On the other hand Justice Secretary Leila De Lima has been pushing for a Hold Departure Order for Estrada and several other political figures involved in the Pork Barrel scam. Now, it seems De Lima has turned around and kept quiet about the plan of Estrada. She even added that she nor the immigration department cannot stop the senator from leaving. Is that double talk or just another PRESS RELEASE. T ….. In the meantime, the question now is whether Senator Jinggoy needs to ask permission from the Senate President about his plan of travelling to the US. He apparently had planned this trip long time ago and that he need no travel authority from the Senate Chief because this is not an official trip but a trip on his own. He also added that he faced a more formidable foe during GMA’s term and never did he tried to escape from any so called warrant of his arrest. Make sense. PRESS RELEASE. …. Senate Bill 1863 or the “Anti-Rice Wastage Act of 2013” which will mandate restaurants and other related establishments to serve half-cup rice orders. The goal is to lessen rice wastage especially for those who wanted a low carb diet. The bill wsa also been considered by 2 members of the House of Representatives as a counterpart bill for the senate. Does this lawmakers have nothing else to do? Another PRESS RELEASE. ….. Several celebrities are running for barangay elections. Angelica Dela Cruz, Jeremy Marquez, Chris Tiu to name a few. Usually Barangay elections have higher percentage of participation as this elections are actually people that you personally know and people that is a part of your neighborhood. ….. JOKE. MOTHER: Son, will you be kind enough to call your Dad on his cellphone and asked him to go home…Now na! SON: Yes, Mommy! (after a few minutes) MOTHER: Son, did you call your Dad? SON: Yes, Mom but a woman answered Dad’s phone. MOM: What? What did the woman say? SON: “I’m sorry! The number you dial is not in service at this time, tapos paulit-ulit pa! NGEK! For comments please email me at don. [email protected] tion in southeast England. Dungeness B station automatically closed down both its reactors, leaving its diesel generators to provide power for essential safety systems. Transport chaos The storm sparked mass cancellations of train services across southern England, Denmark, The Netherlands and parts of Germany, while a spokeswoman for Copenhagen’s main airport said some 500 people were trapped in their planes when strong winds made it impossible to connect stairways to the exits. The airport later said it was closed for all inbound and outbound traffic. HOMEL AND PAGE 6 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 The San Francisco Post Aquino seen to keep P600-B lump sum fund MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino is likely to continue enjoying his discretion over about P600 billion in lump-sum appropriations under the 2014 budget. Senate finance committee chairman Francis Escudero had endorsed the approval for plenary debates of the multibillion-peso President’s Special Purpose Fund (SPF) before Congress went on a three-week break last Wednesday. “No member indicated to the chair (any intent) to propound questions,” he said after the committee scrutinized and approved the P997.5-million budget of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). Budget Secretary Florencio Abad seemed to have satisfactorily explained before the committee the DBM’s budget for next year, as well as the President’s SPF. Escudero’s recommendation came as the Senate has yet to finally decide whether to delete the P4.8-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in the 2014 budget or allow each senator to enjoy discretion over their P200-million annual allocation. Prior to the endorsement of the SPF for plenary debates, Escudero issued a caveat that the use of the DBM budget and the President’s SPF should be subject to reportorial requirements to Congress. Upon resumption of session on Nov. 18, the Senate is expected to tackle in the plenary the 2014 budget, the approved version of which the House of Representa- tives transmitted last week. During the committee review of the DBM budget, Escudero outlined the President’s SPF divided under 11 items: assistance to local government units, P361.3 billion; pension and gratuity fund, P120.5 billion; miscellaneous personnel benefits fund (MPBF), P80.7 billion; calamity fund, P7.5 billion; contingency fund of P1 billion; international commitments fund, P4.8 billion; e-government fund, P2.5 billion; and feasibility studies fund, P400 million. The Department of Education (DepEd)’s School Building Program, the lawmakers’ PDAF and the unprogrammed fund are also under the SPF. The PDAF amounts to P24.5 billion for the House of Representatives and some P4.8 billion for the Filipina killed, 3 other Pinoys injured in Beijing car crash BEIJING — A sport utility vehicle plowed through a crowd in front of Beijing’s Forbidden City before crashing and catching fire Monday, killing the three occupants and two tourists and injuring 38 visitors and security officers, police said. The dead included a female traveler from the Philippines, according to a statement on the Beijing police’s microblog and a Philippine official. Police said three other Filipinos and a Japanese man were among the injured, but gave no details about their condition. No information was released about a possible cause of the incident, which closed one of the most politically sensitive and heavily guarded public spaces in the country. Authorities quickly erected screens to hide the aftermath and cleaned up the scene, while images of the crash were taken down from the Internet. The police notice said they were investigating and taking “effective measures to ensure the capital’s safety and stability.” The injured were among the crowds in front of Tiananmen Gate, where a large portrait of Mao Zedong hangs near the southern entrance to the former imperial palace. The vehicle burst into flames after crashing into a guardrail for one of the ancient stone bridges leading to the gate, police said. The statement said the driver veered inside of a barrier separating a crowded sidewalk from busy Chang’an Avenue and then drove along the walkway to Tiananmen Gate, which stands across the avenue from the sprawling Tiananmen Square. Chang’an Avenue was closed as police and rescue services converged on the area, but the police statement said traffic was restored just over an hour later. Any incident in the area is considered sensitive because the square was the focus of a 1989 prodemocracy movement that was violently suppressed by the military. The square is still heavily policed to guard against political protests, which occasionally happen on sensitive dates. The incident had every appearance of being deliberate, since the driver apparently jumped a curb and traveled about 400 meters (yards) to the spot where the car was said to have caught fire while avoiding trees, street lights and at least one security checkpoint. Police did not immediately release any information about who was inside the car. Photos of the scene that briefly circulated on the Internet showed a vehicle emitting thick smoke at the gate. Injured people, including a young girl, lay on the ground, many of them bleeding heavily. Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said their information indicated that the dead Filipino woman and the three injured Filipinos — two women and a man — were tourists. “Our embassy is working to gather more details about this incident and to extend the necessary and appropriate assistance to the victims,” he said in a statement. WE PROVIDE PRESS COVERAGE FOR ANY EVENTS, PROMOTIONS and PUBLICITIES. Coverage for Business Grand Opening, Advertising Promotions and other private functions. Call us at 1-855-454-7678 or email us at [email protected] Senate. Administration critics have categorized the SPF as presidential pork barrel. Opposition Sen. JV Ejercito has been vocal in expressing concern over the President’s discretionary funds amid recommendations. “Are we not giving the executive branch too much power over these funds?” he said. Ejercito would rather have the senators’ P200 million in PDAF be itemized under the annual budget. Sen. Jinggoy Estrada said Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile has been pushing for the deletion of the P4.8-billion PDAF from the 2014 budget. “As part of the minority, I am in favor of that,” he said. Senate Deputy Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III is also in favor of deleting the allocation from the proposed budget for next year. Senate President Franklin Drilon’s proposal to abolish the P4.8 billion from the 2014 budget was met with some resistance at the Senate. Senators have agreed in a caucus to submit before the Senate committee on finance by Nov. 11 their respective stands “whether they wish to amend or realign funds to agencies or programs,” Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara said. In his presentation, Abad said the DBM’s proposed budget for 2014 is P997.5 million, representing a P35.5-million increase from this year’s budget of P962 million. Jinggoy plans US trip amid DFA review MANILA - A government proposal to cancel the passports of senators implicated in the pork barrel scam will be put to a test as Sen. Jinggoy Estrada announced he would leave this week for the United States. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is still studying a request from the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the cancellation of the passports, in anticipation of plunder charges to be filed by the Office of the Ombudsman with the Sandiganbayan against Estrada, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. With the case filed in court, warrants of arrest are expected to be is- Sen. Jinggoy Estrada sued. A plunder charge normally does not allow bail. Estrada said he needed to go to the US to seek a second opinion for the medical condition of his wife, Precy, who was recently diagnosed with a lump and cysts in her breast. He assured the public that he would not evade any charges filed against him in connection with the alleged misuse of the congressional pork barrel. “I was born here, I was raised here and I will die here,” Estrada said in Filipino, echoing a statement of his father, former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, when plunder charges were filed against them in 2001. The elder Estrada was detained without bail for six years and was convicted but immediately pardoned by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Jinggoy Estrada, detained for a shorter period, was acquitted. Yesterday, Senator Estrada expressed hope that the wheels of justice would turn faster to end what he described as a personal ordeal. “I hope this ends,” he said as he expressed hope for a quick acquittal. “I am confident that I did not misuse the funds of the government.” Asked if he would file counter-charges against certain individuals implicated in the scam, Estrada said he would consult his lawyers. “The heads of the implementing agencies should be held accountable,” the senator said. Certain quarters have slammed the DOJ request, pointing out the absence of arrest warrants for the senators. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, however, said the request could be justified. She also said the government could invoke the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, which went into effect in December 2005, to run after any individual accused of plunder who will try to evade justice by leaving the Philippines. A special audit report prepared by the Commission on Audit (COA) covering 2007 to 2009 implicated nearly 200 lawmakers in alleged anomalous disbursements from the pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) using bogus nongovernment organizations. Lacson reveals ‘pork’ deals among lawmakers MANILA, Philippines - Confronted by images of his fellow legislators wheeling and dealing among themselves for share in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) during budget deliberations, former senator Panfilo Lacson said he realized the controversial mechanism “was a ticking bomb ready to explode in our faces.” “The question, when it would happen was the only thing I thought was uncertain. I had a practical reason for believing so,” he said recently in a speech before the Philippine Constitution Association. “In this material world, satisfaction is a myth. It is greed that is real. It has now exploded,” Lacson said. Each senator is allocated P200 million annually in PDAF while a congressman receives P70 million. Lacson, who had never availed himself of his PDAF allocation, said he saw first hand how legislators would discuss among Sen. Lacson themselves ways to increase their respective allocations. “Every year, just before the period of amendments of both chambers, small and big group caucuses decide how much each member would get as additional pork, usu- ally at least P100 million more for senators,” he said. “The second tranche of how much more should come just before the bicameral conference committee meetings, traditionally referred to as the third and most powerful chamber of Congress,” Lacson said. It’s in bicameral conference meetings where representatives of the Senate and the House try to reconcile any conflicting provisions in their respective versions of the budget measure. Most of these meetings were held behind closed doors. “The smarter ones manage to wrangle as early as during the committee hearings held to tackle the budgets of departments and agencies; likewise during plenary debates when questions are addressed by individual legislators to heads of the different agencies through the budget sponsors,” he added. IMMIGRATION The San Francisco Post PAGE 7 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 What relief is available for those who obtained a green card as single but actually married at time of U.S. entry f you obtained an immigrant visa as single son or daughter of a Lawful PerPATH TO manent ResiIMMIGRATION dent or a U. by: S. citizen but Atty. Crispin C. Lozano you are actually married at the time of your entry to the U. S., you committed a misrepresentation of material fact in obtaining a visa because you did not disclose your marital status at the time of the interview and/or at the time you entered the United States. Even if you are actually single at the time of the interview but you get married the day before entering the U. S. you still committed a misrepresentation. Although you have a document which is your green card, your actual status is that of a person not in possession of a valid visa. An alien not in possession of a valid visa is inadmissible and deportable. If you applied for naturalization the USCIS will likely find it out. Your naturalization application will be denied and you will be sent to an Immigration Judge for removal proceedings. uestion:Mario was petitioned by Jose, his father who is a Lawful Permanent Resident in 1985. His father became a U.S. citizen in 1993. Mario got married to Linda in 1988. Mario and Linda have a child born in 1989 named Cindy. In 1991, Mario was interviewed at the U. S. Embassy, Manila for an immigrant visa. He declared that he was single and has no child. Based on this declaration he was given a visa and entered the U. S. in 1992. Mario married Linda again in 1993 and filed an immigrant visa petition for his wife and daughter. The petition was denied because the USCIS discovered his prior marriage to Linda in 1988 and he committed a misrepresentation of material fact by not disclos- I Q (Cont. from page 4..HUMBLE OPINION) ing his marriage to Linda in 1988 and the existence of his daughter. Mario received a Notice to Appear to the Immigration Court. What is Mario’s immigration status? nswer: Mario committed a fraud or misrepresentation of material fact in obtaining a visa at the U.S. Embassy. By entering the U.S. without disclosing his marriage and children is again a misrepresentation to the U.S. Immigration Officer. These two acts of misrepresentation made Mario inadmissible and deportable. uestion: What is the relief available to Mario? nswer: Mario may request the immigration court for a waiver of the misrepresentation. To avail of this waiver Mario must have a parent or son or daughter who is Lawful Permanent Resident or U.S. citizen. Note: This is not a legal advice. We have successfully represented clients who entered as single but actually married at the time of entry to obtain a waiver of misrepresentation. A Q A S UCCESS STORIES 1. On October 24, 2013, we received an approval by an Immigration Judge on the review of I-751 Application to Remove Condition on Residence that was previously denied by USCIS. 2. On October 2, 2013, we received an approval of adjustment of status based on SAME SEX MARRIAGE. 3. On August 14, 2013, we received a grant of waiver of misrepresentation from the Los Angeles Immigration Court for an alien who entered the U.S. as single but actually married. 4. On July 11, 2013, we received an approval from the Immigration Court for a waiver of misrepresentation for a green card holder who entered the U.S. as single but actually married at the time of entry. The grant of waiver stopped his removal and allows him to apply for naturalization. 5. On June 3, 2013, we received an approval from USCIS of a petition that continued despite the death of the petitioner under Public law 111-83. 6. On May 8, 2013, we received an approval of adjustment of status for a client who has a problem with entry document but has Sec. 245(i) eligibility. 7. On January 25, 2013, we received an approval from the Immigration Court for an adjustment of status for an alien who originally entered as a Philippine Government Official under A2 visa. 8. On November 30, 2012, we received an approval from Immigration Court of waiver for use of different name upon entry to the U.S. and adjustment of status. 9. On October 25, 2012, we received an approval of green card from the Immigration Court based on Cancellation of Removal of a client under the Immigration Success Story in services to the people and slowdown in economic growth. President Aquino has to give full support to the efforts of the BIR and Customs chiefs to go after those unscrupulous businessmen and politicians that are shortchanging the government of its rightful revenues. With these revenue-collecting agencies always short on collection targets and politicians pocketing government funds or abusing their pork barrel perks and privileges, it is no wonder that teachers and other government workers are underpaid, there is always shortage of classes, roads are unpaved or unrepaired, there is not enough fund for calamities and other contingencies, and a majority of the people remains poor. Henares has to make good on her promise to jail tax evaders in the remaining two-and-a-half years of her tenure at the BIR and Customs chief Ruffy Biazon must also work double time to go after both unscrupulous businessmen and corrupt customs examiners. Only a no-nonsense anti-corruption drive that results in jail terms for tax evaders will make these greedy Joyce Singh was approved for green card based on businessmen toe the line. These two government agencies cannot operate on a “busi- petition by spouse. Atty. Crispin C. Lozano representness-as-usual” mode. They have to do their job the right way. ed her case with the USCIS Magallanes Village, Makati. Fr. Peter Edward Lavin of the Alagad ni Maria Seminary in Antipolo said that on Dec. 20, 2012, after saying Mass at the Heritage Park in Taguig for the birthday of Napoles’ late mother, Magdalena, Napoles’ brother and co-accused, Reynald Lim told him Luy wanted to undergo a religious renewal. “After the Mass, Reynald approached me and told me that Benhur wanted a spiritual retreat for drug addiction and anomalies for a loan that the company was not aware of,” he said. Lavin told the court that he offered a retreat house adjacent to their seminary in Antipolo and to act as Luy’s spiritual adviser during the retreat. However, Luy did not appear at the Antipolo retreat house, he added. Lavin said he later learned that Luy had chosen to go to the Bahay ni San Jose at 52 Lapu-Lapu St. in Magallanes Village with Monsignor Josefino Ramirez as his retreat master. “Monsi (Ramirez) told me that Benhur has already started his spiritual counseling with him,” he said. Lavin said he saw Luy last Dec. 26 praying (Cont. from page 1..KAPUNAN QUITS) When Luy’s cross-examination resumed, Garvida stood up and asked Alameda that they, along with Villamor meet in chambers. They later returned to court and proceeded with the hearing without Kapunan. During a break in the trial, Villamor would neither confirm or deny the report that Kapunan had withdrawn from the case. “I don’t know,” he told reporters. “I don’t know.” At the Senate, Sen. Sergio Osmeña III said yesterday Kapunan’s withdrawal as counsel is a big blow to Napoles’ defense. “That is not good if you are abandoned by your own lawyer,” he said. “That means that you’re not united in the strategy to be carried out. And that’s probably the reason why attorney Lorna Kapunan resigned. “But again, I am only guessing. You just told me that she resigned. I would assume that there is some disagreement in strategy.” Defense presents priest The defense presented yesterday as witness a 53-year-old priest who testified that Luy was not illegally detained but had spent a spiritual retreat at a house of Napoles in while walking in the garden at that house. In another visit, he again saw Luy praying at the chapel in that house and later talking with someone on a mobile phone, he added. Lavin said he was not aware that Luy was being held against his will as they would greet each other whenever he would visit the Magallanes house. He had visited the Magallanes house six times since Dec. 26, 2012, he added. During cross-examination, Lavin told Garvida that he does not know Napoles personally. He would just help Monsignor Ramirez say Mass at Napoles’ office or at her mother’s mausoleum, he added. However, Garvida said Lavin was an incorporator of the JLN Corp. “If you don’t know her well, how come you became an incorporator of JLN Corporation?” he said. Lavin said: “I don’t know.” Lavin said he had visited Napoles at her place of detention in Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa last Monday to inform her that he would be testifying in her illegal detention case. Violence against Women Act. She originally entered under a Fiancée visa but the marriage did not worked and she ended up filing a self petition. Crispin Caday Lozano is an active member of the State Bar of California, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the National Association of Consumers Bankruptcy Attorneys. He specializes in immigration law and bankruptcy law. He earned his Juris Doctor at Western State University College of Law in Fullerton, California. PAGE 8 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 The San Francisco Post Sta. Lucia holds groundbreaking for Splendido Taal Tower 2 remiere Philippine developer Sta. Lucia Land, Inc. recently held groundbreaking rites for Splendido Taal Tower 2, the latest development in the masterplanned enclave of the Splendido Taal Residential Golf and Country Club. A joint venture of SLI with JAKA Tagaytay Holdings Corp., Splendido Taal Tower 2 is the second of four planned luxury towers along the prime Tagaytay ridge, overlooking a majestic view of the Taal Lake and the greens and fairways of the Splendido Taal Golf Club. SLI president and CEO Exequiel Robles led the groundbreaking rites with Jayson Robles (VP - Project Development) of SLI; Juan Rodrigo Ponce Enrile, senior executive vice president of JAKA Investments Corp.; Persiverando Lukban, general manager of Jaka Tagaytay Holdings; longtime Sta. Lucia team manager Buddy Encarnado; EVP James Aguila, and Hon. Randy James Amo, mayor of Laurel, Batangas. Expected to be completed in 2015, Splendido Taal Tower 2 will stand 18 storeys high, comprised of residential and condotel (hotel) units. Splendido Taal Tower 2 is Sta. Lucia’s 5th condotel project, counting operational projects in P Sotogrande and La Mirada in Mactan, Cebu; La Breza in Quezon City; and set to rise, Arterra Residences at Discovery Bay in Mactan. Under Sta. Lucia’s condotel concept, unit own- income through rental revenues within the contract period, with a high return on investment. Unit owners also get to enjoy free membership to the Splendido Country Club and all its amenities, with access to the 14 different country clubs of SLI mationwide. The Splendido Taal Tower Golf Club is also within the complex, with an 18-hole allweather championship course designed by golfing great Greg Norman. The golf club’s signature hole, the picturesque Hole No. 8 is a 200-yard drive over a deep ravine has been touted as one of the most challenging in the country. Splendido is an hour and a half away from Manila, and a short drive from the Tagaytay nightlife, the beaches of Nasugbu and Calatagan ers get to vacation free anytime, with 30 com- or the dive sites of Anilao. plimentary room nights per year, transferrable, Sta. Lucia Land now holds office at Milpitas, across all Sta. Lucia hotels and condotels in the Ca. Their office/showroom is located at 1613 Philippines. Splendido Taal Tower 2 condotel S. Main St. Suite 102 Milpitas, Ca. 95035 units will be placed under the management’s For details, please call: hassle-free rental program initially for 15 Ofc: 408-946-8067 / 408-620-5205. ADVERTORIAL years, while unit owners are assured of steady Mobile: 707-3638058 The San Francisco Post PAGE 9 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 AROUND TOWN PAGE 10 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 The San Francisco Post New York Life launches Filipino Market The Silicon Valley General Office of New York Life Insurance Company launched its first FILIPINO MARKET Event at Fort Mckinley (South San Francisco) last October 24, 2013. Ms. Julie Estrella Adams who initiated and hosted the event explained that New York Life Insurance Company hopes to build closer affinity to the Filipino community. She added that the re-introduction of the company to the community will allow both parties to further help and support each other. That’s why the event featured Prof. Tony Villegas, a professor at the College of Alameda who talked about the presence of Filipinos in America. He emphasized that we are now the second largest Asian immigrants in the country; and now number one in California. He also expounded on the $ 88.6 billion purchasing power of Filipinos in the country and shared the demographics of the population. Another key objective is for the company to have a more meaningful approach to the community so that Agents and Financial Services Professionals are more attuned to the needs and goals of their clients. Ms. Odette Keeley, News Anchor and Producer of New America and Comcast TV shared the Filipino values, character and culture of the Filipinos that helped pave the way for this goal to be met. The Parangal Dance Company, a worldclass performing group danced two folk dances that reflected the community’s cultural heritage. The members of the Philippine American Press Club were there too to support the goals that the company wants to achieve. PAPC, through its Executive Secretary Mr. Jojo Peralta extended its appreciation and offered its support to help meet the overall objectives of the event. Hector Vilchis, Corporate VP of the Hispanic Market and Michelle Louie, Senior Associate of the Women’s Market, executives from New York Life Insurance Company’s home office flew all the way from New York City to show to the community its commitment towards the realization of its future financial growth. The Managing Partner of the Silicon Valley General Office, Mr. Victor Vuong also emphasized its dedication to reach out to the Filipino community and made it a point that his office is committed to be of greater value and service to their clients. The presence and support of the Deputy Consul General Jaime Ramon Ascalon of the Philippine Consulate General Office gave impact to the event as he expressed his support to the Filipino agents and Financial Services Professional on their mission of helping and reaching out to the community. The event was well attended and supported by influential Filipino personalities, executives and other government officials. Guests commented that the event was very informative, very inspiring and very motivating. By Don Orozco From L to R: Hector Vilchis – Corporate Vice President, (Hispanic Market) New York Life Insurance Company, Joseph Peralta – Executive Secretary of PAPC, Vice President and General Manager of Asian Journal Publications (Norcal), Professor Tony Villegas, Jr. – Speaker on Presence of Filipinos in America & $88.6 Billion Purchasing Power of Filipinos, Julie Estrella Adams – Agent & Host of Filipino Market Event, Lani Judal – Financial Services Professional & Host of Filipino Market Event, Victor Vuong – Managing Partner, Silicon Valley General Office, New York Life Insurance Company, Michelle Louie – Senior Associate, Women’s Market, New York Life Insurance Company, Carlos Garcia – Corporate VP (Hispanic Market, Pacific Zone) New York Life Insurance Company, Odette Keeley – Speaker on Filipino Values & Culture, Director National Network Building & News Anchor/Executive Producer New America Media & Comcast TV, Jaime Ramon Ascalon – Deputy Consul General, Philippine Consulate Office in San Francisco and Cecile Ascalon – wife of Jaime Ramon Ascalon MON CARGO, Serving Filipinos for 27 Years Tweny seven years of serving Filipino kababayans, safe and reliable door-to-door service since 1986. Established in 1986, M O N C a r g o Services Incorporated is an authorized NVOCC of Federal Maritime Commission and a holder of Ocean Transportation Intermediary License N o . 12964N, duly authorized to forward BALIKBAYAN BOXES for personal effects and household goods to the Philippines. From inception, the goal of Mon Cargo Services, Incorporated is to reach out to the needs of the Filipino comm u nity w h o continuously look for the most reliable company with proven track record o f honesty, efficiency, dependability and trustworthy. Customer’s satisfaction has always been the company’s top pri- ority. The growth of Mon Cargo Services, Inc. is really fast, its expansion program will soon open in various locations. Part of the expansion program is to purchase additional trucks to meet the company’s massive demand of balikbayan box collections in the whole of Bay Area.. More than a business, the manage- concern to its customers effort in filling up the balikbayan ment and staff of Mon Cargo are known for epitomizing the company’s nature that is, it puts utmost boxes that they send to the Philippines. “The firm gives customers an assurance that balikbayan boxes are handled with extra care from the time they are picked up to the time they are delivered to the destination address” “We build customer’s loyalty by treating them how they want to be treated” Agnes Doniego S i n g h says… Other Services Offered: • Container Shipments for Returning Residents • Home Appliances, Furniture-Any • Househ o l d Goods • Vehicles • Crating • Air Fare Tickets FREE: Pick-Up Service, Replacement, Box, Strapping. Know more about our services and promos by calling our toll free 1-800-432-4300 or visit our website www.moncargoservices. com. AROUND TOWN The San Francisco Post PAGE 11 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 Via Mare Celebrates 2nd Year Anniversary For businesses to thrive, especially, a specialty restaurant business, it takes about six months to a full-length year to realize whether it would ‘click’ in the market or not. Via Mare of America, known for its authentic Filipino-Spanish cuisine, is one of the luckiest Filamrun restaurant to survive the stiff competition in the restaurant industry. “Not everyday is a bed of roses, “ said Via Mare’s Executive Chef and partowner, Ed Mission, “ But we’re trying our best to stay above the competition, and maintain the quality of food and services especially, cleanliness in our restaurant. “ On October 30, Via Mare is celebrating its second year anniversary and Mission was all busy and excited to impart a word to his patrons, “ We are giving away free appetizers (Calamares and Tokwa’t Baboy) whole day for a minimum order of $30. “ Several changes has yet to take place in the near future. “ We are in the process of applying for a beer and wine license, after which, we will have a nightly entertainment through a musical pianist from 9:30p.m. to 1:30a.m, “ Mission said, adding that music played in piano will add more enjoyment for beer and wine lovers as they dine. At the same time, he said that Via Mare will continue their Loyalty Diner Coupon Program. “ When you order a minimum of $30 including tax, your coupon will be stamped, and if you already accumulate five (5) stamps you could redeem it for free appetizers. “ Admittedly, Mission said the business “ is getting strong. “ Since Via Mare opened its doors to the public on Mondays (starting Aug. 26) for a full-week operation, the food facility could now accommodate huge catering services that comprised 30-percent of Via Mare’s total sales. “Dine continues to dominate our whole services, “ Mission stressed, “ This is the reason why we have to re-invent and change our concept every now and then, to better serve the needs of our market. “ Via Mare comes with lots of surprises and innovations these holiday season. “Our social media network presence is also undergoing construction, “ he said, “ Customers and avid patrons could like us on facebook and twitter soon. “ Overall, two years have revealed all kinds of challenges Via Mare has to undergone in order to keep above competition. “ We’ve gone too far, “ Mission said, “ We didn’t expect we’ll be these tenacious and community-oriented business. “ “We hope that our friends and the regular diners will continue to promote and patronize us because by doing so we will be able to maintain our Filam staff to support livelihood in our community, “ Mission said. At present, Mission said the company employs a lean staff of 11-- Via Mare’s way of giving back its blessings to the Filam community. “I take pride in the fact that you were able to give employment to our Filipino ‘kababayans‘ who badly needs livelihood locally, “ he humbly said, although, he noted he strives hard to beat competition. Mission, one of the pillars of the succ e s s of Via Mare of America along with other three partners, formed Via Mare in the last quarter of 2011 with the aim in view of complementing with the community through putting up a restaurant business in the thickly Filam-populated district of Daly City. He came to the fore and form Via Mare of America, from his humble beginnings in 2006 when Mission was one of the cor- nerstones (as founder) of Tribu, another Filam restaurant located in the Peninsula. A consistent restaurateur, Mission recalled how the corporation founded Via Mare: “ Via Mare means ‘By the Sea‘ and, because we’re in the Bay Area- we came up with the idea- all fresh from the sea. “ For almost two years, Via Mare of America-a great dining place for huge groups and party gatherings conveniently located at the heart of Mission St. in Daly City, offers a variety of specially-cooked food from the fusion of SpanishFilipino cuisine. Catering large audiences from 10, 50 to 100 persons even for private parties, Mission, one of the best Executive Chef in town, said that more added innovations in their Menu has yet to take place come holidays. Christian Singers All: After a smashing and well attended Christian concert at the Shorleine Amphitheatre in Mountain View Darwin Fontanares (4th with sunglasses) poses with co-performers Jay Tolentino,Oliver Tolentino, Jayson Quintin, Lew Randy Cortes,Nick Morales, Bryan Quintin, Ann Mendoza Kroll,Justin Lugtu, Marc Cruz, Chynna Villanueva, Henry Nery, Meltwo Gice, Jeremiah Kroll, Reynard Silva,Albert Jerome Tejada, Clayton Laje, Armily Mosquito, Rj Repollo, Clint Labson, Denielle Anne Barcelona, Kevin Guanzon, Shalina Kroll, Gil Castro,Sara Sabino Gutierrez, Pauline Genove Aguinaldo,Sydney Flores, Shaina Avery, Criselle Cahayag,Cherie Faye Mora, Michelle Thomas, Rius Chua,Kathy Mae Sana, Chessica Manangan and Nicole Coates. 2 Divas 2 gether. Frontlining the entertainment part of the Outreach Program was Shaina Avery of Ohlone University, daughter of Brian and Nerissa Avery and Armily Mosquito, daughter of Arnel & Amy Mosquito. BAY AREA VISITOR: Apple Meneses of the Kapatid Network TV5 in Manila visited the Bay Area recently. Picture was taken in front of the Daly City Police Headquarters as she interviews Fil-Am cops in the City. CABE FAMILY. A reunion of some sort and a wacky pose rendered by the Cabe’s. This was recently held in the Berryesa District in San Jose of the Cabe family highlighted of course by the family of Wayne, Olive, Ate Faye & Olgier. Bay Area residents and lovely sisters Cindy Navarro and Alma Ogana recently visited Budapest, Hungary for some relaxation avoiding the United Stress of America. Cindy & Alma is behind the monument of President Ronald Reagan, as the former president was honored during Gorbachev’s time. WHAT A BLAST: Crizel Gatlabayan Raneses celebrated her birthday with a Neon Glow Theme Party at The Supper Club in SOMA District San Francisco with her friends Ray Cosca, Pia Cosca, Heidi Rivera, Nelson Baun, Patrick Rubio, Jason Almayda, Ross Almayda, Pierre Paderna, Luisa Aquino, Rosalie Anonuevo, Sam Liu, Hang Wong, Rachel Roll, Tess Cadiz, Crizel Gatlabayan Raneses, Stephen Dong, Joe Hunter & Harumi Sugai. SPORTS So seals chess crown with quiet draw PAGE 12 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 MANILA, Philippines Grandmaster Wesley So held top seed English GM Michael Adams to a draw in 21 moves to officially clinch the 17th Unive Tournament crown in Hoogeveen, Netherlands yesterday. With the title virtually in the bag, So still went for a win, opting for a complicated tactical line of the Nimzo-Indian and emerging from a minor piece exchange with an active pair of bishops. But Adams, the world No. 13 and boasting of the highest rating here with 2753, neutralized whatever slight advantage the Filipino had with sound knight countermoves, forcing the Filipino to a draw via repetition moves. Still, the standoff proved enough for So, ranked No. 40 in the world, to secure the title with 4.5 points in the doubleround tournament. Adams finished joint second with Dutch GM Robin Van Kampen with 3.5 points. It was So’s second victory following his gold medal effort in the Universiade in Kazan, Russia in July. The San Francisco Post Cards score shocker, lead 2-1 over third base in ST. LOUIS – Game 2 and into the The Boston Red Fenway Park stands, Sox keep stumturning Matt Carpenbling. Forget ter’s tying sacrifice fly about getting in the into two runs. path of opponents, When this one ended, they can’t even stay out of their Middlebrooks approached the umpires own way. and raising his arms The crazy 5-4 loss wide, as if to say to the St. Louis “What could I do?” Cardinals on Sat“He was on top of urday night, which me. There was noended with third Louis Cardinals’ Allen Craig trips over Boston Red baseman Will Mid- St. Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks as he tries to score where for me to go dlebrooks, flat on from third in the ninth inning during Game 3 of the World there,” Middlebrooks his stomach, rais- Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Craig was awarded said. “If I dive and then Army-crawl to ing both legs and home due to interference on the play. second as soon as I hit obstructing Allen we can’t come back from. the ground, that’s the Craig, joins the bizarre Boston lore that include You just don’t expect to lose a only way I get out of the way Johnny Pesky holding the ball game that way. It’s shocking.” there.” Thirty-eight years after an Back in 1975, Cincinnati on Harry Walker’s hit in 1946 and Bill Buckner allowing interference non-call did in pinch-hitter Ed Armbrister Mookie Wilson’s grounder to the Red Sox in World Series wasn’t called for interferGame 3, an obstruction ruling ence by plate umpire Larry through his legs in 1986. Barnett when he blocked Red “It’s a crying shame to lose finished them off. “This game is not going to Sox catcher Carlton Fisk on a a game like this. I’m absolutely shocked a game of this define our team,” Dustin Pe- 10th-inning bunt at Riverfront magnitude ends on a play droia said. “We lost tough Stadium. Fisk’s throw went like that. It just doesn’t seem game. We’ll come out and off the glove of shortstop Rick right,” said Jake Peavy, whose play tomorrow. This won’t Burleson, putting runners on second and third. Joe Morfour gritty innings were pretty stop us.” Hope for a third Series sweep gan’s RBI single gave Cincinmuch forgotten. “We’ve been able to come back all year. I in a decade disappeared when nati a 6-5 win, and the Reds don’t think this is something Craig Breslow threw wildly took the title in seven games. Pacquiao wants to fight again in April Manny Pacquiao is not exactly underestimating Brandon Rios but the Filipino icon has told Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum of his desire to fight in April 2014. Arum spent three days in Pacquiao’s training camp in General Santos City last week and the Top Rank big boss told the Bulletin that he has never seen Pacquiao appeared sensational in the runup to a big fight. “This is the best that he’s looked since he was getting ready for the (Oscar) De La Hoya fight,” said Arum, noting the fire in Pacquiao’s eyes and his sense of urgency in proving to everyone that even at nearly 35 years of age, he still has it. If indeed Pacquiao is so pumped up to show the world what he’s got, then Rios is going to be in deep, deep trouble come Nov. 24 at The Venetian in Macau. Still, Pacquiao wants Arum to reserve an April date for his first fight in 2014 against an opponent yet to be determined although he mentions two names: Tim Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov of Russia. And why April and not not May as tradition dictates? “Well, (Floyd) Mayweather has reserved a May date whether he’s fighting a Hispanic or some guy at the MGM Grand so we’ll do it in April,” he said. And where could it take place? “Maybe in the US or overseas (out- side the US),” said the Harvard-educated Arum. Bradley is in the mix following his recent victory over Juan Manuel Marquez, while Provodnikov, a one-time Pacquiao sparring partner, also entered the scene after he beat up Mike Alvarado last week. Arum said Pacquiao, whose last fight on US soil was the sixth-round knockout by Marquez, might end up making a return to the US with an appearance at the 19,500-seat Thomas and Mack Center, site of Pacquiao’s third fight against bitter rival Erik Morales in November 2006. Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 SHOWBIZ Phil on breakup with Angel: Showbiz Weekly Post No one to blame France honors Pinoy film official PAGE 13 The San Francisco Post France has named the chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Briccio Santos, a Chevalier or Knight of the Legion of Honor for developing and promoting the Philippine cultural identity through cinema. Santos, who was appointed FDCP chairman in 2010, was recognized for his efforts to preserve Philippine film heritage through the creation of the National Film Archives, an advocacy that France supports. In his acceptance remarks during his conferment Friday at the official residence of French Ambassador to Manila Gilles Garachon in Forbes Park, Santos spoke first in French as he expressed his gratitude to the government of France for the honor bestowed on him. Santos noted the long relationship between France and the Philippines that dated back to Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition here in 1521, with 15 French nationals who were part of the group. Santos also said France welcomed the Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal, when he took refuge in Paris along with Antonio and Juan Luna and other Filipino patriots. France was also among the first countries to recognize the election and government of President Corazon Aquino in 1986. “France was always there standing by us,” said Santos, one of the earliest exponents and practitioners of independent filmmaking in the Philippine. “That’s what matters most.” Garachon described Santos as “a genuine artist, a painter, sculptor, director and a man of passion and of creation.” “Cinema is creation, it is about human feelings, human histories, about our lives. This is the kind of cinema that Briccio is fighting for, and we French are extremely senstive to that,” he added. As a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, Santos joins the ranks of Aung San Suu Kyi, the late President Corazon Aquino, actor and film director Richard Attenborough, Salvador Dali and the late Carlos P. Romulo. James Yap kisses girlfriend after San Mig win In a rare moment, an elated James Yap gamely showed his affection for his Italian girlfriend shortly after the star cager’s team, San Mig Coffee, clinched the PBA Governors’ Cup title on Friday night. The 31-yearold basketball player, who has repeatedly evaded discussing his relationship with Michela Cazzola, was seen kissing his girlfriend of more than a year before some 20,000 spectators at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The candid moment, which saw a beaming Cazzola with Yap planting a kiss on her cheek, happened minutes after San Mig Coffee defeated Petron Blaze, 87-77, in their seventh and last match in the PBA Finals. Also among the personalities spotted at the event were actress Danica Sotto, the wife of San Mig Coffee’s Marc Pingris; and UAAP stars and siblings Jeric and Jeron Teng, with their father Alvin. While Yap appeared to be open about his relationship with Cazzola as he took to Instagram to share their private moments starting June, the basketball star would always remain tight-lipped in interviews on the subject of his girlfriend. Cazzola is a secretariat specialist at the Asian Development Bank in the Philippines. She is no stranger to the country, ABS-CBN News has learned, as her father also worked here for a time. Yap was previously in a relationship with actress-host Kris Aquino, with whom he has a son. The former couple’s marriage was declared null in February last year. Jasmine is no longer just Anne’s little sis For Jasmine Curtis-Smith, being part of the acclaimed indie drama “Transit” was a defining moment in her still blossoming career. In her first film, the 19-year-old actress delivered a noteworthy performance that earned her the best supporting actress trophy in the New Breed section of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival this year. Prior to “Transit,” CurtisSmith’s exposure was being featured in TV5 drama series. She was also better known as Anne Curtis’ younger sister. But with her award, the Kapatid talent felt she was finally getting recognized on her own merit. “I’m just happy and overwhelmed because viewers and credible critics are starting to notice me; they acknowledge the fact that I’m good in what I do,” she told the Inquirer in an interview at the recent TV5 trade launch. “I was also happy that I was given the opportunity (to work) with veterans like Irma Adlawan.” But Curtis-Smith admitted there was now pressure on her to show she deserved the award. “More eyes will be on me,” she pointed out. “I can’t be complacent. Kailangan galingan ko every time.” CurtisSmith said she intended to hone her skills by doing more indie films and accepting different types of roles. ( S h e costarred in a Cine Filipino entry, Mike Alcazaren’s “Puti” as followup to Jasmine Curtis-Smith “Transit.”) The young star, however, drew the line at taking off her clothes or doing kissing scenes. “Aside from those things, I’m okay as long as what’s being asked of me will help the film. I’m still quite conservative,” she said. “Transit”—directed by Hannah Espia and produced by Paul Soriano—apart from being declared best film by Cinemalaya, also got a special mention in the New Currents section of this year’s Busan International Film Festival in South Korea. Last month, “Transit,” which tells the struggles of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Israel whose children face deportation, was chosen by the Film Academy of the Philippines as the country’s official entry in the 2014 Oscars’ foreign language film category. Curtis-Smith said, more than the trophies and citations she and “Transit” had received, their most important accomplishment was to touch the hearts of OFWs around the world. Philippine Azkals player Phil Younghusband finally opens up following news of his split with actress Angel Locsin. On the photo-sharing site Instagram, Phil wrote: “I personally apologize for taking time to let everyone know about the situation.” This came on the heels of Angel’s very public admission that she and Phil have gone on separate ways, which came out on her Twitter account recently. “Sa lahat po ng nagtatanong kung totoo bang hiwalay na kami ni Phil, Totoo po,” Angel declared. She, however, refused to give details about the break-up. “Sana po maintindihan nyo kung hindi na po namin sasabihin ang dahilan,” she said, stressing that “maayos po kaming naghiwalay at mutual decision po ito.” Addressing the separation issue, Phil posted, “Hi everyone, in lieu of the separation, I would like to thank you for all your support throughout our relationship. It was definitely a happy one, as much as we tried to make it work we would just like to request for all of you to support us in our choice and that we respect one another in keeping our personal lives to ourselves.” Saying that it was a “sensitive matter,” he went on to address those that supported his more-than-ayear relationship with the Kapamilya actress. “I am grateful for your support and we hope you continue to support both of us in our each of our endeavors,” he said, noting that “neither of us regret the time we spent together, we enjoyed each others company and really made the most of it.” Phil stressed that there’s really not one to blame for the collapse of his romance with Angel. After all, it was something that they have mutually agreed upon. “There are no faults in this, it was not an issue of who did or didnt do something, it was a mutual decision and although it was difficult we just both felt that this would be the best thing to do given our circumstances,” he posted. They may have gone on separate ways now but the friendship, Phil said, is still intact. “Although we have parted as a couple, we are thankful that we remain friends and we only wish the best for each other…” Phoemela Baranda reveals she’s a mom, presents 14-year old daughter on TV Popular model and television host Phoemela Baranda on Sunday revealed that she has a 14-year old daughter named Kim. Baranda, 33, made the revelation on the ABS-CBN entertainment talk show “Buzz ng Bayan,” which she used to co-host under its former name “The Buzz.” “I’ve been wanting to do this,” Baranda told hosts Boy Abunda, Janice de Belen and Carmina Villaroel, pertaining to her admission. “I’m proud of Kim and I want to acknowledge her. I want to show her to the whole world,” Baranda said. Kim said she understood that her mother had to hide her for her show biz career. “I appreciate all the things you did for me and all the catching ups you are making… I love you,” Kim told Baranda. Baranda used to be the entertainment anchor of “TV Patrol” and appeared on various television shows and numerous advertisements. 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LOZANO Call 510.538-7188 YOUR AD HERE! *ONLY $50 FOR 4 ISSUES! GAMES & ENTERTAINMENT CROSSWORD PUZZLE SUDOKU To solve a Sudoku puzzle, place a number into each box so that each row across, each column down, and each small 3x3 square within the larger diagram (there are 9 of these) will contain every number from 1 through 9. In other words, no number will appear more than once in any row, column, or smaller 3x3 square. Working with the numbers already given as a guide, complete each diagram with the missing numbers that will lead to the correct solution. HOROSCOPE Aries March 20 - April 18 You’re apt to be drawn to lively and exciting things today. Dramatic and dynamic activities are the ones that you’ll be most comfortable with. If you’re in a boring situation, think about ways you can spice it up. Taurus April 19 - May 19 You may have to take major action today in order to defend your position. Your current mindset has brought you to a certain point and now you’re faced with having to defend that point. Gemini May 20 - June 19 The more action you take today, the bigger the hole you’re apt to dig for yourself. You could be engaged in one of those situations in which you say one thing and then are forced to stretch the truth or outright lie in order to defend your point. Cancer June 20 - July 21 Your thinking is right in line with the group dynamic today, and you’ll find working with a team to be extremely rewarding. Leo July 22 - August 21 No matter how many maps you look at and how many times you stop and ask for directions, you’ll still be unsure which road to take. All routes have appeal, and you don’t want to miss any sights along the way to your destination. Virgo August 22 - September 21 Your well-considered actions will be effective today. There’s strength in your mental power. You shouldn’t hesitate to direct others toward avenues that would be good for them. You have the vision to see things that other people might not notice. Libra September 22 - October 21 Indulge in a day of laughter. Things get much more serious tomorrow, so use today to have some fun before it comes time to get down to business. Scorpio October 22 - November 20 Share your thoughts with those who can help execute them today. If you have something that needs to be moved, don’t try to do it by yourself. Ask around for someone with the vehicle or tools you need to get it to where it needs to go. Sagittarius November 21 - December 20 Try not to get too caught up in trying to penetrate to the core of everything today. Enjoy the simple pleasures that are free. Be entertained by a bug walking on your windowsill. See trees as art. See the shapes and colors around you. Capricorn December 21 - January 18 There’s a fast-paced energy in the air that suggests a dramatic change of some sort in your life. Things may not go so well for you if you fail to notice the opportunities open to you. You may not need to work so hard simply because so many things are going your way. Aquarius January 19 - February 17 Your mind may be playing tricks on you, so it isn’t necessarily in your best interests to trust your perceptions completely. Consider other methods of solving problems that confront you. Pisces February 18 - March 19 Today may be one of your last chances to say what you want about a certain situation. Take advantage of the opportunity to get your words out. Your thoughts may be quite progressive, so use this forward-thinking attitude to break new ground in your project. PAGE 15 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 The San Francisco Post opposed pork (Cont. from page 4...THE NUCLEUS ) barrel, said the one of his closest friends and allies, country was distanced himself from Aquino’s now saddled with a P5.684-trillion stance on PDAF and DAP when debt that enabled the government to he assailed in a speech before the accumulate “savings” of P669 bilPhilippine Constitution Association lion that was being used to impose (Philconsa) the President’s “consti- a “fiscal dictatorship” to control all tutionally infirm act” of augment- branches of government and to pering” non-existing” items in the bud- petuate greed and corruption. get law and realigning the savings of Lacson said the national budget had the executive branch to the legisla- more than doubled under Aquino tive, referring to the disbursement by just in his first year. Aquino of P50 million to P100 mil- “In 2002, the first national budget lion to senators and P10 million to under former President [Gloria] P15 million to congressmen in DAP Arroyo was P782.9 billion. Nine funds shortly after the impeach- years later, in 2011, the first national ment and conviction of Supreme budget under President Aquino had Court Chief Justice Renato Corona more than doubled to P1.645 trilin 2012. lion,” Lacson said. Lacson, who never availed of his “An ordinary citizen’s valid quespork barrel allotment when he was tion is — Why do we keep on bora senator and who has consistently rowing when we keep on saving? I (Cont. from page 1..PEERY SCOPE) P700-billion piggy bank Lacson also disclosed that P-Noy had P700 billion at his disposal in 2012, which was the same year when Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona was impeached and found guilty of culpable violation of the Constitution. P-Noy insisted that the DAP is not pork barrel and claimed it as his “economic stimulus package,” which he created to increase government spending; thus, stimulating growth.. In all appearances, the DAP is an illegal extension of PDAF used to funnel “savings” from budget items and released to lawmakers as extra pork. But since DAP doesn’t exist in the eyes of Congress, DAP evades congressional scrutiny. Yet, the recipients of DAP funds are members of Congress themselves! It is interesting to note that the Supreme Court had re(Cont. from page 1..AQUINO STANDS) abuse of power—and yet I am the one now being called the ‘Pork Barrel King’?” he added. Aquino then vowed to go after those who pocketed millions in pork barrel funds. “If you think that this will stop me from going after you, if you think that you can divert the public’s attention, if you think you can get away with stealing from our countrymen—you have sorely underestimated me and the Filipino people,” he said. “If there still remains some vestige of kindness in your hearts, I hope that you stop acting in self-interest, and instead act to help your fellowmen.” The President called attention to the purported strategy being employed by those accused in the pork barrel scam. “If you can’t explain it, muddle it; if you can’t deodorize it, make everyone else stink; if you can’t look good, make everyone look bad. You have heard what they are saying: that we are all the same,” he said, claiming that his accusers “have taken the advice of an old politician from their camp.” The presidential address Wednesday night marked the first time President Aquino had “asked networks for airtime to directly address the Filipino people,” Malacañang said. Aquino’s televised address came at a time when his approval ratings among Filipinos will venture a guess for an answer: Para may mapaglaruang pondo ang mga nasa gobyerno, (So that those in the government will have funds to play with),” Lacson said. The business community had criticized Aquino for under-spending in the first two years of his administration, resulting in huge budget surpluses and billions of unspent appropriations that were eventually used to control Congress in the matter of Corona’s impeachment and the approval of the controversial Reproduction Health Law. And yet, despite these savings, Lacson correctly pointed out, the Aquino administration increased its foreign borrowings as it increased the national budget year after year. Now, every single Filipino owes almost P62,000 each mostly to foreigners. ([email protected]) fused to issue a TRO against the DAP, an action – or inaction – that “pork watchers” criticized. If PDAF were bad enough to warrant a TRO, why didn’t the high court issue a TRO against the DAP, which is far worse than the PDAF? One of the “pork watchers,” seasoned columnist Emil Jurado, made an observation, which he shared in his column, “Is the President virtual dictator?” He wrote: “With the House of Representatives ruled by the administration majority under Speaker Sonny Belmonte, and Senate President Frank Drilon acting like an extension of Malacañang protecting the President from allegations of abuse and misuse of public funds, with the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, and with most junior anti-graft court Justice Amparo CabotajeTang as Presiding Justice of Sandiganbayan, the President now appears to rule over the three branches of government.” ([email protected]) were being eroded by growing public outrage over the misuse of pork barrel by lawmakers. His administration has been also heavily criticized for the little-known DAP a program created by Budget Secretary Florencio Abad in 2011 to pump-prime the economy. The budget department belatedly admitted last September that an additional P50-P100 million in pork barrel projects were given to each of the 20 senators who voted to convict then Chief Justice Renato Corona in May 2012. The legality of DAP is now being discussed in the Supreme Court, which scheduled oral arguments on Nov. 19. Several senators and a host of constitutional experts, including Fr. Joaquin Bernas, averred that the Constitution prohibits the transfer of funds in the General Appropriations Act from one department to another. The uproar over pork barrel prompted Malacañang to admit on Oct. 14 that although an “overwhelming majority of Filipinos remain supportive of the President and his agenda, we recognize that the increase in those dissatisfied reflects the depth of anger and disappointment of the people at the way public funds have been stolen.” The Palace recognized this “general outrage about how these funds have been spent or how these funds have been misused, and some of that may be directed again to the present administration.” With a report from Christian V. Esguerra (Cont. from page 1...22 KILLED ) violence was worse than the last village elections in incumbent officials—and supporters 2010, when 15 people were had been killed in prepoll violence, killed, said Senior Supt. Reuben an unsettling hallmark of Philippine Theodore Sindac, chief of the PNP elections but particularly disturbing public affairs office. in this year’s village elections that Thirty-seven other people had been were supposed to be nonpartisan. wounded in campaign violence Senior Supt. Wilben Mayor, spokes- linked to rivalries, mostly in shootman for PNP Director General Alan outs, Sindac said. Purisima, said eight people, includ- The wounded included two policeing a barangay captain and a baran- men and two election officers who gay councilor, were reported miss- were ambushed by unidentified guning. men in Masbate province on Sunday, “We expect the number of casualties Sindac said. to increase as we are still receiving At least 588 people had been arrestreports from our field units,” Mayor ed for violating the election gun ban, said. with police confiscating 516 fireDespite President Aquino’s efforts to arms, 18 gun replicas, 200 knives, 68 curb the power of political warlords grenades, 290 explosives and 4,328 and their private armies, this year’s rounds of ammunition. More violence Another killing was reported in Masbate and a supporter of a candidate died in an ambush in Maguindanao province on Monday. PO1 Haidelyn Pimentel Arevalo, a spokesperson for the Masbate police, said a certain Larry Canale, 49, a resident of Baang village in Mobo town, Masbate, was shot dead around 1:30 p.m. by one Richard “Andoy” Ramos outside an elementary school that was being used as a polling center in the village. Canale was a supporter of Bobby Zarsuelo, who was challenging incumbent Samuel Bolong for the chairmanship of Baang village, Arevalo said. PAGE 16 Oct. 31, 2013 - Nov. 6, 2013 The San Francisco Post