The Filipino Express v29 Issue 03

VOL. 29 w
NO. 03 w
January 16-22, 2015 w
NATIONAL EDITION w
NEW JERSEY w
NEW YORK w
201-434-1114 w
$1.00
Thousands spill out onto streets
to welcome Pope Francis
Euphoria in
Manila
By Nestor Corrales
MANILA -- Tens of thousands of people on
Thursday, January 15, trooped to the streets of
Manila to give a warm welcome to Pope Francis who
has arrived in the Philippines for a five-day visit.
The crowd lined up the streets of Pasay City and
Manila for the motorcade of the Pope, who rode the
popemobile.
Filipino and foreign faithful and even mere
onlookers erupted into wild cheers as the Pope
passed by Roxas Boulevard going to the Papal
Nunciature in Taft Avenue, his official residence
while in the country.
Lisa Pabelico, 55, was among the thousands of
Filipinos who eagerly welcomed the Pope.
Pabelico said it would be her third time to meet a
pope after her encounter with Pope Paul VI in 1970
and with then Pope and now Saint John Paul II in
1995.
“I was five years old then when I met Paul Paul VI
in Malacañang. Fifty years after, I will be able to see
Pope Francis. I feel blessed,” Pabelico told
Inquirer.net
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Pope Francis' arrival in
Manila in photos Page 31
Europe's Muslims
feel heat of backlash
after Paris terror
Pope Francis waves as he arrives at a morning session of a two-week
Synod on the Family, at the Vatican on October 16, 2014. AP Photo
PARIS, France -- Firebombs and pig heads
thrown into mosques. Veiled women subjected
to insults in the street. The Internet awash with
threats against Muslims. Europe's Muslims are
feeling the heat of a fierce backlash following
last week's terror attack against French satirical
newspaper Charlie Hebdo.
An official who keeps track of Islamophobic
attacks in France said there were 60 incidents attacks and threats - in the six days since that
attack.
A climate of fear is taking hold in Europe,
stoked by rightist rhetoric equating the millions
of peaceful Muslims with the few plotting
murder and mayhem.
Abdallah Zekri, head of the National
Observatory Against Islamophobia, said that
since last Wednesday's (January 7) massacre at
Charlie Hebdo, 26 places of worship around
France were attacked by firebombs, gunshots or
pig heads, with a mosque in Le Mans hit with
four grenades. There were 34 insults and
threats.
The three-day terror spree in Paris claimed
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January 16-22, 2015
Page 2
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Binay slide continues in latest SWS poll
MANILA -- Vice President
Jejomar Binay's public
satisfaction rating continued to
decline, hitting a new record low
in the last quarter of 2014,
according to a new Social
Weather Stations (SWS) report,
which also noted lower scores for
other top government officials.
At the same time, public
satisfaction ratings of key state
institutions fell, with the Cabinet
suffering the biggest drop.
The survey, conducted from
Nov. 27 to Dec. 1 last year, found
65 percent of the respondents
saying they were satisfied with
the performance of Binay while
20 percent said they were
dissatisfied, for a “good” 44 net
satisfaction rating (satisfied
minus dissatisfied, rounded).
Before the survey last month,
Binay's lowest net rating was a
“very good” 52 (70 percent
satisfied minus 17 percent
dissatisfied, correctly rounded),
logged in the third quarter of
2014.
B y c o n t ra s t , P re s i d e n t
Aquino's rating, though still
considered “good,” recovered
from 34 in the third quarter of
2014 to 39 in the next quarter,
results of the same survey
released earlier showed.
The survey used face-to-face
interviews with 1,800 adults
nationwide and had a margin of
e r ro r o f p l u s - o r - m i n u s 2
Vice President Jejomar Binay: New record low. CDN FILE PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA
percentage points for national
percentages. The survey was first
reported in BusinessWorld.
SWS considers a rating of 70
and above “excellent”; 50 to 69,
“very good”; 30 to 49, “good”; 10
to 29, “moderate”; 9 to negative 9,
“neutral”; negative 10 to negative
29, “poor”; negative 30 to
negative 49, “bad”; negative 50 to
negative 69, “very bad”; and
n e g a t i v e 7 0 a n d b e l o w,
“execrable”.
In the 18 surveys since
September 2010, Binay had eight
“excellent,” nine “very good” and
one “good” ratings. His best
record was 76 notched in June
2013 and August 2012.
Binay camp elated
Despite the decline, the camp
of Binay was elated that 65
percent of Filipinos were still
satisfied with his performance.
“The results of the recent
SWS survey clearly indicate that
Vice President Binay has still the
continued trust and full support
of the Filipino people despite the
intensified campaign of lies and
pattern of deceit waged by his
political detractors in the Senate
to discredit his accomplishments
and track record as a proven
public servant,” said Rico Quicho,
Binay's new spokesman for
political affairs.
Quicho was referring to the
corruption allegations being
hurled against Binay by former
officials under him when he was
mayor of Makati City.
A WHALE OF A DIFFERENCE. Specimens of “Juan Ng” signatures (above) that Sen.
Jinggoy Estrada allegedly used in bank accounts that received tens of millions of
pesos in kickbacks, bribe and commissions, and those of Juan Ng himself (below).
SOURCE: AMLC REPORT
'Juan Ng' signature on
checks is Jinggoy Estrada's
By Marlon Ramos
under Ng's name to stash his alleged
kickbacks from his pork barrel
MANILA -- Like father, like son?
projects.
The penmanship of detained
E s t ra d a' s a l l e g e d u s e o f
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was “very dummies was reminiscent of the
similar” to the handwriting on “Jose Velarde” account, which his
several checks issued by “Juan Ng,” father, former President and now
Plunder complaints
p r o m p t i n g t h e A n t i - M o n e y Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada,
Binay is also facing two
Laundering Council (AMLC) to opened to deposit billions of pesos
plunder complaints in the Office
conclude that the senator himself from illegal transactions during his
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“controlled” three bank accounts
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January 16-22, 2015
Page 3
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Muslim groups welcome Pope Francis'
visit amid Bangsamoro talks
By Nestor Corrales
MANILA -- Muslim groups
in the country are also looking
forward to welcoming Pope
Francis during his five-day
state and apostolic visit to the
country as they hope for peace
in Mindanao.
Amina Rasul, president of
the Philippine Center for Islam
and Democracy, said Muslims
in the Philippines “welcome
the arrival of the Pope as we are
in the last chapters of the peace
process with the Moro
liberation fronts of Mindanao.”
“Pope Francis' call for
peoples of all faiths to respect
each other's religions and
come together as a global
community should resonate
among the diverse peoples of
Mindanao,” Rasul said.
T h e Yo u n g M o r o
Professionals Network
(YMPN) also expressed
solidarity with the pope's call
for global peace, adding that
they are hoping that he could
give a message of support for
the peace process in Mindanao.
“We are one with many
Filipinos in welcoming the visit
of the Pope in the country. Pope
Francis has visited many
countries with the call for
peace, interfaith dialogue,
religious tolerance, and unity,
which are cherished values in
I s l a m ,” Y M P N c h a i r B a i
Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman
said.
“May his words and actions
influence more people, starting
with the youth, to help build a
culture of sustainable peace in
the country and the whole
world. May his compassion and
peace building efforts across
religions, including Islam,
inspire our leaders to do
what's best for our people, who
have the right to live in peace,”
she said.
Datu Alexander Mama-o,
president of the Filipino
Alliance for Integrity and
Reform (FAIR MovementPhilippines) also hopes the
pope's visit will be followed by
the passage of the Bangsamoro
Basic Law, which is pending in
Congress.
“It will be a historic law
that aims to unite all Filipinos
[in reaching for] our shared
dream for peace and economic
development,” Mama-o said.
Professor Al-Rashid Jama,
chair of the Consortium of
Bangsamoro Civil SocietyWestern Mindanao Chapter, is
also hopeful the pope will
speak about the Mindanao
peace process.
“We have a working pope
that's the positive thing,” Jama
said.
Allan Balangi, who heads a
Bangsamoro movement, said,
“We hope the visit of the pope
will touch the hearts and minds
of Filipinos, especially our
lawmakers, to urge them to
work for peace in Mindanao
through the proposed law. The
Bangsamoro bill is for peace
and unity of all Filipinos.”
Balangi said the story of
peace-building through the
BBL, having ended decades of
struggle in the south, could
inspire the rest of the world.
Ghadzali Jaafar, Moro
Islamic Liberation Front
(MILF) vice chairman for
political affairs, has announced
that the group would send
representatives, headed by
Sheikh Abu Hurairah
Abdulrahman Udasan, Grand
Mufti of the Darul Ifta (Islamic
House of Opinion), to pay their
respects to Pope Francis
during his visit.
“We stand in solidarity
with Pope Francis' call to
re s p e c t o n e a n o t h e r a s
brothers and sisters, to
understand the suffering of
others, to not abuse the name
of God through violence, and to
work together for justice and
peace,” Yasmin Busran-Lao,
secretary of the National
Commission on Muslim
Filipinos and peace panel
member, said. Inquirer.net
Rajah Agbimuddin
Kiram passes away
By Frances Mangosing
MANILA -- Rajah Agbimuddin
Kiram, who led a group of Filipinos to
stake a claim to Sabah in 2013, has
died.
A report from The Star Online
said that Kiram, 74, died of cardiac
arrest in his home in Simunul town
Tawi-Tawi province on Tuesday, Jan.
13.
He was the younger brother of the
late Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, who
died in October 2013.
It was Agbimuddin who led a
group of followers into Lahad Datu in
2013, which led to an engagement
with Malaysian security forces in a
standoff and ended up in clashes.
The Star Online said at least 73 of
Agbimuddin's followers were killed
(59 bodies have recovered) from the
eight-week “armed showdown.”
Inquirer.net
January 16-22, 2015
Page 4
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
VIVA EL SEÑOR NAZARENO: The endlessly beloved image yearly puts on display millions of Filipinos insanely
devoted to our crucified savior Jesus Christ. At right, volunteers guarding the “andas” (carriage) try to calm the
sea of humanity surging toward the Nazarene. Inquirer.net composite photo
Vatican: PH is hope of Church in Asia
By Lito B. Zulueta
VATICAN CITY -- When he
arrives in the Philippines on
January 15, Pope Francis will be
landing in a country viewed by
the Vatican as “the hope of the
Church” in Asia.
The Holy See is confident
that the papal visit to Asia's
biggest Catholic nation, as well
as to Sri Lanka, will take place
without any major problem.
“Both are countries with a
tradition of papal visits in the
p a s t ,” s a i d F r. Fe d e r i c o
Lombardi, SJ, director of the
Holy See Press Office.
The two countries have
hosted papal visits before.
Blessed Paul VI visited the
Philippines in 1970. St. Pope
John Paul II also visited the
Philippines in 1981 and both Sri
Lanka and the Philippines in
1995.
During his 1995 trip, John
Paul II spoke at the World Youth
Day meeting in Manila.
In a short talk with the
Inquirer, Lombardi called the
Philippines “the hope of Asia,
the hope of the Church.”
Expert in papal visits
The Jesuit spokesperson
said the Philippines should not
find it hard hosting Francis' visit
- his second in Asia after South
Korea last August - since it was
“an expert in papal visits.”
During his press briefing,
Lombardi said another purpose
of the Pope's visit was to provide
comfort to survivors and
families of the victims of
S u p e r t y p h o o n “ Yo l a n d a ”
(international name: Haiyan) in
the Philippines.
Accompanying the Pope in
his trip will be Cardinal Pietro
Parolin, Vatican secretary of
state; Cardinal Fernando Filoni,
prefect of the Congregation for
the Evangelization of Peoples
and a former apostolic nuncio to
the Philippines; and Cardinal
Robert Sarah, president of the
Pontifical Council Cor Unum, the
Vatican charity agency that
funded the setting up of the
Pope Francis Center for the Poor
in Tacloban City, which the Pope
himself will inaugurate next
week.
Typhoon victims
Lombardi said that along
with the inauguration, the Pope
will meet with 30 typhoon
victims.
Lombardi added that the
Pope would conduct
interreligious dialogues in
Colombo and Manila.
In Sri Lanka, Buddhism is
the majority religion with more
than 70 percent of the
population being Buddhists,
followed by Hinduism (12-13
percent) and Islam (10
percent). Christianity is a
minority religion with 7 percent
of the population.
Lombardi said a local
Buddhist monk would also
address the Pope during the
meeting.
In Manila, an interreligious
dialogue will be held at the
University of Santo Tomas (UST)
before the Pope gives his
traditional address to the youth
at the UST football field.
The Jesuit spokesperson
said previous popes had visited
UST before and were greeted by
a “manifestation of enthusiasm.”
He called the Dominicanrun university a “fundamentally
important cultural institution.”
Lombardi said the Pope's
decision to return to Asia in less
than six months should
underscore the importance the
papacy placed in “the great
continent.”
He noted that Pope Benedict
XVI was not able to make a trip
to Asia so it was important for
his successor to “recover a sense
of the papal presence” in the
continent. Inquirer.net
The stage in Tacloban airport where Pope Francis will celebrate Mass is simple
and elegant with bamboo mat walls or “sawali.” MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB
Modest 'sawali' stage for
Pope Francis Mass in Tacloban
By Marc Jayson Cayabyab
TACLOBAN CITY - - Pope Francis
will celebrate Mass in Tacloban
airport on a simple stage made of
“sawali” or bamboo mat walls.
The modest stage, surrounded
by a bare wall of bamboo mats and
roofed with a high arch topped by a
cross, was intended to appeal to the
pope's simple lifestyle, Father
Amadeo Alvero, spokesperson for
the Archdiocese of Palo, said.
“Ang gusto ni Santo Papa, huwag
gumastos ng malaki. Ibigay na lang
daw sa mga mahihirap,” Alvero told
INQUIRER.net.
“Our pope is a very humble pope.
Ayaw nya may picture siya during
the Mass. Gusto lang niya si Jesus and
Mama Mary,” he added.
The huge cross on the wall of the
stage was provided by the Palo
Cathedral and is usually used in
reenactments of the stations of the
cross during Lent, Alvero said.
Dodoy Baredo, the contractor of
the materials used, said the stage
was designed to look simple yet
elegant by chief architect Dan
Lichaoco.
“It is modern with a Filipino
touch. Sawali para maramdaman
ang local. Materials are locally
sourced. Gusto ni pope, simple lang,”
he said.
Baredo said the arch was
heightened to allow more light
during the Mass.
Pope Francis is expected to
celebrate Mass on January 17 before
a crowd of 120,000 people in Don
Romualdez Airport, which was
severely damaged in the aftermath
of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”
The area is situated on the
proposed runway in the Tacloban
airport, Baredo said. Inquirer.net
Japanese 'samurai' who fled to PH may be made a saint
By Jerry E. Esplanada
MANILA -- A Japanese samurai
who lived and died in Manila during
the early 17th century may be
beatified next year, CBCP News, the
official news service of the Catholic
B i s h o p s C o n f e re n c e o f t h e
Philippines, has reported.
The CBCP said over the
weekend that Japan's Episcopal
Conference had submitted to the
Vatican Congregation for the
Causes of Saints the documents
necessary to elevate to sainthood
the late Ukon “Justo” Takayama.
Dubbed “Samurai of Christ,”
Takayama was born in Nara, Japan,
in 1562 and raised a Roman
Catholic by his convert father.
“He clung to his faith without
doubts, without being swayed by
any temporary wealth. He followed
Jesus Christ at all times and lived a
Christian life according to the
Gospel,” CBCP News quoted Bishop
Joseph Takami of the Catholic
Diocese of Nagasaki as saying.
The Jesuits, including St.
Francis Xavier, the patron saint of
missionaries, were the first
Christians to set up missions in
Japan, arriving there in the 1500s.
Hostility, however, against the
western religion grew under the
rule of Japanese shogun Toyotomi
Hideyoshi, who distrusted
foreigners and anything alien,
kicking out the Jesuit missionaries
from the country in 1587.
“There were no (Catholic)
priests left in Japan. They were all
expelled, promoting the
community to go underground,
keeping their faith and their
prayers hidden,” the CBCP said.
Despite the ban on Christianity
i m p o s e d b y t h e To k u g a w a
shogunate, the Takayama family
defied it.
Abandoned his wealth
Instead of abandoning their
faith, Ukon Takayama “abandoned
his social status, wealth and all his
properties, including a castle, and
was even expelled” from Japan.
Along with over 100 other
Christians, he left Nagasaki on Nov.
8, 1614, and sought refuge in the
Philippines.
On Dec. 21, the exiles arrived in
Manila where they were “received
by friendly Filipinos and lived
under a common bond of Christian
brotherhood.”
The group, which included
Japanese lord Tukuan Naito, put up
a settlement in Dilao, the old name
of Manila's Paco district.
The Japanese congregation
“remained in the country until they
became part of the Philippine
population.”
Takayama, who adopted the
Filipino name Justo, died on Feb. 3,
JAPANESE tourists from Nagasaki admire the statue of Japanese
“samurai” Ukon “Justo” Takayama that stands at Plaza
1615. “The then Spanish
government gave him a burial
worthy of a Christian and a
samurai,” said CBCP News.
His statue, which shows the
“honorary Filipino” in full samurai
gear, has been standing since 1992
at the Philippine Friendship Park in
Paco's Plaza Dilao. Takayama's
monument was “erected as a sign of
f r i e n d s h i p a n d c o o p e ra t i o n
between the Filipino and Japanese
people,” according to the National
Historical Institute. Inquirer.net
January 16-22, 2015
Page 5
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
All you need to know about the papal visit
MANILA -- INQUIRER.net
compiled a list of frequently
asked questions regarding Pope
Francis' visit to the Philippines
as well as previous papal visits
of Pope Paul VI and Pope John
Paul II.
1. What is the purpose of
Pope Francis' Apostolic Visit?
The main purpose of the
Pope's visit is to be with the
victims of Supertyphoon
“Yolanda” (international name:
Haiyan), the strongest typhoon
in history to make landfall. He
has also in the past said he
would like to visit Asia because
his predecessor, Pope Benedict
XVI, never got to, because of
health reasons. He visited South
Korea last August.
2. Why the theme 'Mercy
and Compassion'?
According to Manila
A rc h b i s h o p L u i s A n to n i o
Cardinal Tagle, mercy and
compassion commonly figure in
Pope Francis' teachings,
homilies and actions. The Pope
has also called on the faithful to
practice these traits when
interacting with the poor and in
need.
3. Will there be work or
classes during the papal visit?
Jan. 15, 16 and 19 have been
declared special nonworking
holidays in the National Capital
Region to give the public more
opportunity to participate in the
papal visit.
dioceses.
The Mass at the Tacloban
airport (Jan. 17, 9:30 a.m.) is
open to the public but the venue
can accommodate less than
200,000 people.
The youth dialogue at the
University of Santo Tomas (Jan.
18, 9:45 a.m.) is open to the
public, but the quadrangle will
be reserved for students and
youth representatives.
The Mass at Quirino
Grandstand (Jan. 18, 3:30 p.m.)
is open to the public.
In Tacloban City, Jan. 15 and
16 have been declared special
nonworking holidays. Classes
have also been suspended from
Jan. 14 to 16. In Palo, classes
have been suspended on Jan. 15
and 16 only.
4. What Masses and other
events are open to the public?
Most events may be attended
by the public via big screens to
be set up outside, but certain
groups will be given priority in
designated events. No tickets
are needed.
The Mass at Manila
Cathedral (Jan. 16, 11:15 a.m.) is
open to the public, but only
delegates from dioceses across
the country can be
accommodated inside the
church due to the limited space.
Tents and chairs will be set up
outside the cathedral for the
public. The Meeting of the
Families at Mall of Asia (Jan. 16,
5:30 p.m.) is not open to the
public and will be attended by
families preselected by the
5. Will the Masses and
addresses all be in English?
Majority of the Pope's
Masses and addresses will be in
English so as to reach more
people. Only the Mass at Manila
Cathedral will be in Latin, as the
main attendees are bishops and
preselected members of the
dioceses, who are expected to
understand Latin. In all events,
however, the Pope could make
off-the-cuff remarks in either
Italian or Spanish, the languages
he is most comfortable with. In
South Korea last year, however,
Pope Francis also offered
impromptu remarks in English.
6. Where will the Pope stay
while in the Philippines?
What should people expect from
the Mass at Quirino Grandstand?
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As in the past, the Apostolic
Nunciature on Taft Avenue,
Manila, is the official quarters of
all visitors from the Vatican.
a.m. on Jan. 19 at Ninoy Aquino
International Airport have been
canceled to make way for the
papal visit.
7. What is the Popemobile
for the Philippine visit?
Three Popemobiles have
been prepared for the papal
visit: one for Manila, one for
Tacloban City and one backup
vehicle.
In Manila, Pope Francis will
ride in a white converted
jeepney, the most common form
of public transport in the
Philippines. Some of its unique
features include a secure,
elevated platform to give the
Pope a better view of the public,
open windows and, found at
each side of the jeep, glass
crosses made by renowned
sculptor Randy Orlina.
The vehicle to be used in
Tacloban is the same Koreanmade vehicle from World Youth
Day in South Korea.
8. Is it true that some
flights have been canceled due
to the papal visit?
Around 423 international
and domestic flights scheduled
between 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Jan.
15 and between 6 a.m. to 10:30
Past papal visit
1. How many popes
have visited the
Philippines?
Two popes have visited
the country thrice. Pope
Pa u l V I v i s i te d t h e
Philippines in 1970 and
Pope John Paul II visited
in 1981 and 1995.
2. Why didn't Pope
Benedict XVI visit the
Philippines during his
term?
The previous Pontiff said
his health prevented him
from traveling for long
hours. His health was
also the reason behind
his decision to step down
from the papacy in 2013.
Sources: Inquirer.net,
papalvisit.ph, vatican.va
January 16-22, 2015
Page 6
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Binay accuser now charged with
plunder over P80M 'kickbacks’
By Cynthia D. Balana
MANILA -- The accuser has
become an accused.
Former Makati City Vice
Mayor Ernesto Mercado, who
has accused Vice President
Jejomar Binay of corruption, has
found himself at the receiving
end of a plunder charge.
O n Tu e s d ay, a p r iva te
complainant filed an P80-million
plunder charge against him in
the Office of the Ombudsman for
allegedly receiving kickbacks
from government funds.
The sworn complaint filed by
civic leader Louis “Barok”
Biraogo said Mercado received
P80 million in bribes when he
was vice mayor for his
participation in the construction
of Phases 1 and 2 of the Makati
City Hall Building II, the subject
of a Senate investigation for
allegedly being overpriced, and
for which Binay has also been
investigated by the Senate.
Biraogo said Mercado, a
former ally of Binay, himself
admitted this at Senate
subcommittee hearings where
he was a resource person on Aug.
26 and Sept. 11, 2014. Biraogo
Ambassador Gilles Garachon. AFP FILE PHOTO
FORMER BINAY ALLY Former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
attached the transcripts of the
hearings to his complaint.
Biraogo said he found it
unusual that everyone allegedly
involved in the anomalous
construction of the parking
building was accused of criminal
acts, except Mercado.
He also questioned
Mercado's “undeserved special
treatment” and said it was a “stab
in the back” of the justice system.
Biraogo is known for filing
public interest cases in the
courts. In 2014, he filed criminal
charges against Sen. Loren
Everyone's Charlie;
French envoy grateful
By Christine O. Avendaño
of speech and freedom, and that the
magazine was attacked because
MANILA -- French Ambassador
those behind it wanted “silence to
Legarda over her alleged failure
to the Philippines Gilles Garachon
prevail.”
to include certain properties in
on Wednesday, Jan. 14, thanked the
“Those people wanted to bring
her statement of assets,
Philippines and the international
us to our knees, but they brought us
liabilities and net worth (SALN).
community for standing with France
to our feet. The best answer is to
He also filed a complaint
following last week's terrorist
stand all together for our values - the
a g a i n s t B u d g e t S e c re t a r y
attack on French satirical magazine
values of our democracy, freedom
Florencio Abad, Finance
Charlie Hebdo in Paris that left 12
and freedom of speech,” Garachon
Secretary Cesar Purisima and
dead.
said at the gathering held at Alliance
former National Treasurer
In a tribute to the French victims
Francaise office in Makati.
Rosalia de Leon for alleged
held by the French embassy in
“ We a r e g r a t e f u l t o t h e
malversation of the Malampaya
Manila on Wednesday night ,
international community and to all
natural gas fund in the amount of
Garachon said that “everyone was
our friends who stand with us for
P136 billion.
Charlie,” and “children of the
our common values. It has been very
“My advocacy is for justice
cartoonists” of the magazine, in
warming for us to see this. We
and the rule of law to prevail in
reference to the French magazine
should not remain silent,” he said.
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Page 7
which was attacked by Islamic
gunmen in retaliation for its
Extra-careful
publication of cartoons of the
The French ambassador told
Prophet Mohammed.
reporters that the French police
were mobilized to provide
To our feet
maximum protection for French
Garachon said the Jan. 7 attack
journalists and that they were all
on the magazine has taught
doing their best “to protect them.”
everyone the importance of freedom
u
Page 7
Binay’s slide ...
From page 2
of the Ombudsman for the allegedly
overpriced Makati City Hall Building
II and Makati Science High School.
Before the holiday break, the
Senate blue ribbon subcommittee
conducted an investigation of the
corruption and ill-gotten wealth
allegations against Binay, who
reportedly owns an 8,877-squaremeter lot in Makati and a 350-hectare
agricultural farm in Rosario,
Batangas province, worth billions of
pesos. The inquiry will resume later
this month.
Binay has denied any
wrongdoing and blamed political
foes for launching political attacks
against him because he was seeking
the presidency in 2016.
In a statement, Quicho said the
Vice President remained grateful that
people “still judge him by his work”
despite the ongoing campaign to
vilify him.
Quicho said Binay was optimistic
“that the misinformation being
peddled against him that affects
public perception will soon end with
majority of the Filipino people
realizing that surmises and
conjectures cannot be the substitute
for the truth.”
The spokesman also said the Vice
P re s i d e n t wa s c o n f i d e n t t h e
allegations would not stand in court.
He said Binay remained focused
and committed to address the needs
of the poor and the nation.
The Vice President, according to a
previous SWS report, is one of the
“three best leaders” to succeed
Aquino in 2016, with 37 percent of
the 1,800 respondents picking him as
the next president. He topped the
survey with Sen. Grace Poe and
Interior Secretary Mar Roxas trailing
behind.
In a November Pulse Asia survey,
Binay also led the pack of potential
candidates for president with a 26percent rating. However, this was
down 5 percentage points from his
previous 31 percent in September
and 41 percent in July.
Other officials were also rated in
the SWS survey.
Drilon, Belmonte, Sereno
Senate President Franklin
Drilon's net rating, which was
d o w n g ra d e d f r o m “ g o o d ” t o
“moderate,” dropped by 8 points
from 36 (58 percent satisfied
negative 23 percent dissatisfied,
rounded off) in September to 28
percent (53 percent satisfied minus
25 p ercen t dissa t isfied) la st
December.
The net score of Speaker
Feliciano Belmonte Jr., though still
“moderate,” likewise fell to 11 (36
percent satisfied minus 25 percent
dissatisfied) in December from 13
(40 percent satisfied minus 27
percent dissatisfied) in the previous
quarter.
Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno's
net rating, still “moderate,” was 11
(36 percent satisfied minus 26
percent dissatisfied, rounded off) in
the fourth quarter, barely moving
from 10 (37 percent satisfied minus
27 percent dissatisfied) in the third
quarter. Inquirer.net
January 16-22, 2015
Page 7
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Philippines tops Asian
countries with highest share
of women managers
By Kristine Angeli Sabillo
MANILA -- The Philippines bested
other Asian countries in terms of the
proportion of women among managers,
a report of the International Labour
Organisation's (ILO) showed.
With a percentage share of 47.6
percent, the Philippines placed fourth
worldwide and first in Asia in the latest
ILO report on women in business and
management.
“In Asia, the highest ranking country
is the Philippines in 4th place (47.6
percent), followed by Mongolia with
41.9 percent in 17th place,” the report
said.
Jamaica topped the list with 59.3
percent of its managers being women,
followed by Colombia at 53.1 percent
and Saint Lucia at 52.3 percent.
The Philippines also ranked fifth
among countries with the most share of
women in senior and middle-level
management positions.
Binay accuser ...
From page 6
this country, and here is a situation
where the wrongdoer has admitted to
committing a crime and nobody seems
to be interested enough to file charges
against him,” Biraogo said.
Biraogo also questioned Mercado's
vast properties, specifically the 100hectare Underwater Garden Hotel and
Re s o r t i n C o ro n , Pa l awa n ; t h e
multimillion-peso Villa Juanita resort
also in Coron; the one-hectare Grand
Villa Pateros in Barangay (village)
Aguho, Pateros; JMK Professional
Manpower Solution Inc. in the name of
Juanita Mercado and Karla Pascual
Mercado; the 200-ha Grand Villa and
Butterfly Center in Los Baños, Laguna;
the 500-ha Hunter Valley Plantation and
Resort in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija; Nitz
Face and Body Care Center in Pateros;
Lawndale Finance Co. in Cabanatuan
City; St. Therese Multi-Specialty
Services Inc. in Makati City; properties
Everyone’s
Charlie ... From page 6
Asked whether the newly released
issue of the magazine that used the
Prophet Mohammed in its cover would
create yet another incident, he said
France was doing its best to be “extracareful.” “The main issue is that I think
“Our research is showing that
women's ever increasing participation
in the labor market has been the biggest
engine of global growth and
competitiveness,” said Deborah FranceMassin, director of the ILO Bureau for
Employers' Activities.
The report said a lot has changed in
the last 20 years, with women now
holding 40 percent of the world's senior
and middle management positions.
However, only 5 percent of chief
executive officers of the top global
corporations are women.
“It is critical for more women to
reach senior management positions in
strategic areas to build a pool of
potential candidates for top jobs such as
CEO or company presidents,” FranceMassin said.
Last year, the Philippines ranked
ninth in the Global Gender Gap report of
t h e Wo r l d E c o n o m i c Fo r u m .
Inquirer.net
in West Rembo, Makati City, and Laur,
Nueva Ecija; a poultry farm in Palayan,
Nueva Ecija, and others.
“In view of the foregoing, it is glaring
that all the elements for the commission
of the crime of plunder under Republic
Act No. 7080 and forfeiture action under
RA 1379 are present,” Biraogo said.
“The only plausible explanation that
remains is that all these properties and
corporations were funded by public
coffers. In other words, it is doubtful
how the children and spouse of
respondent Mercado, who appear to be
owners and stockholders of various
Mercado corporations and properties,
have the financial capacity to own
them,” Biraogo said.
Mercado was a Makati councilor
from 1992 to 1998. In 1998, he ran for
vice mayor but lost. In 2001, he ran
again and won as vice mayor, holding
the post for three terms until 2010. In
2010, he ran for mayor against Binay's
son, current Mayor Junjun Binay, but
lost. Inquirer.net
we all agree that we have to stand up, we
have to face the situation. We have to be
together to show to the world our
commitment for the freedom of speech,”
he said.
Garachon said the big unity rally
held in Paris last Sunday attended by
French President Francois Hollande and
other world leaders showed this
commitment to freedom and
democracy. Inquirer.net
World Bank prods gov't
on tax rate cut, reforms
System exempts rich, overburdens ordinary citizens
By Paolo G. Montecillo
Reforming the country's
tax regime, which currently
exempts the rich but
overburdens ordinary
citizens, will be key to
sustaining high economic
growth rates that promises to
cut poverty significantly over
the next decade.
The World Bank said that
changes in the way people are
taxed should emphasize lower
rates for a bigger portion of the
population. Unfair and often
permanent exemptions
enjoyed by corporations, even
as these book huge profits,
should be removed, its officials
said.
Higher revenues should
help cover the need for more
investments in infrastructure,
healthcare and education to
ensure the country's
consumption-led economy
does not bog down in the
coming years.
“ H i s t o r i c a l l y, t h e
Philippines underinvested in
physical capital and even more
so in the last decade… that
manifests in traffic jams, flight
delays and power shortages,”
World Bank senior economist
for the Philippines Karl
Kendrick Chua said at a
briefing Wednesday.
The government still
needs to spend close to P1
trillion on vital infrastructure
in the medium term to catch up
with its neighbors. This
investment gap of roughly
P950 billionthe equivalent of
6.8 percent of gross domestic
product (GDP)can raise the
economy's potential capacity
to expand.
Earlier this week, the
World Bank announced that it
had cut its growth forecast for
the Philippines in 2015 to 6.5
percent from the previous
projection of 6.7 percent. The
rest of Asia Pacific, meanwhile,
is expected to grow by 6.9
percent.
Last year, the economy
likely grew by 6 percent,
slower than the multilateral
lender's previous forecast of
6.4 percent. This falls short of
the state's target for the year of
at least 6.5 percent. Growth
will improve this year due to
lower oil prices, which frees up
more money to be spent on
other products. Stronger
demand for the country's
exports and higher
government spending will also
boost output.
Even with its muted pace,
the country's growth would
continue to bring down
poverty levels in the country,
officials said, citing latest
income and employment
reports by the government
that showed the most
significant improvements in a
decade.
Latest data indicated that
unemployment in the country
fell to 6 percent at the end of
October following the creation
of a million new jobs in the 12
months preceding the report.
Poverty incidence also fell to
24.9 percent at the end of June
2013, down 3 percentage
points from the previous
survey in 2012. Inquirer.net
January 16-22, 2015
Page 8
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
US study - violence common among nursing home residents
By Encarnacion Pyle
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When people
talk about abuse in nursing homes,
they generally are referring to staff
members victimizing the elderly.
But researchers say an even
more pressing, prevalent problem
might be the violence that can - and
does - erupt between residents.
According to a new study by
Cornell University, nearly one in five
people living in nursing homes is
involved in at least one aggressive
encounter each month.
“These altercations are
widespread and common in
everyday nursing-home life,” said
Karl Pillemer, PhD, a professor at
Cornell and at the Weill Cornell
Medical College and a co-author of
the study.
Staff often unaware
Resident-to-resident
mistreatment is under-reported to
the point that, at some long-termcare centers, “staff members seem
almost unaware,” Pillemer said.
Nursing homes provide care for
about 1.5 million older Americans
nationwide, including about 90,000
in Ohio. By 2030, the number of U.S.
adults 65 and older will more than
double, to about 71 million.
Research has mostly focused on
older adults who have been
mistreated by their family and
caregivers in the community or by
staff members in nursing homes, said
Dr. Mark Lachs, who is the other
author of the report and a professor
of medicine at Cornell's medical
college.
But resident-on-resident
violence is a much bigger problem,
with consequences that can be just as
devastating, he said.
In addition to cuts, bruises and
broken bones, verbal and
psychological violence can lead to
depression and feelings of
hopelessness - and, in worst-case
scenarios, death, said Lachs, a
practicing geriatrician.
Last month, for example, a 66year-old woman strangled her 57year-old roommate at a Georgia
nursing home. Staff members
reported hearing arguing late at
night.
“There are a number of these
murders every year, and it's not
something to be taken lightly,” Lachs
said.
As part of the study, the Cornell
team examined patient records at 10
nursing homes in New York. The
group also interviewed residents and
direct-care employees such as aides.
Research assistants spent two to six
months at the centers recording
incidents they saw.
Of the more than 2,000 residents,
16 percent were involved in verbal
incidents such as cursing, screaming
or yelling; about 6 percent were
involved in physical violence,
including hitting, kicking or biting;
and 1 percent were involved in sexual
encounters such as exposing one's
genitals, touching other residents or
attempting to gain sexual favors.
Another 11 percent experienced
incidents such as residents walking
into their rooms uninvited or going
through their possessions. All of the
events were “unwelcome with a high
likelihood of causing physical or
psychological distress,” Lachs said.
Residents also commonly take
out their aggression on nursing-
home employees, which is the
subject of another Cornell study, he
said.
Younger residents who have
dementia or a mood disorder, but are
physically healthy enough to move
around, are more likely to be
involved in aggressive incidents, he
said. Depression also seems to be a
factor.
Crowded Conditions
Crowded conditions,
understaffing and ongoing conflicts
between residents can fuel conflicts,
he added.
Laura Mosqueda, MD, a
practicing physician and director of
the National Center on Elder Abuse,
said nursing-home residents often
have complicated medical and
behavioral conditions that can cause
personality changes. But Mosqueda
cautioned against treating these
incidents as typical abuse situations,
with clear perpetrators who need to
be punished.
“These are some of society's
most-vulnerable citizens, and in
many ways, the aggressor and the
aggressee are both victims,” said
Mosqueda, who also teaches at the
University of Southern California's
medical college.
When incidents arise, nursinghome workers should try to trace the
warning signs and underlying causes
to prevent future altercations, she
said.
If, for example, inadequate
staffing is part of the problem, then
the center should hire more
employees and consider paying them
more to keep them. If two residents
don't get along, they shouldn't be
living in the same room or eating at
the same table.
Beverley Laubert, Ohio's longterm-care ombudsman, said the state
receives relatively few complaints
about resident-to-resident violence.
But it has caused serious problems
for a few nursing homes.
In August, state health officials
moved 37 residents from a Gahanna
nursing home that had been plagued
by resident assaults, including
hitting, punching, shoving and
kicking.
And in February, a long-troubled
nursing home in southwestern Ohio
that had more registered sex
offenders than any other in the state
closed because of repeated
violations that included not
reporting suspected sexual abuse.
“It's not always an easy thing to
handle,” Laubert said.
Once, she said, she walked up to a
nursing-home resident, and he
started to yell at her.
“Staff snapped back, 'Stop it, stop
it,' when a more-proper response
would have been to say, ' John, this is
Bev,' so he would have known to trust
me,” she said.
Mental Illness “No Excuse”
Having high numbers of
residents with behavioral problems
and mental illnesses can be
especially difficult, said Peter Van
Runkle, the executive director of the
Ohio Health Care Association, a
nursing-home industry group. But
it's no excuse, he said.
“We have folks who don't
intentionally do the things they do,”
Van Runkle said. “But the reality is,
none of it is acceptable, and our goal
is for it not to ever happen.”
The keys, he said, are
determining any history of
aggression before a resident moves
in, figuring out what might cause a
resident to become violent and
having plans in place to prevent
future outbursts.
“Facilities are very aware of the
problem,” said Jane Straker, a senior
researcher at the Scripps
Gerontology Center at Miami
University who has studied residenton-resident abuse.
The questions are, whether
nursing homes will do more to find
ways to reduce residents'
mistreatment of one another and
whether there is enough pressure
from state and other officials for
them to try, the Cornell researchers
said.
Mosqueda of USC agrees. “One of
the challenges is, we have a system
where it is up to nursing homes to
pretty much police themselves,” she
said.
The Cornell team recommends
that nursing homes train staff
members to recognize and report
mistreatment, provide guidelines for
when incidents occur and use
approaches that consider the
individual needs and abilities of the
residents.
“I think the answer lies with
thoughtful behavior interventions
that don't rely on drugs,” Lachs said.
Elders newsbeat reporter
Encarnacion Pyle wrote this story for
The Columbus Dispatch with support
from the Journalists in Aging Fellows
Program of the Gerontological
Society of America and New America
Media, sponsored by the Silver
Century Foundation. Inquirer.net
Alleged killer denied bail in killing of
Fil-Am worker at Vegas Walgreen's
By Bert Eljera
LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Bail has been
denied, at least for now, to a suspected
robber who killed a Filipino-American
worker of a local Walgreen's pharmacy a
day after Christmas.
Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joseph
Sciscento has set another bail hearing on
January 21 on defense attorney Tom
Pitaro's petition to allow the suspect, Jin
William Young Ackerman II, to be free
pending trial.
Pitaro argued that the 25-year-old
Ackerman is not a flight risk and should be
set free. He added that his client has no
criminal record and plans to plead not
guilty to charges against him.
In the meantime, Sciscento ordered
Ackerman to remain in county jail, pending
the second bail hearing.
A preliminary hearing has been set for
February 3 to determine if there's enough
evidence for Ackerman to stand trial in state
court for the death of 58-year-old Antonino
Isnit.
He is charged with murder with a
deadly weapon, four counts of robbery with
a deadly weapon, four counts of kidnapping
with a deadly weapon and two counts of
burglary with a deadly weapon.
Prosecutors say they may seek the
death penalty.
A security video showed Ackerman at
the store during the December 26 robbery,
police said.
Initial police investigation showed that
Homicide victim Antonino Isnit. FAMILY PHOTO
Ackerman robbed the store, a Walgreens
pharmacy on Cheyenne Avenue and
Durango Drive during the early morning
hours.
Isnit, who was working the graveyard
shift, reportedly knew the robber, who
worked at the store before.
Another employee, a female, was forced
to open the store's safe, but was not hurt.
Ackerman shot Isnit “because he knows
me,” according to police reports.
Detectives who arrived at the scene
found 11 9mm shell casings near Isnit's
body.
Ackerman, who reportedly was fired in
another Walgreens store in 2013, took
between $5,000 and $7,000 in cash, police
reports said. Inquirer.net
January 16-22, 2015
Page 9
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Californians warned: AARP Report: The Health and
Get health coverage or Healthcare of Asian American
pay rising penalties
and Pacific Islanders Age 50+
Inquirer.net US Bureau
SACRAMENTO, California -Rising penalties for not having
health insurance should push
Californians without coverage to
explore their options and sign up to
avoid a big bill at tax time next year,
the state's official health insurance
marketplace announced.
“It's important that consumers
understand now that the cost of
remaining uninsured is rising,”
Covered California Executive
Director Peter V. Lee said. “This
year, a family of four earning
$70,000 a year could pay close to
$1,000 in their taxes if they remain
uninsured in 2015.”
The penalty, known as the
“shared responsibility payment,”
takes effect for 2014, and many
who were uninsured will see an
impact when they prepare their
taxes due in April of this year.
However, the penalty rises
substantially for 2015, meaning it's
important that all uninsured
Californians know this and take
steps now - before open enrollment
ends - to avoid significant penalties
when they prepare their 2015 taxes
due next year.
“With some exceptions,
everyone in America is now
required to have health insurance
buying coverage for themselves
and their families rather than
relying on others to pay for their
care,” Lee said. “As the penalty
increases, it makes more and more
sense for those who have been
waiting on the sidelines to get in
and get coverage.”
In 2016, the shared
responsibility payment for those
without health insurance rises even
more. The same family of four that
would pay $988 for not being
covered in 2015 would likely pay
$2,085 in 2016 if they do not have
health coverage, depending on
their specific circumstances.
Individuals and families with
incomes that would qualify for
Medi-Cal would also be affected if
they don't have coverage.
“This is an important message
that should be heard by
Californians of all income levels,”
said Toby Douglas, director of the
California Department of Health
Care Services (DHCS), which
operates the Medi-Cal program.
“Applying for coverage not only
gives you an opportunity to get
comprehensive health care; it can
help you avoid a penalty that could
hurt you and your family.”
Penalties for Not Having Insurance in 2015
Annual Income
Household Size
$30,000 $40,000
$60,000
1 (single filer)
$394
$594
$994
$80,000
$1,394
$100,000 $150,000
$1,794
$2,570
2 (single filer with
one dependent
$488
under 18)
$594
$994
$1,394
$1,794
$2,794
3 (married filing
jointly with
$813
one dependent
under 18)
$813
$813
$1,188
$1,588
$2,588
4+ (married filing
jointly with two
$975
dependents under
18)
$975
$975
$1,188
$1,588
$2,588
Note: Penalty scenarios based on Tax Policy Center calculator:
http://taxpolicycenter.org/acacalculator.cfm.
WASHINGTON, D.C., January
14, 2015 -- AARP released a new
report today revealing that Asian
American and Pacific Islanders
(AAPIs) age 50 and older lack
health insurance and access to
quality, affordable health care
compared to other Americans the
same age.
“Given the cultural and
socioeconomic diversity among
AAPI groups, understanding the
unique needs of each community
is the first step in ensuring their
health needs are met,” said
D a p h n e Kw o k , A A R P V i c e
P re s i d e n t o f M u l t i c u l t u ra l
Markets and Engagement for the
Asian American and Pacific
Islander Audience. “Our goal is to
help reduce ethnic health
disparities by closing the gaps in
knowledge about this
underserved community.”
“The Health and Healthcare of
Asian Americans and Pacific
Islanders: An AARP Report” is the
last of a three-part series of
reports by AARP about key
advocacy areas that impact AAPIs
age 50 and older. The report,
available for free download at
www.AARP.org/AAPI, reveals
that:
a) 14% of AAPIs age 50 and
o l d e r d o n o t h ave h e a l t h
insurance (compared with 9% of
the total U.S. population of the
same age)
b) 20% of AAPIs age 50-64 are
uninsured (compared with 15%
of the total U.S. population of the
same age)
c) 6% of AAPIs age 65 and
older are uninsured (compared
with 1% of total U.S. population of
the same age)
d) 33% of AAPIs age 65 and
o l d e r h ave p r iva te h e a l t h
insurance (compared with 52% of
U.S. population of the same age)
The main reason for noncoverage among AAPIs is cost.
Employers and employee unions
are the primary vehicles for
health insurance coverage in the
U.S. Because many AAPIs are selfemployed or run small
businesses, access and cost makes
health insurance out of reach.
Among those age 65 and
older, a greater proportion of
AAPIs do not have Medicare
coverage, to some extent because
of ineligibility for Medicare
among some immigrants.
For more information about
how AARP helps Asian American
and Pacific Islander families get
more out of life, visit
www.facebook.com/AARPAAPIC
o m m u n i t y a n d w w w.
Twitter.com/AARPAAPI.
About AARP
AARP is a nonprofit,
nonpartisan organization, with a
membership of nearly 38 million,
that helps people turn their goals
and dreams into real possibilities,
strengthens communities and
fights for the issues that matter
most to families such as
healthcare, employment and
income security, retirement
planning, affordable utilities and
protection from financial abuse.
We advocate for individuals in
the marketplace by selecting
products and services of high
vgslaw@gmail.com
quality and value to carry the
AARP name as well as help our
members obtain discounts on a
wide range of products, travel,
and services.
A trusted source for lifestyle
tips, news and educational
information, AARP produces
AARP The Magazine, the world's
largest circulation magazine;
AARP Bulletin; www.aarp.org;
AARP TV & Radio; AARP Books;
and AARP en Español, a Spanishlanguage website addressing the
interests and needs of Hispanics.
AARP does not endorse
candidates for public office or
make contributions to political
campaigns or candidates. The
AARP Foundation is an affiliated
charity that provides security,
protection, and empowerment to
older persons in need with
support from thousands of
volunteers, donors, and sponsors.
AARP has staffed offices in all 50
states, the District of Columbia,
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin
Islands. Learn more at
www.aarp.org.
January 16-22, 2015
Page 10
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Property bubble fears
As the property sector boom extends to nearly a decade, it is
but natural to expect apprehensions of when the bust will come.
The fundamental principle that what goes up must come down
indeed applies to real estate prices. Is the property bubble about
to burst?
Industry experts are, of course, divided. There are those who
believe that property prices have risen crazily. They specifically
cite the sale of a lot in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in September
2014 for a baffling P500,000 per square meter, which nearly
doubled the previous record of P277,000 for a similar property
sold by the Social Security System just a year earlier.
But the reasons that support the position that the boom in
the Philippine property market is far from bursting are many,
and appear more compelling. Just consider: Speculative buyers
who fueled the runaway property prices in the 1990s are gone,
and monetary authorities are making sure that the real estate
sector will not cause the economy to collapse again.
The absence of the horde of speculators in the current
property boom is evident in the fact that property prices have
been rising at about 8-14 percent a year, considered way below
the price appreciation that preceded the property busts prior to
the 1997 crisis not only in the Philippines but in other countries
as well.
On the regulatory side, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas is
making sure that banks, currently awash in cash, will not unduly
extend financing to the property sector. Local banks will have to
cap real estate loans at 60 percent of their collateral values,
down from 80 percent at present. The new policy is estimated to
curb the flow of up to P200 billion worth of bank credit to the
property sector. While a bank can technically lend above the 60percent collateral value cap, the rule requires that if the loan
goes bad, the bank's books are only insulated to the extent of 60
percent of the collateral value. So if the value of the loan is higher,
the bank has to provide additional loan-loss provisions, which
are an added cost to it.
There are other reasons many experts believe that a
property price bubble is far from bursting. The backlog remains
very big, at more than five million housing units. While activity is
concentrated in the middle-income segment (all those
condominiums rising around the metropolis), there remains the
acute shortage of low-cost or mass housing units. Office space
vacancy remains very small, indicating a continuing strong
demand particularly with the extended boom in the business
process outsourcing (BPO) sector.
There is likewise a shortage in accommodation units in the
tourism sector, which has been growing at 10-12 percent a year
in the past years. Property loan rates, although considered low
by Philippine standards at 6-8 percent a year, also remain high
compared to mortgage rates in more developed markets. Ultralow interest rates led to the property-induced economic crisis in
the United States in 2008 that led to a global crunch.
Real estate prices here are also one of the cheapest in Asia
despite the robust demand in housing, office space and hotel
rooms fueled by record-high remittances from overseas Filipino
workers, the booming BPO sector and the Philippines' resurgent
economy.
This is not to say that all real estate companies are in very
healthy positions. As real estate prices rise (as they have been
ID Card for the
Undocumented
As many await the
implementation of President
Obama's executive action on
immigration which stands to
benefit some 5 million
undocumented immigrants, a
growing number of cities and
states have also initiated measures
to help the undocumented better
integrate in their communities.
In New York City, the largest
municipal identification program
in the country has been launched
offering municipal ID cards to all
New Yorkers age 14 or older
regardless of their immigration
status.
The municipal ID card or IDNYC
will provide undocumented
immigrants access to city services,
programs, and benefits, which
were previously not available to
them because of lack of a
government-issued ID.
The ID card which will be
accepted as identification in more
than 10 financial institutions will
allow them to open an account with
these banks and credit unions. This
will also address the problems
faced daily by undocumented
immigrants who are not able to fill
a prescription, sign an apartment
lease, gain access to city schools
and offices, and other such
undertakings requiring a photo ID.
With this ID card, they can now
provide identification to police
officers when asked for it.
The program is expected to
benefit not only the estimated
500,000 undocumented
immigrants, but all New Yorkers
living in the city, especially the most
vulnerable residents, such as the
homeless and the elderly.
A l l N e w Yo r k e r s a r e
encouraged to get the IDNYC card
so that it will not be easy to identify
undocumented immigrants simply
by their use of the card. To entice all
New Yorkers to obtain the ID card,
IDNYC cardholders will also enjoy
free one-year membership at the
Bronx Zoo, City Ballet, and other
top zoos, museums, concert halls,
and botanical gardens in the city.
According to Mayor Bill de
Blasio, "New York City has always
been the place for inclusion and
possibility. We defend that. And
this ID epitomizes keeping this an
open city.”
Data gathered through the
program will not be shared with
immigration authorities and other
government agencies except for
verification purposes of the
applicant's eligibility for additional
city benefits and only in response
to a judicial subpoena or a warrant.
To obtain the IDNYC card,
applicants are required to submit
documents proving their identity
u
Page 12
u
Page 12
First break
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.
Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,
Juan L. Mercado, Joseph G. Lariosa
Correspondent: Grace G. Baldisseri
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do
not reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the publisher.
Email: filexpress@aol.com
Phone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880
2711 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07306
Early January, 14,000 parched
Metro Cebu water consumers
started getting an additional
18,000 cubic meters. That surface
water is piped in from Luyang
town, 40 kilometers away. It is the
first ever b rea kaway from
crumbling underground aquifers
overextracted by half of their
recharge capacity.
“ D i d C e b u m i s s by t h e
proverbial inch, the fate of
Yemen's cities?” We asked this in
our Viewpoint column “Decisive
turn” (Opinion, 3/24/12). “'In
Sana, the price of water bolted
tenfold in some areas,' the New
York Times reports. '[It] could
become the first capital ever to run
out of water.'
“Wedged between Mexico and
Guatemala, Mayan cities crumbled
between 800 and 950 AD. Food
systems collapsed and epidemics
erupted when rainfall dwindled to
less than half of normal, Science
2012 states.
“Twelve miles east of the Taj
Mahal, the ghost city of Fatehpur
Sikri molders. Your footsteps echo
in empty palace halls. Cawing
crows swoop over deserted
balconies. The city died when
water cisterns ran dry.
“Saudi Arabia pumped its
fossil (no-replenishment) aquifers
dry, Lester Brown of the Earth
Policy Institute notes. Riyadh
harvested two years back its last
wheat crop. Starting 2012, some
30 million Saudisequivalent of
Canadawill swap oil for imported
grain.
“There is no substitute for
water. 'Twenty liters per person
e a c h d ay i s t h e t h re s h o l d
requirement to meet basic human
needs,' UN's Human Development
Report states. Here, about 72
percent of water, from rivers or
ponds, is unfit for human use.
“The Philippines is second to
China in diarrhea-related deaths
among children below five. Just
washing hands can save lives. But
first, you must have water. Handwashing rates are three times
higher in households with piped
water. It is obscene 'if people
cannot drink water without
courting disease or death,' author
Page 14
Sandra Postel writes.” u
January 16-22, 2015
Page 11
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
The message of Pope Francis to the Filipinos
The visit of Pope Francis to the
Philippines on 15 January this 2015
is greatly awaited and what his
message will be to this most
catholic nation in Asia is a matter of
intense speculation.
Of course there will be millions
trying to see him and receive his
blessing. Most are very poor and
they will be praying that his
spiritual aura and huge popularity
will be influential in spreading
virtue, good family values, respect
for human rights and social justice
in the Philippines.
Indeed despite this being the
Asian nation that is 80% Catholic, it
is for many a version of Catholicism
that is at variance many times with
the gospel message of compassion,
respect and self-sacrificing service
to poor and the downtrodden.
Catholic schools and
universities flourish, producing the
educated middle class and the
ruling elite many of whom are
Making
life worth
living
Ellen Tordesillas
The firing of Filipino nurse Ello
Ed Mundsel Bello by the Tan Tock
Seng Hospital in Singapore for his
Facebook rant against
Singaporeans once again
demonstrates the danger of people
being in social media without fully
knowing its capabilities and
limitations.
Last week, Bello, under the FB
name Edz Ello, ranted on his wall:
“Now the Singaporeans are
loosers in their own country, we
take their jobs, their future, their
women and soon we will evict all
SG loosers out of their own country
hahaha. The best part, I will be
praying that disators strike
Singaporeans and more
devoted mass goers and good
Catholics in the sense that they
accept without question church
teaching and participate in the
church rites and rituals. The
awareness and commitment to act
for social justice is limited to the
few.
Its more of a cultural faith
tradition than an energizing power
to work for a just and honest
society. The graduates gravitate to
serve the elite and wealthy and
corporate interests. They tend to
look to heaven and not see the
social injustice and cruel suffering
and poverty on earth.
Those Catholics that engage in
works of mercy, reaching out to the
poor, the hungry and work in
humanitarian organizations to help
the poor, redress injustice and
economic inequality and change
society are much to few.
In general most adult Filipino
Catholics are traditional and lead
Opinion
By Fr. Shay Cullen
PREDA Foundation
good church going virtuous lives.
They are not very empowered to
imitate Jesus of Nazareth. They
have been spiritually trained to be
more docile and subservient than
to be on fire with a burning faith in
the person of Jesus of Nazareth.
They are not faith inspired to
challenge and change the crushing
injustice and corruption that keeps
100 million poor dominated by 1%
of the population.
That one percent is composed
of billionaires and millionaires that
make up the ruling elite. They
dominate congress, the
administration, the military, police
and the justice system. Government
departments packed with their
cronies and relatives do their
bidding. They pass laws that
protect their stolen wealth,
privileges and entitlements and
thwart and silence their opponents
and critics. No wonder that the
Philippines has the longest lasting
communist guerilla war in Asia.
Without justice there cannot be
peace, without peace there cannot
be prosperity for all.
In 1986 when Cardinal
Archbishop Jaime Sin called the
faithful to be socially active for
human rights and justice and to
take to the streets to oppose the
dictator Ferdinand Marcos, defy the
military did Filipino Catholicism
have a bright shining moment. But
it soon faded, such social and
political engagement was
discouraged and criticized by the
Vatican.
Today there are those who
masquerade as “good Catholics,”
are seen in church but pursue
worldly power, money, are driven
by political ambition and the desire
for economic domination and
despite over the weak and poor and
value them only as cheap labor.
They are the hypocrites of the
ruling elites condemned by Jesus.
Its amazing that a nation of 100
million people just a tiny few can
own and control over 70 percent of
the wealth, land, property and
means of production. They, so few,
have such power and cause such
poverty and human rights abuses
over so many.
These rich and corrupt people
will be trying to get close to the
Pope hoping that their proximity to
such a famous and holy man will be
a sign to the electorate that despite
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Page 12
Fired nurse in Singapore
should read Elbert Hubbard
Singaporeans will die then I will
celebrate. REMEMBER PINOY
BETTER AND STRONGER THAN
S T I N K A P O R E A N S .”
Tan Tock Seng Hospital issued the
following statement:
“We have received feedback
from concerned members of the
public on inflammatory online
posts allegedly made by one of our
nursing staff. This is a serious
matter. We are a public healthcare
institution and we expect our staff
to be respectful and professional.
We do not condone behaviours or
comments that are irresponsible
and offensive, and will take the
appropriate disciplinary action
where necessary.
“The Hospital and the nurse
are cooperating fully with the
police on this matter. The nurse is
currently put on administrative
duties pending police
investigations. We thank everyone
for their concern and ask for
patience for the investigation to
take its due course.”
Even if the message were not
offensive, Bello should be fired for
confused English grammar and
bad spelling.
A news article in the Singapore
Straits Times said Bello lodged a
police complaint saying his
Facebook account was hacked
after the post went viral.
The same article said after the
hospital investigated other posts
by Bello in Facebook and Google
Plus “that touched upon race and
religion” it decided to terminate
the Filipino nurse's services. “We
have dismissed Mr. Ello Ed
Mundsel Bello from our hospital
immediately for his… comments
made in 2014 while in our
Hospital's employment,” the
hospital said in a statement on
Facebook.
We don't know how true is the
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Page 12
d o o r s te p to ro o f wh e n a n
important visitor is set to arrive;
then we go back to living in dirt
and grime, eating leftovers with
our hands, the moment the visitor
leaves.
And we're no good at
sustaining the effort, especially
when there's no one to impress.
“Pakitang-tao” is what we're really
good at, with all the negative and
hypocritical connotations that
phrase carries.
So we prepare for six million
people at Rizal Park, because the
last pope who visited attracted an
estimated five million during his
mass there. We bring in tens of
thousands of soldiers and
policemen from all over the
c o u n t r y, p r a y i n g t h a t n o
opportunistic rebel or criminal
groups will strike, because we
need warm bodies for crowd
control.
Does the pope need a vehicle to
get around? We provide him with
three.
The biggest irony, of course, is
that Francis is visiting because he
wants to commune with and
console the victims of supertyphoon Yolanda in Tacloban City
and other parts of Leyte. He is not
coming, bless his sympathetic
heart, to be blown away by the
thousands who will sing in the
choir at his Luneta mass or to be
photographed with the high and
m i g h t y, w h o a r e s e e k i n g
absolution for their grievous sins
against the people or who are just
seeking office in next year's
elections.
As for the government taking
care of the people all the time, even
when the pope is long gone, well,
good luck with that. Pakitang-tao
is driving the frenzied activity;
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Page 14
Mabuhay, Francis!
An American friend who has
been staying in the Philippines for
some months now has been awed
by the preparations for the arrival
today of Pope Francis, who is
making his first apostolic visit to
“the only Catholic country in Asia.”
And she wondered why things
can't be like this every day.
“Everything is so clean,” she
wrote. “The pope needs to move
here. Why can't it be like this 24/7?
The papal visit is not a Better
Homes and Gardens visit. The
government here should always be
this forward-thinking for its
people. Take care of your people all
the time!”
Of course, as a Filipino, I'm
proud that the government and
the people are doing their best to
welcome the pope in style.
Filipinos are that way, after all:
firm believers in making the best
first impression they possibly can.
But when the visitors have
gone, we slide back to the old ways.
We have no problem whatsoever
with how bad things can become,
as long as important people that
we want to impress, like a visiting
pope, don't see them.
I sincerely doubt if Pope
Francis is going to experience a
welcome, a stay and a send-off like
the one he is going to get here,
regardless of the number of
Catholics (or the percentage of
Catholics compared to the entire
population) in any other country.
The pope's visit promises to
showcase Filipino hospitality at its
finestor perhaps at its most
extreme, like in the case of that
painter who came up with an
Amorsolo-like rustic landscape
featuring the pope and a bunch of
local movie actors and actresses,
for a reason only the artist himself
can fathom.
Of course, because my foreign
friend is no new visitor, she
understands that the show being
put up for the benefit of the pope is
by no means the norm. In fact, I
would hazard a guess that if the
pope found it so nice to be here
that he decided to stay, like Peter
upon seeing Jesus with Moses and
Elijah, I doubt that the government
and the Catholic faithful would
find the energy to sustain the
enthusiasm and effort that they
are displaying now for even
several days more than the five
that Francis will be here.
It's sad, but we really are a
Better Homes and Gardens people.
We pull out all the stops, bring out
the best linen and silver, serve the
best food and clean the house from
January 16-22, 2015
Page 12
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
The message of
Pope Francis ...
Europe’s
Muslims ...
From page 1
From page 11
the lives of 17 victims, and
t ra u m a t i z e d a c o n t i n e n t
already brimming with antiimmigrant sentiment.
Brothers Cherif and Said
Kouachi - the al-Qaida-linked
suspects in the magazine attack
- were killed in a shootout at a
printing plant north of Paris;
their apparent accomplice
Amedy Coulibaly was shot dead
in a near-simultaneous raid at a
Jewish market, where he had
holed himself up with hostages,
killing four.
French authorities are
warning the nation against
linking French Muslims with
terrorists.
“The terrorists' religion is
not Islam, which they are
betraying,” Foreign Minister
Laurent Fabius said last week.
“It's barbarity.”
To make the point stick, he
said he doesn't want the word
“Islamist” used to describe the
killers.
“I call that terrorists,” he
said this week on iTele,
explaining he doesn't want to
link terrorists with those who
practice their “religion of
peace.”
Concerns about a backlash
against Muslims were
discussed Monday, Jan. 12,
during a counter-terrorism
meeting at the Interior
Ministry.
“We said above all, pretty
their evil deeds they are approved
persons and blessed. May no such
corrupt politicians get a seat at the table
with Pope Francis.
Pope Francis choose that very name
in the Spirit of St. Francis when just as
his election was announced Cardinal
Claudio Hummes hugged him and
whispered into his ear, ” Do not forget
the poor.” He was determined to
champion their cause for equality and
human rights and make the social
teaching of the Church a living practical
reality everywhere.He had to scold the
Cardinals in the Curia recently for their
15 “diseases” that are holding back the
teaching and practice of the gospel.
For sure Human rights and the
rights of children and women will be
central to his messages. In this nation of
In this Monday, Jan. 12, 2015 file photo, demonstrators bear flags of
several European countries during a rally of the group Patriotic Europeans
against the Islamization of the West, or PEGIDA, in Dresden, Germany.
Firebombs and pigs' heads are being tossed at mosques and women in
veils have been insulted in a surge of anti-Muslim acts since last week's
murderous assault on the newsroom of a satirical Paris paper, according
to a Muslim who tracks such incidents in France. France's large Muslim
population risks becoming collateral damage in the aftermath of the
three attacks by French radical Islamists who killed 17 people. Muslims in
other European countries also won't be spared, some Muslim leaders and
experts say. Concern about a backlash against Muslims was discussed
Monday Jan. 13, 2015, during a meeting on counter-terrorism measures
at the Interior Ministry. AP
unanimously, that in France
there are 5 or 6 million
Muslims. These (terrorist)
issues concern 1,000
individuals,” said Socialist
lawmaker Patrick Mennucci.
“We should be careful not to
stigmatize anyone.”
Coulibaly's mother and
daughters, presenting
condolences to the victims,
issued a plea in a statement
delivered to the French press
“that there will be no amalgam
between these odious acts and
the Muslim religion.”
Yet Muslims and some
experts said that it was
inevitable that Muslims would
100 million people five million children
are enslaved in some kind of child labor,
mostly agricultural and slum survival
work. But as many as 100,000 are
trafficked into sex slavery which Francis
declared, a few weeks ago to be a crime
against humanity.
The message of Pope Francis will
likely address the great disparity
between rich and poor. He may speak
out against the death squads that kill
priests and church workers and
children with impunity. He is the Pope of
the poor and the oppressed and is the
long awaited man of God to lead the
wayward Church leaders out of apathy
and arrogance, teach them to reject
corrupt ways and instill in them the love
of the Gospel message.
This the very message that Jesus
died for. We can all be inspired by him
and Pope Francis to speak the truth,
oppose corrupt rulers and work to lift
the poor from poverty by good example
and evangelical poverty.
shaycullen@preda.org
man, in heaven's name work for him. If
fall under suspicion after the
he
pays you wages which supply you
attacks, despite a unity march
bread and butter, work for him; speak
From page 11
on Sunday, Jan. 11, - described
well of him; stand by him, and stand by
as the largest in French history
the institution he represents. If put to a
claim
of
Bello
that
his
FB
account
was
- in which throngs of Muslims
pinch, an ounce of loyalty is worth a
hacked. If those hostile posts were
participated.
pound of cleverness. If you must vilify,
really his, he should have known from
The rising far-right in
condemn, and eternally disparage,
the very beginning that they would
France and other European
resign your position, and when you are
reach hospital officials. Did he consider
countries has been driven by an
outside, damn to your heart's content,
that?
anti-immigration, anti-Islam
but as long as you are part of the
Did he think those rants were just
message. National Front leader
institution do not condemn it. If you do
personal outpourings that his friends
Marine Le Pen seized upon the
that, you are loosening the tendrils that
would keep in confidence? He should
Charlie Hebdo attack just hours
are holding you to the institution, and at
have known that there's nothing private
after it happened, suggesting it
the first high wind that comes along, you
in social media.
was a vindication of her party's
will be uprooted and blown away, and
While he ponders on his losing his
xenophobic stance. Extremewill probably never know the reason
job, Bello should read the advice of
right groups across Europe
why.”
American writer and philosopher
have increasingly been
Elbert Green Hubbard: “If you work for a
u
Page 15
Fired nurse ...
ID card for ....
From page 10
and city residency which include
passports, birth certificates, and
driver's licenses, among others. There
are currently 12 enrollment centers
across the five boroughs and enrollment
for this year is free.
Aside from New York, cities such as
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland in
C a l i f o r n i a , a n d N e w H ave n i n
Connecticut, have also established
municipal ID programs.
Meanwhile in California,
undocumented immigrants can now
apply for driver's licenses. An estimated
1.5 million immigrants are expected to
apply for driver's licenses in three years'
time. The new policy is expected to make
the road safer and improve public safety.
The law allowing undocumented
immigrants to apply for driver's licenses
also took effect in Connecticut. Around
28,000 undocumented immigrants have
already scheduled an appointment for
their driver's test.
Other states which have enacted law
offering driver's license to the
undocumented include Washington
state, New Mexico, Utah, Illinois,
Nevada, Maryland, Vermont and
Colorado. The District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico also issue driver's licenses
to undocumented immigrants.
In Illinois, immigration status alone
would no longer be a valid for state
police to detain a person. Outgoing Gov.
Pat Quinn issued the executive order so
that immigrants who are victims of or
witnesses to crime will be more willing
to cooperate with law enforcement.
These measures initiated by states
and local officials, will without doubt,
not only make the lives of the
immigrants bearable, but more
importantly, allow them to contribute
more and be productive in their
communities.
(Editor's Note: REUBEN S. SEGURITAN has
been practicing law for over 30 years. For
more information, you may log on to his
website at www.seguritan.com or call (212)
695-5281.)
Property bubble fears ... From page 10
doing in about eight years), buyers tend to compare sellers and see which of
their products are best suited for their needs - with location and price as the
main considerations. Not all real estate companies put up projects in the best
locations, or sell them at competitive prices. In fact, there are reports that a
few property companies, big names among them, are beginning to see
demand swiftly slowing, mainly for their expensive or high-end luxurious
projects in locations considered “poor” by their more experienced peers.
So buyers beware. Who wouldn't be afraid of a property bubble bursting?
The 1997 Asian financial crisis that saw the Philippine property sector
crashing along with its regional counterparts is just too recent to forget. It
precipitated one of the most severe recessions that the Philippines ever had.
And, as in any bull market, investors must exercise caution. As the old advice
goes, if you don't know anything about real estate, at least know your realtor
or property developer. Inquirer.net
January 16-22, 2015
Page 13
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Vladimir Putin Champions Organised Crime Award 2014
Lands America's Most Admired List Too
By Athena Yenko
International Business Times
(Australia)
Russia's President Vladimir
Putin talks to reporters during a
meeting in Brasilia July 16,
2014. Putin warned on January
7 that U.S. sanctions will take
relations with Russia to a “dead
end” and damage U.S. business
interests in his country. Picture
taken July 16, 2014.
Mr Putin had allegedly
turned Russia into a moneylaundering capital through a
complicated scheme involving
the money of the country's
oligarchs, corrupt government
officials and organized crime
members being transferred
into Europe through a Latvian
bank. The money amassed
through the money-laundering
scheme was allegedly used to
carry out Mr Putin's political
interests.
Mr Putin also purportedly
allowed organised crime
leaders to transfer weapons
from the Russian army to
Russian backed separatists in
Crimea and in the Donbass. It
was alleged that the weapons
were being supplied to the
rebels from the Russian
fourteenth army deployed in
Moldova.
Mr Putin had arrested
leaders of Russia's organised
crime through the years but had
reportedly released those
a r r e s t e d d i s c r e e t l y. I n
exchange, he solicited their
support in advancing state
policies.
With all these, 125
investigative journalists and 20
investigative reporting
organisations from the
Organised Crime and
Corruption reporting Project or
OCCRP named Mr Putin as the
2014 Person of the Year. The
award is given to the person
who made notable advances in
upholding organised crime
activities.
Mr Putin was seen as a real
innovator in working with
organised crime. “He has
created a military-industrialpolitical-criminal complex that
furthers Russia's and Putin's
personal interests,” editor of
OCCRP Drew Sullivan said.
“The Russian-backed
money laundering platforms
have exploited the lack of
transparency in the global
financial and offshore company
registrations systems to create
a nee criminal financial
infrastructure used by crime
groups from as far away as
Mexico and Vietnam,” OCCRP
executive director Paul Radu
said.
Mr Putin had also been
listed as number 10 among
Americans' most admired man
and woman in a poll made on
Dec 8-11 by Gallup analytics. He
earned more votes than U.S.
Vice President Joe Biden and
ex-presidents Jimmy Carter and
George H.W. Bush.
Mr Putin's name on the list
was described as “the most
eyebrow-raising entrant” by
The Atlantic. He was not voted
in the category for the past
seven years and received not a
single vote since 2010. Mr Putin
being included in the list
happened as world leaders
condemned him for his
annexation of Crimea, alleged
support of the rebels in Ukraine
280 Luis Munoz Marin Boulevard
Jersey City, NJ 07302
Russian President Vladimir Putin was awarded the 2014 Person
of the Year in an organised crime category. He had also been
named as America’s most admired man.
and in the wake of the rouble
decline.
The managing editor of
Gallup Jeffrey Jones finds it
“kind of puzzling” that Mr Putin
made it on the list. Analysts in
Gallup could not identify a
demographic pattern among
those who named Mr Putin as
their most admired man. They
could not even tell if Americans
were only listing Mr Putin as a
joke, Jones told The Atlantic.
201-333-8060
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
January 16-22, 2015
Page 14
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
‘Juan Ng’
signature ...
From page 2
short-lived stay in Malacañang. The
elder Estrada was subsequently
convicted of plunder, but was pardoned
by then President Gloria MacapagalArroyo.
The AMLC report, a copy of which
was obtained by the Inquirer, was
officially submitted by government
prosecutors at the resumption of the
senator's bail hearing in the
Sandiganbayan on Monday, Jan. 12,
despite opposition from Estrada's
lawyers.
In its scrutiny of several bank
transactions, the AMLC said Estrada,
who has been jailed on plunder
charges, had “total credits” of P629.2
million in nine bank accounts from
2004 to 2013.
The AMLC also allegedly found
evidence that Estrada received a total
of P157.6 million in “commissions or
rebates” for funneling his Priority
Development Assistance Fund (PDAF)
allocations to the bogus foundations of
Janet Lim-Napoles, the suspected
brains behind the scam.
“Considering all the foregoing,
there are indications of money
laundering scheme using bank
accounts,” the AMLC said in its 90-page
report.
“There is, however, a need to
conduct further investigation to
determine the extent of the subject's
participation and identify the other
monetary instruments that were
possibly involved in the laundering
scheme,” it added.
Examining volumes of bank
documents, the AMLC investigation
team headed by Orlando Negradas Jr.
discovered that several checks
Euphoria in
Manila ... From page 1
She said she has been
reminiscing of her encounter with
Pope Paul VI months before the
arrival of Pope Francis in the
country this January.
Pope Francis' visit marks the
fourth time a pontiff is gracing
Philippine soil. Pope Paul VI was
the first pope to come here in 1970,
while St. John Paul II did it twice the first in 1981 when he beatified
the first Filipino saint, Lorenzo
Ruiz, and the second in 1995 when
he led the celebrations for the
World Youth Day.
Mabuhay,
Francis ... From page 11
after that, it's back to “bahala na
kayo sa buhay niyo.”
***
The Vatican may have noticed
the Filipinos' penchant for
idolizing specific personalities,
often to the detriment of their
message and actions, when it urged
the local faithful to display images
of Christ instead of the face of the
Argentinian pope. Sadly, for most
Filipinos, the pope's theme of
mercy and compassion has already
long been buried under the
avalanche of the glorification of
“Lolo Kiko,” as many have already
decided to call the visiting pope.
Indeed, whatever statements
Francis may make and whatever
edicts he intends to issue will
surely be drowned out by the
super-celebrity treatment that
supposedly issued by Ng actually bore
Estrada's handwriting.
In its May 28, 2014, resolution,
Negradas said the Court of Appeals
approved its request to conduct an
inquiry into Estrada's bank accounts
and other accounts related to him.
The AMLC said Ng received
Estrada's “commission based on
Benhur Luy's summary of rebates as
well as based on bank documents” and
deposited more than P57 million to the
senator's bank accounts. Luy is a
former Napoles finance officer who has
turned whistle-blower.
The senator did not deny knowing
Ng, who he said was a legitimate
businessman involved in steel roofing
business in San Juan City, where
Estrada and his father had served as
mayor. A senior government official,
who asked not to be named for lack of
authority to speak to the media, said
the documents only proved that “Ng is
actually Estrada himself.”
“Is Senator Estrada just too
complacent or is he just that brave?
Either way, the checks showed that
Senator Estrada used a dummy to
transfer his kickbacks from the PDAF
scam,” the official told the Inquirer.
2 signatures
The AMLC said Ng used two
different signatures in his bank
accounts.
It said the businessman used his
“conventional signature” on the
government-issued identification
cards which he used in opening his
accounts in Metrobank branches in QC
Rotonda Center and N. Domingo, and at
the Chinabank branch in Corinthian
Hills, all in Quezon City.
But he used his “unconventional
signature” in creating his account at
Metrobank branch at Green HillsWilson in San Juan.
Ng's conventional signature
Where's my cap?
Earlier at the airport, Pope
Francis appeared at the top of the
Sri Lankan jet's steps, as the crowd
noise swelled, a gust of wind
abruptly kicked up and blew away
his papal skullcap, known as a
zucchetto or a calotte.
The pontiff grabbed at his cap a futile effort, since it was already
long airborne - then smiled and
descended the steps into the
Philippines, heading toward the TV
camera, hatless.
Amid an ocean of national
planning aimed at global
audiences, it was a genuine,
unexpected moment. With reports
from Associated Press. Inquirer.net
awaits him the moment he arrives
in Manila. And that's just the way it
is in this celebrity-worshipping
country: the pope will be accorded
a welcome that is more befitting of
the biggest movie star instead of as
the reformist and populist head of
the dominant religion of the land,
who comes with a message of hope
and compassion.
If the pope is truly aware of
what awaits him here, I'm sure he
will seek to use his star status to
push his pet advocacies, such as an
end to corruption both in Church
and state and caring for the poor
and the environment. We know this
pope has already harnessed his
worldwide popularity to do so in
the past; his visit here should be no
different.
That said, I hope Filipino
Catholics remember that the pope's
celebrity is, at bottom, founded on
his virtues and statements, and not
simply because of his charisma.
May we all be moved to follow his
shining example.
appears to be a series of convoluted
circular stokes while his
unconventional signature is just a
simple spelling of his name in
longhand.
The AMLC investigators also
studied and compared the handwriting
on several checks which Ng and
Estrada issued.
One of the checks, a Unionbank
check amounting to P300,000, was
issued by Estrada to Ng.
In that check, the words “Juan Ng”
which appeared on the line “Pay to the
order of,” looked very similar to Ng's
unconventional signature.
Two other checks, which were
supposedly issued by Ng on two
separate dates in September 2010,
bore his two different signatures.
Ng's supposed handwriting was
also different in one of the checks, but it
was similar to Estrada's penmanship in
many of the specimen checks.
The AMLC investigators also
closely examined six other checks that
Ng and Estrada issued in different
occasions from 2010 to 2012. The six
checks had Estrada's signatures and
Ng's unconventional signatures.
Estrada handwriting
But the names listed as payees Francis Yenko, Metrobank Card Corp.
and President Joseph Estrada - were
written in a strikingly similar manner.
“It is clear that the handwriting on
the checks issued… was very much
similar to the handwriting on the
checks issued by Senator Estrada while
ve r y m u c h d i f fe re n t f ro m t h e
handwriting on the checks issued by
Juan Tang Ng… from his other accounts
using his conventional signature,” the
AMLC concluded.
“Parallel presentation revealed
glaring differences in the handwriting
and signature of Juan T. Ng… while the
latter's checks bore similar
First break ...
From page 10
Two years back, the Cebu
provincial government and an
Ayala-led consortium cobbled
together a P702-million joint
investment agreement that would
allow the daily delivery of 35
million liters of potable water to a
parched metropolis and northern
towns. For the first time ever,
surface water from Luyang River in
Carmen town, was tapped.
Until then, 9 out of 10 cubic
meters of water, quaffed in a metro
area of 12 cities and towns, had
been siphoned from narrow
limestone underground
reservoirs.
“Overpumping of these
aquifers allowed seawater to
irreversibly seep in more than four
kilometers inland,” we noted in our
Viewpoint column of Aug. 20,
2011. And in our March 24, 2012
V i e w p o i n t , we r u e d : “ T h i s
contamination wrecked
irreversibly the city's main source
of water. Who will answer for this
crime?”
Of 136 cities, Cebu is the most
water-stressed. The province has
only 2 percent of forest cover left.
In-migration, industries and trade
quadrupled the demand for water
in less than half a century.
In mid-1990, the sustainable
capacity of aquifers in Cebu City
had been exceeded 3.6 times and,
in Mandaue, 7.4 times, an Ayala
Land study found. If no reforms are
adopted, Cebu's groundwater will
turn undrinkable. It will no longer
be a question of supply, it will be a
politically volatile issue of quality.
I n 2 0 0 7 , wa te r d e m a n d
handwriting with that of Senator
E s t r a d a' s c h e c k s d r a w n f r o m
Unionbank-Green Hills,” the council
said.
The council also found out that Ng
used two specimen signatures in
opening two dollar time deposits in
Metrobank, which the businessman
both closed in May 2013.
The AMLC said it was “quite
unusual for a single person to use two
signatures for banking transactions.”
Further, AMLC investigators said
Estrada “terminated” or closed four of
his bank accounts containing P76.4
million in September 2013 after the
Department of Justice and the National
Bureau of Investigation started the
inquiry on the PDAF scam.
The AMLC papers did specifically
say that Estrada directly received the
kickbacks, which were allegedly
coursed through “conduits.” The
kickbacks came from Napoles and her
bogus nongovernment organizations,
the Social Development Program for
Farmers Foundation, Agri-Economic
Program for Farmers Foundation, Inc.
and Masaganang Ani para Sa
Magsasaka Foundation Inc.
The documents said that cash and
checks from Napoles and these
foundations ended in the accounts of
Ng and Yenko and were subsequently
traced to Estrada's bank accounts.
Yenko previously worked in Estrada's
Senate office and is now the head of the
General Services Office of the Manila
city government, where his father is the
mayor.
AMLC probe began May '13
In June, Estrada was indicted for
plunder for allegedly receiving P183
million in kickbacks from Napoles and
her dubious foundations for using the
senators PDAF. He has been detained
since, along with Senators Juan Ponce
Enrile and Bong Revilla, who are both
continued to pull away from
supply, Cherry Ann Lim notes in
“Vision of Thirst.” It continues to
do so, but at an accelerating pace.
Withdrawals are double what
small reservoirs recharge.
Fo r d e c a d e s , t h e s t a r k
alternatives to overreliance on
underground wells were: (a) total
collapse of aquifers a la Yemen and
Fatehpur Sikri, or (b) draw surface
water from outside Metro Cebu.
F o r m e r m a y o r To m a s
Osmeña's three terms offered a
window of opportunity to start
reversing the slide into disaster. He
opted for denial. “What water
shortage?” he would dismiss
warnings from the Asian
Development Bank and the Delft
University to the Water Resources
Center at San Carlos University.
Osmeña bridged multiplying
needs by overpumping depleted
aquifers. He signaled ecological
policy insolvency by hiring a water
diviner. “Lola Choleng is 100percent accurate,” he told a
bothered media and an indifferent
electorate. But voodoo didn't
resolve a crisis which he insisted
didn't exist.
Population, industries and
commerce shoved Metro Cebu's
borders 40 km south and north.
Today, they render obsolete Cebu
City's pretensions to be “first
among equals,” or primus inter
pares.
“History is a relentless master,”
John F. Kennedy said. “It has no
present, only the past rushing into
the future. To try to hold fast to the
past is to be swept aside.”
“We will not be trapped into
similar inaction,” then Cebu Gov.
Gwendolyn Garcia vowed when
she signed the province's first-ever
surface bulk water agreement with
facing similar plunder charges in
connection with the alleged diversion
of their PDAF to ghost projects and
kickbacks.
In a statement, Estrada denied he
had employed dummies and said the
prosecution had “zero” evidence
a ga i n s t h i m . H e s l a m m e d t h e
prosecution for resorting to “trial by
publicity,” accusing it of leaking the
contents of the AMLC report to the
media. Continuing their presentation
of evidence, the Ombudsman
prosecutors caught the senator's
battery of lawyers, including seasoned
litigator Jose Flaminiano, flatfooted
when they informed the court that they
would not be able to present two of
their witnesses who were set to appear
at the hearing.
Instead, the prosecution brought
to the witness stand AMLC financial
investigator Negradas. But Estrada's
lawyers vehemently opposed the
prosecution's move to present
Negradas and the AMLC report,
arguing that the documents had yet to
be officially marked during the pretrial
conference.
In his brief testimony, Negradas
said the AMLC started its probe in May
2013 after a series of articles on the
PDAF scam appeared in the Inquirer.
He said the investigation was also
prompted by a request from the NBI
and the Office of the Ombudsman
asking the council to look into the
financial transactions of Benhur Luy,
Napoles, members of her family, the
foundations linked to her and several
lawmakers, including Estrada.
The three-member Sandiganbayan
Fifth Division, chaired by Associate
Justice Roland Jurado, agreed to accept
t h e d o c u m e n t s a n d N e g ra d a s '
presentation as prosecution witness,
but suspended the proceedings until
Estrada's camp was officially furnished
the report. Inquirer.net
Manila Water Consortium's
Gerardo Ablaza.
In this “public-private
partnership” project, Capitol put
money where its mouth was. It
plunked down P49 out of every
P100 for the project; the Ayala-led
firm put in P51 for every P100 of
the cost. But potable water will
already be pumped into towns that
the pipeline reaches.
Taps have now been opened.
Even then, there'd still be a 15-40
percent shortfall in Cebu's water
supply.
Some P35 million was
advanced to Carmen town, which
is led by Mayor Martin Gerard
Villamor. He has safeguarded
wa te r s h e d s a n d wa te r u s e
prudently - so far. “Will he shun
doles and instead use the windfall
to conserve this resource into the
future?” Sun Star asked. “Maintain
that record and Villamor will
tower among Cebu's leaders day
after tomorrow.”
Today's project started from
the first red flags raised, in 1975,
by Herman van Engelen of the
Water Resources Center. This SVD
priest-scientist retired in July
2011, a year before the launch of
Cebu's project. Prophets often
yield to those who build on their
vision.
J u a n L . M e rc a d o wa s a
communication officer for the
Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations in Bangkok,
Thailand. Thereafter, he was
posted in FAO headquarters in
Rome, Italy, as attaché de cabinet.
He wrote for the Inquirer as a
regular columnist from February
2004 until December 2014.
Inquirer.net
January 16-22, 2015
Page 15
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH food products vie for attention at fancy food show in San Francisco
By Jun Nucum
SAN FRANCISCO -- Philippine
heritage food was once again among
the specialty pavilions at the
th
Moscone Center featured in the 40
Winter Fancy Food Show (WFFS),
the largest marketplace devoted to
specialty foods and beverages on the
US West Coast.
Touted as including 1,400
exhibitors from across the US and 35
countries and regions and 19,000+
fellow industry professionals in
attendance, WFFS highlighted the
people and products that fuel the
small businesses behind the $88.3billion global specialty food
industry.
The latest in international foods,
from Brazil to Vietnam, were
displayed including new products
and updated classics from dozens of
food companies from Italy and
expanded exhibits from Germany,
Canada, United Kingdom, Japan,
Indonesia, Thailand and the
Philippines, among others.
Seen going around the Filipino
pavilion were San Francisco ConsulGeneral Henry Bensurto Jr. with
wife, Mariz, and deputy consulgeneral Jaime Ascalon with wife,
Cecille, partaking of samples,
cheering on the Filipino exhibitors
and doing their share in promoting
Filipino food and products to
prospective clients especially nonFilipinos.
Bensurto spoke with a foreigner
who was very interested in tuna, and
the consul-general boasted of the
kind of tuna available in the
Philippine waters.
Europe’s
Muslims ...
From page 12
striking a chord with ordinary
citizens voicing fears their culture is
being uprooted by an alien
civilization.
The fledgling German group that
calls itself Patriotic Europeans
Against the Islamization of the West,
or PEGIDA, drew its largest crowd
ever Monday night - a reported
40,000 - at its weekly rally in Dresden,
after organizers declared it a tribute
to the victims of the French attacks.
No anti-Islamic acts have been
reported in Germany since the terror.
French Muslims were already
facing a backlash triggered by terror
acts by French radicals twisting their
religion - particularly since the
rampage in southern France in 2012
in which Mohamed Merah killed three
children at a Jewish school, a rabbi
and three paratroopers. Anti-Islam
sentiment spread further after the
killing of four people by a French
Muslim at the Brussels Jewish
Museum in May.
Anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish
incidents rose throughout 2014 in
France, which has Europe's largest
communities of both religions.
“For Muslims, the shock is grave
in this climate of Islamophobia, of
aggressions against places of
worship,” read a statement by Dalil
Boubakeur, head of the French
Council for the Muslim Faith and the
most visible Muslim in France.
France's state of high alert after
the Charlie Hebdo rampage - with
10,000 soldiers deployed in the
streets - may deepen a sense of siege
within the Muslim population.
French authorities have long
“I told him that we actually have
one of the best tuna sashimi right in
General Santos City, an area known
globally as the place where you have
good-quality tuna are being sold
(and not just where boxing
champion Manny Pacquiao hails
from),” Bensurto said.
“Many of the tuna sashimis
being served in Japan, on the day
they are exported, actually come
from General Santos City. And this is
the very reason why a world-class
airport was also put up in General
Santos sometime in late 1990s to
simplify the shipment of tuna to
Japan and elsewhere to make sure
that the tuna that reaches the
Japanese market is as fresh as the
tuna harvested in General Santos,”
Bensurto explained.
World-class products
Bensurto was proud to say that
the Philippines had a very good
contingent that showed that “our
food products are of world-class
quality.”
He was very encouraged by the
visitations made by prospective
clientsdirect consumers, business
people, distributors, consolidators,
retailers and wholesalers - looking
for opportunities to market
products.
“It is wise that many food
products that are displayed here are
actually coconut-based. This is good
for the country because the
Philippines is a coconut-growing
country and this actually will augur
well for our coconut farmers,”
Bensurto explained. “I hope that we
warned that France is a preferred
target of Islamic extremists. France
routed al-Qaida from northern Mali two years ago to the day before
Coulibaly attacked the Jewish market
- and is now carrying out airstrikes in
Iraq against the Islamic State group.
Both al-Qaida and IS have threatened
France.
But the attacks have had an effect
outside France, too. In the
Netherlands, Muslim groups and the
government met Friday and said they
p l a n to re g i s te r a n t i - M u s l i m
incidents. A burning object was
thrown at a mosque in Vlaardingen,
on the outskirts of Rotterdam.
“Everyone has this
uncomfortable feeling, a sense of
being threatened - Muslims because
they are afraid to be stigmatized and
that they will be attacked too,” said
Imade Annouri, a Green
p a rl i a m e n t a r i a n o f B e l g i u m' s
regional legislature of Flanders and
an expert on integration issues.
TellMAMA, a British group that
tracks anti-Muslim attacks, reported
50-60 cases of specific online threats
to individuals over the weekend.
“The sheer volume is
unbelievable,” said the organization's
director, Fiyaz Mughal, who fears
virtual assaults could spur real ones
in the street. Mughal said that after
the slaying of British soldier Lee
Rigby in London, the group was able
to gauge how threats made on Twitter
and Facebook translated directly into
attacks on individuals or mosques.
Mohamed Ali Adraoui, a fellow at
the European University Institute,
suggested that hatred of Islam could
morph into an assault on a mosque, in
France or elsewhere.
“If you can do that in Charlie
Hebdo offices, you can do it in a
mosque,” he said. Inquirer.net
continue to participate every year
because the food market here in the
Bay Area or in the West Coast is
something we have to penetrate.”
Nick Johnson, president and
CEO of ASIAetc., based in Atlanta
Georgia, noticed that the Philippine
government has put up very
attractive booths that feature “great
companies.”
“I go to the Philippines twice a
year and I am looking to increase
sales from the Philippines to the
United States and China. I am open
to anything coconut and anything
else could be fish like tuna, it is wide
open any high end item from the
Philippines and manufactured in the
Philippines then I am interested in,”
Johnson stated.
“Every food show that has
Filipino booths even in Bangkok and
Taipei, I make sure that I walk into
those booths. The reason I do that is
that I think the Philippines has very
good food, you have very good
access to products to make good
food. Sometimes you have to help
them create the label of the products
so it will do better in the US,”
Johnson added.
Johnson also thinks Filipinos are
very serious in expanding their
businesses outside of the
Philippines.
Fo r h e r p a rt , Ce n te r fo r
International Trade Expositions and
M i s s i o n s ( C I T E M ) E xe c u t ive
Director Rosvi Gaetos said that last
year, they realized the US was a
major export market of the
Philippines and admitted that the
Department of Trade and Industry
must do major promotion.
“We in CITEM have not been
doing any major promotion efforts
here in the US for many years now
especially for food products. So we
thought of going to the US in 2014
and launch a Philippine food
promotion project in a major trade
show,” Gaetos disclosed.
“We chose the WFFS in San
Francisco, because it is the first port
of entry of any export product from
the Philippines. It also caters
primarily to the American specialty
market and there is less competition
here than in New York. We wanted to
be more focused with what we are
promoting so we decided to start
coming up and promoting the Food
Philippines brand in the WFFS,”
Gaetos added.
This year, the Philippines had
sixteen companies that have their
own brands and the rest were
consolidators and traders who
actually represent many Filipino
food brands.
Like Con-Gen Bensurto, director
Gaetos hopes to have enough budget
to continue participating in the
WFFS because as she puts it, “Medyo
mahal dito sa America e hindi mura
(It is quite costly here in America to
participate).”
'This is big'
Bensurto added, “This is big.
This is global. And this is what we
have to be in terms of mindset and
thinking. This is how the Philippines
have to be competitive. This is how
we should be able to think. We have
to think global, we have to think big.
It is our time. This is the time of the
Philippines now and we have break
out from our cocoon because we
have a lot to offer, food products
most especially. This would be one
good platform, one big opportunity
for us now to showcase what we can
offer.”
Filipino food brands focused
this year on coconut because of its
strong appeal to Americans as a
health food aside from the success of
coconut water as beverage drink.
They are also promoting coco sugar
for its healthful qualities compared
with other sweeteners.
Target: More revenue
Gaetos divulged that they intend
to earn more dollar revenues for
Filipino goods by generating export
sales with some companies even
getting on-the-spot bulk sales on
their different products.
And the chance to earn more
was what Ramar Foods realized
after joining WFFS in the last five
years. Ramar Foods Vice President
PJ Quesada recounted that they
were one of the first Filipinothemed or designed company in the
WFFS in 2007 when they learned
that their budget was too short to
effectively attract prospective
clients.
“Then in 2010 we showed up
with no products just samples and
we learned that people love our
foods. In 2011 we showed up with
our Kusina brands and Magnolia
brand ready for retail. And since
then, I think we got over 800 stores
that have picked up our brands since
we started five years ago,” proudly
beamed Quesada. Inquirer.net
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Offices in New York City and Long Island
January 16-22, 2015
Page 16
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
By Edgar Allan M. Sembrano
In what seems to be a
typical Philippine northern
village of modern concrete
houses lies a secret that dates
back to the Spanish colonial
period.
The village of Santa Monica
or Barangay 24 in San Nicolas
town, Ilocos Norte, does not
only have a rich history but also
a heritage as embodied by
remnants of an ancient town
that once existed in the area.
Called by residents as daan
nga ili, or old town, Santa
Monica, which is also referred
to as Nagrebcan, is said to be
the former site of the poblacion
or town center of Sarrat before
it was burned down during the
insurrection of 1815.
After the insurrection, the
townspeople rebuilt Sarrat at
its present locationon the other
side of the Padsan River.
“The new Sarrat stands
guard as it were, over what is
theorized to be the old seat of
the town, now called
Nagrebcan (destroyed),” reads
a portion on Sarrat of the book
“ I l o c o s N o r t e : A Trave l
Guidebook.”
Church art historian and
Pieces of bricks with relief of different images
University of Santo Tomas
(UST) archivist Regalado Trota
Jose agreed to the theory that
Nagrebcan was the old Sarrat.
“I think it is the old site of
Sarrat before it transferred to
the other side of the river,” he
said in Filipino.
Jose is one of the writers
and editors of the guidebook
published by the Gameng
Foundation, which won the
National Book Award of the
Manila Critics Circle in 2004.
Cultural mapping
Structures at the old Sarrat,
which included a church, a
cemetery and houses, were left
in ruins as residents rebuilt
their lives at the town's new
location.
In his book, “The History of
San Nicolas,” Manuel Aurelio
narrates that in 1985 the
remains of the church and
houses were still there,
including the stone bridge
constructed in the 1880s.
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The recent cultural
mapping project initiated by
the local government of San
Nicolas, with the help of the
UST Center for Conservation of
Cultural Property and
Environment in the Tropics,
has again brought to life the
existence of the old town in
Nagrebcan. (The tourism and
education departments also
assisted in the program.)
It likewise raised the
awareness of its residents
about the importance of their
place, said Municipal Tourism
Officer Richie Cavinta.
Cultural mappers have
been able to document what is
said to be the remnants of the
old church and the ruins of the
old stone bridge. The bridge
has since been replaced by a
modern concrete one.
On a recent visit by Cavinta
and the Inquirer, residents
Rosita Pascua and Gloria
u
Page 17
January 16-22, 2015
Page 17
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Ruins of old ...
From page 16
Ramos showed artifacts from the old
church - pieces of bricks with carved
images.
Village chief Jowell Aliga said that brick
after brick was recovered when a house
was being constructed a few years ago.
The artifacts from Pascua and Ramos
were turned over to the municipal
government, which was reportedly
planning to request the National Museum
to conduct archeological excavations in
Nagrebcan.
'Boundary'
Also in his book, whose second edition
has been recently published, Aurelio
refuted claims that Nagrebcan was the old
Sarrat.
The local historian said there was no
mention of the exact location of the pre1815 Sarrat. He added that Nagrebcan was
populated by residents of Sarrat after
fleeing from the insurrection that
terrorized the town.
In Nagrebcan, according to Aurelio,
Sarrateños built a church, cemetery and
houses, but eventually returned to their
hometown.
Aurelio based his information on a 1914
document “La Sublevacion de Sarrat.”
In support of this claim, he said the
name Nagrebcan did not come from the
Ilocano nagrebaan, which means “a place of
ruins” or “destroyed,” but from the same
word, nagrebcan, which means “boundary”
- that is, the boundary between San Nicolas
and Sarrat. Inquirer.net
ANOTHER set of artifacts
RESIDENT Rosita Pascua with one of the artifacts
REMNANTS of the old church
PHOTOS BY EDGAR ALLAN M. SEMBRANO
RUINS of the old bridge
January 16-22, 2015
Page 18
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Philippine-American Friendship Committee, Inc. (PAFCOM) 2015 Officers pay courtesy call
on Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop and Consul General Mario De Leon Jr.Oon January 14, 2015
At Jersey City Municipal Hall. Seated, from left: Jujo Conol-PRO; Rose Javier; Helen Castillo-Projects
Coordinating Committee Chair; Ledy Almadin-Vice President. Standing, from left, Gani PuertollanoBoard Member; Linda Rupel-Secretary; Francis Sison-Board Member-Lumen Castañeda-Treasurer;
Mrs. Irene Sison; Dr. Connie Uy-Board Chairman; Dr. Zorayda De Leon-2015 Grand Marshal; Atty.
Victor Sison-President; Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop; Council President Rolando Lavarro;
Councilwoman Joyce Watterman; Joyce Castillo-Finance and Budget Chair; Arvind Swamy; Lita
Roxas; City Tax Assessor Ed Toloza; Gali Munar-Ethics and Grievance Committee Chair
At Philippine Consulate General in New York. Seated, from left: Ledy Almadin; Mrs. Irene Sison;
Atty. Victor Sison; Dr. Zorayda De Leon; Consul General Mario De Leon Jr.; Dr. Connie Uy; Deputy
Consul General Kira Danganan-Azucena. Standing, from left: Arnold Castillo; Jujo Conol; Helen
Castillo; Gali Munar; Lita Roxas; Rose Javier; Francis Sison; Linda Rupel; Joyce Castillo; Lumen
Castañeda; Gani Puertollano
FINDING LOVE THE OLD-FASHIONED FILIPINO WAY
"HANDOG KAY LOLO AT LOLA” (Tribute to grandparents)
Love and Romance is in the
air as Valentine's Day soon
approaches in the month of
February. Before internet dating,
TV or radio, how did our
Grandparents back in the
Philippines find Love? Times
were simpler then, our courtship
ritual was through "Harana"
(Serenade). Filipino men would
introduce themselves and/or
wo o e d wo m e n by s i n g i n g
"Kundiman" (Tagalog Love
Songs) underneath their
windows. In "Kundiman" singers
would express his undying love
for his beloved and is also
actually singing about love of
country.
Handog kay Lolo at Lola, (A
Tr i b u t e t o G ra n d p a re n t s )
announces its upcoming benefit
concert to be held on Wednesday,
Feburary 4, 2015 - 7:30 pm at
Carnegie Hall in NYC. We pay
homage to Lola and Lolo, both
here or abroad as the foundation
of every Filipino family. We
celebrate their contributions as
leaders of our Community. Lolo
and Lola taught us love and
respect, as the keepers of our
Filipino values, traditions,
language and culture. What
b e t t e r way t o h o n o r o u r
Grandparents, but through
tradition Tagalog Love songs. The
benefit concert preserves and
celebrates Filipino heritage
through modern and traditional
folk songs. We are proud to
headline Kundiman / Classical
Soprano vocalist, Kay Habana
along-side young theater actor,
Bonale Fambrini, as well as the
Philippine Chamber Singers from
Los Angeles.
The campaign seeks to raise
awareness of the continuing
needs of our Fil-Am Senior
Citizen Community, facing such
issues as affordable housing,
transportation, medical & health
care needs. They suffer from
symptoms of loneliness, isolation
and depression. Many of our now
Seniors were the first generation
immigrant Filipino-Americans
who built a home for our families
in this new land. Portion of
proceeds to benefit PAGASA &
PACCAL. (PAGASA) Pagasa Social
Foundation Inc., is a non-profit
organization for the Philippine
American Group for Aging
Seniors of America, based in
Queens, NY. (PACCAL) PanAmerican Concerned Citizens
Action League is a non-profit 501
(c) 3, a health and human services
organization based in Jersey City,
NJ most known for it's Healthy
Aging Program for Seniors.
To p u r c h a s e G e n e r a l
Admission or VIP tickets, you
may contact us via email
sedokg@gmail.com, or
josemmayonyc@aol.com or
www.carnegiehall.org/Calendar
/2015/2/4/0800/PM/ HandogKay-Lolo-at-Lola-A-Tribute-toGrandparents/
Kay Habana Kundiman /Classical Soprano
Philippine Chamber Singers of Los Angeles
Bonale Fambrimi Actor
January 16-22, 2015
Page 19
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
PH hot topic in freezing northeast US cities
By Niña P. Calleja
It's more fun in the Philippines - and
definitely, warmer.
This might well be the latest tourism
slogan of the Philippine Embassy and the
tourism department in the US, which
have taken note of recent freezing
temperatures in most northeastern
cities of the United States, with the
lowest - not factoring in the wind chill being 38 below zero in Maine on
Thursday, Jan. 8.
“This harsh weather presents the
perfect opportunity for Americans to
travel to the Philippines and experience
the beauty and warmth the country has
to offer,” Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr.
said in a statement.
For the past several weeks, double
decker hop-on hop-off tour buses
wrapped with photographs of popular
tourist destinations in the Philippines,
among them Bohol, Boracay, and
Camarines Sur, have been circling
Washington, New York, Philadelphia and
Miami.
The Philippine Embassy said the
campaign was part of the tourism
department's efforts to promote 2015 as
“Visit the Philippines Year.”
Cuisia said the buses showcasing the
Philippines' warm and pristine beaches
would definitely catch the attention of
Americans who were experiencing one
of the coldest winters in recent history.
“Our American friends will also find
it easier to head off to Manila when
Philippine Airlines starts its regular
flights from New York in March,” the
ambassador added.
Josh Levee, general manager of City
Sights, the bus tour company carrying
the Philippine tourism ads, agreed. “In
this weather, (the Philippines) is
definitely enticing. I want to go,” he said.
“Double-decker bus wraps are iconic
media forms and are the largest ads
roaming the country,” said Jordan
Perlmutter whose Vector Media
company undertook the tourism
promotion campaign in cooperation
with 360i, a New York-based advertising
company.
Tens of thousands of people see the
Philippine tourism ads wrapped around
City Sights double-decker buses that
make a loop around New York's Times
S q u a re , Wa s h i n g t o n' s J e f f e r s o n
Memorial, Philadelphia's Liberty Bell
and Miami's South Beach, among other
popular spots, he said. Inquirer.net
Visit the Philippines 2015. Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. waves from a double decker bus of City Sights
wrapped in Philippine tourism promotion ads at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. (Philippine
Embassy Photo by Majalya Fernando)
Cuisia: PH-US relations
‘Never Been Better'
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Manila's
relations with Washington are at their
highest based on how the two allies
worked together during the past year,
according to the Philippine ambassador
to the United States.
“Our relations with the United States
have never been better,” Ambassador
Cuisia said in his remarks during a
reception he hosted on Wednesday (Jan.
7) night for Washington-based journalists
led by National Press Club President
Myron Belkind.
Ambassador Cuisia said the main
highlight of a stronger Philippine-US
alliance was the visit to Manila in April of
President Barack Obama and the signing
of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation
Agreement (EDCA).
The other highlights of Philippine-US
relations in 2014 were the restoration of
the country's Category I aviation safety
rating; its removal from the Special 301
Watch List of countries with intellectual
property rights issues; and the favorable
outcome of the review on trade benefits
under the General Scheme of Preferences.
“As a result of the FAA aviation safety
upgrade, Philippine Airlines will now be
flying from Manila to New York starting in
March,” Ambassador Cuisia said. “This
positive development benefits both our
countries as it creates more opportunities
for trade and tourism.”
Ambassador Cuisia also cited the
proposed regulations that would expand
allowable sources of Philippine mangoes
for importation into the US as well as
Washington's support for Manila's
request for a continued rice waiver at the
World Trade Organization.
In terms of economic cooperation and
development assistance, Ambassador
Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. and City Sights DC General Manager Josh Levee inspect a double decker bus
wrapped in Philippine tourism promotion ads at the Union Station in Washington, D.C. (Philippine Embassy
Photo by Majalya Fernando)
Cuisia mentioned the estimated $139
million that the US committed under the
Partnership for Growth program and
$434 million under the Philippine
Compact with the Millennium Challenge
Corporation.
The continued positive momentum
being experienced by the Philippine
economy was among the top
achievements of the Philippines in 2014
that Ambassador Cuisia also shared with
Washington journalists.
“We are the sick man of Asia no more,”
Ambassador Cuisia said, as he pointed to
the expected 6 percent expansion in the
country's gross domestic product in 2014
as well as its growing competitiveness.
He said the country's competitiveness
is evidenced by improvements in its
standings in the 2014 Ease of Doing
Business Assessment; the Index of
Economic Freedom; and the World
Economic Forum Competitiveness index.
In its 2014 Asia Business Outlook Survey,
the American Chamber of Commerce said
the Philippines has one of the most
improved business climates, ahead of
many Asian peers.
He added that for the first time in its
history, the Philippines achieved
investment grade status from all three
credit ratings agencies - Standard & Poor,
Moody's and Fitch.
“This speaks a lot about the depth of
institutionalization of good governance
and overall political stability of the
Philippines under the leadership of
President Benigno S. Aquino III,”
Ambassador Cuisia said. - Elmer G. Cato,
Minister & Consul for Public Diplomacy,
Embassy of the Republic of the
Philippines, Washington, D.C.
January 16-22, 2015
Page 20
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
P220 Billion housing
funds remain untapped
5-Point Plan to address 5.5M backlog pushed
By Amy R. remo
President Aquino kicks off preparations for Apec
summit in 1996.
IBIG Fund's investment in housing
bonds as provided in its charter, and
The Chamber of Real Estate and P25 billion each from SSS and GSIS'
Builders Associations Inc. (Creba) has investments in housing bonds as
proposed a five-point housing agenda mandated by certain laws.
that aims to address the current 5.5
“The amounts set aside for housing
million socialized housing backlog in by various existing laws must be
the country and boost the contribution integrated and put under a Housing and
of the industry to the local economy.
Urban Development Fund. These funds
In a forum Monday, Jan. 12, Creba will be the springboard for the
national chair Charlie A. V. Gorayeb operation of the country's long-term
noted that the group's proposals were mortgage backed Securitization
all targeted at boosting the production Program to further augment the CHFP
of housing units to about 500,000 units fund,” the agenda read.
a year over the next two decades from
Creba has also sought the creation
Philippines. The Philippines last hosted the Apec
the less than 100,000 socialized of a Local Housing Board to act as the
housing units that were being central unit for all housing-related
developed yearly. Not only will these functions, and of a Department of
measures boost economic activities Housing and Urban Development,
and provide additional employment, which will serve as the highest national
but will also ensure more decent living policy making body empowered to
conditions for more Filipino families.
address all housing concerns, including
Creba said its five-point agenda financing, production, regulation and
would ensure the availability of long- administration.
term and affordable funds for
The group has also expressed
socialized and economic housing; support for a proposed bill that aims to
affordable homes for employees in put in place a national land-use policy.
urban areas; adequate lands for
Gorayeb dispelled “inaccurate
the theme “building a better world” with
residential, commercial, and industrial accusations” that real estate developers
inclusive growth on top of the agenda.
d e v e l o p m e n t ; e f f i c i e n t l o c a l have been the culprit in diminishing
The Department of Tourism eyes nine
government housing regulations, and a agricultural lands, noting that the total
potential meeting sites for various summit
full-fledged housing and urban built-up area, including roads, as of end
activities including Metro Manila, Cebu, Davao,
development state agency.
2010 was only 2.52 percent (or only
Iloilo, Clark, Subic, Tagaytay, Boracay and
Gorayeb pointed out that about 741,353 hectares) of the country's total
Bacolod. Around 400 chief executives are
P220 billion worth of untapped funds land area. Land for agricultural uses
expected along with heads of the state of
could be made available for the remained the biggest at 42.72 percent
member nations.
socialized housing sector by virtue of or 12.58 million ha.
“We don't need to top China (where the last
existing laws, namely, Republic Act (RA)
Creba likewise sought the passage
Apec summit was held in 2014). We have to be
7835 or the Comprehensive and of a bill amending RA 7279 or the Urban
better. They will not look for China, they will
Integrated Shelter Finance Act (CISFA) Development and Housing Act (UDHA)
look for the Philippines. We have to showcase
of 1994; RA 8282 or the amended Social of 1992. The group, in particular, is
the best of the Philippines,” Joseph said.
Security System charter; RA 8291 or the seeking the reduction of socialized
But the real issue is how to bring out the
a m e n d e d G o v e r n m e n t S e r v i c e housing quotas to more realistic,
best despite the limitations and circumstances.
Insurance System charter, and RA 9679 feasible levels.
“What we lack in infrastructure, we have to
or the new Home Development Mutual
It said that reducing the socialized
make up with our hearts and passion,” he said.
Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) charter.
housing quota to 15 percent would
But he is quick to point out that eliminating
According to Gorayeb, the P220 make it more realistic and feasible for
anarchy from our airports to our roads will go a
billion could be used for the proposed subdivision developers to comply with.
long way not only during the Apec summit but
Centralized Homebuyer Financing
The proposed coverage of
also for the country's tourism in general.
Program (CHFP), which will ensure condominiums under the socialized
He said that the general acceptance of the
centralized funding and decentralized housing quota will be workable if
state of anarchy is the root cause of the lack of
lending for socialized housing units. Of compliance projects will be reduced to
order and discipline, especially in the travel
the P220 billion, P100 billion may come a more reasonable cap of 5 percent of
sector. He adds that challenges are so basic to
from the unused or residual agri-agra the net saleable residential area instead
overcome if only people from both the public
funds of banks to be remitted as a lump of 20 percent of the total project area or
and private sector should feel more responsible
sum in exchange for two- to five-year cost. Inquirer.net
to act on the issue.
u
Page 22
housing bonds; P70 billion from Pag-
Preparing for Apec?
Expert shares tips
By Vaness B. Hidalgo
MANILA -- Anticipating the worst-case
scenario will be key when the Philippines
organizes the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation (Apec) Summit this November.
For tourism expert Robert Lim Joseph, the
summit will be a “no-brainer” for the
government department in charge of preparing
for the meeting of the 21-member economies in
the Philippines.
Joseph adds that everything needs to be
anticipated during high-profile meetings such
as Apec. “The worst-case scenario must be
drawn out so as to rule out anything that could
be classified as 'unexpected','” Joseph explains.
According to the travel industry executive,
this is not the first time that the country will
host the summit. As such, he expects fewer
snags and less major problems this time
around.
The Philippines last hosted the Apec
summit in 1996.
He emphasizes the importance of having a
seamless flow from the arrival to the transport
of the almost 4,000 delegates who will arrive in
the country to tackle issues of sustainable
growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific
region. This Apec edition will revolve around
th
Animation Vertigo celebrates 10 anniversary
On Dec. 20, 2014, Animation Vertigo, a
Filipino-American outsource management
company that provides high-quality motion
capture and animation services, celebrated its
10-year anniversary with its CEO and Founder
Marla Rausch, team members and their families
at The Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City, the
fast-rising central business district of the city, a
fitting location for the technology-focused
company.
Special guest Karen Agustin, Ms. Philippines
from the 2002 Miss Universe pageant, hosted the
celebration, which was filled with awards,
speeches, games and raffle prizes. “Rockeoke”
kicked off the celebration with The Johnnys,
including a surprise appearance from The Dawn,
an iconic 80s band known as the most prolific
rock band from the Philippines.
January 16-22, 2015
Page 21
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Tourism numbers of Tabuk City in Kalinga improving gradually
Remote, fledgling city marshals
resources to build hotel industry
By EV Espiritu
TABUK CITY -- Kalinga tourism
brochures market the province as a
destination for ink (indigenous
tattooing), rafting (the Chico River
white water rafting) and climbing
(the province's mountain vistas)
that has attracted up to 40,000
visitors to Tabuk, one of the
country's youngest cities.
This gradual improvement in
tourism since 2001 has
encouraged investors to develop a
complementary hotel business for
Tabuk, which became a city in
2007, having already been the
province's capital since the 1960s.
Despite a 12-hour trip from
Metro Manila, this city has served
as the gateway to Kalinga's myriad
towns and cultures since its
original settlers named it “Tobog,”
or living stream.
But tourism is a fairly new
trade here.
The province has been a major
rice producer in the Cordillera
region and Tabuk, for the most
part, has had an agriculture-based
economy, according to the city's
t o u r i s m d e ve l o p m e n t p l a n
covering 2013 to 2016.
For a time, the province also
had to fend off a disparaging
reputation for violence and
conflict, due to accounts of bitter
feuds among tribes or clans that
took place decades ago.
“Kalinga used to be described
by outsiders as a violent
community, but people who made
the effort to visit Tabuk have been
returning again and again once
they realized that this
characterization of the province
was not true,” said Ben Chan,
owner of the Grand Zion Garden
Resort and Hotel, which opened in
2009.
Chan, one of the city's big
investors, said the frequency of
repeat tourists was good reason for
DANCERS welcome tourists
to Naneng village
VISITORS enjoy white water rafting down the Chico River
building Tabuk's lodging business.
At present, 15 lodging
establishments serve visitors. Four
of these are accredited by the
Department of Tourism (DOT).
“But I project that the growth
of tourism would be phenomenal
enough to justify the growth of a
much bigger hotel trade in the city,”
said Chan.
His 19-room Grand Zion
Garden in Barangay Bulanao,
which used to host small shops,
grassland and fishponds, is one of
three high-end hotels and resorts
operating in Tabuk.
Chan said most tourists come
to have their batok (indigenous
tattooing) done by Kalinga's
mambabatok (tattoo artist),
Whang-Od of Barangay Buscalan in
Tinglayan town, or for some
adventure riding the rough Chico
River.
According to the city's tourism
office, visitor arrivals peaked at
40,339 in 2007 when Tabuk
became a city. “In the following
years, however, arrivals declined.
In terms of foreign tourists, the
biggest markets are from the
United States, France and the
United Kingdom [which
represented] 75 percent of foreign
tourist arrivals in 2011. American
tourists accounted for nearly a
third of foreign arrivals,” the
tourism office said.
Ta b u k ' s t o u r i s m p l a n
emphasizes authenticity as a
driving force behind its
promotional campaign to market a
Chico River Community Life Tour,
combining the popular white
water rafting and a cultural tour of
the villages along the river.
The tour includes a visit to the
Naneng Village where old weavers
still practice their craft.
Exposure to real life should
raise visitor arrivals to more than
50,000 in 2015 from 36,500
recorded in 2010, according to the
Tabuk tourism plan. It said: “Even
with only white water rafting as the
main attraction, Tabuk was able to
generate this much arrivals in
2010. The development and
promotion of adventure and ecotourism destinations, specifically,
at the western district and along
the Chico River tourism corridor,
will make the targets viable and
attainable.” In 2015, the tourism
office said, the number of rooms
required is estimated at 326 with
an average occupancy rate of 45
percent [up from the current] 163
rooms. “This means business
opportunity for hoteliers to
expand their present capacities or
the opening up of new hotels
within the city,” it said, adding that
the new establishments are
expected to create 652 new jobs.
Inquirer.net
World Bank: Philippines can end
poverty within a generation
AFP photo/Jay Directo
MANILA -- The World Bank says the
Philippines can eliminate poverty within
a generation as sustained economic
growth in recent years has translated
into more jobs and higher incomes.
The bank said in a report Wednesday
that more than a million jobs were
created between October last year and
October 2013, pulling unemployment
down to a 10-year low of 6 percent.
Real incomes of the bottom 20
percent of Filipinos grew much faster
than the rest of the population and
unemployment among the poor dropped.
The bank forecasts the economy will
expand 6.5 percent this year, slightly
down its earlier forecast of 6.7 percent.
It said sustaining such high growth
and accelerating reforms can lead to
massive cuts in poverty and to wealth
being shared by more people.
Inquirer.net
WEAVING is one of the Naneng community's economic assets and is
showcased in the Naneng Community Life Tour.
Photos by EV Espiritu
Photo shows one of COMET electric jeepneys launched by a jeepney
group in pioneering routes in Quezon City a few weeks ago. COMET
stands for City Optimized Managed Electric Transport.
500 e-jeepneys eyed to
be deployed in new Metro
Manila routes this year
By Myrna Velasco
The deployment of at least 500 electric jeepneys (ejeepneys) along new routes in Metro Manila is being targeted
this year by a group of utility vehicle operators in the country.
The Philippine Utility Vehicle Inc. (PhUV), in a statement to
the media, has noted that such shall be its goal for 2015 - that
aside from adding fleets for public transport, these units could
also be “in-drop and substitution for ageing diesel-fueled public
utility jeepneys that will have to be replaced.”
According to PhUV president Ferdi Raquelsantos, “as more
jeepney operators and commuters have identified vehicle
exhaust as the main source of air pollution in Metro Manila,
there is a louder clamor for cleaner and greener alternatives.”
It was revealed by PhUV sales manager John Marasigan that
deliveries of e-jeepneys were just recently made to two major
institutions “that have chosen to go green.”
These are Filinvest City in Alabang, which introduced 20 ejeepneys for its 360 Eco loop project, primarily “to service its
numerous locators and their employees as well as customers in
the sprawling business district.”
Another new e-jeepney user is Ateneo de Manila University
u
Page 30
January 16-22, 2015
Page 22
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
EVA Again Ranks Among World's
Top-10 Safest Full-Service Airlines
AirlineRatings.com experts base assessment on strict criteria
TAIPEI, Taiwan, 07 Jan.
2015 -- For the second
consecutive year, EVA Air is
ranked as one of world's top10 safest full-service airlines
b y
w e b s i t e
AirlineRatings.com. Others in
the top-10 in alphabetical
order are: Air New Zealand,
Cathay Pacific Airways, British
Airways, Emirates, Etihad
Airways, Finnair, Lufthansa,
Qantas and Singapore
Airlines. EVA has achieved and
maintained it rating by
meeting the website's strict
safety criteria. More about the
website's safety assessments
for 2015 is available at
www.AirlineRatings.com.
AirlineRatings.com
evaluated all of the 449
airlines it regularly monitors
and rated them based on
analyses of seven criteria that
include data from
governments and leading
industry associations. To rank
among the top-10, EVA earned
the maximum of seven stars
for safety and underwent
close scrutiny.
“Our top-ten safest
airlines are always at the
forefront of safety innovation
and launching new planes,”
s a i d A i rl i n e Ra t i n g s . c o m
Editor Geoffrey Thomas. “EVA
Air has been selected in our
top ten safest airlines because
of its continuous focus on
safety and excellent
operational record.”
EVA maintains its safety
r e c o r d b y n e v e r
compromising maintenance,
repair or upkeep. It takes
precautions to ensure that
every flight is safe from gateto-gate. Achievements such as
this top-10 ranking are a
credit to both EVA and
Taiwan's aviation industry.
"It is an honor for EVA to
stand out in the full-service
airline crowd and rank as one
of the world's top-10 safest
Delayed and canceled flights of an airline company irk passengers at NAIA. CONTRIBUTED
PHOTO/SAM AUDREY PAJARILLO
Cebu Pacific fined P52-M for flight delays,
cancellations during Christmas rush
airlines,” said EVA Chairman
K. W. Chang. “This distinction
is the result of in-depth
analysis by industry experts,
making it especially
meaningful and welcome.
Safety and quality service are
and will always continue to be
EVA's priorities.”
Airlines on the top-10
safety list earned: two stars
for having the International
Air Transport Association's
(IATA's) Operational Safety
Audit (IOSA) certification; one
star for not being listed on the
European Union Blacklist; one
star for maintaining a fatalityfree record for the past 10
years; one star for being
endorsed by the US FAA; and
two stars for originating in a
country that meets all eight
International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO)
parameters.
In addition, these airlines
did not lose: one star because
of fleet grounding by a
country's governing aviation
safety authority for safety
concerns or one star for
operating only Russian-built
aircraft.
AirlineRatings.com
recently ranked EVA seventh
among the world's top-10
airlines for product quality as
well, designating it a carrier of
choice for business and
leisure travel in 2015, and
honored it with an Excellence
Award as the Best Long-Haul
Airline Asia/ Pacific among
carriers based in the region.
The website's editors and staff
are recognized around the
globe for their deep airlineindustry knowledge and
expertise.
Aero International has
also ranked EVA as one of the
world's top-10 safest airlines
seven times since 2004. With
performance, it has also
demonstrated zero-defects in
the IATA Operational Safety
Audits (IOSA) that have taken
place every two years since
2005. Additional information
about EVA's quality services,
commitment to safety and
consistent recognition by
organizations worldwide for
its spotless safety record can
be found at www.evaair.com.
About EVA Air
EVA Air, a Star Alliance
member, was formed in 1989
as Taiwan's first privately
owned international airline. It
is part of the respected
Evergreen Group and a sister
company to global containershipping leader Evergreen
Line. It flies to more than 60
international destinations
throughout Asia, Oceania,
Europe and North America
with a fleet of close to 70
Boeing and Airbus aircraft.
With just one easy stop in
Taipei, travelers can connect
onward to most major cities
throughout Asia, including
more than 30 destinations in
China.
By Miguel R. Camus
MANILA -- The government ordered
budget airline Cebu Pacific to pay a fine of
P52.1 million for a multi-day incident at
Manila's Ninoy Aquino International
Airport Terminal 3 that caused delays
and flight cancellations for thousands of
passengers during the peak Christmas
period.
Victor Luciano, a director with the
Civil Aeronautics Board, confirmed the
fine on Monday, saying they found Cebu
Pacific in violation of its certificate of
public convenience and necessity.
The carrier, the biggest budget
airline in the Philippines, could appeal
the penalty, he said.
Luciano said the carrier, which
handled more than half of all domestic
flights, was fined based on the 10,400
passengers that were affected from
December 23 to 26.
The fine of P5,000 “for each
violation,” as prescribed under the Civil
Aeronautics Act of the Philippines of
1952, was the basis of the penalty.
A Cebu Pacific spokesperson was not
immediately able to comment on
Monday although the carrier earlier said
that the delays and cancellations were
also caused by congestion and bad
weather.
Naia, which has four passenger
terminals, has already been facing
congestion issues as it handles over 32
million passengers per year versus its
capacity of just 30 million.
But the government decided that
Cebu Pacific's management was to
blame.
“After considering all available data
and arguments, the Board concluded
that the main culprit was [Cebu Pacific's]
operational lapses and mishandling of
Preparing for
APEC ... From page 20
“It all begins with our leaders. We
have to get solution-oriented people.
People who have respect for the system,
rules and regulations,” he adds.
He turns to Marikina City as a
success story for tourism.
“The people troop to Marikina to
only see order and cleanliness. They
have imbibed a 'culture of tourism' in the
city. And this is badly needed to be
replicated in other local governments,”
he said.
Joseph adds that a lot of people can
point out problems but no one gives
solutions.
“Filipinos are fond of shortcuts, we
should get rid of the shortcut mindset
a n d ra t h e r fo c u s o n l o n g - te r m
solutions,” he said.
It is almost a must that government
support the private sector in this
endeavor. The state should collaborate
with and, if needed, subsidize the private
passengers,” CAB executive director
Carmelo Arcilla said in a text message.
“The Board also required [Cebu
Pacific] to establish and maintain
appropriate service standards for all its
personnel, organic and out-sourced,
especially those manning the check-in
counters,” he added.
Other government agencies involved
in the decision were the Civil Aviation
Authority of the Philippines and the
Manila International Airport Authority.
Cebu Pacific, a subsidiary of
Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings Inc.,
is the only profitable domestic carrier
operating today and is largely credited
with bringing down the overall cost of air
travel in the Philippines.
Its latest financial statement showed
that it booked P2.08 billion in profit, up
more than three times, in the nine
months through September 2014 as
more people flew and as it booked lower
foreign exchange losses.
Transportation Secretary Joseph
Abaya also said last week that they would
ask lawmakers to revise outdated
penalties for carrier violations after the
Cebu Pacific Christmas snafu.
“Back then, P5,000 [for each
violation] was a good deterrent.
Nowadays, P5,000 is something they'll
laugh at,” Abaya said. “There is a need to
amend the law.”
“I think we should get back to the old
Civil Aeronautics Act, which was
approved in the 1950s,” Abaya added.
He likewise reiterated his stance that
regulators should look into the
overbooking policy of airlines, which is
currently allowed.
“Maybe we should step in with
regard to overbooking,” the senior
government official said. Inquirer.net
sector. Their projects must aim for
sustainability and should be handled
with a lot of accountability, he quipped.
Tourism is business, and business is
tourism, according to Joseph.
“It has been proven that because of
tourism, direct investments pour in,” he
said. He adds that in order to attract
foreign investments, we have to show
confidence and variety in the way we
project our culture to others.
Technology must be fully-harnessed
to showcase the best of the Philippines.
With the influx of smartphones, an app
for the Philippines discussing the
country's history and rich heritage
would help foreigners understand us
better, he explains.
“Do not sell the destination, sell the
people,” he said. The Filipino spirit is the
easiest to market because it is
unbeatable especially when it comes to
welcoming tourists.
“Every tourist should be treated as
an honored guest. And when he leaves, he
will leave as a friend. When he comes
back, he will come back as family,” he
adds. Inquirer.net
January 16-22, 2015
Page 23
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Hollywood's biggest stars
rally behind press freedom
By Nimfa U. Rueda
Margie Floirendo and Isabelle Garachon
Margie Moran Floirendo's
once-in-a-lifetime performance
As 2014 came to an end,
balletomanes had a beautiful
surprise when beauty queenturned-culture advocate Margie
Moran Floirendo and Isabelle
Garachon, the wife of the French
Ambassador to the Philippines Gilles
G a ra c h o n , a l te r n a te d a s t h e
stepmother in Ballet Philippines'
“Cinderella.”
The former Miss Universe
recalled, “I had a wonderful
experience acting and dancing on
stage again after 42 years, since I
used to perform professionally with
Julie Borromeo and Karilagan.
“A l t e r n a t i n g w i t h M a d a m
Isabelle Garachon as the stepmother
in Ballet Philippines' staging of Alice
Reyes' 'Cinderella' was fun, but
difficult when you add on my age as a
factor. I had so many dance steps to
remember.
“But I loved the performances.
The sets and costumes of Badong
Bernal were majestic. Isabelle was
great and so much fun, as she was
once a professional dancer, too, and
we felt sad when it ended after 12
performances. This experience was
once in a lifetime for me, and I felt
great doing it for Ballet Philippines.”
Inquirer.net
Gab Valenciano directs Jessica
Sanchez's new music video
By Nestor Corrales
MANILA -- After collaborating
with Beyonce, Filipino dancerchoreographer Gabriel “Gab”
Valenciano has directed the latest
music video of international
singing star Jessica Sanchez titled
“This Love.”
The music video by the
American Idol first runner-up
winner was released on January 8.
In Valenciano's Twitter post on
January 3, he hinted about the
project posting a photo of Sanchez
in a recording studio.
I n N o ve m b e r l a s t ye a r,
B eyo n c e c o l l a b o ra te d w i t h
Valenciano in making her video “711”, which was inspired by
Valenciano's “Super Selfie” videos.
His “Super Selfie” video was
part of Youtube's 2014 rewind
video.
Gab is the son of popular
d a n c e r - a c to r - T V h o s t G a r y
Valenciano. Inquirer.net
To advertise, please call
201-434-1114
BEVERLY HILLS -- The
deadly terrorist attacks in Paris
and press freedom stood out in
the minds of Hollywood's A-list
at the 72nd Golden Globe
Awards, held Sunday, Jan. 11, at
the Beverly Hilton in Beverly
Hills, California.
Hollywood Foreign Press
Association (HFPA) president
Theo Kingma received a
standing ovation when he
delivered a speech mentioning
the recent Paris attacks on the
satirical magazine Charlie
Hebdo and the Sony cyberattack.
HFPA produces the annual glitzy
event watched by tens of
millions worldwide.
“The freedom of artistic
expression… is a beacon across
the globe… We stand united
everywhere from North Korea to
Paris,” he said.
George Clooney, who was
awarded the Cecil B. DeMille
lifetime achievement award for
his contribution to the world of
entertainment, was one of
several stars who onstage said,
“Je suis Charlie (I am Charlie),”
the international rallying cry in
support of the French
publication.
On the red carpet, Helen
Mirren wore a pen brooch on her
dress to express her support for
In this image released by NBC, Theo
Kingma, President of the Hollywood
Foreign Press Association, speaks at
the 72nd Annual Golden Globe
Awards on Sunday, Jan. 11, 2015, at
the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly
Hills, Calif. AP
the victims of the Jan. 7 attacks.
Clooney's wife, human
rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin,
carried a white clutch showing
off a button that read, “Je suis
Charlie.”
Jared Leto paid tribute to the
victims before presenting the
Golden Globe for best
supporting actress in a movie.
“To our brothers, sisters,
friends and families in France,
our thoughts, our prayers, our
hearts are with you tonight,”
Leto said. “On vous aime. Je suis
Charlie.”
While accepting his award,
Clooney applauded the
demonstrations in Paris.
“Today was an extraordinary
day,” Clooney said. “There were
millions of people that marched
not just in Paris but around the
world. They were Christians and
Jews and Muslims; they were
leaders of countries all over the
world … They marched in
support of the idea that we will
not walk in fear. Je suis Charlie.”
More than three million
people have taken part in unity
marches across France after 17
people were killed and 11 others
were injured in attacks that
police said were carried out in
retaliation for Charlie Hebdo's
publication of cartoons
depicting the Prophet
Muhammad.
On Sunday, Jan. 12, more
u
Page 24
Bimby bitten by family dog
MANILA -- Bimby Aquino
Yap, youngest son of TV hostactress Kris Aquino, was hurt
when the family dog
accidentally bit him in the
abdomen.
In a social media post
Monday (Jan. 12) night, Aquino
said their dog, Prada, “was
being too playful and
a c c i d e n t a l l y b i t B i m b' s
tummy.”
Aquino said she found it
hard working because of the
experience of her son with
basketball star James Yap.
“It was hard to tape tonight
because Bimb called me crying
and sounding so wawa,” said
Aquino, who is also the
youngest sister of President
Aquino.
Her post accompanied a
picture of Bimby drinking milk
in bed with older brother Josh
asleep in the background.
“Bimb is drinking his
second glass of milk for
tonight. Napagod from crying,”
the celebrity mother
explained.
Aquino said “Prada is
complete with all his
immunization” but added “Our
pediatrician said to be safe
Bimb will need anti-rabies
Happy family with Prada. SCREENGRAB from krisaquino.net
s h o t .” I n h e r w e b s i t e ,
krisaquino.net, Aquino said
Prada was a gift from actor
Derek Ramsay, who gave them
the dog in August 2014.
She further related, “I
asked Bimb if he wanted us to
find a new home for Prada, but
he said NO, because Prada is
part of our family.” Inquirer.net
January 16-22, 2015
Page 24
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
GMA Network dominates Urban Luzon
and Mega Manila TV viewership in 2014
B roa dc a st g ia n t GMA
Network (GMA) ended 2014
on a strong note as it ruled over
competition in full year Urban
Luzon and Mega Manila
ratings, according to the
industry's widely-trusted
ratings service provider
Nielsen TV Audience
Measurement.
Based on full year 2014
ratings (with the dates of
December 21 to 31 based on
overnight data), GMA
reaffirmed its total day
household shares supremacy
in the viewer-rich areas of
Urban Luzon and Mega Manila,
while leading across all
dayparts including the highly
contested primetime slot in
both areas.
In Urban Luzon, which
accounts for 77 percent of the
total urban TV households
nationwide, GMA recorded an
average total day household
audience share of 36.4 percent,
surpassing ABS-CBN's 31.3
percent by 5.1 points, and
TV5's 10.1 percent by 26.3
points.
GMA also posted a
commanding 37.6 percent in
Mega Manila, higher than ABSCBN's 28.8 percent by 8.8
points, and TV5's 10.9 percent
by 26.7 points. Mega Manila
represents 60 percent of all
urban TV households in the
country.
Moreover, GMA scored
higher nationwide shares than
rival networks in the daytime
blocks based on data covering
the entire year. In the morning
block, GMA registered 31.7
percent against ABS-CBN's
29.9 percent and TV5's 12.9
percent; while in the afternoon
block, GMA posted 34.8
percent versus ABS-CBN's 32.5
p e rc e n t a n d T V 5 ' s 1 1 . 1
percent.
GMA's Pacquiao-Algieri:
Hungry for Glory and
Pacquiao-Bradley 2
Vindication grabbed the top 1
and 2 slots in the list of top
programs (including specials)
in Urban Luzon and Mega
Manila in 2014. Other top
rating GMA shows include
Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho
(KMJS), Magpakailanman, My
Destiny, Niño, Celebrity Bluff,
Strawberry Lane, Marian, 24
Oras and Pepito Manaloto.
For the month of
December, GMA significantly
reduced ABS-CBN's
nationwide margin to 0.5
percent driven by its lead in the
daytime blocks. GMA also
scored higher ratings across all
dayparts in Urban Luzon and
Mega Manila.
Including specials,
majority of the top 30
programs in overall NUTAM,
Urban Luzon and Mega Manila
in December came from GMA
with Magpakailanman taking
the number 1 spot in both
Urban Luzon and Mega Manila.
The weekly drama anthology
also emerged as the most
watched Kapuso show in
NUTAM.
GMA subscribes to the
Nielsen TV Audience
Measurement service, while
ABS-CBN is the lone local
major TV network that
subscribes to Kantar Media,
formerly known as TNS.
Hollywood’s
biggest ...
From page 23
than 40 world leaders joined
an estimated 1.6 million people
who marched on the streets of
the French capital.
“The Golden Globes is
usually all glitz and glamour,
but tonight it took on a socially
relevant issue that resonated
with so many in the audience,”
said former HFPA Board Chair
and Inquirer columnist Ruben
Nepales.
“As Theo (Kingma) said, we
stand united from North Korea
to Paris and that includes the
Philippines, where many
journalists have been killed.”
More than 170 journalists
have been killed in the
Philippines since 1986,
according to the National
Union of Journalists of the
Philippines.
Last week, Nerlita “Nerlie”
Ledesma became the first
journalist murdered in the
Philippines in 2015.
I n c o n t ra s t w i t h t h e
somber tone of Kingma's
speech, Tina Fey and Amy
Poehler, who hosted the Golden
Globes on Sunday for their
third and last time, made jokes
about the cyberattack on Sony,
which the US government has
said originated in North Korea.
Gina Rodriguez, who won
the Golden Globe for Best
Actress in a TV Comedy, talked
about her recent trip to the
Philippines to promote her
critically acclaimed show, Jane
the Virgin, which was renewed
for a second season.
“The Philippines was
awesome,” she said in an
interview backstage. (The
Filipinos') graciousness and
hospitality made me feel right
at home. I'd love to go back in a
heartbeat.”
At another red-carpet
event in 2014, Rodriguez wore
a gown created by LA-based
Filipino-American designer
Oliver Tolentino.
Tolentino and Francis
Libiran, one of the Philippines'
top designers, were among the
Filipinos spotted at the awards
event.
Libiran and his manager
and business partner Arsi
Baltazar, who wore goldcolored shoes on the red
carpet, are in LA to explore
expanding their operations to
include the US market.
Multi-awarded journalist
and HFPA member Janet
Nielsen data is gathered
through a greater number of
sampled homes nationwide in
comparison to Kantar Media.
This 2015, the Kapuso
Network is set to unveil a fresh
batch of offerings with the
recently launched primetime
soaps Once Upon A Kiss,
topbilled by the burgeoning
love team of Miguel Tanfelix
and Bianca Umali, and Second
Chances featuring a stellar cast
led by Jennylyn Mercado,
Camille Prats, Rafael Rosell and
Raymart Santiago, setting the
pace for this year.
Also in the offing this first
quarter are Healing Hearts
starring some of GMA's most
promising young stars Joyce
Ching, Kristoffer Martin and
Krystal Reyes, and Kailan Ba
Tama Ang Mali? headlined by
Geoff Eigenmann, Empress
Schuck, Dion Ignacio and Max
Collins on GMA Afternoon
Prime.
GMA programs can be seen
worldwide on its flagship
international channel, GMA
Pinoy TV. For updates on GMA
Network's artists, programs,
international channels and
events, visit the website
www.gmanetwork.com/intern
ational, Facebook
www.facebook.com/GMAPino
yTV, www.facebook.com/
g m a l i f e t v,
a n d w w w.
facebook.com/gmanewsinter
n a t i o n a l , Tw i t t e r p a g e s
@gmapinoytv, @gma_lifetv,
and @gmanewstvintl and
Instagram account
@gmapinoytv.
Nepales, who wore a Michael
Cinco gown, said she was
happy to be able to help
promote Filipino designers in
Hollywood, including Allan del
Rosario.
“I'm looking forward to
seeing celebrities wear
Filipino-designed gowns,” she
said.
Also invited to the
exclusive awards event were
top Fil-Am hair stylist Monet Lu
and Richard and Phoebe Lim,
owners of the Eskaya Resort in
Bohol province, where the
Hollywood film, “Amigo,” was
shot.
“We hope to attract more
tourists, especially Hollywood
stars, so they can see and
experience the beauty of the
Philippines,” said Richard Lim.
Te d B e n i t o , F i l - A m
community leader and staunch
supporter of Filipino talents,
said it has been inspiring to see
how Hollywood trailblazers
Ruben and Janet Nepales
promote fellow Filipinos and
t h e P h i l i p p i n e b ra n d i n
Hollywood.
The Nepales couple were
also instrumental in the release
of HFPA's $100,000 donation to
Unicef Philippines for typhoon
relief efforts in 2014.
Inquirer.net
MANILA -- After playing a
psychologist in the drama "The Trial,"
socialite actress Gretchen Barretto is
set to do another movie for Star
Cinema and director Chito Rono this
year.
"Of course, I'm very loyal," Barretto
told reporters in an interview,
although she refused to divulge details
about the plot.
"Ang dami naming pinag-uusapan
pero (hanggang) hindi pa talaga naggagrind, mahirap (magsalita). I'm very
patient. Nagawa ko ang 'Trial' and I
look forward to the projects I'm gonna
do. But I'm enjoying my time with
family and friends. Kakabalik ko lang,"
she said.
Barretto had just arrived from
London, where her daughter
Dominique is studying.
She is also hoping to appear in a TV
series.
"Hopefully may teleserye ako na
gagawain. Madami silang sinasabi na
'okay there's something' pero hindi pa
siguradong sigurado. So ayaw kong
pagusapan kung hindi pa sigurado,"
she said. (MNS)
John Prats, Isabel
Oli to wed in May
MANILA -- Showbiz couple John
Prats and Isabel Oli will exchange
wedding vows in May 2015 at the
actor's family farm in Balete, Batangas.
Isabel said that they chose May to
avoid the rainy season, which normally
starts in June. As for the place, the
actress said the farm fits their rustic
wedding theme.
"It's the perfect place for our theme
and we're going to be the first one to
use it. It's going to be in May but no date
yet. Pagbalik ni John from Los Angeles
namin pagpaplanuhan lahat because
his whole family is there for Christmas.
Hindi pa kami nakapagdecide and I'm
still waiting for him," Isabel said in an
interview.
She added they only attended
marriage counseling so far.
" Re l a x l a n g k a m i k a h i t n a
everyone's telling us na you should
prepare na kasi malapit na yun. Maybe
because the place is John's kaya medyo
relax lang talaga," she said.
Isabel also shared why they clicked
as a couple.
"Sabi ko nga kay John na kung alam
lang din naman pala namin na kami
John Prats and Isabel Oli
pala, nung 'It Might Be You' time pala
sana niligawan na niya ako. But siguro
kung dati pa, the relationship won't
work kasi we're not both matured yet,"
she said.
The actress said they want to have a
baby soon as they get married. She
prefers to have three or four kids.
"Actually konti nga lang yung three,
gusto ko sana four but I'm already 33.
Basta hangga't kaya," she said. (MNS)
January 16-22, 2015
Page 25
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Jamie Rivera to sing
own composition at 2
papal visit events
Allan Policarpio
MANILA -- Performing the theme
song for Pope Francis' visit on two
official events gives singersongwriter Jamie Rivera no assurance
that she will get anywhere near the
Pontiff.
But whether or not she does,
merely singing in his presence - at the
meeting with families on Friday at
Mall of Asia Arena and the gathering
for the youth at the University of Santo
Tomas on Jan. 18 - is good enough for
her.
In both programs, Rivera will sing
“We Are All God's Children,” which she
wrote, with music by friend and
frequent collaborator Noel Espenida.
In a visit to the Inquirer head
office in Makati City on Monday,
Rivera, in a simple white tee shirt on
which the title of the song was printed,
spoke enthusiastically about her
“most important work to date,” and
even sang parts of it a cappella.
The message, she said, echoes that
of the Pope's Philippine tour:
solidarity with the poor, mercy and
compassion for the weak.
In May last year, when she learned
of the visit, the singer, best-known of
late for inspirational songs, got in
touch with the Catholic Bishops'
Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
president, Archbishop Socrates
Villegas, and volunteered to compose
a song for the occasion.
“It was a long shot,” Rivera said.
“He was actually surprised but he
liked the idea and said it would have to
be approved by the Vatican. He gave
me a deadline, June 25, and suggested
that I also make a video with actions
that would go with the song.”
Rivera, who wrote the official
Angel Locsin. Inquirer file photo
SINGER AT TWO PAPAL EVENTS. Jamie
Rivera will sing the theme song for Pope
Francis' visit, “We Are All God's Children,”
at the meeting with families on Jan. 16 at
Mall of Asia Arena and the gathering for
the youth at the University of Santo Tomas
on Jan. 18. Alanah Torralba
Angel Locsin, Julia Montes win acting
awards in 13th Gawad Tanglaw
bagged the Best Actress Award “Good Morning Kuya” (UNTV)
while Allen Dizon was Best Actor. and “Aksyon sa Umaga” ( TV5 );
MANILA -- Actresses Angel Other winners are:
Best Game Show - “Who Wants
Locsin and Julia Montes won Television category:
To Be a Millionaire” (TV5)
Best Actress awards in the 13th
Best News Program Best Variety Show - “It's
hymn for St. Pedro Calungsod's
G a w a d Ta n g l a w ( G a w a d “Aksyon” (TV5); News Program Showtime” (ABS-CBN); Best
canonization in 2012, buckled down
Tagapuring mga Akademisyan Anchor (Male) - Lourd de Veyra, Showbiz Oriented Talk Show to work.
ng Aninong Gumagalaw) for “Aksyon sa Umaga” (TV5); Best “The Buzz” (ABS-CBN); Best
television, a report from News Program Anchor (Female) Magazine Show - “Green Living”
Hit in the gut
entertainment website PEP.ph - Luchi Cruz Valdez, “Aksyon” (ANC); Best Reality/Talent Show
She did extensive research for two
said Friday, Jan. 9.
(TV5); Bernadette Sembrano - - “Talentadong Pinoy” (TV5) and
weeks, perusing prayer books and the
Locsin was recognized for “Dateline Philippines” (ANC); “The Voice of the Philippines
Bible, watching YouTube videos. She
her portrayal in “The Legal Wife” Best Educational Program - Season 2” (ABS-CBN); Best
revisited her old devotional songs.
and Montes for “Ikaw Lamang.”
“iBilib” (GMA-7); Best Public Drama Anthology - “Maalaala Mo
Nothing came out of any of that.
Meanwhile, Piolo Pascual, Affairs Program - “Reaksyon” Kaya” (ABS-CBN); Best TV Series
One day, on a drive to Greenhills in
Martin Escudero, and Coco (TV5); Best Public Service - “Forevermore” (ABS-CBN) and
San Juan City, the first few lines of the
Martin tied for the Best Actor Program - “T3 Enforced” (TV5); “Ikaw Lamang” (ABS-CBN).
song came to her.
Award.
Best Documentary Program - “I- Radio category:
“Seeing children begging, digging
Pascual was recognized for W i t n e s s ” ( G M A - 7 ) ; B e s t
Best AM Station of the Year
in trash bins for food and sleeping on
his drama series “Hawak Investigative Program - “Scene of DZMM; Best FM Station - Yes FM
the sidewalksI had seen it all before
Kamay,” Escudero for “Positive” the Crime Operatives (SOCO)” 101.1.
but only then was I hit in the gut.”
and Martin for “Ikaw Lamang.”
(ABS-CBN); Best Comedy / Gag
The jury of Gawad Tanglaw is
The result was this whole stanza:
In the film category, Angelica Show - “Pepito Manaloto” (GMA- composed of members of the
“Do you see these children on the
Panganiban and Nora Aunor 7); Best Morning Program - academe. Inquirer.net
u
Page 26
Lav Diaz docu on Sight
and Sound’s best list
“Storm Children (Mga Anak ng
Unos), Book One,” Filipino filmmaker
Lav Diaz's film on Supertyphoon
“Yolanda,” is one of the 25 best
documentaries of 2014 on a year-end
list drafted by the prestigious
magazine Sight and Sound, published
by British Film Institute.
Critic Robert Greene described
the docu as a “haunting, elegiac report
by one of our greatest living
filmmakers from a village in the
Philippines that was devastated by …
the most powerful typhoon on
record.”
Greene pointed out that Diaz's
“profoundly melancholic view of
children scavenging in the wreckage
still has the faint sense of hope.”
Greene summed up the docu, thus:
“This is radical reportage and proof of
the enduring ability of captured
images to open up our perceptual
pathways.”
Among the other docus on the
Sight and Sound list are Laura Poitras'
Julia Montes. Inquirer file photo
By Nestor Corrales
Vina Morales ready to
give love another chance
“Storm Children (Mga Anak ng Unos), Book One”
“Citizen four,” Joshua Oppenheimer's
“The Look of Silence” and Josh and
Benny Safdie's “Heaven Knows What.”
Greene lauded these docus as “25
new triumphs in the art of
interpreting reality.” Bayani San Diego
Jr./ Inquirer.net
Vina Morales
MANILA -- One of the things that
Vina Morales said she should start
doing this year is to open her heart
again and give love another chance.
Morales said it has been six years
since she her last relationship and she
thinks it is high time that she begins
dating again.
“I should start dating. This is my
year. I should claim it. This year, medyo
tameme ako kapag merong nag-a-ask sa
akin for a date. I guess I should stop
worrying,” she said.
Morales said one of the reasons why
she has not gone out on a date in the past
years is because she is scared to be hurt
again.
“I'm kind of scared in a way. I should
stop being scared na masaktan ulit ako
kasi medyo naka-close masyado ang
aking puso. I should start believing in
people, in guys who have good
intentions. I should start giving them a
chance,” she said.
Morales was previously in a
relationship with businessman Cedric
Lee. They have a 5-year-old daughter.
(MNS)
January 16-22, 2015
Page 26
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Cristine Reyes reveals
gender of baby
MANILA -- Cristine Reyes
has revealed the gender of the
blessing stirring under her
baby bump - it's a girl!
The actress, who is more
than six weeks pregnant with
her first child, posted an
ultrasound image of her baby
on Instagram on Friday, Jan. 9.
The top of the image indicates
her real name (Cristine Klenk)
and age, 25, and the date she
had her ultrasound exam.
“ P r o f i l e v i e w o f my
daughter inside my tummy. I
just can't wait anymore my
little angel,” she said in the
l e n g t h y c a p t i o n
accompanying the image.
The caption declared that
she was on the 5th day of week
26 of her pregnancy, with “13
weeks and 2 days left”. This
was followed by her
reflections on a lesson she had
learned from the book “365
Daily Supplements for the
Heart” about the difference
about happiness and joy.
“Joy is deeper because it
isn't dependent on good or
bad things happening in our
lives,” she said, noting that joy
comes only from the Holy
Spirit.
A proud fan of Pacman
By Rowena Tan
LIAM NEESON (Ryan/AP Bradley Cooper)
Jamie Rivera ...
From page 25
Cristine Reyes and Ali Khatibi (MNS photo)
Cristine and her
boyfriend, mixed martial arts
fighter and model Ali Khatibi,
are active members of the
Christ's Commission
Fellowship in Pasig City. They
fell in love after she took
Brazilian jiu-jitsu lessons from
him.
The actress was first
rumored to be in the family
way in August but only came
clean about her condition in
mid-November.
Last month, her elder halfsister, actress Ara Mina,
delivered a baby girl, the
latter’s first child with her
partner, Bulacan, Bulacan
mayor Patrick Meneses.
(MNS)
streets/Have you walked the pavements
where they sleep / Do you feel their
hands when you give them alms?”
Soon after came the rest of the lyrics.
'Do not be blind'
Rivera remembered that the Pope
would be flying to Leyte to celebrate
Mass and have lunch with survivors of
Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international
name: Haiyan).
“I was sure his aim was to comfort
them. I wrote: 'Do you hear the wind of
the raging storm? Can you tell them
where it's coming from? Have you seen
their homes washed by the floods /
While a mother tightly holds her child?'”
The third stanza is an appeal to
government officials, she said: “Please
do not be blind and just leave them
behind to struggle in darkness, or give
them empty promises.”
Rivera, 48, explained: “One of the
worst things you can give people in need
is false hope. The elections are looming
once again; soon we will be hearing lots
of promises.”
She couldn't have finished the song
“without Divine Providence,” Rivera said.
“I'm grateful to have found the right
words.”
Good news
For fine-tuning, she sought the help
of her brother, Jun Cruz, executive
director of the charismatic community
Ligaya ng Panginoon. Then she handed
the lyrics over to Espenida.
The Hail Mary the Queen Children's
Choir provided backup vocals. Former
“Penthouse Live” dancer Landa Juan
choreographed the moves on the video.
“I hope students and children will
perform them as I sing,” said Rivera.
After going back and forth with
Villegas for a few more tweaks to the
song, she received the good news in July.
“I was told that the Vatican had given
its approval,” Rivera, a professed
Catholic, said. “I was so happy I couldn't
think straight. Father (Villegas) said he
was told that the simplicity of the
melody, lyrics and moves, was what got
the song approved; and that the Pope
would be happy about it for sure.”
Second time
Rivera has been writing
inspirational songs for years, but not all
of them have been released or recorded.
“We Are All God's Children” is the
carrier single of her latest CD, published
by Star Music, which was recently
certified gold (7,500 copies sold).
Asked what the profit from CD sales
was earmarked for, Rivera said it was still
being discussed. “But part of the profit
Actor Liam Neeson is among
Manny Pacquiao's many admirers
in Hollywood.
The “Schindler's List” star
admitted in an interview with ABSCBN Europe correspondent Rose
Eclarinal, how he has been a fan of
Manny's for years, noting, “He's a
great boxer.”
He recalled a conversation he
had with the boxer some time ago.
“Hey Manny, this is Liam, how
are you?” he said. “That was (a)
terrible (line).”
Liam, himself a former
champion pugilist, is proud to have
been involved as narrator in the
2014 documentary about Manny's
rise to fame. Manila Bulletin
from sales of these ('We Are All God's
Children') shirts will go to the CBCP.”
Technically, this is the second time
Rivera has been tasked to sing for a Pope.
As part of the World Meeting of Families
in 2003, Rivera, with Celeste Legaspi and
the Apo Hiking Society, sang “Only
Selfless Love” in different languages at
the Rizal Park.
Their performance was viewed by
the late Pope John Paul II in Rome,
through live streaming. “He was
supposed to come to Manila but was
already too weak to travel,” Rivera said.
Of course, she would love to meet the
Pope up close this time around, but she's
“not assuming” anything. On the off
chance that she is favored, however,
Rivera said, “I would thank him for
visiting and tell him we're all praying for
him, too. In the CD there's this other song
for him, 'Papa Franciso, Mabuhay Po
Kayo.'”
Rivera, who rose to popularity as a
pop singer in the 1980s, considers
playing Kim in the West End production
of “Miss Saigon” in the early 1990s as the
highlight of her career.
That could change this week.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity, and I'm giving each of these
performances my very best shot.” Her
small team has been doing the rounds of
churches, too, teaching people “We Are
All God's Children.”
“It's surprising that some church
communities are not aware of the song,”
Rivera said. “We'd love for as many
people as possible to participate in the
performances.”
She's got butterflies in her stomach,
that's for sure. “I'm worried about
forgetting the words,” she told the
Inquirer, laughing.
But what she's going to wear has
been decided weeks ago: A barong suit at
the Arena and a Filipiniana dress at UST,
both by designer Rene Salud, and both
simple enough to remind everyone who
the star of the moment is.
'Inspirational Diva'
Rivera admitted that she considered
retiring from show biz at around the year
2000, when projects started dwindling.
Then “The Jubilee Song” fell on her lap,
followed by other uplifting songs, such
as “Tanging Yaman,” “Only Selfless Love”
and “Heal Our Land.”
And she was off on her career as
“Inspirational Diva”a tag that she still
finds amusing.
To deny that “We Are All God's
Children” has put her right back in the
p u b l i c c o n s c i o u s n e s s wo u l d b e
hypocrisy, Rivera said.
“One way or another, people are
remembering me again … After this, I'm
not sure. But I'm happy now, just getting
this one song across.” Inquirer.net
January 16-22, 2015
Page 27
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Boyce Avenue to play
Paolo Onesa bags two
Valentine's show in Manila trophies at Awit Awards
MANILA -- Boyce Avenue,
one of today's hottest singing
s e n s a t i o n s wh i c h ga i n e d
worldwide popularity for its
strong acoustic roots and
melodic rock sound, is
returning to perform at a
special Valentine's Day concert
on Feb. 14, 2015 at the Smart
Araneta Coliseum in Cubao,
Quezon City.
Billed as “Boyce Avenue
Live in Manila 2015!,” the treat
from Ovation Productions will
bring back the American band
more than a year after its last
local performance in response
to the popular demand of Pinoy
f a n s . T h e o ve r w h e l m i n g
support of Filipino Boycers
made the band the no. 1 most
streamed international artist
on Spotify in the country.
The one-night-only show
will mark Boyce Avenue's
fourth local appearance in six
years following its sold-out
concert at Resorts World
Manila last Dec. 30, 2013, also
produced by Ovation
Productions, and its headlining
tour with American Idol winner
Kris Allen and the dance troupe
Jabbawockeez on Feb. 5-6,
2010, one year after its local
debut on Feb. 16, 2009.
As its first-ever arena show
in the Philippines, the Big Dome
gig is expected to attract a huge
attendance from a cross-section
of music lovers who have
passionately followed, along
with millions in other parts of
the globe, Boyce Avenue and
their music online through their
YouTube channel.
Formed in October, 2004 in
Sarasota, Florida, Boyce Avenue
is composed of three Puerto
Rican-American brothers who
first came together as a band
when Alejandro Manzano (lead
vocals, guitar, piano), Fabian
Manzano (guitar, vocals)
reconnected with their elder
brother Daniel Manzano (bass,
percussion, vocals), who moved
back to Florida from
Massachusetts after graduating
from Harvard University Law
School.
The group, named after a
combination of two streets
where the brothers grew up,
took its most formative steps
toward becoming a band by
continuing to write original
music and performing local
shows.
In 2007, Boyce Avenue
showcased their emotive,
radio-friendly alt rock on
YouTube with a series of videos
of them performing acoustic
MANILA -- Crooner Paolo Onesa
bagged two awards the Best
Performance by a Male Recording
Artist and Best Performance by a New
Male Recording Artist both for the song
“Lucky In Love” at the recent Awit
Awards.
The song was included in Paolo's
debut album “Pop Goes Standards” and
was a bonus track of “The Voice of the
Philippines: The Final 4” album
released by MCA Music.
“This is such a blessing for me. I
never expected to win considering the
caliber of this year's nominees,” said
the proud Zamboangueño.
He is currently a mainstay of the
ABS-CBN show “Singing Bee” and
managed by MCA Music and Star
Magic. Onesa will release his new
single off his album “Pop Goes
Standards” this January.
Other MCA Music artists winners
were: “To Survive” by Franco - Best
Rock/ Alternative Recording,
“Taldawa” by Edward and “Abe
Pakakalale” by Andy Alviz- Best
versions of their songs as well
as covers of their favorite songs
by other artists, such as Justin
Timberlake's “Love Stoned,”
Rihanna's “Umbrella” and
Coldplay's “Viva La Vida” among
many others.
The result was fantastic.
In their desire to connect
with their online fan base,
Boyce Avenue shifted their
focus on touring, starting in
early 2009 when the group
performed for an estimated
25,000 over four headline
shows in the Philippines,
followed by a series of headline
tours in the United States,
Canada and Europe.
They returned to the
Philippines in 2010 to play
festivals with Kris Allen and The
Jabbawockeez during the
MusicFest 2010 concert at the
McKinley Hills concert grounds
in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
As of May 2012, the band
has headlined, since its initial
2009 headline tour, 6 tours in
Great Britain and Ireland, 6
tours in continental Europe, 4
tours in the United States, 3
tours in Canada, 1 tour in
Australia and has played several
shows in Southeast Asia,
including the Philippines
Over the past three years,
Boyce Avenue has played for
over 350,000 people in 20
countries and 5 continents,
including the United States,
Canada, Australia, Asia, Brazil,
Europe and the United
Kingdom.
On June 15, 2010, the trio
released “All We Have Left”
under Universal Republic which
contains reworked songs from
“All You Meant To Be” as well as
new songs, such as “Every
Breath,” “On My Way” and
“Broken Angel.”
On Aug. 9, 2011, the band
left Universal Republic and
began producing its CDs
through its own label, 3 Peace
Records.
Boyce Avenue's EP
(Extended Play), “No Limits,”
released on April 24, 2014,
contains more upbeat pop
tracks than their previous work,
including seven original tracks
produced by the band, with “I'll
Be The One” co-produced with
Milkman and “Scars” with Ryan
Ogren.
In 2014, Boyce Avenue was
nominated for the Teen Choice
Award for Choice Web Star:
Music.
Catch Boyce Avenue LIVE in
Manila at The Big Dome on
February 14, 2015 and make
Valentine's Day a memorable
experience! Inquirer.net
Crooner Paolo Onesa
Regional Recording and Urbandub's
“Never Will I Forget (Eric Perlas and
Macoy Manuel) - Best Engineered
Recording. (MNS)
Jed Madela in recovery
after losing voice
MANILA -- Award-winning singer
Jed Madela is now “getting better”
after losing his voice last month due to
“overuse.”
The 37-year-old said, “The entire
November kasi was really busy and
feeling ko Superman ako, so nageveryday (performance) ako and then
it (voice) just gave up. Nawala na lang
siya.”
He was advised by doctors to rest
his voice for another month before
starting work on his new album set for
release this year.
Recall that Madela had several
shows cancelled last month, including
an appearance in Lani Misalucha's “La
Nightingale” concert last Dec. 6, where
he was replaced by Martin Nievera.
Madela also wasn't able to sing at
the recent Aliw Awards where he
bagged the Entertainer of the Year
trophy for the first time.
“Sobrang frustrating that night.
Kasi in-awardan ako ng 'Entertainer of
the Year' but I couldn't sing, I couldn't
entertain,” he said. “Yes, it was
(humbling).”
The singer seems hopeful for a
better 2015 based on a recent
Instagram post: “I just realized that I
Jed Madela
spent most of my 2014 doing things for
others. I am proud of that. Some
showed appreciation, some just
walked away. It's fine. I do things to
help and to share. No strings attached.
But I guess this year should be my turn.
I have given so much to others that I
forgot about myself. Looking forward
to an amazing 2015!” (MNS)
CHERIE'S BACK!
By Pau Aguilera
Cherie Gil
The country's so-called “primera
contravida,” Cherie Gil, returns to the
stage via the PETA (Philippine
Educational Theater Association)
production “Arbol de Fuego,” which
tells the story of an aristocratic
family's downfall in 1970's Negros
Occidental. PETA will close its
successful 47th season with this
reimagining of Russian playwright
Anton Chekhov's last play “The Cherry
Orchard.”
Cherie, who plays the matriarch
Enriquetta Jardeleza-Sofronio in
“Arbol de Fuego,” is joined by Jake
Macapagal, Bembol Roco and Angeli
Bayani, among others.
Writer Rody Vera and designerdirector Loy Arcenas collaborates for
the second time on a Chekhov play
after working on “The Three Sisters.”
“Arbol de Fuego” opens on Feb. 20,
with shows from Fridays to Sundays, 3
p.m. and 8 p.m. at the PETA Theater
Center in Quezon City. Manila Bulletin
January 16-22, 2015
Page 28
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Pacquiao 'honored'
to judge at Miss
Universe pageant
By Aquiles Z. Zonio
GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- As a
fighter, he has had his share of being
judged fairly and unfairly.
Now, world eight-division boxing
champion and Sarangani
Representative Manny Pacquiao will
experience first-hand how it feels to be a
judge.
Not in boxing, however, but at the
2015 Miss Universe beauty pageant to
be held in Jan. 25 in Doral, Florida.
“I feel honored and I consider it a
once-in-a lifetime opportunity to judge
in a Miss Universe contest,” Pacquiao
told the Inquirer.
Pacquiao said he “never had any
second thoughts” receiving the
invitation to be among the panel of
judges during the beauty tilt.
Pacquiao said he will try his best to
be fair in giving judgment to the
contestants.
Eighty eight contestants from
across the globe will participate in this
year's pageant which will be split in
three categories: swimsuit, evening
gown and interview.
Gabriela Isler, Miss Universe 2013
will crown her successor at the
conclusion of the three-hour telecast.
The Miss Universe beauty pageant will
be seen via satellite broadcast in
approximately 190 countries and
territories.
Mary Jean Lastimosa, also a
Mindanaoan like Pacquiao, will
represent the Philippines in the 2014
Miss Universe contest. Pacquiao added
he will ask God's guidance before
making his choice.
“The contest has a very noble
purpose, you know. The pageant is just
another way of paying tribute to God's
unequalled aesthetic ability. Man is
God's masterpiece. So, I'm really
excited,” Pacquiao said.
Aside from Pacquiao, other judges
include TV host and shoe designer
Kristin Cavallari; TV and film actor
William Levy; star of hit show
“Vanderpump Rules” and “The Real
Housewives of Beverly Hills”
Lisa Vanderpump; as well as, Louise
Roe, Fashion journalist, author and host
of “Plain Jane” on MTV International
and the upcoming TLC fashion series,
“Style By Jury.”
Pacquiao and his wife, Sarangani
Vice Governor Jinkee, will fly to the
United States on January 15 to honor
some commitments and “Hopefully to
sign the contract for my next fight.”
A c c o rd i n g t o Pa c q u i a o , t h e
negotiations for the mega-buck fight
with American undefeated boxer Floyd
Mayweather Jr. are “almost done.” He
refused to elaborate, though.
On January 22, the Pacquiao
entourage will fly to London to meet
with Prince William in a private dinner
and tour around the Buckingham
Palace.
They will fly back to the US on the
24th to catch up with the 63rd Miss
Universe beauty Pageant. Inquirer.net
'Fists of Fury' set in Davao
By Nick Giongco
They're calling it Fists of Fury
(Pinoy Pride 29) and the stellar cast is
promising just that when they take on
crack foreign foes on Feb. 7 at the USEP
Gym in Davao City.
Jason “El Nino” Pagara meets Cesar
“El Dolar” Chavez of Mexico for Pagara's
WBO International juniorwelterweight crown, while Genesis
“Azukal” Servania faces Juan Luis “Perla
Negra” Hernandez, also of Mexico, for
Servania's WBO Intercontinental
junior-feather plum.
In the two other marquee
matchups, “King” Arthur Villanueva
clashes with Julio Cesar “Pingo”
Miranda, another Mexican, in a tenround super-fly encounter, while rising
Mark “Magnifico” Magsayo tangles with
Sukksase, Kietyongyuth of Thailand in a
ten-round feather duel.
“We are up against tough foreign
opponents so expect us to throw
furious punches and combinations,”
said Pagara yesterday.
While all of them have been briefed
about what to expect come fight night,
not everyone agree that a major factor
in hurdling their assignments would be
to spend so much time dissecting their
rivals on video.
“I have seen my foe a few times on
Youtube,” said Pagara (34-2-0 with 21
KOs).
Servania, on the other hand, isn't as
keen on seeing his adversary more than
one time.
“After getting an idea how he fights,
I don't think I have to watch him again.
We'll just meet in the ring. That's
enough for me,” said Servania (25-0-0
with 11 KOs).
Villanueva (26-0 with 14 KOs) is on
the same page with Servania.
“What's important is for you to see
how he moves because you don't expect
him to be the same guy who you saw on
video,” said Villanueva. Manila Bulletin
TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL
201-434-1114
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Inquirer file photo
'We're waiting on Floyd’
Arum says Pacquiao has 'agreed to
terms' to fight Mayweather - report
By Mark C. Giongco
MANILA -- Eight-division
champion Manny Pacquiao has
“agreed to terms” to fight
unblemished Floyd
Mayweather Jr. on May 2, Top
Rank honcho Bob Arum said in
a report.
And only Mayweather's gosignal is keeping the top two
pound-for-pound fighters to
finally meet in the ring.
“Bob Arum told Yahoo
Sports on Tuesday, Jan. 13, that
Manny Pacquiao has agreed to
terms for a May 2 bout with
Floyd Mayweather, and that
the only thing in the way of the
long-awaited fight occurring is
Mayweather's approval,”
renowned boxing expert Kevin
Iole wrote.
Arum also said that
Mayweather's representatives
have also “agreed to the deal
but have not been able to get
Mayweather's agreement.”
Part of the said deal is the
60/40 purse split in favor of
Mayweather and that the
megafight will be staged at the
MGM Grand Garden Arena in
Las Vegas as reported by the
Los Angeles Times.
u
Page 29
January 16-22, 2015
Page 29
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Arum says ...
So doing well against world's top chess players
From page 28
“The people we have talked on
Mayweather's side have agreed to
everything. Now we need Mayweather to
step up and say 'Yeah, I'm on board. I agree,'”
Arum told Yahoo Sports.
“I'm not going to put a deadline on
there. I'm just going to hope that everybody
does the right thing and we get this
concluded. It would be really sad if we went
through this stuff again like we did before,”
Arum added in the same report.
A possible fight between Mayweather
and Pacquiao first surfaced in 2009. But
talks crumbled after Pacquiao refused to
agree with Mayweather's demands for a
last-minute drug-testing.
Rumors of a Mayweather-Pacquiao
showdown also popped up in 2011 but
again never materialized.
The drug-testing issue appeared to have
been resolved now with Arum telling Yahoo
Sports that Pacquiao “has no problem to
being tested and readily agreed to testing as
part of his deal” to make the fight happen.
“The point is that I don't want what
happened the other times to happen again,”
Arum assured. “I want this fight to actually
happen. I want everybody to make a lot of
money on the fight. I want the public to be
satisfied. And I think it will be a terrific
event. That's what I want, and I've done
everything in my power to make that
happen.”
“I think Manny has been very
reasonable and demonstrated that he
wants the fight to happen. Now, we're
waiting on Floyd. That's not to say that
Floyd has been obstinate, that Floyd won't
do it, but we're waiting on him,” Arum
cleared. Inquirer.net
By Bert Eljera
LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Wesley So was so
tested, and he passed. With flying colors.
Against the top chess players in the
world, the Bacoor-born So scored 2 points
in the toughest stretch of the Tata Steel
super-tournament in Wjk ann Zee, the
Netherlands.
With Magnus Carlsen of Norway, the
world champion, So earned a draw.
He then beat Levon Aronian, the
tournament's defending champion, and No.
5 in the world.
Against Fabiano Caruana of Italy, No. 2,
in the world, he scored a draw. With the two
points, the 21-year-old Filipino, now
playing under the U.S. flag, maintained a tie
for fourth to fifth places, but more
importantly, he showed he belonged among
the best in the world.
” I'm so happy. These are good results,”
said So in an interview with Chessdom.
com.
The three-round stretch, from the
second to the fourth, was a tough one for So,
who has decided to drop out of college and
turn full-time chess professional.
In the second round against Carlsen, the
No. 1 in the world, he had a fighting chance
to win, which the Norwegian
acknowledged.
“I was outplayed in the middle game,”
Carlsen said. “He's a good player.” He said he
was happy to earn the draw after 34 moves
of an English opening by repetition of
moves.
” It was a comfortable game,” So said of
his first-ever match against Carlsen. ” I'm
happy he was not very ambitious in the
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 02 Sudoku
Solution to Issue 02 Crossword
Wesley So pondering his next move
opening.” So said he appreciated the
opportunity to play against the best in the
world. “To become the best, you have to play
against the best. But you have to be careful,”
he said.
Against Aronian, So played a wild game
by grandmasters standard, engaging in
back-and-forth slugfest like boxers with
little care for protection of their kings.
Aronian blundered a piece away, and So
sustained the advantage to force the
rmenian grandmaster to resign after 54
moves of a Scotch Opening.
Last year, Aronian badly beat So on the
way to capturing the title, and this year's
third-round result was sweet revenge for
the Filipino.
“Aronian was human after all,” said So.
It was the second major upset of the
third round. Carlsen bowed to Radoslaw
Wojtaszek, in another revenge of sorts.
Wojtaszek acted as a second to Vishy Anand
in his world championship match against
Carlsen.
Playing black against Caruana, So
played cautiously and simply waited for his
opponents to make the bold moves.
But after only 31 moves, the two agreed
to a draw, preserving their unbeaten
records.
After a rest day Wednesday, So will play
against Yifan Hou of China, the women's
world champion.
“Wesley is realizing his strength now.
It's all mental,” said Susan Polgar, So's
former coach at Webster University, in a
Facebook posting. Inquirer.net
EXPRESS CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1. Rates
6. Beige
10. Possess
14. Eskimo
15. Fastens
16. Notion
17. Expression of
sympathy
19. Male offspring
20. Bother
21. A late time of life
22. Not false
23. Swelling under the
skin
25. Notes
26. Tiny sphere
30. Emperor
32. Oval
35. Nickname
39. Hyrax
40. Choose
41. Pocket billiards
43. Demesnes
44. Fail to fulfill a
promise
46. Gave temporarily
47. Alumni
50. Loves
53. Go on horseback
54. Family
55. Orb
60. Smell
61. Mediator
63. Monster
64. Not under
65. Blunders
66. A fitting reward
(archaic)
67. Used to be
68. A belligerent
mongrel dog
1. Wealthy
2. Dwarf buffalo
3. Religious sisters
4. Children
5. Filched
6. French for
"Summer"
7. Movie house
8. Repossess
9. Utilized
10. Belonging to the
past
11. Beautify
12. Locale
13. Relieves
18. Directed
DOWN
24. Barely manage
25. Basic belief
26. What we sleep on
27. Distinctive flair
28. As well
29. Disarrayed
31. Mats of grass
33. Northern
freshwater fishes
34. Observed
36. Go fly a ____!
37. Biblical garden
38. A musical pause
42. Remedy
43. Startled cry
45. Bright orangebrown color
47. Spouse-to-be
48. Chain of hills
49. Love intensely
51. Eastern Standard
Time
52. Attractiveness
54. Be cognizant of
56. Fit
57. Decorative case
58. Steals
59. At one time
(archaic)
62. Mineral rock
January 16-22, 2015
Page 30
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
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500 e-jeepneys ...
From page 21
which is deploying the units as shuttle
within its campus. Their charging systems
were set up by the Manila Electric Company.
Altogether, Marasigan said “these
developments have driven us to be very
optimistic that this 2015, EV sales will finally
fly.”
Electric mobility - with the deployment of
e-jeepneys or buses and even tricycles - had
been the proposed 'green fix' by some sectors,
including some associations of vehicle
operators and owners.
On embracing such alternatives though,
the country's movers have yet to see clearer
regulatory and policy frameworks to
guarantee the sustainability of the EV option.
Despite fledgling movement on policy
sphere though, Raquelsantos averred that the
'bid for green transport alternatives' still
stimulate shift to e-vehicles.
“We are therefore now seeing a rise in the
application of e-jeepneys for mass transport
application,” he stressed.
What has been considered so far as
p o s i t ive d eve l o p m e n t h a d b e e n t h e
“implementation of the Land Transportation
Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) of
the 15-year old limit for PUJs to be allowed on
the road.”
January 16-22, 2015
Page 31
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS
Pope Francis' arrival in Manila in photos
MANILA -- Pope Francis arrived in Manila Thursday afternoon (January 15) from Sri Lanka for a five-day pastoral and state visit, which includes a trip to typhoonravaged Eastern Visayas. Take a look at the loud and colorful welcome the Filipino people gave the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis together with President Aquino upon arrival at the
Presidential Hangar in Villamor Airbase in Pasay City. PDI/Edwin
Bacasmas
Pope Francis greeted by Filipino Catholic Church leaders upon his
arrival in Manila for a five-day visit. PDI PHOTO
Pope Francis disembarking from the SriLankan Airlines upon
arrival at Villamor Airbase. PDI PHOTO
Children dance as the Pope arrives at the Presidential Hangar in
Villamor Airbase in Pasay City. PDI/Edwin Bacasmas
Pope Francis, right, accompanied by Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, left,
archbishop of Manila, waves to Filipinos as he arrives in Manila
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015. Ecstatic crowds greeted Pope Francis as he
arrived Thursday in the Philippines, Asia's most populous Catholic
nation, for the first papal visit in 20 years. AP
Pope Francis waves to crowd on his way to Apostolic Nunciature
along Quirino Avenue. Joan Bondoc
Filipinos wait for the arrival of Pope Francis along Roxas
Boulevard near the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay
City. INQUIRER PHOTO
A woman buying Pope Francis pins along Quirino Avenue in Manila.
INQUIRER PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
Children dance as the Pope arrives at the Presidential Hangar in
Villamor Airbase in Pasay City. PDI/Edwin Bacasma
Policemen secure Roxas Boulevard in
Pasay City hours before the arrival of
Pope Francis in PH. PDI
Performance artists holds A SOLIDARITY mud walk for Yolanda
victims along Quirino avenue a few steps to apostolic nunciature .
INQUIRER PHOTO
January 16-22, 2015
Page 32
THE FILIPINO EXPRESS