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Vol. 3. No.33
LOS ANGELES
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Wednesday - Tuesday, April 30 – May 6, 2014
More US troops coming to PHL Obama visits as new defense pact is signed BY STEPHEN COLLINSON
MANILA, April 28, 2014 (AFP) – President Barack Obama landed in the Philippines Monday to cement new defense ties on the last leg of an Asian tour conducted against a backdrop of territorial tensions between US allies and China. Obama flew into Manila from Malaysia, hours after the allies signed a new defense agreement allowing more
US troops and defense hardware to rotate through the Philippines, part of a US rebalancing of military power towards rising Asia. Obama was also preoccupied with the crisis in Ukraine, which has shadowed him around Asia for the last six days, as the United States and Europe gear up to slap new sanctions on Russia, likely within hours. Obama was due to meet Philippine
President Benigno Aquino, participate in a joint press conference and be honoured at a state dinner. Anti-China sentiments run high in the Philippines, which is locked in a showdown with the Asian giant over disputed atolls in the South China Sea, part of a proliferation of maritime hotspots that has stoked Asian tensions. During a tour that has taken him See US TROOPS, page 11
A Filipino protester shouts anti-US slogans during a protest rally against US President Barack Obama visit in Manila, the Philippines, 28 April 2014. US President Barack Obama is to arrive on 28 April as part of his four-country tour of the region. (MNS photo)
Most Filipinos trust the US, says SWS survey MANILA, Apr 28 (Mabuhay) – Majority of the Filipinos have “much trust” in the United States of America, a survey of the Social Weather Stations said, as the country awaits the arrival of President Barack Obama who will arrive Monday for a two-day visit. In a survey conducted from March 27-30 this year, 85 percent of the respondents said they have much trust in the US, while 9 percent were undecided if they have “much or little trust.” Of the respondents, 4 percent also replied they have “somewhat little trust” and 2 percent answered they have “very little trust.” The survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila,
with sampling error margins of +/- 3% for national percentages, and +/-6% each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The respondents were asked: “Please indicate if your trust/faith in the United States of America is very much, somewhat much, undecided if much or little, somewhat little, very little, or you have not heard or read anything about the USA ever.” The SWS survey on the public trust was non-commissioned, and was included on the survey firm’s own initiative. The Filipinos’ net trust in the U.S. was “excellent in all areas: +80 in Mindanao; +80 in Balance Luzon; +79 in the Visayas; and +71 in Metro Manila. President Barack Obama meets with President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines at the Malacanang Palace in Manila last April 28.
Obama seeks to soothe China while boosting ties with PHL BY STEPHEN COLLINSON
Flying formation of the letters “T” and “Y” composed of sevenT-41 and five SF260FH/M aircrafts fly-by during the Philippine Air Force (PAF) Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony at the Air Education and Training Command (AETC) Grandstand, Fernando Air Base (FAB) in Lipa City, Batangas on Friday (April 25, 2014). Major Gen. Jeffrey Delgado assumed as the 33rd PAF Commanding General. Delgado is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Magilas” Class of 1982. (MNS photo)
Taiwan stages largest drill since 2000 in Spratlys TAIPEI, April 28, 2014 (AFP) – Taiwan this month mobilized hundreds of marines for its largest military exercise since 2000 near disputed islands in the South China Sea, a legislator said Monday. Lin Yu-fang said the landing drill was held on the Taiwan-administered island of Taiping, part of the Spratlys – a chain which is also claimed in whole or in part by China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.
Lin, a member of parliament’s defense and diplomacy committee, said the task force from two marine companies, armed with mortars and anti-tank rockets, boarded some 20 amphibious assault vehicles for the landing on Taiping on April 10. A naval fleet of seven Lafayetteclass and Perry-class frigates as well as tank landing ships were mobilized for the drill which practiced retaking
See OBAMA, page 11
Toyota leaves SoCal to move US operations to Texas
This was a turnaround from the 1.056-billion-peso loss in the same period last year, at the time Solaire was throwing its doors open to the public. “It is significant that we were able to turn a profit after only a year of operation,” Bloomberry chairman and chief executive Enrique Razon said in a statement. Bloomberry opened the
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2014 (AFP) − Toyota unveiled Monday an overhaul of its far-flung US operations into a single, new headquarters in Texas, with California set to lose the most jobs. The world’s top automaker said that by 2017 most of its North American operations will have been relocated to a single campus in Plano, a suburb north of Dallas. Toyota currently has three separate North American headquarters − one for manufacturing, one for sales and marketing and one for corporate operations. “This is the most significant change we’ve made to our North American operations in the past 50 years, and we are excited for what the future holds,” said Jim Lentz, chief executive for Toyota’s
See SOLAIRE, page 11
See TOYOTA, page 11
See SPRATLYS, page 11
PHL’s biggest casino Solaire hits early jackpot MANILA, April 28, 2014 (AFP) – The Philippines’ biggest casino announced Monday it had begun raking in huge profits in 12 months of operations, which it said vindicated its decision to sack its American managers. Bloomberry Resorts Corp., operator of Solaire Resorts and Casino, reported a net profit of 1.461 billion pesos ($32.78 million) from January to March.
MANILA, April 28, 2014 (AFP) - President Barack Obama said Monday he had no desire to contain or counter China despite clinching a defense pact with the Philippines which will inject US forces close to the volatile South China Sea. In the Philippines on the final leg of an Asian tour, Obama directly addressed leaders in Beijing, telling them that maritime territorial disputes needed to be addressed peacefully, not with “intimidation or coercion.” China’s claims to various islands, reefs and atolls in the
Visitors look at an image of Pope John Paul II carved opposite an image of the Virgin Mary (R) on a hillside in Maragundon town, Cavite city, south of Manila April 26, 2014. Sculptors Val and his brother Oca Suarez, finished sculpting of image of Pope John Paul II in two days. . Pope John XXIII, who reigned from 1958 to 1963 and called the modernizing Second Vatican Council, and Pope John Paul II, who reigned for nearly 27 years before his death in 2005 and whose trips around the world made him the most visible pope in history, will be declared saints by Pope Francis at an unprecedented twin canonization on Sunday. (MNS photo)
Filipino Catholics hail new saints MANILA, April 27, 2014 (AFP) – Tens of thousands of Catholics attended special masses across Manila on Sunday to celebrate Pope Francis’ proclamation of two new saints including John Paul II, a beloved figure in Asia’s bastion of the faith. Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle led the service at the packed 16,500-seat Araneta Coliseum in the Philippine capital as huge screens beamed live images from the Vatican of the canonization of John Paul II and John XXIII. Many of the devotees were tearful, recalling personal stories of how seeing John Paul II during his visits to the Southeast Asian nation in 1981 and 1995 had changed their lives. “We’re so touched and blessed to have witnessed this great pope who
was a part of my youth, and my religious journey,” said Mila Estrada, 46, who was among millions of students who gathered to see John Paul II when Manila hosted World Youth Day in 1995. “He was the pope we grew up with, and whose teachings directly touched our lives,” said Estrada. For photographer Ernie Sarmiento, seeing John Paul II for the first time in 1981 as a student was a “mesmerizing” event that cemented his future career path. He had been assigned by the school paper to cover the pontiff’s visit to the University of Santo Tomas, Asia’s oldest and largest Catholic school. Sarmiento remembers fumbling with his equipment as the pope startSee CATHOLICS, page 11
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Mar Roxas ‘sorry’ after golf club scrap
Tuna Capital of the Philippines: General Santos City (26 April 2014) – GenSan fishport teems with tuna as City Mayor Ronnel Rivera declares that General Santos City is still the Tuna Capital of the Philippines. This is in reaction to a World Wildlife Foundation report that Occidental Mindoro is the Philippines’ emerging tuna capital because of the region’s significant increase in tuna catch for the past years. In 2011 and 2012, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and WWF reported that Occidental Mindoro has an average of 600,000 kilos of tuna delivered throughout the Philippines and outside the country. Mayor Rivera quickly debunked the assertions saying, “there are a lot of factors to be considered before a place can be considered as the tuna capital. This would include the number of canneries and fishing industries present and the rate of tuna export every year.” Six out of seven canneries in the Philippines are situated in GenSan. The fishing company of RD Group of Companies alone has an annual catch of about 10,000,000 kilos which is roughly about 11,000 tons. Photo: Cocoy Sexcion for Gensan
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MANILA, April 26, 2014 (AFP) – Philippine Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas has publicly apologized after a confrontation with golf club employees led to the official getting a short-term ban from one of Manila’s most prestigious golf courses. Seen by many Filipinos as a potential successor to President Benigno Aquino, Roxas, better known as “Mar”, 56, said the incident concerned the payment of green fees at the private Wack Wack Golf and Country Club. “I have already apologized for any infractions or hurt feelings as a result of this misunderstanding over the payment of green fees for non players,” Roxas said in a statement sent to AFP by his press officer Saturday. “It was not my intention to hurt or insult anyone, and I did not curse at anyone either,” he said, rejecting local press reports that he had cursed and shouted at golf club employees. Local press reports alleged Roxas resented being charged green fees for a non-member friend he had invited. Built in 1930, Wack Wack charges range fees of between 5,800 pesos ($130) on weekends and 3,800 pesos on weekdays, the golfing website www.worldgolf.com said. “Wack Wack Golf and Country Club... announced the two-month suspension of proprietary member Manuel A. Roxas II for violation of club rules and regulations,” the club said in a statement it sent to AFP on Saturday. The statement did not discuss the nature of the violation, saying only that the punishment was “consistent with actions taken by the club to uphold its policies and to maintain good order at all times”. Roxas, a 20-year member of the club, said he accepts the sanction. “I do not consider myself above any law, rule, or regulation, accordingly I accede to it,” he added. The scion of a landed central Philippines clan and grandson of a former Philippine president, former senator Roxas registered to run in the 2010 presidential election but later agreed to stand down and support his friend Aquino. Roxas, a former New York investment banker, instead ran for vice president, projecting himself as a man of the people attuned to the sufferings of the poor. However he narrowly lost to Jejomar Binay, the opposition candidate. Roxas and Binay are widely expected to contest the 2016 presidential elections when Aquino’s six-year term ends.
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MANILA, Apr 28 (Mabuhay) – The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) presented to the media on Monday the arrested fugitive businessman Cedric Lee and Simeon Raz, who are both facing charges of serious illegal detention, a non-bailable offense. NBI-National Capital Region (NCR) Regional Director Elfren Meneses and Assistant Regional Director Vicente De Guzman III presented Lee and Raz, who were both in handcuffs, to reporters during a press conference. Both accused were in good spirits and seemed without any worries at all and sometimes even smiled and joked with the media members. The NBI is set to formally inform the Taguig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) about the arrest of the two accused through the submission of the return of the warrant. According to De Guzman, Lee and Raz need not be brought to and presented before the RTC unless ordered by the court. Lee and Raz will remain in the NBI Detention Facility while awaiting for the commitment order to be issued by the RTC or the order where they should be detained.
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Deeper US-PHL ties key to economic devt, regional stability says NEDA’s Balisacan MANILA, Apr 28 (Mabuhay) – A deeper relationship between the US and the Philippines is key to Manila’s goal of inclusive growth and overall stability in Asia, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said Monday. “The affirmation and re-affirmation between the two governments of their common and longterm economic and social interests toward prosperity are very important,” Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio M. Balisacan said in a statement Monday in time for US President Barack Obama’s state visit to the Philippines. He said the Philippines has strong economic linkages with the world’s largest economy in terms of trade, finance, overseas Filipino employment and remittances, and foreign direct investments. Apart from that, the two economies have more common institutions than any other country in the Asian region. “Our commercial, educational, legal, public institutions, and even language, have much in common between the two countries. This is why it is natural that we find common interests in development,” Balisacan, who is concurrently NEDA director-general, added. Last year, the US was the Philippines’ second largest trading partner, with total trade amounting to $14.5 billion. It has also remained as one of the major sources of cash remittances by Filipinos overseas from 2007 to 2013. Balisacan said the US also recognizes that the Philippines requires substantial resources to realize its development goals. “Their government’s assistance to the country in forms of partnership for growth is contributing quite significantly to the whole process of complementation of our development resources,” he said. The US plays a key role in Asia’s geopolitical stability, which will remain strong in the years to come. “For us here in the Philippines, geopolitical stability is a key driver of growth. We need stability in the years to come for us to be able join the ranks of more advanced economies,” Balisacan noted. “That’s why we need good relationships and partnerships with other governments. The US sending the signal that it is here in Asia for the long haul will help bring that stability,” he said. (MNS)
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Obama: US will not be diverted from Asia
KUALA LUMPUR, April 27, 2014 (AFP) – US President Barack Obama said Sunday that foreign policy crises elsewhere and domestic political strife would not distract America’s attention from a rising Asia. The president, who has seen his current regional tour interrupted by the deepening East-West showdown over Ukraine, said the Asia-Pacific’s growing importance was such that Washington could not afford to ignore it. “America has responsibilities all around the world and we are glad to embrace those responsibilities,” Obama said. “And sometimes, we have a political system of our own and it can be easy to lose sight of the long view. “But we have been moving forward on our rebalance to this part of the world,” Obama said at a town hall meeting with young leaders from Southeast Asia in Malaysia.
Obama said his administration was deepening commercial, defense and other partnerships with Asian nations, and especially those in Southeast Asia. Before he left for the region, some foreign policy experts in Washington and elsewhere suggested Obama needed to do more to explain his strategy of redeploying US resources to Asia. Doubts about US commitment and endurance have been exacerbated by national security crises in Europe and the Middle East. Questions were also asked when Obama was forced to cancel a previous Asia trip late last year owing to a government shutdown brought about by a budget imbroglio between Democrats and Republicans. Malaysia is the third stop on an Asian tour by Obama that has taken him to Japan and South Korea. He heads to the Philippines on Monday.
New deal doesn’t guarantee US help in PHL dispute with China – analyst MANILA, Apr 28 (Mabuhay) – Will the US defend the Philippines in a military confrontation? Based on historical precedent, and even with the newly signed EDCA, it is unlikely, according to a UP academic who has written several books on Philippine-US relations. UP professor Roland Simbulan said the possibility of the US extending military aid to the Philippines in case of an armed conflict with China over disputed territories might just be a misconception. “Akala natin tutulungan tayo ng US ‘pag nagkaproblema tayo, pero sa totoo lang, based on experience, hindi nila tayo matutulungan when worse comes to worst,” he said. Simbulan cited as an example the US government’s supposed refusal to enforce the Mutual Defense Treaty in the late 1960s when the Philippines was locked in a territorial dispute with Malaysia over Sabah. “Noong tinanong ng ating mga lider ang US kung maga-apply ba dito ‘yung Mutual Defense Treaty, ang sabi ng US, hindi kasi ally nila ang Malaysia. Ang [idea ng] automatic na pagtulong ng US sa atin ay maaring ilusyon lang natin,” he said. On Monday morning, Philippine Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador Philip Goldberg signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), hours before the arrival of US President Barack Obama for his first ever state visit to the Philippines. The pact, which was finalized after eight rounds
of talks that began in August 2013, grants US troops access to designated Philippine military facilities, the right to construct facilities, and pre-position equipment, aircraft and vessels. But the 10-year accord rules out permanent basing, as the Philippine Constitution bans foreign military bases in the country unless covered by a treaty. Simbulan said the Philippine government should train its sights on upgrading the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) even as it signed the EDCA. “Masyado tayong nakasandal sa US para sa ating external defense. Ang resulta nito, napabayaan na nating i-improve [ang AFP]... Dapat tayo mismo ang mag-build up ang ating external defense capability,” he said. Ramon Casiple, political analyst at the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms, however, believes the military stands to benefit once the new defense accord takes effect. “EDCA is necessary to send a strong signal that the US-PH alliance is a major security factor to deter threats and modernize AFP. Congress may review it but it’s operational [since] it’s an executive agreement,” he said. In 2012, President Benigno Aquino III signed into law Republic Act 10349, otherwise known as the revised Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Modernization Act, which aims to keep the Philippines’ military organization at par other countries’ artillery. (MNS)
Palace welcomes envoy’s claim China does not want war MANILA, Apr 26 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Saturday welcomed a reported statement by China’s ambassador to the Philippines that war is not in China’s interest, amid a territorial dispute between the two countries. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on government radio the Philippines also wants a peaceful solution to any dispute. “Maganda naman ang statement. Lahat tayo, kapayapaan ang gusto natin. Kahit nagkakaroon ng ganitong sigalot may paraan ... (para) mapayapa pa rin ang ating paguusap,” she said on staterun dzRB radio. The Philippines and China are disputing parts of the South China Sea, with the Philippines referring to the portions it claims as the West Philippine Sea. On Saturday, a report in the Manila Bulletin quoted Chinese ambassador to Manila Zhao Jianhua as saying it is not in China’s interest to go to war with its neighbors.
Zhao said this in an interview in Taguig City on Thursday night during a reception celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday, the Manila Bulletin report said. The Bulletin added this was the first time Zhao spoke publicly about the territorial dispute. “(O)nce there is a conflict, no matter the scale, there will be a disruption of investment and disruption of trade ... One of the fundamental reasons China has been able to achieve so much is stability and peace in the region,” Zhao was quoted as saying. He added China is “busy enough” addressing other concerns and providing services for its citizens. He also said diplomacy remains the “settled and sound way of settling disputes.” “I would like to say diplomacy never fails... There are ups and downs, twists and turns, but sooner or later, people will realize diplomacy continues,” he said. (MNS)
NBA players, LA mayor welcome Sterling life ban LOS ANGELES, April 29, 2014 (AFP) – The NBA’S lifetime ban of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling on Tuesday earned quick praise from the league’s current and former players, and was hailed as a watershed moment in basketball. The official Clippers website made a strong statement: the front page was all black except for the words “WE ARE ONE” and the team insignia. “We wholeheartedly support and embrace the decision by the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver today,” the team said in a statement. “Now the healing process begins.” In addition to a lifetime ban from all games, team facilities and NBA board meetings, Silver announced he was fining Sterling $2.5 million and would urge the NBA Board of Governors to act according to their constitution to force a sale of the team. Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson, a former NBA player who was drafted as a special adviser to the players association as the sport grappled with the Sterling issue, underscored the enormity of the move. “I believe that today stands as one of those great moments where sports, once again, transcends, where sports provides a place for fundamental change on how our country should think and act,” Johnson said outside Los Angeles city hall. “This is also a statement about where we are as a country. It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional basketball player worth millions of dollars or a man or woman who works hard for their family. “There will be zero tolerance for institutional racism, no matter how rich or powerful,” Johnson said, praising NBA players for their forceful but professional reaction in seeking a “maximum reaction”
from the league. Silver’s decisive action could help the Clippers, whose best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors is tied at two games apiece, focus again on their championship chase. The Clippers face the Warriors on Tuesday night in their first home game since the scandal erupted over the weekend, when an audio recording of Sterling speaking to his girlfriend was made public with the 80-year-old billionaire chastising her for “broadcasting” the fact that she was associating with black people. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, also speaking at city hall, echoed Johnson’s view that the NBA’s action “isn’t just about basketball.” “This is about Los Angeles,” Garcetti said. “The Clippers have on their jerseys this city’s name ... And today we stand as angels in this city, saying we will not tolerate this from anybody, from any company, least of all, one that bears this great city’s name.” Initial reaction on social media backed the tough response from Silver, who took over as NBA commissioner on February 1 when David Stern retired after a 30-year tenure. “Current and former NBA players now know that in Commissioner Adam Silver we have a great leader leading our league,” former Lakers great Earvin “Magic” Johnson said on Twitter. “His actions and focus were so on the mark,” NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar said of Silver at the LA city hall press conference. Silver also asked the sponsors who severed ties with the Clippers or suspended endorsement deals to “judge us by our response to this incident.”
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UTREACH End of Affirmative Action as schools can now ignore race in admissions BY CHANTAL VALERY
WASHINGTON, April 22, 2014 (AFP) − The US Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that states can disregard race as a factor in university admissions, in a fresh blow to a legacy of the 1960s civil rights movement. The 6-2 ruling upheld the constitutionality of a measure passed by referendum in Michigan that disallowed so-called affirmative action in college admissions. Effectively favoring voter initiatives over the courts, the decision was expected to have repercussions far beyond Michigan − governors of Arizona, Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and West Virginia had supported Michigan’s appeal. The ruling was the latest to chip away at a practice used to promote racial and ethnic diversity of university student bodies while countering the effects of racial discrimination. It also continued a conservative trend in court rulings on civil rights issues. Last year, the Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act requiring certain states to get federal approval before changing their voting laws. On Tuesday, liberal justice Stephen Breyer voted with the conservative majority, and the fourth
member of the court’s liberal wing, ity groups permanently, forcing Justice Elena Kagan, had recused the minority alone to surmount herself. unique obstacles in pursuit of its Writing for the majority, Justice goals.” Anthony Kennedy argued that the By permitting a majority of case was “not about how the debate voters to do just that in Michiabout racial preferences should be gan, she contended, “the court resolved. It is about who may re- ends the debate over racesolve it.” sensitive admissions policies “There is no authority in the con- in Michigan in a manner that stitution of the United States or in contravenes constitutional prothis court’s precedents for the ju- tections long recognized in our diciary to set aside Michigan laws precedents.” that commit this policy determinaThe Michigan case comes on tion to the voters,” he said. the heels of a high court decision ‘Unique obstacles’ last year concerning affirmaIn 2006, Michigan voters ap- tive action at the University of proved a measure prohibiting Texas. the state’s public universities In that case, justices elected and schools from “discriminating not to rule on the constitutionalagainst or granting preferential ity of using race and ethnicity in treatment for any individual or admissions, instructing a lower group on the basis of race, sex, color, court to take another look at the ethnicity, or national origin.” sensitive matter. Known as Proposition 2, the meaCourt challenges sure was struck down by an appeals Affirmative action was first court, and the case reached the Su- introduced in the early 1960s preme Court. to combat racial discrimination Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who in government hiring, but has credits affirmative action for her own rise to Princeton University despite her Puerto Rican family’s limited circumstances, wrote an impassioned dissent. Sotomayor argued that the conWASHINGTON, D.C. – Gramstitution guarantees “that the ma- my Award-winning violinist, jority may not win by stacking the Joshua Bell and Glee and Broadpolitical process against minor- way star sensation, Darren Criss join multi-award-winning Broadway artist Lea Salonga, Hollywood actor Lou Diamond Phillips, tenor Rodell Rosel, Christine Rocas of Joffrey Ballet, singer Apl.de.ap of Black Eyed Peas and a host of other celebrities will come together in the nation’s capital for a benefit concert for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. The Philippine Embassy said the concert, dubbed “After the Storm,” will be staged at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, 15 June 2014. The concert is being held in cooperation with the US-Philippines Society and the Philippine Humanitarian Coalition, directed by Broadway’s Baayork Lee and produced by Emmy-nominated producer, Robert Pullen. “This benefit concert intends to bring attention to the invalu-
since been the subject of numerous court challenges. In 2003, the court ruled that universities could consider factors such as race and sex in admissions but ruled out as unconstitutional a strict point system such as that used by the University of Michigan Law School. Sotomayor warned of the broader implications of Tuesday’s ruling in her dissenting opinion. “Today’s decision eviscerates an important strand of our equal protection jurisprudence,” she said. “For members of historically marginalized groups, which rely on the federal courts to protect their constitutional rights, the decision can hardly bolster hope for a vision of democracy that preserves for all the right to participate meaningfully and equally in self-government,” she said. Civil rights groups also expressed disappointment. “This case is ultimately about
whether students of color in Michigan are allowed to compete on the same playing field as all other students. Today, the Supreme Court said they are not,” said Leticia Smith-Evans of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, said the ruling “places roadblocks on the critical efforts to ensure that our public universities are places where a fair and equal exchange of ideas from a variety of perspectives and viewpoints is encouraged, not compromised.” Justice Kennedy acknowledged that debate on issues such as racial preferences “all too often may shade into rancor.” “But that does not justify removing certain court-determined issues from the voters’ reach,” he said. “Democracy does not presume that some subjects are either too divisive or too profound for public debate.”
World renowned violinist, Joshua Bell And Glee Star, Darren Criss added to the all-star line-up typhoon Haiyan tribute concert able and necessary efforts of recovery for the people of the Philippines who were affected by Haiyan,” said Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr., who conceived the project with his wife, Mrs. Maria Victoria Cuisia. The concert, which will take place in the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall, will benefit storm victims through partner organizations committed to the rebuilding of the devastation that has occurred in the Philippines. “As the world’s attention is gradually drawn away from the devastation in the central Philippines, we are reminded that formidable challenges remain for millions of families displaced by the most powerful tropical storm ever to make landfall,” said Ambassador John F. Maisto, President of the US-Philippines Society. “The Kennedy Center benefit evening will help those people reconstruct homes and schools, restart businesses, restore livelihoods, and regain access to health facilities,” Ambassador Maisto added.
The evening will feature celebrity appearances and performances together with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra conducted by Luke Frazier and the Broadway Community Chorus founded by Broadway legend Baayork Lee. It will also include a series of video messages of hope from celebrities and other personalities from around the world. Among the first to confirm their participation in the concert was the Manila-based Lea Salonga, who won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards for her appearance in Miss Saigon. Salonga is the first Asian actress to play the roles of Éponine and Fantine in Les Miserables on Broadway. She portrayed both roles on the musical’s 10th and 25th anniversary shows in London respectively. She also provided the singing voice of two official Disney princesses: Jasmine in Aladdin (1992) and Fa Mulan in Mulan (1998) and Mulan II (2004). Also participating in the concert is FilipinoAmerican actor Lou Diamond Phillips who is best known for his breakout starring role in the movie La Bamba as Ritchie Valens. He earned a supporting actor Golden Globe Award nomination for his role in Stand and Deliver and a Tony Award nomination for his role in The King and I. Other notable films in which Phillips has starred include Courage Under Fire, Che, and Love Takes Wing. Grammy Awardwinning artist, Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas will also perform in the concert. The Philippineborn artist, whose real names is Allan Pineda, is known for his philanthropic and humanitarian work through his Apl. de.ap Foundation. Also performing is Chicago-based tenor, Rodell Rosel, who has been hailed as one of the best young opera singers of his generation. Rosel performs regularly with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and has appeared in several operatic performances around the US. He recently finished a stint at the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico and made his debut performance at the Metropolitan Opera in New York early this year.
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7 New York fest medals for GMA Network GMA Network once again brought honor to the country by clinching seven world medals at the recently concluded 2014 New York Festivals International TV & Film Awards. Among the Filipino awardees, the Kapuso Network went home with the most number of awards – eleven in total, including four finalist certificates—and sent the biggest contingent to the recognition ceremonies held last April 8 at the 2014 NAB Show in Las Vegas. Weekday news magazine program Tunay na Buhay led GMA Network’s esteemed list of winners with its Gold World Medal in the Community Portraits category. The winning entry “Mga Sanggol at Langaw” episode featured the subhuman conditions in the slums of Tondo, Manila where majority of the residents barely make a living out of scavenging among mountains of trash. Meanwhile, its high regard for culture and history made the children’s show Tropang Potchi a big winner in the Children/Youth Program category, bringing home a Silver World Medal for the episode “Talaandig Tribe,” which brought forth to public consciousness the customs and traditions of the Talaandig Tribe of Bukidnon. GMA News TV’s Reel Time triumphed with its documentary titled “Silang Wala sa Mapa,” a story on how the B’laan indigenous people of Mindanao survived generations without modern medicine, giving the program a Silver World Medal in the Community Service Program category. Also a Pea-
Catholic Priest jailed for possessing pornographic images of boys PITTSBURGH, April 25, 2014 – A Catholic priest has been sentenced in federal court to 36 months in prison, followed by 12 years’ supervised release, on his conviction of possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today. United States District Judge Nora Barry Fischer imposed the sentence on David Dzermejko, 65, of Braddock, Pennsylvania. According to information presented to the court, Dzermejko, a Catholic priest, possessed on January 11, 2013, in excess of 100 photographs in computer graphics files depicting the sexual exploitation of pubescent and prepubescent boys. The child pornography was found on various computers and computerrelated equipment taken from Dzermejko’s former residence on Morange Road, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, following the execution of a search warrant. Dzermejko had been viewing child pornography for more than 10 years, had acquired the images online from various websites, and had traveled on numerous occasions to Thailand where he engaged in sexual encounters with teen boys, some of whom he thereafter maintained an online relationship with. Assistant United States Attorney Carolyn J. Bloch prosecuted this case on behalf of the government. U.S. Attorney Hickton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, detectives of the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office, and other officers of the Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Dzermejko. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
body awardee, Reel Time has been a constant contender in the New York Festivals, winning a Silver World Medal for its “Salat” episode in 2013
and receiving Finalist Certificates for its “Lusong” and “Tira” episodes in 2012.
News magazine program Brigada, in turn, took home the Silver World Medal in the Community Portraits category for its “Gintong Krudo at Sipa ng Pag-asa” stories. Reporter Micaela Papa showed the story of impoverished children who swim through the filthy waters of the Navotas Fish Port to collect and sell spilled petroleum oil in “Gintong Krudo”; while Steve Dailisan’s “Sipa ng Pag-asa” told of an inspiring report on
the lives of young garbage collectors in
Reel Time’s Silang Wala sa Mapa Executive Producer: Jayson Bernard B. Santos, Brigada’s Sipa ng Pagasa Reporter: Steve F. Dailisan, Brigada’s Gintong Krudo Reporter: Micaela P. Papa, Brigada’s Program Manager: Lee Joseph M. Castel, Tunay na Buhay’s Program Manager: Lloyd V. Navera, News TV QRT Anchor: Rodrigo “Jiggy” D. Manicad, Jr., Front Row’s Lusong Dunong Executive Producer: Joseph Conrad P. Rubio, Front Row’s Lusong Dunong Segment Producer: Nica Cellini Catanes, Senior AVP for Public Affairs: Leogarda S. Matias, AVP for Public Affairs: Neil B. Gumban. Right photo shows Senior AVP for Entertainment Gigi Santiago-Lara, Ms Elvira Go of Columbia International Food Products, Inc (makers of Potchi candy) and Louie Ignacio, director of Tropang Potchi.
Payatas who dream to rise from poverty through football. News TV Quick Response Team won the Bronze World Medal in the Best Coverage of Breaking News category for its live on-the-ground reportage, led by anchor Jiggy Manicad, of the Zamboanga siege. Front Row, likewise, was presented the Bronze World Medal in the Community Portraits category for the episode “Lusong Dunong,” a story on the pupils and teachers of San Esteban Elementary School in Pampanga who hold classes in flooded rooms. GMA News’ advocacy campaign for a well-informed 2013 elections dubbed “Dapat Tama,” meanwhile, was given the Bronze World Medal in the Music Video Category.
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Artist Lynda A. N. Reyes exhibits again in Berkeley, California
Reyes Lynda AN-Gardenias for Mom-oil-18x24 jpg
Reyes Lynda AN-California Poppies
FilAm artist Lynda A. N. Reyes from Los Angeles continues her participation as an exhibiting artist in the Expressions Gallery in Berkeley, California with 4 paintings chosen for the Spring Forward Exhibit starting April 26 until July 11, 2014. Three transparent watercolor paintings titled
“A Covey of Colors”, “California Poppies” and “Birds of Paradise” and an oil painting titled “Gardenias for Mom” fit beautifully in this themed exhibit ushering the spring season. This is Lynda’s second participation at the Expressions Gallery. In January of this year, she participated in the Homelessness Exhibit with an oil painting titled “Scavenger’s Loot”, a stark depiction of poverty and homelessness in modern times. The artist states: “Through my art, I want to interact with my viewers and to share with them what I have experienced. When the viewers participate, only then can I say my painting is done! My hands, mind and heart all work in unison to spark the awe the viewers experience in their initial encounter with any of my artworks.” Lynda paints representational subjects in oil and watercolor and accepts portrait commissions in both media. As a master watercolorist Lynda has been represented in published books and catalogs. To note, her “California Grandpa” has been published in Splash 14, a book series dedicated to high quality watercolor paintings from accomplished artists all over the world. Lynda taught Art History in several community colleges in LA area, including Glendale, Santa Monica and Pasadena colleges. She is known in the international academia for her pioneering book titled “The Textiles of Southern Philippines” and her published studies in Philippine ethnic art. This seminal book is in the collection of 141 libraries of major universities and museums all over the world. She was a recipient of an International Fellowship Award from the American Association of University Women and has won awards and recognition both as an artist and art historian. In 2010, her landscape in oil titled “Dusk at Port Hueneme” was chosen as finalist in the 27th Annual Art Competition of the Artist’s Magazine. This national competition received a total of 6400 entries from all over the US. Lynda has participated in 23 juried exhibits since 2008, including 2 museum exhibits, one at the National Steinbeck Museum in Salinas, California in 2012 and the other at the Kenosha Public Museum in Wisconsin in 2013. Her out-of-state participation in International and national exhibits in Canada, Kentucky, Maryland, Wisconsin, Colorado and New York has accelerated her integration into mainstream American art. For more information please visit www. Expressionsgallery. org. The artist can be reached at Lyndaanreyes@gmail.com and her panoply of works can be seen online at www. Lyndaanreyes.com.
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Carmina on seeing BB: Ang awkward talaga Maja Salvador
Maja finally opens up about Kim
Maja Salvador has finally opened up about fellow ABS-CBN contract artist Kim Chiu, with whom she recently reconciled after a year of estrangement over actor Gerald Anderson. Salvador was asked about the reconciliation on the sidelines of a photo shoot for local clothing line Petit Monde, which has renewed its endorsement contract with the actress for a fourth year. “Sobrang saya,” the 25-year-old actress said of Anderson, who is now also in good terms with Chiu, his former girlfriend. “Alam kong hindi lang sila, ako, kami, alam kong kayong lahat.” “Kasi siguro lahat iyon ang pinagdadasal, and ‘di ba, walang binibigay ‘yung Diyos... ‘Yung dasal mo, ibibigay at ibibigay niya. Tamang timing lang,” she said. Salvador and Chiu were known to be close friends until January 2013 when the “Ikaw Lamang” star expressed regret that their friendship went to waste, following reports of a blooming relationship between Salvador and Anderson. The two have since confirmed being a couple. Chiu and Anderson, who were a popular onscreen couple for four years, controversially ended their real-life relationship in 2010. At the time Chiu and Salvador had a falling out, the two actresses were starring in the series, “Ina, Kapatid, Anak,” which ended its run in June 2013. Several reports surfaced saying Chiu and Salvador, while professional on the series’ set, were no long in speaking terms. “At iyon, ito ‘yung time na hinihintay naming lahat dumating na,” said Salvador, who had been vocal of her hopes to make amends with Chiu. Asked if she exerted effort to reach out to Chiu in the past year, Salvador said, “Oo naman, sa lahat ng bagay, ‘di ba? Kailangan mo mag-effort, e. Parang may mga efforts ka dati, hindi nag-wo-work, pero huwag ka mag-give up. Try mo lang nang i-try until, iyon nga, darating ‘yung time. At iyon, dumating ‘yung time.” “Kailangan [gumawa ng effort], kasi, siyempre, ‘di ba, sa sitwasyon naman namin, may mga pagkakamali kaming lahat. Hindi mo kailangan magtaas pa ng pride. Dapat isa talaga sa inyo [ay gumawa ng effort],” she added. The reconciliation reportedly happened in late March, when Chiu and Salvador bumped into each other at a gym. Salvador asked Chiu through text message if they could talk. When asked why she had been persistent in communicating with Chiu, Salvador said, smiling, “Kahit ano pa kasing ikot ng mundo, kung mahalaga sa iyo ang isang tao, darating at darating ang araw na kailangan mong um-effort ulit.”
Actress-host Carmina Villaroel admitted that she felt awkward after seeing her former husband Rustom Padilla, who is now known as BB Gandanghari, during the debut party of teen star Kathryn Bernardo last month. Villaroel was Bernardo’s costar in the hit series “Got to Believe.” Gandanghari, on the other hand, is the uncle of Daniel Padilla, Bernardo’s leading man. Villaroel said she felt “very
tense” when she realized that all eyes were on her and Gandanghari when they arrived at Bernardo’s party. The actress said she is thankful that Gandanghari did not approach her that night. “Kaya siguro okay din na hindi na siya lumapit. Respect din kay Kathryn kasi parang it was her night. Darating din naman siya [sa tamang panahon]. Medyo na-tense lang ako, kasi noong
dumating siya parang lahat ng tao nakatingin sa akin, sa amin. [Kasama ko noon] family ko, si Zoren and ‘yung twins,” Villaroel said. “Lahat na-tense talaga. Lahat na-tense for me. Buti na lang, ganoon na lang. Ang awkward talaga. Naniniwala ako sa perfect timing. Darating naman ‘yon, huwag nating ipilit,” she stressed. Villaroel and Gandanghari tied the knot in 1994, but separated
Carmina Villaroel
in 1996. Their marriage was annulled in 2002. Gandanghari came out of the closet on television a few years later. (MNS)
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Diabetes research: Good news for caffeine addicts? (PARIS-AFP) – People who boosted their coffee intake by “moderate to large” doses in a US-based study had a lower risk for adult-onset diabetes than those with stable consumption, researchers said Friday. An analysis of studies that tracked the diet and lifestyles of more than 120,000 health sector workers, showed that those who increased their daily caffeine dose by about 1.5 cups a day over a four-year period had an 11-percent lower chance in the subsequent four years of developing type 2 diabetes, the team found. This was in comparison to those whose intake remained constant. “Furthermore, those who had moderate to large decreases in intake (about two cups a day) had an 18 percent higher risk,” a research team in Diabetologia, the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. “Changes in coffee consumption habit appear to affect diabetes risk in a relatively short amount of time,” concluded the team led by Shilpa Bhupathiraju of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Those with the highest coffee consumption, three cups or more per day, had the lowest risk of type 2 diabetes -- 37 percent lower than those who consumed a cup or less per day, said the paper, backing other studies that linked coffee to lower diabetes risk. The findings were based on monitoring more than 95,000 women enrolled in two nurses’ health studies in the United States, and nearly 28,000 male
New research found that those with the highest coffee consumption, three cups or more per day, had the lowest risk of type 2 diabetes – 37 percent lower than those who consumed a cup or less per day. ©Warren Goldswain/shutterstock.com
participants in a separate health professionals’ study. It measured their consumption patterns for four years, and then looked at subsequent diagnoses of type 2 diabetes. The outcome may reflect a “true change in risk”, but may also be explained by people cutting out coffee after being diagnosed with conditions like high blood pressure or elevated cholesterol associated with risk for type 2 diabetes, said the study authors – one of whom had received funding from coffee-vending company Nestec for a different study. Experts who analysed the new research for the Science Media Centre, said the team had merely evaluated potential short-term benefits and provided no evidence that long-term coffee intake lowered diabetes risk. The research measured changes in consumption rather
than absolute intake, said the analysts. “No recommendations for coffee intake can be derived from this paper,” said a summary, adding the statistical analysis of the data was “potentially misleading”. The researchers had found that neither changes in consumption of tea, nor of decaffeinated coffee, was associated with risk of type 2 diabetes – a high blood sugar disease often linked to obesity.
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MOTORING Google says it’s driving forward on autonomous car SAN FRANCISCO, April 28, 2014 (AFP) – Google said Monday it has made progress on its self-driving car and was “more optimistic” about its goal of developing a vehicle that can operate “without human intervention.” In a blog post, Google said that since its last update in August 2012, “we’ve logged thousands of miles on the streets of our hometown of Mountain View, California” to refine the software needed for autonomous vehicles. Google, which has been testing self-driving cars since 2010, said it has overcome some of the obstacles in urban driving. “A mile of city driving is much more complex than a mile of freeway driving, with hundreds of different objects moving according to different rules of the road in a small area,” said the post from Chris Urmson, head of Google’s self-driving car project. “We’ve improved our software so it can detect hundreds of distinct objects simultaneously – pedestrians, buses, a stop sign held up by a crossing guard, or a cyclist making gestures that indi-
cate a possible turn. A self-driving vehicle can pay attention to all of these things in a way that a human physically can’t – and it never gets tired or distracted.” Google posted a video on its blog which illustrated how the autonomous car navigates through construction zones, detects pedestrians and cyclists, and handles railroad crossings, for example. “As it turns out, what looks chaotic and random on a city street to the human eye is actually fairly predictable to a computer,” Urmson said. “We still have lots of problems to solve, including teaching the car to drive more streets in Mountain View before we tackle another town, but thousands of situations on city streets that would have stumped us two years ago can now be navigated autonomously. Our vehicles have now logged nearly 700,000 autonomous miles, and with every passing mile we’re growing more optimistic that we’re heading toward an achievable goal – a vehicle that operates fully without human intervention.”
An Iconic Image for City Streets: Google’s autonomous cars. Google’s cars have clocked up 700,000 autonomous miles. ©Google Inc
A Mini that’s ready for anything
MINI Paceman Adventure. The car has permanent four-wheel drive. ©BMW Group/ Mini
(Relaxnews) – The Paceman Adventure concept is what happens when design apprentices at BMW’s plant in Munich and Dingolfing are told to let their imaginations run free. Starting with a standard Paceman coupé, the young designers have done away with half of the car in order to create a Mini Pick Up complete with permanent four-wheel drive and a turbocharged engine.
To maximize cargo space in the back, what little is left of the car’s roof gets a permanent rack for carrying a spare wheel. And even though this is little more than a concept, the team responsible has overhauled the suspension set-up and boosted the ground clearance so that the car really could cope with everything from muddy fields to fording rivers – it even has a snorkel to ensure water-free air can
still get to the engine when the vehicle is partially submerged. The effect is topped off by a row of roof-mounted spotlights and a coat of ‘Jungle Green’ metallic paint. And as cool and fun as the finished concept looks, Mini’s parent company BMW is very quick to stress that the Paceman Adventure is a true one-off and won’t be going into production.
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to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia, Obama has repeatedly warned that small nations should not be bullied by larger ones, a clear reference to China’s increasingly sharp geopolitical elbows. “Disputes need to be resolved peacefully, without intimidation or coercion, and... all nations must abide by international rules and international norms,” Obama said in Malaysia Sunday. Opening his trip, Obama made clear that US defense treaties with Japan did cover disputed islands long administered by Tokyo in the East China Sea, which are known as the Senkakus in Japan and Diaoyus in China. The Philippines has its own territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea – notably over the Second Thomas Shoal, an outpost in the remote Spratly Islands. US officials have not been so specific over their obligations towards Manila on territorial disputes – but it is
clear they do not believe they are covered by the American Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines. “With respect to some of the difficult territorial issues that are being worked through, it is hard to speculate on those because they involve hypothetical situations in the South China Sea,” said deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes. “The US-Japan agreement has very specific coverage of territory under Japanese administration. “Some of the disputes in the South China Sea raise more hypothetical circumstances.” In essence, the difference lies in the fact that Japan already administers the Senkakus/Diaoyus while the status of other islands and reefs is disputed – even though they lie within the Philippines’ internationally mandated exclusive economic zone and far closer to Filipino landmass than Chinese.
OBAMA From page 1
South and East China Sea have been a constant theme of Obama’s tour of countries which fear being squeezed by the giant nation’s emergence as a regional superpower. Obama faced a delicate task in Manila as he sought to reassure an ally concerned about an increasingly assertive China, but to avoid worsening tense Sino-US ties by antagonizing leaders in Beijing. “We welcome China’s peaceful rise. We have a constructive relationship with China,” Obama said at a press conference with Philippine President Benigno Aquino. “Our goal is not to counter China. Our goal is not to contain China,” Obama said, taking on suspicions in Beijing that his policy of rebalancing power towards the Asia-Pacific was tantamount to encirclement. The US leader said that Washington did not take a position on the sovereignty of disputed territories variously claimed by China, Malaysia, Japan, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam. But he said that, as an AsiaPacific nation, the United States was interested in the freedom of navigation and the peaceful resolution of disputes. “As a matter of international law and international norms, we don’t think coercion and intimida-
tion is the way to manage these disputes.” Obama strongly backed Aquino’s bid to take his country’s territorial disputes with China – including over the Second Thomas Shoal, an outpost in the Spratly Islands – to international arbitration – a step Beijing opposes. New era in US-PHL defense ties The new defense pact is a framework agreement that will pave the way for more US troops and ships to rotate through the Philippines, and for the United States to place military hardware on Filipino bases. Although there are already regular joint war games on Philippine soil and US naval visits, the agreement heralds a new era in defence ties between the longtime allies after the Philippines closed two of America’s biggest Asian bases in 1992. Obama stressed that the pact would not result in new US bases in the Philippines but would expand US access to airfields and ports to allow forces from the two sides to train together—including for natural disasters. The arrangement is similar to a deal with Australia to base up to 2,500 US Marines in the northern city of Darwin, a key plank in Obama’s pivot to Asia strategy which previously irked China.
the islet after it was seized by invading troops, he said in a statement. “This was the biggest naval gathering near the islet since 2000 when the marines were replaced by coastguards,” Lin said after a closed-door committee meeting. “This was also the first time since then that regular troops stepped on the islet,” he said, describing the drill as “of special significance”. Defence ministry spokesman David Lo confirmed the exercise but gave no
details. Taiping island is currently guarded by a 130-strong coastguard. All claimants to the Spratlys, apart from Brunei and Taiwan, have troops based on the archipelago of more than 100 islets, reefs and atolls, which cover a vast area but have a total land mass of less than five square kilometers (two square miles). The potentially resource-rich sea, home to important trade routes, is a potential military flashpoint. There have
been a series of diplomatic rows between countries with overlapping territorial claims in recent years. The Philippines and Vietnam have complained that China is becoming increasingly aggressive in its actions in the area – such as harassing fishermen – and also through bullying diplomatic tactics. Taiwan has strengthened its defence capabilities in the disputed area, including expanding a pier and deploying long-range artillery and mortars.
the casino’s American managers last year. Bloomberry announced in September that it had terminated the management contract of Las Vegas-based Global Gaming Asset Management for a breach of contract, in a dispute that was referred to international arbitrators in Singapore. “This is proof positive that the group, without a third-party management company, has the ability and the acumen to manage an integrated resort,” Razon said. As part of its commitments to win a gaming license, Bloomberry committed to building an “integrated resort” which offered
a wide range of family entertainment and not just gambling. However Bloomberry said 95.7 percent of its revenues from January to March came from gaming, with just 3.9 percent from its food, beverage and hotel business. Retail and others income made up 0.4 percent of revenues. Razon said the past year was spent “building our core business”, and that the other elements of an integrated resort would open in the fourth quarter of this year. The second of the four gaming resorts, called the City of Dreams Manila and run by Macau-based Melco Crown Entertainment, is due to open this year.
SOLAIRE From page 1
$1.2-billion Solaire on reclaimed land on Manila Bay on March 16 last year. It was the first of four, billiondollar casinos to rise on the government property as part of the government’s bid to become Asia’s third major gambling hub alongside Macau and Singapore. The gaming resorts are a key part of the Philippines’ bid to raise annual tourist arrivals to 10 million by 2016, from 4.68 million last year. Razon, one of the country’s richest men and the majorityshareholder of Bloomberry, emphasized Solaire achieved the early turn to profits after firing
CATHOLICS
TOYOTA
From page 1
From page 1
North America region, in a statement. Lentz said the consolidation of the region’s business affiliates and leaders in one location would bring a host of benefits, including speedier decision-making and improvement in best practices. “Ultimately, enabling greater collaboration and efficiencies across Toyota will help us become a more dynamic, innovative and successful organization in North America,” he said. The moves from the three current hubs will affect about 4,000 employees and will begin with small groups in the coming months. Most employees will not move until the construction of the new headquarters is completed, estimated in late 2016 or early 2017. The move to Plano will affect 2,000 employees at Toyota Motor Sales, USA, in Torrance, California; 1,000 employees at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America,
Inc. in Erlanger, Kentucky; and certain employees at Toyota Motor North America in New York City. A move for Toyota Financial Services, based in Torrance, was not planned until 2017, affecting 1,000 employees. The automaker, which supports non-profits and community organizations in California and Kentucky, pledged to provide $10 million in continued funding over a five-year period beginning in 2017 “over and above existing commitments.” After the moves, Toyota will continue to have 2,300 employees in California and 8,200 employees in Kentucky. Toyota said its 10 manufacturing plants in the US would not be impacted by the changes. But it said a number of other units would not be affected “at this time”—including operating units in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, and distribution centers.
ed walking in his direction, regaining composure just in time to capture an image of the pope tightly embracing a student. “I now have a straight line” to God, Sarmiento said of the new saint. The student in the photograph, Henry Tenedero, said he had been chosen to deliver a message to John Paul II by the Manila archdiocese but military generals under then dictator Ferdinand Marcos had tried to prevent him from approaching the pope. “I was strictly advised by the generals to go back to my chair after my speech,” Tenedero said. “I saw the Pope smiling, as if to say, ‘come here’, so I did, and then (I got) the big hug.” Five years later, Marcos’ 20-year regime crumbled following a “people power” revolution backed by local Catholic church leaders. More than 80 percent of the Philippines’ 100 million population are Catholics, and the Church remains a major influence on daily life.
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