The Filipino Express v27 Issue 46

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NATIONAL EDITION w
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NOVEMBER 22 - 28, 2013 w
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Associated Press photo
United Nations humanitarian chief
amazed by Filipinos' resiliency
By Tarra Quismundo
Returning to typhoondevastated Tacloban on Tuesday,
Nov. 19, a week since she first saw
the city stripped of almost
everything, the United Nations
humanitarian chief found
communities eager to get back on
their feet and resume normal
living.
While noting remaining gaps in
aid delivery, UN Undersecretary
General Valerie Amos was amazed
at the spirit of the Filipinos, who
are facing a mammoth
reconstruction job that could take
many years.
“I continue to be struck by the
resilience and spirit of the Filipino
people. Everywhere I visited, I saw
families determined to rebuild
their lives under the most difficult
conditions,” Amos told reporters in
Makati City on Tuesday night.
“So people are, of course, to an
extent traumatized by what
happened. They have lost loved
ones, but at the same time they're
trying to look to the future,” said
Amos, who first visited Tacloban
City on Nov. 13.
The Vatican, too, has observed
the struggle of the Visayans to rise
from the tragedy that has befallen
them.
“We want to express our
admiration for the spirit of the
Filipino people. We have been
seeing the terrible devastation but
we have also been witnessing the
extraordinary care, consideration
and generosity of your own
people,” said Msgr. Paul Tighe,
secretary of the Pontifical Council
for Social Communications told
reporters on Wednesday.
Tighe is in Manila to attend the
two-day Catholic Social Media
Summit at the Colegio de San Juan
de Letran on Saturday and Sunday.
Supreme Court slays PDAF
By Christine O. Avendaño
In a landmark decision that could spell
the end of political patronage, the
Supreme Court on Tuesday declared
unconstitutional past and present
congressional pork barrel laws as it
ordered the criminal prosecution of
individuals who had benefited from the
schemes over the past two decades.
The high court, voting 14-0-1, also
struck down the discretionary provisions
granted the President in the use of
multibillion-peso oil revenues from the
Malampaya Fund and the Presidential
Social Fundthe government share of
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Miss World Megan Young
ushers fundraising efforts
in the United States
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By Pau Aguilera
Anderson Cooper: We honor
Filipinos' strength
Anderson Cooper. AP
Miss World's charity organization, Beauty With A
Purpose, has scheduled a series of fundraising events in
the US for the victims of super typhoon “Yolanda.”
On its website, Beauty With A Purpose announced their
decision
“to direct all of its fundraising efforts into
By Julliane Love de Jesus
supporting the people of the Philippines,” after the
country, particularly the Visayas area, was ravaged by the
MANILA -- With his voice
said
“second deadliest Philippine typhoon on record.”
choked with emotion, veteran CNN
Last Nov. 19, Megan, together with Philippine Consul
reporter Anderson Cooper said that
they honored Filipinos in every
General Hon. Mario Lopez de Leon Jr., hosted a special
broadcast, citing the strength and
evening for prominent members of the Filipino
resiliency of those affected in the
community in New York.
areas destroyed by Supertyphoon
On Nov. 20, the Philippine Independence Day Council,
“Yolanda” (international name:
Inc.
(PIDCI) hosted a special fundraising event at the
Haiyan).
Double
Tree by Hilton Hotel in Newark, New Jersey with
“Can you imagine the strength it
Megan as its special guest. The said event was able to raise
takes living in a shack, to be sleeping
$20,000.
on the streets next to the body of
Miss World 2013 Megan Young at the fundraiser
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hosted by the PIDCI. Photo by Sonny Austria
November 22-28, 2013
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. (from left) as well other respondents, including Janet LimNapoles, named in a letter-complaint of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice on Sept. 16, were
directed to file “counteraffidavits and other controverting evidence” within 10 days from receipt of separate orders to them
dated Nov. 19. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS
Santiago dares Enrile
Enrile et al. told: Answer plunder raps to commit hara-kiri
over SC ruling on PDAF
By Christine O. Avendaño,
Cynthia D. Balana, Nancy C.
Carvajal, Norman Bordadora
The Office of the
Ombudsman announced
Thursday it had begun a
preliminary investigation of
Janet Lim-Napoles, Senators
Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy
Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. in
connection with an alleged
P10-billion racket to divert
assistance intended for
impoverished farmers to ghost
projects and kickbacks.
A press statement said the
f o u r, a l o n g w i t h o t h e r
respondents named in a lettercomplaint of the National
Bureau of Investigation and the
Department of Justice on Sept.
16, were directed to file
“counteraffidavits and other
controverting evidence” within
10 days from receipt of
separate orders to them dated
Nov. 19.
An Ombudsman panel, after
Supreme Court
slays PDAF
From page 1
revenues from the Philippine
Amusement and Gaming Corp.
(Pagcor).
In declaring unconstitutional
the provisions on the Priority
Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF) in the 2013 General
Appropriations Act (GAA) and its
earlier incarnation, the 1990
Countrywide Development Fund
(CDF), the high tribunal held that
these arrangements violated the
principle of separation of powers.
Reversing itself after thrice
upholding the legality of the
lawmakers' pork barrel, the court
said that this time it simply
“allowed legislators to wield, in
varying gradations, non
ove r s i gh t , p o s t e n a c t m e n t
authority in vital areas of budget
execution” and denied the
President the power to veto items
in the GAA.
evaluating the case, found
“enough basis to proceed with
the preliminary investigation,”
said the statement issued
following an Inquirer report
Thursday that a memorandum
prepared by Assistant
Ombudsman Joselito P. Fangon
had tagged Enrile as the
mastermind of the scamnot
Napoles as alleged by her
former employees.
“There exists sufficient
evidence to warrant the filing of
criminal and administrative
charges against all individuals
i nvo lve d i n t h e re l e a s e ,
utilization and disbursement”
of the Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF), said
the memo submitted by Fangon
to O m b u d s m a n C o n c h i t a
Carpio Morales.
In an interview after she
attended the budget hearing in
the Senate on Thursday,
Morales was asked if she had
received an eight-page memo
from her investigators on
The ruling was issued four
months after the Inquirer broke
the story that P10 billion in
allocations from the PDAF and the
Malampaya Fund meant to ease
rural poverty and the plight of
storm victims over the past 10
years had gone to ghost projects
and massive kickbacks.
“This will surely hurt the
presidency,” said Ramon Casiple,
executive director of the Institute
for Political and Electoral
Reforms.
“It means it will be very
difficult for the executive and
legislative branches to create
discretionary funds.”
Western Samar Rep. Mel
Senen Sarmiento said political
patronage would have little
influence now during elections.
“Little by little, I hope we come to
a time where people will vote
based on performance.”
Unconstitutional
In its three-page ruling, the
Supreme Court declared
unconstitutional the following
which the Inquirer based its
story. “I'm surprised about that
eight-page memo… I don't
recall an eight-page memo. The
memo I received is more than
200 pages.”
The eight pages referred to
in the Inquirer report
comprised the copies of
introductory and dispositive
portions in the 246-page
Fangon memorandum. The
copies of these eight pages
were made available to the
Inquirer.
On Page 242 of the memo, it
said: “Clearly, no matter how
layered the scheme may have
been perpetrated or unrelated
the players may appear, all facts
point to Senator Enrile as the
unseen hand directing the
compass and the tempo of the
whole orchestra.”
Estrada said he thought the
Office of the Ombudsman was
moving “rather hastily” in its
investigation. Inquirer.net
laws and practices:
“All legal provisions of past
and present congressional pork
barrel laws … which authorized
legislators whether individually
or collectively organized into
committees to intervene, assume
or participate in any of the various
post enactment identification,
modification and revision of
project identification, fund
release and/or fund realignment,
unrelated to the power of
congressional oversight.
“All legal provisions of past
and present congressional pork
barrel laws, such as the previous
PDAF and CDF articles and the
various congressional insertions,
which conferred personal, lumpsum allocations to legislators
from which they are able to fund
specific projects which they
themselves determine.
“All informal practices of
similar import and effect, which
the court similarly deems to be
acts of grave abuse of discretion
amounting to lack or excess of
discretion.
By Maila Ager
MANILA -- Senate Minority
Leader Juan Ponce-Enrile
should offer to commit “harakiri” now that the
controversial “pork barrel”
funds have been declared
unconstitutional by the
S u p re m e C o u r t , S e n a t o r
Miriam Defensor-Santiago said
on Tuesday.
“Enrile's arrogance has now
been declared as bluff and
bluster by the Supreme Court.
At the very least, he should
offer to commit hara-kiri
because this dishonor belongs
to him,” Santiago said in a
statement.
The two have been at odds
since Santiago questioned the
P2 million Christmas bonuses
that then Senate President
“The phrases (1) 'and for such
other purposes as may be
h e re a f t e r d i re c t e d by t h e
President' under Section 8 of
Presidential Decree No. 910” on
the use of the Malampaya Fund
other than for energy
development and (2) “to finance
the priority infrastructure
development projects” under
Section 12 of PD 1869, as
amended by PD 1993, for both
failing the sufficient standard test
in violation of the principle of
nondelegability of legislative
power.”
The two presidential decrees
refer to a portion of revenues from
Pagcor to fund projects ranging
from flood control to
beautification and healthcare in
Metropolitan Manila authorized
by the President.
Prosecution ordered
The court said a temporary
restraining order issued on Sept.
10 covering the remaining PDAF
allocations for the rest of the year
roughly P12 billionand those from
Enrile allegedly gave to all
senators, except her and three
other senators.
“Enrile and I engaged in
h a n d - to - h a n d c o m b a t i n
December 2012. He tried to
bully me with the help of his
attack dog, Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Thereafter, I fell ill with chronic
fatigue syndrome and have
been suffering the ailment for
nearly a year,” Santiago said.
“Getting sick over the pork
barrel scandal was well worth
it, now that the Supreme Court
has validated my position,” she
said.
The SC decision, she said,
was a “vindication” not only for
her but also for the entire
Filipino electorate.”
“There's a God, after all,”
Santiago said. Inquirer.net
previous years had become
permanent. It said these funds,
along with the Pagcor resources,
should be returned to the
Treasury.
A Pagcor statement said that
for the first nine months of this
year, it remitted to Malacañang P2
billion of its earnings. According
to the Department of Energy, the
Malampaya Fund amounted to
P132 billion as of June 30. It was
P70 billion when President
Aquino assumed office.
The Supreme Court likewise
directed the government to
investigate and prosecute all
government officials and private
individuals who have irregularly,
improperly or unlawfully
disbursed funds under the pork
barrel system.
Associate Justice Estela
Bernabe wrote the ruling.
Associate Justice Presbitero
Velasco Jr. inhibited himself from
the decision, saying his son is a
congressman.
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November 22-28, 2013
Page 3
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
CLIMATE CHANGE TALKS
'Yolanda' fails to move the rich
By DJ Yap
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. AP
PH typhoon warning
to man, says UN chief
Agence France-Presse
TALLINN -- The secretary
general of the United Nations (UN),
Ban Ki-moon, said on Saturday the
supertyphoon that killed
thousands in the Philippines was
an example of climate change and
should serve as a warning to
mankind.
Ban was speaking at Tallinn
University in Estonia on a tour of
several Baltic states before joining
a second week of climate talks in
Poland.
The UN chief said the world was
facing a tipping point as countries
thresh out a deal to be signed in
2015 to cut earth-warming
greenhouse gas emissions.
The representative of the
Philippines to that conference,
Naderev “Yeb” Saño, is currently
leading a protest fast to stress the
urgency of unified global action to
reverse climate change.
Said Ban: “We have seen now
what has happened in the
Philippines. It is an urgent
warning,” he said, “an example of
changed weather and how climate
change is affecting all of us on
earth.”
The Philippine death toll now
stands at 3,681 and is expected to
rise as more rescue-and-relief
operatives comb areas in the
central Philippines that was hit on
Nov. 8 by Typhoon “Haiyan”
(“Yolanda” in the Philippines), the
strongest typhoon ever to hit land.
Climate change activists have
linked the unprecedented strength
of the typhoon to global warming.
While many experts are still
hesitant to link extreme weather
phenomena to climate change, the
UN has said that rising sea levels
make coastal populations more
vulnerable to storm surges.
The World Meteorological
Organization has estimated that
2013 was on course to be one of the
hottest years since records began,
with global sea levels reaching a
record high.
Miss World
Megan Young
ushers ...
From page 1
The third event, which will
coincide with the official
announcement of the co-operation
between Beauty With A Purpose
and the Filipino Official Delegation
in the United States, will feature an
auction of some of Megan's dresses
during her journey to the Miss
World crown her National
Costume, homecoming dress, and
coronation gown. This will take
place at the Beverly Hills Country
Club on Nov. 21.
Megan will then return to the
Philippines on Nov. 27 to deliver all
the funds raised in the US; followed
by her visit to the typhoon and
earthquake victims at their
evacuation centers in Tacloban
City and Coron, Palawan on Nov. 28
and 29. Manila Bulletin
MANILA -- It seems the
devastation wrought by
Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in
Eastern Visayas is not enough to
convince developed countries to
accept responsibility for climate
changeand pay for it.
With two days left, there was
commotion in climate change
talks in Warsaw on Wednesday
after the conference president,
Poland's environment minister,
was fired in a government
re s h u f f l e a n d d eve l o p i n g
country negotiators, including
those from the Philippines and
China, walked out of a late-night
meeting on compensation for
climate impacts.
“ We h a d s h o w n m u c h
flexibility in the negotiations,
but it is clear that developed
countries are not really
prepared to help developing
countries [deal with] loss and
damage due to climate change,”
said Naderev Saño, the
Philippines' lead climate change
negotiator.
After days of marathon
negotiations, “with meetings
lasting deep into the night and
early mornings,” Saño said, the
coalition of developing countries
known as the Group of 77 and
China (G77+China) walked out
of the negotiations on loss and
damage.
The Philippine delegation
joined the walkout by the 133
nations in the G77+China bloc.
“The walkout came at a time
when the world is seeing the
devastating impacts of extreme
weather events on peoples and
communities, especially in
developing countries,” the
Climate Change Commission
said in a statement on
Wednesday.
Yo l a n d a ( i n te r n a t i o n a l
name: “Haiyan”) struck central
Philippines on Nov. 8, just days
before the start of the United
Nations-sponsored climate
negotiations in Poland.
The supertyphoon, the
strongest on record, flattened
entire towns, killed more than
4,000 people, injured thousands
and left hundreds of thousands
homeless.
UN Secretary General Ban
Ki-moon, speaking at the
conference on Tuesday, called
attention to the devastation
caused by Yolanda, saying it
sh ou ld sp u r environ m en t
ministers to put new energy into
efforts to curb global warming.
The 19th Conference of
Parties of the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change
(COP19) ends Saturday (Friday
in Warsaw), but delegates have
been complaining about scant
progress, particularly on the
vexed question of money, after
more than a week of haggling.
Who is to blame?
The annual talks seek a way
toward sealing a global accord at
the end of 2015 for curbing
greenhouse-gas emissions and
channeling aid to poor, climatevulnerable countries like the
Philippines.
The question of who is to
blame for global warming is
central to developing countries
who say they should receive
financial support from rich
nations to green their
economies, adapt to shifts in the
climate and cover costs of
unavoidable damage caused by
warming temperatures.
Also, they say the fact that
r i c h n a t i o n s , h i s t o r i c a l ly
speaking, have released the
biggest amounts of carbon
dioxide and other heat-trapping
gases, means they need to take
the lead in reducing current
emissions.
In Warsaw, Brazil even
proposed developing a formula
to calculate historical blame, to
guide talks on a new global
climate deal in 2015.
“They must know how much
they are actually responsible …
for the essential problem of
climate change,” Brazilian
negotiator Raphael Azeredo
said.
Dividing responsibility
Developed nations blocked
that proposal, saying you must
also look at current and future
emissions when dividing the
responsibility.
China, though still a
developing economy, overtook
the United States to become the
world's biggest carbon polluter
last decade, and developing
countries as a whole now have
higher emissions than the
developed world.
To focus only on past
emissions “seems to us as very
partial and not very accurate,”
US climate envoy Todd Stern said
earlier this week.
The 2015 deal is supposed to
establish what climate actions
countries will take after 2020.
The Warsaw conference is
supposed to lay the foundation
for that agreement but it was
unclear on Wednesday whether
countries would be able to agree
on basic stepping stones
including a timeline for when
commitments should be
presented.
The government of Poland,
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November 22-28, 2013
Page 4
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Marcos defends Tacloban mayor on 'Yolanda'
response, asks why DSWD 'seized' goods
By Dennis Jay Santos
TV news anchor Korina Sanchez
Korina Sanchez Suspended
From ABS-CBN For One Week
Television news anchor Korina
Sanchez was reportedly suspended
from ABS-CBN according to
entertainment site Southomer.
No official statement from the
the reporter's network but the
alleged suspension is related to her
comment against CNN anchor
Anderson Cooper report in
Tacloban.
Last week, the rift between the
two journalists started when
Sanchez told Cooper he doesn't
know what's talking about when he
said in his report, “there's no
Anderson
Cooper ...
From page 1
your dead children? Can you imagine
that strength? I can't. And I've seen
that strength day in and day out here
in the Philippines and we honor
them in every broadcast that we do,”
Cooper said in a CNN broadcast
Friday morning.
T h i s wa s i n re s p o n s e to
President Benigno Aquino III's
appeal to the foreign media to use
their role “to uplift the spirits of the
Filipino people to find stories of
resilience, hope and faith and show
the world how strong filipino people
are.”
O n T h u r s d a y, N o v. 1 4 ,
Presidential Communications
Secretary Sonny Coloma Jr. read
Aquino's message to the media in a
Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng
Pilipinas' (KBP) conference at the
Clark Freeport Zone appealing for
“greater accuracy in reports.”
“We can all do more, and today, I
would like to make an appeal for
greater accuracy in reports. In the
same way that you have used your
media coverage to give this tragedy a
very real and human face, and to
move others to action, you can also
use your role to uplift the spirits of
the Filipino people to find stories of
resilience, hope, and faith, and show
the world just how strong the
Filipino people are,” the President
said.
Aquino's appeal came after his
administration was heavily
criticized for failing to deliver relief
assistance to hundreds of victims,
five days after the monster typhoon
roared across central Philippines.
But Cooper, who has been
covering the disaster in hard-hit
Tacloban City, said that they “strive
for accuracy.”
“Accuracy is what we strive for. I
certainly pray to God that it is a
better situation there. Two days ago
evidence of organized relief and
rescue operation around Tacloban.
I haven't seen much of relief effort, I
haven't seen a large military
presence.”
Two days after, Cooper made a
statement as a reaction to Sanchez
comment and even challenged her
to visit Tacloban.
“Miss Sanchez is welcome to go
there and urged to go there. I don't
know if she has but her husband is
in charge I'm sure he can arrange
her flight,” he said.
the President of the Philippines has
counseled foreign journalists that
they should be accurate in their
report. We certainly appreciate that
counsel,” the CNN reporter said.
“I would actually say that in
every report we've shown how
strong Filipino people are, the
people of Tacloban, Samar, Cebu
and all these places where so many
have died,” he added.
Before Cooper's response to
Aquino's call, the CNN reporter
enjoined local broadcaster Korina
Sanchez to visit Tacloban as he
clarified that his report about the
lack of relief in Tacloban days after
the destructive typhoon merely
showed the situation in the city and
wasn't an attack against the
government's capability to mount
the operations.
Cooper's report aired on
Wednesday apparently irked
Sanchez, wife of Interior Secretary
Manuel “Mar” Roxas II who is at the
forefront of relief operations for
victims of the what probably is
strongest typhoon ever recorded.
In her early morning radio
show, she was quoted as saying:
“Itong si Anderson Cooper, sabi
wala daw government presence sa
Tacloban. Mukhang hindi niya alam
ang sinasabi niya. (This Anderson
Cooper, he said there was no
government presence in Tacloban.
It seems he doesn't know what he is
saying.)
In his Friday live broadcast
aired at CNN, Cooper lauded the
Filipinos for their strength amid the
desolation.
“Not just to survive this storm
but they're strong to have survived
the aftermath of the storm for a
week now with very little food, with
very little water, with very little
medical attention,” he added.
More than half of the death toll
from the supertyphoon and the P4
billion damage to crops
andinfrastructure came from the
provinces of Leyte and Samar.
Inquirer.net
TACLOBAN CITY -- Mayor
Alfred Romualdez would rather
stay mum for apparently being
on the receiving end of criticism
for the government's lackluster
approach to the “Yolanda”
tragedy but his maternal cousin,
Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr.,
stood up for the executive and
had put the blame on the national
government instead.
“There are a lot of people
(affected) for days who were not
able to eat much less have water
to drink and they are even
checking people on the list,”
Marcos told the Philippine Daily
Inquirer as he tried to illustrate
how the national government has
been undertaking its relief
efforts.
Marcos said the problem has
been made complicated by the
confiscation being done by the
Department of Social Welfare and
Development (DSWD).
“Everyone is offering their
boats and assets to ferry it for
free, but the problem is the
DSWD has confiscated the relief,”
he said.
He cited the case of goods the
Marcos and Romualdez families
had tried to deliver to Tacloban
and outlying towns, which ended
up confiscated by the DSWD for
still unclear reasons.
Marcos said he tried to
Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
understand the act as part of
government efforts to streamline
the distribution of assistance but
the people could not understand
as they starved and felt thirsty.
“That's ok, but the thing is
they won't release them,” he said.
Marcos said it appeared the
national government did not
trust local leaders too.
“They should trust their
officials because not only they
are victims. Not only they are
victims but they are also the first
responder in their village,”
Marcos said.
Marcos said the devastation
has been so great “that it's going
to take years before the Leyte
folks will be able to get back on
their feet,” and the cooperation of
everyone would be needed to
rebuild the province.
Romualdez earlier expressed
his displeasure with the national
government, but would rather
not say it on record.
But he said there were many
“lessons learned” and that it has
become important for the
government and residents of
Tacloban to take a long term
approach to prevent another
catastrophe from happening.
“I think they have to study
and review the procedure,”
Romualdez said, referring to the
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Page 5
November 22-28, 2013
Page 5
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Marcos defends ...
From page 4
government measures adopted prior to and after the
calamity.
Starting with weather forecast capability,
Romualdez said it was important to know the
circumstances that could create a storm.
“The weather was beautiful before that (Yolanda)
came in. So you ask yourself what causes some
typhoons to form because out of nowhere this came in,”
he said.
He said the typhoon, initially forecast to have wind
speed of 218-280 kilometers per hour, actually went
beyond 300 kph during the onslaught.
He even likened the storm wind to that produced by
a jet engine.
“So I think this is something to be looked up and
studied because this might affect our building code,” he
said.
He said for instance, that the school buildings code
adopted nationwide prescribed that buildings
withstand a 160-kph wind, but this would mean it
could not withstand winds of more than 200 kph.
“There must be a different building code in areas
like this,” he said, adding that light materials “should
even be outlawed.”
“Look at Batanes, it is build to withstand and save
lives,” said Romualdez.
He, however, acknowledged no amount of
preparedness could prevent the destruction brought
by Yolanda (international name Haiyan).
“It is like getting caught and you can't go anywhere.”
Romualdez also said the city government had
prepared Tacloban to its best, and days before Yolanda,
residents were already told to evacuate.
He said he and other officials should not be faulted.
“We have a handbook in disaster preparedness,” he
said.
“It is important for our future generation to know
how to respond to a crisis like this. And it should be a
template that nobody can change. It should be followed
to the letter,” he said. Inquirer.net
Romualdez: Letter form of resignation
By Jamie Elona
MANILA -- Tacloban City Mayor
Alfred Romualdez said Tuesday that
the letter Interior Secretary Manuel
“Mar” Roxas II had asked him to write
may be “one form of resignation” and
was advised by his lawyer not to write
it.
In an interview over Radyo
Inquirer 990AM Tuesday, Romualdez
said that in the letter that would be
addressed to President Benigno
Aquino III, Roxas instructed him to
write: “I am not able to discharge the
functions of the city government or
even as mayor”.
Romualdez said that when he
asked the opinion of his legal counsel,
Alex Avisado, he was told to be careful
as it might be a letter similar to what
former president Joseph Ejercito
Estrada wrote, which was interpreted
by the Supreme Court “as one form of
resignation.”
“And so I was advised not to do
that,” said Romualdez, who won a third
term opposite Liberal Party candidate
Bem Noel, the former An-Waray
representative, in the May 2012 polls.
Romualdez and Roxas were
reported not to be on speaking terms
because of disagreements over relief
efforts and the interior department's
initiative to take over the devastated
city.
Aquino Roxas and Romualdez met
in Taclobanon Sunday night behind
closed doors, quietly sealing a
partnership between Task Force
Yolanda and the leadership of the local
Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez hands goods to his employee in front of the ruin Tacloban
Airport after typhoon yolanda hit the city. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
government that could bolster relief
efforts for typhoon survivors.
Saying that his primary concern is
the welfare of the people of Tacloban,
Romualdez said he even asked Roxas if
he was becoming a hindrance to relief
efforts for victims of Supertyphoon
“Yolanda”.
“I asked the Secretary. Am I a
hindrance? Am I hindering the support
or help of the national government? He
said no,” Romualdez said.
“So what's the use of that letter? My
point is if the local government is not
hindering the efforts of the national
government, why is it so complicated?
It's like so much red tape in times of
crisis like this,” said Romualdez.
Romualdez said he could have
discussed the matter with Aquino
when he flew to Tacloban Monday, but
didn't as the issue concerned only
himself and was not his priority.
“Because my concern is really the
people. And that's what I want them to
attend to. The Tacloban City and the
people,” Romualdez said. Inquirer.net
November 22-28, 2013
Page 6
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
16 foreign armed forces helping PH
world's biggest and most capable
militaries, has already sent aid to
the typhoon survivors but is not yet
on the MNCC list.
A FIRST FOR SINO SHIP. Peace Ark, a Chinese Navy hospital ship, leaves a base in Zhoushan,
east of Shanghai, for a relief mission to the typhoon-devastated Philippines. It is considered
the first Chinese Navy ship to enter Philippine waters with Manila's “consent” since the
maritime dispute in the West Philippine Sea between the two countries ensued. AP/EUGENE
HOSHIKO
By Nikko Dizon
Friends in good times and bad.
This was how the Australian
defense attaché summed up
Thursday the Multinational
Coordinating Council (MNCC) of
the Philippine government and the
armed forces of 16 countries
working together for faster and
more efficient distribution of relief
to the survivors of Supertyphoon
“Yolanda” in the Eastern Visayas.
“Our shared histories with the
Philippines go a long way back.
Friendship is not just about the
good times. Friendship is also
about the bad times, too,” Lt. Col.
Paul Barta told the Inquirer.
The 16 countries on the council
are the Philippines, Australia,
United States, Japan, Canada,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei,
Sweden, Vietnam, South Korea,
New Zealand, Spain, Thailand, the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and
Israel.
“Our friendship has been long
term. Our commitment remains
long term and our thoughts and
prayers continue to be with the
people of the Philippines. After a
formal request from the
government of the Philippines, the
United States arrived and ready to
help along with other nations,” said
Tina Malone, spokesperson for the
US Embassy.
“Our role was to amplify the
government of the Philippines'
response by providing extra help in
a time of need in the spirit of
damayan,” Malone added.
China, which has one of the
'Starting point'
The Philippines and China have
been embroiled in a territorial
dispute in the West Philippine Sea
(South China Sea) for decades, with
tensions rising in January after
Manila took their dispute to the
United Nations for arbitration.
Asked at a news conference
about China's absence from the
council, Defense Undersecretary
Pio Lorenzo Batino said the 16
countries were a “starting point.”
“We expect that there are
foreign militaries that want to take
advantage of the MNCC. We will
welcome all the support that we
will be getting, specifically for the
MNCC, all the military support,”
Batino said.
The council was organized on
Nov. 16 “to coordinate and
synchronize military-to-military
operations between member
countries along with the Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP),”
Batino said.
It is the first time for the AFP to
work with foreign militaries on the
same council to “accelerate
humanitarian and disaster relief
operations and to fully maximize”
each country's efforts, he said.
The Israeli government has
called its help mission, “Operation:
Islands of Hope.”
The Israeli Defense Force has a
composite team of medical
personnel, engineers and searchand-rescue personnel, according to
Israeli Ambassador to the
Philippines Menashe Bar-On.
Israel has also dispatched an
advanced mobile hospital with 100
tons of humanitarian and medical
supplies, which will be based in
Bago, Cebu province, to attend to
the medical needs of typhoon
survivors.
The Australian government has
also sent a hospital ship, which has
already served hundreds of
survivors, some of whom sustained
severe injuries that needed
surgeries, Barta said.
Muscle
AFP Chief of Staff Gen.
Emmanuel Bautista said the
foreign contingents had a total of
61 airplanes and 14 naval vessels,
aside from hundreds of rescue and
medical personnel responding
“swiftly and regularly to areas of
critical and immediate needs for
resource and relief.”
The United States has 13 naval
vessels positioned southeast of
Samar Island and east of Leyte
Island to augment relief operations
in Tacloban City, Guiuan, Palo,
Borongan and Kalikawan, Bautista
said.
The HMAS Daring of the United
Kingdom is anchored northeast of
Panay Island servicing the relief
operations in Capiz province.
Seven C-130s from the United
States, Australia and Japan and
several foreign helicopters have
been flying relief missions with
others standing by “for immediate
deployment if necessary,” Bautista
added.
US Lt. Gen. John Wissler, head of
the US military contingent, said
that after Yolanda struck Eastern
Visayas, “the situation on the
ground was chaotic but would be
chaotic in any part of the world
because of the tremendous
devastation.”
He said coordination with the
Philippine government allowed the
foreign countries wanting to help
to hit the ground running when
they arrived in the typhoon-hit
areas. “It was not a happy scene by
any stretch, but the force that came
on the ground was ready to be
employed quickly,” Wissler said.
Red tape
Asked how the MNCC handles
the notoriously slow bureaucratic
system in the Philippines, Batino
said: “We have to process the
military support. We have our rules
to follow. We have to issue
clearances and government agency
permits.”
“These are the things that we
want to coordinate to accelerate
the [delivery] of government
support,” Batino said. Inquirer.net
US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Scot Marciel
AP PHOTO
Filipinos to become 'stronger
than before' - US exec
By Matikas Santos
MANILA -- A US government
official said that Filipinos will
rise from the devastation caused
by Supertyphoon Yolanda and
become “stronger than before.”
“Given the strength of the
Philippine people and the US
commitment to the bilateral
relationship, I believe that
Filipinos will emerge from the
current difficulties even stronger
than before,” Scot Marciel,
Principal Deputy Assistant
Secretary, Bureau of East Asian
and Pacific Affairs, said in his
speech before the US Senate
Committee on Foreign Relations.
Marciel reported on Tuesday
(US time) before the Senate
Committee about the response of
the US government to the
disaster in the Visayas region.
“The typhoon, one of the
largest and strongest in history,
struck the central Philippines
from the east, and carved a swath
of destruction across the middle
of the country. Hardest hit were
Leyte, site of General
MacArthur's return to the
Philippines in 1944, Samar, and a
series of other islands,” he said.
“The typhoon's incredible
winds, plus a major storm surge,
killed an estimated 4,000 people,
u
Page 7
November 22-28, 2013
Page 7
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
US Ospreys show worth in PH aid effort
Associated Press
CLARK AIR BASE, Philippines -The US Marines' newest and, in
some quarters, most controversial
transport airplane is showing the
world what it's got - for the sake of
the victims of Supertyphoon
“Yolanda” (international name:
“Haiyan”) and perhaps its own
future.
The MV-22 Osprey, which can
tilt its rotors to fly like either a
helicopter or a fixed-wing aircraft,
is delivering tons of aid every day to
people affected by the Nov. 8 storm.
The US military's humanitarian
effort presents a golden
opportunity: The Marines want to
show how safe and versatile the
Osprey is, countering critics and
helping to persuade allies to buy
their own.
Anger over the decision to base
the aircraft on the Japanese island
of Okinawa, the only place in Asia
where they are permanently
deployed, has made the aircraft the
poster boy of antimilitary
sentiment there. Opponents cite
noise problems and high-profile
crashes in the early days of the
Osprey, though its safety record
since then has been better than any
other helicopter-type aircraft.
With its unique design, the
Osprey can fly faster and farther,
and carry heavier loads than the
helicopters it replaced.
“Anything that's different
Filipinos to
become ...
From page 6
left hundreds of
thousands of others
homeless, and devastated
cities, towns, villages, and the
region's infrastructure,”
Marciel added.
He described the US
government's response after
the typhoon as “rapid, wellcoordinated, and substantial.”
Marciel further noted that the
total worth of American
assistance was around $37
million.
“The State Department
also set up a Crisis Response
Task Force to help monitor
generates criticism. And the Osprey
is different,” says Capt. Travis
Keeney, who has been flying the
aircraft for six years. “There's
nothing like it in military history.”
He's taken the Osprey to Iraq,
Libya and Africa, but this is the
biggest humanitarian mission he's
ever been involved in. He wants his
aircraft to shine and his squadron
has a lot to prove.
Keeney's first orders on
Tuesday appear to have little to do
with humanitarian aid. His crew is
told to sit tight and prepare to
transport an Israeli general.
Battle-tested
The Osprey has proven itself in
battle in Iraq and Afghanistan, and
that has gotten the attention of
militaries around the
worldincluding Israel's.
“Everybody wants to see it,”
Keeney says.
But that plan is scrapped, and
by 10:30 a.m., Keeney's Osprey and
five others delivering aid are on
their way to a busy drop zone in
Borongan on the island of Samar.
They will make as many runs as
they can to pick up and offload
supplies.
Keeney's day usually goes
about 12 hours - with nine or 10 in
the pilot's seat and six of actual
flying. Shifts earlier in the crisis
were longer but even now he
doesn't have time for breaks. He
takes whatever food he needs with
and report on developments,
help identify any obstacles to
effective relief supply, help
facilitate coordination with
other agencies, and deal with
large numbers of phone calls
from concerned Americans,”
he said.
U S P re s i d e n t B a ra c k
Obama and Secretary of State
John Kerry monitored the
situation in the Philippines
closely and had also called up
their counterparts in
government to offer
assistance, Marciel said.
Five Americans were
a m o n g t h o s e k i l l e d by
Yolanda while 475 US citizens
who were in the disaster area
have been located, he said.
Inquirer.net
In this Nov. 14, 2013, file photo, a US Marine MV-22 Osprey aircraft flies over damaged houses as it prepares to land to deliver relief goods for
typhoon survivors in Guiuan, Philippines. The US Marines' newest and in some quarters most controversial transport airplane is showing the
world what it's gotfor the sake of the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan), and perhaps its own future. AP PHOTO/DITA ALANGKARA
him on the Osprey. If he needs to
relieve himself, he has an empty
bottle.
As the plane, now bursting with
boxes of supplies from the US
Agency for International
Development (USAID), gets close to
the disaster zone, the crew chief
lowers the back ramp, turning the
rear of the Osprey into a huge
window onto the bright blue Gulf of
Leyte and the devastated Samar
coastline below. The crew assesses
the damage along the way to see
what other places they should try
to reach.
Borongan, the first stop, was
not so badly impacted and the drop
is organized and efficient. Local
men run to the Osprey, grab the
boxes and race back to the loading
area. In 15 minutes, the Osprey is
airborne again.
Plane, helicopter
Lifting off in an Osprey feels
much like it does in any helicopter
but when it switches to airplane
mode, it's much faster, zooming
forward like a jet.
Guiuan, the next stop, has
suffered far more damage and is
u
Page 12
November 22-28, 2013
Page 8
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
FACT SHEET: U.S. Response to Typhoon Haiyan
THE WHITE HOUSE, Office
of the Press S ecretary,
November 19, 2013 -- Since
Typhoon Haiyan struck the
Philippines on November 8, U.S.
disaster relief experts and
m i l i t a r y p e r s o n n e l h ave
worked around the clock to
deliver food, water, medicine,
and shelter to help those hit
hardest by the storm. In
support of the Philippines'
relief effort, the United States is
providing more than $37
million in humanitarian aid to
those in need.
U.S. Assistance at a Glance
U.S. humanitarian
assistance in the aftermath of
Typhoon Haiyan includes:
USAID / Office of U.S. Foreign
Disaster Assistance
(USAID/OFDA) $20,000,000;
USAID / Office of Food for Peace
(USAID/FFP) $10,000,000;
Department of Defense
$7,230,302
In the days following the
storm, U.S. assistance has
included: Emergency shelter
materials for 20,000 families
(100,000 people); Hygiene kits
for 20,000 families (100,000
people); 55 metric tons of food
assistance benefitting 19,800
families (99,000 people) Water
containers for 14,400 families
(72,000 people) Restored
functionality of the Tacloban
municipal water system,
benefiting 200,000 people.
There are currently 15
USAID disaster response
specialists and approximately
9,500 U.S. military personnel
responding to the crisis.
U.S. military aircraft have
logged some 945 flight hours,
delivered more than 750,000
pounds of relief supplies and
equipment, moved more than
1,200 relief workers into
Tacloban, and airlifted nearly
5,640 survivors from storm
affected areas.
A significant amount of U.S.
assistance has also supported
logistical operations, including
helping get airports up and
running, providing
communications support ,
expanding transportation
capacity, and establishing aid
distribution centers.
A Coordinated Response
Even before the storm
reached land, the United States
began coordinating potential
support to the Philippines'
response effort. Departments
and agencies in Washington
and our Embassy in Manila
were in close communication in
the days before the storm. Our
Embassy put out a warning
message for American citizens
and USAID deployed a Disaster
Assistance Response Team
(DART) to the area.
The DART was the first
government assessment team
to arrive in Leyte province, and
continues to play a critical role
in leading the U.S. response
effort, assessing storm damage,
advising on critical
humanitarian needs,
coordinating relief efforts in
support of the Philippine
government, and working with
non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and UN
agencies. Five USAID airlifts
have delivered needed
emergency supplies like plastic
sheeting, hygiene kits, water
containers, and nutritiondense food items. Of the more
than $37 million in U.S.
assistance, we provided $10
million to the World Food
Programme to enable, in part,
the purchase of 2,500 metric
tons of rice being distributed by
the Philippines' Department of
Social Welfare and
Development.
U.S. Marines on the ground
in the Philippines were among
the first to respond, using C130s and MV-22 Ospreys to
a i rl i f t re l i e f s u p p l i e s to
Tacloban and other hard hit
areas.
The USS George
Washington Carrier Strike
Group arrived in the
Philippines on November 14,
and has helped expand search
and rescue operations, provide
medical care, and deliver
supplies using its 21
helicopters. In addition, U.S.
Pacific Command has
established a Humanitarian
Assistance and Disaster Reliefcertified Joint Task Force at
Camp Aguinaldo.
A joint contingent of more
than 850 military personnel is
c u r re n t ly a s h o re i n t h e
Philippines. Two U.S.
amphibious ships the USS
Ashland and USS Germantown - are currently en route to the
Philippines after loading
elements of the 31st Marine
Expeditionary Unit at Okinawa,
Japan and will bring with them
heavy engineering equipment
like backhoes, dump trucks and
wreckers needed to support the
Supreme Court
slays PDAF
From page 2
Plunder complaints
The National Bureau of
Investigation has filed a complaint
for plunder in the Office of the
Ombudsman against
businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles
and Senators Juan Ponce Enrile,
Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla
Jr. in connection with the P10billion pork barrel scam. They all
have denied any wrongdoing.
Former President and now
Pampanga Rep. Gloria MacapagalArroyo and three of her Cabinet
secretaries were also named
recently in another plunder
complaint in connection with the
alleged wholesale theft of P900
million from the Malampaya Fund
meant for victims of Tropical
response.
Our Philippine ally is
responding to one of the largest
disasters its country has ever
faced, and we have been
coordinating closely with them
at every step. Thus far, our
cooperation has been excellent.
Our military personnel are in
c l o s e t o u c h , a s a re o u r
development and disaster relief
experts.
The Philippine government
has moved quickly to facilitate
humanitarian assistance
provided by the United States
and international community,
a n d h a s p rov i d e d q u i c k
clearance for U.S. aircraft, ships,
and personnel, enabling us to
ra p i d ly b e g i n to d e l ive r
assistance to affected areas.
How Americans Can Help
As President Obama said
last week, when friends are in
trouble, America helps. The
United States will continue to
offer whatever assistance we
can to the people of the
Philippines, but this is more
than just a government effort.
Learn more about how you can
h e l p a t h t t p : / /
www.whitehouse.gov/typhoon
.
Storms “Ondoy” and “Pepeng” in
2009.
“We thought we won,” said
Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza.
The government respects the court
ruling, he told reporters before
attending oral arguments on
petitions questioning in the
S u p r e m e C o u r t t h e
constitutionality of the
Disbursement Acceleration
Programan impounding
m e c h a n i s m fo r g ove r n m e n t
savings.
Jardeleza had pleaded for the
retention of the congressional pork,
saying that half a million students
and a similar number of indigent
patients were depending on the
lawmakers for their continued
enrollment and healthcare.
Budget Secretary Florencio
Abad said he wanted to see the full
decision to determine if there was
still a way to make use of the pork
barrel funds. Inquirer.net
November 22-28, 2013
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Typhoon Relief Fundraiser
Raised $25K In Jersey City
In this Feb. 13, 2013 file photo, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, immigration rights
activist and self-declared undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas becomes
emotional as he testifies about comprehensive immigration reform during a hearing
of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. Vargas, a former
Washington Post journalist who later revealed he has been living in the country
illegally since childhood has made a documentary about his experience and
announced Tuesday that he is selling broadcast rights for the project to CNN Films. AP
CNN acquires
Vargas' immigration
film 'Documented’
WASHINGTON -- A former
Washington Post journalist who
later revealed he was living in the
country illegally has made a
documentary about his
experience and is selling US
broadcast rights for the project to
CNN Films.
Jose Antonio Vargas tells The
Associated Press the CNN unit is
acquiring his film, “Documented,”
to be broadcast nationally in 2014.
Vargas wrote and directed the film
chronicling his journey from the
Philippines.
In 2011, Vargas revealed he
has been living in the country
illegally since he was brought to
the US as a child to live with his
grandparents. Vargas grew up in
California where teachers helped
him gain college admission and
employment.
Sean Parker, the founder of
Napster and first president of
Facebook, is the film project's lead
funder and executive producer.
Inquirer.net
New York City to ban tobacco
sales to anyone under age 21
Associated Press
NEW YORK -- New York City
Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans
to sign landmark legislation
banning the sale of tobacco
products to anyone under age 21,
making the Big Apple the first
large city or state in the U.S. to
prohibit sales to young adults.
City health officials hope that
raising the legal purchase age from
18 to 21 will lead to a big decline in
smoking rates in a critical age
group. A majority of smokers get
addicted to cigarettes before age
21, and then have trouble quitting,
even if they want to do so.
The ban has limitations, in
terms of its ability to stop young
people from picking up the deadly
habit. Teenagers can still possess
tobacco legally. Kids will still be
able to steal cigarettes from their
parents, bum them from friends or
buy them from the black-market
dealers who are common in many
neighborhoods.
But City Health Commissioner
JERSEY CITY -- Within a
week of the devastation of
Typhoon Haiyan, when the
Filipino American community
was still coming to grips with
the aftermath and the urgent
need for immediate relief aid,
Jersey City Council President
Ro l a n d o L ava r ro q u i c k ly
assembled a fundraiser to begin
driving cash donations to
contribute to the massive relief
and recovery effort.
On Thursday, November 14,
a fundraiser co-hosted by
Lavarro and Mayor Steve Fulop
was held at Porto Lounge,
simply asking people to come
and donate. Fueled by media,
social media, and word of
mouth, nearly 300 guests
packed the venue and raised
$23,000 in one night, including
attendance by various local,
state, and federal elected
officials. Donations are still
coming and expected to total
well over $25,000 from this one
event.
“It was very moving and
inspiring to see so many come
together and respond so
g e n e r o u s l y
a n d
compassionately to a
humanitarian crisis taking place
half way around the world,” said
Lavarro. “Like Sandy a year ago,
Jersey City's diverse community
and our neighbors showed
extraordinary kindness,
sympathy, and heart.”
T h e e ve n t b e c a m e a n
opportunity to display a global
bayanihan spirit, as images from
the devastation flashed across
TV screens, and flyers for other
relief efforts were passed
around. Families, friends, and
strangers came together to
share their collective sorrow
and support for a distressed
nation. With media on hand, the
event provided a spotlight for
the growing community-driven
efforts and the groundswell of
local typhoon relief activities.
“We all can do a little
something and there are many
Mayor Fulop, left, and Council President Lavarro
efforts taking place that we can
support to help our kababayan
who are crying for help,” said
Lavarro. “Whether it's Mane
Source Barbershop who
donated proceeds from
haircuts, PACCAL organizing
relief goods drop-off, ANCOP
and their online donor appeal,
or Kirby Asunto headlining a
benefit concert -- people are
finding ways to rally the
community and give to an entire
nation in one of its most dire
moments.”
From a USAID report, as of
November 15, Typhoon
Yolanda/Haiyan had affected an
estimated 9 million people and
displaced nearly 2 million
individuals across 44 provinces,
according to the NDRRMC. The
confirmed death toll stands at
3,631, although the figure will
likely continue to fluctuate
vgslaw@gmail.com
pending further verification by
the Philippine Government.
USAID recommends a list of
humanitarian organizations
that are accepting cash
donations for disaster
responses around the world
that can be found at
www.interaction.org. Various
community-driven relief efforts
around the country can be found
on Facebook, such as
COMMUNITY CALENDAR: NYC
Fundraising Events for Typhoon
H a i y a n
R e l i e f
(https://www.facebook.com/e
vents/1408381786063714/).
If you have typhoon-relief
information that you would like
to share, Councilman Lavarro
can be reached at
r l ava r r o @ j c n j . o r g , o r o n
Facebook (Rolando Lavarro Jr.),
and Twitter (@rlavarro).
Editorial & opinion
November 22-28, 2013
Page 10
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Rewriting 'history’
For the first time in living memory, a bill seeking the abolition
of political dynasties has cleared the first legislative hurdle:
committee approval. The next hurdle is considerable: a debate on
the floor, to be conducted mostly by disapproving political
dynasts. Good luck with that.
The sponsors of the consolidated bill immediately, and
justifiably, pointed to “history” being made, and in truth the
unanimous vote in the House committee on suffrage and electoral
reforms is a real milestone. While antidynasty bills have been
filed in both the Senate and the House since Congress was
restored in 1987, not one had managed to escape the committee
level. Wednesday's committee vote was truly the first of its kind.
But unless we come to terms with the obstacles and
constraints that work against passage of an antidynasty law,
Wednesday's outcome may also end up as the last of its kind. Here
is a suggestion. To open our eyes and appreciate the odds against
actual passage, let us rewrite the news stories about the
committee vote to reflect actual political reality.
Let's start with the Inquirer's own report. One passage reads:
“Committee chair Rep. Fredenil Castro said a battle had been won
Wednesday but 'it's still a long way before they win the war.'”
That use of “they” is telling, but consider the following more
realistic version: “Committee chair Rep. Fredenil Castro, the Capiz
congressman who, after serving his first three terms in Congress
generously permitted his wife Jane Tan Castro to run and serve for
one term, to allow him to run for Congress again, said a battle had
been won Wednesday, but 'it's a still a long way before they win
the war.'”
Another newspaper reported: “'The important thing is a lot of
reforms have to be set in place and it shouldn't just be in the
budget. It should also include political dynasties. Let's take a look
again. We have been remiss in our obligation to implement this,'
Minority Leader and San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora said.”
The new version will use the same extended quote, but end
thus: “We have been remiss in our obligation to implement this,”
said Minority Leader and San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, whose
son Francis is currently vice mayor of the same city he represents
in Congress.
A report online read: “The real challenge lies during the
second phase when the bill is tackled on the floor, said Bayan
Muna Representative Neri Colmenares, one of the coauthors of
the measures.”
A more realistic version would read: “The real challenge lies
during the second phase when the bill is tackled on the floor, said
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares. Whether it will reach the floor,
however, is a decision that will be made principally by Speaker
Feliciano Belmonte, whose daughter Joy is currently vice mayor of
Quezon City, where the Batasan is located, and by Majority Leader
Neptali Gonzales II, who became the first congressman to
represent the new district of Mandaluyong in 1995, when his
father Neptali Gonzales was in the Senate.
“Colmenares also did not explain how his party-list group's
choice for president in 2010 would factor into the race for
congressional support. That year, Bayan Muna and other
members of the Makabayan bloc supported Sen. Manny Villar,
whose extended family would fit most Filipinos' definition of a
political dynasty.”
One more example: A news story quoted ACT Rep.
Immigration Relief for Filipinos
Affected By Typhoon
Typhoon Haiyan has claimed
over 4,000 lives in the Philippines,
according to the latest tally of the
National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council. Over 4
million have been displaced and
the livelihood of about 5 million
workers has been severely affected.
The relief response of the
international community has been
overwhelming. Many countries all
over the world have provided aid to
those affected, including the U.S.
government which is providing
more than $37 million in
humanitarian aid.
In response to the devastation
caused by the super typhoon, the
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Service (USCIS) released last
November 15 an announcement
reminding Filipino nationals of
certain immigration relief
measures available to them. The
USCIS recognizes that natural
catastrophes and extreme
situations can happen. These
disasters are beyond anyone's
control and can impact the
individual's ability to establish or
maintain lawful immigration status
in the United States.
Eligible Filipino nationals who
are currently in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant status can request to
change or extend their nonimmigrant status. The request can
be filed even if their authorized
period of admission already
expired. Request for extension of
stay is made on Form I-539. The
applicants will need to explain how
Typhoon Haiyan has disrupted
their ability to travel home, how
much longer they anticipate to stay
in the U.S. and how they will
support themselves while in the
U. S . T h ey m ay re q u e s t fo r
expedited processing of their
application. They may also apply
for a filing fee waiver if they are
unable to pay.
For those paroled into the U.S.,
they can file application for an
extension of parole and expedited
processing. Extension of certain
grants of advance parole may also
be requested. Application for
advance parole is made on Form I131.
F-1 students who are
experiencing severe economic
hardship may request off-campus
employment authorization. The
request is made on Form I-765 and
the students must show how the
typhoon has affected their ability to
pay their tuition and other
expenses. Expedited adjudication
and approval of application for
wo rk a u t h o r i z a t i o n i s a l s o
available to them.
E x p e d i te d p ro c e s s i n g o f
immigrant petitions for immediate
relatives of U.S. citizens and lawful
permanent residents may be
requested.
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Page 12
A Devil or Deep Blue
Sea Quandary
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Page 12
Founded in 1986
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Jonathan Suarez, Joel Baclit
Correspondent: Contessa Bourbon
The opinions expressed by columnists are their
own and do not reflect the opinion of the paper
nor that of the publisher
Contact us:
Email: filexpress@aol.com
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
“When TV crews race cargo
ships with airplanes and
helicopters, the cameras always
win,” John Crowley of Harvard's
Humanitarian Initiative wrote
after Supertyphoon “Yolanda”
(internationa name: Haiyan)
battered the Visayas.
Planes can fly 24 to 48 hours
after a storm clears. And
disembarking journalists will pan
on the contorted faces of
traumatized victims. Reports zero
in on the gap between supply and
demand. These are facts. But
context can slip between the
cracks.
Yolanda's winds gusted at 275
kilometers per hour, smashing
through the Storm Category 5
ceiling. Storm surges left corpses
and traumatized survivors and
shattered prepositioned relief
stocks.
The massive aid needed could
come only by ship. That takes days.
The repair of damaged ports and
roads stretches into weeks. “But
when media focuses on looting and
slow aid they miss the point,”
Crowley added. “Information is
aid…. Scaremongering undermines
relief effort.”
“[T]he Philippines is captive to
i t s g e o g ra p hy,” c o m m e n te d
Jennifer Keister in an article ran by
The Washington Post. The country
sprawls over 7,132 islandsat low
tide. Like many developing
countries, it is “captive to political
dysfunction.” Poverty, corruption,
poll irregularities and pervasive
political patronage gut what is, on
the surface, a democratic
government.
We saw that in Bohol. The
province was ruptured by a 7.2magnitude earthquake last Oct. 15.
And in 1991, Typhoon “Uring” tore
at Ormoc. Over 8,000 died, as
today's memorial recalls. In 2011,
“Sendong” (international name:
Washi) ripped through Cagayan de
Oro and Iligan, inflicting 1,453
deaths. A year later, “Pablo”
(international name: Bopha)
flattened much of Davao Oriental
and Compostela. The “blame
game,” meanwhile, intensifies, Sun
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Page 12
November 22-28, 2013
Page 11
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Opinion Indomitable spirit of the Filipino
By Perry Diaz
You often hear the saying, “A
friend in need is a friend indeed,”
but seldom do you find a friend
when you needed him most. This
was put to a test when Super
Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as
“Yolanda”) struck Central Visayas
creating a 25-foot tidal wave. In
o n e c l e a n s w o o p , Yo l a n d a
obliterated the coastal areas
where it made landfall on Friday,
November 8. More than 11 million
people were displaced or
rendered homeless. Tacloban City,
the capital of the province of Leyte
was hit the hardest.
Indeed, Yolanda had come to
be known as the strongest
typhoon in recorded history. It was
3.5 times worse than Hurricane
Katrina, which had devastated
JGL
Eye
By Joseph G. Lariosa
(© 2013 Fil Am Extra Exchange)
CHICAGO (FAXX/jGLi) -- Even if
God streaked a rainbow as a sign
that never again will He bring a
deluge upon his creation, man
should treat every impending
storm as if it is capable of wiping a
piece of land from the face of the
earth.
When presidential spokesman
Herminio Coloma, Jr. admitted that
the Philippine government was not
prepared to handle the disaster
that super Typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan) brought upon Central
Visayas, it should be ready with
solutions to avert a similar Biblical
catastrophe.
New Orleans in August 2005 and
claimed the lives of more than
1,800 Americans. By comparison,
Philippine government figures
show that Yolanda left in her wake
3,633 killed, 12,847 injured, and
1,179 missing… and counting.
Before Yolanda came, the
nearby island of Bohol was hit by a
magnitude 7.2 earthquake last
October 15. The killer quake
destroyed many Spanish-era
churches and caused massive
landslides on the famed Chocolate
Hills. The casualty included 222
killed, 976 injured, and eight
missing. The quake damaged
73,000 structures, of which more
t h a n 1 4 , 0 0 0 we re to t a l ly
destroyed. It was the deadliest
earthquake in the Philippines
since 1990. According to
government records, the energy
the earthquake released was
equivalent to 32 Hiroshima
bombs. And while more than
40,000 Boholanos were trying to
put their lives back to normal,
Yolanda struck.
Help from the US
Fortunately, it didn't take too
l o n g fo r t h e i n t e r n a t i o n a l
community to respond to the
crisis. US President Barack Obama
immediately ordered a carrier
strike force (CSF) that was visiting
Hong Kong to immediately deploy
to the disaster area. The CSF is led
by the nuclear-powered USS
George Washington aircraft
carrier and accompanied by the
cruisers U.S.S. Antietam and U.S.S.
Cowpens, the destroyers U.S.S.
Lassen, U.S.S. McCampbell and
U.S.S. Mustin, and the supply ship
U.S.N.S. Charles Drew. The USS
George Washington carries 5,000
crew and more than 80 aircraft,
including 21 helicopters. She has
the ability to produce 400,000
gallons of fresh water daily.
It is interesting to note that the
USS George Washington is moored
near the shores where General
Douglas MacArthur landed with a
force of 174,000 military
personnel on October 20, 1944;
thus, fulfilling his promise, “I shall
return,” that he made to the
Filipino people.
Philippine Star columnist,
Babe Romualdez, who hails from
Leyte and a cousin of Tacloban
Mayor Alfred Romualdez, has this
to say in his column: “The arrival of
USS George Washington in Leyte
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Page 14
Typhoon-prone PH islands need Noah's arks
“14
Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and
you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.” -- Genesis 5:32-10:1
T h e g o ve r n m e n t s h o u l d
welcome all suggestions, even
outrageous ones, from all corners
to solve this problem. It should
think outside the box.
For instance, since weather
forecasts are now relatively
accurate in predicting the strength
of a typhoon three days or so before
landfall, it should come up with a
plan of forcibly evacuating people
by placing the ground zero of the
storm under martial law, if need be.
Everybody should be out of the
path of the typhoon! No exception!
If the epicenter of the eye of the
storm will be landing on a
landlocked province, there are at
least three ways for people to
evacuate by land (thru cars and
other vehicles), by air or by sea.
People, who hesitate to leave
because their neighbors might
ransack their property they are
leaving behind, should not worry of
losing their property if they want to
save their skin. Who cares if the
hardheaded neighbors will steal
their property? After all these
neighbors would not stand a
chance to survive Yolanda. These
thieves or robbers would find no
use of their loot either because they
would all die anyway, like those
who doubted Noah's warnings.
The Filipinos' fatalistic
expression: “Aanhin pa ang sakati
kung patay na ang kabayo,” (What
good is the grass if the horse is
dead?), would certainly find
application to their greed!
ISLANDERS' ESCAPE PODS ARE
LIMITED
But what happens if the center
of the storm will hit an island, like
Tacloban City? Residents would
have a very limited choice to flee by
air because of the financial
consideration involved the costly
airfare nor by land because they
will be stuck in Allen, Samar, the
gateway of Visayas to Luzon thru
my maternal mother's native town
of Matnog, which has a very limited
ferry transportation capability.
So, Tacloban's residents only
way out is the sea. This is where the
government can commander all
nearby ships to make port calls in
Tacloban three or four days before
a typhoon signal is detected and
oblige all residents to board the
ships so the ships can sail as far
away from the storm as possible.
If the typhoon is over and the
treat of a typhoon is gone, then, the
ships can return all the residents
back to Tacloban.
If the government will have
enough savings, it can ask Congress
to appropriate money or appeal for
public donation to build very huge
passenger ships, like U.S. naval
ships, which can carry thousands of
passengers. Their main reason for
being is to load residents of islands
in the path of typhoons three or
four days prior to typhoon's
landfall.
They can take the residents to
distant safety harbors and return
them after the typhoon treats are
over.
The government will not have
any problem with employing
seamen to man these huge ships. As
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Page 14
Ineptocracy
As Dave Barry said, I am not
making this up: The ambassador of
Thailand, Prasas Prasasvinitchai,
was warned that he would be
recalled to his home country if he
did not course a shipment of relief
goods donated to the Philippines
through the, uh, proper channels.
Prasasvinitchai earlier
informed the Department of
Foreign Affairs that the shipment
of relief goods from the Thai royal
family was to arrive today at Cebu's
Mactan airport, on board a Royal
Thai Air Force C-130 plane. The
envoy requested merely that DFA
arrange for a ranking Philippine
official to receive the donation.
Because President Noynoy
Aquino was out camping in
Ta c l o b a n , t h e a m b a s s a d o r
suggested that the second-highest
ranked official, Vice President
Jejomar Binay, meet the Thai plane
in Cebu. DFA said it would look into
the request.
When they got back to him,
DFA officials said the “higher ups”
had decided that an assistant
secretary and an official of the
NDRRMC would meet the
planeload of donations.
Furthermore, they said, if the
ambassador insisted on having
Binay accept the donations, he
would be expelled from Manila.
Wonderful, right? At least, as
someone else said, the
ambassador is still alive.
***
When CNN's Christiane
A m a n p o u r a s ke d P re s i d e n t
Noynoy Aquino if he thought that
the failure of his government to
respond properly to disasters
would define his presidency, she
was asking a fair question. With so
little time left for Aquino to leave
behind a real legacy, he may end up
being remembered for being long
on talk but unbelievably short on
accomplishment or even empathy.
In the final days of the Marcos
dictatorship, government was
derisively described as a
kleptocracy, existing primarily to
loot the treasury. I think the
current administration, which is
now known worldwide for its
inability to respond to crisis
situations, can aptly be called an
ineptocracy.
Since the fiasco that has
become known as the Rizal Park
hostage massacre of 2010, Aquino
has limped from crisis to crisis,
getting more beat up as he
continues on a path that he calls
straight. Along the way, his
vaunted popularity has continued
to erode, faster than the thinning
hair on his head.
It would certainly be
interesting to find out how much
Aquino's popularity among the socalled A and B classes, who are
exposed to the unflattering
reportage of the foreign media and
the growing disenchantment in the
social media (think Peque Gallaga),
has slipped since the debacle in
Tacloban. And how his numbers
would go down in the Visayas,
where the recent earthquake and
Yolanda wreaked havoc and
virtually created a new underclass
of calamity-stricken rural poor
along the way.
The irony, of course, is that
Aquino continues to believe that
majority of the population remain
firmly behind him, despite his
administration's obvious lack of
preparation and proper response
in crisis situations. The further
irony is that this President is so
obsessed with his ratings, which,
even if no calamity or disaster had
actually taken place, would by
necessity plummet due to the
political equivalent of gravity.
Of course, it doesn't help
Aquino that, despite his
declarations of preparedness and
worthiness for office, nature seems
to conspire to make him look like
the head of the student
government that he really is.
Perhaps there is really some truth
to the so-called “Aquino curse” of
calamity, first noted during the
presidency of his mother, after all.
Cory's stormy term was also
buffeted by calamities, natural in
the case of earthquakes and
volcanic eruptions, and manmade
in the form of the never-ending
coup attempts and day-long
blackouts. But she was, ultimately,
a transition President, who had the
tough and painful task of leading
this country back to democracy.
Cory's son has no such excuse.
He is merely inept for no good
reason and that will probably be
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Page 12
November 22-28, 2013
Page 12
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
US Ospreys
show ...
From page 7
much more hectic. It is so
congested with aircraft that
Keeney decides to bag it and fly
to the USS George Washington,
a short hop offshore. Within a
half hour, the Osprey is refueled
and back in Guiuan, with
supplies to drop off from the
carrier.
From there, the Osprey flies
to Tacloban City, which was
almost completely flattened by
the storm and has become a hub
for aid efforts.
The area around the
runway has become a tent city
populated by nongovernment
organizations, military
planners, emergency workers
and local people desperate for
supplies or a flight out .
Helicopters buzz the skies like
mosquitoes. Most of the
military aircraft here are
PH typhoon ...
From page 3
The latest round of UN talks
to set new climate goals comes
amid warnings a 2009 aim to
limit warming to an increase of
2 degrees Celsius in the average
global temperature is growing
ever more elusive.
In September, the UN's
Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change predicted
global surface temperatures
could climb on average by as
much as 4.8 degrees Celsius this
centurya recipe for catastrophic
heat waves, floods, droughts
Ineptocracy
From page 11
what he will be remembered for,
regardless of whatever else he
does in the remainder of his
term.
***
It appears that the
Malacanang-friendly network
ABS-CBN has suspended
anchor Korina Sanchez for a
week for castigating CNN senior
c o r re s p o n d e n t A n d e r s o n
Cooper for “not knowing what
he was saying” when he
reported about the lack of
g ove r n m e n t re s p o n s e i n
American but an Austrian C130 taxis by as Keeney's Osprey
begins to load up.
Keeney takes off as soon as
the plane gets more fuel and
more supplies, including 10
bags of rice. En route to Guiuan,
over the Eastern Samar town of
Salcedo, Keeney sees a distress
signal spelled out on the
ground.
He decides to make a quick
drop.
As soon as the ramp goes
down in LZ Salcedo, dozens of
men, women and children rush
to the plane, ignoring
instructions from the crew.
They climb onboard and fight
each other to get the bags of
rice.
This is what crew chief
Michael Anthony Marin was
told wouldn't happen that the
chaotic early days of the aid
effort were over. This is his first
flight since getting to the
Philippines and his first realworld operation as a Marine.
“I was scared as hell,” the
27-year-old says later. “You
could see the desperation in
their eyes. I was worried about
the safety of my crew
members.”
Crew's safety
Fearing the situation could
get out of control, the crew
cranks up the Osprey's
propellers, creating a deafening
roar and a strong rotor wash on
the ground. With no more rice
to grab and the wind on the
ground making it hard even to
stand upright, the crowd
disperses and the Osprey flies
off.
The next stop is only about a
m i l e a w a y. T h i s t i m e ,
townspeople run to the plane,
form a chain gang and quickly
offload the USAID boxes - no
panic, no fighting.
“I guess a situation like this
just brings out the best and the
worst in people,” Marin says.
“You want to keep them going
but there is only so much you
can do.” Inquirer.net
and sea level rise.
“We need action before it is
too late,” said the UN chief,
adding that a rise in
temperatures would “affect us
all.
The threat is very real, and
we all have to take responsibility
to stop it.”
Ban said the UN had put in
place a scientific advisory board
of at least 30 scientists who will
begin work in February to help
the UN make decisions on
protecting global resources and
addressing the climate change
threat.
On the first day of the
climate change conference in
Warsaw, the Philippine envoy
broke down in tears and
announced he would fast until a
“meaningful outcome is in
sight.”
His emotional appeal was
met with a standing ovation at
the start of the two-week talks
where more than 190 countries
will try to lay the groundwork
for a new pact to fight global
warming.
“We can fix this. We can stop
this madness. Right now, right
here,” Saño said, adding that he
would fast until the end of the
conference to stress the urgency
of the matter. Inquirer.net
Tacloban. But the network is
just as guilty in the debacle as
Sanchez, whom they kept on
despite the fact that she is in an
obvious conflict of interest
situation, as the wife of Interior
and Local Government
Secretary Mar Roxas.
Of course, Sanchez can be
expected to come to
government's defense,
especially since her husband is
supposedly at the front lines of
the relief and rehabilitation
effort. Now that she did what
was expected, why can't her
bosses who must have known
this was going to happen blame
themselves as well and remedy
the situation?
And how true is it that
Malacanang Palace called up
CNN officials in Atlanta to
complain about Cooper's
reporting, which led to the
recent pullout of the renowned
c r i s i s re p o r te r f ro m t h e
Philippines? Cooper has never
been known to leave a crisis
situation before, and yet was
unceremoniously removed
from reporting on Tacloban and
other areas devastated by the
typhoon.
A week's suspension for
Sanchez in exchange for the
pullout of Cooper. Sounds like a
deal to me.
A devil or deep ...
From page 10
Star's opinion editor Bong Wenceslao
noted. Critics of President Aquino
scour reports on government's
response to Yolanda and storm surgehit Tacloban City, he said. They feast “on
every sign of incompetence they've
long accused him of possessing….
“All rules of decency are jettisoned,
and profanities are thrown at will
('hole,' 'gago').
“Admittedly, government response
has been inadequate. So there are
enough materials for critics… But to be
P-Noy-centric is to distort reality and
hide the complexity of the events….”
“As so often happens, the best
human stories are those that didn't
make the 6 o'clock news,” UP mass
communication graduate Angioline
Loredo e-mailed. Some in media “make
it appear the whole country is
exploding,” she wrote. “One has to
remind one's self of the silent triumph
of the human spirit amidst
unspeakable horror…. This is the worst
and best time to practice journalism.”
There are more Yolandas ahead.
“We are now entering a period of
consequences… in the global climate
crisis,” noted Nobel Laureate Al Gore.
“But the impact of climate change isn't
spread equally… the burden heaviest
for countries close to the equator,” the
World Bank said. This is compounded
by the lack of “economic, institutional,
scientific and technical capacity to cope
and adapt.”
The “calamity fund” has been
doubled since 2009. But the till is near
empty, sapped by a series of disasters.
What isn't funded by international aid
has to be bankrolled by siphoning off
resources from other programs: How
many typhoon victims could have been
helped from the squandered pork
barrel a la Janet Napoles? Ask Bong,
Juan Ponce, Jinggoy and company.
The United Nation says the risk
reduction laws here are “among the
best in the worldat least on paper,”
Washington Post noted. They stipulate
that seven out of every P10 in disaster
spending go to long-term measures.
The task for lowering disaster risk falls
on local governments. “Some operate
like little fiefdoms.” Think Ampatuans
Immigration ...
From page 10
The USCIS will also assist lawful
permanent residents who lost their
green cards and other USCIS-issued
d o c u m e n t s w h o a re s t ra n d e d
overseas. For lawful permanent
residents who are stranded in a place
where there is no local USCIS, the
USCIS and the Department of State will
coordinate to provide assistance.
Those who lost their green cards
may request to replace their cards on
Form I-90. A request for interim
or Chavit Singson.
The embedded system of
patronage and strongman politics
hobbled response, wrote Keister who
did three years of research here.
“Haiyan highlights the degree to which
these pathologies generate underpreparedness and confound relief
efforts…. The system is prone to underprovision of public goods and services
broadly, but particularly ill-suited to
disaster preparedness.” That's
academic jargon for g-r-a-f-t.
Ilocos Norte Gov.Marcos stashed a
secret account in the Virgin Islands,
International Consortium of
Investigative Journalists reported. So
did Sen. Joseph Victor Estrada. They
glossed this fact over in their
statements of assets, liabilities and net
worth. So, did they dip into those
accounts to help typhoon victims? Next
question please.
Sleaze erodes “public trust to levels
that residents may not obey
exhortations to evacuate,” Keister
added. (Others) may not believe
government will protect their property
from looters or squatters if they did.
Trust in government is the linchpin.
Strongman politics distorts the
distribution of disaster aid. “Disaster
response (here) is often plagued by
allegations that local authorities hoard
aid supplies and distribute (these) only
to political supporters or family
members,” Keister noted.
Like vultures that scent carrion,
profiteering businessmen swoop on
aid distribution. “[C]onspiracy theories
are an understandable refuge for
f r u s t ra t e d p o p u l a t i o n s w h o s e
predicament may be the result of many
factors, but the persistence of such
accusations… suggests they may
contain an element of truth,” Keister
opined.
Aid agencies are required to work
through local politicians and many may
serve their constituents with integrity.
Keister added. In many instances, aid
providers find themselves confronting
a devil-or-deep-blue-sea quandary i.e.,
having to choose “between supporting
political pathologies they find
unappealing and trying to help victims
directly,” or be zapped.
E-mail: juan_mercado77@yahoo.com
evidence of permanent resident stamp
(I-551 stamp) from a USCIS Field
Office may also be made. Request for
replacement of I-94 card is made on
Form I-102.
Those who have received
interview notices or request to submit
evidence (RFE) in support of their
application may show how the
typhoon has affected their ability to
appear or submit the documents
required.
(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.)
Rewriting ‘history’ ... From page 10
Antonio Tinio, a coauthor of the consolidated bill: “When we first
advocated for the abolition of PDAF (Priority Development Assistance
Fund), eh pinagtatawanan kami rito (they laughed at us). No one took us
seriously, suntok [daw] sa buwan (they said it was like going for the moon).
Now, because of the power of public mobilization, we've seen what that has
achieved so far,” he said.
True, to a certain extent, but a news story more reflective of political
reality would say more: “When we first advocated for the abolition of PDAF,
they laughed at us,” Tinio said. He meant their quest was a long shot, but the
laughter was also partly because the Makabayan bloc he belongs to has
credibility issues on the PDAF. When bloc members had the chance, they
made full use of the congressional pork barrel. “No one took us seriously,
they said it was like going for the moon.” Inquirer.net
November 22-28, 2013
Page 13
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Philippines Typhoon Response Highlights Weak Infrastructure
By Kelvin Chan and Teresa
Cerojano
MANILA (AP) -- Under a
reforming president, the
Philippines emerged as a rising
economic star in Asia but the trail of
death and destruction left by
Typhoon Haiyan has highlighted a
key weakness: fragile and patchy
infrastructure after decades of
neglect and corruption.
Authorities fear that the storm
that tore through Leyte province in
the country's east has killed
thousands. More than 600,000
people have been displaced. Low
rates of insurance in the Philippines
mean the disaster is likely to sap
government finances but analysts
say it might not slow growth
significantly because of the small
role the affected region plays in the
wider economy.
Haiyan's devastation, however,
underlines the pressing need to
spend more money to build hard
assets such as more roads, ports
and power lines not only to
improve living standards but also to
better withstand the storms,
earthquakes and other natural
disasters that strike the country
with numbing regularity.
The Philippines has the lowest
percentage of paved roads when
compared with neighbors
Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam,
Thailand and Singapore, according
to data compiled by foreign
business groups in the Philippines
in 2010. It also had the worst scores
in other key indicators such as fixed
phone lines, households with
power and electricity lost in
transmission.
"It's hard to prepare for the
worst storm in the world," said
HSBC economist Trinh Nguyen.
"But at the same time one of the
issues now is there isn't a way to
access these places that are severely
hit. The roads are not there."
The Philippines is the country
that's most at risk to natural
hazards, according to UK-based risk
analysis firm Maplecroft. The
country loses $1.6 billion dollars a
year on average each year because
of such disasters, according to the
Asian Development Bank. Haiyan,
likely the most powerful storm on
record, was just one of 20 typhoons
that hit the country each year and
arrived as it was still recovering
from a 7.2 magnitude quake in
October that killed 220.
Despite the challenges posed by
natural disasters, President
Benigno Aquino III has managed to
steer the economy into one of Asia's
fastest growing, raising hopes that
millions would be pulled out of
poverty. Quarterly growth has risen
as high as 7.8 percent this year,
o u t p a c i n g C h i n a . Re f l e c t i n g
improved finances, Moody's,
Standard & Poor's and Fitch have all
given the country an investment
grade credit rating, allowing the
government to borrow money more
cheaply for big projects.
Aquino, who took office in 2010
pledging to root out corruption and
reduce poverty, launched an
ambitious effort to improve the
country's inadequate
infrastructure. He set a goal of
boosting infrastructure spending to
5 percent of the economy by 2016.
That's about double the average of
2.5 percent over past decades,
which substantially lagged other
countries in the region, according to
a joint report by foreign business
chambers.
Aquino's goal amounts to about
$20 billion year, said John Forbes, an
advisor to the American Chamber of
Commerce.
"Targeting that, frankly even
funding it is the easy part. Actually
spending it is more of a challenge,"
said John Forbes, a senior advisor to
the American Chamber of
Commerce.
Aquino's plan included
partnering with private companies
on some projects. Out of 47 public
works in that pipeline, only one is
partly complete: a plan to build
about 9,400 classrooms able to
withstand earthquakes, typhoons
and floods.
Progress has been slowed by
efforts to eliminate corruption.
In 2011, Aquino scrapped or
reconsidered $2 billion in foreign
funded infrastructure projects that
he said had inflated costs or
technical problems. The projects
were signed under predecessor
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is
embroiled by corruption and
election-fixing allegations.
They included a $430 million
Belgian project to dredge a lake on
the southern edge of Manila that
involved moving silt from one
section to another. Aquino also
ordered the renegotiation of a $276
A boulevard of broken houses and dreams. Photo by Mario Ignacio IV,VERA Files
million French port building project
and the restudy of a Chinesefinanced rail line.
HSBC's Nguyen said
infrastructure investment is even
more crucial given the Philippines
rapid growth in population, which
rose from 74 million in 1998 to 96
million today.
"When you have a lot of people
coming into the labor force, coming
into the population, you really need
to increase your infrastructure
funding. Added to this, there's a lot
of pressure from weather related
challenges," Nguyen said.
Analysts and officials say the
disaster-struck region, one of the
poorest in the Philippines and the
only one that suffered shrinking
e c o n o m i c o u t p u t l a s t ye a r,
contributes about 2 percent of the
national economy.
Officials looked for silver
linings. "We can also turn this into
an opportunity to improve land use
planning" in communities exposed
to storm surges and other natural
hazards, said Emmanuel Esguerra,
deputy director general of the
National Economic and
Development Authority. - AP writer
Oliver Teves in Manila contributed.
Chan reported from Hong Kong.
November 22-28, 2013
Page 14
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Indomitable
spirit ...
From page 11
Members of non-governmental organizations walking out of the UN talks on global warming held at the National Stadium in
Warsaw, Poland on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2013 to show their impatience with the government negotiators, who, the movements say,
are making no progress in their task of laying foundations for a new climate deal. The talks are scheduled to close on Friday
(Saturday in the Philippines). AP PHOTO/CZAREK SOKOLOWSKI
‘Yolanda’ fails
to move ...
From page 3
which has been criticized at the
talks for hosting a coal summit at
the same time, stirred things up
fu rt her on Wedn esday by
replacing Environment Minister
Marcin Korolec, who is presiding
over the climate conference.
Korolec told reporters the
move would not affect his duties
as conference president.
Loss and damage
At a related meeting on
Wednesday, the Climate Change
Commission's vice chair, Lucille
Sering, pushed for the
establishment of a loss and
damage mechanism for countries
hardest hit by extreme weather
events arising from climate
change.
Sering thanked the countries
at the climate talks for their
support for the victims of
Yolanda.
But “relief is only temporary,”
she said.
Sering told environment
ministers at the meeting that loss
and damage mechanisms would
help countries deal with the
immense impacts of extreme
New York City ... From page 9
Thomas Farley said the idea is to make it more
inconvenient for young people to get started,
especially young teens who had previously had easy
access to cigarettes through slightly older peers.
“Right now, an 18-year-old can buy for a 16-yearold,” he said. Once the law takes effect, in 180 days,
Farley said, that 16-year-old would “have to find
someone in college or out in the workforce.”
Tobacco companies and some retailers had
opposed the age increase, saying it would simply drive
teenagers to the city's thriving black market.
“What are you really accomplishing? It's not like
they are going to quit smoking. Why? Because there
are so many other places they can buy cigarettes,” said
Jim Calvin, president of the New York Association of
Convenience Stores. “Every 18-year-old who walks
out of a convenience store is just going to go to the guy
Typhoon-prone
PH islands...
From page 11
No. 1 exporter of the seamen in
the world, the Philippines can just
hire local Filipino seamen with a
salary commensurate with what
other seamen earn worldwide as
incentive to discourage them from
leaving the Philippine soil or sea.
The expenses involved in
building and maintaining these huge
ships will be canceled out by
hundreds, if not thousands, of lives
that will be saved from disasters.
REQUIRE ELEMENTARY
STUDENTS TO PASS SWIMMING
TESTS
weather events.
“Loss and damage is not
compensation but prevention,”
she said.
Sering said this would help
countries prepare for the effects
of climate change, prevent the
migration of victims, and help
them rebuild their communities.
“We want to be where we are
hence our desire to strengthen
our resiliency against climate
change. We have seen an exodus
of people moving out of affected
areas, but most of them are still
hoping to be able to return as
soon as the situation permits. We
intend to translate the hope to
reality,” she said. Inquirer.net
in the white van on the corner.”
Bloomberg also was to sign legislation Tuesday
that will seek to keep the price of tobacco high by
prohibiting coupons and other discounts and setting
a minimum cigarette price of $10.50 per pack.
Large cigarette companies now commonly offer
merchants incentives to run price promotions to
bring in new customers. “For someone who might be
trying to quit smoking, it makes it easy for them to
buy on impulse,” said Farley.
Calvin said the elimination of discounts would
just further feed the drift away from legal cigarettes,
and toward illicit supplies brought into the city by
dealers who buy them at greatly reduced prices in
other states, where tobacco taxes are low.
Both bills were passed by the City Council late
last month. The legislation also prohibits the sale of
small cigars in packages of less than 20 and increases
penalties for retailers that violate sales regulations.
Inquirer.net
As I told Stacey Baca, a partF i l i p i n o A m e r i c a n b ro a d c a s t
journalist for ABC-Channel 7 Chicago,
who was reaching out to the Filipino
community while Yolanda (Haiyan)
was massing into a super typhoon,
perhaps, the most that the
Philippines and other countries
located in the Typhoon Belt can do,
are to keep structures, like electric
cables underground, instead of
putting electric posts up, so power
failure can be avoided.
I told Stacey the Philippine
government should encourage the
construction of low-lying but sturdy
stone houses like those built up north
in Batanes in Luzon, which is visited
by typhoon more often, except during
Summer (April-June), than any part
of the Philippines.
From accounts of survivors of
Yolanda, one thing stood out: one can
survive such storm if you cling on any
piece of wood or log that could keep
one afloat if one is out at sea.
But I'm sure if one lives in a place
near big rivers or beside a sea, he
should learn how to swim to avoid
drowning.
Because the Philippines is
composed of 7,000 islands, I suggest,
the government should require
elementary students to pass a
swimming tests in their physical
education classes before they
complete their primary or
elementary education just as 16year-old American high school
students are required to pass a test to
drive an automobile.
This swimming test will
minimize deaths caused by drowning
not only during the time when there
Gulf is reminiscent of the time in
our history when Filipinos rejoiced
at the arrival of General MacArthur
on the shores of Palo, Leyte in
October 1944 heralding our
country's liberation from Japanese
occupation the same sentiment
that survivors and the public now
feel at witnessing the rapid
deployment of the Nimitz class
super carrier and its strike wing,
with cargo jets, choppers and
American troops dispatched on the
ground to help bring some
semblance of order in the chaos
and confusion that was hampering
relief efforts several days after the
typhoon.”
At press time, more than 250
Marines were already on the
ground, supported by five C-130
cargo planes and four MV-22
Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Another
900 marines on board two US Navy
amphibious ships the Japan-based
USS Germantown and USS Ashland
were on their way. The marines had
already delivered more than 50
tons of water, food and medicine.
Emergency shelters were coming
from Dubai. In addition, the U.S.
pledged $20 million in immediate
aid.
Help from the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom's Prime
Minister David Cameron
announced that the Royal Navy
aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious was
being deployed to the Philippines
to provide humanitarian
assistance. The HMS Illustrious has
a crew of 900 and seven helicopters
on board. The helicopters would be
used to assist with the distribution
of food and water to survivors. She
also has the ability to produce
drinkable water. She is due to
arrive in Leyte on November 24.
The UK also pledged over £20
million, which makes her one of the
most generous donors to the
ravaged country.
Australia, others pitched in
Another big donor is Australia
who pledged another $20 million
in addition to the $10 million she
had contributed. Prime Minister
Tony Abbot said Australia would
also deploy additional military
aircraft to provide logistical
support . Abbott issued the
following statement: “As a good
friend and neighbor, Australia
stands beside the Philippines as it
deals with this humanitarian
is a typhoon but also when they are
on board capsizing ferry boats or
passenger ships, which is a recurring
phenomenon among ships
overloading passengers plying
Visayan islands.
On the other hand, learning to
drive an automobile is one of the tools
of American students to land a job
and a bare necessity to survive in the
asphalt jungle.
And if the government wants to
help typhoon survivors recover some
coverage in case of drowning or death
during a typhoon, it can help by partly
subsidizing payment of premium for
payment of hazard term insurance
coverage provided the resident is
taxpayer and lives in areas often
visited by typhoons. It is akin to the
U.S. government paying premium for
life insurance coverage of any
disaster. The additional funds will
be used to address serious
n u t rit ion , child hea lt h a n d
p ro te c t i o n n e e d s , p u rc h a s e
emergency foods and provide
logistic support and non-food
items.”
So far, two Australian military
aircraft had arrived in the
Philippines carrying Australian
doctors, nurses, paramedics and
defense force logistical staff. In
addition, the Australian Defence
Forces is preparing to provide
water-purification systems and
power generators to Tacloban. The
HMAS Tobruk was also made
available to support the relief effort
if the Philippines requested it.
Other countries and agencies
who pledged to donate or provide
humanitarian aid were: United
Nations ($25 million), U.N. World
Food Program ($2 million), Japan
($10 million), Canada ($5 million),
HSBC Group ($1 million), China
($1.6 million), Taiwan ($200,000),
Israel, Indonesia, Spain, Vatican,
UNICEF, Red Cross, World Vision,
American Jewish Joint Distribution
Committee, Mercy Corps,
Americares, International Rescue
Committee, Doctors Without
Borders, Lutheran World Relief,
Catholic Relief Services, American
Jewish World Service, and many
more.
Clarion call
The United Nations estimates
t h a t Ty p h o o n Yo l a n d a h a s
displaced more than 11 million
people. The world body also calls
for help from the international
community to raise $300 million
for the relief effort.
Among those who heeded the
clarion call were the more than 10
million Overseas Filipino Workers
( O F Ws ) i n m o r e t h a n 1 2 0
countries. Once again, the Filipinos
stood up to the daunting challenge
of surviving from a natural
calamity that was far too big than
what Man could overcome. But the
Filipinos' resilience was far too
strong than what Nature could
conquer. Indeed, Yolanda brought
out the indomitable
and
bayanihan spirit of the Filipino.
At the end of the day, the
Filipino people owe the United
States a Special Thank You, who
over the years, come hell or high
water, had always stood beside the
Philippines. Indeed, the Filipino
people find in Uncle Sam a true
friend… and a loyal and
dependable ally in times of crisis.
(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)
member of the U.S. Armed Forces.
This subsidy is very critical when a
U.S. G.I. takes a tour of duty in some
war zones in any part of the world.
And last but not the least, the
government should maintain a
database of names and addresses of
each resident, so that in case victims
are missing, it can easily consult their
database and extrapolate that based
on its record, certain hundreds or
thousands of residents are missing.
The government can start
collating names and addresses from
the voters' or taxpayers' lists or come
up with a national database, listing
the names and addresses of the
Filipino people.
(lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
November 22-28, 2013
Page 15
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Tacloban comes back to life
“We pray for you at this time, we
o f f e r w h a t e ve r s u p p o r t a n d
assistance we can but above all we
want to assure you of our prayers
that your spirit, that your ability as a
people would be fully manifested at
this time,” he said.
Second visit
Amos spoke to reporters after
returning from Tacloban and other
devastated parts of Samar, including
the town of Guiuan, where
S u p e r t y p h o o n “ Yo l a n d a ”
(international name: “Haiyan”) made
the first of five landfalls on Nov. 8.
Around the disaster areas, Amos
said she saw images of daily life amid
scenes of devastation: women either
cooking in makeshift kitchens or
doing the laundry and men clearing
debris and scavenging for materials
to rebuild their destroyed homes.
Amos shared a conversation with
a carpenter looking to replace his lost
tools to rebuild his house and restart
his business.
“What they are seeking to do is to
rebuild their lives and get back to a
position where their children are
educated, where they're able to
work, where they have somewhere to
live, where they're healthy to being
looked after and they can essentially
support the rebuilding of their
communities,” Amos said.
Different face
“That's the spirit that I got from
the people I spoke with today,” she
added, referring to a “very different”
face of the disaster zone on her
second visit.
Amos said she had seen an
i m p rove m e n t i n t h e f l ow o f
assistance to typhoon survivors, but
called for greater attention to inland
villages that had yet to receive
assistance.
“While much of the international
focus has been on Tacloban, people
need help in many other areas. There
are areas farther inland in the
mountains on the many of the
smaller islands that we have yet to
reach,” she said.
Assessing the flow of aid, Amos
said the relief operations had been
“scaled up significantly.”
The improvement in pace came
as a relief from delays last week
caused by logistical hurdles and the
sheer magnitude of the disaster,
which drove Amos to say that the
global effort had “let people down.”
“Every day aid efforts gather
pace with the systems getting
through to more people. Significant
food and medical assistance has been
provided and water services, as well
as limited telecommunications
services, restored,” Amos said.
The United Nations has
estimated that some 1.1 million have
received food aid since the disaster
struck, but less than half of the
estimated 2.5 million affected
residents are in need of food aid.
Amos said water services have
been restored in Capiz, northern
Cebu and Roxas City. Medical
teams43 international groups and 44
localprovide medical services to the
survivors, she said.
Julie Hall, country representative
of the World Health Organization
(WHO), said most patients treated in
the first week had trauma injuries,
including fractures and cuts from
typhoon debris.
I n t o t h e s e c o n d we e k o f
operations on the ground, medical
teams have seen an increasing
number of patients with preexisting
diabetes and heart problems who
have been lacking medication and
care.
Children vulnerable
UN officials also expressed a
special concern for displaced
children, citing their vulnerability to
exploitation and trafficking given the
loss of their parents' livelihood.
The United Nations estimates
that there are nearly 5 million
children in disaster areas in need of
emergency shelter, protection and
psychosocial support.
“Children face the risk of
separation from their parents, with
their parents on the move looking for
food for survival. They may leave
children behind, and this is where
children are at risk. They are at risk of
trafficking. This area is already at
high risk of trafficking,” said Sarah
Norton Stahl, child protection chief at
the United Nations Children's Fund
Philippines.
Stahl said previous disasters had
led to a 10-percent rise in child
trafficking, as displaced families
grappled with the lack of resources to
survive.
She also cited the need to
establish safe spaces for children,
noting that 90 percent of daycare
centers in ravaged towns and cities
were destroyed.
Last week, the United Nations
appealed for $301 million for a sixmonth action plan for typhoon-hit
areas in the Eastern Visayas, covering
food, shelter, water, hygiene and
sanitation, reconstruction and
livelihood, among other forms of
assistance.
... From page 1
As of last night, Amos said $87
million had been filled by donations
from around the world.
Agreeing with Amos'
observation, Tecson John Lim, city
administrator of Tacloban, on
Wednesday said the city, which used
to have 220,000 people, was
struggling to rise 12 days after the
monster storm.
“Slowly, we're getting back on
our feet, and we are encouraging
business establishments to reopen,”
Lim said.
Banks reopen
The local branches of
government-owned Land Bank of the
Philippines and Development Bank
of the Philippines are open again,
with privately owned Metro Bank
and Allied Bank announcing they will
be back soon, he said.
Some gasoline stations, grocery
stores and stalls at the public market
have also reopened, he said.
But not ready to reopen are
shopping malls Gaisano Central City
and Gaisano Capital, both located
downtown, which were looted in the
first few days of the government's
absence after the storm.
Lim said he had talked to the
owner of the two shopping malls, the
Gaisano Capital Group, and was told
by its officials that they were not
ready to resume business.
It is believed that most
businessmen in the city fear a repeat
of the looting at the height of the
chaos that followed Yolanda.
With local police themselves
victims of the typhoon, the national
government sent special military
forces and crack police teams into
Tacloban to restore law and order.
With more than 2,000 police
officers and 1,300 soldiers patrolling
the streets of Tacloban and guarding
the city's business district, Lim
assured businessmen that they and
their businesses would be safe
should they decide to resume
operations.
Lim said city officials were
grateful to the national government
and to the international aid agencies
for coming to Tacloban's aid.
“We are glad that the national
government, particularly President
Aquino and his entire Cabinet,
especially Interior Secretary Mar
Roxas, has been with us even before
Yolanda hit Tacloban and since day
one. They are being fair to us,” Lim
said.
Baseless, useless
Roxas said he did not know
where the reports of his differences
w i t h Ta c l o b a n M ayo r A l f re d
Romualdez came from.
“This is baseless and useless,”
Roxas said.
Romualdez, a nephew of former
first lady Imelda Marcos, who now
holds the seat of the first district of
Ilocos Norte in the House of
Representatives, parried questions
about his quarrel with Roxas, saying
he was concentrating on bringing life
in the city back to normal.
Speaking at a meeting of the
National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council in Tacloban,
Roxas said the situation in the city
had “stabilized.”
As of Wednesday, the death toll
from Yolanda stood at 4,000. In
Tacloban alone, 1,549 people died
and 469 were reported missing.
Inquirer.net
November 22-28, 2013
Page 16
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Makiling: Ecotourism's 'sleeping giant’
By Maricar Cinco
Only a handful of rangers look
after a 4,244-hectare tropical
rainforest teeming with plant
species. Equally pitiful is the
annual budget of P800,000 to
operate and maintain a primary
forestry training laboratory.
Now, park managers at the Mt.
Makiling Forest Reserve see a
glimmer of hope after Mount
Makiling was declared an
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (Asean) Heritage Park
recently, the fifth in the Philippines
and the 33rd in the Southeast
Asian region.
The recognition, although
without any monetary grant, “gives
us leverage to seek more support
and change policies,” said Dr.
Nathaniel Bantayan, director of the
Makiling Center for Mountain
Ecosystems (MCME).
It is about time, he said, “that
Makiling graduates from
mendicancy.”
The Makiling Forest Reserve
(MFR), 65 kilometers south of
Manila, was established in 1910.
Management and control of the
forest had been transferred to
different state agencies five times,
and its name changed three times
until 1990 when jurisdiction of the
MFR was fully given to the
University of the Philippines Los
Baños (UPLB), through the MCME.
Since then, scientists and
researchers from around the globe
have flocked to Makiling to study
the 2,057 species and subspecies
of mostly endemic plants.
The inactive volcano sits on a
vast source of geothermal energy
fed to the national grid, and fresh
water that the entire forest had to
be topographically divided into
four subwatershed zones.
Aside from the water supplied
to communities and industries,
farm workers benefit from the
forest products and raw materials.
A study by MCME showed that at
least 2,000 people were directly
dependent on the Makiling forest.
Agricultural lands also owe its
fertile earth to the rich soil that
n a t u ra l ly e r o d e s f r o m t h e
mountain.
“But the [stakeholders] do not
realize that they are able to operate
because there's a good forest up
there (in Makiling),” Bantayan said,
noting that surrounding private
businesses have not shared their
resources to maintain the forest
reserve.
He raised issues concerning
land-use plan and territorial
boundaries since the MFR
straddles four municipalities
belonging to two provinces.
“Local governments units tend to
focus only on the part of their
territory that generates income
when their land-use plans should
Encompass the watershed areas,”
Bantayan said.
THE FISHING village of Tadlac in Los Baños, Laguna, is among the many communities around Mt. Makiling that enjoy the bounty
offered by the mountain, including its forest with more than 2,000 species of endemic plants, its geothermal energy and its
groundwater. AL BENAVENTE / CONTRIBUTOR
'Sleeping giant'
What is needed is a “change of
mindset” of local government and
industry leaders, he said.
“It should no longer be the case
wherein we have a wish list and we
ask each of them what they might
want to give,” he said. “Help should
come from them and form part of
their consciousness.”
Asean Center for Biodiversity
director Roberto Oliva has offered
the agency's support to the UPLB in
preparing its master plan as
Makiling becomes a national
ecotourism site.
“We are looking at a next big
attraction,” said Oliva of the MFR,
which he likened to a “sleeping
giant” because of its big potential
to draw not only the scientists and
researchers but tourists and hikers
as well.
“Let's protect the biodiversity
and at the same time invite people
to see it,” Oliva said, to which
Bantayan pointed out that it should
not be the responsibility of a single
agency, “but everyone's role.”
Inquirer.net
November 22-28, 2013
Page 17
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
EXPRESSWEEK
November 22-28, 2013
Page 18
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PAFCOM 2014: On the Right Track
Jersey City, NJ -- As the 2013
year comes to a close, PAFCOM
once again finishes another year
strong as one of Jersey City's most
influential and well respected
socio-cultural organizations.
From fundraisers to festivities to
assisting in the campaigns of
bringing greater change to the city,
PAFCOM has continued its
tradition of contributing to the
progress and quality of life to not
only the people of Jersey City, but
generally people from all over,
Filipinos and Non Filipinos alike.
So now with a new year just
around the corner, PAFCOM
prepares for the upcoming
turnover that will take place on
December 2, 2013 along with a
whole new set of officers to be
appointed. Among the positions is
the Overall Chairman that Mr.
Edwin Solano currently sits. As he
respectively steps down from his
position on this date, he will be
succeeded by Mr. Mario V. Garcia
as the new 2014 Overall
Chairman. PAFCOM held an
election for the 2014 Officers back
in October 16, 2013 that was held
at University Charter High School,
275 West Side Avenue. Mario V.
Garcia was declared the 2014
Overall Chairman being no other
candidates filed for the position,
so the election with the majority of
the Board Members present
declared the day to become the
proclamation of the new sets of
officers for 2014.
The 2014 Overall Chairman,
Mario V. Garcia is a Civil Engineer
& currently working in New York
City as Director of Planning &
Scheduling for TDX Construction
Corp., one of the largest CM in the
Tri-State area. He is the first AsianAmerican to hold this position. He
is currently in charge of the
following projects in New York
City: Harlem Hospital RB
Building, MPC/OGS Projects,
Jacobi Hospital, Bronx Community
College, New York City Housing
(NYCHA), and the MTA Mentoring
Program along with other various
public programs with a total
worth of more than $500 million.
He was also part of the Project
Team that built the Citi Field/ New
Mets Stadium, several buildings of
the Trump Empire on the West
Side (Bldg. A, C, J1, J2, H), New York
Times Building, MOMA, Bronx
Criminal Courthouse, Time
Warner Building, and many more.
Mario is also currently an
active member of the Filipino
American community in the
Northeast USA. Aside from now
b e i n g t h e O v e r a l l
Chairman/President of PAFCOM,
he is also the President and
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
of T.A.P.A.T., Inc. (The Alliance of
Philippine-American Associations
& Trustees, Inc.) as well as the
President and Chairman of the
Board of Adamson University
Alumni Associations of Northeast
USA. To add to his already
impressive resume, Mario also
held the position of President and
Chairman of the Board of FAAE,
Inc. (Filipino American
Association of Engineers in NY, NJ
& CT) between 2006-2007. Mario
was also a Board member of PIDCI
in 2008 to 2009 and served as
Chairman of the Corporate Fund
Raising Committee as well as
Chairman of 1 s t PIDCI Golf
Tournament. He also served as CoChair of PIDCI's Street Fair and in
2011, he was one of the
Committee Chairman of NAFFAA
Northeast & Chairman of Special
Committee of PGANY.
With such a vast and
impressive array of
accomplishments, Mr. Garcia will
now continue using his excellent
leadership skills as the newly
appointed Overall Chairman of
PAFCOM in 2014. Accompanying
Mr. Garcia to Office and assisting
him in continuing PAFCOM's
traditions in creating another
memorable year for the city and
its associates are also its newly
appointed Officers.
Secretary - Ellen Alonzo;
Treasurer - Ledy Almadin; Asst.
Treasurer - Angelita Roxas;
Auditor - Luis Morales; Assistant
Auditor - Becky Cooney; PRO Augustus Salud Jr.; Technical
Advisers - Gerry Austria / Jun
Hornilla; Governmental Relations
- Ed Toloza / Pam Andes
The following list is as follows:
Recording/Executive Secretary Helen Castillo; Corresponding
Vice Overall Chairs: Special Events
- Gani Puertollano; Parade - Joel
Flores; Festival - Maureen Javier
Engineer Mario Garcia, PAFCOM 2014 Overall Chair. Inset photo: Mario and his wife, Chona.
Committee Chairs: Coronation
Night - Annelyn Flores; Grand
Marshal Night - Medy Taeza;
Parade - Greg Agulan; Festival Rose Javier; Booth & Exhibit - Mila
Simba
Official turnover date is scheduled
on December 2, 2013 wherein the
new Grand Marshal will be named.
For more information visit us at
www.pafcominc.org, and on
facebook.
Empire State Building lights up in blue, red, yellow
for 'Yolanda' victims
By Julliane Love de Jesus
MANILA -- For two consecutive
nights, blue, red and yellow
colors illuminated the iconic
Empire State Building in New
York City in solidarity with the
victims of Supertyphoon
“Yolanda” (Haiyan).
The 103-story skycraper rising
above the Manhattan skyline
began to display the colors of
the Philippine flag on Friday,
Nov. 15 (Saturday in Manila),
and again on Saturday, New
York time.
“Empire State Building raises
awareness and support for
Typhoon Haiyan (victims) in the
Philippines,” the management of
the 82-year-old building said on
its website.
Each night, the building's tower
lights take on a new lighting
sequence, representing major
holidays, iconic milestones and
global events. Inquirer.net
New York's iconic Empire State Building bathed in blue, red and yellow in solidarity with the victims of Supertyphoon 'Yolanda' in the
Philippines. Photo by the Philippine Embassy in the United States.
November 22-28, 2013
Page 19
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Please support fundraisers for Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
November 22-28, 2013
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH may lose out
on some trade
pact benefits
By Amy R. Remo
The Manila Bay Resorts when completed
Manila Bay Resorts to
provide thousands of jobs
MANILA -- Providing recreation
and generating thousands of
employment opportunities to the
Filipinos are the goals in erecting
the 44-hectare Manila Bay Resorts bound to be a home to the biggest of
its kind in the country.
A fusion of luxurious casino,
plush hotel suites, top-notch
restaurants all in one
entertainment complex, the Manila
Bay Resorts, developed by
Japanese-led Tiger Resort, Leisure
and Entertainment Inc. will rise in
the Philippine Amusement Gaming
Corporation Entertainment's
( PAG C O R ) 1 2 0 - h e c t a re
Entertainment City in Parañaque
city come 2015.
Fo r e f r o n t s o f T i g e r I n c .
developing firm, President
Masahiro Terada and Vice President
Kenji Sugiyama shared to the press
their ultimate vision for the
upcoming integrated resort, which
boasts six-star and five-star hotels,
20 food and beverage destinations,
retail and spa facilities and
residential properties.
First in the Philippines, the
Manila Bay Resorts will house a
man-made beach resort with 100meter diameter indoor glass dome.
Meanwhile, its 30,000 square
meter-casino alone will house 500
table games and 3,000 machines.
It also commits to provide safe
yet high-class entertainment and
recreational activities fit for Filipino
families, foreign tourists and funloving individuals with exquisite
taste.
In its press launch statement, it
said the resort's hiring initiative will
more or less generate 15,000
employments for Filipinos seeking
for jobs in their own homeland.
“Our target is to really attract
lots of people, local and foreigners,
and in the process, be of great help
to the Philippine economy and
employment,” Sugiyama said in a
statement.
Sugiyama, whose background
includes being a world-class hotel
asset protection chief, pointed out
the volume of Filipinos working
overseas as hotel and restaurant
staff.
“That's one of the big reasons to
create employment here for more
than 15,000 Filipinos, almost 95percent will come from the
Philippines, five-percent for the
expatriates,” he added.
The Manila Bay Resorts will
produce more than a thousand
spacious hotel suites, world-class
Page 20
Critical growth constraints,
such as “inadequate
infrastructure” and a “small
industrial and manufacturing
base” may hinder the country from
fully enjoying the benefits to be
had from the proposed Regional
Comprehensive Economic
Partnership (RCEP).
According to a paper
published on the website of the
Philippine Institute for
Development Studies (PIDS), the
“Philippines should take key
structural and institutional
reforms in order to realize the
potential benefits coming from
participation in the RCEP [and] …
anticipate necessary adjustments
to make in view of the changes in
rules and processes governing
trade, services, investments and
other important areas.”
The paper's authors, Gilberto
M. Llanto and Ma. Kristina P. Ortiz,
noted the need to focus reforms on
“low utilization of free trade
agreements (FTAs), critical
constraints to growth, trade
facilitation and customs
administration, services
liberalization, and investment
incentives system.”
More specifically, the paper
cited the need to raise more
awareness on how FTAs can be
beneficial for local businesses; “to
make substantial investments” in
infrastructure, notably for power,
transport and logistics, and “to
improve the institutional and
regulatory frameworks of the
ports and maritime sectors”; as
well as “to pursue reforms related
to transparency, standardization
and harmonization, and electronic
processing of customs
requirements.”
“On services liberalization, the
government needs to review all
constitutional and legal barriers to
investments and trade, in
particular addressing issues on
limitation of foreign equity,” the
paper further said.
By 2015, the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)
and its six trading partners hope to
conclude the RCEP, a free trade
agreement, which, if successful
negotiated, could give rise to the
world's biggest trading bloc.
Negotiations for the RCEP
involved the 10 member states of
the Asean, which include the
Philippines, and their main trading
partners: Japan, China, Korea,
Australia, New Zealand and India.
Trade Secretary Gregory L.
Domingo earlier stressed that the
RCEP was crucial for the
Philippines because it involved
two of the country's biggest
trading partnersChina and Japan.
“[The RCEP is beneficial] to the
extent that we can get better twoway flows in both trade in goods
and trade in services, and to the
extent that we can encourage a
better investment regime. If more
investments come from these
partners, that will be good for us.
The RCEP just kind of integrates
the Asean and its partners into one
economic regime,” Domingo
earlier said. Inquirer.net
Electronics captured
42 percent of total PH
Groups dismayed over gov't policy exports in September
u
Page 22
on incentives to foreign investors
By Tetch Torres-Tupas
MANILA -- Business groups on
Tuesday expressed dismay over the
government's inconsistent policy
with regards to incentives given to
foreign investors in the country.
In a statement, European
Chamber of Commerce of the
Philippines vice president for
external affairs Henry Schumacher
speaking on behalf of the Joint
Foreign Chambers (JFC), said
investors are having difficulty
trying to refund the Value Added
Tax they paid in advance during the
import of capital equipment.
“While the Aquino
administration is claiming that it
will honor existing tax free
incentives, the reality shows a
different picture. Investors find
themselves in court…to get the
incentives promised by the
government,” he said.
Schumacher noted
discrepancies in the manner the
executive and judiciary have dealt
with the VAT refunds. He cited the
By Amy R. Remo
“other electronics” fell by 37.6
percent to $92.6 million during
the same period.
Compared to the previous
month, exports of electronic
products in September grew by
17.8 percent from $1.8 billion in
August 2013.
Exports of other electronics
similarly grew by 25.7 percent
from $73.7 million in August this
year.
Seipi, however, expects the
country's electronics exports to
contract by 10 to 12 percent this
ye a r, d r ive n l a rg e ly by a
weakness in global demand,
specifically for semiconductors.
While double-digit growth is
seen in the automotive and
consumer electronics sector,
weakness in semiconductors,
which comprised 76 percent of
the industry export, drove the
contraction.
Despite this year's export
revenue contraction, however,
Seipi is projecting a recovery in
2014, which may see a meager 5percent growth in electronics
exports, Lachica had said.
Electronic products
remained the country's top
export in September, accounting
for 41.7 percent of the
Philippines' total export revenue
for the month, said the
Semiconductor and Electronics
Industries in the Philippines Inc.
(Seipi).
According to Seipi, exports of
electronic products from January
to September this year fell by 10
percent to $15.8 billion
compared to the $17.6 billion
posted in the same period last
year.
Cumulative exports of “other
electronics” similarly declined by
36 percent to $471.5 million
San Roque Dam. INQUIRER file photo
during the same period, from
$740.5 million a year ago.
case of San Roque Power Corp.
“When studying the pending
On a month-on-month basis
(SRPC), which has P483.80 million VAT refund case of San Roque
however, electronics exports
in refunds pending after it started Power Corporation (SRPC) before
showed improvements.
the operations of its $1.20-billion the Supreme Court and comparing
Seipi reported that exports of
hydro-electric power plant in that case with many others decided
electronic products for
Pangasinan more than 10 years ago. by the BIR (Bureau of Internal
September alone grew 12.8
He said the San Roque case, Revenue), Court of Tax Appeals
percent to $2.1 billion from the
while having similar cases in the (CTA) and the Supreme Court, then
$1.9 billion recorded in the same
u
Page 22
past have different rulings.
month last year, while exports of
November 22-28, 2013
Page 21
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Faces of the Filipino micropreneurs
By Amadís Ma. Guerrero
Sharpening bladed tools
Alwin, 39, father of four, had a
hard time in his native Iligan City
because of his limited education.
To top it all, he was courting a girl
named Angelie. They got married,
and decided to migrate to Metro
Manila in search of a better way to
earn a living.
That was 13 years ago.
He became a sharpener
(naghahasa) of knives, itak and
other bladed weapons, a skill he
learned suddenly. His friends and
compadres call him “pareng
lagare” and he still uses the electric
grinder that he bought for P1,200
10 years ago. “Maliit lang ang
puhunan ko (my investment is
small),” he says.
His customers are carpenters,
maintenance men and gardeners
of well-off people who live nearby.
On good days, usually a Sunday,
he earns P1,500 but much less on
other days. And during bad
weather, he has no choice but to
close shop and business suffers
considerably.
Fruits are good for your health.
Russel, 46, from Lucena City
and father of one, is a vendor who
just buys his goodies from the
nearby market: “Namamalengke
lang ako,” he says. Sometimes his
wife, Raquel, accompanies him. He
displays an array of candies,
sandwiches, Tipas hopia, all sorts
of instant noodles, potato chips,
soft drinks, and other snacks dear
to the heart of the Filipino
consumer, especially children.
His puesto (place) is right
beside a jeepney loading and
unloading zone, which ensures a
steady stream of consumers. These
i n c l u d e s t u d e n t s , wo r ke r s ,
passersby, office people and
commuters.
Russel and Raquel can make do
with earnings of P200-300 a day.
'Galing sa Bumbay'
“Ang puhunan ko ay galing sa
Bumbay (my investment or seed
money comes from the Indian
Energy restoration in
Yolanda-hit provinces
to cost P1-Billion
MANILA -- The Department of Energy said around P1
billion will be needed in the restoration of energy in
Yolanda-hit areas.
Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla said some of the vital
parts of the power grid in the Visayas region, which brings
electricity to Samar and Leyte, were damaged at the
height of the super typhoon.
"In the initial stage, when you look at the place, it's like
an atomic bomb was dropped in the area and restoring it
is almost impossible. I heard from the reports that 200
plus, 240 NGCP transmission line towers were down," he
said.
But Petilla is confident they will be able to bring
energy back in almost all areas in eastern Visayas by
December 24.
"Power is going to be restored in the heart of the city
or the poblacion of the town, including majority of the
barangays. The only ones that will be left behind will be
the isolated ones where some barangays are 10
kilometers away and have major damage. They're going
to be put on the back burner," he said.
"Even with all these typhoons, we will restore. I am
putting my job on the line but at the same time. Ang
tanong ko lang sa lahat, what are you actually putting on
the table? Because I want to tell everybody that we will do
our best. If our best is not good enough, we are willing to
bet," he said.
Petilla also urged residents in Metro Manila and
Luzon to conserve energy to help boost energy in eastern
Visayas.
"It's one of the appeal we will make to have excess
power Luzon so we can throw them to Visayas. If we can
also cut down on unnecessary use of electricity in Luzon,
especially in the Meralco franchise," he said.
moneylenders),” says Manang
Rufina, another vendor who has a
permanent puesto near a busy
flyover and a school.
The reference was to Hindu or
Sikh moneylenders, distinguished
by their turbans and ubiquitous
motorcycles, who in street
parlance are known as “5-6”
because of the interest that they
chargeP6 for every P5 borrowed.
Rufina, mother of three and
originally from Baliuag, Bulacan,
would rather deal with a Filipino
moneylender because the Indians
are strict (“mahigpit”). But the
latter seems to have a monopoly on
the moneylending trade.
On good days, Rufina can earn
less that P1,000 but business
slumps when school is out. To
augment income she sells the three
major dailies and sleazy tabloids.
The Inquirer is always the first to
be sold out. When that happens,
the reader can always go to the
nearby 7-Eleven convenience store
where for a breakfast of only P49
you can have a copy of the paper for
only P5.
Peanuts & fruits
Peanuts are said to be good for
your digestion, if not for your heart
(“like all nuts,” observes friend
Rustie O., himself a nut). Peanuts
are also the livelihood of Rex, 30,
who hails from Allen, Northern
Samar. His peanuts are hubad
Tata apparently thinks big. On
pineapples alone, his investment is
P2,000 (also from “5-6”), with one
box costing P700. And on good
days, according to him, he can earn
P3,000 daily.
(skinless), matamis (sweet), and
may balat (with skin). He himself
boils the peanuts in a big frying
pan.
The product is sourced from
Divisoria, Manila, per bag and Rex
can earn P750-950 daily. Business,
he says, is fine (“maayos naman”)
and the handsome, bearded
vendor can even joke:
“Nakakabuhay ng dalawang
asawa” (It can take care of two
wives).”
Fruits, on the other hand, are
loaded with vitamins and all agree
that they are good for one's health.
Fruits are the bread-andbutter/rice-and-fish of Tata, 38,
father of five and originally from
Surigao del Sur.
His products include
pineapples, papaya, poncan
oranges, apples, papayas, and
Honey Mandarin from China,
locally called “kiat-kiat.”
These come from Tanauan,
Batangas.
Watchmaker, also taxi driver
Buddy, 41 and father of two, is
from Cabayog City, Samar, but grew
up in Manila. A watchmaker, he
opened his little stand in 1996,
having bought his toolssmall
screwdriver, batteries, bracelets
and spare partsfrom Recto Ave.,
Manila. He works every other day
repairing all kinds of watches and
earnings P500, sometimes more,
on any given day.
But Buddy is also a taxi driver
on the days when he is not at his
puesto. He's on duty 24 hours and
can gross P4,500 “pag masipag ka”
(if you're industrious). But the
boundary is P1,700 and P1,300
goes to gasoline expense; the rest is
his take-home pay.
Student's favorite
In 2004, Manang Corazon,
originally from Virac,
Catanduanes, set up an outdoor
carinderia (eatery), protected only
by make-shift cloth, right outside
her housing unit and beside a
school. It soon became a favorite of
the students, who could be seen
from Monday to Friday in their
u
Page 22
Wells Fargo donates $250,000
for Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts
ExpressSend Remittance Transfer Fees to the Philippines waived; Wells Fargo ATMs to accept donations for American Red Cross
Taguig, Philippines, November
13, 2013 -- Wells Fargo & Company
(NYSE: WFC) is supporting the
Philippines typhoon and flood relief
effort with a grant of $250,000 more
than Php 10 million with $125,000
going to the American Red Cross and
$125,000 to the International
Medical Corps. These funds will help
with the ongoing relief efforts and
rehabilitation in the affected areas of
the Philippines in the aftermath of
Typhoon Haiyan.
“This typhoon has brought
unprecedented devastation and loss
of life to the Philippines,” said Tim
Hanlon, head of Strategic
Philanthropy and Partnerships for
Wells Fargo. “While we are grateful
that all of our team members there
are safe and accounted for, our hearts
go out to all those who were impacted
by this storm. Our contribution will
help get aid quickly to those who need
it.”
Wells Fargo is also temporarily
waiving all remittance transfer fees
for ExpressSend® transfers from an
eligible checking or savings account
to reduce the cost of sending money
to the Philippines to support friends
and family. Customers can send funds
to their family or friends in the
Philippines at a number of remittance
network members including Bank of
the Philippine Islands, BDO Unibank,
Metrobank, M.Lhuillier and Cebuana
Lhuillier by calling Wells Fargo
Global Remittance Services at 1-800556-0605, going online at
wellsfargo.com, or visiting a Wells
Fargo banking store. The first
remittance for a service agreement
must be completed in person at a
store. The fee waiver is effective
November 13 through November 30,
2013.
“Our thoughts and prayers are
with the families and communities
that have been devastated by this
storm,” said Daniel Ayala, head of
Wells Fargo's Global Remittance
S e r v i c e s G r o u p . “A s t h e s e
communities begin the long, difficult
process of recovery, we're working
closely with our remittance network
members in the Philippines to make
sure our customers and team
members are able to support their
families and friends.”
From now through December 11,
2013, Wells Fargo customers can
donate to the American Red Cross
Disaster Relief Fund at more than
12,000 Wells Fargo ATMs across the
U.S. (with the exception of Kansas,
Missouri, and Washington, D.C., due
to local restrictions). Customers will
not be charged a fee for using this
service and 100 percent of the
donations will be sent to the
American Red Cross.
“Wells Fargo is committed to
helping the community recover.” said
Aveek Mukherjee, head of Enterprise
Global Services Delivery. “We look
forward to working together with the
community and our partners to aid in
the relief and rehabilitation.”
Wells Fargo is committed to
community service and runs regular
programs in its international
locations. Wells Fargo in the
Philippines has a volunteer task force
comprised of team members, with
initiatives focused on disaster relief
efforts, supporting learning
programs for socially disadvantaged
schools, improving the levels of
education and infrastructure, among
others.
About Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:
WFC) is a nationwide, diversified,
community-based financial services
company with $1.5 trillion in assets.
Founded in 1852 and headquartered
in San Francisco, Wells Fargo
p rov i d e s b a n k i n g , i n s u ra n c e ,
investments, mortgage, and
consumer and commercial finance
through more than 9,000 stores,
12,000 ATMs, and the Internet
(wellsfargo.com), and has offices in
more than 35 countries to support
the bank's customers who conduct
business in the global economy. With
more than 270,000 team members,
Wells Fargo serves one in three
households in the United States.
Wells Fargo & Company was ranked
No. 25 on Fortune's 2013 rankings of
America's largest corporations. Wells
Fargo's vision is to satisfy all our
customers' financial needs and help
them succeed financially. Wells Fargo
perspectives are also available at
blog.wellsfargo.com. In 2012, the
Company invested $315.8 million in
grants to 19,500 nonprofits, and team
members contributed more than 1.5
million volunteer hours around the
country.
For more information, please visit:
www.wellsfargo.com/about/csr.
November 22-28, 2013
Page 22
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Sumitomo bullish on
PH rice production
By Ronnel W. Domingo
MANILA -- The government's
efforts to make the Philippines selfsufficient in rice production put the
country in Sumitomo Chemical
group's list of priority markets,
particularly for its herbicides.
Industry figures show that the
domestic herbicide market is valued
at between P1 billion and P1.5 billion
yearly.
Group officials said its local unit,
Sumitomo Chemical Philippines Inc.
has shown “very strong” growth
since it was established in 2008.
Lawrence Yu, head of Sumitomo
Chemical's health and crop sciences
business in South Asia Pacific said in
an interview the Philippines is
considered among the company's
key markets, particularly because
rice production has become a very
important topic in the country.
“The Philippines used to be the
world's top rice importer and now it
is almost self-sufficient (in rice
production), although not yet,” Yu
said.
He said that with the
government's push for rice selfsufficiency, Sumitomo Chemical's
growth opportunity here is
“immense.”
Yu did not elaborate, but based
on the company's financial results
for the fiscal year that ended last
March 31, shipments of herbicides
and other crop-protection products
rose, especially in overseas markets,
due to increased production capacity
Groups dismayed
over ...
From page 20
there is sufficient evidence that all
three decided on the basis of
different criteria, confusing the
private sector and depriving some
investors of the promised VAT
refund,” he said.
The government's efforts to make the Philippines self-sufficient in rice production put the
country in Sumitomo Chemical group's list of priority markets, particularly for its
herbicides. Inquirer photo
and sales expansion.
“The Philippine herbicide market
is changing very fast [as farmers] are
looking for safer, better performing
and economical products,” Yu said.
“We expect very good growth in
the coming years,” he said, adding that
a main driver of growth is the roll-out
of products that were developed
through the company's research
initiatives.
On Friday, Sumitomo Chemical
launched in the Philippines its “Zeta
One” herbicide, which is said to be
able to remove even the most resilient
and prevalent kinds of weeds in
irrigated rice paddies.
According to Kimitoshi Umeda,
general manager of the marketing
department at Sumitomo
International's crop protection
division, the Philippines is only the
fourth country where Zeta One was
introduced.
The productrolled out initially in
Japan and then in South Korea and
Vietnamis being imported into and
distributed in the Philippines by
Leads Agricultural Products Corp.
“It is good timing for this
[product] introduction considering
the Philippines' efforts to attain selfsufficiency,” Umeda said. “This
herbicide can benefit the country and
the farmers with lower labor cost
[related to weeding] and increased
yield.”
“ T h e re s h o u l d b e e q u a l
protection under the law. San
Roque Power Corp. is just the tip of
the iceberg. There are a lot of
companies out there with pending
VAT refund claims,” Schumacher
said.
San Roque sought filed a
motion with the Supreme Court to
clarify its ruling. “The Supreme
Court has the chance now to finally
c o m e u p w i t h a c o h e re n t ,
conclusive, definite decision…That
is precisely the reason why San
Roque Power Corporation filed a
second Motion for Reconsideration
to provide the lower courts and the
investors with a clear guidance on
tax incentives. The business
community would more than
welcome for such a clear guidance.”
Schumacher said.
Faces of the
Filipino ...
From page 21
spic-and-span, dark blue-andwhite uniformscrowding the
place, and placing their orders
before the harassed servers.
The food served is better than
most , home-made (“lutong
bahay”) and uniformly priced at
P35, plus P10 for rice. On any
given day you will see such
favorites as dinuguan, sweet and
sour pork, adobo, nilagang baboy,
chicken curry, corned beef and
lumpiang shanghai.
Daily earnings “ay hindi parepareho (vary), depending on the
students,” says Corazon. But on
good days she may earn up to
P5,000 daily. No school, however,
during weekends and so she too
closes shop.
Rodrigo and his jeepney.
Rodrigo and his jeepney.
Rodrigo, 44, is a professional
driver and in the agency where he
once worked he was learning to
be a good photographer, thanks to
his supervisor, Mr. Toledo.
Unfortunately, things didn't work
out and he and wife, Cristy, who
has good business sense, decided
to go back to his native town of
Catubig, Northern Samar, where
they planted palakata (acacia
falcata) trees.
To their surprise, they made a
killing during harvest time. And
so they went back to Metro Manila
and invested in a jeepney, which
Manila Bay
Resorts ...
From page 20
banqueting, 24-hour butler
service, and the “Jewel Square,”
which will blend international
designer brands, jewelers and
specialty stores.
With Japan being an
earthquake hotspot, the Manila
Bay Resorts will not only offer
state-of-the-art facilities but it
will also be built with a Japanesestandard construction.
After Bohol and nearby
Central Visayas provinces were
shook by a 7.2-magnitude tremor
in October, the use of Japanese
technology to strengthen the
foundation of the high-class
resort assures Filipinos of safety
from natural disasters.
“We also know how to solve a
tsunami,” Sugiyama playfully
Rodrigo often drives but
sometimes turns over to a friend
(boundary is P700). Usually he
earns P1,500 daily net. Their
firstborn, Kristine Joy, is a
Business Administration
graduate; Keenan is taking up
Marine Transport and the
youngest, Krisha, is in high school.
Mother Courage
Manang Arsenia, from
Mangatarem, Pangasinan, and
mother of two, is some kind of
Brechtian Mother Courage. Her
problemor shall we say
challengestarted when her
husband, Antonio, a seaman,
suffered a slipped disc on board
the ship and was deemed
permanently disabled as far as
seafaring was concerned. He
spent two and a half months in a
Manila hospital.
Arsenia did not want him to
be operated on. Instead, she
swung into action. She started
selling beauty products, but for
some reason sales were not
encouraging. So she went into
vending dried fish like daing and
dilis along with kamatis
(tomatoes), plus lots of fruits.
To her surprise, the fruits
outsold the dried fish, so she
concentrated on these. She is still
at it, and earning well. Antonio is
now able-bodied and takes turn
tending to the business. In three
days, they can register a profit of
P5,000.
“Ayokong mangutang at
pinapaikot ko ang pera (I don't
want to borrow and so I keep the
money going around),” Arsenia
says.
T h ro u g h t h e i r h e ro i c s ,
scrimping and saving, investing
wisely, depositing and then
withdrawing come tuition time,
Arsenia and Antonio have been
able to send their two children to
private schoolsthe eldest, 19, a
boy, has just graduated from the
Asian Institute of Maritime
Studies and the girl, 17, is taking
up mass communication at
Lyceum University. Inquirer.net
added.
Apart from developing the
Manila Bay Resorts, the Tiger Inc.
has also opened its doors to
community involvement, helping
the victims of recent typhoon
Pablo by donating rice
supplies worth P2.5 million.
“A new effort of similar nature
is being spearheaded, this time to
provide assistance to victims of
devastation earthquake in the
Visayas region,” the Tiger Inc.
statement added.
Sugiyama said, “It is part of
our mission to extend a helping
hand to those in need.”
W hen a sked why Tig er
Resorts chose to invest in the
Philippines, Sugiyama quipped:
“in other country, they don't
smile!” As the Japanese honcho
laughed, he answered further:
“we chose Manila for its friendly
people… and their smiles.”
Inquirer.net
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ENTERTAINMENT
November 22-28, 2013
Page 23
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Top Pinoy singers to
record 'calamity' song
By Bhenj Agustin
Gin Blossoms (Photo from the band's Facebook page)
More artists rock the
Yolanda relief wagon
By Jecelyn V. Macahindog
Recent Philippine visitor Gin
Blossoms did not witness the
devastation super typhoon “Yolanda”
(“Haiyan”) wrought in the central
Visayas region, but the American poprock band called on their friends and
fans to make monetary donations to
the Philippine Red Cross to benefit
those affected.
“We are only beginning to
understand the scale of destruction,
but Haiyan is estimated to have
claimed thousands of lives, and the
physical and economic damage will
be both widespread and long-lasting,”
they posted on the band's official
website (ginblossoms.net).
Vocalist Robin Wilson said, “Any
amount our fans and friends can
afford will offer much relief to
effected families fast.”
“We performed in Manila less
than a month ago. It's so tragic that
this has affected so many of those
wonderful people,” added guitarist
Jesse Valenzuela.
As part of their effort, Gin
Blossoms announced that hold a
show called “Gin Blossoms Rockin'
for Philippines” on Nov. 21 at Stage
48, 605 West 48th Street in New York
City.
Wilson said, “We hope everyone
will come to Stage 48 this coming
Thursday, Nov 21st for a Rockin' fun
night and help the Philippine people
in need!”
They posted on their official
Twitter account (@ginblossoms):
“Proceeds from our Nov 21 show in
NYC will benefit those effected by
T y p h o o n
H a i y a n .
h t t p : / / u s h a re . re d c ro s s . o rg . p h
#GBFansRockPhilippines.”
Meanwhile, half-Pinay Jessica
Sanchez announced in an interview
aired on ANC that she will also be
This isn't the first time Alicia
Keys is coming to the Philippines
to wow her fans, and surely the
Pinoys have also won her heart. In
fact, in the days following supertyphoon “Yolanda” (“Haiyan”)
hitting the country, the Grammy
Award-winning R&B/soul singersongwriter Alicia Keys took to
Twitter on Tuesday to express her
solidarity with the nation and its
survivors.
“It's so shocking how in one
place everything is fine and in
another people's world's are
totally torn apart. #Haiyan
#prayers,” she wrote on Twitter.
In another post, she said: “To
the people of the Philippines my
heart is with you #prayers
#Haiyan. When I heard the
Ryan Cayabyab (Photo by Bhenj Agustin)
contribute is, one, to perform to
play music, to raise funds from
music. Number two, to help raise
the spirit of everyone, the giver
and the receiver so ito yung effect
ng music. Number three, is
through the concerts and the
event, we are able to make
known the plight of the people
who've been devastated (by the
calamities).”
Philpop 2014
Now on its third year, Philpop
once again aims to further enrich
the OPM catalogue by
discovering songs that reflect the
mood and taste of the times.
Justin Bieber paints graffiti to
shore up 'Yolanda' fund drive
u
Page 24
By Michael Joe T. Delizo
After upsetting Brazilian
and Columbian authorities
with his street paintings
re c e n t ly, C a n a d i a n p o p
sensation Justin Bieber is
now using his obsession with
graffiti for a good cause.
The 19-year-old pop star,
strength of the typhoon was more
along with his friend Milk
powerful than Katrina and Sandy,
I didn't think that was possible.
Tyson, spray painted a wall in
http://bit.ly/HF1w5n.”
Los Angeles with the aim of
Later, she called on her
raising funds for the victims
followers for help: “2.5 million
of super typhoon 'Yolanda'
families need our support. If u
(international name:
want 2 do something, donate to
'Haiyan'),
according to report
@WFPUSA & help @WFP
on entertainment news site
emergency food relief
TMZ.
http://bit.ly/HF1w5n.”
On Instagram Nov. 18,
Keys will hold her latest
concert in Manila today, giving her
Beiber posted a photo of his
fans a night of a respite from the
graffiti; a gray-colored
onslaught of disheartening news
clasped hand in prayer with
about the ravaged Visayan region.
the words “Pray 4
While going to the concert in
Justine Bieber paints graffiti to help Philippines
Philippines” above it. Bieber
no way signifies the attendees are
signed his initials at the
forgetting about the plight of our
bottom,
“JB.” The caption graffiti, along with the used first step in contributing to
less fortunate countrymen, Keys'
read:
“We
all can help.”
spray paint cans. The money t h e r e s t o ra t i o n o f t h e
fans are expecting to hear their
According to a report, the w i l l b e h a n d e d t o t h e typhoon-wrecked Visayas.
favorites, from her debut hit
teen star wants to auction off Philippines typhoon relief Manila Bulletin
u
Page 25
the signed picture of his group. It said that it only his
Alicia Keys has the
PH in her heart
By Anya Santos
Philpop MusicFest
Foundation Executive Director
Ryan Cayabyab in cooperation
with Universal Records is
securing the commitment of
renowned local singers to record
a song relating to the recent
super-typhoon “Yolanda” and
the Bohol earthquake. The song
can be downloaded from select
websites with the proceeds
going to the Philippine disaster
fund.
Like “We Are The World” the
benefit song recorded in the '80s
for Africa then revived a few
years ago for Haiti the still
unnamed song may have select
Universal Record, MCA Music,
Warner Music and Viva Records
artists doing a line or two each.
The lyrics will be sung in
different Philippine dialects. The
Loboc Children's Choir is
confirmed to join.
“Ang hinihingi lang namin sa
bawat singer ay isang line. Sa
sobrang dami ng gustong sumali,
hindi naman puwedeng ilagay or
pagbigyan ang lahat na
makapagisang line…”
He pointed out how artists
can help those in need.
“Karamihan sa aming mga
artists, wala kaming as much
money (as others). Kasi
siyempre ang gigs namin,
hanggang dun lang ang gig. So the
best way we can do and
R e c a l l t h a t l a s t y e a r,
hiphop/R&B tune “Dati” won the
t o p p l u m . P r i o r, “ B a w a t
Hakbang” nabbed the title. Both
were by young songwriters.
“Pero nakakatuwa rin na
makakahanap ka rin ng mga
awitin na classic ang dating.
Meaning yung mga
magagandang ballads na halos
katulad sa kundiman. Hindi natin
maiaalis yun dahil mga Pilipino
tayo na very sentimental ang
preference ng music,” Cayabyab
said.
As before, he advises Pinoy
songwriters here and from
around the world to submit good
songs that have “clear” meaning
of high recording quality.
“Malilinaw meaning kuha na
agad ng listener yung ibig
sabihin ng composer sa mga first
30 seconds to first minute pa
lang ng kanta. At hindi naman
kailangang professaional yung
singer na inyong ilalagay sa
recording kahit kayo at hindi
din kailangang pumunta sa isang
recording studio para sabihing
malinaw dahil maraming nakaka
pasok na mga entries na ang
kanilang recording ay sa bahay
lang. Basta maganda ang tunog.”
They will accept entries for
three and a half months from
Nov. 15, 2013 till Feb. 28, 2014 on
i t s
w e b s i t e ,
www.philpop.com.ph, where
contest rules are available.
Manila Bulletin
November 22-28, 2013
Page 24
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
The Lettermen: For our
next number, we give every
one of you … a photo op
John Ford Coley recorded a life album in PH in 2009.
John Ford Coley: I love
Filipinos; they laugh a lot
By Oliver M. Pulumbarit
An hour into their recent
gig at the Newport Theater in
Resorts World Manila, The
Lettermen launched into the
“Camera Portion,” inviting
audience members to the stage
for individual photo-ops.
Surprise!
Initial reluctance
(shyness?) soon melted into
audacity. Half the hall, it
seemed, took up the challenge
(theater capacity is 1,800).
Those who were not already on
stage in a special section
stepped down from their seats
lugging cameras, and posed
with the guys one by one they
were not in a hurry, either.
Tony Butala, Donovan Tea
and Bobby Poynton (in blue
suits) sang through it all, for
the next 40 minutes.
And then, all too suddenly,
it was time to resume the
music-making in earnest. But
not before Butala announced,
“We will be outside the
theater later to sing to
everyone of you who didn't get
up here.”
Ovation's next foreign act
would be hard-pressed to
upstage these absolute crowdpleasers. Inquirer.net
“I just truly love playing. I enjoy
doing what I'm gifted to do,” singersongwriter John Ford Coley told the
Inquirer at the press event in Solaire
Resort last Tuesday for his one-night
show there, “Love Overload,” the day
after.
“I'm not an audiophile,” Coley
said, adding that he was never
particular with the nuances of
recording sessions , or even music
formats. “I listen to any format…
whatever's convenient [as long as
it's] a greatly crafted song.”
Originally part of the Grammynominated American duo England
Dan and John Ford Coley, the singer,
65, scored hits with high school
buddy Dan Seals in the
1970s“Simone,” I'd Really Love to
See You Tonight,” and “Sad to
Belong,” among others. After eight
albums, they disbanded in 1980.
Seals passed away in 2009.
A classically trained pianist,
Coley continues to tour.
Describe the perfect love song.
Oh, gosh. It should take you to
places that you haven't thought
about… it should get you choked up.
One is Dan Fogelberg's “Leader of the
Band,” [though] it's not about a
romance, but about love between
father and son.
You've performed music in
various genres. How do you pick
them?
I've always been eclectic and
have pretty much done what I
enjoyed doing. Whatever happens to
come out, it's what God lets me do.
How is that spirituality
informing your lyrics?
More artists
rock ...
From apge23
teaming up with Philippine boxing
champ Manny Pacquiao for more
relief efforts for “Yolanda” survivors.
The “American Idol” runner-up,
who has been in the country twice for
concerts, earlier staged a live
streaming event for the benefit of her
typhoon-struck kababayans.
She posted on her Facebook page:
“Blujays! Friday 5pm PDT, I'll be doing
my first StageIt!! All proceeds will be
going to the American red Cross in
support of those affected by typhoon
Haiyan. Tickets are limited. The
Philippines need our help!! Please
I don't write spiritual music, per
se; When people come to my concert,
they don't want to hear spiritual
things or politics, although I'm very
political. If you want to talk to me
about those things, I'd be more than
happy to, but not from the stage.
What have you observed about
American music now?
The recording industry has
changed dramatically. We have a new
generation of artists with their own
styles. I recognize that music
changes and progresses. I enjoy Josh
Groban and Little Big Town. I love
Joni Mitchell, Shawn Colvin… Melody
is a key ingredient.
How differently did artists
behave all those years ago?
The older artists realize it's not
1976 anymore and we can't behave
the way we used to. We've grown up a
bit! Artists now have a lot more
opportunities… but many don't
appreciate where they come from,
and that's sad. I grew up on the road,
traveling with Bread, Three Dog
Night, Elton John. Those who trashed
hotel rooms, that wasn't us. There
were certain standards that we held
for ourselves.
You recorded a live album here in
2009. What makes your bond with
Filipinos different?
This might be my 20th visit since
2000. I love my relationship with the
Filipino people for one major reason:
they laugh and are appreciative.
They have respect. They like love
songs, things that speak to them.
They're very friendly and kind -- I've
experienced that on many different
levels. The food ain't bad either, I'll
tell you that! Inquirer.net
join me to help make a difference!
Every little bit counts!”
Fil-Canadian singer Martha Joy,
on the other hand, will also raise
funds via a concert in Toronto on Nov.
22, reports Middle East North Africa
Financial Network (MENAFN.com).
“I am deeply saddened by what
has happened in the Philippines and
hosting a concert is the least I can do
to help the people of the Philippines…
This concert is not solely for the
Filipino community it is for everyone
who feels touched by the devastation
in the Philippines,” said the former
“Canadian Idol” finalist. The report
added that proceeds of the concert
will go directly to designated
charities and Archdioceses in the
Philippines. Manila Bulletin
November 22-28, 2013
Page 25
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Ryzza Mae, Bimby named
‘Golden Kids’
By NR Ramos
Jessica Alba, Barbra Streisand, Nia Peeples, Gene Simmons and Mel Gibson
(Photos from Reuters, takesontech.com, contactmusic.com)
More help from
Hollywood hotshots
Assistance from other
international stars pours in for the
victims of super typhoon “Yolanda.”
Actress Jessica Alba and her team
from The Honest Company, a nontoxic and ecofriendly household
product corporation, made a
generous donation through
Operation USA, which they delivered
in Los Angeles.
Singer-actress Barbra Streisand
and her charity, The Streisand
Foundation, pledged a “major”
financial donation.
In an interview on ANC's “The
Bureau,” Mel Gibson committed to
help in fundraising activities through
Mending Kids International (MKI),
an organization that aid sick and
poor children worldwide.
“I'm still sorry, you know, God
bless you (Philippines). I hope you
can put it back together; there's been
a tremendous loss of lives. It's hard
even to be able to say anything,” he
said of the catastrophe.
Singer-actress Nia Peeples
related in the same interview on
“The Bureau” that “I was actually
thinking about who was gonna call to
say what kind of fundraiser we can
do for that, it's tragic.”
Kiss band member Gene
Simmons expressed willingness to
do the same.
“We're gonna be doing some
work to try not just to raise
awareness but funds. Our hearts and
prayers go out to everybody (in the
Philippines),” he was quoted as
saying.
The rock bass guitarist added:
“It's probably time for all the
countries in the world to realize we
are one.”
Early this week, right after the
typhoon struck, Hollywood stars
from Josh Duhamel and David
Archuleta to Rihanna and George
Clooney tweeted messages of love
and support for the calamity victims.
Manila Bulletin
Alicia Keys ...
From page 23
single “Fallin'” considered her
signature song to her latest, “Girl On
Fire.”
To a lot of music fans, even here
in the country, one of the songs Keys
is remembered for the best is
“Empire State of Mind.” It is, of
course, a massively popular Jay-Z
track that features the singer.
Coincidentally, the official
Twitter account of the Empire State
Building (@EmpireStateBldg)
tweeted on Saturday morning (PHL
time; roughly 7 p.m. Friday, NY time)
a photo of the iconing structure lit
up in the colors of the Philippine flag
Its caption read: “2nite & tmrw
night, our lights shine in the color of
the #Philippines flag 2 raise
awareness of the #Haiyan tragedy.”
It sure feels good to not be
forgotten.
Alicia Keys' “Set The World On
Fire” Manila leg happens on Nov. 25
at the Mall of Asia Arena, produced
by Ovation Productions, with
Popular child actors Ryzza
Mae Dizon and James “Bimby”
Yap, Jr. are set to be named
“Golden Kids” at an upcoming
expo celebrating families.
According to the event's
official website, the awards,
which is one of the highlights at
The Baby & Family Expo 2013, is
meant to honor celebrity kids,
parents and families who have
been a “great inspiration and role
model to Filipino families.”
Dizon, “Eat Bulaga” Little
Miss Philippines for 2012, and
Yap, the son of popular TV host
Kris Aquino, are paired in the
Metro Manila Film Festival 2013
offering “Torky And My Little
Bossing.” The young rising stars
garnered the honor through
online public voting via the
event's official site.
Also to be recognized at the
s a m e eve n t a re c e l e b r i t y
husband and wife Ryan Agoncillo
and Judy Ann Santos who, along
with kids Johanna (Yohan Lois)
and Juan Luis (Lucho), will be
awarded the “Golden Family of
the Year”
Meanwhile, Regine Tolentino
and Lander Vera-Perez are to be
honored as “Golden Couple of the
Year.”
Aside from honoring these
celebrities, of course, the event
will also celebrate non-showbiz
individuals as “ParentPreneurs.”
The event website explained
that ParentPreneurs are the
modern day moms and dads who
have successfully “balanced
parenthood and their role as an
entrepreneur” through “hard
work and dedication.”
The event in itself, which
carries the theme “Welcoming
Life, Love and Care,” celebrates
the “gift of life and family” by
“fostering an intimate
e nv i ro n m e n t e n c o u ra g i n g
bonding and unity through
community discussions,
shopping opportunities and fun
activities.”
Set to add color to the event
billed as the “ultimate family
affair” is RJ Ledesma, who will
give audiences “Daddy 101″ tips.
“Starstruck” avenger Jade
Lopez, on the other hand, will
Ryzza Mae Dizon & Bimby Yap
c o n d u c t “ R i gh t S t a r t ,” a n
advocacy talk.
Fo r m e r b e a u t y q u e e n turned-actress Maria Isabel
L o p e z a n d M T RC B b o a rd
member Gladys Reyes will also
hold a charity bazaar at the event
for the benefit of the victims of
typhoon 'Yolanda.' Manila
Bulletin
Kris Aquino gets nomination
at 2013 Asian TV Awards
MANILA -- Kris Aquino
turned emotional on Thursday as
she shared her latest
achievement as a television host.
Aquino is nominated in the
Best Entertainment
Presenter/Host category of the
2013 Asian TV Awards for her
morning show on ABS-CBN, "Kris
TV."
She happily shared that she is
the only Filipino nominee in the
said category.
"Sa totoo lang po, sa gitna ng
pinagdadaanan natin, it gives me
so much pride and honor to
represent our country. Of course,
h i n d i n a t i n a l a m ku n g s i
Singapore ang manalo or si
Thailand, pero parang panalo na
tayo," Aquino said.
"Eighteen years and sinabi
ko, kasi tinext ko ang mga kapatid
Kris Aquino
ko, in-explain ko, 'It's me.' Thank
you, of course, sa 'Kris TV' but the
nominee is me as a presenter in
the show that most represents
me. Na 'yung araw-araw, through
the good and bad, kung ano ako,
'yun ang nakikita nila. At sa mata
nila ay gusto nilang bigyan ng
parangal.
"Just the fact that you are
nominated is such a big
achievement . Sorry kung
nagiging emosyonal ako kasi
'yung parating sinasabi ng tao na
si God nakikita talaga lahat ng
ginagawa mo and all," she said.
Aquino, the youngest sister of
President Benigno Aquino III,
said she dedicates her
nomination to the Filipino
people, especially those who are
affected by super typhoon
"Yolanda" (international name
Haiyan).
" S a g i t n a p o n g
pinagdadaanan ng Pilipinas ay
inaalay ko po ito sa inyong lahat.
Kasi lahat po ng tagumpay, kung
may tagumpay akong makukuha,
ay ibinabalik ko po ito sa inyo
and, of course, to my ABS-CBN
family.
Filipinos get British awards nod
Alicia Keys
Manila Bulletin as one of the media
partners. Tickets are still available
at SM ticket outlets or online at
w w w. s m t i c k e t s . c o m . M a n i l a
Bulletin
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JOHN Arcilla in “Metro Manila”
Filipino actors John Arcilla and
Jake Macapagal are nominated for
British Independent Film Awards
(Bifa) honors, for Sean Ellis' “Metro
Manila.” Arcilla got a best supporting
nod, alongside Jeff Goldblum (“Le
Weekend”), Eddie Marsan (“Fifth”)
and Rupert Friend and Ben
Mendelsohn (both of “Starred Up”).
Macapagal's bid is for most promising
newcomer. Bifa has invited Arcilla to
the Dec. 8 awards show in. “I'm
happy,” Arcilla said simply. “Metro
Manila” got a best film nod. Bayani
San Diego Jr. Inquirer.net
November 22-28, 2013
Page 26
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Ate Vi: Nora deserves
National Artist title
Martin Nievera: I never
thought I was the best
about attendance. Maybe people
are looking for someone new or
different. I don't know if they still
want to listen to me. Do I still have
fans or have they moved on to
another artist?”
Martin acknowledged,
however, that he performed to a
packed Big Dome during his “#3D:
Tatlong Dekada” concert last
September. “I'm just so blessed …
for someone who's been here 30
years, filling up Araneta the way I
did is something I'm proud of,” he
said.
By Dolly Anne Carvajal
Ate Vi (Vilma Santos) was in
high spirits at the belated birthday
luncheon hosted for her by The
Generics Pharmacy at theMakati
Shangri-La. The “Star for all
Seasons” chose to partner once
again with the country's largest
and affordable drugstore chain for
a new multi-media campaign.
If we could only look as good as
she does at her age, we would not
mind being called a senior citizen -with junior looks! “I'm still
reluctant to sign my senior citizen's
card,” she chuckled. “I'm giving it
time to sink in. Besides, I can still
afford to pay even without
discount,” she said, laughing.
The birthday girl had a
candidly engaging interview with
her son, Luis. She had to pause in
the middle of their one-on-one to
commend him. “Though I get to
watch Luis host on TV, it's rare that
he interviews me,” she said.
“I can hardly believe he's all
grown up and doing so well. Before,
he just tagged along with me
during shootings. Now he has
made a name [for himself]. I'm one
proud mama.”'
Ate V i l e f t n o q u e s t i o n
unanswered. Even as she was
swarmed by media, she had a
knack for being attuned to each
interviewer. That's charisma a la
Vilma!
LUIS interviews his famous mom.
Deserving
On talk that Nora Aunor might
be named National Artist: “She
more than deserves it. She has
made so many worthy
contributions to the movie
industry. I just hope the public
won't [make it an issue] between
her and me. There are more
important matters that our nation
has to attend to.”
On the “Yolanda” tragedy, she
e x p r e s s e d s o r r o w. “ I t ' s
heartbreaking! I wish I could go to
the affected areas to cheer up the
victims. But my worry is some
people might misinterpret my
good intentions. So I'm helping out
in my own way. No need for
fanfare.”
She revealed that she and
hubby Ralph Recto are stronger
than ever: “We keep each other on
fire, always! We've been together
for 27 years. We complement each
other. I am strong where he is weak
and [vice versa].”
On turning a year older, Ate Vi
elaborated, “I welcome growing
old. I embrace the wisdom that
comes with age. I have mellowed.
Dati papatulan ko lahat ng intriga.
Now I've learned to sift the
significant from the insignificant.”
Inquirer.net
Better colleagues
Asked if he thought that
solidified his place in the biz as
“Concert King,” the 51-year-old
balladeer quickly dismissed the
idea, saying that titles were just
thattitles, and nothing more.
“I think Jed Madela sings better
NIEVERA: “Jed Madela sings better
than
I do. I think Erik Santos has a
than I do.”
stronger voice. Charice is definitely
more popular. I think Gary V is
By Allan Policarpio
more poetic and lighter on his feet. I
never thought of myself as the best.
Though he's dubbed “Concert I just perform to the best of my
King” in the local music industry, abilities,” Martin said.
Martin Nievera confessed that he
But while he doesn't see
sometimes got anxious about himself as “king,” he always tries to
whether or not he still has enough give performances fit for a king.
drawing power to fill up a large
“The audience is king,” he
venue like the Smart Araneta stressed. “My goal is to entertain
Coliseum. Audiences' tastes in and give them a concert worth their
music, he pointed out, had changed. time and money.” Martin also said
He shared some apprehensions he hoped to inspire long-retired
with the Inquirer: “I do worry
u
Page 27
Regine denies upstaging
Sarah G in concert
MANILA -- Regine Velasquez
denied that she and Lea Salonga
deliberately upstaged singeractress Sarah Geronimo at her 10th
year anniversary concert held at
Araneta Coliseum last Friday.
In her 10th anniverary concert
"Perfect 10," Geronimo performed a
medley of Barbra Streisand's hits
with her special guests Velasquez
and Salonga.
But in a press conference for
her latest album "Hulog Ka Ng
Langit", Velasquez said this
normally happens in every concert,
including her own shows.
"You have to think na yung lahat
ng mga nanood kay Sarah ay her
fans. So both Lea and I are grateful
na nagbigay-pugay sila sa amin kasi
alam namin na fans sila. Lahat
silang nanonood ay supporters ni
Sarah," Velasquez explained.
"Hindi siya na-upstage, hindi
siya in-upstage, hindi siya nang
upstage. That's her concert, that's
her moment. Kumbaga binigyan
lang kami ng moment ng
importansiya," she added.
Velasquez said she doesn't have
a problem with Geronimo's fans,
popularly known as "Popsters."
"There was no issue sa fans
niya. Hindi nga ako sure kung baka
basher lang 'yon. I answered one
lang, parang hindi nga daw siya
Popster," Velasquez noted.
"There was never an issue
because they know how much I love
Sarah. 'Yung mga Popsters ni Sarah,
they know how much I love her and,
like I said onstage, I will always be
there whenever she needs me, kahit
Regine Velasquez answers questions
from the media during her press
conference on Tuesday. Photo by
Rey m a B u a n - D eveza fo r A B S CBNnews.com
hindi concert. Ang turing ko sa
kanya ay anak siya. So no issue," the
veteran belter stressed.
Velasquez, who was the host of
the talent competition "Star For A
Night," which launched the career
of Geronimo, promised to be part of
the repeat concert on November 30
at the Mall of Asia Arena. "I'm still
there, she asked me so I'm gonna be
there," Velasquez said.
New album
Like Geronimo, who donated
part of the proceeds from her
concert to the survivors of
“Yolanda,” Velasquez is also taking
part in relief efforts in the wake of
the super typhoon.
u
Page 27
November 22-28, 2013
Page 27
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Osang comes to terms
with controversial past
Rosanna Roces
By NR Ramos
At a time of disaster, people
need to come together. Letting go of
bad blood, in any way, shape or
f o r m , w o r k s w o n d e r s . Fo r
someone like Rosanna Roces, one
of local tinseltown's controversial
actresses who's been in and out of
the showbiz loop in the past
decade, her second stab at
redemption, so to speak, comes in
the form of making amends.
First in the 41-year-old
actress' list are the country's
teachers, whom she once
h a ra n g u e d o n a i r v i a “ I t ' s
Showtime.”
Roces related in a recent
interview with PEP that she is now
producing a film that would
highlight their sacrifices.
Said she of the project: “It's my
way of… kung may kasalanan man
ako na sinabi tungkol sa mga guro…
bawi ba?”
She added that she had
realized the need to acknowledge
one's mistakes, insisting, “Ayoko
kasi ;pag tumanda ako na may daladala ako.”
Sharing a bit of the movie's
plot, Roces said, “It's about 'yung
teacher na hindi na siya nakapagasawa. So, talagang inilaan niya ang
panahon niya sa pagtuturo.”
Roces also shared that she has
also come to terms with the
Revillas, with whom she had a
quarrel in the past relating to the
custody of her grandson, Budoy.
Budoy is the son of her
daughter Grace with actor-turnedpolitician Jolo Revilla. “Puro galit
ako noon, di ba?… Ngayon, hindi na.
Natuto akong i-share 'yung love,”
she said. Asked how her kids are
these days, Roces notes how Grace
has matured into a hands-on mom.
However, she is yet to reconcile
with estranged son Onyok, with
whom she had a physical
altercation some months back. “In
God's time,” she said. Another thing
that Roces is yet to see happily
ending is the case filed against her
by former home studio GMA 7.
A local court recently ruled
that Roces is guilty of violating her
contract with the network when
she jumped ship to ABS-CBN in
2004. Roces has been ordered to
pay GMA over P2 million in
damages. Manila Bulletin
Regine denies ... From page 26
Velasquez announced that part of the proceeds from "Hulog Ka Ng Langit,"
her third album under Universal Records titled will go to the victims of
typhoon. "It is very memorable because when I was doing the album, I was also
going through some stuff. This album is special and memorable because I
dedicate this to my son, husband, family and loved ones," Velasquez said.
Among the songs included in the album are "Rainbow Connection,"
"Amazing," "My Child," "Pag-Ibig," "Tomorrow," "Someone's Waiting For You,"
"Araw, Ulap, Langit," "Just The Way Your Are," "Nathaniel (Gift of God)," "The
One Real Thing," "Happiness," "Hele Ni Inay," "You," "Sa 'Yo Na Lang Ako," "You
Got It" and "God Gave Me You."
Martin Nievera ...
From page 26
1980s colleagues to sing again. He
elaborated: “I believe there's a place
for us seniors in the industry. Now all
the '80s singers are going to come out
of their graves and say, 'You know
what? Kung kaya ni Martin, kaya ko
rin!'”
His initial plan after “#3D” was to
hold a series of more intimate shows.
But clamor for a repeat of the concert
was strong, Martin said, and he was
more than happy to oblige. “Repeats
happen often, but not anymore. I'm
just happy that I was asked to do it
again. It's a big risk for a dinosaur like
me,” he said, laughing now.
Titled “#3D2: Tatlong Dekada,”
the repeat concert will be held Nov.
22 at the Big Dome. Martin said he
would tweak the repertoire a little for
returning fans. “There will be more
surprises. I will do a few different
songs to rouse their interest.”
Lesson from Anne
Confidently, he stated, “As far as
songs and performances go, I think I
have nothing more to prove.” But of
course, he stressed, “I want to fill up
the venue again for my producers and
all the people who still believe in me.”
Meanwhile, Martin and actress
Anne Curtis' mashup of David
Guetta's “Without You” and U2's
“With or Without You” has registered
over two million views since it was
uploaded to YouTube last August.
Martin said collaborating with newer
celebrities was his way of getting in
touch with the younger audience.
And though a lot of critics knock
Anne for insisting on singing despite,
uh, vocal deficiencies, Martin said he
had a lot to learn from the bubbly
celeb.
To dream again
“Anne can teach old artists like
me how to dream again and be
driven; how to be excited about a high
note, to be grateful to be in tune.
While [most] of us are bitching about
clothes, billing and talent fee, Anne
just does what makes her happy,” he
explained.
As he approaches his 31st year in
the biz, Martin is taking extra care of
his health in order to preserve his
voice: “I don't smoke or drink … like,
ever. And I'm more health-conscious
now. I try to just keep singing because
you'll lose it if you stop.”
Martin added that his definition
of what makes a great singer has
changed through the years. “If you
can make your whispers get the same
response as your belting, you're good.
That's what I try to do more of; I try to
play with the emotions.” Inquirer.net
Mikael Daez confirms brief meeting
with Megan Young in London
MANILA -- Model Mikael Daez
confirmed that he meet up with
Miss World 2013 Megan Young
during his recent trip in London.
In an interview with the actor
on Wednesday evening, he said it
was a brief meeting because he
was actually on tour and was busy
taping episodes for his mini food
show "Midnight Snack".
Megan, on the other hand, was
on her way to work.
"I just asked her where should I
e a t . S h e d i d n' t k n o w ( a ny
restaurant) because she didn't eat
out a lot."
The two are constantly linked
to each other even before Megan
joined Miss World-Philippines. But
both camps denied the rumors.
"She's Miss World and people
have been trying to link me and her
together. We are not together. I'm
single and she's single... from what
I know."
Mikael shared he's good
friends with Megan and they still
communicate from time to time
even though the beauty queen now
resides in London.
As a testament of their
closeness, the actor confirmed that
he knew of Megan's accident in
Haiti even before it made headlines
in Manila.
"I knew about it already and I
know she's okay. We're good.
Nothing has changed over the past
Miss World 2013 Megan Young
years. We're still friends," he said.
He's also proud of what she has
achieved in the Miss World
competition.
"(I'm) very proud. Just as
proud as every Filipino out there
because she represented the
Philippines, our country," he
added.
When asked if he misses Megan
now that she's living abroad,
Mikael said he's focused with work
and very busy juggling three
shows.
"When it comes to being
sentimental, it's not in my
personality. I don't really think
about it. Truth to be told, I'm very
in love with my work. For someone
to have three shows right now all at
Model Mikael Daez
the same time, you should love
your work or you'll probably have a
mental breakdown."
Aside from "Midnight Snack,"
he's also part of gag show "Bubble
Gang" and the upcoming
primetime program "Adarna."
The actor is also excited with
the newest fantaserye as it's his
first time to do a program in this
kind of genre. He will work
opposite Kapuso actors Benjamin
Alves, Kylie Padilla and Geoff
Eigenmann.
"I'm excited because costume
pa lang and production value are
amazing. Nagulat talaga ako. We
have a great team who actually
knows what they are doing."
Shamcey, Lloyd to exchange
wedding vows in December
MANILA -- Shamcey Supsup is
still finalizing the details of her
upcoming December wedding to
non-showbiz boyfriend Lloyd Lee.
In a recent interview with the
former beauty queen, she said it
will be a simple celebration which
they are keen to share with close
friends, family and colleagues in
and out of the entertainment
industry.
The couple is set to exchange
vows in a church wedding on
December 29 followed by a
destination wedding in an
undisclosed location the week
after.
"The way we pick kung sino
ang invited is kung sino yung
palaging nakakasama namin. The
old friends that we have," she said.
"The date of our wedding is
between Christmas and New Year
and a lot of our guests will
celebrate with their family. It's
hard naman to tell them to cancel
their trip. So, until now we are
finalizing the list."
Shamcey initially thought it
would be a breeze planning two
weddings. But with all the details
and things that needs to be
considered, she realized it's not an
easy feat.
"I still have a lot of work pero
sinisingit singit ko din. I didn't
know that I'm going to be this
hands on sa wedding. Simple
wedding lang ay okay na sa akin,
sabi ko nga kahit 50 people lang
Shamcey Supsup
and akala ko dati na pwede na yan
or yung ganitong design," she said.
"Ngayon pati kulay ng font ng
invitation, gaano kalaki yung
pangalan sa paper, ganoon siya kadetalye at hindi ko akalain na sa
isang araw invitation card pa lang
ang pinag-uusapan namin."
T h e 2 7 - ye a r - o l d fo r m e r
beauty queen is set to walk down
the aisle in a Francis Libiran
creation. When asked to describe
her wedding gown, Shamcey
replied: "Think of my evening
gown in Miss Universe."
The couple also preferred
classic pieces and will use pastel
colors as motif of their wedding.
Meantime, Shamcey is hosting
lifestyle program "Interior
Motives." With her background in
architecture, the television
personality said it's a dream come
true for her to head this kind of
show.
"This is a once in a lifetime
opportunity and I'm so happy that
they picked me to do this. Talagang
nag-audition ako for this and I also
want to share what I learned from
school," she said.
She revealed that her fiancé,
Lloyd, was the one who
encouraged her to try her hands in
hosting a lifestyle program.
"Actually siya talaga ang nagpush sa akin to audition for this
because he knows this is what I
want. I'm a type of person who
sometimes get intimidated or
scared to try something new. Siya
yung nagbigay talaga ng support
sa akin," Shamcey said.
Shamcey said that nothing will
change, in terms of her showbiz
career, once she's already Mrs.
Lloyd Lee.
SPORTS
November 22-28, 2013
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Roach-Ariza feud
turns into a melee
By Roy Luarca
Seattle Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin
NFL player carries PH flag
to honor 'Yolanda' victims
MANILA -- Seattle Seahawks
receiver Doug Baldwin carried the
Philippine flag onto Century Link
Field on Sunday, Nov. 17 to honor
the victims of super typhoon
Yolanda.
According to the Seattle Times,
Baldwin has family members living
in the Philippines, including his
grandmother.
News reports added that
B a l d w i n' s r e l a t iv e s i n t h e
Philippines are okay but this didn't
stop him from showing his support
by carrying the country's flag onto
the field before Seattle's win over
the Minnesota Vikings.
The photo was posted by the
football team on its official Twitter
account.
“Please continue supporting
#Haiyan relief. @DougBaldwinJr
appreciates your generosity.
#PinoyPower,” the Seahawks said
in a tweet.
Netizens, however, noted that
the Philippine flag has the red bar
on top, which is used only during
times of war.
"This is dope but he held the
flag wrong side up! Red on top
means the country is at war,”
Twitter user Miguel Moldez posted
calling the attention of the
Seahawks and Baldwin.
“ We a re f i g h t i n g t h e
devastation of #Haiyan which has
been worse than many war-torn
re g i o n s o f t h e wo rl d ,” t h e
Seahawks replied back.
The Seahawks, one of the
favorites to win this season's Super
Bowl, chalked up their 10th win of
the National Football League
season on Sunday as it thrashed
the Vikings, turning a close game
into a rout with two fourth quarter
interceptions, including one
returned 29 yards for a
touchdown.
Two interceptions thrown by
Minnesota quarterback Christian
Ponder helped Seattle score 14
points in less than a minute, as the
Seahawks turned a close game
early in the fourth quarter into a
41-20 victory over the Vikings.
After linebacker Bobby
Wagner intercepted a Ponder pass
in Minnesota (2-8) territory,
Seattle's Marshawn Lynch scored
his third touchdown of the game to
give the Seahawks a 31-13 lead
with 13:14 remaining.
Forty-four seconds later,
S e a t t l e c o r n e r b a c k Wa l t e r
Thurmond III picked off Ponder
and returned it 29 yards for a score
as the Seahawks (10-1) wrapped
up their sixth victory in a row.
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL
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Page 28
MACAU -- The seething
animosity between Freddie
Roach and the camp of Brandon
Rios turned physical
Wednesday as conditioning
trainer Alex Ariza kicked Roach
following a verbal tussle at the
fighters' inconspicuous training
room at The Venetian Macao.
Actually, it was Roach and
opposing trainer Robert Garcia
who had an altercation with
regards to overlapping training
schedule, but Ariza butted in
and told Roach to get out.
Roach dared Ariza, whom he
sacked from the Manny
Pacquiao camp recently, to
throw him out even as he was
moving forward. That was when
Ariza kicked Roach on the chest.
The scuffle, which was
caught on video, also involved
Donald Leary, a member of
Team Rios who had to be
restrained by security
personnel from lunging at
Roachallegedly due to a racist
remark that he was a stupid
Mexican.
Ariza was also seen pushing
Leary toward Roach.
Apparently, Team Rios
exceeded the time (9 to 11 a.m.)
allotted them and Roach told
Garcia to vacate the area as
Pacquiao was arriving for
training.
Garcia refused, saying they
still had an interview with
ESPN. This irked Roach, who
cussed him.
Even as Roach's party, that
included conditioning coach
Gavin McMillan, was leaving, the
exchange of harsh words
continued with Garcia yelling
“F… you Roach. You don't run
this f…… Place.”
Garcia, the 2012 Trainer of
the Year, insisted that Roach
insulted him and that he'd never
disrespected the man.
Still fuming, Ariza, who
moved over to the Rios camp
after he got sacked, was
overhead challenging Roach to a
fight while pointing at the
makeshift ring.
Roach later told Manilabased sportswriters that he
didn't regret what he said and
that Ariza “kicked him like a
girl.”
“I don't like team (Team
Rios) anyway. They're bad
people.”
Roach harbors a grudge at
Garcia and Rios after a video
leaked out in 2010 in the
buildup to the PacquiaoAntonio Margarito showdown
that showed Garcia, Rios and
Margarito mocking the slurred
speech and shaky movements of
Roach, who has Parkinson's
disease.
That incident stuck in
Roach's mind, and he said the
Pacquiao-Rios welterweight
bout on Sunday is personal.
According to Roach, Team
Garcia baited him into the
incident. “They wanted an
altercation. They knew that it
was past their time,” said Roach,
noting that it was already 11:10
a.m. when he entered the room.
Renowned promoter Bob
Arum said the fracas, though it
generated excitement, was
unfortunate and bad for the
sport.
“The incident reinforces the
people's belief that there are
hooligans in boxing,” said Arum,
who said Garcia has agreed for
Ariza not to be involved in
prefight activities.
Additional security
personnel will also be deployed
during functions leading to the
bout. Inquirer.net
November 22-28, 2013
Page 29
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
8 relatives of Jason Day
'Rios will run
when he gets hit' die in typhoon 'Yolanda'
MACAU -- Manny Pacquiao
and Freddie Roach both think
that Brandon Rios will ultimately
s t o p c o m i n g fo r wa rd a n d
backpedal. They just don't know
when.
“Manny actually thinks he
(Rios) will run,” Roach told
Manila-based sportswriters. “I'll
say he'll run after the first punch
is landed.”
The revelation was a surprise
as Rios is noted for his relentless
come-forward style.
But even if Rios does that, it
will suit Pacquiao just fine.
“Manny likes people coming
in,” said Roach, who bared that
the Fighter of the Decade is right
on target and ready to fight on
Sunday. “He was really quick.”
“Manny is fine,” added Roach,
noting that Pacquiao tipped the
scales at 147.5 pounds Tuesday,
well within sight of the 147-lb
limit.
For a while, Roach was
worried that the scuffle involving
him and Alex Ariza will affect
Pacquiao.
But when Pacquiao jokingly
kicked him at the close of their
training session Wednesday,
Roach heaved a sigh of relief.
Pacquiao was at his element,
horsing around after their two-
hour regimen.
True enough, Pacquiao told a
foreign television crew that the
incident doesn't bother him.
“It's business as usual,” said
Pacquiao, whose pranks included
donning the mitts for sparring
partner Liam Vaughan, who was
training with Marvin Somodio,
doing basketball jumpshots and
jumping back into the ring after
skipping ropes.
He also deliberately ignored
Filipino trainer Buboy
Fernandez's call that the training
session was over.
Pacquiao said he bore no
rancor for Ariza's bolting over to
the Rios camp and was not about
to pass judgment on the incident.
He also dismissed the notion
that he's past his prime, based on
the result of his last two bouts
against Timothy Bradley, a
disputed split decision loss, and
Juan Manuel Marquez, who
knocked him out cold with a
second to go in the sixth round.
“My power is still there. My
speed is still there,” said
Pacquiao, who reiterated that
he's forgotten about the shocking
knockout.
“Past is past. I've already
moved on.” Inquirer.net
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 45 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 45 Crossword
Associated Press
MELBOURNE, Australia -Australian golfer Jason Day has
confirmed that eight of his
relatives died in Typhoon
“Yolanda” (international name:
Haiyan) in the Philippines,
including his grandmother.
“I am deeply saddened to
confirm that multiple members
of my family lost their lives as the
victims of Typhoon Haiyan,” Day,
who plans to play at this week's
World Cup, said in a statement
released Monday by the PGA
Tour. “My family and I are
thankful for all who have reached
out with their prayers and
concern.”
Day was attending a
corporate outing in Melbourne
on Monday and it was not clear
whether he would be at Royal
Melbourne, where the World Cup
tournament begins Thursday. He
and his Australia teammate
Adam Scott, who won the
Australian Masters on Sunday,
were scheduled to hold a news
conference on Wednesday, Nov.
20.
“We feel devastated for all
who have been affected by this
horrific tragedy,” Day added in
the statement. “While I
understand the media's interest
in this matter and hope that any
Australian golfer Jason Day comments to journalists at Royal Melbourne golf course
in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Nov. 18, 2013. Day has confirmed that eight of his
relatives died in Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, including his grandmother. AP
coverage can spread awareness
to assist with the relief efforts
that continue in the Philippines, I
hope that all will respect my
family's privacy during this
difficult time.
“I will have no further public
comments at this time. Please
pray for all who have suffered
loss. Thank you.”
Day's mother, Dening, had
earlier told Monday's edition of
the Gold Coast Bulletin that the
player's uncle and six cousins
also died in the typhoon, which
has killed nearly 4,000 people
and left more than a thousand
missing.
Day's mother, who migrated
from the Philippines to Australia
30 years ago, told the newspaper
“my daughter has been updating
him, but I don't want to bother
him because he has
commitments.”
She said many of her family
members lived in the area around
Tacloban, the capital of hardesthit Leyte province.
Day is playing at Royal
Melbourne as Australia's secondhighest ranked player at No. 20.
Scott is No. 2 and the Australian
pair is among the favorites for the
tournament which has team and
individual components.
Day is entered to play in the
Australian Open at Royal Sydney
next week. Inquirer.net
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November 22-28, 2013
Page 30
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
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within the Marketing
Department.
Training offered
$750 per week
For more detail, contact
Jenn @ 201-366-4441
Monday-Thursday
10am-1pm
This is a full time
position. Monday to
Friday (9am-6pm).
WHITE CATHOLIC MALE,
73 YEARS OLD, NEVER
MARRIED, FINANCIALLY
SECURE WOULD LIKE TO
MEET SINGLE FILIPINA
BETWEEN IN HER MIDFORTIES FOR MARRIAGE.
Please call
201-313-1008
ask for Ara
PLEASE RESPOND TO
FILIPINO EXPRESS
ATTN: ADS SECTION
PERSONALS
English speaking
necessary.
Seeking motivated individual
to work in busy medical office
in Bayside, Queens.
To view job description, application
information & requirements visit:
ENGLISH/TAGALOG
A MUST
Jewelry
manufacturing
company needs
a male employee
SEEKING
MEDICAL BILLER
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL
201-434-1114
Only $30 for 25 words (deadline is Wednesday noon)
Full Time Position
EXCELLENT SALARY
Please email resume to:
Gallardosystems@yahoo.com
The Filipino Express is only
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November 22-28, 2013
Page 31
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
November 22-28, 2013
Page 32
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS