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UK & Europe Edition

January 2015 / Fortnightly

Volume 6 - Number 2

POPE FRANCIS ‘VERY IMPRESSED’ BY FILIPINOS’ PASSIONATE WELCOME

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AN estimated 800,000 to a million Filipinos gathered between Villamor Air Base in Pasay City to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila on Thursday to offer Pope Francis a welcome that only the lone predominantly Catholic country in Asia could give. Fr. Federico Lombardi SJ, the director of the Vatican Press Office, said the Filipino faithful did not at all disappoint. Wire agency Agence France-Presse described the Filipino reception as “rapturous.” “The Pope was very impressed,” Lombardi said in a news conference at the Vatican Media Center, a short distance away from the Pope’s official residence in Manila. “The first encounter of the Pope [with the Filipino people] was very impressive, important, and touching,” he added. Aside from the welcoming party at the air base and the crowd that gathered in front of the nunciature, Filipinos lined the route of the papal motorcade to give the 78-year-old pontiff an ardent receptiion. Lawyer Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority and a member of the organizing committee of the papal visit, said the agency estimate of the people that gathered was between 800,000 to a million. President Benigno Aquino III and members of the Cabinet received Pope Francis at Villamor Air Base late Thursday afternoon. Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines president Archbishop Socrates Villegas, and other prelates were also at the airbase to welcome the pontiff. Turn to page 2

NEWS

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Pope Francis ‘very impressed’ by Filipinos’ passionate welcome Continuation from page 1

Students from various Catholic schools in Parañaque performed three dances to welcome the Pope at the airbase. Church bells tolled. It was the beginning of a ﬁve-day trip in the Catholic Church’s Asian heartland that is tipped to attract a world-record papal crowd. Church bells tolled across the former Spanish colony as the charismatic pontiff ﬂew into the capital of Manila after a successful visit to Sri Lanka. Francis smiled as he looked out the window of his plane upon touchdown, greeted by the sight of hundreds of children on the tarmac chanting

“Welcome Pope Francis!” and “We love you, Pope Francis!” Francis has said his two-nation tour is aimed at adding momentum to the Church’s already impressive growth in Asia, with its support in the Philippines the benchmark for the rest of the region. Eighty percent of the former Spanish colony’s 100 million people practise a famously fervent brand of Catholicism, and the pope is set to enjoy thunderously enthusiastic crowds throughout his stay. “Every step he makes, every car ride he takes, every moment he stays with us is precious for us,” Villegas said as he

called on all Filipinos to make an effort to see him. Hundreds of thousands of people crowded the route the pope passed as he made a 35-minute trip in a “popemobile” from the airport to the Vatican’s embassy to rest overnight. The pope stood on the back of the vehicle, which had no walls, waving and smiling constantly to the crowd. “It’s a blessing to see the pope. That’s why we’re here,” school teacher Jeannie Blesado, 35, told AFP.

Personally comfort Yolanda survivors. Pope Francis has several

engagements in Manila but Church leaders said the Holy Father’s main

intention was to personally comfort the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in Leyte. Yolanda, which hit Central Philippines in November 2013, was the strongest typhoon on record to ever make landfall. More than 40,000 policemen and soldiers are deployed different areas to secure the Holy Father during his ﬁveday stay in the country. This is the ﬁrst time that Pope Francis visited the Philippines, and Southeast Asia since taking the helm of the Roman Catholic Church in March 2013. The 78-year-old charismatic pontiff

went to Sri Lanka for a three-day visit, to kick off his Asian tour, before coming to the Philippines. The first Jesuit Pope who hailed from Argentina gave Sri Lanka its first saint, Catholic priest Joseph Vaz, who led he rebuilding of the Church in the country during he 17th and 18th centuries after the Dutch declared Calvinism as the official religion. The 266th Pope of the Catholic Church is expected to draw some six million people in an open air Mass on Sunday at Rizal Park in Manila. ■ Rouchelle Dinglasan with a report from Agence France Presse / NB/JST, GMA News / January 15, 2015 / 8:08 PM

Pope Francis arrives in the Philippines A rapturous welcome greeted Pope Francis on Thursday as he arrived in the Philippines for a five-day visit. Check out scenes from his first couple of hours in the country, as he landed at Villamor Air Base before a motorcade took him to the Apostolic Nunciature to rest. ■ January 15, 2015 / 9:04 PM

Pope Francis climbs the Popemobile and is about to depart Villamor Airbase for the Apostolic Nunciature.

Pope Francis is in the Philippines for a five-day state and apostolic visit that will be highlighted by a meeting with survivors of super typhoon Yolanda in Leyte on Saturday, January 17.

Pope Francis arrives in the Apostolic Nunciature where he will be staying in the duration of his visit.

Pope Francis waves to the crowd while on board an Isuzu D-Max Popemobile for his trip to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila on Thursday, January 15, from the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Pope Francis waves at the crowd shortly after arriving at Villamor Air Base on Thursday, January 15, while President Benigno Aquino III looks on.

BUSINESS & FINANCE

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

World Bank cuts economic forecast for Philippines MANILA - The World Bank expects the Philippines to grow over six percent in the next two years on strong government and consumer spending as well as a robust manufacturing sector. In a brieﬁng today, Rogier van den Brink, the lender’s lead economist for the Philippines, said the domestic economy is forecast to expand by around 6.5 percent this year and in 2016. The bank’s latest gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for this year is lower than an earlier estimate of 6.7 percent made last October and below the government’s target range of 7-8 percent for the entire 2015. GDP refers to the amount of ﬁnal goods and services produced in the country, and as such measures economic performance. Despite the downgrade, the Philippines will remain one of emerging Asia’s fastest growing economies (see table). The lower forecast for this year comes off slower growth last year, which the World Bank pegged at 6 percent, down from an earlier estimate of 6.4 percent given a slowdown in government spending in 2014. “These growth projections hinge primarily on the ability of the government to fully implement the budget and the Yolanda master plan,” Van den Brink said. The Aquino administration late last year unveiled its master plan to rehabilitate areas in Central Visaysas that were devastated in late 2013 by Supertyphoon Yolanda. Congress also

last month enacted this year’s national spending plan. “There are also other factors that could support growth. These are the positive outlook of consumers and businesses, stronger FDI (foreign direct investment) inflows and rapidly falling oil prices,” Van den Brink said. The price of oil has fallen by more than 40 percent since last year and is expected to drop by another 30 percent this year, resulting in higher purchasing power for both businesses and households, Van den Brink said. He said the main risks to growth this year are the slowdown in the government spending and further delays in public-private partnership (PPP) projects. “Over the medium term to long term, reform lags, in particular reforms to raise tax revenues efficiently, equitably, and simply, could seriously undermine the government’s effort to double infrastructure spending to 5 percent of GDP and further raise education and health spending,” Van den Brink said. On the external front, the key risks are weaker than previously projected global growth and financial market volatilities. The World Bank also cut its global GDP growth forecast to 3 percent. Van den Brink said the Philippines is likely to eradicate poverty if it sustained growth over a longer period. “Over the long-term, if we are able to sustain 6 percent growth at this level of elasticity, we can double per capita income in one decade, raise it 5

Source: World Bank

times in 2 decades and multiply it by 11 times in 3 decades. This means it is very possible to eradicate poverty and boost shared prosperity within one generation,” he said. At present, Philippine growth elasticity of poverty stands at -2.02, which means every 1 percent increase in GDP per capita cuts poverty incidence by more than 2 percent. The country’s poverty incidence declined by 3 percentage points to 24.9 percent between 2012 and 2013. Achieving this goal will require sustaining and speeding up structural reforms, the World Bank said, as follows: • Increasing investments in infrastructure, health, and education; • Enhancing competition to level the playing ﬁeld; • Making regulations simpler to

promote job creation, especially for micro and small enterprises; and • Protecting property rights. Over the medium-term, putting more money in infrastructure as well as in people’s education and health will require tax reforms to generate adequate resources. Investment deficit. “We estimate that we have an investment deficit of 6.8 percent of GDP or around P950 billion in today’s money. This is roughly divided into 2.5 percent of GDP for infrastructure and 4.3 percent of GDP for social services,” said Karl Kendrick Chua, World Bank senior country economist. He said the Philippines underinvested in physical capital in the last 10 years. “Comparing the Philippines with our fast growing Asean neighbors, the country also underinvested, especially in infrastructure and education,” Chua said. He said this resulted in “monstrous traffic, flight delays, and delays in importation.” “There are concerns about potential power shortages this year and many of our sectors such as electronics have become less competitive,” he said. To resolve this, Chua said both tax administration and tax policy reforms are needed to generate the revenues

required to finance the decades-old investment deficit in infrastructure, health and education. Only when revenues improve should policy makers consider further reforms, such as lowering the top marginal income tax rate to 25 percent, reducing the gap between regular and special corporate income tax rates, and simplifying the tax system for micro and small enterprises, he said. “For these reforms to succeed, strengthening tax administration and improving transparency and accountability of government spending are essential,” Chua said. “These would allow the Filipino people to see a better link between taxes and services and convince them that the taxes they are paying are being spent wisely.” The report also recommends further reforms to enhance competition, including enacting and implementing a clear competition policy; liberalizing key sectors of the economy that directly impact poor Filipinos; further opening up the economy to more foreign competition; and strengthening regulatory capacity. “These reforms can provide firms of all sizes and origins the incentives to invest and massively create good jobs for all Filipinos,” Chua said. ■ Darwin G. Amojelar / InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015 / 1:35 PM

NCCA orders stop to construction of Torre de Manila MANILA – The National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA) recently issued a cease and desist order against DMCI Homes Inc., to stop the construction of Torre De Manila, a high-rise condominium building that critics say obstructs the physical integrity of the Rizal Monument. In its cease and desist order issued on January 5, 2015, NCAA Chairman Felipe M. De Leon Jr., said that the Rizal National Monument, Rizal Fountain, Rizal Park (Bagumbayan), and the Execution Site and its parks are Cultural Property, characterized as built heritage under Section 3 of Republic Act 10066. “The construction of a condominium tower destroys or significantly alters the landscape of the Monument and Part,” De Leon said. One of the most vocal critics, Sen. Pia Cayetano, had earlier released photos showing that from most angles from which tourists or any Filipino takes pictures of the Rizal monument, the Torre de Manila sticks out in the background, as a “Pambansang

Photo Bomber.” In reply, the DMCI’s publicists released photos showing that unless a deliberate merchanical effort is made to make the condo building stand out in background (such as zooming in), that should not be the case. With its cease and desist order, the Commission said “Premises considered, by virtue of the power granted by law, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts directs the DMCI Homes Inc., to CEASE AND DESIST from constructing the highrise condominium Torre de Manila located on or around Taft Avenue, Manila, until such time as the commission can make the declaration of whether or not there in actual destruction and if such destruction warrants a permanent cease and desist order.” The order is addressed to David M. Consunji, owner of DMCI Homes Inc., with postal address at 1321 A. Apolinario, Makati City. De Leon cited the constitutional provision that “mandates the State to conserve, develop, promote and

popularized the nation’s historical and cultural heritage and resources as well as artistic creations. It further provides that all the country’s artistic and historic wealth constitutes the cultural treasure of the nation and shall be under the protection of the State, which may regulate its disposition.” De Leon added: “Section 25 of RA 10066 states that when the physical integrity of the national cultural treasures or important cultural properties are found to be in danger of destruction or significant alteration from its original state, the appropriate cultural agency shall immediately issue a Cease and Desist order ex parte suspending all activities that will affect the cultural property.” He warned that criminal charges under RA 10066 await owners of DMCI if they fail to comply with the order. The order was served on DMCI early this week. At posting time, there was no word yet from DMCI. ■ Ernie Reyes / InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015 / 3:34 PM

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Philippines among top 5 countries with most number of women managers BABAE SI BOSSING

MANILA - While women are still under-represented in top management, more women are taking senior and middle management positions over the last 20 years, the International Labor Organization said in a news release citing a study of its Bureau for Employers’ Activities. According to Women in Business and Management: Gaining Momentum, in 80 of the 108 countries for which ILO data is available, the proportion of women managers has increased during this period. The following shows the table of the top ﬁve countries with the biggest share of women managers until 2012. RANK 1 2 3 4 5

COUNTRY Jamaica Colombia Saint Lucia Philippines Panama

YEAR 2008 2010 2004 2012 2012

% 59.3 53.1 52.3 47.6 47.4

According to the report, Jamaica has the highest proportion of women managers at 59.3 percent, while Yemen has the least with 2.1 percent. The US is 15th in the list of 108 countries with 42.7 percent women managers, the UK 41st (34.2 percent) and the Russian

Federation holds the 25th place (39.1 percent). In Africa, Ghana occupies 26th place with 39 percent, followed by Botswana ranking 28th (38.6 percent). In Asia, the highest ranking country is the Philippines in 4th place (47.6 percent), followed by Mongolia with 41.9 percent in 17th place. With 53.1 percent, Colombia holds the second place at the global level and ranks ﬁrst in Latin America, followed by Panama in ﬁfth place (47.4 percent). The report provides statistics on women in management and in business for most countries from all regions and at all levels of development. It also contains data on the gender pay gap at management and lower levels, as well as statistics on women’s achievements in education.

Working women is biggest engine of global growth, competitiveness. ”Our

research is showing that women’s ever increasing participation in the labor market has been the biggest engine of global growth and competitiveness,” said Deborah France-Massin, Director of the ILO Bureau for Employers’ Activities. “An increasing number of studies are also demonstrating positive links

between women’s participation in top decision-making teams and structures and business performance. But there is a long way to go before we achieve true gender equality in the workplace, especially when it comes to top management positions.” Only 5 percent or less of the CEOs of the world’s largest corporations are women, the study shows. And the larger the company, the less likely the head will be a woman.

More women on company boards.

All-male company boards are still common but are decreasing in number, with women attaining 20 percent or more of all board seats in a handful of countries. A global survey quoted in the study shows that Norway has the highest global proportion of companies (13.3 percent) with a woman as company board chairperson, followed by Turkey (11.1 percent). “It is critical for more women to reach senior management positions in strategic areas to build a pool of potential candidates for top jobs such as CEO or company presidents,” explained France-Massin. “However, ‘glass walls’ still exist with the concentration of women

in certain types of management functions like HR, communications and administration,” she added. Today, women own and manage over 30 percent of all businesses, but they are more likely to be found in micro and small enterprises. Getting more women to grow their businesses is not only critical for equality but also for national development, underlines the report. Women good for business. The new study shows positive link between female leadership and business performance and urges boost from current 5 percent of women in top positions. The authors underline that women and girls receive almost half of all educational resources, thus representing a signiﬁcant proportion of the available talent pool. Therefore,

companies’ investment in attracting, retaining and promoting skilled women is likely to be good for business. The report says national employers’ organizations can play a major role in increasing awareness of the business case for appointing women in leadership roles. “Unless action is taken, it could take 100 to 200 years to achieve parity at the top. It is time to smash the glass ceiling for good to avoid controversial mandatory quotas that are not always necessary or effective. Having women in top positions is simply good for business,” concluded France-Massin. It identiﬁes the growing momentum building around the world to advance women to higher levels of management and lists a selection of the numerous initiatives from various sectors.

BUSINESS & FINANCE

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Flexible solutions for work and family needed. The report also provides the

following recommendations to close the remaining gender gap: • seeking “flexible solutions” to manage work and family time commitments as an alternative to being subject to special treatment or quotas • providing maternity protection coverage and childcare support can bring added value to the company through the recruitment and retention of talented women • “changing mind-sets” to break cultural barriers and fight sexual harassment • addressing the so-called “leaky pipeline” whereby women fall behind despite their high level of education • implementing gender-sensitive human resources policies and measures • making sure women are given as challenging tasks as men from the very beginning of their career The report presents the findings of a 2013 ILO survey of over 1,200 companies in Africa, Asia and Pacific, Eastern and Central Europe and Latin American and the Caribbean, focusing on measures and initiatives to advance women in management. The survey was carried out with the assistance of national employers’ organizations in 39 countries. ■ InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015 / 10:59 AM

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Cebu Paciﬁc to contest government ﬁne for Christmas chaos at NAIA3 MANILA - Cebu Pacific is not about to take the blame for the chaos created by last Christmas season’s flight delays and cancellations sitting down. “We have received CAB Resolution No.4 (BM 01-01-12-2015), and are currently in the process of reviewing the document, and its attendant legal ramifications. We note that there may be some matters of fact requiring clarification, and are evaluating all our options accordingly,” the Gokongweiled airline said in a statement. Last Monday, the Civil Aeronautics Board fined Cebu Pacific in the amount of P52.211 million after finding the budget

airline liable for “operational lapses and mishandling of passengers” at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA3) during the Christmas rush. CAB also required Cebu Pacific to establish and maintain appropriate service standards for all its personnel, organic and outsourced, especially those manning the check-in counters. According to data that Cebu Pacific submitted to the panel last December 29, the company had a total of 20 cancelled flights and 288 delayed flights at the NAIA3 from December 24 to 26. ■ Darwin G. Amojelar / InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015 / 4:22 PM

Comelec annuls proclamation of Antique Gov. Exequiel Javier MANILA - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has annulled the proclamation of Antique Gov. Exequiel Javier for violating the Omnibus Election Code. Voting 4-2-1 the Comelec granted the petition for disqualification filed by Cornelio Aldon and Raymundo Roquero. The five-page order showed that Javier was found to have illegally suspended petitioner Roquero “to coerce, intimidate, compel, or influence the latter to collaborate with or campaign for the former, or to punish the latter for having

manifested political opposition against the former.” The suspension of Roquero was imposed illegally during the election period for the May 2013 elections. In the order dated January 13, Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes and Commissioners Elias Yusoph, Arthur Lim, and Lucenito Tagle voted to disqualify Javier. Commissioners Luie Guia and Christian Lim dissented, while Commissioner Al Parreno was on official business. ■ Jet Villa / InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015 / 4:20 PM

IMMIGRATION / OFNEWS

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Fil-Am lawyer David Lat’s debut novel gets rave reviews IN December, Filipino-American lawyer and legal journalist David Lat published his debut novel, Supreme Ambitions. The novel tells the story of Audrey Coyne, a bright young FilipinoAmerican lawyer who is serving as a law clerk to a powerful judge — a coveted and highly prestigious position that Lat once held himself after graduating from Yale Law School. The book offers a behind-the-scenes look at the operation of the federal judiciary. According to The New York Times, “for an elite niche...Supreme Ambitions has become the most buzzed-about novel of the year.” The book has been favorably

reviewed in The Washington Post, The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer, and the New York Law Journal, among other publications. Three of the blurbs on the back cover come from prominent, sitting federal judges. The book was published in early December as the inaugural title of the American Bar Association’s new Ankerwycke imprint, which will publish law-related books aimed at a broader audience. Shortly after its publication, Supreme Ambitions became the #1 new release under legal thrillers at Amazon. Lat is well known within the legal profession as the founder and

managing editor of Above the Law, an award-winning legal website that reaches more than 1 million unique visitors a month. Prior to starting Above the Law in the summer of 2006, Lat founded Underneath Their Robes, a blog about federal judges. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, New York magazine, Washingtonian magazine, and the New York Observer. Lat has received several awards for his work on Above the Law, including recognition as one of the American Lawyer’s Top 50 Big Law Innovators of the Last 50 Years; one of the ABA Journal’s Legal Rebels, a group of

pioneers within the legal profession; and one of the Fastcase 50, “the ﬁfty most interesting, provocative and courageous leaders in the world of law, scholarship and legal technology.” Before entering the media world, Lat worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, N.J.; a litigation associate at the elite law ﬁrm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, in New York; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Lat graduated from Regis High School in New York; Harvard College, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa; and Yale Law School, where he served as book reviews editor of The Yale Law Journal.

On Jan. 12, Lat’s parents, Drs. Emmanuel and Zenda Lat of Saddle River, N.J., are hosting a book party for him at the Philippine Center at 556 Fifth Avenue, NYC (Fifth Avenue at 45th Street) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event is open to the public, light refreshments will be served, and copies of Supreme Ambitions will be available for sale and signing by the author. ■ Filipino Reporter / January 14, 2015 / 2:54 PM

2 Pinay helpers in Saudi Arabia complain of maltreatment TWO Filipina helpers in Saudi Arabia’s Hail region are seeking help against their employers, who they claim have violated their contracts and maltreated them, a Saudi news site reported Sunday. A report on Arab News said the two were hired as dressmakers and deployed by Mayon International Trading Corp. in Manila but were made to work as housemaids when they arrived in Saudi Arabia last year. The case has been referred to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in

the Saudi capital. Both workers added they were not getting a salary of SR1,500 a month as specified in the agreement between the Philippines and the Kingdom in 2013. “Sometimes we receive SR1,200, sometimes SR1,300. It’s not fixed,” they said. “We work in our employer’s beauty shop ... After a day or two, we leave to work as housemaid for another family and go back to the shop after 15 days,” they added. Other violations they claimed include

their employer not opening a bank account for them, not getting a day off, and being made to work for different families for 15 days each time. Worse, they said they were hit by the child of their employer. “She (employer) demanded that we turn in our cell phones to her,” they said, adding that when one of them refused, the employer forcibly took off her trousers, thinking that the cell phone was in her pockets. ■ Joel Locsin / RSJ, GMA News / January

12, 2015 / 10:37 AM

Lone Pinoy survivor of Vietnam sea mishap arrives in Iloilo

6 Pinoys face charges for oil smuggling in Saudi

SIX overseas Filipino workers are facing charges and fines for allegedly smuggling diesel, a Saudi Arabian news site reported Tuesday. The six were among eight persons arrested for the incident, the other two being an Egyptian and a Pakistani, Arab News reported. Investigation showed one of the accused, a drilling supervisor, paid $150,000 or SR560,000 to another defendant in return for his signature. The signature would allow a boat carrying the smuggled diesel to move out of Saudi waters. Further investigation also showed the defendants received bribes from the boat commander to facilitate the smuggling. A second defendant confessed he accepted the amount in exchange for his signature as an authorized officer. Presently, the Filipinos are detained

in a prison in Dammam, and face fines ranging from SR20,000 to SR560,000. Citing a separate report by AlHayat daily, the Arab News report said the men may face jail of up to 10 years and a fine of one million riyals. The report said this has dismayed the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia. But it also prompted the Filipinos to urge fellow Filipinos to be law-abiding and not damage the Philippines’ image. “As OFWs we should limit our activities to our work and basic lifestyle requirements necessary to live and survive in the Kingdom,” said Saidy Malic, a community leader. For its part, militant group Migrante-Middle East asked the Philippine Embassy to look into the reported arrest of the six Filipinos. ■

Joel Locsin / KBK, GMA News / January 13, 2015 / 7:30 PM

A Filipino who survived the sinking of a cargo vessel off Vietnam last January 2 arrived in his home province of Iloilo Wednesday night. Chief cook Angelito Rojas arrived at the ofﬁce of Magsaysay Maritime Corp. in Iloilo City at 8 p.m., GMA Iloilo’s Jason Gregorio reported Thursday. Rojas is so far the only survivor in the sinking of the Bulk Jupiter off Vietnam. At least two Filipino seafarers were killed while 16 others are still missing. Rojas told local media everything happened very quickly on that fateful day the vessel sank, saying the distress call came shortly after 6 a.m. “Napakabilis na pangyayari. Ako bigla na lang na tumagilid na yung barko noon. Tumalon na ako at saka ganun na lang,” he said. Rojas said the vessel’s captain jumped off the vessel ﬁrst. “Si kapitan nauna tapos ako. Doon na kami, nagsurvive na ako. Masama ang panahon,” he said. He said he survived on prayers until he was rescued by the crew of a passing tugboat. “Palutang-lutang lang, dala ko lifejacket ko, humawak ako sa immersion suit,” he said. Rojas’ daughter Carmela was happy to see him, and said she would rather he not go out to sea again.

“Kung ako lang ang masusunod, hindi na talaga. Ayon sa father ko, ayaw niya na rin. Hindi na raw siya babalik at kung kami na pamilya, ayaw na rin namin, lalung-lalo na ako. Noong nalaman ko, sinabi ko talaga na hindi ko na gusto,” she said. Meanwhile, Magsaysay Maritime Corp. COO Alexander Querol said they are working with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Philippine Embassy to look for the other crewmembers. For its part, Gearbulk, owner of the sunken vessel, asked the kin of the other crewmembers not to lose hope.

“We are still very much focused on the search and rescue efforts, and that is where our focus will remain. We ask for everybody’s patience in this very, very difﬁcult time and until we can get facts, we will not speculate on any of the events,” said Manila representative David Kirley. Rojas made a similar appeal to the kin of his fellow crewmembers. “Sa mga pamilya para ng mga kasamahan ko, huwag kayong mawalan ng pagasa. Tumutulong naman ang kumpanya natin. Inaasikaso tayo,” he said. ■ Joel Locsin / KBK, GMA News / January 8, 2015 / 4:02 PM

Pinoy cook from sunken ship brought to Vietnam. A photo taken on Sunday, January 4, shows Filipino cook Angelito Capindo Rojas (2nd left), who was rescued from the sunken cargo vessel Bulk Jupiter, leaving the Vietnamese rescue boat SAR 413 in the coastal city of Vung Tau. Two Filipino sailors died and 16 others are missing after the cargo ship sank in waters near Vietnam.

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IMMIGRATION / OFNEWS

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

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Group calls on Pope Francis to speak out for OFWs A migrants’ rights group on Tuesday called on Pope Francis to speak on behalf of overseas Filipinos to stimulate government action for the improvement of migrant rights. “We call on Pope Francis to heed our call: Stand with us against trafﬁcking and modern-day slavery of Filipino migrants! Struggle with us against [President Benigno] Aquino [III]’s labor export policy!,” said Garry Martinez, Migrante International chairperson, in a statement. According to Martinez, Pope Francis’ outspoken attitude towards human trafﬁcking. In his traditional Angelus prayer

in 2013, Pope Francis highlighted the plight of refugees and migrants,saying their “dramatic” condition is “marked by fear, uncertainty and difﬁculties.” Martinez said Pope Francis’ support would help the 125 Filipinos currently on death row abroad, the 7,000 in jail, and the 25,000 left stranded and awaiting repatriation in the Middle East. “As he visits the Philippines, we call on Pope Francis to speak on behalf of an estimated 15 million overseas Filipinos in over 239 countries around the world. We call on him to speak out for Filipino migrants in

distress and their families,” he said. Pope Francis, who will be in the Philippines from January 15 to 19, will meet with Filipino families affected by migration, poverty, and physical disabilities at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on January 16. He will hear the testimonies of OFWs and others during the event, accommodating his wish to have “eye contact” with laypersons. The Philippines is a major laborsending country, with at least 1.46 million landbased overseas Filipinos and 367,166 seafarers worldwide as of 2013. ■ Rie Takumi / KBK, GMA News / January

13, 2015 / 1:47 PM

Immigrants snap up new California driver licenses

LOS ANGELES - Nearly 30,000 motorists applied for driving licenses in California on the ﬁrst weekend of a new law offering them to people in the United States illegally, ofﬁcials said Monday. Thanks to the 2013 bill approved by Governor Jerry Brown, California last week became the 10th state in the nation to issue them to undocumented immigrants. Under the AB60 law, anyone who can show they are California residents—such as through bills or rental agreements—can now apply for a license, regardless of immigration status.

On Friday 17,200 people applied for the AB60 driver’s document, while over 11,000 did so on Saturday, said Department of Motor Vehicles spokeswoman Jessica Gonzalez. Opponents fear the law will encourage immigrants to come to the United States, and worry some might use false names to register for a license, thereby creating national security concerns. Advocates say it means more drivers will get car insurance and will make the roads safer. Until now, immigrants in California without legal authorization risked heavy ﬁnes or vehicle seizures for

driving without a license. Many do anyway, as much of the huge West Coast state lacks comprehensive public transit. California has the largest undocumented immigrant population in the United States, about 2.45 million. They must still provide proof of identity, such as a passport. The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles expects some 1.4 million people to request a license. Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont and Washington state already have similar laws. ■ AFP / January 6, 2015 / 8:51 AM

Pro-OFW groups, recruitment firms to hold dialogue on human trafficking

Kids of foreigners married to Pinoys eligible for permanent residence CHILDREN of foreign nationals who married Filipinos are eligible for permanent residence in the Philippines, the Bureau of Immigration said. The BI said Justice Secretary Leila de Lima has approved BI Memorandum Circular No. SBM-2015-001 allowing the privilege to children in such circumstances. “The policy aims to clarify and fill the void in the law such that it is aligned with the State’s policy to protect the sanctity of the family,” BI Commissioner Siegfred Mison said in a

post on the bureau’s Facebook page. According to the BI, the Philippine Immigration Act’s Section 13(a) allows permanent residence for the spouse or child of a Filipino but is silent on whether a child of the foreigner spouse may be granted a similar status as that of the spouse. The BI said permanent resident status may be granted to children who are under 21 years old, are unmarried, and who are accompanying or following to join their parent. ■ Joel Locsin / JDS, GMA /

January 9, 2015 / 6:12 PM

NOTING Pope Francis’ strong anti-human trafﬁcking stance, leaders of civil society organizations and representatives from the recruitment industry will hold a dialogue on the eve of his ﬁve-day visit to the Philippines. In a statement Tuesday, Susan Ople, head of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center and Training Institute, said the meeting between agencies is a response to the Pope’s call for a “global war” against modern slavery and labor exploitation. The one-day dialogue on January 14 will bring in experts in the government to help the participants assess the impact

of the ASEAN economic integration on the recruitment, deployment and reintegration of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), especially among those most vulnerable. Pope Francis will be in the Philippines from January 15 to 19. According to data cited by the Center from the 2014 Global Slavery Index, “About 29.8 million people are working as modern-day slaves, 18.7 million of whom are exploited in private economies, such as agriculture, domestic work, construction and manufacturing.”

“The sheer numbers of people who are victims of forced labor exploitation around the world should alarm not only governments here and abroad, but also, among industry leaders and civil society groups,” Ople said. Ople noted that more people who are mired in abject poverty are lured to leave the country and find work abroad where they often fall victims to labor exploitation akin to slavery. Organized by the Ople Center and LBS Recruitment Solutions, the dialogue will also present updates from government officials assessing the country’s ability to create a framework combating local cases of human trafficking. “We have called in government officials who are directly in charge of the government’s fight against human trafficking to help us assess the impact of the ASEAN economic integration which is set to commence this year,” Ople said. Religious leaders have joined Pope Francis in his call to end modern slavery by 2020, leading a declaration calling human trafficking, forced labor, prostitution, and organ trafficking “a crime against humanity.” ■ Rie Takumi / KBK, GMA News / January 13, 2015 / 7:20 PM

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Pinoy couple awarded in NZ for services to community THE New Zealand government has awarded a Filipino couple for their services to the Filipino community there. Oscar Poquinto Batucan and his wife Miriam Alvez Batucan became the ﬁrst-ever Filipino couple who were awarded the Queen’s Service Medal (QSM) in the 2015 New Year’s Honours List. A news release from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the QSM recognizes the recipient’s valuable voluntary service to the community at the local or regional level. “We are so humbled and blessed to each receive the Queen Service Medal Award for our services to the Filipino Community,” the couple, who hail from Cebu and now reside in Auckland, said. They added the award made them “even more inspired to continue to make

a difference in the life of our Co-Filipinos and are encouraged to open our doors to non-Filipinos thru our continued church outreach and social services.” For the past 15 years, Oscar and Miriam, who moved in New Zealand in 1987, have been anchoring a radio program, “Pilipinas Mabuhay,” every Saturday from 5:55 - 6:40 p.m. on 104.6 Planet FM, providing counselling and updates on Philippine and local Auckland Filipino community news, activities, work vacancies and employment opportunities. In addition to their family and work commitments in the government and private sector, Oscar and Miriam carried out voluntary services and support to the Filipino community for the past 26 years. The couple are also very active in helping increase attendance in church

services and devotional activities and reaching out to new Filipino migrants to facilitate their adjustment to the way of life and culture in New Zealand and sense of belonging in the Filipino and local communities. Oscar and Miriam also broadened their networking with Filipino and other ethnic communities, joined gatherings and meetings and pursued community service and advocacies. Since the establishment of the NZ-Filipino Devotees of Señor Sto. Niño Trust in 1994, Miriam is the chairperson and together with Oscar, continue to serve and hold annual activities and a 10-day Sinulog festival attended by more than 10,000 devotees as well as programs for the youth, women, families and senior citizens. In 2009, Oscar and Miriam were given the Benemerenti Papal Award

by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI in recognition of their outstanding service to the Filipino Catholic community and the Church in Auckland. This was the ﬁrst time that a Papal

Award has been received by a Filipino couple. The Batucans have ﬁve children and eight grandchildren. ■ KBK, GMA News / January 12, 2015 / 3:25 PM

Pinoy overseas scholars promote int’l graduate programs to kababayans in PHL

Photo from Jose Antonio Vargas’ Facebook account

Why is Jose Antonio Vargas such a happy man these days? JOSE Antonio Vargas, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Filipino-American journalist who has become the face the immigration movement in the US, is a happy man these days — he just passed his driver’s license test in California. “One of the happiest days of my life: a real, legit, government-issued California-approved driver’s license, which I did not get by lying, or keeping a secret, or living in fear,”Vargas said in a post on Facebook. He said he got the license “because I am part of this community—as are my fellow undocumented Americans here in California and across the country.” Vargas was among the nearly 30,000 motorists who applied for driving licenses in California on the first weekend of a new law offering them to undocumented immigrants in the US. Under the AB60 law, which was approved in 2013, anyone who can show they are California residents—such as through bills or rental agreements—

can now apply for a license, regardless of immigration status. Undocumented. In 1993 at the age of 12, Vargas said goodbye to his mother and left the Philippines to join his grandparents in California. Four years later, he learned that he was in the US illegally In June 2011, Vargas, now 33, said he was an undocumented immigrant in an essay in the New York Times Magazine. In his Facebook post announcing his passing the driver’s license test, he described the US as “our home, this is where we pay taxes, this is where we work, where many of us have created businesses.” “We’ve always known—I’ve always known—that we are more than pieces of papers. We are human beings. But I cannot overstate what this piece of government-issued paper—I’ll get the ID in the mail in the next two weeks— means to me, or to my family and friends,” he said. ■ KBK, GMA News / January

9, 2015 / 7:50 PM

FILIPINO scholars in Korea and Japan recently promoted the importance of studying abroad to local students through a symposium held in the Philippines. Held at Antipolo City in Rizal on January 6, the one-day symposium dubbed “Filipino International Researchers, Scholars, and Trainees Symposium: Experiences and Researchers from Japan and Korea” aimed to bolster research and higher education in the Philippines to improve its global standings through international graduate programs. “The feat and progress achieved by ﬁrst world countries like Korea and Japan would have been difﬁcult without the support of a well-educated, thinking, critical mass,” said Cherry

May Mateo, Association of Filipino Students in Japan’s (AFSJ) vice president for academic affairs. The event was attended by more than 100 Filipino undergraduate and graduate students, as well as professionals. Representatives from the AFSJ and Pinoy Iskolars sa Korea, Inc. (PIKO) discussed the career beneﬁts of studying abroad and the research they were able to undertake through graduate and exchange scholarships. ASFJ president Aris Larroder believes the scholars’ advances in social sciences, engineering and technology, biomedical science and technology will help establish “a stronger network of researchers, professionals, and students in the Philippines and abroad.”

In his speech during the event, he said such endeavors can help the Philippines reach the benchmark of the number of research scientists and engineers per 1 million population in developing countries, a milestone Mateo said the Philippines has yet to reach in the United Nations Educational, Scientiﬁc and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) report of 2006. The event was organized by PIKO, AFSJ, The First Paciﬁc Leadership Academy (FPLA), Japan Association for Promotion of Internationalization (JAPI) and in partnership with Ateneo Exchange Student Council (ASEC), University of the Philippines (UP) Chemical Society and UP Arirang. ■ Rie Takumi / KBK, GMA News / January 8, 2015 / 2:13 PM

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Palace open to probe on airport terminal fee integration MALACAÑANG is open to the plan of the Senate to investigate the scheduled integration of terminal fee with airplane tickets, which some lawmakers earlier described as disadvantageous to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). During a press brieﬁng on Tuesday, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Senate probe will provide a venue for the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and airport ofﬁcials to explain the terminal fee integration plan. “Kung mayroong mga katanungan, agam-agam o alinlangan ang ibang sektor, mayroon ding pagkakataon na isagawa ang paglilinaw sa isang maayos na paraan,” Coloma told reporters.

“Isa riyan ‘yung pagkakaroon ng pagdinig sa ating Kongreso at ito ay magsisilbing pagkakataon para bigyan ng liwanag kung bakit nagsasagawa ng mga bagong patakaran,” he added. Coloma maintained that the proposal took into account the concerns of OFWs, who under the law are exempted from paying terminal fees. Last year, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) issued Memorandum Circular No. 08, which seeks to integrate terminal fees amounting to P550 per passenger in all plane tickets. Pro-overseas Filipino worker groups had assailed the integration, saying it would violate Republic Act 10022,

the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995, which exempts migrant workers from paying terminal fees Last October, a Pasay City court issued a temporary restraining order halting for 20 days the plan to integrate the terminal fee into the prices of plane tickets. Malacañang said over the weekend that the integration of the terminal fee in plane tickets will already be implemented starting next month. A few months ago, Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, an administration ally, called for a legislative probe on the integrated terminal fee proposal. ■

Andreo Calonzo / KBK, GMA News / January 13, 2015 / 6:53 PM

Pinay OFW in Jeddah injured in attempt Morale booster but with ‘overblown’ preps? to escape allegedly abusive employer OFWs weigh in on Pope Francis’ visit to PHL AN Overseas Filipino Worker landed herself in the hospital after an attempt to escape from her abusive employer went wrong. Edilyn Sarino, who went to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to work as a massage therapist for the disabled son of a man, was shocked to find out that no such son existed. Instead, her employer allegedly forced her to do housework while making her perform intimate massages on him. In her desire to escape, Sarino climbed out of the third floor of her employer’s home. However, upon finding that the emergency ladder only reached down to the second floor of the building, Sarino said she attempted to jump from the second floor to the roof of a nearby building. Unfortunately, Sarino failed to reach the roof. She fell and lost consciousness. In an exclusive interview with GMA News Online, Sarino explained that she was pushed to escape since her employer wanted to marry her, even promising lavish gifts and other favors. But Sarino vehemently refused, adding she merely went to Saudi Arabia to work. “Pumunta lang naman ako dito para magtrabaho at hindi para asawahin, hindi para bigyan ng kahit ano. Ang dami

Pinay OFW recovers in Jeddah hospital. OFW Edilyn Sarino recovers in a hospital in Jeddah after falling from a window while trying to escape her employers Ronaldo Concha

niya kasi ino-offer basta’t tanggapin ko lang daw. Ilang beses na po akong nakikiusap sa kanya na nagpunta lang ako para magtrabaho,” Sarino said. Sarino was rescued by two Arab nationals and a Filipina, Rizza Sopero, who was in the area. Sopero then informed the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration of the incident. The OWWA is currently coordinating with the hospital Sarino is confined in, and has promised to help Sarino. ■ Patricia Denise Chiu / JDS, GMA News / January 11, 2015 / 6:31PM

SEVERAL Filipinos abroad have weighed in on the ﬁve-day visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines, with some excited over it despite the distance and some noting what they perceived as overblown preparations for the event. For YouScooper Nobie Limpio of Alberta, Canada, Pope Francis’ visit to Metro Manila and Leyte from January 15 to 19 will deﬁnitely resound to Filipino Catholics everywhere, even to those outside the country. “Para sa ‘kin I’m happy kahit na wala ako sa Pilipinas, ramdam ko na ang mga Katolikong Pilipino ay hindi na makapaghintay sa pag-dating niya!,” said Limpio, who works for Boston Pizza. Limpio added that to see the Pope in person should be considered a blessing by every individual who has faith in God. Morale booster. Julieta ConsulMozier, an assistant manager in retail in the United States, sees the visit in a different light, saying although it wasn’t strictly necessary, it would be a big boost for the Philippine economy and the national morale. “Every once in a while, the faithful do need an uplift on their faith. And it is good for the local economy too. People are traveling, staying in hotels, eating in restaurants, and buying souvenirs,” Mozier said.

HK convicts 81 Pinoys in 2014 over unlicensed ﬁrearms HONG KONG authorities had arrested 81 Filipinos in 2014 for bringing unlicensed firearms there, prompting the Philippine Consulate General to reiterate its warning against bringing restricted items, particularly stunning devices, in handcarried or checked-in luggage. According to the consulate, 81 Filipino nationals, especially seafarers, were convicted of possession of arms without license in 2014. “Under Hong Kong’s Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance, travelers are banned from bringing in stunning devices at all the

territory’s ports,” the consulate said in an advisory posted last week on its website. It said stun guns and other devices such as tear gas, bullets, extendable batons, flick knives, and knuckle dusters are considered as “arms” in Hong Kong and are restricted under its Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance. “Offenders will be arrested by Hong Kong police and prosecuted by Hong Kong courts and may face a penalty of up to HK$100,000 or approximately US$13,333 and a maximum prison sentence of 14 years,” the consulate said. ■ KBK, GMA News / January 14, 2015 / 3:32 PM

Then there was those who wished for the Pope’s visit to inspire honesty and compassion among local politicians and government ofﬁcials. “Hopefully, Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines would challenge our politicians to set aside their own interests and really serve the people,” said Jonathan Perez, a reporter in the CNMI. Perez also welcomed the Pope’s decision to include meeting the survivors of super typhoon Yolanda and the earthquake in Bohol on his itinerary. “He truly is the People’s Pope after he included visiting the displaced families of super typhoon Yolanda in Palo and Tacloban City in Leyte province on his itinerary. His visit to the areas affected by Yolanda would give hope to the hopeless,” he said. Entrepreneur Gill Concha said the Pope’s visit to the Philippines will be a good thing for Filipinos, as it sends “a strong and inspiring message” that serves to “inspire, strengthen and hopefully change people.” “Especially at this time that terrorism and its origin is threatening peace around the world, our country, needs a symbol of hope for Christianity,” said Concha, the chapter commander of The Order of the Knights of Rizal in Monaco.

simple

welcome

will

do.

Meanwhile, fellows like Coloradobased intern Uminga Ice think the preparations for the visit were quite unbecoming of the simplicity of Filipinos. “Filipino hospitality doesn’t need all those things such as a grand welcome. A simple welcome is enough,” said Ice. California-based Ed Junio believes trimming the visit down to a tech-based tour might be more costeffective, and may even reach more faithful especially in areas that will not be part of the Pope’s itinerary.

He added that he ﬁnds the fanaticism of some Filipino devotees alarming and bordering on worship. “In my opinion though, a lot of Catholics tend to go overboard with their respect for the Pope — more like a worship. The country in particular always seem to want to make an impression on the Pope,” Junio said. Cecelia Bachmeier, currently working for a medical equipment manufacturer in San Diego, said the preparations for Pope Francis’s tour was justiﬁed for its ability to strengthen and unify Catholics. “The Pope’s visit will help the new generation of youth to research about faith. I can see that the preparation urged people to learn more of Christianity,” she said. Papal updates. While some Filipinos abroad said they will keep themselves updated on Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines via TV news reports and social media, some — like Junio — see no reason to do so. “We’re not really watching the news about his visit. Not sure about the other Catholic communities in the LA area,” Junio said. “Yes, we are watching the news of the visit here in America through our media, especially through the Catholic cable channel,” said Mozier. Regardless of this, most still believe that Pope Francis will enjoy his stay in the Philippines. “I hope he likes our country as those wonderful summer vacation by the beach. The kind when you just go and enjoy yourself,” said Ice wistfully. “It doesn’t matter kung engrande o simple as long as ang bawat Pilipino ay may pagkakaisa at mairaos o maipagdiwang ng ligtas. Ang bawat isang dadalo o sasalubong sa mahal na Papa! At ‘yon ang pinaka importante dahil alam naman nating lahat na ang bagong halal na Pope ay hindi materialistic,” Limpio said. ■ Rie Takumi / KBK, GMA News / January 14, 2015 / 1:37 PM

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The Amazing London Baden Powell Lolita Boddy - 07973-469450 / Praybeyt Benjamin 2 House, South Kensington, 0207-2444520 65-67 Queen's Gate, London SW7, 5JS, UK Lahig Kayumanggi St. Andrew’s United LKDance Contact Laurence at 07840 602 944 Rehearsals Reformed Church Hall, or Avery at 07805 239 801 or Frognal Lane (corner email info@lkdance.org.uk Finchley Road), London NW3 7DY. Nearest tube: Finchley Road English Martyrs Catholic Hosted by: Alyssa Every 2nd Sunday Filipino Family Becky at 07949857699 / Lina B at Church. Chalkhill Road, Gonzales 14:00pm Mass at English 07579418510 Martyrs Catholic Wembley Park, HA9 Church 9EW Sunday, Dinner & Dance As Asia, 277 High Street, Tekkit Events 07428 677 870 15th February 15 Featuring Banda Slough, SL1 1BN GBP £20 W/Buffet at 5:00pm Riversion Slough Saturday, TWO WORLDS IN Conway Hall, 25 Red Finest Workers UK Ltd in Contact: JHERMY 7th March 2015 HARMONY Lion Square, London association with ISH Magazine Tel: 07825509624 WC1R 4RL, UK 7:30pm - 10:00pm featuring: THE Website: www.fwuk.com WEST END MAMAS and THE WEST END PAPAS! Saturday, Mutya ng Pilipinas Manchester (Venue to MPUK Jassin Fuentes 2nd May 2015 2015 be confirmed), Tel: 07557551624 TBC Manchester, UK Website: mutyaunitedkingdom.com FREE LISTING of your events in HELLO PHILIPPINES newspaper. If you know of any events please contact us via info@hello-philippines.com to submit your event. 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 Saturday

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Devotion in Honour of Our Lady of Fatima (Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament / Rosary / Benediction / Mass) St Pius X Catholic Church, 108 Orme Road, Kingston Upon Thames KT1 3SB – Oliver Abasolo – 07782 661 922 2:00pm Five Precious Wounds Parish, Brentfield Road, Stonebridge Park, London NW10 8ER 1st Sunday Mervic Monocillo – 07894 636 140 5:00pm Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, Friary Road, Peckham, London SE15 1RH 1st Sunday Allen Abeleda – 07713 625 888 4:00pm St Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 103 Woolwich New Road, London SE18 6EF 2nd Saturday Moises Espanola – 07894 648 639 2:00pm English Martyrs Church, Chalkhill Road, Wembley Park, Wembley HA9 9EW 2nd Sunday Becky Sarinas – 07949 857 699 / 07425 761 519 / Lina B – 07579 418 510 nd 2:00pm St Dominic Catholic Church, 243 Violet Lane, Waddon, Croydon CR0 4HN 2 Sunday Merlie Mirto – 07722 216 462 2nd Sunday 4:00pm St. Anselm and St. Cecilia, 70 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3JA Feliciano Ramirez – 07733 680 748 rd 3:00pm Sacred Heart of Jesus, New Priory, Quex Road, Kilburn, London NW6 4PS 3 Sunday Sheidrick de Leon – 07738 210 202 3rd Sunday 3:00pm Blessed Sacrament Parish, 157 Copenhagen Street, Islington N1 0SR Christy Sangalang – 07709 119 969 Last Saturday 6:00pm 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 Last Sunday 12:00pm St Pius X Catholic Church, 108 Orme Road, Kingston Upon Thames KT1 3SB Oliver Abasolo – 07782 661 922 Last Sunday 2:00pm St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 218 Roehampton Lane, London SW15 4LE Rafael Santiago – 07795 254 451 Every Sunday 5:00pm Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 20 Brixton Road, Oval, London SW9 6BU Ben Ortiz – 07723 318 486 First Wednesdays 6:30pm 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 – F R E E L I S T I N G o f y o u r e v e n t s i n H07723 E L L O 024 P H I591 LIPPINES newspaper. If you know of any events please contact us via

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Aquino hands-on in checking security preparations for papal visit - Palace MANILA - Nothing less than foolproof will do. That’s the guideline laid down by President Benigno Aquino III as he went through the security plan laid out by authorities for papal events, especially the papal mass at 3 p.m. on Sunday, that is expected to be attended by at least 6 million people. According to presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Mr. Aquino still found gaps that needed urgently to be addressed when he led an inspection of papal venues that lasted till past 1 a.m. of Wednesday. The relevant agencies were expected to ﬁnish addressing those gaps in their ﬁnal inspection overnight of Thursday. Pope Francis’ plane touches down at Villamor Airbase at 5:45 p.m. today, from Sri Lanka, where his 3-day visit

was marked by the canonization of that country’s first saint. Among the things the President notcied, according to Lacierda, were the crane of the controversial Torre de Manila condominium building less than a kilometer from Rizal Park. The President had the crane turned in order to avert the risk of any accident that could harm the people flocking to Luneta on Sunday. The President also directed the National Police to deploy uniformed men at the STI Building near the Apostolic Nunciature, where the Pope will stay for his 5-day state and apostolic visit, after Mr. Aquino noticed that no one was guarding that edifice. Palace officials said the President was hands-on in all security preparations for the papal visit. He is meeting constantly

with all relevant agencies, notably the Presidential Security Group, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. On Monday night, the President, in a nationally televised address, rallied Filipinos to unite with government in ensuring the success of the apostolic and state visit, saying every citizen, not just the State, must help protect the Pope by cooperating with authorities in all aspects. Papal security is a point of anxiety for Filipinos, who have seen two previous visiting popes become target of attacks: the ﬁrst, Pope Paul VI, was attacked by a knife-wielding Bolivian painter disguised as a priest in 1970. And in 1995, just a few days before Pope John Paul II embarked on his

President Aquino points out to aides something that needs addressing as he inspects the vicinity of the LRT Station near Quirino Avenue. His inspection of papal event venues lasted past 1 a.m. Photo by Gil Nartea, ©Malacañang Photo Bureau.

second papal journey to Manila, Philippine police aborted a kill-pope plot crafted by a terrorist cell led by Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, who would late

be convicted in the US for his role in the ﬁrst (1993) World Trade Center attack, that preceded 9/11. ■ Roices Naguit / Radyo5 / InterAksyon.com / January 15, 2015

Las Piñas f ire survivor Ace Tianzon passes away

Photo from Ace’s Facebook page

ACE Tianzon, a survivor of the Dec. 31 blaze that killed six of his family members, passed away at 2:30 a.m. on Thursday. His cousin Don Landingin relayed the sad news in a text message to GMA News Online. “Aceyork Bon T. Tianzon passed away this morning around 2:30 a.m.,” read the text. “It was tough but Ace did his best to fight. Acebon, may you rest in peace, we will always

love you, Duncan, Allick & Aaron! Please pray for Ace’s soul that God will bless him in heaven.” Another cousin of Tianzon’s, Jezreel Juanitez, inflated the oxygen bag for him as the medical personnel performed CPR. Ace suffered burns on over 69 percent of his body and contracted pneumonia and an IV infection before he succumbed to his

wounds. He worked as a chef at Solaire and was the eldest of four brothers, the younger three of whom perished in the fire. He is survived by his father Bonifacio “Bannie” Tianzon Jr. The wake is held in the Sampaloc Room of the La Paz Chapel in Manila Memorial. Internment will take place on Jan. 22. ■ Vida Cruz / BM, GMA News / January 15, 2015 / 6:42 PM

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

VIEWPOINT Framers of 1987 Constitution support Bangsamoro

I. Our Position. The importance of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region to the future of our country is unprecedented both as an unfulﬁlled promise and as a model of equitable autonomy. We fully support the creation of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. We believe that a new organic law is necessary to fulﬁll the vision and spirit that guided the constitutional provisions on autonomous regions since RA 6734 and RA 9054 have clearly not gone far enough to give life to the concept of autonomy for Muslim Mindanao as envisioned by the Constitution. We were aware in 1986 that we were imperfect instruments of the sovereign will of our people But however imperfect our perceptions then or our fading memories today, recurring questions on the “constitutionality” of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) and of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) lead us to offer our insights.

II. Bangsamoro is about the development of people, not about the constitutionality of words. The core

principle of the 1987 Constitution in mandating a special status for the autonomous regions is the human development of the people of Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras. Hence, the public conversation should not be about semantics but about people – their needs, their aspirations, their choices - and about empowering them with the environment and institutional framework for social justice. Social justice that calls for genuine social change is the central theme of the 1987 Constitution; and here, it is broader in scope and intent than in the 1973 and the 1935 Constitutions. An interpretation of any relevant provision of the Constitution that results in war and abject poverty would be contrary to its intention. During the deliberations of the Commission, the testimony of an old man from the Cordilleras is instructive on the real issue that should be considered: “We asked government for a teacher, it did not give us one, we asked for help to repair our road, it did not send us any, we asked for a doctor, it did not send us one. Instead government men came to build a dam and sent in the Philippine constabulary and the army. This -- we did not ask for.” It is a simple statement but one that has far-reaching implications on public policy – the people of the Cordilleras and of Muslim Mindanao do not want war. They want human development and they want to be heard. And the government needs to listen. This is mandated by a new provision in the 1987 Constitution on the right of the people and their organizations to effective and reasonable participation at all levels of social, political, and economic decision-making.

The 2005 Philippine Human Development Report entitled ‘Peace, Human Security and Human Development’ validates the context and vision of the Constitution. It discusses human development in all its dimensions, with the following excerpts of the Report: Development is about people and about freedom – from fear, from want, from humiliation and prejudice. It is about the security of real people and not of a state or a regime. It goes beyond the material benefits of an end to armed conflict, and care must be taken not to reduce it to a question of money or of economics. Nor can we delimit the Muslim situation as a “Mindanao issue” because it is a human development issue that touches all Filipinos. It’s also about the non-monetary cost of displacement, diaspora and discrimination that lead to a breakdown in the social cohesion of communities, and ultimately of national solidarity. Rather than hardship alone, the sense of deprivation, injustice and indignity lie at the heart of armed conflict. Often, not even the most abject conditions by themselves cause grievances, much less revolutions. The revolutionary argument is that deprivation and indignity can be relieved, injustice remedied and national cohesion achieved only by pursuing resolutely some promised alternative. People must perceive and be convinced that something “higher” and “better” than their present condition is possible.

III. The larger context of the CAB and BBL Human development is a noble

end in itself. But the larger context of the CAB and the proposed BBL is our failure to effectively address the longest running insurgency and the development of our peoples, especially those of Muslim Mindanao. Excerpts from a paper sent to the Constitutional Commission in 1986 brieﬂy describes that perspective: “Autonomy is an expression of the Bangsa Moro’s conviction of its being a viable alternative to separation….

The Bangsa Moro is historically and culturally a distinct and separate nation ….. and the political fusion with the Christian majority is workable only under a framework of political autonomy which shall allow the full flowering of the genius of Bangsa Moro in the context of his Islamic culture.” The full flowering of the genius of a people is human development. And it needs a place of its own because it is a basic human right. Both sovereignty and property are premised on exclusion. That leaves us with a problem. How do we reconcile our needs and our borders?” If all human beings are free and equal, then each person is entitled to belong somewhere and to obtain the things they need to live and to be free. If people cannot obtain what they need where they are, or if they have no place where they are entitled to be, then our exclusion of them denies their humanity .” The full flowering of Bangsamoro is assured if their leaders from a long line of heroic resistance to colonization can believe that Bangsamoro, with meaningful self-determination within the framework of the Republic, has a future and they can help create that future.

IV. Social Justice under the 1987 Constitution. The ﬂagship provision is

Article XIII, Section 1 which states: The Congress shall give highest priority to the enactment of measures that protect and enhance the right of all the people to human dignity, reduce social, economic, and political inequalities, and remove cultural inequities by equitably diffusing wealth and political power for the common good. To this end, the State shall regulate the acquisition, ownership, use and disposition of property and its increments. While all the ramiﬁcations of social justice cannot be fully discussed, the provision clearly decrees the removal of cultural inequities. Social justice in the 1987

In a first formal meeting since the drafting of the 1987 Charter, former members of the Constitutional Commission forged a consensus on the issue of Bangsamoro. Representing the unanimous sentiment of 14 of the 18 surviving members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission (four of us are either bed-ridden or could not be reached) out of the original 48, this Statement on the Bangsamoro, dated Jan. 9, 2015, deals with the vision, spirit and the core principles behind the provisions on autonomous regions which to our mind constitute the essential constitutionality of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law.

Constitution is not just about negative rights to be protected such as civil and political rights in the United States Constitution and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. nor is it limited to “equal opportunity”. It is also about afﬁrmative action and the attainment of desirable social and economic outcomes. It is about the development and the liberation of people. Especially the poor and the indigenous peoples who are being left behind because of an often undue focus on growth per se, on market mechanisms which are never perfect and have no moral limits and on deference to the interests of the rich and the powerful in social legislation, jurisprudence and program implementation.

V. Closing the gap between law and justice. International Law is not an iron

law imposed by a supra-body above all nations that disallows interpretations of words and language to fit the diverse situations of individual nations. We are not restricted from defining Bangsamoro as an integral and permanent part of the Philippines, which is “sui generis” descriptive of the historical fact that it is the “homeland” of Filipino citizens with institutions of governance that conform with our Constitution. And our decision, rooted in its own history, can become part of “international law” upon its approval in a plebiscite of those affected by the creation of Bangsamoro, and by its acceptance by the community of nations. According to a learned justice of our Supreme Court, the whole development of law is about closing the gap between law and justice. Tracing the changing jurisprudence on human rights from the infamous Dred Scott 1847 Supreme Court ruling that blacks are inferior to whites, to the 1896 Plessy promulgation of “separate but equal doctrine” and to the 1954 Brown decision which finally closed the gap, he concludes: Historically, the gaps between law and justice have been closed either through force of arms or through force of reason. This constant struggle to close the gaps through reason and the legal processes may be tedious but this is the only way to avoid a bloody closure of the gaps between law and justice. This is the only guarantee to maintain peace in our land. Reason tells us that a Bangsamoro Autonomous Region can close the centuries-old gap between law and justice and that we are on the cusp of a historic opportunity to make it happen. The negotiations on a Bangsamoro peace agreement have dragged on for 17 years. The Aquino government committed itself to bring the peace process to fruition and has earned the trust of the Bangsamoro people that it will stay the course. We must bring about that fruition, not because it is the will of one man, but because it is the shared vision of a nation.

The efforts and sincerity of both panels are demonstrated by the broad consultations that were conducted, by the explicit requirement in the BBL that the new organic law should be in conformance with the Constitution, and the unequivocal statement that the Bangsamoro territory shall remain part of the Philippines. A new organic law is the second of a two-stage process mandated by Article X, Section 18 and is the proper subject of the Supreme Court power of judicial review. The CAB is equivalent to the first stage of that process VI. The price of peace. The story of how the Israel-Egypt Peace Agreement of 1978, despite its acknowledged shortcomings, at least restored peace to their borders that lasts to this day, exemplifies what ultimately counts in a peace agreement: After 13 days of negotiations brokered by then President Jimmy Carter of the United States, Israel Prime Minister Begin refused to sign the Agreement already signed by Eqyptian President Anwar Sadat, primarily because it called for the return of certain annexed territories to Egypt which he had said was nonnegotiable: “There was a stalemate. The three, by now tired and emotionally drained, were about to depart without any peace accord. As President Carter and Prime Minister Begin were about to depart they remembered that they had earlier agreed to sign photographs for each other’s families. They met on the front porch of Prime Minister Begin’s cabin for the signing. President Carter asked for the names of the children to make the signing more personal and Prime Minister Begin reciprocated. Then President Carter decided to show the photographs of his grandchildren describing the personality of each; Prime Minister Begin did likewise. As they looked at the pictures, tears filled their eyes. What type of world would their grandchildren grow up in? Prime Minister Begin returned to his cabin and re-emerged after five minutes asking to look at the peace proposal once again.” This is peace-making without borders and self-limiting mental models. But there is always a price to pay for any worthy vision. Sadat was assassinated by disgruntled elements of the military in 1981 but not before he and Begin were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. VII. What our people want. The decision on the Bangsamoro will ultimately rest on what the people want of our country. And what the deliberations and the overwhelming vote in the plebiscite for the Constitution tell us is that they dream of a free people in a democratic society where peace and justice reign. It was clearly a vision borne of EDSA - an extraordinary event in our history because it was the coming together of

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

ordinary people from all walks of life of peacefully regain their freedom. The challenge of the BBL presents to us another chance at national incandescence. It is within our reach. Let us set aside partisan politics and stop the urge to exhibit our ability to ﬁnd nuances of legalism that can delay, or worse, derail the process, feeding on the cynicism and playing on the fears in the national psyche that are more reﬂex than reasoned response. Former Speaker and Commissioner Jose Laurel Jr. described the new Constitution as the imprisonment of the past and the unfolding of the future. It has been 27 years since it was approved by our people but we are still living in the mass poverty, gross inequalities and cultural inequities of the past, and the promise of genuine

social change has not unfolded. There is no better way to demonstrate our commitment to peace and development than by giving the Bangsamoro people the opportunity to create a higher and better future for themselves than what they have. This calls for courageous statemanship from our leaders and the generosity of spirit of a united nation. In turn, the challenge to the Bangsamoro people is to demonstrate the same commitment by treating other indigenous peoples and uniting other Muslim communities with magnanimity and statesmanship. In this manner, Bangsamoro can be a model for us to do the same for the rest of the country and thereby build together a more just and peaceful nation. Those who are bed-ridden or could not be reached: Ponciano L.

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Bennagen, Teresa F. Nieva, Florenz D. Regalado, Napoleon G. Rama (4) In memoriam of those who are no longer with us: Cecilia Munoz-Palma, Yusup R. Abubakar, Ahmad Domocao Alonto, Jose F.S. Bengzon Jr., Lino O. Brocka, Jose D. Calderon, Crispino M. de Castro, Rustico F. de los ReyesJose C. Colayco, Roberto R. Concepcion, Vicente B. Foz, Seraﬁn V. C. Guingona, Alberto M. K. Jamir, Jose B. Laurel Jr.. Eulogio R. Lerum, Regalado E. Maambong, Teodulo C. Natividad, Jose N. Nolledo, Ambrosio B. Padilla, Blas F. Ople, Minda Luz M, Quesada, Cirilo A. Rigos, Francisco A. Rodrigo, Decoroso R. Rosales, Jose E. Suarez, Lorenzo M. Sumulong, Christine O. Tan, Gregorio Tingson, Efren B, Trenas, Lugum I. Uka. ■ Surviving Members of the 1986 Constitutional Commission / January 12, 2015 / 3:05 PM

DSWD denies report of ‘caged street children’ ahead of Pope Francis visit MANILA – Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Juliano Soliman on Thursday denied reports that children were hauled off the streets of Metro Manila

and then caged for the visit of Pope Francis in the country from January 15 to 19. In a statement, Soliman said that more than 400 street children will, in fact, be

singing during the send-off for the Pope on Monday. “As the main agency tasked to protect the welfare of disadvantaged children, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) vehemently denies that children are caged to keep the street clean for the Pope, as reported today by the Daily Mail Online, a publication of the United Kingdom,” she said. “We are not hiding the children. In fact, more than 400 street children will be singing during the send-off for Pope Francis on Monday. They have been practicing since December. The Pope will see and interact with them,” she added. Soliman issued the statement in

reaction to a report published by the Daily Mail Online, a publication of the United Kingdom, exposing that dozens of children were rounded up in the streets of Manila and caged to keep the streets clean during the pontiff’s visit. She said that she has ordered an investigation on allegations of abuses in children’s centers in Paranaque City and Pasay City. The secretary also said that some of the photos that accompanied the story were old ones. “Corrective measures have been undertaken since the time that the reports came out,” she said. She cited the photo of Federico showing him as severely

malnourished which was taken before the boy was assisted. “Federico has already gained weight and is being cared for by an NGO (nongovernment organization) with DSWD. We have found his mother and we are currently doing case work management with the mother,” she added. For the Manila Reception Action Center (MRAC), Soliman said that the DSWD is in the process of closing down the facility. “We are now transferring the childrenresidents to other DSWD-licensed NGOs and DSWD-managed facilities,” she added. ■ Lira Dalangin-Fernandez / InterAksyon. com / January 15, 2015 / 5:32 PM

Yolanda survivor speechless when she ﬁnds out she’ll have lunch with Pope

PAPAL VISIT Code Red for DOH

hospitals in NCR, Eastern Visayas MANILA - The Department of Health (DOH) has placed all hospitals in Metro Manila and Eastern Visayas on Code Red Alert for the entire duration of Pope Francis’ this January 15 to 19. “Raising a code alert means preparedness. We want to be prepared for any eventuality,” said DOH Assistant Secretary Elmer Punzalan. He said the rest of the hospitals in Metro Manila and Eastern Visayas will be on Code White Alert during this period. Code White Alert means that all hospital personnel are on standby for deployment and augmentation for medical and other services, as necessary. Code Red means that 100 percent of all hospital personnel shall report for duty in the facility to render medical and other services. Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) assured on Wednesday that volunteers and staff are ready to lend

assistance to the public with “life-saving services including medical, first aid and field hospital, ambulance transport, blood, rescue, water, welfare and tracing/ restoring family links during the papal visit.” PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said the Red Cross will man 29 first aid stations situated at strategic locations. Ambulance units and welfare desks will be established at all first aid stations and other selected areas, while roving teams/squads of Red Cross volunteers will keep active monitoring of the situation in general. Gordon said more than 10,000 trained personnel and volunteers will be deployed for the various events from different Red Cross chapters both inside and outside the cordoned areas. “They are all trained in first aid, rescue procedures, and other skills,” he said. ■ Jet

Villa / InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015

PALO, Leyte – Of the disaster survivors from the dioceses of Borongan, Calbayog, Tagbilaran and Palo, a 16-year old orphan from one of the hardest hit barangays in Palo, Leyte was named among 15 people who will be sharing lunch with Pope Francis on January 17, Saturday. According to her guardian, “Grace” (not her real name) survived the monster storm Yolanda, but for three days wasn’t able to talk and just stayed inside the house for weeks, always crying. She had lost the rest of her family. Still, in the face of the tragedy, Grace was able to graduate from high school and went on to pursue college studies with assistance from an orphanage. The village chief at her place was just as pleasantly surprised: “Perhaps she was chosen because of her good personality. She is a good, obedient girl. Very humble,” he told InterAksyon. com. Grace is a timid teenager who, nevertheless, managed a smile talking about her excitement and her preparations to see the Pope on Saturday. At ﬁrst she was tongue-tied when contacted by the Archdiocese of Palo for an interview and told about a

A long line of candles lit outside the Palo Cathedral at the first anniversary of typhoon Yolanda last Nov. 8, 2014, are all that comfort those who lost loved ones - some, entire families, like a teenage girl who will have lunch with the Pope on Saturday - that the departed are in a better place. Bernard Testa, Interaksyon.Com File

simple walk-through two days before the Pope arrives. “I am happy to have been chosen,” Grace told interaksyon.com. Asked what she will do when she meet Pope Francis, she said that she will embrace him tightly and kiss his hands in joy. “I consider this to be a tremendous blessing. I wish to convey to him my prayer that I can ﬁnish school and be able to help my relatives,” she added. Grace admitted that, in her young age, she had questioned God about why she had to lose all her family members in the storm: “I reached the

point of blaming God, but gradually my feelings changed. I began to go to church again, even though I still ﬁnd it hard, up to now, to completely accept what happened.” She said she will prepare a letter of prayer that she intends to give to Pope Francis if there is a chance for that. On her list is a prayer for all those who perished during the storm and in other calamities. The Archdiocese of Palo has not yet revealed the names of the disaster survivors who will join Pope Francis for lunch because of security reasons. ■ Lottie Salarda / InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

‘We are all Germany’, president tells Muslim rally BERLIN – German President Joachim Gauck told the country’s Muslim community Tuesday that “we are all Germany” at a rally to condemn the Paris jihadist attacks and take a stand against rising Islamophobia. About 10,000 citizens, religious leaders and politicians, among them Chancellor Angela Merkel, joined the event, which started with a wreathlaying ceremony at the French embassy and an imam reciting Koranic verses condemning the taking of life. Gauck used his speech to send a message of reassurance to

Germany’s four-million-strong Muslim community, a day after a record 25,000 people joined a protest march by a populist anti-Islamic movement. “We are all Germany,” he said. “We, democrats with our different political, cultural and religious backgrounds; we, who respect and need each other; we, who want to live life... in unity, justice and freedom,” Gauck said in his speech at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. “The vast majority of Muslims feel they belong to our open society... Germany has become more diverse

through immigration—religiously, culturally and mentally.” “Our answer to the fundamentalism of the Islamist perpetrators of violence is democracy, respect for the law, respect for each other, respect for human dignity. This is our way of life!” People at the rally applauded his message of inter-faith unity that came a day after the 12th rally by Germany’s new right-wing movement the “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the Occident”, or PEGIDA, which has spawned smaller clone groups across Germany and as far as Norway.

Merkel—who this week stressed that “Islam is part of Germany”—said earlier Tuesday that “hatred, racism and extremism have no place in this country... We are a country based on democracy, tolerance and openness to the world.” ‘Terror: not in our name’. Tuesday’s vigil and rally was organised by the Central Council of Muslims under the banner “Let’s be there for each other. Terror: not in our name!” “Today we all want to express our solidarity with the French people,” its chairman Aiman Mazyek said in his opening address. “The terrorists did not win and terrorists won’t win in future. “Today we say, along with the French people and many people around the world: ‘Je suis Charlie’,” he added, employing the international message of solidarity with the artists killed at the Charlie Hebdo magazine. The vice president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Abraham Lehrer, said in his speech that in the French attacks, cartoonists were murdered because they stood up for free expression, police because they sought to protect them, and Jews simply “because they were Jews”. Lehrer said it would be wrong “to suspect all Muslims or even to disparage their religion. We completely condemn reprisals such as attacks on mosques.” But he said it was up to Muslims to counter the fear and terror spread by “radicalised, fanatical Islam” in Asia,

Africa and the Middle East. After speeches by Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders, all observed a minute’s silence. The Muslim community rally came after 100,000 people took to the streets across Germany Monday in counterdemonstrations against PEGIDA, and to voice support for multiculturalism. Merkel, who is often known to avoid controversial issues, has weighed in strongly, condemning PEGIDA’s leaders for having “hatred in the hearts”. Her comments were broadly hailed in the media, but not everyone agreed. “Naturally, Muslims belong in our society,” said Merkel’s former interior minister Hans-Peter Friedrich, a Bavarian conservative. “But the question is knowing what constitutes the identity of a country, and in Germany it is a Christian identity built on Judeo-Christian roots.” Bild, Germany’s top-selling daily, said the Paris attacks seemed to have shaken the usually unﬂappable Merkel, a pastor’s daughter who grew up in the communist East. “She has two issues where, when she speaks, she doesn’t sound like she is simply droning on with platitudes: religion and freedom,” it said, noting the rare public signs of emotion she showed with Hollande at Sunday’s solidarity march. “She knows that gestures are now necessary... it is about freedom and protection from a terrorist war.” ■ AFP

/ January 13, 2015

Coup averted in Sri Lanka: new government COLOMBO – Sri Lanka’s new government on Sunday accused toppled strongman Mahinda Rajapakse of having tried to stage a coup to cling to power after losing last week’s presidential election. Rajapakse, South Asia’s longestserving leader before being beaten in Thursday’s polls, had been widely praised for conceding defeat to Maithripala Sirisena before the final results were announced. But a top aide to Sirisena told reporters that Rajapakse had in fact tried to persuade the army and police chiefs to help him stay in office with the use of force. “People think it was a peaceful transition. It was anything but,” Mangala Samaraweera, who is expected to be named as Sirisena’s foreign minister, told a press conference. “The first thing the new cabinet will investigate is the coup and conspiracy by president Rajapakse. “He stepped down only when the army chief and the police Inspector General (N.K. Illangakoon) refused to go along with him.” Illangakoon was “very vocal and did not want to be a party to this coup”

while army chief Daya Ratnayake also refused to deploy troops for Rajapakse to hold onto power, said Samaraweera. The attorney general’s department had also warned that there would be “dangerous consequences,” he said. Samaraweera said foreign powers had also put pressure on Rajapakse, who came in for international criticism during his near-decade in office over his administration’s human rights record, to cede office. Critics have also accused the former president of increasing authoritarianism and a culture of nepotism and corruption. “Some world leaders also spoke with president Rajapakse and prevailed on him to ensure a peaceful transition,” Samaraweera said. “I don’t know who had spoken (to him), but we know some leaders did talk to him.” US Secretary of State John Kerry and even Sirisena himself thanked Rajapakse for quitting in the early hours of Friday, after his defeat in an election he had seemed certain to win when he called it in November. The head of the army was not immediately available for comment, but military spokesman Ruwan Wanigasooriya said he was “not aware

of such a coup attempt”. Samaraweera said it was important for the new administration to disclose what had happened while results were being released, and an independent investigation probe would be a priority. In an address to the nation, Sirisena appealed for a government of national unity to carry out the political and economic reforms he promised in his election campaign. Rajapakse party splits. Rajapakse suffered another blow when a section of the policy-making central committee of his Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) broke away and pledged support to Sirisena. Sirisena loyalist Duminda Dissanayake said they had appointed the country’s new president as the leader of their party, a move that was immediately challenged by the Rajapakse camp. The split is a serious setback to Rajapakse’s attempt to retain control of his party, which has already been hit by a large number of defections after former health minister Sirisena broke away late last year. The new president on Sunday invited all parties to join his cabinet, which is expected to be finalised by January 19 when parliament opens.

He reiterated a call to normalise relations with Western nations and neighbouring India. Rajapakse had alienated many foreign leaders by refusing to allow an international probe into allegations of mass civilian casualties in the brutal finale to Sri Lanka’s 37-year Tamil separatist war in 2009. Another top lieutenant said Sirisena had already received the backing of more than 40 lawmakers previously loyal to Rajapakse, virtually assuring approval for his programme of radical constitutional reforms. “We now have more than we need in parliament,” Rajitha Senaratne told AFP. The new leader has already pledged to reverse many of the constitutional changes made by his predecessor, which

gave huge powers to the president. Even Rajapakse’s SLFP has said it will support Sirisena’s constitutional reforms, making their enactment a formality. Sirisena quit Rajapakse’s cabinet in November to emerge as an opposition unity candidate in the January 8 polls, triggering a mass defection of lawmakers. While Rajapakse still retains significant support from the majority Sinhalese community, anger had been growing over rising levels of corruption. Rajapakse had installed relatives in some of the most sensitive posts, including his younger brother Gotabhaya as defence secretary. ■ AFP / January 11, 2015 / 10:16 AM

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

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India ruling party minister slammed over plans to ‘normalise’ gays GOA, INDIA – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party came under ﬁre Tuesday after a minister from one of its state governments announced plans to make gays “normal” in the Goa resort region. Ramesh Tawadkar, from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the Goa state government was planning to open centres to treat homosexuals in the region, whose long sandy beaches and laid-back lifestyle have long been a haven for tourists. “We will make them normal. We will have centres for them, like Alcoholics Anonymous centres,” sports and youth affairs minister Tawadkar told reporters on Monday, adding that the government would “train them and give them medicines too”. Gay rights groups branded the comments offensive and ignorant, while the main opposition Congress party slammed the minister’s attitude as shameless. “We should not respond to this kind of stupidity,” said Anjali Gopalan, founder of Naz Foundation, which ﬁrst launched a case to decriminalise homosexual sex in India. “It’s better to ignore such things coming from the BJP. Their regressive attitude is not surprising,” Gopalan told AFP, calling the minister an

“incompetent nincompoop”. Facing a barrage of criticism, Tawadkar on Tuesday insisted he had been misquoted even as television footage of his comments continued to be run on local news channels. The backlash came one day after UN chief Ban Ki-moon condemned legislation against gay sex. Secretary General Ban said laws against gay and lesbian relationships breed intolerance, although he did not refer speciﬁcally to India’s colonial-era prohibition. Speaking on a visit to the capital New Delhi on Monday night, Ban said he “staunchly opposed the criminalisation of homosexuality”. “I am proud to stand for the equality of all people—including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender,” Ban said in an address to a gathering that included India’s Nobel peace prize winner Kailash Satyarthi. “I speak out because laws criminalising consensual, adult same-sex relationships violate basic rights to privacy and to freedom from discrimination. Even if they are not enforced, these laws breed intolerance.” Supreme Court ruling. The Supreme Court reimposed a ban on gay sex in late 2013, ruling that responsibility for changing the 1861 law rested with lawmakers and not judges. Gay sex had been effectively legalised in 2009 when the Delhi

High Court ruled that banning “carnal intercourse against the order of nature” was a violation of fundamental rights. Hindu nationalist hardline groups like the RSS, the ideological mentor of the BJP, have often called same-sex relationships a disease and a Western cultural import. Goa’s laid-back feel and party scene have attracted tourists for decades, and it has a reputation for being more gay-friendly than other socially conservative states. Goa-based fashion designer Wendell Rodricks said the BJP government was attempting to deﬂect

attention from problems afflicting the state. “There are lot of other issues which need urgent attention in Goa. They should concentrate on real issues like corruption, illegal constructions, drug mafia, lawlessness and others,” he told AFP. Tawadkar made his comments after releasing the state’s policy on youth issues, which listed lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) as a stigmatised group that needed attention. Nitin Karani, trustee of the gay rights advocacy group Samapathik Trust, said the comments reflected

his ignorance, while Goa Congress spokesman Agnelo Fernandes called the minister regressive. Members of the gay community have ﬁled petitions to the top court since the 2013 ruling asking for a review on criminalising gay sex. Campaigners say the law is rarely used to prosecute homosexual acts, but add that police do use it to harass and blackmail members of their already marginalised community. Surveys show broad disapproval of homosexuality in India, forcing many gay men and women to live double lives. ■ AFP / January 13, 2015

TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that Iran would withstand the economic pain of plummeting oil prices, with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait likely to suffer more from the slump. Iran has been among the oil exporting countries worst hit by the sliding price of crude, given its current budget was based on sales at $100 per

barrel. In a draft plan for the next ﬁnancial year starting March 21, Rouhani’s government cut the projected sale price to $72 but oil has continued to dive toward a six-year low, raising the prospect of a ballooning deﬁcit in Tehran. Brent crude for February delivery tumbled to $46.40 per barrel on

Tuesday—the lowest since March 2009. And with US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for the same month at $44.20 a barrel, prices are 60 percent down from June 2014. Rouhani, stating that oil was projected to account for only one third of Tehran’s revenues in the next budget, said Saudi Arabia and fellow

Gulf state Kuwait “will be harmed more than Iran”. “Saudi Arabia’s budget reliance on oil sales is 80 percent and 90 percent of its annual exports are related to oil. Kuwait’s budget is 95 percent reliant on oil,” he told a crowd in the southern port city of Bushehr in a speech shown live on state television. Falling prices have been attributed to rising production of US shale oil and lower than expected demand from Europe and Asia, leaving income for major producers including Iran, Venezuela and Russia sharply down. The pace of the slide accelerated in November when the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided to maintain production at 30 million barrels per day. Rouhani’s comments follow similar remarks from Iranian ofﬁcials who have criticised OPEC heavyweight Saudi Arabia—which has built up hundreds of billions of dollars in reserves from high prices in recent years—for failing to take steps to raise prices. Rouhani, elected in June 2013 on a pledge to revive Iran’s sanctionsbattered economy, has lifted Tehran out of recession and in recent months stressed the need to increase non-oil

exports.

Iran says Saudi will suﬀer more from oil price slide

Iran has been among the oil exporting countries worst hit by a more than 50 percent slide in the price of crude in recent months, given its budget was based on sales at $100 per barrel. Photo by Behrouz Mehri, ©AFP Photo.

‘Unity and resistance’. But on Tuesday he denounced sliding crude prices as “a plot that will be overcome with unity and resistance”. “Those who have planned the oil price reduction against some countries should know that they will regret it,” he said, without elaborating. Iran’s inﬂation rate has halved to less than 20 percent under Rouhani but with prices still rising people continue to be hit in the pocket. Businesses are also largely cut off from liquidity in the international banking system, because of international sanctions linked to Iran’s controversial nuclear programme. By seeking a nuclear deal with world powers, Rouhani aims to open Iran up to foreign companies under partnership deals. In Bushehr, he implicitly warned US lawmakers against adopting any new sanctions, saying they would fail as his country was beginning to exit the sanctions-era. His comments came after Republicans in the US Congress said they were preparing further sanctions against the Islamic republic to force concessions, a move opposed by the White House. ■ AFP / January 13, 2015

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INTERNATIONAL / GLOBAL NEWS

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Japan approves biggest ever defence budget amid Asia tensions

JAPAN approved its largest-ever defence budget for the next ﬁscal year on Wednesday, as hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks to strengthen surveillance of territorial waters in the face of a continuing spat with China. For the year to March 2016, Tokyo will spend 4.98 trillion yen ($41.97 billion), the government said, indicating a budget rise for the third straight year. “This is the largest budget ever,” said a defence ministry ofﬁcial, adding the highest allocation previously was 4.96 trillion yen earmarked in 2002.

The trend reﬂects Abe’s wish to build a more active military, a push supporters say is in response to the raising of tensions with China, with which Tokyo is at odds over the ownership of islands in the East China Sea. Japan is increasingly wary of Beijing, which is seen by several countries in the region as becoming aggressive over various sovereignty claims. But detractors point to Abe’s desire to bolster the military more generally, and to shrug off the shackles of paciﬁsm.

China responded cautiously to the announcement, urging Tokyo to pay heed to the past. “Japan’s moves in its military and security policies have long drawn the attention of its Asian neighbours and of the international community. They indicate whether or not Japan can follow the path of a peaceful development,” said foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei. The premier had wanted to alter the constitution to reduce restrictions on the armed forces, but was unable to muster sufﬁcient public support, and moved instead to reinterpret the

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C-R) inspects a mock-up F35A fighter (rear) as part of a static display during a review ceremony at the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Hyakuri air base. ©AFP File.

relevant clause to allow the military to come to the aid of an ally under attack. “We hope that the Japanese side will regard history as a mirror and follow the path of a peaceful development and play a constructive role to promote regional peace and stability.” Among items on the Japanese defence ministry’s shopping list are 20 “P-1” maritime patrol aircraft, with a combined price tag of 350 billion yen. It will also buy five V-22 “Osprey” —crossover aircraft, which have the manoeuverability of helicopters and the range of aeroplanes—along with six high-tech F-35A stealth fighters. The ministry is looking to obtain a fleet of “Global Hawk” drones over a five-year period, and part of the purchase will come out of this budget, officials said. The ministry is also buying 30 units of amphibious vehicles and one E-2D airborne early-warning aircraft to be assigned to protect fringe areas, including the Nansei Shoto islands which lie between the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The cash will also go towards the construction of one Aegis destroyer, and fund the deployment surveillance units around the southern islands of Okinawa and Amami. Routinely butted heads. The Abe cabinet decided in late 2013 to set aside roughly 24.7 trillion yen between 2014 and 2019 to spend on kit including drones, submarines, fighter jets and amphibious vehicles, in a strategic shift

towards the south and west. Japan and China have routinely butted heads over the ownership of the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku Islands, which Beijing claims as the Diaoyus, with official Chinese ships and aircraft regularly testing Japanese forces. Separately, Chinese naval ships and military jets are seen increasing their activities around Japan, while an unpredictable North Korea continues its missile and nuclear programmes. Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in last November, the first face-to-face encounter since each came to power, and agreed to work towards easing tensions over the sovereignty of the islands. On Monday, defence officials from the both sides resumed talks on building a hotline, for the first time since June 2012, in an effort to avert unexpected clashes in the East China Sea, the government said. But conservative ideologue Abe has also travelled abroad tirelessly to reinforce ties with foreign leaders, particularly those in Southeast Asia, in a bid to counter China’s efforts to expand its sphere of influence. Abe has also worked to strengthen Japan’s military alliance with the United States. The defence expenditure makes up more than five percent of Japan’s general budget for the next fiscal year, which comes in at a record-high 96.34 trillion yen, up from 95.88 trillion yen the previous year. ■ AFP / January 14, 2015

Spear-carriers and chainmail warriors: Erdogan’s palace welcome ANKARA – Spear-carrying guardsmen, warriors bedecked in chainmail, gleaming golden helmets and even a few fake moustaches thrown in for good measure— Turkey’s president has spared nothing in a dramatic remake of his palace ceremonial guard. On Monday, Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas could have been forgiven for thinking he had walked onto the scene of a historical costume drama or farfetched ballet as he arrived for talks in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. As Abbas shook hands with Erdogan, the main staircase of the Turkish leader’s controversial new presidential palace was occupied by 16 warriors dressed in period armour, carrying spears, shields and clutching fearsome-looking swords. Some of the costumes did not look entirely convincing and the scene was rapidly mocked on social media, with bloggers tweeting photo-shopped pictures purporting to show Erdogan surrounded by “Star Wars” or “Lord of the Rings” characters in place of the warriors. The ofﬁcial Anatolia news agency later explained that the 16

warriors each represented one of the 16 empires of Turkish history, dating back to well before the Turkic conquest of Asia Minor, where modern-day Turkey is located. These past chapters of Turkic history include the great Hunnic empire founded around 200 BC though to the Seljuk Empire, the Mughal Empire, and right up to the Ottoman Empire that was dissolved in the 1920s with the foundation of the Turkish republic. These 16 empires are also symbolised in the 16 stars of the ofﬁcial seal of the Turkish presidency that has been given a new prominence since Erdogan moved from the ofﬁce of the prime minister in August presidential elections. State media reports implied that the warriors would be a regular feature at ceremonies in the palace and had not just been wheeled out specially for Abbas. Social media users rushed to mock the scene. “Ottoman circus in the palace,” tweeted prominent Turkish journalist Kadri Gursel. Commentator Eren Erdem ironically suggested that behind the disguise one of the warriors was in fact

Fuat Avni, the mystery Turkish blogger who claims to be able to foretell Erdogan’s every intention. Erdogan opened his hugely controversial new presidential palace on the outskirts of Ankara in October. It has 1,150 rooms and was built at a

cost of around 490 million euros ($615 million). He says that the palace is a symbol of a resurgent Turkey which he is building. But opponents decry it as an extravagance in an increasingly authoritarian state.

Erdogan has also increasingly harked back to Turkish history well before the foundation of modern Turkey in 1923, sparking accusations that he wants to undermine its modern and secular foundations. ■ AFP / January 12, 2015

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HEALTH and Lifestyle

Top 10 stress-busters IF you’re stressed, whether by your job or by something more personal, the first step to feeling better is to identify the cause. The most unhelpful thing you can do is turn to something unhealthy to help you cope, such as smoking or drinking. “In life, there’s always a solution to a problem,” says Professor Cary Cooper, an occupational health expert at the University of Lancaster. “Not taking control of the situation and doing nothing will only make your problems worse.” He says the keys to good stress management are building emotional strength, being in control of your situation, having a good social network and adopting a positive outlook. These are Professor Cooper’s top 10 stress-busting techniques: Be active. If you have a stress-related problem, physical activity can get you in the right state of mind to be able to identify the causes of your stress and find a solution. “To deal with stress effectively, you need to feel robust and you need to feel strong mentally. Exercise does that,” says Cooper. Exercise won’t make your stress disappear, but it will reduce some of the emotional intensity that you’re feeling, clearing your thoughts and enabling you to deal with your problems more calmly. Take control. No matter how difficult your problem may appear to be, there’s always a solution. “If you remain passive, thinking, ‘I can’t do anything

about my problem’, your stress will get worse,” says Professor Cooper. “That feeling of loss of control is one of the main causes of stress and lack of wellbeing.” The act of taking control is in itself empowering, and it’s a crucial part of finding a solution that satisfies you and not someone else. Connect with people. A problem shared is a problem halved. A good support network of colleagues, friends and family can ease your work troubles and help you see things in a different way. “If you don’t connect with people, you won’t have support to turn to when you need help,” says Professor Cooper. The activities we do with friends help us relax and we often have a good laugh with them, which is an excellent stress reliever. “Talking things through with a friend will also help you find solutions to your problems,” says Professor Cooper. Have some ‘me time’. The UK workforce works the longest hours in Europe. The extra hours in the workplace mean that people aren’t spending enough time doing things that they really enjoy. “We all need to take some time for socialising, relaxation or exercise,” says Professor Cooper. He recommends setting aside a couple of nights a week for some quality ‘me time’ away from work. “By earmarking those two days, it means you won’t be tempted to work overtime

on those days,” he says. Challenge yourself. Setting yourself goals and challenges, whether at work or outside, such as learning a new language or a new sport, helps to build conﬁdence. That in turn will help you deal with stress. “By constantly challenging yourself you’re being proactive and taking charge of your life,” says Professor Cooper. “By continuing to learn, you become more emotionally resilient as a person. It arms you with knowledge and makes you want to do things rather than be passive, such as watching TV all the time.” Avoid unhealthy habits. Don’t rely on alcohol, smoking and caffeine as your ways of coping. “Men more than women are likely to do this. We call this avoidance behaviour,” says Professor Cooper. “Women are better at seeking support from their social circle.” Over the long term, these faulty coping mechanisms won’t solve your problems. They’ll just create new ones. “It’s like putting your head in the sand,” says Professor Cooper. “It might provide temporary relief but it won’t make the problems disappear. You need to tackle the cause of your stress.” Do volunteer work. Cooper says evidence shows that people who help others, through activities such as volunteering or community work, become more resilient. “Helping people who are often in situations worse than yours will help you put your problems into perspective,” says Professor

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Cooper. “The more you give, the more resilient and happy you feel.” On a more basic level, do someone a favour every day. It can be something as small as helping someone to cross the road or going on a coffee run for colleagues. Favours cost nothing to do, and you’ll feel better. Work smarter, not harder. Good time management means quality work rather than quantity. Our longhours culture is a well-known cause of workplace illness. “You have to get a work-life balance that suits you,” says Professor Cooper. Working smarter means prioritising your work, concentrating on the tasks that will make a real difference to your work. “Leave the least important tasks to last,” says Cooper. “Accept that your in-tray will always be full. Don’t expect it to be empty at the end of the day.” Be positive. Look for the positives in life, and things for which you’re grateful. Write down three things at the end of every day which went well or for which you’re grateful.

“People don’t always appreciate what they have,” says Professor Cooper. “Try to be glass half full instead of glass half empty,” he says. This requires a shift in perspective for those who are more naturally pessimistic. “It can be done,” he says. “By making a conscious effort you can train yourself to be more positive about life. Problems are often a question of perspective. If you change your perspective, you may see your situation from a more positive point of view.” Accept the things you can’t change Changing a difﬁcult situation isn’t always possible. If this proves to be the case, recognise and accept things as they are and concentrate on everything that you do have control over. “If your company is going under and is making redundancies, there’s nothing you can do about it,” says Professor Cooper. “There’s no point ﬁghting it. In such a situation, you need to focus on the things that you can control, such as looking for a new job.” ■ NHS Choices

• plan interesting walks during your days off • join a walking group like the Ramblers

groove, the better. When going on a holiday, choose one where you’ll have plenty of opportunities to walk, for instance along the beach or in the countryside. Is walking enough? Or should I think about other exercise as well? The amount of exercise that is recommended depends on your age. Adults between 19 and 64 should get at least 150 minutes of moderateintensity aerobic activity – such as fast walking or cycling – per week. Learn more in physical activity guidelines for adults. Once you’re feeling the beneﬁts of 10,000 steps a day, you may start thinking about getting more active. You could visit your local ﬁtness centre and see what’s on offer. Some people enjoy competitive sports, others prefer sociable physical activity such as dancing. ■ NHS Choices

The 10,000 steps challenge RESEARCH shows that walking 10,000 steps a day will signiﬁcantly improve your health. Putting one foot in front of the other can build stamina, burn excess calories and give you a healthier heart.

What’s so great about walking?

Walking can be done almost anywhere, at any time, and in any weather. It’s also a great way to get from A to B, which means you can ﬁt walking into your daily routine.

How do I know how many steps I’m taking? The average person

walks between 3,000 and 4,000 steps per day, and 1,000 steps is the equivalent of around 10 minutes of brisk walking. To find out how many steps you take each day, buy a pedometer similar to the one in the video at the bottom of this page. You can get a simple one that tracks steps for as little as £4. Clip it firmly to your belt or waistband, and it will measure every step you take: around the house, across the office, window shopping, to school or the park. You might find that you walk almost 10,000 steps a day, or that you walk less than you think. Whatever your results, knowing

how far you can walk in a day will help motivate you.

How many calories will I burn if I walk 10,000 steps a day? A person weighing

70kg (about 11 stone) can burn about 440 calories by walking 10,000 steps briskly (3.5mph). If you’re trying to lose weight, you should aim to burn 600 more calories than you take in through food and drink every day. This is best achieved by a combination of diet and exercise.

What if I don’t take any exercise at the moment? If you’re not very active,

increase your walking distances gradually. No one expects 10,000 steps on the ﬁrst day! If you’re worried about your joints or any existing health conditions, talk to your GP. If your joints are a problem, you can see if your local swimming pool holds exercise classes. The water helps to support your joints while you move, and once you lose a bit of weight, that will reduce the pressure on your joints.

Do I need any special clothing?

We recommend a pair of cushioned trainers, which most people have already. What’s the best way to start? Using your pedometer, ﬁnd out how many

steps you take during a normal day. It could be as little as 900 steps, or as much as 5,000 steps, depending on what you do. Record your daily steps over a week and use the total weekly number to work out a daily average. Use this daily average to build your steps gradually, by adding a few more steps every so often until you’re regularly walking 10,000 steps a day.

10,000 steps sounds a lot. How do I fit all that walking into my busy day?

Increasing your walking is easier than you think. Try these tips for getting more steps into your life: • get off the bus early and walk the rest of the way home or to work • walk to the station instead of taking the car or bus • invest in a shopping trolley and shop locally if you can • walk the children to school, whatever the weather • get ﬁt with Fido – walk the dog

I find walking boring. How can I make it more fun?

• ﬁnd a walking partner so you have someone to chat to as you walk • get an MP3 player and listen to your favourite music or podcasts as you go

How long do I have to keep walking?

The rest of your life! Being active is a lifelong health habit. It’s great for preventing weight gain, lifting your mood, and reducing your risk of a raft of serious diseases, such as heart disease. It takes a while for a regular activity to become a healthy habit, so just keep going and it will become second nature. You’ll soon ﬁnd yourself doing many more than 10,000 steps some days.

What if I can’t walk for a few days due to illness or a holiday? Walking

is a gentle form of exercise that is easy to get back into after a break. Just start again when you can, and build up slowly if you’ve been ill. The sooner you get back into the exercise

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HEALTH and Lifestyle food

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Indigestion INDIGESTION, also known as dyspepsia, is pain or discomfort in your chest or stomach. This usually comes on soon after eating or drinking. You may also have other symptoms, such as: • feeling full or bloated • heartburn • nausea (feeling sick) • belching Indigestion is a common problem that affects many people, but in most cases it is mild and only occurs occasionally. Why it happens. Indigestion is caused by stomach acid coming into contact with the sensitive, protective lining of the digestive system. The stomach acid breaks down the lining, leading to irritation and inflammation (soreness and swelling). This causes the symptoms of indigestion. In most cases indigestion is related to eating, although it can be caused by other factors such as smoking, drinking, alcohol, pregnancy or taking certain medications.

Treating indigestion at home.

You may be able to treat your indigestion with changes to your diet and lifestyle, or with a number of different medications, such as antacids.

If an underlying health condition is the cause of indigestion, further investigation such as an endoscopy may be required (see below). When to see your doctor. Most people will not need to seek medical advice for their indigestion. However, it is important to see your GP if you have recurring indigestion and you: • are 55 years old or over • have lost a lot of weight without meaning to • have increasing difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) • have persistent vomiting • have iron deficiency anaemia • have a lump in your stomach • have blood in your vomit or blood in your stools This is because your symptoms can be a sign of an underlying health condition that affects the digestive system, such as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). If this is the case, you may need to be referred for an endoscopy. An endoscopy is a procedure where the inside of the body is examined using an endoscope (a thin, flexible tube that has a light and camera on one end). Severe indigestion can cause long-term problems with parts of your digestive tract, such as scarring of the oesophagus or the passage from your stomach. ■ NHS Choices

Indigestion - Causes INDIGESTION (dyspepsia) occurs when acid from your stomach irritates the lining of your stomach, oesophagus (gullet) and top part of your bowel. In most cases, there is no underlying medical reason for indigestion. It is usually caused by a process known as acid reflux, where acid from your stomach escapes and is forced back up into your oesophagus. However, indigestion can also be caused in other ways, and it can sometimes be a symptom of an underlying medical condition, particularly if you experience

recurrent bouts. Some possible causes are explained below. Medications. You may have indigestion if you take certain types of medication. Some medicines, such as nitrates (taken to widen your blood vessels) relax the oesophageal sphincter (ring of muscle between your oesophagus and your stomach), which allows acid to leak back up. Other medicines, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), can affect your digestive tract and cause indigestion. Do not take NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, if you have stomach problems such as a peptic

Do not take NSAIDs, such as aspirin and ibuprofen, if you have stomach problems such as a peptic ulcer or have had this in the past. Children under 16 years of age should not take aspirin.”

Indigestion - Symptoms THE main symptom of indigestion (dyspepsia) is pain or a feeling of discomfort in your chest or stomach. This usually comes on soon after eating or drinking, although there can sometimes be a delay between eating a meal and experiencing indigestion. The symptoms of indigestion are often described as ‘heartburn’, which you may experience as a burning pain behind your breastbone. Heartburn is caused by acid that passes from your stomach into your oesophagus (gullet).

If you have indigestion, you may also have symptoms such as: • feeling uncomfortably full or heavy • belching • bringing food back up from your stomach • bloating • nausea (feeling sick) • vomiting

When you should see a doctor. In some cases, indigestion symptoms can indicate a more serious underlying health problem, such as stomach cancer.

Never stop taking a prescribed medication unless you are told to do so by your GP or another qualified healthcare professional who is responsible for your care.” ulcer or have had this in the past. Children under 16 years of age should not take aspirin. Never stop taking a prescribed medication unless you are told to do so by your GP or another qualified healthcare professional who is responsible for your care. Obesity. If you are very overweight, you are more likely to experience indigestion because of increased pressure inside your abdomen (tummy). This can force open your oesophageal sphincter after a large meal, causing acid reflux. Hiatus hernia. A hernia occurs when an internal part of the body, such as an organ, pushes through a weakness in the surrounding muscle or tissue wall.

A hiatus hernia occurs when part of your stomach pushes up into your diaphragm (the sheet of muscle under your lungs), preventing your oesophageal sphincter from closing. This can allow stomach acid to travel back up into your oesophagus, leading to heartburn.

Helicobacter

pylori

infection.

You may have recurring bouts of indigestion if you have an infection with Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) bacteria. H pylori infections are common, and it is possible to become infected without realising because the infection does not usually cause any symptoms. However, in some cases an H pylori infection can damage your stomach lining and increase the

Seek immediate medical attention if you have recurring indigestion and you: • are 55 years old or over • have lost a lot of weight without meaning to • have increasing difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) • have persistent vomiting • have iron deficiency anaemia • have a lump in your stomach • have blood in your vomit or blood in your stools ■ NHS Choices

amount of acid in your stomach. It is also possible for your duodenum (the top of your small intestine) to be irritated by excess stomach acid if you have an H pylori infection.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD). Gastro-oesophageal reflux

disease (GORD) is a common condition and one of the main causes of recurring indigestion. It is caused by acid reflux. This occurs when the oesophageal sphincter fails to prevent stomach acid from moving back up into your oesophagus. Acid reflux becomes GORD when the sensitive lining of your oesophagus is damaged by repeated irritation from stomach acid. Peptic ulcers. A peptic ulcer is an open sore that develops on the inside lining of your stomach (a gastric ulcer) or small intestine (a duodenal ulcer). If you have a peptic ulcer, you may have indigestion as a symptom. Peptic ulcers form when stomach acid damages the lining in your stomach or duodenum wall. In most peptic ulcer cases, the lining is damaged as a result of an H pylori infection (see above). Stomach cancer. In rare cases, recurrent bouts of indigestion can be a symptom of stomach cancer. Cancer cells in your stomach break down the protective lining, allowing acid to come into contact with your stomach wall. ■ NHS Choices

PILGRIMAGE TO PHILIPPINES Date: Saturday, 10 to Saturday, 24 January 2015

Experience the Papal visit in the Philippines and make a difference.

PLACES TO VISIT:

OUR LADY OF MANAOAG, PANGASINAN - visit one of the most venerated 17th-century ivory images of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus in the Philippines. In 1610 a middle-aged farmer walking home heard a mysterious female voice. He saw on a cloud-veiled treetop an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, holding a Rosary in her right hand with the Child Jesus on her left arm amidst a heavenly glow. Mary told the farmer where she wanted her church to be built. The shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag was built on the spot where Mary appeared to the man and the town quickly grew around it. MONASTERIO DE TARLAC - is where the Relic of the Holy Cross can be found. The relic authenticated by a Papal seal is believed to be part of the cross discovered by Saint Helena in Jerusalem, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great. It was believed that Saint Helena excavated three crosses in Jerusalem which were believed to be the crosses used during the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. She brought a woman who was about to die and asked her to touch the first two crosses but nothing happened. When the third cross was touched, the dying woman was healed.

NATIONAL SHRINE OF THE DIVINE MERCY - is a church dedicated to the Divine Mercy in Marilao, Bulacan, Philippines. It was elevated to the status of National Shrine by Cardinal Orlando Quevedo of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines. The first Mass was held at the site on February 2, 1992, the Feast of the Presentation. OUR LADY, MARY MEDIATRIX OF ALL GRACE - The Marian apparition in 1948, shower of petals, other miraculous events associated with this church, and the over all feeling of serenity make anyone seeking spiritual refuge to visit Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Lipa, Batangas. According to accounts of the apparition, Mama Mary showed herself to Teresita Castillo, a nun, telling that she is the "Mediatrix of All Grace". "On September 12, 1948 in this Carmel of Lipa, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace appeared on top of a vine.

OUR LADY OF PEACE AND GOOD VOYAGE, ANTIPOLO - is a 17th-century brown wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary venerated in the Philippines. The image was originally brought to the country from Mexico and the safe voyage across the Pacific Ocean was attributed to the image. SHRINE OF OUR LADY OF ASSUMPTION, BOHOL - is an 18th-century church dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary is famed to be miraculous. Pilgrims from afar hike the distance from their city to the site to invoke special petitions or mainly to honor the Patroness. In addition, at the foot of the altar of the church is a well also believed to have healing power. The water tastes oddly fresh, despite the well's proximity to the seashore.

LOBOC RIVER CRUISE, BOHOL – Enjoy the river cruise along nipa-lined river on board a native catamaran while lunch is served on board. See historic BLOOD COMPACT SHRINE, a historical landmark commemorating the First Treaty of Friendship between the east and the west. Visit the centuries old Baclayon Church and Museum, built in 1595. Be amazed with the perfect landscape of the CHOCOLATE HILLS, BOHOL.Experience the lush of the MAHOGANY MAN MADE FOREST and the green farmlands in Bilar and Batuan. See the famous TARSIER, one of the worlds smallest primates with its gentle demeanor and large bulbous eyes. Visit the NIPA WEAVING AND KNIFE MAKING FACTORY, Bohol. Enjoy the ORGANIC GOURMET LUNCH at the Bee Farm Restaurant during the tour.

STO. NINO DE CEBU (Holy Child of Cebu) - is venerated by many Filipino Catholics who believe it to be miraculous. The statue was originally given in 1521 as a baptismal gift by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who physically handed it to Lady Humamay, the principal wife of Rajah Humabon. This event marks the beginning of Christianity in the Philippines. Enjoy the whole day SINULOG FESTIVAL SHOW (included in the price)! CEBU CITY - the trading center of Southeast Asia in the 13th century. Discovered by Ferdinand Magellan on April 8,1521. Rich in pre-Hispanic relics, antiques, and artifacts that have been found in different parts of the island. It is the country's Second City after Manila and a favorite tourist destination. Catch the glimpse of rural life in livelihood activities like SHOEMAKING, DELICACY COOKING, WOODCARVING and BASKET WEAVING. Experience the CARABAO RIDE (water buffalo ride), a TRICYCLE SPIN to a colorful market, LEARN HOW TO WEAVE A BAMBOO BASKET, and get the thrill from DRINKING FRESH COCONUT WINE.

MANILA CITY TOUR - Immerse yourself in the Philippines' rich cultural past through Manila's diverse museums. From the Old Walled City of Intramuros to the Financial District of Makati, this tour is a well-rounded glimpse of the country. Trace the past with a visit to the MALACANANG PALACE, the CULTURAL CENTER OF THE PHILIPPINES, the RIZAL PARK and SAN AGUSTIN CHURCH (UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993).

Get on board to a SUNSET DINNER CRUISE along MANILA BAY. Admire the MANILA CITY SKYLINE while FEASTING ON TRADITIONAL PHILIPPINE CUISINE. Enjoy the lights of Roxas Boulevard and Evening Live Performance on Board from the famous local band in the City of Manila.

BENEFICIARIES OF THE PILGRIMAGE:

PEDIATRIC CANCER PATIENTS OF NATIONAL CHILDRENS' HOSPITAL – Indigent children undergoing chemotherapy treatment. BETHANY HOUSE STO NINO ORPHANAGE – founded in 1986 by Bishop Almario and entrusted to Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph.

BAHAY PAG IBIG – Home for Senior citizens forgotten by their families and their own children. Home of the abandoned, poor and the sick. ERDA TECHNICAL VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN PANDACAN, MANILA - is a free school for deserving students. It is managed by Fr. Ari Dy,SJ.

EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN BOHOL CARMELITE SISTERS OF LIPA RETIRED JESUIT PRIESTS OF LOYOLA HOUSE OF STUDIES, ATENEO. RESERVATION AND PAYMENT: PRICE: £1900 includes return air ticket and tour package to Philippines. Entrances to some places included in the price. Pick up transport, ferry transfer and all coaching arrange in every destinations plus assistance from Tour Operator based in London and English speaking guide throughout our tour. Our group will stay in comfortable hotels with basic ensuite room facilities on a half board basis. Extra to your tour: Single room supplement and Travel insurance required per passenger. PAYMENT: £500 required deposit. Baggage allowance is 30 kilos per passenger and flights can be extend prior to issuance of airline ticket per arrangment with our travel agency partner based in London. NB: Please note we reserve the right to alter the above itinerary if required for operational reasons. Deposits and Flights are non refundable. The Community Prayer Crusade – West London is a nonprofit organization with no budget. Only reservation with deposit considered confirmed. Any friends, please contact Betilda on 07919380513 or Merla on 07939684558 or Mario on 07818021874.Thank you and God Bless.

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& Scoop Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera Wedding Reception Photos 26

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THE wedding took place on December 30 at the Immaculate Conception Church in Cubao, Quezon City while the reception was held at the Mall of Asia Arena. ■

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‘Happy Wife, Happy Life’ shines spotlight on PBA spouses ALTHOUGH they’re now known as the better halves of basketball stars Jimmy Alapag, Marc Pingris, Rico Maierhofer and Jayjay Helterbrand, respectively, LJ Moreno, Danica Sotto, Jeck Conwi Maierhofer and RR Enriquez have carved out successful careers of their own. Film and TV actresses LJ and Danica have been in the business for quite a while. Showbiz runs in the blood of both LJ, who is the niece of former sexy star Alma Moreno, and Danica, the only daughter of Vic Sotto and Dina Bonnevie.

In addition to her acting resume, LJ also became known for her forays in reality competition shows including “Pinoy Fear Factor” and the maiden season of “The Amazing Race Philippines”, which she won with best friend CJ Jaravata. RR and Jeck also had their share of acting stints but both ﬁrst became known as dancers and for their television stints—RR on “Wowowie” and Jeck on “Kapamilya Deal or No Deal”. Like LJ, RR and Jeck also expanded their fan base with their well-received stint as one of the

The hosts of ‘Happy Wife, Happy Life’ with their respective spouses: Danica and Marc Pingris, RR and Jayjay Helterbrand, LJ and Jimmy Alapag, and Jeck and RicoMaierhofer.

competing teams in “The Amazing Race Philippines 2” last year. Regardless of their respective individual accomplishments and association with their famous partners, all four girls are now out to show a different side of them on TV5’s new, daily late morning show, “Happy Wife, Happy Life”. All four met the media during the recent pocket press conference to launch the new show. In the event, Danica said that they have no problem getting along during their initial tapings. “Kami naman ni LJ, matagal na kaming friends. Nagkikita-kita naman kami sa (PBA) games although it’s usually hi and hello lang kamin nina RR and Jeck. This show is our chance for us to get to know each other better,” Danica admitted. “Kami ni RR, close na talaga tapos sina Danica and LJ, close friends din so masaya talaga yung taping. Natuwa nga yung TV5 bosses nung napanood nila yung pilot episode namin. Sabi nila, maganda daw yung chemistry naming apat,” added Jeck, who incidentally is also the sister of Cindi Conwi, wife of basketball legend Alvin Patrimonio. Basically a lifestyle show with elements of reality television, “Happy Wife, Happy Life” provides viewers with a peek into the daily lives of these four women as they show the perks and challenges of what it’s like to be “Mrs. Basketball Star”. With no less than their famous partners as their featured guests in the pilot episode, the show will also

RR Enriquez, Danica Sotto, LJ Moreno, and Jeck Conwi Maierhofer.

illustrate how Danica, LJ, RR and Jeck deal with their daily family lives as they run their houses, businesses and careers all at the same time—like any typical Filipina mom and wife. LJ notes that being married to a famous athlete is really no different from being married to any other guy. “Whether or not you’re married to a basketball player, the main thing is really how you trust each other, how you make your partnership work and how you are dedicated to each other. That’s what matters,” she pointed out. For RR, who has been with Jayjay for ﬁve years and hopes to ﬁnally tie the knot with the divorced cager, going to Bible studies together has further strengthened their relationship. “I’m really praying na sana makasal na kami and magkaroon na rin ng sariling baby,” she confessed. In addition to pretty much getting

a ringside ticket into their family affairs including some of their recent travel experiences, “Happy Wife, Happy Life” also gives the four ladies the opportunity to share their favorite recipes, parenting tips and of course, their personal views on love and relationships. Among the four, it seems like Danica is the most excited about what she calls her “ﬁrst serious hosting job”. She said her mom, who hosted a popular talk show called “Ms. D” told her to simply “listen to your guests and not do all the talking”. “I’m really praying ‘Happy Wife, Happy Life’ will last very long on the air. LJ, RR and Jeck are really happy doing this together.” “Happy Wife, Happy Life” will air on TV5 from Monday to Friday at 10:30AM starting January 19. ■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / January 12, 2015 / 11:32 AM

Kim Chiu says Mulan inspires her to be more courageous “HAPPY and blessed beyond words.” That was Kim Chiu’s initial reaction when she was approached to portray Mulan of the 2015 Disney Princess Calendar. The 24-year-old ChineseFilipino actress is one of only two Filipino actresses to be featured in the calendar along with other female celebrities from southeast Asia. (The other is Sarah Geronimo, who portrays Rapunzel). “It was not until the actual photo shoot in Bangkok when it all started to sink in to me. We did two shoots, the one used in the calendar as sweet Mulan, yung hindi makabasag pinggan, the other is yung warrior na siya, wearing the armor plus meron pang background music na nakakaiyak tapos lumilipad pa yung hair ko, I’m really a Disney princess, it’s so surreal,” she exclaimed. Kim said the photo shoot for the project that re-imagines classic female Disney characters is one of the highlights of what she considers one of her most memorable years. In what was indeed a milestone year for Kim, she started 2014 with her biggest box office hit to date in the romantic comedy “Bride for Rent”,

which co-starred her rumored boyfriend Xian Lim. By July, she also dominated the Yahoo! Celebrity Awards where she won both Celebrity and Actress of the Year. Towards the end of the year, Kim also won Best Actress in the PMPC Star Awards for TV for her performance in the hit teleserye “Ikaw Lamang”, an honor that was rocked with allegations of votebuying—something that drew a pointed and strong reaction from Kim when she was quoted as saying, “Kung binibili ang award sana bumili na ako noon pa po.” “Matapang na rin ako ngayon,” Kim told InterAksyon and other entertainment media during her own press briefing for the Disney calendar Tuesday. The young actress noted that Mulan — based on a legendary Chinese woman who pretends to be male to take her father’s place in the imperial army — is known for her love of family as well as for being courageous. This latter character trait, she admits, has rubbed off on her following numerous adversity that she has gone through in her life and career. “Aside from being chinita, Mulan is one of my favorite Disney characters because her story is really inspiring. She’s all about women empowerment as her hash tag is

#DeterminedPrincess. And she is relatable to all ages, not just children,” she pointed out. “Lahat ng napagdaanan ko sa buhay are what made me who I am today. Parang wala na akong masasandalan kung hindi ang sarili ko,” she added. Like Mulan’s family, Kim said her own family is also what keeps her grounded. “We all live in the same house including our helpers and drivers who I grew up with. They’ve known me even before I entered showbiz so I’m not Kim Chiu to them. When I go out, it’s really showbiz and work but when I go home, I become the old Kim,” she confessed. Although she does not expect to “super duplicate” her recent achievements for this year, Kim is at least hopeful that 2015 would still be a better year for her. “May kasabihan kasi na kapag tawa ka ng tawa, ang kasunod niyan, iiyak ka naman. Huwag naman sanang ganun this year,” she said, expressing her apprehension. As projects go, Kim hopes to start the year on the right track with a new teleserye that would reunite her with Xian after their 2012 soap “Ina, Kapatid, Anak”. Although there is also some clamor for

Kim in character as Mulan in warrior mode. Photo courtesy of ©Disney Channel Asia.

Kim Chiu poses in front of a blown-up image of her Disney calendar portrait as Mulan. Photo by Karl Angeline S. Ocampo, ©Interaksyon.

her to team up with her “Ikaw Lamang” leading man Coco Martin on the big screen, Kim said her next film project is again with Xian in another romantic-comedy based on a popular Wattpad story. Through all her success, the one thing that Kim never fails to acknowledge is her fans.

“I’m glad they’re always there. Lagi silang nag-iisip ng trending topic para sa akin almost every day. No matter how much effort you put in what you’re doing, kahit na all out ka, if the fans are not there, wala ding mangyayari so I’m very thankful to them,” she conceded. ■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / January 13, 2015 / 6:50 PM

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& Scoop Why artist painted Pope Francis with Vi, Marian, Dingdong, other Pinoy celebs 30

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A painting featuring Pope Francis and several Filipino celebrities has been making the rounds on social media this week, ahead of the pontiff’s visit to the Philippines. Reaction to the piece, a 29” x 24” oil on canvas painting entitled “Salubong” by visual artist Dante Hipolito, has been mixed, with netizens taking issue with the personalities featured on the artwork. The painting shows Governor Vilma Santos as a farmer leading celebrities and personalities such as Gary Valenciano, Sen. Grace Poe, Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera, Coco Martin, and presidential sister Kris Aquino in a vibrant rural setting. Contrary to popular belief, however, the painting is neither a political ad nor a paid advertisement. In an interview with GMA News Online, Hipolito said the painting was inspired by his faith and his fondness for the Pope. It was his wife, however, who requested that he put faces of her favorite celebrities and personalities in the painting. “Hindi ko ginawa yun para sa masa.

Hindi ko iniiisip yung masa, o kahit sinong tao. Mapagbigyan ko lang ‘yung asawa ko,” Hipolito told GMA News Online in an interview. After he posted his artwork on Facebook, a friend took interest and requested for a copy, which the latter then posted on his own account. The digital copy painting of the painting has since gone viral, leaving the painter’s family overwhelmed by the turn of events. But while some netizens have put forth harsh accusations, Hipolito has mastered the art of ignoring bashers. He said that as long as he knows that he did not intend to hurt anyone, it’s ﬁne; after all, the paiting was originally for his and his wife’s personal enjoyment only. “Wala akong tinitira, wala akong pino-promote. Trip lang namin itong mag-asawa. Wala akong intensyon kahit kanino,” he said. Celebs’ reaction. The painting has drawn the attention of some of the celebrities featured on it. According to Hipolito, Gov. Vilma Santos has even requested a replica of the painting. Hipolito, however, has

turned her down, remaining faithful to his decision to make the piece a part of his family’s personal collection. Meanwhile, Gary Valenciano, who is a born-again Christian, welcomed his presence in the painting, expressing his desire to see it at exhibits. The ofﬁcial Facebook page of Marian Rivera has also shared the painting online. Minor controversy. Amid the minor controversy, Hipolito said he respects the opinion of people about his painting. “Hayaan na lang. Hindi ko naman ikamamatay ‘to. Lilipas rin yan kasi ang mga Pilipino naman, madaling makalimot,” he said. “Makaka-recover ako at mamamatay ang issue in a natural way. Makakalimutan ang issue pero matatandaan ang pangalan. Pabor pa rin naman sa akin yun kaya hayaan na lang.” But one thing that bothers the artist more than anything. “Nagdaramdam ako kapag si Pope na ang tinitira. Okay lang yung mga artista, pero ‘pag si Pope, hindi ko na gusto,” he said. ■ Bianca Rose Dabu / JST, GMA News / January 13, 2015 / 1:43 PM

10 shocking Pinoy celebrity transformations CHECK out these then and now photos of celebrities who went through major transformations through the years. Many were shocked when Geoff Eigenmann walked on the Cosmo Bachelor Bash 2014 stage in September. The secret to his slimmer figure? A “total lifestyle change”, he said.

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

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Though Georgina Wilson calls the photo on the left as a “throwback from hell”, she surely grew up to be gorgeous and sexy!

Photos from instagram.com/iamhearte and instagram.com/ poevirginia Photos from instagram.com/erwanjheussaff

Erwan Heussaff used to weigh 240 pounds when he was 19 years old. Now, he lives a fitter and healthier lifestyle.

Photo from instagram.com/ilovegeorgina

Who would’ve thought that the chubby girl on the left would transform to being one hot lady years later? Yes, that’s Iza Calzado!

Starting from her early postStarStruck days, Kris Bernal has since became even more beautiful.

The photo on the left was the album art of Lovi Poe’s 2006 album, “The Best of My Heart”. Fast forward to 2014, her transformation is nothing short of gorgeous.

Photo from instagram.com/sarahlahbati

Sarah Lahbati has transformed from being a StarStruck cutie to one hot momma. Photos from instagram.com/guevaracarl

Photo from instagram.com/missizacalzado

Would you believe that Carl Guevara used to weigh 250 pounds? Now he lives a more active lifestyle by engaging in sports and working out. After giving birth to daughter Ayesha, Yasmien Kurdi led a healthy and fit lifestyle which made her one of today’s hottest moms in showbiz.

Ruru Madrid has transformed into one of today’s Kapuso crushes! ■ GMANetwork.com / December 8, 2014 /6:42 PM

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

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Foreign Affairs Secretary Turns Over DFA Personnel’s Donation for Yolanda Victims THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) led by Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, turned over a check in the amount of Php 2,430,907.74 to the Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF) for the construction of six-classrooms in Caibaan Elementary School in Tacloban City. Classrooms in the identified school were destroyed during Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. The amount was raised from the voluntary contributions given by DFA officers and staff in the Foreign Service and Home Office for the Department’s “Two Days for Tacloban” campaign appeal. Together with funds raised from “One Day for Bohol and Cebu”, a total of Php 3,890,543.97 has been collected as of September 2014 and is now in a Typhoon Fund account. PDRF’s Project Director Melissa O. Lavente, received the check on behalf of the Foundation during the DFA Awarding Ceremony held on 16 December 2014 at Bulwagang Apolinario Mabini. With them during the turnover ceremony were DFA Undersecretary for Administration Linglingay F. Lacanlale and Assistant Secretary for Personnel and Administrative Services Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek. PDRF is a non-governmental

organization which coordinates disaster management projects from preparedness to relief and then to recovery. It is co-chaired by Mr. Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Mr. Manuel V. Pangilian, and Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle. The DFA Typhoon Fund also gave a total of Php 875,000 to DFA personnel whose relatives and homes were affected by Yolanda in Tacloban, Iloilo, Bacolod, and Baguio City. When Yolanda hit in November 2013, the Department appealed for voluntary donations for Two Days for Tacloban. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs gave Php813,599. One Appeal Plan donated Php 200,000 while from the DFA Employees Typhoon Fund, an amount of Php200,000 was allocated which purchased relief goods for Regional Consular Office personnel in Tacloban City. The DFA voluntary contributions to the typhoon fund varied but it was noteworthy that some contributed not only two days but more and one ambassador donated 6 months’ worth of salaries. Beneficiaries for Bohol and Cebu are still being identified in the aftermath of the earthquake which hit these provinces in October 2013. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / January 12, 2015

Turnover of DFA Personnel’s Donation for “Yolanda” Victims. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. del Rosario, Undersecretary for Administration, Linglingay F. Lacanlale, and Assistant Secretary for Personnel and Administrative Services, Melita S. Sta. Maria-Thomeczek led the turnover of check donation to Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF) represented by Melissa O. Lavente, Project Director. The donation of P2,430,907.74 will fund the construction of six-classroom building in Caibaan Elementary School, Tacloban City which was devastated by super typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda.

ASEAN Awareness-Raising, Outreach Programs Successfully Held in PHL Public Schools

(Clockwise from top left) Rizal High School Awarding Ceremony; Manuel Roxas Awarding Ceremony; Ramon Magsaysay Awarding Ceremony; Philippine Science High School Awarding Ceremony; Pax Et Lumen International Academy Awarding Ceremony.

BUILDING on the theme One Caring, One Sharing Community, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) National Secretariat successfully held the PosterMaking and the On-the-Spot Essay Writing Contests for selected public high schools in November and December 2014. The participating schools included Rizal High School in Pasig City; Manuel Roxas High School and Ramon Magsaysay High School in Manila; Philippine Science High School in Quezon City; and Pax Et Lumen International Academy in Angeles City, Pampanga.

The following are the winners in the Poster-Making and On-the-Spot Essay Writing Contests, respectively: • Rizal High School: Lyra Rose Evangelista and Patricia Ann Castillejos • Manuel Roxas High School: Marithom Martinez and Kenneth Justin de Torres • Ramon Magsaysay High School: Darvin Capulong Renz and Claire Bernadette Ferrer • Philippine Science High School: Dierdre Puno and Anton Raphael Cabalza • Pax Et Lumen International Academy: Chantille Punzalan and Kyle Gabriel Garcia

Winners from each school received ASEAN Certificates and Medals of Excellence and cash prizes. As a founding member of ASEAN, the Philippines, through the ASEANPhilippines National Secretariat, annually conducts various ASEAN awareness-raising and outreach activities to highlight the achievements of ASEAN, promote greater awareness of ASEAN, help build ASEAN identity among Filipinos and achieve the establishment of ASEAN 2015 and beyond. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / January 13, 2015

PHL Consulate General in Milan Holds First Community Dialogue for the Year in Verona PHILIPPINE Consul General Marichu Mauro held her ﬁrst dialogue with the community this year with the Filipinos in Verona in the Veneto region of Italy. Held last January 11 at

the Maria della Pace Church, Consul General Mauro conducted an open forum with the Filipinos in attendance to address their concerns especially with regards to their consular needs. Consul General Mauro outlined the many programs of the Consulate General for 2015 including a planned mobile consular service in Verona in March. She also invited the Filipino Community in Verona to participate in the National Day celebrations to be held in Milan in June and to support the Philippines’ participation at the Venice Biennale this year. The Filipino community in Verona organized a special program for the Consul General’s visit. The program started with a Holy Mass ofﬁciated by Fr. Ronnie Lacaniente, the Chaplain

of the Filipino community in Verona. Lunch was then served and a short program of song and dances was presented. Then Consul Mauro was asked to pick a winner amongst the entries from a drawing contest held the day before to commemorate Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines. Winners were then announced and prizes awarded. Holding dialogues with the community is an important part of Philippine Consulate in Milan’s mission to bring the Consulate closer to the Filipinos in Northern Italy. Through these dialogues, the Consulate gets a better idea how to deliver better and efﬁcient services to the Filipinos in Northern Italy. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / January 14, 2015

Philippine Mission to ASEAN Celebrates 118th Rizal Day The Philippine Mission to ASEAN commemorated the 118th anniversary of the martyrdom of Philippine National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal at its chancery in Jakarta on December 30, 2014. The Mission’s officers and staff, together with their respective families, held a flag-raising ceremony, followed by a showing of the film “Jose Rizal” by Marilou Diaz-Abaya which recounts the

life and history of Dr. Rizal. Prior to the film-showing, Philippine Deputy Permanent Representative to ASEAN Noel M. Novicio spoke briefly on the significance of the event. During the film-showing, a Filipino-style merienda was served, consisting of champorado, maja blanca, and other Philippine delicacies. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / January 14, 2015

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Don’t smear Pag-IBIG in rush to target VP Binay, exec tells Trillanes MANILA – The Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) does not award projects or deal with contractors, as alleged by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a high ranking official of the agency said Tuesday. And, in a statement, Atty. Darlene Marie Berberabe appealed to Trillanes not to sully the name of the agency with his “baseless” allegations that clearly target Vice President Jejomar C. Binay who is chairman of the Pag-IBIG Board of Trustees. The agency, she said, is open to an investigation, but stressed that the Commission on Audit (COA) no less had given it, for 2012 and 2013, an “unqualified opinion” - the highest assessment by an auditor - when it reviewed its financials and processes. “We work hard to earn the trust of our 14.6 million members. Please do not sully the good name of Pag-IBIG Fund with baseless allegations of an anomaly,” said Berberabe, Pag-IBIG Fund President and Chief Executive Officer. The senator on Monday had said he was preparing another round of accusations against Binay, this time involving his alleged use of his influence to have favored contractors bag deals at Pag-IBIG. Trillanes was one of two senators leading the charge against Binay in the Senate, actively participating in a Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee inquiry on allegations of corruption during Binay’s term as Makati mayor. “In the strongest terms, I deny that Pag-IBIG Fund favors any stakeholder.

On the contrary, we pride ourselves with having leveled the playing field when the new management and the new Board assumed office in 2010,” Berberabe said Tuesday, in response to reports quoting Trillanes that he was leeting loose another round of political attacks soon, this time supposedly involving Binay’s use of his influence on contract decisions at Pag-IBIG.. “To say that we favor contractors in awarding housing projects is simply false because we do not award projects, nor do we deal with contractors. It is unfortunate that an allegation which discredits the integrity of Pag-IBIG Fund is made, but the basis is not provided. When you do your work professionally, and regard principles of fairness and integrity with the highest standard, it is most disheartening to be dragged into an alleged anomaly that has no basis,” Berberabe said. The Fund is obviously being pulled into a political controversy that targets its chair, said Berberabe, who then cited reforms instituted by the agency to ensure transparency and accountability in all its operations. “We have endeavored to institute reforms since 2010 to ensure that there will not be another Globe Asiatique. Even if such reforms were not popular, we made them happen because we were focused on doing what is right for the Fund that is owned by our members.” In 2010, Pag-IBIG Fund filed a syndicated estafa case against Globe Asiatique (GA) President Delfin Lee and cohorts, which led to the prosecution of

several ofﬁcers of the developer and a Pag-IBIG employee. According to Atty. Berberabe, after the GA issue, Pag-IBIG introduced reforms that some developers initially found very stringent. These reforms involved the lifting of the authority previously granted to developers to approve home loans, and the strict implementation of the procedure where the Fund personally validates the identity and capacity to pay of each of its housing loan borrowers, which initially slowed down the takeout process. She said that after her people explained the changes in the Pag-IBIG processes, the developers understood that the reforms were intended for the best interest of all Pag-IBIG Fund stakeholders, particularly its members. “Since we implemented these reforms, we have signiﬁcantly improved the integrity of our portfolio. We improved our underwriting, thereby resulting in better-performing loans ratio. We also outsourced the collection of our non-performing loans. As a result, we converted almost 50% of our non-performing loans back to performing loans, a huge feat in the housing industry,” Atty. Berberabe emphasized.

Performance for 4 years speaks for itself. “Pag-IBIG’s performance

and accomplishments in the last four years speak for themselves. In the third quarter of 2014, Pag-IBIG’s net income already reached P13.09 billion, comparable to the net income of the country’s biggest banks for the same

period,” Berberabe pointed out. The agency “would not have been able to achieve and maintain its robust financial standing and credit P10.1 billion worth of dividends to its members in 2013, the highest in the Fund’s history, if the allegations of shady deals are true,” she added. The Commission on Audit, in fact, after checking the integrity of the Fund’s processes and financials, had issued an “Unqualified Opinion” in both 2012 and 2013 for Pag-IBIG Fund. “An Unqualified Opinion is the best finding that an auditor can issue. This is a testament to the fact that Pag-IBIG is not only focused on performing and exceeding targets in its housing and savings mandates, but also in good corporate housekeeping and thus good governance,” said Berberabe. She stressed that Pag-IBIG enjoys the trust of developer groups and maintains a good working relationship

with them. During the NCR Developers’ Forum held last October 2014, Paul Tanchi, Chairman of the Board of the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association, Inc. (SHDA) described the leadership of Pag-IBIG as embodied by competence and character. In the same event, Engr. Jefferson S. Bongat, Chairman of the Board of the Organization of Socialized Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP), also praised Pag-IBIG. He compared its professionalism and efﬁciency to that of a well-run, top private company or bank. “If we are favoring just a few, we will not earn the trust of our housing partners and Pag-IBIG members,” Berberabe said, even as she welcomed any investigation, which she is conﬁdent, will clear Pag-IBIG Fund in the end. ■ Ernie Reyes / InterAksyon.com / January 6, 2015 / 4:56 PM

Lack of clergymen, churches hounds Catholicism in PHL –Archbishop Cruz AMID the shifting in the geographic distribution of Catholics in the world, the Philippines has seen a slight decline in the ratio of Catholics to the country’s total population over the last two decades. Census data from 1990 to 2010 showed that while the number of Roman Catholics has gone up from 50.2 million to 74.2 million, its percentage to total population had gone down slightly, from 82.9 percent to 80.6 percent. But the bigger concern lies in an even smaller statistic: the dismal number of priests that are supposed to lead the faithful.

According to Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, the Catholic Church in the Philippines has gone way below the ideal 1:2,000 priest-faithful ratio, with one priest leading 20,000 people. “Ang pinakamalaking problema ng Simbahan sa Pilipinas ay compared sa dami ng mga Katoliko, kaunti ang mga pari. Hindi sapat para akayin ang mga Katoliko sa wastong pananampalataya,” he told GMA News TV’s “News To Go” in an interview on Wednesday. Putting it more succinctly, Cruz said: “Dumarami ang Pilipino, pero kumakaunti ang mga pari.” Data from the 2014-2015 Catholic Directory of the Philippines (Claretian Publications), as posted by the Papal Visit Facebook page, showed that the country has 88.9 Filipino Catholics. In turn, the number of clergymen are: * 2,115 religious priests (i.e. Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, Augustinians, Recollects) * 6,118 diocesan priests * 11 auxiliary bishops * 69 bishops * 16 archbishops * 2 cardinals * 32 archbishops/bishops emeriti * 2 cardinals emeriti

Churches ‘not enough’. Aside from fewer clergymen, Cruz said the number of Catholic churches in the Philippines is also not enough to house the faithful. “The churches we have are not enough. Even if there are three to four Masses on Sundays, if everyone will go to church, kulang ang simbahan. Kulang sa bilang, kulang sa laki,” Cruz said. He redirected the problem back to the lack of clergymen, since “the shepherd goes to the sheep, not the sheep goes to the shepherd.” ‘Less religious’. But the bigger problem related to the aforementioned factors, at least according to Cruz, is how Filipino Catholics appear “less religious” than those in other religions. A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in February 2013 showed that 9.2 percent of Catholics here, or about one in every 11 people, “strongly or else somewhat agreed” with the statement, “Sometimes I think I might leave the Catholic Church.” The survey, which sought 1,200 registered voters nationwide, also showed that Catholics attend church less frequently. “Compared with other religious groups, Catholics are the least religious,”

the summary of findings by SWS said. “Only 29 percent of Catholics consider themselves very religious.” It added that only 37 percent of Catholics “attend church weekly,” twice less than the percentages of other Christians who are weekly churchgoerrs. Catholics’ weekly church attendance has statistically seen a “highly significant” decline between 1991 and 2013, it added.

Pinoys have ‘much trust’ in Pope. The Filipino Catholics’ loosening hold on their faith is something Church officials here said they hope would be also addressed by the upcoming visit of Pope Francis. Many had said the Pope’s election to the papacy in March 2013 was a welcome development for the troubled Church. The first non-European and Latin American pontiff in more than a millennium, he was seen as “a pope who probably upset some people... by not following the formula.” Known for his pastoral work and his personal approach in his vocation, the 78-year-old came out to be a “pontiff of firsts” and has endeared himself to the Catholic faithfuls, as well as to members and leaders of other religions. In the Philippines, 72 percent of Filipinos said in an SWS survey that they

have “much trust” in Pope Francis, who got a net trust rating of +59, or “very good.” The pontiff, formerly Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, maintained this standing from September 2013. Pope Francis’ trust ratings, however, was not as high as that of now-Saint John Paul II, who was regarded with an all-time high of “excellent” +72 in April 1995, a few months after his second visit to the Philippines for the World Youth Day Celebrations. John Paul II, who was declared saint by Pope Francis in April 2013, enjoyed “very good” trust ratings until his death in April 2005. Still, Francis was not far off from John Paul II, and his trust ratings from all religions went up compared to September 2013. His score among members of Iglesia ni Cristo has improved to “good” +33 from “moderate” +23, while his trust ratings went up two points among Muslims, from a “poor” -10 to “neutral” -8. Meanwhile, he enjoyed a “good” +40 among other Christians, eight points up from September 2013’s +32. ■ Rose-An Jessica Dioquino / KBK, GMA News /

January 14, 2015 / 8:48 PM

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www.hello-philippines.com

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

The pros and cons of the papal visit on business THE waiting is over. Pope Francis arrived in the Philippines Thursday afternoon to the resounding cheer of Filipinos in the predominantly Catholic and only Christian nation in Asia. On a theme of “mercy and compassion,” the state and apostolic visit brings messages of dialogue, of climate change and of poverty, especially since the Philippines continues to suffer from the ill-effects of natural calamities. Most of his Jan. 15 to 19 visit will be spent in the capital, but Pope Francis will also ﬂy to Tacloban in Leyte which was devastated killer Typhoon Yolanda in November 2013. Dubbed a “security nightmare” by the Philippine military, the papal visit brings to the table speedier rehabilitation and reconstruction to Yolanda-stricken areas. Yolanda rehab. The Aquino administration was criticized for being slow in terms of the rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts of areas devastated by Yolanda, University of Asia and the Paciﬁc economist Victor Abola said. “The only thing it will do [for the economy] is accelerate the reconstruction work, which is positive as the rate of work has been slow,” he said. “It is also understandable. The

amount of damage is quite big. “The idea is to reconstruct better – the construction away from the coastline and it’s taking a little bit of time. This is quite a stretch. But the good thing is the plans are already in place,” Abola added. Yolanda swept across Central Philippines on November 8, 2013, the strongest ever to hit land, leaving over 6,000 people dead and damage to property estimated at P35.5 billion. The adverse impact of the typhoon carried over into 2014. The pace of government spending slowed, and the administration partly blamed a Supreme Court decision to strike down certain parts of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as unconstitutional. As a result of slower state spending, the gross domestic product (GDP) grew slower to 5.3 percent in the third quarter, bringing year-to-date average to 5.8 percent, way below government’s 6.5 to 7.5 percent growth target for 2014. “[The pope’s visit has added the] pressure for government to hasten the work, which is going to be good for the economy,” Abola noted. Event-related spending. The pontiff’s visit entails government spending, particularly for road improvements and other event-

related spending, Security Bank Corp. economist Patrick Ella said. There will also be some shelling out of cash from tourists and from those who are participating in the event, he said, but these won’t have a big impact on the GDP. “There will be a lot of vacation spending and spending related to the event, but it won’t account for a huge percentage of spending this year,” he said. Last month, Malacañang declared January 15, 16 and 19 as special nonworking days in Metro Manila in light of Pope Francis’ visit. A lot of tourists are also expected to ﬂock to Manila and Tacloban to get a glimpse of the pope, a positive push for the tourism industry, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry chairman Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said. Global radar. Given the media coverage from local and international agencies, this puts the Philippines again in the global radar, he said. “It gives awareness for investors. If no untoward incident occurs, it will be also good for investor sentiment,” Ortiz-Luis noted. Truly, all eyes will be on the religious leader’s historic trip to the only Catholic nation in Asia, PCCI president Alfredo Yao noted. “Everybody is looking at the papal

visit, since we’re a predominantly a catholic country. With that, in a way, there will be some standstill in trafﬁc [in Manila],” he said. The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) closed off roads for the pontiff’s visit – mainly in Manila, but provided alternate routes available during his ﬁve-day visit. Since the Palace declared the days of the papal visit as special nonworking holidays, “there will be some downtime in production, business,” Ortiz-Luis said. “Yung daily workers, lugi ‘yan, kasi walang kita on those days. Baka din ma-exacerbate ‘yung situation sa ports

and worsen congestion,” he added. Last week, Ernesto Ordoñez, cochair of the Private Sector Technical Working Group on port congestion, said the long Christmas and New Year vacation worsened the situation in the Manila ports. The situation further regressed with the ﬁve-day break in the National Capital Region. Due to the plight of truckers and importers, Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras on Wednesday said thegovernment will not implement a total truck ban during the papal visit. ■ Danessa O. Rivera / VS, GMA News / January 15, 2015 / 5:54 PM

LUNETA MASS-GOERS, TAKE NOTE - DOH ambulances will be on Taft Avenue, some 500 meters away THE Quirino grandstand is being prepared in this December 2014 file photo for the papal mass on Jan. 18. Health authorities have issued timely reminders for people, so all medical emergencies can be prevented or at least dealt with quickly and on-site. MANILA, Philippines – Besides the Red Cross teams, LGU command centers and diocesan volunteer medics, the Department of Health is deploying ambulances for emergencies during the papal mass at Luneta on Sunday (Jan. 18) afternoon, but here’s the problem: the ambulances will be posted on Taft Avenue about half a kilometer away. The reason for this: ambulances won’t be able to quickly get out of the thickly crowded areas if they are stationed too close to the Quirino grandstand; and if they are in fact needed to ferry people to hospitals, the patient would have to be rushed by stretcher to the ambulance. Nonetheless, authorities assured the public there will be medical teams -from DOH, Red Cross and from volunteer health workers recruited by the dioceses -- posted to cover major and minor ailments of people, who will be let into the papal mass area by quadrants of 1,000 persons each. In an interview, Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, who represented the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital at the Tapatan media forum at the Aristocrat Restaurant Monday, said

the DOH is putting up about 20 medical stations. These stations are on top of the contingents from the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC), Catholic dioceses, which have their own tents and medical personnel, and volunteer groups, who will also put up their respective first aid stations in all venues of Pope Francis’ activities from Jan. 15-19. “We are putting up about 20 medical stations plus Red Cross and plus Catholic dioceses... They have hospitals and doctors and private volunteers,” who, he explained, can often deal with emergencies on-site such as people fainting or suffering asthma attacks or high blood pressure. These teams will all be fielded around the Quirino grandstand where the Pope will celebrate Mass at 3pm. However, Herbosa said that the ambulances needed for “life-threatening”

situations will be stationed along Taft Avenue. “You put the ambulances on the periphery so there is ingress and egress, so you’ve to put these outside the periphery, most likely on Taft Avenue. It’s really quite a distance,” Herbosa said. The distance has been estimated about 50 meters. Still, authorities hope whatever emergencies arise can be dealt with on-site by the medical stations within the periphery of the venue, including command centers of various law enforcement agencies, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Red Cross and church volunteers -- without need of rushing people on stretchers over the heads of a thick crowd, all the way to the DOH ambulances.

Important reminder: look for medics’ flags. “Every station has its own medical flag,” Herbosa said, and advised those with certain

chronic ailments, say asthma, to check in with these stations before taking their spot in the mass, so they know which station has the kind of medicine they may need. Meanwhile, Herbosa, considered an expert in medical emergencies, said that all attendees should prepare for all eventualities, including stampedes during the papal mass. “Para dito sa pagdalaw ng Santo Papa, ang payo natin ang lahat ng tao maghanda, hindi lamang ang pamahalaaan, dapat naghahanda, hindi lamang ang mga doctor, mga pulis, mga sundalo, dapat po ang lahat ng mamamayan na lalahok at pupunta sa aktibidad ay maghanda rin,” he said. Among his suggestions are: 1. Go in groups – Hire a bus going to Luneta or any event, designate a particular time and place of departure. 2. Be fit to walk – Attendees should assess themselves beforehand, if they are fit for a long and slow walk. 3. Personal Chores – Attendees should make necessary preparations before going to Luneta, especially bathroom rituals, since portalets are not enough for 5-6 million people. 4. Food and Drinks – Bring your own, there are no vendors around. 5. Medicines and other maintenance drugs – Bring them too such as next two doses for hypertensives, diabetics and the like. 6. Common sense – Don’t bring valuables and gadgets since signals may be blocked during the mass.

7. One Child/One Adult policy – Strictly enforce one child for every adult to avoid lost kids and elderly. 8. Emergency exits – Always remember the nearest and possible emergency exits in any eventualities. If you happen to be in a high-density or crowded place, step back a few meters and go to a spot where there are fewer people. 9. Concrete barriers and steel fences – Don’t’ cross over, you will be apprehended by authorities. 10. Obey signs, rules and regulations – Obey them, it will help you a lot to be safe and secure. 11. No horse-playing, pushing – Don’t play around and push anyone to avoid commotions and stampedes. Herbosa asked the public to understand that this is not like a fiesta or party where one can walk around any time he/she wants. “Number 2, please don’t push; the risk of stampede rises with more people. If you feel you’re being crushed, step back, look for a less crowded spot.” The usual cause of death in a stampede, he said, is when people feel crushed and cannot breath. “It’s important not to be hemmed in. Remember the exit route, there is a barricade for each quadrant, so remember the entry route and emergency route, in case of trouble,” he added. ■ Ernie Reyes / InterAksyon.com / January 13, 2015 / 5:00 PM

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Source: BSP

Bangko Sentral puts on sale 4 special Pope Francis coins MANILA - The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is issuing four special series of coins to commemorate Pope Francis’ visit to the country. In a statement, the BSP said it is issuing later this month the limited edition 50-peso and 500peso Papal coins to honor his first state and pastoral visit to the Philippines. The 50-peso coin is made of nickel brass and features on the obverse side a portrait of Pope Francis and the markings “Republika ng Pilipinas,” “Pope Francis,” his signature, the denomination, the year-mark “2015” and the BSP mint mark. On the reverse side can be found the BSP seal and the markings “Papal visit/Philippines,” the date of visit (January 15 to 19, 2015), the logo of the Papal visit and the mini-letters of the theme, “mercy and compassion.” The 500-peso coin is made of Nordic gold and plated with gold. The obverse side features a portrait of Pope Francis with his hand slightly raised along the same markings seen in the 50-

peso coin, while the reverse side will bear the same markings as the 50-peso coin. Two more coins -- 1,000-peso and 10,000peso -- will be launched in May. The 1,000-peso coin will be made of 92.5 percent sterling silver, while the 10,000-peso, 91.6 percent gold. The special coins, whose design was made under a licensing agreement with the Vatican, are legal tender and will be sold twice their face value to cover production and other costs. Those interested in purchasing the coins can download the reserve forms from the BSP website and send them to papalcoins@bsp.gov. ph. The central bank will receive orders only until end-June of this year. The central bank will send e-mails stating the payment date and when the coins can be picked up from the BSP. The BSP also issued commemorative coins during Papal visits in 1970 (Pope Paul VI), 1981 and 1995 (both Pope John Paul II). Scarlet Venilia /

100-year-old widow to hang a garland on Pope Francis CENTENARIAN Remedios Enriquez Rodrigo can’t wait as she counts the hours before meeting Pope Francis at the SM Mall of Asia Arena on Friday. Rodrigo, 100, has been tapped to hang a garland around the Pope’s neck during his meetup with Filipino families, GMA 7’s “24 Oras” reported Thursday. The wait wasn’t the only thing that Rodrigo had to deal with, as she also had to combat disease merely a month before the Pope’s arrival on January “If there is one last act, sana umabot ako na malapit ako kay Pope, na ako ang makasabit at makapag-kiss ako sa ring niya,” a relative quoted her as saying.

The widow of the late former Sen. Francisco “Soc” Rodrigo, Remedios also welcomed Mother Theresa during her visit in the 1970’s and 1980’s. She also served the Catholic Women’s League for years and is known for her devout Catholicism. Her family members feel the shared responsibility of serving as representatives of the faith, and vowed to embody the togetherness of the Filipino people. Meeting some of the country’s poor is one of Pope Francis’ priorities for his ﬁve-day stay in the Philippines. The Pope will also have lunch with survivors of super typhoon Yolanda and ﬁve survivors of the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Bohol. ■ Rie Takumi / NB, GMA News / January 15, 2015 / 10:45 PM

InterAksyon.com / January 15, 2015 7:22 PM

‘We are all God’s Children’: Cebu’s inmates dance for Pope Francis INMATES at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center on Thursday held a tribute for Pope Francis’ visit with their patented dance numbers. State-run Philippine Information Agency said the inmates danced to Michael Jackson’s 1980s hit “Thriller.” Jackson’s song was their ﬁrst dance hit, with the YouTube vide of their number earning them international fame. But the main number was “We are all

God’s Children,” the official theme song of the Pope’s Philippine visit. A photo by the Cebu provincial government showed the inmates dancing to the song, with a large photo of Pope Francis in the background. Pope Francis is due to arrive at 5:45 p.m. at Villamor Air Base for his five-day visit. During his five-day stay, he will take part in activities in Metro Manila and Leyte. ■ Joel

Locsin / NB, GMA News / January 15, 2015 / 4:25 PM

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the Black Nazarene, the Mayan heritage & shopping for JADE!

by air 7 - 21 MAY 2015

SCOTLAND weekend to Falkirk, Dunblane, etc. 29-31 MAY 2015 More destination to follow for the summer

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

FOCUS What’s it like when the country hangs on to your every word? Pressure, say weathermen MANILA - This week, as the Philippines anxiously awaits its ﬁrst storm - arriving, ironically, Thursday, the same day a Pope is visiting to meet victims of a typhoon - all eyes are once again focused on the agency whose every word is important: PAGASA. Who are the men and women who make this key agency, whose acronym is the Filipino word for “hope,” one of the best-performing? Following are mini-proﬁles of three of PAGASA’s best. Jori Loiz. Jori Loiz has spent the better part of nearly two decades at PAGASA. And for every casualty for every storm he has analyzed as a weather forecaster, he has kept tabs. “Sa Sendong, sa Pablo, sa Yolanda, frustrated ako,” Loiz said. “Bakit? Maraming namatay kasi.” To a certain extent, Loiz considers such casualties as blood on their hands, an indictment of their jobs as a forecaster. “Ibig sabihin kasi ‘yung trabaho namin na bigyan ng warning ang mga tao, wala, kulang,” Loiz said. “Yun ang frustration namin na bakit in spite of the efforts na ginagawa namin ay mayroon pa ring mga namamatay.” Sometimes, Loiz takes his frustrations deeply, personally. When I asked him how he handles criticisms, he vented his feelings at how he felt wounded when the forecasts of other foreign weather agencies on tropical storm Hagupit (local name: Ruby) seemingly took more prominence over PAGASA. “Ang sakit nun, ‘di ba!” Loiz exclaimed in measured indignation. “Tapos sasabihin pa nung iba na dun na lang maniwala sa kabila. Ang sakit sa amin nun, eh. Ako nanggigigil ako.” In the end, the PAGASA weathermen were vindicated, because they got Ruby’s track, speed and strength right on the button, resulting in casualties much, much lower than expected and prompting a usually critical President to cite it among the government’s yearend achievements.

Simple language. Loiz graduated at the Far Eastern University in the late ‘80s with a degree in Chemical Engineering. After stints in the private sector and local government, he entered PAGASA in 1996 as a researcher upon

the referral of a wedding sponsor who was a supervisor then in the agency. “Less than P1,000 pa ata suweldo ko noon [I think my salary then was less than P1,000],” Loiz said. Since the country only started having schools offering a Meteorology undergraduate program in 2012, Loiz, like other aspiring PAGASA personnel, underwent a training course to be a weather forecaster. Loiz, however, admitted that he has largely toiled in the background until the departure in 2012 of Tani Cruz, the affable, accessible, and mediasavvy former forecaster who is now the resident meteorologist of GMA-7. “During the time of Mang Tani, he was always the one being interviewed on TV,” Loiz said. “But since he left, other forecasters are now being interviewed on air,” he observes, speaking in Filipino. Loiz admitted that during his early days in front of the camera, he often spouted obtuse scientific terms to appear more learned. “Of course, way back then we were trying to impress. We would cite many scientific terms when talking to a reporter,” Loiz recalled with amusement. After realizing the folly of his initial approach, Loiz said that he, along with other forecasters, now strive to keep their message as simple as possible. “Now, we convey what we know in simple language to a reporter, who we hope will understand and then convey our urgent message to the public. I’d always check my message by asking myself this question: if I were a child, would I understand it?” The “child” reference seems apt as Loiz comes across as an avuncular figure in person, a soft-spoken and approachable old timer. Room for growth. If Loiz is the deferential senior of the lot, the 37-year-old forecaster Chris Perez strikes a more assertive, confident, and upright persona on screen. Perez has so internalized his job speaking as a weather forecaster to the media he is sometimes wont to use the first person plural even when referring to his experiences. “Nag-start po tayo dati sa field ng audio-video industry, professional and HiFi, mga nagse-setup ng professional audio video sa mga bahay at larger venues,” Perez said of his humble beginnings. A graduate of Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE) at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Perez, like Loiz, started out in the private sector. After his promotion was stalled for the company he worked after college, he tried his luck at PAGASA upon the recommendation of a friend’s mother. His first job at PAGASA in 2003 was calibrating meteorological

equipment as part of the Instruments and Development Research unit. After three months, he took the meteorology training course to move up the ladder as a weather forecaster. “So normally, weather forecasters at PAGASA are graduates of engineering courses. Because for meteorology, that needs higher math and sciences like physics, calculus, differential integral calculus, advanced mathematics,” Perez said.

Chris Perez

Best in the world. He admitted that his salary went down compared to his previous job in the private sector, but this was offset by the career growth and quality training in government. “The premium there [in the government service] is room for growth. I was told when we were hired that we will be given the opportunity to travel locally and abroad for seminars, and an opportunity to study,” Perez said. He is thankful also for being invited as a resource speaker in meteorological conferences abroad. “Actually, we [PAGASA workers] are considered as one of the best meteorologists in the world, kasi in this particular part of the world, we have the most number of tropical cyclones,” Perez said. Working for the state weather agency overseeing one of the most active and complex weather systems in the world, Perez said he has come to accept criticisms as par for the course. “Siyempre may iba’t ibang outlet na tayo. Siguro nakakapagsalita ka ng hindi maganda minsan, pero siyempre pagkababa mo na ng telepono,” Perez quipped. “Parte na kasi ng trabaho natin yung pagtanggap ng kritisismo, and if you are not mentally and physically ﬁt, then puwede po ‘yun makaapekto sa overall performance mo.” Aside from criticisms, Perez said reciting the long list of provinces with storm warning signals in interview after every interview during typhoon season can also be taxing. “Sometimes if the anchor didn’t hear you, you’ll be asked to repeat what you said,” Perez said in jest. Young guns. Among the weather

forecasters in PAGASA, the 33-year old Alvin Pura is among the young guns, a sprightly and eager greenhorn who was a former athletic trainer. An ECE graduate and a member of the mountaineering club at the University of Santo Tomas, he initially spent a few years after college in sports-related opportunities as a rock climbing facilitator, mountaineering guide, and surfing instructor, on top of being a part-time model. After a few years of subsisting on various part-time gigs, he landed his first stable job in 2009 as a technician under the Hydrometeorology division, where he helped maintain and calibrate different types of equipment. He transferred a year later to the forecasting division as an observer, the lowest position in the department in charge of plotting and analyzing various weather data. After taking the one-year meteorology training course, he was promoted as a weather specialist. “Para na rin akong nag-second degree noon,” Pura said. With boundless energy, Pura said he finds the demanding work schedule brought about by typhoons as more exciting than stressful. “When there is a storm, it’s like there’s a festival here. There are many people, many mediamen, many questions.” Pura said he tries to keep things as simple as he can when answering media queries. “It’s just like I’m conversing with them [interviewers]. I don’t bother to say details that aren’t essential for [media] to know and convey, things that are complicated and hard to understand,” Pura said. Pura, however, admitted that the constant departure of staff at their department in search of more lucrative opportunities does make their job more challenging due to the extra workload. “It’s bad enough we’re undermanned, it gets worse when more people leave. We never become a complete staff,” Pura said. But today, Perez said they have a fairly full complement of staff after

recently taking in four new weather specialists, bringing the total number of weather forecasters to 17, in addition to three supervisors. Career opportunities. Even amid the fulfillment they have with their careers, both Pura and Perez admit that they are also open to other career opportunities outside of PAGASA if they encounter any. “We’re open to options. Now that I’m still single, my salary is okay with me, I can live with it. But things become different when one starts to have a family; or has to feed people and send them to school,” Pura said. Today, an entry-level weather forecaster earns a minimum salary of nearly P25,000, one rank higher earns almost P30,000, while a senior weather specialist earns nearly P35,000. According to Perez, the word is that one could get as much as five times the salary as a forecaster abroad. Perez, who has one daughter, said his family’s needs will play a big role in his career track. “The situation is when you’re single and you enter government service, it seems okay. But as time goes by, your financial needs grow,” Perez said. “So we don’t rule out the possibility that in the future, we may look for greener pastures. That’s human nature.” But in the meantime, he said that he is content in his job. “Right now as long as we can serve PAGASA, we’ll stay put. Kasi may need din talaga dito kahit na mababa yung kita. May ibang kasiyahan kasi yung nandito ka pa sa bansa mo. Mayroon kasing sense of fulfillment and happiness na dito mo lang sa sariling bansa makukuha.” Loiz, for his part, said he is already settled to retire as a PAGASA weather forecaster. He notes how government employees often meet certain expenses like tuition or housing by taking out loans. “That’s how we make ends meet,” Loiz said. Of his three boys, two have already finished college, while one is a freshman IT major. Aside from the possible risk in terms of job security of moving to a job abroad, Loiz said he also cannot stand to be away from his family too long. “I experienced life abroad. I studied nine months in India. I know how homesick is like. It’s so hard,” Loiz said. Today, the 50-year-old Loiz is completing a masteral degree in meteorology at the Ateneo de Manila University under a government scholarship. “Tinatapos ko na lang ‘yung thesis ko,” Loiz said. What is his thesis all about? “Aba, tungkol sa bagyo siyempre [Of course, it’s about storms].” Loiz said. ■

Alvin Pura

2015 / 9:05 AM

Jose Bimbo F. Santos / InterAksyon.com / January 15,

January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

Nurse group seeks SC help over salary grade dispute A party-list group has asked has asked the Supreme Court (SC) to compel the government to enforce a provision under Republic Act 9173, also known as the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, that puts the minimum base pay of government nurses not lower than Salary Grade 15 or at least P25,000. In a 28-page petition for mandamus, Ang Nars Party-list Rep.Leah Primitiva Samaco-Paquiz also asked the SC to declare null and void Section 6 of Executive Order No. 811 issued by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which upgraded the salary grade of an entry-level nurse from Salary Grade 10 to just Salary Grade 11. “When the law is clear, government agencies are bound to implement the same. When jurisdiction is exercised beyond that of what is actually mandated by law, the findings made in abuse of the legal power, of the jurisdiction given, is null and void,” the petitioner said. Joining the party-list group in the petition was the Public Services Labor Indpendent Confederation headed by Annie Geron. Ang Nars is an accredited party-list organization that promotes the rights of nurses. Named respondents Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Budget Secretary Florencio Abad and the Department of Health.

The petitioners claimed that the Department of Budget and Management acknowledeged that there is a law providing for the entry level of government nurses to be Salary Grade 15 but stated that its implementation would “distort the hierarhical relationships of medical and allied positions in the bureaucracy and will require additional funding to the government coffers.” The petition added that the group has sought a legal opinion of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to shed light on the conflicting pronouncements of the DBM with the provision under RA 9173 but it declined to render an opinion. “Executive Order 811, as an administrative issuance, must be consistent with laws and should not amend or modify the law,” the petition read. “By reducing the salary grade of nurses from salary grade 15 as provided for by RA 9173 to salary grade 11, Executive Order 811 has violated the principle of non-diminution of pay expressly provided for in Joint Resolution No. 4,” the petition read. Paquiz insisted that government nurses are entitled for the enjoyment of the Salary Grade 15 in accordance with Section 32 of RA 9173 and its implementing rules and regulations. ■ Mark Merueñas / BM,

GMA News / January 15, 2015 / 8:59 PM

www.hello-philippines.com

Two abandoned kids greet, hug Pope Francis upon his arrival TWO abandoned children, Lanny Ortillo and Mark Angelo Balberos, were among the ﬁrst Filipinos to welcome Pope Francis upon his arrival in Manila. They greeted the Pope by saying ‘Bienvenido’, gave him a bouquet of ﬂowers, and they got warm hugs and beaming smiles from the pontiff in return. The close encounter with the pope had an intense impact on Ortillo and Balderos, who are being cared for at the Don Bosco shelter for street children. In an interview with news media, Ortilla, 9 years old, said she prayed that Pope Francis will be able to help more children. She said she is fortunate to have the privilege of welcoming the pope to the country. Balberos said he now wants to be a priest someday. He said higgging the pope felt like he was hugging his entire family. Pope Francis is on a “mercy and compassion” papal visit to the Philippines arrived in the country on

Thursday at 5:32 p.m. He was greeted by thousands of Filipinos partaking in a festive mood as they sang, greeted and chanted the pope’s name.

Pope Francis will be in the country until January 19 when he will be departing for his trip back to Rome. ■ Andrei Medina / ELR, GMA News / January 15,

2015 / 10:55 PM

SC upholds ban on live coverage of Maguindanao massacre trial

Mandela’s ex-wife loses bid to stop family meeting MTHATHA, South Africa - A South African High Court on Tuesday threw out an application by Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife to block a planned meeting to discuss infighting in the late peace icon’s family. Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, who is claiming ownership of the former president’s rural home, was trying to stop the Mandela family from holding talks at the Qunu property without her permission. The meeting is planned for Friday. In a report published in a local weekend paper Madikizela-Mandela had warned that should the meeting go ahead, “violence is likely to erupt and thereby tarnish the good name of both myself and the late Mr Nelson Mandela”. Organised by Mandela’s oldest grandson Mandla, the meeting is expected to discuss differences that have arisen in the family and to agree on a traditional head of the Mandela family following the former president’s death. Last year Madikizela-Mandela launched a legal challenge against Mandela’s will. The Nobel Peace laureate left the house in southeastern South Africa to his family trust “for the benefit of the Mandela family and my third wife (Graca Machel) and her two children”. But Madikizela-Mandela claims the house -- built on a large estate where the revered South African leader is buried -- was acquired by her in 1989 when Mandela was still in prison.

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The former wife of Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela Madikizela, attends a mass in memory of late South African President Nelson Mandela on December 8, 2013 in Johannesburg. Photo by Stephane de Sakutin, ©AFP Photo.

She wants the court to nullify the registration of the Qunu property in Mandela’s name. That case is yet to be heard. Judge Zamani Ntlangulela dismissed Madikizela-Mandela’s application regarding the meeting on the grounds that there is no full owner of the Qunu property and that Madikizela-Mandela had failed to include the executors of Mandela’s will in her application. Mandla told reporters after the ruling that the meeting will continue as planned. “We want to emulate the footsteps of our grandfather who believed” in solving disputes “in a peacefully manner.” The revered anti-apartheid hero stated in his will that he wanted the Qunu homestead to “be used by my family in perpetuity in order to preserve the unity of the Mandela family”. Winnie was Mandela’s second wife. They were married for 38 years. The couple divorced in 1996 and she was not named in his $4.4 million (3.5 million euro) will which was released last February after his death in December 2013. ■ AFP January 13, 2015 12:54 PM

THE Supreme Court has upheld its earlier ruling barring radio and television coverage of the five-year-old Maguindanao multiple murder trial. SC Public Information Office chief and spokesman Theodore Te said the high court denied motions for reconsideration seeking to reverse its Oct. 23, 2012 ruling denying the petitions for radio and television coverage of the trial currently being held at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. “The Court cited the lack of uniformity in rule or practice in other jurisdictions in relation to allowing cameras in the courtroom,” Te said in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday. The spokesman added: “It also cited the need to protect the rights of the parties and the dignity of the courts as well as ensure the orderly conduct of the proceedings.” Te said the magistrates also considered the “practical aspects of broadcasted criminal trial proceedings in foreign jurisdictions, finding that most countries still do not allow cameras in their courtrooms.” The petitions for live coverage were filed by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, as well as relatives of the massacre victims, Editha Tiamzon and Glenna Legarta. In their petitions, they requested the setting up of a video camera and monitor just outside the court for

reporters to cover and for the people to witness the trial of the controversial case being heard by Branch 221 of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. In its first ruling on the matter in June 2011, the high court initially allowed live radio and television coverage of the trial, under certain conditions like requiring media entities to apply for broadcast and to continuously broadcast a hearing with no commercial breaks. The guidelines also disallowed the media from reairing recordings of the trial and giving annotations while the hearing is ongoing. But in a subsequent ruling in October 2012, the court totally scrapped live coverage but allowed audio-visual recordings of the trial for documentary purposes and for transmittal in closedcircuit viewing areas within the Camp Bagong Diwa premises and trial court in Maguindanao, Koronadal, South Cotabato, and General Santos City, where relatives of the victims currently reside. Witnesses, however, would be prohibited from watching the proceedings, whether inside the court room or the designated closed-circuit viewing areas. The high court said a single fixed compact camera will be used to provide a wide-angle full view of the sala of the court, with no panning and zooming “to avoid unduly highlighting or downplaying incidents in the proceedings.” The SC Public Information Office has likewise been tasked to coordinate and assist trial courts involved in the physical

setup of the camera and equipment. The high court also said original recordings of the murder trial shall be deposited to the National Museum and the Records Management and Archives Office for preservation and exhibition in accordance to law. The recordings would be placed under the control of Quezon City Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes of the Regional Trial Court Branch 221, even as she is allowed to issue supplementary directives concerning the audio-visual recording, subject to the SC’s supervision. The petitioners had branded certain guidelines in the high court’s June 2011 ruling as prior restraint that infringes on their constitutional right to free expression. Regarded as the single-day, worst election-related killing in Philippine history, the massacre left 57 people dead and one missing. The victims belonged to an electoral convoy that was supposed to register then Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu, who was challenging the influential Ampatuan clan for the gubernatorial seat. Mangudadatu eventually won in the polls, and clan patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr. and several of his sons were all arrested for the killings. More than 100 suspects have already been arrested, while around 90 others remain at large three years after the carnage. ■ Mark Merueñas / RSJ, GMA News / January 14, 2015 / 12:42 PM

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

BASKETBALL

Alex Cabagnot gives San Miguel big lift in Game Four as Beermen level with Alaska, 2-2 SAN Miguel got a big lift from point guard Alex Cabagnot in a big Game Four effort as the Beermen defeated Alaska, 88-70, to level the PBA Philippine Cup ﬁnals series at two games apiece on Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum. Cabagnot made his ﬁrst appearance

in the San Miguel starting lineup for the series and proved his coach, Leo Austria, right as he scored a game-high 22 points, including four three-pointers. The star guard, who ﬁnished ﬁfth in the Best Player of the Conference race, was averaging just 6.7 points in the series prior to this game.

Ronald Tubid came up big with 13 points off the bench, nine of those in the third quarter, while San Miguel’s starters all proved steady in the game as well. Arwind Santos finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds while newlycrowned Best Player of the Conference June Mar Fajardo also had a doubledouble with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter also had double figures in scoring. San Miguel dominated the opening period, jumping out to a 17-point lead, 33-16, in the opening period. With the score at a tight 13-12 in the first, the Beermen rattled off 11 unanswered points, buoyed by a pair of three-pointers from Arwind Santos and one from Marcio Lassiter. San Miguel also scored the last eight points of the quarter, closing on a 20-4 run. Cabagnot scored eight points to lead his team while Santos and Lassiter each had six. Alaska tried to put up a fight in the

second period but could not contain June Mar Fajardo and Cabagnot, who combined to score the last 14 San Miguel points of the half. Fajardo scored on consecutive putbacks to kickstart another furious ﬁnish for the Beermen. Cabagnot then knocked down a pair of three-pointers and both players each added two more to close the second with a whopping 49-26 advantage. San Miguel ended on a 14-4 run, with all four of coming from Abueva, who led his Aces with 12 points at the half. The Beermen were led by Cabagnot’s 16 points and Fajardo’s 11. Cabagnot came out of the half with guns blazing, drawing a foul for a split from the line to open scoring and then burying another three-pointer – his fourth of the game. A basket from Doug Kramer gave the Beermen its highest lead of the game at 29 points, 55-26. The Aces tried to make a dent in the

lead late in the period, coming back to 22 after a strong ﬁnish from Abueva and a three from Dondon Hontiveros. Alaska looked like it would be on the verge of another comeback after going on a 7-0 charge in a chippy start to the fourth. The run included a free throw from Hontiveros off a technical foul on Santos for an elbow to Abueva as their personal duel remained heated. But unlike in the previous games, San Miguel came up with some big shots to counter Alaska in this one. Lutz snapped the Alaska run with a jumper and Cabagnot answered a Hontiveros layup with a couple of free throws a short period later. Abueva would score with a nice move in the post but Santos then connected on a big three-pointer near the six-minute mark to push the Beermen’s lead back up to the 20s, shutting the door on the Aces’ comeback hopes. ■ InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015

Reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo wins Best Player of the Conference

BASKETBALL

REIGNING Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo of the San Miguel Beermen showed why he’s one of the league’s elite players after taking home the Best Player of the Conference award for the PBA Philippine Cup. The PBA made the announcement on Wednesday night shortly before Game Four of the Philippine Cup finals. Garnering a total of 1,141 points, Fajardo beat out Alaska Aces sparkplug Calvin Abueva who finished second in the race. The two players are currently

battling it out in the finals where the Aces are up, 2-1. Fajardo was a runaway winner after getting 480 statistical points, 515 media votes, 71 votes from the players and 75 votes from the PBA. Abueva, on the other hand, had a total of 889 points (398 SPs, 296 media votes, 45 players votes, 150 PBA votes). The feat allowed “The Kraken” to successfully defend the trophy which he also won in the same conference last year.

Through 17 games, Fajardo averaged league-leading numbers 18.35 points and 1.88 blocks while also grabbing 12.59 rebounds. He led the Beermen clinch the No.1 spot in the eliminations that guaranteed them an outright semifinals ticket where they swept Talk ‘N Text. Other candidates for the award are Arwind Santos and Alex Cabagnot of San Miguel Beermen and Greg Slaughter of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. ■ InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015

BASKETBALL

‘Sinimulan niya, susundan ko’: Arwind Santos-Calvin Abueva duel continues to heat up in Game Four IN Game Four of PBA Philippine Cup ﬁnals, it was Arwind Santos versus Calvin Abueva, Pampangueño vs fellow Pampagueño once again. It was no different from the early games in the series, where the two tough forwards went at it in a physical manner time and time again. Unlike in the early games, though, it looked like it was San Miguel’s Santos that came out ahead. Santos, who was busted open in Games Two and Three of the series in clashes with the rough Abueva, gained some measure on revenge in Wednesday’s Game Four. “Kung hihimayin mo yung nangyari kanina, nagsimula siya,” Santos said. “Kaya ko sinundan. Yun lang naman ang akin. Sinimulan niya, susundan ko.” The former PBA MVP was able to land an elbow right on Abuvea’s kisser late in the game following a made

BOXING

Muhammad Ali released from hospital after UTI treatment BOXING legend Muhammad Ali has been released from the hospital after being treated for a urinary tract infection, media reports said Wednesday. Ali, 72, was admitted more than two weeks ago with what was then thought to be pneumonia. But doctors ultimately determined he had a severe urinary tract infection, and he was released Tuesday night, the Courier-Journal newspaper reported, quoting Ali spokesman Bob Gunnell. Ali is a three time world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold

basket for the 6-foot-4 player former Far Eastern University star. Santos gave his younger counterpart a double black eye, though, after his Beermen came away with an 88-70 victory in a game they led by as much

as 29 points. The Santos-Abueva saga is expected to become even more heated as the series winds down to a virtual best-ofthree for the Philippine Cup title. ■ Rey Joble / InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015

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medalist. He has suffered from Parkinson’s disease since the 1980s. “The boxing legend has fully recovered and is now at his home. Ali looks forward to celebrating his upcoming 73rd birthday on January 17th with his family and friends,” Gunnell said in a statement, according to www.allsports.com. “The Ali family greatly appreciates the outpouring of support and continued well wishes. They also want to thank the team of doctors and nurses for their exceptional care.” ■

Agence France-Presse / January 8, 2015

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January 2015 / Fortnightly – No. 2 • UK & Europe Edition

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Asian Cup buildup a nightmare for Challenge Cup winner Palestine

PALESTINE conjured a minor miracle by reaching their first Asian Cup but the loss of their coach, two star strikers, and an unseemly row with Iran, have put even more obstacles in their path. The Knights sparked jubilation in May when they overcame the complications of the Israeli blockade to win the AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives, earning their spot in Australia. Palestine’s achievement, thanks to a narrow win over the Philippines in the final, saw them named team of the year at the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) annual awards. But problems have piled up for Palestine, starting with the resignation of their Jordanian coach Jamal Mahmoud, citing personal reasons, in September. Highly rated striker Imad Khalili is absent from what looks an understrength squad, while imposing Chilean-born centre-forward Matias Jadue will miss the tournament as the 21-year-old has not received confirmation from FIFA of a change of nationality. Jadue, whose father is Palestinian,

made four appearances for Chile’s youth team in 2009 and had to be omitted from the squad on deadline day as clearance had not been received from FIFA for the switch of allegiance. To add to their woes, Palestine’s late cancellation of a friendly with Iran has prompted claims of skulduggery. Some Iranian commentators suspected a conspiracy involving the territories’ Arab allies and aimed at disrupting the preparations of threetime winners Iran, who will play UAE, Qatar and Bahrain in Group C. Meanwhile an Israeli raid on the West Bank ofﬁces of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) in November caused disruption and anger. It has been a rocky build-up for Palestine, and far from ideal preparation for what will be the toughest of starts: against defending champions Japan, in Newcastle on January 12. They will also face 2007 winners Iraq as well as Jordan, who were a play-off victory away from reaching last year’s World Cup, in what looks like an inescapable Group D. ‘Send a message’

©AFP

“I think it’s difﬁcult for Palestine,” admitted ex-coach Mahmoud, now succeeded by his former assistant Ahmed Al Hassan, during last month’s AFC awards in Manila. “But maybe they can go far because they have good players and my assistant, now he is the head coach for Palestine. I think they’ll have a good result at the Asian Cup.” Mahmoud did not give details about his decision to quit the team on the verge of the biggest tournament in their history, describing it as a “special situation”. But he said: “You know in Palestine under (the blockade), life is very difﬁcult and all sports in Palestine have

many problems. “So this win in the Challenge Cup was very important to send a message to the world that we can do very well if we have space, equipment, if we can go outside (the Palestinian territories) to play.” Veteran goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh, who kept clean sheets throughout the Challenge Cup, is likely to remain as captain when Palestine make their historic debut. And forward Ashraf Nu’man, whose four goals at the Challenge Cup included the winner in the ﬁnal, starts the tournament tied with Fahed Attal for the Palestinian record of 14 international goals.

However, the absence of Khalili, 2013 top-scorer in Sweden’s top ﬂight and now with Shanghai Dongya, and Jadue — who plays for one of Chile’s biggest clubs Universidad Catolica — has caused concern, together with that of Atletico Venezuela defender Daniel Kabir Mustafa. Palestine suffers from travel restrictions put in place by Israeli authorities, with Mahmoud saying he was missing “seven or eight” players at the Challenge Cup. But PFA chief Jibril Al Rajoub said in December: “We have determination and we will continue no matter whether the Israelis will allow everyone to come.” ■ AFP / January 8, 2015

sport MANNY PACQUIAO AGREES TO TERMS FOR MAYWEATHER FIGHT, SAYS BOB ARUM – REPORT BOXING

Alex Cabagnot gives San Reigning MVP June Muhammad Ali Asian Cup buildup Miguel big lift in Game Mar Fajardo wins released from a nightmare for Four as Beermen level Best Player of the hospital after UTI Challenge Cup treatment winner Palestine Conference with Alaska, 2-2 Story on page 38

Story on page 38

Story on page 39

TOP Rank promoter Bob Arum said that Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao has agreed to terms on a May 2 megafight with rival Floyd Mayweather, according to a report on US website Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday. The website’s report said that Arum did not reveal specifics, but their sources have confirmed that Pacquiao has already agreed to multiple details, including the date, the MGM Grand Garden as the venue, and a 60/40 split that would favor the undefeated American star. Pacquiao also readily agreed to drug testing protocol, something that became a point of contention between the two sides during negotiations in 2009. Arum added that Mayweather’s representatives have agreed to the terms, but have not been able to get Mayweather’s agreement as of yet. Last Sunday, Pacquiao said he will make an announcement within the month whether the fight would push through. “I-a-announce namin lahat ng ‘yan kung matutuloy ‘yan o hindi within this month,” Pacquiao told Sports5’s Erika Padilla on the sidelines while watching a PBA Philippine Cup finals game. ■ InterAksyon.com / January 14, 2015