The Filipino Express v28 Issue 25

Transcription

24th Annual Philippine-American
VOL. 28 w
NO. 25 w
JUNE 20-26, 2014 w
NATIONAL EDITION w
NEW JERSEY w
NEW YORK w
(201) 434-1114 w
$1.00
Friendship Day Celebration
Jersey City, NJ
By Marlon Ramos,
Nancy C. Carvajal
TJ Burgonio
June 22, 2014
A JOYFUL AND
STAR-STUDDED EVENT
MANILA -- The
Jersey City's huge Filipino community
Philippine National
will take advantage of a sunny June 22 to
Police and National
hold and enjoy the 24th annual PhilippineBureau of Investigation
American Friendship Day. The event is to
appear to be vying to
honor the long-standing friendship
take on the task of
between the United States and the
a r re s t i n g S e n a t o r s
Philippines.
Jinggoy Estrada, Bong
The celebration will start with an
Revilla and Juan Ponce
interfaith service at 10:30 am at the corner
Enrile and 51 others
of West Side and Claremont Avenues and
charged with plunder
followed
with a parade to Lincoln Park
and graft in the
participated in by bands and marchers from
Sandiganbayan over the
a variety of organizations with many
P10-billion pork barrel
participants
wearing traditional costumes
scam.
or dressed in red, white and blue.
“ We w e re t h e
At Lincoln Park, parade revelers could
investigating body and
visit
food booths, a health fair, and arts and
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Page 4
crafts vendors. Musicians, dancers and
singers will keep the diverse crowd
entertained.
The Philippine National Police (with headquarters at Camp Crame) and National Bureau of Investigation appear to be vying to take on the task of
TFC stars Maja Salvador and Matteo
arresting (inset, from left) Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla and 51 others charged with plunder and graft in the
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Sandiganbayan over the P10-billion pork barrel scam. Inquirer file photos
PNP, NBI set for arrests
US Solons, PH Embassy re-launch
US-PH Friendship Caucus in House
THE HERITAGE VILLAGE in Vigan City remains busy as tourists enjoy walking on its cobblestone
streets and ride in calesa (horse-drawn carriages) that ply the city famous for its rich culture
and Spanish-era mansions.
WA S H I N G T O N , D C - - T h e
Philippines Embassy and members of
the US Congress last week re-launched
the US-Philippines Friendship Caucus
in the House of Representatives.
More than 40 congressmen
representing both Democratic and
Republican parties have agreed to
become members of the Caucus, the
Embassy reported. The Friendship
Caucus was established during the
term of Foreign Affairs Secretary At Philippine Independence Day reception-re-launch of House USAlbert F. Del Rosario as ambassador to PH Friendship Caucus: From left, Rep. Bobby Scott (Democrat),
the US.
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Rep. Scott Rigel (Republican). Phil.
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Page 7 Embassy photo/Majalya Fernando
Binay, Legarda campaign for Vigan
to become 'New7Wonders' city
House to hold eligibility hearing
By Maila Ager
MANILA -- Vice President Jejomar
Binay and Senator Loren Legarda on
Wednesday, June 18 urged Filipinos to
keep voting for Vigan City to make it one
of the 'New7Wonders' cities of the
world.
“Vigan reflects our country's rich
culture and history. As Filipinos proud of
our own heritage, let us help make
By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA
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(© 2014 Journal GlobaLinks)
CHICAGO (JGL) The United States
House of Representatives will hold
hearings at the Capitol Hill in
Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, June 24,
By Sir Nestor Enriquez, KCR
to find out if military records of Filipino
World War II veterans can be
Seven scores and thirteen years ago, Dr Jose Rizal
considered by the U.S. Department of
was born in Calamba, Laguna. On the morning of June
rd
Veterans
Affairs even if their names
19, 2014, at the Plaza Rizal in Jersey City, the Knights
Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV-3 ), right, shakes the hand of one of the aging
Filipino World War II veterans during a Filipino veterans event. Photo could not be located in the National
of Rizal celebrated his birthday in a wreath laying and
shows at far right, standing, Filipino veterans advocate from Las Vegas, Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in
flag raising ceremony. Sir Rolando Lavarro, Jersey
Nevada Mr. Luke Perry. On Tuesday, June 24, Representative Heck, a the St. Louis, Missouri.
City Council President and the first Filipinomajority member of the House Armed Services Oversight and
Rep. Joseph Heck (R-Nev. 3rd), a
American elected to the Municipal Council of the City
Investigations Committee, will hold hearings at 2212 Rayburn House
of Jersey City, spoke about the greatness and legacy of
Office Building on Capitol Hills in Washington, D.C. on the “Filipino majority member of the House Armed
Veterans Equity Compensation Fund: Examining the Department of Services Oversight and Investigations
the Philippine national hero.
Defense and Interagency Process for Verifying Eligibility.” (Photo Committee, announced in his website
Abraham Lincoln became president of the United
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posted on Rep. Heck's website.)
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Dr. Jose Rizal remembered
Dr. Jose Rizal monument at Plaza
Rizal in Jersey City erected Nov. 2000
for Filvets
June 20-26, 2014
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
'It is getting worse': 12 Chinese
ships monitored inside PH's EEZ
By Nikko Dizon and
Tarra Quismundo
MANILA -- The Philippine Air
Force monitored 10 to 12 Chinese
Coast Guard vessels in the West
Philippine Sea on maritime patrol
missions, sensing haste in Chinese
activity in disputed waters. This
has prompted Manila to seek an
expeditious ruling by a United
Nations tribunal on its challenge to
Beijing's expansive claim over the
South China Sea.
Late on Tuesday, Foreign
Secretary Albert del Rosario said
China's increased activities in
disputed waters were escalating
tensions in the region so that
Manila was looking to seek a quick
ruling from the UN arbitral
tribunal.
“What we want to do is,
because China is not participating,
and because the situation is getting
worse every day in the South China
Sea, I'm asking our [lawyers] in the
US if we can present a request to
the tribunal if they can hasten the
p ro c e s s ,” D e l Ro s a r i o t o l d
reporters.
The West Philippine Sea is part
of the South China Sea within the
Philippines' 370-kilometer
exclusive economic zone (EEZ), but
China, insisting that it is part of its
territory, is reclaiming land on
various reefs in those waters that
may be used to build offshore
military outposts.
China's dredging vessels are
escorted by Coast Guard ships to
keep vessels from other claimant
states away.
“We intensify the number of
flights in the area so that we can
detect the presence of ships and
the developments on the islets …
We can't count the number of ships
on a particular day because these
are moving vessels on patrol. Their
presence can't be fixed in one
place,” Air Force spokesperson Lt.
Col. Enrico Canaya said.
Col. Florente Falsis, deputy Air
Force chief for intelligence, said
there were times when the Chinese
Coast Guard vessels numbered
from 10 to 12, or just three or four.
Canaya said the maritime
patrols had also observed dredging
on islets, confirming reports of
“development” on islets and reefs
in the media.
“Every time there is an air
patrol, we observe their presence,”
Canaya said.
Asean code, UN ruling
China's haste to stake its claim
to 90 percent of the 3.5-millionsquare-kilometer South China Sea
is seen as an effort to beat the
conclusion of a code of conduct in
disputed waters with its Southeast
Asian neighbors and a ruling by the
United Nations International
Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on
the challenge to that massive
territorial claim brought by the
Philippines in January last year.
China has refused to take part
in the proceedings, but the tribunal
has ordered it to respond to the
Philippine case by Dec. 15.
Beijing has become
increasingly aggressive in
asserting its claim since the
Philippine case went up and US
President Barack Obama visited
Asia in late April, assuring US allies
Japan and the Philippines that the
United States would defend them if
attacked over territorial disputes.
The Philippines has asked the
tribunal to nullify China's claim to
almost the entire South China Sea,
which Manila says encroaches on
its exclusive economic zone and
those of Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam
and Taiwan, all of which also have
claims in the strategic and
resource-rich waterway.
Ruling may take 4 years
Manila also wants to clarify
maritime entitlements in the South
China Sea and halt China's
incursions into the Philippines'
economic exclusion zone, which
have become frequent in recent
In this Feb. 25, 2014, file photo taken by surveillance planes and released May 15
by the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs, a Chinese vessel, top center, is
used to expand structures and land on the Johnson Reef, called Mabini by the
Philippines and Chigua by China, at the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea.
The Philippine Air Force monitors 10 to 12 Chinese Coast Guard vessels in the West
Philippine Sea on maritime patrol missions, prompting Manila to seek an
expeditious ruling by a United Nations tribunal on its challenge to Beijing's
expansive claim over the South China Sea. AP photo/Philippine Department of
Foreign Affairs
months. Government officials have
said it may take three to four years
for the UN tribunal to issue a
decision.
“[We hope], since China is not
participating, perhaps we can get a
quicker resolution from the
tribunal,” Del Rosario said.
For int'l community
“I'm hoping that we will get
something by next year, but we
really don't know,” he added.
Del Rosario described the case
as the “goal line” for the
Philippines, which is also pressing
for a freeze on activities that raise
tensions, a nonaggression pact to
prevent the rival claims from
erupting into conflict, and legal
action for resolving the conflicting
claims.
“The only mechanism [for
dispute resolution] that's out there
right now the Philippines is the one
that advanced it is arbitration. So
we hope to be able to get the
arbitration in place, that will be the
goal line for all of us,” Del Rosario
said.
“It's not only for the
Philippines, it's for the
international community,” he
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June 20-26, 2014
Page 3
PH Air Force set to
receive new aircraft
By Bong Lozada
MANILA -- As the modernization of
the Armed Forces of the Philippines
kicks into high gear, its armed wings are
set to receive some new muscle.
Lieutenant General Jeffrey Delgado,
Philippine Air Force Commanding
General, said that his wing would be
more capable when the new aircrafts get
delivered in 2018.
“Right now we are still in the stage of
enhancing it, we expect the air assets to
arrive a few months from now until
2018 and this will surely strengthen our
capabilities,” Delgado said.
PAF's top brass was referring to the
12 F/A50 “Fighting Eagle” units, the
contract of which was signed on March
28 and would be in service in 2015.
Also, the PAF expects the arrival of
eight armed versions of the Agusta
Westland AW-109s that would arrive in
by the third quarter of 2014 with its
contract signed on November of 2013.
“This will address some of our
territorial defense concerns especially
air interdiction,” Delgado said.
Concerned with the tension in the
disputed areas in the South China Sea,
Delgado said that the Air Force is
focused on monitoring the activities and
reporting to the Department of National
Defense and the Department of Foreign
Affairs.
Also, biddings for two long-range
patrol aircraft, three medium-lift cargo
Lieutenant General Jeffrey Delgado, Philippine
Air Force Commanding General. Bong Lozada
planes, three air defense radars and six
close-air support aircrafts have been
opened.
He added that though the Air Force is
still grounded to the proper conduct in
the disputed areas, it is “ready to
confront if the need arises.”
“We are prepared (for) any
contingency that the government will
ask us to do as far as the territorial
defense is concerned even with our
meager resources,” Delgado said.
“We are ready to confront any kinds
of threat should there be a need for us to
be really involved but right now we are
avoiding any confrontations. We are
adhering to the rule of law, we are
supporting the government's efforts in
pursuing the legal complaint in the
i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o u r t s ,” h e s a i d .
Inquirer.net
MARITIME MUSCLE. Members of the Philippine Maritime Police special boat unit maneuver a US-made gunboat as
they simulate the apprehension of poachers during a training exercise off Honda Bay in Puerto Princesa City in this
photo taken on June 6. The gunboat packs a top speed of more than 83 kilometers per hour (45 knots) and has the
capability to operate at night and is equipped with a radar. It is manned by police officers who underwent special
training from US Navy Seals. AFP
US-made gunboats boost PH sea patrol
Agence France-Presse
HONDA BAY, Palawan -After a short, intense chase,
two Philippine Maritime
Police gunboats catch up with
an illegal fishing vessel and
circle it like menacing sharks,
their armed commandos
poised to rappel onboard.
“Their first reaction is to
flee, but they stop once they
realize they cannot outrun us,”
the boat captain, John Rey
Zumarraga, said during a
training exercise in Honda Bay
off the western island of
Palawan.
With top speeds of 83
kilometers an hour (45 knots),
modern radar systems and
elite Marine officers, the 10meter Special Boat Unit
vessels are bad news for illegal
fishermen.
Set up four years ago with
funding from the US
government , which also
donated the gunboats and
provided Navy Seal training,
the unit's mission is to patrol
the nearly 2,000-km coast of
the strategically located
province.
Combating human
trafficking is one part of its
mission, but most of its time
and resources are spent on
trying to stop poaching of rare
fish and other endangered
wildlife in and around
Palawan, which lies astride the
South China Sea.
“Without those (gunboats)
t h e p o a c h e r s wo u l d b e
laughing at us,” said the unit's
chief administrative officer,
Insp. Bryan Espinosa.
Achilles heel
But the unit has an Achilles
heel or two: With just six boats
and a tiny fuel budget, it
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June 20-26, 2014
Page 4
Official list of accused
in plunder, graft cases
MANILA -- The Inquirer is publishing this
official list of accused in the plunder and graft
cases in the Sandiganbayan in connection
with the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam
to correct the front-page table published in
the June 16 issue.
Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile is accused of
plunder with four others: his former chief of
staff Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, alleged scam
mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, Napoles'
driver-bodyguard John Raymund de Asis and
Napoles' nephew Ronald John Lim.
Enrile also stands accused of 11 counts of
graft. His coaccused in the graft case (48 in all)
include Reyes, Napoles, De Asis, Lim, Enrile's
former deputy chief of staff Jose Antonio
Evangelista II; Budget Undersecretary Mario
Relampagos; Department of Budget and
Management employees Rosario Salamida
Nuñez, Lalaine Narag Paule and Marilou
Dialino Bare; Antonio Ortiz, Dennis Cunanan,
Francisco Figura, Ma. Rosalinda Lacsamana,
Consuelo Lillian Espiritu and Marivic Jover of
the Technology Resource Center; Allan
Javellana, Rhodora Mendoza, Victor Roman
Cacal, Ma. Ninez Guañizo, Encarnita Christina
Munsod, Maria Julie Villaralvo-Johnson and
Romulo Relevo of National Agribusiness
Corp.; and Gondelina Amata, Emmanuel
Alexis Sevidal, Ofelia Ordoñez, Filipina
Rodriguez, Chita Jalandoni, Sofia Cruz and
G re g o r i a B u e n ave n t u ra o f N a t i o n a l
Livelihood Development Corp. (NLDC).
Private respondents include Napoles'
children Jo Christine Napoles and James
Christopher Napoles, Eulogio Rodriguez,
Evelyn de Leon, Amparo Fernando, Fernando
Ramirez, Nitz Cabilao, Aileen Palama, Mylene
Encarnacion, Jesus Castillo, Renato Ornopia,
Noel Macha, Jocelyn Piorato, Dorilyn Fabian,
Hernani Ditchon, Rodrigo Galay, Laarni Uy,
Myla Ogerio and Margarita Guadinez.
Sen. Bong Revilla is accused of plunder
with four others: his former chief of staff
Richard Cambe, Napoles, Lim and De Asis.
Revilla is also accused of 16 counts of
include Napoles, De Asis, Cambe, Relampagos,
Nuñez, Paule, Bare, Ortiz, Cunanan, Figura,
Lacsamana, Espiritu, Jover, Javellana,
Mendoza, Cacal, Guañizo, Munsod, Johnson,
Amata, Sevidal, Jalandoni, Ordoñez, Cruz,
Buenaventura, Evelyn Sucgang of NLDC,
Ogerio, Eulogio Rodriguez, Uy, De Leon and
Piorato.
The June 16 table erroneously listed Lim
and Relevo as among the coaccused in the
graft case of Revilla.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is accused of plunder
with three others: his deputy chief of staff
Pauline Therese Mary C. Labayen, Napoles
and De Asis.
Estrada is also accused of 11 counts of
include Napoles, De Asis, Labayen,
Relampagos, Nuñez, Paule, Bare, Ortiz,
Cunanan, Figura, Lacsamana, Espiritu, Jover,
Javellana, Mendoza, Cacal, Guañizo, Johnson,
Relevo, Amata, Sevidal, Jalandoni, Cruz,
Buenaventura and Sucgang.
In all, a total of 54 individuals, including
Enrile, Revilla and Estrada, are accused of
violations of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No.
3019, also known as the Anti-Graft and
Corrupt Practices Act.
Source: Sandiganbayan. Inquirer.net
PNP, NBI set ...
From page 1
it's also part of our mandate to make arrest
if ordered so by the court. We cannot just
be bystanders in this, we have to comply,”
NBI Director Virgilio Mendez said.
Mendez said those arrested by the NBI
would be detained at the NBI facility on
Taft Avenue in Manila unless otherwise
ordered by the Sandiganbayan.
But the NBI probably need not bother.
The three opposition lawmakers have
expressed willingness to turn themselves
in to the PNP.
Surrender to Purisima
Director Benjamin Magalong, chief of
the Criminal Investigation and Detection
Group (CIDG), said Estrada, Revilla and
Enrile had assured him that they would
personally yield to PNP Director General
Alan Purisima at Camp Crame in Quezon
City.
The PNP has built a special detention
facility at its Custodial Center in Camp
Crame for the senators and their
coaccused.
PNP duty
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said it
was not the intention of police officials to
humiliate the lawmakers tagged in the
pork barrel scam as the PNP was merely
carrying out its mandate to implement
arrest warrants.
“The PNP cannot renege on its regular
duty. We do not want to hurt any members
of their families. The PNP will just comply
with the order of the court,” Roxas said at a
news briefing.
If ordered by the Sandiganbayan, the
NBI “will proceed with the arrest and we
are ready,” Mendez said.
He said that there was no discussion
between the PNP and the NBI about the
impending arrests.
“We will gladly coordinate with the
PNP, but as of now there's no need yet,” he
said.
No handcuffs
Unlike common criminals, the
senators will not be handcuffed when they
are arrested, the PNP said.
“Being handcuffed is a form of
restraint. If there is no need to restrain (an
individual), there will be no opportunity to
handcuff (them),” Chief Supt. Reuben
Theodore Sindac, PNP spokesman, told
reporters.
Asked if he meant there was no need to
handcuff the senators, he said: “Yes. That is
theoretically speaking.”
Mendez said his instruction to the NBI
arresting team was to use handcuffs only if
necessary. “The handcuff will only be used
if the situation calls for it. Otherwise we
will not use handcuffs,” he said.
Mendez said the use of handcuffs
would become necessary when there were
signs of resistance or escape.
The senators' arrest has become
imminent after the Sandiganbayan issued
hold-departure orders against them,
stopping them from fleeing the country.
Meeting with Estrada
The CIDG chief said he had met with
Estrada to discuss the latter's plan to
surrender once the Sandiganbayan issued
a warrant for his arrest.
“We trust each other's commitment.
(Estrada) will surrender to (Purisima),”
Magalong said in a text message.
Senior Supt. Roberto Fajardo, CIDG
chief of the National Capital Region, said
the police “will give them due respect. But
we will implement the warrant of arrest.”
The CIDG is the primary police unit
tasked with serving the arrest warrants
against the senators and the others
charged with plunder and graft, according
to Sindac.
Fanfare-free arrest
Revilla said he had offered to
surrender to the CIDG head to ensure a
fanfare-free and orderly arrest.
He said he called Magalong a month or
two months ago to make that
arrangement.
“I told him that they should not subject
us to ridicule. After all, I won't flee the
country. I will face this problem,” the
senator told reporters by phone.
Magalong responded by saying that
the police also wanted to ensure an orderly
arrest, Revilla said.
'No need to look for us'
Estrada also called Magalong a month
ago to inform him of his preference to
surrender. “[Being arrested at home]
would be traumatic for my family,” he told
reporters in a phone-patch interview.
He said he had requested Magalong to
inform him once the warrant was issued so
he could act appropriately.
Revilla said he would surrender to the
CIDG chief once the Sandiganbayan issued
the warrant for his arrest.
But he was also open to the police
serving the warrant at home if that was the
decision of the authorities.
“As I said, there's no need for them to
find us. We will surrender once the
warrant of arrest is out,” Revilla said of his
phone conversation with Magalong. “Once
the warrant is out, we are ready.”
Revilla said that he made the request
to Magalong and that he expected to see his
coaccused in Camp Crame, the PNP
headquarters in Quezon City.
“We didn't agree on this. But Senator
Jinggoy has mentioned this aspect to me.
That could be the arrangement. We'll
probably see each other in Camp Crame, or
somewhere else,” he said.
'Daddy worried'
Revilla, however, admitted that his
father, former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr., had
yet to fully accept his imminent arrest in
connection with the scam.
“Daddy is worried. He has not fully
accepted it; he remains hopeful it won't
happen. Just the same, I'm preparing him
to expect the worst,” he said. “I'd like to see
him before I get jailed.”
The senator also said he was open to
any detention cell being prepared by the
PNP. “I didn't want to look at the footage
because I would be staying there for a time
anyway,” he said.
NBI tracking teams
Mendez said that the bureau had
formed three teams to track down and to
implement the arrests. Tapped for the
arrests were the NBI Regional Services
Division, Intelligence Division and the
National Capital Region Division.
NBI agents, mostly lawyers and
accountants, will “observe protocol and
will respect the institution,” Mendez said.
Shared cells
The three senators will not receive
special treatment from the NBI. “They will
be jailed with other detainees,” Mendez
said.
The NBI director told reporters that
the 54 people, if arrested by NBI agents,
would have to share cells with other
detainees who were charged with murder,
kidnapping, syndicated estafa, drug
pushing and sex offenses.
“No new wing or new cells for the
newcomers, they will be mixed with other
detainees,” Mendez said.
If arrested by the NBI agents the
lawmakers would be kept at the NBI
facility in its headquarters on Taft Avenue
in Manila with “high-profile detainees,”
like former Pagadian Mayor Samuel Co,
businessman Cedric Lee, Aman Ventures
officials, Mexican drug cartel members
and suspected members of the New
People's Army.
Mendez said those arrested by the NBI
would be brought and detained at the NBI
facility, unless otherwise ordered by the
Sandiganbayan. Inquirer.net
June 20-26, 2014
Page 5
Dr. Jose Rizal remembered ... From page 1
States in the year Rizal was born. Lincoln, on his way to Washington for his
presidential inauguration in 1961, stopped by Jersey City near where
Rizal's monument is now located. He stopped by Jersey City probably in
part for his friend and fellow US representative, the first Mayor of Jersey
Dudley Gregory. The world would later remember his famous line; that all
men are created equal.
The moment when Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 this preposition
might not be entirely true. From the very beginning, Rizal had no equal, he
was far superior and would remain the greatest hero of our kind.
Binay, Legarda ...
From page 1
Vigan our very own world
wonder,” Binay said. Vigan is one of 28
finalists in the search. As the lone
nominee from the Philippines, it aims
to duplicate the success of the Puerto
Princesa Underground River, which
was named one of the New 7 Wonders
of Nature in 2012.
“I hope that by gaining the title,
Vigan will be able to attract more local
and foreign visitors, and inspire
appreciation of our heritage,” the Vice
President said.
“This is an opportunity for us to
showcase the beauty of our country,
and motivate others to protect and
preserve their cultural legacy so future
generations will be able to appreciate
and cherish it,” Binay added.
Legarda said Vigan City deserves
to be included in the New7Wonders
Cities not only to bring honor to the
country but also to set a good example
to other cities on how history and
culture can stand out amidst
modernity.
“The carefully preserved
centuries-old structures in the
Historic City of Vigan bring people
back in time, but the city's prosperity
tells us that the citizens and the
government of this UNESCO World
Heritage Site have worked well and
It’s getting ...
From page 2
continued. “With that, we can make
sure that maritime entitlements are
clarified … and, having done that, we
will be able to say that there's no more
danger to freedom of navigation and
freedom of overflight.”
Claimants' meeting
Del Rosario said he was
encouraging Indonesian Foreign
Minister Marty Natalegawa to pursue
his proposal for a meeting among the
claimant states for discussion of the
increasingly tense situation in the
South China Sea.
He said he hoped the meeting could
be held before the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)
Regional Forum in Burma (Myanmar)
in August and that he would be
“honored to host” the claimants'
meeting.
Del Rosario said the meeting would
be an appropriate place to raise his
proposed moratorium on “provocative
activities” in the South China Sea, an
echo of a suggestion from Daniel
Russel, the top US diplomat in Asia,
who had been speaking about a freeze
on activities that stirred up tensions
pending the conclusion of a binding
code of conduct among the claimants.
China has refused early talks for a
code of conduct, insisting on bilateral
negotiations with individual claimants
and proceeding to develop territory in
made good use of its autonomy,” she
said in a separate statement.
The senator said Vigan is also the
only UNESCO heritage city in the
Philippines and was awarded the Best
Practice for World Heritage Site
Management by UNESCO in November
2012.
“The best practices that the people
of Vigan have carried out to preserve
history and promote culture while
working towards sustainable
development should be emulated and
recognized. I call on Filipinos to
support Vigan City's bid to be one of
the New7Wonders Cities,” said
Legarda.
According to the official website of
the New7Wonders, the New7Wonders
Cities of the World campaign started in
2012 with more than 1,200 nominees
from around 220 countries.
From the top 77 voted during the
qualification phase, the
New7Wonders Cities Panel of Experts
advised on the selection of the 28
Official Finalist Candidates that was
announced in October 2013.
The 28 cities will be narrowed
further to 21 on July 7, 2014. Three
more voting phases will follow until
the New7Wonders Cities will be
revealed on December 7, 2014.
To v o t e , l o g o n t o
www.new7wonders.com/en/cities
and click on the city of your choice.
Inquirer.net
the sea where islands, islets, atolls and
reefs are believed to be sitting on vast
oil and gas reserves.
China's aggressive moves
O n M ay 1 , C h i n a m o ve d a
deepwater oil drilling rig near the
Paracel Islands in the East Sea, waters
within Vietnam's exclusive economic
zone in the South China Sea, sparking a
standoff between dozens of Chinese
and Vietnamese ships in the area.
The result has been rammings, the
sinking of a Vietnamese fishing boat,
and deadly anti-China riots in Vietnam.
China is reclaiming land on
strategic reefs within Philippine
territory in the Spratly archipelago,
including Mabini (Johnson South) Reef,
the two Gavin (Gaven) reefs and
Calderon (Cuarteron) Reef.
Both the Philippine Air Force and
the Philippine Navy, through the Naval
Air Group, conduct aerial patrols in the
West Philippine Sea.
Aerial surveillance
Aerial surveillance photographs
released recently by the military
showed a Chinese dredging vessel
anchored on Mabini Reef and what
appeared to be reclaimed land that it
was feared could be used to build an
airstrip within Philippine territory.
The Philippines has protested
China's moves in the West Philippine
Sea but Beijing has rejected the
protests, insisting it has “undisputed
sovereignty” over the South China Sea.
With a report from AP. Inquirer.net
Composite photos of senators Miriam Santiago, Lito Lapid, Tito Sotto and former Sen. Edgardo Angara. Senate PRIB
DBM: 4 senators got
biggest 'pork' in 2013
By Camille Diola
MANILA -- Senators Miriam
Defensor Santiago, Edgardo
Angara, Manuel “Lito” Lapid
and Vicente “Tito” Sotto III led
the Department of Budget and
Management's (DBM) record of
Priority Development
Assistance Funds (PDAF) or
“pork barrel” releases in 2013.
The DBM, which made the
records public on Tuesday,
indicated that P100 million was
appropriated to each of the four
senators prior to the Supreme
Court's ruling, halting the
issuance of pork barrel.
Most of the releases were
also made before the May 2013
mid-term elections.
The agency also released
P99.75 million for the projects
of Sen. Francis “Kiko”
Pangilinan and P98.5 million
for Senator Francis “Chiz”
Escudero.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who
now faces plunder charges for
the pork barrel fund scam
between 2007 and 2009, also
received P95.5 million from the
DBM last year. Co-accused Sen.
Juan Ponce Enrile was
appropriated P75 million.
Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla,
who is also charged with
plunder, is not on the list.
The complete list is shown
below: PDAF Releases of Upper
House for Fiscal Year 2013 as of
17-06-2014.
u
Page 7
June 20-26, 2014
Page 6
US-made ...
From page 2
24th Annual ...
From page 1
Guidicelli are the special guests.
This year's Grand Marshals are
philanthropists and community leaders
Dr. Edgar Lerias and Mrs. Mary Jane
Lerias. Hudson County Freeholder Bill
O'Dea is the Honorary Grand Marshal
while Engineer Mario Garcia is the 2014
Overall Chairman.
About PAFCOM
Established in 1990, the PhilippineAmerican Friendship Committee, Inc.
(PAFCOM) is a tax-exempt, non-profit
organization comprised of FilipinoAmerican community leaders from the
tri-state area (New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut).
The aims of the founders of PAFCOM
are: (1) to enhance a better
understanding of the Filipino culture
House to hold ...
From page 1
that Armed Services Oversight and
Investigations Subcommittee will hold
hearings on “Filipino Veterans Equity
Compensation Fund: Examining the
Department of Defense and Interagency
Process for Verifying Eligibility” at 2212
Rayburn House Office Building,
according to Mr. Heck's website.
Representative Heck, a member of
the US-Philippine Friendship Caucus, is
the author of H.R. 481, which directs the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs to accept
certain documents as proof of service in
determining the eligibility of an
individual to receive certain benefits
despite not being on the Missouri List.
More than 24,000 Filipino veterans
have yet to receive their Filipino
Veterans Equity Compensation (FEVC)
granted as a one-time lump sum of
and activities and be of service to the
community and the general public in
order to gain for themselves that
recognition due them as an ethnic group
in the United States of America and (2) to
enhance the integration of Filipinos into
mainstream America by engaging in
socio-cultural, charitable and
educational undertakings.
PAFCOM's dedication to serve the
community continues to attract a diverse
crowd of spectators and participants to
its festivities each year. The annual
parade and festival, held in the month of
June, is an opportunity to share and
s h owc a s e P h i l i p p i n e c u l t u re to
mainstream America, through decorated
floats, folk dances, arts and exhibits,
assortment of native dishes, indigenous
and modern music, and performances of
Filipino American talents. A crowd of up
to 20,000 people gather and celebrate
the annual Philippine-American
Friendship Day celebration.
$15,000 for U.S. Citizens and $9,000 for
non-U.S. citizens because their names
could not be located in the National
Personnel Records Center in St. Louis,
Missouri. The lump sum payment was a
rider in the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act signed by President
Obama in 2009.
H.R. 110 and H.R. 1855
Heck's bill, which has nine cosponsors, has a similar bill in the House,
H.R. 110 introduced by Rep. Colleen W.
Hanabusa (R-HI-1), H.R. 110, which
requires the Secretary of the Army to
determine the validity of the claims of
certain Filipinos that they performed
military service on behalf of the United
S t a t e s d u r i n g Wo r l d Wa r I I .
Representative Hanabusa also filed H.R.
1855, which requires the Secretary of
Defense to establish a process to
determine whether individuals claiming
cannot come close to adequately
patrolling the waters around
Palawan and into the West
Philippine Sea.
“The area is too vast to be
patroled,” Espinosa conceded.
Nevertheless, the boat unit has
been involved in the arrests of
hundreds of fishermen, many of
them foreigners, and busts
involving Chinese and Vietnamese
crews have sent diplomatic
shockwaves across the South
China Sea.
The unit last month arrested
nine Chinese fishermen in the
hotly contested West Philippine
Sea waters off Palawan and seized
their boat, which police said
contained hundreds of
endangered hawksbill sea turtles,
many of them dead.
Most of the unit's work is
restricted to just off the coast of
Palawan, which is indisputably
Philippine territory.
However, the Chinese bust
occurred more than 100 km off
Palawan in a part of the South
China Sea that the Philippines
insists it has sovereign rights over
but is also claimed by China,
Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and
Taiwan.
Indisputably PH's
The arrests fueled a decadeslong but increasingly bitter row
between the Philippines and China
over their competing claims to
parts of the sea, and the Chinese
g ove r n m e n t d e m a n d e d t h e
f i s h e r m e n b e i m m e d i a t e ly
released.
China insists it has sovereign
rights to nearly all of the South
China Sea, including waters more
than 1,000 km from its most
southern major landmass and just
40 or 50 km from Palawan.
The Philippines has held its
ground in the case, maintaining
the fishermen must be brought to
justice for harvesting a rare and
protected species, a crime that
carries a maximum penalty of 20
years in jail.
T h e C h i n e s e c re w h ave
appeared in court at Puerto
Princesa City for initial
proceedings in what is expected to
be a lengthy judicial process. They
have pleaded not guilty.
They are in jail with dozens of
Vietnamese arrested near
Palawan's most southern tip in
waters that indisputably belong to
the Philippines.
Plea bargain
Twelve of those fishermen
offered last week to switch to
guilty pleas and pay fines in
exchange for their immediate
release. The chief Palawan state
prosecutor, Alen Rodriguez, said
plea bargains were common.
“Bringing about convictions is
quite easy, especially as they often
resort to plea bargains,” Rodriguez
told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In 2011, the unit was also
involved in a joint operation with
the military that led to the arrest of
122 Vietnamese, the biggest illegal
fishing bust in recent memory.
They served jail terms of about six
months, then were sent home.
Rodriguez said most
foreigners charged with illegal
fishing served sentences ranging
from six months to four years.
Scarce fish
The Chinese detained last
week face longer prison terms
because their case involves an
endangered species, rather than
just illegal fishing.
Fishermen from China,
Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the
Philippines and Vietnam have for
centuries shared the South China
Sea's riches, mostly peacefully.
But in recent decades,
competition for increasingly
scarce fish stocks has heightened
as populations in Asian nations
have boomed, forcing fishermen to
travel further from home and
closer to foreign coasts for their
hauls.
“They know fully well that
they are fishing beyond their
territorial waters. Their vessels
are equipped with GPS (global
positioning system),” said the boat
unit's spokesman, Insp. Raymond
Abella.
Not enough
The unit is expanding, with a
new station being built near
Malaysia and another one planned
for the sea border with Indonesia.
However, Abella conceded this
still would not be nearly enough to
counter the growing problem of
foreign fishing incursions.
“Palawan has a lot of resources
that are no longer available where
they come from, and it is relatively
easy to get them. They know that
policing here is not as strict, that's
why they continue to come here,”
he said. There are no police
gunboats to patrol the rest of the
country's coastline, the fourth
longest in the world.
The safeguarding of marine
resources along the rest of the
Philippines' coastline is left to the
poorly equipped Navy and Coast
G u a r d , w h i c h i s g e n e r a l ly
preoccupied with other duties.
Inquirer.net
June 20-26, 2014
Page 7
DBM: 4 senators ... From page 5
ANGARA, EDGARDO J. 100,000,000
CAYETANO, ALAN PETER S. 48,000,000
EJERCITO-ESTRADA, JINGGOY P. 95,500,000
ENRILE, JUAN PONCE F. 75,000,000
ESCUDERO, FRANCIS G. 98,500,000
GUINGONA, TEOFISTO III 61,630,000
HONASAN, GREGORIO II B. 93,000,000
LAPID, MANUEL M. 100,000,000
LEGARDA, LOREN B. 89,500,000
MARCOS, FERDINAND JR. R. 50,000,000
PANGILINAN, FRANCIS N. 99,750,000
PIMENTEL, AQUILINO III L. 2,500,000
SANTIAGO, MIRIAM DEFENSOR D. 100,000,000
SOTTO, VICENTE III C. 100,000,000
TRILLANES, ANTONIO IV F. 87,920,000
VILLAR, MANUEL JR. B. 74,600,000
GRAND TOTAL 1,275,900,000
A bulk of Angara's PDAF was assigned to road repair projects in
Laguna for P50 million and to a flood control project in Albay worth
P25 million.
Infrastructure projects were also the main recipients of Santiago's
PDAF allocations, most of which were released to Batangas and La
Union.
Sotto, meanwhile, gave majority of his PDAF to public hospitals
and local government units for medical assistance to poor patients. He
also listed Pampanga, Albay, Bulacan and Quezon City as beneficiaries
of construction projects funded by his “pork barrel.”
Lapid's PDAF is listed to have assisted health programs and
patients in Zambales, Batangas, Zamboanga del Sur, Quezon, Aurora,
Pangasinan and Camarines Sur. He also requested part of his “pork” to
be alloted for road and school construction and rehabilitation in other
provinces.
Pangilinan's funds went to livelihood projects, road improvement,
school construction and scholarship programs in Rizal, Batangas,
Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Albay as well as parts of Metro Manila.
Escudero distributed his PDAF to health, infrastructure and social
service projects in the Metro Manila, majority of which implemented
by the offices of the Department of Health, Department of Finance and
the Department of Public Works and Highways.
At the bottom of the list are Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III who
was appropriated with only P2.5 million, and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
whose projects received P48 million. The Philippine Star
US Solons ... From page 1
“The reinvigoration of this Caucus will
lead to increased interactions not only
between our governments but also
between our citizens,” Ambassador Jose L.
Cuisia, Jr. said in his remarks during a
reception he hosted at the Rayburn House
Office Building on the eve of the 116th
anniversary of the proclamation of
Philippine independence.
“Let us seize this great opportunity to
further strengthen the bond between our
two nations. The House is one that is closest
to the people, and this is where our bilateral
relations become even more meaningful,”
Cuisia said.
Eighteen lawmakers led by Caucus CoChair Bobby Scott (Democrat, Virginia) and
Ed Royce (Republican, California), Chair of
the House Committee on Foreign Relations,
were present at the reception that was also
attended by Embassy officials as well as
leaders of the Filipino community and
officials from the Department of State and
the Department of Defense.
Also present were Congressmen John
Barrow (Democrat, Georgia); Xavier
Becerra (Democrat, California); Ami Bera
(Democrat, California); Madeleine Bordallo
( D e m o c ra t , G u a m ) ; S t e ve C h a b o t
( Re p u b l i c a n , O h i o ) ; Tre n t Fra n ks
(Republican, Arizona); Al Green (Democrat,
Texas); Joe Heck (Republican, Nevada);
Mike Honda (Democrat, California); Bill
Huizenga (Republican, Michigan); Grace
Meng (Democrat, New York); Scott Peters
(Democrat, California); Scott Rigel
(Republican, Virginia); Eric Swalwell
(Democrat, California); Mike Thompson
(Democrat, California); Dina Titus
(Democrat, Nevada). Other members of the
Caucus were represented in the reception
by their senior staff.
In their remarks, Congressmen Scott,
Royce and Honda cited the strong bilateral
relations between the Philippines and the
US and the important role played by the 3.4
million members of the Filipino
CBCP exec says no to grass
By Tina G. Santos
MANILA -- An official of the
Catholic Bishops' Conference of
the Philippines (CBCP) on
Thursday criticized moves at the
House of Representatives to
legalize the use of marijuana for
medical purposes.
CBCP-Episcopal Commission
on Health Care executive secretary
Fr. Dan Cansino expressed concern
about the possible effects the
proposed legislation would entail
to the society in general and not
just to those needing cannabis for
medical purposes.
“Legalization of marijuana can
lead to more dangerous activities.
It's being abused now that it's
illegal, what more if you make it
legal and make it available in the
m a r ke t ? M o re a b u s e s w i l l
definitely happen,” said Cansino on
Church-run Radio Veritas.
The prelate's statement came
after House Bill 4477, or the
“Compassionate Use of Medical
Cannabis Act,” filed by Isabela Rep.
Rodolfo Albano III, gained the
support of several other
lawmakers.
Cansino lamented that
legalizing marijuana use would
mean more people becoming
vulnerable to its various effects to
the body.
“We all know marijuana not
just affects a person physically but
mentally as well,” said Cansino.
Albano had said that the use of
community.
The lawmakers, who included a
number who came from congressional
districts with large Filipino constituencies,
also gave assurances of their support for
legislation and other initiatives that would
have a positive impact on the Philippines
and the Filipino people, including peaceful
efforts to resolve the West Philippine Sea
dispute, veterans concerns, immigration
reform and the grant of Temporary
Protected Status (TPS).
In his remarks, Cuisia also expressed
his appreciation for the strong support of
the US Congress, particularly in the
aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan.
“Our friendship is enduring and
dependable. When Super Typhoon Haiyan
struck the Philippines, we were heartened
by the strong support of the US Congress,”
Ambassador Cuisia said as he cited the two
congressional resolutions on Haiyan that
were introduced in the House of
Representatives.
He also mentioned the briefing on
Haiyan that was organized by the Caucus
upon the initiative of Congressman Scott
and his Co-Chair, Darrell Issa (Republican,
California) in coordination with
Congressional Asian Pacific American
Caucus led by Rep. Judy Chu (Democrat,
California).
Cuisia also expressed appreciation for
the visit to the Philippines of two
congressional delegations led by Rep. Chris
Smith (Republican, New Jersey) and
Congressman Royce, to express solidarity
with the Philippine Government and with
the victims of the typhoon.
He also cited the support of legislators
for the grant of TPS for the Philippines as
well as the efforts led Congressman
Swalwell for the passage early this year of
the Philippines Charitable Giving
Assistance Act.
The reception was capped by an
impressive performance by the University
of Sto. Tomas Singers who are in
Washington for a series of engagements.
Inquirer.net
Seedling marijuana plants. AP file photo
marijuana as medicine goes back
to thousands of years ago in
traditional Chinese and Indian
medicine.
“Modern research has
confirmed the beneficial uses of
cannabis in treating and
alleviating the pain, nausea and
other symptoms associated with a
variety of debilitating medical
conditions including cancer,
multiple sclerosis and HIV-AIDS as
found by the National Institute of
Medicine of the US in March, 1999,”
Albano said in a statement earlier.
Despite legalizing the medical
use of cannabis, the bill prohibits
possession and smoking of
marijuana and other nonmedical
purposes.
It also prohibits using medical
marijuana in public and driving a
vehicle under the influence of
marijuana.
Under the bill, the government
should “legalize and regulate the
medical use of cannabis which has
been confirmed to have beneficial
and therapeutic uses to treat
chronic or debilitating disease or
medical condition.”
The bill refers to diseases that
cause the patient to suffer chronic
pain, severe nausea and seizure,
among others.
The bill also seeks to create a
Medical Cannabis Regulatory
Authority, which will be under the
Department of Health.
June 20-26, 2014
Page 8
CITY CORPS Trainers Vicky Hernandez, Saher, Catherine Tansey with some participants during the
leadership training for community interpreters and translators on June 10-14, 2014 at 2737 Kennedy
Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07306.
Ambassador Jose Cuisia (center) and Deputy Consul Jaime Ramon Ascalon (extreme right)
with officers of the Young Filipino American Professionals and Alexandra Dreschler, one of
two scholarship recipients. Recipient Julianne Sison had to leave earlier for a performance.
Photo by Mandy Chavez
Fil-Am teens get Young
Citi Corps invited The Filipino Filipino Professionals
Express for community building Association scholarships
By Grace G. Baldisseri
NEW JERSEY -- City Corps, a
non-profit organization located
at 2737 Kennedy Boulevard in
J e r s e y C i t y, N e w J e r s e y,
conducted a leadership training
course on Community
Interpreting and Translation on
June 10-14 for representatives of
diverse cultures and who speak
languages other than English in
New Jersey.
Trainers Victoria
Hernandez, Saher Ghidan and
Catherine Tansey said that there
is an urgent need for
COMMUNITY INTERPRETERS
and TRANSLATORS in New
Jersey as this is one of the states
where 40% of the population are
born in their native lands. Some
of them could hardly write the
English language and some of
them do not speak a word at all.
Community interpreters are
those who work with clients in
the community (e.g. social and
basic health services, education,
local government, sometimes on
legal and medical situations).
They are there to help the clients
in order that the communication
is conveyed accurately.
Community interpreting
requires much personal
interaction with the client. It also
requires knowledge of the
clients cultural background.
More than this, one has to act as
a cultural bridge between
service providers and clients.
The International Institute
of Building Communities had
invited participation from The
Filipino Express, I am privileged
to represent our paper. I learned
that a community
interpreter/translator must
maintain confidentiality at all
times; never give medical advice
or recommendations( no herbal
teas, no aspirin, no health foods
or herbs, no 'healers'. no
referrals). Not even to your
friends or relatives in the
community.
The community interpreter
must be faithful and accurate in
conveying the content and spirit
of what is being said. He should
not simplify or paraphrase, add
or delete anything to what is
said and not to give clarifying
explanations.
Some guidelines for
c o m m u n i t y
interpreters/translators:
Pursue ongoing education and
training on new terminology,
new medical technology, new
idioms, new cultures. new
dialects; May not accept tips or
gratuities or gifts from clients;
Should not accept assignments
wh e n yo u k n ow yo u a re
unqualified or insufficiently
prepared ( whether for language
reasons or the complexity of the
subject matter); Should inform
the provider and the client if a
word was used that you do not
know or you do not understand;
Should settle any differences
with staff members providers or
clients in a
professional
manner; Should refrain from
actions that will discredit the
interpreter profession; Should
share professional knowledge
with colleagues to improve the
profession and their work;
Should not take on assignments
that violate your personal or
religious beliefs; Most
importantly accept translation
and interpretation assignments
only if you complete them.
The leadership training is
very informative and being
there challenged me to
participate in all the sessions
and the time required so I would
b e able to help my Asian
brothers and sisters when they
need someone to interpret or
translate for them in
Tagalog/Pilipino, Ibanag or
Ilocano for the residents of our
N e w J e r s ey c o m m u n i t i e s
especially in Jersey City.
By Armando B. Chavez
SAN FRANCISCO, California -- Two
high-achieving Filipino American
teenagers each received a $1,000
scholarship from the Young Filipino
Professionals Association.
Alexandra Drechsler, teenage
beauty queen, fashion model,
community advocate, blogger, scholar
and INQUIRER.net correspondent is
senior at Presentation High School.
Julienne Sison, a “dance mama,” (a
role that entails organizing rehearsals
and being a “positive presence”), pianist
and hospital volunteer, is a senior at
Lick-Wilmerding in San Francisco.
Dreschler is a graduating from a
school where she is yearbook editor-inchief and involved in the Presentation
Ambassadors Club, Community
Involvement, Mu Alpha Theta, California
Scholarship Federation, Peer Ministry,
Leadership Academy.
She recently completed a project
collecting over 800 books and funds to
donate to remote libraries in the
Philippines through Books for the
Barrios. Alex, as friends call her, writes
for SF Post and INQUIRER.net. She is a
blogger, webmaster and honorable
mention awardedd for the Youth Voice
Category during the 2013 Plaridel
Awards of the Philippine American
Press Club.
Drechsler has been in various
fashion pageants like the “Snow Show”
during the San Francisco Fashion Week,
the Phil. International Aid show, and she
currently holds titles in several
pageants. She also hosted the Miss
Philippines Earth USA Pageant last
November and recently signed with City
Models Management as model.
She hopes to publish her own book
and have her own show to highlight local
business and promote community
events. She will be attending Santa Clara
University in the fall, majoring in
communications with a minor in
business.
Julienne Sison, also very active in
school, served as an executive co-vice
u
Page 12
A session at last year's Latitude Longitude Business Conference. Contributed photo
An encore for Latitude
Longitude Business confab
SAN FRANCISCO, California -- In light
of their successful conference last year,
the Science & Technology Advisory
Council (STAC) - Silicon Valley, the
Philippine Consulate and the Philippine
Trade & Investment Center in Silicon
Valley will hold the second Latitude
Longitude Business Conference at the
renovated ground floor gallery at the
Philippine Center in San Francisco on
Friday, June 20.
The conference once again takes
place during the Kalayaan 2014
Philippine Independence Day
celebration. The theme of the conference
is “Resilience, Moving Forward and
Giving Back.”
u
Page 9
June 20-26, 2014
Page 9
This is the First Prize winner of the 2014 Philippine
Independence Week annual contest in Chicago.
Francine is a high school senior at the University of
Chicago Laboratory School
Filipino Passion and
the 'American Dream’
By Francine Almeda
Sacrifice. This philosophy lives in
the heart, soul and mind of Filipino
immigrants. I was born in America,
but raised Filipino. I taste the
richness of good fortune, but often
forget the bitter challenges many
before me had to face. Years ago, in a
time tinted with youthful hope, my
parents had dreams for their future
children.
My parents, like so many other
immigrants, dreamed of a glowing,
happy life, bright with the promise of
a good future and education. They
saw the long, twisting road that lay
ahead of them and knew the
challenges they would be forced to
encounter. Despite this, they
embarked on the journey, fearlessly,
and driven by the hope of their
simple dream.
This passion and devotion lies
burning in the heart of Filipinos,
pushing them to overcome any
challenges they may face. I see
passion, ignited and alive, in the eyes
of my parents; I see passion in their
tired hands, worn from a long day at
work; I see passion in their flowing
words, telling me prayers of
encouragement and love; I see
An encore ... From page 8
Several speakers and guest
companies will highlight this year's
theme, including an encore by Global
Electric Transportation, which will
have the Comet available for viewing.
President Obama requested to see
the Comet vehicle during his trip to
the Philippines last April.
The conference starts with a
discussion on the current economic
state of the Philippines and
implications of the ASEAN economic
integration. Following a
performance by students of the
Westlake School of Performing Arts,
the afternoon session will showcase
companies integrating technology to
serve communities and to fuel new
Pinoy, a triple minority, one of the White
House DACA Champions of Change
By Joseph G. Lariosa
(© 2014 Journal GlobaLinks)
undocumented students in
central Iowa. Currently, he serves
as a youth development
professional at the Boys and Girls
Club of Central Iowa.
CHICAGO (JGL) -- Rhustie
Marcelo Valdizno of Clifton, New
Jersey was 15 years old when he
came to the United States and an
Steven Arteaga, Houston, TX
openly gay.
Steven was born in Mexico
Although undocumented,
City and he is a DACA recipient.
these challenges did not deter
After learning about the Civil
him from becoming an active
Rights Movement in high school
member and core leader of
and reading about the marches,
RAISE, which stands for
protests, and rallies people
Revolutionizing Asian American
organized in hopes of advancing
Immigrant Stories on the East
justice and dignity for all, a desire
Coast.
to do something similar for the
RAISE advocates for human
immigrant community sparked
i m m i g ra t i o n p o l i c i e s t h r u
in him. After obtaining DACA
sharing of experiences of being
status in 2013, he began working
undocumented.
(GAPIMNY). He said “it took lot at Mi Familia Vota (MFV), which
Mr. Valdizno is one of the 10 from me to embrace the reality of has allowed him to empower and
“Champions of Change” who will my life as gay and undocumented. e n g a g e m e m b e r s o f h i s
be honored in the White House on It deterred me from achieving my community to continue to bring
Tuesday (June 17), who are full potential. I was a hopeless about positive social change.
Deferred Action for Childhood case. It took countless failed
Arrival (DACA) recipients for a t t e m p t s , r e j e c t i o n a n d Sarahi Espinoza, East Palo
passion in myself, starting as a tiny
their exemplary leadership in heartaches just to give myself a Alto, CA
spark, and glowing brighter and
their communities.
speck of normalcy.
Sarahi is a DACA recipient
brighter each day.
According to the White
“This fight is just not about who came to the United States
H o u s e , t h e s e C h a m p i o n s having some paperwork to prove from Mexico as young child. Due
Challenges
d i s t i n g u i s h e d t h e m s e l v e s an existence in this country but to difficult family circumstances,
The challenges my parents had to
t h r o u g h t h e i r c o m m u n i t y it's about fighting the stigma and Sarahi was forced to drop out of
face have not been wasted. With each
involvement and the hard work having pride.”
school. Today, Sarahi is resacrifice, they feed my fire, until the
they put into helping other
The other recipients of the enrolled in community college
same passion within me is burning as
members of their academic and White House DACA Champions of and started her own website
bright as the sun. In the process of
p r o f e s s i o n a l c o m m u n i t i e s Change are:
Sarahi.tv that she built to help
trying to achieve the “American
succeed. This event will
educate her community about
Dream,” my parents have given
showcase these inspirational Hector Salamanca Arroyo, Des
scholarship opportunities
advantages that surpass anything
young leaders and highlight the Moines, IA
available to them. Sarahi works
money could buy.
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Page 14
importance of providing talented
Hector was born in Mexico for the Girl Scouts of America and
y o u n g p e o p l e w i t h t h e and is currently a junior at Drake hopes to continue to inspire
opportunity to realize their full University. He has committed young students to finish their
potential.
himself to service and advocacy education and reach their goals.
The Champions of Change to create social change. He serves
global business models.
program was created as an as an inspirational speaker to Kamal Essaheb, Washington
Filipino and Filipino American
opportunity for the White House Latino youth and meets regularly D.C.
business leaders and entrepreneurs
to feature individuals doing with policy makers to advance
Kamal was born in Morocco is
in the areas of science and
extraordinary things to empower immigration reform and the a DACA recipient who works for
technology will be introduced,
and inspire members of their DREAM Act. For his hard work, the National Immigration Law
including Tessie Guillermo, CEO of
communities.
involvement , and valuable Center (NILC) where he engages
Zero Divide and Dr. Marc Loinaz,
These DACA recipients serve contributions in the Des Moines in advocacy and technical
cofounder of Aeluros.
as success stories and role community, Hector was awarded assistance related to access to
Five Filipino-founded startup
models in their academic and the Emerging Latino Leader legal status for immigrants. At
companies will be pitching to a
professional spheres.
Scholarship Award by the Iowa NILC, his advocacy focuses on
group of investors and professionals.
League of United Latin American passage of the DREAM Act,
Latitude Longitude conferences
Member of GAPIMNY
Citizens. Hector did not know implementation of DACA, and
are designed to provide a venue and
Rhustie currently resides in until he was in high school that he state and local enforcement of
platform to discuss global topics
New Jersey and attends Bergen was living in the U.S. without immigration law. Prior to joining
relating to the Philippines and to
Community College and is documentation. He has since NILC, Kamal was a practicing
graduating this semester. He been able to obtain DACA, immigration attorney at CUNY
leverage the expertise of
hopes to pursue a career in the allowing him to continue his Citizenship Now, a nonprofit
entrepreneurs and advisors for the
medical field as a doctor.
benefit of businesses here and
education and community work. immigration legal services
Rhustie is also an active He has become a leader and provider in New York City. He is a
abroad. To register for the event, go
member of Gay Asian Pacific o r g a n i z e r a m o n g o t h e r graduate of Fordham Law School,
to: http://www.l2conference.com..
Islander Men of New York D R E A M e r s a n d y o u n g
Inquirer.net
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vgslaw@gmail.com
June 20-26, 2014
Page 10
Another think coming
Call it the Bong Revilla Salvation Show. That's the
barnstorming that the actor-senator from Cavite is conducting
across his bailiwick - with full media coverage yet - in anticipation
of an arrest order from the Sandiganbayan that may be issued any
day now for him and his Senate colleagues, Juan Ponce Enrile and
Jinggoy Estrada.
In this campaign, no one's soul, or skin, needs saving except
Revilla's. He has banked on the same trusty playbook from the
first day his name was tagged in the looting of billions of pesos of
public funds allocated to legislators like him for the welfare and
development of their constituencies. Faced, not with vague
charges, but the direct testimony of whistle-blower Benhur Luy
along with voluminous paperwork indicating how the senator's
office laundered his pork barrel funds, Revilla took the tack of
portraying himself as a martyr.
He was being persecuted, he said, because he posed a political
threat to Malacañang's candidate for the 2016 presidential polls,
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. He and Estrada and Enrile were
being singled out, he said, because they represented the
opposition - a ridiculous claim, given that none of them had any
single original policy idea that differed in any way from that of the
Aquino administration, and that they had also aligned themselves
with Malacañang in the matter of the impeachment and trial of
Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Revilla had couched his vote for Corona's removal in lofty
terms - that he had looked at the evidence and was convinced in
his heart that there was good reason for Corona to go. But when
the pork barrel controversy broke out, there he was on the Senate
floor, playing tag team with his buddy Estrada in fending off the
accusations with a time-honored political tactic: Muddy the scene
with explosive but unrelated issues.
While Estrada claimed that Malacañang had bribed senators
with millions of pesos of additional funds under the so-called
Disbursement Acceleration Program six months after Corona's
conviction, Revilla unveiled his own tale of intrigue. President
Aquino, he said, had engaged in a personal campaign to force
senators into voting against Corona, the ultimate proof being, he
disclosed, that he himself was driven in secret to a meeting with
Mr. Aquino in Malacañang by no less than Roxas.
Revilla and Estrada can afford to hire the brightest lawyers
and political consultants, but it seems no one had advised them
that while their revelations made for bold headlines for a couple
of days, it shaved not one whit of weight off the mass of evidence
that has become available on their dealings involving their
Priority Development Assistance Fund. Luy's disclosures came
complete with numbered and signed government vouchers,
pertinent dates and details - even, in Revilla's case, a letter to the
Commission on Audit that he himself signed, confirming the
authenticity of his signature in requests for funds to be directed
to what would turn out to be Potemkin organizations operated by
Janet Lim Napoles.
All Revilla needed to do to dispel the accusations was to open
the books of his office, to show that all his PDAF transactions were
aboveboard. But he has not done so. Instead, he has harnessed
what he imagines to be his acting talent by conducting weepy
interviews in the media lamenting his fate, and reciting the
maudlin script that he and his handlers have cobbled together that he is the victim of a monumental injustice perpetrated by a
What You Need to Know
Before Renewing DACA
Young immigrants whose twoyear deferred action under
President Obama's Deferred Action
for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
program is about to expire are
reminded to submit their renewal
applications. The USCIS recently
released the process for renewal
and urged the filing of renewal
requests 120 days or 4 months
before the date the grant of DACA
expires.
If the initial grant of deferred
action expires before the request
for renewal is approved, unlawful
presence accrues and the applicant
will not be allowed to work before
receiving a new employment
authorization document from the
USCIS.
To be eligible for renewal,
applicants must satisfy the
eligibility requirements under the
i n i t i a l DAC A g u i d e l i n e s . I n
addition, they must meet the
following: (1) did not depart the
U.S. on or after August 15, 2012
without advance parole; (2)
continuously resided in the U.S.
since submitting the most recent
DACA request that was approved;
and (3) have not been convicted of
a felony, a significant misdemeanor,
or three or more misdemeanors,
and do not otherwise pose a threat
to national security or public
safety.
An applicant must complete
and sign the new version of Form I821D, Consideration of Deferred
Action for Childhood Arrivals,
accompanied by Form I-765,
Application for Employment
Authorization, to renew work
permit , and Form I-765WS
Worksheet.
The application must be
submitted with the $380 filing fee
for the Form I-765 and $85 for
biometrics fee, totaling $465 in
filing fees. The check must be made
payable to the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security.
The USCIS has advised not to
submit additional documents in
the renewal application unless the
applicant has new documents
involving removal proceedings or
criminal history which were not
previously submitted in the
approved DACA request. The USCIS
may, however, request additional
documents or statements.
To verify information in the
renewal application, it may contact
other government agencies,
education institutions, employers
or other entities. Knowingly and
willingly providing materially false
information is a felony.
Meanwhile, those who have not
yet requested deferred action
under the DACA program may still
apply. First time applicants must
meet the following eligibility
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Price tag
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Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Joseph G. Lariosa
Correspondent: Grace G. Baldisseri
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do
not reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the publisher.
Email: filexpress@aol.com
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
2711 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07306
No, thank you. We chucked a
second chance under a new law
that enables human rights victims
to claim reparation.
We cheer those lodging long
overdue claims under Republic Act
No. 10368, we wrote in a letter to
the Human Rights Victims' Claims
Board, through its chair, retired
general Lina C. Sarmiento. This is
justice long denied.
For us, “it is enough that abuses
inflicted by the Marcos
dictatorship are documented for
our grandchildren.”
President Aquino signed that
bill into law on Feb. 25, 2013 - the
27th anniversary of the People
Power revolt that toppled the
Marcos regime. Staffing the
commission on to drafting the
operating rules took another year.
The new agency started
processing claims May 12. There is,
however, a “sunset clause.” The
commission has a narrow window
of only two years to complete this
task.
RA 10368 is an institutional
assertion against the drum-beat
insistence of Imelda and Ferdinand
Marcos Jr., in a family chorus: “The
'New Society' was the most
democratic phase the country ever
experienced.” That has been their
line since they tiptoed back from
Hawaiian exile with the dictator's
embalmed remains.
Nonsense, journalist Raissa
Robles said in a paper delivered
earlier at the Third World Studies
Center in the University of the
Philippines Diliman. “For each day
(Marcos) was in power as dictator,
there were 23 new victims. Or
almost every hour of the 14 years
he remained a dictator, nearly one
citizen was killed or tortured.”
“How much for a blow on the
head?” a claimant asked Inquirer
columnist Ceres Doyo, who was
also a victim. “To put monetary
value on the suffering of the Marcos
victims is adding insult to injury.”
Is there a price tag for the terror
that petrified the spouses and
children of those arrested under
Proclamation No. 1081? What is
the peso-and-centavo formula for
the now-aging families of the 759
desaparecidos or the
“disappeared” under the
abandoned New Society?
Among them is Redemptorist
Fr. Rudy Romano of Cebu, snatched
by martial law agents. His remains
were never found. Instead, his
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Page 12
June 20-26, 2014
Page 11
False freedom and insatiable greed
Just before Independence Day
last week, a group of newly enrolled
children from a shelter excitedly set
out on the first day to walk to school
at Gala, Sacatihan, Pamatawan,
Subic town, Zambales. The road up
the hill would give them an easy
walk to freedom through education
the great liberator. But then, as they
crested the hill, to their dismay the
asphalt abruptly ended. The rains
had turned the rest of the way into a
muddy quagmire that had the
children squelching their way
through ankle-deep sticky mud,
symbolic of the political
corruption, waste and abuse that
mires almost one-third of the
Filipinos in pitiless grinding
poverty from which there is no
freedom.
Like thousands of others, the
road is a fake or ghost project that
had never been fully built. Even
urgent requests to the governor to
throw gravel from the exposed
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
When God blessed the earth, he
must have been standing near and
facing Palawan because the
province is so rich in natural
resources and possesses
spectacular sceneries - on the
ground, underground, on the
water, underwater.
In the northern part of Palawan
is El Nido, a municipality of almost
40,000 in an area covering 92,326
hectares. The town is named after
Swiflets (local name is
Balinsasayaw) nests made from
the bird's saliva found in the
crevices of the limestone's cliffs in
the area.
The mountain islands of El
Nido are simply breathtaking. They
are towers of stone so high they
river bed on to the muddy road are
so far unheeded. The children
suffer and it became so bad in the
past week that 26 children
transferred to another school.
This mess and the plunder and
looting of public funds at the
highest level of the Congress as the
headlines announce daily is just
one, very small indicator of a
greater harm done to the people by
s o m e d e p rave d a n d g re e dy
politicians. How many more fake
and fraudulent infrastructure
projects are there like the one in
Gala, Subic? There is no freedom
from greed, it seems.
Besides these small, allegedly
corruption-ridden projects, the
extremely wealthy ruling elite in
the Philippine Congress have
allegedly plundered and looted
billions of pesos from the treasury.
Three prominent Senators have
been charged, arrest warrants are
imminent and many Congress
Opinion
By Fr. Shay Cullen
people will join them in jail. Their
“jails” are posh, luxurious tiled,
well, appointed bungalows built for
ranking officers.
They are incomparable to the
stinking jail cells where the hungry
street children are incarcerated,
abused, beaten and raped for
taking a banana in the market. The
i n d i c t m e n t s by t h e Aq u i n o
administration are a glimmer of
hope that change is possible but
with billions of bribes at hand,
justice is likely to be thwarted and
they will never answer for these
alleged crimes. These funds came
from the taxes imposed on the
people especially the 17 to 20
percent VAT that were supposed to
be used for rural development to
alleviate poverty and build
barangay roads to bring the
children to school.
Independence Day last June 12
was to celebrate the political
freedom of a nation from colonial
domination and exploitation. It's a
to r t u re d h i s to r y. F i r s t , t h e
impoverished oppressed Filipinos
struggled for liberation from the
Spanish and almost succeeded. On
the eve of independence, the North
Americans declared war on the
Spanish, landed troops in Manila in
1898 and took over, then sent home
the defeated Spanish. The Filipinos
fought back but after a few years of
bitter war marked by atrocities, the
American forces conquered them.
They subdued and tamed most of
the Filipinos, then the Japanese
invaded and ousted the Americans
in World War II. The people
suffered greatly and the Japanese
were eventually defeated and again
t h e F i l i p i n o s s t r u g gl e d fo r
independence from the United
States of America and in 1947, they
got it with string attached. But was
it real freedom?
They got political
independence and a lot of unfair
and exploitative trading
arrangements and unequal treaties
that enabled American
corporations to exploit the country
at will until the present. They were
swamped with Americanization. So
it was not true independence, a
great dependency has been
skillfully arranged. The democracy
was a sham, in reality, the rich
Spanish-Filipino families in close
cooperation with the American
corporations ruled without much
opposition.
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Protecting El Nido's coral reefs
almost kiss the clouds. They come
in all shapes and forms, depending
on your imagination.
If your tour guide is Jayson R.
Gonzales of El Bacuit Travel and
Tours, he will show you a mountain
island shaped like a helicopter, a
feature shaped like a king with a
crown with a horse nearby, or a
stone jutting out of the cliff shaped
like the chunky heel of a shoe.
Gonzales will also point out to
you Cadlao (Visayan word for
laughter), the highest of El Nido's
mountain islands at 640 feet (as
high as a 64-floor building). He said
Cadlao is the locals' weather
barometer. “When the tip of the
mountain is covered by clouds it
means it will rain.”
Underwater, El Nido is also as
awesome. It's a coral reef paradise.
According to El Nido Foundation
Inc.(ENFI) they have identified 447
reef-building coral species in El
Nido. There are 44 unconfirmed
species.
ENFI, headed by former
Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim as
chairman of the board and lawyer
businessman Charlie Yu as
president, is an organization
dedicated to the improvement of
the quality of life in El Nido which
includes sustainable utilization of
the community's natural
resources.
ENFI is working closely with
Green Fins,an initiative of the
United Nations Environment
Programme, for the protection of
coral reefs in El Nido. They have
just concluded an orientation of
journalists on the progress of their
efforts in El Nido.
Green Fins, which is
coordinated internationally by
Reef-World sets the standard for
managing the protection of coral
reefs. It provides guidance and
support for business owners and
national authorities to promote
Cadlao mountain island, the highest in El Nido.
best practices in sustainable
tourism especially scuba diving
which has become urgent in El
Nido with the increase of tourist
arrivals.
The importance of coral reefs
cannot be overstated: Corals
(which are actually animals , not
plants or places ) play an essential
role in everything from water
filtration and fish reproduction to
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Page 15
I'm convinced more than ever that
yes, Ayala seems to have become
the government itself.
Last week, SM Prime Holdings
Inc. filed a suit against DOTC, now
under the stewardship of Mar
Roxas stooge Secretary Joseph
Emilio Abaya, and the Light Rail
Transit Authority for “specific
performance” to pursue its claim
to the common station at the North
Edsa mall, which was approved in a
memorandum of agreement
signed in 2009 that also gave SM
the right to name the facility for a
fee of P200 million. SMPHI accused
DOTC and LRTA of unilaterally
announcing plans to move the
station to TriNoMa mall in 2013
after ignoring demands by SM to
start work on the North Edsa
facility, for which the Sys had
already put in the basic concrete
piles in preparation.
Yes, the Ayalas have been
longtime supporters of President
Noynoy Aquino and his mother, the
late former President Cory Aquino.
But when the Ayalas became the
government itself, I cannot really
say.
***
The controversy is not simply a
matter of which conglomerate
should benefit from having a
common station in terms of foot
traffic and lucrative commercial
sub-leases. Previous studies
conducted by various agencies and
the National Economic
Development Authority had
conclusively stated that the North
Edsa station and concourse would
be the best place for it, since the
facility would connect not just
MRT-3 and LRT-1 but also the
approved MRT-7 line that will pass
over North Avenue and the
planned MRT-9 line that will pass
along West Avenue.
(I'm told that while Neda
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Page 14
Ayala rules
What does the Ayala
conglomerate have in common
with Janet Lim Napoles at the
height of her powers? Well,
apparently, both had convinced
themselves that they have, in fact,
become the government.
Recently, a top executive of the
Ayala group of companies named
Thomas Mirasol was interviewed
by a Singapore-based publication,
where he said some very
interesting things. Here are some
of the most compellingly candid
statements that Mirasol told
Singapore's Business Times last
month:
“The fact that there is nobody
in the Philippines who regulates
urban planning has been great for
Ayala Land because we are
probably the only company there
that has the scale financially to
take on large plots of land,”
Mirasol, Ayala's chief sales and
marketing executive, said. “By
developing big tracts of land, we
become the government; we
control and manage everything.
We are the mayors and the
governors of the communities that
we develop and we do not
relinquish this responsibility to
the government.”
I'm reminded of this Ayala
executive's boast these days
whenever I hear about the
controversy between the SM group
of Henry Sy and Ayala Land over
the common railway station
somewhere near the junction of
Edsa and North Avenue in Quezon
City. Both conglomerates are
claiming that the station should be
built beside the malls that are their
property.
The Department of
Transportation and
Communications has long
announced plans to build a new
c e n t ra l t ra i n te r m i n a l a n d
concourse at the lot where the
Ayalas' TriNoMa mall stands. This
controversial scheme threw a
mall-sized monkey wrench into
the earlier, approved plan to build
the station in front of SM North
Edsa, for which the Sys had already
paid government a P200-million
advance.
When I first wrote about this
matter some time back, I
wondered who was looking out for
the good of the train commuters,
who are already suffering from the
ineptitude and corruption that
hounds the people who run our
trains. And when I heard that the
famously incompetent DOTC is
hell-bent on building the common
station at the Ayalas' TriNoMa
mall, instead of at the Sys' logical,
pre-approved and obviously
beneficial SM North Edsa complex,
June 20-26, 2014
Page 12
Overseas Filipino voters set record
MANILA -- Philippine foreign
outposts are reaching out to
Filipinos overseas to make sure
they have their say on election
day.
The Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) posted a record
number of new Overseas
A b s e n t e e Vo t i n g ( OAV )
registrants in the first month of
registration in May, with a total Registrants await their turn at the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco to
18,631 Filipinos signing up to submit filled forms and be assisted by consular staff in processing their
biometrics (fingerprint, pictures) at the Overseas voting registration area.
vote abroad during the
monthlong overseas voting
period for the 2016 presidential
“The record number of DFA spokesperson, told the
elections. The DFA said the figure overseas voter registration is due, Inquirer. He said the DFA's 84
was more than twice the number in large part, to the intensified and foreign outpostsembassies,
posted during the first month of innovative efforts of our foreign consulates and missionswere
OAV registration for the May 2013 service posts to educate Filipino working to ensure “that equal
elections and about a 630-percent communities overseas on the opportunity is given to all
increase over three registration importance and processes of qualified Filipino citizens abroad
cycles, increasing from only 2,543 overseas voting as well as to make in the exercise of the fundamental
registrants during the kick-off of registration of overseas voters r i g h t o f s u f f r a g e .” Ta r r a
re g i s t ra t i o n f o r t h e 2 0 0 7 more convenient and accessible,” Quismundo . Inquirer.net
senatorial elections.
Assistant Secretary Charles Jose,
Fil-Am teens ...
From page 8
president of her senior class. She
was also president of her school's
Filipino Heritage Club, exploring
her Filipino heritage and helping
foster an appreciation for the
culture.
Sison has been dancing since
age four, studying jazz, ballet, tap,
contemporary and hip-hop. She
wants to pursue medicine and
become a doctor. She will be
attending University of California,
m a j o r i n g i n n e u r o b i o l o g y,
physiology and behavior.
Regina Finuliar, current
president of the Young Filipino
Professionals
Association
(YFPA), proudly handed the
$1,000 scholarship to each
recipient, in anticipation of their
starting college this fall.
This is the scholarship's first
year. The program recognizes
graduating high school students
involved in the Filipino
community and who have an
interest in pursuing a college
degree.
The objective of the program
is to provide financial assistance
to deserving students who have
exhibited leadership skills and
decided to seek higher education.
Scholarship recipients were
selected on the basis of academic
achievement, educational and
career goals; application essay
o r i g i n a l i t y, g r a m m a r a n d
organization; financial need;
leadership experience and
interview.
The YFPA Scholarship Awards
Night was held recently at the
Philippine Center's Social Hall
with Philippine Ambassador to
the U.S., Jose L.Cuisia, Jr. as guest
speaker. Inquirer.net
Price tag ... From page 12
marker fronts the Mother of Perpetual
Help Church, rarely seen because of
flower shrubs. Historian Alfred McCoy
cites 3,257 extrajudicial killings,
35,000 torture victims, and 70,000
incarcerated during the Marcos years.
“The name Philippines Free Press
is not for sale,” publisher Teodoro
Locsin Sr. told those casing the
magazine's printing plant, closed
down by a dictator's fiat. What does it
profit a man if he peddles what is most
human to gain brittle temporary
power?
We were among the 22 Manilabased journalists detained in the first
wave o f a r re s t s u n c o r ke d by
Proclamation 1081. Some, like the late
publisher Joaquin “Chino” Roces and
columnist Max Soliven were shoved
into Fort Bonifacio. We were locked up
in Camp Crame with then Daily Mirror,
now Inquirer columnist Amando
Doronila, Philippine News Service's
Manuel Almario, plus the late Luis
Beltran of Evening News and Graphic's
Luis Mauricio.
That roundup included political
leaders like the late senator Benigno
Aquino Jr., Ramon Mitra Jr. plus
independent constitutional
c o nve n t i o n d e l e ga te s Te o f i s to
Guingona Sr., Napoleon Rama and Jose
Concepcion Jr.
The now-frayed “conditional
release” order, from the 5th Military
Intelligence Group, before us reads: All
were “arrested and detained for
subversion… You are not allowed to
leave the confines of the Greater
Manila area unless specifically
authorized… You are prohibited from
talking in any local or foreign press
interview.
Violation of these provisions
would subject you to immediate arrest
and confinement.”
People Power 1 was to scrub all
What you need ...
From page 10
requirements as set forth in the initial
DACA guidelines: came to the U.S.
before his 16th birthday and under 31
as of June 15, 2012; continuously
resided in the U.S. since June 15, 2007
up to the present; was physically
present in the U.S. on June 15, 2012
and at the time of making the request;
and had no lawful status on June 15,
2012.
Also, they must be currently in
school, graduated from high school or
obtained general education
development(GED) certificate, or
honorably discharged from the Armed
Forces; and not convicted of a felony
offense, significant misdemeanor
offense, or multiple misdemeanor
offenses, and not otherwise a threat to
national security or public safety.
Over 560,000 have been granted
DACA status. Deferred action under
that 14 dark years later. As President
Aquino said, in his 2014 Independence
Day speech in Naga City, Ninoy remains
the classic example of the human rights
victim.
Reparation will be drawn from the
P10 billion that the government has
allotted from recovered Marcos illgotten wealth for the victims. This is
apart from the $2 billion (P88 billion)
assigned by the US Hawaii District
Court, in 1995, for 7,526 recognized
members who lodged a class suit. They
got a second tranche payment.
We missed that first bus. With help
from the late Executive Secretary
Jacobo Clave and human rights
advocate Joker Arroyo, we managed to
get an exit permit to serve in the United
Nations in Rome and Bangkok. Now,
we'll skip the second bus.
In between, the US Federal Court
(9th Circuit) slapped a $353,000 fine
on Imelda and Ferdinand Jr. The court
found they tried to secretly ship out
p a i n t i n g s , f ro m a m o n g c o u r t contested holdings, for “a 25-percent,
tax-free share.” Junior threatens to
reenter Malacañang through the 2016
elections. Is amnesia today's response
to Sen. Jose Diokno's letter, written
from prison in December 1972?
“I've been deprived of freedom,
stripped of my dignity. A nonperson,
I'm reduced to having to ask
permission for such a simple pleasure,
as to step outside my prison to feel the
wind on my face and the warmth of the
sun on my back.”
But “we can, even now, scrutinize
our past; try to pinpoint what went
wrong; determine what led to his
madness,” he added. “And how, when it
ends, we can make sure it need never
happen again.”
Despite its long delayed start and
modest reach, RA 10368 is an
institutional cry: Nunca mas. “Never
again.”
(E-mail: juanlmercado@gmail.com)
the DACA program grants temporary
reprieve from deportation and allows
many to obtain driver's license and
even in-state tuition, in some cases.
Although it authorizes the recipient to
work for a certain period of time, it
does not lead to lawful permanent
residence nor provide lawful status.
Department of Homeland Security
Secretary Jeh Johnson said that a child
who crossed the border was not
making an adult choice to violate the
law and should be treated differently
than adult law-breakers. He went on to
say that, “By the renewal of DACA, we
act in accord with our values and the
code of this great Nation. But, the
l a rg e r t a s k o f c o m p re h e n s ive
immigration reform still lies ahead.”
(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.)
Another think ... From page 10
power-tripping administration. And that he's of a mind to run for president
in 2016!
He has put his Passion show on the road, mobilizing prayer vigils and
mass assemblies that have ordinary people expressing their continuing love
for him and belief in his innocence. It would be good for the COA to look into
whether public funds are again being used for these self-serving activities.
But more to the point, what does he hope to achieve with his extravagant
appeal to emotion? Simple. He thinks his popularity would be enough to
expunge his guilt. He thinks alternately singing and crying before the masses
- the Sisa of the Senate! - would somehow render the charges against him
illegitimate.
Revilla has another think coming. The best way to disabuse him of the
abysmal regard he has for the seriousness of the charges against him, and for
the intelligence of the Filipino public, is to make sure he is prosecuted fully,
transparently. And no singing allowed in court. Inquirer.net
June 20-26, 2014
Page 13
Pinoy ... From page 9
where he was a Stein Scholar in Public
Interest Law and Ethics. Kamal emigrated
from Morocco at a young age and is fluent in
Arabic.
Pratishtha Khanna
Pratishtha was born in New Delhi, India
and is a DACA recipient. She migrated to
the United States at age 10. She is currently
a senior at the University of Maryland,
Baltimore County (UMBC) and will
graduate in May with a BS in Biology. She is
an active member of the API Youth
Convening-DACA Collaborative planning
committee and the Maryland Dream Youth
Committee (MDYC). She is also a member of
D re a m e r s f o r D R E A M e r s s t u d e n t
organization at UMBC. After graduation,
Pratishtha will be working (thanks to
DACA) as an Emergency room medical
scribe and will pursue a Certified Nursing
Assistant Program at Howard Community
College. She hopes to attend medical
school in Fall 2017.
Esther Yu Hsi Lee, Washington D.C.
Esther and her two older siblings were
brought with their parents to California
from Taiwan in 1988. Prior to receiving
DACA, she worked as a nanny, Mandarin
tutor, and occasional housekeeper in New
York City. Currently, she is working in
Washington, D.C. as an immigration
reporter for the online publication
ThinkProgress (affiliated with the Center
for American Progress), working to bring
awareness to immigration news happening
around the country and to highlight
personal stories of undocumented
immigrants.
Anahi Mendoza, Santa Maria, CA
Anahi was born in Mexico and, is a
recipient of DACA, and is a rising senior at
Harvard University concentrating in Social
Studies with a focus field in U.S.
Immigration Policy and Social Change.
Anahi's passion for immigration reform
began in high school when she founded a
Dream Club to help undocumented
students apply to college and continued
while at Harvard where she served as the
director of Act on a Dream, a student
organization dedicated to advocating for
comprehensive immigration reform and
providing resources to undocumented
students at the college and throughout the
nation.
Dayana Elvira Torres, Arlington, VA
Dayana is a campus leader and was
recently selected to be the incoming
President of Mason Dreamers. She's
involved with DREAMers of Virginia who
worked closely with Virginia Attorney
General Mark R. Herring to help push for
Virginia in-state tuition for undocumented
students. She works to build coalitions
amongst a diverse set of stakeholders in the
immigrant movement and is very involved
in campus organizing. Last summer,
Dayana lobbied Congress for
comprehensive immigration reform and is
currently working on a range of initiatives.
She moved here from Columbia in 2003
when she was 9 years old. She graduated
high school in 2012 and was recognized as a
National Hispanic Recognition Scholar by
the College Board.
Ana Zaragoza, Pueblo, CO
Ana is a DACA recipient who was born
in Mexico City. At the age of five Ana was
brought to this country, along with her
younger sibling who at the time was only
four years old. Ana is studying Business
Management at Colorado State University
in Pueblo where she is currently finishing
her sophomore year. Ana works to
promote civic participation in her
community by canvassing and recruiting
volunteers with Mi Familia Vota.
(lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
DE LOS SANTOS developed the fonts for the modern Baybayin that can be viewed on his web page. The
Filipino is on a mission to promote the Philippines' different indigenous cultures and introduce people to
the country's rich and diverse cultural heritage.
A US-based revival of 'Baybayin’
By Eunice Barbara C. Novio
A campaign to revive Baybayin or the
alibata script, the writing system of preHispanic Philippines that includes surat
Mangyan, has been launched in the United
States by cultural activist Norman de los
Santos.
The 42-year-old immigrant from Oriental
Mindoro also wants to promote the different
indigenous cultures of the Philippines and
show the world its diverse and rich cultural
heritage.
De los Santos arrived in the United States
when he was 18, bringing with him memories
of his cultural heritage. Now he wants to
promote it among new generations of
Filipinos and non-Filipinos by using social
280 Luis Munoz Marin Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07302
media and computer programs.
The computer technology graduate of the
Desert College Itt Technology in Palm Desert
California, who is an entrepreneur and a
consultant of BHM Publishing House, hopes to
revive and promote Baybayin through
technology.
De los Santos started doing intensive selfstudy in Filipino history and mythology in the
early 1990s when he began feeling homesick.
In the early 2000s, as he developed video
games, he started incorporating indigenous
writing systems and imagery in his work.
Early exposure
De los Santos was exposed to the Mangyan
culture and began to understand the
u
Page 15
201-333-8060
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
June 20-26, 2014
Page 14
House to hold ...
Filipino passion ...
From page 6
From page 9
certain service in the Philippines during World
War II are eligible for certain benefits despite not
being on the Missouri List, and for other
purposes.
In the U.S. Senate, Senators Heller (R-NV) and
Mazie Hirono (D-HI) co-authored S. 868, which
requires the “Secretary of Defense to establish a
process to determine whether individuals
claiming certain service in the Philippines during
World War II are eligible for certain benefits
despite not being on the Missouri List, and for
other purposes.”
A number of other House and Senate bills are
pending in Congress related to Filipino veterans.
Among them are the S. 1559, Benefits Fairness for
Filipino Veterans Act of 2013, filed by Sen.
Richard Durbin (D-IL), and its counterpart in the
House, H.R.3207 : Benefits Fairness for Filipino
Veterans Act of 2013, introduced by Rep. Luis V.
Gutierrez (D-IL-4). These bills will amend title 38,
United States Code, to modify the method of
determining whether Filipino veterans are
United States residents for purposes of eligibility
for receipt of the full-dollar rate of compensation
under the laws administered by the Secretary of
Veterans Affairs.”
Meanwhile, the bill, S. 690, Filipino Veterans
Fairness Act of 2013, introduced by Sen. Brian
Schatz, is still pending. It “deems certain service
performed before July 1, 1946, in the organized
military forces of the Philippines and the
Philippine Scouts as active military service for
purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits
through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
Its counterpart in the House H.R. 1452 introduced
by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA-14) has collected 37
cosponsors.
These bills will attempt to overturn the
Rescission Acts of 1946 that deprived Filipino
WW II veterans of benefits for their war services.
(lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
The life they've given me is beyond
anything they could have ever predicted,
and they've provided me with something
more valuable than material goods. They
have shown me how to be strong,
resilient, and faithful. They have given me
Filipino values in a world so far from the
shores of the Philippines. They have
given me a flame.
My mother has always lived life with
a competitive edge. She sees success
much like a tiger sees its prey, fleeting,
but easy to capture if tackled with the
proper force. She spent her younger
years surrounded by five siblings,
smothered by the sticky heat of Bataan, a
small province a few hours from Manila.
Even though her life was simple, she
never stopped dreaming of something
bigger. Balancing being the oldest in a
family of six, my mother worked
tirelessly to achieve the seemingly
unattainable. After being accepted into
an inter-med program out of thousands
of students, she still wasn't satisfied.
While in medical school, she fought
hard to be the best in her class long hours
studying, sacrifice, and dedication finally
paying off. Alongside my father, she
quickly rose to be one of the top students
of her class.
This launched their careers to the US,
where they completed training in
Chicago. Throughout this whole process,
the uncertainty of their future hung in a
delicate balance; there was no room for
self-indulgence, doubt, or laziness. They
tell me stories of suffering, pain and
strength. The challenges they have had to
overcome inspire me to do the same, and
provide a spark for my passion.
Growing up in the U.S, I face my own
unique challenges. Instead of struggling
to gain opportunities, I take for granted
the wealth of opportunities my parents
have provided for me. In a world of sleek
city streets, it becomes easy to forget the
dusty roads from which my parents
came.
Entitlement
I face the same problem that so many
second-generation Filipinos encounter I
fight to ignite a passion within myself. An
ugly feeling of entitlement has crept into
my life. I, like so many others, am blinded
by superficial wealth. I shed my Filipino
skin in order to conform to my peers, and
lose touch with my roots.
However, the stories of my parents
provide me with a new perspective,
which grounds me to my Filipino values.
Their passion has provided our family
with so many opportunities, but their
sacrifices humble me to understand the
true value of our good fortune.
The true success of my parents is not
the gains of their material wealth, but the
values that they have passed on to their
children.
The hardships of life have not only
made my parents resilient, but have
given me a perspective on life, which I
never would have gained otherwise.
The “American Dream” is an illusion
success cannot be measured in dollars or
possessions. The passion in my parents
hearts, and the stories upon their lips,
have given allowed me to live out their
dream to the fullest extent.
They have turned their challenges
into a bright future, and given me the
tools I need in order to live a deeply
satisfying life. They have given me
irreplaceable values, sparking a passion
in my life, which will live with me for
years and years to come. Inquirer.net
Ayala rules
From page 11
approved the North Edsa common
station based on the technical studies,
that agency's Investment Coordinating
Committee, which green-lights big-ticket
projects, instead gave the go-ahead for a
TriNoMa station. This story just keeps
getting curioser and curiouser.)
SM filed the suit when it learned that
DOTC had also decided to bundle the deal
for the MRT-LRT common station, which
would feature a 300-meter “walkalator”
to TriNoMa to make up for the broken
connection, in the bidding for the LRT
Line 1 extension project to Bacoor,
Cavite. The bundling was obviously a
plan to render SM's claim moot and to
paper over any objection to the Ayalas'
takeover of the common station.
Abaya has said that only a Supreme
Court restraining order can stop the LRT
1 bidding, implying that SM is stopping
the project. This is a silly defense,
because the Sys simply want to protect
their rights and are actually forcing
DOTC to implement a project that it has
long ignored.
The SM suit, from where I sit, is
simply a bid to force the Aquino
administration and its clueless, scandalplagued DOTC to stick to what is right
and logical and what has already been
approved. And Ayala's shameless bid to
have government do its bidding despite
all sense, reason and the inviolability of
contracts just makes it look like a
conglomerate-size Napoles.
Of course, we all know how Ma'am
Jenny's gig ended. With any luck - and
when Ayala's political stooges have left
office - perhaps this other unelected
“government” will be overthrown, as
well.
June 20-26, 2014
Page 15
A US-based ...
From page 13
importance of a person's heritage when
he was growing up in Mindoro.
All his life he nurtured his interest in
Filipino culture, specifically the culture of
the Mangyan in his home province, their
traditional crafts, language, arts and
writing systems.
“When I was in Mindoro, I
volunteered at the Mangyan Heritage
Center. An aunt on my mother's side
married a Mangyan, so I have cousins
who are half-Mangyans,” he says.
“I am part of a vanishing culture
(and) an emerging future. To save my
heritage, I secure my legacy. I create
things for perpetuity. Whether it's
tangible or not, I give what I can and
share what I have. So that, in the future,
our descendants can say, 'look, this is
who we are,'” he says.
De los Santos says children of Filipino
immigrants usually grow up without a
cultural identity. Only a few are lucky
enough to have parents who can find time
to explain to them their roots.
The youth adopt the various cultures
around them. But they do not really fit in,
De los Santos says.
He says knowing one's cultural
heritage and identity gives a person
confidence and self-awareness. The
youth acquire a foundation on which they
can build true pride and recognize
limitations that they need to overcome.
Knowing one's identity, he says, also
makes young people more socially aware,
active in the community and sensitive to
the plight of the world's indigenous
peoples. It helps them rise above
discrimination and builds stronger
character so they can become better
citizens of the world.
Working with others
Protecting El Nido’s ...
From page 12
shore line protection and erosion
prevention. It also acts as a barrier to
storms and surge.
Experts said that if only there were a
healthy population of coral reefs in
Tacloban during supertyphoon Yolanda,
the damage would not have been as
calamitous as it was.
Lim, who has been going to Palawan
since the early 1980's and co-founded
Ten Knots Development Corporation
(now owned by Ayala Land) is concerned
on the effect of increased tourist arrivals
in El Nido. In 1994, recorded tourist
arrivals numbered only 10,000. In 2013,
more than 63,000 came to El Nido) or a
jump of about 600 percent.
The usual package offered by tour
operators island hopping (El Nido has a
lot to offer with it placid lagoons and
awesome caves.) which includes scuba
diving and snorkeling.
Saying that tourism is both an
opportunity and a threat, Irma Rose
Marcelo, executive director of ENFI, said
some of the tourism-related activities are
injurious to coral reefs are anchor
damage, snorkeler and diver
damage,Boat strike, pollution solid
wastes, eutrophication in ground water
from towns, villages and establishments,
sediment run-offs from land clearing,
overfishing, and illegal fishing. Climate
c h a n g e , t h e c h a n g e o f o c e a n' s
temperature is also wreaking havoc on
the coral reefs.
Even the fun practice of fish feeding
by tourists. Jayson Gonzales said until he
trained with ENFI and Green Fins, he
didn't know it. “I even provided bread
pieces to tourists to feed the fish so they
would come, he said.
Now, at the beginning of the islands
tour,“Don't feed the fish” is one of the
“Do's and Don'ts “ that he gives.
“I work with various individuals and
groups that have a similar goal. We spread
awareness through mentorship,
partnerships, collaborations, community
event participation, commercial ventures,
online sites and social media, networking
and other means possible and/or
necessary to get out there and share,” he
says.
He presented Baybayin at the
International Workshop on Endangered
Scripts of Island Southeast Asia in
February in Tokyo, Japan hosted by the
Linguistic Dynamics Science Project of the
Research Institute for Languages and
Cultures of Asia and Africa (ILCAA).
Aside from lecturing, De los Santos
was involved in Tuklas-Discover the
Indigenous Cultures of the Philippines,
which was part of the Philippine
Expressions Bookshop 30th anniversary
celebration and the Asian Pacific
American Heritage Month in May.
The event was highlighted by the
presentation of kulintang; Filipino
martial arts, textiles and clothing, and
Baybayin writing systems among other
things. The event was hosted by the
Croatian Cultural Center of Greater Los
Angeles. De los Santos also published the
graphic novel series “Anak Bathala.” He is
working on a new book, “Modern
Baybayin.” He maintains a blog,
nordenx.blogspot.com, that offers free
tutorial on Microsoft application of the
Baybayin.
De los Santos collaborates with
indigenous peoples from other countries
by having dialogues and regular
correspondence and holding workshops
and conferences so they can learn from
each other.
He is collaborating with the Native
Americans and Canadians, Hawaiians and
recently, Indonesians, Australians and
Japanese. He is also working with other
Filipinos who are scholars and advocates
of endangered scripts. Inquirer.net
Feeding fish disrupts the food cycle
and causes serious damage on coral reefs.
In the natural underwater food cycle, fish
eats algae on the coral reefs. When
humans feed the fishes, they no longer
eat the algae, which overgrows and
suffocates the coral reef to death.
Damaged coral reefs means
decreased fish production which could
lead to food crisis and malnutrition of the
human population.
Marcelo said a 2009 assessment of
coral reef condition in El Nido showed
coral cover of living hard corals averaged
26 percent which is a fair condition while
soft coral cover overall was lower,
averaging 4 percent.
As it take hundreds of years for a
coral reef to grow, so does rehabilitation
of damaged coral reefs. EENFI, which is
restoring dynamite-damaged Reefs in
Tres Marias islands near the West
Philippine Sea, says it's a very slow
process. It takes a year to heal and restore
one centimeter of coral reef.
Green Fins believes that diving and
snorkeling centers are uniquely
positioned to act within their own
communities and among customers to
encourage positive and lasting change.
It's members are expected to adhere to a
Code of Conduct such as No Touching of
coral reefs and not anchoring on coral
reefs.
Green Fins has also come up with
icons on their guidelines so that it would
be understood regardless of
nationalities.
ENFI's Charlie Yu recalls the early
years when they had the whole island of
Shimizu to themselves when they visited
Palawan. He said the island now is a
favorite picnic area of tourists.
He said being a father, he wants to
bequeath to his children an El Nido that
may not be as spectacular as he found it
but still awesome. “We are doing this for
the next generation,” he said.
Parangal to showcase Ta'u Sug
artistry in SF ethnic dance fest
By Lydia Neff
SAN FRANCISCO,
California -- The Bay Area's
Parangal Dance Company,
representing the Philippines
with Ta'u Sug movements,
will get another opportunity
to showcase its artistry at
this year's San Francisco
Ethnic Dance Festival, on
June 21and 22 at the Yerba
Buena Center for the Arts.
For the company's fifth
year of participating in the
festival, Artistic Director and
Founder Eric Solano did
several researches through
indigenous resources while
traveling in the Philippines
to prepare for the festival
auditions.
“Of all the pieces we have
performed at the festival, the
Ta'u Sug piece this year will
be the most rooted piece we
have ever worked on,” Solano
explained.
The piece consists of
chants/songs, traditional
attire, visual arts, wedding
decorations, ukkil designs,
wedding mats and bungalima or hand movements
that the company learned
from a couple of masters in
Philippines. The decor is
inspired by a 1930s Tausug
wedding. “The attires have
never been seen/worn in the
last 20 years of my
Philippine dance
experience,” Solano added.
Solano consulted with
Ta'u Sug cultural master Sitti
Obeso, also known as Aunty
Lingling, who helped with
the story line of the
performance, including the
chants, songs and costumes.
He then asked the guidance
from award-winning visual
artist Mark Tolentino for
design details related to
overall attire and
decorations during the precolonial time. After eighthour weekly rehearsals,
Parangal finally got into the
festival.
“Being part of the Ethnic
Dance Festival audition and
the festival itself gives us the
opportunity to share our
culture to the San Francisco
Bay Area audience. This is
where many cultures come
to watch the festival,” Solano
said.
He said the company tries
u
Page 19
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Page 17
24th Annual Philippine-American
Friendship Day Celebration
June 20-26, 2014
Page 18
nd
2 Annual Philippine
Graduation in New York
NEW YORK, 11 June 2014 -- FilipinoAmerican fresh graduates gathered and
celebrated their accomplishments
together at the second annual Philippine
Graduation at the Philippine Center New
York last 9 June 2014, organized by
Pilipino Unity for Progress (UniPro) and
Legacy New York in cooperation with the
Philippine Consulate General.
About 30 gleeful students from New
York, New Jersey and even as far as
Washington, DC - whose majors ranged
from various fields of Medical Sciences,
Business Management, Communications
and Arts - participated in the ceremony.
When Consul General gave his
welcome address, he quoted a few lines
from the cult pop song “Everybody's Free
to Wear Sunscreen” to frame his advice
for the youth. He stressed the
importance of understanding their
heritage as Filipino-Americans and
keeping a strong network of like-minded
people who share their values as a
support group while they build their
careers. He urged them to capitalize on
the virtues of the Filipino to achieve their
life goals and be able to contribute and
give back to the community.
First Filipino-American Federal
District Judge Lorna Schoefield gave the
keynote speech and shared to the youth
her adventures growing up and her
journey as a child of an immigrant
mother that led to her present success.
She encouraged them to as well go out
and explore the world, be in the way of
opportunities and seek out ways to
better themselves.
Judge Schoelfield reminded everyone
that her office is open to all of them,
whether they are interested in law or not,
should they need her assistance and
advice.
St. John's University's Filipino
student organization, P.A.R.E., reprised
the cultural skit they performed during
Battle of the Barrios last March, which
drew cheers and laughter from the
audience during the intermission.
New York University B.A. Journalism
graduate and UniPro staff member
Kristina Rodulfo delivered the class
valedictory address; she suggested that
her peers find a role model they can look
up to and strive to as well be an
inspiration to others.
The graduates received a customized
P-Grad medal and a diploma written in
Filipino signed by the Consul General.
The Filipino-American graduating class of 2014 pose with Consul General Mario L. De Leon, Jr., Federal District
Judge Lorna Schoefield and Vice Consul Khrys Corpuz after the ceremony. (Photo by Art Romua)
Clockwise from top right: Judge Schoefield tells the grads, “Go in the way of opportunities”; Kalayaan Hall was
packed with graduates and their family and friends; Sulita Lopez-Sahagun - flanked by Judge Schoefiled and
Consul General De Leon - who graduated Master of Nurse Practitioner joined the PGRAD with her daughter
Princess who graduated BS Health Sciences; St. John University's PARE still charms with a repeat performance
of their Battle of the Barrios skit. (Photos by Art Romua)
June 20-26, 2014
Page 19
UP Alumni-SF culture
summer camp for Fil-Am
kids opens for enrollment
L to R: Virginia Estacio-Monteagudo, Abby Vasquez, Nitz Bernabe, Jeffrey Abatayo, Ludi
Hughes, Abe Aquino, Dr. Mariliza Lacap-Tong and Arni Villajuan.
nd
2 Filipino American Festival
in Bergenfield ready to go
The FILIPINO AMERICAN
FESTIVAL INC. is set for
Sunday, July 13, 2014 from
10:00AM to 7:00PM at
VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK,
NEW BRIDGE ROAD,
BERGENFIELD, NEW JERSEY
i n B E R G E N C O U N T Y.
Sponsored by 1st 2nd Mortgage
Company, Washington Dental
Associates: Smile More, Live
More, Fritzie's Bake Shop and
RDR Cargo Express, these
sponsors will once again
continue to support Filipinos
residing in Bergen County as a
way of giving back to our
community. The event will
showcase our culture, explore
the taste of our delectable
foods and an exciting
entertainment to be
performed by our local artists
a n d t a l e n t s . T h e
entertainment committee
headed by our energetic
couple, Abe Aquino and
Rowena Aquino promised to
have the best performers to
woo the crowd. This event is
in cooperation with the
Borough of Bergenfield. Many
government officials are
invited and the organizer
wants to make sure that they
will be around to dignify the
event. We need to be updated
on issues they legislate. These
politicians should be able to
see that we the Filipinos can
make a difference in every
election and could be the
swing voters and that is
powerful. We need to know
what is it for us and how
important for us to get
informed, said Ludi Hughes,
President of FAFI.
Our media partners The
Filipino Express, Filipino
Reporter, Asian Journal and
WRMN Radio Pinoy USA are
just happy to support us.
Mr. Alex Dacula, the
Chairman of FAFI is happy to
support this event. Many from
the business sectors of the
community are supporting
this event including
organizations like Philippine
Nurses Association of NJ
headed by Belle Villafuerte
and of course our supporter
from the very beginning,
Philippine Nurses Association
of Bergen County headed by
Vicky Javier. The Members of
the Board of Directors, Alex
Dacula-Chairman, Ludi
Hughes-President, Abe
Aquino-VP for External Affairs,
VP for Internal Affairs-Jeffrey
Abatayo, Rey Carillo-Treaurer,
Virginia Estacio-MonteagudoSecretary make sure that
everything will be in order.
The Board of Trustees
Andy Pada,Jr, Dr. Mariliza
Lacap-Tong, Rommel del
Rosario, Jessica Herb,RN and
Gabby Morton. are happy and
excited of this upcoming
festival and assure that our
Filipino Festival will be a very
exciting one. Together with the
preparations are the members
of the Committee, Rowena
Aquino, Cristy Gania, Lyza
Echon, Nitz Bernabe, Abby
Vasquez, Arni Villajuan,
Patrick Hughes, and Don de
Vera and many more will
devote their time to this one of
a kind festival. The Philippine
Nurses Association of Bergen
County and PNANJ are happy
to render their services to all
the people coming to the event
by taking their blood pressure
and many more.
For more information
about this festival or to become
donors and benefactors please
get in touch with Ludi Hughes
201-841-3070, Alex Dacula
201-522-4715, Abe Aquino
2 0 1 - 7 5 7 - 2 5 7 6
( E n t e r t a i n m e n t ) , Ru b e n
Serrano 201-682-8005 and
Jessica Herb 201-452-4384.
You can also visit to get flyers
from 1st2nd Mortgage
Company, Washington Dental,
Fritzie's Bakery and Pistahan
Re s t a u ra n t o r v i s i t o u r
w e b s i t e :
www.filipinoamericanfestival.
com or email us at
filipinoamericanfestival@gma
il.com.
SAN FRANCISCO, California -Alumni of the University of the
Philippines in the Bay Area are calling on
parents who want their kids to learn
more about their Filipino heritage and be
inspired by Fil-Am role models, to
register in the second annual Filipino
Cultural Immersion Summer Camp. The
camp is open to Filipino youth from 10 to
17 years old.
The University of the Philippines
Alumni Association of San Francisco
(UPAA-SF) is holding the two-week camp
on weekdays from July 7 to 18, from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Community Room of
the Holy Child St. Martin Church on 777
Southgate St. in Daly City. Graduation is
on July 19.
Experts on various aspects of Filipino
culture such as history, Kulintang music,
native folk dances, literature, history,
Tagalog, local cuisine and arts will teach
the children. This year, a healthy living
module and Filipino martial arts will be
added to the curriculum.
Campers will meet Filipino American
role models and celebrities, “Balitang
America's” Gel Santos Relos, Henni
Espinosa, and Daly City council member
and former mayor Ray Buenaventura.
Daly City mayor David Canepa will also
grace the event. UP System President
Alfredo Pascual, who will be visiting the
UP Bay Area community from the
Philippines, will address the students on
their last day in camp on July 18.
“My child always came home
speaking new Tagalog phrases every day
when he did not even speak a word of
Last year's UPAA-SF Filipino Cultural Immersion
Campers and their mentors. Contributed photo
Tagalog before the camp,” said one
Filipino parent whose child attended last
year's camp.
UPAA-SF President and Camp's
Program Chair Letty Quizon said: “We
hope to top the successful Filipino
immersion camp we held last year at the
Bessie Carmichael School in San
Francisco that drew a lot of positive
feedback from parents and participants.”
To register, contact Letty Quizon at
lettyquizon@gmail.com or Sonia Delen
at soniadelen@gmail.com or they can
visit www.upaa-sf.org to download
registration forms.
U PA A - S F ' s F i l i p i n o C u l t u r a l
Immersion Camp is made possible
through a grant of the Ramar Foods
Scholarship Foundation headed by
Ramar Foods President Susie Quesada,
and its community partners, the
Philippine Consulate General in San
Francisco, the Office of the San Francisco
Mayor's Adviser on Education and
Family Services, the Holy Child St. Martin
Church, and AARP-California.
Inquirer.net
September 30, 2014
September 30, 2014
Parangal ... From page 15
its best every year to audition and present its
dances as its contribution to the community.
“And also for the indigenous people back home
who have shared with us their dances, we work
to create awareness and showcase their culture
here,” Solano said.
The Ethnic Dance Festival will be held at
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Parangal
Dance Company is scheduled to perform on June
21and 22.
Parangal Dance Company's future projects
include its 7th Anniversary show in September
2015 and participation in the International
Folkmoot International Dance Festival in North
Carolina to represent Philippine native dances.
For more information about parangal, you
can visit their website at
http://www.parangaldance.org/. Inquirer.net
June 20-26, 2014
Page 20
Canada-funded project results
in P728-M tourism investment
By Melody M. Aguiba
(From left) Habitat for Humanity CEO Charlie Ayco, Mayor Raul Corro, Lolito
Nanquilada and family, Lafarge President Don Lee, French Chamber of Commerce
President Cyril Rocke, and Nanquilada's other relatives pose before the disasterresilient model house in Barangay Agujo, Daanbantayan, Cebu.
Northern Cebu gets a
little help from France
French businesses, institutions and NGOs join
forces to construct disaster-resilient 'French
villages' in two barangays in Northern Cebu
By Em P. Guevara
In the wake of the catastrophic
Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013,
upon the request of the French
Ambassador to the Philippines HE
Gilles Garachon, France-Philippines
United Action (FPUA), a
communication and coordination
structure, was created to facilitate
relief activities led by the French
business community in the
Philippines. Don Lee, president of
Lafarge Cement Philippines was
proposed as Chairman, and Steven
Rouche, managing director of the
French Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, offered to manage and host
the project. FPUA is directed by a
MANILA -- Exporters from
Central Luzon are lamenting a new
Department of Agriculture policy,
which is expected to result in
unemployment and reduced export
revenues for seagrass farmers in the
region.
Fisheries Administrative Order
(FAO) 250, which has banned the
collection, harvesting, gathering,
selling and exporting of brown algae
and seagrass to preserve the marine
ecosystem, is expected to adversely
affect the farmers and other
marginalized people who are highly
dependent on this raw material for
their livelihood.
Malou Balano, executive director
of Philippine Exporters
Confederation Inc. (Philexport)
and Baras Bird Sanctuary
(home to 20,000 migratory
birds). There is also a visit to
Lake Sebu Falls Nature Park and
a ride adventure to Southeast
Asia's highest zipline.
LGSP-LED has so far linked
up with tour operators through
the Philippine Travelmart and
online tour market.
With income initially from
tourism, South Cotabato may
further develop its rich natural
resource for longer economic
development programs. It has
2 2 , 0 0 0 h e c t a re s o f fa rm
irrigation; has suitable land
with existing pineapple, banana
and tree crops in the upland. Its
mountain ranges are rich in
biodiversity and rich T'boli
cultural craft practices by
indigenous people. It also rich
in gold, copper and silver.
The AVLDA Tourism Circuit
is also expanding. It is
connected to a Sultan Kudarat
destination. This includes visit
to inland reosrts, oil palm
plantations, Marguez Hot and
Cold Spring, and coffee
plantations.
In South Cotabato, there are
visits to the Fortune Field
Resort (farm for culinary catfish
and freshwater fishes), Corn
H u s k H a n d i c ra f t C e n t e r,
Tripeople Monument, organic
Leadership Committee, comprised of
representatives of the French
C h a m b e r, t h e C o n s e i l l e r s d u
Commerce Exterieur, and leading
French firms in the Philippines.
With FPUA, French businesses,
institutions and NGOs have joined
forces to consolidate their
humanitarian efforts into a common
and coordinated action. FPUA and its
partners are currently leading
rehabilitation projects in Northern
Cebu, a coastal area which was one of
the hardest-hit by the super typhoon
last year. The projects aim to construct
“French villages” resistant to high
intensity earthquakes and high
By Esther Misa Chavez
velocity winds in two barangays in
Daanbantayan, Cebu.
u
Page 21
LOS ANGELES, California -Philippine Airlines on June 12
celebrated auspicious events at
the Beverly Hills Wilshire Hotel
with two hundred attendees
from the travel industry, Boeing
and GE Aviation officials,
government and the Filipino
American community eagerly
awaiting the announcement of
“something big.”
Region 3, was quoted in a statement
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia
as saying that seagrass being
Jr., giving a toast on the 116th PAL President Ramon Ang receives crystal engine trophy from Charles
harvested was being used as a
c o m m e m o r a t i o n o f t h e Jackson of GE Aviation. Inquirer photo
material for Philippine handicrafts,
Philippine Independence, also
as earlier recommended by the
announced the reinstatement of maintenance costs and 25 rating upgrade at the soonest
Department of Trade and Industry.
possible time, and
Philippine Aviation rating to percent more efficient.
“The DTI supported this project.
Passengers can also avail of congratulated General William
Category 1, welcomed PAL's
In fact, we have developed bags,
spanking new fleet of 777- Internet service on board, text, Hatchkiss and his team for
slippers, baskets and other
ER300 long-range wide body call or surf during the long getting it done.
accessories that are being exported
T h e re i n s t a t e m e n t t o
twin engine Boeing jetliners flight. During peak seasons, like
already,” Balano disclosed.
and the formal launch of the the holidays, there will be no Category 1 Aviation safety
To address the impact of ban on
airline's “Triple Seven” fleet more refueling in Guam, only r a t i n g p r o v e s t h a t t h e
selling and exporting seagrass on the
Philippines is committed to
service to the US starting with direct flights to Manila.
export sector, Balano has proposed
P A L a p p l a u d e d t h e international aviation safety
the Manila-Los Angeles route.
the identification of other or
R a m o n S . A n g , P A L reinstatement of the Philippine standards and capable of
alternative areas, where seagrass can
president and chief operating Aviation service to Category 1, enforcing training and safety
be legally cultivated and harvested or
o f f i c e r, a n n o u n c e d t h e after having being downgraded standards. Thus allowing
monitored.
retirement of their 747s, which to Category 2 by the United Philippine carriers expanded
The DA earlier explained that the
have flown the skies for more S t a t e s Fe d e r a l Av i a t i o n service in the United States and
restrictions set under FAO No. 250
other countries.
than two decades, proudly Authority some six years ago.
were meant to protect the marine
Ambassador Cuisia
The upgraded aviation
enumerating the benefits of the
u
Page 22
“Triple Sevens” - 25 percent less commended President Aquino s a fe t y ra t i n g a l l o w s t h e
u
Page 21
f u e l , 4 0 p e r c e n t l o w e r on his mandate to get the safety
PH exporters lament
seagrass harvest ban
By Amy R. Remo
A Canada-funded tourism
project has generated P728.9
million investments and is
boosting tourism that is
uplifting lives of indigenous
people in South Cotabato
The Local Governance
Support Program for Local
Economic Development (LGSPLED) has generated public
investment of P561.4 million
from 2011 to 2013.
Funds were poured into
access to key tourism sites.
From the private sector, it
generated P167.5 million in
investments from 2011 to
March 2014.
It is creating job
opportunities in the province
which should turn people away
from destruction of South
Cotabato's rich natural
resources, according to South
Cotabato Governor Daisy P.
Avance-Fuentes, chairman of
the Allah Valley Landscape
Development Alliance (AVLDA).
“If people have jobs, they
will avoid destructive activities
in the upland areas because
they have alternative sources of
income,” said Fuentes in an
AVLDA program presentation.
Since 2011, 180 new male
jobs and 167 female jobs have
been created.
With the program funded by
the Canadian International
Development AGency, there
was an increase in overnight
tourists to Allah Valley by more
than 25 percent annually.
Still, AVLDA, coimplemented with the LGU by
the Canadian Urban Institute,
has to work out in peace and
order programs to further
promote South Cotabato.
“Because there is a need to
counter the negative perception
a b o u t A l l a h Va l l e y a n d
Mindanao as a whole, we spent
more or less 50 percent of our
local project resources in
building the image of Allah
Va l l e y a s a m u s t - v i s i t
destination, foremost to the
domestic market,” said Fuentes.
The provincial government
of South Cotabato has coproduced an independent film
about the Dreamweavers in
Lake Sebu.
With this, Lake Sebu was
awarded in October last year as
number two among Top 10
Philippine Gems hosted by the
Price Waterhouse Coopers
network,
Included in the tourism
program are the Allah Valley
Mystical Tour which involves a
camp in Lake Holon, crater lake
of Mt. Melbingoy (Mt. Parker),
Allah Valley Wildlife Encounter,
PAL hosts Beverly Hills reception
for new fleet, 777 Manila-LA flight,
PH aviation safety upgrade
June 20-26, 2014
Page 21
INQUIRER.net VP for US Sales Esther Misa Chavez, PAL President Ramon
Ang, PositivelyFilipino.com Publisher Mona Lisa Yuchengco and San
Francisco-Manila Sister Cities President Carmen Colet at PAL's Beverly Hills
reception. Inquirer photo
PAL hosts ...
From page 20
country's national carrier to
operate in other US cities and
expand frequencies. New targeted
markets are New York, Chicago
and Florida. The Honolulu-Manila
route will resume in October.
San Francisco based Tourism
Director Rene de los Santos, who
represented Secretary of Tourism
Ramon Jimenez Jr., looked
forward to the influx of more
tourists to the Philippines as a
result of the government's efforts
to improve tourism services in the
country and the expanded
s e r v i c e s o f PA L . H e a l s o
Northern Cebu
gets ... From page 20
Two sites, 203 houses
The construction of the first
French village was started in
Barangay Agujo last January 25.
The project,which has been
sponsored principally by Lafarge
Cement Philippines, costs
approximately $500,000, which is
the estimated budget for
construction and site
development. Seventy-five homes
are now under construction on the
5,400-square meters of land
bequeathed by the Cebu
provincial government to the
Municipality of Daanbantayan.
The house design is based on the
Hypar model, an innovative and
highly resistant design. Target
date of completion for Site 1 is
December of this year. Other
project partners are
Commanderie de Bodeaux,
Schneider, Schonberg and Boulbil,
Megacem Inc., Archetype, Manille
Bienvenue, and Sanofi.
A larger site for the second
French village was launched in
Barangay Paypay last May 16,
during the France-Philippines
Day. This project is led by the
French Red Cross in collaboration
with Habitat for Humanity. In the
second site, 128 houses, four
multi-purpose centers and a
wastewater recycling facility will
be constructed in an area of
13,500 square meters, which has
been donated by the sister of
Daanbantayan Mayor Augusto
Corro. Target date of completion is
June 2015.
Site 2 is where donations
made by the French Red Cross will
be allocated. This $1 million
project, the estimated budget for
construction and site
development, will be completed
through other donors such as
Lafarge Cement, Caisse Des
Depots et Consignations-
announced that tourists can now
avail of a 30-day visa free stay in
the Philippines.
Randy Tinsett , VP for
Marketing of Boeing Company,
presented Ramon Ang a poster of
the “Triple Seven” jetliner. While
Charles Jackson of GE Aviation
Company, gave him a crystal
trophy of the GE90 Triple Seven
engine. Two lucky winners won
LA-Manila roundtrip business
class tickets. Talk show host
Jannelle So of “Kababayan Today,”
emceed the proceedings.
Lani Misalucha, highly
acclaimed Las Vegas entertainer
and “Asia's Nightingale” wowed
the guests with her powerful
voice. Inquirer.net
Developpement Solidaire (CDC),
To t a l P h i l i p p i n e s , L' O r e a l
Philippines, and Sanofi.
(BEFORE) Bonifacio Global City
(AFTER) Bonifacio Global City
Let's take a look at
what BCDA's plans are
By Amy R. Remo
The country's former and
current military bases have been
braving a different kind of
revolution for over two decades.
And it is one that saw an
extensive, radical, yet progressive
kind of transformation of what
once served as soldiers' barracks,
to become world-class business
districts that now housed an array
of skyscrapers, offices of local and
multinational firms, upscale
commercial and residential
complexes, and other modern
towering structures.
Serving as the catalyst to all
these changes is the state-run
Bases Conversion and
Development Authority, which has
been at the forefront of the
government's thrust to either
dispose, redevelop or modernize
military camps across the country.
BCDA president and CEO Arnel
Paciano D. Casanova explains in an
interview that the agency was put
up mainly to accelerate the
conversion of military reservations
into other productive uses and
utilize the proceeds for
modernization of the Armed Forces
of the Philippines. It was also
tasked to invest in serial economic
zones, as well as encourage the
active participation of the private
sector in transforming the Clark
(Pampanga) and Subic (Zambales)
military reservations and their
extensions into other productive
uses.
As further provided by
Republic Act No. 7227 or the Bases
Conversion and Development Act
of 1992, the BCDA's capital shall
come from the sale and/or transfer
of certain Metro Manila camps,
which include Fort Bonifacio,
Villamor Air Base, Camp Bago
Bantay, and Camp Claudio, among
others.
So far, the BCDA has generated
P60.21 billion in proceeds for the
period of May 1993 to endDecember 2013 from the
disposition of former Metro Manila
camps, the biggest of which were
Fort Bonifacio and Villamor Air
Base. Of the total proceeds, the AFP
got the lion's share at P25.36
billion, while the 14 other
government beneficiaries received
a total of P7.36 billion.
Data from the BCDA showed
that as of end-2013, the agency has
disposed about 85 percent of the
6 . 7 7 m i l l i o n - h e c t a re Fo r t
Bonifacio; 92 percent of Villamor
Air Base; 20.5 percent of Camp
Atienz/Melchor; 100 percent of
Jusmag; and 100 percent of Camp
Bago Bantay. Most of the blocks
were disposed through joint
venture agreements with the
BCDA, lease or outright sale, while
the other areas were used for
heritage parks, housing projects,
for roads and utilities, and other
purposes.
Investment in the BCDAmanaged special economic zones
and the Bonifacio Global City have
also reached P552 billion while the
total number of jobs generated
during the period stood at 237,516.
Groundbreaking and Model
House unveiling
During the groundbreaking
ceremony in Barangay Paypay last
May 16, Cyril Rocke, president of
the French Chamber of Commerce
Modern metropolis
in the Philippines and FPUA Board
But the BCDA's mission is far
member says: “FPUA, The French
from
finished.
Chamber, and French donors are
“We
are only on our 22nd year.
also extremely grateful to their
What we intend to do is to complete
local partners, the mayor and
u
Page 22
community leaders of the
municipality of Daanbantayan, as
well as partner NGOs, Habitat for
Humanity and Gawad Kalinga, for
their unwavering support.” The
ceremony was followed by the
m o d e l h o u s e u nve i l i n g i n
Barangay Agujo.
“As we see the outpouring of
continuous support given to those
affected, we would like to
supplement these inspirational
By Amy R. Remo
also expected to discuss how the Asean. There is a huge interest in
efforts by the rebuilding of
t w o c o u n t r i e s c o u l d the country right now,” Rodolfo
permanent homes in the affected
MANILA -- Japanese companies “synchronized” their respective added.
communities,” says Don Lee,
president of Lafarge Holdings
are looking to make the Philippines policies to realize that vision of
The dialogue will be attended
(Philippines), Inc. and committee
their manufacturing hub in the establishing a manufacturing hub by representatives from state-run
chairman of FPUA, during the
Asean given the continued robust in the country.
agencies such as the Philippine
ceremony. “We are committed to
performance of the Philippine
According to Rodolfo, the Institute for Development Studies,
helping families get back on their
economy, the Department of Trade Japanese delegation is being led by N a t i o n a l E c o n o m i c a n d
feet by providing them with an
and Industry said Friday, June 13.
Toshiyuki Sakamoto, deputy D e v e l o p m e n t A u t h o r i t y ,
assurance of their future by
Trade Assistant Secretary director general for trade policy at D e p a r t m e n t o f F i n a n c e ,
delivering the peace of mind that
Ceferino S. Rodolfo told reporters the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Development Academy of the
comes from a safe and durable
that the Industrial Cooperation Trade and Industry (Meti). Also Philippines, Department of Labor
home.” Lafarge has committed to
Dialogue between the Philippines part of the delegation, which would and Employment, Department of
construct the first 40 houses in
and Japan, which is being held comprise mostly the small and Science and Technology, Technical
Site 1.
Monday, is meant to “advance the medium enterprises in Japan, is Education and Skills Development
The disaster-resilient house,
existing cooperation” and further Kazumi Nishikawa, special adviser Authority, and both houses of
which can accommodate a family
boost trade and investment ties to the minister at Meti and Congress.
of four, is specially designed by
between the two countries.
executive director at the Japan
Also attending the meeting are
social architect Edric Florentino to
The meeting will look into how External Trade Organization o f f i c i a l s o f t h e P h i l i p p i n e
withstand up to intensity 8
the Philippines can be a further (Jetro) Singapore.
Automotive Federation Inc., Toyota
earthquakes and 275 kilometer
viable
destination
for
industrial
“Representatives
from
Toyota
Motor
Philippines Co., Mitsubishi
per hour winds. Each house is 44
foreign investments by Japanese Japan are also expected to be at the Motors Philippines, as well as IDEsquare meters and will have a
firms, for human development, and dialogue to share their experiences Jetro, Research Institute of
garden area of 10 square meters.
for enhancing competitiveness of as to what is really happening in the Economy, Trade and Industry, and
Habitat for Humanity will oversee
the small- and medium-sized global automotive industry and the National Graduate Institute for
the construction of the houses as
enterprises (SMEs).
how the Philippines can position Po l i c y S t u d i e s f ro m J a p a n .
well as provide contractors,
High-level trade officials are itself as a development hub in Inquirer.net
foremen, and gather volunteers to
help with the build. u
Page 29
Japan firms eye PH as
regional manufacturing hub
June 20-26, 2014
Page 22
Canada-funded ...
From page 20
An artist's concept of how Destileria Limtuaco, Inc.'s proposed new labels may look like. Mark Diamat
Suave Rizal or smooth
Bonifacio? Liquor firm
wants heroes for brands
By Maila Ager
MANILA -- Rizal is suave but
Bonifacio is smoother.
What? Senator Pia Cayetano
is waging a battle against a
Philippine liquor company's
proposal to name some of its
brands after national heroes and
historical sites.
Destileria Limtuaco, Inc.
intends to register with the
Intellectual Property Office the
names of several Philippine
heroes like Rizal, Bonifacio, and
Gomburza as brand names for its
alcoholic beverage products.
Cayetano is not pleased,
saying such move “threatens to
desecrate, misappropriate and
trivialize their national and
historic significance.”
“Dr. Jose Rizal, Gat Andres
Bonifacio and the three martyred
priests (Padre Mariano Gomez,
Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora)
all laid their lives for the freedom
and rights we enjoy today, and
this is how Destileria Limtuaco
intends to honor them?,” asked
Cayetano, head of the Senate
committee on education, arts and
culture.
“Or are they simply taking
advantage of their good names to
reap the benefits by having their
names and images emblazoned
on their bottles of whisky, gin,
brandy and rhum?”
Callous, un-Filipino
“It boggles my mind that the
corporate executives of this
company are so callous and unFilipino that they would
appropriate the names of
Philippine heroes and landmarks
for use on their alcoholic
products which are known vices,”
she said.
C aye t a n o a l s o s t ro n gly
criticized the IPO for allowing the
farms, Cultural Village (which has
T'boli culture and T'nalak weaving,
bead making, brass casting), wood
carving factory, museum and house of
gongs, and T'Boli School of Living
Traditition.
The program has also conducted
the First South Mindanao Tourism
Investment Conference to promote the
project. It trained 361 tourism workers
and entrepreneurs on industry skills,
quality enhancement, and enterprise
management.
Skills include
housekeeping, food and beverage, and
tour guiding.
The program originally wanted to
take advantage of past disasters to
develop cooperation in Sotuh Cotabato.
Provincial areas were destroyed by
the Maughan flash floods of March
2006 when Lake Maughan water
spilled due to heavy rains. In 1995,
thousands of people in South Cotabato,
Sultan Kudarat, and Maguindanao
were displaced and 24 people were
killed when the lake's walls fell.
The program organized a
convergence team composed of
national government agencies and
regional teams. It trained touristoriented police for community order
and protection. It trained six local
economic investment and promotions
officer. However, it has to be supported
by other extensive environment and
job generation projects.
“Despite, people still resort to
unsustainable means of livelihood,
which destroys the landscape- kaingin,
logging, pag-uuling (charcoal-making)
and illegal mining. Because people
remain poor, they needed to survive on
a day to day basis,” she said.
Programs of AVLDA are capability
building (manpower training), remote
sensing and geographic information
systems mapping, community
mapping for barangay development,
riparian (land and river) zone
vegetation, rainforestation and
upstream resource development, and
sub-watershed adoption and
forestland co-management.
Other programs are river
improvement , law enforcement
support, disaster risk reduction, and
solid waste management. Manila
Bulletin
Expressway, Tarlac-Pangasinan-La
Union Expressway and eventually the
From page 21
Central Luzon Expressway.
“You have four major tollways
the privatization process here in Metro
converging in Clark and it's right in the
Manila and open new opportunities
heart of Luzon. It really makes sense to
outside Metro Manila, which is in Clark.
create a new city. Manila will always
We believe that Clark is the future, so
grow but having Clark set up as a new
we are looking at concluding the
city will put pressure on Metro Manila
disposal of assets here and other minor
and thus improve the life of its
initial approval of DLI's
camps. Hopefully, all the privatization,
residents.
We see the rise of Clark as a
application to register
the disposition activities will be done
synergy between the two cities,”
“Intramuros,” as a liquor brand.
by 2015, and that's next year,” Casanova
Casanova explains.
“I cannot understand how the
says. “Our focus now is for the BCDA to
Based on the Clark Green City
IPO, a government agency that is
continue being an economic catalyst.”
District Plan, the new metropolis will
tasked to uphold the law and the
With the expectations of being able
have five districts, namely, the
national interest, would allow the
to complete its planned asset
government district; central business
name of a national heritage site to
disposition program by next year, the
district; academic district, agri-forestry
be reduced into a brand of an
BCDA has begun to undertake a more
research and development district; and
intoxicating beverage? The IPO
ambitious goal of setting up a new
the wellness and eco-tourism district.
metropolis that will ease the pressure
could have used its authority
At full development, Clark Green
on Metro Manila to be called the “Clark
instead to reject the application
City would contribute approximately
Green City.”
P1.57 trillion per year to the economy
outright,” she said.
According to BCDA, the 9,450-ha
of the country and will generate
“The trademark examiner
Clark Green City is expected to serve as
925,000 jobs.
has the discretion to deny an
the
urban
core
of
the
Central
Luzon
At present, the BCDA is waiting for
application during the
metropolis, which is also seen to play a
the final approval from President
substantive examination based
crucial role in increasing the country's
Aquino to put out on bidding the first
on Section 123 of the Intellectual
competitiveness amid the ongoing
phase development of the Clark Green
Property Code. If he or she denies
regional economic integration among
City, comprising some 1,300 ha out of
it, then it will not be allowed for
the member states of the Asean.
the total area of 9,450 ha.
publication for purposes of
“We need to build a new city,
For the first phase, Casanova says
opposition,” she further said.
because Manila generates about 36
they are eyeing local and foreign real
The senator then noted the
percent of GDP, and yet it is losing P2.4
estate developers, industrial park
“very strict guidelines” of the
billion to traffic. Metro Manila is losing
builders, township builders, and
Intellectual Property Code
P2.4 billion a day, we cannot sustain a 7institutional developers as among the
percent growth. We need to create
u
Page 29
initial investors at the Clark Green City.
different urban areas to serve as
The University of the Philippines is so
economic drivers,” he notes.
far its first locator. According to BCDA,
“With cities serving as economic
the first phase of development for the
drivers, we really need to create a new
1,300 ha, which will be divided into
metropolitan area that is not too near
several lots and packages, is expected
but not too far from Manila, and that is
to generate some P59 billion worth of
Clark. The idea of creating a new city is
investments to be shouldered mainly
very timely given the continued rise in
by the international and local private
population growth,” Casanova further
sector proponents.
says.
“We expect to complete all these in
According to the BCDA chief, Clark
30 years' time. In the greater scheme of
is a highly strategic location given the
things in urban development, 30 years
availability of crucial infrastructure in
is actually fast, and an optimistic
and around Clark such as the seaport in
assessment. But if we're growing 7
Subic, airport in Clark, and the four
percent a year, then that target is
tollways, namely, the North Luzon
achievable,” Casanova concludes.
Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac
Inquirer.net
Let’s take a ...
PH exporters ...
From page 20
ecosystems as the uncontrolled
harvesting of seaweeds and sea grass
are resulting in the loss of shelter and
destruction of the food base of aquatic
organisms. Violators of this order
would be subject to a fine of P100,000
to P500,000 and imprisonment of two
to 10 years. Exemptions would be
issued for those who target to collect,
harvest and export seagrass for
scientific and educational purposes.
Dennis Orlina, president of the
Asean Handicraft Promotion and
Development Association, however,
noted that most of the seagrass that
they use are “growing wildly as terrain
species, not aquatic.”
“Just recently, many are growing at
the lahar areas, north of Manila in
Zambales, Pampanga, giving us cheap
ra w m a t e r i a l s ,” O r l i n a a d d e d .
Inquirer.net
June 20-26, 2014
Page 23
Fil-Am Jared Martin continues
rise in entertainment industry
By Alexandra Drechsler
P H I L A D E L P H I A ,
Pe n n s y lva n i a - - C u r re n t ly
preparing himself for his summer
shows, singer Jared Martin, is
booked through the end of August
w i t h a p e r fo r m a n c e - f i l l e d
itinerary. He was last seen at “An
Evening of Original Philippine
Music” while paying homage to
the OPM composer Cecile
Azarzon in New York City.
Martin, however, is no newbie
when it comes to being in the
spotlight and performing on
stage. He has performed
alongside legends such as Martin
Nievera, Gabby Concepcion and
Lani Misalucha.
Martin has always had a talent
for being on stage and performed
in musicals and school plays from
a very young age. His various
roles earned for him recognition
and awards such as the coveted
M a e s t r o A w a r d i n Vo c a l
Competition and The Presidential
Scholarship from The University
of the Arts in Philadelphia.
“I have grown up in a family
that values the arts,” explained
Martin. “My grandmother was an
art teacher and also directed
many musicals, which I have had
the privilege to be part of in my
life. That is where I received most
of my motivation to perform. For
me, performing on stage was truly
a gift that I cherished, and to this
day, I never forget where I got my
start.”
Martin's musical career grew
quickly and steadily over the
years. He began to sing at the early
age of six. A year later he enrolled
at his elementary school's choir.
He took more professional strides
and invested in private voice
lessons when he was 14 and
began to take his singing more
(From left) Mayonnaise, Kitchie Nadal, Lou Bonnevie, Moonstar88 and Gracenote
Artists come together for
climate change concert
By Crispina Martinez-Belen
Jared Martin
After the successful 14th year
presentation of “Earthday Jam”
comes another unique musical
campaign project dubbed “CC
Tunes: In Tune with Climate
Change” from Earthday Jam
Foundation, Inc.
“CC Tunes” will be held at the
Market Market Activity Center in
Taguig City on June 17. Related
documentaries will be shown at 5
p.m. followed by performances
from producer Lou Bonnevie and
singer Kitchie Nadal along with
OPM bands Moonstar88, Silent
S a n c t u a r y, G r a c e n o t e a n d
Mayonnaise.
Hosts are actor-model Lorenzo
Mara, Phoebe Walker, Pam Nieva of
Eurasia, Midi G. and Mutya ng
Pilipinas Tourism International
Angeli Dionne Gomez.
“CC Tunes” is presented by the
Department of Environment and
Natural Resources (DENR) and is
free to the public.
“This event will not only
empower the youth and foster OPM
music but it will also help unite the
private sector, the NGOs and the
government in tackling perhaps
the most alarming issue of our
times,” says Lou.
Extending their support to the
event is the City of Taguig, the
Climate Change Commission,
Racks, David's Salon, Manila
Concerts and Philippine Concert
Scene. Inquirer.net
seriously. Besides learning and
strengthening his voice, he
learned how to play the trombone
and piano.
Martin said, “I can sing
virtually any style of music, but I
feel that my strongest suit is the
love ballad. I can also sing
classical music very well. In my
hometown, people call me the
Josh Groban of New Jersey.
Musical theater songs are also one
of my passions, and I can thrive in
that genre as well.”
When Martin was in grade
school, he joined the Filipino
American Cultural Enrichment
School of Ocean County, Toms
River, New Jersey. This was where
he developed a stronger interest
in his Filipino culture. He learned
about the rich heritage of his
family and also was taught
cultural dances and songs.
“Without my Filipino
GMA Network, through its
heritage, I would not be the
international business unit GMA
musician, or even person, that I
International, supported the
am today. My mother has laid a
Philippine Overseas Employment
very strong foundation for my
Administration (POEA) in its
Filipino culture. I grew up
celebration of Migrant Workers' Day
listening to Martin, Pops and
at the POEA office in Mandaluyong
u
Page 24
City on June 6.
“GMA International salutes all
overseas Filipino workers who
continue to bring pride to our
country and we support POEA's
advocacy of extending muchneeded services to our kababayans From left to right: (seated) GMA VP and Head of International Operations Joseph T.
abroad,” expressed GMA Network Francia, POEA Administrator Hans Leo J. Cacdac, and DOLE Undersecretary Ciriaco A.
VP and Head of International Lagunzad III, (standing) GMA Network AVP & Marketing Head for GMA International
Robert Scott P. Dolina, POEA Deputy Administrator Atty. Amuerfina Reyes, and GMA
Operations Joseph T. Francia. “We International
Marketing Manager Patricia B. Gutierrez
look forward to further
strengthening our partnership with to quality entertainment and were presented with livelihood and
By Allan Policarpio
the POEA.”
responsible news delivery through e n t re p re n e u r s h i p p ro g ra m s .
With the theme, “Magkasangga GMA programs.
Meanwhile, the Technical Education
Prior to winning the reality
Para sa Kapakanan, Kabuhayan at
Visitors were able to avail of free and Skills Development Authority
Kalusugan ng OFW”, overseas p o l i o v a c c i n a t i o n , m e d i c a l (TESDA) had a demonstration of the
talent search “X Factor Israel”
Filipino workers who visited the consultations, as well as medicines different skill sets offered by its
earlier this year, Rose Fostanes POEA office were treated to welfare and vitamins, courtesy of the accredited technical vocational
who's currently pursuing a
and health services as well as D e p a r t m e n t o f H e a l t h , t h e institutions. Interested individuals
career in music - worked as a
livelihood assistance from various Associated Marine Officers' and who visited the different booths
caregiver there for over 20 years.
government agencies and private Seamen's Union of the Philippines availed of free haircuts and
And while her former job may be
stakeholders.
(AMOSUP) and POEA's medical massages. POEA's partners from the
a more stable source ofincome,
"GMA Network has been one of c l i n i c a s s o c i a t i o n p a r t n e r s . private sector also donated raffle
Fostanes, 47, gave it up for a shot
our active partners in advancing the Government agencies such as SSS, prizes, conducted fun games and
at fulfilling her dream of
interests of OFWs. It has likewise Philhealth, Pag-IBIG Fund and the provided snacks and other souvenir
becoming a professional singer.
been a big help in disseminating P r o f e s s i o n a l R e g u l a t i o n items.
“Not that I was tired of being
information
to the public about our Commission (PRC) also provided
The day's program also included
a caregiver; I just wanted to do
services and programs and in our information on their respective the unveiling of a mural along the
what I really loved, though I
c a m p a i g n a g a i n s t i l l e g a l programs and services while POEA POEA perimeter wall, which forms
wasn't young anymore,” she told
recruitment
and trafficking in lawyers offered free legal assistance. p a r t o f P O E A' s a n t i - i l l e g a l
the Inquirer at the recent launch
p e r s o n ," s ay s P O E A D e p u t y
M o r e o v e r, t h e O v e r s e a s recruitment campaign. The mural
of her debut album, “Rose
Rose Fostanes
Administrator
Atty.
Amuerfina
Workers'
Welfare Association was designed and painted by
Fostanes: My Way,” under Star
Reyes.
(OWWA) catered to concerns on the member artists of the Teach Peace,
Records.
Israel, she said, running
Through its existing partnership many programs and benefits that it B u i l d P e a c e M o v e m e n t , a n
The move has been worth it errands now takes longer
with the POEA, GMA Network offers its members around the organization which advocates
so far, Fostanes said, thanks to because of fans who ask for
donated television sets to POEA world. Through the National peace-building among the youth
Filipinos and Israelis who photographs with her.
offices all over the country in order Reintegration Center for OFWs through innovative and creative
u
Page 24
continue to support her. Back in
to provide comfort and relaxation to ( N RC O ) , F i l i p i n o s re t u r n i n g strategies.
visiting OFWs and give them access permanently to the Philippines
It's better late than
never for 'X Factor
Israel' champ
GMA Network and
POEA commemorate
Migrant Workers' Day
June 20-26, 2014
Page 24
Debate over 'imported' vs
'homegrown' rages on
By Nestor U. Torre
People who live in caves
and think that our national
colonial mentality is a thing of
the past have been rudely
shaken into belated awareness
of its continuing and
“deathless” existence by
reports that Filipino fans of One
Direction and Taylor Swift have
been all too willingly and even
happily paying thousands of
pesos for the great privilege of
being able to watch those
“imported” stars' concerts in
this country. In fact, the “1D”
show has added a second
performance - due to popular
demand!
In glaring and telling
c o n t ra s t , i f p a t ro n s a re
beseeched to spend a thousand
pesos on a local musical or
concert, these same people
would hedge and hesitate! Why
do they so overwhelmingly
favor foreign acts over local?
Because they have been
“carefully taught” by our past
and present cultural colonizers
that “imported” is inherently
superior to “homegrown.”
Why are we so “down” on
ourselves and our own
capabilities? Because we have
been, oh, so successfully and
effectively “mentally
colonized!”
Taylor Swift. Colonial thinking
draws attention away from
what's significant.
There a re t hose who
believe that all the “colonizing”
happened in the distant past
and is no longer relevant today
- but, they're wrong. After all,
both Swift and 1D are young
contemporary stars, so their
fans' great desire to “support”
their shows means that the
bane of colonial preference
persists to this day.
Importance
This, despite all of the
postwar nationalistic
movements that have urgently
sought to make Filipinos prefer
their culture to the imported
sort, because it speaks of them
and gives importance to and
much-needed focus on to
what's directly relevant and
significant to our collective
national life and consciousness.
Some of those movements
have prospered for a time, but
it's sometimes been a
dismaying case of one step
forward, two steps back.
But, we can't afford to give
up the struggle for freedom
against “mental colonialism,”
because it weakens our faith in
our own capabilities, which we
need to truly come into our own
as a proudly self-actualizing
and independent nation.
If we still think that “foreign
is best and local is second-best,”
global observers will continue
to see us as an inherently
unfocused, “fractured” culture
that “borrows” its essential
paradigms from “superior”
foreign models.
So, if you're one of those
who paid P5,000 or P10,000 for
a ticket to an “imported” star's
show, do balance the unfair
equation by also buying a ticket
to a homegrown production
that speaks of, to and about us.
That also deserves our
attention and “support,” don't
you think? Inquirer.net
Boots and King Rodrigo. Photo by Jilson Seckler Tiu
Coming right up,
the honeymoon
Shortly after Saturday's (June 14) nuptials, newlyweds King and Boots Rodrigo
flew to Boracay Island in Aklan. Entourage for the celebratory trip consisted of
Boots' children and grandchildren. This was announced by her daughter, Chiqui
Roa-Puno. In July, the couple will fly to South Korea for their honeymoon. Manila
Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle officiated the rites held at the Archbishop's
Palace in Mandaluyong City. Inquirer.net/Marinel R. Cruz
It’s better ... From page 23
Two albums
“Once, I went to the Western Wall in
Jerusalem to pray, and I couldn't get out
because a lot of children approached me,”
she said. “I'm recognized, and I'm happy
about that. This is a new experience.”
She has detractors, too, Fostanes said,
but she just ignores them. “Some say I
can't sing, but I wouldn't have won if the
Israelis and Filipinos didn't think I could.”
Aside from her Philippine album,
Fostanes has started work on another in
Israel, where she is likewise slated to do
shows. As “X Factor Israel” champ, she
won a cash prize, as well as a
management contract with Aroma Music.
“I was recently in Sydney and
Melbourne in Australia. The Filipinos
there gave me a very warm welcome,”
said Fostanes, who's considering staying
in the Philippines after fulfilling
contractual obligations with her label.
Though she's thrilled about making
small, but purposeful, steps toward her
goal, Fostanes - who also worked in
Egypt, Lebanon and the United Arab
Emirates - said she couldn't help feeling
lonely once in a while because, “My
mother isn't here anymore.”
She said, “I wish my mom could see
me now, but of course I still have the rest
of my family to share my success with.”
Out and proud
Fostanes earned the respect of the
LGBT community for revealing in the
show that she's a lesbian. “I've been very
honest about it since the beginning. My
partner and I have been together for 31
years,” Fostanes said, adding that Israelis
are very open-minded about the matter.
Jared Martin ...
From page 23
virtually every other singer from the
Philippines.”
While looking up to his inspirations
such as Andrea Boccelli, Coldplay and
Luciano Pavorotti, he considers his big
break to be last year when he shared the
stage with the “Concert King” also known
as Martin Nievera. This was a shock to
him as the original plan was to sing at the
same concert, but once Martin had heard
his voice, they decided to perform a duet.
Martin added, “When the day of the
“I'm glad to have set an example,” added
the singer, who used to spend her days off
in a karaoke bar called Mommy's Place,
which is frequented by Filipino workers.
Fostanes admitted that she was
initially concerned about not being able
to work in Israel as a music artist, since
her visa permitted her to work only as a
caregiver. But with the assistance of
Israel's Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar,
Fostanes was issued an entertainer's visa,
which she just has to renew annually.
Supportive boss
The new working permit was subject
to her then-employer's approval, which
Fostanes got without difficulty. She never
thought she would ever leave her
employer, a woman suffering from
Scleroderma.
“My boss was very supportive.
Sometimes she would come to watch me,
live, in the competition even if she had
just come from the hospital,” Fostanes
said. “She's very kind, and wanted to see
me fulfill my dreams. She told me not to
worry; she was going to find another
caregiver.”
Improvements
Fostanes' album under Star Records
include the hits “This Is My Life,” “Rain,”
“Forever's Not Enough,” and her winning
piece, “My Way.” The record also features
two original tracks, “Ris” and “If This Is
Love.”
Asked what she thought she still
needed to improve as an artist, Fostanes
said that, aside from her diction, she has
to build more confidence onstage.
“I used to get heckled for my
appearance in local singing contests,” she
related. “I'll do my best to get over that, to
become a better singer.” Inquirer.net
concert came, we were practicing
together for the first time in the sound
check, and he was so impressed with my
voice that he demanded we sing another
duet together that night. That concert
was a dream come true for me. Since then,
Tito Martin has been my unofficial
mentor.”
When Jared Martin went back to the
Philippines early this year, he met with
his mentor again during a taping of “ASAP
19” and Nievera pulled him up on stage to
perform for the audience. Martin and
Nievera will meet and perform again on
August 17 at Fiesta America in New
Jersey. Inquirer.net
June 20-26, 2014
Page 25
Well-loved Sampaguita
matriarch's life had its
cinematic twists and turns
By Lynn S. Pareja
Marian Rivera like never
before in GMA 7's Primetime
Musical MARIAN
Beginning June 21 (Saturday), make
way for the Kapuso Network's
Primetime Queen Marian Rivera as she
unleashes a different side of her in the
newest Saturday primetime musical,
MARIAN.
She has captivated the people
locally and abroad with her undeniable
acting ability, charmed audiences with
her striking beauty and presence, and
inspired them with her advocacies. And
yet, there's no stopping the Kapuso
Primetime Queen as she grooves to the
beat of being the most beautiful Dance
Diva in her self-titled show.
T h ro u g h h e r m a s s - o r i e n te d
personality, spectators get the chance
to celebrate with Marian as a
performing artist in the show. Marian
heats up the stage through her
contagious energetic vibe, as she will
absolutely be a feast for the eyes with
her show-stopping costumes, make-up
and hairstyles.
“Sobrang excited ako dahil isa 'to sa
mga pangarap kong gawin. Ibang side
naman ni Marian Rivera ang makikita
ng mga manonood at siyempre
kaabang-abang din ang mga
makakasama namin sa show, mula sa
mga magagaling na choreographers,
dance crews, hanggang sa mga celebrity
artists,” says Marian.
Aside from Marian's special
production numbers every week,
viewers will also witness the highpowered, face-to-face battle of dance
crews together with celebrity dancers.
Meanwhile, Marian reveals her playful
side as Yan-Yan in the segment Playlist
when she grooves to the top three dance
hits of different genres every week.
Sharing the stage with Marian is one
of Eat Bulaga hosts Paolo Ballesteros.
Known for his animated charm, Paolo
will be engaging himself in an insightful
banter with Marian and the show's
guests. Adding musical beat to the show
is Kapuso Pop Superstar Julie Anne San
Jose.
Captivating, grand and eversurprising, every Kapuso will see
Marian Rivera like never before as she
pushes herself to the limits. The show is
directed by Louie Ignacio with head
writer Rommel Gacho.
Let's make Saturday nights Marian
Nights as MARIAN premieres June 21
on GMA's flagship international
channel, GMA Pinoy TV. Get the latest
updates about MARIAN from its official
f a c e b o o k
p a g e
www.facebook.com/GMAMarianShow,
twitter account @GMAMarianShow
and the GMA Network website
www.GMANetwork.com.
In the 96 years of her life,
the Grand Matriarch of
Sampaguita Pictures, Azucena
Vera Perez, the original “Vera”
of the Vera Perez family, took
part in events more significant
and rapid, more full of hope and
despair, than have ever taken
place within the same period of
time in history.
On Dec. 10, 1941, two days
after the bombing of Pearl
H a r b o r, s h e e x c h a n g e d
marriage vows with Dr. Jose R.
Perez while Japanese bombs
were falling. She would fulfill
her vow to stay with him
through thick and thin until her
husband, destined to become
the Starmaker of Philippine
cinema, produced more than
300 movies before he
succumbed to heart failure on
July 28, 1975.
A z u c e n a Ve r a P e r e z
became president of
Sampaguita Pictures and its
affiliate companies upon the
death of her mother, Dolores
Honrado Vera, on May 15, 1980,
with all her seven children
aiding her in various aspects of
the movie industry.
Under the leadership of her
eldest child, Manay Ichu, the
Vera Perezes have been actively
involved in many aspects of the
f i l m i n d u s t r y, l i k e t h e
formation of various guilds and
the country's participation in
film festivals abroad. Her
MAMA NENE and Doc Perez with their young children.
siblings were similarly
occupied, with Gina and her
husband, former Speaker Jose
d e Ve n e c i a , i nvo lve d i n
enhancing the values of local
films for international
competitions and building
homes for battered wives and
homeless children.
At one time, the matriarch
was surprised to learn that her
eldest sons-in-law, Jose de
Venecia and then Senate
President Ernesto Maceda,
occupied the two next highest
posts in accession to the
National Patrimony! “Oh, I
d i d n ' t k n o w t h a t ,” s h e
commented with her typical
Mona Lisa smile.
She would be playing cards
with her youngest
grandchildren, and it would be
as serious as playing mahjong
with the elders in the family.
For all of her femininity, her
singular nature was stronger
than a man's and simpler than a
child's.
Liberation of Manila
But, there was one time
when she almost faltered. It
was during the liberation of
Manila by American soldiers,
when her then family of four her husband Doc Perez, their
two kids, 3-year-old toddler
Marichu and 6-month-old
Pepito, and herself - were
trapped in Montalban, where
they had sought refuge in a
friend's house.
With Japanese soldiers
fleeing from the Americans'
assault, Doc Perez had to leave
Nene in the locked house (she
had the key) with the two kids
while he went out to look for
transportation to return to
Valencia. When he didn't come
back at the appointed time, she
fought back her tears and
u
Page 26
Access to English and Tagalog
broadcasts from PTV, Radio Veritas,
Radio Maria, Spirit FM, others
Philippine Embassy first foreign
mission to use call-to-listen platform for
public diplomacy
PH radio programs now
available to Filipinos in
US via mobile phone
WASHINGTON, DC -- Filipinos in the
United States can now listen to radio
broadcasts from the Philippines on
their mobile phones with the launching
of the second phase of a public
diplomacy initiative to connect them
with the motherland.
The availability in the US of
broadcasts from six leading Filipino
radio stations, including the Catholicrun Radio Veritas, was announced by
the Philippine Embassy and AudioNow,
the world's leading call-to-listen
platform, on the occasion of the 116th
anniversary of Philippine
independence.
“Today, we bring our kababayans
here in the US closer to home with the
launching of AudioNow's call-to-listen
service that would allow them to hear
radio broadcasts from the Philippines
with their mobile phones,” Ambassador
Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said.
With the service, Filipinos may now
access the following radio stations by
calling their assigned telephone
numbers: Radio Veritas (Manila):
231.460.1846; People's Television
Network (Manila):231.460.1000;
Catholic Media Network (Manila):
712.432.7150; Spirit FM (Antique):
712.432.7197; Radio Maria (Tarlac):
231.460.1020; and D'Ultimate (Clark
Free Port): 712.432.6999. The calls
have no surcharge and use only mobile
minutes.
“With this next phase, it is our goal
to continue serving the Filipino
Community in the US with as many
resources as possible from home,” said
Cuisia, adding that the six stations
u
Page 26
June 20-26, 2014
Page 26
Intriguing and fascinating
drama in THE HALF SISTERS
Is it possible for a woman to
conceive “twins” with different
fathers?
This is the attentiongrabbing premise of The Half
Sisters, GMA Network's newest
drama series currently airing on
the Network's flagship
international channel, GMA
Pinoy TV.
The Half Sisters explores the
phenomenon of heteropaternal superfecundation,
which is the successive
fertilization of two or more ova
from the same ovulation cycle
by different sires. This is made
possible by separate successive
acts of sexual intercourse
resulting to one woman bearing
“twins” with different fathers.
This controversial soap
opera stars Kapuso teen
actresses Barbie Forteza as the
kind, diligent and obedient
Diana Alcantara, and Thea
Tolentino as the spoiled,
c o n c e i t e d
a n d
manipulativeAshley Alcantara.
The series also features
seasoned actress Jean Garcia as
Rina Mercado-Alcantara, the
doting mother of Diana and
Ashley; multi-talented actor
J o m a r i Y l l a n a a s
Benjamin/Benjie Valdicañas,
the ex-boyfriend of Rina and the
biological father of Diana; and
versatile actor Ryan Eigenmann
a s A l f re d A l c a n t a ra , t h e
hardworking biological father
of Ashley and the husband of
PH radio ...
From page 25
broadcast in both English and
Filipino.
“AudioNow extends the
reach of our broadcasters into
the United States and we
applaud Radio Veritas, PTV,
Radio Maria, the Catholic Media
Network, Spirit FM and
D'Ultimate for recognizing this
and invite other leading Filipino
broadcasters to join this effort,”
Cuisia said.
Since the end of last year, the
Embassy has been working with
AudioNow and utilizing its callto-listen-platform as a new
avenue to reach out to members
of the Philippine diaspora in the
US. With the launching of Radyo
Tambuli, which was developed
with the assistance of
AudioNow, the Embassy is the
first foreign mission to utilize
the call-to-listen platform for
public diplomacy purposes.
Radyo Tambuli can be accessed
by calling 415.628.5777.
“A f te r R a dyo Ta m b u l i ,
adding radio stations from the
Philippines was the natural next
s t e p ,” a c c o r d i n g t o E l a n
Blutinger, chairman and chief
executive officer of AudioNow,
adding that more Philippine
radio stations are expected to
take part in the initiative in the
next several weeks.
Barbie Forteza and Thea Tolentino
Rina. Playing opposite the teen
actresses are the Kapuso
Network's up and coming
leading men, Derrick
Monasterio as Baste Torres, a
working student who will be
Diana's close friend; and Andrei
Paras as Bradley Castillo, the
rich, good-looking school jock.
In the series, Rina (Jean)
becomes pregnant with “twins,”
one sired through copulation
with her husband Alfred (Ryan)
and the other one sired when
she was raped by her former
boyfriend Benjie (Jomari).
Benjie is sent to prison for
his crime, while Rina remains a
“We are honored to provide
a bridge home to the Philippines
during this important time,” said
Blutinger. “With the support of
the Philippine Embassy here in
Washington, we look forward to
working closely with Radio
Veritas, PTV, Radio Maria and
other Filipino broadcasters.”
Radio Veritas, ranked as the
No. 1 faith-based station in the
Philippines, brings news
advocacy and social concerns,
religious programming and
public service for the poor with
inspirational music in Tagalog to
its audience. Featured programs
include “Veritas Pilipinas,”
which provides in-depth
coverage of advocacy news in
Mega Manila and around the
world, as well as “Barangay
Simbayanan,” which features the
Catholic Church responding to
the needs of the community.
Veritas846 “Kapanalig” also
brings nationally renowned
healer Fr. Fernando Suarez on
the air every Sunday, 6 p.m. to 8
p.m., Sundays (PH time).
Listeners may access Radio
Veritas by calling 231.460.1846.
The government-run PTV,
which was established by an act
of Congress in 1992, showcases
e d u c a t i o n a l p ro g ra m s o n
science and technology, the arts,
culture and sports, in English
and Tagalog. PTV can be
accessed by calling
231.460.1000.
loving wife to Alfred. Rina
eventually gives birth to twins
Diana (Barbie) and Ashley
(Thea).
Meanwhile, Alfred is having
doubts on the paternity of the
children and demands Rina to
undergo DNA testing. The
results confirm the occurrence
of hetero-paternal
superfecundation, wherein
Rina's twins have different
fathers Diana by Benjie and
Ashley by Alfred.
After Benjie is released from
prison, he begins managing
their family business which
eventually becomes successful.
On the other hand, Alfred's
business has failed. Prompted
by financial woes and
obligations, Alfred asks his
daughter Ashley to pretend to
be the biological daughter of
Benjie so that his daughter can
live a more comfortable life,
thus, robbing Diana of her
birthright as the rightful
heiress.
How will the uncommon
situation affect Alfred and
Rina's marriage? Until when can
Alfred and Ashley keep their
deception? Will Benjie and
Diana ever know the truth
about their father-daughter
relationship?
Directed by Mark Reyes, find
out how the intertwined lives of
Diana and Ashley unfold in The
Half Sisters only on GMA Pinoy
TV.
As the largest radio station
network in the Philippines, the
Catholic Media Network's
mission is to “bring the message
o f h o p e t h ro u g h m e d i a .”
Listeners can now access their
Manila-based flagship station,
CMN, by calling 712.432.7150.
CMN's top program “CMN
Pilipinas” covers news and
public affairs issues of national
importance while “CMN
Sagipbuhay” aims educate
listeners on public health issues.
Spirit FM network - another
Catholic Media Network brand broadcasts in English and
Tagalog from San Jose, Antique.
To listen to programs such as
“CMN News,” “Mega Morning,”
and “Kulitan Calls,” listeners
should call 712.432.7197.
D'Ultimate 105.5 FM
broadcasts live from the Clark
Free Port in Pampanga and
offers the latest music hits from
around the world in both English
and Tagalog. It can be accessed
via 712.432.6999.
Radio Maria, established in
2002, broadcasts daily from
Ta r l a c C i t y a n d f e a t u re s
informative and encouraging
programming such as “Alay
Buhay” that gives on-going
reconstruction efforts updates
in the affected areas of Typhoon
Hayian. Listeners may call
231.460.1020 to access Radio
Maria. Inquirer.net
No hard feelings for Cherie
By Pau Aguilera
Cherie Gil has refuted rumors
about enmity between her and the
production staff of the ABS-CBN
primetime series “Ikaw Lamang.”
“Ako? Tampuhan? Wala (There's
no bad blood),” Gil said in a recent
interview. “It's just, you know, ups
and downs, roller-coaster, just the
way soaps should be. The process is
always ganyan (like that).”
Talks spread late March, with Gil
complaining on Twitter about the
lack of “work ethics…in the world of
soaps.” This was followed by reports
about the actress allegedly walking
out of the set of “Ikaw Lamang.” In a
Twitter post, the actress described
one supposed explanation about it as
“completely twisted the truth.”
The recent death of her character in
the series last week re-ignited the
issue.
Gil didn't fan the flames but
admitted, “Mahirap ang ating trabaho
hanggang umaga, so, nagkakaroon ng
kaunting glitches, pero naaayos (Our
work demands us to work until
Cherie Gil
morning, so, there were some
glitches, but these were resolved),”
she said.
Her post on Instagram,
Wednesday, of a photo of her together
with the rest of the soap's cast, may
have well settled the issue once and
for all.
The caption read, “This is a truly
happy set. Best team I've worked with
on a soap.” Manila Bulletin
THE AUTHOR (left) with Mama Nene beside her, Doc Perez at far right, and German Moreno
and other Sampaguita luminaries.
Well-loved ...
From page 25
bundled the two kids up so she could
carry them with her while looking for
her husband, because the Japanese
soldiers were coming back to
confiscate the house!
All she had was a written
statement from a certain Captain
Hayasuka, who had befriended the
studio management during a film
shooting. Luckily, the truck driver who
was returning to the Japanese
garrison in Manila recognized the
handwriting and allowed Mama Nene
and her two kids to board the truck.
They arrived in Manila in the
afternoon, and it seemed so quiet that,
after depositing the three of them
inside the house (with Mama Nene
again holding the key to a locked
house), the truck immediately left to
pick up the remaining Japanese army
garrisoned inside the studio. Mama
Nene prayed and silently cried all
night, missing her husband, as well as
her Pa and Ma, so terribly.
It was not until the next night that
they finally arrived in another truck.
She could only gasp, “Thanks be to
God!,” when they were all together
again and finally opened their locked
house to friendly American soldiers,
who greeted them with handshakes
and hugs in place of machine guns.
I lost my own mother during the
war, and hearing Mama Nene tell her
story so vividly left me stupefied.
From that day on, my heart went out to
her, and she became the mother I
always wanted to have.
In September 1967, I thought she
had forgotten that it was my birthday,
but she sent me a letter, instead, which
really sealed our friendship, not just
as surrogate mother and orphaned
employee or film producer and
associate - it was a special relationship
that revealed how well she could write
when inspired by the love of the
Almighty. Dated Sept. 27, 1967, the
letter read:
Dear Lynne, I'm so happy that the
wheel which was set in motion when
Doc took his Cursillo last March has
really started moving to its glorious
destiny - to the love of our Lord. I've
seen it in your face, that sparkle of
contentment after Doc's Cursillo and
the quiet happiness radiating from
you upon Vic's graduation - how much
more now, when you yourself will be
experiencing the unforgettable little
course which both of them and I have
experienced - blessed, indeed, is the
baby you are carrying in your womb
now!
Before, I thought you were tough,
but since last March, I've discovered
the tender heart you have, and for
that, I've come to love you, not only as
someone who gives her all to our
business, but as a daughter - imposing
and sometimes impersonal outside,
but soft and tender inside! Welcome to
the fold! Affectionately, Mrs. Perez rather, Mama Nene. Inquirer.net
June 20-26, 2014
Page 27
Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign launched to create
documentary film on Fil-Am blues pioneer Sugar Pie DeSanto
New film BITTERSWEET to be directed by acclaimed Filipino director Kanakan Balintagos (Auraeus Solito)
LOS ANGELES, CA - June 2014 -She's an R&B pioneer and a dynamite
performer who has shared the spotlight
with the likes of Etta James, Howlin'
Wolf, Willie Dixon, Tina Turner, Jackie
Wilson, Otis Redding, James Brown and
many other American music greats.
Sugar Pie DeSanto is a legend in the
music world. Unfortunately, not too
many people today know about her
amazing music and incredible journey.
A team of filmmakers, led by awardwinning Filipino director Kanakan
Balintagos, also known as Auraeus
Solito, hopes to change that. The
documentary film “BitterSweet” will tell
the compelling story of Umpeylia
Marsema Balinton, the daughter of a
Filipino immigrant father and an
A f r i c a n - A m e r i c a n m o t h e r f ro m
Philadelphia. She was named after the
beloved Filipino bitter fruit ampalaya,
but made her mark as Sugar Pie
DeSanto, thrilling audiences in the U.S,
the U.K. and beyond with her powerful
voice and explosive performances.
A fundraising campaign is currently
in progress on the crowdfunding
w e b s i t e
I n d i e g o g o
(http://igg.me/at/sugarpiedoc) to
kickstart the production of the
documentary film. Titled
“Indiegogo...Go Go Power for Sugar Pie
DeSanto,” the campaign is a play on
Sugar Pie's final recording at Chess
Records, the legendary Blues and R&B
recording studio in Chicago. Released in
1966, the single Go Go Power is a fun
and upbeat R&B dance classic. The
campaign aims to be a community effort
for Filipino-Americans to pay tribute to
an amazing talent and for new
generations to discover her great music.
The documentary film team is looking
for partners and contributors to move
this project forward.
The “Bittersweet” team is composed
of Balintagos, director of such critically
acclaimed motion pictures as “The
Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros” and
“Busong,” producer Jong de Castro,
blues historian Jim Moore, and writer
Benjamin Pimentel.
Contributors to the campaign can
enjoy a variety of perks ranging from
autographed postcards and film
posters, CDs and DVDs, advance access
to film and music releases, a private
screening of the completed film, tickets
to a private film wrap-up party with the
filmmakers and Sugar Pie, as well as
master classes in filmmaking (from
director Kanakan Balintagos whose
films have been selected to the top film
festivals in the world such as Cannes,
Sundance, Toronto, etc) and in music
performing from the legendary Sugar
Pie DeSanto herself.
For more info, please visit: www.
s u g a r p i e d o c u m e n t a r y. c o m . Fo r
inquiries, please email:
info@sugarpiedocumentary.com
John Spainhour (Photo from Mister World website)
Pinoy pride shines
at Mr. World 2014
By Rowena Tan
The Pinoy representative to this
year's Mr. World did not bag the title
but everyone was amazed by the
support he got from his countrymen.
Reports have it that on finals night
held in England, John Spainhour had
his kababayans in the audience
c h e e r i n g t h e l o u d e s t f o r a ny
contestant. It was not in vain because
the former US Marine who fought in
Iraq for eight months, placed second in
bowling in the sports challenge, and
was among the top 10 in the extreme
physical challenge.
Spainhour did his best but in the
end, the top titles went to Mr. Denmark,
M r. N i g e r i a a n d M r. M e x i c o ,
respectively.
The Pinoy looker is not sour about
it at all. Sports as ever, he is grateful to
everyone who supported him, glad for
the opportunity to bear the Pinoy flag
in an international tilt.
Now, that's the spirit, there's a
winner. Manila Bulletin
Sugar Pie DeSanto with Roger Eagle and Howling Wolf during 1964
ANBF London, England. Photo by Brian Smith.
Sugar Pie receives Blues Ambassador in Hell
award at Hell Blues Festival Norway Sept. 6,
2013. Photo by Mona Johansen
Sugar Pie DeSanto performing at the Laicos
Club in Montgomery, AL on March 1967.
Photo by Jim Peppler
Sugar Pie with Bonnie
Raitt after being
presented with RandB
Pioneer Award, Sept. 9,
2008 in Philadelphia.
June 20-26, 2014
Page 28
House colleagues frown
on Pacquiao as PBA coach
By Gil C. Cabacungan
MANILA -- House leaders are not
celebrating the foray into professional
basketball of one of their colleagues,
boxing champion Manny Pacquiao,
saying Pacquiao's boxing career, his core
competency, and legislative work, his
official preoccupation, are likely to suffer.
Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza, who used to
be one of Pacquiao's personal advisers in
the last decade, said his former ward was
allowing himself to be used by other
people with vested interests.
“I believe that Manny is making a big
mistake in joining the PBA. It also shows
how seriously he is treating his duties as
a congressman and as a boxer. He says he
will fight this November and yet he will
start coaching in the PBA in October.
Where are his priorities? Too bad, he
does not know when he is being used by
other people,” Atienza said.
Only Kia gains
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte said he
was disappointed that Pacquiao decided
to venture into another demanding and
competitive field. “I don't think this will
be good for his work as a boxer and as a
congressman because these two alone
require his full attention,” Belmonte said.
Deputy Speaker Carlos Padilla said
only the PBA team, owned by South
Korean car maker Kia, stood to gain from
Pacquiao's newest sideline.
“It is good for Kia as it will benefit
from the popularity of Pacman
(Pacquiao) but it is not good for boxing
and Congress. With his coaching job,
there is less time for legislation and [this]
also might distract his focus on boxing,”
Padilla said.
Habitual absentee
Atienza said Pacquiao was already
having a difficult time juggling his duties
as a lawmaker and boxer based on his
poor attendance record and on his ring
recordtwo losses in four bouts in two
years.
Pacquiao, a two-term lawmaker, is
the richest member of Congress and its
most habitual absentee having been
present only in 108 days, or 64 percent,
of 168 session days in the 15th Congress
from July 2010 to June 2013.
Pacquiao lost to Timothy Bradley in
June 2012 and Juan Manuel Marquez in
December 2012. “I always believe that
Manny can be a good boxer and a good
legislator but not at the same time,”
Atienza said. Inquirer.net
Miami Heat head coach
Erik Spoelstra answers a
question during a news
conference on June 7, 2014,
in San Antonio. Spoelstra
would like Manny Pacquiao
to come hang out with the
Miami Heat. AP photo/Eric
Gray
Spoelstra wants Pacquiao
to hang out with Heat
MIAMI -- Erik Spoelstra would like
Manny Pacquiao to come hang out with
the Miami Heat, but don't look for him to
add the Filipino boxing champ to the
coaching staff anytime soon.
“That won't happen, but I'd love to
have him come out and spend some time
with the team,” Spoelstra said. Being a
basketball coach is just the latest role for
eight-time world champion boxer
Pacquiao, who has also tried his hand at
politics, acting and preaching. “Even
when I was a kid, even before I learned to
box, basketball was my first love,” he
said.
Recently, Pacquiao announced plans
to become the player-coach of the newly
created Kia Motors team when the next
season of the Philippine Basketball
Association opens in October.
Spoelstra is wildly popular in the
Philippines, as the Filipino-American
coach of the two-time defending NBA
champion Heat. But even he
acknowledges his status might have
been surpassed by superstar Pacquiao.
Basketball fan
“It doesn't surprise me,” Spoelstra
said of Pacquiao becoming a coach. “He's
a tremendous fan of basketball and the
NBA. He plays pickup all the time. But I'm
sure (boxing trainer) Freddie Roach
doesn't appreciate that.”
S p o e l s t ra w i l l t rave l to t h e
Philippines during the off season to
conduct basketball clinics and he hopes
to attend one of Pacquiao's games.
“I'll try to make it out and see if I can
catch a game this summer,” said
Spoelstra. “I'll hopefully be able to see
him this summer, see what's up,”
Spoelstra said. “Maybe I'll check out a
practice.”
But a Spoelstra-Pacquiao coaching
matchup is probably not going to
happen. Spoelstra simply shook his head
at that farfetched notion.
“Well, I'm not taking a boxing job,”
said Spoelstra, who has close ties to his
mother's homeland. “But I know he's a
huge basketball fan.”
November fight
If Pacquiao pushes through with his
basketball career, he would have to do so
while training for an upcoming fight in
November and serving his constituents
as a congressman. The opponent
remains unclear, though there's
speculation that it could be a fifth bout
against Juan Manuel Marquez.
Pacquiao has been fighting
professionally since age 16 and is 56-5-2
in his brilliant career.
“He has an incredible way of
managing all the different things on his
plate. I couldn't do that,” said Spoelstra,
who is the first Filipino-American head
coach in any of the major North
American pro sports. Inquirer.net
Senate lauds Donaire
for win vs Vetyeka
By Maila Ager
MANILA -- Nonito “The
Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. has
received commendation from
the Senate for winning the
WBA Featherweight title
against South African
Simpiwe “V12″ Vetyeka last
month.
Donaire and family were
present when the
commendation was read on
the Senate floor June 11.
Senator Juan Edgardo
“Sonny” Angara, one of the
senators who filed a
resolut ion, delivered a
sponsorship speech
acclaiming the boxing champ.
“Allow me to rise in this
august chamber to pay
homage once again to a man
whose achievements are
well-known, especially to a
boxing-loving country like
ours,” said Angara, chairman
of the committee on games,
amusement and sports.
Angara noted that despite
suffering a cut above his left
eye due to a brutal headbutt,
Donaire “demonstrated his
Simpiwe Vetyeka of South Africa and Nonito Donaire (L) of the
Philippines fight during their WBA featherweight title boxing fight in
Macau on May 31, 2014. Donaire won the fight. AFP file photo
unwavering determination
and heart of a champion
when he instructed the
referee not to stop the fight in
t h e f i r s t r o u n d
notwithstanding the steady
stream of blood right above
his left eye.”
Donaire knocked down
Vetyeka in the fourth round
before the referee finally
stopped the fight due to
Donaire's cut. The Filipino
Flash won via a unanimous
technical decision with the
judges' score of 49-46.
Angara also lauded
Donaire for joining Manny
Pacquiao as the only Asians to
hold world championship
titles in at least five weight
divisions.
“It is high time that we
recognize and honor our
champion, a world-class
Filipino that we can all be
proud of, Nonito Donaire Jr.,”
the senator added.
Inquirer.net
June 20-26, 2014
Page 29
Northern Cebu
gets ... From page 21
Earlier in May, Lafarge
Republic, Inc. together with
Global Business Power
Corporation launched “KapitBalay” Cement, a special variant
developed specifically to address
the need for a low-cost, highquality cement which can be used
by NGOs, government agencies
and LGUs in their post-disaster
rebuilding programs, such as the
one in Daanbantayan. The special
cement makes use of fly ash, a byproduct of coal-fired power
plants, as an additive to allow
good workability, smoother
finish, enhanced durability and
better strength.
Speakers and key officials
during the groundbreaking
ceremony, and the model house
launch and ceremonial key
turnover, aside from Cyril Rocke,
Don Lee and Mayor Augusto
C o r ro , we re C h a rl i e Ayc o ,
president of Habitat for Humanity
Philippines and Richard Gordon,
chairman of the Philippine Red
Cross (PRC). The PRC will help the
LGUs choose the beneficiary
families for the FPUA
Daanbantayan project. In his
speech at the ceremony, Chairman
Gordon said, “We celebrate the
kindness, the corporate social
responsibility of the French
companies comprising FPUA.”
Mayor Corro, as he thanked the
French donors, emphasized that,
“You are not just building houses,
you are building a community.”
Manila Bulletin
Suave Rizal ...
From page 22
(Republic Act 8293), when
registering a mark associated
with names, national symbols
and geographical areas.
Section 123.1.a of the law
states that a mark cannot be
registered “if it consists of
immoral, deceptive or
scandalous matter, or matter
which may disparage or
falsely suggest a connection
with persons, living or dead,
i n s t i t u t i o n s , b e l i e fs , o r
national symbols, or bring
t h e m i n to c o n te m p t o r
disrepute.”
Cayetano said Section
123.1.g also provides that a
mark cannot be registered if it
“is likely to mislead the public,
particularly as to the nature,
quality, characteristics or
geographical origin of the
goods or services.”
False ... From page 11
The vast majority of
Filipinos remained bitterly poor
peasants and isolated tribal
people. Philippine natural
resources were ruthlessly
exploited, enabled by unequal
treaties, the riches of the nation
flowed across the Pacific to
America. The people were
exported also. Filipino overseas
workers flowed to the pineapple
plantations of Hawaii to work in
slave-like conditions.
Section 123.1.j likewise
states that a mark cannot be
registered if it “consists
exc l u s ive ly o f s i g n s o r
indications that may serve in
t ra d e t o d e s i g n a t e t h e
geographic origin of the goods
or rendering of the services,
or other characteristics of the
goods or services.”
'Opportunistic'
As to DLI's applications to
register names of several
provinces and cities, the
senator particularly cited the
application for “Tacloban” as
“markedly opportunistic and
insensitive.”
“A check with the IPO
website would show that
DLI's application to register
'Tacloban' was filed last March
31, or just four months after
Super Typhoon 'Yolanda'
brought widespread
destruction to that city. Its
residents have barely
Little has changed. Eleven
million Filipinos still go abroad
to find economic freedom. The
majority live with 25%
unemployment and the freedom
from poverty for the majority of
Filipinos is still a dream. The
economic news may boast of 7%
economic growth but that is only
for the oligarchy who have 70
percent of the wealth in their
pockets.
To quote from an Editorial in
a national broad-sheet of March
of last year: “The increase in the
wealth of the 40 richest families
EXPRESS SUDOKU
HOW TO PLAY: Place a number from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that each
row, each column and each 3x3 block contains all the numbers from 1 to 9
Solution to Issue 24 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 24 Crossword
recovered from the death of
relatives, loss of homes,
livelihoods and basic
services,” Cayetano said.
“Tacloban has become a
global symbol of Filipino
resilience, hope, recovery and
cooperation. And this liquor
company has the gall to
misappropriate it for selfish
ends and corporate profits.”
Cayetano then threw her
full support behind the
National Commission on
Culture and the Arts (NCCA)
and the Intramuros
Administration (IA) in
opposing DLI's trademark
applications with the IPO.
“I trust that the IPO will
rectify this glaring oversight
on their part and immediately
reject all the controversial
trademark registration
applications of DLI,” the
senator added. Inquirer,net
in the Philippines that made it to
the 2012 Forbes list of the
world's billionaires accounted
for 76 percent of the growth of
the gross domestic product
(GDP). It's one of the biggest richpoor gaps in the free world and”,
Habito observed, “the highest in
Asia”. That is what they call
“ i n d e p e n d e n c e ”.
[shaycullen@preda.org,
www.preda.org].
(Fr. Shay's columns are published
in The Manila Times, in
publications in Ireland, the UK,
Hong Kong, and on-line.)
KO king eyed
against Pacquiao
By Nick Giongco
Argentine knockout king Luis Carlos
Abregu is dying to square off with Filipino star
Manny Pacquiao, who is hunting for an
opponent for a Nov. 23 fight set in Macau.
Abregu, 30, told worldboxingnews that he
is delighted that Hall of Fame promoter Bob
Arum has mentioned him as a candidate to
land the Pacquiao jackpot in an event penciled
for The Venetian.
“It makes me really happy to be
considered… since last year, I have been
waiting for my chance and now is the moment
to prove why I'm on top of the rankings,” said
Abregu, who holds a 36-1 win-loss record
with 29 KOs.
Abregu's most recognizable foe was Tim
Bradley, who was recently beaten in a rematch
by Pacquiao.
Bradley had outpointed Abregu in July
2010 but Abregu believes he has improved
tremendously and assures everyone that he
deserves the opportunity to face a top-shelf
foe like Pacquiao.
Like Pacquiao, the 5-10 Abregu is also
promoted by Top Rank and it won't be a
surprise if he ends up getting signed to face
Pacquiao in the former Portuguese colony
later this year.
Since losing to Bradley, Abregu, rated
highly in the welterweight ranks, has racked
up seven straight wins, stopping six.
Also in the short list of Pacquiao rivals
include Danny Garcia and Jesse Vargas. Manila
Bulletin
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Accumulate
6. Not legs
10. Not under
14. Wooden shoe
15. Jump
16. Wan
17. A strong liking
19. Scheme
20. Homestead
21. Little bit
22. Litter's littlest
23. Toward the outside
25. Sows
26. Protective ditch
30. Warning devices
32. Enfold
35. Musical master
39. Burgled
40. Lifted
41. Notwithstanding
43. Permeate
44. Benni
46. God of love
47. "The Final Frontier"
50. Reef material
53. Angel's headwear
54. Directed
55. Enlarge
60. At the peak of
61. Nonsectarian
63. Vitality
64. Welt
65. Genus of heath
66. Plenty
67. Sketched
68. A radioactive gaseous
element
1. Vipers
2. Filly's mother
3. Assist in crime
4. Not hard
5. Inscribed pillar
6. Beer
7. Available to lease
8. Paving material
9. Hurried
10. Domineering
11. Worth
12. African antelope
13. Leases
18. Record (abbrev.)
DOWN
24. Faucet
25. Besmirch
26. Netting
27. Savvy about
28. Affirm
29. Tools for star
gazing
31. Unusual
33. Embankment
34. 1 1 1 1
36. Russian emperor
37. Start over
38. Poems
42. A vehicle that
races
43. Apiece
45. A self-contained
component
47. Will
48. Terrace
49. In the sky
51. Citrus drink
52. A protective
covering
54. Bawdy
56. Former Italian
currency
57. Corrosive
58. Meal in a shell
59. Distinctive flair
62. Kitten's cry
June 20-26, 2014
Page 30
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For more, please call:
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June 20-26, 2014
Page 31
June 20-26, 2014
Page 32
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The Filipino Express v28 Issue 25

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