February 2014 b issue

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Connecting Global News & Views For The Community

UK & Europe Edition

February 2014 / Fortnightly

Volume 5 - Number 4

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With South China Sea tensions as backdrop, Obama visits Philippines in April WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama will seek to ease questions over the staying power of his strategic shift to increasingly tense East Asia in April with stops in Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea.

Obama’s visits to Manila and Kuala Lumpur are intended to make up for his no-show when he cancelled a previous Asia tour in October amid domestic political strife in Washington.

A subtext to his visit will be rising territorial tensions between several US allies and China, which deepened over Beijing’s recent declaration of an “air defense identification zone” in the East Continue to page 2 China Sea.

Ruby Tuason details handover of millions of pesos in kickbacks to Jinggoy Story on page 2

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February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

With South China Sea tensions as backdrop, Obama visits...

Beijing was also angered last week when Washington stiffened its line on territorial disputes in the South China Sea, calling for it to adjust or clarify its claims.

Obama’s stops in Japan and South Korea will also bolster close US alliances, at a time of aggravated political tensions between its two Northeast Asian friends.

It was an open secret that Obama would call in Japan in April, to take up an invitation from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in December 2012.

But the decision to add South Korea to the trip came after rising pressure from Seoul and from the Asia policy community in Washington.

The move also reflects a desire to signal to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un that

there are no gaps in US and South Korean resolve to counter Pyongyang’s nuclear program and belligerent rhetoric.

It also indicates that Obama is keen to avoid dealing a political slight to South Korean President Park Geun-Hye that could result from a presidential visit to Tokyo and not one to Seoul.

Relations between the two nations were severely rattled by Abe’s December visit to the Yasukuni Shrine, which honors war criminals among Japan’s war dead.

Obama’s Asia itinerary also includes one noticeable exception—a stop in China. But he is expected to return to the region later in the year for regional summits in Australia, Beijing and Myanmar.

The White House said in a statement that

Obama’s April trip will highlight his “ongoing commitment to increase US diplomatic, economic and security engagement with countries in the Asia-Pacific region.”

He is certain to try to push negotiations on a vast Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade pact that would include 12 nations, and is seen by some observers as an attempt to meet the economic challenge of a rising China.

The president however may encounter some skepticism from regional partners because Senate Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid, a key Obama ally, has expressed skepticism about granting him expanded powers to negotiate trade deals.

In light of Reid’s remarks, Pacific Rim nations may be loath to make concessions

in the trade talks, fearing that any deal agreed may be modified by the US Congress.

Obama will stop first in Japan where he will meet Abe. Then he will travel to Seoul for talks with Park, likely to be dominated

by North Korea’s latest maneuvering on the divided peninsula.

Pyongyang is currently fuming at the prospect of annual US-South Korean military exercises starting later this month and that it views as an act of war.

From Seoul, Obama will head to Malaysia to meet Prime Minister Najib Razak to discuss deepening defense and military ties.

Obama’s final stop will be Manila, where he will meet President Benigno Aquino and

Continuation from page 1

discuss evolving military relations designed to include rotations of US troops in the country.

The White House did not give exact dates for the trip, other than saying it would take place in late April.

Obama has declared he is America’s first “Pacific President” and announced a rebalancing of military and strategic resources to the dynamic, fast-growing region.

But the cancellation of his trip last year, and the departure from his administration of big political hitters committed to the Asia pivot like former secretaries of state and defense Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates, have prompted some concern in the region over US staying power. ■ Agence France-Presse

/ February 13, 2014 / 5:11 AM

Ruby Tuason details handover of millions of pesos in kickbacks to Jinggoy FACING the Senate blue-ribbon committee, whistleblower Ruby Tuason on Thursday detailed how she personally handed millions of pesos in kickbacks to Senator Jinggoy Estrada, sometimes even at his office in the Senate. This prompted Senator Teofisto Guingona III, head of the committee, to call her testimony a “slam dunk” and a “three-point shot.”

However, Tuason admitted that in her affidavit submitted to the Department of Justice, she simply copied the accounting records of Benhur Luy, another whistleblower, because she kept no records of the transactions.

Aside from P5.7 million she personally delivered to Estrada at his Greenhills residence, she did not remember other kickback releases.

“No, I don’t keep ledgers,” Tuason told Guingona when asked about the listing of Estrada’s kickbacks on page 8 of her affidavit, which showed that Estrada received P9 million in four occasions in 2008.

“Ito po ang nasa affidavit mo sa Page 8, sa Table, this is on March 6, September 17, October 16, and October 28, the amount of P5 million, P2 million, P1 million, and P1 million for a total of P9 million?” Guingona asked Tuason.

“The commissions I copied from the accounting records of Benhur Luy because that was a very long time ago. I can’t remember the exact amount,” Tuason told Guingona.

At the start of the hearing, Tuason said her conscience “can no longer take it” prompting her to tell all about the alleged pork barrel scam masterminded by Janet Lim-Napoles.

“It would be hypocritical of me to say I was not motivated by commissions from Napoles ... I was selfish ... the decision has made me regret, my conscience can no longer take it. Between my friendship with the respondent and exposing urgent truth, I chose to prioritize the latter,” she said.

Tuason said she was testifying at the investigation to help shed light on the scam involving the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers.

The transactions she helped arrange with Napoles also involved projects using the PDAF of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile. Tuason said Estrada and Enrile, sometimes through their staff, received kickback in the millions.

Senator Teofisto Guingona III, chairperson

Ruby Tuason at the Senate, 13 February 2014. Photo byJamin Verde ©InterAksyon.com.

of the committee, said that if Tuason will stand by what she said, her revelations would not only a “slam dunk,” but a “threepoint shot.”

Senate delivery. Tuason said her first project with Senator Jinggoy Estrada in 2004 was worth P37.5 million. She said that for this project, she gave Estrada P5.7 million in commission, which the senator accepted but returned a week later. She said this happened in Estrada’s house in San Juan City.

After that first delivery in Greenhills, the senator gave her a P25-million worth of projects in 3 December 2007 from the Technological and Livelihood Resource Center (TLRC).

The other instances when she personally handed the money to the senator at the Senate, she passed through the side entrance in the basement parking lot. Tuason said that on two occasions, she delivered Estrada’s commissions in his office at the Senate “usually in the afternoon” in 2008.

“Sir, kasi mabigat po iyong pera, hindi ko po kaya kasi (it’s heavy, I can’t do it because) I have something wrong with my spine, so I didn’t really carry. But I delivered it here in the Senate,” Tuason said, noting that it was her late husband Carlos who introduced her to Napoles.

If the commission was only about one or two million pesos, the money would fit in a small bag, but if there was more, she carried the money in a bigger bag with wheels, she said.

Tuason said she gave Estrada P9 million in kickbacks from a project costing P75 million.

But she said the senator got more, as some of the kickbacks came from Napoles herself, through Benhur Luy. No more go-betweens. Napoles allegedly found ways to get rid of “gobetweens or agents” like Tuason and actor

Matt Ranillo III so she could corner all the kickbacks from her bogus projects with lawmakers.

Tuason’s narrative was similar to that of whistleblower Benhur Luy, a nephew and Luy, who was also present at the hearing, disclosed that Napoles sued Ranillo III before the Marikina court, with Napoles demanding that Ranillo return the van she gave him. But Ranillo responded by showing the courts several documents, including vouchers, as proof that he has paid for the vehicle through deductions from his commissions from Napoles.

Napoles panicked as these were PDAF records. The case was eventually settled.

The Senate panel ordered the subpoena of records of this case.

In her affidavit, Tuason tagged Ranillo as the one who delivered what was supposed to be Estrada’s kickback from one project.

“I handed over all those money personally to Senator Jinggoy Estrada, but for reasons known only to Senator Jinggoy Estrada, that transaction was cancelled and so Senator Jinggoy Estrada caused the return of the P5.7 million in cash and then I turned it over to Janet Napoles,” she said.

Tuason said the money eventually landed in the hands of Ranillo, who delivered it to the house of socialite Justa Tantoco.

Tuason said she also delivered kickbacks for Senate Juan Ponce Enrile through his chief of staff, lawyer Gigi Reyes. She said she gave the money to Reyes during their meetings in several restaurants.

In 2011, Tuason said Luy, on the instructions of Napoles, tried to retrieve the commission she got from a P45-million project with the Department of Agriculture using Enrile’s PDAF. Napoles wanted to get the commission back from Tuason because the project was not implemented, according to Luy.

Tuason, however, said that she did not return the money because the project pushed through.

She said she presumed that Senator Estrada had been transacting directly with Ms. Napoles, though he denied it directly when she asked him pointblank if he was dealing with Napoles directly. She said she also asked Napoles if she was dealing directly with Jinggoy, and the businesswoman denied it. Tuason then asked whistleblower Benhur Luy, who kept a ledger of all transactions and alleged kickbacks, but Luy said he was uncertain.

Clearing house. Tuason said that while she did not personally see actor Ranillo III deliver Estrada’s kickback to Justa Tantoco at 1564 Mahogany St., Dasmarinas Village, Makati City, she “saw it only on Luy’s records.”

The same records showed that the P11.97 million in kickback was received by a Pauline Labayen.

Luy confirmed this as well as the manner of delivery. He said he was taken to the Dasmarinas house by Napoles’s driver and together with Tuason and Labayen, they all counted the money.

Luy said Tuason and Labayen’s names showed up in his records in 2008.

“Mayroon po isang babae doon at sa kuwento po ni Ms. Labayen, iyon po si Mrs. Justa Tantoco (There was a woman in the house and according to Ms. Labayen, that was Mrs. Justa Tantoco),” Luy said.

Mike Arroyo lawyer tagged. –Asked about the Malampaya Fund projects that were also allegedly diverted to bogus projects, Tuason said it was her brother Remy, who has since passed, whoi told her one day he had “found” a conduit who is influential with the Palace, and named Atty.

Jesus Santos, whom she presumed to be the same Jess Santos who served as lawyer of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.

Atty. Jesus Santos (via text) said later Thursday he will attend Senate hearing when he is summoned. He was former lawyer of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.

Personal risk. Tuason said she is risking her personal safety in going public with what she knows as her admission to the Witness Protection Program of the Department of Justice is just provisional and without the promise of immunity from the State.

She also denied accusations from critics that she applied as state witness to escape confinement although she admitted she

does not want to spend the rest of her life in jail.

However, Tuason said that despite the ease of that option, she rather returned to the country hoping absolution for her conscience by exposing what she knew of the people and the roots of corruptions in this country.

Tuason also belied the accusations made by Senator Estrada that she was the extortionist, making the allegations in exchange for money.

“If I am the extortionist he claimed me to be, why have I offered to return the assets acquired from arrangements with Mrs. Napoles,” she said.

Tuason admitted that she did not return the senator’s calls after she was charged with plunder on the pork scam because she wanted to test his loyalty.

‘Yolanda guilt’. Tuason said she is willing to sell her only asset - her home in the Philippines - to be able to return to the government the P40 million worth of commissions she received from the scam.

Asked by Senator Juan Edgardo Angara if she was returning the commission in cash, Tuason said she did not have that big amount.

“No. I have to liquidate something to raise money ... I only have one asset, which is my house,” she said.

“I don’t want to die with 80 million Filipinos hating me, so I felt I had to do something,” Tuason said.

She said she felt very guilty after seeing the plight of the victims of typhoon Yolanda.

This prompted her to return to the Philippines from the United States and face the charges against her. She has been placed under the Witness Protection Program of the Department of Justice.

Tuason, the former social secretary of former President now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, faced the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee to narrate what she knows about the alleged rechanneling of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) to shell foundations controlled by suspected mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.

Aside from Tuason, among those who attended the public hearing on pork probe were Benhur Luy, Marina Sula, and Merlina Suna.

Guingona thanked Justice Secretary Leila de Lima for extending her assistance to bring the whistleblowers in the pork probe to the Senate. ■ Lira Dalangin-Fernandez and Ernie Reyes /

InterAksyon.com / February 13, 2014 / 9:07 AM

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February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

Where wil smokers’ sin taxes go? PhilHealth to enroll 40 mil ion poor Filipinos - DOH MANILA – Where will the sin taxes of smokers go this year? Partly, they will go to enrolling 40 million poor people in the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

(PhilHealth).

“There are now 40 million of the poorest sponsored by the national government through sin tax. Their premium has been paid by the national government, by the people who smoke,” Health Undersecretary Teodoro Herbosa said in a forum Monday.

This corresponds to 14.7 million poor families, or up from 5.2 million poor families three years ago, he said.

The 14.7 million poor families belong to Quintile 2, or the second poorest

segments of families in the country; they will be enrolled in PhilHealth through its sponsorship program made possible by DOH’s share of the incremental revenues from sin taxes.

The 5.2 million poor families enrolled in Philhealth under the sponsorhip program some three years ago belong to Quintile 1, or those certified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development through its National House Targeting System as among the “poorest or the poor.”

More budget for health. Herbosa said the expansion of Philhealth’s sponsorship program was also due to the increase in the DOH’s budget this year to P83 billion from

LTFRB summons Dagupan Bus Co. over Florida bus tragedy THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has summoned the operator of the Dagupan Bus Co. as the firm has been dragged into the row stemming from last week’s tragedy where a bus fell into a ravine in Mountain Province, leaving 15 people dead.

In a phone interview with GMA News Online, LTFRB information officer Joel Bolano said the Dagupan Bus Co. will be asked to explain why the chassis and engine number of the bus that fell in a ravine in Bontoc town on Feb, 7 was registered with it.

An earlier report said the LTFRB will probe Dagupan Bus Co. after it found the bus in last week’s accident was registered with it.

Earlier findings indicated the ill-fated bus used the license plate of a unit of Mt.

Province Cable Tours.

Bolano explained that the Mt. Province Cable Tours may have sold its franchise to the G.V. Florida bus company, however, the “private transaction” was not approved by the LTFRB. GMA News Online tried to contact the Dagupan Bus Co. but a staff member said their lawyers were not immediately available for comment on the issue.

The LTFRB has preventively suspended for 30 days G.V. Florida Transport following last week’s accident where the bus fell into a ravine in Bontoc town.

It has also bared more plans to ensure passenger safety, including making equipment like CCTV systems and speed limiters mandatory within this year. ■

P54 billion in 2013.

“We are getting some P83 billion this year and P35 billion of that will be used to pay the premium of Philhealth’s sponsored members. Since the start of the Aquino administration, the budget of the DOH had significantly increased,” he said.

In 2009, DOH got only some P23 billion under the General Appropriation Act. DOH stands to get 85 percent of the incremental revenues of the sin taxes and most of them will go to Philhealth.

Herbosa said the sin taxes will be used to further increase Philhealth membership and benefit packages. ■ Jet Villa / InterAksyon. com / February 12, 2014 / 8:07 AM

Gov’t seeking settlement with Burgundy to jumpstart Malampaya oil field MANILA - The Department of Energy (DOE) is keen on settling a contract dispute with Burgundy Global Exploration Corp so the government can pursue the development of the Malampaya field’s oil resources.

Amanda Fernandez / LBG, GMA News / February 14, 2014 / 3:31 PM

Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho L. Petilla told InterAksyon.com that there is an urgent need to drill the CamagoMalampaya Oil Leg (CMOL) as the extraction of natural gas would affect its viability as time goes by.

“Development is being pursued but we are threshing out legal problems since there is a case filed against the service contract awardee [PNOC-EC]. Hence, the fastest way forward is withdrawal of the case and settle issues,” he said, referring to PNOC-Exploration Corp (PNOC-EC), which holds the contract.

The drilling of the CMOL has been dragged down by a legal dispute between state-owned PNOC-EC and its former partner Burgundy.

Burgundy had filed a case against the government after it cancelled the private company’s participation in CMOL in 2011

for failing to move the project forward since its entry in 2006.

To speed up development, the government has opted instead to negotiate with Burgundy rather than line up the project again for bidding in the Philippine Energy Contracting Round, Petilla said.

“It will be the faster option to drill,” he added, without elaborating on the terms of the negotiations.

Discovered in 1991 with the drilling of the Malampaya well, the CMOL is estimated to contain up to 40 million barrels of oil.

The petroleum resources are situated beneath the country’s largest gas reservoir to date but was considered for separate development. ■ Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo / InterAksyon.com / February 13, 2014 / 4:18 PM

2 killed, 8 wounded as govt forces, Abu Sayyaf clash anew in Sulu Court denies Cornejo’s request for TPO vs. Vhong Navarro MANILA - At least two combatants were killed and eight others wounded Firday morning in a one-hour firefight—the third in six days--between government troops and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Barangay Long Kiaban, Talipao, Sulu.

The firefight started at around 8:55 a.m. when the ASG ambushed a Barangay Police Auxiliary Team (BPAT) convoy of two Tamaraw jeeps and a Kennedy jeep, Captain Ryan Lecuesta, civil-military operations officer of the 2nd Marine Brigade, said.

“The BPAT were heading toward Barangay Mabahay to replace a BPAT group in that area when ambushed by the bandits. The Marines sent troops to the area to reinforce the BPAT. The firefight lasted for more than one hour afterwhich the bandits withdrew in small groups to different directions,” Lacuesta said.

The wounded BPAT members were taken to the Sulu Provincial Hospital and the two Marines are being treated at Camp Bautista Station Hospital.

The 30-man ASG suffered one fatality identified as Jul Asman Sangkula, Lacuesta said.

A member of the BPAT was also killed, however, and six others were wounded. Two soldiers from the Marine Battalion Landing Team 2 (MBLT2) were also injured.

Earlier encounter. On February 8, soldiers of MBLT2 and BPAT assaulted an Abu bandits’ lair in Barangay Mabahay, resulting in the death of six Abu bandits and wounding of six BPAT members. The bandits

Abu Sayyaf members are seen on patrol.

were led by sub-leader Yasser Igasan.

Pursuit operations against the ASG sparked a new firefight on February 12 in the same barangay, with another bandit identified only as Sahadil ending up dead.

One soldier was also wounded.

On the same day, more than 30 bandits ambushed a convoy of officers and employees of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO),

Junior Chamber International (JCI) or Jaycees and soldiers of MBLT9 in Sitio Bakud, Barangay Bid in Parang town.

The pre-noon ambush killed a soldier and left 3 others wounded.

‘Surgical operations’. Relatedly, the military will continue to operate against suspected lairs of the ASG through “focused” and ‘surgical” operations to deny bandits access to civilian communities for their logistics, according to 2nd Marine Brigade Colonel Jose Johriel Cenabre.

He said the local government units in affected towns are “closely coordinating with us for continuous law enforcement operations to flush out the bandits from their area of jurisdictions and contain them into an area conducive for military operations where there would be no civilian collaterals.” ■ Jaime Sinapit / InterAksyon.com / February 14, 2014 / 9:25 PM

A Taguig court on Friday denied the request of Deniece Cornejo for the issuance of a Temporary Protection Order (TPO) against actor and television host Vhong Navarro, a television report said Friday.

The court found no probable cause to grant Cornejo’s plea in connection with the Violence Against Women and Children’s Act, according to a report on GMA News TV’s Balita Pilipinas.

The report said Cornejo’s camp will be filing a motion for reconsideration.

A TPO would’ve prevented Navarro from getting near Cornejo, who has accused the actor of attempted rape.

Navarro’s lawyer Alma Mallonga earlier branded Cornejo camp’s move as a dilatory tactic, saying the first day of the preliminary investigation at the Department of Justice (DOJ) was set before Cornejo applied for a

TPO from the Taguig Regional Court Branch 69.

Cornejo earlier filed a rape complaint with the Taguig City Prosecutor’s Office against Navarro, who was mauled by Cornejo’s friends led by Cedric Lee inside the Forbeswood Condominium in Taguig City on January 22.

The complaint was consolidated with the illegal detention, serious physical injuries, grave threats, grave coercion, illegal arrest, and blackmail complaint filed

by Navarro against Cornejo and Lee. Navarro has denied that he tried to rape Cornejo, saying what happened on the night of January 22 was a setup.

Navarro was confined at a hospital for several days as a result of the beating he suffered at the hands of Lee and companions. ■ Amita Legaspi / KBK, GMA News /

February 14, 2014 / 4:03 PM

Robinsons Land’s Oct-Dec profit tumbles on losses from typhoon, fire MANILA - Robinsons Land Corp (RLC) registered a double-digit drop in profit in the first quarter of its 2014 fiscal year after incurring typhoon and fire losses.

In a regulatory filing, the property company of the Gokongwei family said its net income attributable to equity holders declined to P1.03 billion in the October to December period of 2013, a 13.2 percent decline from the P1.19 billion the previous year.

Dragging the company’s earnings were

losses related to Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ and the fire at Robinsons Galleria mall in October that amounted to P315.9 million. Interest income also fell by P51.5 million to bring non-operating losses to P323.10 million for the period.

Total real estate revenues jumped 19.3 percent year-on-year in the three-month period to P3.98 billion from P3.34 billion in 2012.

The commercial centers division, which contributed 45 percent to total sales, grew

its revenues by a tenth to P1.95 billion on the back of a “decent growth” in rental revenues.

Revenues of the residential segment climbed 38 percent to P1.67 billion from last year’s P1.21 billion. It accounted for 38 percent of gross revenues.

The office buildings segment and the hotel division registered flat revenues at P361.8 million and P401.2 million, respectively. ■ Krista Angela M. Montealegre / InterAksyon.com / February 13, 2014 / 11:21 AM

File photo of Robinsons Galleria fire. Photo from Instagram account of brenjcaballero.

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

AirAsia Zest unmoved by Cebu Pacific-Tigerair merger

PHL tourism receipts up 15% to $4.4B in 2013

THE Philippines recorded tourism revenues totaling $4.4 billion or P186.15 billion last year, up 15 percent from 2012, the Department of Tourism said Thursday.

Revenues were targeted to reach $4.95 billion last year.

Despite falling short of the goal, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said in an e-mailed statement last year’s arrivals was a new milestone for the industry because tourism continued to grow.

There was an 8.7 percent increase in daily expenditures of foreign tourists to $101.12, Jimenez said.

On average, Koreans were the big spenders at $140.81 per day, according to the department.

The average length of stay was basically unchanged at 9.6 nights, with American

tourists registering the longest average stay of 13.4 nights.

Per capita spending, visitors from Canada were the biggest at $1,393.68, followed by Australia at $1,382.48.

Germany at $1,360.34, US at $1,334.34, UK at $1,306.86, and Korea at $ 874.59 also registered the top spenders per capita, according to DOT. Tourist arrivals are expected reach to six million this year, and revenues are expected to reach $6 billion.

Tourism receipts have been on the rise for the past years. In 2011, it stood at $2.99 billion and grew to $3.82 billion in 2012.

The department earlier said international tourists reached 4.7 million last year, from 4.3 million in 2012. ■ VS, GMA

News / February 13, 2014 / 1:21 PM

BUDGET airline AirAsia Zest sees the recent merger of Cebu Air Inc. (Cebu Pacific) and Tiger Airways as a normal part of the industry consolidation, and is focused on expanding its own fleet and international routes to be a noteworthy alternative, an official said Thursday.

“No, I see no reason to oppose it. It will make Cebu Pacific bigger but that is okay,” said Philippines AirAsia president Maan Hontiveros at the sidelines of the awarding of the airline’s #LoveisintheAir social media contest.

In January, Gokongwei-led Cebu Pacific announced it was acquiring Tigerair Philippines in a $15-million deal. The deal was signed February 11 by John Gokongwei and representatives of Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd. of Singapore.

The Cebu Pacific-Tigerair merger could be an advantage for AirAsia, Hontiveros noted.

“It just consolidates the number of airlines operating... which means that aside from Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines we are seen as the alternative airline,” she said.

AirAsia Zest intends to beef up its fleet by adding two to four aircraft to its current 12. She said two Airbus A320 aircraft to delivered this year are likely to arrive within the first half of the year.

Hontiveros said that the company is looking at the possibility of mounting

flights to Nagoya and Osaka in Japan as well as some parts of China, depending on whether the Philippines would be upgraded to Category 1 after being downgraded to Category 2 in 2008.

Hontiveros said the company will also expand its domestic routes via the hubs in Manila and Kalibo.

AirAsia Zest currently flies to Kalibo, Puerto Princesa, Cebu, Davao, Tacloban, Tagbilaran, and Cagayan de Oro as well as international points in Asia including China and South Korea.

Hontiveros said AirAsia Zest is also looking into the possibility of mounting long haul flights through a partnership between AirAsia Berhad and AirAsia X. “That is always a possibility. If we do long haul, we will partner with AirAsia X,” she said.

She said the airline is also looking at returning back to Clark International Airport in Pampanga after transferring to the congested Ninoy Aquino International Airport. ■ Elizabeth Marcelo / VS GMA, News / February 13, 2014 / 5:12 PM

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

Bangko Sentral green-lights Metrobank’s $500M worth of Tier 2 notes METROPOLITAN Bank & Trust Company (Metrobank) on Wednesday said it will issue Basel 3 compliant Tier 2 notes valued at $500 million – denominated either in pesos or dollars – after getting the go signal from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

A recent Bangko Sentral resolution amends the terms and conditions of a previous approval Metrobank in favor of the bank by allowing its to issue either dollaror peso-denominated notes, Metrobank said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange.

“A peso Tier 2 Note issuance will allow

the Bank to proactively manage its capital base to support its continued growth, and to refinance capital securities that have been de-recognized upon Basel III adoption this year,” the disclosure read.

Metrobank has mandated ING Bank N.V. Manila Branch and Standard Chartered Bank as joint lead arrangers for the peso transaction.

Juan Placido Mapa III, head of investor relations, said the amendment gives Metrobank the choice to issue debt papers in peso or dollar terms to take advantage of better rates.

“The key word there is flexibility. If rates are better in one than the other, we can offer the notes in either peso or dollar or both,” he said.

In April, the Metrobank board approved the issuance of $500 million worth of Tier 2 capital notes to meet the Basel III guidelines on capitalization.

“The Tier 2 notes will still be valued at $500 million, which can still be $500 million or the equivalent in peso terms or divided into dollar and peso amounts,” Mapa said.

“We are already compliant with Basel III with the sale of Toyota Motor Philippines

and Global Business Power stakes. The new Tier 2 notes will allow us to retire the oldstyle Tier 2 notes and recapitalize the bank,” Mapa said, referring to the non-compliant notes.

Metrobank sold its remaining 15 percent stake in Toyota Motors Philippines Corp. in January 2013 and its 20 percent in Global Business Power Corporation through subsidiary First Metro Investment Corporation in June 2013.

In 2012, Bangko Sentral said it will implement by January 1, 2014 the Basel III standards, or the new global benchmarks on capital conversion, common equity Tier 1, and total Tier ratio that will impact on banks’ debts and asset positions. ■ Danessa O. Rivera / VS, GMA News / February 12, 2014 / 2:48 PM

Lawmaker wants impact of WTO membership on agriculture probed

Bangko Sentral: ‘Hot money’ registers $1.8B in net outflows in January MONEY invested by foreign portfolio managers registered a net outflow in January as appetite for risky assets waned after the US Federal Reserve cut its bondpurchasing stimulus.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas data released Thursday showed foreign portfolio investments – also known as hot money given the ease with which they enter and exit economies – posted an outflow of $1.844 billion.

It was a reversal of the $1.270-billion net inflow in the same month in 2013, and was over five times more than the $354.33-million outflow registered last December.

“That’s not surprising,” Security Bank Corp. economist Patrick Ella said. “The Fed’s decision to taper was in... last December.”

The Fed announced a $10-billion cut on its monthly $85-billion bond purchases that took effect in January. Another $10 billion was cut starting February.

Ella said the outflows were “reflective”

of decreased interest in assets like gold and equities.

Most of the portfolio investments in January came from the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, Luxembourg, and Belgium.

Placements in Philippine equities comprised of more than three quarters or 78.7 percent of the total hot money inflows, with the rest accounted for by investments in government securities and peso time deposits.

New Fed chief Janet Yellen’s statement before the US Congress earlier this week that future tapering would be dependent on improvements in labor statistics should calm the markets, Ella said.

“Yellen’s statement means there is essentially no change in policy and everything will be data dependent,” he noted. “That’s a good sign for the market, he added.” ■ Siegfrid O. Alegado / VS, GMA News /

A militant lawmaker on Thursday renewed calls for the House of Representatives to reevaluate the Philippine membership in the General Agreement on Tariffs and TradeWorld Trade Organization (GATT-WTO), saying Filipino farmers are already suffering because of the trade agreement allowing the entry of cheap, imported vegetables.

Farmers are complaining about the huge losses they have incurred since imported vegetables were allowed into the country, Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap said in a statement.

“Farmers are pointing out that the increase in cheap agricultural imports has become the main threat to their livelihood.

Complicating the problem is the lack of

ROBUST growth in the remittances of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) as well as surplus in the country’s balance of payments (BOP) will continue to sustain the country’s economic growth, a senior economist of a multinational bank said Tuesday, despite last month’s decline in the gross international reserves (GIR). “[The] Philippines is likely to show some modest strength despite the large month-on-month drop in FX (foreign exchange) reserves for January,” explained ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng. “Data on the country’s external payments position would likely support the Philippines.”

February 13, 2014 / 5:32 PM

The company said the spill was contained by their technical staff at around 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on the same day of the incident.

Apex also said that the spill was immediately reported to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Region XI that same morning.

Apex said MGB Region XI conducted a site visit the following day and validated the tailings spill. Apex said the MGB’s findings have been sent to the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) Region XI. “The above findings of the MGB-XI showed that the effluents were within

Resolution 582 calling on the House Special Committee on Globalization and WTO to conduct an inquiry on the effects of the implementation of GATT-WTO on the local vegetable industry. ■ Xianne Arcangel / VS, GMA

News / February 13, 2014 / 1:53 PM

OFW remittances, BOP surplus to sustain PHL economic growth – economist

Apex reports spill at gold-silver mine in Compostela

THE Apex Mining Inc. disclosed on Wednesday that there was a tailings spill at its Maco gold-silver mine in Compostela Valley last month, but said that the water quality in the affected area has already been restored.

In a regulatory filing, Apex said the leak occurred at around 7 a.m. on Jan. 15, spilling tailings from the mine’s diversion pipe in Lumanggang Creek.

“Initial investigation showed that the continuous, week-long downpour of rain experienced in the area greatly contributed to the incident,” Apex said.

support services from the government, high cost of production, high land rental and landlessness,” he said.

Hicap said the country has imported 6.8 billion kilograms of vegetables and fruits between 1995 and 2011. The Philippines formally agreed to join the GATT-WTO in 1994.

The lawmaker said Philippine membership in GATT-WTO has made it cheaper for businessmen to import highland vegetables from China, Taiwan and other countries.

He added the local vegetable sector’s condition has further worsened because of government’s trade policies.

Last December, Hicap filed House

the usual limits except for some elevated presence of silt,” the company said.

In its report, Apex also said that the water quality in the affected creek has already been restored and that the structural integrity of its tailings management facility has not been affected by the incident.

MGB director Leo Jasareno confirmed the suspension of Maco Mine’s operation on Jan. 17 “while evaluation on mine safety is being assessed.”

The Maco mine produces around 850 tons of ore per day. ■ BM, GMA News / February 12, 2014 / 9:14 PM

ING Bank Manila is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dutch company, ING Bank NV. Last month, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported a $2.286 billion cash remittances from OFWs for November 2013 --9.5% higher than the $2.087 billion recorded in November 2012.

The BSP said the November 2013 figure brought cash remittances for the first 11 months of last year to $20.605 billion, or 6.1 percent higher than the $19.417 billion in the same period of 2012.

“Data on December OFW remittances comes out next Monday (Feb. 17). Resilient remittances should help support sentiment for the Philippines,” Cuyegkeng said.

BOP surplus. Meanwhile, the country’s BOP remains in surplus at $5.085 billion, higher than the $4.4 billion projected by the BSP for 2013. The surplus in the country’s BOP was recorded despite uncertainties brought by the Federal Reserve’s easing of its monetary stimulus last year.

The BOP is a summary of all the transactions of a country with the rest of the world. Items computed in the BOP includes OFW remittances, revenues from exports and imports, foreign investments, tourist receipts and revenuers from the business process outsourcing sector, among others.

A negative BOP means that more money is flowing out of the country than coming in, and vice versa. A surplus in the BOP adds to the country’s GIR. Cuyegkeng said sustained growth in these two indicators would help the country sustain its economic growth despite the 5.16% decline in the country’s foreign exchange reserves or GIR announced by the BSP last week.

GIR position. According to the BSP the Philippines’ GIR dropped to $78.9 billion in January from $83.2 billion in December 2013. The BSP said this is the GIR’s lowest position since the $76.129 billion recorded in June 2012.

An ample GIR shields the country from external shocks such as inflation.

Just last week the National Statistics Office (NSO) reported that the Philippine inflation hit its two-year high in January at 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent in December 2013 and 3.1 percent in January 2013.

However, in a press statement issued on Feb. 8, BSP governor Amado Tetangco Jr. said the country’s foreign reserves of approximately $20 billion will remain adequate over the “optimal level” even if the government spends a large amount for its debt services.

He said the January reserves could even cover 11.3 months’ worth of imports of goods and services and income.

Tetangco said part of the decline was due to debt services by the national government.

“It is a fairly large amount of debt service payments (made) in January,” he said in a statement.

Another reason cited by Tetangco was the drop in foreign exchange operations of the BSP, which hit $1.377 billion from $1.6 billion in December. However, the BSP’s gold holdings recovered to $7.7 billion from $7.5 billion a month ago.

For 2014, the BSP targets GIR to hit $88 billion as current accounts were expected to continue to be in surplus. ■ / DVM, GMA News / February 11, 2014 / 10:55 PM

HELLO PHILIPPINES IS PUBLISHED FORTNIGHTLY BY UNIVERSAL INFINITY LIMITED. THIS PUBLICATION IS COPYRIGHTED AND ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. UK & EUROPE EDITION • NORDIC, IRELAND, ITALY, SPAIN, AND FRANCE • WWW.HELLO-PHILIPPINES.COM

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

BUSINESS & FINANCE

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9

Yosi wars: Philip Morris HQ tells investors Mighty Corp is dodging taxes

MANILA - The word war between a David and Goliath of the tobacco industry is heating up as the parent company of Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Corp (PMFTC) has openly accused its local competitor of taxdodging.

In its report and presentation to investors on February 6, Switzerland-based Philip Morris International (PMI) said its local competitor, Mighty Corp, is underdeclaring its production to allegedly cut the excise taxes needed to be paid.

Based on the power point presentation to the media and investors, PMI (NYSE: PM) said it estimates that Bulacan-based Mighty is declaring only half of its production “for tax purposes.”

“Retail price of Mighty brand increased to PHP1.50.stick but Marvels brand still sold at price lower than combination of excise tax and VAT [value added taxes],” PMI said.

This downtrading, the cigarette giant claimed, has “impacted” the company market share and profitability. Downtrading means consumers have shifted to lowerpriced brands, which have begun to eat away at the market share of the higherpriced brands.

According to PMI’s full-year and fourthquarter earnings press release, the total sales of the local cigarette industry fell 15.6 percent to 86.3 billion units last year. It attributed the decrease to the implementation of the “disruptive” reform in the excise tax system on the so-called “sin products”, which are tobacco and alcohol.

The company also blamed the “surge in

the prevalence of domestic non-duty paid products,” for the drop in the sales.

For the entire 2013, PMI’s shipment volume plunged 26.2 percent to 68.5 billion due to the sin tax hike and the “underdeclaration of tax-paid volume by PMI’s main local competitor.”

The report said that PMI’s market share was cut by 11.4 points to 79.3 percent, mainly because of the “down-trading to competitors’ brands.”

The market share of PMI’s best-selling brand, Marlboro, dipped 4.2 points to 16.7 percent while Fortune’s share also dropped 17.8 points to 31.6 percent, which was partly offset by gains from PMI’s other local brands.

“In the fourth quarter of 2013, the total estimated industry cigarette volume of 25.0 billion units decreased by 8.9 percent, reflecting a partial, but insufficient, improvement in declared tax-paid volume

by PMI’s main local competitor as well as government tax enforcement,” the cigarette-maker said.

PMI’s shipment during the quarter was cut by a hefty 24.5 percent to 18.1 billion and its market share was whittled down by 14.9 points to 72.3 percent, with Marlboro down by 4.1 points to 16.9 percent. Fortune was also down by 20.5 points to 26.7 percent, partly offset by gains from the company’s other local brands.

Earlier, the sin tax supporters said that

One of the slides in the powerpoint presentation by PMI. Source: investors.pmi.com

Mighty has been accused of technical smuggling. Citing a report from the Department of Finance Task Force, the group led by Action for Economic Reforms said there is “substantial unaccounted raw materials” that should have been exported and that there is “potentially huge revenue leakage” that accounted for Mighty cigarettes’ low selling price, even below the break-even rate.

In a statement, Mighty said these allegations are part of the “continuous and unrelenting” smear campaign against it by competitors.

“Mighty Corp. continues to be vilified for having stood up to the industry giant. Since last year, the smear campaign has been nothing more than a rehash of the same lies and allegations,” executive vice president and spokesman Oscar P Barrientos said.

“It is puzzling and alarming that our critics have resorted to rehashing old issues against us. And we have to ask, why?,” he added.

The local cigarette firm said its “strong performance” in the past 13 months seemed to have “unsettled” PMFTC ,which used to control as much as 90 percent of the market but dwindled by end-2013.

“Our competitor has thrown everything including the kitchen sink at us and we have just become stronger and better. Obviously Mighty Corp. has proven that even a small local company can go toe to toe with a giant monopoly like PMFTC. But is their smear campaign really just their way of dealing with their failures in the market or is there

something more to it?,” Barrientos said.

The company official said there might be a bigger agena behind the “anti-Mighty” campaign since PMFTC is known to be against the passge of Republic Act 10351 or the Sin Tax Reform Law since this meant the company would lose its monopoly.

“This could be a reason why they are now trying to pin us down, so that they can say the sin tax law doesn’t work,” he added.

Earlier, Bureau of Internal Revenue chief Kim Henares earlier said that PMFTC’s labor problems would not have happened if the company had agreed from the start to keep the government’s original intent of implementing a unitary tax system for the industry.

A unitary tax system means that all brands and price points would have a single rate and thus downshifting by consumers would, in theory, be mitigated. Single-tier advocates say that a single tax rate would discourage the vulnerable consumers -- the poor and the youth -- from buying even the cheapest brand. Lack of price discrimination in taxation could have limited the cannibalization of the middle-market brands by the lower-end brands. ■ Likha Cuevas-Miel / InterAksyon.com / February 13, 2014 / 4:23 PM

10

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HOUNSLOW SUMMER FESTIVAL FAQ

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

Hounslow Summer Festival - An Interview with the event organisers WITH 234,000 residents, over 140 languages spoken and 36 percent of the population from minority ethnic communities, Hounslow is one of the capital’s most diverse boroughs.

Hounslow Summer Festival promises to offer a multi-cultural, fun filled 2 day, ticketed event coming to Hounslow for the first time! People can enjoy a rich mixture of artists, entertainment, foods, games and surprises on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th July 2014 in Lampton Park, Hounslow from 10:00am - 6:00pm.

The organiser’s would like to offer readers an insight into the planning of this new, exciting Festival that will provide an opportunity for people from all cultures, communities and backgrounds to come together and enjoy a weekend of summer celebration.

1) Q – Is there any parking?

A – There is NO PUBLIC PARKING, so please do not attempt to drive to the event. There are good public transport links to the Hounslow Summer Festival

being held in Lampton Park, Hounslow.

The nearest underground stations are Hounslow Central (4 minutes walk), Hounslow East (10 minutes walk), Hounslow West (15 minutes walk or 5 minutes by bus) or by train Hounslow Rail Station (15 minutes walk). Please visit www.tfl.gov.uk or call 020 7222 1234 for information on how to plan your journey.

2) Q – Do you need to book tickets in advance?

A – Yes! You will need to book online in advance to gain entry to the event. No ticket no entry.

Tickets will not be sold on site on the day. The Hounslow Summer Festival website will go live in March 2014 where you can find further information on how to buy tickets for the event.

3) Q – What are the Highlights of the Festival?

A – This is a new two day ticketed event which will provide a variety of

entertainment including a variety of cultural modern and traditional dances, performers plus lots more in store.

We are particularly excited about the dedicated Kidz Zone, where parents and their little ones can be entertained.

There will be a baby changing facility and dedicated children’s toilets.

If that’s not enough an outdoor cinema will provide further entertainment over the two days plus food, goods, funfair amusements and sporting activities such as volleyball competitions and more.

4) Q – What are the event site rules – The Do’s and The Dont’s?

DO ✓ Remember to bring sun cream if it’s

a hot day and drink lots of water! ✓ Come with an open mind and in the festive mood to celebrate and enjoy lots of local, national and international performances, activities and workshops. ✓ Get Public Transport to the event and plan your journey early by visiting

www.tfl.gov.uk or call 020 7222 1234. ✓ Keep the event green and tidy! – Put litter in the recycling bins provided. ✓ Purchase tickets online – It is recommended that everyone buys their tickets in advance to guarantee entry.

Purchases are e-ticketed. Your ticket will be emailed to you automatically after purchase. (Website will be online in March 2014, please check Hello Philippines newspaper for further details). ✓ Plan your journey – make your journey easy and pre-register, give yourself enough time to get there. ✓ Volunteer at the event – Please email events@hello-philippines.com to find out current volunteer opportunities.

DONT ✗ Do not attempt to bring personal tents – personal tents are not allowed over the two days. This is in keeping with Hounslow Summer Festival event protocols and the Bye Laws and park hire agreement held with the land owners. ✗ Cook on site – No personal cooking

and personal barbeques allowed onsite.

In keeping with Hounslow Council’s regulations on Health and Safety, no cooking is allowed on site over the two days apart from that of confirmed bookings from registered caterers. ✗ Drive to the event – There is NO PUBLIC PARKING. ✗ Unauthorised distribution of leaflets is strictly prohibited; only confirmed companies are allowed to distribute leaflets / flyers. ✗ Avoid bringing glass onsite. ✗ Leave children unattended at any point! ✗ Put up tents - Personal tents are not allowed on site over the two day. This is in keeping with the regulations set out by Hounslow Council.

If you have any accessible needs please email events@hello-philippines. com. Disabled parking is available for blue badge holders only; please contact the organisers to arrange a vehicle parking space. ■

12

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IMMIGRATION / OFNEWS

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

Pinay, Indonesian workers in Taiwan call for days off, higher salaries FILIPINO and Indonesian migrant workers staged a protest in Taipei Sunday, seeking mandatory days off and salaries equal to those of their Taiwanese counterparts.

Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported that the protest by about 20 workers was jointly organized by ATKI-Taiwan (Asosiasi Tenaga Kerja Indonesia) and Migrante International-Taiwan Chapter.

Sunday’s action was in line with “One Billion Rising,” a global campaign using dance to seek an end to violence against women, CNA quoted Taoyuan-based Serve the People Association international department director Lennon Ying-dah Wong as saying.

Wearing pink T-shirts, some of the workers held placards with the message, “Justice for All Migrant Workers” and “No to Modern Day Slavery.”

Others danced at the main lobby of the Taipei Railway Station to call attention to what they claimed was the plight of migrant workers.

Wong noted many foreign domestic helpers and caregivers in Taiwan are women being exploited at work, since they are not covered by the Labor Standards Act. They are not entitled to the minimum monthly wage of N$19,047 (US$626) in Taiwan. The CNA report said most foreign domestic workers are paid NT$15,840 per month.

Also, employers are also not required to give domestic workers a day off a week.

The CNA report cited official labor statistics showing there are currently more than 489,000 foreign workers in Taiwan.

More than 210,000 work as domestic helpers and caregivers, and nearly 80 percent are from Indonesia.

No day off. CNA quoted Filipino domestic caregiver Maria Latosa, 40, who has worked in Taiwan for eight years, as saying she did not get a day off from work in her first three years in Taiwan.

At best, she said she had sporadic breaks on some work days.

Now she gets one to two days off per month, though she considers herself lucky.

“We want to take a break because every night there is not enough sleep,” she said, adding many migrant workers in Taiwan take care of seniors who have suffered from strokes and dementia.

CNA also quoted Lukman Nur Rohim, 33, who works in a factory in New Taipei, as saying migrant workers have to pay heavy employment agency fees, and should perform additional work not listed in their contracts.

Draft Protection Act. Liu Chuan-ming, director of the Council of Labor Affairs Department of Labor Standards, said his council drafted a Domestic Workers Protection Act and sent it to the Cabinet for review in 2012.

Under the draft act, foreign domestic workers and caregivers should be granted

at least one day off per week, except in emergency situations.

Employees asked to work on their

days off will be entitled to extra wages or additional days off afterwards. ■ RSJ, GMA News / February 10, 2014 / 11:09 AM

12-year-old Pinay finalist for The Voice Kids wants to be a singing doctor

Katrina Manaog with teammate Isabel Provoost complete the finalists for team Nick and Simon, besting out 13 others in the group. Photo courtesy of The Voice Kids.

HILVERSUM, The Netherlands — Katrina Manaog has been singing since she was four years old. Eight years after, she’s become a finalist of the third edition of The Voice Kids in the Netherlands.

“The first song she sang in front of people was Aiza Seguerra’s ‘Pagdating ng Panahon.’ According to my uncle, she got her talent from her late grandmother, Barbara Bello, who was an opera singer in the Philippines while her father said she got her talent from her auntie Jerlie Manaog who also sings in the Philippines,” said her mother Catherine Malabanan during an interview with GMA News.

The 12-year-old impressed the judges of The Voice Kids during the blind auditions on January 24 when she belted out Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” without any difficulty. All seats turned for her but she

chose to be part of the team Nick and Simon.

“As parents, we feel very proud of her. It’s a lot of work being with her in all rehearsals but it’s worth it,” added Catherine.

On February 7, Katrina beat teammates Bodine Hilhorst and Marlies Venderbos as they sang Rihanna’s “Unfaithful” during the battle, the second level of elimination in the singing competition. Katrina and teammate Isabel Provoost complete the finalists for team Nick and Simon besting out 13 others in the group alone.

Katrina attends voice lessons at the Vocal Academy Jozien Van Dorst and private singing lessons from Gerda Vreeken, an opera singer. With her current schedule though, she can only attend singing lessons once every three weeks and piano lessons once a week. She also plays the guitar and

Over 3,000 OFWS jailed, 800 others arrived home dead – DFA report

MORE than 3,000 Filipino workers have been in jail since last year while 800 others have died, many of them in accidents and due to illness, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in its annual report.

Every year, hundreds of Filipino workers leave the country in search for better opportunities abroad. Many have succeeded but some have come home in coffins in crushing personal tragedies that have become so commonplace they seldom make news at home.

From January to December 2013, the DFA, in its yearly accomplishment report released Tuesday, said 883 remains of overseas Filipinos were repatriated to the Philippines while a total of 3,154 were in prison as of December of the same year.

Most cases of deaths and imprisonment are in the Gulf region – a key destination for Filipino workers.

Topping the list of countries with the most number of deaths are Saudi Arabia with 382 reported fatalities, United Arab

Another half-Pinoy to see action in Sochi Olympics

ASIDE from Michael Martinez and Filipino-American JR Celski, another athlete with Filipino blood will be seeing action in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

She is Anne Line Gjersem, a 20-year-old figure skater whose mother is a Filipina.

“Both me and my twin sister are proud to be Filipinos and are brought up in a Filipino way,” Anne Line told GMA News Social Media Team.

She said she personally knows Michael, adding they both qualified for the Olympics in Germany.

Huffington Post said Anne Line, who will represent Norway in the 2014 Winter

Olympics, is “a figure skater to watch in Sochi.”

“Though she isn’t expected to vie for a medal, Norway’s Anne Line Gjersem is another skater to watch in Sochi. She is her nation’s first Olympic figure skater in five decades,” it said.

The women’s competition for figure skating in the 2014 Winter Olympics will start on Feb. 19.

Asked what is her favorite thing about being a Filipino, Anne Line replied: “Philippines is such a beautiful country, I like the culture and the traditions. The people are so friendly and hospitable.” ■ Ederic Eder / KBK, GMA News

Emirates (93), Qatar (85), Kuwait (47), and Bahrain (30). In Asia, Japan and Singapore had the most number of deaths with 12 each while in Europe, the United Kingdom had 17.

Common causes of deaths are illness and accidents, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez told GMA News Online.

Jailed Pinoys. The Middle East again had the highest rate of Filipinos who were jailed for various offenses followed by Southeast Asia then China.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, who served in several Philippine diplomatic posts in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia as ambassador, said common offenses committed by Filipinos are possession of liquor, which is banned in Arab nations; theft or embezzlement; immorality; drug trafficking; murder; and traffic violation.

Middle East states with the most number of Filipinos in prison are Saudi Arabia (971), United Arab Emirates (312), Qatar (51), Lebanon (45), Kuwait (37), Bahrain (21), Jordan (18), and Iran (14). In Asia, China had a total of 258 jailed Filipinos, mostly due to drug trafficking.

South East Asian nations with high

number of detainees for drug trafficking and immigration offenses are in Malaysia (987), Indonesia (123), Thailand (54), Vietnam (22), Bruenei (21), and Cambodia (10).

All over the world, 634 Filipinos were detained for drug trafficking and of this figure, 347 were women and 287 men, the DFA said.

Exporter of labor. The report also showed a decline in the number of Filipino sailors being kidnapped in the pirateinfested African waters over the last four years. From its height of 222 hostages in 2009, the DFA reported 167 victims in 2010, 159 in 2011, 40 in 2012 and 0 in 2013.

Amid limited financial resources, the DFA was able to provide aid to 20,875 distressed Filipino workers in 2013, including 3,044 victims of human trafficking and hundreds caught in conflict in strife-torn nations.

The Philippines is the one of the world’s largest exporter of labor in the world with about 10 million workers employed mostly

a bit of violin. She dreams to be a singing doctor someday.

“For now, she needs to concentrate on her studies although we allow her to join singing activities during the weekends,” explained Catherine.

After Friday’s battle for Groothuizen’s team, the world will know who brings home the trophy of this edition’s The Voice Kids on February 21. Win or lose, Katrina will join the other finalists in concerts to be held in different parts of the Netherlands.

The Voice Kids is the junior version of The Voice, which originated in the Netherlands under the production of John de Mol. It gives talented young singers from 6 to 14 years old the chance to share their talent to the world.

It is currently being hosted by Wendy van Dijk and Martijn Krabbe. ■ Chared Verschuur-Ballo / KBK, GMA News / February 13, 2014 / 12:48 PM

as domestic helpers, construction laborers and medical personnel.

Their struggling Southeast Asian nation calls them “modern-day heroes” for the often-meager earnings they send home that, collectively, keep the Philippine economy afloat and local business booming.

From January to November 2013, Filipinos abroad sent home $20.6 billion, which is 5 percent higher than the previous year for the same period.

But President Benigno S. Aquino III has recognized the vulnerability of overly depending on remittances.

He said his reform agenda was aimed at transforming a Southeast Asian economic laggard, which has been regarded in the past by many investors as too risky to gamble on, into one of Asia’s most promising new investment destinations.

With more jobs from new investments and gradual improvements in the economy, Filipinos may no longer regard foreign employment as the only alternative for survival, but just one of several options, Aquino said.

The government, Aquino said, would “create jobs at home so that working abroad will be out of choice, not necessity.”

■ Michaela Del Callar / KBK, GMA News / February 12,

2014 / 3:31 PM

EVENTS DIARY UK & EUROPE

www.hello-philippines.com

14

DATE / TIME

EVENT

VENUE

Valentine’s Party

23 February 2014 Sunday 10:00am to 3:00pm

(ENFID-UK) – General Assembly 2014

2 March 2014 Sunday 7:30pm

You’ll Never Walk Alone – The West End Unites for the Philippines

Queens Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6BA

Stage Art Productions / Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) / Philippines Typhoon Appeal

8 and 9 March 2014 Saturday and Sunday 9:00am to 5:00pm 12 March 2014 Wednesday 6:30pm

2014 Leeds 2 Days Basketball League

Ramgarhia Sports Centre, 10 Chapeltown Road, Leeds LS7 3AP Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception (entrance 114 Mount Street, London W1K 3AH Mazenod Community Centre, Quex Road, Kilburn, London NW6 4PS Walbottle Campus Theatre, Walbottle Campus, Hexham Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE15 9TP The Centre Conference Venue (Spirit), Farnham Road, Slough, Berkshire SL1 4UT Ashford Christian Fellowship Church, Bank Street, Ashford, Kent TN23 1BA

Filipino Leeds Associations

15 March 2014 Saturday 6:00pm to 1:00am 15 March 2014 Saturday 5:00pm

A Charity Recital for Tohoku Earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan Victims That’s My Pogi Pageant Pooh in Pooh tik

16 March 2014 Sunday 2:00pm 22 March 2014 Saturday 11:00am to 4:00pm

Pooh in Pooh tik

4 April 2014 Friday 8:00pm 4, 5 and 6 April 2014 Friday, Saturday and Sunday 14 June 2014 Saturday 9:00am to 6:00pm

Eraserheads

21 and 22 June 2014 Saturday and Sunday 10:00am to 5:00pm 28 June 2014 Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm

Barrio Fiesta in Bristol 2014

28 June 2014 Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm 5 and 6 July 2014 Saturday and Sunday 10:00am to 6:00pm 19 and 20 July 2014 Saturday and Sunday 10.00am to 6:00pm 17 August 2014 Sunday 10:00am to 5:00pm 6 September 2014 Saturday

Spring Filipino Food Festival

The 70's Superband – The OPM Hitmakers Independence Day sa Newcastle

Sacred Heart & Mary Immaculate Roman Catholic Church, 2 Flower Lane, Mill Hill, London NW7 2JB TBC

ORGANISER

22 February 2014 Saturday 6:00pm to 11:00pm

Eventim Apollo, 45 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, London W6 9QH The Dome, London / Epic, Norwich / Britannia Theatre, Chatham, Kent Blaydon Rugby Club (Carboot Area), Hexham Road, Swalwell, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE16 3BN Eastville Park, Bristol BS5 6XA

1st Southampton Barrio Fiesta

Hoglands Park, Southampton

7th Barrio Fiesta in Yorkshire 2014

The Racecourse, Boroughbridge Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire Lampton Park, Lampton Road, Hounslow TW3 4DN

HELLO PHILIPPINES proudly presents Hounslow Summer Festival 2014 30th Barrio Fiesta Sa London 2014 Scotland Barrio Fiesta 2014

Mr & Miss Philippines United Kingdom 2014

Apps Court Farm, Hurst Road, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey KT12 2EG Hamilton Park Racecourse, Bothwell Road, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire ML3 0DW TBC

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

CONTACTS / REMARKS

KAPA-Mill Hill

£10.00

European Network of Filipino Diaspora - United Kingdom (ENFID-UK)

Carol Panday 07903 547 676 / gymcarol@yahoo.com Janette Vicera 07714 287 610 / janette_2906@yahoo.co.uk Mark Senior mark@markseniorpr.com / 07446 169 997 Box Office: 0844 482 5164 / www.delfonmackintosh.co.uk Freddie 07595 248 917 / Rodamin 07446 906 608 Ticket £10.00 for sale on the door on the night only from 6:30pm

FilMo

Vannz Bio 07947 160 826

Georgia’s Filipino & Oriental Food Supply

Sally Sellars 07886 742 417 / 0191 273 6779

Robin Gaudiel 07428 677 870 / Lito Martinez 07882 709 234

Finest Workers UK

Tickets: Adult £6.00 / Children £3.00 (between 5 to 13) / Family £15.00 / www.filipinofoodfestival.co.uk (tickets on line are cheaper) For tickets and inquiries: 07784 881 850 / sales@finestworkers.com

Side Projects Productions in association with Simply C PR & Events

Tickets and General Information: 07903 547 676 / www.sideprojects.biz

Filipino Community of Newcastle Upon Tyne (FILCAN)

Sally Sellars 07886 742 417 / Program: Eva Bartolome 07542 026 296 / Santacruzan: Haidee Atienza 07814 425 547

Filipino Community in Bristol

Wil Manuel 07900 485 194 / Honeylyn 07783 343 848 / Clarence 07500 896 239 / Hilda 07909 724 653 For stalls, sponsorship and other enquiries: Paul Maspinas 07894 227 754 / Jimmy Cabotaje 07878 852 153 / Nora Zuniga 023 8023 4412 Lolita Boddy 01765 535 015 / Tess Wills 07920 280 549

Southampton Barrio Fiesta

HELLO PHILIPPINES

Philippine Centre and ABS-CBN The Filipino Channel

Roselle Collado – 07577 813 104 Mike McCarthy – 07538 201 870 Email: events@hello-philippines.com Tickets & General Enquiries: 020 3004 9268 General Information: 01932 244 822

In Association with FIL-GLAS, PSG (Pinoy Sa Glasgow), PHIL-SCOT FIFE, Lanark FILCOM & different Filipino communities in Scotland and surrounding areas Philippines-UK

Eva Macadangdang 07983 593 914 / Marlowe Macadangdang 07956 944 520 / Myra Adap del Cruz 07789 695 596 / MP_UK@yahoo.com FREE LISTING of your events on the HELLO PHILIPPINES newspaper and if you know of any Events please contact us and submit your event via email to the following at INFO@HELLO-PHILIPPINES.COM DISCLAIMER: The Events Diary Listing does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favouring by Hello Philippines newspaper. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Hello Philippines newspaper. This is merely an Events Diary Listing of what is happening within the Filipino Communities in Europe. This is for general information only.

1st Sunday

2:00pm

1st Sunday

5:00pm

2nd Saturday

4:00pm

2nd Sunday

2:00pm

2nd Sunday

2:00pm

2nd Sunday

4:00pm

3rd Sunday

3:00pm

3rd Sunday

3:00pm

Last Saturday

6:00pm

Last Sunday

2:00pm

Every Sunday

5:00pm

First Wednesdays

6:30pm

MONTHLY FILIPINO COMMUNITY MASSES IN GREATER LONDON

Five Precious Wounds Parish, Brentfield Road, Stonebridge Park, London NW10 8ER Mervic Monocillo – 07894 636 140 Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, Friary Road, Peckham, London SE15 1RH Allen Abeleda – 07713 625 888 St Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 103 Woolwich New Road, London SE18 6EF Moises Espanola – 07894 648 639 English Martyrs Church, Chalkhill Road, Wembley Park, Wembley HA9 9EW Becky Sarinas – 07949 857 699 / 07425 761 519 / Lina B – 07579 418 510 St Dominic Catholic Church, 243 Violet Lane, Waddon, Croydon CR0 4HN Merlie Mirto – 07722 216 462 St. Anselm and St. Cecilia, 70 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3JA Feliciano Ramirez – 07733 680 748 Sacred Heart of Jesus, New Priory, Quex Road, Kilburn, London NW6 4PS Sheidrick de Leon – 07738 210 202 Blessed Sacrament Parish, 157 Copenhagen Street, Islington N1 0SR Christy Sangalang – 07709 119 969 Our Lady of Dolours, Servite Parish Church, 264 Fulham Road, London SW10 4EL Fr Allan Satur – 020 7352 6965 / fulhamroad@rcdow.org.uk Roland Adap – r_adap@hotmail.com St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 218 Roehampton Lane, London SW15 4LE Rafael Santiago – 07795 254 451 Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 20 Brixton Road, Oval, London SW9 6BU Ben Ortiz – 07723 318 486 Filipino Mass and Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Farm Street Church of the Immaculate Conception (Jesuit House Chapel), access on 114 Mount Street, London W1K 3AY Josie Ramos – 07723 024 591

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IMMIGRATION / OFNEWS

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

PNoy awards outstanding OFW recruitment, manning agencies PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Monday led the awarding of 18 manning and recruitment firms who have excelled in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFW), whose remittances have become the lifeblood of the Philippine economy.

During a ceremony in Malacañang, Aquino assisted by Labor Sec. Rosalinda Baldoz awarded the Presidential Award of Excellence to the following land-based and manning agencies: 1. Atlantic Gulf & Pacific Company of Manila Inc. 2. EDI Staffbuilders International Inc. 3. International Skill Development Inc. 4. Anglo-Eastern Crew Management Philippines Incorporated 5. United Philippine Lines Inc. On the other hand, the following are the Awardees of Excellence: 1. Abba Personnel Services Inc. 2. Baliwag Navigation Inc. 3. CF Sharp Crew Management Inc. 4. KGJS Fleet Management Manila Inc 5. Magsaysay MOL Marine Inc. 6. Marlow Navigation Phils Inc. 7. OSM Maritime Services Inc.

8. Pacific Ocean Manning Inc 9. Sea Power Shipping Enterprises Inc. Also awarded as “Top Performers” are: 1. RRJM International Manpower Services Inc. 2. Crossworld Marine Services Inc. 3. Maersk-Filipinas Crewing Inc. 4. Scanmar Maritime Services Inc. PNoy thankful. In his speech, Aquino recognized the contribution of OFWs to the Philippines and thanked the firms for protecting their rights.

“Kayo ang nasa frontline ng pagtukoy sa mga bagong oportunidad na maaaring buksan para sa ating mga kababayan,” he said.

“Umaasa akong lalo pang titibay ang inyong pagiging lingkod-bayan, lalo pa kayong makikiambag, at lalo pa tayong magtutulungan para maabot ang ating kolektibong pangarap,” Aquino added.

The President also trumpeted the efforts being done by his administration for OFWs, among them bilateral agreements with other countries and reintegration programs for their return.

But he also reiterated his assurance that

President Benigno Aquino III, Labor Sec. Rosalinda Baldoz, and POEA administrator Hans Leo Cacdac pose with the recipients of the POEA Outstanding Agency Awards in Malacañang on Monday, February 10. The Presidential Award of Excellence recognizes the consistent excellence performance of private employment and manning agencies licensed by DOLE through POEA.Lauro Montillano

the government is working towards a future where Filipinos won’t need to go overseas to get a satisfactory job.

“Sinisikap nating mapalawak at mapaunlad pa ang ating ekonomiya, upang mapabilis naman ang pagdating ng araw na ang mga pangarap na maaabot lamang sa pagiging OFW, ay bubukas at maaabot na rin sa pananatili sa Pilipinas. Palapit na

VP Binay: Zapanta given one-month extension to raise blood money JOSELITO Zapanta, the Filipino worker who is on death row in Saudi Arabia, has been given another month to raise the blood money needed to spare him from the death penalty, Vice President Jejomar Binay announced Wednesday.

“His chances are getting better,” said Binay, the presidential adviser on OFW concerns, in a post on his Facebook page.

“Mr. Zapanta might not be executed. We were given another one month extension.”

Zapanta was sentenced to death after killing Imam Ibrahim, a Sudanese national, over a rental dispute in 2009.

Ibrahim’s family initially demanded SAR5 million for the execution of an affidavit of forgiveness and prevent the imposition

of the death penalty, but later reduced the amount to SAR4 million.

The payment of the blood money was originally due on November 12, 2012, but was extended to March 12, 2013. A second extension was granted, with the deadline moved to November 3, 2013.

President Benigno Aquino III had already given a “substantial” amount to augment Zapanta’s blood money, Binay said, but it was still not enough to meet the amount being demanded by the victim’s family.

The vice president also said the government is still negotiating with the victim’s family to further lower the amount.

“First of all, the victim’s wife has not returned to Saudi yet, she’s still in [Sudan].

Report: 171 more undocumented Pinoys in Saudi brought to deportation center ANOTHER batch of some 171 undocumented Filipinos in Saudi Arabia may be taking another step toward returning home, after they were transferred to a deportation center earlier this week.

The Philippine Consulate in Jeddah on Thursday endorsed 171 undocumented Filipinos to the Saudi General Services Center (GSC) deportation facilities in Shumaisy, Arab News reported Saturday.

“Of the total number, 136 were women and 50 were children. This is the seventh group of endorsees for 2014,” Vice Consul Jim Josephus Minglana, head of the consulate’s Assistance to Nationals Section (ANS), told Arab News.

Earlier, a batch of “nearly 400 Filipinos” were shifted to the deportation center.

With the latest batch, the Arab News report said there are now 871 undocumented OFWs endorsed by the consulate and awaiting exit visas at the GSC. The daily transfers started last Jan. 26.

The OFWs endorsed are among some 8,000 Filipinos who approached the consulate in April 2013 for assistance in the issuance of exit visas.

Photo from www.gmanetwork.com.

Officials from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jeddah headed by Labor Attache Jainal Rasul Jr. and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), provided buses for transfers.

DSWD attache Perlita Panganiban headed the consulate’s delivery of psychosocial needs of stranded OFWs, especially mothers and children, the elderly and the sick.

In 2013, the consulate repatriated at least 4,167 Filipinos. ■ LBG, GMA News / February 8, 2014 / 2:55 PM

po tayo nang palapit sa hangaring ito,” he said.

Aquino, citing data from Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), said around 6.3 million Filipinos are working overseas.

Presidential Award of Excellence.

According to a Palace statement, the Presidential Award of Excellence was established pursuant to Proclamation No.

1519 dated May 24, 2008 to “recognize the consistent excellence performance of private employment and manning agencies licensed by Department of Labor and Employment through the Philippine Overseas and Employment Administration in providing decent and remunerative employment to Overseas Filipino Workers.”

The awards system is three-tiered and consists of the Top Performer Award, the Award of Excellence, and the Presidential Award of Excellence.

To qualify for the Top Performer Award, an agency should be in operation for at least four years while the Award of Excellence is given to an agency that has been conferred the Top Performer Award three times.

On the other hand, the Presidential Award of Excellence is bestowed upon an agency that has been a recipient of the Award of Excellence for at least five times.

A total of 179 agencies have received the awards so far.

The POEA Governing Board prescribes the rules for screening of the award recipients. ■ Kimberly Jane Tan / KG/KBK, GMA

News / February 10, 2014 / 10:48 AM

OFW in Saudi seeks help to find long-lost parents, tries Facebook

Second, we are still in talks with [Saudi] officials to help us save Mr. Zapanta’s life,” Binay said.

Binay again appealed to the public to help in raising the blood money for Zapanta. ■ KBK, GMA News / February 12, 2014 / 1:56 PM

AN overseas Filipino worker (OFW) now working in Saudi Arabia is seeking help in locating his parents — his mother who he has not seen for 16 years and his father who he has not seen for almost all his life.

Jimmy Cubilla, 28, a native of Alang Alang in Leyte, has also tried using social networking site Facebook to find his parents, Saudi news site Arab News reported Thursday.

“My life will not be complete without seeing my parents,” Cubilla told Arab News, adding he wants to at least find and help them.

Cubilla said he last saw his mother Lucy Cubilla when he was 12. His father Jun Magtasa left to seek work in Manila when he was six months old.

Presently, he is working at a restaurant in Al-Majmah, on the outskirts of Riyadh.

Cubilla said his mother left him when he was nearly two years old to find work in Manila, but returned to see him. At the time, he said he stayed with his grandparents.

“The last time she returned to attend my elementary graduation she was with my stepfather whose name is Edgar Sanugal,” he said.

Cubilla said despite getting information via text messages about his parents’ whereabouts, he has yet to verify them.

He said he has asked his friends to help him locate his parents, and has joined a number of Facebook groups, which he thought could help him in his search. ■ KBK, GMA News / February 13, 2014 / 1:44 PM

PHL lowers alert level for Yemen from 3 to 2 THE Philippines has lowered the alert level in Yemen, citing improving security and political situation there.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario lowered the Crisis Alert Level for Yemen from 3 (voluntary repatriation) to 2 (restriction phase) based on the recommendation of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

“Our Embassy cites the improving security and political situation in that country as the reasons for its

recommendation,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement Wednesday.

Under Alert Level 2, Filipinos with existing labor contracts may return to Yemen. The deployment of newly-hired overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), however, will remain suspended.

“Filipinos in Yemen are still advised to restrict non-essential movements and avoid public places,” the DFA said.

The Philippine government raised Alert

Level 3 in Yemen in December after a deadly attack on the Defense Ministry that resulted in the deaths of over 50 people, including seven Filipino health workers.

Alert level 3 is raised when violent disturbances or external aggression occur in a limited area.

There is an estimated 1,300 Filipinos in Yemen, many of them on visit visas, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). ■ KBK, GMA News /

February 12, 2014 / 2:55 PM

Underage Pinay dies in Malaysia after being struck by golf ball – report A 12-year-old Filipina caddy working at the Keningau Golf Club in Malaysia died on Feb. 1 after a wayward golf ball struck her on the head.

According to the post mortem report, Almida Jalimin, whose parents are Filipino migrant workers, died two days after being hit by the golf ball, Malaysia’s The Star Online reported Monday.

Almida was standing about six meters from a golfer when the ball hit her in the right side of her neck.

She lost consciousness and was rushed to a hospital where she was given

outpatient treatment and allowed to return home that day.

But a few hours later, she complained of a severe headache, vomited and died.

Malaysian public prosecutors are currently deciding on the next steps to take.

The State Social Services Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad said the Welfare Department was also looking into how an underage girl could have worked as a caddy.

For its part, the golf club is holding an internal inquiry into the matter. ■ DVM, GMA News / February 11, 2014 / 4:58 AM

Photo from www.bookyourgolf.net.

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18

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INTERNATIONAL / GLOBAL NEWS

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

Brain-dead woman gives birth to son in Canada

Doctors in Canada have delivered a frail but healthy baby boy from a brain-dead woman kept on life support for several weeks, the infant’s father wrote in a blog post.

MONTREAL - Doctors in Canada have delivered a frail but healthy baby boy from a brain-dead woman kept on life support for several weeks, the infant’s father wrote in a blog post.

Dylan Benson, 32, had been keeping a running online account of his personal tragedy, recording his emotions as he grieved for his wife and prepared for the birth of his son.

Doctors, who had hoped to be able to keep the pregnancy going for 34 weeks, over the weekend delivered the boy via Caesarean section after 28 weeks.

“On Saturday evening, my beautiful and amazing son, Iver Cohen Benson, was born,” Benson wrote in a blog post on Monday, shortly after the birth at a hospital in Victoria, British Columbia.

Benson added that the day after delivering the baby, doctors disconnected the life support equipment that had allowed his wife’s body to incubate their unborn son. She died soon after.

“On Sunday, we had to unfortunately say goodbye to the strongest and most wonderful woman I have ever met,” he wrote.

Robyn Benson, 32, collapsed in late December when she was 22 weeks pregnant, and was declared brain dead from a blood hemorrhage.

The moving online odyssey was followed by readers around the Internet, who donated Canadian $152,000 for Iver’s medical bills.

Benson wrote that his son is doing well despite being several weeks premature,

and posted a photo in which he is shown holding the tiny child in the hospital’s intensive care ward.

The post was captioned “Immensely sad, but incredibly proud.”

“Iver is healthy and is the cutest and most precious person I have ever met,” Benson wrote.

“As to be expected, it will still be a bumpy ride for he and I as he continues to grow under the care of the wonderful staff at the hospital.”

Amid the joy of his son’s birth, the newly widowed Benson wrote that he grieves the loss of his wife.

“I miss Robyn more than words can explain,” he said.

“She will live on forever within Iver, and in my heart. ■ AFP / February 11, 2014 / 3:28 PM

Iran warns ready for ‘decisive’ battle with US, Israel US sets November trial in Boston bombings TEHRAN - Armed forces chief of staff General Hassan Firouzabadi has warned the Islamic republic’s arch-foes that Iran is prepared for a “decisive battle” if attacked, Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.

“We are ready for the decisive battle with America and the Zionist regime (Israel),” Fars quoted Firouzabadi as saying.

He also warned neighbouring nations not to allow any attack to be launched on Iran from their soil.

“We do not have any hostility towards regional states, but if we are ever attacked from the American bases in the region we will strike that area back,” he said.

Washington has many military bases in the region, including in Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said late last month that if diplomacy with Iran fails, “the military option of the United States

is ready and prepared to do what it would have to do”.

But Firouzabadi accused the US of bluffing.

“Over the past decade, they brought their forces but came to the conclusion that they can’t attack us and left,” he said, dismissing the US military threat as nothing but a “political bluff”.

President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday the West should not have and delusions about using a military option.

“I say explicitly, if some have delusions of having any threats against Iran on their tables, they need to wear new glasses.

There is no military option against Iran on any table in the world,” he said.

Iran is due to resume talks on Monday in Vienna with the P5+1 -- Britain, France, the United States, Russia and China plus Germany—aimed at reaching a comprehensive nuclear accord following

a landmark interim agreement struck in November.

Western nations have long suspected Iran of covertly pursuing nuclear weapons alongside its civilian programme, allegations denied by Tehran which insists its nuclear activities are entirely peaceful.

Neither the United States nor Israel has ruled out military action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, if diplomacy fails. ■ AFP / February 12, 2014 / 5:39 AM

Iran Armed Forces chief Hasan Firouzabadi at the Army Day Parade in Tehran on April 18, 2013.

BOSTON - A US judge has set a November trial date for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the chief suspect accused of bombing last year’s Boston marathon, killing three people and wounding 260 others.

The trial, which is likely to attract global media interest, will begin on November 3 and could last several months, US District Judge George O’Toole ruled Wednesday.

Tsarnaev’s main lawyer, Judy Clarke, had pressed for the trial to take place no sooner than September 2015 in light of the huge amount of documents related to the case.

The April 15 bomb attacks near the finish line of the Boston marathon reignited traumatic memories of the September 11, 2001 attacks. US prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Tsarnaev, then 19, and his 26-year-old brother Tamerlan Tsarnaev were cornered by police after a four-day manhunt.

Tamerlan died after an exchange of fire with

police and Dzhokhar was wounded.

The defense team could still ask for a change of location for the trial due to the high emotions triggered by the attacks in Boston. A response to that request is due by June 18.

Tsarnaev, now 20, is a US citizen from a Chechen Muslim family.

The shaggy-haired student has pleaded not guilty to 30 federal charges related to the bombings, including 17 serious charges that can carry sentences of death or life in prison.

These charges include using a weapon of mass destruction resulting in death, as well as conspiracy and bombing of a place of public use resulting in death, and carjacking.

Tsarnaev is also charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a campus police officer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the brothers’ wild fourday getaway attempt. ■ AFP / February 13, 2014

Fears for Hong Kong press freedom as China flexes muscle HONG KONG - Hong Kong’s status as a “is now in jeopardy” as the world’s-second to universal suffrage by 2017, but has ruled bastion of press freedom is being eroded by creeping self-censorship under pressure from Beijing and media bosses loath to lose business in China, insiders are warning.

Compared to the tightly-controlled state press on China’s mainland, Hong Kong’s newsstands and networks offer a noisy jungle of competing outlets from across the political spectrum.

But analysts warn that reputation is now under threat as journalists increasingly steer clear of topics that could anger the Communist Party or jeopardise media tycoons’ commercial interests on the mainland.

Two reports this week have highlighted an increasingly restricted media landscape some 17 years after the former British colony was handed back to China, under a deal that supposedly guaranteed media independence and other rights for half a century.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Wednesday said media freedom in Hong Kong was currently “at a low point”, citing selfcensorship among reporters, financial and physical threats against the media and legislative steps that could hinder investigative reporting.

Paris-based Reporters Without Borders also said Hong Kong’s media independence

largest economy flexes its muscles to stifle critical coverage.

“The Chinese Communist Party’s growing subjugation of the Hong Kong executive and its pressure on the Hong Kong media... is increasingly compromising media pluralism there,” it said as it published its annual press freedom index.

Watchdog role in jeopardy. Under a deal struck between London and Beijing in the run-up to Hong Kong’s 1997 handover, the semi-autonomous city of seven million is guaranteed free of speech, a liberty China’s mainland residents are denied.

But a series of recent incidents have raised concern, including the sacking Wednesday of Li Wei-ling, a prominent talk show host known for her biting criticism of Beijing, from her job at Commercial Radio.

No reason has been given for her dismissal.

In January, the leading editor of the respected Ming Pao newspaper was replaced by a pro-Beijing editor from Malaysia, prompting protests by staff who feared the move was an attempt to stifle the paper’s strong track record of investigative reporting.

And the same month another liberal paper, AM730, said advertising had been cut from a number of China-affiliated organisations.

The CPJ report said more than half of

Hong Kong’s media owners have been given roles in China’s political assemblies, making them reluctant to anger Beijing and lose their elite status and commercial advantage.

Media outlets in both Hong Kong and Taiwan have “provided comprehensive, independent coverage of China, filling a gap left by the tightly restricted mainland press,” it said, adding that interference imperilled that critical watchdog role.

Hong Kong journalist groups have called on authorities to protect the city’s media.

“We welcome the organisations’ spotlight on a darkening climate of selfcensorship, against a backdrop of official and commercial interference as well as physical violence, that threatens to erode Hong Kong’s unique position as a bastion of free expression under Chinese rule,” the Foreign Correspondents’ Club said.

China ‘fears Hong Kong spillover’.

Fears for press freedom come at a time of fervent debate over political reform.

China has promised the city, whose current chief executive is appointed by a pro-Beijing committee, will see a transition

A local businessman walks past a news stand in Hong Kong, on January 10, 2013.

out demands that voters should be able to choose which candidates can stand for the top position.

In October, tens of thousands protested over the government’s refusal to grant a licence to a new free-to-air television operator, with the demonstrators believing the decision was made at the behest of Beijing.

Meanwhile, public trust in the city’s media appears to be decreasing. A study

by Hong Kong University interviewing some 1,000 people last October found half of respondents thought the media selfcensored, local reports said.

Hong Kong lawmaker Claudia Mo said Beijing is intent on ensuring the media’s freewheeling approach doesn’t encroach on the mainland.

“Hong Kong is the only runaway spot,” the former journalist told AFP. “The Chinese Communist Party needs to impose ideological control so that there is no spillover effect from Hong Kong.”

Mo said local journalists faced a difficult choice between fighting against censorship and risking their livelihoods.

“At the end of the day, it’s a job. How firm can journalists actually stand when it comes to political pressure? You can’t expect everyone to be a hero.” ■ Dennis Chong / AFP / February 13, 2014

INTERNATIONAL / GLOBAL NEWS

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

www.hello-philippines.com

19

Magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes China’s Xinjiang: USGS

BEIJING - A strong and shallow 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck China’s far western region of Xinjiang on Wednesday, but in a sparsely populated area, the US Geological Survey said.

The tremor was only 12.5 kilometres (eight miles) deep but hit about 270 kilometres east-southeast of Hotan, the USGS said, in an extremely remote area.

China’s Earthquake Networks Centre gave the magnitude of the afternoon quake as 7.3.

Another tremor of magnitude 5.7 struck five minutes later, five kilometres deep, followed by a series of aftershocks of up to 4.2 magnitude, it said.

“We were at the office at the time and felt strong shaking, the windows were rattling,” a reporter in Keriya county near the epicentre told state broadcaster CCTV, adding that few people lived in the mountainous area.

The civil affairs ministry said there had been no reports of casualties but it was likely that some houses had been damaged, the Xinhua news agency said.

CCTV reported that Hotan was not seriously affected, while several people in the city told AFP they felt less than a minute of shaking.

“The earthquake lasted less than one minute, it was not strong, there are no buildings collapsed,” said one resident by phone.

An expert told CCTV that the affected area often experienced earthquakes but was thinly populated, so the impact was

Filipino-American Malaya David, 10, uses craftmanship and the internet to help young victims of Typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines. Photo from www.haiyanbracelets.wordpress.com.

Rescuers run through a landslide area following an earthquake in Deqin county, southwest China’s Yunnan province on August 31, 2013.

likely to be limited.

A previous 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck the same county in March 2008, affecting 40,000 people, destroying 200 homes and causing an overall 10 million yuan ($1.7 million) in damage.

China is regularly hit by earthquakes, especially its mountainous western and southwestern regions.

A magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Sichuan province in the southwest killed about 200 people last April, five years after almost 90,000 people died when a huge tremor struck the same province.

Twin 5.6 and 5.9 magnitude quakes killed at least 95 people in the northwest province of Gansu last July.

Once a link on the Silk Road, Xinjiang

Map locating the 6.8 magnitude quake in western China on February 12, 2013.

covers 1.7 million square kilometres (660,000 square miles)—a sixth of China’s territory.

It is home to the country’s mostly Muslim Uighur minority, and has seen sporadic attacks on police amid complaints by the ethnic group of religious and cultural repression.

Beijing has justified tighter security in the area to stem a separatist movement it claims has links with foreign terrorist groups.

Xinjiang is rich in natural resources, containing roughly 30 percent of China’s onshore oil and gas deposits and 40 percent of its coal, according to the official website china.org. ■ AFP / February 12, 2014 / 10:56 AM

This picture taken on July 24, 2013 shows Song Xiaomei crying after her home was destroyed.

PABASA 2014

Date & Time: Place:

17 April 2014 18 April 2014 19 April 2014 HOLY CROSS

(Thursday from 20:00H Ð 24:00H) (Friday from 9:00H Ð 12:00H and 16:00 Ð 24:00H) (Saturday from 07:00H onwards CHAPEL, Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF

The 'PABASA' (which mean 'reading') is a Filipino Lenten tradition of continuous chanting the account of salvation history in Filipino poetry form. The Pabasa lasts for around 16 hours, with one or two people/groups alternating in singing verses from the Pabasa.

In the Philippines, the Pabasa started from way back in the Spanish Times when the missionaries introduced Christianity to the islands. In order to facilitate their catechetical work, they narrated the history salvation in poetry form which had greater appeal to the sensitivities of the Filipinos.

All over the world, wherever there are Filipinos, they bring with them this Lenten tradition along with many other cherished Catholic traditions.

ANY VOICES ARE WELCOME. If you wish to donate Salabat Tea (Ginger Tea) or Biscuits are most welcome.

For enqueries, please contact Betilda on 07919380513 or Merla on 07939684558.

Thank you and God Bless.

20

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INTERNATIONAL / GLOBAL NEWS

Kerry tells N. Korea to get ‘real’ SEOUL - US Secretary of State John Kerry Thursday welcomed new high-level talks between North and South Korea, while warning Pyongyang against trying to derail an upcoming South Korea-US military exercise.

Kerry, in Seoul to discuss North Korea’s nuclear programme at the start of an Asia tour, stressed the US would never accept the North as a nuclear state and that it would not be drawn into “talks for talks’ sake” with Pyongyang.

“We’ve been through that exercise previously, we want to know that this is real,” he said, adding North Korea had to take “meaningful action” towards denuclearisation before a dialogue could begin.

At the same time, he voiced full support for South Korean President Park Geun-Hye’s efforts to build trust with the North, and welcomed a recent diplomatic initiative that saw the rival Koreas meet Wednesday for their highest-level talks in seven years.

A second round of discussions is scheduled for Friday, with North Korea pushing the South to postpone its annual military exercises with the US until after a planned reunion from February 20-25 of family members separated by the Korean War. The drills are slated to begin February 24 and Seoul is refusing to consider a postponement—a stance that Kerry made clear had Washington’s backing.

Kerry said the reunion was a purely humanitarian issue and there was “no

legitimate excuse” for linking it to the military exercises that take place every year.

North Korea should act out of “human decency” and not try and use “one (issue) as an excuse to somehow condition the other”, he added.

Last year’s joint exercises fuelled an unusually sharp and protracted surge in military tensions, with Pyongyang threatening a pre-emptive nuclear strike, and nuclear-capable US stealth bombers making dummy runs over the Korean peninsula.

North Korea views the drills as a rehearsal for invasion, and has repeatedly demanded their permanent cancellation.

The United States has around 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea.

Under its defence agreement with Washington, South Korea is protected by the US nuclear umbrella and the United States would assume overall operational command of joint US and South Korean forces if a full-scale war with the North broke out.

China has ‘unique and critical’ role.

Kerry’s Asia tour will take him on Friday to China—North Korea’s only major ally— where he indicated he would push Beijing to do more to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.

“China has a unique and critical role it can play... and no country has a greater potential to influence North Korea,” he said, praising moves by Beijing last year to help reduce tensions after Pyongyang carried out another nuclear test.

Kerry’s visit comes ahead of an Asia tour in April by President Barack Obama, which will take in Japan and South Korea—the two main US military allies in the region.

Ties between Seoul and Tokyo are at their lowest ebb for many years, causing concern in Washington which feels the three allies must maintain a united front— particularly on the issue of North Korea.

Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula remains a hugely emotive issue in South Korea, which feels successive Japanese governments have failed to apologise properly or atone for abuses during the period.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to a controversial war shrine in December was angrily denounced by Seoul.

Kerry urged both countries to try and put the past “history behind them,” saying it was “critical” to maintain “robust trilateral cooperation”.

But South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se reiterated that Japan must “take appropriate measures to improve the situation.”

President Park came to office a year ago promising greater engagement with Pyongyang, and Wednesday’s talks had raised hopes the two sides might be ready to embark on a genuine trust-building dialogue.

But South Korea remains wary of the impoverished North’s intentions, suggesting that its only real desire is to see the resumption of several lucrative cross-border projects. ■ AFP / February 13, 2014

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

North Korea displays its Taepodong-class missile during a military parade in Pyongyang, on July 27, 2013.

Rim Sung-Ho (L) from North Korea meets one of his relatives from South Korea, July 11, 2004.

Lebanon army arrests jihadist chief, defuses car bombs

BEIRUT - Lebanon’s army on Wednesday said it arrested a commander of a group loyal to Al-Qaeda and defused two car bombs, one in Beirut and the other in the country’s east.

“After careful follow-up and monitoring, the (army) intelligence directorate in Beirut arrested the terrorist Naim Abbas, a commander of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades,” the army said in a statement.

The army said it had been monitoring Abbas, a Palestinian, for a while, “after receiving information about his role in preparing and detonating car bombs.”

The army also said it had defused two car bombs, the first in the western Beirut neighbourhood of Corniche al-Mazraa.

It said the car contained around 100 kilogrammes of explosives and explosive belts as well as mortar shells.

The statement said the army had also seized a second car “which came into Lebanese territory from Yabrud in Syria and was going to Beirut.”

The army said three women were in the car and had been detained.

Yabrud is a town not far from the

A Shiite cleric walks past a damaged building on November 20, 2013.

Lebanese border inside Syria which is under rebel control.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, which describes itself as loyal to Al-Qaeda, has been listed by the United States as a terrorist organisation since 2009.

It claimed a November twin suicide attack against the Iranian embassy in Beirut that killed 25 people.

Its Saudi leader Majid al-Majid was arrested in early January and died days later from poor health.

Abbas’s detention also follows the indictment of a Sunni Muslim sheikh, Omar Ibrahim al-Atrash, in connection with two suicide bombings in southern Beirut that killed at least six people.

In a late January statement on Atrash, the army had said Abbas was among three

“wanted men” loyal to the Abdullah Azzam Brigades and Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch.

Lebanon has seen a string of deadly attacks linked to Syria’s war, claimed by Al-Qaeda-linked groups including the Abdullah Azzam Brigades.

Although officially neutral in Syria’s conflict, Lebanon is deeply divided over the rebellion against President Bashar alAssad.

The Shiite Hezbollah movement has sent thousands of fighters into Syria to support the regime.

Sunnis support the anti-Assad revolt, and Sunni jihadists have carried out numerous car bomb and suicide attacks against Hezbollah-dominated areas, killing civilians. ■ AFP / February 12, 2014

Timeline of North Korea’s nuclear developments. Photo ©AFP.

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

INTERNATIONAL / GLOBAL NEWS

ISTANBUL - Turkey vowed Tuesday to press ahead with building what could become one of the world’s busiest airports in defiance of a court order halting the project over environmental concerns.

A court last month suspended work on Istanbul’s third airport after local residents and environmental groups filed a lawsuit arguing that the project would cause serious damage to the environment, the Hurriyet newspaper reported.

But Transport Minister Lutfi Elvan said the suspension would not interfere with construction of the airport in a heavily forested area near Terkos Lake, 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Istanbul.

“This was a decision only for a temporary suspension pending the environmental impact approval report. In no way will it affect the construction of the airport,” Elvan told reporters.

Environment and Urban Development Minister Idris Gulluce said his ministry would appeal the decision, saying “we believe

22 billion euros ($30 billion) for a 25-year lease to build and operate the planned airport.

The first stage of construction is set for completion in four years, and the facility is projected to handle 150 million passengers a year when fully operational in 2018.

Istanbul’s main Ataturk airport is fast reaching capacity, having seen a record 16.7 percent jump in passenger numbers in 2012, indicating that the new airport could turn the city into a major aviation hub.

The increase was the largest in Europe that year, according to the International Air Transport Authority (IATA).

Istanbul’s second airport Sabiha Gokcen, which began operations in 2001, has eased some of the pressure on Ataturk.

The third airport in Turkey’s largest city aims to rival Dubai’s Al Maktoum International airport, which opened in October last year and is expected eventually to accommodate 160 million passengers a year.

The CEO of Turkish Airlines, which is 49

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Turkey vows to go ahead with new airport despite court order

Passengers of different airlines wait for delayed flights at the Sabiha Gokcen Airport on February 7, 2014 in Istanbul. Photo by Mira ©AFP.

that there is a factual mistake”, without elaborating.

“No one should come to the conclusion that the airport (construction) will be prevented and Turkey’s world-famous project will be halted,” he said.

The court requested an expert report on construction plans and is expected to make a final decision on the fate of the project within a year.

The Cengiz-Kolin-Limak-Mapa-Kalyon Consortium, a Turkish joint venture, won a tender for the project last May after bidding

percent state-owned and connects Istanbul to more than 200 destinations, was adamant about the need for a third airport.

“It is of course not possible to do without the third airport. It is not possible to imagine something like that. I see this as a temporary thing,” Temel Kotil said.

Environmental massacre.

But environmentalists slammed the project’s proximity to Terkos Lake, one of metropolitan Istanbul’s six main drinking water reservoirs, providing 25 percent of demand.

“We are not opposed to such projects but the choice of location is wrong,” Baran Bozoglu, head of the Turkish Chamber of Environmental Engineers, told AFP. “The construction will destroy the lifeblood and the natural habitat of Istanbul,” he said.

“When we run out of water, will the third airport be able to provide us with water? This is an environmental massacre,” he said.

The plan to build a third airport was greeted with anger by many groups when it

was announced in May last year.

It came amid mass protests that started as a local environmental campaign to save an Istanbul park from redevelopment and evolved into a nationwide anti-government movement.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government is frequently criticised for its ambitious construction plans for the bustling city of 16 million -- which also include a third bridge across the Bosphorus and a canal parallel to the international waterway to ease traffic congestion.

The building industry has boomed under Erdogan but a controversial corruption probe is currently investigating allegations of highlevel bribery linked to some construction projects.

The probe has implicated members of Erdogan’s inner circle, including high-profile businessmen and the sons of ministers, and has posed a major challenge to the premier’s 11-year-rule. ■ Dilay Gundogan / AFP / February 11,

2014 / 1:38 PM

Putin backs Sisi’s ‘run’ for Egyptian presidency MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday endorsed Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s undeclared bid to head the strife-torn North African nation as the two leaders negotiated a massive Moscow weapons deal.

Sisi came to Moscow with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy for talks aimed at securing Russian assistance—stagnant since the late Soviet era—that could replace subsiding support from Cairo’s more recent ally Washington.

Putin told Sisi that Moscow fully backed Egypt’s new constitution and crucially made no mention of Cairo’s crackdown on protests or the army-backed overthrow in July of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

“I know that you, mister defence minister, have decided to run for president of Egypt,” Putin told Sisi in televised remarks.

“I wish you luck both from myself personally and from the Russian people.”

The 59-year-old Egyptian field marshal has not actually declared his presidential ambitions but is overwhelmingly predicted

to run in elections expected to be held later this year.

A Kuwaiti newspaper quoted Sisi as saying last week that he had “no choice but to meet the demands of the Egyptian people” and run for head of state. The army later denied the report.

Sisi would have to give up his title as head of the Egyptian armed forces in order to contest the election.

Sisi and Fahmy earlier on Thursday met their Russian counterparts to negotiate a $2-billion arms deal the two sides initially discussed in Cairo in November—a month after Washington suspended millions of dollars in assistance to the Egyptian army over Morsi’s ouster.

“Our visit offers a new start to the development of military and technological cooperation between Egypt and Russia,” Sisi told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

“We hope to speed up this cooperation,” Sisi said.

Top officials revealed no details of

Moscow’s authoritative Vedomosti business daily on November 15 said the deals under discussion were worth more than $2 billion and could be financed by Saudi Arabia.

The Soviet Union was the main supplier of arms to Egypt in the 1960s and early 1970s. Cooperation between the two sides dropped after Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty and Cairo began receiving generous US aid.

Russia is now keen to revive those Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (left) ties and Shoigu made clear on Thursday shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi smiles Putin during their meeting in Novo-Ogaryovo that Moscow fully supported the tough during his meeting with Russian Defence Minster. residence, outside Moscow, on February 13, 2014. measures taken by Sisi against Morsi and Thursday’s military discussions while said after the Cairo meeting that Moscow his Muslim Brotherhood movement. signalling that both sides were interested in was on the verge of reaching a landmark “We cannot but celebrate the adoption agreement to deliver air defence systems to of the new Egyptian constitution,” the the speedy conclusion of a deal.

Russia’s defence chief Shoigu stressed Egypt’s army.

Russian defence minister told Sisi.

Rostec chief Sergei Chemezov said that Moscow “was interested in seeing “We view your efforts at achieving on November 18 that “some contracts stability as effective.”

Egypt be a powerful and stable state.”

“In this connection, we need to discuss (with Egypt) have already been signed— Shoigu added that the two sides had fairly important issues concerning military particularly one concerning air defence touched on the possibility of Russian and and technological cooperation—their systems.”

Egypt conducting joint military exercises But he later clarified that he was referring and the option of the North African country’s current state and prospects for the future.”

Air defence systems. The head of only to a framework agreement and not to officers undergoing military training in Russia’s state industrial holding company firm delivery contracts.

Moscow. ■ Dmitry Zaks / AFP / February 13, 2014

Thai opposition loses bid to annul election BANGKOK - Thailand’s opposition on Wednesday lost a legal bid to nullify a controversial election disrupted by antigovernment protests, in a boost to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s crisis-hit administration.

The kingdom’s Constitutional Court declined to consider the petition by the Democrat Party to annul the February 2 vote and disband Yingluck’s party, saying there were insufficient grounds.

“It gives a little bit of breathing space for the government but it does not resolve the deadlock,” said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.

“The election process remains messy but it has not been derailed,” he added.

Demonstrators prevented 10,000 polling stations from opening in this month’s vote, affecting several million people, mainly in opposition strongholds in Bangkok and the south.

The Election Commission has

said the results of the vote will not be announced until polls have been held in all constituencies.

Yingluck will remain in a caretaker role with limited power over policy until 95 percent of the 500 seats in the lower house of parliament are filled to enable the appointment of a new government.

The premier called the polls in an attempt to assuage opposition protesters who have staged more than three months of mass street protests seeking her resignation.

The Democrats boycotted the vote, saying it would not end a political crisis stretching back to a military coup in 2006 that ousted Yingluck’s elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra as premier.

The protesters want Yingluck to stand down to make way for an unelected “People’s Council” to enact reforms to tackle corruption and alleged vote buying before new polls are held.

Case over. The Democrats had argued that the failure to hold the entire election on the same day was an attempt to grab power

unconstitutionally—a complaint rejected by the court.

“This case is over,” said the head of the opposition’s legal team, Wiratana Kalayasiri, who filed the petition.

“But if the government does anything wrong again, we will make another complaint,” he told AFP. The Constitutional Court also rejected a request by Yingluck’s Puea Thai Party to order an end to the opposition protests on the grounds that their action aimed to overthrow the democratic system.

Yingluck’s opponents say her government is controlled by her brother Thaksin, who fled Thailand in 2008 to avoid going to jail for a corruption conviction and now lives in Dubai.

Pro-Thaksin parties have won every election for more than a decade, most recently in 2011 under Yingluck, helped by strong support in the northern half of the kingdom.

The Election Commission on Tuesday set a date of April 27 for election re-runs in constituencies where voting was disrupted by protesters.

An anti-government protester poses for pictures with a man carrying a doll with a picture of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in downtown Bangkok on February 10, 2014

But there is still no decision on what to do about 28 constituencies that have no candidates because demonstrators blocked the registration process.

Protesters have occupied major intersections in the capital since January 13 in a self-styled “shutdown” of Bangkok, although disruption to people’s daily lives has been limited.

Attendance has fallen sharply with most sites nearly deserted for much of the day and several thousand people joining the rallies in the evenings.

The leaders of the anti-government

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra shows her vote at a polling station in Bangkok

movement have called for a big two-day protest starting on Friday.

There has been a series of grenade attacks and shootings in the capital—part of a wave of political violence linked to the protests that has left at least 10 people dead and hundreds injured.

Yingluck also faces an investigation by an anti-corruption panel into possible negligence of duty in connection with her flagship rice subsidy scheme— a move that could potentially result in her impeachment. ■ Thanaporn Promyamyai / February 11, 2014 / 7:09 PM

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HEALTH and Lifestyle

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

How much sleep do kids need?

THERE’S no magical number of hours of sleep that all children in a particular age group need, but here is a guide to the hours of slumber they should aim for.

Sleep is very important to a child’s wellbeing. A lack of sleep can cause a child to become hyperactive and disagreeable, and have extremes in behaviour.

Here are some approximate numbers based on age, as recommended by the Millpond Children’s Sleep Clinic: 1 week • daytime: 8 hours • night time: 8.5 hours 4 weeks • daytime: 6.75 hours • night time: 8.75 hours 3 months • daytime: 5 hours • night time: 10 hours

6 months • daytime: 4 hours • night time: 10 hours 9 months • daytime: 2.75 hours • night time: 11.25 hours 12 months • daytime: 2.5 hours • night time: 11.5 hours 2 years • daytime: 1.25 hours • night time: 11.75 hours 3 years • daytime: 1 hour • night time: 11 hours 4 years • night time: 11.5 hours 5 years • night time: 11 hours 6 years • night time: 10.75 hours

7 years • night time: 10.5 hours 8 years • night time: 10.25 hours 9 years • night time: 10 hours 10 years • night time: 9.75 hours 11 years • night time: 9.5 hours 12 years • night time: 9.25 hours 13 years • night time: 9.25 hours 14 years • night time: 9 hours 15 years • night time: 8.75 hours 16 years • night time: 8.5 hours ■ NHS Choices

How TVs, phones and screens impair kids’ sleep A survey has shown that using computers, mobiles and TVs at night affects children’s sleep and, therefore, their health, mood and performance at school.

Studies show that many children are severely sleep deprived. One in three children aged 12 to 16 sleeps for just four to seven hours a night, according to a poll of 1,000 youngsters by The Sleep Council.

Children in this age group require eight to 10 hours’ sleep a night, say sleep experts.

They reckon that screens and other electronic devices are to blame and advise placing strict limits on the use of TVs, mobile phones or computers in a child’s bedroom during the evening.

Nearly one in four of the children surveyed admitted they fell asleep more than once a week while watching TV, listening to music or during other technical distractions.

Virtually all the children polled (98.5%) have a phone, music system or TV in their bedroom and two-thirds (65%) have all three.

The effects of lack of sleep. Most teenagers don’t make the link between getting enough quality sleep and how they feel during the day, says Dr Chris Idzikowski of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre.

He says the impact of poor-quality sleep on a teenager’s health is comparable to

regularly eating junk food. “We’re seeing the emergence of junk sleep,” he says.

“That’s sleep that is neither the length nor quality that it should be in order to feed the brain with the rest it needs to perform properly at school.”

Evidence shows that night-time sleep is just as important as healthy eating and exercise for children to develop. Those who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to be overweight or obese. This is because they tend to crave and eat sugary or starchy food during the day to provide energy to stay awake.

The key to adequate sleep is whether a child gets up fairly easily in the morning, is alert and happy for most of the day and is not grumpy.

Younger children who are persistently sleep deprived seem irritable and overactive, seek constant stimulation and lack concentration.

Such symptoms can be mistaken for mild ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

Children need deep sleep. Professor Jim Horne of Loughborough University’s

Why are teens always tired?

TROUBLE getting up on school days, dozing off in class, marathon lie-ins at weekends ... You’d be forgiven for thinking teenagers sleep their lives away.

In fact, the opposite is true. Sleep experts say teens today are sleeping less than they ever have. This is a worry, as there’s a link between sleep deprivation and accidents, obesity and cardiovascular disorders.

Physiological changes, social pressures and external factors such as TVs and other stimulating gadgets in the bedroom contribute to late nights and mood swings.

Lack of sleep also affects teenagers’ education, as it can leave them too tired to concentrate in class and perform to their best ability in exams.

Teen sleep thieves. Our sleep patterns are dictated by light and hormones. When light dims in the evening, we produce a chemical called melatonin, which gives the body clock its cue, telling us it’s time to sleep.

“The problem is that society has changed,” says Dr Paul Gringras, consultant paediatrician and director of the Evelina Paediatric Sleep Disorder Service at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

“Artificial light has disrupted our sleep patterns. Bright room lighting, TVs, games consoles and PCs can all emit enough light to stop the natural production of melatonin.”

Other distractions include mobile phones and instant messaging, which teens may use well into the night.

These all worsen the usual changes taking place in the body during adolescence, which means teenagers fall asleep later in the evening.

“That wouldn’t be a problem if there was no need to get up early in the morning for school,” says Dr Gringras.

“The early-morning wake-ups mean they’re not getting the average eight to nine hours of sleep. The result is a tired and

Sleep Research Centre is an expert in sleep deprivation and says children going through puberty and adolescence need to “sleep longer and deeper”.

“It’s a time during which their brains are undergoing major change,” he says. “The brain is undergoing major restructuring and rewiring and sleep is important for it to recover.

“A poor night’s sleep can interfere with a child’s performance and behaviour the following day. There’s a stereotype of teenagers being grumpy and bad tempered, and that’s sometimes due to a lack of sleep.”

Peer pressure and social factors, including the increase in entertainment equipment in the bedroom, are making it increasingly difficult for children to sleep well.

“Bedrooms are changing from a place of rest and tranquillity to places where there are lots of things to keep children awake, such as computers and televisions,” says Horne.

“Children are often tempted to take their mobile phone to bed with them and start texting without their mum and dad knowing.

“This distraction means they’re not in a relaxed state for good-quality sleep, which can affect their learning.

“I would place firm night-time limits on the use of a television, mobile phone or a computer in their bedroom.” ■ NHS Choices

cranky teenager.”

Several school districts in the US have introduced later start times for pupils in an effort to improve their performance, although results have been mixed.

How the body clock affects sleep.

Catching up on sleep at weekends isn’t ideal. Late nights and long lie-ins further disrupt the body clock,” says Dr Gringras.

In severe cases, an individual’s body clock can be so different to everyone else’s that they can’t fall asleep until late at night.

This condition is called delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS). It’s similar to the feeling of jet lag and is a disorder of the body’s timing system.

Treatment for DSPS includes bright light therapy – such as exposure to a bright light for about half an hour every morning – and chronotherapy, which involves restoring the individual’s natural sleep phase.

“Sometimes we give a small dose of melatonin in the evening, about an hour or

Healthy sleep tips for children KEEPING your child to a regular bedtime routine can be difficult, but it can help improve the quality of their sleep.

For some children, irregular sleeping hours can be problematic. Setting a regular bedtime schedule can really help children get the right amount of sleep.

It’s important to devise a routine that works for you and your child and to stick to it.

“Keep regular sleeping hours,” says Jessica Alexander of The Sleep Council, a non-profit organisation that provides advice on good sleep.

“A bedtime ritual teaches the brain to become familiar with sleep times and wake times,” she says. “It programmes the brain and internal body clock to get used to a set routine.”

Relaxation techniques to aid sleep.

Winding down is a critical stage in preparing your child for bed. There are many ways for them to relax: • A warm (not hot) bath will help their body reach a temperature where it’s most likely to rest.

• Relaxation exercises, such as light yoga stretches, will help relax their muscles.

• Relaxation CDs work by relaxing the listener with carefully chosen words and gentle hypnotic music and sound effects.

• Reading a book or listening to the radio will relax their mind by distracting it from any worries or anxieties.

Here are some more relaxation tips your teenager can use to prepare them for sleep.

so before bedtime,” says Dr Gringras. “Over the long term, this helps to reset the body clock.”

“However tired they feel, they should avoid lie-ins at the weekend. They should get exposure to outdoor light,” he says.

Getting help for sleep problems. A range of services for sleep problems can be accessed through the NHS. Your GP can tell you more about this.

Dr Gringras says: “Your doctor will also be able to give you basic advice on addressing sleep issues and, where appropriate, recommend a sleep clinic.” ■ NHS Choices

Avoid TVs in the bedroom. The bedroom should be a relaxed environment.

Experts say that bedrooms are strongly associated with sleep, but that certain things weaken the association. These include TVs, mobiles/smartphones and other electronic gadgets, light or noise, and a bad mattress or uncomfortable bed.

Try to keep your child’s bedroom a TV-free zone and get them to charge their phones and other devices downstairs. That way they’ll be out of temptation and won’t disturb them if a text or email comes through.

Get a comfy bed. “It’s important to create an environment that’s favourable for sleep,” says Alexander. “Keep the bedroom just for sleeping.”

The bedroom needs to be dark, quiet and tidy. It should smell fresh and be kept at a temperature of 18-24°C. Jessica adds: “Fit some thick curtains. If there’s noise outside, consider investing in double glazing or, for a cheaper option, earplugs.”

A comfortable bed is essential. Research

by The Sleep Council shows that a goodquality mattress and bed frame will give you an extra hour’s sleep a night.

Dr Chris Izikowski of the Edinburgh Sleep Centre, who led the research, says people benefit from changing their bed if it’s uncomfortable. “It’s likely that long-term insomniacs and those with inadequate sleep habits would benefit most,” he says.

Keep a sleep diary. One of the first things your GP or sleep expert will get you to do is to keep a sleep diary for your child as part of diagnosing any sleep problems.

“The sleep diary might reveal some underlying conditions that explain sleep problems, such as stress or medication,” says Alexander.

A sleep diary might reveal lifestyle habits or experiences in your child’s day-to-day activities that contribute to sleep problems.

A sleep diary could include answers to the following questions: • What were your child’s sleeping times?

• How long did it take them to get to sleep?

• How many times did they wake up during the night?

• How long did each awakening last?

• How long did they sleep in total?

• Did they do any exercise shortly before going to bed?

• Did they take any naps during the day or evening?

• Has anything made them anxious or upset? ■ NHS Choices

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

HEALTH and Lifestyle food

The vegetarian diet FOR vegetarians who eat dairy products and eggs, a healthy diet is the same as for anyone else but without meat or fish.

A healthy vegetarian diet contains plenty of fruit and vegetables and starchy foods, some non-dairy sources of protein such as eggs and beans, some dairy products and just a small amount of fatty and sugary foods.

Healthy eating. The eatwell plate shows you the different types of food you need to eat, and in what proportions you need to eat them, to have a balanced and healthy diet.

You do not need to get the balance exactly right at every meal, but try to get it right over longer periods, such as a whole day or week. Choose options low in fat, salt and sugar whenever you can.

As outlined in the eatwell plate, you should eat: Plenty of fruit and vegetables. Try to eat at least five portions of fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced fruit and vegetables a day. As well as vitamins and minerals, fruit and vegetables provide fibre, which aids digestion and prevents constipation.

Plenty of potatoes, bread, pasta and other starchy foods. Starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, cereals, rice and pasta should make up about a third of the food you eat. Where you can, choose wholegrain varieties.

You should eat some starchy foods every day as part of a healthy balanced diet.

Starchy foods are a good source of energy and the main source of a range of nutrients in our diet. As well as starch, they contain fibre, calcium, iron and B vitamins.

Some milk and dairy foods. Milk

and dairy products, such as cheese and yoghurt, are good sources of protein, calcium and vitamins A and B12. This food group includes milk and dairy alternatives, such as fortified soya, rice and oat drinks, which also contain calcium.

To make healthier choices, go for lowerfat milk and dairy foods.

Some eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein. Pulses include beans, lentils and peas. They are a low-fat source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, and they count as a portion of vegetables.

Nuts and seeds are also a source of protein and other nutrients. Pulses are particularly important for people who do not get protein by eating meat, fish or dairy products.

Other non-dairy sources of protein include eggs and meat alternatives, such as tofu, mycoprotein (such as Quorn), textured vegetable protein and tempeh.

You need to eat a variety of different sources of protein to get the right mixture of amino acids, which are used to build and repair the body’s cells.

Just a small amount of foods and drink high in fat and/or sugar. These include spreading fats, oils, salad dressings, cream, chocolate, crisps, biscuits, pastries, ice cream, cakes, puddings and fizzy drinks.

Only eat a small amount of these foods.

Foods in this group mainly provide energy in the form of fats and sugars, but may only provide a very small amount of other nutrients.

Getting the nutrients you need. It’s important to vary what you eat. Some nutrients are found in smaller amounts in vegetarian sources or are less easily

absorbed by the body than those in meat or fish.

Contrary to popular belief, most vegetarians usually have enough protein and calcium (found in dairy products) in their diet.

However, if you don’t plan your diet properly, you could miss out on essential nutrients. For example, vegetarians need to make sure they get enough iron and vitamin B12 in their diets.

Being vegetarian during pregnancy and beyond. During pregnancy and when breastfeeding, women who follow a vegetarian diet need to make sure they get enough vitamins and minerals for their child to develop healthily.

If you are bringing up your baby or child on a vegetarian diet, you need to make sure they eat a wide variety of foods to provide the energy and vitamins they need for growth.

Getting enough iron. Vegetarians are more likely to have lower iron stores than

Vegetarian and vegan mums-to-be EATING healthily during pregnancy is important for your own health and the health of your developing baby.

It’s important to eat a varied and balanced diet during pregnancy. This will provide enough nutrients for your own health and the development and growth of your baby during pregnancy.

Vegetarian and vegan mums-to-be need to make sure they get enough iron and vitamin B12, which are mainly found in meat and fish. Pregnant and breastfeeding

women are also at risk of not getting enough vitamin D. Iron in your diet. Good sources of iron for vegetarians and vegans are: • pulses • dried fruit such as apricots • dark green vegetables • wholemeal bread • fortified breakfast cereals (with added iron) • eggs (for vegetarians who include them in their diet)

Vitamin B12 in your diet. Good sources of vitamin B12 for vegetarians are: • milk and cheese • eggs Good sources for vegetarians and vegans are: • fortified breakfast cereals • fortified soya drinks • yeast extract such as Marmite As sources for vegans are limited, a vitamin B12 supplement may also be needed.

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23

meat eaters. Good sources of iron for vegetarians include: • eggs • pulses • dried fruit • dark-green vegetables such as watercress, broccoli and spring greens • wholemeal bread • fortified cereals (with added iron) Getting enough vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is needed for growth, repair and general health.

Vitamin B12 is only found naturally in animal products. If you regularly eat dairy products or eggs, you probably get enough. However, if you only eat a small amount or avoid all animal products, it’s important to have a reliable source of vitamin B12 in your diet.

Good sources of vitamin B12 include: • milk • cheese • eggs • fortified yeast extracts such as Marmite • fortified breakfast cereals and fortified soya products

Vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids, primarily those found in oily fish, can help maintain a healthy heart and reduce the risk of heart disease when eaten as part of a healthy diet.

Sources of omega-3 fatty acids suitable for vegetarians include: • flaxseed (linseed) oil • rapeseed oil • soya oil and soya-based foods, such as tofu • walnuts • egg enriched with omega-3 Evidence suggests that vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids may not have the same benefits for reducing the risk of heart disease as those in oily fish.

However, if you eat a vegetarian diet, you can still look after your heart by eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day, by cutting down on food that is high in saturated fat and by watching how much salt you eat. ■ NHS Choices

Vitamin D in your diet. Vitamin D is found in meat, oily fish and eggs, but your body can also make vitamin D when your skin is exposed to summer sunlight.

All pregnant women, regardless of their diet, are advised to take a vitamin D supplement throughout pregnancy to ensure they have enough vitamin D for their baby. Vegans will need to read the label to ensure that the vitamin D used in a product is not of animal origin.

Calcium in your diet. If you’re a vegan, you also need to make sure you get enough calcium. This is because non-vegans get most of their calcium from dairy foods.

Good sources of calcium for vegans include: • fortified soya, rice and oat drinks • calcium-set tofu • sesame seeds and tahini • pulses • brown and white bread • dried fruit • dark-green leafy vegetables Talk to your midwife or doctor about how you can get all the nutrients you need for you and your baby.

Foods to avoid when pregnant. All pregnant women, regardless of their diet, are advised not to eat mould-ripened soft cheese (such as brie or camembert) and soft blue-veined cheese (such as roque fort or Danish blue). These cheeses could contain listeria, which can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or serious illness in newborn babies.

Pregnant women are advised not to eat pâté, including vegetarian pâté, which can also contain listeria. Some vegetarian pâté contains raw eggs, which may carry a risk of salmonella infection.

Pregnant women are also advised not to eat raw or partially cooked eggs.

Breastfeeding on a vegan diet. If you’re breastfeeding and following a vegan diet, it’s especially important to take a vitamin D supplement, as recommended for all breastfeeding women. If you have been taking a vitamin B12 supplement, should also continue taking it while you are breastfeeding.

You should be able to get all the other vitamins and minerals you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

Vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D are recommended for infants aged between six months and five years old, unless they are getting more than 500ml (about a pint) of infant formula a day. You can buy suitable drops at any pharmacy.

It’s recommended that you exclusively breastfeed your baby until they are around six months old, then gradually introduce solids while continuing to breastfeed.

Soya infant formula is the only alternative to cow’s milk formula for vegan mothers who cannot or choose not to breastfeed. Get advice from your midwife, health visitor or GP before using soya infant formula. ■ NHS Choices

24

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CELEBRITY, SHOWBIZ & ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

GOK WAN

TO HOST ONE NIGHT GALA CONCERT

YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE THE WEST END UNITES FOR THE PHILIPPINES QUEEN’S THEATRE SUNDAY, 2 MARCH 2014

AWARD-winning TV personality, fashion guru, author and all round National Treasure Gok Wan will host the special one-night-only concert You’ll Never Walk Alone at the Queen’s Theatre on Sunday, 2 March 2014 at 7:30pm in aid of the Philippines Typhoon Appeal. Tickets are now on sale from £32.50, with all proceeds going directly to the Disasters Emergency Committee.

Thanks to the overwhelming success of his Channel 4 series How To Look Good Naked, acclaimed fashion stylist and on-screen consultant Gok Wan is now an institution on our screens. Not only has Gok appeared in a further six series of the award-winning show, he has also hosted Gok’s Fashion Fix, Gok’s Clothes Roadshow and Gok’s Style Secrets, leading to him becoming one of Britain’s most sought after entertainers. No stranger to the stage, Gok recently made his theatre debut in Birmingham Hippodrome’s panto Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and was seen in the accompanying Channel 4 documentary Gok Does Panto.

Gok said today: “I’m absolutely thrilled to be hosting You’ll Never Walk Alone, the West End’s response to the recent disaster in the Philippines. The atmosphere is going to be electric, the cast are phenomenal and this

event is going to be a fantastic way to reignite awareness of this beautiful country where so much has been completely devastated.

The work the DEC are doing to provide much needed aid to the areas affected is vital, the reconstruction process is far from over and people of the Philippines still need our help.”

Gok will be joined on by an array of stars from the Philippines, the London stage and beyond. Names already confirmed include Danielle Hope, Strictly’s Pasha and Katya, Cynthia Erivo, Cassidy Janson, Britain’s Got Talent’s Francine Lewis, Joanna Riding, Hannah Waddingham, Joseph Apostol, Hugh Maynard, Michael Xavier, Emmanuel Vass and Avenue Q original London cast members Julie Atherton, Jon Robyns, Simon Lipkin and Giles Terera.

On 7 November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most intense tropical storms ever to make landfall anywhere in the world, struck the Philippines. Millions were affected by torrential rain, winds of over 140mph and flooding of up to 15 feet, devastating coastal areas. Over 14 million people have had their lives torn apart, with approximately 590,000 homes completely destroyed and well over 4 million people forcibly displaced due to the destruction.

You’ll Never Walk Alone - The West End Unites for the Philippines is a one-

night-only gala concert in support of the Philippines Typhoon Appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), which brings together 14 of the UK’s leading aid charities to raise money in order to quickly reach those in need.

The money raised will contribute to the ongoing need for emergency shelter, clean water and food as well as helping survivors rebuild their lives.

Promising an unforgettable evening of music and comedy and lead by a cast of Britain’s brightest stars of the West End and beyond, You’ll Never Walk Alone will be an uplifting reminder of the importance of collaboration and the fact that theatre really can make a difference. The concert will also featuring an ensemble of Filipino performers and a magnificent on stage band.

The event has been instigated by the UK based theatre Filipino community, many of whom moved to the United Kingdom in the 1990’s to take part in the original production of Miss Saigon, the worldwide smash-hit musical produced by British theatre impresario, Cameron Mackintosh.

Cameron Mackintosh said: “The Philippines have been a special part of my life ever since Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil and I first went there 25 years ago to cast the original production

of Miss Saigon. As well as being an exceptionally talented nation, the people we have met are also warm, generous and good-hearted human beings who have become our friends the world over. The recent terrible natural disaster there has affected so many people and along with the international aid, I am only too happy to offer the use of the Queen’s Theatre for a fund raising performance led by stars of the Philippines and the West End to help gather as much money as possible for those in desperate need.”

DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said: “We have been overwhelmed by the support for our Philippines Typhoon Appeal but even in that context the gala performance of You’ll Never Walk Alone promises to be a real highlight. It is wonderful to have a cast that includes so many Filipino performers as well as stars of the stage and screen. We are extremely grateful to the cast, crew, producer Paul Spicer and to Cameron Mackintosh and Delfont Mackintosh Theatres for their respective roles in bring together this wonderful event.”

Producer Paul Spicer said: “In such dire situations we often feel helpless, but through entertainment and celebration of the Filipino people’s resilience, we can

make a difference. This will be a truly oneoff event rooted in hope and inspired by the Filipino spirit and vivacity. Disasters like this may often seem a million miles away from our reality, but when a crisis occurs it affects humanity as a whole. By lending our efforts to this appeal, we are expressing loyalty not only to the people of the Philippines, but to humankind.”

You’ll Never Walk Alone is directed

by Jacqui Sanchez and choreographed

by Grant Murphy, with musical direction

by Alan Berry. It is produced by Paul Spicer and Matt Firth for Stage Acts Productions with the kind support of Delfont Mackintosh Theatres. Avenue Q puppets are by Paul Jomain - www.

Qpuppets.co.uk. ■ For more information visit: www. westendunites.com / Twitter - @ WestEndUnites / Official hashtag #WestEndUnites SUNDAY, 2 MARCH 2014, 7:30pm QUEEN’S THEATRE, Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6BA Tickets £65 (Premium Party Pass), £52.50, £42.50, £32.50 (NHS Discount £5 off) Box Office: +44 (0) 844 482 5164 | www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk – ON SALE NOW

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February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

Bo Cerrudo, Robert Seña offer best of theater, concert worlds with ‘Valentine Serenades’ WITH so many Valentine’s shows just around the corner, the ones that are likely to stand out are those that would offer something fresh and different.

One such show is “Valentine Serenades” which features the unlikely pairing of Bo Cerrudo and Robert Seña in a concert that Cerrudo best describes as “a fusion of musical theater and concertizing”.

Both Bo and Robert started as singers who were later identified with theater musicals. Robert actually started his career as a rock singer during his college days but is best known for his three-year stint as The Engineer in the West End production of “Miss Saigon”.

Bo, the artist formerly known as Bimbo Cerrudo, on the other hand, was already one of the country’s sought-after balladeers when he found himself gravitating to theater musicals. He is recently known for his indelible portrayal of the King of Siam in the recent Manila staging of “The King and I”.

It comes as no surprise therefore that the concert also follows a theater-style storyline written by award-winning screenwriter Bibeth Orteza that follows the friendship of Bo and Robert, from their courtship of

certain ladies to their happily married life.

“Kaibigan naman namin ni Robert si Bibeth so I asked her to write us a script for this concert,” Bo told InterAksyon and other entertainment media during a press conference to promote the show. “She did a great job so now, the concert has a more relaxed and casual flow, with many funny moments that the audience will enjoy.”

A generous serving of about 25 to 30 songs will be performed by Bo and Robert, including solo performances, duets and mash-ups of numbers that range from timeless ballads, songs from musicals, kundimans and OPM standards.

“The concert offers something different in the sense that it combines Bo’s high baritone voice with my tenor vocals. How those two different sounds is what makes this show unique,” Robert added.

Asked if the OPM numbers will include specific favorites, including Bo’s hit rendition of Wadab’s “Pag Tumatagal, Lalong Tumitibay”, Bo initially said it wasn’t included in their original set list. He confessed, however, that he is seriously bringing it back after watching a recent show by the OPM Hitmen, the vocal group that consists of

Family, friends, hordes of fans say goodbye to Tado THE child led her elder sister through the tombstones, wanting to explore her surroundings under the noonday sun.

“Walang kamalay-malay,” remarked Andres “Dax Longhair” Tamayo Jr., one of the closest friends of their father.

The curly-haired tyke, in a black, longsleeved shirt, black, polka-dotted pants, and sparkly brown shoes, had no idea.

Her mother and other sisters were inside the nearby building, where smoke puffed out of the roof, a signal that the remains of her father, artist and activist Arvin “Tado” Jimenez, were being cremated.

Tamayo recalled that he was just around her age when his mother died. He would only know his mother through the stories others told about her.

Tila, who turned four years old three days after her father died, would be the only one smiling later, when her father’s family and friends walked from the crematorium of Loyola Memorial Park, Marikina City, to the nearby ossuary of the Holy Trinity Chapel. Here, Tado’s wife, Lei, and his other daughters Taja, Diyosa, and Indi would place the urn bearing his remains in the depository.

They carried sunflowers and yellow mums with them, in keeping with his favorite color. So too did one of his daughters bear his bicycle helmet, while Mario Escolano, Tado’s friend, walked his bike along with the small procession.

Escolano was a volunteer for Tado’s political campaign to become a Marikina City councilor in 2010 and 2013. The comedian, whom not many Marikeños knew by his real name, lost both times. Tamayo added that his friend wanted to run in 2016 as well.

“Tata Mar” was how Tado called Escolano, the latter saying his stint as a volunteer led to true friendship between the two. He recalled how Tado gave his Tata Mar a bike of his own. As for the bike Tado left behind, well, Escolano does not know yet what will become of it.

Tado planned to scale his 40th mountain

A bouquet of yellow mums stands before the ossuary where the cremated remains of comedian Arvin ‘Tado’ Jimenez were deposited Friday at the conclusion of his funeral. Photo

by Tricia Aquino ©InterAksyon.

in time for his 40th birthday on March 24, Escolano added, a tear sliding down the old man’s cheek.

Tila, on the other hand, waved happily to the few who stayed out of more than 1,000 people who paid their respects Wednesday morning, before the cremation. The family huddled for a tight hug. She continued to wave afterwards, some deigning to smile back at her.

All clapped for Tado before they finally left.

Legal charges to follow. Tado was among the 14 who died in a bus accident Friday last week in Bontoc, Mountain Province.

There are no plans yet for legal action against GV Florida Transport, the bus company operating the unit that bore the illfated passengers.

Leni Velasco, executive director of Dakila – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism, which Tado cofounded in 2005, said that his family would have their time to grieve before the next steps were discussed.

But they would definitely file a case, she stressed. With Tado being an activist, he would have found it a grave injustice if nothing was done not just for him, but for all the other victims of the tragedy, she said.

With other artist-advocates, Tado had been involved in such Dakila campaigns as “Mas mabuti nang magbuwis ng dugo kaysa magbayad ng dagdag na buwis (It’s better to shed blood than to pay more taxes),” a blood-

Richard Reynoso, Rannie Raymundo, Chad Borja and Renz Verano.

“Kabit na kabit yung mga kanta nila.

So sabi ko, why not? Puwede pa sigurong isama sa show,” he enthused.

For his part, Robert said he’s a big fan of the songs of George Canseco. “Yan lang ang mga kanta ko sa karaoke,” he confessed.

Both credit their theater training and constant vocalizing for their staying power.

Robert said that while his roots in singing music contributed to establishing his range, he did not fully develop his vocal potential until he had a voice coach that helped him during his stint with “Miss Saigon”.

“Three years yun sa West End, tuloy-tuloy so we have to find a technique, how to open our throats, how to sing so we can prolong our voices for the performances ahead.

When I went to a vocal coach, dun ko na rin na-develop yung classical elements that further enhanced my singing,” he recalled.

Bo, on the other hand, said he constantly vocalizes even in his car. “I’m the kind of person who tries his best to live in the moment and take the challenge that is right there. Ganun naman madalas ang schedule ko, do a musical then a concert then back to

Bo Cerrudo and Robert Seña.

musical,” he revaled.

“Adjusting from one to the other is not the big concern that it was before when my confidence level used to vary. But eventually, everything fell into place as far as I’m concerned. After ‘The King and I’ closed last May, I had all the time to adjust back to concertizing.”

Also featuring special guests Aicelle

Santos, Rafa Siguion-Reyna, Richard Merk and Rachel Anne Wolfe and an ensemble from the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra under the musical direction of Rodel Colmenar, “Valentine Serenades” is happening on Thursday, February 13, at the Grand Ballroom of Solaire Resort & Casino.

■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / February 13,

2014 / 1:46 PM

FAP chief Leo Martinez slams ex-FAP contractor who claims he is only after MMFF funds

VETERAN actor and incumbent director general of the Film Academy of the Philippines Leo Martinez denies the allegations made by a former contractor of the organization that he is only after the “money” of the Metro Manila Film Festival and was even involved in unauthorized withdrawals of FAP funds.

In a letter to the MMFF, Revor Lasay, national chairman of the Sectoral Anti-Poverty Movement (SAP), alleged that Martinez contracted him in July 2011 to revive his “Doon Po Sa Amin” film awards project which was disapproved for funding by the Office of the President.

letting drive to denounce a controversial expanded value-added tax law; “Linisin ang Pilipinas (Clean up the Philippines),” a promotion to literally and figuratively rid the country of dirt; and “Tik Tok Pilipinas”, a partnership with Oxfam Philippines to call for action on climate change.

Now that he is gone, his friends continue to come together for a worthy cause.

According to Velasco, musicians have reached out to her to say they would hold benefit concerts for the family Tado left behind. So too have visual artists donated their artwork to be auctioned for his children’s education.

She added that contrary to reports, Willie Revillame did help out, from day one expressing his interest to make sure Tado got the funeral he deserved. She said he paid for all the funeral services, but so too did many friends pool their resources and raise funds for Tado’s final resting place.

“We are so overwhelmed. We did not realize just how much people loved Tado,” she said. ■ Tricia Aquino / InterAksyon.com / February 12, 2014 / 5:18 PM

“I felt the issue here is not really the welfare of the movie workers as he proudly claimed but plainly money, money, and the huge amount of money from the recordbreaking earnings of the 39th film fest,” Lasay said in his letter, referring to Martinez.

In a four-page narration he attached to his letter, Lasay claimed he and his “Doon Po Sa Amin” project management team were not duly paid by FAP for their work and their expenses were not reimbursed as promised

by Martinez.

It was only on October 28, 2011 that one of the members of FAP board of governors informed Lasay that not all members of the board of governors were aware of the release of FAP funds for the project because only Martinez and the treasurer have access to FAP’s bank accounts.

“If the releases of funds for the DPSA (Doon Po Sa Amin) team were allegedly not approved by the Board of Governors of FAP and that only Mr. Martinez (who was appointed FAP head due to his closeness with a top official of the previous administration) and the treasurer has access to FAP’s bank accounts, I believe, the funds should be returned to FAP and they (Martinez and the treasurer) should be held liable on the alleged habitual and series of bank withdrawals/fund releases without the knowledge and approval of the FAP’s Board of Governors,” Lasay pointed out.

In response, Martinez sent an email to InterAksyon in which he categorically denied Lasay’s allegations which the FAP chief described as both “baseless” and “false”.

“The truth is FAP filed an estafa case against him (Lasay) on March 23, 2012,” he added.

To support his position, Martinez attached copies of both the board resolution signed by the FAP governors authorizing him to file a case against Lasay in the organization’s behalf and the formal complaint-affidavit he executed with the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City.

In his complaint-affidavit, Martinez

recalled that “sometime in the summer months of 2011, the respondent (Lasay) approached the FAP to propose a joint project with the SAP Movement and the Sangguniang Kabataan National Federation (“SK”) for ‘Doon Po Sa Amin’” Martinez said he sent Lasay’s proposal which included an executive brief and a budget to the board of governors (BOG) for recommendation and approval.

“In the BOG meeting of July 27, 2011, the proposal to join forces with SAP Movement and SK was approved. On 29 July 2011, the respondent addressing himself as Project Team Head sent a letter addressed to me requesting a sum of money for the needed monthly administrative requirement,” Martinez further narrated in his complaintaffidavit.

In total, Martinez said Lasay was able to advance money from the FAP in the amount of Three Hundred Thirty Six Thousand Five Pesos (336,000) for “the purported administrative and operational expenses of his team for the months of August and September 2011 with no accounting or liquidation being submitted back to FAP as required”.

By November of that same year, Martinez claims he sent two demand letters to Lasay, first demanding for an accounting and liquidation of the advanced funds and second, demanding the return of the money or “else criminal and civil court actions may be taken by the FAP”.

Aside from Martinez, those who signed FAP Board Resolution 12A-2011 authorizing him to pursue legal action against Lasay were Robert Arevalo, Deputy Director-General, Manuel Morfe, Treasurer, William Mayo, Rez Cortez, Boots Anson Roa, Orly Ilacad, Isagani Sioson, Isabel Sebullen, Rolando Ruta, Joel Apuyan, Wilson Tieng, Jesus Navarro and Josefino Cenizal.

Atty. Inton, in a separate interview, told InterAksyon that they are also considering charging Lasay with libel for his allegations. ■ Clara Masinag and Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / February 11, 2014 / 5:05 PM

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February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

GMA Kapuso Villages soon to rise in Leyte REBUILDING the lives of the many displaced residents in Leyte due to typhoon Yolanda begins as GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF) starts construction on two Kapuso Villages in Tacloban and Palo.

The groundbreaking ceremonies of the Kapuso Villages, one in the city of Tacloban and the other in the municipality of Palo, were held last January 21.

In partnership with the local government units and the National Housing Authority (NHA), GMAKF’s Kapuso Villages will serve as resettlement areas for the residents of Tacloban and Palo who were displaced by Yolanda last year.

GMAKF EVP and COO Mel C. Tiangco led the groundbreaking ceremonies together with NHA represented by its Regional Project Manager Engr. Rizalde.

Joining them were staff and officers of

the local government units – in Tacloban, Mayor Alfred S. Romualdez, barangay chairpersons Hon. Alden Villarmino of Barangay Sto. Nino, and Hon. Emilita Montalban of Barangay 88; and in Palo, Mayor Remedios L. Petilla and Leyte Vice Governor Hon. Carlo Loreto – as well as the beneficiaries of the project.

Driven by its mission to uplift the lives of underprivileged Filipinos all over the Philippines, GMAKF’s housing project aims to provide indigent victims of Yolanda with sustainable permanent shelter that could withstand future calamities. “The donations entrusted to us by the many compassionate and concerned citizens from all over the world will materialize into a wonderful new beginning for the families here in Leyte,” shares Tiangco.

Former residents of Barangay San Jose

in Tacloban will be given priority for the 400 houses that will be built in the Kapuso Village in the area. Furthermore, GMAKF hopes to foster learning among the youth with the construction of 20 new classrooms within the village. The construction site stands on a 3.5-hectare plot of land donated by the city government of Tacloban.

Meanwhile, the relocation site in Sitio Caloogan, Palo will have 200 houses and 10 classrooms which will be allocated to former residents of Barangay San Joaquin, Barangay Baras and Barangay Guindaponan. The site is situated on approximately 2.5 hectares of forest land.

For details on how to contribute to the GMA Kapuso Foundation’s projects, you may visit their website, www.gmanetwork.com/ kapusofoundation. Meanwhile, for details and information on your favorite Kapuso

The groundbreaking ceremony for Kapuso Village Palo was attended by Dr. Nelly Ledesma, Palo Mayor Remedios L. Petilla, GMAKF EVP and COO Mel C. Tiangco, Leyte Vice Governor Carlo Loreto, NHA Regional Project Manager Engr. Rizalde Mediavillo, and Councilor Wilson Uy.

artists, visit the GMA International website www.gmanetwork.com/international, Facebook pages www.facebook.com/ GMAPinoyTV, www.facebook.com/ gmalifetv, and, www.facebook.com/ gmanewsinternational, and Twitter pages @GMAPinoyTV and @GMA_LifeTV. ■

GMAKF EVP and COO Mel C. Tiangco lowers a time capsule that contains the project plans and wish notes during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Kapuso Village in Tacloban.

GMAKF EVP and COO Mel C. Tiangco leads the groundbreaking ceremonies in Palo, Leyte last January 21, 2014.

2014 Miss World beauty pageant, Actor Roy Alvarez dies of cardiac arrest isinusulong na gawin sa Pilipinas

BINISITA ni Miss World 2013 Megan Young nitong Huwebes si Vice President Jejomar Binay sa Coconut Palace, Pasay City, upang hingin ang suporta nito sa hangarin ng Miss World organizing committee na maidaos sa bansa ang prestihiyosong beauty pageant ngayong taon.

Ang pagdaraos umano ng nabangging na beauty pageant ay isang paraan para maipagpatuloy ang pagtulong sa muling pagbangon ng mga nasalanta ng bagyong “Yolanda,” ayon sa ulat ng dzBB nitong Huwebes.

Ayon kay Megan, malaking pagkakataon din ang naturang plano para sa promosyon ng turismo sa bansa. Kung matutuloy ito, magititipon-tipon sa Pilipinas ang lahat ng mga kandidata mula sa iba’t ibang bansa para sa kompetisyon na mapapanood naman sa buong mundo.

Ipinaliwanag naman ni Steve Douglas, producer at event director ng Miss World Ltd., na batay sa kanilang proposal, magkakaroon ng iba’t ibang event kapag natuloy ang pagdaraos ng pagent ngayong Nobyembre. Kabilang na rito ang isang linggong fashion event, beach fashion event, at concert for a cause upang makakalap ng tulong para sa mga biktima ng bagyong “Yolanda.”

Ayon naman kay Cory Quirino, Miss World Philippines-National coordinator, kung matuloy ang proposal, ito ang kaunaunahang pagkakataon na tatayong host ang bansa kaya naman humihingi sila ng suporta sa pamahalaan.

Samantala, wala namang nakikitang dahilan si Binay upang hindi ito suportahan dahil malaki ang maibibigay nitong oportunidad para sa imahe ng bansa at kabuhayan ng mamamayang Filipino.

Nakatakda ring magtungo ang grupo ni Megan sa tanggapan ni Tourism Sec. Ramon Jimenez, upang isulong ang hangarin ng mga organizer ng Miss World.

■ Mac Macapendeg / FRJ, GMA News / February 6,

2014 / 5:08 PM

Martes, sinabing kinumpirma ng kapatid ng aktor ang pagpanaw ni Roy dahil sa atake sa puso.

Sunod-sunod din ang post ng pakikiramay para sa mga naulila ng aktor na aktibo rin pagdating sa pangangalaga sa kalikasan.

Ang aktres na si Maricar de Mesa, nagpost ng mensahe sa Twitter account tungkol sa pagpanaw ng kasama niya sa seryeng “Villa Quintana.”

Just received a really sad sad news. RIP Tito Roy Alvarez aka Don Manolo Quintana.@ villaquintana7 ???? – Maricar de mesa (@ msMaricarDemesa) February 11, 2014 Nagpaabot din ng pakikiramay ang batikang aktres at direktor na si Gina Alajar sa mga naulila ng aktor.

With sadness and grief, my heartfelt sympathies to the family of Mr Roy Alvarez, a good actor, a friend and a great person. I will miss you. – Gina Alajar (@ginalajar28)

February 11, 2014 Sa isang ulat ng showbiz news online na PEP.ph, sinabing maliban sa pagiging aktor, direktor din at scripwriter sa pelikula, telebisyon, at teatro si Roy. Napapanood si Roy sa GMA soap na remake ng Villa Quintana, na pinagbibidahan nina Elmo Magalona at Janine Gutierrez.

Napanood din siya sa nakaraang hit Kapuso primetime series na My Husband’s Lover, kung saan gumanap siya bilang ama ni Keempee de Leon.

Ang iba pa nilabasang teleserye sa GMA ni Roy ay ang Amaya, Unforgettable, Alice Bungisngis and Her Wonder Walis, at Pahiram Ng Sandali.

Pumanaw si Roy habang nagluluksa pa ang industriya ng showbiz sa pagkamatay naman ni Arvin “Tado” Jimenez nang mahulog sa bangin ang sinasakyan niyang bus. ■ FR Jimenez / GMA News / February 11, 2014

/ 11:30 PM

G. Toengi: ‘I’m excited to be back in GMA’

Miss World 2013 Megan Young pays a courtesy call on Vice President Jejomar Binay at the Coconut Palace on Thursday, February 6. Young discussed with Binay the plans to rebuild areas devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas.

Mark Herras reveals his romantic side Is he the type of guy who will go the extra WE’RE used to seeing Kapuso actor Mark Herras bust a move on the dance floor in Sunday All Starsor showcase his acting chops as Joaquin Vasquez in the primetime series Rhodora X. As Valentines’ Day draws near, the Bad Boy of the Dance Floor opens up about his softer, more romantic side and candidly shares how he makes his girl feel extra special.

When asked what his most memorable Valentines Day is, Mark says it was with ex-girlfriend Ynna Asistio. Halos limang taon din ang relasyon ng dalawa bago ito natapos noong July last year.

“Ang pinaka-memorable talaga sa akin is ‘yung araw na nag-effort ako. Nag-set up ako ng candlelit dinner with petals and candles sa floor. Tapos pinatugtog ko ang theme song namin,” kuwento ng aktor nang aming makapanayam sa mall show ng Rhodora X.

PUMANAW na nitong Martes ang aktor na si Roy Alvarez na kabilang sa cast ng GMA afternoon series na “Villa Quintana.” Siya ay 63-anyos.

Sa ulat ng GMA news Saksi nitong

mile to impress a girl on Valentines’ Day? “Hindi naman every Valentines’ Day, pero once in a while, mahilig ako mag-surprise.

I want to show na nag-eeffort ako doon sa relationship namin. Hindi ko ‘yung ginagawa para lang maging sweet ako. Ginagawa ko ‘yun dahil gusto ko, at dahil pinaparamdam ko sa babae na importante siya.”

Hindi man daw ganun kasaya ang kanyang puso ngayong single siya, may special person naman siyang makakasama sa February 14.

“Kung wala akong trabaho, siguro it’s time naman na i-date ko ang mom ko. Kakain siguro kami somewhere na gusto niya. Hindi naman kailangan kapag Valentines’ Day, girlfriend mo or mayroon kang ka-date na hindi mo kamag-anak.”

Mark Herras stars as Joaquin in Rhodora X, weeknights after Carmela: Ang

MATAGAL ding hindi napanood si G. Toengi sa GMA mula nang umalis siya ng bansa para mag-aral at manirahan pansamantala sa Amerika.

Matatandaan na napanood natin siya bilang Genie G. ng Beh Bote Nga, isang hit sitcom na tumagal sa ere mula 1999 hanggang 2003. Nakatrabaho niya rito sina Janno Gibbs at Anjo Yllana. Nang matapos ang show, nakasama si G. Toengi sa hit TV series na Encantadia bilang Ynang Reyna.

Samantala, 2004 naman nang makasama si G. Toengi sa box office hit na pelikula ni Bossing Vic Sotto, ang Enteng Kabisote film series. Tatlong beses siyang gumanap bilang Ina Magenta, ang biyenan ni Bossing.

Pinakamagandang Babae sa Mundong Ibabaw, on GMA Telebabad. He also appears in Sunday All Stars, Sundays after Kapuso Movie Festival. ■ Michelle Caligan and Bochic Estrada / GMANetwork.com / February 12, 2014/ 7:08 PM

Pagkatapos nito ay nagpunta siya sa Amerika para pag-aralan ang pagiging artista. Nag-aral siya sa Lee Strasberg School of Acting sa New York at nagtapos din ng Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies sa University of California sa Los Angeles.

Kuwento ni G. Toengi, doon na raw siya sa Amerika nagkaroon ng pamilya. Sa katunayan ay mayroon na siyang dalawang anak na doon niya pinalaki. Sila ay sina Kenobi Benjamin at Sakura Anne Marie.

Ayon sa aktres, dalawang taon na raw ang nakalilipas mula nang bumalik siya rito sa Pilipinas. Dagdag pa niya, masayangmasaya daw siya dahil kahit daw matagal siyang nawala ay may ino-offer pa rin sa kanyang projects ang iba’t ibang networks.

At ngayong 2014, GMA naman ang pinagbigyan ni G. Toengi matapos niyang tanggapin ang role na inalok sa kanya sa Telebabad series na Paraiso Ko’y Ikaw.

“I’m happy to be here in GMA whose doing cutting edge shows like My Husband’s Lover. As an actor, siyempre you want to be able to do work that’s cutting edge and innovative. So I’m excited to be back in GMA,” pahayag niya.

Dagdag niya, marami daw siyang bagong mukhang nakikita sa TV ngayon na gusto niyang makatrabaho. “Marami

akong makakasama na never ko pang nakatrabaho so I feel excited to work with fresh blood,” aniya.

Bukod pa rito, miss na miss niya na rin daw ang mga kaibigan sa showbiz na matagal niyang hindi nakita. “I’m really excited to see friends na ang tagal ko na ring kilala at nakasama. Siyempre ang dami kong memories with these people.

So, nakakataba ng puso na maski matagal akong nawala, I’m able to be given roles na puwede kong buhayin,” anang aktres.

Dagdag niya, “It would be a lie to say that I’m not excited to work with Gabby (Eigenmann) and Janno again because nakatrabaho ko na sila dati eh. So I’m itching to be on screen with them again.”

Abangan ang character ni G. Toengi bilang Regina sa Paraiso Ko’y Ikaw, weekdays after Tale of Arang on GMA Telebabad. ■ Al Kendrick Noguera and Bochic Estrada / GMANetwork.com / February 11, 2014 / 4:10 PM

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

CELEBRITY, SHOWBIZ & ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP

How to win Bela Padilla’s heart STUNNING Kapuso star Bela Padilla is one happy lady this Valentine’s Day as she will celebrate the love month with someone really special.

As a girlfriend, Bela shared that she is never the girly type who thinks of the most romantic place or the most romantic surprise.

“I’m more of the ‘go with the flow’ [type]. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a super romantic place kasi I think I’m contented. So minsan kahit DVD night lang or movie,[okay na]. What’s romantic for me is when someone can guess what I want right now. It’s more of the gesture,” she said.

For Bela, consistency is the key to win her heart. “‘Yung hindi isang araw mo lang siya maaasahan, or ‘yung Valentine’s niyo lang gagawin ito. Pero ‘yung araw-araw nandiyan siya, or arawaraw maaasahan mo na you’ll receive happiness,” she shared.

Bela is truly not your typical girl.

She enjoys good food as a Valentine’s

surprise. In fact, she quipped that plenty of food to relish would be delightful.

Apart from that, Bela simply shared one important thing to win her as a friend or as a girlfriend: “A good conversation is really important to me. I like people who I can talk to not necessarily in a romantic way. To win me over kahit as a friend, I want someone who can keep a good conversation.”

Bela claimed that she is not a love expert but she happily suggested some tips for a happy relationship.

“I’m very happy [with] how my lovelife is going. I think the key is to be very open with problems. My boyfriend [Neil Arce] is also very open about his problems, so we help each other out. Constant communication; we never let a day pass without talking. Example, dinner break or lunchtime may time naman na mag-text or tumawag. Siyempre you want to make the person you love feel special. So ‘yun lang, keep reminding that person na they are special.” she answered.

thing that happened to me in 2013 and the next years to come.”

This 2014, Heart looks forward to spending more time for romance.

Does she already have plans for Valentine’s Day, which also happens to be her birthday?

The Kapuso leading lady answered, “I’ll be leaving with Chiz and a few friends of mine. We’ll be going to a different country and just enjoy the weather. That’s it.”

She added, “My show (Magkano Ba Ang Pag-ibig?) will also be ending. I’ll also be ending filming My Trophy Wife so it’s another stage in my life where I get to be just me and go around the world for a bit so excited ako doon.”

Since everything seems to be going smoothly for Heart in her career and love life, is she now ready to tie the knot?

“I’ve been tsismised that I’m getting married and all of that which sometimes is a bit frustrating because bago pa dumating sa hype na iyon, parang hindi na nae-excite ‘yung mga tao dahil ‘yon na lang ang parating tsismis sa akin,” she said.

There won’t be wedding bells for Heart

Estrada / GMANetwork.com / February 13, 2014 /

■ Samantha Portillo / GMANetwork.com / February 4,

2014 / 3:58 PM

Max Collins renewsThecontract with Kapuso Network Kapuso actress charmed her concept, Max explained, “Mystical po

INNAMORATA star Max Collins still remains to be a Kapuso. She signed a twoyear exclusive contract with GMA Network on Monday, February 10.

Present at the contract signing event were GMA executives Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, Chairman and CEO; Ms. Lilybeth G. Rasonable, Senior Vice-President of Entertainment; Ms. Redgie Acuna-Magno, VP for Drama; Ms. Gigi Santiago-Lara, AVP for Alternative Productions; Mr. Simoun Ferrer, GMA Artist Center AVP for Imaging; Ms. Angel Javier-Cruz, AVP for Corporate Communications; Mr. Charles Koo, Program Manager and Mr. Perry Lansigan, Max Collins’ manager.

On her contract renewal, she said, “Sobrang proud ako na maging isang Kapuso ulit. Sobrang happy ako sa bago kong project. I’m super blessed and thankful.”

way into viewers’ hearts in the Philippine adaptation of Coffee Prince. She was then paired with Kapuso Primetime King Dingdong Dantes in the GMA Telebabad series, Pahiram ng Sandali.

She briefly appeared in romantic comedy series, With A Smile and became a regular in Bubble Gang. This goes to show how wide Max’s acting range is.

This 2014, Max will be having her first lead role as she stars in the upcoming GMA Afternoon Prime series, Innamorata.

Max mentioned that they have been taping for the series for three weeks now. Innamorata will be airing beginning February 17. It is very timely since the afternoon soap is all about love. Max will be paired with Luis Alandy and Dion Ignacio in the series.

When asked about the show’s

HINDI lahat ng artista ay nabibigyan ng second chance pagkatapos mawala sa showbiz ng mahabang panahon. at masasabing mapalad ang Kapuso actress na si Yasmien Kurdi dahil after getting married and giving birth to Ayesha Zara, the Starstruck 1 finalist was cast as Maggie Monteclaro in Anna Karenina, and now plays the role of Angela in the primetime series Rhodora X. Sa ginanap na bloggers’ conference ng Rhodora X, ikinuwento ni Yasmien ang ginawa niyang pagpapaliwanag sa executives ng Kapuso Network tungkol sa naging sitwasyon niya noon kung bakit nagdalawang-isip siyang pumirma ng kontrata.

“Before po kasi, nung umalis ako,

2:57 PM

and Senator Chiz for now but the good news is Heart will be hosting a bridal show called Weddings TV. Heart said the show’s objective is to help future brides have a memorable yet affordable wedding.

Weddings TV airs every Saturday from 11 to 11:30 am on GMA News TV. Also, catch Heart Evangelista on the GMA Afternoon Prime series, Magkano Ba Ang Pag-ibig?during weekdays, and Startalk and Sunday All Stars every Sunday.

iyong kuwento. Hindi lang siya basta dramatic. May magic element and kasi ‘yung character ko has a skin disease.

Then ‘yung character of Luis Alandy, bulag naman siya. It’s two people who have certain disabilities and they fall in love. It’s about finding true beauty through love.”

“Matagal ko itong pinangarap and hinintay. I’m just really thankful that finally, I’m here,” said Max. “I’m very pressured kasi siyempre gusto ko maging maganda ang reviews. Sana mabigyan ko rin ng justice ang character ko. I hope my performance would be worthy of being a lead,” she stated.

For the latest updates on Max Collins, keep visiting www.gmanetwork. com. ■ Samantha Portillo and Bochic Estrada / GMANetwork.com / February 11, 2014 / 5:05 PM

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Yasmien Kurdi’s second chance

To know more about Bela Padilla and other Kapuso artists, log on to www. gmanetwork.com. ■ Maine Aquino and Bochic

Heart Evangelista: ‘I’ve never been this happy ever in my life’ THE year 2013 was a fruitful one for Heart Evangelista.

The Kapuso actress headlined Magkano Ba Ang Pag-ibig?, was given a hosting stint in Startalkand got magazine covers and endorsements here and there. Amidst all these achievements, Heart considers the gift of love to be the highlight of 2013.

The chinita actress-host shared that her relationship with Senator Chiz Escudero is better than ever.

“It’s just really realizing that the best things in life ay may kapalit like when it comes to my love life. I’ve never been this happy ever in my life,” she said.

Early last year, Heart had a falling out with her parents because they were against her relationship with the charismatic politician. She has since mended her rift with her father.

Heart said, “I know I really had to go through a lot for us to be where we are and all of these things - work, certain people, they come and go; but to have somebody by your side through everything and to have the security and stability of the relationship without trying so hard. I think that’s the best

www.hello-philippines.com

sinabi ko talaga na ‘magiging unfair po sa inyo kung papipirmahin niyo pa po ako ng kontrata tapos nag-aaral ako ngayon, nagdu-duty ako sa mga ospital.’ Ang sabi lang nila, ‘basta kapag babalik ka na, sabihin mo na lang sa amin,’” ani Yasmien.

Ang maayos na pagpapaalam na ito ni Yas ay nasuklian din naman when she decided to make a comeback. Nagdatingan ang TV offers mula sa iba-ibang networks pero nagdesisyon siya na manatili sa GMA. “I’m very overwhelmed. Sobrang saya ko. Blessing na rin from God na nung sinabi kong babalik ako, may offers agad,” masayang pahayag ni Yasmien.

Dagdag pa niya, she’s very thankful not just to the bosses of GMA but also to her fans na naniniwala pa rin sa kanyang talento at kakayahan bilang artista.

“Sa mga gusto pang mag-grow ako as an artist, super thank you po talaga for giving me beautiful roles. I love what I’m doing,” saad niya.

Abangan si Yasmien Kurdi bilang Angela sa Rhodora X, Mondays to Fridays after Carmela: Ang Pinakamagandang Babae sa Mundong Ibabaw, on GMA Telebabad. ■

Michelle Caligan / GMANetwork.com / February 4, 2014 / 10:27 PM

Jackie Rice admits: ‘Hindi ako romantic’ ALTHOUGH it is difficult to believe because she’s in a strong five-year relationship, Jackie Rice doesn’t call herself a romantic.

However, she admits to trying to make her non-showbiz boyfriend smile through simple ways like inviting him to go out and spend time together.

“Mas madalas, nag-yayaya ako na magdinner, watch ng movie or punta sa lugar na di pa (namin) napupuntahan, or sa Baguio, (‘yung) favorite place namin,” she shared.

She thinks that it’s a girl’s right to get surprises from their significant others, but she also believes that guys deserve it too.

However, she admits that she just runs out of ways sometimes.

“Hindi ako romantic... (pero) sweet ako,’

yun nga lang kinakapos sa ideas. ‘Di ko lang alam kung paano (mag-surprise),” the actress said.

She makes up for her “lack of ingenuity” by making him take part in one of her favorite activities – traveling. “(When we went to) Hong Kong together… Dalawa lang kami, wala kaming kilala, wala kaming itinerary so (sabi namin), ‘Anong gagawin natin?’ Sweet siya for me kasi may bonding kami. Wala (kaming) kakilala, (kaming) dalawa lang. First abroad namin ‘yun together,” the self-confessed unromantic girlfriend said.

Does the fact that her boyfriend is not a part of the showbiz industry help maintain their relationship?

“Showbiz man or non-showbiz, nasa sa inyo ‘yan eh kung magloloko kayo. Kasi, like siya, di ko naman siya kasama palagi.

(Iisipin ko,) Ano ba ginagawa niya pag di ko (siya) kasama? Pag showbiz naman, di mo alam kung nai-in love na ‘yung boyfriend mo sa ka-partner niya on-screen,” she said.

“Kung kayo talaga (ang para sa isa’t isa), kayo talaga,” she added.

Catch Jackie Rice as Gina in Innamorata starting February 17 in GMA Afternoon Prime. ■ Meryl Ligunas / GMANetwork.com / February 13, 2014 / 9:10 PM

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NEWS

www.hello-philippines.com

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

Court junks Deniece’s plea for protection order vs Vhong MANILA - The Taguig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) has junked Deniece Cornejo’s petition for a temporary protection order (TPO) against actor-host Vhong Navarro.

After a 30-minute hearing, Friday afternoon, Taguig RTC Branch 69 Judge Lorifel Lacap-Pahimna decided to dismiss Cornejo’s plea for protection order for lack of probable cause.

Navarro’s camp welcomed the court’s ruling. Alma Malongga, Navarro’s counsel, said Cornejo’s plea for a TPO was just a “tactic” to “delay” the legal proceedings for the criminal charges that the actor filed against the 22-year-old model, businessman Cedric Lee, his sister Bernice,

and five other respondents.

A protection order is issued by the court if it determines that there is a need to protect women and children against from further acts of violence, safeguard the offended parties from harm, and minimize any disruption in their daily life.

Last month, days after he was mauled inside Cornejo’s condo unit in Taguig City, Navarro filed charges of grave coercion, illegal arrest, blackmail, serious illegal detention, serious physical injury, and grave threat against Cornejo and her friends.

According to Navarro, he was tied up, blindfolded, and beaten up by Cedric and five other men, who also tried to extort P2

Tantoco was the chief aide of Luisa “Loi” Ejercito when she was first lady during the presidency of her husband, Joseph Estrada, now mayor of Manila.

Ranillo was also involved in a 2005 case with Napoles’ JLN Corporation. The actor and his wife were sued by JLN over the couple’s alleged non-payment of a vehicle worth P1 million.

Raniilo, father of actress Krista Ranillo and son of veteran actress Gloria Sevilla, countered Napoles camp’s accusation by submitting to the court payment vouchers from JLN Corp.

Among the vouchers that Ranillo presented to the court was one dated August 11, 2005 wherein it was stated that Jinggoy Estrada received a “payment for P50 percent of P30 million rebate charge” worth P1.14 million.

A second voucher submitted by Ranillo dated January 13, 2005 stated that a 5-percent commission worth P475,000

was charged to the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of then Sen. Luisa “Loi” Ejercito, the mother of Jinggoy and wife of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.

The third voucher dated December 12, 2005 stated, “50 percent rebate/ commission full payment of the commission charge to Sen. Loi Proj. (project)” worth P1.2 million.

In a report on Wednesday, The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted principal pork scam whistle-blower Benhur Luy as saying that it was Jinggoy who persuaded his mother to allocate her PDAF to Napoles.

The report said that according to Luy, Loi’s projects were implemented but involved a commission of 40 percent just like her son’s projects.

The Inquirer said it obtained a document purportedly showing that on May 9, 2005, Loi wrote to then Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Arthur Yap requesting the

million from him.

Cornejo filed rape charges against the actor.

Meanwhile, Cornejo, Lee, and the six others charged in Navarro’s mauling failed to attend the first day of preliminary investigation on the criminal case filed against them by the actor. The investigation at the Department of Justice in Manila was also scheduled on Friday, the same day that a hearing was held at the sala of Judge Lacap-Pahinma.

Only lawyer Arleo Magtibay attended the investigation on behalf of the eight respondents. ■ InterAksyon.com with Philippine

News Agency / February 14, 2014 / 3:32 PM

Mat Ranillo III willing to cooperate with DOJ on pork ‘scam’ probe - report MANILA, Philippines - Actor Matias Archibald “Mat” Ranillo III is willing to cooperate with the government in its on-going investigation into the alleged multibillion-peso pork barrel racket, the state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) quoted Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima as saying Friday.

The PNA said that according to De Lima, she had been receiving information about Ranillo’s willingess to help the DOJ in its investigation of the purported scam allegedly masterminded by detained businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.

The DOJ chief reportedly said that if Ranillo finally decides to cooperate by sharing information about the alleged scam and Napoles’ operations, the DOJ would first assess the significance of the actor’s testimony.

On Wednesday, De Lima said her agency would investigate Ranillo’s alleged link to Napoles.

Actor Mat Ranillo III in the 1996 film,“Kristo.”

Ranillo’s name cropped up during Thursday’s continuation of the inquiry by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee into the pork barrel scam.

Dueing the inquiry, whistle-blower Ruby Tuason testified that she came to know that Ranillo, together with his wife Erlinda Tupaz, delivered more than P11-million in pork barrel kickbacks to the house of Justa Tantoco at 1564 Mahogany Street in Magallanes Village, Makati City.

transfer of her PDAF, with special allotment release order (SARO) E-05-00181 dated Jan. 24, 2005, to the Philippine Social Development Foundation, said to be among Napoles’ several dummy non-goverment organizations (NGO).

Another document obtained by the Inquirer showed that Loi on January 11, 2006 allegedly wrote then DA Secretary a letter for the channeling of her P10-million PDAF, with SARO No. ROCS-05-07-593 dated December 29, 2005, to agriculture livelihood projects via the Masaganang Ani Para sa Magsasaka Foundation, another NGO being linked to Napoles.

A third letter by Loi dated February 7, 2007 allegedly informed Yap on the allocation of P23 million of her PDAF to the towns of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Agusan del Sur, with Saro No. ROCS-06-07680 dated Nov. 22, 2006, via Masagang Ani, according to the Inquirer. ■ InterAksyon.com / February 14, 2014 5:44 PM

Power rate hike: DOE tells high court PSALM violated electricity spot market rules

MANILA - The Department of Energy (DOE) on Tuesday said the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM) had violated rules, effectively preventing competition among players in the country’s electricity spot market.

During the third installment of the oral arguments on the power rate hike at the Supreme Court, DOE Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla admited to Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno that PSALM had violated the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market anticompetitiveness behavior rule for not allowing the Malaya thermal power plant to run when electricity supply was acute in November last year.

Sereno asked if the DOE had ordered PSALM to run Malaya as a “must-run” plant when supply was down.

To this Petilla said his office had instructed PSALM to run Malaya when needed and it was up to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to call the shots when this would be. NGCP is the sole operator of the country’s power grid, therefore, it knows the supply and demand of electricity at all times.

This was the time when the Malampaya gas field had shut down almost at the same time when other power plants also temporarily closed for maintenance, causing power supply shortage and the spike in the cost of electricity, as claimed by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco).

However PSALM did not dispatch Malaya, saying the cost of running the plant was high. During its presentation before the

Supreme Court, counsel for the governmentrun firm said the Malaya thermal power plant has several technical limitations such as a long start-up time--about 16 hours--to synchronization. As such, Malaya cannot shut down during bid intervals and if it shuts down, the facility will have to forego 16 bid intervals.

It is expensive, officials said, as P3.75 million would have to be spent per cold start for Unit 1 and P1.63 million per cold start for Unit 2. This means the government would have to spend P5.4 million in total start-up cost for both units.

With the prevailing market conditions, running the Malaya plant would result in a P1.3-billion loss per month.

When it was run as a must-run unit, Malaya ran for 267 days or 44 times in 2010; 28 days or 8 times in 2011; 151 days or 32 rimes in 2012; and 56 days or 8 times in 2013.

Sereno then asked Petilla what is the Energy department’s main concern in the whole scheme of things, and the secretary replied that his agency is mandated to make

sure that there was adequate power supply and that price was only secondary.

Sereno also asked the DOE chief if PSALM could defy the order of the department not to run Malaya because of the expense it would incur, thereby ignoring the statute of its governing body of supplying the public with stable supply at reasonable cost.

Petilla replied that PSALM had been penalized in the past due to similar defiance.

In an interview following the oral arguments, Petilla told reporters that PSALM’s action may be considered anti-competitive but it has to be verified first by an investigation of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

“Anti-competitive behavior is under [the jurisdication of the] ERC, what we [DOE] are concerned with are WESM rules. I’ll leave it up to them. But now we’ll just supply them with data,” Petilla said.

“It depends on what the findings are. I will wait for further investigation rather than conclude at this point,” he added. ■ Likha Cuevas-Miel /

InterAksyon.com / February 11, 2014 / 9:01 PM

Wikipedia.org file photo of Malaya thermal power plant.

In file photo,President Aquino takes time to attend the screening of sister Kris’ produced film,”My Little Bossings” with nephews Josh and Bimby. He is carrying Ryzza Mae Dizon, who co-stars with Bimby.

Dateless PNoy’s Valentine wish: Kris, don’t make me baby-sit today

MANILA – The country’s most eligible bachelor conceded Friday he has no date on Valentine’s, but expressed aloud one wish: that his youngest sister Kris Aquino, who marks her birthday today, won’t make him baby-sit her children so he can still have time to go out with his buddies.

Unable to fend off a question from women members of the Malacañang Press Corps in a freewheeling interview he granted at the PTAA 21st Travel Tour Expo at the SMX Center in Pasay City, Mr. Aquino at first quipped, “parang wala na akong oras” [I think I don’t have time anymore] when he sensed the question that would be popped by a male reporter on behalf of the women in the group: “Sir, who’s your date today?”

The President, who turned 54 last

Feb.8, admitted he would not be dating a particular girl, but added that he had not forgotten—thanks to a timely “reminder from Senator Angara”—that Valentine’s is also the birthday of his sister Kris, movie-TV actress-host whose two boys often stay with the President for bonding sessions.

Mr. Aquino said he will most likely go out with his small circle of friends: “Mamaya naman ay magtitipon kami ng mga kaibigan ko at may konting salu-salo, hanggang doon na lang ‘yon. At least, siguro, hindi naman idedeposito sa akin ni Kris ‘yung kanyang mga anak itong araw na ito [Later today I will share a meal with some friends, that’s just about it. At least, I hope.

Kris won’t deposit her kids with me today].”

■ InterAksyon.com / February 14, 2014 / 2:25 PM

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

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PNoy appointment of PNP general as head of Claims Board an ‘insult’ to rights victims - Selda MANILA, Philippines -- An organization of Martial Law victims on Friday denounced Malacañang for appointing a retired police general at the helm of the Human Right Victims Claims Board, saying it was an “insult and indifference” to the victims.

On Thursday, Malacañang announced the appointment of former Philippine National Police Directorate for Police Community Relations director Lina Castillo Sarmiento as chief executive of the nine-member board tasked to process, evaluate,and approve application for claims of reparation and recognition of humanrights victims.

“This is the gravest insult that the Aquino government inflicted upon the victims of Martial Law,” Marie Hilao-Enriquez, chairperson of Samahan ng mga Ex-

File photo of retired PNP general Lina Sarmiento.

Photo by Abigail Kwok, ©InterAksyon.

Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (Selda).

“Sarmiento was part of the Philippine Constabulary that implemented, along with the AFP, the worst of human rights violations during the Marcos dictatorship. How can we accept that,” Enriquez added.

In a separate statement, human rights lawyer Edre Olalia, said Sarmiento’s

credibility was questionable, especially when it comes to her understanding and knowledge of human rights and in efforts against human rights violations during the Marcos years.

“Nothing personal. But does she “have a deep and thorough understanding and knowledge of human rights and involvement in efforts against human rights violations” committed during the Marcos regime as mandated by the law?” Olalia, secretary general of the National Union of People’s Lawyers said.

“Why put woman in uniform who represents an institution that has historically played its indispensable role in violating human rights at the helm of a body on human rights? What sort of macabre message is this?” he said.

“As a PNP human rights officer, she played into the part of the apologist mechanism during the GMA administration killing spree and nightmare of disappearances of scores of civilians. Does this inspire trust and confidence?” Olalia added.

Selda took exception to Malacañang’s decision to leave the group out of the board despite being a legitimate organization with many Martial Law human rights victims.

“This is not the real sentiments of Martial Law victims. This is (President) Benigno Aquino’s Claims Board led by a general originating from the most dreaded human rights violators, the defunct Philippine Constabulary, a forerunner of the Philippine National Police,” Enriquez said.

Besides Sarmiento, the other appointed

members of the claims board are Jose Luis Martin Gascon, Byron Bocar, Aurora Parong, Galuasch Ballaho, Jacqueline Mejia, Glenda Litong, Wilfred Asis and Erlinda Senturias.

The creation of the board came one year after the signing of Republic Act 10368 or the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013.

A fund of P10 billion, plus accrued interests, was appropriated for the claimants’ reparation which is part of the amount transferred by the Swiss Federal Supreme Court to the Philippine Government and which the Philippine Supreme Court forfeited in favor of the Republic of the Philippines as Marcos’s ill-gotten wealth. ■ Lira Dalangin-Fernandez /

InterAksyon.com / February 14, 2014 / 4:29 PM

PRO-JPE? Not content with her ‘scant’ testimony, Trillanes urges Tuason to take lie detector test

MANILA - For allegedly saying “halftruths” in her testimony, Ruby Tuason should not be admitted at once to the government’s Witness Protection Program but should first undergo a lie detector test.

This was the call made by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Friday as he believed that Tuason’s rather sketchy testimony on the alleged pork barrel scam appeared to have protected Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile from being pinned down for plunder.

Trillanes said he had a bad hunch when he heard Tuason’s “scant” testimony before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Thursday.

“Hindi maganda ‘yong kutob ko when I heard her. In fact, I was giving her a chance to say everything. I figured she just said so much sa (in the) affidavit, she was holding

back till yesterday. Manipis istorya niya [Her story was flimsy], Trillanes told reporters in an interview.

While Tuason’s testimony pinned Sen. Jinggoy Estrada down, the same appeared to have made Enrile get off the hook, according to Trillanes.

“Malabnaw ang testimony kay Senator Enrile. Walang magpi-pinpoint sa kanya [Her testimony on Senator Enrile wasn’t solid. Nobody could pinpoint him],” Trillanes said.

And while Sen. Teofisto Guingona III described Tuason’s testimony as a “threepoint shot,” Trillanes said it was just an act of dribbling and no scores had been earned yet.

“Ako, ang description ko nagdribble pa lang, di pa shumu-shoot. Baka magmintis pa. Nadala kasi lahat sa hype na ‘this is it, this is another breakthrough.’... Kailangan

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV

muna niyang sabihin (lahat) [She should first tell everything]. [She should] live up to expectations.” said Trillanes.

According to Tuason, she personally delivered Jinggoy’s alleged shares of pork barrel kickbacks either to the senator’s residence in Greenhills, San Juan or to his office at the Senate in Pasay City.

“When I deliver Senator Jinggoy’s share at his Senate office, I was instructed to pass

through to the entrance of the Senator’s, so that the bag containing the money will not be opened,” Tuason said in her affidavit, which she reiterated during the Senate inquiry on Thursday.

As to the kickbacks that she allegedly handed to Enerile’s former chief of staff, Jessica “Gigi” Reyes, Tuason said the money was either picked up by Reyes from Tuason’s residence or at restaurants “where we both agreed to meet.”

According to Tuason, she met Reyes in the following restaurants either along Pasay Road in Makati City or at The Fort in Taguig City: Tsukiji, Mamou, Gourmand, and L’Opera.

Tuason said there were occasions in their meetings in said restaurants that “Enrile would join us, when we are almost done, for a cup of coffee.”

“He (Enrile) did not stay long. After coffee, he would leave and sometimes he would come to pick up Atty. Gigi Reyes,” added Tuason.

On Friday, Trillanes said he was looking for a “possible explanation” to Tuason’s sketchy testimony on Enrile’s alleged link to the purported pork racket. The senator surmised that Tuason could have been helped by the “other senator” after Estrada refused to help her financially.

“Naghahanap ako ng possible explanation. Humingi siya ng tulong kay Estrada,di siya tinulungan. Baka tinulungan siya no’ng isa. Ayan. And suddenly, she can afford paying P40 million,” said Trillanes referring to the portion of Tuason’s pork kickbacks that she promised to give back to the government. ■ InterAksyon.com / February 14, 2014 / 7:14 PM

De Lima defends Tuason from Trillanes’ tirades PNoy to Napoles: Tell all before you can be taken as state witness JUSTICE Secretary Leila de Lima on Friday defended Ruby Tuason’s testimony from the criticisms of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, saying the potential state witness was just being “overly cautious” when she faced the Senate blue ribbon committee on Thursday.

In an interview, De Lima said only a “skillful trial lawyer” could extract the answers Trillanes wanted to hear from Tuason, a witness in the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam.

“Iyong mga detalye [na gusto ni Trillanes], a skillful trial lawyer during the proper stage—and what is the proper stage? Trial before the Sandiganbayan— would be able to really extract all those other details in the course of additonal direct testimony,” the Justice chief said.

She, however, said she understands Trillanes if he had reservations over Tuason’s testimony at the Senate hearing.

“Minsan sa pagtatanong din iyan. Kasi siyempre ang sinasagot iyong tanong,” she said.

De Lima also said that Tuason could not have been privy to every detail of the fund scam simply because she merely acted as “go-between” for alleged scam brains Janet Lim-Napoles and Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

“You must understand na si Mrs Tuason... She admits she is the go-between.

Meaning yung agent, yung middle man.

Siya yung taga-abot. Yun lang ang role niya, taga-hatid nung kickback, yung share

nung lawmakers involved,” De Lima said, adding that Tuason would have only been concerned with her “referral share” and nothing else.

“She didn’t deem it proper or desirable na she would keep track or she would also record yung mga hinahatid niyang kickback na iyon,” she said.

During Thursday’s Senate inquiry, Trillanes expressed his dismay over Tuason’s statements, calling them “general and inadequate.” He criticized Tuason for failing to recall the exact amount of money she had delivered to Estrada and Enrile, through the latter’s then chief of staff Gigi Reyes.

De Lima said even if Tuason could not recall some details of their transactions with Napoles, that does not make her any less credible.

“It’s actually plausible and which makes her more credible na hindi niya pinipilit na mag-provide ng detalye na hindi naman niya kayang i-provide. Hindi ba kasi nga hindi nga niya trabaho yung magbilang nung mga kickbacks,” De Lima said, denying accusations that the Department of Justice and the Natioanl Bureau of Investigation were “coaching” Tuason.

“Ang pinaka-importante dito is talagang napatunayan iyong mga sinasabi nila Benhur Luy and other whistleblowers na naghahatid, mayroong binibigay na parte ng kickbacks dito sa dalawang senators na ito,” De Lima said. ■ Mark Merueñas / KBK, GMA News / February 14, 2014 / 6:20 PM

PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III on Friday said businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles should first speak up about what she knows about the pork barrel scam before the government can even consider her as a potential state witness.

“Wala pa akong naririnig na gusto niyang ibahagi na impormasyon so, paano natin masasabing dapat maging witness siya kung wala siyang binabahaging impormasyon? So until magsasalita siya, siguro, premature na sabihing puwede siyang maging state witness,” Aquino told reporters at the Philippine Travel Agencies Association’s Travel Tour Expo at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

The President even joked how Napoles always denied knowing things when she testified during a Senate hearing.

“Narinig na ninyo iyong joke na natatanggap ko...’yung sa ‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’ at wala raw siyang maalala,” he said.

The President issued the statement after possible state witness Ruby Tuason on Thursday detailed her alleged transactions with Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who is facing plunder charges in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam.

But even if Napoles spills anything like Tuason did, Aquino said it is still up to the Department of Justice to determine whether her statements can help the case

and will show that she is “not most guilty.”

“Tila ang common link doon sa lahat na supposed to be involved, at least as far as one segment of the scam is involved, ay si Ms. Napoles. So siya ba ang pasimuno?” he said.

“Hindi ganoon kaklaro... Pero nasa sentro siya ng mga involvement ng ‘di umano’y maraming mga tao. So paano mo masasabing not the most guilty?” he added.

He likewise said that they have no information proving Napoles is not the mastermind of the scam.

“At this point in time, wala pang ganoon,” he said. ■ Kimberly Jane Tan / KG, GMA News / February 14, 2014 / 12:10 PM

Kerry to Beijing: Be ‘open, transparent’ in plans for new air defense zone BEIJING - US Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday urged that any moves by Beijing to establish a new air defense identification zone be “done in an open, transparent way”.

“We urged our friends in China to adhere to the highest standards of notice, engagement, involvement, information sharing,” Kerry told

US Secretary of State John Kerry is seen in file photo with China’s President Xi Jinping in earlier meeting. ©AFP Photo.

reporters in Beijing following meetings with top Chinese leaders.

In November, Beijing drew condemnation from Tokyo and Seoul as well as Washington with its move to declare an “air defence identification zone” (ADIZ), over territory in the East China Sea that is also claimed by Japan.

Beijing requires aircraft flying through its ADIZ to identify themselves and maintain communication with Chinese authorities, but the zone is not a claim of sovereignty.

Some media reports have suggested that China is planning to expand its influence in the skies above the South China Sea as well— where its territorial claim overlaps with several other countries.

A US State Department official last week

drew Beijing’s ire by warning against such a move.

“We made clear our feelings on any unilateral announcement,” Kerry told reporters Friday after a day of meetings with Chinese officials including President Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. On the South China Sea, Kerry said that he hopes China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations make “rapid strides in negotiating the code of conduct ... that would reduce tensions”.

“We encourage steps by everybody, not just China, to avoid all kinds of provocation and work through the legal tools available,” he said. ■ Agence France-Presse / February 14, 2014 / 7:59 PM

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Love and your still-single ‘Tita’: Read this and show your auntie some love. Now. THE proverbial empty nest isn’t just confined to parents who’ve watched on the sidelines as their now-adult kids leave home and hearth. We single aunts who have supposedly made our career our lives have our own—even if our nephews and nieces are never really “ours.”

Over the years, some of us have come to accept that we are substitute or surrogate parents, along with or perhaps in the absence of doting grandparents. Expensive birthday and Christmas gifts, especially from the time that ourpamangkins were born to when they graduate from college, are the norm.

In my case, almost all of them were boys, so Playstation games, Nike rubber shoes, and boxing gloves were the sort of items I put on my shopping list. Also calendared in a very hectic schedule were trips to Enchanted Kingdom, movie premieres of Lord of the Rings, and weekend lunches in their favorite restaurants where they gorged themselves on hamburger, fries, and pizza.

It was fun to spoil them. That was part of the deal. Having (and wanting) no kids of your own, your pamangkins gave you that precious escape from your perpetually isolated reality where you can bond with, nurture, and exchange affection with a younger self who is of your blood. Besides, as my own mother put it, aside from my books and my DVDs, where (or for whom else) would I splurge my hardearned money?

It wasn’t just for those fun occasions that I’ve brought out my wallet. People, especially the married ones, tend to think that we, who have no families of our own, have saved up

what should have been children-related expenses in a huge savings account. That’s why we have been approached for help in tuition fees, hospital expenses, airplane tickets, you name it. Personally, I didn’t mind.

I’ve seen one nephew through four years of college, and shelled out thousands of bucks for the anti-rabies shots of another who was bitten by our dog in a trigger-happy moment.

I’ve had those moments.

And doing it without feeling that sense of irritating regret that usually accompanies my purchase of things that I need (like my wardrobe), I knew that my pamangkins had gotten to me. Let me put it this way. I’ll probably think it over a dozen times and sweat it out in agony before I buy myself a bestseller.

I’d tell myself to save the money for a rainy day. But I didn’t feel that familiar pinch of pain when I bought my brother’s oldest son a pair of rubber shoes that cost thousands of pesos.

Our beloved siblings recognize that absence all too well. So when their kids want an extra McDonald’s meal, a new toy, or an afternoon in the mall, they’d resort to their favorite back-up line: “O, maglambing ka sa Tita mo.”

It’s part of the price that you pay for that experience that my late father described this way, “Enjoy-in mo sila, kasi masasauli mo rin sa magulang.”

But one thing that probably sets us apart from the grandparent set is our capacity— and willingness—to discipline. I may spoil my pamangkins, but they can tell you that we never approach the point of rottenness. In my book, surrogate parents share a responsibility

with the real ones—and that means knocking sense into your pamangkins’ heads if it means turning them into responsible adults who can and should be accountable to the greater society around them.

I’ve bawled out teen-age nephews who stay out until 2 a.m., or destroyed wooden doors in alcoholic frenzy. I risked their rejection when I had to reprimand them about their close friends who were taking drugs. I’ve spent countless nights staring them down into doing their homework when they just want to take off and play with their pals. And I’ve looked them in the eye to say, “That girl is just playing with your heart. She doesn’t really care for you. Drop her. Now.” That tough attitude doesn’t make us popular.

They’ve given me the cold shoulder, the silent treatment, the sarcastic remark, or the banged door. But after the storm has passed, they don’t just love you—they respect you.

And sometimes, they tell you secrets they can’t even share with their parents. At least for the moment. The failed grade. The awkward dream. The hopeless lost love. Admittedly, there is a guilty pleasure in knowing that, above everyone else in the extended clan, you got to hear the words from their open heart first. But always, after lending that shoulder and dispensing your auntly advice, you redirect them back to their father and mother.

They’re never really yours—but it can still hurt like crazy when they leave your arms, physically or emotionally. They leave a vacuum that not all the money or accolades in the world can fill. For weeks after five of my eight pamangkins immigrated for Australia,

I breezed through my deadlines and met my clients and bosses with a hole in my gut, and through the fog I kept wondering why they never saw me bleed.

Three of them are still around, with two young professionals earning their keep and dating the loves of their lives. There are no more requests for hamburger and pizza feasts—this time, they are the ones who give a treat during payday. The lambings are less frequent, replaced by questions about the many nights you spend doing work in the office, but this time spoken with the concerned tone of a grown-up. As for horsing around on their once little beds, that’s been replaced by bedroom-related jokes…let’s face it, they still can’t talk or joke sex with their grandparents and parents, while aunts (and uncles) like me are still in the running.

The young people of today are more open with their sex lives. True, they still have the decency to blush when you discuss topics like the pill and cybersex, but they can carry authentic conversations like adults: how serious are they about this particular guy or girl? Can they handle a sudden pregnancy?

What are the pros and cons of living in, as opposed to outright marriage? And, maybe, just maybe, they can let loose with me because the level of protectiveness is not the same as their parents…and neither is the sense of shock that their grandparents would feel. Their dads, moms, and lolos and lolas would probably uniformly counsel abstinence…and while I agree in principle, I have enough of a distance to be more realistic and look at other options.

The author (third from left) with her nephews 10 years ago.

Fortunately, there are other things on the table for discussion. It’s a road all of us older people have traversed: career choices and finding their place in the sun, professional stability, and family estates. And to a degree, I’m leaning on them now. I’m preparing some of them for whatever small inheritance my siblings (their fathers) and I can leave them.

For the next few years, trips to lawyers, land tenants, stockbrokers and bank managers will be the order of the day, in the way that visits to classrooms and shopping malls had been.

It’s still up to the single aunt to fix the loose ends that my too-busy married siblings and aged parents have neglected or are too busy to take care of. But this time, I’m not doing it alone. I’m taking their kids with me on the journey. It’s making them earn a place in their legacy. It’s a more serious adventure—but I’ll still have a part in their lives and the shaping of it, and I intend to enjoy every single minute of it.

And in those few moments when I borrow time from their adult lives, the nest doesn’t feel quite so empty after all. ■ Cora Llamas / Lifestyle Section / InterAksyon.com / February 14, 2014 / 11:46 AM

Benjamin De La Peña: Metro Manila is here to stay: Dream to fix it, not to ‘move’ or ‘replace’ it THIS is Part 4 of my series taking a close look at two proposals, written separately by two business school deans to “decongest” Metro Manila. The two deans are really not talking about solving “traffic congestion,” they are really talking about trying to depopulate Metro Manila.

In part 1, I showed that the two deans confused traffic congestion with density. I also showed that traffic congestion is a feature of all cities with growing economies. I warned that cities losing population are cities in economic decline so we should be careful what we wish for.

In part 2, I challenged Dean Gayo’s proposal to move the capital. Australia and Brazil built new capitals from scratch and they faced more problems than they anticipated.

Their new capitals, Canberra and Brasilia, did nothing to “decongest” or even stop the growth of their biggest cities. Sao Paolo and Rio exploded, becoming two of the biggest megacities in the world. Sydney and Melbourne continued to attract people, nearly tripling in size despite Canberra.

In part 3, I questioned Dean Santiago’s ideas of creating “alternate growth corridors.”

She wants to build new cities 100 kilometers away and then move people and businesses there to decongest Metro Manila. France and Egypt tried exactly that. Paris simply grew, eating up the new towns that were built around it. The towns they built 90 kilometers away were abject failures despite being painstakingly master planned. Cairo also pulled its new cities into its orbit and Egypt wasted a lot of money in building what are now empty ghost towns.

Through all the past installments, what I have really been attacking is the idea that we can “decongest” a megacity by building

a new “master planned” city. The deans are not the first ones to propose curbing Metro Manila’s growth by building somewhere else.

It’s become a popular idea, even among our policy makers and political leaders.

As an urban planner, I can understand why this idea of starting from scratch to build a “well planned city” is seductive. It seems like a good idea because we face so many problems in the metropolis that we don’t know where to start. We’ve been trying to solve traffic congestion for decades. We’ve had problems with housing and informal settlements since before the Dictator, so why not just start over?

Meanwhile, parts of our city seem relatively well organized, especially the ones built by real estate developers like the Makati CBD or Eastwood or BGC. If traffic congestion costs us P2 billion a day, the argument goes, why not just spend that money to build a brand new city? And hey, the proposal continues, let the private sector do it! The returns on real estate will probably attract them, right?

Dean Santiago writes: “As businesses and private individuals purchase these lands, real estate and other tax revenues are generated. As these areas become productive, new income tax streams can be expected.” Gayo echoes this, saying: “Money, with this plan, is no problem.”

Dean Santiago calls for “communities, commercial centers, and industrial hubs [to be] taken out of Metro Manila.” If only it were as easy transplanting a garden shrub.

If cities were real estate projects on a large scale, maybe it would work. But cities are not just infrastructure plus real estate. That is exactly the expensive mistake that France and Egypt (and dozens of other countries) have made. A city is much more than roads or buildings.

Benjamin de la Peña is the director for community and national initiatives at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. He has masters degree in urban planning from Harvard University and he has worked around the world on urban development issues.

A city is a network of networks. It has supply chain networks where the output from one production unit (say a factory or a store) is raw material for another. This leads firms to “cluster” around their industries.

A city has physical networks: the roads and wires and pipes that move goods and services and connect people and firms, as well as the information networks that spread news and knowledge. It has social networks of colleagues, friends and families. All those networks combined are the circulatory systems that power an economy.

A city is an economy made up of people participating in a market of goods and services.

The structures we put up – roads, pipes, buildings, even shanties – are there because of the market, and they are there to facilitate the market. (Note: The height of buildings in a city is connected to the value of land in that part of the city, value that is determined by how much wealth that piece of land can generate - either by way of sales, rent, or productivity.)

A city is also a labor and job market. Firms locate in a city where there are lots of workers with the kinds of skills they need. Jobseekers flock to cities because there are opportunities

to work. The bigger a city, the more firms and workers there are available. A big city also allows workers to find other jobs nearby if their employer shuts down or lets go of them.

Creating and growing an economy, on a relatively small patch of land, is what a city does particularly well. Pick any major city in the world and it will be producing an outsized share of its national economy. Metropolitan Tokyo, the world’s biggest megacity (population: 35 million) accounts for 30 percent of Japan’s national GDP but uses up just 4 percent of the country’s land mass. Paris does the same thing, using up just 3 percent of France’s land to produce more than 20 percent of the French economy.

Countries that urbanize invariably grow their economy. It is no coincidence that the most urbanized countries in the world are also the most developed.

A city is also a cultural repository and cultural accelerator. (The great cultures of the world were birthed in cities.) Cities are also ecosystems and super-organisms; they are layers and layers of interdependent, selforganized sub-systems.

A city is all this and more. Literally, the sum of a city is so much greater than its parts. A city is the most complex structure and organization that humans have invented.

The secret sauce that makes cities so productive is exactly the thing that the deans and others who think like them want to “cure.”

A city creates a market because of the density of people who live in that city. The more people there are per square kilometer, the richer and more complex the network, the more intense the market and the opportunities. Density is why there are more businesses in Manila – with 19,000 people per square kilometer

(according to Santiago) – vs. Gen. Nakar with just 900 per square kilometer.

A master plan is no guarantee that a new city’s economy will succeed. You have to pay for the real estate and the construction.

You will also have to pay to move people and businesses. You even have to pay for incentives to keep them in place while keeping your fingers crossed that an actual local economy will ignite.

Egypt and France show us that you can master plan a new city all you want, you can even put up the buildings. None of that will automatically jump-start an economy, entice people to relocate, or create networks.

More frightening, extracting people and businesses from their established networks is unbelievably disruptive. The countries that tried this learned that you cannot do it without pouring in billions of dollars in incentives on top of the construction costs. They offered tax holidays; they offered free buildings and facilities; they offered master planned infrastructure. And that’s just to get people and firms to move. The bill doesn’t include the financial and social costs of the disrupted supply chains and communities.

Building a new city AND trying to start an economy will cost way more than the price of construction. When we do a realistic costbenefit analysis, building a new city and trying to move your population there will cost way more than $2 billion a day. It will cost more than the “trillions” Gayo says we can raise by selling government land.

Up next, “So what do we do with Metro Manila?”, where I offer the kinds of solutions that people like Paul Vicente V Curimao and Tomas Gomez III might be looking for. ■ Benjamin de la Peña / February 14, 2014 / 11:48 AM

lared in towns across Mindanao; at least 14 people dead

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Salvadoran castaway says ships ignored cries for help SAN SALVADOR - The castaway who survived 13 months adrift in the Pacific cried for help as several ships passed by during his ordeal, ignoring his pleas.

As Salvadoran Health Minister Maria Isabel Rodriguez relayed a new chapter in Jose Salvador Alvarenga’s amazing tale Wednesday, the fisherman urged journalists to leave him in peace so that he can recover from his 12,500-kilometer (8,000-mile) odyssey.

Alvarenga, 37, spent his first full day back in his homeland in a hospital near San Salvador, where doctors said he was in impressive physical shape but needed psychological attention.

“He told us that he almost lost any hope of returning to the world because he did not get support,” Rodriguez told a news conference.

“He told us how several boats passed by, including close to him. He asked for help and they did not want to help him.”

One ship’s crew waved back at him but did not stop to help the shaggy-haired castaway, who was only in his underwear, she said.

Another came so close that “it almost destroyed his little boat because it passed next to him,” Rodriguez said.

Alvarenga says he set off on an ill-fated shark fishing trip off southern Mexico in late 2012, floating in a seven-meter (23-foot) fiberglass boat before washing ashore in the Marshall Islands on January 30.

A 24-year-old crewmate died four months into the voyage, unable to stomach

a diet that was limited to rainwater, urine, turtle blood, raw fish and bird flesh, according to Alvarenga.

‘No more questions’. In a short video released by the health ministry, Alvarenga said from his hospital bed that he was “doing well” but pleaded with journalists who have followed his every more since he returned home to leave him alone.

“No more questions or pictures. I want to be alone with my family, that I be given time to be able to speak after I recover, because right now I am not in condition to give explanations,” he said, wearing a blue hospital blouse and resting his left arm above his head.

He also asked reporters to leave his family alone after an emotional reunion with his parents and 14-year-old daughter Fatima, who last saw him eight years ago.

Pictures showed them hugging him tightly as he lay in bed. His family thought he was dead until he emerged in the Marshall Islands.

Alvarenga was taken to the San Rafael National Hospital after landing late Tuesday following a long flight home.

His psychological fragility contrasted with his good physical shape, which has impressed doctors given Alvarenga’s unusual diet.

“His physical condition is enviable,” Rodriguez said.

Alvarenga asked for a corn tortilla and sugary bread at the hospital.

Kidney and heart tests found nothing abnormal, but he underwent psychological

Salvadorean castaway Jose Salvador Alvarenga speaks to journalists in an ambulance on his way to San Rafael hospital in Santa Tecla, El Salvador on February 11, 2014

Salvadorean castaway Jose Salvador Alvarenga speaks to journalists in an ambulance on his way to San Rafael hospital in Santa Tecla, El Salvador.

evaluations to determine when he can return to his family’s Pacific coast village of Garita Palmera.

“He gets tired quickly, loses a little bit of control. He is still not ready to communicate with the world. He cries easily,” Rodriguez said.

Hospital director Yeerles Ramirez told AFP that Alvarenga would undergo more psychological tests on Thursday and “may get out Friday.”

Speechless homecoming. After landing in San Salvador on Tuesday, Alvarenga was unable to utter any intelligible words to a

gaggle of journalists, shaking his head and putting one hand in front of his eyes before being taken away in a wheelchair.

Alvarenga’s miraculous story was met with some doubt when images first emerged of him with shaggy hair and a bushy beard, yet looking plump.

But officials have said his story checks out and fishermen in the Mexican village of Chocohuital backed it up, saying they went looking for him when he disappeared in 2012.

They say pictures of his boat in the Marshall Islands confirm it is his. ■ AFP / February 13, 2014

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Family watch the broadcast of the arrival of Pacific castaway Jose Salvador Alvarenga at their house.

People wait outside the family house of pacific castaway Jose Salvador Alvarenga in Garita Palmera

Two bettors get lucky on Valentine’s Day, share P26.69M MegaLotto jackpot

Traffic alert: Roads closed for INC Yolanda Walkathon Saturday; Red Cross fielding teams File photo of Roxas Boulevard in Manila, which will be closed both lanes from CCP to Anda Circle, to make way for the Iglesia ni Cristo walkathon for Yolanda victims. Photo by Bernard Testa.

MANILA – Around one million members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo are expected to join the INC’s Yolanda walkathon on Saturday, and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is fielding first aid stations along the route of the walkathon in the Metro Manila leg of what is billed as a national event.

The Red Cross is deploying 10 ambulances to help any walkathon participant who may need emergency treatment, even as it issued reminders for them to take care of themselves during the event. Those who will join INC’s worldwide walk hope to generate support for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda in Eastern Visayas.

The 10 ambulances will be manned by 254 personnel from the Red Cross National Headquarters, as well as chapters from Cavite, Manila, Caloocan, Valenzuela, Pasay, Rizal Malabon and Quezon City.

They will be stationed along Kalaw St., Quirino Avenue, Padre Faura, Raja Sulayman, United Nations Ave. and Pedro Gil.The Metro Manila leg of the walkathon will start at 7 a.m. Saturday, and will course from the Cultural Center of the Philippines to Rizal Park, where a prayer rally will also be held.

Traffic authorities earlier announced the north- and southbound lanes of Roxas Blvd. from CCP to Anda Circle in Intramuroswill be closed for the event; along with parts of P. Burgos, Kalaw, Quirino; and the MMDA issued reroute advisories.

Meanwhile, the PRC has given the following tips to walkathon participants to avoid untoward incidents: 1. Be physically prepared. Children, elderly, pregnant and persons who are sick should avoid crowded places; thus, they are

advised to stay at home and rest.

2. Be sure to have identification card, medical information and emergency contact numbers with you.

3. Wear proper clothing and footwear.

4. Bring candies, crackers and bottled water. Drink a lot of fluid to prevent heat exhaustion.

5. Beware of all possible hazards around you during the walk (e.g. motor vehicles, falling debris, etc.).

6. Know where you are at all times.

Should you come in groups, assign a designated meeting point in case someone gets lost.

7. Know the location and means of access towards the medical stations, police stations and other available authorities within the area. ■ Jet Villa / InterAksyon.com / February 14, 2014 / 7:05 PM

VALENTINE’S Day will be memorable for two lotto bettors, who jointly won P26.69 million in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s Megalotto draw.

The PCSO said the two bettors got the combination of 02-10-14-38-31-33 to win the night’s Megalotto jackpot worth P26,690,616.

But as in the past, the PCSO is not likely to name the two winners for security reasons.

Last Feb. 1, two bettors won P27,893,532 after getting the combination of 11-21-1204-20-08 in the PCSO Lotto 6/42 draw.

On Jan. 31, a bettor won P78,792,744 in the PCSO’s Megalotto 6/45 draw after getting the combination of 38-16-32-07-19-14.

Last Jan. 20, a lone lotto bettor got the combination of 02-38-32-19-08-03 to win the Grand Lotto jackpot worth P155,401,636.

On Jan. 12, a lone bettor won the jackpot in the PCSO’s Superlotto 6/49 draw by getting the combination of 09-21-14-2706-19 to win P24,816,752.

Last Jan. 9, a lone bettor got the combination of 21-13-19-27-20-23 to win P22,425,340 in the PCSO’s Lotto 6/42 draw.

But the biggest lotto prize in recent history was in November 2010, when a lone bettor won some P741.176 million for getting the winning combination 11-16-4247-31-37. ■ JDS, GMA News / February 14, 2014 / 10:48 PM

American man fleeing rape case in US arrested in La Union MANILA - Philippine police arrested Thursday night in in Barangay Pagdalagan, Bauang, La Union, an American fugitive charged with two counts of rape in the United States.

The suspect was identified as Philip Vaughn Cox, 53, in a report by the National Operation Center of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Members of the Fugitive Search Unit and Intelligence Division Unit of the Bureau of Immigration from Manila joined the PNP arresting team as it swooped down on Coz’s hiding place around 11 p.m.

Authorities said Cox was charged with

two counts of First Degree Rape of a Minor in the US, and they are now preparing his deportation. ■ Jaime Sinapit / InterAksyon.com / February 14, 2014 / 2:09 PM

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NEWS

Joma at 75: No retirement after 55 years in service

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands — It was a lot like a normal Filipino birthday party.

There was cake, enough food to share, the ever-popular birthday noodles, and singing of the Happy Birthday song.

But what made Joma Sison’s 75th birthday celebration are details that can only be experienced by a revolutionary of 55 years.

Cultural presentations bore political accents, poems read and songs sung were from his writings during incarceration. The topping on the cake? His wife’s gift which was nowhere near a golden watch, a day out with his favorite buds or a lazy day that signals his retirement.

“We would like to present him with a new project... to revitalize and expand the work of the Center for Social Studies,” announced Julieta de Lima-Sison, Sison’s wife of more than 50 years.

The Center for Social Studies was formed in 1991 for research and training of activists.

Under the direction of Prof. Jose Maria Sison, it organizes conferences and seminars for representatives of Filipino organizations to exchange ideas and experiences with the representatives of partner organizations in other countries.

Mrs. Sison suggested that the Center for Social Studies be energized by the establishment of People’s Resource for International Solidarity in Mass Organizing or PRISM. PRISM will avail of Sison’s “still youthful intellect as a teacher, resource person and consultant”.

This meant that Sison will have more work on his hands aside from writing prose and poetry. He took it as a sign that retirement is out of the question.

“While I expected to sit back and enjoy the celebration, Julie proved one point: that there is no retirement for revolutionaries.

She was interjecting a new assignment on me. I hope to satisfy her in this new proposal of hers,” said Sison in his birthday speech.

Aside from his wife, two of his four children were also with Sison to celebrate his birthday. Son Jasm even prepared to perform one his father’s favorite songs Besa Me Mucho.

Greetings came from all over the world, from comrades, friends and family through videos, SMS and written messages. Sison himself admitted to GMA News that his short-term wish is to be able to sleep well the following evenings as he has been bombarded with Skype greetings the past few days.

As a usual party would end in dancing the night away, Sison’s party ended with book signing. Building Strength through Struggle, his third book in a series of five books titled Continuing the Philippine Revolution, was launched that evening.

“The book extends, reinforces and further develops the principles, policies and major lines of actions for carrying out the people’s democratic revolution as put forward by the earlier two books in this series. It is

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

Joma Sison’s 75th birthday party ends in book signing. Photo by Chared Verschuur-Ballo.

indispensable to understanding why and how, under the leadership of the CPP, the Filipino people and the revolutionary forces successfully fought and defeated the USinstigated fascist dictatorship of Marcos,” explained Sison of the book.

Activist Thomas van Beersum was present to review the book. He praised Sison’s work and ended his speech in

Filipino, “Ang bayani ay naglilingkod sa bayan hanggang sa kaniyang huling hininga! Mabuhay!”

It was a lot like a normal birthday party for a 75-year-old enjoying a tribute for his 55th year in service. Except that the celebrator is not looking forward to retire like a normal 75-year-old would. ■ Chared Verschuur-Ballo / KBK, GMA News / February 11, 2014 / 1:00 PM

Essay-writing contest launched to keep EDSA spirit alive among Pinoys in Saudi

Vivienne Dacuno name-drops Zsa Zsa Padilla, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid and Lani Misalucha as influences. Photo from Facebook.

Pinoy number cruncher in UAE a veteran of many singing contests AL AIN, United Arab Emirates—Even with Tagalog songs, Vivienne Dacuno still manages to win in various singing contests here.

The 35-year-old accountant of Taghleef Industries LLC had sung “Hiram” during a singing contest at the Comedy Junction-Dubai, and “Dadalhin” in another competition at the Majestic Hotel in Bur Dubai. She had won third place in both events.

“Mas preferred ko kasi ang Tagalog kasi mas nararamdaman ko at nagagawa kong laruin ang boses ko,” Dacuno said. “Lumaki ako na OPM ang naririnig kong kinakanta ng Papa ko so mas na-appreciate ko talaga siya.”

Among Dacuno’s influences are Zsa Zsa Padilla, Regine Velasquez-Alcasid, Lani Misalucha, the group Aegis, Jessa Zaragoza, and Sharon Cuneta.

A veteran of singing contests. Dacuno started singing in Dubai in 2007 when a friend asked her to join a singing contest in the Regent Palace Hotel in Deira where she won third place.

“From then on, I got to join in more singing contests here,” she said.

Two years after, she joined the Dubai Voice Quest, held in Lamcy Plaza, a shopping mall in Dubai. Though she didn’t win there, Dacuno tried again at the Al Murooj Rotana where she emerged as the champion with the song “I Have Nothing.”

Dacuno had also been a finalist in the Regent Palace Hotel-Karama singing

contest, and a champion during the opening ceremony of the Fitness First in Deira City Centre.

Roots. A graduate from the Aquinas University in Legazpi City in Albay, Dacuno started singing when she was still in grade school.

“My teacher would always ask me to sing or perform in any event or occasion. I learned it (singing) from my Papa who is a professional singer. I remember watching him perform even when I was a little girl. I am so proud of him. I will always be his No. 1 fan.”

Even in the Philippines, Dacuno was fond of joining singing contests, which brought her to as far as Cagayan de Oro where she won first place in an inter-barangay contest.

“I also auditioned in GMA 7’s Search for a Star held in Cebu City in 2003. I just wasn’t able to make it to the live performances,” Dacuno recalled.

Dacuno said her “greatest challenge” every time she performs “is getting the crowd’s attention.”

“For me it’s a great feeling when people start listening to your songs and recognize you as a singer,” she said, adding as long as people believe in her, she will keep on performing.

“Hinding-hindi ko iiwan ang pagkanta as long as madami pa rin ang naniniwala sa akin at sumusuporta,” Dacuno said. ■ Lucky

AS the 28th anniversary of the EDSA-1 People Power revolt draws closer, Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia hope to keep the spirit of the 1986 event alive among Filipinos there, through an essay-writing contest.

The Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia on Monday launched the contest with the theme “EDSA 28: Kapit Bisig Tungo sa Pagbangon (EDSA 28: In Solidarity toward Recovery).”

“Interested individuals must submit an essay of 1,000 to 1,500 words, answering the question, ‘Anong diwa ng EDSA ang kailangan ipagpatuloy ng mga Pilipino para sa tuluyang pagbangon.”

On Feb. 25, Filipinos will mark the anniversary of the EDSA-1 revolt that ousted then President Ferdinand Marcos and installed Corazon Aquino to the presidency.

Mrs. Aquino, who died in 2009, was the

permission from or compensation to the author.

Also, employees and relatives of the Philippine Embassy and attached services are disqualified.

Winners shall receive cash prizes and certificates from the Embassy. They shall be notified by email or telephone, and will be required to attend the awarding ceremony at the Philippine Embassy on February 25.

Entries must be submitted through email to cultural@riyadhpe.com in Microsoft Word format, double-spaced in A4-sized paper on or before Thursday, February 20.

A separate .doc file containing the full name, age, contact numbers and a scanned copy of the current school I.D. of the participant (for students) and iqama (for professionals). ■ LBG, GMA News / February 12, 2014 / 8:35 AM

Senate, House OK bills seeking to secure jobs of Pinoy seafarers

BOTH houses of Congress on Monday approved bills seeking to avert the possible blacklisting of some 80,000 Filipino seafarers from vessels from the European Union (EU).

In the Senate, 21 senators voted to approve Senate Bill (S.B.) 2043, which designates the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) as the sole agency in charge of training and issuing certificates to over 400,000 Filipino seafarers.

In a statement, Senate President Franklin Drilon, principal author of the measure, said the bill will make the Philippines compliant with the 1978 International Convention on

Mae F. Quilao / KBK, GMA News / February 13, 2014 / 7:22 PM

mother of incumbent President Benigno Aquino III. The essay writing contest is open to high school students 15 to 18 years old, enrolled in the different Philippine Schools, and Filipino professionals, aged 25 to 35 who are working in the Kingdom.

Criteria will include: Substance: 50 percent Adherence to theme: 20 percent Eloquence: 15 percent Fluency in Filipino: 15 percent Only one submission per participant is allowed, and only the first 20 entries from the Professionals shall be included in the deliberation and judging.

Entries will become the property of the Philippine Embassy and may be reproduced, published, or used for promotional or publication purposes without prior

The Philippine Senate. Photo from kickerdaily.com.

Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, or the STCW Convention, which was amended in 2010.

“With the passage of the bill, we can now say that our country is taking broad efforts to maintain our compliance with the STCW Convention, thus averting any need for the EU to proceed with their ban on our workers,” Drilon said.

The House of Representatives, meanwhile, approved a counterpart bill, House Bill 3766, on the same day.

“This [bill] is of global import, as it reaffirms the commitment of the Philippines, to the International Maritime Organization

(IMO), a United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping, effectively serving as the overall governing body for world maritime affairs.” said Rep. Jesulito Manalo of ANGKLA, the party-list group that represents Filipino seafarers in Congres.

The STCW Convention requires membergovernments to designate a “maritime administration” which will be in charge of ensuring that certification and training requirements are met by its seafarers.

Under S.B. 2043, the MARINA is designated as “the single and central maritime administration for all purposes relating to our compliance with the STCW Convention.”

At present, training and certification of Filipino seafarers are handled by different government agencies, including the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Health (DOH), and National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Drilon, an administration ally, added that he expects President Benigno Aquino III to sign the MARINA bill into law before the end of the month. ■ Andreo Calonzo / KBK, GMA News / February 10, 2014 / 5:13 PM

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PHILIPPINE EMBASSY NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

Hinugyaw Cultural Dance Troupe Calls on Phl Embassy in Singapore

Ambassador Minda Calaguian-Cruz and Consul General Alan L. Deniega with the members of the Hinugyaw Dance Troupe that hails from Koronadal City, Philippines. The group was in Singapore to represent the Philippines in Singapore Chingay Parade 2014 from February 7 to 8.

PHILIPPINE Ambassador to Singapore, Minda Calaguian-Cruz, along with Minister and Consul General Alan L. Deniega, warmly greeted and received the members of Hinugyaw Cultural Dance Troupe of Koronadal City at the Philippine Embassy in Singapore on February 05.

The group, consisting of 41 delegates, was headed by Peter B. Miguel, Mayor of Koronadal City.

Koronadal City Councilors Marie Antonina Hurtado and Rose S. Dideles, together with other local government officials, also joined the group.

The dance troupe, composed of some city government officials, professional performers, and students, were in Singapore to participate in the Chingay Parade 2014. Since its founding more than ten years ago, the group has performed in Vietnam, the United States of America, Malaysia, as well as Singapore for a NATAS event in 2008.

It specializes in performing beautiful dances from the southern Philippines.

Chingay Parade is an annual Chinese New Year procession began in 1973.

This year’s Chingay Parade was seen as the grandest as it featured Singapore’s largest batik painting, a 360 meter-long banner which was painted by 40,000 new immigrants and locally born Singaporeans, and inspired by this year’s theme, “Colours of Fabric, One People”.

Around 500 foreign performers from six countries, including the Hinugyaw Cultural Dance Troupe from the Philippines, took part in the annual parade. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / February 13, 2014

Philippine Embassy in Singapore Thanks Supporters with Kundiman THE Philippine Embassy in Singapore hosted a night that featured the performance of internationally-renowned performance artists Rachelle Gerodias (soprano), Albert Tiu (piano), and Manuel Cabrera (classical guitar) with the Kundiman at the Philippine official residence on February 09.

The event was organized by the Embassy, in collaboration with Mr. Orion Perez, a Singapore based IT engineer who is also active in promoting Philippine performance arts, as a way of expressing gratitude to the Singapore government, members of the diplomatic community, business sector and the Filipino

community who have wholeheartedly supported the Embassy in its initiatives.

The Embassy also took the opportunity to thank those who have supported the victims of typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that recently hit the Philippines.

Charge d’Affaires Alan L. Deniega led Embassy officials and staff to warmly welcome the performers and the guests to a rare evening of Philippine music.

The serenade was attended by a good mix of Singaporeans, foreigners, and members of the Filipino community in Singapore. Some members of the diplomatic community, business and corporate executives, staunch supporters of

the Embassy’s cultural diplomacy initiatives, and partners and donors in the recent natural disasters in the Philippines also graced the occasion.

The guests also enjoyed the Filipino dishes served after the performance such as pancit canton and bihon, lumpiang shanghai, with sago’t gulaman, buko pandan, San Miguel beer and wine.

The event is part of the activities organized by the Embassy this year in line with its thrust for an invigorated cultural diplomacy drive that aims to capitalize on the growing interest of Singapore in the Philippines. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines /

February 13, 2014

(Photos from left) Charge d’Affaires, a.i. Alan L. Deniega welcomes the members of the audience, and the three Filipino performance artists Rachelle Gerodias (soprano), Albert Tiu (piano), and Manuel Cabrera (classical guitar) during the Kundiman held at the official residence in Singapore.

Philippines and Oman Sign Bilateral Agreement to Bolster Ties FOREIGN Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Jesus I. Yabes and his Omani counterpart, Undersecretary Ahmed bin Yousef Al-Harthy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Oman, congratulate each other after signing the Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Consultations at the Department of Foreign Affairs on February 04 on the

occasion of the Second PhilippinesOman Informal Bilateral Consultations in Manila. The agreement creates a formal mechanism that will convene regularly to expand bilateral cooperation in political, economic, cultural, technological, scientific and educational matters. There are more than 33,000 Filipinos working and living in Oman. ■ Philippine Embassy,

Philippines / February 4, 2014

Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Jesus I. Yabes (6th from left) heads the Philippine delegation while Assistant Foreign Minister Ahmed Ismail Abdel Moeti (6th from right) heads the Egyptian delegation to the 8th Philippines-Egypt Joint Commission Meeting on February 11, 2014 at the Department of Foreign Affairs. With them are the members of their respective delegations to the meeting.

Undersecretary Jesus I. Yabes discusses proposed agreements on trade and investment, technical cooperation, agriculture, health and medical sciences, culture, and visa waiver agreement among others.

Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Ahmed Ismail Abdel Moeti addresses the issues raised by the Philippine delegation.

Undersecretary Jesus I. Yabes hosts a luncheon in honor of Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Ahmed Ismail Abdel Moeti after the formal session.

Philippines Hosts 8th PHL-Egypt Joint Commission Meeting Philippines, Iran hold 5th Joint Consular Consultation Meeting in Manila THE Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Administration Rafael E. Seguis met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Consular, Parliament, and Iranian Affairs for the 5th Philippines-Iran Joint Consular Consultation Meeting (JCCM) on January 30.

The Philippine and Iranian delegations agreed to strengthen consular notification, provide assistance to nationals in distress, increase people-to-people exchange, clarify visa and immigration matters, and follow up pending agreements.

The Philippine delegation specifically requested a mechanism which will allow Filipinos in Iran who are detained or arrested to be able to contact the Philippine Embassy as soon as possible and which will help the Embassy provide them prompt assistance.

The meeting kicked off activities to

commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Iran, which were founded on 22 January 1964.

Approximately 3,800 Filipinos currently live in Iran, excluding some 2,000 workers in Kish Island. ■ Philippine Embassy, Philippines

THE Philippines hosted the 8th Philippines-Egypt Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) from February 11 to 12 to discuss a broad range of prospective bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, agriculture, health and medical sciences, culture, and Halaal certification, among others, as well as respective domestic and regional developments in the two countries.

The improving political and security

situation in Egypt prompted both governments to hold the 8th PhilippinesEgypt JCM this month, which was originally scheduled for last year. In a statement at the beginning of the meeting, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs and Head of the Philippine delegation Jesus I. Yabes said that he was pleased that “the process towards stability [in Egypt] has been moving forward with the referendum on the draft constitution last month,” and

expressed his optimism that the presidential and parliamentary elections in the coming months will restore full democracy in Egypt as well as political and economic stability.

The Egyptian delegation was led by Assistant Foreign Minister Ahmed Ismail Abdel Moeti. The Philippines recognizes the importance of convening the bilateral consultations to promote closer cooperation and revitalize bilateral relations with Egypt in various fields. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines

/ February 1, 2014

Members of the Philippine delegation headed by Undersecretary Rafael E. Seguis discuss with their Iranian counterparts various immigration-related concerns and passport and visa matters.

Undersecretary for Administration Rafael E. Seguis and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hassan Ghasghavi sign the Agreement Minutes of the 5th PHL-Iran JCCM. Looking on are (from left) Assistant Secretary Wilfredo C. Santos, PHL Ambassador to Iran Eduardo R. Meñez, Iranian Ambassador to PHL. Ali Asghar Mohammadi and Iranian Embassy Counsellor Mojtaba Nadali.

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

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Philippines, Oman Hold 2nd Informal Bilateral Consultations THE Philippines and Oman held the 2nd Philippines-Oman Informal Bilateral Consultations (IBC) at the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila on February 04.

Discussed were issues of mutual concern, such as the status of pending bilateral agreements and prospective areas of future cooperation.

The Philippine delegation, led by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Jesus I. Yabes, opened the meeting by welcoming the Omani delegates led by Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ahmed bin Yousef Al-Harthy. Undersecretary Yabes express the hope that the discussions would pave the way for greater Philippines-Oman economic activities.

Although the Sultanate is host to around 33,000 Filipinos, its trade relations with the Philippines have been in need of a boost. During the Consultations, both

sides agreed that economic cooperation is a cornerstone of bilateral relations and should be promoted. To address this, the Omani side recommended the exchange of visits between the private sectors of both countries to take advantage of opportunities present in the two countries. They also recommended that Philippine universities participate in an educational exhibition in Muscat to encourage thousands of Omani government scholars to pursue higher education in the Philippines.

The IBC concluded with the signing of the Philippines-Oman Memorandum of Understanding on Bilateral Consultations, which creates a formal mechanism that will convene regularly to expand bilateral cooperation in political, economic, cultural, technological, scientific and educational matters. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines /

February 12, 2014

Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario (center) meets the Philippine and Omani delegations during the 2nd Philippines-Oman informal Bilateral Consultations held at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on February 4, 2014. Tha Philippine delegation was led by DFA Secretary del Rosario welcomes Omani Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Jesus I. Yabes (6th from left) while the Omani delegation Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin was led by Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs Ahmed bin Yousef Al-Harthy (6th from right).

Yousef Al-Harthy.

Philippines, New Zealand to Launch Working Holiday Scheme ANOTHER significant milestone in Philippines-New Zealand bilateral relations has been reached with the launch of the Working Holiday Scheme (WHS).

Effective 05 February 2014, Filipinos and New Zealanders, ages 18 to 30 years, will be able to apply for the WHS visa allowing them the opportunity to stay for one year in New Zealand and the Philippines, respectively, for leisure, holiday or temporary work. WHS participants may enroll in training or study for a maximum period of three months or work for one year with a limit of three months per employer.

They will have to leave the country at the end of the temporary 12-month entry visa.

A quota of 100 WHS visas per year will be

issued to successful Filipino applicants and the same number to successful New Zealand applicants.

The arrangement on the WHS, the first of its kind for the Philippines and one of 34 arrangements with other countries for New Zealand, was signed between Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. Del Rosario and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murray McCully and witnessed by President Benigno S. Aquino III and Prime Minister John Key in Wellington on 23 October 2012.

The implementation of the WHS is expected to generate closer peopleto-people understanding and goodwill through tourism, cultural and educational exchanges and short-term employment

ON February 7, Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, Ambassador Cecilia B. Rebong called on International Labor Organization (ILO) Director General Guy Ryder to thank the ILO for its continuing support to the Philippine government through the Decent Work country programs, and most recently, through the emergency employment, skills development and livelihood restoration assistance in devastated areas in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) and other natural disasters that hit the country.

In response, DG Ryder lauded the enduring partnership of the ILO with the Philippines in promoting decent work based on social justice. He sought the Ambassador’s support on future

cooperation in pursuit of a rights-based global agenda on labor migration, the promotion of the ratification of the ILO Convention 189 or the Domestic Work Convention, and in advancing the ILO’s Green Jobs Initiative.

Citing the remarkable resilience of the Filipino people in times of adversity, DG Ryder affirmed continued support of the ILO thru its Country Office in Manila as the country rebuilds lives and restore employment and livelihood in the communities affected by calamities.

Ambassador Rebong was accompanied by Mission officers Minister Enrico T. Fos, Labor Attaché Ma. Celeste M. Valderrama, and Ms. Hannah Badilles.

and allow young participants from the Philippines and New Zealand to experience first-hand the thriving way of life in the communitiesand engage more closely with the local people in each other’s country.

Interested applicants from the Philippines may contact the Embassy of New Zealand in Makati (http://www. nzembassy.com/philippines) while those from New Zealand can get in touch with the Embassy of the Philippines in Wellington (http://www.philembassy.org.nz/) or they could also click this link (www.immigration. govt.NZ) for the requirements and relevant details of the WHS Arrangement. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / February 3, 2014

Phl Permanent Representative Meets with International Labor Organization Director General in Geneva

■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / February 13,

2014

Ambassador Cecilia B. Rebong with ILO Director General Guy Ryder.

Philippine Ambassador to Turkey Maria Rowena M. Sanchez, Consul General Robert Ferrer and Consul Leilani S. Feliciano called on Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay and Dr. Fuat Oktay of AFA last February 4, 2014 to inform him of reconstruction and rebuilding efforts in Tacloban City and other Visayan provinces heavily affected by the storm.

Phl Embassy in Turkey Calls on Deputy Prime Minister Atalay

PHILIPPINE Ambassador to Turkey Maria Rowena Mendoza Sanchez called on Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay and Dr. Fuat Oktay, of the Republic of Turkey Prime Ministry for Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (Afet Acil Durum Yonetimi Baskanligi- AFAD) on February 04. The Ambassador was accompanied by Consul General Robert Ferrer and Consul Leilani S. Feliciano during the call.

Ambassador Sanchez conveyed again the Philippine Government’s appreciation to the Turkish Government for their immediate (Left photo) ILO DG Guy Ryder and Ambassador Cecilia B. Rebong. (Right photo from left) Labor Attaché Ma. Celeste Valderrama, Minister Enrico T. Fos, assistance for the super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) victims particularly in Tacloban, ILO DG Guy Ryder, Ambassador Cecilia B. Rebong, ILO DG Assistant, Marilyn Federigan, and AS Hannah Badiles.

and neighboring provinces. Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Atalay and Dr. Oktay of AFAD were among the first to arrive in the Philippines after the onslaught of the typhoon, bringing a planeload of supplies consisting of 65 tons of tents, blankets and cooking aids and other humanitarian assistance for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda.

Ambassador Sanchez also informed them that the Philippine Government shifted its focus to the reconstruction and rebuilding of Tacloban and surrounding provinces. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / February 13, 2014

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SPORTS

Filipino figure skater Michael Christian Martinez impresses in historic debut...

Continuation from page 40

He scored a 33.31 in technical and a 31.5 in the component for a 64.81 score.

It was his best score of the skating season.

Martinez was later assured of entry into the free program on Friday after Russian legend Evgeni Plushenko withdrew from the contest, while Viktor Romanekov of Estonia and Brendan Kerry of Great Britain failed to

beat the Filipino’s score.

The top 24 skaters in the short program will compete again in the free program.

1. Canada – Liam Firus – 55.04 2. Ukraine – Yakov Godorozha – 62.65 3. Uzbekistan – Misha Ge – 68.07 4. Belgium – Jorik Hendrickx – 72.52 5. Philippines – Michael Christian Martinez – 64.81

6. Kazakhstan – Abzal Rakimgaliev – 64.18 7. Russia – Evgeni Plushenko – Withdrawn 8. Estonia – Viktor Romanekov – 61.55 9. Great Britain – Brendan Kerry – 47.12 10. Italy – Paul Bonifacio Parkinson – 56.30 11. United States – Jeremy Abbott – 72.58 12. Romania – Kelemen Zoltán – 60.41 ■ InterAksyon.com / February 13, 2014 / 11:41 PM

‘He’s so handsome. Is he with the Azkals?’

Football superstar David Beckham visits Tacloban TACLOBAN – Football superstar David Beckham visited the Philippines on Thursday to give comfort to survivors of the Asian country’s deadliest-ever typhoon — although not everyone was sure who he was.

Hundreds of survivors of Super Typhoon Haiyan rushed out of their tent shelters in the central city of Tacloban to welcome the global celebrity, who is nevertheless unfamiliar to many citizens of the Philippines, where basketball rather than soccer is king.

“He’s so handsome. I heard he plays for the Azkals,” gushed mother-of-four Darilyn Bascug, referring to the Philippines’ national football team.

Shortly after Beckham’s arrival, another woman from the area approached an AFP reporter and asked timidly: “Is that man a celebrity?”

Wearing a black T-shirt with the logo of the United Nations Children’s Fund, the 38-year-old ex-England international visited a tent city for several hundred families who lost their homes when giant waves unleashed by Haiyan crashed into Tacloban’s coast.

Beckham spent more than an hour inside a UNICEF tent set up as a nursery, where he played with dozens of young typhoon survivors.

The father-of-four stopped to greet babies and children staying in a shanty home made of scrap corrugated iron and wood.

“Very happy, very happy to visit everybody,” Beckham told reporters.

“Oh, my God,” a young woman screamed as she reached out to grab his hand.

He also visited a warehouse for relief goods donated by the UN in the nearby town of Palo.

Goodwill ambassador. Beckham, who ended his illustrious career last year, is on his second visit to the Philippines in his role as a “goodwill ambassador” for UNICEF. The star, who was travelling with heavy security, flew by private plane Thursday to Tacloban, one of the areas worst-hit by Haiyan.

Zafrin Chowhdury, communications chief for UNICEF in the Philippines, told AFP Beckham was making a two-day visit to help out in the international humanitarian effort.

“His focus is meeting the children, meeting the families,” she said.

The typhoon, one of the strongest ever to hit land, left about 8,000 people dead or missing across the central Philippines in November last year.

It also left more than four million people homeless as it tore up 171 towns and cities with winds of up to 315 kilometres (195 miles) an hour.

Weeks after the disaster, Beckham and his wife Victoria, formerly of the Spice Girls, donated 20 boxes of clothes and shoes to the British Red Cross that were auctioned off

to raise money for the victims.

Some Tacloban locals did follow Beckham. The city club’s goalkeeper took his two daughters outside the UNICEF tent in a failed bid to get them to meet the Englishman, said businessman Ramil Sumapig, a friend of the keeper.

Sumapig, 42, told AFP he himself watched Beckham on cable television playing for European giants Manchester United and Real Madrid.

Beckham also played in the United States before closing out his career with Paris Saint-Germain in France.

“He played with artistry. He was able to bend the ball,” said Sumapig, who nevertheless said his own three children were too young to have seen Beckham in his prime. They idolised Argentina’s Lionel Messi instead.

Beckham last visited the Philippines in December 2011, where he played a sevena-side football match with young Filipinos at a government-run centre for abused or abandoned children. ■ Karl Malakunas / Agence France-Presse / 13, 2014 / 9:56 PM

Rain or Shine, San Mig Coffee begin Philippine Cup finals series THE well-rested Rain or Shine Elasto Painters will battle a San Mig Super Coffee Mixers squad still carrying the momentum of an epic Manila Clasico semifinals victory when the PLDT Home DSL Philippine Cup finals get underway on Friday.

Game One tips off at 8 p.m. at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum with live coverage over TV5.

The Elasto Painters are coming off a one-week break after defeating the Petron Blaze Boosters in just five games in their semifinals series.

“That’s really an advantage. One good thing about it was that we’re able to clear

our minds for a few days, not thinking about anything. Nakaipon kami ng lakas,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.

In contrast, the Mixers are coming off a grueling seven-game series over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, with just a day’s rest to regroup before the finals.

But for Mixers coach Tim Cone, the prestige of the trophy at stake is enough to get those battered bodies motivated to plunge back into action.

“The Philippine Cup is the league’s crown jewel. The guys are motivated to win it,” said Cone. ■ Joshua Lopez / News5 / February 13, 2014 / 8:49 PM

Photo by Paul Ryan Tan ©Sports5.

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

For Philippine hoops Living Legend Robert Jaworski, basketball is game of life ROBERT Jaworski, the Living Legend of Philippine basketball, was back in his old stomping grounds on Monday night to catch Game Six of the PLDT Home DSL Philippine Cup series between Barangay Ginebra San Miguel and the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers.

Though he was there to show support for his old Gin Kings squad in the Manila Clasico series, it quickly became an opportunity for Jaworski to hold court about his philosophy when it comes to the game.

“You must understand, para sa akin ang basketball parang laro ng buhay yan,” Jaworski said.

“Ang basketball may storya. Unang-una, mayroon kayong mga responsibilidad. You have the guard, you have the forward, you have the point guard, you have the power forward, you have the center and then you have the staff and of course, the coaching group that is also very critical.

“Each one really put their thoughts together and the public views it as a drama.

Kumpleto yan eh.

“Tsaka ano bang sport ang pinakakumpleto? Eh di ba basketball? May guarding, may tumutulak sa iyo, mayroong nangbubungo sa iyo, may naiinis sa iyo.

You have to jog, you have to run, you have to slide, you have to communicate. Every second is a different scenario.”

Photo by Justin Gener ©InterAKTV.

Jaworski did not miss a beat in showing his trademark sense of humor as he made his point.

“Kung yung power forward mo puro power failure paano tayo niyan? Yung point guard mo point lang ng point?” he said.

Known for his rapport with fans, Jaworski said that the public can see through anything that happens on the court.

“They can see that from day one, which all of us want — a better cooperation, coordination and animo spirit. Ayaw rin nila yung puro arte na lang. Basta bigay mo yung para sa publiko, they enjoy that,” said Jaworski.

“Let’s face it, you cannot cheat the public because they know if you’re doing the right thing as a group. All of a sudden yung pinakamasipag mo inaantok, they can see that.” ■ Rey Joble / InterAksyon.com / February 10, 2014 / 8:59 PM

James Yap thanks ex-wife Kris Aquino for defending him from bashers SAN Mig Super Coffee Mixers superstar James Yap was surprised to hear his ex-wife Kris Aquino defend him on television after a subpar performance in the PLDT Home DSL Philippine Cup semifinals.

Aquino addressed Yap’s bashers after Game Six of the Mixers’ Manila Clasico semifinals series against Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, where he managed to score just nine points in his team’s defeat.

“Thank you na pinagtanggol niya ako, nagulat ako pinagtanggol niya ako, sa ano’ng meron?” Yap said with a laugh.

Photo by Pranz Kaeno Billones ©Sports5.

He never addressed his bashers, instead letting his game do the talking by exploding for 30 points in San Mig Coffee’s Game Seven victory that gave the team a ticket to the finals.

Yap said he’s never paid attention to people who hate on him after bad games.

“Wala, natural lang yan. Basta focus ka lang. ‘Wag mong pansinin ang bashers, ‘di ba?” he said.

He downplayed his performance in the closing match against Ginebra, saying he just had a good shooting night.

“Ganun sa basketball, ‘pag libre, tira.

Kahit miss yan, basta libre, tira pa rin,” said Yap. The two-time Most Valuable Player hopes he could carry the momentum of his performance into Game One of the finals on Friday night against the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. ■ Joshua Lopez / News5 / February 13,

2014 / 8:49 PM

SPORTS

February 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 4 • UK & Europe Edition

www.hello-philippines.com

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Manila Clasico: Why the Ginebra-Purefoods rivalry continues to endure EVEN though the two teams have met in the PBA finals just twice in the last 25 seasons, and playoff encounters between them have been few and far between, the Ginebra-Purefoods rivalry has remained the most heated in the league. It has been one of Philippine sports’ most underrated phenomena, because media has rarely hyped up the matchup through the years.

But there’s something special every time Ginebra and Purefoods play each other.

The large fanbases of the the two teams help. Ginebra is, of course, the league’s crowd darling, with its popularity stemming from the legend of Robert Jaworski, whose torch has been passed through the years to Gin Kings superstar Mark Caguioa. When it comes to fans, Purefoods is no slouch either; the franchise’s signature star, Alvin Patrimonio, remains the face of the team, and his quiet charisma has rubbed off on B-MEG franchise player James Yap. But if the rivalry were just about a popularity contest between the two teams, it wouldn’t have endured for so long. When the two teams play each other, the fans seem to put a little more into it: their cheers are a little louder, their steps to the arena much quicker, the electricity in the air more palpable.

The Ginebra-Purefoods rivalry has been the Manila equivalent of the Clasico: It speaks to the relationship of their fans to the two teams, who are mere avatars for how they want to see themselves — their values, their priorities, their essence. To understand the rivalry, one has to understand first the unique relationship of the Filipino fan to the game of basketball.

Since he left the PBA in 1998, Robert Jaworski has been canonized for his contributions to the sport. It is well-deserved, given the impact of his playing career on the sport closest the the hearts of Filipinos.

On the court, he was perpetually unafraid to barrel against bigger men in the lane, on many occasions seemingly willing his team to victory with his huge fighting heart. Off the court, his demeanor toward his fans might be even more remarkable. He was known to always give the time of day to any of his supporters, signing autographs till his hand hurt, smiling and posing for hundreds of pictures, and even joking around with them.

It is no accident that Jaworski is the most popular player in PBA history; long before he became an actual politician, he was shaking hands and kissing babies already.

Jaworski’s post-playing career has been a lovefest. For fans today, whether or not they are for Ginebra, Jaworski has been some sort of a revered statesman for the game, never mind his record as a senator of the republic.

It wasn’t always this way. When Jaworski was at the helm of Ginebra, he was easily the most polarizing player in the league.

While millions of people worshipped him as a basketball god, just as many people hated him because of what they perceived to be his and his team’s dirty play. While he was a hero for others, for his critics, he was little more than a thug.

When Purefoods entered the PBA in 1988, the Hotdogs were natural foils for Ginebra. Purefoods had bought the Tanduay franchise, whose best player Ramon Fernandez, had a long history with Jaworski.

The two were teammates for the old Toyota franchise who had since had a falling out, and their cold war cast a shadow on the whole league.

But that served as just a starting point for the enmity. Purefoods was trotting out a talented bunch of rookies led by Jojo Lastimosa, Jerry Codiñera, and later, Alvin Patrimonio. Suddenly, all the Jaworski haters now had a group of talented, fresh-

faced, young players, for whom they could cheer against the “evil” Ginebra. In 1988, thousands of fathers across the country would sit across the television at dinnertime lecturing their children about Jaworski and his goons, and holding up Patrimonio, Lastimosa, and Codiñera as a sort of holy trinity. For those children, it was their first realworld exposure to good and evil; Ginebra versus Purefoods wasn’t just a basketball game, it was a morality play.

The story was different on the other side of the fence. Purefoods was positioned as the league’s glamour team, in stark contrast to Ginebra’s darling of the masses. It was a literal battle between the masa and the sosyal.

In 1988, the PBA meant a little more to Filipinos. For most fans, it was their only escape; the economy was in the tank, and quality of life had been steadily worsening over the past two decades. The basketball arena was the one place they could let out all the pent up anger they had, and for the typical masa fan, there’s nothing more satisfying than seeing the sosyal get their comeuppance — if only on the basketball court. For them, every Ginebra victory over Purefoods went beyond just a victory over another PBA team. It was a small measure of revenge for every injustice they’ve had to face in their life.

The way Purefoods played, and the way they carried themselves on the floor, only fed fuel to the fire. For Ginebra fans, Lastimosa was a bratty punk who needed to be taught a lesson by Jaworski and company. Alvin Patrimonio was an overpaid whiner who argued with referees like a crybaby every time he didn’t get a call. Ginebra fans perceived a sense of entitlement from these Purefoods players, and it stuck at their craw.

Jaworski and Ginebra, after all, won with ragtag teams of castoffs; what were these pretty boys crying about?

Photo by Justin Gener ©InterAksyon.com

Photo by Leslie Sy ©Sports5.

Photo courtesy of James Yap’s Instagram account.

In 2012, InterAksyon.com editor Jaemark Tordecilla coined the term “Manila Clasico” to describe the fierce rivalry between the Ginebra and Purefoods franchises in the PBA. The term was inspired by the “El Clasico” football rivalry between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in Spain. In both cases, the rivalry goes beyond the hardcourt and the pitch, and goes into what each team symbolizes for their fans.

Photo from the 1986-87 PBA Annual

In 2008, the social weather stations released the results of survey for the most popular teams in the PBA. Surprisingly, they said that Ginebra and Purefoods were tied as the most popular teams in the league. Ginebra remained king in NCR and Luzon, but Purefoods ruled the Visayas and Mindanao.

On its face, the survey made sense.

Three of the most popular Purefoods players, James Yap, Roger Yap, and Peter June Simon, trace their roots to the south, which could have contributed to the team’s following. Ginebra wasn’t as well represented.

The reaction from the Ginebra faithful about the survey was fast and furious. Fans wrote letters and text messages to sports columnists and called in to sports radio programs to argue that Ginebra was still No. 1. The arguments were often passionate, a tribute to the typical kabaranggay.

One has to wonder, though, whether the resentment about the survey is merely about not being solo at the top. Perhaps some Ginebra fans could live with the idea that their team could share top billing with another franchise. But sharing it with Purefoods, of all teams? It’s a fate worse than death.

Not coincidentally, the two most popular players in the league today double as the franchise players of Ginebra and Purefoods.

The Mark Caguioa-James Yap matchup adds a little extra thrill to the GinebraPurefoods matchup because they play the same position.

The two are also polar opposites in their demeanor: Caguioa is brash and emotional,

As a rookie, Jojo Lastimosa was fearless in attacking the basket even against Ginebra.

while Yap is quiet and icy. The paths they took to the PBA also couldn’t be more different.

Caguioa, who hails from Mandaluyong but grew up in California, was a virtual unknown when he was drafted by Ginebra in 2001, when he burst on to the scene to win the Rookie of the Year award. Yap, on the other hand, was a basketball star long before he first played in the PBA, winning the Junior PBL Most Valuable Player award as a highschooler and having a decorated local college career.

Caguioa and Yap have also been lightning rods for hatred for fans of the opposing team. No other group are as quick as Ginebra fans to question Yap’s two MVP awards, dismissing him as a player overrated because of his showbiz connections (Caguioa didn’t win one until 2012). Purefoods fans, on the other hand, are still waiting for Caguioa to come through on his boast back in the 2006 to streak naked if Ginebra didn’t win the Philippine Cup championship, which Purefoods did.

Today, the rivalry lives on, fueled by stars like Yap and Caguioa. The fanbases of the two teams have changed over the years , becoming more homogeneous. There are many sosyal Ginebra fans just as there are many masa Purefoods fans.

But fandom here is less about what people really are, but how they seem themselves to be. The PBA may be different to a Filipino today than it was in 1988, but the essence of the Manila Clasico remains the same. Which is why the Ginebra-Purefoods rivalry endures to this day. ■ Jaemark Tordecilla / InterAksyon.com / January 28, 2014 / 10:37 AM

sport ‘He’s so handsome.

Is he with the Azkals-’ Football superstar David Beckham visits Tacloban Story on page 38

For Philippine hoops Living Legend Robert Jaworski, basketball is game of life Story on page 38

James Yap thanks ex-wife Kris Aquino for defending him from bashers Story on page 38

FILIPINO FIGURE SKATER MICHAEL CHRISTIAN MARTINEZ IMPRESSES IN HISTORIC DEBUT IN SOCHI GAMES

FILIPINO figure skater Michael Christian Martinez made history on Thursday night after competing in the short program in the men’s event in the 2014 Sochi Winter Games.

Martinez, a 17-year-old prodigy from Muntinlupa City, was hailed by the television commentators as “a really entertaining skater” prior to his routine. They also noted his pioneering status as the first Filipino

to compete in the figure skating event in the Olympics. “History is being made,” according to the announcers.

He was fifth in the start list, coming after Liam Firus of Canada, Yakov Godorozha of the Ukraine, Misha Ge of Uzbekistan, and Jorik Hendrickx of Belgium.

Skating to “Romeo and Juliet” by Arthur Fiedler, Martinez calmly took the ice.

He pulled off a triple axle on his first

attempt, before nailing a triple lutz without incident. He also showcased his flexibility with a camel spin.

“Such a great performance from such a young man,” noted the commentators.

“What a debut for the Philippines!” said one commentator.

“That was fantastic!” chimed another announcer. “Well done, you can be very proud of yourself.” Continue to page 38