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NBI files charges against ‘laglag-bala’ perpetrators

by PAtriciA lourdEs Philstar.com

VirAy

mANILA—the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on thursday, Dec. 10 filed criminal charges against two personnel from the office for transportation security (ots) and four members of the Philippine National Police Aviation security Group for their involvement in the “laglagbala” or bullet planting scheme at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. the Department of Justice What used to be a routine procedure at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport is now viewed with suspicion.

Inquirer.net photo PAGE A2

DATELINE

USA

from the AJPress NEWS TEAM AcroSS AMEricA

Garcetti leads coalition for Supreme Court review on Obama’s immigration plan Los ANGeLes—mayor eric Garcetti announced on friday, Dec. 4 that, as part of the Cities United for Immigration Action coalition he has led with New York mayor Bill de Blasio, 84 cities and counties filed an amicus brief asking the supreme Court to lift an injunction blocking President Barack obama’s executive actions on immigration.

Drafted by the Los Angeles City Attorney and the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, the amicus brief makes a strong case for support of lifting the injunction on public safety, economic, and humanitarian grounds.

“National, state, and local leaders across the country are asking the supreme Court to review the decision in texas v. United states because we PAGE A3

Gov. Brown calls for comprehensive gun reform CALIforNIA Governor Jerry Brown is calling for action on the part of the federal government, pushing for stronger gun laws and vigilance against potential terrorist threats. speaking from the convention center in Paris on monday, Dec. 7, where he is attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference, Brown told CNN, “People are concerned. And I myself want to make sure that the federal government is vetting these individuals, and not just refugees, but we have to be able to take measures to protect the people of this country.” the governor’s comments came in the wake of last week’s shooting rampage in san Bernardino, California, where 14 people were killed by a pair of radicalized attackers at the Inland regional Center. the massacre is being called the deadliest in the Us since 2012, when 20 children and six adults were gunned down at an elementary school in Connecticut.

PAGE A2

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS DAY. Militant groups burn an effigy after marching toward Mendiola Bridge in Manila to mark International Human Rights Day on Thursday, Dec. 10. Several rights groups demanded that the administration answer for the dire human rights situation in the country.

Philstar.com photo by Miguel De Guzman

Obama: ‘Threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it’ House passes bill to restrict visa-free travel

by

Allyson EscobAr

killed nearly 3,000 Americans on 9/11. In the process, we’ve hardPresIDeNt Barack obama ened our defenses.” the president first acknowlsomberly addressed the nation from the oval office on sunday, edged the hard work and proDec. 6, outlining his administra- fessionalism of the military and tion’s strategy for fighting the war armed forces, law enforcement, on terror, namely, terrorist groups and airport security. “our military and counterterrorism professionlike the Islamic state. “tonight, I want to talk with you als have relentlessly pursued about this tragedy, the broader terrorist networks overseas—disthreat of terrorism, and how rupting safe havens in several difwe can keep our country safe,” ferent countries, killing osama bin Pres. Barack Obama addresses the nation on Sunday, Dec. 6 the threat of terrorism obama said in a primetime ad- Laden, and decimating al Qaeda’s and the steps the governments is taking to keep its citizens safe.

White House dress. “our nation has been at leadership.” obama’s address to the country war with terrorists since al Qaeda photo by Pete Souza AJPress

came just days after the shooting rampage on Wednesday, Dec. 2 in san Bernardino, California, which left 14 people at the Inland regional Center dead, and 21 injured. the terrorists—a muslim husband and wife, who were killed in a shootout with police hours after the attack—were “radicalized, embracing a perverted interpretation of Islam that calls for war against America and the West.”

“We cannot turn against one another by letting this fight be defined as a war between America PAGE A2

CHR to Duterte: ‘Don’t take law into your hands’ No hope in

by AriEs JosEPh

Inquirer.net

hEginA

the Commission on human rights (Chr) asked presidential aspirant and Davao City mayor rodrigo Duterte not to take the law into his hands after openly admitting that he has killed “criminals” in his city.

Chr chair and lawyer Jose Luis martin “Chito” Gascon said that suspected criminals should be accorded due process and not to be subjected to a quick death.

“As we know, public officers, when they take their oath of office, promise to uphold the Constitution and the law of the land. so, no one can take the law into their own hands. even the highest official of the land must uphold the Vice-presidential aspirant Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano checks some firearms with his running mate, Davao City PAGE A3 Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, at an arms show in Mandaluyong City on Nov. 11, 2015.

Binay: Poverty a human rights issue

Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay

At the heart of the issue of human rights is the moral issue of poverty, according to Vice President Jejomar Binay.

“As one Nobel Peace Prize awardee once said, ‘Poverty is the absence of all human rights,’” Binay said in a statement on the observance of human rights Day. In the same statement, the Vice President added that his vision is for every filipino to have “an equal share in the nation’s progress.”

“No one should be left behind. together, let us continue to transform with our hands the ideals of human rights into reality where we all have the freedom to live our lives and thrive,” he said.

Binay was a human-rights lawyer during the martial law years, co-founding the movement of Attorneys for Brotherhood, Integrity and Nationalism (mabini) with fellow human-rights lawyers Joker Arroyo and rene saguisag. “safeguarding human dignity and the rights of individuals is an issue which I championed in my early years as a lawyer and activist,” he said. the Vice President noted that while significant strides have been made in upholding and promoting human rights, the Philippines is still “a long way off from a society that truly respects and protects the human rights of every man, woman and child.” “many of our people continue to rePAGE A2

SFC Footer ad 3 x 1/16

sight for BBL by llAnEscA

t. PAnti, JoEl M. sy Egco ManilaTimes.net

the house of representatives will not approve the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) this year, speaker feliciano Belmonte Jr. said on thursday, Dec. 10.

Belmonte was referring to the proposed enabling law that would concretize a peace agreement between the government and the moro Islamic Liberation front (mILf). the draft law calls for the creation of a Bangsamoro Autonomous region (BAr) replacing the Autonomous region in muslim mindanao. the BAr would enjoy fiscal autonomy and would be governed by a parliament. the speaker noted that the best-case scenario would be the termination of the period of interpellation on the Bangsamoro measure within next week wherein the house will be holding sessions from monday to Wednesday before adjourning for the Christmas break. “hindi rin… hindi puwede sa tingin ko [I don’t think we can approve it on second reading]. there are still people lined up to interpellate, and we can’t prevent them from interpellating,” Belmonte told reporters.

“We see the termination of the period of interpellation next week. there’s a very good chance that we will be able to do that because a couple of interpellators already withdrew since their PAGE A2

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december 11-17, 2015 • Oc/Ie ASIAN JOUrNAL

NBI files charges vs...

PAGE A1 confirmed that there were instances that the extortion scheme were perpetrated by OTS personnel.

DOJ Spokesperson Emmanuel Caparas said in a press conference that the NBI went through documents, data and interviewed all stakeholders in the laglag-

bala cases.

Caparas clarified that the NBI cannot confirm yet if there is a syndicate behind the bullet planting scheme.

The DOJ official said that the group working behind the scheme is not big enough to be considered a syndicate.

From the Front Page

The scheme involves the planting of bullets in unsuspecting passengers. Airport officials ask victims for money to avoid detention.

President Benigno Aquino III, however, insisted that the bullet planting issue has been “sensationalized.”

Binay: Poverty a human rights...

PAGE A1 main at risk of harassment, acts of violence, cruel treatment, and even death. Our task therefore is to put a stop to the long culture of impunity that perpetuates abuses,” he said.

The Philippines, according to the Vice President, takes pride in being one of the signatories to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) drafted by the United Nations.

“Respect for human rights as state policy has [also] been enshrined in our 1987 Constitution when it declares, ‘The State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full respect for human rights,’” he said.

According to the latest quarterly survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS), 59 percent of Filipino families considered themselves “mahirap” or poor in the last quarter of 2015, an increase of nine percentage points.

The SWS attributed the rise in poverty rate to the higher percentage of families who claimed they are poor in the rest of Luzon (from 38 percent to 54 percent), Metro Manila (from 32 percent to 38 percent), and Visayas (from 66 percent to 71 percent).

But poverty incidence in Mindanao was lower (from 70 percent to 67 percent).

Meanwhile, economist and former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno earlier said the Philippines’ economic growth did not ease poverty in the country.

“Strong, sustained growth is a necessary condition for poverty reduction, but it is not a sufficient one. It matters where growth is coming from, and whether it is inclusive,” Diokno added. (ManilaTimes.net)

Obama: ‘Threat from terrorism is real...

PAGE A1 and Islam. ISIL does not speak for Islam. They are…part of a cult of death, and they account for a tiny fraction of more than a billion Muslims around the world,” Obama said, emphasizing that the US is not involved in a war on religion. “We must enlist Muslim communities as some of our strongest allies, rather than push them away through suspicion and hate.”

In his speech, the president also laid out his administration’s strategy for combating terror: deploying Special Operations Forces, sending proper training and equipment to freedom fighters in Iraq and Syria, launching heavy airstrikes on oil tankers (which provide extremist groups with much of their revenue), high intelligence-sharing with European allies, and Secretary of State John Kerry’s “Vienna process” plan to halt the civil war in Syria, so that all parties can focus on a common enemy, according to the New York Times.

“The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy ISIL and any other organization that tries to harm us. Our success won’t depend on tough talk, or abandoning our values, or giving into fear. That’s what groups like ISIL are hoping for. Instead, we will prevail by being strong and smart, resilient and relentless, and by drawing upon every aspect of American power,” Obama said.

In an impassioned plea, he urged Congress’ action to ensure that any potential suspects who are on the nation’s no-fly list are not able to buy a gun.

“What could possibly be the argument for allowing a terrorist suspect to buy a semi-automatic weapon? This is a matter of national security,” he stated. “We need to make it harder for people to buy powerful assault weapons like the ones that were used in San Bernardino.”

A day after the president’s speech, the FBI also announced that the attackers were radicalized, and “had been for quite some time,” according to ABC News.

Officials had found a stockpile of assault weapons, ammunition, and pipe bombs in their Redlands home. The FBI has not determined whether the attack was directed by a terrorist organization overseas, but are investigating it as an act of terrorism.

“We do not see any evidence so far of a plot outside the continental US,” said David Bowdich, the assistant director of the Los Angeles bureau of the FBI. “We may find it someday, we may not, we don’t know. But right now we’re looking at these two individuals and beginning to focus on building it out from there. We will get to the bottom of this. We don’t know everything yet, but we will leave no stone unturned.”

Congress votes on restrictions for visa-free travel In his remarks, Obama also promised for stronger security screenings.

Separately, some lawmakers have discussed looking at the K1 fiancée visa program, through which the female shooter Tashfeen Malik, came through US borders from Saudi Arabia after her marriage to Syed Rizwan Farook, the other shooter in the San Bernardino attacks.

In a rare agreement, Congress and the White House are ready to combat terrorism with legislation that would slap on new, more secure travel restrictions on foreign visitors to the US who have recently been to Syria, Iraq, Iran or the Sudan.

On Tuesday night, Dec. 5, the House overwhelmingly passed legislation to overhaul the federal visa waiver program, barring those who have visited those countries in the last five years from traveling to the US without a visa.

The 407 to 19 vote had wide bipartisan support and White House backing, said The Associated Press.

The House measure, which was hammered out in private talks between the administration and leaders of Congress following the attacks in Paris last month, would ban visa-free entry of citizens from 38 countries, including most of Europe and several US allies in Asia, if they report on a travel application that they have visited any of the four targeted countries since 2011.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would also gather more detailed information from travelers about their past visits to countries like Syria and Iraq.

“This will help neutralize the threat from foreign terrorists entering our country,” said House Speaker Paul Ryan, also emphasizing that there was no “religious test” in the House’s final vote.

“Freedom of religion is a funda-

mental constitutional principle.

It’s a founding principle of this country.”

The program, endorsed by top House Democrats, allowed eligible citizens of the 38 approved countries--including Great Britain, Belgium and France--to travel into the States without first obtaining a visa. Instead, this new measure would require people from those countries to apply for entry to the US through the traditional visa process.

The measure would also require all 38 countries that participate in the visa-waiver program to share traveler information with the US. In the past, some countries had been slow to provide such vital information, some officials complained. Under the bill, those countries could face elimination from the program if they fail to comply.

Though the polls have shown a majority of Americans who also oppose the plan, the funding measure is tangled in other battles, said the LA Times. Republican contender Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a main rival of frontrunner Donald Trump, has called for blocking all refugees from Syria and other countries where terrorists operate from entering the US for the next three years.

Cruz vowed to try to attach is refugee ban to the broader House measure.

Officials such as CIA Director John Brennan to Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence committee and California Democrat Sen. Diane Feinstein, the committee’s ranking member, are more worried that the visa waiver program is a greater concern in that it makes it much harder to keep track of potential terrorists and prevent attacks in the US. One potentially huge roadblock to passage of the visa-waiver bill remains in the Senate, where Sen. Feinstein has pushed for even tougher restrictions added to the program.

Under Feinstein’s proposal, which was drafted with Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), first-time visitors who apply through the visa-waiver program must undergo biometric fingerprint and photograph screening at US embassies or consulates in their home countries, rather than after they arrive in the US. A major difference between the PAGE A3

PAGE A1 questions have been asked, while some who have been interpellating for days have agreed to give others a chance,” he said.

Belmonte, however, clarified that the Bangsamoro measure is not the lone bill likely to be shelved for lack of time and the looming start of the campaign period for national candidates in February.

He said the Freedom of Information bill is also a likely casualty even if he has committed that the FOI measure would be passed during the Aquino administration.

The FOI bill mandates government agencies and public officials to disclose all information pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions, as well as government research data used as a basis for policy development.

“I hate to be a liar. On FOI, we already know the real situation that there are people who need convincing. Anyway, everything’s chances are slim, with a few days to go for our session and a few days to go before the campaign period,” Belmonte said.

But for Akbayan party-list Rep. Angelina Ludovice Katoh, the passage of the Bangsamoro measure is needed to ensure protection for the human rights of Moros and lumad (indigenous people) in Mind-

anao and ending decades of war in Mindanao.

“The war in Mindanao has prevented our Moro and lumad brothers and sisters from exercising and fully enjoying their economic, socio-cultural and political rights. Future generations will point to this critical moment when we would have stood to ignore or advance the rights of our Moro and lumad brothers and sister.

We cannot let them down,” Katoh, a native of Mindanao herself, said in a statement.

“Many of our fellow Filipinos in Luzon and Visayas say the violence or insurgency is localized in Mindanao whenever they have to assuage fears of their friends from abroad or people unfamiliar with the rebellion in Mindanao. If we call it a Mindanao problem, we have to accept that only a Mindanao solution, the Bangsamoro law, is sufficient to address it,” she added.

PNoy loses grip on Congress President Benigno Aquino 3rd could no longer muster support from his allies in Congress and this may spell doom for his pet legislation, including the BBL, according to a political analyst.

Ramon Casiple of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms said lawmakers are only “playing” with Aquino, especially on the is-

sue of the BBL which, according to him, is already in a precarious situation.

“The BBL is in danger. Lawmakers don’t like the BBL… They don’t want to touch it,” Casiple added.

He noted the failure of the House leadership to achieve quorum to pass important legislation despite Aquino’s plea.

Recently, the President had lunch with members of Congress to talk about the prospects of having the measure passed.

Casiple said Aquino’s only “hold” on lawmakers is the budget, which he controls as President.

“They don’t like to antagonize PNoy [Aquino]. As President, he controls the budget. The budget will [be] pass [ed],” he added.

The P3-trillion national budget for 2016 was approved on Wednesday.

Earlier, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. expressed the belief that lawmakers’ response to the President’s call was “positive.”

“Let us wait for further developments,” he said.

The BBL was originally intended to be passed several months ago but the onset of the election season and “prejudices” against the measure derailed it.

No hope in sight for...

Gov. Brown calls for comprehensive...

PAGE A1 “My reaction is that the Legislature has been responsive on this whole matter of regulating and controlling the use of guns,” Brown said. “Now, when you do an initiative it tends to get more rigid.”

He criticized lenient gun laws in neighboring states Nevada and Arizona, saying, “California has some of the toughest gun control laws of any state,” reported the Sacramento Bee. “It’s time for other states and for the federal government to catch up with California.”

“We have among the strictest gun control regulations in the country, and it doesn’t do us that much good if other states and the federal government is basically passive in this effort to keep guns out of the wrong hands.”

The governor also accused several politicians of “demonizing” and “exploiting” the terrorism issue, calling out Re-

publican presidential candidate Donald Trump for going “to a rather extreme level,” for his inflammatory comments about tracking Muslim Americans and restricting incoming Muslim immigrants entering the country.

“That doesn’t mean we don’t have to be pretty intensive in our effort to ferret out these people who are developing these attitudes that then turn into mass slaughter. I don’t have the full answer, but I wouldn’t be too complacent that we’ve got it right yet,” Brown said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“It’s a very different circumstance because we’ve never seen anything like it. It’s unprecedented and we’re going to have to take some…unprecedented steps to deal with it.”

The governor expressed his desire for more collaboration at both the state and national government levels.

He also said that the US government should ban gun pur-

chases by people on the nofly list, siding with President Obama’s push for stronger national gun laws.

Brown promised to look at tightening gun control policies, such as Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed measure in October to ban the possession of large-capacity magazines, which Newsom said would set “the gold standard for meaningful reforms to stop gun violence,” according to Fox News.

“When it comes to this kind of terrorist threat, I understand that the federal government has to keep control of what it’s doing, but I think the state, with our greater manpower, could be a real help,” Brown said.

“Congress should get off their partisan seat and do something to protect the American people,” he added. “It’s about what can America do to combat something that’s not just bullets, but its ideas.” (Allyson Escobar / AJPress)

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Dateline USa

Labor Dep’t sues Filipino care home owners for wage theft SAN FRANCISCO—Having exhausted all attempts to reach a settlement, the US Department of Labor on Friday, Dec. 4, sued a Filipino-owned Silicon Valley residential care provider charging the owners with gross violations of federal wage and hour regulations.

The department’s Solicitor’s Office filed the lawsuit in US District Court in Northern California against the owners of San Miguel Homes for the Elderly, LLC, who operate three residential care facilities for the elderly in Union City.

Listed as defendants in the lawsuit are Precilla San Miguel and her two sons, Teofilo Cris Sanque and Ryan San Miguel.

Precilla San Miguel resides in Union City, California, and is president and 60-percent owner and a manager of San Miguel Homes for the Elderly, LLC.

Before approximately June 2014, she owned the facilities and Quality In Home Care as a sole proprietorship and operated them with her two sons, co-defendants Teofilo Cris Sanque and Ryan San Miguel.

The Department of Labor is seeking to recover the back wages and damages owed to 22 employees for the substantial hours worked at substandard pay. All the employees are Filipino.

The department accuses the defendants of having either paid the workers for only eight hours of work per day, or paid them a flat daily rate that did not account for all hours worked. As a result, the workers’ hourly rate has been less than the federal minimum wage.

Specifically, the workers employed in the facilities routinely work and have worked more than 40 hours per week, but de-

fendants have not compensated them at time and one-half the regular rate at which they were employed for all hours worked in excess of 40.

In many work weeks, defendants failed to keep any records at all of the hours worked by the workers employed in the facilities. In other work weeks, defendants failed to keep accurate and complete records of the hours worked by those employees.

The department’s Wage and Hour Division continues to see problems in the residential care field, particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Earlier this year, the department announced that it had returned more than $6.8 million in overtime and minimum wage back wages and damages to Bay Area residential care workers from 2011 through 2014. (Inquirer.net)

PAGE A1 Constitution,” Gascon said in an interview which aired over ABSCBN News Channel (ANC).

The human rights chair issued the statement after Duterte said on Wednesday that he has killed “many” criminals during his stint as Davao City mayor.

In an interview on radio dzMM, Duterte said that he has killed three criminals and maintained that it was not a human rights violation, as the crime was committed in his presence.

Meanwhile, Gascon said that allegations of crime committed by the tough-talking mayor should be investigated.

“We think that claims of a crime having been committed, even if it is against lawless elements or criminals, must be held to account [and] must be investigated. Because we are, after all, a society of rule of law and not of men,” he said.

The human rights chair said that the CHR is willing to cooperate with the justice department “to get to the bottom of this.”

In closing, Gascon said that “abuse of authority” by any person, including the president, is inexcusable in a society which upholds rule of law.

“History shows that the Filipino people has stood up to their

Obama: ‘Threat from terrorism is real...

PAGE A2 House and Senate versions of the bill concerns which countries are affected. While the House bill also blocks visa-free travel for those who admit to visiting Iran and Sudan, with several exceptions for citizens involved with government or the military, Feinstein’s bill in the Senate restricts those who have gone to Syria and Iraq, and gives the DHS the ability to add countries to the restricted list, with no exceptions for any travelers.

“Sen. Feinstein is encouraged by the consensus on strengthening the security of the visawaiver program and will work with her colleagues to get something signed into law,” said a Feinstein aide.

Critics of the Senate proposal say that overseas facilities are not staffed up to handle the expected onslaught of thousands of visitors who would need extra prescreening. Some also argue that the new restrictions might create problems for innocent citizens, such as Iranian or Iraqi immigrants who have settled in Europe and visited their home countries in recent years.

The American Civil Liberties Union, arguing that the measure passed Tuesday was too arbitrary and does not make exceptions for aid workers and dual citizens, said in a letter to lawmakers: “We urge Congress to exercise caution and to avoid passing legislation that would broadly scapegoat groups based on nationality, and would fan the flames of discriminatory exclusion, both here and abroad.”

The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee also raised concerns, pointing to another feature of the bill that it found troubling: the exclusion from the visa waiver program of people who have traveled to Iraq or Syria since March 2011, when the conflict in Syria began. That provision could

target people who do humanitarian work in those countries, the group said, according to Politico.

“There are other avenues to strengthen security other than placing blanket exclusion on all countries designated under this bill and groups of people based on their national origin,” the group stated.

As the Obama administration works to address such concerns, the DHS will also look at pilot programs for collecting biometric information, such as travelers’ fingerprints, the White House said in a statement.

The visa-waiver changes are among the most substantial ever made to the 30-year-old program.

A task force in the House of Representatives is meeting to discuss details of the program, and hopes to craft legislation to pass “by the end of the year,” said House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy

A

Fil-Am dep’t head was at X’mas party an hour before San Bernardino massacre

SAN FRANCISCO—The Filipino American chief of San Bernardino County, California’s health department was at the Christmas party of her department’s Environmental Health Services division an hour before the December 2 massacre that killed 14 people, 12 of whom were county employees.

Trudy Raymundo, director of the county’s public health department, had been at the party held at the Inland Regional Center where the attackers– Syed Rizwan Farook, a division employee, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik — opened fire at the revelers.

“They were upbeat, they were happy, they were learning from each other, which is indicative of what this group has always been,” Raymundo told news media.

Raymundo said she arrived to a party filled with camaraderights. We need to assert that we rie and good spirits. “I want to are building a society of law and make it clear that this is a very that abuse of authority must be dealt with regardless of who is in power,” he said.

In another interview last Tuesday, Duterte dismissed a warn- PAGE A1 ing from international human rights group Amnesty Interna- have a special understanding of tional regarding his ascension to how generations of immigrants the presidency due to his human have contributed to the foundarights record. tion of our cities and the strength The feisty mayor said that he of our nation,” said Garcetti in killed not only 700 people but a statement. “Partisan politics 1,700 people. should not stand in the way of Duterte is said to be running doing what is right for families with an anti-criminality, anti- who simply want to stay together. corruption and pro-poor plat- These are true American values, form. and it is our obligation to do all we can to preserve and protect family bonds.”

In November, the Obama administration announced that it would seek the Supreme Court’s (R-Calif.) last week. review of the President’s execu“The House bill’s more limited tive actions on immigration, folapproach [would bring] thoughtlowing a federal appeals court’s ful solutions that will enhance ruling that the plans must remain America’s security,” said US Travel blocked.

Assn. President Roger Dow in a Obama, in November 2014, statement, also warning against announced a series of actions “knee-jerk restrictions that could that would shield up to 5 million harm tourism to the US.” undocumented immigrants from Around 20 million visitors a deportation. Texas v. United year—roughly 59 percent of all States -- a lawsuit brought on by overseas visitors—have traveled of 26 states -- seeks to ban two key on the current waiver program, provisions of the plan: Deferred which grants 90-day stays in Action for Parents of Americans the US, and is vital to America’s (DAPA) and an expanded version tourism economy, says the travel of the Deferred Action on Childassociation. hood Arrivals (DACA).

The visa-waiver program measure will now move to the Senate, and is likely to be attached to a must-pass spending bill to fund federal operations in Congress.

Despite unresolved bipartisan differences, the Senate is expected to have approved the bill by the end of the week to avoid a government shutdown.

CHR to Duterte: ‘Don’t take law into...

OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL • dECEmbER 11-17, 2015

tight, close-knit group. They have always supported each other. They are beyond co-workers. They are friends and they are family. They are tight and we are holding onto each other right now.”

Raymundo thanked law enforcement and medical personnel who responded to the emergency and asked the public to join in mourning “the loss of our colleagues, of our friends, of our families and our loved ones.” she said. “I ask that you come together and hold each other strong, because it is this strength that will help us heal.

And I want you to every day be grateful for those of us that were spared.”

Ironically, a year ago, employees of the county’s Environmental Health Services division attended an “active-shooter training” in the very room at the Inland Regional Center where the bloody terrorist attack took place.

San Bernardino California health department chief Trudy Raymundo speaking to news media about the December 2 shootings that killed 14 people, 12 of whom were county health employees.

Staff members in Farook’s division will return to work next week, but other county departments reopened Monday, December 7. County officials pledged to ramp up security measures. (Inquirer.net)

Garcetti leads coalition for Supreme Court...

Under DAPA, parents of US citizens or lawful permanent residents could be spared from deportation if they meet certain criteria, including continuous residency in the US since Jan. 1, 2010 and a clean record free of any criminal offenses.

Meanwhile, the amended version of DACA was slated to include children brought to the United States before Jan. 1, 2010, notwithstanding their current age, and would have provided three years of relief.

The original version of DACA, which was introduced in 2012, remains intact and untouched by the lawsuit. The program is reserved for those who were born after 1981.

Texas and 25 other states filed a lawsuit back in February, stating that the creation of DAPA and expansion of DACA go against the President’s executive power and would have negative effects on each state’s economy. Texas asserted that the “lawful presence” of the immigrants would require the state to issue “statesubsidized driver’s licenses” and other aid programs.

Garcetti’s coalition contin-

ues on his administration’s commitment to immigration issues.

Similarly on Friday, over 210 congressional Democrats -- including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) -- announced that they filed an amicus brief supporting the Department of Justice’s appeal for the high court’s review of the federal appeals court’s decision.

“We are confident that the Supreme Court will support President Obama’s decision to use the authority granted by Congress to set enforcement priorities and focus our limited resources on threats to national security and public safety, not hard-working families,” Reid and Pelosi said in a statement. “President Obama took executive action after extensive legal analysis by the Department of Justice and only after Republicans refused to address our broken immigration system.”

If the Supreme Court decides to hear the immigration case, a decision could come by June, before the term ends. (AJPress)

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D ateline PhiliPPines Aquino on fight vs corruption: It takes two to tango Poe admits slim chance of favorable Comelec decision by aurea

CaliCa Philstar.com

MANILA—President Aquino sees the government and private sector’s fight against corruption gaining ground following the administration’s economic achievements because of reforms and promoting integrity among all sectors of society.

Speaking at the Integrity Summit 2015 in Makati, Aquino yesterday said the only way that the Philippines could truly end corruption is through a holistic approach involving both government and the private sector.

“Whenever I speak of corruption, I always emphasize the idea that it takes two to tango: yes, there are always those in a position of power abusing their positions, but there are also those willing to partake in their schemes—or even just stand idly by, while others steal from the nation’s coffers,” he said.

Performing during the event, Noel Cabangon sang Ako’y Isang Mabuting Pilipino as a surprise for Aquino, who along with businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and other participants were made to raise their right hand and sway to the music.

Aquino said his administration could attest to the effectiveness of their partnership by proving time and again that good governance was indeed good economics.

“This was the belief that spurred the creation of this summit; it is the belief that continues to drive it today,” he said.

“Over the past few years, this initiative—along with the forces for reform—has grown by leaps and bounds.

“One example is your Integrity Pledge, which gathers signatories from both the public and private sectors, all of whom commit to exercise zero-tolerance for corruption. I am told that you have reached more than 3,000 signatories as of this year, with an eye towards reaching 10,000 by 2017. This is indeed very good news to me.”

Aquino said that a summit participant himself, businessman Peter Perfecto, spoke about the transformation of the Philippine economy along the straight path during his last State of the Nation Address.

“You don’t even have to take my word for it,” he said.

“I remember him mentioning how our net foreign direct investments reached $6.2 billion last year, which was our all-time high. He talked about our country’s rise in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index where, at the time, we went from 85th in 2010 to 52nd in 2014, with that particular organization crediting our anti-corruption agenda.”

Aquino said an even better news was that once again, the Philippines has moved up those rankings to 47th place in the 2015 report, marking a 38-place jump since the administration

by Maila

ager Inquirer.net

Pres. Benigno Aquino III

took office.

“In the past five years, our economy’s growth rate has clocked in 6.2 percent—our fastest in nearly four decades, and one of the fastest in Asia,” he said.

“The necessary macroeconomic elements are definitely in place for us to continue along this trajectory.”

For instance, during their time in office, they managed to receive 22 positive credit ratings, moving the government well within investment grade status and granting greater financial flexibility, he added.

Aquino said the government invested heavily in social services and increased infrastructure spending from 1.83 percent of gross domestic product in 2010 to 4.10 percent this year.

“Of course, as I pointed out earlier, this is a GDP that has been experiencing stellar growth.

The goal for next year is to reach at least five percent of GDP,” he said.

Aquino said the performance of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) had become efficient even as in many countries, state enterprises were equal to gross inefficiencies.

“To be honest, at one point, we were no different,” he said.

“We had a system that allowed companies to award disproportionately large bonuses to GOCCs—even those who were perpetually operating at a loss.

“This is why one of our first moves was to fix this system.”

Aquino said he had tasked Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima to study everything that could be done to turn the situation around, and with the help of the legislature, particularly Senate President Franklin Drilon and then Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, now transportation secretary, passed a law that truly professionalized how the GOCCs were run.

“The improvement has been stark. Please look at the numbers: from January 2001 to June 2010, the national government received P84.18 billion in dividends,” he said. “From July 2010 to June 2015, this increased to P131.86 billion. This means that, counting the dividends for 2016, we have a very realistic chance

EU vows P275-M grant for Bangsamoro peace process by rosette

adel

Philstar.com

MANILA—The European Union (EU) on Wednesday, Dec. 9 afternoon vowed continued support to Mindanao and its peace process and is providing P275 million grant as contribution for its aid.

EU Ambassador Franz Jessen said the EU decided to boost its funding to support the peace and development in Mindanao.

The bloc also launched a new program in support of the peace process where the P275 million (5.5 million euros or $6 million) worth of grants is provided to allow for a smooth transition and create conditions for the establishment of the autonomous region of the Bangsamoro, through the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Jessen said the program is intended to contribute to peace building and conflict mitigation, support the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro and reinforce local institutions and political processes.

“I want to reaffirm the importance the EU attaches to giving life to the (peace process) and to the development of the longterm political, economic and social pillars that will bring the peace dividend to the country as a whole,” Jessen told reporters in a press conference in Makati City on Wednesday.

“Inspired with this firm to resolve peace, the EU’s eagerness and readiness to support the calls for a negotiated political settlement in Mindanao remains,” he added.

Jessen said the P275 million

aid is purely in a form of grants channeled through the Non-Violent Forces Non-Governmental Organization Foundation Suisse de Deminage, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, United Nations Development Program and Center for Humanitarian Dialogue.

Mindanao is expected to benefit from two local sectors identified in the EU development strategy for the Philippines from 2014 to 2020 which includes inclusive growth through access to job opportunities, sustainable energy and firm rule of law.

Jessen also lauded the Aquino administration and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s efforts to uphold peace process in Mindanao. He is scheduled to visit Cotabato on December 11 to 12 for the first time to meet with peace stakeholders and express EU’s continued support.

“The European Union is impressed by the fact the government’s and the MILF’s commitment to the peace process despite delay of the adoption of the Bangsamoro Basic Law has not changed,” Jessen said.

EU is one of the biggest foreign donors providing aid to Mindanao trough comprehensive approach supporting the political settlement and supporting longer term development.

Last week, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, expressed support to the peace process during their meeting with President Benigno Aquino III. The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law has yet to pass Congress.

of doubling—in six years—what our predecessor collected in more than nine years,” Aquino said. He also cited the massive investments of the administration in the people that benefited businesses as well.

“All this progress naturally flows back to your businesses,” he said. “Think about it: when our people are employed and are able to bring home greater incomes, that also means they’re empowered consumers, who subsequently have greater capacities to avail of the goods and services you offer.

“What we see here is a virtuous cycle, where good governance begets economic expansion as this fuels our pursuit of inclusivity.

PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Senator Grace Poe admitted on Thursday, Dec. 10 that her chance of getting a favorable decision from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) was slim.

“Alam kong hindi magiging madali ang lakbay na ito, handa naman ako. (I know that this journey won’t be easy, anyway, I am ready),” Poe said in a press conference in Iloilo when sought for comment on the impending resolution of the Comelec’s First Division on three disqualification cases against her.

“Sinabi ko para sa aking mga nakikita, mukhang magiging malabo ang decision din ng Comelec na papanig sa amin bagamat hintayin na lang natin kung ano man ito. Pero kung ano mang magiging decision nila, nais ko munang basahin kung talagang kinonsidera ang aming mga isinumiteng dokumento. (What I can say based on what I see, it seems unlikely that the Comelec would decide in our favor, although we will wait for it whatever the decision is. But if this would be their decision, I would like to review first whether they really considered the documents we have submitted),” she added.

The Comelec’s Second Division had already granted a separate case filed by lawyer Estrella Elamparo, which also seeks to stop her presidential bid. Poe’s

Sen. Grace Poe

lawyers appealed the decision at the Comelec en banc.

Poe reiterated that she has a strong legal basis to prove that she is qualified to run for president amid questions raised over her residency in the Philippines and her being a natural-born Filipino.

She, however, admitted that her legal battle would be easier if she could find her biological parents. Abandoned in Iloilo when she was a baby, Poe was adopted by the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. and veteran actress Susan Roces.

The senator said she hopes to find a “bridge” to her possible relatives in Guimaras.

“Sana magkaroon na rin ako ng tulay dun sa mga siansabing kamag-anak ko dito sa Guimaras sapagkat mahaba-haba na din ang panahon na hinihintay ng

Iloilo papuntang Guimaras, at mahaba-haba na rin ang panahon na hinihintay ko na magkaroon ako ng tulay sa mga kadugong kamag-anak. (I wish I could have a bridge to my supposed relatives here in Guimaras because Iloilo also waited a long time to reach Guimaras, and I have also waited long to have a bridge to my relatives),” she said.

Asked if she has plans to meet again with her relatives in Iloilo, the senator said: “Secondary lang kasi talaga yun, para sa amin naniniwala kami sa kinatatayunan naming legal na basehan na ngayon pa lamang (That is only secondary, we believe in what legal bases we stand by), we believe in our legal arguments.”

“It would be nice and it might expedite the case, if we can prove that I actually have blood relatives here in Iloilo,” she further said.

Poe nevertheless expressed readiness to accept whatever the court decides on her case.

“Pero muli, dito sa aking pinagdadaanan, hindi na po ito tungkol sa akin lamang. Sa lahat ng pinagdadaanan ko, ok lang dahil ang aking layunin ay kung ano ang maiiambag ko para mapabuti ang buhay ng ating mga kababayan. Halimbawa, trabaho para sa ating mga kababayan na mas mataas ang sweldo, pagkakaroon ng mapaPAGE A7

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OpiniOn

Features

Global commitment RECENT climatic and environmental events warn that the world is doomed for disastrous consequences. The Philippines—who is among the countries that bear the brunt of this phenomenon—seeks adaptive measures that would strengthen livelihoods, food security and ecosystems.

In his trip to Paris, France last week, Pres. Benigno Aquino III called for significant actions to address the challenge of climate change. He urged world leaders to arrive at a “fair consensus” that would help developing countries like the Philippines squarely confront the ruinous impact of climate change.

During the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21), Aquino called for global security among heads of state and government, leaders from the private sector and civil society representatives, in addressing climate change saying every country must commit to reduce green house gas emissions and build resilient communities.

“It is imperative that all countries do everything, and maximize what can be done to address climate change. Either we all strive and sacrifice, or we all lose to the cycle of destruction and reconstruction,” Aquino said.

Aquino added that the economic costs of climate change amount to $44.9 billion annually for the Vulnerable 20 (V20) countries alone, which includes the Philippines. Inaction to this problem

will cost all affected nations even more, Aquino warned, as this number is set to grow almost 10-fold by 2030, bringing the total estimated amount up to $400 billion.

Rising water levels brought by climate change threatens the existence of other island-nations such as Kiribati, Tuvalu, and the Maldives. Aquino said that the extinction of these islands would be certain, “unless we pursue realizable goals that acknowledge that, for some nations, the fight against climate change is a matter of survival.”

People must understand how the world’s current practices exhaust many of the planet’s limits—leading to risks of damaging the ecosystem that is beyond repair. About 75 percent of disasters are caused by or related to weather. The world has reached a critical stage in its efforts to exercise responsible environmental stewardship. Despite intentions and some admirable actions done by notable organizations, unsustainable use of the world’s natural resources has left the degradation of the global environment unabated.

Environmental degradation, urban develop-

Editorial

ManilaTimes.net photo

ment and population growth, combined with the impacts of natural calamities have increased the risks. Environmental problems caused by impacts of human activities on resources is a phenomenon commonly known as climate change.

As time goes by, the planet becomes more vulnerable. Its ability to ward off wastes and destructive effluent is growing thin. The planet has be-

come fragile, recent catastrophic events should be enough emphasis for nations to change their ways to make this planet a safer place.

While we cannot undo the damages done, we are still capable of learning from recent climate change incidents and decelerating the rate of change to produce a desirable future for the planet altogether. (AJPress)

Do you agree with Trump’s call to ban Muslims from entering the US? Donald Trump once again shook the nation with yet another plan to purportedly keep America safe following the San Bernardino massacre that killed 14 people and injured 21 others. The Republican presidential frontrunner wants a total shutdown of all Muslims entering America — whether they are immigrants or tourists.

While Trump’s fans cheered when he made the announcement on Monday, Dec. 7, many were outraged, even among members of the Republican Party.

Recent investigations revealed that the perpetrators of the San Bernardino shooting were radicalized, drawing inspiration from the ideology of extremist group ISIS. As he himself announced on television, “Donald Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until

our country’s representatives can figure out what the hell is going The Fil-Am on.”

This proposal excludes Mus- Perspective lims who are already living in the US and those who serve in the US military.

The Filipino Channel’s daily Gel SantoS-reloS newscast “Balitang America” reported on the reactions from individuals on either side of the political spectrum, who are against Trump’s proposal.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest challenged the Republican Party to denounce Donald Trump, and said this proposal disqualifies him from serving the country as president.

“What was proposed yesterday is not what this party stands for,” Republican House Speaker

Paul Ryan said, contending that Trump’s statement is in violation of the Constitution.

Presidential candidate and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called Trump “unhinged”.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another presidential candidate, criticized Trump, saying his comments clearly show the frontrunner does not have the experience to be president.

Meanwhile, Senator Lindsey Graham said it is time for all Republicans to unite against Trump.

On “Balitang America,” I interviewed Abu Qadir Al-Amin to get his reaction to Trump’s plan.

Located in the Excelsior District of San Francisco, which has the highest concentration of Filipinos in the city, the Center is where many Filipino Mus-

lims go to pray.

While the Imam categorically stated that America is not and should not be at war with ALL Muslims, he said they choose not to respond to Trump, and just live by the very essence of the Muslim faith: to live in peace.

This is also the message kababayans in the Philippines want to spread through an art exhibit that they staged, in order to shine a positive light on the stories and contributions of Filipino Muslims.

Do you agree with Donald Trump’s proposal? *** Gel Santos Relos is the anchor of TFC’s “Balitang America.” Views and opinions expressed by the author in this column are are solely those of the author and not of Asian Journal and ABS-CBN-TFC. For comments, go to www.TheFil-AmPerspective.com, https://www.facebook.com/Gel. Santos.Relos

May angal, Circa 2015 IN April 2010, towards the end of the Street term of President Gloria Macapagal-Ar- Talk royo, I wrote a biting piece entitled, “May Angal???” I wrote it out of sheer frustration over the abuses of the GreG B. MacaBenta Arroyo administration that we, as citizens, could only helplessly protest. Here’s how that piece read: “If you grew up in the streets and had to deal with a bully, you may recall having been told this to your face: May angal? Literally: Any complaints? If the bully was much bigger than you, and especially if he had other toughies backing him up, you simply swallowed your pride, meekly shook your head, and took whatever abuse was heaped on you.

“Your only recourse was to weep in self-pity and complain to the heavens about your fate. If you were the type with some measure of braggadocio, you told your friends that you didn’t have the heart to embarrass the bully or you didn’t want to dignify his lack of manners. But deep inside you, you felt really puny, impotent, and helpless.

And ashamed of yourself for not fighting back.

“In this country, which has deteriorated into one governed, not by laws but by people wielding raw power, we are being bullied and told to our faces: May angal???

“We make a lot of noises, organize marches, sign petitions, hold up placards, write letters to the media, threaten to go to court, and curse the bullies to high heavens. But after so much sound and fury, the bullies in government still get away with their abuses. In fact, in a literal sense, they get away with murder.”

That was the situation then. And that still seems to be the case now, even as the tenure of President Benigno S. Aquino III nears its end.

At least, at one point, Arroyo said, “I-am-sorry…”, no matter that she obviously did not mean it and that she

promptly took it back.

But Aquino’s self-righteousness appears to be cast in stone. He seems to be a staunch believer in that kiddie taunt, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me!” In the face of protests and accusations – even being told to his face that he lied - he has brazened it and, in effect, has shot back: May angal?

Thousands of victims of super typhoon Yolanda are still living in pitiful conditions in Leyte, two years after the tragedy, and yet P10.28 Billion in rehabilitation funds have not been released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and nearly P4.5 Billion in quick response funds allocated to various national government agencies have remained idle – a clear case of government incompetence and insensitivity.

Aquino himself did not even bother to show up in Tacloban for the second year’s commemoration of the disaster, choosing instead to attend the wedding of a taipan’s son. And who can forget how, amidst the death and destruction, Aquino and Mar Roxas, then Interior Secretary, made the most heartless remarks ever mouthed by national leaders? “Buhay ka pa naman, hindi ba?”(You’re still alive, aren’t you?) and “Bahala na kayo sa buhay niyo!” (Loosely: You’re on your own!)

May angal???

Some P10 Billion in public funds were spent, thousands of Metro Manilans were made to suffer monstrous inconveniences, businesses had to bear massive financial losses and, in effect, the entire country was swept under the rug, along with the filth of the metropolis, in order to present an impressive façade to the delegates of the APEC summit.

In the aftermath, with a straight face, Aquino claimed credit for a “successful” summit, making the inconveniences and financial losses “worthwhile.”

Meanwhile, Metro Manila promptly has

returned to “normal” with its shanties, vagrants and horrible traffic.

May angal???

Forty-four members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Special Action Force were slaughtered in Mamasapano, in an operation in which Aquino clearly had a direct hand.. Worse yet, when the remains of the troopers were flown to Manila, Aquino did not bother to honor them with his presence. He preferred, instead, to attend the inauguration of a Mitsubishi facility in nearby Laguna. Former President Fidel V. Ramos was also at that event but left early to meet the SAF remains, along with Vice-President Jejomar Binay.

Ignoring the facts, Aquino has stubbornly refused to acknowledge command responsibility for the tragedy, choosing to blame others, including suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima, for having “misled” him. And yet it was Aquino who had gotten Purisima involved in the operation, in spite of the latter’s suspension. In his last State of the Nation Address, Aquino made no mention of the Fallen 44 and, to this day, their families’ cries for justice have been in vain.

May angal???

Sen. Grace Poe-Llamanzares fudged her birth, residency and citizenship records en route to the Senate and, she hopes, the presidency. Three Associate Justices of the Supreme Court, sitting in the Senate Electoral Tribunal, wrote incisive positions against Poe’s claim to being a natural-born Filipino citizen, but five other members of the SET – Senators Pia Cayetano, Cynthia Villar, Tito Sotto, Bam Aquino and Loren Legarda – ignored the Justices’ arguments, as well as their Constitutional underpinnings, in the name of political expediency..

May angal???

The Department of Transportation & Communication (DOTC), once headed

by Liberal Party presidential standard bearer, Mar Roxas, and now by LP Acting President Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya, has been a glaring example of government incompetence and insensitivity. In spite of the daily torment that

THE bullet-planting or tanim-bala extortion scheme involves NAIA security officials and personnel demanding money from a passenger in exchange for dropping criminal charges for possession of a bullet.

Rudy Santos/Philstar.com/File

commuters have to suffer in taking the MRT and LRT, the congestion at the country’s airports, the frequent sea mishaps due to lax government oversight, and the infernal traffic made worse by the delayed implementation of infrastructure projects, Aquino has shown no intention of replacing Abaya. “It’s not fatal!” was how Abaya described the traffic situation, while Roxas called it “a sign of economic progress.”

May angal???

Hundreds of travellers have reportedly been victimized by extortionists manning the security process at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The incidents have been bannered in the international media, further eroding the already tarnished image of the country’s principal airport. Instead of vowing to immediately get to the bottom of the problem, the government responded like a bunch of kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

President Aquino dismissed the incidents as having been “blown out of proportion by media,” Secretary Abaya

cited figures to show that the affected passengers constituted an insignificant percentage of total travellers, and Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado disclaimed any accountability because, according to him, his function is simply to “coordinate” airport activities.

Meanwhile, the mysterious single bullet appearance in the bags of departing passengers continues and a new “profit center” has been devised at the NAIA: an “escort service” to guarantee hassle-free departures.

May angal???

The good news is that the Aquino administration will soon make its exit and the citizenry will have a chance to choose a new set of leaders with more competence and compassion than the ones in power. The bad news, however, is that our cherished hopes could be dashed by gold, goons and an automated version of Garci.

May angal??? (gregmacabenta@hotmail.com)’

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OC/IE ASIAN JOURNAL • dECEmbER 11-17, 2015

A

Laude camp cannot question Pemberton detention

by Edu

Punay Philstar.com

SOLAR-POWERED. The patio of the Our Lady of Angels Parish Church in the coastal town of Atimonan in Quezon province is aglow with multicolored Christmas lights powered by solar energy—a dramatic statement to underscore the Church-led campaign against coal-fired power plants. The sparkling lights, which also lighted three narra trees, are powered by a newly installed off-grid 3.5-kilowatt solar system, which requires a battery to store energy collected from the sun for use at night as an alternative source of electricity.

Duterte on Amnesty International report: I killed 1,700

by RosEttE

adEl

Philstar.com

MANILA—Presidential aspirant Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, Dec. 8 said he killed 1,700 people, in response to an international human rights group report.

“Ano bang problema nila?” he said. “Seven hundred daw pinatay ko? Nagkulang nga sila sa kwenta, mga 1,700,” Duterte said.

After personally filing his certificate of candidacy before the Commission on Elections, Duterte was asked by the members of the media for his reaction regarding the recent report that Amnesty International Philippines (AIP), was alarmed about his human rights record to which he replied by correcting the numbers mentioned by a reporter.

Duterte added that the issue on his human rights record started

with his political rival in Davao, former House Speaker Rep. Prospero Nograles.

“You know that started as a political gimmick of Congressman Nograles,” Duterte said.

Reports said Nograles set aside political differences and will support Duterte’s presidential bid for the sake of the country.

AIP earlier raised flags about Duterte’s human rights record since the mayor has long been tagged in the alleged “Davao Death Squad,” a vigilante group that carried out summary executions in the city.

“Naaalarma kami when he said that when he becomes president, he will impose the death penalty on a weekly basis,” AIP Chair Ritz Lee Santos III said.

The group attended the hearing on alleged torture cases of the Philippine National Police at the Senate on Tuesday. The hear-

ing was presided by Duterte’s partymate, Partido Demokratiko Pililipino-Lakas ng Bayan Senate Justice and Human Rights Committee Chair Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III. Pimentel said AIP did not mention their issue with Duterte but the senator still defended the mayor, saying he has changed and that he is all for supporting federalism and fighting criminality and corruption.

“Observe his language, observe his behavior,” Pimentel said.

Aside from AIP, New Yorkbased human rights group Human Rights Watch also call for probe regarding Duterte’s alleged involvement in the Davao Death Squad.

The AIP is also urging all presidential candidates to present their human rights platform if ever they get elected in the 2016.

example, jobs for our people and high wages, peaceful communities, and holding accountable the corrupt in the government.

Those are among what we want to pursue if given the chance),” she said.

“Kung hindi ok lang naman, mas magiging mapayapa ang buhay kong personal. Para sa akin ang mas malungkot lang ay ang pagkakataong makapani-

watch of Bureau of Corrections personnel pending completion of the judicial process, including an appeal of his conviction.

This prompted Judge Roline Jinez-Jabalde to issue another order Tuesday evening committing the American serviceman to the Camp Aguinaldo facility.

Justiniano, who resigned from his DOJ post last October, also confirmed discussions as early as last August on the possible place of detention for US personnel convicted in the country.

“There was an agreement that in case Pemberton would be convicted, he would be detained in AFP Custodial Center in Camp Aguinaldo… but I did not see if there was a signed agreement,” he added.

Justiniano said Jabalde was not aware about the agreement when she ordered the transfer of Pemberton to the NBP. “It was premature for the judge to know since there was still no judgment when the agreement on his detention was done. Why would you presume that he would be convicted?” he explained.

In its decision, the RTC found Pemberton guilty of homicide— not of murder as charged by the prosecution—and sentenced him to six to 12 years in prison.

Santiago on cancer-free Jimmy Carter: I can beat cancer too

by FRancEs

Mangosing Inquirer.net

FOLLOWING reports that former US president Jimmy Carter is now cancer-free, presidential aspirant and Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago expressed optimism that she can also beat cancer and it will be a non-issue in her presidential campaign.

“The positive development in the case of Mr. Carter’s cancer trumps the macabre wishes of my naysayers that I should die before I finish a six-year term as president. If Mr. Carter can do it, I, too, can beat cancer to serve the Filipino people,” she said in a statement on Tuesday, Dec. 8. lbihan sa mas malaking paraan Carter, now 91, announced pero sa aking pesonal na sarili that based on his most recent kong iniisip ko lamang, mas ma- magnetic resonance imaging dali kung wala ang hamon na brain scan, his original cancer ito. (If not [given the chance], it spots are gone nor there were is ok, my personal life would be any new ones. peaceful. For me, what’s worse Carter, who served as US presiis [not] having the chance to dent from 1977 to 1981, revealed serve in a grand manner but for his illness last August. me, it would be easier if I didn’t Meanwhile, Santiago was diaghave to face this challenge),” she nosed with stage four lung cancer said. last June 2014. When she filed

Poe admits slim chance of favorable Comelec decision PAGE A5 yapang komunidad, panagutin ang mga tiwali sa gobyerno. Yan naman po yung mga ilan sa pakay natin na gusto nating isulong kung mabigyan ng pagkakataon.

(But, again, in what I am going through, it is not only about me.

In all my struggles, it is okay because my end-goal is that which I am able to contribute to the welfare of our countrymen. For

MANILA—The family of slain transgender Jeffrey “Jennifer” Laude has no legal personality to question the arrangement for the detention of his killer, US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton, who was convicted of homicide last week.

Former justice undersecretary Jose Justiniano stressed that it should be the prosecutors of the Department of Justice who should take the issue to the Supreme Court.

Pemberton began serving time at a special detention facility at the Armed Forces headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

“If ever this matter is brought to the SC, it should be the DOJ through the Office of the Solicitor General and not the private lawyer,” he stressed in an interview yesterday.

Justiniano, who was part of the defense team of Lance Corporal Daniel Smith in the 2005 Subic rape case, explained that the interest of the Laude family should be limited to the civil aspect of the case.

“When you file the complaint, your interest is civil in nature since criminal case is the interest of the state. This is why the

private prosecutor is always under the jurisdiction of the public prosecutor,” he pointed out.

The former DOJ official expressed belief it would be difficult for the Laude camp and its private lawyers to justify in court their reported challenge to the detention of Pemberton.

The Laude family and their lawyers led by Harry Roque Jr. were reportedly planning to question Pemberton’s continued detention in Camp Aguinaldo before the Supreme Court.

The issue on Pemberton’s detention after his conviction last Dec. 1 arose after the Olongapo regional trial court Branch 74 ordered his transfer to the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City pending agreement between the US and Philippine governments on where to have him serve time as provided for under the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

The DOJ, however, said in a statement that Pemberton would remain in detention in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City despite his conviction for homicide.

VFA officials also informed the RTC that there was an agreement between the two governments to have Pemberton temporarily detained at the AFP custodial center in Camp Aguinaldo under the

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago

her certificate of candidacy for president last October, she said that her cancer was “stable.”

She is continuing to undergo treatment.

Critics have voiced their concerns on Santiago’s capability to become president because of her cancer. However, she said these concerns were meant to derail her bid for presidency.

She also rejected the challenge to release her medical records as there was no law that requires

public officials to make public their health records.

The feisty senator is on her third presidential bid after running in 1992 and 1998 elections but lost in both.

“My cancer should no longer be a concern in the presidential campaign. I challenge my opponents and their allies to debate instead on issues of national concern. The cancer that demands our urgent attention is corruption and poverty,” the senator said.

A

december 11-17, 2015 • Oc/Ie ASIAN JOUrNAL

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december 11-17, 2015

Thank you Manila! Tennis stars hope to be back

by Alder

Almo Philstar.com

MANILA—From Serena Williams screaming her lungs out after winning a point in her match against Samantha Stosur and Milos Raonic grinning widely following a stunning victory over Rafael Nadal, to the whole Philippine Mavericks team taking a selfie together, the atmosphere inside the Mall of Asia Arena was electric.

There was a sense of belonging. The players felt truly honored to play in front of a crowd that cheered their every

move.

“It’s amazing. As the home team, it was an honor to compete here,” said the 24-year-old Canadian Raonic after clinching the win for the Mavericks against one of the greatest players of all time.

The Mavericks completed a sweep of their home stand on Tuesday night after pulling off a thrilling 25-24 victory against the erstwhile unbeaten Indian Aces to move up to 4 wins and one loss, but still trail the Aces for the top spot with a match on hand.

The Aces still occupy the top spot

Former world No.1 Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd during the introduction of players Monday, Dec. 7 in the second day of the 2015 IPTL Manila leg at Mall of Asia Arena. The former world No.1 overcame a 3-nil deficit and survived Berdych in a shootout, 7-3 with the crowd rallying behind him.

Inquirer.net photo by Tristan Tamayo

despite suffering their first loss in the Coca-Cola International Premier Tennis League Season 2 with a higher winning percentage (54.4 percent) compared to the Mavericks (53.7 percent). But now, the Aces’ cloak of invincibility has been dismantled despite the presence of Nadal, a 14-time Grand Slam winner.

Unlike last season, the Mavericks now have a more balanced lineup, beefed up by the presence of Raonic and Williams. Local hero Treat Huey is benefiting from this tournament, learning from the biggest names in the sport and at the same time helping grow the sport in the country.

“It’s been wonderful playing with some of the best players in the world. When I played with Serena in Kobe, the first match I was a bit nervous. But then we won all our games there, we played really well, I loosened up a bit, and we got off to a great start here in Manila too,” Huey said.

“I’ve really enjoyed playing with her, and it’s great to have a partner like Serena on your side of the court. In the next few days, I’m looking forward to playing with and against some of the

other bigger players. It’s great for me, and a terrific learning for my game.”

Mavericks captain Mark Philippoussis has provided the veteran presence and leadership. “We have a great captain in Mark, picking his player rotation the way he did, starting out in exceptional fashion winning the opening set each time, which was very motivating,” Raonic said.

Philippoussis has been the best Legends player in the first two legs of the five-city tour, winning all of his five matches against fellow legends Carlos Moya, Marat Safin, Goran Ivanisevic, Thomas Enqvist and Fabrice Santoro.

Williams did not want to leave the team and end the Manila leg with a loss. The world no. 1 women’s player came back from a tough loss she suffered with Huey in the mixed doubles play to tie the match at 19 games apiece with a 6-3 win against Stosur.

“It was fun, our team really needed some games so I tried,” Williams said of her victory that saw her regain her top form after that mixed doubles loss.

“Last year, I was here and I

2

Photo from Treat Huey’s Instagram account shows the Fil-American with members of the Philippine Mavericks at the conclusion of the International Premier Tennis League’s Manila leg at the MOA Arena last Tuesday. The team includes Serena Williams, Mark Philippoussis, Milos Raonic, Richard Gasquet, Jarmila Gajdosova, Ajla Tomljanovic, Edouard Roger-Vasselin and co-owner Jean Henri Lhuillier.

really had fun. The crowd was amazing. Next year, I hope to be back again and play in front of this great crowd,” said Williams to the roaring approval of the home crowd that packed the MOA Arena.

For a first-timer, Raonic quickly endeared himself to the fans with his lightning quick and powerful serves and fancy shot making on top of his boy-nextdoor looks.

“It is exciting to play the

way we did all three nights in front of home fans, winning all our matches here,” said Raonic, who dished out the best play in the tournament so far with that behind-the-back trick shot on Day 1 against Tomas Berdych of the UAE Royals. “It’s a great format, very audience-friendly and TV-friendly; we have a great atmosphere in the team, and we’re looking forward to taking this winning streak into the next leg,” Raonic added.

Alden Richards: ‘Yaya Dub’ Fil-Am Amy Vachal eliminated from ‘The Voice’ is only girl in my life now

by ChuCk

Smith Philstar.com

MANILA—AlDub is my priority.

This is what Alden Richards said when asked on whether he feels like his personal life is taking a back seat due to his surging career during the press conference of the movie My Bebe Love: #KiligPaMore.

The GMA-7 actor recently faced a social media controversy after Rich Ilustre, the director of noontime show Sunday PinaSaya, allegedly answered in the affirmative when a fan asked on Twitter if Alden and Julie Ann San Jose are currently a couple.

However, according to a number of netizens, Illustre’s reply was edited.

Alden is one-half of AlDub, the popular Eat Bulaga love team with Maine Mendoza, who plays Yaya Dub in the Kalyeserye segment of the daily noontime show.

When asked about the issue, Alden said that he is currently single and that he is not in a relationship with Julie Ann. “Hindi ka naman nambababae ‘di ba?” a reporter asked.

“Hindi rin po,” Alden answered.

This prompted Maine to quip, “Si Yaya.”

“Si Yaya lang,” Alden said.

“Si Yaya lang ang babae mo,” a reported said. “Opo,” the actor replied.

The 23-year-old actor said, “Yung focus ko po is nandito sa AlDub. As of the moment, I’m not entertaining any feelings towards anyone.”

As for his relationship with Maine, Alden maintained that he and his Kalyeserye onscreen partner are very good friends, especially after they finally got to interact with each other following the Eat Bulaga special event “Sa Tamang Panahon” last October.

They also worked together for their movie My Bebe Love, where they are paired up opposite lead stars Vic Sotto and Ai Ai delas Alas.

“We got to know each other.

After ‘Tamang Panahon,’ mga isang buwan na rin ‘yung nakakalipas,” he said.

Alden added: “Talagang ang masasabi ko lang po is nage-enjoy akong kasama siya, nage-enjoy ako na katrabaho siya... And I’m very comfortable with her.”

The 23-year-old actor said his focus is on AlDub. “Yung focus ko po is nandito sa AlDub. As of the moment, I’m not entertaining any feelings towards anyone,” he said, adding that he’s open to the possibility of a romantic relationship with Maine. “It’s a matter of choice po e, and I choose to focus on what’s happening now.”

Alden faced members of the

AFTER discussing the popularity of the “AlDub” phenomenon in an online article, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) once again featured the hit on-screen love team of actor Alden Richards and Maine “Yaya Dub” Mendoza, this time through an interview.

The British news agency uploaded Richards and Mendoza’s interview with Filipino BBC host Rico Hizon on the set of noontime show Eat Bulaga.

Hizon said AlDub’s “meteoric rise” in the Philippines, which was evident both in television and in social media, was “difficult to ignore.”

“They have dominated headlines and social media trends—certainly in the Philippines—but few have tried

to evaluate this winning formula,” Hizon said. “It is, of course, about great entertainment, but perhaps the magic is also in the marketing, a smart social media strategy, and good business sense.”

Noting that the “previously unknown couple” have been pulling an average of 8.6 million viewers daily, Hizon said AlDub’s “phenomenal” success was not only a moneyspinner for the show’s producers but also for Richards and Mendoza themselves, as seen in their various commercial endorsements, both local and international.

“By international standards, the sum total of their endorsements is paltry. No one would confirm how much they’re earning from these deals but

FILIPINO-AMERICAN jazz performer Amy Vachal did not survive the bloodbath on hit singing competition The Voice.

With only four acts advancing to the show’s finale, Vachal was one of the five artists who got the boot on Tuesday, Dec. 8.

Incidentally, she was eliminated on her birthday.

The four finalists are Adam Levine’s act Jordan Smith, Blake Shelton’s wards Emily Ann Roberts and Barrett Baber and Gwen Stefani’s bet Jeffrey Austin.

The other hopefuls who were eliminated were Shelby Brown, Braiden Sunshine, Zach Seabaugh and Pharrell William’s mentee Madi Davis.

Vachal performed the Bob Amy Vachal “Yung focus ko po is nandito sa AlDub. As of Dylan classic To Make You Feel My the moment, I’m not entertaining any feelings Love. disappointment in Vachal’s exit, working on her craft and come up towards anyone,” Alden Richards said.

Netizens expressed dismay and but they also urged her to keep with an album. (Inquirer.net) entertainment media to promote My Bebe Love, an official entry in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival.

He considers it a dream come

by JoyCe Jimenez true, his biggest MMFF entry so far.

Philstar.com “Yung mga huling ginawang MANILA—“Siguro all I need is Xian,” Kim Chiu said kong Metro Manila Film Festival when asked if she has already realized if Xian Lim is her na entries, parang hindi gano’n ka“Mr. Right,” during the press conference of the 2015 essential yung role. Kumbaga, ito Metro Manila Film Festival entry All You Need is Pag-ibig. yung biggest MMFF entry ko kasi Kim’s answer is in reference to her movie All You second lead kami ni Maine... This is Need is Pag-ibig and her single Mr. Right. a big chance for me,” he said.

“Siyempre sa ‘Mr. Right’ ang dami na niyang views “I’ve always dreamt po of kasi siya [Xian] ang nando’n tapos wala pa siyang TF doing a big film sa MMFF and I’m honored na kasama ko itong [talent fee], so sobrang thank you,” she explained.

Although she’s veering away from answering magagaling na artista sa tabi questions about their relationship, Kim assures their ko.” fans that they’re okay and getting to know each other more.

“Almost everyday kami magkasama tapos nakadalawag balik kami sa Palawan for teleserye, tapos Xian Lim says his feelings for Kim Chiu never goes “stagnant.” The it’s estimated to be little more ito sa Coron one week kami,” she related. two are part of the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival entry “All You than $200,000 (£132,600). But Need is Pag-Ibig.”

Also part of All You Need is Pag-ibig are Kris Aquino, their rise has been meteoric and Jodi Sta. Maria, Ian Veneracion, Pokwang, Nova Villa and magpatawad, mahalin ang taong ‘yon.” unexpected to industry watchers,” “‘Yon na ang pinakamagandang regalo na maibibigay Bimby Aquino-Yap, under the direction of Antoinette he said. mo sa nakaaway mo. Kapag wala kang kaaway mas Jadaone.

But despite her popularity, masaya. Kapag wala kang kaaway mas masaya,” she Meanwhile, Kim was asked to give advice on how Mendoza told Hizon that she has added. one can make Christmas a happy season despite the not yet fully absorbed everything Recently, Kim said she’s slowly “rebuilding” her difficulties in their lives. that is happening to her. relationship wiith Maja after their fall out in 2013 The Kapamilya actress said that forgiveness is one “Everything that is happening due to Maja’s then brewing romance with Gerald of the essential things during the Christmas season. now has not sunk in to me yet…

Anderson.

“Wala namang taong malungkot, nasa atin lang The mere fact that people are She admitted that a lot of things can make her sad, naman ‘yan kung marunong tayong magpatawad at so engaged and drawn into the magmahal,” she explained. “Kasi sabi nila di ba Christmas but instead of focusing on that Kim choose to remain whole thing is unbelievable. The “happy and grateful” for everything happening in her is about forgiveness and love. Kung may nakaaway ka support and love of our fans life. for the whole year, ito na ang tamang panahon para is amazing, they’re incredible,” Mendoza said.

Asked about the possibility of having a real-life affair, Richards said: “That possibility is possible.”

AlDub creator Jenny Ferre denied to BBC that a potential off-screen relationship between SILVER SPRING, Maryland—A Fili- dad through the process of meet- and full-time wine salesman, Mitch the actors has been made up to pina is featured in the reality show ing and vetting the potential future has had a hard time meeting the perappeal to fans, but admitted that spouses and watch their kids meet fect girl in the L.A. dating scene. He Married By Mom and Dad. the 36-year-old show had been “Married By Mom and Dad,” is a their life partners for the first time. But wants the love and stability marriage facing problems in attracting modern take on voluntary arranged the real work begins as the couples get can bring. younger viewers.

John Coultrip (Denver, Colorado)– marriages, based on old school to know what they like, dislike, and “We were encountering John has had a good time casually tradition and real world success. everything in between. a little problem… before it The four singles searching for wed- dating, but he recently turned 31 and Four singles who have been unable happened, like how to penetrate to find love in the world of modern ded bliss are: is ready to find his perfect match. social media and how to go Christina Rollyson (Charleston, Marivic Febiar (Valley Cottage, New dating, have now agreed to put digital,” Ferre said, noting that the their future into the hands of their York)–Marivic is outgoing, opinion- South Carolina)–Christina recentAlDub phenomenon was a stroke parents. ated, fun-loving and very single. A 34- ly moved from her hometown of of luck. “TV is like Dracula, social When the modern ways of dat- year-old full-time nurse, she lives with Charleston, West Virginia, to Charlesmedia is the blood, you just have ing don’t work, the four singles go her parents outside of New York City. ton, South Carolina, to start her own to suck it out and give TV that to the two people who know them She’s asked her traditional, Filipino par- travel agency and has had a hard time strength.” best—their parents—in hopes of ents to date on her behalf and choose dating due to her long work hours. But “The show will last as long as the 33-year-old is finally ready to settle finding their soul mates and walking the man that is right for her.

AlDub can give me real emotions,” down the aisle.

Mitch Sargent (Los Angeles)–a 30- down and devote her time to finding she added. (Inquirer.net) Viewers will follow each mom and year-old certified level II sommelier love. (Inquirer.net)

Kim Chiu: ‘All I need is Xian Lim’

BBC features ‘AlDub’s’ meteoric rise

REINVENTING CINDERELLA. In the fashion of the fairy tale, Alden Richards tries a shoe on Maine “Yaya Dub” Mendoza during “Tamang Panahon” event of “Eat Bulaga” at the Philippine Arena on October 24. With the AlDub love team are (from left) Jose Manalo as Lola Tinidora, Wally Bayola as Lola Nidora and Paolo Ballesteros as Lola Tidora.

Inquirer.net photo by Richard Reyes

Filipina nurse stars in US reality show on arranged marriages

december 11-17, 2015 www.asianjournal.com

3

Farmers and fisherfolk are portraits of resilience after Haiyan

TACLOBAN CITY—The road to recovery was not easy for farmers and fisherfolk who lost almost everything they had when Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) struck on November 8, 2013. Many of them were already hard-pressed to make ends meet even before the disaster and the will to rebuild their lives had almost faded.

“When the typhoon hit, our rice was almost ready and we were expecting a good harvest,” narrated Susan Gaspay of Burauen, Leyte.

“We lost everything – our ready-toharvest rice, our stored seeds, and our rented tractor, not to mention our house.”

Fast-forward to two years later, Susan, along with hundreds of thousands of other farmers and fishers are now role models of recovery in their communities.

Through the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Government of the Philippines, the concept “building back better” has become a reality for the agriculture and fisheries sector of the four severely affected regions of Western Visayas (Region VI), Central Visayas (Region VII), Eastern Visayas (Region VIII) and MIMAROPA (Region IV-B), including far-flung remote islands and upland indigenous communities. This was made possible by the financial contributions of 14 international donor agencies, which reached nearly USD 40 million.

“This has been a unique emergency and rehabilitation

response for FAO. It was the first Level 3 crisis declared within the Organization, the highest category of emergency response. This involved fast-tracked operational procedures and the deployment of massive support from the FAO headquarters in Rome and the regional office in Bangkok. It was also one of the largest programs directly implemented by FAO in collaboration with the Government,” said José Luis Fernández, FAO Representative in the Philippines.

Through its two-year Typhoon Haiyan emergency, recovery and rehabilitation programme, FAO’s 22 projects covered interventions in rice and corn farming, coconut-based farming systems, fisheries and coastal communities and coastal/mangrove forest rehabilitation.

Stories of recovery “A notable aspect of FAO’s Haiyan response is the mainstreaming of Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) principles into all the elements of the programme. This is a core tenet of FAO operations, which ensures the highest levels of program accountability in terms of participation, governance, transparency and addressing complaints by programme beneficiaries. AAP principles were integrated into the design, implementation and evaluation of projects, and communities were engaged since the beginning to ensure that both the process and what was being delivered

Rizandra Amang of Culion Island, Palawan, is the sole bread winner of her family of six. She, along with more than 17 000 fisher households in three regions, received assistance such as fishing gear, post-harvest kits and safety at sea educational material through FAO, which enabled them to restore their fisheries-related livelihoods and improve their resilience after Typhoon Haiyan. ©FAO/J. Lebante

With a larger role in the value chain, Marife Jalbay and other members of the Abejao Farmers Association in Salcedo, Eastern Samar, now enjoy improved incomes from producing cassava chips. ©FAO/R. Cabrera

addressed their needs, especially for the most vulnerable,” explained Cristina Graziani, FAO’s Emergency Operations Manager for the Typhoon Haiyan programme.

Marife Jalbay, a member of the Abejao Farmers Association in Salcedo, Eastern Samar, recalls how their group was selected to undertake value-addition training through an assessment conducted

by FAO. This has led them to expand their farm business by producing cassava chips. With a larger role in the value chain, they are able to earn significantly higher returns compared to selling raw cassava to nearby markets, which fetched an average of Php 120 (USD 2.50) per barrel. For that equivalent weight of cassava turned into chips, they now make Php 3 250 pesos (USD 69.60).

For Marcelina Calvez of

Palompon, Leyte who lost her coconut trees to the typhoon, growing vegetables and other cash crops, as well as learning how to integrate these in land that would otherwise be idle, has helped her gain a stable source of alternative livelihood. As newly-planted coconut trees take six to eight years to bear fruit, FAO helped farmers establish diversified coconut-based farming systems that would address both immediate and long-term food and income needs. This also included the introduction of climate-smart farming technologies, specifically sloping agricultural land technology (SALT) or contour farming, which would help them maximize the use of their limited farm area by utilizing land under coconut plantations or on hilly terrains.

Datu Uldarico Padecio, a chieftain of the Manobo tribe, plants Madre de Cacao, applying the techniques he learned from an FAO-supported training programme. FAO’s asistance to indigenous communities affected by Typhoon Haiyan included immediate recovery as well as longer-term capacity and resilience building activities that were responsive to the local context. ©FAO/R. Cabrera

Aerial view of a Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT) site near Palompon, Leyte, which FAO helped establish to introduce climate-resilient agriculture to coconut farmers affected

by Typhoon Haiyan. ©FAO/R. Cabrera

“It’s hard work but it’s much better than our traditional way of farming. I’m now planting pineapples and I’m using the method I learnt from the training to plant madre de cacao as hedgerows because these plants are good for maintaining the fertility of the soil,” says Marcelina.

In many of the beneficiary communities, recovery was achieved by equipping farmers to establish and manage nurseries that will provide them with seeds and seedlings to rehabilitate their typhoon-damaged and diseaseaffected farms more efficiently.

“We usually buy seeds from the agricultural supply office here, but now we have the means to do it ourselves. This brings immense pride to our community,” said Laurence Palmes Barotac of Viejo,

Iloilo.

Marife, Marcelina and Laurence are among the 230 000 farming and fishing households or over 1 million individuals who are now well on their way to recovery through the support of FAO and its partners.

Strong partnership “The cooperation we had with FAO has been there since the beginning. We were collaborating every step of the way especially in identifying the beneficiaries. The presence of FAO was very crucial in demonstrating to these people that help is there when it is needed,” said Leo Cañeda, Regional Executive Director of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

At the 35th World Food Day Celebration, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala also highlighted Continued on Page 6

The island of Tubabao, off the coast of Guiuan in Eastern Samar, was one of the first areas in the Philippines to be hit by Typhoon Haiyan. Many farming families living here received minimal assistance owing to the difficulty of transporting materials to this remote location.

FAO delivered livelihood recovery and rehabilitation support, including more than 7 000 heads of livestock, to affected farmers in regions IV-B, VI, VII and VIII, reaching far-flung islands and remote upland communities. ©FAO/R. Cabrera

december 11-17, 2015 www.asianjournal.com

4

Sarah Geronimo journeys back ‘from the top’ at two-night concert

by Joyce Jimenez Philstar.com

MANILA—Sarah Geronimo journeyed back with her fans in her From the Top concert.

The pop princess recalled how her dreams started and how she dealt with the people who didn’t believe in her in the beginning.

“Basta una ang desire ng puso ko ay patuloy na kumanta para gamitin ko ang talentong binigay sa akin ng Diyos. Pangalawa, sobrang in love po ako sa music,” she said during the second night of her concert, Saturday, Dec. 5, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Sarah also turned emotional when she acknowledged how things may change for her in the coming years.

“Kung mawala man lahat ng ito... alam ko eventually mawawala ‘tong lahat. Lahat ng bagay sa mundo ay may katapusan,” she said. “How I want to be remembered, sabi ko hindi ko naman gusto na tawagin ‘The Popstar Royalty,’ binigay lang ‘yan tao,” she continued.

“Ang gusto ko talaga, ang ultimate goal is fulfilling God’s purpose for me, kung ano man dahilan bakit niya ako nilagay sa industriyang ito.”

“Ang gusto ko talaga, ang ultimate goal is fulfilling God’s purpose for me, kung ano man dahilan bakit niya ako nilagay sa industriyang ito,” said Sarah Geronimo during the second night of her “From The Top” concert at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Saturday, December 5.

She then expressed her love to her family saying, “I’m hundred percent sure that my family knows how much I love them, buhay ko sila, e. Ang pamilya ko ay buhay ko.” “Mahal na mahal ko kayo, ‘wag na ‘wag n’yo ‘yan kakalimutan,” she added.

She also thanked her fans who “alam ko napakasuwerte ko sa inyo. Hindi ako perpektong idolo pero nananatili kayong nandyan sa tabi ko. Nananatili kayong nandyan from the top!”

Some celebrities present during her concert are Gary Valenciano, father of her concert

director Paolo Valenciano, Vice Ganda and Jason Dy. The crowd also went wild when Piolo Pascual appeared on stage to join Sarah in singing Paano Ba Magmahal. It is the theme song of their movie The Breakup Playlist.

She also performed her winning piece in the talent search show Search for a Star, which she said “launched my singing career.”

Some of other hits she performed are Forever’s Not Enough, Ikot Ikot, If Only, Perfectly Imperfect and her latest single Minamahal.

Robin Padilla returns to ABS-CBN MANILA—Robin Padilla is a Kapamilya again.

The actor signed a two-year exclusive contract with ABS-CBN on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

The 46-year-old action star will do a father-and-son themed drama with the network.

Prior to the contract signing, Robin’s wife Mariel Rodriguez took to social media to express her happiness over the actor’s move.

“I am so happy for you! finally going back to the network you belong to. Can’t wait for the Robin Padilla signs an exclusive contract projects they have in store for with ABS-CBN.

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you. the Action King is home!!!!

God is good!!! Supporting you all the way. I will make sure we have a happy house to come home to so that you will be more inspired to go to work,” she said in an Instagram post.

Robin is not new to ABSCBN. He was with the network from 2010 to 2013; his last project with ABS-CBN was the soap opera Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw.

He then starred in a number of TV5 shows: the comedy in 2 1/2 Daddies in 2015 and the talent show Talentadong Pinoy in 2014.

(Philstar.com)

december 11-17, 2015 www.asianjournal.com

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december 11-17, 2015 www.asianjournal.com

Immigrant Living: 101 and Beyond Monette AdevA MAglAyA “REMEMBER the Wonder” was a catchy TV ad slogan from Wonder Bread before it abandoned California for another state. But the phrase can very well be used to refer to the true season of wonder — CHRISTMAS. December days and nights seem to slip from our grasp like fine grains of sand. The hours seem to hurtle through the day as we complete a year’s cycle and move on to the next.

Many of us, particularly the women, try in earnest to mesh the unusually heavy demands of the roles we play in our lives specially this season. If we get completely sidetracked by the minutiae and the methodology, the expenses

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Once more with feeling...

Remembering the Wonder “Love your life but without conceit.

It is simply on loan to you.” and the endless activities of what constitutes Christmas, we are more than likely to morph into the likes of Ebenezer Scrooge and be tempted to say “Bah, humbug!”

But unlike the tightwad Scrooge, the cost of doing Christmas has little to do with it.

More than likely, the heaviness and drudgery that we seem to associate with this season have a lot to do with the failure to find that somewhat elusive sense of real joy that this season can bring in abundance to those who are open to it.

Sure, we can go through the

Calendar of Events across

motions of Christmas activities, shopping, baking, decorating, partying, drinking and binging.

And yet, very often even if we diligently check off all the things in our list, something remains amiss. We just don’t have that Christmas feeling.

At the risk of sounding redundant, the spirit of the season is like a butterfly. If you keep mindlessly trashing about in endless activities, it will elude you but if you sit very still, that Christmas feeling might simply alight on you. Be still and soak in the sight, sounds and smells of

America

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the season.

One trick I have learned is to simplify and not try to take on too much of anything, and that includes refraining to max out my credit cards, no matter how infinitely tempting it is to rush out and join the shopping madness. Each day of the season, count at least one blessing that you may have taken for granted — like your family, dysfunctional or imperfect the members may be, including yourself, we are all we’ve got.

To borrow from a song, “Love the one you’re with.” That means stop looking elsewhere.

The internet has proven to be a minefield of dashed hopes and dreams. For the most part, it is definitely not the place to find what you think is missing in your life.

If you still have relatively good health and do not have to depend on a cocktail of drugs to get you through the day, REJOICE AND BE GLAD! Many wealthy yet ailing people longing to live a bit longer, will trade places with you in a heartbeat. TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED. Love your life but without conceit. It is simply on loan to you. Treasure the hours. Forcibly yank out just an hour each day to sit in the silence during this

season to take the time to smell the coffee, steep the tea or quaff the cocoa in a quiet spot, free of the interruptions of all those annoying electronic beeps.

Unless your job entails spelling the difference between life and death, cut off your electronic leash, at least for just an hour. Who said you have to be on call all the time? That hour you gift yourself with is yours to savor and JUST BE. That hour might very well help you to remember the wonder — to get back that gift of amazement we once had when we were children, before we became jaded, cynical souls.

Lest we forget, CHRIST IS STILL THE REASON FOR THE SEASON. Pay no attention to the godless fools who would like to delete Christ from the season.

The strongest evidence of Christ living in our hearts during this season is an inner glow and outward manifestation of joy that wells within, overflows and like a heaven-sent viral infection affects those we work and live with within the orbit of our existence.

Sorrow, pain and disappointment, heartache and heartbreak in spades — we will always have. They have a place in the general scheme of things.

They work like a sculptor’s tool

kit that shapes and molds the structure of resilient souls that can weather all seasons.

But just for this season, BELIEVE that you are allowed to get a moratorium from all that.

This season is filled with awesome wonders and all it takes is to open our eyes, sharpen our senses and soak them all in.

We have become inured to the possibilities of joy each moment brings. Conditioned by years of mundane repetition, we have lost the magic and instinctive sense of wonder we were born with.

We went through the motions of getting an education, raising a family, earning a living, running a business, working ceaselessly, it seems till we drop down dead or until Social Security says we can stop, (whichever comes first), sleeping and doing the same things all over again at daybreak.

Routine and predictability though calming and reassuring, can numb the soul over time.

Don’t let that happen.

Take heart. This season, as God intended it to be, will always be a joyful reminder of what truly matters in life. *** Nota Bene: Monette Adeva Maglaya is SVP of Asian Journal Publications, Inc. To send comments, e-mail monette.maglaya@ asianjournalinc.com

JASHS (Binondo) alumni Christmas party Jose Abad Santos High School (Binondo) USA Alumni Association will hold its 2015 Christmas party at 6pm on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, at the Mayflower Seafood Restaurant, 679 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012.

LA Archdiocesan SIMBANG GABI 2015 WHAT: LA Archdiocesan SIMBANG GABI 2015 WHEN: Tuesday, December 15, at 6:30pm WHERE: Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (555 W. Temple Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012) Principal Celebrant: Most Rev. Jose H. Gomez, D.D., Archbishop of Los Angeles The Filipino Ministry of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, San Fernando Pastoral Region, will sponsor the first day of the Archdiocesan Simbang Gabi. Pre-liturgy/Parol Procession will begin at 6:30 pm, followed by the Mass celebrated by Archbishop Rev. Jose H. Gomez. Filipiniana attire is requested to be worn by organizers and participants. This year’s theme is “Jesus Our Savior, Empower Our Families to be Better Stewards of Your Creation.” For the Parol Procession Guidelines and other information, contact any Chairperson: Patty Santiago – email: piesan@hotmail.com; Phone: (818) 472-4288 or Raymond de Guzman- email: rdeguzman1317@verizon.net; Phone: (818) 634-8664.

D EC E M B E R 1 8

Blessed Hope Christian Church Night of Praise Come celebrate the birth of Christ and praise God with the congregation at our upcoming Christmas Praise Night, on Friday, December 18 at 7:30pm. Our church can be found at 474 North Summit Ave. Pasadena, CA 91103. Please contact Jun Recio (818) 472-5244 for more details.

D EC E M B E R 2 0

JASHS (Binondo) Alumni Christmas Party Jose Abad Santos High School (Binondo) USA Alumni Association will hold its 2015 Christmas Party at 6:00pm on Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015, at the Mayflower Seafood Restaurant (679 N. Spring St., Los Angeles, CA 90012). Please contact Val Abelgas val.abelgas@aol. com for more information.

D EC E M B E R 29 -3 0

Pampanga High School Class of ’65 Golden Jubilee Celebration The Class of 1965 of the Pampanga High School will hold “TULA ampong SAYA,” its 50th Anniversary Reunion, this coming December 29-30, in San Fernando Pampanga, Philippines.

All 1965 graduates of the Pampanga High School (PHS), formerly the Jose Abad Santos High School (JASHS), and their spouses are welcome to all scheduled events. Admission is free.

The celebration will begin with BISPERAS on December 29 from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, enjoying fun games, old music, and togetherness at the DIASPORA FARM RESORT in Santa Barbara, Bacolor, Pampanga. On December 30, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, join us for KAPIYESTAN, a provincial fiesta luncheon featuring familiar Kapampangan dishes, at the Mulang Galang orchard in San Antonio, Mexico, Pampanga. The evening of Dec. 30 will conclude with TERAKAN, a gala dinner-dance from 6:30 pm to 12 midnight, at the Fortune Hongkong Seafood Restaurant in the San Fernando, Pampanga. Enjoy a fun evening of dancing to the retro music of Decadas and the mellow songs of folksinger Jerry. Class ‘65ers, please join us in celebrating our 50th Golden Anniversary! Full details on preparations, events and venues can be found on “TULA ampong SAYA,” on Facebook. For donations, interest in the 50th Anniversary Reunion souvenir memory book, highlighting the successes of individual Class ‘65ers and the accomplishments of the PHS Class ’65 Foundation, Inc., please contact the jubilee reunion organizing committee in the Philippines: Joseph Deang (0927-228-8588); Erlie Aquino Estandarte (0929-219-0248); Corazon Cunanan (0939-118-2888; 0926-660-35540); Cecille Morales Bernas (0932-509-2646); and Marcial Morales (0918-915-9095); and Dan Galang 0929-427-9308; 045-966-0764). In the US and Canada, please contact Dan Galang at (510) 487-5551 or at (510) 648-1047.

Ja N Ua Ry 9

Feast of Santo Niño de Cebu All are cordially invited to the Feast of Santo Niño de Cebu on Saturday, January 9, 2016, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm at St. Bernard Catholic Church in Bellflower, California, organized and sponsored by the Santo Niño de Cebu Association of Southern California, Inc., a non-profit religious organization. The Eucharistic Celebration will be presided by the Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles, His Excellency Bishop Oscar A. Solis at 10:00 am followed by the traditional procession of the image of Santo Niño de Cebu, fiesta lunch and Sinulog presentations. Food and financial donations are welcome, and all donations are tax deductible.

For further information, you may contact the association President, Danny C. Diluvio at (323) 252-4991 or email at: dannydiluvio1@gmail.com.

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PUP/PCC to hold 1st Global Reunion

Attention all graduates of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and the Philippine College of Commerce: join us in our FIRST GLOBAL REUNION being organized by the Polytechnic University of the Philippines Alumni Association, USA Inc. scheduled on May 2729, 2016 (Memorial Day Weekend) at the New Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. We promise a weekend of fun-filled activities, of friendship and camaraderie as we reminisce our best memories during our high school and college days. There will be lots of entertainment, singing and dancing and photo opportunities with your classmates and friends.

For more information, please contact any of the following: Loi Herrera at 562-544-8210 or loiherrera@yahoo.com; Monette Santillan-Rivera at 818-970-8317 or Monette_santillan@yahoo. com; Rose Mejia at 323-997-3838 or Rosemariemejia@kw.com; Marissa Sugay-Palanca at 818281-7460 or marispalanca@yahoo.com; Rose Maghari at 661-794-8906 or rmaghari@gmail. com; Sally Mendoza at 323-695-0235 or sally.mendoza616@yahoo.com; Honeylette De Leon at 562-480-5743 orhoney@worldclassfreight.com; Virginia Herbito at virginiaherbito@gmail.com; Connie Acosta at 323-854-5303 orconnieacosta1@att.net; Violeta D. Cristobal at 310-880-5808 or vee@cristobalcpa.com; Jun Mapoy at 323-627-5326 or jcmapoy@yahoo.com.

If you have an upcoming event and would like us to post it, please email us the details at info@asianjournalinc.com or calendar@asianjournalinc.com

Walter Roessner (First Unitarian), Gio Aliano (Abode Communities), Rev. Rick Hoyt-McDaniels, Duane Dillman, Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo (LA City Council), Carol Pfannkuche (Ketchum-Downtown YMCA), Ed Holder (Mercy Housing California)

Mercy Housing California celebrates opening of YMCA Preschool serving 65 inner-city children in Downtown LA Brand new, state-of-the-art preschool and child care center located at Mercy Housing California’s pristine Caroline Severance Manor, serving Los Angeles families in need

LOS ANGELES—Mercy Housing California last Thursday, Dec. 3 joined its partners, First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles and the Stewart M. Ketchum Downtown YMCA, to celebrate the grand opening of the KetchumDowntown YMCA Preschool at its brand new location on the ground floor of Mercy Housing’s Caroline Severance Manor, an 85-unit supportive housing development.

Speakers at the event included Mercy Housing California Vice President, Real Estate Development Ed Holder, Reverend Rick Hoyt-McDaniels of the First Unitarian Church, Councilmember Gilbert Cedillo, Los Angeles City Council, 1st District, Carol Pfannkuche, Executive Director, Stuart M. Ketchum Downtown YMCA and Gio Aliano, AIA, Vice President, Architecture, Abode Communities.

The speakers were followed by a special presentation from

members of the inaugural preschool class to Reverend Rick Hoyt-McDaniels and Ed Holder.

The preschool class painted their handprints on a framed poster that will hang in the First Unitarian Church next door to Caroline Severance Manor and the preschool.

The Ketchum-Downtown YMCA Preschool was built by the First Unitarian Church, where the preschool was previously based, with support from the Weingart Foundation, Mercy Housing, Genesis LA and others.

The preschool itself serves around 65 children, ages 3-5, with plans to expand to around 80 in the near future and aims to help the children build an important educational foundation with a curriculum aligned with the State of California’s educational standards.

Mercy Housing Mercy Housing California

(MHC) is the largest regional division of national nonprofit Mercy Housing, Inc. (MHI), a developer of permanent affordable housing and the largest nonprofit affordable housing owner in the country.

MHI’s mission is to create stable, vibrant, and healthy communities by developing, financing and operating affordable, program-enriched housing for families, seniors and people with special needs who lack the economic resources to access quality, safe housing opportunities.

Statewide, Mercy Housing California has developed more than 130 rental properties across 36 counties. Through the provision of safe, serviceenriched housing, MHC strives to strengthen families and build healthy communities. For more information, please visit www. mercyhousingcalifornia.org.

Farmers and fisherfolk are portraits of...

From Page 3

the DA’s partnership with FAO in delivering support to farmers in the immediate aftermath of Haiyan and in ensuring the recovery and rehabilitation of the agriculture sector in affected areas.

From emergency to recovery, FAO in close collaboration with the DA and its attached agencies took every opportunity to not only replace what the typhoon had taken. More importantly, the consensus and strong partnership placed affected communities and

local governments in a good position to ensure longer-term food security, better agricultural livelihood opportunities, sustainable income streams that will lift them out of poverty and improved capacities to adapt to and mitigate future disasters.

“In commemoration of the second anniversary of Typhoon Haiyan, we pay tribute to all who made this effort a success - our donors and partners, the Government and the communities who welcomed this opportunity

to build back better in spite of the challenges,” added FAO Representative José Luis Fernández.

FAO’s Typhoon Haiyan response programme was implemented with financial support from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund and the governments of Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

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december 11-17, 2015 www.asianjournal.com

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