The Filipino Express v29 Issue 02

Stories on Pages 4 and 5
VOL. 29 w
NO. 02 w
January 9-15, 2015 w
NATIONAL EDITION w
NEW JERSEY w
NEW YORK w
201-434-1114 w
$1.00
Securing Pope Francis a big challenge
By Cyntia D. Balana, Julie M. Aurelio
MANILA -- Security officials will provide air cover and
deploy snipers on rooftops in addition to nearly 40,000
troops from the police and the military to protect Pope
Francis during his visit from Jan. 15 to 19, officials said on
Tuesday.
“We are considering everything, his preferences, his
personality, the crowds which will reach millions. That will
serve as a challenge to us,” said Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor,
spokesman of the Philippine National Police.
Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado said the Philippine Air Force
(PAF) would provide round-the-clock air patrols to ensure
that all routes and venues are secured.
All PAF helicopters and available assets will be
deployed in Metro Manila and in Palo and Tacloban in
Leyte province where the Pope will say a Mass for victims
of last year's Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” said the Air Force
chief.
“So if you have air assets here, we'll make it all available
for the security. In the same way in Visayas, all air assets
deployed there will be made available for the security of
the Pope,” Delgado said.
Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., chief of staff of the
Armed Forces of the Philippines, said snipers would be
posted in strategic positions and high-rise buildings along
Roxas Boulevard to complement a security force of 6,000
LITTLE SWISS GUARDS. Twenty youngsters from the School of Our Lady of Lasalette in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan province, rehearse
to 7,000 troops and around 5,000 reservists that would
for the arrival of Pope Francis at the Manila Cathedral. Like the original Swiss Guards at the Vatican, they will perform guard duties for the
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Pope. Joan Bondoc
Next episode on Binay
US told: Explain surveillance in PH
'teleserye': Housing deals US Embassy says unmanned aircraft found in Quezon not drone but 'target’
By TJ Burgonio
MANILA -- Next episode in the
long-running corruption
investigation of Vice President
Jejomar Binay in the Senate: The
award of contracts to favored
developers in government mass
housing projects.
Government agencies
concerned are now investigating
the contract awards and the
irregularity will be scrutinized by
the Senate blue ribbon
subcommittee that is looking into
allegations of corruption against
Binay, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said
on Monday, Jan. 5.
“There are now anomalies
being uncovered in his present
By Cynthia Balana
position as chair of HUDCC
(Housing and Urban Development
LUCENA CITY -- A militant
Coordinating Council),” Trillanes
youth party-list group is
told reporters in a phone-patch
demanding an explanation from
interview.
the United States following the
Quoting government agencies,
discovery of a US military drone in
Trillanes said Binay awarded deals
Quezon province, saying it
to “favored contractors” with
indicated espionage activities by
existing arrangements with Pagthe US government on Philippine
Ibig Fund for the construction of
soil.
government housing projects.
In a statement, Rep. Terry
“What we know is that this is a
Ridon of Kabataan party-list, a
partnership,” he added. “In effect,
left-wing youth organization, said
they split the earnings.”
the US military was acting as if the
Trillanes, however, could not
Philippines was part of US
immediately cite figures, but he said
territory. He said it was not the
the irregularity involved Pag-Ibig
first time a US spy aircraft was PHILIPPINE soldiers guard what is believed to be a surveillance drone, but
funds.
discovered in the Philippines.
which the US government said is an aerial target, which was found in the
B i n ay ' s c a m p s c o f fe d a t
Ridon called on the US island town of Patnanungan in Quezon province on Jan. 4. Photo FROM
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u
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'Je Suis Charlie' message
goes viral after Paris attack
Associated Press
‘JE SUIS CHARLIE’ - A man lights a candle next to a poster reading “Je
suis Charlie” (I am Charlie) in front of the French Embassy in Berlin on
Jan. 7 to express solidarity with employees of the French satirical
weekly Charlie Hebdo that has been target of an attack by Islamic
gunmen. AFP
Messages of condolence, outrage
and defiance over the Paris terrorist
attack on a newspaper office spread
quickly around the world Wednesday,
Jan. 7, with thousands of people
taking to the streets to protest the
killings and using the slogan “Je Suis
Charlie” on social media. Many who
poured into Place de la Republique in
eastern Paris near the site of
Wednesday's noontime attack waved
papers, pencils and pens. Journalists
led the march but most in the crowd
weren't from the media world,
expressing solidarity and support of
freedom of speech.
Similar gatherings, including
some silent vigils, took place at
London's Trafalgar Square, in front of
the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, in
Madrid, Brussels, Nice and elsewhere.
“No matter what a journalist or
magazine has to say, even if it is not
what the majority of people think,
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Page 15
January 9-15, 2015
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
SC asked to stop 'Great Train Robbery’
By Jerome Aning
NO TO LIGHT RAIL FARE HIKE. Militant groups protest outside the Supreme Court as their representatives file a petition to
stop the government from raising the fares on the Light Rail Transit and the Metro Rail Transit. RAFFY LERMA
Grounds for TRO
The petitioning groups, led by
the militant Bagong Alyansang
Makabayan (Bayan), contended
that no public hearings were
conducted for the rate hike as
required by law and that only
“public consultations” were held in
February 2011 and December
2013 to inform the people about
the rate increase.
However, they said the public
consultations were mere public
forums where the public was
simply informed about the increase
in rates.
“The public was not even given
t h e o p p o r t u n i t y to f i l e i t s
OU
T
Former Rep. Augusto Syjuco
has filed a similar suit, claiming
that the rate hike was
unconstitutional and violative of
due process.
LD
The petitioners sought the
issuance of a temporary restraining
order, or a status quo ante order,
against the increase, and the
annulment of the Dec. 18, 2014,
order of the DOTC approving it.
Aside from Abaya and Chaneco,
the other respondents in the case
are MRT 3 officer in charge Renato
San Jose, the Metro Rail Transit
Corp. (MRTC) and the Light Rail
Manila Consortium.
No explanation
“There was even no attempt on
the part of the DOTC, LRTA and
MRTC to give an explanation of how
they arrived at the increase and the
factual and legal grounds, if any, for
such increase,” they said.
“It is irregular for DOTC to grant
these private concessionaires these
fare hikes, even without their
actually applying for a fare hike,
and even without a hearing where
they should have presented the
bases on why they deserve a fare
hike, and the extent of the fare hike
increases,” Syjuco said in his
separate suit.
The petitioners also said that
the transportation secretary and
the LRTA chief have no power to
approve the increase unilaterally.
“The secretary of the DOTC
simply does not have any conferred
authority and there is no available
procedure within the DOTC to
properly consider the propriety of
a fare rate increase for the
LRT/MRT,” they said.
As for the LRTA, they said the
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SO
M A N I L A - - A s t h ey h a d
threatened to do, militant groups
on Monday, Jan. 5, went to the
Supreme Court to petition the high
court to stop the new increased
fares at the Light Rail Transit (LRT)
and the Metro Rail Transit
(MRT)which they called the “Great
Train Robbery” that they claimed
was victimizing some 1.3 million
daily commuters.
“We come to this honorable
court to stop this continuing
injustice dead on its tracks, and to
protect the suffering commuters
from the continuing abuses of
government and untrammeled
greed of big business,” they said in a
p e t i t i o n fo r c e r t i o ra r i a n d
prohibition.
The petitioners accused
Transportation and
Communications Secretary Joseph
Emilio Abaya and Light Rail Transit
Authority officer in charge
Honorito Chaneco of committing
grave abuse of discretion in
approving the fare increase
without sufficient basis and in
violation of the law governing
public services.
The Department of
Transportation and
Communications (DOTC) began
implementing the new rates last
Sunday that are roughly double the
previous rates.
opposition to the rate increase,”
they said.
Those opposed to and applying
for the increase should have been
made to prove their claims first
before the government agencies
acted on the rate increase petition,
the petitioners said.
January 9-15, 2015
Page 3
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
World's journalists put pen
to paper in biting solidarity
Agence France-Presse
Associated Press
HELPINGHOUSE.CA PHOTO
PH now top source of
immigrants to Canada
DALY CITY, California -- The
Philippines last year surpassed
China and India as Canada's top
source country for new
immigrants.
According to the latest data
from the government,
approximately 30,000 Filipinos
became permanent residents last
year, while 47,000 visitor visas
were issued to Filipinos.
T h e re a re c u r re n t ly a n
estimated 650,000 Canadian
residents who originated from the
Philippines. Some experts would
argue that that figure is in fact
m u c h h i g h e r, r e p o r t e d
Immigration.ca.
There are many reasons that
Canada has become an attractive
PARIS -- Cartoonists and
writers from around the world
are reacting as they know best by putting pen to paper - in an
outpouring of anguished and
biting solidarity with those
gunned down at French weekly
Charlie Hebdo.
Among the cartoons that
went viral online was one by
Australia's David Pope: A picture
of a gunman with a smoking rifle
standing over a body, bearing the
caption “He drew first.”
“Ultimately people who carry
out these attacks can't defeat
ideas through these means and
they won't succeed,” Pope wrote,
adding that he had once met a
cartoonist involved in the
shooting and that the attack “hit
a nerve.”
“Our task is to keep doing
what we do… focus our satire on
those in power and those who
seek to wield power in ugly ways
like these gunmen and be part of
a movement that promotes social
solidarity, a free, open and
tolerant society,” Pope wrote.
destination for Filipino citizens
seeking opportunities. The labor
The words “I am Charlie” are spelled out with candles at a gathering in
solidarity with those killed in an attack at the Paris offices of the weekly
shortages, combined with the high
newspaper Charlie Hebdo on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2015, outside the French
quality of life are attracting record
Consulate in San Francisco. AP
numbers.
Filipinos bring much to the
table for Canadian employers as
drew a plane exploding in a
have pens.”
well. Most citizens are quite adept
fireball into the Eiffel Tower, its
at speaking English, one of the
pointy top redrawn as the nib of
South African cartoonist
biggest challenges faced by many
an ink pen.
Zapiro said he hoped the
newcomers to the country.
One of the most powerful
attack “doesn't have a further
They are also known for
drawings had no drawing.
chilling effect on satirists,
working hard and being adaptable
Christian Adams' cartoon for The
commentators and journalists;
to Canadian life. Many choose to
Daily Telegraph in London
any freethinkers in society.”
settle in smaller urban and rural
showed a completely blank space
“But I'm afraid that scenario
centers, as opposed to the majority
with the heading: “Extremist
is probably inevitable,” he said.
of newcomers who head to
approved cartoon.”
Like Charlie Hebdo, Zapiro,
Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver.
Another Telegraph cartoon
whose real name is Jonathan
No drawing
“[Filipinos] are committed to
showed one gunman saying to
Shapiro, has drawn
In India, cartoonist Manjul
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another: “Be careful, they might
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January 9-15, 2015
Page 4
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Jeepney popemobile drives to history
Pope Francis to tour Manila in custom-made jeepney
By Jason K. Ang
MANILA -- Pope Francis will be
riding the first jeepney converted
into a popemobile, the unofficial
designation for any motor vehicle
used by the leader of the Roman
Catholic Church, during his visit to
Manila.
When he does, the US military
war horse ingenious Filipinos
turned into a public transport
vehicle will drive into automotive
history.
The white popemobile is built
on a brand-new jeepney chassis,
converted to a secure platform to
give the faithful a good view of the
Pontiff. It is every inch a Philippine
jeepney, from the long bumper
with steel “bull bar” up front, to the
stainless steel strips adorning the
sides, to the checkered plate metal
step at the rear.
The papal coat of arms adorns
the hood, roof and sides and
includes the emblem of the Society
of Jesus, an eight-pointed star
symbolizing the Virgin Mary, and a
spikenard representing St. Joseph.
On each of the jeepney's flanks, is a
Although the sides of the
vehicle are open, cold air is blown
out of a pair of vents flanking the
papal seats. Electric fans, another
common jeepney feature, help cool
down the cabin. Mounted on the
left side of the passenger
compartment is a collection of
rosaries from the Vatican.
POPE FRANCIS' RIDE A new popemobile to be used by Pope Francis during his visit is a takeoff from the jeepney, a symbol
of Filipino ingenuity. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
glass cross, sculpted by renowned
artist Ramon Orlina.
Glass crosses by Orlina
“It was meant to be, or maybe it
was divine intervention,” said
Orlina of the glass crosses. The
s c u l p t u re s w e re o r i g i n a l ly
commissioned for a church, but a
bishop nixed the project. Then he
got a call from Edison Cham, CEO
ofECTK, a company that builds
armored vehicles. The glass
crosses fit perfectly on the
popemobile, an elegant touch that
still manages to evoke the
immense customization usually
done on jeepneys.
Entrance is of course at the
rear, with a folding rear step
covered in red carpet unfurling
down to the pavement. The
passenger compartment is an airy
three-seat space, with the papal
seat front and center. At the sides
are two auxiliary chairs for
Archbishops Luis Cardinal Tagle
and Socrates Villegas.
Each of the seats is equipped
with a seatbelt, lest the vehicle be
flagged down by diaper-wearing
traffic constables from the
Metropolitan Manila Development
Authority. Interior surfaces are
t r i m m e d i n w h i t e l e a t h e r,
including the side-grab bars and
the roof liner.
There's another concession to
comfort: air conditioning.
Swiss guard is driver
Driving the vehicle will be a
member of the Pope's traveling
entourage, presumably a Swiss
guard. He will have to be capable of
driving a stick shift, as the
popemobile uses a trusty diesel
engine, complete with authentic
rumble, mated to a five-speed
floor-mounted manual shift.
Pope Francis eschews luxury
cars, challenging priests to think
about the poor and needy when
they consider riding such vehicles.
As a cardinal and even as Pope, he
has been known to take public
transportation.
He will surely appreciate the
charms of this custom-made
jeepney, a popemobile that is truly
Filipino. Inquirer.net
For motorists, Pope bobbleheads Adobo and 'lechon'
for lunch in Palo
By Desiree Caluza
TUBA, Benguet -- How would
you like the company of Pope
Francis as you drive, that is, his
bobblehead image nodding at you
from the dashboard?
The idea of the Pope providing
a calming effect on the road came
to sculptor Peter Pinder as he
carved an image of Francis in
2013, before the Pope announced
his visit to the Philippines in
January.
Pinder's final products feature
the familiar image of Francis
waving to the crowd set in cold
bronze, in fiber glass and in plastic
- all covered by copyright he
acquired in October.
The image has movable parts,
its right hand waving and its head
bobbing up and down.
Touched by the humility and
sincerity of the Pope, Pinder said
he intended to express those
qualities of Francis in his
sculptures.
Admirer of Francis
He said he was not religious
but he admired the Pope.
“I really like the fellow, his
face, his smile. He looks like your
grandfather who is down-toearth,” Pinder said.
“He connects with people.
[Francis] really makes sense. He
and the Dalai Lama, they say wise
things. Francis could bring peace
to the world. He has no problem
going to Turkey to talk with
Islamic leaders,” he said.
Pinder described Francis as an
“emotional Pope.” He said he did
research for information about
Francis to be able to capture the
Pontiff 's movements, gestures
and expressions.
The resulting 17.8-centimeter
sculpture and mold is a detailed
By Joey Gabieta
CALMING EFFECT. Sculptor Peter Pinder produces bobblehead images of
Pope Francis, which he says have a calming effect on motorists.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
image of Francis from head to
waist.
Pinder spent hours replicating
the angle of the Pope's waving
hand, his glistening eyes, his chin,
aquiline nose and the spots on the
left side of his face.
“When the image nods, its
head nods to the [right side]. He is
an emotional Pope, so I would like
to relate that emotion to the
movement,” Pinder said.
Pinder is producing a limited
edition of the cold bronze version
of Francis' image and 50 of the
fiber glass version.
Wanted: Manufacturers
The artist said he was looking
for manufacturers to mass
produce the plastic version.
“The plastic image can be
affordable to any jeepney or taxi
driver. I hope to see drivers along
Roxas Boulevard or Baguio with
the image of Pope nodding at
them,” Pinder said.
Inspired by the bobblehead
cat that decorates many public
utility vehicles, Pinder thought to
himself, “What if I make [Francis]
do that? Stick [his image in front of
the car] and he blesses your trip.”
Pinder said he would have
wanted to make a sculpture of the
Pope that he would have titled,
“Pope Francis in Motion with
Emotion.”
He said a friend recently
visited the Vatican and met the
Pope. “I didn't believe him at first
but when I saw his picture shaking
hands with the Pope and laughing
with him, I thought I was just one
person away from him. I could
have given him one of my
sculptures. My friend gave him a
shawl from Baguio,” Pinder said.
Inquirer.net
the dioceses of Borongan and
Calbayog, and 15 from Palo have
PALO, Leyte -- When Pope been chosen as luncheon guests of
Francis sits down for lunch with the Pope on the third day of his fivetyphoon and earthquake survivors day visit to the Philippines.
in Leyte province on Jan. 17, he will
The lunch is scheduled at 12:45
be offered two of the Filipinos' p.m. on Jan. 17, right after the Pope
favorite dishes: adobo and lechon.
says Mass on the apron of the
Palo Archbishop John Du international airport in Tacloban.
disclosed the menu on Monday, The Mass will start at 10 a.m.
saying that following the Pope's
Aside from the 30 survivors,
preference for simple living, there also joining the lunch with Francis
would be no “fancy foods” at his are Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio
lunch with 30 survivors of Cardinal Tagle and Du. The dining
S u p e r t y p h o o n “ Y o l a n d a ” hall, located on the upper floor of
(international name: Haiyan) and the Archbishop's Palace, has a floor
the earthquake in Bohol province in area of around 50 square meters.
2013.
Interpreters will be around,
“There will be lechon, adobo among them Msgr. Rex Ramirez,
and vegetables, preferably v i c a r g e n e ra l o f t h e Pa l o
malunggay,”
Du said during a archdiocese and head of the
press conference held at the secretariat for the papal visit.
Archbishop's Palace in Palo town.
The Argentine Pope speaks
Du said the foods that would be mostly in Spanish and Italian and
served during the papal lunch were says Mass in Latin.
parts of Filipino culture that he
“I don't know Latin. Perhaps, we
wanted Pope Francis to taste.
could talk in Chinese,”
Du, partly
Chinese, jokingly said.
Volunteer caterers
Du said the spoons and forks
According to Du, three caterers that would be used by Francis and
from Palo have offered their his guests were “old” and
owned
services for free and they will cook by the archdiocese.
in the kitchen of the Archbishop's
Asked how long he expected the
Palace, which was damaged by papal luncheon to last, Du said: “It
Yolanda and not yet fully repaired.
will all depend. If the survivors will
Five survivors of the Oct. 15, be interactive with the Pope, I guess
2013, Bohol earthquake, five the meeting will last more than 30
survivors of Yolanda from each of minutes.” Inquirer.net
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January 9-15, 2015
Page 5
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Pope Francis leaves at the end of a New Year mass he celebrated in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican,
Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015. AP
Department of Public Works and Highways workers repair the Quirino Grandstand in time
for Pope Francis' Mass at the Luneta in Manila at 3:30 p.m. on Jan. 18. The altar at which
Pope Francis will say Mass at Rizal Park on Jan. 18 will not be decked with flowers but with
colorful plants that can be found in backyards in rural Philippines. INQUIRER PHOTO /
NINO JESUS ORBETA
Pope Francis: Around PH
without leaving Luneta altar
By Jocelyn R. Uy
MANILA -- The altar at which Pope
Francis will say Mass at Rizal Park on
Jan. 18 will not be decked with flowers
but with colorful plants that can be
found in backyards in rural Philippines.
It will also be replete with other
native elements symbolizing the
Philippines - from the marble top and
the white linen cloth of the altar table to
the papal chair.
“If we can't bring the Pope to go
around the Philippines, we will bring
the Philippines and its elements close to
the Pope,” said the designer of the altar,
Rev. Alex Bautista, who is also chair of
the Commission for the Cultural
Heritage of the Church in the Diocese of
Tarlac.
At a press briefing on Monday,
Bautista said the marble top of the
wooden altar table came from Romblon,
while the white linen cloth that would
cover it was spun from Bulacan's piña
fiber, an indigenous material used to
make the barong Tagalog.
The canopy will feature Bulacan's
arts and crafts, while the altar will be
adorned with San Francisco and Pandan
plants, which are “very common in rural
backyards,” Bautista said.
Symbols
“In the design consideration… the
concept is to serve the liturgical purpose
and to have Filipino character and
reflect the simplicity of the Vicar of
Christ,” said Bautista, who also designed
the papal chair.
Some of the design elements also
have their corresponding symbolism
relevant to the Filipinos, he said.
The San Francisco plant, for
instance, requires light to acquire its
colors, he said. “They need sun to have
color. It's like the faith of the people,
[which comes from] Christ, who is the
light of the world,” he said.
The altar table will also feature
anahaw patterns to symbolize the
strength of the Filipino people, he said.
“The Filipino context will be
incorporated in the design [of the altar],
including the landscaping.”
At the Mass, the culmination of Pope
Francis's five-day apostolic visit,
devotees will get the chance to hear the
Argentine Pontiff speak in Filipino when
he leads the faithful to recite the
Apostle's Creed, said Rev. Carmelo
Arada Jr. of the service committee on
liturgy.
The Mass will be in English,
following the new translation of the
third edition of the Roman Missal, while
the Profession of Faith, to be led by the
Pope, will be recited in the vernacular,
Arada said.
“The intercessions of the Prayer of
the Faithful are prayed using the
different Filipino languages Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, Ilokano,
Cebuano, Waray, Bikolano… and the
response will be in Tagalog,” he said.
Highlight
The Mass will be capped with the
lighting of candles and the singing of
“Tell the World of His Love” to mark the
20-year anniversary of World Youth Day
in the Philippines. “[T]he public is
requested to bring their own candles,”
Arada said.
Some 2,500 priests and 200 bishops
will attend the Mass.
Music will be provided by a 1,000member choir and 200-member
orchestra, said Rev. Rufino Sescon Jr.,
executive secretary of the steering
committee. “This is the grand activity
and we hope to hear and listen to the
message of Pope Francis,” he said.
Inquirer.net
Pope Francis to say Masses
in English in Philippine visit
By Tina G. Santos
MANILA -- Pope Francis
will celebrate Masses in
English during his five-day
visit to the Philippines.
Catholic Bishops
Conference of the Philippines
(CBCP) president LingayenDagupan Archbishop Socrates
Villegas said the Pope will use
English in his Masses in
Tacloban City on January 17,
and at the Rizal Park in Manila
on January 18.
“The Pope wants to reach
out to more people,” Villegas
said in a text message to
reporters.
“Latin is difficult for many
Filipinos, English is easier to
understand,” he added.
The original plan was for
the Pope to celebrate Masses
in Latin and have the public
respond in English. He will
also speak English when he
addresses Filipinos during his
visit.
“The Pope is the Pope of
surprises. He might make offthe-cuff comments in Italian
and Spanish,” Pasig Bishop
Mylo Hubert Vergara, chair of
the CBCP Commission on
Social Communications, said
in a previous press briefing.
The Argentinian Pope
speaks six languages - Spanish,
Italian, Latin, French, German
and English, which he spoke
during his recent visit to South
Korea.
The Pope, however, will
say his Mass at the Manila
Cathedral in Latin “because
the clergy and bishops are
supposed to understand
Latin,” Villegas explained.
The Mass at the Manila
Cathedral on January 16 will
be attended bishops, priests
and religious women and men.
The Pope is scheduled to
arrive in Manila on January 15
from Sri Lanka. He will fly to
Tacloban on January 17 to
meet with the survivors of
Super Typhoon “Yolanda”
(international name: Haiyan).
He will return to Rome on
January 19. Inquirer.net
January 9-15, 2015
Page 6
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
SC asked ...
From page 2
agency had no authority to
regulate the light rail transit
industry but only the privilege to
operate such a mode of
transportation, the exercise of
which was subject to review and
approval by the government.
Edre Olalia and Ephraim
Cortez, of the National Union of
Peoples' Lawyers who
represented the petitioners, said
the fare hike “will only condemn
the riding public, especially the
ordinary workers, most of them
low-income or minimum wage
earners and students, deeper into
misery, while fattening the pockets
of big private operators of the
railway systems.”
Signature campaign
The National Union of
Students of the Philippines (NUSP)
said it will launch a signature
campaign to disprove
Malacañang's claim that only a few
commuters are opposing the fare
hike.
The signature campaign will
be conducted in Metro Manila
schools, the NUSP said, as the
sector is one of those severely
affected by the LRT 1, LRT 2 and
MRT 3 fare increase.
“The Aquino administration is
wrong if it insists that there is little
opposition to the fare hikes. On the
contrary, students are very
enraged by the increase,” said
Charlotte Velasco, a spokesperson
for the League of Filipino Students.
“Mr. Aquino and his Cabinet
are seemingly taunting the student
movement by saying that only a
few oppose the fare hikes when in
fact, the majority of Metro Manila
students will suffer greatly
because of the new rates,” said
NUSP national president Sarah
Elago.
Students' rage
Elago said the signature
campaign will negate the
government's claim and “show our
students' rage against the fare
hike.”
“Burgeoning train fare costs
add to the already bloated
education cost. To put it simply, the
LRT/MRT fare hike aggravates the
education crisis in our country.
Why can't President Aquino and
Secretary Abaya see this?” she said.
Velasco said that higher train
fares meant students had to scrimp
to make sure that their allowance
would be enough for their
expenses, particularly food.
“The doubled train fares,
especially in LRT-1 and -2,
essentially means that these
students have to cut corners again
to make ends meet,” she said.
Many students, particularly
those studying in Manila's
university belt and in Quezon City
colleges and universities, depend
on the affordability of the mass rail
transport system, Velasco said.
The NUSP and the LFS warned
of further protest actions should
Malacañang continue to “play
blind, deaf and mute” to the public
outcry against the LRT and MRT
fare hike.
Nancy's complaint
Sen. Nancy Binay on Monday
claimed that had the DOTC not
surrendered P4.5 billion to the
administration's controversial
D i s b u r s e m e n t A c c e l e ra t i o n
Program (DAP), it would not have
needed to raise train fares.
The P4.5 billion was originally
allocated for the purchase of
additional trains for the MRT-3,
she said.
Citing government documents
on the DAP, Binay said the DOTC
surrendered P4.5 billion from its
budget to the Department of
Budget and Management for use in
the DAP, under which the Executive
Department pooled P237.7 billion
of so-called savings to fund
economic stimulus projects
beginning in 2011.
In July 2014, the Supreme
Court declared the DAP
unconstitutional, including a
circular allowing the release of
savings from the Executive
Department to agencies and
projects outside the national
budget approved by Congress, or
cross-border transfer of savings.
Binay said the DOTC move
betrayed its lack of concern for the
thousands who ride the MRT and
LRT every day.
“They sprang a surprise on us
while we were celebrating
Christmas and New Year,” she said.
'Heartless'
Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito
and Antonio Trillanes IV also
denounced the DOTC for its
“heartlessness.”
“There's no heart in imposing
an additional P1 increase when
passengers are being punished
with poor services, such as long
lines, nonfunctioning elevators
and escalators, and derailed
trains,” Ejercito said.
“The one who conceived the
idea should have had more
consideration for the commuters.
They could have subsidized that
because life is hard. How much is
that? It's not that big. I don't
understand it. Whoever thought of
it has no heart,” said Trillanes.
The petitioners included
Bayan and its affiliated groups,
former LRTA administrator
Melquiades Robles, journalist
Herman Tiu Laurel, Myrleon
P e r a l t a o f t h e A n t i - Tr a p o
Movement of the Philippines,
Social Security System employees
union president Amorsolo
Competente, National Center for
Commuter Safety and Protection
president Elvira Medina,
Federation of Free Workers
president Jose Matula, National
Labor Union president David Diwa,
University of the Philippines
professor Giovanni Tapang and
taxpayers-commuters Maria
Donna Miranda, Angelo Suarez and
James Bernard Relativo.
Inquirer.net
US told ... From page 1
government to explain the deployment
of US surveillance drones in the
Philippines.
But in a statement, the US Embassy
in Manila said the object was actually
not a drone but an unarmed aerial
target being used for military exercises
between the US military and its allies,
including the Philippines.
The embassy said the supposed
drone was an “expended” aerial target
that was launched during military
exercises, dubbed Valiant Shield, which
took place on Sept. 15-23 last year off
Guam.
The aerial target, according to the
embassy, does not carry weapons and is
not being used for surveillance.
T h e A r m e d Fo rc e s o f t h e
Philippines supported the embassy
statement, saying the drone, with serial
No. BQ55079, is a Northrop BQM-74E
Chukar that is used to simulate enemy
missiles and aircraft during naval
exercises.
It said the Chukar was washed up on
Philippine shores by the ocean's
currents and tides.
“We would like to assure the public
that this type of drone is not a
surveillance equipment contrary to the
claims of some quarters,” the AFP said.
It said no bilateral military
exercises between the Philippines and
the United States that employed this
type of training equipment had been
scheduled.
“Foreign military operations in our
seas and skies, even in the guise of
support, should be condemned rather
than tolerated,” Ridon said.
On Sunday, Jan. 4, the object
believed to be a US Navy drone was
found in the island town of
Patnanungan in Quezon.
It was the second time the object
was found.
On Jan. 6, 2013, a similar object was
also recovered in waters off Ticao Island
PH now top
source of
immigrants...
From page 3
being citizens, to being
volunteers, to being public
minded,” says Immigration
M i n i s te r C h r i s A l exa n d e r.
“People like them because they
take up challenges beyond just
working and finding a place to
live.”
Employers in Canada have
increasingly been importing
temporary workers from the
Philippines for years now, and
many of those workers are able
to apply for permanent residency
within two years of arriving in
Canada.
Despite recent controversy
over temporary foreign workers,
Minister Alexander says that his
government is committed to
helping employers find the labor
t hey so desp era tely n eed
particularly in the booming
Prairie provinces.
The government has been
working to improve the
temporary program so that
worker's rights are ensured and
those who are most needed are
able to come and build a life for
themselves and their families in
Canada. Inquirer.net
in Masbate province. The US Embassy
in Manila, in a statement on the
Masbate case, has said the drone
recovered off Masbate was actually
fired during live exercises in Guam and
was only washed ashore in the
Philippines.
Senior Supt. Ronaldo Genaro
Ylagan, Quezon police chief, said police
were waiting for instructions from
higher Philippine National Police
officials on what to do with the drone,
which is still in the custody of the police
force in the town where it was found.
Ridon said the Department of
Foreign Affairs had already confirmed
that US Navy surveillance planes were
conducting routine maritime patrol
missions in contested areas off the
West Philippine Sea.
He said the US military could be
exploiting the growing tensions in the
disputed area to deploy spy planes and
warships in Philippine territory.
Ridon said the US military might be
surveying the area to assess the value
of its oil and mineral reserves that
would be of interest to them as the
United States was known for its
“aggressive pursuit of economic and
political supremacy in the Asia-Pacific
in recent years.”
He said the discovery of the spy
aircraft also revived the issue on US
espionage activities, through the
National Security Agency's Mystic
program. The program, Ridon said, was
designed for surveillance operations in
the Philippines, Mexico, Kenya and the
Bahamas.
Mystic is among the espionage
programs exposed by whistle-blower
Edward Snowden last year, according
to Ridon.
Ridon has filed House Resolution
No. 1164, urging the House committee
on foreign affairs and the House
committee on information and
communications technology to
investigate the coverage of Mystic in
the Philippines. Inquirer.net
January 9-15, 2015
Page 7
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
World’s
journalists ...
From page 3
condemnation for daring to
draw cartoons poking fun at
the Prophet Mohammad.
INQUIRER.net photo
US: Flu season worsens,
could peak this month
NEW YORK -- Health officials say the flu is rampant in most of the country
and could peak soon.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday, January 5,
reported flu was widespread in 43 states and flu activity was intense in most
of them. A CDC expert said those trends are expected to continue.
Flu season started early this winter, as it has the last two years. This
season seems similar to two years ago, when the flu peaked by early January.
But the flu is hard to predict, and it has yet to rev up in heavily populated
states like New York and California.
The CDC report issued Monday covers the week of Christmas.
Next episode ...
From page 1
Trillanes' claim of corruption in
HUDCC and Pag-Ibig Fund, saying
that reforms introduced by the Vice
President had prevented a repeat of
housing scams, such as the P6-billion
Globe Asiatique mess of 2011 for
which the real-estate developer's
president, Delfin Lee, is now in jail
facing charges of syndicated fraud.
Joey Salgado, Binay's spokesman,
said Pag-Ibig Fund “services have
improved, benefits have been
expanded, and the fund [has grown]
under the leadership of the Vice
President.”
Salgado criticized Trillanes for
resorting to character assassination.
Tough to dislodge
“Since he has admitted casting a
moist eye on the presidency, Trillanes
should show what he has done . . . to
help [the] people and explain where
and how he spent his millions in
[Priority Development Assistance
Fund] and [Disbursement
Acceleration Program] funds,”
Salgado said.
Binay is proving tough to
dislodge from the lead in voter
preference for president in 2016.
Early polls show him still leading
other potential presidential
candidates despite the the Makati
scandal.
Trillanes said President Aquino
was aware of the investigation by
government agencies of the housing
contract awards.
While the new hit on Binay is not
covered by the resolution he filed
seeking an inquiry into allegations of
corruption against Binay when the
Vice President was mayor of Makati
City, Trillanes said he expected the
blue ribbon subcommittee to take it
up.
“I will not include it on the
agenda, but I can't preclude that the
issues would branch out and lead to
that,” he said.
Trillanes said he had been given
documents on other irregularities.
The subcommittee would tackle
those allegations, he said.
“It's a new angle in corruption
that you won't expect somebody to
commit, but the Vice President did it
just the same. For him, everyone is
'Editorial foolishness'
The Financial Times was
one of the few to criticize
Charlie Hebdo and faced a
backlash after publishing an
opinion piece by its European
editor that called the weekly
“stupid” and “foolish.”
In an online article, Tony
Barber condemned the attack,
but accused the satirical
weekly of “editorial
foolishness” and said that it
had “just been stupid” to
provoke Muslims with its
Mohammad cartoons.
“Some common sense
would be useful at publications
such as Charlie Hebdo, and
Denmark's Jyllands-Posten,
which purport to strike a blow
for freedom when they
provoke Muslims,” he wrote.
Flemming Rose, the Danish
editor at Jyllands-Posten who
triggered global protests in
2005 by publishing cartoons of
Mohammad, said that Charlie
Hebdo was defending press
freedom.
Highest price paid
Next episode in the long-running
corruption investigation of Vice
President Jejomar Binay in the
Senate: The award of contracts to
favored developers in government
mass housing projects.
INQUIRER.net/Cathy Miranda
fair game,” he said. The blue ribbon
subcommittee headed by Sen.
Aquilino Pimentel III will resume its
inquiry into alleged corruption in
Makati on Jan. 22, with a hearing on
overpricing in the construction of the
P700-million Makati Science High
School.
March wrap-up
Trillanes said he was amenable to
wrapping up the inquiry in March,
but argued that the subcommittee
should be flexible and extend it if
more “explosive issues” cropped up.
“If issues crop up, we can't turn
our back on these. Might as well give
an allowance. For as long as there is
information that needs to be
investigated, then let's continue the
hearing,” he said.
Pimentel said earlier that if he
could convince Trillanes to limit the
scope of the investigation, the
subcommittee could wrap up the
inquiry by March.
In his resolution, Trillanes sought
an inquiry into the construction of
the P2.28-billion Makati City Hall
Building II, the main City Hall, and
other alleged irregularities in Makati.
“Maybe we could limit the alleged
other anomalies. The subcommittee
can't act as if it will audit all the
transactions of Makati. We can't do all
of that. We have a lot of things to do,”
Pimentel said.
He said that after wrapping up
the Makati Science High School
inquiry, he would ask Trillanes if he
wanted to proceed with the main City
Hall investigation. Inquirer.net
“Charlie Hebdo didn't shut
up… and they have now paid
the highest price for that,” Rose
said.
Among the news outlets
choosing to show their
solidarity by running Charlie
Hebdo cartoons was Spanish
monthly Mongolia.
“ To d a y w e a r e a l l
#CharlieHebdo and we back
f re e d o m o f ex p re s s i o n ,”
Mongolia's editor, Gonzalo
Boye, said.
The Instagram account
attributed to mysterious
British graffiti artist Banksy
bore a cartoon of a pencil under
the word “yesterday,” the same
pencil snapped in two under
“today,” and a third with the
stub of the pencil, once again
sharpened, under the line
“tomorrow.”
It bore the simple caption
“RIP.”
#JeSuisCharlie
Many editorial pages were
similarly outraged by the
attack, insisting that the
killings should not undermine
press freedom.
France's media erupted in
fury, with the daily Liberation
running the headline “We are
all Charlie” - a line repeated in
many other papers and echoed
online with the hashtag
#JeSuisCharlie.
Le Parisien went with
“They will not kill liberty”
while Les Echos called for
people to face up to
“barbarism,” publishing the
last cartoon written by one of
those killed in the attack.
“The hooded bastards
declared war on France, on our
democracy, on our values,” the
paper said in an editorial.
The attack “targeted the
heart of democracy - the
freedom of the press,” wrote
German daily Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung, adding in
an opinion piece that the
gunmen must not be allowed to
win.
“We cannot allow men with
Kalashnikovs and rocketpropelled grenades to
determine what we should say,
write, draw and even think,” it
said. That “would spell the end
of the free and open society.”
Britain's press called for a
measured response, fearing
the rise of Islamophobia and
the far right.
Both the Daily Mail and the
Daily Telegraph ran with the
front-page headline “The War
o n Fre e d o m” wh i l e T h e
Guardian leapt to the defense
of Charlie Hebdo, saying there
was something “distinctly
French about the form of
offensiveness” it reveled in.
Inquirer.net
January 9-15, 2015
Page 8
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Asians must be screened for diabetes
at lower fat levels - experts
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia -- Americans - the nation's fastest standards, following a 2011 State
Ev i d e n c e t h a t m a ny A s i a n growing ethnic group develop o f t h e S c i e n c e S c i e n t i f i c
Americans develop the diabetes at diabetes at lower BMI levels Symposium on Diabetes in Hawaii.
lower Body Mass Index (BMI) because of differences in their
“Research has shown that BMI
levels than the general population, body composition: weight gain may not be the best marker in this
t h e A m e r i c a n D i a b e t e s tends to accumulate around the population. This paper is a
Association is lowering the BMI waist in Asian Americans, the area significant step in the right
cut point at which it recommends in which adiposity is considered direction of widely recognizing the
screening Asian Americans for most harmful from a disease diabetes disparity that exists in
type 2 diabetes.
standpoint, rather than in the o u r p o p u l a t i o n s a n d
This new guideline is aligned thighs and other parts of the body.
communities,” said Ho Luong Tran,
In this Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 file photo, an overweight person
with the position statement
“Clinicians have known this M.D., president of the National
eats at a bench in London. AP
published in the January issue of intuitively for quite some time,” Council of Asian Pacific Islander
Diabetes Care.
said William C. Hsu, M.D., vice Physicians, and lead coordinator
“The position statement p r e s i d e n t , I n t e r n a t i o n a l of the AANHPI Diabetes Coalition.
highlights, for the first time, the Programs, Joslin Diabetes Center
“The next steps are to increase
physiologic differences seen and assistant professor, Harvard the amount of clinical research and
between Asian Americans and Medical School, who was lead data on this diverse population,
other populations affected by author of the position paper.
while simultaneously pushing for
diabetes,”
said
Jane
Chiang,
ADA's
“They
can
see
that
Asian
policy
change that will positively
Agence France-Presse
gain weight as it is to get them to
senior vice president for Medical Americans are being diagnosed impact health outcomes,” Tran
lose weight,” said chief author
A f f a i r s a n d C o m m u n i t y with diabetes when they do not a dde d. T h e A DA' s p o si t i o n
MIAMI, United States – US E l i s a F a b b r i n i , a s s i s t a n t
Information.
appear to be overweight or obese statement does not redefine
scientists encouraged 20 obese professor of medicine.
“A s i a n A m e r i c a n s a re a according to general standards. overweight or obesity for Asian
people to eat extra fast food for
Those not suffering from
heterogeneous group and have But if you use the previous Americans, only the BMI cut point
several months, and found that ailments typically associated
h i s t o r i c a l l y
b e e n Association standard for diabetes for screening for type 2 diabetes.
about a quarter stayed in good with obesity at the outset of the
underrepresented in studies, so it screening of being age 45 or older
“What this does is to help us, as
health despite the additional study - such as insulin resistance,
is important to keep in mind that with a BMI of 25 kg/m2 or above, a society, identify those who are at
pounds they gained.
high cholesterol, high blood
this is just the beginning. Clearly, yo u w i l l m i s s m a ny A s i a n risk for type 2 diabetes who might
The study in the January 2 pressure and excess liver fat - did
we need more research to better Americans who are at risk,” Hsu otherwise not have been identified
edition of the Journal of Clinical not have these problems even
understand why these distinctions explained.
because of their lack of appearance
Investigation was led by a team of after adding about 15 pounds
exist,” Chiang added.
The Asian Americans Native of obesity,” said Hsu, adding that
s c i e n t i s t s a t Wa s h i n g t o n (seven kilograms) to their
For members of the general Hawaiian and Pacific Islander the growing prevalence of diabetes
University School of Medicine in already overweight frames, said
population,
the ADA recommends (AANHPI) Diabetes Coalition and its economic impact in the
St Louis, Missouri.
the findings.
testing for diabetes when BMI began drawing attention to the United States heighten the need
Subjects were encouraged to
The results mirror what
reaches 25 kg/m2 or higher. Based need for changes in clinical for early detection and prevention.
eat 1,000 extra calories per day, scientists have seen in the general
on an exhaustive review of the management guidelines for Asian
For a copy of the Association's
mainly by frequenting fast food population, which is that about a
literature, for Asian Americans, it Americans, who experience twice position statement, or to obtain a
restaurants with the goal of quarter of obese people do not
is now recommending that the prevalence of type 2 diabetes copy, visit http://dx.doi.org/
adding six percent of their body appear to suffer from metabolic
screening be done at 23 kg/m2 or than Caucasian Americans despite 10.2337/dc14-2391. Inquirer.net
weight.
complications that can lead to
higher.
having lower rates of obesity
“This was not easy to do. It is heart attack, diabetes and stroke.
It
is
believed
that
Asian
under
current federal BMI
just as difficult to get people to
u
Page 14
Not all obese people prone
to poor health study
Why many Filipino seniors in the US fear hospice care
By Vivian Zalvidea Araullo
SAN FRANCISCO, California -It's a sharp contrast from early last
spring, after the seniors had
attended a seminar on end-of-life
issues in wheelchairs, walkers and
canes. This time older Filipino
i m m i g ra n t d re s s e d i n t h e i r
Christmas best stream in, ready to
party with their friends, the
regulars at the Thursday morning
senior program at West Bay Pilipino
Multi Service Center.
Assistive devices now deposited
by the door, the festivities begin, as
always, with prayer. Laughter
accompanies noodles, egg rolls,
cake and coffee, consumed between
Filipino Christmas songs, dancing
and a gift exchange.
Seniors become somber
Conversation, though, become
somber, centered around death and
dying.
One of the West Bay Pilipino
regulars, Aida Tolop, a care provider
in her forties, shares with the group
her traumatic experience with a
past, now-deceased care recipient.
The man was transferred to
hospice care, just a day after she
rushed him to hospital for a urinary
tract infection. Being in hospice
“was like he was being killed little by
little,” she says, with unmasked
horror on her face.
When she visited her ward the
next day, Tolop says she was
shocked to see that her care
recipient was taken off his oxygen
tank and was being administered
morphine to alleviate pain. The
infection had developed into sepsis,
hospice care providers told Tolop.
She says they told her they
administered the pain medication
“because he was old anyway, and
that the infection had spread to his
bloodstream.”
B u t t h e p a t i e n t ' s f a m i ly
members, who were coming in from
other states, were never consulted,
Tolop says. “I didn't know if he really
had lost all chances of surviving.” By
the time the man's relatives arrived,
the patient was unconscious and
could no longer communicate.
“I wish they had waited for his
family to arrive, because he might
have previously conveyed his
wishes to them. For me, it seemed
like the process was rushed,” Tolop
says. “It was like they were using
pain relief just as a reason, but
really, it looked like he was just
being slowly put to death with
morphine.”
The family reacted with sad
resignation, she recalls, saying the
doctors were the experts. Tears flow
d o w n To l o p ' s f a c e a s s h e
remembers the moment her care
recipient finally died.
Confusion on Catholic teachings
Tolop's story sparks a shouting
Caregiver Aida Tolop, left with her care recipient, retired dentist Maria
Comoda. PHOTO BY JUN NUCUM
match. Another elderly woman, a
staunch Catholic, stands up and
chimes in, warning the others to
never go into hospice care, or to
receive palliative care, insisting
these are mere pretexts to assisted
suicide.
Citing Catholic beliefs, she
points out that it is a mortal sin to
w i l l f u l ly e n d l i fe , a n d t h a t
unrepentant mortal sinners are
doomed to eternal damnation. In
response, a World War II veteran
scolds Tolop and the woman for
bombarding their colleagues with
fear and guilt. Yet the Catholic
senior's statements illustrate some
of the most common, but
understandable, confusion over
end-of-life issues and terminology,
even in the general population.
Catholic experts in the field of
palliative care succinctly draw the
distinction between palliative care
and assisted suicide or euthanasia
(so-called mercy killing) through
the slogan: “Kill the pain. Not the
patient.”
Palliative care “kills the pain”
and seeks to show compassion to
those who may or may not be
terminally ill by providing pain
alleviation, without hastening or
bringing about death.
Patients can receive it to ease
pain and provide comfort at any
time, at any stage of illness, whether
it be terminal or not. And it can be
administered at home, according to
the National Caregivers Library.
Hospice care is generally
provided to patients considered to
be terminal or within six months of
death.
But perhaps the deeper
confusion resides in the
superstition-riddled and often nondoctrinal, traditional Filipino
Catholic morality that appears to
conflate suffering and pain with
holiness. The Philippines, the third
largest Catholic country in the
world, is deeply conservative.
It's in this narrow context that a
number of Filipino Catholics might
view end-of-life issues: It is God's
decision, not man's, to end life.
Suffering through pain is equated
with Jesus-like martyrdom as
atonement for sin, best exemplified
by Filipino Catholic penitents'
extreme custom of bloody selfflagellation and crucifixion, literal
reenactments of the biblical Christ's
own end-of-life story.
Not always God's will
But pain and suffering do not
u
Page 14
January 9-15, 2015
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
High Five for “Seven Fingers”!
Assembly Member Bonta Wants a
Fil Am Labor Leader Day in California
By Joseph G. Lariosa, Marlon L.
Pecson
Tasawan Kovitprakornkul
ALAMEDA CITY, California
(JGL) -- Rob Bonta was not even
born yet in Quezon City a year
before martial law was
proclaimed in the Philippines
but he would hear a lot of Larry
Dulay Itliong also known as
“Seven Fingers” for leading a
SFP Officer Edgar Parker. Gary De Guzman/Manila Mail
non-violent 1965 Great Delano
Grape Strike and Boycott that
transformed the labor
movement in California.
Bonta, the first Filipino
American ever to be elected to
the California Assembly, told the
Journal GlobaLinks he wants
F i l i p i n o A m e r i c a n s a n d Helping hand for Haiyan victims. California Assembly Member Ron Bonta is
mainstream Californians to shown helping during the rehabilitation of the victims of super typhoon
Yolanda (Haiyan) in this photo. (JGL Photo courtesy of Mr. Ron Bonta)
learn the sacrifices and
to achieve, to be a good officer.”
challenges that Itliong, a native
Though the recruits went home
of San Nicolas, Pangasinan in the T h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l
every night during their eightPhilippines, and other Filipino L o n g s h o r e m a n ' s a n d
month training, Kovitprakornkul
American
pioneers faced before Warehouse Workers Union). He
felt like they lived in the academy.
labor workers got the wage lost three fingers in an accident
“The hours are from 8 a.m. to 5
increase, medical plan, day care in an Alaskan cannery, which
p.m. but we do get there sometimes
center and a school workers now earned him the nickname,
two hours early and a lot of times,
enjoy.
"Seven Fingers."
we leave two to three hours late so
As one of his first official bills
Larry Itliong Day is already
there's not much time sleeping,”
following his first re-election as being observed in Carson City,
she said.
A l a m e d a C o u n t y ' s s t a t e California on October 25th, his
“For eight months, you're pretty
representative (District 18) last birthday, since in 2010. On the
much sleeping, eating and
Nov. 4, Bonta, 42, had introduced same year, Los Angeles adopted
breathing academy but as long as
last Dec. 1 bill No. AB-7, which a resolution honoring the
this is what you really want to do
m a n d a t e s t h e C a l i f o r n i a Delano farmers as a group.
and you have a passion for it, it'd be
governor to proclaim “Larry Bonta's bill will make Itliong Day
Photo of Larry D. Itliong. (Wikipedia)
fun. It was a lot of fun for me,” she
Itliong Special Day” on his 102nd a statewide celebration.
added.
Starting this year, the
birthday on Oct. 25, 2015 and
e ve r y ye a r t h e re a f t e r t o Alvarado Middle School in Union Dolores Huerta. NFWA was later
Joining the force for her means
celebrate the legacy Itliong and City, California will be renamed called the United Farm Workers
breaking a “boring day or not
other Filipino American labor after Itliong and another Filipino (UFW), which merged with
letting it go stale,” having been
leaders left behind following American labor leader, Pete Vera Itliong's Agricultural Workers
inspired by her mother's
The 1965 Great Delano Grape Cruz, provided supporting Organizing Committee (AWOC).
hardworking ethic.
community organizations would
T h e U . S . - b o r n ( Yu m a ,
Strike and Boycott.
As a farmworker Itliong come up with $15,000 for A r i z o n a ) C e s a r C h a v e z ' s
Right choice
worked in Alaska, where he administrative cost for the name birthday, March 31, is a state
“I wanted to do something
o r g a n i z e d c a n n e r y a n d change and additional cost of holiday in California, Colorado,
where I was moving, I was active
a g r i c u l t u r a l u n i o n s , i n $26,000 for uniforms for AMS- and Texas.
and I thought that law enforcement
Washington, and up and down branded uniforms and teaching
w o u l d b e a f i t f o r m e ,”
California; he also worked in materials. This came after Pride of the Fil Ams
Kovitprakornkul said. “When I
“This bill will urge inclusion
Montana and South Dakota. Watsonville, California named
started learning more about the
While living in Alaska, he helped its middle school after Cesar into the California public school
law and about law enforcement and
found the Alaska Cannery C h a v e z , f o u n d e r o f t h e education about Itliong and
the history of it, I realized that it
Workers Union (which later C o m m u n i t y S e r v i c e other Filipino American labor
was definitely the right choice for
became Local 7 of the United Organization and co-founder of leaders Philip Vera-Cruz, Pete
me.
Cannery and Packing and Allied the National Farm Workers Velasco and Andy Imutan as
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Page 30
Workers Union, then Local 7 of Associa t ion (NFWA) w it h
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Page 14
Fil-Am jiu-jitsu world champ,
athletic coach among
San Francisco’s new cops
By Elton Lugay
SAN FRANCISCO, California -Standing at 5 feet 2 inches, Tasawan
Kovitprakornkul packs a punch
despite her petite frame. A jiu-jitsu
world champion and personal
trainer, the 25-year-old, Thailandborn Filipino American is also an
officer of the San Francisco Police
Department.
Kovitprakornkul and Edgar
Parker III, also a Fil-Am, are two of
the 45 brave men and women who
recently graduated from the San
Francisco Police Academy. The
ceremony was on January 2 at the
Scottish Rite Masonic Center on
19th Avenue.
San Francisco is home to 2,209
sworn officers, according to Officer
Albie Esparza, public information
officer at the SFPD.
Exacting training
“The training [in Presidio] was
no other experience that I've ever
been through or [I don't think] any
other type of company can simulate
t h i s t y p e o f t r a i n i n g ,”
Kovitprakornkul told Manila Mail
in an interview right after their
commencement ceremony. “It took
a lot of dedication and a lot of
perseverance, and you really had to
have the will to want this - the will
vgslaw@gmail.com
January 9-15, 2015
Page 10
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Busy year ahead
It will be a very hectic year on the economic front for the
Philippines this 2015. Hopefully the focus will be on
opportunities. Of course, like in the past, they'd be mixed with
challenges. And some of them, having been manifest for some
time, would be a shame to lose. Let us cite a few:
In infrastructure, prospects remain promising for the Aquino
administration's flagship public-private partnership (PPP)
program. This, despite the fact that after more than two-thirds
into President Aquino's term, the PPP's record has not been
impressive with only eight of more than 50 infrastructure projects
awarded.
The government has promised to do more this year and the
next. The private sector is excited about the big-ticket items set for
rollout this year. These include the P123-billion Laguna
Lakeshore Expressway Dike, which has drawn interest from the
country's biggest business groups, including first-time PPP
investors such as tycoons George Ty and Andrew Tan.
At the Department of Transportation and Communications,
everybody is looking to do the next airport PPP deal. The contract
bundles major provincial airport projects, valued at P116 billion,
for turnover to the private sector of the maintenance and
operations of the airports in Bacolod-Silay, Davao, Iloilo,
Laguindingan, New Bohol (Panglao) and Puerto Princesaall
gateways to major tourism and business destinations across the
country.
Given the right push, the PPP program is seen as a vital factor
in sustaining the country's economic growth rate.
In November, the country is hosting this year's Apec (AsiaPacific Economic Cooperation) leaders' summitnearly two
decades since it played host to this regional conference in 1996.
The Philippine economy has come a long way since, and the
administration hopes to display its “remarkable turnaround” in
recent years as the country holds the various Apec meetings
months leading to the summit. Said to be the country's biggest
event of the year, the gathering could indeed be a window of
opportunity for the Aquino administration to showcase its
achievements.
And then, there is the integration of the economies of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Established in
1967 in Bangkok by the five founding members (Indonesia,
Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand), the regional
grouping aims to create a single market and production base
where there is free flow of goods, services, investment, capital and
labor. Under the Asean integration plan, tariffs on most goods
from member-countries will be lowered to zero or near-zero,
financial systems will have the same standards, and employment
restrictions will be eased so that Southeast Asians will be free to
find jobs in any country within the region. Whether all Philippine
industries are prepared for the integration is more of a challenge
than a question that government must address.
There, too, is the expected power shortage in summer. The
government is still soliciting private sector participation in the
effort to augment power supply starting March this year, although
recent indications are that the shortage would not be as severe as
initially expected.
True, the economy is expected to benefit this year from falling
crude oil prices, particularly in terms of lower power and
transportation costs. Some analysts, though, warn about a
Deportations
Dropped in 2014
A consolidated enforcement
statistics released by the
Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) shows that for the fiscal year
2014, DHS returned and removed
from the country a total of 577,295
undocumented immigrants. The
number of deportations reported
at 414,651 was down by 23,940 or
5 percent from the 438,421
deportations in 2013. 162,814
inadmissible aliens voluntarily
returned to their country of origin
or withdrew their application for
admission.
The report also shows that the
U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE), the largest
investigative arm of the DHS, made
a total of 315,943 removals and
returns. Apprehensions made by
the U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP), the agency in
charge of protecting the borders,
totaled 486,651, most of which
were along the southwest border.
The consolidated statistics
from the DHS Office of Immigration
Statistics, ICE, and CBP was
reported and released together for
the first time in line with DHS
Secretary Jeh Johnson's effort to
p ro m o t e t ra n s p a re n c y a n d
improve the agency's manner in
collecting and reporting statistics.
Impacting enforcement
operations was the surge of Central
American families and
unaccompanied children illegally
crossing the border. According to
the report, the Border Patrol
apprehensions of individuals
coming from Mexico dropped 14
percent while there was a 68
percent increase of individuals
coming from other countries who
were caught at the border, a vast
majority of those coming from El
S a l v a d o r, G u a t e m a l a a n d
Honduras.
Deportation of individuals
coming from other countries
require more time and resources
compared to Mexican nationals.
They would need to be housed
while they are being processed for
removal and would need air
transportation to return them to
their home countries.
The report also reveals that of
the 315,943 individuals removed
and returned by ICE, 213,719 were
apprehended while attempting to
illegally enter the U.S. and 102,224
were apprehended inside the
country. Eighty-five percent of the
interior removals and returns
involved aliens convicted of
crimes.
The number was significantly
up from the number of criminals
removed in fiscal year 2011 which
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Page 12
Opinion The Black Nazarene, the
u
Page 12
Pope, and the crowd
By Randy David
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Joseph G. Lariosa
Correspondent: Grace G. Baldisseri
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do
not reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the publisher.
Email: filexpress@aol.com
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
2711 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07306
The Catholic Church has had
such a long history of dealing with
spontaneous crowds that one
c a n n o t t h i n k o f a ny o t h e r
institution on earth that has had
more experience and success in
taming the explosive discharge
associated with crowds. It is part of
its heritage. In welcoming and
making room for everyone,
Catholicism has had to continually
confront its primal challenge: how
to manage the crowd.
Its methods, honed through
the centuries, offer lessons that we
may well keep in mind as we brace
ourselves for two events in January
that will be dominated by the
specter of the crowd - the annual
procession of the Black Nazarene
of Quiapo and the forthcoming visit
of the popular Pope Francis.
No deployment of police
forces, no matter how huge, can
possibly control a crowd that is
blinded by the urge to go as near as
possible to where they believe the
sacred is, and hopefully to touch it.
Ke e p i n g o rd e r u n d e r s u c h
circumstances has always been a
nightmare. To that, one must now
add the complications posed by the
faddish quest to take “selfies” with
anything or anybody of
significance in the effort to
preserve a fleeting moment.
S e l f i e s , r e p o r t e d l y, h a v e
considerably slowed down the
movement of devotees lining up to
kiss or wipe the feet of the
Nazarene inside the Quiapo
Church.
Every year, the spectacular
Quiapo procession has always
resulted in people being hurt or
killed whenever the crowd breaks
out into occasional stampedes. The
organizers of the procession have
learned over the years to prepare
for such contingencies in order to
minimize accidents. One
important measure they have
adopted is to prevent people who
are reeking of alcohol from joining
the procession. This year, the city
government decided to impose a
liquor ban for the duration of the
feast itself.
This year's “traslacion” or
procession of the icon of the Black
Nazarene through the narrow
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Page 15
January 9-15, 2015
Page 11
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
January 6 is the end of a long
Christmas celebration in the
Philippines.
Christmas trees and
decorations are or have already
been dismantled and put back in
boxes for storage to be put out
again come November after All
Saints Day.
January 6 is Three Kings Day,
when the Christian world pays
tribute to the wisdom and good
heart of the three Magis - Melchor,
Gaspar and Baltazar - who defied
the powers that be and traveled
long to see the newly born King,
Jesus. This was recounted by the
disciple, Matthew.
I got an amusing text of a
Filipino version of the Three Kings
(which the Magis - wise men who
More than Three Kings
indulge in astrology are invariably
called) account.
Here's the text:” Do you know
that that originally there were six
kings who saw the signs in the stars
about the birth of Jesus? But only
three reached Bethlehem.
What happened to the other
three?
The fourth one followed the
bright star and ended up in the
United States. Not finding the Baby
Jesus, he founded Burger King.
The fifth one also followed the
guiding star and ended up on an
endless wall which turned out to be
the Great Wall of China. There was
no Baby Jesus. Famished, he
concocted something and shared
with it with the community. That
was the beginning of Chowking.
The star that the sixth Magi
followed led him to the Philippines.
He also didn't find a Baby Jesus. But
he went into cattle raising and later
on put up an eatery: Tapa King.
That's Filipino creativity and
humor for you.
The legend about more than
three kings who journeyed to pay
homage to the new-born King of
Kings has been taken up by other
writers. The one by the famous
novelist, Hnery van Dyke initially
published in 1895, captures the
essence of being a Christian.
Titled the “The Other Wise
Man,” the story is about a priest or
Magi named Artaban from Persia.
Like Gaspar, Melchor, and
Baltazar, Artaban saw signs in the
heavens that The King had been
born. In one way or another he was
able to communicate with the
three and they agreed to meet at a
certain place so they could travel in
a caravan through the desert.
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Page 12
No poverty, no corruption
The more exciting times are,
the faster time seems to fly. That is
what happened with 2013 and
2014. 2013 was like an erupting
volcano with the Napoles scandal,
the Zamboanga siege, the Bohol
earthquake, and the monstrous
Typhoon Yolanda. The impact of
2013 was such that 12 months
were not enough to absorb it. It
leaped over to 2014 with the PDAF
and the DAP controversy making
the Executive and Legislative
Branches collide with the Supreme
Court. Then, the unthinkable but
inevitable three serving senators
are detained awaiting their trial for
plunder.
Literally, 2013 and 2014 took
our breath away. These two years
may end up like prophets warning
us of the trajectory of life into 2015
and beyond.
First, the political tsunami is
not over, and it is beyond
partisanship. People are slowly but
surely finding their voice. They are
out less in the streets but moving
powerfully towards social media,
creating noise that politicians
would do well to respect. People
power is not over, it is stepping up
to the next level.
Second, climate change is not a
fancy phrase anymore. It has
started to have a face, like Yolanda,
and a texture, like very wet. A
country like the Philippines may be
used to typhoons, floods,
landslides and earthquakes, but
the frequency, the intensity, and the
impact on communities are
dangerous and alarming. Climate
change says that coastal towns are
gravely endangered with rising
water levels. Well, floodwaters are
also quick to rise, and rise higher
than before, in urban areas.
It used to be that 90% of
Filipinos were considered masa,
and poor. That is what used to
comprise classes D & E. The OFW
Opinion
By Jose Ma. Montelibano
p h e n o m e n o n , h o weve r, h a s
dismantled the choking hold of
poverty for at least 30% (and
growing). The BPO industry has
further opened higher-thanaverage starting salaries for about
one million Filipinos, mostly
young, and many from the D sector.
Self-rated poverty remains high at
around 55%, but both the OFW
market and the BPO industry will
reduce that number in the next few
years.
The new middle class is truly
emerging, led by the traditional C
sector and now joined by upper D. I
hope that upper D gets to be
classified as C soon, so this sector
would then be the real middle class
and the majority as well.
The middle class, though, is not
only about income and economics.
It is a lifestyle that has its own
morality and emerging political
maturity. Technology will facilitate
and hasten this maturity by linking
the masa to global influences with
speed and audio-visual features.
Both the OFW and BPO workforces
a re i n t i m a te ly a s s i m i l a t i n g
international mindsets and values
through daily work exposure. That
is indoctrination by activity, and
unbelievably effective.
It is a new year and the poor
among us deserve a new
understanding and approach into
the poverty that enslaves them.
From as long as I can remember,
this poverty has been connected
with corruption. In the 2010
elections that catapulted PNoy into
the presidency, corruption was
actually blamed for corruption
with the slogan “Kung walang
kurap, walang mahirap.” That
slogan, by repetition and by the
political victory of its source,
promises that poverty will go away
only if corruption disappears
before it.
But is our poverty really
because of corruption? Can anyone
show us how corruption created
the massive poverty that has
plagued the Filipino people?
Filipinos were poor even before
there was a corrupt Filipino
government. Maybe a review of
history can help us trace how
poverty began. Historical amnesia
makes it impossible for
government to eliminate poverty.
Is poverty solved when
assumptions of root causes may be
terribly flawed?
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Page 12
was made once again about the
horrendous delays in the release of
cargo that has been making life a
living hell for nearly every
importer.
But to listen to Cabinet
Secretary Rene Almendras, who
made the appeal to the importers
to move their shipments out of
Manila even before tomorrow's
feast of the Black Nazarene, you'd
think that religious holidays and
the pope's visit are causing the
delays in the release of cargo. And,
because of these two events,
Almendras explained, the
decongestion of the waterfront
and the normalization of cargo
releases will have to be pushed
back to February.
The pope, of course, has as
much to do with the problem of
stranded cargo at the waterfront as
he has with the problem of
homeless children in Pasay City,
whose officials woke up one fine
day and decided to round up street
urchins on the off-chance that
Francis might see them upon his
arrival. If only the pope knew what
the government is doing - or
planning to do, like setting him up
for blame - in his name.
***
Commission on Elections
Chairman Sixto Brillantes has
challenged his former
commissioner, computer expert
Gus Lagman, to attempt to hack
into a Smartmatic precinct count
optical scan machine to prove the
latter's allegation that election
results can be easily manipulated.
It is a challenge Lagman and all his
fellow critics of Comelec, many of
whom work in the IT industry,
should take up.
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Page 12
Blaming the Pope
The arrival of the pope is
expected to inflame the religious
fervor of the faithful in the
predominantly Catholic nation
when he arrives. The government,
however, is apparently also getting
ready to blame the pope for
congestion in Manila's ports, of all
things.
Ahead of the visit of Pope
Francis next week, the Aquino
administration has urged
importers to move their cargo out
of Manila's thoroughly congested
seaports. This is because most of
the capital city, especially areas
near the Port Area where the
waterfront is located like Rizal
Park, will practically be shut down
during the pontiff's five-day visit.
Ordinarily, I'd understand why
this appeal has to be made. But the
visiting pope, while he may be
sometimes perceived as rocking
the Catholic Church to its very
foundations, has nothing
whatsoever to do with the
congestion that has plagued
Manila's ports for a couple of years
now.
The stock market, for instance,
will be closed during the pope's
visit not because traders are overly
religious, but because the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas (which is in
Manila) will also be closed. If BSP is
closed, there is no clearing of
checks, which is why no stock
market trades can happen.
But if you were to ask any
importer who does business at the
Manila port if they could speed up
the process of releasing their
containers, as the government
advises, they would
wholeheartedly respond in the
affirmative. Unfortunately, that is
something that is beyond their
power - and entirely within the
authority of the officials who have
slowed the releasing of cargo from
the port to an absolute crawl.
In fact, the inefficiency of the
Bureau of Customs has long been
blamed for the pileup of thousands
upon thousands of containers at
Manila's port, a fiasco that often
flares up into rumors that
Commissioner John Philip Sevilla
is on his way out.
Just last Jan. 7, Malacañang
Palace had to issue a statement to
the effect that Sevilla is about to
resign or be removed. Presidential
spokesman Edwin Lacierda felt
compelled to cite the improved
collections and other good deeds
that Sevilla was supposed to have
performed - even if no mention
January 9-15, 2015
Page 12
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
No poverty ...
From page 11
The reduction of poverty driven
by OFW remittance and
employment by BPO businesses
is not related to anything anticorruption. Government did not
establish the OFW and BPO
industries, global dynamics did.
The poor themselves who went,
and keep going, abroad to fill up
the labor needs of other
countries are taking themselves
out of poverty. And the capacity
to speak English and be better
mannered towards customers
from the West is what built the
BPO industry.
Tourism is fast showing just
how powerful it can be in
reducing poverty, and tourism
again is more about the beauty
of the country and the Filipino
people more than it is about
being anti-corruption. If the
main drivers to reducing
poverty are not about
corruption, what happens to
“Kung walang kurap, walang
mahirap?”
I think corruption is related
to poverty, but the other way
around. I think that if there is
less poverty, there will be less
corruption. I think the slogan or
formula “Kung walang mahirap,
walang kurap” is more effective
and more wise. Making victory
against greed a condition before
poverty can be dismantled is
condemning the present poor in
the Philippines to be poor
indefinitely as human societies
have been unable to eliminate
greed over millennia.
Why do we not go against
poverty as our primordial
national objective, base
governance on this principle,
instead of putting more
importance to anti-corruption?
People who are not in dire need
cannot be easily manipulated to
compromise themselves and
vote for those who can give them
money or favors. People who
earn more, who have more work
and stable employment, they are
the ones who can tell politicians
to behave. So why not use the
people themselves to dismantle
corruption instead of layers of
laws and regulations that
strangulate governance and
balloon its cost?
It is New Year. It is a good
time to begin with new thoughts,
with new assumptions, with
new priorities against both
poverty and corruption. We
have been in the direction of
destruction, even if the intent is
to destroy corruption, for too
long and achieved little. It is in
guaranteeing dignity to our
poor, in building their capacity
for production, in raising their
c o n f i d e n c e
f o r
entrepreneurship, and in
providing a vision that even our
children can be inspired to
pursue that we truly can build a
nation and a future full of hope.
More than three
kings ... From page 11
He gathered his treasures to offer
to the new born King - a sapphire, a
ruby, and a pearl of great price. Not far
from where he started, he saw a dying
man and he had to stop and help him.
When Artaban arrived at their
meeting place, the three Magis had
already left. Since he missed the
caravan, and he can't cross the desert
with only a horse, he was forced to sell
one of his treasures in order to buy the
camels and supplies necessary for the
trip.
He arrived in Bethlehem too late to
see the child Jesus because Mary and
Joseph with the baby had to flee
Bethlehem to escape the evil plan of
the paranoid King Herod. They went to
Egypt.
Artaban traveled to Egypt and
Deportations ...
Blaming the
Pope ... From page 11
Lagman has laughed off
Brillantes' challenge. But I really
think he should take it seriously.
I'd love to see Filipino
h a c ke r s , wh o a re k n ow n
worldwide for their ability to
break through even the toughest
computer security measures,
give it a shot. And I don't think
they won't be able to run rings
around whatever precautions
Smartmatic has put into its
controversial machines.
I truly believe that
Smartmatic's real expertise is
not in building computerized
counting machines but in
getting Comelec to approve its
exorbitant contracts. This is why
I have no reason to think that its
PCOS machines are immune
from the attacks of a dedicated
amateur hacker, to say nothing
of the efforts of a well-funded
group of computer experts who
want to manipulate the
elections.
If Lagman thinks he can't do
the hacking himself, perhaps he
should enlist any of the people
from the Anonymous
Philippines group. I'm sure
these “hacktivists,” as they call
themselves, would love to get
the chance to break into
Smartmatic's machines.
And I'd really love to see
Brillantes' face when he sees
how the expensive and
expensively-maintained PCOS
m a c h i n e s o f h i s favo r i te
technology provider are hacked
by the bright kids who break
into the most secure of Web sites
for laughs.
It's time for Lagman and his
crew ro step up to the plate and
hit it out of the park. How about
it, Gus?
From page 10
was only 67 percent. Also, 98 percent
o f I C E E n f o r c e m e n t R e m o va l
Operations (ERO) removals and
returns were under an enforcement
priority category.
This is a result of the government's
continued efforts to “refine its
enforcement priorities” by focusing its
resources on the removal of those who
are considered threats to public safety
and national security.
Because interior enforcement
operations on convicted criminal
aliens especially those at-large require
significantly more resources and time,
this contributed to the decline in the
number of deportations for fiscal year
2014.
The report also noted that the
decrease in the number of
deportations was attributed to the
refusal of state and local enforcement
to cooperate with ICE detainers or
request to detain dangerous criminals
or priority individuals for subsequent
transfer to ICE custody. 10,182 ICE
detainers were not honored in fiscal
along the way, he encountered people
who needed help. As always he
stopped, using money from the sale of
some of the treasures he brought, and
helped them. His search for Jesus took
him 30 years but he never saw him.
Artaban arrived in Jerusalem and
went to the temple. There he learned
that Jesus is being crucified in Calvary
and he decided to go there. On his way
out of the temple, he saw a woman
being sold for slavery. He brought out
his last treasure, a pearl, to ransom the
young woman.
Then the earth shook. That was the
hour of Jesus' crucifixion. Some part of
the temple's roof fell on Artaban. As he
was breathing his last, he heard a
voice, “Verily I say unto thee, Inasmuch
as thou hast done it unto one of the
least of these my brethren, thou hast
done it unto me.”
The Magi Artaban finally met the
Lord, Jesus.
year 2014 which required more
resources in the apprehension of
criminal aliens at-large.
Meanwhile, a total of 8,013
individuals convicted of serious
crimes were apprehended by Border
Patrol officers at ports of entry. A total
of 223,712 inadmissible individuals
were also stopped at port of entries or
an increase of more than 9 percent
from fiscal year 2013.
According to Secretary Johnson,
“DHS's 2014 year-end enforcement
statistics demonstrate that our front
line officers and agents continue to
execute their critical mission in a
smart and effective way, focusing our
resources on convicted criminals and
those attempting to illegally cross our
nation's borders.” Although they have
met many challenges, he indicated
that “DHS components have adjusted
and continue to successfully secure
o u r b o rd e r s a n d p ro t e c t o u r
communities.”
(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.)
Busy year ahead ... From page 10
possible adverse impact in the longer term. They say the low prices
could trigger layoffs in oil-producing countries where many Filipinos
are based; this could have an adverse impact on the local property sector
where overseas Filipino workers have become a major market and
which has been enjoying a boom for the past many years.
Also, the economies of the country's major trading partners remain
fragile, particularly those of Japan and the eurozone. There is also the
prospect of higher interest rates in the United States that could raise
borrowing costs and lead to a capital flight from emerging markets to
dollar-denominated investments. The biggest external risk remains the
political tensions in various parts of the globe, from Russia to the Middle
East to East Asia.
As for extreme weather disturbances which seem to relish the
Philippines as a favorite destination, they too are inescapable realities
that the country must keep on working to “handle.”
It could be a rough ride this 2015 for the Philippine economy, but as
things stand, the country seems prepared to cope with any external
shock. And there is a consensus that the Philippine economy will remain
one of the region's best performers this year. Let's get serious and prove
that consensus right. Inquirer.net
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL
201-434-1114
January 9-15, 2015
Page 13
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Expert unmasks China strategy of 'creeping expansion'
By Jun Medina
A prominent global security
scholar has unmasked China's
“grand strategy” of gaining
control of the Asia Pacific Region
by “creeping expansion” rather
than waging major battles.
Dr. Alexander L. Vuving, an
associate professor at the AsiaPacific Center for Security Studies
based in Honolulu, Hawaii, writes
in an essay posted by
Commentators.com that China is
creating its own islands in
disputed areas of the South China
Sea to leverage its claim on the
strategic areas teeming with
marine life and potentially huge
oil and gas reserves.
Beijing's territorial claims based on its self-declared
horseshoe-shaped, nine-dash
line map - cover areas close to the
coasts of Brunei, Indonesia,
M a l ays i a , t h e P h i l i p p i n e s ,
Vietnam and Taiwan.
China claims practically the
whole South China Sea, a vast
expanse of water that
encompasses islands, islets, atolls
and reefs that stretches from the
Paracels, Spratlys, Scarborough
Shoal in the West Philippine Sea
and Pulau and Natuna Islands in
Indonesian waters.
Creeping expansion
“The ultimate goal is to gain
control of the region. The
campaign to achieve this goal
relies on creeping expansion,
rather than major battles,” wrote
Vuving in a commentary aptly
titled “China's Grand-Strategy
Challenge: Creating its own
Islands in the South China Sea.”
Dr. Vuving studied political
science, economics, sociology and
electronic engineering at Cornell
U n i v e r s i t y, t h e J o h a n n e s
Gutenberg University and the
Budapest University of
Technology. He received his
master of arts (summa cum laude)
in political science, sociology and
economics, and his doctor's
degree (magna cum laude) in
political science from the
Johannes Gutenberg University in
Germany.
According to Vuving, Beijing's
preferred tactics in its protracted
strategy for regional dominance,
often at the expense of its smaller
and weaker neighbors, are salami
slicing and small-stick diplomacy.
This strategy, Vuving stresses,
requires three “imperatives,”
each of which is built on top of
another, namely:
First, to avoid open armed
strikes as much as possible;
clashes can be initiated, but only
to exploit an existing favorable
situation.
Second, to control the most
strategic positions in the sea; if
not already in possession, these
positions must be seized
stealthily if possible and in a
limited conflict if necessary.
And third, to use these
position as logistical hubs and
bases for power projection.
Vuving - whose varied areas of
research interests include Asian
security, the rise of China and
Vietnamese politics - observed
that the history of the China's
involvement in the South China
Sea dispute has neatly followed
these imperatives.
time of the first, and the Soviet
Union pulling out at that of the
second,” Vuving writes.
“In both events, China also
enjoyed the acquiescence of the
United States, the most powerful
actor in the larger Asia-Pacific
region. As a result, the military
clashes caused little diplomatic
repercussions,” he adds.
The second imperative of
taking control the most strategic
positions is reflected in Beijing's
choice of places to occupy in the
disputed areas.
Two armed conflicts
He cited the fact that of the
numerous attempts by Beijing to
snatch new possessions during
these six decades, only two
involved armed conflicts.
The first took place in January
1974 against South Vietnam
during which China ended up
seizing the western half of the
Paracel Islands, the Crescent
Group, from the former.
The second was a far smaller but no less bloody - skirmish
against unified Vietnam at
Johnson South Reef in March
1988.
“What's remarkable about
these two confrontations is that
they both were fought at a time
when a power vacuum was
swelling in the region, with the
United States withdrawing at the
Quality, not quantity
Thus, he notes that when
China tangled with Vietnam for a
foothold in the Spratly Islands in
1988, Beijing traded quantity for
quality, taking six reefs as
opposed to 11 by Hanoi.
Five of the six, Vuving opines,
are among the most strategic
features in the archipelago.
China's first choice in the
Spratly Islands was Fiery Cross
Reef, one of the best in the
archipelago in terms of location
and the potential for land
reclamation. The atoll occupies
an ideal spot at the western
gateway into the Spratly Islands
and is one of the few Spratly
islands that are most exposed to
the main transoceanic shipping
routes traversing the South China
Sea.
280 Luis Munoz Marin Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07302
The atoll, known as
Kagitingan in the Philippines and
Yongshu in China, is the focus of
ongoing reclamation by Beijing as
shown by satellite images
released last month in IHS Jane's
Defense Weekly.
The Jane's report says China is
building what could be an airstrip
and apron on the reclaimed area
measuring 3,000 meters long and
200 meters wide.
Its location not too far from,
but not too close to, the other
i s l a n d g ro u p s re d u c e s i t s
vulnerability and enlarges its
sphere of influence. Adding to
these advantages, Fiery Cross
Reef occupies an area of 110
square kilometers, one of the
largest in the Spratly Islands.
Four of the remaining five Subi Reef, Gaven Reef, Johnson
South Reef and Cuarteron Reef lie at the edge of four different
island groups, from where they
can control a large maritime area
and the key waterways into the
Spratly Islands. The two land
features that China later added to
its possessions also boast
immense strategic values.
PH reefs seized
Vuving observes that Mischief
Reef, which China surreptitiously
took from the Philippines in late
1994 or January 1995, lies at the
u
Page 15
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BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
January 9-15, 2015
Page 14
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Securing Pope
Francis ...
From page 1
work alongside the 25,000 PNP
force mobilized for the papal visit.
Close-in security will be
provided by the Presidential
Security Group.
No threats monitored
Speaking at a joint Department
of National Defense-AFP
traditional New Year's call, Defense
Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the
government had not monitored any
specific threat to the Pope, and to
the holding of the Black Nazarene
procession on Jan. 9.
“We are looking at all angles,
looking at all reports and act on
these,” he said.
Catapang admitted that
ensuring the Pope's safety was a big
“security challenge.”
“It's a security challenge in a
way but we can do it. We will just
Why many
Filipino seniors
in the US ...
From page 8
always necessarily reflect God's will,
stresses Vincent Nguyen, MD, Board
Certified Hospice and Palliative Care
Specialist.
Nguyen describes himself as a
“cradle Catholic,” born and raised in
the Roman Catholic tradition.
“People overall who do this [hospice
and palliative care], do the work of
God,” he said.
Nguyen works with spiritual
leaders, including Roman Catholic
priests, to train them in dealing with
families confronted with tough
questions on death and dying. “Not
every single priest is trained on endof-life issues,” he notes. He also
speaks to several leaders about
teaching seminarians, the future
priests.
“Within the Catholic teaching, we
are on a journey in this world for a
mission, and when we're done with
our work, God will call us home.”
Nguyen says. “We are open to life, we
are open to death. We know life is a
gift, and we will do everything to stay
alive.”
But Nguyen admits that lifesustaining technology can be both a
blessing and a curse. “We want to
High five ...
From page 9
there has been a Harvey Milton
(Special Day) as (Itliong) is
deserving one, too.” Mr. Bonta said.
Many public schools observe Harvey
Milk Day in California on May 22.
This observance celebrates the
achievements of Harvey Milk, a gay
rights activist who was assassinated
in 1978.
Bonta's bill will add Section
37222.18 to the Education Code, and
to add Section 6725 to the
Government Code, relating to public
schools. It will require the Governor
to proclaim certain days each year
for specified reasons. Existing law
also designates particular days each
year as having special significance in
public schools and educational
institutions and encourages those
make do of available forces. We are
in joint forces with the PNP. The
PNP will bring in the biggest
contingent,” he said.
Catapang said that authorities
were more concerned about the
millions expected during the Pope's
Mass at Manila's Rizal Park.
“Our greatest worry is people
surge that's why we are putting up
the barricades. The Pope is really
very popular,” he said. “Everybody
wants to be near the Pope.”
Bigger than Barack's crowds
Compared to the state visit of
US President Barack Obama last
year, the papal visit is expected to
draw far bigger crowds.
“It will be more challenging to
plan the security. The PNP
considers all scenarios as
challenging, that is why we adopted
a whole of government process,”
Mayor said in a press briefing in
Camp Crame on Tuesday.
The PNP has formed Special
Task Force “Papal Visit 2015” led by
Director Ricardo Marquez to
pray for curative healing, and God
will answer prayers. But we also pray
for wisdom to see if [the technology]
is prolonging life or prolonging the
process of dying.”
“If the treatment is more harmful
than the intended benefit, it needs to
stop. That is within the Catholic
church's teaching,” he explains.
The role of palliative care,
Nguyen believes, is to journey with
the family. “It's not a determination
whether we want to keep someone
alive. The person is already dead
(except for the technology).” He
urges Catholic families in end-of-life
situations to seek their priest's
advice.
Advance directives
Advance directives are
documents that can spare families
the agony of decision-making on
behalf of a loved one who has fallen
sick.
According to the National
H o s p i c e a n d Pa l l i a t ive C a re
Organization, an advance directive
names a person's legal health care
representative and spells out
instructions for a person's future
life-sustaining treatments, should
the person be unable to make
medical decisions on his own behalf,
as was the case with Tolop's former
care recipient. It is recommended for
all adults, 18 and older, regardless of
their health status.
B u t wo u l d n' t a n a dva n c e
e n t i t i e s to c o n d u c t s u i t a b l e
commemorative exercises on those
dates.
If passed, AB-7 will compliment
AB-123 that Bonta introduced in his
first of his first two-year term after
his election in 2012. The AB-123
requires California public schools to
teach the contributions of Filipino
Americans to the California Farm
Labor Movement.
As chair of the committee on
health, Mr. Bonta also listened to the
suggestions of these reporters to
undertake a fact finding and
legislative research and pass
regulations on ways to verify if
remains of those cremated by
crematoriums around the state are
really ashes of those given to
bereaved family survivors.
There have been widespread
reports that some funeral homes sell
the “useful” body parts or organs to
protect the Pope.
The PNP will secure the
immediate vicinity of the venues
Pope Francis will visit, while others
will be deployed for perimeter and
route detail.
Mayor said the PNP was
considering everything in planning
t h e s e c u r i t y a r ra n g e m e n t s ,
including Pope Francis's
preferences. The Pope will not be
riding a bulletproof vehicle during
his visit here, but will be using a
white, open car. Pope Francis is also
known for mingling with crowds.
Since Pope Francis is
considered a head of state, the PNP
considers the papal visit as a state
visit and apostolic journey which
requires the specific protocol and
security appropriate for the head of
the Catholic Church.
The PNP urged the people to
cooperate. “We ask them to observe
the rules and security
arrangements, the public will serve
as a safety net in our preparations
on security and public order,”
Mayor said. Inquirer.net
directive effectively preempt God's
will and possibly violate Catholic
doctrine? Filipino priest Father
Geoffrey Baraan of the Saint Anne
Catholic Church in Union City, Calif.,
clarifies the Church's stance: “The
teaching of the Church is selective
advance directive.”
Baraan explains that while the
Catholic Church allows the faithful to
spell out their end-of-life
preferences in advance, their
directives must not go against
Catholic prohibitions.
He states that patients “will not
be allowed to be totally abandoned
after the life-support machine is
taken out. Total deprivation, so as not
to let the person die naturally, is not
approved. Merciful killing and
euthanasia are not allowed.”
However, Baraan says, “The
church approves even the removal of
life support machines, if the person
continues to receive necessary
medication, sustenance and comfort
care to let him die naturally. The
operative word is still naturally.”
Customs hard to change
A 2013 report of the California
HealthCare Foundation warns of the
serious consequences of not
executing advance directives: “Some
patients fail to receive desired
treatment, while many others
receive unnecessary or unwanted
procedures. This puts them at risk
for infection, pain, and time away
hospitals or teaching hospitals of
victims killed in accidents or natural
causes without the consent of the
next of kin.
It was reported that during the
funeral viewing, some remains may
show the face and hands but the rest
of the body could just be mannequin.
And the ashes given to the bereaved
family could be from someone else
or from animals.
16 OF 20 Bills signed
Mr. Bonta said out of the 20 bills
that he introduced or co-authored,
16 were signed by Governor Jerry
Brown.
Last year, he was a co-author of a
bill that now fully funds the
C a l i f o r n i a S t a t e Te a c h e r s '
Retirement System program for
teachers and school districts that
would have run out of $74-billion in
30 years if the bill were not passed.
Not all obese ...
From page 8
But those whose did suffer from
metabolic problems before the
study grew even worse when they
put on extra weight.
Fat-regulating genes
All the research subjects were
helped by dieticians to lose the
weight they gained for the study,
which was featured on HBO's
documentary “Weight of the
Nation” while the research was
under way.
Study authors said they now
understand better how to
distinguish obese people who will
be more prone to ill health from
those who may be more protected.
For instance, those with
abnormal metabolisms
accumulated fat in their livers, while
the healthier people did not, even
when they gained more weight.
“Another difference involved
gene function in fat tissue,” the
university said in a statement.
The study found that overweight
people with normal metabolisms
had more fat-regulating genes.
“The activity of those genes
increased even more when the
metabolically normal people gained
weight. That wasn't true for people
with abnormal metabolism,” the
study found.
Since obesity is known to
contribute to dozens of health
problems, more research is needed
to figure out why some are
particularly prone to problems from
obesity.
“Could it be genetics, specific
dietary intake, physical lifestyle,
emotional health or even the
microbes that live in the gut?”
queried senior investigator Samuel
Klein, director of Washington
University's Center for Human
Nutrition.
“We need more studies to try to
understand why obesity causes
specific diseases in some people but
n o t i n o t h e r s ,” K l e i n s a i d .
Inquirer.net
from loved ones in their final weeks
and days.”
The same study shows that 70
percent of Californians surveyed
preferred to die at home than in a
hospital or hospice. Also, two-thirds
did not want their families burdened
by the cost of care.
Seniors at San Francisco's West
Bay Pilipino Multi Service Center
said they share these preferences
after receiving information on endof-life issues and advance directive
forms early last spring. But by the
Christmas season, most of them still
hadn't taken action.
Antonietta Villareal is relying on
her children to make the decisions
for her, should the time come when
she cannot. “I have four kids here in
America, and they'll decide what to
do with me,” she says. “I haven't
really shared any preferences with
them, not even verbally.” She does
however express a wish for her
remains to be cremated and brought
back to the Philippines.
Juana Paylano has told her
children not to prolong her life,
should she be in a situation that
warrants that kind of choice: “That's
just verbal. There's nothing written.”
Her big concern is that her death not
be a financial burden to her children she's even set aside a fund to pay for
her funeral and burial costs.
Maria Comoda says she's not in
the right frame of mind yet to fill out
her advance directive, even if she
knows she has to do one.
“You have to make an advance
directive while still active,' my son
reminded me the other night,”
Comoda says. “I might just leave it up
to my son to do it.” She adds, “I'll still
live long. I pray to God I will still live
longer.”
There's a phrase in the Tagalog,
the main Filipino language, that
describes this fatalistic attitude:
Bahala na. It means, “Just leave it to
God.”
However, some seniors, like
Angie Bagares, did complete advance
directives. “We had a friend who
didn't have an advance directive,”
Bagares says. “She slipped, hit her
head and became comatose. She has
no relatives here. That's tough. She
never woke up. So an advance
directive is really important.”
Vivian Zalvidea Araullo is the
executive director at West Bay
Pilipino Multi Service Center, a San
Francisco nonprofit that serves
Filipino immigrants and other
communities of color. Zalvidea
Araullo, a multi-awarded broadcast
and print journalist, wrote this article
for Inquirer.net through a New
America Media journalism fellowship
sponsored by the California Health
Care Foundation. Contact her at
Vivian@westbaycentersf.org ; with
additional reporting by
INQUIRER.net correspondent Jun
Nucum. Inquirer.net
Aside from chairing the health
committee, Mr. Bonta is also chair of
the public employees retirement
social security committee.
As a state assembly member, he
serves two years for each term and
he is termed out after serving the 12th
year when he turns 50. His position
pays him $90,526 annual salary.
He urged his constituents in
Oakland, San Leandro and Alameda
cities to get in touch with him if they
have proposed bills that he could
introduce.
“I try my best to work very hard
and I feel invigorated when I can
fulfill my commitments to my
constituents if there is an
opportunity to grow and serve,” Mr.
Bonta added.
Never forgetting his roots, he
travels to the Philippines from time
to time. In his last visit after the
landfall of super typhoon Yolanda
(Haiyan), Bonta pulled up his sleeves
and helped in rehabilitation of the
homes of victims of Haiyan in
Tacloban City.
He was born in Quezon City but
was brought to the U.S. when he was
two months old by his father, Warren
Bonta, an American native of
Oxnard, California and his mother,
the former Cynthia Arnaldo, a native
of Dumaguete City in the Philippines.
Bonta also plans to highlight the
contributions of World War II
Filipino veterans' contributions to
end World War II, including grants of
their benefits that have so far been
token amounts.
A lawyer by profession, Bonta
was a vice mayor of Alameda city
when he ran for assembly member.
He is a graduate of Yale University
and had attended Oxford and
Cambridge Universities.
(Lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net)
January 9-15, 2015
Page 15
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Expert unmasks
China ... From page 13
center of the eastern wing of the
Spratly Islands and close to the
water highways that run along the
eastern South China Sea.
China also seized in 2012 the
strategically located Scarborough
Shoal, a traditional Filipino fishing
ground that lies only 123 miles
from Palauig, Zambales.
Known in the Philippines as
Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag
Shoal, the area is a triangle-shaped
chain of reefs with a perimeter of
29 miles. It covers an area,
including an inner lagoon, of 58 sq.
miles.
M a n i l a d e c i d e d t o t a ke
Beijing's maritime claims to
arbitration in January 2013 by an
Arbitral Tribunal under the aegis
of the United Nations Convention
on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in
an effort to secure a peaceful
resolution of the maritime dispute.
Power projection
“With its control of the Paracel
Islands, Scarborough Shoal and
several strategically located lands
in the Spratly archipelago, China is
far more advantaged than any
other countries to project control
of strategic sea routes,” Vuving
writes.
For example, he explains,
Woody Islands (the largest feature
in the Paracels), Fiery Cross Reef,
Mischief Reef and Scarborough
Shoal form a “four-point
constellation from which, with a
radius of only 250 nautical miles,
the entire main body of the South
China Sea can be kept under
intense watch.”
“This means that all it takes for
China to become the lord of the
South China Sea is to develop these
assets into robust platforms that
can provide both logistic support
for a myriad of fishing boats,
government vessels, submarines
and aircraft to dominate the sky
and the water of the region, and
The Black
Nazarene ...
From page 10
streets of Manila offers a perfect
chance to rehearse those measures
that are needed to maintain crowd
discipline during the historic papal
visit. The crowds will surely be
several times bigger.
Unlike other visiting heads of
state whose public appearances
tend to be confined to indoor
events, such as when a university
confers an honorary degree on a
foreign dignitary, Francis will be
celebrating the Mass in open air
before a crowd of several million
devotees. I understand he will then
mount a vehicle to reach out to the
people in the crowd, the way he
does at St. Peter's Square in Rome.
Having seen how the statue of
the Nazarene is mobbed as it
makes its way through the surging
crowd, I cannot imagine how
devotees will react when the living
Pope himself goes out to bless the
crowd. It would be a sight to
behold. But, how does one control
the collective effervescence
emanating from a fired-up crowd?
Dr. Alexander Yuving, Asia-Pacific
Center for Security Studies
some grounds for generating large
economic and security zones,”
Vuving stresses.
This was how China
transformed Woody Island, an
uninhabited sandbank 60 years
ago into a fortress populated by at
least 1,000 military personnel and
civilians, Vuving says. The island
now features a 2,700-meter
airport with a runway and a
parallel taxiway, which is capable
of handling eight or more fourthgeneration aircrafts such as SU30MKK fighters and JH-7 bombers,
and a 1,000-meter long deepwater port that can accommodate
vessels of 5,000 tons or more.
South China, Vuving surmises.
“With its enlarged and
strategically located islands, China
has more potential than any other
major powers to gain air and naval
supremacy in the South China Sea,”
says Vuving.
“Although Beijing still has a
l o n g way t o g o , i t i s n o t
unimaginable to see in the next
two decades a South China Sea
dotted with powerful Chinese
staging bases that stretch from the
Paracel Islands in the northwest to
Mischief Reef in the southeast, and
from Scarborough Shoal in the
northeast to Fiery Cross Reef in the
southwest.”
Massive building projects
According to Vuving, China has
also been conducting “massive
construction projects” to turn the
rocks China occupies into islands
down south in the Spratlys.
Q u o t i n g Ta i w a n ' s t o p
intelligence official Lee Hsiangc h o u , Vuv i n g s ays C h i n e s e
President Xi Jinping has approved
plans to reclaim lands to build
military installations not only on
Fiery Cross Reef but also on the
Cuerteron Reef, Johnson South
Reef, Gaven Reef and Hughes Reef.
It would not be surprising for
Beijing to built military
installations, like airstrips and
deep water harbors at Subi Reef,
Mischief Reef and Scarborough
Shoal and eventually set up an air
defense identification zone in the
Counter-measures
In the face of the creeping
expansion, Vuving suggests the
Association of Southeast Asian
Nations could send international
observers as part of ASEAN-China
2002 Declaration on the Conduct
of Parties in the South China Sea to
verify the constructions and exert
diplomatic pressure to persuade
to suspend the work.
Another way to challenge
China's strategy, Vuving says, is to
take a page from Beijing's own
playbook.
“For example, in a first step,
Vietnam can offer the Indian
military access to naval facilities in
Cam Ranh Bay and the U.S. military
access to air bases in Da Nang, two
of Vietnam's most strategic
locations along the South China
Sea coast,” he says.
If China does not heed the
message, the U.S. and Japanese
militaries and coast guards could
be offered access to Cam Ranh and
Da Nang, from which they can
patrol the South China Sea.
Ultimately, if China is still
determined to “turn the South
China Sea into a Chinese lake,” then
a s t ro n g a l l i a n c e b e t we e n
Vietnam, the Philippines, the
United States, Japan and India is
necessary to redress the
imbalance of power,” Vuving says.
Inquirer.net
If we were to rely purely on our
experience with crowds whose
sense of entitlement grows with
distress and the fear of being left
out, we should worry endlessly for
Francis' safety. Such crowds we
have seen recently. They were the
looting bands in Tacloban that
spontaneously emerged from the
chaos and desolation left by
Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”
We caught a glimpse of the
same crowd in the aftermath of a
big fire that razed many homes in
Manila, when the victims
spontaneously seized relief goods
awaiting distribution, unable to
wait for someone to create a line
and ensure equitable sharing of the
goods. Lately, we saw it, too, at the
Cebu Pacific check-in counters,
when some irate passengers,
reacting to the fiasco of delayed
and canceled flights, quickly
metamorphosed into a righteous
mob and insisted on occupying a
plane they knew wasn't meant for
them.
In every instance, self-pity
turns into grievance, and then to a
sense of entitlement that builds up
and finds discharge in destructive
crowd behavior. No one probably
has observed the sociology of
crowds more keenly than the
writer Elias Canetti. What he says
about the Catholic Church and the
crowd is fascinating, and gives us
enough reason to hope that Pope
Francis will be safe in a crowd of
worshippers. “There has never
been a state on earth capable of
defending itself in so many ways
against the crowd. Compared with
the Church all other rulers seem
poor amateurs.”
There is something, says
Canetti, about the whole tradition
of the Catholic Church that
insulates the institution from the
unpredictable discharge of the
crowd. First is the deliberation that
is inherent in every aspect of
Church ritualsall of it appears “like
an infinite dilution of lament.”
There is a reason and meaning to
every measured movement ,
virtually allowing no room for
spontaneous experiences. The
communion is perhaps the best
example of the discipline to be
found in Catholic rituals. Filipinos
patiently waited for their turn at
communion long before they
learned the modern practice of
queuing in everyday life.
All it takes for a crowd to
become a menacing mob is for one
‘Je Suis Charlie’
message ...
From page 1
they still have the right to say it
without feeling in danger, which is
the case today,” said Alice Blanc, a
London student who is originally
from Paris and was among those in
the London crowd, estimated in
the hundreds.
Online, the declaration “Je Suis
Charlie,” or “I Am Charlie,”
replaced profile pictures on
Facebook while Twitter users
showed themselves with the
slogan on signs with words of
support for the 12 victims who
were killed at Charlie Hebdo, a
weekly newspaper that had
caricatured the Prophet
Muhammad.
The “Je Suis Charlie” slogan
grew into a trending hashtag on
Twitter and spread to Instagram,
along with an image of a machine
gun with the words “Ceci n'est pas
une religion,” or “This is not a
religion.”
One user on Instagram sent
out a simple black-and-white
drawing of the Eiffel Tower with
the message: “Pray for Paris.”
Another wrote: “Islam is a
beautiful religion. This is not what
we see on TV. Terrorists are not
real Muslims. #IamCharlie.”
Masked gunmen methodically
killed the 12 people, including the
newspaper's editor, as they
shouted “Allahu akbar!” - or “Allah
is the greatest” - while firing, then
fleeing in a car.
The newspaper's depictions of
Islam have drawn condemnation
and threats before. It was
firebombed in 2011 and also
satirized other religions and
political figures.
There were also protests in
some American cities.
In San Francisco, hundreds of
people held pens, tiny French flags
and signs that read “I am Charlie”
up in the air outside the French
Consulate in the financial district.
A handful of the participants lit
candles that spell out “Je Suis
Charlie,” while others placed pens
and pencils and bouquets of white
carnations and red roses by the
consulate's door.
Julia Olson, of Nimes, France,
said she wanted to be in the
company of other people after
hearing the news.
“There is nothing we can do
but be together,” the 26-year-old
said.
Several hundred people
gathered in Manhattan's Union
Square amid chants of “We are not
afraid” and holding signs in
English and French saying “We are
Charlie.”
The Newseum in Washington
displayed “#JeSuisCharlie” on its
atrium screen as a show of
support for free expression.
In Los Angeles, a small group
gathered outside a French
restaurant with people holding up
signs and cell phones that read “Je
Sui Charlie” and “I am Charlie.”
About 1,000 people gathered
near the European Union's
headquarters in Brussels to
express sympathy and outrage. In
Spain, about 200 people in Madrid
gathered outside the French
Embassy to voice outrage. Some
also held pens in the air and
chanted “Freedom of Expression”
and “We Are All Charlie.”
In 2004, bombs on rush-hour
trains killed 191 people in Madrid
in Europe's most deadly Islamic
terror attack.
French students in Stockholm
organized about 100 people to lay
flowers and candles in front of the
French Embassy in Stockholm.
A handful of women in the
swank Roman piazza where the
French Embassy is located had “Je
suis Charlie” banners taped to
their jackets.
“I still cannot believe what
happened,” said protester Linda
Chille. “It is cruel and very
shocking.”
The Newseum in Washington
is dedicated to the subject of
journalism and planned to project
“#JeSuisCharlie” on its atrium
screen later Wednesday in a show
of support for free expression.
Inquirer.net
DEVOTEES join a procession for the Black Nazarene in Quiapo, Manila.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
or two individuals to start
mobilizing collective grievances
and directing a crowd toward some
remedial action. The Church
prevents this from happening,
observes Canetti, by discouraging
communication between
worshippers. “They do not preach
to each other; the word of the
simple believer has no sanctity
whatsoever.”
One cannot say to what extent
that is still true in the Church today.
The quest for participation
pervades all institutions. The
Church is challenged to nurture the
impulse that moves the laity to play
an active role in the administration
of Church life. More than
traditional obedience to authority,
it is this that sustains enduring
faith.
January 9-15, 2015
Page 16
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
By Carol Tanjutco, JD
Rising from the recent
Typhoon Ruby, which battered
Oriental Mindoro Puerto
G a l e ra , a d ive r s ' h ave n
renowned for its marine
biodiversity, will once again be
turned into a world stage for
the upcoming Malasimbo
Music and Arts Festival on
March 6-8, 2015.
For the past five years the
o r g a n i z e r , D 'A b o v i l l e
Foundation, has partnered
with the Department of
Environmental and Natural
Resources, the Department of
Tourism and the Municipality
of Puerto Galera to bring some
5,000 spectators from all over
the world for the weekend
festival.
Pa s t g a t h e r i n g s h ave
benefited reforestation efforts
and the completed solar
energy project for the Iraya
Mangyan community in
Barangay Baclayan, Mindoro.
The island is accessible via
Verde Island Passage from
Batangas Pier using Minolo
Shipping line or private bancas,
approximately an hour and a
half trip. Those who opt to
bring their cars and trailers can
take the slower “RORO” (roll in,
roll out) or take the FastCat
watercrafts, carrying vehicles
from Batangas to Calapan pier.
It will take another scenic
hour-drive from Calapan to
Puerto Galera, where Tamaraw
Falls will graciously welcome
arriving guests.
Though several four- to
five-star family resorts have
mushroomed, like the nearby
Infinity, Manor Hotel, Puerto
Galera Beach Club and
Tamaraw Beach Resort, among
others, there are the native
cottages and rooms for rent
offered by local residents
catering to backpackers.
For those seeking colorful
nightlife, White Beach, Sabang
and Lalaguna offer bars and
restaurants open until late.
Hotel and room prices vary
from US$15 to $400 per day,
these are usually sold out
Inscribed in stone: Puerto Galera, the most beautiful bay in the world!
during the Malasimbo Music
Fest.
A host of PADI accredited
dive centers conducted in
s eve ra l l a n g u a g e s awa i t
novices and seasoned divers
alike, with guided dive maps
showing up to 43 locations and
dive points, from shipwrecks,
underwater caves and rare
marine species.
From a shallow coral reef
dive of 12 meters to a deep dive
of 30 meters (100 feet), one
will experience a spectacular
showcase of marine life. Sites
such as North Wall and Shark
Ridge often yield sightings of
turtles, sharks and a school of
rays, and hammerheads, if you
are lucky.
Puerto Galera remains a
“virgin island” tourist
u
Page 17
January 9-15, 2015
Page 17
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Malasimbo
ready to turn ...
From page 16
destination of the
Philippines, boasting private,
white sand coves accessible only
by outrigger boats and jet ski
safari around the shores. It is also
the only bay in the country to be
listed among the “Most Beautiful
Bays in the World.” This honor is
inscribed in stone at the point of
entry welcoming guests to the
municipality. A boat trip further
up to Occidental Mindoro will
reveal the indigenous Mangyan
tribes in their native
communities.
During the festival, a
Mangyan Village Exhibit will
feature the seven indigenous
home-styles, a fixed feature on
the festival grounds since year
one. Knowledge about the
island's rich pre-colonial culture
and heritage is shared through
workshops, performances and
information cues.
Past performers can be
v i e we d a t h t t p : / /
Malasimbofestival.com/
Tamaraw Falls, named after the
endangered specie, Tamaraw, greeting
guests at the point of entry to Puerto
Galera.
performers/ and the 2014
o f f i c i a l v i d e o a t
http://youtu.be/ryXNfZtZ4tY.
For the 2015 updated list of
performers, information is
available through the foundation
website: Malasimbo.com. One of
the performers is Bob Marley's
next generation reggae artist, KyMani Marley Jr, also known as KJ
Marley.
Past performers archive may be found at Malasimbo.com
Mt. Malasimbo stands behind Infinity Resort. Contributed photo
January 9-15, 2015
Page 18
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Councilman Arvin Amatorio sworn into office
“Green Lugaw Served Cold” prepared by Chefs Irbille Donia and Justin Legaspi
had a spinach base and edible flower garnish. PHOTO BY RON QUESADA
Assemblyman Joseph A. Lagana, right,
administers the oath of office to Bergenfield
Township Councilman Atty. Arvin Amatorio on
January 1, 2015 at the Bergenfield Town Hall. Also
in photo are the Councilman’s wife Ilya and their
son Lance. Photo by Sonny Austria
Pride of Filipino-Americans. Jersey City Council
President Rolando Lavarro, right, and Township of
Mahwah Councilman Jonathan Wong, left, pose
with Councilman Atty. Arvin Amatorio, center, after
the swearing-in ceremony. Photo by Sonny Austria
Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes A.P. Sereno and Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista lead the
wreath-laying ceremony during the celebration of the 203rd birth anniversary of the revolutionary heroine
Melchora "Tandang Sora" Aquino at the Tandang Sora National Shrine in Banlat, Barangay Tadang Sora,
Quezon City on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. MNS photo
CJ Sereno cites Tandang Sora's
good civic-mindedness
MANILA -- Chief Justice
Maria Lourdes P. Aranal
Sereno on Tuesday, Jan. 6,
cited the good civicmindedness of national
heroine Melchora Aquino
better known as “Tandang
Sora”.
In her speech in pure
Tagalog during the 203rd
Birth Anniversary of Tandang
Sora, Sereno said that because
of the good civic-mindedness
of the “Mother of the
Revolution”, Tandang Sora's
husband Fulgencio even
became a “kabesa” or
barangay captain.
She noted that the "heart of
service" of Tandang Sora was
so intense which should be
emoluted by all civil servants
in the present day.
The Chief Justice stressed
that there is a big necessity to
relive the life of Tandang Sora
nowadays.
Sereno said that Tandang
Sora became a widow with six
children whose youngest was
seven years old which did not
discourage her to raise her
family.
She likened the situation of
Tandang Sora to the mothers
of the present time whose
better halves are now working
as Overseas Filipino Workers
(OFWs).
Sereno also urged the
youth to continue the ideals of
heroism and servitude that
Tandang Sora had exemplified
to the Filipinos.
Likewise, the highest
magistrate of the land also
assured that the Judiciary will
continue to be inspired by the
bravery and heroism shown in
the life of Tandang Sora. (MNS)
Filipino food crusade sends
savory message to America
By Ron Quesada
The San Francisco Giants on
August 30, 2014 was one of the
worst teams in baseball, yet the
letters “SF” could be seen in every
color on apparel gleaming in the
sunlight . On both sides of
Embarcadero there seemed to be
more people, more excitement,
more local produce bagged and
sold at the Ferry Building Farmer's
M a r ke t a n d m o re a r t i s a n s
manning more booths at the SF
Artist Market.
At the center of it all, the
Va i l l a n c o u r t Fo u n t a i n wa s
partially obscured by white tents
with red, yellow and blue flags,
bearing signs that read
“Karinderia,” “Pulutan” and “Street
Food.” Words like “lugaw,” “karekare,” and “sisig” were trending off
fingertips on mobile devices and
on the tips of garlic-rice tongues. It
was clear that San Francisco
savors Filipino food.
Perhaps it was the searing sun,
or perhaps it was the Red Horse
breakfast that the author was
served by San Francisco's own
Asian food mad scientist Tim
Luym (who is now at San Mateo's
Attic Restaurant), or maybe it was
the siling labuyo that he put in his
kinilaw that day, but the air at
Savor Filipino buzzed and diners'
blood surged from the explosions
on their palates.
Whose food? Our food!
Another thing that has been
burning hot for the past few years
is the topic of “mainstreaming”
Filipino Food (see Bino A.
Realuyo's heartfelt love letter on
this topic “Dear Filipino Food in
America” to get up to date). The
persistent trend is one of the
motivating forces that birthed the
Filipino Food Movement, the notfor-profit organization that
produced the landmark event.
FFM and Savor Filipino were a
collective dream of the organizers
during simultaneous food comas
they suffered after Kulinarya, the
Filipino food cooking competition
that has become a tradition in San
Francisco. While Kulinarya did a
great job celebrating the
community's professional and
amateur culinary talent , it
remained an “ethnic” affair.
The moving and shaking food
lovers behind FFM wanted to do an
event that invited the greater
community (i.e., non-Filipinos) to
the dining table, and to have it
curated by those that have
intimacy with the cuisine. Defining
“Filipino” is too complicated to be
left to outsiders with TV shows, so
the FFM board rolled up its sleeves
and set about doing the work of
throwing the biggest Filipino Food
party the nation has ever seen.
Too Many Cooks?
The pool of Filipino food talent
runs the gamut of the food
industryfrom the white
tablecloths at the trendiest
locations, to the boxed TV dinners
i n t h e f ro z e n a i s l e a t t h e
neighborhood grocery and the
equally daring entrepreneurs who
put up either turo-turos that serve
as quasi-community centers or
mobile food trucks that serve long
lines all over after sending out a
single tweet.
Not to be overlooked are the
many food writers whose works
are sought after by home chefs
seeking credible resources, and
professional chefs cooking in
other idioms who dream of placing
their lola's dish on their
employer's fine dining menu.
Each talent plays an important
role in the story of Savor Filipino.
While the original wish list was
comprehensive and covered all 50
states (and even our Canadian
neighbors were considered),
eventually, overtures were made,
flights were booked, and the roster
of featured chefs had to be
finalized. PositivelyFilipino.com/
Inquirer.net
January 9-15, 2015
Page 19
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Fil-Am teen blooms in US Rose parade
By Nimfa Rueda
PA S A D E N A , C a l i f o r n i a - Wearing the Rose Princess crown, a
Filipino-American teenager waved
to hundreds of thousands of
spectators lining the route of the
spectacular 126th Tournament of
Roses Parade in Pasadena,
California, on New Year's Day.
“I'm very proud to represent the
Filipino-American community,” said
Gabrielle Current, one of the seven
young women selected to serve as
ambassadors for the Rose Parade
and Rose Bowl events viewed by
tens of millions around the world.
Current, 17, was selected from
nearly a thousand young women
who competed for a spot in the 2015
Tournament of Roses Royal Court.
“It feels amazing to be a part of
this magnificent event,” she told the
Inquirer.
The parade featured marching
bands, equestrians and flowercovered floats highlighting historic
figures, celebrities and popular
culture around the theme “Inspiring
Stories.”
'Unbroken'
A riderless horse represented
grand marshal Louis Zamperini, a
World War II hero and former
Olympian, who died in July.
Zamperini is the subject of a bestselling book and the movie
“Unbroken,” directed by Angelina
Jolie and now in theaters.
could handle it all, so my family and I
prayed about it,” she said. “We left it
in God's hands.”
Current said she is also very
grateful for the support of her
mother Kathy Castillo-Current, a
former beauty queen, and her father
Jerry, who was the first Mr. Asia-USA.
Fil-Am Rose Gabrielle Current, 17, blooms along the route of the traditional Rose Bowl Parade during the
126th Tournament of Roses in Pasadena, California, viewed by millions around the world. NIMFA RUEDA
Cast members from “The Love
Boat” rode on a Princess Cruises
float, one of 39 that paraded down
the 5.5-mile route on Colorado
Boulevard.
After the parade, Current and
the rest of the Royal Court were
presented at the Rose Bowl, where
more than 90,000 watched the
college football playoff featuring
Oregon and Florida State.
The event in California is
watched by an estimated 56 million
TV viewers across the United States
and 28 million from 174 countries
around the world. An estimated 17
million viewers switched to ESPN
afterward to catch the Rose Bowl
game.
Current recalls watching the
Rose Parade for the first time when
she was about six years old and
being enthralled by the Rose
Princesses. “I knew then I wanted to
be a part of this beautiful event,” she
said.
Dream come true
More than just a dream come
true, being a Rose Princess has also
been a source of pride for Current as
a m e m b e r o f t h e Pa s a d e n a
Ohio Fil-Am doctors'
medical mission will go
to Batangas and Leyte
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Free medical
services for residents of Tanauan City
and Malvar, Batangas, and Tacloban in
Leyte will be provided by doctors of
the Association of PhilippineAmerican Physicians of Ohio in late
January.
The medical mission will start
January 25 in Tanauan City and
Malvar in Batangas at the Laurel
Memorial District Hospital. The visit
is sponsored by Mayor Antonio C.
Halili and Mayor Carlito R. Reyes, MD,
respectively.
From February 2 to 6, the medical
mission will be in Tacloban City, at the
RTR Hospital under the direction of
Dr. Wilfredo Liao and sponsored by
the RTR Foundation and Mission
Tacloban under the direction of Ana
Margarita Ginggay Hontiveros.
APPO Mission Chair is Armando B.
Damian, MD and overall mission
coordinator is Carmencita Caliwara
Damian, MD. Rumilia Tolentino
Nogueiral, MD is APPO's president.
The mission will also visit to
Cabuynan Elementary School in
Leyte, which was rebuilt after
Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. The
Unified Filipino-American
Organizations of Greater Cleveland
donated classrooms to this school.
Inquirer.net
th
STO NINO of TONDO FIESTA MASS - The 19 year Fiesta
Mass will be held on January 17, 2015, Saturday at 3:00
nd
PM at ST. Mary's Church, 2 Street, between Manila Ave
and Erie St (near PATH Grove Station), Jersey City, NJ
07302. Please bring your own family Sto. Nino to be
placed in the altar with the Sto. Nino of Tondo. Fiesta
reception will follow. For more information, call: Leny M.
Isidro (551) 358-5234, Cita Roman (201) 333-5624 or St.
Mary's Parish (Carmen) (201) 434-8500
community. “It's an honor for me to
be able to serve my community,
where I grew up,” said Current, who
spent the three months leading up to
t h e N e w Ye a r ' s D ay p a ra d e
attending 125 events as a
Tournament ambassador.
It's a grueling schedule for any
teen, and when added to Current's
commitments as a senior at
Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy an all-girls Catholic high school - a
student leader and an aspiring
musical artist, it can get
overwhelming.
“At one point, I wasn't sure if I
Youth leader
The members of the Royal Court
were chosen based on a number of
criteria, including poise,
personality, public speaking ability,
academic achievement and
community and school involvement.
Current also serves as Historic
Filipinotown Teen Ambassador of
Goodwill.
She is a member of the National
Honor Society and the California
S c h o l a r s h i p Fe d e r a t i o n . A s
president of Vivace & Friends, she
produced a benefit concert that
raised $5,000 for Youth Orchestra
Los Angeles.
She studies classical voice at the
prestigious Colburn School of Music
in Los Angeles. She plans to major in
music management.
Current loves musical theater
and has performed in Phantom of
the Opera, Titanic, God Spell, West
Side Story, 9 to 5, and Xanadu.
Also a model, she has been
featured in many ad campaigns,
including those for Pottery Barn,
Macy's, Target, Ross and Kohls.
Inquirer.net
January 9-15, 2015
Page 20
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH starts foreign
borrowing via global
bond issuance
By Ben O. de Vera
Officials from the Philippine Stock Exchange blow horns as they ring the opening bell to start the first
day of trading for 2015 in Makati on Monday, January 5. Analysts remain bullish on the market with
the index expected to rise to 8,400, based on a 15 percent earnings growth for this year. MNS photo
Immediately following ERAP's politically motivated decision to impose a truck ban February last
year, container vans piled up to as much as 113 percent of Manila Harbor's container yard capacity.
(Photo by Ali Vicoy)
The past year's hottest issues
and inside information
By Andrew James Masigan
A number of businessrelated issues grabbed the
headlines in 2014, many of
which remain hot topics
today. Since this is my first
column for the year, let me
revisit some of last year's
issues and share the inside
information I gathered on
how they are likely to
develop in the year ahead.
Port congestion and the
world's worst airport
Immediately following
ERAP's politically motivated
decision to impose a truck
ban last February, container
vans piled up to as much as
113 percent of Manila
Harbor's container yard
capacity. This caused a ripple
effect of delays where vessels
waited up to nine days for
anchorage, and another 20
hours for unloading. Port
movements plummeted
from 25 moves per hour to
just 12 - a situation that
weighed heavy on the supply
chains of manufacturers and
traders alike. There are no
official statistics on its
economic impact, but best
estimates have it that the
economy lost some $12
billion in productivity. Last
December, container yard
utilization improved to 81
percent, but delays are still
rampant.
Meanwhile, over at NAIA,
select international flights
were moved from Terminal 1
to the bigger Terminal 3 last
August. NAIA 1 was
re n ova t e d w i t h m i n o r
aesthetic improvements put
in place. There has been no
change in the manner by
which NAIA is managed.
Runway traffic is still a
festering problem, with
flight delays still the norm.
So with our main air and
sea ports choking on their
own capacities, where do we
go from here?
While there have been
much talk about moving the
The government has started the
issuance of long-tenor bonds, on top of a
debt swap arrangement with global
investors, in line with the programmed
foreign borrowing for this year.
In a statement, the government said
a global offering for cash of its global
bonds due 2040 had started on Jan. 5.
The bonds are denominated in US
dollars.
No issuance amount was indicated
in the statement, although the amount
programmed for external commercial
funding in 2015 was set at $750 million.
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas,
meanwhile, approved in December last
year the issuance of up to $1 billion in
Republic of the Philippines (ROP) bonds
this year.
The pricing of the new bonds is
expected at about 4 p.m. New York City
time on Jan. 6 (or 5 a.m., Manila time, on
Jan. 7), according to the statement.
The joint lead managers for the 15year bond offering are: Citigroup Global
Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities
(USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities
Inc., Goldman Sachs (Asia) LLC, The
Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp.
Ltd. (HSBC), J.P. Morgan Securities LLC,
Morgan Stanley & Co. International plc,
Standard Chartered Bank and UBS AG,
Hong Kong Branch.
The settlement of the bond offering
would be on Jan. 20, the government
said.
The Philippines also invited holders
of 15 previously issued ROP bonds
maturing between next year and 2034
to submit offers to sell the bonds for
cash in an aggregate purchase price
amount determined by the government.
For the switch tender offer
transaction, the maximum purchase
amount should exclude accrued
interest, which would be payable in cash
on Jan. 12, according to the statement.
Deutsche Bank Securities and HSBC
will be the dealer managers for this offer,
while the latter will also serve as the
billing and delivering bank.
The submission period for ROP
bond holders interested to swap was set
for Jan. 5 and 6. Settlement date is Jan.
12.
The total outstanding principal
amount of ROP bonds maturing
between January 2016 and October
2034 stood at $19.723 billion as of Jan. 5.
In a separate statement, debt
watcher Standard & Poor's Ratings
Services (S&P) assigned a 'BBB' rating to
the Philippines' new dollardenominated global senior unsecured
bonds maturing in January 2040.
According to S&P's website, a 'BBB'
credit rating means there is an
“adequate capacity to meet financial
commitments, but more subject to
adverse economic conditions.”
“The ratings on the Philippines
reflect the country's strong external
liquidity and net external creditor
position, combined with an effective
monetary policy framework, which has
sustained a low inflation and interest
rate environment . These rating
supports are weighed against a
relatively low income level and fiscal
constraints owing to a narrow revenue
base and a shortage of basic
i n f ra s t r u c t u re a n d g ove r n m e n t
services,” S&P said.
National Treasurer Rosalia V. de
Leon said last year that the share of
foreign borrowings in the government's
financing program for 2015 would drop
to 14 percent from 17 percent in 2014.
Inquirer.net
California to begin work
on first US bullet train
country's main airport to
Clark and the seaport to
Batangas, I can tell you now
that this is not going to
happen. I recently spoke to
what they asked for,” Richard said. “We
Associated Press
DTI Secretary Greg Domingo,
have never ever stepped away from
who told me that
that vision, not one inch.”
FRESNO, California -- California's
government is not inclined to
Californians in 2008 approved a
high-speed rail project reaches a
move the country's premier
nearly $10 billion bond for the train,
milestone Tuesday, Jan. 6, as officials
ports outside the city since
and in 2012 the Obama administration
mark the start of work on the first US
its current location is
bullet train, which is designed to whisk dedicated $3.3 billion in stimulus
d e e m e d a c o m p e t i t ive
funds. The state Legislature last year
travelers at 200 mph (320 kph)
advantage. But here's the
dedicated to the project a portion of the
between Los Angeles and San Francisco
rub…how can NAIA and the
greenhouse gas fees collected under
in less than three hours.
Port Area expand when it has
the state's cap-and-trade program to
The ceremony in Fresno comes
neither the space nor the
amid challenges from Central Valley reduce greenhouse gases.
access roads?
Gov. Jerry Brown, a staunch
farmers and communities in the train's
My sources in
advocate
of the train, is expected to
path who have sued to block it and from
Malacañang told me that the
Republican members of Congress who attend the groundbreaking along with
developers of the Palm
hundreds of other dignitaries.
vow to cut funding for the $68 billion
Islands in Dubai (Jan De Nul
Bullet train systems in other
project. Opponents also say the state
and Van Oord) recently made
countries generate revenue, and
can't deliver the sleek project as it was
a presentation before select
California officials are banking on this
first promised.
cabinet secretaries and
one to entice private investment as well
Dan Richard, chairman of the
taipans proposing a
as to generate revenue from
California High-Speed Rail Authority,
reclamation project on the
advertising and development around
acknowledges the authority has been
southwestern side of Roxas
the stations.
slow to buy up most of the land needed
Boulevard. The area is said to
To make way for tracks, some
for laying track, but he is confident the
measure 20 square
demolition
started last year in Fresno,
system will be built, making California
kilometers or roughly the
but officials say work this year will be
a model for high-speed rail across the
u
Page 22
more intensive along the project's first
country.
“The voters are going to get exactly
u
Page 22
January 9-15, 2015
Page 21
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Top business stories of 2014: US grows, world slows
NEW YORK -– The year 2014
showed how sheltered the US
economy is from geopolitical and
health crises around the world. The
global economy sputtered, but the
US powered ahead. Employers are
finally hiring enough to lower
unemployment. A plunge in gas
prices and a rising stock market has
Americans feeling richer and
spending a bit more.
Those are some of the top
business stories of 2014, as chosen
by business editors at The
Associated Press. Others include
massive product disasters: A string
of auto recalls after faulty ignition
switches from General Motors Corp.
and air bags in many car models
caused injuries and deaths. Hackers
stole personal information from
millions of people in a wave of
breaches at stores, banks, a movie
studio and other organizations.
We' re a l s o b e c o m i n g
increasingly dependent on our
phones and tablets, using them to
communicate, play and pay.
Janet Yellen became the first
woman to head the Federal Reserve
and US workers won higher pay as
cities and states across the country
raise the minimum hourly wage.
Corporate deal-making was
also in the spotlight. Companies
acquired each other at a level not
seen since 2007, the year the Great
Recession began, while a burst of
businesses went public.
The top 10 business stories of
2014:
1.) U.S. GROWS AS WORLD
SLOWS: After a freezing winter put
a chill on buying and selling, the US
economy has posted its best six
months since 2003. But the rest of
the world hasn't been as lucky.
In this July 30, 2014, file photo, a builder works on the construction of new homes in Belmar, New Jersey. After a freezing
winter put a cold stop to buying and selling, the US economy has posted its best six months since 2003. AP PHOTO/MEL EVANS
Japan has fallen back into recession.
The 18 countries that make up the
eurozone are barely growing and
fear a dangerous drop in prices.
Major developing nations aren't
faring much better. China's growth
has dropped to a five-year low of 7.3
percent. Western sanctions and
dropping oil prices have decimated
Russia's currency. Brazil just edged
out of recession. What's helped the
US is its relative insulation.
American consumers, not exports,
are the main drivers of the world's
largest economy.
2.) JOBS ARE BACK: Millions of
Americans still struggle with low
pay and fewer hours of work than
they want, and millions have given
up looking for a job entirely. But five
years after the recession ended, the
US job market is looking healthy.
The unemployment rate is below 6
percent. Employers added nearly 3
million jobs, the most since 1999, as
shoppers and businesses spend
more. As a result, the Federal
Reserve ended its recession-era
stimulus program in October and is
edging closer to lifting interest
rates. The Fed has kept rates near
zero since 2008 to spur lending and
investment.
3.) SECURITY BREACHES: The
theft of 40 million credit and debit
cards and 70 million personal
records from Target last fall turned
out to be just the beginning. Home
Depot Inc. hackers nabbed 56
million cards and 53 million e-mail
addresses. There were breaches at
Kmart, Dairy Queen and
Albertsons. JPMorgan Chase & Co.
said hackers stole information
covering 76 million households and
7 million small businesses. Sony
employees' private information and
e-mails were posted online. The
consequences? Sony Pictures
Entertainment canceled the mass
release of “The Interview,” a
comedy about assassinating the
North Korean leader, after hackers
threatened to attack movie
theaters. Target Corp. replaced top
executives. Shops, card companies
and banks sped up card security
improvements.
4.) OIL PLUNGE: Global crude
prices have fallen to around $53 per
barrel from this year's high of $115
because of more production,
especially in the US, while slowing
economies in Europe and Asia
crimp demand. A rapid decline in
the second half of the year pushed
gasoline to about $2.26 a gallon in
the US, the lowest price in more
than five years. Americans are
pocketing $16.2 billion more a
month than when gas was at its
2014 high of $3.70. Cheaper crude
is also pumping up auto sales and
saving airlines money on jet fuel.
But drilling could slow in North
Dakota's new boomtowns and
other regions, hurting businesses
t h a t h ave c ro p p e d u p . A n d
governments in energy producers
Russia, Venezuela and Iran are
being squeezed, increasing the
likelihood of political upheaval.
5.) AUTO RECALLS: In the US
alone, automakers recalled more
than 60 million cars and trucks.
That far surpasses the previous
record of 30.8 million in 2004. The
bulk of those come from two
problems that have led to nearly 50
deaths and dozens of injuries.
Japanese air bag supplier Takata,
whose air bags can inflate too fast
and spew shrapnel, has fought
regulators' demands to expand
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Page 22
PH, Japan discuss
measures to further
boost investments
By Bernie Magkilat
NEW PEZA IT PARK, FIRST IN MANDAUE CITY. Norkis Cyberpark, Inc. Chairman Norberto B. Quisumbing Jr. (second from
left) signs the registration agreement with Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) Director General Lilia B. de Lima
to operate as an Ecozone Developer/Operator of an Information Technology Park located at A.S. Fortuna Street corner V.
Albano Street, Barangay Bakilid, Mandaue City to be known as Norkis Cyberpark. Also in photo are Johanna Lourdes B.
Quisumbing (left) of Norkis Cyberpark, Inc. and Danilo E. Ignacio (right) (DEI Properties, Inc.)
PEZA registers P6-B Norkis Cyberpark
By Bernie Magkilat
The Philippine Economic Zone
Authority (PEZA) has approved the
registration of the P6-billion
Quisumbing-owned Norkis
Cyberpark, the first IT park in
Mandaue City, Cebu.
PEZA Director General Lilia B.
de Lima said Norkis Cyberpark Inc.,
Inc. Chairman Dr. Norberto B.
Quisumbing, who is also chairman
of the Cebu-based conglomerate
Norkis Group of Companies, signed
its registration agreement.
The Cebu-based conglomerate,
which started in motorcycle
manufacturing business, will
develop a 2.8-hectare lot into an IT
park consisting of five BPO office
towers and a complementing retail
strip. The first office building,
called Norkis One and a specialty
retail strip called The Arcade shall
cater to the captive BPO market
and its surrounding neighborhood.
The cyberpark is being
developed by DEI Properties Inc.
Norkis Cyberpark will be the
third IT Park in the entire Cebu to
be approved by PEZA.
As a developer, Norkis is
entitled to 5 percent tax on gross
income earned while its locators
are entitled to five years in income
tax holidays.
The Quisumbing family
patriarch said its cyberpark
The Philippines and
Japanese governments are
discussing measures,
particularly infrastructure, to
further improve investments
climate in the country and
entice more Japanese
companies to locate here.
Japanese Ambassador
K a z u h i d e I s h i k a wa t o l d
reporters after his courtesy call
to Tra d e a n d I n d u s t r y
Secretary Gregory L. Domingo
that Japan would like to further
improve economic relations
with the Philippines.
“We discussed what kind
of measures we can pursue to
further increase Japanese
investments into the
Philippines. We covered
various issues like
infrastructure,” Ishikawa said.
While both Domingo and
Ishikawa did not discuss
specific action, the newly
installed Japanese envoy has
stressed the strong interest
among Japanese businesses to
project, which is funded via
internally-generated funds and
Ishikawa
bank loans from the country's top
three banks Banco de Oro,
invest in the country.
Metrobank and Bank of the
“We would like to see more
Philippine Islands, is expected to
Japanese investments here.
become its flagship project in the
Japanese businessmen are
future.
very serious, there is a very
The master planned
strong interest prevailing
development will help push
among Japanese business
development in the Mandaue City
persons to invest here,” he said.
area as well as increase overall
Already, the Philippines
e c o n o m i c a c t i v i t y. A t i t s
will be hosting a huge Japanese
completion, Norkis Cyberpark will
business delegation in
help generate 38,000 jobs.
February this year. The mission
The cyberpark, which is close
composed of over 40 Japanese
to the Norkis headquarters in
u
Page 22
Mandaue, has a three to five year
u
Page 22
January 9-15, 2015
Page 22
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
California ...
From page 20
segment a 28-mile (45kilometer) stretch from Fresno
north to Madera. A second
phase of work will occur along
the 114 miles (183
kilometers)from Fresno south
to Bakersfield. Plans call for
completing first 520 miles (837
kilometers) linking San
Francisco and the Los Angeles
Basin by 2029.
Rep. Jeff Denham, a Central
Va l l e y R e p u b l i c a n a n d
The past
year’s ...
From page 20
size of Makati. On it will be an
integrated central business
district and logistic center
containing the new airport and
seaport. It is a project that will
be developed over a decade at
the cost of some $30 billion.
The project assures Metro
Manila's relevance as a center of
business and trade within
ASEAN. I was also told that the
Banco de Oro affirmed its
capability to syndicate funding
w i t h o u t t a p p i n g f o re i g n
sources. The proposal is under
consideration and we should
know if Malacañang will give it
the green light this year.
Meanwhile, the immediate
remedy for NAIA is to expand
Terminal 2 to double its
capacity on the property
formerly occupied by Nayong
Pilipino. A third runway is also
contemplated, but right of way
remains an issue. As for the
Manila Harbor, the thrust is in
operational efficiencies as no
expansion is planned for 2015.
In all likelihood, port
congestion will persist.
Traffic
Traffic has eaten away on
our quality of life, not to
mention costing the economy
P140 billion in lost productivity.
There are good news and bad
news as far as traffic goes.
The good news is, several
infrastructure projects are now
under construction to give us all
relief. Among them are the
9.98-kilometer NAIA to Coastal
Road Loop; the 14.8-kilometer
skyway linking SLEX to NLEX;
outspoken critic of high-speed
rail, vows to block any federal
money for the trains because he
doesn't believe they'll be as fast
or carry as many riders as
initially promised. Without
funding, he said, the project
won't move beyond an initial
stretch in the Central Valley.
“It's hard to celebrate
breaking ground on what is
likely to become abandoned
pieces of track that never
connect to a useable segment,”
Denham said.
Officials say design and
planning already has created
632 jobs, and that the workforce
will rise to 20,000 over the next
five years.
Fresno Mayor Ashley
Swearengin, a Republican, said
she backs the rail system. In
addition to putting construction
workers on the job in the short
term, Swearengin said the rail
project will connect the Central
Valley agricultural region with
other sectors of the state's
economy. “We're stuck right in
the middle and it's difficult to
get in and out,” she said. “It fills a
deficit for Central California.”
Inquirer.net
the four-kilometer Daang Hari
Road; the LRT-1 Extension; and
the new MRT-7 line linking
Bulacan to Quezon City.
The bad news is, all these
will come online between 2016
to 2020. Until then, the traffic
situation will get worse.
Despite public clamor for
remedial measures like
imposing two-day car bans and
the like, my sources reveal that
both the MMDA and the City
Mayors cannot come to an
agreement on an appropriate
course of action. Political
considerations are getting in
the way, as no one wants to
expend political capital with
elections just around the
corner.
penetrate the aerospace,
electric vehicles, and natural
health products industries as
well. For seven quarters now,
the manufacturing sector has
grown between seven to nine
percent. This is an indication
that the decades of industrial
decline has finally reversed.
Manufacturing resurgence
The resurgence of our
manufacturing industries is the
b r i gh te s t n e ws o f 2 0 1 4 .
Manufacturing is now on a
sharp upswing thanks to the
i m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f DT I ' s
C o m p r e h e n s ive N a t i o n a l
Industrial Strategy. At the heart
of the strategy is the
formulation of what they call
“development roadmaps”.
These roadmaps provide the
framework and chronological
steps in which to elevate certain
industries from their current
state to a level of global
competitiveness. A total of 52
industries now have roadmaps
in varying stages of
implementation.
DTI's vision is for the
Philippines to become an
international hub for
manufacturing products of
advanced technologies. Not
only is the Philippines
jockeying to be part of global
supply chains for auto parts and
electronics, it is now trying to
A Filipino car
S p e a k i n g o f a
manufacturing resurgence, the
wait for a genuine all-Filipino
automobile may soon be over.
We heard that a Bacolodb a s e d c o m p a n y, C h a r i o t
Motors, is now building a 27hectare plant in Talisay, Cebu to
manufacture an all-Filipino car.
Chariot Motors is a jeepney
assembly company that's
responsible for building 70
percent of medium-sized
passenger vehicles in the whole
of Negros Island. The car will be
called “Parac” (bad choice) and
will utilize Filipino-made parts
except for the 1,600cc engine
which will be manufactured by
a n A m e r i c a n c o m p a n y,
Cummins. The car will be
retailed for P550,000.
Next week, watch out for my
round-up on DOT's Visit
Philippines Year and the
presidential bets for 2016.
Meanwhile, let me greet
everyone a happy and
prosperous new year!
Andrew is an economist,
political analyst and
businessman. He is a 20-year
veteran in the hospitality and
t o u r i s m i n d u s t r y. F o r
comments and reactions, email andrew_rs6@yahoo.com.
More of his business updates
are available via his Facebook
page (Andrew J. Masigan).
Follow Andrew on Twitter
@aj_masigan. Manila Bulletin
PH, Japan ...
From page 21
companies will be the biggest Japanese
mission to the Philippines for the past
three years.
Japan, the first country for the
Philippines to forge a bilateral
comprehensive free trade agreement,
is also one of the top sources of foreign
direct investments at 16 percent of
inflows to the Philippines. In terms of
trade, Japan is one of the Philippines'
top export markets, with bilateral
trade representing 14.5 percent of
Manila's external trade.
When asked if Japan will increase
PEZA ...
From page 21
development timeframe. Construction
of Office One, a six-story building at a
cost of about P300 million, has been
completed last year.
Upon completion, the whole Norkis
Cyberpark development will have
114,000 square meter of office and
retail space at the ground floor.
Quisumbing said that its
consultants have considered the hard
lessons learned from the recent
calamities in the design and structures
of the Norkis Cyberpark. Thus, the
buildings and the development are
designed to ensure we are ready should
something similar happen in the
future.
Quisumbing further said that its
foray in the BPO sector is in response to
the strong demand for BPO locators in
Top business
stories ... From page 21
recalls. And GM was fined the maximum
$35 million by US safety regulators for
dragging its feet - for a decade - over
replacing faulty switches that can shut
down car engines. The US Justice
Department is investigating both
companies.
6.) MOBILE MOMENTUM: PC sales
are slumping, but mobile phone
subscriptions are expected to reach 7
billion this year - the same as the
world's population. Phone makers are
launching cheaper smartphones aimed
at developing countries, which could
get billions more people online. Already,
more than a billion people check
Facebook on their phones and tablets.
The social media giant spent $22 billion
on a phone messaging app, WhatsApp.
Uber, a hail-a-cab app, is valued at $40
billion. Apple Inc., the iPhone and iPad
maker, launched a payment system that
sidesteps cash and plastic.
7.) STOCK MARKETS SOAR:
Another year, another record. The end
of the Federal Reserve's bond-buying
stimulus program stressed investors
this fall, but US stocks kept rising,
extending the bull market run to nearly
six years. More companies acquired
each other and big companies bought
up more than $400 billion of their own
stock, helping lift the Standard & Poor's
500 index 11 percent in 2014. And
despite the end of the Fed's bond
purchases, which was expected to
weigh on markets, bond prices rallied
and rates dropped.
8.) MINIMUM WAGE GROWTH:
Inequality has been rising, and median
household incomes have fallen since the
recession began in late 2007. But the
federal minimum hourly wage has
remained at $7.25 since 2009. Labor
its official development assistance to
the Philippines, Ishikawa said,
“Whatever is necessary we are willing
to assist the Philippines.”
On Monday, the new Japanese
ambassador was welcomed by Vice
President Jejomar C. Binay during the
latter's courtesy call at the Coconut
Palace. The two discussed the plans of
the Ambassador to improve Japan's
economic activities in the Philippines,
particularly in Southern Tagalog.
As the Presidential Adviser on
Overseas Filipino Workers' Concerns,
the Vice President also thanked the
envoy for his pledge to increase the
number of Filipino nurses and
caregivers in Japan. Manila Bulletin
Metro Cebu.
Cebu, which has 33,000 current
BPO seats, is ranked as the world's
eighth major destination for BPO firms
according to investment advisory firm
Tholons. Cebu has a very low 2 percent
office space vacancy rate at present.
Quisumbing noted that the
Quisumbing family, which has been in
business for over 40 years has
employed over 3,000 people only but
this new venture is going to employ
38,000 people.
Norkis, which used to be the
exclusive assembler and distributor of
Yamaha motorcycles in the country,
said that the motorcycle business has
been overcrowded because of the
entry of several Chinese brands.
Norkis has also taken in the
distribution of two Chinese brands
Haojie and Sunrise, which account for
15 to 20 percent of total motorcycle
market in the country. Manila Bulletin
organizers, fast-food workers and WalMart Stores Inc. employees have
campaigned for higher pay across the
country. Congress hasn't acted, but
cities and statesand President Barack
Obamahave. Obama raised pay by
executive order for government
contractors, to $10.10 an hour. By Jan. 1,
29 states and Washington, DC, will have
a higher minimum wage than $7.25.
Seattle approved an increase to $15 an
hour, the highest rate in the country.
9.) JANET YELLEN: The Federal
Reserve had been led exclusively by
men for a century. Then Janet Yellen, a
6 8 - ye a r - o l d f o r m e r e c o n o m i c s
professor and the No. 2 at the Fed,
became the first woman to lead the
central bank. Plainspoken, with a trace
of her native Brooklyn in her speech,
Yellen criticizes inequality, focuses on
jobs growth and has tried to demystify
the moves of the notoriously opaque
Fed. She has also tied the failure of most
economists to predict the damages
wrought by the financial crisis to a lack
of diversity in the field. She says that
increasing diversity is a priority at the
central bank.
10.) LET'S MAKE A DEAL: Higher
stocks and confidence lifted global
mergers and acquisitions volume to
highest level since 2007. Global deal
volume rose 20 percent to $3.41 trillion,
including debt. Climbing markets make
it easier to do stock deals, and
borrowing is cheap. Meanwhile, initial
public offerings had their biggest year
since 2000. Healthcare companies
made up 37 percent of all IPOs in the US,
nearly double the level in 2013. And the
biggest IPO ever, that of China's ecommerce behemoth Alibaba Group
Holding Ltd., raised $25 billion in
September. Associated Press - Tali Arbel
with Autos Writers Tom Krisher and Dee-Ann
Durbin, Economics Writer Chris Rugaber,
Energy Writer Jon Fahey and Technology
Writer Barbara Ortutay. Inquirer.net
January 9-15, 2015
Page 23
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Miss Universe Philippines Mary Jean Lastimosa (left) poses with Miss Finland Bea
Toivonen and Miss Israel Doron Matalon during a swimwear shoot in preparation
for the 63rd Miss Universe competition on January 25, 2015 in Doral, Miami.
MNS photo
Ariella Arida to host
online stint for Miss
Universe pageant
By Rissa M. Camongol
MANILA, -- Miss Universe 2013
third runner-up Ariella Arida is back
in the contest - this time as a host.
The Philippines' representative
to the Miss Universe pageant last
year has been tapped by the
organizers to be a backstage host
covering online events for this year's
contest.
Eighty-eight candidates will
compete for the crown during the
pageant which will be held in Miami,
Florida, on January 25.
“Feeling ko magco-compete ulit
ako,” Arida said in an interview with
ABS-CBN News on Sunday, adding
that she has since started working
out to prepare for her role as a host.
In the past two years, Miss
Universe title-holders Shamcey
Supsup and Janine Tugonon have
been tapped by Miss Universe
organizers to host events during the
pageant.
Arida said she hopes to be able to
speak to the Philippines' contestant
Television host German Moreno starts
undergoing therapy after mild stroke
By Allan Policarpio
MANILA -- Veteran TV host
German Moreno has started
u n d e rg o i n g t h e ra py a f te r
suffering a mild stroke on New
Year's day, according to his son
Federico.
Known in show biz circles as
Kuya Germs, Moreno is currently
confined in the Acute Stroke Unit
of St. Luke's Medical Center,
Quezon City. “Don't worry, he's
[doing] okay…he's in good
spirits,” Federico said in a text
message sent to the Inquirer
through GMA 7 head of corporate
communications Angel Javier.
“It's just that he cannot
entertain calls or guests in the
coming days,” added Federico,
who suspects that “overfatigue”
might have triggered his father's
stroke. “We humbly ask for
prayers for his quick recovery,”
Federico said.
Moreno, 71, currently hosts
the long-running, late night
variety-talk show “Walang
Tu l u g a n w i t h t h e M a s t e r
Showman” which airs every
Saturday. The TV personality
was last seen at Marian Rivera
and Dingdong Dantes' recent
wedding as one of the principal
sponsors. Inquirer.net
Charice, Alyssa talk about
getting married 'all the time'
Ariella Arida
By Rissa M. Camongol
MANILA -- Singer Charice
Pempengco and girlfriend
Alyssa Quijano talk about
getting married “all the time,”
especially when they are
attending weddings.
“We talk about it all the
time,” said Pempengco in an
interview with Philippine
Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph)
during the wedding reception
of GMA 7 stars Dingdong
Dantes and Marian Rivera on
December 30 at Mall of Asia
Arena.
We can't avoid it, she said,
“lalo na kapag uma-attend ng
weddings.”
As guests of Dantes and
charming public servant organized
Rivera, Pempengco and Quijano
free check up for eye cataract
said they were able to “relate”
patients in cooperation with JCI
to the happiness of the couple
Calamba.
Screen grab from Charice Pempengco's Instagram account (@supercharice)
who recently got married.
She also donated eyeglasses,
“It feels good when you find
wheel chairs, medicines and books in
'the one'… we can relate to it,” to be “stable” first, adding that doesn't mean I'm proposing
various schools and barangays in
Pempengco
said in a mix of they are not going to shirk from tomorrow,” she said in an
cooperation with Children
Filipino
and
English.
their responsibility to their interview on ABS-CBN 2 talk
International Philippines.
However, according to families. “Hindi matatapos ang show “Aquino and Abunda
Angelica also spearheaded blood
Pempengco, there are no responsibilities namin sa Tonight” aired on December 23.
donation campaigns, requested for
concrete plans yet: “There are family namin,” she said.
“(Alyssa and I) are both
discounts in private and public
many things that we still need
Charice admits to being turning 23 … marami pa
hospitals in Laguna, as well as
to accomplish in life. I want her inspired as well by the wedding k a m i n g d a p a t g a w i n a t
sponsored a free insulin project for
diabetics in cooperation with JCI
(Quijano) to finish her studies,” of fellow singer Aiza Seguerra kelangang maabot,” the singer
Hiyas de San Pablo.
she said.
and actress Liza Diño last said. Inquirer.net
u
Page 26
Pempengco said she wants month. “Inspired but that
this year, MJ Lastimosa, and help
boost her confidence.
“I'm thankful that I was chosen
by the organizers,” Arida said in
Filipino, “because this way I can
reach her (Lastimosa) and give her
advice.” Inquirer.net
Angelica Jones strikes
balance between politics
and showbiz
MANILA -- Angelica Jones Alarva
is making great effort to fulfill her
duties and responsibilities as
Laguna Board Member, even as she
also makes sure she satisfies
requirements given to her showbiz
career.
The actress-singer-turned
politician made clear, “I always make
i t my p r i o r i t y t o s e r ve my
constituents first and foremost. Sila
lagi ang inuuna ko.”
Not a few noted how hard
Angelica works for her constituents
going on to earn the tag “Laguna's
Angel of Public Service.”
Last October and November, the
German “Kuya Germs” Moreno. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ARNOLD ALMACEN
January 9-15, 2015
Page 24
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Marian Rivera defends
inadequate grasp of English
By Mikee Delizo
Actress Marian Rivera has
admitted to not being
proficient in English.
“Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho”
covered her recent visit to De
La Salle UniversityDasmariñas, where she earned
a d e g re e i n Psyc h o l o g y.
Although Marian described
herself in the episode as “hindi
ako kagalingan mag-English,”
she believes this should not be a
reason for people to bash her as
someone “na hindi matalinong
tao.”
She explained, “Kasi makagraduate ka sa isang
magandang eskuwelahan, sa
isang La Salle, dugo't pawis.
Walang bobong taong nakakagraduate ng (psychology).”
Back in 2010, Rivera was
ridiculed for her English when
she defended President
Noynoy Aquino over mental
health issues during the
presidential campaign.
“Isa po akong psychology at
nakikita ko na wala naman
siyang diperensya kaya sa
kanya pa rin ako kahit anong
sabihin nila,” she was quoted as
telling the press then.
Marian lamented how
quick people could pass
judgement about a person
based on English know-how.
“Ang sakit lang isipin… sana
maging malawak ang pag-iisip
ng mga tao tungkol sa
definition ng pagiging isang
matalinong tao. Kasi para sa
akin, ang matalinong tao,
('yung) marunong dumiskarte
sa buhay,”
She continued, “Aanhin ko
ang kagalingan sa pag-i-Ingles
kung hindi naman ako
marunong dumiskarte at hindi
ako mapagmahal sa mga
magulang ko, o nakakalimutan
ko ang mga kaibigan ko? Kung
ang definition ng matalino ay
pag-i-Ingles lang, huwag na
lang ako maging matalino.”
Boys Republic (Photo: www.newsen.com)
Boys Republic in Manila
By Jonathan M. Hicap
PROUD LASALLIAN: Marian Rivera visits DLSU-Dasmariñas. Photo
from her Instagram account
She then added, “Kapag
hindi ka magaling mag-English,
kahit nakatapos ka ng college
mo, kahit mabait kang tao, kahit
mapagmahal ka sa pamilya mo,
kahit matulungin ka sa kapwa
mo, feeling nila bobo ka. Pero
'pag matalino ka, kahit ipokirta
ka, kahit sinungaling ka o ano
mang definition nila, bakit ang
tingin ng tao, maayos pa rin,
basta nakakapag-Ingles ang
isang tao?”
Meanwhile, Teena Barretto,
the coordinator of Rivera's
lavish wedding to Dingdong
Dantes, defended the celebrity
couple amid criticisms that the
two did not spend their own
money for the occasion.
“Dingdong paid for the
wedding. And it was not a cheap
wedding,” she posted on
I n s t a g ra m . “ W h i l e s o m e
sponsors were graciously
accepted, most were politely
declined.”
She added, “The amount of
sponsorship / xdeal is not even
5% of the total wedding cost
paid by the groom.”
Marian and Dingdong tied
the knot on Dec. 30 at the
Immaculate Concepcion
Church in Quezon City, with the
reception being held at the
sprawling Mall of Asia Arena in
Pasay City.
Their 12-foot wedding
cake, sponsored by Goldilocks,
captured the attention of
international media for
possibly being the biggest of its
kind. Manila Bulletin
Boys Republic will be in the
country this week to promote their
new album via several shows.
Dubbed “Boys Republic Live in
Manila,” the first leg of the tour will be
held on Jan. 10 at Lucky Chinatown
mall at 2 p.m. This will be followed by
an appearance at the Venice Piazza in
The Fort at 7 p.m. the same day.
The second leg of the tour happens
on Jan. 11 at the Eastwood Mall at 3
p.m.
“We are very excited to meet you
guys for the first time,” Boys Republic
told fans in a video message.
“We are very happy to start off the
new year of 2015 with our fans in the
Philippines,” they added.
Boys Republic, composed of Sung
Jun, Sun Woo, Min Su, Su Woong and
One Junn, debuted in June 2013 with
the single “Party Rock,” which peaked
at No. 1 on iTunes' singles chart in the
Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and
Thailand.
They followed it up with their first
mini-album “Identity,” released on
October the same year. The album's
title track “You Are Special” zoomed to
No. 1 on Malaysia's KKBOX Chart in
2013.
In February last year, they released
“Video Game,” the first song in their
“Fantasy Trilogy.” this was followed by
“Dress Up” in July.
Boys Republic performed at the
6th MTV World Stage Live in Malaysia
last August alongside American hiphop artists B.o.B., Malaysia's Yuna and
Thailand's Thaitanium.
They made their comeback last
November with the new mini-album
“Real Talk,” which contains seven
tracks including “The Real One.”
Manila Bulletin
Daniel Padilla defends
dad from bashers
MANILA - Daniel Padilla cried foul
after some netizens continued bashing
his father, actor Rommel Padilla, for
supposedly telling him to prioritize his
career above anything else.
Padilla said these bashers do not
have the right to criticize because they
do not know his family personally.
“Nalungkot po ako dahil malungkot
po 'yung nangyayari sa social media.
MANILA - Former
Kaya ayoko niyan eh. Nakakalungkot
President and now Manila
na ang babata pa nung mga kung anuMayor Joseph Estrada finally
ano ang sinasabi sa amin. Akala mo
met actor Bernard Palanca,
kung sino nang may mga alam. Kaya
the boyfriend of his daughter
'yun talagang ikinalungkot ko, kahit si
Jerika Ejercito.
Pa p a , s i T i t o Ro b i n ( Pa d i l l a )
Palanca and Ejercito
d i n a d a m a y. M a s y a d o s i l a n g
welcomed their first baby
nagmamarunong. Masyado silang
early last year.
maraming alam,” he said.
In a series of posts in her
Although he usually does not mind
Instagram account, Ejercito
his detractors, Padilla said he got irked
shared photos where Estrada
this time because hurtful words have
can be seen with the actor.
Daniel Padilla
been thrown their way.
According to Ejercito, the
“Magaling nga sila eh. Medyo
metting between her father
tinamaan nila ako ngayon. Dati hindi their love team. However, the actor said
and her boyfriend made this
naman nila ako tinatamaan eh. Kaso this does not give fans the right to
Christmas extra special.
ngayon, medyo bumanat sila sa malign his father nor any member of
“Was going through my
pamilya ko. Medyo nakakalungkot na his family.
photos trying to free up some
ganun sila. Masyado silang
“Kung wala si Kathryn, wala naman
space and I didn't realise that
nagmamarunong,” he said.
ako. Totoo 'yun. Kaya malaki ang
someone managed to capture
Padilla said he understands why pasasalamat natin kay Kathryn. Ngunit
these precious moments
some fans are too possessive when it 'yun nga ang sinasabi ko, may mga
when @bjpalanca finally met
comes to him and his onscreen partner nagmamarunong na. Na akala mo sila
u
Page 26 Bernard Palanca and Jerika Ejercito
Kathryn Bernardo, admitting that he 'yung nagpapakain sa amin, sila yung
u
Page 26
wouldn't be where he is now if not for
Erap finally meets Bernard Palanca
January 9-15, 2015
Page 25
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Fall in love with Miguel Tanfelix and
Bianca Umali in Once Upon A Kiss
GMA Network rings in the New
Year with the launch of its newest
primetime series that will captivate
the hearts of Filipinos - Once Upon
A Kiss. It is a retelling of a classic
fairytale with a modern twist. The
program premiered on January 5
on GMA Pinoy TV.
Once Upon A Kiss is the story of
a boy in coma who is awakened
after being kissed by his childhood
friend and how they fought for their
love amidst the squabble between
their families.
Set to portray the lead roles in
the romantic drama series is the
youngest loveteam of the Kapuso
Network: Miguel Tanfelix as Prince
Pelaez and Bianca Umali as Ella
Ro d r i g o . A r m e d w i t h t h e i r
excellent onscreen chemistry and
natural acting skills, Miguel and
Bianca will make us believe once
more how love can bridge gap
between people, rich and poor, the
powerful and the needy.
GMA Network is proud to
present a stellar cast of the
country's most respected artists in
film and television including
Michael De Mesa, Cris Villanueva,
Mariel Pamintuan, and Tessie
Tomas.
This also marks Mylene Dizon's
comeback to the Kapuso Network
as she portrays the character of
Miguel Tanfelix and Bianca Umali
Giselle Pelaez Almario, Prince's
mother and the main antagonist in
the series.
Playing equally vital roles are
Manilyn Reynes, Kempee de Leon,
and Miss Nova Villa.
Adding star power to the
program are Al Tantay, Maricar de
Mesa, Frank Magalona, Betong
Sumaya, Sabrina Man, Eunice
Lagusad, Miggy Jimenez, Cai
Cortez,and Gabby Eigenmann.
Both coming from poor
families, Aurora (Manilyn) and Eric
(Cris) used to dream of having a
better life together. However, for
Material gain, Eric gives up his love
for Aurora and pursues Giselle
(Mylene), the daughter of the family
that owns the rest house where
Aurora's parents work.
Later on, Aurora marries Jimmy
(Keempee), Eric's friend. Eric, on
the other hand, regrets marrying
Giselle because her family just
treats him like a puppet in their
company.
Prince (Miguel) is the son of
Eric with Giselle, while Ella
(Bianca) is the daughter of Aurora
with Jimmy. Although their families
are mortal enemies, they become
childhood friends. But, they
become separated when Prince
leaves for the city.
They cross paths once again
when Prince returns to their town
as a teenager. However, the once
kind and humble Prince is now an
arrogant and egotistical kid. Will
Prince and Ella be able to rekindle
their friendship and relationship?
Will their love story have a happy
ending despite the complications
a n d i n t e r ve n t i o n s o f t h e i r
respective parents?
Under the helm of acclaimed TV
director Bb. Joyce Bernal, Once
Upon A Kiss premieres January 5 on
GMA Pinoy TV.
Get the latest updates on Once
Upon A Kiss from its official
Facebook page www.
facebook.com/7OnceUponAKiss
and Twitter account
@7OnceUponAKiss. For more
information on GMA International
events and updates, visit the
we b s i te , w w w. G M A N e t wo rk .
Com/international.
Ex-lovers Kris Aquino,
Herbert Bautista end
year on good terms
By Rissa M. Camongol
MANILA -- After reconciling
with estranged friend Ai Ai de las
Alas, Kris Aquino has also made
peace with another person who
became close to her heart in the
past year.
On the January 6 episode of
her talk show “Aquino and
Abunda Tonight,” Kris Aquino said
ex-boyfriend Mayor Herbert
Bautista went to her house shortly
before the New Year to make
amends to her and end the year on
a good note.
The night before she was to
attend the wedding of stars
Dingdong Dantes and Marian
Rivera, Aquino said the Quezon
City mayor visited her at home.
She said “personal nyang
ginustong tapusin ang taon na OK
kami, na friends kami (Bautista
personally wanted to end the year
with us being on good terms, as
friends).”
Aquino said Bautista's gesture
was what inspired her to try to be
friends with De las Alas again. “I
appreciated his (Bautista's)
gesture; maybe Ai Ai would have
Vic Sotto and Pauleen Luna
Aquino and Bautista share a light moment in this photo taken last year.
Inquirer file photo
the same reaction as mine if I do
the same to her,” Aquino said.
“I felt so good that (Bautista)
gave me the importance to see
me,” Aquino said, adding she
wanted De las Alas to feel the
same toward her.
Aquino and Bautista had a
short-lived relationship last year.
In April, Aquino admitted in her
talk show that she and Bautista
were dating. A couple of months
later, Bautista said in another TV
interview that their relationship
did not work out because of the
conflict it had with his children.
Aquino responded later that
month to Bautista by saying “true
love graciously lets go.” She also
said she wished him good things
and hoped they could be friends
again. Inquirer.net
For Vic Sotto, Pauleen Luna,
marriage first before baby
MANILA -- "Eat Bulaga" cohosts and celebrity couple Vic Sotto
and Pauleen Luna are not
discounting the possibility of
having kids of their own.
Sotto, 60, quipped, "Meron,
meron!" when asked if he and Luna
have plans to build their own family,
in light of their close relationship
with co-star Ryzza Mae Dizon, who
is 9 years old.
"Not now," the 26-year-old Luna
interjected, laughing. "Ako naman,
not now!" Explaining her answer,
the actress said: "[I don't want to get
pregnant] because I'm not yet
married. Doon naman tayo sa
tamang proseso."
Asked if she still feels
unprepared to become a mother at
her age, Luna said, "I think there's
no particular age that you're ever
ready. When it comes, you will be
ready."
Sotto, who has four children,
earlier said he would be happier if
another baby comes along. The
comedian also chose to keep mum
when asked if he plans to propose
marriage to Luna in 2015. (MNS)
January 9-15, 2015
Page 26
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Tom Rodriguez serious
about Carla Abellana
MANILA - It seems like things
are getting serious between
actor/host Tom Rodriguez and
actress Carla Abellana.
Rodriguez admitted that he
is exclusively dating the actress,
adding that what he feels for
Abellana is really special.
“All the time naman. It's an
evolving thing and it's always
getting stronger and getting
better. Well I'm not seeing
anyone else. And I don't plan to,”
he said.
“Mas tumitibay pa nga eh and
sinasabi ko na wala nga akong
ibang mas or nararamdaman na
ganito ka-espesyal na
relationship, sa kanya lang,” he
added.
Just recently, the two made
headlines following a report
saying the actress' father does
not approve of Rodriguez, after
he saw the actor lose his temper
on the set of a game show.
Abellana, however, defended
Rodriguez saying there is no
truth to such report.
“There's really no truth
behind it. Si Tom pa, napakabait
na tao. Hindi ko alam kung saan
nanggagaling 'yun,” she said.
Contrary to reports, Abellana
said her father is actually looking
forward to getting to know
Rodriguez more.
ANDERSON. Stars in Christmas TV drama about a young man who needs a
kidney transplant.
Gerald teams up with
Maja for the first time
By Mary Ann Bautista
Gerald Anderson has a lot to be
thankful for this Christmas. He has a
flourishing career and a supportive
girlfriend. He credits his blessings to
his faith in God. He explains, “There are
people who drown their sorrows in
alcohol or drugs. I chose to be caring
and loving, so I help out in charities,
which brings me a different type of
fulfillment. When I'm feeling low,
charity work makes me feel light. The
more blessings I receive, the more I
want to be a blessing to others!”
Carla Abellana and Tom Rodriguez
Gerald is also happy he has found
love in Maja Salvador: “She will drop
everything for you. She's my rock and
inspiration!” When he found himself
caught in between ex-girlfriend Kim
Chiu and Maja, he says he learned to
turn promises into goals.
He elaborates, “Does it make me
less of a man if I don't make promises?
My goal is to have a very long
relationshipI want the kind of
marriage that lasts a lifetime!” He is
paired with Maja for the first time in
the Christmas special, “The Gift of Life.”
Inquirer.net
Angelica Jones
strikes ... From page 23
To make sure she is always in
touch with the people of Laguna,
she holds a “people's day” meeting
every Monday.
She also goes around various
places in Laguna's third district
every Wednesday just to see how
the people there are doing.
Angelica recently received the
Most Inspiring Women in Public
Service 2014 award. MNS
Erap finally ...
From page 24
dad. Best Christmas to date. God has
blessed beyond what we could ever ask
for and we intend to make it right in His
time,” she said.
Ejercito also shared some photos
where the former President can be seen
bonding with her son.
In Ejercito's latest post, Palanca can
also be seen joining the Estradas in
their family picture.
Several months back, it was
reported that Estrada does not approve
Daniel Padilla ...
From page 24
nagpalaki sa amin. 'Yun ang malungkot,”
he said.
According to Padilla, he always
reminds his fans not to engage with
others who are spreading negativity.
“Kahit naman anong sabihin ko,
hindi naman titigil. Ilang beses ko nang
sinubukan. Kahit 'yung last time kong
get-together diyan sa malapit sa bahay,
sinabihan ko na 'yung mga supporters
Angelica Jones Alarva
of his daughter's relationship with
Palanca.
In an interview with “The Buzz”
which was aired on October 20, Estrada
said Palanca hasn't reached out to him
yet.
“I don't know anything about it. No
[I haven't met him yet], no [efforts to
reach out]. I don't know,” he said at the
time. Asked if it is true that he
disapproves of Palanca to be her
daughter's partner, Estrada said at the
time: “Anong tatanggapin? Nag-eenroll ba? Meron na silang pamilya
'yun. Bahala na sila.”
ko na 'yun, 'yung talagang mga solid,
limang taon ko nang kasama. Simula pa
lang, nandun na hanggang ngayon.”
“Sinabihan kong marami nang
magulo eh. Kahit nga ako ang gulo ko na
eh. 'Wag na silang sumali, sabi ko.' Sabi
ko, 'Huwag niyo na lang pansinin.
Magkaroon na lang tayo ng sarili nating
mundo. Maging suplado na lang tayo
para wala na lang masabi,'” he said.
Setting aside controversies, Padilla
said he will just do his best in all his
projects and give whatever his fans
deserve.
January 9-15, 2015
Page 27
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
'Amazing Praybeyt
Benjamin' crosses
P300-M milestone
MANILA -- Vice Ganda-starrer
''The Amazing Praybeyt
Benjamin'' surpassed the P300million mark at the box office, the
comedian announced.
In a tweet, Vice Ganda said the
Metro Manila Film Festival
(MMFF) entry has earned P300
million since opening on
Christmas day.
This means that the film is on
track to match the gross earnings
of another Vice Ganda-starrer
"Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy," an
entry in last year's MMFF that is
currently the highest-grossing
Philippine film of all time.
Dominic Du of the MMFF
executive committee said that the
annual film fest has already
earned more than P701 million as
of January 1.
He added that it surpassed
the gross-box office receipts of
last year's MMFF by around five
percent.
Du also revealed that "English
Only, Please," which stars Derek
Ramsay and Jennylyn Mercado,
leapfrogged "Kubot: The Aswang
Chronicles 2" to take the last spot
of this year's top four entries.
Adam Dietlein
The cast towing their luggage at the airport’s arrival area
'Beauty and the Beast' cast arrives in Manila
Vice Ganda
The romantic comedy won
Best Director, 2nd Best Picture,
Best Screenplay, Best Original
Story, Best Editor, and the top
acting honors at the awards
ceremony held on December 27.
The other top grossing
e n t r i e s , a s a n n o u n c e d by
Metropolitan Manila
Development Authority
chairman Francis Tolentino back
on December 26, are "The
Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin," My
Big Bossings," and "Feng Shui 2".
By Janine Villagracia
MANILA -- Every fan who's
been counting the days until
“Beauty and the Beast” starts its
Philippine run can now celebrate
as the cast of the renowned
animated feature film-turnedtheatrical show is finally in the
country. The entourage's flight
touched down at the Ninoy Aquino
International Airport (NAIA)
Terminal 3 at around 11:20 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 5.
Leading the cast of the musical
adaptation are actors Hilary
Maiberger and Darick Pead who
will play Belle and Beast
respectively, while supporting cast
includes Adam Dietlein as Gaston,
Jordan Aragon as Lefou, Paul Crane
as Maurice, Emily Matthenson as
Mrs. Potts, Hassa Nazari-Robati as
Lumiere, James May as Cogsworth,
and Charlie Jones and William
Poon as Chip. Jones and Poon will
be assuming the young cup's role
alternately.
Asked what the crowd can
expect from the show that they are
about to bring to the Philippine
stage, cast member Adam Dietlein
said, “They're gonna expect the
energy and just the Disney love.”
“Beauty and the Beast” in
Manila is presented by Disney
Theatrical Productions, NETworks,
Broadway Entertainment Group,
MKFAE and Ovation Productions,
which is producing a musical show
for the first time in its 35 years in
business. The show will run from
January 9 to 25, 8 p.m., at the CCP
Main Theater. On Saturdays and
Sundays, the show is at 2 p.m.
Tickets are priced at P7,895;
P6,845; P5,790;P4,740; P4,210;
P3,160; and P2,105, and are
available at ticketworld.com.ph
and beautyandthebeast.com.ph.
Inquirer.net
Chris Brown talent fee fully paid: 'Don't Wake Me Up’
By Pocholo Concepcion
MANILA -- Chris Brown either
threw a tantrum or simply missed
his flight to Manila on the day he was
scheduled to perform at a New
Year's Eve countdown concert at the
Philippine Arena, a source
contracted to provide Filipino
music artists to the event told the
Inquirer.
The 25-year-old Brown - an
American R&B/hip-hop singersongwriter who has had brushes
with the law and had pleaded guilty
five years ago to a felony charge for
assaulting his former girlfriend, pop
star Rihanna - reportedly lost his
passport on Dec. 30, a day before the
concert, and subsequently failed to
board a commercial flight to Manila.
The Maligaya Development
Corp. (MDC) management said
Brown's local representative, Mike
Pio Roda of Pinnacle Live Concepts,
had informed them only on
Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 31, that
the singer could not make it to the
concert that evening.
The source, who provided other
artists to the concert, said that
Brown did not seem inclined to
return his talent fee and that MDC
was contemplating a lawsuit
against the artist.
“We were informed that Chris
(was) still in Los Angeles because
according to them, Chris Brown lost
his passport the day before the
scheduled event,” a statement from
the MDC management said.
The New Year Countdown
concert at the Philippine Arena in
Ciudad de Victoria in Bocaue,
Bulacan province, proceeded as
scheduled even without Brown, a
press statement from the Iglesia ni
Cristo (INC) said.
INC general auditor Glicerio
Santos Jr. said the main event in the
countdown concert dominated by
rock star Bamboo was the 30minute fireworks display before a
capacity crowd in the 55,000-seater
Philippine Arena.
Unprofessional
“That's a lot of bull,” said the
Inquirer source - who requested
anonymity because he was not
authorized to speak on the matter adding that the incident was a
reflection of Brown's
unprofessional attitude. His talent
fee had been fully paid before he
was to fly to Manila, said the source.
There was talk that the entire
production, including talent fees for
other performing artists, cost over
$1 million (or more than P44
million), although at press time this
had not been confirmed by the
concert organizer.
Brown lost his passport when it
was “stolen from his vehicle,” said
Roda, who told the Inquirer he was
hired as a talent consultant to
negotiate the singer's contract for
the concert.
Roda, whose office, Pinnacle
Live Concepts Ltd., is based in Hong
Kong, said he learned about the
stolen passport from Brown's
management only on Dec. 31.
But Brown's initial entourage
composed of his tour manager, crew
and dancers arrived at the Ninoy
Aquino International Airport (Naia)
before 9 p.m. on Dec. 30, said
Jasmine Macaraeg, head of the
pending approval… However, if he
cannot reach an agreement… he
would aim to come (to Manila) on
tour at some point… (but) no plans
just yet. So far, MDC has not agreed
to do a separate concert with him.”
Chris Brown. AP
Filipino road management team
assigned to meet the artist and his
group and handle all their needs
before, during, and after the
concert.
Second entourage
Macaraeg added that Brown
himself was scheduled to arrive
with a second entourage at 11 a.m.
on Dec. 31 via Korean Air, and was
booked at the Manila Peninsula.
Brown's group was supposed to
include “his manager, a personal
security, an assistant, a friend, a
p h o t o g r a p h e r, a n d B r o w n' s
girlfriend.”
Only the photographer from
that flight made it to Naia, said
Macaraeg, who added that a text
message from the concert promoter
said that Brown had missed his
flight and might arrive “8 p.m. on
Dec. 31, still via Korean Air.”
She was then informed that
Brown's flight would hopefully
arrive “9:30 p.m. via Delta Air,”
Macaraeg said.
A third advisory from the
concert promoter said Brown had
not yet left the United States, but
would take a chartered private jet,
although his management was still
negotiating for a pilot and permit to
land at the Clark International
Airport in Pampanga province.
The last message Macaraeg
received was at 3 p.m. of Dec. 31,
saying that Brown might not arrive
at all. “But his dancers were
rehearsing until 4 a.m. of Dec. 30,”
she said.
Not canceled; rescheduled
“I can't speak on behalf of MDC
nor do I know if that is true or not,”
said Roda, who was quoted by MDC
in a statement sent to media as
saying: “We are currently in
communication with the venue and
exploring all options to address this
cancellation. We hope to amicably
come to terms on how we (will)
proceed next…”
Roda told the Inquirer that
“Chris' intention is to reschedule,
Other concert performers
The other concert performers in
the New Year's Eve concert were KZ
Ta n d i n g a n , M o r i s e t t e , S a m
Concepcion, Enrique Gil, Brisom
and Tempura Kidz.
Several artists also performed
at the nearby Philippine Sports
Stadium, including Kitchie Nadal,
Barbie Almalbis, Rico Blanco and
pop and rock bands 6cyclemind,
Callalily, Imago, Itchyworms,
Mayonnaise, Parokya ni Edgar,
Autotelic, Brisom, Kjwan, Sandwich,
Silent Sanctuary, Spongecola and Up
Dharma Down.
On Tuesday, Dec. 30, top OPM
artists Shamrock, Hajji Alejandro,
The Voice Kids, Rey Valera, Asin,
Coritha, Juan Rodrigo, FBC Rebirth
and Willie Nepomuceno also
performed at the stadium and
kicked off the two-day New Year
concert.
On that same day, a “Kabayan
Ko, Kapatid Ko” concert topbilled by
Kathryn Bernardo, Snooky Serna,
Leo Martinez, Victor Wood and
Anthony Castelo was held inside the
Philippine Arena.
The 2015 Philippine
Countdown Concert, the first to be
held at the Philippine Arena which
had been declared the largest
mixed-use theater in the world by
Guinness World Records, was seen
to be the start of such yearly events
in the venue. Inquirer.net
January 9-15, 2015
Page 28
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Pacquiao fed
up, tells Floyd
‘I don't care!'
In this Sept. 27, 2014, file photo, Muhammad Ali is shown before the Ali Humanitarian
Awards ceremony in Louisville, Ky. A family spokesman for Muhammad Ali says the
boxing great has been released from a hospital after recovering from a severe urinary
tract infection. AP
Boxing great Muhammad Ali
released from hospital
Associated Press
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky -- Boxing
great Muhummad Ali has won his bout
with a severe urinary tract infection.
The three-time world heavyweight
champion was released from an
undisclosed hospital Tuesday (Jan. 6)
night, family spokesman Bob Gunnell
said Wednesday. Ali is back home and
looking forward to celebrating his 73rd
birthday on Jan. 17 with his family and
friends, Gunnell said.
“He's in great spirits and enjoying
being back home,” Gunnell said. “He's
back in his daily routine.”
Ali has been waging a battle with
Parkinson's disease for years.
Ali was hospitalized Dec. 20 with
what was initially believed to be a mild
case of pneumonia. Doctors later
determined Ali was suffering from a
severe urinary tract infection and not
pneumonia, Gunnell said.
He said the Ali family appreciates
the outpouring of support and well
wishes.
Ali and his wife, Lonnie, have homes
in Paradise Valley, Arizona; Berrien
Springs, Michigan; and in Louisville.
Gunnell would not say which of his
homes Ali had returned to. Inquirer.net
In this social media post, boxing champ Manny Pacquiao urges Floyd Mayweather to just 'sign the
contract' so their fight could push through. INSTAGRAM SCREENGRAB
By Cenon B. Bibe Jr.
MANILA -- Showing signs of irritation of the
bragging of Floyd Mayweather Jr., fighting
congressman Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao
taunted the American boxer to just make good
on his claims to face him in the ring.
“Floyd brags about his lifestyle and
everything! I don't care!” Pacquiao said in a
social media post Monday (Jan. 5) night.
Pacquiao was apparently referring to posts
of social media posts of Mayweather showing
his shoes, jewelry and jetsetting.
The undefeated Mayweather has also
dropped a May 2 date for his possible date with
Pacquiao on the ring.
In response, the Filipino champion retorted
that Mayweather should just “sign the contract.”
“I'm just waiting here for him to sign the
contract!” Pacquiao said, who recently defended
his WBO welterweight crown against another
American Chris Algieri. Inquirer.net
Chess grandmaster Wesley So. PHOTO BY SUSAN POLGAR
Wesley So sweeps Las
Vegas chess tourney
By Bert Eljera
LAS VEGAS. Nevada -- Wesley So
d e fe a te d g ra n d m a s te r Ts e g m e d
Batchuluun of Mongolia in the ninth and
final round Tuesday, December 30, to
easily capture the $10,000 first prize in
the 24th North American Open chess
championships at Bally's Casino Resort.
With several hours rest, the fresh-
looking So prevailed in 46 moves to
score his seventh win against two draws
to close out with eight points in the fiveday tournament in which he was not
threatened in any game.
In the eighth round, he settled for a
quick 18-move draw with grandmaster
Julio Becerra, a Cuban defector now
based in the United States, allowing him
u
Page 29
January 9-15, 2015
Page 29
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
6 Tips for Improving Your 'Lines of Gratification'
Wesley So ...
From page 28
'The Michael Jordan of Lung Surgery' Lists Principles that Reliably Yield Success
some rest in the hectic nineround tournament in which
two rounds were played
each day.
Draws
It was the second draw
for the top-seeded So. In the
seventh round, he also drew
with Chinese GM Xiangzhi
Bu after a marathon 89
moves.
So was so dominating
his closest pursuers, which
included Bu, and Becerra
only had 6.5 points.
The victory capped a
successful 2014 for the 21year-old So, who won in
three other prestigious
tournaments, including the
Millionaire Chess Open in
the nearby Planet Hotel &
Casino, in which the
$100,000 first prize was the
richest in chess history.
He ended the year with a
live rating of 2770.7, good
for No. 10 best in the world.
Nouri keeps winning
Eight-year-old Alekhine
Nouri, meanwhile,
continued his winning ways,
emerging champion in the
blitz competition in the
Under 1900 section.
In the tournament that
lasted until early morning in
FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri. FACEBOOK
Las Vegas and playing
against opponents more
than half his age Nouri
scored nine wins against one
loss to pocket the top prize of
$400.
He won $ 818 more by
finishing tied for third to
ninth places in the regular
Under 1900 tournament to
which he jumped after
starting his stint in the Under
1700 Section.
He started with a little
over 1600 FIDE rating but
was listed with 1800 after he
joined the Under 1900
Section in which he won five
straight and drew the final
round. Inquirer.net
As we enter 2015, Dr. Robert J.
Cerfolio, a world-renowned
cardiothoracic surgeon, says it's never
too early to think about selfimprovement this year.
“Habitual procrastination can
really hurt you in the long run because
waiting to take care of something that's
obviously important to you health,
money, family matters weighs on your
subconscious,” says Dr. Cerfolio, known
as “the Michael Jordan of lung surgery.”
Understanding one's personal
“line of gratification” is the foundation
for sticking to self-improvement goals,
he says.
“There are many kinds of lines of
gratification,” he says. “For some,
they're the number of zeroes in their
bank statement; for others, the curves
of their muscles after they leave the
gym. It's good and healthy to look back
on your hard work and admire what
you have accomplished before moving
on to the next task.”
Dr. Cerfolio, author of “Super
Performing at Work and at Home: The
Athleticism of Surgery and Life,” shares
tips on how to make those lines of
gratification more impressive.
Be an early riser. The main reason
operating rooms hum into action at 7
a.m. is tied to human physiology; the
bodies of patients are better able to
handle the stress of surgery at that
time.
“People are generally better off
getting work done early in the day
when we're better prepared for stress
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 01 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 01 Crossword
and performance,” he says. “And
getting a job done early frees you up
later in the day.”
Love what you do. Why wouldn't
yo u wa n t t o t a ke o w n e r s h i p ,
responsibility and pride in what you do
for a living? When you treat a job as
only a means to a paycheck, you are
missing the point. If your job isn't the
one you'd really love to have, don't
make it worse with a negative attitude.
Instead, make it your own. Make it a
point of personal integrity and
principle to challenge yourself to
achieve something every day. After all,
40 hours a week is a long time to stay
anywhere.
Ask yourself: Did I really try my
best? “I tried my best” is a common
refrain from those who haven't
reached their goals. An honest
response you can ask yourself is, “Am I
sure?” This question is not about being
overly critical. It's simply about
realizing that, if you had practiced or
studied an extra 10 minutes each day,
you would've been that much closer to
your goals.
Set specific, measurable goals.
Results define goals. Every individual
should have clear goals that are
objective and measurable. Goals such
as “to be happy,” “to do well at work” or
“to get along” are too nebulous. To be
successful, you have to be able to define
your goals by measurable results.
Find the high ground. In anything
you do, aspire to live up to the noblest,
highest aspect of your job. Certain jobs
such as police work, firefighting,
teaching or working in health care are
service oriented, so it's easier to feel
good about your contributions. Look
for the contributions you're making in
your job and take pride in what you're
doing to make the world a little better.
Be the go-to guy or girl. This takes
time, practice and the confidence
necessary to want the ball in a critical
situation. Being the go-to guy or girl
means being willing to take
responsibility and risk failing. A go-to
person is also willing to speak up about
problems or changes necessary in a
business or organization, and suggest
solutions.
About Robert J. Cerfolio, MD, MBA
Robert J. Cerfolio, MD, MBA, is the
James H. Estes Family Endowed Chair
of Lung Cancer Research and Full
Professor Chief of Thoracic Surgery at
t h e U n ive r s i t y o f A l a b a m a i n
Birmingham. He received his medical
degree from the University of
Rochester School of Medicine, surgical
training at the Mayo Clinic and at
Cornell-Sloan Kettering hospital, and
has been in practice for more than 26
years.
The author of “Super Performing at
Work and at Home,” Cerfolio, who was a
First Team Academic All-American
baseball player in college, is a worldrenowned chest surgeon and
recognized as one of the busiest and
best thoracic surgeons in the world.
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Sharpens
6. Norse god
10. Wacky
14. Precise
15. Not a single one
16. Small island
17. Acts as an agent
19. Resorts
20. Results
21. Mesh
22. Flippant
23. Pry
25. Sources of ore
26. A song for 2
30. Anagram of "Rioted"
32. Beguile
35. Impulses
39. Cling
40. Hit the sack
41. Welcome mat
43. Aerial
44. Ethical motive
46. Doe
47. Eagerness
50. Part of the
large intestine
53. Speaker's platform
54. Estimated time of
arrival
55. Wreck
60. Fog
61. Variation
63. Ancient Peruvian
64. Margarine
65. Days of the month
66. A covered garden
walk
67. No more than
68. Sleighs
DOWN
1. Not there
18. South southeast
2. Beasts of burden
24. Animal doctor
3. Short sleeps
25. Sacred song
4. Beige
26. Deceased
5. Metal
27. Annul
6. In song, the loneliest 28. Reflected sound
number
29. Thermoregulator
7. Put clothing on
31. Ripped
8. Temporary
33. Knight's "suit"
9. Where a bird lives
34. Close
10. Demoralized
36. A climbing plant
11. Type of poplar tree 37. Sea eagle
12. Emergency signal 38. Char
13. Exams
42. Feeling
43. American Sign
Language
45. Layabout
47. Blend
48. Drizzly
49. Platters
51. Lyric poem
52. Geeks
54. Anagram of
"Dome"
56. Genuine
57. Initial wager
58. Frozen
59. Not more
62. Enemy
January 9-15, 2015
Page 30
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
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Fil-Am ...
From page 9
“I'm very committed to it and I'm very
passionate about the mission of what SFPD
is trying to do. At this point, I'm just trying
to do my best to live up to it and exceed it.”
If there's one thing that
Kovitprakornkul is worried about, it's that
she would not want to cause her mother
any anxiety. Her grandfather is an army
veteran who received quite a few honors.
“My mom said, 'As long as what you're
doing and what you're standing up for is
the right thing, you know I can live with it.'
So when she gave me the OK, that's when I
went full force and I was like, OK I'm going
to do this. This is what I want to do and I'm
glad you guys support me.”
During the training, the staff put so
much emphasis on officer safety. “But as
long as you're doing what you're supposed
to be doing, at the end of the day, you
should come home to your family. So I feel a
lot better about it.”
Evelyn Galang, Kovitprakornkul's
The Filipino Express is
only $40 (52 copies) for
one year.
That’s only 77 cents per
copy and mailed right to
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mother who hails from Pampanga, is a
nurse working at St. Luke's Hospital.
Happy and proud of her daughter, she said,
“Kung mamamatay, mamamatay ka [if you
die, you'd be doing it] at least for the
country.”
The family moved to America in 1991
through a petition by Galang's father.
Galang and her husband have three
children. Tasawan is their middle child.
Parker: Go for it
Parker, the other Fil-Am in the 241st
recruit class, is 33 years old, married and
has two kids. Born and raised in Iloilo
before moving to America when he was 15
years old, Parker has a B.A. in kinesiology
from San Francisco State University and a
master's in sports management from the
University of San Francisco.
He joined the police force “for
opportunity and acquired passion.”
“I always wanted to talk to people, help
them. That was my objective. I saw the
connection between sports and interacting
with people and I thought, this is a great
job,” Parker said.
Formerly an athletic coach at Skyline
College, he considers it worthwhile to
protect and serve the city, akin to a duty.
Apart from the classroom lectures and
tests in the academy, the new SFPD officers
were given stress simulation exercises and
defensive tactics training to prepare them
for the high-risk job.
Every phase of the training was
difficult. “But for me, it was trying to get out
of my shell, trying to get out of my comfort
zone,” Parker said.
“The stuff we've done all throughout
the training was tough and finding myself
in doing those things, those are the things
that I would cherish and appreciate. I
learned something about myself that I
never thought I would do and what I can
handle or can't handle. I probably added
strengths and weaknesses along the way.”
While joining the force is tough
emotionally and physically, Parker
encourages anyone with the same passion
to go for it. “If you really want this job and
you're determined, I would say go for it and
your family will support you. So get a right
mindset to go for it.” Inquirer.net
January 9-15, 2015
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THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
January 9-15, 2015
Page 32
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS