Luciano says it`s fast train at CIA

Punto! Luzon
www.punto.com.ph
P 8.00
Central
Volume 8
Number 21
Thu - Sat
October 2 - 4, 2014
PANANAW NG MALAYANG PILIPINO!
DTI, DOLE documents show
Peregrine unlicensed,
operating illegally
By Ashley Manabat
C
LARK FREEPORT – The
battle for control over the
177-hectare Sabah Al-Ahmed
Global Gateways Logistics City
(GGLC) project here has taken a
new twist in favor of its investor,
Global Gateways Development
Corp. (GGDC), after its “exclusive
prime contractor” and developer,
Peregrine Development International (Peregrine) was found to be
operating illegally.
Page 8 please
PAPER TRAIL. GGDC President Mark Williams wave documents from DTI and DOLE showing
Peregrine is not a licensed contractor. At his right is GGDC legal counsel Karen Jimeno.
Photo by Bong Lacson
PGKM twits JICA on Clark ‘bullet train’
By Bong Z. Lacson
ANGELES CITY – “Yet
another red herring to
take Clark out of the development grid.”
Thus the Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement
(PGKM) called the statement of an official of the
Japan International Co-
operation Agency (JICA)
that the proposed Metro
Manila-Clark high-speed
train would not be feasible due to its high cost.
Red herring is an idiom for something intended to distract or mislead.
Dr. Shizuo Iwata, reputedly a project manager of JICA, was report-
ed in the media as saying the estimated price
of “$7 billion for a bullet
train” to link the capital
to Clark would be “very
expensive.”
“I don’t suggest it.
That should be discussed very intensely,”
quoted media of Iwata,
who was also identified
as chair of Japan’s Almec Corp. and part of
the group that crafted a
P2.6-trillion plan to decongest Metro Manila
through 2030.
Earlier,
President
Aquino was reported to
have instructed the Department of TransportaPage 8 please
Week-long anti-PNoy
protests start Oct. 16
By Ding Cervantes
ANGELES CITY- Farmers across the country
will launch week-long
nationally-coordinated protests this October
against Pres. Aquino’s
“Charter change, term
extension, and rising dictatorship.”
The protests will start
from October 16, World
Food Day, up to October
21, the 42nd year of the
late President Marcos’
Presidential Decree No.
27 on land reform which
the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP)
described yesterday as
Page 8 please
Luciano says it’s fast train at CIA
CLARK FREEPORT – “No proposal whatsoever of a bullet train
to link Clark to Metro Manila.”
Outgoing Clark International Airport Corporation President-CEO Victor Jose Luciano
expressed surprise over a statement attributed to an official of the
Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) dismissing a
Clark-Metro bullet as “very expensive.”
Talking to newsmen at the
sidelines of the opening rites for
the new main gate to the Clark International Airport, Luciano said
it is a “high speed train” that the
Department of Transportation and
Communications has been instructed by President Aquino to
study.
“(Of the JICA comment), I am
not sure where they got the information about a bullet train. Even in
my attendance in the meetings of
the DOTC as well as the cabinet
cluster [for airport strategies] of
the President on August 19, there
was never any mention of a bullet
train,” Luciano said.
Luciano clarified that there is
a big difference between a bullet
train, which travels as much as
250 to 300 kilometers per hour,
and a high-speed train with maximum speed less than half of the
former’s.
“Hindi pwede ang bullet train
sa atin, magliliparan ang mga bahay sa tabi,” Luciano said.
He noted that a high-speed
train would be perfect for the distance between Clark and Metro
Manila at an hour’s travel time.
“In international airports, one
hour is not a long yardstick criterion,” Luciano said.
– Bong Z. Lacson
GATEWAY. Victor Jose Luciano presides
over what could be his last official function
as president-CEO of the Clark International
Airport Corp. -- the ceremonial ribbon-cutting
to officially open the new main gate to the
Clark International Airport. With Luciano are
CIAC EVP Ben Manga and newly appointed
CIAC Directors Al Fernandez and Ramil Guiao.
Photo by Bong Lacson
Unwanted ‘ipa’ now a pricey commodity
By Elmo Roque
SCIENCE CITY OF
MUÑOZ – “Ipa,” or the
husk of the palay, which
used to be the most unwanted by-product of the
cereal, is now a pricey
commodity.
It used to be a bane
for rice millers as its
proper disposal was a
big problem.
Big rice millers even
devoted some hectares
of lands for the dumping
of this agricultural waste.
Others dump it elsewhere, including road-
sides where it is burned
and becomes a nuisance
for motorists and travelers because of the thick
smoke emanating from
the burning heap.
Experts said about
20 percent of the palay
grains become rice hull
in the de-hulling operation of the rice mills.
Computations by rice
experts indicated that for
the 14 million metric tons
of palay milled in the
country every year, the
rice hull is about 3.1 million metric tons.
But the low regard for
the “ipa” has changed. It
is now a pricey commodity because of new-found
uses for it in the cement
industry, for conversion
into carbonized rice hull,
and now as a biomass
for commercial operation of rice hull-powered
electric plant.
“It is now priced at
P0.80 to P1 a kilogram,”
Edgardo Alfonso, president of the San Jose City
Rice Millers Association,
said. “It is bought by cement factories which use
it to power their plants instead of using coal’, he
added.
Alfonso, who is the
chief operating officer of
the San Jose City I-Power Corporation, said their
corporation will be buying soon rice hull at P1 a
kilogram from the 26 rice
millers in San Jose City
once their rice hull powered electric plant starts
operating.
“We will be using
100,000 to 120,000 metric tons of rice hull for
our plant every year. It is
about 70 percent of the
volume produced in our
city yearly,” Alfonso said.
Workers bag rice hull from a heap near the national highway in the Science City of Muñoz to
sell to cement factories. Photo by Elmo Roque
PANAWAGAN
Punto! Central Luzon • October 2 - 4, 2014 • Thursday - Saturday
Ito ay panawagan sa mga malapit kamag-anak ng mga
nakalibing sa Holy Rosary Parish Catholic Cemetery, Brgy.
Cutcut, Angeles City, ukol sa mga sumusunod:
2
1. Simula po sa ika-25 ng Oktubre 2014, ang mga labi ng
mga nakalibing sa mga nitso sa bandang kalagitnaan ng
sementeryo ay hahanguin at ililipat na para sa tamang
kaayusan at daanan sa loob ng sementeryo. Layunin
ng proyektong ito na maiwasan ang mga aksidente
na dulot ng kawalan ng angkop na daanan papasok at
papalabas sa sementeryo.
2. Ang mga nagnanais na magpalipat ng mga labi ng
mga yumaong kamag-anak ay makipag-ugnayan lang
po bago ika-25 ng Oktubre 2014, sa opisina ng Holy
Rosary Parish Catholic Cemetery, Sylvia St., Nepo
Subd., Angeles City.
3. Ang mga puntod na hindi na binibisita ng mga
kamag-anak sa loob ng limang (5) taon ay tinuturing
nang abandonado, at ang mga labi ay ilalagak muna
sa pangkalahatang lugar at ang karapatan (right) na
maglibing ay babalik na sa Holy Rosary Parish Catholic
Cemetery.
4. Ang mga bakod o upuan na inilagay sa paligid ng
mga puntod nang walang paalam o hindi humingi ng
pahintulot sa administrasyon at sagabal sa mga daanan
ay bubuwagin at aalisin upang maisaayos na muli ang
mga daanan ng tao.
HRP Catholic Cemetery Administration
Another rice hull-powered generating plant,
with a capacity of 12
megawatts, is currently
being constructed in Talavera, Nueva Ecija. The
plant will be using the
rice hull produced by the
biggest rice mill in Nueva
Ecija based in that town.
Affected by the newfound importance of
rice hull are the farmers
who operate the government-distributed flatbed
drying facility which uses
rice hull to power its machine.
“I buy the rice hull
now for P2,000 per Elf
truck load or P5,000
per ten-wheeler truck
load,” said Willy Bernardo in the Science City of
Muñoz who operates a
flatbed drying facility. “At
times, I have to wait for
days (to procure the rice
hull) because the millers
sell it to cement factories,” he added.
He recalled that rice
millers before even paid
land owners for the truckloads of rice hull dumped
on their lands.
Also affected by the
unexpected value-adding to the rice hull were
those engaged in the
production of carbonized
rice hull (CHR).
Promoted by the
Philippine Rice Institute
(PhilRice), the CHR, or
the partially burned rice
hull produced through
an open-type carbonizer, is used as substrate
to organic fertilizer, soil
conditioner or ameliorant, water purifier, filter or absorbent, base
material for making microbial inoculants, charcoal, odor suppressant
and others.
PhilRice reported that
one association, the Organic Farmers Unit Association, Inc. in Balbalungao, Pangasinan,
was the first to cash in on
the production of CHR
by exporting it to Japan.
Five other people’s organization, it said, also
made big money for the
production of CHR in collaboration with PhilRice,
Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement
(PRRM), and a corporation which is exporting
volumes of CHR to other
countries.
But even if rice hull
has become a pricey
commodity now, PhilRice, through its bulletin, is continuing with the
promotion of the production of CHR because of
its many important uses.
The agency indicated that for a nine-ton
rice hull main material,
the CHR producers can
still earn a gross income
of P45,000 and a net of
P31,461.11.
The only problem that
they will encounter, it appeared, is that they will
compete with the middlemen in getting volumes
of this important and
pricey commodity now.
Estudyanteng namatay sa BulSU tragedy
ginawaran ng Gintong Kabataan Award
Ni Rommel Ramos
LUNGSOD NG MALOLOS
–
“Masaya
ngunit masakit.”
Ito ang emosyon ng
mga magulang ni Sean
Rodney Alejo, isa sa pitong Bulacan State University tourism student
na namatay sa flash
flood sa Madlum River
sa San Miguel, Bulacan,
sa gitna ng pagbibigay
dito ng parangal sa Gintong Kabataan Awards
(GKA) nitong Martes
sa The Pavilion, Hiyas
ng Bulacan Convention
Center sa lungsod na ito.
Ayon kay Rodolfo
Alejo, ama ng biktima,
bagamat pumanaw ang
kanilang anak ay nakatanggap ito ng parangal
at kinilala bilang bayani
sa naganap na trahedya
sapagkat nagsagip daw
ito ng buhay ng mga kaklase noong panahon
na sila ay tinatangay ng
malakas na agos.
Natutuwa daw sila na
nagging makabuluhan at
hindi nasayang ang pagkamatay ng kanilanga
anak.
Sa kabila nito ay pinipilit daw nila na makarekober sa nangyaring trahedya at nakapag-file na
sila ng kaso sa Ombudsman para mapanagot
ang mga nagkulang at
nauwi sa trahedya ang
fieldtrip.
Sa gitna ng parangal
ay mensahe nila sa publiko na ingatan ng mga
magulang ang kanilang
mga anak at ang eskwelahan ay dapat gawin
ang kanilang obligasyon
bilang pangalawang magulang ng mga bata kapag ito ay nasa kanilang
pangangalaga.
Kasama din sa binigyan ng parangal sina
GMA news reporter
Steve Dailisan at GMA
news Anchor Arnold
Clavio bilang na mga natatanging kabataan sa
Bulacan.
Kinikilala sa GKA na
ito ang mga kabataang
may angking kahusayan at kakayahan sa iba’t
ibang kategorya kabilang na dito ang Akademya (Sekondarya at
Kolehiyo), Sining at Kultura, Serbisyo Publiko
(Indibidwal at Grupo),
Negosyante, Trabahong
Pang-Propesyonal
at
Mahusay na Manggagawa, Isports (Indibidwal
at Grupo), at ang Gintong Kabataang Bayani
na siya nan gang iginawad sa biktimang si
Rodney.
lis ay nagmula sa Provincial Public Safety
Company (PPSC), PNPSAF, at 13 municipal
police station ng Zambales.
Ang CIC ay tatagal
ng 45 araw na nagsimula noong August 7, 2014
at magtatapos sa October 10, 2014.
Bago magtapos ang
CIC Course, sumailalin
ang kapulisan sa karagdagang kaalaman na
may kaugnayan sa Spotting Techniques and Anti
Carnapping Act of 1972
(RA 6539) kung saan ipinaliwanag ni SPO4 Marlon Agno ng Zambales
Provincial Highway Patrol Team (ZPHPT) ang
kahalagahan nito.
Anti-carnap seminar sa pulis
Ni Johnny R. Reblando
IBA, Zambales – May
56 na mga kagawad ng
Zambales PNP ang sumailalim sa Criminal Investigation Course (CIC)
at Anti-Carnapping seminar na ginanap sa Zambales Police Provincial
Office .
Kabilang sa mga pu-
Bam Aquino says
Telcos blame local gov’t fees as deterrent to facilities upgrade
By Ding Cervantes
Punto! Central Luzon • October 2 - 4, 2014 • Thursday - Saturday
ANGELES CITY- Sen. Paulo Benigno “Bam” Aquino
IV said telecommunications companies (telcos) have
blamed fees and other financial impositions at local
government levels for their failure to immediately install more cell sites to boost their service capabilities.
Aquino, who was guest of the Capampangans in
Media Inc. (CAMI) at the Holy Angel University here
recently, said the Senate is set to invite the League of
Municipalities of the Philippines and the League of City
Mayors of the Philippines to shed light on this issue.
Aquino, who is a member of the Senate Committee
on Communications and Mass Media, said telcos have
noted the various fees being imposed in the provinces, from municipal down to the barangay levels, that
prevent them from fully upgrading their facilities to upgrade communications signals for their clients.
“The telcos are saying they want to establish
more cell sites but they are hampered by fees and
different rules being imposed at local levels,” he said.
Aquino said local government units should be
convinced to adopt reasonable and uniform rates on
fees on telcos nationwide. Otherwise, uniform fees
could be legislated, he added.
This, as Aquino also lamented low internet speed
in the country, amid a study indicating that the Philippines has among the lowest speed among Southeast
Asian countries.
“Increasing internet speed has corollary effect on
the GDP (general domestic product), because an internet economy doesn’t have to pay for a space so
sell products,” he noted.
Aquino lauded the call of the Department of Justice for telcos to be more truthful in advertising their
internet service offers, as he noted that while unlimited internet is being offered, the speed goes down
significantly after subscribers have consumed a certain volume of megabytes.
This, even as Aquino urged government intervention in providing internet signals in rural areas which
telcos consider unprofitable.
He said the Department of Science and Technology is already experimenting on this, using frequency
of Channel 3 in Bohol and an equipment that costs
less than $1,000 but covers a radius of 10 kilometers.
3
AirAsia back in Clark starting Oct. 17
By Ashley Manabat
ONLY CLARK. AirAsia-Zest CEO Maan Hontiveros
announces return of AirAsia Malaysia Berhad to the
Clark International Airport. Photo by Bong Lacson
CLARK FREEPORT – AirAsia is back at the Clark International Airport (CIA) starting October 17 with an initial
four times weekly - Monday,
Wednesday, Friday and Sunday – flights.
AirAsia-Zest Chairperson
Marianne Hontiveros made
the announcement during the
media forum “Talk Widus” organized by the Pampanga
Press Club at the Widus Hotel
and Casino here last Wednesday.
“They are going to re-establish this route (Kuala Lumpur-Clark) which they started
seven years ago,” Hontiveros
said. “They were here five
years before we came on and
they are very happy to be back
so there will be a re-inaugural flight on October 17 and I
will be here to welcome them
back,” she added.
Hontiveros was referring to
AirAsia Berhad of Malaysia,
the mother company of AirAsia-Zest. It can be recalled that
both airlines pulled out their
operations from the CIA in October last year leaving a huge
vacuum for airline passengers
coming from central and northern Luzon.
In Wednesday’s forum,
Hontiveros said: “AirAsia Malaysia has always considered
Clark as a very important
route.”
She explained that “there
were temporary changes when
Philippines AirAsia acquired
Zest Air. We have to move to
Manila for several reasons
one of which was to bring Zest
up to the standards of AirAsia
and therefore we have to consolidate operations.”
“I have to bring the best of
our management team over to
Manila. It did not make sense
to run two operations simultaneously while we were getting
Zest up to standard. We have
to be right alongside them,”
Hontiveros said.
“Also we had to consolidate
our fleet so there was reduction in the fleet of Philippines
AirAsia and we thought… the
BOD thought it best to really
concentrate on Manila first because we have to protect valuable slots in Manila and therefore that decision was made,”
she further explained.
Only option is Clark
“We always said we would
be back in Clark. We really still
believe that Clark is the only
option to Manila international
airport,” she said.
“Everybody keeps talking
about a third runway at the
Manila international airport.
But where are you going to get
the land for that runway?” she
asked.
“You’re going to have to
take Merville (subdivision)
right? Or Part of Merville. But
right now how long will that
process take? We all know
how long it takes for the government to be able to take the
land. Because you can be tied
up in litigation and that sort of
thing and I don’t see how fast
that can be done,” she said.
“So now they talk about
possibly a second airport. I
mean this discussion has been
going on for years and we always believe that the dual airport system with Manila and
Clark as the airports serving
Manila is the only option. We
still believe in that,” she added.
Disappointment
Hontiveros also expressed
disappointment because “a lot
of the things we were expecting to be put in place when we
came to Clark such as the connector highway, high speed
rail or maybe dedicated lines
to get passengers from Manila
to Clark hasn’t happened.”
“But the good news is we’ve
heard directly from the DOTC
that they have been instructed by the President to revive
the talks of the high speed rail.
They are fast tracking. They
said that they are really pushing for the connector highway
to connect NLEx and SLEx. If
these things happen, Clark becomes very viable,” she said.
However, Hontiveros said
“even before that happens,
with operations now of AirAsia
Malaysia coming in, it won’t be
too long before you see us following back into Clark.”
“I can’t give you a specific
date because we’re still working out our routes and our fleet
plans for AirAsia Zest. But I
would say safely by next year
we should be back here,” she
said.
Moribund Clark hotel to get P1-B boost
Punto! Central Luzon • October 2 - 4, 2014 • Thursday - Saturday
By Ding Cervantes
4
CLARK FREEPORT-- The moribund Oxford Hotel is
getting a P1-billion shot in the arm in the bid of its
new investor to make it one of the top hotels in this
freeport.
Renovation work worth at least P200 million has
started and is expected to be finished in time for the
hosting here of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in January next year.
The Clark Development Corp. (CDC) which man-
ages this freeport has signed an agreement with Oxford’s new owner Eight Integrated Development Corporation (EIDC), represented bit its treasurer Victoria
Martinez, for the project.
The CDC said EIDC will invest an initial P200 million for the renovation of the hotel’s two floors in time
for APEC.
Also included in the initial investment is the
face-lifting of the building façade.
Oxford Hotel here has been through several managements but performed less creditably than other
local hotels of its size.
The three-star hotel will also start the construction
of the first phase of a sports facility.
CDC said some 50 workers have already been
hired to finish the initial phase.
The CDC said EIDC committed to finish its P1-billion projects in five years. This will include a new hotel building, a casino, and a restaurant complex with
one-stop shop commercial complex.
EIDC is expected to employ a total 615 employees within the next five years.
SM Olongapo joins
int’l coastal clean-up
SM Olongapo employees, affiliates, agencies and tenants pose for posterity after the
International Coastal Clean Up last September 27 in Parola Brgy. Kalaklan, Olongapo City.
Photo courtesy of SMOL
SM Olongapo joined thousands of volunteers from
the different sectors in Subic Bay, Olongapo and Zambales and millions of people across the globe in the annual International Coastal Cleanup last September 27,
2014.
SM affiliates , tenants, agencies and employees engaged in this noble activity to help eliminate trash and
debris from beaches and waterways that contribute to
pollution.
Just like the OC ICC, SM Supermalls share the
same advocacy through the SM Cares program on Environment and Volunteerism which works actively to
safeguard our natural ecosystems, provide information
and educate the public on various environmental concerns and encourage the community members to do
their share to preserve mother nature.
Locally, the event dubbed, “Save My Bay, Save
My World” was undertaken in the respective beaches
and waterways of Subic Bay, Olongapo and Zambales
clearing vast area of coastlines and inland waterways.
This annual activity empowers people to stop the
flow of trash before it hits the ocean. SM Supermalls
constantly support this kind of activity and adhere to
one common purpose, to start a trash free seas.
–PR-SMOL
Cultural mapping project launched in Bataan
BALANGA CITY - The Bataan Peninsula Tourism Foundation Inc. in coordination with
the provincial government of
Bataan has officially launched
the cultural mapping project
aimed at discovering and preserving the rich cultural heritage of the province.
“In this modern time when
there is globalization, rapid
integration of goods and services between nations, there
is this fear that we may lose
our identity,” Gov. Albert Raymond S. Garcia said.
The governor said that the
youth engrossed into social
media may soon forget and
learn nothing about the past.
“We have to do something to
preserve our identity, culture
and heritage,” he said.
Garcia said the province is
opening its economy but at the
same the citizens should learn
who they are to have complete
development.
“We should not be like a
headless chicken or a lost
soul,” the governor said.
Associate Prof. Eric Zerudo, director of the University of
Santo Tomas Center for Conservation of Cultural Property
and Environment in the Tropics, lectured on cultural heritage that he said Bataan has
plenty to be proud of.
He made mention for example of the cenaculo or
street play on the Passion of
Garcia
Christ as part of Bataan’s cultural heritage that has to be
brought to national and even
international attention.
Zerudo described heritage
mapping as restoring memories of each town, a process of
identifying natural and cultural
heritage resources of a specific locality.
Techie Banzon, consultant
for the Bataan Peninsula Tourism Foundation, said in October to November this year,
public school teachers will be
busy making the rounds of
communities to record unique
recipes, oldest man and woman, old cemeteries, undiscovered caves, falls, etc., in addition to old churches and monuments already documented.
Also, the numbers of rivers, mountains, beaches respective localities have and so
with classic animals, birds and
so on.
Mrs. Vicky Garcia, the governor’s mother, is chair of the
tourism foundation.
Punto! Central Luzon • October 2 - 4, 2014 • Thursday - Saturday
By Ernie Esconde
5
O pinion
Editorial
Punto! Central Luzon • October 2 - 4, 2014 • Thursday - Saturday
No More Excuses,
FOI Right Now
6
THERE IS no more reason for the
committee on public information of the
House of Representatives to continue
delaying the progress of the Freedom
of Information bill and entertaining
the addle-minded attempts of some
lawmakers to force the inclusion of a
right-to-reply provision in the measure.
Especially not after the clear results
of the online poll on whether an ROR
provision should be inserted into the FOI
bill that our “honorable” representatives
posted early this month on the House
of Representatives’ website (http://
congress.gov.ph/).
A poll, mind you, which they very
suspiciously did not announce but
which nevertheless could not slip past
the vigilance of right to information
advocates.
As of Wednesday, October 1, 2014,
the survey shows 326 Votes (71.18 %)
against the ROR and 124 Votes (27.07
%) for the ROR, with only eight undecided
votes.
Any more hedging on the matter can
only bolster suspicions that the corrupt
and the inept will not stop moving heaven
and earth to prevent the passage of this
landmark legislation, especially since the
Senate passed its version months ago.
We challenge the members of the
House, particularly public information
committee chair, Rep. Jorge Almonte,
to immediately resume the legislative
advance of the FOI bill or drop the
pretense of being the representatives of
a people whose rights you continue to
ignore and whose wishes you continue
to spurn.
(Statement of the National Union of Journalists of the
Philippines, dated October 1, 2014, with which we are in total
solidarity.)
acaesar.blogspot.com
Zona Libre
Bong Z. Lacson
What happened
to Goo-gooland?
THE VERY paradigm of good government is the city.
Getting just about every award at the regional and national levels in the fields
of sound fiscal management, good housekeeping, business friendliness, facility of
transactions, delivery of services, etc. Why, some international organization even
had to craft an award specially for the city, just to keep at pace with its trajectory
of best-ness when it comes to public governance.
The paragon of good governance, as much
a cause as consequence, naturally becomes
the city’s chief executive.
Getting just about every award at the
regional and national levels for lifting his city,
indeed, for setting the standards of public
service way beyond the reach, if not the ken,
of even the more socio-economically advanced
cities, standards that are superior even to the
norms set by the Commission on Civil Service,
standards that can only be at par with those
of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Hence, it became but a matter of course for the
city chief executive to earn some global star
status.
Current moves from some sectors, notably
business, to rename the city are long past due.
That should have come at that time the city
crested in the firmament of good governance.
And not with mere alteration of the sequence
in its official name as now proposed, but with
a totally new name most becoming of its
character, best reflective of the city’s renown.
And what better name for this city than Googooland.
That’s no double take of the slimy
substance – goo. It comes from the googoos, or good government guys who banded
themselves in the 1890s in good old US of A
to wage war against public sector corruption,
proving their worth in the New York mayoralty
polls of 1894 when they upended the city’s
most powerful political machine that was
Tammany Hall.
Goo-gooland. Defining good government.
Aye, some catchy PR collateral there.
Aww, it was not meant to be.
Alas, alack, ay sus, as things start to unravel
now, the Utopia of good government that was
Goo-gooland – within but two years of the exit
of its most exalted world-class chief executive
– turned into the Dystopia of failing, if not yet
failed, governance, to wit:
Overtopping the scale of crime for the whole
province.
Major transhipment point in the dangerous
drugs trade.
Poised to be the Habitat of Human
Pestilence, sooner than later.
Serious conditions, most certainly, but
curable with some corresponding, if Dutertian,
measures. Outward manifestations as they are
of the sickness plaguing the whole Philippine
society.
More perilous, is the cancerous growth in
the city polity. Threatening to corrupt everything
that has been good in its government. But of
which the city is in total state of denial.
So it was in the previous dispensation
that investors laughed their way to and from
city hall, unencumbered by even the slightest
insinuations of “goodwill” envelopes, much less
demands for “facilitation fees” up front.
So it is in the present one that investors
shudder in horror at the mere sight of city hall,
seeing in there Dracula’s own blood bank, ready
to bleed them dry. So we have been hearing for
some time now.
A case in point: The coming of pricey
property developer with a celebrity of some
notoriety – read: leaked sex videos – as poster
girl.
Unresolved questions over land conversion
notwithstanding, a council resolution was
railroaded to favour the developer. Not so
much, it turned out, in recognition of the volume
of investments the city would get, or of the
potential jobs generated for the citizens. As for
the promised gratuity to each of the honourable
aldermen. And indeed reported to be delivered
through the chair of the comite de festejos.
Some wacky-wacky corniness intended for
effect there, if you get the drift.
The catch though – and that mayhaps why
this hush-hush affair blew all over town – was
that the age-old doctrine of honour among
thieves was…well, dishonoured.
So we hear that the pie presented for
partaking was all of P1 million. But some of the
partakers were smarter – they got the thicker
slices of P120-K and P100-K, than the others –
who were discontented with their P50K or P35K
crumbs.
Bad as that was, badder still was the
discovery that the committee chair, and his
supposed mentor, sequestered for themselves
P2 million from the deal, over and above their
slices in the P1 million pie for the group.
So new, yet so corrupt. So it was said of the
alderman.
So in-character with his moniker. So it was
said of the neophyte’s mentor, referencing
to some sea creature embodied by the Davy
Jones character in the Pirates of the Caribbean
movie.
Yes, the Goo-gooland that was the city in its
good government past has sunk to
Gulang – Filipino jargon for crafty, cunning,
deceitful, devious, dishonest, duplicitous,
scheming, sly, tricky – in its misgoverning
present.
No wonder, talks of some comeback gain
not only currency but also credibility all around
the city.
Today in Philippine history
LLL Trimedia Coordinators, Inc.
Publisher
General Manager
Editor
Marketing Manager
Layout
Circulation
Atty. Gener C. Endona
Caesar “Bong” Lacson
Joanna Niña V. Cordero
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EDGAR V. MOVIDO
Founder
Business & Editorial office at Unit B Essel Commercial Center,
McArthur Highway, Telabastagan, City of San Fernando
Tel. No. (45) 625•0244 Cel. No. 0917•481•1416
puntogitnangluzon@yahoo.com or marketing@punto.com.ph
http://www.punto.com.ph
Punto! Central Luzon is a proud member of
The Philippine Press Institute
Source: www.kahimyang.info
Julian Felipe dies in Manila
On October 2, 1944, Julian Felipe, noted composer
of the Philippine National Anthem, died in Manila.
Considered as a revolutionist who never carried
a gun, Felipe composed
“Lupang Hinirang” upon the
special request of General Emilio Aguinaldo to make
a composition that would inspire his compatriots to continue fighting against the
Spaniards.
Born in San Roque, Cavite,
on January 28, 1861, Felipe,
who was musically-inclined
from boyhood, studied music
under local music teachers.
He was the youngest of 12
children of poor parents.
Felipe joined the revolutionaries who fought against
the Spaniards. He was arrested and jailed at Fort San
Felipe in Cavite. After he was
freed, he rejoined General
Aguinaldo’s troops.
On June 12, 1898, as the
Hong Kong-made Filipino flag
was being hoisted outside the
central window of the Aguinal-
do ancestral home in Kawit,
the music band of San Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias) played the stirring
anthem. It was a soul-inspiring masterpiece without lyrics.
More than a year later, the
anthem found the appropriate
lyrics in a poem -- “Filipinas”
-- written by Jose Palma, the
poet-soldier of the revolution.
After the Philippine-American War (1899-1901), Felipe resumed his teaching and
music composing.
Felix M. Garcia
Who bats for
term extension?
Kung ang dating First Gentleman Mike Arroyo
ay pabor mabigyan si Nonoy Aquino
ng ‘term extension’ sa pagkaupo nito
bilang atin pa ring magiging Pangulo
Pagkaraan ng kanyang unang termino
na magtatapos sa atreynta ng Hunyo
ng ‘year 2016,’ yan sa palagay ko
ay panunudyo lang ni Mr. Aquino
Sa ating Pangulo upang maragdagan
ang kasong maaring isampa ng bayan
laban sa tulad ni PNoy, na ang bawal
ang siyang ninanais nitong ipairal.
Gaya r’yan ng gusto niyang mapalawig
ang dapat ay ‘six years’ lang na ‘term of office;
Yan sa ganang akin ay pagmamalabis
na ni Aquino sa ating ‘social justice’
Ang dami na nga ng hindi natutuwa
sa mga estilo niyang pinag-gagawa
ay hihirit pa siya para mapahaba
ang walang direksyon niyang pamamahala?
Na kabaligtaran sa dapat asahan
sa lipi pa mandin ng bayaning tunay
ang maging pasaway sa posisyong tangan
nang dahil sa sulsol lamang ng kabagang
Na hangga’t makaya gumagawa sila
ng paraan upang mapahaba nila
itong sa kaban ng bayan magkapera
dala nitong taglay nilang impluwensya
Tulad na lamang ni Alan Purisima,
na natuklasang may pag-aari pala
ng di lang milyones kundi bilyones na
ay saan sa tantya natin yan kinuha?
O nanggaling itong kanyang ipinundar
kung ang PNP Chief di dating mayaman?
Aba’y marapat na maimbestigahan
at ikulong na rin kung kinakailangan
Na kagaya nina Napoles, Revilla,
Juan Ponce Enrile at Jinggoy Estrada;
(Na bagama’t mga suspect pa lang sila
Ay pinakulong na ni Leila de Lima).
Pero bakit si Chief Alan Purisima
ay patuloy pa ring idinidepensa
mismo ng Pangulo sa puntong aniya,
akusasyon pa lang itong sa tao niya.
Subali’t ang dating Pangulong Arroyo
ay ipinakulong na ng rehimeng Aquino,
Gayong kagaya ng alipores nito
Na si Purisima’y suspect pa lang ito?
Higit pa bang dapat bigyang kaukulang
Respeto at makataong pagtrato riyan
itong PNP Chief kaysa nanungkulan
ding tulad ni PNoy d’yan sa Malakanyang?
At pareho naman ding ‘graft & corruption’
ang ‘nature’ ng kaso ni dating Pangulong
Arroyo at nitong PNP Chief ngayon,
pero itong huli di pa nakakulong
At nakatikim ng katulad ni Madam
na pinagdusa na ng napakatagal
sa isang makipot na kuarto sa ospital,
kung saan lang siya malayang gumalaw.
Walang computer at bawal ding mag-cellphone,
Limitado pati ang oras ng dalaw;
“can’t access external medical attention,”
pagkat ayaw nga siyang tulutan ni PNoy!
(May karugtong)
Corruption issues
affecting Binay’s chances
The latest Pulse Asia survey could be setting a trend.
Popularity ratings do not remain fixed for very long.
They’re either on the way
down or on the way up. That
bodes ill for the political fortunes of Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Binay’s camp says their
man still leads, with 31 percent
of those surveyed preferring
him as their presidential candidate. That may be true, but
he chalked up 41 percent in a
previous survey. That means
his popularity rating is on a
downward spiral.
It shouldn’t bother Binay
and his handlers if the drop
were by a few percentage
points. That could be attributed simply to public fickleness.
If that were true, they could
hope to recoup the loss, even
register a net gain in the next
survey.
Alas, the decline is too
steep. And it is generally attributed to something that
goes straight to the heart of
the 2016 presidential election:
the moral fitness of a candidate to govern.
“The drop in Binay’s ratings
was across the board in each
of the four major geographic
blocs, and in each of the three
major demographic categories,” noted Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist John Nery.
On the other hand, DILG
Secretary Mar Roxas who is
untainted by corruption, saw
his rating go up to 13 percent
from seven percent. He still
lags, to be sure, but if the upward trajectory continues, and
it seems it will, his and the vice
president’s paths will meet
somewhere, with that of the
former going up and that of the
latter going down.
Roxas gained five points in
the NCR, 11 points in the Visayas and eight points in Mindanao. Roxas also registered
a huge leap of support from six
percent in June to 19 percent
in September coming from
voters in the socioeconomic E
class.
The vice president and his
son Mayor Junjun Binay are
accused of overpricing the
Makati City Parking Building
by as much as P1.6 billion.
It turned out that the building
was only the tip of the iceberg
and that all members of the
family were allegedly involved,
from VP Binay and his wife,
Elenita, to the siblings Mayor
Junjun, Sen. Nancy, and Congresswoman Abigail.
Corruption was an issue in
the 2010 presidential election.
That explains the loss of Erap
Estrada, a convicted plunderer, and Manny Villar, who suffered from perceptions that
had used his position as senator to advance the interests of
his real estate companies.
Unfortunately for Binay,
corruption will remain an issue
in 2016.
Comelec, RTC clash on PCOS rule
Exec says business as usual in NE town
By Armand M. Galang
ALIAGA, Nueva Ecija – The
Commission on Elections and
Regional Trial Court clashed
over the law that governs recount of ballots on an election
protest as the former stopped
twice the latter from removing
sitting Mayor Elizabeth Vargas
in favor of her rival Reynaldo
Ordanes.
Vargas declared “business
as usual” at the municipal hall
on Tuesday amid confusion of
residents on who really is their
mayor to attend to their needs,
especially to sign documents.
“It’s an ordinary working
day,” Vargas said, over a week
after sheriffs from RTC Branch
30 tried to serve a writ of execution which declares Vargas
loser in favor of Ordanes by
11 votes in the 2013 mayoralty race.
Vargas, wife of former Mayor Marcial Vargas, was proclaimed winner by the municipal board of canvassers last
year, garnering 11,477 votes
to Ordanes’ 11,413, or a difference of 64 votes.
But RTC Branch 30 Judge
Virgilio Caballero voided 72 of
Vargas’ votes. It also ruled that
three of Ordanes’ votes, which
were rejected by the precinct
count optical scan (PCOS)
machines, were valid, bringing
his vote total to 11,416 while
Vargas’ votes were reduced to
11,405 votes after the 72 votes
were deducted from her tally,
prompting the court to declare
Ordanes winner by a plurality
of 11 votes.
The ruling was supposed
to be immediately implemented but its June 19 writ of execution was withheld on July
15 after the Comelec issued a
TRO enjoining it to cease and
desist from enforcing its order
for a 60-day period. The TRO
expired last September 16,
prompting the court to issue
another order dated September 17 implementing the writ.
In its September 17 order,
the court said Vargas has not
produced any evidence to defend her position.
In the 2nd TRO signed by
Chairman Sixto Brillantes, the
Comelec said the RTC should
not have relied on the 2010
Rules of Procedure in Election
Contest before the Courts Involving Elective Municipal Official “particularly Section 6(h),
Rule 10 in resolving the merits” of election protest filed by
Ordanes against Vargas.
“Emphasis should be given on the fact that the instant
case involves the 2013 National and Local Elections hence,
the applicable rules should
have been Comelec Resolution No. 9765 which effectively modified Section 6(h) Rule
10,” the Comelec said.
But even if the old rule is
applicable, according to the
Comelec, the judge should not
have examined and appreciated the ballots himself. The
rule, it added, “clearly provides
that any issue as to whether a
certain mark or shade is within the threshold shall be determined by using PCOS machine and nit by human determination.”
According to the Comelec,
the TRO was issued “in the interest of justice and so as not
to raise in the motion moot and
academic and the proceedings before this commission a
useless exercise.”
In a streamer hanging in
front of the municipal compound, Vargas ended her
message with the words “patuloy na naglilingkod (continuously serving),” to indicate she
is still in charge.
The Vargas camp circulated
a supposed copy of a TRO issued by the Comelec En Banc
enjoining Caballero to cease
and desist from enforcing and/
or implementing or continuing
to enforce and implement his
June 19 issuance of a writ of
execution of his decision pending appeal and Ordanes to
cease and desist from assuming the post of mayor.
Ordanes’ camp initially dismissed the TRO, saying it was
fake since it was signed only
by Brillantes and not the commissioners.
Ordanes said he would not
push himself to the town hall
and would rather wait for the final action from the Department
of Interior and Local Government for his installation.
Punto! Central Luzon • October 2 - 4, 2014 • Thursday - Saturday
Napaguusapan
Lang
COMMENTARy
7
SM City Clark’s grandest fireworks fest back on its 3 year
rd
Get ready for an action-packed
weekend as SM City Clark stages
its 3rd Pyrofest Competition, featuring delegates from nine provinces
vying for top prizes, exhibitions from
three countries, and performances
by some of the country’s top bands.
Events kick off at the Meeting Place
at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11, to be
followed by the second- and a third-
in-a-series of pyrotechnic competitions
on Oct. 18 and 25 in the same venue.
Watch as never before seen firework displays illuminate the night sky
with the participants’ state-of-the-art
fireworks, lights and sound showdown.
Participants will come from all over the
Philippines: Palawan, Ilocos, Batangas, Laguna, Bulacan, Cebu, Tacloban, Cotabato and Oroquieta. Over
half a million worth of prizes will be given away to the winners.
Australia Team Explosive Art, Canada’s Boom Boom Pow, and China Hengda Fireworks Ltd. will outdo one another in exhibitions of the latest, state-ofthe-art pyrotechnics. Performing at 8:30
p.m., right after the pyro competitions
are bands South Border and Freestyle
on Oct.11; Side A on Oct. 18; and Bam-
boo on Oct. 25. Keik Necessario will
do the front act for all bands.
Tickets starts at P150, P250
and P500. Call 470.2222 for tickets. For other inquiries, call SM
City Clark Marketing Division
at 045.499019899, tweet them
through https://twitter.com/smcityclark or check out the SM web site
http://www.smsupermalls.com/ –PR
Check out SM City Olongapo’s 3-Day Sale
The grandest and biggest 3-day sale in Olongapo kicks off on October 3 at
SM City Olongapo. Avail discounts up to 70% on great
selections from October 3,
4 and 5 and get a chance to
win a Suzuki Ertiga.
Here’s how you can win
the Suzuki Ertiga: For every P1000 purchase within
the promo period from the
SM Store, SM Supermarket,
or from any participating mall
establishment entitles shopper to one raffle coupon. Get
double raffle coupons for Saturday and Sunday purchases. Raffle draw is on October
5, 2014, 9:00 pm at the 4th level
of SM City Olongapo.
Here’s more, The SM Store
is giving away 3 Samsung
Galaxy S5 with globe prepaid sim. For every P2,000
purchase within the promo period entitles shopper to one
raffle coupon.
Avail of the two-hour exclusive to SM Advantage, Prestige, and BDO Rewards cardholders during the first day,
October 3 from 10 a.m. to 12
nn and get an additional 10
percent off on all items at the
SM Store, SM Appliance Center, Ace Express and Watsons.
Customer has to fill-in his/
her complete name, address,
contact number and affix their
signature on the raffle stub,
and drop the raffle entries at
the designated drop boxes inside the mall where purchase
was made.
Winners will be notified by
registered mail and list of winners will be posted at the designated areas in the mall. Prizes are not convertible to cash.
Avail of these exciting promos and enjoy shopping at SM
City Olongapo’s 3-Day Sale on
October 3-5, 2014.
For updates, visit SM City
Olongapo (Official) on Facebook. –PR-SMOL
Peregrine unlicensed, operating illegally
From page 1
Punto! Central Luzon • October 2 - 4, 2014 • Thursday - Saturday
A letter from the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) on September 30 confirmed
that Peregrine is “not in
PCAB’s list of registered
contractors.”
PCAB or the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board “is a Statutory Licensing and Regulatory body charged
with licensing and regulating contractors in
the country. All contractors, including sub- and
specialty contractors as
well as project owners
constructing without the
8
services of a contractor
must secure a PCAB license prior to engaging
in the business of contracting in the country.”
However, the DTI
said “a company by the
name of Peregrine Construction and Management LLC, Inc. with Mr.
James Sutherland Spore
III as the firm’s Authorized Managing Officer
filed an application for
Contractor’s License on
May 28, 2014.”
The DTI letter was
signed by Supervising
Trade-Industry Development Specialist Carolina
C. Salunar of the depart-
ment’s Verification, Investigation, Records and
Information.
During the media forum “Talk Widus” organized by the Pampanga
Press Club at the Widus
Hotel and Casino here
last Wednesday, GGDC
President Mark Williams
pointed out that Peregrine only applied for a
license at the onset of
their dispute.
It was further revealed that Peregrine’s
application for a contractor’s license “is still in
process” as of September 17 this year.
This is a breach of
Peregrine’s
Engineering Procurement Construction Management
(EPCM) contract and
only proves that Peregrine was operating without a valid license, Williams said.
The DTI said the applicant contractor, in this
case Peregrine Construction and Management LLC, Inc. and its
Authorized
Managing
Officer and Sustaining
Technical Employee, are
also required “to undergo a 40-hour Seminar of
Construction Safety and
Health Seminar” before
their application can be
PGKM twits JICA on Clark ‘bullet train’
From page 1
tion and Communication
to undertake a feasibility
study on a “high speed
railway”
connecting
Clark to Metro Manila.
No shinkansen
“It was clearly a highspeed train, not Japan’s
shinkansen or bullet
train, that the President
referred to,” Ruperto
Cruz, chair of PGKM,
noted. “To pop up the
bullet train here is clear-
ly misleading or even
deceiving.”
Cruz clarified: “Everyone knows that a bullet train – at its reported
speed of 250 to 300 kilometers per hour – is not
feasible between Clark
and Manila, a distance
of only 80 kilometers.”
“At that speed, there
will be Typhoon Yolanda-like destruction of
houses along the railroad,” he added.
Cruz also questioned
the “propriety” of JICA’s
“ready dismissal” of the
proposed
high-speed
railway at Clark, given
that the agency is pushing for Sangley Point
in Cavite at a cost of
P435.9 billion as eventual replacement of the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport by 2025.
“JICA of course is
protecting its interest
over Sangley, and therefore it is imperative for
it to downgrade Clark
which has always been
considered as the bet-
ter alternative to NAIA,”
Cruz said.
Cruz raised anew
the “conspiracy to sabotage” the development
of Clark as premier international
gateway,
with JICA “in the service
of the Imperial Manila
dragons.”
“At one time, JICA itself conducted a study
that showed the viability of Clark as premier
international gateway.
A direct contradiction
to what JICA now says
accepted.
A certification from
the Department of Labor
and Employment (DOLE)
also shows that Peregrine and Peregrine Construction and Management LLC, Inc. “are not
included” in its list of contractors/subcontractors
registered under Department Order No. 18-02
and or Department Order No. 18-A otherwise
known as the “Rules Implementing Article 106 to
109 of the Philippines.”
The DOLE certification dated September
24, 2014 was signed by
Assistant Regional Di-
of Sangley, Cruz said.
“What is JICA really up
to?”
rector Geraldine Panlilio.
Assert control
Meanwhile, Williams
said GGDC will be “asserting operational control” over the GGLC project as the police had already ordered Herstal Security of Peregrine to allow
GGDC officers and their
contractors access to the
project site especially at
the almost complete The
Medical City-Clark.
PDI president and
CEO Dennis Wright
through his executive assistant Roan Castro said
they will answer the issue
in the next media forum.
Cruz likewise took
exception to Iwata’s
claim that the Metro Manila-Clark
high-speed
train would be “very expensive.”
“It would not be as
expensive, or even half
as expensive, as the
P435.9-billion development of Sangley,” Cruz
said, noting that “only
the railway is the missing link in the full development of Clark as international gateway.”
“Also, there is MVP
((business mogul Manny V. Pangilinan) who
has long expressed his
interest in putting up a
high-speed railway system along the North Luzon Expressway, if only
the government makes
a definitive policy statement on the development of Clark,” Cruz
said.
ma’s statement as “hard
to believe” since “the paid
ad merely echoed Malacanang’s line that Aquino
is the only remaining Filipino on earth that can reform this country.”
“Aquino and his spin
doctors are obviously
concocting a bogus clamor. They are paving the
way for an Aquino dictatorship,” Mariano said.
The KMP said “the
Filipino people will never allow another term for
Aquino.”
“The Filipino people are already suffering from Aquino’s corrupt
and fascist regime. Another term for the landlord President is tantamount to the perpetuation of landlessness,
poverty, and human
rights abuses,” Mariano
said.
Not as expensive
Week-long anti-PNoy protests start Oct. 16
From page 1
bogus because it “covered only rice and corn
lands and exempted vast
tracts of lands devoted to
commercial crops like the
Cojuangco-Aquinos’ Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac.”
The protests are to
be held simultaneously
in urban centers in the
country.
This, even as the
KMP also assailed Malacanang’s spin doctors
for “concocting a bogus
clamor” for Aqiono’s term
extension and Charter
change.
The KMP issued the
statement after the Palace distanced itself from
a paid advertisement
that appeared recently in
major dailies purportedly
seeking to generate popular support for Aquino’s
second term.
KMP Chair Rafael
Mariano said Sec. Herminio Coloma was being “manipulative and
deceptive” by distancing Malacanang from
the published ads that
reportedly cost over
P200,000.
“Malacanang’s statements are clearly manipulative and deceptive.
After disowning the paid
ad, Coloma and Liberal Party stalwarts then
moved to capitalize on
the issue,” noted Marinao. He was referring
to Malacanang’s reiteration of Aquino’s previous pronouncement that
“the people themselves
would shoulder the responsibility in ensuring
that the reforms already
started would continue.”
Mariano called Colo-
The Gossipmiller
Cesar Pambid
OA as in sobrang exaggerated ang naging reaction sa ilang segments ng nakaraang Naked Truth show ng Bench Apparel. Umabot na sa puntong nagpa-presscon
nang solo si Coco Martin for fear na baka mawalan siya ng career dahil sa OA ding reaction ng ilang women’s group sa segment niya sa naturang show.
Lumalabas tuloy na pati si Coco at ang manager niyang si Biboy Arboleda sampu ng kanilang legal counsel na si Lorna Kapunan is on the belief na talagang mali
ang portrayal na binibgay sa kanya ng Bench.
Dahil dito nag-public apology na si Coco at ito po ang kabuuan.
“Mr. Martin sincerely expresses his apology and requests the public for understanding. Mr. Martin equally feels bad about the incident and saddened at the thought
that he unwittingly offended the public.
“While offering no excuse and admits that a mistake has been made, Mr. Martin wants to set the record straight about he incident. Mr. Martin has an existing
contract with BENCH to model its apparel and this same contract obliges him to appear in fashion shows for BENCH. Nevertheles, Mr. Martin, nor his manager or
staff, was not involved in the conceptualization of the production of the Naked Truth Show nor the segment entitled, “The Animal Within Me”. He only appeared ONCE
for a rehearsal which was a day prior to the show and it was only then that the role, as a ring master, was given to him.
“During the rehearsal, most of the people on stage were foreigners and even the choreographer was a foreigner. Mr. Martin wanted to voice out his concern,
particularly with the leash strapped on the neck of the lady model, but he failed to successfully communicate his thought because of the language barrier. Mr. Martin
kept mum on his opinion on the matter because it was impressed upon him that the show was already finalized and he felt insignificant as to cause a scene and
demand an overhaul of the entire segment.
“Mr. Marin feels extremely sorry for what transpired and admitted that this incident taught him a major lesson to be more sensitive and mindful of the repercussions
of his portrayals. Let it be clarified, however that Mr. Martin did not have the slightest intention on his mind to insult women by this single unfortunate act. Mr. Martin
has high regard for women just as he respects and loves his mother, his grandmother, and his three sisters.
“Mr. Martin humbly asks for the public’s understanding and assures the public that he will no longer allow himself to be obliged to participate in a similar insensitive
portrayal.”
Nagawa na nga raw ang ‘sangkaterbang apologies ng mga kinauukulan sa dapat ding pahatiran ng mga ito, lalo na sa parte ng BENCH. Kaya lang, nagkaroon
naman pala ito ng repercussions sa aktor na nag-modelo na si Mr. Martin.
At sa isang kapitbahay pa raw nito nabalitaan sa isang blind item na may modelo nga raw na matatanggalan
ng mga endorsement dahil sa nasabing insidente. Kaya naman, agad-agad na isinangguni ito ni Coco
sa kanyang business manager na si Biboy Arboleda. Kaya naman kinuha na nila ang serbisyo ni Atty.
Kapunan.
Kaya nga raw nang makita ito ni Atty. Kapunan, naalala niya ang ilang mga sandaling bilang bahagi
siya ng Board ng CCP para sa advocacy ng Cinemalaya for 6 years, doon pa lang daw eh, nakita na
niya ang pagiging promising noon ni Coco bilang isang alagad ng sining.
At kahit paano eh, nasubaybayan at nakilala na niya ang pagkatao nito sa mga nababasa tungkol
sa kanya on how he holds esteem the women in his life.
And according to Atty. Kapunan, nang kausapin nila si Coco, isa lang ang tinanong niya in his heart
of hearts. Sa pakiramdam niya sa ginawa niya.
“Ang kwento pa nga ni Mr. Martin, sa rehearsal pa lang nila, nakita na niya na maikli ‘yung leash.
Naisip nga niya na baka sa tumbling-tumbling ng babae’ng modelo, baka masaktan ito, pumulupot sa
leeg and all that. It was handled by a foreign choreographer. And he was given the role of a ring master.
And it can be said na clueless sa culture ng Pinoy ang mga foreigners na ito. Ang maganda, inamin ni Mr.
Martin na may mali at hindi niya lang ma-express ang sarili niya at baka masabi na nagpapa-importansya
Coco Martin
siya sa harap ng mga banyagang ito. He was humble enough to accept na may mali’ng nangyari. And
that is the kind of person I am willing to accept to help. Ang term pa nga na nagamit ni Mr. Martin nang
i-describe ang leash was “lubid”.
Dahil mahaba-haba’ng panahon na rin ang na-establish na relasyon between Coco and BENCH, walag
kasuhang magaganap sa pagitan nila.
Ang hiling lang ng side ni Coco, base nga sa nabalitaan nitong mawawalan siya ng endorsement sa iba pa
niyang produkto’ng ipino-promote eh, ang makipag-usap sa mga ito ang pamunuan ng BENCH na huwag itong
humantong sa ganoong pangyayari.
Ayon nga sa business manager ni Coco na si Biboy, malungkot ang kanyang alaga. Worried dahil hindi
naman nito mabuksan sa kanyang pamilya ang kabuuan ng mga pangyayari. At panindigan ang commitment na
aayusin ang lahat ng nangyaring kaguluhan lalo na sa kapakanan ng kanilang mga modelo, lalo na kay Coco.
Aayusin din daw ang mga schedule ni Coco to have a sit-down with the women’s groups na na-offend
sa nasabing pangyayari gaya ng GABRIELA at Philippine Commission on Women.
“Hindi ito isang paghuhugas-kamay. Lahat ay may learnings sa mga nangyari. And he is committed
to support the right of every individual, lalake man ‘yan, babae, bakla o tomboy. All human beings. Nung
makita ko nga siya, nagulat ako. Ang liit lang pala. But he is a big person and you really see him as a
symbol sa industry niya. He fulfilled a contract, an obligation. ‘Yun nga lang, when all this happened
at kumalat na sa networking sites, days passed na walang kumausap sa kanya from the side of
BENCH. There was silence for 5 days. Kaya sana, in times of distress, huwag pabayaan ng mga
kumpanya ang mga tao nila lalo na kung they do not have the means to defend themselves. Kaya
now, ang hiling lang is for BENCH to help in talking to all the sponsors of Mr. Martin. It was a sad
day for Mr. Martin.”
At sana, tantanan na rin si Coco ng mga mapanghusgang mata at dila.
This too shall pass. Sa tama’ng paraan.
He doesn’t deserve to be treated in a way na para bang may kriminalidad siyang ginawa. He did
a show!”
So there!
BENCH nag-sorry sa publiko
but insisted the show meant no offense
Humingi ng paumanhin kay Coco Martin ang mismong may-ari ng Bench clothing brand na
si Ben Chan. Ito ay dahil sa pagkakasangkot ng aktor sa kontrobersiyang may kinalaman sa
naganap na The Naked Truth, Bench underwear and denim fashion show noong September
20. Matatandaang nakatanggap ng pambabatikos ang ginawa ni Coco na paghawak ng lubid
na nakatali sa leeg ng isang foreign female model sa naturang event. Read: Bench apologizes
to “offensive” portrayal of women in The Naked Truth Base sa Instagram account ng naturang
clothing brand, nilinaw ni Ben na ginampanan lang ni Coco ang ipinagawa sa kanyang
theater act ng mga bumubuo ng fashion show. Humingi rin ng dispensa si Ben para sa mga
naeskandalo sa tema ng event. Partikular dito ang grupo ng Gabriela na inalmahan ang mga
elemento ng fashion show na nakakapagpababa ng dignidad ng kababaihan.
Pero may tonong wala nam,an daw silang masamang iniisip sa kanilang concept. Malayo
raw sa iniisip ng iba na may kahulugang sekswal ang kanilang ginawang pagtatanghal
especially nga yung segment ni Coco. Very literal daw yung konsepto about animal behavior
kaya talagang nagtataka sila kung bakit may mga taong na-offend. “Nevertheless, sorry sa
mga nasagasaan namin, we meant no offense,” sabi pa niya.
Kasabay nito, sinabi pa ni Ben Chan na siya mismo ay personal na na-disturb sa ilang
bahagi ng show especially yung kay Tom Rodriguez na exaggerated daw ang ginawang
bulge sa kanyang harapan to show he has something up his front. Oversize codpiece
daw ang ginamit at kung ang gusto lang sana ni Tom ay ma-emphazise ang kanyang
harapan, sana daw ay nagging maingat ito sa paglagay ng lavacara dito.
Pero nasiyahan naman daw si Ben Chan sa kabubuan ng show at kung may
mga taong magrereklamo dahil sa sexual undertone sa portrayal ng mga modelo
nais niyang ipaalala ito raw ay bahagi ng marketing ng mga underwear ng mga
kalalakihan.
Oo nga naman!
Punto! Central Luzon • October 2 - 4, 2014 • Thursday - Saturday
Coco Martin natakot na mawalan ng career
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Punto! Central Luzon • October 2 - 4, 2014 • Thursday - Saturday