January 16-31, 2013 Publication

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JANUARY 16-31, 2013

JANUARY 16-31, 2013

Pacquiao faces an uphill battle to regain past glory.

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Pacquaio

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wants another fight with

Marquez

‘Manny has taken quite a few shots. We care for him so much. . . Maybe this is a time for him to really seriously consider this latest report coming from the neurologist and it’s time to hang up his gloves. Or maybe undergo a thorough checkup,’ says a sports analyst.

NE month after Manny Pacquiao’s shocking knockout loss in the hands of his Mexican nemesis, Juan Manuel Marquez, talk of retirement for the Filipino boxing icon has cropped up once again. But Pacquiao would have none of it, training his sight on a fifth fight with Marquez.

The latest chatter on whether it is time for Pacquiao to hang up his gloves was prompted by a comment from a Filipino neurologist who said he feared that the boxer could be showing early signs of the dreaded Parkinson’s disease. (Medicinenet.com, a medical website, defines Parkinson’s disease as a neurodegenerative disorder “characterized by progressive loss of muscle control, which leads to trembling of the limbs and head while at rest, stiffness, slowness, and

Should he focus instead on his political career? impaired balance.”)

In a recent radio interview, Dr. Rustico Jimenez, president of Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, said that he had observed Pacquiao’s “hand twitches and stuttering”, which, he said, are among the early signs of Parkinson’s disease.

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on January 14 and in early February I want to get to the gym because I want to have a fight in April and in September I want the fifth fight with Marquez,” the former poundfor-pound king said.

his legs twitched. That’s a bad sign. When Fernando Montiel got knocked out by Nonito Donaire, his legs twitched. When Pacquiao got knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez, he was flat on his face but you did see a little twitching of the feet,” he said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.

Nathanielsz said he had spoken to several neurosurgeons who said that being punched in the face is dangerous because “your brain hits the back of your skull.”

“Manny has taken quite a few shots. We care for him so much.

His mother, his wife have all asked him to retire. Maybe this is a time for him to really seriously consider this latest report coming from the neurologist and it’s time to hang up his gloves. Or maybe undergo a thorough checkup,” he said.

Serious rethinking

Further brain test

Pacquiao’s shocking loss to Marquez could lead to the end of his career.

He, however, said that he has not personally examined Pacquiao and admitted that he could be wrong with his observation. “Personal view lang naman ang sa akin - parang may early signs,” he said.

Soon after, forensic expert Raquel Fortun weighed in on the discussion, saying she is not convinced with the CT scan results that cleared Pacquiao following his knockout defeat to Marquez last Dec. 8.

She said severe head trauma could lead to Alzheimer’s disease or a form of dementia that worsens over time.

Irresponsible comments Pacquiao dismissed the retirement option and slammed Jimenez and Fortun for issuing statements about his medical condition without examining him.

“The statements by the doctors show a total lack of ethics and it was irresponsible [for them to say this]. This was just personal opinion and there were no medical tests,” Pacquiao told Juan Carlos Torres, CEO of Zanfer Promotions, which promotes Juan Manuel Marquez’s fights. Pacquaio and his family were vacationing in Israel when he issued his reaction on Jan. 4.

Pacquiao’s adviser, Michael

If Pacquiao’s brain exam goes well, Top Rank will begin arranging his fifth fight against Marquez, possibly in September.

Koncz, even threatened to sue Jimenez. In a text message sent to ABS-CBN News, Koncz, said they are contemplating a civil suit against Jimenez for “meritless and unfounded accusations.”

Pacquiao asserted that he underwent two rigorous head examinations after his latest fight with Marquez which indicated that he is 100% healthy.

“There is nothing to worry about,” he told BoxingScene.com.

“I am 100 percent healthy and right now I’m enjoying this memorable vacation with my family in this beautiful country of Israel.”

Pacquiao said that he plans to go back to gym as early as February to prepare for two fights in 2013.

“I will return to the Philippines

JANUARY 16-31, 2013

Bob Arum of Top Rank, is not taking any chances with the boxer’s health. He said he will be bringing Pacquiao to a Las Vegas clinic which specializes in brain health.

Top Rank Inc. spokesman Fred Sternburg said Pacquiao will be brought to the Lou Ruvo Center of the Las Vegas Cleveland Clinic for further examination.

If everything goes fine, Top Rank will begin arranging Pacquiao’s fifth fight against Marquez, possibly in September, Sternburg said in ESPN.com.

Marquez’s representative, Fernando Beltran, said they are willing to give Pacquiao a fifth fight as courtesy to the Filipino boxer.

“Juan Manuel Marquez and myself are gentlemen and we know that Pacquiao gave us an opportunity (fourth fight), and he didn’t have to, and most probably we will give it to him.” n

Despite assurances from PacPacquiao’s boxing promoter, quiao’s camp, talks of retirement continue to reverberate in many circles.

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Banner year for

‘The Filipino Flash’ It was an easy choice for both ESPN and SI as Donaire has fought plenty within the last 12 months - a total of four times to be exact. Fighting more than twice a year is unheard of given a fighter of Donaire’s caliber, but the Filipino speedster says he’d do it all over again and plans to have at least just as many fights in 2013.

HREE leading international sports media outfits – the sporting cable network ESPN, Sports Illustrated Magazine, and Ring Magazine -- have named Junior Featherweight titlist and four-division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Jr. as their “Fighter of the Year” for 2012, citing his scintillating victories over the best of the best in and around his weight class.

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“Donaire (31-1, 20 KOs) began the year having vacated his bantamweight belts and preparing to move up to junior featherweight. Four fights later, in an exceptionally busy year by modern standards for an elite champion, the quick-fisted and powerful Donaire stands atop the 122-pound division and was the easy pick for 2012 ESPN.com Boxer of the Year,” ESPN said on its website. (ESPN, which stands for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming.)

“Donaire (31-1, 20 KOs) began the year having vacated his bantamweight belts and preparing to move up to junior featherweight. Four fights later, in an exceptionally busy year by modern standards for an elite champion, the quickfisted and powerful

Is he the next Manny Pacquiao?

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The Filipino Flash sends Mexican Jorge Arce into retirement.

Donaire stands atop the 122-pound division and was the easy pick for 2012 ESPN.com Boxer of the Year,” ESPN said on its website.

In his “Inside Boxing” column in SI.com (Sports Illustrated’s website), boxing writer Chris Mannix took note of Donaire’s boxing IQ which enabled the Filipino to adjust to different kinds of opponents.

“He can box you from the outside -- see the lopsided beating he gave Jeffrey Mathebula last July -and punish you when you come to fight. He blasted out Jorge Arce in the third round earlier this month, sending the rugged Mexican star into retirement,” said Mannix.

According to Mannix, another plus for Donaire is his willingness to undergo year-round random drug testing. After his unification bout with Mathebula last July, the “Filipino Flash” has had regular random tests by the Voluntary AntiDoping Association (VADA).

“He has been tested regularly, worldwide the last five months and says he will continue it for the rest of his career. He won’t force opponents to be tested but says that ‘if you decline me, everyone will know you are on [something],’” said Mannix.

Ring editor Doug Fischer wrote, “The 30-year-old veteran fought four times in 2012 and in the

process of doing so the former flyweight and bantamweight titleholder established himself as the best 122-pound fighter on the planet, as well as the Fighter of the Year in the eyes of the fans who took part in RingTV.com’s year-end awards poll.” Ring is considered by many as the the bible of boxing.

It was an easy choice for ESPN, SI and Ring as Donaire has fought plenty within the last 12 months - a total of 4 times to be exact. Fighting more than twice a year is unheard of given a fighter of Donaire’s caliber, but the Filipino speedster says he’d do it all over again and plans to have at least just as many fights in 2013.

ESPN also commended Donaire for being the only fighter to allow random urine and blood testing 24 hours a day, 365 days a year with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association making him certifiably clean.

“This in an era when every great performance unfortunately comes under the suspicion of possible performance-enhancing drug use – except, of course, Donaire’s,” the network added.

Donaire started the year with a convincing win over highly regarded Wilfredo Vasquez Jr., which saw the Puerto Rican dance away from Donaire’s vaunted left hook for the majority of the fight. Donaire

Donaire was just too quick and too good for Toshiaki Nishioka. knocked down Vasquez Jr. in the strap to his mantle with the unani9th round and cruised to a wide mous decision. points victory to capture the vacant Next Donaire took on long-runWBO Super Bantamweight title in ning Japanese champion Toshiaki Donaire’s first foray into the 122- Nishioka, a man regarded as the lb. class. absolute best in the division, ranked He next took on rangy South Af- No. 1 at super bantamweight. rican champion Jeffrey Mathebula Donaire was No. 2, making their in defense of his recently acquired matchup a hardcore fan’s dream as belt. The longer limbed Mathebula it pit the two best fighters in the diposed height and reach advantages, vision against each other. but Donaire bullied his way inside Donaire took apart the crafty to do his damage and as a result, Nishioka with smart boxing and got hit a little bit more than he was ring generalship. Nishioka was over accustomed to. The South African cautious of Donaire’s counter left also got in his bicycle after tasting hook and as a result left much to Donaire’s power which led to a be desired. He took matters into his knockdown in Round 4. Donaire own hands and upped the pressure added the IBF Super Bantamweight starting in the 6th round and from

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then on it was all she wrote.

The proud Filipino-American champion stopped Nishioka within nine rounds to gain the victory and the WBC Diamond Super Bantamweight title.

Then just a week after Manny Pacquiao suffered a shock knockout loss to Juan Manuel Marquez, Donaire took on Mexican legend Jorge “El Travieso” Arce.

Donaire needed just three rounds to dispose of the tough Latino warrior, bludgeoning Arce with a sick left hook lead square on the chin to end the fight. After the match, Arce announced his retirement. It was icing on the cake for Donaire.

No other fighter has had as many quality fights as Donaire had in 2012. Ring magazine has Donaire up at No. 5 on their mythical pound-for-pound list and have dropped Pacquiao to No. 7.

It’s strange to think that the best Filipino fighter this year was not named Manny Pacquiao, but we may truly be witnessing the dawn of a new era with Donaire leading the charge.

Other fighters in the running for the award were Danny Garcia, Andre Ward, Robert Guerrero and Juan Manuel Marquez.

Donaire continues to surge forward and eyes blockbuster matchups against the crème de la crème as he makes his ascent into the higher weight classes. n

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ONTRARY to misconceptions created by an earlier news wire report, the hunt for the illgotten wealth of ex-dictator Ferdinand Marcos continues. This was made clear by Andres Bautista, chairman of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), the body tasked with recovering the Marcos loot.

In a news conference on Jan. 2, Bautisata said the PCGG had recommended to President Benigno Aquino III that the agency wind down its work and to transfer the prosecution of Marcos ill-gotten wealth cases to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and to transfer the sequestered assets to the Department of Finance (DOF).

“Our recommendation was to wind down work, to turn over cases to the DOJ and the sequestered assets to the Privatization Management Office,” Bautista said.

“But in no way have I said we’re ending the hunt for the Marcos illgotten wealth. I didn’t say that. I believe that that should continue because a substantial portion (of the ill-gotten wealth) remains unrecovered,” he said.

Edwin Lacierda, spokesperson of Mr. Aquino, said that the President was still studying the recommendation to abolish the PCGG. But Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the “mindset” of the President was that the commission need not continue its work.

Some lawmakers, including Sen. Joker Arroyo, the executive secretary when President Corazon Aquino issued her first executive or-

Hunt for Marcos loot continues

The Marcos heirs are back in power: Ilocos Norte Representative Imelda Marcos, Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos and Senator Bongbong Marcos.

It is believed that the Marcoses had amassed some $10-billion but the PCGG has recovered only P164 billion, or about $4 billion.

The hunt for the Marcos wealth has become harder with the return to power of former First Lady Imelda Marcos as Ilocos Norte representative, and Marcos’ children Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as senator, and Imee Marcos as Ilocos Norte governor.

der that created the PCGG in 1986, are supporting the PCGG recommendation to wind down its work as it has outlived its usefulness. “[Its] mandate has run its course.

It is problematic whether the government can gather additional evidence after 26 years. The main task of the PCGG—to gather evidence and build up the cases—has been winnowed by time,” Arroyo said in a statement.

He noted that Congress had extended the life of the PCGG quite a number of times.

“It was one of the centerpieces of Cory’s crusade for good governance. And the campaign has had a good run,” Arroyo said. “Now, the thrust of the work has become the humdrum of legal work, essentially

dealing with litigation. It is about time the work is devolved to the Department of Justice.”

Sen. Francis Escudero, the chairman of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, saw no reason for the PCGG to stop going after Marcos’ alleged ill-gotten wealth unless it could no longer prove a claim against the late dictator’s estate.

Escudero said the PCGG’s difficulties were a lame excuse to wrap up its mandate after 26 years of going after the supposed multibilliondollar loot of the Marcoses and their cronies.

In a statement, angry victims of martial law said the proposal to wind down the hunt for the late dictator’s embezzled billions would give the signal that people in power could commit crimes with impunity.

“We cannot just forgive and forget what the Marcoses did to us, nor must the Aquino government stop pursuing justice for martial law victims and the rest of the Filipinos,” Selda, an anti-Marcos activist group, said in a statement.

The latest furor over what to do with the pending cases against the heirs and cronies of Marcos was

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The single biggest recovery of PCGG was made last year—P70 billion worth of coco levy funds from the sale of the government’s 24-percent stake and other dividends in San Miguel Corp. prompted by a report from the news agency Agence France-Presse on Jan. 1 that the government was “winding down a near-30-year hunt for the embezzled wealth of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, with more than half the supposed $10 billion fortune still missing.”

“With Marcos’ widow and children back in positions of political power, and the government tightening its belt, the cost of the pursuit has become prohibitive, AFP quoted Bautista as saying.

“It has become a law of diminishing returns at this point,” Bautista told AFP in an interview. “It’s been 26 years and people you are after are back in power. At some point, you just have to say, ‘We’ve done our best’, and that’s that. It is really difficult. In order now to be able to get these monies back, you need to spend a lot.”

De Lima said that the PCGG “cannot exist forever” and that it had a “limited lifetime.”

She said the DOJ was ready to take on any remaining work of the commission.

“If there is still residual work

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that the PCGG has to do, it has to be taken over by a competent office or competent authority. So if it’s the DOJ, we can always do that if that will be the plan,” De Lima told reporters.

There was also a need to study the PCGG’s performance, on why no favorable ruling was made on some big cases. “We need to review where were the shortcomings, what cases need to be pursued,” the justice secretary said.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson agreed with Bautista’s recommendation to Mr. Aquino that the commission start winding down its operations since going after the Marcos wealth had ceased to be cost-effective.

Bautista also cited the return to power of former First Lady Imelda Marcos as Ilocos Norte representative, and Marcos’ children Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as senator, and Imee Marcos as Ilocos Norte governor which doesn’t make the PCGG’s job any easier.

About 200 ill-gotten wealth cases against the Marcoses and their cronies are pending in the antigraft court Sandiganbayan.

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Bautista said the commission would likely not file new cases due to the difficulty of getting evidence and witnesses against the Marcoses and their cronies more than a quarter of a century after the dictatorship was overthrown in 1986.

Since its creation, the PCGG has recovered P164 billion (about $4 billion), less than half of the $10-billion fortune believed to have been amassed by the Marcoses.

The single biggest recovery was made last year—P70 billion worth of coco levy funds from the sale of the government’s 24-percent stake and other dividends in San Miguel Corp.

Bautista acknowledged that the PCGG had no idea how much remained unrecovered of the wealth illegally amassed by the Marcos family and their cronies.

Should President Aquino heed Bautista’s recommendation, he would need Congress to pass a law abolishing the agency.

In fact, efforts to abolish

the PCGG are underway in the House of Representatives, following the filing of a bill seeking to transfer part of its responsibilities to the DOJ. House Bill No. 4049 has been pending in the committee on government reorganization since January 2011.

In the event that Congress decides to abolish the PCGG, Escudero wants an audit of all the assets sequestered by the commission.

“There have been pending bills in Congress seeking its abolition but not without a proper account-

JANUARY 16-31, 2013

ing of all the assets that the PCGG sequestered since its creation,” Escudero said.

“What’s sad is that recovered assets were again stolen,” he added.

Bautista himself acknowledged the alleged mishandling of the commission through the years.

“These accusations (against the commission officials) are not without basis. They were in charge of guarding the chicken coop and some of them helped themselves to the eggs,” Bautista was quoted as saying. n

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Intramuros is a new haven for arts and culture

By ed maranan

O many activities have been taking place at the historic Intramuros, the old walled city within Manila, during the past several months, under its new administrator, Jose A. Capistrano Jr., who’s also the executive director of the National Parks Development Committee.

I first met “Junjun” Capistrano when we both worked for the DOT (Department of Tourism) Secretar-

The most popular section of the walled city, Fort Santiago, where we find the Rizal Shrine, has been reopened and turned into a venue for artists to hold their meetings, sketching sessions, and art exhibits.

A Maria Makiling mural.

iat set up to oversee the running of the Philippine Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. He was then in charge of the construction of the Pavilion, seeing to it that the vision of the planners was carried out in the execution of the design and showcase.

For almost two years now, Capistrano as Intramuros administrator has been in charge of restorations, renovations and

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innovations within the walled city, as the place continues to undergo the long-running process of reconstruction and rehabilitation since the post-war period. Well-known is the story of how the formidable walled enclave, for centuries the symbol of colonial pomp and power and the seat of the political and ecclesiastical rule over the archipelago, was thoroughly devastated by American shelling as the liberation forces sought to exterminate the remnants of the Japanese army holed up in the buildings.

The most popular section

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of the walled city, Fort Santiago, where we find the Rizal Shrine, has been reopened and turned into a venue for artists to hold their meetings, sketching sessions, and art exhibits. In fact there is now a group calling itself the Intramuros Visual Artists of the Philippines (IVAP) which has been collaborating with the IA on projects promoting Philippine culture, such as the First Intramuros Arts Festival held for several days in November.

This also had the participation of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

The program included an exhibit of paintings, sculptures and mixed media works by at least a hundred artists, both established and newly emerging art enthusiasts at the rebuilt Maestranza by the Pasig River, an imposing concrete and brick structure costing several hundred million pesos made possible by a grant from Japan. Its series of airy vaults served as separate exhibit halls for the many artists who participated in the two-week show.

Among the familiar names were painters Nemesio Miranda, Edgar Talusan Fernandez, Rafael Pacheco, and sculptors Ral Arrogante and Jose Datuin.

The Maestranza, the first struc-

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The higantes in the Walled City. ture in the walled city that you come upon if you’re travelling by jeepney from Liwasang Bonifacio along the Pasig River route, is being eyed as the centerpiece for a sprawling park and promenade which will host shops and boutiques, restos and cafés, with the old world ambiance emphasized by streetlamp posts.

The opening day of the FIAF also featured six higantes or giant, biggerthan-life papier mache skirted male and female figures carried aloft by bearers inside the structures. It was a fitting prelude to the actual Higantes Festival in the Rizal town of Angono where the figures are crafted as part of

the traditional celebration of its fiesta on Nov. 23 in honor of San Clemente.

Angono of course is now famous as an artists’ community and cultural center, boasting of at least two National Artists as natives of the place, the great muralist Carlos “Botong” Francisco and composer Lucio San Pedro. The president of IVAP, painter Nemesio Miranda, who signs as Nemiranda, is himself from Angono who has inspired a new generation of visual artists steeped in the folk tradition of painting.

Maestranza was host not only to a folk festival and an art exhibit, but also to a lecture on the second day by erstwhile CCP visual arts

coordinator Karen Flores. Flores discussed the resale rights, economic rights, and moral rights that all visual artists are entitled, and this vast panoply of entitlements cover percentage of gross proceeds from the sale or rental of original works, and the payment of licensing fees in case of reproductions “even if the artist has sold, donated, or leased the artwork.”

The Flores lecture over, I went over to the sprawling Maestranza field where, on a concrete wall, a vast mural about six by six meters was taking shape as a team of painters from IVAP took their turns in

JANUARY 16-31, 2013

completing an idealized representation of the environment with the iconic Mariang Makiling figure at the center of this dreamscape. The other wall right beside it, a smaller space, was beginning to fill up with symbolic figures as another team of artists worked to create yet another collective vision of what constitutes Filipino culture.

From morning till late afternoon, the Maestranza was swarming with excitable grade school and high school students, listening to art lectures or doing impromptu drawings on their sketchbooks, while older more subdued fine arts students were slumped on a grassy rise outside the entrance, doing on-the-spot oeuvres.

The afternoon program was highlighted by a finger-painting demonstration by the durable Maestro of Morong, Rafael Pacheco, whose public appearances have become rarer as advancing age and poor health take their toll on the artist, but he still manages to awe onlookers with a 15-minute virtuoso performance, albeit with shaking hands, of creating luminous underwater seascapes with acrylic colors and his bare hands. He thrives on the hope that someday, the folk artists of Rizal and other places will take up where he leaves off. (The Philippine Star) n

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By Hrvoje Hranjski • Associated Press

WENTY-SIX years after Roman Catholic leaders helped his mother marshal millions of Filipinos in an uprising that ousted a dictator, President Benigno Aquino III picked a fight with the church over contraceptives and won a victory that bared the bishops’ worst nightmare: They no longer sway the masses.

Aquino last month signed the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 quietly and without customary handshakes and photographs to avoid controversy. The law that provides state funding for contraceptives for the poor pitted the dominant Catholic Church in an epic battle against the popular Aquino and his followers.

Reproductive Health Law points to church’s declining influence There is no denying that President Aquino’s approval of the RH bill has chipped away at the clout the church has held over Filipinos, and marked the passing of an era in which it was taboo to defy the church and priests.

The church’s waning influence is summed up by a street vendor’s comment: “I have prayed before not to have another child, but the condom worked better.”

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Despite his family’s close ties to the church, President Aquino pushed for family planning in the face of runaway population growth.

A couple with links to the church has filed a motion to stop implementation of the law, and more petitions are expected. Still, there is no denying that Aquino’s approval of the legislation has chipped away at the clout the church has held over Filipinos, and marked the passing of an era in which it was taboo to defy the church and priests.

Catholic leaders consider the law an attack on the church’s core values — the sanctity of life — saying that contraceptives promote promiscuity and destroy life. Aquino and his allies see the legislation as a way to address how the poor — roughly a third of the country’s 94 million people — manage the number of children they have and provide for them.

Nearly half of all pregnancies in the Philippines are unwanted, according to the UN Population Fund, and a third of those end up aborted in a country where abortion remains illegal.

Rampant poverty, overcrowded slums, and rising homelessness and crime are main concerns that neither the church nor Aquino’s predecessors have successfully tackled.

“If the church can provide milk, diapers and rice, then go ahead, let’s make more babies,” said Giselle Labadan, a 30-year-old roadside vendor. “But there are just too many people now, too many homeless people, and the church doesn’t help to feed them.”

Labadan said she grew up in a God-fearing family but has defied the church’s position against contra-

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Supporters of the Reproductive Health measure hold a lie-in to press immediate action on the issue. ceptives for more than a decade because her five children, ages 2 to 12, were already far too many for her meager income. Her husband, a former army soldier, is jobless.

She said that even though she has used most types of contraceptives, she still considers herself among the faithful. “I still go to church and pray. It’s a part of my life,” Labadan said.

“I have prayed before not to have another child, but the condom worked better,” she said.

The law now faces a legal challenge in the Supreme Court after the couple filed the motion,

which seems to cover more ideological than legal grounds. One of the authors of the law, Rep. Edcel Lagman, said that he was not worried by the petition and expected more to follow.

“We are prepared for this,” he said. “We are certain that the law is completely constitutional and will surmount any attack on or test of its constitutionality.”

Over the decades, moral and political authority of the church in the Philippines is perceived to have waned with the passing of one its icons, Cardinal Jaime Sin. He shaped the role of the church

during the country’s darkest hours after dictator Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law starting in 1972 by championing the cause of civil advocacy, human rights and freedoms. Sin’s action mirrored that of his strong backer, Pope John Paul II, who himself challenged communist rulers in Eastern Europe.

Three years after Aquino’s father, Benigno Aquino Sr., a senator opposing Marcos, was gunned down on the Manila airport tarmac in 1983, Sin persuaded Aquino’s widow, Corazon, to run for president. When massive election cheating

by Marcos was exposed, Sin went on Catho-

Msgr. Joselito Asis, secretary general of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, says the Church will campaign against politicians who supported the RH bill.

lic-run Radio Veritas in February 1986 to summon millions of people to support military defectors and the Aquino-led opposition.

Marcos fled and Aquino, a deeply religious woman, was sworn in as president.

Democracy was restored, but the country remained chaotic and mired in nearly a dozen coup attempts. The economy stalled, poverty persisted and the jobless were leaving in droves for better-paying jobs abroad as maids, teachers, nurses and engineers. After Aquino stepped down, the country elected its first and only Protestant president, Fidel Ramos. He, too, opposed the church on contraceptives and released state funds for family planning methods.

Catholic bishops pulled out all the stops in campaigning against Ramos’ successor, popular movie actor Joseph Estrada, a hero of the impoverished masses who made little attempt to keep down his reputation for womanizing, drinking and gambling.

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But few heeded the church’s advice. Estrada was elected with the largest victory margin in Philippine history. Halfway through his six-year presidency, in January 2001, he was confronted with another “people power” revolt, backed by political opponents and the military, and was forced to resign.

His successor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, styled herself as a devout Catholic and sought to placate the church by abolishing the death penalty and putting brakes on the contraceptives law, which languished in Congress during her nine years in power.

It mattered little. Arroyo’s mismanagement and corruption scandals set the stage for Aquino’s election on a promise to rid the Philippines of graft, fix the economy and lift millions out of poverty. The scion of the country’s democracy icon took power several years after Sin’s death, but it was a different era in which the church was battered by scandals of sexual misconduct of priests and declining family values.

The latest defeat of the church “can further weaken its moral authority at a time when this is most badly needed in many areas, including defense of a whole range of family values,” said the Rev. John J. Carroll, founding chairman of the Jesuit-run John J. Carroll Institute on Church and Social Issues. He said he wondered how many Catholics have been “turned off ” by incessant sermons and prayers led by the church against the contraceptives law, and how much it contributed to rising anticlericalism and the erosion of church authority.

“People today are more practical,” said Labadan, the street vendor. “In the old days, people feared that if you defy the church, it will be the end of the world.” n

No end in sight

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for Manila property boom

By edgardo s. tugade

012 has been very good for the Philippine property market, backed by a glowing economy, overseas Filipino remittances, and business process outsourcing (BPO) as main drivers to a development boom.

Despite fears of a bust, there is an overwhelming confidence among government officials and industry stakeholders holding on to the belief that there is no end to what is now happening in the market.

“We have previously noted that a major driver of this growth is the demand for office space due to the strong outlook of the BPO sector,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told reporters in a briefing on the third quarter GDP

There is no bubble in the Philippine property development market, because what is built is leased, notes a global realestate services firm.

The Philippine economy, which clocked at 7.1 percent in Q3 2012 – the fastest in Southeast Asia – helped boost confidence and investments among property suppliers and buyers and leasing companies, a trend that would likely last until the next presidential election in 2016.

in late November.

“Also, favorable economic conditions led more individuals to purchase residential properties,” the Economic Planning chief added.

He pointed out that the property market posted “strong expansion” this year, as “major players... Ayala Land, SM Prime Holdings and Megaworld posted double-digit revenues in terms of real estate and rent of commercial spaces.”

All-time low interest rates could also spur a reality shift toward a country of homeowners from a nation of renters, an industry insider noted. The ripple-effect could also lead to changes in the real estate market, including the rise in green buildings and the call for the development of the silver market that caters to senior citizens and retirees.

Nation of owners Change is happening, a “democratization” in the real estate sector “based on low interest rates and financing schemes,” Rick Santos, chairman and CEO of real estate services and advisory firm CBRE Philippines

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told GMA News Online.

Global property manager, broker, and marketeer Colliers International noted the growing demand to property ownership will be sustained largely by “the younger age set” – a trend developers are already catering to with major player Century Properties expanding into the “affordable market” that includes its P4.1-billion The Residences at Commonwealth in Quezon City.

Data from global real-estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle Leechiu (JLLL), 129,920 residential units are currently available in Metro Manila, of which 3,690 are high-end at P120,000 per sqm and the rest are mid-range at P50,000P110,000 per sqm.

The bulk of condominium units developed in 2012 were in the P1.5 million-P3 million and P3 millionP6 million per unit range, with the lower range expected to account for 56 percent of the total by 2018.

In 2012 most residential condominium developments were concentrated in the Metro Manila’s Pasig, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, and Makati areas, each receiving around 20 percent of total developments. Makati put up the most high-end to luxury condominium units at 6,099.

Metro Manila has a 54-percent share of existing retail supply, which is projected to drop to 52 percent next year.

The rental average of ground floor and upper levels now stand at P1,028 per sqm in Metro Manila

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and P700 nationwide.

In May, JLLL tracked 10,536 hotel rooms in the pipeline from 2011 to 2016, and 5,000 more have since been added in six months.

Añonuevo said growth areas to look out for include the privatized Food Terminal Complex and the University of the Philippines area on Commonwealth Avenue.

What housing bubble?

Despite the general trend of rising prices, JLLL said, “There is no bubble in the Philippine property development market, because what is built is leased.”

The housing bubble that struck the US in the mid-2000s – the subprime mortgage mess that spurred the global economic depression – after banks began offering home loans left and right, even to highrisk borrowers with no financial backing to pay the amortization on the houses, which were then reassessed below fair market value and resold at a lower price.

Such scenario has nil chance of plaguing the country – at least until the next handful of years – said JLLL associate director for markets Philip Añonuevo, adding that “the holding power of Filipino buyers is longer.”

The Philippine economy, which clocked at 7.1 percent in Q3 2012 – the fastest in Southeast Asia – helped boost confidence and investments among property suppliers and buyers and leasing companies, a trend JLLL swears would likely last until the next presidential election in 2016.

Cause for optimism

Washington DC-based Urban Land Institute (ULI), which advocates responsible use of land and creating sustainable communities, found much cause for optimism in the Philippine property sector. Its survey on emerging real estate trends in the Asia Pacific raised Manila by six notches to 12th among 22 cities in terms of investment prospects for 2013. Manila also ranked ninth in city development prospects.

In retail property buy/hold/sell recommendations, 40 percent of respondents urged a buy, 51 percent a hold, and 9 percent a sell.

Among leading Asia Pacific cities, Manila was judged “generally good,” with ULI noting that markets have “performed well in the past couple of years as a result of a growing economy, a transparent and business-friendly government, and the country’s ongoing success – an ‘eye opener’ – in attracting foreign clients in its [BPO] facilities.”

The survey also cited the large casino development in Pasay City (Pagcor’s Bagong Nayong Pilipino Entertainment City) as an impetus to development and boosting tourism – once completed.

However, the bar on foreigners’ “holding majority land ownership... continue to deter international in-

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The silver market

At the launch of Proscenium, Rockwell’s most premium development, designed by Uruguayan architect Carlos Ott, the man behind the iconic L’Opéra Bastille in Paris. vestors.” Ample liquidity from domestic sources is also dampening the need for locals to partner with aliens.

JLLL’s Añonuevo urges the government to incentivize firms to head south or north as an option to decongest the increasingly cramped and disaster-vulnerable Metro Manila.

JLLL national director for markets Lizanne Tan noted Cebu was the leading business location after Metro Manila, with rents nearing those in the National Capital Region except for Makati, but with lower salaries.

Foreign investment opportunities

gaming and BPO sectors. “Both present large opportunities,” ULI said, “with the latter accounting for some 70 percent of new office takeup in Manila.”

JLLL also reported that BPOs were still the top buyers of office space in 2012. In the first 11 months of 2012, demand grew 18 percent to 425,000 sqm year-on-year.

Non-BPOs bought 100,000 sqm or 25 percent of current demand, said Sheila Lobien, JLLL director for project leasing.

She said average Grade A rents in Bonifacio Global City and the Makati central business district have risen 15 to 20 percent since 2009 “due to a high

level of leasing activity across all districts” that include Alabang, Ortigas, Eastwood, Pioneer, and Araneta Cyberpark.

Global City is becoming the hot location, with multinational CocaCola and homegrown Aboitiz Group “bracing for expansion and moving to new corporate space,” Añonuevo noted. The Philippine Stock Exchange would move to its headquarters there in 2016.

The massive entertainment district development in the Manila Bay Area has inspired tourismgeared development.

In November, the Retirement and Healthcare Coalition formed by the European, American, Japanese, and Korean chambers of commerce urged local property developers to look into developing for the growing “silver market.”

By 2030, 25 percent of the world’s population will be comprised of retirees, many of them “looking for homes outside their own countries,” said Coalition executive director Marc Daubenbuechel.

Agence France-Presse reported that the Philippine Retirement Authority already counts nearly 21,000 retirees, mostly Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese and Japanese, in its retirement incentive program. But the Philippines is behind Malaysia and Thailand when it comes to aggressively pursuing second-home silver buyers. (GMA News Online) n

ULI’s study found opportunities for foreign investors in the

In 2012 most residential condominium developments were concentrated in the Metro Manila’s Pasig, Mandaluyong, Quezon City, and Makati areas.

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Solaire, set to open in March, will be the first of four resorts to open over the next three years within the 100-hectare (250-acre) complex.

HE two most richly valued companies in the financial and consumer discretionary sectors in Southeast Asia share two things in common -- both are controlled by Filipino tycoons and both are building casinos by the azure waters of Manila Bay. The lofty valuations of Bloomberry Resorts Corp. and Belle Corp., measured by forecast earnings multiples, show the size of bets being laid on the Philippines’ ambition to join Macau and Singapore among the ranks of Asia’s top gaming destinations.

Buoyed by stellar economic growth and one of the world’s top performing stock markets this year, the casino rush is starting with the slated opening in March of port magnate Enrique Razon Jr.’s $1.2 billion Solaire property.

But it also comes as the government is investigating bribery allegations related to Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada’s bid to build a casino in the same Manila Bay development, shining an unwelcome spotlight on President Benigno Aquino III’s drive to shed the Philippines’ reputation for corruption.

Razon, chairman of Bloomberry and the third richest man in the Philippines, has said the investigation has had no impact on his development.

Manila bets on casinos to

attract tourists Buoyed by stellar economic growth and one of the world’s top performing stock markets this year, the casino rush is starting with the slated opening in March of port magnate Enrique Razon Jr.’s $1.2 billion Solaire property.

The Belle Grande Casino and Resort Manila will be the second casino to open in Entertainment City Manila in the fourth quarter of 2013.

“Mr. Okada, being a foreigner, maybe didn’t know exactly how to operate in the Philippines, but the administration now with President Aquino has created serious credibility on the corruption front,” Razon told Reuters at his coffee-and-tan hued office in Manila’s port area.

A short distance away, 6,000 workers are racing to finish the

15-storey, 500-room Solaire resort.

Rows of slot machines and crystal chandeliers in plastic wrapping cover the main gaming hall that will soon see an inflow of eager punters.

Part of a tourism project that the government hopes will draw in millions of foreigners each year, Solaire will be the first of four resorts

to open over the next three years within the 100-hectare (250-acre) complex.

Other projects include a casino owned by the country’s wealthiest man, Henry Sy, who controls Belle, together with Macau operator Melco Crown, owned by Australian billionaire James Packer and Hong Kong businessman Lawrence Ho.

Thriving local market

Challenges include Manila’s dilapidated infrastructure and general concerns over both safety and corruption -- problems that have limited foreign investment in the Philippines for years.

But a thriving local casino market, where residents are free to gamble and operators enjoy strong government support, means investors remain optimistic.

Average bets at Manila’s gambling venues are only around 40 pesos ($3), compared with Macau where gambling tables often have a minimum bet of 300 patacas ($38).

To change that, Manila is aiming to increase the use of junkets to bring in high-rollers from China and the rest of Asia.

Junkets -- intermediaries who work on behalf of casino operators, loaning credit to players and helping them bypass currency restrictions -- are prevalent in Macau where they account for more than 70 percent of total gaming revenue.

The Philippines is offering lower gaming taxes and lucrative payment terms to the junkets, which face increased regulation and scrutiny in their home turf of Macau.

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Paul Joseph Garcia, chief investment officer at BPI Asset Management in Manila, said the jury was still out on whether the Philippines would be successful in luring junkets.

“I am still not that confident about our ability to attract the foreign VIPs, the junkets from Macau and other players from the region. We have a chance of getting some market share, that is for sure,” said Garcia, adding he would wait for lower share prices before increasing BPI’s exposure to Philippine gaming.

Regulated by government body PAGCOR, which itself operates 13 casinos, gambling has been entrenched in the Philippines since the 1800s when the country was a Spanish colony.

Casinos, basketball betting, bingo and jueteng -- an illegal numbers game that implicated two former presidents for accepting bribes -are popular with both low and high income residents.

“I come after work and meet my friends, it’s nice for us to socialize,” said Will, a 60-year-old Manila resident as he entered the Resorts World casino, owned

by Genting Hong Kong Ltd. and Philippine property tycoon Andrew Tan.

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With a shopping mall, a theater featuring Broadway shows, hotels including a Marriott and a high stakes VIP club and a cavernous mass gambling floor, the glitzy Resorts World contrasts with PAGCOR’s Casino Filipino branches where elderly locals play bingo on plastic chairs beneath fluorescent lights.

On a recent Sunday night, the property’s VIP floor was filled with Chinese gamblers playing baccarat while Mandarin-speaking waitresses served drinks.

High rollers Razon’s Solaire, which will open with 90 VIP tables and 200 for mass gamblers, is also vying to attract moneyed Chinese to its oceanfront casino. Bloomberry is in talks with more than two dozen junket operators and is aiming to have more than 50 percent of total revenues from the VIP segment after a year.

Heavy traffic and an overburdened, 40-year-old main international airport are hurdles that Razon’s group is preparing to overcome as it seeks to lure high-rollers away from the strongholds of Macau and Singapore.

“We would fly them in privately from Hong Kong, Macau, Shanghai, places like that,” said Razon

Besides a world-class casino, the Manila Bay Resorts - expected to open in September 2014 - will boast three hotels totalling over 2,000 rooms. who commutes around the city in a black Jaguar. The 52-year-old only takes a helicopter if he’s late or in a hurry, he adds with a smile.

Brokerage CLSA estimates the Philippine gaming market will reach $3 billion by 2015. While Macau raked in more than 10 times that amount in 2011, the Philippines is seen more closely matching Singapore which made $5.7 billion in 2011.

Vietnam, Korea and Taiwan are also mulling gaming legislation. For the next few years, however, inves-

tors view the Philippines as a more immediate alternative.

That has helped push Bloomberry’s forward price earning ratio -- a widely used valuation metric -- to 37, with Belle’s at nearly 73, both the richest in their sectors in Southeast Asia, Thomson Reuters Starmine data showed.

Genting and Alliance Global’s Philippine joint venture, Travellers Hotel International Group Inc, is expanding Resorts World and a new casino by Manila Bay, adding around 5,000 hotel rooms in the

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next five years.

Okada’s Universal Entertainment is continuing construction of its $2 billion casino which is due to open by end-2014, pending the result of the investigation into allegations the company paid bribes to a former PAGCOR consultant in 2010.

Universal denies any wrongdoing and has filed suit against Reuters for defamation in Japan over a story related to the allegations.

PAGCOR’s dual role as operator and regulator means that if there is enough evidence to show bribery they could immediately strip Okada of the license. Jay Santiago, chief legal counsel at PAGCOR, said the license was not transferable but ownership could change with approval.

Okada’s subsidiary, Tiger Resorts Leisure and Entertainment, said on Dec. 12 that it had signed an initial deal with property company Robinsons Land Corp., run by local billionaire John Gokongwei.

“Everybody is excited about the integrated resort development,” Frederick Go, Robinson’s president and Gokongwei’s nephew, said in an interview. “Potentially if you look at what the others are projecting to do, it would double our profitability.” (Reuters) n

COOL COCO JANUARY 16-31, 2013

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Coco’s on a roll.

Coco has remained a darling of Philippine television. His new movie lined up early in the new year and his new soap opera are more than enough proof that no amount of negativity can bring him down. His career is soaring and it won’t be dropping down anytime soon.

HE year 2012 proved to be a major milestone in the career of award-winning Kapamilya actor Coco Martin. His soap opera, Walang Hanggan, was one of the most watched primet i m e shows of the year and it is no wonder that a movie is now in the works for him and leading lady Julia Montes.

During the Thanksgiving concert of Walang Hanggan, Coco revealed that he and Julia were set to shoot their movie in The Netherlands. The movie is reportedly titled A Moment In Time and its cast members will include big names like Gabby Concepcion and Cherie Hil. Photos from the shooting locations in Amsterdam have proliferated over social networking sites, giving Coco-Julia fans much reason to be excited about the upcoming flick.

Initially, there was much doubt as to the perceived success of the soap, as the pairing of Coco and Julia was clearly experimental: they have not been paired off prior and the age gap was quite apparent. The show kicked off slowly, with only the veteran actors carrying the spark of the story: Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulueta’s

Coco and Julia in Walang Hanggan.

undeniable chemistry was more than enough to push the show’s ratings up. But as the story progressed, and as Coco’s acting skills unraveled, so did his onscreen rapport with Julia progress.

S o o n enough, fans of their characters – Daniel and Katrina – surfaced, and a love team was formed.

Naturally, fans hoped for a real time, off screen romance between the two leads. And it seems that they got their wish. In a recent The Buzz interview with Julia, the actress revealed that she cannot believe Coco would actually like

her. This is after Coco has apparently admitted that he had plans of courting Julia when the young lady turns 18 years old.

“Hindi ako makapaniwala,” she gushed. “Parang ang hirap isipin na Coco Martin. May factor na wow Coco Martin, ako Julia. Iba kasi si Coco talaga bilang aktor. Iniisip ko, ganoon ba ako para magustuhan?”

And who can blame Julia for such disbelief ? Coco is definitely one of the most sought-after young actors in the industry today.

Actresses would jump at the opportunity to be paired with Coco -- but it seems that Erich Gonza-

les has won this particular race.

She is set to play Coco’s leading lady in the upcoming teleserye, Juan dela Cruz. The Kapamilya network’s newest offering is predictably another hit, being led by Coco himself whose soap operas have all been certified successes.

The show will be likewise starred in by the industry’s big names: Albert Martinez, Joel Torre, Mylene Dizon, ZsaZsa Padilla, and Jaime Fabregas. In the first trailers aired

by ABS-CBN, it has shown clips of Coco playing the role of an aswang slayer. Coco’s character has superhero abilities and judging from the initial trailers, his role in this new soap is quite different from the previous dramatic roles he has magnificently portrayed in the past.

But the limelight catches not just success but also intrigue: just recently, Coco’s former flame, Katherine Luna, appeared in an interview claiming that if Coco wanted to help out their sevenyear old love child, he would be free to do so. She relates that their daughter knows Coco and is proud whenever she sees him on TV. According to Katherine, Coco has not extended any help to her or their child after she has given birth.

While Coco has kept mum about the issue, the news still makes its way to the surface and these issues will definitely link themselves to the young actor’s name. Despite intrigues, however, Coco has remained a darling of Philippine television.

His new movie lined up early in the new year and his new soap opera are more than enough proof that no amount of negativity can bring him down. His career is soaring and it won’t be dropping down anytime soon.

Fans who have been charmed

by Coco’s impeccable acting skills and good looks will surely flock to the theater to catch his latest big screen offering with Julia and the rest of the soapopera-supporters will stay glued to their screens waiting for Juan dela Cruz to make his first shining appearance. n

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CELEBR TY

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KIM MIFFED AT MAJA OVER GERALD KIM Chiu could not hide her disappointment and bitterness over reports that her best friend, Maja Salvador, is now dating her former boyfriend, Gerald Anderson.

Kim said she was caught by surprise by the turn of events.

“For me, I›m happy for them, wala naman pong masama, pareho silang single at maging masaya na lang tayo sa kanilang dalawa. Nakakalungkot lang kasi yung friendship ay nasayang, yeah yung friendship namin ni (Maja),” an emotional Kim said in a press conference on Jan. 8 on Book 2 of ABS-CBN›s hit series Ina Kapatid Anak.

“Nagulat ako, nabigla hindi ko ini-expect na mangyayari ang ganito, bakit? Hindi naman ako bitter.

Kung anuman ang nangyayari sa kanila, I›m happy for them, pero parang nalungkot lang ako na yung taong sinabihan ko noong time na down ako eh parang kinain niya lang yung sinabi niya,” she added.

Kim stressed that she and Maja are not fighting. “We are good, we

THERE’S ONLY ONE DOLPHY

SARAH STILL HURTING

SARAH Geronimo turned emotional when reporters reopened the issue of her failed romance with Gerald Anderson.

She stressed to reporters that her parents, particularly her mother, had nothing to do with the end of their budding romance. She was reacting to speculations that her mother, Divine, asked Gerald to stop wooing her daughter.

“Nanginginig ako. Tama na po.

Huwag niyong isisi sa magulang ko ang nangyari dahil ‹di niyo alam kung ano ang totoong nangyari,“ Sarah begged reporters. “Kasi ang sakit sa magulang ko, lalo na sa nanay ko, na masyado nilang bina-bash. Kasi kung ano ang nafoform sa utak nila na kwento, ‹yun lang ang pinaniniwalaan nila. Pero hindi nila alam kung ano ang mga pinagdaanan namin, pinagdaanan ko.“ While she did not directly mention Gerald, Sarah confirmed that she is still hurting because of another failed romance. She previously had a secret relationship with actor-dancer Rayver Cruz, who decided to move on because he could no longer “wait” for her.

Despite his recent falling out

are OK. I don›t care, I don›t care, bahala na siya. She knows Gerald, who Gerald is,” she said.

Asked if it›s now hard for her to work with Maja, Kim replied: “We can work professionally at nagawa naman po namin yon at maganda naman po ang mga eksena namin [sa Ina, Kapatid, Anak].”

She also revealed that Maja asked her approval to date Gerald.

“She asked permission and I said, bakit kailangan pang magpaalam eh wala na ako kay Gerald, wala na talaga. Naano lang ako na ang daming nagtatanong sa akin about Gerald, bakit? Ang tagal na, ang dami ng babaeng dumaan after ako, hindi lang ako,” said Kim, adding that she›s not hurt over the relationship.

She appealed to bashers to spare Maja and Gerald. “Sa mga bashers, tama na po, let›s be happy for the both of them. Kung nagmamahalan man sila, kung anuman ang nararamdaman nila sa isa›t isa, maging masaya na lang po tayo.“

VICE Ganda rejects suggestions that he is the next Comedy King in reaction to reports that his latest movie, Sisterakas, has become the top-grossing Filipino movie of all time.

“Hindi puwedeng mangyari yun,” insists Vice, dispelling the notion that he is the heir to Dolphy’s throne. “Ako na mismo ang nagsasabi na hindi ako puwedeng maging Comedy King.

Si Mang Dolphy ang Comed y with Sarah, Gerald said in a television interview that the singer-actress remains a special person in his life. He added that he has no regrets about courting Sarah.

Sarah said she is not yet ready to fall in love again but gave this advice to those who want to try to win her heart: “‹Yun pa rin, tulad ng dati, ‹yung hindi mapapagod na ipaglaban ako. Hindi isasama ang trabaho ko sa personal na buhay ko. Kasi package ako, kasama ko ‹yung pamilya ko, ‹yung mga magulang ko.”

King. Walang pwedeng maging susunod na Mang Dolphy.”

He added: “Ako kasi bilang respeto na rin dun sa totoong Comedy King na kawawala lang may bago na agad pumalit sa kanya, di ba? At saka, there will be only one Mang Dolphy. Kahit pagbali-baligtarin natin yung mundo, walang puwedeng sumunod na Mang Dolphy. Walang next Mang Dolphy. . . At kahit ako ayoko ring maging next Mang Dolphy kasi mahirap ‘yun, di ba?

Why choose to be the next Mang Dolphy if you can be the first and last Vice Ganda, di ba?”

The comedy film Sisterakas is now officially the “highest-grossing Filipino movie of all time.”

The movie, which starred Vice, Kris Aquino and Ai Ai de las Alas, also topped the box office in the last Metro Manila Film Festival with an earning of P342 million from Dec. 25, 2012 to Jan. 8, 2013.

This erases the previous box-office earnings of P320 million ofthe movie The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin, which also starred Vice.

RICHARD, SARAH TO LEAVE GMA

REAL-LIFE sweethearts Richard Gutierrez and Sarah Lahbati have separately announced plans to leave the GMA Network.

Sarah fired the first salvo with a series of tweets on Jan. 2. “I’ve had misunderstandings with the people who are handling my career...

Just to clarify this issue that’s been going around, I signed a contract with Royal Artist (Tita Annabelle Rama) as a co manager with GMA Artist Center because I needed… someone to protect & help my well being in this cut throat industry...

Because of all of this uncertainty and stress, my family and I decided that I go back…to Switzerland and study there … This does not mean that I will be gone from the industry and craft that I love… Just a breather…from all the chaos.”

Sarah – the Ultimate Female Survivor of GMA’s talent search Starstruck V in 2009 — is part of the cast of GMA’s historical drama, Indio, set to start airing this month.

GMA-7 issued a statement on Jan. 3 in reply to Sarah’s tweets, calling her decision to leave for Switzerland “a violation of her contract” with the network.

On Jan. 3 Annabelle Rama delivered her own breaking news in behalf of son Richard with her own series of tweets. “Little birdie told me last night that Richard will be a freelancer soon to make movies with other studios,” she wrote.

The other studios that Annabelle was referring to may include Regal Films, Viva Films and Star Cinema.

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CELEBRITYFILES

SAM ADMITS ‘HANGING OUT’ WITH SHAINA SAM Milby admitted that he is “hanging out” with actress ShainaMagdayao but stressed that they are not yet a couple.

In an interview during the press conference for his new TV series, Kahit Konting Pagtingin, Sam admitted that he likes Shaina.

“Hindi po totoo na kami na. Honest ako sa mga kaibigan ko, sa lahat na, may crush ako sa kanya, paghanga sa kanya. But in terms na item kami or kami na, wala pang ganyan,” he said.

He said he and Shaina go out with some of their friends -- and never just the two of them.

“Friends lang kami ngayon. Naghahang-out kami kasama ang mga kaibigan niya. Never kaming lumabas na kami lang dalawa. Ayaw ko

namang sabihin kung ano ang mangyayari basta friends kami muna, ‹yun na,“ he said.

Sam said what he likes most about Shaina is her sweet personality. “Maliban sa maganda siya ay maganda ang puso niya, maalaga sa trabaho niya, sa pamilya niya. She is a good person. But ‘yun nga wala pa kaming something sa ngayon.”

He said he asked permission from his close friend John Prats, who is an ex-boyfriend of Shaina.

“Siyempre best friend ko ‘yon so I want to make sure na kung sakaling manliligaw ako kay Shaina ay okay sa kanya. Best friend ko siya at kahit dati noong may paghanga ako kay Shaina, sinabi ko sa kanya. I’m very honest person.”

GMA-7-SARAH RIFT WORSENS

THE rift between GMA Network and Sarah Lahbati has worsened as the network filed a libel case against its rising talent.

The case stemmed from Sarah’s statement that GMA7 executives asked or referred the Fil-Swiss actress to enter into a co-management contract with talent agency ICONS Management.

Sarah also alleged in her tweets GMA CEO Felipe Gozon “guaranteed her protection” if she will tell every detail about the “under the table” deal between GMA Artist Center and ICONS Management.

Gozon said he never guaranteed her protection. “She did not ask for protection and I did not guarantee that I will protect her. I cannot protect anyone who is not telling the truth,” he said.

GMA Films president Atty. Annette Gozon-Abrogar stressed that she never asked or referred Sarah to ICONS for a co-management contract. “The only referral to ICONS that was ever made was for branding assistance, not for co-management, in order to get more

REGINE DELIVERS IN REPEAT SHOW

endorsements,” she said.

Sarah has announced her intention to return to Switzerland to resume her studies because GMA-7 has allegedly neglected her career.

The network said Sarah’s plan to return to Switzerland is a violation of her contract with GMA-7 and insisted that they will not release her until her contract expires in 2015.

ASIA’S Songbird kept her promise to make up for the initial staging of her 25th Silver concert last November, which was cut short after she lost her voice.

Regine Velasquez did not disappoint her avid fans who came back in full force to cheer her on. Her hubby, Ogie Alcasid, was obviously very proud of her last Jan. 5.

“I admire my wife for her extreme faith that both the first and repeat concerts were part of her journey with God,” beamed Ogs. “It is really by His grace that all of it was possible. Obviously, setting up the concert was a Herculean task for (her sister-manager) Cacai (Mitra) and Reg but God provided the means. I am only a hus-

band and my role at all times is to support my wife, which I try to do with my utmost best.”

A few hours after “Silver Rewind,” Regine posted a picture of sardines and red eggs on her Instagram account with this caption: “Salamat sa lahat ng nanood ng ‘Silver 2.’ Yehey, natapos na rin. Puwede na lumafang Lola n’yo kaya lumafang na tayo. Diva mode off, ‘Lola’ mode on.”

On Valentine’s Day, Ogie and Regine will have a concert with Martin Nievera and Pops Fernandez, entitled “Foursome”.

Ogie promised “wonderful love songs, wisecracks and the vocal arrangements that we have always wanted to do.”

LOVI SAYS LOVE CAN WAIT

LOVI Poe was visibly touched by Jake Cuenca’s public declaration of his love for her. But the young actress is cautious about entering into another relationship.

“I found it really sweet of him,” Lovi said of Jake’s confession on The Buzz that he “loves” her.

“For someone to say something like that on TV, coming from him pa, it’s really, really sweet.

Kahit ako nagulat, I didn’t expect that at all,’ she added.

Jake’s confession on TV came after months of speculation on the real status of his relationship with Lovi. He maintained, however, that he and Lovi are only friends.

Lovi’s hesitation to go into a relationship at this time stems from her sad experience in her past relationship with former Ilocos Sur Congressman Ronald Singson.

Although Jake meets Lovi’s criteria for a potential partner -- a good sense of humor, good to her friends and presentable -- the actress “wants to take it slow with anyone that I meet.”

“Siguro I was really impulsive before. Siguro I was really drained with my past relationship that I don’t know what to give anymore sa next. I don’t know what to give again,” she said.

At this point, she said she prefers being friends with the “very sweet” Jake, “since he’s also busy with work.”

“He’s an amazing actor,” Lovi said of Jake. “I’ve never met anyone as passionate as he is with this job. I can’t even say I’m as passionate as he is because once he talks about his work, he’s like, really into it.”

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Two international surveys have found Filipinos to be among the friendliest people on earth.

O O K I N G back at the year that was, SPOT.ph compiled a master list of global surveys, studies, and achievements the Philippines managed to rank in.

From best beaches to biggest crocodile to world’s friendliest and even to worst airport, the Philippines is always on everyone’s list.

1. One of the world’s top Christmas destinations – CNN’s Roseann Lake enumerated a list of cities that place special emphasis on Christmas, and Manila, with its extensive window displays, magnificent Christmas trees, and Christmas jingles as early as September, made it with eight other countries.

“A trip to the Philippines lets you have it all. Known as the country with ‘the longest Christmas season in the world,’ Filipinos get the Christmas festivities rolling in September, and extend them well through January,” writes Lake.

2. World’s most emotional nation – The Filipinos’ love for drama definitely translates to real life. USbased pollster Gallup deemed the Philippines as “the world’s most emotional nation.” Filipinos, apparently, have the biggest reactions when it comes to pain, happiness, and anger.

3. Asia’s Top 10 Destinations on the Rise -- Amid our beaches,

Ranking

the Philippines According to Skyscanner.com, only 0.17% of Filipinos are rude, placing us on 32nd place and well on the bottom. This simply means we are among the friendliest people. A separate survey by HSBC’s Expat Explorer also listed the Philippines eight over 100 in their roundup of friendliest countries.

The Manila Cathedral in Intramuros district is one reason to visit Manila, which a travel website describes as one of Asia’s Top 10 Destinations on the Rise.

mountains, and fields, urban areas aren’t exactly a top tourist destination in the Philippines, but travelers have spoken: Manila is a must-visit place in Asia according to travel website TripAdvisor. The survey described the city as “historic and modern, rich and poor... filled with museums, shops, parks and churches, plus enough nightlife to last until dawn.”

4. NAIA 1 as world’s second worst airport -- Frommers, a leading international travel guide, has tagged the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 as the world’s second worst airport, behind New York’s JFK. The survey based its results on comfort, conveniences, cleanliness, and customer service.

5. Manila as the third worst city for driving in the world -- Based on IBM’s 2011 Commuter Pain survey, World Bank Statistics, and other Internet sources, Manila was ranked the third worst city for driving, just behind Beijing and New Delhi.

6. World’s friendliest nation -- According to Skyscanner.com, which ranked 34 countries based on rudeness, only 0.17% of Filipinos are rude, placing us on 32nd place and well on the bottom. A separate survey by HSBC’s Expat Explorer also listed the Philippines eight over 100 in their roundup of friendliest countries.

7. One of the world’s best Chinatowns -- CNNGo writer Simon Ostheimer says Binondo is the world’s oldest Chinatown and that its namesake church is an outstanding landmark. He also commended it as a food hub.

8. Clark International Airport as the world’s third best airport freezone -- The Clark International Airport in Pampanga was deemed third best airport freezone by FDI magazine. It also ranked the Clark Freeport Zone as the eighth in the world.

9. Makati as Asia’s third most promiscuous city -- SeekingArrangement.com, a dating website, conducted a survey of 10,000 of its male members and proclaimed Makati as the third most promiscuous city in Asia. Of all the Makati-based respondents, 77% revealed they have more than five sexual partners annually.

10. Philippines falls to 103rd in “happiest people” list -- From being one of the happiest people in the world, Filipinos have tumbled several steps down to 103. The survey, done

by Columbia University, ranked the Philippines among the “least happy” countries. It based its survey on good +23

The century-old houses remain standing, a testament to the proud and colorful history of the province.

By MA. stella f. arnaldo

AAYONG aga! (Good morning!) The first thing you will notice as soon as you arrive in Iloilo is that sing-song, caressing dialect of Ilonggos. It envelops you like a warm hug, making you feel like a long-lost friend. It makes you eager to find out what everyone is talking about.

That warmth translates to the service in Iloilo’s hotels and resorts, its cuisine and its people who are keen to take visitors around town, and to the remarkable concern that Ilonggos have for many of its heritage homes and historical landmarks. (Iloilo is one of the few cities in the country that has a very active cultural heritage and conservation council.)

A good time to visit Iloilo is during its Dinagyang Festival in honor of the Señor Santo Niño and the welcome by the indigenous Atis of Malays who soon settled on Panay Island. It is celebrated

Built in 1786, the Miag-ao Church is on the UNICEF world heritage list of baroque churches.

It can get only warmer in Iloilo PLANET

JANUARY 16-31, 2013

on the fourth Sunday of January.

Must-see’s • History unfolding -- Drive down the bustling Calle Real (now called JM Basa Street) in Iloilo

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A visit to Iloilo is to fall in love with its cuisine. Many of the dishes are extensions of the Ilonggos’ yearning for the languid life of comfort. It’s no wonder that some of its well-known dishes are actually heartwarming broths like the la paz batchoy, pancit molo and chicken binakol.

Vancouver Edition

City, and you will see many buildings retaining their Spanish-era baroque designs, Parisienne art-noveau sensibilities, as well as modern American details. Still a center for commerce, many of the buildings are used as stores and retail spaces to this day. (Even the nearby public market is an architectural marvel featuring a ziggurat in the center of the façade.)

Nelly Garden in the town of Jaro was built in 1928 by Don Vicente Lopez and his wife, the former Doña Elena Hofileña, and named after their eldest daughter.

With its extensive manicured lawn and florid American art-deco architecture, the stark white mansion transports visitors to the time of affluence when Iloilo was booming with sugar export revenues.

The Angelicum School (Tabuc Suba, Jaro) is no ordinary educational establishment -- it was once the estate of the Lizares family. The mansion was built in 1929 during the excesses of the sugar-industry boom, and for a time acquired a spooky reputation, having been reportedly used as torture chambers during the Japanese Occupation.

Since the takeover of the Dominican Order, the mansion has been festooned with colored lights and ornaments every Christmas.

• Religious sites -- The Miag-ao Church (Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church) in the municipality of Miagao, southern Iloilo (about an hour away from Iloilo City) was built in 1786 by Spanish Agustinian priests and is on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization world heritage list of baroque churches in the

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Philippines. The church functioned as a lookout for marauding Moro pirates and was built like a fortress with secret passages.

The Molo Church (Saint Anne’s Church) in Molo, Iloilo, is every feminist’s dream church. Built in 1831 in the Gothic-Renaissance style, the church pays homage to 16 female saints with its main retablo focused on Saint Anne. Its two separate spired belfries were said to have once housed 30 bells of varying sizes that once tinkled in various musical tones.

Other distinctive Spanish-era churches in Iloilo are: San Juan de Bautista Parish Church in Dingle, eastern Iloilo; Saint Jerome Parish Church in Dueñas; Santo Nicolas de Tolentino Parish Church in Guimbal; Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Parish Church in La Paz; and the San Jose Church in Iloilo City, which houses a 17thcentury statue of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.

• Local weaves -- Due to the onslaught of cheaper textiles from abroad, sinamay weaving is practically a dying industry in Iloilo.

Hand-loomed from piña or the fibers of pineapple, sinamay cloth and products can be purchased as pasalubong (gifts for family and friends that are usually bought during one’s travels) from the House of Sinamay along Osmeña Street.

• Cool it down -- Iloilo’s coastline is home to some of the cleanest beaches in the province. Whether

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Held on the fourth Sunday of January, the Dinagyang Festival attracts local and foreign tourists alike. white, dark grey or black sand, the province’s beaches still provide locals and tourists a quick break from their harried lives.

The most accessible beaches are those located in Oton, Tigbauan and Guimbal, which are still within Iloilo City. There are a number of resorts providing clean, basic amenities to beach bums as well as seafood restaurants to satiate those hungry tummies after having gone for a swim.

In the towns of Ajuy, Concepcion, San Dionisio and Carles in northern Iloilo can be found white-sand beaches that can rival Boracay’s tropical treasures. Also

in the north is Sicogon Island, with its pristine off-white beach; due to limited accommodations available, locals usually just go there for overnight trips.

To-do’s • Eat! -- A visit to Iloilo is to fall in love with its cuisine. Many of the dishes—whether they are cooked in someone’s home, or found in the public market or restaurants—are extensions of the Ilonggos’ yearning for the languid life of comfort. It’s no wonder that some of its well-known dishes are actually heartwarming broths like the la paz batchoy, pancit molo and chicken binakol.

Go to Sarabia Manor Hotel’s Café Salvatore for a steaming bowl of pancit molo (pork dumplings soup) or if you feel adventurous enough, check out Kapitan’s old-style version in his house near Asilo de Molo. Each dumpling is lovingly handmade, with the broth so umami you just know there are no extenders.

The best la paz batchoy (noodle soup with pork innards and cracklings) can be found in the La Paz public market. Take your pick from a multitude of stalls that all serve the soup with some deadly but delicious bone marrow. It is best eaten with fresh Puto Manapla (steamed

JANUARY 16-31, 2013

rice cake from Manapla).

Most chicken inasal (grilled chicken on skewers) in Iloilo are equally good, whether these be found in the restaurants or in the streets.

At Tatoy’s Manukan and Seafood House (Villa Beach)—an excellent restaurant serving a wide array of seafood—they use native chicken for its chicken inasal, thus raising the bar higher for the grilled delicacy.

Of course, if you are lucky enough to get invited to someone’s home for dinner, you can be sure that the traditional Ilonggo dishes served there will be genuinely authentic and even more superb.

• Shop! -- The best pasalubong from Iloilo are biscuits, cookies and sweet treats. Panaderia de Molo (Avanceña Street in Molo, with branches on Jaro Street and Rizal Street across the University of Iloilo) is probably the oldest bakeshop in the province and serves Spanishstyle biscuits and cookies. Its best sellers are the kinihad, biscocho, merengue, hojaldres and bañadas.

Biscocho Haus (8 Lopez Jaena Street, Jaro) also serves various cookies and biscuits, but its best product for me is the butterscotch, which tastes close to food-for-the-gods.

For dried-fish goods, go to the Iloilo City central market on Rizal Street. These tabagak, guma-a, dried squid, danggit, etc. are must-eats for a great breakfast. Also at the market are ginamos (shrimp paste), which is the Ilonggo’s version of the bagoong.

(BusinessMirror) n

Ranking the Philippines From page 21

health, access to education, political freedom, quality of relationships, and trusting communities.

11. Boracay as the world’s best island and as second best beach in the world -- In its World’s Best Awards, US-based magazine Travel + Leisure named Boracay as “Best Islands.”

The acclaimed travel website TripAdvisor meanwhile placed Boracay second in its Best Beaches list. Boracay’s Yapak Beach won over travelers with its beautiful white shells, white sand, and picture-perfect sunset. Balinghai was cited for being a perfect spot for honeymooners.

12. The deadliest place for journalists in Southeast Asia -- The Philippines maintains its status as the most dangerous place for journalists in Southeast Asia. The survey, conducted by the Southeast Asian Press Alliance, ranked the

country based on its 36 (out of 100) cases of impunity that the group documented in 2012 only.

13. Local economy as second among Asian nations in terms of growth -- The National Statistical Coordination revealed last May that the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.4% early this year—a big difference from the 4.9% expansion in the same period of the previous year. The country’s economic performance was above average and developed much faster than Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand. Growth was also noticeably slower in India, Hong Kong, Korea, and Japan.

14. The Philippines sets world record for most number of consecutive haircuts -- On May 13, the Philippines broke the Guinness world record for most consecutive haircuts performed by a single team.

Finishing an astonishing 388 male haircuts in three hours was the Gu-

pitang Bayan Para sa Kabuhayan.

15. ‘Lolong’ officially proclaimed as the largest crocodile in captivity - All the hype surrounding this giant reptile was finally vindicated when it was declared the world’s largest crocodile in captivity. The 6.17-meter, 2,370-pound male croc was discovered in an Agusan marsh in September 2011. n

Filipinos may be among the friendliest people but they sure drive with wild abandon especially in city streets.

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By ugochi daniels

S I prepare for another trip to Mindanao, this time to Davao, I know I am going to meet yet another. I have been in the Philippines now for two years and have travelled many times and often to very remote areas. On each and every trip, in spite of the beauty and warmth that surrounds me, what lingers in my memory, painfully long and hard, is the look on the face of yet another.

As a result, each time I come back to Manila, I am energized to make a difference. With passion, motivation and commitment, I do the very best I can, whenever I can, whether I am with the President or I am with a driver. I am a wife, a mother, a sister, a Catholic and I am the Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund in the Philippines.

At UNFPA, how do we see the Philippines? A middle income country with a youthful population experiencing enviable economic growth and currently led by a committed national government.

At the same time, however, it is confronted by increasing numbers of women and girls dying while trying to give life, many of which are preventable. Children are having children instead of acquiring knowledge and skills, increasing rates of HIV. This happens where only a minority of women have access to the information and services they need to control their own bodies and their own lives.

I often speak about the “Two Philippines” and the “Paradox of the Philippines.” And more recently, I have spoken about how we are failing our young people. But most of you reading this already know this. So instead, let me introduce you to “Peachy.”

Where girls die while trying to give life

The Philippines is confronted by increasing numbers of women and girls dying while trying to give life, many of which are preventable. Children are having children instead of acquiring knowledge and skills, increasing rates of HIV.

Teenage mom Peachy is 17 years old. She has two children. I met her in Cagayan de Oro at a ceremony where her one-month-old child dubbed UNFPA’s “Sendong baby” was presented with a birth certificate and a scholarship, among other things. Peachy was also provided with what she will need to set up her own sari-sari store.

During her second pregnancy,

The UN Fund for Population Activities describes the Philippines as “a middle income country with a youthful population experiencing enviable economic growth and currently led by a committed national government.”

Peachy did not have any checkups until she came to a UNFPA supported RH service in the evacuation center where she stayed after

tropical storm Sendong. She didn’t even know that she was already in labor. She was in a UNFPA car being rushed to a hospital but ended

Only a minority of Filipino women have access to the information and services they need to control their own bodies and their own lives.

up delivering in our car.

Peachy comes from one of the poorest municipalities in her province, which incidentally also has among the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in the area. At least her second baby now has a scholarship and Peachy can generate some income, but I ask myself what about the many others? On every visit I make I meet many Peachys.

One of the most frequent questions I am asked is what is my impression of the Philippines. Everyone wants to know how the Philippines compares to other countries I have worked in or its neighbors.

This is a bit of a snapshot approach when what is really needed is perspective – where you have come from and where you are going. So I always answer by using the analogy of a race in which Philippines and Japan were way ahead at the start.

However, the Philippines didn’t run quickly enough, and in the process, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia overtook the Philippines.

That’s not all. The Philippines may currently be ahead of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos but the rate at which she is running means that they are catching up. Apologies for such a simplistic example, but I hope the analogy is clear.

Peachy of course is completely unaware of this race. For her mother, for her, for her first child, not much has changed – they are

the living testimony of the vicious cycle of poverty from one generation to another. It will however be different for her second child – our Sendong baby – we hope.

For many Filipinos, the opportunity to work abroad as an OFW, breaks this vicious cycle and in fact the impact of the OFWs on the economic growth of the Philippines is significant. And yet, that’s not the whole story.

Incest survivor Let me introduce you to “Bibi,” a lovely 9-year-old girl I met in a province in Luzon. Bibi lives in a crisis center. She is a survivor of incest. Her mother is an OFW. Therein lies another paradox – the family as a unit is enshrined in the Constitution and yet the very activity that contributes to so much growth and development is eroding the families of so many.

On every visit I make, I meet or hear of yet another Bibi.

For me, for UNFPA, Peachy and Bibi are more than statistics.

They are more than survey results, they are more than debates, they are more than factories to produce OFWs, and therefore the time is now to make a real difference in their lives.

They deserve options and choices - it is their right. Only they should have control over their own bodies and their own lives. It is their right.

But as I finish this piece on my way to Davao to assess how best UNFPA can support the government to respond to Typhoon Pablo, it saddens me to know I will meet yet another. (Rappler.com) n

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VANCOUVERIMPRESSIONS

VANCOUVER Impressions

By Mel Tobias

Discover Vancouver 2013

W

e ended the old year and will start the new year on a high note at Planet Philippines.

We leave 2012 with optimism and the hope for bigger and better things or countless blessings to come to everyone and the world in general.

2013 is full of flirtatious promises as Vancouver continues to emerge as a premier multi-cultural cosmopolitan city, no longer the quiet village inhabited by people with little minds unexposed to global offerings.

We have seen our city mature intellectually and culturally. And we have involved ourselves in various streams of the local arts and literary scene, business, political and culinary communities.

Hopefully, our column will arouse further curiosity and provoke readers to discover the vibrancy of Vancouver that is so alive with different cultures. As modern Vancouverites, we live today for tomorrow.

COLUMNIST’S PICKS FOR THE MONTH SPANISH TAPAS GALORE

Vancouver for a cosmopolitan city has very few authentic Spanish restaurants and many are Mexican fast food joints masquerading as venues serving Paella Espanol. But things have changed lately.

SARDINE CAN on 26 Powell St., opened last year serving rustic, affordable Tapas, Spanish style (patatas bravas,, deconstructed Paella Valencia rice with Paella bits). Clients seated in communal tables are packed like

Sardine Can sardines. It opens at 3 pm and remains open till early morning. No reservation is accepted and there is discount if you pay cash.

Then, there is ESPANA on 1118 Denman St. that appeared on the scene recently, a sit-down Spanish restaurant serving bar snacks (crispy chickpeas), toasts (marinated white anchovies), cured meats (Serrano ham, Iberico chorizo), fish (crispy squid, Iberica Lomo-pork loin) and other Spanish delicacies including freshly-made Churros and thick hot chocolate). Espana does not accept reservation so come early for dinner. It opens at 5 pm and stays open till 2 am on weekends.

For nostalgiacs, there’s LA BODEGA (1277 Howe St.) which opened in 1971. It remains the oldest restaurant serving Spanish cuisine in Vancouver.

ESPERANZA WHO?

A lot of people still don’t know Esperanza Spalding, despite her four best-selling jazz albums and for winning the jazz artist and jazz album of the year (Radio Music Society). With her huge afro hairdo, she not only plays bass,

Esperanza Spalding sing, compose, perform but is also highly innovative. She’s unique and her sound is original. Daring in her art, her head’s on straight so unlike the pop stars of today.

Originally from Portland, Oregon, she is now a New York resident. The 28-year-old musician tours a lot, works hard and enjoys collaborating with her impressive family of fellow musicians. Esperanza is the essence of today’s jazz, free-flowing and expressive.

For a starter, get a copy of her third album entitled “Chamber Music Society” at Zulu Records on 4th Avenue. Enjoy her unusual version of “Wild Is the Wind”, popularized by Nina Simone. Spalding is a prolific songwriter and you will enjoy her original songs such as “What A Friend”, “Short and Sweet” and her memorable rendition of “Inutil Paisagem”, music composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Burma Rivers of Flavor ever been given to the whole country. That is the reason why the author used Burma for the book.

The chapter on salads glorifies the cuisine, also the soups because in Burma soups are essential part of the main meal of the day and vegetables play a huge role at the table.

Imagine the conglomeration of Thai, Vietnamese and Indian cuisines all rolled into one.

What you have is Burmese cuisine, and a country that continues to evolve as a major player on the international stage. (Available at Chapters)

ON THE SUBJECT OF A LITTLEKNOWN CUISINE BURMA by Naomi Duguid

Toronto-based culinary author and adventurer Duguid has written an original, fascinating book about Burmese cuisine. It is one of the world’s last great but little-known cuisines.

Like other Southeast Asian flavors, they are savory, seductive, exotic and distinctive.

As Burma opens to the outside world after half a century of seclusion, the release of the book is timely. Filled with wonderful photography and prose, Burma is a breakthrough.

To avoid name confusion of the country, in 1989, the government decreed that the country’s official name be changed to Myanmar, excluding other parts of the country.

However, Burma is the only name that has

Michael Palin Brazil

ARMCHAIR TRAVELLING AT ITS BEST

Despite the gloom and doom that has inhabited the publishing industry, coffee table books continues to flourish. The prolific Michael Palin (he’s too intelligent to be related to Sarah) has undertaken another one of his celebrated journeys, this time to Brazil. Palin is a best-selling novelist, tv presenter, actor, playwright. Personal favorites include “Around the World in 80 Days” and “New Europe. The latter featured 20 countries, including Latvia, Hungary, Moldova, Estonia, Poland to name a few.

In “Brazil”, Palin starts with The North then moved on to Amazonia and Brasilia, the North-east, Minas and Rio, Sao Paulo and the South. He ends in a boat beneath one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world.

The huge country of Brazil has truly been uncovered. This is a perfect book for armchair travelers and former jet setters who now enjoy travelling the world without leaving home. (Available at Indigo) n

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COMMUNITYNEWS

CAMPAIGN TRAIL ON FOR NARIMA DELA CRUZ’S NOMINATION AS NDP MLA CANDIDATE FOR SURREY TYNEHEAD

T

he solid and formidable team of supporters of Narima Dela Cruz launched their OPLAN JANUARY campaign trail to help nominate Narima Dela Cruz as NDP MLA Candidate for Surrey Tynehead via a New Year Party with their volunteers and core members last December 30.

Dela Cruz, a staunch community last few months now and has so volunteer and leader, and licensed far gathered an overwhelming realtor, is putting her first attempt support from the community. to politics on this nomination bid.

The nomination for Surrey She has been known for years Tynehead NDP is set on February as a dedicated, hardworking 9th (Saturday) and the team has community event organizer, been calling on all NDP Tynehead a Surrey Filipino champion members to show their utmost advocate of new immigrants, support that day to our lone candidate education, settlement, and of Filipino descent in Surrey. To help environment issues, and a well- out with the campaign, please email recognized and multi-awarded narimadelacruz@gmail.com or call community volunteer. Her team 604-3296698, 604-7876441, 604has been working hard for the 5913150, 778-8911433 n

LBC awards first two winners of House and Lot packages

S

an Francisco, Calif. - One winner said it was an answered prayer that will benefit their church in the Philippines, while another was initially skeptical when she first learned the news.

Both winners, however, share the same sentiments that they are happy and satisfied with the reliability of LBC’s services.

Both Raquel G. Abulencia of Madera, Calif. and Edna A. Divinagracia of Edmonton, AB in Canada each won a brand-new house and lot package from LBC in November 2012. They were picked during a special electronic raffle draw at the LBC Corporate Office in South San Francisco, Calif. from thousands of LBC customers who were automatically entered into the company’s 2012 holiday “Lupa, Bahay, Cash” raffle promotion.

The house and lot packages are located inside the fully-developed Avida Village Santa Cecilia in Dasmariñas, Cavite.

U.S. winner

In the case of Ms. Abulencia, she has been a regular customer of LBC since immigrating to the U.S. in 2006. “I use the LBC money remittance service at least once a month.

I also try to ship a balikbayan box once or twice a year,” Ms. Abulencia shared in an interview.

A staunch supporter of Filipino-

owned companies in the U.S., Ms. Abulencia prefers to use LBC services because of the company’s “reliability and its friendly staff.”

Thinking that it is a scam, Ms. Abulencia was initially skeptical when LBC contacted her to inform her of the good news. Her skepticism, however, turned into joy. “I was so happy and excited when I found out I won. I have never won anything big before,” explained Ms. Abulencia, who works as a pharmacist at a Fresno-branch of Walmart.

Ms. Abulencia said she intends to rent out her new property in Cavite since she and her husband will not be staying in the Philippines long enough to live in their new house.

Canada winner

Ms. Divinagracia, for her part, plans to convert the property she won into cash.

LBC’s raffle mechanics, however, does not allow for the house-and-lot package to be converted into cash.

Ms. Divinagracia will instead consider selling the property and use the proceeds to donate to a cause close to her heart.

“I would like to donate the money to our parish church. This was my

Canada House and Lot Winner Edna Divinagracia from Edmonton, AB with Rafael Policarpio, LBC Country Head for Canada pledge to the Almighty God. He answered my prayers,” she explained in an interview. She further shared that the money will be earmarked for the construction of an elevator at the oneof-a-kind church in her hometown.

The Luminous Cross of Grace Sanctuary in the town of Agdangan, in Quezon province, is the only Catholic Church in the world that is shaped like a chalice. The remarkable aspect of this unique 120-feet tall building is that it was built after the townspeople pooled their resources together.

Thus, Ms. Divinagracia believes that the house-and-lot package she won from LBC was “a wonderful Christmas gift from the Almighty God.”

USA House and Lot Winner Raquel A. Abulencia and Spouse with Hugo N. Bonilla (far left) President LBC North America, Fernando G. Araneta President LBC Express and Javier Mantecon OCRO LBC Express.

When she won the LBC raffle in November 2012, it was only the third month that her family in Edmonton, Alberta province has been using LBC’s services. “We just started using LBC cargo services three months ago. We found out that their door-to-door cargo service is so fast. They also deliver our boxes on time and safe. The box is also bigger compared with other door-todoor services,” she said.

In Canada, LBC’s customers of cargo services are provided with 21”x21”x25” boxes to fill with their gifts to their loved ones in the Philippines.

In the case of Ms. Divinagracia’s family, they regularly send six cargo boxes to Agdangan, Quezon once a month. She said they will now depend on LBC’s cargo services to send supplies to their various businesses

in Quezon. Their family operates a grocery and clothing store, a resort, a boarding house and an alkaline water filling station in their hometown.

LBC raffle

Two more winners will be selected in another special electronic draw on January 4, 2013. LBC customers from both the U.S. and Canada who availed of LBC services from September 1, 2012 to December 1, 2012 will be automatically entered into the raffle.

In addition to the four winners of house-and-lot packages, 17 winners from the U.S. and 17 winners from Canada have won $1,000 in cash during the weekly raffle draw. The last raffle draw for the cash prizes were held last December 28 at the LBC Corporate Office in South San Francisco, Calif. n

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OCHOA DISOWNS DEADLY MISSION

The bullet-riddled SUV of the victims.

AQUINO ORDERS PROBE OF QUEZON KILLINGS P

RESIDENT Aquino has ordered a “full and exhaustive investigation” of the reported gunfight between security forces and an armed group allegedly involved in illegal gambling in which 13 were killed, among them police and military personnel.

“He (Mr. Aquino) wants to get to the bottom of it,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during a Palace briefing in which he announced that investigations into the incident in Atimonan, Quezon province, on Jan. 6 would be conducted by the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.

“The President has tasked the NBI to be the sole investigative agency on the Quezon incident. The PNP will continue its fact finding with respect to the firearms and vehicles and submit its findings to the NBI,” he said, adding there would be “no whitewash.”

Lacierda declined immediate comment on the military and police officers shot dead along with the alleged criminals in the purported encounter at a highway checkpoint in Atimonan.

Lacierda himself wondered why officers of the law would shoot at each other. “Was there involvement of some police and military (in the criminal group)? From there, we will base whatever judgment we will have.”

Among the 13 people killed by the combined Army and police force at the security checkpoint were Victorino “Vic Siman” Atienza Jr., described as an operator of “jueteng”—an illegal numbers racket—and “godfather” of the state-run Small Town Lottery (STL) operations in Laguna and Batangas

provinces, Supt. Alfredo Perez Consemino, the acting police director in the region, and two of his aides.

Lacierda confirmed that one of the fatalities, Tirso Lontoc Jr., was a relative of Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala. He said Lontoc worked previously with Alcala in the environmental protection bureau.

Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr., PNP spokesperson, would not confirm if Consemino was an officer on the take.

“The investigation will try to find out why these police personnel were in the company of an alleged gambling operator,” he told Agence France-Presse.

Cerbo said the PNP inquiry would look into claims by relatives of the victims that they were summarily killed and not slain in a gunfight.

“The official police report of our personnel on the ground said it was a shootout between the elements of a private armed group and the police and the military,” Cerbo said.

“But with this allegation of a ‘rubout’ (slang for summary execution) we have decided to create a factfinding team to get to the bottom of this incident.”

Cerbo also said 13 of the 14 firearms recovered from the site of the gunfight were covered with necessary

permits.

“Where in the world can you find a criminal gang using licensed firearms in carrying out their illegal activity?

That just defies logic,” said a police source involved in the inquiry.

The Palace was also curious about the involvement of Supt. Hansel Marantan, an intelligence officer of the Quezon police who was wounded in the gun battle.

Marantan, who was with the security group manning the checkpoint, gained notoriety when he was charged with the killing of three suspected car thieves in Pasig City in November 2005.

Told that Commission on Human Rights chairperson Loreta Ann Rosales was also keen on pursuing an independent inquiry, Lacierda said: “Perhaps, it would be better to look at the details first, and certainly she will have the opportunity to look into the incident also.

Lacierda said a news report about supposedly missing P100-million jueteng money the criminal gang was said to be carrying would be investigated as well.

“That’s why the NBI would be there also—to investigate as to the motivation of the incident,” he said.

The gun battle between alleged criminals and government security forces was an offshoot of a turf war between rival syndicates involved in the numbers racket “jueteng” in Southern Tagalog, according to Inquirer sources in the Philippine National Police. n

EXECUTIVE Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. washed his hands as head of the anticrime superbody of any responsibility in the bloody Antimonan, Quezon, incident on Jan. 6.

“There is no mission order or any connection with the PAOCTF whatsoever,” Ochoa said in a text message forwarded by Malacañang to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) has been renamed the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).

Ochoa did not elaborate when asked about the operation codenamed “Coplan Armado,” apparently authorized by the PAOCC through Supt. Glenn Dumlao on Oct. 24.

In a statement sent via text message to the Inquirer, Chief Supt. Reginald Villasanta, the PAOCC executive director, denied authorizing the Atimonan operation that killed 13 alleged members of a criminal gang, including six police and military personnel.

“There was no mission order.

What we received was a proposed project that was not approved,” Villasanta said.

“Any project should be approved by the PAOCC executive director. In this particular case, I wish to point out that I have not approved the said project,” he said.

“As a matter of procedure, any operation supported by the PAOCC should be cleared and coordinated with the commission. In

this case, there was none. Hence, we have no prior knowledge of anything related to the incident,” Villasanta said. “Rest assured that the PAOCC will fully cooperate in any investigation.”

Dumlao was implicated in the double murder in 2000 of publicist Salvador Dacer and his driver, Emmanuel Corbito. The double murder was allegedly perpetrated

by PAOCTF members.

However, it has yet to be established how Dumlao managed to return to the police service, with Malacañang clueless about his reassignment to the PAOCC. The PAOCTF metamorphosed into the PAOCC by virtue of Executive Order No. 46, issued by President Aquino on June 13, 2011.

Ochoa was named chair of the anticrime superbody, which gathered the security, law enforcement and intelligence clusters of the Cabinet under its wing.

The PAOCC has 10 members: The secretaries of the Departments of the Interior and Local Government, Justice, National Defense and Foreign Affairs; the national security adviser; the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; the Philippine National Police chief; the directors general of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and the National Bureau of Investigation; and the executive director of the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime. n

AQUINO SHOOTS DOWN GUN BAN A total gun ban will disarm only lawabiding citizens and leave the criminals to prowl the streets, President Aquino said as he rejected calls for such a ban being imposed in the country.

Aquino said the calls for a total ban was a “knee-jerk reaction” that would not solve gun-related crimes.

“I’m not the kind who flatters people. Let’s find a way to solve the issue and not try to be cute,” said the President, a gun enthusiast who shoots for sport. If such a ban were enforced, the criminals would rule, he said.

Lawmakers, citizen’s groups and civil society organizations are spearheading calls for a total gun ban following the death from New Year’s Eve celebratory gunfire of 7-year-old Stephanie Nicole Ella in Caloocan

City, and the killing of eight people and injuring of 12 others by a drunk and drug-addled former barangay official in Cavite on Jan. 4.

The President apparently has a kindred soul in Sen. Vicente Sotto who similarly dismissed calls for a total gun ban as a “knee jerk reaction” to the Cavite killings and would not prevent a repeat of the bloodbath.

“If we outlaw guns, then only the outlaws will have guns, as the saying goes. The citizenry will be at the mercy of the criminal elements with high-powered guns as their disposal,” Sotto said in a statement.

Instead of a total gun ban, the government should instead increase the budget of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency so it could upgrade its antidrug operations, he said. n

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ENRILE PLAYS SANTA TO SENATORS “IT’S time to call a spade a spade,” Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said on Jan. 9 in response to a Philippine Daily Inquirer report in which a colleague described as “unconscionable and unconstitutional” his decision to grant last Christmas P1.6 million in additional maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) to each of 18 senators.

Four senators with whom Enrile does not see eye to eye on matters both professional and personal each received only P250,000.

Enrile invoked the exercise of his sole discretion in his refusal to give P1.6 million to the four senators—Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano, his sister Pia, and Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Antonio Trillanes IV. The Senate President said what he gave to his colleagues was not bribe money.

“Those senators who think that I am bribing anyone with additional budgets in order to keep my post as Senate President must have a very low opinion of their own colleagues,” Enrile said.

He said he was elected Senate President twice and could look at anyone straight in the eye in saying that “I did not buy this position. Not one single centavo of the people’s money is spent just to enable me to cling to this office.”

The senator, who disclosed the unequal Christmas cash “gifts” from En-

Enrile: Gift, not bribe. rile and asked not to be named, said the P1.6 million could be interpreted as a bribe to prevent a Senate reorganization when Congress resumes its sessions on Jan. 21.

In a press statement, Enrile explained that the Cayetanos, Santiago and Trillanes were not totally left out of the picture when the additional MOOE was given to senators.

Enrile said the four received the first installment of P600,000 in additional MOOE that was released by the Senate budget office in November 2012.

The confusion apparently began when Enrile instructed his chief of staff, Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, to exclude

him and the four senators “in the succeeding releases of any further additional MOOE.” This meant the four senators did not receive the second installment of P1.3 million and the final installment of P318,000—amounts that Enrile said were released before the Christmas break.

Enrile wondered why the issuance of additional MOOEs suddenly became an issue. He said he had been giving the MOOEs to senators since he was chosen Senate President in 2008.

These included the P1 million for each senator in 2008 as a second tranche to the P500,000 earlier released by then Senate President Manuel Villar; P1 million each in 2009; two tranches—P1.316 million and P318,000—in 2010; and three tranches—P500,000, P1.3 million and P318,000 in 2011.

“All the senators, including those now complaining or calling it ‘unconscionable’ and ‘unconstitutional’ received these amounts. Yet they never said anything nor questioned it before,” Enrile said.

It was Santiago who clarified in a radio interview that the P250,000 in cash gift that Enrile gave to all senators for Christmas was different from the P1.6 million given to each of the 18 senators.

They were Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto,

Panfilo Lacson, Manuel Villar, Joker Arroyo, Edgardo Angara, Franklin Drilon, Loren Legarda, Francis Escudero, Sergio Osmeña III, Teofisto Guingona III, Manuel “Lito” Lapid, Ramon Revilla Jr., Francis Pangilinan, Gregorio Honasan, Aquilino Pimentel III, Ralph Recto and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In her case, Santiago said she ordered her staff to return the P250,000 that the Office of the Senate President’s staff described as “JPE’s (Enrile’s initials) personal cash gift” on Jan. 4.

“He returned my biscuits, so I returned his cash,” Santiago explained, referring to the baked goodies from Panaderia de Molo of Iloilo that she gave to Enrile for Christmas.

She said her staff automatically deposited the check but when she learned about it, she promptly ordered the money returned to Enrile.

The Senate President confirmed he sent back the biscuits and cited his strained relations with Santiago as the reason for returning them.

Estrada and Lacson were the first to confirm publicly Wednesday that they received the additional MOOE from the Office of the Senate President.

Both, however, insisted that Enrile had the authority to realign unspent funds and convert these to MOOE. Sotto sounded upset when asked in a text message for a statement on the accusations against Enrile. “They

can become Senate President so they can do what they want to do,” he said.

“I stand by the exercise of my sole discretion not to authorize any further releases of additional MOOE last December to the (four) senators …. It is time to call a spade a spade,” he said.

“On the other hand, Senator Santiago’s supposed membership in the majority is questionable, to say the least, as she has publicly and repeatedly denounced and attacked me, just like Senator Trillanes. She does not consider me a friend and I do not think she considers me the head of the Senate and that is fine with me,” Enrile said.

“Yet, masquerading as a member of the majority, Senator Santiago continues to hold the chairmanship of the committee on constitutional amendments plus two oversight committees with annual budgets of P15 million and P10 million,” he added.

Enrile also noted that Arroyo, the fourth member of the Senate minority bloc, “who really and actually acts as a (minority) member … doing his job at fiscalizing even more than the minority leader. (Arroyo) declined to chair any committee, regular or oversight, so unlike the Cayetano siblings.”

Enrile said he remained confident he could explain how the Senate budget was spent despite efforts of some to stir controversy. n

MIRIAM WANTS COA PROBE ‘PABLO’ WORLD’S DEADLIEST DISASTER IN 2012 ON SENATE SAVINGS SENATOR Miriam Defensor Santiago said she will write to Commission on Audit chairperson Gracia Pulido-Tan to probe the so-called savings of top government offices including the Senate.

This, after Enrile admitted giving P2.2 million each to 18 senators last Christmas while distributing only P250,000 each to Senators Santiago, Antonio Trillanes IV, Pia Cayetano and Alan Peter Cayetano.

Santiago said savings of top government offices are a racket to allow heads to distribute the largesse at the end of the year.

“Sa pagkakaalam ko, hindi nila ginagastos ang buong budget nila na nakikita sa budget ng gobyerno.

Ayaw nila gastusin para i-claim nila na savings yan sa katapusan ng taon at ipapamahagi sa sarili nila.

Yun ang raket dun,” she said.

She noted that if the Senate could give out such large cash bonuses at the end of the year, then its budget should be lowered. Part of the savings is from the budget for the 24th Senate post, which was vacated after Benigno Aquino III won in the 2010 presidential election.

Santiago also questioned En-

rile’s claim that he has sole discretion to distribute the funds to the senators. She said the discretionary power is prone to abuse since Enrile could simply distribute the funds to political allies.

“Ang sinasabi niya ngayon solong kapangyarihan niya na mamili siya kung kanino niya ibibigay ang savings na yun. Aba, hindi naman ayon sa Saligang Batas yun. Ano ang base ng sinasabi niyang kapangyarihan niyang discretionary daw yan? Yan ay una sa lahat labag sa tinatawag na equal protection clause sa Constitution,” she said.

She also noted such discretion could be questioned before the Supreme Court for violation of the equal protection clause in the Constitution.

Santiago said she would still write the COA to investigate the savings even if she had also received P2.2 million from Enrile.

“Kung lahat kami ay tumanggap, it falls under my criteria na it should be subject to liquidation meaning to say we are required to submit an itemized report on how we spent that money,” she said. n

‘Pablo’ levels banana plantation to the ground.

TYPHOON “Pablo,” which struck the Davao region of eastern Mindanao last December, was the deadliest catastrophe in the world in 2012 in terms of fatalities, with 1,901 deaths, according to the think tank unit of USbased reinsurance broker and capital adviser Aon Benfield.

‘Pablo’ was also one of the most devastating typhoons last year, with damage totalling some $1 billion, said Impact Forecasting in its December report on global catastrophes in 2012, “Global Catastrophe Recap.”

The report said that damage from ‘Pablo’ — internationally known as “Bopha,” which Impact Forecasting classified as a super typhoon—paled only in comparison to various severe weather events in the United States, earthquakes in Italy, drought in Russia, and several floods in China and Australia.

The most destructive catastrophe in 2012 was Hurricane “Sandy” which ravaged the US East Coast, the damage from which was estimated at $62 billion.

‘Sandy’ also wreaked havoc in the Caribbean and the Bahamas as well as Canada, with additional damage estimated at $2.5 billion.

‘Pablo’ made landfall in Mindanao as a 260 kilometer-per-hour Category 5 typhoon and left 1,901 people dead or missing and 2,666 injured, the report said.

More than 216,817 homes were damaged or destroyed in 318 municipalities in 34 provinces, with the provinces of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley sustaining the most extensive damage, it said.

Impact Forecasting noted that ‘Pablo’ destroyed P37 billion, or $802 million worth of agricultural resources, infrastructure and private property. It said P5 billion ($122 million) would be needed to rehabilitate the farms.

In Palau, Bopha caused an additional $20 million in damage, the think tank said.

“Insurance and reinsurance penetration in the affected territories (in Southeast Asia and South Pacific) is significantly lower than in the more mature Western markets, so the impact of a weather system such as super typhoon Bopha on the Philippines places an even greater strain on regional recovery efforts and the availability of sufficient government aid,” Impact Forecasting president Steve Jakubowski said in a statement. n

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SEARCH FOR FIRST FILIPINO ASTRONAUT

AFTER making significant contributions to the field of space exploration, the Philippines may now finally make its mark on space itself: a private company has announced an undertaking to select and train the first ever Filipino astronaut.

Men’s personal care brand Axe is teaming with American space travel agency Space Expedition Corp. (Space XC) in a global project to send civilians to space.

“The program we’ve launched is an opportunity for our great nation to join the global community in taking the next big leap. We’re very excited to meet the first Pinoy astronaut. It could be anyone,” said Axe brand manager in the Philippines Gem Laforteza.

Dubbed “Axe Apollo Space Academy (AASA),” the marketing campaign involves a selection process to determine who the “First Filipino Astronaut” would be.

Initially, 10,000 people who sign up for the mission at www.AxeApollo.com will be invited to go through a series of challenges.

The two candidates found most fit will then undergo training at the Axe Apollo Global Space Camp in Orlando, Florida.

“After spending some time in space camp, one of the two Filipino representatives will be handed the mission to go where no Filipino has gone before,” Axe Philippines said.

While this may be the first time for a Filipino to go into space, Pinoys have long been making their mark in space exploration.

In fact, Filipinos play key roles in various space-related projects and missions in NASA. Some of the Filipino achievers working in the most well-known space agency are Filipino-American engineer Gregory Villar, and Lloyd Manglapus. Both are working in various capacities on the Mars mission Curiosity rover.

Another Pinoy in NASA, Dr. Ralph Basilio, is the lead person behind NASA’s carbon dioxide research in space.

Meanwhile, on Dec. 14, 2012, scientists and astronomy advocates united to push for the establishment of a Philippine Space Agency.

The proposed space agency “intends to conduct studies on space science and technologies, design, and develop satellites that will be launched in space, and possibly train astronauts,” according to an earlier report.

The country used to have a research project with NASA in the 1990’s but turned out to be unsuccessful, according to the report. n

An aerial view of Pagasa island in the South China Sea.

CHINA OPEN TO JOINT OIL DEV’T IN DISPUTED SEA THE Philippines and China may forge ahead with the joint exploration of oil and gas reserves in the West Philippine Sea, which the latter calls the South China Sea, even as their leaders continue to squabble over boundaries.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Ma Keqing made this suggestion as she said these resources could remain idle for a very long time if the Philippines and China waited for a final resolution of their territorial dispute before engaging in any commercial development in the area.

889 ‘HOT SPOTS’ ON COMELEC WATCHLIST POLICE said they were closely watching more than 800 towns identified as “election watch-list areas” in 80 provinces as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) set about erecting the system of security checkpoints across the country for the entire five-month election period.

The list of “election watch-list areas” has expanded over the past couple of months, from 509 to 889 areas in 1,634 towns and municipalities, the Philippine National Police disclosed at a command conference with the Comelec, the Armed Forces and the Department of Education on Jan. 11.

As of Jan. 7, these places have been identified as “election watch-list areas” because of incidences of election violence, intense political rivalry, proliferation of loose firearms and the presence of armed and other threat groups, said Sr. Supt. Nestor Bergonia of the PNP Task Force 2013.

“This list would be expected to change when all factors are considered and as the elections draw near,” said Bergonia.

Since October last year, the PNP

has monitored 40 incidents of “intense political rivalry” involving incumbent politicians. These incidents resulted in 32 deaths—17 incumbent officials, six candidates and nine government employees—and 32 injuries, he said.

At least 52 active groups in control of 2,664 firearms are a potential threat to the May 13 balloting, according to the joint AFP-PNP national validation workshop on private armed groups, Bergonia said.

The workshop identified the communist New People’s Army as the largest organized private armed group, which it said is expected to collect “permit-to-campaign” and “permit-to-win” fees ranging from between P50,000 and P5 million from politicians running for various elective positions in the May polls.

Other potential threats include at least four organized crime groups in possession of 474 firearms and 260 criminal gangs with a strength of 2,508 members and holding 829 weapons, Bergonia said.

Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. said he would be going around Metro

Manila on Friday to conduct a dry run of the Comelec checkpoints that will be activated at midnight Saturday, to ensure that the election gun ban is enforced.

Comelec Resolution No. 9561 prohibits anyone from carrying firearms outside residences and in places of business unless authorized in writing by the election body.

“We just want to see if the requirements of the checkpoints are fulfilled like wearing the proper uniform, the areas are well-lighted and there are escorts,” he told a press briefing that followed the command conference.

Under Resolution No. 9588, the Comelec said the checkpoints must be set up only in areas that are welllighted. If the designated area is poorly lit, artificial lighting must be provided.

The poll body also said that checkpoint areas must be properly labeled, with signboards bearing the name and address of the election officer in the city and identifying the commanding officer or team leader of the checkpoint. n

In an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer editorial team last month, Ma said the Philippines and China should allow oil and gas prospectors—China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) and the Forum Energy-led consortium of businessmen Manuel V. Pangilinan and Enrique Razon Jr.—to strike a deal to confirm and maximize the oil and gas potential of Recto Bank off the coast of Palawan province.

Estimates showed that the Recto Bank prospect has potential reserves of 3.4-trillion cubic feet of gas and 440 million barrels of oil that would make this a bigger find than the Malampaya gas field, also off Palawan.

“I think they (Forum Energy) are now discussing a joint cooperation with China. It’s a very positive sign.

Why not let two companies discuss the cooperation? I think cooperation will be the best way,” Ma said.

The Chinese ambassador took note of “previous proposals to shelve sovereignty disputes and pursue joint cooperation,” referring to the Joint Maritime Seismic Understanding (JMSU) that the Arroyo administration initiated in 2005.

Under the JMSU, the three signatories—CNOOC, Petron Corp. of the Philippines and Vietnam Oil and Gas Corp. (PetroVietnam)—agreed to explore for three years the potential for oil in the disputed waters among the three countries.

The arrangement was criticized as unconstitutional for failing to comply with the 40-percent foreign ownership limit on join exploration deals involving natural resources of the Philippines.

“I think it is still a very valid formula pending the solution of the disputes. We can have cooperation with each other to [explore] the resources because we cannot see in the near future… that we can solve all the

disputes,” the Chinese ambassador said.

Ma said the disputes over sovereignty and territorial integrity were very sensitive matters.

“We must be very, very careful when talking about the territorial issues or disputes, that’s why. Why not shelve the issues and talk about cooperation?” she said.

In a text message, Pangilinan, chairman of Philex Mining Corp., concurred with the views of Ma to explore Recto Bank. But he said he must face the “political reality” involved in any Recto Bank find.

“I must say that the Chinese position, as articulated by the current Chinese Ambassador Ma and by [its] past ambassadors, has, as far as I know, been consistent in respect of the dual sovereignty or commercial aspects of the potential oil and gas resources in the West Philippine Sea. That’s the same stance CNOOC conveyed to us last year,” he said in a text message.

“As businessmen, we can only respond appropriately to one side of that duality—the commercial one.

That’s a course we would like to pursue keenly, purely as a commercial matter. After all, if there is nothing out there under the seas, what is there to quibble and quarrel about?” he said.

In a text message, Razon, chairman of International Container Terminal Services Inc., said that reaching a “commercial solution” first between the Philippines and China was possible while the territorial dispute remained unresolved.

Razon said the parties could negotiate on profit sharing and royalties from any oil and gas find that would be agreeable to both the Philippine and Chinese governments.

He suggested that drilling rigs be provided by operators from thirdparty countries. n

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BELMONTE TO PUSH FOR CHA-CHA

SPEAKER Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he will continue his push for Charter reforms in the 16th Congress to help sustain the country’s growth in the long term.

He conceded there is little time left for the Senate and the House of Representatives to discuss various proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution as there are only nine session days remaining before the 15th Congress goes on a break for the campaign period.

“I’ll push it again in the 16th Congress,” Belmonte said, adding that he would only be supporting amendments to the various restrictive economic provisions in the Constitution

to enable the easy entry of foreign investments.

The Centrist Democratic Party (CDP), headed by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, earlier launched a nationwide roadshow to promote Charter change that he said would result in fundamental political and economic reforms.

The CDP is also pushing to lift the foreign ownership restrictions for certain sectors.

Rodriguez said now is the best time to amend the Constitution as there are no doubts on the sincerity of President Aquino to implement structural reforms.

In his speech before leaders of

POTENTIAL STORM FORCES 7,000 TO FLEE HOMES

PNOY WILL LET GARCIA BE FOR NOW PRESIDENT Aquino belittled the defiance of suspended Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and said she will be allowed to continue to lock herself inside her office at the provincial capitol.

“There is no need to make a martyr out of her,” Aquino said, but he also warned Garcia and her supporters not to disrupt government operations.

“Because the provincial government is not prevented from carrying out its functions, we will just let her be,” Aquino said.

Garcia, whose term ends in May, was suspended for six months last December 19 for alleged abuse of authority. She fought back by barricading herself in her office while thousands of supporters held protest rallies.

The suspended governor is a candidate of the opposition for congressman in Cebu’s the 3rd district.

Her brother, John Pablo Garcia, is a candidate for governor but her suspension means she will be out of power during the campaign period.

Tension in the provincial capitol has been high because of rumors that she will be bodily carried out or that Acting Governor Agnes Mag-

the Joint Foreign Chambers last November, Belmonte said the economic restrictions of the Constitution have to be addressed, and the overall business environment has to be made more conducive to growth.

“While amendments to the economic provisions of the Constitution may not come sooner, I earnestly believe that this should be given priority by the next Congress,” the House leader said.

“We have to realize much higher levels of investments. Higher investments will lead to the creation of much-needed jobs and provide consumers with wider and better choices in goods and services,” he said.

He said the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” could be introduced to Article 12, which is on national economy and patrimony. This means Congress would still need to pass specific laws to allow full ownership of land, and other industries such as utilities, media or advertising.

Once Congress approves the amendment after separate affirmative voting in the Senate and the House, the amendment would be approved like a regular bill.

The Commission on Elections would then be asked to conduct a plebiscite to get final approval of the people.

“Countries are like living crea-

pale will cut off power and water supply to her office to force her to move out.

But Aquino said the government will exercise maximum tolerance in dealing with the problems caused

by Garcia’s defiance of his orders.

“Let her have her five minutes in the sun,” Aquino said.

“For as long as she does not violate any law and she does not prevent the provincial government from serving the people of Cebu, we will exercise maximum tolerance,” Aquino said.

Garcia has asked the Court of Appeals to stop the suspension, which she claimed was illegal and arbitrary, and the case has been submitted for resolution after legal arguments on Thursday.

Associate Justice Vicente Veloso said Garcia could lose her case on a technicality because her lawyer cited the wrong rule in her petition. n

RIVERS rose on January 11, forcing over 7,000 persons to flee their homes due to a potential storm in disaster-stricken Mindanao.

The trigger was merely a low pressure area (LPA) – not a killer typhoon like Pablo (Bopha) – but it already brought heavy rain in the Caraga region, according to the region’s Office of Civil Defense director Dr Blanch Gobenciong.

Gobenciong said that as of 12 pm, the potential storm forced at least 7,002 persons to flee their homes.

This is equivalent to 1,840 families.

Most evacuees – 5,962 persons or 1,628 families – came from Butuan.

They had to evacuate after rain caused the Adlayan and Hubang Rivers, both in Agusan del Sur, to overflow. In Butuan, the Agusan River rose to 2.8 meters above sea level, prompting the local government to raise alert level 3.

The continuous rain has also forced road closures and class suspensions.

In its update on Jan. 11, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said it remains on red alert due to the LPA. n

tures. They have to adapt to changing conditions to survive and develop. We are witnessing rapid and radical developments in digital and information technology,” Belmonte said at the opening of the third regular session of the 15th Congress.

“We cannot afford to lag far behind. Dramatic economic, political, and social upheavals all over the world have altered and redefined territorial boundaries and diplomatic relations,” he said.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is also pushing for Charter change.

Like Belmonte, Enrile favors amending the economic provisions of the Constitution, particularly the limitations on foreign ownership.

But Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said any attempt to amend the Constitution under the current administration would not be successful because of the lack of support from President Aquino himself. n

AYALA LAUNCHES P20-B PROJECT IN MAKATI

AYALA Land, Inc. is launching a P20 billion mixed-use development focused on entertainment facilities on the 21-hectare former race track of Philippine Racing Club in Makati.

Designed to be an urban entertainment development known as Circuit Makati, the five-year project is one of the key pillars of Makati’s redevelopment spearheaded by Ayala Land in partnership with the local government of Makati and the Makati Commercial Estate Association, Inc. (MACEA).

“Circuit is Ayala Land’s 21-hectare integrated, mixed-use development anchored on entertainment experiences that brings together Ayala Land’s various product lines—Alveo for residential, Ayala Malls and offices, and Ayala Hotels,” said ALI president Antonino Aquino.

He noted that, “in five years’ time, it will rise as a dynamic urban hub seamlessly complementing the distinct taste for living, leisure, and lifestyle of today’s modern urbanites.”

ALI Strategic Landbank Management Group Head Meean Dy said Circuit is envisioned to further highlight Makati City’s stature, not only as the Philippines’ business and financial capital, but also as the country’s unrivalled destination for lifestyle and entertainment.

“In the past, the race track has provided entertainment for generations of horse-racing aficionados. Now, Ayala Land intends to preserve the district’s entertainment equity by bringing in a multi-faceted form of entertainment, one that is both interactive and world-class,” she added.

The project will have a residential component consisting of the middle-upper market brand Alveo and high-end brand Ayala Land Premier.

Alveo will build 8 to 10 towers starting with a 40-storey building with 400 to 450 units to be launched next month.

ALI will also build a lifestyle hotel in Circuit under the Seda brand which will have about 250 rooms targeted for families instead of businessmen.

The project will also have properties for lease consisting of 30,000 square meters of office space for the business process outsourcing sector and a mall with a gross leasable area of 45,000 sqm.

Circuit will host three distinct entertainment venues aimed at attracting families. The development will feature the Circuit Theatre, 1,500-seater performing arts venue that will showcase the Filipino’s world-class talent and feature “Broadway-type” of entertainment. n

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JANUARY 16-31, 2013

NEWSROUND-UP

SC ASKED TO STOP ARROYO PLUNDER TRIAL ANOTHER batch of constituents of former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to stop her trial before the Sandiganbayan regarding her plunder case in connection with the alleged misuse of the P366 million Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds.

Led by Guagua Mayor Ricardo Rivera, 39 residents of the second district of Pampanga filed a five-page supplemental petition for intervention before the high court, joining the earlier petition for intervention filed by fellow residents Rico Ocampo, Eugene Paul Ponio, Marcelo Valencia and Joaquin Mañalac.

They said they have been deprived of representation by their duly-elected representative with Arroyo’s incarceration for a non-bailable charge.

In their petition, they asked the SC to “immediately issue a temporary restraining order and/or a writ of preliminary injunction enjoining the respondent Ombudsman from prosecuting the case, and the respondent Sandiganbayan from proceeding with the case and from continuing with the arrest and detention of Arroyo.”

Earlier, the office of the former president said the PCSO funds were

duly approved and audited by the Commission on Audit (COA).

In a ten-page reiterative motion to the SC for the issuance of a temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction on her the plunder case, Arroyo, represented by her lawyer Anacleto Diaz, said the Ombudsman cannot overturn a finding of the COA that the P366 million confidential and intelligence funds (CIFs) were “lawful, necessary, regular and compliant with the rules.”

Diaz said, “(n)o tribunal or agency should override or supplant the determination made by the COA regarding the CIFs of the PCSO, which was within the exclusive competency and expertise of the COA (as) it is wellsettled that administrative decisions of agencies on matters within their jurisdiction are entitled to respect and can only be set aside on proof of grave abuse of discretion, fraud or error of law.”

“If the COA itself approved and certified as lawful, necessary, regular, compliant and above-board the disbursement and liquidation of the CIFs submitted by the PCSO, then the conclusion reached by the respondent Ombudsman that the crime of plunder has been committed by the peti-

ALLEGED PYRAMID SCAM OPERATORS FACE RAPS

THE Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a syndicated estafa case against 10 incorporators and employees of the controversial Aman Futures Group Philippines Inc, including owner Manuel Amalilio, who was last spotted in Malaysia.

“The special DOJ panel determined that Aman Futures was organized for the purpose of engaging in ordinary trading but did not possess the authority to engage in commodity futures trading, management of funds or investment of any kind, then it solicited and received funds for such purposes,” the DOJ said.

The DOJ said Aman Futures used “false pretenses and fraudulent representations” to lure victims into investing money and causing damage to the complainants amounting to P46,665,069.

Apart from Amalilio, also recommended to be charged with syndicated estafa were Lelian Lim Gan, Wilanie Fuentes, Nazelle Rodriguez, Eduardo Lim and Lurix Lopez.

The others charged were incorporators Fernando Luna, his wife Nimfa Luna, Donna Coyme, and Dharwin Wenceslao.

Meanwhile, charges against Aman Futures lawyer Isagani Laluna were dismissed.

Among the complainants are Leo Rey Valdez Soria, Quintin Yap, Pasanting, Dennis Ramirez Ceno, Rene Ariel Real, Haide Sacote, and Clyde Rondrique.

The complainants in the case said they invested P26.48 million in the controversial firm, which was said to have duped sone 15,000 investors from Mindanao and Visayas and divested from them around P12 million.

“Its promise to its would-be depositors was that their money would be either doubled after 21 days or tripled after 30 days,” the DOJ said in its resolution.

At first, the investors received the promised cash, but the company later started issuing 50-day post-dated checks that bounced for lack of funds, according to the Justice Department.

Aman Futures is accused of defrauding investors through a so-called “Ponzi Scheme,” in which the firm misrepresents itself as a company engaged in futures trading and lures investors by offering between 20 to 80 percent interest within eight to 20 days.

The National of Bureau Investigation discovered that Aman Futures began operating in the last week of February last year and used the name Aman Futures Trading, identifying itself as a client of Malaysia-based future trading company Okachi (Malaysia) SDN BHD. The fresh charges against Amalilio and other Aman Futures executives came two months after the DOJ slapped estafa charges against a similar investment firm, operated by ringleader Jachob “Coco” Rasuman. n

tioner GMA and her co-accused as to the PCSO CIFs was clearly devoid of factual and legal basis,” he added.

In finding probable cause for plunder despite the allowance and liquidation of the subject CIFs, Diaz said the Ombudsman has no case against Arroyo and her co-accused.

“The questioned resolutions of the respondent Ombudsman finding probable cause against petitioner GMA and her co-accused are nothing but mere uncorroborated speculations or suspi-

cions predicated on loose, vague, and doubtful basis of fact.”

The other people accused in the plunder case are PCSO General Manager for Finance Rosario Uriarte, PSCO Assistant Manager for Finance Benigno Aguas, former PCSO Chairman Sergio Valencia, former PCSO Board Members Manuel Morato, Ray Roquero, Jose Taruc V and Ma. Fatima Valdez, former COA Chairman Reynaldo Villar, and COA Director Nilda Plaras. n

SM Megamall, of one the Sy family’s crown jewels.

SY’S HOLDING COMPANY IS PH’S MOST VALUABLE FIRM ON the last trading day of 2012, the holding firm of the country’s richest man dislodged the biggest telephone company as the most valuable firm, reflecting a landmark in the Philippine economy.

Henry Sy-led SM Investments Corp. (SMIC), surpassed Manuel V. Pangilinan-led Philippines Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) as the most valuable stock on December 26, 28, and stayed on top on January 2, the first trading day of 2013.

When markets closed in 2012, SMIC’s market capitalization reached P549.5 billion, higher than PLDT’s P546.6 billion.

When markets opened in 2013, SMIC sealed its position at the top.

SMIC has been trading in the P880 to P900 range during the last week of December, the highest in its stock price history, while PLDT fluctuated between P2,530 and P2,570 apiece.

SMIC rallied 51% in 2012, recording the fastest economic expansion since 2010, reflecting a boost in profits from the company’s retail, property and banking arms.

It thrives from consumer spending, a factor in the Philippine economic growth that has stayed resilient despite global economic woes, marked by recessions, skyrocketing deficits and governments’ spending cuts.

SMIC’s malls, banks, and prop-

erty firms are designed to capture the resilient inflow of remittances from over 10 million overseas Filipino workers.

Remittances and a robust public and private investments supported the Philippine economy’s phenomenal 7.1% growth in the third quarter of 2012, the highest in South East Asia.

SMIC owns the country’s biggest grocery and department store operators, commercial banks BDO Unibank Inc. (BDO) and China Bank, and SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPH), which runs 51 shopping mall centers in the Philippines and China.

Upcoming ventures include a partnership in a casino-resort project with Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd., controlled Australia’s and Macau’s billionaires. The Sy family members also have minority stakes in power, mining, and energy.

PLDT, on the other hand, is in an industry that has thrived for over a decade, with call and text services that suited the Filipino’s penchant for communicating with loved ones and friends in the Philippines or abroad.

The shift in consumer appetite to social media and broadbandheavy services, such as Facebook, Twitter, email, and others, led telco companies to invest massive capital to adapt to new technology and upgrade infrastructure, causing bottomlines to decline. n

HIGH COURT JUNKS MOVE TO BAR POLITICAL SCIONS THE Supreme Court (SC) junked the motion for reconsideration (MR) filed by taxpayer Louis “Barok” Biraogo on the dismissal of his petition against allowing scions of political dynasties to run for national and local elective posts.

The information was announced by acting SC Public Information Office (PIO) chief Atty. Gleo Guerra but no details were given on the basis for the dismissal of the MR. In a one-page resolution dated November 13 but released to the media only on Jan. 9, the high court first dismissed Biraogo’s petition “for failure of the petitioner to show that he is entitled to a “Writ of Mandamus.”

The high court said that in the absence of an enabling law passed

by Congress, the poll body cannot enforce the constitutional prohibition against political dynasties.

“The constitutional prohibition against political dynasties is a non-self-executing provision, requiring as it does the legislative act of Congress to define what ‘political dynasties’ are and to prescribe the scope and limits of such prohibition.

Without an enabling law, the Comelec cannot enforce the prohibition against political dynasties, hence, mandamus will not lie,” the resolution read.

The high court stressed that “mandamus is employed to compel the performance of a ministerial duty.”

“Essential, therefore, to its (mandamus) issuance is a clear legal right of petitioner to the thing demanded and an imperative duty on the part of the respondent to perform the act required, which do not obtain in this case,” the resolution read.

In his 24-page petition for mandamus, Biraogo urged the high court to order the poll body to enforce the constitutional prohibition.

Biraogo cited Sec. 26, Art. II of the 1987 Constitution which states: “The state shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.” n

SUDOKU ANSWER FROM PAGE 12

JANUARY 16-31, 2013

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