Kim Chiu Cover. May 16-31 2013 Issue

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MAY 16-31, 2013

MAY 16-31, 2013

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By ma. stella f. arnaldo

AY “Camiguin,” and at once, it conjures up images of the round, luscious, fleshy fruit called lanzones.

The volcanic soil on this island off Misamis Oriental has made it possible for the lanzones as well as other fruits and vegetables to thrive lushly in Camiguin. Lanzonesgrowing is a major source of livelihood for most Camiguingnons.

As such, every third week of October, the island erupts into a four-day festival celebrating the small pale-brown balls of golden sweetness, with a street dancing contest, a parade, a trade fair and a beauty pageant.

Just a little under 30,000 hectares, the pearshaped island has seven volcanoes including Mount Hibok-Hibok (also known as Catarman Volcano), still considered active with the last rumblings and eruptions occurring between 1948 and 1951. With such volcanic activities, it’s no wonder Camiguin has often been described as an “island born of fire.”

Camiguin Island has beaches including a white sandbar, hot springs, waterfalls and deep diving spots filled with corals and colorful marine life. It is also rich in religious history and is known for the annual Holy Week pilgrimage called Panaad Festival. Locals and

Mt. Hibok-Hibok looms in the background as one approaches Camiguin island.

An Island Born of Fire visitors, as part of their religious vow (saad in Cebuano), walk the main circumferential road hugging the island’s coastline, and praying the Stations of the Cross while trekking up the walkway of Mount Vulcan.

The friendly and helpful locals speak Cebuano, although indigenous tribes possibly of

Just a little under 30,000 hectares, the pearshaped island has seven volcanoes including Mount Hibok-Hibok, still considered active with the last rumblings and eruptions occurring between 1948 and 1951.

With such volcanic activities, it’s no wonder Camiguin has often been described as an “island born of fire.”

the original Manobo settlers, still speak their own Kinamiguin dialect.

The best time of the year to visit Camiguin is from April to July, during the dry season.

Must-see’s The White Island is actually a sandbar that takes on different shapes depending on the tides, but most often it is splayed out under the sun, much like the beachgoers who are there to swim, snorkel or sunbathe. (It disappears during high tide.)

There are also a number of gray to blacksand beaches along the island’s coastline, though the most popular, such as the Yumbing Beach (where one can admire the golden setting sun) and Camiguin Beach, are in the main municipality of Mambajao. Toward the south in Barangay Cantaan, 30 minutes away from Mambajao, is the Kabila White Beach, a secluded cove that has a giant clam nursery. (Donations to the foundation operating the nursery are encouraged.)

In 1871, a massive volcanic eruption occurred in Camiguin, wiping out a 175-yearold Spanish settlement in the municipality

of Catarman. What remain are the adobe walls and belfry of Catarman Church (Guiob Church). Inside the ruins is a tiny chapel.

Aside from the Catarman Church Ruins, there is also a cross nearby marking the community cemetery, which sank during the 1871 eruption. The area is also a popular dive site.

Aside from the beaches, there are also breathtaking waterfalls such as the Katibawasan Falls, which drops from a height of some 80 meters into an icy-cold pool below.

The area is also teeming with orchids, ferns and other vegetation. It is about 20-minute ride from the Mambajao town proper.

Tuasan Falls in Barangay Mainit, Catarman, cascades from a height of 25 meters. It’s not exactly the easiest spot to go to as this involves some hiking along a cliff to reach a river to the falls. But visitors are rewarded with its pristine beauty and natural rock formations.

Being a volcanic island, Camiguin is also rich in hot and cool sulfur springs. There is the Ardent Hot Spring in Barangay Esperanza in Tagdo, about 2 km away from the Mambajao town proper. There are several pools fed by Mount Hibok Hibok but one is just truly hot, making a swim there truly rejuvenating. Food and picnic tables are available onsite.

The Macaw Cold Spring in Barangay Tupsan Pequeno, Mahinog town, has a deep smoky-blue color supposedly because it is rich in minerals. You can take a dip—entrance is free—or hike around the area, which has lush vegetation. It’s about 12 kilometers south of Mambajao.

Must-do’s Do snorkel or dive in Camiguin as it has a number of rich diverse dive sites, with an abundant marine life. Recommended dive sites are the Jicduf Shoal, Burias Shoal and Kantaan Dive Site (for advanced divers), Mantigue Island, Cabuan Point, to name a few.

Do feast on the local cuisine and delicacies. It has grilled chicken; pastel, a soft bun filled with yema (Vjandep Bakeshop, 57 Plaridel Street, Mambajao/088-387-0049); kiping, which is made from sweet potato and served deep-fried with latik (coconut sauce); and an assortment of seafood. There are respectable Italian and Mexican restaurants on the island as well. n

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MAY 16-31, 2013

Elmore Beats Fellow Pinoy for Another Term

Elmore withstands Liberal challenge By leon kilat

HE first Filipino to ever be elected to the B.C. Legislature in 2009 has been given another mandate for a second term.

Incumbent MLA Mable Elmore of the New Democratic Party bested fellow Filipino Gabby Kalaw of the BC Liberal Party, 9,573 to 7,325, in Vancouver-Kensington.

Elmore’s showing did not differ much from her first run in 2009 and, in fact, the popular vote declined from 52.6 percent to 50.9 percent.

The Liberals, though still a close second, also dropped its popular vote from 40.6 to 38.9.

In 2009 Elmore had 9,930 votes to Liberal Cyrus Lee’s 7,678. This time around, with the benefit of experience and a party substantially leading in the polls at the start of the campaign, her showing is quite dismal, consistent with the NDP’s humiliating defeat.

In 2006, almost 70 per cent of Vancouver-Kensington constitu-

ents were visible minorities – a fact not lost on the parties. That was more than twice the provincial average at the time.

Other Pinoy bets The three other Filipinos who ran in the polls were all unsuccessful.

CelynaSiaSherst of the Liberal Party was a far second to long-

time NDP MLA Jenny Kwan, 12,154 to 3,505votes, in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant.

Nathaniel Lim of the Conservative Party was a distant third in Richmond East, garnering only 1,685 votes, or 8.64 percent of the votes.

Elizabeth Pagtakhan of the Conservative Party fared worse in Surrey-White Rock. She placed fourth in a five-person contest, garnering only 1,168 votes, or 4.98 percent of the ballots.

Emerging force While the riding results were largely ignored by political pundits, it is an important bellwether for the FilipinoCanadian community – an emerging force in the province’s political landscape in the years to come.

It is in this riding where the political battle lines for Filipinos were drawn for the first time in the province’s history.

For the first time, two Filipinos were pitted

against each other, a fact that polarized supporters and exposed the ugly side of the tribal mentality that bedevils some first generation voters.

Kalaw’s challenge Some Elmore supporters were not happy with Kalaw’s challenge expecting that she had earned the right because she was the incumbent.

Some also thought that it was not proper to challenge one of your own.

To Kalaw’s credit, he stood his ground arguing that ethnicity should not be a factor in choosing politicians but it is qualifications that are more important.

While experiencing his second electoral defeat, the Philippineborn Kalaw could be a rising star among Filipino-Canadian aspiring politicians.

He is well educated, young and articulate. The 34-year old software executive has a political science degree, is well-traveled, and worked in West Africa after graduating from university.

No cabinet post For Elmore, the NDP’s poor showing doused hopes for a crack at serving for a governing party’s cabinet.

Being the first Filipino to be elected in B.C. provincial politics in 2009, Elmore had the potential given the fast growing Filipino population in the province – a fact not lost on party leaders.

For the first time in provincial politics, five Filipinos ran in the last election and while only one is successful it could whet the political appetite of this fast-rising component of the B.C. population. n

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By chay F. hofileña and buena bernal

OCAL races are often marred with allegations of vote buying and vote selling, making you wonder whether the strategy is more cost-efficient compared to running a clean campaign.

Some operators say that not all sums given to voters are blatant forms of bribery. They explain that sums are distributed to “facilitate” the voting of people who do not have the means to travel to their voting precincts or who could not afford to be away from their day jobs. The money given to them by candidates is intended to make voting an easier, less painful exercise.

Admittedly, the subtle message is that the voter at the receiving end should vote for the candidate who gave the money through his ward leaders. In true Philippine fashion, elections are a lot about organization as they are about machinery.

In the past elections, as in the present, “ward leaders” are tapped to organize communities and even families, down to the barangay level. Money, health cards, and other goods are distributed down the vote chain, with ward leaders accounting for every family member-beneficiary who is, more often than not, counted on to add to a candidate’s vote tally.

Philippine elections are among the rowdiest, most violent and intense in the wold.

Votes for Sale PLANET

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Anyone?

Through the years, amounts given out to voters have varied – depending on poverty levels in a community or the financial capability of candidates. This year’s elections show how the players are improving on established forms of vote transactions.

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Voters in Quezon City crowd a public school on Election Day. Some candidates are methodical in their approach, making sure that an organized machinery delivers the votes with clear accountabilities. The organization begins at the district level where a campaign coordinator finds contacts in each district area. They in turn work with specific barangay captains who, in turn, identify key people at the purok level. Moving further down, they find leaders at the precinct level who then tap pollwatchers who are expected to work for a candidate and get paid in exchange.

The objective is to recruit coordinators who will take on various tasks and look for others to bring into the fold, similar to a pyramid

style of recruitment.

In many ways, campaign teams can argue they are not buying votes but providing employment. This is also why elections are often referred to as a cottage industry that provides short-term employment.

After all, transactions are legitimate but are borderline cases of vote buying.

Through the years, amounts given out to voters have varied – depending on poverty levels in a community or the financial capability of candidates. This year’s elections show how the players are improving on established forms of vote transactions.

For instance, in the highly urban-

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For many – from ward leaders and campaign staff to ordinary voters – elections provide short-term employment. ized Cagayan de Oro City, groups of people organize and sell their votes through “coordinators” in each barangay who then sell them “wholesale” to a politician. Prices in the hinterlands, where many of the city’s informal sector live, start “for as low as P1,000 per head.”

The ward leaders or coordinators on the ground are “well taken care of ” and are often loyal to a candidate’s campaign – unless they are mistreated or pirated by another. These coordinators serve as middlemen who broker the votebuying transactions between voters and politicians.

In other cases, buyers go doorto-door, but transactions often happen the night before elections. To make sure that money is not wasted and to include beneficiaries in their database of voters, some voters are asked to fill up forms.

In Dumaguete City, an election volunteer confirmed that the vote-buying rate for a single candidate is pegged at P2,000. Voters are given a slightly lower P1,500 if they vote for the candidate’s opponent but deface the ballot to nullify their vote.

In Samar, one of the country’s poorest provinces, amounts given to individual voters go as high as P5,000 to P7,000.

A resident of Barangay Margot in Angeles, Pampanga, said civilians are given P200 for their votes, while NGO leaders and officials are given P500 each. In Metro Manila, where urban poor areas abound and are more con-

Vote-buying defeats the equality principle in elections. gested, rates also range from P300 to P500 per voter.

While vote-buying is common practice, not everyone who receives cash are voters. A resident of Guiguinto, Bulacan, in his late 40s and nephew of a local candidate said his uncle had to pay off the armed rebel group New People’s Army to ensure he would be able to campaign freely.

“P50,000 lang naman hiningi,” he said, implying that the money spent was worth it.

“Kesa manggulo sila, eh di bigyan mo na lang,” he added.

The NPA’s permit to campaign requirements have been a headache for many candidates caught in tight races. Needing to reach either remote areas or parts of the country where NPAs have a presence, they are forced to deal with armed groups.

No less than Maj Gen Jose Mabanta, commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division, said that candidates who want to be able to access rebel-controlled areas pay between P50,000 to P5 million. The rebel group denies this.

Other forms of money distribution exist. Wads of cash are distributed to local officials such as barangay captains and councilors, to make sure that candidates for higher-level posts have local support.

The barangay chairmen contact the purok leaders to do the dirty job, of-

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ten distributing as low as P200 per voter.

L a w y e r Takahiro Kenjie Aman, national secretariat head of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE) Philippines, said vote-buying strikes at the core of the right of suffrage.

“It defeats the equality principle in elections, as it gives advantage to candidates who can afford to release money to win,” he explained.

Even as electoral laws contain provisions that help candidates who are disadvantaged in wealth an equal opportunity to win, elections are still very much a money game.

Aman said the best way to combat vote buying is to make the vote buyers feel that it is not worth their money. “It is more difficult to ask people not to receive the money, especially if they have a hungry stomach to feed, than to ask candidates not to shell out money when [they know] it doesn’t translate to votes,” he said.

The Commission on Elections, in a resolution dated May 7, has imposed a limit on money withdrawal and permitted the warrantless citizen arrest of vote-buyers and sellers to send a strong message to election offenders. (Note: The Supreme Court suspended the implementation of the Comelec order.)

Late last year, Comelec Commissioner Grace Padaca proposed a stronger enforcement of the law by having vote buyers arrested.

But prosecuting offenders is becoming increasingly hard, as the culture spreads and very few are willing to speak against those in power. “No one reports anything, because everyone is afraid of the politician and is accepting of the vote buying tradition,” an Ilocos voter said.

MAY 16-31, 2013

PARTIAL AND UNOFFICIAL TALLY AS OF 9:20 PM, MAY 15, 2013 (Precinct Count: 54,179 of 78,166) Grace Poe: The daughter also rises.

1. POE, GRACE 2. LEGARDA, LOREN 3. CAYETANO, ALAN 4. ESCUDERO, CHIZ 5. BINAY, NANCY 6. ANGARA, SONNY 7. AQUINO, BAM 8. PIMENTEL, KOKO 9. TRILLANES, ANTONIO 10. VILLAR, CYNTHIA 11. EJERCITO, JV 12. HONASAN, GREGORIO 13. GORDON, DICK 14. ZUBIRI, MIGS 15. ENRILE, JACK The evidence needed to establish probable cause is also a challenge for most ordinary citizens.

“To initiate a case for vote-buying, there must be a sworn complaint affidavit, a sworn affidavit of witnesses if there is any, a picture of the vote buying transaction and the money used to buy votes as real evidence,” Aman explained.

Vote buying is a criminal act, and it should be treated that way. It undermines the desired effect of the entire electoral process: to reflect the preferences of a constituency.

The exchange unduly places a sense of obligation, a feeling of intrinsic

14,721,045 13,474,498 12,738,647 12,729,058 12,016,248 11,576,978 11,163,806 10,674,345 10,254,349 9,991,595 9,912,424 9,564,471 9,125,360 8,560,124 8,272,766 reciprocity on the part of the voter.

Both vote buyer and seller are criminally liable, with a penalty of imprisonment from one year to 6 years, under Philippine law.

“Perhaps politicians think it’s a way of assuring people that they’re there to help, [that] they did not forget, but that’s just putting it a little too nicely. Maybe it’s a habit they can’t kick, like cigarette smoking or pot,” added the Ilocos Norte voter, disillusioned, as his initial preference for mayor who he thought ran a clean campaign, was the one who actually bought his vote. (Rappler. com) n

MAY 16-31, 2013

By marites dañguilan vitug

IVING in a predominantly Catholic country with a Constitution that doesn’t impose a state religion should be relatively okay. Our Constitution is very explicit about the separation of church and state. This, it declares, is “inviolable.”

We are free to practice any other faith and we are not persecuted for our religious beliefs. The state is not allowed to favor any religion and shower it with funds or special attention. All faiths should be treated equally.

But that doesn’t really work in practice. Like many others, I feel the omnipresence of the Catholic Church in government. It’s a layer that seems to permeate policy-making (remember 14 years of the RH bill), government buildings and offices, the way our public officials conduct themselves, and now, our elections. (Note: The RH or Reproductive Health bill, which provides universal access to contraceptive methods and family planning, took 14 years to pass in Congress largely due to strong Church objections. It was signed into law by President Aquino in late December 202 but before it could be implemented in March, its constitutionality was questioned; the measure is now pending before the Supreme Court.)

Marlon Manuel, who teaches Constitutional Law, calls this the “insensitivity of the majority.” We assume that just because most of us are Catholics, what we do is the norm. We become inconsiderate and forget about minority religions.

He warns about the “danger” of this situation because it is “automatic, in the subconscious.” It is not a deliberate move; it simply is in our DNA. Make no mistake. Manuel is a thoughtful Catholic. He teaches at the University of Sto. Tomas and the Ateneo, and he wears a crucifix necklace underneath his polo barong. But he calls attention to this prevailing situation wherein the majority disregard other faiths.

Bishops and candidates The mid-term election (in May) is just one of the manifestations of this Catholic omnipresence in our

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Are We Truly A Secular Society?

‘If public funds are to be dedicated to Catholic ceremonies and services in public institutions, why not dedicate funds too for Islamic, Buddhist, Mormon (etc.) purposes? In effect, government offices are subsidizing the Catholic church using funds from the public.’

Ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona receives blessing from a priest after a Mass at the Supreme Court grounds attended by employees of the high court. country.

The first salvo came from the Bacolod diocese which launched its infamous Team Patay-Team Buhay campaign, with oversized

poster hanging on the façade of the city cathedral. The lawyers of the Bacolod diocese defended this as a free-speech issue during the oral

arguments in the Supreme Court when all the Comelec wanted was for them to follow the rules on poster size.

Then came Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles who openly endorsed the senatorial candidates of Kapatiran, a fringe political party but which Arguelles described as one “founded on the principles of Catholic social doctrine.”

The website of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines reported that this is not the first time that the archbishop endorsed the Kapatiran bets: “In the 2010 presidential elections, Arguelles and five other bishops openly endorsed John Carlos “JC” delos Reyes who was then the party’s standard-bearer. Delos Reyes, however, lost to Benigno Aquino

III and placed last among the nine presidential candidates. All of the eight Kapatiran senatorial candidates also lost in the general elections.”

Chapels, statues Look at our government offices.

Many display statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary as if it were the most normal thing to do.

When I wrote about how Catholic the Supreme Court is, from its official prayer recited before the justices’ weekly en banc meetings to its seal which includes two tablets representing the 10 commandments, readers shared their experiences with other government offices.

JC Punongbayan wrote: “In some government offices there are indeed full-fledged chapels, halls dedicated solely to holding noontime masses (everyday!) and other religious services. Flag ceremonies are also incomplete without decidedly Catholic prayers. Whatever happened to the Constitution’s nonestablishment of religion clause?”

He raised an important point:

A priest officiates a Mass participated in by national and local employees of Maasim town in Saranganiat the municipal gymnasium to celebrate the Philippine Civil Service anniversary.

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Note the crucifix on the wall of a municipal office.

“If public funds are to be dedicated to Catholic ceremonies and services in public institutions, why not dedicate funds too for Islamic, Buddhist, Mormon (etc.) purposes? In effect, government offices are subsidizing the Catholic church using funds from the public.”

“Our department has a chapel…yet [we have] no clinic,” was IgmidioGilingan’s comment.

From Ipat Luna: “My biggest problem was when I saw a huge Virgin Mary right before the room where Certificates of Candidacies need to be filed in the Comelec.

What does that say to all other faiths about the independence of Comelec?”

Defying majority There have been cases that

SOLUTION ON PAGE 13

Many public offices display religious icons. reached the Supreme Court, however, wherein minority faiths questioned dominant practice and won.

Manuel cited that of the Jehovah’s Witnesses students who were expelled from school because they refused to salute the flag. In their belief, only God should be worshipped; saluting the flag would mean worshipping a symbol.

The Court ordered the reinstatement of the students who agreed to simply stand at attention during the flag ceremony without putting their right hand on their breast.

PHILIPPINES

The other case has to do with a court employee, Soledad Escritor, who was separated from her husband and later got “married” in a Jehovah’s Witnesses ceremony.

This ritual, called a “Declaration of Pledging Faithfulness,” is used only in countries where divorce is not allowed.

Someone complained about Escritor’s “immoral act” and since she is an employee of the judiciary, the Supreme Court took on the case. In the end, the Court decided that what she did was not “immoral” saying that this was an issue of religious freedom.

Escritor kept her job.

Most trusted The reality is: we have to live with a very influential organization, the Catholic Church. In 2012, it was the most trusted institution, according to the Eon trust index, with 68% rallying behind it. This increased from 56 percent in 2011.

But we can take comfort in the thought that this trust is qualified. It comes from two factors: the Church must provide spiritual guidance and be a role model of holiness. Only in these facets can they be trusted by the majority, showing a defined

MAY 16-31, 2013

area of influence.

In the public sphere, trust is given to the academe, media, and government. The challenge for these institutions is to deepen the public’s awareness of what it really takes to be a secular society.

Government officials should be sensitive to other faiths. Schools should encourage discussion on the secular spirit and media can sharpen its coverage and enhance the national conversation on the separation of church and state. (Rappler. com) n

MAY 16-31, 2013

By karl malakunas

NOTHER Benigno Aquino is set to become one of the Philippines’ most powerful politicians thanks to his name, part of what analysts warn is an increasingly destructive system of dynastic rule.

Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, or “Bam,” the 36-year-old cousin and namesake of the current president, is one of the frontrunners to be elected to the Senate in the May 13 midterm elections, with many other favorites also owing their expected success to bloodlines.

Political dynasties have long been a feature of politics in the Philippines but analysts say that clan rule is becoming more entrenched, with remarkably few families dominating elected posts at national and local levels.

“We say we have a democracy but we don’t actually have many options ... power is being effectively monopolized,” Ronald Mendoza, an economist at the Asian Institute of Management who has extensively researched dynasties, told AFP. While other countries also have famous political dynasties -- such as the Kennedys in the United States or the Gandhi family in India - Mendoza said dynastic rule was more deeply ingrained in the Philippines.

Seven out of every 10 members of the House of Representatives belong to a political dynasty -- defined as having other relatives in elected positions -- with the figure climbing to 80 percent in the Senate, according to Mendoza.

Dynastic families One of the most famous and powerful families is the Aquino clan.

President Benigno Aquino III was propelled into office in 2010 with a landslide election victory that was largely due to a sudden surge of emotional support following the death from cancer of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, who was the symbol of the uprising that overthrew dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986, then served as president for six years.

Her husband, former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., was a wealthy landowner and politician assassinated by Marcos forces in 1983.

All

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in the

Family

The dynastic phenomenon is largely due to poverty, corruption and a historic culture of patronage. This translates into politicians doling out taxpayers’ money for infrastructure and other projects but claiming personal credit, and also giving cash directly to voters. So the voters become dependent on their patron.

Former President Joseph Estrada raises the hand of son JV Ejercito during a campaign rally.

Bam Aquino’s campaign poster carries the images of former Sen. Ninoy Aquino, the late President Cory Aquino, and President Noynoy Aquino.

Vice President Jejomar Binay joins eldest daughter Nancy in the campaign trail.

Bam Aquino emerged from political obscurity -- he has no experience in elected office -- to become one of the favorites for a Senate seat after similarly campaigning on his family name.

Another political neophyte polling well is Nancy Binay, daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Once a human rights lawyer, the patriarch is building his own dynasty, with two other children -- Makati Mayor Jejomar “Junjun” Binay Jr. and Makati Representative MarLen Abigail Binay -- already holding top political posts.

Other likely new senators will be JV Ejercito, son of ex-president Joseph Estrada, and Jack Enrile, son of current Senate president and

former Marcos defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile.

Local fiefdoms Political activists say the problem is just as bad at the provincial and local levels, where families often rule regions like fiefdoms for generations, controlling the economies as well as political structures.

In the May 13 elections, 18,000 local, provincial and national posts will be up for grabs but critics of dynastic rule say the event is not genuinely democratic because voters will rarely have a genuine range of choices.

“Elections provide the mechanism for conferring legitimacy to elite power and create the illusion

once every three years that ‘change’ is possible,” the Center for People Empowerment in Governance, a think-tank, wrote in a study on the issue.

Even when someone has the money or celebrity power to break a family’s stranglehold on an electorate, they typically start building their own dynasty.

Pacquiao’s own brand One current example is boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, a former street kid who used his hero status and wealth from sports to beat an entrenched dynastic ruler of a southern province for a House seat in 2010.

For the coming polls, Pacquiao has deployed his wife, Jinkee, a former shopping mall saleswoman with no political experience, to run for vice governor of Sarangani province.

One of Pacquiao’s brothers, Roel, is also aiming to join him in

Congress representing South Cotabato province.

There are immense social and economic impacts for the Philippines as a result of such a monopolization of power at local and national levels, according to analysts.

One study by Mendoza, formerly an economist with the United Nations, shows that poverty levels in areas ruled by dynasties are five percentage points worse than in those that are represented by politicians without family links.

He also warned that, by electing politicians from such a small gene pool, the country is not tapping the potential of countless other talents.

Culture of patronage Mendoza and other analysts say the dynastic phenomenon is largely due to poverty, corruption and a historic culture of patronage.

This translates into politicians doling out taxpayers’ money for infrastructure and other projects but claiming personal credit, and also giving cash directly to voters.

So the voters become dependent on their patron.

While activist groups are trying to pressure Congress to pass a law that would ban dynasties, Mendoza said the key to breaking elite rule was addressing poverty, a lack of social security and other deep-rooted problems.

“Without a strong social safety net, you will always need the patron,” he said. “Only a person who is secure in his or her economic status can demand of a leader ... what is good for our country.” (Agence France-Presse) n

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MAY 16-31, 2013

After the Box Office, Celebrities Eye the Ballot Box

Congress is the prime target of many celebrities -- Aga Muhlach in the fourth district of Camarines Sur, Imelda Papin in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, Alfred Vargas in the fifth district of Quezon City, Annabelle Rama in the first district of Cebu, Shalani Soledad in the second district of Valenzuela City, andLino Cayetano in the fourth district of HEY used to act out different roles, read lines and call it a living. Now, some of the country’s celebrities – past and present – are reinventing themselves as politicians, eyeing not the box office but the ballot box this time.

Their possible political careers premiere on May 13, Election Day, when the country decides whether or not the celebrity-candidates can do justice to the new roles for which they are auditioning.

Will Ate Vi have a re-run of her past wins or will Richard Gomez (a.k.aGoma) finally get that elusive role as senator, mayor, congressman or whatever position he wants next?

In this mid-term elections, two old showbiz tandems – Christopher de Leon and Vilma Santos, and Joey Marquez and Alma Moreno – are both running for office, though not as teams. Boyet wants to become a congressman in the second district of Batangas where he used to be a board member in 2010, while Ate Vi hopes to be reelected governor of Batangas.

Joey, the former live-in partner of presidential sister Kris Aquino, is campaigning to be the next congressman in the second district of Parañaque City. He first served as a

vice mayor from 1995 to 2004 and became a mayor for three terms in the same city. He lost his bid for Congress in 2004 and for the mayoralty in 2010.

Joey’s ex-wife, Alma Moreno, now married to Marawi City Mayor Sultan Fahad Salic, is on her second term as councilor of the first district of Parañaque City. Alma had earlier fancied herself as a senatorial candidate, but her multiple sclerosis and low popularity rating limited her political ambitions to city politics, where she is seeking a third term.

Goma, meanwhile, is running for mayor of Ormoc City. The actor has been desperate to get into politics for years now. His first stab at it was in 2001 as a party list represen-

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WINNERS Joseph Estrada – mayor, Manila Vilma Santos – governor, Batangas Herbert Bautista - mayor, Quezon City Lucy Torres-Gomez – congresswoman, Leyte Lani Mercado – congresswoman, Cavite Alfred Vargas – congressman, Quezon City Lino Cayetano – congressman, Taguig City Danilo Fernandez – congressman, Laguna ER Ejercito – governor, Laguna Daniel Fernando – vice governor, Bulacan Jolo Revilla – vice governor, Cavite Isko Moreno – vice mayor, Manila

LOSERS

Erap and running mate Isko Moreno show their certificates of candidacy for the two top posts of Manila.

Richard Gomez – mayor, Ormoc City Joey Marquez – congressman, Parañaque City Christopher de Leon – congressman, Batangas Anabelle Rama – congresswoman, Cebu City Shalani Soledad – congresswoman, Valenzuela City Imelda Papin – congresswoman, San Jose del Monte City As of press time, Aga Muhlach and rival are both claiming victory in Camarines Sur.

Richard and Lucy join the Yellow Army of Team PNoy. This midterm elections is also characterized by the rise of new political dynasties. Lani Mercado, wife of Senator Bong Revilla, is seeking reelecAte Vi hands out diplomas to graduating students in Batangas. tion as contative for MamamayanAyawsaD- gresswoman in the second district roga. He also made an unsuccessful of Cavite. Their son Ramon Revilla run for the Senate in 2007. Three III, popularly known as Jolo, is eyeyears later, he offered himself to be ing the vice gubernatorial seat of the next congressman of Ormoc, the province. Bong’s brother, Strike only to be disqualified for failing to Revilla, is running again to retain his seat as mayor of Bacoor town. establish his residency in the city.

Sarangani Congressman ManFrustrated, Goma fielded his wife, model Lucy Torres, who had ny Pacquiao appears to be seriously better luck snagging the congressio- preparing now for his exit from nal seat he had sought. However, boxing. A shoo-in to retain his conlate in her term, the Supreme Court gressional seat for the second time, ousted her as the representative of Manny is busy building his own the fourth district of Leyte because, political dynasty. His wife,Jinkee, is the high court said, she could not running for vice governor of Saranhave validly substituted for her gani while his brother wants to be husband. On May 13, she will try the representative of General Santo recover her place in the halls of tos City.

Congress is the prime target of Congress.

many celebrities, who include Aga Muhlach in the fourth district of Camarines Sur,Imelda Papin in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan, Alfred Vargas in the fifth district of Quezon City, Annabelle Rama in the first district of Cebu, Shalani Soledad in the second district of Valenzuela City, andLino Cayetano in the fourth district of Taguig City.

Other celebrities-turned politicians who have found their new career addictive are former President Joseph Estrada who wants to end his political career as mayor of Manila; Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, who is seeking reelection;Isko Moreno, who is Erap’s running mate in Manila; JeorgeEjercitoEstregan, who is eyeing a second term as governor of Laguna; andDanilo Fernandez, who is running again to retain his seat as congressman in Laguna.

Lesser stars are content with lesser positions: Lou Veloso, vice mayor of Manila; Angelica Jones, board member of Laguna; Allan Paule de Guzman, councilor ofMuntinlupa; AnjoYllana, councilorof Quezon City; Anthony Castelo, councilor of Quezon City; Charee Pineda, councilor of Valenzuela City; Dennis Padilla, board member of Laguna; ErvicVijandre, councilor ofTaguig City; Rey Valera, vice mayor of Meycauayan, Bulacan; TJ Trinidad, councilor of Pasay City; Daniel Fernando, vice governor ofBulacan; Roselle Nava, councilor of Parañaque; Roderick Paulate, councilor of Quezon City; and Gian Sotto, councilor of Quezon City. n

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The child’s cure brings hopes into the rather bleak AIDS research front.

Dr. Luzuriaga is acknowledged as one of the experts in the field of pediatric AIDS. By michael l. tan

IME Magazine’s 2013 listing of the 100 most influential people in the world included two Filipinos: President Benigno Aquino and Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga, a pediatric immunologist from the University of Massachusetts.

And yet, despite the groundbreaking impact of her work, she remains largely unacknowledged in her own country.

Luzuriaga -- whose father is Filipino and who still does, in fact, speak Filipino -- was part of an all-woman medical team acknowledged for the first cure of a baby with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the cause of AIDS. The cured baby was born in Mississippi more than two years ago to a mother who had HIV but was not diagnosed until she had gone into labor. The mother apparently did not have prenatal care because if she did, she would have been diagnosed early and given three drugs to prevent the fetus from being infected.

In this case, the child was first given the drugs 30 hours after she was born. Right before being given the medicines, the baby was tested for HIV, the results of which came back positive.

Within the first month of therapy, tests could no longer find the virus. However, doctors kept the child on the drugs, standard practice in the United States and developed countries be-

Unsung Filipina Who The

Found Cure for HIV

Despite the groundbreaking impact of her work, Dr. Katherine Luzuriaga, a pediatric immunologist from the University of Massachusetts, she remains largely unacknowledged in her own country.Luzuriaga -- whose father is Filipino and who still does, in fact, speak Filipino -- was part of an all-woman medical team acknowledged for the first cure of a baby with HIV, the cause of AIDS.

cause of the possibility of reservoirs or “hideouts” for the virus that allow it to continue to replicate.

‘Functional cure’ With time though, the mother began to become irregular with her hospital visits for her child.

When the child was brought in for a check-up around the age of two, the mother admitted that the child had missing out on the drugs. Yet when tests were conducted, the child’s HIV levels still remained undetectable, which means a “functional cure”.

The other two members of the team, Dr. Hannah Gay of the

The doctor at work.

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University of Mississippi and Dr. Deborah Persaud, a virologist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, were also included in Time’s “100 Most Influential People” for 2013.

The child’s cure brings hopes into the rather bleak AIDS research front. HIV is a retrovirus and several anti-retroviral drugs have been developed over the last few years but these only slow down the replication of the virus. It does not cure AIDS and the expensive treatment has to be maintained for a lifetime. Efforts to develop a vaccine have been unsuccessful, the latest trial just halted this week after researchers reported the vaccine did not seem to be making a difference, and might even have led to an increase in the risk of infection.

Only one case

Luzuriaga and her colleagues presented their case report at a conference last March, cautiously pointing out that while this cure is unprecedented, it is only one case.

It does, however, suggest that early and aggressive treatment of pediatric AIDS could result in a cure, without children having to take the drugs for the rest of their life. Pediatric AIDS is still a major problem, with some 300,000 new infections each year in the world.

What struck me was that the local press initially only picked up on the president’s making it to the list. After the Time awards ceremony on April 23, there has been some, but, I feel, not enough, mention of Luzuriaga, who is acknowledged as one of the experts in the field of pediatric AIDS. She is also professor of pediatrics and molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts, and directs the university’s Center for Clinical and Translational Medicine. (If you’re wondering, translational medicine involves linking research to actual applications in clinical practice.)

Even more importantly, the work of Luzuriaga and her two colleagues once again emphasize the contributions of women scientists, and how they remain all too invisible.

(Michael L. Tan is a medical anthropologist and a veterinarian. He is currently dean of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, and Clinical Professor at the College of Medicine at UP Manila. He has been involved in numerous research projects on a range of issues including HIV/AIDS prevention.) n

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Pinoy and Wildly Western at the Same Time OR most people, the cowboy is a foreign, distinctly all-American symbol.

What usually comes to mind is John Wayne, the Marlboro Man, Buffalo Bill, the Wild West.

But for the people of Masbate, the cowboy is more familiar than foreign. As the Philippines’ version of cattle country with a cattle population numbering over 54,000 and as many as 30 ranches, it’s not unusual for locals to grow up learning to ride horses and herd cattle.

At the end of the opening day, the image of the quintessential American cowboy faded like a cowboy riding his horse off into the sunset. In Masbate, the cowboy is brown and smiling, Filipino for sure, and here to stay.

What sets Masbate’s rodeo apart from its American version is that Filipino rodeo events are team efforts.

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Masbateños all dressed up in their finest western duds for the Rodeo Festival.

“Of course, I grew up here,” quipped a local when asked if she knew how to ride a horse.

Naturally, the biggest event of the year for Masbateños, bigger even than Christmas or New Year, is the Rodeo Festival, which ran from April 9 to 13 this year, at the rodeo arena right in the heart of Masbate City.

Though among the lesserknown of the country’s festivals, a relatively large crowd, nevertheless, lined the streets for the opening parade and waited patiently in the heat of the bleachers for the events to begin.

PLANET PHILIPPINES is a newsmagazine for overseas Filipinos published and circulated in various cities and countries all over the world. Launched in 2002, the paper carries news features written by professional and experienced writers from Manila covering a wide range of topics – lifestyle, entertainment, celebrities, current affairs, OFW-related issues, travel, sports, politics and business.

Each edition of Planet Philippines is managed and run by an independent area publisher under an exclusive licensing arrangement. We pioneered a unique business model that simplifies operations and cuts cost while ensuring high editorial standard. We provide the editorial content (stories and photos), design and layout for each issue; the area publisher solicits advertisements, prints the paper and keeps all the advertising revenue.

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Filipino rodeo involves groups of cowboys working together.

that they use. As Gozum explained, the European breeds from the American rodeo are more docile than the Asian breeds they use locally.

Smaller horses

It was action-packed from the beginning.

It opened formally with a ceremonial cattle branding, which isn’t as simple as it sounds.

The cows that were to be branded could not be simply made to lie down. Even before the competition started, participants had already wrestled two cows to the ground and tied them up for the branding.

No dull moment From that point on, there was barely a dull moment, especially for those who saw the rodeo for the first time. Among the events were cattle wrestling, casting down, two-person and four-person carambola, and bull riding. The latter, for the first time this year, included women competitors.

The events themselves were shocking to see for the first-time spectator, who will no doubt gasp at the apparent danger contestants are in every time they step into the arena. But according to rodeo director Leo Gozum, these are activities that ranch workers and cow hands do on a regular basis.

“It’s a ranch rodeo, yung term. Kasi practice sa rancho yung nilalaro,” Gozum explained.

This is the characteristic of the Rodeo Masbateño that sets it apart from others, giving a Filipino flavor that differentiates it from the American practice.

Team effort “Basically ang rodeo dito, hindi katulad sa US na yung show nila sa Las Vegas. Dito kung ano yung pang-araw-araw na ginawa sa rancho, yun din yung ginawa nating competition,” said Gozum. “Ang sa US, iilang events lang - roping, bulldogging, atsaka bullriding.”

Rodeo Masbateño president Judge Manuel Sese added that the Filipino rodeo is also different because it involves groups of cowboys working together.

“Dito, team-based kasi. Doon [sa Amerika], individual ang pagsali. That’s one difference,” he said.

There is also a difference in the animals

SUDOKU ANSWER FROM PAGE 7

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Get along li’l doggie! Masbate’s Rodeo Festival features the expected competitions like bulldogging, bullriding and roping.

“At saka we are using the small animals. Probably they are more on style, walang struggle between the animal and the cowboy. Dito naman, parang paligsahan sa cowboy at saka sa animal,” Sese added.

And indeed, while the idea of a rodeo feels so foreign, at the arena, it feels exactly like the Philippines -where the heat sears and the people laugh and quip relentlessly in Masbateño and Cebuano and Tagalog.

At the end of the opening day, the image of the quintessential American cowboy faded like a cowboy riding his horse off into the sunset. In Masbate, the cowboy is brown and smiling, Filipino for sure, and here to stay. (GMA News) n

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E S P E C TA CLED and clean shaven, 37-year-old JomariParaas could pass for a typical office employee in the Philippines, except he has six guns in his backpack that he will soon sell.

The father-of-two is a prolific player in the country’s enormous and lucrative weapons black market, which has been under scrutiny following a spate of high-profile massacres and shoot-outs this year.

“Why do I trade guns? Because there is a demand for it. And it’s extra income,” said Paraas, a former communist guerrilla whose day job as a community organizer for a non-government organization is not enough to pay his bills.

Speaking to AFP in a crowded Manila slum where he was planning to sell the six guns, Paraas said he had been a firearms trader for more than a decade, starting in his late 20s when he quit the rebel movement.

Paraas is a made-up name for security reasons, but his real identity has been vetted by a Filipino expert on security issues who advises local law enforcement officials on the gun trade.

Paraas started selling used guns and knock-offs of foreign brands made by illegal gunsmiths in the central and southern Philippines, before moving to more expensive weapons smuggled from abroad.

The American-made .22 calibre Magnum Black Widow revolvers in his bag were ordered by a buyer through a shadowy network of small-time gun runners who take advantage of the city’s urban squalor to peddle their deadly wares.

Their clients range from security-conscious house wives to slum dwellers and members of “private armies” employed by political warlords.

“They are light and easy to move, and in demand from many people because they primarily use it for self-defence,”Paraas said of the revolvers, which he sells for 5,000 pesos (120 dollars) each.

“Higher calibre guns and automatic rifles can also be bought, at a higher price.”

The proliferation of firearms in the Philippines has been in the spotlight since January, following a series of shooting-related deaths, including of two children hit by

MAY 16-31, 2013

A salesman at a weapons shop in Manila demonstrates how to use a conversion kit on a 9mm handgun.

Guns Black Market Thriving in Philippines

People typically carry guns because they lack confidence in the country’s security forces to protect the public. There were 1.2 million registered firearms in the Philippines last year, with another 600,000 unlicensed firearms in circulation, according to national police data.

A showcase of guns is displayed at a busy mall in Manila.

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stray bullets on New Year’s Eve. A drugs-crazed gunman also killed seven people in a slum rampage, and a shoot-out linked to a gambling turf war left 13 dead, among them corrupt police and military officers.

The Philippines has a strong gun culture dating back centuries, with a history of armed struggle against Spanish and US colonial rulers.

Today, people typically carry guns because they lack confidence in the country’s security forces to protect the public, according to security analysts and firearms traders.

There were 1.2 million registered firearms in the Philippines last year, with another 600,000 unlicensed firearms in circulation, according to national police data.

Getting a license to own a conventional gun is easy, subject to police clearance and security checks that include psychological tests, and firearms shops sit alongside clothes outlets in malls.

But getting one without a police clearance can be even easier.

Security analyst Ed Quitoriano, who regularly advises foreign embassies on threat issues, said there could be as many as four million unlicensed guns across the country.

The gun culture can be unset-

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The Philippines has a strong gun culture dating back centuries. tling, particularly for foreign visitors.

Private security guards with loaded, sawn-off shotguns infest the crime-plagued cities, protecting small and large private businesses.

Traffic wardens deputized by the police but with little security training stand at intersections with revolvers hanging off their hips.

Restaurants, nightclubs and banks often have signs asking patrons to leave their firearms at entrance counters.

Foreigners are warned by longtime expatriates to avoid any incident that could escalate into violence, because of the potential for a gun to be used on them.

President Benigno Aquino launched a high-profile campaign at the start of the year to get unlicensed guns off the streets.

But government data shows this has so far netted fewer than 2,200

Police and military officials present loose firearms recovered from suspected gunrunners. firearms, highlighting what Quitoriano said was the government’s lack of resolve and capabilities to tackle the issue.

Quitoriano said many powerful figures, including soldiers, police and politicians, profited from the firearms trade, part of a huge corruption problem that plagues all sectors of society.

“Many of the unlicensed guns that leak into the grey market actually come from legal imports and government purchases,” he said.

Quitoriano said the climate of fear fuelled the black market.

“If the public trusted the government more, there would be no need for them to protect themselves by arming,” he said.

Alexander Reyes, who owns self-defence specialty shop Aquila Firearms and Ammunition Corp. at a Manila mall, agreed.

“It used to be for prestige, because guns equate with power,” Reyes said. “But nowadays, it is mostly for protection. The police cannot protect you 24/7.” (Agence France Presse) n

Vancouver Edition

At 23, Kim Takes On the World

To say that Kim has grown up would be an understatement. Clearly, the once teeny-bopper Kapamilya talent is now ready for bigger things and challenges.

HE Chinita Princess looks as if she’s well on her way to being a queen. Recently turned 23, Kim Chiu has stepped out of her cocoon as an erstwhile provincial lass. She has emerged bolder, wiser and fiercer. She is on the cusp of becoming a strong, powerful woman and none of the current intrigues and distractions can

stop her.

Kim celebrated her 23rd birthday last April 19 and like any big star in the industry, surprise parties left and right were hosted by fans and supporters. But Kim had a surprise of her own. She posted a photo of herself on Instagram wearing a bikini with the caption: “another year has passed.. today ill be facing another chapter of my life..

THANK YOU everyone for being part of my 22 im soooo happy for everything that has come my way,,, a lot of things happened good and bad but im thankful because i enjoy and i’ve learned a lot!!! a lot!!!! thank you for all the laughters and happiness 22!!! i wish on my 23 will be more happier and more exciting, 23 be good to me, 23 here i come, 23 im READY for you you!!!!! #happy #blessed #thankful #grateful #feelsoloved salamat sa greetings!!!”

Although photos of celebrities donning a two-piece swimsuit is

dime-a-dozen in the industry, this is quite a big deal for Kim because it’s the first time that the public has seen her in such an outfit. But Kim is quick to dispel rumors that she is now moving on to play more daring roles.

“Side view lang iyon. One angle lang ng body. Hindi mo nga kita ang tiyan ko,” Kim says. She claims that she is not ready to ditch the completely wholesome image that she

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The birthday girl poses in a bikini and shares photo on Instagram.

has been known for in showbiz.”

Huwag naman muna, okey pa ako na ganito. Isang picture lang.”

She likewise bared her back for the May anniversary issue of Metro Magazine. The mag’s cover story describes the birthday girl as “fierce and fabulous”.

To say that Kim h a s grown up would be an understatement. Clearly, the once teeny-bopper Kapamilya talent is now ready for bigger things and challenges.

In a recent interview with Boy Abunda on The Buzz, Kim openly addressed issues concerning her life and the controversy involving her ex boyfriend Gerald Anderson and former best friend Maja Salvador. It will be recalled that the two female lead stars of toprating teleserye Ina, Kapatid, Anak were once very good friends until rumors began to spread that Maja was now seeing Kim’s ex, Gerald.

“It’s easy to forgive,” Kim replied when Boy asked if she had already forgiven Maja and Gerald.

“Siyempre madaling magpatawad, pero mahirap kalimutan yung ginawa nila.” Kim felt that she was betrayed when her erstwhile best friend, to whom she had confided details about her relationship with Gerald, later hooked up with her former boyfriend.

Throughout the whole MajaGerald brouhaha, Kim said she found solace in the unstinting support of her loyal fans and in the kind-heartedness of rumored boyfriend Xian Lim. When asked if she and Xian are already going steady, Kim replied: “Hindi ko masagot ‘yan, pero masaya ako na nandiyan siya.”

Kim says she is moving on and looking forward to a happier and more enduring relationship in the not-too-distant future. Everyone dreams of a good life, after all, she says. But Kim adds: “Time will tell and, siguro, hindi pa ngayon.”

MAY 16-31, 2013

For now, Kim is concentrating on her stellar career. She’s now a wiser, stronger young lady ready to face what the ever-ruthless world of showbiz has in store for her. Just a few days ago, Kim posted a rather interesting photo on her instagram account @chinitaprincess. The photo contains the text: “People will question all the good things they hear about you but believe all the bad without a second thought.” Kim added her own thoughts with the caption: “life goes on and on and on and on............. may God bless you all #people #opinions”.

It’s quite obvious that, like most people her age, the famous celebrity has her own fare share of demons that she must struggle with. Which is why for her birthday, Kim said that her wish is for God to give her more strength.

In the same interview with The Buzz, Kim revealed that her prayer is “for God to give me more strength para maitayo ko ang sarili ko and tinutulungan naman Niya ako, alam ko naman yun.” n

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CELEBR TY

KIM, MAJA NOT YET READY TO RECONCILE WHILE their characters in the top-rating primetime series Ina Kapatid Anak are seen in a tearful reconciliation in an upcoming episode, it seems that Kim Chiu and Maja Salvador are not yet ready to patch things up in real life.

The two stars were on stage together recently in the opening number of the ABS-CBN Trade Launch where they performed Rihanna’s Diamonds. But observers noted the two never made eye contact with each other while onstage.

The two Kapamilya talents were interviewed after the production number but both refused to talk about their supposed tiff.

“Tsaka na iyan. Diamonds in

Vancouver Edition

MOM ALLOWS CHARICE TO REVEAL ‘REAL IDENTITY’

Maja and Kim in Ina, Kapatid Anak the sky na lang,” Kim briefly said, shrugging off any follow up questions.

Maja, on the other hand, avoided the media as she rushed to her car together with a friend after her number after giving a short message to her fans.

TARLAC, HERE COMES KRIS

“Maraming salamat sa sumuporta sa akin. Abangan niyo ang pagbabati nila Margaux [at Celyn sa show],” she said.

When asked whether a reconciliation between her and Kim will happen in real life, Maja said, “Thank you. I love you.”

Charice’s latest look AMID rumors of Charice’s real sexual orientation, the mother of the singer says she is allowing her daughter to finally “confirm her real identity.”

“Ang sinasabi ng puso ko at

isip ko bilang ina ay hayaan ko siyang ilantad kung ano ang tunay na katauhan niya. Kung ano ang gusto niya, dahil doon siya magiging maligaya,” Raquel Pempengco said in an interview with ABS-CBNnews.com.

As a mother, Mrs. Pempengco stressed she is only after the welfare of her daughter and that she hopes Charice will find her peace and happiness.

“Nire-respeto ko kung ano ang gusto niyang sabihin sa publiko, dahil doon siya magiging masaya at malaya na hindi niya nahanap sa aming pamilya,” she said.

Mrs. Pempengco gave her statement following a post on Twitter claiming that Charice has finally admitted she is a lesbian in an interview set to air soon.

Charice has recently been in the news for her fashion choices and numerous makeovers. Her latest photo shows her sporting a short hairstyle and supposedly masculine outfits, prompting speculations as to whether they are indicative of her sexual preference.

VICE WADES INTO POLITICS

THE rumor that Kris Aquino is planning to join politics is true, after all. No less than the presidential sister herself has confirmed that she is eyeing a local elective position in 2016 so, she said, she can contribute something to the country. But although she is a resident of Makati, she does not intend to challenge her friend, Makati Mayor Junjun Binay. In her words, “mahirap tibagin ang mga Binay.”

Instead, she plans to run as governor of her home province, Tarlac.

“The incumbent (Tarlac) governor Vic Yap is now running for his last term. He said he would give it to me (to run for),” said Kris, who will be 45 in 2016. Her father, the late Sen. Ninoy Aquino, was 22 when he became mayor of Concepcion,

Tarlac.

Kris said she plans to take up a post-graduate course to prepare her for governance. Her friend, Sen. Chiz Escudero, would be her mentor, she said. “Chiz would be the one to do my assignments,” she joked. In a more serious tone, Kris said, “I want to have credentials. . . Gusto ko may maiambag naman para sa bayan.”

And to her critics who called on her to stay out of politics, she had this to say: “Sa laki ng binabayad kong buwis, may karapatan akong tumakbo.” Kris was the top individual taxpayer in 2011.

VICE Ganda explained that he did not make patutsada to senatorial candidate Nancy Binay when he said the vice president’s daughter was not ready for the Senate.

Vice said she was simply making a “mere mention of fact” when he comment that he was not impressed by Nancy’s bid to become a senator because she has not held any elective or appointive position aside from being a personal assistant of her parents.

In a recent press conference for his upcoming concert, Vice was asked if he would enter politics someday. He replied, “Gusto ko president ako agad. Yung wala kang background, pero mataas agad, parang yung mga pulitiko lang ngayon. Walang background, pero senador agad.”

Asked if he was alluding to anyone, he said, “Sila Nancy Binay, sino pa ba?”

Vice said he respects Nancy’s right to run for senator but at the same time asserted his right to express his views.

“May karapatan naman talaga si Nancy Binay na tumakbo bilang senador,” he said. “May karapatan din naman akong ihayag ang damdamin ko dahil mayroon po tayong Freedom of Expression na nakahayag sa Article 3, Section 4 of the 1987 Revised Constitution of the Philippines.”

To which the daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay retorted: “At the end of the day, he has just one vote, di ba?”

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CELEBRITYFILES

HEART’S IN CONTROL OF HER LIFE HEART Evangelista sheds her sweet image as she appears on the cover of a men’s magazine, wearing a white, low-neck tank top and black underwear. The 28-year-old actress is also seen wearing sexy underwear in a behind-the-scenes interview with Esquire Philippines magazine.

Heart, whose ongoing relationship with Sen. Chiz Escudero has earned her parents’ ire, says she feels liberated and different now.

When she was younger, she said she was “content” and “didn’t want

to want anything else.” “It’s when I turned 28 that I realized [that] what I do today will make my life ten years from now,” she said.

Asked to comment on his girlfriend’s sexy pose, the 43-year-old lawmaker said he is in no position to prevent her from appearing on the cover of a men’s magazine.

“Nasa edad na siya, kaya na niyang magpasya sa sarili niya. Siguro kung humihingi lang ng payo, ng paalala, doon lang siguro. Pero maliban doon, hindi ko pinanghihimasukan at pinapakialaman,” he said.

Marian

MARIAN OPEN TO NETWORK TRANSFER

MARIAN Rivera has parted ways with her manager of seven years, saying the move is imperative to her “freedom” to make career decisions independently.

The 28-year-old Kapuso star said her decision to leave her longtime manager, Popoy Caritativo, is also due to difficulties in their working relationship.

“Siguro hindi na nagiging productive ‘yung relationship bilang talent at bilang manager. May tampuhan. For seven years, ganoon ang nangyayari,” she told reporters.

Marian, who is one of the top talents of GMA-7, said her career is now under the management of showbiz veteran Tony Tuviera, who was her manager for a time before she became a talent of Caritativo’s firm, Luminary Talent Management.

Under Tuviera’s management, Marian is set to negotiate her contract with GMA-7, which will expire in August this year. She added that she is open to the possibility of working under different TV networks.

Echo and Kim

ECHO SAYS HE FOUND “RIGHT GIRL”

JERICHO Rosales revealed that he was ready to quit showbiz and leave for New York when he met Kim Jones, who is now his girlfriend for more than a year.

“That was the time when I wanted to give up already, when I wanted to move to New York, that was before signing up with ABS-CBN ... and then I met Kim,” he said in an interview on the late-night talk show Martin Late @ Night.

Echo was introduced to Kim, an Australian commercial model, in March 2011 by a common friend. Kim, who hosts a lifestyle television show on local cable, said that the actor eventually won her over through their shared passion for sports and his sense of humor.

“It’s very seldom that you meet a person in this business na talagang parang normal person,” Echo said of his girlfriend. “Parang, like, whatever happens, parang walang arte sa katawan, talagang chill lang talaga, parang normal person.”

He said they have discussed marriage. “Pinag-usapan namin, pinagbibiruan namin. I think I found the one for me and that’s her,” he said.

MARICAR AND CROONER ARE ENGAGED MARICAR Reyes is engaged to singer Richard Poon. The crooner made the announcement to the media during the launch of his first pop album, Legends, last April 29.

“Oo [engaged na],” Richard said, without giving further details about their planned wedding.

“Kapag may detalye ‘yan, probably dahan-dahan ay ibibigay namin,” he added.

Richard praised the Kapamilya actress for being a “very simple” bride-to-be. “I like her because she’s very simple, ‘di siya ‘bilhan mo ‘ko noon, bilhan mo ako niyan.’

She’s a very private person. Simpleng joy lang, sasabihin niya, ‘gus-

to ko makasama ka, usap tayo nang maayos.’ Gusto lang niya maganda ‘yung conversation.”

Asked if he has accepted Maricar’s controversial past, the singer replied: “A lot of us can be offended by many things. Kaya lang, ako mismo ay sablay din. So who am I to judge na I cannot accept a certain thing or another thing kung ako mismo ay sablay ako?. . . Ang dami kong shortcomings and character flaws. So, I’m not in the position to judge anyone.”

Maricar was dragged into Hayden Kho’s infamous sex video scandal, along with Katrina Halili.

ABS-CBN: WILLIE’S NOT RETURNING ABS-CBN president and chief executive officer Charo Santos-Concio has denied rumors that controversial host Willie Revillame will return to the Kapamilya network.

The rumors were fueled by the fact that Willie’s contract with TV5 will expire soon. Willie left ABSCBN in 2010.

“That’s not true. We’re not in talks with Willie Revillame. We’re very happy with the ratings of [It’s] Showtime. We’re very happy with Showtime,” she said in a press conference.

Meanwhile, the Movie and

Television Review and Classification Board placed Willie’s noontime show on TV5, Wowowillie, on a three-month probation threemonth probation period after the MTRCB ruled that the outfits of the show’s dancers on April 16 were “too revealing.” During the probation period, a similar violation would mean higher penalties, the MTRCB said..

Last March, the agency also called the attention of the show after Willie lambasted his guest co-hosts Ethel Booba and Ate Gay live on air.

Maricar and Richard

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The poverty level in the Philippines has remained unchanged since 2006 despite a skyrocketing stock market and the robust economy. The problem, say experts, is that the money goes to financial markets and not to industries, where jobs are created.

ETTING 27 new records since January, the Philippine Stock Exchange is expected to climb to even greater heights, with the economy forecast to grow at one of the fastest paces in the world despite external headwinds.

With the Philippines’ recent upgrade to the much-coveted investment grade rating by global debt watcher Fitch, more funds are also expected to flow into the country’s already liquid financial markets.

So why has the percentage of people living in poverty in the Philippines remained unchanged with all of these gains?

On April 23, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) reported that the ratio of poor Filipinos to the overall population leveled off at 27.9 percent in the first half of 2012 from 28.6 percent in the same period in 2009 -- despite the fact that domestic liquidity as measured by M3 (the widest measure of money, including currencies in circulation, bank deposits, and money market funds, among other highly liquid assets) had been rising steadily as foreign funds kept flowing into the Philippine financial markets, just as they have done since the dawn of the 2008 financial crisis.

With a financial system flush with cash, the PSE hit 38 incidences of all-time closing highs in 2012.

It remains to be seen whether the upgrade to investment grade will lead to the ratio falling, but experts are already noting that the improving economy may not lead to lower poverty numbers if investment habits do not change.

Despite Economic Gains, Filipinos

Remain Poor

The country is awash with cash but the money funneled into financial market instruments – stocks, corporate and government debt papers – which do not immediately create jobs, unlike investments in manufacturing and other industries.

Cash in stock market The problem, experts say, is that money funneled into financial market instruments – stocks, corporate and government debt papers – do not immediately create jobs, unlike investments in manufacturing and other industries.

“The environment is starting to change now. We are now awash with cash, but that money goes to

Stock brokers celebrate a bountiful harvest in 2012.

Analysts say the country’s economy is driven by consumer spending funded largely by overseas remittances and the local business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

financial markets and not industries and plants which generate more jobs,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said.

While these funds can result in the expansion of businesses in the long term, experts explain that cash flows in the stock market do not directly cause the building of plants and the strengthening of industries.

“Any cash flow from the stock market highs and investment upgrade will go primarily to the financial and speculative sectors of the economy, such as the stock market and financial institutions, rather than the real economy,” said Sonny Africa, executive director at thinktank IBON Foundation Inc. “The poor majority will never benefit from these improved financial indicators if there is no fundamental change in the economy towards increasing domestic production and increasing the domestic market,” added Africa.

More jobs needed Government data show the

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INVOLVE PRIVATE SECTOR IN FIGHTING POVERTY Pangilinan: Involve us in development.

Despite the economic gains, 28 of 100 Filipinos have remained poor in the past six years, government data show January 2013 jobless rate stood at 7.1 percent, while 20.9 percent of Filipinos are under-employed or work two or more jobs to make ends meet.

So despite all the gains made by the economy so far, 28 of 100 Filipinos on the average have remained poor in the past six years, state data show.

This statistic will only improve if more jobs are created, said Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Edgardo Lacson.

“All kinds of jobs will be helpful in alleviating poverty,” he said.

“Currently, two to three million are unemployed while seven million are underemployed. We need to focus on this.”

Other than money being mostly funneled into financial instruments, businesses have also heavily focused on the services sector, which experts say do not generate as many jobs as hard industries.

The much-trumpeted 6.6-percent growth was achieved through a buoyant services sector and robust domestic demand driven by remittances of overseas Filipinos.

Manufacturing sector neglected Lacson, who is also president of Employers Confederation of the Philippines, said businesses invested most of its capital in the services sector, particularly in business process outsourcing (BPO), instead on manufacturing, infrastructure,

power and tourism.

“BPO is good while it lasts, but it is a cost-driven industry so it can pull out anytime. Manufacturing needs years before it can pull out,”Lacson said.

The lesson, said Africa, is to revive the country’s manufacturing and agriculture based on “a strategic framework of developing genuinely Filipino manufacturing and agriculture.”

Structural problems in infrastructure and business environment, however, should be addressed in order for the private sector to pour more money into more productive sectors.

Infrastructure backlog

The Aquino administration is having to play catch-up in terms of transport and power infrastructure development, which businesses have long complained about.

Peter U, economist and dean at the University of Asia and the Pacific School of Economics, said a hike in public investments in infrastructure is needed.

“What we need to do is bring in more investments both local and foreign on capital assets or purchase of productive capacity by making sure that there are good roads, ports and sufficient power. So, businesses can compete,” U said.

But even as it noted that the government’s commitment to infrastructure spending is beginning to show results, Moody’s Analytics said that more needs to be done.

“Public investment accounts for just 2.75 percent of GDP (gross domestic product), far too low for a country at this stage of development,” Glenn Levine,senior economist at Moody’s Analytics, said.

Policies and red tape U explained that businesses will not be put up if local and foreign investors are faced with too much red tape and too many requirements.

“Still, the biggest risk for Philippine investment is operational,” said Levine, referring to “complicated and changeable” regulations and taxes.

Foreign and local investors have complained about policies changing whenever a new set of legislative leaders and a president is elected.

For its part, the Aquino administration has vowed to cleanse the government and combat corruption under its “DaangMatuwid” platform.

Moreover, Balisacan said, “the problem of poverty requires a comprehensive, multi-pronged, multisectoral solution involving many stakeholders.”

“We are serious about the fight against poverty,” he said. “As a researcher of development, I know that these problems take some time to be resolved. But now that I wear a government hat and join my fellow public servants here in forwarding the inclusive development agenda, I cannot help but be impatient about delivering results.”

(GMA News) n

A

PROMINENT businessman has called on Malacañang to include the private sector in mapping out fresh anti-poverty programs as latest data showed that the country’s economic gains have been hardly felt by half of the population.

Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., said the government should allow the private sector to take an active role in ensuring that economic growth was shared and enjoyed by all classes.

“The imperative is inclusive, not exclusionary, growth. Business and government need to work together to identify areas that offer the higher levels of employment and income to our people -- agriculture and tourism, for instance,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan said that government should provide the guidance, encouragement and rewards. “Business should mobilize the resources for development. The franchise to inclusive growth is not the exclusive province of either business or government -- neither can accomplish it alone,” he said in a text message.

Pangilinan was reacting to the report of the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) that poverty incidence had remained unchanged since 2006 amid high economic growth. M e a n w h i l e , Malacañang said eradicating poverty in the country was “not an overnight thing.”

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda largely blamed the high level of poverty incidence on the lackluster performance of the agricultural-fishery sector.

“But again, this (defeating poverty) is not overnight. This is a work in progress and hence, for that reason, we also need support from both houses of Congress,” Lacierda said.

Lacierda said the challenge was to spur growth in agriculture to create more jobs, increase production and ensure that the production translates to a greater income for farmers since the bulk of the population was still in the agricultural sector.

He noted that private investments had increased, and that public infrastructure spending in 2012 was around P250 billion.

Sen. Ralph Recto echoed Pangilinan’s call for greater private sector participation. “We must allow for more private sector investments in infrastructure, factories and food production to create more jobs and build the middle class. Government does not create jobs. It is the private sector,” he said.

Recto pointed out that providing jobs will expand the middle class and help in spreading the wealth across all classes.

“Even if we build all the infrastructure that we need, only the rich and educated will benefit the most because they will know how to use them properly and productively, unlike the poor and uneducated,” Recto said.

He said only the educated class or the entrepreneurs and professionals would benefit from economic growth, leading to income inequality and the rich getting richer and the poor poorer. n

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VANCOUVER Impressions

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By Mel Tobias

PHILIPPINES

dessert featured in the book are mouth-watering, agar agargelatine (glutinous rice, palm sugar and coconut milk with additional flavoring from pandan leaves). AisKacang (shaved colored ice with red beans) is a perfect summer cooler, reminiscent of hot summer days in the Philippines.

W

Vancouverites are not ostentatious spenders, showy, loud, attention-getting and brand conscious people, so we can be more adventurous in our quest for variety without spending a fortune or going out of town often for cheap thrills in third world countries. As they say, “You pay peanuts, you get monkeys”. But some people like peanuts and monkeys.

Variety is the spice of life and the variety in Vancouver can anchor our hometown relationships and revitalize our energy on a daily basis.

IN A MALAYSIAN STATE OF MIND

Diversity is the hallmark of this relaxed Southeast Asian Nation. Many find Malaysia an assault on the senses, a cultural fusion of colors, flavors and dialects. It has a heady mix of people (Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous tribes). Covering both the top of the Asian peninsula and the northwestern part of Borneo, Malaysia varies in terrain and climate. Some 500 kilometers across the sea one can discover Sarawak and Sabah. The Malay kingdom of Ma-

Kaya Malay Bistro on West Broadway

lacca was the greatest port in the east during its heyday in the 15th century.

COOKBOOK FROM MALAYSIA – THE FOOD OF MALAYSIA

Authentic Recipes from the Crossroads of Asia ( Available at Chapters, Indigo, Tanglewood) Recipes by the cooks of Bon Ton Restaurant (Kuala Lumpur) and Jonkers Restaurant (Malacca) This book presents a selection of Malaysia’s cuisine and at the same time introduces the reader to the nation’s diverse cultural and culinary traditions.

The multi-ethnic heritage allowed unique variations on Asian favorites like the Malay satay, Chinese noodles, Indian curry puffs, Portuguese Baked Fish and Nonya cuisine.

One of the most popular Nonya dishes is laksa, a rice-noodle soup which blends Malay seasonings with Chinese noodles. The Malacca Nonya version is rich in coconut milk. And Nonya cakes are renowned for their richness and variety. The

“Kaya”, the name of the restaurant is a type of coconut jam used in Southeast Asian dishes.

Other Malayasian restaurants worth visiting, CAFÉ’LITE (MamaLee) FRESH BOWL, BANANA LEAF, TAMARIND HILL, TROPIKA, MALAYSIAN HUT and there are more.

SPICE ISLAND INDONESIAN RESTAURANT

VANCOUVER VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

e can live nicely, uncomplicated and contentedly well in Vancouver with simple elegance and effortless charm, even on a limited budget. But we have to pay more attention to the world around us. In other words, appreciate and experience the abundance of things in our city that are available for us to enjoy. GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE….AND LIVE!

Vancouver Edition

Warm mango durian puff and handrolled crepes flavoured with pandan juice

352 West 41st Avenue After your Malaysian adventure, may we suggest Indonesian food. We highly recommend a neglected, classy Asian restaurant tucked away in Kerrisdale for many years. If you have been to Bali, this restaurant will bring back lovely memories of exotic Indonesian cuisine infused with Indian, Arabic, Dutch and Chinese influences, even Philippines dishes wrapped in banana leaves. n

KAYA –MALAY BISTRO

1063 West Broadway A new Malaysian restaurant where you can enjoy authentic Satay Chicken, GadoGado, Beef Rendang, NasiGoreng, Hainanese Chicken and Mango Durian Puff, all reasonably priced in an urban setting.

Some of the offerings are partially given a fusion touch or a West Coast twist that will be appreciated by city dwellers. Highly recommended before you start your meal is Ginger Citrus Soda drink (lemon,orange, shaken fresh juices and soda with a hint of mint). Singaporean and Nonya cuisine is also served.

Spice Islands Indonesian Restaurant on West 41st Ave

MHSS HOLDS VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION NIGHT The Multicultural Helping House Society recently held its annual Volunteer Appreciation Night honoring all those who selflessly contributed to making the last year another successful year for the nonprofit society. Lydia Steer, the Volunteer Program Coordinator of the Purpose Society from New Westminster delivered the keynote speech. The event was also graced by Deputy ConsulGeneral Anton Mandap, along with Philippine Labor Attache Bernie Julve. The various groups honored included the MHHS Richmond 55+ers Filipino Group, the Live-In Caregivers Group, the Youth Group, the Settlement Group, the MHHS Sampaguita Seniors Group and the ever dependable MHHS staff and admin personnel, among many others.

Lydia Steer, Volunteer Program Coordinator of the Purpose Society from New Westminster, delivers the keynote speech at the MHHS Volunteer Appreciation Night.

Volunteers for the Live-in Caregiver Group proudly show off their certificates, with Lydia Steer, the event keynote speaker, from the Purpose Society in New Westminster.

The seniors representing the MHHS Richmond 55+sers Filipino Group stand by for a photo-op with Deputy Consul-General Anton Mandap of the Philippine Consulate in Vancouver, MHHS board member Roy Ricarse, Tatay Tom Avendano, and the Richmond Seniors Group Coordinator Marilou Panlilio-Yodogawa, after receiving their certificates.

MHHS Staff with Tatay Tom. L-R Angie Igonia, Amelita Salvan, Tatay Tom, Shahana Akter, Maimai Deocareza, & Babette Santos.

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COMELEC CANCELS ‘MAGIC 12’ PROCLAMATION

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HE Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc sitting as the national board of canvassers (NBOC) on May 15 announced the cancellation of the proclamation of the winning senatorial candidates earlier scheduled for in the evening of May 15.

“We are officially canceling the proclamation of the senators tonight (May 15) at 7 p.m. No agreement has been made as to when the proclamation will be. Most probably tomorrow (May 16),” Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said at a press conference.

He said the NBOC had yet to decide whether to have a “partial or total” proclamation tonight.

The Comelec chairman earlier announced that the NBOC had aimed to proclaim at least 10 winning senators on May 15.

Brillantes would not give any reason why the NBOC decided not to push through with the proclamation “because we are still analyzing what is happening in the field up to now.”

The schedule of the proclamation, he said, would depend “on the arrival of the various COCs (certificates of canvass) from the provinces and cities.”

“We will continue the same process now and we will try to finish as many as we can. We are now coming up with new resolutions to facilitate the sending of the COCs to the NBOC. There are certain issues being raised in the municipality and provincial levels,” he said.

Brillantes said that the national board could have actually proclaimed the first two winning candidates but they decided to wait for a more “substantial” number of canvassed votes.

(See the latest partial and unofficial senatorial tally on Page 5.)

Brillantes said the ladderized system of the transmission of COCs as well as the close electoral contests in the local elections had affected “the movement of the COCs.” By ladderized system, Brillantes meant that from the precinct level, the national votes are canvassed in the municipal or city level, then transmitted to the provincial before they are finally sent to the NBOC for the final tally.

As of press time, the NBOC had only canvassed 21 COCs out of 304.

Only the votes canvassed by the NBOC are considered official votes of the senatorial candidates.

Brillantes said there was not much difference between the schedule of proclamation of winning candidates in the May 2010 elections and this year’s midterm elections.

He recalled that in 2010, the first

nine senators were proclaimed five days after Election Day and the next three were proclaimed three days later.

Meanwhile, Smartmatic, the company that provided the PCOS counting machines, denied the allegations

by United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) spokesman Tobias Tiangco that it was engaged in data manipulation by Smartmatic.

“If UNA believes there was a manipulation, all they have to bring is their own copy of the election returns (ER) and show that its different of whatever is published on the website or by PPCRV,” Smartmatic Asia Pacific president Cesar Flores told reporters.

UNA deputy secretary general Sherwin Gatchalian has filed a motion to suspend the proclamation of the winning senatorial candidates, citing “manipulated data” from the unofficial count of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV). n

AQUINO STRENGTHENED AFTER ELECTIONS PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino secured big wins in the May 13 midterm elections seen as vital to his ambitious reform agenda, but the success of famous, graft-tainted rivals raised alarm.

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

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

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

Aquino won a landslide election victory in 2010 on a platform to fight corruption and improve the standard of governance, problems widely blamed for crushing poverty that most of the nation’s 100 million

President Aquino campaigns for Team Pnoy senatorial candidates. people endure.

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

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

He was still able to get through important and controversial pieces of legislation, such as the mainly Catholic country’s first state-backed birth

control program and increased “sin” taxes for tobacco and alcohol.

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

He will need parliamentary endorsement of the peace deal.

Aquino also wants to pass legislation to expand health care and other

Vancouver Edition

SENATE SHAKEUP SEEN AFTER 9-3 WIN FOR TEAM PNOY MALACANANG described the 9-3 win of Team PNoy in the Senate race, as well as the overwhelming victory of administration candidates in local polls, as a resounding endorsement of President Benigno Aquino III’s ‘straight path’ agenda.

The Aquino administration also expected the new majority—at least 16 senators—to reconfigure the political terrain in Senate when the 16th Congress opens in July.

One day after the balloting, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda noted that although in many places official proclamation of winning candidates had yet to take place, the message from the electorate was loud and clear.

“As the counting is completed and the official proclamations take place, it seems clear that our countrymen have spoken overwhelmingly to confirm and expand the mandate for reform and change that they first granted in 2010 to President Aquino,” said Lacierda.

He recalled that the President had led the administration into what he himself had “described as a referendum on this administration—one that will determine whether there will be a continuation and acceleration of reform, or a regression to the old, selfish ways that had harmed our country.”

Lacierda believed that “the victory of Team PNoy is a renewed mandate for straight path, and a vote of confidence for good governance, the continuity of reforms, and a brighter future to come.”

Lacierda hinted at the need for a new Senate president.

“Well, we will have a greater majority in the Senate and that means we will be able to push our reform agenda,” he said, adding: The nine reelected and incoming senators of Team PNoy will easily bring to 16 the composition of the social services to the poor, while passing a long-delayed law forcing mining firms to pay higher taxes was also a top priority.

Aquino is restricted by the constitution to one term of six years. The strengthened position for Aquino following Monday’s elections is also expected to help him promote a potential successor to continue with his reforms.

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

Marcos’s 83-year-old widow,

Drilon: New Senate president? new majority in the 16th Congress.

Currently, there are three Liberal Party members in the Senate (Ralph Recto, Teofisto Guingona III and Franklin Drilon), with Mr. Aquino also counting as allies Senators Sergio Osmeña, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Pia Cayetano and Lito Lapid.

At the final miting de avance of Team PNoy, Drilon was introduced by reelectionist senators as the next Senate president.

But Lacierda said that discussions over the Senate leadership would be a matter best left in the hands of senators themselves.

Already, Santiago was pitching Alan Cayetano as a probable candidate for the Senate presidency on account of his No. 3 showing in the latest tabulation and the fact that there are five Nacionalista party members in the chamber (Alan and Pia Cayetano, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Cynthia Villar and Antonio Trillanes), making NP the single biggest bloc in the Senate.

Reelectionist Sen. Gregorio Honasan, who occupies the last slot in the Magic 12 in the latest count, said the 9-3 advantage of Team PNoy in the senatorial race would not necessarily translate to an Aquino Senate. n Imelda, easily won a second straight term in the nation’s lower house representing Ilocos Norte that for decades has been a loyal family stronghold.

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

Former president and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada, who was forced from power in 2001 amid a popular uprising, was also elected mayor of Manila.

Former president and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada, who was forced from power in 2001 amid a popular uprising, was also elected mayor of Manila. n

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NEWSROUND-UP

GRACE POE BLOWN AWAY BY STRONG SHOWING

Grace with mother Susan Roces “I WAS very surprised, I was blown away,” Grace Poe said, describing her phenomenal showing as the top votegetter in the May 13 senatorial polls.

As of the latest tabulation before we went to press, Poe was leading second placer Loren Legarda by some 1.3 million votes.

Poe admitted praying during the

campaign that if it were God’s will to make her win, “at least don’t make me No. 11 or No. 12. That would be so nerve-wracking.”

Apparently, God wanted to be more generous to the Poes this time.

Legarda, Fernando Poe Jr.’s running mate in 2004, said the daughter’s successful senatorial bid was a

vindication of the father’s loss nine years ago Interior Secretary Mar Roxas told reporters that Poe “carried herself very responsibly, respectfully, very wisely” during the campaign. Roxas noted that while the elder Poe got about 11 million votes, his daughter proved herself better by getting more than 14 million so far.

Poe realized during the campaign that people wanted a closure to her father’s death. She said these people saw her “as the image of FPJ in defense of the oppressed, the champion of the poor” in his movies.

“We need to pray for leaders who claim to do that but who don’t actually deliver. Check out the lifestyle or what they actually delivered and it’s contrary to what they claim or stand for,” she said.

Would her ranking in the Senate race add to the pressure of people’s expectations of her as FPJ’s daughter?

Yes, but first comes a much-needed holiday. She had planned a vacation

TAIWAN FREEZES HIRING OF OFWS OVER FISHER’S DEATH TAIPEI – Taiwan’s President Ma Yingjeou on May 15 froze the hiring of Filipino workers to express “strong dissatisfaction” over Manila’s handling of the killing of a Taiwanese fisherman, his spokeswoman said.

The 65-year-old fisherman was shot dead by Filipino coastguards on May 9 after they said his boat had strayed into Philippine waters.

“President Ma expressed his strong dissatisfaction over the Philippines’ lack of sincerity and its shifting attitude,” Lee Chia-fei told reporters, adding that Ma had decided to recall Taipei’s envoy to Manila.

Antonio Basilio, the Philippines’ de facto ambassador, had also been asked to return to Manila to “help properly handle” the case, she said.

Lee reiterated Ma’s demands that Manila issue a “formal apology,” compensate the victim’s family, apprehend the killer and start fishing talks between the two sides soon.

“If the Philippine government cannot satisfy our side’s four demands by 6:00 p.m. (1000 GMT) today, our government will adopt a second wave of sanctions,” Lee said.

Taipei made the decision despite an apology by Basilio after a closeddoor meeting with Foreign Minister David Lin on May 14.

The Philippines will send special envoy Amadeo Perez to repeat his “deep regret and apology from the people of the Philippines” to the people of Taiwan and the fisherman’s family, according to Basilio.

However, Taiwan’s Premier Jiang Yi-huah said it was unacceptable that the apology comes from the “people of the Philippines” rather than the government as it was the Coast Guard that shot the fisherman.

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

The incident sparked outrage in Taiwan and comes at a time of heightened tensions around the region over rival claims to the nearby South China Sea. Taiwan has threatened to conduct a naval exercise in waters near the Philippines.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister David Lin on May 13 said that if Manila will not issue an “appropriate response” to its demands by midnight of May 14, the Taiwan government will “immediately” suspend the processing of applications by Filipino workers seeking employment in Taiwan.

According to a report of Taiwan’s Central News Agency, “the diplomatic row comes after a Taiwanese boat, Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28, was strafed by a joint patrol of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources while operating in the overlapping economic zones of the two countries.”

Lin also did not rule out the possibility that “further action could be taken against the Philippines” if it refuses to comply with Taiwan’s demands.

Taiwan had earlier threatened to freeze the applications of Filipino workers within three days — or 72 hours — if the Philippines does not respond to its requests stemming from the fatal shooting of a 65-year-old Taiwanese fisherman, Hung Shih-cheng, in disputed waters Thursday.

A report on Taiwan’s Central News Agency said President Ma Yingjeou convened a high-ranking meeting on May 11, and decided on four

demands from the Philippines, including: • the issuance of a formal apology; • compensation for the losses; • punishing the perpetrators of the killing, and • open fishery agreement talks between the Philippines and Taiwan soonest.

There are currently 80,000 Filipinos working in Taiwan.

The Philippines has apologized to Taiwan for the incident.

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

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

by Philippine Navy personnel.

“Chairman (Amadeo) Perez will repeat his deep regret and apology from the people of the Philippines to the people of Taiwan and the family of Mr. Hung for the grief and suffering from his death,” Basilio said.

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

Abigail Valte, deputy spokesperson for President Aquino, said Philippine authorities had launched a “transparent and impartial investigation” into the incident.

She expressed hope that economic ties with Taipei would not be affected, adding that the Coast Guard crew involved in the incident had been suspended to ensure a fair probe. n

with her children months ago.

“I have to fulfill that promise. I need to rest. I’m only human,” she said.

Poe said her 8-year-old daughter had already asked her, “When will this senator thing end?” She said she told her once mommy started to work, “it would be like the MTRCB,” the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board of which she was chairperson before Aquino included her in the Team PNoy senatorial lineup.

“I’ll leave in the morning and hopefully come home at a decent hour, not like this,” she assured her kid, referring to the grueling campaign that separated her from her daughter for

most of the past three months.

She dismissed talk of a run for the presidency in 2016.

“It would be so conceited and presumptuous of me to even plan anything at this point. I need to prove myself first and, honestly, I’m not sure how three years would be able to help me achieve that,” she said.

“I would like measurable, concrete achievements that can be felt by the poor. That is my goal. There are a lot of good lawmakers but I would like to be remembered as somebody who made a difference, specifically for the poor.

This is what my dad would have done if he were blessed with the chance to actually assume office.” n

POLLS ‘GENERALLY PEACEFUL’, ONLY 15 KILLED SEVERAL incidents of violence nationwide left at least 15 persons dead and 41 others wounded in elections last May 13 described by both the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines as “generally peaceful.”

Most of the violence happened in Mindanao.

In Sulu province, five persons were killed and eight others were wounded in separate shooting incidents in Panglima Estino and Tongkil towns.

In Zamboanga del Sur, three were killed and eight wounded when gunmen opened fire at a group of people in Bayog town, while in Zamboanga del Norte, a village watchman died and eight others were hurt in a strafing incident.

In Maguindanao province, a school supervisor was murdered evening while two other persons died and one more was wounded in separate shooting incidents on May 12 and 13. In Negros Oriental, a soldier was killed and another wounded in a clash with communist rebels in Sta. Catalina town, while in Abra, the supporter of a mayoralty candidate was shot dead.

The Negros Oriental clash was the only incident involving communist rebels, although the New People’s Army had been ordered to attack government forces involved in intimidating voters.

In Marawi City, four persons were injured when a grenade was hurled at a precinct.

In Taguig City, four supporters of mayoralty bet Rica Tinga, including a woman, were hurt in a scuffle with men they said were “notoriously identified” with incumbent Mayor Lani Cayetano.

And in Bataraza town in southern Palawan, where three persons, including a teenaged girl, were killed

in a gunfight Friday, one person was seriously hurt and five others were arrested when supporters of rival mayoralty bets engaged each other in fisticuffs.

Gunfire, explosions and the discovery of unexploded bombs also marred the voting in several places, mostly in Mindanao.

In Shariff Aguak, the capital town of Maguindanao, soldiers found and defused two improvised explosive devices, but two explosions happened in Barangays Timbangan and Poblacion, and two other blasts shook the Pilot Elementary School in Kabacan town.

Troops were also rushed to Datu Unsay town after voting was disrupted by the sound of nearby gunfire and explosions from launcher-fired grenades. In Datu Piang town, one person was arrested for packing a .45 caliber pistol inside polling place while in Barangay Noyo, Buldon, voting was suspended because of tensions between voters and supporters of a candidate.

In Sultan Kudarat province, voting was disrupted in Barangay Bagumbayan, President Quirino town by nearby gunshots, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting reported.

And in North Cotabato, two explosions rocked a school serving as a polling precinct in Kabacan town.

In Isabela province, four persons were hurt in a grenade explosion at the Cabingan Elementary School. Four voters were also hurt in a grenade explosion at a school in Marawi City Monday afternoon, police said.

In Cagayan province, presidential legislative liaison adviser Manuel Mamba, whose brother William is running for governor, was unhurt in an ambush on his convoy in Alcala town. n

PLANET

MAY 16-31, 2013

26

PHILIPPINES

Vancouver Edition

NEWSROUND-UP

FINANCE CHIEF WANTS MORE FOREIGN CAPITAL WITH the government moving toward achieving rapid, inclusive and sustained economic growth, the Department of Finance (DOF) is pushing for a number of reforms including opening up some investment areas to foreign nationals, harmonizing fiscal incentives, and reviving the mining industry.

Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said the government is lobbying for the passage of several key economic measures when Congress opens for the next legislative session in July

These reforms, he said, are geared toward increasing foreign and domestic investments in the country and creating new jobs.

These measures include the fiscal incentives bill, a new revenue sharing scheme between government and mining firms, the transparency and accountability bill, and the amendment of the BOT (build-operate-transfer) law and the charter of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

The fiscal incentives bill, which has been pending in Congress, seeks

To speed up economic growth, the government wants more foreign capital.

President Aquino greets schoolchildren who were guests at the signing of the Enhanced Basic Education Act (K-12 Act) in Malacañang. At left is Speaker Feliciano Belmonte.

‘K-TO-12’ EDUCATION NOW A LAW

PRESIDENT Aquino has signed a law adding three extra years to the country’s 10-year basic education curriculum in a bid to make Filipino students at par with their peers in other countries.

“This lays the foundations for a better future for every Filipino child,” President Aquino said Wednesday after signing the law which makes enrollment in kindergarten compulsory before children can begin the traditional six years of primary school and adds two more years to high school.

The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, or the K-to-12 Act, establishes a “universal kindergarten” and introduces Grades 11 and 12 to high school education in public and private schools.

Students will have to complete the extra education to qualify for university.

Until this law’s enactment, the Philippines was the only country in Asia and one of only three countries worldwide, together with Angola and Djibouti, with a 10-year preuniversity cycle.

“We now know that our traditional 10-year basic education cycle is deficient,” Aquino said at the signing ceremony. “Given that our young people are at a disadvantage in terms of basic education, how can we expect them to compete for employment and other higher pursuits?”

Aquino said Republic Act No. 10533 institutionalizes a system of education that “truly imbues our youth with the skills they need to pursue their dreams.”

“By signing this bill into law, we are not just adding two years of additional learning for our students; we are making certain that the coming generations are empowered to strengthen the very fabric of our society, as well as our economy,” he told lawmakers, Cabinet officials, diplomats and students.

The law, Aquino stressed, was crafted to plug the shortcomings of the 10-year basic education cycle in which students had less time to understand their lessons, and had to compete with better-prepared graduates from other countries.

“If our youth are forced to shoulder such an educational handicap from the beginning, how can they possibly compete for employment in the long run?” he said. n

to rationalize perks given by state agencies to investors. It expected to bring in more revenues for the government once signed into law, allowing the country to sustain its robust fiscal performance beyond 2016.

Purisima said the government is also considering lifting foreign investment restrictions in some areas to attract more investments into the country and further spur economic growth. He, however, pointed out that the review would not include economic restrictions in the Constitution.

“I don’t have the inventory yet but we’re looking at what can reasonably be opened up that will not require Constitutional change. Obviously ownership of land is not among them because it requires constitutional change. We’ll have a short list and have a consultation and then come

up with a list we can present for the President’s review and consideration,” he said.

Purisima said one of the areas that may be opened up to foreign nationals is the practice of professions. He, however, was quick to point out that nothing has been finalized yet and that everything is still under study.

“The criteria for choosing sectors would be what will help us create more jobs, what will help us develop more skills, what will help us build a better business environment so that we can continue to accelerate growth in the country. We should also consider areas not properly served so all of us will benefit if we bring in people with the technology and capital,” he noted.

The Joint Foreign Chambers in the Philippines has long been pushing for

the removal of some restrictions, particularly on the practice of all professions.

The Foreign Investor Negative List, which identifies the business activities that are reserved for Filipino nationals, was introduced as major reform in 1991. Although reissued every two years, the list barely made an impact in so far as boosting foreign investments into the Philippines is concerned.

Net FDI inflows remain very low in the Philippine compared to its neighboring large Asean economies which allow full foreign ownership.

Purisima said the government is also hopeful that a new revenue sharing formula in mining and exploration will finally be implemented as it seeks to further develop the industry and take advantage of the country’s vast mineral resources. n

US ENVOY TO NEW GRADUATES: DON’T LEAVE HOME SAYING that the Philippines needs them to help make it “a new Asian tiger,” United States Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. urged Filipino youth to stay in the country, instead of pursuing their dream of working in the United States.

Speaking at the 67th commencement exercises of the University of the Cordilleras here, Thomas said the country “can be an Asian tiger, but with your help.”

“When you’re out making your millions…when you are out becoming a Manny Pangilinan or even a Sarah Geronimo, volunteer! Give back! Give thanks. Be Jose Rizal. Be Cory Aquino.

You have to do this, your nation needs you,” he said.

Addressing 800 graduates, Thomas said: “How many of you are going to the US? So would I. That was just a joke. You don’t need to go to the US. You need to stay here. If you go to the US, you need to be Jose Rizal. He went abroad, got an education, and came home and sacrificed and rebuilt for his nation. He is the ‘bayani’ be-

US Ambassador Thomas cause he did that.”

He added: “Now we very much welcome Filipinos in the US. We have 4.5 million Filipinos plus a few TNTs, and we are very happy to have them.”

Filipino teachers are finding lucrative jobs in the United States, he said, describing them as “reverse Thoma-

sites,” a reference to the Americans who sailed to the Philippines onboard the ship, USAT Thomas, to serve as the country’s first public school teachers.

“But Baguio needs Filipinos, Manila needs Filipinos, your country needs you,” Thomas said.

He said the US Peace Corps is his country’s expression of volunteerism, from which the graduates could derive lessons, including the aspirations of murdered Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell.

Campbell became a topic because of a UC resolution handed to Thomas

by UC Chair Geronimo Salvosa, which expressed “deep sadness” that the American was killed in Ifugao in April 2007 by an Ifugao woodcarver, who claimed to have mistaken her for a tourist with which he had issues.

The UC resolution also said the Philippines “appreciates the commitment of the people of America to render direct community services to people across the globe as represented

by Peace Corps volunteers.” n

Vancouver Edition

PLANET

27

PHILIPPINES

MAY 16-31, 2013

NEWSROUND-UP

HOSPITALITY IS TOP TOURISM COME-ON

However, with regard to what tourists dislike the most in the Philippines, 24.6% said it was the heavy traffic in the country.

This was followed by pollution and dirty environment (17.3%), poverty and beggars (7.8%), and bad weather (4.7%).

Visitor arrivals last year breached the 4-million mark for the first time at 4.27 million, although it fell short of the government’s target of attracting 4.5 million tourists.

Almost a fourth or 24.1% of the visitors came from Korea, while 15.3% were from the US, and 9.6% hailed from Japan.

The government eyes to welcome 5.5 million

Statistics reveal that what foreign tourists most like about the country is our hospitality.

MORE than the white-sand beaches and awe-inspiring caves, it is the Filipinos’ attitude toward visitors that is most liked by tourists who flocked the country, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) said.

NSCB Secretary General Jose Ramon G. Albert said more than half or 52.6% of foreign visitors in 2012 said the warm hospitality and kindness of the Filipino people made it to the

top of their list of things they like most about the Philippines.

Beautiful scenery and nice beaches only came in second (at 22.6%), while good food, liquor, and fruits was ranked third (9.9%).

Albert also noted the tourists favored being able to see their friends and loved ones in the Philippines (8.7%), and see the country as a good place to relax (4.5%).

tourists this year and eventually attract 10 million visitors by 2016.

“The national government, local governments, and the private sector should work hand in hand to attain the targets in the tourism sector and be able to contribute immensely to inclusive growth and employment generation,” Albert said.

However, he stressed that ecological aspects and issues should also be addressed while promoting the tourism sector as a driver of economic growth.

“I also hope that our hotels can try to be more competitive with their accommodation costs as total revenues are a sum of unit prices multiplied by quantities. These hotels can certainly bring down their costs and get more volume, and still yield a nifty profit,” Albert continued. n

PLANET

MAY 16-31, 2013

28

PHILIPPINES

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