The Filipino Express v28 Issue 18

VOL. 28 w
NO. 18 w
MAY 2 - 8, 2014 w
NATIONAL EDITION
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NEW YORK w
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Allies never stand alone
US support to PH
'ironclad' - Obama
By Kristine Angeli Sabillo
MANILA -- After giving a
statement the day before that
sounded more of an assurance of
peace to China than of support to
the Philippines, US President
Barack Obama on Tuesday, April
29 reiterated that it fully backs
the Philippines if attacked by
another country.
“Our commitment to defend
the Philippines is ironclad,” he
said in a speech in Fort Bonifacio,
Taguig City.
“The United States will keep
that commitment because allies
never stand alone,” Obama
insisted. The visiting President,
a d d re s s i n g F i l i p i n o a n d
American war veterans and
soldiers, pointed out that the two
countries have been bound by a
Mutual Defense Treaty for more
than 60 years.
“This treaty means our two
nations pledge, and I'm quoting,
our 'common determination to
def end themselves against
external armed attack, so that no
potential aggressor could be
under the illusion that either of
them stands alone,'” he
explained.
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Page 14
Obama
state
visit
More stories and photos on pages 14 and 15
Visiting U.S. President Barrack Obama waves next to honor guards upon his arrival at the
airport in Manila April 28, 2014. (MNS photo)
Pope John XXIII (left) convened the liberalizing Vatican II in the 1960s; John Paul II
guided the Church during the end of the Cold War. AP
Canonization rites: Greatest
show on earth, a spiritual feast
By Lito B. Zulueta
Philippine Commonwealth soldiers. Photo from National Archives of the Philippines
Solons, Fil-Ams seek Congressional Gold
Medal for Filipino vets' WWII service
WA S H I N G T O N , D . C . - Filipino American community
leaders and veterans advocates
launched a nationwide
campaign to press the U.S.
Congress to issue a national
proclamation and award the
Congressional Gold Medal to
Filipino World War II veterans
for wartime service to the
United States. A bill to award the
medal, H.R. 111, was introduced
in Congress by U.S. Rep. Colleen
Hanabusa (D-Hawaii), with
more than 56 sponsors.
In proposing this measure,
Hanabusa said the United States
“remains forever indebted to the
bravery, valor, and dedication to
country” displayed by the
VATICAN CITY -- In what could be
the biggest religious gathering in
European history, hundreds of
thousands of pilgrims erupted in
applause after Pope Francis
proclaimed his predecessors John
XXIII and John Paul II the newest
saints of the Catholic Church on
Sunday, April 27.
“For the honor of the Blessed
Trinity, the exaltation of the Catholic
faith and the increase of the Christian
life, by the authority of our Lord Jesus
Christ and of the Holy Apostles Peter
and Paul and having sought the
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veterans during their WWII
service from July 1941 to
December 1946.
“There has never been a
formal declaration to recognize
Filipino American soldiers for
their sacrifice and loyal service
during World War II,” says U.S.
Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba
Page 20
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Manila, Philippines. Photo from Lamudi
Manila on list of sought-after city for
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May 2-8, 2014
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Obama ignites Chinese anger
as he warns against force
Agence France-Presse
The Philippines, which has one of
the weakest militaries in the region,
has repeatedly called on longtime
ally the United States for help as
China has increased military and
diplomatic pressure to take control
of the contested areas.
The Philippines and the United
States signed an agreement on
Monday that will allow a greater US
military presence on Filipino bases.
MANILA -- Barack Obama ended
an Asian tour Tuesday, April 29 with
a warning to China against using
force in territorial disputes, as
Chinese authorities accused the US
president of ganging up with
“troublemaking” allies.
The barbs ensured a tense finish
to a four-nation trip dominated by
the worsening maritime rows
between China and US allies in the Obama pledges support
region, which have triggered fears of
And Obama sought on Tuesday
military conflict.
to reassure the Philippines that the
“We believe that nations and United States would support its ally
A group of protesters march towards the Malacanang Presidential Palace, during a rally against U.S. President
peoples have the right to live in in the event of being attacked, citing
Barack Obama's visit to the Philippines Monday, April 28, 2014, in Manila, Philippines. AP
security and peace, to have their a 1951 mutual defense treaty
sovereignty and territorial integrity between the two nations.
respected,” Obama told a gathering
“This treaty means our two
of US and Filipino troops in Manila.
nations pledge, and I am quoting,
“We believe that international 'our common determination to
law must be upheld, that freedom of defend themselves from external
navigation must be preserved and armed attacks',” Obama said.
commerce must not be impeded. We
“And no potential aggressor can
By Frances Mangosing
C o n s t i t u t i o n p a r t i c u l a r l y Aguinaldo hours before US
believe that disputes must be be under the illusion that either of
Sections 3 and 7 and possibly President Barack Obama arrived
resolved peacefully and not by them stands alone. In other words,
M A N I L A - - A m i l i t a n t Section 8 of Article II. We are also in the country for a two-day visit,
intimidation or force.”
our commitment to defend the
partylist group slammed the of the position that this is not a was “patently unconstitutional.”
C l o s e A m e r i c a n a l l y t h e Philippines is ironclad. The United
newly signed defense pact mere executive agreement but a
“Even if they say that “key
Philippines has been embroiled in States will keep that commitment
between the US and Philippines, treaty and should be scrutinized provisions and modalities of the
one of the highest-profile territorial because allies will never stand
and has brought up the idea of by the Senate and the House of EDCA would reflect, among
disputes with China, over tiny islets, alone.”
c h a l l e n g i n g i t b e fo re t h e Representatives,” said Bayan others, full respect for Philippine
reefs and rocks in the South China
Nevertheless, Obama did not
Supreme Court.
Muna Representative Neri Javier sovereignty, nonpermanence of
Sea.
specifically mention coming to the
“This early we are already Colmenares.
US troops and no US military
China claims nearly all of the aid of the Philippines if there were a
studying the option of
Colmenares and Rep. Carlos basing in the Philippines and a
South China Sea, which is believed to conflict over the contested South
questioning the EDCA at the Isagani Zarate, also of Bayan prohibition against nuclear
contain huge deposits of oil and gas, China Sea areas, as his hosts had
Supreme Court because it is a Muna, said the deal, which was weapons, we all know that these
even waters and islands or reefs hoped.
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c l e a r v i o l a t i o n o f o u r signed on Monday at Camp
close to its neighbours.
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Militant partylist group to question
defense deal before Supreme Court
May 2-8, 2014
Page 3
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
What is the Enhanced Defense Cooperation
Agreement and what does it mean for PH?
By Frances Mangosing, Matikas
Santos
MANILA -- The Philippines and
the United States (US) signed on
Monday, April 28 the Enhanced
Defense Cooperation Agreement
(EDCA) that aims to boost the
defense capabilities of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
amid regional territorial disputes.
Militant groups however are
protesting the agreement saying it
is against the constitution because
it allows for the basing of US troops
in the country. They are also
alleging that the negotiations have
been fast tracked so that it will be
concluded in time for the visit of
US President Barack Obama.
But what does the agreement
mean for the Philippines and what
changes will it bring to the
country? The Department of
Foreign Affairs (DFA) released a
list of 30 Frequently Asked
Questions (FAQs) about the EDCA
after it was signed by Defense
Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US
ambassador to the Philippines
Philip Goldberg.
These are the key points in the
10-year defense pact between
the Philippines and the US.
- Clear provision that the US
would “not establish military
Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, left, exchanges documents with U.S.
Ambassador Philip Goldberg after signing the Enhanced Defense Cooperation
Agreement at Camp Aguinaldo, Philippine military headquarters in suburban Quezon
City on Monday, April 28, 2014. The U.S. military will have greater access to bases across
the Philippines under the new 10-year agreement signed Monday in conjunction with
President Barack Obama's visit and seen as an effort by Washington to counter Chinese
aggression in the region. AP
presence or base in the Philippines
- US access to and use of
designated areas in AFP owned
and controlled facilities (“Agreed
Locations”) will be at the
invitation of the Philippine
government
- Prior consent of the
Philippines, through the MDT and
Security Engagement Board, with
regard to US access and use of
Agreed Locations which may be
listed in an annex and further
described in implementing
arrangements
- Philippine retention of
primary responsibility for security
of the Agreed Locations
- Access of the AFP base
commander to the entire area of
the Agreed Locations;
- Philippine ownership of
buildings and infrastructure once
constructed by US military;
- Sharing and joint use of
facilities in the Agreed Locations,
including those of used by US
military;
- Value of prepositioned
materiel in the enhancement of
AFP defense capabilities and
possible transfer of purchase of
materiel determined to be excess
- Prohibition of entry to the
Philippines of nuclear weapons
and reference to respective
obligations of both Parties under
the Chemical Weapons Convention
and the Biological Weapons
Convention
- Strong commitment by both
parties in protecting the
environment, human health and
safety
- Preference for Philippine
suppliers of goods, products and
service in US military
procurement
- Regular consultation of the
implementation of the agreement
The following is the full copy of
the FAQ released by the DFA.
1.
What is the Enhanced
Defense Cooperation
Agreement (EDCA)? The EDCA is
an agreement between the
Philippines and the United States
which is envisioned to advance the
implementation of the PH-US
Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT).
2. What purpose does EDCA
serve? The EDCA is designed to
promote between the Philippines
and its defense treaty ally the
United States the following:
Interoperability; Capacity
building towards AFP
modernization; Strengthening
AFP for external defense;
Maritime Security; Maritime
Domain Awareness; and,
Humanitarian Assistance and
Disaster Response (HADR)
3. How will these objectives
be achieved? We are currently
holding joint training exercises
such as Balikatan and undertaking
humanitarian assistance and
disaster relief cooperation such as
in the aftermath of Typhoon
Yolanda.
To improve on the above, we
intend to undertake additional
cooperation by way of (1)
Construction of facilities and
infrastructure upgrades; and (2)
Storage and prepositioning of
defense and HADR equipment,
supplies and materiél.
4.
Where will the
c o n s t r u c t i o n a n d
prepositioning take place?
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May 2-8, 2014
Page 4
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
NBI: Hunger made
Cedric Lee surrender
6,000 Filipino pilgrims
Among the pilgrims were 6,000
From page 1
Filipinos, according to Mercedes
Tuason, the Philippine ambassador to
counsel of many of our brother bishops, the Vatican. Among them was Fr.
we declare and define Blessed John Ferdinand “Soy” Hernando, a former
XXIII and John Paul II to be saints and we Augustinian Recollect who founded the
enroll them among the saints, decreeing Missionaries of the Beatitudes in 2007.
that they are to be venerated as such by
Hernando said Pope John Paul II
the whole Church,” Pope Francis said in i n s p i re d h i m a s a h i gh - s c h o o l
his formal proclamation in Latin about seminarian in 1979 and also during his
30 minutes into the canonization Mass.
theological studies in Rome.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims
Another Filipino pilgrim, Rosario
back to Manila on Sunday morning.
from around the world flooded into the Melchor, wife of the late Philippine
They were taken to the NBI
Vatican on Divine Mercy Sunday to Ambassador to Russia Alex Melchor and
headquarters in Manila where
attend the canonization rites. The a member of the Marian Movement of
they are currently detained.
crowd was so large it stretched back Priests, recalled how she met Pope John
Lee and Palma, however, said
along all of Via della Conziliazione, the Paul II during his first visit to the
they were able to sleep soundly
half-kilometer-long, broad boulevard Philippines in February 1981 to beatify
and that they easily made friends
that starts at the Tiber River. Even its Lorenzo Ruiz.
with other inmates.
bridges were packed with pilgrims.
The two who are staying with
“During Pope John Paul II's visit to
about 100 detainees face cases of
Police estimated the crowd at 2 the Philippines in 1981, we were able to
serious illegal detention and grave
million to 4 million, but the Vatican rush and finish 1 million handmade
coercion filed by actor and TV host
estimated that 800,000 people watched rosaries to be blessed during his Mass at
Vhong Navarro.
the canonization Mass in Rome, with Luneta,” Melchor said.
According to Navarro, Lee,
about 500,000 in St. Peter's Square and
“This was truly a miracle. As
Palma and five other people beat
nearby streets and the rest watching on president of the World Apostolate of
him up and accused him of raping
TV screens that had been set up in Fatima in the Archdiocese of Manila, I
model Deniece Cornejo, who is
piazzas around downtown.
appealed and was helped by religious
also one of those charged. The TV
Filipino Lynne Dizon, a leader of the and civic organizations and even by the
host said he was set up so that he
Philippine Catholic community here, Armed Forces of the Philippines, whose
would be forced to give P2 million
said it was the biggest canonization she soldiers and sailors, on board their
to Lee.
had seen in her 27 years in Rome.
ships, made rosaries by hand for the
Ragos said the pair would
Holy Father's visit,” she said.
remain in their custody until the
Two living popes together
Melchor traveled to Rome with
Taguig court handling their case
Aside from the excitement of seeing other members of the Marian Cenacle
decides where they should be
two of the 20th century's most beloved for the canonization of Popes John Paul
jailed. Serious illegal detention is a
popes
made saints together, pilgrims II and John XXIII.
nonbailable offense.
were also eager to see two living popes
Among the pilgrims in her group
Meanwhile, a Department of
together in public - Pope Francis were Letty Syquia, wife of the late
Justice prosecutor on Monday gave
performing the canonization and Pope Philippine Ambassador to the Order of
Lee 10 more days to submit his
Emeritus
Benedict XVI, who resigned Malta Jose Syquia, Filipino visionary
reply to the P194.47-million tax
last year due to old age, concelebrating Nora Ilagan, writer David Panlilio,
evasion complaint filed against
the canonization Mass with the reigning Archdiocese of Manila exorcist Fr. Jocis
him by the Bureau of Internal
Pontiff.
Revenue (BIR).
Syquia and Fr. Ramon Merino.
Benedict, the first Pope to resign in
Assistant State Prosecutor
Many pilgrims carried images of St.
600 years, wore white vestments, and John Paul II, a globe-trotter who made at
Stewart Allan Mariano told
the crowd lustily applauded when least 104 trips abroad as Pope, showing
reporters that Lee and his lawyer
asked for more time to prepare his
television cameras showed a close-up how the Church embraced all nations
picture of him smiling from the side and cultures. There were pilgrims from
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altar. It was Benedict who beatified John heavily Catholic Latin America,
Paul II in 2011, six years after the Polish including Pope Francis' home country
Pontiff's death in 2005, in the swiftest of Argentina, as well as from Africa
beatification in modern history. “Never (Congo, Kenya, Nigeria) where the
in the history of Rome or in the history Church has seen its most remarkable
of the world has this occurred two pope growth lately.
saints and two living popes who knew
There were also pilgrims from
them,” said Bishop Liberio Andreatta of Korea, Japan, India and Sri Lanka.
the Vatican pilgrim agency, Opera
As expected, Filipinos dominated
Romana Pellegrinaggi. The Italian the Asian attendance. Filipinos in Rome,
media and Vatican officials called the many of them proclaiming fond
canonization “the day of four popes.”
memories, especially of John Paul, took
part actively in prayer vigils in the run20th-century tragedies
up to the canonization.
In his homily, Pope Francis called
There were also Filipinos coming
the two newest saints “popes of the from the Middle East, Greece, Australia
20th century” who “were not afraid to and North America.
look upon the wounds of Christ.”
There were even Filipino pilgrims
“They lived through the tragic from Austria, guided by a Filipino
events of that century, but they were not chaplain, Fr. Ely Dalanon, who said so
overwhelmed by them,” Francis said. sizeable was the Filipino Catholic
“For them, God was more powerful; population there that the Archdiocese
faith was more powerfulfaith in Jesus of Vienna under Cardinal Christophe
Christ the Redeemer of man and the Schonborn had created three Filipino
Lord of history.”
chaplaincies.
John XXIII, the Italian Angelo
Giuseppe Roncalli (r. 1958-1963), Magnificent ceremony
convened the Second Vatican Council
Although Pope Francis said he
(1963-1965), which modernized the wanted Vatican celebrations to be
Church.
modest affairs, the canonization was a
John Paul II, the Polish Karol magnificent display of solemnity and
Wojtyla, was the longest-reigning fervent liturgy.
Pontiff of the 20th century (r. 1978Some 100 heads of state and
2005) who helped crush communism in governments were in attendance. One
Eastern Europe. Italians and Poles hundred fifty-four cardinals and 1,000
attended the canonization in the bishops concelebrated the canonization
thousands, eager to see their favorite Mass with Popes Francis and Benedict
sons declared saints.
XVI. Pope Francis described St. John
Pilgrims carried streamers of the XXIII as “the Pope of openness to the
Solidarity, the Catholic workers' union Spirit” and St. John Paul II as “the Pope
supported by then Cardinal Wojtyla of of the family,” each description followed
Krakow and whose crippling boycotts by applause. Francis praised as well the
against the communist bosses triggered deep faith of his two predecessors.
the downfall of communism.
“These were two men of courage, filled
Despite the huge Polish and Italian with the parousia (presence) of the Holy
show of force, the event saw pilgrims Spirit, and they bore witness before the
from all the continents descending on Church and the world to God's goodness
St. Peter's Square, eager to witness the and mercy.”
canonization of the two universally
The two new saints “teach us to
beloved leaders of the Church.
enter ever more deeply into the mystery
of divine mercy,” he said. Inquirer.net
Businessman, cohort 'exhausted and lacked the means to survive'
By Maricar B. Brizuela
MANILA -- Businessman
Cedric Lee and his co-accused
mixed martial arts expert Simeon
Palma (Zimmer Raz) had “no other
choice but to surrender because
they were hungry, exhausted and
lacked the means to survive,” a
National Bureau of Investigation
(NBI) official said on Monday.
NBI Deputy Director Rafael
Ragos told reporters in a briefing
that the pair voluntarily gave
themselves up after a “massive
manhunt” was launched for their
capture.
According to him, the two men
were first spotted on Friday, April
25 at the Japitan Beach Resort in
Dolores, Eastern Samar. “They
immediately fled from the resort
when they detected the presence
of the law enforcement officers,”
Ragos added.
The pair went to another
beach resort in Oras town, about
15 kilometers away from Dolores,
where they surrendered the next
day to a team composed of officers
from the NBI Eastern Visayas
Regional Office, Samar District
Office, Anti-Fraud Division, the
Intelligence Service of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines and
Samar police.
Lee, meanwhile, told media
men that he and Palma ran away
from policemen in Dolores town
because they thought that they
were members of the New People's
Army.
Fearing for their lives, they
boarded a boat that went to a
nearby island. From there, he
immediately called his lawyer
whom he instructed to talk to the
NBI about their surrender.
Palma, on the other hand, said
that he traveled to Samar before
H o ly We e k f o r a b u s i n e s s
transaction.
According to investigators,
t h ey l e a r n e d o f t h e p a i r ' s
whereabouts through their cell
phones which were equipped with
a global positioning system, or
GPS, a navigation tool which could
pinpoint the location of an object.
Ragos also said that residents
in the areas visited by Lee and Raz
also helped authorities as the two
men stood out as they were
traveling in a sport utility vehicle,
an Isuzu Alterra with plate number
ZES 989.
“One can easily notice that
they were city boys and not from
the area,” the deputy director
noted as he described the two men
as “gwapo,” or good-looking.
Operatives from NBI Eastern
Samar said they were gathering
information on the beach resort
owner and other individuals who
could have helped the two
fugitives.
The two men were escorted
Canonization ...
May 2-8, 2014
Page 5
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
KMU holds 'entertaining' 3,000 get hired on
rally on Labor Day
the spot at job fairs
By Bong Lozada
MANILA -- Songs, flags and a
burnt effigy were all in the center
of Mendiola as one militant
group called for fairness and the
abolishment of imperialism in
the Philippine government.
Militant group Kilusang
Mayo Uno, together with other
g ro u p s s u c h a s G a b r i e l a ,
Migrante, Ugat Lahi, Piston,
Anakbayan and International
League of People's Struggles,
marched from Liwasang
Bonifacio to the hallowed
grounds of activism to voice out
the impunity of the Philippine
government and the constant
presence of the United States
government in the country.
“The government has not
given anything to the people,”
Bayan Muna Representative
Saturnino Ocampo said while
members of the militant groups
s h o u t e d a n t i - g o ve r n m e n t
sentiments. “What the
government should do is to find a
way to improve the industry and
agriculture sectors to provide
decent job for its people.”
Ocampo added that the
government's Conditional Cash
Transfer is not enough to
alleviate property as it is only a
temporary solution.
further interviews by prospective
employers.
MANILA -- Almost 3,000 job
Of those job seekers, 11,856
seekers were hired on the spot at job applied for local jobs and 2,719 for
fairs sponsored by the government overseas jobs.
across the country on Thursday, May 1
Dealing with unemployment
to mark International Labor Day.
According to Labor Secretary
According to data from the Rosalinda Baldoz, the job fairs were
D e p a r t m e n t o f L a b o r a n d not a band-aid solution to the high
Employment (DOLE), as of 4 p.m., jobless rate, as they were organized to
2,788 applicants had been hired on d e a l w i t h t h e u n e m p l oy m e n t
the spot at the job fairs.
problem.
The figure was 13.5 percent of the
Among the job seekers hired on
20,718 applicants who registered and the spot, 1,779 were for local jobs and
qualified for local and overseas 485 were for jobs abroad.
employment, the DOLE said. The
Those immediately hired at job
PHOTO BY RYAN LEAGOGO/INQUIRER.net
annual average hired-on-the-spot fairs are mostly employed locally as
figure is 15 percent.
factory workers and sales staff,
Last year, the figure reached 16 according to Bureau of Local
percent, with 20,905 of 127,880 E m p l o y m e n t ( B L E ) D i r e c t o r
“What's important is that to rallies evoke thoughts of
registered job seekers getting hired Dominique Tutay.
give people the employment hundreds of activists tearing
immediately.
As for those hired for overseas
opportunities.”
through police barricades and
D
O
L
E
s
p
o
k
e
s
m
a
n
N
i
c
o
n
jobs,
the usual destinations are Saudi
He pointed out that the going toe-to-toe with the cops,
Fameronag said Thursday's (May 1) Arabia, Dubai and Taiwan, she said.
government should look to KMU had another kind of protest
figure was not final.
A total of 140,338 vacancies were
improve the industrial and coming.
He
said
the
labor
department
was
offered
by 610 local and overseas
agricultural sector that could be
Setting up a few meters from
confident it could meet the annual employers in 69 job fairs conducted in
tapped for better employment the Mendiola Peace Arch, and a
average after the numbers from all the all 16 regions, except in the
opportunities.
600-strong police force behind
regions had come in.
Autonomous Region in Muslim
Despite the demonstration, it, KMU held song and dance
“We always remain optimistic Mindanao (ARMM).
Ocampo admitted that President numbers and got a serenade
because the usual trend is we are
Among the jobs offered were in
Benigno Aquino III would not do from Broadway singer-turned
below the target early on but as the c y b e r s e r v i c e s , i n f o r m a t i o n
any for the benefit of the activist Monique Wilson.
day goes on, we are able to have more technology, call centers, hotels and
workers.
“Art and activism should go
[job
seekers hired on the spot],” re s t a u ra n t s , t o u r i s m , h e a l t h ,
together because art is where we
Fameronag said.
wholesale and retail trade,
Entertainment
c a n e x p r e s s o u r a n g e r,
Thursday's
figures
included
construction,
automotive, real estate,
If the thought of Labor Day
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Page 7
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14,575 job seekers considered for
Militant ... From page 2
can be circumvented by the fact that in
reality it is the US government that is the
one calling the shots and not the Aquino
administration,” said Colmenares.
“In fact based on the document
'Question and Answer on the Enhanced
Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA)'
released by Malacañang, the US would at
least have 10 years of using Philippine
bases and there would be no limit to the
US troops that would come to the country.
They can also preposition jets and
warships in our territory. The US can also
make facilities and upgrade infrastructure
e.g. bases, command centers and the like
for their purposes. These are at the very
least very questionable and should be
scrutinized because as it is, in paper it is a
Philippine base but in reality it is a US
By Tina G. Santos
base,” he added.
'Deceptive deal'
Zarate, meanwhile, said that although
the deal is supposed to prohibit nuclear
weapons, “the US maintains neither a
confirm nor deny policy if their ships or
planes carry nuclear weapons.”
“Furthermore, they already found a
way to circumvent the constitutional ban
on the presence of foreign troops in the
country thru the Visiting Forces
Agreement (VFA) but now they will
further maximize this and increase US
troop presence in the country, a member
of the PH negotiating panel for the EDCA
even said that it may even allow tens of
thousands of US troops or even more
depending on their so-called activities in
the country. So in truth the EDCA is a very
deceptive deal,” said Zarate. Inquirer.net
NBI: Hunger made ... From page 4
counteraffidavit as he has just surrendered to authorities. Mariano said he gave Lee until
May 8, adding that BIR lawyers failed to make it to the preliminary investigation after they
were caught in heavy traffic due to the arrival of US President Barack Obama in Manila.
The BIR sued Lee, his company Izumo Contractors Inc. and other company officials for
failing to pay taxes worth P194.47 million between 2006 and 2009. Inquirer.net
May 2-8, 2014
Page 6
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
What is the
EDCA ...
From page 3
These will take place in designated
areas within a few AFP bases to be
agreed upon by both Parties.
5. What principles were
adhered to in ensuring that the
national interests are protected
and advanced? Upon the
instructions of the President, we
observed the following principles:
Strict compliance with the
Philippine Constitution, laws and
jurisprudence; Utmost respect for
Philippine sovereignty;
Requirement for Philippine consent
for all activities; No permanent
presence or base by US troops in the
Philippines; Full Philippine control
over facilities to be used; Mutuality
of benefits; Non-exclusivity of use of
the designated areas for US armed
forces; Enhancement of AFP
capabilities through joint training
exercises; Prohibition of nuclear
weapons; and, US commitment for
long-term AFP capability build-up.
6. What are the main features
of EDCA? Consistent with the
President's guidelines, the
agreement has the following main
features: Clear provision that the US
would “not establish a permanent
military presence or base in the
Philippines”; US access to and use of
designated areas in AFP owned and
controlled facilities (“Agreed
Locations”) will be at the invitation
of the Philippine Government; Prior
consent of the Philippines, through
the Mutual Defense Board (MDB)
and Security Engagement Board
(SEB), with regard to US access and
use of Agreed Locations which may
be listed in an annex and further
described in implementing
arrangements; Philippines
retention of primary responsibility
for security of the Agreed Locations;
Access of the AFP base commander
to the entire area of the Agreed
Locations; Philippine ownership of
buildings and infrastructure once
constructed by US military; Sharing
and joint use of facilities in the
Agreed Locations, including those
built by the US military; Value of
prepositioned material in the
enhancement of AFP defense
capabilities and possible transfer or
purchase of material determined to
be excess; Prohibition of entry to the
Philippines of nuclear weapons, and
reference to respective obligations
of both Parties under the Chemical
Weapons Convention and the
Biological Weapons Convention;
Strong commitment by both Parties
in protecting the environment,
human health and safety;
Preference for Philippine suppliers
of goods, products and service in US
military procurement; and, Regular
consultation on the implementation
of the agreement.
7. How does the Philippine
Government envision defense
cooperation with the US? The
Philippines will strengthen its
capabilities for external and
territorial defense by continuing to
work with its treaty ally in a
mutually beneficial way in line with
what is allowed by the Philippine
Constitution.
8. What other benefits will the
Philippines derive from EDCA? In
addition to interoperability,
maritime security, maritime domain
awareness, capacity building and
more expeditious HADR, the
Agreement will further benefit the
Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (Dem.-Hawaii)
Solons, Fil-Ams ...
From page 1
(Ret.), who is leading the Filipino
American World War II Soldiers
Recognition Project.
“They fought bravely alongside
American soldiers to resist Japanese
aggression, engaged in guerilla warfare
and provided intelligence to U.S. forces
that was critical in ultimately winning
the war,” Taguba added. “It's about time
we say 'thank you' and honor them for
their exemplary record of selfless
sacrifice and love of country.”
Taguba noted that other groups
have been recognized with a
Congressional Gold Medal, the highest
civilian award in the United States. They
include the Japanese American Nisei
soldiers, Navajo Code Talkers, Montford
Marines, Tuskegee Airmen and Women
Air Service Pilots (WASP).
“Filipino American World War II
soldiers are equally deserving of this
award because they fought valiantly
under the American flag,” Taguba said.
“But the Rescission Acts of 1946
Philippines economically through
the provision of jobs and other
economic opportunities in the
construction activities in the Agreed
Locations and procurement of local
goods and supplies by the US
military and personnel.
9. What is the reason behind
the change in the title of the
agreement from “Increased
Rotational Presence Framework
Agreement” to “Enhanced
Defense Cooperation
Agreement”? The change in the
title reflects the desire of the
Philippines and the US for a more
comprehensive agreement that
covers the full range of enhanced
defense cooperation, including
developing maritime security,
maritime domain awareness and
humanitarian assistance and
disaster relief capabilities.
Increased rotational presence is just
one modality of enhanced defense
cooperation.
10. Is EDCA constitutional?
Yes. EDCA provides that the access
and use of AFP facilities by the US
military will be “at the invitation of
the Philippines and with full respect
for the Philippine Constitution and
Philippine laws.” The constitutional
provision which prohibits the
establishment of “foreign military
bases… or facilities” in the country
exc e p t u n d e r a t re a t y d u ly
concurred in by the Senate does not
apply to EDCA.
The defining features of “foreign
military bases” - extraterritoriality,
exclusivity in use and foreign
ownership - will not be applicable in
the Agreed Locations. On the other
hand, the entry of US military troops
for military exercises and other
approved activities is already
allowed under the PH-US Visiting
Forces Agreement (VFA) which is a
treaty concurred in by the Senate
and upheld by the Supreme Court.
The provisions of EDCA, an
executive agreement, are consistent
with the Philippine Constitution,
laws, and jurisprudence.
11.
Does EDCA mean the
return of US bases in the
Philippines? The Agreement is
very clear on this matter and
specifies in the Preamble the
Parties' “understanding for the US
not to establish a permanent
military presence or base in the
territory of the Philippines.” EDCA
does not authorize the
establishment of US bases. It allows
the US military access to Agreed
Locations.
12. Does EDCA give the US
military blanket authority to
build facilities in AFP military
bases? Will the Philippines have
access to these facilities? Who
will own them? Under EDCA,
before constructions and other
activities can be undertaken, prior
consent of the Philippines will have
to be secured through the Mutual
Defense Board (MDB) and Security
Engagement Board (SEB) which
were established under the MDT
and the VFA. The AFP base
commander will have access to the
entire area of the facilities shared
with the US military. The Philippines
will also own any building and
similar infrastructure that will be
built by the US military.
13. Will EDCA also provide a
blanket authority for all activities
of the US troops in the future? No.
Activities to be undertaken under
EDCA will have to be approved by
the Philippines through the MDB
and SEB.
14. How long will EDCA be in
effect? EDCA will have an initial
term of 10 years. There will be
regular bilateral consultations on
the implementation of the
Agreement.
15. How many US personnel
will be allowed into the
Philippines under this
Agreement? The number of visiting
US personnel will depend on the
scale and the frequency of the
activities to be approved by both
Parties. There will be no stationing
of US personnel under EDCA. US
personnel will come on temporary
and rotational basis in relation to
activities that will be held in AFP
facilities.
16. Will the entry of nuclear
weapons, chemical weapons and
biological weapons be allowed
under the EDCA? EDCA clearly
provides that the materials the US
military may bring into the country
“shall not include nuclear weapons,”
in compliance with the Philippine
Constitution. EDCA also reaffirms
the two countries' respective
obligations under the Convention
o n C h e m i c a l We a p o n s a n d
Convention on Biological Weapons.
17. Which AFP bases will be
shared with and used by the US
under EDCA? The designated areas
in a limited number of AFP bases
that will be shared and jointly used
with the US will be specified in an
annex and agreed implementing
arrangements. Given the mutuality
of benefits to be derived from the
Agreement (such as making
available defense and HADR
equipment, supplies and material
for the benefit of the Philippines),
the areas will be made available to
US forces without rental. In
addition, the buildings and other
u
Page 14
Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba (Ret.)
deprived them of all nonserviceconnected veterans' benefits and
changed the status of Filipino veterans
almost immediately upon conclusion of
the War.”
Community activists have lobbied
in the last 40 years for veterans equity
benefits in an effort to restore their
rights as American veterans. In 2009,
Congress established the Filipino
Veterans Equity Compensation (FVEC)
Fund. It provided eligible veterans who
are U.S. citizens with a one-time
payment of $15,000. Eligible veterans
who are not U.S. citizens received a onetime payment of $9,000.
Totally distinct
Ben de Guzman, a member of the
project's core group and national
coordinator of the National Alliance for
Filipino Veterans Equity (NAFVE),
explained that the Gold Medal Award is
totally distinct from the FVEC.
“This Project's immediate work to
secure the Congressional Gold Medal is
distinct from the important work
happening separately to address the
u
Page 9
May 2-8, 2014
Page 7
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
3,000 get hired ...
From page 5
banking, finance, insurance and cargo.
In Naga City, Camarines Sur province,
government-assisted groups and the
military set up their own booths to
encourage job seekers to go into small
businesses as an alternative source of
income. Cecil Andalis, DOLE coordinator in
Camarines Sur, said setting up small
livelihood enterprises that use locally
available raw materials was a good way of
generating jobs.
Among those who took part in the fair
were women's groups from Baao and Buhi
towns that make bags and accessories
using water hyacinth cloth and abaca.
Lt . Col. Perfecto Peñaredondo,
assistant chief of staff for personnel of the
9th Infantry Division of the Philippine
Army, said the military booth offered young
people the opportunity to serve in the
m i l i t a r y. L t . C o l . L e n a r t L e l i n a ,
commanding officer of the 42nd Infantry
Battalion, said his unit's booth tried to
encourage youngsters to join the military
service through the Philippine Military
Academy.
For typhoon survivors
Obama ignites ...
From page 2
On the first leg of his Asian tour in
Tokyo, Obama had made such a pledge of
support to Japan, which is locked in its own
dispute with China over rival claims to
islands in the East China Sea.
Obama's nuanced position on the
Philippines was part of a tight-rope act he
had tried to perform during his trip
reassuring allies wary about China's
perceived increased hostility while not
antagonizing the leadership in Beijing.
While offering pledges of protection to
Japan and the Philippines, Obama also
insisted the United States was not seeking
to counter or contain China.
And reflecting the difficulties of
Obama's balancing act, there were
complaints in the Philippines that he had
not offered explicit support in the event of a
conflict over the contested South China Sea
areas.
“No firm commitment from US to
defend PH,” said the front-page headline of
the Philippine Daily Inquirer after Obama
met President Benigno Aquino on Monday
but did not pledge South China Sea backing.
'Troublemaking allies'
Nevertheless, an editorial in the staterun China Daily newspaper on Tuesday
signalled that Chinese authorities viewed
In typhoon-devastated Palo town,
Leyte province, 10,000 jobs were offered at
the DOLE-sponsored job fair.
Of those jobs, 7,400 were overseas,
offered by 203 recruitment agencies,
Exequiel Sarcauga, DOLE director for
Eastern Visayas, said.
The rest were local jobs offered by 80
companies, he said. Sarcauga said his
department was aiming for the 15-percent
average for on-the-spot hiring.
“It's not easy. The applicants should be
qualified and have the necessary
documents for them to be hired on the
spot,” he said.
Labor officials said at least 7,000 job
seekers had visited the fair as of 11 a.m.
They said they were expecting more would
come before the fair closed at 5 p.m.
Jollibee at the fair
One of the companies that took part in
the fair was the fast-food chain Jollibee,
which has a branch at the Robinson's
shopping mall in Tacloban City.
Branch official Hansel Tengzon said
Jollibee's participation in the job fair
indicated that it would continue to operate
in Tacloban City despite the devastation
caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda last year.
“We are still very optimistic that
Tacloban remains a good place to do
business,” Tengzon said. Inquirer.net
Obama's trips to Japan, South Korea,
Malaysia and the Philippines as a tour of
anti-Chinese hostility.
“It is increasingly obvious that
Washington is taking Beijing as an
opponent,” the editorial said as it
summarised his visit.
“With Obama reassuring the US allies
of protection in any conflict with China, it is
now clear that Washington is no longer
bothering to conceal its attempt to contain
China's influence in the region.”
The editorial warned against believing
Obama's “sweet promises” of a new,
constructive relationship between the
United States and China, and instead
outlined what it described as a “grim
geopolitical reality”.
“Ganging up with its troublemaking
allies, the US is presenting itself as a
security threat to China,” it said.
Meanwhile, three Chinese coastguard
ships sailed into waters around the islands
in the East China Sea disputed between
China and Japan, the Japanese coastguard
said. It said the vessels entered 12 nautical
miles (22 kilometers) into Japan's
territorial waters off one of the Senkaku
islands, which China also claims and calls
the Diaoyus.
It was the second such move since
Obama announced last week that
Washington would defend Japan if China
initiates an attack in the contested area.
Inquirer.net
KMU holds ... From page 5
frustrations, and demands,” Wilson said before she sang Freddie Aguilar's “Bayan Ko”
to the almost 3,500 militants. “We should be creative on our protests, and that is how
our progressive groups are, that is how Filipinos are, we are very creative.”
She added that with their “entertaining” rally, Aquino should take note of their
demands and actually listen to their ire. “He should stop pretending that he listens to
our cries, he should actually listen,” Wilson said. Though a rather peaceful event, KMU
still burnt an 11-foot effigy of Aquino that Crisanto de Leon of Ugat Lahi made for the
rally. De Leon's effigy feature the president as a robot with a protester dressed as Uncle
Sam controlling Aquino with a huge remote control. Inquirer.net
Janet Lim-Napoles
Napoles: Senator, former DAR chief, ex-DA Usec taught me the ropes
‘They were my mentors’
By Dr. Dante A. Ang, Chairman
Emeritus
The Manila Times
In yesterday's (April 26)
papers, Janet Lim-Napoles,
primary suspect in the P10billion PDAF scam, insisted
that she was not the brains
behind it and pointed instead
to another.
Her lawyer, Bruce Rivera,
said “she is not the most
guilty.” That being the case, she
can qualify as a state witness,
Rivera added.
Whether she is “not the
most guilty” and, therefore,
qualified to be a state witness,
is for the Sandiganbayan to
decide.
The Sandiganbyan picks
from a list of possible state
w i t n e s s e s g ive n by t h e
Ombudsman.
Ironically, there may be
s o m e t r u t h to N a p o l e s '
statement that she was not the
mastermind of the massive
theft of the P10-billion Priority
Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF).
The “brains” are three
highly prominent government
officials who had advised
Napoles on the intricacies of
fund releases, according to a
highly reliable source who
requested anonymity.
In her signed affidavit,
Napoles narrated the roles the
“brains” had played in the
PDAF scam, the source told
The Manila Times on
Thursday.
The three (a leading
senator and prominent
member of the Liberal Party,
an Agriculture undersecretary
and an erstwhile secretary of
the Department of Agrarian
Reform or DAR) “are my
mentors. They instructed me
about the procedures and
taught me the process of how
to undertake the PDAF cycle,”
the source quoting Napoles
said.
“The former DAR
secretary and the current
Agriculture undersecretary
who is related to a senator
were in constant
communications with me,”
Napoles added.
Some Malacañang officials
were not spared either. A
ranking official of the
Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) is alleged
to have taught Napoles the
ropes. “[Name of DBM official]
was the one who taught me
how to follow the procedures
at the DBM in order to expedite
the releases of the funds,” said
the source quoting from the
Napoles affidavit. Napoles
added that she “followed up
the releases” with another
ranking DBM official.
Ye t a n o t h e r P a l a c e
factotum was also mentioned
i n h e r a f f i d av i t . Wr o t e
Napoles, “[Name of the Palace
official] is one of my contacts
in Malacañang and who was
introduced to me by [name of a
Public Relations practitioner].
We casually know each other.”
She said she “talks” to the PR
guy “for advice every now and
then.”
Some 11 senators
belonging to the
administration and opposition
were also implicated in the
Napoles affidavit.
In that same affidavit, the
jailed businesswoman
recounted that she met one of
the three senators indicted by
the Ombudsman in a social
function and that she followed
up on the status of the
documents with his Chief of
Staff.
Napoles, according to the
source, decided to come out in
the open and name names
when the people whom she
considered friends abandoned
her. She was blaming them for
her having contracted urinary
tract infection (UTI), “kasi
marumi ang facilities [because
the facilities in Santa Rosa are
dirty],” he explained. Napoles
was being held at Fort Santo
Domingo in Santa Rosa City,
Laguna, until she underwent
major surgery in a government
hospital on Tuesday.
She had asked “them” for
help in securing a hospital
arrest for her and a transfer of
venue. Both requests were
denied by the courts. Napoles
then decided to go public and
talked to the government to
reveal what she knows of the
theft of the government funds,
the source said.
On Thursday, former
senator Panfilo 'Ping” Lacson
disclosed that in March this
year, Jimmy Napoles, husband
of Janet, gave him documents
and a list of lawmakers who
allegedly received kickbacks
from ghost projects funded by
PDAF. Lacson said the number
of senators included in the list
could constitute a quorum.
With the Senate having 24
members, at least 13 are
needed to make a quorum.
But Senate President
Franklin Drilon cautioned
against using the Napoles list
to attack the chamber.
“If the list is supported by
credible documentary
evidence, please go ahead.
Pero kung listahan lang
naman, siguro naman pagingatan naman natin ang
institusyon ng Senado [But if
it's just a mere list, I believe we
should preserve the Senate as
an institution],” he said in a
news briefing also on
Thursday.
Drilon insisted that every
testimony should be backed
up by evidence and that the
best evidence is the document
itself.
The senator also
expressed confidence that his
name is not on the Napoles list
because, according to him, not
a single centavo of his PDAF
went to any questionable nongovernment organization
(NGO).
“I wish to say once more
that insofar as I am concerned,
my name is not and will never
be [on ] any list because I have
not assigned a single peso of
my PDAF to any NGO of Mrs.
Janet Napoles” he said.
May 2-8, 2014
Page 8
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
NFALA supports efforts to keep the public monument in Glendale
Central Park in honor of the comfort women of World War II
CALIFORNIA The National
F i l i p i n o A m e r i c a n L a w ye r s
Association (NFALA) is deeply
troubled by the federal lawsuit filed
by the Los Angeles office of Mayer
Brown on February 20, 2014. The
federal lawsuit seeks the removal of
a public monument in Glendale,
California, which has been in
Glendale Central Park since July
2013, and was built as a tribute to
the more than 200,000 women and
girls from the Philippines, Korea,
China, Taiwan, Indonesia, and many
other countries who were forced
into sexual slavery by the Japanese
Imperial Army during World War II
(“comfort women”).
The complaint shamefully
alleges that comfort women "were
recruited, employed, and/or
otherwise acted as sexual partners"
of Japanese soldiers. This
description of comfort women as
prostitutes and/or otherwise
willing sexual participants defames
the hundreds of women and girls
abducted, tortured and raped
during World War II by the
Japanese Imperial Army, such as
Maria Rosa Luna Henson -- the first
Filipina comfort woman to break
her silence about being abducted
and raped repeatedly by Japanese
soldiers at the age of 14. Maria died
in 1997 without receiving the
justice that she deserved, but her
fight for justice and her story does
not die with her.
“In a society governed by the
rule of law, it is critical to
acknowledge injustices to ensure
that similar injustices do not
happen again. The Glendale
memorial is a reminder to us all that
sexual violence should never be
tolerated,” said Rudy Figueroa, Esq.,
NFALA President.
NFALA supports initiatives that
ensure the tragic stories of the
comfort women of World War II are
remembered by our generation, so
that the injustice and violence they
endured will not be repeated. The
U.S. House of Representatives
House Resolution 121 aptly states:
"[T]he Government of Japan, during
its colonial and wartime occupation
of Asia and the Pacific Islands from
the 1930's through the duration of
Wo r l d Wa r I I , o f f i c i a l ly
commissioned the acquisition of
young women for the sole purpose
of sexual servitude to its Imperial
Armed Forces." This Resolution,
written and sponsored by
Japanese-American Congressman
Mike Honda of California, was
unanimously approved by the U.S.
House of Representatives. The
passage of House Resolution 121,
the Glendale City Council's
approval of the comfort women
monument in its public park, and
o t h e r a c t s o f re m e m b ra n c e
throughout our country should be
commended.
“Although none of us can take
back what happened to the
c o u ra g e o u s c o m fo r t wo m e n
survivors - mothers, daughters and
sisters who endured so much
violence - we can all do our part to
make sure that their stories are not
erased from history. New Jersey is
proud to have two monuments
memorializing the plight of the
comfort women of World War II. We
support Glendale City Coouncil's
approval of a similar monument
and are deeply saddened by the
fe d e ra l l aw s u i t s e e k i n g i t s
removal,” said Jhanice V. Domingo,
Esq., NFALA NJ Affiliate and
President-Elect of the Asian Pacific
American Lawyers Association of
New Jersey.
“Comfort women monuments
honor the undeniable bravery of
survivors of these atrocities and
teach future generations that we
cannot allow such horrible crimes
against women to ever happen
again,” said Abigail Rivamonte
Mesa, Esq., NFALA CA Affiliate and
President of the Filipino Bar
Association of Northern California.
NFALA joins several Asian
Pacific American bar associations
and civic action groups throughout
the country who have issued public
statements condemning the federal
lawsuit seeking the removal of
Glendale Central Park's comfort
women monument -- a
reprehensible attempt to
improperly brand victims of sexual
violence as willing sexual
participants. It is our hope that our
judicial system will discern that the
federal lawsuit is nothing but a
transparent effort to deny the
historical fact that hundreds of
thousands of women and girls from
Asia, the Pacific and many other
parts of the world, were victims of
wartime sex trafficking.
May 2-8, 2014
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Solons, Fil-Ams ...
From page 6
claims for the Filipino WWII Veterans
Equity Compensation Fund (FVEC),”
de Guzman said.
“There is ongoing work already
happening in our communities to
engage the FVEC process, with more
than 18,000 veterans having already
received payments and about 4,000
more appealing their denied claims.
This Project carves out a separate and
particular focus to secure the
Congressional Gold Medal for our
veterans and preserve their lasting
legacy to pass onto the next
generation,” de Guzman explained.
Public education
In addition to the proclamation
and Gold Medal Award, the Project
also wants to raise national awareness
of the veterans' wartime service. A
national exhibition of the
Congressional Gold Medal will be
toured across the nation, and an
educational program will be designed
for use in secondary and elementary
schools.
“We have sounded out the
Smithsonian Institution with a
request to co-sponsor this phase of the
project,” Taguba said.
Project organizers have been
working closely with the University of
Maryland (UM) at College Park to
conduct academic and historical
research.
“Our goal here is to provide proof
the Filipino American World War II
soldiers fought the Japanese Imperial
Forces, and set the conditions for U.S.
and Allied Forces to liberate the
Philippines in October 1944,” Taguba
pointed out.
Added University of Maryland
History Professor Jon T. Sumida: “The
Filipino resistance to Japanese
occupation during the Second World
Wa r, a l t h o u g h a n i m p o r t a n t
contributor to the American victory in
the Pacific conflict, is a story
unfamiliar to the general public. Ongoing and forthcoming scholarly
investigation of this underexplored
and significant subject by faculty and
students of the History Department of
the University of Maryland, College
Park is intended to expand public
awareness of the Filipino experience
o f o c c u p a t i o n a n d l i b e ra t i o n
especially with respect to the service
of the veterans of the guerrilla
campaign.”
Janelle S. Wong, director of UM's
Asian American Studies Program and
associate professor of American
studies stated further, “Fostering a
deeper understanding of the role of
Filipino soldiers and their WWII
service to the United States is a worthy
endeavor and highlights the efforts of
a group that is too often overlooked,
even by scholars in the field.”
Also assisting in the research
program is UM Professor Colleen
Wood, a scholar in post war Philippine
studies.
Community participation
“We are calling on all local and
national communities and veterans
service organizations to be actively
involved,” said Marie Blanco, former
chief of staff to the late U.S. Senator
Daniel K. Inouye, and a member of the
project. “Their strong and unified
engagement, in seeking additional
cosponsors and advocating for
consideration and passage of H.R. 111,
is crucial to getting this measure
signed into law.”
Organizations that have endorsed
the Project include the National
Federation of Filipino American
Associations (NaFFAA), Council of
United Filipino Organizations of
Tidewater (CUFOT) Virginia, the Bay
Area's FilAm Veterans History Project,
Florida Veterans Foundation, National
Alliance for Filipino Veterans Equity
(NAFVE), Philippine Scouts Heritage
Society, Veterans Equity Center of San
Francisco, VFW and Filipino History
Society of Hawaii. Veterans advocates
from Seattle, Washington; Houston,
Texas; Chicago, Illinois; Las Vegas,
Nevada, have also indicated their
support.
O rga n i z e r s o f t h e F i l i p i n o
American World War II Soldiers
Recognition Project are planning to
hold a national summit in June to
formally launch a national coalition
and mobilize grassroots support for
congressional action and other
activities related to the project.
Inquirer.net
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL
201-434-1114
City Clerk Nancy Shollenberger swears into office Rachelle Arizmendi, Sierra Madre City's first Filipino American council
member. AJPRESS PHOTO
Sierra Madre City swears in
first Fil-Am council member
By Mico Letargo
SIERRA MADRE, California
- This quaint , suburban
Southern California city
installed its first non-white and
Filipino-American city council
member Tuesday, April 22.
Rachelle Arizmendi
officially joined the Sierra
Madre City Council during a
city council reorganization
meeting at the Sierra Madre
City Hall.
City Clerk Nancy
Shollenberger administered
the oath of office for Arizmendi,
as well as for other incoming
council members Denise
Delmar and Gene Goss.
Arizmendi praised
outgoing council members
Chris Koerber and Josh Moran
and outgoing City Mayor Nancy
Walsh “for their commitment
and efforts” to Sierra Madre, in
her first comments as an
official city council member.
“I am humbled and really
honored to be sitting up here
today with (my fellow council
members), Arizmendi said. “I
am really looking forward to
serving Sierra Madre. It is
really my intent to represent all
of you that are here, and all of
the residents at home watching
[the live broadcast of city
council meeting].”
Arizmendi, 42, later told
Asian Journal that she was
“excited and thrilled” to start
her term. After a lot of hard
work that went into her
campaign, Arizmendi said that
it was “great to take that oath.”
Arizmendi admitted that
she didn't have her agenda set
up yet, but she emphasized her
commitment to following
through on her campaign
promises: enforcing financial
stability with the city budget,
making sure that the city
government works to enhance
and maintain the quality of life
in Sierra Madre, and making
sure that Sierra Madre
downtown stays friendly and
safe.
Sierra Madre is currently
facing difficulties with its
water supply due to the
drought, as it gets its water
from an independent
municipality. Residents have
encountered problems of
discoloration and limited
supply. Arizmendi said that the
city council would look to fix
infrastructure and
maintenance issues to cope up
with this problem.
She said that there were
some existing grants that could
help fund the city's efforts to
address the problem, and the
city council could look into
[email protected]
those opportunities.
“Without [the measures to
address infrastructure and
maintenance], we're being
inefficient with our water flow.
So it really has to be one of our
priorities. And it does fit into
the fiscal accountability part,
too… making sure that we're
use our tax dollars the right
way,” Arizmendi said.
Ofelia Sumagaysay Pastor,
Arizmendi's mother who is
based in Salinas, California,
attended Tuesday night's oathtaking ceremonies.
Pastor, 72, said that she was
happy and proud of her
daughter, and that she believed
Rachelle would do well as a
public servant.
“I know that she can make
it. She has been doing this ever
since. I'm really very proud of
her,” Pastor said.
Apparently, serving the
community runs in the family.
Pastor said that she has been
active in participating in the
organizations within the
Filipino community, and that
Arizmendi saw her mother's
work when she was still young.
“Everywhere I went before,
she was with me. She has
experienced it also. I think it's
already in our blood,” Pastor
said. Inquirer.net
May 2-8, 2014
Page 10
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Historic and
high-drama
The view in Rome last Sunday, April 27 was spectacular. As
productions went, the canonization of the late popes John
XXIII and John Paul II was the kind of non-CGI blockbuster that
would be hard to top: nearly a million people in and around the
Vatican; some 6,000 priests, 1,000 bishops and 154 cardinals
concelebrating; about 100 heads of state and governments;
over 2,000 police deployed to provide security and manage the
crowds; 19 giant screens in various parts of Rome to allow
those unable to squeeze themselves into St. Peter's Square to
follow the proceedings and reportedly some 980 public toilets
to service all that fervent, enraptured humanity.
And then there were the four popes in the spotlight two
who had passed on and were now about to be elevated to the
hallowed status of saints of the Catholic Church, and two living
ones, the resigned Benedict XVI, who came out of self-imposed
seclusion to join the ceremonies, and the current Francis,
under whose populist hand this magnificent public spectacle
had come to pass. The exultant event seemed to signal, if not
the complete rehabilitation of the Church from the miasma of
credible and reliable information
prosecutors, judges and other
scandals it found itself in during the last few years, then at least
about the criminal activity. Also,
investigative agencies such as
some form of resurgence and reclaimed popularity, thanks in
the victim must have been helpful,
family protective services, the
large part to Francis' widely reported unorthodox ways in the
are being helpful or are likely to be
Equal Employment Opportunity
ultra orthodox world of the Vatican.
helpful in the investigation and
Commission, and the Department
The moment everyone had been waiting for, meanwhile,
prosecution of the crime.
of Labor.
took about six minutes the length of time Francis took to read
Among the qualifying criminal
Crime victims are still eligible
the formal Church proclamation in Latin declaring his two
For fear of deportation,
activities included are abduction,
to receive U visas whether a
undocumented aliens who are
blackmail, domestic violence,
conviction resulted or not. Even
predecessor popes as newly minted saints, and “decreeing that
victims of crimes choose to remain
extortion, involuntary servitude,
when the case is closed because
they are to be venerated as such by the whole Church.” With
silent and are reluctant to provide
witness tampering, obstruction of
the perpetrator could not be
that, John XXIII and John Paul II joined a most rarefied
law enforcement with information
justice, perjury and false
identified or that arrest was not
club“popes who have been declared saints. Before today, only
necessary for the prosecution of
imprisonment, among others.
made because the perpetrator fled,
seven had won halos in the last 1,000 years,” noted The Boston
crimes. This is especially true for
Criminal activities also include
a law enforcement certification
Globe's veteran Vatican reporter John Allen Jr.
u n d o c u m e n t e d wo m e n a n d
rape, sexual assault, sexual
may still be issued for the crime
The show of Catholic unity was galvanizing perhaps the
children
who
are
most
vulnerable
exploitation,
trafficking
including
victim.
very image and message Francis was banking on when he
to exploitation and abuse. The U
attempt, conspiracy or solicitation
Also, regulations do not place a
decided to waive the traditional requirement of a second
visa addresses this plight of crime
to commit any of these crimes.
time limit on the issuance of a law
validated miracle attributed to “Good Pope John,” so the wellvictims and offers them and their
Application for U visa requires
enforcement certification as it
loved convener of the historic Second Vatican Council could be
family members the protection
a law enforcement certification on
relates to the time when the crime
elevated to sainthood at the same time as the Polish John Paul,
they need.
Form I-918B. This form certifies
was committed. So long as the
who himself enjoyed a fast-track route to beatification.
The U visa is a temporary visa
that the qualifying criminal
crime victim assisted in the past to
Benedict declared him “Blessed,” or one rung below fullgranted to victims of certain
activity occurred and that the
investigate and prosecute the
fledged saint, soon after his death, dispensing with the usual
criminal activities which occurred
crime victim assisted, is assisting
qualified crime, a law enforcement
five-year waiting period before the process is started. With the
in the United States, a U.S. territory
or is likely to be helpful in the
certification may still be issued.
ceremonies last Sunday, John Paul became the fastest
or U.S. military installation or
investigation and prosecution of
The visa is available to crime
candidate for sainthood to be canonized since the 1500s.
violated U.S. laws. The victim must
the crime. Among those who may
victims who are in the United
have suffered substantial mental
sign the form are certifying
States or abroad. If the crime
Bringing the two popes together appear to be part of
or physical abuse as a result of the
officials of federal, state, local law
victim is applying overseas, the
Francis' master plan to encourage healing and solidarity in the
u
Page 12
criminal activity and must possess
enforcement agencies,
Church. Though both are hailed for their devout example, John
XXIII and John Paul II are, by conventional wisdom, deemed
radically different from each other. The former, by opening the
Church to reform and modernization through Vatican II, is
fondly remembered for making the Church more attuned to
and engaged with contemporary times.
u
Page 12
U Visa for Crime Victims
Hard slog
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Joseph G. Lariosa
Contributor: Grace G. Baldisseri
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do
not reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the publisher.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
2711 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07306
There's a spillover for Filipinos
in US President Barack Obama's
swing through Asia.
Obama is now in a Manila
stopover.
The US “pivot to Asia” lifted our
line of sight, albeit briefly, from
insular concerns like pork barrel.
Instead, we were confronted by a
powerful China, rouge nuclear
threats, and a faltering TransPacific Partnership (TPP) pact.
The enhanced defense
cooperation agreement was signed
by Defense Secretary Voltaire
Gazmin and US Ambassador Philip
Goldberg before Obama met
President Aquino Monday. It will
run for 10 years, but is renewable.
It updates the Mutual Defense
Treaty, which underpins the first of
America's five alliances in Asia.
Polls here consistently report
that four out of five Filipinos
welcome US presence. About four
million Filipinos comprise the
second-largest group of AsianAmericans. Trade with the United
States ($22 billion) is second to
Japan.
Philippine expenditures are
petty cash beside China's 175percent increase in military
spending. Manila's other track is
increased cooperation with
Australia, Japan and Korea, aside
from the submission to the United
Nations of a maritime dispute with
China for international arbitration.
History buffs recall that six
sitting US presidents previously
visited the Philippines: Dwight
Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson,
Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Bill
Clinton, George W. Bush. And older
Filipinos still chuckle over the story
how then Maj. Dwight Eisenhower,
the realist, clashed with his “grand
design boss” in Manila: Gen.
Douglas MacArthur. “The best clerk
I ever had,” MacArthur said of Ike,
the story goes. And Eisenhower
retorted: “I studied dramatics
under MacArthur for seven years.”
Look at the context. China,
Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, the
Philippines and Vietnam have
overlapping claims to the region's
seas. Over $5.2 trillion in goods
pass these lanes annually. A tenth
of fish catch worldwide comes from
this region.
The seabeds contain an
estimated 11 billion barrels of oil,
plus 1.47 trillion cubic meters of
natural gas. In 1969, the UN
confirmed those deposits, and in
1976 the Philippines reported oil
reserve finds. Until tapped, over 90
percent of Middle East's oil exports
u
Page 12
May 2-8, 2014
Page 11
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
Last Tuesday, April 22, while in
Baguio City for their summer
session, the Supreme Court denied
all the Motions for Reconsideration
on Online Libel which it upheld in
its Feb. 18, 2014 decision.
It will be recalled that in its Feb.
18 decision, the High Court struck
down as illegal the authority given
to the Department of Justice) to
restrict or block access to any
online post which it deemed
violating the law without any court
order.
But it upheld the
constitutionality of the online libel
t h a t i n c re a s e d t h e p e n a l t y
twelvefold. From a minimum
punishment of six months
Fight vs online libel goes to the UNCHR
imprisonment under the Revised
Penal Code, the Cybercrime
Prevention Law increased it to six
years. The maximum punishment
was doubled from six to twelve
years in prison.
In our Motion for
Reconsideration last month, we
reiterated our position that libel, as
a criminal offense, under the
Revised Penal Code is
unconstitutional.
We also contended that with
the Cybercrime Law, the Philippine
government violated its
obligations under the International
Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights (ICCPR).
The UNCHR cited this covenant
when it declared in the case of
Davao journalist Alexander Adonis
(who was convicted and
imprisoned for libel filed by then
Congressman Prospero Nograles)
that the libel provisions of the
Philippines do not conform with
the standards set in Article 19
paragraph three of the ICCPR of
wh i c h t h e P h i l i p p i n e s i s a
signatory.
We are dismayed by the
Supreme Court's dismissal of all
the motions for reconsideration.
Our lawyer,CenterLaw's Harry
Roque issued this statement:
“As counsel for journalists
Alexander Adonis, Ellen Tordesillas
et al., I am of course deeply
disappointed with this latest turn
of events. In my opinion, the
Supreme Court just lost a great
opportunity to rectify the
inconsistencies in our
jurisprudence on freedom of
expression. Simply put, while we
have adopted the normative value
of freedom of expression as the
means to ascertain the truth and as
the means to form informed public
opinion which is indispensable in a
Lawyer Harry Roque files motion for reconsideration vs Cybercrime law
democracy, the fact that the Court
continues to sanction the
imposition of imprisonment for
libel contradicts our so-called
constitutional commitment to
freedom of expression. “Moreover, I
believe that this latest decision is a
blatant disregard of the view
expressed by the UN Human Rights
Committee declaring criminal libel
in the Philippines as being contrary
to freedom of expression. It is thus
a breach of “pacta sundt servanda”,
or that treaty obligations must be
complied with in good faith.
u
Page 13
From EDSA to EDCA
Twenty-eight years after the
EDSA people power revolution and
23 years after the Philippine Senate
kicked the U.S. bases out of the
Philippines, the Americans are
back at the request of the
Philippine government. Why?
The toppling of the Marcos
dictatorship in 1986 whipped up
nationalistic fervor among the new
intelligentsia who saw an
opportunity to create a society free
of foreign influence and
interference. It was a period of
unbridled nationalism that blamed
the malaise of the past on
America's perceived meddling in
the Philippines' national affairs.
It did not then come as a
surprise that the 1987 Constitution
was crafted to prohibit foreign
military bases on Philippine soil.
Article XVIII, Section 25, of the new
constitution states that “foreign
military bases, troops, or facilities
shall not be allowed in the
Philippines except under a treaty
duly concurred in by the Senate
and, when the Congress so
requires, ratified by a majority of
the votes cast by the people in a
national referendum held for that
purpose, and recognized as a treaty
by the other contracting State.”
In 1991, twelve senators voted
12-11 to reject the extension of the
US-Philippines Military Bases
Agreement. The vainglorious
senators who called themselves,
the Magnificent 12 justified their
vote by claiming that the treaty was
favorable to the U.S. but not to the
Philippines. The following year, the
U.S. bases were closed.
Chinese aggression
Two years after the closure of
the U.S. bases in 1992, China seized
the Panganiban Reef (Mischief
Reef) in the middle of the night.
And the Philippine Armed Forces
couldn't do anything to take it back.
In the past three years, China
aggressively pursued her
Opinion
By Perry Diaz
territorial claim to about 80% of
the South China Sea including the
Spratly archipelago. In 2012, she
took possession of Panatag Shoal
(Scarborough Shoal).
That didn't bode well with
President Benigno Aquino III, who,
ultimately would bear a stigma of
guilt should he fail to do something
to deter Chinese aggression. While
the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense
Treaty (MDT) is still in effect, there
is no ironclad guarantee that
America would come to the
Philippines' aid in a timely fashion.
Recently, China attempted to
take possession of Ayungin Shoal,
which is only 105 nautical miles
from the coast of Palawan and
within the Philippines' 200-mile
Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
But what deterred the Chinese
from taking over the uninhabited
but strategically located shoal was
a small detachment of Philippine
marines deployed to a rusty naval
ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, which
lay aground off Ayungin.
Consequently, China made
several diplomatic efforts to
pressure the Philippine
government into removing Sierra
Madre from the vicinity, claiming
that China has absolute and
indisputable sovereignty over
Ayungin and the rest of the Spratlys
including the proven oil- and gasrich Recto Bank. But with a navy
with no warships and an air force
with no warplanes, the Philippines
is defenseless against Chinese
attack.
EDCA
The signing of the Enhanced
Defense Cooperation Agreement
(EDCA) last April 28, 2014 came at
a time when China was poised to
strike at the Spratly islands. Signed
hours before U.S. President Barack
Obama arrived in Manila, EDCA will
give American forces temporary
access to selected Philippine
military bases, and allow them to
preposition fighter jets and ships.
The question is: How
significant is EDCA to the overall
rebalancing of U.S. naval and air
forces in the Asia-Pacific region? To
answer that question, one has to be
cognizant of China's goal of
controlling the First Island Chain
and Second Island Chain. The First
Island Chain runs from Japan all the
way to Vietnam by way of Taiwan,
Philippines, Borneo, Malaysia, and
Singapore. The Second Island
Chain runs from Japan all the way
to Australia by way of the U.S.
u
Page 12
By last November, Mighty
appeared to yield to government
pressure and increased its price to
P18.30 per pack. Last January,
when the new excise tax rate of P17
for low-priced brands took effect
and Mighty's warehouse was shut,
the firm again hiked its price to
P24.30 per pack.
But last month, with the BOC
investigation apparently getting
nowhere, Mighty rolled back its
prices to P23 a pack in March 2014.
Since the company had to pay a
VAT of P2.46 and an excise tax of
P17 per pack, Mighty was left with
only P3.54 for manufacturing costs
at that price.
Based on its own declarations,
Mighty is spending P2.58 for raw
materials to make a pack of
Marvels, one of its other brands.
With labor and overhead costs
estimated at P0.43, this means
Mighty is losing P3.67 per pack on
this brand.
Mighty must be playing in a
different field where it can bring in
the cheapest goods, sell its
products at the lowest prices and
still make a lot of money. Of course,
only the government knows how
Mighty achieves this feat.
***
A group of Singaporean
investors in a leading local tuna
and salmon processing outfit
called Alliance Select Foods
International has come under fire
for filing unwarranted suits
against the company's
management, in an apparent bid to
oust the Filipinos on the board and
in management and to gain control
over the operation. Observers say
the Singaporeans intend to take
over the board of Alliance, which is
led by chairman George E. Sycip;
they also want to fire key officials
led by chief operating officer Tess
Ladanga.
u
Page 12
Envying Erap
“Sorry,” despite what Elton
John says, isn't the hardest word. It
can actually work wonders.
Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap”
Estrada apologized this week to
the families of victims of the bloody
2010 hostage-taking at Rizal Park
and his apology was accepted. But
Malacañang, which has stuck to
President Noynoy Aquino's noapology policy, could not allow
Erap to take all the credit, so it had
to say that it had been working to
settle the issue long before Estrada
arrived in Hong Kong.
Cabinet Secretary Jose
Almendras, whose presence with
Erap in Hong Kong was even
initially denied by one Malacañang
spokesman (only to be affirmed by
another) had to call a press
conference yesterday to claim
some of the credit. Almendras said
he signed a heretofore unknown
agreement settling the dispute
between Hong Kong and Manila as
early as two weeks ago.
Of course, if Estrada had not
heaped praise on himself for
apologizing, we would probably
never heard of Almendras'
exploits. Then again, if only Aquino
had apologized four years ago,
right after the Hong Kong tourists
were killed by a former Manila cop
who went postal, then none of this
would have even been necessary.
***
Smuggling remains rampant in
various industries, despite the
noise made earlier to curb this
problem by the Aquino
administration. And as far as
leveling the playing field for
business is concerned, the
government seems to be
retrogressing on this promise, as
well.
In the tobacco industry, for
instance, an ongoing probe into the
tax evasion charges of one
cigarette manufacturer has not
made a dent in its operations.
Mighty Corp. has reportedly
resumed it s a lleged unfa ir
business practices even after the
Bureau of Customs ordered its
warehouse padlocked.
The BOC investigation, along
with a parallel one being
conducted by the Bureau of
Internal Revenue, stemmed from
Mighty's unrealistic pricing system
following the implementation of
Republic Act 10351, the new excise
tax law on tobacco and alcohol
products. Despite a significant
excise tax hike of P12 from the
previous P2.72 per pack starting
January 2013, Mighty has
managed to trade its top-selling
brand of the same name for only
P147 per carton or P14.70 per
pack.
May 2-8, 2014
Page 12
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
From EDSA to ...
Envying Erap
From page 11
From page 11
Territories of Guam and Saipan, and
Papua New Guinea.
Alliance has tuna canneries in
General Santos City and Indonesia
and exports tuna to 60 countries;
in 2009, Alliance acquired Prime
Foods NZ, one of New Zealand's
largest processors of smoked
salmon. Alliance has plans of
listing in the Singapore stock
market and become the first
Philippine company, which may or
may not have something to do with
its current problems with its
Singaporean investors.
Some have theorized that the
Singaporean investors' action of
filing suits before the Pasig
prosecutor's office may be
intended to artificially and
temporarily drive down Alliance'
share prices so that the foreigners
can bring in new investors that
would be more “malleable.” Why,
for instance, would the
China Dream
In an article titled, “China to take
Second Island Chain by 2020,”
published last year in the Want China
Times, it said: “In 1982, Admiral Liu
Huaqing, the former commander of
the PLA Navy and the mastermind of
China's modern naval strategy, said
that it would be necessary for China
to control the First and Second Island
Chains by 2010 and 2020. The PLA
Navy must be ready to challenge US
domination over the Western Pacific
and the Indian Ocean in 2040. If China
is able to dominate the Second Island
Chain seven years from now, the East
China Sea will become the backyard
Hard slog
From page 10
will be snapped up by the region.
China is the world's biggest energy
consumer.
“Europe is a landscape; East Asia,
a seascape,” Robert Kaplan writes in
“Foreign Policy.” “Therein lies a
crucial difference between the 20th
and 21st centuries…. Spaces between
population centers are
overwhelmingly maritime.” Kaplan
adds: “South China Sea is the future of
conflict.”
In 1947, China issued a new map
claiming most of the region's seasan
area defined by the “nine-dash line”
which stretches and bumps into
exclusive economic zones of other
countries. “Cartographic aggression”
is shorthand for redrawing maps to
gobble up territory, writes Australian
Sinologist Geremie Barmé.
Obama's Asian trip reflects the
“reality that the world's center of
gravity is shifting toward the AsiaPacific.” The region currently
accounts for 24 percent of global
military spending and 33 percent of
the world's population - and still
growing. The United States plays “a
key role in protecting the maritime
commons through nations,” including
China, to enable free flow of essential
commodities.
In Tokyo, Obama explicitly
Ayungin Shoal. BRP Sierra Madre is shown encircled on the photo.
of the PLA Navy.” Prior to the signing
of EDCA, the Philippines was the
weakest link in the First Island Chain.
Not anymore. EDCA strengthened the
chain link; thus, containing China to
the confines of East China and South
China Seas.
Obama's four-nation Asian tour
to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and
the Philippines plays an important
part in maintaining the status quo
and balance of power in the AsiaPacific Region. China should realize
that she couldn't - and shouldn't bully her neighbors into submission
for as long as America remains a
Pacific power.
It was a long journey from EDSA
to EDCA indeed. But it was a journey
worth taking.([email protected])
declared , for the first time, that the
United States was bound, by a
security treaty, to protect Japan in its
confrontation with China over a
clump of islands in the East China Sea.
In his South Korea stopover,
Obama and President Park Geun-hye
warned against North Korean
preparations to conduct its fourth
nuclear test. Pyongyang conducted
three nuclear tests in 2006, 2009 and
2013.
“We will not allow war and chaos
on China's doorstep,” foreign ministry
spokesman Qin Gang said on
Thursday in a rap on Pyongyang's
knuckles. “We have consistently
advocated dialogue and negotiation.”
In Kuala Lumpur, US National
Security Adviser Susan Rice will visit
opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim,
who has been jailed on rigged sodomy
charges. Kuala Lumpur's censored
press blacked out news that the
United States earlier blasted Anwar's
conviction. Prime Minister Najib
Razak glowed over a new
comprehensive agreement that
covered a range of concerns - from the
economy to security to education.
More work to be done on “core
beliefs” on human rights, Obama said.
Nobody talked, at least openly,
about two Chinese naval exercises
last January off Sarawak's James
Shoalwhich China calls Zengmu Reef.
That submerged reef falls within
Malaysia's exclusive economic zone.
“Pictures from China's state
media on Jan. 26 showed hundreds of
Chinese sailors standing to attention
on a warship's deck, backed by two
destroyers and a helicopter that was
reported to be at James Shoal,”
Reuters reported then. Malaysia's
navy chief denied the Chinese media
reports at the time, telling state news
agency Bernama that the ships were
far from Malaysian waters.
“It's a wake-up call that it could
happen to us and it is happening to
us,” Tang Siew Mun, a foreign policy
specialist at Malaysia's Institute of
Strategic and International Studies
who advises the government, said of
the recent incidents. “For some time
we believed in this special
relationship… James Shoal has
shown to us over and over again that
when it comes to China protecting its
sovereignty and national interest, it's
a different ball game.”
There has been no breakthrough
on the proposed TPP agreement in
this trip. The proposed pact would
bring, under one umbrella, New
Zealand, Peru, Singapore the United
States and Vietnam. Prickly questions
on tariffs and imports bogged down
the TPP talks in Tokyo. These will
resume next month. Beyond the
warm Manila welcome lies the hard
slog for those in Asia who refuse to
live on their knees
E-mail: [email protected].
(Tuesday, April 29th, 2014)
U Visa for ...
From page 10
Form I-918 petition must be filed
directly with the USCIS Vermont
Center. The individual may file for
the U visa in a U.S. consulate abroad
once the petition is approved. If the
crime victim is already in the
United States, the approval of the
Form I-918 petition by the USCIS
immediately grants the alien U
nonimmigrant status.
If the petitioner is under 21,
the spouse, children under the age
of 21, parents and unmarried
siblings under 18 may be included.
If the petitioner is 21 years old or
older, only the spouse and children
under 21 may be included. A
separate Form I-918 Supplement A
must be completed for each family
member. Once approved and the
family members are overseas, they
must apply for a visa at a U.S.
consulate abroad.
Form I-918 petition may be
filed even if the alien is in removal
proceedings, has a final order of
removal, deportation or exclusion.
Once approved, the order of
removal, deportation or exclusion
will be deemed cancelled. Where a
Singaporeans seek an inspection of
Alliance's corporate records dating
back to 2003, seven years before
they even became shareholders in
2010?
Whatever the real reasons are,
the Singaporeans' actions court
suspicion for their haste, lack of
concern for the negative effects on
Alliance share prices, and the
dubious rationale for seeking an
inspection Alliance records beyond
those allowed by the Philippines'
Corporation Code.
What proper motive could the
Singaporeans' have for requesting
copies of nearly all of Alliance
records, including documents
p re d a t i n g t h e e n t r y o f t h e
Singaporeans into Alliance as
investors? And how, as the board
replied, could they deny a request
made in good faith?
It seems that Alliance's foreign
investors are the sort who should
not be welcomed here. Or anywhere
else.
family member included in the
petition also has a final order of
removal, the order of removal is
also deemed cancelled when the
petition is approved.
There is a cap of 10,000 U visas
each year. Family members do not
count towards the cap. When the
cap is reached, petitioners and
their qualifying family members
who are found to be eligible will be
issued a Notice of Conditional
Approval of U nonimmigrant
status which will be valid until they
are issued their visas in the next
fiscal year. While on conditional
approval, they can obtain work
authorization. If they are in
removal proceedings, the USCIS
will also issue a deferred action.
When granted, the visa allows
the alien to remain and work in the
U.S. for four years. Extensions may
be granted where the alien's
continued presence is necessary
for the prosecution of the crime.
(Editor's Note: REUBEN S.
SEGURITAN has been practicing law
for over 30 years. For more
information, you may log on to his
website at www.seguritan.com or
call (212) 695-5281.)
Historic and ... From page 10
Not everyone, though, agreed with that direction
among them, it seemed, John Paul II, who, while
credited with helping defeat communism,
condemning war and encouraging interfaith
dialogue, also spent much of his papacy entrenching
the Church ever more firmly in doctrinaire some say
woefully out of touch positions. It was also in the
latter part of his watch that a worldwide sex-abuse
scandal rocked the Church to its foundation, but with
no firm resolution coming from the then ailing pope.
John Paul's successor, Benedict, went even more
inward during his short-lived papacy, courting
controversy right and left with seemingly
thoughtless remarks against Muslims, Protestants,
gay people and AIDS sufferers, among others, while
extending a warm embrace to ultraconservative
Catholics hankering for a more severe, puritanical
Church.
Lately, the Church has appeared to be on the
mend, or at least enjoying a break from its string of
tribulations, with the warm presence Francis has
brought to the papacy. The humble Argentine has
surprised everyone with his modesty and light
touch, his seeming openness to modern ideas, his
radical ordinariness. He may just turn out to be the
ideal leader to galvanize the Church into a new era of
unity and inclusiveness. His historic, high-drama
production of canonizing two popes of different
persuasions could stand as his grand statement on
this vision. Inquirer.net
May 2-8, 2014
Page 13
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Fight vs ... From page 11
“ The view expressed by the UN
Human Rights Committee in the
case of Adonis vs. Philippines that
criminal libel in the Philippines
violates freedom of expression is as
clear as the light of day. Whether or
not the Committee actually
expressed the view that the
Philippines should repeal its
criminal libel law is not the issue.
What is clear is that with the
declaration, we are in breach of our
international obligation to protect
and promote the right to freedom of
expression, the Supreme Court
should have ensured: one, that we
cease and desist from the breach by
declaring criminal libel as being
contrary to international law; and
two, it should have provided
compensation to all those
wrongfully sentenced for criminal
libel. Certainly, to uphold a law that
provides for an even more
draconian libel law since it provides
for a longer penalty of
imprisonment doing away with the
possibility of parole is a continuing
breach of our international
obligation.”
But we are not giving up. Roque
said we will go to the UN Human
Rights Committee.” The denial of
our Motion for Reconsideration
now triggers the availability of
international remedies against the
draconian law. Thank goodness for
international law!”
Roque further said, “This latest
Supreme Court decision is
tantamount to exhaustion of
domestic remedies. When we filed
our challenge versus cyber libel
with Alexander Adonis as
petitioner, we were aiming to
implement the UN Human Rights
Committee view through
jurisprudence. Since the highest
court of the land has instead put its
stamp of approval on the draconian
law, the decision is evidence that we
have again exhausted all domestic
remedies. This will qualify Adonis
et al to return to the UN to
complaint that instead of
implementing its earlier view, the
Republic of the Philippines has
openly defied it. We will pray for a
second declaration that not only
does libel under the Revised Penal
Code violate Art. 19, but
additionally, the Cybercrime
Prevention Act equally violates
freedom of expression.
“The difference is while the
earlier view issued by the UN was
against a decision of a Regional
Trial Court Judge, this time around,
we will ask the Committee to
declare a collegial decision of our
highest judicial organ as violating
international law.”
“If we succeed - and chances are
that we will - the Court will be put in
an embarrassing situation where
proven experts in the field of
human rights will find a decision of
our 15-man court as being
erroneous and violates human
rights law. This would be downright
embarrassing for the Court. When
this happens, we can say that when
we filed our motion for
reconsideration, we gave our
Courts the opportunity to avoid the
spectacle of an experts view that its
decision is wrong. In the end, the
Court will only have itself to blame
for the ignominy of a decision,
which could be condemned by the
international human rights
community as a violation of human
rights law.”
In the Know:
PH-US
ties
INQUIRER PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
The relationship spans more
than a century, bound by a history of
wars lost and won, and a present
filled with hopes amid threats to
peace.
Philippine ties with the United
States are arguably the country's
most prominent - one that Foreign
Secretary Albert del Rosario recently
described as “our deepest bilateral
engagement.”
Trade and security are expected
to top the agenda in bilateral talks
between US President Barack Obama
and President Aquino during the
American leader's two-day visit at
the end of a four-nation tour of the
Asia Pacific roiled by an increasingly
aggressive Beijing laying claim to the
South China and East China Seas.
Here are some key aspects of
Philippine-US relations:
Trade and investment
The United States remains
among the Philippines' top trading
partners, with total bilateral trade
estimated at $14.5 billion in 2013,
according to Malacañang. It is also
the second-largest export
destination of Philippine goods, next
only to Japan, with total Philippine
exports at $7.8 billion last year.
The US market recently added
bananas to the growing list of
products and services from the
Philippines. The Office of the US
Tr a d e R e p r e s e n t a t i v e l i s t e d
machinery, apparel, fats and oils
(mainly coconut oil), raw beets and
sugar canes, processed fruit, tree
nuts and fruit and vegetable juices as
its largest imports from the
Philippines in 2012.
The Philippines has expressed
interest in participating in the second
round of talks under the TransPacific Partnership (TPP), a US-led
free trade agreement currently being
negotiated among 12 Pacific Rim
nations.
Philippine and US trade officials
recently held talks on the TPP and
o ve ra l l t ra d e l a s t m o n t h i n
Washington under the Trade and
Investment Framework Agreement,
a “coordinating mechanism” under
which the two nations have been
holding regular trade and investment
policy discussions since 1989.
Defense
The United States is the country's
top defense partner and stands as its
only defense treaty ally, according to
Malacañang. Formalized through the
Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) in
1951, security ties between the two
countries cover a broad range of
areas, including joint troop training
for both combat operations and
humanitarian and disaster response.
F r o m a f o c u s o n
counterterrorism in the wake of
9/11, the Philippine-US defense
partnership is now concentrated on
a d d re s s i n g re g i o n a l s e c u r i t y
u
Page 15
May 2-8, 2014
Page 14
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Obama sees big reveal: Jeepneys out, Comet in
By Tarra Quismundo
MANILA -- Move over, Beast.
Here comes Jeepney 1.
With his shiny, bomb-proof
presidential limousinedubbed
“The Beast” by the US Secret
S e r v i c e a f e w s t e p s a w a y,
President Barack Obama briefly
boarded a zero-emission electric
jeep envisioned to replace the gasguzzling jeepneys on Metro
Manila's roads.
A staunch supporter of efforts
to alleviate the impact of climate
change, Obama appeared
impressed as he stepped inside
the electric jeep on Tuesday, his
suit taken off because of Manila's
humid summer weather.
Entering through the side
door, the 6-foot-one-inch world
l e a d e r b a re ly h a d e n o u g h
headroom to stand inside the
electric jeep, nicknamed Comet
(City Optimized Managed Electric
Transport).
Obama tried the Comet in a
tent outside Sofitel Philippine
Plaza hotelwhere he had stayed
overnightbefore going to Fort
Bonifacio for a speaking
engagement.
Biggest deal
Comet developers said Obama
was most interested about the ejeep's mitigating effects on
pollution and its impact on the
livelihood of jeepney drivers.
“The biggest deal for him is air
pollution. He said, 'If you guys can
get this thing to work, it will be of
big benefit,'” said former Taguig
Rep. Sigfrido Tiñga, now global
president of Global Electric
Transport (GET) Ltd., the electric
vehicle's developer.
“He's a big climate change guy
… The way we were explaining it
to him was that while many
people are building electric
vehicles for individual consumers,
we build vehicles that are for mass
transportation,” said the former
politician.
Tiñga said he had seen enough
of the Metro's transport woes
during his time in Congress.
What is the
EDCA ...
From page 6
Infrastructure to be constructed by
the US military will be owned by the
Philippines.
18. How will the Philippines
benefit from the prepositioning
of US military equipment? EDCA
recognizes the value of
prepositioning and storing
equipment, supplies and material to
the enhancement of the AFP's
defense capabilities. Moreover,
prepositioned material will allow
for timely responses in the event of
disasters natural or otherwise.
This is well recognized by the
Philippines and the United States. As
stated in Article IV para 2, “The
Parties share a recognition of the
benefits that such prepositioning
could have for humanitarian
assistance and disaster relief.”
19. How will EDCA improve
humanitarian assistance and
disaster relief? As shown in the
aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda, the
need for timely delivery of relief
OBAMA ON AN E-JEEP. US President Obama talks with developers of an electric vehicle
called Comet. Zero-emission Comets are envisioned to replace gas-guzzling public
utility jeepneys on Philippine roads. With Obama are Comet developer Ken Montler
(inside the vehicle with Obama), CEO of electric jeep developer Global Electric
Transportation (GET); Sigfrido Tiñga, GET president; and Robert Martin of the jeepney
federation Pasang Masda. TARRA QUISMUNDO
15,000 Comets
A 50-50 private venture
between Philippine and American
developers, Comet plans to roll
out some 30 units in the North
Avenue-Monumento route in May,
kickstarting a three-year jeepney
replacement program touted as
the largest deployment of evehicles anywhere in the world.
“And we think that's a good
enough number,” said Tiñga.
“We'll see what the kinks are, if
any, and then we are chasing over
a thousand units by the end of the
year.”
Some 15,000 Comets are
envisioned to take the place of
30,000 jeepneys in Metro Manila
over the next three years,
developers said. Charging stations
will be installed on jeepney
routes.
“In the world, this would be
the largest deployment of electric
vehicles that I've ever seen,” GET
CEO Ken Montler told select
reporters invited to cover
Obama's encounter with the ejeep.
Obama upbeat
“This will be a showcase,”
Montler said. “The whole world
will be watching not only how
they drive and how they perform
assistance is critical. Under EDCA,
activities aimed at increasing and
strengthening the Parties'
individual and collective HADR
capabilities will be facilitated and
strengthened through
prepositioned material and closer
cooperation with the US.
20. Does EDCA address
concerns on environmental
protection and human health and
safety? Yes. This is a landmark and
defining feature of EDCA. This
agreement has robust provisions on
environmental protection, human
health and safety, including the
adoption of a “preventative
a p p ro a c h” to e nv i ro n m e n t a l
protection, the application of
“environmental compliance
standards that reflect the more
protective of Philippines, US or
applicable international agreement
standards,” immediate action to
contain and address environmental
contamination resulting from spills,
and other measures.
21. How does EDCA relate to
the Mutual Defense Treaty
(MDT)? The MDT obligated the
Philippines and the United States to
m a i n t a i n a n d d eve l o p t h e i r
but the fact that [there will be a
removal of] the carbon diozide,
the effect of that on climate
change.”
He felt that Obama was upbeat
on the project given his known
advocacy for the environment.
“It was really positive. He said
that's why he's here, because of
what's going on. He sees it as an
answer to pollution,” Montler said,
relaying snippets of the
c o nve r s a t i o n w i t h t h e U S
president that was not audible to
reporters, who had been
cordoned off. He said Obama even
asked how many people could fit
on board the e-jeep, to which
Montler replied in jest: “Sixteen
Americans or 21 Filipinos.”
A reinvention of the Filipino
mass vehicle that traces its roots
to surplus US Army jeeps left in
the Philippines after World War II,
the Comet retains the openwindow design of the traditional
jeep but has a more sleek, modern
look with its white body and blue
top.
Exclusive supplier
The American firm Pangea
Motors is the exclusive supplier of
e l e c t r i c ve h i c l e s h a n d l i n g
engineering, design and
manufacturing.
GET takes care of the software
side, including the fleet
management system for dispatch
and pickupthere will be
designated pickup pointsand a
cashless, prepaid card-based fare
system based on the current fare
standard of P8 minimum fare.
Powered by lithium ion
batteries, a Comet could cover up
to 80 kilometers for every full
charge cycle at less than half the
cost, with the drivers paying for
fuel and with zero carbon-dioxide
emissions, Tiñga said.
This would support efforts for
cleaner air in a city where about
85 percent of pollution is caused
by vehicles, which in turn causes
an estimated P2.2 billionor $50
millionin annual health-care
costs, per GET figures.
Price tag
Weighing only a third of a
typical jeepney, each Comet unit is
equipped with security cameras,
GPS tracking and Wi-Fi access.
Comet developers are
partnered with the jeepney
federation Pasang Masda.
Selected drivers are to replace
their old jeeps with the new
electric units at a down payment
o f b e t we e n P 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 a n d
P350,000. The rest of the amount
will be paid in monthly
installments. Developers did not
disclose the full cost of each e-jeep
but every unit is estimated to have
a value exceeding “more than a
million (pesos),” Tiñga said.
“The key is we're making sure
that we're not taking jobs off the
road,” Montler said, emphasizing
that the Comet system would
follow the traditional system,
where drivers own the units they
drive. Tiñga said driver-owners
would have the option to spruce
up their units but that many had
expressed interest in using the
Comet's exterior for advertising
space.
“You can do little touches, but
… the ads will be designed in a way
that (keeps) the jeepney style, so it
won't be the commercial style,” he
said. Inquirer.net
individual and collective defense
capabilities. EDCA is therefore
within the ambit and in furtherance
of the MDT.
22. How does EDCA relate to
the Visiting Forces Agreement
(VFA)? The VFA lays out the terms
and conditions on the entry and visit
of US military personnel for military
exercises. These provisions shall
likewise apply to the entry and
temporary stay of US personnel
under EDCA.
23. If the above activities are
within the ambit of the MDT and
VFA, why is there a need for a new
agreement on enhanced defense
cooperation? In advancing the
benefits that could be derived from
our defense alliance with the United
States, we needed to articulate the
p a ra m e t e r s , m o d a l i t i e s a n d
mechanisms to a greater degree.
24. Does EDCA address the
matter on criminal jurisdiction
and custody of indicted
servicemen? With the finalization
of EDCA, we can now fast track the
bilateral consultations on the
implementing arrangements of the
VFA.
25. Will EDCA affect bilateral
relations with neighboring
countries? EDCA reaffirms the
desire of both the Philippines and
the United States to strengthen
international and regional security
and stability, a common and shared
interest of countries in the region.
26. What will be our
neighbors' reaction to this
Agreement? We would hope that
this Agreement will also be viewed
by our neighbors as a positive
contribution towards peace and
stability in the region.
27. Is it true that the
negotiation was rushed in order
to coincide with US President
Barack Obama's visit to the
Philippines? The pace of
negotiations for EDCA was dictated
by the need for full understanding
and consensus by both negotiating
panels on all provisions of the
Agreement. It was more important
for both parties to come up with an
Agreement that would be fully and
mutually acceptable to both sides
consistent with their respective
laws.
28. How long did the
negotiations take? The eight
ro u n d s o f n e g o t i a t i o n s a n d
US support to
PH ... From page 1
Before saying that, however,
Obama reminded the people that
they believe that disputes should
be resolved peacefully and not by
intimidation or force.
“Deepening our alliance as
part of our broader vision for the
Asia Pacific, we believe that nations
and people have the right to live in
security and peace and have
s ove re i g n t y a n d te r r i to r i a l
integrity respected,” he said. “We
believe that international law must
b e u p h e l d , t h e f re e d o m o f
navigation must be preserved and
commerce must not be impeded.”
New defense pact
He said this a day after the
Enhanced Defense Cooperation
Agreement (EDCA) was signed by
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin
and US ambassador to the
Philippines Philip Goldberg.
“Yesterday, President Aquino
and I agreed to begin a new chapter
in our alliance. And under our new
agreement, American forces can
begin rotating through Filipino
airfields and ports. We'll train and
exercise together more to bring our
militaries even closer, and to
support your efforts to strengthen
your armed forces,” Obama said.
Obama's state visit to the
Philippines is the last leg of his
Asian tour, following his stopover
in Japan, South Korea and
Malaysia. It is part of the US
campaign to re-balance its forces
in the region amid China's
increasing political and military
strength.
During the trip, he claimed
that US has no plans to counter
China or contain it.
In addition to being a
supposed threat to the United
States, China is also at odds with
its Asian neighbors, including the
Philippines, over territorial
disputes in the South China Sea.
Inquirer.net
preceded by preparatory
discussions took almost two years
to complete.
2 9 . Wa s t h e P h i l i p p i n e
Congress briefed on this
Agreement? During the course of
the negotiations, the leadership of
both Houses of Congress was
informed of the progress of the
negotiations. We will be scheduling
a full briefing for interested
members of Congress.
30. Do we have the support of
the Filipino people for EDCA? A
recent Social Weather Station
survey showed at least 7 out of 10
Filipinos support measures to
strengthen the country's defense
capabilities and that the Philippines
may ask its partners in achieving
this objective. Through EDCA, the
Philippines will cooperate with its
defense treaty ally in further
strengthening their respective
individual and collective defense
capabilities.
All Filipinos should unite in
support for a stronger Philippines.
Inquirer.net
May 2-8, 2014
Page 15
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Navy captain's 'guns' get
US president's attention
By Nikko Dizon
MANILA -- Four military officers,
including a Filipino from the Naval Special
Operations Group (Navsog), were given
special mention by US President Barack
Obama on Tuesday, April 29 as the main
characters in “an incredible story that
captures the strength” of the longstanding
alliance of the Philippines and the United
States.
Navsog Capt. Roy Trinidad, US Col. Mike
Wylie and US Majors Leo Liebreich and
George Apalisok were the first responders
in Tacloban City, one of the areas devastated
by Super Typhoon Yolanda (international
name: Haiyan) on Nov. 8, 2013. The burly
Trinidad caught Obama's attention and was
the reason for a few laughs with the US
president as the latter mingled with the four
honorees.
“I told him (Obama), 'Your guys helped
me a lot.' But he answered, 'No, no, no. You
trained them,'” Trinidad told the Inquirer in
an interview.
Then Liebreich told the US president,
“He (Trinidad) whipped us into shape.”
To which Obama replied, “Yeah, look at
his (Trinidad's) chest and look at his guns,”
referring to the officer's biceps, which he
playfully slapped. “I didn't feel nervous …. I
was more concerned that I represent the
wh o l e A F P ( A r m e d Fo rc e s o f t h e
Philippines) at the event. There is pride,”
said Trinidad, whose rank is equivalent to a
full colonel in the Army and is a member of
Philippine Military Academy Class 1991.
Teamwork
“But it could have been anyone else.
There are many others doing more difficult
jobs, the unsung heroes,” he said.
It was a thought shared by Apalisok and
Liebreich, who met their commander in
chief in person for the first time on Tuesday.
They said that while their names were
mentioned by Obama in his speech at the
Army Gym in Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City,
the work the Philippine and US militaries
did in Tacloban and other storm-ravaged
parts of the country was all teamwork.
Coined
“I felt very honored but I also felt there
were a lot of people involved and … we were
supported by many hundreds of people.
This represents recognition for all their
efforts then that makes us happy. The
personal pride in hearing my name read is
small compared with the [fact the]
organization is recognized and [also] our
partnership,” Liebreich said.
For their efforts, they were “coined” by
Obama, a term used in the military when a
commander gives his subordinates his
personal coin in recognition for a job well
done.
Response to 'Yolanda'
“We all know about the massive
international response after Yolanda. What
few people realize is that it all started with a
In the know ...
From page 13
concerns, a component of the US pivot
to the Asia and part of the Philippines'
goal of building a “minimum credible
defense posture” amid China's
military buildup in the disputed South
China Sea (West Philippine Sea).
The Philippine Embassy says US
Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for
the Philippines, which enables the
acquisition of defense equipment, has
“practically doubled” from $14 million
in 2011 to $25 million last year. The
Obama administration has also
proposed up to $50 million in FMF
allocations for the Philippines in 2014.
While visiting Manila in December
last year, US Secretary of State John
Kerry also announced a fresh $40-
single aircraft carrying a handful of Filipino
and American troops and civilians,” Obama
told some 200 Filipino and US soldiers at the
Army Gym. Obama was referring to the first
Philippine Air Force C-130 that landed in
Tacloban, with Trinidad, Wylie and
Apalisok. The next day, Liebreich followed.
Trinidad, who is assigned to the
operations office of the AFP, volunteered to
be part of the first team that was sent to
Tacloban the day after the storm ravaged
most parts of the Visayas.
The officer from Navsog (formerly Navy
SEALS) became the overall operations
commander of the devastated Tacloban
airport, the only functioning gateway to the
flattened city. Wylie, Apalisok and Leibreich
all went as members of JUSMAG (Joint US
Military Assistance Group), tasked with
assessing the situation and briefing the US
military on how it could help the storm
survivors.
'Heartbreaking'
“Just seeing the human suffering is very
heartbreaking,” Leibreich said.
Obama recalled how the Filipino and US
soldiers worked together - rom setting up a
medical station to reopening the airport.
“Filipino soldiers unloading aid from
American cargo aircraft; American troops
loading supplies onto Filipino helicopters.
And when all the cargo was off those aircraft,
our troops worked together to help local
residents aboard so that they could be
evacuated to safety.
And over and over, those grateful
Filipinos responded with a simple word salamat (Thank You),” Obama said.
Apalisok said he learned to be patient
throughout his deployment in Tacloban
where he had to work with the barest
minimum that forced him to adapt to the
different changing situations. “You have
certain guidelines you follow. But in the fog
of war as they say and everything is topsyturvy, there is chaos, there is no order, so we
have to adapt. We had to be flexible and be
patient,” Apalisok said.
Apology
Obama, who apologized for not wearing
his suit because of the intense heat,
compared the cooperation of the US and
Filipino soldiers with that of the war
veterans.
“The spirit of these veterans - their
strength, their solidarity - I see it in you as
well when you train and exercise together to
stay ready for the future, when our special
forces - some of you here today - advise and
assist our Filipino partners in their fight
against terrorism, and when you respond to
crises together, as you did after Yolanda,”
Obama said.
“Along with your civilian partners, you
rushed into the disaster zone, pulled people
from the rubble, delivered food and
medicine. You showed what friends can do
when we take care of each other,” the US
President added. Inquirer.net
million allocation to improve law
enforcement in the Philippines,
particularly in the areas of maritime
security and domain awareness, and
counterterrorism efforts in Mindanao.
The two countries are poised to
deepen this defense and security
relationship with the Agreement on
Enhanced Defense Cooperation,
negotiations on which recently
wrapped up in Manila following eight
rounds of talks. Drafted within the
bounds of the MDT and the PH-US
Visiting Forces Agreement, the pact
would allow US troops to access and
use Philippine military bases “at the
invitation of the Philippines and with
full respect for the Philippine
Constitution and Philippine Laws.”
U.S. President Barack Obama meets with President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines at the Malacanang Palace in
Manila, April 28, 2014.(MNS photo)
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to military troops at the
Fort Bonifacio Gymnasium in Manila, April 29, 2014. Obama
said a new military pact signed with the Philippines on April 28
granting a larger presence for U.S. forces would bolster the
Philippines’ maritime security. (MNS photo)
U.S. President Barack Obama, left, and Philippine
President Benigno Aquino III, right, toast as they
attend a state dinner at Malacanang Palace in Manila,
Philippines, Monday, April 28, 2014. This is the last leg
of president Obama's four-nation tour. (MNS photo)
President Barack Obama stretches to shake the hand of a young girl held aloft during a U.S. Embassy meet and greet at
the Sofitel Hotel in Manila, Philippines, April 28, 2014. (MNS photo)
Philippines' top sources of assistance,
with more than $1 billion in total
development aid between 2011 and
2013, according to Malacañang.
Its main initiative for development
is the Partnership for Growth (PFG)
program, borne out of Obama's
Presidential Policy Directive on Global
Development.
The Philippines is one of four
pioneering nations selected for PFG,
along with El Salvador, Ghana and
Tanzania. Initiated in the Philippines
in 2011, the PFG comes with more than
$750 million in assistance for
programs to drive inclusive growth,
including the improvement of the
Philippines' regulatory regime to
promote trade, investment and private
sector growth; boosting the rule of law
Dev't cooperation
a n d a n t i c o r r u p t i o n m e a s u re s ;
The United States is among the improving fiscal performance through
enhancing revenue-generation and
improving fiscal accountability and
expenditure management, and human
capacity development through
grassroots programs on education,
health and infrastructure, among
others.
Washington has also been a
reliable provider of emergency
assistance during times of disaster in
the Philippines. The United State
Agency for International Development
(USAID) and the US military provided
nearly $87 million in aid to support
relief, early recovery and
rehabilitation efforts in the aftermath
o f S u p e r T y p h o o n Yo l a n d a
(international name: Haiyan).
workers and migrants, with an
estimated 3.5 million Filipinos and
Filipino-Americans on the US
mainland, says the Philippine
Embassy. Filipinos make up the
fastest-growing and second-largest
immigrant population in the United
States, next to the Chinese.
In the wake of Yolanda, the
Philippines requested the Obama
administration to grant Philippine
nationals in the United States
temporary protected status, which
would allow Filipinos who had
traveled there with temporary visas students, businessmen and tourists to remain and obtain work permits.
The US Department of State is
known to have forwarded the
People-to-people ties
Philippines' request to the US
The United States remains a Department of Homeland Security.
favorite destination for Filipino Inquirer.net
May 2-8, 2014
Page 16
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
By Pocholo Concepcion
NATURAL HIGH: Riding the waves on Sabang Beach in Baler, Aurora. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANY of Costa. Pacifica's guests learn basic surfing from Baler residents. POCHOLO CONCEPCION
BALER, Aurora -- It is 7 a.m. on a weekend,
and the crashing of sea waves echoes like a
siren's call. Heads bob in and out of the water,
with voices shrieking and bodies lying on top of
surfboards, arms paddling, eyes darting,
waiting for the next big wave.
Watching the surfers - many of them
learning the sport for the first time - are groups
of friends, couples and families hanging out at
the concrete boardwalk fronting Costa Pacifica
Raintree, the newest resort here on Sabang
Beach.
Welcome to Baler, capital of Aurora
province. Historically known as the birthplace
of Philippine Commonwealth President
Manuel Luis Quezon and his First Lady, Aurora
Aragon, Baler has become incidentally more
famous in a story that has been retold
countless times, but whose importance is still a
thrill to hear: filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola
went on location here in 1976 to shoot scenes
for his war epic “Apocalypse Now.”
The film has been critically acclaimed as
one of the greatest of all time.
One of the film's characters, Lieutenant
Colonel Bill Kilgore (played by Robert Duvall),
figures in scenes where he orders his men to
surf near Sabang Beach, now called Charlie's
Point, amid gunfire and explosions.
When the film wrapped up shooting, the
crew members gave one of their surfboards to
the locals as a gesture of goodwill. The locals
learned to surf on their own, and further
polished their skills when Japanese surfers
conducted a clinic here in the 1980s.
“Baler is the birthplace of Philippine
surfing,” declares Charles “Mac” Ritual, a
resident of the town who works in the staff of
the Aurora provincial tourism office. But of
course, he also surfs.
Mac notes that tourist arrivals in Baler has
significantly increased in the last few years from 8,000 in 2007 to 330,000 in 2013. From
the terrace of our room in Costa Pacifica, the
sight is truly inviting and quite different, even
from the country's other popular beaches.
People who go to Sabang and its adjacent areas
don't really swim; they get their kicks by renting
surfboards or bringing their own - trying to
catch an adrenaline rush which, according to
Baler natives like Mac, intensifies as surfers
learn to maneuver and navigate the waves.
Fully booked
Costa Pacifica, which opened only last year
on Quezon's birthday, Aug. 19, has lately been
fully booked on most weekends. Manager
Randy Salvador says the place enjoyed wide
media exposure when Kris Aquino featured it
u
Page 17
May 2-8, 2014
Page 17
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
President Quezon ...
From page 16
recently on her TV show. Room
occupancy, Costa Pacifica PR officer
Pettina Cruz attests, has more than
doubled since. Management is in the
process of adding more to its current 106
rooms.
Costa Pacifica, designed by Ed Calma,
attracts families who prefer the exclusivity
of a high-end private resort while learning
how to surf at its one-stop shop, Charlie
Doe - whose name is inspired by a line
immortalized by Duvall in “Apocalypse
Now”: “Charlie can't surf.” Guests get the
privilege of a free tour around Baler, with a
fully trained guide explaining the history
and significance of each stop: Baler
Church, where the last Spanish soldiers
held out after American forces landed in
Manila Bay; the respective family homes
of Quezon and Aragon as kids; the isolated
Dicasalarin Cove; Ermita Hill, which served
as refuge to survivors of the great tsunami
of 1735; Diguisit Falls, which supplied
water to the entire town; and a number of
picturesque views of the sea kissing the
land.
Costa Pacifica's main restaurant,
dubbed The Beach House, serves varied
international and local cuisine; breakfast
is the most delectable - Baler longganisa
and kesong puti with garlic and other
garnishing as the main attractions.
Natural high
On the last night of our three-day stay,
we seek out Edwin Namoro, whom our
guide Emerson Mortega says is one of
Baler's pioneer surfers. Turns out that
Edwin is a kind of folk hero, a respected
elder who operates his own surfing lodge
about 50 meters from Costa Pacifica.
While drinking gin, he recalls the story
that he has probably told countless times,
but which sounds exciting when we hear
it: he was only 12 when he first saw the
surfboard left by the “Apocalypse Now”
crew. Thirteen years later he joined a
surfing tournament between Japan and
the Philippines in La Union and emerged
No. 4 out of 304 competitors - the first
Filipino to have done so. Now 47, he still
surfs not to compete, but to chase that
natural high that, he says, only a surfer
could understand. He just got back from
surfing in a nearby island, which he and his
friends call “Paraiso,” because there you
throw all your cares away.
“Imagine the thrill of learning how to
balance yourself on the surfboard for the
first time, multiply that 10 times or more
as you stay longer in the water without
falling. That's the high we feel,” says
Sharon, a woman who joins our
conversation. She turns out to be a lawyer
who, of course, is also a surfer.
Spending a few hours with Edwin and
his friends is so engrossing that we end up
treating him to a few beers.
Leaving Costa Pacifica before dawn,
we secretly wish we could go back to learn
to surf here sometime soon.
Costa Pacifica is at 80 Buton St. Sitio
Labasin, Sabang Beach, Baler, Aurora;
contact 0917-8536040 (Baler office) or
5764555 (Man ila o ffice); e-mail
[email protected]; visit
costapacificabaler.com. Inquirer.net
Kids from the Dinagat tribe, said to be one of the
earliest groups to inhabit Baler. MARIANNE
BERMUDEZ
KIDS FROLIC in Diguisit Falls, which used to supply
water to the entire town. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
PEACE AND QUIET. The isolated Dicalasarin Cove is part of a tour for guests staying at Costa Pacifica. POCHOLO CONCEPCION
May 2-8, 2014
Page 18
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
th
CAM announces the 36 Santacruzan and Flores De Mayo
The Catholic Action of Mary
(CAM) announces the arrival of
its “36th Santacruzan and Flores
de Mayo” celebration. Excitement
fills the air as the month of May
has arrived. For Filipinos around
the world, it is the merriest and
most beautiful month of the year.
The season brings back joyful
childhood memories of the
fragrance of flowers that float in
the air. The month of May brings
Flores de Mayo and Santacruzan.
CAM's celebration combines
these two traditions into one
j oyo u s c e l e b ra t i o n . C A M ' s
mission is to preserve our
heritage by celebrating and
sharing the meaning behind our
Filipino religious and cultural
traditions. The “36th
Santacruzan and Flores de Mayo”
will be held on Sunday, May 25,
2014 at St. Mary's Church
(Second St./Erie St. in downtown
J e r s e y C i t y, N J ) .
CAM's
celebration is the largest and
longest running Santacruzan
here in the East Coast.
The Santacruzan
Presentation Ball will be held on
Saturday, May 10, 2014 at the
Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Newark, NJ (formerly the
Sheraton Hotel). CAM proudly
announces the presentation of
this year's Reynas : Reyna Elena Kirstie Baquiran, Reyna de las
Flores -Katrina Macalintal and
Reyna del Cielo - Lauren
Mercado. CAM is also honored to
distinguish and present this
year's Hermanos y Hermanas
Mayores : Marina Baisas (in
memoriam), Maritess Enriquez,
Maris Fandino, Ramona Gapasin,
Jersey City Council President
Rolando Lavarro, Rolando
Macuja, Rebecca C. Rivera, MD,
Linda Rupel, Nida Valerio and
Oscar Valerio. We would like to
thank these prominent members
of the Filipino community for
their generous contributions to
the Parish. On Sunday, May 25,
2014, Santacruzan day proper, as
part of the festivities, CAM in
cooperation with PACCAL (Pan
American Concerned Citizens
Action League) will be
celebrating the “Santacruzan and
Flores de Mayo Street Fair 2014”,
now on its 8th year. It will be an all
day event complete with (over
100) flea market type vendors,
food concessions, booths for nonprofit organizations, businesses
and sponsors and all day games
and activities for the children.
This year, we are proud to
GMA International to join Flores
de Mayo Festival in Hawaii
The Hawaiians are in for a vibrant
celebration of an iconic event, as GMA
International is all set to take part in the
Flores de Mayo festivities in Honolulu this
coming May 10, 2014.
The Filipino Community Center
(FilCom) is bringing the Flores de Mayo
festival in Hawaii along with the authentic
Filipino customs and traditions that make
it one of the most-awaited fiestas in the
Philippines. Adding to the hallmarks of
the event are two of GMA's heartthrobs,
Benjamin Alves and Steven Silva, who will
be lending their good looks and
undeniable talents to make Flores de
Mayo in Hawaii a memorable affair.
The Flores de Mayo festival is in line
with FilCom's mission to promote and
perpetuate Filipino culture in the state of
Hawaii. Since its inception, Flores de
Mayo has become a rallying point for
Filipinos in the state to gather and be
proud of their ancestry. Among the
highlights of the event will be the
Santacruzan, which is a pageant of sorts
held in commemoration of the finding of
the True Cross in Jerusalem by Helena and
Constantine.
Indeed, the Flores de Mayo in Hawaii
is a must-see, especially for those who
have strong ties to the Philippines'
colorful culture. For more details about
the event, interested parties may visit the
FilCom (www.filcom.org) and GMA
I n t e r n a t i o n a l
(www.gmanetwork.com/international)
websites and “like” the GMA Pinoy TV
Facebook page for more updates.
announce the Street Fair's long
awaited move onto Manila
Avenue, expanding to three citywide blocks. It will now be
located on Manila Ave. between
First St. & Fourth St., Jersey City,
NJ (10 am to 8 pm). The highlight
of the day is the religious
procession and the traditional
celebration of the Santacruzan
and Flores de Mayo with the
Hermanos & Hermanas Mayores,
the Reynas and Sagalas. The relic
of the True Cross will also be
brought during the procession.
There will be a mass at St. Mary's
Church, Second St. corner of Erie
St., Jersey City at 2:30 pm and the
procession follows immediately
after the mass. On stage
performances (11am-2:30 pm &
5-8 pm) will feature celebrity
performances, local youth
talents, live bands, vocalists,
cultural and modern dance
troops. This yearly event is
amongst the largest assembly of
Filipinos of all ages, in the
Northeast. Last year over 5,000
people attended. With the Street
Fair's move to Manila Ave. this
year, we anticipate attendance to
double. The CAM recognizes and
gives special thanks to TFC (The
Filipino Channel - ABS-CBN), the
major media sponsor.
May 2-8, 2014
Page 19
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
The Farm Labor Movement's Unsung Older Uncles
By Melissa Pandika
Mexican-American civil rights
leader César Chávez is the poster
child of the U.S. farm labor
movement. But a crucial cast of
characters lies largely hidden in
history's shadows: the Filipino
farmworkers - aka the Delano
Manongs - who ignited the first
spark.
Today, controversy still brews
over what some call the Manongs'
“erasure” from the movement. Last
m o n t h , a c rowd o f F i l i p i n o
Americans took to the streets
outside Mann's Chinese Theater in
Hollywood to protest the premiere
of actor-director Diego Luna's
biopic, Chávez. Coincidentally,
director Marissa Aroy's
documentary, Delano Manongs, had
premiered in Oakland, California,
just a few weeks earlier.
“[Chávez's] narrative
perpetuates the myth that César
Chávez was a one-man movement,”
a protester and artist-muralist
Eliseo Silva told INQUIRER.net.
In 1965, the mostly Filipino
Agricultural Workers Organizing
Committee (AWOC) went on strike
against table grape growers in
Delano, Calif., demanding better
wages and working conditions. The
strike led them to merge with
Chávez's predominantly Latino
National Farm Workers Association
(NWFA) to form the nation's first
agricultural union, the United Farm
Workers (UFW).
By the 1960s, grape pickers
César Chávez and Larry Itliong in front of union headquarters in Delano, Calif., on July 28,
1967. SOURCE: HAROLD FILAN/CORBIS
earned an average of 90 cents an
hour, paying two dollars or more
each day to live in mosquito-infested
shacks without electricity or
plumbing. As Filipinos, the Manongs
were also denied labor rights, and
couldn't own property or marry.
The grapes had just begun to
ripen on September 8, when
hundreds of AWOC members led by
Larry Itliong flooded into Delano's
Filipino Community Center and
voted to strike. “It was like an
incendiary bomb, exploding out the
strike message to the workers in the
vineyards,” said AWOC co-founder
Philip Vera Cruz, who later served as
the UFW's second vice president.
The Manongs' activist roots ran
deep. In 1924, Filipino workers led a
bloody strike against sugarcane
growers in Hawaii. Itliong himself
joined striking lettuce workers in
Washington after immigrating to
the U.S. in 1929, and formed a
cannery and agricultural workers'
union in Alaska. A foil to the
intellectual, charismatic Chávez,
five-foot tall Itliong was a straighttalking, cigar-chomping guy who
had lost three fingers in a cannery
accident hence his nickname,
“Seven Fingers.”
“I'm a mean son of a bitch in
terms of my direction fighting for
the rights of Filipinos,” he said in a
lecture at UC-Santa Cruz in 1976.
“Because in that Constitution, it said
that everybody has equal rights and
justice. You've got to make that come
about. They are not going to give it to
you.”
Although growers had
historically pitted Filipino and
Mexican workers against each other
to break strikes, the AWOC knew
they needed help. So Itliong asked
Chávez, then busy building the
NFWA, to join the strike. Although
Chávez didn't think his group was
ready, his members unanimously
voted to join the Filipinos.
In August 1966, the AWOC and
NFWA joined forces to form the
UFW, with Chávez as president and
Itliong as vice-president. Since
NFWA had more members, the
balance of power within the UFW
shifted to Chávez and other Mexican
labor leaders. Once, Chávez had to
defuse an attempt to limit the
fledgling union to Mexicans only.
Media coverage at the time
tended to focus more on Chávez.
Aroy noted that the Manongs were
not only outnumbered by Mexican
workers, but they were also older
and less likely to be at the forefront
of the strikes. “They were like the
older uncles of the movement,” she
told NPR earlier this month.
Meanwhile, UFW volunteers
traveled to major U.S. cities, where
they recruited churches and other
community organizations, who
helped them convince millions of
American families not to buy table
grapes. The Delano grape growers
finally agreed to sign contracts with
the UFW in 1970. Photos show
Itliong seated next to Chávez as he
signed them. But Itliong's son,
Johnny, said that Luna's film
“eliminated my father from the table
and instead showed Larry passively
smiling in the sidelines.”
Although streets, schools and
even a national holiday bear
Chávez's name, the Delano
Manongs' only official recognitions
are Los Angeles County's Larry
Itliong Day on October 25 and the
potential renaming of Alvarado
Middle School in Union City, Calif. to
Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School in
2015.
And today, as President Obama
visits Manila after announcing a
defense pact with the Philippines,
the country supplies roughly 10
million overseas Filipino workers
(OFWs) to 170 countries around the
world. Similar to the Manongs
before them, OFWs often work as
nannies or housekeepers to provide
for their families back home, many
falling prey to trafficking and abuse.
Meanwhile, NGOs like UNESCO and
UNIFEM are working to improve
OFW conditions globally. Let's make
sure these modern-day Manongs
don't recede into the shadows, too.
"Reprinted from OZY.com, an online
news and culture magazine that features
new trends and stories on the horizon”
The Spirit of Daragang Magayon
according to Governor Salceda
By Pablo A. Tariman
Miss Daragang Magayon 2014. Jacquelyn Bernarte of Bacacay, Albay with other
Albayanos lording it over the remaining titles, namely, Miss Tourism - Marvi Ann
de Lima; Miss Almasor - LA Cu; 2nd Runner-up - Vanessa Mae Buitre; and 1st
Runner-up - Miki Santiago
The ultimate winner is - Mayon Volcano in its naked splendor
LEGAZPI CITY -- Albay Governor
Joey Salceda said there is more to
beauty pageants than just the thrill
of seeing local beauties compete
and aim to gain honor for the
localities they represent.
In the guise of a pageant, Gov.
Salceda said the beauties
representing various provinces in
the Bicol region help Bicolanos
cherish and nurture the spirit of
Magayon (beauty). “With this event,
we celebrate the legend of Mayon,
the centerpiece of God's creation in
our environment. This celebration
of Bicol beauties represent some of
our ideals as a people bound by one
culture and a common heritage,” he
pointed out.
The first spirit of Magayon, said
the governor, is heroism expressed
in collective and individual
heroism. “I like to think that
heroism is innate in the Albayano as
shown in the struggles of Gen. Ola,
General Paua and Camil Jacob
during the last war. Here we
understand why by nature we like
the sili (pepper). The spiciest it gets,
the better they taste to us. Like it or
not, they exemplify our adventurous
spirit and our sense of daring even
in culinary ventures. The other
spirit of Magayon reflected in the
Bicolanos is our love for nature and
the environment. I think we
Albayanos are doubly lucky because
God gave us the most beautiful
mountain in the whole world, the
Mayon Volcano.”
The governor said that another
spirit of Magayon inherent among
Albayanos is in constant kindness.
“This spirit helps us focus on the
positive and that is the reason we
are the first to respond to victims of
Typhoon Yolanda through our Team
Albay which has helped other
provinces equally in distress from
the flood victims of Marikina to the
earthquake victims of Leyte and
Bohol, the typhoon victims of Davao
del Sur to the cholera victims of
Catanduanes. I am proud to say we
are already a byword in disasterpreparedness not just in the country
but in the entire world.”
The governor said another spirit
of Magayon that Albayanos should
nurture is determination coupled
with a strong sense of strategy to
help avert disasters and to respond
to disaster victims the fastest way
possible. “We invoke the help of God
in all disasters we faced but we also
do our part and not just wait for easy
deliverance or what is known as
'hulog ng langit.'”
Gov. Salceda said Albay is
prepared not just in times of
disasters but also during the season
of beauty pageants by putting up the
Albay Pageant Academy which has
produced 64 beauty title-holders
the latest of whom is Yvette Santiago
who won the Binibining Pilipinas
Supranational. Like it or not, Albay
is the Venezuela of the Philippines.”
The governor spoke during the
coronation night of Miss Daragang
Magayon graced by showbiz
personalities in the jury namely
a ctors Lorna Tolen t in o, Ia n
Veneracion and Xian Lim and model
John Hall, among others.
Declared Miss Daragang
Magayon 2014 during the pageant
night last April 26 at the Albay
Astrodome was Jacquelyn Bernarte
of Bacacay, Albay with other
Albayanos lording it over the
remaining titles namely Miss
Tourism --. Marvi Ann de Lima; Miss
Almasor -- . LA Cu; 2nd Runner up -Vanessa Mae Buitre 1st Runner Up -Miki Santiago.
As it were, Mayon Volcano
cannot be upstaged as it showed its
naked beauty (see photo) on the day
after the pageant.
May 2-8, 2014
Page 20
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Manila on list of sought-after city
for emerging market investors
By Frances Mangosing
PH economy to stand
out in Asean this year
IMF expects growth in region to remain uneven in 2014
By Paolo G. Montecillo
The Philippines will once
again emerge as the region's
standout when growth in
Southeast Asia slows as
advanced economies suck up
cash from emerging markets.
In a new report Monday,
April 28, the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) noted
that Southeast Asia's growth
momentum lost steam late in
2013 and would continue to do
so this year.
“In summary, with the
exception of the Philippines
where growth picked up, Asean
growth has slowed most
recently on account of cyclical
factors,” the IMF said in its AsiaPacific regional outlook.
Last year, the Philippines
had the region's fastestgrowing economy, expanding
by 7.2 percent. This was the
second-best showing in Asia
next to China. This year, the IMF
said growth in the region would
remain uneven as a result of
changing tides in the global
economy and separate
domestic issues that weigh on
individual markets.
For instance, in Indonesia,
its weaker currency as a result
of a shortage of foreign
exchange income would lead to
higher borrowing costs
especially for companies with
foreign-denominated loans.
Meanwhile in Thailand, growth
may slow as a result of political
tensions, which could lead to
lower private consumption and
erode investor confidence.
The Philippines, for its part,
showed resilience in the face of
unprecedented challenges, the
IMF said. Supertyphoon
“Yolanda” late last year, which
caused infrastructure
bottlenecks in key areas of
Visayas last year, failed to result
in a significant slowdown in
growth in the fourth quarter of
the year.
Higher government
spending, particularly for
reconstruction efforts in the
Visayas, would help provide a
boost to economic growth this
year, the IMF said.
“Official goals of rapid and
inclusive growth will likely
provide a boost to growth as
infrastructure spending is
ramped up in a context where
the near-term fiscal deficit
target remains manageable,”
the multilateral lender said.
The IMF expects the
Philippine economy to grow by
6.5 percent this year and in
2015. The Asia-Pacific region,
meanwhile, is seen growing 5
and 5.3 percent in the same
years, respectively. Inquirer.net
Cement industry sales rise
as PH economy grows
By Amy R. Remo
Sales of local cement
manufacturers grew by 8.6
percent to 5.2 million tons in the
first three months of the year,
given the continued growth seen
in the construction and real
estate industries.
During the same period last
year, cement sales stood at 4.8
million tons, data from the
Cement Manufacturers
Association of the Philippines
(Cemap) showed.
In a text message, Cemap
president Ernesto Ordoñez
explained that the increase in
sales could be attributed to the
hike in infrastructure spending
by the government, as well as the
continued spending and the
confidence shown by the private
sector in the local economy.
In a separate phone
interview, Ordoñez added that
Cemap is bullish about its
prospects this year, expressing
confidence that their members'
cement sales will continue to
grow.
This was amid the
challenges that cement
manufacturers continue to face,
such as the high costs of power
and transport. Electricity alone
reportedly account for
anywhere from 40 percent to 60
percent of a cement company's
total operating costs.
Ordoñez declined, however,
to cite any targets for the year as
the group do not give out
forecasts.
Last year, cement sales grew
six percent to 19.4 million tons
from the 18.4 million tons sold a
year ago. In the fourth of 2013
alone, cement sales grew 2
percent to 4.5 million from the
4.4 million sold the previous
year.
Cemap members include
Cemex Philippines Group of
Companies (Apo Cement Corp.
and Solid Cement Corp.); Holcim
Philippines Inc.; Lafarge
Associated Companies;
Northern Cement Corp.; Pacific
Cement Philippines Inc.; and
Taiheiyo Cement Philippines Inc.
The bullishness of the local
cement industry is evident in the
expansion and new plans being
implemented by several firms.
Companies on expansion
modes include Lafarge Republic,
which announced in February
that it was investing some 18.48
million euros in a new cement
mill at its manufacturing plant in
Bulacan in a bid to further boost
its production capacity by 2015.
Inquirer.net
MANILA -- The city of Manila joins
the list of the most sought-after city for
emerging market investors, a leading
retail website said.
Globe property platform Lamudi
said that cities in Asia lead the pack of
the most coveted cities for investors, but
there is also potential across emerging
regions. The website, which operates
exclusively in 22 countries in Asia,
Africa, Latin America and Middle East,
based the list on market trends for the
past six months. Jakarta tops the list as
the most sought-after city, followed by
Manila, Mexico City, Marrakech and
Dhaka.
“Cities in the Philippines and
Indonesia have particularly strong
prospects, cementing southeast Asia's
place as one of the world's emerging
property hotspots. The region will
continue to attract interest as these
countries address issues like
transparency and governance, creating
an even more favourable investment
environment,” said Kian Moini, CoFounder and Managing Director of
Lamudi.
The top five most-coveted cities for
property investors are:
1. Jakarta, Indonesia: Jakarta has
become “a magnet for luxury property
investors” as prices rise in its high-end
residential sector, thus its property
market has become one of the strongest
in the world. Whether this year's
elections will impact the investment
environment has yet to be seen.
2. Manila, Philippines: The
Philippines' has caught the investors
attention as the country's economy
gains speed. Lamudi cites that Manila
has a young demographic that makes it
favorable to investors. It also has a
similar workforce culture to the west.
“Its residential, retail and office sectors
all present strong investment
prospects,” Lamudi says.
3. Mexico City, Mexico: As drug
violence and crime decrease and
business improve since the reforms in
2012, investors are optimistic in Mexico.
Lamudi says that investors are attracted
to the city because “they can get better
value for money than in developing
markets while remaining in close
proximity to the US.”
4. Marrakech, Morocco: The city was
recently named as the top investment
pick for 2014 by Financial Times due to
“strong growth prospects, relative
political stability and favorable
environment for foreigners.” Lamudi
cites that tourism is increasing and
transaction costs for those buying or
selling a property remain low.
5. Dhaka, Bangladesh: Bangladesh
was never attractive to investors 10
years ago but things are looking good.
Global investment banking firm
Goldman Sachs once included
Bangladesh as one of the “next 11″
emerging markets to look out for. “These
days the country's property market is on
an upward swing, with prices soaring
and an increasing number of high-end
apartment blocks being built
throughout the city,” Lamudi says.
Inquirer.net
Host PH lists APEC
2015 initiatives
The Philippines will prioritize four
areas of discussion regional economic
agenda with the end of drafting the Free
Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP);
SME; human resources; and, building
sustainable communities - by world
leaders when it hosts the 2015 Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
next year, documents showed.
D o c u m e n t s s h owe d t h a t t h e
Department of Trade and Industry has
met with the Department of Foreign
Affairs recently to come up with the
updated list of APEC 2015 Priorities and
Sub-Priorities.
“Enhancing the Regional Economic
Agenda” topped the list of the Philippine
P r i o r i t y I n i t i a t ive s , wh i c h a l s o
indentified four action plans to support
this APEC priority.
Under this priority, the APEC 2015 is
expected to advance the planned Free
Trade Area of the Asia Pacific (FTAAP) by
instructing the APEC senior officials to
draft the FTAAP roadmap.
While APEC will push for the FTAAP,
the APEC Leaders Summit is expected to
also come up with a statement in support
of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
and the 10th WTO Ministerial
Conference.
This priority also calls for the
establishment of Asian Region Funds
Passport to strengthen financial
markets. Other sub-priorities include
promoting people to people and labor
connectivity through services, and
adjusting regulatory coherence by
s t re n g t h e n i n g c a p a c i t y - b u i l d i n g
initiatives for regulatory institutions and
institutional connectivity.
On the second priority “Fostering
SMEs Participation in Regional and
Global Markets”, this calls for the
creation of open and transparent
business environments for SMEs
through Customs Business initiatives,
and modernization and standards
conformance.
This priority also proposes for the
promotion of inclusive growth through
sustainable and resilient SMEs with
support for micro-insurance, credit
surety fund, and social
entrepreneurship.
On the third priority “Supporting
and Investing In Human Resources”, the
Philippines would like APEC 2015 to
promote knowledge-based economy
through enhanced cross border
education; promotion of science and
technology education; and skills
development for the 21st century as key
to developing the competitiveness of
industries and to achieve inclusive
growth. This Philippine initiative also
calls for the strengthening and
protection of human capital in APEC.
On “Building Sustainable and
Resilient Communities”, the Philippines
has called for the promotion of disaster
risk reduction and management, and
enhancing food security and the “blue
economy” as well as addressing climate
change. (Bernie Cahiles-Magkilat)
Manila Bulletin
May 2-8, 2014
Page 21
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Economics Professor Emeritus Shares Tips for
Understanding the Program
3 Surprising Things You May Not
Know About Social Security
Despite the fact that almost
every working adult (and
teenager) pays into Social
Security, and that millions of us
count on it for at least part if
not all of our retirement
income, there's a lot Americans
don't know about their public
financial safety net.
“Do you know how much
money comes out of your
paycheck each week to go into
the Old Age and Survivors
Insurance Trust Fund?” asks
Allen Smith, professor
emeritus of economics at
Eastern Illinois University and
author of “SOCIAL SECURITY:
Will It Be There For You?"
(http://tinyurl.com/lu5f7aa).
It's important for
Americans to learn about the
Social Security system long
before they're thinking about
retiring, Smith says.
“Public outcry has been
effective in provoking the
Social Security Administration
to correct wrongs in the past,”
says Smith. “For example,
recently, when it became
known that Social Security was
seizing tax refunds from the
children of deceased
beneficiaries it claims were
overpaid more than a decade
ago, the public howled. The
administration announced an
immediate halt to the practice
on April 14.”
It will take just such a
massive public outcry to get the
government to repay its $2.7
trillion debt to Social Security,
he says.
Smith, who taught
economics for 30 years and has
focused his research and
writing on government finance
and Social Security for the past
15, shares three surprising
facts that Americans should
know about the program.
The more money you make
in earnings, the less you get
back!
People who earn less in
their working life get more
money back in Social Security
retirement benefits when you
view the annual benefit as a
percentage of their highest
annual salary.
“So, a person born in 1960
who's earning $107,000 a year
now could receive about
$29,230 a year if they retire at
age 67 assuming they had a
steadily increasing income
since age 18,” Smith says.
“That's 27 percent of their
current salary.
“A person the same age
earning $40,000 a year today
can expect about $16,460,
which is 41 percent of their
current salary.” Furthermore,
since benefits are calculated
only on a maximum average
salary of $106,800, the person
who earned $500,000 receives
the same benefit as the person
who earned $106,800.
Reports indicate the $2.7
trillion trust fund
established for baby
boomers' retirement is
gone.
In 1983, the Reagan
a d m i n i s t ra t i o n a p p rove d
amendments to generate a
Social Security surplus that
would help pay benefits for the
thousands of baby boomers
who began retiring in 2011.
The changes included
accelerating Social Security
payroll tax increases; allowing
a portion of benefits to be
AFP file photo
DOLE appeals for flexibility
among employers in hiring
of fresh graduates
In the 2013 Labor Day jobs fair, out
of the 127,880 registered jobseekers, a
total of 20,905 applicants were hired on
MANILA -- With thousands of
the spot and 96,838 more qualified.
jobseekers expected to troop to the
Baldoz emphasized that the DOLE
Department of Labor and Employment's
has remained consistent with its annual
nationwide job fairs on May 1, Labor Day,
target of 15 percent hired on the spot out
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz urged
of the total number of qualified
employers to improve their hiring rates
applicants.
as a way of helping jobseekers, especially
Over 100,000 overseas and local
the fresh graduates, land jobs.
jobs are available in the simultaneous
She urged employers to be flexible in
job fairs that the DOLE will hold
considering “near hires” or applicants
nationwide as part of the Labor Day
who are “nearly fit” for a job, but may be
celebration.
lacking in one or two qualifications that
The 2014 Labor Day celebration
can be compensated for by an
carries the theme “Sa Sipag, Tiyaga, at
applicants' other strong points.
u
Page 22
Talino, Buong Mundo Saludo sa
“We will be grateful if employers
Manggagawang Pilipino.”
participating in our job fairs on Labor
Baldoz said DOLE aims to recognize
Day can improve their hiring rates and
the invaluable contribution of all
increase the number of applicants hired
Filipino workers to the continued
on the spot, or HOTS,” Baldoz said.
growth and resurgence of the Philippine
“A 'near-hire' applicant, if given the
economy.
chance, might quickly learn or acquire a
“Through the job fairs, we hope to
'missing qualification' if he/she is
give workers the service they deserve by
already on the job or may be through a
fast-tracking the matching of jobseekers
short training,” she added.
and employers, particularly in identified
There are currently three million
areas where skills are highly in demand,”
unemployed Filipinos, and seven million
Baldoz said.
underemployed, she said.
While encouraging employers to
Baldoz said improving hiring rates is
increase their hiring rate, Baldoz also
possible because the DOLE and its
advised job seekers to increase their
regional offices have announced early
employability by working on their “soft
and extensively their job fair schedules
skills,” which most employers are
using all available media and she had
looking for in an applicant. Soft skills
directed them to conduct advance
registration and screening of applicants.
u
Page 22
By Tina G. Santos
PH beats mining investments target
By Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine mining Investment grew
faster than expected in 2013 despite the
absence of new commitments as
investors continued spending for
existing ones.
Mines and Geosciences Bureau
(MGB) director engineer Leo L. Jasareno
told reporters that investments reached
$1.311 billion in 2013 from $812.49
million in 2012. That level represents a
61.4-percent increase, and this was
attributed to additional spending for
existing projects.
Initially, the government projected
mining investments to reach $817.58 in
2013. That means actual spending
turned out to be 60.39 percent higher
than expected, based on MGB data.
Mining investments for 2013 were
led by projects in various stages of
development. Among those in the
operating stage, Philsaga Co-O project
led investments with $31.48 million and
the Toledo copper project with $25
million, according to MGB data. Only two
projects in the construction and
d e ve l o p m e n t s t a g e b r o u g h t i n
investments: Surigao Sumitomo HPAL
project ($407.68 million) and the Siana
gold project ($14.60).
Among those in the feasibility and
financing stage, the Silangan copper
project led the pack with $442.41
million in spending, the Mindoro nickel
project ($75 million), Tampakan
copper-gold project ($52 million), the
Far Southeast gold project ($25.52
million) and King-king copper-gold
project ($25 million).
Only the Balabag project registered
spending ($2.9 million) among projects
in the advanced exploration stage.
“There were no new investments. All
were continuing projects,” Jasareno said.
Asked for an outlook for 2014, Jasareno
said mining investments may grow
slightly to more than $1.324 billion.
“That will come from continuing
investments, plus one new investment.
That is the Agata project in Agusan del
Norte, to be operated by TVIRD,”
Jasareno said. Inquirer.net
May 2-8, 2014
Page 22
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH’s' biggest casino
hits early jackpot
French ship FS Var is docked in the Saudi port of Dammam in this 2009 file photo. AFP
European nations reject bid
to ban Filipino seafarers
By Nestor Corrales
MANILA -- Member states of the
European Union have rejected the
proposed ban on Filipino seafarers, the
International Association of
I n d e p e n d e n t Ta n k e r O w n e r s
(Intertanko) said.
Intertanko said the EU member
states have endorsed the
recommendation from the European
Commission (EC) not to de-recognize
the Filipino seafarers' certificates of
competency.
However, the European Maritime
Safety Agency (EMSA) would continue
to undertake inspections to ensure
continued compliance. EU member
states to the Philippines would provide
DOLE ... From page 21
include work attitude, commitment,
work ethics, communication skills, time
management abilities, and problem
solving skills, to name a few.
Baldoz also advised jobseekers to
brush up on relevant labor market
information to help them map out their
careers wisely, such as looking for
occupations that fit their qualifications
and inclinations, and to be ready with
their resumes and other documentary
requirements.
3 surprising ...
From page 21
taxed; and delaying cost-of-living
adjustments from June to December.
“Those changes generated $2.7
trillion in surplus, which is supposed to
be in the Social Security Trust Fund,”
Smith says. “But there's been abundant
evidence over the past two decades that
no money was being put in the Trust
Fund. Based on my research, what's
s i t t i n g t h e r e i s n o n - m a r ke t a b l e
government IOUs.
Statements to that effect were made
in a 2009 Social Security trustees report,
and by Sen. Tom Coburn and thenPresident George W. Bush, who in 2005
said, “There is no trust fund, just IOUs
that I saw firsthand.”
There was no indignant outcry
“because too many Americans just don't
know a lot about Social Security,” Smith
says. “This is the most serious and urgent
of the problems we face with Social
Security.”
Many people would benefit from
hitting their retirement fund first
and delaying collecting Social
Security.
Waiting until you're 70 to tap your
Social Security retirement benefits can
make you eligible for a much fatter check
technical assistance in ensuring that
they are able to comply with their
obligations.
“This outcome is welcomed,
providing the balance between an
outright ban and a clean bill of health.
The additional monitoring and
technical assistance will provide the
added assurance owners need when
sourcing seafarers from the
Philippines,” Intertanko said in a
statement. In 2013, the EC said Filipino
seafarers could lose their jobs in the EUflagged ships if the Philippines would
fail to correct maritime education flaws.
There are about 100,000 Filipino
seamen onboard ships from the 28member EU. Inquirer.net
“This is one of the best ways you can
match yourselves with productive
opportunities or even be hired on the
spot during job fairs,” Baldoz advised.
“For the first-time job seekers,
another piece of advice I can give is to
accept the first job that comes your way
and which fit your qualifications. This is
the way to earn experience and pick up
job-ready skills,” she added. She also
urged jobseekers to research on the
company they are interested in.
“Doing research will be a big help in
the interviews,” she said. Inquirer.net
up to 8 percent more a year. That's a big
payoff.
“Many people want to delay drawing
income from their retirement fund, but if
doing that allows you to wait till you're
70 to take Social Security, the payoff is
tremendous,” Smith says. “Wait at least
until you're eligible for the full amount, if
possible,” Smith says. “That's age 66 if
you were born 1943-54, and age 67 if
you were born in 1960 and later. If you're
in the older group, retiring at 62 cuts
your benefits by a quarter; for the
younger group it's nearly a third.”
About Allen W. Smith, Ph.D.
Allen W. Smith, author of “SOCIAL
SECURITY: Will It Be There For You?"
(http://tinyurl.com/lu5f 7aa), has
devoted much of his adult life to
promoting economic education. He
taught economics for 30 years before
retiring from Eastern Illinois University
in 1998 to become a full-time writer.
“Understanding Inflation and
Unemployment,” Smith's first book,
became an alternate selection of Fortune
Book Club when it was published in
1976. “Understanding Economics,”
(Random House; 1986), was used in
more than 600 schools in 48 states. In
recent years, Smith has focused his
research and writing on government
finance and Social Security.
MANILA -- The Philippines'
biggest casino announced
Monday it had begun raking in
huge profits in 12 months of
operations, which it said
vindicated its decision to sack
its American managers.
Bloomberry Resorts Corp.,
operator of Solaire Resorts and
Casino, reported a net profit of
1.461 billion pesos ($32.78
million) from January to March.
This was a turnaround from the
1.056-billion-peso loss in the
same period last year, at the
time Solaire was throwing its
doors open to the public.
“It is significant that we
were able to turn a profit after
only a year of operation,”
Bloomberry chairman and chief
executive Enrique Razon said in
a statement.
Bloomberry opened the
$1.2-billion Solaire on
reclaimed land on Manila Bay
on March 16 last year.
It was the first of four,
billion-dollar casinos to rise on
the government property as
part of the government's bid to
become Asia's third major
gambling hub alongside Macau
and Singapore.
The gaming resorts are a
key part of the Philippines' bid
Inquirer photo/Raffy Lerma
to raise annual tourist arrivals
to 10 million by 2016, from 4.68
million last year. Razon, one of
the country's richest men and
the majority-shareholder of
B l o o m b e r r y, e m p h a s i s e d
Solaire achieved the early turn
to profits after firing the
casino's American managers
last year.
Bloomberry announced in
September that it had
terminated the management
contract of Las Vegas-based
Global Gaming asset
Management for a breach of
contract, in a dispute that was
referred to international
arbitrators in Singapore.
“This is proof positive that
the group, without a third-party
management company, has the
ability and the acumen to
manage an integrated resort,”
Razon said. As part of its
commitments to win a gaming
license, Bloomberry committed
to building an “integrated
resort” which offered a wide
range of family entertainment
and not just gambling. However
Bloomberry said 95.7 percent
of its revenues from January to
March came from gaming, with
just 3.9 percent from its food,
beverage and hotel business.
Retail and others income made
up 0.4 percent of revenues.
Razon said the past year
was spent “building our core
business,” and that the other
elements of an integrated
resort would open in the fourth
quarter of this year.
The second of the four
gaming resorts, called the City
of Dreams Manila and run by
Macau-based Melco Crown
Entertainment, is due to open
this year. Inquirer.net
May 2-8, 2014
Page 23
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Fil-Am composer of 'Let It Go' among
Time's Most Influential People
By Ivan Angelo L. de Lara
Manila -- Filipino-American
Robert Lopez and wife Kristen
Anderson-Lopez, the composers
behind the official soundtrack of
Disney's animated blockbuster
“Frozen,” have been included in
Time magazine's Most Influential
People for 2014.
The list features personalities
considered as titans, pioneers,
artists, leaders, and icons. Lopez
and Anderson-Lopez were
included in the artists' group along
with the likes of actresses Kerry
Washington and Amy Adams, 12
Years a Slave director Steve
McQueen, Oscar-winning actor
Matthew McConaughey, and singer
Miley Cyrus.
South Park creators Trey
Parker and Matt Stone, who wrote
the couple's profile in Time, praised
them for their smart approach into
composing music.
“They are both completely
steeped in the traditions of
Broadway musicals, but they're
really smart and would never be
happy just regurgitating what's
come before,” Parker and Stone
wrote.
In a video published in Time's
website, Lopez and AndersonLopez cited their parents and each
other as the most influential people
GAB VALENCIANO in the AGT teaser PHOTO from starcinema.abscbn.com
This Filipino's got talent
By Allan Policarpio
Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez (L) and Robert Lopez, winners of the Best
Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song award for
'Let It Go' from 'Frozen', attend the Governor's Ball following the 86th
Academy Awards on March 2nd, 2014 in Hollywood, California. AFP file photo
in their lives. Earlier this year, the
couple won an Oscar for Best
Original Song for the megahit “Let it
go.”
Other prominent personalities
on the list include US President
Barack Obama, Former Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton, Pope Francis,
tennis star Serena Williams and
Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins,
and NSA whistleblower Edward
Snowden.
In 2013, President Benigno
Aquino III was named as Time's
100 Most Influential People. The
same honor was bestowed on
boxing icon Manny Pacquiao in
2009. Inquirer.net
For most of his show biz
career, Gab Valenciano had to
endure being compared to his
father, singer Gary Valenciano,
especially when it comes to
dancing. For the past few years,
however, Gab has been slowly
emerging from his dad's shadow
by utilizing a different medium
to express himself: the Internet.
Combining his dancing skills
and proficiency in video and
music editing, Gab came up with
what he calls “super selfie” - a
short video in which he lets
loose, dances silly and pulls off
random, wacky antics. Gab
initially uploaded these clips to
his Instagram account, then
moved them to YouTube, where
h e n ow h a s ove r 6 6 , 0 0 0
subscribers.
Turning point
His most popular videos,
“Tune Squad” and “Father and
Son” (which features Gary V),
have so far registered over 1.9
million and 1.7 million hits,
respectively. Gab's “super
selfies” have likewise caught the
interest of not a few
international news sites and TV
shows, including The Huffington
Post and CBS' “Good Morning
America.”
One of Gab's recent “super
s e l f i e ,” t i t l e d “ L o o s e
Yourself”which has the 25-yearold dancing with Sam
Concepcion and The
u
Page 25
May 2-8, 2014
Page 24
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Miguel Tanfelix
Bernard Palanca and Art Acuna in “Kabisera”
Filipino Films to get
special spot at LA Asian
Pacific Film Festival
By Alfred Dicioco
LOS ANGELES, CA -- The Los
Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival
(LAAPFF) this year is devoting a special
category to showcase new works from
the Philippines called “New Faces of
Philippine Cinema.”
Cinephiles from all over the world
on May 1 to 11 will also get the chance
to see the best of Asian Pacific American
and Asian films at the 30th LAAPFF
hosted by Visual Communications, the
premier media arts center that first
launched the film festival three decades
ago.
The film festival has grown to
international fame having featured
over 140 films from more than 20
countries.
This year, the following Filipino
films will make their Los Angeles
premieres: “Rekorder” by Mikhail Red,
“Kabisera” by Alfonso “Borgy” Torre III,
“Blue Bustamante” by Miko Livelo,
“Shift” by Siege Ledesma, and
“Debosyon” by Alvin Yapan.
These five movies were featured in
the Cinemalaya Film Festival and
Cinema One Originals Festival, two of
the most popular independent film
Bianca Umali
David Remo
GMA Network
brings inspiration
and love via NIÑO
festivals in the Philippines.
The 21-year-old Red, son of
pioneering Philippine independent
director Raymond Red, wrote and
directed “Rekorder,” a story about video
Anchored on its goal of
the “Naynay Commandments”,
piracy set in the street of Metro Manila.
providing wholesome and
a set of values and good
He will be introducing his movie at the
child-friendly programs, GMA
manners that will teach
screening along with producer Pamela
Network brings to
everyone the importance of
Reyes and actor Ronnie Quizon.
international television
being responsible and honest
“Kabisera” follows the story of a
sc re e n s a n o ri g i n a l a n d
individuals and how these
fisherman, portrayed by the director's
heartwarming story of a boy
commandments can be applied
uncle, actor Joel Torre, who gets caught
who will inspire other people beacon of hope and inspiration in everyday life. These Naynay
in the middle of a meth trade. The cast
to remain hopeful in the midst to his town mates and prove Commandments will also
includes Bernard Palana, Art Acuna,
of life's challenges via the that miracles exist with the inspire parents to raise their
Meryll Soriano, and Carlo Cruz. If you
drama series NIÑO.
help of his “Tukayo”, a Sto. Niño children to be hopeful and
enjoyed shows like “Breaking Bad” and
Kapuso viewers abroad incarnate to be played by child loving like Niño at all times.
“The Wire,” this film is for you.
may look forward to the star David Remo.
Under the helm of award“Blue Bustamante” is a nostalgic
premiere of this series on May
C o m p l e t i n g t h e s t a r - winning director Maryo J. delos
movie for '90s kids who grew up
27 through GMA Network's s t u d d e d c a s t a r e To m Reyes, Niño will be a certified
watching the Sentai TV shows, even
flagship international channel, Rodriguez as Jonathan, Niño's hit among Kapuso viewers and
before the dawn of its Americanized
GMA Pinoy TV.
hardworking father; Katrina their families. Catch it soon on
cousins, the “Power Rangers.” When an
The program is filled with Halili as Hannah, Jonathan's GMA Pinoy TV.
Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is laid
good values and positive wife and Niño's kind-hearted
To know more about
off, he lands the part as a double for the
messages about love, faith and mother; Lotlot De Leon as Leny Kapuso programs, artists and
Blue Ranger in a Japanese TV show.
hope that will encourage and and Neil Ryan Sese as David, e v e n t s , v i s i t t h e G M A
Comedy and drama ensue in the film
i n s p i r e v i e w e r s , m o s t adoptive parents of Niño; I n t e r n a t i o n a l w e b s i t e
starring Joem Bascon and Jun Sabayton.
especially the kids, to become German “Kuya Germs” Moreno www.gmanetwork.com/intern
“Shift”, directed by Siege Ledesma,
loving and optimistic at all as Kapitan Pete, the Barangay a t i o n a l , Fa c e b o o k p a g e s
is a dramedy about two call center
times.
Captain of the community; w w w . f a c e b o o k . c o m /
agents who try to keep their friendship
Tasked to play the role of Bianca Umali as Angelica, G m a l i f e t v
a n d
Niño/Miguel is one of the Niño's bestfriend; and Ms www.facebook.com/gmanews
u
Page 27
Kapuso Network's talented Gloria Romero as Lola V, Niño's international, Twitter pages
teen stars Miguel Tanfelix, a 15- carefree grandmother.
@GMAPinoyTV and
year old boy with mental
Niño will definitely appeal @GMA_LifeTV, and Instagram
incapacities who will become a to the family as it introduces page, @GMAPinoyTV. (30)
'Debosyon' wins in Canada
Rocco Nacino and Lovi Poe. Photo courtesy of GMA Corp Comm
Romantic Paris
Actress Lovi Poe describes Paris,
France, as “beautiful and romantic.”
And why not? She got to explore the
City of Light recently with fellow
Kapuso Rocco Nacino.
She told the Inquirer: “He's the
perfect travel buddy…we get along
so well and never run out of things to
talk about. It was our first European
trip together and it was a good
experience for us.”
They strolled down the Pont de
Arts Bridge near the Louvre, also
called “the Love Lock Bridge.” It was
not just about “fun,” she insisted. “On
Good Friday, we kissed the crown of
Jesus at the Notre Dame Cathedral.”
Inquirer.net
Paulo Avelino and Mara Lopez in “Debosyon”.
A lv i n Ya p a n' s
“Debosyon” wins
H o n o r a b l e
MentionOutstanding
International Feature at
the ReelWorld Film
Festival, held in Toronto,
C a n a d a , r e c e n t l y.
According to Yapan, the
jury “recognized the
artistic risks that [the
film] took and creative
sure-handedness in
execution.”
An entry in last
y e a r ' s C i n e m a l a ya ,
“Debosyon” features
Paulo Avelino and Mara
Lopez in lead roles.
Inquirer.net
May 2-8, 2014
Page 25
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Fil-Am director doing docu films
for billionaire-philanthropist
By Crispina Martinez - Belen
While waiting for his big film to
materialize, Ace Cruz, a FilipinoAmerican actor-filmmaker based in
California, is busy doing
documentary film for billionairephilanthropist Yank Barry.
Ace is currently filming “The
Art Of Giving,” which documents
the humanitarian endeavors being
undertaken by Yank for the benefit
of the disadvantaged all over the
world.
Ace started documenting
Yank's efforts in 2013, following the
devastation caused by supertyphoon “Yolanda.”
Yank, by the way, is the
chairman of the Global Village
Champions Foundation (GVCF), a
non-profit organization that has
donated about one billion meals to
the hungry throughout the world.
Barry needs to donate at least two
billion meals to qualify for the
Nobel Peace Prize, which is his
main goal in life and for which he
has been nominated three times.
He visited the Philippines two
years ago with boxing champ
Evander Holyfield to ask Manny
Pacquiao to be a GVCF ambassador
like Holyfield himself, as with
Muhammad Ali, Bo Derek, James
Wood and Jon Voight, among many
other famous personalities.
After Typhoon “Yolanda's”
devastation brought to eastern
Visayas, Barry donated tons of rice
to Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez for
victims in Ormoc. He also donated
about two million meals for
distribution by Lucy, Cesar
Ellona Santiago (YouTube)
Photo shows (from left) billionaire-philantrophist Yank Barry, boxing champ
Manny Pacquiao, boxer Evander Hollyfield and Hollywood actor-director Ace Cruz
Montano and Mother Jean of Sisters
of the Poor.
Ace said he was fascinated by
what Barry has been doing. When
he asked Barry why, the billionairephilanthropist answered, “Because
I want to make a difference in the
world; I want to make a difference
in the lives of people.”
On his part, Ace's mission is to
make films with spiritual content
that will inspire or uplift the spirit
of people. Among the Hollywood
films he has made are “The Circuit,”
“Psychotic,” “Fate,” “Urban Task
Force,” “Outrage: Born In Terror,”
“Desert Of Death (The Golem)” and
“Gangstaz.”
He would have watched the
Pacquiao-Bradley fight in Las
Vegas, but Ace had to attend
“Celebrity Fight Night,” an annual
charity event spearheaded by Ali to
raise funds for those suffering from
Parkinson's disease.
Ace flew to Arizona where the
event was held to film Robert de
Niro, Kenny Rogers, Billy Crystal,
John Corbett and Ali, of course.
Ace studied filmmaking at the
University of Southern California
where he also took up drama
studies. For a while, he came home
to the Philippines to try his luck in
acting, and signed up with Viva
Films. He made some movies but
when nothing significant
happened, he went back to the US.
He formed his own film
company, Spirit Films, LLC in 1996.
Ace is preparing for his next
film, to be bankrolled by Yank
Barry, which will star GVCF's
ambassadors Derek, Wood and
Voight. Manila Bulletin
Fil-Am singer
wants to work
with Enrique Gil
By Rowena Tan
Fil-Am Ellona Santiago, who
first endeared herself to Filipino
audiences as a finalist on the hit
reality show “X-Factor USA,” has
expressed willingness to do a
Filipino teleserye especially if it
would mean working with her
crush, actor Enrique Gil.
“We could make a love team,”
Santiago said laughing in an
interview with ABS-CBN North
America News Bureau's Yong
Chavez.
Santiago said that she has been
receiving invitations from Filipino
producers and, should an offer
pushes through, she would love to
visit the country. The Californiabased singer related that following
her “X-Factor” stint, she went back
to school even as she continued to
pursue her singing career.
This Filipino’s
got talent
From page 23
ROSALINDA MALIBIRAN has been working at Blue Sky Studios for over a decade
Meet the Fil-Am lighting director of 'Rio 2’
By Janet Nepales
Los Angeles When we visited
Blue Sky Studios in Greenwich,
Connecticut recently to interview
some of the cast and crew of the
animated movie, “Rio 2,” which
features award-winning Fil-Am
pop singer Bruno Mars, we were
surprised to find out that another
Fil-Am also worked behind the
scenes in the movie: Rosalinda
Malibiran, the Lead Dighting
Technical Director.
“My father, Rolando Malibiran,
was born in Bataan,” she said. “His
lifelong dream was to become a
medical doctor and work in the US.
He got his medical degree in the
Philippines then decided to come
to the States and do internship at
Brooklyn Jewish Hospital in 1968.
He said it was a huge culture shock
and he had only $100 in his pocket
when he arrived. Shortly after, he
went to Virginia to practice family
Manoeuvres to Kenny Loggins'
“Footloose”was picked up CBS
News Los Angeles.
And in what can now be a
turning point in his career as an
entertainer, Gab auditioned for
the coming ninth season of the
reality talent search “America's
Got Talent (AGT),” which
premieres on May 27.
“Gab's 'super selfies' were
noticed internationally, so AGT
suggested that he audition,”
Gab's self-confessed stage
mother, Angeli Pangilinan, told
the Inquirer.
In AGT's teaser video
released recently online, Gab is
briefly shown performing
onstage in front of judges
Howard Stern, Melanie Brown,
Heidi Klum and Howie Mandel.
He sports a red tank top and a
“It was a little bit of a struggle
'coz I need to make up for work,
test and everything. It's been the
best of both worlds because while
I was at school, I was also still
singing and trying to perform at
various events,” she said.
The 17-year-old performed
John Legend's “All Of Me” and
Beyoncé's “Halo” during The
Filipino Channel's (TFC) 20th
anniversary celebration in the US
recently.
“I feel very honored because
this is such a huge thing. Even
before I got to sing here, I actually
know about the Gawad Geny
Lopez Awards and my parents
used to watch it all the time also. So
now, they get to watch me on it,”
she said.
Santiago will hold a concert in
Canada this August. Manila
Bulletin
pair of brightly-colored tights, as
he does in many of his popular
“super selfie” videos.
Angeli pointed out that, like
Gab, Gary shoots and produces
videos for his own shows. “Gab
got this gift from his dad, but
took it to a different
levelYouTube,” Angeli said. “Gab
shoots the videos, edits them
and remixes the music. He's a
one-man shop.”
Gab has so far been mum on
whether or not he hurdled the
auditions. But for Angeli, seeing
Gab show off his skills on US TV
is enough reason to celebrate.
“For me, win or lose, Gab's a
winner already,” she said.
Last year, Gab flew to the
United States to take up
Recording Arts at the Full Sail
University in Florida, where he
won the school's annual talent
competition, “Full Sail's Got
Talent” with a song-and-dance
number that he dedicated to
“ Yo l a n d a ” s u r v i v o r s .
Inquirer.net
medicine until 1972. He met my
mother, Terry Moore Tonkin, there
in Virginia. Then he decided to take
up anesthesiology at the University
of Tennessee from 1972 to1975
and became an anesthesiologist.”
She revealed that her mother is
of Irish-German descent but “she
was born in Washington DC.”
Rosalinda was born in
Memphis, Tennessee. “My father
was really good in trying to teach us
u
Page 27
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Page 26
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Top artists to headline June 'After the
Storm' benefit at Kennedy Center in DC
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A starstudded benefit concert, “After the
Storm,” will be staged at the
Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts in the US capital on Sunday,
June 15 to raise support for postTyphoon Haiyan recovery efforts
in the Philippines.
G ra m my Awa r d - w i n n i n g
violinist, Joshua Bell and Glee and
Broadway star sensation, Darren
Criss will join multi-awardwinning Broadway artist Lea
Salonga, Hollywood actor Lou
Diamond Phillips, tenor Rodell
Rosel, Christine Rocas of Joffrey
Ballet, singer Apl.de.ap of Black
Eyed Peas and a host of other
celebrities.
The Philippine Embassy said
“After the Storm” is being held in
cooperation with the USPhilippines Society and the
Philippine Humanitarian Coalition
and directed by Broadway's
Baayork Lee and produced by
E m my - n o m i n a te d p ro d u c e r,
Robert Pullen.
“This benefit concert intends
to bring attention to the invaluable
and necessary efforts of recovery
for the people of the Philippines
who were affected by Haiyan,” said
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., who
conceived the project with his wife,
Maria Victoria Cuisia.
The concert in the Kennedy
Center's Concert Hall will benefit
storm victims through partner
Apl.de.ap
organizations committed to the
rebuilding of typhoon-devastated
areas in the Philippines.
“As the world's attention is
gradually drawn away from the
d e va s t a t i o n i n t h e c e n t ra l
Philippines, we are reminded that
formidable challenges remain for
millions of families displaced by
the most powerful tropical storm
ever to make landfall,” said
Ambassador John F. Maisto,
president of the US-Philippines
Society.
“The Kennedy Center benefit
evening will help those people
reconstruct homes and schools,
re s t a r t b u s i n e s s e s , re s to re
livelihoods, and regain access to
health facilities,” Maisto added.
Darren Criss
The evening will feature
c e l e b r i t y a p p e a ra n c e s a n d
performances together with the
Fairfax Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Luke Frazier and the
Broadway Community Chorus
founded by Broadway legend
Baayork Lee. It will also include a
series of video messages of hope
from celebrities and other
personalities from around the
world.
Among the first to confirm
their participation in the concert
was the Manila-based Lea Salonga,
who won the Olivier, Tony, Drama
Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre
World awards for her appearance
in “Miss Saigon.” Salonga is the first
Asian actress to play the roles of
Lea Salonga
Joshua Bell
Éponine and Fantine in “Les
Miserables” on Broadway. She
portrayed both roles on the
musical's 10th and 25th
anniversary shows in London
respectively. She also provided the
singing voice of two official Disney
princesses: Jasmine in “Aladdin”
(1992) and Fa Mulan in “Mulan”
(1998) and “Mulan II” (2004).
Also participating in the
concert is Filipino-American actor
Lou Diamond Phillips who is best
known for his breakout starring
role in the movie “La Bamba” as
Ritchie Valens. He earned a
supporting actor Golden Globe
Award nomination for his role in
“Stand and Deliver” and a Tony
Award nomination for his role in
“The King and I.” Other notable
films in which Phillips has starred
include “Courage Under Fire,”
“Che” and “Love Takes Wing.”
G ra m my Awa r d - w i n n i n g
artist, Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed
Peas will also perform in the
concert. The Philippine-born
artist, whose real names is Allan
Pineda, is known for his
philanthropic and humanitarian
work through his Apl.de.ap
Foundation.
Also performing is Chicagobased tenor Rodell Rosel, who has
been hailed as one of the best
young opera singers of his
generation. Rosel performs
regularly with the Lyric Opera of
u
Page 27
Actors Dingdong Dantes Netizens hit 'PBB All
and Richard Gomez make In' for being 'scripted’
mark in Ducati Cup
By Rachel Cerdeno
Showbiz' “Ultimate Leading Man”
Richard Gutierrez and “Leading Man
of Primetime TV” Dingdong Dantes,
are among winners at the recently
concluded First Ducati Cup held at the
Batangas Racing Circuit last April 26
to 27.
Dingdong, who ranked third place
in the beginners class and second in
the celebrity class, stated that it was
among his childhood dreams to figure
in a motorcycle race.
“Ang sarap nang feeling…kala ko
'di ko na magagawa to,” he said.
His girlfriend Marian Rivera was
present at the race.
“Sobrang kinakabahan kami ng
mga kapatid niya, sabi ko nga enjoy
lang, importante safe siya,” said the
actress.
It was Marian who gave Dingdong
his Ducati motor bike as a Christmas
gift last year.
Richard, on the other hand, placed
fourth in the celebrity class.
He shared that it was his first race
and definitely one of the best
experiences of his life.
His girlfriend Sarah Lahbati was
also among spectators at the tilt.
Dingdong Dantes
“Happy kasi nag-enjoy siya. He's
still my number one,” Sarah told
media.
Many politicians also participated
in the race including, Zamboanga del
Norte Cong. Seth Jalosjos, Tarlac
Governor Victor Yap and Ilocos Sur
Congressman Ronald Singson who
finished first place in the celebrity
class.
MANILA -- The premiere of
“Pinoy Big Brother All In” (PBB
All In) on Sunday apparently
failed to please some of the
s h o w ' s fa n s , w i t h s o m e
netizens claiming the reality
show was scripted.
Their clamor against the
show caused the hashtag
#PBBScripted to trend on
Twitter from Sunday until
Monday night.
The netizens' reactions
stemmed from their
observation that some of the
housemates who made it into
the reality show were well-off
or have links to famous
personalities. The show used
to fe a t u re t h e o rd i n a r y
Filipinos who wanted to have a
shot to fame.
Toni Gonzaga, the host,
said during the kick-off that the
show would feature three
kinds of Filipinos the ordinary,
famous, and youth.
According to a Philippine
Entertainment Portal (PEP)
report, the following
housemates with links to
celebrities and famous
personalities are: Axel Torres,
brother of famous athlete from
Screengrab from PBB All In Facebook page
La Salle, Thomas Torres; Jane
Oneiza, a member of the Star
Magic Circle 2013 and had
performed in the show
“Maalala mo Kaya”; Nichole
Baranda, daughter of TV hostmodel Phoemela Baranda; and
Bobby and Robert Solomon,
twin brothers of GMA-7 actress
Chariz Solomon. The surprise
housemate was the show's
host Toni Gonzaga's sister Alex,
who was hosting PBB's kick-off
event but was announced to be
among PBB's contenders.
“Kuya,” the iconic Big Brother
in the show, said he wants Alex
to experience being a
housemate first to be an
effective PBB host.
Netizens also noted that
the rest of the housemates
were all good-looking,
resulting in a separate trend
#PBBBawalAngPangitEdition
and #PBBFamousEdition.
The other housemates are:
Cess Visitacion, Chevin Cecilio,
Aina Solano, Joshua Garcia,
Jayme Jalandoni, Manolo
Pedrosa, Maris Racal, Ranty
Portento, Michelle Gumabao,
Jacob Benedicto, Loisa Andalio,
and Vickie Rushton.
Inquirer.net
May 2-8, 2014
Page 27
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Top artists to ...
From page 26
Chicago and has appeared in several
operatic performances around the US.
He recently finished a stint at the
Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico and
made his debut performance at the
Metropolitan Opera in New York early
this year. The cast also includes
Christine Rocas, principal dancer
courtesy of Joffrey Ballet. Prior to
joining the Joffrey Ballet, Rocas
participated and won several
prestigious awards from different
international ballet competitions.
Celebrated and Grammy-awardwinning violinist, Joshua Bell will pay
tribute to the people of the
Philippines. Joshua Bell is one of the
world's most distinguished violinists
and his restless curiosity, passion,
universal appeal, and multi-faceted
Meet the Fil-Am ...
From page 25
the Filipino ways of life. He always had
relatives over and even got me to take
up a tinikling (bamboo dance) class.
He took us to the Philippines for the
first time when I was 12 years old and
he made sure we stayed with relatives
rather than a fancy hotel.
“I do not speak Tagalog but I love
Filipino food and cook it all the time.
My father taught me how to make
adobo and pancit at a very young age.
My favorite things to eat are siopao,
halo-halo, puto and lechon to name a
few.” She added, “Being in a bi-racial
family is quite interesting. You get to
learn two very different ways of living
and then you get to pick and choose
what you like about both then apply
(them) to your life.”
Rosalinda revealed that she went
back to the Philippines with her father
in 2002 for a medical mission. “We
went to a small town where we set up
a makeshift hospital,” she narrated. “I
checked in hundreds of patients who
just wanted some free vitamins and
someone to give them a check-up.
Many families had walked for days to
get there. We treated those with the
most severe cases of cleft palette, cleft
lip and (did) tumor removal. It was a
life-changing experience for me. I
hope to go back to the Philippines in
2015 for another medical mission.”
Rosalinda also added that her
father “chose Filipino names for both
my sister and I. I was named after my
late Tita Rosalinda, my father's sister.
My sister, on the other hand, is named
Luzviminda, which is short for the
Philippine islands of Luzon, Visayas
and Mindanao.”
Unknown to many, Rosalinda was
the Lead Lighting Technical Director
not only for “Rio 2” but other Blue Sky
Studios animated films like “Rio,”
“Epic,” “Ice Age 2,” “Ice Age 3” and “Ice
Age 4.” She was also the Senior
Filipino Films ...
From page 24
alive despite their unrequited feelings
for each other. OPM Singer Yeng
Constantino and Felix Roco, son of
veteran Filipino actor Bembol Roco,
star in this indie flick that bring nuance
to gay and lesbian relationships in the
Philippines.
“Debosyon” is a story about a
farmer who is a devotee to the Virgin of
Penafrancia, a figure of the Blessed
Mother Mary worshipped in the
province of Bicol. After falling
unconscious in the middle of the forest,
he meets a mysterious lady who lives in
the forest. A love story that is full of
musical interests have earned him the
rare title of ”classical music superstar.”
Lastly, “Glee” and Broadway
superstar, Darren Criss, joins this
special tribute. Criss has been tireless
in his efforts to support the Philippines
caused by the devastation of Typhoon
Haiyan.
Tickets, ranging from $25 to $250
are now on sale and may be purchased
online at www.kennedy-center.org or
visiting the Kennedy Center box office
or charge by phone by calling (202)
467-4600. The official website for this
event is www.after-the-storm.org.
There are sponsorship packages
available for corporations and
individuals who would like to support
and underwrite this performance. For
information on sponsorship
opportunities and other queries, please
e m a i l A f t e r T h e S t o r m
@ u s p h i l s o c i e t y. o r g o r c a l l
+1.202.595.2880. Inquirer.net
Lighting Technical Director for
“Horton Hears A Who!” and the
Lighting Technical Director for
“Robots.”
“I have been here at Blue Sky
Studios for the past 10 years now,” she
said. However, Rosalinda did not study
animation or fine arts to get where she
is right now.
“ I re c e ive d my M a s te r s o f
Architecture from Columbia
University in 2000,” she shared. “It was
at Columbia where I learned a
computer graphics software program
called Maya and that is when I fell in
love with the idea of computer
generated images and possibly
pursuing it as a career. It was not easy
transitioning from architecture to the
world of computer graphics.”
She continued, “I first took a job
after finishing my masters at a small
firm in New York as an architectural
graphics designer. There, I began to
u s e 3 D s o f t wa re t o g e n e ra t e
architectural animations. A year later, I
decided to move to Milan, Italy because
I wanted to immerse myself in another
culture. After studying the Italian
language rigorously for six months, I
landed a job in a small company in
Milan doing Visual Effects (VFX)
commercials and films.”
Rosalinda stayed in Milan for four
years then decided it was time to come
back home to New York and find a job
in feature films. “That is when I
decided to pursue a job at Blue Sky
Studios,” she said.
According to Rosalinda, they don't
have many Filipinos working at Blue
Sky Studios. “The other Filipino here is
Angela Macias from the Design
Department, who is the Associate
Production Manager,” she shared.
Rosalinda lives in White Plains,
New York with her family. She is
married to architect Ryan D. Erb, with
whom she has two sons (Noah, two,
Ziggy, 11 months). “The middle names
of my two boys are both 'Mahal,'” she
told us. Manila Bulletin
mystery, the film tackles how one
man's faith can be put to the test.
Other films in the festival include
the 2014 Sundance Film Festival hit
“To Be Takei,” a documentary on actor,
activist, artist, and famous “Trekkie”
George Takei, who recalls his days from
being on “Star Trek” to being an active
voice for civil right and marriage
equality.
Actress Michelle Yeoh will be
featured in a culinary/romantic drama
called “Final Recipe,” a story about a
young chef who is determined to save
his ailing grandmother's restaurant by
joining a culinary show in which Yeoh
stars as the producer. To see the full list
of films and showtimes, visit the
LAAPFF website. Inquirer.net
Tourist mistakes Richard Gere
for beggar, gives him pizza
Agence France-Presse
Actor Richard Gere attends the City Harvest 19th
Annual An Evening Of Practical Magic, Honoring
Marc Murphy at Cipriani 42nd Street on April 16,
2013 in New York City. Andrew H. Walker/Getty
Images for City Harvest/AFP
NEW YORK -- A French
tourist listened to her heart
when she offered her pizza
to a man spotted
rummaging through trash in
the streets of New York, not
realizing it was Richard
Gere making a movie.
Karine Valnais
Gombeau, a 42-year-old
Parisian, spotted the actor, a
knit cap pulled down over
his ears, sifing through
rubbish as she came out of a
pizzeria near Grand Central
station in Manhattan, with
her husband and 15-yearold son, the New York Post
reported Sunday.
Without blinking, Gere,
64, asked her what was in
the bag Gombeau offered
him.
“I tried to tell him in
English, but it came out half
in French,” she told the Post.
“I said, 'Je suis desolee [I
am sorry], but the pizza is
cold.' ”
“He said, 'Thank you so
much. God bless you,'” she
said.
She left without
knowing it was Gere making
his new movie “Time Out of
Mind,” until the Post ran a
photo of the moment two
days later.
“It was magical . . . It's
c ra z y, t h i s s t o r y. I t ' s
unimaginable that
something like this could
happen,” she said, adding
she thought Gere, the star of
“ P r e t t y Wo m a n ” a n d
“ C h i c a g o ,” w a s “ v e r y
handsome, even at his age.”
Inquirer.net
Vhong thankful for
Cedric, Zimmer arrest
By Pau Aguilera
Actor Vhong Navarro
expressed relief following the
arrest of businessman Cedric Lee
and Simeon Raz, two of the seven
individuals he named in a
mauling case he filed some
months ago.
“Gusto ko lang pong
magpasalamat sa mga taga-DOJ,
Secretary De Lima, sa mga tagaNBI, sa mga taga-PNP, at sa mga
(taga-)Eastern Samar, sa mga
pulis po na nakabantay,” Vhong
told “Unang Hirit.”
Lee and Raz were arrested on
Saturday in Oras, Eastern Samar.
They were brought to Manila the
following day.
Lee, who was handcuffed
during the flight, told ABS-CBN
News he is ready to face the
charges filed against him.
He also pointed out that he
and Raz voluntarily surrendered
to the authorities, contrary to the
NBI's statement that they were
arrested.
The legal counsel
representing the accused, Atty.
Howard Calleja, told media that
they are preparing to file a
motion for bail.
He also said that he will be
requesting that his clients be
detained at the NBI Detention
Facility and not at the city jail,
which could compromise their
safety.
“A death threat, or pagtangka
hindi lang sa personality, but also
for the life and liberty,'” Calleja
told “Unang Hirit.”
Navarro's lawyer, Atty. Alma
Mallonga, is contesting this,
insisting that the judiciary
process be followed. “Where they
Vhong Navarro
should they be detained is not in
the hospital, not in an airconditioned room, not in the NBI
headquarters. It should be in a
prison,” she told ABS-CBN
News.com.
“This is an opportunity to
show everyone that the process
can be followed right. Sundan
natin ang rules,” Mallonga added.
Lee and Raz will stay at the
NBI Detention Facility while
awaiting the decision of the
Taguig Regional Trial Court as to
where they are to be detained.
Manila Bulletin
May 2-8, 2014
Page 28
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Pacquiao to lead
Palarong Pambansa
opening ceremony
Filipino boxing champ and
Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel "Manny"
Pacquiao will lead a star-studded
opening ceremony of the Palarong
Pambansa in Laguna next Monday,
May 5, state-run Philippines News
Agency reported Wednesday.
The PNA report said Pacquiao
will join Filipino Winter Olympian
Michael Martinez, actor and former
Palaro swimmer Enchong Dy,
basketball star James Yap and track
and field team captain Jericho
Estregan in the torch lighting.
Laguna Gov. Jeorge Ejercito
Estregan said Pacquiao accepted
the invitation to take part in the
opening ceremony of the games at
the Laguna Sports Complex in Sta.
Cruz, Laguna.
Estregan said five runners will
run 70 meters each during the
Palaro torch relay, and Pacquiao will
light the Palaro flame.
He said it is a "dream come true"
for Laguna to host the games, which
he said is the equivalent of the
Olympics for some 11,200
elementary and high school
athletes.
Guests including former
President and Manila Mayor Joseph
Estrada, Education Secretary Armin
Luistro and Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority
head Joel Villanueva are expected at
the opening.
With the theme "Sports is A Way
of Life," this year's Palarong
Pambansa is seen to boost Laguna's
goal to be the sports development
capital of the Philippines. - Joel
Locsin/ELR
PH Azkals a
strong contender'
By Cedelf P. Tupas
Even with two straight
stalemates in two months against
his team, Malaysian coach Ong Kim
Swee believes the Philippines has
improved tremendously and tips
the Azkals to be a stronger
contender in the AFC Challenge Cup.
Having steered Malaysia to the
Southeast Asian Games title in 2011,
Ong is considered one of the
brightest young coaches in the
region.
“The Philippines has improved
tremendously,” said Ong when
asked to assess the Azkals'
performance when they fought to a
scoreless draw Sunday night in
Cebu City.
“They got good players. If
opponents are not familiar with the
style it's a team that is very difficult
to beat,” added Ong.
The two teams fought to a
scoreless draw despite good
chances by the Azkals. Goalkeeper
Patrick Deyto heroically saved Safee
Sali's penalty in stoppage time to
avert a defeat to the visitors.
Inquirer.net
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Pacquiao has lost his
'Pop' - Mayweather
By AFP
LOS ANGELES -- Floyd
Mayweather says Manny
Pacquiao has lost a step and that
the Filipino's superstar slide has
coincided with his decision to
split from former strength
trainer Alex Ariza.
The 37-year-old undefeated
welterweight champ
Mayweather weighed in
We d n e s d ay o n t h e l a te s t
performance by Pacquiao who
beat Timothy Bradley on April
12 in Las Vegas in a rematch of
their first bout in June 2012.
Actually, I did watch the
fight,” said Mayweather who is
training to fight Argentina's
Marcos Maidana in a 147-pound
title bout on May 3 in Las Vegas.
“You know, I haven't seen
Pacquiao fight in years. I've seen
highlights, but I haven't seen
Pacquiao fight since he fought
Miguel Cotto.”
Mayweather said he wasn't
impressed and fired a couple of
verbals jabs of his own at
Pacquiao. He said Pacquiao
looked like an “amateur” and
that in his opinion the World
Boxing Organization
welterweight champ has less
Floyd Mayweather
power and stamina than he did
five years ago.
“I thought Pacquiao fought
like an amateur and I wasn't
pleased with his performance,”
Mayweather said. “He got the
victory the best way he knew
how. I'm seeing something
totally different in Pacquiao.”
Pacquiao worked with Ariza
for five years before splitting
with him last year. Ariza had a
key role in helping Pacquiao win
titles in several different weight
classes, including 147 and 154
pounds. Mayweather said it was
the first time since 2009 that he
has watched a full fight of
Pacquiao's. Mayweather
couldn't have watched
Pacquiao's first fight against
Bradley on June 9, 2012 even if
he wanted to. Just eight days
earlier, Mayweather had been
sentenced to three months in a
Las Vegas jail for hitting his exgirlfriend, Josie Harris, in front of
his children. “I noticed since
Ariza is not with Pacquiao, a total
change in Pacquiao's power,” he
said. “I don't see the same pop in
Pacquiao's shots, the same snap.
He is getting tired.” Manila
Bulletin
May 2-8, 2014
Page 29
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Arum, De La Hoya may
have joint promotion
By Nick Giongco
Fresh from a trip in the Holy Land, Top Rank chief
Bob Arum was in an upbeat mood as the Hall of Fame
promoter confirmed that communication lines with
rival Oscar Dela Hoya have been established and that
things are looking good for Manny Pacquiao's next fight.
“Yes, we've been talking,” said Arum from his Las
Vegas home.
A report in the Los Angeles Times said that Arum, 82
and De La Hoya, owner of Golden Boy Promotions
(GBP), are now in speaking terms following years of
tension between the rival promotional outfits.
The Times report said De la Hoya have mentioned
the possibility of Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez facing Arum's top
dog Manny Pacquiao but Arum cautions that everything
is still up in the air.
“It's just talk but the important thing is we're talking
(now),” said Arum, whose last joint promotion with GBP
was in May 2009 when Pacquiao met Ricky Hatton.
Still, Arum did not hide his displeasure with GBP
main man Richard Schaefer, who has been very vocal
about Arum's dealings.
But Arum points out that it is De La Hoya and not
Schaefer who calls the shots in GBP.
“Oscar has the majority say,” said Arum, who
actually jumpstarted De La Hoya's career following the
boxer's gold medal triumph in the 1992 Barcelona
Olympics.
Meanwhile, Arum said that Macau, The Venetian in
particular, is “anxious” to host Pacquiao's next fight
scheduled in November.
“I had a long talk with them last night and they want
the fight there,” said Arum, who has apparently found a
major partner in the former Portuguese colony. Manila
Bulletin
HIPOLITO “POL” VILLEGAS, SR
1928 - 2014
HIPOLITO “POL” VILLEGAS,
SR., age 85, of Jersey City, New
Jersey, passed away on Friday,
April 25, 2014 at Christ Hospital
surrounded by his family and
relatives.
Daddy Pol is survived by his
loving wife of 63 years, Josefa,
daughter Thelma (Rolando)
Garcia, sons Hipolito Jr. (Ella)
Villegas, Roger (Jasmine) Villegas
and Edwin (Angel) Villegas, his
grand children, Rochelle and
Katherine Garcia, Kristine and
Mikhael Villegas, and Roger Jr. and
Raymond Villegas and many
caring nieces, nephews and
extended families. Daddy Pol was a
loving and generous husband,
father, grandfather, uncle, and a
sincere friend to many. He loved
cooking, dancing and spending
time with his children and
grandchildren.
He was born on August 22,
1928 to Angel and Eufrocina
Villegas in Talavera, Nueva Ecija,
Philippines. On July 12, 1951, he
married Josefa Austria in
Pangasinan, Philippines.
A special thank you to the
McLaughlin Funeral Home in
EXPRESS SUDOKU
HOW TO PLAY: Place a number from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that each
row, each column and each 3x3 block contains all the numbers from 1 to 9
Solution to Issue 17 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 17 Crossword
Pavonia Avenue, Jersey City, NJ for
all the funeral arrangements.
Visitations will be from 2-4 PM
and 7-9 PM @ McLaughlin Funeral
Home on Friday, May 2, 2014. Then
a Catholic funeral mass for Daddy
Pol will follow at St. Joseph's
Church in Pavonia Ave, Jersey City
on Saturday, May 3, 2014 at 10:30
AM and to finally rest at the Holy
Name Cemetery in Jersey City.
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
May 2-8, 2014
Page 30
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Rentals
FULL TIME
STUDENT
RECRUITER
WANTED
Looking for a full
time student
recruiter for a
vocational school
at Jersey City
location.
Interested
candidate can fax
your resume to
201-420-6040
or email at
bhowmickmd
@mlinj.com
u
Help Wanted u
Jobs u
Personal u
Services
LIVE-IN AIDE
WANTED
I am seeking an
e x p e r i e n c e d ,
compassionate and
dependable live-in aide
for my elderly father in
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Household duties
include light cooking,
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bathing, cleaning, driving.
A valid driver's license is
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Please provide a
résumé that outlines
previous experience with
older adults suffering mild
dementia, qualifications
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which will be checked.
Salary commensurate
with expertise.
Please call
(917) 207-6144
BABY
SITTER
WANTED
Live-in baby
sitter for 2
month old baby
Infant care
experience is
essential.
Please call
Ali Hashmat
646-423-8344
PSYCHIC
LOUISE
Spiritual Leader and
Adviser.
Help all problems of
life.
One free question by
phone.
Also palm and card
reading.
Address:
1265 Forest Avenue
Staten Island, NY
10302
Telephone:
718-720-1865
The Filipino Express is only
$40 a year for 52 issues
LIVE-IN
NANNY
WANTED
Live-in full day
nanny for 3
month old boy,
light housework.
Infant care
experience with
valid ID essential.
Immediate
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Call:
973-251-2428
Or
732-236-4226
Eric's
Steakhouse in
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NJ is looking to
hire experienced
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busers.
Off Grand Ave
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Public
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Ask for Eric.
201-960-3770
May 2-8, 2014
Page 31
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
May 2-8, 2014
Page 32
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS