Philippine Canadian Inquirer Issue #14

CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER VOL. 5 NO. 14

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

CANADA NEWS Human Rights activist crowned Miss World 2012 Canada ( On page 16 )

Labour, Economic Opportunity Focus of Philippines Visit

Niño Jesus Orbeta

( On page 18 )

Life is a Blessing: A Filipino Diaspora Story ( On page 20 ) HOT SEAT IS COOL The empty seat—flanked by senior Associate Justices Antonio Carpio and Presbitero Velasco Jr.—belongs to Chief Justice Renato Corona who was a no-show during the oral arguments on the petition to nullify the Comelec-Smartmatic contract to buy PCOS machines at the Supreme Court Manila. That morning, Corona reportedly met with his defense lawyers.

Filipino-Canadian in Focus: C.E. Gatchalian

Corona keeping $12M in 5 banks–Ombudsman AMLC unlocks Corona foreign currency accounts

BY CATHY YAMSUAN and CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer

CHIEF JUSTICE Renato Corona kept more than $12 million in “fresh deposits” in five banks where he maintained 82 dollar accounts between April 2003 and early this year, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales testified at the Senate impeachment trial of Corona.

Morales said fresh deposits referred to deposits that did not move. “They remained in the particular accounts,” she said.

Corona, whom the Office of the Ombudsman is investigating on his alleged unexplained wealth, has vehemently denied holding at least $10 million in bank deposits.

The Chief Justice declared a net worth of P22.9 million in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth for 2010.

With the assistance of the Commission on Audit (COA),

Morales said her office came up with the total amount of Corona’s dollar deposits based on a report that the Anti-money Laundering Council (AMLC) had prepared for the Office of the Ombudsman.

The AMLC report recorded a total of 705 transactions in Corona’s foreign currency accounts with Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank), Allied Bank, Deutsche Bank and Citibank, according to Morales.

Morales said the transactional balance “is not the balance of the account” but a record of the “transactions that went into funds … including the inflow and outflow of funds.”

COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza, who appeared briefly at the trial to explain COA’S analysis of the transactions, said inflows into the accounts totaled $28.7 million over the past eight years.

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( On page 21 )

Mendoza placed the total outflow from the accounts at $30.7 million.

Adverse witness Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, the presiding officer of the impeachment court, obliged Morales’ request that she be presented as the first “hostile witness” for the defense, citing her hectic schedule.

True to her billing, she brought out what appeared to be pieces of evidence damaging to Corona.

Morales submitted to the impeachment court a copy of a 17page report from the AMLC. She said the report was among the reasons she wrote Corona on April 20 about her office’s “fact-finding” investigation of his alleged ill-gotten wealth. She said she was also acting on three separate complaints with essentially the same allegations.

“I first sought the information from agencies and then I referred

Portraits of Filipino Artists ( On page 29 ) Filipino artists featured in Generation One Exhibit

( On page 29 )

Luxury train travel through the Rockies showcases stunning scenery ( On page 36 ) To subscribe, please send an email to

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News-Phils

3 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

That’s vintage Carpio Morales, says lawyer

BY LEILA SALAVERRIA and PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer AS A LAWYER who had argued several cases before the Supreme Court en banc, then Justice Conchita Carpio Morales was someone you do not face unprepared.

“She’s bound to have difficult questions,” said lawyer and UP law professor Harry Roque, who had represented various parties in oral arguments during Morales’ term as magistrate.

So it was no surprise for Roque that Morales, now the Ombudsman, was no shrinking violet when she took the witness stand in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Roque said she was analytical, outspoken and assertive, based on what he saw in the numerous times he argued his case before her and her colleagues in the high court. Her conduct in the impeachment trial was just to be expected.

“That’s vintage Carpio Morales,” he said.

When she was still at the Supreme Court, Morales voted in favor of the creation of a truth commission investigating the Arroyo administration.

She withdrew from the Chief Justice race after the retirement of Chief Justice Reynato Puno and dissented on the Supreme Court decision that the judiciary is not covered by the rule against midnight appointments.

Morales also dissented in the high court’s decision upholding former National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Chair Romulo Neri’s invocation of executive privilege in refusing to divulge information on the National Broadband Network (NBN)ZTE deal.

She also voted against the constitutionality of the Mining Act, which the Arroyo administration was pushing.

Roque said Morales also authored the ruling that junked the calibrated preemptive response policy of the Arroyo administration.

Call to the

“The Ombudsman rose from the ranks and was one of the Abad Santos Girls or the favorites of (former Justice) Secretary Vicente Abad Santos, the other one being Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago,” Roque said.

“They were roommates at the Department of Justice (DOJ) when they were state counsels,” he added.

Morales graduated valedictorian in elementary and in high school at Paoay Elementary School and Paoay North Institute. She earned her Bachelor of Arts (Economics) in 1964 and her Bachelor of Laws in 1968, both from the University of the Philippines.

After graduation from law school, she worked at the Atienza Tabora and Del Rosario Law offices. In 1971, she joined the DOJ as special assistant to Justice Secretary Vicente Abad Santos. It was after almost 12 years of work in the justice department that she joined the judiciary in 1983.

In 1983, she was appointed presiding judge of the Pili, Camarines Sur Regional Trial Court. Three years later, she was transferred to the Pasay Regional Trial Court.

In 1994, she was appointed to the Court of Appeals, and on Sept. 3, 2002, she was elevated as the 151st member of the Supreme Court.

President Aquino appointed Morales as the new Ombudsman in July 2011.

Ombudsman employees also describe their boss as “feisty”— someone who tends to speak bluntly.

They said Morales also tends to appear serious, but makes witty remarks and challenges questions posed before her.

She also appears to dislike being asked the same thing twice. During the agency’s indignation march against corruption last week, she noted that she was sounding like a “broken record” when she was asked about the purpose of the activity the second time. ■

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News-Phils Defense: Ombudsman bombshell proof of gov’t’s ‘orchestrated attacks’

BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE BOMBSHELL testimony that Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales dropped at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona was proof of the government’s “orchestrated and systematic attacks,” defense lawyers said.

Rico Paolo Quicho said it was “unusual” for the Office of the Ombudsman to seek the assistance of the Anti- Money Laundering Council ( AMLC) in its investigation of alleged graft involving public cials.

“Is it ordinary for the Ombudsman to coordinate with the AMLC directly? This does not happen ordinarily,” Quicho said in a news briefing.

“If they can do that to the Chief Justice, then they should also do that to all the cases which had been pending in the Ombudsman for years. This only showed that their attacks against the Chief Justice are really orchestrated and systematic,” he said.

The lawyer also lamented why Morales did not inform Corona that the antigraft body was already in possession of the AMLC documents on the Chief Justice’s purported dollar deposits, saying Corona should have been fully informed of the supposed evidence against him.

“What would be the basis of the Chief Justice in answering the allegations against him if they will not inform him of the evidence?” Quicho said.

Tulfos’ show suspension stays

BY MARINEL R. CRUZ

Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE MOVIE and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) denied TV5’S request to lift the 20-day preventive suspension the ratings board had imposed on the program “T3: Kapatid, Sagot Kita.”

Citing a petition for certiorari it had earlier filed in the Court of Appeals, TV5 asked that the suspension be lifted and the legal proceedings connected to the case be suspended,” said MTRCB legal counsel and spokesperson Eugenio Villareal.

“The Ombudsman was not only a hostile witness.

She was also combative. We’re not ready for that.”

Tranquil Salvador III said Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile should have restrained Morales from engaging chief defense counsel Serafin Cuevas in debates.

“There were questions which should have been allowed,” Salvador said.

“In regular courts, if a witness appears to be belligerent or combative, the judge should have reminded that witness (to behave) and allow the counsel to ask questions,” he added.

In particular, Salvador said Enrile should not have prohibited Cuevas from fielding questions over how Morales was able to get hold of the AMLC documents.

Towards the end of the day’s proceedings, Cuevas reacted sharply to what appeared to him to be heckling by private prosecutor Mario Bautista.

“May we know from the defense if the Chief Justice is going to testify? Is he going to testify?” Bautista asked Cuevas even after the Senate had announced that Morales would continue her testimony.

“Why ask that? It’s like we don’t have an alternative? You are dealing with a retired justice of the Supreme Court. Walang bastusan (show a little respect),” retorted Cuevas.

“I think the prosecution should not ask the defense when they will present their witnesses,” Enrile said.

“I’m sorry,” Bautista said. ■

“Since the MTRCB has not yet received any pleading or order about the alleged petition [in the CA]... the adjudication panel ruled to deny both motions,” Villareal said after the hearing at the MTRCB offices in Quezon City.

On May 7, broadcasters Ben, Raffy and Erwin Tulfo issued grave threats against celebrity couple Raymart Santiago and Claudine Barretto on their program “T3.”

They were reacting to the mauling of their eldest brother Ramon, an INQUIRER columnist, at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 the day before.

On May 9, TV5 issued a public apology and announced the suspension of the Tulfo brothers from hosting “T3.” Ramon Tulfo, Martin Andanar and lawyer Mel Sta. Maria would be their temporary replacements.

On May 10, the MTRCB released a statement that said “T3” had violated Presidential Decree 1986 “for airing scenes and utterances that are indecent and contrary to law, or with a dangerous tendency to encourage the commission of violence or of a wrong or crime.” It also ordered a 20-day preventive suspension of the program.

During the hearing, Villareal said TV5 “orally moved” for a reconsideration, “but since no new arguments were made, the adjudication panel denied this.” This meant the 20-day preventive suspension was still in effect, he said.

Villareal said that on the agreement of both parties, the MTRCB would file a position paper on or before May 17. TV5 was given up to May 21 to reply. ■

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 4

SALNS show P-noy richer by P10M, Binay steady

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer

PRESIDENT Aquino’s wealth grew by P10 million to P65.13 million by the end of 2011 due mainly to the inheritance he received from his late parents, former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and former President Corazon C. Aquino.

With no liabilities, Mr. Aquino’s net worth stood at P65.13 million as of Dec. 31, 2011, based on his latest statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN). In 2010, his net worth was P54.999 million.

The President thus is now richer than Vice President Jejomar Binay, whose net worth dropped slightly to P57.879 million as of end2011. Binay’s 2010 net worth was P58.096 million.

Net worth is the difference between total assets less and liabilities.

Mr. Aquino earlier said his net worth for 2011 grew because he received his inheritance from his parents. His sisters had decided to give him sole ownership of the Aquino family residence on Times Street in Quezon City.

Based on his latest SALN, his real properties amounted to P32.162 million. These include a residential house and lot in Quezon City that he acquired through inheritance in 1984, 2010 and 2011, and which has an acquisition cost of P24.31 million, including the buildings and improvements.

The President’s personal and other properties amounted to P32.967 million. These include P26.215 million in cash and in banks, as well as motor vehicles worth P4.2 million. He also has P552,829 in receivables and P2 million classified as “other assets.”

Mr. Aquino’s income as President in 2011 amounted to P1.212 million.

As for Binay, his assets amounted to P65.144 million—nearly the same as the President—but he has P7.265 million in liabilities.

Binay’s real properties were valued at P16.878 million and consisted of nine residential lots in Makati, Muntinlupa, Laguna, Cavite and Batangas, and three agricultural lots in Batangas, Bataan and Isabela.

His real and personal properties amounted to P48.266 million. These consisted of P21.339 million in cash and in banks; P10.447 million in vehicles; P7.166 million in furniture, antiques, clothing and other properties; P4.193 million in the flower shop run by his wife; P3 million in receivables; P1.104 million in jewelries, and P295,804 in prepaid income tax.

Binay’s liabilities amounted to P7.265 million and consisted of P385,949 in income tax payable and P6.88 million representing the unpaid portion on a lease to own vehicle.

His income as Vice President for 2011 amounted to P1.151 million.■

5 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

CJ Keeping ... Page 1

the complaints to the Anti-money Laundering Council because I thought that the charges included some matters that were within the jurisdiction of the AMLC,” Morales told the court.

“And then later, I constituted a panel of investigators and eventually, I wrote the AMLC seeking assistance toward the determination of the truth of the charges,” she added.

Lead defense counsel Serafin Cuevas spent much of his direct examination of Morales in questioning the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction over the Chief Justice in connection with an antigraft investigation.

Ombudsman’s mandate Cuevas said the Ombudsman could not “compel” Corona to respond to the allegation, citing the constitutional provision against self-incrimination.

But Morales stood her ground, saying she was “mandated” to conduct the investigation under Section 26 of the Ombudsman Act. “I did not compel him, your honor,” she replied. “I was just following the mandate of the law. That’s his lookout if he did not want to answer.”

Enrile reminded Cuevas that he could raise the provision against selfincrimination only “when a question is addressed to the respondent.”

Defense counsels earlier manifested in open court that Corona would testify in the impeachment trial. But they first asked that the Ombudsman and the complainants on his alleged ill-gotten wealth testify in court.

Under questioning by Enrile, Morales admitted that her office was indeed probing Corona’s alleged foreign currency deposits. But she said the investigation was still a “case buildup” and was yet to determine if the complaints would merit a preliminary investigation.

Morales said she asked Corona to respond to the complaints because “we wanted him to enlighten us.”

“Because as I said early on, I had sought the help of another agency for the purpose of determining whether there was indeed unexplained wealth or things to that effect, which would be violative of the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act,” she added.

In seeking the testimony of Morales and the complainants, the defense strategy was to bring the matter of the alleged $10-million bank deposits to the impeachment court.

Corona’s camp wanted Morales and company to accuse him of owning such deposits under oath.

News-Phils Under questioning by Cuevas, Morales said none of the three complaints she had received mentioned the existence of an alleged $10-million deposit. She said she got the information from the AMLC. Not necessary Cuevas questioned how the AMLC came up with the documents and why Morales did not mention in her letter to Corona that she had been in touch with the council. Morales said she did not find it “necessary” to do so.

Enrile said the Ombudsman might not be competent to respond to questions on how the AMLC had gathered information on the alleged $10-million account.

“If there’s a violation by the AMLC, that is another issue altogether,” he said.

Of the 82 foreign currency accounts, Morales said 8 were in the BPI Acropolis branch; 18 in BPI Tandang Sora; 34 in BPI San Francisco del Monte (SFDM); 1 in BPI Management Investment Corp; 8 in PSBank Cainta; 6 in Psbank Katipunan; 4 in Allied Bank Corp. in Kamias; 2 in Deutsche Bank; and 1 in Citibank.

Fund movements Morales said the team that looked at Corona’s accounts made the following observations: Multiple accounts were created for a similar purpose and spread over various branches of the five banks.

The transactions were described as having “circuitous fund movements.”

For example, funds would be drawn from one account and distributed to three others.

There were numerous instances when funds were deposited and withdrawn on the same day.

There were “significant movements on significant dates,” including periods during the 2004 and 2007 elections and in the week that Corona was impeached in the House of Representatives in December last year.

Morales said that based on AMLC’S investigation, Corona only had one dollar account in 2003 in his first year as associate justice of the Supreme Court.

Two years later, in 2005, this ballooned to 23 accounts; 35 at the start of 2007; 49 at the beginning of 2008; 63 by January 2009; 75 by 2010; and 81 by 2011.

A new account was opened this year, bring the total number of dollar accounts to 82.

Cuevas objection Morales was about to discuss the

termination of one dollar account that contained $418,193 from an undisclosed branch and transferred to a BPI-SFDM account when Cuevas raised his hand and objected.

Cuevas argued that Morales did not discuss the details of Corona’s bank transactions during her direct testimony.

Under the rules of court, a witness cannot be cross-examined about matters not taken up then.

Private prosecutor Mario Bautista, however, noted that the subpoena requested by the defense instructed the Ombudsman to bring the original and certified true copies of the complaint Harvey Keh and company filed against the Chief Justice in the Office of the Ombudsman.

The subpoena also instructed Morales to bring original and certified true copies of the documents on which Corona’s accusers based their accusations that he had foreign currency accounts with “an aggregate value of $10 million.”

“Now the defense is trying to prevent the witness from testifying on these very documents just because they know the documents are adverse to them,” Bautista said.

Powerpoint Cuevas countered that Morales’ PowerPoint presentation was not part of her direct examination, prompting howls from the gallery.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano raised his hand at this point, reminding Cuevas that when Morales was asked about the source of her information that Corona had $10 million in deposits, the Ombudsman brandished a letter from AMLC. “She held the letter up and waved it.

We even teased (Sen. Jinggoy) Estrada to get a copy right away, lest we get none,” Cayetano said.

“The defense panel is the one who brought up the AMLC records.

The prosecution right now is only scrutinizing the details. And the Powerpoint presentation will help do this,” he stressed.

Sen. Loren Legarda seconded, saying she wanted to listen to Morales’ presentation “with minimum interruption.”

“But we do not know the source and the Ombudsman has no competence to discuss this report. She was not a party to the preparation,” Cuevas interjected.

Applause for Miriam Sen. Miriam Defensor-santiago approached the microphone and pointed out that relevancy was “a primary rule of evidence.”

“As long as the evidence is relevant, it is admissible in court. There is no prohibition of a Powerpoint presentation. There is no categorical prohibition in introducing evidence but the question is whether this is relevant.

I vote for the Powerpoint presentation,” she said.

Santiago’s motion was greeted by thunderous applause from the gallery.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson seconded it immediately.

Enrile also rejected pleas from Cuevas asking that Morales be barred from making a Powerpoint presentation that detailed the trail of transactions that the AMLC traced from Corona’s supposed 82 dollar accounts. ■

Chinese to be taught in public high schools

BY NIÑA CALLEJA

Philippine Daily Inquirer

PUBLIC school teachers and their students are learning to speak more foreign languages, especially with the inclusion this year of Chinese, as part of the Department of Education’s program to bring widely used languages into the secondary education curriculum.

The program, called Special Program in Foreign Language (SPFL), was started in 2009 in selected public elementary schools where students learned Spanish, French and Japanese.

Last year, German was added to the list.

The Deped’s inclusion in the program of a course on the Chinese language comes in the wake of the country’s dispute with China over Panatag Shoal, internationally known as Scarborough Shoal.

“We are not preparing for a Chinese invasion,” Deped public information officer Kenneth Tirado said in jest.

The Deped had been planning to include Chinese in the program even before the tension between China and the Philippines escalated, Tirado said. This will be introduced in the third and fourth years.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said in a statement the annual program was expected to further improve the capability of public school teachers to learn and teach a second or a foreign language.

“This is also in line with the thrust of K to 12 which is to prepare our future workforce for the global arena,” Luistro said. ■

News-Phils Obama cites Asian, Pinoy contributions

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 6

PH youth turn out in droves to build homes for poor

BY KRISTINE FELISSE MANGUNAY Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE NUMBERS tell a story of the compassion Filipinos feel for one another.

Among five Asia-pacific countries, it was the Philippines that had the biggest turnout for two simultaneous youth builds for Habitat for Humanity.

Thousands of 18 to 21-year-olds turned up in Navotas City and Cagayan de Oro City to build homes for the poor who were victims of two deadly typhoons in 2011.

The numbers stunned the organizers themselves who had expected fewer participants.

In Navotas where 1,800 young people turned up, Alexandra Madrigal Eduque, chair and founder of the Habitat Youth Council, said the Philippine contingent was undoubtedly the biggest that participated in Habitat’s first-ever Asia Pacific-wide Youth Build.

In Cagayan de Oro, 1,000 youths came, making the Philippine total 2,800 participants. The total for all five participating countries—the Philippines, China, India, Indonesia and Thailand—was 5,000.

“It’s the bayanihan spirit that (contributed a lot) to (the number of volunteers) today,” said Eduque in an interview with reporters.

The 1,800 Navotas volunteers came from Rizal Technological University, Technological Institute of the Philippines, De La Salle University-college of St. Benilde and International School of Manila, among other schools.

The initial goal to build 100 houses as a result was increased to 150.

Once completed, the houses in Barangay Tanza, Navotas, will be turned over to 150 families that lost their homes to Typhoon “Pedring” last year.

In Indahag, Cagayan de Oro City, around 100 families displaced by Typhoon “Sendong” also last year, will soon get their houses.

“It’s really fun, actually,” Cyril Salvadora, 20, a volunteer, told the INQUIRER when asked what she thought of the experience.

Although busy with summer classes on weekdays, the incoming third-year education student at RTU said she didn’t mind spending her Saturday laying one hollow block on top of another under the scorching sun.

“What’s that compared to what other people experienced when the typhoon was here?” she said with a smile. ■

BY JERRY E. ESPLANADA Philippine Daily Inquirer

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama recently cited the achievements of the more than 17.3 million Asian-Americans in all facets of American life, including 3.2 million Filipinos “whose talents and contributions strengthen our economy, protect our security and enliven our country every day.”

A report posted on the website of the US Embassy in Manila quoted Obama as praising the “wideranging group (of Asian-Americans) that includes athletes and public servants, entrepreneurs and artists and also proud members of the US Armed Forces.”

“From our earliest days, intrepid men and women from the Asia-pacific region have forged enduring links between America and other nations as they moved across the Pacific,” the US leader said in an April 29 statement on the observance this May of Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Obama called on all Americans to “visit www. asianPacificheritage.gov to learn more about the history of AsianAmericans and Pacific Islanders and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities.”

“Throughout the US, Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated with community festivals, traditional food, parades and cultural performances. Many schools and government offices hold educational and cultural events,” the report said.

Recognition The US Congress officially recognized the contributions of Asian-americans in 1978 by passing a joint resolution establishing Asian-pacific American Heritage Week. In 1992, Congress made it official by passing a law that designated May as Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month.

According to the embassy report, “the Library of Congress states that the month of May was chosen because the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the US on May 7, 1843.”

“May also marks the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.

The majority of the workers who laid the tracks were Chinese immigrants.”

Citing US Census Bureau records, the report said that at 3.8 million, “Chinese-americans were the largest Asian group, followed by Filipinos (3.2 million), Indians (2.8 million), Vietnamese (1.7 million), Koreans (1.6 million) and Japanese (1.3 million).”

Of the 17.3 million US residents of Asian descent, “14.7 million were considered Asians alone while another 2.6 million were Asians in combination with one or more additional races.”

The report noted that “Asians are the third-largest minority group and the second-fastest growing group in the US.” The Census Bureau has projected a 161-percent increase in the Asian-American population between 2008 and 2050.

“This compares with a 44-percent increase in the US population as a whole over the same period,” it said.

According to the report, $68,780 was the “median household income for single-race Asians in 2009.”

More data Other Asian-Americans-related data: In 2010, the largest population of Asian-americans was found in California, with 5.6 million, followed

by New York (1.6 million) and Texas (1.4 million).

The poverty rate for single-race Asians in 2008 and 2009 was 12.5 percent. On the other hand, the rate increase for non-hispanic whites was 8.6 percent to 9.4 percent; for blacks, 24.7 percent to 25.8 percent; and for Hispanics, 23.2 percent to 25.3 percent.

“Tagalog, Vietnamese and Korean were each spoken at home by more than one million people,” the report said.

Eighty percent of Asians lived in a household with Internet use, “the highest rate among race and ethnic groups” in the entire United States, the report said. ■

De Lima bodyguard had bite marks, autopsy shows

BY JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE

Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE SLAIN bodyguard of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima was “bitten and beaten” before he was shot, a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) official revealed.

While an autopsy has established what caused the death of 32-year-old Alister Quintos, investigators said they also found “bizarre” bite marks on the victim’s right cheek and left arm.

Reynaldo Esmeralda, the NBI deputy director for technical services, said that based on the results of the autopsy, apart from the bullet wound on the left side of the chest, he had several cuts and bruises on his face and body.

“He (Quintos) had cuts and bruises on the bridge of his nose, upper lip, nape and forearm leading the members of the team to conclude that Quintos was beaten up before he was killed,” he said.

He pointed out that while an apparent scuffle could explain the bite mark on Quintos’ left arm, it was difficult to determine why there were teeth impressions on his right cheek. “The teeth impressions were those of the upper set,” the NBI official said.

Bullet hit vital organs It was also discovered that De Lima’s bodyguard was instantly killed by a bullet that pierced his chest, hit the upper and lower lobes of his left and right lung as well as the left ventricle of the heart before exiting through his back.

“Tattooing around the bullet entry wound indicates that he was shot at close range and the contusion collar around the exit wound shows that he was shot either with his back against a wall or lying down,” Esmeralda said. According to Esmeralda, an inspection of the crime scene at Barrio Garlang in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, showed the killer “deliberately scattered” the victim’s personal belongings.

But he stressed that an inventory of the items, to determine which belongings were missing, was still being conducted.

“The impression given by these findings is that Quintos was captured and beaten up by the suspect,” Esmeralda said, adding that the victim was 5 feet 8 inches tall and muscular and had to be subdued by the killer.

He said the NBI has formed a special task force to determine the circumstances which led to the killing. ■

News-Phils

7 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

CJ: Decision to testify start of my ‘calvary’

BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer CHIEF JUSTICE Renato Corona knows that his decision to testify at his own impeachment trial in the Senate is just the start of his “calvary.”

Addressing the 15th National Convention of the Philippine Association of Court Employees in Puerto Princesa City on Friday, Corona cited the reforms that the Supreme Court had purportedly implemented under his leadership despite “vicious political and media attacks” on the judiciary.

Like in his previous public speeches, the Chief Justice said his tiff with President Aquino “came on the heels of the [Supreme Court] decision on Hacienda Luisita,” the sprawling sugar estate owned by the President’s family.

“I just hope that the sufferings of the oppressed farmers would finally come to an end. But my own calvary as chief magistrate has just started,” Corona said, apparently referring to his much awaited appearance at the trial.

He said the support that he had been receiving from members of the judiciary and other individuals had inspired him to fight for the high tribunal’s ruling, which ended the land dispute that “spanned over the terms of nine presidents and almost 60 excruciating years.”

“I expect that (Malacañang) will not stop until they have torn me to pieces and gain control of the Supreme Court.

That’s the only way for the court to reverse the (Hacienda Luisita) ruling or grant their petition to collect billions of pesos as payment for the land which do not belong to them,” he said.

“This fight is not mine alone. It is a struggle of all freedom-loving Filipinos who believe in the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers, principles which define us as a people and our worthiness to live in a democracy,” he said.

In a text message to reporters, Corona asked the media to “just wait” for what he would reveal in his testimony before the Senate impeachment court.

“Relax lang. Just wait for my testimony,” the Chief Justice replied when asked what he would disclose in his appearance in the witness stand.

The defense panel expects the Chief Justice to take the stand a week after Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales and the other personalities had testified in connection with Corona’s alleged $10 million in bank deposits, said Ramon Esguerra, one of Corona’s lawyers.

Esguerra downplayed reports that Corona would invoke the Foreign Currency Deposit Act to skirt questions about his supposed euro and dollar deposits. ■

GMA co-accused Mendoza enters not guilty plea

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer

FORMER Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza, now wheelchairbound, pleaded not guilty to the graft charge filed against him in connection with the aborted National Broadband

Network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp.

Mendoza, who has difficulty speaking and walking as a consequence of a stroke, did not talk before the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division during his arraignment.

He indicated his “not guilty” plea by shaking his head when asked by the court if he was pleading guilty or not guilty. His lawyer Alexander Poblador also asked the justices to enter a not guilty plea for him.

Mendoza suffered a stroke in March while celebrating his birthday in a resort in Batangas.

Poblador told the antigraft court that Mendoza was “slowly recovering” from his stroke.

When Fourth Division chair Justice Gregory Ong asked why Mendoza still appeared before the court given his condition, Poblador replied that his client was ready to be arraigned.

The charge against Mendoza was read in full as he sat in his wheelchair, and Poblador said his client understood the information.

Mendoza was the last to be arraigned among the coaccused of former President Gloria Macapagalarroyo in the NBN graft case.

Arroyo and the other coaccused—former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and former elections chief Benjamin Abalos—pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges last month.

They are accused of conspiring to ensure the approval of the government’s $329-million NBN deal with China’s ZTE Corp., which the Office of the Ombudsmanruled was overpriced and disadvantageous to the government. ■

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News-Phils

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 8

Jeepney fares, pan de sal price cut

BY PAOLO G. MONTECILLO and AMY REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE WAY prices of some commodities are dipping, it’s not only more fun in the Philippines, but cheaper too.

Starting May 14, the minimum jeepney fare has been reduced by 50 centavos to P8.00 in Luzon, and P7.50 in the Visayas and Mindanao. Watch out as well for the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Diskwento Caravan, which will offer up to 50-percent discount on school supplies and hefty savings on basic goods. Pan de sal will cost P23 or P1 less per pack of 10 starting May 29, while the cost of sardines might be cut by as much as P1.30 a can.

President Aquino lauded the rollback of jeepney fares and attributed the feat to the “cooperative” sector.

“There’s good news here and it still might change, so I was in a hurry to get here,” Mr. Aquino said in jest, drawing laughter from the audience at the national transport conference at Marikina Hotel.

“I salute what you’ve done in reverting the jeepney fare from P8.50 to P8. Without force, without the shoving, without the bickering, this came from your own initiative,” Aquino said in Filipino.

Aquino flew in from Davao City with Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chair Francis Tolentino and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) Director General Joel Villanueva at the event organized by 1-Utak party-list group.

“You have the opposite of crab mentality (utak-alimango) because you focus on the collective growth and welfare of the people,” Aquino told the party list and said that the government would find ways to cut the prices of spare parts and other drivers’ needs.

“Tiyak ko po, sa matitipid na pera’t extra income ng ating mga drayber, lalo kayong magiging sweet lover (I’m sure that with these savings and extra income, you, our drivers, will be sweet lovers even more),” Aquino said.

He said the government had also deployed “honesty teams” to watch out for the “kotong cops” (extortionists) and colorum vehicles.

LTFRB order Following the biggest rollback in fuel prices by oil companies since the start of this year, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) signed an order recalling the 50-centavo adjustment in minimum jeepney fares granted in March.

In the same order, the LTFRB denied the consolidated petition of several

is meant to urge local flour millers to bring down the cost of flour. Doing so would allow Philbaking members to also reduce the price of Pinoy Tasty and possibly, trigger price cuts among other commercial loaf bread variants.

transport groups for a permanent P2 increase in jeepney fares, saying that a substantial hike would be too much of a burden for passengers.

“The big-time rollback in the prices of diesel was implemented by some oil companies, which now brings diesel prices below P45 per liter, and [this rollback is] likely to continue in the weeks to come,” the LTFRB said in its decision.

At the start of the week, oil companies rolled back diesel and gasoline prices

by P1.50 per liter and P1.65 per liter, respectively.

“Transport petitioners … manifested and announced in public that they will withdraw the petition for increase of fares in the event that prices of diesel shall be reduced to the P45 level,” the LTFRB said.

Meanwhile, the trade and industry department is eyeing a cut in the suggested retail price of canned sardines from the current P13 to P13.50 per 155- gram can to P12.80.

In a briefing, Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo said the government was studying this move because the threemonth fishing ban that started in December last year had been lifted on March 2.

Fishing ban In a separate statement, Trade Undersecretary Zenaida C. Maglaya explained that the DTI had previously allowed “increases in the prices of some brands of canned sardines in the first quarter of this year when [manufacturers] reported the high cost of fish due to the fishing ban in Mindanao.”

The government had imposed the ban in areas covering the East Sulu Sea, Basilan Strait and Sibuguey Bay in December to allow the spawning of tamban— the fish variety primarily used in the manufacture of canned

and bottled sardines—and thwart the decline of the sardine species. The lower volume of available tamban, however, led to a 10.8-percent increase in the price of the fish and subsequently, of canned sardines, according to the DTI. Also, the DTI’S flagship project Diskwento Caravan is set to go around key cities across the country to offer consumers deeply discounted prices on school supplies and basic goods.

In a statement issued, the DTI said the one-day sale, dubbed as “Diskwento Caravan: Balik Eskwela” edition, would ease the burden of rising prices of a variety of products, including school supplies, school uniforms, children’s shoes and school bags, canned goods, processed meat, bread, cooking oil and detergent soap.

Local products made by micro, small and medium entrepreneurs will also be featured.

Joining the Diskwento Caravan to offer frontline services are the Tesda, National Statistics Office, National Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Internal Revenue and Social Security System.

Several caravans will be held across the country on separate dates until the end of May. The trade secretary also announced that Pinoy Pan de Sal would cost P1 less per 10-piece pack weighing 250 grams.

“The cost of flour has gone down so the good news is that the cost of Pinoy Pan de Sal has gone down to P23 per pack. Two months ago it was P25,” Domingo said.

In a separate briefing, Philippine Baking Industry Group (Philbaking) director Walter Co said the price reduction would take effect by May 29 this year. He, however, noted that the slash in flour prices was borne out of “goodwill” on their part, and

Indonesian vs local flour Co said the cost of Indonesian flour being used for Pinoy Pan de Sal was much lower at P840 per 25-kilogram bag, compared to the P870 to P930 cost per bag of local flour. Pinoy Tasty uses 100-percent locally milled flour, which is more expensive.

But Co added that they could not use Indonesian flour for the loaf bread as this gives the bread a yellowish color. Local flour gives loaf bread that whitish tinge.

The petitioners that filed for the increase in jeepney fares were the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines, Alliance of Transport Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines, Liga ng mga Tsuper sa Pilipinas Inc., Alliance of Concerned Transport Organization and Pangkalahatang Sangguniang Metro Manila and Suburb Association.

LTFRB board member Manuel Iway said fares may be hiked back to P8.50 per passenger if diesel prices climb to around P48 per liter.

National Council for Commuters Protection president Elvira Medina welcomed the fare reduction, saying this would help the millions of Filipino students going back to school this June.

She also praised the LTFRB for acting fast on recalling the fare hike following the drop in fuel prices.

Domingo said that the DTI is now working closely with the Department of Agriculture to check the country’s fish supply. The cost of fish makes up 40 percent to 60 percent of the production cost of canned sardines.

Some groups, however, are recommending a more thorough scientific study on the spawning behavior of tamban instead of a fishing ban. The study was supposedly meant to ensure that future fishing bans would accurately fall on the peak spawning months, and that the fishing industry would get the most out of upcoming conservation measures.

The Zamboanga Peninsula is considered as the country’s sardine capital. The fishing, canning and other allied industries employ up to 35,000 people in the region.

The 12 canneries based in Zamboanga City alone supply about 80 percent of the country’s demand for canned sardines. Dipolog City has become known for pioneering the processing of tamban into Spanishstyle bottled sardines.■

9 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

News-Phils

Court asked to reinstate graft raps vs gov, others

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE PRIVATE complainants who filed a graft case against Agusan del Norte Gov. Erlpe John Amante and three others for allegedly allowing a mining firm to overextract ore in the province have asked the Sandiganbayan to restore the criminal charges.

In a motion for reconsideration, complainants Anselmo Sang Tian, Aliore Page and Ronald Hinayon said the limits on the extraction of nickel ore were still in place when Agusan del Norte officials issued ore transport permits to SR Metals Inc. in 2006 and 2007.

The Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) earlier withdrew the charges against Amante, Provincial Engineering Office employees Apolinario Yee and Celso Perez, and SR Metals Inc. chief executive Jimwell Orpilla and the Sandiganbayan subsequently dismissed the case against them.

They had been charged with allowing SR Metals to extract nickel ore beyond the 50,000 metric ton limit.

In backtracking on the charges, the OSP said they were based on Presidential Decree No. 1899, which prescribes an annual production quota of 50,000 metric tons of ore per mining corporation. It said this limit had been repealed by Republic Act No. 7076 or the Small Scale Mining Act of 1991.

No quota imposed The OSP noted that the new law did not impose an annual production quota on a corporation and that this was backed by a Department of Justice (DOJ) opinion issued in 2006.

But according to the private complainants, RA 7076 did not repeal the annual extraction limit of 50,000 metric tons as stated in PD1899.

They said there was no conflict between the two statutes because they dealt with different subjects. RA 7076 pertained small-scale mining areas, while PD 1899 dealt with areas not declared as such.

SR Metals’ area of operation was not considered a small-scale mining area, they said.

They said the small-scale mining permit granted to SR Metals was pursuant to PD 1899. According to them, SR Metals did not qualify as a small-scale mining contractor as defined by RA 7076.

“Clearly, the provisions of PD 1899 and RA 7076 are in harmony and not inconsistent with each other. Both laws coexist governing different objects of

implementation,” they said.

They said the extraction limit as stated in PD 1899 was still in force.

“Obviously, the provisions of PD 1899 and its corresponding implementing rules and regulations are still effective, applicable, valid and binding which the accused Governor Amante should have considered in granting the OTPS [ore transport permits] in favor of SRMI,” they said.

They noted that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as far back as 2006 had found that SR Metals exceeded the extraction limit per annum, prompting it to issue a cease and desist order to the corporation.

Despite the over-extraction, Amante allegedly continued to issue permits to the firm.

The complainants also said the DOJ opinion that there was no more extraction limit for small-scale mining could not prevail over the DENR order which stated that the provisions of PD 1899 were still binding and continued to govern the small-scale mining law.

DENR’S responsibility They said the DENR order should be followed since it is the primary government agency responsible for the conservation, management and proper use of the country’s mineral resources.

“Unfortunate as it was, the accused Governor Amante continued to grant OTPS to SRMI despite the fact that it had blatantly violated the provisions set forth under Section 1 of PD 1899. Instead, he placed heavy reliance on the mere advisory nature of the Dojopinion which should not have been resorted to in the first place,” they said.

The complainants also contested the finding that Amante could not be faulted for relying on the DOJ’S definition of the word “ore” and for his finding that based on this, SR Metals did not exceed the 50,000 metric ton limit.

The DOJ had defined “ore” as a naturally occurring substance from which nickel and cobalt may be extracted, but excluding the soil and other materials which are of no economic value to the miners.

The complainants said that to wholly accept this interpretation that the 50,000 metric ton limit pertained to the mineral in its purest form “would entail the total destruction and leveling of the entire mountain in order to extract the said amount, if at all.”

This was obviously not the intent of the legislature, they said.■

Mon Tulfo files more raps vs Raymart, Claudine

BY MIKO MORELOS

Philippine Daily Inquirer

INQUIRER columnist and radio host Ramon Tulfo added grave oral defamation charges to his initial complaint of grave coercion and physical injuries against celebrity couple Raymart Santiago and Claudine Baretto that he filed earlier at the Pasay City prosecutor’s office.

Tulfo’s lawyers also cited what they described were three aggravating circumstances not included in their initial complaint after reviewing what transpired at the airport, where their client figured in a one-sided melee against the Santiagos and their friends.

In Tulfo’s eight-page supplemental complaint, lawyer Jovito Barte cited three “relevant aggravating circumstances.” Invoking portions of the Revised Penal Code, Barte said the attack had been carried out “with insult to, or in disregard of, the respect due his client on account of his age.” Tulfo is 65.

1

Likewise, Tulfo was grossly disadvantaged by the number of his aggressors, Barte said. The complaint also said that some of the circumstances after the brawl tended to “add ignominy to the natural effect of the act.” The lawyer explained that aside from being physically assaulted, his client had to endure harsh words from his attackers.

Barte said the grave oral defamation charges stemmed from the insults that Tulfo allegedly received from Barretto as he was being brought to the airport police station.

“This is the first time in my life that I’m signing complaints and I’m suing someone,” Tulfo told Assistant City Prosecutor Artemio Puti, who administered the oath on the complainant.

“Usually, I am the respondent in libel cases,” Tulfo continued.

The airport melee started after Tulfo refused to surrender his phone to Santiago who saw the columnist taking photos of his wife Barretto while she was berating a ground staff of Cebu Pacific Air. The couple had learned that some of their luggage had been offloaded without them being informed about it. Tulfo said he intended to use the pictures for a future piece. ■

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News-Phils Deped working to ensure smooth opening of classes

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 10

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO and NIÑA CALLEJA Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE Department of Education (Deped) is moving to ensure the smooth and orderly resumption of classes next month through Oplan Balik Eskwela (OBE), to be implemented before and during the first week of the new school year.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said OBE, an annual exercise, would be in effect from May 28 to June 8.

The Deped had set the opening of classes in the public schools on June 4.

Private schools may deviate from the schedule but may not open ahead of public schools.

“OBE aims to address the problems commonly encountered during this period, particularly to assure that students are properly enrolled and able to attend school on the first day of classes,” said Luistro in a memorandum to all officials and school heads last week.

Under OBE, the Deped will run a command center from its headquarters

in Pasig City with central monitoring, information and complaints offices.

Students, parents, teachers and other concerned persons may drop by or call in with their complaints or concerns.

Luistro also directed the creation of an inter-agency task force to lead the effort, to include the departments of Trade and Industry, Defense, Interior and Local Government, and Health,

the weather bureau, the police and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

Some 20 million elementary and high school students are expected to troop to school this year, up one million from last year, the Deped said.

But before OBE could come into play, the schools must be spruced up and made ready to receive the students.

Unfair of Sotto to pin blame on me, says De Lima

Lakas drops Kampi

BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT’S BACK to square one for the Lakas Christian Muslim Democrats (LakasCMD) party.

The Lakas-CMD, which catapulted its founder, Fidel V. Ramos, to the presidency in 1992, is undergoing a major overhaul aimed at regaining its old glory and making it a force to reckon with in the 2013 midterm elections. It also dropped Kampi, the political party founded by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“We will be looking back, going back to our roots. We will take care of those who have remained loyal to the party and fully support their candidacies in 2013. I myself plan to go to the provinces just to personally campaign for them,” said Lakas president Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla.

To date, Revilla counts 13 to 14 governors, more than 30 congressmen and a lot of mayors who remain with Lakas.

As part of its makeover, the Lakascmd is reinstalling Ramos as the party’s guiding light and weaning itself away from its principal, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is under hospital detention.

Stalwarts of the Lakas-CMD met in a five-star hotel in Manila to map out the party’s strategies in preparation for next year’s elections.

“THAT’S very unfair.”

So responded Justice Secretary Leila de Lima to Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III who had said that she should be blamed for the flight of a Panamanian national accused of rape by a Filipino woman.

“To me, that’s very unfair that I’m being blamed for that. I need to remind the good senator that I now have no power to stop through a watch list order or an HDO (hold departure order) anyone who wants to leave (the country),” De Lima said in an interview.

She said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) had “quietly” tried to persuade the Panamanian government to waive the diplomatic immunity of Erick Bairnals Shcks, a technical officer of the Panama Maritime Authority, but it was unsuccessful. A 19-year-old woman has accused Shcks of raping her in his apartment in April, days after they first met.

On May 13, Sotto said De Lima did not lift a finger even after

senators had questioned the issuance of a certification that said Shcks had diplomatic immunity. “Is she our justice secretary or the justice secretary of Panama?” Sotto had decried in a phone interview.

De Lima pointed out the Supreme Court had issued a temporary restraining order against the DOJ circular that allowed her to issue HDOS. The DFA, she added, had also already issued a certification (saying that Shcks enjoyed diplomatic immunity). “The DFA is the primary agency that knows, understands and has expertise and competence (in the matter),” De Lima said.

She said that she asked her staff to review the case, but that it also concluded that Schks had diplomatic immunity.

“So under those circumstances, what could I do? I could not stop him (because) I would then be the one who would be questioned, and it can have repercussions in so far as diplomatic relations with Panama are concerned,” the secretary said.

“I hope (Sotto) would not hastily make such statements. It’s not fair to make,” she added. ■

BY GIL C. CABACUNGAN and CATHY YAMSUAN

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Luistro in a statement said the annual cleanup and repair drive this year will focus on sanitation and improving the schools in indigenous communities.

Luistro said a major thrust of the 2012 Brigada Eskwela or National Schools Maintenance Week is to stress to the students the importance of sanitation and hygiene.

“This is where personal hygiene is reinforced among our students which can in turn help develop their selfesteem,” Luistro added.

The Deped also enjoined Brigada Eskwela participants to help improve the schools in indigenous communities.

“As one of the underserved sectors, the schools catering to IPS should be a priority in the repair and cleanup activities,” Luistro said.

Brigada Eskwela mobilizes parents, teachers, students, civic and business groups, local government and nongovernment units, and others in repairing and sprucing up schools two weeks before classes open.

This year’s Brigada is slated from May 21 to 26. ■ The party that played a dominant role in the country’s politics for 18 years from 1992 to 2010 took a major beating with the defeat of its standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro in the last presidential election.

Revilla said the national council meeting was intended as the first step toward reinvigorating the party that went through several name alterations, alliances and coalitions before membership dwindled at the latter half of 2010.

Revilla told the INQUIRER that the overhaul expects Ramos to take a more active role in the party.

“Lakas-CMD would experience more of FVR (Ramos’ initials). He instructed me as party president to take care of the party and he assured that he would be behindme,” Revilla said in a phone interview.

House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez is leading a group of senior Lakas-CMD members tasked to wooback Ramos.

These include Revilla and Occidental Mindororep. Amelita Villarosa.

But Ramos did not attend the Lakas meeting.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., a former Lakas memberwhoswitched to the Liberal Party just weeks before the 2010 elections, said Lakas should reorganize itself under a new leadership with the help of Ramos.

Belmonte said Lakas had continued to be a potent party with its members entrenched in Congress and local government. ■

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For ticket inquires, please visit www.philindependence-van.ca

THERE’S THE RUB

Opinion

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 12

Threats

BY CONRADO DE QUIROS Philippine Daily Inquirer THE EXCHANGE of words between Channel 5 and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) has been very instructive. Channel 5 objects to the MTRCB’S decision to suspend “T3,” the public affairs show hosted by Raffy, Erwin and Ben Tulfo, for 20 days. MTRCB imposed the sanction because of the threats made by the brothers in that program on Raymart Santiago and Claudine Barretto for the fracas at the airport.

The Tulfo brothers have already been meted out a three-day suspension by Channel 5, says TV5 lawyer Jay Tolosa. “What else is there for the government to resolve? A preventive suspension suggests that the continued broadcast of the program would constitute a danger to the viewing public. There is no such danger…. (The MTRCB’S ruling) oversteps its mandate and sets it on a path that could threaten the independence and freedom of the broadcast industry.”

Not at all, says MTRCB head Grace Poe Llamanzares. “I think it’s rather clear that the MTRCB has jurisdiction over all publicly exhibited materials on television as long as it’s not straight news. It’s the only exemption—not public affairs or news magazine programs….

The station itself categorized ‘T3’ as a public affairs program. In this case, the hosts used the program to air their personal grievances. That is not for the benefit of the public. Perhaps they

can do it to a certain extent, but at the very least they’re not supposed to threaten people.”

As a rule, I don’t like censorship, and it’s interesting that although the MTRCB no longer functions as a censorship board—it is now largely a classificatory one—its officials continue to be referred to as “the censors,” as seen in newspaper articles and radio-tv broadcasts. But whatever you call it, censorship or regulation, I’d rather the MTRCB erred on the side of liberalism.

Certainly, I’d rather the MTRCB left much of the regulation to the media outlets themselves.

That is so particularly on the subjects of sex and politics. Those are dangerous waters to tread. That was shown in the past by Manoling Morato and Henrietta Mendez, both of whom contributed epically to giving the MTRCB its reputation of being an inquisitorial figure.

That is so as a rule, but that rule doesn’t apply here. For a couple of reasons.

The first is that the current MTRCB retains no vestige of its unsavory past. It has been neither intrusive nor capricious, neither prissy nor moralistic. Especially about sex and politics; it has been fairly judicious in its judgments in those respects. I don’t know that it has given an “X” to a movie yet, and certainly I don’t know that it has interfered in the politics of TV shows, whether straight news or opinion. The individual TV outfits have been far more censoring, and censuring, disguised or patent, than the MTRCB. The second, and far more importantly, is that the transgression is grave. It has nothing

to do with politics, it has to do with ethics. It has nothing to do with opinion, it has to do with decorum. It has nothing to do with partisanship, it has to do with good manners and right conduct. Llamanzares herself says “T3” has been the subject of several complaints in the past. She has asked to meet with the show’s producers and hosts, but despite their repeated promises to appear, they have not done so. And now this.

The Tulfo brothers’ excuse is that they got carried away in the heat of emotion. After all, it was another brother of theirs who had been at the receiving end of a beating, and they were feeling raw. That is no excuse at all. They had no business being there to comment on it to begin with. They should have taken a temporary leave of absence before they went on a temporary leave of their senses. They knew they had a deeply personal stake in it, they knew they could not possibly be objective about it. That is not a recipe for public service, that is a recipe for public disservice. Since it was unlikely they would have volunteered to inhibit themselves, Channel 5 should have asked them to do so.

I read the transcripts of the brothers’ ululations, one challenging Santiago to a fistfight, another warning the couple they had better not meet at the airport or mall or any public place, still another advising the couple to just stay at home and stay healthy. That’s not public service, that’s private malice. That’s not just emotional excess, that is journalistic

thuggery. That’s not even toughness, that’s just weakness. Everyone always finds the witty line after the argument; everyone always finds the balls after the fray.

How was that display of bad manners and wrong conduct any different from what happened to their brother, a group ganging up on him and beating him black and blue?

Well, at least the Santiagos merely conscripted their friends to go along with them, or indeed they didn’t have to conscript them at all, they volunteered freely and spontaneously. The Tulfos conscripted media to gang up on the couple, or used them to inflict that scale of mayhem. Oh, yes, mayhem. Words, particularly when amplified a million times by the power of TV, break bones as much as sticks and stones.

The point of public service programs is to curb abuse, not heap it. The point of public service programs is to put fear in the hearts of the abusive, not to put fear in the heart of the public. No, the MTRCB’S 20-day preventive suspension of “T3” does not threaten freedom of the press, it secures it. I feel more threatened by journalists, broadcast or print, who try to use TV, radio, or newspaper to carry out naked vendetta than a government agency trying to remind them of what their profession calls for.

Radio and TV are particularly powerful because of their reach and immediacy. With much power comes much responsibility.

That applies as much to Spiderman as to other bugs.■

AS I SEE IT

Why LRTA is losing too much money

BY NEAL H. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer SCANDALS IN government continue even as President Aquino has made the fight against corruption the cornerstone of his administration. This one is worth P500 million and concerns the Land Rail Transit Authority’s (LRTA) extension to Cavite.

Recently, the government wanted to increase the fares in the elevated rails lines, including those of the LRTA’S. The reason is that the national government no longer wants to subsidize the operations of the elevated rails because they are losing too much money. Here is one reason for the losses.

Ten years ago, the LRTA planned an extension of its LRT 1 line to Cavite.

As the Cavite governor then, Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi, now the Liberal Party congressman of Cavite’s third district, signed a memorandum of agreement with the LRTA in 2008 to relocate 2,000 squatter families living on the road right-of-way of the proposed LRT line. The agreement, which cost the LRTA P500 million was patently illegal because, under Republic Act 8974 and its implementing rules, only the

National Housing Authority is empowered to establish and develop squatter relocation sites.

With the money, the Cavite provincial government bought seven parcels of unconverted agricultural land totaling 20 hectares. Only one of the seven parcels has a Transfer Certificate of Title. The rest were covered by agrarian reform Emancipation Patents and a 10-year transfer ban. Less than 10 percent of the uprooted families have benefited from the relocation project.

This was too much for the Commission on Audit (COA), which saw through the bloated costs of acquired lands. It disallowed P26.5 million of the provincial government’s spending on tenants’disturbance compensation (even though tenancy arrangements are prohibited for Emancipation Patent-covered lands), real estate broker’s fee, capital gains tax, and documentary stamps.

And what did the President’s Liberal partymate do after the COA disallowance?

In 2011, Maliksi successfully lobbied for the appointment of another partymate, Rafael Rodriguez, as LRTA administrator.

Rodriguez served as board member in Maliksi’s provincial government and acted as legal counsel in the LRTA contract

for the Line 1 South’s informal dwellers relocation project.

Maliksi is now reportedly lobbying Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas to appoint Joseph Alan Dilay as the new LRTA administrator.

Don’t let Dilay’s credentials as an experienced railway engineer fool anyone.

Of course he’s better qualified than the musicians and lawyers who administered the LRTA in the past. But that’s because Dilay is allegedly being cast to preside over the crown jewel of the Aquino administration’s much-touted publicprivate partnership project, the LRT Line 1 extension, the biggest contract in the Department of Transportation and Communications’ portfolio of infrastructure projects. Major conglomerates such as Ayala Corp., San Miguel, and Metro Pacific Investments have expressed interest in the project.

The original proponent of the project was Snc-lavalin, a Canadian company that entered into a joint venture with the LRTA to implement the project without any public bidding. When the Department of Justice objected in 2005, the LRTA paid Snclavalin an incredible $10 million to buy the project study and rights to the project—even though the proposals were unsolicited.

What not too many know is that Gina Dilay, the spouse of Joseph, is alleged to be the broker for the unsolicited no-bid proposal. Between them is the familyowned JAD Group of companies, which includes Genials Trading and Contracting Co. Inc., and derives a portion of the family fortune from transactions with the LRTA. Genials is also the joint venture partner of Meralco Industrial Engineering Service Corp. (Miescor) in Miescorrail, a subsidiary of Meralco. There is every indication that Miescorrail and Sumitomo Corp. will align with Metro Pacific Investments to corner the LRTA Line 1 Cavite Extension project.

In anticipation of his appointment as LRTA chief, Joseph Alan Dilay is said to be divesting his shares in Genials and other related familycontrolled companies to avoid conflict-of-interest issues.

It took 10 years for the LRTA’S train of impunity to finally run toward Cavite.

Surely, international players in the urban rail industry, including investors who sit on trillions of dollars, are waiting to see whether or not the DOTC will implement the project using a truly competitive and transparent model.■

Opinion

13 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

AT LARGE

Valuing mothers

BY RINA JIMENEZ-DAVID Philippine Daily Inquirer FOR Mother’s Day, my family took advantage of an invitation issued by Sandee and Andrew Masigan to partake of lunch in their restaurant, XO46 in Makati.

At the end of the meal, the service staff handed me a bag of “goodies” from the magazine Good Housekeeping and a gift box from Nestlé which contained two milk cartons, one of them lowfat milk. The items were apparently part of a Mother’s Day promo to make all mothers being treated to a meal on their special day feel even more special.

On the way back, my son and his fiancée regaled us with stories of the antics of a Labrador puppy they had recently adopted, indicating to me that motherhood starts even before a woman gets pregnant and bears a child.

Afterwards, we visited Loyola Memorial Park to lay flowers on the graves of my mother and of my sister Neneng, our way of greeting them Happy Mother’s Day, too. Later, we went to the Sison home in Quezon City for our Jimenez Flores de Mayo observance. There we happily met again with Lola Elong Sison, whose daughter Mayang is married to my cousin Ruben Pascual. Despite having 13 children of her own, Lola Elong has opened her life story and her many advocacies to us Jimenez cousins, and we greeted her like a long-lost friend, or a longmissed grandmother. Together with two other cherished lolas, my Tita Chul Azarcon

and Tita Ansing Jimenez, we heard Mass, said the Rosary, and lined up to offer flowers to the beloved image of Mama Mary which has been with the family for decades. The day ended with a lesson on how motherhood never ends, how maternal caring continues even beyond the grave, and how mothering can take myriad forms and a range of relations. *** INDEED, Filipinos love their nanays (mothers).

A lifestyle feature in this paper on Mother’s Day introduced the mother of the redoubtable Tulfo brothers, who are well-known for their macho swagger and their daring to take on even the powerful and sinister. And though their father was an army colonel, the interview made clear from where the brothers got their gumption. When any brother proved too much to handle, Caridad Tulfo said she prayed to the Lord that the brother be taken, so much so that the youngest Raffy had trouble sleeping for fear of being carried off to heaven in his sleep as his mother threatened. Talk about nerves of steel!

But really, it takes more than just flower offerings, sumptuous lunches or milk cartons to show mothers how much we care and how valuable mothers are. (Without them, we would not have a life!)

We could, for starters, look out for the health and welfare of mothers. “A healthy mom makes for a happy family,” declared Remedios Ignacio-rikken, herself an exemplary mother and grandmother, and chair of the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW).

“If the family is the basic unit of society and our goal is to build a healthy and wealthy nation, we should ensure that mothers should have the capacity to plan and decide the number and spacing of their children, have access to free or affordable maternal, newborn and child health and nutrition services, and opportunities are available for women’s socio-economic wellbeing,” Rikken pointed out. *** THE PCW chair was apparently referring to the continuing troubles that the Reproductive Health bill has been facing on the road to passage and enactment. As Emmeline Verzosa, PCW executive director declared: “A mother’s health is a concern closely tied to reproductive health.”

While the RH bill, when passed, will address pressing social concerns such as maternal deaths, Verzosa says it would also protect the health of future mothers (and fathers). It would provide for age-appropriate education on responsible human sexuality so that “young people become aware of the big consequences of actions they take out of ignorance of reproductive functions, curiosity or experimentation.”

It is also true that motherhood can begin even when a mother is not prepared for it, or did not want it. Showing mothers how we care for them begins even before a young woman is ready to be a mother, and means ensuring women become mothers only when they choose to be so, and are ready to take on this vital role. ***

DESPITE the political realignments taking place and the firming up of opposing senatorial slates across the political spectrum, a leader of Lakas-cmd (full name: Lakas ng Tao-christian Muslim Democrats) has assured that the party will continue to be a “critical partner” in national development.

While not coming right out and saying it will stand with the ruling Liberal Party in next year’s elections, Lakas president and newly elected chair of its Council of Leaders Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. said it intends to partner with the administration’s efforts to spur socioeconomic development.

Revilla, unanimously chosen as chair of the council, stressed that Lakas is not seeking to form any coalition, although “definitely we will endorse any senatorial candidate who we think would be of help to our country.” They are also in the process of drawing up their own senatorial slate.

The senator also made clear that Kampi, the political party formed by Arroyo supporters to challenge the Lakas dominance in local and national politics, and which eventually joined with Lakas, is no longer affiliated with the party.

Although Lakas has obviously lost strength in recent years (“lakas” is the Tagalog word for strength), Revilla stressed that the party is far from dead, noting that the national council meeting was attended by numerous congressmen, governors, mayors and other local officials.

Lakas, he said, has been tested by time and by now has racked up “an irrefutable track record.”■

scram—out of our own seas? No, said Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario. Manila would seek instead a rules-based approach to all disputes in accordance with the Unclos.

In stark contrast, “war talk, it seems, is all the rage in China,” British Broadcasting Corp.’s Damian Grammaticas notes. “There are serious people in serious publications seriously advocating war” over those rocks—and potential oil deposits.

China has “made all preparations to respond to any escalation,” its foreign ministry warned.

Controlled media clobber the Philippines. Imports of Philippine bananas and travel of Chinese tourists to the Philippines are squeezed.

China reels from the Bo Xilai scandal and its once-in-a-decade transition even as the United States plunges into elections. “There will be two elephants in the same room.” How the next US president “manages emergent China will have global repercussions,” write Kenneth Lieberthal, Joshua Meltzer and Jonathan Pollack of the think tank Brookings Institute, noting as well that Asian countries view China’s power ascendance with growing concern; that all feel they can benefit from some level of Us-china competition; but no one wishes to face an “either-or” choice between Washington and Beijing. The nearterm possibilities for full cooperation with China seem doubtful. Nonetheless, the “need for China’s active participation in building a more durable and stable regional order remains beyond dispute.

The question is how to realize this fundamental objective.”

Both Republican and Democrat parties center America’s relations with the Asia-pacific region on their foreign policy priorities. “(But) there will be more posturing than thoughtful analysis during the campaign. And these could exacerbate tensions.”

Chinese foreign policy has proved prickly, especially on regional issues. Obama sought to advance presumed common (or at least complementary) interests, as a resolution of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions or “contested maritime domains in the South China Sea.” “Long-term investments in military modernization, ratchet prospect of Beijing’s being able to restrict US ability to conduct uncontested operations in waters and air space contiguous to Chinese territory.” These “enhance the possibility of misunderstanding and miscalculation that neither state seeks.” Defense officials of both countries meanwhile are “engaged in a dialogue of the deaf.”

China’s gains, during the global financial turmoil, ignited gripes about unfair trade practices, like its foot-dragging on the appreciation of the yuan, large-scale subsidies for stateowned industries, and roadblocks to accessing China’s domestic market. Obama skewered Beijing’s skewed trade surpluses.

“For years the only commodity I couldn’t find in Chicago was the good old toothpick,” my friend and retired Col. Julian Ares emailed. “Lo and behold, they’re now available. Made in China.”■ Email: juan_mercado77@yahoo.com

VIEWPOINT

Skewed View

BY JUAN L. MERCADO Philippine Daily Inquirer “THEY WILL beat their swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks,” proclaims a granite tablet fronting New York’s 43rd Street entrance to the United Nations. “Nation will not take up sword against nation.” These lines are from the prophet Isaiah.

They’re reflected on a statue that dominates the UN park along East River. Sculpted by Evgeniy Vuchetich, it depicts a man shattering a bent sword with a hammer. “Never again will they train for war,” the prophet Micah wrote.

Those hopes seemed elusive as ever this week. The Taliban-fanned war in Afghanistan continues. North Korea and Iran forge ahead for a nuclear trigger.

South Sudan, which has oil wells, battles northern Sudan, which straddles pipelines and refineries. Instead of becoming a glue, oil is a sputtering fuse, notes New York Times. In Syria, suicide bombers blew up 55 people, adding to a casualty list of 9,000 in over 14 months. “Has the Arab Spring become a Balkan winter?” ask observers.

“The only conflict, not in this map, is the incoming Barack Obama vs. Mitt Romney ‘nuclear war’,” a late night show wisecrack says.

Or the tension between China and the Philippines over Scarborough Shoal? The name Scarborough comes from an 18th-century tea

trade ship that smashed into its reefs. Filipinos call it Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc. The Chinese have named it Huangyan Island. Both the Philippines and China claim ownership over it.

Beijing cites history, flagging a Yuan dynasty 1279 map. Manila insists on geography. The reefs are about 123 miles (198 kilometers) west of Subic Bay—and 350 miles from China.

These are rich fishing grounds where, between 1998 and 2001, the Philippines arrested Chinese fishermen catching endangered and protected species using banned methods.

The shoal is well within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) defines, the Philippines notes.

Not valid, replies Beijing whose claims abut the EEZ of other Asean countries.

Vietnam bristled when China announced plans to develop tourist facilities in Paracel Islands. Forcibly taken over by Chinese troops in 1974, Vietnam continues to claim the Paracels. Chinese and Vietnamese hackers attacked each other’s websites last year, as Filipino and Chinese hackers did in 2012.

China jacked up the number of its ships at the shoal, from 14 to 33; the Philippines keeps there a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel and a coast guard rescue ship.

China’s foreign ministry demanded that its boats “be left alone to go about their normal activities.” But Philippine vessels must

Business Po invests P3B in 5-star Marco Polo Ortigas Hotel 313-room deluxe hotel in Ortigas Center to open by end- 2013

Ortigas, site of the newest five-star hotel in Manila.

BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE GROUP of businessman Samuel Po has ventured into property development for the first time by investing P3-billion in a new five-star hotel in Ortigas that will be managed by Marco Polo Hotels.

The 313-room Marco Polo Ortigas Hotel will open by end2013 and will be the newest five-star hotel in the Ortigas central business district.

The hotel, which is now under construction, is right beside Union Bank building on Meralco Avenue.

Po, president and chief executive officer of Xin Tian Ti Development Corp., also heads JS Unitrade Merchandise, a leading manufacturer of paper hygiene products in the Philippines with annual revenues of over $120 million.

Stock index dips 1.44% Analysts say market long overdue for deep correction

BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE STOCK index fell sharply as investors sold down equities while waiting for corporate earnings to catch up with steep valuations. The main-share Philippine Stock Exchange index tumbled by 74.52 points, or 1.44 percent, to close at 5,083.62.

All counters ended in the red. But the worst hit were the financial, holding firms and mining/oil counters, which all fell by over 2.2 percent.

Value turnover amounted to P5.82 billion. There were nearly five losers for every single advancer.

Jose Vistan of AB Capital Securities said the market had gone up so sharply this year that a deep correction was bound to happen.

JS Unitrade sells baby diaper brands EQ Plus and EQ Dry, adult diapers Caress and Dr. P and Charmee female hygiene pads.

Xin Tian Di and top officials of Marco Polo Hotels signed on Monday the management contract for Marco Polo Ortigas Hotel, which is the third Philippine hotel in Marco Polo’s portfolio. Next to China, the Philippines will thus have the most number of Marco Polo Hotels in Asia.

“Marco Polo Hotels has been known for its excellent services and first class signature touches. We are incredibly excited to be affiliated with this reputable hotel brand in Asia Pacific for the Marco Polo Ortigas, a P3billion investment,” Po said, adding this investment was his group’s answer to the government’s call for fresh investments in tourism.

In late 2011, the government launched a new tourism campaign - “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” - which has been well-received by the local and global markets.

“Our rapid growth and development in the Philippines and China has further strengthened our brand and its awareness throughout Asia Pacific,” said Steve Kleinschmidt, Marco Polo Hotel president.

Kleinschmidt said this hotel in Ortigas would be different from the market served by the first two Marco Polo Hotels in the country, one in Davao and the other in Cebu.

Apart from the traditional leisure-oriented market, the Marco Polo executive said the Ortigas hotel would serve more business travelers from the overseas market.

Ortigas is one of the busiest central business districts in Metro Manila after Makati.

“In Ortigas, hotels are enjoying a high occupancy rate as we have only one five-star hotel there and ours will be the newest five star hotel. We will definitely lift the standards for five star hotels,” Po said.

Marco Polo Hotels is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hong Kongbased The Wharf (Holdings) Ltd. He said the next major support would be at 4,750.

“But we probably won’t reach that,” Vistan said.

Other stock dealers echoed this sentiment, saying that the market was undergoing a major correction, which was necessary for the market to build a strong base to continue its bull run.

According to a joint research paper of First Metro Investment Corp. and University of Asia and the Pacific, which appeared in the recent issue of “The Market Call,” the local market’s capitalization, as percentage of gross domestic product, had already breached historic levels.

Still, earnings have yet to catch up, the FMIC-UA&P analysts indicated.

“Surprisingly, early reports indicated that company earnings may not miss estimates, and upgrades in forecasts may be warranted,” the analysts said.

The research also said that reducing investments from “overweight” to “neutral” would be prudent given the expensive valuations.

But FMIC-UA&P said the data on fund flows to the Philippines remained resilient. Nevertheless, it noted that some investors were undertaking a “sell in May and go away” strategy to lock in early gains.

“It may be wise to keep a neutral position just in case the rally in Philippine equities continues,” the research said.

While the market is likely to move higher on bullish sentiment, FMIC-UA&P said caution would always be a good strategy.

“Any further upside in stock prices would be the result of positive surprises in earnings forecasts. So far, Philippine equities may have already priced in the market strong economic growth and 12-month forward earnings per share,” the research said.

Stocks that weighed down the PSEI were Metrobank, SM Investments, URC, AGI, Megaworld, BDO, DMCI, AP, ALI, SM Prime and BPI. The lucky few that bucked the day’s downturn were MPI and Semirara. ■

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 14

TV5 claims market share of 18% for ’11

BY PAOLO G. MONTECILLO

Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANUEL V. Pangilinanled television network Associated Broadcasting Corp. (ABC), operator of TV5, saw its market share grow substantially in 2011, establishing itself as a serious player in the broadcast sector.

From a negligible footprint of 2.3 percent in 2010, TV5 said it ended 2011 with an 18-percent share in television industry advertising revenues for Metro Manila.

For nationwide rankings, TV5 grew its share to 15.6 percent from 2.7 percent of industry revenues.

This year, the company aims to further strengthen its position in the industry, with the help of a recent investment from Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT).

TV5 is a unit of Mediaquest Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of the PLDT employee Beneficial Trust Fund.

Constitutional restrictions prohibit companies with foreign shareholders from owning voting rights in local media outfits.

Earlier this month, PLDT announced that it would invest P6 billion in Mediaquest, through the purchase of the latter’s Philippine Depository Receipts—a form of security that carries no voting rights.

In a statement on Monday, officials said the investment in Mediaquest, which will be used for the expansion of TV5 and affiliate satellite TV provider Cignal, would help transform the PLDT group from a telecommunications company into a multimedia conglomerate.

Cignal, for its part, is the country’s largest direct-to-home satellite TV provider with over 250,000 subscribers.

“With the direct investment, Mediaquest will serve as the anchor for the PLDT Group’s media offerings through the creation of content, generation of new revenue streams, and providing direct access to overseas Filipino workers worldwide,” PLDT president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno said.

“We could derive new revenue streams as we use the content to increase subscription revenues across the group’s various platforms and maximize advertising potential available from the sizeable subscriber base of the group,” he added.

PLDT, owned by Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd and Japan’s NTT Docomo, has over 67 million mobile phone subscribers, translating to a 67percent share in the country’s lucrative telecommunications market. ■

15 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

Sports

Martin Ezequiel Gardeazabal / Shutterstock.com

Canada to host Davis Cup World playoff after South Africa can’t afford to

Marin Cilic of Croatia serves during Quarter Finals against David Nalbandian of Argentina at Davis Cup on April 06, 2012 in Buenos Aires City

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - Canada will host its Davis Cup World Group playoff tie in September because opponent South Africa can’t afford to.

Tournament organizers approved Tennis South Africa’s request for the switch and says Canada will stage the matchup from Sept.

14-16. The venue hasn’t been decided.

Canada captain Martin Laurendeau says his players are ``thrilled’’ to be able to play in front of a home crowd. ``Fan support is a major advantage in Davis Cup ties and we know that with the recent rise of popularity of tennis in our country, we’ll have great support,’’ Laurendeau said in a release.

TSA says ``current economic conditions’’ mean it won’t be able to organize the tie.

The shift could yet favour South Africa with leading player and No. 35-ranked Kevin Anderson likely to be in North America for the U.S. Open, which ends on Sept. 9. Anderson has recently skipped Davis Cup duties at home.

The winner earns a place in the top World Group in 2013. ■

Vengeful Viloria TKO’s Romero Hawaiian Punch retains WBO ‘fly’ title

BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer BRIAN VILORIA finally made Omar Niño Romero pay an overdue debt, stopping the game Mexican in the ninth round to retain his World Boxing Organization flyweight crown at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

Stronger, faster and wilier, Viloria dominated Romero from the opening bell and was on the verge of knocking down his two-time tormentor when referee Michael Ortega stepped in to halt the bout with two minutes and seven seconds gone in the ninth.

Romero backpedalled on wobbly legs after taking two rights after a lead left when Ortega waved off the attacking Viloria.

It was sweet vindication for Viloria, who lost his WBC light flyweight title to Romero on Aug. 10, 2006 and was held to a majority draw in their rematch three months later. That verdict was later changed to no-decision, however, after the Mexican flunked the postfight drug test.

Learning from previous mistakes, Viloria was the aggressor this time, complementing his attack with good counterpunching that befuddled the 35-year-old Romero time and time again.

Viloria, who improved to 31 wins (18 KOs) against three loses, scored with right and left straights to the head before switching to the body.

In the second round, Viloria stunned Romero with a solid left hook and an

uppercut. The Filipino-American pressed on in the third round, with a stunned Romero, who dropped to 31-5-2 with 13 KOs, heading to the neutral corner instead of his own after the bell.

A combination of punches again staggered Romero in the fourth but the Mexican grimly hung on.

In the fifth round, Viloria sneaked in a right, forcing a wobbling Romero into a corner. Romero then landed a low blow that merited a one-point deduction.

Shortly before the round ended, Viloria sent the Mexican’s mouthpiece flying.

Romero was so dazed that he later walk toward Viloria’s corner instead.

“It was a big psychological win; It got the monkey off my back,” said Viloria, who dedicated his victory to the late Andy Ganigan, a Filipino former world champion and knockout artist who was originally dubbed The Hawaiian Punch.

He (Romero) was tough, but I was patient,” added Viloria. “I stayed the course and picked my punches.”

Romero, sulking because of the referee’s stoppage, did not attend the postfight conference, saying he wanted to go home (to Guadalajara, Mexico).

Rodel Mayol made it a double for the Philippines in the chief support with a lopsided unanimous decision over Mexican and fellow former world champion Julio Cesar Miranda.

Mayol, who climbed to 31-5-2 with 23 KOs, knocked down Miranda thrice —in the first from a left hook, in the second

from a combination of hooks and in the fifth from a barrage of body blows— en route to scores of 100-87, 99-88, 97-92.

Miranda fell to 37-7-1 with 29 KOs. Other bouts saw Dayer Gabutan beat Dado Cabintoy by unanimous decision (118-112, 115-113, 116-112) to clinch the WBO Oriental bantamweight title while Alvin Makiling and Robert Udhutan settled for a majority draw.

Gary Gatelsohn, Viloria’s manager, said he prefers WBA flyweight champion Mexican Hernan Tyson Marquez as Viloria’s next opponent.

He said he wants Viloria to rest and enjoy a European tour with wife Erica, who also watched the fight produced by Solar Sports and aired by GMA 7.

Malacañang also sent its greetings to Viloria. “Congratulations to the Hawaiian Punch, Mr. Brian Viloria, for winning his match,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte.■

AZKALS HOST GUAM AT BACOLOD’S PANAAD JUNE 12

BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINE Azkals will return to the site of one their biggest victories to take on Guam on June 12 at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City.

A match against Bahrain’s Under22 team was initially considered before the Philippine Football Federation decided on inviting Guam, which is positioned near the bottom of the Fifa rankings.

The game caps a three-match swing for the Azkals in June that starts with a game against Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on June 1 and a date with Indonesia at the Rizal Memorial Stadium four days later.

The Azkals last played in Panaad in February last year when they defeated Mongolia, 2-0, in their AFC Challenge Cup Pre-qualifying match. The national team also won against Timor Leste, 7-0, in the AFF Championship five years ago in Bacolod in one of the country’s most convincing wins in history.

“We wanted to play against Bahrain Under-22 but it was also important for us to get Fifa ranking points and that can only happen if we play senior teams,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami.

“The team is delighted at the prospect of playing again in Bacolod where support for the Azkals has also been overwhelming.”

In preparation for the friendly matches, Azkals coach Michael Weiss said the team will be undergoing a week-long training camp in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, starting May 21.

With the United Football League heading into the homestretch, Weiss said he thought it was better to leave his UFL players with their clubs as of the moment.■

16 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

BRIEFS by The Canadian Press

Human Rights activist crowned Miss World 2012 Canada

OTTAWA - The RCMP acted in a ``reasonable and appropriate’’ fashion during the Toronto G20 summit marred by violence and mass arrests, says the watchdog that keeps an eye on the national police force. In its long-awaited investigation report, the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP says there were no incidents of unreasonable force by the Mounties. ■

Angelo Siglos

RCMP actions appropriate at G20: watchdog

Tara Teng, Miss World Canada 2012 with Ike Lalji, National Director & Chairman, Board of Directors of Miss World Canada

BY STELLA REYES PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER

Pan Am Games The Honourable Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, and the Honourable Bal Gosal, Minister of State (Sport), are joined by Charles Sousa, Ontario Minister responsible for the Pan/Parapan American Games; Michael Chan, Ontario Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport; Ian Troop, TO2015 Chief Executive Officer; Rob Ford, Mayor of Toronto; Olympian Charmaine Crooks, and local athletes at an event in Toronto to announce the venue cluster locations that will host the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games. ■

Bus beheader may soon be granted more freedom WINNIPEG - A man who beheaded a fellow passenger on a Greyhound bus may soon be allowed off the grounds of a Manitoba mental hospital. A psychiatrist treating Vince Li is asking a federal review board to let Li take escorted trips into the city of Selkirk, Man. ■

“UNBELIEVABLE!” is how Vancouverite Tara Teng sums up her whole experience after she was crowned Miss World 2012 Canada during the grand coronation night at the River Rock Casino Resort Saturday night.

Teng, who was named by the 2011 Canadian Women of the Year as one of the “Hot 20 Under 30” bested 29 other candidates. She has recently moved back to BC after working at Parliament Hill.

Her passion is “to see all people, regardless of nationality, culture, gender, lifestyle or belief, thrive in freedom, truth and abundance.”

Aside from receiving the official national crown, sash and website recognition during her 2012 reign, her prize package includes a 3-day, 2-night trip for two to Las Vegas; an appearance on Global Television’s Variety Show of Hearts Telethon on February 2013; $5,000 cash scholarship; a one page

photo spread courtesy of Rockstar magazine and over $2,400 worth of beauty and spa treatment from AntiAging Medical &Laser Clinic.

“I just came out here to share my heart, to share my convictions and really to bring forward the message of freedom and value of human life. That was my goal and I am so pleased with the result. It is such an honour, and I know we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

She said that she did not expect to win and is “very humbled, absolutely honoured and ecstatic” about the outcome of the pageant.

Teng will be the official ambassador and spokesperson for Variety – The Children’s Charity and all the other charitable organizations under the MWC umbrella.

The phrase “beauty with a purpose” takes on a new meaning for her. “It means so much to me. Because it shows that it is not just physical beauty.

Beauty not just comes from within but it comes from your values, it comes from your convictions. And beauty is so much more than what we see, that

belief and conviction is beautiful. And the belief of something greater and people working together to achieve that is the most beautiful of all.”

Mr World Canada 2011 Ron Wear, who keeps the Mr World title for 3 years, says that the pageant is really about helping other people. “It has helped open a lot of doors for me and it is helping by giving a voice to people who don’t have a voice. And the pageant helps individuals and many children thru various charities like Variety Children’s Charity Lottery and Habitat For Humanity.”

Riza Santos, Miss World Canada 2011, willingly relinquished the crown to the new queen. She shares the excitement and confides that she greatly benefitted from the whole experience during her reign.

“Winning the title of Miss World Canada has afforded me many opportunities to travel. In terms of my own career, both professionally working in the business world, I have been able to network quite a bit. And in entertainment, I am very fond of singing, so I have met a lot of contacts but I am not sure how far I would take it. The friendships I have made have been tremendous.

They are friendships that I treasure very much and I will definitely keep for years to come.”

Santos adds, “Beauty pageants are evolving, they are not your typically, traditional pageant for face value anymore. A lot of these women are leaders. They are movers and shakers and they are people that actually make a difference. That is what I love about it.”

When asked if Teng would recommend other women to join the Ms World pageant, this is her emphatic reply, “Absolutely! Ms World is not just a beauty pageant.

This is about being an ambassador.

This is about being a leader and really working together to change the world.” ■

17 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

Canada News

BRIEFS by The Canadian Press

Bishops say religion deserves public voice OTTAWA - Canada’s Roman Catholic bishops say religious voices have a right to be heard in public debates and shouldn’t be shouldered aside in the name of separation of church and state. They are also encouraging civil disobedience in cases where public policy runs afoul of private morality on questions such as abortion, contraception and gay marriage. ■

Montreal subwayattack case brings into spotlight hardcore protest faction MONTREAL - Smoke-bomb attacks that paralyzed Montreal’s subway system are drawing attention to a left-wing, anticapitalist group that has celebrated classic

anarchist quotes. Scenes outside the courthouse Monday, and ties between the group and the accused metro attackers, underscore the degree to which Quebec’s protest movement is no monolith but a multi-pronged entity with some sharp, hardline edges. ■

Canadians confident in their job security, but less satisfied: survey

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Black bear shot and killed in Burlington park BURLINGTON - Police have shot and killed a black bear that was spotted roaming in a Burlington park. The animal appeared around 10 a.m. Wednesday in Mountainside Park, which is in a residential neighbourhood. ■

OTTAWA - A new survey of employees suggests tough economic times are taking a toll on career paths and job satisfaction.

The survey conducted by Harris-Decima Research on behalf of Ceridian Canada found significantly more workers than last year who believe they will not be getting a pay boost, bonus or promotion in the next year.

And four in 10 say they believe their employer is using the bad economy as an excuse to deny them a promotion or more money.

Ceridian, a human resources solutions provider, notes than 75 per cent of employees feel secure in their jobs, about the same as last year.

But on the job satisfaction indicators, there’s been dramatic shift downward, the survey suggests.

Eighty-five per cent of the 800 polled say they don’t expect a promotion for another year, compared to 39 per cent in 2011, and 43 per cent say they don’t expect a salary increase, compared to 27 per cent 12 months ago.

Overall, 31 per cent expressed dissatisfaction with their career progression, eight percentage points higher than a similar survey conducted in 2011.

The poll of 800 employed Canadians was conducted in early March. ■

Canada News Labour, Economic Opportunity Focus of Philippines Visit

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - On the final day of this Jobs and Trade Mission, Premier Christy Clark strengthened the relationship with the Philippines by signing a Joint Communiqué on labour mobility and highlighting the tremendous opportunities and economic partnerships available in British Columbia, such as the new, made-inB.C. clean-energy facility.

“The Philippines is an economy on the move and we want to ensure that we are able to partner with them for a strong prosperous future,” said Premier Clark. “Filipinos have long been a key contributor to B.C.’s growth and prosperity. We hope with this new labour Communiqué we can build and strengthen our labour and economic partnership with the Philippines. We will have a million new job openings by 2020 and will need a strong and stable labour partner, and I am proud to join

with the Philippines to help meet that need.”

Premier Clark applauded the announcement

by Aquilini Renewable Energy that they received approval from the Philippine Economic Zone Authority to build, operate and manage a $15-million waste-to-energy gasification plant in the City of Mactan in Cebu Province.

“Premier Clark, through the BC Jobs Plan, has created an environment to help foster job growth and innovation here in B.C., and it’s working,” said John Negrin, president, Aquilini Renewable Energy. “We’re pleased to announce our first project in The Philippines: a $15-million waste-to-energy recycling facility in the City of Mactan, with excellent potential for further expansion. In addition to creating numerous jobs in B.C. and the Philippines, this project is an excellent opportunity to showcase B.C.’s clean-energy technology and expertise to potential clients in the growing Asia-Pacific market.”

The Aquilini facility will run a recycling centre and waste-to-energy plant processing 45,000 metric tonnes of industrial, medical, and municipal waste per year. Equipment for the initial phase of the facility will be designed, engineered and manufactured in Vancouver, creating 40 B.C.-based jobs and more to come as the project expands.

In a meeting with Secretary of Labor and Employment, Rosalinda Baldoz,

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Premier Clark signed a Joint Communiqué on areas of mutual benefits with respect to labour mobility. Later at a Jobs Fair the Premier connected B.C. employers with recruitment agencies and educational institutions to help fill skilled-worker vacancies in the province. Premier Clark also met with Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Albert Del Rosario, to promote British Columbia’s labour market and emphasize strong cultural ties with the Philippines.

“Our first priority is always to find employment for British Columbians, but with so many jobs to fill in the next decade, we know that new immigrants will be key to maintaining the growth of our economy,” said Premier Clark.

Having sufficient numbers of workers to fill jobs in B.C. is a major concern for employers, and immigration is one of the most important avenues to attract workers. Canada Starts Here: the BC Jobs Plan commits to promoting economic development in key sectors and attracting more workers. Filling existing job vacancies faster will enable employers to operate more efficiently, and allow them to create more jobs for B.C. families. ■

UN food envoy provokes Ottawa with findings on hunger and poor diet in Canada

BY HEATHER SCOFFIELD THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA - The UN’s right-to-food envoy is raising the alarm about hunger and poor diets in Canada, but the federal government says he’s wasting his breath.

The United Nations’ special rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, has just wrapped up an official 11-day investigation into food security in Canada.

He has concluded that Canada is flaunting its international human-rights obligations by ignoring hunger within its own borders, even as 800,000 households here don’t have the wherewithal to ensure they can put proper food on the table. ``What I’ve seen in Canada is a system that presents barriers for the poor to access nutritious diets and that tolerates increased inequalities between rich and poor, and aboriginal (and) non-aboriginal peoples,’’ De Schutter said.

He said he was particularly concerned about the large number of people living on social assistance who see their income drained away by housing, and can’t afford to provide an adequate diet for their families. ``Here I have to say my concerns are extremely severe, and I don’t see why I should mince my words,’’ he said. ``People are simply too poor to eat decently.’’

He called for a national food strategy that would emphasize local food production, reform food subsidies for the North, ensure a living wage for low-income people, and pull together the disparate attempts to deal with hunger across the country.

De Schutter also criticized Ottawa for failing to make sure provinces spend their transfer payments on social services.

And he said the federal government should be far stricter in its regulation of sodium,

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 18

sugar and fat in the food Canadians buy.

Ottawa’s reaction has been blunt. ``I think this is completely ridiculous,’’ Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said just before the envoy presented his report. ``Canada is one of the wealthiest and most democratic countries in the world.

We believe that the UN should focus on development ... in countries where people are starving. We think it’s simply a waste of resources to come to Canada to give political lectures.’’

Until Wednesday, De Schutter did not have any access to federal cabinet ministers to discuss his findings, making do with senior officials instead. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq did finally agree to meet with him at the last minute - but mainly to promote the seal hunt. ``The minister was increasingly frustrated that someone would write about food security in the North without going there,’’ Aglukkaq’s spokesman said in an email.

De Schutter travelled to cities across Canada, visited some reserves and met with aboriginal representatives, but did not get to the North.

He makes no apologies for being ``political’’ in his recommendations, and said he hopes the federal government is provoked into holding a serious conversation about how to improve poverty and food security in Canada.

The federal government has repeatedly dismissed appeals for national strategies to deal with poverty and housing. The Conservatives argue that those areas are better dealt with by the provinces, since they can take regional variations into account.

Indeed, several provinces have adopted poverty reduction strategies in the last few years.

However, the NDP notes that during the last federal election campaign, the Conservatives promised a national farm and food strategy that would focus on buoying local farmers, opening up new markets and ensuring food safety. ■

Saskatchewan changes how it recruits foreign trained doctors THE CANADIAN PRESS REGINA The Saskatchewan government is giving health care a booster shot with a plan to recruit more foreign-trained doctors.

The province is removing a barrier that limited international medical graduates from practising in Saskatchewan.

That means family physician medical graduates from all countries will be assessed as long as they meet licensing criteria.

Only international medical graduates from six countries were previously eligible.

The province says the new process also means 90 doctors can be assessed a year - up from about 55.

Rural Saskatchewan has been facing a doctor shortage that the Opposition NDP says has led to emergency room closures in communities across the province. ■

World News

dutourdumonde / Shutterstock.com

LONDON 2012: London Games marry the ultimate world city with its greatest sports extravaganza

BY JOHN LEICESTER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON - Excited, likely jet-lagged, bursting with ambition and surely a little nervous, too, the thousands of Olympians speaking a multitude of tongues will find and settle into their rooms at London’s new, purpose-built Olympic Village this July.

And, in what is now Olympic tradition, they will celebrate their presence by draping their nations’ flags from the windows and balconies. ``London, we’ve arrived!’’ the riot of colour will proclaim. ``The whole world is at your door!’’

Only, this time, the world was already here. Has been for centuries.

In 116 years of globe-trotting, the Summer Games have landed in 22 cities, including London in 1908 and ‘48. But never have they visited a city so global and so globally connected as the cultural, linguistic, culinary and human soup that 21st century London has become.

There are those who claim London 2012 lacks a dominant theme, that it is merely an interlude between other Olympics with geopolitical significance: the 2008 Beijing and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games that celebrated or will celebrate the rise of China and Brazil as global players.

But London will be unique, too, because it will marry the world’s ultimate sporting extravaganza with its ultimate world city.

Olympic tradition is rooted in ancient Greece. But, in the great melting pot of London, Olympians from the globe’s remotest reaches will find echoes of home.

Beijing’s games were grand; Rio’s will be South America’s first; but dirty, teeming, riotous, polluted, multicolored, multicultural, tea-drinking, beer-swilling London can boast universality, something for everyone competing and for those watching, too.

Put simply, quite possibly for the first time in Olympic history, many or perhaps all of the 14,700 Olympians and Paralympians expected from more than 200 countries will most likely have compatriots - a personal, ready-made fan base - who already live here.

All should find things that speak to

them - perhaps a mosque or a synagogue cohabiting cheek by jowl, a Caribbean poetry reading or a Turkish bath, a curry house in ``Banglatown,’’ a French patisserie or performances in Lithuanian of Shakespeare’s ``Hamlet’’ (June 2 and 3 at the Globe Theater). Each flag in the athletes’ windows should speak to a Londoner, too.

Since the Romans built Londinium 2,000 years ago, the centuries have brought waves of settlers who left layers of history, like silt deposited with Thames tides.

Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans; chained African slaves and Indian sailors who, after crewing merchant ships pregnant with wares, were abandoned in the city that was the mighty heart of a voracious and self-righteous global empire; revolutionaries, freethinkers and persecuted East European Jews who suckled on the freedom of a sometimes cruel and lawless city that hot-housed democracy; Caribbean immigrants who came to breathe life into bombed-out but defiant London after World War II, people like the calypso singer from Trinidad with the stage name Lord Kitchener. He broke into song after arriving on the SS Empire Windrush with 500 other jobseekers in 1948. ``London is the place for me,’’ he sang. ``London this lovely city.’’

In London circa-1800, poet William Wordsworth marveled at the crowds teeming with ``all specimens of man, through all the colours which the sun bestows ... The Swede, the Russian; from the genial south, the Frenchman and the Spaniard; from remote America, the hunter-Indian; Moors, Malays, Lascars, the Tartar and Chinese.’’

Before him, 18th century writer Samuel Johnson felt that, ``by seeing London, I have seen as much of life as the world can show.’’

For contemporary British Rasta poet Benjamin Zephaniah, modern London is where ``all the world can come and dine ... cultures melt and intertwine,’’ a city which ``can play any song’’ and where ``three hundred languages give voice to fifteen thousand changing years.’’

The Olympic host borough of Newham in East London boasts the most ethnically diverse population in Britain. Only 45 per cent of adults there say they speak English as their first language - the lowest percentage in London and way below the national average of more than 93 per cent.

Researchers have identified 233 different languages spoken by London schoolchildren.

In Newham’s state-run schools, only a third of pupils reported speaking English at home.

A 2008 school census found the 13,840 Newham pupils who do are outnumbered by the 14,530 who reported speaking either Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati or Tamil _ languages of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. There were also, among others, 1,440 speakers of Somali and 370 of ``Creoles and pidgins.’’

London touted its ethnic mix as a positive when bidding for the 2012 Games. ThenPrime Minister Tony Blair promised the International Olympic Committee in 2004 that the city’s ``amazing diversity’’ would contribute to an Olympic atmosphere ``like

no other.’’

But, often, from when native warrior queen Boudica torched the Romans’ London until today, the pieces in this human jigsaw haven’t slotted easily together.

British empire-builders practically invented racism, pushing derogatory and offensive notions of supposed African inferiority to try to justify the slave trade.

Fascist leader Oswald Mosley and his black shirts rallied against Jews in the 1930s in Hackney, another Olympic host borough in London’s East End. Under the headline, ``Noisy Parties ‘A Threat to Race Peace,’’’ Newham’s local paper, the Recorder, reported in 1969 that loud music and dancing nights were ``causing bad feeling between West Indians and their neighbours,’’ identified as white. ``West Indians must give up some of the things they used to do,’’ it quoted a community relations officer, Alexander Kirby, as saying, ``because they don’t fit into their new environment.’’

Clive Bettington, chairman of the Jewish East End Celebration Society, says he has been stoned and spat on by Muslim youths while leading walking tours of Jewish landmarks.

Altab Ali Park in the East End’s Tower Hamlets, another Olympic host borough, is named after a Bengali clothing worker murdered on his way home in 1978 in a racist attack by three teenagers.

And in London’s May 3 election for mayor, the far-right, anti-immigration British National Party fielded a candidate who is himself an immigrant. Carlos Cortiglia, born in Uruguay to parents of Italian and Spanish ancestry, campaigned that London’s ``multiculturalism has clearly led to division and confrontation instead of integration.’’

Go figure. Perhaps only London could produce such a walking contradiction.

Here, on city buses, you’ll hear people speaking languages you might recognize and certainly many you do not.

Richard Thornton / Shutterstock.com

19 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

In practical terms, competing in this global shop-window will mean that if Usain Bolt hungers for home cooking this July he can nip quickly to Caribbean Scene on the Olympic Park’s fringe for curry goat, saltfish and a side of plantain. The Olympic 100- and 200-meter champion can’t miss it: the restaurant has the Jamaican’s portrait painted on an inside wall.

For Ethiopian vegan curries, 5,000 and 10,000 champion Kenenisa Bekele should try the East End’s Brick Lane market. The stall holder there who spoons out the stews is from Myanmar. That might be bizarre, unthinkable even, in a less cosmopolitan city, but it neatly captures London’s mishmash.

Muslim athletes could say prayers at the Great Mosque on Brick Lane’s junction with Fournier Street. Built as a chapel for French Protestant Huguenots in the 1700s and later converted into a synagogue and then a mosque, it could be a metaphor for modern London’s overlapping cultures and immigrant histories.

So, too, could the Shanghai restaurant in Dalston west of the Olympic Park in an eatery which used to sell eel pie and mash potatoes, the most traditional East London fare.

In the delightfully preserved 150-year-old decor, between serving a nurse from Cuba who ordered butterfly prawns and sweet roast pork and a white woman who wanted noodles for her two children, manager Peter Cheung dug out a photo of one of his most regular patrons to show off to a recent visitor.

Cheung moved to London from Hong Kong. The photo was of British TV broadcaster and commentator Hardeep Singh Kohli. He is a British Indian Sikh who grew up in Glasgow, Scotland.

Londoners, a worldly breed, indeed. ■ John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester

US, Canada move to end screening stop for N.Y. bound Amtrak trains from Montreal

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ALBANY, N.Y. - An extra stop to screen Amtrak trains running between Montreal and New York City could soon be eliminated.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Canadian officials have tentatively agreed to end the two-hour inspection and screening delays at Saint-Lambert, Quebec.

The Associated Press says deal still needs final U.S. and Canadian approval.

But new screening facilities in Montreal are being built for Customs and Border Patrol agents to complete prescreenings and end the need to stop at Saint-Lambert.

Schumer says Amtrak has agreed to no longer making the extra stop once the new facilities are approved and operating.

The North Country Chamber of Commerce in upstate New York says the move is a major economic step toward creating what it calls border fluidity.

Amtrak’s ``Adirondack’’ train to Penn Station in Manhattan generally leaves Montreal each day at 9:30 a.m.

- with files from the Associated Press ■

Immigration

Life is a Blessing A Filipino Diaspora Story

BY ALPHA SANFORD LIVING IN his adopted country – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – Gideon de Luna, the G in the acronym LAMB GOD (acronym of his and his siblings’ names), professes that it is truly the best place to live on earth (as claimed

by Money Magazine). He could say this of Canada – having traveled and worked in Riyadh and all over the Philippines.

But it was not an easy beginning for him. For a start, he realized that he had to have more than his BS Agricultural Engineering degree to get him through the life of a new immigrant.

The Beginning “When I arrived in Canada, I found it really hard to start embracing the new country for a few reasons. Foremost is because my education and work experiences were not highly regarded by the Canadian Educational System.

Because of that, I recognized the need to improve myself – and I decided to go back to school. Thus, I worked in different odd jobs and then applied for a student loan to finance my education.

And then I found myself juggling two things at a time to survive: working and studying,” he said.

“My first choice before was to enroll in an Engineering Diploma program, but the waiting list to be admitted was too long. So I made up my mind and pursued a diploma in Computerized Accounting.

After I finished the requirements for graduation, without hesitation(s), I took my certification in CPA and became fully certified.”

Gideon persevered and obtained the title which many Philippine CPAs who are in Canada only dream of having. He currently works as a Payroll Specialist at HMSHost at Vancouver International Airport.

Love for learning “Education teaches us so many things.

In life situations, [we] use knowledge

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and experiences that will make us grow in so many ways. As we grow we learn; as we learn, we start to build goals – plans to make our future bright.

Getting a good education is to learn how to make choices. After we graduate and experience situations that may sometimes be necessary in our lives, we see the path towards fulfilling our own personal needs and ambitions,” he said.

Learning does not end for Gideon.

“As a Payroll Specialist here in Canada, I’m not fully contented yet where I am now. I have lots of goals, not only for my own personal interest, but also for my wife and my family.

I’m planning to go back to school again. Life is too short that we have to enjoy our life that has God given us in a very memorable and meaningful way. Someday I hope to fulfill my greatest goal which is to support the less fortunate pupils or students of the Philippine elementary school where I graduated from,” he said.

To new immigrants who fear going back to school, he has this to say: “Education is a learning process. [We have to] think positive and discipline ourselves, set rules to succeed even though not all of us are born as intelligent and gifted compared to others. But everybody can have the determination to reach his/her dreams – to be successful in different ventures of our lives and profession.”

“Success is not the key to happiness.

Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful,” he adds.

Inspiration Gideon comes from a big family, with big challenges. But his parents made it their priority to help their children reach their dreams through education.

“My late father was very inspirational and very supportive to us. Even though we didn’t have all the means financially, he tried all his very best to support our education. I am proud to say that he, together with my mother, financed our college education and helped us all finish our Bachelor’s degrees. Because of them, we were all able to attain our college education. Looking back, having a huge family with seven kids in a household to support is hard to imagine.

It is even harder to think of sending all seven of them to college – and having them complete their degrees.”

“What can I say but ‘families and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their treasures.’”

Life is a blessing “For me, life is full of challenges – with the love of God, my wife and my families who are constantly giving me strength and inspiration, I am constantly being reminded that in this world, life is still a blessing.” he ends.■

If you know a Filipino-Canadian with a diaspora story, please send an email to Alpha Sanford at identity_solutions@yahoo.com. You can also read and subscribe for more inspirational success stories at http://amsdaily.net

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 20

Would-be immigrants take feds to court over elimination of application backlog

BY STEPHANIE LEVITZ THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA - Would-be immigrants are taking the federal government to court over its decision to return their applications.

They’re angry about the Conservatives’ move to legislate away a backlog of some 280,000 applications created before 2008.

The government announced the decision in its March budget, saying it’s a necessary part of modernizing the immigration system.

But Toronto lawyer Lorne Waldman said he was immediately flooded with emails by people who were furious about the changes.

They’d followed all the steps they were told to take in order to come to Canada, he said, only to be pushed aside. ``The irony of that is this is a government that’s constantly telling us that people shouldn’t jump the queue,’’ he said. ``We have all these people who went into the queue, paid their money, followed the law ... and now the government is saying it’s too bad because we changed our mind.’’

Waldman is now representing at least 40 people who are challenging the decision to eliminate the backlog and want to force the government to process their application.

He expects more to join.

The government has said those who are having their application and related fees returned can re-apply under new criteria established for the skilled worker program in the last few years.

In addition to legal action, the pledge to eliminate the backlog has sparked the creation of a Facebook group and small protests in India, Pakistan and China.

A spokesman for Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said government is committed to creating a fast and flexible immigration system. ``The government is confident that the provisions in Bill C-38 to eliminate the federal skilled worker backlog will withstand any legal challenge,’’ Alexis Pavlich said in an email.

But the government’s efforts to deal with the backlog have crumbled in the face of legal challenges before.

A decade ago, Waldman was part of a legal team that successfully challenged the government’s attempts to regulate the backlog away by applying retroactive changes to the points system.

The current effort to get rid of the backlog is included in the omnibus budget bill, Bill C-38, which the government is aiming to pass in June.

As it is unlikely a court could hear the immigration cases before then, Waldman says he expects to ask the court rule that the government must keep their files open until the cases can be heard.

The seven-year backlog represents people who applied to get into Canada before Immigration Minister Jason Kenney rejigged the federal skilled worker program to fasttrack applications from people the government felt could fill holes in Canada’s economy.

The length of time it was taking to process the backlogged applications is the subject of another lawsuit involving over 700 people from around the world.

A hearing for that case has been set for June 5. ■

Immigration Filipino-Canadian in Focus: C.E. Gatchalian 21 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

A lot of youth, not just Filipinos, are forgetting about books and how wonderful books are. How powerful language is.

In the other writings that I have done, some of the essays I have written have dealt with my Filipino heritage but not in my plays. It is something frankly that I am becoming more interested in. As I grow older, I feel that it is a part of me that I don’t know enough about. It is something that I will at some point write about in great detail. Whether it is a play, a novel, I do feel it is in me The Filipino youth nowadays seem more attracted to dancing and singing, how would you encourage them to be more interested in writing?

A lot of youth, not just Filipinos, are forgetting about books and how wonderful books are. How powerful language is. That is how I became interested in writing was through reading books. I would encourage the Filipino youth to read more books and discover the joys of reading. ■

BY STELLA REYES PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER AUTHOR C. E. GATCHALIAN is a true-blue Vancouverite. He is a playwright, fiction writer, poet, editor and teacher. An alumnus of the University of British Columbia’s Creative Writing program (BFA, 1996; MFA 2002), he is the author of nine plays, including Motifs & Repetitions, Crossing, Broken and People Like Vince. His work has been staged in Vancouver, Winnipeg, Toronto and New Zealand. He is the Artistic Producer of Screaming Weenie Productions, a professional queer theatre company here in Vancouver.

Chris recently launched his newly published book, Falling In Time (Scirocco Drama), a play that stunned Vancouver theatre audiences last November 2011.

Have you always been interested in theatre?

I’ve always enjoyed watching dramas and watching actors act. The turning point happened when I was thirteen and I saw a production of “A Streetcar Named Desire”, a great play by Tennessee Williams. It had a mind-blowing effect, I had this visceral reaction to it, in a positive way, and it really inspired me and made me want to create something as great as that play. I trace my interest in becoming a playwright to seeing that play.

Were you influenced in any way by your parents to go into theatre?

My parents were not really big theatre goers. Theatre was something different and that was something that I just discovered pretty much on my own. I had a real affinity for it. I did enjoy watching a lot of movies. My parents involved me in music when I was young. I took piano lessons and I performed a lot as a young kid. I was exposed to the arts in that sense.

In one of your plays, “Claire”, the opening act starts off with the actors narrating how they committed murder. Was the shock factor intentional?

I just really believe in not being afraid to explore every aspect of human nature. And sometimes stories do have very dark elements in them and I am not afraid to go there. For whatever reason, stories sometimes will go to very violent places. When you are young, you want to get attention and all that. In my earlier work there may have been an element of shock value but there is less of that now. It is writing as honestly and as truthfully as possible.

And if being honest requires that I have to go to dark places sometimes then I will go there.

Have you tapped into your Filipino background when you write your work?

24 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

Don’t feel bad if your kid doesn’t say ‘I love you’ ‘Parents should let their kids make their own decisions at an early age. If the family keeps making decisions for the child, they will not mature or grow up’

BY IRENE C. PEREZ Philippine Daily Inquirer VERBALLY saying “I love you” to your parents is uncommon among Filipino kids, especially when they reach the tricky young-adult age. This usually bothers parents, but they should first realize three things: This is common globally, this does not mean their children don’t love them, and the kids are growing up—and they should respect that.

These are reminders from Pia NazarenoAcevedo, a “life coach,” founder and CEO of The One Core Success Center, Creative Human Resource Group and Love Institute—organizations that specialize in relationships. She recently gave a parenting talk organized by Toblerone chocolate in line with Mother’s Day on May 13.

Celebrity moms and kids Fortune and RJ Ledesma, Frannie and RJ Jacinto, Lulu and Jessica Tan Gan, Ces and Georgia Schulzedel Rosario, and Inquirer columnist Tessa Valdes joined in the discussion.

Western practice Acevedo explained that saying “I love you” or “mahal kita” is a Western practice.

Kids who are more exposed to media tend to say it more. Also, if they hear it at home, they would be comfortable saying it, too.

So if the kids do not hear the parents saying it to each other, the kids would not be comfortable saying it to their parents.

“Asians are more reserved and conservative, but Asians also serve their parents best. They may not say ‘I love you’ often, but they take care of their parents until they are old, and putting them in a home is unacceptable.”

It’s so easy for kids to say “I love you” when they are young, but they could suddenly just stop saying “I love you” or “I love you, too” to their parents once they enter adolescence.

Acevedo said teens are at a phase where they are trying to be independent. They are vulnerable, and saying “I love you” signals an opening for their parents to come back into their lives, just when they are trying to do things on their own.

“Parents should let their kids go. Some parents’ self-worth relies on their children.

If the child became sweet again, the parents might see this as a sign and ‘attach’ themselves again to the child, so the child would detach and keep them at bay,” she said.

Remember to keep your distance; don’t put a child on the spot. If your kid is with friends, don’t scream “I love you” and feel bad if he or she does not reply. Don’t treat the growing child like a baby.

Then comes this awkward, even dreaded time for most parents: The kid falls in love.

The parent would see the son or daughter saying “I love you” over Facebook and Twitter to the boy/girlfriend, but never get any “I love you” from them.

Acevedo gives several pointers in handling this situation. Never start with the “You’re too young to be in a relationship!” sermon. Instead, “Ask the child; be curious. Ask, ‘Why do you like him/her,’ so that you will know how they operate, how they’re thinking.”

If a parent knows the child well, he or she would be able to give proper advice and the child will listen. “Any parent who has gone through puppy love knows that this is an I-love-you-to-death phase. There is an initial high, and parents should give the kids space.”

Extended adolescence Parents should let their kids make their own decisions at an early age, be it in saying “I love you” or choosing their own clothes.

“The parent may say, ‘Eh anak ko ’yon!’ (but s/he is my child!). It’s true, but if the family keeps making decisions for the child, they will not mature or grow up.”

Also note that this “adolescence phase” now has a new definition. According to Acevedo, modern psychology says the “young adult phase is now from 13 to 26, and could extend all the way until 32.

“An adolescent is defined as someone who is not sure about his identity. The age range is already stretched. Iba na talaga ang panahon ngayon (times are really different now),” she said.

“My advice to kids who are 26 and still not sure what to do with their lives is to move out of the parents’ house so that they can define who they are.”

That probably means it would take a tad longer before the parents hear “I love you” from young-adult kids, but remember that saying it is not the only way for children to express their love. It could be through other words, such as asking “Kumain ka na ba?” or saying “Ingat” when you leave the house.

Saying “I love you” via text, or online on Facebook or Twitter also counts. Giving pasalubong or gifts, like the limited-edition Toblerone that comes with an “I Love Mom” sleeve, is also a recognized “love language.”

Toblerone helps kids say “I love you” to their moms with the “I Love Mom” online promo. ■ Visit TobleronePilipinas on Facebook; http://coachpianetwork.com.

Pour it on: Drinkers of coffee regular or decaf live longer, big federal study finds

BY MARILYNN MARCHIONE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

COFFEE SEEMS to be good for you.

Or at least it’s not bad, say researchers who led the largest-ever study of coffee and health.

They found that coffee drinkers seemed a little more likely to live

longer than folks who drink no coffee at all. Regular or decaf didn’t matter.

That’s reassuring because a few studies in the past suggested coffee might be harmful. Results of the latest study are published in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.

Why the fuzzy research?

Older studies weren’t wrong: Coffee can raise cholesterol and blood pressure in the short term, which in turn can raise the risk of heart disease.

But few studies have looked at coffee and the risk of dying of any cause, let alone specific diseases. Some of those that have involved too few deaths to make firm comparisons.

Can we trust this one?

No study is perfect, and like most diet studies, this one is just based on observing people’s habits and resulting health. So it can’t prove coffee lengthens lives. But experts say it’s the best look yet at this issue.

It involved more than 400,000 people and was done by the National Institutes of Health and AARP. Researchers also took into account smoking, drinking alcohol, exercise and other things that can skew results.

How much difference did coffee make?

Very little, especially in relation to bigger factors such as smoking.

Compared with those who drank no coffee, men who had two or three cups a day were 10 per cent less likely to die at any age. For women, it was 13 per cent.

A single cup a day lowered risk a tiny bit: 6 per cent in men and 5 per cent in women. The strongest effect was in women who had four or five cups a day - they had a 16 per cent lower risk of death.

So it’s ok to drink all I want?

Watch the sugar and cream. Extra calories and fat could negate any good from drinking coffee.

Doctors also suggest drinking filtered coffee - that removes the compounds that raise LDL or bad cholesterol. ■

Lifestyle

A mall for the ‘active lifestyle’ rises in Subic Ayala Land’s Harbor Point will have a casual, resort-oriented ambience, while remaining energy-efficient and eco-friendly

THE DOLPHINS at Ocean Adventure in Subic.

Do malls and dolphins mix?

BY ANNE A. JAMBORA Philippine Daily Inquirer SOMETHING BIG has happened since the withdrawal of the US Forces in Subic Bay, said Olongapo City Mayor James Gordon Jr. Ayala Land has anchored at the heart of this Freeport Zone.

Aptly named Harbor Point, the latest of the Ayala malls is comfortably nestled in a sprawling 6.5-hectare development that will feature a manmade riverbank and a jogging path replete with fitness equipment, akin to LA’s Muscle Beach.

This is in line with the mall’s “active lifestyle” theme that also includes indoor futsal, yoga and martial arts.

Harbor Point’s casual, resort-oriented ambience blends seamlessly with the city’s fun, nature, sports and beach milieu.

Carrying a tagline “Where Everyday’s A Holiday,” it has over 300 local and foreign merchants, a game zone, and dining and entertainment areas.

“Harbor Point is complementary to what they already have,” said Ayala Land president Tony Aquino. Aquino also said Harbor Point supports and promotes sustainability on all levels, and partners with the government in turning its techno hub vision into a reality.

The mall is designed to be energyefficient. There is a natural breezeway to keep the area cool, and natural light to illuminate the entire activity center.

Customers are encouraged to bring their own eco-bags, and come June, a no-plastic policy will be implemented.

Tax-free goodies While Subic may have long been the shopping destination for many Manila residents for its tax-free goodies, Harbor Point will hold the distinction as the city’s first dining and entertainment venue.

The promenade is lined with a wide selection of restaurants, said Rowena Tomeldan, Ayala Land VP and head of operations, commercial business group. A mere stone’s throw away are shopping and entertainment zones, equipped with four

state-of-the-art cinemas, plus a 5,000-sqm Puregold supermarket.

According to Ayala Land vice president Javi Hernandez, some merchants will also retail products lesser than their branches outside SBMA. Office and residential buildings will also be constructed around the area.

The P2.5-billion Ayala development marks Ayala Land’s venture toward expanding in Central Luzon. “We have identified the Pampanga-Bataan-Zambales corridor as the key growth area,” said Bernard Vincent Dy, Ayala Land executive vice president.

Harbor Point’s opening deepened further Ayala’s presence in the area, Dy continued.

Other Ayala Land developments in the area include Anvaya Cove in Morong, Bataan, now an established residential and outdoor/ nature destination.

There is a free shuttle service around Subic Bay on weekdays, and on weekends this extends toward their residential developments. At present, there is still no water transport.

“Subic is a haven for super yachts, a cruise-ship destination with vibrant tourism programs. Harbor Point will bring Subic to a new level,” said SBMA chair Bobby Garcia. ■

Life is full of ‘O, wow’ moments for this young actor 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.

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. 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

For new Oishi endorser Elmo Magalona, there’s joy in the little things, from family moments to sharing favorite snacks

BY IRENE C. PEREZ

Philippine Daily Inquirer

ELMO MAGALONA believes that dodging the negative will help you survive and enjoy the challenging teen years. “Positivity affects your life—how you think, how you react to everyone around you. Easy to say and hard to do, but when you actually do, it’s really helpful.”

It also helps to enjoy the little things that come along, and to open up to everyday surprises.

Elmo’s cool, wholesome vibe makes him the ideal endorser for Oishi snack food. He was recently introduced as the brand’s “O, Wow” campaign spokesperson during a lunch at Chef Jessie restaurant in Rockwell, Makati. The Oishi “O, Wow” campaign celebrates simple moments that make you go “wow.”

The teen celebrity raps, sings, acts on the Sunday noontime show “Party Pilipinas,” and stars in the new weekly sitcom called “Tweets for my Sweets,” both on GMA-7. In between, he’s shooting a film with the working title “Just One Summer,” directed by Mac Alejandre. He plays lead opposite on-screen “love team” partner Julie Anne San Jose.

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 26 Kuya’ Elmo A lot of his fans are young girls, who are charmed by his good looks, and boys who admire his talent in singing. Elmo knows this fame is coupled with responsibility, and he has to set a good example. This is easy, he said, because he is the sixth among eight children, and is a kuya to two of them.

Elmo was born to a celebrity family. His grandparents are former actors Pancho Magalona and Tita Duran, and his father is the late Francis Magalona, known as the Philippines’ master rapper.

His older sisters Maxene and Saab are also in show biz, so Elmo is also expected to be a celebrity.

He just turned 18, but he has been living in his own for a while—major “O, Wow” moment for him. Whatever free time he gets, he spends with family and friends. Otherwise, he stays at home to “veg” out and catch up with digital games.

Moving out of his family’s Antipolo home was a “practical” decision, he said, since his new place is in Metro Manila and it allows him to become more independent and grow up.

But there are things that he still doesn’t do on his own, like fixing his finances. His mom and manager Pia does that.

“Mom keeps track of my finances. It would probably be so stressful to do that!” he said. “If I get a little bit older, I’ll have the responsibility of handling it on my own.”

He has his place to himself on weekdays. On weekends, some of his younger siblings visit with mom Pia, who sees to it that he’s keeping his place properly. But who cleans up the house?

“I don’t like to be messy at all, so that I don’t have to clean up,” he said, laughing.

Surprises Gathering all eight kids, some already with their own families, is a rare, prized “O, Wow” moment, he said.

“My family is really into surprises, we like throwing surprise birthday parties like they did on my 16th birthday. I surprise them, too, with little gifts, especially my nieces and nephews.”

Catching up happens during holidays, like last Easter when they chose to stay in Manila and had an Easter-egg hunt in the Antipolo house.

“We hid the eggs, and the smaller kids looked for them,” he said. “Bonding for us means dining out, too.”

They love dining out and snacking at home.

Among Elmo’s Oishi favorites are Marty’s Cracklin’ Vegetarian Chicharon “which is good because it’s not pork, but if you want pork, you can have the Baked Porky Pops chicharon. I like the hot and spicy one; I love spicy food.”

His other favorites are Wafu wafers that come in leche flan and cheddar-cheese flavors, Pillows choco-filled crackers and the classic Oishi Prawn Crackers.

Geek Another “O, Wow” moment for Elmo was finding out that he got admitted to the College of St. Benilde’s Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management course. He graduated from high school when he was 15, and is now geared to study cooking. He also considered taking a computer course, because he is a self-confessed geek and is into gadgets, games, photography.

“Something I got from my dad,” he said, smiling.

Elmo said that apart from his family, his fans contribute to a lot of his “O, Wow” moments.

“Someone gave me a bottle with colorful PostIts, telling me that I inspired her with my music.

One time, I was given a box of doughnuts,” he said. Elmo also assured that he regularly checks his Twitter account (@SuperElmo) for fan messages even if he cannot reply to all of them, and appreciates the tweets. These small things, he said, add a jolt of positive energy to his day. ■

Lifestyle MORTGAGE TIPS THAT YOUR MORTGAGE AGENT WON’T TELL YOU

27 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

IF YOU ARE BUYING: 5% CASHBACK or 0% DOWN PAYMENT -- WHICH ONE IS GOOD FOR YOU?

BY ROSE AMI

SO YOU have not saved any money for a down payment towards buying your home and your mortgage advisor is offering you the 5% cashback (that can be used towards down payment) or a 0% down payment. Should you buy a house now by taking the offer?

In my opinion, you should only take this option as a last resort. Here are the reasons why: 1. The rate that you will be getting is a 5-year fixed posted rate which is higher than a regular 5-year fixed discounted rate. So assuming your closing date is within 90 days, if you have monies for a down payment, your rate is 3.19%; if you use the cashback offer, your rate is 5.29%.

As an example if you have a $350,000 mortgage amortized over 30 years with a 5 year term, see the comparison: 2. If you try to break this mortgage, it can cost you a huge penalty since it is a fixed rate.

3. There are other options that are available to you if you do not have any savings at the moment. These options sometimes takes time, however, it will help you towards your dream of home ownership without paying a highinterest mortgage and it will force you to save some dollars that can help you towards your retirement.

4. You should only take an option that will serve your best interest. You might think that you are paying your landlord’s mortgage if you are renting now but if you take the cashback option, you are making the bank richer. Aside from paying higher monthly payments, you have to consider budgeting for bills that you did not have while renting like property tax, heat, hydro, water, cable, etc.

5. Also consider your current standard of living. If you have a highinterest rate mortgage, make sure that you can still live the quality of life that you want like taking your family

With 5% Downpayment from your Own Savings

0% Downpayment

Mortgage Amount

$350,000.00

$350,000.00

Less: Downpayment

$17,500.00

$0.00

Total

$332,500.00

$350,000.00

Add: Mortgage Default Insurance (2.25%)*

$7,481.25

$7,875.00

Total Mortgage

$339,981.25

$357,875.00

Amortiszation/Term

30 years/5 years

30 years/5 years

Interest Rate

3.29%

5.29%

Monthly Payment

$1,482.92

$1,972.35

Total Interest Paid

$52,715.12

$90,167.28

Total Principal Paid

$36,260.08

$28,173.71

End of Term Balance

$303,721.17

$329,701.29

*The mortgage default insurance is an approximate only. The purpose of this illustration is to give you a comparison of the two products (5% downpayment and 0% downpayment).

out for a movie, soccer game or ballet lessons for your kids, vacations, etc.

You do not want to work super hard and be stressed out about paying your mortgage, don’t you?!

Here’s another tip: Do not borrow your down payment from a line of credit or any other type of loan as much

as possible– your mortgage insurance premium is going to be higher than normal.

Rose Ami is a licensed mortgage agent with Dominion Lending Centres – Yellowbrick Mortgages Inc. #11129. For a free consultation, she may be reached at roseami@gmail.com or 647 780 9166.

SPRING REPRESENTS the best time of the year to host an outdoor get-together. If you are planning to host a barbecue, here are some tips: Direct heat (done by placing food on the grilling grate in the area directly over the heat source) is best for relatively small, tender pieces of food that cook quickly. This includes steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, pork chops, boneless chicken pieces, fish fillets, shellfish and sliced veggies. Direct heat sears the surface, developing flavours and texture, and it cooks relatively thin foods all the way to the centre.

Indirect heat is best for large meat cuts and tougher foods that require longer cooking times such as beef roasts, pork roasts, whole turkeys, whole chickens and ribs. Indirect heat also cooks the surfaces of food but in a much more even way.

Burgers are top of mind for many backyard grillers but pork barbecue – using a Filipino recipe (and a Filipino ketchup) – is still the best there is. Here’s how you could make a superb one:

Marinating Ingredients 2 cups UFC banana ketchup 1 1/4 cups brown sugar 1 cups lemon juice 1 whole head garlic , minced 1 onion minced 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 can clear soda (7Up or Sprite)

Directions 1.In a large saucepan mix together all the marinating ingredients 2.Add thinly sliced pork 3.Marinate pork overnight 4.Grill to perfection. Brush marinating sauce onto meat while grilling.

Enjoy grilling!

Lifestyle Too Much Ado about Self

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 28

Arrogance is like a dope that destroys the very fabric of one’s being.

BY ROMEO IGNACIO, BARRISTER & SOLICITOR “MY LAND is as wide as the eyes could see,” Pedring said.

Unperturbed, Titong gamely quipped “(W)e have the biggest mansion in town. We could invite townspeople and all could fit in without a doubt.”

“I ran for Governor but I lost with 100 votes,” Edong added, tongue-in-cheek.

These exchanges among old and middle-aged men are classic and you could hear them at coffee shops.

Try sitting for a cup of coffee at Tim Hortons, Country Style and Starbucks and one will drown with an array of colourful and mystical claims from compatriots who have no qualms of arrogating unto themselves the privilege of heralding their personae, existent or non-existent. Absent any demand, they wanted respect and recognition. That is not the question, however. The issue is when men in their twilight years, or even those approaching the proverbial sunset, become shenanigans and begin to paint the canvass more than Van Gogh. Without them knowing, their art surpasses those of real artists. And without the armour of a gladiator, they devour their audience like beasts of the field in search of their prey. Theirs was a theatre of make-believe.

“I used to be the manager of Hilton,” Poncho, grey-haired and beer-bellied,

insisted. His peers were struck with quintessential disbelief.

“I was a major in the Philippine Constabulary,” Pete, mustachioed and gout-stricken, injected.

There is really nothing wrong with flaunting one’s personal feat or success. That is the pride of every man who honestly worked his way up.

The problem is that kind of attitude betrays the basic concept of humility which characterizes a civilized society.

Arrogance is like a dope that destroys the very fabric of one’s being. Too much of it kills. Less of it enlivens.

“We have a fleet of cars. Mercedes, BMWs, Subaru, you name it,” Betong exclaimed.

Unwilling to be outdone, Lito waited for his break and nonchalantly said “I have a house in Baguio. I have a condominium in Pasig.”

At the first blush of hearing such dazzling statements, one could surmise that the speakers have a lot in their breast to thump with than what people perceive about them. They have to add to the glitter that their gold bracelets and necklaces fail to get attention, let alone their flashy cars. And it doesn’t matter whether they were acquired from the kingdom of Saudi Arabia or in the narrow streets of Ongpin.

Generals, congressmen, ambassadors, governors and mayors are a favourite subject of discussion any less than Pidol. Identification or relationship

with these people (as Filipinos are wont to do) mystifies listeners who were encapsulated with the enigma of seemingly untold stories never before unraveled before them. It doesn’t matter whether the people they mention are corrupt or hooligans, what matters is the position of those they flaunt as it would vicariously entitle them the esteem that goes with it. They love to be within the cordon sanitaire of kings and queens and the high society they represent.

Why, even a local mayor in a small town in Tawi-tawi would be given a red carpet when he visits Toronto.

An ambassador is treated like Julius Caesar.

Sometimes, men are like Don Quixotes in search of the windmills.

There is nothing wrong with acting like a Don Quixote as people do once in a while, but to repeatedly do it without hesitation is anathema to human decency which is slowly vanishing from the totem pole of values by men who live in the shadow of the past and running from the grim and bitter reality of the present.

No one really cares about one’s palatial homes, expansive lands and titles. To a reasonable man, he prefers to entomb them within the catacomb of his unassuming mind.

But with a battered ego as they face the cobwebs of everyday life, people crave for honest and inspiring stories that could soothe their present circumstances and mitigate their miseries.

Live within one’s compass and act within the square. **************** Legal Briefs Who has custody of the dog when spouses divorce? While the issue of custody usually applies to children, domestic animals or pets are a bone of contention in divorce proceedings.

They may be subject of custody.

A caregiver who files her application for permanent residence outside the duration of her work permit could still apply for permanent residence through humanitarian and compassionate grounds. That is if she fails to restore her status within 90 days of the expiration of the work permit.

A domestic assault conviction could disqualify a permanent resident for citizenship. Unless it is a first offence and evidence is strong, think again before making a plea of guilty.

The writer is a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada and Integrated Bar of the Philippines. He formerly contributed articles for the Peoples’ Journal and its broadsheet The Courier. The article is a general opinion only and no portion of it should be treated as an independent legal advice. Please direct comments to rignaciolaw@gmail.com or call (905) 597-0963. ■

BRIEFS by The Canadian Press

Clean, cook, separate and chill to keep your family safe during grilling season TORONTO – The days of more relaxed entertaining with families and friends gathering around backyard barbecues are upon us. But outdoor cooking can have health risks if certain steps are not taken, say public health officials.

This is as simple as four words: clean, cook, separate and chill, says Dr. Robin Williams, associate chief medical officer of health for the Ontario Ministry of Health. By Lois Abraham. ■

University of Toronto

Canada’s higher education system ranks high TORONTO - Canada’s places of higher learning have snagged the third spot in a global ranking of the top postsecondary education systems. The United States made it to the top of the list of 48 countries, followed by Sweden.

Finland, Denmark and Switzerland scored fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. India came in last. ■

The Halifax boardwalk

Halifax returns to past for tall ships visit HALIFAX – The wooden boardwalk that stretches three kilometres along Halifax’s waterfront will soon look more like the bustling port it once was during wartime, centuries ago. The city is gearing up for the return of dozens of tall ships this summer and is tying the event to Halifax’s role during the war of 1812, when flotillas headed out of the mouth of the harbour to fend off American marine attacks. ■

Lifestyle

29 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

Portraits of Filipino Artists

Leo “Jun” Cunanan

BY MELISSA REMULLA-BRIONES PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER Leo “Jun” Cunanan Leo “Jun” Cunanan, Jr. was born in San Pablo City, Philippines but moved with his family to Vancouver, Canada when he was 9 years old. “There were only 3,500 Filipinos at the time, we were a minority. My Classmates did not know where the Philippines was and in my school there were only 3 Filipinos,” he says. “It was hard, there was definitely discrimination at that time. Racism and bullying were issues.”

The climate has changed, according to Cunanan. “The society now is more accepting. There are so many Asians right now, [and as artists] we are going mainstream and it is good for everybody.”

Cunanan developed a strong interest in fine arts upon meeting SYM Mendoza, one of the foremost impressionist artists in the Philippines, who gave him private art lessons in 2001. “But I knew I was an artist as far back as I can remember. I still remember the picture I drew when I was 3,” he says.

Cunanan works in charcoal, pastel and water color. He also enjoys doing digital art. His paintings for Generation One were still life paintings using pastels based on his assignments with SYM. What is important to him, though, is quality time with his kids. “You want to teach your children love, things, spend time with them.” He credits God for everything that is happening in his life right now. “It has been an experience, I feel I haven’t accomplished anything, and that it is only the beginning of the rest of my life,” he enthuses.

Cunanan is also a musician, graphic artist and publisher of Dahong Pilipino, a community directory.

Esmie Gayo McLaren Esmie Gayo McLaren’s paintings are anecdotes of life. Long intrigued with capturing people on canvas, she infuses her figures with action and emotion, presenting them in some of their

Filipino artists featured in Generation One Exhibit

BY STELLA REYES PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER RENOWNED artist SYM (Sofronio Ylanan Mendoza), head of Dimasalang Artists, leads a group of Filipino artists participating in Generation One, the 2-Dimensional Art Exhibit at the International Arts Gallery in Tinseltown. The exhibition marks the month-long celebration of Asian Heritage Month in Vancouver. The other Filipino

Esmie Gayo McLaren

Stuart Dee

best moments. “I do a lot of paintings of children – they are candid, open, playful, expressive, and energetic. I also like to celebrate nature in painting flowers and birds, sometimes landscapes. They are joyful creations that I love to observe and enjoy. But most of all, I like to paint dancing. Maybe it’s because I love music, singing, and dancing. But maybe it’s also because dancers are so eloquent in expressing their feelings, their stories. With just a tilt of the head or extension of a limb, they impart so much to the viewer. And flamenco, it has drama, fun, torment, betrayal, excitement. How could I resist?” she enthuses.

Taught by her father and grandfather, McLaren began painting early in life. “I actually started seriously painting while I was in Japan and when I came here, I just added more to the knowledge,” she says. Through the years, her self-guided studies led her to learn from talented workshop instructors. In 2008, she received her Fine Arts Techniques certificate from Emily Carr University.

McLaren says Filipino-Canadian artists in Canada have a future. “I feel like we are just so lucky because the opportunities are here and if they are not here you can make the opportunities.

It is all there, up to us to work hard to attain whatever we want to attain as far as art goes,” she says.

She says that she wants her art to be an inspiration, “To remind myself and remind others looking at it that there are a lot of good times, children are beautiful, there are many good things to look at, how lucky we are to have those moments and they can take us through tough times and enjoy the times that we have with them.”

Art is work that McLaren is grateful for and passionate about.

She equally loves spending time with her family and friends, singing in the choir, golf, travel and flamenco. “I’d like to say that it’s been great having come this far with my career as an artist. I feel that I can communicate my ideas with my brush, and I look forward to learning more and expressing more.”

McLaren is an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, Dimasalang III International Artist Group, and the Portrait Society of America.

Stuart Dee People and destination photography is Stuart Dee’s cup of tea. He has photographed extensively in over forty countries throughout Europe, Asia and the Americas. In his travels, he celebrates “finding beauty in everyday.” He explains, “I travel a lot and I like to go to new places and discover new things and be surprised by the things that I see without any expectations.”

Dee was born in the Philippines and he just turned 13 when his family moved to Vancouver. “I went to grade school in the Philippines and when I came here, it was high school for me. The early years were pretty hard. Everything was different. The culture was different.

I spoke funny. I dressed funny. It was a shock.” Everything eventually became better for Dee. He says, “We are fortunate to be in Vancouver, one of the most racially mixed and the people here all get along very well. This is one of the best cities in the world.”

Dee, who considers himself primarily a photographer, studied painting and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of British Columbia. He explains, “I used to paint canvasses and I ran out of space. Photography is a lot more immediate and works well with my travel. I can create a lot more imagery with it. I have nothing but respect for painters but this medium suits my life.”

For the Generation One exhibit, Dee chose 2 photos that he took from Cambodia. Of Cambodia, he says, “It is a very inspiring place, deep in so many levels. This place Angkor Wat has been lost for centuries but it is actually one of the greatest cities in the world, powerful, huge. And the whole place is just crumbling, and the trees were overgrown. This [to me] talks about overgrowth and history and death and grandeur and life and degradation and rebirth all at the same time.”

When he is not behind the lens, Dee just wants to spend more time with friends and family. “Be relaxed and not be behind the camera, or catch up with some films. Pretty simple,” he says.

Dee’s images have been published in magazines, ads and other publications worldwide. He also teaches workshops on vision, color and travel photography, and writes travel articles. His work is represented worldwide by Getty Images. ■

artists are Esmie Gayo Mclaren, Leo Cunanan, Jr., Jess Hipolito, Mayo Landicho, Edgardo Lantin, and Rod Pedralba.

Generation One Co-chair John Leung invites the public to attend all the other 12 events that are happening all over the city. “This exhibition, Generation One Part 1, presents the work of four wellknown artists namely Persian calligraphy artist Massoud Karimaei; Chinese painter John Chen; Korean Jong Jin Lee and well-known and respected artist SYM Mendoza.”

Generation One Part 2 will run from May 19-25 and will feature the artworks of first generation oil-painting artist Wang Dexing, who is also the President of the Federation of Canadian Pacific Artists.

Celia Leung, Co-chair of Generation One, said that interested artists had access to submission forms online. They simply had to submit their artworks thru the VAHMS website and a group of curators review and accept the submissions in accordance to the mission/ vision of VAHMS, “we look at the artists’ background because we wanted to achieve diversity. The main focus of the exhibit is to include a diversity of Asian artists not only from a certain region.”

Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society (VAHMS) started out as an organization to celebrate the Asian-Canadian’s contribution to Canada. Michael Hwang, co-president of VAHMS, says that the directors soon realized that Canada keeps growing and welcoming new immigrants. “There was some gap between those who were born here and those who came first, called the First Generation. Generation One Art Exhibit stands for the first generation, the pioneers who were the first immigrants here. These artists uprooted themselves from their

respective countries to come here. They are the pioneers and nation builders here joining us and this exhibit is meant to bridge the gap between the two generations.”

Vice-Consul Anthony Mandap, who attended the opening ceremonies, reiterated his full support saying that it is a matter of pride for us as a country to have the artists taking part in the exhibit.

“These artists showcased the talents and abilities of Filipinos. Art is another way for us to be more visible not just in the good work we are doing as caregivers and food service personnel.” Mandap added, “it is also a way for us to be recognized, a way for us to be more involved in community activities. We need to raise our stack as a people and maybe we can avail ourselves of more services from the government.”

Spotted among the crowd was Toronto-based storyteller and arts educator Bernice Hune who stressed the importance of the event, “art can be celebrated every day of the year, that is why people create it.

But Asian Heritage Month provides a kind of time when Canadian artists have a better opportunity to showcase their work.”

Don Davies, MP for Vancouver Kingsway, sums up the significance of art in today’s multicultural society, “Art is critical. Politics and business they come from the brain, but art comes from the soul. What art does is it expresses the emotion and the soul of the nation. Just like the soul is important in a person, it is also very important in a country.

We should be listening to the artist more. Art comes from a place of love, understanding and beauty. We need more of that in our country.” ■ For more details on the Festival Schedule, please visit www. vahms.org

30 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

What to do with DJ Mo

BY POCHOLO CONCEPCION Philippine Daily Inquirer RADIO station Magic 89.9 acted real fast in suspending three of its DJS—MO Twister, Tin Gamboa and Mia Bayuga —for posting the hashtag #charicepempengcosextape on the microblogging site Twitter.

The suspension (two weeks without pay) was handed down on May 9—only hours after the hashtag (a Twitter term for categorizing messages) on Charice was posted while the DJS were at work on the show “Good Times with Mo,” its anchor, Mo, airing on podcast from New York.

Infuriated The hashtag, which turned out to be a prank, apparently

infuriated the United States-based Filipino pop star, who promptly expressed her displeasure, likewise on Twitter: “Too bad. Remember, you interviewed me? I thought you were nice. Anyway, I should talk to you FACE TO FACE.” This was punctuated with a smiley, but the last one sounded like a warning: “I hope you have a good lawyer.” This was reported widely on television, but she has since deleted her messages.

Ogie Alcasid reportedly promised to help Charice as president of the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mangaawit “if she approaches us.”

In a text message sent to INQUIRER Entertainment, Alcasid pointed out: “It is really unfortunate that Twitter… can be misused and abused. I foresee our lawmakers enacting new laws so this can be controlled.”

Angeli Pangilinan-Valenciano, wife and manager of Gary V, added: “Twitter is media and just like radio, TV and print, it can be abused. Responsible use of this powerful tool should be encouraged. The strength of Twitter is also its weakness. There is an absence of legislation on Twitter decorum. It is poison for minors!

Mo is a dear friend, but I do not condone malice of any sort. I was relieved when he apologized.”

Regrets Although the three jocks indeed apologized to Charice, still via Twitter, a number of users have taken Mo to task. One said Mo should be “suspended permanently,” and an informal poll on whether Mo should be banned from Philippine radio yielded the following results: 84 percent yes; 8 percent no; 8 percent don’t care.

This is not the first time that Mo is getting flak for his devil-may-care attitude as a show biz personality and broadcaster. He has incurred the ire of people for his reckless treatment of his romantic relationship with Rhian Ramos—the reason he has retreated from the public eye.

He has described the hashtag incident as “a dumb and cruel joke… an attempt to be funny at her (Charice) expense… It’s with deep regret that we have come to learn that.”

Charice, who has declined to comment further on the issue, will arrive in Manila to prepare for her stint as one of the judges on ABS-CBN’S “The X Factor Philippines,” a reality talent competition based on the original United Kingdom show created

by Simon Cowell. ■

Sa Amin, KAYO PO ANG

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Entertainment

31 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

‘Avengers’ adds $103.2M domestically in sprint to $1 billion mark worldwide THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

lev radin / Shutterstock.com

LOS ANGELES - ``The Avengers’’ is taking a page out of Superman’s comic book - flying faster than a speeding bullet to the billion-dollar mark at the box office.

The superhero blockbuster took in $103.2 million to lead for a second-straight weekend, raising its domestic total to $373.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

With $95.4 million more overseas, ``The Avengers’’ lifted its international receipts to $628.9 million and a worldwide haul of just over $1 billion, only 19 days after it began rolling out in some markets. ``You never think that it can happen this quickly,’’ said Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Disney, whose Marvel Studios unit produced the ensemble film after a long buildup in its solo superhero outings. ``You hope you can get to this day, and the fact that it is happening this early is a testament to a lot of work that went in on the Marvel side over the last six years to get us to a place where people wanted to see the Avengers assemble.’’ ``The Avengers’’ easily fended off Johnny Depp and Tim Burton’s vampire romp ``Dark Shadows,’’ which had a so-so domestic start of $28.8 million to finish a distant No. 2.

That’s far below such past DeppBurton collaborations as ``Alice in Wonderland,’’ which opened with $116.1 million, and ``Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,’’ which debuted with $56.2 million. ``Dark Shadows’’ added $36.7 million in 42 overseas markets for a worldwide total of $65.5 million. ``The Avengers’’ was the first movie ever to pull in more than $100 million domestically in its second weekend, passing the previous best of $75.6 million for ``Avatar.’’

The film also topped $300 million domestically Saturday after just nine days in release, beating the previous record set by ``The Dark Knight,’’ which hit that mark in 10 days.

Already the year’s biggest hit worldwide, ``The Avengers’’ is on the verge of passing ``The Hunger Games’’ at $386.9 million to become the top-grossing film domestically for 2012.

NEW YORK - Robert Downey Jr. & military officers attend ‘Marvel’s The Avengers’ Premiere during the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival at Manhattan Community College on April 28, 2012 in NYC

Revenue for ``The Avengers’’ was off just 50 per cent from the film’s domestic debut of $207.4 million the previous weekend, a remarkable hold given how big it started.

A round-up of such Marvel idols as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth), ``The Avengers’’ has shot past the revenues that its solo superhero predecessors took in for their entire runs. The best of those domestically was ``Iron Man’’ with $318.4 million. ``There has been a surprise around every corner with this picture in terms of how high is high and how big is big,’’ Disney’s Hollis said.

Inspired by the supernatural soap opera that debuted on TV in the mid-1960s, ``Dark Shadows’’ stars Depp as an 18th century vampire who is freed after two centuries of burial and returns to his ancestral homestead in the 1970s, aiming to rebuild the family fortunes.

The TV show has only a cult following, so the Warner Bros. update relied on the lure of a reunion between frequent collaborators Depp and Burton taking on another otherworldly tale. But ``Dark Shadows’’ left both critics and audiences cold, failing to make much of a dent in the intense appeal of ``The Avengers.’’ ``Certainly, more is better, but it was a busy weekend, especially with ‘Avengers’ doing $100 million in its second weekend,’’ said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros. ``The box office can only expand so much, and that was a hard one to anticipate. Those numbers are staggering.’’

Fox Searchlight’s crowd-pleaser ``The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’’ broke into the top-10 in its second weekend as it expanded from a handful of cinemas to 178 theatres.

The film took in $2.7 million to finish at No. 8. ``The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’’ features Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Tom Wilkinson in a tale of older Brits looking to retire to a cozy life in India.

Also in narrower release of 322 theatres, Eva Mendes’ comic drama ``Girl in Progress’’ opened at No. 10 with $1.4 million. The Lionsgate release stars Mendes as a nomadic single mom with a precocious teenage daughter. ``The Avengers’’ again provided the bulk of Hollywood’s business.

Overall domestic revenues totalled $172 million, up 23 per cent from the same weekend last year, when ``Thor’’ led with $34.7 million, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com.

Domestic receipts for the year are at $3.83 billion, 17.6 per cent ahead of last year’s with a huge summer lineup yet to come.

Hollywood.com analyst Paul Dergarabedian said he expects Hollywood to break the summer revenue record of $4.4 billion it set last year and top its all-time annual high of $10.6 billion from 2009. ``I think we will surpass that given the strength of just the first two weeks of the summer and the strength of the films on the way,’’ Dergarabedian said. ``Records are just made to be broken this summer and this year.’’■

1. ``The Avengers,’’ $103.2 million ($95.4 million international).

2. ``Dark Shadows,’’ $28.8 million ($36.7 million international).

3. ``Think Like a Man,’’ $6.3 million.

4. ``The Hunger Games,’’ $4.4 million ($2.4 million international).

5. ``The Lucky One,’’ $4.1 million ($2.5 million international).

6. ``The Pirates! Band of Misfits,’’ $3.2 million ($2.2 million international).

7. ``The Five-Year Engagement,’’ $3.1 million ($1.7 million international).

8. ``The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,’’ $2.7 million ($1.9 million international).

9. ``Chimpanzee,’’ $1.6 million.

10. ``Girl in Progress,’’ $1.4 million. ___ Estimated weekend ticket sales at international theatres (excluding the U.S. and Canada) for films distributed overseas

by Hollywood studios, according to Rentrak: 1. ``The Avengers,’’ $95.4 million.

2. ``Dark Shadows,’’ $36.7 million.

3. ``American Reunion,’’ $15.6 million.

4. ``Battleship,’’ $11.2 million.

5. ``21 Jump Street,’’ $3.2 million.

6. ``Titanic’’ in 3-D,`` $3.1 million.

7. ``As One,’’ $2.6 million.

8. ``The Lucky One,’’ $2.5 million.

9. ``The Hunger Games,’’ $2.4 million.

10. ``The Pirates! Band of Misfits,’’ $2.2 million. ___ Online: http://www.hollywood.com http://www.rentrak.com ___ Universal and Focus are owned by NBC Universal, a unit of Comcast Corp.; Sony, Columbia, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; Paramount is owned by Viacom Inc.; Disney, Pixar and Marvel are owned by The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is owned by Filmyard Holdings LLC; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros. and New Line are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a group of former creditors including Highland Capital, Anchorage Advisors and Carl Icahn; Lionsgate is owned by Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.; IFC is owned by AMC Networks Inc.; Rogue is owned by Relativity Media LLC.

Entertainment

Much ado about the ‘Thrilla in Naia’

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer

CELEBRITIES weigh in on the airport altercation that shook Show Town Expectedly, some stars were reluctant to comment on the airport fracas that shook Show Town. After all, there’s less than six degrees separating many in the biz from the characters in this true-life match.

Some could have worked with either Claudine Barretto or Raymart Santiago in the past. Were others intimidated by the on-air fire spouted by the Tulfo brothers on TV5? (Well, a few of those we asked work in TV5.)

We commend these respondents who bravely shared their thoughts on the scandal and its implications on press freedom, media responsibility, right to privacy, airport security, passenger rights, among other urgent concerns.

Bibeth Orteza Scriptwriter We’re talking about rights so I’m wondering why no one is thinking about (poet-activist) Ericson Acosta, who’s been illegally detained since Godknows-when. Will networks ever go crazy featuring non-celebrity political detainees? My goodness. Kids were risking [their lives] in Baguio to protect 182 trees and they didn’t get much space. Neither did the girl whose foreign rapist was allowed to leave the country. The big to-do over Tulfo vs. Santiago/ Barretto says so much, or so little, about us.

Richard Gutierrez Actor There are two sides to every story, but I can’t help but feel for Ate Claudine and Kuya Raymart. They’re good people. I’m sure they were provoked. Kuya Raymart said he was just protecting his wife. As they say: Never mess with a family man. I hope people would ask permission first before they take photos and videos of celebrities. We’re not robots. We get emotional, too.

Jose Javier Reyes Filmmaker Some people have made a career out of being celebrities, getting overpaid as scandal-magnets.

Intrusion into their privacy is the payback. So they better learn to behave. If you are screaming in public, why should you be appalled if you attract the attention of a reporter? It’s part of the deal. The two camps could be both right or wrong. But images don’t lie. The protagonists in this real-life drama will be judged based on the YouTube video. What transpired before the video was shot has become immaterial. What the public will remember is the sight of a senior citizen being beaten up. Sad, but true.

Khavn de la Cruz Indie filmmaker/poet The day the tulfoclaudine-raymart bash happened, a grenade killed two and injured thirty in iligan / a tornado injured over thirty people in tsukuba / snap elections kicked off in serbia / and 9/11 defendants were formally charged in guantanamo bay. the fact that the threesome is still discussed today / is another lesson in absurdity / talking about it is futile. on the other hand, it’s also a lesson in poetry / how to give attention to trivial things / amazing it’s still discussed today.

Gina Alajar Actress I’m keen on siding with the Santiagos mainly because I know the feeling of other artists when being videoed without consent and in the middle of a bad situation… I really get upset especially if I am talking to someone incompetent. I’d also get mad if, while I express my dissatisfaction, another person would shoot a video just to get a scoop. That’s unfair. It’s all about respect. It seems no one knows that word anymore.

Tessie Tomas Actress Celebrities should be extra careful as to how they behave in public places. We are public property and are moving targets for authorized or unauthorized coverage.

Carmi Martin Actress I also get upset about airline delays and excuses.

But the lesson in this incident is that public figures should always be polite and proper when in public places.

Willie Nepomuceno Stand-up comic When you become a public figure, you automatically give up your right to privacy. But the threat of revenge and the cursing from the T3 on national television? That’s not press freedom at all.

The rights of passengers are curtailed the moment the security guard asks for their IDs. That should be done at the check-in counter. Airline security?

It’s simple math. They weigh in your baggage with limits. Total it and you’ll know if the plane can take off and avoid off-loading. As to the warring parties, it’s simply a question of character. Child abuse happens when you don’t get the kid out of the way before you engage in a fight. Verbal abuse has limits even when you’re the aggrieved party. Media power, however, is a privilege and not a badge of authority.

Lesson learned: Don’t fly in the summer heat… it’s more fun in Switzerland! ■

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 32

Chard not averse to possible TV5-GMA 7 merger

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer RICHARD Gutierrez, one of GMA 7’s top male stars, isn’t averse to the possible merger of the Kapuso and Kapatid networks.

(There is talk that TV5’S Manny V. Pangilinan is interested in buying GMA 7.) “If it would lead to the two networks working together ... if it would be for the good of the industry, then I am all for it,” he told INQUIRER in a one-on-one during the launch of his Gutz & Glory Deo Cologne line for Bench. It’s good news for him also because it could allow him to work with his sister Ruffa Gutierrez, a TV5 contract star.

Chard, as he is known in the biz, said it might lead to more documentary specials and shows on the environment as well.

(GMA News and Public Affairs was able to cultivate his passion for the cause with a string of specials.)

The actor recounted waking up at the crack of dawn to join a fisherman in the open seas for his last docu, “Oras Na,” on GMA 7.

During that simple boat ride near Polo, Aklan, he was exposed not just to the elements, but also to disturbing realities.

He saw firsthand the harsh life of fisher folk and the alarming state of our diminishing marine resources. “After two and a half hours, the fisherman caught only four [fishes],” he said.

New show This month, he embarks on another expedition with his new travel/extreme sports program, “Pinoy Adventures” (Sundays, prime time, starting May 13).

“The show allows me and the viewers to explore places most Filipinos haven’t seen,” he said. On top of his list of must-visit spots are Palawan, Aklan, Romblon, Bohol, Benguet and Sagada.

His dream episode for the show is to climb the country’s highest peaks—mt. Pulag, Apo, Guiting-guiting, among others. “It’s something I haven’t done before. In past docu specials, I went diving and snorkeling. I would need special technical training for mountain climbing. It’s a new adventure, a new challenge.”

In the show, so far, he has gone mountain biking and rapeling near the waterfalls on Sibuyan Island in Romblon, and spelunking in Linapacan, Palawan.

He took a zip line ride on Sibuyan, a place he would like to revisit soon. “It is a good example because it uses clean energy. With its numerous waterfalls, it was able to harness hydroelectric power,” he related.

Chard has competed in triathlons as well. He has joined marathons here (Cebu) and abroad (Guam) and plans to join the international Iron Man race (also in Cebu) in August.

Mom’s town “It’s important for me to run in Cebu, my mom’s home province,” he said. “It’s exciting because all my relatives will be there to cheer me on.”

He trains “almost every day,” he reported. When he’s busy with TV tapings, he makes it a point to bring his bike to the set. “I go biking between takes.”

Speaking of new adventures, he has started work on the coming prime-time series, “Makapiling Kang Muli,” where he is paired with leading ladies Carla Abellana and Sarah Lahbati for the first time.

He has yet to act opposite Sarah, but he has taped a few scenes with Carla at press time.

“Carla is a joy to work with. She’s a pro. The mood on the set is always light and easy.”

Chard took a hands-on approach to his new career as budding perfumer, too. He said he collaborated closely with the Bench team to come up with the two varieties of his deocologne.

“One for night and another for day. One is light (daytime) and the other is musky (nighttime)—like me in real life,” he said. “I wear fresh scents in the morning, stronger colognes in the evening.” ■

Entertainment

33 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

Crafty bridal shop owner Kim Spradlin crowned winner of ‘Survivor: One World’ Survivor: Philippines to come next

Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

BY DERRIK J. LANG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES - Survivor producer Mark Burnett at the “Survivor: Nicaragua” Finale at CBS Television City on December 19, 2010 in Los Angeles, CA. Survivor Philippines is next.

LOS ANGELES - ``Survivor: One World’’ should have probably just been called ``Survivor: Kim’s World.’’

Kim Spradlin not only won the CBS reality competition’s $1 million grand prize Sunday, the crafty 29-year-old bridal shop owner from San Antonio, Texas, also brought the alliance that she helped form at the game’s outset to the final tribal council all while engineering the dismissal of each member of the show’s nine-person jury of former players. ``I strategized until I was blue in the face,’’ said Spradlin.

The jury ultimately voted for Spradlin over her allies, 33-year-old high school teacher Sabrina Thompson of New York and 26-year-old medical saleswoman Chelsea Meissner of Charleston, S.C. Spradlin, Meissner and Thompson worked together from the first day of the game, which originally featured two tribes divided by sex living on the same beach in Samoa.

NEWSBRIEFS

Spear, Lavato joining ‘The X Factor’ on Fox for new season

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Controversial beauty queen and co-contestants meet with students TORONTO – Jenna Talackova, the transgendered beauty contestant who sparked global attention when she was initially disqualified from the Miss Universe Canada pageant, meets with students.

The winner of the pageant will be crowned Saturday in Toronto. – The Canadian Press ■

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

WEST HOLLYWOOD – Adam Lambert isn’t coming off ``American Idol’’ or a racy American Music Awards performance, nor is he declaring his sexuality in Rolling Stone or posing with a nude model in Details magazine. The 30-year-old glam rocker doesn’t mind the lack of a media thunderstorm ahead of Tuesday’s launch of his sophomore album: He relishes the element of surprise. – The Canadian Press ■

Christopher Plummer’s ‘The Tempest’ hits cinemas Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

DFree / Shutterstock.com

Fox has 3 new shows on fall schedule

NEW YORK - Fox is moving ``Glee’’ to Thursday nights and turning its Tuesday schedule over entirely to comedies. The network said Monday that it will add two new comedies and one new drama to its schedule in the fall. Fox is the second of the broadcast networks to announce their fall schedule this week, following NBC on Sunday. - APNewsNow ■

bringing their star power to Fox’s ``The X Factor.’’

The network officially announced Monday what had been a poorly kept secret, that Spears will join Simon Cowell’s music competition for its second season.

Spears, wearing a white minidress, came onstage at Fox’s New York upfront presentation with Cowell, Lovato and the remaining judge, L.A. Reid. Spears said she was ``so excited about the whole experience’’ and that it will be different from anything she’s ever done. – David Bauder, The Associated Press ■

Adam Lambert talks new album, ‘idol’ knock-offs

‘30 Rock’ getting odd exit from NBC NEW YORK - Emmy-winning comedy ``30 Rock’’ is being ushered out in an odd way by NBC.Within the space of four days, NBC officials confirmed that ``30 Rock’’ will call it quits for good after 13 episodes next season, denied it and then confirmed it again. – The Canadian Press ■

``We were a mess at the beginning, and then we just pulled it together,’’ said Thompson, who nabbed two jury votes to Spradlin’s seven. Spradlin also received the most viewer votes, winning an additional $100,000 fan-favourite prize.

Spradlin secured her place among the final three contestants on the 24th edition of ``Survivor’’ by winning four individual immunity challenges, including the final two physical competitions, which ousted 29-year-old career consultant Christina Cha of Los Angeles and 25-year-old special education teacher Alicia Rosa of Chicago from the 39-day contest.

At the end of the finale, ``Survivor’’ host Jeff Probst announced that the upcoming 25th season would be titled ``Survivor: Philippines’’ and would feature three tribes as well as three returning contestants that previously removed from the game for medical concerns. ■ CBS is a division of CBS Corp.

Online: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/survivor/ Follow AP Entertainment Writer Derrik J. Lang on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/derrikjlang.

NEW YORK - It will be hard to miss Christopher Plummer this year. The Academy Award winner’s stage performance in ``The Tempest’’ will be shown in hundreds of movie theatres on June 14, even as plans are in the works to have his ``Barrymore’’ join it at the multiplex APNewsNow ■

34 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

Hotel Fort Canning: Heritage becomes luxury

BY ALEX Y. VERGARA Philippine Daily inquirer

HOTEL Fort Canning is another gem in Singapore’s efforts to preserve its historic buildings.

Singapore has again led the way in conservation by turning an abandoned British colonial-era administration building into Hotel Fort Canning, a three-story, 86-room (two of which are luxury suites) heritage boutique hotel nestled between Orchard Road, Clark Quay, and the city’s CBD. Designed for business travelers and couples, the hotel opened in November 2010 after a two-year renovation. It boasts food and beverage outlets, including an Italian restaurant, ballroom, function rooms, state-of-the-art gym, and two swimming pools. Rates start from S$350/night for a deluxe room inclusive of breakfast, Wi-Fi, and daily evening drinks at the private lounge (www.hfcsingapore.com).

The hotel stands out among the city’s bigger and more famous players. The property has manicured gardens and a lush tropical park beyond, and even an outdoor shaded jogging trail that allows health buffs to savor the pristine air.

Since it’s a fairly small property, its friendly staff, including some Filipinos, makes sure you get personalized service. Apart from providing the usual creature comforts, including the novelty of staying in rooms with exposed bathtubs or indoor balconies with glass walls, Hotel Fort Canning is a date with history few other hotels in Singapore can provide.

Built in 1926, the iconic structure located on what was then Government Hill was the administration building of the British Far East Command.

Adjacent to it was the governor’s residence, where British governors, beginning with Sir Stamford Raffles, once lived.

In front of the hotel is the Bottle Box, a fortified bunker where British wartime commander of the Malayan forces, Lt. Gen. Arthur Percival, set up his command. Also in this building gallant British troops, under Percival, handed over the reigns of power to victorious Japanese invaders in 1942.

The building’s site has an older history that dates back to the Majapahit kings of the 14th century.

Portions of a palace’s walls and foundations from pre-colonial Southeast Asia stand in certain sections of Hotel Fort Canning’s sprawling gardens.

To pay homage to the area’s history, the hotel, with archeologist John Miksic, built an Archeological Pit on the lobby floor. Spanning four huge tiles, the glass-top display shows local artifacts unearthed from the hotel’s grounds. To give the display a feel of authenticity, the objects are set in partially dug red earth.

“There’s probably no other hotel in town that’s situated within a National Heritage Park with a history that dates back to the very beginning of Singapore,” said Jeremy Tan, senior associate director of DP Architects, the firm responsible for the building’s renovation, in a

press release. “Our approach was to celebrate the history of the Hill by enhancing the richness of its heritage.”

Responsible conservation and creative adaptive reuse come with a hefty price tag. Property owners led by CEO Oh Chee Eng reportedly spent as much as S$70 million for the restoration effort alone.

For its pains, Hotel Fort Canning was rewarded the prestigious Urban Redevelopment Authority Architectural Heritage Award soon after opening.■ Photos courtesy of Hotel Fort Canning

35 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

Travel

Timeless beauty’ awaits in Hanoi

Night shot of Hoi An, Vietnam.

The French built Opera House in Hanoi

Halong Bay, Vietnam.

BY CONSTANTINO C. TEJERO Philippine Daily Inquirer

THIRTY-SEVEN years after the end of the Vietnam War, the country’s cultural and official capital, Hanoi, still seems mysterious to many Filipinos.

They’re familiar with Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), the country’s commercial capital teeming with life, but mention of Hanoi sounds forbidding, a citadel in the northern highlands surrounded by myths and folklore.

“There are only over 200 registered Filipinos living in Hanoi,” says Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Jerril Santos. “But they like it here because the economy is stable. And security is not an issue. If you’ve noticed as soon as you arrive at Noi Bai Airport, they’re not too strict with inspection.”

This is just one of Hanoi’s many come-ons for tourists. There are, of course, the ancient temples, pagodas and historical monuments; the traditional arts and artifacts in the streets (lacquerwork, ceramics, old propaganda posters, embroidery art,

Vietnamese silk, water puppets); the French-influenced foodstuff (baguette, coffee, cuisine with flavors subtler than its Oriental cousins’); the mild climate and scenic lakes. And, Halong Bay is just over two hours’ drive away.

Most important to tourists, shopping in the Old Quarter is relatively cheaper. ($1 is about 21,000 Vietnamese dông; P1 would be about VND500; so if you have P2,000 in your wallet, you’d be a millionaire in Hanoi.)

Vietnam had six million tourist arrivals last year, but only some 17,700 Vietnamese tourists visited the Philippines. This is predicted to double this year with the newly opened direct flight between Hanoi and Manila.

On March 17, Cebu Pacific Air launched its twice-weekly flights between Manila and Hanoi. This is the only airline in the country servicing this route. Its Saigon-Manila flight was launched in 2008.

The maiden flight was joined by President Noynoy Aquino’s sisters Ballsy, Pinky and Viel, as well as Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Nguyen Vu Tu and wife Tran Thi Lan Hinh; Philippine media

members; and Filipino theater artists slated to perform in Hanoi to mark 36 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The direct flight took only 2˝ hours.

Manila is an hour behind Hanoi.

of Nature—a common ground that both countries must celebrate. “You have your tourism slogan ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ and we have ours, ‘The Timeless Beauty.’ So we’re both happy.

Let’s visit each other’s country.”

Common ground Two days later, a press conference was jampacked in a hall of the Hanoi Opera House (built by the French in the Art Nouveau style, really impressive).

In attendance were Ambassador Santos; Nguyen Van Tinh, director general of the International Cooperation Department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; José Capistrano, director of the Intramuros Administration, representing Philippine tourism; and Lance Gokongwei, president and CEO of Cebu Pacific.

Remarked Gokongwei, “The addition of Hanoi to our international network means that we will now be able to cater to the air travel needs of a broader Filipino and Vietnamese market. Cebu Pacific becomes the only Philippine carrier to serve both the northern and southern areas of Vietnam, providing more access for Vietnamese residents to enjoy the shopping, eco-adventure and entertainment attractions the Philippines has to offer. This will also open more avenues for business collaboration as well as trade and investment opportunities.”

The audience was treated to the Department of Tourism’s latest ad campaign, a music video so arresting even in its raw copy it made every Philippine delegate proud to be a Filipino.

In his response, Minister Van Tinh pointed out Halong Bay and the Palawan Underground River had just been included among the New Seven Wonders

Celebration of friendship That evening, heavy cocktails were served at the lobby of the opera house, where guests whirled and strutted in Filipiniana, traditional Vietnamese and business attires. The Vietnam-Philippines Friendship Concert that followed was graced by the Aquino sisters, whose presence at the theater’s presidential box was acknowledged by Minister Van Tinh in his remarks.

For the concert, the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Japanese Honna Tetsuji.

The host city offered two heartthrobs: Classically influenced pop tenor Duc Tuan; and violinist Bui Cong Duy, gold medalist at the 1997 Tchaikovsky International Music Competition.

Ours were two soaring sopranos: Joanna Ampil, a West End singeractress; and Rachelle Gerodias, whose supple voice ranges from frisky to doomy arias. Plus international pianist Raul Sunico, president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

As part of the celebration of the two countries’ friendship, the same concert was slated to be performed in the south. The following day, the Filipino performers and officials, including the Aquino sisters, were off to Ho Chi Minh City—Saigon, Vietnam’s largest city, where some 5,000 Filipinos were living.

Cebu Pacific Air Manila-Hanoi flights are scheduled Tuesday and Saturday; Hanoi-Manila, Wednesday and Sunday—at $69 (or P2,500) for its lowest year-round lite fare. ■

Travel

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 36

Luxury train travel through the Rockies showcases stunning scenery

BY STEVE MACNAULL and KELOWNA DAILY COURIER THE CANADIAN PRESS WHEN I FIRST SAW - and heard - Suzanne Young on the Rocky Mountaineer luxury sightseeing train she was chattering non-stop in her charming Aussie accent.

Initially she was gabbing with her travelling companions - her husband Ross and another couple from their hometown of Adelaide.

And then she told me how the Rocky Mountaineer was part of a bucket-list trip to Canada for the group. ``Everybody knows about the Rocky Mountaineer in Australia,’’ she gushed. ``It’s everyone’s dream to ride it.’’

Upon further discussion, it seems it doesn’t hurt that the Rocky Mountaineer had a booth at a recent Travel Expo that Young attended in Adelaide and that commercials featuring the exclusive train touting Canada as a travel destination seem to be on the telly every night in Oz. Apparently the train’s international marketing prowess is also big in the U.S., Britain and New Zealand.

In fact, my nine-year-old daughter Grace and I seemed to be the only two Canadians aboard the train that glides through the quintessentially Canadian Rocky Mountains on two-day trips showcasing some of the world’s most stunning and famous scenery.

While the Rocky Mountaineer clearly revels in its foreign passengers, it wants more Canadians to ride the rails too.

It seems the adage of people being blase about what’s in their own backyard holds true.

Canadians know the Rockies are there and may even have driven through them, but many still don’t consider it a holiday the way they do Hawaii, the Caribbean or Europe.

But once you read this you may want to make it your next vacation.

It’s the most luxurious, relaxing, eye-popping and culinary ride I’ve ever had.

Admittedly it was on the GoldLeaf service, the Rocky Mountaineer’s premium experience in a double-decker glass-domed car for maximum mountain gawking and comfort. ``Whoa, these are our seats,’’ said my daughter after climbing a spiral staircase into the second-floor dome. ``They’re better than airplane seats. And the ceiling is a window,’’ she added as she cranked back the recline, looked up and then spread out her gadgets - laptop, iPod and Nintendo handheld.

The seats are wide, give forever legroom and, yes, recline way back.

Turned out Grace hardly needed the diversions she brought along.

The scenery is just too dramatic to miss for a movie on the laptop, music on the iPod or games on the Nintendo.

On the 600-kilometre stretch between Kamloops, B.C., and Calgary, the Rocky Mountains roll out all the hard-hitters from the Columbia River Bridge, Glacier National Park, Rogers Pass and Rocky Mountain Trench to the Spiral Tunnels, snow-capped peaks like Mount Stephen, Temple Mountain, Castle Mountain and Three Sisters Mountain,

the Continental Divide, Banff National Park and finally the glittering highrises of Calgary at night.

There’s even the odd elk, bighorn sheep, rabbit and eagle sightings.

By the time word of a grizzly bear reached our car, though, the bruin had made himself scarce in the woods.

While we certainly utilized the recline of our seats to take in these sights through the windows and see-through ceiling, we also wandered the observation car, took regular blasts of fresh air in the outdoor viewing vestibule and headed to the dining car for breakfast and lunch.

The dining car is down the spiral staircase and harks back to a time when train travel was leisurely and lavish. It’s all white tablecloths, fine china and gourmet food.

Grace and I could have opted for a table for two but instead chose to share a table for four in order to mingle.

How else would we have met mothers and sons Joan and Greg from California and Elizabeth and Andrew from York, England, Kiwi brother and sister Mike and Lisa and husband and wife David and Shirley from just outside London, England?

All share something.

Seeing the Rockies was a dream vacation and with research the Rocky Mountaineer always popped up as the most decadent way to do it.

By the way, these conversations were over breakfasts of buttermilk pancakes, berry parfaits, omelettes and eggs Benedict and lunches of wild salmon filet, Alberta pork tenderloin and Fraser Valley pan-seared chicken breast.

Of course, they were accompanied by either Merlot or unwooded Chardonnay from Sumac Ridge Winery in the Okanagan. ``Certainly there’s nothing more beautiful than the Rockies,’’ said Rocky Mountaineer communications manager Nancy Dery. ``But from the feedback we get from guests it’s the overall onboard experience they remember the most, the service, the socializing with others from around the world.’’ ■ Steve MacNaull travelled as a guest of the Rocky Mountaineer.

If You Go...

• The Rocky Mountaineer does four main routes seasonally April to October _ a two-day First Passage to the West (Vancouver-Kamloops-Banff-Calgary); two-day Journey Through the Clouds (VancouverKamloops-Jasper); two-day Rainforest to Gold Rush (Whistler-Quesnel-Jasper); and half-day Sea to Sky Climb(Vanouver-Whistler).

• All routes can also be done in reverse.

• My daughter and I did the flagship First Passage to the West ride with an overnight at the Coast Hotel in Kamloops and post-train stay at the landmark Fairmont Palliser Hotel (Fairmont. com), which is in the same downtown Calgary complex where the Rocky Mountaineer pulls into the station.

•First Passage to the West packages start at $850 per person for the two days on the train and overnight hotel or $1,900 per person for the full-on GoldLeaf service with double-decker glass-domed observation deck and dining car.

RockyMountaineer.com.

Gustong magpadala sa inyong mga mina-Mahal?

Handog ng UBC Philippine Studies Series:

We are interested in exploring Filipinos’ stories through the gifts they send to friends and family.

If you ship your gifts/padala through us, we will make them part of our art exhibit! We will display two balikbayan boxes in the YACTAC Gallery (Vancouver) on June 8 and 9, 2012.

The boxes will then be sent to Kanto Art Collective (Manila), where the recipients will collect their items on August 22, 2012. With your permission, your stories will be documented and included in the display of the balikbayan boxes.

For more information, contact us: EDSEL YU CHUA

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explorASIAN 2012 Festival Events Signature Programs

This project is supported by: The Liu Institute for Global Issues and the UBC Immigrant Vancouver Ethnographic Field School.

MONTREAL’S 7th annual INTERNATIONAL ANARCHIST THEATRE FESTIVAL MAY 15 + 16, 2012 featuring over 30 artists from the Philippines, France, the USA & Montreal The seventh annual Montreal International Anarchist Theatre Festival (MIATF) – the world’s only anarchist theatre festival – will present over 30 artists from the Philippines, France, the USA and Montreal for two nights of provocative, socially engaged theatre in French and English, Tues and Wed, May 15th and 16th, at the Sala Rossa, 4848 boul St-Laurent, 7:30pm.

This year’s highlight will be a performance by four members from the acclaimed young Philippines theatre troupe from Manila, Dulaang Filipino, appearing in Montreal for the first time.

The MIATF is part of Montreal’s annual Festival of Anarchy, which includes the thirteenth annual Montreal Anarchist Bookfair, May 19th and 20th, 2012.

INFO: festivaltheatreanarchiste@yahoo.ca www.anarchistetheatrefestival.com

BUILDING TOGETHER – Settlement & Integration Program

Do you have questions about your CPP benefits? Are you aware of the changes to the pension plan under Bill C-51? Get answers to your questions.

Join us in a free, interactive workshop with a representative from Service Canada regarding:

“Canada Pension Plan and

Recent Changes”

Date & Time: Saturday, June 16, 2012; 1­3PM

Venue: ISSofBC Welcome House, 530 Drake St. (corner Seymour St.) Vancouver, BC

Limited seats so please confirm. Call Chit at 604-684-7498 ext. (corner Seymour St.), Vancouver, BC 1666 or email resochita.arma@issbc.org

www.issbc.org

May 1-31: World Poetry Canada International Peace Festival: Inspire, Achieve, Celebrate – A multicultural and multilingual celebration of poetry, music and dance. Focus on youth and the theme of World Peace. International poets will be welcome by local poetic groups; networking celebration dinner; poetry necklace; display of peace poems and photos from around the world. Produced

by World Poetry, co-sponsored by VAHMS and the City of Richmond. Multiple locations in Metro Vancouver. For details, visit: www.worldpoetry.ca / FREE May 24: Immigrant Youth Drama – a unique drama to explore the struggles, challenges and successes experienced by our immigrant students and families in this new land they call home. Produced by the VSB SWIS Program: Byng Inclusion Project 3B, and in partnership with S.E.C.C.E.S.S., VAHMS and other community organization. 7pm / Lord Byng Secondary School. Visit vahms.org for more details. (Partner event) May 27: Chinese Canadian Youth Concert – Featuring 10 award-winning performers of Chinese descent from age 6 to 15, who will be playing over ten classical pieces from both Western and Chinese repertoires, accompanied by the New Westminster Symphony Orchestra & Wesley Music Academy. Produced by the Association of Chinese Cultural Promotion – Canada, and co-sponsored

by VAHMS. 7pm / Recital Hall, UBC / More information at www.accpcanada.com.

May 31: rePercussion – A melding of Punjabi and Brazilian styles of drumming that explore percussion and folk drumming from the variety of cultures that represent Vancouver. Produced by the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society and co-sponsored by VAHMS. This event will close Asian Heritage Month. 7:30pm / Surrey Arts Centre / For ticket information, visit www.

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PCI’s Laarni with winner, Moe Soufi and Gigi Astudillo of Times Telecom.

Canada: Seen and Scenes

Shown are Kababayan Community Centre Multicultural Services (KCCMS) and Philippine Teachers Association of Canada (PTAC) officers at a joint meeting in Toronto, Canada planning for the May 26th, 2012 Sixth Annual Teachers Conference, with the theme, “Moving Forward: Career Transition, Career Transformation”. – Tony A. San Juan, OCT

WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 40

Rehearsals for Historama, a cultural show that depicts important periods of Philippine History in short plays, songs and dances to be presented on June 9, 2012 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

FILIPINO YOUTH signs up for Stem Cell Registry. Currently, the OneMatch registry in Canada is 85% Caucasian registrants. Non-Caucasians (especially visible minorities) are underrepresented (only 0.1% on the registry are from South East Asia), and hence the chances of a successful match are much lower for them. With Sammie Jo Rumbaua (MHHS-REMYX youth coordinator) and MHHS-REMYX members, Ralejoy salvan, Andrea villavicencio and Eric John Estepa, with Marissa Pena (Lifelines Representative) and PCI’s Ryan Ferrer.

Angelo Siglos

The Filipino Plaza Society and its volunteers prepare for the Flag Raising Ceremony on June 2, 2012, 9am at the Filipino Plaza, Vanness Avenue, Vancouver.

Spirit Alive! Choral Music Gala on May 12 at the Chan Shun Concert Hall showcased the exceptionally-gifted young men and women of the St. Patrick Regional Secondary Choirs and their dedication to enriching Vancouver’s arts and culture community through a “commitment to excellence and joyful noise!”. Pat’s Choirs were the first Canadian high school choirs to participate in the “Festival of Gold” US National Choral Invitational where they have received three consecutive Gold Rankings. In addition, the Choirs have been invited to perform at international conferences and festivals throughout North America, Europe and Asia, including concerts at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, Canterbury Cathedral and the United Nations.

Canada: Seen and Scenes

Angelo Siglos

41 WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012

Solon Licas

The scene at Miss World 2012 Canada where Ms. Tara Teng was crowned as one of Canada’s most beautiful. Please see related story on page 16.

Mother’s Day Celebration at Lamesa Filipino Kitchen, a contemporary spin on traditional Filipino cooking on Queen West, Toronto. With Myrna Licas with Myrna Licas, family and guests.

Summer is almost here, and the Philippine Canadian Inquirer wants your travel photos!

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At the Connect with Community (CWC) 1st Annual Connect with Community Heritage Night on April 28 at 9908 67 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta.

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WEDNESDAY MAY 23, 2012 42

Romance on the shoulder of Giants A lonely traveler’s notes on always bringing an extra shirt

BY ALMAN DAVE QUIBOQUIBO

Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer Head of Editorial Melissa Remulla-Briones

RANDOM RUMINATIONS

Editorial Consultant Maria Ramona Ledesma

Francis Gimenez

IN A NATION of islands, surrounded by water, hedged by massive ranges and crowned by sleeping volcanoes, anyone seeking adventure may have either of two illicit relationships: cavorting with the beach, the sun, and the sea, or reaching natural highs on the forests, peaks and summits of mountains. And I say illicit because in the Philippines, where destinations are sprinkled generously throughout the archipelago, no one can keep true to a pledge of loyalty to any specific place.

My love affair with our mountains began fairly recently, although I have by no means been shy and far from busy. Among hikers of mountains, I have been somewhat of a Casanova: always seeking out new locations, far removed from the prying eyes of my peers, desiring places few are aware of, untouched and unexplored. The nature of my weekend relationships has fostered jealousy among my other loves: my family complains that I am always away, often beyond the reach of technology, and sometimes extending to three or four or even five days. And friends outside of my circle of mountain worshipers continue to deal with my being scarce on a Saturday.

It is because often, at this time, I am on my way to a place unknown to those who are unfamiliar with the sensation of strapping a 40-lb pack on your back and hauling it up slopes that are at times too steep that you’re close to kissing the ground. It is because I have learned that I am most aware that I am alive when I know that life can be so easily lost should I be so careless as to allow myself to slip and fall down a ravine whose bottom is unseen. It is because I have realized the limitations of my humanity when dealing with the difficulty of crossing a raging river or the dangers of clambering up a boulder.

And it is because I have come to know that despite these human limitations, I can achieve anything, and that ultimately, no challenge is insurmountable. Often, I return to my place under the sun nursing pains in places I didn’t think possible, being acquainted with muscles I didn’t know I had, but always more energized than when I am well at rest in the plains.

Those who have not discovered the joys of climbing mountains might probably balk at the mere idea of spending a night up on a ridge, or in a clearing inside a forest, battered by chilling winds, pestered by all sorts of crawling insects, and relying on a pack of wet tissue in place of a bath at the end of a long and sweaty day. But my notion of luxury has evolved, and I have learned to better appreciate the comforts of urban living as I rely on the comforting sadness of my solitude in the mountains. Rather than pine for a bed, I stretch out on a self-inflating mattress that rolls up to the size of a small pillow. And I

WINNING PHOTO: To have climbed Mt. Pulag, the highest peak in Luzon and the third highest in the Philippines was already an accomplishment; but to be able to experience this sea of clouds roll into the horizon to pave way for a majestic sunset made it even more rewarding. Five hours of arduous trekking was definitely worth it!

will not tolerate a night eating out of tin cans, but will insist on cooked food that almost always tastes better than when I prepare them at home with the aid of a complete kitchen.

Before evening descends on a campsite, the few precious flats on a mountain become colorful palettes of oddly shaped tents.

Stoves that fold into the size of two fists are fished out of meticulously-packed bags, and cooksets that resemble matryoshka dolls transform into several pieces of pots and pans. Headlamps and butane-powered lights illuminate the campsite enough to see the happiness on a friend’s face, or whether the food is cooking well, or to pass around a shot glass to share precious spirits that travel with you, or to find a hidden place where you can answer the call of nature.

I cannot completely say what brought me here, or whether I had always known that I had an acumen for walking long distances, except that I have always had this longing to escape, to be as far away as possible from civilization, to hear my own voice in chorus with the broken violins of crickets, to lie down on a bed of pebbles and marvel at so many stars, and to have absolute awareness of where I am even when I feel lost. And that feeling takes place more often than I would wish, but I find assurance in the shallow footprints on a rarely-used trail, or ribbons tied to a branch, or two rocks stacked one atop the other, or small hacks on barks of trees to tell me: yes, I am on the right path.

In the few years that I have found myself retreating to the misty heights of mountains, I have collected a long list of “been-there’s”, although I feel that my collective experiences are far from complete. There is always a different trail I haven’t traveled, or a unique sunset I have not witnessed. My journeys for new liaisons have taken me into the bosom of the Cordilleras, up the treacherous slopes of Mindoro, to the unpredictable peaks of Bicol, to the skulking giant on the island of Negros, and more recently, to the bowels of Leyte. I have touched the roof of the archipelago in Mindanao, and walked on a sea of clouds in Luzon. I have stumbled upon elfin forests, confronted walls of stone, and fields of wild flowers. I have traveled these islands seeking

not one true love, but a harem of temporary lovers. To all of my dangerous liaisons, I will swear absolute infidelity, although I will also confess that some mountains get more love than others, as I have seen Mt. Pulag and the Kibungan Mountain Ranges more than I have Pico de Loro or Tirad Pass.

I have shared these climbs with friends whose romantic flings with the mountains are just as ardent as mine. Together, we are seduced to seek that which we do not completely know, and are reduced to mere spectators as nature displays its engaging drama of seething afternoons that turn into nippy evenings whose black blanket slowly slinks away when the revolving rays of the sunrise begin to stretch out from the horizon in the early morning, and we are fortunate to be awake. These are the kind of friends whom I trust with my life, and I will not long forget how they held on to my hand when I was about to fall, how they offered a hot bowl of soup and a blanket when I shivered uncontrollably, how they trained their headlamps on my path when my batteries died, how they were always present when I felt alone, and how they observed me from a distance when I needed to be by myself.

They have tolerated my faithlessness, for they too are just as guilty of these feelings.

We answer a primitive calling to return to the wild, and together, we recognize that the most savage of things can be among the most beautiful, and that the great architect of nature has boundless imagination. We pledge an undying devotion to all our loves, and suffer to ensure that the romance will continue even long after we are no longer able to love, no longer able to climb.

Here where we use the term “mountaineering” rather loosely and apply it to anything related to the extreme sport of climbing mountains, my kind is referred to as mountaineers. We stoke our temporary loves with the stress of our weekday routines, and imagine the magnitude of our efforts in the approaching weekend when we are reunited with a past lover, or find something worth returning to with a newfound affair. ■

Contributors Jeffrey J.D. Andrion Gigi Astudillo Dr. Rizaldy Ferrer Marietta Pangan-Dutkoski Stella Reyes Frances Grace H. Quiddaoen Laarni de Paula Rodel J. Ramos Felichi Pangilinan Buizon Lizette Lofranco Aba Agnes Tecson Graphic Designer Victoria Yong Illustration Danvic C. Briones Photographers Art Viray Angelo Siglos Ryan Ferrer Solon Licas AJ Juan Head of Operations Laarni de Paula Sales Alice Yong Maryann Roque Advertising Agent CNM Communications (604) 619 - 4208 HINGE INQUIRER PUBLICATIONS CUSTOM PUBLISHING GROUP Managing Editor Maita de Jesus Asst. Creative Director Bong Sevilla Graphic Artist Reggie Goloy Editorial Assistant Phoebe Casin Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva Jr. Associate Publisher Millicent Agoncillo Project Coordinator Lychelle Ang In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER is located at Suite 400 North Tower 5811 Cooney Road, Richmond B.C. Canada Tel No. 778-383-6090 / 778-383-3203 / (604) 279-8787 ext. 1722.

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