Philippine Canadian Inquirer Issue #10

PHILIPPINE CANADIAN

DENTASERV DENTAL CLINIC Dr. Lorene Balmaceda Lederer, Inc

VOL. 4 NO. 10

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

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CANADA NEWS Filipinos at the Vancouver Sun Run ( On page 8 ) Poll suggests most Canadian home buyers would walk away from bidding war ( On page 9 )

TFC lauches Balitang Canada ( On page 11 ) Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Suzette Hernandez

Photo by Joan Bondoc

( On page 17 )

SUMMER’S MORE FUN WITH GREEN MANGOES. The mere sight of green mangoes excites the taste buds of most Filipinos. These children get a treat from the low-hanging fruits of this mango tree in Candaba, Pampanga province.

Palace expects Aquino-Binay split

BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO AND GIL C. CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT MAY BE true that Vice President Jejomar Binay really supports President Aquino and that the President finds Binay really cool as his No. 2.

But that is today. They have been serving barely two years and there is nothing to gore each other about in running the state.

Give it some time, though, and the two will go separate ways. That’s in the stars.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigal Valte explained the “inevitable” split in an interview on dzbb radio.

Valte pointed out that the President and the Vice President belong to different political parties with different platforms of government.

As such, they differ in their

understanding of the country’s numerous problems and approaches to dealing with these ills that both of them have sworn to solve.

Having been elected, however, both are working together and so far have not found their differing political ideals making harmony impossible for them.

Inevitably, however, the two will part ways over politics, Valte said, but did not offer a time frame within which the rapture will occur.

That may be sooner than expected, as Binay, though swearing support for the President, has been openly preparing to replace him in Malacañang in 2016.

Not because as vice president, he will be the President’s candidate for the Palace—that’s Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas, president of Mr. Aquino’s Liberal Party (LP) and his vice presidential running mate in

2010.

Binay will run against Roxas, which means he must break away from Mr. Aquino’s administration.

In preparation for that run, Binay has brought his Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-lakas ng Bayan (Pdp-laban) party into a coalition with the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) party of former President Joseph Estrada. The coalition is called the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), now moving fast to capture electable candidates for its congressional and local tickets in next year’s midterm elections.

Too early The Liberal Party says the UNA is positioning too early, but it is quietly looking around for alliances

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More on page 5

Minister Kenney launches consultation for a new start-up visa for immigration entrepreneurs ( On page 22 ) Filipino Diaspora Story: Yes, It’s Springtime! ( On page 23 )

British Columbia’s Guest Ranches: A Refreshing Getaway for City Slickers ( On page 31 )

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News-Phils Leila denies pressuring Comelec on 2 accused

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 2

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer JUSTICE SECRETARY Leila de Lima yesterday denied pressuring the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to admit two former election supervisors as state witnesses in the pending pollsabotage case against former Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. “Maybe it’s not right to accuse me of meddling in this issue. Of course, I can meddle, the Department of Justice can meddle because we’re part of the prosecution team. We’re assisting in the prosecution, and therefore, we have a role. It can’t be that we’ll just keep silent.

We have to say what we think is the right strategy,” De Lima told reporters.

Abalos’ former lawyer, Brigido Dulay, claimed he “felt” that pressure was being exerted by the DOJ on the Comelec to drop the charges against former provincial election supervisors Lilian Radam of South Cotabato and Yogie Martirizar of North Cotabato.

Important testimonies De Lima, however, said the testimonies of Radam and Martirizar were important because without them, the charges against Abalos would not prosper.

“If the testimonies of Radam and Martirizar on the irregularities are not presented, do you think we can successfully prosecute Chairman Abalos? They’re the ones tagging Chairman Abalos. I don’t know of anyone else who is pointing at him,” she said.

Charges of electoral sabotage were filed against Radam and Martirizar during the term of Abalos. The two were accused of tampering with the results of the 2007 senatorial elections in the Cotabato provinces. The case against Radam was filed at the Pasay City regional trial court during the term of Abalos’ successor, Jose Melo.

The two went into hiding but surfaced last year at the DOJ and pointed to Abalos as the mastermind of the poll-cheating operations. Abalos was thus included in the case.

Separate case A separate electoral sabotage case was also lodged by Comelec against Abalos, former Maguindanao provincial election supervisor Lintang Bedol, former Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and former President Gloria Macapagal-arroyo in connection with the alleged tampering of the results of the 2007 senatorial elections in Maguindanao.

In the Maguindanao case, Bedol claimed Abalos had also instructed him to rig the results, while another witness, Norie Unas, claimed to have overheard Arroyo telling Ampatuan to ensure that the administration senatorial slate would have a clean sweep in the province.

The Cotabato and Maguindano cases are being pursued by a joint Comelec-doj prosecution panel.

De Lima said she had already spoken to current Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. and reiterated the DOJ’S recommendation to make Radam and Martirizar state witnesses, which, if the court allows, would mean the withdrawal of the charges of electoral sabotage against them.

“To us it boils down to a choice between the biggest fish who is the former chair Abalos or these two women who, admittedly, participated in the cheating.

They’re not denying it. That’s why they are coaccused because they are participants.

They were involved in the irregularity,” she said.

She said Brillantes told her he would relay her concerns to other Comelec commissioners. De Lima said she and Brillantes would meet.

Judgment call De Lima said allowing Martirizar and

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Radam to turn state witness was “judgment call” on the part of the Comelec and DOJ. “It’s a difficult judgment to make but under the circumstances, under the premises, it is the opinion of the DOJ that we have to go after Chairman Abalos. Are we going to allow him to post bail and worse, be acquitted, in spite of the story of the two (Radam and Martirizar) that is very clear?” she asked.

Two senior Comelec officials, who declined to be identified, separately admitted that the poll body did take a long time deciding on the fate of Martirizar and Radam.

One said the Comelec-doj panel tried but failed to convince prospective witnesses, including a former Comelec commissioner, to testify against Abalos and even tag Arroyo as also the mastermind in the Cotabato cheating.

“Without new witnesses, not only Radam and Martirazar but even Bedol and Unas would have to be state witnesses so they can pin their superiors and other higher officials,” he said.

The other said the Comelec-doj panel wanted the election-related cases against Abalos and Arroyo to be “strong enough” so that Arroyo’s appointees in the Comelec —who comprise the majority in the poll body—would not dare vote it down. ■

3 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

News-Phils

That’s Maceda’s opinion, says Binay

BY KRISTINE L. ALAVE Philippine Daily Inquirer HE’S ON his own.

The Office of the Vice President said it had nothing to do with former Sen. Ernesto Maceda’s assertion that “a vote to acquit Chief Justice Renato Corona is a voice of support for Jejomar Binay in the 2016 presidential election.”

In a text message to the INQUIRER, Joey Salgado, Binay’s press officer, said Maceda was expressing his own opinion as a political analyst.

“We believe Senator Maceda was expressing his personal opinion as a political analyst. These are the same views that he has aired before in his [newspaper] column and in media interviews,” Salgado said.

“The Vice President,” Salgado said “has always maintained that the impeachment trial of the Chief Justice is a test of our democracy.”

He added: “It is important that the people see the trial as fair and impartial, and the outcome is respected by all.

The votes of the senators should not be dictated by party affiliations or political plans but by the appreciation of the facts presented during the trial and what will help strengthen our democracy.”

Maceda had said that how the senators would vote in the impeachment trial of Corona would have an impact on the political future of his ally Binay, who has all but declared his plans to run for president in 2016.

According to Maceda, Corona’s conviction would bolster support for President Aquino and his “anointed candidate” for president, while an acquittal would boost the stock of the opposition candidate, who could very well be Binay.

“This is the Binay factor,” Maceda told a news forum in Quezon City on Saturday. “If you’re for Binay for president [in] 2016, you’ll probably vote for acquittal,” he said.

lakas ng Bayan (Pdp-laban) has entered into a coalition with former President Joseph Estrada’s Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) to form the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) in preparation for next year’s midterm elections.

Both Binay and Estrada were “very mad” and “irritated” at Maceda for issuing the statement, a coalition insider told the INQUIRER. Maceda was the general campaign manager of Estrada’s PMP in the 2010 presidential election, and has said that he intends to run for a Senate seat in 2013 as a candidate of Binay’s coalition.

Maceda, who has been following and writing about Corona’s impeachment trial in his newspaper column, has predicted that at least seven of the President’s allies in the Senate would vote for Corona’s conviction, while at least five senators would vote for acquittal.

Binay, Estrada mad Binay’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-

7 for 5 against The seven presidential allies Maceda

Despite need, Palace won’t drop envoy-nominee

BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer AMID THE escalating diplomatic tension with China, Malacañang is sticking with Domingo Lee as its nominee as ambassador to China even if he has been repeatedly bypassed by the Commission on Appointments (CA).

There has been no Philippine ambassador to Beijing for over a year.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte did not give a direct answer to questions on whether the Palace was considering appointing someone else in order to speed up the appointment of an ambassador to Beijing.

Valte said “there has been a hold up in the confirmation of Mr. Lee,” noting that “he has to answer some questions asked of him by members of the CA.” Valte said Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario himself has been on top of negotiations in connection with the recent standoff between the Philippine and Chinese navies off Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal. The standoff occurred when Chinese Navy ships stopped Philippine authorities from arresting Chinese fishermen caught poaching in the country’s waters.

“The situation now is being ably handled

of course by Secretary Del Rosario,” Valte said over government radio dzrb.

Tensions between the Philippines and China eased when the Chinese vessels left the shoal. But the fishermen were able to elude arrest, taking with them their loot consisting endangered corals and clams.

Valte did not comment on the Scarborough episode, saying that all responses would be best left to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) given “the sensitive nature of the incident.”

She stressed, however, that the government was maintaining its claim over the shoal, which is off Zambales and within the country’s exclusive economic zone, but “also recognizes the need to resort to diplomacy here.”

“We must always avail of the diplomatic process to settle incidents like this one, which is why we have always deferred to the DFA when it comes to situations like this,” she said.

Asked to assess the Philippine Navy’s capability to police local waters following the incident, she replied: “The capability of the Navy is not based on one single incident but on a confluence of factors.”

She said the government continued to upgrade its Navy and the Armed Forces of the Philippines in general because it was its duty to do so and “not because of one incident in mind.”

On suggestions that the country seek help from fellow members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to stop the Chinese incursions, she again declined to comment, saying that the DFA would be in the best position to give an opinion on this.

Asked if the country would ask the United States for assistance, she said this was a diplomatic issue involving the Philippines and China.

Onasking the US to speak up on the issue as suggested by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, Valte said this was not even being discussed “because the concentration really is on how to resolve the incident through diplomatic means.”

“The focus is on keeping the lines open to ensure a diplomatic solution,” she said.

Valte also dismissed comments that the scheduled PH-US Balikatan exercises this week were meant to be a show of force to the Chinese.

Valte said the military exercises had been scheduled a long time ago and had “nothing to do with the incident in the shoal.” ■

PNP steps up campaign vs loose firearms

BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) has stepped up its campaign against loose firearms so these may not be used in poll-related violence during next year’s mid-term elections.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group

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expects to vote for conviction are Senators Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Ralph Recto and Teofisto Guingona Iii—all members of Mr. Aquino’s Liberal Party—and Panfilo Lacson, Sergio Osmeña III and Antonio Trillanes IV. A possible eighth may be Sen. Edgardo Angara, he said.

Those who may be expected to vote for acquittal, Maceda said, are Senators Joker Arroyo, Miriam Defensor Santiago, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Loren Legarda and Manuel Villar Jr. Malacañang, meanwhile, shrugged off Maceda’s statement that Binay would gain from a Corona acquittal.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Maceda was making his own analysis of the issue.

“I don’t know if the Vice President shares the same position but the position of President Aquino on the impeachment is clear,’’ Valte told government radio DZRB. ■ With a report from Delfin T. Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon

(CIDG) Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. has ordered all regional and provincial units of PNP’S investigative arm to be proactive in the drive against persons with loose firearms.

Pagdilao cited the need to “take away these instruments of violence from the hands of those men who are bent on using violence and coercion against the public to influence the results of elections.”

In the past three months, the CIDG’S Oplan “Paglalansag Omega” has resulted in the arrest of 104 persons for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, he said.

The CIDG has also confiscated 199 loose firearms, 108 of which were high powered, he added.

Pagdilao attributed the success of the campaign against loose firearms to the participation of the community, especially residents who give CIDG tips and information under the agency’s Community Investigative Support (CIS).

It was also CIS that led to the arrest of some 1,756 law violators, majority them wanted for heinous crimes, in the first quarter of 2012, the official said.

From January 1 to March 31, the CIDG nabbed 142 members of organized crime groups, neutralized 31 such groups all over the country, and killed three suspected members, Pagdilao said.

He said CIDG’S aggressive drive against wanted persons had also made significant strides, resulting in the arrest of 1,510 felons, of whom 146 were facing murder, rape and robbery charges.

Among those who fell to CIDG operatives were five Abu Sayyaf Group members wanted for kidnapping-for-ransom, a suspect in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre, and two Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels, Pagdilao said. ■

News-Phils

Appointment of Morong 43 tormentor hit

BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE LAWYERS of “Morong 43” branded as a virtual promotion President Aquino’s appointment of Maj. Gen. Jorge Segovia as commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command based in Davao City.

“P-noy’s cavalier move indubitably insults and spits on the still fresh wounds of the victims who were illegally arrested, detained and systematically tortured under Segovia’s command,” said Edre Olalia, secretary general of the National Union of People’s Lawyers that represented the Morong 43.

Olalia said Segovia headed the 2nd Infantry Division that seized the 43 health workers in February 2010 from a resort in Morong, Rizal on suspicion they were communist rebels, and had “boastfully” defended the actions of his men.

The health workers were eventually freed after Mr. Aquino assumed office.

Segovia’s designation as Eastmincom commander would lead to his promotion to lieutenant general.

Segovia is a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s Mapitagan Class of 1980, which has adopted Mr. Aquino’s four sisters, Pinky, Viel, Balsy and Kris, Olalia said.

“The utter insensitivity of the administration to the grievances of the Morong 43 victims speaks a whole heap about the attitude of P-noy with respect to upholding human rights—indifferent, benighted and complacent,” he said.

Olalia said Segovia’s promotion only showed that an officer responsible for rights violations was “not only left to wander at will but rewarded with undeserved professional advancement.”

“Practically nothing has changed and the system that bred impunity during the Arroyo regime is still in place. Years from now, when another Palparan would rear its ugly head and become almost uncontrollable, we will not relish saying, ‘we told you so,’” Olalia said of fugitive retired Gen. Jovito Palparan who has dodged arrest in connection with the 2006 disappearance of two state university students. ■

DENR, tourism council seek more no-mining zones

The Cordilleras

BY KRISTINE L. ALAVE Philippine Daily Inquirer THE DEPARTMENT of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the National Tourism Council last week endorsed proposals to delineate hundreds of areas as “no-mining zones.”

According to Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, the DENR has recommended that the government add nine more sites to its current list of 239 protected areas. Of those already on the list, 178 of them would be further declared as “eco-tourism zones,” to expand their protection from all extractive activities, including small-scale mining.

The nine new areas to be placed under the conservation area status are: Balbalan-balbalasang National Park in the Cordillera Region, Zambales Mountains in Regions 1 and 3, Mts. Irid Angelo and Binuang in Region 4A, Polilio Group of Islands, also in Region 4A, Mts. Iglit Baco National Park in Region 4B, Nug as Lantoy in Region 7, Mt. Nacolod in Region 8, Mt. Hilong-hilong in Region 13, and Bongao Peak in Tawi-tawi Island.

On strengthening restrictions in 178 protected areas,

All in the family at Senate: Enriles, Angaras, etc.

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano. Binay’s daughter Nancy has also been mentioned as a possible senatorial candidate under UNA.

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sotto, Pangilinan Enrile is the son of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, while Ejercito is the halfbrother of Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, the Senate President Pro Tempore.

Cayetano, the Senate minority leader, is the younger brother of Sen. Pia Cayetano who, like Enrile and Estrada, is on her second and final term.

Also at the tail end of their terms are Senators Edgardo Angara and Manuel Villar. Angara’s son, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, and Villar’s wife, Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar, are said to be eyeing Senate seats next year.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Francis Pangilinan are related by affinity as well. Pangilinan’s wife Sharon Cuneta is the niece of Sotto though Sotto’s

ALL in the family.

That’s how the Senate is shaping up, with some of the country’s most influential political clans fielding other family members in the 2013 midterm elections.

The 16th Congress, which holds office from 2013 to 2016, might end up with at least two pairs of siblings and a fatherand-son tandem, given the names of prospective candidates being floated so far.

The senatorial lineup of the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) of Vice President Jejomar Binay could include Juan Ponce “Jack” Enrile Jr., San Juan Rep. Jose Victor Ejercito and reelectionist

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 4

Paje said: “The priority land use in these areas is tourism,” Paje said. “We have agreed that these areas are no-mining zones,” Paje added.

‘In conflict’ He said government is supportive of the idea since it wants to bolster the country’s tourism industry. A few months ago, the Department of Tourism launched a campaign with a tag line “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” to entice more foreign tourists to come to the country.

The move to delineate more protected areas came after DENR, Silliman University and the German aid agency noted that the National Integrated Protected Areas System (Nipas) Act of 1992 has loopholes that allow some extractive and commercial activities even in protected areas.

Also, the review noted that current laws on protected areas and the Mining Act of 1995 are “in conflict” when it comes to areas that are open to mining and areas with a protected status.

The Nipas law also mandates Congress to declare a particular area as a protected site, which is an expensive and long process. ■

wife, Helen Gamboa, and Sharon are our country, no problem,” he told the INQUIRER in a phone interview. estranged.

Nothing wrong?

Estrada yesterday acknowledged the possibility of having relatives in the same chamber during the same term, but said there was nothing necessarily wrong with the arrangement. Having a family member in the Senate had the “advantage” of having a “unified position” on issues or advocacies, he added.

Estrada had served with his mother, then Sen. Luisa “Loi” Ejercito, during the 13th Congress from 2004 to 2007. Ejercito ran and won in 2001, months after her husband, former President Joseph Estrada, was removed from office.

Estrada also downplayed the idea of a “political dynasty” despite having several relatives elected in the same chamber.

“You know, as long as you have the determination to serve our people and

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Masses not dumb

By Estrada’s reckoning, gone are the days when voters would go for a candidate simply because of popularity or name recall.

“People are no longer dumb, especially the masses,” he said. “They see things, they observe. They know who’s working and who’s not. They can’t be fooled anymore.”

Estrada said voters would also go by “track record and performance” in choosing their candidates for elective office. He dismissed the idea of Ejercito, his half-brother, easily winning a Senate seat next year based on his being the son of the former President. “It will still depend on the voters. So far, his ratings are high,” he said. ■

5 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

Palace expects... Page 1

to put together dominant tickets for both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The 2013 midterms will be a preview of the general election in 2016. The results can show which candidate is most likely to end up as the new Malacañang tenant in 2016.

At least two major political parties have reported being approached by representatives from the Pdp-laban and the Liberal Party about an alliance for next year’s midterms.

The Nacionalista Party (NP) and the National Unity Party (NUP) said the overtures came with rival demands for support for Binay and Roxas in the race for Malacañang in 2016.

Alliance efforts NP Rep. Jesus Crispin Remulla of Cavite, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, and NUP Rep. Antonio Alvarez of Palawan both confirmed efforts by both the Pdp-laban and the Liberals to strike alliances for

Campaign to help disabled persons vote in 2013 launched

BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer

A CAMPAIGN to facilitate voting for persons with disabilities be launched on Wednesday to ensure that more handicapped voters would troop to the polls in next year’s midterm elections.

Called Fully Abled Nation, it seeks to reverse the decline in the number of PWDS who participate in electoral exercises and to make sure there are adequate voting facilities for them.

Fully Abled Nation is spearheaded will by The Asia Foundation and supported by the Australian Agency for International Development.

3-year program The campaign is part of a threeyear Disability-inclusive Elections Program that seeks to increase voter awareness among PWDS and strengthen the capabilities of disability peoples’ organizations and related nongovernment organizations.

The groups behind Fully Abled Nation quoted in a statement a recent Social Weather Stations survey that recorded a lower turnout of PWDS votes in 2010 compared to 2007. Only 54 percent of them voted in the 2010 polls, a decline from the 60-percent

News-Phils next year’s elections but on condition that they commit to support Binay and Roxas in 2016.

“They are turning the 2013 elections into a proxy fight for the 2016 presidential elections where Binay and Roxas are likely to run for the presidency,” Remulla told the INQUIRER in a phone interview.

“What they are saying basically is that if you are not with us then you are against us. I think that is too drastic a demand for a political alliance when we should only be looking at 2013 and not 2016,” Remulla said. “A lot of things can change in the next four years.”

“Even a month is an eternity in Philippine politics,” Alvarez said in a text message to the INQUIRER. “The basis of any alignment should not be one who’s popular or the one with the most followers. There are more important factors to be considered in coalition building,” he said.

Program of gov’t “The most important, trite as it may

voter turnout posted in 2007.

Commission on Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said measures should be taken to ensure the availability of accessible polling stations, ballots printed in Braille, signlanguage interpreters, a party-list representative for PWDS and a PWD commissioner in the Comelec.

‘Focal person’ Sarmiento also said lawmakers should be compelled to help PWDS and partnerships should be forged with international and regional groups to increase support for PWDS. Sarmiento is the Comelec’s “focal person” in the Inter-agency and NGO Network in Empowering.

The projects under Fully Abled Nation include a drive to assess the situation of PWDS, focus group discussions, dedicated surveys and an electoral reform project to be piloted in Bohol. Also to be launched is a disability-inclusive volunteer management system in Cebu.

The Fully Abled Nation launch, to be hosted by Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Bill Twedell and The Asia Foundation acting country representative Ky Johnson, will be attended by PWD groups and advocates from the academe, international donor organizations and government agencies.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo and Comelec chair Sixto Brillantes will serve as guest speakers. ■

sound, is the program of government,” he said.

Alvarez said it was “unproductive and premature” for both the Pdplaban and the LP to talk about Mr. Aquino’s successor now when the Chief Executive still has four years left on his term.

“The parties should just focus on the job at hand. There are so many problems confronting the nation,” Alvarez said.

Remulla said the political parties’ main focus should first be on the outcome of the Senate trial of the impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“The voting results could well dictate the theme or mood of the elections,” Remulla said.

Both the NP and the NUP have offered themselves as sanctuary for candidates not wanting to make a stand for the 2016 elections and the two parties have made exploratory talks for an alliance to form a third force.

The NP under Sen. Manuel Villar,

P-noy amenable to the review of Epira law

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT AQUINO said he was in favor of reviewing the Energy and Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) but in the meantime he would appeal to the Commission on Audit to act faster on legal issues which have prevented the operation of the Iligan Diesel Power Plant in Mindanao.

“On the part of the executive, we also want to review the Epira law. It’s time to reevaluate whether it has attained what it was supposed to attain,” President Aquino said during the Mindanao energy summit on Friday.

Mindanao energy industry stakeholders were vocal against the Epira law’s focus on the privatization of energy plants. On the other hand, Aquino’s energy secretary Jose Rene D. Almendras had said Mindanao’s exemption from Epira’s privatization thrust was partly to blame for the southern region’s current power woes.

Mr. Aquino, during the open forum, said the Epira should be reviewed on whether or not its goals—such as a more efficient power sector and cheaper electric rates— have been achieved.

The President had frankly told Mindanao energy industry leaders that they would simply have to pay more for electricity like the rest of Filipinos in Visayas and Luzon.

Batanes Rep. Henedina Abad, chair of the House committee on energy, said Congress is already conducting a review of the Epira.

He added that what was needed were “studied amendments” and not “immediate

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who lost the 2010 presidential election, continues to have a major presence in the Senate with Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Cayetano siblings as allies.

The NUP, a political party formed a few months after the 2010 elections by former LakasKampi members who did not want to be identified with the Arroyo administration, has less than 40 members in the House, but is a key member of the administration coalition.

Both parties control a significant number of governors and mayors nationwide whose support could provide the winning margin in the elections.

Both Pdp-laban and LP camps have started the 2016 presidential campaign this early by soliciting support for either Binay or Roxas from representatives, governors and mayors in exchange for backing their reelection or their handpicked successors in the 2013 elections.

Those who refuse face the prospect of having a rival backed by either Pdplaban or LP in the elections. ■

reactions” to the current crisis in Mindanao.

The chief executive also pledged to help speed up decision making on the operation of a diesel power plant in Iligan to immediately ease the power crisis in Mindanao.

The plant, recently sold to a private company, can provide 100 megawatts more to the Mindanao grid but the tax and bidding issues on the sale are still under review by state auditors.

“As soon as I get back I will personally ask COA to expedite their processes so that we can proceed,” President Aquino said during the summit held in Davao City.

“We’ve been talking to them and they are aware of the problems. And they’re Filipinos who have compassion for their fellow Filipinos. I’m sure they will not increase the burden,” he added.

President Aquino, however, stressed that the COA, as a constitutional body, is independent from the executive branch. “We will request them to expedite,” he said.

Mindanao is experiencing five- to sixhour rotating brownouts, severely affecting industries there. The administration has approved private coal-powered plants and the rehabilitation of hydroelectric power plants but says results will only kick in by 2014.

A statement by Conal Holdings, the company that acquired the Iligan plant, said the facility could be made operational in just a couple of months. “(It) can be operational in two months,” stated Tirso Santillan, chief operating officer of Conal Holdings, the energy investment arm of the Alcantara group.

The Iligan diesel power plant was sold to Conal Holdings Corp. after it was acquired from another entity due to a tax delinquency. The sale is under review by the COA. ■

News-Phils Tribe threatens to occupy disputed Boracay land

BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT’S NOT only the heat that sizzling in Boracay. A land dispute between the indigenous people of Aklan and some businessmen is about to boil over.

Members of the Ati tribe are now threatening to occupy the two-hectare beach property earlier awarded to them, even without a government order installing them on the land, to protect it from further development by the other rich claimants.

“We’re following the due process. And yet this due process is giving undue advantage to the rich claimants who continue to build structures. We might end up without a land of our own,” Delsa Justo, chieftain of the Boracay Ati Tribal Organization, said in an interview.

The tribespeople are racing against time to get hold of the property located in Barangay Manoc-manoc on the southern tip of the 1,032hectare island-resort before it’s allegedly gobbled up by the structures put up by the Banico, Sanson and Gelito families.

The National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) is set to issue a resolution to finally settle the dispute in a few days, but this won’t be immediately enforceable. The other claimants can still appeal within 15 days after receiving the order.

A lot of things could happen

in 15 days, and if the order is unfavorable to them, the other claimants could bring the case to the Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. By the time it’s finally resolved, there would be nothing left of the property, the Atis said.

So their option nowis to occupy the property and protect it, they said.

Meantime, President Aquino should follow up on the NCIP’S award of the Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title given to the Atis in January 2011, and take up their case, said Justo, who traveled to Manila in the hope of getting the installation order from the NCIP. Justo, together with four other tribe members, Sr. Hermina Sutarez and Jose Antonio Morillo, was told by the NCIP en banc on Friday morning that the resolution won’t be issued until next week, but this won’t be enforceable until after the other claimants had seen and commented on it.

The other claimants had filed motions canceling the title issued to the Ati with the NCIP and the regional trial court in Kalibo, showing deeds of sale as proof of their ownership of the property. With the row still unresolved, the Atis are staying in a one-hectare property that is also being claimed by politicians in Bgy. Balabag.

Anthropologists said the Atis had inhabited the island long before the earliest Visayan migrants came. By the 1970s, tourists began streaming into the island, famed for its powdery white sand beaches and crystalline waters. ■

DOH eyes info tech in dengue reporting

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) yesterday announced that it was tapping information technology to implement “specific targeting” of dengue cases in communities in an effort to significantly curb the prevalence of the infectious tropical disease.

In a dengue summit attended by health experts and local government representatives, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said the new process would allow real-time reporting of dengue cases from rural health units and hospitals.

Ona explained that under this system, rural health units or hospitals can immediately report a confirmed dengue case to a barangaybased health team, which will promptly conduct investigation.

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 6

“The patient’s name and address will be given to the barangay dengue brigade or community health team and the latter will visit the patient on the same day and identify other possible patients in the neighborhood,” Ona told reporters at the summit.

He said this is a big leap from the old process that relied on the overall data gathered from sentinel hospitals across the country, which usually takes two to three weeks to complete.

“We will no longer wait for the cases to go up… we’ll conduct specific targeting,” said Ona. A total of 16,511 dengue cases have been posted from January to March this year, which is 28.96 percent lower than the reported incidence the same period last year.

The bulk of the cases—27.4 percent—has been attributed to Metro Manila. Central Luzon ranked second, accounting for 23.1 percent of the total cases, followed by Calabarzon with 16.9 percent. ■

Pinoy OFW in Saudi jail coming home

BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer

AFTER LANGUISHING for 11 years on death row in Saudi Arabia, overseas Filipino worker Rodelio “Dondon” Lanuza is coming home soon.

Migrante International said the Saudi Reconciliation Committee (SRC) granted freedom to Lanuza, 39, after his family and supporters had raised the P35 million in “diya”— blood money—that was needed to compensate the family of the man he killed.

“We are very happy for Dondon and the Lanuza family. All our efforts have not been in vain, and we attribute this mainly to Dondon’s fighting spirit and the collective efforts of friends, supporters and family,” said Garry Martinez, Migrante International chair.

“If not for these, the Philippine and Saudi governments would not have given proper attention to Dondon’s case,” he added.

Martinez said Lanuza was imprisoned 11 years ago for the murder of a Saudi man in 2000.

Lanuza maintained that he killed the man in selfdefense.

The man’s family forgave Lanuza in February last year, but required him to pay blood money in exchange for his freedom.

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“There is still much help needed to campaign for the lives of other OFWS on death row,” Martinez said.

“Dondon’s experience and story will serve as an inspiration to our kababayans who have been losing hope, especially after the execution of four Filipinos in China last year.”

Martinez cited the cases of brothers Rolando and Edison Gonzales and Eduardo Arcilla who were sentenced to death by beheading in Saudi Arabia in 2006 for the murder of fellow Filipinos Romeo Lumbang, Jeremias Bucud and Dante Rivero.

The Gonzaleses and Arcilla claimed that they were tortured into admitting the crime, Martinez said.

In 2010, the relatives of the victims received blood money from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.

According to Saudi law, however, payment of blood money does not ensure the commutation of sentence or the release from prison of convicts, so the Gonzaleses and Arcilla remain on death row in Saudi Arabia.

“It is really up to the lobbying efforts of the Philippine government, especially since the victims’ families are based in the Philippines,” Martinez said.

According to Martinez, there are 122 Filipinos on death row in foreign prisons. Migrante International is handling eight of these cases. ■

7 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

News-Phils

TUESDAY MARCH 20, 2012 10

A

50-50 to runguards and CCTV cameras.

Gift-giving in Tondo security a government agency. He alsoVow planned to take over our provide their own Battle Manila:community, To LosofBaños former President said hechancellor was now more a panata On the eve of hissmall birthday, headingGerman to Estrada EnriqueTheTolentino Jr., vice for farmbefore in Quezon,” said. likened the gift-giving toDr. inclined to run for mayor. “Before, it was 60(vow), as thanksgiving for the less fortunate. an orphanage in Paco, Manila, to lunch with Ray was the second UPLB student killed near the community affairs, said the recent events might also ‘Asiong The Asociacion de Damas de Filipinas 40, meaning I was 40 percent inclined to run. children, Estrada gave donations to Payatas a Ray ofSalonga’ hope vs UPLB campus. He was stabbed dead by unidentified justify the university’s need for a higher budget to put up in Quezon City, then Baseco compound, foster home, in particular, has a personal Now, it’s 50-50,” he told the INQUIRER on morewhen dormitories robbers.

‘Dirty phone. the campus. significance because he had it rebuilt it the inside Smokey Mountain and Parola, all in Tondo.

BY DORIS C.Harry’ DUMLAO

A Mass few and dayshold before, school But the chances of Estrada throwing his hat downstudent when heRochel was President, he said.

He is set to attend anotherhighburned Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA AND “My is to In upliftRay the state of into the political ring seemed much higher, gift-giving activity at Sto.14, Niño in killed of hope Geronda, was church raped and in birthday the samewish vicinity.

JAYMEE T. GAMIL LAGUNA—Ray Bernard Peñaranda’s givenbeautiful the way place, he discussed his plans for our people.

The poor are growing“UPLB in number.

Tondo.

LOS BAÑOS, is a very but I think it’s the October last year, UPLB computer science student Given Philippine Daily Inquirer “if ever I decide to it run.”

The population has increased tolocal 94 million, Tondo Grace residents shoutedwas “Mayor! last conversation with his family was in Some a phone officials’Manila responsibility to keep safe. We really Cebanico raped and killed.

Mayor!” as they welcomed him back

but our income has not. The government

Estrada said he didn’t mind the idea of being

conference the night before he was killed.

“Ray was a very sweet son.andHethewould often give his hope to find justice so we can move on,” German said.

FROM MAYOR to president to mayor again. religious sector need to understand “relegated” to a mayor when he had already yesterday.

“His sister was telling him that they should graduate On Friday, police arrested Carlposition “Dactil” de Guzman, mother a massage and a manicure and would sometimes Former President Joseph Estrada is flirting occupied the highest in the country. and have a population Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian, the plight of citizens, together in 2013.

I do not know if it was a premonition or 27, in Daraga, Albay, and on Thursday, Tyrone sleep with us in our room,” German said.

“He was also with the idea of wrapping up his political career who accompanied Estrada in his Tondo management program,” Estrada said in He was elected president in 1998 but the way he started it: as said mayor. this time, he able was removed by a military-backed people’s something, but Ray heBut might not be to do so,” Filipino.

Kennedy Terbio, 19, surrendered to broadcaster very close Anna because was his idol.” rounds, described the to reception as she is eyeing thefather, post in German, Manila where uprising in January 2001 while on trial in the said Ray’s 56. he was born, overwhelming. “People mobbed him, and it Raffy Tulfo and Philippine National Police Director andAtnotthat in San Juan City where his family has Senate impeachment court on corruption and Binay in Palace wasn’t orchestrated,” he said. time, German thought that Ray was again Outposts, CCTVs General Nicanor Bartolome. Terbio, the one who built a political dynasty.

In the phone interview, he said he also “likes other charges. teasing his sister, Anna, 23, who was taking a master’s On March 12, student organizations led an indignation allegedly stabbed Peñaranda in the chest, was held Estrada, who turned 75 recently said he Overwhelmed “I’m not concerned about stature,” he said. the idea” of Vice President Jejomar Binay degree at University of the Philippines in Diliman, detention cell of police office inI rally.clamor Ray’s classmates testimonies about theirinlost had yet to the make up his mind despite being “There “I don’t carethe if ILaguna [had been] a president.

Malacañang 2016 at andthe himself is a public for him to shared run. occupying Quezon City.

But the next call the family received on Sta. Cruz town, said Laguna police director Senior friend. “encouraged” by different sectors in Manila People love him. People know what he’s serving as mayor of Manila, where the Palace started my political career as a mayor.

Who to seek thewas mayoralty.

He saidfriend, he would makethem Sunday from Ray’s telling about his Juan“We Superintendentknows?

Gilbert Cruzendonit as Friday.

De condemn these and senseless I might a mayor as Guzman well.” is located, at the samedeaths. time. done as [San city] mayor, senator, vicetragic his decision known within the month, or a year president and president, would no be matter good. Ihow could allegedly easily bring he death. drove the suspects’ motorcycle.

We willand notthey stopbelieve until justice is“Itserved before the 2013 elections.

Salongawere named by confessed to his attention theatproblems of Manila, canhis helpwife, them,” long Gatchalian German, anmidterm agricultural engineer and like Terbio and Asiong De Guzman it maysaid. take,” said chancellor Dr. Rex all Cruz the In case he runs, Estrada said he would Noting that he was born in Manila, he said Though admitting he was “overwhelmed” particularly housing,” he said.

Flordeliza, 53, a professor at University of Rizal System rally attended by around 200 students. lookout Joseph Beltran, who earlier surrendered to prefer to become an “underdog” just like in the by the gesture, Estrada shrugged off the Binay was Estrada’s running mate during the city, particularly the tough neighborhood in Tanay, Rizal, Rayrace didwould good pit in him his academics and saying: thepresidency police. Allofthree suspects now faced value” robbery Another with Bayan movies.

The 2013 said mayoral Tondo, had a “sentimental to with him. his unsuccessful secondMuna run for the public clamor, “Dati rally na ’yanwas (It’s set was a candidate for cum laude in agriculture at UP Los homicide charges at a court in Calamba City, said Cruz.

Representative Teddy Casiño, a UPLB alumnus, as against Mayor Alfredo Lim, a tough-talking always been like that.)” in in 2010. Just recently, their respective political It was the setting of his first starring role Baños Geronda’s remainsSalonga,” were which buried at ahispublic former (UPLB). policeman dubbed Manila’s Dirty launched acting United “Asiong “I never saidguest.

I was running [for Manila parties joined forces to form the Harry. career. (village) Anos in Los Baños on Alliance coalition. mayor]. I his have been popularthe evermeeting since I was In fact, Ray was supposed to be awarded During of theNationalist multisectoral Peace and cemetery in Barangay “I’m more used to uphill battles,” he said.

“I Estrada went on to become household Estrada lamented that Manila had been “left a movie star,” Estrada explained. certificate as a college scholar (dean’s lister) during the Order Council, the municipal government of Los Baños Wednesday, while Ray’s burial took placeaSunday at prefer to be an underdog. It’s more challenging.” name among the poor for portraying onscreen behind” by Makati, Taguig and Quezon City.

Estrada shot down suggestions that the 103rd founding anniversary of the UPLB College of approved proposals to install 100 more lampposts, police Haven of Rest Memorial Park in Tanay.

Lim shrugged off rumors about Estrada gift-giving was preparation for the midterm “It’s sad because Manila is the capital city. characters championing the weak and the Agriculture.

Thehim dean Ray’s certificate and village outposts at every entry and exit point in all “Maybe Ray had died for a reason. His death will running against andinstead wisheddelivered him “good elections. “I don’t do this for politics. I’ve It’s supposed to be a showcase city. It needs downtrodden. to his family in Tanay at the wake. not be put to waste if only this willtheprotect andManila give villages, and security cameras in strategic locations. luck.” In a TV interview, Lim said: “It’s done this since I was a mayor [in San Juan]. urban renewal,” he said.

“I want to reciprocate people of hadtomany afterLet’s college. planned to hope to other students that none of these will happen There were also plans to impose a liquor ban from 12 too“He early think options about that. keepHeEven considering their support for me all these His voter’s registration remains in Brgy. when I was incarcerated, I asked my workinghigher instead.” years,” San Pedro Cruz, San Juan City. wife to do or this for me.” to 8 a.m. and for private pursue education abroad or work in a company said.he■said. ■ midnight dormitory owners to again,” German

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News-Canada

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 8

Filipinos at the Vancouver Sun Run DOWNTOWN VANCOUVER saw a crowd of almost 50,000 participate in the 2012 Vancouver Sun Run last Sunday despite a grey morning and a chilly spring temperature of 10.5 degrees.

Some carried backpacks, others groups held posters, some were pushing strollers, while others ran barefoot or without any shirt on.

Several Filipino organizations and families participated in the run, and some trooped to downtown Vancouver and to BC Place just to get into the spirit of the 28th year of Canada’s largest 10-kilimetre race.

Some walked, some ran. There were several Filipino children who also participated in the race with their parents.

Winning the race was 22-year old Kelly Wiebe, a Canadian from Regina, Saskatchewan, with an official time of 29:12. Natasha Fraser of Port Moody won the women’s division. She had an official time of 34:12.

All participants can view their race results online and in the Vancouver Sun`s April 16 issue. ■

Nearing the finish line

La Salle Team

UP’s Vic Ingo, Tony Aytona, Ruby Cortes and Eric Inigo

Employees of ALS Minerals

Flag Mitsubishi Welcomes Mary Ann Roque to the Team For Over 35 years Flag Mitsubishi has been recognized as one of the top dealerships in the Lower mainland. The term used at Flag “Buy with confidence” is their foundation backed by a 10 year/160,000 KM warranty on New vehicles, 5 year/50,000 KM customer care program on used and lifetime warranty on all repairs.

Waiting for the signal

At Flag, we recognize it takes knowledgeable staff to help our customers make the right decisions.

With the addition of Mary Ann Roque to our sales team, we feel confident she will far exceed your expectations in customer service.

Mary Ann is the First Filipina Sales Representative to join the Flag Mitsubishi Team in Surrey. She is a B.S. Animal Science graduate. She came to Canada as a Caregiver and worked her way up becoming the Idealist of the First Filipino Newspaper Stands along Skytrain Stations in BC.

Chungtuyco family

Mary Ann is excited about her new career path at Flag Mitsubishi and welcomes everyone from the Filipino Community to come visit her “Right Under the Flag”, in sunny Surrey.

Mary Ann Roque (604) 358-4985 maroque@flagmitsubishi.ca Office Phone Number: 604-584-7411 website: www.flagmitsubishi.ca The Barefoot Runner

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9 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

News-Canada

Poll suggests most Canadian home buyers would walk away from bidding war THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO - The national real estate market may seem to resemble a battleground, but a new survey suggests most Canadians would prefer not to go to war.

Three quarters of respondents from an online survey done by the Bank of Montreal suggested they would walk away from a promising property purchase rather than get roped into a bidding war that could raise the ante well beyond what they’re prepared to pay.

Even among the 25 per cent willing to lock horns with other buyers, most would prefer to keep the grappling to a minimum. Half of respondents willing to engage in a bidding war said they’d draw the line at paying more than 10 per cent above the asking price.

A further 25 per cent set their upper limit at 20 per cent over asking.

Prospective homebuyers and realtors agree, however, that all bets are off in the country’s most competitive markets.

Ariel Brewster, 28, has spent the past nine months with her fiance combing Toronto for a modest fixerupper that can be partially converted into rental space.

Twice they’ve submitted an offer based on an agent’s appraisal of its value, but they’ve been outbid by as high as $100,000.

The notion of securing a home without a bruising bidding war sometimes seems utterly alien in a market widely recognized as one of the hottest in the country. ``You’re not paying for what you bought, you’re paying to win,’’ Brewster said.

Canada’s housing market is enjoying a particularly robust period, according to the Canadian

Real Estate Association. Sales activity in March reached a new high not registered since April 2010, with Toronto, Calgary and Edmonton leading the surge.

Prices in Toronto have kept pace with its booming sales, rising 11 per cent in the past year to an average of $504,000, well above the national average of $369,000.

Vancouver, another market that has enjoyed brisk sales activity despite a recent cooloff, currently boasts an average home price of nearly $762,000, according to BMO. Chris Simmons, a Vancouverbased broker with Royal LePage Real Estate, said bidding wars are commonplace in the heart of the city. A colleague recently fielded 32 offers on a single property, he said, and multiple bids are virtually inevitable in any market skewed in favour of a seller. ``No buyer wishes to be in a bidding war, that’s the last place you wish to be, however in a seller’s market, unfortunately . . . it would be surprising if you weren’t.’’

Despite the constant temptations, Brewster is determined to stick to her

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strategy of measured, conservative bids.

Couples who try to enter the market without fixed goals in place, she said, will face a rude awakening when they witness the cutthroat conditions among their fellow buyers. ``I see a lot of couples who are newer to the search who are just going through the house and . . . planning where the couch is going to go, basically, and I kind of shake my head a little bit because I don’t think they have any idea how much they’ll have to pay to get this house.

It’s kind of that attitude that creates the inflated prices.’’

The BMO survey found Respondents in Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan were the most likely to agree to pay above asking price. Those surveyed in Quebec and Atlantic Canada were the least likely to participate in a home bidding war.

A survey of this type is considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 - although regional breakdowns are less accurate.

The survey was conducted March 19 to March 22. ■

Canada: Seen and Scenes

At the Life is a Gift Dinner Gala

To Deputy Consul Anthony Mandap’s family, welcome to Canada!

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 10

Guests at the Life is a Gift Dinner Gala

Dr. Francisco S. Portugal, president of the Canadian Aid and Relief Project (CARP) announced the holding of the 4th Bayanihan Ball on April 21, 2012 at the Grand New York Ball Ballroom, Sheraton Parkway Hotel, Ontario, Canada

Bonding with Friends at New Westminster

Philippine lawyers with friends in Downtown Vancouver

Officers and members of the Pinoy Pride Vancouver

Toronto Police Service Chief William Blair (left) talking to Rafael Nebres (right), president of the Bicol Canada Clommunity Association (BCCA) during the luanching of the Police Constable Doug Ord Memorial Fund which was held on April 13, 2012 (Friday) at the Toronto Police Association Hall, 180 Yorkland Blvd., Toronto, Ontario. Constable Ord passed away sometime last December due to ALS or Amyotropic Lateral Schlerosis disease. (Manuel Papa)

Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announces that Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is committing $500 million to a new loan program for young farmers. The announcement was made at a farm just south of Saskatoon.

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Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, announces the Government’s intention to introduce a program to attract innovative entrepreneurs, with Kevin O’Leary, founder of O’Leary Ventures – Toronto, ON

News-Canada

11 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

TFC to Unveil the First OF-Serye Worldwide Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo Premiered on April 16

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES, April 14, 2012 – In the tradition of bringing milestone content that tells of the tales of overseas Filipinos, ABS-CBN TFC will unveil yet another innovation via the first overseas Filipino teleserye or OF-serye, Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo. After giving Filipinos the films Dubai, Milan, Caregiver, and A Mother’s Story, TFC presents the first teleserye shot in majority in the Middle East (Qatar and Dubai). The story top-billed by Jake Cuenca, Shaina Magdayao and Bangs Garcia, relays the story of three overseas Filipinos brought together by destiny and yet apart. According to Director Manny Palo, “Ito ang unangunang teleseryeng tatanda sa isipan ng mga overseas Filipinos” (This is the first drama series which will make a mark in the minds of overseas Filipinos) and rightfully so. “It’s about time na gumawa tayo ng teleserye na nagta-tackle talaga sa buhay nila kasi sa mga previous na teleseryes na ginawa, usually glimpse lang.” (It’s about time that we created a drama series which tackle the lives of overseas Filipinos because previous drama series only gave a glimpse) these writer Danica Domingo muses.

In the story, Philip Salvador plays an overseas Filipino who saves his friend and co-worker Christopher de Leon from imminent death, only to die in the end.

Because of sheer guilt, Christopher feels responsible for his friend’s family and takes on the responsibility of caring for them until he himself dies. Because of the closeness of their fathers, Jake who plays

Paul and Shaina who plays Sara, are drawn together initially as friends. Inspired by his father’s (Christopher de Leon) loyalty and perseverance, Jake takes on overseas work himself. But before he leaves for Qatar, he leaves behind a childhood love in the person of Shaina and a past love in the person of Mia played by Bangs Garcia.

On her portrayal of an overseas Filipino for the first time, Shaina Magdayao said “Para bang privilege for me na gumanap na OFW. Tinatawag natin silang heroes ng bansa” (It’s a privilege to play an overseas Filipino worker whom we collectively call heroes of the nation). Bangs, the first love and third party at the same time adds that beyond the love story, the teleserye is an eye-opener for Filipinos in the Philippines. “Nakakatulong talaga itong teleseryeng ito para palawakin ang pagiisip ng mga Pinoy, para malaman nila ang nangyayari sa buhay abroad - kung ano yung sacrifices na ginagawa ng Pilipino sa abroad” (This drama series helps Filipinos broaden

their minds about life overseas – what Filipinos sacrifice outside the country).

Similar to overseas Filipinos themselves, the production staff and crew went through a rigorous process and faced their own struggles as well in the execution of the material. Writer Danica Domingo said that to be faithful to the story, the production team consulted the research team prior to developing the story. Production-wise, Executive Producer Jen Soliman relates how the team needed to be very detailed and sure every step before the team flew to the Middle East. “Kailangan prepared kayo pag umalis kayo. Kasi ibang mundo iyon tapos malayo. Yung script ready siya. Naibigay lahat sa pre-prod niyo.

Ang details napagusapan niyo.

Kumbaga wala kang tatakbuhan dun kasi ibang mundo iyon.

Nalaman din naming nung nasa Doha na kami.

At first Dubai kami nagshoot. Sanay sila (production team) kasi open city yun.

Pagdating sa Doha iba” (We needed to prepared before we left because it

(Middle East) was a different world and far at that. The script, the pre-production and all the details should have been discussed prior. There, we couldn’t run just to about anyone. We learnt some things when we were already there. First, we shot in Dubai where the production team did not have any difficulty because it was an open city. But it was totally different in Doha).

Kung Ako’y iiwan Mo will be truly different from all the teleseryes on air. Part of the reality that this teleserye relays is the life lessons that overseas Filipinos learn from their detachment to home and their loved ones most especially. Actor Jake Cuenca can relate to this as his father was an overseas Filipino himself. “Alam ko kung gaano kahirap kasi ang magulang ko nagtrabaho abroad. Pag malayo ang magulang niya, ang pamilya. Inalok pa lang sa akin ito, naka-relate ako agad” (I understand how hard it is for a family when a parent works overseas because my father worked abroad. When this drama series was offered, I could relate to the story and I accepted right away).

Kung Ako’y Iiwan Mo will premiere on TFC’s primetime block beginning April 16 worlwide. The show, along with other top-rating, award-wining and well-loved programs both entertainment and news, will be and are available on TFC via satellite, cable, video-on-demand and mobile TV. For interested parties, please contact your nearest distributor or visit www.abscbnglobal.com. ■

TFC launches Canada-wide news for subscribers thru “Balitang Canada”

The Balitang Canada team headed by Marieton Pacheco

PCI and other members of the Vancouver media at the presscon of Balitang Canada

LAST SUNDAY, all TFC platforms in Canada launched Balitang Canada (Canada News) as a 30-minute weekly program. Hosted by veteran journalist Marieton Pacheco, Balitang Canada reports the latest news and happenings affecting FilipinoCanadians from provinces like Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. Pacheco is joined by a team of dedicated news correspondents from different parts of Canada. The show also has TV Patrol reporter and host Atom Araullo.

According to Pacheco, “In our Toronto and Vancouver launches, everyone was looking forward to having our very own news program not just in a particular province or in a particular city but all over Canada.” She is also very excited to work again with her former colleagues in ABS-CBN. “The best part with it is the fact that it’s a reunion. We’ve talked about it for the longest time when we were still contributing stories to Balitang America, and we thought, sana the day will come when we will have our own newscast, have our own Balitang Canada. It’s finally here so we are all really excited about it.”

Balitang Canada introduced new segments that will tackle issues on Pinoy immigration, entrepreneurship and travel, plus a global round-up of interesting stories and the latest showbiz news from the Philippines. The program also gave kababayans a chance to connect with families in other parts of Canada and the Philippines through its “Kamustahan” segment.

Balitang Canada airs every Sunday from 5:15 pm to 5:45 pm, after TV Patrol Linggo, with replays on Mondays from 5:00 am to 5:30 am, before Umagang Kay Ganda. Balitang Canada is produced by ABS-CBN’s North America Bureau in California, and The Filipino Channel’s daily newscast in North America, Balitang America. ■

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World News Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

Accused Bieber faker may have victims in 5 countries, say U.S. authorities

BY MICHELLE MCQUIGGE The Canadian Press TORONTO - A Toronto man accused of posing as teen idol Justin Bieber and coaxing a young girl to perform sex acts online may have victims in up to five countries, prosecutors in the United States said Wednesday.

Lee Moir, 34, is already facing a slew of child pornography charges in connection with his alleged interactions with a 12-year-old girl from New Jersey, but officials in that state suspect his activities had a much wider scope.

“It is an ongoing investigation for us, but we believe that there may be other victims both in the United States and beyond,’’ Essex County prosecutor spokeswoman Katherine Carter said in a telephone interview.

He is believed to have been in contact with young girls in Canada, Australia, France and the Philippines, she said, adding there have been no

charges laid in connection with those alleged contacts.

Moir is already facing a raft of charges in Canada since being arrested on April 4.

Toronto police allege Moir impersonated Bieber—a pop sensation with a fiercely loyal following among teenage girls —and convinced a 12-year-old victim to film sexual acts on her web cam.

Moir repeatedly threatened to harm the victim’s family and post her image to pornographic websites, police allege. None of the allegations have been proven in court.

Authorities say Moir was arrested while trying to meet up with an undercover Toronto police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl.

Const. Victor Kwong said Moir is facing a total of 10 charges, seven of which involve the New Jersey victim. Those include two counts of luring, invitation to sexual touching, making, possessing and distributing child pornography and extortion. The sting operation resulted in a third count of luring as well as two counts of attempt exposure to a person under 16.

Police said Moir is believed to have operated under a number of fake Facebook profiles, including Lee ONeel, Justy.beber1 and Yodayoda001. ■

Report says women’s lagging political, economic status in Asia a liability for future growth

BY ELAINE KURTENBACH THE CANADIAN PRESS SHANGHAI, China - The 2 billion women in Asia are still paid less than men for similar work and are extremely underrepresented in top leadership positions, according to a report that estimates limits on female employment cost the region $89 billion a year in lost productivity.

The Asia Society survey on women’s status in health, education, economic activity and political leadership urges improvements to ensure the region benefits fully from its underused pool of human talent.

While the status of women varies widely from country to country from one category to the next, overall, “to continue in this direction would put in peril Asia’s many achievements,’’ said the report, compiled by Astrid S. Tuminez, a professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore.

The report cited United Nations data in estimating the lost productivity for Asia at $89 billion a year because of limits on female employment.

Overall, based on various measures - the report also uses data from The Economic Forum and other sources - the gender gap was narrowest and women’s leadership strongest in New Zealand, Australia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Mongolia.

The gap was widest in Pakistan, Nepal, India, South Korea and Cambodia.

“Some economies in Asia with the highest human development rankings also perform most poorly in some measures of women’s leadership,’’ it said, referring specifically to Japan and South Korea.

Asia leads the world in terms of the number of years women have governed as heads of state, and currently has four women leaders. But the report attributes that to dynastic traditions calling for women to take over from fathers, husbands or sons when they die, are imprisoned or killed.

It said the problem begins before birth, with sex-selective abortions and infanticide due to a preference for sons in countries such as China and India.

It said the bias in favour of sons means that girls in some countries receive poorer medical care, nutrition and education than boys, especially in developing countries.

The discrepancy in schooling leaves the

majority of women in four Asian nations illiterate, the report said, citing literacy rates of 10 per cent in Bhutan, 16 per cent in Pakistan, 25 per cent in Nepal and 31 per cent in Bangladesh.

Although women live longer in Asian nations as in other regions, such disadvantages affect health and earning power over a lifetime, the report noted.

“From the very start, girls in Asia face significant obstacles to fulfilling their human potential, in general, and their potential for leadership, in particular,’’ Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai said in introducing the report.

Pay gaps remain significant, the report said, with the ratio of women’s pay to men’s lowest in South Korea, at 51 per cent, below that of Nepal, Bangladesh and China. Japan’s was not much better, at 60 per cent.

The narrowest gaps, the report found, were in Malaysia and Singapore, at 81 per cent, and Mongolia and Thailand, at just under 80 per cent.

Globally, women’s pay is 20 per cent to 30 per cent less than men’s, on average.

As far as women in senior corporate positions, Japan came in worst in the region with just 5 per cent of those postions held by women.

Thailand and the Philippines ranked highest in this regard, with women holding 39 per cent of senior level positions, while India came in at 14 per cent and China 25 per cent, it said, citing a survey by human resources consultancy Grant Thornton International.

The percentage of women on corporate boards was much lower, with Japan at 0.9 per cent, South Korea at 1.9 per cent and China at 8.5 per cent.

New Zealand ranked highest, at 9.3 per cent. The global average is 21 per cent, down from 24 per cent in 2009, the report said.

The report suggests specific countermeasures, such as providing more mentoring, more generous parental leaves, childcare and elder care, and gender-equal retirement packages would encourage women to persevere with their careers to top management positions.

But more fundamentally, it urges greater education aimed at valuing girls and women on a par with boys and men, steps to end sex selective abortions and improvement in women’s property rights and other protections to ensure they can contribute fully to society.

The Asia Society, based in New York, is a global non-profit organization seeking to promote closer ties between Asia and the West through arts, education, policy and business outreach. ■

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 12

2 black men file racial discrimination suit against popular ‘Bachelor,’ ‘Bachelorette’ shows

BY SHEILA BURKE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NASHVILLE - Two black men are taking ``The Bachelor’’ and ``The Bachelorette’’ to court with a lawsuit that claims the reality shows are blocking contestants of colour from starring roles.

Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher Johnson filed a federal lawsuit in Nashville Wednesday against the popular TV shows claiming they are engaged in a pattern of racial discrimination that intentionally excludes people of colour. The Nashville men said at a casting call in August that they were given scant consideration compared to white men seeking a leading role for “The Bachelor.’’

Claybrooks said white applicants were given far more time and consideration during the interview process.

“I only wanted a fair shot at the part,’’ said the soft-spoken Claybrooks, a 39-year-old college graduate and electric company meter reader who owns several small businesses. ``Looking back at how I was treated at the casting call last year, it was clear that that wasn’t possible. I never even had a chance.’’

Their attorneys said it is the first racial discrimination lawsuit filed against a reality show. It does not ask for a specific dollar amount of damages, but it does propose to make major changes in how people are seen on TV. The two men say that after 10 years and a combined total of 23 seasons of “The Bachelor’’ and ``The Bachelorette,’’ neither show has featured a single person of colour in a central role. The reality show features about 25 prospective brides competing for the heart of a single guy.

The gender roles reverse in its sister show, “The Bachelorette.’’

Both shows have come under fire in recent years for not having enough diversity.

The lawsuit names Michael Fleiss, the creator of the shows, as well as ABC, Warner Horizon Television, Next Entertainment and NZK Productions.

Calls and emails to Fleiss’ publicist and an email to an ABC publicist were not immediately returned.

Warner Horizon Television released a statement late Wednesday evening saying the complaint is baseless and without merit.

“We have had various participants of colour throughout the series’ history, and the producers have been consistently— and publicly—vocal about seeking diverse candidates for both programs. As always, we continue to seek out participants of colour for both ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette,’’’ the statement reads.

The lawsuit claims that white

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applicants are featured prominently because of a calculation that ``minorities in lead roles and interracial dating in unappealing to the shows’ audience.’’

“The refusal to hire minority applicants is a conscious attempt to minimize the risk of alienating their majority-white viewership and the advertisers targeting that viewership,’’ the lawsuit says.

“Nevertheless, such discrimination is impermissible under federal law.’’

Critics have said the shows do not have diverse leading men and women because a segment of Americans aren’t ready to see interracial courting and romance on primetime television. Creator Fleiss has publicly said that the shows’ producers have tried to be more inclusive, but for whatever reason, minorities aren’t applying.

Johnson, a 26-year-old teacher who was just hired to coach high school football, said at a news conference that when he went to the casting call, he was stopped immediately by a show representative and asked what he was doing at the hotel where the men were applying for the lead role.

He said he was only given the opportunity to hand in some materials, even as white applicants appeared to be given further consideration at the hotel.

Both men said they have been fans of the show and that, unlike online dating, saw it as an opportunity to communicate with women face to face.

The lawsuit claims that the shows and the entertainment companies are violating a provision of the 1866 Civil Rights Act that bars businesses from refusing to contract with others because of their race and a California law that prohibits racial discrimination.

The two men are asking the federal court to order the companies to consider people of colour as finalists for the leading role in the TV shows. They are also asking that the suit be certified class-action so others could join the litigation.

A Portland-based sportscaster, who is vying to be the first black bachelor, has reportedly been in talks with the show after he was the subject of a social media campaign.

Johnson said he thinks attitudes will change once the show gets a black man in the lead role.

“I equate it to black quarterbacking in the NFL,’’ Johnson said. ``When you give them an opportunity, they always come through.’’

Johnson himself said in the lawsuit that he aspires to be in the NFL and is trying out for teams. He said he was recruited by a number of Tennessee colleges to play wide receiver and chose to play at Tennessee State. Claybrooks played linebacker for Middle Tennessee State then for the Arena Football League and Nashville’s semi-professional team, the Nashville Storm, from 2001 to 2011. ■

Opinion

13 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

THERE’S THE RUB

Hauntings

BY CONRADO DE QUIROS Philippine Daily Inquirer A COUPLE of interesting things took place before the resumption of the impeachment trial this week.

The first was that the SWS released its latest survey, which included the approval rating of Renato Corona. The survey was taken from March 10-13. When the SWS released a survey prior to this, Corona’s approval rating had already taken a dive. The defense shrugged it off, saying that was to be expected, it hadn’t yet presented its case. This time around, it had done so, or at least made its first pitch, so Corona’s rating would have improved, right?

Wrong. It plunged still further, going from a negative 14 percent to a negative 28 percent net approval rating. It’s not very hard to see why.

At the very least, it shows the monumental gap between the kind of thinking the defense has been trying to foist on the public and the one the public continues to hold. Or more to the point, it shows the monumental gap between legalistic thinking and common sense.

For the defense, the problem is simple. Prove Corona guilty beyond the shadow of doubt of the specific charges (and none other) against him. If not, then he is free and remains chief justice. For the public—and the prosecution—it is equally simple: Prove Corona fit to hold on to his office.

If not, then he is out and best sent packing for the same place his favorite non-president is headed.

The defense may imagine it is winning the case because the prosecution hasn’t really been able to pin down Corona to any of the articles of impeachment, largely because of its efforts to box in the proceedings to a narrow framework— the prosecution may not talk about anything that lies outside its specific charges—but that is not how it’s getting across to the public. What is so is the prosecution’s proposition at the start of the trial that this case is about character, or pagkatao, as the Tagalog puts it more forcefully.

The question is whether Corona deserves to remain chief justice or not. That is where the houses, the fraudulent SALN, or far more devastatingly the Basas’ case against the Corona couple have wreaked havoc on him.

At the very most, the defense’s tack which, even before it took to the floor to present its side, consisted of preventing the prosecution from revealing things about Corona, dramatically shown in a Supreme Court TRO stopping his dollar accounts from being opened, hasn’t really helped. Again, the defense may imagine it is winning the case because of successful ruses like this, but that is not how it strikes the public. Quite apart from the fact that it suggests complicity between the defense, the Court, and Corona, it suggests even more powerfully that Corona has something to hide. Or as the Tagalog puts it still even better, may tinatago si Corona.

You make the public see that things being withheld from them, and nothing shows that

more than all the objections-your-honor the defense has made, they won’t find the accused as pure as driven snow, they’ll find him as soiled as a week-old underwear.

Nor has Corona’s efforts to appeal his case directly to the public helped him. His posturing, that he is heroically defending the Judiciary against the tyrannical exactions of the Executive, isn’t just getting him nowhere, it’s doing him harm. The images alone subvert his case: He does not exactly cut the figure of a crusader, and P-noy does not exactly cut the figure of a despot. Quite apart from that, a fierce sense of independence is the last virtue he should want to parade before the public. Well before the impeachment, he was already widely seen as the stooge of a very real despot.

For the public, the issue is simple and has to do with character or pagkatao. Is Corona someone you’d want anywhere near Lady Justice? Their answer, as shown by the surveys, is no.

Of course the senator-judges can always ignore that answer. But that brings us to the second thing that’s happened last week.

That’s the fact that the elections next year are already warming up this early. The vice president, Jojo Binay, has already announced an alliance with former President Joseph Estrada’s party and named their prospective list of senatorial aspirants, which includes several of the senator-judges. The Liberal Party has shot back by accusing Binay of cuddling up

with Arroyo, a fact that both Binay and Erap have vigorously denied. Meanwhile, not to be outdone, the Nacionalista Party has tried to grab some attention by saying it is going to field a “lean and mean” slate next year.

Six of the senator-judges are running again.

They are Chiz Escudero, Loren Legarda, Alan Peter Cayetano, Gringo Honasan, Koko Pimentel, and Antonio Trillanes. Juan Ponce Enrile’s son, Jackie, is running too, as is Edgardo Angara’s son, Juan. So is Jinggoy’s half-brother, JV. The question quite obviously is: Will the senator-judges in particular who will soon be courting the people’s votes, if they are not indeed doing so now, be oblivious to the public’s sentiments on Corona? Or more to the point, will the senator-judges, not least of them Enrile whose son has clearly benefited from his widely acclaimed performance as presiding officer of the court, be impervious to them?

From the start, it was always clear that an impeachment trial was a completely different animal from an ordinary court trial. From the start, it was always clear that an impeachment trial was a political, quite apart from legal, exercise, and so in more ways than one. From the start, it was always clear that the Corona impeachment trial, like the Erap one, would be held in a larger court than the Senate and would have more than the senators for its judges.

Those truths are fairly self-evident.

Truths that are so will keep coming back to haunt. ■

AT LARGE

Butterflies and appointees

BY RINA JIMENEZ-DAVID Philippine Daily Inquirer “POLITICAL BUTTERFLY” used to be a pejorative term in Philippine politics, denoting a politician who flits and floats from party to party, driven by the politics of convenience and personal interest.

The term has lost some of its sting of late, mainly because of the nature of political parties themselves in the Philippines. How can one be accused of disloyalty or self-interest when parties have become themselves institutions built around a single candidate? New parties have emerged with every election, only to fade away with the defeat of the party leader, or the consequent drying up of funds. True, some diehards may remain, hopeful of a new infusion of campaign funds or the takeover by a new Mr. Moneybags.

But the days of fanatic loyalty to the Liberal or Nacionalista Party are long gone, and the LP and NP themselves are but shadows of their old selves.

But even given the diminution of the term “political butterfly,” the political history of “Pambansang Kamao” (National Fist) Rep. Manny Pacquiao of Saranggani, is indeed remarkable. His record, membership in a possible five political parties in as many years, is especially noteworthy given his brief experience in the field.

One wonders how serious Pacquiao is about his political involvement, or his avowed desire to “serve the people.” If indeed he wishes to help his constituents, how can he help them over the

long term if his loyalties are so fleeting and his attention, apparently, wandering? *** ONE also wonders what core beliefs and principles Pacquiao himself harbors if he can so easily shift loyalties and seek new sponsors.

Of course, one understands why political parties would be eager to welcome the Pacman into their fold despite his penchant for political traipsing about. He is unquestionably popular, and could give whatever party he joins a boost in the ratings and in media coverage. But why is Pacman such a restless candidate and official? Why does he feel a constant need to find new patrons and friends? And why is he so prone to temptation?

One would hope Pacman would take a hint from his new favorite reading material, the Bible, especially its teachings about constancy and faith.

We have yet to hear from Pacquiao about his deepest beliefs, and he has yet to prove why he would be worthy of our vote when he runs for governor next year, and then reportedly for senator in 2016, regardless of what party he belongs to by then. *** AT LAST, P-noy has said he is considering submitting the name of a different nominee for the post of ambassador to China.

For over a year now, since the retirement of Ambassador Francisco Benedicto, the Philippine embassy in Beijing has been without an ambassador. This is because the President’s nominee, businessman Domingo Lee, has been

bypassed repeatedly by the Commission on Appointments. Aside from being ethnic Chinese, Lee is also the honorary president of the Filipinochinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and is believed to have been a major supporter of P-noy during his run for the presidency aside from marshalling critical financial support from the Chinese community.

But career diplomats oppose the appointment of yet another “political appointee,” while CA members have been vocal in their criticism of Lee who apparently lacks the qualifications of an ambassador, let alone in such an important outpost as China.

It took the most recent standoff between Philippine Navy ships and Chinese vessels on Scarborough Shoal to change P-noy’s mind. As if he were talking to himself, the President asked out loud: “Has the situation changed that changes also the parameters of the ambassador we need in China? Now, we have a Scarborough Shoal incident and there are other issues. Does he (Lee) possess the necessary skills to be able to help us navigate these treacherous waters at this point in time?” *** APPARENTLY, the answer is yes. Lee may have proven himself as a go-between with Philippine and Chinese businessmen and investors, but relations with China now go beyond trade and investment, and require a more agile mind capable of bridging geopolitical differences.

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It may rankle the President to take a step back in his negotiations with legislators over his appointees, so I think it behooves Lee himself, if indeed he wants to protect the President, to offer to withdraw from the process of nomination. In fact, he should have done this long ago, upon realizing how stubborn the opposition was to his assignment. Appointees love to say they “serve at the pleasure of the President,” but when situations tend to embarrass the appointing power, or put them in a bind, appointees would do well to voluntarily step out of the picture.

Now the situation has become so much more embarrassing for Lee, with his qualifications for envoy publicly questioned by the President himself. Perhaps P-noy should also realize by now that naming unqualified persons—despite the strong pedigree and links to the Aquinos—could only end in embarrassment not just for himself and his nominee, but for the government itself.

Chinese authorities are said to also be chafing over the absence of an ambassador—or a fairly senior official—in Beijing, especially given the sensitivities attending our relations with China, starting with the botched rescue attempt at the Quirino Grandstand. It really must seem like a deliberate affront to China, given its obsession with honor and propriety, especially in observing the proper hierarchical niceties, that we have not appointed an ambassador all this time. Let’s hope it’s not too late to appease China and that it is still in the mood to deal honorably and reasonably with a new ambassador. ■

Opinion

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 14

GET REAL

Giving credit where it is due

BY SOLITA COLLAS-MONSOD Philippine Daily Inquirer THE LATEST (February) data on the performance of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC) should provide more than a small amount of comfort to those who are beginning to despair over the P-noy administration’s competence. While one month’s performance of these agencies is obviously no indication of a trend, it is still a very encouraging sign. Kim Henares of the BIR and Ruffy Biazon of the BOC deserve the applause of the Filipino people for jobs well done.

Only consider: The BIR’S tax collections increased to P69 billion in February this year from P53 billion last year, which comes out to an additional 28.6 percent—a collection performance which hasn’t been seen in more than 20 years, without new taxes. For the same period, the BOC collections rose by 20 percent, also a record.

More to the point, on an annualized basis (and this, of course, is a heroic assumption), this means that our tax effort—the ratio of tax revenues to GDP—IS now higher than what was targeted in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP). One may cavil at the PDP’S low targets for tax effort (an increase of 0.3 percentage points a year for the BIR and 0.1 percentage points for the BOC up to 2016), but hey, the 2012 figures (January and February) show a tax

effort increase of 0.7 and 0.8 percentage points, respectively—and that is certainly nothing to sneeze at. Plus, it must be remembered that for 2011, while the BIR under Kim Henares increased its tax effort by 0.4, the BOC under the unlamented Angelito Alvarez showed a decreased tax effort (by 0.2).

So let us give credit where it is due. And for the sour-grapers who point out that P5 billion of the BIR’S collection increase was from the Peace Bond taxes, which seems to be still the subject of a court case, it must be also pointed out that sans that P5 billion, the BIR collections would still have increased by close to 20 percent.

This, according to Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran, a career professional, is still a darned good performance.

The moral of the story is that when you have competent, honest officials at the helm, progress is more rather than less assured.

A logical question would be: How was this apparent improvement in tax administration made possible? Until public finance expert Chat Manasan gives a definitive answer, one ventures the hopefully educated guess that in the case of the BIR, perhaps the message sent by the Run After Tax Evaders (RATE) program of the government, started under President Gloria Macapagal-arroyo but pursued doggedly

by Henares, is being heard loud and clear: Try to cheat on your taxes and we will get you.

And the equivalent Run After Tax Smugglers (RATS) program, also started by Arroyo, may

have been given new life by Biazon, who also created a Revenue Enhancement and Protection team, whose existence he formalized only this month, but which had been operating since February.

The result of Biazon’s activities speaks for itself: BOC collections in the first 12 days of this month are 28.1 percent higher than they were in the same period last year.

In the BIR case, the media reports show that 100 tax cases (as of almost end-march) have been filed with the Department of Justice since the beginning of the new administration, or over a period of 21 months. That makes for just under five cases a month, which is certainly higher than the program target of one case a week. The 100th case, filed on March 29, was against a doctor who failed to give receipts for her services. Strong message to errant members of the medical profession there, although there have been complaints (none formal) that the BIR is in overkill mode, and has run roughshod over the rights of certain taxpayers.

But here is where the bouquets/applause end, and where the brickbats/applesauce begin. Those RATE and RATS cases, filed with the DOJ, seem to lie there and almost die there. Which means the DOJ seems to be the bottleneck: It has resolved (by filing formal charges) only 10 of the RATE cases and two of the RATS cases, although it is supposed to resolve these cases within 60 days.

Why is the DOJ so slow? Because the

prosecutors seem to be overloaded: According to the latest DOJ annual report, the average caseload per prosecutor in a year is 183 cases for investigation and 510 cases for prosecution.

And why is there such an overload?

Because there are not enough prosecutors. As of endDecember 2010, 542 plantilla items for prosecutors were unfilled, while as of March 15 this year, the vacancies had risen to 554 positions. The prosecutorial ranks are thinned by appointments to the judiciary.

Are the positions vacant because prosecutors are underpaid? Prosecutors, thanks to the April 2010 Prosecution Service Act, now earn, at the lowest level, close to P65,000 a month. That is not peanuts. That Act, by the way, created more than 1,000 new prosecutor positions. These new positions were supposed to be filled this year, but as of this writing, there is zero fill-up rate.

So why then are the original positions vacant? Because Malacañang, out of about 300 recommendations made by the DOJ early in 2011 for prosecutors, has approved only 50 as of July in that same year. The remaining recommendations have remained unacted upon, moldering first on the desk of the Executive Secretary, and then on the desk of P-noy.

And why are the 1,000 newly created positions with zero fill-up rate? Because no money was allotted for these in the 2012 budget.

And that’s how this administration fulfills its campaign promise of strengthening the DOJ as part of its war against corruption. ■

LOOKING BACK

The Boxer Codex

BY AMBETH R. OCAMPO Philippine Daily Inquirer THOUSANDS ARE expected to perish if a great earthquake hits Manila because people live and work in high-rise buildings. A similar earthquake in the pre-spanish Philippines would have caused little or no casualties because people lived in simpler homes, though coastal communities could be wiped out by a tsunami. Our ancestors coped with earthquakes by making noise. The anonymous author of the Boxer Codex said of the early Filipinos: “When the earth shakes they say the anitos do it, and so they all go about delivering blows to the house and making much noise, saying that the anitos become scared and stop the earthquake.”

Contrary to popular belief, the Boxer Codex has nothing to do with Manny Pacquiao, Jinky, or even Aling Dionisia. The Boxer Codex is a 307-page Spanish manuscript on the people and customs of Luzon, including Zambales, the Cordilleras and Cagayan. It also has a section on the Visayas. What make this work exceptional are the 75 color drawings of the different peoples of what are today New Guinea, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Moluccas, Cambodia, Brunei, Thailand, China, Japan, etc. Of the 75 drawings, 15 pertain to the Philippines and are some of the earliest representations we have of the Tagalog, Bisaya, Cagayanon and Negrito, documenting how they dressed and how they wore gold jewelry at the time of contact with

the Spaniards. These charming illustrations by an unknown Chinese artist were made in the manner of the illuminated prayer books known as “Book of Hours.”

The original manuscript was found in the home of the historian C.R. Boxer before it was sent to the Lilly Library in the University of Indiana in Bloomington. Boxer recounted how he placed a nominal bid at an auction for an anonymous, undated manuscript (its title page was missing) that the auction catalogue described as a curious 18th-century work on Asia. Some weeks later, Boxer received a parcel in the mail. When he opened the parcel he realized he had a late-16th-century work so beautifully made it could have been owned by either the Bishop of Manila or, in this case, the governor-general (Luis Perez Dasmariñas, who succeeded his father, the illfated Gov. Gomez Perez Dasmariñas, whowas killed by mutinous Sangley row men in 1593).

This manuscript now bears the historian’s name as the Boxer Codex. Filipinos in Manila need not travel to Indiana to see it because a digital copy is available in the Ayala Museum gold collection. With the click of a mouse you can see on a large LCD screen the original handwritten text as well as a more legible transcription and an accompanying English translation of the text from the original Spanish. One cannot read the whole Codex in its digital format in one sitting so it is best

to consult the translation by Carlos Quirino and Mauro Garcia in the Philippine Journal of Science (1958).

While the material in the Codex is centuriesold, it remains relevant to us for the picture it paints of life in the pre-spanish Philippines.

I am interested in the section on omens and superstitions because some of them are still current in our times. For example, the Boxer Codex states: “If somebody sneezes, or they hear a lizard’s clucking, or if some snake crosses their path, they turn back saying that those are signs that God had sent and that it is not His will for them to continue, and that if they proceed some evil would befall them.”

Out world is so busy we will hardly notice a lizard’s clucking. Many of us live in an urban setting and would hardly have snakes crossing our path; this may explain why the snake has been substituted by a black cat as a bad omen. The sneezing omen I experienced in Abra two years ago. I was to take the long land trip back to Manila and thanked my hosts for their hospitality. On my way out I sneezed, and was pulled back into the house and made to wait 15 minutes for whatever misfortune I was to encounter on the road to pass.

The Boxer Codex records many superstitions of the early Filipinos, some of which are: • “They do not allow anything to be eaten where rice is planted, because they believe

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that he who does so will either die or turn mad.”

• “When it rains while the sun is shining and the sun is somewhat reddish, they say the anitos unite to war on them and they are in great fear; and neither women nor children are allowed to go down from their houses until the rain stops and the sky clears up.”

• “The first day that the new moon appears, they adore it and ask for favors. Going on water by the river or in a boat, they pray to the crocodile, asking it to go to the deep and not to frighten or hurt them as they are not its enemies and do not seek its harm but its well-being, and for it to inflict harm on their enemies.”

• “They use herbs to attract those whom they like and correspondingly use others on those whom they dislike.”

• “When women are pregnant the husbands do not cut their hair, because they say their offspring would be born bald and hairless if they do so.”

• “They have an aversion to eat two bananas that are joined one with another or any food that are two in one because they believe they will give birth to two creatures from the same womb, which they consider a great insult.”

The Boxer Codex is a mirror of the past and shows us how much we have changed or remained the same for centuries. ■ Comments are welcome in my Facebook Fan Page.

15 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

Business-Phils

SMC sells 60% of Foreign groups in talks with local power firms Potential joint ventures in natural gas project Bank of Commerce Malaysian group to pay up to $250M for stake

BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer

SAN MIGUEL Corp. has finalized a deal to sell a controlling stake in medium-sized lender Bank of Commerce to Malaysian banking giant CIMB Group for more than $200 million.

An INQUIRER source privy to the transaction said SMC had agreed to sell “almost 60 percent” of the banking unit to CIMB for a consideration of between $200 million and $250 million. The final agreement was targeted for signing within the next few days, the source added.

BY AMY R. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer

SEVERAL foreign investors are starting to hold initial talks with local power- generation companies and industrial players for the possible supply of natural gas, making more concrete their intentions to invest in the Philippine natural gas industry.

“Contracting for liquefied natural gas ( LNG) supply is on a long- term basis. They want to start talking to potential buyers even as early as now. In fact, [ some] suppliers are already talking to some of the local players,” said Energy Undersecretary Jose M. Layug Jr. In particular, the interested foreign firms would have to talk with members of the value chain, including distribution utilities like Manila

The buy-in deal with CIMB was seen to allow San Miguel to focus on new ventures such as power generation and infrastructure while still participating in the growth of the bank as a minority investor. The San Miguel group, through San Miguel Properties and San Miguel Retirement Fund, owns about 79 percent of Bank of Commerce, which means that the transaction will keep the local conglomerate as a strategic partner in the bank.

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer

The deal was finalized after CIMB’S duediligence audit on the bank during the past few months.

GOKONGWEI-LED Robinsons Land Corp. is expanding its presence in the Visayas by putting up its eighth mall in Roxas City, Capiz.

“Given the aggressiveness of SMC to reconsolidate its holdings with the takeover of Philippine Airlines, power assets and other possible acquisitions overseas, it needs such liquidity to help acquire more businesses,” said Astro del Castillo, managing director at local fund management firm First Grade Holdings.

“It seems like SMC continues to roll out the barrel, disposing some assets and using cash to focus on what will be good for it in the long run.”

RLC has announced plans to build a twolevel commercial mall with a total gross floor area of 40,100 square meters and more than 700 parking slots. This will be the first full-service mall in the province.

For Bank of Commerce, Del Castillo said CIMB’S entry could make the local bank “a player to keep an eye on.”

“It will be major player. Definitely, it will help Bank of Commerce be at par with the big banks. The financial and technical expertise of the new investor will definitely be an exciting event in the years to come,” he said.

CIMB, Malaysia’s secondbiggest bank, has about $98 billion (P4.12 trillion) in assets, or bigger than the resources of the top three Philippine banks combined. It has long been seeking to gain a foothold in the Philippine banking system as part of its ambition to become a strong regional player especially as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) veers toward economic integration by 2015. ■

Electric Co., the owners of powergeneration companies and even industrial customers, whose demand alone was initially estimated to reach 600 megawatts, Layug said.

Layug explained that this was a timing strategy on the part of the foreign companies, which recently sought clearer directions from the Department of Energy as to whether or not the government would still push through with the proposed $ 2.1- billion Batangas- Manila ( BatMan 1) natural gas pipeline project.

The energy official identified the big- ticket players as Mitsubishi and Mitsui Co. Ltd., both from Japan; AXI LNG Gas of Canada; Australia’s First Pacific Capital and Energy World; China’s ENN Energy Holdings; Hong Kong- based Synergy International, as well as SK Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd., Korea ■

Robinsons Land chooses Capiz as site of 8th mall Project completion seen in third quarter of 2013

The 150-hectare Pueblo de Panay is envisioned to be within easy access to residents and visitors since part of the property has been donated for the construction of a new Roxas City police station. The provincial government of Capiz is also planning to relocate the congested Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital, while the city government will also relocate its jeepney and bus terminals to Pueblo de Panay.

Robinsons Place Roxas will be within minutes from the city proper and very close to It will be located at the northern portion of a host of commercial, economic and socio-civic Pueblo de Panay, an emerging commercial activities. development in Barangay Lawaan of Roxas City.

The planned mall will have an assortment of Robinsons Place Roxas is slated for boutiques, popular fastfood and quick-service completion in the third quarter of 2013. restaurants, an amusement center, a food court, and an al fresco dining area. Robinsons “RLC continues to be bullish about the growth Movieworld will also operate four digital prospects of the Visayas region and the construction cinemas, including a 3D cinema. Its anchor of a new mall in Capiz is an affirmation of our tenants will include Robinsons Supermarket, commitment to the region’s economic growth,” Robinsons Department Store, Handyman and RLC president Frederick Go said in a statement.

Robinsons Appliance Center.

Go noted that the new mall would contribute significantly to the growth of the local economy through the employment of several thousand people during the construction and operational stages, as well as the increase in the revenues of the city.

RLC’S commercial center portfolio in the Visayas included Robinsons Place Bacolod, Robinsons Cybergate Bacolod, Robinsons Place Iloilo, Robinsons Fuente Osmeña, Robinsons Cybergate Cebu, Robinsons Place Dumaguete and Robinsons Place Tacloban.

The area where the mall will rise is a masterplanned community development named after the historic town of Panay, Capiz. The new mall will occupy 75,000 sqm of land area fronting Pueblo de Panay’s main road.

The property developer now has 30 malls with the recent opening of Robinsons Place Pangasinan. Expected to open within the next three months are Robinsons Place Palawan and Robinsons Magnolia. ■

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Sports Huelgas produces wire-to-wire romp Azkals, Malaysians collide again in KL TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 16

Terrain of Batangas

BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer

NATIONAL team standout Nikko Huelgas proved his worth by posting a wire-to-wire victory in the elite division of Tri United’s opening leg at Playa Laiya in San Juan, Batangas.

Huelgas, fresh off a seventh-place finish in the Asian Triathlon Championship in Japan, topped the 1-km swim, 30-km bike and 7.5-km run competition in one hour and 30 minutes.

Kevin Eijansantos, the reigning Philippine National Games junior champion, clocked 1:39 for second place, edging coach George Vilog, who came

in two minutes later.

“I had a good swim today but I need to do better in the bike and run,” Huelgas said of his stint in Batangas which he is using as part of his preparation for the K-swiss ITU Subic Bay International Triathlon (SUBIT) next month.

The event sponsored by Unilab Active Health lured 250 participants with Unilab president and CEO Clinton Hess and executives Alex Panlilio and Lester Castillo also competing. Hess clocked 2:36:20, while Panlilio timed 2:23:45. Castillo checked in at 2:15:46.

PLDT Bike King ruled the team competition, which took into account the combined time of the 10 fastest members of the team. Unilab Active Health and T12 Camelbak Tri Team came in second and third, respectively in the event also backed by Alaxan FR, Enervon HP, I-ON Energy Drink, Landco, Bikeking, Pocari Sweat, Timex Crystal Clear, Orbea, Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Weekend Warrior and Swimbikerun.ph Other winners: Jaime Navarro and Kim Kilgroe (18-24), Martin Carandang and Jayline Balatibat (25-29), Andy Leuterio and Alessandra Gonzalez (30-34), Dan Brown and Ani Brown (35-39), Rayzon Galdonez and Berns Tan (40-44), RJ Lorenzo (4549), Celma Hitalia (Female 45-above), Rune Stroem (50-54), Artemio Engracia Jr. (55-Above). ■

Abdon, Gandiongco set PH Am semifinal duel

BY MUSONG R. CASTILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer

TRECE MARTIREZ, Cavite—Top-ranked Jik-jik Abdon moved within another win of a return trip to the Philippine Amateur Closed golf championships final match yesterday after posting two comfortable wins at challenging Sherwood Hills here.

The long-hitting 20-year-old, a business management major at Southville Foreign University, first showed Mel Cubillo the door, 3&2, before bundling out obscure Rene Menor, 4&3 in the afternoon.

Those victories set up Abdon for a return match with the dangerous Gio Gandiongco, the Cebu native who also posted a pair of authoritative wins in the event serving as the third leg of the GLOBENGAP circuit.

Gandiongco, who helped power Cebu Country Club to its first-ever PAL Interclub title in Davao last February, hardly broke up a sweat in ousting Ramir Roque, 6&5, before being pushed to the limit in a 1-up victory over Bacolod’s Chepe Dulay.

Jonar Austria, the No. 2 men’s seed, also made it to the quarterfinals after a 3&1 victory over Don Petil in the morning and a hardearned 1-up win over the veteran, Lawrence Celestino.

Andres Saldaña, one of the more exciting talents to come out of the junior ranks, also took a seat in the semifinals and will clash with Austria after 1-up

victory over Joey Huerva that he followed up with a 3&2 triumph over Reymon Jaraulla.

“It will be a very interesting match ,” Abdon, who ousted Gandiongco also in the Final Four last year, told the INQUIRER. “But you can never really assess your chances in match play.

“A lot of things can happen,” concluded Abdon, who lost, 3&2 in last year’s final to the pint-sized Rupert Zaragosa.

Abdon actually lost the opening hole against Menor, but won the third, the sixth and three straight from the ninth to take a 4up lead that his foe never came close to overhauling the rest of the way.

Women’s top seed Dottie Ardina also breezed through her opening match against Eva Miñoza, 4&2 to forge an interesting showdown with ICTSI teammate Lovelyn Guioguio in the event also backed by Pancake House, Golf Depot, Suntrust Properties Inc., Airphil Express, Titleist Empire Golf and official hotel Microtel Suites.

Guioguio, who won the stroke play event of the Phamlast January, nipped Rainstar Roque in the second extra hole to salvage a spot in the semis, while Sunshine Baraquiel and Jayvie Agojo fashioned out a pair of easy wins to seal their places in the other half of the draw.

No. 2 Baraquiel ran was unchallenged in a 7&6 win over Jan Punzalan, while the comebacking Agojo, seeded third, defeated Apple Fudolin, 4&2. ■

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BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT WILL be the Philippines’ turn to visit defending Suzuki Cup champion Malaysia on June 1 when the two nations clash in an international friendly in Kuala Lumpur.

Philippine Football Federation president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta yesterday confirmed they have accepted Malaysia’s invitation for a match, ahead of the Azkals’ series of games at home.

Malaysia and the Philippines battled to a 1-1 draw with Fil-german Denis Wolf scoring his debut goal for the side last Feb. 29 just before the Azkals left for the AFC Challenge Cup in Kathmandu, Nepal, where the team finished a tournament-best third.

But the friendly is remembered more for the alleged incident that happened in the Azkals locker room during the prematch inspection.

Saying that she felt alluded to when a size of a brassiere was mentioned during the inspection, AFC match commissioner Cristy Ramos filed a complaint against player Lexton Moy for sexual harassment.

Ramos also claimed that player Angel Guirado was in his underwear when she held the inspection.

The case is still pending before the PFF Disciplinary Committee.

The Azkals who will undergo a camp in Tagaytay from May 20 to 31 are slated to play three matches at home in June. ■

Pacquiao may clash with Marquez a fourth time

BY ROY LUARCA Philippine Daily Inquirer A FOURTH INSTALLMENT of the heralded Manny Pacquiao-juan Manuel Marquez face-off is in the offing.

And, chances are, it will no longer be staged in Lasvegas but in Marquez’s turf— Mexico City.

Fernando Beltran of Zanfer Promotions, which manages Marquez, told Miguel Rivera of Boxingscene. com Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) that his group has initiated discussions with Pacquiao’s representatives and these “have gone well.”

“Having (the fight in Mexico) is not being viewed as a bad thing,” said Beltran. “There are many benefits to having the Pacquiao fight made there.”

Beltran is said to be so enamored with PacquiaoMarquez IV that he has vowed to bring the showdown— projected to be held in November—to the spanking-new Arena Mexico.

The indoor Arena has a maximum capacity of 22,300 although it can only accommodate 16,500 when reconfigured for a boxing event.

In their first fight in 2004, Marquez survived three first-round knockdowns to salvage a draw with Pacquiao, who won the return bout in 2008 by split decision on the strength of a third-round knockdown.

Last November, Pacquiao repeated over Marquez by majority decision.

Beltran believes that Mexico, the boxing fans, and Marquez deserve the final battle with Pacquiao, who is well-loved in the country despite his tag as “Mexican assassin.” ■

17 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

Canada-Lifestyle

Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Suzette Hernandez “My parents told me stories of the time when I feared moving to Canada because I didn’t know how to speak any English. They said that I had planned to just stay quiet, in fear of not being able to communicate with any of the kids at school.”

I held him as he passed away.

From that moment on, I knew that he would always be with me every second I lived. Through his life, and exemplary way of living and caring for others, I gained a sense of urgency to always do something productive with my time; do great things, for life is short. I realized that there are no other limitations in this world except for that ticking clock. My father taught me to live for the right things, fight for the right cause and always ensure that my actions are aligned with what I am passionate about. He taught me how to LIVE my life and stand firm with my morals and beliefs, no matter how influential and tainted this world can be. He is my strength.

BY MELISSA REMULLA-BRIONES PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER THE GIRL whose father allowed her to see that not even the sky is the limit – is all grown up. An avid traveller, a voracious reader with larger-than-life dreams, Suzette Hernandez is all heart and passion and daring as she savors all that life has to offer in her once-in-a-lifetime journey towards being proclaimed as the world’s – the universe’ – most beautiful.

You were born in Lemery, Batangas and raised in Vancouver. How was it like growing up as a new immigrant? You were probably too young but did your parents tell you about their stories and experiences as new immigrants? What stories fascinated you?

The “Culture Shock” and language barrier were probably the most difficult transitions for me, when my family emigrated from the Philippines to Vancouver.

My parents told me stories of the time when I feared moving to Canada because I didn’t know how to speak any English. They said that I had planned to just stay quiet, in fear of not being able to communicate with any of the kids at school.

However, I don’t recall much of that fear. All I remember was, wanting to make my parents proud. Having seen all of their hard work, knowing of the sacrifices we had endured, I felt that there was no choice but for me to excel in everything.

Their perseverance in getting my family to where we are today inspires my productivity. I now live by my motto of, “self-betterment being the key to any success in life”. The only way to bring out the best in oneself is to not fear change but adapt to it.

What do you think is “Filipino” about you?

Although I was raised in Canada, I consider myself “Filipina” in every aspect. In 2011, I reinstated my Philippine citizenship and am currently a dual citizen of both countries.

I was raised in a conservative upbringing where my family ensured that I would never forget my Filipino heritage. I speak fluent Tagalog and fully understand my mother’s native Bisayan dialect. Above all, I consider myself to be very family-oriented.

What is most Filipina about me is my determination to persevere even during the most adverse of times.

Filipinos are truly “masisipag”.

I resided in the Philippines for a total of six months in 2010 and three months last year. I lived on my own and worked as a model/actress during my stay. During this time, I gained the strength and the self-independence without having my family present.

I believe that I have gathered the best of both countries and integrated it to who Suzette Hernandez is today and that is a very multi-faceted woman.

What do you like most about Philippines? What do you dislike?

There are many things that I love about the Philippines and on top of that list, would have to be a tie between our beautiful landscapes and our traditional home cooked dishes.

I like that I never run out of places to discover whenever I visit. We have the most amazing pristine beaches, lush forests and a wide variety of rare flora and fauna. There is always something to do and places to explore in the Philippines.

Tied with exploring is being able to enjoy my mommy Norma’s traditional home-cooked dishes. She is my grandfather’s sister and she makes the best buko pandan dessert I have ever tasted in my life.

If I had to point out one thing that I dislike about the Philippines, it is that there simply is never enough time to do everything that I want to do in one visit. The country is the perfect place to vacation to as it has everything. It is what I consider, my paradise.

You seem to be very close to your parents, especially your dad. What were your parents like when you were growing up? How have they influenced you?

My parents have been an amazing source of motivation.

They taught me to never take anything for granted and to ALWAYS work hard towards accomplishing my goals.

I will forever be grateful for their effective methods of having mentored and raised me. I was always very close to both of them, not just because they were my parents but also because they earned my respect at a very young age. Rather than imposing their way, I was always given the freedom to make my own decisions and take full accountability for my actions. With that said, I’ve grown accustomed to working hard for the things I want out of life such as education and the ability to keep traveling around the world.

My mother’s faithfulness and patience is where I gain my strength whenever I am faced with the darkest of days. She is an extraordinary woman who has always been supportive and loving. I genuinely feel that I can come to her for anything because of her non-judgmental qualities. She provides me with her best “words of wisdom” in regards to any issues or adversity I may come across, and no matter what, supports the decisions I make.

My father is my hero. He has done for me, what no other human could possibly do. Come to think of it, time works in an intriguing way. It really only starts ticking when you acknowledge that it is running out. I will never forget the final moments with my father when the doctor turned the oxygen machine off. Silence filled the room, as he took his final breath.

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From traveling, figure skating and modeling - to being one of the candidates for one of the more prestigious beauty pageants - please tell us about the changes this has brought to your life.

The biggest change since joining the Miss Universe Canada pageant is the overwhelming number of people to which I am now able to deliver my message to. I am very grateful to be able to use my candidacy to spread awareness about my platform to help rescue orphaned children from starvation and deprivation of basic necessities. It is hard to describe the joy I get from all the support I have received from everyone who has volunteered to make a difference. I have gathered many talents to help me raise awareness and fundraise for the SOS Children’s Villages Nicaragua last April 19, 2012. I thank those who came and showed their support, they helped me make a difference by attending the event.

What is your advice to young women who want to follow your path and be a beauty queen?

I believe that beauty is grace personified. It is the eloquence and confidence that transcends from our inner beings into our outer shell. Beauty is a statement, which should be dedicated to a greater purpose. Love and respect yourself and do great things with your time. Aim for self-betterment, as this will help lead you to happiness and success.

If you win as Miss Universe Canada - what will your mission be?

My mission is to help end hunger and deprivation of basic needs among children. Every day, many are left with no food or clean water. I will fight to decrease the number stricken by starvation and poverty along side the SOS Children’s Villages.

I will continue to work with the Batangas Club of BC to present children, who would otherwise be unable, the opportunity of higher education.

Who is Suzette Hernandez when she is not being a model or a beauty queen? What is it that you like doing that people do not know?

Suzette Hernandez is and always will be a real, down-toearth, self-proclaimed nerd, with dreams larger than life. I am so blessed to have an amazing support system that loves and accepts me for who I am; qualities AND the flaws included.

Throughout the experiences I have endured, I know never to take anything for granted.

I have faith and hope that each day that goes by I am able to contribute a worthy chapter to the story of my life. ■ You can support Suzette by donating to the SOS Children’s Villages. You can also learn more about her in the Miss Universe Canada official website and vote for her via http://www.beautiesofcanada.com to help her win the “People’s choice award”.

Canada Lifestyle

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 20

TORONTO – CLUTCH, a free six-month arts-based program for young Filipina women to start a dialogue with each other, get mentorship from professional artists within the community, have access to professional tools to hone their creativity, define their identity, explore their cultural heritage, and tell their stories on their terms.

This year`s CLUTCH was made possible through the support and guidance of the following mentors and teachers: Casey Mecija, Maylee Todd, Romeo Candido, Nina Lee Aquino, Kate Fraser, Marissa Largo, Jo SiMalaya Alcampo, Brian Bantugan, Michelle Turingan, April Aliermo, Jodinand Aguillon, Melissa Clemente, Christine Mangosing, Mithi Esguerra, Christine Balmes, Lyndl Aguilar, Omar Wisam, Leah Gold, Rhowena Adolfo, and Char Loro.

This year’s theme of B R U H A veered away from all the negative undertones of the word, transposed what the participants are accustomed to, and shifted their focus on the Filipina’s significance as it was originally regarded. Armed with this arsenal of renewed knowledge, the CLUTCH Vol. 4 participants were able to produce meaningful work in their own terms through hands-on artistic and leadership development, and the exploration of cultural identity as the foundation for empowerment.

“Clutch provided us a different learning environment and the freedom to express ourselves through art, inspired by our beliefs and experiences,” says participant, Diane Guison.

“Clutch has been the push I need to take all that I’ve learned so far, and just run with it to produce something beautiful and share it with the community I’m growing to love. It’s given me the feeling of being part of something really special,” admits Charise Aragoza.

B R U H A : A CLUTCH Vol. 4 Exhibit is presented by Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts & Culture, and is generously supported by The Ontario Arts Council.

The exhibit will remain at KAPISANAN for two weeks following the opening night.

Gallery hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. until April 28, 2012. ■

Photos by Solon Licas

Bruha: A Clutch

Renelyn Quinicot’s “Lakwatsa” (medium: film photography and digital video)

Tori Allen, Kapisanan Board Member, introducing KAPISANAN’s CLUTCH Vol. 4 participants

KAPISANAN’s CLUTCH Vol. 4 participants during the opening performance “Birth of the B R U H A” (clockwise from top left: Renelyn Quinicot, Victoria Marie, Diane Guison, Victoria Bacnis, Charise Aragoza, Maureen Mendoza)

Audience at KAPISANAN’s CLUTCH Vol. 4 B R U HA

Friends and family at KAPISANAN’s CLUTCH Vol. 4 B R U HA

Victoria Marie at KAPISANAN’s CLUTCH Vol. 4 B R U H A

Opening performance “Birth of the B R U H A” feat. Renelyn Quinicot, Victoria Bacnis, Charise Aragoza. Choreographed by Jodinand Aguillon Opening performance at KAPISANAN’s CLUTCH Vol. 4 B R U H A

Kapisanan Philippine Centre for Arts & Culture presents CLUTCH Vol. 4 B R U H A, screenprinted posters

Audience at KAPISANAN’s CLUTCH Vol. 4 B R U H A Art Opening

Victoria Bacnis’ “First Child” (medium: photography on wax, series of 5)

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Canada-Lifestyle Beauty with a Purpose

21 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

BY MELISSA REMULLA-BRIONES PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER

WHEN DENISSE LIWANAG clicked the button that would send her application to Miss World-Canada, one of the most prestigious beauty pageants in the world, she did not have an inkling that her life would change drastically. “They were promoting in my school so decided to check out their website out of fun, not expecting any response or anything, but a week later they called me for a phone interview.

‘That went well,’ I thought, but I was not expecting any response still...but the same day at 10 p.m. they sent me an email that I got accepted.”

Denisse was cool and composed when she learned that she was accepted. “I was not really aware on how busy I would become and then all of a sudden, bam! It just all happened—interviews, having to find sponsors and fund-raising, and trying to keep up with being in school full-time especially towards the end of the school year”.

It has been crazy, she admits, but she is having the best time of her life on the road to being the next Ambassador of Canada.

Beauty with a purpose “Miss World – Canada raises funds for Variety – The Children’s Charity. It is a charity organization that gives back and helps out children with special needs in BC.

People neglect the fact that there are some people that are in need of help in our own backyard,” she enthused.

Denisse’ role model for engaging in charity work is Audrey Hepburn. “I researched on her and found out she did humanitarian work. She can relate herself to the children in Africa because she lived during the Nazi era. She was malnourished and depressed for a really long time for most of her childhood and in her adolescence so that’s why she always felt the need to give back especially to children that are suffering in third world countries and I found that so inspiring.”

Filipino-Canadian Denisse’s parents are Filipinos who immigrated to Canada. She said she was born in Vancouver but for the first 2 years of her life, she lived in the Philippines. “I was a toddler but I remember everything.”

She credits this experience for why she had an affinity for the Filipino language – and singing. “My dad was a music teacher... it just runs in my family,” she said.

When she first told her parents the news, they thought that it was just one of those dime-a-dozen beauty pageants. “When I showed them the e-mail, they realized it

was huge pageant [with] past winners like Halley Berry... They were really, really shocked.”

The Future Denisse is personable and relatable, a role model who has a rosy future ahead of her. “I would Love to take up as many opportunities as I can, see what’s in store and where life will take me. This pageant was meant to happen. There’s a purpose for all of this and I think it will just lead me to the next big thing in my life.” ■

You can support Denisse by liking her Facebook page, Denisse Liwanag – Ms. World Canada 2012.

Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

Class is in session with Oprah Winfrey in Toronto

THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO - Thousands of dedicated Oprah Winfrey fans leapt out of their seats to cheer the talk show queen as she greeted them Monday at a downtown convention centre.

“Canadaaaaa!’’ Winfrey bellowed to an enthusiastic crowd who shouted their love for her.

“I love you back immensely, deeply, profoundly. Seriously.’’

This is the first time the media mogul has brought her self-help roadshow “Oprah’s Lifeclass: The Tour’’ north of the border. ``What took me so long to get to Toronto? I had a little show. I had a little day job,’’ she said to chuckles from an

audience that organizers estimated at 8,500.

“But I will say that every single day in 25 years of the show I would ask people where they came from and every single day there’d be someone from Canada.’’

Dressed in a bright red dress, Winfrey elicited frequent hoots and cheers from the crowd as she spoke about how pleased she was with the turnout.

“I am feeling the love in Canada,’’ she said. ``This is so great you all came and you knew Beyonce isn’t here.’’

Inspirational speaker Iyanla Vanzant got spirits soaring before Winfrey took the stage with an exuberant entrance.

She wound through the audience and asked people to stand and clap along with upbeat music that filled the cavernous hall.

Vanzant was among a string of heavyhitter opening acts that got the crowd primed for two Canadian tapings Monday.

An evening show about forgiveness was set to air live on OWN Canada on Monday night.

The morning show theme of “gratitude’’ was to air at a later date.

Earlier, spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, motivational speaker Tony Robbins and Bishop T.D. Jakes shared their life lessons and advice in facing adversity.

But the real star of the day was clearly Winfrey. Hundreds of fans showed up hours in advance of a morning show,

forming a queue that snaked several blocks around the convention centre.

Several people complained of a chaotic seating scene when they got inside, in which ticket-holders from multiple lower tiers raced into the venue with little guidance.

Barb Barone, at the show with her daughter Stephanie, says they were initially forced to sit in a $60 section even though they bought $250 tickets.

“It was ridiculous,’’ says Barone, who eventually moved into the proper section after complaining.

“They weren’t placing you in sections. They just said, ‘Find a seat.’’’

A lineup for the 4 p.m. show began forming before the morning session even started, with Julie Hryniewicz of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., at the front.

“This has been on my bucket list for years and years to see Oprah and be in the audience,’’ said Hryniewicz, a motivational speaker, corporate trainer and author.

“She really is a mentor in a lot of ways.

I’ve followed her career for a number of years because she’s very empowering and inspiring to me that she continues to achieve new goals and reach more people. And her platform is so large that it’s absolutely a goal of mine to follow in her footsteps.’’

The visit comes as Winfrey attempts a revamp of her struggling specialty

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channel, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

Tickets for the afternoon “Lifeclass’’ sold out in minutes, spurring organizers to add a morning show that also sold out quickly. Highlights air tonight on OWN Canada.

Emerald seats, positioned at the front of the hall, sold for $460 each while general seating, located well beyond sight of the stage, went for nearly $200, said Hryniewicz.

Her tickets were in the general seating area, and she said the cost was well worth it.

“This is a really big deal in the speaking world.’’

A sparsely decorated set featured a few white upholstered armchairs, a small round table covered with a white tablecloth, and a clear podium. Two large orange banners on either side read “Oprah’s Lifeclass: The Tour.’’

Publicists said a similar crowd was expected for the afternoon taping. Most spectators had to view the event on one of seven large video screens that were spread out throughout the hall.

Hryniewicz said Canadian fans are ardent supporters of Winfrey and OWN Canada.

“She has a whole fanbase here that’s very large... Obviously dedicated.

She’s deserved it, she’s done a lot of work in her life and she does empower people to make positive change.’’ ■

Immigration

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 22

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. teams up with Philippine Canadian Inquirer VANCOUVER, BC, 11 April - Imagine a one-stop shop for information about settlement in Canada specifically for Filipino immigrants and workers. This new and fresh initiative between the only nationally distributed Filipino newspaper in Canada, the Philippine Canadian Inquirer (PCI), and one of the largest and pioneering social service agencies in British Columbia, S.U.C.C.E.S.S., will be launched on the May 22nd paper issue and online at the PCI website. PCI and S.U.C.C.E.S.S. signed a Memorandum of Understanding on April 11th formalizing this venture.

The partnership between S.U.C.C.E.S.S. and PCI will provide the community with accurate and up to date information on how to live in Canada successfully. Through its newspaper column “Ask the Expert”, and its website page “Living in Canada”, valuable settlement information for all immigrants, permanent residents and temporary foreign workers will be released regularly.

The PCI is a subsidiary of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the largest newspaper in the Philippines. PCI’s mission is to provide news and features that matter to Filipinos in Canada and to build a cohesive information network for communities.

They publish weekly and distribute to

major metropolitan cities nationwide.

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is a multicultural and multi-service agency founded in 1973.

Through its Settlement Integration Program, immigrants are assisted in their transition and integration in Canada. The Program also helps them understand the Government systems and facilitates access to other programs free of charge. These services empower immigrants which encourages successful integration thereby making them more productive members of society.

The new Settlement Integration Program is funded by the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation and provides Orientation, Counseling, Assisted Access, Referrals & Life Skills & Education Workshops to permanent residents, caregivers and naturalized citizens.

Look forward to these sections that will have Frequently Asked Questions, Success Stories, schedules of FREE Life Skills and Education Workshops, Trivia and more on this paper, and online at http://www. canadianinquirer.net/ ■

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. CEO Thomas Tam with PCI CEO Alan Yong

S.U.C.C.E.S.S. COO Kelly Ng, CEO Thomas Tam, PCI CEO Allan Yong and President Terry Bahar

Contact Person in S.U.C.C.E.S.S.: Manilyn Corpuz settlement@success.bc.ca 604.468.6000

The teams of PCI and S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

Minister Kenney launches consultations for a new “start-up visa” for immigrant entrepreneurs

Program starts May 14, 2012 Apply Now!

TORONTO — Recognizing the importance of innovation and entrepreneurship as a driver of the Canadian economy, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney launched consultations today on whether to create a new and specialized program to attract immigrant entrepreneurs.

The announcement is the latest in a series Minister Kenney has made about transforming Canada’s immigration system into a fast and flexible system focused on jobs, growth and prosperity.

“Our Government’s top priority remains jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Canada cannot afford to lose out in the competition for foreign entrepreneurs among immigrantreceiving countries,” said Minister Jason Kenney. “We need to proactively target a new type of immigrant entrepreneur who has the potential to build innovative companies that can compete on a global scale and create jobs for Canadians.”

Economic Action Plan 2012 highlighted Canada’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurs, innovators and world class research. It also announced the Government’s intention to build a fast and flexible economic immigration system whose primary focus is on meeting the new and emerging needs of the Canadian economy. This will include changes to Business Immigration Programs, which will target more active investment in Canadian growth companies and more

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innovative entrepreneurs.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) intends to consult with industry associations in the development of a “start-up” visa program for innovative entrepreneurs in the coming months. Linking immigrant entrepreneurs with private sector organizations that have experience and expertise working with startups will be important as newcomers often require outside assistance in successfully navigating the Canadian business environment.

This “start-up” visa initiative is an example of the type of small-scale programs that would allow CIC to try innovative approaches to economic immigration. Under the proposed changes, the Government could create new, short-term programs under the Economic Immigration Class. These programs would be limited to no more than 2,750 applications per year and would end after five years. If a program proves successful during the fiveyear trial period and the Department wishes to maintain it, CICwould be required to formally introduce the new economic class in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.

“Our Government is committed to strengthening the immigration system to make it truly proactive, targeted, fast and efficient in a way that will sustain Canada’s economic growth and deliver prosperity for the future,” said Minister Kenney. ■

23 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

Immigration

YES, IT’S SPRINGTIME! A Filipino Diaspora Story

BY FRANCES GRACE H. QUIDDAOEN

AS A NEWCOMER to Canada, I haven’t yet gotten past the stage where I view things from rose-colored lenses—not that I am rushing to get there, though. But now that I am seeing and experiencing Canada for the first time, I wanted to put a positive spin to my day-to-day experiences which to this day, I still call adventures. Thus, I awaited the coming of spring as would a child about to take her first carousel ride.

Why was I eager to see, feel, hear and taste spring? Something tells me that it would, to a great extent, define my mind-set on how I would view our gradual settlement into a brand new life in Vancouver.

It was fall when we moved to Canada.

Last September, I felt my familiar little world was falling apart and yet in my mind.

There was this excitement in everything new that was slowly falling into place. We frantically packed and wrapped mementos and stuff we tried to fit our hodgepodge of memorabilia in the tiny room adjoining our bedroom which we fancifully called library. Someday, I would like to take them out and run my fingers through old photographs, children’s art work, baby teeth, yellowed certificates, and mother’s crystal glasses. I just do not know yet how much my perspective would have changed by then. Canada would change me surely, hopefully in ways I would like them to be. I tell myself a can-do attitude and healthy dose of optimism would see me through the highs and lows of change.

Fall, with its splashes of rain, pervading dampness, trash bins brimming with fallen leaves, and yard trimmings, could not get me down.

Then came winter just as I was getting used to two layers of clothing under my not so thick coat. Coming from my evening classes, I would jam my gloved hands in my pockets for a little warmth while negotiating the length of 52nd Avenue to get me home. Walking was something I have been good at since arriving in Vancouver and I have not allowed myself to fully dwell on the lack of a car or the luxury of having a driver. In our family, we have a running joke about how, in lieu of cars, we have gotten two trolleys for our weekend grocery shopping. I thought that there was only one time when winter had induced some serious home sickness

in me. That was when I was sitting alone on a bus stop looking at the full moon on a New Westminster sky, my face numb from the cold, and I thought that it was the same moon that shines back home.

Sure, I have pleasant memories of winter. I loved the softly falling snow as it landed on my nose. I loved the fun that “Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day; And give us not to think so far away comes from the silliness of walking in the As the uncertain harvest; keep us here snow with an umbrella. I loved it when All simply in the springing of the year.” overnight, the ground would become a - Robert Frost blanket of pristine whiteness that I would

(A Prayer in Spring) hesitate to leave my shoe prints on it.

Winter has its magical charm, coming as it does every Christmastime and I am now of the thought that snow lends both gaiety and solemnity to the tradition that we have come to know as Jesus’ birth.

Spring is awaited with the pure excitement of unwrapping a gift, yet with the advantage of knowing that it is something you were pining for. As it unfolds, it is refreshing, invigorating and literally puts a spring (pun intended) in my steps, never mind that it gave me the flu bug on its first wind. Spring is the long line of pink and white blooms on either side of my favourite avenue, which I view from a vantage point, noticing each time the lovely bend on the road, as I walk to catch to catch the bus on East 49th. Spring is flowers, buds, blooms, and trees awakening from a deep winter slumber, of such riot of colours they rival the rainbow.

Spring is stepping out in the light and basking in the sun’s warmth and cool wind, taking in the peace and quiet and simple perfectness of a new day.

It is sharing a muffin with my son as we sit by the window of our favourite bakeshop on Black Saturday. I loved the symbolic parallelism that this year, Easter happened in the spring time.

Spring is hope for a meaningful job, a new educational program that will give a shine to a new career. It is feeling confident, loving the changes, getting busy, and easing in slowly to a new life vastly different from the one I have known. Vancouver seasons have not come full circle for me but I am in no hurry to welcome summer. ■

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Lifestyle-Phils Resorting to resort wear Reawaken your cells to blast cellulite to hit the global market

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 24

New treatment uses mechanical stimulation of the skin surface to speed up metabolism of target cells

BY ALEX Y. VERGARA PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER IT WAS perhaps the first time in local fashion history that clothes and accessories were bigger than their designers. Eyeing the global market, 21 of the country’s top apparel and accessories designers joined the recent “Manila Wear” show at SMDC Grand Showroom, Pasay City.

Billed as a celebration of Philippine design and tropical lifestyle, the show was the main feature in Manila FAME’s fashion component.

Each designer presented a five-piece “tropical wear” collection that combined creative uses of indigenous materials and techniques with imported fabrics and components for the highend world market.

Apart from doing away with conventional ramp in favor of raised platforms, where models either stood or sat still, the organizers, led by New York-based designer and event curator Josie Natori, simply allowed the items instead of their designers to speak for themselves.

Promotional materials for guests and buyers at the entrance were flyers containing the designers’ sketches and brief info about them and their collections.

Many in the audience familiar with their work were also left guessing as to who did what, as most of the designers had to work outside their signature looks and comfort zones, incorporating local fabrics like dyed piña and abaca with more conventional ones like cotton and jersey.

Rajo Laurel even juxtaposed native fabrics fashioned into coats, wraps and tops with sequined and tailored pieces.

Embroidery and beadwork Other designers such as Joey Samson and Randy Ortiz incorporated Philippine-style embroidery and beadwork in their collections.

The show also featured the works of accessories designer Gerry Sunga and Arnel Papa, and shoe designer Maco Custodio.

Apart from following Natori’s guidelines, Ortiz’s main considerations were pricing and producing viable pieces. He used embroidery to help the country’s artisans and to make each

piece look “expensive,” he said.

None of the designers was confined to indigenous materials, silhouettes and techniques.

“The main point of this undertaking is not to do a Filipiniana collection, but to advance Pinoy fashion that would appeal to a global market,” said Ortiz.

Not a few went for looser yet contemporary silhouettes. JC Buendia, who used mostly abaca and cotton, and Dennis Lustico, also followed Natori’s color forecast by dying their fabrics in such bold shades as saffron, eggyolk yellow, turquoise, avocado and lemon.

“I’m quite comfortable doing tailored pieces,” said Buendia. “The real challenge for me was working on new materials I’m not very familiar with.”

While Buendia drew inspiration from how well-heeled denizens of gated seaside communities dress, Lustico, who also did tailored and draped separates using piña, cotton and abaca, channeled luxe ’50s beach wear.

“For me, respecting material like piña without compromising the draped and twisted look, which was part of my vision, was the challenge,” said Lustico.

Samson, who did away with color, had a different set of challenges to deal with in fashioning updated versions of the barong, using various textures, materials, and treatments like embroidery, beadwork and suksuk.

“I’ve always found it difficult to work with colors,” he said. “It’s a good thing they allowed me to stick to a neutral palette.”

No fanfare None of them seemed to mind that the show did away with the usual introduction of designers. There was also talk that the designers were first asked to do seven pieces, but Natori allegedly stepped in and brought down the number to five.

It was a fashion exhibit more than a show, as guests were encouraged to see up close the pieces on live mannequins. As each cluster of models wearing a designer’s collection exited a platform after 10 minutes or so, another group entered the scene.

This presentation went on for almost two hours until it was time for Natori to introduce the designers.

The other designers: Inno Sotto, Vittorio Barba, Cesar Gaupo, OJ Hofer and Jojie Lloren for apparel; and Pepito Albert, TC Alvarez-Sibal, Jun Artajo, Joel Escober, Lulu Tan-Gan, Adante Layesa, Joyce Makitalo and Patrice Ramos-Diaz for fashion accessories.

In a press conference held days before the show, Natori expressed her desire to reintroduce the Filipino fashion aesthetic first to a global market. It is hoped that the branding effort will eventually benefit not only the evening’s designers, but will also trickle down to the country’s weavers and artisans. She encouraged designers to focus on pieces that would appeal to the high-end resort market.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t do suits,” she said. “But I believe it is in resort wear where we have the materials and design edge to be noticed globally.”■

BY ANNE A. JAMBORA PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER CELLULITE is a fact of life that 95 percent of women must contend with, however hard they exercise or diet, and no matter how naturally skinny they are.

An anthropological explanation is that historically, women stayed in caves while their men hunted for days. The women’s bodies’ reaction to this was to store the fat in certain parts, notably in the femoral area (thighs), tummy, hips, buttocks, and down to the knees.

It seems that even after thousands of years of evolution, the body still thinks womankind burrows in caves, hopelessly waiting for the men to bring in the kill, such that fats in certain areas of the female body—particularly those lumpy, dimply, orange peel-like clusters called cellulite— resist burning. (And, by the way, however corpulent they become, men don’t develop cellulite.)

Modern medicine and technology propose varied solutions to this pesky female problem, though whether they work or not is contentious.

At Marie France, a leading weightloss and slimming center, one of the suggested solutions is called EDM+SLIM, the latest improvement on the previous Endermologie program the center began offering in 1998. Endermologie is the science of reactivating dormant cellular activity through mechanical stimulation that claims both therapeutic and cosmetic results.

It was developed in 1986 by a French company called LPG Systems, and has since been widely used in over 100 countries.

The new EDM+SLIM machine, exclusive to Marie France, is also by LPG Systems. Connected to the machine are motorized rotating rollers that are applied on the skin to stimulate cellular activity.

Resculpt Dr. Clelia Monteux, chief scientist of LPG Systems, who was in town to introduce EDM+SLIM at the grand opening of Marie France in Eastwood (30/F, MDC 100 Building, Eastwood Ave., Libis, QC; tel. 8942639), said the machine is intended not just to get rid of cellulite, but also to “resculpt” figures damaged by liposuction and hormonal disorders, pregnancy and menopause (loose, sagging skin), as well as treat circulation problems and water retention.

“There are three components of cellulite: fat cells, water retention and fibrosis,” or the abnormal development of excess fibrous tissue as a result of inflammation, Monteux explained. “There’s also a genetic component. This technology can work on all those components.”

EDM+SLIM is simply pressure or mechanical stimulation, Monteux said.

“With mechanical stimulation, you’re sending the skin surface a message to target cells, adipose sites and fibroblasts to improve their metabolism. You awaken the cells; for the fat cells, you improve the

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lipolysis, and for the fibroblasts, you improve the production of collagen and elastin.”

As bonus, it stimulates a reaction from the blood and lymphatic circulation, so the result isn’t simply aesthetic. In fact, the FDA approval is all about the therapeutic effects of the technology, according to Dr. Ariel Torres, medical director of Marie France.

DR. ARIEL Torres and Dr. Clelia Monteux “It works on the draining; you improve blood and lymphatic circulation,” he explained. “Lymphatic circulation is getting rid of the toxins. Unlike the veins and the arteries, the lymphatic are the small pathways.

Unlike the heart, there’s no muscle involved, so in comatose patients we apply maneuvers so they don’t develop edema. When you try to promote lymphatic circulation, you’re helping the body.”

This is especially beneficial for pregnant women, who tend to get heavy legs as a result of the pregnancy. “You can do it to help circulation. It’s only for the legs, and not for a cosmetic purpose,” Monteux said.

Any patient age 18 and above is an ideal candidate for EDM+SLIM, Monteux said. A patient is not asked to lose weight first before the treatment, unless she is obese or with a BMI of 30 and above, in which case a weightand inch-loss program is advised.

Contouring EDM+SLIM is a contouring program with some inch-loss involved, Torres said. (While men don’t have cellulite, they could have localized fat that can be treated with this, he added.)

“What we’re against is when a patient is obese and won’t do anything to address the obesity but wants to do this,” he said. “It won’t get ideal results.”

“We recommend that they diet and exercise to improve results,” Monteux added.

Patients with preexisting conditions like diabetes and hypertension are okay to undergo the program, as long as their illnesses are under control. No-nos are patients with broken skin, vitiligo and autoimmune diseases. Skin must be intact; if a patient is sunburned, she is advised to return when the flaking disappears.

There’s zero discomfort with EDM+SLIM, and there’s no downtime or special preparations before treatment, said Monteux. A full program is 10 sessions, with a maximum of three sessions a week at 35 minutes per session.

Maintenance is once a month after that.

While therapists used to just estimate and memorize the amount of time it takes to work on an area, the improved machine has preprogrammed settings for specific problems and areas to be treated. The mechanical rollers now also have different speeds and maneuvers to target specified problems.

As for that unsightly cellulite, Torres said there are studies proving that regular treatments of up to 12 sessions increase sensitivity in the stubborn fats in the femoral region. They become more responsive, he said.

The realistic expectation: “You see an immediate effect on your circulation after the first session,” said Torres. “You see an effect on the skin quality. There’s no pain, no swelling, no skin reddening. You can do pretty much anything.” ■

25 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

Lifestyle-Phils

New diet system cleans up your liver before anything else

BY ANNE A. JAMBORA PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

OBESITY IS not a disease. Obesity is a sign of toxicity,” said Dr. Eileen C. Comia, integrative medicine specialist and medical director of Advance Biomedical Treatment Center based in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

She was in the country recently to see patients and introduce the center’s medical weight-loss program that’s said to be more effective than diet and exercise alone. It is scientifically proven, she said, to reverse heart disease and diabetes risk in 12 weeks.

“Obesity means you are full of toxins because toxins make fat cells. Fat cells attract toxins or toxins are attracted to fat cells, because the toxins we imbibe from the environment are mostly fat-soluble.

There are many toxins that are called obesogens because they cause fatty cells to develop,” Comia said in an interview with Lifestyle.

Often called “invisible” because it is hard to actually identify them, obesogens are everywhere—from food and drinks to synthetic manmade products like toys.

So while it is true that that Big Mac meal is making you fat, obesogens are making it even worse for you.

That’s why, said Comia, she always puts her patient on a metabolic detoxification before putting them on a weight-loss program.

“This is highly scientific. I don’t think there’s any other weight-loss program that’s as scientific as this. It’s not just about exercising. It’s not just about the calories. It’s what you’re eating and how you detoxify,” Comia said.

Comia said colon cleansing is not detoxification; it’s just removing the junk accumulated in your gut. Detoxification

Lost Motherhood

BY RUEL S. DE VERA PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

SO MUCH CAN come from a single, simple moment. One second, 69-year-old Park So-nyo is standing on a Seoul train station platform next to her husband, and the next second, she is gone.

Her disappearance ignites a wave of people searching for her. But as her family feverishly searches for her, they discover how much they didn’t know about So-nyo.

Coming from wildly popular Korean novelist Kyung-Sook Shin, “Please Look after Mom: A Novel” (translated from the Korean by Chi-Young Kim, Vintage, New York, 2012, 274 pages) has the distinction of receiving the 2011 Man Asia Literary Prize, beating esteemed novelists such as Haruki Murakami.

must involve the liver, she said. When you involve the liver, you improve your whole body.

The medical diet puts patients on a modified, gluten- and dairy-free Mediterranean diet. In six weeks, patients lost up to 20 lbs of fat and gained up to 14 lbs of muscle.

No drugs There are no drugs, no blood types to consider. The package includes a special protein powder packed with sulfates that bind to toxins, making them more watersoluble, and a supplement that helps flush them out.

In their studies, a patient on the medical diet plus exercise program saw his cholesterol drop by 36 mg, while another person that used the traditional diet-and-exercise program dropped his cholesterol by 16 mg only; triglycerides were also down 89 mg, compared to 30 for those not on the medical diet.

“BMI is passé. What people need right now is body fat analysis. You need to talk about body fat, about body composition.

The weight is really the ratio of the muscle mass to the body fat,” she said.

Two of her patients have the same, average BMI, both look slim, but one has much higher body fat compared to the other. In other words, she said, one is a “tofi”—tough on the outside, soft on the inside. These are usually the vegetarians and vegans.

“Vegetarians and vegans are usually high in body fat because they don’t have enough protein in their diet to make muscle. So they still develop all these diseases because their arteries are still clogged, or they have significant amount of visceral fat. They eat a lot of carbs.

Soy nuts and beans are not enough, especially if you exercise a lot. There are Though Shin has written seven best-selling novels in Korean, “Mom” is her first to be made available in English.

At the beginning, the long-suffering So-nyo seems to be someone left behind by the times, someone devoted to the old ways and simply carrying on as she is supposed to.

Hardworking but also stubborn, So-nyo is a woman of very few words. But it turns out she’s a woman with many secrets. The further you get into “Please,” the more secrets crop up, some of them downright stunning. She’s not the only one with revelations. Her disappearance reveals the buried dysfunction of So-nyo’s close family members.

Shifting perspective “Please” is unusual in that it is written mostly in second person, with the novel’s perspective shifting from chapter to chapter, from the eldest daughter, the novelist Chi-hon, the eldest son Hyong-chol, the father and so on.

The narrative is thoughtful and tortured, as

14 essential amino acids that don’t come from anything else but meat,” Comia said.

Comia uses the latest BIA (bioimpedance analysis) technology to analyze fat: it measures not only the muscle and fat lost or gained, but also if the body water content is intracellular or extracellular, or if you’re manas (bloated) because you’re not drinking enough water.

People jump from one diet to the next because the emphasis, she said, is always on the weight loss. That is wrong, she said. There should be clear-cut goals. Their medical diet’s primary goal is weight loss, followed by achieving ideal body composition (body fat and muscle ratio), and then reduced health risk.

“To all of you, what you care about is how you look. It’s not about how you look; it’s about whether or not you are healthy,” she said.

Ridiculously small Many of the diets on the market today fail, she said, because they’re not practical.

The food portions are ridiculously small so that when you travel, all bets are off.

With their medical diet, Comia said it’s okay if you fail and cheat on some days; as long as you keep on taking the protein powder, you’ll still lose weight.

The enriched protein powder is what she calls the medical food. It contains selective kinase response modulators (SKRMs) that decrease the inflammation.

SKRMs, continued Comia, are enzymes that help the liver do the right thing and function at its optimal level.

“I have seen many children since I got here. Filipino kids, as young as eight, have fatty livers. That means the liver is full of toxins already. It is no longer healthy,” she said.

When you see low-fat products, that means it has more sugar, she said. The more you consume them, the more you everyone has their own regrets about how they dealt with So-nyo.

The remembrances follow: “I remember the day you asked me what my name was. You’re paved in my heart like an old road. Like the pebbles in a pebble field, dirt in dirt, dust in dust, cobwebs in cobwebs. I was young then.

I don’t think I ever thought I was in my youth when I was living it, but when I think about when I first met you, I can see my youthful face.”

Hidden in the book’s corners are the many misunderstandings born of a life lived keeping it all in, such as the distrust between one generation and the next: “Our children won’t understand us. It would be easier for them to understand that hundreds of thousands of people died in the war than to understand you and me.”

It also becomes a brief study of the inherited dynamics of a traditional Korean family, particularly the treacherous bond between mother and firstborn son.

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get fat because it’s all sugar. Anything that says “sugar-free” means it is using artificial sugar—that means your body cannot digest it because you do not have the enzyme to break down something artificial.

Products containing high fructose corn syrup, like those found in sandwiches and fries in fast-food restaurants, she said, inhibit leptins, the neurotransmitters in your brain that suppress the appetite. So what actually happens, Comia said, is it makes you want to eat more.

Eat only natural food. And do not eat oatmeal, wheat and dairy. Oatmeal and gluten are hyperallergenic. If you’re somebody who is always sick with runny nose or congestion, avoid dairy and watch your allergies disappear.

That’s because you now have a body that is not preoccupied with having to fight something every day.

“Don’t consume anything packaged.

Eat only natural food. It’s simple. Our program is supervised by me, no one else. You speak to me, we go on Skype.

My goal is to make you healthy for life,” Comia said. ■

Unrelentingly sad There is a stiff, formal quality to the prose that at the beginning feels like an impediment, but then you come to understand that it is characteristic of the old-fashioned speech.

Shin attaches to her characters’ inner monologues. “Please” has a lot of people wringing their memories like helpless hands until Shin turns the book on its head with a surprising twist—and readers will then be able to put together what really happened to So-nyo as well as what happens afterward.

Perhaps one of the unrelentingly sad books you’ll ever read, Kyung-Sook Shin’s “Please Look after Mom” is a study in somberness and a portrait of lost motherhood that repays your devotion with an unexpectedly deep release of repressed emotion at the end, feelings so strong you can almost hold the grief and regret in your hands after reading.

Available in paperback from National Book Store. ■

Lifestyle-Phils

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 26

True designer of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab signs on for Rockwell expansion It’s not about the money, says renowned Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, who didn’t get credit for the iconic building. He is excited about his first Manila project

hainaultphoto / Shutterstock.com

dipping his hands in the city’s coffers.

When he drove by the supposed site where his sailboat-inspired design was to stand, he was again taken aback to learn that construction had already begun without him.

“The sheik really liked my design, but since it was unsigned, his people didn’t know whom to call or give credit to,” said Ott. “A team of British designers had already started working on the future Burj Al Arab following my design. Lesson learned. I have no one to blame but myself.”

BY ALEX Y. VERGARA Philippine Daily Inquirer

ROCKWELL CENTER has announced that its expansion in Makati will have a design team headed by the renowned Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, the uncredited designer of Dubai’s Burj Al Arab.

Rockwell Land declined to reveal specifics about its newest project on the site once occupied by ColgatePalmolive Philippines in the vicinity of Rockwell in J.P. Rizal, Makati. It will consist of residential and office towers.

The new development will be connected to Rockwell Center and is designed to match, even surpass, the latter in terms of certain features and amenities.

Ott, who has offices in his home city of Montevideo, in Toronto and Shanghai, was in Manila recently to discuss the project’s details with Rockwell Land.

Rockwell president Nestor “Tong” Padilla insisted on hiring Ott after the two met in New York after last October’s violent snowstorm.

“It was my South African friend, also an architect based in San Francisco, who hooked us up,” said the gregarious Ott. “The meeting almost didn’t push through because of flight delays.

Mr. Padilla was flying in from San Francisco, while I was flying in from Toronto.”

After initial hitches, including an anxious Ott calling and waking up a jet-lagged Padilla in his hotel room an

hour before the appointed time, the two eventually hit it off and struck a deal over breakfast.

“Although this is my first project in the Philippines, I’ve done other projects in the region,” he said. “This isn’t my first time to work in a tropical country, but it is my first time to work in an Asian country with unique Latino sensibilities.

I’m really excited.”

Apart from China and Hong Kong, Ott has several finished and ongoing projects in Singapore, Phnom Penh and Jakarta. If given free rein to work on Rockwell’s expansion, he would go for green designs that maximize natural light and minimize use of electricity. Ott may seem unfamiliar with Philippine weather, but he’s aware of the numerous typhoons that visit the country every year.

Latino temperament “I’ve actually studied the weather as well as the Filipinos’ Latino temperament,” he said. “There’s a need for plenty of open and communal spaces like balconies and terraces because Filipinos are very sociable people.”

In an increasingly globalized world, there’s a danger of building buildings that have become too homogenized not only in looks but also in function.

Today’s architects, said Ott, should be careful because there are certain aspects in design and construction that aren’t interchangeable.

“You can’t do a project designed for North America in Africa, or one designed

for South America in Europe. You have to be conscious of where you’re doing the project, your surroundings, the technology available in the place, and the people who would use it.”

Ott’s projects dot the entire globe, from North America to Asia and South America to Europe. Among his more famous landmark projects were the award-winning L’Opera Bastille in Paris, Union National Bank headquarters in Dubai, and the China Opera Houses in Guangdong, China.

One controversial project he initially did, but didn’t get credit for, was Burj Al Arab in Dubai. Ott charged it all to experience, as he blamed himself for the seeming injustice.

As one of the first waves of foreign architects who pioneered in Dubai’s building boom in the late ’80s, Ott was commissioned by the ruling sheik’s secretary and right-hand man to do an iconic building designed to put Dubai on the map.

“Back then, nobody knew where Dubai was,” said Ott. “I promptly designed a building inspired by sailboat and gave it to the secretary without signing it. The secretary, with a Swedish architect, showed the design to the sheik, who was then in London.”

The secretary told him to go back to Toronto and wait for his call. Months had passed, and no phone call came.

When Ott flew back to Dubai to start working on other projects, he was surprised to find out that the secretary he had dealt with was now in prison for

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‘Size matters’ mentality Ott didn’t name names, but he also shared stories of lucrative deals, mostly in the Middle East, that he had to turn down because they violated everything he stood for as an architect. He also didn’t subscribe to the “size matters” mentality now gripping Asia, as one city tries to outdo the other in building the tallest, most iconic structures.

“There have been many coming to me and asking me to build all sorts of projects,” he said. “One even wanted me to design a house just like the White House in Washington, D.C. Another wanted me to do a Versailles. I refused.

It’s not about the money.”

Although he relishes being given carte blanche to design a project, he also welcomes inputs from clients.

Architecture, he said, isn’t like painting where you are free to put whatever you want on the canvas. It’s about constructive collaboration with the client.

“Each project poses its own set of challenges,” he said. “A seemingly simple project like a house can be quite challenging when you have a couple, for instance, who can’t agree on anything, down to the color of their bedroom. And it’s not about the size, either. You’d be surprised that not a few of the world’s most beautiful architectural projects are quite small, compared to the huge buildings we have today.”

Asked to choose who among his “children” is his favorite, Ott was quick to respond: “The next one.”

And that would likely include Rockwell’s expansion, as he and his local counterparts begin work on the project later this year.

“It’s only natural, because the next one would be the one who would be needing the most attention and nurturing,” he said. “I’m sure mothers out there would understand what I’m saying. But I mean it in a figurative way. It doesn’t mean that I’m pregnant.” ■

27 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

Travel-Phils

Idyllic resort offers pure bliss for the summer

BY THERESA S. SAMANIEGO Philippine Daily Inquirer

SHANGRI-LA, by definition, depicts of an imaginary land—a remote, beautiful and idyllic hideaway where life approaches perfection and eventually, nirvana.

And many such stories and movies have been spun in an attempt to create, paint or even sketch a faint representation of what this “utopia” is or should be.

Fairly close enough, ShangriLa’s Boracay Resort and Spa, true to its name, has since provided local and foreign tourists with a true and existing hideaway that allows the weary soul to bask and experience a life almost approaching perfection.

Located in a secure, beachfront area overlooking two breathtaking white sandy bays on the picturesque island of Boracay, the resort is the first and only five-star international deluxe resort to open on the famed island.

The resort, which opened in March 2009 and merely a 45minute flight from Manila, was able to raise and introduce a new level of luxury to the beautiful island of Boracay.

“The luxury of first-class facilities and conveniences goes beyond the resort and is extended to guests on their journey to the Island.

Shangri-la’s Boracay Resort and Spa has refined what used to be a tedious series of air, land and water transfers to an unrivaled experience of comfort and exclusivity,” the company claimed. Shangri-la’s Boracay explained that upon landing at the Caticlan airport, guests are received by a representative, escorted to the van, led to a private lounge where refreshments and other welcome amenities await.

After which, guests are escorted to the exclusive jetty port area and whisked off by Shangri-la’s speedboat for a 15-minute cruise to the resort.

Upon entry to the resort, one is able to see meticulous and delicate planning that the resorts’ architects and designers have applied and which have made the place all the more special and heavenly.

The resort’s architect is Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo (WATG) and the interior design was created by LTW Design Works.

According to Shangri-la’s Boracay, the resort is comprised of 219 rooms, including 36 villas and suites. “Every guestroom offers a spacious floor plan and ocean views from a private balcony or terrace.

“Treehouses have outdoor jacuzzis and all other villas have private pools. Villas also include a day bed for relaxation or massage,” it explained.

Interior, exterior design More than just incorporating Philippine culture to both the interior and exterior design of the resort—from the Abaca weave rugs to the accent lighting made of local capiz shells—guest rooms and suites are also equipped with modern conveniences such as flat-screen TV, a DVD player, an ipod dock, a writing desk and complimentary Wi-fi and broadband Internet access.

spirit. The spa village offers 10 Energy conservation measures private villas, each with bathing for the resort meanwhile go far facilities, a steam room and a beyond than just using energy private garden, it explained.

-efficient light bulbs.

Resort’s commitment But beyond this ultimate premium getaway experience, it is also worth mentioning the resort’s commitment to the community and the environment, which has been embedded not just in its culture, but also in the way the resort operates.

“Technologically advanced efficiency readers have been fitted into the electrical system, which not only evaluate the efficiency of energy usage, but also automatically adjust the system to ensure optimum use of electricity,” Shangri-La’s Boracay explained.

“In an island where potable water is a scarce resource, the resort employs its very own desalination plant. With this technology, the resort is able to treat saltwater and convert it to clean, potable water safe for human consumption,” the resort said, adding that “water is also being recycled by the resort’s comprehensive sewer treatment system.”

Indeed, Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa is a perfect summer haven for travelers and beach lovers from all over the world as, the company emphasized, it offers a “luxurious experience that goes well beyond paradise, where environmental protection, community involvement and sustainable living are intricately woven into every guest’s stay.” ■

And for a truly undisturbed and peaceful stay, Shangri-la’s Boracay offers guests two private beachfronts and an infinity pool as well as a myriad of leisure facilities and recreational activities such as a fully equipped health club, outdoor free-form swimming pool, outdoor lap pool, marine center and dive shop, water sports pavilion, entertainment center, adventure zone, nature trail, snorkeling, scuba diving and hiking.

Those looking to soothe weary senses, according to Shangri-la’s Boracay, can head over to CHI, The Spa, where guests can avail of treatments that will rejuvenate and revitalize their body, mind and www.canadianinquirer.net

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TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 30

British Columbia’s Guest Ranches: A Refreshing Getaway for City Slickers

Bedroom at the Three Bars Ranch Cabin

Spring Lake Ranch Another family-friendly option in the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region is Spring Lake Ranch, an hour south of Williams Lake, near the Gold Rush town of 100 Mile House. For over 30 years, owners John and Myrna Barkowsky have operated this tranquil 242-hectare (600acre) property. Swimming in its private lake — rather than, say, dodging whooping teens in a rec centre pool — is just one perk.

Head out into 4,000 surrounding forested hectares (10,000 acres) on horseback — savvy wranglers lead trail rides lasting one to five hours. Kids love wagon rides pulled by Ranger and Rooster, the ranch’s Belgian horse team.

Spot loons and beavers while exploring the lake by pedal boat or canoe. Accommodating up to 36 guests, Spring Lake Ranch offers handmade log cabins and chalet suites, and its locally sourced fare, from steaks to homemade bread, always satisfies.

Accommodations at the Tod Mountain Ranch

Fireplace at the Siwash Lake

BY LUCAS AYKROYD

something to do.”

RIDING YOUR horse slowly through a deep British Columbia valley laden with spruce and pine trees, you inhale fresh air as you admire an enchanting lakeside sunset. The only ripples on the water come from a lone fly fisherman, while overhead a bald eagle soars toward the silhouetted mountains. You’re minutes away from relaxing amid the hand-carved pine furnishings at your guest ranch’s main lodge, where a scrumptious home-cooked dinner awaits.

Even imagining that peaceful scene is a pleasant change of pace from the rush-hour traffic, blaring stereos and torrent of phone calls, emails and texts that urban residents confront.

City slickers can transform their dreams of a refreshing getaway into reality by visiting one of British Columbia’s first-rate guest ranches.

Don’t sit at home and watch the dude go by on the skateboard, or The Dude in The Big Lebowski. Instead, be the dude on horseback in a pristine wilderness setting.

“It’s such a good way to detox from our busy schedules,” says Nicolle Dupont, director of marketing with the BC Guest Ranchers’ Association and an ex-city slicker herself.

“You just unplug for awhile. You don’t have to worry about anything, from buying groceries to doing laundry. If you have children, they’re in a safe environment. And there’s always

Chezacut Wilderness Adventure Ready to take a closer look at six diverse, standout guest ranches in three British Columbia regions? Prices, amenities and activities cater to every budget and lifestyle; you can choose how best to escape life in the fast lane.

In the Cariboo Chilcotin Coast region, Chezacut Wilderness Adventures entices with a value-priced cattle ranch experience amid the splendid isolation of the Chilcotin River Valley. Family owned and operated since 1979, this 1,619-hectare (4,000-acre) ranch will tantalize even the pickiest downtown palate with its own grass-fed beef, pork, and chicken dishes and locally grown, organic vegetables, prepared lovingly by hosts Dominique and Benjamin Sporer.

Saddle up and trot through Chezacut’s pastureland amid Douglas fir and willow bushes. Got a taste for adventure? Take a break from video games — add on authentic experiences like cheese-making or cattle herding. Love a great light show at night? No neon signs or JumboTrons here, but there’s amazing star-gazing and sometimes even a glimpse of the northern lights.

Sleep tight under your down duvet, or get rustic with teepee accommodations. Chezacut lies just a one-hour flight from Vancouver to Williams Lake, plus a 150-kilometre (93-mile) drive west.

Siwash Lake Ranch If words like “boutique,” “upscale,” and “luxury” describe your city lifestyle, you’ll be right at home at Siwash Lake Ranch, a Cariboo highlight. Rated among North America’s top 10 dude ranches, this gem enjoys marvellous seclusion next to the Cariboo Mountains.

Whether arriving by float plane, private jet, helicopter or private car, it’s easy to get into more traditional transportation with Siwash Lake’s award-winning Synergy with Horses program. Focusing on natural Western horsemanship, the program pairs guests with gentle, well-mannered horses and encourages an intuitive bond between riders and their steeds, from beginners to experts, from Quarter horses to Appaloosas. It’s something you just can’t replicate with an Italian sports car on a four-lane viaduct.

Craving more BC-style pampering? Fly fishing, canoeing, mountain biking and relaxation massages in a tented spa beckon.

Indoors, Siwash Lake’s five-star menu boasts mouth-watering organic dishes like filet mignon, wild BC smoked salmon, and pumpkin cheesecake, while everything from four-poster king-sized beds in the main lodge to luxury tent suites promise you’ll sleep in sweet style.

Tod Mountain Ranch Just a four-hour drive northeast from Vancouver, Tod Mountain Ranch caters to discerning adults with its beautiful twin cabins and purpose-built lodge in the Louis Creek Valley. With a selection of 20 horses, daily trail rides are limited to a maximum of eight riders per group, ensuring a calm, intimate experience (guests are paired with their own horses for their entire stay). Here, deer, moose and hawks are potential wildlife sightings.

The ranch, in the Thompson Okanagan region, close to Kamloops, is run by Irish expatriate Tracey O’Connell, who says she’s “proud to have swapped her kitten heels and

www.canadianinquirer.net

Horseback Riding at Tod Mountain Ranch

silk shirts for gumboots and Carhartts [rugged outdoor clothing].” A tasty bonus? Delectable menus prepared by the on-site chef, including grilled chicken caesar salad and homebaked apple and cinnamon squares, provide flavourful fuel for the next ride.

Sundance Guest Ranch For a big, hearty experience in the style of traditional dude ranches, Sundance Guest Ranch is the place to be, hosting up to 55 guests. Amid river canyons and sage-covered hills, group horseback rides depart twice daily, geared for all levels. (Here, you can choose from more than 100 equine friends.)

The warm desert climate in the Thompson River Valley adds to the relaxing vibe, as do the games room and heated outdoor pool.

Hungry? Devour Black Angus burgers from the outdoor barbecue pit, or take a seat in the dining room and sample the chef’s creations, complete with panoramic views of the pasture.

At night, party around the lounge’s big stone fireplace before hitting the sheets in one of 22 charmingly rustic rooms with private bathrooms. City comforts minus the hustle and bustle — it doesn’t get much better than this. Sundance Guest Ranch is a four-hour drive northeast from Vancouver, making it an easy weekend getaway.

Three Bars Ranch In BC’s Kootenay Rockies region, Three Bars Ranch sets the bar high for the guest ranch experience. The mountain-surrounded, 486-hectare (1,200-acre) property, which marked its 20th anniversary in 2011, sits south of Banff National Park, and has activities galore. Horse lovers are in paradise; explore 14,163 hectares (35,000 acres) from the saddle, and even wrangle lessons from the host Beckley family with endless trails and three riding arenas. Be sure to check out Jesse Beckley’s specialized training of reining horses.

Out of the saddle, enjoy rafting, fly fishing, ATV tours and archery. Buffet-style dining with fresh-made bread and desserts fosters a convivial atmosphere in the main lodge, which also hosts a fully stocked saloon, Western clothing store, and gym. No wonder Three Bars Ranch recently ranked as one of the “Top 10 Ranches in North America” on BestDudeRaches.com.

Relaxation, solitude, unspoiled nature, family fun, hearty meals and competitive pricing. There’s no doubt about it: visiting BC’s guest ranches offers something that singing along to Bon Jovi’s Wanted: Dead Or Alive while sporting a cowboy hat in a downtown bar just can’t match.

Learn more about BC’s guest ranches at www.HelloBC.com/ranches andwww. bcguestranches.com. For more on British Columbia’s destinations and travel information, visit www.HelloBC.com. ■

31

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

Entertainment www.canadianinquirer.net

BY CYNTHIA D. BALANA PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER SUPERSTAR-struck?

Bacolod City Representative Anthony Rolando Golez, Jr. has filed a resolution urging President Aquino, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts to name actress Nora Aunor as National Artist of the Philippines for her “immense contributions” to Philippine arts and cinema.

In House Resolution No. 2317, Golez states that Aunor, whose real name is Maria Leonora Teresa Cabaltera—Ate Guy to his fans—is regarded as the “Superstar” of Philippine entertainment.

Golez said that Aunor’s career, which has spanned more than five decades, has been filled with awards and recognition from local and international award-giving bodies for her outstanding performances, and that she was named as one of the 10 Best Asian Actresses of the Decade in 2010 by the Green Planet Movie Awards in Los Angeles. Voting by movie viewers from more than 100 countries was done online.

A National Artist of the Philippines is a title given to a Filipino who has been given the highest recognition, by virtue of a presidential proclamation, for having made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts. Honorees are conferred membership in the Order of National Artists, the regalia of which is an ornate, gilded collar of honor.

In addition to the collar, each newly proclaimed member of the Order is given a citation that is presented during the awardees’ conferment ceremonies. The CCP then hosts a Memorabilia Exhibit and Gabi ng Parangal (A Night of Tributes) for the National Artist at the Tanghalang Pambansa.

Other benefits received by National Artists include a monthly pension, medical and life insurance, arrangements for a state funeral, a place of honor at national state functions, and recognition at cultural events.

The National Artist Honors is administered by the CCP by virtue of former President Ferdinand Marcos’ Proclamation No. 1001 of April 2, 1972, and the NCCA. The first award was posthumously conferred on Filipino painter Fernando Amorsolo.

Qualified for the award are: * Filipino artists who have made significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the country; * Filipino artistic accomplishment at its highest level and one which promotes creative expression significant to the development of a national cultural identity; and * Filipino artists who have dedicated their lives to their works to forge new paths and directions for future generations of Filipino artists. The National Artist Award is given by the President of the Philippines and is screened or recommended by the CCP and the NCCA. “The Filipino people are now entangled with so many public issues like the seemingly uncontrollable rise of prices of fuel and commodities but we should not lose hope. There are a lot of things going for our country and the enshrinement of Ms. Nora Aunor as a National Artist is a sure feel-good thing that the Filipinos can hold on to,” Golez said.

He said Aunor has been truly a national treasure and that her achievements as an artist and contributions to Philippine art would be more than enough for her to qualify for the National Artist Award. ■

Another Fil-Am almost got the boot in ‘The Voice’

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer JUST LIKE “American Idol” finalist and Filipino-Mexican Jessica Sanchez, 21-year-old Cheesa Laureta, a Fil-Am contestant on the US talent show “The Voice,” almost got the boot—if not for the intervention of a celebrity-juror.

On April 10, Laureta made it to the Top 16 in the second season of the NBC reality talent search after she was saved by her mentor, R&B singer Cee Lo Green.

According to Internet reports, Laureta moved from Hawaii to Los Angeles when she was 15.

Her mother was from Cebu province while her father, a singer and guitarist, was from Manila. Her brother Troy is also a musician who has worked with

international singing sensation Charice Pempengco and Canadian musician and record producer David Foster. With her brother Troy, she formed the singing duo A2C and made some recordings.

Laureta and her brother had previously auditioned for “American Idol” but failed to land a spot. Last year, they tried out for “The Voice,” but weren’t selected neither.

This year, her brother encouraged her to try out again and she finally got through.

She said prayers were her secret weapon.

An online report said she has a tattoo on her wrist which reads “II Cor 5:7,” referring to the Bible verse, “For we walk by faith not by sight.” She has another tattoo on her left rib which reads, “Believe.”

According to her Facebook page, she graduated from Hollywood High School

and studied Apparel Manufacturing Management at Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM).

She also worked as a stylist for photographer Abel Rodriguez.

On her Twitter page, she proudly declared that “both my mom and dad are full-blooded” Filipinos. Also on Twitter, she called her “big bro… my biggest influence and my world.”

She described herself as a fan of R&B superstar Beyoncé Knowles on her Facebook fan page.

She also said on Facebook that she hopes “The Voice” will help her realize her dreams and set her on the road to stardom. Next week, she will again face fierce competition as she battles it out with 15 other finalists. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

BY MARINEL R. CRUZ PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

Lawmaker pushes ‘Ate Guy’ as next national artist John Prats now more confident “I DON’T CONSIDER Bianca a liability. We inspire each other to keep improving our craft,” said actor-TV host John Prats regarding online comments that his romantic relationship with former beauty queen Bianca Manalo is not doing him any good.

The couple met and fell in love in 2011 while working on ABS-CBN’s nowdefunct noontime game show “Happy Yipee Yehey.”

“We’ve never felt we were pulling each other down.

We’re very supportive of each other’s interests,” said John during a press conference for “Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition 4 Uber 2012” at the Kapamilya network headquarters in Quezon City.

John won first runner-up in “PBB Celebrity Edition 1” in 2006. He now shares hosting chores with Toni Gonzaga, Bianca Gonzalez and Robi Domingo.

You were once a “PBB” housemate. How did that contribute to your development as an actor?

When the “PBB” show was over, I felt more confident. I lost my inhibitions. I could express myself better when I started hosting “Banana Split” and “HYY.” You are dubbed as Kuya’s sidekick on “PBB.” What does that entail?

I actually have no clue about what Kuya (Big Brother) will make me do this season. I’m flattered with the title. The objective is to keep viewers entertained, to make the show more fun.

You knew the three hosts personally when you joined. Did you still have to adjust?

Direk Lauren Dyogi asked me to join the last week of “PBB Unlimited” to see how I’d fare with the other hosts. On the show’s third commercial break, I got a text message from him: “What are you doing? You sound like a news anchor for ‘TV Patrol.’ You were put there to make the show more fun.” From that moment I understood what I had to do.

As early as now, do you have a bet who among the housemates will win?

No, not really. They all have interesting stories to tell.

I’m amazed by the twins Joj and Jai. I’m touched by the story of Roy, the construction worker who quit his studies to support his family. I also like the diminutive Clodet, whose life-long dream is to become a beauty queen.

There are a lot of strong personalities in this lineup. ■ (“Pinoy Big Brother Teen Edition 4 Uber 2012” airs on week nights after “Dahil sa Pag-ibig” on ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida timeslot.)

Entertainment Bitoy, Ogie not worried about GMA 7-TV5 rumor Comic duo remain focused on work

Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

TV5.

“In show business, anything and everything is possible,” he told the INQUIRER. “My goal is to please viewers. I don’t see a problem as long as the network’s thrust remains the same.”

Singer Ogie Alcasid, Michael V’s costar in the Kapuso gag show “Bubble Gang,” is unruffled as well.

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR Philippine Daily Inquirer

COMEDIAN Michael V was unperturbed when asked about the hottest issue in Show Town—the supposed coming merger of his home network GMA 7 and his former station

New show And with good reason. Apart from the GMA Films-regal movie “Boy Pickup,” the GMA 7 bosses have entrusted them with a new program, “Pare & Pare,” which debuts next month and airs Sundays.

It’s a gabfest, and therefore a dream come true for them. Noted Ogie: “It’s like ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ or ‘The Late Show with David Letterman.’”

“Or ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’

or Martin Nievera’s old show, ‘Martin After Dark,’” added Michael V or “Bitoy,” as he is known on “Bubble Gang.”

He continued: “Direk Bert de Leon and I talked about collaborating on a show like ‘ Pare & Pare.’ Mel Villena, our musical director, was also enthusiastic. Things just fell into place.”

“Taping the show has been one big party so far,” said Bitoy. “The show will constantly highlight two perspectives.

Ogie was born rich; I’m masang-masa.

We have contrasting views on nearly every issue.”

Perfect fit “We won’t be upstaging one another,” Ogie said. “We’ve worked together for 16 years; everything comes naturally to us. We complement each other.”

They have the same dream interviews: Sen. Miriam Defensor-santiago and President Noynoy Aquino.

“We will share ‘Boy Pickup’ lines with Sen. Miriam,” Ogie said.

Bitoy quipped, “We will ask P-noy about Grace Lee.” ■

Bing Pimentel’s liberating experience

Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

Model-actress completes her university degree after a 30-year break

Philippines Diliman.

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. THE CANADIAN PRESS ON APRIL 20, the actress-model graduated with a degree in Visual Communication from the College of Fine Arts at the University of the

She started the course three decades ago, also in UP. Laughing, she recalled her reason for dropping out at the time: “I was young and stupid and got married!”

Bing and ex-husband Mark Gil (Sid’s father) had been separated for 25 years when she decided to go back to school in 2005.

She explained that she had several reasons for returning to UP, both professional and personal—foremost of which was “to inspire my children to pursue their own education, no matter how late in life.”

Alien on campus On her first day on campus, Bing was on pins and needles. “I felt like an alien,” she recounted. “I was no longer familiar with the grounds. There were new buildings everywhere and I didn’t have anyone to hang out with.”

She felt out of touch. “My biggest fear was looking embarrassingly dumb in class,” she admitted. “Memorizing data was challenging—especially dates and places in Asian and World History classes, which

were conducted in Filipino!”

She was then doing an ABS-CBN teleserye (“Maging Sino Ka Man”) but she persevered, researching on subjects and teachers that were “student-friendly.”

Bing, who turned 50 this year, recalled that every time she entered a classroom, she was mistaken for a teacher. “The advantage was that my opinion was always respected.

I pushed my classmates to work hard and didn’t allow anyone to goof off.”

She imposed the same high standards on herself. “I couldn’t play around because my classmates expected so much from me.”

Bing believes her “maturity” was an advantage in dealing with teachers. “I got along well with them, but I listened carefully and followed their instructions. One teacher was younger than my eldest son Timothy (Sid’s real name) and started to call me Tita toward the middle of the semester.”

Her family fully supported her decision: “Timothy is familiar with drawing and photography techniques. He would give me tips every now and then. He also shared his thoughts on my thesis.”

For her thesis, Bing wrote, directed, and produced a short film on environmental awareness entitled “Aki Ning Maisog (Maisog Child),” shot in Mampurog River, Camarines Norte.

Going back to school was an eye-opener.

“I realized that as one gets older and becomes more responsible, learning becomes easier,” she said. “The old adage ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ is a fallacy.”

Her stay in UP exposed her further to social realities. “Some students skip meals to buy school materials. Others walk under

the heat of the sun or in the rain because they don’t have transportation money. More kids from affluent families should be sent to UP.” Advice to women She has a simple piece of advice for other women who may want to embark on the same journey: “Go for it, because those who did, wished they had done so much earlier. Education is truly liberating.”

Her mother, coloratura soprano Carmelita Custodio, was her inspiration.

“My dad said that women didn’t need to graduate from university because their husbands would take care of them. But my mom, who was busy with her masters in Music then, pushed me to finish school.”

On graduation day, when she marches up the stage with her batchmates, her father, the late politician Marcial R. Pimentel, will be on her mind.

“I dedicate my diploma to my father who passed away on March 7,” she remarked. “On my last semester, he asked what I was going to do with my degree.

I replied that I didn’t have any plans . . .

That I did it for personal gratification.”

In hindsight, she wished she had answered her late dad’s question by telling him, “I’ve done well in different fields—modeling, acting, garments, the flower business, events planning and consultancy. I intend to continue what I’ve been doing all along and perhaps do more personality development seminars and events. But now I will make short films as well—and this time I shall be behind the camera!”■

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TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 32

Never too late for this indie film

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine daily inquirer IT’S NEVER too late. After being shown all over the world last year, “Busong,” by indie filmmaker Auraeus Solito, will finally be seen by Philippine audiences this month.

The film that weaves Palawan myths with ecological concerns premiered at ShangriLa Plaza mall’s Cinema 4 yesterday and starts its run today until April 24. “We might extend the number of screenings if we have the public’s support,” said Solito.

He thinks it is important for his film to be shown in the Philippines, especially since it has already been screened in 20 international film festivals.

“I attended seven of them in the last quarter of 2011: Warsaw, Brussels, ImagineNative in Toronto, Tallinn in Estonia, and Goa, Bangalore, and Kerala in India,” Solito told Inquirer Entertainment.

In Brussels, “Busong” won the Cinema of Tomorrow award. The film was likewise a Cinemalaya winner, and had its world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes film festival last year.

Last month, “Busong’s” distributor, Promenade, screened it commercially in France. “It’s still showing,” Solito said, adding that it opened in Paris and has now moved to other cities in France.

Sharing his message Solito feels strongly about sharing his film’s environmental message with Manila audiences. “I come from the theater. I value the audience. I want my films to be seen by Filipino viewers,” he said.

He hopes that Filipinos will appreciate his film as much as the viewers in Kerala, India—where the audience’s hearty applause, he said, moved him to tears.

“Indie filmmakers need an audience so that we can continue making the films we want to make,” he explained. “Films like ‘Busong,’ in particular, can be especially tricky.”

He conceded that “Busong” could be too culturally specific and esoteric for city dwellers. “But Manila audiences should be more open to films on other cultures,” he said.

Future projects He said that he is willing to try out mainstream cinema, and has signed up with manager Manny Valera.

“I’ve realized that I need to work in mainstream cinema to sustain my indie film ventures,” Solito said.

He has won a grant from gay website Planet Romeo to make a film on the struggle against hate crimes. “The name of the organization is the Philippine LGBT [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender] Hate Crime Watch. I got the idea for the film from [the late filmmaker] Ishmael Bernal. It was his dream movie and it will be entitled ‘Boy, Girl, Bakla, Tomboy.’”

Solito is also raising funds for the second part of his Palawan trilogy, tentatively titled “Delubyo.” (“Busong” is the first.)

There’s a large divide between “the speed of ideas and the pace of financing.”

Raising money is “the hardest part,” he said ruefully.■

Entertainment

33 TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012

Luis on Jennylyn, Twitter, ‘Moron 5’ “Jen’s priority is her family and work,” he said. “Jazz is the most important person in her life. I, too, feel that I have a lot more to accomplish before tying the knot.”

Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

Is it true that you’re being wooed to run for a political post in Batangas province, where your mom (Vilma Santos) is governor?

Some people have asked me about it. I think they saw how well my mom did as mayor of Lipa, and how well she does now as governor of Batangas. I guess they thought I could do well, too.

Are you interested in politics?

I’ve always been interested in politics. It fascinates me. Elections are coming up soon. If I decide to run, I’d have to give up my show biz career... to be fair to my constituents.

BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer

TV HOST-ACTOR Luis Manzano would rather not talk about his relationship with Alex Jazz, the 3-year-old son of girlfriend Jennylyn Mercado, out of respect for Patrick Garcia, Alex’s father.

“I don’t want to be accused of meddling,” said Manzano at a press conference for his latest movie, “Moron 5 and the Crying Lady.”

Luis said that he and Jen were fine. “We always make time for each other,” said the host of the ABSCBN game show “Kapamilya, Deal or No Deal.”

But he admitted that they had character differences.

“I’m impulsive. Sometimes we plan something and I change my mind at the last minute. That irritates her,” he said.

Luis recalled that he and Jen went diving in Bohol and she liked it. “Now she’s doing underwater photography. I’m encouraging her to open an online photo blog,” Luis added. They also like mixedmartial arts.

He stressed they had no marriage plans for now.

You have over a million followers on Twitter.

What do you think of bashers?

The freedom to express your opinion online comes with social responsibility. If you have something to say, do it up-front and not anonymously through a computer.

Have you considered canceling your Twitter account?

No. For every one of my haters, I automatically get 20 followers who appreciate what I do. I’ll take that anytime.

How important are social networking sites to you?

I feel fortunate to have so many followers. I feel connected to them at all times.

Your dad Edu Manzano got a lot of flak recently for posting on Twitter something about President

Kidnapper’ invited to NY film fest Filipino international actor Leon Miguel, whose latest film is entered in the Tribeca Film Festival, doesn’t mind playing bad guys

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer UNASSUMING LEON Miguel is quick to describe himself as an “underdog.” But this unsung actor is much in demand for international films.

He may not be a familiar name among Filipinos, but Miguel has appeared in American, Japanese, Italian, and British films, sharing the screen with the likes of David Hasselhoff (“Legacy”), Dean Cain (“Subject I Love You”), Hiroyuki Sanada (“Emergency Call”), and Satoshi Tsumabuki (“Pandemic: Kansen Retto”), among others.

Miguel’s star finally gets to shine in his latest film, Ron Morales’ “Graceland,” which premieres today (Manila time) at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, which runs until April 29. (“Graceland” is one of three Filipino films in the fest, along with Miguel Calayan’s short, “Prima,” and Ramona Diaz’s documentary, “Don’t Stop

Believin’: Everyman’s Journey.”)

Organizers invited Miguel with co-stars Arnold Reyes and Ella Guevara.

In an interview with Inquirer Entertainment on the eve of his flight to the US, Miguel said that being invited to Tribeca is a “dream come true.” He is thankful to Morales, his Filipino-American director, for guiding him. “He is passionate and trusts his cast and crew completely,” Miguel said.

Tribeca is a fitting reward for Miguel, who has been acting since 1994, when he made his debut as a Katipunero in Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara’s TV series “Bisperas ng Kasaysayan.”

Before show biz, he worked as a civil engineer. But after the acting bug bit, he was hooked. “I was aware of the sacrifices involved, but I was ready,” he said.

Being underrated can be “frustrating,” he admitted. Still, he has a positive take on his relative anonymity: “If I were popular,

Noynoy Aquino and his rumored girlfriend Grace Lee. What’s your reaction to this?

My dad was man enough to apologize for his mistake. People shouldn’t believe everything they read. I myself have posted things that I later realized were wrong. I’ve apologized, too.

Is it hard to fill Kris Aquino’s shoes as “KDOND” host?

I’ve stamped my own identity on the program and management seems to like it so far. I think viewers like it, too.

What’s the challenge in hosting a game show?

The challenge is to connect with the player. P2million is at stake. I’m there to remove the pressure. It’s tough to maintain the connection, the energy and the suspense.

What do you feel when a player loses?

I felt bad once when a contestant, a fireman, didn’t get the top prize.

By the way, none of us knows which briefcase has the P2 million. One person puts the prizes in the briefcases, another person seals them, and another distributes them to the 26K girls. Even I feel the suspense!

What is your new movie, “Moron 5 and the Crying Lady,” about?

It’s a fun movie where I play Albert, the leader of five mentally retarded guys! John Lapus, the crying lady, has all of us imprisoned. The cameos are great.

We’re all thankful to the stars who agreed to appear on the film without charge. ■ (“Moron 5 and the Crying Lady,” currently in theaters, also features Marvin Agustin, Billy Crawford, Mart Escudero, DJ Durano and John Lapus.)

I wouldn’t be able to walk around and observe other people. I wouldn’t be able to talk to the fishball vendor and the tricycle driver.”

His interaction with ordinary folk, he explained, serves as research for his movie and TV roles. A graduate of the Actors Workshop Foundation, Miguel said that he strives con-stantly to achieve realism in his performances.

He is often cast as kidnapper (“Graceland’), gangster, thief, guerilla, rebel and murderer. He has played an Abu Sayyaf bandit a number of times, notably in Brillante Mendoza’s “Captive” and Sigfried Barros-Sanchez’s “Tsardyer.”

But Miguel is not worried about being typecast. “I make sure that even if I play a criminal, I still show the human side,” he said. “I want the audience to understand why a person turns to crime.”

In “Metro Manila,” which is directed by British director Sean Ellis (Oscar nominee for best short for “Cashback”), Miguel plays a bank robber and vicious killer.

“One scene was repeated 50 times. (Lead star) John Arcilla was drained. Sean is meticulous,” he recounted.

Miguel has been in a number of

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international projects: portraying an Indonesian (“In the Name of the Queen”), a Vietnamese (“Behind Enemy Lines”), a Cambodian (“Legacy”), and a Thai (“Shattered Dreams”), among others.

He recently played a pre-Hispanic warrior in the GMA 7 primetime series “Amaya.” Miguel was the only actor who didn’t have to wear a wig, since he has long hair. He recounted that the show’s star, Marian Rivera, was a joy and gifted him with an organizer last Christmas.

Miguel generally has pleasant encounters with the big stars he has worked with. In “Legacy,” Hasselhoff “sang and danced with me between takes.”

In “Emergency Call,” Sanada—who also starred in “Ring” and “The Last Samurai”—was “intimidating at first, but friendly.”

In “Pandemic,” Miguel got carried away in a fight scene with Tsumabuki, a Japanese pop star who appeared in “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.” Said Miguel: “Satoshi’s handler told me to go easy because I might hurt the star, but Satoshi himself said that he was fine and that my intense acting helped him get into character.” ■

Food -Phils

TUESDAY APRIL 24, 2012 34

Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer Head of Editorial Melissa Remulla-Briones Editorial Consultant Maria Ramona Ledesma Contributors Jeffrey J.D. Andrion Gigi Astudillo Dr. Rizaldy Ferrer Marietta Pangan-Dutkoski Stella Reyes Jenn Torres Frances Grace H. Quiddaoen Laarni de Paula Rodel J. Ramos Felichi Pangilinan Buizon

This could be doughnut heaven

BY IRENE C. PEREZ Philippine Daily Inquirer

ALCAPONES, JACKY Chunk, Berry Spears doughnuts, anyone? How about an Avocado DiCaprio?

These are Hollywood-inspired doughnuts from J.CO Donuts & Coffee, an Indonesian doughnut shop, which is more of “doughnut bar.” It has a variety of doughnuts, coffee, blended drinks and even yogurt.

The first Manila branch was recently launched at SM Megamall.

Johnny Andrean founded J.CO in 2005. It now has 100 shops in Indonesia; eight in Malaysia, three in Singapore; two in Shanghai, China. Contemporain Foods Inc. (in the umbrella group of companies that manufactures Oishi snack food) chair Carlos Chan and vice chair Edgar Sia of the Mang Inasal fame brought the J.CO franchise in the Philippines.

Asian flavors While the witty names are very Western, J.CO vice president for operations Trina Lim said the doughnuts were made for Asians.

They have a signature “soft bite,” controlled sweetness and are available in fruity and nutty flavors, aside from the standard chocolate.

The bestseller among the 30 variants is the Alcapone—ring doughnut spread with Belgian white chocolate, topped with slivers of California almonds. The almonds offset the sweetness of the chocolate, and gives the doughnut a nice crunch.

Chocolate choices are Jacky Chunk, glazed doughnut with dark-chocolate and chopped peanuts; Forest Glam with dark chocolate and cherries; Hazel Dazzle with milk chocolate, peanuts and hazelnuts; Oreology with crushed Oreo cookies; Choconutzzy with choco-nut filling; Chocolate Caviar; Why Nut with peanut butter and white chocolate.

Fruit-tinged doughnuts are Avocado DiCaprio with avocado cream and chocolates; Berry Spears with cream cheese, strawberry sauce and white chocolate; Blue Berrymore with blueberry jam; Strawberry Caviar Choco with strawberry glaze and choco dots (a hit with kids); and Copa Banana, dark-chocolate spread with a dollop of banana cream in the center.

If you want a simple doughnut, you can have the basic Glazzy plain glazed; Sugar Ice with powdered sugar; Funilla glazed doughnut with vanilla-cream filling; or Snow White, also with vanilla cream but dusted with powdered sugar. Mr. Green T has a light matcha green-tea flavor.

Most doughnuts are available in J.Pops bite-size pieces; each sampler box has two dozen minis.

The J.Club is sold at P45; all doughnuts are at P42 each. Half dozen is P230; a dozen is P350; and two dozens, P500. J.Pops is P250 per box.

Coffee and drinks Pair your doughnuts with a cup of coffee. House blend is the Jcoccino— Italian espresso, milk and foam. Aside from the usual latte and Americano, J.CO offers Tiramisu, Mochabella, Cappuccino Cherry and Hazelnut Latte, also available iced. Italian coffee is used, as well as Suwalesi and Sumatra blends.

Ice-blended Frappe choices are Cappucino; Caramello; Mochabella; Cappuccino Chip, Cherry, Avocado; Chocomint, Choco Forest—a take on the Black Forest. (“Frappe” is associated with another coffee company but J.CO got the rights over the Frappe brand, Lim explained.)

Non-coffee items are Hot and Iced Chocolate, Chocomint; hot teas; and Iced Thai Tea, a milk tea.

Fat-free plain frozen yogurt can be had with chopped fruit and nuts; strawberry and melon mochi; Oreo, Kitkat, Loacker chunks. J.Cool is a Savory doughnuts yoghurt parfait with layers of yoghurt Savory doughnuts sound weird but, and toppings that could be eaten like a surprisingly, it works. The Mona Pisa is a halo-halo. pizza-flavor ring doughnut with sausage The dining area has a bright, yellow bits, drizzled with catsup. theme with cartoon murals depicting J.Club is a doughnut sandwich— Italian coffee shops. With free Wihalved doughnuts with a slice of cheese Fi and long store hours (8 a.m.-10 in between, topped with a pompom of p.m. weekdays, and until midnight grated cheese. It looks like our local on weekends), J.CO aims to give the ensaymada, but this one, Lim said, has younger crowd a comfy coffee-andfour kinds of cheeses. dessert bar to lounge in. ■

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