The Filipino Express v28 Issue 01

VOL. 28 w
NO. 01 w
NATIONAL EDITION w
NEW JERSEY w
NEW YORK w
JANUARY 3 - 9, 2014 w
(201) 434-1114 w
$1.00
Story on Page 2
Covered in hundreds of Christmas lights, a house in Cainta, Rizal, welcomes the New Year in style. August Dela Cruz
US help sought on Fil-Am tied to Mexican cartel
By Jerome Aning, Nikko Dizon,
Norman Bordadora
The Philippine National Police
(PNP) is coordinating with the
United States Drug Enforcement
Agency (DEA) to locate the FilipinoAmerican who is alleged to be the
conduit of the Mexican Sinaloa drug
cartel here and who has reportedly
left for the US, a police official said
Friday.
The alleged liaison has been
identified as Jorge Gomez Torres, a
cockfighting aficionado who leased
the Batangas property that was
turned into an illegal-drug storage
facility that yielded P420 million
w o r t h o f s h a b u ( o r
methamphetamine hydrochloride)
during a Christmas Day police raid.
“It's a big possibility that he
(Torres) is the contact. He left for the
US the second week of December,”
said Chief Insp. Roque Merdegia, the
spokesperson of the PNP AntiIIlegal Drugs Special Operations
Task Force (PNP-AIDSOTF), in a
phone interview.
But Torres' whereabouts in the
US have yet to be established, he
said.
Aside from Torres, police are
also hot on the trail of the other
conduits of the Sinaloa drug cartel,
Merdegia said.
PH caps 2013 with
fourth beauty title
MANILA -- The
Philippines ended 2013
with a fourth world
beauty title.
Cebuana beauty
Angeli Dione Gomez was
crowned Miss Tourism
International, besting 59
other candidates in a
pageant held in Putrajaya,
outside of Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia, on New Year's
Eve.
It was a back-to-back
victory for the
Philippines, as Gomez
inherited the crown from
fellow Cebuana Rizzini
Alexis Gomez (they are
not related), the 2012
winner.
Gomez's victory
followed the 2013
triumphs of Miss
Supranational Mutya
Not well-entrenched
In separate interviews,
Merdegia and a military intelligence
source said the Sinaloa drug cartel
FOURTH CROWN. Angeli Dione Gomez of the
was not exactly a well-entrenched
Philippines reacts after she was named the winner
syndicate in the Philippines.
in the Miss Tourism International pageant in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia, on New Year's Eve, becoming the
Instead, it is just among the
u
Page 8
country's fourth world beauty titlist in 2013. AP
several foreign organizations doing
business in the international drug
trade that has established a
business network in the country, a
military source said on condition of
anonymity.
u
Page 8
De Blasio sworn
2013: The year Filipinos in as mayor of
New York City
said 'No' to corruption
Story on Page 5
AQUINO'S BOSSES AGAINST PORK. From all walks of life, Filipinos, including children, came
in droves to Rizal Park in Manila to take part in the Million People March to protest the
misuse of the multibillion-peso pork barrel of lawmakers and to call for the pork's abolition.
Marianne Bermudez
Agence France-Presse
NEW YORK -- New
Yo rk ' s n e w D e m o c ra t
Mayor Bill de Blasio was
s w o r n i n We d n e s d a y
promising to restore
progressive ideals and end
growing economic
inequality in America's
biggest city.
De Blasio, 52, who in
November won a landslide
election to become New
York's first Democratic
mayor in 20 years, took the
oath of office one minute
after midnight during a
ceremony in front of his
Brooklyn home, flanked by
his wife, Chirlane, and their
two teenaged children.
“This is the beginning of
a road we will travel
together,” he told a few
dozen supporters gathered
outside his home, during a
short speech ahead of a
formal swearing in
ceremony later Wednesday.
The modest oath
While his wife, Chirlane McCray, center, holds the
bible, Bill de Blasio, right, takes the oath of office,
administered by former President Bill Clinton, left,
during the public inauguration ceremony at City Hall
u
Page 9
in New York, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2014. AP
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
World greets 2014 with
lights and sounds
By Reuters
The world has welcomed 2014 with lights and sounds as seen from down under Sydney, Australia to upstate New York. The
following are scenes captured by Reuters photographers as New Year celebrations exploded everywhere in bright, vivid colors.
Manila Bulletin
Fireworks explode around the London Eye wheel during New Year
celebrations in central London January 1, 2014. REUTERS/Toby Melville
Fireworks explode over the city of Innsbruck and the Nordkette
mountains during New Year celebrations January 1, 2014.
REUTERS/Dominic Ebenbichler
Fireworks explode over Independence Square where pro-European
integration supporters take part in New Year celebrations, in central Kiev,
January 1, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev
Fireworks explode over Edinburgh Castle during the Hogmanay (New
Year) street party celebrations in Edinburgh, Scotland January 1, 2014.
REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Fireworks explode next to the bronze statue of Alexander the Great, in
Skopje January 1, 2014. REUTERS/Ognen Teofilovski
People look towards fireworks exploding from Times Square's New
Year's Eve Ball during New Year's Eve celebrations at Times Square in
New York, December 31, 2013. REUTERS/Zoran Milich
Revellers celebrate as fireworks explode in the sky during New Year
celebrations in Sofia January 1, 2014. REUTERS/Pierre Marsaut
The Philippine flag, among other flags in Canberra's United Nations
Flag Boulevard, also witnessed the New Year revelry in this part of the
globe. (Photo from RFCA)
Fireworks explode next to the Quadriga sculpture atop the Brandenburg
gate during New Year celebrations in Berlin January 1, 2014.
REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz
Fireworks explode over the temple of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis
hill during New Year's Day celebrations in Athens January 1, 2014.
REUTERS/Yorgos Karahalis
Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour to usher in the new year, in
Sydney January 1, 2014. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Fireworks explode next to the Quadriga sculpture atop the Brandenburg
gate during New Year celebrations in Berlin January 1, 2014.
REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 3
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
New Year's Eve tally of injuries increasing
Police in Ilocos Sur province on
Thursday, Jan. 1 formed a task
force to look for a person who fired
the gun whose bullet killed 3month-old Von Alexander Llagas
in Caoayan town on New Year's Eve
as more cases of stray-bullet
injuries were reported across the
country.
A 2-year-old boy and a woman
were added to the number of
victims of indiscriminate firing
during the holiday season, the
Philippine National Police (PNP)
said Thursday.
Senior Supt. Wilben Mayor,
PNP spokesman, said 30 people
had been reported hit by stray
bullets since Dec. 16.
The latest victim was Jahred
Stephan Bitacora, of Barangay
(village) Aplaya, Digos City, who
suffered a gunshot wound in his
left hand.
Bitacora, 2, was with his father
watching a fireworks display near
their home around midnight on
Dec. 31 when the incident
occurred, said Senior Supt.
Ronaldo Llanera, Davao del Sur
police director.
Carmen Samson, 50, of
Rosario, Batangas province, was
hit on her right leg by a bullet from
a .45-cal. pistol.
Pasig City
In Pasig City on Tuesday night,
a bullet tore through the roof of a
house.
Ramon Cariol, an overseas
Filipino worker, noticed the hole
on the roof of his residence on Sto.
Niño Street in Barangay Palatiw
around 11:30 p.m., according to a
police report.
Upon searching, he discovered
a bullet of a still-unknown caliber
in a room, the report said.
The incident took place
minutes before a stray bullet hit
the forehead of 2-year-old Diane
Vocal in Barangay Caniogan. She
survived.
DOH tally
As of Thursday morning, the
number of fireworks-related
injuries rose to 804, including
stray-bullet injuries, according to
the Department of Health (DOH).
Out of the cases, 793 were
fireworks injuries, 459 of which
were caused by illegal firecrackers,
such as piccolo and 5-star.
The DOH based the data on
reports of 50 hospitals nationwide
as of Jan. 2. Mayor said local police
units had been ordered by the PNP
chief, Director General Alan
Purisima, to exert all efforts to
identify and arrest the persons
responsible for indiscriminate
firing in their respective areas of
jurisdiction. “The PNP is gathering
evidence to identify and locate
those behind these incidents of
illegal discharge of firearms,”
Mayor told the Inquirer on the
phone.
A firecracker victim arrives at Dr. Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in
Manila during New Year revelry. Photo by Richard Reyes
3 cops arrested
He said 15 persons, including
three policemen, had been
arrested for firing their guns
during the New Year's Eve
celebrations.
Mayor said the PNP Firearms
and Explosives Office was helping
police investigators to identify
registered gun owners near the
residence of the victims of stray
bullets.
2 soldiers in custody
In Naga City, the Philippine
Army said two of its personnel had
been placed in the custody of the
military police in Naga City for the
illegal discharge of their service
firearms.
Capt. Anthony Bacus, officer in
charge of the Army's public affairs
office, said the two soldiers belong
to the 9th Infantry Division.
As of Thursday, the group
headed by Supt. Feliciano Gubatan,
deputy operations chief of the
Ilocos Sur police, had yet to receive
information that would lead them
to the person who fired a shot that
killed baby Llagas.
Crime lab
Senior Insp. Reynaldo
Mendoza, Caoayan town police
chief, said the slug removed from
Llagas' head had been taken by
personnel of the PNP regional
crime laboratory in San Fernando
City in La Union province so they
could determine the type of
firearm that killed the baby. The
test's results will be released on
Jan. 3.
Mendoza said the police also
made an inventory of licensed gun
holders in the victim's home
village of Barangay Anonang
Mayor. Their guns, he said, would
be inspected and subjected to
ballistic examination.
He said the police were
expecting a PNP technician who
would determine the bullet's
trajectory and plot the possible
location of the gunman when he
fired his gun at 11:50 p.m. on Dec.
31.
Reward money
Ilocos Sur Gov. Ryan Luis
Singson on Wednesday offered a
P250,000 reward for people who
could offer information that would
help solve the case.
Valeriano Llagas, the boy's
father, said he was looking forward
to celebrate his birthday on Jan. 3
with his family but the tragedy
struck.
He said it would have been the
first time he would celebrate his
birthday with Von, the youngest of
his four children.
“I am hoping that this case
would soon be solved to ease our
sadness and pain a bit,” he told the
Inquirer. Inquirer.net
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 4
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Jinggoy Estrada happy
'unlucky' 2013 over
passage of beneficial laws and
policies in the years to come,”
Estrada said.
By Norman Bordadora
Noting how the number 13
has been particularly unlucky for
his family, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on
Wedneday seemed happy to say
goodbye to the year just past,
probably his worst as a politician
since his father, the country's
13th President, Joseph Estrada,
was ousted in 2001 and convicted
of plunder in 2007.
I n a N e w Ye a r ' s D a y
statement, Estrada said he was
looking forward to 2014 after
spending half of 2013 defending
himself against charges that he
helped himself to fat kickbacks
from his pork barrel entitlements
that were made to appear to have
gone to what turned out to be
fictitious projects and dubious
foundations.
“This year has been a very
challenging time for me and my
family. I, together with my two
colleagues in the chamber, have
been unfairly accused in
connection with the so-called
pork barrel scam,” he said in a
statement.
Estrada said the number 13
was “especially controversyladen, not only for [him] but for
[all] the Estradas.”
He said his father, who's now
mayor of Manila, became the 13th
President of the Philippines in
1998, “but the term was cut short
by an impeachment in 2000 and
unconstitutional removal from
office in 2001.”
“Thirteen years after, I am
now the one charged by the
Department of Justice,” Estrada
said.
The Department of Justice in
2013 filed plunder charges
against Estrada, Sen. Juan Ponce
Enrile and Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr.
and many others in connection
with the P10-billion pork barrel
scam in which the lawmakers
were accused of pocketing their
pork allocations in a kickback
scheme allegedly orchestrated by
another coaccused, detained
businesswoman Janet LimNapoles.
He said he was looking
forward to 2014 “as a more
productive year in terms of
meaningful legislation and public
service, and a more auspicious
period marked with resolution
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada: Unlucky 13
and absence of controversies.”
“I trust that in due time, the
truth will come out and my name
will be cleared,” he said.
Still performing his job
Estrada claimed that the
accusations against him have not
deterred him from performing his
job and carrying out his propoor
advocacies.
The senator, who chairs the
Senate committee on labor in
both the previous and present
Congress, said he steered the
passage of several
administration-backed
legislative measures.
These included the
K a s a m b a h ay L aw t h a t s e t
minimum salaries and specific
benefits for domestics and that
President Aquino signed into law
in January 2013.
Estrada said that before the
conclusion of the previous 15th
Congress, President Aquino also
s i g n e d t wo m o re p r i o r i t y
measures that were steered by
the Senate committee on
laborRepublic Act No. 10395, or
an Act Strengthening Tripartism,
and RA 10396, or an Act
Strengthening ConciliationMediation as a Voluntary Mode
for Dispute Settlement for all
Labor Cases.
“I hope to carry on with the
healthy cooperation and
productive collaboration with the
Department of Labor and
Employment and active
stakeholders in the labor sector in
crafting and pushing for the
Priority labor measures
Estrada vowed to support and
act on the priority labor measures
in the present Congress, including
the proposed magna carta for
seafarers, the apprenticeship bill,
a bill aimed at strengthening the
Public Employment Service Office
and nine other bills.
Before the Senate blue ribbon
committee investigated the pork
barrel scam that implicated
Estrada and the two other
senators, the panel investigated
DOLE officials involved in the
alleged “sex-for-flight” scandal in
the Middle East.
It was Estrada who brought
the issue to the attention of the
Senate in a privilege speech.
Estrada said he also called for
a public hearing for a new charter
of the Overseas Workers Welfare
Administration “in an effort to
effectively address the growing
concerns of the millions of
overseas Filipino workers.”
In yet another privilege
speech after his name was
dragged into the pork barrel
scam, Estrada disclosed that 20
senators, including himself, who
voted to convict Chief Justice
Renato Corona in early 2013, got
from Malacañang additional pork
barrel funds in amounts ranging
from P50 million to P100 million,
a few months after Corona's
Senate trial.
Malacañang eventually
admitted that the money came
from its hitherto unheard of
Disbursement Acceleration
Program (DAP), the
constitutionality of which is now
being questioned before the
Supreme Court.
“I am fully committed to
making the best out of my
remaining two years in office as a
senator. I shall continue to
become the representative of the
masses in the Senate, as I have
introduced myself to the
electorate in earning my
mandate. I will work even harder
and double and triple my efforts
to serve the people and the
m a s s e s ,” E s t r a d a s a i d .
Inquirer.net
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. Inquirer photo
DBM Saro Gang
unmasked
The National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI) has pinpointed
some of the members of the “Saro Gang”
alleged to be responsible for the
photocopying of original special
allotment release orders (Saro) to
secure the release of congressional
pork barrel funds for public projects.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on
Friday confirmed to reporters the
existence of a fake Saro syndicate
composed of employees of the
Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) and congressional
staff.
“We're looking at a driver and a
janitor in the office of [Budget]
Undersecretary Mario Relampagos. We
have their names but we can't reveal
them yet. The NBI is still looking into
other personnel,” she said.
Asked how highly-placed the
people involved are, De Lima replied:
“We're looking into that.”
As to whether any lawmakers are
involved, she said: “So far there's no
indication that congressmen knew.”
As for the mastermind of the scam,
known only by the code name
“Supremo,” De Lima said that “insiders”
interviewed by investigators have
named a woman. De Lima declined to
elaborate.
“No further details until further
validations,” she said.
Modus operandi
A Saro is a document issued by the
DBM that allows the release of lumpsum funds, such as that from a senator's
or a congressman's pork barrel
allotment, officially known as the
Priority Development Assistance Fund
(PDAF). Its release paves the way for
the issuance of a notice of cash
allocation (NCA) which in turn triggers
the release of the funds.
The Saro Gang's modus operandi is
to photocopy advance copies of the
Saros and turn them over to their
contacts in the congressional offices
where signatures are superimposed to
make the documents appear genuine.
The congressional contact then
shows the copy of the Saro to the local
executive where the project is located
who in turn shows it to a contractor
who will then advance at least 20
percent of the cost of the project.
The contractor will then be
awarded the project and will get paid
upon the issuance of the NCA.
“The NBI is now looking for the
office where the signatures are faked. Is
it inside the DBM or outside?” De Lima
said.
“Part of the probe [is to determine]
how long this has been going on and if
there were fake Saros that were
[encashed],” she added.
She believes the reason the
syndicate was resorting to faking Saros
was so they could give advance
information to the contractors “so that
percentages (kickbacks) can be
negotiated.”
Report due end of January
The NBI investigation covers Saros
issued in Cagayan Valley worth P161
million and in Western Visayas worth
P77 million.
De Lima said the NBI would try its
best to submit a report on the fake Saro
investigation by the end of January next
year.
When the scam was uncovered last
October, the DBM quickly canceled 12
Saros covering P875 million worth of
farm-to-market projects, the funds for
which have not yet been released nor
signed by the authorized signatory,
then Assistant Secretary Luz Cantor.
De Lima earlier said she believed
the scam was hatched by DBM insiders.
Several DBM employees
subpoenaed by the NBI have appeared
before the bureau with their lawyers
and gave statements to the
investigating team. Inquirer.net
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January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 5
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
2013: The year Filipinos said 'No' to corruption
By TJ Burgonio
MANILA -- It was a
tumultuous year marked by the
pork barrel scandal, the siege by
secessionist rebels and a
devastating supertyphoon, but
2013 was also a breakout year
for Filipinos who said “No” to
corruption, former National
Treasurer Leonor Briones said
on Thursday.
Thanks to whistle-blowers,
Janet Lim-Napoles' alleged
racket of converting P10-billion
pork barrel into kickbacks
through dummy foundations,
forged signatures of officials, and
strong under-the-table political
connections came to light.
It was so scandalous that
thousands across the country
took to the streets to protest the
large-scale misuse of taxpayers'
money, and President Aquino
eventually announced it was
about time the pork barrel
system was abolished.
Some were ready to sweep
the scandal under the rug,
arguing that the annual pork
barrel allocations of 24 senators
and close to 300 congressmen
constituted only 1 percent of the
budget, but the citizens were not,
said Briones, a professor at the
University of the Philippines'
National College of Public
Administration and Governance.
“The money is being
squeezed from (the public), so
naturally their reaction is very
strong,” she said by phone.
If the massive protests and
strident calls for the abolition of
the pork barrel proved anything,
she said it was this: “We're
getting back to our senses. It's
not enough to accept things as
they are. We can demand
change.”
The protests had been
fanned by an Inquirer
investigative report and a
subsequent report by state
auditors on the misuse of the
Priority Development
Assistance Fund (PDAF), the
official name of the legislative
pork barrel.
Eventually, a complaint for
plunder was filed against
Napoles, Senators Jinggoy
Estrada, Ramon Revilla Jr. and
Juan Ponce Enrile and 34 others
before the Office of the
Ombudsman over the scam.
Fo r m e r S e n . A q u i l i n o
Pimentel Jr. acknowledged that
the removal of lawmakers'
discretion in identifying projects
would redound to the good of the
country.
But he aired reservations on
the abolition of the pork barrel,
arguing that most lawmakers
allotted it for scholarships and
medical assistance for their
indigent constituents.
“Anything that results in
reaching the level of political
service to the people is good
even if in the process people may
have to pay the price,” he said by
phone Wednesday.
Otherwise, the pork barrel
system was “good” as long as the
money “wasn't stolen and didn't
go into the wrong hands,”
Pimentel argued.
Close on the heels of the pork
barrel scandal, another
controversy, this time about the
Disbursement Acceleration
Program (DAP), broke out.
In a privilege speech in
September, Estrada ranted about
being singled out in the pork
scam, but opened another can of
worms when he disclosed that
senators, including himself, were
allotted an additional P50million pork barrel after the
Senate convicted Chief Justice
Renato Corona in May 2012.
It turned out three of his
colleagues got a bigger allocation
for their pet projects. Franklin
Drilon got an allocation of P100
million; Francis Escudero, P99
million, and Enrile, P92 million.
Pressed for details, Budget
S e c re t a r y F l o re n c i o Ab a d
admitted 20 senators received
additional pork barrel
allotments amounting to P1.107
billion after Corona's trial and
that the fund was sourced from
DAP.
He said the DAP mobilized
pooled savings and was a
mechanism introduced in 2011
to stimulate government
projects including projects
chosen by lawmakers.
Constitutional and legal
experts, however, argued that
the releases from DAP were
unconstitutional because this
“new animal” was never
mentioned in the General
Appropriations Act.
The President defended it,
saying only 9 percent of DAP
releases in 2011 and 2012 went
to p ro j e c t s s u g g e s te d by
legislators.
Observed Briones: Suddenly,
the executive department and
Congress swapped rolesthe
President and the Cabinet
officials were the ones who
“allocated” money while the
lawmakers “implemented”
projects.
“In the case of the DAP, it's not
even in the General
Appropriation Act. There's no
constitutional basis. You can't
spend it without a
corresponding appropriation.
The DAP has no appropriation,”
Briones said, adding that DAP,
like the PDAF, should be struck
down as unconstitutional by the
Supreme Court.
In November, the Supreme
Court justices voted 14-0 to
declare the 2013 PDAF as
unconstitutional. The high court
nullified all legal provisions of
past and present congressional
pork barrel laws. The court has
set oral arguments for DAP on
Jan. 28.
Pimentel, head of the Center
for Local Governance at the
Makati University, said the public
was the biggest gainer from the
DAP controversy. “Because of
what happened, officials are
becoming more conscious of the
n e e d t o a b i d e by h i g h e r
standards than before,” he said.
The government needs to
mobilize more funds to respond
to rehabilitation requirements in
calamity-hit areas of the country.
Inquirer.net
A GREEN Porsche lands at Port Irene, the port of choice of used-car importers that are
operating in Cagayan province. Richard Balonglong
Customs helpless vs
used car imports
By Melvin Gascon
BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya Customs officials have admitted
to being helpless against the
influx of imported used vehicles
into the Cagayan Special
Economic Zone and Freeport
(CSEZFP) in Sta. Ana town,
Cagayan province.
“We have our backs against
the wall,” said Leilani Alameda,
deputy customs collector in the
district that covers the Cagayan
free port, a known turf of Sen.
Juan Ponce Enrile.
Alameda said officials could
not stop used car traders from
having the imported, secondhand
cars processed for release
because of a court ruling that
stopped the government from
enforcing a ban on used car
importation.
“We risk getting sued again,”
Alameda said in a phone
interview.
Alameda was referring to a
November 12 ruling by Judge
Neljoe Cortes of the Regional Trial
Court (RTC) in Aparri town that
the previous ban on used car
importation has been “impliedly
repealed” by an executive order
issued by now detained former
President Gloria MacapagalArroyo.
Cortes' ruling was used by the
Cagayan Economic Zone
Authority (Ceza), which manages
the Cagayan free port, to issue an
u
Page 6
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 6
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
AP FILE PHOTO
1,400 corpses unburied 7 weeks after 'Yolanda’
Agence France-Presse
TACLOBAN CITY -- More than a
thousand dead victims of
Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan)
lay unburied Saturday, seven weeks
after the region was battered by the
Philippines' deadliest storm,
residents living alongside the
stench said.
About 1,400 corpses, in sealed
black body bags swarming with
flies, lay on a muddy open field in
San Isidro, a farming village on the
outskirts of the destroyed central
city of Tacloban, an AFP reporter
saw.
“The stench has taken away our
appetite. Even in our sleep, we have
to wear face masks,” said local
housewife Maritess Pedrosa, who
lives in a house about 20 meters
from the roadside city government
property.
Yolanda killed 6,111 people and
left 1,779 others missing on
November 8, according to the
National Disaster Risk Reduction
Customs helpless
vs used car ...
From page 5
import permit to Fenix (Ceza)
International Inc., a used car
importer.
On December 14, 347 imported
vehicles arrived at Port Irene, the
CSEZFP's main port. The shipment's
arrival is seen to pave the way for a
revival of the used car industry at the
Cagayan economic zone, which hit a
snag in February after then Customs
Commissioner Ruffy Biazon ordered
a stop to used car importation.
B i a z o n , h oweve r, m a d e a
turnaround, allowing the processing
of two shipments of vehicles
consisting of more than 700 units
that were covered by his suspension
order.
and Management Council.
This made the storm, which
also left 4.4 million people
homeless, one of the deadliest
natural disasters in Philippine
history.
Tacloban and nearby towns
were devastated by tsunami-like
giant waves unleashed by Yolanda
which accounted for a majority of
the dead.
The council's spokesman,
Reynaldo Balido, said he was
unsure if the official death toll
already included the cadavers in
San Isidro.
Eutiquio Balunan, the local
village chief, said government
workers assigned to collect the
typhoon dead began trucking them
to San Isidro on November 10,
where they have been exposed to
the tropical heat and heavy
seasonal rainshowers.
There, state forensics experts
try to identify the corpses, he told
AFP.
The processed corpses are then
turned over to relatives, while those
that are unclaimed are tagged and
taken to a mass grave at the city
cemetery about three kilometers
away.
“Our tally comprises those
already tagged and processed by
the local governments,” Balido, the
disaster council spokesman, told
AFP.
Balunan, the village chief, said
the processing of the cadavers had
been suspended over the Christmas
weekend as the forensics experts
went on holiday.
“We are requesting the city
government to please bury the
cadavers because our children and
elderly residents are getting sick,”
he said.
“This place has become a fly
factory.”
The cadavers are guarded by
eight policemen. One officer who
asked not to be named said they are
under orders to prevent the
cadavers from being eaten by stray
dogs. Inquirer.net
In an earlier interview, Biazon
cited the “continuous challenge” put
up by car traders on the legal basis of
his suspension order, which, he said,
contradicted a ruling of the court.
On the basis of the court order,
Nilo Aldeguer, Ceza senior deputy
administrator, said Biazon gave the
order for the processing of the
imported units “through a text
message” in August.
The RTC ruling was promulgated
on Nov. 12, a copy of the decision
showed.
Alameda said that since no
written order was issued by the
Bureau of Customs central office,
they were constrained to processing
the clearance of the 347 newly
imported vehicles once these were
presented to them.
“But so far, no import entry has
been filed,” she said. Inquirer.net
5.1 quake hits off
Surigao del Norte
MANILA -- A 5.1
magnitude earthquake
struck off Surigao del Norte
at 5:56 p.m. Jan. 2, the
Philippine Institute of
Volcanology and
Seismology said.
There were no
i m m e d i a te re p o r t s o f
damage or injury from the
quake that hit 62
kilometers northeast of
Burgos town at a shallow
depth of 21 kilometers.
Phivolcs initially put its
magnitude at 4.3.
The temblor was felt at
Intensity III in Burgos and
Intensity II in the town of
Del Carmen, also in Surigao
Del Norte.
The Philippines sits on
the Pacific “Ring of Fire”
where continental plates
collide casuing frequent
s e i s m i c a n d vo l c a n i c
activity. Inquirer.net
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 7
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
US
reminded
on
responsibility
for
What Went Before:
Damage wrought by coral reef destruction in Sulu Sea
USS Guardian
By DJ Yap
MANILA -- On Jan. 17 last
year, the Avenger-class
minehunter USS Guardian ran
aground on the south atoll of
the Tubbataha Reefs while
sailing to Indonesia following
a port call on Subic Bay.
The grounding damaged
2,345 square meters of coral
on the reefs, a United Nations
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization
(Unesco) World Heritage Site
in the middle of the Sulu Sea.
After 10 weeks, the
salvage operation was
completed by a Singaporebased salvor company hired
by the US Navy. The ship had
to be dismantled piece by
piece so it could be lifted
without damaging the reef
further.
I t
w a s
t h e n
decommissioned and
stricken off the naval registry.
In April 2013, the
commanding officer of the
Guardian, Lt. Cmdr. Mark
Rice, the executive officer and
navigator Lt. Daniel Tyler, the
assistant navigator and the
officer of the deck at the time
o f t h e g ro u n d i n g we re
relieved.
In the same month, the
Tubbataha Management
Office (TMO) said it would
fine the United States not
more than $1.4 million (about
P60 million) for the damage
to the Tubbataha Reefs.
The report of the
assessment team, composed
of divers and researchers
from the TMO and World
Wide Fund for NaturePhilippines, showed that the
d a m a g e d a re a s p a n n e d
2,345.67 sqm, smaller than
the initial estimate of 4,000 sq
m, which would have pushed
the fine to $5 million, or about
P200 million.
Under Republic Act No.
10067, or the Tubbataha
Reefs Natural Park Act of
2009, a fine of about $600 or
P24,000 per sqm of damaged
reef is mandatory.
In June 2013, the US Navy,
in a report on the results of its
own investigation, said the
lack of leadership and faulty
navigational equipment led to
the grounding of the
Guardian.
The report added that
further administrative action
was being considered against
the four officers of the ship.
Inquirer.net
MANILA -- Almost a year after
an American warship ran aground
in the Sulu Sea, destroying a portion
of the Tubbataha Reefs, a militant
fisherfolk organization pressed the
US government to take
responsibility beyond the P58
million-fine it was ordered to pay
the Philippines for the
environmental damage.
The Pambansang Lakas ng
K i lu s a n g Ma m a m a la kaya n g
Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) asked the
Aquino administration to “follow
up and pursue the US government
to honor its obligations arising
from the national environmental
disaster” involving the grounding
of the USS Guardian on Jan. 17,
2013.
The group is one of the
petitioners in the writ of kalikasan
(nature) pending in the Supreme
Court, which seeks higher penalties
for the damage on the Tubbataha, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site, as
well as criminal prosecution of the
ship's officers and crew.
Pamalakaya, in a statement,
lamented that the United States
government continued to snub the
h i gh t r i b u n a l ' s re q u e s t fo r
Washington to answer the petition,
which named as respondents Scott
Swift, commander of the US
Seventh Fleet, and Mark Rice,
commanding officer of the
American minesweeper.
“The US government must
respond to and account for their
crimes against the people and the
environment. That is simple as
ABC, nothing more, nothing less.
UK, Canada staying by
PH in 'Yolanda' rehab
By Tarra Quismundo
recovery effort.
As the Philippines girds for longterm reconstruction of typhoon-hit
Eastern Visayas, foreign partners are
staying by its side.
The United Kingdom and Canada
have reaffirmed support for the
government and typhoon survivors,
announcing over the holidays fresh
funding to restore infrastructure and
social services in villages ravaged by
the Nov. 8 disaster.
On Christmas Eve, the United
Kingdom announced a fresh allocation
of at least P1 billion more to support
government's “build back better”
program, the British Embassy in
Manila has said.
J u s t i n e G re e n i n g , t h e U K ' s
International Development Secretary,
announced the fresh funding
commitment on Christmas Eve, saying
the amount will also send UK experts
to the country to assist in the long-term
Rising from tragedy
“The UK was at the forefront of the
international emergency response in
the Philippines, getting vital
humanitarian aid to hundreds of
thousands of survivors. Now, British
money and expertise will help rebuild
homes, get people back into work and
protect the most vulnerable, especially
girls and women,” Greening said in a
statement sent out by the Embassy.
B r i t i s h A m b a s s a d o r to t h e
Philippines Asif Ahmad also
reaffirmed the UK's commitment,
saying their “hearts and minds are with
Pinoys as they rise again from this
tragedy.”
The new funding pledge raises to at
least P5.4 billion the UK's total
assistance to survivors of
Supertyphoon “Yolanda” and is
expected to benefit at least a million of
the affected residents. Inquirer.net
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL
201-434-1114
Only $30 for 25 words (deadline is Wednesday noon)
A portion of the Tubbataha Reefs
The incident merits the filing of
criminal and other appropriate
charges against officials and the 79
other crew of USS Guardian,” said
Pamalakaya vice chair Salvador
France.
France also said the coral reef
destruction called for the
abrogation of the Visiting Forces
Agreement and the Mutual Defense
Treaty between Manila and
Washington.
The USS Guardian ran aground
an atoll in the Tubbataha on Jan. 17,
destroying more than 2,300 square
meters of coral and prompting
salvors to dismantle the vessel
piece by piece in order not to
further damage the reef.
The US government was fined
P58 million for the damage.
The Tubbataha Reefs Natural
Park lies at the center of the Sulu
Sea and protects almost 100,000
hectares of high quality marine
habitats containing three atolls and
a large area of deep sea.
Home to whales, dolphins,
sharks, turtles and Napoleon
wrasse, the park supports more
than 350 species of coral and
almost 500 species of fish, for
which it has been declared a World
Heritage Site by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization or Unesco.
The reserve also protects one of
the few remaining colonies of
breeding seabirds in the region,
according to UNESCO.
Pamalakaya also followed up
on its request to Justice Secretary
Leila de Lima to file criminal and
other charges against officials and
79 other crew members of the
warship. The militant group said it
wondered why until now there was
no progress on its request letter to
the justice chief filed last February.
Inquirer.net
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 8
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
UN adopts PHL resolution
on women migrant workers
By Matikas Santos
MANILA -- The United
Nations (UN) General Assembly
has adopted a resolution giving
protection to women migrant
workers against abusive
employers and exploitation.
“We are pleased to report that
last December 18, the United
Nations (UN) General Assembly
has adopted, by consensus, the
PH caps 2013 ...
From page 1
Johanna Datul, Miss World Megan
Young and Miss International Bea
Rose Santiago.
The Philippines also had
finalists in world beauty pageants
last year.
Ariella Arida finished fourth in
the Miss Universe pageant, Koreen
Medina finished fourth in the Miss
Intercontinental pageants and
Christine Paula Bernasor finished
second in the Miss Scuba
International contest.
Angelee Claudett de los Reyes
made it to the Top 8 in the Miss
Earth contest, Joanna Cindy
Miranda landed in the Top 10 in
t h e M i s s To u r i s m Q u e e n
International competition and
Aiyana Mickiewicz finished in the
Top 20 in the Miss Tourism World
contest, where she was also
proclaimed Miss Tourism Asia.
Philippine sponsored Resolution
no. 68/137 on violence against
wo m e n m i g ra n t wo r ke r s ,”
presidential communications
operations office secretary Sonny
Coloma said in a press conference
Thursday.
“The resolution calls on all
countries to grant women
migrant workers in domestic
s e r v i c e a c c e s s to g e n d e r sensitive, transparent
Mutya ng Pilipinas
In an earlier interview, Gomez
said she had a hard time getting
sponsors to help in her quest for
an international beauty title,
because almost everyone was
focused on relief efforts for the
survivors of Supertyphoon
“Yolanda.” “I didn't bother to ask.
That was tough. Thank goodness
for the Mutya ng Pilipinas
organization for helping me.
Without them, preparing would
be harder,” said Gomez, 20, who is
from Toledo City.
Gomez, who majored in film at
the International Academy of Film
and Television in Mactan, Cebu,
earned the right to represent the
Philippines in the 2013/2014
Miss Tourism International
pageant when she bagged the
2013 Mutya ng Pilipinas-Tourism
crown in July. She was also
proclaimed Mutya ng Crimson in
the national competition.
[given to him],” she said.
S t a te p ro s e c u to r s a re s t i l l
From page 1
establishing if the LPL Compound in
Lipa City was really owned by Leviste
“It's one of the groups that enters
and being rented out to the three
the country but it doesn't really have a
suspects who were caught with the
very big clout here. It is not wellshabu during the police raid last
mechanisms for bringing
entrenched but it has dealings with the
Wednesday.
complaints against employers
drug syndicates here,” said the source
“They (prosecutors) will issue a
including termination of their
who is an intelligence officer.
subpoena duces tecum for the
Authorities have been hot on the
contract in case of labor and
production of lease contract on the
trail of a local drug syndicate that is
economic exploitation, sexual
property where the alleged shabu
known to have had connections to the
laboratory was found,” De Lima told
harassment and sexual abuse and
Sinaloa drug cartel since five years ago,
reporters.
violence,” he said.
the source said.
According to De Lima, Section 30 of
According to records from the
Merdegia said the Mexican drug
Republic Act No. 9165, or the
Philippine Overseas Employment
cartels, not Sinaloa exactly, first offered
Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act
Administration (POEA), 94,880
cocaine to its drug syndicates here.
of 2005, holds criminally liable as cofemale domestic workers were
“But cocaine didn't sell well here
principal the partners and officials of
u
Page 9
that's why they shifted to shabu,”
any juridical entity that “consents to or
Merdegia said.
knowingly tolerates or authorizes the
Shabu, also known as the “poor
use of a facility to violate the antidrug
man's drug,” appears to be the drug of
law.”
Before her Mutya stint, Gomez
choice here because of the high cost of
De Lima said she also would like to
was crowned 2012 Reyna ng
cocaine, traditionally known as the
know from the state prosecutors why
Aliwan in a competition
“rich man's drug.”
only the three people who were caught
showcasing the country's
Merdegia also denied allegations
during the raid were charged, “when
different festivals. She placed fifth
that the police operatives who raided
the Philippine National Police says it's
in the 2012 Miss Resorts World
the LPL Ranch at Barangay Inosluban
a Mexican syndicate that's behind it.
Manila contest and joined the
in Lipa City stole chickens from the
They (police) should also charge them
2013 Binibining Pilipinas pageant
cock farm.
(the Mexicans). We'll be expecting a
in April.
“Our search warrant only covered
formal referral from the PNP.”
the house. I am sure nothing went
Third Filipino winner
missing in the compound. We have a
More dangerous, ruthless
Gomez is the third Filipino to
certificate of orderly search which was
Senators on Friday expressed
win the Malaysia-based Miss
witnessed
by
two
local
officials,”
he
concern
over the entry into the country
Tourism International pageant,
said.
of the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel,
now in its 17th year. Her victory
reputed to be the most powerful drug
has made the Philippines the most
Leviste to be questioned
organization in the world today.
successful country in the global
The Department of Justice said it
“The Chinese triad is nothing
tilt.
will ask former Batangas Gov. Jose
compared to this. This is more
Maria Esperanza Manzano
Antonio Leviste, a homicide convict
dangerous. This is more ruthless,” said
was the first Filipino to win the
freed on parole last month, if he knew
Sen. Vicente Sotto III in a phone
title in 2000.
that his property, the LPL Ranch, was
interview.
Four other Filipinos advanced
being used by a Mexican drug cartel.
The Sinaloa cartel kills not only
to the Top 5Sherilyne Reyes
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said
police officials but also judges in Latin
(1995), Mellany Montemayor
if it's proven that Leviste knew that his
America, said Sotto, a former chair of
(1998), Racquel Uy (1999) and
property was being used by the drug
the Dangerous Drugs Board and an
Barbie Salvador (2010).
syndicate, particularly the Sinaloa drug
anti-illegal drugs advocate.
INQUIRER.net
cartel, he may have to face charges.
“The government should prioritize
“It could be a criminal offense. It
this. Prosecution, enforcement and
can be a ground to withdraw the parole
u
Page 14
US help sought ...
FEAST OF SANTO NIÑO
(HOLY CHILD JESUS)
AT THE OFFICIAL SHRINE IN ST. AEDAN'S
PETER'S UNIVERSITY CHURCH
- THE ST.
TO: ALL PARISHIONERS AND DEVOTEES
OF SANTO NIÑO
YEAR 2013 is gone and Year 2014 is fast approaching. This
year will mark a great celebration of the Sto. Niño Feast.
As a reminder to all devotees and parishioners, we will hold
the feast activities on January 12, 2014 at St. Aedan's Church.
The TRIDUUM will start on Thursday, January 9th at 5:30p.m.
and will end on Saturday, January 11th.
All different prayer groups of St. Aedan's, the parishioners and
the community are cordially invited to join the most
anticipated, meaningful and colorful event honoring the
Miraculous Patron of the Philippines. This devotion to the
Child Jesus, emphasizing the greatness of God becoming
human as Little Child, became very popular at the height of
mysticism in Spain and found great support in such mystics as
St. Therese of Avila.
With our great appreciation and thanks, we sincerely
anticipate your help and generous support for the success of
this great feast celebration of the Santo Niño. May the
blessings and guidance of the Holy Child Jesus be with you
always as the Child Jesus has promised.
THE MORE YOU HONOR, CALL AND PRAY, THE MORE
BLESSINGS YOU WILL RECEIVE FROM ME.
LOVE IN CHRIST,
St Aedan;s Sto. Niño Prayer Group
800 Bergen Avenue
Jersey City, New Jersey 07306
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Mayor De Blasio pledged JCIA to Contract with New Garbage
new direction in New York and Recycling Hauler at a Savings
By Grace G. Baldisseri
New York City -- Mayor Bill De
Blasio has been sworn in one minute
after midnight in a ceremony at his
Brooklyn residence on January1, 2014.
Twelve hours later, former President
Bill Clinton administered his oath of
office with a Bible once used by
President Franklin D. Roosevelt at his
first presidential inauguration in March
1933.
De Blasio took the subway on his
way to the inauguration accompanied
by his wife Chirlane, son Dante and
daughter Chiara on a No. 4 train that got
them to City Hall stop.
A crowd of some 5,000 came to City
Hall despite the wintry cold and chilly
weather. They waited the arrival of the
new mayor and were delighted when
they knew he and his family took the
subway.
De Blasio touched the hearts of the
city residents when in his speech he
emphatically said,"Today we commit to
a new progressive direction in New
York. And that same progressive
impulse has written our city's history.
It's in our DNA."
The speech was well taken by
UN adopts PH ...
From page 8
deployed overseas in 2010.
This was a significant increase
compared to the 69,669 newly hired
domestic workers abroad in 2009 and
the 47,841 new hires in 2008.
In 2007, there were 44,904 female
domestic workers hired abroad, 89,819
in 2006, 81,725 in 2005, and 61,873 in
2004.
The resolution adopted by the UN
was sponsored by the Philippines
because it saw the need to protect the
prominent Democrats, the media,
friends and followers and residents of
New York especially when the new
mayor declared:"New York has faced
fiscal collapse, a crime epidemic,
terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
But now in our time, we face a different
kind of crisis - an inequality crisis."
Harry Belafonte, a longtime friend of
the mayor lauded De Blasio's call to end
'inequality.'
A family role model, the mayor
praised his wife Chirlane whom he calls
his 'soulmate, best friend and partner.'
To his children, he said: "I cannot put
into words the joy and the pride that
you bring your mother and me."
The admiration of thousand who
were there are deeply felt and focused
on the Man in City Hall as he feels their
pulses and recognizes that his duties
include keeping the neighborhoods
safe, keeping the streets clean and
ensures that those who live in New York
, and the visitors of New York, can go
where they need to go safely in all the
five boroughs.
New Yorkers look forward to a
better service in City Hall, reducing
income inequality and a new
progressive direction in the Big Apple.
thousands of Filipina migrant workers
worldwide, Coloma said.
“It urges all governments to
consider permitting women migrant
workers who are victims of violence to
apply for residency permits
independently of abusive employers or
spouses, in accordance with national
laws, and to eliminate abusive
sponsorship systems,” he said.
“The Philippines' initiative was
prompted by the need to extend
protection to thousands of Filipina
migrant workers,” Coloma said.
Inquirer.net
of Nearly $800,000
JERSEY CITY -- Mayor
Steven M. Fulop in conjunction
with the Jersey City Incinerator
Authority (JCIA) announced
today that the City will be
contracting with a new garbage
and recycling hauler, Regional
Industries, beginning the first of
the year saving the taxpayers
nearly $800,000.
The JCIA solicited bids
through the public bidding
process in which two vendors
submitted proposals - Waste
Management and Regional
Industries. Regional Industries
was the lowest bidder for the
municipal garbage and
recycling pick up services
provided through the JCIA,
which remain unchanged.
Residents will continue to have
the same collection schedule.
The new municipal garbage
and recycling hauler contract is
for one year only as the
administration will begin the
consolidation of the JCIA and
DPW in 2014.
"This new contract will
provide residents with the
same, high level of garbage and
recycling collection service,
wh i l e a l s o c u t t i n g c o s t s
significantly," said Mayor Fulop.
"We made a pledge to cut costs
wherever possible and going to
bid for services with significant
costs, such as garbage
collection, has offered us the
ability to do just that."
" We w i l l b e g i n t h e
consolidation of autonomous
agencies in 2014 to create
additional efficiencies and cost
savings," added Mayor Fulop.
In their proposal, Regional
Industries bid $7,190,000 per
year, while Waste Management
bid $7,985,268 per year for the
one year contract - a difference
of $795,268.
Regional Industries will
begin garbage and recycling
collection effective 10 p.m. on
Wednesday, January 1, 2014.
S h o u l d yo u h ave a ny
questions or concerns
regarding collection please
contact 201-432-4645 ext. 625
(between the hours of 9am4:30pm) and any time
thereafter please contact 201432-4645 ext. 614. - Jennifer
Morrill, Press Secretary for
Mayor Steven M. Fulop.
De Blasio sworn
in ... From page 1
Senate campaign.
The new mayor, a towering
6'5″ (1.95 meters), formerly
served on the New York City
Council representing a Brooklyn
district.
He was sworn in using a Bible
that once belonged to former US
president Franklin D. Roosevelt,
the architect of America's New
Deal reforms that provided a
safety net for Americans suffering
during the Depression.
A staunch liberal, De Blasio
has emphasized his desire to
establish a progressive
administration.
“It is exciting and it is
humbling, I served this city in a
variety of ways for a long time,” De
Blasio said at a Tuesday press
conference. “I feel the enormity of
the task but I also feel a real sense
of familiarity with that that lies
ahead,” he said.
into office on Nov. 5 with an
impressive 73 percent vote, a
testament to New Yorkers' desire
for change after 12 years of
Bloomberg.
During Bloomberg's three
terms, the city became safer,
greener and healthier, but critics
were quick to peg the financesector billionaire as a politician
for the wealthy in a city with the
country's largest inequality gap.
New York counts nearly
400,000 millionaires and 3,000
multi-millionaires among its
ranks, while 21.2 percent of the
population lives below the
poverty line.
De Blasio denounced
Tuesday what he said had
become two cities, and
supported a $10 minimum
hourly wage, even as New York
state saw its minimum wage rise
to $8 Wednesday.
He also promised to
implement a higher tax on New
Yorkers earning more than
$500,000 a year, in an attempt to
expand preschool programs.
De Blasio has created high
hopes among the city's Hispanic
and black populations, which
respectively account for 28.6
percent and 25.5 percent of the
city's 8.3 million inhabitants.
Inquirer.net
swearing ceremony was in stark
contrast with the inauguration for
h i s p r e d e c e s s o r, M i c h a e l
Bloomberg, who in 2002 was
sworn in in Times Square just
after midnight amid confetti and a
massive swarm of revelers.
More than a decade later, the
brash billionaire concluded his
12-year reign Tuesday, ending an
era that heralded major changes
for America's largest city, but that
also deepened the schism
between rich and poor.
The New York mayor's nighttime oath traditionally is followed
by a mid-day affair on the steps of
City Hall.
Second oath-taking
De Blasio's second oath took
place at midday Wednesday, with
former US president Bill Clinton
presiding. De Blasio worked for
the Clinton administration during
his days in the Department of
Housing and Urban Development.
Also attending was the
former president's wife, Hillary
Clinton, tipped by politicos as a
2016 presidential favorite.
De Blasio helped manage
Hillary Clinton's successful 2000
Multiracial family
De Blasio put his multiracial
family center stage during his
campaign.
The visibility of his AfricanAmerican wife and biracial
children helped the public
advocate connected to middleclass families and the city's
diverse electorate.
The new mayor was swept
vgslaw@gmail.com
Editorial & opinion
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 10
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PPP gets moving
Bracing news to usher in 2014: Something positive is
happening to the Aquino administration's flagship publicprivate partnership (PPP) program, which had been roundly
panned for failing to take off. (Some have even begun to refer to
PPP as “PowerPoint presentation”a term to twit the
administration for supposedly failing to go beyond presenting
projects to prospective investors three years since it was
announced by President Aquino in 2010.)
Last Dec. 12, the Department of Transportation and
Communications finally opened the financial proposals for the
P17.5-billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport project, the
biggest PPP deal so far offered. Megawide Construction Corp.
and India's GMR Infrastructure Ltd. beat six others, including
the Philippines' top conglomerates, by offering a premium of
P14.4 billion for a 25-year concession to operate the country's
second-biggest airport and build a new terminal.
“This is the highest, I think, premium paid to government
thus far. The last one was [the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport] expressway, which is P11 billion,” PPP Center Executive
Director Cosette V. Canilao said, referring to the up-front fee
offered by a unit of San Miguel Corp. to win the P15.86-billion
Naia project last year. A notice of award for the Mactan airport
project will be issued on Jan. 6; the signing of the concessionaire
agreement has been scheduled for Feb. 6.
Megawide is not new to the PPP as it has so far won three of
five government contracts worth P26 billion. Early last month,
Megawide bagged a 25-year contract for the P5.7-billion new
Philippine Orthopedic Center project. In 2012, it won the first
phase of a school-building project involving the construction of
68,000 classrooms, followed by the second phase last October.
Delays in the bidding process for major PPP projects had
dimmed the prospects of an infrastructure boom needed to
sustain a high level of economic growth. But the administration
seems to be exerting more effort to speed up the process. Aside
from the Mactan airport project, it was announced in December
that a joint venture between Ayala Corp. and Metro Pacific
Investments Corp. had offered the best bid for a P1.72-billion
contract to operate a smart-card system for the elevated rail
network in Metro Manila.
This year will be a very busy year as far as the PPP program is
concerned. Many of the projects approved in 2013 by the
government to be undertaken via the PPP route will get on
stream. In mid-November, the National Economic and
Development Authority board chaired by the President
approved seven major infrastructure projects worth P184.2
billion. Among these were the P62.7-billion Metro Rail Transit 7,
the P24.4-billion Bulacan bulk water supply project of the
Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System, the
modernization of the orthopedic center, the P1.4-billion MRTLRT common station, and the P7.7-billion development of a
transportation system at the Food Terminal Inc. complex and
Philippine Reclamation Authority property.
Last June, the President also approved six PPP projects
worth a combined P76.5 billion. These included the P6.7-billion
post-“Ondoy” and “Pepeng” short-term infrastructure
rehabilitation project and the Department of Public Works and
Highways' P5.5-billion Phase II of the Pasig-Marikina River
channel improvement project, the Department of Energy's
Risk of Prolonged
Travel Abroad
Permanent resident status is a
privilege that may be lost and/or
revoked if not maintained and
preserved.
Abandonment is one of the
ways a noncitizen can lose his
lawful permanent resident (LPR)
status. It is especially important for
an LPR to know what constitutes
abandonment in order to protect
and preserve his status.
An LPR may leave the U.S. for
short temporary visits abroad at
any time. This is one of the
privileges of being a permanent
resident. Absence of more than six
months but less than a year will
ordinarily not trigger an
examination of his intent to
abandon residence upon reentry to
the U.S. In most cases, the LPR will
only need to show his permanent
resident card when he returns to
the U.S.
The LPR should keep in mind
that it is not the length of his
absence that will be scrutinized; it
is his intent. Therefore, even if the
absence from the U.S. is less than a
year, there may still be a finding of
abandonment of permanent
residence. Factors of possible
abandonment include employment
abroad; presence of immediate
family members who are not
permanent residents; lack of fixed
address in the U,S. and frequent
prolonged absence from the U.S.
Declaring oneself as a nonresident
on tax returns may also result in a
finding of abandonment of
permanent residence status.
An absence from the U.S. of
more than one year is generally
treated as abandonment of
permanent residence. Thus, an LPR
who is planning to be away from the
U.S. for more than one year should
apply for a reentry permit by filing
Form I-131. It is recommended that
the LPRwho frequently travels
abroad obtain reentry permit
which is generally valid for up to
two years.
The reentry permit will serve as
proof of the LPR's intent that he is
merely returning from a temporary
trip abroad and therefore he did not
abandon U.S. residence. However,
the LPR cannot merely rely on the
reentry permit to be readmitted to
the U.S. Even with the reentry
permit, the LPR may still be found
to have abandoned his U.S.
residence.
In order to establish that there
was no intent to abandon
permanent residence, the LPR may
show evidence of employment,
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Page 12
Calendars, torn and
new
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Page 12
Founded in 1986
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Jonathan Suarez, Joel Baclit
Correspondent: Contessa Bourbon
The opinions expressed by columnists are their
own and do not reflect the opinion of the paper
nor that of the publisher
Contact us:
Email: filexpress@aol.com
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
“Tomorrow is only found in the
calendar of fools.” Writer Og
Mandino's line comes to mind on
New Year's Eve, as we rip down the
2013 calendar. Where did those
522,600 minutes go? we wonder
when tacking up the 2014 edition.
Many moons ago we walked
through San Francisco's financial
district in the afternoon of New
Year's Eve. At 5 p.m., a blizzard of
torn calendars rained down from
offices. Drivers honked their horns
and whistles blew. “Don't be fooled
by the calendar,” our grandmother
said. “You have only as many days
as you make use of.”
Various stories are woven
around the advent of a new year.
“On New Year's Eve, the Kitchen
God's lips are rubbed with pork,” an
ancient Chinese fable says. “That'd
prod the deity to report favorably
on one's household to the Jade
Emperor.”
Isn't that the Filipino version of
Bong, Johnny, Jinggoy & Co.
splurging their pork barrel
allocations like there was no
calendar? Nonetheless, the drill to
glimpse ahead usually reaches
fever pitch on New Year's Eve. “If
you could look into the seeds of
time/And say which will grow and
which will not,” Shakespeare
wrote.
Antonio Leviste, ex-governor of
Batangas and ex-jailbird, may yet
lose his recent parole after police
seized P420 million worth of shabu
during a raid on the LPL Ranch in
Lipa. Leviste's family denied that
the ranch had been used by alleged
members of a Mexican drug cartel.
Leviste will not get a second
more than Raul, our neighborhood
beggar. “Time is the one thing given
to everyone in equal measure,”
Seneca wrote.
Instead of crystal balls, many
prefer scientific surveys. At year's
end, for example, the Social
Weather Survey found “resiliency
of expectations about the
Christmas season and steadiness”
despite the havoc inflicted by
Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”
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Page 12
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 11
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Opinion
By Perry Diaz
Emboldened by their
successful impeachment and
removal from office of Supreme
Court Chief Justice Renato Corona,
several House members are eyeing
several justices as many as five -- to
be impeached. And if they succeed,
President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino
III would be appointing their
replacements, presumably
magistrates who would vote on
issues favorable to his
administration.
Indeed, by having a Supreme
Court majority if not all in his
“pocket,” P-Noy would be the most
powerful president in the history of
the Philippines. He already has
control of the House of
Representatives and the victory of
his senatorial picks in last May's
Supreme Court under siege
midterm elections would give him
an unprecedented control of the
three branches of government.
Congress and the Supreme Court
would be nothing more than
glorified lackeys who would do PNoy's bidding.
But not only did he take
absolute control of the House and
the Senate, he now has usurped the
“power of the purse,” which has
always been the domain of
Congress. And since the Supreme
Court ruled that the Priority
Development Assistance Program
(PDAF) -- “pork barrel” -- P-Noy has
one leverage left that he can use to
keep the lawmakers in line; and
that is, the Disbursement
Acceleration Program (DAP).
As the name suggests, DAP
accelerates the disbursement of
funds siphoned off from budget
items in a discretionary fashion, no
questions asked, and no audits
performed. It provides P-Noy with
a power never before held by any
president before him. And if he
succeeds in removing at least three
Supreme Court magistrates, he'd
have a majority of the High Court
that would be supportive of him in
his attempt to secure the High
Court's imprimatur on DAP.
Collision course
A couple of weeks ago, the
House Justice Committee
announced that the House of
Representatives might soon be
investigating lump sum
appropriations of the Judiciary.
Iloilo City Rep. Niel Tupas, who
heads the Justice Committee was
reported to have said, “I am
referring to the JDF, to the special
allowances of the judges. I think it
should be scrutinized, within the
committee.”
The Judiciary
Development Fund (JDF) is a
multibillion-peso lump sum
appropriation administered by the
S u p r e m e
C o u r t .
But Tupas, who was the lead
prosecutor of the impeachment
trial of former Chief Justice Renato
Corona, maintained that his
committee's desire to scrutinize
the JDF is not retaliatory to the High
Court's ruling that PDAF was
unconstitutional. He reportedly
said that “he would like to restore
balance to the three branches of
government.” However, Tupas
admitted that the High Court's 14-0
ruling against the PDAF has made
Congress more aggressive and
would be more involved in the
coming year. He likened the ruling
to “one branch of the government
trampling on the rights and
jurisdiction of another branch.”
While it is understandable that
Congress was furious at the
Supreme Court because of the
PDAF ruling, to investigate the JDF
would appear retaliatory. But
retaliatory or not, many believe
that the investigation is a precursor
of the filing of impeachment
charges against several justices.
One lawmaker, Cavite Rep. Elpidio
Barzaga Jr., reportedly admitted
that the House Judiciary
Committee investigation into the
High Court's use of the JDF could be
an impeachable offense, especially
if it's found out that there is
evidence of graft.
With P-Noy's allies in control of
the House, impeachment charges
could easily be passed in the same
manner that it was done during the
impeachment of Corona, which
many believe was railroaded.
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Page 12
Opinion PH can learn from Japan about disaster
preparedness
By Leila B. Salaverria
SHIZUOKA, Japan -- As the
Philippines starts to rise from the
devastation wrought by
Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” it could
benefit from adopting certain
practices of one of Japan's
prefectures where preparing for
disasters is a constant endeavor
involving the government and
residents.
For 37 years and counting, the
Shizuoka prefecture has been
bracing itself for an 8-magnitude
earthquake and tsunami predicted in 1976 to hit the Tokai
region any time.
It has a level of preparedness
that Shizuoka officials believe
could serve well other disasterprone countries, such as the
Philippines.
When Yolanda made landfall in
Leyte and Samar provinces, among
the problems that compounded the
death toll were the crippled
communication lines, which
hampered rescue and relief
operations; the refusal of some to
evacuate to safer ground; and the
failure of residents and officials to
understand or explain just how
powerful a storm surge could be,
which, as it turned out, was as
destructive as a tsunami. More than
6,000 people are confirmed to have
died from Yolanda. Hundreds of
towns have been reduced to rubble.
Reconstruction is expected to start
soon, backed by a P100-billion
fund.
Education, communication
In Shizuoka, key components of
its disaster preparedness include
the education and training of
residents to respond to calamities;
warning devices and an
information-gathering and
dissemination system to
immediately identify blocked
routes and devastated areas; and
redundant communication lines
between the national and local
governments, including a satellitebased one, just in case one system
would be knocked out by strong
winds or landslides.
The great temblor predicted to
hit Shizuoka, now known as the
Tokai earthquake, has not yet taken
place nearly four decades after it
was predicted, though experts
continue to believe it could happen
any day.
The prefecture hasn't stopped
getting ready for it, according to
Shizuoka officials who recently met
AP FILE PHOTO
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Page 14
Last two minutes
The last time the President
addressed the country on
television, he was declaring how
the preparations for Typhoon
Yolanda were all in place. And we
all know how that turned out.
It is unfortunate that President
Noynoy Aquino has chosen to
compare his work so far to a
basketball game that is entering the
last two minutes. It's as if, after
falling behind for nearly the entire
time in a hoops game, Aquino now
seeks to make all his shots and win
the whole thing in the dying
seconds.
But it doesn't happen that way,
in basketball or in life. The job of
the President, like that of a
basketball team, is to put in the
work for the entire game, not just in
the last two minutes; to be brilliant
in “garbage time,” when the only
thing left unsettled is the score, not
the outcome, is usually the role of
benchwarmers who never see any
minutes on the floor.
During his six-minute New Year
message, Aquino once again
claimed that his good governance
was leading the country into
prosperity. Unfortunately, he
appears to be the only one who
remains convinced that he is a good
administrator and that millions of
Filipinos are now rolling in dough.
As he shambles to the end of his
remarkably underachieving term
two and a half years from now,
Aquino seems hell-bent on
peddling the lie that he has put in
all the work that is required of him.
This is self-delusion.
Aquino has done nothing
expect pursue his political
vendettas, claim credit for what his
predecessor has achieved and
avoid blame for all the missteps
that his government, by itself, has
committed during his term. If this
were truly a basketball game, Team
Aquino would have long been
buried in an avalanche of opposing
points by halftime.
I understand that a President
should rally his people and offer
them hope of good times to come.
But when all previous experience
shows us is a Chief Executive who
did nothing significant for most of
his term, it becomes very hard to
sell people on the idea that a lastminute reversal of fortunes is going
to happen in the remainder of his
time in office.
If the year now ending has
taught us anything, it is that Aquino
is not the man for the job that he
still, through some unfathomable
reason, still holds. And that he will
still not be able to get anything of
significance done in the time he has
left.
The only good thing that can be
gleaned from Aquino's latest
speech is that his time is soon
ending. Now that should give us
true reason to be hopeful.
***
Right before Christmas, the
business Web site Bloomberg
reported that the Philippine stock
market went from “first to worst”
in just half a year, mainly because of
factors beyond anyone's least of all
government's control. Essentially,
the report highlighted just how
sensitive the local equities market
is to extraneous factors like the
paring of the US Federal Reserve's
stimulus program and Typhoon
Yolanda and the folly of claiming
economic growth on the basis of
increased “hot money” inflows.
“International investors have
pulled a net $955 million from the
country's equities since July amid
the prospect of reduced Federal
Reserve stimulus and slower
g r o w t h ,” B l o o m b e r g s a i d .
“[A]ccelerating inflation and the
devastation caused by Typhoon
Haiyan last month have dented
confidence in an economy that
expanded at almost three times the
global average annual pace from
2008 to 2012.”
Of course, for most ordinary
Filipinos, the hyping and the
cashing in on the long-running
stock market boom (together with
the government's shameless
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Page 14
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 12
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Risk of
prolonged
travel ...
From page 10
business or properties in the
U.S., home ownership in the
U.S., maintenance of U.S. bank
accounts, maintaining a
driver's license and family ties
in the U.S., among others.
A permanent resident may
maintain his permanent
residence status by obtaining a
social security number card
before expiration. Filing tax
returns in the U.S. is crucial
Supreme Court ...
From page 11
With oral arguments on the
constitutionality of DAP set for
January 28, 2014, P-Noy's allies in
Congress have to move very fast.
They might be able to achieve it in
the House; however, they may not
be able move fast in the Senate
where the multiple trials would
be conducted. Or, P-Noy's allies in
the Senate could attempt to pass a
resolution to hold only one
impeachment trial for all the
impeached magistrates.
Is the country ready for a
wholesale purge of the Judiciary?
Would the people condone a mob
assault on the highest tribunal of
the land? Which makes one
wonder why would P-Noy take
such a risky move and put his
administration win or lose -- in a
very bad light?
High stakes gamble
With PDAF deemed
unconstitutional, DAP is now the
only “pork” game in town. But it
is controlled by P-Noy. To whom
he doles out to is entirely his
prerogative. There are no audits
even when the noncitizen is not
in the United States.
Maintenance of permanent
residence is important for
naturalization purposes. One of
the requirements in a
citizenship application is
continues residence in the
United States for at least 3 or 5
years, The applicant must not
have, within the last 3 or 5
years, been outside of U.S. for
one year or more.
Absences of less than 6
months generally do not break
continuous residence, while
absences of more than 6
months but less than 1 year
raise a rebuttable presumption
of abandonment of residence.
and there is no congressional
oversight. However, if the
Supreme Court decides that it is
constitutional, then it would
make P-Noy a virtual dictator and
would be able to allocate the P1.3t r i l l i o n DA P f o r p o l i t i c a l
patronage.
It would be the new pork
barrel. The only difference is that
it is insanely humongous. Had the
High Court upheld PDAF, it would
only be P27 billion in 2014. DAP
would make every member of
Congress a minion of P-Noy who
would rubber stamp any bill each
time P-Noy pushes the button.
On the other hand, if the High
Court rules that DAP were
u n c o n st i t u t i o n a l, i t wo u ld
diminish the power of P-Noy and
curtail his ability to push his
legislative agenda. And it would
make him a lame duck President
for the rest of his term.
Presidential pressure
It did not then come as
surprise when reports started
trickling down the pipeline that
Malacañang had been secretly
wooing the magistrates to vote in
favor of DAP. Some reports way
When his LPR status is
challenged as having been
abandoned, he has the right to
have that issue determined by a
judge. It is important to note
that even while in removal
proceedings, the LPR remains a
p e r m a n e n t re s i d e n t a n d
continues to be so until a final
administrative order is issued
that changes that status.
(Editor's Note: REUBEN S.
SEGURITAN has been practicing
law for over 30 years. For more
information, you may log on to
h i s we b s i te at : w w w.
seguritan.com or call 212-6955281
that P-Noy needs three more
justices to keep his DAP. Some say
he only needs two more.
If he were successful in
convincing three more
magistrates to uphold DAP, then
he got it made. He didn't have to
worry about impeaching them.
Which makes one wonder if this
threat of impeachment is nothing
more than a moro-moro drill to
force the magistrates to succumb
to political pressure.
With the recent pork barrel
scandal in which three senators
and 34 congressmen and other
government officials are charged
with plunder and graft in relation
to the P10-billion that were
pocketed with the assistance of
Janet Lim-Napoles, P-Noy could
be treading in dangerous waters.
Instead of laying siege to the
Supreme Court, he should be
prepared to accept the High
Court's decision on DAP. It would
make him a better man.
At this time in his presidency,
he should demonstrate that he
could be a statesman of the
highest order and not the petty
and vindictive politician that he's
being perceived to be.
Calendars ...
From page 10
Six out of 10 Filipinos
expected their Christmas to be
happy, but 9 percent said it'd be
sadalmost similar to the
p r e v i o u s y e a r. Yo l a n d a
dampened Christmas
“everywhere north of
Mindanao.”
President Aquino emerged
p ra c t i c a l ly u n s c a t h e d by
Yolanda criticism. Was that
dramatized by Tacloban Mayor
Alfred Romualdez, weeping on
TV, to pin blame on the
President? SWS found 69
percent satisfied with the
President's track record. There
were 21 percent who thumbed
him down. The bottom line: net
satisfaction rating of +49.
Satisfaction with the
President slumped from “good”
to “moderate” in the National
Capital Region. “This
geographical pattern is typical
for all presidents. Metro
Manilans have always been the
hardest to please.”
“There is hardly any change
in the satisfaction of Visayans, in
p a r t i c u l a r, w i t h P - N o y ' s
performance, from pre-Yolanda
to post-Yolanda. Neither is there
much change in the satisfaction
of Mindanaoans with him,
despite the suffering from the
Zamboanga standoff between
the government and the Moro
National Liberation Front.”
Discerning the future has
never been one of man's special
strengths. Crystal-balling is
about making educated guesses
of what lies beyond the horizon.
From today's realities, one sifts
the trends likely to endure and
reshape tomorrow. “In today,
tomorrow already walks.”
In the new year, how will the
“Francis Effect” spill over into
the Philippines where eight out
of 10 are Catholics?
Pope Francis upended his
Church on issues from fixation
on sexual morality to support
for the poor in just nine months.
Time magazine named him
Person of the Year. And across
what once seemed an
unbridgeable gap, so did The
Advocate, the oldest US gay
rights magazine.
“Along comes a man with no
army or weapons,” Time said.
(“How many divisions has the
Pope?” the dictator Josef Stalin
once scoffed.) Yet, when he
kisses the face of a disfigured
man or washes a Muslim
wo m a n' s fe e t , t h e i m a g e
resonates beyond his 1.2-billion
flock.
Francis is taking pruning
shears to the ossified power of
the Vatican Curia. And he is
filling back the pews: Italy's
Center for the Study of New
Religions reported a significant
boost in attendance numbers. In
a smaller survey of 22 British
cathedrals, 65 percent of the
respondents said they had
noticed a rise in numbers, the
Guardian reported.
In the United States, you can
“almost hear the ice cracking
around a generation of
disillusioned Christians who
have a hard time finding Jesus
frozen under ostentatious
ecclesial trappings and
hypocritical moralizing.”
Here, Cardinal Luis Tagle
and Cagayan de Oro Archbishop
Antonio Ledesma, among
others, lead by seeking out the
poorest. Example is contagious.
We shall see by 2016. That's
when Francis flies to Cebu to
attend the International
Eucharistic Congress.
This is a country of few
closures. Among the issues that
2013 leaves unresolved are:
desaparecidos Jonas Burgos,
Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen
Empeño; murders such as those
of publicist Bubby Dacer and his
driver Emman Corbito, and Fr.
Franciskus Madhu, SVD; scores
rubbed out by vigilantes in
Davao and Cebu; the coconut
levy; the still-on-the-lam former
general Jovito Palparan; etc.
One reason is witnesses who
scram. Two days after Whistleblower No. 11 testified that she
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Page 14
PPP gets moving
From page 10
P21.6-billion market transformation through
e n e rg y - e f f i c i e n t e - ve h i c l e s , a n d t h e
Department of Education's P9.4-billion basic
education sector transformation program.
During its meeting last Jan. 18, the Neda board
approved two PPP and three ruralinfrastructure projects with a combined cost of
P146.83 billion. The PPP projects are the
P35.58-billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway and
the P25.56-billion North Luzon ExpresswaySouth Luzon Expressway connector road.
These PPP projects will not be lacking in
i n v e s t o r i n t e r e s t . To p P h i l i p p i n e
conglomerates - including the Ayalas,
businessmen Ramon Ang of SMC and Manuel
Pangilinan of the PLDT group, and the Sys of SM
- have expressed interest in practically all of
these infrastructure undertakings and are just
waiting for the terms of reference to determine
their viability.
Now, if only the losing bidders in various
PPP projects will accept defeat and not file
suits that have delayed many important
projects in the past, the Aquino
administration's flagship program will get
moving - finally. Inquirer.net
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 13
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Frequently asked questions about TPS
By Lourdes Santos Tancinco
On December 13, the
Philippine ambassador to the
United States, Jose L. Cuisia, made
a formal request to the US
Department of State to designate
the Philippines a country under
“temporary protected status
(TPS).” This request was sent
about a month after
Supertyphoon “Yolanda” struck
the Philippines.
But what type of
humanitarian relief is TPS? How
will the grant of TPS assist in the
recovery efforts of those affected
by the typhoon in addition to the
aid that is already underway?
Hundreds of thousands of
Filipinos residing in the US could
benefit from the protection that
will be provided by TPS. To better
understand the nature of TPS,
here are the frequently asked
questions about this relief.
What is TPS?
Temporary protected status
is a special type of immigration
protection given to a national of a
country designated by the US
Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) for TPS. It is not a
permanent grant but it provides
protection against deportation
for its beneficiaries, who may be
in the country on temporary
visas or even unlawfully. If
granted, an applicant for TPS will
be allowed to continue to stay
and work in the US. He or she will
receive a work permit and travel
documents.
In general, a certain country
is designated for TPS in limited
c a s e s wh e n h u m a n i t a r i a n
circumstances arise. The
Secretary of Homeland Security
may designate a foreign country
for TPS due to conditions in the
country that temporarily prevent
the country's nationals from
returning safely, or in certain
circumstances, when the country
is unable to handle the return of
its nationals adequately. The
Secretary of the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) may
designate a country for TPS due
to the following temporary
conditions in the country: (1)
ongoing armed conflict (such as
civil war); (2) an environmental
disaster (such as earthquake or
hurricane), or (3) an epidemic or
other extraordinary and
temporary conditions.
The Philippine government
has requested that Philippines be
designated for TPS because of the
recent devastation caused by
Yolanda.
Who are qualified?
As of this writing, the
Philippine government is still
awaiting for official TPS
designation from the DHS.
Assuming that the Philippines is
designated and guidelines are
released, all “eligible Filipinos”
residing in the US who are
currently in temporary status or
in unlawful status are eligible for
TPS subject to certain
restrictions. Those qualified
m u s t s h o w t h a t t h ey a re
nationals of the Philippines, are
present in the US at the time of
the application for TPS and
continuously residing in the US
since the effective date of the
most recent designation date.
Those who are not eligible to
apply are those who have been
convicted of a felony or
convictions of two or more
misdemeanors committed in the
United States. Those who are
engaged in or inciting terrorist
activity are definitely ineligible.
typhoon.
In a conversation with a
Philippine Embassy official, it
was mentioned that even those
whose families are not living
within the geographical area
affected by the typhoon may be
considered. All Filipinos are
considered affected. The
devastation transcends physical
boundaries affected by the storm
and the efforts to rebuild and
rehabilitate must come from all
Filipino nationals residing in the
Philippines and abroad.
Ambassador Cuisia explained in
his press statement that a “TPS
designation for the Philippines
would allow eligible Filipinos
currently in the US to support the
long-term relief and
rehabilitation efforts in the
country because they could be
given temporary authorization to
stay and work for a limited
period.”
Is TPS applicable only to
Filipinos who are directly
affected by Yolanda?
According to the information
released by the Philippine
Embassy, the request is for
“eligible Filipinos” residing in the
US. It did not state whether the
request is limited to those who
have families or relatives residing
in areas directly affected by the
How long will it last?
TPS is usually granted for
varying periods depending on
the US Department of Homeland
Security guidelines. For other
TPS countries, usually it is
granted for a period of 18
months. When a TPS designation
ends, beneficiaries revert to the
immigration status they had
prior to TPS or to any other status
they may have been granted
while in TPS.
For example an applicant has
an expired visa and was granted
temporary protection during the
TPS designation, once the 18
months end, this individual will
revert back to being in unlawful
status. Or, the applicant may have
changed status depending on
whether this applicant pursued
other alternative options for
legalizing his stay during the time
his TPS was valid.
It must be clear that TPS is not
amnesty but simply a temporary
relief.
Case-by-case basis
While the TPS request was
made for all “eligible Filipinos”
residing in the US, each
application will be examined and
approved on a case-by-case basis.
As of this moment, while waiting
for the DHS to designate the
Philippines as TPS country, all
concerned Filipino abroad
should continue to send their
relief aid and to partake in
rehabilitation efforts to assist
those directly impacted by
Supertyphoon Yolanda.
(Atty. Lourdes S. Tancinco may be
reached at law@tancinco.com or at
7211963 or visit her website at
www.tancinco.com) Inquirer.net
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 14
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH can learn ...
From page 11
Senator Grace Poe
Senator Vicente Sotto III
US help sought ...
lords away from the Philippines.
“[We are] ready to deport any
foreign national involved in the
illegal drug trade upon orders from
the courts or the Department of
J u s t i c e ,” I m m i g ra t i o n
Commissioner Siegfred Mison said
in a statement.
“Consistent with our 'good
guys in, bad guys out' policy,
foreign nationals who want to stay
here in the Philippines must
respect our laws; otherwise, they
face the consequences of their
actions. Drug traffickers are
unwelcome in our country. They
are a scourge of every country in
the world,” Mison said.
Mison said that the bureau was
in “constant touch” with the
International Criminal Police
Commission (Interpol), which
provides information on foreign
nationals with criminal records in
their home countries or those
included on the watch list of
countries.
Those on the watch list or with
criminal records are automatically
disallowed from entering the
Philippines. They are immediately
kept in custody while waiting for
summary deportation proceedings
against them.
Diplomatic officials are also
alerted about the presence of the
subject foreign national. Foreign
nationals with criminal records are
apprised of their rights and are
given counsel by their own
diplomatic representatives, said
Mison.
The board of immigration is
the body tasked by law to
determine whether to deport a
foreign national or not.
Immigration officers are
trained and always on alert
especially during the holidays
when a big influx of foreign visitors
and balikbayan are expected to fill
most airports and seaports in the
country. Inquirer.net
From page 8
preventive education should be
primordial over all other
concerns,” he said.
Sen. Grace Poe, the chair of the
Senate committee on public order
and dangerous drugs, wants the
PNP and the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency to brief the
Senate on the Mexican cartel's
presence in the country so the
legislators are informed as to what
they would need to “provide our
authorities [with] what is needed
to respond adequately.”
“This menace needs to be
nipped in the bud as it is a real
threat to our society,” she said.
Poe said the briefing would be
done as soon as the committee can
muster a quorum, even before the
congressional sessions resume in
January.
Richer than PH
Sotto said the P420 million
worth of methamphetamine
hydrochloride seized from the
Sinaloa cartel's alleged base in
Batangas barely scratched the
surface of the multibillion-peso
illegal drug trade in the country.
According to Sotto, there are
approximately 1.6 million drug
dependents in the Philippines, half
of whom use shabu.
If 800,000 drug users sniff a
gram of shabu a week at P1,800 a
gram for one year, “the amount will
run into the billions,” he said.
Following Sotto's formula,
shabu sales in the country would
reach more than P77.76 billion a
year.
“These thugs are even richer
than the government of the
Philippines,” Sotto said.
The Bureau of Immigration on
Friday said it has not been remiss
in its duty to keep foreign drug
Last two minutes
From page 11
credit-grabbing about it) meant
nothing, because they never had
portfolio investments. This is
why the hothouse “growth”
t r u m p e te d by t h e Aq u i n o
administration always felt
hollow, like the investment-grade
ratings purchased at great cost
and using taxpayers' money from
those agencies that are only too
willing to give them, at the right
million-dollar prices.
With the fat-cat fund
managers and their billion-dollar
funds fleeing to places with
better earnings, what this
c o u n t r y r e a l ly n e e d s a r e
investors in real brick-andmortar industries. And as we all
know, these have basically
shriveled up and died under the
present dispensation.
The reason why Filipinos
keep leaving to look for jobs
overseas remains the same there
are simply not enough wellpaying employment
o p p o r t u n i t i e s l o c a l l y,
opportunities that open up only if
real industries set up shop. And
when you have a government that
has failed miserably in the task of
uplifting the poor, then no paper
growth will make them feel any
better.
The sad fact is, like many of
the other so-called
accomplishments that Aquino
always crows about, stock market
activity is not a real indicator of a
country's growth, any more than
investment-grade ratings are.
And because hot money flees at
the onset of the slightest, leastcontrollable adverse condition
without leaving a trace of true
inclusive growth should tell us
that it should never be used as a
ya rd s t i c k t o m e a s u re t h e
competence of those who govern.
If this were really a basketball
game, we aren't even playing.
Whoever wins, we'd still lose.
with participants of the Nihon
Shinbun Kyokai-Confederation of
A s e a n J o u r n a l i s t s fe l l o ws h i p
program.
To date, the prefecture has spent
nearly $20 billion to ready itself for
the calamity, according to Satsohi
Kobayashi, director of the Shizuoka
Prefecture Disaster Preparedness
Center.
Officials regularly assess the
preparedness measures to plug
weaknesses and help save the lives of
the prefecture's 3.8 million residents,
Kobayashi added.
But as much as the local
government is preparing for
unprecedented calamities, officials
also underscored the need for the
citizens to take an active role in
saving themselves during disasters.
The Shizuoka Prefecture Disaster
Preparedness Center takes part in
involving citizens in getting ready to
respond to a possible massive quake
and tsunami, said Kobayashi.
It trains residents to be leaders in
d i s a s t e r m a n a g e m e n t , wh i c h
includes holding regular emergency
drills and night evacuation training in
their respective communities, and
educating them about the dangers
that calamities could bring.
Community participation
There is generally a high level of
community participation in such
m e a s u r e s , n o t e d Ta k a m i c h i
Sugiyama, assistant director of
Shizuoka's emergency management
department.
Each community has its own
volunteer organizations that work to
ensure that residents know the
evacuation routes and where to seek
shelter in case of a quake or tsunami.
This is crucial since the
government, even with its resources,
cannot always rescue and support all
residents, Sugiyama added.
“Therefore, it's most important
that the citizens themselves within
their community will try to prevent
and manage disasters. In that sense, I
think, the citizens play a big role,” he
said.
The prediction that the Tokai
earthquake could occur anytime was
based on the theory that three
massive earthquakes called the
To k a i , To n a n k a i a n d N a n k a i
earthquakes occur periodically, every
100 to 150 years, said Sugiyama.
The Nankai and Tonankai
earthquakes already occurred in
1944 and 1946, hence the belief that
the Tokai earthquake is likely to
happen any time.
Philippine, Eurasian plates
The Tokai earthquake is a plateboundary temblor, caused by the
clashing of the Philippine Sea plate
and the Eurasian plate, off Suruga Bay
in Shizuoka. Given its location, it
could also cause a tsunami aside from
destructive tremors inland.
In Metro Manila, the seat of the
national government, a strong quake
could emanate from the Marikina
Valley Fault System, according to
experts. Recently, officials called for
an earthquake survey to prepare the
metropolis for the big one, citing
findings of an Australian agency that
Calendars ...
From page 12
received huge sums from Janet
Napoles, Sen. Juan Ponce
Enrile's former chief of staff,
Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, left the
country. She never used her
return ticket (if she did, she
predicted that some 37,000 people
would die in the event of a 7.2magnitude temblor.
Shizuoka is nearly 200
kilometers from Tokyo. It is known
for its green tea and is popular with
tourists who troop to Miho-no
Matsubara, a pine grove along the
shore that offers a scenic view of Mt.
Fuji, Japan's tallest mountain that
was recently named a World Cultural
Heritage Site. But behind the idyllic
vista lies the threat of a massive
temblor.
In 1979, or three years after the
prediction of the Tokai earthquake,
the Shizuoka prefecture started to
take more practical efforts toward
disaster prevention, according to
Kobayashi.
Evacuation centers, elderly
Emergency facilities such as
warning systems and pre-identified
evacuation centers designated for
earthquakes and tsunamis are in
place. All these are managed at the
prefecture's headquarters dedicated
to this task.
In training the residents to help
save themselves from disasters, there
is also a particular focus on
encouraging the elderly, who make
up a good portion of the population,
to understand how important it is for
them to be prepared. During the Kobe
earthquake in 1995, many of those
who perished were the elderly who
were unable to get out and take
refuge in time.
The disaster preparedness
center also provides detailed
information to visitors on the various
ways to prepare for calamities,
hosting exhibits and learning-byexperience sections. It has an
earthquake simulator so that visitors
could feel just how a level 7 intensity
earthquake would be like.
Information network
The Shizuoka prefecture
government also boasts of an
advanced disaster information
network system for gathering and
disseminating data relating to a
calamity.
This is backed up by two types of
communication networkstowers set
up on mountain slopes and a
communication satellite. The
satellite is important so that in case of
a landslide in the mountains,
Shizuoka's communications system
would still function, explained
Sugiyama.
Cloud computing
The system is also based on cloud
computing technology, with the
servers placed outside the prefecture
so that these would not bog down in
case of an earthquake or massive
flooding.
The collected data, which could
include the extent of damage and the
location of collapsed buildings,
would be quickly transmitted to the
concerned agencies and authorities.
The prompt gathering of information
is vital since three days is the limit to
rescue people from collapsed
buildings, said Sugiyama.
The disaster information
network system, likewise, collects
data on blocked roads so that
alternate routes, especially for relief
and emergency vehicles, could be
identified. It also keeps track of the
risks being called to testify).
Shriveling from chronic
hunger is not the stuff of
headlines. Emergencies uncoil
below the radar screen. Maternal
death rates here are triple that of
China. Under-five children's death
rates are down to 29 today, from
59 two decades ago. That's still
status of the different evacuation
centers.
Seawalls
As for tsunami prevention,
Shizuoka has seawalls covering 280
kilometers of its 500-km shoreline.
After the massive 2011 earthquake in
East Japan which triggered a tsunami
that nearly leveled Fukushima, the
p re fe c t u re b e ga n a s t u dy to
determine if the seawall's height
needs to be raised.
Through the years, the Shizuoka
prefecture has been beefing up the
strength of its buildings and other
infrastructure to withstand the
massive shaking of the ground and
the possible onslaught of a tsunami.
At present, 99.4 percent of
government buildings in Shizuoka
are earthquake-resistant and the rate
is expected to reach 100 percent by
2015. For the different level schools,
the rates are 97 to 99 percent,
according to Kobayashi.
When it comes to residences,
most of which are wooden houses,
only about 80 percent have been
strengthened to incorporate antiearthquake measures, he said.
Ensuring that the remaining 20
percent of wooden houses are
protected is a difficult challenge for
the prefecture government, he
added.
$7,000 subsidy per home
To help residents strengthen the
structure of their homes, the
government has offered a subsidy of
about $7,000 per residence. But
making a house fully earthquakeresistant is much more costly at
about $10,000. This is why there are
those who are unable to complete
this task, he said. The local media
d evo te s c o l u m n s to d i s a s te r
preparedness. The Shizuoka
Shimbun regularly reports on
d i s a s te r m a n a g e m e n t i s s u e s ,
including weaknesses in the plans as
well as the concerns of citizens.
But no system is perfect and in
Shizuoka certain areas in disasterpreparedness need to be improved.
As Kobayashi noted, not
everyone can afford to retrofit their
homes to make these earthquakeresistant.
Easier said than done
Relocating residents from areas
predicted to be in the direct path of a
tsunami is also easier said than done,
he said.
“Realistically speaking, your life
depends on that area so it's quite
difficult to relocate because of a
prediction,” he said.
There is also the matter of public
interest in disaster preparedness,
which is not constant, he said.
After the East Japan earthquake
in 2011, the number of visitors to the
disaster preparedness center jumped
to 80,000 from an average of 40,000 a
year. The following year, this waned
to 65,000 and in 2013, it is expected
to receive 50,000 visitors.
Kobayashi said he hoped there
would be a common seismic intensity
measurement among countries, even
just in Asia, to help promote objective
guidelines for measuring the
earthquake-resistance of a building,
for instance, and for formulating a
common plan of action for
emergencies. Inquirer.net
behind Malaysia's 12. Many will
not “comb grey hair,” as William
Butler Yeats wrote.
As bells ring in 2014, T.S.
Eliot's words resound: “For last
year's words belong to last
year's language/And next year's
words await another voice.”
(E-mail: juan_mercado77@yahoo.com)
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 15
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Martin Nievera sings at Suncoast Casino concert in Las Vegas for the benefit of
Supertyphoon “Yolanda” victims. Contributed photo by Ron Cabildo
Martin Nievera headlines
'Yolanda' benefit concert
in Las Vegas
By Bert Eljera
LAS VEGAS -- Their concert was such
a hit that a group of Filipino-American
entertainers are putting on a show again
for the benefit of the victims of
S u p e r t y p h o o n “ Yo l a n d a” i n t h e
Philippines.
Some 300 people, mostly from the
30,000-strong Filipino-American
community, came to watch the first show
on Dec. 13, headlined by singer Martin
Nievera. The concert raised nearly
$8,000.
It also featured 24K Band, 360 Band,
Klique, Repertoire Band, Revive Band,
HNLV, JAMM Band, Dara, Renee Hale,
Trina Johnson Finn and DJ Jaym.
Also performing were Knine & G-No,
Rita Lim, Peter Pavone, Mico Maulcon,
Jenni Selma, Marlena Zion, Crystal Yuan
and Tunay.
“The level was just awesome,” said
Rozita Lee, a member of the Filipino-
American Chamber of Commerce of
Greater Nevada, which organized the
fund-raiser.
The next concert will be at the
Stratosphere on Jan. 28. It will gather
together the best Filipino-American
talents on the Las Vegas entertainment
scene, including vocalists, bands and top
DJs.
“Theese represent the best our
community has to offer,” said Ron Cabildo
of Definitive Talents, who is putting
together the series of concerts. “We
appreciate their talents and their
commitment to our people back home.”
The money raised was turned over to
One World Institute, a Northern
California-based non-profit organization,
which has given over $50 million in goods
and services to charity. It has conducted
several mercy missions to the typhoonravaged areas in Central Visayas,
particularly Bantayan Island in northern
Cebu. Inquirer.net
British Muslim singer offers
song for 'Yolanda' survivors
By Pau Aguilera
Renowned Iranian-born British
recording artist Sami Yusuf has released
a song for the Filipino victims of supertyphoon “Yolanda.”
Yusuf 's non-commercial charity
single, “Hope Survives,” was put up on his
website samiyusufofficial.com free for
download to encourage people to
participate in the relief efforts for those
affected by one of the strongest storms
ever to hit the Philippines.
“This song is my tribute to their
courage and a call for global solidarity
since we all have the power to do
something about it,” the multi-million
selling singer-songwriter said in a news
release on the United Nations World Food
Programme (WFP)'s official website.
“Like everyone, my heart hurts when
I think of all those who saw their family,
friends and neighbours taken away by
this deluge and found themselves with
nothing but mourning in despair within
just a few hours,” he related.
“Hope Survives” is said to be the
“backbone” of the Live Feed Philippines
campaign, a collaboration between Yusuf
and the United Nations-WFP, in which he
serves as a Celebrity Partner since 2011.
Its goal is to direct people to WFP's
d o n a t i o n
p a g e ,
wfp.org/LiveFeedPhilippines, wherein
one can make a pledge of $75 that “can
give a family nutritious food for a month.”
WFP had already sent over 11,000
Sami Yusuf (Photo from samiyusufofficial.com)
metric tons of food including rice, highenergy biscuits and specialized nutrition
products for children, reaching some
three million people a month after
“Yolanda” struck.
“Emergency food assistance remains
a top priority. Protecting children from
malnutrition is crucial in the weeks and
months ahead and WFP will remain
alongside families through the early
recover process,” WFP Philippines
Country Director Praveen Agrawal
explained.
“We hope Sami's beautiful call will
encourage people to donate and help us
help families rebuild their lives and
livelihoods.”
Yusuf, who practices his self-coined
musical genre, “Spiritique,” was hailed by
Time magazine as “Islam's Biggest Rock
Star” after the success of his debut album
“Al-Mu'allim” (The Teacher), which sold
over seven million copies and introduced
him to a mostly Muslin fan base. Manila
Bulletin
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 16
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Rafael Pacheco's retrospective at the GSIS Museum of Art
By Ed Maranan
Rafael Pacheco, the maestro of
Morong, has just turned 81, but his
fingers and palms still conjure
amazing vistas of the undersea world
with a painting technique that he has
made almost exclusively his own.
For several decades, Rafael
Pacheco has been known to the art
community as Ka Paeng, a man
brimming with confidence despite
never having gone through formal
education and art studies, blooming
rather late in his twenties by
becoming a self-taught artist in
Mabinihome to the unique but once
derided tourist street art offering cut-
price paintings with folksy and even
kitschy subjectsuntil he was invited
by future National Artist Vicente
Manansala to hold an exhibit in a
Makati gallery. He relocated to
Morong, a lakeshore town in Rizal,
met and married a local lass, Araceli
Cruz, and raised a family. In time, the
couple was able to buy a sizeable piece
of picturesque land in the wind-swept
forested hills overlooking Laguna de
Bay.
His art, he keeps reminding
listeners up to the present, embodies
his philosophy: 'the joy of art as
celebration of life', 'paying homage to
God and to nature by reproducing
creation in bursts of color and
Undersea World series (Photo by Marizza Anas)
Koi series (Photo by Marizza Anas)
Pacific Rhapsody (Photo by Marizza Anas)
composition', and 'honoring the
sacred in man by rendering
tribute to the perfection of the
human form', summing up the
insights he had gathered from
seeing the works of the masters
in his earlier travels abroad with
his wife Cely. Many of his works
have been inspired by the
natural beauty of Uugong in
Morong and the undersea world
of the Pacific Ocean off Real,
Quezon, where his family has a
beach house.
The Pacheco technique is
straightforward, and rather than
the slower, more laborious drip
technique employs the 'splash,
spread and spray' method of
filling the canvas with acrylic
paint.
He tilts the canvas frame on
all sides and corners to make the
poured paint bleed to the edges,
after which the artist applies
short bursts of compressed air to
scatter, diffuse and mix the
pigments, followed by angled
pressing of a plate glass to create
filigree and wave patterns, then
he proceeds to limn the shapes of
sea grass, coral formations and
other marine life with short,
swift strokes of the palm-edge
and the fingertips, thereby
creating patterns of movement,
and producing effects such as
light suffusing the undersea
tableau from above and below.
Over the years, Pacheco's
works have been avidly collected
by art connoisseurs, patrons and
benefactors, both local and
international, and have drawn
praise from noted figures in the
world of Philippine arts and
letters, including National
Artists Nick Joaquin and
Napoleon Abueva, visual artists
Raul Isidro, Nemesio Miranda,
Egay Fernandez, and Leonilo
Doloricon, his fellow lakeshore
painters from Angono, Tanay
and Cainta, writers Manuel
Duldulao and Julie Yap Daza, and
environmentalist Odette
Alcantara.
In the early '90s, Philippine
Airlines took notice of his prolific
output, celebrity status and
f l a m b o y a n t p e r s o n a l i t y,
commissioned him as an
'ambassador of Filipino culture'
and sent him to various cities
abroad to demonstrate finger
painting and exhibit his works.
He has exhibited his works, with
finger-painting demonstrations,
in Los Angeles, New York,
People's Republic of China, Iraq,
London, Tokyo, Cairo, Paris,
Singapore, Taipei, Honolulu,
Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia,
Jordan, Spain, Germany, and
Australia, among other places,
making him one of the most
traveled Filipino artists in the
twentieth century.
During the last decade, a
series of Pacheco exhibits on the
theme of the Undersea World
was held at the Art Center of
Megamall.
For the past two years, he has
exhibited his works at separate
ve n u e s i n t h e r e n o va t e d
Intramuros complex, and a
retrospective exhibit of his
works “The Art World of Rafael
Pacheco” was recently held at the
GSIS Museum of Art, with more
than a hundred guests in
attendance.
Included in this exhibit were
past and recent selected works
in various genres: rural
landscapes, celebrity portraits,
figurative sketches, abstract
murals, religious iconography,
pond koi series, Mother and
Child, social-realist images, and
his dramatic variations on the
world of fishes, corals and other
aspects of the marine
environment.
T h e re t ro s p e c t ive wa s
organized by his lifelong friend,
tourism consultant Gerry Isada,
and curated by Francisca F.
Caberoy, formerly of the National
Museum. Manila Bulletin
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 17
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
EXPRESSWEEK
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 18
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Aquino 1st President to attend Rizal
Day rites in Tarlac City
By Jo Martinez-Clemente
TARLAC CITY -- Until Monday,
Dec. 30 the 81-year-old Rizal
monument built in 1932 through a
P500 donation was just one of
countless statues honoring the
national hero in many parks of the
country.
But it became extra-special on
Monday when President Aquino
dropped his original schedule at
Baguio City's Rizal Park to
commemorate the hero's 117th death
anniversary in his home province.
Aquino's Tarlac detour deviated
from the usual official rites at the
Rizal Monument at Luneta Park in
Manila, the Rizal Shrine in Calamba
City, Laguna province, and the Rizal
Shrine in Dapitan City, Zamboanga
del Norte province. The Tarlac rites
featured a short 17-minute Rizal Day
program, with the President leaving
as soon as he accomplished his task.
He did not deliver a speech.
Fresh from a three-day vacation in Baguio
City, President Aquino leads the observance
of the 117th anniversary of the execution of
national hero Dr. Jose Rizal in Tarlac City on
Monday, Dec. 30. Malacañang photo
First time
It was the first time a Philippine
President attended the annual Rizal
Day rites at the Rizal monument here,
which was built using a P500
donation from resident Alejandra
Castañeda and funds raised by Tarlac
community leaders.
President Aquino arrived in
Tarlac on Sunday from Baguio City
and spent Sunday night at his family's
house in Hacienda Luisita.
He was given military honors
when he arrived at the Tarlac City
Plazuela and was welcomed by Tarlac
Gov. Victor Yap, National Historical
Commission of the Philippines chair
Maria Serena Diokno, Armed Forces
Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista
and Philippine National Police
Director General Alan Purisima.
Officials raised the flag at 7 a.m. to
approximate the time Rizal was shot
at Luneta, then known as
Bagumbayan, in 1896. After the
ceremony, Aquino left to meet with
local leaders at a coffee shop in
Hacienda Luisita.
The Rizal Day rites in Baguio City
proceeded despite Aquino's absence,
with Mayor Mauricio Domogan and
Chief Supt. Isagani Nerez, Cordillera
police director, taking over the
President's task.
The Rizal Park in Baguio, which is
maintained jointly by the city
government and the Knights of Rizal,
also holds the Rizal Leadership
Training Conference at the Teachers'
Camp every December. Inquirer.net
Vice President Jejomar Binay (right) and Manila Mayor
Joseph Estrada lead the observance of the 117th death
anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal in Luneta. They also marked
the 100th anniversary of the Rizal monument. Photo by
Rene H. Dilan (Manila Times)
Revisiting Rizal's Martyrdom
REVISITING RIZAL'S
MARTYRDOM.
Visitors watch a
presentation of the
martyrdom of Dr.
Jose Rizal at the
Luneta Park on Dec.
28, 2013, ahead of
the 117th death
anniversary of the
National Hero on
Monday, Dec. 30.
(Ali Vicoy) Manila
Bulletin
SILENT WITNESS TO DISASTER The monument of national hero
Dr. Jose P. Rizal in Tanauan, Leyte, stands as a silent witness to
the destruction wrought by super-typhoon “Yolanda.” (Linus
Guardian Escandor II) Manila Bulletin
Order of the Knights of Rizal, Eastern USA-1 Chapters
commemorate the 117th martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal
KOR CHERRY HILL, NJ CHAPTER EVENT. From left: Sir Jose Ramos, KGOR (Commander, New
York Chapter); Dr. Aida Rivera; Sir Dr. Gabriel Kaluag, KCR; Sir Francis D. Sison, KGOR (Deputy
Regional Commander for USA), DCG Zaldy Patron; Sir Roger Alama, KGCR (Former Regional
Commander for USA); and Sir James Peralta, KOR
Front row, from left: Dr. Aida Rivera; DCG Zaldy Patron; Dr. Rommel Rivera and Sir Roger Alama,
KGCR. Standing, from left: Sir James Peralta, KOR; Linda Limcaco; Sir Dr. Gabriel Kaluag, KCR;
Sir Francis D. Sison, KGOR; and Sir Jose Ramos, KGOR
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 19
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Rizal statue now national treasure
By Maricar B. Brizuela
One hundred years after it was erected, the Rizal
memorial statue (Rizal Monument) was declared a national
cultural treasure on Monday (December 30, 2013) by the
National Museum of the Philippines.
The National Museum defines a national cultural treasure
as a unique cultural property found locally that possesses
outstanding historical, cultural and artistic value considered
highly significant to the country.
The bronze and granite Rizal Monument by Swiss sculptor
Richard Kissling was originally called “Motto Stella,” or
“Guiding Star,” and was unveiled on Dec. 30, 1913, during the
17th death anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal. Its granite base
contains the national hero's remains.
In declaring the monument a national cultural treasure,
the National Museum said it had become a “preeminent
national, political, historical and cultural symbol, evoking the
virtues, patriotism, sacrifice, death and legacy of Rizal.”
Leading exemplar
It also described the structure as an artistic and cultural
icon, and a leading exemplar for public monuments
throughout the country and in Filipino communities around
the world.
During Monday's 117th celebration of Rizal's martyrdom,
the Order of the Knights of Rizal, headed by its supreme
commander, Reghis Romero II, retraced the hero's last
footsteps from his prison cell in Fort Santiago to the plains of
Bagumbayan (now Luneta Park) where he was shot.
Vice President Jejomar Binay and Manila Mayor Joseph
Estrada, meanwhile, led the flag-raising and wreath-laying
ceremony at the Rizal Monument to commemorate the hero's
martyrdom.
The historical marker declaring the Rizal Monument a
national cultural treasure was built near the newly
constructed 45-meter flagpole that drew criticism early this
year because of its P8-million price tag.
Trademark overcoat
Rizal's bronze sculpture stands on a pedestal in his
trademark overcoat and gazing toward Manila Bay, a book in
his left hand. An obelisk, topped with three gold stars, is the
backdrop. Behind the statue, to the hero's right, a mother is
shown nursing her baby while to his left, two boys are reading.
Ninety nine meters away to the north of the monument
are the grounds hallowed by the blood of patriots. It was there
that the hero fell on his back, as if to welcome the blue sky that
fateful morning on Dec. 30, 1896.
The monument was built as a memorial to Rizal, whom
Filipinos hold in deep respect. Aware of this, the American
colonizers sought to win Filipino sympathy by forming the
US-Philippine Commission tasked to undertake and finance
the Rizal Monument project through popular subscription.
One hundred years after it was erected, the Rizal memorial statue (Rizal Monument) was declared a national cultural treasure on
Monday by the National Museum of the Philippines. news.carltonleisure.com photo
The commission enlisted prominent Filipinos as
members, including Paciano Rizal, the hero's brother. The
estimated amount for the monument was P100,000, with the
insular government donating P30,000 to kick-start the fundraising.
When the popular subscription finally closed in August
1912, the total collection had reached P135,195.61. The
Filipinos themselves had funded the project.
Final design
From 1905 to 1907, the commission held an international
competition to select the final design. On Jan. 8, 1908, the jury
selected the winner out of 40 entries. It chose the “Al Martir de
Bagumbayan” (“To the Martyr of Bagumbayan”) submitted by
Carlo Nicoli of Italy. The “Motto Stella,” designed by Richard
Kissling of Switzerland, came second.
KOR New Jersey Chapter
WREATH LAYING AT PLAZA RIZAL IN JERSEY CITY. Sir Lito Gajilan Jr., KGOR (Area
Commander, Eastern USA-1), leftmost; Sir Gali Munar, KCR (Commander, New Jersey Chapter)
5th from left; Sir Judge Victor Sison, KCR (Deputy Commander, New Jersey Chapter) 3rd from right,
front row.
But the “Al Martir de Bagumbayan” was never built. It was
said that Nicoli failed to post the performance bond of
P20,000, did not sign the contract on time and had a higher
price quotation than Kissling. At any rate, the contract was
finally awarded to Kissling.
The historic monument has stood on its present site for
the last 100 years. Not only did it survive World War II but it
also saved lives by shielding civilians during the fierce battle
to liberate Manila from the Japanese in 1945.
And now, bathed in peace and bright lights, the hero and
his remains enshrined in the monument are given honors by a
four-man ceremonial guard from the Philippine Marine Corps
24 hours a day.
The monument is simple, solemn and dignified, and
expresses the nation's spirit at its best. Inquirer.net
KOR Virginia Beach Chapter
EVENT AT FELYNN RESTAURANT IN VIRGINIA BEACH. Seated, from left: Sir Rod Dela Paz, KCR
of New Jersey Chapter; Sir Francis D. Sison, KGOR (Deputy Regional Commander for USA); Sir
Roger Alama, KGCR (Former Regional Commander for USA); Sir Edward Usita, KCR
(Founder/Past Commander,Virginia Beach Chapter); and Sir Gem Pagaduan, KCR (Commander,
Virginia Beach Chapter)
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
Business community
sees 2014 better year
as reforms bear fruit
By Bernie Magkilat
The business community
expects 2014 to be a better
economically charged year than
the calamity and controversyf i l l e d 2 0 1 3 wh e re re fo r m s
emanating from the government
and the private sector are going to
bear fruit.
“We will fare better in 2014,”
said Atty. Miguel B. Varela,
President of Philippine Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (PCCI),
the country's largest business
organization.
Varela said that the impact of
the corruption issues uncovered
and the good governance policy of
the Aquino on both the
government and private sector are
expected to take concrete results
this year.
With three years into the end of
the current dispensation, the
business community expects
President Aquino to make a clear
direction in cementing his legacy.
This pressure on the president
hopefully shall usher in sustained
growth for the economy for the
fulfillment of the administration's
goal of an inclusive growth.
Varela
On the government side, Varela
expects the reconvening of the
LEDAC (Legislative Executive
Development Advisory Council) as
a positive move to thresh out the
priority bills that are necessary to
sustain growth.
Varela, a member of LEDAC,
has already pushed for the
amendment of the economic
provisions of the Constitution.
“We need to amend the
economic provisions of the
Constitution to get more investors,
but only after we have put in place
all the safeguards,” he said.
In particular, he cited, the 6040 in favor to Filipinos the land
o w n e r s h i p i n t h e c o u n t r y.
Similarly, foreign equity in certain
industries such as media and the
utilities sector are limited to up to
40 percent.
PCCI chairman emeritus
Francis Chua expressed hope that
the problems encountered in 2013
will all be left behind. He cited the
controversial issues of the pork
barrel, the PDAF, typhoons and
earthquakes.
“The New Year ushers in a ray
of hope, we are optimistic for
2014,” he said.
Chua said a lot of factors
working in favor of the Philippines.
He cited that continued boom in
the services sector, great appetite
of Chinese for Philippine products
and the yearly increase of
remittance from the overseas
Filipino workers.
The implementation of the
infrastructure projects under the
P u b l i c P r iva t e Pa r t n e r s h i p
program of the government is also
expected to further boost growth.
Manila Bulletin
Banking sector improves
stability, strength in 2013
By Lee C. Chipongian
January 3 - 9, 2014
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Overall, Philippines can
compete in ASEAN 2015
integrated market - DTI
By Bernie Magkilat
Overall the Philippines can
compete under the integrated
trading regime of the ASEAN
Economic Community by 2015, the
Department of Trade and Industry
said.
But some domestic sectors,
particularly agriculture, may lose out
to competitors.
DTI Undersecretary Adrian S.
Cristobal Jr. said this as some sectors
have aired serious concern over the
country's competitiveness come
2015 because goods produced in the
country are competing against
similar products of other ASEAN
countries.
“We are still producing, selling
and even exporting, it already shows
we are competing,” he said as he
debunked perception that AEC is
going to kill domestic industries.
But Cristobal also admitted that a
few sectors may take a hit when AEC
takes effect in 2015. These industries
could be in the agriculture sector, like
sugar, which is going to lose its tariff
protection.
Rice, he said, will continue to
have protection and tariff is going to
stay at 35 percent.
The livestock industry is also
expected to get hit with the removal
of tariff shield, but Cristobal said that
the Philippines has a better
advantage against other ASEAN
countries because, “We have very
good position in the livestock sector
since we are the only bird-flue free
country in the region.”
Cristobal also reminded the
domestic industries that the issue on
tariff schedules had long been settled
and industries have been informed of
these deadlines.
“These schedules of
commitments have been settled
decades ago,” he said.
Cristobal also that the share of
Asean in terms of the country's trade
has been increasing significantly.
ASEAN now accounts for 20 percent
of the country's total trade.
“The share of on materials and
raw components that are critical to
us,” he said.
The only reason, he said, the
Philippines has incurred trade
deficits with ASEAN is because of its
huge importation of rice, petroleum
and petrochemicals products.
“But we are complementary in
the electronics and in the automotive
industries,” he added.
The Philippine trade, which for
the past 20 years focused on its
traditional markets US, Europe,
Japan and China has now shifted to
ASEAN, making it a must for Filipino
enterprises to take advantage of the
seamless ASEAN trading regime by
2015.
Trade and Industry
Undersecretary Ponciano C. Manalo
Jr. pointed this out at the National
Exporters' Congress Week, which
gathered the country's largest
exporters and small and medium
enterprises.
“With the recent developments,
we have seen a significant shift from
the traditional markets to our
neighboring countries in ASEAN,”
Manalo said.
For the last 20 years, the
Philippine export market focused on
United States, Europe, Japan and
China, but ASEAN is fast catching up.
Manila Bulletin
Int'l traders see PH
as gateway to Asean
By Amy R. Remo
The Philippine banking
i n d u s t r y, d e s p i t e g l o b a l
challenges, is now Basel 3compliant and in the past year, has
build up capital buffers and its
sights set on expansion both local
and for the large financial
institutions, exploring a bigger pie
of the regional business.
The country's credit rating
upgrade which gave it the muchcoveted investment grade status,
in part is a nod to the banking
sector's stability and strength.
As stated by Bangko Sentral ng
Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando
M. Tetangco Jr., international
rating agencies Moody's, Fitch
Ratings and Standard & Poor's
have recognized the banking
system for its “well-capitalized,
profitable and liquid with depositfunded balance sheets and sound
loss-absorption capacities.”
In its December 16 report,
Moody's positive outlook has been
maintained, it was first given in
December 2012. The rating firm
said the positive outlook is good
for 12 to 18 months more and it
was arrived at by assessing the
banks' operating environment
Page 20
DTI conducted investment missions
to Europe and the United States,
Investors are considering
where various companies confirmed
making the Philippines their gateway
their renewed interest in the
for their planned investments in the
Philippines as an investment
region, in preparation for the
destination.
formation of the Asean Economic
“There were specific inquiries
Community by 2015.
about and interest, of course, in the
“With the AEC 2015 in the
Philippines' business process
horizon, there is a strong interest in
management industry. However, we
making the Philippines a hub for
are pleased to note that we can build
(investments in) retail, automotive
further investment momentum in
parts exportation and aircraft
areas such as digital
maintenance, repair and overhaul,”
telecommunications, computer
Trade Undersecretary Ponciano C.
entertainment and high value
Manalo Jr. said in an interview.
electronics components,” Manalo
This is why the Department of
said.
Trade and Industry, according to
“As a result of (these) activities,
Manalo, will aggressively tap and
we see increased inbound missions
pursue next year various trade and
and company visits to the Philippines
The sprawling Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Complex along Roxas Boulevard in Malate,
investment opportunities
in the first half of 2014,” he added.
Manila. (Photo by Linus Guardian Escandor II)
particularly in mature priority
This year, the Philippines played
markets in East Asia, including South
host to a big number of trade and
Korea and Japan, which have been
investment missions from the United
which is a positive; asset quality
support major expansion plans in
visited recently by President Benigno
States, Turkey, Singapore, France,
and capital stable; funding and
2014 and also enough resilience to
Aquino III.
United Kingdom, Japan and the
liquidity stable; profitability and
buck external shocks.
“We will follow through these
Middle East. The delegations were
efficiency stable; and systemic
The BSP's balancing act of
opportunities and further develop
composed of companies that were
support, also a positive.
managing the high level of
Japanese, Korean and Asean-wide
eyeing opportunities in the country's
Both Fitch and S&P also
liquidity and in an environment
i n te re s t s a n d s o l i d l e a d s i n
r e t a i l , e n e r g y, a u t o m o t i v e ,
viewed the banking system as
which is also highly volatile and
manufacturing, infrastructure
manufacturing, healthcare,
resilient. According to Fitch in its
making sure economic expansion
development and tourism,” Manalo
education, construction and IT-BPM
December 17 updated analysis,
is not inflationary, has also made it
added.
sectors, as well as the government's
Philippine banks continue to be
imperative that it closely watch
The trade official also recalled
public-private partnership program.
that in the second half of 2013, the
Inquirer.net
well-capitalized which will
u
Page 21
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 21
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Marriott is gung-ho about PH's hospitality industry
By Marge C. Enriquez
Construction is ongoing for the
Marriott Grand Ballroom, which
will have a capacity of 5,000 and an
additional 228-room luxury tower
at the Resorts World complex.
“It's going to be a very grand
affair,” explains Bruce Winton,
Marriott's new general manager.
The expansion is a response to the
strong demand for venues from the
MICE (meetings, incentives,
conferences and exhibitions)
sector.
The new ballroom can
accommodate 3,000 guests on a
banquet setting and 5,000 for a
concert-style seating. It will be
supported by 18 meeting rooms.
The new tower will have a more
intimate lobby lounge and a
Chinese restaurant, a café/noodle
bar and another restaurant
concept.
The new annex and towers are
targeting the latter part of 2014 for
the soft opening, but the formal
rites will be held in January 2015.
Designer Kenneth Cobonpue
will be designing a striking focal
point in the lobby.
“It's part of the Philippines' big
picture. It's looking to grow five
million to ten million visitors by
2016 if you listen to President
Aquino. Why are they coming?
MICE is the magical four letter
word,” he says. “We're trying to put
the Philippines on everybody's
Banking sector ...
From page 20
credit growth and therefore,
banks' credit standards.
As in 2013, there are
expectations this year of
sustainable lending growth and at
the same time, keeping the nonperforming loans and assets
portfolio at manageable levels. As
such, banks expect credit demand
to grow.
As of the end of the third
quarter, the industry's total loan
portfolio amounted to P3.92
trillion from P3.44 trillion the year
before. Banks' non-performing
loans gross-wise totaled P102
billion from P103 billion the same
period in 2012 and net NPL is
P17.8 billion from P13 billion. The
NPL ratio overall is still declining.
Tetangco noted that credit
growth is sustainable, in fact the
credit-to-GDP ratio continue to
indicate that there is no
“unwarranted expansion”.
Tetangco said to sustain the
banking sector's position of
strength, they maintain and
implement new prudential
measures to ensure financial
stability. One very visible sign of
change is the adoption of Basel 3
which contains the new global
standard for managing bankingrelated risks.
Other changes implemented in
the last 12 months are reforms in
the framework of over-the-counter
derivatives, financial market
infrastructure, corporate
governance standards, consumer
protection and accounting.
These changes are necessary
to address identified weaknesses if
the BSP is to sustain financial
stability, said Tetangco.
would challenge: Define a hotel
ex p e r i e n c e . W h a t m a ke s i t
memorable? Is it simple luxury
touches or a combination of
service, luxury, technology? I've
had more people tell me that this is
the best Marriott hotel in the world
because of the service the genuine
desire to take care of people. The
Filipinos really want to help you not
because this is their job. They
genuinely take pleasure in making
you happy. People are not used to
that in other parts of the world.”
ARTIST'S rendition of the Marriott Grand Ballroom. Photo be Nelson Matawaran
radar as a bona fide world-class
MICE destination. To do that, you
need to have infrastructure,
transportation and facilities to host
those events. It's great that the
Philippines has been chosen as host
for Apec (Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation) meeting.”
Best in world
Winton points out that since
Marriott Hotel in Resorts World
opened in 2009 it has become one
of the most successful properties of
the Marriott chain in Asia.
Marriott's occupancy is robust
on weekdays with business and
corporate guests. On weekends, the
occupancy is stronger with families
and locals doing their “staycation.”
Risks remain
External factors specifically
any news coming from the US
Federal Reserve continued to color
market sentiments and the first
half of 2013 saw a higher level of
financial market volatility. Other
foreign-related worries include the
uncertain recovery in Europe,
China's growth and Japan's
“Abenomics” and its impact to the
region.
The BSP's macro-prudential
tools have been effective, so far,
according to BSP Deputy Governor
Diwa C. Guinigundo. He has reason
to believe that the worse impact of
the global market volatility in the
wake of the US Fed tapering issues
were tempered as far as the
Philippine market is concerned.
For one, the country's current
account surplus and foreign
exchange reserves provided
enough buffers to keep markets
calm. For 2013, the central bank
expects current account surplus to
reach $11.1 billion and $10.4
billion this year. The gross
international reserves or GIR are
forecast at $88 billion for 2014. As
of end-November GIR stood at
$83.57 billion.
Guinigundo said the gradual
exit of the US Fed stimulus program
will keep financial markets on its
toes for some time. Initially, the US
Fed indicated a reduction of its
monthly bond purchases by $10
billion. “While tapering has
started, the start was small and
nominal, more of a signal than a
statement of aggressive monetary
stance,” Guinigundo noted in
December.
In the next months, the BSP
official expects US Fed actions will
become more orderly which will
only settle global markets. “I sense
as of this writing, the year-to-date
occupancy is 82 percent.
The hotelier adds that the
restaurants have been popular. Cru
Steakhouse has merited many
awards and attracts a power
clientele while families go for the
seafood buffet at the Marriott Café.
Marriott's biggest market
segment comes from America (38
percent) which includes the
balikbayans. Domestic business
(36 percent) such as
pharmaceuticals and independent
travelers are the second biggest
market. The rest of its guest mix
comes from Asia.
The hotel's location is a big
advantage. With its accessibility to
the international airport Resorts
a more orderly conduct of tapering
and more appropriate
normalization of interest rate
policy,” said Guinigundo. “I also
sense a stronger traction of output
and employment and reasonable
adjustment in inflation. Overall,
this should augur well for the
global markets, erasing much of
the uncertainty.”
World has become a gateway.
“Marriott can provide versatile,
world-class meeting facilities for
any size of group in a multi-use
entertainment complex. Once
you're done with the meetings, you
can watch a show at the Newport
Performing Arts Theater and can go
shopping at the mall. There is a
variety of shopping, dining and
entertainment options,” he says.
Winton says the demand for
function rooms has been very high
that the hotel has had to turn down
b u s i n e s s e s o n Fr i d ay s a n d
Saturdays. But with the new Grand
Marriott Ballroom, the place can
hold six weddings simultaneously.
The hotel is often compared
with other brands. He explains, “I
Success in Cebu
A l t h o u gh h e c re d i t s t h e
Filipinos for Marriott's success in
the Philippines, Winton himself is
an accomplished hotelier. Recently,
he was awarded General Manager
o f t h e Ye a r f o r M a r r i o t t
International Asia Pacific Region.
Winton has worked for
Marriott International for 24 years,
working his way up as a trainee
then a chief steward (“He's the guy
in charge of washing the dishes,
cleaning the kitchen and setting up
the equipment for the banquet”) to
heading restaurant operations and
food and beverage director. He
honed his skills in handling large
convention hotels such as the
Marriott Copley in Boston and the
JW Marriott in Washington, the first
of the hotel's luxury category. While
working in America, Winton had to
round off his Scottish accent.
u
Page 22
PH October imports
take steepest plunge
in 18 months
MANILA -- Philippine
10 to 12 percent this year, as
merchandise imports plunged at
opposed to their earlier forecast
their steepest rate in 18 months in
growth of 5 to 6 percent.
October, pulled down by inbound
e l e c t ro n i c s s h i p m e n t s - t h e
Trade surplus
country's top trade item.
Philippine exports grew in the
The National Statistics Office
double digits in October to $5.205
(NSO) on Friday reported that
billion. The country had a trade
imports dropped 8.6 percent
surplus of $202 million that month,
annually to $4.824 billion in October.
which trimmed the total trade gap
This is in contrast to a revised 7.2
for January to October to $6.09
percent increase in September and a
billion.
5.0 percent gain in October last year.
But the trade surplus at the start
The recent decline is the
of the fourth quarter could mean
sharpest drop since the 13.3 percent
very little for Philippine growth.
contraction registered in April last
“Our growth model has still very
year.
little reliance on trade,” said Mapa,
Total imports in the 10 months
noting that trade has either been a
to October were down 0.8 percent
drag or just a marginal contributor at
year-on-year to $51.2 billion.
most to total output.
Electronic imports, which
“This is still an encouraging
accounted for the largest share in
sign,” he clarified. “The silver lining is
October, contracted by 7.3 percenta
that we're seeing a veering away
turnaround from the 29.9 percent
from semi-cons and there are efforts
rise a month previous, NSO data
to balance the share of exports.”
showed. These shipments are
Despite sluggish trade, the
usually materials used by the
Philippine economy outpaced the
semiconductor and electronics
rest of Southeast Asia, at 7.4 percent
industry, the country's largest
in the first three quarters of the year.
export sector.
Growth is expected to be 7
“They [industry players] may
percent this year, Socioeconomic
not be replenishing inventory
Planning Secretary Arsenio
because of the stock that piled up
Balisacan said. The government is
from previous months or they are
keeping its 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent
not expecting a strong rebound,”
growth target for next year.
Mapa said.
China was the top source of
The Semiconductor and
imports in October, accounting for
Electronics Industries in the
13 percent of the total. Second is the
Philippines (SEIPI) have said they
US with 9.6 and Japan that accounted
expect electronic exports to decline
for 8.8 percent.
u
Page 22
More challenges ahead
Both Tetangco and Guinigundo
reiterated that for 2014 in truth
what they have been doing for the
past three to five years their focus
will remain on the rapid domestic
liquidity growth, strong domestic
credit growth and potential asset
bubbles.
The central bank reported that
as of end-November, domestic
liquidity increased by 36.5 percent
year-on-year to P6.7 trillion, it
accelerated its growth due to the
flood of liquidity into the system
exiting from the BSP's special
deposit account (SDA) facility.
Tetangco, in a speech he gave
foreign media last November, said
increased liquidity growth will
only be for a short transition
period, as banks adjust to
operational refinements to the
access to the BSP's SDA facility.
“With banks rebalancing portfolios
to take these changes into
consideration, banks could be
expected to more expeditiously
and effectively channel the SDA
funds to the productive sectors,” he
explained.
On credit growth, he
continued: “In our assessment, the
banks have made very deliberate
choices to continue to lend bulk of
their funds to the relatively capitalintensive productive sectors of the
economy, i.e., the manufacturing
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 22
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
'Cookies' for fish is top microenterprise
room nights.”
Marriott Cebu also gained new
corporate accounts. He appointed
the finance director, who spoke
Korean, to woo the Korean market.
“He won the Aseana airlines
contract by being a salesman. They
should know Marriott hotel. We
establish relationship with
decision makers. When they come
for an official visit, we prepare the
hotel for them and do a better job
than competition.”
By Linda B. Bolido
A Bulakeño, who makes
“cookies” as fish feed, is this year's
national winner of the Citi
Microentrepreneurship Awards
(CMA).
Enrico S. Fojas of Hagonoy
received P200,000. Together with
the three regional winners, he will
also undergo a four-week
entrepreneurship training and small
business advisory and coaching
sessions at the Citi Microenterprise
Development Center, a training
program jointly undertaken by Citi
and the Bayan Academy for Social
Entrepreneurship and Human
Resources Development.
Fojas, who almost left the
country to become a caregiver
abroad to earn enough for his
children's education, parlayed a
P5,000 loan from the Urban Program
for Livelihood Finance and Training
into a million-peso enterprise that
employs 21 workers. Cookie Mill
Feeds, which was started by Fojas'
brother, recycles stale breads from
Hagonoy bakeries that would
otherwise have been thrown away,
into non-toxic high-protein feeds for
the town's and neighboring areas'
numerous fish ponds. The breads are
enriched by adding coconut and
other organic ingredients.
The regional winners, who each
received P100,000, were Marylyn
Cleto for Luzon, Reginal Paller for
Visayas and Necy Ann Ty for
Mindanao.
Cleto, a former overseas worker
who came home with very little
savings, diversified her sari-sari
store business in Baguilin, La Union
and now operates a mini grocery, soft
broom manufacturing, computer
shop and G-Cash remit center with
the help of the Tulay sa Pag-unlad
Inc.
Paller runs a popular talabahan
or roadside eatery, which she
expanded with the help of a small
loan from Valiant Bank in Passi City,
Iloilo.
Davao City residents Ty and her
husband own Higher Ground that
makes mountaineering gear and
apparel to supply those who want to
scale Mount Apo, the Philippines'
highest peak, or other mountains.
With the help of Rizal Microbank,
Higher Ground now has four
branches. The Tys have also acquired
three delivery trucks.
2013 WINNERS of the Citi Microentrepreneurship Awards are all smiles hereafter being
informed they will receive generous cash prizes, scholarship to entrepreneurship
training, life and health microinsurance coverage and a laptopall to further boost their
businesses.
D u r i n g t h e re c e n t awa rd
ceremonies held at the BSP complex,
CMA also honored three previous
winners who had successfully
sustained their mini businesses.
Former factory worker Jennilyn
M. Antonio put up EHJE's Peanut
Butter with the help of the Rural
Bank of Mabitac in Laguna. She now
exports her products to Japan and
Singapore.
Maria Guidella C. Argabio of
Calatrava, Negros Occidental,
transformed herself from being a
sugarcane plantation laborer into a
farmer-owner and trucking
company operator with the support
of the Negros Women for Tomorrow
Foundation, Inc.
Rosario A. Caparas now runs in
Biñan, Laguna a million-peso buchi
business that sells several variations
of the popular Chinese dessert. A
loan from the CCT Savings and Credit
Cooperative enabled her to grow her
business that now serves 25
locations in her province, including
popular fastfood establishments.
The annual CMA, which is funded
by Citi Foundation and conducted in
partnership with the Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas, Citi Philippines and the
M i c ro f i n a n c e C o u n c i l o f t h e
Philippines Inc., aims to increase
awareness of microfinance and
provide incentives to
microentrepreneurs in the country.
Aside from honoring successful
small businessmen, the awards also
recognize the microlending
institutions that helped them grow
their business ventures.
Winners were chosen by the
National Selection Committee
composed of captains of industry,
successful entrepreneurs, financial
experts and members of the
academe. Jointly chaired by BSP
governor Amando M. Tetangco, Jr.
and Batara Sianturi, chief executive
officer of Citi Philippines, its
members are Marixi Rufino-Prieto,
chair, Philippine Daily Inquirer;
Fernando Zobel de Ayala, president,
Ayala Corporation; Jose Ma. A.
Concepcion III, president and CEO,
RFM corporation; Felipe L. Gozon,
chair and CEO, GMA Network Inc.;
Antonio L. Alindogan, Jr., director,
Philippine Airlines; Robina
Gokongwei-Pe, president and chief
operating officer, Robinsons Retail
Group; and Dr. Darwin D. Yu,
associate professor, Ateneo de
Manila University-John Gokongwei
School of Management.
Responding on behalf of this
year's winners, Fojas said, “When
putting up a business, you should
consider what (resources) are
around you and how you can help
people and how they can help you.”
Describing himself as an
advocate of non-toxic products, he
said they turned stale breads from
bakeries, which would have been
thrown away, into “rich, nutritious
animal feed (which was) good for the
environment and a natural food.”
But he stressed that his success
was not just about making profit but
helping people. “Always think of the
welfare of your workers. (If you do),
they will be loyal and will do their
work right,” he said. Tetangco said
CMA winners continued “to surprise
us with their creativity and
discipline. They continue to make us
proud.” Sianturi said he was
impressed by the “level of
engagement and quality of
nominees.” He said the Philippine
initiative had been adopted by other
country offices. Inquirer.net
BRUCE Winton brings with him more
than two decades of service at
Marriott. Photo by Nelson Matawaran
Marriott is
gung-ho ...
From page 21
It was in Washington, where
Winton met his future Filipino
wife, Christina Diaz, who was a
trainee in the food and beverage
department.
When Marriott was expanding
in Asia, Winton was promoted to
resident manager of the Seoul
Marriott. The turning point came
when he became general manager
of Marriott Cebu in 2010. During
his tenure, he boosted the hotel's
market share, increased customer
satisfaction and food and beverage
revenues.
“It was a good re-introduction
to the Philippines for my family
after years of being away,” he
recalls.
Upon his arrival, the industry
was experiencing a glut of rooms.
“There was prolific growth but
demand fell behind the supply.
The city was challenging. I had to
explore new businesses not found
before. We were able to produce
good results in 2012 through the
combination of relationship
building with different clients
flexibility and looking at different
source markets.”
Winton bucked the myth that
Koreans fly to Cebu to enjoy the
beaches. “I lived in Korea for two
years and I never met a Korean
who wanted to sit in the sun. They
run from the sun. That's why they
have very fair skin. We offered city
rates that were cheaper than those
at Mactan. When we talked to tour
operators, it was followed by a
tsunami of business. One operator
did 200 room nights with us in
2011. In 2012, it went up to 12,000
Banking sector ...
From page 21
show also that even as banks have
increased their lending activities,
they have not relaxed their lending
standards.”
“We are confident that given
the current regulatory
environment and the banks'
observed risk appetite, banks will
continue to be discriminating in
the projects they will fund. Indeed,
there is room to grow further in
this respect, given our ratio of
credit to GDP remains below that
of our peers in the region,” said
Tetangco.
“On strong asset prices, we do
not yet see asset bubbles forming,”
he stressed. “But developments
Dining and laughing
From his experience in the US,
Winton brought with him
Marriott's philosophy of taking
care of its employees. “Before
profits and guests, the employees
come first. They are the ones who
deliver the results for you. If you
take care or them, they will be
happy. They will take good care of
customers.”
This includes a competitive
p a c ka g e , o p p o r t u n i t i e s fo r
professional development and
empowerment. “We give them the
power to make decisions,” says
Winton.
The hotelier waxes proud of
his seasoned executive team.
“They know what they are doing. I
make sure they have what they
need from me and they get my
support.”
Since his transfer to Marriott
Manila, Winton has been knocking
on doors to increase the visibility
of the hotel. With new hotels
opening by 2015, he is
anticipating stiffer competition.
“It will change dynamics in doing
business.”
Marriott hired a director for
international convention sales to
promote the new Grand Ballroom.
The hotel has been attending
travel events in the US and Europe
to establish new clientele.
For a busy hotel that's bullish
about expansion, the 45-year-old
hotelier is as energetic as he was
an upstartbut not without the
boldness of youth.
Doing business in Asia, he
learned the importance of
flexibility and diplomacy. In the
Philippines, Winton observes that
dining, singing and laughing are
vital in a transaction. He adds, “I
understand not to be
confrontational. Don't push for a
final answer. In some countries,
when I need a yes or a no, I need it
today. That's not the way to do it in
the Philippines. You allow the
answers to evolve. As long as
you've built relationship, trust and
confidence, then the answers that
you want will evolve.” Inquirer.net
bear watching.”
The BSP, noted Tetangco, has
been criticized as fuelling a credit
and asset bubble through low
interest rates. “This view is rather
narrow (the BSP) has reduced its
policy rates to support growth to
the extent the inflation outlook has
allowed it to. In addition, we have
d e p l oye d m a c ro - p r u d e n t i a l
measures during the early stages
of strong capital inflows and even
earlier to help tighten regulatory
screws.”
These include concentration
limits on real estate lending, limits
o n o p e n f o r e i g n e xc h a n g e
positions, and higher risk weight
for non-deliverable forward
transactions, he pointed out.
Manila Bulletin
ENTERTAINMENT
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 23
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
39th MMFF sets
two-day recordbreaking gross
By Michael Joe T. Delizo
The Metro Manila Film Festival
(MMFF) is enjoying its best year so
far, breaking records in terms of
gross earnings in its 39th year.
The Metro Manila Development
Authority (MMDA) reported a twoday income of P234 million, with
P134 million earned on opening day
(Dec. 25) and an additional P100
million earned on the second day.
M M DA C h a i r m a n F r a n c i s
Tolentino said that this year's
opening-day gross is 23% higher
compared to 2012's P105 million.
The second-day earnings he added,
are 34% higher than last year.
While the exact figures
concerning each entries have yet to
be determined, comedy flicks “My
Little Bossings” and “Girl Boy Bakla
Tomboy” maintain their position as
among this year's top grossing films,
followed by horror “Pagpag: Siyam
na Buhay” and action-comedy
“Kimmy Dora: Ang Kiyemeng
Prequel.”
Notably, these films outranked
MMFF Award's biggest winner
“10,000 Hours” in terms of ticket
sales but not that it bothers lead
actor Robin Padilla. In his speech, the
39th MMFF Best Actor awardee took
pride in the numerous recognition
that festival judges afforded their
entry.
“Wala 'man sa atin ang salapi…
pero nasa atin ang karangalan,” he
said.
Apart from allowing a Best Actor
nod for Padilla, “10,00 Hours”
earned Best Picture, Best Screenplay,
Best Original Story as well as the
Best Director trophy for Joyce
Bernal.
“Ang laban dito talagang 'yung
ganda ng pelikula. Ang pelikula
namin may kinalaman sa mga buhay
natin,” Padilla quipped.
He also took a swipe at the
seeming frivolity given to the other
film entries. “Hindi kami nag-eentertain, 'yung mga kapatid natin sa
ibang pelikula, sila'y nag-eentertain.
Kami iba. Nagmumulat kami
kaya mayayabang kami kasi totoo
'yung sinasabi namin,” he said.
Manila Bulletin
FILM FESTIVAL'S BIG WINNERS. The cast of '10,000 Hours,' headed by its lead star and Best Actor awardee
Robin Padilla and Best Director awardee Joyce Bernal (center), celebrate after winning most of the major
awards in the 39th Metro Manila Film Festival Awards Night at the Meralco Theater in Pasig City on Dec. 27
Robin, Ryzza win in Filmfest;
'10,000 Hours' reign supreme
By Pau Aguilera
MANILA -- The action-drama
“10,000 Hours” got the biggest
number of awards in this year's
Metro Manila Film Festival
(MMFF).
Aside from winning the Best
Picture, “10,000 Hours” copped
Best Actor (for Robin Padilla),
Best Director (Joyce Bernal), and
Best Supporting Actor (Pen
Medina) at the awards night held
December 27 at the Meralco
Theater.
Child wonder Ryzza Mae
Dizon, in box-office recordbreaker “My Little Bossings”
(3rd Best Picture), was named
Best Child Performer.
The “10,000 Hours,” said to
be partly inspired by what
happened to former Senator
Panfilo “Ping” Lacson when he
went into hiding, dominated
most of the other categories, too,
from Best Visual Effects and Best
Production Design, to Best
O r i g i n a l S t o r y, a n d B e s t
Screenplay.
T h e Fe r n a n d o P o e J r.
Memorial Award for Film
Excellence and the Gat Puno
KC CONCEPCION and Gov. ER Ejercito (a.k.a. Jeorge Estregan)
Antonio Villegas Cultural Award
were also awarded to “10,000
Hours,” which also stars Bela
Padilla, Michael de Mesa, Alden
Child performer Ryzza Mae Dizon, accompanied by her co-star James
Richards, Mylene Dizon, and
'Bimby' Aquino Yap, speaks after winning the Best Child Performer award
Carla Humphries, among others.
for her role in “My Little Bossings.” (Jim Guiao Punzalan)
Maricel Soriano won the
Best Actress award for her role
in “Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy,” Star of the Night. The award for Actress: Agot Isidro of “Mga
which placed 2nd in the Best Best Festival Float went to “Boy Anino ng Kahapon.”
By Crispina Martinez - Belen
martial arts that we have to give
Picture race and received the Golden: Shoot to Kill.”
Student Short Film (New Wave)
credit to fight directors Seng Kawee
Gender-Sensitive Award for the Optical Media Board Chairman
Special Jury Prize winner: Luigi
She made the biggest surprise (Thailand), Larry Ang (China), and
mainstream category.
Ronnie Rickets was given
Rosario's #NoFilter.
ever in her acting career, and did it Miguel Vasquez, especially since
Former child wonder Aiza special recognition for his fight
Animation (New Wave) Special
with finesse, grace and passion. the fight scenes are smooth and
Seguerra, in “My Little Bossings” against piracy.
Jury Prize winner: Omar
Truly a revelation, that's what we distinct from action scenes we have
(3rd Best Picture), was named The other winners at the 39th
Aguilar's “Ang Lalong ni
saw in KC Concepcion during the seen in other movies.
Best Supporting Actress. “My MMFF, from the New Wave
Kulako.”
premiere night presentation of
While the drama in “Boy
Little Bossings” also copped the category and other special
Animation (New Wave) Best
“Boy Golden” last Dec. 23 at the SM Golden” is serious, it has touches of
Best Original Theme Song.
awards:
Picture: Dennis Sebastian's
Mall of Asia.
comedy that make the movie
The Kathryn Bernardo and New Wave Full-Length Best
“Kaleh and Mbaki.”
KC is Jeorge Estregan's leading greatly entertaining. The dialogues
Daniel Padilla (Mavshack Male Director: Armando Lao of
Most Gender-Sensitive Film
lady in the movie and acting was between Boy Golden (Jeorge
Star of the Night) starrer “Dukit.”
(New Wave Full-Length): Aloy
sharp and distinct. Admirable!
Estregan) and KC are tinctured
“Pagpag: Siyam na Buhay” New Wave Full-Length Special
Adlawan's “Island Dreams.”
Who would expect a sweetie- with sharp, blunt, and casual
nabbed the Best Makeup and the Jury Prize winner: “Mga Anino
Most Gender-Sensitive Film
sweetie actress to engage in a exchanges as well. Before the
Youth Choice awards, while ng Kahapon.”
(New Wave Student Films
violent hand-to-hand combat? KC premiere presentation began,
Eugene Domingo of “Kimmy New Wave Full-Length Best
category): Jezreel Reyes'
showcased such credibility in
u
Page 26
Dora: Ang Kiyemeng Prequel” Picture: “Dukit.”
“Hintayin Mo sa Seq. 24.”
was named Mavshack Female
New Wave Full-Length Best
Manila Bulletin
KC, a revelation
in 'Boy Golden'
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 24
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Maricel Soriano’s Brilliant 10,000 Hours:
Performance In 'GBBT'
Why it won and
Maricel Soriano, dubbed
the “Diamond Star,” once
again showcases her acting
mettle in “Girl, Boy, Bakla,
Tomboy,” her very first film
collaboration with
phenomenal box office star
Vice Ganda.
Seamlessly fusing the
elements of drama and
comedy, Maricel took the role
of Pia, the mother of Vice's
four characters.
“I have been waiting for
this moment since the day I
started in the business. For
me, my acting career will
never be complete if I were
not given the chance to work
with Inay,” says Vice who
openly admitted that it has
been his longtime fantasy to
be slapped by Maricel on the
silver screen. The “slap scene”
between Vice and Maricel was
executed to perfection and it
is considered one of the
highlights of the movie.
Director Wenn Deramas
noted, “Maricel is very
nurturing. Taking care of
artists whom she considers as
her children in showbiz
comes so natural to her.”
Maricel has consistently
won Best Festival Actress
what worked
By Walden Sadiri M. Belen
Maricel Soriano, dubbed the “Diamond Star”
Awards in previous MMFFs
and starred in criticallyacclaimed and box office films
under Star Cinema.
Still, she considers being
part of GBBT a blessing. “I love
our director very much and I
am extremely happy to have
Vice as my daughter. I know in
my heart that my beautiful
relationship with Direk Wenn
and Vice will last forever,” she
said. Manila Bulletin
Joyce Bernal didn't make any
promises to her producers that
“10,000 Hours,” one of the entries to
the ongoing 39th Metro Manila Film
Festival, would be as successful as it
has become. But the film took home
most of the coveted awards including
the Best Director for her, Best Actor for
her lead actor Robin Padilla and the
Best Picture and the FPJ Memorial
Award for Film Excellence and the Gat
Puno Antonio Villegas Cultural Award
for her producers!
She is hopeful that the awards
would now draw in moviegoers so her
producers would make money.
So what worked in the movie's
favor? All the goals and intentions of
the people involved, from Joyce to lead
star Robin as well as all the producers,
to produce a good movie!
Another factor could be the
relationship between the filmmaker
and the action star, which started with
movies they worked on together from
“Tunay na Tunay, Gets Mo” and
“Kailangan Ko'y Ikaw” and “Buhay
Kamao,” to “Pagdating Ng Panahon.”
The evolution of their relationship
was also witnessed by televiewers
when they were reunited via ABSCBN's soap-opera “Kailangan Ko'y
Ikaw.”
Robin's bid to showcase his
thespian skills in “10,000 Hours” was a
success. Watching the film, it was hard
to bend one's preconceived notion of
the actor as a rough, tough action hero.
But as the scenes go on, Robin
becomes his character Sen. Gabriel
Alcaraz, the fictional character
inspired and based on Sen. Panfilo
“Ping” Lacson. In fact, he was “Sen.
Lacson” throughout the movie, playing
the role intelligently.
But Robin the action hero gets to
shine too particularly in some of the
movie's more thrilling scenes. Indeed,
his “actions” in “10,000 Hours” spoke a
thousand words of his growth and
maturity as an actor. (More of this new
Robin could be savored in his
upcoming film in 2014 on the
Kuratong Baleleng gang.
As to how important Joyce was to
his development as an actor, Robin,
again, at the grand press conference of
“10,000 Hours” explained “Si Joyce
lang ang pwedeng magbalik ng
ningning ng action. Isang katulad niya
ang nakakaintindi ng puso ng mga
masa kasi 'yung aming golden age of
action iba na ang action ngayon…si
direk Joyce pala talagang taga-UP,
talaga palang rebolusyonaryo ito.
Naniniwala ako na sa bawat dialogue
ni Gabriel Alcaraz sa pelikulang ito
nanggagaling din sa ilalim ng puso ni
direk Joyce.”
It was hard at first to imagine that
Joyce actually helmed “10,000 Hours”
as action-packed as it is. In her first
full-feature action film, Joyce
showcased some Hollywood moviemaking styles. And it wouldn't be
surprising if she's bound to direct
more explosive and high-budgeted
action movies in the near future.
As Joyce explained, she got her
knack for the action genre movies
working for action film directors when
she was just starting in the movie
industry.
Passing on the chance to direct the
third “Kimmy Dora” movie and “My
Little Bosings” was all worth it given
the awards “10,000 Hours” received.
Lastly, Neal Arce, one of the
producers said that their intention
was “manalo ng awards na hindi
binabayaran.”
But the awards were paid and
dearly so through the hard work of the
cast and crew who did everything to
produce a Filipino film worth
watching.
Besides, if you're curious to what
really happened to Sen. Panfilo
Lacson, when he disappeared from the
country some years back, this is the
closest one can get to knowing about
it, unless of course, Sen. Lacson writes
and publishes a no-holds barred tale
of his experience!
“10,000 Hours” is still showing in
theaters nationwide. Manila Bulletin
Shamcey Supsup, Lloyd Lee
tie the knot
MANILA - Miss Universe 2011
third runner-up Shamcey Supsup
m a r r i e d l o n g - t i m e b oy f r i e n d ,
businessman Lloyd Lee, on Sunday,
Dec. 29.
The wedding was held at the
Church of the Risen Lord inside the
University of the Philippines campus
in Diliman, Quezon City where Supsup
got her degree in architecture.
Supsup walked down the aisle
with the song “A Thousand Years” by
Christina Perri in the background.
Supsup was wearing a
champagne-colored wedding gown
designed by Cherry Veric, while Lee
wore a suit of the same shade.
Supsup and Lee first met during
the birthday-cum-victory party of the
beauty queen in May 2011. This then
led to their first date which eventually
developed into a relationship. After
two years of being sweethearts,
Shamcey Supsup
Supsup got engaged to Lee for over a
year before they finally tied the knot.
The couple said they won't be
having their honeymoon immediately
after the wedding as their priority
would be to first finish their new
home.
Supsup, however, said they will be
spending their honeymoon in Europe
as they are set to fly there on Holy
Week.
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 25
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
THE CAST of 'My Little Bossings'
‘Bossings’ rules 2013
Film Festival box office,
sets new record
By Shirley Pizarro
Congratulations are in order to
all those who are involved in the
production of “My Little Bossings,”
the Metro Manila Film Festival
(MMFF) 2013 box office runaway
winner.
The movie, starring Vic Sotto,
Kris Aquino, Aiza Seguerra, Ryzza
Mae Dizon and James “Bimby”
Aquino Yap Jr., grossed P50.5 million
on opening day, setting the highest
record ever attained by a Filipino
movie of all time.
Vic and Kris, who are also coproducers (along with Orly Ilacad
and Tony Tuviera), very happily note
that their expectations have been
exceeded by the box office turnout.
“We are so thankful to everyone who
found time to watch our movie.
We' r e v e r y p r o u d o f t h i s
achievement,” they said.
The production companies
OctoArts Films, M-Zet Films, APT
Entertainment and Kris Aquino
Productions celebrate the rare
KC, a revelation ...
From page 23
Megastar Sharon Cuneta arrived with
husband Sen. Francis Pangilinan.
Immediately, KC said: “Mom, you will
not like what you will see.”
Perhaps KC was referring to her
kissing scenes with Jeorge but we
noted they were done as needed.
When the screening was over, we saw
the Megastar congratulating her
distinction and look at it as a
validation and encouragement to
come up with more family-oriented
movies like “My Little Bossings.”
This movie touches the heart and
warms the soul and credit should be
given to director Marlon Rivera and
script and screenplay writer Bibeth
Orteza, who both share the plaudit
with the producers.
They also acknowledge the fact
that the record-breaking box office
result is largely owed to the
outstanding chemistry shared by the
film's cast members, especially the
two precocious children Ryzza Mae
and Bimby, who have wowed the
audience not only with their
cuteness but also with the display of
their excellent acting prowess.
Ryzza Mae is expected to win an
acting award for her excellent
performance while Bimby has
managed to surprise everyone with
his on-screen charm and credibility,
considering “My Little Bossings” is
his first foray into the big screen.
This early, many are predicting
daughter.
“Boy Golden,” directed by awardwinning Chito S. Roño, is a must-see
movie. It is a chronicle of one chapter
o f M a n i l a ' s h i s t o r y, w h e n
gangsterism had its heydays. It's also
rich in culture.
As for Jeorge, his previous action
films won for him several major
awards, the biggest number of
awards that a film had ever received
in the history of the local movie
industry. Manila Bulletin
Marian Rivera graces
cover of FHM Thailand
MANILA – After gracing the
cover of FHM Philippines,
Marian Rivera is on a roll as she
now appears on the cover of the
men's magazine in Thailand.
In a post in her official
Instagram account on
Wednesday, Rivera seemed
surprised when she learned
that she is the cover girl of FHM
Thailand's January 2014 issue.
“Whooaaw! I'm at the cover
of Thailand's FHM January 2014
issue. I am so honored,” she said.
The cover photo was the
same one used in the January
2013 issue of FHM Philippines,
which was taken by ace lensman
Mark Nicdao, with the actress
wearing a red and black bikini
top, and her long brown hair
swept to one side.
Rivera, who rose to fame for
her role as Marimar in the
remake of the hit Mexican soap
of the same title, was named as
FHM ma ga zine's "Sex iest
Woman in the Philippines" for
2013.
In a past interview with the
magazine, the actress said,
“Siguro it's time na rin na may
bago akong i-offer sa mga
nagmamahal sa akin na matagal
na nilang hinihiling.”
“A lot of readers have been
wondering why I still wasn't
doing the cover, so now ibibigay
ko na sa kanila,” she added.
“Siguro masasabi ko na this time
buo na ang loob ko.”
Filmmakers share their wishes for 2014
By Rica Arevalo
MANILA -- We asked several directors what their wishes are for the coming year:
Joey Reyes: Greater courage to innovate, and utilize the various media to encourage creativity. I
pray for a much larger audience for independent filmmakers -- lamenting the fact that the likes of
Brillante Mendoza are more appreciated abroad than on their home turf. I hope we can develop a
more discriminating audience.
Joel Lamangan: I can sense the gap between indies and mainstream films narrowing. I hope that
the new officers of the Directors Guild of the Philippines will be able to facilitate a healthier
interaction between independent and mainstream filmmakers.
Sustainable profession
Mike Sandejas: Some endeavors this year opened new doors for film practitioners. I expect
greater opportunities for filmmakers to elevate their craft and make the profession sustainable.
Gino Santos: No more films and TV concepts that deal with mistresses or “the other man/woman.”
I wish for more Filipino movies to be recognized at international festivals. Hopefully, the government
will allot more funding for local independent films. And, it would be ideal to have more film markets
that actually produce films after pitching!
Mark Meily: There's greater demand for fresh content. My wish is for media companies to have
bigger budgets so that those demands and expectations are met! Inquirer.net
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 26
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Regine for 2014: Look
forward and be positive
By Michael Joe T. Delizo
Regine Velasquez was beset
with problems this year, including
her father having been
hospitalized for sometime.
The singer acknowledged that
her bout with seeming negativity
“overshadowed” some of the more
beautiful things that happened in
her life in 2013.
“Hindi ko alam kung ano 'yung
magandang bagay na nangyari sa
akin, marami naman, kaya lang
minsan nao-overshadow ng
panget 'yung maganda so, parang,
hindi ko maisip kung ano 'yung
maganda,” she told Bulletin
Entertainment. “That's very
human.”
Among blessings she is
thankful for was her father's
eventual recovery as with the two
concerts she staged this year the
repeat of her 25th anniversary
“Silver” concert and the
“Foursome” Valentine's Day
concert with Ogie Alcasid, Pops
Fernandez and Martin Nievera,
which she considers highlights of
her career:
Regine says she doesn't expect
anything big for 2014, saying that
she doesn't want to preempt fate. If
anything, she tries to remain
optimistic even as she continues to
pray for the best.
“I'm just looking forward
period.
BOYCE AVENUE TRIO: Alejandro, Fabian and Daniel
Boyce Avenue
Live In Manila
Regine Velasquez (Photo by Mikee Delizo)
“Parang right now sa
sitwasyon natin parang that's all
we need lang. You just look ahead
and keep praying. Kasi hindi
naman natin alam what's gonna
happen in the future. You just have
to keep praying, looking forward
and be positive,” she said. While
admitting that she often looks
Back to what happened over
the year, Regine avoids harboring
any regret reasoning that “it's not
gonna change anything.”
She explains, “'Di ba you keep
regretting na 'Sana hindi ko na
ginawa 'yon.' Nabago ba? Hindi
naman. So, parang you just feel
guilty.” Manila Bulletin
Resorts World Manila (RWM),
the country's one-stop, non-stop
lifestyle destination, counts down
2013 with a bang by bringing back
acoustic band Boyce Avenue for a
music-filled night at the Newport
Performing Arts Theater (NPAT).
The trio of Manzano brothers
Alejandro, Fabian and Daniel is set
to rock the integrated resort on Dec.
30.
The highly anticipated concert
of one of the most viewed artists on
YouTube, with a billion hits and
over four-and-a-half million
subscribers, is expected to be a
sold-out event after the power pop
trio established a large fan base
here in the Philippines since their
first visit in 2009.
They are known for covering
songs by popular artists such as
Rihanna, Adele, Kanye West, Justin
Timberlake and Bruno Mars, and
their own hits such as “Every
Breath,” “Find Me,” “One Life,” and
many others. Manila Bulletin
Much has been
said: Controversial
quotes in 2013
By NR Ramos
A look back on the year that was
calls to mind individuals who had
dished out a controversial zinger or
two.
Sunshine
Cruz
Jumpin' January
Sunshine Cruz started the year
with a bang via a scathing
Instagram post: “A girl who sends
provocative/sexy pictures and
msgs to a married man. Is that
normal?” It started controversy
that led to separation from action
star hubby Cesar Montano.
Fumbling February
The Love Month found Robin
Padilla publicly wooing his wife
Mariel Rodriguez anew when the
latter got into a jealous fit, to the
point of returning the ring he gave
her. “Huwag nang mabalik sa akin
kasi mahal na mahal kita. Iniibig
kita. Tandaan mo 'yan,” Padilla said
on “Wowowillie,” words that
effectively ended the spat.
Mirthless March
James Yap and Kris Aquino
were back in the news by March,
with the presidential sister
accusing her ex-husband of making
sexual advances at her during a
v i s i t . Ya p d e n i e d t h i s b u t
inadvertently blew the matter out
of the water when he blurted that
Aquino supposedly had warned
him: “Baka nakalimutan mo may
three years pa 'yung brother ko,”
referring to President Noynoy
Aquino tenure in office.
Still in March, Heart
Evangelista's parents called a press
conference to make public their
differences with Senator Chiz
Escudero, whom they deemed unfit
to be their daughter's boyfriend.
“Natatakot kami para sa anak
namin,” Cecille Ongpauco told
media.
Atomic April
Inday Barretto confirmed
whispers about the marital
situation of her favorite daughter
Claudine Barretto when she said:
“Raymart left home? Yes, it is true.”
Manic May
Popular comedian Vice Ganda
was forced to apologize on national
TV over his joke about newscaster
J e s s i c a S o h o . “ Wa l a a k o n g
u
Page 27
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 27
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
John Lloyd compares new
sitcom to 'John en Marsha’
MANILA - John Lloyd Cruz is
hoping Filipino viewers will
welcome his latest team-up with
Toni Gonzaga as they star in an
upcoming Kapamilya TV sitcom.
Cruz said he wants his sitcom
with Gonzaga to be part of every
Filipino household which they
would welcome every Sunday -just like the classic “John en
Marsha,” which starred the late
veteran comedian Dolphy.
“Puwede mo siyang i-compare
doon pero kasi 'yung 'John En
Marsha,' sila 'yung representative
ng typical Pinoy household. Hindi
rin puwedeng malayo ang klase ng
household na mayroon kami sa
'Home Sweetie Home.' Basta very
now, very present,” he said.
Cruz said he values the trust of
the ABS-CBN management, adding
that he feels privileged to get
another chance to work with the
host-singer-actress.
“From film, nagamit namin ang
tandem namin sa sitcom which is
parang kabaligtaran ng normal
trend. Ibang iba na ito. Ang gusto ko
sanang mangyari dito, sana
tumagal at maging parte din kami
ng bawat Pinoy household. Sana
magustuhan nila, sana tangkilikin
nila,” Cruz said.
“Matagal na akong fan ni Toni. If
you remember, nagkasama kami sa
'Maging Sino Ka Man Book Two.'
Noong mga panahon na yun, hindi
ko pa siya kaya tingnan ng harapan.
Nung ginawa namin yung 'My
Amensia Girl,' na-outgrow ko.
Now, na-discover ko na I'm still
a fan especially after nung hosting
stint niya sa 'The Voice,' I
discovered na parang wala siyang
hindi kayang gawin,” he added.
Much has been
said: ... From page 26
days earlier.
intensyon na pagtawanan ang rape
victims. Wala akong intensyong
masama. Kung may nasaktan,
humihingi ako ng paumanhin,” he
said on “It's Showtime.”
The same month, Metropolitan
Manila Development Authority
(MMDA) Chairman Francis
Tolentino wrote to author Dan
Brown to denounce the depiction of
Manila as the “gates of hell” in his
latest novel, “Inferno.” The note
read: “While we are aware that
yours is a work of fiction, we are
greatly disappointed by your
inaccurate portrayal of our beloved
metropolis. We are displeased of
how you have used Manila as a
venue and source of a character's
breakdown and trauma, much more
her disillusionment in humanity.”
Jittery June
Charice Pempengco became talk
of the town when she announced,
“Tomboy po ako” in an exclusive TV
interview.
Jagged July
Evangelista is back in headlines,
defying her parents' protestation
about her relationship with
Escudero, saying: “I've never been
this happy in my life.”
Awful August
Parokya Ni Edgar singer Chito
Miranda took to Twitter to say,
“Humihingi po ako ng paumanhin sa
mga pamilya namin…” when a sex
video featuring himself and
girlfriend Neri Naig became viral
Suffering September
Following the leak of yet another
sex video, Miranda bravely faced the
media saying: “Mahal na mahal
namin ang isa't-isa. The more na
subukan nilang guluhin ang buhay
namin, mas lalo lang tumitibay ang
pagmamahalan at samahan namin.”
In the upcoming TV show, Cruz
plays a medical representative,
while Gonzaga is a teacher.
The debut trailer for the series,
which was released in early
November, shows the actors alone
in a room apparently preparing to
get intimate -- until they get
disturbed by family members.
The couple, it appears, lives
under the same roof as the
woman's family.
Playing the parents of Gonzaga
in the sitcom are Sandy Andolong
and Rico J. Puno, while child star
Clarence Delgado and teen actress
Miles Ocampo are her siblings.
The premiere date of the new
sitcom has yet to be announced but
Cruz said it will be shown on ABSCBN on Sundays after the kiddie gag
show “Goin Bulilit.”
John Lloyd Cruz and Toni Gonzaga
Angelica, Melai reconcile on
Christmas Day
Outrageous October
Gretchen Barreto pleaded to her
parents: “We can hear Claudine's cry
for help. Why can't you?”
Nagging November
Arnold Clavio had to explain
himself to the public in November
after remarking during his
interview with Janet Napoles'
lawyer that “Panira ka ng araw eh.”
Then, the BIR served Pacquiao a
warrant of garnishment effectively
freezing some of his accounts. He
lamented, “Huwag po sana akong isingle out at personalin dahil hindi
po ako magnanakaw.”
Dramatic December
Actress Anne Curtis was widely
quoted as saying to Phoemela
Barranda during an altercation: “I
can buy you, your friends, and this
club.” Curtis was only too thankful
when Barranda belied this.
Charice also returned to the
spotlight in mid-December
following allegations that she
attempted to take her life due to
bouts of depression purportedly
because of money woes. She shot
back with: “Mahal ko po ang buhay
ko, lalo pa nga't malaya ko nang
naipapahayag ang totoong ako. At
mayroon pa rin po akong
naitatagong pera.” Manila Bulletin
Aiza's advice to Ryzza
Aiza Seguerra's advice to fellow Little Miss Philippines alumna
Ryzza Mae Dizon on how to last in show biz: “She needs to see
beyond the fame. She needs to learn other things, and finish
school - at least high school. She should always improve herself in
h e r c r a f t ; l o n g e v i t y s t a r t s t h e r e . ” I n q u i r e r. n e t
Angelica Panganiban and Melai Cantiveros
MANILA -- "Banana Split" co-stars Angelica
Panganiban and Melai Cantiveros reconciled on
Christmas Day after admitting a rift involving the
latter's husband, comedian Jason Francisco. In a
post on Instagram Wednesday, Panganiban
shared a screenshot of her exchange of text
messages with Cantiveros.
The actresses, who also co-starred in the series
"Apoy sa Dagat," greeted each other during the holidays
and said they miss each other.
"Totoong merry ang Pasko," Panganiban said in the
photo's accompanying caption. "Maligayang Pasko sa
inyong lahat. Tahimik na ang puso naming lahat. Peace
and love para sa lahat. Happy holidays!"
In an interview in November, Panganiban admitted
that she has not spoken with Francisco after his
supposed tiff with comedian Pooh, who supposedly
questioned his capacity to support a family with
Cantiveros.
Cantiveros and Pooh, who is also a mainstay on
"Banana Split," are known to be close friends of
Panganiban.
Panganiban, in a later interview, said she was not
invited to attend the wedding of Cantiveros and
Francisco last December 9.
A week after the wedding, Cantiveros said she hopes
her rift with Panganiban, who she endearingly calls
"Twinny," will soon be fixed.
In her message to Cantiveros on Christmas Day,
Panganiban said she wants to be a godmother to the
comedienne's first child with Francisco.
The former "Pinoy Big Brother" housemates are
expecting their baby in four months.
Will Arnel Pineda be the
next 'Voice PH' coach?
By Pau Aguilera
Arnel Pineda is apparently open
on the idea of being part and
possibly even sitting as coach of
“The Voice of the Philippines.”
“On-going pa rin 'yung talks
dahil sa sched. Pero 'pag uubra ako,
I'll be honored to do it,” Arnel
related in an interview with ABSCBN News when asked if he would
join the local edition of the reality
singing competition.
The Journey front man has been
quite productive during his stay
here in the country, which included
several television appearances,
particularly on “The Voice PH” and
the variety show “ASAP 18.”
Nevertheless, Arnel announced
that he will soon be leaving the
country for a global tour with
Journey.
“Siguro itong 2014, bibista kami
sa North America at baka Asia. At by
2015, baka mga Europe, South
America,” he revealed.
Journey to giving back
Meanwhile, Arnel also took
time to share his blessings to several
less-fortunate families recently.
“Dahil sa swerteng tinanggap ko
galing sa Diyos, parang na-empower
ako gumawa ng paraan para naman
m a g - g ive b a c k a k o s a m g a
kababayan,” he said.
T h e 4 6 - ye a r - o l d vo c a l i s t
distributed gift bags to some
underprivileged households in
Marikina on Thursday, through his
non-profit organization Arnel
Pineda Foundation, Inc. (AFPI).
“Ang scheme talaga naming
(AFPI), ang puso naming, ay
pagtulong sa mga street kids. To
e d u c a t e t h e m t h ro u g h f re e
education courtesy of our volunteer
teachers,” he explained.
Arnel also went to Leyte and
Cebu earlier this month to deliver
aid to the victims of super-typhoon
“Yolanda.” Manila Bulletin
SPORTS
Pacquiao,
Henares in
shootfest
By Daxim L. Lucas, Aquiles Z.
Zonio
Given their verbal tit for tat a
few weeks ago, getting boxing
champion Manny Pacquiao and
Reve n u e C o m m i s i o n e r K i m
Henares together in a place
teeming with firearms might not
have been the best of ideas.
But President Aquino might
have been thinking counter
intuitively when he invited
Pacquiao on Dec. 21 to the
Presidential Security Group
compound's firing range inside the
Malacañang complex in Manila to
take part in a practical shooting
competition.
Not only was the eight-division
champion invited to the event, he
was also paired by Aquino with
fe l l o w s h o o t i n g e n t h u s i a s t
Henares for the competition, a
regular Saturday activity for the
President.
On same team
“So we ended up as partners,
shooting for the same team,” said
the BIR chief in a telephone
interview. “It was the President's
idea, I think.”
Friendly engagement
Communications Secretary
Herminio Coloma said the
President invited Pacquiao when
the latter made a courtesy call
recently.
“Friendly engagement simply
proves that the President does not
harbor any ill will against
Representative Pacquiao despite
the fact that the BIR (Bureau of
Internal Revenue) is making him
accountable for reported
deficiencies in his income tax
payments.
“Joining a sports activity where
the President is present does not
stop or deter the BIR from
pursuing its case against
Representative Pacquiao,” Coloma
said in a statement.
Pacquiao - who is also a
congressman representing
Sarangani province has been
slapped with a P2.2-billion bill by
the BIR, which alleges that he failed
to pay taxes for his income from
boxing in recent years.
For this, tax authorities have
ordered local banks to freeze his
accounts.
This prompted Pacquiao to call
a press conference, saying that he
was being harassed by local
authorities for taxes that had
supposedly been settled in the
United States. [The US Internal
Revenue Service itself has issued a
levy on Pacquiao's US bank
accounts to recoup more than $18
million in alleged tax liabilities
from 2006 to 2010.]
Page 28
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Athletes and officials from the Philippine contingent wave as they parade into the stadium during the opening
ceremony of the 27th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013. AP file photo
Poor SEA Games finish reflects
PH's meager sports budget
By June Navarro
MANILA -- Thailand had a “war
chest” equivalent to P13 billion, tiny
Singapore worked on a P6.5-billion
budget and both Indonesia and
Malaysia set aside at least P4 billion
each for sports last year.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist
to figure out why these countries
performed a lot better than the
Philippines at the recent Southeast
Asian Games in Burma (Myanmar),
according to the chair of the
Philippine Sports Commission.
In contrast, the Philippines
spent about P750 million last year
for sports. “Our budget is way, way
lower than those of the other (SEA
Games) countries,” lamented PSC
chair Richie Garcia. “These figures
alone will tell you that we're no
match for them.”
The result of this yawning gap
was the country's worst-ever
seventh-place finish in the Burma
SEA Games that was topped by
Thailand for the 11th time.
Thailand netted 107 gold, 94
silver and 81 bronze medals while
Burma tallied 86-62-85 for second
overall followed by Vietnam (73-8686), Indonesia (65-84-111),
Malaysia (43-38-77) and Singapore
(34-29-45).
“We have several programs that
need funding,” said Garcia. “How can
we implement these programs
without money?”
From its P750-million budget
last year, the PSC got about P200
million from the General
Appropriations Act. The rest came
from the agency's mandated share
in the earnings of Philippine
Amusement and Gaming Corp.
About P200 million is used to
operate PSC offices and sporting
venues. A source told the Inquirer
that the PSC spends about P8 million
a month in utilities alone at Rizal
Memorial Sports Complex in Manila,
Philsports in Pasig City and the
training center in Baguio.
The Pagcor share goes to the
National Sports Development Fund
(NSDF), which bankrolls the
participation of the athletes in the
SEA Games, Asian Games and the
Olympics. Inquirer.net
u
Page 29
Lien against Pacquiao's
US properties 'lifted soon’
LAWYERS of boxing
superstar Manny Pacquiao in
the United States announced
yesterday that the tax lien
issued by the Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) against the
fighter's US properties is “in the
process of being lifted.”
The IRS had issued a notice
of federal tax lien against
Pacquiao for allegedly failing to
settle $18 million in taxes
between 2006 and 2010.
Pacquiao has denied
allegations that he owes the US
government any money and said
his US promoter, Bob Arum, has
all the documents to prove that
he paid all his taxes.
“There have been numerous
public reports about tax issues
involving boxing superstar
Manny Pacquiao,” the boxer's
tax attorney Steven Toscher, of
Hochman Salkin Retting
Toscher & Perez, P.C., and
counsel David Marroso, of
O'Melveny and Meyers, said in a
statement carried by The Ring
website.
January 3 - 9, 2014
“Many of those reports have
contained inaccurate and
misleading information and
were triggered by the filing of a
federal tax lien.
The lien is in the process of
being released by the Internal
Revenue Service.”
Toscher and Marroso stated
that the IRS “has abated the tax
assessments against Manny
which triggered the filing of the
lien and has released or is in the
process of releasing all federal
tax liens and levies.”
Toscher said Pacquiao is
serious about his tax obligations
and will continue to work with
the IRS to resolve any
outstanding tax issues.
The attorneys emphasized
that matters regarding Manny's
finances and tax matters are
confidential, and both the IRS
and his advisors “have
respected his privacy and
continue to focus their attention
on the facts, not misleading
rumors perpetuated by others.”
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 29
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Pacquiao, Henares ...
Shooting range in Maasim
“As a shooter, I would say
Pacman is OK. He can shoot,” the
source said.
In Mindanao, Pacquiao has the
most advanced shooting range in
his beach resort in Tinoto, Maasim
town, in Sarangani.
“It's a 15-stage shooting
rangethe first of its kind in
Mindanao. It's still being
developed. We just held a level 3
shooting competition there last
Dec. 5 to 7,” the source added.
Henares refused to speculate
on why Aquino paired her with
Pacquiao for the shootfest, but she
described the event as “enjoyable.”
From page 28
Penalties
The ensuing media war, in
which both sides made
increasingly acrimonious and
inflammatory statements,
prompted the Court of Tax Appeals
(CTA) early last month to impose a
gag order on both camps pending
the resolution of the tax cases.
T h e P 2 . 2 b i l l i o n c ove r s
allegedly unpaid taxes plus
penalties for incomeswinnings
from his fights, earnings from payper-view cable services that aired
the fights and earnings from
endorsementsin 2008 and 2009.
Penalties accounted for about
half of the tax liability assessment.
Unpaid tax liabilities may be
slapped a maximum 50-percent
surcharge and an annual interest of
20 percent, according to the Tax
Code.
Following his alleged failure to
re s p o n d to t h e B I R' s t a x
assessment, the BIR in July issued a
warrant of distraint and levy on the
two bank accounts of Pacquiao
worth P1.1 million.
The move was aimed at getting
hold of the money as partial
payment for his alleged tax
liabilities.
Gag order honored
Pacquiao then immediately
filed a motion in the CTA to contest
the tax assessment and to prevent
the BIR from getting hold of his
money.
The Pacquiao camp and the BIR
WHO WILL WIN? Boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao accuses Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares of harassing him. But
Henares claims Pacquiao did not declare his US income and underdeclared his Philippines income in 2008-2009. Inquirer
file photo
later agreed to pursue an out-ofcourt negotiation over the P2.2billion tax case, prompting the CTA
to issue a gag order.
The gag order was honored
during the shooting competition in
Malacañang, with neither party
bringing up the tax issue.
“We didn't discuss his case,”
Henares said. “We didn't talk shop,
just like I never talk shop with the
President during these Saturday
sessions at the firing range, unless
I'm asked to.” Instead, both devoted
their efforts to producing the best
scores for their team on the pistol
range.
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 51 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 51 Crossword
Henares described the boxer as
“proficient” with a firearm,
although she pointed out that there
were trade-offs in his shooting
performance.
“He's accurate in hitting his
targets … but when he's accurate,
his speed suffers,” she said,
describing a common condition in
practical shooting. “And when he's
fast, his accuracy suffers.”
Pacquiao Shooting Cup
Pacquiao - who was earlier
reported to have over 100 firearms
registered in his name, many of
which are carried by his security
personnel showed up at the firing
range without his usual large
entourage, but only with two
staffers in tow.
Their results at the end of the
day were not bad. “We won one set
and we lost another,” Henares said.
Almost every year, the boxerlawmaker holds the Manny
Pacquiao Shooting Cup, the latest
taking place the first week of
December where he gave out 30
9mm and .40-cal. Glock pistols as
prizes.
A range officer who asked not
to be named said Pacquiao, as a
shooter, was OK.
With civility
She also declined to speculate
on the results had the President
decided to pit her against the
boxing champion on opposing
shooting teams.
“I don't think the President is
that theatrical,” said the BIR
commissioner, who has been
re c e iv i n g l e s s o n s f ro m t h e
President himself.
Henares described the
practical shooting competition as a
friendly game.
“It is separate and distinct from
any legal obligation of Mr. Pacquiao
under the law. It does not detract or
add to his obligation. It will not in
any way affect how he will be
treated, which is the same way as
others will be treated. He was a
guest and I was also a guest so we
treated each other accordinglywith
civility,” she said in a text message
on Tuesday. Inquirer.net
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
ACTION
CLASSIFIED
Rentals
Help Wanted
Jobs
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 30
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
u
u
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Personal u
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January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 31
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
January 3 - 9, 2014
Page 32
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS