Usap may 15, 2013

T H E

Vol. 2. No. 35

LOS ANGELES

A Balita Media Publication

President Benigno Aquino fills up a ballot during midterm elections in his hometown in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac in northern Philippines May 13, 2013 in this handout provided by the Malacañang Presidential Palace, which was a referendum of sorts halfway through the six-year term of the President who tackled corruption and restored business confidence that led to credit-rating upgrades. (MNS photo)

Wednesday - Tuesday, May 15-21, 2013

Palace: 9-3 victory a vote of confidence for Aquino 9-3 win a vote of confidence for PNoy – Palace MANILA, May 14 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang is satisfied with the conduct of the elections, citing fewer glitches and “isolated incidents of violence.”

The Palace also welcomed what seems to be a 9-3 win in favor of the administration’s senatorial candidates, saying that it is a vote of confidence

for President’s Aquino’s governance.

Aquino considers the midterm elections as a “referendum” on his administration.

“The President led the administration into what he himself has described as a referendum on this administration—one that will determine whether there will be a continuation and acceleration of reform, or a regression to

the old, selfish ways that had harmed our country,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.

“As the counting is completed and the official proclamations take place, it seems clear that our countrymen have spoken overwhelmingly to confirm and expand the mandate for reform and change that they first granted in 2010 to See 9-3 VICTORY, page 3

Comelec says polls were generally peaceful MANILA, May 13 (Mabuhay) – Glitches suffered by the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines did not deter the Commission on Elections (Comelec) from assessing the conduct of 2013 midterm polls on Monday as generally okay.

“Our report says there were some glitches but, generally, the elections appear to be okay. Our elections is running smoothly,” Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said at the Comelec Command Center at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City.

He said there might be only 200 problematic PCOS machines, Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos ©, wife of former President Ferdinand Marcos, fills up her ballot together with her children Senator Ferdinand Jr “Bongbong” Marcos ® and Irene Marcos Araneta during the Philippines’ midterm elections in Batac, Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines May 13, 2013. More than 50 million Filipinos will cast their votes for a new set of lawmakers and local officials on Monday, a referendum of sorts halfway through the six-year term of Philippine President Benigno Aquino who tackled corruption and restored business confidence that led to credit-rating upgrades. (MNS photo)

A rogues’ gallery of PHL election candidates MANILA, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – Graft-tainted ex-presidents, a dictator’s unrepentant wife and politicians charged with crimes such as murder and child rape are among the candidates in the Philippines’ mid-term elections on Monday.

The Philippines has long endured a corrupt and violent brand of democracy in which politicians use their influence to avoid punishment for crimes, creating a socalled “culture of impunity” that enrages the masses.

See PEACEFUL, page 3

VP Binay to support only Aquino’s ‘ Manila says goodbye to ‘Dirty Harry’ good programs’ after elections and hello to ‘Asiong Salonga’ as Erap wins

Former Philippine President Joseph Estrada waves to supporters after casting his vote inside a precinct poll at a school in Manila May 13, 2013. Estrada beat incumbent Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.

Below are details on 10 politicians contesting the elections who are accused of corruption or criminal activities: 1. Imelda Marcos -- 83-year-old widow of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was deposed in a “people power revolution” in 1986. The first couple was accused of plundering billions of dollars from state coffers and overseeing vast human rights abuses.

Running for a second term as a member of the House of Repre-

MANILA, May 13 (Mabuhay) – Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday said he will fully support only the “good programs” of President Benigno Aquino III after the May 13 elections, which is being seen as dictating the political tempo towards the presidential election in 2016. Binay is considered an early frontrunner for next president.

“Susuportahan namin todo-todo ang Pangulong Noynoy dun sa mga programang tama,” Binay told re-

See CANDIDATES, page 3

See VP BINAY, page 3

Taiwanese fishermen burn Filipino flags in protest TAIPEI, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – Angry Taiwanese fishermen burned Filipino flags in protest Monday after the Philippine coastguard fired on a Taiwan fishing boat killing a crew member.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino called for calm as tensions escalated between the two coun-

Nationalist Alliance (UNA) with 288,058 votes while incumbent Mayor Alfredo Lim of the Liberal Party (LP) had 257,631 as of posting time.

The total number of registered voters in Manila is around 900,000. Monday’s polls yielded more or less 650,000 votes.

The colorful mayoralty contenders are known by the tags “Asiong Salonga” for Estrada, and “Dirty Harry” for Lim. Estrada played the lead role in

ing, we want to proclaim 12 senators tomorrow night,” he added.

The National Board of Canvassers, composed of Brillantes and six commissioners, has canvassed results from Guimaras and Paranaque City.

Based on the partial and unofficial tally as of 10:25 a.m. Tuesday and with 67.43 percent of the returns, Grace Poe is leading the senatorial race with 14,480,405 votes, followed by fellow administration bets and reelectionists

Loren Legarda (13,236,955 votes), Alan Peter Cayetano (12,529,209 votes), and Francis Escudero (12,527,364 votes).

They were followed by: 5 Nancy Binay – 11,789,643 6 Sonny Angara – 11,381,246 7 Bam Aquino – 10,956,504 8 Koko Pimentel – 10,499,683 9 Antonio Trillanes IV –10,090,054 10 Cynthia Villar – 9,819,559 11 JV Ejercito Estrada – 9,745,139 12 Gringo Honasan – 9,406,758

See ERAP WINS, page 3

Comelec names winning senators MANILA, May 14 (Mabuhay) – Elections chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. on Tuesday said the poll body expects to proclaim all the 12 winning senatorial candidates by 7 p.m. Wednesday., Manila time.

“By tomorrow 7 p.m., exactly 48 hours after the voting period ends, we expect to proclaim the senators. All (the 12 winning) senators. That is what we expect,” Brillantes told reporters at a press briefing.

“That is what we are project-

Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Director Asis Perez points at the monitor the exact location where Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) intercepted 4 Taiwanese fishing vessels at 43 NM east of Balintang Island, Luzon Strait, during a news conference in Manila May 10, 2013. The Philippines agreed on Friday to investigate the May 9, 2013 shooting death of a Taiwanese fisherman after criticism from Taipei and Beijing, but pledged increased efforts to prevent further incursions in its territorial seas. (MNS photo)

MANILA, May 14 (Mabuhay) – Former Philippine President Joseph Ejercito Estrada was proclaimed the mayor-elect of Manila City on Tuesday afternoon after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decided to lower the threshold of votes needed to proclaim a winner.

The total number of votes counted was 96 percent when Comelec handed down its decision to lower the threshold of votes.

The partial and unofficial tally showed Estrada of the United

Syrian rebels free Filipino peacekeepers

BY JASON GUTIERREZ

tries over last week’s incident in which the 65-year-old fisherman was shot dead.

Hundreds of fishermen wearing yellow headbands and chanting “Justice must be done!” and “Killer must be punished!” hurled eggs at the Philippine de facto

MANILA, May 12, 2013 (AFP) – Syrian rebels Sunday freed four Filipino peacekeepers five days after seizing them in the Golan Heights, the Philippines said as it called on combatants to respect United Nations personnel.

The four were turned over by a Syrian rebel group which calls

See FISHERMEN BURN, page 2

See PEACEKEEPERS, page 2

See SENATORS, page 3

PHL may pull peacekeepers from Golan

BY CECIL MORELLA

MANILA, May 10, 2013 (AFP) – The Philippines said Friday it may quickly withdraw from a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights because of security concerns, following the abduction of four Filipino troops.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said he had made a recommendation to President Benigno Aquino to pull out the more than 300 troops from the area.

“As soon as he says go, we will undertake to do that as soon as possible,” del Rosario told reporters.

Syrian rebels seized the four Filipino peacekeepers at an observation post in the Golan Heights on Tuesday, two months after 21 Filipino soldiers were abducted by the same group and held for four days.

See PHL MAY PULL, page 2

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THE US ASIAN POST

Cagayan Governor ambushed our convoy, says Palace exec MANILA, May 13 (Mabuhay) – Incumbent Cagayan Gov. Alvaro Antonio is being accused of shooting at the convoy of Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) chief Manuel Mamba with an AK47, hitting at least one of the vehicles.

Mamba said his 4-vehicle convoy was passing by the municipal hall of Alcala town in Cagayan when he was surprised to see Antonio at the waiting shed with an AK-47.

Mamba, whose brother, William, is running for governor against Antonio, said he thought the governor was only threatening him with the weapon when the latter suddenly opened fire.

“Pag lampas namin, may putok pak,pak,pak,pak. Dumeretso naman kami. Yung pala yung isang sakay na namin may tama na, yung last na sasaksayan may tama sa side at sa likod,” he said.

No one was hurt in the incident because the car was bulletproof, he said. He added that the car

bogged down because its radiator tended to overheat.

Asked if he saw Antonio fire the weapon, he said: “Siya mismo.

We were only about 10 meters away.

Ewan ko lasing yata. Parang lasing e.

Nagtaka nga ako e. Akala ko mananakot lang siya.”

Mamba said he went to Alcala town to check on the conduct of the elections especially since his brother, a three-term mayor of Tuao town, is running against the incumbent.

He said Antonio seemed to have been expecting his arrival since his convoy was stopped at the first barangay in Alcala town.

“I think it was an ambush. It was done with impunity. Sabi ko nga baka lasing kasi lasenggero itong governor namin,” he said.

He said he did not know if the governor would be questioned about the incident. He said he will file a report since the shooting happened on a highway and might have hurt other people.

(MNS)

Imelda Marcos, Imee proclaimed MANILA, May 14 (Mabuhay) – Former First Lady Imelda Marcos has been proclaimed as representative of Ilocos Norte’s 2nd district Marcos after winning by a landslide.

She garnered 100,020 votes, easily beating independent candidate Ferdinand Ignacio, who had 11,320 votes.

It is the former First Lady’s second term as 2nd district rep-

resentative after returning to the political scene in the 2010 elections.

She ran under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), which her late husband Ferdinand founded.

Meanwhile, Imelda’s daughter Imee, has also been proclaimed as the province’s governor.

Running unopposed, Imee garnered 204,450 votes to continue her term as governor. (MNS)

Fire hits Malacañang Park but presidential guards bar arson probers from entering MANILA, May 14 (Mabuhay) – A fire of undetermined origin hit the Malacañang Park in Manila on Tuesday but the Presidential Security Group (PSG) allegedly barred arson investigators from entering the area.

Bureau of Fire Protection Chief Inspector Bonifacio Carta said they were denied access inside the park even after identifying themselves to the presidential guards.

“Nag-third alarm sa Malacañang Park. Ang problema, after I properly identified myself sa

guards, pinapa-hold kami. Anong gagawin namin dito?” Carta said.

The sentry on duty who denied entry to Carta refused to identify himself.

Even media representatives who rushed to the area were also denied entry.

Meanwhile, the volunteer firefighter group TXTFire tweeted that the fire at Malacañang Park reached the second alarm at 10:23 a.m. However, TXTFire said the fire was put out at about 10:34 a.m. (MNS)

PHL agriculture sector grows 3.3 percent in Q1 MANILA, May 10 (Mabuhay) – The agriculture sector grew by 3.3% in the first quarter, driven by expansion across all sub-sectors, the Department of Agriculture said on Friday.

In a statement, the agency said the crops sub-sector, which accounted for 54.1% of total farm output, saw production rise by 3.6%.

This increase was led by a 4.45% climb in rice production to 4.17 million metric tons (mmt) and a 11.43% jump in corn volume to 2.25 mmt.

Moreover, the fisheries sub-sector, which made up 16.3% of total agricultural production, posted a 5.6% growth, while the poultry sub-sector, which accounted for 14.4% of total output, expanded by 2.8%.

The Agriculture department also noted the modest 0.3% growth recorded in the livestock sub-sector, which accounted for 15.3% of total production.

“Our efforts are paying off, and we hope to attain our sufficiency targets by year-end,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala said in the statement.

“For these achievements, we thank our country’s farmers and fishers for their continuous hard work and perseverance, and strong cooperation of local government units and the private sector,” he said. (MNS)

Philippine President Benigno Aquino hands his ballot to election workers during midterm elections in his hometown in Hacienda Luisita, Tarlac, in northern Philippines May 13, 2013 in this handout provided by the Malacanang Presidential Palace. (MNS photo)

Aquino uses kodigo to ensure 12-0 vote for team TARLAC CITY, May 13 (Mabuhay) -- President Aquino brought with him a sample ballot and used it as his “kodigo” (guide) when he cast his vote.

Speaking to reporters, Aquino said he wanted to make sure that he voted for all the candidates of the administration senatorial slate.

Aquino disclosed that he voted 12-0 in favor of Team PNoy’s candidates.

Choosing alphabetically, Aquino said Sonny Angara was number one on his list while Cynthia Villar was last.

“Sinigurado ko lang dahil baka naman may nalaktawan pa tayo doon sa 12 natin. I am sure that I voted for them,” Aquino said.

He declined to disclose his choices for the local positions, invoking the secrecy of his vote.

Aquino arrived at past nine in the morning with his sisters Ballsy and Pinky and their respective families.

Aquino fell in line and waited for his turn for about 15 minutes before casting his vote in Precinct 175-A at the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Elementary School.

It took about 10 minutes for the President to complete the process of the vote from securing his ballot, filling it up and feeding it into the PCOS machine.

It was a far cry from his experience during the 2010 presidential elections when the PCOS machine malfunctioned, forcing him to wait for more than four hours.

Aquino said that it was as if it was his first time to use the PCOS machine this year.

“Syempre ang laking difference noong 2010. As you remember, hindi natin nagamit ang PCOS machine. So para tayong for the first time gumagamit ng PCOS. So mabilis… mabilis ang proseso,” Aquino said.

Voting at the President’s precinct went relatively smoothly except when a ballot jammed the PCOS machine at past 8 a.m.

Provincial election supervisor Elaiza David said election officers had to restart the PCOS machine with the votes cast earlier already saved. The PCOS machine worked normally soon after.

After casting his vote, Aquino went back to the Palace where he is meeting with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police in the afternoon for an update and assessment on the conduct of the elections.

Aquino said he left a directive to the Chief PNP to ensure the peaceful conduct of the elections.

“Daanan lahat ang preparations ulit, make sure that we have done everything possible to ensure na peaceful ang elections,” he said.

On the power situation, Aquino said that Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla has ensured that there will be enough power during election day.

“Talagang inikutan nila uli just to make sure that to the best efforts humanly possible ma-ensure natin continuous [ang] power supply today,” he said.

On the power outage in Batangas andd Laguna, Aquino said that Petilla has told him that a defective transformer caused the outage but power is expected to be restored within 1 to 1 hour and a half.

(MNS)

Aquino committed for the reconstruction of Ospital ng Maynila MANILA, May 10 (Mabuhay) -- The national government is ready to assist the City of Manila reconstruct the Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center (OMMC) to expand its services to Manila residents especially the poor, President Benigno S. Aquino III said on Thursday.

The President said that if Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim is re-elected this coming May 13 election, the national government will shoulder the city’s budget shortfall for the reconstruction of OMMC. “Dahil 12 floors ang gusto mo Mayor doon sa Ospital ng Maynila, sige hahatian kita diyan,” the President said in his speech during the Miting de Avance of the Liberal Party in Tondo, Manila, Thursday.

Aside from the planned reconstruction of the OMMC, the President said he also has to look for the funding requirements for the upgrading or rehabilitation of the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and other hospitals in Manila.

“Pero alam n’yo sa mahusay na pamamahala at matinong pamamahala, oras lang po ang pinag-uusapan, kakayanin natin lahat ‘yan,” the President said.

The President also praised Lim for imple-

menting the universal healthcare program much earlier.

“Bukod po sa anim na modernong ospital, napakaraming barangay health center at klinikang may libreng pagpapagamot sa mga maralita,” he stressed.

Lim’s performance in providing affordable education to the people of Manila is also exemplary, the chief executive said. The President asked the people of Manila to support Lim for this year’s midterm polls so that reforms and development in the city could continue.

In his message during the same event, Lim said his administration decided to reconstruct the OMMC and make it a modern 12-storey hospital because frequent repairs are becoming too costly for the city government.

He said the new OMMC will be fully air-conditioned and Manileños could have its services free of charge.

The City of Manila, according to Lim is the only city in the country to have six hospitals catering to the health needs of its citizens for free. Among the new hospital in the city is the newly constructed Sta. Ana Hospital inaugurated by the President in May 2011. (MNS)

DOE chief still not keen on reviving BNPP despite blackout

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MANILA, May 10 (Mabuhay) – Despite the power outage that hit Luzon last Wednesday, the Department of Energy is not keen on reviving the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant to shore up the country’s energy reserves.

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla on Thursday evening said the BNPP lacks the capacity to meet present-day demand levels for energy, and may have safety problems if it is upgraded.

“During that time (1970s), I would say dati (ang power capacity natin) mga 5,000 to 6,000 megawatts. Ngayon itong plant na ito is 400 megawatts.

‘Pag ikaw nagdagdag ng 400 megawatts sa 5,000 megawatts, napakalaking bagay. Ngayon, ang 400 megawatts parang balewala kung 16,000 megawatts ang present capacity, katiting na lang,” Petilla said.

Today, figures from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines shows the demand for energy in Luzon alone is already 8,567 megawatts, more than 20 times the BNPP’s 400

megawatts.

Petilla said they are aware of suggestions from some sectors to revive the BNPP, which was mothballed after the 1986 EDSA Revolution.

He said the plant had been paid for and needs only the reactors to run.

Yet, he said that if it were to be useful, it should be upgraded to have a capacity of 2,000 megawatts.

“Ang problema, ang nuclear power plant na ito luma na... So wala nang cost benefit.... Kung 400 megawatts, napakaliit ng capacity at napakalaki ng risk,” he said.

The DOE earlier said it is taking steps to prevent a repeat of Wednesday’s power outage, especially with the May 13 midterm elections just days away.

Large parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces in Luzon went without power for several hours. Some areas still experienced outages Thursday. (MNS)

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, May 15-21, 2013

9-3 VICTORY From page 1

President Aquino.”

“The victory of Team PNoy is a renewed mandate for tuwid na daan, and a vote of confidence for good governance, the continuity of reforms, and a brighter future to come,” he added.

The Palace sees a “greater majority” in the new Senate given the win of its allies.

The Palace welcomed the emergence of Grace Poe as the apparent topnotcher in the Senate race, debunking pre-election survey results.

“She had a very disciplined message, and people responded to her message, people responded to her… I think she is a new personality and she impressed… a great majority of Filipino people in the way she showed her sincerity and what her program of government will be as a senator,” Lacierda said.

Did PNoy endorsement work in

PEACEFUL From page 1

which is even lower than that of the 2010 presidential elections, where some 400 units malfunctioned.

“There are certain reports which have been blown out of proportion by media. There are actually glitches but most of them are small,” said Brillantes.

Aside from the glitches, Brillantes confirmed reports that there was misdelivery of ballots involving two precincts, one each from Baguio City and Compostela Valley province.

“There is no way that we can bring Compostela ballots to Ba-

local polls?

But Malacañang won’t bask just yet when it comes to the local elections with some of its allies losing in key areas like Manila (Alfredo Lim), Laguna (Egay San Luis), Pampanga (Ed Panlilio) and Pangasinan (Nani Braganza).

Lacierda said the Palace would rather wait for all the local races to end and see the “entire picture” before making a judgment on whether President Aquino’s endorsement power worked in the local level.

Lacierda said that the congressional races are not yet over. He cited the wins of their allies in places like Cebu.

“You’re looking at negative point. We’re also looking at he entire picture... You don’t grab bits and pieces. Let’s see the entire picture of the endorsement power of the President both from the national elections, which we saw 9 out 12… that’s a very powerful affirmation of the Filipino people on the President’s drive for reform. guio City within the day (Monday). There is no way we can exchange. But this involves only one particular precinct, and therefore it should not affect elections both in Compostela and Baguio,” said Brillantes.

But the commission will not declare a failure of elections yet since they have yet to determine if there is a need to reset the polls in the concerned precincts.

SENATORS From page 1

13 Dick Gordon – 9,003,298 14 Migz Zubiri – 8,398,140 15 Jack Enrile – 8,129,967 (MNS)

VP BINAY From page 1

porters after voting at the San Antonio National High School in Makati City.

But Binay, a former Makati mayor, quickly noted that he and his party will remain a constructive opposition. “Yung kulang, sususugan. ‘Yung mali, kailangan kontrahin,” he said. Binay is expected to run for the presidency in 2016 under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), the main rival of the

administration-led Team PNoy in the 2013 polls. In several UNA sorties, he was introduced as “the next president of the Philippines.”

Binay’s 2016 ambition is not the only one at stake in the 2013 polls since his daughter, Nancy, is running for senator. Binay, however, said he’s not worried about his daughter’s political future despite her being among the most criticized senatorial candidates.

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CANDIDATES From page 1

sentatives as her family makes a political comeback.

2. Joseph Estrada – Ex-president kicked out of office halfway through his six-year term in 2001 amid a popular uprising triggered by allegations he was corrupt. Convicted in 2007 of plunder while in office, but quickly pardoned by his successor. Now 76, he is running for mayor of the capital city of Manila.

3. Gloria Arroyo – Succeeded Estrada in 2001 and served as president for nearly a decade. Her

successor and current president, Benigno Aquino, has made her his top target in a war on corruption, and had multiple charges laid against her. Aged 66, she is seeking a second term as congresswoman in her home province of Pampanga while on trial and detained at a military hospital.

4. Ryan Luna – Running for a second term as mayor of Bangued, the capital of a northern province, as an opposition candidate. Went into hiding last month shortly after being indicted for the mur-

der of a local political rival’s wife in 2007 elections. Appeared in a YouTube video denying the murder charge.

5. Rodrigo Duterte – Veteran politician known as “The Punisher” for his tough stance against crime. Rights groups accuse him of encouraging vigilante groups that summarily execute petty criminals, including children.

Running for another term as mayor of the major southern city of Davao as an independent but allied to Aquino’s Liberal Party.

ERAP WINS

ring Clint Eastwood.

In a speech after being proclaimed, Estrada said, “Ibabalik natin ang sigla ng Maynila.”

He said he plans to change Manila’s image as the Philippine city with the highest crime rate and highest joblessness rate.

Early celebration

The Manila mayoral race was considered to be among the tightest this year but this did not prevent Estrada from celebrating in advance.

On the eve of his proclamation, Estrada’s camp released a statement referring to him as the mayor-elect of Manila.

From page 1

the movie “Asiong Salonga” about a 1950s Filipino mob boss.

On the other hand, Lim is known for his “cop exploits,” similar to “Dirty Harry,” the lead character in the Hollywood movie star-

FISHERMEN BURN From page 1

embassy in Taipei, which was guarded by dozens of police.

Aquino said Monday that the embassy in Taiwan was in talks with Taiwanese foreign ministry officials and had assured them an investigation was being carried out. “I think it is in the interest of both parties to proceed in a calm basis,” Aquino told reporters. “We

are proceeding in that manner.”

The Philippine coastguard admitted on Friday to firing at one of four Taiwanese fishing vessels that it said had strayed into the country’s waters.

Taiwanese authorities said more than 50 bullets hit the 15-tonne vessel, and fisherman Hung Shih-cheng was killed. The

PHL MAY PULL

PEACEKEEPERS From page 1

itself the “Yarmuk Martyrs’ Brigade” to the head of the Filipino contingent five days after they were taken at an observation post, chief military spokesman Brigadier General Domingo Tutaan told AFP. “We are happy that this has been resolved and the soldiers have been released and seemingly unharmed,” Tutaan said. “They are fine, but as a matter of procedure they will have to undergo stress debriefing and a medical check-up.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs said the four had been escorted to UN-controlled Camp Ziuoani in the Golan Heights.

victim’s son, who was with his father and two other sailors on the boat at the time, has insisted they did not cross into Philippine waters.

Prosecutor Liu Chia-kai described the incident as “nothing but a slaughter,” after examining the boat after it was towed back from sea.

From page 1

The Philippines expressed “deep appreciation” for the return of the four, but reiterated its call for combatants not to harm or impede the movements of UN peacekeepers anywhere in the world.

The Filipinos were seized on Tuesday as they patrolled the Jamlah locality in the tense ceasefire zone between Syria and Israel.

The Syrian rebels, in a video they released of the kidnapped Filipinos last week, said the abduction was carried out so that forces loyal to besieged Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad could not take refuge with them.

“The people that abducted our peacekeepers were actually under siege and they are using our people to get themselves out of the situation they find themselves in.

That thing is not for us,” del Rosario said.

“We don’t want to expose our people any further, any more than we need to.” Del Rosario said he understood it normally required a three-month notice period to withdraw troops from a United Nations peacekeeping mission. “But under the circumstances, where people are in jeopardy – obviously our people are in jeopardy – we may try to get... the UN to release them earlier if that is possible,” he said.

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Elections seen as referendum on Aquino MANILA, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – The Philippines goes to the polls Monday to choose thousands of local leaders plus national legislators in what is seen as a referendum on the presidency of reformist Benigno Aquino.

Police and the military have been placed on heightened alert for expected poll-related violence that has already claimed about 60 lives since campaigning began in February.

“The president is asking voters to put their confidence in those on the administration slate to help him carry out the rest of his reform agenda as they have committed,” deputy presidential spokeswoman Abigail Valte told AFP. “We reiterate our appeal for everybody to go out and exercise your right to suffrage and your right to vote.”

Polls open at 7 am (2300 GMT Sunday) nationwide for more than 52 million eligible voters.

At stake are more than 18,000 positions, ranging from town and city mayors to provincial governors and members of the legislature in an exercise traditionally dominated by political dynasties, but also attracting colourful characters.

Aquino won the presidency by a landslide in 2010 on a promise to crush the corruption which he blames for widespread poverty in the nation of 100 million.

He has consistently scored high popularity ratings for nursing the Philippines back to fiscal health and prosecuting erring officials, including predecessor Gloria Arroyo, now in detention while being tried for alleged massive corruption.

The reforms have received international praise and won international credit ratings upgrades.

Aquino is also close to signing a final peace deal with the main Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), potentially ending a rebellion in the south that has killed more than 150,000 since the 1970s.

The aim is to get both houses of parliament – the Senate and the House of Representatives – to pass a law creating a new autonomous region to be governed by the MILF in the south.

All the seats in the lower house and half in the Senate are being contested in Monday’s mid-term elections.

Valte said Monday’s vote was a referendum of sorts for Aquino, who has promised more reforms in the second half of his six-year term.

“If you are happy with what you have seen in the past three years, (and) if you want us to continue, then vote for Team PNoy,” she said, referring to Aquino’s nickname.

Budget secretary Florenio Abad, a strategist for Aquino’s Liberal Party, said the president in the next three years would focus on expanding the tax base and reforming the mining sector so that big firms pay higher taxes.

But problems that have long plagued the Philippines are also expected to mar Monday’s vote, including politicians who jostle for power by bribing, intimidating or launching attacks against opponents.

Activists have also long called for a ban on political dynasties whose stranglehold on the country has led to a chasm between the rich and the poor.

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US voices ‘regret’ at death of Taiwanese fisherman WASHINGTON, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – The United States Monday voiced regret over the death of a Taiwanese fisherman killed when the Philippine coast guard fired on his vessel, but stopped short of condemning the incident.

“We regret the tragic death of a Taiwan fishing boat master during a May 9 confrontation at sea with a Philippine patrol vessel,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.

“The United States has been in touch with both the Philippine government and the Taiwan authorities regarding this incident. And we welcome the Philippine government’s pledge to conduct a full and transparent investigation.”

Pressed by reporters to take a stronger stand, Psaki said merely that Washington continued to urge all sides “to refrain from provocative actions.”

“There will be an investigation into this case, and we’ll follow that closely,” she added.

Angry Taiwanese fishermen Monday burned Filipino flags, as Philippine President Benigno Aquino urged calm amid tensions over last week’s incident.

The Philippine coast guard admitted on Friday to firing at one of four Taiwanese fishing vessels that it said had strayed into the country’s waters.

Taiwanese authorities said more than 50 bullets hit the 15-tonne vessel, and fisherman Hung Shihcheng, 65, was killed.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions around the region over rival claims to the nearby South China Sea. China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have competing claims to parts of the sea.

Taiwan strengthens patrols in waters near Philippines

BY BENJAMIN YEH

TAIPEI, May 12, 2013 (AFP) – Taiwan Sunday sent four coastguard and naval vessels to strengthen patrols in waters near the Philippines following public outrage over the shooting of a Taiwanese fisherman by Filipino coastguards.

“The government is determined to protect our fishermen,” cabinet spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen said in a statement as a frigate and coastguard vessels set sail for the area where the 65-year-old fisherman was killed Thursday.

Taiwan in a strongly-worded statement late Saturday demanded Manila apologise and compensate the victim’s family or face a freeze on the hiring of its nationals.

It also asked the Philippines to bring to justice the coastguards responsible and start negotiating a fisheries agreement.

“If the Filipino government fails to respond in a positive manner within 72 hours, the hiring of Philippine workers will be frozen,” said presidential office spokeswoman Lee Chia-fei.

There are about 87,000 Philippine domestic helpers and other workers in Taiwan and they send home hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

More than 50 bullets hit the 15-tonne “Kuang Ta Hsin No 28”, killing skipper Hung Shih-cheng.

“This is nothing but a slaughter,” prosecutor Liu Chia-kai said after examining the ship.

President Ma Ying-jeou Sunday visited the victim’s family on an island off the southern city of Kaohsiung and promised to pursue the strong protest against the Philippine government.

Taiwan’s government confirmed that websites of several government agencies, including the presidential office, the defence ministry and the coastguard administration, had been hacked, after In-

ternet attacks on Philippine government websites were reported Friday night.

Several fishermen’s groups said they plan to file a protest at the Philippine mission in Taipei Monday.

Manila recognises Beijing but not Taipei.

In Manila Abigail Valte, a spokeswoman for President Benigno Aquino, said Saturday that authorities had launched a “transparent and impartial investigation” into the incident.

She expressed hope that economic ties with Taipei would not be affected and added that the coastguard crew involved in the incident had been temporarily suspended from duty to ensure a fair inquiry.

Taiwan’s government has come under pressure from the opposition and the media to take action, with the Philippines refusing so far to apologise and saying the coastguard was tackling illegal fishing.

Philippine coastguard spokesman Commander Armand Balilo said Friday the incident took place in Philippine waters and the crew had been carrying out their duty to stop illegal fishing.

“If somebody died, they deserve our sympathy but not an apology,” Balilo told reporters.

The victim’s son, who was with his father and two other sailors on the boat at the time, has insisted they did not cross into Philippine waters.

The incident comes at a time of heightened tensions around the region over rival claims to the nearby South China Sea. China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have competing claims to parts of the sea.

China’s state media stood by Taiwan over the latest incident, asking Beijing to “teach Manila a lesson”.

The media said the Philippines was trying to vent its anger and frustration over a dispute with China about the Spratly islands.

Obama claims credit for ‘healing’ US housing market WASHINGTON, May 11, 2013 (AFP) – President Barack Obama on Saturday claimed credit for the country’s improved housing market and urged the US Congress to approve a new head of an agency that oversees housing loan agencies.

Seven years after the real estate bubble burst, “triggering the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and costing millions of responsible Americans their jobs and their homes, our housing market is healing,” Obama said in his weekly Saturday radio and online talk with the US people.

“Sales are up. Foreclosures are down. Construction is expanding” and prices are slowly rising. he said.

Since taking office. “I’ve made it a priority to help responsible homeowners and prevent the kind of recklessness that helped cause this crisis in the first place.”

According to Obama, his housing plan has helped

more than two million people refinance their mortgages, saving an average of $3000 per year, while his new consumer watchdog agency “is moving forward on protections like a simpler, shorter mortgage form that will help to keep hard-working families from getting ripped off.”

The president acknowledged that there was “more work to do,” including providing more help for “responsible homeowners” who for different reasons cannot refinance, and working families “who have done everything right, but still owe more on their homes than they’re worth.”

The US economy “and our housing market are poised for progress – but we could do so much more if we work together,” he said, urging Congress to approve a tax break for home owners.

Obama also urged Congress to approve his nominee to head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, the office that oversees major housing loan agencies.

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PARIS, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – The world has entered a “new danger zone” with levels of Earthwarming carbon dioxide in the atmosphere never experienced by humankind, the UN’s climate chief warned Monday.

When it breached the CO2 threshold of 400 parts per million (ppm) last week, the world “crossed an historic threshold and entered a new danger zone,” Christiana Figueres said in a statement urging policy action.

The level measured by US monitors has not existed on Earth in three to five million years – a time when temperatures were several degrees warmer and the sea level was 20 to 40 meters (22 to 44 yards) higher than today, experts say.

Before the Industrial Revolution, when man first started pumping carbon into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, CO2 levels were about 280 ppm – rising steadily since records began in the 1950s.

The 400 ppm symbolic threshold had been expected to be breached for some time, but campaigners say it should nevertheless serve as a wake-up call in efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions through fossil fuel use.

“The world must wake up and take note of what this means for human security, human welfare and economic development,” said Figueres, who oversees

global negotiations aimed at limiting warming-induced climate change.

“In the face of clear and present danger, we need a policy response which truly rises to the challenge.”

Negotiators under the auspices of the United Nations are seeking by 2015 to develop a new, global climate treaty to take effect by 2020.

Nations are simultaneously attempting to find short-term solutions pre-2020 to closing the growing gap between agreed carbon emission targets and the actual curbs required to contain warming.

The UN is targeting a maximum temperature rise of two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on pre-industrial levels for what scientists believe would be manageable climate change.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which informs policy makers, has said atmospheric CO2 must be limited to 400 ppm for a temperature rise of 2-2.4 deg C (3.6 and 4.3 deg F).

Last Friday, however, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s monitoring centre in Mauna Loa, Hawaii, released data showing the daily average CO2 over the Pacific Ocean was 400.03 ppm as of May 9.

A separate monitor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, California, measured 400.08 ppm.

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UTREACH Southern California Edison warns customers of payment scam ROSEMEAD, Calif., May 9, 2013 – Southern California Edison (SCE) is advising Asian customers to be aware of a telephone scam is demanding immediate payment for allegedly past due electricity bills.

Imposters have been calling SCE customers telling them they must make immediate payment on past due bills or have their electric service disconnected. The callers are also demanding that payment be made through a prepaid cash card, such as a PayPal or Green Dot card. To date, 15 percent of the customers who have notified SCE of payment scams are in Asian communities. Of those, 90 percent are business customers.

“We ask our customers to be alert to these calls that demand immediate payment and threaten service disconnection,” said Henry Martinez, SCE vice president of Safety, Security & Compliance. “Customers suspecting a fraudulent call should ask for the caller’s name, department and business phone number.

If the caller refuses to provide this information, customers should terminate the call and report the incident immediately to local police or SCE at 800655-4555.”

SCE also reminds customers to ask for identification when a stranger comes to the door or calls claiming to be a utility worker. SCE utility workers will provide verification, including their department and phone number, when asked.

In most cases, home visits by SCE are scheduled by the customer and SCE will confirm the appointment in writing. If there are any concerns, SCE and law enforcement officials suggest having the utility worker wait outside until their identity can be verified.

SCE customers should also note that: An SCE employee will never ask for money in person.

Never reveal your credit card, ATM or calling card numbers (or PIN numbers) to anyone.

If someone calls and requests you leave your residence at a specific time for a utility-related cause, call the police. This could be a burglary set up by the caller.

Be suspicious of anyone who arrives at your house without an appointment asking to check an appliance, wiring, or suggesting that there may be some other electrical problem inside your residence For more ways customers can stay safe, please see www.sce.com/safety and read the safety tips section.

About Southern California Edison An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is the largest electric utility in California, serving a population of more than 13 million via 4.8 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.

OJ Simpson appears in Las Vegas court seeking retrial LOS ANGELES, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – O.J. Simpson appeared in a Las Vegas court Monday, hoping to be retried for a September 2007 casino hotel robbery on grounds that his longtime lawyer had botched his defense.

Dressed in a blue prison outfit, the 65-year-old former American football star and actor – famously acquitted for the 1994 murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown – was handcuffed to his chair as he closely followed the proceedings.

He smiled as he entered the Clark County District Court room for the first of five scheduled days of legal arguments, in what lawyers have described as a last-ditch attempt to secure his release from jail.

Simpson, who was convicted in October 2008, is serving nine to 33 years in a Nevada state penitentiary for armed robbery and kidnapping, is to testify on Wednesday, followed on Friday by his former attorney Yale Galanter.

In a 94-page petition, Simpson alleges Galanter knew of his intention to recover personal items which he was ultimately convicted of trying to steal at gunpoint from two memorabilia dealers at the Sands Station hotel.

He also claims that Galanter did not tell him about a plea bargain offer that might have resulted in a substantially shorter period behind bars.

Simpson was convicted in the Las Vegas case 13 years to the day after his acquittal in the murder of Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman, following a sensational “trial of the century” in Los Angeles.

Those who testified Monday included Simpson’s daugh-

ter Arnelle Simpson, who recalled hearing her father a month before the hotel robbery talking about wanting to see some “personal items” that had been located.

“Personal stuff, family stuff,” she said. “Pictures. Footballs. Trophies. Things of that sort.”

Eric Brent Bryson, who defended co-accused Clarence Stewart, recalled that prosecutors made a plea offer that would have sent Simpson and Stewart for jail for as little as two years if they both accepted it.

But he said he was unaware whether the offer was conveyed to Simpson.

Stewart’s conviction was overturned in 2010 by the Nevada Supreme Court, which ruled he couldn’t get a fair trial alongside Simpson. Stewart later accepted a plea deal that gave him three years’ probation in lieu of a retrial.

Also testifying Monday was Las Vegas businessman James Barnett, a friend of Simpson, who said the one-time San Francisco 49ers running back was “somewhat intimidated” by Galanter and tended not to question him.

“If Mr. Simpson would ask (Galanter) about some specific point in court, he would say, ‘That’s not important’ or ‘Don’t worry about it’,” said Barnett, who visits Simpson occasionally in prison.

Barnett, an engineer, also testified that audio tape recordings – a key chunk of evidence in the case – had been analyzed not by experts, but by Galanter and his 15-year-old son. Getting real experts to do the job, he said, would have cost $5,000 “or maybe a case of beer in Silicon Valley.”

Bulls coach Thibodeau fined for comments on officiating NEW YORK, May 12, 2013 (AFP) – Chicago head coach Tom Thibodeau has been fined $35,000 for comments he made about the officiating in the wake of the Bulls’ 104-94 loss to Miami in an NBA playoff game on Friday.

NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson announced the sanction on Sunday.

The victory gave Miami a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference second-round series, with game four in Chicago on Monday.

“I see how things are going, I watch very closely,” Thibodeau said after Friday’s game. “We’re not going to get calls, that’s reality.”

Thibodeau was irked by the ejection of Bulls reserve Nazr Mohammed, who had played less than three minutes

when he was tossed from the game in the second quarter for shoving Heat superstar LeBron James.

Mohammed had halted a James breakaway and was whistled for a foul.

As James pulled away from him Mohammed fell to the floor and James received a technical foul.

The intervention of the officials, however, didn’t placate Mohammed, who got up and shoved James, who fell to the floor.

“From my angle, I just saw a guy basically flop,” Thibodeau said of James’s fall.

“I didn’t think it warranted an ejection. I understand flagrant foul, I understand that, but ejection, no.”

Thibodeau certainly can’t

Election day reminder 2013 for L.A LOS ANGELES (May 14, 2013) – City Clerk June Lagmay reminds voters that the May 21, 2013 City of Los Angeles General Municipal and Special Elections are just 7 days away. All registered voters are encouraged to review their Official Sample Ballot and Voter Information Pamphlet (OSB/VIP) before going to vote.

The location of your polling place can be found on the back cover of your OSB/VIP or on our website. If your voting location has changed, a postcard has been mailed to you with the updated information. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day. Important contact information for Election Day: Election Division http://clerk.lacity.org/Elections/, or General Information: (888) 873-1000 or (213) 978-0444 To find your Polling Place: http://clerk.lacity.org/Elections/, or (888) 873-1000 or (213) 978-0444 Language Assistance: http://clerk.lacity.org/Elections/, or (800) 994-8683 Election Night Results http://clerk.lacity.org/Elections/, or Bulletin Hotline: (213) 978-3281 Voter Fraud Hotline: (800) 815-2666

afford to lose any players as his team battles the reigning champion Heat.

The Bulls have played all season without former Most Valuable Player Derrick Rose as he rehabilitates a knee injury, and during these playoffs have seen Luol Deng and Kirk Hinrich sidelined.

US retail sales barely higher in April WASHINGTON, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – US retail sales edged up 0.1 percent in April from March, led by sales of building and garden supplies and clothing, Commerce Department data released Monday showed.

Retail sales in April were $419.0 billion, up from $418.7 billion the prior month, when sales dropped a revised 0.5 percent.

The slight improvement in consumer spending was better than expected; analysts had predicted a decline of 0.3 percent as consumers dealt with a January 1 increase on payroll and other taxes.

“Consumer spending growth continues to show surprising resilience, consistent with the labor market data. The weakness in the March numbers was a false alarm,” said Jim O’Sullivan, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics.

The April jobs report in early May also had come in stronger than expected. The economy added 165,000 new positions and February and March job growth numbers were revised sharply higher.

The unexpected rise in retail sales in April “is a good start to the second quarter,” said Jennifer Lee of BMO Capital Markets.

“The rest of the year is expected to rise further on stronger household finances,” Lee said.

Compared with a year ago, retail sales were up 3.7 percent from April 2012.

Spending on building materials and garden supplies posted the biggest gain last month – 1.5 percent – amid the spring season of home construction and renovation.

Clothing sales rose 1.2 percent and motor vehicle sales climbed 1.0 percent.

Excluding motor vehicle and parts sales, retail sales fell 0.1 percent.

Gasoline sales plunged 4.7 percent, reflecting a decline in oil prices.

Sales at nonstore retailers – essentially online sales – gained 1.4 percent.

News agency protests US seizure of phone records WASHINGTON, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – The Associated Press said Monday the US Justice Department had secretly obtained two months of phone records from its news operations, calling it a “massive and unprecedented intrusion.”

The US news agency protested the seizure in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder saying “there can be no possible justification for such an overbroad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters.”

The AP said in a news dispatch that the records may be sought in a criminal investigation into leaked information contained in a May 2012 AP story about a foiled terror plot.

“The story disclosed details of a CIA operation in Yemen that stopped an al-Qaeda plot in the spring of 2012 to detonate a bomb on an airplane bound for the United States,” the AP article said.

The AP’s Erin Madigan White said in a blog posting that the AP learned Friday that US authorities had “secretly obtained telephone records for more than 20 separate telephone lines assigned to AP journalists and offices, including cell and home phone lines.”

AP chief executive Gary Pruitt said in the letter to Holder that the news agency objected “in the strongest possible terms to a massive and unprecedented intrusion... into the newsgathering ac-

tivities of The Associated Press.”

Pruitt said the records “cover a full two-month period in early 2012” and included the AP general phone number in New York, AP bureaus in New York; Washington; Hartford, Connecticut; and at the House of Representatives.

“This action was taken without advance notice to AP or to any of the affected journalists, and even after the fact no notice has been sent to individual journalists whose home phones and cell phone records were seized by the Department,” he said in the letter.

“We regard this action by the Department of Justice as a serious interference with AP’s constitutional rights to gather and report the news.”

Pruitt said the agency was studying its legal options, and called on the Justice Department to “immediately return to the AP the telephone toll records that the Department subpoenaed and destroy all copies.”

The US attorney’s office in Washington, which is part of the Justice Department, in a statement sent to AFP, did not specifically mention the AP but stated that it follows specific laws and regulations in seeking records of media organizations.

“Those regulations require us to make every reasonable effort to obtain information through alternative means before even considering a subpoena for the phone records of a member of the media,”

6

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Aquino strengthened by election results

By Cecil Morella

MANILA, May 14, 2013 (AFP) – Philippine President Benigno Aquino on Tuesday secured big wins in mid-term elections seen as vital to his ambitious reform agenda, but the success of famous, graft-tainted rivals raised alarm.

Aquino’s ruling Liberal Party and its allies were set to gain control of both houses of Congress, according to the official election tally with more than 75 percent of Monday’s votes counted.

Most crucial was control of the Senate, with Aquino allies on track to win nine of 12 seats contested in the mid-term elections to give the president a comfortable majority that would allow him to much more easily pass legislation.

“Since we will have a greater support in the Senate, that means we will be able to push our reform agenda, the laws that we feel are our priorities for the country,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told reporters.

Aquino won a landslide election victory in 2010 on a platform to fight corruption and improve the standard of governance, problems widely blamed for crushing

poverty that most of the nation’s 100 million people endure.

He was widely credited at home and abroad for a successful start to the massive task, and he remains one of the most popular presidents in the country’s history.

In his first three years, Aquino had majority support of the lower house but not the Senate.

He was still able to get through important and controversial pieces of legislation, such as the mainly Catholic country’s first state-backed birth control programme and increased “sin” taxes for tobacco and alcohol.

One of Aquino’s most important upcoming reforms is a planned peace pact with Muslim rebels to end a decades-long insurgency in the south of the country that has claimed an estimated 150,000 lives and severely curbed economic growth.

He will need parliamentary endorsement of the peace deal.

Aquino also wants to pass legislation to expand health care and other social services to the poor, while passing a long-delayed law forcing mining firms to pay higher taxes was also a top priority.

Aquino is restricted by the constitution to one term of six years.

The strengthened position for Aquino following Monday’s elections is also expected to help him promote a potential successor to continue with his reforms.

But wins for a host of controversial candidates underlined what critics said were the many problems still facing the Philippines’ young democracy, 27 years after the end of dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s rule.

Marcos’s 83-year-old widow, Imelda, easily won a second straight term in the nation’s lower house representing a northern province, Ilocos Norte, that for decades has been a loyal family stronghold.

Her son is half way through a six-year term in the senate and is eyeing a presidential run in 2016.

Former president and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada, who was forced from power in 2001 amid a popular uprising, was also elected mayor of Manila, the nation’s capital, giving him oversight of more than 1.6 million people.

“This is a victory of the Filipino masses,” Estrada said after

Aquino’s ruling Liberal Party and its allies were set to gain control of both houses of Congress, according to the official election tally.

he was proclaimed the winner, insisting his successful political comeback vindicated his long campaign to clear his name.

Estrada, 76, is one of the leaders of the main opposition coalition, the United Nationalist Alliance.

Estrada’s successor, Gloria Arroyo, also easily won a second straight term in the lower house despite campaigning from a military hospital where she has been detained for months while on trial

for corruption.

“There is a popular view that we forget (crimes) too easily, we forgive too easily. To some degree that is true,” prominent human rights campaigner Carlos Conde told AFP. “But... we are still a very poor country. Our electorate is very malleable. Anybody who has the money and the power to sustain a campaign to sell themselves thoroughly to the electorate will succeed.”

Philippines apologizes to Taiwan over fisherman’s death

By Benjamin Yeh

TAIPEI, May 15, 2013 (AFP) – The Philippines on Wednesday apologized to Taiwan after coastguards shot dead a Taiwanese fisherman sparking tensions that saw Taipei threaten a naval exercise near Philippine waters.

Taiwan foreign minister David Lin told reporters that “the Philippines has voiced deep regret and apology for the incident” after a closed-door meeting with Antonio Basilio, the de facto Philippine ambassador to Taipei.

The Philippine government will send a special envoy to Taiwan to convey his apologies and condolences to the family of 65-year-old fisherman Hung Shih-cheng, who was shot dead on Thursday, Basilio said.

“Chairman (Amadeo) Perez

will repeat his deep regret and apology from the people of the Philippines to the people of Taiwan and the family of Mr. Hung for the grief and suffering from his death,” Basilio said, adding that the Philippines would provide “financial assistance” to the victim’s family.

Perez Jr. is chairman of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) that represents the Philippines’ interest in Taiwan.

Taiwan had demanded an apology by midnight Tuesday (1600 GMT), saying that otherwise it would conduct a naval drill in waters near the Philippines. It had also threatened to freeze the sending of Philippine workers to the island.

According to Lin, the two sides

agreed to jointly launch an investigation into the incident, which sparked outrage in Taiwan and comes at a time of heightened tensions around the region over rival claims to the nearby South China Sea. On Monday hundreds of angry fishermen burned Philippine flags and hurled eggs at Manila’s de facto embassy in Taipei.

Lin said Taiwanese investigators would fly to Manila Thursday while their Filipino counterparts travel to Taiwan to inspect the fishing vessel and interview three witnesses who were on the boat at the time of the incident.

The two sides also agreed to open fishery talks “as soon as possible” so as to avoid the recurrence of similar incidents.

The state Central News Agency

had said the naval exercise would be held Thursday, involving a Kidd-class destroyer, a Perryclass frigate and three coastguard frigates. A number of fighter jets would also be involved in the drill, which would for the first time simulate the Philippines as the enemy.

“The Philippines has made some positive reactions towards our demand,” Lin said when asked if his government would still consider sanctions against Manila, adding that the pledges from the Philippine government would need to be further evaluated.

It was not clear from his remarks whether the naval drill would still go ahead.

The Philippine coastguard has admitted firing at one of four Tai-

wanese fishing vessels it said had strayed into its waters, allegations denied by the victim’s son who was with his father and two other sailors on the boat at the time.

Taiwan prosecutor Liu Chiakai described the incident as “nothing but a slaughter”, after examining the boat which he said was hit by more than 50 bullets.

Taiwan at the weekend sent four coastguard and naval vessels to protect its fishermen in waters near the Philippines, while Philippine President Benigno Aquino has called for calm and given assurances of an in-depth investigation.

China, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all have competing claims to parts of the South China Sea.

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S. Korea president apologises for sex assault scandal SEOUL, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – South Korean President Park Geun-Hye personally apologized Monday for an “unsavory” incident during her US summit visit that led to the dismissal of her chief spokesman.

Yoon Chang-Jung was sacked over allegations that he had sexually harassed a female intern – a Korean-American –while accompanying Park on her May 5-9 trip.

“I feel apologetic that an unsavory incident... occurred near the end of my visit to the US and greatly disappointed the people,” Park told a meeting of senior aides.

“I sincerely apologize for the shock the female student and her parents must have received and the scars left on the hearts of (overseas) compatriots,” she said, according to a report of the meeting posted on the presidential Blue House website.

The scandal has dominated press headlines in South Korea for several days, with reports pointing to major discrepancies in the various versions put forward and questioning the Blue House’s initial reaction.

Park, South Korea’s first woman leader, vowed that all the facts would be investigated so that no “single speck” of suspicion remained.

Washington police have opened an investigation into a complaint filed by the intern over a “misdemeanour sexual abuse” by an unnamed 56-year-old male suspect.

A Washington police report obtained by South Korean news agency Yonhap and The Washington Post said the intern complained the suspect “grabbed her buttocks without her permission”.

Yoon, who flew back to South Korea before the end of Park’s visit, denied the allegation on Saturday, saying he had merely “patted her waist” in a sign of encouragement.

“I implore her to forgive me if I had hurt her due to differences in culture. I offer my apology to her,” he told reporters.

Park said all her officials would cooperate actively with the police investigation.

The affair cast a cloud over Park’s US tour – her first overseas trip since taking office in February.

Park held a summit with President Barack Obama, at which the two leaders reaffirmed their united front of offering no concessions in the face of provocations from North Korea.

She also addressed a joint session of the US Congress, stressing that Pyongyang had to give up its nuclear weapons.

North Korea was quick to pick up on the Yoon scandal, with the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun crowing in a commentary Sunday that Park’s US trip would be remembered for a “shameful” act of indecency.

Ohio kidnap suspect’s brothers hope he ‘rots’ in jail

BUSAN, Republic of Korea (May 11, 2013) Sailors cross the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) as the ship pulls in to Busan, Republic of Korea, for a port visit. Nimitz is deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Raul Moreno Jr./Released)

US carrier joins S. Korea drill despite North anger SEOUL, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – South Korea and a US strike force led by the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz kicked off Monday a joint naval drill slammed by North Korea as a “wanton” provocation and rehearsal for war.

The two-day exercise began with the departure of the 97,000-tonne Nimitz, one of the world’s largest warships, from the southern South Korean port of Busan where it had been docked over the weekend, the US navy said in a statement.

“The operations include integrated flight operations, air defense events, surface warfare training events, precision ship maneuvers, and liaison officer exchanges,” it said.

A number of other naval ships including guided-missile cruisers and a guided-missile destroyer will also take part in the drill designed to “reinforce regional security and stability”, it added.

The exercise comes as the Korean peninsula is only just emerging from a period of highly elevated military tensions triggered by North Korea’s nuclear test in February.

Angered by UN sanctions imposed after the test and by a series of large South Korean-US military drills, Pyongyang spent much of March and April issuing dire warnings including threats of nuclear strikes against

Seoul and Washington.

The North called the latest exercise with the Nimitz “a grave military provocation” that would trigger a fresh cycle of escalating tensions.

“This is a wanton threat against us... that will push the peninsula to the brink of nuclear war,” Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North’s ruling party, said in an editorial on Monday.

“How could we ever ignore the arrival of such dangerous forces to the South?” it said.

“The warmongers... should never forget that our forces stand fully ready to attack at once in line with operational plans approved by our top command,” the newspaper added.

North Korean troops near the disputed Yellow Sea border have been ordered to strike back if “even a single shell drops” in their territorial waters, the North’s army command said in a recent statement.

Any subsequent counterstrike would trigger an escalated military reaction that would see South Korea’s border islands engulfed in a “sea of flames”, it said.

The tense sea border off the west coast saw deadly naval clashes in 1999, 2002 and 2009. The North shelled one of the islands, Yeonpyeong, in November 2010, killing four South Koreans and sparking brief fears of a fullscale conflict.

CHICAGO, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – The brothers of the US man charged with kidnapping and raping three women, locking them in his home for a decade, said they hope he “rots” in jail, in an interview aired on Monday.

He’s a “monster. Hateful. I hope he rots in that jail,” Onil Castro, 50, told CNN. “I don’t even want them to take his life like that,” he said, referring to a possible death penalty charge in the case. “I want him to suffer in that jail.”

“I feel the same way,” added brother Pedro Castro, 54.

Onil and Pedro were arrested soon after their brother Ariel Castro a week ago, when the three women, and a daughter born to one of them while in captivity, were discovered at NEW YORK, May 13, 2013 (AFP) – A US abortion pro- the abortion.

Ariel’s home in Cleveland, Ohio. vider was found guilty Monday of murdering three baDuring one operation in the clinic a woman who’d But Pedro and Onil were later released, with police saying bies with scissors after they were born alive in his filthy come in for an abortion died from a heart attack after an there was no evidence they participated in the crimes.

Philadelphia clinic. overdose of anesthesia.

In the interview, both said they had no idea what was Kermit Gosnell, 72, could face the death penalty after Gosnell’s business, called the Women’s Medical Sohappening. his conviction by a jury in a Philadelphia court, the dis- ciety, was “decrepit and unsanitary,” prosecutors said, “I don’t know how my brother got away with it for so many trict attorney’s office said. staffed with unlicensed personnel who would “practice years,” Pedro said, adding he would have turned him in himThe jury returned guilty verdicts on the three babies, medicine on unsuspecting patients, unsupervised, and self if he’d been aware. an acquittal in the alleged murder of a fourth, and a directed them to heavily drug patients in his absence.”

“If I knew, I would have reported it, brother or no broth- guilty verdict in the involuntary manslaughter of a womThe grand jury report indicting Gosnell described the er,” he said. an on whom he was performing an abortion, DA’s spokes- outwardly professional looking brick building where he The brothers said they never went past the kitchen in woman Tasha Jamerson said. worked as a house of horrors.

Ariel’s house, where the three women were kept hostage, exThe jury, which had earlier Monday declared itself “The clinic reeked of animal urine, courtesy of the cats plaining Ariel kept the rest of the house blocked off with cur- unable to decide on two counts before going back to try that were allowed to roam (and defecate) freely. Furnitains and played the television or radio to block out sounds. again, had been deliberating for 10 days. ture and blankets were stained with blood. Instruments “Something had to be on at all times in the kitchen. So I Gosnell’s crimes horrified Americans on either side of were not properly sterilized. Disposable medical supplies could hear nothing else but the radio or the TV,” Pedro said. the intense national debate on the rights and wrongs of were not disposed of; they were reused, over and over The two said they were kept separate from Ariel at the abortion. again,” the report said. jail, but Onil saw him at least once.

Prosecutors said he performed late-term abortions in “Scattered throughout, in cabinets, in the basement, Ariel said “Onil you’re never going to see me again. I love a state where the limit is set at 24 weeks and that when in a freezer, in jars and bags and plastic jugs, were fetal you, bro,” the brother recounted. babies emerged still alive, he used scissors to sever their remains. It was a baby charnel house.”

Ariel Castro, a 52-year-old unemployed bus driver, was spines. However, he denied this, insisting that all babies The grand jury itself noted that the story would be arrested after one of the victims, 27-year-old Amanda Berry, were already dead as a result of the drug he was using in “used” by both sides in the abortion debate. managed to call out to a neighbor, who kicked in the door to the suspect’s home and rescued her and her six-year-old daughter.

Police arrived on the scene and entered the house, finding two more women: 23-year-old Gina DeJesus and 32-year-old Michelle Knight. All three had been snatched in separate incidents around a decade earlier.

Onil said he was especially horrified because they knew the INITIAL CONSULTATION WITH ATTY. KOREN father of DeJesus and Ariel even went to vigils for the teen girl CONTACT US FOR A and hugged her mother.

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Wednesday--Tuesday, Tuesday,June May13 15-21, Wednesday - 19, 2013 2012

MOTORING Big Three US automakers to skip Tokyo Motor Show (TOKYO-AFP) – Dozens of car, truck and motorcycle makers will be in attendance at the Tokyo Motor Show later this year, organizers said Monday, but the Big Three US automakers will be skipping it again.

The 43rd edition of the event, which is held every two years, is scheduled for November 22 to December 1.

General Motors, Ford and Chrysler will not be attending for the third-straight time, said Atsushi Fujimaki, a spokesman for the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.

The trio did not attend the show’s 2009 and

2011 editions.

“Honestly, we don’t know why,” he said.

“As a matter of course, we wanted them to take part and we asked them to do so as we have in the past.”

Among the Japanese and foreign brands taking part are Toyota, Honda and Suzuki, Germany’s BMW, France’s Renault and Sweden’s Volvo.

Two years ago, the show was held months after Japan’s quake-tsunami disaster, which crippled production for Japanese automakers and dented their financial results.

GM makes $1.3-B Cadillac bet on China luxury sector (AFP) – US auto giant General Motors will build a $1.3 billion Cadillac plant in Shanghai after China approved the project, it said Tuesday as it seeks more luxury sales in the world’s biggest car market.

Construction of the plant – which will have annual capacity of 150,000 vehicles – will start in June, GM said in a statement.

The factory, the first in China dedicated to making Cadillacs, will come under Shanghai GM, a joint venture with China’s SAIC Motor.

“Shanghai GM has received the NDRC’s (National Development and Reform Commission’s) approval to build a Cadillac plant,” the statement said.

The huge investment marks a bet that GM, the largest US auto maker, will be able to win a larger piece of China’s rapidly-growing luxury vehicle market, in which German brands hold an estimated 80 percent share.

Analysts say GM is a laggard in the segment, one of China’s fastest growing and most profitable given rising incomes in the country.

“GM needs to build a relatively high-end brand in China in order to improve its overall product line,” said Jia Xinguang, managing director of industry group the China Automobile Dealers Association.

“It also sees the growth potential in China’s high-end car market, so the establishment of the plant will allow it to enter the market and win a bigger share,” he told AFP. China’s luxury car sector is dominated by Germa automakers such as Audi, BMW, MercedesBenz and Volkswagen though other European, Japanese and US brands are bringing greater competition, analysts say.

China’s market for what the industry calls “premium” cars – costing from $32,000 to $190,000 – was 1.25 million vehicles last year, second only to the United States, according to consultancy McKinsey.

Premium car sales in China grew at an average 36 percent a year

Osamu Suzuki, chairman of Japan’s Suzuki Motor, inspecting the company’s concept vehicle called the ‘Q-concept’ during the Tokyo Motor Show in 2011. Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) announced on May 13, 2013 that they will have a biannual auto show, the Tokyo Motor Show 2013, from November 22 through December 1 in Tokyo. AFP PHOTO/FILES/Toru YAMANAKA

China April auto sales up despite weak economy GM launched a Cadillac sedan, the XTS, in China earlier this year as it seeks to make inroads into the sector. AFP PHOTO/Karen BLEIER

in the last decade, though that would slow to an annual 12 percent through 2020, McKinsey said in a report in March.

GM launched a Cadillac sedan, the XTS, in China earlier this year as it seeks to make inroads into the sector. That vehicle, priced from $56,800 to $92,500, is produced in China.

The firm plans to introduce one new Cadillac model a year through 2016 to boost annual sales of the marque from around 30,000 vehicles last year to 100,000 by 2015, a GM official said last month.

In the first four months of this year, GM sold 11,571 Cadillacs in China, according to figures previously released by the company.

“Our longer-term goal is to take Cadillac’s share of the luxury car market to 10 percent by 2020,” GM China president Bob Socia said.

(SHANGHAI-AFP) – China’s auto sales surged 13.4 percent year-on-year in April, an industry group said Thursday, despite weakness in the world’s second largest economy.

A total of 1.84 million vehicles were sold last month in China, the largest auto market in the world, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said in a statement.

“Auto production and sales showed steady growth in April and the overall market performance was relatively good,” the group said.

In the first four months of 2013 vehicle sales reached 7.27 million units, up 13.2 percent year-on-year, it said.

Passenger car sales alone rose 16.2 percent from a year earlier to 5.86 million vehicles in the January-April period, the group said.

For April alone, passenger car sales grew 13 percent year-on-year to 1.44 million vehicles, helped by strong demand for sport utility vehicles, it added.

China’s economic growth slowed to 7.7 percent in the first quarter, slowing from 7.9 percent in the last three months of 2012, fuelling fears its economic rebound is faltering.

China’s annual auto sales rose only 4.3 percent year-on-year to 19.31 million units in 2012, hit by limits on numbers imposed by some cities to ease traffic congestion and tackle pollution.

A territorial spat between Beijing and Tokyo that triggered anti-Japanese protests last year has hurt sales of Japanese vehicles, but other foreign brands have rushed to gain market share.

Sales of Japanese brand passenger cars dropped 12.9 percent year-on-year in the first four months, the industry group said Thursday.

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Rocky road for electric car market

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Lindland said her view that Americans “just don’t see how an electric car can fit into WASHINGTON, May 11, 2013 (AFP) – their lifestyle. We continue to be risk-averse The road has gotten bumpier for electric cars. in investing in new technology in our cars.”

Coda Automotive, one of what had been a Mike VanNieuwkuyk of the research firm promising crop of electric car startups, filed JD Power & Associates said more people are for bankruptcy protection this month, and aware of the electric cars on the market “but said it would reorganize around the electric there is still a low number of consumers who storage market. say they would purchase an electric car.”

High-end electric car maker Fisker AuA report by JD Power and its partner LMC tomotive, which has had financial woes for Automotive found battery-powered vehicles’ months, announced meanwhile it was laying share of US auto sales was just 0.08 percent off 75 percent of its workforce, raising the in 2012, and predicts this will reach only 0.47 prospect of defaulting on US government percent by 2015. loans.

Only about three percent in the survey said Electric cars are still coming to market their next vehicle would likely have a batteryfrom luxury maker Tesla, and from major electric powertrain. automakers such as General Motors, NisVanNieuwkuyk said consumers are held san and others, but the outlook has become back by a lack of plug-in charging stations, murkier. concerns about the range of the vehicle beAnalysts are divided on the outlook, but few believe President Barack Obama’s goal of Tesla is banking on its Model S, which has an estimated range of more than 200 miles (320 kilometers), and fore it needs recharging, and especially the high cost. getting one million electric cars on the mar- was given a top rating by Consumer Reports. Tesla/NAIAS vehicles,” said Rebecca Lindland, analyst committee studying barriers to electric cars At the same time, the analyst said, gasoket by 2015 will be met. line-powered cars “are improving enough to “It’s not like people are clamoring for these with Rebel Three Media, and member of a for the National Academy of Sciences. meet the needs of the consumer,” without the price FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE “We Treat Customers 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, tag of electric cars.

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Chevrolet cut production of its Volt last year JUNIOR SALDUA ROD ONG VIC SIMONIAN amid soft demand, and is SALES CONSULTANT FINANCE MANAGER GENERAL SALES MANAGER reported to be working on a less expensive version.

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INMENT Bea excited to see Zanjoe in new gay role

MISS PHILIPPINES USA DELEGATES 2012 at a sponsor visit in Melrose. Applications for the 2013 Miss Philippines USA beauty pageant are still being accepted. Please call Lou Razon at 818 242 2088 or email missphilusainfo@gmail.com www.missphilusa.com for inquiries.

New challenges for Kaye Abad, Denise Laurel in ‘Annaliza’ ACTRESSES Denise Laurel and Kaye Abad are set to star opposite each other in the upcoming ABS-CBN series “Annaliza.”

After the success of their respective teleseryes, Denise’s “Precious Hearts Romances Present: Paraiso” and Kaye’s “Angelito: Ang Bayong Yugto,” the two will play characters different from their usual roles on television.

From her feisty antagonist role in “Paraiso,” Denise will now play the loving and caring Isabel, who will be endeared to Annaliza.

Mean time, Kaye departs from her

usual nice and sweet protagonist roles to play the mean and wicked Stella, who will make the young girl’s life miserable.

Playing the lead actress in the series and reprising the role of Anna Liza is child actress Andrea Brillantes.

Brillantes stars for the first time in a teleserye that centers on the enduring love and fighting spirit of a child despite all the struggles she experienced in life.

The family-drama series also features Sue Ramirez, Kiko Estrada, Khalil Ramos, Patrick Garcia, Carlo Aquino and Zanjoe Marudo. (MNS)

labi kasi nga napansin ko halos lahat ng After playing a gay role in the Star Cinmga pictures niya sa mga magazine, laging ema anniversary offering “24/7 in Love” last year, Zanjoe Marudo admitted he never naka-pout yung labi niya. So ‘yun ‘yung naging peg ko,” he said. expected to play another gay role.

Going strong Marudo is the lead star of the upcomAccording to Marudo, his relationship ing Star Cinema movie “Bromance: My with Alonzo remains strong even if they Brother’s Romance” where he has a dual role – one, a straight “macho” man, and the are both busy with their respective work schedules. other, a cross-dressing male.

“Sa ngayon kailangan namin magtiyaga, “Hindi ko naman alam na mabibigyan magtiis sa ngayon. Kasi kahit na natapos ako ng ganung role as a full-length ¿lm. ‘yung pelikula may mga Kaya naman namin promo siya so marami ginawa kasi isa siyang pang schedule so tiis-tiis maliit na episode (sa ‘24/7 muna kami na konting in Love’), puwede naman time lang kung magkikimagbading tapos si Bea ta kami,” he said.

(Alonzo) ‘yung partner ko.

Asked if they are Hindi ko nga akalain na already talking about magkakaroon ng seryosong getting married, Marudo pelikula na gagampanan said: “Ah bata pa, ayoko ko ng buo mula simula pang pangunahan ‘yung hanggang matapos,” he mga ganyan kasi bata said. pa si Bea. Marami pa Marudo said knowing Zanjoe Marudo, Bea Alonzo siyang gagawin and that his girlfriend Bea marami pang puwedeng Alonzo supports his project helped him in mangyari at saka ako naman looking forhis performance. ward naman ako na sa magandang future “Gusto niya talaga panuorin. Natukasama si Bea.” tuwa naman siya. Kahit para sa premiere While they are not planning to settle excited siya, nagpaalam na siya sa akin down any time soon, Marudo said he is kung puwede ba siyang nandoon. Sabi ko, hoping to end up with Alonzo.

‘Oo naman. Sana nandun ka.’ Si Bea kasi “Oo, wala naman akong ibang iniisip, mababaw ‘yung tawa niya eh, konting wala na akong ibang pinagdadasal kundi kilos ko lang tawa na siya ng tawa. Ayun at saka excited siya at saka gusto nga niya yun, na si Bea na ‘yung makasama ko. And pumunta sa ¿rst day pa lang mapanuod na sana ganun din ‘yung mangyari, pero hindi pa naman natin masasabi, bata pa siya at niya ‘yung pelikula,” he revealed.

Marudo said Alonzo was even one of his saka marami pang puwedeng mangyari.

Pero sana di ba magkatotoo yun,” he said. inspirations while doing the film.

The two Kapamilya talents have been a “Ginagaya ko ‘yung pagpa-pout niya ng couple for over a year now. (MNS)

Marjorie knows who leaked her photos

Gretchen Barretto

Gretchen Barretto revealed that her sister Marjorie knows who is behind the photo scandal which broke last week.

Gretchen said her sister plans to break her silence after the elections on Monday.

“Alam ni Marjorie [who is behind this].

Actually tinanong ko si Marjorie on the phone last night. Sabi ko ‘Marj, what are you going to do with this situation?’ Sabi niya ‘Gretchen, hintayin natin na matapos ang eleksyon. Magsasalita ako, ilalabas ko kung ano ang dapat ilabas. Wala akong tinatago, mayroon lang akong mga

pinoprotektahan,’” Gretchen said.

According to Gretchen, her younger sister is still coping after her sexy photos made the rounds online last week without her consent.

“May mga oras na okay siya, may mga oras na hindi siya okay. Yes, she admitted na siya yung sa photos,” she said.

Meanwhile, Marjorie said she chose not to dwell on negativity for the sake of her children.

“Lahat ng mommy laging may pagdadaanan sa buhay. Hindi madaling maging nanay. Hindi rin madaling maging isang tao. Pero ‘pag tayong mga mommy, may dumating na pagsubok sa atin, we have no choice but to get up immediately dahil may mga anak tayong umaasa sa atin,” she said.

Marjorie said she is fortunate to have strong children who are helping cope during this difficult time.

“Once you’re a mother, you no longer own yourself. Siguro you’ll give yourself one, two to three days to cry. After that, you pick up yourself and then life goes on kasi may mga anak ka. Malalakas naman ang loob ng mga anak ko so walang dahilan para hindi ako maging matapang din,” she said. (MNS)

‘Biggest Loser’ to return with Iza Calzado ABS-CBN’s reality TV show “The Biggest Loser” returns for its second season this year with new host Iza Calzado.

“Mas malaking bagay ‘yung magagawa ko,” Calzado said about the show which features contestants trying to lose weight.

“Pagbabago kasi talaga ang tema ng show.

Hindi lang physical na pagbabago, kung hindi pagbabago talaga sa mga bagay na gusto mong mabago sa buhay mo.”

The actress, who also battled weight problems before, said she is focusing on her hosting responsibilities for the show.

“Hopefully I’ll conquer it,” Calzado said

about hosting. “But basically I’m entering a new territory. I’ve never been given a show like this, [of ] this magnitude, to host.”

Joining Calzado in the show are Matteo Guidicelli and Robi Domingo.

The first season of the local edition of “The Biggest Loser” aired in May 2011 with veteran actress Sharon Cuneta and actor Derek Ramsay as hosts. Both have since left ABSCBN to move to the No. 3 network, TV5.

Former police officer Larry Martin, then 36, won the title of Pinoy Biggest Loser after he lost 100 pounds in 20 weeks. (MNS)

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Enchong ‘rebuilding’ friendship with Julia Montes

Julia Montes, Enchong Dee

Enchong Dee and Julia Montes are now in the process of rebuilding their friendship after they had a falling out late last year.

Dee and Montes will both be part of the upcoming ABS-CBN series “Mul-

ing Buksan Ang Puso,” which will also feature Enrique Gil, Amalia Fuentes, Susan Roces, Dante Rivero, Dominic Ochoa, Daniel Fernando, Malou Crisologo and Pooh.

Dee said he is happy that he and Montes are now given the chance to spend a lot of time together – something they were not able to do in the past.

“I’m really, really happy kasi isa sa mga dahilan kung bakit kami ganito na ulit ngayon is because of ‘Muling Buksan ang Puso.’

I’m thankful kasi masaya na ulit kami ni Julia. Kung ano ‘yung gap, ‘yung space

na nagkaroon sa amin, wala na iyon,” he said.

In his past interview, Dee said time was among the factors why their thenblossoming romance did not end well.

“Ngayon I can say it na masaya kami now that we’re working. Pinangarap din naming ito nung time na iyon na maging magkasama kami. Now magkasama na talaga kami almost every day because of this show,” he said.

Dee said he also has no problems with Coco Martin, who also expressed interest in the young actress and was even her escort at her debut party.

“Sobra kaming okay ni Coco. Doing well ang ‘Juan dela Cruz.’ Walang [kompetisyon], Coco Martin na iyon eh. Wala naming problema sa amin,” he said.

Asked if he has plans to woo Montes anew, Dee said: “Julia and I, we are just rebuilding our friendship. Doon muna tayo.”

Meanwhile, Dee echoed what Xian

Lim earlier said about their supposed spat on the set of their series “Ina Kapatid Anak.”

“Okay kami, believe it or not, we are okay. Sabi ko nga more often than not, ‘yung mga kwento sa showbiz either nadadagdagan or nababawasan and this is another issue that’s blown out of proportion,” he said.

Dee denied reports that he and Lim had a confrontation.

“Nag-usap lang kami, may klinaro lang ako sa kanya and walang sigawang nangyari and walang hindi kami nag-uusap. Sabi nga ni Xian, masyado kaming maraming pinagsamahan para masira lang dahil nag-usap kami,” he said.

Dee also took the opportunity to clarify reports saying he will be leaving “Ina Kapatid Anak” to give way for “Muling Buksan ang Puso.”

“Naging balita pero now, I’m con¿rming na we’re going end the show properly,” he said. (MNS)

Kathyrn Bernardo wants to go to college With hit shows “Mara Clara” and “Princess and I” under her belt, Kathryn Bernardo is now pursuing her dream of going to college.

Bernardo said she will soon take the entrance examination at Enderun, a world-class management college in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

“Opo, tuloy na (ang Enderun). Tinext ko kasi yung sa course ko, for certi¿cate course hindi naman daw muna kailangang mag-exam pero pwede kang magexam para ma-credit for next year kung gusto (ipagpatuloy),” Bernardo said.

“Tinext ko yung taga-Enderun po kanina tinanong ko ‘til when yung entrance exam?’ Sabi nila pwede akong mag-schedule kung kailan yung convenient time and then pwede akong magexam na,” she added.

Kathryn Bernardo

Bernardo, who loves fashion, said she would like to take Fashion Marketing.

Bernardo will soon star in a new TV series “Got to Believe” with Daniel Padilla. (MNS)

Sarah G. assures she won’t be linked to Bamboo

Sarah Geronimo

They may have vocal chemistry when performing but singer-actress Sarah Geronimo shrugged off suggestions of romance with her fellow “The Voice of the Philippines” coach Francisco “Bamboo” Manalac.

Geronimo said: “Hindi [ako worried ma-link sa kanya]. Bakit naman? Wala naman dapat ika-link. Diyos ko, may asawa po ‘yung tao.

Huwag naman na ang personal na buhay ni Bamboo,”

she said.

Geronimo said she just enjoys singing with Manalac, praising the former Rivermaya vocalist for his contagious energy.

“Iba kasi talaga ‘yung energy ni Bamboo. Sobrang contagious. Nakakahiya na maging statwa ka kapag katabi mo siya,” she said.

Geronimo said she also values the good rapport that she and her fellow “The Voice” coaches have developed while taping the blind auditions.

“Alam mo ang ganda ng working relationship namin, ‘yung rapport naming mga coaches. Nakakatawa si Ms. Lea (Salonga), ‘yung approach niya strict na cool pa rin. Na-enjoy ko rin ‘yung mga lokohan. Kailangan kasi i-hard sell mo sarili mo sa gusto mong auditionees,” she said.

Asked if she brought out her competitive side as they taped “The Voice” last month, Geronimo said: “Oo, kailangan eh. Hindi naman ako ganon ka-competitive.

Nahirapan ako dun pero kailangan talaga.”

“Hindi ko naman ito future, future ito ng ibang tao.

Lahat ng teams, maraming may mga malalaking potential. Ang dami kong natutunan mula sa auditionees.

Napaka-emotional at victorious din sa mga naging part ng team. Very excited kami sa magiging career nila na maguumpisa ditto,” she said.

Aside from Geronimo, Mañalac and Salonga, also sitting as coach is Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas.

Scheduled to air in June, “The Voice of the Philippines” will be hosted by celebrity sisters Toni and Alex Gonzaga, and former “Pinoy Big Brother” housemate Robi Domingo. (MNS)

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KITCHENOMICS From orchard to table, apples bring flavor for the perfect picnic FAMILY FEATURES

here’s nothing like the perfect picnic or barbecue to slow down and reconnect with friends and family. This season, gather together guests and surprise them with a rustic backyard picnic, starring delicious new recipes that bring out the flavor of apples — a versatile and healthy yearround fruit.

Filled with healthy antioxidants, fiber, vitamins and minerals, apples add a flavorful twist to classic picnic fare. For a refreshing treat that both kids and adults will love, try the Strawberry Banana Smoothie Popsicle, made with Tree Top Apple Juice. Or grill some Spiced Pork and Apple Burgers with Maple Dijon, made with Tree Top Apple Sauce for a lean and juicy burger.

For more recipes and inspiration, visit www.treetop.com.

T

Designing a Backyard Party Is Easy Set the scene with the right décor and a little bit of creativity — and let nature take care of the rest.

Find vintage plates and serving pieces at a local flea market.

Serve beverages in Mason jars, which can also be used as flower vases.

Cover a rustic table with gingham tablecloth.

Fill large wicker baskets with apples to use as centerpieces.

If hosting in the evening, line the table with tea lights and lanterns.

Apple Tortellini Salad Servings: 6 to 8 Dressing: 3 tablespoons Tree Top Frozen Concentrate Apple Juice, thawed 3 tablespoons light corn syrup 2 teaspoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar 2 teaspoons garlic salt Ground pepper to taste Salad: 9 ounces cheese-filled tortellini 2 cups sliced apples (approximately 2 medium apples) 2 cups shredded salad greens 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery 1/2 cup sliced scallions 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional) To prepare dressing, combine apple juice concentrate, corn syrup, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic salt and pepper.

Cover dressing and refrigerate.

To prepare salad, cook tortellini, drain and cool by rinsing pasta under cold water. Shake gently to drain thoroughly. In a large bowl, combine tortellini, apples, salad greens, strawberries, celery and scallions. Toss salad gently with chilled dressing. Serve chilled. If desired, sprinkle with pine nuts.

Spiced Pork and Apple Burger with Maple Dijon Servings: 6 3 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons spicy brown mustard 2 pounds ground pork 1/2 cup Tree Top Natural Apple Sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 6 hamburger buns Baby Spinach leaves Stir maple syrup and mustard together in a small bowl. Set aside. Spray a large non-stick grill pan or griddle with cooking spray and place over medium to medium high heat.

Mix pork, apple sauce, salt, chili powder, dry mustard, pepper and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Form mixture into 6 patties. Place patties in pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, turn and cook additional 4 to 5 minutes or until done.

To serve, spread bun bottoms with maple mustard mixture.

Top each with a patty, spinach leaf and bun top. If desired, toast buns and top with cheddar cheese, grilled onions, pickles, tomatoes or other favorite toppings. Serve with crispy sweet potato fries and steamed beans for an easy but special meal.

Strawberry Banana Smoothie Ice Pops 1 cup Tree Top Apple Juice 1 pint strawberries, hulled, sliced and frozen 1 banana, sliced and frozen 1 apple, peeled, cored, sliced and frozen 6 ounces vanilla yogurt 1 teaspoon vanilla Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Pour into ice pop forms or paper cups. Place ice pop sticks in center and freeze, inverted, for 3 hours or until solid. Keep frozen until ready to serve.

Baked Apple Pie Layer Bars Servings: 16 2 1/2 cups sifted flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup shortening 1 egg Milk 2/3 cup crushed corn flakes 1/2 cup Tree Top or Seneca Apple Sauce 5 cups sliced, peeled apples 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon Glaze: 1 cup confectioners’ sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice Sift together flour, sugar and salt. Cut shortening in with pastry blender or two knives. Put egg yolk into measuring cup and add milk to make 2/3 cup. Add to shortening mixture. Mix just enough until dough shapes into a ball. Roll out half the dough into 15 x 11-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet. Cover with corn flakes. Mix apple sauce together with apple slices, and add mixture on top of corn flakes. Mix sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over apple mixture. Roll out other half of dough for top crust. Place over apples. Pinch edges together. Beat egg white until stiff and spread on top crust. Bake in hot 400°F oven for 40 minutes. Cut into 16 squares.

Combine confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice to make glaze. While hot, drizzle glaze over top.

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PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT Holy Spirit Thou who make me see everything and show me the way to reach my ideal, You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short dialogue, want to thank You for everything and con¿rm once more that I never want to be separated from You no matter how great the material desires may be. I want to be with You and my loved ones in Your perpetual glory. Amen. A person must pray this for three consecutive days without stating his wish. After the 3rd day the wish will be granted, no matter how dif¿cult it may be. Promise to publish this as soon as your favor has been granted. Grateful Thanks - CLAIRE M.

POWERFUL TRIDUUM TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY O most beautiful Àower of Mt. Carmel. Faithful vine and Splendor of heaven. Blessed Mother of the son of God. Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me. Show me here you are my Mother. O Holy Nary, Mother of God. Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly bessech you, from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity (YOUR REQUEST) There are none that can withstand your power. O Mary conceived without sin Pray for us who have recourse to thee Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands PROMISE TO PUBLISH THIS PRAYER AND YOUR PRAYER WILL BE ANSWERED (SAY 9 HAIL MARY’S AFTER EACH PARAYER) - ALEX L.

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