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Vol. 3. No. 12

LOS ANGELES

A Balita Media Publication

Wednesday - Tuesday, December 4-10, 2013

US rejects China air zone BEIJING, November 30, 2013 (AFP) – US military chiefs insist they will not change their operations despite a move by China to scramble fighter jets to monitor American and Japanese aircraft in Beijing’s newly declared air defence zone.

But the State Department said US commercial airlines should observe China’s demand to be given notice of aircraft entering the zone, while stating that compliance “does not indicate US government acceptance of China’s requirements”.

China flew warplanes into its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Friday, Chinese state media said, nearly a week after it announced the zone, which covers islands at the centre of a dispute between Beijing and Tokyo, raising regional tensions.

The Xinhua report indicated that Japan and the United States are continuing to disregard China’s demands that aircraft submit flight plans when traversing the area in the East China Sea or face unspecified “defensive emergency measures”.

“We have flights routinely transit-

ing international airspace throughout the Pacific, including the area China is including in their ADIZ,” Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said on Friday.

“These flights are consistent with long-standing and well-known US freedom of navigation policies that are applied in many areas of operation around the world. I can confirm that the US has and will continue to operate in the area as normal.”

Compliance by commercial flights “does not indicate US government acceptance of China’s requirements for operating in the newly declared ADIZ,” the State Department said in a statement.

Japanese airlines, under pressure from Tokyo, stopped following China’s new rules on Wednesday, after initially complying.

Chinese air force spokesman Shen Jinke earlier said that several combat aircraft were scrambled to “verify the identities” of US and Japanese aircraft entering the air defence zone, according to Xinhua.

See US REJECTS, page 10

PHILIPPINE SEA (Nov. 28, 2013) The aircraft carrier USS George Washington, center-right, leads the George Washington Carrier Strike Group and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ships in tactical maneuver training during the Annual Exercise (AnnualEx) 13. AnnualEx 13 is designed to increase the defensive readiness and interoperability of Japanese and U.S. Naval forces through training in air and sea operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ricardo R. Guzman/Released)

Fast and Furious’ actor Paul Walker was raising money for PHL

Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon inspects on Thursday (Nov. 28, 2013) one of the firearms declared as abandoned goods by the Bureau of Customs and are now ready for disposition by the government. Since nobody claimed the shipment, it was stored by the BOC at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Cargo Warehouse in Paranaque City. With Biazon in photo are NAIA Deputy Collector Francisco Matugas, NAIA Operations Chief Lt. Regie Tuazon, and NAIA District Commander Marlon Alameda. (MNS photo)

Biazon, 33 others charged in pork scam MANILA, Nov 29 (Mabuhay) – The Department of Justice is filing malversation, graft and bribery charges against 34 individuals including former Muntinlupa congressman and now Customs chief Rozzano Rufino Biazon, and seven former congressmen, for their alleged links to the P10 billion pork barrel scam.

In a press briefing, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the 34 individuals include 7 former congressmen, 2 representatives or agents of the congressmen, 3 heads of implementing agencies, 2 presidents of non-government organizations linked to businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, 7

‘LOS ANGELES, December 1, 2013 (AFP) – Fans and fellow actors on Sunday mourned the death of Paul Walker, best known as undercover agent Brian O’Connor in the “Fast and Furious” action movies, in a fiery car crash in California.

Walker, 40, appeared in all but one of the six movies in the popular franchise, and was a leading protagonist along with Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez.

“It is with a truly heavy heart that we must confirm that Paul Walker passed away today in a tragic car accident while attending a charity event for his organization Reach Out Worldwide,” the late actor’s publicists wrote on his See PAUL WALKER, page 6

other officials and employees of implementing agencies and 12 resident Commission on Audit auditors of these implementing agencies.

Four congressmen were removed from the list as they are now dead.

Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam, is also included in the second batch of cases in the PDAF scam. The first batch of cases filed before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the pork barrel scam included 39 individuals including Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla.

See BIAZON, page 10

DFA urges Filipinos to avoid non-essential travel to Thailand MANILA, Dec 3 (Mabuhay) – The Department of Foreign Affairs is urging Pinoys to defer non-essential travel to Thailand amid unrest in the Thai capital.

“We ask the Filipino community in Thailand to heed the request of the Thai government and for our nationals to refrain from nonessential travel to Thailand at this time,” DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said.

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, travel agencies said they were cancelling most package tours to Bangkok because of anti-government protests.

The Hong Kong government issued a “red” outbound travel alert on Bangkok, the second highest in its three-tier warning system, while other Asian countries urged citizens to exercise caution as turmoil continued on the streets.

Hong Kong is particularly sensitive to the safety of its tourists.

A travel alert on the Philippines remains in place three years after a hostage crisis in Manila killed eight Hong Kong residents.

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson

President Benigno S. Aquino III inspects the newly repaired Abatan Bridge in Barangay Lingkod in the Municipality of Maribojoc in Bohol on Thursday (November 28).

The Abatan Bridge links northern towns of Bohol with the capital city of Tagbilaran was reopened to traffic after 18 days of infrastructure works. Bohol was rocked by a magnitude 7.2 tremor that killed over 220 and toppled over 2,000 homes and buildings on October 15. (MNS photo)

Yolanda death toll rises to 5,632, damage now at P30B – NDRRMC MANILA, Nov. 30 (Mabuhay) – The death toll from super typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) rose to 5,632 while the cost of damage also went up to P30 billion, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Saturday.

The death toll is broken into: Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces), 3; Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), 19; Bicol, 7; Western Visayas, 238; Central Visayas, 74; Eastern Visayas, 5,289; Zamboanga Peninsula, 1; and Caraga,1.

The NDRRMC also said 26,136 people were injured while 1,759 remain missing.

At least 2,335,031 families or 10,999,244 individuals were af-

fected in 12,094 villages in 44 provinces. Of these, 48,084 families or 218,512 people are still staying in 1,084 evacuation centers.

Damage caused by Yolanda was estimated at P30.600 billion, including P15.620 billion in infrastructure and P14.980 billion in agriculture.

The NDRRMC noted increases in damage to roads and bridges at P12.769 billion, while school facilities has P2.309 billion and to crops (P5.948 billion), livestock (P2.213 billion), fisheries (P2.259 billion), and other agricultural infrastructure (P1.65 billion).

The NDRRMC said the number of destroyed houses has reached 1,168,909 including 582,827 deSee DEATH TOLL, page 10

Child trafficking feared in Yolanda-hit areas Lacson is a MANILA, Nov 29 (Mabuhay) for three weeks after Yolanda, very good – Three weeks after Typhoon many of them children. battered the Visayas, Authorities are not discounting choice – Angara Yolanda three-year-old Tarin Sustento has the possibility that some of these

MANILA, Dec. 2 (Mabuhay) – Former Senator Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson was a very good choice to oversee the rehabilitation efforts in the areas devastated by super typhoon Yolanda last November 8, according to Senator Juan Edgardo Angara.

Angara believed that Lacson would not fail President Benigno Aquino III and the Filipino people as ‘rehabilitation czar.’ ”His record of honesty will certainly help erase doubts on his capability to ably handle the sensitivity of the position. We wish Sen. Ping luck,” Angara said in a

See LACSON, page 10

yet to be found.

A resident of Leyte province, Sustento, whose parents and grandparents were among the over 5,000 killed in one of the country’s greatest disaster, was swept away by a storm surge at the height of the super typhoon.

His aunt, Genevieve BindoWilcockson, said she has spent days scouring Tacloban’s evacuation centers in search of him.

Daily pleas for information on his whereabouts are also posted on the internet. But these actions have yet to yield positive results.

Sustento is just one of the over 1,000 who are still unaccounted

missing children have fallen victims to child trafficking.

Carin van der Hor, the Philippines’ director for the aid agency Plan International, said in a crisis like Yolanda, “the risk of child trafficking is estimated to about 10 percent.”

“That scares us a lot,” she said at a press conference on Friday.

She noted that while roads and transportation in affected areas have improved and become accessible, “it also means that the doors are also open to trafficking.”

Van der Hor, however, said they have yet to confirm any inSee CHILD-TRAFFICKING, page 10

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Wednesday - Tuesday, December 4 - 10, 2013

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Gov’t to spend P40.9 billion to rehabilitate hard-hit areas in Visayas Region MANILA, Nov 30 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III and his Cabinet ironed out government programs aimed at immediately rehabilitating typhoon-affected areas in Eastern Visayas, a Palace official said on Saturday.

In a statement Saturday, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the government priority areas are the localities within the 50-kilometer zone from the eye of Typhoon Yolanda that struck Eastern Visayas and nearby regions.

Included in this first-priority zone are 171 municipalities in 14 provinces and six regions, Coloma said over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan.

These municipalities cover 4,971 barangays in an area of 25,000 square kilometers with an estimated total population 6.6 million as of 2010, he said. He added that the DOST is conducting continuing analysis of satellite images to guide on-ground assessment of actual needs.

The Cabinet discussion also focused on providing livelihood to families affected by the typhoon that needs to be done immediately, he said.

Within the priority areas, the major aspects of rehabilitation and reconstruction included housing and resettlement, reconstruction of economic and social infrastructure; restoring government and public services as well as focusing on agriculture and fisheries.

The government thrust is also geared towards re-energizing local economic development through livelihood and employ-

ment, he reported.

The government also assessed the budgetary needs of the rehabilitation process, Coloma said.

The President emphasized the importance of fine-tuning budget estimates to ensure that every peso is spent wisely, considering the magnitude of government expenditures not just for postYolanda rehabilitation and for other calamities (including Zamboanga, Bohol and Central Luzon, post-Santi).

The Cabinet revised its initial estimate of P38.8 billion to P40.9 billion rehabilitation budget after factoring in the requirements for local government buildings and facilities, police and fire stations, and public markets.

The sectoral allocations are as follows: shelter and public infrastructure (including roads, bridges, airport, port and other facilities), 67 percent; livelihood and employment (including support to agriculture and fisheries) 12 percent; local facilities, 11 per cent; social services, including health services, education and training, 9 percent.

These budget estimates will be subjected to further fine-tuning through on-ground validation of initial rapid assessment findings.

The President emphasized the need to ensure that basic needs of food and shelter are addressed adequately and in a timely manner, Coloma said.

The President wants forwardplanning to focus on strengthening the capabilities of the people, institutions, and structures to deal with the challenge of disasters as a result of climate change, he added. (MNS)

Only 3 of 54 schools in Tacloban survived ‘Yolanda’s’ wrath MANILA, Dec 3 (Mabuhay) – It may take awhile before some schools in Tacloban City may reopen due to the heavy damage the city sustained after super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) ravaged the Philippines on November 8. “Resumption of classes, I think that would be difficult in the next week or two. Baka January na,�

Tacloban City Mayor Alfred Romualdez said.

Only three out of 54 elementary and high schools in Tacloban City were not ruined after the typhoon hit.

At the San Jose Elementary School, most learning materials were either swept away or damaged due to the strong winds and storm surges.

The school also became an

evacuation center where hundreds of families fled to after the storm.

Since the evacuees have nowhere to go, the classrooms could not be used by students. “Halos ang isang room mga 10 to 15 families ‘yung nakatira. It’s so impossible pa na magkaroon ng klase. Kasi lahat ng mga rooms dito occupied. Kami nga, ‘yung mga teachers dito, walang lugar,� said San Jose Elementary School principal Monina Gabrino. ‘Soft opening’ On Monday, some schools in Tacloban City that could still operate tried to conduct classes.

But since teaching materials were swept away or damaged by the storm, the classes served as stress debriefing sessions.

MEMORIES THAT WILL LAST FOREVER.

President Benigno S. Aquino III presides over the Task Force Yolanda Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Plan Meeting at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room of the MalacaĂąan Palace on Friday (November 29). (MNS photo)

Post-Yolanda rehab difficult but doable – Lacson MANILA, Dec 2 (Mabuhay) – Former senator and now rehabilitation czar Panfilo Lacson on Monday said he believes the rehabilitation of areas destroyed by super typhoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) will be difficult but doable.

In a press forum, Lacson laid out the challenges of the reconstruction effort: 100% destruction of infrastructure in some places, the loss of lives and livelihoods and the loss of land titles in typhoon-hit areas.

The former senator said he consulted urban planners and architects on the reconstruction effort after President Aquino first offered him the job of rehabilitation czar last Friday. “Doable. They said it will be very hard but doable. The important word for me is doable. It is a huge challenge but when you see the destruction even on television, you will feel disheartened and a desire to help,� he told reporters.

He said he told the mayor of Guiuan, Samar that the destruction wrought by the super typhoon is an opportunity to set aright easements, zoning, structures and even building codes.

Lacson said he thanked President Aquino for the opportunity and trust in offering the rehabilitation czar post. “The only thing I asked the President is if it is possible to define the extent of my mandate and authority. It is very important. I learned in the military that authority must be commensurate to the responsibility,� he said.

Aquino earlier said he is interested in appointing Lacson, an ally, to a government post after the latter’s term in the Senate expired. Earlier reports said Lacson was being eyed to lead an agency against crime and corruption.

In the forum, Lacson admitted that he was enjoying his life of retirement from politics after his term lapsed last June 2013. “Forty-two years ako derecho sa gobyerno after graduating from the [Philip-

pine Military Academy] in 1971.

Tuloy-tuloy,� he said.

He said he expects a lot of work and a lot criticism to come his way for accepting the post. “Maraming trabaho at maraming batikos ito,� he said.

Lacson cited politics and dynamics as the two immediate obstacles in the Yolanda reconstruction effort.

He said the super typhoon destroyed public records in Tacloban City including land titles, which opens up opportunities for land grabbers. “Kung walang titles ng lupa at wala na ang mohon, how will you establish ownership of land there?

What I did was I went to the head of the [Land Registration Authority] and asked about the computerization. I know that will be the biggest challenge. How can you restore houses and government buildings if you don’t know the owners of the land,� he said.

He also said new zoning codes could affect landowners who own properties near Tacloban’s coastline.

Lacson also laid out several of his objectives in the Yolanda-hit areas including rebuilding of infrastructures such as houses, government buildings, roads, airports and seaports; the restoration of livelihoods and social restoration.

A drive to raise more funds above the P40.9 billion already allocated for the effort is also in his agenda, he said. The biggest challenge, however, is to ensure that there is no wastage of the rehabilitation funds, Lacson said. “Dapat zero waste ang pondo...I want to be consultative. May harmony, walang away,� he said.

He warned politicians that they could face sanctions if they interfere in the use of the funds. “Bahala sila pero mayroon naman batas na pwede sila pananagutin.

Meron tayong Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Meron tayong plunder. Bahala sila,� he said.

Five years to rebuild?

A disaster official earlier said total rehabilitation will take three to five years, depending on

the pace of the government support system and the projects implemented.

Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson, meanwhile, said he is looking at over P100 billion ($2.2 billion) of reconstruction, from livelihood, commerce, social services, as well as infrastructure and power facilities.

That figure does not include the huge amounts already spent on immediate relief for the millions of people who were injured or left without food, water or shelter.

About P15 billion to P20 billion will go to providing shelter with some 60,000 to 80,000 families to be re-settled in two to three years, said Singson.

Lacson said he wants carpenters and masons in the typhoonhit areas to be part of the relief effort and given jobs so that they would no longer be dependent on government doleouts.

He also said he would rather have the private sector take the initiative in the rehabilitation since there is a lot of bureaucracy to go through when government leads the effort. “Mas mabilis kumilos ang private sector. They are not bound by the Government Procurement Act and so on and so forth,� he said. “Ang pag-uusapan lang mechanism. Kapag private sector, what is in it for me? What concessions do we give to stakeholders, to the private sector, the big players who want to invest,� he added.

He said part of the concessions could be tax breaks for private companies involved in the rehabilitation effort.

He also said all structures in the Yolanda-hit areas should set the standard on disaster-resilient buildings since Yolanda will not be the last storm to hit the area. “They should change building codes there because this won’t be the last storm to hit those areas.

If we are able to do the rehab, that will be our model. Tacloban, for example, can be the model for urban development. We should learn our lesson from Yolanda,� he said. (MNS)

Resigned Customs Chief Biazon: I don’t know Janet Napoles MANILA, Dec 3 (Mabuhay) – A day after announcing his irrevocable resignation from the Customs bureau, Ruffy Biazon is now setting his sights on defend-

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ing himself from charges he misused his pork barrel fund while he was congressman of Muntinlupa.

Confident that he will be

cleared, Biazon maintained he does not know Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the P10 billion pork barrel scam. “I don’t have any relationship with Janet Napoles. I just know her as the figure that she is now,� he said.

Asked if he ever gave pork barrel funds to a Napoles NGO, he said: “At that time, you don’t know which was a Napoles NGO or not. That was six years ago.�

He said his lawyers wanted to go back to his records but he does not have them anymore.

Biazon served for three terms as Muntinlupa congressman from 2001 to 2010.

Biazon, who faces a complaint for malversation, bribery and graft, said he will also look into reports his name was only added to the Justice Department’s complaint at the last minute.

He said he also brought up the issue during his meeting with President Aquino on Monday.

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, December 4 - 10, 2013

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‘Yolanda’ disaster calls native son home

BY DANNY PETILLA

LOS ANGELES – An ominous text message sent from thousands of kilometers away in my hometown of Palo, Leyte province, at the height of Supertyphoon “Yolanda’s” fury on Nov. 8 may have changed my life forever.

“Brother, our house is gone! Destroyed in less than an hour!” the message screamed on my iPhone in Waray, my native dialect.

The sender was my younger sister Ruth, 46, who scrambled to compose her digital distress signal in the nick of time to beat Yolanda’s hurricane force winds of 300 kilometers per hour as it leveled our ancestral house to the ground and before it could cut power and telephone lines to isolate Palo, our city of Tacloban and the rest of Eastern Visayas to the outside world.

As it became apparent that Tacloban was now ground zero for one of the worst killer storms in recorded history, the steady drip of horrific details filtering out of the disaster area triggered a sort of global anxiety and waiting game for the thousands of overseas Filipino workers and expatriates like myself as we waited for any news about our loved ones in Leyte and Samar provinces.

This anxiety would hit home in the coming days because I could not sleep thinking about Nanay Petra, my 85-year-old mother, who is sick with diabetes and high blood pressure, hobbled with arthritis and nearly blind with cataracts.

My mother was a permanent US resident but she decided to return to Leyte after my father, Ignacio, a US war veteran, died in California on Sept. 12, 1993.

Then the grim possibility of multiple fatalities threatened my family’s wits as we also learned that our eldest brother, Reynaldo, 62, his wife Nene, and six of their children and grandchildren went missing for 12 days.

When all of them showed up unscathed on Nov. 20, our family’s joy was overwhelming, almost rapturous.

Days of anxiety Before that moment of good news, our families on both sides of the Pacific Ocean were dogged by days of anxiety and nerve-wracking stress and suspense as images of bodies and split debris littering the streets where I used to roam as a young man transfixed the world.

The ensuing cries of desperation from survivors trying to leave Tacloban were torture to me.

From the relative comfort of my home here in America, where I have been living for 22 years, I felt pangs of guilt and a creeping sense of remorse that I fled the Philippines in December 1991 to escape death threats and harassment from criminals and politicians alike.

From a distance, I shed tears and whispered prayers for the thousands of my townmates killed in the initial impact of Yolanda’s tsunami-like storm surges.

Death list The list of fatalities provided by my siblings via Facebook proved too much for me to bear: I lost a cousin, Teodosia Acebedo, a dear teacher, Cecilia Orejola, a boyhood friend, Mario Sison, and several neighbors, classmates and coworkers as well as colleagues from my days as a reporter for this newspaper in the late 1980s.

Memories came flooding back to me as I reminisced about an eerily similar catastrophe I covered for the Inquirer on Nov. 5, 1991. That day Typhoon “Uring” (international name: “Thelma”) killed more than 6,000 people as storm surges as tall as houses swamped Ormoc, the coastal city 100 kilometers south of Tacloban.

Survivors of that disaster remembered their dead on its 22nd anniversary this month.

Three days later, Yolanda (international name: “Haiyan”) struck their neighbors to the north.

As the 3.4 million Filipinos here in the United States kickstarted an unprecedented relief and reconstruction campaign, I planned my own way of helping.

On Nov. 18, I spoke before hundreds of churchgoers at St. Mel Catholic parish in Woodland Hills, California, where my family worships, to raise awareness of the massive humanitarian crisis unfolding in Yolanda’s wake.

But I felt a certain hollowness and deep sense of shame as complete strangers from around the world rushed to our hometown to volunteer and offer help while I was paralyzed by fear and indecision in my adopted homeland.

Difficult choice I wrestled with the difficult choice of temporarily leaving behind my family – a wife and two college-bound kids – to help my old family heal as they try to rebuild their broken lives.

“Don’t worry about us, Dad. We’ll be fine. But your family in Palo needs you,” said my first-born Ignatius, 20, always offering the voice of reason.

Ever the contrarian, my other son, Cornelius, 18, needled me: “You’re like the Alaskan salmon, Dad! People are desperately trying to get out of that place in droves and you want to sneak in.”

But he relented and even gave me a going-away gift: an LED flashlight and a warm hug.

My ever-supportive wife, Wilhma, 50, bought my open-ended Korean Air ticket to fly me back home.

On Nov. 21, my family had Thanksgiving dinner a week early. And for the first time in 22 years, I am faced with the possibility of not spending the holidays with my family in America.

Economic suicide With my family behind me, I also made a couple of gut-wrenching decisions: I quit my job of 12 years as a courier at Federal Express and took a leave of absence from my other job as a laboratory assistant at Quest Diagnostics Inc. In these uncertain times, leaving these jobs at two of the biggest employers in the United States seems like economic suicide. But the images of people who perished in the storm haunt me no end. I have crossed my Rubicon. There is no turning back.

Shortly before midnight on Saturday, my plane touched down at Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Armed with a resolve to help, I will be back on the streets of my storm-battered hometown in a few days.

(Editor’s Note: The author was a reporter of the Philippine Daily Inquirer before he left for the United States 22 years ago. He was a recipient of several journalism awards, including first place in the 1990 Jaime V. Ongpin Awards for investigative reporting with his series of articles on “Samar: An Island in Agony.”)

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OPINION

Gazmin fears similar China air zone over West PH Sea MANILA, Nov 29 (Mabuhay) – Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said the Philippines is monitoring developments in connection with China’s establishment of an air defense identification zone over the East China Sea, a move that has angered Japan.

“We are closely monitoring and closely coordinating with our allies.We will monitor, we will continue to monitor,” Gazmin said.

Gazmin warned that China risks raising tension in the Southeast Asian region in case it decides to set up a similar scheme in the South China Sea, which is being claimed entirely or in part by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and the Philippines.

The defense chief said what China did is danger-

ous and may stoke tension anew between claimant countries. He, however, left it to the Department of Foreign Affairs to decide on what to do next.

Gazmin said that so far the Philippines is only calling for China’s consistency with international flight rules.

China’s new system requires all aircraft passing through the newly established defense zone to identify themselves. This move is being protested by Japan, which has a competing claim to the East China Sea, and the United States and South Korea.

Gazmin cannot yet say if he will take this up with his Japanese counterpart who will visit the country next week to check on the status of the relief and rehabilitation of typhoon-devastated areas. (MNS)

China’s response to US B-52s in air zone ‘too slow’: media

BY CAROL HUANG BEIJING, November 28, 2013 (AFP) – China’s response to US B-52 bombers in its newly-declared air zone was “too slow”, state-run media said Thursday, fuelling a popular clamor for Beijing to get tough against Japan and the US. Beijing’s declaration of a new Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) including Tokyo-administered islands at the centre of a tense dispute between the two neighbors has provoked global concern.

The US has a security alliance with Japan and announced that it had sent two US Stratofortress planes into the zone without obeying Beijing’s rules, in an unmistakable message ahead of a visit to the region by Vice-President Joe Biden.

China’s defense ministry issued a statement 11 hours later saying the military “monitored the entire process” of the B-52 flights, without expressing regret or anger or threatening direct action.

The Global Times, which is close to China’s ruling Communist Party and often strikes a nationalist tone, criticised the reaction as “too slow” in an editorial Thursday.

“We failed in offering a timely and ideal response,” it said, adding that Chinese officials needed to react to the “psychological battles” by the US. The government-run China Daily added that Washington’s move risked fuelling Tokyo’s “dangerous belligerence” and putting China and the US “on a collision course.

Which will prove much more hazardous than sending military aircraft to play chicken in the air”.

China’s Communist party uses nationalism as a key part of its claim to a right to rule, tapping into deep-seated popular resentment of Japan for its brutal invasion of China in the early 20th century.

Such passions are quickly aroused, and Chinese social media users called for Beijing to retaliate against Washington.

“The US’s bomber wandered around the edge of our ADIZ, I figure we should respond in kind. One good turn deserves another, right?” wrote one poster on Sina Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter.

Another said the bomber flights “can only be called a provocation”.

One suggested that Beijing should cancel Biden’s invitation, saying that if it “now announces that it was not the right time for Biden to visit China, would the US military still

enter the ADIZ in the future as they like?”

The Chinese ADIZ requires aircraft to provide their flight plan, declare their nationality and maintain two-way radio communication, or face “defensive emergency measures”.

The US and Japan accuse China of raising the stakes in the row over islands known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, and senior administration officials in Washington said on Wednesday that Biden plans to raise Washington’s “concerns” about the zone during his visit to Beijing next week.

The trip will allow him to “make the broader point that there’s an emerging pattern of behaviour by China that is unsettling to China’s own neighbors and raising questions about how China operates in international space,” an official said.

China’s new ADIZ also overlaps South Korea’s zone, incorporating a disputed, submerged, Seoul-controlled rock, and the South Korean military said Thursday one of its planes had flown through it without informing Beijing.

Australia on Thursday refused to backdown from criticism of the new air zone after Canberra summoned China’s ambassador earlier this week, prompting a furious response from Beijing.

The Philippines also voiced concern Thursday that China may extend control of air space over disputed areas of the South China Sea. China for its part has accused the US and Japan – which have both maintained ADIZs for years – of double standards, and says the real provocateur is Tokyo.

The dispute lay dormant for decades but escalated in September 2012 when Tokyo purchased three of the uninhabited outcrops from private owners.

Beijing accused Tokyo of altering the status quo and has since sent surveillance ships and aircraft to the area as shows of force, prompting Japan to scramble fighter jets 386 times in the 12 months to September.

After an unidentified drone flew towards the islands, Tokyo threatened to shoot down such aircraft, which Beijing warned would amount to an “act of war”.

The maneuvers have raised fears of an accidental clash but both countries have strong commercial incentives to avoid conflict.

As the world’s second- and third-largest economies, they share significant trade links.

Super Typhoon Haiyan, other storms curb growth MANILA, November 28, 2013 (AFP) – The Philippines’ economy expanded 7.0 percent year-on-year in the third quarter, but a series of storms curbed growth and a devastating typhoon this month will slow momentum further, the government said Thursday.

One of Asia’s best performing economies had been on track for growth well above 7.0 percent for the full year, but the government said Super Typhoon Haiyan was expected to cut up to 0.8 percentage points from the final quarter.

Nevertheless, President Benigno Aquino’s administration said the economy remained well placed, pointing out the third quarter was the fifth straight three-month period in which growth was at 7.0 percent or above.

“This solid growth demonstrates the continuing resilience of the economy in the face of global economic challenges and natural calamities,” said Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima.

The third-quarter growth of 7.0 percent year-on-year was down from 7.6 in the second quarter, and brought expansion for the first three quarters of the year to 7.4 percent.

The performance from July to September was slightly lower than economists had expected.

One of the worst-performing sectors in the third quarter was agriculture, which grew by just 0.3 percent year-on-year.

National Statistical Coordination Board secretary general Jose Albert said this was partly due to damage to farms from 10 typhoons and tropical storms that struck the country during those three months.

The Philippines endures an average of 20 typhoons or tropical storms annually, many of them deadly. Most strike in the second half of the year and often cause flood damage to rice and other crops.

But Haiyan, which hit on November 8, was one of the strongest ever recorded and generated giant storm surges that laid waste to dozens of coastal settlements and vast swathes of farmland throughout central Philippine islands.

More than 5,500 people have been confirmed killed and four million had their homes destroyed or damaged. One million fishermen and farmers lost their livelihoods.

Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said Haiyan would cut 0.3-0.8 percentage points from gross domestic product growth in the final quarter.

But he said the national economy was still doing “very well”, and the government’s long-held full-year growth target of 7.0 percent remained achievable.

Balisacan said this would still make the Philippines one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, behind China.

A property boom and the services sector were the main drivers of the economic expansion in the third quarter, according to Balisacan.

He rejected suggestions that the high economic growth figures were mainly driven by speculation in real estate.

“Indicators do not support claims of a property bubble at this time,” he said.

“Our economic fundamentals are very solid. The dependence of the economy on the real estate sector is very low.”

PHL not prepared for ‘Yolanda,’ says defense chief

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MANILA, Nov 29 (Mabuhay) – Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said no country could ever be prepared for the sheer strength of super typhoon “Yolanda.”

Gazmin admitted that government had its shortcomings in terms of preparations for the typhoon, but maintained the administration did its best given its limited resources.

“Number one is preparation. We were not prepared for that kind of typhoon. Masyadong malakas signal 4 - lumalabas ito pinakamalakas sa buong mundo.

Kahit saang bansa mangyari, ganito rin sasapitin.

Kailangan mag-plano at mag-ayos ng kagamitan na nakatuon sa ganitong klaseng lakas para sa ganun pag dumating ganung bagyo di tayo mawipe out,” he said. Yolanda left the central Philippines devastated when it made landfall last November 8, not sparing anyone, including local government officials and personnel who were supposed to respond first to the disaster.

In the long term, Gazmin wants more C-130 cargo planes, a better communication system that can withstand disasters, and better coordination among

local government units.

Gazmin also sees the need to amend the building code to make structures more resilient to disasters.

He also wants the public to learn more about disaster terminologies like the “storm surge,” tsunami-like waves considered as the culprit that claimed the lives of thousands living in coastal areas.

Meanwhile, Gazmin revealed that the government is now working on relocating settlers in nobuild zones which were identified using geo-hazard maps.

FEMA-like agency Gazmin backs the creation of a separate government agency which will solely deal with disasters, similar to the United States Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).

“That’s a very good idea. I think that would be a good approach to the problem since we experience all kinds of disasters, being situated in the ring of fire,” he said. Gazmin said the government will start a cash-for-work program for typhoon victims who can already work. The distribution of relief goods to those who still need it will continue.

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UTREACH PAC to hold Pilipino Christmas Festival Dec. 7 at CSULB The Pilipino Christmas Festival, hosted by the Pilipino American Coalition and the sisters of Kappa Psi Epsilon, will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2013, and this year marks the Coalition’s 17th year curating and putting on this event. This year, however, will be the first time PAC is making our event non-profit, in which all of our proceeds will go to the Typhoon Haiyan relief in the Philippines.

It is a Filipino tradition to welcome the holiday season in celebration, and PAC invites the community and others to celebrate it at Cal State University, Long Beach. It is a multi-faceted event, the entertainment includes local

singers and musicians, a couple dance teams including PAC Modern, and a showcase of our traditional Filipino folk dances.

Invited also are vendors to sell their merchandise and informational vendors to raise awareness about the Fil-Am community.

There will also be an art exhibit in which local artists have the chance to showcase and sell their artwork to those attending.

As a family event, there is also the Kid’s Korner, where children attending the event get a chance to do holiday arts and crafts and write letters to Santa, who will also be present at the event and with whom children can take pictures with. It will definitely a fun-

filled day for family and friends.

PAC is doing this for the community. For Filipino families and the children. Most importantly, although we grieve for the souls lost during this typhoon as well as for the people of the Philippines, PAC, with your help, can do so much and provide relief and support for our homeland. In celebrating the holidays we can also celebrate the perseverance of our people through these tough times.

We would love for you to join us for this wonderful event.

For more information, please visit their website at http://lbpac. com. Or you can email Cultural Chair Kristian Tan at cultural@ lbpac.com.

Photo on the left shows Consul General Ma. Hellen Barber De La Vega addressing the audience.

PHL Consulate attends UNICEF’s fundraising drive in Los Angeles Los Angeles, 27 November 2013, Consul General Ma. Hellen Barber De La Vega attended UNICEF’s launching of its fundraising drive in Southern California on 19 November 2013 to support disaster relief and recovery efforts for children victims of Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.

The event held at the Smithhouse Tap & Grill adjacent to the UNICEF office in Los Angeles, was supported by the Philippine American Bar Association (PABA), National Filipino American Lawyers Association (NFALA), Taiwanese American Lawyers Association (TALA), Asian Pacific American Bar Association (APABA), US Hon. Rep. Brad Sherman, US Rep. Adam Schiff, California (CA) State Controller John Chiang, CA State Senator Ted Lieu, CA Assemblymember

Mike Gatto, Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz and Fil-Am community leaders, including youth leader Alex De Ocampo.

In her remarks, Ms, Anne Kelly, UNICEF Regional Director for Southern California, estimates that 2.8 million pre-school and school-aged children may have been displaced by Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda. In the hardest hit areas, more than 3,000 schools and 2,400 day care centers may have been affected.

Consul General De La Vega thanked UNICEF and the attendees for their overwhelming support and solidarity with the victims and the Filipino nation. The Consul General conveyed her interest to work closely with UNICEF Southern California on its intended programs in Tacloban, Leyte.

MoneyGram Presents StarQuest and StarGazer PCCI President Darna Umayam (6th from left, standing), together with Philippine Department of Tourism-Los Angeles Director Annie Cuevas-Lim (third from left, standing), City of Carson Mayor Jim Dear (8th from left, standing), other members of PCCI and Press Photographers of the Philippines-USA during a break while working on donations to be sent to the Philippines. Photo: Bobby Crisostomo (PPP-USA)

PCCI, PICCSC PPP-USA unite for typhoon Yolanda victims The President of Philippine Children’s Charities, Inc. (PCCI) and Secretary General of the Philippine Independence Coordinating Council of Southern California (PICCSC) has made an urgent appeal to all the members to unite for typhoon relief for the victims in the Philippines affected

by Typhoon Yolanda.

“It is in this time of tragedies, storms and other calamities that our true character is measured.

Filipinos should come to the aid of their country men devastated by typhoon Yolanda. Helping does not end, it will go a long way supporting the affected families to recover from this latest tragedy,” PCCI President Darna B. Umayam said as she urged members to be generous and to extend as much assistance to the less fortunate people.

Umayam learned that victims are in dire need of medicines and coordinated with Dr. Dante Banta, resident physician of Clinica Western in Los Angeles, a

well known medical practitioner and awarded as one of the 100 Outstanding Filipino-Americans in the USA. Dr. Banta used his personal account with MAP International Incorporated and purchased boxes of much needed medicines for medical mission of Umayam’s group in the Philippines come February of this year.

Two boxes were sent to Ormoc City c/o Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres and another (2) boxes to Sagip Kapamilya of ABS-CBN through Mary Ann Pimenta, (1) box will go to Cabanatuan City through Arnold and Lynn Mariano of Twins Quality Healthcare and the rest of the boxes will be distributed in February together with canned goods. Along with the members of PCCI, PICCSC and PPP-USA, Inc., Mayor Jim Dear of Carson City, Annie Cuevas Lim, Department of Tourism Director, Dr. Carlos Manlapaz, Adviser, PICCSC, Sid Guerrero and Jim Hernandez, President and Chairman of the Board of

PPP-USA, Inc., respectively witnessed the acceptance of the (10) boxes of medicine total worth $ 130,000 ($ 13,000 cost of each box) last December 1, 2013 at the Umayam’s Residence of Engr. Eli and Mrs. Darna Umayam in Eagle Rock California. Members of the Press were present to witness the occasion.

“The huge destruction of typhoon Yolanda to fellow Filipinos in our beloved homeland brought so much loss of loved ones and properties to our countrymen. Now is the time for all of us to put our act together and come to the aid of our country.

Let’s hold hands and unite and help those in dire need of aid in our homeland in whatever ways and means.

The Philippine Children’s Charities is still accepting donations before their February medical mission. All donations are taxdeductible. If you have questions, please feel free to call (323) 2584879.

Los Angeles, CA (12/XX/2013) – Southern California’s biggest Filipino-American karaoke and ballroom dancing competition are heating up! It’s the finale of JR StarQuest, StarQuest and StarGazer, hosted by FilipinoAmerican Media and Entertainment (FAME), presented to you

by MoneyGram (NASDAQ: MGI), a leading global money transfer and payment services company. The event will be held at Dance Revolution (6626 Valjean Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91406) on December 7th.

JR StarQuest & StarQuest (Season VI), a popular Filipino community Karaoke Singing Contest, features the best Filipino-American talents from all around Southern California and will have other surprise guests. Twelve competitors from JR StarQuest (ages 10-15) and StarQuest (ages 16 and up) will vie for the grand prize of $3,000 plus a roundtrip ticket to the Philippines.

This growing event began earlier this year and has held several weekly finals in three different locations in the community.

StarGazer (Season I), Ballroom Dancing competition among Filipino-Americans. Six competing pairs are composed of professional and amateur dancers with ages ranging from 40 to 60 years old. They will dance to four dances: the Rumba,

Cha-cha, Tango and Swing. During the Grand Finals, the competitors will dance together and individually. The grand champion will receive $1000 plus a trophy.

JR StarQuest, StarQuest and StarGazer is a production of Filipino-American Media and Entertainment (FAME) and presented to you

by MoneyGram. MoneyGrado sa MoneyGram!

A buffet dinner will be served and social dancing will take place after the competition. Tickets are on sale now – Please call 818.486.5650 for more information.

This is your best night-out getaway with your family and loved ones.

About MoneyGram International MoneyGram International, a leading money transfer company, enables consumers who are not fully served by traditional financial institutions to meet their financial needs. MoneyGram offers money transfer services worldwide through a global network of 334,000 agent locations – including retailers, international post offices and financial institutions – in nearly 200 countries and territories.

MoneyGram also offers bill payment services in the United States and Canada.

MoneyGram is listed on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol MGI. To learn more about money transfer or bill payment at an agent location or online, please visit moneygram.com or connect with us on Facebook.

6

Wednesday - Tuesday, December 4 - 10, 2013

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ENTERT Boots Anson-Roa to marry again at 69 “Providence” is the word that veteran actress Boots Anson-Roa used to describe how she found love again at 68 years old.

Widowed for six years, Anson-Roa just got engaged with 74-year-old lawyer Francisco Rodrigo Jr., and will be married again on June 14, 2014.

The newly engaged couple plans to do the traditional “pamamanhikan” to their children on Anson-Roa’s 69th birthday on January 20, 2014.

Since both of their spouses passed away a few years back, the couple visited the graves of their former partners first to ask for blessings before they got engaged.

At her age, Anson-Roa said the experience of being engaged is still new to her, since she and her late husband, Pete Roa, eloped before they got married. “[Nag]Tanan kami ni Pete e, so wala akong engagement ring.

Hindi rin ako nakaranas ng formal wedding,” Anson-Roa said.

The veteran actress said she never expected to fall in love again, especially with Francisco, who was a high school classmate of her late husband.

A former consul general of the Philippines in the US, Francisco courted Anson-Roa for one year.

“People call it serendipity or fate, but I think it is providence,” she said during the formal announcement of their engagement.

Now both at the late stages of their lives, Anson-Roa and Rodrigo found themselves in love more than ever, proving the old saying “age doesn’t matter.”

“As I’ve been telling you in all this courtship, I love you,” Rodrigo told his fiancé who replied: “Madalas akong nag-a-‘I love you’.

Ngayon, and I sincerely mean it, thank you for your love.” (MNS)

Jessy: Sam is not my boyfriend Actress Jessy Mendiola denied that Sam Milby is already her boyfriend, despite her earlier statement that the actor-singer probably has the best chances among her suitors.

Apart from Milby, several celebrities have admitted having a crush on the “Maria Mercedes” star, including her series costar Jake Cuenca and basketball hot- Jessy Mendiola shots Jeron and Jeric Teng.

Mendiola noted that it was Milby who was the first one to admit his intentions in public.

Milby earlier said he likes Mendiola because of her simplicity and beauty.

But on Wednesday, Mendiola clarified that she and Milby are not yet a couple.

“Hindi kami. Kasi kung kami naman sasabihin ko. Pero hindi talaga,” Mendiola told reporters.

After what happened with her former boyfriend JM de Guzman which she tried to keep from the public, Mendiola said she has considered now to be open about her love life.

“Yung kay JM, iba naman ‘yon.

Dati bata pa ako. But definitely ngayon aaminin ko,” she explained.

“Pero kung may finish line man, iurong muna natin kung nakarating man siya kasi ‘di pa ako ready, ‘di pa ako handa,” she said about Milby.

“Ako personally sasabihin ko sa inyo pero sa ngayon ‘di pa ako handa.”

Mendiola also clarified reports that she is again in touch with de Guzman.

The actress said she just greeted the actor on his birthday through a common friend.

“Okay na siya, huwag na nating guluhin ‘yung tao. Tapos na lahat yon. Move on na tayo kapag may time,” Mendiola appealed.

Aside from “Maria Mercedes,” Mendiola is also gearing up for a movie with John Lloyd Cruz.

“I feel really pressured and nervous because it’s John Lloyd.

He is a very good actor. I’m a big fan. I feel really lucky na napili ako,” she said. (MNS)

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INMENT

FHM gets Alice Dixson to pose sexy Veteran actress and former Binibining Pilipinas International Alice Dixson was introduced on Friday as the newest cover girl of FHM Philippines.

The men’s magazine posted a photo of its December 2013 cover on its website and Facebook page, showing Dixson wearing flesh-colored underwear with a piece of white cloth strategically

covering her breasts.

In an interview with FHM Philippines’ website, Dixson explained why it took her so long to do a sexy photo shoot.

“I think maybe when I was younger I wasn’t ready to do photo shoots like this,” she said.

“Even when Mother Lily was pushing me towards a sexy image I would always resist. But

now, it’s become ordinary to come out in a bikini and it’s more accepted now. I just learned that it’s part of work, and it came out very nice.”

Dixson is one of the stars of the movie “When the Love is Gone,” which also includes Gabby Concepcion, Cristine Reyes, Andi Eigenmann and Jake Cuenca.

(MNS)

Drunk Anne Curtis slaps John Lloyd Cruz Anne Curtis was reportedly involved in an embarrassing confrontation with John Lloyd Cruz where she slapped the actor and two others at a bar in The Fort, Taguig.

In an article published on entertainment site Pep.ph, JR Isaac, editor and publisher of Circuit Magazine, narrated to Pep editorin-chief Jo-Ann Maglipon how the incident unfolded last November 23.

Describing it as a typical Friday night, Isaac said he was then hanging out with his friends Leah de Guzman, Charina Zarte, Nix Alano, Phoemela Barranda, Jake Cuenca, and Cruz at the Privé Luxury Club along with the bar’s co-owner JM Rodriguez.

Isaac said Curtis was also at the place hosting a bachelorette party for a friend.

While waiting for his drink along with de Guzman near the bar, they heard someone shouting from behind.

“We heard a loud voice saying, ‘Who’s banging my door?’ We didn’t know who or where it was at first! Just loud, coming from behind us. When we turned around, we saw, stepping out of the toilet, Anne, very mad,” he said.

Isaac said Curtis then slapped him on the face, as well as de Guzman and Cruz. He even recounted Curtis calling Cruz an addict.

“This all happened so fast.

Anne was making so much noise, shouting at JL: ‘You are an addict!’ Ang bilis, di ko na alam ang nangyayari. Basta wala akong narinig from JL, he behaved like a gentleman. Makikita mo talaga kung sino yung well-mannered pag may ganyan,” he said.

Isaac said Curtis then turned to Barranda. “Anne screamed, with finger pointing at Phoem the whole time, like she pointed it at JL. She had all this rage, she was agit.”

He added, “Anne screamed, with finger pointing at Phoem

John Lloyd and Anne Curtis

Barranda, saying, ‘I can buy you, your friends, and this club!’”

Saying things happened so fast, Isaac recalled being ushered by the bouncers away from the drunk “It’s Showtime” host.

“The management and [club] PR all came to our table and apologized to us. They saw the whole thing. They know we were the ones slapped. In the end, we stayed. We didn’t allow it to ruin our night,” he said.

Anne apologizes On the afternoon of November 23, Isaac recalled receiving a text message from an apologetic Curtis. The text message went: “”JR! It’s Anne. Got your number from Monique! Tried messaging you on Facebook this morning. Just want to apologize for my behavior! I’m so so so sorry. I’m so ashamed.

Would never act like that in the right state of mind! I’m so sorry.

Please forgive me!”

To which, Isaac responded: “Hi Anne, just woke up and read your text. Apology accepted... On a lighter note, you owe me a tight hug!!! Going back to sleep, nursing my hang over.”

According to Isaac, he harbors no ill feelings toward Curtis because he has known the actress

since way back.

Meanwhile, Curtis took to micro-blogging site Twitter to address the controversy.

With over five million followers, Curtis said she “owe[s] all of you my honesty.”

“I choose to do this right away because I’ve always been an open book & I don’t like to hide anything...

For those who have read about the issue, yes, most of it is true. I admit to that & I have apologized to all parties included immediately,” she said. “When I was told of my behavior AND the person who started all of this, due to this persons inappropriate behavior, apologized to me too… Just as I did. Which I accepted too. I choose not to go into detail because I’m not the type to ruin someone else’s name,” she added.

Noting what she has learned from the incident, Curtis said: “Now.. I had been on the super popular juice cleanse for 3 days & attended my best friends bachelorette [party] that night, had one too many drinks which led to some of these unfortunate events.

That’s why they say ‘Drink in moderation’. I will charge it to experience & a lesson learned.”

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SEASONED actress Dawn Zulueta said she is fortunate to have been given the opportunity to continue her passion for acting despite being in her mid 40s.

The mother-of-two returned on television in 2011 when she did the remake of the original 1997 hit series “Mula Sa Puso” opposite Enrique Gil, JM De Guzman, Lauren Young, Eula Valdez and Ariel Rivera.

After the show ended, she immediately signed up for “Walang Hanggan” topbilled by Julia Montes and Coco Martin. The said series was also her reunion project with perennial love team, actor Richard Gomez.

“I really consider myself so lucky because at my age, you don’t really expect na hinahanap ka pa rin ng mga tao and they want you in their projects,” said Dawn.

Dawn was more surprised when people were raving on her come back team-up with Richard. She said it feels like the 90s again, but this time they have younger audience cheering for them.

“Mas lalo ‘yun ang nakakagulat kasi hindi naman talaga namin ini-expect yun. Nakakatuwa kasi (‘yung fans) buma-bagets sila,” said the actress.

Dawn also did “Bukas Na Lang Kita Mamahalin” with Rayver Cruz, Cristine Reyes, Gerald Anderson, Tonton Gutierrez and Dina Bonnevie, which ended mid November.

According to Dawn, it’s difficult to maintain a successful showbiz career and a happy family life, and that’s why she’s thankful for the undying support and love of husband, Davao Del Norte Representative Anton Lagdameo.

She said her husband and children will remain her utmost priority.

“It’s really a balancing act because you have to make time for the kids. Hindi pwedeng makalimutan ko ‘yung responsibilities ko as a mom and wife,” she said.

“Nag-iba na ang priorities ko (dahil sa family) pero sa awa naman ng Diyos, my husband is very understanding. He already understands the nature of my work,” she added.

Right after the New Year, the actress will be back on television via “You’re My Home” opposite Gomez.

Dawn dismissed rumors that the new project will not push through because Richard will be busy helping his wife, Leyte Representative Lucy Torres-Gomez, in rehabilitation of typhoonhit province of Ormoc.

The actress said they will start taping for the series this week and will take a short break just in time for Christmas and New Year.

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Subic firm supplies world-class shelters for “Yolanda” victims, relief crew SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Dec. 2 (Mabuhay) – A Subic-based company is also helping rehabilitate areas devastated by super typhoon “Yolanda” (Haiyan) by constructing strong, light-weight tents for use by both victims and relief workers.

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chairman Roberto Garcia said that Delta Production Philippines Corporation is sending at least 30 units of temporary shelters to Tacloban City and other areas in Eastern Visayas that were visited by the recent calamity.

“We are proud that the ingenuity and innovation of Filipino workers manufacturing these temporary shelters are being recognized world-wide,” Garcia said.

“We are doubly pleased that these same Subic-made products are being put to good use in reaching out to our kababayans (countrymen) in their time of need,” he added. A registered company inside this Freeport zone, Delta is the manufacturer of easy-to-install, flexible scaffold systems and temporary shelters that are made mostly of steel and aluminum.

The company is playing a significant role in providing its client, the World Food Program (WFP), with world-class temporary shelters that can accommodate up to 400 or 500 individuals each.

Delta special project and sales manager Jon Allen Eschenburg said that the company is now working double-time to deliver

on time collapsible tents ordered by WFP for shipment to typhoon victims and responders in Tacloban and other areas.

Eschenburg said the tents, which have a standard width of 10 meters, height of about three meters and length of up to 32 meters, can be easily assembled and turned into temporary schools, hospitals or warehouses.

“It is lightweight. A 10x3x24-meter tent weighs only 1.6 tons and can withstand strong winds with strength of up to 170 kilometers per hour,” Eschenburg said, adding that this is far lighter than those offered by other manufacturers abroad.

Last month, he said WFP ordered 32 tents for shipment to calamity-devastated

areas in Visayas and Mindanao, while it also made separate orders for distribution to the Philippine National Red Cross in Davao City and the United Nations contingent in Tacloban City.

In January 2010, Delta tents from Subic were shipped to Haiti to be used as temporary shelters for more than a quarter million residents who were left homeless after a magnitude 7.0 earthquake and several aftershocks struck that country.

“Many government and private organizations still believe that the best temporary shelters they can get for the victims can only be found abroad. What they don’t know is that, among the best they got are from Subic,” Eschenburg added. (MNS)

Aquino boosts transparency and accountability in mining sector 7 groups tender bid for P 17.5-B MANILA, Nov 30 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III has intensified government efforts to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the country’s mining sector, signing Executive Order No. 147 that creates the Philippine Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (PH-EITI), Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. disclosed on Saturday. The institution of the PH-EITI is a requisite to complete the EITI process to make the Philippines a “compliant country” in the international undertaking to bring about transparency and accountability in the extractive industries and in government.

Established in 2003, the EITI is

a global coalition of governments, companies and civil society collaborating to improve honest and responsible management of revenues from natural resources, particularly oil, gas, metals and minerals.

“Joining the EITI is among the Aquino administration’s measures to ensure greater transparency and accountability in the mining sector, including the way the government collects as well as in the way the companies pay takes from mining,” Ochoa pointed out. “Measures and activities geared towards Philippines compliance with the requirements to join EITI should be given full support in order to improve the

mining sector and spawn better governance and regulation of the industry,” he added.

Based on EO 147, the PHEITI will be implemented and operational through a multistakeholder group (MSG) and decision-making body referred as PH-EITI-MSG, which will be headed by the Finance (DoF) Secretary and will have, as members, the following: five Government Representatives chosen by the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC), five Business Group Representatives, and five Civil Society Organization (CSOs) Representatives. All members will serve for a term of three years.(MNS)

Creation of Local Youth Development Councils nationwide proposed

MANILA, Nov. 30 (Mabuhay) – Even as the fate of the Sangguniang Kabataan is yet to be decided pending proposals for its abolition or reform, a lawmaker called for the creation of a Local Youth Development Council (LYDC) in municipalities, cities and provinces.

“These youth councils should be responsible for the formulation of policies and implementation of youth development programs, projects and activities in their respective areas of jurisdiction in coordination with various government and non-government organizations,” said Rep. Anthony Del Rosario (1st Dist., Davao del Norte), author of House Bill No. 3203.

The Davao lawmaker said the

youth councils would provide an alternative that will strengthen the role of the youth in providing a more democratic and popular basis for legislation and/or other governmental and non-governmental endeavors affecting them.

“By providing them with a mechanism for participation and involvement in public and civic affairs, we will be giving them an opportunity not only to prove their worth in the community but also to help them believe in their capacity to help the country,” Del Rosario pointed out.

Likewise, he said that the proposed law seeks to encourage the spirit of volunteerism among the country’s youth and make them active and dependable partners in

nation building. “The youth’s involvement in addressing the issues that concern them has an impact on the future of the country, hence active involvement and participation of the young leaders today is vital and needed,” he stressed.The Council shall formulate and adopt a five-year municipal/provincial/ city youth development plan which shall be duly supported by an ordinance enacted by the Sangguniang Panlunsod, Pambayan or Panlalawigan.

Youth development programs include scholarship and exchange programs, sports and recreation, livelihood development, training and capability-building, youth cooperatives and culture and arts.

Mactan-Cebu Int’l Airport project

MANILA, Nov. 28 (Mabuhay) – Seven pre-qualified groups on Thursday tendered their bids for the P 17.5 billion Mactan-Cebu International Airport project, signalling the private sector’s level of interest in the first airport Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project of the current administration under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

“The high turnout is proof that investors are confident in our PPP program. We want to sustain the momentum from this project to the next ones in our pipeline,” said DOTC Spokesperson Michael Arthur Sagcal.

Last week, the transport department’s P 1.72-billion Automatic Fare Collection System (AFCS) project garnered the highest number of bidders for a PPP project before the MCIA bid submission, with 5 groups participating in that tender.

The DOTC is now evaluating the technical proposals submitted for both the AFCS and MCIA projects, and is targeting to proceed with the opening and evaluation of financial proposals next month.

Meanwhile, the pre-qualification bidding process for the P 64.9 billion Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 Cavite Extension (LRT-1 Cavex) PPP project will begin on the first week of December when the transport agency publishes its invitation to bid.

The DOTC also obtained NEDA

Board’s approval to improve the project’s economic terms and has announced that it intends to conduct the actual bidding for this railway PPP project in Q2 of 2014 to allow additional players to participate.

“We’d like the number of LRT-1 Cavex bidders to be more or less in the range of the MCIA and AFCS projects. This will encourage more competitive proposals, which will be good for government,” added Sagcal.

(MNS)

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Energy drinks change the way your heart beats: study (Relaxnews) – If you rely on energy drinks to give you a buzz, researchers are warning that all that caffeine can alter the way your heart beats.

A team from the University of Bonn in Germany imaged the hearts of 17 people an hour after they had an energy drink containing caffeine and taurine, with findings showing more forceful heart contractions after the drink, especially in the left ventricle, which is the chamber of that heart that pumps blood around the body.

“Until now, we haven’t known exactly what effect these energy drinks have on the function of the heart,” said researcher Dr. Jonas Dorner in a statement. “The

amount of caffeine is up to three times higher than in other caffeinated beverages like coffee or cola.”

Caffeine levels in drinks such as Monster, Red Bull and Rockstar range from about 6 milligrams to 242 milligrams per serving, and some containers have more than one serving. By comparison, an 8-ounce/236.5 mL cup of coffee has about 100 milligrams.

“There are many side-effects known to be associated with a high intake of caffeine, including rapid heart rate, palpitations, rise in blood pressure and, in the most severe cases, seizures or sudden death,” Dorner said.

Dorner and his colleagues are presenting their findings Monday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.

“We’ve shown that energy drink consumption has a short-term impact on cardiac contractility,” he said. “We don’t know exactly how or if this greater contractility of the heart impacts daily activities or athletic performance.” His team advises that children and adults with an irregular heartbeat avoid energy drinks altogether.

A recent report in the journal Pediatrics found that up to 50 percent of US adolescents and young adults drink energy drinks on a regular basis.

Beauty tutorials: Holiday makeup (Relaxnews) – For our weekly selection of makeup tutorials we found some fun looks for the upcoming holidays: Lisa Eldridge For her holiday look, Chanel beauty expert Lisa Eldridge applies golden bronze, chocolate brown and plum eyeshadows, blending together the three shades and adding a light beige shade to highlight. She then uses brown liquid eyeliner, and dark mascara with a sparkling metallic mascara topcoat to add some extra glamour. She finishes the look with a light blusher, and hot red lips and nails. http://youtu.be/UQr9rj7x8G4 I Love Makeup Alexa starts her holiday makeup with a BB cream base for a natural look, set with translucent powder, and then blusher on the cheek. She uses a gold cream eyeshadow to create shimmer, and then adds a darker brown in the crease of the eye. A white color pencil is used to highlight the inner eye, then liquid eyeliner wings, black kohl eyeliner pencil and black eyeliner add more defintion.

False eyelashes and a matte pink lipstick round out the party-season look.

Parents who set and stick to rules have thinner kids: study (Relaxnews) – Children of parents who enforce a set routine at home in regards to watching television, eating dinner, and exercising have slimmer waistlines, a new Australian study shows.

When both parents set clear guidelines about household routines, children had a lower body mass index and were thinner, said researchers from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in Melbourne.

The study involved 4,002 children and

I Love Makeup: I love makeup – Youtube screengrab (http://youtu.be/XhI4YYJ-erk)

http://youtu.be/XhI4YYJ-erk Cutesy Girl This day-to-night look is great for those office parties which start just after work ends.

For day, start with foundation, and a concealer to lighten and brighten, then mattify the face with a setting powder. For the eyes, start by outlining and defining your eyebrows, and add cream shadow to the lids, then liquid eyeliner on the outer half of the eye. Any additional cheekbone con-

touring is optional. A bold pink blush on the apples of the cheeks and cream highlighter add glow, while pink lip butter, and curled eyelashes finish the look.

Transform it for night by adding fake lashes and creating a smokey eye with matte black shadow. Silver eyeliner on lower lash line, a more intense lip color, and mascara on the lashes will all help transform you into the belle of the ball. http://youtu.be/1B-5FD5tVXI

Couples who drink (or don’t drink) together, stick together: study

their parents who participated in a longterm study. Findings were published online this week in the journal Pediatrics.

Prior research has found that parents can change up a few household routines to help their kids fight the battle of the bulge. Published September in the journal JAMA Pediatrics, US and Canadian researchers implemented a home-based intervention to help young kids lose weight, by curbing TV time, increasing sleep time, and encouraging families to dine together.

Kate Moss sparkles in Rimmel’s futuristic holiday collection

(Relaxnews) – A longtime face of the brand, the British supermodel stars in Rimmel London’s latest holiday campaign.

Wearing the new Christmas collection, titled ‘Out of This World’, the 39-year-old model appears in some stunning new images for Rimmel London.

Kate, who is lined up to receive a special recognition prize at the upcoming British Fashion awards, has been the face of the brand for the past 12 years.

Famed makeup artist Val Garland created the looks for the campaign, which include punchy red statement lips and gently smokey eyes, an aesthetic the brand describe as “fiercely futuristic with a dark romantic twist.”

To add to the otherworldly effect, Kate has her nails painted with the textured Space Dust nail polish in purple, apart from a silver contrast nail (an emerging trend).

The line starts at £3.99 for the polish (approx $5.60) and is available at Boots in the UK.

Kate Moss in Rimmel London’s Out of This World Christmas 2013 Collection.

Photo: Rimmel London

Viagra doesn’t make men happier: study

A new US study finds that couples who share similar approaches to drinking alcohol are more likely to stick together. Photo: gennady/shutterstock.com

(Relaxnews) – Couples who are in sync with their taste for alcohol have better odds of sticking together over time, a new study finds.

In a study of 634 couples, both heavy drinkers and those who

drank very little had much lower rates of divorce than couples in which one partner was a heavier drinker. Researchers from the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions in the US

tracked couples from the time of their weddings through the first nine years of marriage.

Findings showed that 50 percent of couples in which one partner drank more heavily ended up divorcing, while the divorce rates for other couples was only 30 percent.

“This research provides solid evidence to bolster the commonplace notion that heavy drinking by one partner can lead to divorce,” said lead researcher Kenneth Leonard. “Although some people might think that’s a likely outcome, there was surprisingly little data to back up that claim until now.”

The findings are to be published in the December issue of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors.

Life and Leisure News for Filipino-Americans Mag

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(Relaxnews) – While drugs like Viagra can certainly help men regain their erections, they won’t make them any happier, a new US study claims.

PDE5 inhibitors such as Viagra, which work by relaxing blood vessels, help tackle the physiological side of erectile dysfunction, or ED, but they don’t address psychological causes of impotence, LiveScience reports. The study, which examined 40 clinical trials, was published November 21 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.

“It’s simplistic to think that fixing an erection issue would solve relationship issues,” said researcher Dr. Andrew Kramer of the University of Maryland Medical Center. “Happiness is very complicated. A lot of couples still need additional therapy.”

The good news in bad news: study (Relaxnews) – If reading bad news first thing in the morning sets a negative tone for your entire day, a new study offers a novel solution, without having to avoid media altogether.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University’s School of Psychological Sciences found that repeated exposure to a negative event neutralizes its effect on your mood and your thinking.

“A bad mood is known to slow cognition,” said Dr. Moshe Shay Ben-Haim. “We show that, counterintuitively, you can avoid getting into a bad mood in the first place by dwelling on a negative event.”

“If you look at the newspaper before you go to work and see a headline about a bombing or tragedy of some kind, it’s better to read the article all the way through and repeatedly expose yourself to the negative information,” he said. “You will be freer to go on with your day in a better mood

Headlines full of back news? Lessen their impact on your mood by reading an article all the way through. Photo: rangizzz/shutterstock.com

and without any negative effects.”

To reach their findings, 121 subjects were shown a number of words and asked to name the colors in which they are printed, a well-known psychological test called the emotional Stroop task. In general, it takes people longer to identify the colors of negative words like “terrorism” than of neutral words like “table,” the researchers said, because it’s often thought that negative words are either more distracting or more threatening.

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, December 4 - 10, 2013

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LOS ANGELES

US REJECTS

PAUL WALKER

From page 1

The Chinese planes, which included at least two fighter jets, identified two US surveillance aircraft and 10 Japanese aircraft including an F-15 warplane, Shen said.

Japan and South Korea both said Thursday they had disregarded the ADIZ, showing a united front after US B-52 bombers also entered the area.

‘No peculiar developments’: Japan minister Despite the scrambling of jets referred to in China’s state media, Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera on Saturday said there were no “peculiar developments”.

“We do not recognize there have been peculiar developments that we should disclose such as one where aircraft suddenly came close as the Chinese side announced yesterday,” he said.

“We have been making our utmost efforts to be vigilant and we will continue,” he added.

Beijing is facing considerable internal pressure to assert itself. China’s state media called Friday for “timely countermeasures without hesitation” if Japan violates the zone but it shied away from threatening Washington.

Washington has security alliances with both Tokyo and Seoul, and analysts say that neither China nor Japan – the world’s second and thirdbiggest economies, and major trading partners of each other – want to engage in armed conflict.

The Communist Party seeks to bolster its public support by tapping into deep-seated resent-

From page 1

ment of Japan for its brutal invasion of the country in the 1930s.

Such passions are easily ignited, and posters on Chinese social media networks have urged Beijing to act.

China’s rules covering the zone require aircraft to provide their flight plan, declare their nationality and maintain two-way radio communication – or face unspecified “defensive emergency measures”.

Both Japan, which denies that there is a dispute over the islands, and Washington have ADIZs of their own, and China accuses them of double standards – though China’s zone includes a rock that is disputed between Beijing and Seoul, as well as islands controlled by Japan and claimed by China.

The European Union added its voice to the criticism of the zone, with its top foreign affairs official Catherine Ashton saying it “contributes to raising tensions in the region”.

The Yomiuri Shimbun on Saturday reported that the United States and Japan will issue a joint statement demanding China scrap the air zone during a visit to Tokyo by US Vice President Joe Biden next week. Biden will meet Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday.

The Philippines has voiced concern that China may extend control of air space over disputed areas of the South China Sea, where the two nations have a separate territorial dispute.

BIAZON From page 1

The seven former congressmen facing charges in the second batch of cases are Biazon (Muntinlupa), Salacnib Baterina (1st District Ilocos Sur), Douglas Cagas (1st District Davao del Sur), Marc Douglas Cagas IV (1st District Davao del Sur), Rodolfo Valencia (1st District Oriental Mindoro), Arthur Pingoy Jr. (2nd District South Cotabato), and Arrel R. Olaño (1st District Davao del Norte).

The two representatives of congressmen included in the cases are former congresswoman Zenaida Cruz Ducut and Celia Cuasay.

De Lima said Biazon, Baterina and Douglas Cagas coursed pork barrel funds to the Philippine Social Development Foundation, Inc. (PSDFI), an NGO linked to Napoles.

She said the former lawmakers were not charged with plunder because the alleged amounts coursed to fake NGOs did not meet the P50 million threshold.

“Ang palaging theory namin is that they’re all co-conspirators, varying roles, varying degrees of involvement or culpability. Maaaring iba-iba, not necessarily as principals by direct cooperation but other

THE US ASIAN POST

levels like accomplices,” de Lima said.

The alleged kickbacks of the former lawmakers are as follows: Baterina (P7.5 million) Biazon (P1.95 million) Douglas Cagas (P9.3 million) Mark Cagas (P5.54 million) Olano (P3.1 million) Pingoy (P7.5 million) Valencia (P2.41 million) The justice chief said it is up to Biazon if he will take a leave of absence from the Bureau of Customs. She said the cases will still need to be investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman.

Biazon is a member of the Liberal Party of President Aquino. (MNS)

Life and Leisure News for Filipino-Americans Mag

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Facebook account on Saturday.

“He was a passenger in a friend’s car, in which both lost their lives.”

The publicists wrote that they were “stunned and saddened beyond belief by this news.” The message was also linked to Walker’s Twitter account.

Walker was killed when the red Porsche sports car he was traveling in slammed into a tree and caught fire around 3:30 pm (2330 GMT) on Saturday in the town of Santa Clarita, in Los Angeles county, local media reported.

Witnesses recognized Walker and one onlooker even tried to pull him from the wreckage, the local Santa Clarita Valley Signal newspaper reported.

Walker was taking a Thanksgiving break from filming the seventh “Fast and Furious” movie, which had been scheduled for release in July.

The crew had filmed in Atlanta and were set to travel to Abu Dhabi in January, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Walker had been at an event to raise money for victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines for Reach Out Worldwide (ROWW), a non-profit disaster relief group the actor founded.

ROWW has sent teams of experts to help in natural disasters such as the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and tornado-stricken towns in the United States.

“Brother I will miss you very much,” wrote Hollywood star Diesel on his Instagram account. “I am absolutely speechless.

Heaven has gained a new Angel. Rest in Peace.”

Another “Fast and Furious” co-star, Lu-

dacris, wrote on Twitter: “Your humble spirit was felt from the start, wherever you blessed your presence you always left a mark, we were like brothers & our birthdays are only 1 day apart, now You will forever hold a place in all of our hearts @ paulwalker legacy will live on forever.”

And former wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who also appears in the franchise, wrote: “All my strength, love & faith to the Walker family during this heartbreaking time. We find our strength.. in his light.

Love you brother.”

The late actor is survived by his 15-yearold daughter Meadow.

In real life Walker raced cars, described himself on Twitter as an “outdoorsman, ocean addict,” and “adrenaline junkie,” and did many of his own movie stunts.

In a departure from his action movie roles, Walker is due to appear in “Hours,” an independent movie set for mid-December release about a father who struggles to keep his ailing infant daughter alive after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005.

Walker was also scheduled to star in the 2014 crime-action film “Brick Mansions,” a remake of the 2004 French movie District B13.

Before his “Fast and Furious” breakthrough Walker appeared in TV commercials as a child, and was in several 1980s TV shows. He became a teen heartthrob, appearing in such movies as “Pleasantville” (1988), “She’s All That” and “Varsity Blues” (both 1999).

The first “Fast and Furious” movie appeared in 2001.

LACSON From page 1

press statement on Monday.

Lacson never used the P200-million priority development assistance fund (PDAF) allotted for each senator every year during his 12-year stint in the Senate.

The Supreme Court (SC) recently declared the congressional PDAF as ‘unconstitutional’ after the pork barrel was marred with the alleged P10-billion scam.

In a media forum on Monday, Lacson promised to observe transparency in the disbursement of money for the reconstruction of the areas hit by Yolanda.

Lacson said he will make sure that no

single rehabilitation fund will go to unscrupulous individual as he hopes to finish the reconstruction phase by mid of 2016.

President Aquino recently increased the allocation for the rehabilitation and reconstruction program for Yolanda-hit areas from P38.8 billion to P40.9 billion.

The fund includes P14.5 billion supplemental budget that the Senate already passed for Yolanda-ravaged areas.

Aside from the P40.9 billion, there are already billions of donations from other countries and other international organizations.(MNS)

DEATH TOLL From page 1

www.usasianpost.com

stroyed and 586,082 damaged.

The NDRRMC also reported that the Smart Communication cellphone services were restored in Leyte, Cebu, Bohol, Iloilo and Negros Occidental.MIt added that total cost of government assistance for the affected families has reached at P708.061 million. The Department of Social and Welfare Development has allocated P539 million; local government units, P80 million;

Department of Health (DOH), P32.958 million; and non-governmental organizations/ other government organizations, P55.250 million.

Meanwhile, the NDRRMC said 35,121 people, 1,351 vehicles, 112 seacraft, 164 aircraft and 28,431 other assets/equipment from the national and local agencies have been deployed to strategic areas to expedite response and medical operations. (MNS)

CHILD-TRAFFICKING From page 1

cident, “but we have our suspicions,” pointing out the fact that most cases of trafficking are left unreported.

“I wish we have (record), but we only have anecdotal evidences from the areas we work in,” she said.

“Doing a good job” For his part, Leonard Doyle of the International Organizations of Migrations, said the Department of Social Welfare and Development has been “doing the right thing” to prevent the potential threat of child trafficking. N“They are doing exactly the right thing. They are registering families, they are making sure no minors are traveling alone, they are making sure there are no suspicious groups (in the area),” he said.

On the other hand, Van der Hor advised local officials, especially in evacuation centers, to make sure children who are not with their parents or guardians, should not be immediately transferred to the hands of people claiming to be their relatives.

“How can a two-year-old tell you that ‘this is not really my uncle’,” she said. “So what we do, in situations like this, be it in evacuation centers, we immediately work with the people that... even if they think the person have good intentions, they cannot let anybody leave with a child unless there is proof.”

She also warned against those people who offer to bring children to Cebu or Manila promising a better future. (MNS)

Police chief gives cash aid to cops affected PALO, Leyte, Nov 29 (Mabuhay) – Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Alan Purisima arrived here Friday to give food and cash assistance to uniformed personnel affected by super typhoon “Yolanda” in Leyte.

After visiting the heavily damaged PNPCIDG office in Tacloban City, Purisima went to PNP Regional Headquarters in Camp Kangleon here to lead the distribution of relief assistance to typhoon-stricken policemen.

The Police Chief handed over initial relief insurance benefits to families of six policemen who died during the onslaught of Yolanda amounting to P71,000 each.

He noted that the remaining insurance benefits for deceased cops with a total amount of 2.3 million are already being processed.

The policemen were: SPO4 Rogelio Alba of Tacloban City Police Office; SPO1 Edgar Evina, PO2 Adelfo Lopez, and PO2 Jaffy Villegas all from Leyte Police Provincial Office; PO3 Gerardo Rojas and SPO4 Saballa from CIDG. Three out of the 6,271 policemen assigned in the region have yet to be accounted for.

Purisima also led the distribution of 4,000 food and non-food items to 3,187 police personnel affected by the calamity.

Some 1,500 police uniforms were also distributed including athletic and camouflage uniforms and shoes.

He also provided P10,000 additional benefits for the six police casualties, P5,000

each for 16 injured policemen and P3,000 for 453 personnel affected by the typhoon.

Purisima also committed financial assistance donated by various PNP regional offices and national support units amounting to P3.2 million with additional pledges of P506,000 to be given to all affected PNP personnel.

He, likewise, announced the early release of 13th month pay and Christmas bonuses for all police personnel in Eastern Visayas.

Affected police personnel could also apply for a special calamity loan of up to P30,000 with zero percent interest and emergency loan of up to P50,000 with three percent interest, added Purisima.

He said there is P4-million assistance fund for the entire PNP and Armed Forces personnel in Leyte and Samar.

The Police Chief also flew in three doctors, six psychologists, five nurses and five aid men from the health service in Manila to cure all injured personnel and to help address post-traumatic needs of the affected policemen. He also assured enough supplies of medicines, antibiotics, and vitamins for the cops.

Purisima also donated two generator sets, two units of water purifier systems, computers and scanners for various PNP offices in Leyte and Samar.

“These may be simple tokens of appreciation for what you have done in the name of service and commitment to your responsibility as law enforcers but they symbolize our great concern for you,” he said.

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MOTORING Volvo’s autonomous cars take to the streets (Relaxnews) – Volvo is about to start the world’s first large-scale self-driving car pilot project which will see 100 autonomous vehicles hitting Gothenburg’s roads.

The project, called “Drive Me – Self-driving cars for sustainable mobility” is backed by the Swedish government and aims to identify the social benefits of letting the car take the strain and, of course, to highlight Volvo’s position as an innovator in the field of autonomous driving technology.

The cars will run on approximately 50km of roads around Gothenburg – the Swedish city where Volvo is based – selected because of their propensity for congestion.

As well as social benefits, the project will examine how self-driving cars can reduce traffic queues and increase road safety; how consumers feel about and respond to the technology; the changes in infrastructure required to support autonomous vehicles; and the traffic and road situations most suitable for the technology.

“The public pilot will provide us with a valuable insight into the societal benefits of making autonomous vehicles a natural part of the traffic environment. Smart vehicles are part of the solution,

but a broad societal approach is also necessary to offer sustainable personal mobility in the future.

We believe that this cross-functional co-operation can give this development a boost,” says Erik Coelingh, Technical Specialist at Volvo Car Group.

Announced on Monday, December 2, the project will officially commence in 2014 with consumer research and technology development—this will include refining a user interface and building a cloud platform. As a result, the first cars are not expected to take to the streets until 2017.

“Sweden has developed unique co-operation between the authorities, the industry and the academic community. This has resulted in a world-leading position in traffic safety. Autonomous vehicles and a smarter infrastructure will bring us another step towards even safer traffic and an improved environment. It will also contribute to new jobs and new opportunities in Sweden,” says Catharina Elmsäter-Svärd, the Swedish Minister for Infrastructure.

As well as testing and proving the technology, the Drive Me project will also help to define future city planning and infrastructure initiatives.

Volvo Car Group initiates pilot project with self-driving cars. A hundred consumers will be taking to the roads of Gothenburg in fully autonomous cars in the biggest pilot scheme of its kind.

The cars that will be used in the test will be fully autonomous in that the vehicles will be able

Mercedes S Class is first-ever China Car of the Year

(Relaxnews) – The luxury sedan scooped the top honor at the inaugural award ceremony held during the Guangzhou Auto Show.

The car beat 52 other makes and models – whittled down to three finalists ahead of the ceremony last week – to what is hoped to become a coveted title, knocking the Range Rover and Chang’an Ford Mondeo into runner-up positions. Of receiving the ceremony’s top honor, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz China Mr. Nicholas Speeks, said: “the decision reaffirms the model’s stature and position in China, its top market worldwide.”

As well as the overall winner, there were prizes for different car categories with Porsche’s hybrid hyper car, the 918 Spyder, becoming the first China Performance Car of the Year.

What’s more, the same company’s Panamera E-Hybrid GT car was named the China Green Car of the Year, leading Chief Operating Officer of Porsche China, Mr. Michael Kirsch, to say: “it makes us humble that Porsche has won

to handle all driving functions, including parking, but the driver will still be expected to step in to

take control in the event of a technical issue or when manual input is needed.

Porsche announces special Platinum Edition Cayenne

The Mercedes-Benz Class S 400

two awards tonight. I’m surprised a luxury sports car can win a green car award. That means our effort in developing green technology has paid off.”

The final award, for outstanding design, went to the Citroen DS5, or, as it is known in China, Chang’an PSA DS5. According to the jurors, it was chosen for “breaking the rules of

a conventional design with its unique style.”

The awards were open to any new car that went on sale in China between October 1, 2012 and September 30, 2013 and winners were selected and voted on by a panel of 10 independently appointed automotive magazine editors.

(Relaxnews) – New versions of the six-cylinder and diesel SUVs offer more than just a lick of shiny paint, with a host of options, driver aids and creature comforts included as standard.

The vehicles, which will be available to order for a limited period – just how limited, Porsche is yet to confirm – boast an eight-speed Tiptronic transmission, Park Assist, privacy glazing and the Porsche Communication Management in-car infotainment system including the seven-inch HD touch screen and 11-speaker stereo all as standard.

But as well as toys, the cabin features prodigious use of leather and a two-tone color combination reserved exclusively for the model.

Outside, the air intakes, window trims and spoiler tips are finished in platinum metallic paint

as standard and while owners can specify all paintwork in the same hue, the range of colors on offer includes monotone paint finishes in black and white, or metallic Meteor Grey, Basalt Black and Mahogany.

For those willing to pay a little more, exclusive Carrara White Metallic paint is also available, as is a full, rather than partial, leather interior.

The six-cylinder petrol version of the Cayenne Platinum Edition will cost €66,379 while at €67,212 the diesel version will cost a little more when it becomes available for order in January.

12

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THE US ASIAN POST

ATHLETICS Tacloban City to rise again – Pacquiao TACLOBAN CITY, Dec. 2 (Mabuhay) – Filipino boxing icon and Saranggani Rep. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao on Monday expressed belief that Tacloban City will rise from the pummeling its received from Supertyphoon “Yolanda” last November 8.

The boxing champ made this statement during the Tacloban City flag-raising ceremony around 8:30 a.m. Monday.

“We will fight and rise again,” Pacquiao said in Filipino to his audience who flocked by the thousands just to see him.

He also stressed that he will do everything in his authority to ensure that Tacloban City will be rebuilt and restored to its former prosperity.

“I will do everything to see to it that you (Tacloban City residents) will get back to your feet again,” he added.

Pacquiao also prayed and called for God to bless the city even as he extended his condolences to the families who suffered death and destruction during “Yolanda’s” onslaught.

Pacquiao likened Tacloban City’s ordeal to his harrowing losses to American challenger Timothy Bradley and Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez, prize fighters, whom inflicted stunning defeats to him in 2012.

But instead of sulking over this reversal, the Filipino boxing champion said he gradually worked into contention eventually culminating in his decisive win over American Brandon “Bambam” Rios in Macau last November 24.

The boxing champ said that Tacloban City residents can accomplish this with the help of their kindhearted countrymen and God’s help.

Pacquiao said that he will pray for the eventual relief and rehabilitation of Tacloban City and will do everything in his authority to help them in their hour of need.

Relatedly, the boxing champ earlier handed around P2.5 million and tons of relief goods to the Tacloban City government for distribution to distressed residents Sunday.

The money came from Saranggani province and various charitable organizations.

Aside from this, the boxing champ distributed an unspecified amount to residents whom he met while conducting relief runs in “Yolanda”-battered towns in Eastern Samar Sunday.

“Tindog Tacloban,” Pacquiao said three times before leaving for another relief run at the Tacloban City Convention Center aboard a black van. (MNS)

Quezon City Traffic Enforcers escort the cyclists participating in the Bayanihan Ride event of the Fund-Raising Festival 2013 organized by the Bayanihan Republic at Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City on Saturday (Nov. 30, 2013). The Bayanihan Republic aims to raise funds for the benefit of typhoon “Yolanda” survivors. The funds will be used for continued relief operations, psychosocial support and on-ground initiatives to rebuild communities affected by the super typhoon last Nov. 8. (MNS photo)

PHL shooting team brings home 23 gold medals, 21 silver and 10 bronze medals

BY RAOUL ESPERAS

For the nth the Philippine shooting team proves to the world that Filipinos excell in the skills of practical shooting 23 gold medals, 21 silver medals and 10 bronze medals or a total of 54 medals in the recently concluded 5 days far East Asia handgun competition held at Pattaya, Thailand were brought home by the Philippine shooting team against 489 shooters from 26 countries who participated in 25 stages, level 4 shooting competition Governor Suharto Mangudadatu, head of the Philippine shooting team and president of the Philippine practical association said that participating members of the Philippine shooting team are thankful to all sponsors and to all Filipinos who extended their prayers for the team.

PPSA President Mangudadatu added that the shooting team displayed their excellence in the skills of practical shooting against the best shooters from 26 countries from all around the world.

The same Philippine team also brought home some 30 gold medals from the Australasia shooting competition.

Mangudadatu believes that The Philippine team is getting the best training and motivation and is optimistic that the PPSA Philippine team is expected to bring home more golds in the future competition.

Among those who bring home the gold medals are the all women Filipino team composed of Angela Ramos, Lydia Cuyong, Grace Knelma Aldonza, Mary Grace Tan and Customs Collector Carmelita Mimel Talusan.

Wali Mangudadatu bagged the gold medal for the junior open division, Lenardo Gino Jr won the gold medal for the revolver division, while seeded shooter Jag Lejano won the gold medal for the male open division category, Jerome Jay Morales placed 2nd in the classic division Janice Navato and Kirstin Joy Gino won the gold and bronze medal respectively.

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