P1-22.CHP:Corel VENTURA

Vol. XX, No. 8
Online: www.ManilaMailDC.net
February 28, 2011
Envoy leaves mark in Washington D.C.
By Rodney J. Jaleco
Rep. Manny Pacquiao speaks at the press conference on Capitol Hill Feb.
15 as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid listens.
Manny Meets Obama,
Reid in DC visit
By Jun Medina
WASHINGTON D.C. -Filipino boxing superstar Manny
Pacquiao created quite a stir on
Tuesday, during a whirlwind
tour of the nation’s capital that
included meetings with President Barack Obama and Vice
President Joe Biden.
Pacquiao, a first-term congressman, and his wife, Jinkee,
had a brief meeting with the top
American officials at the White
House Oval Office.
“It was a great honor to be
invited and to meet the presi-
Continued on page 22
WASHINGTON D.C. - An
ailing Ambassador Willy C. Gaa
closes an eventful tour-of-duty
in the United States at the end of
the month.
Replacing him is former
Central Bank governor Jose
Cuisia who was recently confirmed by the Philippine Commission on Appointments but is
still waiting for the agremont of
the US State Department before
assuming his post.
Ambassador Gaa, who is
undergoing regular chemotherapy because of lung cancer, has
been feted over the past weeks
by friends in Washington DC,
including a farewell party tendered by the State Department
at historic Blair House recently.
A reunion with the ambassador
by former staffers of the Philippine embassy was held at the
embassy residence Feb. 26.
The ambassador plans to
temporarily stay in New York
Participants
in EDSA
Relive Events
Nonito Donaire watches Fernando Montiel start to fall to the canvas after
he hit him in the second round. (Getty Images)
Mt. Bulusan Erupts
By Rodney J. Jaleco
LAS VEGAS - Boxing analysts are saying that Filipino
American Donito “The Filipino
Flash” Donaire is boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao’s heir apparent after he dethroned
Mexican bantamweight title
holder Fernando Montiel in a
second-round technical knockout in Las Vegas Feb. 19.
Before the fight, Donaire
was No. 5 on the Ring Magazine’s list of top 10 pound-for-
WASHINGTON D.C. - “We
were ready to die,” Brig. Gen.
Cesar Yano, the new Philippine
defense attaché told us at a welcome dinner tendered for him
by Bill and Bing Branigin in
their Virginia home Feb. 12.
He sat beside retired Maj.
Gen. Delfin Lorenzana, the nation’s special envoy for veterans
affairs. Twenty-five years ago,
they stood on opposing camps.
Also present at the dinner was
Jon Melegrito, one of the most
Continued on page 23
Continued on page 23
PH, strategic
ally P4
Oslo peace
talks P7
New hope
for vets P9
Is Donaire Manny’s
Heir Apparent?
This is a file photo of Ambassador Willy C. Gaa and his wife, Linda, at a
recent community gathering in Washington D.C. (Photo by Bing C.
Branigin)
Compact with the Millennium
for his cancer treatment before Challenge Corporation (MCC) to
returning to the Philippines.
passage of the Filipino Veterans
Gaa has left his mark in Equity Compensation (FVEC)
Washington DC - ranging from
the approval of a $434 million
Continued on page 22
Residents in Sorsogon watch the billowing clouds of ash following the eruption of Mt. Bulusan Feb. 21. People residing near the volcano have been
evacuated. (Story on page 22)
A hero’s
burial P11
New NY
Congen P14
2
February 28, 2011
Sen. Reid extols achievement of Rep. Pacquiao
(Following is full text of
Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid’s speech on the Senate floor
welcoming his friend, Rep.
Manny Pacquiao. Reid honored
Pacquiaos’s achievements in
public service and boxing on the
Senate Floor. Following his remarks, Reid hosted a press conference with Pacquiao where
they exchanged national flags.
“I want to recognize briefly
a true friend of Nevada’s from
the other side of the world,
Manny Pacquiao. He is in Washington today. Every time I leave
a meeting with him, I come
away more impressed.
“Though those of us who
serve here are close with our colleagues in the United States
Congress - and some even
achieve celebrity status inside
the Beltway’s bubble - few of
our names and faces are recognizable beyond our shores.
“Senator Ted Kennedy was
an exception to that rule, with
fame he earned through the decades he and his family dedicated
to public service. So, too, was
Senator Clinton - and in her current role as Secretary of State,
even more of the world recognizes and respects her. Senator
John Glenn became a global hero
after he orbited the globe. “But
no one in our national legislature, or any other, comes close to
the level of worldwide fame of
the Congressman from the
southern tip of the Philippines,
Manny Pacquiao.
pensions they earned.
“Congressman Pacquiao, of
course, is also boxer who holds
many other titles beyond that of
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Filipino boxing star Rep. Manny
Pacquiao exchange flags during the press conference Feb. 15 in Capitol
Hill. Note the senator trying to hold on to the Filipino flag because it had
no casing like the American flag held by Pacquiao.
“The bond between the
Philippines and the United
States is a deep and strong one.
During World War II, when the
Pacific nation was a commonwealth of this country, brave
and patriotic Filipino troops
served under the American flag.
With the leadership of Senator
Dan Inouye, who acted so heroically in that war, we fought to finally give those troops the
well-deserved and long-overdue
lawmaker. He holds the title of
super welterweight world champion in both the World Boxing
Council and World Boxing Organization.
“He’s an ambitious young
man with a closet full of championship belts and the start of a
promising political career already under his belt. I’m most
gratified, as I mentioned, that he
is a true friend of Nevada’s,
where his sport is a major player
in our economic arena. And he
is someone I truly admire.
“Manny Pacquiao and I
come from opposite sides of the
globe - but in our hearts, we really come from the same place.
Manny grew up with nothing.
He was just a kid when he had
to leave his home and live on the
streets. When I was growing up
in Searchlight, my family had little more than each other.
“When Manny was a young
man, he stepped into a ring for
the first time, and it changed his
life. Boxing changed my life too
- it tough me how to fight fair.
And it’s where I met my best
friend, Mike O’Callaghan, who
was my boxing coach and my
high school history teacher.
Later, he would become the beloved Governor of Nevada along
whom I served as lieutenant
governor.
“Manny is a fighter. There
is nearly unanimous agreement
that he is the best pound-forpound fighter on the planet. But
he knows it’s not enough just to
fight for yourself, or to be a
world champion. You have to
be a champion for others.
“And Manny is tough. Not
because he can take a punch as
forcefully as he gives one, but
because he fights for those who
can’t fight for themselves.
“The large and vibrant Filipino community in Nevada
looks up to Manny, as do Filipinos and fight fans all over the
world. He sets a welcome example of an athlete who does good.
He is someone who isn’t in public service for fame or glory or
money, but because he knows
his people need his voice.
“He is a friend of Nevada’s,
a friend of America’s, and - I’m
proud to say - a friend of mine."
3
February 28, 2011
Ex-PG county head, friend of FilAms, indicted
Former Prince George’s
County Executive Jack B.
Johnson, who has a lot of Filipino friends, has been indicted
in federal court in Maryland on
eight charges, including bribery,
witness and evidence tampering
and aiding and abetting.
Johnson, 61, a former prosecutor who was the county’s top
elected official from 2002 to
2010, is accused of playing a key
role in a conspiracy that reaches
deep into the ranks of power
players in the tight-knit government and business communities.
Johnson, along with an unnamed public official, accepted
things of value — including
money, trip expenses, airline
tickets, rounds of golf, mortgage
payments and in-kind campaign
contributions — from business
owners and developers in return
for official favors, the 31-page
indictment alleged.
The quid-pro-quos provided by Johnson and other officials
included
helping
developers and business owners
obtain jobs, business permits
and county funding, the indictment states.
The indictment outlines a
pay-to-play
atmosphere
in
Prince
George’s
during
Johnson’s eight years as county
executive and for the first time
charges Johnson with actually
soliciting and receiving a bribe.
“Pay-to-play government is
not democratic government,”
U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein
said in a written statement.
“Anyone who seeks benefits or
approvals from the government
should be evaluated on the merits, without being extorted for
payments or losing out to competitors who pay bribes.
Government employees flagrantly abuse the public trust
when they take money in return
for official acts."
A Washington Post investigation of Johnson’s first term as
county executive found he had
given 15 friends and allies 51
contracts totaling nearly $3.3
million. The Post also found that
Johnson and several County
Council members charged thousands of dollars in personal expenses to their county issued
credit cards.
The indictment in U.S. Dis-
trict Court in Greenbelt comes
three months after Johnson and
his wife, Leslie, 58, a member of
the County Council, were arrested at their brick colonial in
Mitchellville. The couple were
overheard on a wiretap plotting
to hide $79,600 in cash in Leslie
Johnson’s bra and flush a
$100,000 check from a developer
down the toilet as FBI agents
knocked at the door.
4
February 28, 2011
PH’s ‘strategic’ importance
By Bing Branigin
WASHINGTON D.C.- Admiral Robert Willard, the commander of the US Pacific
Command, on Thursday (Feb.
17) stressed the “strategic” importance of the Philippines in regional and global security.
Citing the strong and longstanding relationship between
the United States and the Philippines, Willard said during a
briefing at the Foreign Press
Center in Washington DC that
the United States would continue to cooperate with Manila
in “safeguarding its territorial
integrity and security.”
“The Philippines are located
in an incredibly strategic location, adjacent to both the Philippine Sea and the South China
Sea," said Willard, the top US
military commander of the formidable US Asia-Pacific forces.
He said President Benigno
Aquino III highlighted during
their recent meeting Manila’s
concerns over the need secure
the Philippines’ vast maritime
jurisdiction as a means of helping safeguard global maritime
security as well.
Philippine Defense officials
admit that partrolling and securing the Philipine archipelago, a
developing country with a coastline twice that of the US, is
tough.
In fact, some parts of the
country’s southern corridor are
prone to security poblems like
trafficking of persons and transit
points for drug and arms smugglers, as well as exit points for
bandits,
including
terrorist
groups like the Al-Queda linked
Jemaah Islamiyah.
“And so we look forward to
continuing to work with the
Armed Forces of the Philippines,
continuing to work with the
government of the Philippines ...
Admiral Robert Willard
to deal with all their [defense
and security] challenges," Willard stressed.
Maritime security, the free
and unhampered flow of maritime traffic in strategic sea
routes that straddles the Philippines and the South China Sea,
is crucial to all countries that use
these sea lanes, he added.
During the recent First Philippine-US Strategic Dialogue in
Manila, the US government assured it would help Manila improve its capability to patrol its
territorial waters in the South
China Sea.
That assurance was made
by Kurt Campbell, the assistant
secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the US State De-
partment, during a visit to Manila in the last week of January.
During his briefing, Willard
said the focus of US Pacific
Command is to provide for the
security of the region, adding
that America’s commitment to
protect the commons of the region remains the same.
“We have continued to attempt to foster our relationships
in the region, and I’m optimistic
about the future of the Asia Pacific," Willard said.
“It not only remains the
center of gravity for global prosperity at the moment, but I think
will continue to do so into the
foreseeable future. And I look
forward to U.S. Pacific Command continuing to contribute
the security of this critically important region of the world," he
added.
Willard said that the Pacific
Command, which is headquartered in Hawaii, maintains its
presence in Southeast Asia as
well as the other sub-regions of
the huge expanse of the globe
called the Asia-Pacific.
He cited the importance of
continuing dialogue among the
countries in the region, especially the major players-China,
India, Japan, the two Koreas and
the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (Asean).
Asean groups the Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia,
Indonesia,
Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam.
111 doctors, nurses face
Medicare scam charges
WASHINGTON D.C. The
federal government’s Medicare
Fraud Task Force brought criminal charges Thursday against
doctors, nurses and healthcare
company executives - in all, 111
people in nine cities - in what
was billed as the nation’s “largest-ever federal healthcare fraud
takedown.”
The defendants, including
five in Los Angeles and 11 in
Chicago, allegedly cheated the
government out of a total of
more than $225 million in false
billing schemes that included
fraudulent claims, kickback operations, money laundering and
identity theft.
The sweep of arrests was so
massive that it took more than
700 federal agents from the FBI,
the Department of Health and
Human Services to round up the
suspects, plus serve another 16
search warrants around the
country in connection with ongoing strike force investigations.
“Our message is clear,” said
Assistant Atty. Gen. Lanny A.
Breuer of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division. “We are
determined to put Medicare
fraudsters out of business."
Added Daniel R. Levinson,
the HHS inspector general: “We
will not tolerate criminals lining
their pockets at the expense of
Medicare patients and taxpayers.”
The task force was launched
in March 2007, and since then
990 people have been charged in
false billing schemes totaling
more than $2.3 billion, with
nearly 750 of them already convicted in court. In addition, in
2010 alone the joint federal, state
and local task force recovered
another $4 billion in fines and
other restitution payments on
behalf of taxpayers that had
been lost to corruption.
Those charges run the
gamut of offenses. Some submitted claims to Medicare for treat-
ments that were medically unnecessary or never provided.
Some recruited patients for hospitals and doctor’s offices, and
then pocketed lucrative cash
kickbacks.
Others set up phony
schemes involving home healthcare, physical and occupational
therapy, nerve conduction tests
and prescription medicine. In
one case, a podiatrist in Detroit
allegedly billed the government
for removing toenails that were
never removed.
In Los Angeles, the five defendants allegedly schemed to
defraud Medicare of more than
$28 million in false claims for
medical equipment and home
healthcare. In Chicago, the 11
defendants were connected to
businesses that allegedly billed
Medicare more than $6 million
for home healthcare, diagnostic
testing and prescription drugs.
Pinay among US’s
Top 10 Most Wanted
CALIFORNIA - A Filipina
nurse has been placed in America’s top 10 “Most Wanted
Health Care Fugitives” for her
role in the biggest health care
fraud in California.
The wanted nurse is Susan
Bendigo Lim, 41, from Davao
city who is described as the ringleader in the $17-million fraud.
A mother of two teens, she
stands accused of five felony
counts in the U.S. District Court,
Central District of California for
“health care fraud, aiding and
abetting and causing an act to be
done."
Data obtained by the Philippine News Service disclosed the
confirmation from the U.S. Office of the Inspector General
(OIG) that some $10 million
were collected by the Filipina fugitive herself “from the claims
she submitted for services she
provided with unlicensed staff."
Bendigo-Lim finished her
nursing course in Cebu City and
made it big in the U.S. between
2005 to 2007.
Docketed as criminal case
2:09 cr-00148-UA, USA vs.
Bendigo aka Susan Lim, the indictment was made in February
2009 yet.
It was only recently when
the OIG decided to put a face on
healthcare fraudsters that included Lim.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and
the OIG, TDG learned, is working on Bendigo’s arrest to follow-up the crackdown on
healthcare fraudsters in American soil.
Another identified “ringleader” was one Priscilla Villabroza, also a Filipina nurse
and a known associate in Los
Angeles by the wanted nurse.
Villabroza has since pleaded
guilty to five counts of health
care fraud and faces up to 50
years in prison.
A similar fate awaits
Bendigo - Lim known to American authorities to be in hiding in
the Philippines.
The PNS, in an independent
investigation, learned that the
41-year-old balikbayan nurse
was in Cebu City only last
month. Since fleeing America in
October 2008, she is believed to
have set up several residences,
including an apartment in Cebu.
Health care fraud in the U.S.
is blamed for an estimated $60
billion a year loss for U.S. taxpayers over Medicare and Medicaid scams.
To date, a shortlist of 170 fugitive healthcare fraudsters in
the U.S. have been identified
with the order out for a global
manhunt.
In the top 10 list, Bendigo-
Lim ranked 8th, for having
scammed millions out of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services budget.
Susan Bendigo Lim
Tipsters worldwide are encouraged to help via its official
website,
http://www.oig.hhs.gov/fugit
ives/
The wanted Filipina nurse is
described in the site as “Susan
Bendigo, also known as Susan
Lim. She’s a federal fugitive in a
42-defendant case involving
shady nurses operating out of
Santa Fe Springs."
She is five feet four inches
tall and was sporting a short
hair upon recent sighting in
Cebu City.
With the latest inclusion of
Bendigo-Lim in the “Most
Wanted Health Care Fugitives"
list, “horror stories” resurfaced
anew as earlier reported by the
American media.
An Associated Press story
wrote of how Lim’s operations
allowed untrained, unlicensed
and unqualified Filipino nurses
to treat disabled children and
those suffering from cerebral
palsy.
CNN for its part did an extensive piece on the indictment
with information on how
Bendigo-Lim gave instructions
for Filipino workers to lie about
real status.
“According to court documents, the ring passed off unqualified workers as nurses who
provided in-home medical care
to about 75 disabled patients,
many of them children with
cerebral palsy or developmental
disabilities.
U.S. Attorney Thomas P.
O’Brien said in a recent press
conference here “stated simply,
the ring hired unlicensed individuals and passed them off as
licensed vocational nurses to
both Medi-Cal and parents of
disabled children,” news wires
on the Bendigo-Lim case went.
“Those associated with this
fraud ring not only cheated taxpayers, they endangered the
lives of those they had promised
to protect and care for," O’Brien
added.
5
February 28, 2011
Del Rosario sure to assume Romulo post at DFA
MANILA - Malacanang
sources said former ambassador
to Washington Albert del
Rosario would likely replace
Romulo who is expected to be
appointed as Philippine permanent representative to the United
Nations.
Philippine Star sources said
the appointment of Del Rosario
has been signed by President
Aquino but that there are legal
questions to his assumption.
“Congress is in session and
what the President can do is issue a nomination of his successor and the successor has to be
confirmed before he can assume.
There would be someone, most
likely a senior career official who
will be designated as acting secretary for the time being while
waiting for the assumption of office of the regular secretary," an
official said.
The sources told The STAR
that Romulo has been on leave
since Wednesday but invited undersecretaries and assistant sec-
Secretary Romulo
retaries of the Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA) to a lunch
yesterday at Sofitel Hotel in
Pasay City.
“Secretary Romulo filed for
a leave of absence in the morning of Feb. 16 and even packed
his things in his room at the Office of the Secretary," one of the
sources said.
Career diplomats at the
DFA may have clashed with
Romulo over different issues but
they do not agree with the “timing” of replacing him at the
height of the crisis involving
three Filipinos to be executed in
China.
The diplomats said the DFA
should be fully
focused, acting
strongly and being led by the
secretary but he
knew he is being replaced.
They
believe
Romulo
should stay a little longer also in
time for a special meeting next
week called by Indonesia for the
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) members to
discuss the Cambodia-Thailand
dispute. The ASEAN meeting
could be Romulo’s farewell to
his counterparts, they said.
“Why replace the DFA Secretary at the height of crisis? You
don’t change the horse in the
middle of a race," a senior diplomat said.
The lunch hosted by Romulo was supposed to be a farewell lunch but the secretary did
not mention any goodbyes or
any planned announcement.
“Strangely, no mention of
leaving the DFA or farewell was
said. He just shook hands with
the undersecretaries and assistant secretaries. Very strange," a
DFA official said.
Sources said Malacanang is
also trying to devise an exit plan
for Romulo particularly an appointment as the next Philippine
permanent representative to the
United Nations in New York.
6
February 28, 2011
China Defers Execution of Pinoy Drug Mules
Embassy says deferment made because of “friend’s request’
MANILA -Vice President
Jejomar Binay returned from a
quick trip to China Feb, 19 that
has resulted in China’s deferment of the execution of three
Filipino drug mules scheduled
for Feb. 21-22.
President Aquino III sent Binay to Beijing to plead for the
stay of the execution and urged
the nation to pray for the three
who violated China’s tough
drug laws. Some congressmen,
citing the fact that hundreds of
Chinese nationals are in Philippine jails, said the Philippines
should restore the death penalty
for drug traffickers.
After Binay’s return, the
Chinese embassy issued a statement saying the unprecedented
postponement was made after a
serious consideration by the
government of a “friend’s request.”
Observers said China might
use the issue to extract concessions from the Philippine government in the days ahead.
The deferment of the executions was a ‘special arrangement
given by the Chinese side’ following the visit to Beijing of the
Philippine delegation sent by
President Aquino and headed by
Vice President Jejomar Binay to
make a last-ditch appeal for a re-
prieve, the Chinese embassy in
Manila said.
“The Chinese side has taken
serious consideration of the Philippines’ request," said Ethan
Binay, whose mission was
to appeal for the lives of the
three drug trafficking convicts,
said he could not say how long
the postponement would be or if
Mother of drug trafficker Sally Villanueva hold photo of her daughter as
she appealed to President Aquino to stop her execution in China.
Sun, deputy chief of political
section and spokesperson for the
Chinese embassy, after being
briefed by Beijing on the decision by the Supreme People’s
Court of China to suspend the
executions.
‘This is the same as when
you take into consideration the
request of a friend. That’s why
this happened," he said.
a commutation of the death sentence was a possibility.
He quoted the Supreme
People’s Court decision postponing the executions as ‘within
the scope of Chinese law."
Binay said the Chinese
court’s decision to suspend the
executions was “historical” becasue China had always pushed
through with death penalty
cases in the past.
He said that he was happy,
“the fact that there’s a stay of
execution, Isn’t that enough? I
think prayers did it. I don’t
know if you’ll believe me but I
never lost hope,’ Binay said.
The Chinese embassy said it
was not authorized to comment
on whether the Philippines had
made any concessions or offered
anything in return for the stay of
execution.
“My visit to Beijing is a testament to the special friendship
and goodwill between the Filipino and Chinese peoples," Binay
said,
adding
“no
concessions or promises were
made in exchange for the reprieve.
Binay had met with Vice
Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun,
top foreign policy maker Dai
Bingguo and the president of the
Supreme People’s Court, Wang
Shengjun.
In Beijing, China confirmed
the meetings with Binay in a
state media report, but did not
mention the executions, saying
instead that the talks focused on
forging “stronger” relations between the two countries.
The three Filipinos who
were convicted of smuggling
heroin in separate trials in 2008
are Ramon Credo, 42, and Sally
Villanueva, 32, who were scheduled for execution on Feb. 21 in
the southern city of Xiamen,
while Elizabeth Batain, 38, was
to be put to death on Feb. 22 in
Shenzhen, near Hong Kong.
They were arrested separately in
2008 for smuggling 4 kilograms
to 6.8 kilograms of heroin.
The Philippine government
has argued that the three were
duped into their crimes and
should face long prison sentences instead of execution.
Congress is moving to look
into the issue of Filipino travelers who are being used by drug
traffickers to act as “mules”.
There are more than 600 Filipinos who are jailed in various
countries for smuggling in
drugs.
Because of the presence of
poor Filipinos willing to act as
mules for a hefty reward, drug
traffickers have made the Philippines its hub.
Cagayan Rep. Jack Ponce
Enrile called for stricter screening at the airports to stop international syndicates from using
the country as a major transshipment point for illegal drugs.
7
February 28, 2011
PH, NPA to complete peace accord in 2012
NESBRU, Norway - Negotiators for the Philippines government and communist rebels
agreed Feb. 21 on a road map for
continued peace talks aimed at
resolving one of Asia’s longestrunning conflicts by June 2012.
Ending the first round of
long-stalled peace negotiations
in Norway, the two sides agreed
to meet again in April and every
two months after that.
“Tonight finds us on the
zigzag path to peace,” government
negotiator
Alexander
Padilla said.
“But we have taken the first
step.” Rebel negotiator Luis
Jalandoni said a cease-fire declared by both sides during the
weeklong talks outside the Norwegian capital “served as a confidence builder” for the first
formal peace negotiations in six
years.
The peace talks resumed after a six-year break, with the rebels calling for the “expeditious”
release of a communist leader
who was recently captured by
the AFP and four other prisoners.
Allan Jazmines, a senior
member of the Communist
Party’s leadership, was arrested
in Manila before a cease-fire
went into effect for the duration
of the Norway weeklong talks
which are aimed at ending a
The Philippines’ Alexander A. Padilla, left, and Luis G. Jalandoni of the
communist National Democratic Front exchange documents before resuming their peace talks in Asker, Norway.
four-decade-long conflict that
has killed tens of thousands of
people.
On Feb. 18, NPA rebels released a captured soldier and a
policeman in Surigao. In his
opening statement, rebel negotiator Luis Jalandoni urged the
government to release Jazmines
and four other imprisoned rebel
leaders. “Such a release will be
of positive value towards the
continuation of the peace negotiations," he said.
He also called for the release of 350 “political prisoners,”
whom he said had been “victims
of false charges” under the former political regime. Govern-
ment chief negotiator Alexander
Padilla said the prisoner issue
should be dealt with on the side,
so that negotiators can focus on
the core issues of the talks being
held outside the Norwegian
capital.
“We are focused on trying
to come up with solutions to the
armed conflict," Padilla said.
“That will mean talking about
economic and social reforms and
political and constitutional reforms."
It’s the first time since onand-off talks started 25 years
ago that the rebels have agreed
to a cease-fire during the negotiations. Mediated by Norway,
the negotiations are intended to
start discussions on economic
and political reforms to end the
hostilities.
Padilla said he hoped that a
“just and equitable peace settlement” could be achieved “in
three years, maybe much, much
less.”
The rebels walked away
from peace talks brokered by
Norway in 2004, suspecting
then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s government of instigating their inclusion on U.S.
and European Union terrorist
lists.
Army troops and police
captured Jazmines at a rebel
safehouse in Baliuag town in Bulacan province. He is facing
charges for murder and rebellion.
The military says it will release him if he is among the rebels to be granted temporary
immunity by the government
due to their involvement in the
talks.
Government
negotiators
have expressed hope that last
year’s election of reformist President Benigno Aquino III on the
promise he would reduce poverty and improve governance
would soften the rural-based insurgency, which has survived
decades of military crackdown.
In a report released ahead
of the talks, the government said
the communist guerrillas grew
stronger last year after a long period of battle losses, acquiring
more fighters and guns and killing more government forces in a
spike of attacks.
8
February 28, 2011
‘Yes, I did it. I threw the baby off’- Grandma
FAIRFAX, Virginia - Judge
Helen F. Leiner of the Fairfax
County Juvenile and Domestic
Relations Court has certified the
case of Carmela dela Rosa, a
Filipina grandmother who is
charged with the murder of her
own granddaughter late last
year, to the Grand Jury to formally indict her and set up the
trial date in the Circuit court.
During the preliminary
hearing Feb. 18, Fairfax Police
Officer Anthony Stancampiano
testified that Dela Rosa readily
admitted that she threw her own
granddaughter Angelyn Ogdoc,
2, over the walkway of the sixstory multi-decked parking garage in Tyson’s Corner on Nov.
29 last year. The toddler died the
next day, Nov. 30.
The officer said that when
Dela Rosa admitted to him that
“Yes I did it. I threw the baby
off,” he immediately put her under arrest. He said Dela Rosa did
not give him a reason why she
did it.
In her testimony, 22-yearold Kathlyn Ogdoc, Angelyn’s
mother, tearfully recounted
watching her own mother lift
the toddler over the ledge and
released her.
She yelled “Mom” then immediately sprinted down the six
flights of stairway along with
her husband and brother. When
they reached the ground, people
told her not to touch Angelyn
and wait for the ambulance.
While waiting for the ambulance, she looked up at her
mother who watched with no
expression as she rested her
head on the railing.
Ogdoc said the family had
gone to the mall to eat at the
food court and that nothing unusual happened that day.
Kathlyn said they were
leaving the food court towards
the parking lot when the incident happened. She said she was
a few steps ahead and held the
door open for Angelyn and her
mother. When she looked back,
she saw her mother scoop up the
toddler, Angelyn, as if to keep
up with the other adults. But
Carmela dela Rosa
when she looked back again, she
said she saw her mother standing and “drawing her hands
back.” Angelyn was gone.
About two dozen family
members attended the hearing
with those in the defense and
prosecution sides sitting in opposite sides.
When Fairfax Commonwealth’s Attorney Raymond F.
Morrogh asked to point out the
defendant, she pointed a finger
at her mother without looking at
her.
Dela Rosa watched the
hearing impassively, occasionally making comments to her
lawyer, Fairfax Chief Deputy
Public Defender Dawn M. Butorac.
Family members declined to
comment after the hearing, and
Ogdoc could be seen in a witness room after the hearing, sobbing and being comforted by her
husband, James, who was working at Tysons that night.
“She’s devastated,” Morrogh said of Ogdoc after the
hearing. “She’s a wonderful
young woman and I think everyone’s heart is broken for her."
Dela Rosa used to regularly
babysit for Angelyn and doted
on her, neighbors said. But she
also has a history of mental
health problems and family
friends said she suffered from
depression.
The defense lawyer asked
Kathlyn about her mother’s
mental health issues during the
hearing.
She said she wanted to stay
close to her mother since she has
not been too reliable the past
few months. Kathlyn said her
mother tried to kill herself more
than one time.
Kathlyn said she usually
tried to keep a close eye on Angelyn when she was with Dela
Rosa because of her mental
problems.
While she wept throughout
her testimony and was barely
able to spit out the words “my
mother” without flashing anger,
Dela Rosa sat through the hearing in a green prison jumpsuit,
paying close attention but betraying no emotion.
2 ex-Govs charged with murder of journalist
Ten individuals, including
former high officials of Palawan
and Marinduque provinces,
were criminally charged on Feb.
14 before the Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with the
murder of veterinarian-journalist Dr. Gerry Ortega.
Charged with murder were
former Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes;
former Marinduque Gov. Jose
Carreon; former Palawan provincial administrator Atty. Romeo Seratubias; Coron, Palawan
Mayor Mario Reyes Jr.; Marlon
Ricamata, Dennis Aranas, Valentin Lesias, Arturo Regalado,
Armando Noel, Rodolfo Edrad,
and some John and Jane Does.
In a five-page supplemental
DoT set to launch
‘Pilipinas, Tara Na’
MANILA - With the help of
singing sensation Charice and
boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, the government is reviving a campaign that will entice
more locals to travel around the
Philippines.
On the sidelines of the
opening of the 18th Travel Tour
Expo 2011 recently, Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim told reporters
that the government will launch
by summertime the “Pilipinas,
Tara Na” campaign, which will
replace the previous “Tara, Biyahe Tayo.”
Lim said the Tourism Department intends to get Charice,
Pacquiao, and other Filipino
singers to participate in a music
video that will be shown on television and social networking
sites.
He said the private sector is
urged to partly finance the government’s campaign, in line with
the Aquino administration’s
public-private partnership initiative.
The Tourism Department is
expecting 25 million Filipinos to
travel locally this year, up from
23 million last year, the depart-
ment head said.
Lim said the department is looking at increasing this year’s target
number of foreign visitors.
The initial projection
of 3.7 million tourist arrivals this year could be
easily surpassed, given
the 3.5 million foreign
tourists who visited the
Philippines last year, he
said.
The campaign, which
will promote Philippine
regions and festivals, is
still being developed, according to Lim. The Tourism
Department’s
“Pilipinas, Kay Ganda”
slogan drew flak last
year.
Lim said the Bicol
Region, Palawan, Visayas
islands such as Bohol and
Boracay, and Northern
Mindanao are being eyed
as the tourist spots that
would be given prominence in global promotion efforts"
complaint affidavit, the wife of
the victim, Dr. Patria Ortega,
said that there is sufficient evidence to prove that the respondents were involved in the
murder of her husband.
The widow used as basis in
filing the complaint the earlier
testimony of the suspects who
turned witnesses — Regalado,
Edrad and Noel — who admitted that the gun used in killing
the victim is owned by Seratubias.
Likewise, she cited that in
the testimony of Edrad, who
was a former closed-in security
of Reyes, he admitted that Reyes
ordered the killing of Ortega
wherein Reyes’ son himself,
Mayor Reyes, gave him the
money as payment for killing
the victim.
Mrs. Ortega is confident
that the murder of her husband
will be resolved because of the
strong evidence from the witnesses themselves who committed the crime.
In the supplemental complaint, Dr. Patty Ortega, said
pieces of evidence, including the
testimonies of the arrested suspects, have linked Reyes and the
other officials to the January 24
killing in Palawan.
Patricia said her husband’s
exposé against the corruption in
Palawan and Reyes’ alleged involvement in illegal mining activities
had
caused
the
respondents to “silent” him.
During questioning, Rodolfo Edrad Jr., also known as
Junjun Bomar, told the National
Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
that he hatched the plot to kill
Ortega at the behest of Reyes.
9
February 28, 2011
Inouye Gives Hope To Disqualified PH Vets
Rodney J. Jaleco
WASHINGTON D.C. Senator Daniel Inouye, appropriations committee chairman
and long-time champion of Filipino World War II veterans, is
filing a bill that will allow the
Department of Veterans Affairs
(DVA) to accept proof other
than the Missouri List so disqualified veterans can receive
lump sum payments.
Retired Maj. Gen. Delfin
Lorenzana, Philippine special
envoy for veterans affairs, revealed this latest development
that would address the biggest
wrinkle in the Filipino Veterans
Equity Compensation (FVEC)
bill.
It comes a week before Filipino veterans group mark the
65th anniversary of the Rescission Act (Feb. 18) that arbitrarily
withdrew recognition and benefits to about 200,000 soldiers and
guerillas who served under US
military command in World War
II.
The FVEC was passed in
2009 to assuage the anger and
resentment from surviving Filipino veterans but it still fell
short of equity with American
World War II veterans.
It provides a one-time lump
sum payment of $9,000 for Filipino veterans living in the Philippines and $15,000 for those in
the US.
Over a thousand FVEC
claims are still pending with the
DVA.
A total of 41.234 applications have been processed as of
Dec. 23, 2010 17,792 were approved for Filipino veterans in
the US and the Philippines.
The US paid out a total of
$213 million so far (about $80
million or more than P3.4 billion
were paid out in the Philippines).
On the other hand, the DVA
rejected a total of 23,442 applications a significant number because the veterans name couldnt
be found in the US Armys National Personnel Records Center
(NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri.
Under existing DVA regulations, only the NPRC can verify
US military service in these
cases.
This, despite the fact, the
original records for the Philippine Army Group was destroyed by fire in the 1970s and
the existing list is actually a reconstruction.
Ben de Guzman, one of the
key veterans activist on Capitol
Hill, believes almost all of the
applications have been processed and the DVA is working
on the remaining appeals.
The DVA has not provided
a breakdown of the reasons why
applications were rejected. However, the DVAs regional office in
Manila has received over 3,600
challenges to their rejections.
but overtaken by the FVEC.
Senate 66 would have provided a 2-year window for Filipino veterans, their widows or
children to provide evidence of
Senator Daniel Inouye
Two law suits have been
filed by lawyer Lou Tancinco
and a coalition of veterans
groups that include the Virginiabased Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC) to compel the
DVA to accept “secondary evidence” other than the Missouri
List as proof a Filipino veteran
served with US forces and thus
qualified to receive the lump
sum payment.
Senator Inouye had actually
filed a similar measure in 2007
wartime service to the Secretary
of the Army. It stipulated that
“in making a determination, the
Secretary shall consider all information and evidence available to
the Secretary, including information and evidence submitted by
applicant.”
The certification from the
Secretary of the Army could
have then qualified as evidence
for veterans applying for benefits with the DVA, if the bill
passed.
MANILA, Philippines The
US Embassy in Manila clarified
Feb. 17 that there is no February
18 deadline for filling an appeal
for Filipino World War II veterans whose lump-sum benefits
were earlier denied.
In a letter sent to abscbnNEWS.com
by
Rebecca
Brown
Thompson,
spokeswoman and Press Attaché of the
US Embassy in Manila, she said
claimants have one year from
the date on which the US Department of Veterans Affairs
(USDVA) denied the benefits
claim to file an appeal.
“That date will be different
for each claimant, depending on
when USDVA processed their
claims and the date on which
USDVA issued a denial letter,”
said Thompson.
Thompson reacted to the report by Balitang America that
war veterans whose benefit
claims were denied have until
February 18 to file their appeal.
The said report was reposted on
abs-cbnNEWS.com last February
15.
Meanwhile, Thompson also
relayed that it is the second anniversary of the signing into law
of the Filipino Veterans Equity
Compensation bill, as part of the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
10
February 28, 2011
At PMA rites, Aquino presses AFP fund probe
MANILA - President Benigno S. Aquino III wants the
book thrown at the special
prosecutors responsible for the
plea bargain that allowed former
military comptroller Carlos Garcia to walk free on bail of
P60,000 despite an original
charge of plunder. He also
hinted that former Comptroller
Jacinto Ligot also be charged
with plunder for amassing more
than P700 million in peso and
dollar deposits.
This came as the Senate blue
ribbon committee resumed its
probe into the misuse of Armed
Forces of the Philippines funds,
including the “pabaon” (sendoff) gifts given to retiring generals.
In a speech delivered Feb.
18 at the alumni homecoming of
the Philippine Military Academy
(PMA) in Baguio City, the President said he was backing the investigation of past instances of
high-level corruption in the military, including a purported
slush fund that benefited top
brass.
It was Mr. Aquino’s first
time as President to address the
PMA alumni, who include the
highest ranking officers in the
military and police.
The administration believes
that the Armed Forces is the aggrieved party in Garcia’s P303million plunder case because it
involves military resources.
Speaking in English and
Filipino, the President said many
PMA alumni were among the
victims of military corruption.
“I know that many of those
who are here are among the victims and are really trying to find
out what the truth is so that you
can clean whatever dirt there is
among your ranks. And I believe
didn’t know what they were
looking into. Pity our country,"
he said.
Mr. Aquino also alluded to
Ligot who allegedly committed
serious transgressions against
President Benigno S. Aquino III leads Philippine Military Academy
homecoming rites in Baguio city. With him is Rep. R. Biazon, president of
PMA alumni association.
we are on one side in this fight," the people, and who, when
Mr. Aquino said.
asked potentially incriminating
“We will study how charges questions at the hearings, decan be filed against not only clared that he could not rememthose named in the cases but ber certain events.
also their cohorts, including the
“Susmaryosep. I don’t think
prosecutors involved in the Gar- he’s that old to be so forgetful,”
cia plea bargain," he said.
the President said.
Referring to the prosecutors
Mr. Aquino said it was only
from the Office of the Ombuds- fitting that those proven to have
man who had testified at the violated the law should be puncongressional inquiries into Gar- ished.
cia’s controversial plea bargain,
“Our point is rather clear. It
the President said they appeared is our duty to file cases against
to have been afflicted with the those who committed transgresforgetfulness associated with old sions if there’s sufficient eviage.
dence to prove these. Part of our
“They said that they don’t mandate is to uphold the interhave information, that they est of the people,’ he said. ‘Now,
if we fail to meet this obligation,
we’d have shortchanged the
people."
But the problem is that Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez,
an Arroyo appointee who is sup-
Comptroller Jacinto Ligot
posed to be the one to file
charges is herself reportedly involved in the Carlos Garcia
plunder case.
The President also indicated
that as his administration applied itself to addressing the
problem of corruption, there
were now enough funds to uphold the soldiers’ welfare.
Neither Garcia (PMA Class
1971) nor Ligot (PMA Class
1970) was present at the homecoming. Also absent was Sen.
Antonio Trillanes, the ex-mutineer who lambasted the late
Gen. Angelo Reyes for his involvement in the pabaon scandal. Reyes committed suicide
early this month and his remains
were given a heroes burial at the
Libingan ng mga Bayani.
Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo
Biazon, president of the PMA
Alumni Association (PMAAA)
and a member of Class 1961,
said the military structure" is under siege" because “a few of the
cavaliers have fallen prey to human frailties."
Biazon, a former AFP chief,
said heroes in their midst often
died ‘unheralded and unsung."
He urged the alumni to close
ranks and to “take the lead in
the cleansing process so we can
continue to march in service of
the people with our heads held
high, [believing] we deserve the
[public] trust.’
He also said the PMAAA
had issued a manifesto supporting the congressional investigations of military fund misuse to
ensure that the culprits would
be exposed and prosecuted
‘within the bounds of law."
In Malacañang, the President’s deputy spokesperson said
it was up to the Office of the
Ombudsman to decide whether
to charge Ligot with plunder for
allegedly amassing more than
P700 million in peso and dollar
deposits from 2001 to 2004.
Abigail Valte indicated that
the Ombudsman should act on
the suggestion of some senators
regarding Ligot’s alleged ill-gotten wealth.
‘Such initiatives should
come from the Office of the Ombudsman because, as we all
know, there are certain intricacies of the law that we have to
follow," Valte said.
Continue Rizal’s Legacy, Aquino urges
MANILA - President Benigno S. Aquino III Feb. 17 challenged
the
12,000
strong
members of the Knights of Rizal
worldwide to continue the legacy of national hero, Dr. Jose P.
Rizal, and help the government
in the fight against poverty and
wrongdoings in the public service.
In his speech keynoting the
18th Knights of Rizal and 2011
International Assembly and
Conference on Rizal with the
theme, “The New Rizals: Emerging Leaders Innovating Across
Sectors (ELIAS) and Beyond
Borders," held at the centennial
ballroom of the Manila Hotel,
the President said that the threeday gathering was a reminder of
the tasks that national hero, Jose
P. Rizal, gave to the country.
“The real reason we are
gathered here is not just because
of an anniversary, not just because of history, but also because of the fact that we must
remember and reignite the ideals
that our national hero Jose Rizal
gave his entire life to. Today is a
reminder of the tasks that lay
ahead all of us," the President
said.
The President admitted that
he is aware of all accomplish-
your dedicated work, and if each
and every person in this country
does the same, then we will
forge further onward into being
President Aquino III is inducted as Knight of Rizal during the 2-day Rizal
conference at the Manila Hotel recently.
ments and achievements of the
Knights of Rizal but they need to
continue their dedicated work to
fulfill the real dream of Jose Rizal for the Philippines.
“You are knights; complete
with ranks and insignia, which
are recognized by the Honors
code of the Philippines as official
awards of the Republic, and if
you hold strong and continue
the Philippines that Jose Rizal
once dreamed of, that all of us
continue to dream of," he further
said.
He also urged them to learn
the lessons from the famous anecdotes about Rizal particularly
when the Spanish doctor noticed
that he was perfectly calm minutes before his actual execution.
“This is the power of know-
ing that one is doing the right
thing, of having a clear conscience, and we must learn from
this," he said noting that each
and every Filipino must have returned to much older, more classical, and much nobler ideals of
the country’s heroes - the ideals
of honesty, transparency and nationalism.
Being a renaissance man, he
said, Jose Rizal was a writer, a
doctor, a scientist, a teacher, and
a linguist.
During the program, the
President was conferred the
Knight Grand Cross of Rizal, the
highest degree of the Order bestowed on him for his uncompromising stand and initiatives
for moral leadership, clean governance, commendable civic virtues and pro-people programs.
The same recognition was
awarded posthumously to his
late father, Senator Benigno
Aquino Jr., on December 30,
1986.
The citation of the Order
was presented to the President
by Don Emilio Yap, KGCR,
chairman of Manila Hotel, and
Roger Quiambao, KGCR conference chairman while deputy supreme
commander
Reghis
Romero II, KGCR, supreme
chancellor Jeremias Singson
gave the sash and medallion.
The ceremonial sword was
awarded to the President by
Justo P. Torres Jr., KGCR supreme commander emeritus and
Dr. Pablo Trillana III, supreme
commander Order of the
Knights of Rizal.
The Order of the Knights of
Rizal was started on Dec. 30,
1911 when Colonel Antonio C.
Torres organized a group for the
purpose of commemorating in a
fitting manner the execution and
martyrdom of the country’s national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal.
The Order is a patriotic,
civic, non-partisan organization
chartered under Republic Act
646 which traces its genealogy to
the association of the Caballeros
de Rizal which was founded in
1911. The three-day assembly
and conference is a banner occasion of the Rizalistas for the
150th birth anniversary of the
country’s national hero.
11
February 28, 2011
PH gives Gen. Reyes full military honors
MANILA - Former Defense
Secretary and Armed Forces
Chief of Staff Angelo T. Reyes
was buried with full military
honors, including a 21-gun salute, at his interment at the
Libingan ng mga Bayani in Fort
Bonifacio on Feb. 13.
In necrological ceremonies
Feb. 12, mourners wept as
Reyes’ former buddies in the
Cabinet sang some of his favorites tunes, like “You’ll Never
Walk Alone” and ‘What a Wonderful World."
Some 1,000 people, including his comrades-in-arms and
former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to whom Reyes remained loyal to the end of his
government service attended
the burial.
Because of his alleged involvement in the pabaon (sendoff) scandal, Reyes fired a bullet
near his heart while visiting his
mother’s grave in Marikina City
on Feb. 8.
Reyes played a major role in
installing Arroyo to the presidency in the Edsa II revolt in
2001 when he led the military in
withdrawing support from then
President Joseph Estrada. He
was amply rewarded by Arroyo
with appointments in various
Cabinet posts after his retirement.
Because the Senate probe is
headed by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada,
son of the former President, critics said the latter was just getting even with Reyes. The
senator denied it and assured
tary of defense or an AFP chief
of staff on arrival at the cemetery.
An
Army
helicopter
dropped red and white rose petals as Reyes’ body on a caisson
Mrs. Teresita Reyes holds folded Philippine flag after her husband, retired
Gen. Angelo T. Reyes, was given a hero's burial at the Libingan ng mga
Bayani. The general committed suicide on Feb. 8.
the investigation into the AFP
fund misuse will continue.
As the white casket arrived
from Camp Aguinaldo, 19 cannon booms thundered through
the air, a traditional salute reserved for the remains of a secre-
was brought to the grave site.
Behind the caisson were
Reyes’ widow Teresita, their five
sons,
daughters-in-law
and
grandchildren, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Armed
Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Ri-
cardo David, and a host of former chiefs of staff in their white
gala uniform, Cabinet secretaries
and other mourners.
A bugler played ‘Taps’ as
the eight pallbearers from the
three branches of the AFP folded
the flag and held it to their chest.
The flag was then passed on to
David, to Gazmin and finally to
Reyes’ widow.
Seven riflemen fired three
volleys each during the graveyard rites. The 21-gun salute at
the graveyard is called for by
tradition for all military funerals.
Officers sang the Philippine
Military Academy’s Alma Mater
Song, a chaplain blessed the coffin and Reyes? family wept, embracing each other, as the body
was lowered to the ground.
White balloons and butterflies were released into the air in
a symbolic goodbye to the controversial former soldier and
Cabinet secretary, whose last
two weeks as a private citizen
was hounded by allegations that
he had pocketed up to P150 million in military funds.
Marc, one of the five sons,
said the family was overwhelmed by the public support
for his father.
“Now we can proudly say
that he died an honorable death,
with dignity, and no one can
take that away from us, no one,’
Marc said.
Among the civilian personalities who attended the final
rites were former Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, former
Labor Secretary Nieves Confesor, former National Security
Adviser Norberto Gonzales, former Interior Secretary Joey Lina,
former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Bayani Fernando, and Manila
Mayor Alfredo Lim.
During Requiem Mass,
Reyes? four young granddaughters moved the audience to tears
when they rendered their tribute
through songs and a letter.
His eldest granddaughter,
Andi, read her letter recalling a
conversation with her grandfather.
Teresita Ang-See of the
Movement for Restoration of
Peace and Order brought with
her to the wake some of the kidnap victims who were rescued
by Reyes when he was head of
the National Anti-Kidnapping
Task Force.
‘The Chinese believe when
someone takes his own life as
sacrifice for the greater good, he
will be rewarded manifold in his
next life. It is good karma. May
his family find comfort in this
thought," Ang-See said.
12
February 28, 2011
DFA to OFWs: stay away from Mideast Demos
MANILA - Philippine officials in Libya, Yemen and Bahrain said that the Filipino
communities there remain safe
amid protest actions there, even
as the officials advised Filipinos
to take precautions and stay
away from protests.
The Department of Foreign
Affairs said Philippine embassies in Tripoli (in Libya), Riyadh
(which covers Yemen) and
Manama (in Bahrain) reported
that they are in close touch with
Filipinos in the said Middle East
countries.
“[In Libya], the Embassy
has coordinated with the Filipinos in Benghazi, including a Filipino priest, who said that they
are taking the necessary precautions in light of events there,"
Philippine Ambassador to Libya
Alejandrino Vicente said in a
DFA release.
“They have advised the
other community members to
stay calm and to avoid areas in
trouble," Vicente added.
Soldiers were deployed on
the streets of Libya’s major city
of Benghazi on Friday after a
“day of anger” against the government.
None of the some 26,000
Filipinos there were affected
during the incident, the DFA
said.
In
Yemen,
Philippine
Charge d’Affaires Ezzedin Tago
reported that the Embassy is in
contact on a daily basis with the
Filipino community leaders in
Sanaa and they are relatively
safe.
“Nonetheless, we have advised them to exercise
caution and avoid areas
of protest," Tago said in
the same release.
There are about 1,400
Filipinos
in
Yemen,
mostly concentrated in
Sanaa and the port city of
Aden, the DFA said.
Protest actions rattled Yemen’s major cities
of Taiz, Aden and Sanaa.
“The Filipinos are
safe where they are, as
long as they exercise caution. Violence is only limited to certain portions of
the country," Tago added.
In Bahrain, meanwhile, Philippine Ambassador
Corazon
Yap-Bahjin said the Embassy released an advisory to Filipinos in the
country, advising them to
remain calm, stay indoors, and avoid any areas of protest.
“While there have
been no reports of any
Filipino harmed during
the protest actions, we
ask our compatriots to remain
calm, and avoid areas of protest.
We are also in constant contact
with the Filipino community
leaders in the country," she said.
There are around 31,000
Filipinos in Bahrain.
Filipino migrants’ rights advocacy group Migrant-Middle
East earlier asked the government to start drawing up plans
to evacuate Filipinos in Bahrain,
similar to what it did for those in
Egypt, in case the protests turn
violent.
The government, however,
had said the circumstances in
that Middle East country do not
warrant any evacuation yet, and
that it would just await the advice of the Embassy there.
13
February 28, 2011
ANITA MANALANSAN, 67
Anita Manalansan Alvano,
retired administrative officer of
the World Bank, passed away
peacefully at her home in
McLean, Virginia on February 8.
She was 67.
She is survived by her loving husband of 43 years, Carlos
C. Alvano; sons, Albert, Bernard,
and Carl (and wife, Toni); sister,
Esther (and Rolando) Santos;
brothers, Julian (and Perlita)
Manalansan, and Oscar (and
Lina) Manalansan; sisters-inlaw, Ellie Manalansan and
Soledad Garcia; and numerous
nephews, nieces, grandnephews
and grandnieces.
A funeral mass was held at
the St. Lukes Catholic Church in
Mclean, VA on February 15,
2011 and interment was at the
Columbia Gardens Cemetery in
Arlington, VA. This was followed by a luncheon reception
at the Knights of Columbus in
Arlington, VA. The family expressed their deep appreciation
for the overwhelming love and
support that they received from
family and friends.
In lieu of flowers or the traditional Filipino practice of
“abuloy,” it was requested that
donations be made to the Anita
Manalansan Alvano Memorial
Scholarship Fund to establish a
perpetual scholarship at the
Centro Escolar University c/o
Feed the Hungry, 3914 S. 9th St.,
Arlington, VA 22204.
Anita was born in Lubao,
Pampanga in the Philippines on
April 16, 1943 to the late Jose
Worlds Fair. She moved to Arlington, VA and worked at The
World Bank for 30 years, starting out as a secretary in 1968
and progressing into an Administrative Officer when she retired
in 1998. Anita relished her special assignments at The World
Bank Annual Meetings as a Hotel Accommodations Repre-
Anita Manalansan Alvano
(Esq.) and Rosa Manalansan. She
was raised and educated in Manila where she earned her B.S. in
Social Work at the Centro Escolar University. Anita came to the
United States in 1965 to work as
a Tour Guide in the Philippine
Pavilion of the New York
sentative. She continued to work
in the Annual Meetings as a
Consultant until 2003. Endowed
with a beautiful winning smile, a
kind, caring, generous disposition, and a most pleasant personality, Anita was loved by all
who knew her.
FYP seeks boaters for
Dragon Festival
FYP-DC is looking to fill
spots on the Rizal Revolutionaries team in the Mixed Division
(CO-ED division 9 Females/11
Males Split) for the annual DC
Dragon Boat Festival May 21-22.
We need participants who are 1)
are in shape (cardio/overall fitness) and 2) are able to pick up
Calls/Cadence/ Technique during practice. We are looking on
filling female slots and male
slots on the CO-ED TEAM only.
If interested, email Vic Ecarma at
[email protected]
by
February 28, 2011 and we will
get back to you regarding registration. We will take people until
the boat is full. The tournament
organizers for safety reasons require practice. We are tentatively scheduling practice (3 - 1
hour practices) on either Saturdays/Sunday (1 hour Practice)starting in late March
through May (TBD) near the
Washington Navy Yard and
Gangplank Marina. The cost of
participation is $60 dollars (2011
FYP-DC Members) or $70 (nonmembers) and includes a jersey,
3 training practices and snacks
for the festival.
Last year FYP-DC entered
FYP-DC Lapu Lapu Warriors
competed in the open division
and won gold in the 250 and 500
Meter A Finals, won as the best
Community Open team and was
the only undefeated festival
team. FYP-DC also entered the
Rizal Revolutionaries in the
Community Mixed Division.
The team performed well and
narrowly missed medaling, despite its first year in the festival.
FCA FilAm Studies
Gala in UM March 5
The Filipino Cultural Association and Asian American
Studies Department of the University of Maryland will hole its
Third Filipino American Studies
Gala on Saturday, March 5 at the
Grand Ballroom of the Adele
Stamp Student Union. Ticket
price is $30 while student price
is $15. Attire is business casual.
Current president of FCA is
Jeanine S. Reyes. The FCA , a
student-run organization, was
formed in 1978 to increase
awareness of Filipino American
culture in UM as well as to
strengthen the unity among its
various organizations through
cultural, academic, athletic and
social programs. The purpose of
the event is to raise funds for
two FAST scholarships and celebrate five successful years of the
program.
Vegas launches
Hepa B campaign
LAS VEGAS - The surprise
guest at the recent launching of
HepBFreeLasVegas, a community initiative dedicated to preventing and treating hepatitis B
which disproportionately affects
Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, was Tony Ruivivar, a
popular entertainer. He stood up
recently at the Salo Salo Grill to
help launch the program. He
publicly talked about his own
life-threatening experience with
hepatitis B.
This health care coalition
will work hard in the months
and years ahead to fight hepatitis B through education, screenings, vaccinations and treatment.
The coalition includes the Asian
Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Southern Nevada Health
District, Philippine Medical As-
sociation Nevada, Philippine
Nurses Association Nevada,
Medical Reserve Corps, Volunteers in Medicine Southern Nevada and Clinical Pathology
Laboratories.
Ruivivar is the leader and
founder of the performing group
“Society of Seven.” Fans from
around the world enjoy Society
of Seven shows, which feature a
blend of Broadway songs, popular music and humor, all accompanied by the band’s live music.
He told more than a hundred guests at the Salo Salo Grill
that “If my story helps one person in this room or somebody’s
relative or friend, then it makes
what I have been through with
my loving wife well worthwhile.”
14 U.S. News Briefs
February 28, 2011
De Leon is new PH consul general in New York
NEW YORK - Ambassador
Mario Lopez de Leon, Jr. is the
new Philippine Consul General
New York. He replaces Consul
General Cecilia B. Rebong who
FilAm navyman
convicted of murder
LOS ANGELES - Filipino
American Eric Santander dela
Cruz, 31, and his fellow navy-
Incoming Consul General Mario Lopez de Leon, Jr. (right) with his predecessor Consul General Cecilia B. Rebong in an exclusive Filipino Reporter
photo at the Philippine Consulate in January.
has been in the post since 2004.
The new consul general assumes
his post March 1, 2011. The jurisdiction of the NY consulate general
includes
Connecticut,
Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island and Vermont. De
Leon is the Philippine ambassador to South Africa until late this
month. De Leon has previously
served as minister and consul
general at the Philippine Embassy, London, United Kingdom
(March 2000 - December 2006);
consul and member, Investment
Promotions Unit, Philippine
Consulate General, New York
(June 1993 - January 1997); third
secretary then second secretary,
Philippine Mission to the United
Nations, New York (August
1990 - May 1993); vice consul,
Philippine Consulate General,
San Francisco (August 1989 July 1990).
US issues new B-1
visa to foreigners
WASHINGTON-The
Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) and Department of State
(DOS) today announced the
creation of an annotated version
of the B-1 visa-issued to foreign
citizens visiting the United
States for business purposes-that
will make foreign maritime
workers eligible to apply for a
Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC). The
TWIC is a tamper-resistant
biometric identification card that
maritime workers must obtain in
order to gain unrestricted access
to secure areas of maritime facilities. “Strengthening the security of our maritime global
supply chain is critical to protecting our nation from evolving
threats,” said Secretary of
Homeland
Security
Janet
Napolitano. “This new TWIC
process is a critical step toward
ensuring that foreign maritime
workers can quickly and efficiently obtain the necessary credentials to do their jobs and help
grow the American economy."
man Fernando Romero, 27, were
convicted of murder and conspiracy to commit murder by a
Los Angeles jury on Feb. 17 for
the killing of a Filipina hairdresser dubbed by the US media
as the “Lomita Black Widow.”
They were convicted of killing
De la Cruz’s grandaunt, Sonia
Rios Risken who was found
dead on April 26, 2007 in her
home in Lomita, California. De
la Cruz testified during the trial
that Sonia, whom he called
“Grandma,” had raised him and
was expecting to inherit her
money and property. Prosecutors believe greed motivated De
la Cruz and Romero to kill
Sonia. Risken, 60, herself was
earlier suspected of masterminding the deaths of her first husband, Earl John Bourdeau, and
her second husband, Larry
Risken, prompting media outlets
to dub her as “Lomita Black
Widow.” In 1987, Bourdeau, a
retired Marine, was found shot
to death inside Sonia’s family
home in Cavite in the Philippines. He had planned to divorce her. Nineteen years later
in April of 2006, Sonia’s second
husband, Larry Risken, was also
shot in the head during a visit to
his wife’s family in Cavite. Larry
had also wanted to divorce
Sonia. His body was immediately cremated. Nothing happened to both cases as Cavite
police stopped the investigation.
FilAm singer given
one-year probation
LAS VEGAS, Nevada - Filipino-American singer Bruno
Mars could possibly be imprisoned for up to four years on cocaine possession charges if he
violates his agreement with Las
Vegas court. Mars was only sentenced to 12 months probation.
But he must complete 200 hours
of community service to a nonprofit organization while eight
hours to a drug counselor. He
also paid $2,000 in exchange of
his guilty plea of the said case.
Bruno Mars or Peter Hernandez
was arrested after a hotel attendant have reported that she had
seen a white powder which was
brought by the singer. Recently,
he was awarded the Best Male
Pop Vocal Performance for his
song “Just The Way You Are” at
the 53rd Grammy Awards held
in Los Angeles, California.
FilAm is Daly
City’s Attorney
DALY CITY - FilAm Rose
Zimmerman has been serving
this hometown of hers as city attorney for the past four years. As
Mexican kid admits
killing FilAm tutor
SAN DIEGO - A 17-year-old
Mexican boy has confessed to
killing a popular Filipino language professor stabbed to
death in December inside his
apartment in Tijuana, Mexico’s
Río Zone, according to Baja California authorities. Baja California Attorney General Rommel
Moreno described the killing of
Henry Abalayan Acejo, 45, as a
crime of passion. Moreno said
the Tijuana-born youth would
be tried under Baja California’s
juvenile justice system. If convicted, he faces a maximum
prison term of 10 years. Authorities said the suspect, identified
as “Gerardo N,” because he is a
minor, and Acejo became friends
in September when the Pinoy
language instructor started coming to the restaurant where the
teen worked and leaving large
tips. The relationship eventually
turned intimate, according to a
statement from the Baja California Attorney General’s Office.
The same statement said Acejo
Gerardo N went together to
Acejo’s apartment on Dec. 18,
and the two had an argument
over “a sexual problem.”
Acejo kicked the teen, who
then stabbed Acejo several times
before running out of the twobedroom apartment, authorities
said.
Canada deports to PH
Filipino fugitive
Bruno Mars
tered the country by assuming
the identity of Junnyl Bangsoy, a
dead brother who was close in
age. Bangsoy had been in Canada under a work permit since
September 2008. “Mr. Bangsoy
admitted to assuming the identity of his deceased brother,”
said border services spokesman
Sean Best. “He claimed that he
did this to start a new life in
Canada."
EDMONTON - Wilbur
Bangsoy, a 40-year-old Edmonton man who evaded homicide
charges in his home country by
posing as his dead brother has
been deported to the Philippines. Bangsoy was wanted for
homicide and robbery with force
in the Philippines. Bangsoy was
arrested Feb. 2 after the government received an anonymous
tip. During a detention hearing,
Bangsoy admitted he had en-
Rose Zimmerman
City Attorney of the predominantly FilAm town, Zimmerman
provides legal representation to
the Mayor, City Council, City
Manager, various departments
in the City, City Boards and
Commissions.
Zimmerman became the
first female city attorney in Daly
City’s history when the city’s
council appointed her to the post
in 2007. A graduate of Santa
Clara University, Zimmerman
succeeded retiring City Attorney
Stan Gustavson.
Prior to her appointment,
Zimmerman served as Daly
City’s Assistant City Attorney
since 2002. Former Mayor FilAm
Michael Guingona said the city
council selected her because of
her “legal prowess, creative
problem solving ability and enthusiasm.” She’s a former president and vice president of the
Filipino Bar Association of
Northern California (FBANC).
Urge SC justice
to recuse himself
LOS ANGELES - California
Democrat Anna G. Eshoo and 75
other House members have
called on Justice Clarence
Thomas to recuse himself from
the Supreme Court’s almost certain deliberations on the constitutionality of the health care
reform law. They said Thomas
should remove himself from any
involvement in the issue because
his wife, Ginni, is a paid lobbyist
for the Heritage Foundation, a
relentless opponent of the health
care law. They added Thomas
and his wife have received from
assorted far-right organizations,
not to mention the right-wing
ties of her own advocacy group,
Liberty Central, a Tea Party promoter that declared “ObamaCare” to be “unconstitutional”
on its website last fall. (Those
words have since been removed.)
Youth putting off
college education
SAN
FRANCISCO-More
young people in California are
putting their education on hold,
amid a tough economy and deep
cuts in the last few years to education funding, according to
New America Media. It said a
poll released recently found that
40 percent of young people surveyed felt that the recession had
negatively affected their ability
to successfully attain a higher
education, forcing them to take
more time to complete their degree, spend more time working,
and ultimately put their academic dreams on hold. The poll
of 600 young people, ages 16-22
across California, was commissioned by New America Media.
Poor Magazine sets
honors for Robles
SAN FRANCISCO — (U.S.
ASIAN WIRE) — POOR Magazine honors the late Al Robles
with a gift of love for his work
as a housing activist, poet,
teacher, mentor, and historian.
This historic library feature the
POOR Press 2011 Book collection which features artists of
color in poverty from across the
globe and the movie “Manilatown is in the Heart-Time Travel
with Al Robles,” a film by Curtis
Choy. The Al Robles Living Library Project was launched on
February 27th at the POOR
Magazine-Redstone Bldg 2940
16th Street #301 SF 94103. “My
Uncle Al’s legacy is the I-Hotel,”
said nephew and POOR Magazine co-editor Tony Robles. “He
inspired a generation of activists
to fight for the rights of elders to
decent housing, bringing attention to the injustice and tragedy
of the International Hotel and
bringing communities together
in the fight for social justice.”
Robles was instrumental in the
rebuilding of Kearny Street’s International Hotel, home of Filipino and Chinese elders who
were issued eviction notices to
make way for a parking lot. The
“I-Hotel” captured the attention
of the world with images of elders holding signs and chanting, “We won’t go!” Robles
narrated the film that captured
the fight and eventual eviction
entitled, “The Fall of the I-Hotel.” For more info contact Tiny
Gray Garcia, 510-435-7500 or
Tony
Robles,
415-374-5344
http://www.poormagazine.or
g/al_robles
February 28, 2011
15
16
February 28, 2011
A clash of boxing and political advisers
Philippine
boxing
star
Manny Pacquiao should try to
stop the “war” that appears to
be raging between his boxing
aides and political consultants.
Both groups have tried to upstage the other during Paquiao’s
visit to the Senate April 15. The
result was some glaring mistakes.
The tug of war was between
Pacquiao’s Chief of Staff Atty.
Jing Gacal and Canadian Assistant Mike Konz. During the
meeting between Cong. Pacquiao and Senate Majority
Leader Harry Reid, Gacal and
two others who worked with
Manny in the Philippine Congress were not included in the
meeting. They were replaced by
Konz, a showtime cameraman,
an audio man and a boxing promoter as if Pacquiao was going
into the ring with Reid. Manny
did not arrive in the Senate in
time to hear Reid extol Pacquiao’s achievements.
The whirlwind visit of Pacquiao to Washington D.C. was
over in less than 24 hours. He,
his wife Jinkee, Boxing promoter
Bob Arum and wife, and an entourage of more than 60 that
were mostly from the mainstream media arrived from New
York City by train at the Union
Station on Valentine’s day. They
checked in at the historic HayAdams Hotel, near the White
House on H and 16th Street.
His first meeting was with
Reid, Democrat from Nevada,
who invited him to visit the Senate. Manny endorsed Reid in the
last mid-term election. At the
joint press conference, Reid acknowledged that Manny’s support helped him surmount the
challenge posed by a Tea Party
candidate in Nevada.
Both Manny and Jinkee
came to Washington attired as
only the rich can afford.
But some in the media no-
Berkins bag, and a Louis Vuitton
Tambour
automatic
diving
watch in pink diamond and rubber strap. (LV shoes costs about
$2,000.00, the Hermes Berkins
bag is about $60,000.00 and the
Left photo shows Manny Pacquiao with his extra long sleeves and at right,
Mrs. Jinkee Pacquiao with other guest on Capitol Hill displaying her expensive bag.
ticed the difference in the suit of
Manny and dress Jinkee. We in
the media noticed that Manny’s
dark suit was a size or two bigger. The sleeves were a bit long,
they covered half of his hands.
And his hair and beard were
also criticized by some of his
fans.
In contrast, Jinkee came
dressed to the hilt. She was
wearing a short shiny skirt with
a two-inch black belt, dark leggings, cashmere short sleeved
blouse, a knee-high brown Louis
Vuitton boots, purple Hermes
LV Lady Tambour Diving
watch is about $30,000.)
During the exchange of
flags, Sen. Reid gave Manny the
U.S. flag in a glass-encased dia-
mond shaped frame with an inscription as to the origin of the
flag.
When Manny presented the
Philippine flag to the senator, it
was not properly folded and
was not in a case. And because
the flag was made of nylon, it
kept slipping out of Reid’s
hands.
After the meeting I asked
Manny several questions as the
mainstream media continued to
shadow him. Asked what he and
Sen. Reid talked about, he said
many things, including ‘Sebac".
“What about the textile bill, you
know the Save Act that the Philippine government is interested
in,” I asked.
His face lightened up and
said, “Yeah, I told him about
that, I told you already, Sebac.
Oh, sorry congressman, I misunderstood you. You are referring
to the Save Act.
He said his new hair-do was
not ala Justin Beiber, but the late
martial arts sensation, Bruce Lee,
his idol. He said that he’s not
bothered by the length of his
hair when boxing so he’s not
sure if he’s going to have a little
trim before his bout with Mosley
in May.
“No comment for now”, he
said with his impish grin when I
asked if he was going to endorse
President Barack Obama in the
next US Presidential elections.
Manny and Jinkee calls each
other “Babe”. They readily pose
for cameras when requested and
didn’t mind the many photographers and cameramen recording
every move they make.
Many Filipino Americans in
the area was not aware of his
visit. The meeting with President Barck Obama and First
Lady Michelle Obama was private, and closed to the media.
His short visit to the Hill and the
White House was shown on
CNN, Showtime, CBS, ESPN,
and the print media.
After the meeting at the
White House, Pacquiao and his
entourage went straight to
Dulles Airport to catch their
flight to Los Angeles where continued to promote his next fight.
Asia Foundation holds US-PH dialogue
The Asia Foundation held
the United States-Philippines Bilateral Dialogue at the Carnegie
Endowment for International
Peace building last February 8
and 9. The speakers included
Author-in-Residence of the S.Rajaratnam School of International
Studies Maria Ressa, Chief
Economist of the Asia Foundation Bruce Tolentino, Undersecretary of the Presidential
Communications Development
and Strategic Planning Office
Manolo Quezon, and Assistant
Secretary for Strategic Assessment of the Department of National Defense Raymund Jose
Quilop.
The dialogue serves as a forum for individuals and organizations in the Philippines to
From left are Luisa Remulla, Rachel Vega, Maya Cruz, Renel Martinez, Emma Colobong, Maria Ressa, former
CNN Asia Bureau Chief, and VP for News and Public Affairs, ABS-CBN, Con. Gen. Domingo Nolasco, Lyra
Ocampo, Eden Regalario, Larry, Sampan, and Joey Makatula.
exchange views on bilateral concerns and regional issues with
their counterparts in the American capital.
Photo above shows Asia Foundation Philippine Country Representative
Steven Rood (left) and Maria Ressa (right), former ABS-CBN News & Current Affairs Head, who called on Philippine Ambassador to the United
States Willy C. Gaa (center).
From left are DoD Undersecretary Raymund Quilop, Muslim Women Advocate Yasmin Busran Lao, historian Nita Churchill and her husband Malcolm and Mitzi Pichard of Asia Society.
February 28, 2011
17
18
A welcome reception for the new Defense Attache’, Brig. Gen. Cesar Yano, held last February 12 in Reston, Virginia.From left are Consul General Domingo Nolasco, Albert Santoli, president Asia America Initiative, Brig. Gen.
Cesar Yano, Bill Branigin, Maj. Gen. (Ret-Phl.Army) Delfin Lorenzana, Head, Veterans Affairs Office, Philippine
Embassy, and Maj. Gen. (Ret. U.S. Army), Antonio M. Taguba.
February birthday celebrants Mody Olympia, Romy Valle first two on left) and Mitzi Pickard (center) are cheered
by their friends Beth Wong (3rd from left), Miriam Reidmiller (5th), Maurese Owens (6th) and Aylene Mafnas
during the joint celebration recently at the American Legion Post 139 with the Tutubi Band.
February 28, 2011
Evelyn Bunoan giving cooking lessons to grade school students in one of an
ongoing series of "Cooking with Our Saints" (a concept organized by
Alexandra Greeley, author) at St. Veronica Parish in Chantilly, Virginia Feb. 12, 2011. (Photo by Oscar S. Bunoan)
Among those at the despedida for Phil Lopez (standing, center in black and
white hsirt) held Jan. 28 at the Veterans Legion in Arlington, Virginia are
Marvin Santos, Julian Oteyza, Nestor Pickard, Cheryl Melencio, and Romy
Valle. Phil, a retiree, has returned to his hometown in the Philippines for
good.
Hometown News 19
February 28, 2011
Aquino Lets Others Decide Marcos Burial At Libingan
President Benigno Aquino
III says he will ask another official to decide on fresh calls for
former dictator Ferdinand Marcos to be buried in a heroes’
cemetery, removing himself
from the divisive issue due to his
parents’ historic battle with the
strongman. But some bishops of
the Catholic Bishops Conference
of the Philippines have come out
openly to oppose any move to
inter Marcos at the Libingan ng
mga Bayani. Marcos was ousted
in a 1986 “people power” revolt
led by the Philippine president’s
late mother, pro-democracy icon
Corazon Aquino. Marcos died
three years later in exile in Hawaii, and his body was flown
back in 1993 to his northern Philippine hometown of Batac,
where it has been displayed in a
glass coffin. Aquino told reporters he did not want to decide on
new appeals for Marcos to be
given a hero’s burial because he
would beperceived as biased.
Cardinal Sin statue
unveiled in Manila
A life-size bronze statue of
the late Jaime L. Cardinal Sin
was unveiled on Friday, Feb. 25
as the highlight of the 25th anniversary of EDSA People Power I
in Manila. President Aquino led
the unveiling of the statue,
which was erected beside the
monument of his parents, the
late President Corazon Aquino
and the late former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. at the corner of
P. Burgos Drive and Roxas
Boulevard in Intramuros, Manila. Mayor Alfredo Lim said the
role played by Cardinal Sin in
the People Power uprising on
EDSA that led to the downfall of
the late President Ferdinand
Marcos is something worth honoring. “We know that it was
Cardinal Sin who called on the
public for a People Power so we
are building his statue near the
monuments of the late former
President Cory Aquino and
Senator
Benigno
”Ninoy"
Aquino Jr.," he said.
Cimatu denies rap,
shows his medals
Former Armed Forces chief
Roy Cimatu told a Senate panel
Feb. 18 that a P10-million “welcome gift” he was accused of accepting was used to support
field operations for combat logistics, supplies and medical
evacuation. Cimatu also denied
the whistleblower’s claims that
he received P80 million as a
send-off gift, saying 40 medals
were all that he took with him
when he left office. “These medals are not made of precious
metal, but I will not trade them
for all the money in the world,”
Cimatu told the Senate Blue Ribbon committee in an opening
statement defending the Armed
Forces. “I never received any
money from the [Armed Forces]
for my personal use. As God is
my witness, I have not done
anything of that sort.” Cimatu is
P1-B in loans
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA)
will allot P1 billion for the loan
Ret. Gen. Roy Cimatu displays his medals to Senate 'pabaon' probers
saying they were more precious to him than money.
now the President’s special envoy to the Middle East.
Manila gets more
expensive for expats
Metro Manila rose 16 spots
last year to become the 59th
most expensive city in the world
for expatriates after an economic
rebound and a stronger peso
made leases more costly, consultancy firm ECA said in its annual Accommodation Report.
Rental costs here were also the
12th most expensive in Asia,
ECA said, based on September
2010 data on two-bedroom
properties “commonly inhabited
by international assignees". The
Philippine capital, which ranked
13th in Asia in the previous report, surpassed neighboring
capitals like Taipei, Kuala Lumpur and Shenzen. Tokyo topped
the global and Asian rankings
due to the strengthening of the
yen even as actual rental prices
dropped by 7% last year.
COA head refuses
to vacate post
Commission
on
Audit
(COA) chairman Reynaldo Villar
insists he isn’t leaving his post,
even as Malacañang maintained
that his term had expired early
this month.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Villar’s appointment expressly stated that
his term would expire on Feb. 2.
“The appointment papers are
very clear, it expires on Feb. 2,
2011,” he said. Several candidates for COA chairman are already being screened, Lacierda
said. However, Villar said his
term will end in February 2015
since the seven-year rule should
start when he was named chairman.
OWWA allots OFWs
program for overseas Filipino
workers (OFWs) who would
want to return and put up their
own business. OWWA chief
Carmelita Dimzon said the
agency is now finalizing the
guidelines for the implementation of the reintegration program for OFWs. “The guidelines
on who would qualify to avail of
the program are now being finalized for the approval of the
OWWA board of trustees," she
said.
The loans, to be managed
by state-run banks, will be offered with flexible terms and
very low interest rates. “The
government is strengthening the
reintegration
program
purposely to encourage returning
OFWs to just stay and put up
enterprises that would also generate employment for our people," Dimzon said.
29,711 more RNs
pass examination
A graduate of the Adventist
University of the Philippines
topped the 29,711 passers out of
the 84,287 nursing graduates
who took the Nurse Licensure
examination given in Manila
and 17 other cities in December
2010, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced. The December 2010
exam’s passing rate is pegged at
35.26 percent, lower than the
41.4-percent passing rate registered in the previous exam in
July 2010. Weanne Myrrh Estrada of the AUP, located in Silang, Cavite, topped the passers
with a rating of 88.40, followed
by Mary Grace Rallo of Central
Luzon Doctors’ Hospital Educational Institution with 86.80 percent, and Maria Kristina Bicas of
Saint Louis University with
86.60. The deluge of nursing
graduates has led to calls by officials for limiting schools from offering nursing courses.
SC flip flops
anew on new cities
The Supreme Court (SC), in
a 7-6 vote with two abstentions,
has reversed itself anew as it declared constitutional the laws
that converted 16 municipalities
into cities. With the ruling, the
SC granted the motion for reconsideration filed by the 16 municipalities whose laws had earlier
been declared unconstitutional.
Declared as valid and constitutional are Republic Act No. 9389
(Baybay City in Leyte), RA 9390
(Bogo City in Cebu), RA 9391
(Catbalogan City in Samar), RA
9392 (Tandag City in Surigao del
Sur), RA 9393 (Lamitan City in
Basilan), RA 9394 (Borongan
City in Samar), RA 9398 (Tayabas City in Quezon), RA 9404
(Tabuk City in Kalinga), RA
9405 (Bayugan City in Agusan
del Sur), RA 9407 (Batac City in
Ilocos Norte), RA 9408 (Mati
City in Davao Oriental), RA 9409
(Guihulngan City in Negros Oriental), RA 9434 (Cabadbaran
City in Agusan del Norte), RA
9435 (El Salvador City in
Misamis Oriental), RA 9436
(Carcar City in Cebu), and RA
9491 (Naga City in Cebu). The
decision was the fourth ruling issued since 2008.
AFP nabs top
NPA leader
Allan Jazmines, a member
of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), was arrested by
troops from the Army’s Northern Luzon Command and Philippine National Police officers at
a safe house in Villa Aurea,
Barangay Subic, Baliuag town,
Bulacan, Armed Forces’ spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta
said. But the NDF is asking the
government to release him because of the peace talks. He was
arrested for murder and rebellion based on arrest warrants issued by courts in Calauag,
Quezon province and Lucena
City, Mabanta said. Jazmines,
who allegedly uses the aliases
“Dex,” “Tomas,” and “Arthur,”
is a member of the CPP’s Executive Committee and Political Bureau, Ortiz said. The military did
not say if Jazmines is covered by
the Joint Agreement on Security
and
Immunity
Guarantees
(JASIG) between the government and the armed communist
movement.
Sold-out crowd
at Swift concert
If you needed proof of Taylor Swift’s far reaching popularity outside of the United States,
you only have to look as far as
Manila in the Philippines. Taylor sang to sold-out crowd of
screaming teenage girls at the
Araneta Coliseum Saturday
night (Feb 19) as part of the
Asian swing of her tour. The
crowds swarming Taylor were
Taylor Swift
huge from the moment she
landed in Manila. The enormous
crowd hung on every word of
her talking and as Taylor began
to sing, the crowd sang along in
a unison chorus that at times
nearly drown out what was
coming from the stage. This was
one giant mass Taylor Swift
sing-a-long.
Congress dances
cha cha again
The Senate committee on
constitutional amendments, revision of codes and law has
started hearings on the Necessity of Charter Change. Senator
Miriam Defensor-Santiago said
constitutional law experts, including former Supreme Court
Chief Justice Reynato Puno.
Aside from Puno, other lecturers
include Justice Florentino Feliciano, Justice Vicente Mendoza,
Justice Adolfo Azcuna, Dean
Merlin Magallona and Dr. Jose
Abueva. “We want to know
from the constitutional law experts if there is really a need to
change our Constitution,” Santiago said. Lawmakers remain divided on how to amend or
change the Constitution as most
senators prefer constituent assembly over the constitutional
convention.
In a constituent assembly,
incumbent members will convene to discuss any proposed
amendments to the Constitution
while in a constitutional convention, constitutional experts have
to be elected to tackle specific
amendments.
Falling in love
is like measles
Feisty senator Miriam Defensor Santiago says young people should choose the person
they will marry and stay with
that person. “There are many
people now who believe in serial
love, loving one person after another. I don’t think that is good
for our mental health,” she said.
Falling in love is like “getting
the measles” in that you get an
immunity to temptation once
Continued on page 20
20
February 28, 2011
Hometown News ... from page 19
you get it.
“It’s like measles, you
know. You only get it once in
your lifetime and you are immune forever. I am very happy
to say that is what happened to
me. I am completely immune to
any temptation. All men who
have passed my life after I got
married might as well have been
sticks of furniture," she said. Defensor is married to Narciso Santiago, a former undersecretary of
the Department of the Interior
and Local Government. They
have 2 adopted daughters and 2
biological sons. Her youngest
son, Alexander Robert Santiago,
committed suicide on November
2003 at the age of 22.
Solon-cult leader
ordered arrested
The Sandiganbayan has ordered the arrest of alleged cult
leader, Dinagat Rep. Ruben
Ecleo, Jr. after the Supreme
Dinagat Rep. Ruben Ecleo, Jr.
Court ruled with finality on the
graft cases against Ecleo. It affirmed 3 graft convictions
against Ecleo in connection with
his stint as mayor of Surigao del
Norte between 1991-1994. There
is a separate parricide case
pending against Ecleo in connection with the death of his wife,
4th year medical student AlonaBacolod Ecleo, who died on
January 5, 2002.
He is out on a P1-million
bail. Ecleo won as representative
in the May 2010 elections. Majority of the voters are said to belong
to
the
Philippine
Benevolent Missionary Associa-
tion (PBMA), an alleged cult
where Ecleo is the Supreme
Master. A bloody shoot-out between law enforcers and PBMA
members erupted in June 2002
as authorities tried to serve Ecleo
a warrant of arrest. A 2006 resolution in connection with this
case explicitly says the penalty is
perpetual disqualification from
office. He has asked the high
court to reconsider its decision.
Graft buster charged
with graft himself
Former party-list Rep. Joel
Villanueva, son of Jesus is Lord
evangelist Eddie Villanueva, is
facing a graft complaint in the
Office of the Ombudsman for
serving in the House of Representatives and receiving and disbursing public funds despite not
being qualified to do so. Also
facing the same complaint are
officials of Villanueva’s Citizens
Battle
Against
Corruption
(Cibac), the House of Representatives and the Commission
on Elections (Comelec). In the
graft
complaint,
Milagros
Amores alleged that Villanueva,
now chief of the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority, conspired with Cibac
officials to hold office despite being unqualified. Earlier, in response to another complaint
filed by Amores, the Supreme
Court ruled that Villanueva was
not eligible to serve as a lawmaker in his last term, which ran
from 2007 to 2010, because he
was already over the age limit
for a youth sector representative.
But the ruling was handed down
after Villanueva finished his
term.
GMA aids Ampatuan
excape arms rap
The Arroyo administration
interceded in 2006 on behalf of
then Maguindanao governor
Andal Ampatuan Sr after soldiers confiscated a cache of powerful firearms and ammunition
meant for his private army back
in 2006, said Retired Marine
colonel Ariel Querubin. He said
influential politicians and rank-
ing military officials including
then chief of staff Generoso
Senga interceded for the Ampatuans when his men confiscated the firearms in Marawi
City during the first week of
February 2006. He said he
brought the matter up with
Senga during their meeting on
the night of Feb. 23, 2006, and
the former chief of staff admitted to him that Malacaang had
called him up to intercede for
Ampatuan.
Gangsters use
facelift in crime
Reports that the leader of a
gang of car thieves had attempted to undergo facial plastic
surgery
before
his
arrest
prompted lawmakers to call for
the swift approval of a bill that
would regulate such medical
procedure, including removal of
facial scars and changes in the
ears, nose and chin. House Bill
No. 2339 authored by Rep. Mary
Mitzi Cajayon (Lakas-Kampi,
Caloocan City) has gained the
backing of several lawmakers
led by Reps. Salvio Fortuno (LP,
Camarines Sur) and Roger Mercado (Lakas-Kampi, Southern
Leyte). Fortuno and Mercado expressed alarm over reports that
Roger Dominguez, suspected
mastermind in several carjacking incidents and the murder of
car dealers Venson Evangelista,
Emerson Lozano, and Ernane
Sensil, was scheduled to undergo facial changes in order to
hide his identity.
Fugitive Japanese
porn star in PH
The Bureau of Immigration
(BI) confirmed the arrival of a
fugitive Japanese actress-stripper, Minako Komukai, in Manila, Philippines last January 21.
Immigration records show that
Komukai, 25, arrived on a Delta
Airlines (DL173) flight from Tokyo. She listed Glorietta 4, Ayala
Centre, Makati as her address in
the country. Under Philippine
law, Komukai can stay 21 days
in the country as a tourist. According to sources, Komukai
filed for an extension on her visa
last February 18. Japanese
authorities have not requested
for her deportation.
Ease business permit
requirements -DILG
The Department of Interior
and Local Government (DILG) is
urging all local government
units (LGUs) to ease processing
and documentary requirements
for business permits. Reports
have reached the DILG that
there are LGUs that require a
long list of documentary requirements and impose unreasonable charges for business
permit applications. The DILG
said this is “repugnant to efforts
aimed at promoting the ease of
doing business in the country.”
The department also noted unnecessary documentations and
costs attached to acquiring
barangay clearance. In Memorandum Circular 2011-15, DILG
Secretary Jesse M. Robredo said
local
government
officials
should “rationalize” the documentary requirements of business permits, and “additional
requirements
beyond
those
which are legally required must
be stopped."
Dacers urge CA
to reverse ruling
The daughters of slain publicist Salvador Dacer have asked
the Court of Appeals (CA) to reverse its ruling earlier this
month clearing fugitive Sen.
Panfilo Lacson in the killings of
their father and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November
2000. The siblings - Carina,
Sabina Reyes, Emily Hungerford
and Amparo Henson - argued
that the appellate court went beyond its powers in ruling that
there was no probable cause to
prosecute Lacson in the double
murder case.
They said neither does the
CA have the mandate to adjudge
the credibility of former senior
superintendent Cesar Mancao II
as a witness. “The (CA) failed to
consider that the matters raised
by petitioner (Lacson) were evidentiary in nature and therefore
better ventilated during trial
proper. The Supreme Court has
held that an exhaustive debate
on the credibility of a witness is
not within the province of the
determination
of
probable
cause,” said Dacer’s daughters
in their 45-page motion for reconsideration filed through lawyer Demetrio Custodio Jr.
LUZON
Mild quake causes
panic in Baguio
BAGUIO CITY - Hundreds
of people fled into streets when
a moderate earthquake struck
the Philippine resort city of Baguio on Friday, witnesses said,
though there were no casualties
nor damage. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake had a
magnitude of 5.0 and was only
14 kilometres (8.7 miles) deep.
With an epicentre just outside
Baguio it set objects moving, terrifying residents who still remember a 1990 tremor that
killed several hundred people.
Residents rushed out of their
houses until after the shaking
stopped, an AFP reporter on the
scene said. Afterwards many remained fearful until Baguio
Mayor Mauricio Domogan made
a radio broadcast saying that the
quake caused no damage and
that government seismologists
said no aftershocks were expected.
Underwater wedding
town of Alaminos
ALAMINOS CITY (PNA) —
The city of Alaminos in Pangasinan can now lay claim as the
world’s underwater wedding
capital when two couples renewed their marriage vows
down the water of the Hundred
Islands on the eve of Valentine’s
Day. City Mayor Hernani Bra-
Continued on page 21
21
February 28, 2011
Mar Roxas Fails In His Mission To Taiwan
MANILA - Former Sen.
Manuel Roxas II, President Benigno S. Aquino III’s private
special envoy to appease Taiwan, has failed in his mission.
Instead of being appeased,
Taiwan’s President Ma Yingjeou condemned the Philippines
for what he called its wrongful
deportation of 14 Taiwanese
fraud suspects to China and demanded an official apology from
Manila.
The Philippines refused.
In contrast, Vice President
Jejomar Binay who flew to Beijing as Aquino’s special envoy to
plead for the lives of Filipinos
facing execution, was successful
in convincing China to defer the
execution.
Ma told Roxas II the government and the Taiwanese people were furious over the
deportations and called on Manila to assume full responsibility
and apologize. Unsaid was the
threat to stop recruiting Filipino
OFWs and non-extension of the
contract of 3,000 Filipino workers every month, Roxas said.
“[The] Future relations between our two countries will
hinge on your government?s follow-up measures,’ Ma told
Roxas, who arrived in Taipei
Feb. 21.
Roxas held closed-door
meetings with Taiwan’s foreign
affairs minister, Timothy C. T.
Yang without offering an apol-
veyed Taiwan;s dismay over the
incident.
“The government of Taiwan
and its people were deeply dissatisfied with the Philippines’ inappropriate deportation of 14
Former Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas 2nd speaks with Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou (right) at the Presidential
Office in Taipei. At center is an interpreter.
ogy.
Despite the lack of progress,
he arranged for Roxas to meet
with Ma as a diplomatic courtesy, and Ma immediately con-
Taiwanese citizens to the Chinese mainland, ‘ a grim-faced
Ma told Roxas.
In dealing with the issue,
Ma said, the Philippine govern-
try after expelling them.
Secondly, while the 14 Taiwanese had entered the Philippines legally with valid Taiwan
passports,
Filipino
officials
Norwegian Sven Berger and his
Filipina fiancee at the Cebu airport
where they were prevented from
leaving.
a Filipino-American movie coproduction about the PhilippineAmerican War, both as cast
members and production staff.
The movie “Amigo” premiered
at the Robinsons Cinema in Bacolod City at 7:00 p.m. on February 21. Amigo was also be
shown in three advance screenings at the University of St. La
Salle Auditorium. The proceeds
went to Bahay Pagasa, a formation center for juvenile delinquents. “Amigo” is a film set in
1900 to 1901, when the US colonial army was pursuing Gen.
Emilio Aguinaldo in the hinterlands of Luzon.
Directing the film is John
Sayles, one of the godfathers of
American Independent Cinema
who has two Oscar Award
nominations for his films “Lonestar” and “Passion Fish.” Heading the American cast are Chris
Cooper, an Oscar Best Supporting Actor awardee, Garret Dillahunt and DJ Qualls.
On the Philippine side, the
cast includes Bembol Roco, Ronnie Lazaro, Rio Locsin, Pen Medina, Spanky Manikan, Irma
Adlawan, Bodjie Pascua, Joe
Gruta, and Torre.
Hometown News ... from page 20
ganza, a scuba diver himself, officiated the renewal of marriage
vows between Jayson Llavore
and Myrna Gallinero, and
Frederick Juanchon and Geraldine Gentozala using a sign language.
The couples signed their
marriage vows on a tablet using
a specially-designed pen that
can be of use even under water.
The couples responded to the
program ‘Lovin ‘n Divin at the
Hundred Islands 2011," being
promoted to lure more tourists
in the marine park. Braganza
also officiated the wedding of
balikbayans Senen Juanchon and
Carmelita Marcelo held in one of
the caves in the Hundred Islands. In full diving equipment,
Jayson and Myrna, who are residents of Manila, renewed their
wedding vows here for the second time in a row.
VISAYAS
Cebu skyline
on way to change
CEBU CITY — At least
three major condominium projects, including a 55-storey tower
that will change Cebu’s skyline,
will rise here in the next three
years.
Roy T. Lopez, Central
Visayas regional director of the
Housing Land Use and Regulatory Board (HLURB), said the
55-storey skyscraper would be
the biggest condominium project
ment committed at least three
mistakes.
Firstly, the Philippines violated international law when it
failed to repatriate the 14 Taiwanese back to their home coun-
in Cebu thus far. Gaisanoowned Taft Property Venture
Development Corp., applied for
a permit for the project just recently. The 55-storey building,
estimated to cost P1.1 billion,
will be the first of two towers
that will comprise Horizon 101,
a residential condominium project aimed at the mid-range market that will rise along Gen.
Maxilom (Mango) Avenue, Mr.
Lopez said. It will have 900 units
that will be sold starting at P1.7
billion for a studio. The project
will be launched before April
and will be completed in four
years. “This will be a new landmark in Cebu. This is going to be
the tallest building in Cebu and
maybe even in the whole country. The tallest building in Cebu
at present is the 38-storey Tower
2 of the Crown Regency Hotel
and Towers, first project of J.
King subsidiary Fuente Triangle
Realty Development Corp., near
Fuente Osmeña.
Norge, wife face
kidnap-slay raps
CEBU CITY — Police said
they have a strong case against
Norwegian Sven Erik Berger and
his Filipina nurse fiancée Karen
Esdrelon in connection with the
abduction and murder of Elah
Joy Pique, 6, from a school in
Minglanilla. Both were arrested
before they boarded a flight to
Hong Kong earlier. Cebu Provincial Police Office Director Er-
son Digal said he believes the inquiry by the National Bureau of
Investigation
(NBI)-Central
Visayas will not have any bearing on the complaint his office
filed against the couple. “We
cannot ignore the positive identification of the witnesses,” police said, referring to three
children who saw the couple
who picked up Ellah Joy outside
her school last February 8.
But even if the kidnapping
with homicide complaint has
been filed at the prosecutor’s office, Minglanilla Police Chief
Laurel Almirante said the town’s
police force will continue to investigate, as ordered by the
town council.
Negrenses part
of Amigo film
BACOLOD - The residents
of Negros Occidental are part of
MINDANAO
Rats destroy rice
fields in Minda
KORONADAL CITY — Rat
infestation has destroyed about
P29 million worth of palay in
two provinces in Central Mindanao as agriculture officials
claimed that they had no legal
travel documents.
‘Your officials’ claim was a
sheer lie," Ma said.
Thirdly, Ma said, since the
lawyer for the Taiwanese suspects had already obtained a
writ of habeas corpus issued by
the Philippines’ Court of Appeals on Jan. 31, the Philippine
government violated its own
Country’s laws when it deported
the Taiwanese to China on Feb.
2.
“Ignoring your own country?s law was not what a democratic government should have
done," Ma said.
Roxas told ABS-CBN News
that he received a clear message
from Taiwan.
“They are really angry.
They want us to say sorry. It’s
one of their requirements, but
we can’t do that,’ he said.
‘For them, it’s all about their
national pride. They keep on
telling us: What if the same happens
to
the
Philippines?
[Wouldn’t] we get mad if our
nationals [were] deported somewhere else?"
move in to control the damage
wrought by the rodents. Amalia
Jayag-Datukan, regional agriculture director, warned that continued rat attacks on palay farms
will pose direct threat to the region’s rice sufficiency. The rat
infestation has wrecked palay
farms in the provinces of south
and north Cotabato in the last
few months. Hit hardest by the
rats in South Cotabato were the
towns of Surallah and Tantangan, according to a report from
the Provincial Agriculture Office
submitted to the Department of
Agriculture regional office.
Peace rally ends
in Maco explosion
DAVAO CITY — A roadside bomb killed three people
and wounded four others in
Maco town, Compostela Valley
Feb. 13, military officials said.
The explosion happened while
the vehicle carrying the victims
who just came from a peace and
development rally along a road
at Purok 7 in Libay-libay village,
regional military spokesman
Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Santiago said. The military believes
the landmine was planted by the
New People’s Army rebels operating in the area. The rally in
Maco was graced by thousands
of residents from 22 villages
who have opposed the presence
of the rebel group.
Authorities believe that
members of the Front Committee 2 of the NPA were behind
the explosion.
22
February 28, 2011
Mt. Bulusan erupts in Sorsogon
SORSOGON
Restive
Mount Bulusan erupted Monday, Feb. 21, forcing residents
living near the volcano to evacuate.
The National Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management
Council (NDRRMC) said Bulusan had ejected ash when it exploded for 19 minutes starting at
9:12 a.m.
Ash fall deposits have accumulated in Barangay Monbon
and Irosin proper in Irosin, Sorsogon," the NDRRMC said. Citing data from the Philippine
Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology
(Phivolcs),
the
NDRRMC said quake was accompanied by a rumbling sound
that was heard up to 10 kilometers away from Juban, Sorsogon.
“The explosion produced a
greyish ash column that rose to a
height of about three kilometers
above the summit before drifting
Gaa Ends Stint... from page 1
fund in Congress.
He presided over one of the
most prodigious chapters in PHUS relations.
He became only the 2nd career diplomat to be appointed
Philippine ambassador to the
United States in 2006. The first
was the late Ambassador Pablo
Suarez.
Before coming to Washington, Gaa served as ambassador
to Libya (1992-1997), Australia
(2002-2003) and China (20032006). He also worked in various
capacities in the Philippine consulates in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.
During his stint here, Gaa
has been known as a man of
quiet but steely resolve to get the
work down, no matter how difficult they may appear. Even in
the face of critical reports, Gaa
was always welcoming and candid with the media.
He has displayed the traits
of a man who rose through the
ranks, a diplomat whether he
dealt with foreign governments
or compatriots doing business at
the Philippine Embassy.
In fact, his official residence
along DC’s famed Embassy Row
has become a sort of homeaway-from-home for visitors
from Manila or from out of state.
It was the scene of one storied
“duel” when Gary Valenciano
and Martin Nievera visited the
Manny Meets Obama... from page 1
dent of the United States,” Pacquiao said.
Obama presented Pacquiao
with a watch bearing the presidential seal.
(In Manila, President Benigno Aquino III said the meeting between President Barack
Obama and Filipino boxing
champ and Saranggani Representative
Manny
Pacquiao
showed the country could be
proud of its “talented and
worthwhile individuals.’’ He
gushed on ”the fact that we have
an outstanding Filipino athlete
worthy of being talked to by one
of the most powerful men of the
world.’’ There was muted reaction, however, from his colleagues in the House of
Representatives.)
Pacquiao, 32 and considered
the best fighter in the world today, invited Obama to his May 7
defense of his world welterweight title against Shane
Mosley at the MGM Grand in
Las Vegas.
Obama declined but said he
would watch the fight on payper-view.
Pacquiao’s chief of staff,
lawyer Jeng Gacal, said the
meeting lasted more than 10
minutes and said Pacquiao was
extremely delighted to meet
with the top American officials.
As Pacquiao walked toward
the White House, several cars
stopped to take pictures of him
with their cell phones, said Top
Rank publicist Fred Sternburg.
Sternburg said there was a
four-car pile-up but there was
no serious injury.
He said the conversation
centered mostly on boxing, basketball and politics.
Asked if Obama gave him
any advice on his young political career, Pacquiao merely
smiled and said, “No comment.”
Earlier, Pacquiao was honored in the Senate by Majority
Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.
Reid, a former amateur
boxer, walked Pacquiao through
the Senate floor, and later joined
him in a joint press conference at
the Mike Mansfield Room in the
Senate.
Reid paid tribute to Pacquiao, a former homeless street
hawker who sold cigarettes in
Manila, for his accomplishments
in an out of the ring.
Asked how long he would
last with Pacquiao when the
senator wass in his prime, Reid
said, “five seconds.”
Reid also acknowledged
Pacquiao’s last-minute contribution to his re-election bid in last
November’s midterm elections.
Reid, a Democrat, was
locked in a see-saw contest with
Tea Party favorite Sharon Angle
in Nevada when Pacquiao left
his training camp at the Wild
Card Gym in Hollywood, California to give a timely pitch for
the senator.
Asked whether he thought
to the southwest," the NDRRMC
said.
Phivolcs said Bulusan’s
status remains at Alert Level 1,
and reminded residents to keep
away from the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ).
Under Alert Level 1, no entry to the 4-kilomter radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) is
allowed since the area is at risk
to sudden steam and ash explosions.
Phivolcs also said that due
to the prevailing wind direction,
residents in the northwest and
southwest sectors of the volcano
are reminded to take precautions
against ash falls.
It added civil aviation
authorities must also warn pilots
to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ejected ash and
volcanic fragments from sudden
explosions may be hazardous to
aircraft.
capital for a one-night concert.
The Ambassador and Mrs.
Linda Gaa hosted dinner that inevitably gravitated to their tastefully adorned living room. From
there, it was a short hop to the
piano and one of Gaa’s passions
- singing.
He belted out “Kahit Isang
Saglit” - one of Nievera’s trademark songs and with the multiawarded Louie Ocampo on the
piano, they made one unforgettable evening in DC.
His penchant for song
proved infectious, recruiting
some Capitol Hill VIPs that included California Congressman
Mike Honda.
Another “passion” is golf.
That completed the “Gaa touch”
in DC’s large diplomatic com-
munity - singing, golf and
sumptuous home-cooked meals
courtesy of Mrs. Gaa.
He told me he tries to consume more vegetable than meat.
He used to suffer from high
blood pressure but when he was
posted to the Middle East, he
was forced to forego pork and
beef and discovered his BP
dropped even without maintenance drugs.
Because he doesn’t smoke
and being a health buff (at the
height of the winter “Snowmaggedon” last year, he was
seen shoveling snow himself),
news he has lung cancer came as
a terrible shock for many in DC.
When he took over the DC
post from another popular envoy, former Ambassador Albert
Pacquiao’s endorsement put him
over the top, Reid replied
“sure”.
Reid, a long-time friend of
Pacquiao’s promoter Arum of
Las Vegas, was instrumental in
arranging Pacquiao’s private
meeting with Obama, probably
the busiest leader in the world.
“I try not to bother the
president,” Reid said, “but I
bothered him on this occasion.”
On his way out of the Senate building, Pacquiao and
Jinkee gamely fielded questions
from Washington-based Filipino
media men.
Pacquiao, whose long mophair has been compared to that
of Hollywood teen-age sensation
Justin Beiber, said he was not
copying anyone’s hairstyle in
particular.
“Dapat iba naman, para
hindi magsawa ang tao (I need
to look different so people won’t
get tired of my looks),” Pacquiao
said.
He said he has always
wanted to meet Obama because
he was inspired by what he has
achieved: first minority president of the United States and a
Nobel Peace Prize.
Earlier in the morning, Pacquiao met with Philippine Consul General Domingo Nolasco
who briefed the congressman on
the SAVE Act - a bill pending on
Capitol Hill that would provide
reciprocal tariff exemptions for
US textiles and Philippine garments.
Pacquiao also said he
The people living near valleys and river and stream channels were advised to be vigilant
against sediment-laden stream
flows and lahars in the event of
heavy and prolonged rainfall.
Local Philippine Army units
helped residents of some areas
of Irosin and Juban affected by
the ash fall evacuate to safer
grounds, the report said.
del Rosario, some doubted
whether he could fill his shoes.
Gaa proved his critics
wrong, allowing his accomplishments and quiet efficiency to establish his credentials.
He now faces perhaps the
greatest challenge of his life but
the Filipino and FilAm community in Metro DC is rooting and
praying that like all the other
hurdles he’s faced before, he will
overcome this too.
American author Richard
Bach says farewells are part of
life - they are “necessary before
you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who
are friends.”
Manny Pacquiao and Jinkee pose on the steps of the Capitol in Washington
D.C. during their brief visit.
wanted to tell the American
president about the bill’s benefits of boosting both the US textile
industry
and
the
labor-intensive Philippine garments sector.
President
Benigno
S.
Aquino III on Wednesday hailed
the meeting between United
States President Barack Obama
and Filipino boxing sensation
and Saranggani Representative
Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao
in Washington, saying it highlighted the Filipino’s talent and
worth.
“It (meeting) highlights the
fact that we have an outstanding
athlete worthy of being talked to
by arguably one of the most
powerful man in the world," the
President told reporters who
waited for him to wind up a
command conference with officers of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines in Camp Aguinaldo
this morning.
“So there is a recognition
that in the Philippines we also
have talented and worthwhile
individuals," he added.
Pacquiao, who was accompanied by his wife Jinkee, met
Obama at the White House’s
Oval Office. They talked about
boxing and basketball “along
with a bit of business," according
to Pacquiao’s publicist Fred
Sternburg.
Sternburg said that the
eight-division world champion
posed with Obama for several
photos, including a boxing pose,
in the Oval Office.
23
February 28, 2011
Participants in EDSA... from page 1
active anti-Marcos leader in
Washington D.C., who is now a
Manila Mail columnist.
Yano was a 26-year-old lieutenant with the 1st Security Battalion of strongman Ferdinand
Marcos’ Presidential Security
Command in Malacanang.
Lorenzana was a major at
the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio.
When a group of disgruntled colonels led by then Defense
Minister (now Senator) Juan
Ponce Enrile launched a failed
coup to oust President Marcos,
both men braced for the worst.
The mutiny provided the
spark for a bloodless People
Power revolt, drawing millions
of unarmed Filipinos on EDSA Metro Manila’s main northsouth road artery, and in the
process offered a peaceful alternative for people struggling to
restore democracy in their own
lands, from Poland to Egypt.
Yano explained that their
mission was to protect the President and they were ready to fulfill that task at all costs.
Lorenzana said there was
no hesitation when he rushed to
Camp Crame to join forces with
then national police chief (later
President) Fidel V. Ramos. He
was simply fed up with the way
Marcos prostituted the military
to keep him in power.
Bill Branigin was Washington Post bureau chief for Southeast Asia at the time. He was
dispatched to Manila to report
on the Feb. 7, 1986 “snap elections” that pitted widowed
housewife Corazon Aquino
against Marcos.
“We got a call that Enrile
and Ramos were at Camp
Crame so we went there and
there was a sort of marathon
press conference. It became clear
they were playing for time, trying to gather support from the
rest of the military,” he recalled.
In Malacanang, Yano was
summoned by his commander,
Col. Arsenio Tecson who asked
him if he was ready to do his
duty. Without asking what that
“duty” was, he replied yes.
He heaved a sigh of relief
upon his mission was to secure
Marcos until he left Malacanang.
Yano said they never got an
order to attack the mutineers or
the crowd gathering outside the
presidential palace.
“I remember going to a
press conference in Malacanang
where President Marcos was
asked what he was doing about
this and Gen. (Fabian) Ver interrupted him. He was asking for
permission to fire on the mutineers. It was hard to tell whether
that was all staged or what was
going on,” Branigin averred.
“A confusing time,” he remembered.
Losing the support of the
national police and with the faction of the army still loyal to
Marcos moving excruciatingly
slow, Marine commandant Brig.
Gen. Artemio Tadiar was ordered to detach two battalions
from the Malacanang perimeter
and move the troops with their
leviathan amphibious tanks to
Camp Crame.
They were stopped by nuns
holding rosaries at the intersection of EDSA and Ortigas Avenue (where the EDSA Shrine
now stands).
Yano said they were surprised by how poorly Malacanang was defended.
On the 2nd day of the revolt, Marcos ordered Airforce
Col. Antonio Sotelo, commander
Is Donaire Manny’s... from page 1
pound fighters in the world,
with Pacquiao on top.
Some boxing experts believe
that Donaire’s demolition of
Montiel may cement his rise to
the top. Case Keefer of the Las
Vegas Sun noted that both Pacquiao and Donaire had similar
backgrounds and successes in
the ring.
He said both fighters grew
up in General Santos, became
professional boxers before their
20th birthday in one of the
smallest weight classes, and held
multiple championships at the
age of 28.
Keefer quoted Top Rank
boss Bob Arum as saying that
“people will see a lot of things
[with Donaire that] we saw with
Manny Pacquiao."
Donaire, who made his bantamweight debut in December,
ended Montiel’s reign as WBC
and WBO titleholder with a left
hook 2 minutes 25 seconds into
the second round.
In the fight with Montiel,
Donaire controlled most of the
fight. He landed a left hook that
stunned the champion in the
first round and came out swinging in the second, landing a few
combinations before knocking
Montiel to the canvas with another left hook.
When Montiel, 31, made it
back to his feet, the referee
stopped the fight a few moments
later.
Donaire has now won 25
consecutive fights, improving
his record to 26-1 with 18 knockouts. Montiel dropped to 44-3-2
(34 KOs).
“I just came out there believing in what I had,” Montiel
said. “I want to be undisputed in
this weight class, if not I want to
go up in weight."
The clash between the two
top bantamweights in the world
drew a big crowd.
of the Cavite-based 15th Strike
Wing, to attack the parked rebel
helicopters at Camp Crame.
We remember the anxiety
when news bulletins reported
gunships had taken off from
Sangley Base, intentions unknown, and finally hearing the
drone of approaching aircraft.
There was a thunderous cheer
when the choppers touched
down at Camp Crame.
A rebel gunship was soon
firing a rocket salvo at Malacanang, Yano recalled, and met no
resistance.
“We always thought there
were some anti-aircraft guns or
missiles hidden somewhere. It
turned out there was none,”
Yano now remembers amusedly.
The US government moved
swiftly to grapple with the rapidly developing crisis. State Secretary George Shultz gathered
his top Philippine experts including former Ambassador to
Manila Michael Armacost.
Melegrito said he started
fighting the Marcos dictatorship
after he imposed Martial Law in
1972.
A small group of Filipino
activists in Metro DC held regular pickets in front of the old
Philippine Embassy building
along Massachusetts Avenue
NW (in front of where the current Embassy stands).
“We were monitoring what
was happening in the Philippines,” Melegrito told us.
They learned that unprecedented crowds continued to
surge on EDSA.
Early morning of Feb. 25,
Marcos talked to US Senator
Paul Laxalt, perhaps grabbing
his last lifeline, and was told to
“cut and cut cleanly”.
Hours later, four helicopters
parked at the US Embassy, took
off and headed for the PresidenEastside Boxing’s James
Slater said Donaire’s rise to the
top of the P4P list is inevitable.
He said: “Pacquiao doesn’t
figure to have too many more
fights, [Floyd] Mayweather may
never fight again, depending on
the outcome of his legal troubles,
and [Sergio] Martinez is 35 years
old. With so much fight left in
him at just 28, and with the
seemingly-at-his-peak Filipino
having a number of solid opponents to look at facing in the
coming months... it’s conceivable
indeed that Donaire will one day
reach the top of the P4P lists."
“Is there any fighter, at
either 118, 122 or 126, who can
stop Donaire’s sensational rise?"
Slater asks.
Dan Rafael, on the other
hand, believes that Donaire already deserves a No. 3 P4P ranking now just behind Pacquiao
and Martinez. Rafael, after
watching the Donaire-Moniel
fight, also compared the Filipino
Flash’s rise to stardom to the
route taken by the Pacman.
New Defense Attache Yano, Ret. Gen. Delfin Lorenzana and Jon Melegrito
recount their experiences during the EDSA revolution during the reception
for Yano hosted by Bill and Bing Branigin at their residence in Virginia.
tial Guards headquarters just
across the Pasig River from the
Palace and picked up Marcos,
his family and close aides for the
short hop to Clark Air Base and
onto Hickam Air Base in Hawaii.
“Before the departure of the
then president, I had mixed
emotions because of what could
happen to us after the new regime takes over,” Yano confessed.
But they were relieved
when Marcos finally left and discovered their earlier fears were
unfounded. They were ordered
to assemble at the grandstand of
the PSG headquarters.
“The new regime turned
out to be very friendly. We were
told to continue working so
there will be a good transition,”
he said.
“When we learned Marcos
left Malacanang it was 3 o’clock
in the morning here,” Melegrito
recalled.
“We called everyone to go
to the Embassy. We were exhilarated because we never thought
Marcos would leave,” he said.
They already had an inkling
the end was near because a day
earlier, they spied Embassy staf-
fers taking out boxes.
“The Embassy was deserted
but the celebrations started and
it would go on the whole morning and throughout the day, till
the evening,” he added.
“What surprised us were
the motorists and passers-by in
front of the Philippine Embassy.
They had heard that People
Power won in the Philippines so
they brought beer and champagne,” Melegrito chuckled,
adding “there was really a big
party.”
EDSA People Power was
such a momentous event that
every Filipino old enough has a
tale to tell about what they were
doing those four days in February 1986.
It preceded the age of SMS,
Tweeter and Facebook.
“It did become a template,”
said Branigin, “of a largely
peaceful uprising. Some other
countries did try to emulate,
more recently Egypt although I
don’t think it drew directly from
the experience in the Philippines. Still, they try to pursue
the same goal of having a peaceful revolution.”
“With the booming knockout, Donaire won a title in a
third weight class and gave the
Philippines another victory in its
burgeoning boxing rivalry with
Mexico. Donaire was a longtime
flyweight champion - the same
division where Pacquiao began
his historic run - and also had
won an interim junior bantamweight belt," he said.
Donaire welcomed the comparison and said he still looks up
to his compatriot.
“Pacquiao has given me this
opportunity and I will always
thank him for that," he said. “I’m
happy being number two.” But
his idol came too late to Las
Vegas to witness him knock out
Montiel.
Donaire had beaten Ukrain-
ian Wladimiro Sidorenko in his
previous fight to extend his win
streak to 24 fights. He had won
the IBF flyweight title in July
2007 when he knocked out unbeaten and highly regarded Vic
Darchinyan in the fifth round.
Having fought at the top
level for the past ten years, he
has now confirmed his status as
No 1 bantamweight in the world
after knocking out WBC champion Hozumi Hasegawa last
year.
He was only 17 years old
when he made his professional
debut. In December 2000 he won
the WBO flyweight belt with a
seventh-round stoppage over
Isidro Perez.
24
February 28, 2011
Bongbong agrees EDSA is an ‘important event’
MANILA - While people
were busy marking the anniversary of the 1986 EDSA People
Power Revolution that toppled
strongman Ferdinand Marcos,
his son, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. acknowledged
that EDSA was “an important
event” in Philippine history.
“It was the day we were
taken away from this country.
We did not leave the country.
We were taken away and not allowed to return," he told reporters, turning a little teary-eyed.
He was emphatic about correcting the misimpression that
the Marcos family “left” the
country at the height of the revolt in 1986 to go on exile in Hawaii.
Marcos, who became a
senator at the same time that
then Sen. Benigno Aquino III
won the presidency in May 2010,
recognized EDSA I “as certainly
an important event in our nation’s history."
Asked if there was anything
good that came out of the revolt
that catapulted to power then
Marcos’ presidential rival, Corazon C. Aquino, the younger
Marcos said: “It’s an opportunity for our people to express
their hopes and dreams for our
Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
country."
“And it’s up to us who are
in government, who are working in government, to make as
many of these hopes and dreams
a reality as quickly as possible,"
he said.
In his view, the gains of
EDSA I must be gauged by how
far the Filipinos have achieved
their aspirations in 1986.
“In my assessment we have
a long way to go and we have
much to do. And that is why I’m
happy that I’m in the Senate. At
least I can contribute to the ef-
we’ve come along,’Marcos said.
‘Perhaps the celebration of
1986 reminds us of how much
President Aquino is joined by former President Fidel Ramos and Senate
President Juan Ponce Enrile at the inauguration and blessing of the DND
Conference Room at Camp Aguinaldo which has been converted into a
forts to the progress of our people," he said.
In this context, the Marcos
family would rather “look forward and see what else we can
do to be of service to the people," he added.
If it were to be marked,
EDSA I should serve as a ‘touchstone’ for all Filipinos on “how
far we’ve come, and how little
needs to be done, how much we
have to work to bring that progress that we all want for our
country," he said.
Earlier, Bongbong said he is
willing to discuss his views on
the 1986 People Power Revolution with people who reacted
negatively to his opinion that the
Philippines would have been
more progressive today had his
father not been ousted from
power.
“If people don’t agree ...
maybe we will discuss it over a
cup of coffee one day," Marcos
told reporters. He was reacting
to the comment of President Benigno Aquino III that Marcos
should check his figures.
“Alam niyo ang Edsa kasi
ang hinahabol natin pagkakaisa,
makikipagbangayan ba ako sa
kanya?...Tingnan na lang ninyo
kung magkano po iyong ating
foreign debt noong nag-umpisa
ang panunungkulan ng kanyang
ama. At noong ‘74 or so, nasa
daang milyon lang po ang pinag-uusapan e. Noong pag-alis
po nila, nasa bilyon na tayo at
maraming bilyon. So, paano
naman natin masasabing Singapore na tayo," he said on the
sidelines of an event at the Rizal
High School.
Asked if he’s also willing to
have a cup of coffee with President Aquino, the senator only
said: “That would be fine with
me.”
GMA invited to EDSA rites
MANILA - Former President and now Rep. Gloria Arroyo of Pampanga is welcomed
to take part in 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution 25th anniversary, but this does not mean
“reconciliation” with the Aquino
administration, the Palace said.
Deputy spokesman Abigail
Valte said over Radyo ng Bayan
that President Benigno Aquino
3rd would not mind if Mrs. Arroyo would join the EDSA celebration, noting that EDSA “does
not belong to one family.”
“EDSA does not belong
solely to one family, it belongs to
the Filipino people so we should
all partake in the celebration and
remembering the spirit of
EDSA," the deputy spokesman
said.
Previous leaders of the Philippines, including Mrs. Arroyo,
have been invited to take part in
the activities for the 25th anniversary of EDSA 1. Valte said
that Mrs. Arroyo will be given
“respect that is accorded [a] former president."
She, however, said that this
does not mean President Aquino
is ready for reconciliation with
Mrs. Arroyo. She cited what the
President has always said that
“there can be no reconciliation
without justice.”
“President Aquino had always said in the past, if I remember correctly he said this
during his inaugural, that ‘there
can be no reconciliation without
justice,’" the deputy spokesman
said.
She added: “Maraming
nangyari noong nakaraang administrasyon na hindi kaaya-aya
[There are a lot of things that
happened in the previous administration that were unpleasant]."
Valte urged the Filipino
youth to take part in the celebration. “We invite our youth, especially aged 25 and below, to take
part in celebration of Edsa," the
deputy spokesman said.
She said that the celebration
is “meant to engage our youth
and to show them this is what
Edsa was, this is what it is and
this is what it means to our democracy as [a] people."
The Edsa People Power
Commission has prepared a series of activities to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the
peaceful uprising. The celebration started on February 17 and
will end on February 27.
A boodle lunch with President Aquino and some 2,500
people along the Edsa strip on
February 25 will be the highlight
of the celebration, with a theme
“Pilipino Ako, Ako ang Lakas
ng Pagbabago [I am a Filipino, I
am the power of change]."
On February 25, a flag raising ceremony at the People
Power Monument will kick off
the celebration. The Philippine
Overseas Employment Agency
(POEA) will also hold a job fair
on the same day.
A historical marker will also
be unveiled in the POEA building, located at the corner of Edsa
and Ortigas Avenue which was
the exact spot where the late former President Corazon Aquino
delivered a speech during the
Edsa People Power Revolution.
In Malacanang, a Kalayaan
marker will also be unveiled on
February 26. Personalities who
played significant roles during
Edsa 1 will be given recognition
in Malacanang’s Heroes Hall.
On February 27, a People
Power run will be held from
People Power Monument to Ortigas, Greene¬meadows and C5. Simultaneous runs will also be
held in Bicol, Cebu, Zamboanga,
Dipolog and Angeles City.
DC FilAms Remember EDSA
Filipino
Americans
in
Washington DC joined their
compatriots around the world
and in the Philippines to mark
the 25th anniversary of the
EDSA People Power revolution
on February 25.
That first peaceful Filipino
People Power revolt that led to
the ouster of Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos in Manila
in 1986 is now being replicated
by oppressed peoples in Africa
and the Middle East. First to be
“liberated by People Power” are
the peoples of Tunisia and
Egypt.
EDSA celebrations were
also held to commemorate the
memorable event by Filipino organizations around the United
States.
The DC celebration was
held on Feb. 27 at the residence
of Jon and Elvi Melegrito in
Kensington, Maryland with a
potluck dinner and the showing
of a musical play “Hacienda”
by Rod Garcia. The Melegritos
were among the Filipinos who
were very active in denouncing
the Marcos dictatorship and
demonstrating in front of the
Philippine embassy, the US
Congress and the White House.
At that time, US President Reagan was supportive of Marcos
because of the presence of the
vital US bases in the Philippines.
“Let’s remember those
days when Filipinos and Filipino Americans in metro DC
helped and saw the restoration
of democracy in the Philippines,” said Maurese Owens in
her email invitation to the community. “Relive and remember
the tension and the triumph
from those dark days, as we in
Washington, DC witnessed, did
our part, and joined the celebration of democracy’s return."
Similar demonstrations are
also being held in Washington
D.C. by nationals of Bahrein,
Libya, Yemen and other Middle
Eastern countries who are asking the US to help restore democracy in their respective
countries.
The People Power revolt
and the standoff with the army
is the background of the musical play Hacienda that was
shown several times in the 90s.
VALLEJO - Filipinos in
Vallejo and elsewhere cele-
brated the 25th anniversary of
the People Power Revolution,
said Lanz Christian Bañes of the
Vallejo Times Herald: “It was a
country that for decades was
ruled by a single man with an
unwavering grip on power. But
a popular uprising, goaded by
religious elements of society,
tore down the dictatorship and
in doing so toppled a close
American ally. This is not the
story of Egypt, which the world
has watched in awe over the
last month. Rather, it is the history of the Philippines, a country that celebrates this week the
25th anniversary of the People
Power Revolution."
Banes interviewed several
Filipinos who were young at
that time and who joined in the
movement to restore freedom in
the Philippines.
These came as Filipino organizations in New York, Chicago, San Francisco and other
major cities also held separate
commemorations of the event,
particularly now that peoples in
the Middle East and Africa are
also rising against dictators in
their respective countries.
25
February 28, 2011
1st time
Homebuyer’s
grant
As a Realtor(r), we always
received different programs and
promotions from various lending institutions that we can use
to attract homebuyers especially
those with limited resources.
Lately, I received brochures
about down payment grants or
credit that they are funding for
first time homebuyers as of February 1, 2011 since the government tax credit has expired as of
June 30, 2010. These promotions
and programs may or may not
be offered by other lending institutions, terms and conditions
may vary. So, make sure to
shop around when you are
thinking of buying.
The program was initiated
to assist low and moderate income homebuyers with down
payment and closing assistance.
The lenders set aside a certain
maximum amount and the promotion expired until the funds
are exhausted. It is more of a
first come first serve basis. They
matched homebuyer fund as to 5
to 1 scale. For example, if a
buyer put $1,500 of their own
money in the transaction, they
are eligible to get the full $7,500
grant. Some of the eligibility requirements are: available for
first time homebuyers; minimum credit scores depends on
the program but typically 640;
must be an owner occupied
property ,however co-borrowers
are not required to stay in the
home; buyer must contribute at
least $500; gifts are allowed for
family members; must reside for
at least 5 years so as not to repay
the grant; they are required to
take homebuyer counseling over
the phone after ratifying a contract; must meet income requirements based on location. For
example, in Fairfax VA; median
income allowed is $57,960 per
person and $66,240 for two people and gradually increasing.
They can get 5x of their income
the sales price of the house.
Funds are applicable for FHA,
VHDA, VHDA-FHA and VHDA
conventional financing. Contact
your loan officer or lenders for
detailed information based on
your financial situation.
These are the most common
loans and their primary benefits
and again, check with your loan
officer or lender as terms and
condition may vary per lender
and per borrower. Conventional
- up to 95% financing; FHA, as
little as 3.5 down payment; VA,
no down payment and no
monthly mortgage insurance;
VHDA, low interest rate and up
to 105% financing; FHLB, up to
$7,500 in down payment and
closing cost assistance; Home
Path, little down, no monthly
mortgage insurance and no appraisal fees, can be used for primary residence but best for
second homes or investment
properties especially on foreclosed properties; 203K renovation loans, labor and materials
for renovation can be financed
into loan amount, low interest
rate, if property cannot be habitable during renovation, six
months payments will be fi-
nanced.
The First-Time Homebuyer
Tax Credit is still here. If you
are in military, you still have the
opportunity for the up to $8,000
tax credit for first time homebuyer and the $6,500 tax credit
for repeat homebuyers. You
must have served on official extended service outside of US for
at least 90 days between
12/31/2008 until 05/01/2010.
You must have a ratified contract by 04/30/2011 and close by
06/30/2011.
Enjoy these programs and
promotions as this is a perfect
timing to buy your home. Short
sales, foreclosures and bank
owned properties are still
around for lower selling price
and little fixing and cosmetics
required. Home ownership is
still the American Dream.
Note: Jocelyn Porteria is a
Realtor(r) licensed in VA. She
earned a designation of ABR,
Accredited Buyer’s Specialist
and a CDPE Certified Distressed
Property and Short Sale Expert.
A Certified Program 3648 Representative. For more info, call her
at 571-432-8335 or email at [email protected]. For
a free confidential evaluation of
your individual situation, property value, and possible options,
you
can
also
visit
hosted.cdpe.com/jocelynporter
ia for detailed short sales information.)
Letter to the Editor...
Balikbayan Box
Shipments
Dear Sirs:
This letter is in response to
your article entitled “”DHS Inspects B’ayan Boxes" published
on January 31, 2011. First of all
we commend you on educating
our fellow Filipinos on what is
happening within the Balikbayan Box Industry and the
challenges both Freight Forwarders and customers are faced
with. These inspections started
towards the 3Q of 2010. Though
the gist of the article is correct, it
is not factually accurate. We feel
it would be in the best interest of
your readers to know the actual
facts about the transit times cited
in your article given the fact that
your newspaper is circulated
primarily in the Washington, DC
Metro Area.
In your article, you state:
“Previously it took an average of
24 days from the time the box is
received in the forwarder’s
warehouse until it is delivered to
the door of the beneficiary in
Metro Manila. Now it can take
up to 35 days or more.” These
transit times were accurate
about 1-2 years ago and only for
shipments originating from the
west coast. Prior to this, the
transit times from the east coast
including the Washington Metro
Area were 32 days port to port,
not warehouse to delivery.
As of February 1, 2011,
OOCL and NYK, two of the
largest containerized vessel
providers have a published Port
to Port (Port of Baltimore - Manila North Harbor via Seattle or
Port of Norfolk to Manila North
Harbor via Norfolk) transit time
of 37-41 days depending on the
weekly sailing schedule. This
does not include the time
needed to check in and process
the container at the port of load
and the time needed to clear and
process the container once it arrives in the Philippines (usually
another 2-3 days). So at best,
from the freight forwarder’s
published collection deadline, it
takes roughly 45-50 days before
the container is received by the
forwarder’s warehouse in the
Philippines. Add on another 510 days for delivery within
Luzon and you are looking at a
total of 50-60 days from the time
your shipment is received at the
forwarder’s warehouse in the US
to the time your box is delivered
to its intended recipient.
DHS charges Freight Forwarders the minimum of $2400
for every container it checks. It
goes up depending on the container size, storage time and the
number of man hours it takes to
physically inspect tagged boxes.
This fee could go up close to
$4,000 or more in some instances
Of Presidents & Sportsmen
Filipino boxing superstar
Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao created quite a buzz during his
whirlwind visit to Washington
DC at the tail-end of the fourcity promotional tour of his May
7 world welterweight title defense against American challenger “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
Pacquiao, a first-term congressman representing the lone
district of Sarangani in Mindanao, had a private audience
with President Barack Obama
and Vice President Joe Biden at
the White House Oval Office.
Pacquiao was accompanied by
his gorgeous wife, Jinkee, the
only member of the Pacquiao entourage allowed to join him.
As sportsmen, Obama and
Pacquiao share a common passion for basketball. Obama
played on the Punahou High
School basketball team in Honolulu in the 1970s, helping the
team win the state championship. He still plays pick-up
games on occasion with members of his family, his White
House staff and his Secret Service detail.
Pacquiao not only plays
basketball as a form of exercise
and relaxation; he also own a
team called Pacman Gensan
which plays in Philippine basketball leagues. His love for the
hoops sometimes unnerve his
training team, who fear he might
hurt himself or even break a
bone in the contact sport. I know
for a fact that he has a deal with
his famous American trainer
Freddie Roach: no basketball
one month before a fight.
Pacquiao became only the
second Philippine athlete to ever
meet with a sitting American
president. The first was the legendary Pinoy golfer Celestino
Tugot who came to visit President Dwight Eisenhower’s office
in 1954.
Ike Eisenhower was an avid
golfer who started playing the
game when he was still in the
Army. Tugot would be the Philippine equivalent of Tiger
Woods during his prime, winning multiple titles not only in
the Philippine but also in the
Asian golf circuit, including six
Philippine Open championships.
Eisenhower was the 33rd
U.S. president and the only general to be elected to the highest
elective office in America in the
20th century. The late president
was a member of Augusta National Golf Club, whose fabled
course is home of the Masters
Tournament.
In fact, there is a guest cabin
there named after Ike in
Augusta National. There’s also a
very old tree that extends out in
the fairway of the fabled golf
course named after Ike. Apparently, that tree gave Ike a bit of a
trouble and he lobbied to have
the tree cut. That tree near Hole
No. 17 is still there, and it has
been named in honor of the
president.
As sportsmen and leaders,
Obama and Pacquiao and Eisenhower and Tugot were a great
influence on their respective
sports, inspiring young men and
women to take basketball, boxing and golf very seriously. They
also serve a role models for people from all walks in life, motivating other by their example
and achievements to be the best
they can be in their chosen
fields.
if penalties are involved. DHS
can hold the container for a
week up to a month at their discretion.
Once a container is tagged
for inspections, the container is
taken out and all boxes are unloaded. Each box goes though
an X-Ray machine and Customs
officers select about 20% to open
and physically inspect. After inspection, boxes are resealed with
the markings “Inspected by US
Homeland Security Customs
and Border Patrol.”
We hope articles regarding
this matter do not dissuade customers from sending packages
to their loved ones back home.
We advise customers to allow
for up to a month in delays and
to be responsible in packing
your boxes. Under declaring or
misdeclaring will only result in
further delays, penalties, additional fines and possibly jail
time.
RIA CALANOG
World Int’l Cargo Transfer
USA (WICT USA)
—
Thank you for the clarification. Most of the data the Manila
Mail used came from reports of
the Department of Homeland
Security and forwarders in the
West Coast who recently met
with US officials.
THE EDITORS
26
February 28, 2011
STIR-FRIED CHICKEN AND
LEEK DUMPLINGS
Aside from steaming, here
is another way of preparing
dumplings. My family loves to
eat these as a snack so I always
make extra for the freezer.
Ingredients for the filling:
3 pieces boneless chicken
thighs
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped leeks
1/2 cup chopped water
chestnuts
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch
dissolved in 1/4 cup water
(slurry)
Wrapper: Wonton wrapper, separated (available at most
Asian grocery stores)
Dipping Sauce:
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Pinch pepper
Methods:
Blanch the chicken thighs;
wash in cold water, drain and
chop finely. Sweat the onions,
mix in the chicken and cook in
its own juice. Add the leeks,
water chestnuts and season with
salt and pepper. Sprinkle a little
slurry until the filling slightly
binds. Let the filling cool down
or refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the paste by simmer-
Recently, when no one except me and my grandchildren
were in the house, there was a
force alarm of our security system. I just learned a lesson: I
have to memorize our password
which I always rely on my husband.
I also thought of memorizing the following information or
make them easily accessible (including a pen) to other family
members in the house: Emergency information such as telephone
numbers
of
the
ambulance, police, fire department, poison control center,
family doctor and dentist; blood
types, Social Security numbers
or even clothing sizes.
Master Chef Evelyn: 100 Most
Influential Filipina Women in the
U.S., 2009, Filipina Women's Network; Owner, Philippine Oriental
Market & Deli, Arlington, Virginia; Founder and President of
CHEW (Cancer Health - Eat Well),
a foundation to help and cook probono for Filipino-Americans who
are afflicted with cancer and other
serious illnesses; Culinary writer,
master baker and cake designer
(kitchen-tested and mastered more
than 400 recipes, and counting);
Member, International Cake Exploration Society; Master Chef, French
Cuisine and Patisserie, Cordon
Bleu, London, U.K.; Host of the
cooking show - "Evelyn's Kitchen
- Cooking with Friends".
maganda, hindi selosa, mapagmahal, masipag, mapagkalinga,
masarap magluto?
Mister: Guni-guni!
Sa isang classroom...
Titser: Class, what is Ethics?
Pilo: Itiks are smaller than
ducks.
BAD GRADES
LONG LIFE
Tatay: Bagsak ka na naman!
Ba't di mo gayahin si Pedro?
Palaging may honor.
Anak: 'Tay, unfair naman
kung ikumpara niyo ako kay Pedro.
Tatay: Bakit naman?
Anak: Matalino tatay nun,
eh!
Boy1:
Lahi namin ang
mahabang buhay, lolo ko noong
namatay 88 years old na.
Boy2: Talo kita. Lolo ko
namatay 98 years old.
Boy3: Ala yan! Lolo ko, sa
sobrang tanda, pinatay na lang
namin siya.
SA INGLES
POKEMON
Juan: 'Tay, penge beinte pesos… bibili ako ng de lata.
Tatay: Anak, mga taga
bukid lang ang gumagamit ng
term na de lata! Englisin mo
yan!
Juan: Paano?
Tatay: Eh, di sabihin mo…
kang gud!
Kulas
buying
some
pokemon toy for a godson.
Kulas: Miss pabili nga ng
kikimon.
Saleslady; Umm, sorry sir,
pero pokemon po ang tawag
dyan.
Kulas: Pokemon, kikimon,
pare-pareho lang yan!
ing the rest of the slurry until
slightly thickened. Wrap about
1 tablespoon of the filling in a
wonton wrapper; secure wrapper with paste. Repeat the process until all the filling is used up.
Arrange the dumplings in a baking pan lined with parchment
paper and freeze.
To stir fry the frozen dumplings, arrange them in a nonstick skillet and pour 1/4 cup
water and cover for 2-3 minutes
or until the liquid has evaporated. Add just a little vegetable
oil (1 or 2 tablespoons) and stir
fry the dumplings (2-3 minutes)
or until shiny and slightly crisp
on the edges.
Serve with dipping sauce.
Household Hints:
DOCTOR’S EXAM
A pretty young woman visiting her new doctor for the first
time found herself alone in a
small waiting room. She began
undressing nervously, preparing
herself for the upcoming examination. Just as she draped the
last of her garments over the
back of a chair, a light rap
sounded on the door and a
young doctor strode in.
Coming to an abrupt halt,
the doctor looked his nude patient over carefully and with
considerable appreciation. "Miss
Jones," he said finally, "it seems
quite obvious to me that until today you have never undergone
an eye examination."
LESSON LEARNED
A teacher wanted to teach
his 5th grade class a lesson about
the evils of liquor, so he
produced an experiment that
involved a glass of water, a glass
of whiskey, and two worms.
"Now, class, observe closely
the worms," said the professor
putting a worm first into the
glass of water.
The worm in the water
wiggled about, happy as a worm
in water could be.
Then he put the second
worm into the whiskey. It
writhed in pain, and it quickly
sank to the bottom, dead as a
doornail.
"Now, class, tell me… what
lesson can we learn from this
experiment?" the teacher asked.
A little boy raised his hand
and proudly responded, "Drink
whiskey and you won't get any
worms!"
MATH QUESTION
A football coach walked
into the locker room before a
game, looked over to his star
player and said, "I'm not
supposed to let you play since
you failed math, but we need
you in there. So what I have to
do is ask you a math question,
and if you get it right, you can
play."
The player agreed, and the
coach looked into his eyes
intently and asks, "Okay, now
concentrate... what is the square
root of 16?"
The player thought for a
moment and then he answered,
"4?"
"Did you say 4?!?" the coach
exclaimed, excited that he got it
right.
At that, all the other players
on the team began screaming,
"Come on coach, give him another chance!"
BAD GRADES
Little Mikey wasn't getting
good marks in school. One day
he made the teacher quite surprised.
He tapped her on the shoulder and said., "I don't want to
scare you, but my daddy says if I
don't get better grades… somebody is going to get a spanking."
MEANING OF WIFE
Husband asks, "Do you
know the meaning of WIFE? It
means 'Without Information
Fighting Everytime'!"
Wife replies, "No, it means
'With Idiot For Ever'!!!!
FINDERS KEEPERS
"Johnny, if you found a couple of dollars and had to spend
them, what would you buy?"
"A box of Tampax," he
replied without hesitation.
"Tampax?" said the teacher.
"What would you do with that?"
"Well," said Johnny, "I do
not know exactly, but it's sure
worth two dollars. With tampax,
it says on TV, you can go
swimming, go horseback riding,
and also go skating, any time
you want to."
SEKSI
Misis:
Darling, ano ang
tawag sa isang asawa na sexy,
WHAT IS?
27
February 28, 2011
Frugal is
Fun!
Calcium, D warning
‘Excessive calcium from dietary supplements, beyond the
recommended dose has been associated with kidney stones, and
ingesting too much vitamin D
can damage the heart and the
kidneys.’
CALCIUM and vitamin D
were in the spotlight a couple of
months ago. The report from the
Institute of Medicine (IOM sets
the new official dietary guidelines on Calcium and Vitamin D
“to maintain health and avoid
risk associated with excess."
With the hype on megadose vitamins and “super” beverages and pills claiming to have
health benefits and “cures for
dozens of all diseases, including
cancer," the food supplement industry is propelled by the billions of dollars it rakes in
annually.
The dangerous public misinformation majority of the various companies use in the
marketing of their “wonder”
products has resulted in countless hospitalizations and deaths.
Since these products are exempt
from the scrutiny of drug, food,
and health agencies, vitamins
and the so-called “food supplements” are available to the public
in
general,
without
prescription. Most of these companies are taking advantage of
the consumers’ ignorance, gullibility, and obsessive search for
the illusive fountain of youth.
The new guidelines
According to the Institute of
Medicine, “Most Americans and
Canadians up to age 70 need no
more than 600 international
units (IUs) of vitamin D per day
to maintain health, and those 71
and older may need as much as
800 IUs. The amount of calcium
needed ranges, based on age,
from 700 to 1,300 milligrams per
day, according to the IOM report, which updates the nutritional reference values known as
Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs)
for these interrelated nutrients."
These new guidelines from
the IOM were based on recommendations based on almost
1,000 independent “published
studies and testimony from scientists and stakeholders." The
investigation was sponsored by
the United States Department of
Health and Human Services, US
Department of Agriculture, US
Department of Defense, and
Health Canada. “Established in
1970 under the charter of the
National Academy of Sciences,
the Institute of Medicine provides independent, objective,
evidence-based advice to policymakers, health professionals, the
private sector, and the public."
Evidence-based rationale
The following are segments
of the IOM report: A large
amount of evidence, which
formed the basis of the new intake values, confirms the roles of
calcium and vitamin D in promoting skeletal growth and
maintenance and the amounts
needed to avoid poor bone
health. The committee that
wrote the report also reviewed
hundreds of studies and reports
on other possible health effects
of vitamin D, such as protection
against cancer, heart disease,
autoimmune diseases, and diabetes. While these studies point
to possibilities that warrant further investigation, they have
yielded conflicting and mixed
results and do not offer the evidence needed to confirm that vitamin D has these effects.
Rigorous trials that yield consistent results are vital for reaching
conclusions, as past experiences
have shown. Vitamin E, for example, was believed to protect
against heart disease before further studies disproved it.
“There is abundant science
to confidently state how much
vitamin D and calcium people
need," said committee chair
Catharine Ross, Professor and
Dorothy Foehr Huck Chair, department of nutritional sciences,
Pennsylvania State University,
University Park. “We scrutinized the evidence, looking for
indications of beneficial effects
at all levels of intake. Amounts
higher than those specified in
this report are not necessary to
maintain bone health."
Meeting the needs
The science on calcium’s
role in bone health shows that
700 milligrams per day meets
the needs of almost all children
ages 1 through 3, and 1,000 milligrams daily is appropriate for
almost all children ages 4
through 8. Adolescents ages 9
through 18 require no more than
1,300 milligrams per day. For
practically all adults ages 19
through 50 and for men until
age 71, 1,000 milligrams covers
daily calcium needs. Women
starting at age 51 and both men
“Hindi ba frugal is kuripot?,”
asked a friend.
Well, there
seems to be a fine line between
the two terminologies, but no,
they are not the same. Being frugal is a good trait, but with kuripot or stingy, the person
referred to will likely be talked
about and becomes the butt of
jokes. Maramot is another word
that describes a persons trait that
though he or she can afford, simply does not want to share anything with the others.
Being frugal or thrifty is being budget conscious. It simply
means matipid. We make some
adjustments to our lifestyle that
affects our financial position in
our daily living. It means that
we cut or avoid anything that is
excessive or frivolous, the opposite of “keeping up with the
Joneses” or buying the latest fad
and top of the line stuffs.
Among other things, with selfrestraint, we dont acquire things
that are not really needed. Does
it hurt or shameful if we do?
Our ego trip will take us nowhere if our finances are down
the drain.
Yes, Frugal is Fun!
It is careful management of
handling money and operating
with little waste of anything. We
become budget conscious and
we think of penny pinching
ways to save money for the
rainy days, wika nga. To start
with, Saturday morning while
listening to the TV morning
news, sipping hot coffee and
with a pair of scissors nearby,
cutting grocery, beauty products
or over the counter medicine
coupons becomes fun. Theres
money in these clippings. How
about doing your own manicure
and pedicure or coloring your
own hair? A lot of money is
saved here, like a hundred bucks
every month. Armed with a list,
be a smart buyer in grocery
stores, getting items on sale, but
of course choosing the better
ones. Ive read somewhere that in
grocery stores, the most expensive items are placed on the eye
level shelves. Try to look on the
upper level and below level
shelves and youll find more reasonable priced items like meats.
Make an assessment of
what you have in the closet and
be able to mix and match outfits.
Also make use of accessories like
scarves, pins or necklaces to create a different look without buying new ones on every occasion.
Dont always take the weekend
and women age 71 and older
need no more than 1,200 milligrams per day.
As for vitamin D, 600 IUs
daily meets the needs of almost
everyone in the United States
and Canada, although people 71
and older may require as much
newspaper sale ads seriously
every time for the sake of taking
advantage of “the big sale
events.” One thing for sure, sale
events will never end - Winter,
Spring Summer, Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Year End, Martin
Luther Kings, Valentines Day,
Presidents Day, Easter, Mothers
Day, Fathers Day, Memorial
Day, July 4th, Veterans, Labor,
Secretarys, Bosss , and Grandparents Day. Did I miss any sale
event? Oh, Nannys Day, Cooks
Day, Postmans Day, Newspaper
Deliverers Day, Pets Day, etc ….
Its enjoyable to go out with
family and friends for celebrations to fine dining restaurants.
The foodies look for the best in
town and most often, the best
are the pricey ones. I believe we
can still dine out but we can cut
the number of times we go to
these restaurants. Family or
friends can do joint celebrations.
Though tedious and require a lot
of time to prepare, celebrations
at home is always less expensive
than restaurants and more relaxed. Junk food snacks are better cut for money saving and
medical reasons. Weekend cooking for family meals for the
whole week is a fine idea. It is
less use of electric and physical
energy. But of course, if the Madre-de Familia is not into cooking, forget it. On some cases, the
Padre-de-Familia can take over
this chore. On house cleaning,
how much money can we save a
month, a year, if we ourselves
clean our own place? Mow our
lawn? But, then again, it is an issue for those with health or
medical problems. We can go on
and on and cite a hundred more
ways to be frugal and not be
wasteful in our daily life. Marami pa and sometimes, extremely funny ways, but in good
spirit, we can always try. We enjoy making fun of ourselves and
put humor into what we do, but
not maliciously criticize.
Where Did We Get This
Trait?
In the Philippines, this
character trait of being frugal
can be traced to the Ilocanos in
Northern Luzon. The Ilocos
province has a limited area suras 800 IUs per day because of
potential physical and behavioral changes related to aging.
Vitamin D3 is the preferred form
of D for supplement.
Risks of abuse, upper
safe limit
rounded by rugged mountains
and at one end a choppy sea. It
has unbelievable dry season lasting about seven months of hot
dry land. All the farms are small,
usually owned by those who till
them and such a harsh environment has given rise to hardy inhabitants, the Ilocanos. Crops
were limited because of the arid
soil. They led simple and frugal
life and were resilient. Therefore,
the Ilocanos are reputed to be
the most thrifty ethnic group in
the country.
In my Philippine dance
teaching experience and choreography work, I observed that in
many Ilokano folk dances, the
kumintang was performed with
inward wrist movements and
hands closed almost into fists.
So, even in dance we learned
something from their culture
that with fist tightly closed, no
money will carelessly flows out.
When dancing, their feet were
mostly dragging, utilizing only a
small portion of the floor even if
it had ample space it showed
that they were frugal even in
range of movement. A representative example is the Ilocano
Nga Nasudi, an Ilocano folk
dance. The Visayans, in contrast,
danced with outward hand gestures and open-form arm movements, their steps sweeping
lavishly across the floor, using
all available space like the
Kuratsa folk dance.
I see this frugal or thrifty
trait as a wonderful trait and
should not have a negative connotation. In our countrys present economic situation, nearing
a government shutdown, it is a
timely consideration. We thank
the ilocanos for this valuable lesson of not being wasteful and
careful managing of money.
They are what we call matipid,
worthy of emulation. To clarify
and I repeat, matipid is not maramot.
Happy Birthday to March
Celebrants: Midge Lopez, Sonia
Reyes, Austin Brodin, Bobby
Tamayo, Francine Pagsibigan,
Tony
Bautista,
Marilyn
Madarang, Ding Cabrera, Celso
Mataac, Jessie Mirasol and Leah
Roa.
Excessive calcium from dietary supplements, beyond the
recommended dose has been associated with kidney stones, and
ingesting too much vitamin D
can damage the heart and the
kidneys.
Please visit www.FUN8888.com
28 Editorial
February 28, 2011
People Power
The Philippines marked the 25 anniversary of the People Power revolt on
Feb. 25 with elaborate ceremonies at the EDSA shrine and elsewhere.
The celebration this year is made more significant because it comes at a
time when peoples in the Middle East and Africa are using People Power to
obtain freedom and democracy. Massive demonstrations have led to the successful overthrow of the dictatorships in Egypt and Tunisia. Now, peoples in
other countries of the region are also demanding their freedom. Among them
are those in Bahrein, Yemen, Jordan and Iran. The latest is the bloody struggle
in Libya between the people and dictator Gaddafi who is fighting back.
Analysts writing about these revolutions credit the People Power revolution in the Philippines. It has become the example for oppressed peoples
around the world to liberate themselves.
But the revolution in the Philippines, in the view of many analysts, is not
yet over.
Even today, President Benigno S. Aquino III, the son of democracy icon
former President Cory Aquino, is beset with the dilemma of whether or not to
allow the remains of dictator Marcos to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The President has recused himself from making the decision. He said he
was not in a position to make a good judgment because of the bitter memories
of the past.
Reviving the demand for a hero’s burial of Marcos are his wife, son and
daughter who have since been elected to positions of power. Imelda is now
congresswoman, son Bongbong is a senator and daughter Aimee, is a congresswoman. They were elected in the May election despite the many corruption cases still pending against them. And up to now, thousands of human
rights victims have not yet received their compensation despite a ruling from
the US court.
Some of the issues that were present during the Marcos dictatorship are
still present today. Millions are still living in poverty. Corruption in government persists. True justice oftentimes remains a mirage. Many people are still
oppressed by political dynasties, the military and police.
The rebirth of the Marcoses has prompted American journalists to conclude that Filipinos have very short memories.
The tragedy, as columnist Jon Melegrito said in his column “25 Years
Later,” (Manila Mail, Feb. 15) is that while the tyrant may have been ousted,
“25 years later, he still lives among those who don’t want us to remember.”
Malaya
Washington Tsismis
Manny Meets His Idol
Filipino boxing champion Manny
Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee emerged
from a brief meeting with President
Obama at the White House on Feb. 15
floating on cloud nine, but hungry. It
turned out it was not a lunch appointment as reported by some mediamen.
Here’s what probably transpired in their
very brief chat:
“Welcome to the White House, Congressman and Mrs. Pacquiao,” the President says as he shakes their hands.
“I wish you well on your upcoming
fight with what’s his name, ahhh Shane
Mosley. I have heard and read a lot about
your boxing prowess and how you have
demolished your opponents."
Manny: “Thank you, thank you sir,
Mr. President I am very, very happy to
meet you here in the White House. You
are so tall. You are my idol. I like to invite
you to view my fight in Las Vegas.”
“Thank you, Manny, but I am busy
defending my budget in Congress these
days. I will just view the fight on pay
TV.”
“Das okay, sir, Mr. President. I will
didicate this fight to you.”
Then the two pose for a photo ops.
“By the way, Manny, congratulations
on your victory in the local elections in
ahh Swingani. You are the symbol of how
a young man with no means can reach
new heights and become a world champion.”
“Oh, thats nothing sir. By the way,I
won the election in Sarangani, sir.”
Then the President hands Manny
and Jinkee some M&Ms, a cheap watch
other White House souvenirs that are
given to visitors in the White House.
“Oh, sir, thank you very much. I will
give these to my children and friends.
“Thanks for dropping by, Manny,”
says Obama as the Pacquiaos were ushered out of the room.
“Mahal, wala palang lunch,” Manny
tells Jinkee. “But its okay. At least we
shook his hands and have photos with
him at the Oval Office.”
***
Are some Noynoy followers now
shifting their loyalties to Vice President
Jejomar “Jojo” Binay? After meeting him
here in Washington DC early this month,
many think he is better that PoP? (PoP, is
President of the Philippines. “He is down
to earth, a man of the people like Ramon
Magsaysay and an Ilocano,” they say.
“He is not a member of the elite like
Noynoy.” For the ordinary FilAms, what
endeared them to Jojo most was his being
a doer. “If he succeeds in stemming the
outflow of human trafficking victims, Binay will become the fair-haired boy of
America,” exclaimed one.
In contrast to Noynoy who does not
like to be loaded with appointments,
meetings, etc., Jojo showed his kababayans that he could do a lot in one day.
***
When will “JC” assume his post?
many are asking. JC is Jose Cuisia, the
newly confirmed Philippine Ambassador
to the United States. When is WG leaving? WC is Ambassador Willy C. Gaa,
stupid.
Hoy, mga tanga. Before JC can come,
he will have to have an agremont (agreement) from the United States to be the
next Philippine ambassador to the capital
of the greatest nation on earth. The State
Department will have to check his background. Is he a real Filipino? Is he millionaire like Noynoy?
***
Some Catholic bishops are saying
President Noynoy Aquino is incompetent. They claim he is manipulated by
others, particularly in the matter of the
RH (Reproductive Health) bill which he
endorses and the Church opposes. Political pundits are saying that because of his
weakness as President, he just lets the
people around him to run the government while he plays the Nintendo up to
the wee hours of the morning.
***
Who will follow the heroic act of former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Angelo
T. Reyes? Who among the corrupt Philippine officials will use the honorable way
out? A Tsismoso warns against pursuing
this course of action. “What will happen
if most of the corrupt will start killing
themselves? There might be no more officials left to run the country if they did.
Besides, look at what happened to the
Marcoses who have been accused of corruption.
Opinion 29
February 28, 2011
BO vs FDR
The Euphoria that
was EDSA
“Calling out around the
world, are you ready for a brand
new beat, Summer’s here and
the time is right for dancing in
the street.”
It was the dead of winter,
but it didn’t matter. Blaring from
a boom box with the volume all
pumped up, the Motown hit got
us all dancing and and scream-
in cars. No doubt, these were
highly-sensitive and important
documents that had to be secured from would-be looters
and vandals. We expected an
ugly confrontation. Instead, we
greeted each other politely. After
all, they were public servants,
not necessarily Marcos loyalists.
Yes, they said, the President and
People Power
ing “Cory! Cory! Cory!” With
plastic glasses in one hand
thanks to a stranger who
dropped off some bubbly we
pumped our fists with the other,
while TV flood lights captured
euphoric grins and tears of joy.
Cars cruising along Massachusetts Avenue were honking.
Shouts of “Mabuhay” filled the
air. Everyone was hyped for a
party.
It started at 3 o’clock Tuesday morning, February 25, 1986
and ended past midnight. We
had been up Monday night
glued to TV, watching events
unfold in Manila. It was Day 4 of
the People Power Revolution.
June Keithley, broadcasting
from Radio Veritas, had just announced that the Marcoses have
fled. Elvie and I screamed and
leaped upon hearing the stunning news. I called friends and
fellow activists from the Coalition Against the Marcos Dictatorship (CAMD). There were no
cell phones then so we relied on
an old-fashioned phone tree to
get the word out. We decided to
go to the Philippine embassy to
make sure it’s no longer in “enemy hands.”
At the parking lot, we ran
into a couple of embassy staff
lugging boxes and loading them
the First Lady had left Malacanang Palace.
The handful of us, heady
with excitement and probably
hallucinating from lack of sleep,
still couldn’t believe it. We lingered in the early morning darkness, knowing that very soon the
sun will rise.
Unexpectedly,
embassy
staffers opened the door and let
us in. We knew then that the
war was over. It was time to lay
down our arms.
Around 8 o’clock, a few
more kasamas came with doughnuts and coffee. We had been
barred from this red brick building for years. Endless lightning
pickets have turned this place
into a fortress.
Suddenly we were inside.
The walls in the lobby were
bare, with picture hooks indicating the spots that once held portraits of Marcos and Imelda.
“This is an open house now
for the Filipino people,” my fellow activist, Walden Bello, declared to everyone who had
gathered. “Today, we are celebrating the downfall of a dictatorship.”
Later that morning members of CAMD, the Movement
for Free Philippines, the Ninoy
Continued on page 31
Over there in Wisconsin,
public school teachers are not
teaching and state employees are
not rendering service to the public, not in the last several days.
They are out in the streets laying
siege to the state capitol to prevent the passage of a bill which
they and their supporters view
as union busting.
Newly elected Governor
Scott Walker, a Republican,
seeks to require state employees
to contribute 5.8% of their pay
toward their pension from almost nothing, and would like
them to shoulder 12.6% of their
health insurance premium. In
dollars, that would mean an increase from $79 a month to approximately
$200.
For
comparison, according to Patrick
McIlheran of the Milwaukeee
Sentinel, the average public sector pays about $330 per month.
Walker would like to limit
collective bargaining of unions
only with respect to pay but not
benefits, as he would rather implement a health plan based on
Health Savings Account and a
retirement plan similar the 401K
in the private sector.
Many states have to deal
with mounting budget deficits
largely bloated with payroll and
employee benefits. Even newly
elected Democratic governors in
California and New York are
now talking about slashing state
budgets. And if they are really
serious, state employees will
surely feel the pain.
How did county and state
employee salaries and benefits
spiral beyond the reach of the
average public sector workers?
The union is a potent voting
block. They members vote and
the union serves as a cash cow
for their political patrons. Once
they sit in office the beholden
elected official then remembers
the unwritten rule- I scratch
your back, you scratch my back.
Montgomery County in
Maryland is probably a typical
case of the union picking its kind
of leaders running the government resulting in government
not being able to say no to demands for very generous payroll
and benefits to its employees.
The Washington Post pub-
lished an editorial on May 30,
2010 comparing the financial
woes of Fairfax County in Virginia and Montgomery County
in Maryland. The two counties
are comparable in population
and affluence.
In
2010,
Montgomery
County had to grapple with a $1
billion deficit in a $4.3 billion annual budget. Fairfax with a comparable budget managed to
resolve its deficit one fourth the
amount of Montgomerys with
relative ease.
The Chief Executive and
members of the County Council,
all elected officials run the government in Montgomery. In
Fairfax, although the Chairman
and members of the Board of Supervisors are all elected, it has a
County Executive who is a technocrat. Moreover, Fairfax is in
Virginia where the state denies
public employees collective bar-
Continued on page 31
Stealing
people’s
money
MANILA
The recent exposes of corruption in the Philippine military have given the Filipino
people a solid idea of how much
of their money was being stolen
by previous government officials.
Corruption in government
has been an open secret in Philippine society practically since
Independence. Filipino officials
have turned corruption into an
art form. They’re good, very
good, at it.
The revelations of the
amounts of money stolen by
military top brass indicate that
the thievery runs in the billions
of pesos. Even so, I think the
amounts exposed so far are only
the tip of a huge iceberg.
And not only is the stealing
limited to the military. Large bureaucracies that carry out vast
amounts
of
procurement
must be dens of massive corruption also — huge bureaucracies
like the education department
and the department of public
works. These Cabinet-level departments have budgets in the
billions of pesos. Massive theft
of public money is easily hidden
and camouflaged in huge, complicated budgets and labyrin-
thian bureaucracies.
No wonder government
services geared toward helping
the public are way below par —
their budgets are plundered by
their own officials. Money that
should go toward public services is instead siphoned off to
line officials’ pockets. It’s not unusual for public officials — including, and especially, elected
ones from top to bottom — to
own mansions and expensive
cars.
A sensational massacre of
57 people in 2009 in Maguindanao province in southern Philippines allegedly involved a clan
of political warlords who live in
grand mansions and owned
fleets of very expensive vehicles
and a veritable arsenal of war
materiel that would make a legitimate army green with envy.
All this power and luxury in the
midst of extreme poverty among
the people in their province. Political families like this one had
existed before but thrived even
more during the previous ad-
ministration.
Slowly, the graft and corruption that had been taking
place over the years is being exposed today. Eight months in office, the administration of
President Benigno Aquino has
been plodding along in its
avowed mission of ferreting out
the rotten deals and plunder
committed under the previous
government.
These revelations of massive theft of public money
wouldn’t have surfaced during
the administration of the hated
Gloria Arroyo. So it’s only now
that exposes of plunder are coming out.
Scandal
after
scandal
rocked Gloria Arroyo’s government, involving alleged rigging
of electoral votes, money kickbacks and bribes from potential
investors, corruption in the various bureaucracies and other shenanigans. When newsmedia
exposed such rotten deals, Arroyo increasingly felt besieged.
Many sectors of society became
Continued on page 31
30
February 28, 2011
Immigration Notes
By: J. G. Azarcon, Esq.
Residence for
naturalization
purposes
Mark Antony & Angelo Reyes
There is much about the
suicide of Gen. Angelo Reyes
that call to mind Marc Antony’s
eulogy for Julius Caesar. Caesar
was assassinated on the Ides of
March by members of the Roman Senate, led by Marcus
Junius Brutus, because he was
perceived as being too powerful
and ambitious.
Marc Antony thought otherwise:
“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come
to bury Caesar, not to praise
him. The evil that men do lives
after them; the good is oft interred with their bones. So let it
be with Caesar. The noble Brutus has told you Caesar was ambitious; if it were so, it was a
grievous fault, and grievously
hath Caesar answer’d it."
And then Antony began to
speak in glowing terms about
Caesar to contradict Brutus and
the senators, calling them “honourable,” with unveiled sarcasm, and striving to make the
good that Caesar did live after
him and the evil, interred with
his bones.
So has it been with the leaders of the media, the government
and the military, which Reyes
had been accused of plundering.
In their public statements and
commentaries,
they
have
equivocated,
shifting
from
praise to calibrated criticism and
back to praise, avoiding calling a
spade a sonnuvashovel in an apparent effort to make the good
that Reyes did live after him and
his alleged sins buried with full
military honors.
To the young and impressionable Filipino, all of these can
be confusing, their values and
their perception of right and
wrong being turned upside
down.
It doesn’t help that we are
such a sentimental and forgiving
people - and so respectful of the
dead that, no matter what sins
may have been committed by
anyone, we do the exact opposite of what Marc Antony bewailed. This is why corruption
and abuses continue to plague
our country. We are suckers for
a tearful tale.
One can almost hear a PMA
mistah of Reyes eulogizing:
“Friends, Filipinos, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come
to bury Angelo Reyes, not to
praise him. The evil that men do
lives after them; the good is oft
interred with their bones.
“So let it be with Angelo.
The noble Jinggoy Estrada has
told you Angelo was corrupt; if
it were so, it was a grievous
fault, and grievously hath Angelo answer’d it.
“Here under leave of Estrada and the rest - for Estrada is
an honourable man; so are they
all, all honourable men - come I
to speak in Angelo’s funeral.
“He was my friend, faithful
and just to me: but Estrada says
he was corrupt; and Estrada is
an honourable man. He hath
fought many battles on the Mindanao front and acted with courage as an officer and a soldier:
did this in Angelo seem corrupt?
When that the cabinet positions
he occupied were inefficient, he
made them efficient: corruption
should be made of sterner stuff.
“Yet Estrada says he was
corrupt; and Estrada is an honourable man. You all did see that
at EDSA Dos, he had a chance to
don a kingly crown, which he
staunchly refused: was this corruption? Yet Estrada says he was
corrupt; and sure, he is an honourable man.
“I speak not to disprove
what Estrada spoke, but here I
am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not
without cause: what cause withholds you then, to mourn for
him? O judgment! thou art fled
to brutish beasts, and men have
lost their reason.
“Bear with me; my heart is
in the coffin there with Angelo,
and I must pause till it come
back to me."
The life, the multifaceted career, the paeans, the accusations,
and the suicide of Angelo Reyes
leave the Filipino public as confused and conflicted as Shakespeare’s audience must have
been.
Was Reyes a hero or a heel?
Was his suicide an act of courage or of cowardice? Was it a supreme act of contrition or the
ultimate cover-up for comrades,
colleagues and superiors?
Is it wrong for the Senate to
investigate corruption in the
Armed Forces of the Philippines
and to publicly expose the sins
of its officers and their families?
Should Reyes’ death chasten the
inquisitors and cause them to let
past sins pass and simply start
Continued on page 31
Residence in the U.S. is
among several requirements for
permanent residents applying
for naturalization. A permanent
resident
must
reside
continuously in the U.S. for a
period of five years after
obtaining permanent resident
status. If the permanent resident
obtained such status through
marriage to a U.S. citizen, the
residence requirement is three
years. Of the five years (or three
years for spouses of U.S.
citizens) residence requirement,
the permanent resident must
have been physically present in
the US for at least half of that
period.
For purposes of counting
continuous residence, an absence
of six months does not break the
continuity
of
the
alien's
residence in the U.S. An absence
of more than six months but less
than one year breaks the
continuity
of
the
alien's
residence, unless the alien can
demonstrate a reasonable cause
for the extended absence. An
absence from the U.S. of one
year
or
more
definitely
interrupts the continuity of the
alien's
residence
for
naturalization purposes, unless
the alien files a request with the
Immigration Service for an
extended absence benefit before
he has been absent from the US
for one year.
Who qualifies for extended
absence benefits?
VISA PRIORITY DATES FOR THE PHILIPPINES
FEBRUARY 2011
• FAMILY-SPONSORED PREFERENCES
First: Unmarried sons/daughters
of US citizens
Second:
A: Spouses/minor children of
permanent residents:
B: Unmarried sons/daughters 21 years of age
or older of permanent residents
Third: Married sons/daughters of citizens
Fourth: Brothers/sisters of citizens
Aug. 01, 1994
Jan. 01, 2008
Jun. 01, 1999
Oct. 22, 1991
Jan. 15, 1988
• EMPLOYMENT-BASED PREFERENCES
First: Priority workers
Second: Professionals holding advanced degrees
or persons of exceptional ability
Third: Skilled workers, professionals
Other Workers
Fourth:
Certain Religious Workers
Fifth: Employment creation/
(Million or half-million dollar investor)
The alien must meet the
following requirements:
1. He has resided or been
physically present in the U.S. as
a permanent resident for an
uninterrupted period of one year
prior to the absence;
2. He will be working
abroad
for
the
(i)
U.S.
government, (ii) a U.S. research
institute, (iii) a U.S. corporation
engaged in foreign trade and
commerce,
and
(iv)
an
international organization (for
which the alien was not
employed prior to becoming a
permanent resident) of which
the US is a member;
3. The absence from the US
is in furtherance of his overseas
employment.
If the alien's residence in the
Current
Current
Apr. 01, 2005
May 01, 2003
Current
Current
Current
U.S. is interrupted by absence,
the alien must start all over
again to meet the necessary five
(or three) years of continuous
residence upon his return to the
US.
A permanent resident who
breaks
the
continuity
of
residence, may apply 4 years
and 1 day following the date of
his return to the U.S. to resume
residency. As for aliens who are
married to US citizens, they can
apply for naturalization after 2
years and 1 day following his
return.
Permanent residents should
not confuse the physical residence requirements for naturalization purposes with the
physical residence requirement
Continued on page 31
Manny
scores a KO
If politics is the art of crafting and wielding influence,
Manny Pacquiao has grown to
be an astute politician.
Senate
majority
leader
Harry Reid extolled the Filipino
boxing champion and later
toured him on the Senate floor a rarely-bestowed honor.
At a press briefing in the
Capitol building’s Mike Mansfield Room, Reid acknowledged
Pacquiao’s last-minute contribution to his re-election bid in last
year’s midterm elections.
Reid was locked in a tight
contest with Tea Party favorite
Sharon Angle in Nevada until
the final weeks of the campaign.
When asked whether he thought
Pacquiao’s endorsement put him
over the top, Reid replied
“sure”.
“I don’t usually bother the
President,” Reid added, but he
insisted that he meet Pacquiao
whose unique life history - born
to an impoverished family, a former street peddler pushed into
boxing to feed his family and rising to become the only champion to win titles in eight
different boxing weight divisions - makes him an inspiration
and worthy role model to the
youth, American or not.
The Senate leader said
Washington D.C. was honoring
Pacquiao , “the greatest boxer in
the world,” because he is Filipino and a success story worthy
of emulation by the world.
Pacquiao and his wife Jinky
got the invitation that some Phil-
ippine presidents have tried but
failed to get - a private, closeddoor meeting with President
Obama and Vice President Joe
Biden.
Former President Gloria
Macapagal Arroyo cut short a
Middle East trip in 2009 to make
an unscheduled appearance at
the National Prayer Breakfast in
Washington DC - President
Obama’s first public event after
his inauguration.
Philippine diplomatic officials were so surprised that Ambassador Willy Gaa had to fly
back hastily from California to
Continued on page 31
31
February 28, 2011
The Euphoria that... from page 29
Aquino Movement and supporters from the American public
massed in front of the White
House to thank President
Ronald Reagan for finally letting
his staunch ally go. That took a
while, though.
That evening, we converged
in front of the Philippine Embassy for a final ritual. I brought
a boom box with a tape of the
Motown hit. From 6 o’clock on,
the crowd swelled. They came
straight from work. Some drove
from as far away as Philadelphia
and New York. Tourists from
across the country found their
way to the red brick building,
about 10 blocks from the White
House, to join their kababayans
celebrate. Strangers off the
street, awed by what they’ve
seen and heard all day, stopped
by to say “Congratulations!”
One happened to have a case of
champagne in his car and gladly
popped a few bottles for the revelers. A toast to People Power,
he said.
That night, I was Mick Jagger and Walden was David
Bowie, belting out “Dancing in
Stealing people’s money... from page 29
disenchanted with her and a
clamor for her resignation became louder and louder.
Arroyo’s presidency soon
became unsteady and precarious. She needed allies to prop
her up.
Assailed from all directions,
Arroyo couldn’t control her political destiny on her own anymore. She bribed her allies with
money and other perks just so
they wouldn’t abandon her. She
closed her eyes to the excesses of
her local political allies. She cultivated the military and police
generals and gave them opportunites to amass unprecedented
wealth and power. They gorged
it up like starved pigs.
And so, the stealing and
abuse of power went on unabated. The pampered officials
went to town and helped themselves to the public coffers. Their
personal shame or self-control, if
they had any, didn’t get in their
way, the sky’s the limit.
Today, all this shameless
plunder and abuse is slowly surfacing. The whistleblowers who
have come forward to expose
the abuse have said they’ve
come out only now because
coming out during the Arroyo
administration would have been
futile. Indeed, the whistleblowers themselves risked being
thrown in jail instead during
that time.
How much more wrongdoing and abuse will the public
know in the coming weeks and
months? How many more billions will be involved?
The key question is: how
many people who stole the people’s money will be thrown in
jail?
The Philippines is notorious
for letting criminals go scot-free
even when the evidence against
them is solid and cut-and-dried.
Indeed, a military comptroller
accused of plunder was recently
able to con government prosecutors into allowing him to pleabargain his way out of jail.
Manny scores a KO ... from page 30
welcome President Arroyo in
DC.
It was widely believed Mrs.
Arroyo was angling for a
“photo-op” with the new US
president after she had similarly
failed to meet with then candidate Obama during the 2008
presidential campaign.
President Noynoy Aquino
had planned to visit Washington
DC after attending the opening
of the United Nations General
Assembly last year.
But Malacanang and White
House aides couldn’t find a mutually agreeable time for Aquino
and Obama to meet. President
Aquino got all of 7 minutes talk
time with President Obama at
the sidelines of a US-ASEAN
summit in New York.
So Manny Pacquiao, a
newly-minted
congressman
from a largely backwoods province in Mindanao, takes a train
from New York where he was
promoting an upcoming fight in
Las Vegas, and arrives in the US
capital where he is not only
feted on Capitol Hill but is also
getting a chance to break bread
with the leader of the free world.
“A lot of that is the enthusiasm Manny created when
Sharon Angle who was running
against Senator Reid elected to
have at her final rally (Senator
and former GOP presidential
candidate) John McCain,” promoter Bob Arum told reporters.
“I don’t know what you
think of John McCain but he’s
no contest against Manny Pacquiao,” he remarked.
However, the political realities in Washington DC is that
President Obama is poised to
fight one of the defining battles
leading up to the 2012 presidential elections - pushing a budget
that will cut the deficit while creating jobs.
Reid has publicly opposed
President Obama’s promise to
end congressional earmarks more derisively known as pork
barrel - and could block his most
recent initiatives to reduce or cut
spending altogether for some social programs dear to Democrats.
the Street.” Our days of guerilla
theatre were over, for the moment at least, me playing Miss
Piggy and Walden playing Kermit the Frog, stalking Imelda
wherever she went and driving
her crazy. The Dictator was
gone. We were dancing in the
street.
But ready for a brand new
beat? That night, I just wanted to
party, then close my eyes and
catch some sleep. I told myself
I’d save the question for another
day.
E-mail your comments to
[email protected]
President Aquino’s main
campaign slogan was to get rid
of corruption and throw the
book at the crooks in government. He has time and again repeated that this is still the
chief mission of his government.
So, Will theAquino administration be able to send all the
crooks to jail? Will the President
have the resources to sustain a
campaign of bringing to court
past abusers of power? Will his
people have the stamina and
dedication to finish their mission? Will he have the budgetary
resources to finance the crusade
to rid government of crooks?
Will he have the staying power
and moral suasion to persuade
the general populace to back
him up and engage in personal
moral transformation too? Indeed, will the people continue to
let the President do his work?
These are the big questions
that need answers. Meantime,
it’s every citizen’s duty and responsibility to pull his and her
own weight in this renewed task
of nation-building.
The fact that Vice President
Biden, who is the de-facto Senate
President - was attending the
meeting with Pacquiao - appears
to suggest this afternoon’s lunch
was not going to be free.
But that’s evident to everyone, perhaps even to Pacquiao.
Earlier in the morning, Pacquiao met with Philippine Consul General Domingo “Ding”
Nolasco where he briefed the
People’s Champ on the SAVE
Act - a bill pending on Capitol
Hill that would provide reciprocal tariff exemptions for US textiles and Philippine garments.
Pacquiao reportedly promised to bring that up when he
gets the opportunity with President Obama.
Reid himself pointed out
that Pacquiao was being honored in DC not only because he
is “the greatest boxer in the
world” but also because he is
Filipino and a success story worthy of emulation by the world.
He reminded Americans
about the rich, historic ties between the US and Philippines
going back to World War II
when Filipino soldiers - then
BO vs FDR... from page 29
gaining rights.
The Post attributes the deficit woes of Montgomery County
largely to the cozy ties of elected
officials and public employee
unions.
In
2006,
Montgomery
County Executive Douglas M.
Duncan carved a budget that
boosted spending by 11% compared to Fairfaxs 6% increase.
The budget continued a threeyear spree of political largesse in
the form of multiyear increases
in pay and benefits negotiated
with police, firefighters, teachers
and
county
workers.
Montgomery teachers got pay
raises twice what Fairfax teachers received and their benefits
were unmatched in the region.The average pay for teacher
in Montgomery is 20% higher
than in Fairfax. Ninety percent
of
Montgomerys
education
spending is eaten up by salaries
and benefits.
According to the Post,
“Montgomerys teachers union
has wielded such outsized electoral clout that politicians who
receive the teachers endorsement in the most recent elections
reached into their pockets and
wrote checks to the union.”
This is the situation that
Gov. Scott Walker finds when he
walked into his first term in Wisconsin, too much to pay and not
enough money at hand. The role
of the union is to bargain for the
most that it can get for its members. Its bargaining is made
more easy by cash contributions
to politicians who are more than
willing to repay the union members in generous employee compensation packages. It is a legal
process that breeds corruption.
The role of government on the
other hand is to responsibly allocate taxpayers money for necessary expenditures to benefit the
greatest number of its citizens.
Pres. Barack Obama has
weighed in on the Wisconsin
controversy, characterizing the
initiative of Gov. Walker as union busting. Another United
States president however may
be saying in his grave- I told you
so. Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt
limits his advocacy for unionism
only in the private sector.
According to Roosevelt,
“the process of collective bargaining, as usually understood,
cannot be transplanted into the
public service.” He further said
that “I want to emphasize my
conviction that militant tactics
have no place in the public sector. A strike of public employees
manifests nothing less than an
intent on their part to prevent or
obstruct the operations of Government.”
On the Wisconsin issue, do
you stand with BO or FDR?
Residence for... from page 30
for purposes of preserving permanent residence. To preserve
permanent residence status, a
green card holder should not be
absent from the U.S. for more
than one year, unless he obtains
a reentry permit from the CIS
before departure. If a green card
holder intends to preserve his
continuous residence for purposes of applying for naturalization at the earliest time, he
should not be absent from the
U.S. for six months or more.
Mark Antony ... from page 30
anew on Noynoy Aquino’s
Daang Matuwid or Straight
Path?
Do the members of the Legislature have a moral right to investigate other public officials
for corruption when they themselves are suspected of being as
dirty, as corrupt?
Interviewed on television,
retired Commodore Rex Robles,
a loyal friend of Reyes, declared
in Tagalog (literally translated):
“If those in the Senate were to
also commit suicide because
they accepted illicit money, no
one would be left. They are all
rotten. They are all the same."
Granted, that is true. But
does that mitigate corruption in
the military? Does that exonerate Reyes, Lt.. Gen. Ligot, Maj.
Gen. Garcia and the rest?
part of a US Commonwealth
army - “continued to fight even
after we left”. Reid pointed to efforts to help surviving Filipino
veterans arbitrarily disenfranchised by the US Congress 65
years ago this month.
Reid also talked about the
millions of Filipino Americans,
including many in his home
state of Nevada, who’ve contributed to enriching American national life.
That it takes a Manny Pacquiao to remind Americans
about that heritage should be a
credit to him.
For a multi-dimensional
fighter, Pacquiao is demonstrating a new and interesting facet
of his chosen 2nd profession Pacquiao the politician.
When asked whether he
would also endorse President
Obama when he comes up for
re-election next year, Pacquiao
replied with his trademark impish grin.
“Huwag na muna natin
pag-usapan yan,” he responded
coyly, in the fashion of a smart
politician.
32
February 28, 2011