The Filipino Express v28 Issue 10

VOL. 28 w
NO. 10 w
NATIONAL EDITION w
NEW JERSEY w
NEW YORK w
MARCH 7 - 13, 2014 w
(201) 434-1114 w
$1.00
Henry Sy crashes into
Forbes' 100 richest
people in the world
By Doris C. Dumlao
Charges of doctoring taxes unfair - PMA
By Jocelyn R. Uy, Michelle V. Remo
MANILA -- Ten tycoons
from the Philippines still led by
Henry Sy, founder of the iconic
SM group, are among the
wealthiest people on the
planet based on the 2014
ranking of Forbes magazine.
In its latest annual ranking
of global billionaires, Sy and
family had an estimated net
worth of $11.4 billion, lower
than last year's $13.2 billion,
but enough to keep him on top
of the local roster and within
the ranks of the world's top
100 richest people. Sy, 89,
ranked 97th globally this year
compared to last year's 68th.
MANILA -- The Philippine Medical Association
(PMA) is crying foul over a tax campaign
advertisement of the Bureau of Internal Revenue
u
Page 4
Businessman Henry Sy
The second richest man is
still Lucio Tan and family with
an estimated net worth of $6.1
AD UNFAIR TO DOCTORS? This Bureau of Internal Revenue advertisement that appeared in the Inquirer on March 2 is deemed unfair
u
Page 21
by the Philippine Medical Association. But the BIR counters that doctors should not take the ad personally and just pay taxes honestly.
3 Filipino gunrunners sentenced in US
Philippine pride as Oscar win
caps rare quad for songwriter
By Nimfa U. Rueda
LOS ANGELES -- Three Filipino
men have been sentenced for illegally
importing military-grade weapons to
the United States, including a grenade
launcher, a mortar launcher, a rocketpropelled grenade launcher, 12
machine guns and explosives, the US
justice department announced on Feb.
28.
Acting Assistant Attorney General
Mythili Raman of the justice
department's Criminal Division said
the Central District of California
sentenced Sergio Syjuco, 27, to seven
years in jail, followed by three years of
supervised release; Cesar Ubaldo, 28,
to five years, followed by two years of
s u p e rv i s e d re l e a s e ; a n d A rjyl
Revereza, 27, to four years and three
months in jail, followed by two years of
supervised release.
Syjuco was also ordered to pay a
$15,000 fine.
The three Filipinos were convicted
by a federal jury in March last year
after a four-week trial. They were
arrested in January last year after they
were caught selling the weapons to an
undercover agent of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in a sting
operation conducted in the
Philippines.
u
Story on page 23
Kristen Anderson-Lopez, left, and Robert Lopez accept the award for an original song in a feature film for
“Let It Go” from “Frozen” during the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre March 2, 2014, in Los Angeles. AP
Cunanan pins down Enrile, Revilla, Estrada
Their pork proposals are
'similarly worded’
By TJ Burgonio
Dennis Cunanan, director general on-leave of the Technology Resource
Center, testifies during the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the
pork barrel scam while principal witness Benhur Luy is all ears. Raffy Lerma
Illegal importation
In an indictment filed on Jan. 12,
2012, the three men were charged
with importing weapons to the United
u
Page 9
Fugitive magnate
Delfin Lee falls
By Julliane Love De Jesus,
Marlon Ramos
M A N I L A - - Fu g i t ive
businessman Delfin Lee,
embroiled in the P6.6 billion
Globe Asiatique scam, has
been arrested by the police.
Tracker teams of the
Philippine National Police
Criminal Investigation and
Detection Group led by Chief
Inspector Vanni Martinez
successfully arrested Lee on
March 6.
Martinez said the owner
u
Page 4
MANILA -- Even Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile
endorsed the recipient of his own pork
barrel in the “grand conspiracy” to convert
government funds into kickbacks, a
government executive said on Thursday.
Testifying before the Senate blue
Globe Asiatique developer Delfin Lee
ribbon committee, Dennis Cunanan said
u
Page 5
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Cristina Ponce-Enrile admits
to knowing about JPE affair
with chief of staff
MANILA -- Cristina Ponce- in the Enrile residence in Makati province representative who
Enrile has publicly admitted to City.
lost in the 2013 senatorial
knowing about her husband's
“It was not nice,” she said.
elections. During the campaign,
Ruby Tuason. Inquirer photo
affair with his chief of staff, Atty.
Mrs. Enrile said she believes rumors resurfaced about the
Jessica “Gigi” Reyes.
that the affair had been over for younger Enrile killing a couple
Reyes was the reason she some time, but that the senator of people when he was younger,
left for the United States, the has kept Reyes as chief of staff among them the late matinee
wife of Senate Minority Leader because "he needs her" for his film star Alfie Anido, who was
Juan Ponce-Enrile said in a work.
the boyfriend of the Enriles'
television interview.
daughter Katrina at the time.
“I wanted to get a divorce. I 'More intelligence than that'
Mrs. Enrile said Jackie did
had heard that she was already
On the current pork barrel not kill anyone. She said Anido's
too long. He has had many girls scam, Mrs. Enrile said she does death was a suicide.
bagman of scam mastermind Janet
before Gigi but they did not last not think her husband is
At the beginning of the
Lim-Napoles, left for Hong Kong on
too
long.
Many
girls.
With
Gigi,
it
involved
in
it.
show,
Mrs. Enrile described
March 2 on board Cathay Pacific flight
lasted long,” she said.
“I think he has more how she first met the senator, a
CX 902 and a has a return ticket dated
Mrs. Enrile said her limit intelligence than that,” she said.
hotshot new Harvard Law
April 5.
was
reached
when
she
found
“I
don't
think
so.
I
don't
graduate.
She said she did not
Manalo said the Department of
out that the affair lasted longer believe that he's involved,” she like his cockiness in the
Justice (DOJ) was aware of Tuason's
than she knew.
added.
beginning, but later on came to
departure and that an agent of the
“Somebody told me that it's
On allegations that the a d m i r e a n d r e s p e c t h i s
National Bureau of Investigation was
not only this time, it's more senator is a smuggling lord in intelligence.
traveling with her.
years that I don't know. That's Cagayan, Mrs. Enrile said she
The Enriles have been
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima
what got me,” she said.
heard him say in the first married 56 years.
declined to confirm the lawyer's
T h e “ a n x i e t y ” a n d meeting with the port
At the height of the pork
statement due to the confidentiality
“masamang
loob
mo
parati”
authorities
there
that
he
did
not
barrel
hearings last year when
clause of the DOJ Witness Protection
(always feeling bad) prompted want to hear of smuggling there, Reyes was named a key person
Program (WPP). She said that the
her to seek divorce, which the “not even [of] a toothpick.”
in the billion-peso scam,
announcement of Tuason's departure
senator
refused
to
give.
“'Over
“No.
I
can
vouch
for
it,”
she
Enrile's
chief of staff resigned
was not authorized.
my dead body,' he said.”
said.
and left the country. Her
Tuason has been provisionally
Mrs. Enrile had a
Mrs. Enrile also defended whereabouts are not yet known.
accepted as state witness after she
confrontation with Reyes once their son Jackie, former Cagayan
u
Page 7
Ruby Tuason
flies back to US
By Nancy C. Carvajal
MANILA -- Ruby Tuason, a former
Malacañang social secretary who has
implicated Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and
an aide of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile in the
alleged P10-billion pork barrel
scandal, left for the United States on
Sunday to talk to prospective buyers
of her Forbes Park home so she could
reimburse kickbacks she had received
from the transactions.
Tuason's lawyer, Dennis Manalo,
said: “She had to go back to the US to
talk to buyers of her house so she can
return the P40 million she promised
to turn over to the government in
exchange for immunity from the
plunder charges.”
Manalo said Tuason, a confessed
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 3
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Best revenge: Santiago urges Gigi Reyes to turn state witness
By TJ Burgonio
MANILA -- Sen. Juan Ponce
Enrile and his wife, Cristina, are
painting Enrile's former chief of
staff Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes as
the “stand-alone” culprit in the
P10-billion pork barrel scam,
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago
said on Thursday.
The “best revenge” then for
Reyes is to fly home to Manila and
turn state witness against Enrile,
her fellow suspect in a plunder
complaint in the Office of the
Ombudsman in connection with
the scam, Santiago said.
“This couple, the Enriles, are
trying to make Gigi Reyes a standalone culprit for all the kickbacks
that he received under the pork
barrel schedule,” Santiago said
while quizzing witness Dennis
Cunanan at the continuation of
the Senate probe of the scam.
In a recent TV interview, the
senator observed that Enrile had
managed to steer clear of the
scam by letting Reyes handle
pork barrel transactions and his
wife vouching for this and saying
that he did not steal any money.
It now appeared that Enrile's
camp was engaged in a “lurid
scheme” for Reyes “to take the
criminal blame not only for his
plunder but also for his moral
turpitude in the sense of sexual
addiction openly displayed as a
public official,” Santiago said.
The senator, who had tangled
with Enrile over the release of
different amounts of Christmas
bonus to senators in December
2012, said she had known Reyes
to be a genial person.
“For me, as a humble friend of
this young woman, Attorney Gigi
Reyes, whom I knew because I
was a trial judge when she was a
law student in UP… her professor
in procedure told the class to
observe my proceedings in my
courtroom. That's how I got to
know her. And throughout her
entire length of duty in the
Senate, she never showed me
anything but a pleasant and
accommodating disposition,” she
said.
Being dropped
“And so I grieve as a neighbor
and as a friend of Attorney Gigi
Reyes that she's now being in
Tagalog, hinuhulog [or being
dropped]. She's the only one at
fault,” she added.
And using Cunanan's
testimony as a reference,
Santiago said Reyes was again
being tagged as the key person
who signed documents for
Enrile.
believe that Enrile wasn't aware
of the transactions.
Cunanan also said Enrile
authenticated the documents
signed by his staff when state
auditors made verifications.
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago says the “best revenge” for Gig Reyes
(inset) is to fly home to Manila and turn state witness against Sen. Juan Ponce
Enrile, her fellow suspect in a plunder complaint in the Office of the
Ombudsman in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam. Inquirer
photo
Ye t , S a n t i a g o s a i d s h e
doubted that Reyes got into this
on her own because she believed
Enrile used Reyes as “front.”
'Best revenge'
Then she dispensed this
advice:
“I think that the best revenge
for Attorney Gigi since I know she
will watch this on YouTube is:
'Attorney Gigi, return the money
that Enrile stole because I'm sure
that Attorney Gigi is in charge of
the safekeeping of these
illegitimate funds that need to be
laundered abroad, and turn the
tables on Enrile by coming home
and turning into state witness,”
Santiago said.
In his testimony, Cunanan
said he often dealt with Reyes in
the release of the senator's pork
barrel to preselected
nongovernment organizations.
He, however, said it was hard to
Conspiracy
Santiago could not help but
compare Cunanan's testimony
with that of previous witness,
socialite Ruby Tuason, who
testified that she delivered
kickbacks to Reyes in restaurants
and that there were instances
when Enrile would show up to
pick up Reyes or to have coffee.
While Enrile appeared to
have steered clear of such
transactions, Santiago said he
could not escape liability in the
conspiracy to commit plunder.
“The guilt of one is the guilt of
all,” she said, further pointing out
Enrile did not stop any of the
transactions.
She said the Supreme Court
had ruled that if a person, who
was part of a conspiracy, claimed
that he was not a conspirator
then he should at least prove that
he tried to prevent the crime.
Enrile declined comment. He
earlier said he would not discuss
matters pertaining to the
plunder complaint. Inquirer.net
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 4
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Why BIR came out with
'controversial' tax ad
MANILA -- The Bureau of
Internal Revenue on March 4
defended a "controversial" print ad
showing a doctor not paying the
correct taxes.
BIR Commissioner Kim Henares
said the ad does not single out
medical doctors, but all those who
have failed to pay the correct taxes.
The ad showed a doctor, who
paid only P7,000 in income taxes on
P1 million income, sitting on the
shoulders of a teacher who earned
less but paid more than P200,000 in
taxes. It also had the caption: "When
you don't pay your taxes, you're a
burden on those who do."
On March 3, the Philippine
Medical Association (PMA) called
the ad as "absolutely unfair" in
depicting doctors as tax cheats.
"The whole ad is talking to those
who are not paying the right taxes.
Yo u s h o u l d b e a s h a m e d o r
embarrassed to those who are
paying the right taxes, that's the
whole message... It can be a doctor, a
lawyer, an accountant, anyone on top
who do not pay the right tax," she
said.
In defending the ad, Henares said
the BIR was just making a "statement
of fact."
"May saying, 'bato-bato sa langit,
ang tamaan wag magalit.' If you're
paying the right taxes, then it's not
alluding to you. If you're not paying
the right taxes then it's talking to
you. It depends now on your action,"
she said.
Henares said the BIR ad showed
real income tax payments by a
doctor and a teacher.
"I'm not making a generalization.
The ad is just saying, yung figure dun
came from a real doctor, yung figure
dun came from a real teacher so kung
nagbabayad sila ng tamang buwis,
wala silang problema, kung hindi sila
nagbabayad ng tamang buwis, sila
ang may problema," she added.
The PMA, she said, should police
its own ranks and ensure doctors are
paying the correct taxes.
"Isa lang naman ang dapat gawin
ng PMA, police their rank.
Siguraduhin ang ranggo nila na mga
doctor ay rehistrado at mag-issue ng
resibo at magbayad ng tamang
buwis. Parati naman nila sinasabi sa
atin na cre-create sila ng committee e
ilang taon na ba yang committee na
yan, meron na bang resulta," she
said.
PMA president Leo Olarte earlier
assured the BIR that the PMA will
“not tolerate tax cheats among our
ranks and we will act immediately if
these isolated cases can be brought
formally to our attention.”
Doctors slam
BIR ad ...
From page 1
(BIR) that appeared in a
newspaper on Sunday, March 2
portraying a medical doctor as a
tax cheat.
“[T]o project to the entire
nation through the trimedia that
medical doctors are tax cheats
per se is absolutely unfair,” PMA
president Dr. Leo Olarte said in a
statement.
Olarte was referring to the
h a l f - p a g e a d , w h i c h wa s
published in the Inquirer,
showing a female doctor riding
piggyback on a female teacher.
The physician, a certain
Marjorie Villena, who
supposedly earned
P1,075,080.52 paid only P7,424
in taxes while the teacher, a
certain Carina Santos, whose
salary amounted to
P852,169.48, paid P221,694.23
in taxes.
The ad carried the message:
“When you don't pay your taxes,
you're a burden to those who do.
D o
y o u r
s h a r e .
knowyourtaxes.ph.” It reminded
readers that the deadline for the
filing and payment of income tax
return was on April 15.
Olarte said the PMA would
not tolerate tax cheats among its
ranks. “[W]e will act
immediately if these isolated
cases can be brought formally to
our attention.”
No receipts
Internal Revenue
Commissioner Kim Henares
said doctors should not get hurt
by the newspaper ad hinting
rampant tax evasion among
their ranks.
Henares said the print ad
wa s b a s e d o n n u m e ro u s
complaints received by the BIR
from individuals that their
doctors were not issuing
receipts.
The ad was also based on
actual data collected by the BIR
showing significant discrepancy
between taxes paid by doctors
and their estimated incomes,
she said.
Common perception
“They have to accept that it
is a common public perception
that many doctors do not pay
the right taxes. That perception
is based on experience [by
people who avail themselves of
medical services] and on data
we gather,” Henares said.
She noted that the figures
shown in the print ad were
based on actual income tax
returns.
“Instead of getting hurt,
shouldn't doctors who pay
inaccurate taxes feel ashamed?”
Henares said.
Don't take it personally
The BIR chief said doctors
should not take the print ad
personally. Doctors who claim
to be paying the right taxes
Fugitive magnate
Delfin Lee falls
From page 1
of Globe Asiatique has been brought
to Camp Crame for processing.
“Yes, we already have him in our
custody. Our superiors will announce
his arrest,” Martinez told the
Philippine Daily Inquirer over the
phone.
He told INQUIRER.net, also by
phone, that Lee was arrested by the
PNP Task Force Tugis at the lobby of
Hyatt Hotel in Malate, Manila around
6:45 p.m. Thursday.
Martinez said Lee was in a
meeting with his lawyer and
business associates at the hotel lobby
when he was arrested.
“ M r. L e e h a s b e e n u n d e r
surveillance for several months,”
Martinez said.
“We had information about his
whereabouts, but it was not until last
night that we were able to locate his
exact location,” he said.
Asked if Lee's companions were
also arrested for harboring a
criminal, Martinez said: “No. Only
Lee was arrested.”
He said it was still unclear if the
fugitive owner of GlobeAsiatique had
left the country to evade arrest.
“Hopefully we can get that
information during the
(interrogation),” he said.
Martinez said Lee “looked the
same” since he was last seen in public
during the hearing of the multiple
estafa case filed against him at the
Department of Justice.
“Hindi naman siya mukhang
tumanda. Hindi naman sya namayat
should not feel hurt by
accusations that many of their
colleagues are tax delinquents,
she said.
Henares compared the
notion that many doctors were
tax evaders with the view that
many government officials were
corrupt.
Public servants who are not
corrupt should not get hurt
when they hear sweeping
statements that government
officials are corrupt, she said.
“Instead of getting hurt, they
(medical industry) should take
it as a challenge to prove to the
public that tax-delinquent
members have changed their
habit and are already paying the
right taxes.”
Surprise
Olarte said the print ad came
as a surprise to the PMA as it
was not discussed in its various
consultations with the BIR on
the agency's campaign against
doctors who were not paying
correct taxes.
He said the PMA fully
supported the BIR's campaign
to collect the proper taxes
“because we believe that taxes
are the lifeblood of our nation.
We, at the PMA, as productive
members of the Filipino society,
have been working hand in hand
with the BIR toward the
achievement of this goal.”
In a phone interview with
the Inquirer, PMA spokesman
Dr. Mike Aragon said the ad was
u
Page 5
(He didn't look like he grew older. He
didn't look thin either),” he said.
Martinez said Lee's socialite
daughter Divine and his other family
members have already been informed
about his arrest‎.
In May 2012, Pampanga Regional
Trial Court ‎Branch 42 issued an arrest
warrant against Lee and son Dexter,
Christina Sagun, Cristina Salagan and
lawyer Alex Alvarez on the charges of
syndicated estafa, a non-bailable
offense.
This was after Lee and other Globe
Asiatique officers accused ‎allegedly
scammed billions-worth of housing
loans availed by unqualified Pag-Ibig
Fund members between 2008 and
2010 and “ghost borrowers” who
bought homes in Globe Asiatique's
Xevera housing pr‎ojects in Bacolor
and Mabalacat towns in Pampanga.
But Martinez said they still have
no leads on the whereabouts of Lee's
cohorts, including his son Dexter.
Lee went into hiding soon as the
arrest warrant was issued.
“Tomorrow we would return the
warrant of arrest to the court of origin
in Pampanga‎,” he said in Filipino.
While Lee is temporarily held at
the PNP National Headquarters
‎office, Martinez said the Director
General Alan Purisima,‎ PNP chief, is
yet to decide where Lee would be
detained.
Lee is a member of the Big Five, a
list of high-profile fugitives that
includes retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito
Palparan, former Palawan Gov. Joel
Reyes and his brother, former Coron
Mayor Mario Reyes and former
Dinagat Island Rep. Ruben Ecleo Jr.
President Benigno Aquino III
offered a P2 million bounty for the
arrest of each fugitive‎. Inquirer.net
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 5
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Cunanan pins
down ...
From page 1
Enrile and Senators Jinggoy Estrada
and Ramon Revilla Jr. submitted
similarly worded project proposals to
the Technology Resource Center
(TRC) to course their Priority
Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF) allocations to preselected
n o n g ove r n m e n t o rga n i z a t i o n s
(NGOs).
Cunanan, TRC's director general
who is on leave, said Estrada and
Revilla “pressured” him on the phone
into releasing their PDAF allocations
to NGOs controlled by Janet LimNapoles, the detained
businesswoman who allegedly
engineered the P10-billion pork
barrel scam.
Now a provisional state witness,
Cunanan sought to distance himself
from the transactions in the TRC, a
government corporation that acted as
a conduit for the release of the PDAF
to NGOs.
“They copied from each other's
project proposal,” Cunanan told the
committee during its 10th hearing on
the PDAF scandal.
Citing his own research, Cunanan
said that even Enrile identified the
NGO-recipient of his PDAF, in a
reversal of the process that it was
usually the TRC that informed
legislators about the availability of
their PDAF.
“He wrote to this implementing
agency and said that funds would be
soon available. Later on, his staff
Doctors slam BIR
ad ... From page 4
Unexpected since the organization
had an ongoing partnership with the
BIR.
“The PMA created a committee that
would help the bureau [succeed in
collecting correct taxes from doctors]
and this engagement is [going on].
That's why we were surprised that we
were given this impression [as tax
cheats],” Aragon said.
Olarte dispelled a general notion
that all doctors practicing in the country
were wealthy “due to a lucrative medical
practice.”
He said most PMA members
belonged to the middle class. “Only a few
of us are lucky enough to rub elbows
with the rich and famous, and many even
fall within and below the poverty line.”
The organization has members
earning a measly P15,000 every month,
he said.
Olarte also pointed out that
government doctors were earning a
little over P20,000 monthly - a reason
for the “overwhelming migration” of
doctors abroad.
Charity cases
He said doctors in private practice
were often faced with charity cases.
“More than half of their patients are
charity or nonpaying cases and they do
not complain.”
Olarte said the medical profession
would never be a burden to the country.
“Doctors were trained and duty-bound
to render a very noble service to our
beloved countrymen. This involves
protecting their health and saving their
lives.”
Spinmeisters, US grant
He appealed to the BIR chief to
temper the bureau's public relations
followed up with a letter this time
identifying the NGO,” he said under
questioning by Sen. Miriam DefensorSantiago.
Santiago remarked: “Wow. I'm
very interested in what you have to
say.”
Cunanan said the transaction
involving Enrile's PDAF pushed
through, without going into specifics.
It was the first time Cunanan
identified Enrile as the direct endorser
of a recipient NGO.
20 questions from Revilla
The three senators, who have
denied any wrongdoing, skipped the
hearing as in the past, but Revilla sent a
list of more than 20 questions for
Cunanan through the committee chair,
Benhur Luy stares at Cunanan as he denies receiving money from Napoles' staff, contrary to Luy's statement.
Sen. Teofisto Guingona III.
In rush of the three senators to
have their fund released, Cunanan said
the lawmakers' representatives would
show up with the endorsement letter,
even before the fund was transferred
to the TRC.
“ Yo u ' r e v e r y d e t a i l e d . I
By Maila Ager
said, who had instructed him to pork barrel funds.
congratulate you. I should have let you
prepare the money for Cunanan.
“The fact na may lapse na ho
stayed in UP,” commented Santiago, an
MANILA -- Benhur Luy, the
Luy said he
placed the dun sa time na binigay kay
alumna of the University of the
principal whistleblower in the money in a paper bag and Evelyn at binigay sa akin, I don't
Philippines.
P10-billion pork barrel scam, handed it to certain Evelyn De know what happened…”
Cunanan, who was TRC deputy
claimed during a Senate hearing Leon, who was also present at a
If indeed he had received
director general when the senators
on Thursday, March 6 that he meeting room.
kickbacks, then Cunanan asked
dealt with agency from 2007 to 2009,
had personally seen Dennis
“ P a g k a l a b a s p o n g why Luy still had to lobby for the
admitted he often talked with Enrile's
Cunanan carrying a bagful of conference room, nakita ko sya release of funds to nonchief of staff, Jessica Lucila “Gigi”
money from Janet Lim-Napoles. bitbit nya (yung paper bag),” government organizations
Reyes.
Luy alleged that Cunanan said Luy, responding to queries linked to Napoles coursed
The 42-year-old Cunanan, who
director general on-leave of the of Senator Aquilino “Koko” through the TRC.
wore rimmed glasses and was clad in a
Technology Resource Center, Pimentel III.
Cunanan said he even
dark blue polo shirt, said he was
personally received P960,000
But Cunanan, who was at the investigated Napoles' NGOs
endorsed to Reyes, who he believed
commissions when he met with hearing, stood by his statement when he became head of the
was the alter-ego of the senator.
Napoles at the latter's office.
t h a t h e d i d n o t r e c e i v e TRC. Inquirer.net
u
Page 6
It was Napoles herself, he kickbacks from the legislators'
Luy personally saw Dennis Cunanan
carrying bagful of cash from Napoles
“spinmeisters” and encourage them to
promote collaboration between the two
organizations.
The print ad is supported by
Millennium Challenge Corp. through the
Millennium Challenge AccountPhilippines, which awarded to JWT
Philippines a P108-million contract for
a public awareness campaign for the
BIR.
The campaign is implemented
under the Revenue Administration
Reform Program, one of the initiatives
funded by a $434-million grant from the
US government.
“We are appealing to Commissioner
Kim Henares to instead intensify further
our existing partnership by doing more
joint activities on taxation,” Olarte said.
He said the PMA was studying the
possibility of using online tax filing as
suggested by Henares. The organization
has commissioned a software group to
customize an online tax filing system for
its members.
“We aim to accredit this userfriendly and interactive software and
mobile phone apps system to the BIR. All
this will surely help our members pay
their taxes correctly,” he said.
Change negative image
Henares said the print ad should
prompt the medical practitioners to
work on changing their negative image
and to promote tax compliance.
The campaign against tax evasion is
meant to shore up the BIR's revenue
collection and boost state coffers amid
the rising expenditure requirements of
the government.
Besides publishing print ads, the
BIR files tax-evasion cases once every
two weeks in the Department of Justice
as part of the tax drive.
The BIR is tasked with collecting
P1.456 trillion this year, higher by
nearly 20 percent from its collection last
year. Inquirer.net
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 6
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Forced remittance bill smacks Charter change debates
of Marcosian law - Migrante to begin in May
By Matikas Santos
MANILA -- A bill filed in the
House of Representatives
requiring overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs) to send money
back to their family or
dependents in the Philippines or
else their passport will not be
renewed has been described as a
resurrected Marcos law by an
international migrant workers
group.
“It is stupid, unnecessary
and obviously just another
money-making scheme,” Connie
Bragas-Regalado, chairperson of
Migrante Sectoral Party, said in a
statement March 5 in response
to House Bill (HB) 3576 filed by
OFW Representative Roy
Señeres.
“HB 3576 is a resurrection of
Marcos' draconian Executive
Order (EO) 857 which was
protested widely by OFWs
around the world,” she said.
Section 1 of HB 3576 states
that OFWs ”are required to remit
regularly a portion of their
foreign exchange earnings to
their family or legal dependent
recipient in the Philippines.”
“A m b a s s a d o r s , C o n s u l
Generals, Chiefs of Mission, or
Charge d' Affaires are authorized
to withhold the renewal or
approval of the passport of an
erring OFW unless proof of
compliance of the remittance
requirement of his financial
support is submitted,” the bill
states.
In Señeres' explanatory note
on HB 3576, he said that the bill
aims to protect the families or
relatives of OFWs who have been
“neglected and abandoned” in
the Philippines.
“There have been reports of
families or dependents of OFWs
who have complained of the
failure of the OFW relatives to
send support to them,” Señeres
said.
“This is particularly true for
many families of land-based
OFWs since there is no law or
rules and regulations which
require them to remit a portion
of their foreign exchange
earnings to their families in the
Philippines,” he said.
Regalado said that the bill is
reminiscent of former president
Ferdinand Marcos' “forced
remittance law” EO 857 that
“drove OFWs in deeper debt.”
“It is a blast from the past
and a slap in the face of OFWs
around the world who are
already knee-deep in debt and
barely coping with the global
economic crisis,” she said.
EO 857, which was enacted
December 13, 1982, required
seamen, contractors, doctors,
engineers, and other
professional workers, to remit
70 percent of their basic salary
while domestic and other
service workers should remit 50
Cunanan pins
down ... From page 5
And while he dealt mostly with
Reyes, Cunanan said it was hard to
believe that Enrile didn't know about
the transactions.
Cunanan also confirmed that
Estrada and Revilla submitted project
proposals that had the same format and
language, even misspellings.
'Let it go'
Egged on by Santiago, he said that
Enrile's camp forwarded project
proposals that were similar to those of
his two colleagues.
“Yes,” he said when asked if this was
part of “a grand conspiracy to plunder
public funds” as he had stated in his
affidavit , but stopped short of
identifying the mastermind. “That's
very difficult to say.”
“Let it go,” Santiago coaxed him,
using words from a song in the movie
“Frozen,” but to no avail. In his affidavit,
Cunanan said the project proposals of
Estrada and Revilla appeared to have
been prepared by one person or group.
He recalled an instance when
Benhur Luy, who visited his TRC office to
lobby the projects, called the offices of
Estrada and Revilla, and handed him the
phone so he could talk with their staff,
and eventually, the senators.
Luy, erstwhile chief aide of Napoles,
confirmed that he called Estrada's staff
Pauline Labayen and Revilla's staff
Richard Cambe before handing the
phone to Cunanan.
“I was even doubting if he can really
call, but he did,” Cunanan said of Luy. “I
think he first talked with Labayen. When
I got the phone, Labayen told me:
'Director, the senator will talk to you.'”
percent.
Section 4 of EO 857 states
that “the Ministry of Labor and
Employment shall not approve
the renewal of employment
contracts and agency or service
agreements unless proof of
remittance of foreign exchange
earnings is submitted.
Punishment also includes
the non-renewal of the OFWs
passport and suspension or
exclusion from the list of eligible
workers for overseas
employment.
“It was precisely the
previous forced remittance law
that further drove OFWs in
deeper debt. It gave rise to the
proliferation of loansharks and
lending institutions that fed on
the desperation of OFWs,”
Regalado said.
H B 3 5 7 6 i s c u r r e n t ly
pending with the Committee on
Overseas Workers Affairs since
December 16, 2013.
According to December
2012 records of the Commission
on Filipinos Overseas, there are
10,489,628 permanent,
t e m p o ra r y, a n d i r re g u l a r
Filipinos in countries all over the
world.
OFWs remitted more than
$21.4 billion in 2012, according
to the records of the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas. The figure
has steadily risen from $20.1
billion in 2011 and $18.7 billion
in 2010. Inquirer.net
“Of course, I was shocked when it
was passed to me. The senator asked,
'What seems to be the problem? Why
don't you complete it because it's being
awaited in the ground?' I told him:
'Senator, it's still being processed. It's not
that easy.' We ended there,” he added.
He didn't doubt that it was Estrada
on the other line because he was familiar
with the senator's voice on TV and in the
action films he appeared in.
'Kap is my idol'
Cunanan said he next talked with
Cambe, who asked if there was a way that
the release of the fund could be fasttracked.
“I said it's now being processed.
Then I was put on hold for a while, and
Cambe passed the phone to the senator.
He asked 'What's taking you too long?
That's my PDAF. The NGO is authorized,
maybe you could speed it up,'” he added,
recalling his conversation with Revilla.
Cunanan said he could not recall the
exact conversations, but admitted: “I
don't get to talk to senators every day.”
He said that was the first time he
spoke with Estrada and the second time
with Revilla. “I also watch TV. 'Idol ko si
Kap,'” he later said, referring to Revilla's
former TV show, to prove that he was
familiar with the senator's voice.
Santiago later told reporters that
Cunanan's testimony established the
involvement of the three senators in the
racket.
“What's important is there's
conspiracy as seen in the documents. In
all three offices of the senators, the
format, phraseology was exactly the
same. It looks like they just copied from
each other. They had a template and
agreed to follow a certain modus
operandi as evidenced by the uniform
use of supporting documents,” Santiago
said. Inquirer.net
By Leila B. Salaverria
MANILA -- The Charter change
(Cha-cha) resolution in the House of
Representatives is headed to the
plenary (entire house) next week, but
debates won't begin until May,
according to Majority Leader Neptali
Gonzales II.
The committee on constitutional
amendments has issued its report on
the measure which seeks to amend
provisions of the Constitution that
li m i t fo re i g n p a rt i c i p a t i o n i n
economic activities and certain
industries in the country by adding
the phrase “unless otherwise
provided by law” to the provisions.
The measure was approved on
March 3 after four hearings that began
last month. Committee chair Rep.
Mylene Garcia-Albano submitted the
panel's report to House leaders on
March 5.
Hyper fast-tracking
But the “hyper fast-tracking” of
the Cha-cha resolution has fueled
concerns from critics that the
measure, principally authored by
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, was
being rushed to favor big business and
foreign interests, who are expected to
benefit from the lifting of the
protectionist provisions.
The bill's proponents have said
the measure is intended to boost the
Philippine economy by attracting
more foreign direct investments.
Gonzales said the resolution
would be included in the House's
Order of Business, or agenda for the
plenary, by next week.
This does not mean the debates
could begin at once, however. The
sponsorship speech for the measure
will be delivered in May and it is only
after this the debates can begin,
Gonzales said.
Three-fourths vote
Proponents of the resolution are
expected to court their colleagues for
their votes, as the bill would need a
three-fourths vote of all members to
hurdle the plenary.
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri
Colmenares, one of the lawmakers
who voted against the resolution, said
the marathon hearings and speedy
release of the committee report set a
new record.
H e s a i d t h e re we re o t h e r
measures the House should pay more
attention to, such as the repeal of the
Electricity Power Industry Reform
Act, which has been blamed for the
high electricity rates, and the stalled
freedom of information bill.
Discussions on the two bills began
several months ago but they have yet
to be approved by the committees
hearing them.
Colmenares said the speed by
which the resolution was moving
might indicate the lawmakers were
being enticed to support it in exchange
for favors.
“It is this hyper fast-tracking of
Cha-cha that fuels the argument that it
is indeed greased by hidden pork,” he
said in a statement.
u
Page 7
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 7
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Charter change
debates ...
From page 6
Belmonte and Budget Secretary
Florencio Abad have denied any “hidden
pork” behind the Cha-cha move, with
Abad pointing out the controversial
Priority Development Assistance Fund, or
congressional pork barrel, had been
removed from the 2014 national budget
and transferred to executive agencies.
Palace hand
Colmenares said that despite
Malacañang's assertion it had nothing to
do with the Charter change measure, the
Palace hand was obvious.
“They may deny it to high heavens but
actions speak louder than words as can be
seen in this case, especially since the
philosophy of Cha-cha proponents to
open up the economy to foreigners is no
different from the economic strategy of
Malacañang,” he said.
The Charter change resolution seeks
to amend the Constitution's articles
concerning the national economy and
patrimony; education, science,
technology, arts, culture and sports; and
general provisions.
Adding the phrase “unless otherwise
provided by law” would not automatically
lift the restrictions on foreign ownership
of property and participation in certain
industries, but would allow Congress to
pass measures to remove those limits.
Opponents of the move have warned
the measure was dangerous since it
would mean Congress could change
national economic policies anytime it
wants to, and this could lead to instability.
They said this would be akin to selling
the Philippines to foreigners and would
be detrimental to the country's economy,
environment and national security.
Inquirer.net
Ruby Tuason ...
From page 2
issued a sworn affidavit
detailing how she delivered
kickbacks for her old friends
Estrada and Enrile's former chief of
staff, Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes.
Manalo said the travel of Tuason
was coordinated with authorities in
the DOJ, WPP and NBI.
“There's no hold order that bars
her from leaving and in our request
for permission from the WPP it was
stated that she will make herself
available anytime if her presence is
needed by any agency investigating
the pork barrel scam,” he said.
“Clarificatory inquiries before
the Ombudsman was done, but if
they need her even before her
scheduled return to the country,
New US citizenship application
form criticized as tedious
Groups say longer form could deter eligible immigrants from applying
By Rhodora Derpo
CHICAGO, Illinois -- The
standard form that all legal
permanent residents must
complete as part of the
citizenship application - Form N400 - has been revised and will
now contain 21 pages instead of
10.
Some immigrant rights
groups complain that the new
fo r m c o u l d d e te r e l i g i b l e
immigrants from applying for US
citizenship.
The US Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS)
will debut the new version of the
Form N-400 starting on May 5,
2014. The new form will be more
detailed and ask new questions
about an applicant's ties to
te r ro r i s t g ro u p s , m i l i t i a s ,
genocide, prisons and military
training.
The changes are meant to
guide immigration officials in
determining which applicants
should become eligible for
naturalization; the changes were
made, in part to make the form
more efficient and easier to
process.
H o w e v e r,
s o m e
organizations that help US greencard holders apply for citizenship
complained that the changes
would result in a more time-
she will comply,” Manalo said.
Asked if her departure was a
preemptive move in the event that
her application as state witness is
denied, Manalo said, “She will be
here and face the charges.”
He added that Tuason had
complied with all the requirements
for full acceptance as state witness.
“There was no anomaly in her
departure and it was not also hushhush, because we are not hiding
anything,” Manalo said.
Tuason voluntarily returned to
the country on Feb. 7 from the
United States, where she had fled
after the racket involving the alleged
diversion of congressional
allocations from the Priority
Development Assistance Fund into
kickbacks and ghost projects broke
out. Inquirer.net
consuming process for the 8.8
million legal permanent
residents (green card holders)
eligible for citizenship
nationwide.
Daunting?
These organizations assert
that the daunting process could
ultimately intimidate people into
not applying for citizenship. Eric
Cohen, executive director of the
Immigrant Legal Resource
Center in San Francisco, states,
“At a time when we are all trying
to naturalize as many people as
possible, this will be a lot more
laborious, time-consuming and
discouraging for some people to
fill out.”
Jean Atkinson of the Catholic
Legal Immigration Network
adds, “We are concerned that the
new form will impact the
vulnerable populations we serve.
It's safe to say the level of English
it requires is significantly higher
than the level required to pass the
citizenship text.”
“The changes to the N-400
form go into effect on May 5. All
those eligible to apply for
naturalization should take
advantage of the simpler form
and submit their Form N-400
now,” she adds.
The eligibility requirements
remain the same under the new
N-400 form. The filing fees of
processing a citizenship
application is still $680 and
includes the $595 filing fee and
the $85 biometric fee for
processing fingerprints.
US Citizenship Eligibility
To become a US citizen, a
legal permanent resident in most
cases must: Be at least 18 years
old; Have lived in the U.S.
continuously for five years; Be
able to speak, write, read, and
understand basic English;
Answer questions that
demonstrate knowledge of U.S.
government and history;
Undergo a successful
background check; Demonstrate
attachment to the principles of
the U.S. Constitution; Take the
oath of citizenship swearing
allegiance to the U.S.
Some of the above
requirements are waived for
certain groups: Spouses of U.S.
citizens can naturalize after three
years of continuous residence, if
the sponsoring spouse has been a
U.S. citizen for all three years;
Foreign-born minor children
become citizens when their
parents naturalize; Foreign-born
minor children who are adopted
by U.S. citizens are eligible for
citizenship upon their arrival in
the U.S.; Military personnel, their
spouses and foreign-born minor
children are eligible for
expedited and overseas
citizenship processing with the
possibility of having some of the
eligibility requirements
diminished or waived.
Additionally, in the case of death
as result of combat while serving
in active duty, citizenship may be
granted posthumously to the
military member and immediate
family members. Inquirer.net
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Positions range from Store Managers,
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March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 8
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Fil-Am student, nurse awarded
Filipina immigration
for excellence, community service consultant gets new trial
Coalition fights for more Asian American representation in various fields
By Grace Garcia
CHICAGO, Illinois -- Two
Filipino Americans were among
the recipients of awards given by
the Asian American Coalition of
Chicago (AACC) during its 31st
a n n u a l L u n a r N e w Ye a r
Celebration dinner ball at the
Hyatt Regency O'Hare in
Rosemont last Feb. 22.
Isabelle Marie Austriaco, 15,
received the Youth Who Excel
Award. She is a freshman at Maine
South High where she has
maintained good grades in
addition to being a member of her
school's varsity dance team, the
Hawkettes.
Austriaco has also
volunteered at a typhoon Haiyan
Philippines Disaster Relief
Fundraiser and Feed My Children
where she packed foods to be
shipped to Third World countries.
The Exemplary Community
Service Award was awarded to
Elvira Arucan-Ocampo, a
cardiology and pediatric
registered nurse at the Heart &
Vascular Center of Lake County in
Gurnee.
Ocampo is a supporter of early
childhood education. For 12 years,
she has raised funds for the
M a r g a re t C a r ro l M e m o r i a l
Scholarship Fund at St. Anastasia
School in Waukegan to benefit
eighth grade students who have
achieved excellence. She is also a
lector, Eucharistic minister and
one of the organizers of the
“Simbang Gabi” at St. Anastasia
Church.
This year's theme of the AACC
is “Beyond the Bamboo Ceiling,” to
recognize and award Asian
Americans who have excelled and
brought recognition to their
respective communities. The
Japanese American Community
hosted this year's event.
Approximately 950 guests
were treated to a performance of
Ts u ka s a Ta i ko , a J a p a n e s e
performing group. The co-emcees
were Cheryl Hamada and Keith
Uchima.
Hamada is an actress who has
appeared as an on-air pledge
talent for PBS, host of WTTW's
“Your Chicago Kitchen,” and
various roles on television.
Uchima is an actor/musician,
c o m p o s e r
a n d
playwright/director.
The Asian American Coalition
of Chicago was established in
1983 to promote Asian American
representation within all sectors
of society and held its first AACC
Lunar New Year in 1984.
Asian Americans make up 5
percent of the population. In
Illinois alone, the Asian American
population increased by 38.6
percent within the last decade.
Megan Nakano, president of the
2014 AACC, said that Asians are
underrepresented in various
fields of endeavor.
“The Asian American
community has made great strides
in education and social justice that
some no longer consider us
'minorities' in the colloquial
sense,” explained Nakano.
She cited, however, that Asian
Americans comprise only 3
percent of corporate officers, 2
percent of college presidents, and
there are only eight Asian
American CEOs in the Fortune
500. Inquirer.net
By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA
(© 2014 FAXX/JGL)
CHICAGO (FAXX/JGL) – A
Filipina immigration consultant
convicted of three counts of
encouraging or inducing illegal
immigration of her fellow Filipino
nationals for private financial gain
and three counts of mail fraud got a
split ruling from United States
District Judge Ronald M. White of
the Northern District of California in
San Francisco after she appealed her
jury trial conviction.
Evelyn Sineneng-Smith, 66, who
has immigration consultation
business in San Jose and “store
front” offices in Beverly Hills and La
Jolla, all in California, and Las Vegas,
Nevada and New York, New York,
won a judgment of acquittal and a
new trial from three counts of mail
fraud when the U.S. government
failed to prove that Sineneng-Smith
“made any representations at all
regarding (“O.”) Galupo's ability to
o b t a i n l e ga l re s i d e n c y ” n o r
“encouraged Galupo to reside
illegally in the United States.”
But Sineneng-Smith faces four
other counts, including Counts Two
(against “A.” Guillermo) and Count
Three (against “H.” Esteban) before
Judge Whyte as “this interpretation”
of the immigration law "does not
render it unconstitutionally vague
or deny Sineneng-Smith fair notice.”
Evelyn Sineneng-Smith
The U.S. government
represented by Northern District
U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag and AUS
Atty. Susan Knight set a status
hearing on May 27, 2014 for the tax
counts involved in the case which
consist of “voluminous bank records
and deposit analysis of several
accounts” obtained by the
government thru discovery.
In acquitting Sineneng-Smith
and conditionally granting her
motion for a new trial, Judge Whyte
said the government failed to prove
beyond reasonable doubt that
Sineneng-Smith committed mail
fraud, for (1) knowingly devising
and intending to devise a scheme or
plan to defraud, or a scheme or plan
for obtaining money by means of
u
Page 9
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Filipina ... From page 8
false or fraudulent pretenses,
representations, or promises; (for)
(2) the statements made or facts
omitted as part of the scheme were
material; (for) (3) SinenengSmith's acting with the intent to
defraud; and (4) Sineneng-Smith
using, or causing to be used, the
mails to carry out or attempt to
carry out an essential part of the
scheme.
Judge Whyte let stand counts
two and three
But Judge Whyte let stand the
government's charge against
Sineneng-Smith of mail fraud in
Count Two when Guillermo
te s t i f i e d t h a t s h e m e t w i t h
defendant Sineneng-Smith and
Sineneng-Smith's staff member,
and Guillermo's employer, Marilyn
Santiago, in 2002, when he signed
a retainer agreement to obtain
l a b o r c e r t i f i c a t i o n , p ay i n g
Sineneng-Smith $200 per month
plus down payment for a total of
$5,900 that would allow him to
work.
When Guillermo got the
approval of labor certification
after five years, Sineneng-Smith
urged Guillermo to apply for a
“Petition for Alien Worker (I-140)”
and caused him to sign a retainer
agreement at $1,000 while she
paid $300 down for a “premium
processing service” for “Work
Permit/Green Card” although
impossible to obtain.
The charge of Count Three (by
Esteban) had the same
circumstances as Guillermo and
had even “stronger evidence” as it
was “uncontested that SinenengSmith knew that Esteban's
continued residence in the United
States was illegal.”
Galupo's “encouragement”
was thrown out as Galupo did not
testify at trial.
3 Filipino ... From page 1
States without a license, in
violation of the Arms Export
C o n t ro l Ac t . Ac c o rd i n g to
evidence presented at trial, the
defendants conspired to sell the
weapons to the undercover FBI
agent who posed as prospective
buyer of high-powered weapons
for Mexican drug cartels and
Mexican Mafia gang members. In
November 2010, Ubaldo
introduced the undercover FBI
agent to Syjuco, who supplied the
weapons, and Revereza, an officer
in the Philippines' Bureau of
Customs who facilitated the
shipment of the illegal weapons.
Galupo, Guillermo and
Esteban were among the
individuals Sineneng-Smith
attracted she knew were working
illegally in the U.S. who responded
to her advertisements in Filipino
newspapers and flyers at
residential healthcare facilities
where these individuals were
working.
Count Four was based on a
letter dated Dec. 2, 2005 that
defendant Sineneng-Smith
transmitted to Department of
Labor Application for Permanent
Employment Certification for
Galupo mailed from San Jose to
Chicago, Illinois.
Count Five was a letter dated
July 12, 2007 signed by SinenengSmith, accompanying Guillermo's
I-140 mailed from San Jose to
Lincoln, Nebraska; while Count Six
was based on the leniency letter
dated Oct. 22, 2007 Esteban
received from Sineneng-Smith.
Esteban testified when he first
met Sineneng-Smith, she told him
“to trust her because she studied
law, and that her office was
trustworthy, and that there were
many people whose petitions had
been approved.”
Sineneng-Smith found guilty by
jury
S i n e n e n g - S m i t h' s g u i l t y
verdict followed a 13-day jury trial
before Judge Whyte.
Evidence at trial showed that
Sineneng-Smith operated an
immigration consultation
business in San Jose, California,
from 1990 to 2008. She advised
foreign nationals, mainly Filipino
citizens who came to the United
States on visitors' visas, to apply
for a labor certification from the
United States Department of Labor
as path towards obtaining lawful
permanent residence.
She charged her victims
$5,900 to file such applications all
Powerful weapons
The weapons included a
rocket-propelled grenade
launcher, a mortar launcher, an
M203 single-shot grenade
launcher and 12 Bushmaster
machine guns, as well as explosives
including mortars and grenades.
The trial evidence also showed that
the defendants had also illegally
imported to the United States the
highest-level military body armor.
The weapons, which were tracked
by authorities during shipment,
arrived in Long Beach, California,
on June 7, 2011, and were
immediately seized by the FBI.
Misconduct
The investigation was
the while knowing that the law had
changed, and that her clients did
n o t q u a l i f y u n d e r ex i s t i n g
immigration regulations to obtain
lawful permanent residence.
According to the testimony of
several victims, Sineneng-Smith
failed to inform them that they
were ineligible to obtain
permanent residence. In addition,
Sineneng-Smith encouraged
victims to overstay the time
allowed under their tourist visas
and work illegally in residential
healthcare facilities.
Evidence at trial showed that
Sineneng-Smith deposited over
$3.3 million dollars in payments
from clients from August 2004
through 2007.
“Those who corrupt the
integrity of our nation's legal
immigration system must
understand there are serious
consequences for those actions,”
said Joseph Vincent, Assistant
Special Agent in Charge of
Homeland Security Investigations,
San Jose. “We will continue to work
with our counterparts to
investigate those who manipulate
and exploit that system for their
own personal financial gain.”
Sineneng-Smith was indicted
by a federal grand jury on July 14,
2010. She was charged with three
counts of encouraging and
inducing illegal immigration for
private financial gain and three
counts of mail fraud. She is assisted
by private defense counsel Daniel
F. Cook.
She was sentenced on
November 4, after the court
considers post-trial motions. The
maximum penalty for each count
of encouraging and inducing illegal
immigration for private financial
gain is 10 years imprisonment and
a fine of $250,000. She also faces
20 years for each count of mail
fraud and a fine of $250,000, plus
restitution.
conducted by the FBI, Secret
Service and the National Bureau of
Investigation.
Assistant US Attorney Kim
Dammers and trial attorney
Margaret Vierbuchen of the
Criminal Division's Organized
Crime and Gang Section
prosecuted the case.
B e fo re t h e t ri a l b e ga n ,
Syjuco's lawyer John Littrell
alleged that the undercover FBI
agent spent US taxpayer dollars
on prostitutes in the Philippines
for himself and others during the
investigation, and asked that the
charges be thrown out because of
the misconduct. The motion was
denied. Inquirer.net
Hurrah! It is
Women's Day!
By Grace G. Baldisseri
NEW YORK -- The
International Women's Day is
celebrated yearly all over the
world. This year, it is celebrated in
the US on March 8 with the theme:
"Equality for Women is progress for
all." This day is a meaningful event
as we celebrate women on their
achievements in politics, business,
health, science, media, arts and
culture.
The first International
Women's Day happened on March
19, 1911 and the event included
rallies and meetings that focused
on women's rights and concerns.
In 1975, the conference was held
in Mexico City, when the UN called
for an International Women's Year.
The United Nations General
Assembly proclaimed March 8 as
the U.N. Day for Women's Rights
and International Peace. Its aim
was to eliminate discrimination
against women. It paved the way
for women to gain full and equal
participation in worldwide issues.
In Metro Manila, the Filipina
legislators took over the halls of
Congress to celebrate March as
Women's International Month.
Ms. Gina de Venecia, Pangasinan
Representative, led the 79
congresswomen in a plenary
session which would prioritize the
passage of women's bills.
Last year during the 15th
Congress, the women legislators
helped pass a law for stopping
violence against women and girls,
an act providing for mandatory
basic immunization services for
children, and to eliminate human
trafficking especially women and
children.
SPARK Philippines, a SEC
registered non-government
organization composed of
empowered women and women's
organization presents "Spark! a
Change: Celebrate Women's Day
2014." This is from 10:00 am to
12:00 noon at the Cinema 5 of the
[email protected]
Gateway Mall at the Araneta
Center in Quezon City with
Women and Girls Rights Forum
and official screening of Girls
Rising. This is free for everyone.
The International Women
Month is celebrated in New York
City with a blast! One Billion
Rising and the staging of The
Va g i n a M o n o l o g u e s a r e
everywhere. A group of women
under the Migrant Center of the
Church of St. Francis of Assisi, NY,
called Women Connecting Women
(WCW), actively meets every
month to connect with female
residents, workers or transients
who come to fellowship and have
fun.
Fr. Julian Jagudilla, Migrant
Center Director said: "WCW has
been hosting a "tea party" for New
York women from all walks of life.
These women come together in a
safe, relax and non-judgmental
environment to talk about issues
and concerns affecting their lives.
They are joined by Kathy Gunn,
Donna Samuel, Rosa Charles,
Grace Baldisseri, Dorothy Berman
and Alex Barrau.
At the Church of St. Francis of
Assisi, we celebrate women all
year through with music, cookies
and tea. And despite the craziness
and glamour in the world's
premiere city, there is this place
where women are treated with
respect and dignity.
Editorial and Opinion
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 10
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Reforms = jobs
The desire of the Aquino administration to ensure that its
actions are corruption-free and can stand up to scrutiny is
backfiring. Half of its term is over but there is so much yet to be
done to restructure the economy for it to generate the jobs
required to reduce poverty. And we're not even mentioning the
stalled projects under the flagship Public-Private Partnership
program.
The business community is sounding exasperated. At a
forum organized by the foreign chambers of commerce in the
Philippines, industry leaders highlighted the need for President
Aquino to step up decision-making and the implementation of
reforms needed to make economic growth inclusiveby
generating more jobs. As former finance secretary and now
Philippine Veterans Bank chair Roberto de Ocampo said, “it is
imperative to heighten the need for urgency and to make
everyone aware of time-based realities starting this year.”
The Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines also unveiled
last week a report on the progress of its Arangkada initiative, a
10-year roadmap started in 2010 that targets $75 billion in
foreign direct investments (FDI), 10 million jobs, and P1 trillion
in revenues for the Philippines. Of 462 recommendations put
forward by businessmen in the roadmap, 73.26 percent were
classified as “active or moving,” and 26.97 percent “dormant.”
The Arangkada roadmap anchored its targets on the socalled seven “big winners”agribusiness, outsourcing, trade and
industries, infrastructure, manufacturing, mining and tourism
(medical travel and retirement). Tourism is enjoying some
the USCIS stressed that eligibility who are exempted from taking the
success, according to Julian Payne, head of the Canadian
requirements for naturalization English language test will still have
Chamber of Commerce, but “dormant” reforms were noted in
remain the same.
to take the civics test. But if the
agribusiness and mining. Ian Porter, president of the AustraliaEligibility requirements are applicant is 65 years old and has
New Zealand Chamber of Commerce, observed that
Form N-400, Application for better outlined on the new form. To been living in the U.S. as a
agribusiness was a crucial area in creating employment as it was
Naturalization, has been revised to be eligible, an applicant must permanent resident for 20 years,
include more questions relating to satisfy the basic requirements, he will take a simplified form
also feeding manufacturing. Mining, another crucial sector, has
good moral character and national namely, continuous residence as a version of the civics test.
not progressed at all. It has been at a standstill since the issuance
security. It also has a new lawful permanent resident (LPR)
Also, a section about the
of Executive Order No. 79, which banned new mining contracts
simplified format and uses a 2D for five years and if married to a U.S. applicant's parents is also added to
until the passage of a new revenue-sharing scheme with the
barcode technology which will citizen, three years; residence in determine whether the applicant is
government. Porter pointed out that just two mining projects
allow the USCIS to capture data the state or USCIS district claimed eligible for citizenship through
could easily raise the Philippines' gross domestic product (GDP)
more accurately. The barcode as residence for at least three derivation or naturalization. If the
growth by 2 percentage points. “The Philippines has great
located
at the bottom of each page months prior to filing; physical USCIS finds that an applicant
opportunity in mining and should create a responsible,
and the additional questions presence for a specified period of acquired citizenship through his
environmentally friendly mining regime that could create
account for the length of the new time; good moral character; parents, the applicant does not
thousands of jobs,” he said, noting that most mines were located
form.
attachment to the principles and need to undergo the naturalization
in remote areas where unemployment was highest. As such,
The revised form is now 21 ideals of the U.S. Constitution; basic process. In this case, the applicant
mining has a huge impact in reducing unemployment in these
pages in length. The ten-page old knowledge of U.S. history and i s i s s u e d a C e r t i f i c a t e o f
places, he said.
version of the form is still being government; and ability to read, Citizenship.
National Competitiveness Council cochair Guillermo Luz
accepted. However, starting May 5, write and speak basic English.
Questions relating to national
also emphasized the need for on-time execution of essential
2014, the USCIS will no longer
A question relating to English security have been added to
reforms and projects. “It takes too long to get anything done
accept previous versions of the language test exemptions was conform with the Intelligence
here,” he lamented. “We cannot be sitting back and taking our
form.
added to the revised form. It Reform and Terrorism Prevention
time making decisions. On-time execution is the key we need
A l t h o u g h t h e n e w f o r m specifically enumerates those who Act (IRTPA) of 2004 and the Child
contains additional questions and are eligible based on age and Soldier Accountability Act of 2008.
and the discipline we should have to be able to move the country
has double the number of pages, residency of the applicant. Those
forward.” Last year, business groups pressed for the early
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Page 12
passage of business and economic reform bills to draw more
investments. These included the liberalization of shipping and
the negative list for foreign investments, amendments to the
economic provisions of the Constitution, mining reforms, as
well as the rationalization of and transparency and
accountability in fiscal incentives.
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Page 12
New Naturalization Form
Has Substantial Changes
Marked by ashes
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Joseph G. Lariosa
Correspondent: Grace G. Baldisseri
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do
not reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the publisher.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
2711 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07306
“Death plucks my ears and
says: 'Live - I am coming,'” wrote
Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. He
was 90 then. Sen. Juan Ponce
Enrile is also 90 now. Dust
returns to dust. That is Ash
We d n e s d a y ' s b o t t o m l i n e
tomorrow, as it starts the 40-day
Lenten season.
Ashes will be smudged, in the
form of a cross, on the forehead of
President Aquino, on those who'll
never be president, on pork scam
thieves in costly barongs, on
beggars we half see. In a society
where over 4.3 million of its
members scrounge below poverty
thresholds, panhandlers blur into
the Lenten queues.
“Presume not to promise
yourself tomorrow,” Thomas a'
Ke m p i s c o u n s e l e d . “ I n t h e
morning, consider you may not live
till nightfall… Many die when they
least think of it. A man is here today,
and tomorrow, he is gone. And
when out of sight, he is quickly out
of mind.”
Ramon Magsaysay's plane
slammed into Mount Manunggal,
exploding in a ball of fire in 1957.
Assassin bullets cut down John F.
Kennedy in a Dallas motorcade. All
of us know someone whose life was
snuffed out when least expected.
Wednesday's ashes come from
burnt Palm Sunday 2013 fronds.
With oil of the catechumens, ashes
are stirred into a paste. Then, a
priest or lay minister traces the
moist dust on foreheads. The rite
harks back to the sentence, handed
down in an Eden marred by
disobedience: “By the sweat of
your brow you shall get bread to
eat, until you return to the dust
from where you were taken.”
By the eighth century, “Day of
Ashes” rites had become
widespread. Post-Vatican II
formulations are drawn from Mark.
“Turn away from sin and be faithful
to the Gospel,” one says. The other
states: “Repent, and hear the good
news.”
“What is the meaning of our
strange behavior?” asks former
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan
Williams in his book “Writing in the
Dust.” “With these Lenten ashes,
we confess. We promise. We hope…
in a journey toward renewal.”
Lent's three pillars - prayer,
fasting and sharing with the needy
- are common to major faiths.
Muslims observe Ramadan. Jews
fast on Yom Kippur. Hindus and
Buddhists set aside days for
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Page 12
fasting.
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 11
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
President Aquino's dream
team for 2016.[/caption]Interior
Secretary Mar Roxas for president
and Sen. Chiz Escudero for vice
president for the Liberal Party;
Vice President Jejomar Binay and
Gawad Kalinga founder and
chairman Tony Meloto for the
United Nationalist Alliance; and
Senators Alan Cayetano and
Antonio Trillanes IV for the
Nacionalista Party.
Sources said Roxas and Binay
both wanted Sen. Grace Poe as
running mate but the lady senator
feels she is not ready yet to run for
a higher position in 2016.
The Mar Roxas and Chiz
Escudero ticket is the handiwork
Mar-Chiz, Binay-Meloto, Cayetano-Trillanes
These are the political alliances shaping up for the 2016 presidential elections.
of President Aquino, several
sources said.
Both Roxas and Escudero, gave
up their long-harbored
presidential ambitions in 2010, to
give way to Aquino, whose
candidacy came after the death of
his mother, former President Cory
Aquino, in August 2009.
Sources said Roxas is reluctant
about teaming up with Escudero,
who endorsed Binay for president
in the 2010 elections. But he has
no choice given his low popularity
ra t i n g . H e n e e d s A q u i n o' s
endorsement.
Although there are some
members of the Liberal Party who
do not give Roxas a good chance of
winning in the 2016 elections, his
supporters resort to mathematics
to show otherwise.
A presidential candidate has to
Roxas - Escudero
get 40 percent of the votes of the
total registered voters to win the
election. Administration political
analysts say Aquino's
endorsement will bring in 20
percent of the total of the voters
which Presidential Spokerperson
Edwin Lacierda bragged, is
“lethal.”
“Whoever the President will
endorse, the power of the
President's endorsement is lethal.
It is effective and that's the reason
Binay - Meloto
why the - whoever the President
would anoint, would certainly
have an advantage, “ Lacierda said
last January.
The source said Roxas
believes, his campaign
organization will be able to get the
remaining 20 percent of the votes
needed to win the presidency.
Sources said Escudero, who
has not returned to NPC, after he
left the Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr.controlled party in 2010, has no
Cayetano - Trillanes
qualms about being the running
mate of Roxas even if he endorsed
Binay in 2010.
It is often said that there are no
permanent friends in politics. A
Roxas-Escudero team will show
that there are no permanent
enemies either in politics.
With Sen. Jinggoy Estrada
deep in the PDAF/Janet Napoles
mess, Binay is in search for a
running mate. He told Philippine
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Page 12
Will the killings ever stop?
The murder of Zamboanga
Judge Reynerio Estacio Sr. of the
Zamboanga Regional Trial Court
last Friday by two motorcycleriding men brought to focus once
more the culture of impunity that
has pervaded Philippine society for
decades. The ambush also brought
to fore the worsening peace and
order condition in the country and
the incompetence of the country's
law enforcement agencies.
The latest killing came in the
wake of a report by the US State
Department that extra-judicial
killings remained a concern in
2 0 1 3 a n d a re p o r t by t h e
International News Safety Institute
(INSI) that ranked the Philippines
second only to war-torn Syria as the
“World's Most Dangerous Country
for Journalists.”
The INSI report said that 12
journalists and one media worker
were killed last year in the country,
tied with India and second to
Syria's 19 media murders. The
deaths, however, included four
media men who died while
covering typhoon Yolanda in Leyte.
So far, 27 journalists have been
killed since 2010 when Aquino
assumed power, according to the
National Union of Journalists of the
Philippines.
While the media killings have
sent shivers to crusading
journalists all over the country,
these crusaders have long accepted
the fact that their noble profession
comes with such risks. Hundreds of
journalists have either been killed,
maimed, or simply disappeared in
the Philippines for years, but the
deaths, the tortures, the
imprisonment, and the
disappearance of these journalists
have not stopped other media men
to carry on the crusade to fight
corruption, crimes, and other evils
of our society.
The criminal lords and corrupt
politicians have grown even bolder.
They have not only gone out to kill
Opinion
By Gus Abelgas
the media men who expose crimes
and corruption, they are now going
after the adjudicators of their
crimes, the judges. And they kill
lawyers and judges in broad
daylight, usually near or in their
homes, sometimes in front of their
family, as in the case of Judge
Estacio, who was shot seven times
while revving his car in front of his
house. His wife, who was with him,
survived the attack.
The list of murdered lawyers
and judges under the Aquino
administration has been growing,
as listed by the Inquirer: Aug. 4,
2010, prosecutor Macadatar
Marsangca, Iligan City; Oct. 4, 2010,
Judge Reynaldo Lacasandile,
Tagudin, Ilocos Sur; Jan. 19, 2011,
Judge Fredelito Pingao, Currimao,
Ilocos Norte; Aug. 5, 2011, lawyer
Archer Baldwin Martinez,
Dumaguete City; Aug. 3, 2012,
lawyer Manolo Zerna, Tanjay City,
Negros Oriental; Aug. 18, 2012,
lawyer Xerxes Balios Camacho,
former president of the Integrated
Bar of the Philippines, Northern
Samar chapter; Sept. 20, 2012,
lawyer Nicomedes Romagos, in
Cataingan, Masbate; Oct. 29, 2012,
lawyer Lazaro Gayo in Agoo, La
Union; Nov. 14, 2012, lawyer
Sulpicio Landicho, Tanauan City,
Batangas.
IBP president Roan Libarios
said that in the last 10 years, at least
200 lawyers and judges have been
shot in cold blood. He said most of
these murders remain unsolved,
with police authorities using the
perennial line “lack of evidence and
witnesses” to justify their failure,
thereby generating a feeling of
helplessness among the general
public.
The murders have exposed the
criminals' lack of respect and fear
of the country's law enforcers.
These criminals are not even
considering laying low despite the
high-profile coverage of the
assassinations, and the people's
angry reaction. They don't seem to
fear a police crackdown, or are they
so confident that the police won't
go after them for reasons known
only to them and their police
collaborators?
The government cannot allow
the perpetrators of these dastardly
crimes to continually get away with
their treacherous acts. For one, the
government's failure to solve the
murders would send the wrong
signal to other crime lords and
corrupt politicians that they can get
away with murdering people in the
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Page 12
Estrada has denied that he is
planning to run for President to
help Roxas' bid to win in 2016. But
informed sources have confirmed
that some of Estrada's longtime top
lieutenants (including “JA,” a
lawyer) have been sounding out
major vote-getting groups about a
plan for Erap to run for President
again.
***
Of course, Estrada and Binay
belong to the same political
coalition known as the United
Nationalist Alliance or UNA, under
which both ran as running mates in
2010. Binay has long been a
supporter of Estrada, backing the
latter's presidency even after the
so-called “Edsa Dos” revolt that
toppled him, thus earning the ire of
the Arroyo administration that
supplanted Erap's.
But the Erap-Binay
partnership has lately been
showing signs of an impending
breakup, especially since Binay has
made it known that he is now
looking at various possible running
mates when the Vice President
runs in 2016. Erap, however, has
always assumed that his son,
Senator Jinggoy Estrada, will be
Binay's vice presidential
candidate.
But that was before Jinggoy
imploded when his name was
dragged into the pork barrel mess
by the Aquino administration.
Meanwhile, sources in the VP's
camp also insist that Binay never
committed to Erap that Jinggoy
would be his running mate, thus
allowing him to choose someone
else who could better help him win
in 2016.
But Estrada also understands
that Jinggoy's chances of seeking
the vice presidency in the next
polls have been ruined by the
senator's involvement in the pork
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Page 12
The Bograd plan
An American political
consultant to Interior and Local
Government Secretary Mar Roxas
who also did extensive consulting
work for former President (now
Manila Mayor) Joseph Estrada in
the past has hatched a scheme to
take away votes from Vice
President Jejomar Binay in 2016.
The plan of the consultant, Paul
Bograd, entails making Estrada run
again for the presidency in the next
elections to split Binay's mass base
and improve Roxas' chances of
winning.
Bograd is a longtime
consultant and survey-taker to
major Philippine politicians,
starting with the late House
Speaker Ramon V. Mitra, who was
advised by the American during his
presidential bid in 1992. It was
Mitra who introduced Bograd to
Estrada, who ran and won in the
next presidential elections held in
1998.
Bograd's current consulting
outfit, which is based in a Fort
Bonifacio building identified with a
businessman with ties to the
Zamora brothers (and who is
known as one of the biggest
financial backers of Roxas'
presidential plans), goes by the
name of Evident Strategic Research
and Consulting. Bankerbusinessman Manuel Zamora
introduced Bograd to Mitra and
was later instrumental in bringing
the American into the Estrada
camp.
Bograd shot into prominence
in the 2001 impeachment trial of
Estrada, when the chief witness for
the prosecution, Ilocos Sur Gov.
Luis “Chavit” Singson, revealed
that a check for P5 million
representing the then President's
share from the proceeds of the
illegal numbers game “jueteng”
that he gave Estrada was deposited
in the American's bank account.
Estrada admitted that Singson's
check ended up with Bograd,
whom the President said could
have used the money to pay for
surveys that Erap had
commissioned.
Recent reports have confirmed
that Bograd is now working for
Roxas, who is widely known to be
preparing to run for President two
years from now.
According to the Bograd plan,
Estrada will also run for President
again in 2016 to take votes away
from Binay, since both of them have
the same mass base. Most analysts
believe that Estrada can still
command a sizable number of
votes, something he proved in
2010, when he ended up second to
eventual winner Noynoy Aquino in
the official vote count.
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 12
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH among 19 'mega' biotech crop producers
By Edd K. Usman
The Philippines has landed in the
ranks of the 19 “mega-countries”
which are growing 50,000 hectares or
more of biotechnology (biotech)
crops.
In the country's case, only biotech
(Bt) corn, the yellow variety, is being
planted by farmers, but they have
earlier expressed willingness to adopt
Bt cotton, Bt eggplant, and Gold Rice,
which are in the pipeline, once the
genetically modified (GM) crops are
ready for commercialization. There
are now 800,000 hectares being
planted, as of 2013, by biotechadopting farmers in the country, a
report released by the International
Service for the Acquisition of AgriBiotech Applications (ISAAA), pointed
The Bograd plan
From page 10
mess. Now, Erap is reportedly eyeing
his son to replace him as mayor of
Manila in 2016 while he runs for
President again, knowing full well
that he may lose but also
understanding that his presidential
bid will take votes from Binay and
(according to the Bograd plan)
transfer them to Roxas.
Of course, the elephant in the
room is still the support of Aquino:
while the incumbent may have lost a
Will the killings ...
From page 11
same way that they have gotten away
with illegal gambling, kidnappings,
robberies, drug dealing, smuggling,
bribery and many other crimes for
years.
Secondly, it would confirm
doubts of local businessmen and
foreign investors that this
government is inutile against
lawlessness, and that this
government cannot protect their
investments, much less their lives
and those of their family.
How can a country combat crime
and corruption when the
government cannot even protect the
out. ISAAA's report is called the “Global
Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM
Crops: 2013″ made public on Feb. 13,
2014. Of the 27 countries growing the
still highly-controversial GM crops, the
Philippines ranked No. 12. A total of 19
of the 27 countries are dubbed “megacountries” in relation with the
adoption by land area of commercial
biotech crops, which have at least
50,000 hectares or more of farm lands
planted with GM maize, cotton, canola,
sugar beet, alfalfa, papaya, squash, or
soybean.
ISAAA's report cited the future
prospects of biotech crops. “In the
scientific community associated with
biotechnology, there is cautious
optimism that biotech crops, including
both staple and orphan crops, will be
increasingly adopted by society,
particularly by the developing
countries, where the task of feeding its
own people is formidable, given that
the global population, most of whom
will be in the South, will exceed 10
billion by the turn of the century in
2100,” it said. It added that yesterday's
technology cannot feed tomorrow's
world. The United States, which has
adopted maize, cotton, canola, sugar
beet, alfalfa, papaya, and squash, ranks
No. 1 with 70.1 million hectares;
Brazil, second, 40.3 million hectares;
Argentina, third, 24.4 million hectares;
India, fourth, 11 million hectares;
Canada, fifth, 10.8 million hectares.
China, at sixth, with 4.2 million
hectares, has 7.5 million small farmers
who produced US$15.3 billion biotech
crops cotton, maize, soybean, and
sugar beet.
lot of the support he had at the
beginning of his term, his decision to
back either Roxas or Binay (and the
deployment of the considerable
resources of government to support
his anointed) could also swing the
elections in favor of one or the other.
At this point, it is still unclear
whom Aquino will support between
Binay or Roxas assuming that the
President has limited his choices to
the two of them. Binay has remained
in the good graces of Aquino and his
entire family over the decades
(which led to speculation in the
Roxas camp that some pro-Aquino
factions were actually backing a
“Noy-Bi” ticket in 2010); Roxas, on
the other hand, has been given so
much responsibility by a consciencestricken Aquino, who still feels he
needs to repay a debt of gratitude to
his losing running mate and the
leader of the Liberal Party that
adopted him.
Oh, and by the way, if anyone
wants to know more about what Paul
Bograd has been up to, they can just
ask Ramon “Ricky” Carandang. The
former Aquino “troll master,” I've
been told, is a fixture at Bograd's
office in The Fort, after all.
people who expose and prosecute
these corrupt officials and criminals?
How can police not find the killers
and masterminds when the
assassinations were executed in
broad daylight and in very public
places? How can they not pinpoint
the masterminds when the motives
can easily be established by looking
into the recent writings or
broadcasts of the slain journalists,
and the high-profile cases handled by
the murdered judges?
The slain media men and judges
had one thing in common they were
at the time of their murders, exposing
corruption by local officials, and/or
their collusion with criminal
syndicates, or in the case of the
lawyers and judges, were handling
serious criminal cases.
By murdering the media men and
the judges, the criminals are
obviously sending warnings to other
journalists and judges to keep off
their activities.
If President Aquino is really
serious about curbing crime and
corruption, he should place all
necessary manpower and resources
to arrest and put to jail, and
immediately to the gas chambers, the
perpetrators of these crimes. The
government itself must instill fear on
the criminals, in the same manner
that the murderers are instilling fear
on journalists and judges.
([email protected])
Mar - Chiz ...
From page 11
Star's Marichu Villanueva that he
wants an economist for a running
mate in 2016. Meloto fits the bill.
The intriguing thing about this
Binay-Meloto team up is that it is
brokered by a presidential relative.
Earlier Binay had earlier
considered Darlene Marie
Berberabe, the young and pretty
president and chief executive
officer of Pag-ibig Fund, for
Marked by ...
From page 10
Coming in the middle of things,
Lent demands that we stop and
break mid-stride, mid-sentence,
even mid-thought, writes Fr.
Daniel Huang, SJ. We must take
stock: What is truly important? “We
all have our histories and pasts to
deal with… Lent gives hope.” No
matter how old we are - 7 or 97 - it is
never too late to move one faltering
but real step at a time.
Those smudged ashes
acknowledge that, in the end, it's
not the fault of the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front and al-Qaida or
those behind anomalies in
New naturalization
form ... From page 10
The sections on employment
and education history were revised
to make the form more userfriendly. Also, the new form only
requires the applicant to list trips
outside the U.S which were made in
the last 5 years. The previous
version requires all trips made
outside the U.S. since becoming a
lawful permanent resident.
The USCIS revised the
preparer's statement to make sure
that all parties especially the
applicant “understands the form's
information requests and that his
responses were communicated as
completely as possible.” The
interpreter's statement has also
been revised. A section on
renunciation of foreign titles is also
running mate but that team-up
didn't materialize.
Binay is confident that with his
formidable national machinery, he
can afford a non-politician running
mate.
At the Nacionalista Party, party
members think the possibility of
Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong”
Marcos, Jr. getting embroiled in the
Janet Napoles pork barrel cases,
won't make him a viable standard
bearer.
T h ey a re wo rk i n g o n a
Cayetano-Trillanes ticket.
government from pork barrel
scams to rice smuggling. Ash
Wednesday is facing the truth of
darkness in our hearts. “We refuse
to evade responsibility, to point
fingers at someone else, to find
convenient scapegoats, to practice
our Filipino cultural expertise in
palusot. “This is not mass
masochism, communal guilttripping, just plain honesty…. In the
end, it is our fault.
“We must refuse to remain
paralyzed by self-pitying
powerlessness that says 'hindi ko
kaya, ganito na talaga ako, di ko na
kayang magbago,'” Huang adds.
This is possible because of “the
utter gratuity of grace.”
E-mail: [email protected]
added to the new form. Additional
questions on membership in the
U.S. Armed Forces are likewise
incorporated.
When data is entered on the
form electronically the 2D barcode
located at the bottom of each page
changes. The USCIS scans the
barcode and the customized
information will be directly
uploaded in their system.
This allows the USCIS to
process the data more efficiently
and accurately. An application form
with a damaged barcode or which
was not completed electronically
will still be processed.
(Editor's Note: REUBEN S. SEGURITAN
has been practicing law for over 30
years. For more information, you may
log on to his website at
www.seguritan.com or call (212) 6955281.)
Reforms = jobs
From page 10
Among these, industry leaders are agreed
that the government should focus on easing
restrictions on FDI. While FDI have increased,
their levels pale compared to those received
by other Asian countries. This was traced in
part to the fact that the 1987 Constitution
limits foreign ownership in certain industries,
particularly utility companies, to 40 percent.
The Constitution was written during the term
of President Corazon Aquino, the mother of
President Aquino. But while Congress is
deliberating on a possible bill that will allow
foreign firms to skirt constitutional limits, Mr.
Aquino is adamant in his position that there
will be no amending the Constitution during
his term.
The Arangkada project maintains that in
an increasingly interlinked and competitive
world, accelerating growth is an imperative,
not a choice. The Joint Foreign Chambers of
the Philippines estimated that, to achieve
results, the country must focus on faster
development of the seven “big winners” and
move twice as fast. The government should
not be a roadblock to this movement.
Inquirer.net
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 13
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH has backing of Vietnam,
Malaysia vs China's sea claims
By Matikas Santos
Activists wearing clown costumes shoot using water guns at placards during a protest in Manila's Makati
financial district March 3, 2014. Dozens of demonstrators took part in the protest outside Chinese Consular
office in Makati to protest the firing of water cannons on Filipino fishermen by Chinese maritime vessels in
the West Philippine Sea, a statement from Akbayan Partylist said. (REUTERS/Erik De Castro)
Water cannon incident an act of aggression
By Bong Lozada
MANILA -- In another episode on the
Philippine-China dispute over the areas in
the West Philippine Sea, a militant group said
that the water cannon incident at Panatag
Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) is a “clear” act of
aggressive behavior.
Akbayan picketed outside the Chinese
Consular Office at the World Center in Makati
March 4 morning to protest Chinese claims
on the Panatag Shoal and uphold Philippine
claims on the disputed islands.
“They sent their maritime vessels in a
territory which is an integral part of the
Philippines,” Emman Hizon, deputy
Secretary-General of Akbayan said.
“They did not only infringe Philippine
sovereignty, but an act of aggression against
F i l i p i n o f i s h e r m e n wh o we re o n ly
undertaking fishing activities for Philippine
nationals.” Hizon said that the water cannon
incident was not only an act of “bullying,” but
also a “clear act of aggression.” He added that
China is offering incentives to the Philippines
to ease the dispute, like the pulling out of
their ships and increasing business
investments in the country.
“We are telling them the Philippine
government that Philippine sovereignty is
non-negotiable; we are not taking the
incentives,” Hizon said.
Multilateral talks
According to Hizon, his group is
supporting President Benigno Aquino III's
stand after the Chief Executive said that the
key to the dispute would be through
multilateral talks between the countries,
which lay claim to the shoal.
“We believe the resolution to this dispute
should be settled on a multilateral, pluralistic
fashion and reject the offer of China for
bilateral talks,” Hizon said.
China, the Philippines, Taiwan all lay
claim to Panatag Shoal. “You cannot talk to a
bully in a bilateral way the only way is for
smaller nations to band together and settle
the dispute on a multilateral level.”
Inquirer.net
MANILA -- Vietnam and Malaysia are
supporting the Philippines in its maritime
dispute against China in the West Philippine
Sea, Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a
statement Thursday, March 6.
Vietnam Ambassador Truong Trieu
Duong expressed support for the Philippines
against China's claims during a courtesy call
to Binay on Tuesday.
Duong also told Binay that “Malaysia is
keen to join us.”
He sees that the recent incident where
Chinese Coast Guard vessels used water
cannons to drive away Filipino fishermen
from Bajo de Masinloc, also known as
Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, can also
happen to Vietnamese fishermen.
Vietnam is locked in a maritime dispute
with China over the Paracel Islands where a
military engagement in 1974 left at least 70
people dead and forced Vietnam to leave the
islands.
Binay said that a “solid stand” of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(Asean) is needed to stand up against the
aggressive claims of China.
“As long as we are solid in Asean, [we have
a strong case on our territorial claims],” Binay
said in the statement.
China claims the entirety of the South
China Sea including portions of the
Philippines' and Vietnam's 200 nautical mile
exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The Philippines has a pending arbitration
case against China's maritime claims with the
International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea.
Vietnamese Ambassador Truong Trieu Duong
(right) expresses support for the Philippines in its
maritime dispute with China in the West
Philippines Sea in a courtesy call to Vice President
Jejomar Binay on Tuesday. Photo courtesy of the
Office of the Vice President
Vietnam also has claims to several
maritime features in the Spratly group of
islands, along with Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan,
China, and the Philippines.
Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza said in
a previous forum in the University of the
Philippines that Vietnam and Malaysia can
help boost the case in the international
tribunal by becoming a party to the
Philippines' case or filing their separate case
against China.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)
however has not confirmed whether any
formal communication asking Vietnam and
Malaysia to join the case has been made.
Inquirer.net
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 14
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Brunei snubs ASEAN Spratlys claimants' meeting to forge one stand on China
By Tessa Jamandre, VERA Files
Four members of the
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) with claims in the
South China Sea failed to take a
united stand on China's growing
aggressiveness after Brunei opted
out of a recently held meeting in
Manila.
Brunei was a no-show in the
1st ASEAN Claimants Working
Group Meeting held at Pan Pacific
Hotel in Manila Feb. 18, and is
expected to skip the second round
in Malaysia on March
25,diplomatic sources privy to the
talks said.
The meeting, however, saw a
more engaged Malaysia, which has
abandoned its former passive
attitude toward China's military
activities in the region.
Observers attribute Malaysia's
change of heart to the recent
military exercises by China in oilrich James Shoal, 80 kilometers
from Malaysian Coast but is the
farthest border of China's muchdisputed 9-dash line map.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah
Aman himself flew to Manila late
January and to Brunei to confirm
the Feb. 18 meeting.
President Beningo S. Aquino
visited Kuala Lumpur last week
and discussed the Spratlys, among
other concerns.
The Philippines has taken
China to arbitration court over the
9-dash line. Its claim against China
will get a boost if Malaysia and
Vietnam interplead in the
international tribunal, but both
countries are at present mum on
the issue of arbitration against
China.
Of the 10 ASEAN members,
four - Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines
and Vietnam - have territorial
claims in the mineral-rich Spratlys
in the South China Sea, about 80
percent of which is being claimed
by China with its controversial 9dash line map. Taiwan is also a
claimant.
Of all six claimants of the
Spratlys group of islands in the
South China Sea, only Brunei does
not occupy any land feature there.
The Philippines maintain
troops on eight islands and a shoal,
Malaysia is present in four,
Vietnam holds 22, China controls
eight, and Taiwan maintains a
garrison on Itu Aba, the largest
island.
It was not the first time that
Brunei avoided a meeting among
the South China Sea claimants that
the Philippines has been striving to
convene.
At t h e AS EA N Fo re i g n
Ministers Retreat in Bagan,
Myanmar on January 16 and 17,
Brunei also did not join the foreign
ministers of Malaysia, Vietnam and
the Philippines in a pull-aside
Sultan of Brunei Bolkiah (right) is welcomed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in
Beijing. Photo from Brunei Times.
meeting to discuss how to get the
claimants meeting started.
Brunei's Foreign Minister His
Royal Highness Prince Mohamed
B o l k i a h c h o s e to m e e t h i s
Vietnamese counterpart instead
on Jan. 16.
“Brunei is not comfortable to
sit in a meeting to discuss the South
China Sea territorial issues” at the
level of His Royal Highness, the
Prince, a diplomatic source said.
For the Feb. 18 meeting in
Manila, Brunei informed the
Philippine government through its
embassy that it will be sending a
representative from the foreign
ministry.
The delegations from the
Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam
waited for the Brunei delegate
until 30 minutes before the
meeting began. When not even
someone from the Brunei Embassy
in Manila showed up, the table,
chairs and Brunei's flag were
removed.
But the three other countries
agreed to continue persuading
Brunei to join the four-claimants
meetings which may eventually be
opened to China.
At the Feb. 18 meeting,
Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam
expressed concern over China's
recent moves in the disputed area.
Malaysia, in particular, resented
the “spin” that China makes in their
bilateral meetings and exchanges.
“China often distorted news for
t h e i r b e n e f i t ,” o n e o f t h e
participants said.
The three countries agreed to
cooperate in negating the
controversial 9-dash line, which is
the subject of the complaint filed
by the Philippines before the
United Nations Arbitral Court.
But the Philippine case against
China before the UN Arbitral Court
was not discussed in the Feb. 18
meeting.
“It will be very useful but it will
not be fatal if they (Malaysia and
Vietnam) are not there (in the
Philippine case), but it will be
useful if we have friends joining
our case,” Solicitor General Francis
Jardeleza said.
The Philippines, Vietnam and
Malaysia also clarified that last
month's claimants meeting as a
mechanism will not replace the
ASEAN-China dialogue mechanism
such as the Joint Working Group
Meeting on the Implementation of
the Declaration of Parties in the
South China Sea (DOC). The fourclaimants mechanism will exist
alongside with ASEAN and will
complement it.
The ASEAN-China Joint
Working Group is tasked to discuss
the formulation of a Code of
Conduct as agreed in the DOC.
(VERA Files is put out by veteran
journalists taking a deeper look at
current issues. Vera is Latin for
truth.)
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 15
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Lamudi's top ten places to live in Asia
BERLIN, 7th March 2014 -Several companies such as global
player Lamudi offer a way how
finding and booking an apartment
can be easy and fun. Now operating
in five countries throughout Asia,
the real estate giant picked out ten
top places out of their Asian
portfolio that are all different, but
exciting to live in.
Their first pick is Cebu City
(www.lamudi.com.ph), the capital
of the Cebu island province in the
Philippines. It is the country's
oldest city and a cultural center of
the Philippines with several
Filipino-Spanish heritage
buildings, but it also offers big
shopping malls, business parks
and universities. It is rather calm
compared to Manila - the capital
and economic heart of the
Philippines. Besides the vast
number of shopping possibilities,
museums and other attractions, it
is utterly cheap to rent or buy
apartments. Even the most
luxurious apartments can be found
for less than $1.000 and moreover,
food is very affordable as well.
However, if you choose rural
places over busy cities, Bali
(www.lamudi.co.id) might be the
right place for you. The Indonesian
island has got picturesque beaches
and monuments, but tourists and
emigrants also come there to
experience the highly developed
and unique arts, music and dance
culture. In addition, the Balinese
Cebu City
people are known to be more warm
and friendly than almost anywhere
else. Another cultural highlight in
Indonesia is Yogyakarta which is
located on the Java Island. Many
foreign students come here to
study Javanese and Indonesian
culture and language, since the city
is rich in culture and tradition.
Because of that, the town has a very
diverse ethnical structure with an
open mind towards foreigners.
Bangladesh also offers many
enjoyable places to settle down.
C o x ' s
B a z a r
(www.lamudi.com.bd) is one of
those: the people in the seaside
town make a living with fishing and
tourism. With 125 kilometers, its
beach is considered to be the
longest natural sandy beach on
earth. Since international tourists
have discovered the secret spot,
the city is experiencing a building
boom, accompanied by an
increasingly flourishing economy.
Heading 150 kilometers north, you
can find Chittagong. It is the
second largest city in Bangladesh
and yet surrounded by beaches,
lakes and hills.
Another place worth living is
AFTA Press Release
For 25 years, the Association of FilAm Teachers of America, Inc. (AFTA), has
pioneered the cause of FilipinoAmerican educators in the east coast,
especially in New York and New Jersey.
AFTA was founded in 1989 and
incorporated in the state of NY in 1991. It
was established in response to
immigration issues that faced the
pioneering Filipino teachers who were
hired to teach in mostly catholic schools
starting in the mid 80's. Having resolved
those issues by sheer activism and hard
work, the association embarked on
professional and community
undertakings and has thrived with
membership from both the public and
private school systems. Since then AFTA
has served the Fil-Am and mainstream
community and the teachers in the
Philippines through its many projects. It
has partnered with several organizations
in the tri-state area in several projects,
whether educational and others.
Through the years, AFTA's members
and officers have served the association
voluntarily, with dedication and pride,
not wanting for fame or power. It is
unfortunate for an organization when a
member or an officer organize some
members of the association and conspire
by electing a new governing board to take
over the mother organization. That
brings the organization in great turmoil,
and it is imperative that the leadership
act with expediency to ensure the unity of
the organization. Failure to do so in such
a tumultuous time is unacceptable.
Moreover, if an organization's bylaws
state clearly that all decisions in the name
of the organization must be approved by
the board, to act otherwise is in clear
violation of the bylaws. Such actions can
result in a loss of confidence and a board,
whose attempt at conciliation might be
rebuffed, must do what it is allowed to do.
Nevertheless, AFTA's benefactors and
friends must rest assured that the
organization is strong and stable on all
fronts. AFTA will continue to work hard
to bring the Filipino culture to the young
Fil-Ams (Paaralan sa Konsulado) in
partnership with the Phil. Consulate
General in NY, discover young talents in
the literary and visual arts (Tuklas
Talino), donate books and school
materials (Books for the Philippines),
conduct professional development
seminars for its members, and bring new
teaching innovations to the teachers in
the Philippines (Balikturo), among other
projects.
The current board, under the
leadership of Acting President Kathleen
Makasiar-Golden will make sure that
AFTA's legacy, which the organization's
founders, past and current officers and
members worked very hard to establish,
will live on beyond its Silver Jubilee this
year. (Kick off activities for this grand
celebration will be announced soon.)
More than ever, the present board of
directors has made a commitment to an
inviolate fiduciary trust, transparency in
a l l d e a l i n g s a n d l oya l t y to t h e
organization.
The Board of Directors of the
Association of AFTA, Inc. submit this
article in response to an article relating to
AFTA, published in The Filipino Express,
Feb. 28-March 6, 2014 issue. We thank
you for allowing us to air our position.
situated on the east bank of the
Irrawaddy River in Myanmar.
Known as the cultural hotspot of
M ya n m a r, M a n d a l ay
(house.com.mm) has a large
number of historical sites and
buildings. However,Yangon still
remains the commercial center of
Myanmar. Moreover, residents
enjoy the city's famous pagodas
and temples, such as several bars
and shops. Food and drinks are
affordable, but when it comes to
housing costs, one has to spend a
little more to live in the center of
the city.
Heading further into the west,
Lamudi's last favorites can be
found in Pakistan: The
multicultural city Lahore
(www.lamudi.pk) is considered to
be the cultural heart of Pakistan, as
it covers most of the country's arts,
festivals, music and filmproductions. In addition, its
ancient buildings contribute to a
unique and picturesque cityscape.
However, Lahore is a city where
tradition and modern collide.
Expats profit from the public
transport system and can easily
find a job. In contrast to this,
Islamabad; has a very diverse
ethnic makeup. Besides, the capital
is one of the world's least
expensive cities to live in, as you
can get a three-bedroom
apartment for less than $500.
Whether people are looking for
properties for rent or for sale, the
i n t e r n e t p l a t f o r m
w w w. l a m u d i . c o m e n a b l e s
customers to easily find or sell
their house, apartment,
commercial property or land
online. At the same time, property
providers and agents get a trusted
o n l i n e p re s e n c e t h ro u gh a
personalized webpage.
Key characteristics of Lamudi
are its diverse property offers, the
intuitive website set-up and the
high security standards to avoid
fraud. The business platform
operates under a high level of
transparency through professional
photos, updated listings, detailed
descriptions, reports and rankings
for 100% of its properties in each
market. The Lamudi platform
helps brokers to manage their
inventory fast, easy and stressfree.
About Lamudi
Lamudi was founded in 2013
and is currently available in
Algeria, Bangladesh, Colombia,
Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya,
Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar,
Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru,
Philippines, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia,
Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and in
Zambia. Its real estate marketplace
offers sellers, buyers, landlords
and renters the ideal platform to
find homes, land and commercial
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information please
visitwww.lamudi.com
MAGAZINE
St. James the Apostle Church
(Google photo)
San Pedro De Alcantara
Church
(Myspace.com photo)
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 16
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
St. Gregory Church
St. Michael the Archangel
Minor Basilica
Atimonan Church
Saint Francis de Assisi
(farm8.staticflickr.com)
(3.bp.blogspot.com photo)
(farm4.staticflickr.com photo)
Churches south of Manila you can visit on Holy Week
By Nestor Cuartero
The Lenten season is here, officially starting
on Ash Wednesday, March 5. Time to reflect,
pause, and ponder and plan that road map on
how and where to mark the holy occasion.
Many Filipinos are of the belief that going on
a church tour is part and parcel of the Lenten
tradition. It has become essential in bonding
families together even as the members
strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ.
Fr. Rudy Magbata, formerly of the Saint Paul
parish in Laging Handa, Quezon City, constantly
reminds mass-goers that the proper time to hold
both the Visita Iglesia and the Stations of the
Cross is not on Maundy Thursday but on the
other days of Holy Week. Filipinos have grown
accustomed to going on mass visits to at least
seven churches each and every Maundy
Thursday as if by religious tradition. On Maundy
Thursday, Catholic churches throughout the land
bring out the Blessed Sacrament in the Altar of
Repose for laymen to view and ponder. It is a
time of great silence and contemplation, says Fr.
Rudy.
Fr. Rudy says the common practice among
Catholics who do the Stations of the Cross on
Maundy Thursday can best be done on the other
days of Holy Week, such as Good Friday. Another
practice among Catholics is the distribution of
the 14 stations of the Cross equally among seven
or more churches. The Visita Iglesia is a Filipino
tradition that is not really a part of church law,
states Fr. Gau Sustento, chancellor of the
diocese of Caloocan. It simply grew from a
customary practice into a tradition, which has
become richer and fuller through the years, with
embellishments here and there.
South of Manila, spanning Laguna and
Quezon provinces, here's a list of magnificent
churches to include in your annual hop.
Inquirer.net
San Pedro De Alcantara Church (Pakil Church):
The church, whose architectural design is
reminiscent of the Corinthian and Ionic styles,
was completed in 1767 after 35 years of
construction. After having survived a number of
calamities, the church and its rectory are now a
major attraction of the town. San Pedro's belfry
features four small bells and one huge bell,
which are rung daily at 12 noon and 6 p.m.
St. Gregory Church (Majayjay Catholic Church)
Built in 1575 on forced labor by Filipino
workers and artisans, it is one of the oldest
churches in the Philippines. Visitors will be
enthralled by antique relief statues of saints
brought in by the Spaniards. The church belfry
houses four small bells and one big bell, believed
to be the oldest in the country.
Our Lady of Candelaria (Mabitac Church)
One can reach Mabitac Church in Laguna
after negotiating 126 stone steps. Endowed with
an old Spanish style façade, it has a belfry
connected to the main church.
St. Michael the Archangel Minor Basilica
In Tayabas, Quezon lies one of the oldest
churches in the country, first built in 1585 and
repaired in 1590. After having been destroyed by
an earthquake in 1743, it was rebuilt and
expanded in 1856.
Atimonan Church
Like many other Spanish churches in the
country, the Atimonan church has survived fires,
earthquakes, and Second World War. First built
in 1640, it was rebuilt in 1642, but was leveled
off by WW2. The present-day reconstructed
church was built again in 1979.
Parish Church of Saint Francis de Assisi
The first church in Sariaya was built in 1599
but faced a series of upheavals such as
earthquakes and floods. The present church was
built in 1748.
St. James the Apostle Church (Paete Church)
Visitors will surely marvel at the exquisite
carvings and paintings executed by natives of
Paete town in Laguna inside the St. James the
Apostle Church. The art works are a testimony to
the inherent artistic nature of Paetenans, passed
on from generation to generation.
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 17
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
EXPRESSWEEK
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 18
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PIDCI Invites the Fil-Am Communities to the Gala and Investiture
of the Independence Day Parade Grand Marshals
NEW YORK, March 5, 2014 -On March 15th, Saturday, the
Philippine Independence Day
Council Inc. (PIDCI) cordially
invites the Fil-Am Communities
of the Greater New York Tri-State
Area as they give honor to Dr.
Emilio “Boy” Quines and Dr.
Felicisima “Fely” David-Quines
during their formal Investiture as
the 2014 Philippine
Independence Day Parade Grand
Marshals.
The much-anticipated major
Spring Event in the community the PIDCI Grand Marshals Gala
and dinner-dance will be held at
the Astoria World Manor, 25-22
Astoria Boulevard, Astoria, New
York 11102-2940, from 7:00pm 12:00am. For information
and/or invitations please contact
PIDCI Board Members /
Chairpersons: Dr. Prospero Lim
(PIDCI 2012 Parade Grand
Marshal) at (347) 248-5106, Ollie
David (732) 221-7397, Angie
Molina (718) 687-0976 or PIDCI
President Fe Martinez (973) 2220085, or any member of the
PIDCI.
A very special presentation
for the couple will be presented
by the Grand Marshals Circle of
Long Island chaired by former
PIDC Overall Chairperson Ms.
Nelia Ferrette, and by the special
circle of classmates from the
University of the East Ramon
Magsaysay (UERM) and friends of
t h e G ra n d M a r s h a l s .
Its
Choreographer is Ms. Helen
Kwong-LaBarbera and Event
Director is Nick Libramonte
(PIDCI 2011 Parade Grand
Marshal).
Among those expected to
attend are Philippine Consul
General in New York Mario de
Leon, Jr, who is also the PIDCI
Honorary Adviser, with Mrs.
Eleanor de Leon; Ambassador
Seated, from left: Dr. Felicisima David-Quines, Dr. Emilio Quines and PIDCI
President Fe Martinez. Standing, from left: Elvira Reyes, Ollie David, Dr.
Prospero Lim, Sofia Abad, Rolly Postadan, Violeta McGough, Ner Martinez
and Albert Diala.
Libran Cabactulan, Permanent
Representative to the U.N. and
Mrs. Fe Cabactulan; the PIDCI
Past Presidents, PIDCI Past
Overall Chairpersons and Past
Grand Marshals of PIDCI/PIDC;
theQuines' two sons and a
daughter: Emilio III, Alan and Lisa
and their families and relatives;
close friends and associates from
PMAA NY/NJ, Maryland, DE;
UERMMMC-NEC, UERM Medical
Foundation, Inc. among others;
community leaders, PIDCI
member organizations and
friends from the Greater NY TriState area, and the PIDCI Board of
Directors Albert Diala (Vice
President), Ner Martinez
(Secretary), Violeta McGough
(Treasurer), Sofia Abad, Jesse
Arteche, Rolly Postadan, Elvira
Reyes, Maryann San Agustin,
Aristides Uy, Vivian Velasco and
Margie Wisotsky with the Gala
Chairpersons (mentioned
above); Annie Ortiz (Internal
Auditor), Manuel B. Quintal, PhD
(General Counsel), Gheng Pingol
(Secretariat), and Committee
Volunteers of PIDCI.
To Benefit the victims of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines
JENNIFER HUDSON, PENTATONIX, PLAIN
WHITE T'S, A GREAT BIG WORLD AND MORE
TEAM UP FOR PINOY RELIEF CONCERT
On March 11, Theater at Madison Square Garden
NEW YORK CITY, March 4, 2014 - The Pinoy Relief Fund, Live Nation
and Alvarez & Marsal announced
that they will host a Pinoy Relief
th
benefit concert on March 11 2014
at the Theater at Madison Square
Garden.
The all-star event will feature
performances by Jennifer
Hudson,Pentatonix, Plain White
T's , A Great Big World, Jessica
Sanchez, DJ Poet Name Life, and
Charice as well as special guest
participation by Dr. Mehmet Oz,
APL.De.Ap of the Black Eyed Peas,
Dante Basco and EGOT award
winning songwriter Robert Lopez
& Kristen Anderson Lopez. Tickets
to the event are on sale now
through www.livenation.com and
www.ticketmaster.com.
Pinoy Relief's mission is to bring
the global community of talented
musicians, entertainers,
corporates, and everyday people
together to aid the victims of
typhoon Haiyan.
One hundred percent of the net
profit from the benefit concert will
be distributed to programs that
benefit the victims of Typhoon
Haiyan through the Pinoy Relief
fund and go toward reaching the
organization's goal of $5 Million for
Phillipines relief.
“ The Pinoy Relief Benefit
Concert presents an important
opportunity for us to come together
to provide significant support to
those devastated communities in
the Philippines as they confront
staggering short- and long-term
issues,” said Tony Alvarez, Co-Chair
of Pinoy Relief and Co-CEO of
Alvarez & Marsal. “ The
communities affected are
desperate to get back to their
normal lives and become selfsufficient again.
The funds raised will be
instrumental in creating programs
and grants to ensure that the
victims of Haiyan receive housing,
schooling, and get resources, like
fishing boats, for their livelihood.
We are honored to have our
performers and special guests help
raise awareness for our cause.”
Dr. Mehmet Oz, Host of the Dr.
Oz Show, has said “The victims of
Typhoon Haiyan have a resiliency
that is awe-inspiring. We hope that
this benefit will not only raise
awareness to their spirit and will
also reach our goal of $5 Million.
The entire Pinoy Relief team
believes that if we reach our goal,
we will be able to make a real
difference in the lives of those most
severely affected by the Typhoon.”
The most up to date information
on Pinoy Relief can be found at
www.pinoyrelief.org.
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 19
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
'Halo-halo' takes Peninsula world by storm
By Tina Arceo-Dumlao
The t a rg et wa s to ra ise
$500,000 to help the victims of
Supertyphoon “Yolanda” that hit
the Philippines hard on Nov. 8,
2013.
The Peninsula Hotels, however,
was able to collect more, making
the Yolanda campaign the biggest
fundraising event so far of the
luxury hotel group, according to
The Peninsula Manila general
manager Sonja F. Vodusek.
Vodusek spearheaded the
program, spurred by the desire to
contribute to the massive effort to
bring the Yolanda-hit areas and
residents back on their feet.
The fundraising campaign was
called “Hope for the Philippines.”
Through this program, guests in all
nine Peninsula hotels - Hong Kong,
Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo, New York,
Chicago, Beverly Hills, Bangkok and
Manilawere offered a special menu
of Filipino favorites from Nov. 22,
2013 to Jan. 31 this year, the
proceeds of which would go to
rebuild homes and communities in
the typhoon-hit areas.
The star of the menu was the
halo-halo and the Philippinethemed “Tea of Hope,” which
proved to be big hits with the
guests, as well as the staff members
of the different properties.
Halo-halo was chosen as it is
considered iconic and emblematic
of the Philippines. It is also fun,
THE PENINSULA Hong Kong Hope for the Philippines Afternoon Tea
THE PENINSULA Manila General
Manager Sonja Vodusek
THE PENINSULA Manila Halohalo of Hope
Festive and easy to replicate in all
kitchens.
In Bangkok, for example, the
e m p l oye e s h a d a h a l o - h a l o
appreciation day, during which the
employees made and then bought
their own halo-halo, which
featured ingredients flown in from
the Philippines.
In Hong Kong, the chilly
weather did not help sell a lot of
halo-halo, but the Philippine Tea of
Hope was a huge success. Over 200
of the three-tiered tea sets were
sold. The sets contained bistek
Tagalog tortilla wrap, chicken
empanada, egg salad and smoked
salmon sandwich, pan de sal with
pulled pork adobo and slaw, Baguio
vegetable spring roll, traditional
Pinoy leche flan, coconut dome,
caramelized banana cashew tart,
mango opera cake, coconut cookies
and mango scones with calamansi
curd.
“It was a very Pinoy twist to the
campaign, a way of branding the
Philippines in another way,”
Vodusek says.
The “Hope for the Philippines”
also comprised of a donation for
each guest stay and the “Trees of
Hope” in each hotel.
The Peninsula Hong Kong
ended up with the biggest
contribution at $181,517, followed
by The Peninsula Manila at
$173,961.81, and The Peninsula
Tokyo at $102,263.77.
The campaign also marked the
first time that the halo-halo was
offered in all nine Peninsula hotels
at the same time.
The “Hope for the Philippines”
campaign kicked off on Nov. 15,
2013 in the Philippines and Nov. 22
in the other properties. It
concluded on Jan. 31, giving The
Peninsula Manila the funds it
needed to proceed with the plan to
put up a Peninsula village in the
Visayas, in partnership with Gawad
Kalinga.
Gawad Kalinga was founded in
2003, and The Peninsula Manila
has been working with the group
since 2008.
According to Vodusek, guests
a ro u n d t h e wo r l d a n d t h e
Peninsula management
passionately responded to the call
t o h e l p i n t h e “ Yo l a n d a ”
rehabilitation because Filipinos
“touch everybody.”
“Filipinos are all over. From the
medical care personnel to the
professionals and domestic help,
somebody has been touched by a
Filipino,” says Vodusek, who has
been working with Filipinos
throughout her career. “That is why
the generosity has been
overwhelming.”
The Hope for Japan, which was
launched after a series of disasters
hit that country, was the first
group-wide effort where some
$500,000 was raised.
When Vodusek and her team
proposed that a similar campaign
be implemented for the
Philippines, the group board did
not hesitate and threw its full
support behind the program.
Foremost on everyone's minds,
she says, was how to help, which
was why the campaign was
embraced wholeheartedly.
The next stage is for the team to
go to the stricken areas and
i d e n t i f y exa c t ly wh e re t h e
Peninsula village will be set up.
“Once we get all the figures, we
will work with the Gawad Kalinga
team and discuss options on where
to build. We want to make sure that
the site for the Peninsula Manila
Village is clear,” Vodusek says. “Our
long-term vision is to put up a
school there, and have a farm, just
to keep that sustainability.”
Thus, Vodusek says, The
Peninsula Manila will gear all of its
fundraising activities toward
financing the village. These include
the Pink Month in October that
seeks to raise breast cancer
awareness, and the Christmas
programs.
Vo d u s e k a d d s t h a t T h e
Peninsula Manila will not just
provide cold cash to establish the
Peninsula village. What is more
important, she says, is for the spirit
of charity to live in the hearts of the
employees and express this by
being intimately involved in the
outreach programs.
THE PENINSULA New York
Hope for the Philippines tree
“Charity begins at home,”
Vodusek says, “We plan to fly our
employees over there so that there
will be a buy-in to the program. We
have done other programs, but
never on this scale.”
Employees will be involved
with the local government units,
and hotel management and staff
will be involved in the actual
building of the houses. The
Peninsula Manila group is even
looking at the possibility of being
involved in livelihood projects and
starting a college scholarship fund
at a local university. Vodusek is
confident that the employees will
heartily respond to the challenge to
be involved considering that
volunteerism and social
responsibility are in the genes of
the Peninsula group, one of the
world's most exclusive hotel
chains.
“We want to be a good
neighbor, and we have been
involved in these programs even
before corporate social
responsibility became popular,”
says Vodusek. “This is part of the
culture, the DNA of the company.”
Inquirer.net
March 7 - 13, 2014
BUSINESS and ECONOMY
Page 20
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Vuhos Island in Batanes eyed as Clemente: 'Tourism is
very competitive, but…'
source of beef 'tapa' for export
By Bernie Magkilat
By Ellalyn De Vera
The Department of
Agriculture is eyeing the
development of Vuhos island, one
the 10 islands and islets that make
up Batanes, as a possible source of
the country's first organic beef
tapa export.
DA Secretary Proceso Alcala
made the declaration after he
visited Batanes to check on the
agency's ongoing projects and
meet with local officials to firm up
strategies aimed at enhancing the
food security of the islands.
He noted that distance from
mainland Luzon make it prone to
isolation during bad weather
conditions.
“This is an effort to improve
the livelihood and food security of
our kababayans,” Alcala said after
the formal turnover of certificates
for P5-million worth of projects in
support of organic cattle raising in
Vuhos in Sabtang National School
of Fisheries (SNSF).
He also pointed out that Vuhos
cattle raisers will be assisted in
obtaining a fair trade certification
to be more competitive in the
global markets. A fair trade
certification is a product
certification system that allows
people to identify products that
meet agreed environmental,
l a b o r, a n d d e v e l o p m e n t a l
standards.
As an initial step,
Undersecretary for Livestock Jose
Reano will be sent to Batanes to
check on the status of the livestock
industry and come up with an
industry roadmap, including the
development of the organic tapa
production. Alcala also instructed
the Bureau of Soils and Water
Management to study the possible
establishment of water
impounding facilities on Vuhos
and other parts of Batanes given
the water scarcity problem in the
province that affect food
production activities.
The DA Batanes Experiment
Station (BES) reported that Vuhos
currently has a cattle population
of 800 heads. Manila Bulletin
UK creates BPO for its embassies
in PH; targets P373 Billion trade
By Bernie Magkilat
The British government has
established a shared service
facility for all its embassies in Asia
Pacific region in Manila, making
the Philippines its only site
outside of London and perhaps
the only foreign government to do
so, even as it directed its embassy
here to bring the bilateral trade
level to 5 billion pounds (P373B)
in three years from the current 1
billion pound level.
British Ambassador to Manila
Asif Anwar Ahmad told reporters
during a dinner for the press last
week that Manila is the only
British government's shared
service facility in the world
outside of the United Kingdom.
“So we will divide the world
into two, UK will do western
Europe, northern and south
America and the rest of Africa, and
we will do the rest of the world
here,” the ambassador said.
The ambassador explained
that each UK embassy abroad has
small accounting department, a
payment department, human
resource department, and the
wages and salaries functions.
“We're gonna stop all of that.
We've moved all the Asia Pacific
payments, recruitment, and salary
payment transaction in the
embassy of Manila,” he said.
A l r e a d y, t h e B r i t i s h
government's shared service
facility is now occupying one floor
in the embassy with an initial staff
of 70 people.
“Because this initial functions
are successful in Asia Pacific,
we're now taking decision to close
all our processing everywhere in
the world and moved into the
Philippines,” he said.
“It's been a huge success and it
is all locally-run, we don't have
anybody brought in from the UK.
All our staff are recruited here,” he
said.
Most MNCs have already
established their shared services
facilities in the Philippines, the
world's outsourcing hub, but
Great Britain could be the first and
lone foreign government to have
established its shared service
facility for the non-core functions
of its Asia Pacific embassies into
one site in Manila.
Ahmad further revealed that
his foreign minister has ordered
him to bring the level of bilateral
trade to 5 billion pounds in three
years from the current 1 billion
pound level.
“My minister said I need to
make it 5 billion pounds before I
leave in 3 and a half years. So I
need to work really hard,” he said.
Ahmad said he would like to
duplicate what he did in Thailand,
his assignment prior to the
Philippines, by closing the
bilateral trade gap during his
three year stint in that country.
He said that Manila and
London have an equal share of
trade, but with the massive
refleeting of PAL and Cebu Pacific,
the target could be easily achieved
and the balance of trade could
heavily weigh in favor of UK. Every
Airbus has 67 percent British local
content.
“But it will also earn you
income from tourism in the
airline,” he said.
Shell Philippines is British
l a r g e s t i nve s t m e n t i n t h e
Philippines. Shell is also looking at
investing into LNG facilities here.
There are also British
investments in utilities sector and
some infrastructure projects like
construction of bridges.
Ahmad further noted the huge
inflow of British fashion retail into
the country. “We see a lot more
happening in retail and there are
still lots of other brands talking to
us. There is so much more that
could come here,” he said.
He expressed hope that
g ove r n m e n t i n f ra s t r u c t u re
projects like airports, seaports
and roads will be pursued to get
things done faster here and to
facilitate inflow of foreign
investments.
In terms of agricultural
products, the Philippines exports
bananas and the pineapples to UK.
The British government
donated P6 billion to the affected
Yolanda areas while the British
public also raised another P6
billion, the ambassador said.
Manila Bulletin
“I think the local domestic
tourism industry is ready for the
ASEAN economic integration by
2015. We are very competitive but
there are major hurdles,” said
Aileen Clemente, president of
Rajah Travel Corp. and executive
vice-president Tourism Congress.
For instance, Clemente said
there is a need to understand that
an airline is not the end product,
but should be seen as an
infrastructure to bring people into
the country. Thus, the imposition
of the excise tax on aviation fuel
only makes air fares more
expensive for tourists traveling to
the Philippines.
On the average, the excise tax
would add $100 per ticket
depending on the miles. Not only
airfare is affected but also the cost
of goods.
“ B u t wh a t t h e i n d u s t r y
actually is asking is not the
reduction of taxes but rather
s t a b i l i t y o f p o l i c i e s ,” s a i d
Clemente.
A c c o rd i n g t o C l e m e n t e ,
contracting parties have agreed to
reciprocities in terms of tax
imposition for aviation fuels. In
countries where Philippine
carriers fly into are not charged
with excise tax every time they
refuel in these countries, but
carriers from these countries
when they refuel here are slapped
with excise tax.
Another tourism hurdle is the
country's lack of airport facilities.
“We need to open more airports
because we are an archipelago.
Caribbean countries have airports
in each strategically-located
island,” Clemente said.
Once the Asean Economic
Community is fully implemented,
Clemente said the first to be
affected would be tourism because
the Philippines is far from all the
other ASEAN countries.
The third hurdle is the
apparent lack of hotel rooms to
accommodate the projected 10
million tourist arrivals by 2016.
The Philippines only registered
4.7 million in tourist arrivals last
year short of the 5 million target,
but this was attributed to the
impact of super- typhoon Yolanda
and the earthquake in Bohol.
“This is not window dressing,
but a matter of providing seamless
experience to our tourists,” she
said. Manila Bulletin
JFC wants Apprenticeship
Program extended
By Bernie Magkilat
The Joint Foreign Chambers
has strongly supported Senate
Bill 136, which seeks to reform
the National Apprenticeship
Program, as a measure to
immediately address the high
unemployment rates among
young Filipinos by extending
the six-month apprenticeship
p e r i o d w i t h g ove r n m e n t
subsidizing the trainee wages.
JFC has already written Sen.
Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada,
chairperson of the Senate
C o m m i t t e e o n L a b o r,
Employment , and Human
Resources Development last
February 24, 2014 in support of
Senate Bill 136, reforming the
National Apprenticeship
Program.
Section 11 of the bill
contains a requirement for the
Apprenticeship Contract to
include “training allowances
prescribed by industry
subsectors through tri-partite
consultations which in no case
shall start below seventy-five
percent (75%) of the applicable
minimum wage.”
The JFC suggested that this
requirement be modified with
the phrase “Provided, however,
that, contributions to the
apprentice by national and/or
local government shall be
considered in computing the
75%”.
“Our purpose in proposing
this language is that it will allow
national and local governments
to subsidize trainee wages as
may be necessary to compete
with the wages paid to workers
in countries currently
considered more competitive
than the Philippines which are
attracting much more FDI in
ASEAN than the Philippines.
These countries subsidize the
cost of power, which the
Philippines does not. This
language would assure the
trainee of receiving 75% of
minimum wage, combining
what the employer pays and
what government may pay in
order to bring these investors to
the Philippines,” JFC said.
The foreign businessmen
noted that for almost two
d e c a d e s , t h e Te c h n i c a l
Education and Skills
Development Authority has
a d m i n i s t e r e d a n
apprenticeship program, which
allows apprentices to be trained
by a private firm for up to six
months and to receive a fee of
75% of the applicable minimum
wage. Approximately only
2 5 , 0 0 0 a p p re n t i c e s h ave
participated in this program.
“Such a small number
indicates the importance of
reforming the program so that it
can provide a means of better
long-term jobs for much larger
numbers of young Filipinos
potentially in the millions,” the
statement said.
One important reform
would be to allow the period of
training of the apprentice to be
u
Page 22
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 21
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
The place may be beautiful but it will take a while for tourists and Filipinos to get over the fear of reports on the safety and security of the place. Photos by Ayunan
G. Gunting, Contributor
Business tourism in Tenusa Island in Basilan
By Ayunan G. Gunting
The Philippines, due to its
archipelagic nature, is full of scenic
beaches.
On top of the popular and
world-renowned beaches in the
country, there are still plenty
undiscovered.
“We are developing Tenusa
Island in Basilan,” Autonomous
Region for Muslim Mindanao
Governor Mujiv Hataman proudly
says.
“For travelers looking for
beaches that are world-class in
terms of crystal sea waters but are
not yet crowded with tourists, the
stunning beaches of Basilan are
definitely the place to go to,”
Hataman adds.
Basilan is the largest and
northernmost of the major islands
of the Sulu Archipelago and is
located just off the southern coast
of the Zamboanga Peninsula. The
island is a 30-minute boat ride
from Zamboanga City.
The image of Basilan is that of a
war-torn place where kidnapping
flourishes. Peace and order needs
wanting.
What most people don't
actually know is that Basilan is a
paradise waiting to be revealed for
the rest of the world to see and
experience, according to its
officials.
Basilan boasts of beautiful and
unspoiled beaches that both local
and foreign travelers should put
on the top of their must-go to
places this summer.
Among the must-see
breathtaking beaches in Basilan is
the one located in the small island
of Tenusaa virgin island with
white powdery sand and coconut
trees.
It is five minutes away from
S u m i s i p M u n c i p a l i t y, t h e
hometown of Autonomous Region
for Muslim Mindanao head Mujiv
Hataman.
“We want to develop Tenusa.
It's a world class island. We can
assist and arrange a tour here, for
them to know that Basilan offers
stunning beaches and profound
culture,” Congresswoman Sitti
Djaliah T. Hataman says.
And then there are also the
White Beach of Malamawi Island
and the Hami Beach of Baluno to
explore.
The White Beach of Malamawi
Island offers pristine sand with a
sea that is so enticing tourists will
surely find it irresistible to
submerge to its calm water.
The Hami Beach, meanwhile,
is an awesome picturesque beach
that is definitely worth visiting.
All of Basilan's beaches boast
of a genuinely serene and rustic
environment that tourists want to
live in.
The local government of the
Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao (ARMM) led by
Governor Mujiv Hataman and his
wife, Anak-Mindanao partylist
Congresswoman Sitti Djaliah, are
now working to further develop
the tourist spots in their
hometown.
Cottages made of nipa hut are
being constructed. The beach is
perfect for snorkeling and jet
skiing.
Asked how safe is the island?
“We will start by a guided-guarded
tour for tourists and visitors. Para
sure na safe. It's not an overnight
u
Page 22
Gokongwei's Lifetime
Achievement Award
Henry Sy ...
From page 1
billion, ranking 227th globally. The
79-year old Tan, founder of
diversified conglomerate LT Group
Inc., saw his net worth increase
from last year's $5 billion.
Ranked third richest in the
Philippines in this year's list is
Megaworld and Alliance Global
Group Andrew Tan, 61, with an
estimated net worth of $4.7 billion,
rising from last year's $3.95 billion,
followed by Enrique Razon Jr. of the
John Gokongwei, Jr. has been
conferred the 2014 Lifetime
Achievement Luminary Award
by Channel NewsAsia (CNA) for
his contribution to the growth of
Philippine industry and the
Asian economy. Gokongwei is
the first Filipino to receive that
recognition from the Asian TV
News channel. In ceremonies at
the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore
on February 25, the
entrepreneur-turnedindustrialist and founder of one
of the country's largest
conglomerates became the
fourth recipient of the
prestigious award given
previously to business leaders
from India, Thailand and
Indonesia.
During his dialogue with
CNA's Timothy Go, Gokongwei
said that he never imagined he
would one day be one of the
wealthiest men in the country. “I
knew I could make it in Cebu but
I never thought I could make it in
Manila,” he said.
“Everything was done in
accordance to what is right. It
takes time and devotion… you
rely on your family for help and if
they're a dedicated group, they
will help you. And that's what
happened to me.”
John Gokongwei, Jr., is at left
To businessmen, he gave this
The awards ceremony,
International Container Terminal
advice: “Do what is right… do it
attended by some 250 guests
Services Inc. and Bloomberry
with honesty and vigor. Be
that included business and
Resorts Corp. with $4.2 billion. At
creative - that's important. Don't
industry leaders, coincided with
54, Razon is the youngest on the
follow what other people are
the celebration of the 15th
Philippine roster.
doing.”
anniversary of the English
Joining this year's list and
The Lifetime Achievement
language Asian TV news
ranking fifth among Philippine
Luminary Award honors a
channel.
billionaires is JG Summit founder
business person whose success
Gokongwei took his first
John Gokongwei Jr., an 86-year-old
serves as an inspiration to
steps in entrepreneurship at age
industrialist with an estimated net
others and whose achievements
15 in the family's hometown in
worth of $3.9 billion.
are iconic to the success of the
Cebu in the central Philippines
Completing the local roster are
Asian region, according to CNA,
where he engaged in a buy-andconstruction magnate David
t h e b ro a d c a s t i n g a r m o f
sell operation using a bicycle.
Consunji($3.3 billion), Metrobank
MediaCorp of Singapore.
Malaya Business
group and GT Capital founder
u
Page 22
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 22
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
How the Little Guys Can Win In Today's David-and-Goliath Business World
Business Intelligence Expert Shares Tips for Using Actionable Data to Gain the Advantage
Before the internet, small
companies didn't stand a chance
against the Goliaths, says Corrine
Sandler, a globally recognized
leader in business intelligence and
market research.
That's because no war can be
won without intelligence and,
before the digital era, collecting
actionable data and information
about one's competitors, market
and customers cost a lot more than
most small businesses the Davids
could afford.
“But today, the Davids are
taking down the Goliaths,” says
Sandler, founder and CEO of Fresh
Henry Sy ...
From page 21
George Ty and family ($2.3 billion),
Jollibee group founder Tony Tan
Caktiong ($1.7 billion) stock broker,
insurance and car dealership
magnate Robert Coyiuto Jr. ($1.5
billion) and Filinvest group founder
Andrew Gotianun ($1 billion).
Except for Gokongwei, all these
billionaires from the Philippines
were likewise in the 2013 list,
where 11 local tycoons made it to
the list.
Two names that made it to the
2013 list are no longer in this year's
roster: retailer Lucio and Susan Co,
founder of fast-growing retailing
chain Puregold and Cosco Capital as
well as Alphaland and Philweb
chair Roberto V. Ongpin, who has
complained about being in previous
y e a r s '
l i s t .
According to Forbes, the ranks
of the world's billionaires
continued to scale new heightsand
Intelligence Research Corp., a
global business intelligence
company, and author of the new
b o o k , “ Wa ke U p o r D i e ”
( w w w. w a k e u p o r d i e . u s ) , a
comprehensive guide to the use of
intelligence in the contemporary
business environment.
“Thanks to the internet, the
boutiques and startups have access
to all kinds of free tools for
gathering intelligence. They're also
much more agile than the big
corporations; they can make a
decision and act immediately.
That's essential in a marketplace
where conditions change quickly.”
In “Wake Up or Die,” Sandler
applies lessons from Sun Tzu's “The
Art of War” the 2,000-year-old
military treatise penned by one of
the greatest commanders in history
to the modern business economy.
Sun Tzu held that the goal in any
war is to win without ever entering
into physical battle.
“By gathering actionable data
and acting on it immediately, by
using it to predict next moves and
spot opportunities, small
businesses can and are taking
down the big ones without a drop of
blood being shed,” Sandler says.
She offers smaller business
owners these tips for acquiring and
using intelligence:
If you lack resources, make use
stretch to new corners of the world.
In this year's list, there were 1,645
billionaires who made it to the list
with a total net worth of $6.4
trillion, up from $5.4 trillion a year
ago.
Globally, Microsoft founder Bill
Gates is back on top after a fouryear hibernation, regaining the
bragging right as the world's richest
person from telecom mogul Carlos
Slim Helu of Mexico, who had
topped the list in the past four
years. Spanish clothing retailer
Amancio Ortega, best known for the
Zara fashion chain, retained the No.
3 spot for the second year in a row,
extending his lead over Warren
Buffett, who is again No. 4, Forbes
said.
The magazine said roughly twothirds of the billionaires built their
own fortunes, 13 percent inherited
them and 21 percent have been
adding on to fortunes they received.
Other notable newcomers include
World Wrestling Entertainment
CEO Vince McMahon, fashion king
of free or inexpensive intelligencegathering tools. Visit competitors'
websites and collect data about
them. Many businesses put a great
deal of revealing information on
their sites, which can benefit you.
Also, make note of any changes on
their sites. Google Alerts can tell
you when they're releasing new
products or expanding. Use Google
analytics tools such as Google Hot
Trends to tell you what's in the
collective consciousness potential
consumer demand at any given
time. Google's key word tool will
give you ideas for powerful key
words in search terms, and use the
traffic tool to measure global
volume on those key words.
Make intelligence-gathering
part of your company's culture.
From the manager who overhears a
conversation in the grocery
checkout line to the clerk obsessed
with Twitter, every employee in
your business is a potential
intelligence resource. Encourage
employees to pay attention as they
interact with others outside the
company.
They may discover a nagging
issue that no other company is
addressing, allowing you to create
uncontested market space. Or, you
may learn critical information
about a competitor that allows you
to seize an advantage. Make
Michael Kors and Denise Coates of
UK online betting firm Bet365.
This is Forbes' 28th year
publishing the Forbes Billionaires
list. To compile net worths, the
magazine valued individuals' assets
including stakes in public and
private companies, real estate,
yachts, art and cash and take into
account estimates of debt.
“We attempt to vet these
numbers with all billionaires. Some
cooperate; others don't. We also
consult an array of outside experts
in various fields,” the magazine said.
The Forbes billionaires list
ranks individuals rather than large,
multi-generational families who
share large fortunes.
This list does not include royal
family members or dictators who
derive their fortunes entirely as a
result of their position of power or
royalty who, often with large
families, control the riches in trust
for their nation, the magazine said.
Inquirer.net
intelligence gathering a company
lifestyle.
Appoint a Chief Intelligence
Officer (CIO) to coordinate and
analyze information from a variety
of sources. In smaller companies,
leaders tend to rely on pipelines of
internal information provided by
employees who don't understand
how to use intelligence to make
empowering decisions. That can
render important data inactionable
(unusable or simply not used). A
CIO can oversee and coordinate the
collection and analysis of
intelligence, and brief you the
business leader daily so that all
data is actionable.
“What enables you to make
smart, timely decisions is access to
precise intelligence,” Sandler says.
“Your advantage, as a smaller
business, is that you don't have the
corporate processes and protocols
that inhibit fast action.
“As Sun Tzu wrote, 'It is said that
if you know your enemies and
know yourself, you can win 100
battles without a single loss.' ”
About Corrine Sandler
Corrine Sandler is the founder
and CEO of Fresh Intelligence
Research Corp, a global market
research agency; international
professional speaker and author of
“Wake Up or Die,”
JFC wants ...
From page 20
much longer than in the current law.
A revitalized and reformed
apprenticeship program can provide
sufficient time for young workers to
gain knowledge and skills while
providing the companies where they
work sufficient time to give them the
right training and to assess their
individual working skills.
At the end of the apprenticeship
period, many of the apprentices may
be offered employment directly in the
factory or office where they have
been trained. Alternatively, if not so
employed, they nevertheless benefit
from the training and have
knowledge and skills that have
Business
tourism ...
From page 21
success na masolve mo the peace and
order [problem]. Everywhere,
kidnapping is inevitable,” Hataman
adds. Major marketing strategy is to
start from family, relatives and
friends. Word of mouth
advertisement. Those who would like
to explore must contact the Local
Government Units or us, for their
safety, the couple says.
And for them, Basilan's beaches
are definitely among the best tourist
destinations that Mindanao can offer.
Corrine Sandler
(www.wakeupordie.us) a new
book that applies lessons from Sun
Tzu's ancient classic, “The Art of
War,” to contemporary businesses.
Corrine's company was ranked No.
2 on Profit Magazine's list of top 50
fastest-growing companies, and
Corrine has been on Profit's top
100 Female Entrepreneurs list two
years in a row.
With more than 20 years'
experience, she has established a
reputation for unparalleled
consumer understanding and
insight development working with
Fortune 500 companies.
increased their chances to work in
another company or even to begin an
entrepreneurial career.
As a national policy companies
should be encouraged to train more
apprentices than needed for the
workforce.
Twice the training cost for those
apprentices that will not be offered
employment after the apprenticeship
period is completed and will be
released as trained professionals into
the labor market, can be deducted
from taxable income.
Funds must be made available for
internal branding during the
implementation of this law. The
internal branding has to be directed
to parents and relatives. Manila
Bulletin
“We are happy that tourism is
alive especially in summer. Fear not
Basilan,” Hataman says.
Given all the negative news
surrounding Mindanao, it might come
as a surprise to know that a visit to
Basilan could actually be a fun,
memorable and peaceful experience
that will allow travelers to recharge
and be rejuvenated.
So, if you are looking for
something new, idyllic , virgin crystal
sea waters, come and explore Basilan.
How to go there?
By air: Manila-Zamboanga- one
hour and 20 minutes
By sea: Zamboanga-Isabella City30 minutes. Inquirer.net
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL
201-434-1114
ENTERTAINMENT
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 23
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Anne Curtis nominated Philippine pride as Oscar win
in Nickelodeon awards caps rare quad for songwriter
MANILA -- Actress-host Anne
Curtis is among the nominees in
Nickelodeon's 27th annual Kids'
Choice Awards.
The 29-year-old Kapamilya star is
nominated in the Favorite Asian Act
category, along with Chinese singer
GEM Deng Zhi Qi, Indonesia's Coboy
Junior and Malaysia's Lisa Surihari.
An "ecstatic" Curtis took to the
photo-sharing site Instagram to garner
support for the upcoming awards show
with the caption: "KILIG!!!!! Another
dream come true!!!"
Fil-Am singer Bruno Mars also
nabbed a nod for Favorite Male Singer,
along with Pitbull, Justin Timberlake,
and Pharrell Williams.
Back in 2012, Kapamilya singer
Charice took home the award, besting
S o u t h K o r e a ' s Wo n d e r G i r l s ,
Indonesia's Agnes Monica and
Malaysia's Yuna.
Actress singer Sarah Geronimo was
nominated in the 2013 awards show
along with YouTube sensation Psy, but
both eventually lost out to China's Han
Geng.
Actress-host Anne Curtis
Hosted by actor Mark Wahlberg,
the star-studded event will take place
on March 29 at University of Southern
California's Galen Center. It will be
aired in the Philippines on March 31.
HOLLYWOOD -- Songwriter
Robert Lopez gave the
Philippines some Oscars joy on
S u n d a y, M a r c h 2 a s h e
completed a rare quadruple
triumph at the 86th Academy
Awards.
The 39-year-old American
scooped the Oscar for best
original song for “Let It Go” from
the Disney hit animated film
“Frozen.” The win, which Lopez
shared with his wife Kristin
Anderson-Lopez, saw the
songwriter join an elite band
who have won the grand slam of
entertainment industry awards
Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony
or “EGOT”.
Lopez, who is of Filipino
descent, paid tribute to his
ancestral homeland during a
backstage press conference
after the win.
“Filipino pride. I'm so
excited. I'm just sending love to
the Philippines,” said Lopez.
“I know they've had a tough
year and I just send out my
feelings to them,” he said,
referring to the devastating
Typhoon Haiyan which
battered the country last
November, leaving thousands
dead.
Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez (L) and Robert Lopez, winners of
the Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original
Song award for 'Let It Go' from 'Frozen', attend the Governor's Ball
following the 86th Academy Awards on March 2, 2014 in Hollywood,
Lopez and his wife revealed
they are planning a benefit
concert for the Philippines on
March 12 in New York.
Meanwhile, AndersonLopez presented her husband
with a home-made necklace to
commemorate his “EGOT”
status.
“The girls and I made
something for you, Bobby. Just
in case this moment happened.
We made it last week,” she said,
hanging it around his neck.
“It's made of pasta.”
Lopez meanwhile paid
tribute to the input of his wife
on his phenomenally successful
career.
“(She) has been in the
background of all of my work
for every single show that she's
not received credit for, she's
been whispering in my ear the
whole time,” he said.
“So, I'm glad that she is
finally getting credit for being
the amazing artist that I've
always known that she is.”
Inquirer.net
NADINE Samonte and Barbara Miguel in “Nuwebe”
'Nuwebe' competes in Queens
Joseph Israel Laban's “Nuwebe” is
competing in the Queens World Film
Festival in New York City. An entry in
last year's Cinemalaya, “Nuwebe” is
nominated in four categories: Best
Narrative Feature, Best Director of a
Narrative Feature (Laban), Best
Actress (Barbara Miguel) and Best
Actor (Jake Cuenca). The fest will be
held in the United States from March
4 till March 9. Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer.net
Liam Neeson on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' (YouTube)
Paulo exerts more effort Liam Neeson mimics idol
to win KC's heart
Manny Pacquiao on live TV
By Rowena Tan
By Jecelyn V. Macahindog
Neeson retorted, “I have
participated in “Manny,” is
Actor Paulo Avelino is not about
been (a fan) for many, many thrilled to become “co-stars”
to give up his love for KC Concepcion
Liam Neeson is a proud fan years.”
with Neeson.
who is currently studying abroad
of Manny Pacquiao, which was
The Academy Award
“You were the narrator and
intimating that he is bent on doing
why he accepted the role of nominee then shared a “fan I'm just talking for like five
everything to prove his feelings for
n a r r a t o r f o r “ M a n ny,” a moment.” “After I narrated our seconds in it but I feel like we're
her.
documentary that chronicles film, the producers sent me a co-stars,” Kimmel said in jest.
the life story of the eight- little e-mail, a little film footage
“ M a n n y,” d i r e c t e d b y
“May effort kumbaga,” he quipped
division champion boxer- of Manny saying into cam Academy Award-winner Leon
in a report on ABS-CBN.
politician.
(mimics Pacquiao), 'Hello Liam, Gast (“When We Were Kings”)
The 25-year-old actor said that he
Neeson
spoke
fondly
of
I
look forward to meeting you.'
and Fil-Am Ryan Moore, hits
and Concepcion make it a point to
Pacquiao during his recent
He proudly said, “(And) I'm Philippine theaters on March
communicate with each other,
appearance on ABC's “Jimmy showing it to everybody.”
12.
despite being “sobrang busy namin
Kimmel
Live!”
“What
a
boxer
he
“He's
(a)
fantastic
boxer
It will premiere at the South
pareho.”
is. He's one of the greatest (and that is what made me by Southwest (SXSW) Film
“I'm doing a soap here and she's
(boxers),” the “Taken” star said. accept the narrating gig),” Festival in Austin, Texas, which
in the US taking different classes,” he
“You're a fan of his, I guess,” revealed Neeson.
will run from March 7 to 15.
intimated.
u
Page 26
said show host Jimmy Kimmel.
K i m m e l , w h o a l s o Manila Bulletin
Paulo Avelino
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 24
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Martin Nievera on past Ogie Alcasid says local
woes, future investments acts still have 'biggest
By Walden Sadiri M. Belen
For three decades, Martin
Nievera lorded over the local
performance scene, earning the
title “Concert King” along the
way.
This he carries with aplomb
till today. In fact, last Valentine's
D ay, M a r t i n h a d a n o t h e r
successful performance at the
SM MOA Arena, with good friend
Regine Velasquez-Alcasid. The
show further cemented his and
Regine's reputation as a certified
crowd-drawers.
He may be reaping success
after success in his endeavors
nowadays but there was a time in
his life when Martin was down
and out.
He admitted in an interview
that the years following his
separation with ex-wife Pops
Fernandez were “lean years.”
He added, “Siguro mga one
year akong walang show, walang
trabaho. Walang tumatawag, so I
went to Las Vegas and became a
bum.”
While there, Martin jammed
with bands, apart from “washing
and vacuuming cars, cooking
barbecue…”
“That was my therapy,” he
explained.
“Sobrang numbed ang
feeling ko, hindi ko alam na wala
akong trabaho. Sobrang manhid
Martin Nievera
ang feeling ko. Singing solo or
with a group is like therapy then,
it's my happiness. It's all about
me,kung ano ako, puede kong
itago or ilabas sa stage, the good
or the bad…”
He related his experience to
that of Vhong Navarro, who is
currently embroiled in two rape
cases.
“For artists like Vhong who
go through a crisis, it's the one
thing we hate most in show
business this saying that 'the
show must go on.' Kung may
show ka, people depend on you
to entertain them, the show must
go on. You have to cry later, think
about yourself later. The show
must go on! Kailangan marunong
kang magtago ng feelings mo, ng
sakit mo, ng frustrations mo.”
As hard as it was, Martin
admits that he emerged through
it a better person.
“Somehow it (hiding your
feelings) helped. I became a
better singer, a better composer.
I even became a poet! It's really
hard to be in show business
when you have a battle. It makes
you a better performer or artist,
but napakasakit ang process.”
To keep himself in top form,
Martin admitted to going on
diets. “But ang hirap mag-diet at
mag-perform at the same time.
But I have to do it 'cause I don't
want to look like a fat pig on TV.
We gain so much weight on TV.”
He also works out but “not
religiously.”
He said, “I have a gym in the
house and in the hotels where I
stay, I make sure that there's a
gym. I also like to walk. I get
intense about it a week or two
before the show…”
When asked about
investments, Martin was sad to
say “diyan ako kulang.”
“I don't have any business
endeavor yet, I didn't have the
money to burn. I think that
would be next. My dream is to
selling concerts'
By Pau Aguilera
Organisasyon ng Pilipinong
Mang-Aawit (OPM) president Ogie
Alcasid is confident that local artists
are still thriving, despite the growing
wave of international acts visiting the
country to hold concerts.
“The biggest selling concerts are
still OPM concerts, like with Regine
(Velasquez),” Ogie told PEP in a
recent interview.
Another example he cited is his
own concert, which coincided with
Bamboo's, “and it did very well.”
The singer-songwriter also
clarified that they have nothing
against foreigners coming over to
mount shows.
“As long as the promoter paid the
necessary equity, wala namang
problema 'yun, ” he said, adding that,
“They do comply.”
Ogie opines, “Nandiyan na 'yan
(foreign productions) at saka
hinahanap ng mga tao ang concerts
nila (international artists).”
MVP's OPM support
The husband of the Asia's
Songbird has been steadfast in his
efforts to uplift Filipino artists. For
Ogie, being a Kapatid definitely helps,
as TV5 airs the Philippine Popular
Music Festival (Philpop).
OPM president Ogie Alcasid
He revealed that the network is
also set to launch its first-ever
Filipino Music Awards, insisting that
TV5 big boss Manny V. Pangilinan is
“very, very supportive of the music
industry.”
Working with the network, he
noted, “Nagdya-jibe sa trabaho ko as
OPM President… Hindi ako
nahihirapang i-explain sa kanila na
kailangan kong gawin 'to and most of
the new projects now.” Manila
Bulletin
u
Page 26
Rose recalls
early
discrimination
“X Factor Israel” champ Rose Fostanes
By Michael Joe T. Delizo
A veteran of amateur singing
contests starting at four years old,
Rose Fostanes had often gotten
insults and and jeers from people
prior to becoming “X Factor Israel”
champ.
“Masakit 'yun talaga,” she recalled
on “Buzz Ng Bayan.” “Hindi pa nga ako
nakaka-akyat ng stage, sinasabi na
nila na 'Gigiba 'yung stage, uulan,
uulan.' “Pero binabalewala ko kasi
kailangan ko pong sumali sa contest,
baka sakaling manalo.”
Despite her caliber as singer, she
said that there were times she would
lose in a contest just because her
opponents were fairer or thinner. At
23, a disheartened Rose left for the
Middle East, thinking that someone
like her has no place in the local music
industry. “Siguro kung meron po
akong itsura, siguro baka natupad ko
po 'yun (singing career). Pero dahil po
alam kong wala, kaya po ipinagpalit
ko po 'yung pagkanta ko sa ibang
propesyon,” she said. Her triumph on
“X Factor Israel” a resounding one
considering she was Filipina against
Israeli contenders convinced her and
proved to the world that destiny
trumps discrimination against age,
race, appearance and even sexual
preference.
Now that she's home, the singer
wants to inspire women to always
take courage and to use criticisms as
motivation that could turn things
around for them, too.
“Dahil po du'n sa mga naririnig
natin na hindi po maganda sa
pandinig, 'yun po 'yung magtutulak
para magsumikap tayo eh. Gaya 'pag
sinabing 'Ang taba mo naman,' yun
'yung time na mag-diet ka na dahil
nakakarinig ka ng hindi maganda sa
kapwa.
“Saka yun din po ang
nakakatulong ng malaki, dahil po sa
kanila, kaya po tayo nagiging strong,”
she said. Manila Bulletin
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 25
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Incubus singer thanks supporters
of PH fundraiser
By Jecelyn V. Macahindog
Brandon Boyd, vocalist of the American rockalternative band Incubus, took to Twitter to thank
supporters who took part in their fundraiser for
typhoon-hit Philippines.
“Thank you all so much for donating to @the_MYF
and @RYOTnews fundraiser for the Philippines relief
effort! Look!,” Boyd posted, sharing a link to a 1:24minute video uploaded on YouTube titled, “How
RYOT & Incubus Teamed Up To Help The
Philippines!”
“Typhoon 'Haiyan' was a huge disaster. Your
Angel Locsin (2nd from right) spends 'half day off' with Luis Manzano
response
has been absolutely incredible and we can't
(rightmost) and his family. Luis' mom Batangas governor Vilma Santos
thank
you
enough,” said Boyd on the video, which
is to the right of Angel. (Instagram)
featured several survivors from Guiuan, Eastern
Samar happily receiving relief, including medical aid,
food, and refurbished boats.
Boyd concluded, “So, thank you once again and
thank you so much for being part of the solution.
Incubus' Brandon Boyd (YouTube)
Cheers!”
The Make Yourself Foundation (MYF) is a nonprofit organization created by Incubus that funds
By Jecelyn V. Macahindog
Angel shared on
various organizations in the US and around the
Instagram a photo of the get
world. RYOT News, on the other hand, is a news site
Barely a month after together, expressing, “finally,
that allows its readers to take action on each of its
announcing that they are a day off! (Half day off pero
stories.
back into each other's arms, keri na!:p) dinner with my
The fundraising drive started late last year with
Luis Manzano and Angel awesome boyfriend's family. I
MYF
pledging to match every dollar raised on RYOT.
Locsin took time off from missed them soo much!
Incubus has also given away band memorabilia to
their busy schedules to spend T h a n k s L o v e k o
those who submitted donations.
quality time with the Rectos.
@luckymanzano.”
Last January, Incubus' Mike Einziger joined Bad
Fans of the lovers were
Luis, for his part, posted a
Religion, The Offspring and Linkin Park in “Music for
thrilled to see the couple's photo of Angel with his
Relief Concert for the Philippines” staged at Club
r e s p e c t i v e p o s t a b o u t mother, Batangas Governor
Nokia in Los Angeles. Manila Bulletin
Sunday's family bonding.
u
Page 26
Survivors thankful of the band's support (YouTube)
Angel bonds with
the family of Luis
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 26
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Regine throws despedida
party for Rachelle Ann
By Mikee Delizo
Regine Velasquez hosted a
party for Rachelle Ann Go as a
send-off before she leaves for
London.
Rachelle will be leaving the
country soon for her 14-month
stint in the reboot of West End's
“Miss Saigon,” which will be
staged starting May 3.
On Instagram, Rachelle
posted a photo of her and
Regine and expressed gratitude
for the latter's generosity.
“Yay!!! Thank you for
t h row i n g t h i s wo n d e r f u l
despedida party for me! You
have the most generous heart…
I love you ate reg
@reginevalcasid),” read her
caption.
Other celebrities spotted at
the party were singers Jed
Madela, Angeline Quinto, Gian
Magdangal, Sam Milby and
Slater Young, whom Rachelle
has been dating.
Jed also shared his
happiness for Rachelle, posting
a photo of them on Instagram
and writing:
“Bon voyage to you, Shin!
Just wishing you all the best in
London. Geez! I just realized
that tonight might be the last
night we'd be singing NARITO
live but I'm so happy for you and
what you have achieved.
The 'It's Showtime' hosts' selfie (Twitter)
'It's Showtime' hosts snap
own Oscars-inspired selfie
Slater Young, Rachelle Ann Go, Sarah Geronimo, Jimmy Marquez, Erik
Santos, Mark Bautista, and Christian Bautista (Instagram
Always remember we'll be
here for you no matter what. Go
get 'em! So proud of you!
@gorachelleann.”
Earlier, Rachelle along with
Slater had a reunion with her
GMA-7 co-stars Mark Bautista
and Christian Bautista, as well
as friends Sarah Geronimo and
Erik Santos. Posting another
Instagram photo, she called
them her “favorite people.”
Meanwhile, “Adarna” star
Benjamin Alves, who recently
confessed that he almost
courted the singer, admitted
that he and Rachelle are no
longer close. Nonetheless, he's
looking forward to watching
her in “Miss Saigon.”
“Of course, having Rachelle
representing there as a Filipino.
But more than that, I would
want to watch her as a friend,”
he was quoted by Pep. Manila
Bulletin
By Mikee Delizo
The hosts of “It's Showtime,”
including Jugs Jugueta Teddy Corpuz,
Anne Curtis, Karylle, Iza Calzado, Kim
Atienza, Eruption and Jhong Hilario,
took their own selfie, inspired by Ellen
DeGeneres' record-breaking shot
taken during the recently concluded
Oscars.
Jugueta posted the photo on
Twitter, in his effort to make it the most
retweeted selfie in the Philippines.
“Hindi kami magpapatalo sa
#selfie ng @oscars2014_! Let's make
this Showtime Selfie the most
retweeted selfie in Philippine history!
Let's go! RT na!,” he said.
As of this writing, his post has
Angel bonds ...
From page 25
Vilma Santos. He wrote: “Having
dinner with these 2 lovely ladies, the
mommy and the girlfriend
@therealangellocsin.”
The reunited couple recently
trended on Twitter when they shared
their sweetness on national TV via
“Minute To Win It.”
A supposed impending marriage
was also reported, with both
Kapamilya stars having allegedly
asked Kris Aquino to take part as
Paulo exerts ...
From page 23
His friendship with Concepcion is
a source of inspiration for Avelino.
“Ngayon, I am inspired. Sometimes
you just want to inspire someone,
ganu'n din siya. She's been inspiring
me also, giving me advice,” he said.
Ave l i n o s h a re d t h a t h e l i ke s
Martin Nievera ...
From page 24
have a restaurant, a comfort food
restaurant where I can sing. Where my
son Robin can sing, where all my kids
can sing. That's what I want to do have
a place not too big or too small with
comfort food to offer.”
With a tinge of regret, Martin
added “I should have done this earlier.
amassed 601 retweets, a far cry from
that of DeGeneres' that has already
accumulated over three million
retweets.
Due to the overwhelming
response, DeGeneres' selfie, posted on
Monday during the Oscars telecast
(Sunday night, US time), crashed
Twitter.
“So this is true. We just crashed
Twitter. We got an email from Twitter,
and we crashed and broke Twitter. We
have made history. See, Meryl, what we
did? You and I? It's amazing, we really
just made history. It's fantastic,” she
said shortly after posting the photo.
It wasn't the first time. Twitter
briefly crashed on the same day as well
u
Page 27
“ninang.”
In a separate interview with
“Tapatan ni Tunying,” Luis' mother gave
a 9 out of 10 rating for her “future
daughter-in-law.”
The multi-awarded actress also
doesn't mind if ever the two would
decide to settle down.
“'Pag ready na sila… Ang alam ko
lang masaya sila ngayon… Wala naman
p ro b l e m a . ' D i n a m a n a ko a n g
makikisama. Plus, the fact na 'di na
bago si Angel, at least, I know they are
back (together) and maligaya sila sa
isa't isa, mas maligaya kami for them.”
Manila Bulletin
Concepcion for her beauty and brains.
In a separate report on Push,
Concepcion said that she enjoys
Avelino's company. “Feeling ko parang
hindi lang siya 'yung basta nagpapacute,” she said.
Avelino is busy taping for “Honesto,”
which will air its final episode on March
14. Concepcion is in the US taking up
classes on acting and professional
development. Manila Bulletin
That's my regret, when I was younger,
my not being business-minded. I was
having so much fun kasi.”
Given the chance, Martin would
want to call the resto “Big Mouth
Burger.”
“Mahirap hanapin ang right beef
for it, but I'll find a supplier and find a
nice place, 'yung cute lang, hindi
masyadong malaki…there's hope pa
naman for me for this, di ba?” Manila
Bulletin
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 27
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Jhong Hilario
Iza Calzado
Marian Rivera (Instagram)
Iza finds 'love team'
Kapamilya
stars
praise
with Jhong 'fun'
By Jecelyn V. Macahindog
Ta n d e m s a b o u n d i n “ I t ' s
S h o w t i m e ,” s t a r t i n g w i t h
“VhongAnne” (Vhong Navarro-Anne
Curtis), then “ViceRylle” (Vice Ganda
and Karylle) and “BiCol” (Billy
Crawford and Coleen Garcia).
Now the show has introduced
another hit pairing in “JhoZa,”
involving Jhong Hilario and newest
“It's Showtime” member Iza Calzado.
The two have been showing the
“madlang pipol” some “sampol” of
their dance moves together.
Jhong added to the “kilig” factor
when he recently admitted to having
a crush on Iza.
“Feeling ko kapag katabi ko si Iza
pumapayat ako… kasi lagi akong
pinagpapawisan eh,” said the
Streetboys dancer in a recent episode
of the show.
Iza has admitted that she's having
fun with the team-up. “Nakakaloka
talaga. Wala. What can I say? Alangan
naman I say 'thank you,' pero
nakakatuwa, 'yun na lang 'yun,” she
told Push in an interview.
Iza is confident that being part of
JhoZa is a non-issue to boyfriend, Ben
Wintle.
She related, “Sinabi ko sa kanya,
kinuwento ko sa kanya kasi ang
tanong niya, 'Did you have fun on the
show?' Ganyan 'yan, ganun ang mga
tanong niya sa akin. Tapos sinabi ko
sa kanya, 'There is a new love team.'
He said, 'Oh really, what's it about?
Okay good.' Deadma siya talaga.
Walang alam, eh. Hindi naman kasi
‘Its Showtime’ ...
From page 26
during the live Q&A of “The
Walking Dead” stars Norman
Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon on
the show, with fans storming the
site with the hashtag “#AskTWD.”
Recall that during the death of
pop superstar Michael Jackson in
June 25, 2009, the internet and
cellular networks experienced a
lag of sorts, allegedly due to a huge
number users spreading the news
all over the globe.
Social media has proven a
great sounding board for fans all
over the world to comment,
discuss and share various topics.
Following the Oscars, in fact,
netizens worldwide expressed
nanonood, laging nasa office.”
Iza added that Ben is not the
jealous type. “Selos? Diyos ko, wala
ngang kabahid-bahid ng selos, wala.
Sana magselos kahit minsan,” she
quipped, adding, “Joke lang. Huwag
natin bigyan ng rason para magselos
'yun. Fun lang.”
Iza wouldn't confirm or deny
reports about her replacing Anne on
the show, purportedly because of the
latter being busy with the upcoming
“Dyesebel.”
“Hindi ko naman masasabing
permanent. Who knows? But for now,
I have been given the opportunity and
the task also to fill in kung meron
mang mga host na wala kasi busy din
sila. Vice is in the States, Anne's doing
'Dyesebel' and Karylle's going to get
married. So for a while, for a number
of weeks siguro or for months siguro,
kailangan nila ng host.”
She has entertained the thought
of becoming a permanent fixture on
the show, but she adds, “Bahala na si
God at ang mga boss natin sa network
kasi nasa sa kanila naman at nasa
madlang people din (ang decision).”
For Iza, hosting “It's Showtime” is
an opportunity to show her “makulit”
side. “Ever since, in the past 12 years
in the industry, I have been doing
really heavy dramatic roles. They
have never seen me in a more relaxed
atmosphere and to be able to be
myself so, this is a wonderful
opportunity for me para nga ipakita
'yung kakulitan ko. Kasi minsan sa
totoong buhay makulit talaga ako.”
Manila Bulletin
grief and sympathy with Leonardo
DiCaprio for failing to snag an
Oscar yet again.
Nominated as Best Actor this
year for his role in “The Wolf of
Wall Street,” DiCaprio lost to
Matthew McConaughey, who
portrayed AIDS activist Ron
Woodroof in “Dallas Buyers Club.”
This is DiCaprio's fourth Oscar
nom (one for Best Supporting
Actor, his first, 20 years ago; and
three for Best Actor) where he
went home empty-handed.
Thereafter, several sarcastic
memes involving Leo circulated
online.
Hashtags like “#PoorLeo,”
“#GiveLeoAnOscar”#TeamLeo,”
and “Leonardo DiCarpio” also
became trending topics on
Twitter. Manila Bulletin
Marian for sexy pictorial
By Michael Joe T. Delizo
Kapuso actress Marian
Rivera is overwhelmed with the
praises she received following
her latest appearance in popular
men's magazine, FHM.
Among those who expressed
their admiration of Marian were
several artist from the rival
Kapamilya network including,
Anne Curtis, Kathryn Bernardo,
Jodi Sta. Maria and Denise
Laurel.
“Nakakaloka ung body mo
@ t h e r e a l m a r i a n .
GANDROOOUZ!” posted Anne on
Instagram.
Marian and Anne had
a l re a dy d o n e a m a ga z i n e
pictorial together, along with
Judy Ann Santos, Angel Locsin
and Charlene Gonzales.
Marian told Balita, “Si Anne
naman, friend ko na siya at
nagkasama kami sa pictorial ng
Rouge Magazine, at kahit hindi
naman kami madalas
nagkakausap o nagkakasama,
alam kong friend ko siya.”
She added, “Si Kathryn, siya
ang gumanap na batang Marian
sa soap naming 'Endless Love.' Si
Jodi, hindi pa kami nagkakilala
ng personal, pero pareho ang
makeup artist namin, si Krist
Bansuelo. Kaya maraming
salamat na na-appreciate nila
ang pictorial ko.” The set of
photos, shot by lensman Mark
Nicdao at Balesin Island in
Quezon Province, is part of
FHM's summer-themed March
issue. One photo showed Marian
seemingly wearing next to
nothing but a pair of earrings and
necklace. The issue is being
touted as the magazine's “best
ever.”
“So honored that FHM asked
me to grace their cover again.
Everything is sweeter the second
time around. Gracias,” read
Marian's Instagram post.
Marian also graced the 150th
special issue of FHM in January
last year. Manila Bulletin
Beauties all (from left) Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, Kris Tiffany Janson, Yvette Marie Santiago, Mary
Anne Bianca Guidotti and Ladylyn Riva
Bb. Pilipinas 2014
early favorites
By Crispina Martinez - Belen
Several candidates in this
year's much-awaited annual Bb.
Pilipinas pageant have caught the
attention of fans, noting those
who could make the country
proud in future competitions.
Among early favorites is 24year-old candidate No. 8, Pia
Alonzo Wurtzbach. The Cagayan
de Oro beauty was a former ABSCBN Star Magic artist.
Another is candidate No. 13,
Cebuana Kris Tiffany Janson, a
24-year-old finance analyst at a
packaging company in Manila.
Tiffany is also a skim boarding
enthusiast. She loves traveling
and would love to fulfill her
departed dad's wish that she
wins a major beauty competition.
Also turning heads is 20year-old Daraga, Albay native,
candidate No. 35, Yvette Marie
Santiago. Already a certified
public accountant, she was
Korea's World Miss University at
17 years old. It's her first time to
be away from her parents who
are based in Korea.
There is also the statuesque
Mary Anne Bianca Guidotti,
candidate No. 22, from Taguig.
She is 24 years old. She graduated
with a degree in European
studies major in international
relations from Ateneo de Manila
University and is currently a
technical assistant to the
executive director of Community
and Family Services
International. She is fluent in
Portuguese, English and Filipino.
Aklan native Ladylyn Riva,
candidate No. 39, is 26 years old.
She is a registered nurse, a
freelance makeup artist, and a
print and commercial model.
Ladylyn is into tennis,
badminton, and wakeboarding.
She is considered the “dark
horse” of this year's tilt, having
already won as Miss Casino
Pilipino prior.
She also competed at the
2011 Bb. Pilipinas Beauty
Pageant making it to the semifinal round. Manila Bulletin
SPORTS
Manny Pacquiao could face Juan Manuel Marquez for a fifth time if
he beats Timothy Bradley next month.
Marquez changes mind, eyes
a 5th fight with Pacquiao
By Nick Giongco
Manny Pacquiao woke up to the
news yesterday, March 3 that his
revered Mexican rival Juan Manuel
Marquez has had a change of heart
and that he is now looking forward to
a fifth fight with the Filipino icon.
Pacquiao admitted “that was nice
to hear” but it actually meant little to
him as he is focused only on one man
in his General Santos City training
camp.
Not even Floyd Mayweather is
taking away Pacquiao's attention nor
does Marquez.
“I am focused only on Timothy
Bradley,” said Pacquiao before
plunging into another session of
banging bodies with Lydell Rhodes,
who is lending a hand to Pacquiao's
buildup for the rematch with Bradley
set April 12 at the MGM Grand in Las
Vegas.
Marquez, in a story that was
published by the Los Angeles Times
yesterday, said he is now looking
forward to meet the winner of the
second meeting between Pacquiao
and Bradley, according to his longtime promoter Fernando Beltran.
But Marquez, 40, will have to
likewise hurdle his next assignment,
a May 17 slugfest with Mike Alvarado
in Los Angeles.
Marquez has fought Pacquiao
four times, winning just once, the last
being the one that struck in
everyone's mind when he knocked
out Pacquiao in the sixth round in
Dec. 2012.
Marquez had earlier said that
there is no point in having to face
Pacquiao a fifth time because he had
already proven that he is the better
fighter.
But with Pacquiao a solid favorite
to exact payback against Bradley,
Pacquiao would have the one thing
that Marquez craves for.
If Pacquiao beats Bradley, he will
get the World Boxing Organization
welterweight crown, a title Marquez
terribly wants since taking it would
make him the first Mexican puncher
in history to become a five-division
titleholder.
Beltran said winning a fifth
crown has always been one of
Marquez's biggest obsessions.
Pacquiao's adviser Mike Koncz
echoed his boss's sentiments but
made it clear that the fighting
congressman is not looking past
Bradley.
“We'll sit down after the Bradley
fight and we'll look what's best for
us,” said Koncz, adding that “now is
not the right time to discuss the other
fights because we have a big fight
coming up.”
Pacquiao, who beat up Brandon
Rios in his last outing in Macau, is
scheduled to leave for the US this
Saturday to begin the next phase of
his preparation at the Wild Card
Boxing Club in Hollywood. Manila
Bulletin
PH's Eddiva dominates China's
Tuerxun in UFC debut
By Celest R. Flores
MANILA -- Filipino fighter
Mark Eddiva dominated in his
UFC debut, defeating China's
Jumabieke Tuerxun via
unanimous decision Saturday
(March 1) night in The Ultimate
Fighter (TUF) China Finale at the
CoatiArena in Macau.
The 28-year-old Eddiva from
the Team Lakay stable, who is the
second Filipino to be signed by
the UFC, bucked the odds against
the undefeated Tuerxun, who
entered the match with a solid 140 record. It was a dominating
night for Eddiva, who showed no
signs of rust from a long layoff, as
he went to work early in the first
round and stayed in control until
the final frame to convincingly
sway the three judges, who all
scored 30-27.
Eddiva, who is also the
Philippines' two-time gold
medalist in the Southeast Asian
Games, hiked his record to 6-0.
“I felt I could I have knocked
him out in the first round, but he
was strong and a tough
opponent,” Eddiva said in an
interview posted on
mmajunkie.com.
“In the second round, I felt I
had total control; I felt my knees
were hurting him and doing the
job. In the final round, I felt I was
one kick away from knocking him
out as both of us were tiring.”
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 28
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Martinez enthralls the crowd with some of his sophisticated skating moves
Michael Christian Martinez
melts hearts on and off the ice
Homegrown talent Michael
Christian Martinez, Southeast
Asia's first Winter Olympian, has
truly endeared himself to Filipino
hearts - on and off the ice - as fans
and supporters arrived in
throngs at SM malls to see the
Olympian from the mall perform
last week.
Martinez held exhibition
performances in SM skating rinks
at SM Southmall, SM Mall of Asia
and in SM Mega Fashion Hall in
SM Megamall.
Martinez enthralled the
crowd with some of his
sophisticated skating moves triple toe loops, Russian split
jumps, camel variations, the
Charlotte spiral, the Ina Bauer,
“the Mr. Frick” and the Biellmann
spin - mustering squeals and
shrieks as he glided across the
skating rink.
Still not used to so much
attention, the shy 17-year-old
mouthed “Thank You” to his fans
and was treated to some tokens
as fans reached out to him and
gave him a stuffed toy. Martinez
kept crossing his hands over his
chest to express his heartfelt
gratitude and to show how the
gestures moved him. He showed
no sign of weariness and kept
smiling and waving as the crowd
chanted his name.
World Junior Figure Skating
Championships
Martinez flew to the United
States last Feb. 27 to train for the
World Junior Figure Skating
Championships which will be
u
Page 29
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 29
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Michael Christian ...
From page 28
Richard Gomez vies for spot in national volleyball team
By Pau Aguilera
held in Sofia, Bulgaria, on March 10 to
16. He ranked fifth place in 2013.
Martinez aims to earn a medal this
time following his experience at and
training for the Winter Olympics.
Martinez will then train for the Grand
Prix of Figure Skating Championships
series which will start in August.
Since skating at eight years old,
Martinez has garnered 194 medals and
trophies from various international
and local competitions. Martinez
clinched seventh place at the 2013
Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany that
qualified him for the 2014 Winter
Olympics.
Martinez frequented SM Southmall
in Las Piñas in his early years and much
later on in SM Mall of Asia for figure
skating competitions despite frequent
bouts of asthma.
Through the years, SM and the SMsponsored Philippine Skating Union
have conducted several figure skating
competitions that have given birth to
international champions such as
Martinez. The excellence
demonstrated by skaters especially
during competitions is proof that the
SM Skating Rink provides athletes with
the world-class venue and facilities
they need to compete.
Property conglomerate SM Prime
Holdings, Inc. operates skating rinks
through SM Lifestyle Entertainment,
Inc. at the SM Mega Fashion Hall in
Mandaluyong, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay,
and SM Southmall in Las Piñas. Manila
Bulletin
Richard Gomez is both an actor
and an athlete and apparently, he is
“determined” to flex more of his
sports muscles by vying to be part
of the Philippine volleyball team.
Gomez, whose interest in the
sport started in high school, is
among close to 30 players that
have been invited for the tryouts
currently being held at the Rizal
Memorial Coliseum.
“I've been joining the tryouts
since coach Francis (Vicente)
issued the call and I'm not going to
miss this chance at serving the flag
once more,” said Gomez in a report
on Spin.ph.
The official lineup of the
national volleyball team that will
compete in the 2014 PLDT HOME
Fibr Asian Men's Volleyball Club
Championship (AMVCC), which
the country will be hosting from
April 8 to 16, will be announced by
T h e P h i l i p p i n e Vo l l e y b a l l
Federation (PVF), on March 9.
It will be the first national
volleyball team organized by the
federation after many years of
inactivity. If ever he is picked,
Gomez is set to make history as the
first Filipino athlete to be able to
don the national colors via four
different sports.
In the early '90s, he was part of
the national team for rowing. He
brought home numerous medals
during his stint with the national
fencing team from 1995 to 2005.
Gomez also competed in a shooting
event at the 2005 SEA Games in
Manila, placing fourth.
In a separate interview, the
film-TV actor, who is turning 48
this April, stressed that volleyball
hasn't really lost its relevance,
pointing out that “It is (actually)
number two in terms of
Richard Gomez
US Amb. Goldberg wants to see an Ateneo-La Salle game
By Mark Giongco
US Amb. Philip Goldberg. Photo by Celest Flores
EXPRESS SUDOKU
HOW TO PLAY: Place a number from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that each
row, each column and each 3x3 block contains all the numbers from 1 to 9
Solution to Issue 09 Sudoku
popularity.”
“'Yung volleyball association
naman is doing something in terms
of forming a competitive team sa
region. It is also a welcome
development na may effort sila to
put up a team,” Gomez told Spin.ph.
He even noted that if the
national team places well in the
Asian volleyball landscape, “may
chance tayo na masama sa Asian
Games. Next year, may SEA Games
kaya hopefully, magtuluy-tuloy ang
programa.”
AMVCC organizing committee
chairman Philip “Ella” Juico,
former chairman of the Philippine
Sports Commission, welcomes
Gomez's possible inclusion in the
national team.
“Aside from his leadership, his
experience playing for the three
national teams will be a big factor
for the team,” she said. Manila
Bulletin
Solution to Issue 09 Crossword
MANILA -- There's perhaps nothing quite
like the Ateneo-De La Salle rivalry here. And even
US Ambassador-Designate to the Philippines
Philip Goldberg wants to experience it firsthand. “I do,” Goldberg, a big NBA and Major
League Baseball follower, quickly answered on
whether he plans on watching a basketball game
live.
“I haven't gone yet. I've only been here for a
few months but we'll go out and see the
professionals and they tell me I have to go see the
college game,” added Goldberg after watching
kids play baseball during the culmination of a
two-day basketball and baseball clinics
conducted by the United States Embassy Sunday
at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium. A selfconfessed Boston Celtics and Boston Red Sox fan,
Goldberg said he's been hearing a lot about the
two heated rivals since arriving in the country.
“The spirit, like in our college basketball as
well, it's something special to see especially the
Ateneo-De La Salle series that everyone says
that's something special so I have to go and see it
so I will.” The Ateneo-La Salle rivalry in the UAAP
is considered to be one of the hottest sporting
events in the country. Inquirer.net
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Renegade
6. Astringent
10. Arrange in a
container
14. Orderly grouping
15. Learning method
16. Distinctive flair
17. Imprecise
19. Ascend
20. Located below or
beneath
21. Nourished
22. Bristle
23. Go in
25. Delineated
26. Bother
30. Greek god of
darkness
32. Bad-mouth
35. A despicable coward
39. Field
40. Record player
41. Fickle
43. Timidity
44. Chief ingredient in
ketchup
46. Makes lace
47. Canker sore
50. Doorkeeper
53. Person, place or
thing
54. Consumed food
55. A list of names
60. Blaze
61. Written material
63. Colored part of an
eye
64. Throw
65. Lustrous fabric
66. Orange pekoe
67. 1 1 1 1
68. Believe in
1. Shower
2. Sea eagle
3. Rascal
4. Every single one
5. French school
6. Arrive (abbrev.)
7. Layabout
8. Spoke
9. A fitting reward
(archaic)
10. Stubbornly
unyielding
11. Extraterrestrial
12. Hindu social division
13. Work dough
18. A large vase
DOWN
24. T
25. Vigorously
passionate
26. Notability
27. End ___
28. Box
29. Solemnity
31. Hit hard
33. Turbine part
34. Breaststroke
36. Region
37. A musical pause
38. Sleep in a
convenient place
42. Carefulness
43. Comes after Mi
and Fah
45. Sleeping sickness
carrier
47. Physically
unsound
48. France's longest
river
49. Papal court
51. Mistake
52. Cut of beef
54. Countertenor
56. Sun
57. Ballet attire
58. Twin sister of
Ares
59. Lease
62. S
CLASSIFIED Section
Rentals
CHEAP SHARE
Spiritual Leader and
Adviser.
Help all problems of
life.
$325 monthly (including
utilities), plus help around
the house.
Also palm and card
reading.
Address:
1265 Forest Avenue
Staten Island, NY
10302
Telephone:
718-720-1865
East Village,
Manhattan
SEEKING:
A neat, reliable young
lady with few belongings.
OFFERING:
A small, but beautiful and
comfortable 1 bedroom
apartment to share with a
mature, working woman
from Western Europe and
her 2 cats.
References and security
deposit requested.
Replies to:
[email protected]
The Filipino Express is only
$40 a year for 52 issues
DISHWASHER
WANTED
JOBS
AVAILABLE
Monday - Friday
Night hours
GRANITE, MARBLE
fabrication workers,
polishing, installations.
Insurance, good pay.
FULL TIME only. Work
Permit a must.
Call 201-527-6199 Rich
Responsible for all
cleaning
Approx 25 hours
per week
$8 per hour
Pizza Republic
406 Washington
street
Hoboken, NJ
201-798-8210
Page 30
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
u
Help Wanted u
Jobs u
Personal u
Services
PSYCHIC
LOUISE
One free question by
phone.
March 7 - 13, 2014
CNC operators for busy
stone fabricator.
Experience helpful but
we'll train right person
with some CAD skills.
Work Permit a must.
Call 201-527-6199 Rich
CONSTRUCTION
Helpers and Foreman.
Experience helpful. Good
pay, FULL TIME. Work
Permit a must. Ridgefield
Park, NJ 07660.
Call 201-527-6199 Rich
Furnished
Room For
Rent
Jersey City
Near Journal Square
One Furnished Room,
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TV, Internet, Living
Room, Dining Area,
use of large kitchen
Female preferred
$125/week, all
utility included
Security, Reference
Required.
Call
201-884-9071
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 31
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
March 7 - 13, 2014
Page 32
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS