July 2014 B issue

Connecting Global News & Views For The Community

Crowd get wow’ed by Tom Rodriguez in Hounslow Summer Festival

Aerial survey of Metro Manila conducted as Glenda exits A Philippine Air Force helicopter crew scans the ground below for signs of damage during an aerial inspection of Metro Manila conducted by members of the NDRRMC, DPWH, DSWD, and DND after Typhoon Glenda exited Luzon on Wednesday, July 16. GMA News

Glenda uproots Malacanang’s century-old acacia An acacia tree said to be more than 100 years old inside the Palace grounds is uprooted by Typhoon Glenda’s powerful winds on Wednesday, July 16.

Celeb Scoop page 28

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UK & Europe Edition

July 2014 / Fortnightly

Volume 5 - Number 14

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EDITORIAL: WHY BUTCH ABAD SHOULD RESIGN, AND WHY PNOY SHOULD LET HIM GO PRESIDENT Aquino on Friday rejected an offer by Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad to resign.

In the face of growing public clamor for an accounting of the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), preferably by the man who conceived of it, the President stood by his most trusted Cabinet member, adviser, and mentor.

“Even our most vociferous critics grant that DAP has benefited our people,” Mr. Aquino said. To accept Abad’s resignation, he then added, “is to assign to him a wrong and I cannot accept the notion that doing right by our people is a wrong.”

It was merely unfortunate, then, that the Supreme Court had assigned to Abad and PNoy a wrong, advancing the notion that, wouldn’t you know it, “doing right by our people” (or having the intention to do so) can indeed, at times, actually go so, so wrong.

What the Supreme Court ultimately established about the DAP is that this refers to creatively, dubiously, and finally illegally booked “savings” transferred unconstitutionally to different branches of government, in the process making a mockery of

the separation of powers, and dangerously upsetting the fine system of checks and balances enshrined in the Constitution. Some consequences of Abad’s brainchild are already manifest: Neither Malacañang, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), nor even the Commission on Audit (an independent body that got an improper allocation of DAP funds) do not quite know where to begin to account for the disbursements. The extent of how DAP has compromised every pillar and independent agency of the Republic, nobody can yet ascertain, but clearly, the questions and implications of its wanton implementation will reverberate for months and years to come.

The stubborn position of Malacañang – which propounds that there are no regrets, no need to apologize, and no one to be held accountable - is therefore untenable.

It is an arrogant statement at best.

At worst, it perilously asks for more trouble for all of us.

Malacañang asks: How can the Supreme Court on one hand praise the results of DAP, but then on the other, hold that people should be held accountable for a grotesque creation?

The answer, of course, is

precisely that the Supreme Court is composed of Justices, not fascists.

The Court is indeed open to acknowledging the benefits of DAP (and, actually, for that matter, of PDAF) and even allowed that people and programs that benefited in good faith need not automatically stop their programs or return the funds released to them. DAP, moreover, ostensibly allowed the government to pump-prime the economy, accelerating spending where Mr. Aquino had been accused of standing still.

But all of that is merely by way not only of acknowledging the rationale behind the creation of DAP, but also of establishing how this was ultimately a self-serving trick of creative accounting. The Aquino Administration was not only slow, it was deliberately (even proudly) slow. In its first two years of office, its obsession with being squeakyclean had it sitting on its hands, on our funds, like “the worthless servant” who received one talent and went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Smote on the cheek by public dismay, the administration created DAP to instigate some quick impression – some economists say illusion - of spending.

The problem lay in the burying.

For the Constitution does not allow that as saving. And where there were no savings, there could not have been the open-ended funds to be creative with in the first place.

Mr. Aquino and Mr. Abad lament: “So it seems we disagree. But why are we being punished? A justice system that presumes innocence until guilt is proven also, by definition, assumes good faith. We have done good with that money, we intended nothing but good, have we not? You said so yourself.”

Two leaps in logic aggravate the exasperation of the public taken as fools. One, being called out as wrong is not the same as being punished. And two, good deeds and good intentions do not equate with good faith.

Meanwhile, it is not true that the Supreme Court has already persecuted the President or any of its Cabinet men. All that the Justices have done is to underscore circumstantial evidence of bad faith.

Mr. Abad is not only secretary of DBM, not only a respected professor of public policy and governance, he was a congressman, as well, Chairman of the House Appropriation Committee no less.

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and

would like to say

Thank You! Maraming salamat po!

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

BRICS to create development bank, ‘mini-IMF’ FORTALEZA – Leaders of the BRICS group of emerging powers meet Tuesday to launch a new development bank and a reserve fund seen as counterweights to Western-led financial institutions.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff hosts the leaders of Russia, India, China and South Africa in Fortaleza on Tuesday before talks with South American leaders the next day in Brasilia.

The summit will mark the first face-toface meeting between India’s new Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jiping.

For Russian President Vladimir Putin, who visited Argentina and Cuba before coming to Brazil, the trip gives him a chance to hammer home his calls for a “multipolar” world amid tensions with the West over the Ukraine crisis.

“Together we should think about a system of measures that would help prevent the harassment of countries that do not

agree with some foreign policy decisions made by the United States and their allies,” Putin told Russia’s ITAR-TASS news agency.

Russia has been excluded from the G8 group of industrialized powers as punishment for its annexation of Crimea and perceived meddling in Ukraine.

The United States is threatening to impose new economic sanctions on Russia over accusations that it is backing pro-Moscow separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

‘Mini IMF’. The summit comes as the economies of some BRICS countries, which together represent 40 percent of the world population and a fifth of the global economy, are cooling down. Russia and Brazil are expected to see growth of just one percent this year.

The five emerging nations unveiled in 2013 their plans to create the bank, which aims to rival the Washington-based World Bank while the reserve is seen as a “mini-IMF.”

The Bureau of Customs (BOC) yesterday seized P37 million worth of garlic allegedly smuggled from China

P37-M seized garlic to undergo sanitary tests THE P37-million shipment of imported garlic seized at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) has been subjected to sanitary and phytosanitary testing, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday.

In a news release, the DA said samples from five of the 24 container vans confiscated by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) for lack of sanitary import clearance would be subjected under such testing as part of the protocol for all agricultural imports.

According to Emerson Palad, DA Undersecretary for Operations, the laboratory test--which usually takes three days--was necessary to determine whether the garlic shipment was safe for consumption and free from pest and diseases.

The seized garlic may possibly be put up for distribution through the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service if it passes the test, the news release said.

The said arm of the DA facilitates the garlic caravan, which can be found in various markets in Metro Manila.

The final disposition of the garlic, however, would be up to the BOC. The garlic, weighing at 125 metric tons, arrived at the MICP in two batches on June 12. It was shipped by Jining Shuntianli Import and Export Co. Ltd. of Shandong, China, and consigned to McJayson International Trading, which last week denied owning the shipments.

Garlic earlier seized at the Port of Batangas passed the sanitary test and “shall undergo the standard forfeiture procedures,” the news release said.

Meanwhile, the DA said it “[expected] prices to go down further by the coming weeks” with the arrival of the first batch of legally imported stocks last Friday.

The department’s latest monitoring showed that the price of imported garlic in some Metro Manila markets has gone down to P150 per kilo. ■ Rose-An Jessica Dioquino / NB, GMA News / July 14, 2014 / 8:56 PM

The creation of the bank will give a backbone to the BRICS, which is not a formal international organization, said Marcos Troyjo, Brazilian director of BRICLab research center at New York’s Columbia University.

“They are only taking their first steps towards a platform for building consensus on international agenda items such as rules for international trade, joint action at the UN or the WTO,” he told AFP, referring to the World Trade Organization.

The bank will have initial capital of $50 billion with each country contributing an equal share, while the reserve will have $100 billion at its disposal.

The bank is “key to foster growth for the BRICS countries,” Brazilian Industry and Commerce Minister Mauro Borges said.

For the fund, China will make the biggest contribution, $41 billion, followed by $18 billion from Brazil, India and Russia and $5 billion from South Africa.

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

Despite their agreement on the need for a bank, the five countries are split on where it should be headquartered.

Shanghai is seen as the frontrunner to host the bank but South Africa insists on having it in Johannesburg. New Delhi and Moscow are the other candidates.

The five nations are also negotiating who should hold the bank’s rotating presidency first and the make-up of the board.

The talks in Fortaleza will open a series of

marathon summits and bilateral meetings in Brazil.

After the BRICS meet with South American presidents in Brasilia on Wednesday, Xi will launch the China-Latin America forum, highlighting Beijing’s growing interests in a region historically tied economically to the United States.

Xi will then travel to Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba. ■ Laurent Thomet / Agence France-

short-circuiting then hot-wiring the national budget, the executive emasculated then bribed Congress. DAP has cast a cloud over the Comelec, and then COA, the very agency that should independently watch over its implementation. DAP has raised very serious and legitimate suspicion that congressmen and senators were offered pork barrel funds at the height of the most pivotal, defining and important campaign under Aquino’s term – the impeachment of the Chief Justice of the Republic. If there is good faith to be granted, the beneficiary should actually be the judiciary, which itself, it turns out, also received DAP funds.

Yes, the Court, too, has self-interest here.

And yet our Justices have unanimously provided a painful opening to break this horrid chain-reaction of taint and suspicion.

Butch Abad should embrace his turn, after the High Court’s initiative to pull out of a spiral, to help restore order in our checks and balances. Abad must let go and allow institutions that come next, while they still have some modicum of credibility, to heal themselves, and the whole system. The President should accept his resignation.

Are we asking the president to let a good man go?

Let us grant that the answer is “yes”.

So what? Go get another one.

But time and again this administration has been led astray by the delusion and hubris that nobody in this leadership is replaceable. That precisely because this is a team of good men, the Aquino administration is entitled to considerations and exemptions from its own standards of what it means to be Matuwid.

The refusal of the Aquino administration to even entertain the thought of one its own being asked to account, to explain, is premised on what has ever been its fatal flaw. Press them hard enough, and they will protest: Kami naman ito, hindi na sila.

But apply the WWPDHIBGMA test: What would PNoy do had it been GMA? Had it been his predecessor who conceived of DAP, the answer is obvious.

PNoy will say that good intentions do not equate with good faith. He will say: Public pronouncements are easy and cheap, and in any case, do not always jibe with public interest. He will say: Trust and protect our laws and systems, not the words of our leaders.

It is for the Aquino administration in particular that the conviction of good intentions, and the conviction that sheer force of goodness can impose good governance, is counter-intuitive. Time and again PNoy has demonstrated that too much faith in one’s unassailability is in fact anathema to good governance.

Recall, see, and admit, how FOI lays lifeless in the hands of this administration.

Why rush to legislate transparency, after all, when the transparent (if ironically dense) are the ones in power?

Are behest loans behest loans when released at the behest of NGOs we trust?

Shall we really condemn this tweaking of the pork barrel system, when it is reformists who are manning the tables? Is “impounding” of funds under GMA different from impounding under PNoy (as former Rep. Noynoy Aquino seems to suggest to his contemporary self?)

The same conceit behind all of the above was the mother of DAP. Abad must take responsibility not only to demonstrate accountability for an act that has so alarmed the guardians of our Constitution. He must be as transparent with DAP as he was so conscientious in answering questions about PDAF. (The Court is merely asking for a two-column report on the former, and we have yet to see if even being haled to Senate will produce that much; his DBM has meanwhile built a whole website for the latter.) He must show contrition for the wider implications his initiative had almost gotten away with.

DAP smacked of the same patronage politics PNoy had vowed to undo. It brought suspicion to bear upon every pillar of our democracy – even every milestone of Daang Matuwid thus far. ■ InterAksyon.com /

Presse / July 15, 2014 / 1:34 PM

EDITORIAL: WHY BUTCH ABAD SHOULD RESIGN, AND WHY PNOY SHOULD LET HIM GO Continuation from page 1 As Associate Justice Arturo Brion wrote: “It is inconceivable that he did not know the illegality or unconstitutionality that tainted his brainchild.”

Is that persecution? Not quite. The Justices have gone so far as to warn the Aquino administration, not threaten it. For indeed, as a trier of laws and not of fact, it is not the High Tribunal’s place to ascribe guilt and accountability. However, in finding, plainly and simply, that the implementation and conception of DAP was Constitutionally challenged, it also saw that a logical momentum is already playing out. The Justices in other words merely advise the administration to be forewarned. Someone will be held accountable. At the proper forum that the administration demands, the question will be asked more pointedly, and President Aquino and/or Mr. Abad must sooner or later be ready to cough up a name.

Those who bleed for the kindness, forthrightness and vision of Butch Abad are, unfortunately, neither here nor there. Abad must precisely stand on the very principles for which his fans raise him, hold everything to account, take responsibility, and offer himself up for Daang Matuwid.

If Abad is all that his supporters insist he is, his only option is to resign. For he is key to allowing for the conditions that will only begin to address the doubts that have been raised by DAP. Doubts that affect every single institution and pillar of this democratic republic. DAP, let us finally recall, has raised serious questions about whether or not, in

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

Emperador unit acquires 230-hectare vineyard in Spain A unit of Andrew Tan’s Emperador Inc. is acquiring another vineyard in Spain as part of the plan to own 2,000 hectares of grape-producing land by 2016 to support the raw material requirements of its brandy production.

Andrew Tan

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Emperador said wholly-owned subsidiary Grupo Emperador Spain S.A. has signed an agreement to acquire 230 hectares of vineyard land in Toledo.

The land is adjacent to the Vinedos del Rio Tajo operated by Bodegas Las Copas, a 50 percent joint venture company between Emperador and González Byass.

No other details of the transaction were disclosed.

The company said it will expand Vinedos del Rio Tajo, a vineyard beside the longest river in Iberian Peninsula.

Jorge Domecq, managing director of Emperador Spain, said they will install

state-of-the-art technology in the vineyard which is the largest in Spain that specializes in wine grapes for brandy distillation.

“By using state-of-the-art technology in vineyard operation and management, we hope to achieve a yield capacity of 30,000 kilos per hectare against an average yield of around 6,500 kilos by the vineyard industry in Spain,” he said.

“This means that in every hectare of this vineyard land, we will be able to harvest five times more wine grapes. This will very well support the raw material requirements for our brandy production,” he added.

The acquisition of the property will give Emperador the best position to be the

number one brandy in the world, Domecq said. “That gives us the capacity to expand our global market.”

The company official also said Emperador Spain is continuously looking for more vineyards to buy. “We expect that our total vineyard property will reach close to 2,000 hectares by 2016,” Domecq added.

This bodes well with the parent firm’s goal of doubling its profits to P11.6 billion by 2016-2017 from P5.8 billion as of end2013.

In August 2013, Emperador International Ltd., the international liquor arm of Andrew Tan’s listed Alliance Global Group Inc., said

it invested P5.8 billion in Spain to acquire vineyards and other brandy production facilities to grow its brandy brand globally.

The company produces Emperador, Generoso and Emperador Light brandy and a line of flavored beverages called The Bar. Emperador is also responsible for bringing Diageo’s brands in the country.

Diageo owns the brands Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Windsor, Buchanan’s and Bushmills whiskies, as well as Smirnoff, Ciroc and Ketel One vodkas, Baileys, Captain Morgan, Jose Cuervo, Tanqueray and Guinness. ■ Danessa O. Rivera

/ VS, GMA News / July 15, 2014 / 12:09 PM

PHL, Spain seek to deepen ties in agricultural cooperation, trade MADRID and Manila have committed to strengthen ties in agricultural cooperation and trade by including aquatic exports under reduced tariff rates for the Philippines fisheries sector, the Department of Agriculture said Tuesday.

In an e-mailed statement, the DA said Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala secured Spain’s commitment through Agriculture Minister Isabel Garcia Tejerina to review the memorandum of agreement on agriculture and fisheries the two countries signed in 2007.

This could mean expanding the agreement to include exchange of scientific and technical materials and information and market promotion activities.

Alcala said the review can be done

through respective embassies as part of the agenda during the second Joint Committee Meeting to be hosted by the Philippines in the first quarter of 2015.

Garcia also pledged Madrid’s support in letting the Philippines access the European Union’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which would allow the Southeast Asian country to enjoy more tariff reductions for goods entering to the 28-member trade bloc.

With tuna as one of the commodities to benefit from the scheme, the tariff on Philippine tuna is expected to go down to zero from 20.5 percent once the country enters the GSP+ regime.

The DA said initial government projections indicate that Philippine exports

to the EU could grow by €611.8 million or 12 percent over 2012.

Apart from lower tariffs on fish exports, the DA said Garcia also committed to provide the Philippines with technical assistance to meet the European Commission requirements under the campaign against illegal fishing.

“The Minister told us Spain can share its sustainable fishing technologies and practices to Filipinos, and we gladly welcomed it,” Alcala said.

Last month, the European Commission warned the Philippines was “not fulfilling” its duties against illegal fishing which could have the country banned from exporting to the European Union, the world’s largest fish importer. ■ VS, GMA News / July 15, 2014 / 5:09 PM

BUSINESS & FINANCE

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

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World Bank pledges more disaster aid loan for Leyte reconstruction

MULTILATERAL lender World Bank has committed to further increase its disaster aid to the Philippines to support reconstruction efforts in communities hit by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in Leyte late last year.

But civil society groups have called for the cancellation of the loans, saying such obligations only puts the Philippines deeper in debt.

In a statement released Tuesday, World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim announced the institution will submit next month the Philippine Rural Development Project to its board of executive directors.

Kim is in the country for a two-day visit to discuss with the Philippine officials how it can help in post-disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation.

The project will include over $62 million in loans to boost the incomes of farmers and fishermen, and repair 230 kilometers of farmto-market roads in Central Philippines that were badly hit by the super typhoon.

“I am here to reaffirm the World Bank Group’s support for the courageous Filipinos who are rebuilding from the ruins of Typhoon Haiyan,» Kim said.

“While much more can be done and needs to be done, I am encouraged to see the government, civil society, private sector, and local communities rebuilding access roads, irrigation facilities, shelters and schools for those affected by the disaster in Palo and Tanauan in Leyte,” he added.

World Bank said the $62 million is part of a $508.25 million project designed to raise rural incomes and boost productivity of

farmers and fishermen nationwide.

Earlier, the multilateral lender announced nearly $1 billion worth of financial assistance in the immediate aftermath of the typhoon.

In another statement, Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) and Focus on the Global South (FGS) demanded that World Bank cancel loans tied to the recovery efforts.

The Philippines needs grants, not enlargement of debts, to recover from the death and destruction caused by Yolanda, FDC and FGS said the joint statement.

“These so-called development banks have shamelessly lent to a country devastated by the effects of climate change while still hell-bent on collecting interest payments and principal amortization for Philippines debts, including those that did not benefit the people. These new loans should be revoked,” FDC secretary-general Sammy

Gamboa said.

For decades the conditions attached to World Bank loans have denied Filipinos access to resources and have compelled the country to prioritize debt service over spending for essential services, the groups claimed.

“Debt payments have drained the public purse resulting in the privatization, deregulation and liberalization of key industries and service sectors because the government, as dictated by international financial institutions, needed to mobilize private investors,» FGS program officer Mary Ann Manahan said.

“But look at where we are now. Not only are we facing corruption by public officials, but also corporate pillage as prices of goods and services unjustly skyrocket,” she added.

■ Danessa O. Rivera/VS, GMA News / July 15, 2014 /

4:00 PM

Lucio Co’s Cosco Capital forays into LPG business, buys Liquigaz LUCIO Co’s listed retail conglomerate Cosco Capital Inc. is acquiring 90 percent of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) supplier Liquigaz Philippines Inc. which marks the company’s foray into the LPG business.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock

Exchange, Cosco Capital said the deal is expected to be completed in the next few days.

Cosco Capital president Leonardo Dayao said the acquisition marks its entry into the LPG business “with a strong initial presence in the upstream business.”

“Cosco will assume control of the LPG provider while minority partner PR Gaz Inc. will retain a 10 percent stake,” Dayao said in the disclosure.

No other details on the transaction were disclosed.

Liquigaz used to be wholly-owned by the Netherlands-based SHV Energy until a small

local player PR Gaz bought the supplier of cooking gas last month.

“Cosco envisions a move towards the downstream retail business in the near future via either mergers and acquisitions of existing re-fillers or establishing its own re-filling network and eventually retailing LPG directly to the wider household end-user market,” the company said.

Liquigaz is the second largest LPG supplier, with a 30 percent share of the Philippine market.

It said it is the biggest seller of LPG in Luzon with over 60 percent of the total

Philippine imports unloaded, stored, and sold from its 12,500 metric ton capacity storage tanks in Mariveles, Bataan.

Liquigaz is engaged in wholesale trade, with 85 percent of its volume going to refillers and distributors and 15 percent to commercial end-users.

As the listed holding firm of businessman Co, Cosco Capital includes his 51 percent stake in Puregold Price Club Inc., portfolios of liquor distribution companies, commercial real estate companies and oil storage business. ■ Danessa O. Rivera / VS, GMA News / July 15, 2014 / 6:32 PM

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IMMIGRATION / OFNEWS

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

Pinoy Hajj pilgrims to head to Mecca despite MERS-CoV threat DESPITE the Department of Health’s advice to defer Hajj due to the risk of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection, a group of Filipino pilgrims is pushing through with its pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

A report on MindaNews late Wednesday quoted the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) as saying the pilgrims decided to push through with their pilgrimage.

NCMF regional director Macderul Sangkula indicated only an advisory from Saudi Arabia will stop the trip.

“But then, if that virus (MERS-CoV) is

really very dangerous, I think the very office that should give advice is the government of Saudi Arabia through the Ministry of Health,” Sangkula told MindaNews.

He said the Saudi government will advise Muslims worldwide to forego with this year’s pilgrimage if the MERS-CoV is really dangerous.

He said 2,852 pilgrims from Zamboanga City, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (ZamBaSulTa) are going on the pilgrimage in Mecca.

The first batch of pilgrims is to depart for Saudi Arabia on September 5, he said.

DOH warning. Last July 3, the

Department of Health advised Filipinos planning to go to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimages to postpone their trips.

DOH Secretary Enrique Ona directed the advice to those most vulnerable such as those 60 years old and up, pregnant women, children below five years old, and those with diabetes, kidney disease, chronic lung disease, and weak immunity.

“Filipino pilgrims to Mecca are advised to consult a doctor before traveling to review the risk and assess whether making the pilgrimage is advisable,” he added.

For this year, Hajj, the fifth pillar of Islam and the most significant manifestation of

Islamic faith and unity, is expected to fall between October 2 to 7, the DOH said.

Umrah, which the DOH said is sometimes referred to as the “lesser pilgrimage,” is a visit to the Grand Mosque in Makkah (Mecca), outside of the designated Hajj pilgrimage dates.

Still, Sangkula said they appreciated the show of concern from Health Secretary Enrique Ona in raising the MERS-CoV risk.

Meanwhile, the MindaNews report said the Zamboanga City Health Office is to conduct a seminar for the pilgrims on how to protect themselves against MERS-CoV infection.

City Health Officer Dr. Rodelin Agbulos said he has coordinated with second district Rep. Lilia Nuño to set the schedule of the seminar. ■ Joel Locsin / LBG, GMA News / July 10, 2014 / 7:34 AM

Michael Jackson’s Pinoy designer sued by 2 partners A New York City-based Filipino stylist known as Michael Jackson and all entities Jackson’s Rhythm Nation tour in 1989. and costume designer, who worked on the stage wardrobe of Michael Jackson’s ill-fated 2009 “This Is It” concert, is being sued by his two business partners charging that the designer owes them as much as $480,000 in commissions.

Style guru Zaldy, who has also worked with Mick Jagger, Jennifer Lopez, the Rolling Stones and Gwen Stefani, wrongfully cut the two creative artists out of more than $280,000 in proceeds from work done for the late King of Pop’s wardrobe, the complainants claim in court.

Zaldy, a former model whose real name is Nestor Goco, was contracted to design costumes for Jackson’s world tour, though the singer died on June 25, 2009 of an overdose of propofol and benzodiazepine, according to a 2009 profile in W magazine.

Zaldy was subsequently paid to allow his designs to be included in an ongoing worldwide tour of Jackson memorabilia and other shows authorized by the Jackson estate, including the “Immortal World Tour” and Cirque du Soleil’s “Michael Jackson ONE,” a Las Vegas stage production inspired by his hits.

The complainants, Zaldy’s former associates Christopher Demers and Travis Payne, claim in New York County Supreme Court in a case filed June 26 — a day after the pop superstar’s fifth death anniversary — that they signed a four-year contract of artist management agreement with Zaldy on July 10, 2009, related to any and all business ventures “regarding the artist

relating to same or his estate.”

Demers and Payne claim they agreed to serve as Zaldy’s managers from July 2009 to secure work with Jackson’s estate in exchange for a 20 percent cut of profits.

They say they fulfilled their obligations to Zaldy, but that the designer has stonewalled every time they sought payment for their services.

Zaldy “has not only failed and refused to pay any sums due under the agreement, but also failed and refused to provide information concerning his MJ-related income that is required to calculate the precise sum due,” says the lawsuit.

Zaldy also created a Swarovski crystal blanket for Jackson’s coffin.

Demers and Payne estimate that Zaldy — a Parsons and FIT-trained designer who has also made clothes for Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Keith Richards, Mary J. Blige and other big stars — has earned at least $1.4 million from his Jackson-related work since 2009, and that the amount could be as high as $2.4 million.

As a result, they say, they are owed at least $280,000, “and perhaps upwards of $480,000.”

The plaintiffs seek an accounting, money earned and costs.

Demers has worked as a brand consultant for stars like Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z. The Emmy-nominated Payne was the choreographer for “This is It” and first gained fame as a dancer for Janet

He’s also performed with Madonna, Ricky Martin and Prince.

The two are represented by David Trachtenberg, with Trachtenberg Rodes & Friedberg LLP. Zaldy did not respond to requests for comment.

Born in the Philippines, Zaldy was costume designer of Lady Gaga’s The Monster Ball Tour at Madison Square Garden, and Britney Spears’ The Femme Fatale Tour, both in 2011.

Before becoming a designer, he walked runways for Vivienne Westwood, Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier.

He also served as consultant to Donna Karan, RuPaul, Shiseido and MAC. ■ Filipino Reporter / July 15, 2014 / 1:41 PM

Zaldy: Designer to A-list stars like Jennifer Lopez, Mick Jagger, Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. Filipino Reporter photo

Pinays to represent Palau in Norway Chess Olympiad THE small island nation of Palau is sending a delegation to the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Norway next month — and some of the players are Filipinos!

Philippine Honorary Consul Eric Ksau Whipps, the delegation’s head, said five of the 12 players are Filipinas — Angelica Parrado, Baby Edna Mission, Gladys Anne Paloma, Joy Flores Whipps, and Destiny Sisior who, at 10 years old, is the youngest to compete in the Olympiad.

Sisior, daughter of Parrado, is the top player for Women’s Junior category along with 13-year-old Filipino–Palauan Ksau Flores Whipps.

Meanwhile, another young FilipinoPalauan player, nine-year -old Kayah, Ksau’s sister, though not competing in Norway next month, would have a chance to compete in the World Youth Chess Championships in South Africa this September.

Eric Whipps said the players “have been

training for hours on their own every day and also have been in several competition with one ongoing to help improve on their skills.”

Very few women are playing chess in the Pacific, Whipps said. However, the women’s team is composed of dedicated players who, by their sheer determination, are giving both Philippines and Palau something to be proud about.

Whipps noted that Parrado is one of the highest-rated player in the Pacific.

Not to be outdone, five Filipinos in the men’s category are also part of the Palau team flying to Norway for the competition.

They are Roberto Hernandez, Cyril Tomas Montel Jr., Bernardo Garcia, Dennis Gonzales and Jeffrey Balbalosa.

Hernandez and Balbalosa are also mentoring young Palauans who are showing enthusiasm in chess. ■ KBK, GMA

News / July 14, 2014 / 4:01 PM

Netizens cry foul over ‘racist’ photo of Pinay on ‘rich kids’ FB page A Facebook community page known for posting photos of sports cars, private jets and other perks of the rich got flak recently for posting a “racist” photograph of a Filipina.

The page is the Facebook account of Snapchat, where wealthy students of private European schools reportedly display their luxurious lifestyle through pictures.

The controversial photo, posted on “What Happens at Private School Goes On Snapchat,” shows an Asian-looking woman slumped in a private jet’s seat. The caption read, “When your Filipina flies private (??)

ZZzzz RN.” Facebook users berated the Facebook page moderator for the supposed racist photo. Several users cried foul on how the Filipina was referred to in the photo, with one using the hashtag #youdontOWNanyone.

“Your Filipina? To the moron who posted this... money doesn’t buy ownership of a human being- it buys their services. Yet another example of how money can’t buy empathy nor intelligence,” said one user.

Another user said, “I don’t care who you are? It does not give you the right to say ‘your Filipina.’ I have had a maid when I was in Philippines but i don’t treat her like a maid, I treat her with respect and treat her like she’s my relatives and a friend... You’re an arrogant jerk!”

On the other hand, one user said they prefer hiring Filipinos because “they’re much more efficient and cleaner as compared to our previous Caucasian maids!”

A few Filipino users, meanwhile, noted the woman’s well-being and said whoever took the photo seems to care for her. Another pointed out the “RN” in the

caption could be widely-used acronym for Registered Nurse.

The moderator of the Facebook page eventually apologized for the picture, saying they were merely submissions from readers.

They clarified that their Facebook account was for entertainment purposes only, while Snapchat’s sole purpose “is to inspire other young people to go out and achieve what they want to achieve.”

“I show my extreme lifestyle so that people can see that even me: someone who isn’t especially intelligent, and started with only £500 (when I was 12, I am now 17) is able to achieve great things,” said the moderator.

He further said they would “never, ever, judge someone based on their wealth” and apologized to those whom he offended. ■ Rie Takumi / KBK, GMA News / July 8, 2014 / 7:46 PM

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DOLE imposes total ban on OFW deployment to Afghanistan THE Department of Labor and Employment on Monday imposed a total ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers to Afghanistan.

In a statement, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said this came after the Department of Foreign Affairs placed Afghanistan on Alert Level 3 (voluntary repatriation phase).

Covered by the ban imposed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Governing Board are “returning/vacationing overseas Filipino workers bound for Afghanistan.”

Afghanistan has been experiencing tension following the presidential elections there last June 14, the DOLE said.

Signing Governing Board Resolution No. 15 were Baldoz as POEA Governing Board chairperson; POEA Administrator and governing board Vice-Chairman Hans Leo Cacdac; and members Felix Oca, Estrelita Hizon, Alexander Asuncion, and Milagros Isabel Cristobal.

Pinoys in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the DOLE said the deployment ban on new hires for Afghanistan issued on December 17, 2007 is still in effect.

The DOLE cited a letter to Baldoz by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario saying Filipinos are enjoined to return to the country, with the cost of repatriation borne by their respective companies.

Citing data from the Philippine Embassy in Islamabad, the DOLE said there are around 5,250 Filipinos in Afghanistan mostly working for US contractors.

It also cited POEA records in 2013 showing these are mostly production supervisor and general foremen; production workers; machine fitters and assemblers; stock clerks; engineers; transport equipment operators; electrical wiremen and electrical and electronics engineering technicians.

Repatriated OFWs. Meanwhile, Baldoz said repatriated OFWs who want to go back overseas in countries other than their

original deployment destination can avail of the government’s employment facilitation service via the POEA’s Manpower Registry Division.

The office is at the ground floor of the POEA Building and headed by officer-incharge Cora Orticio. It can be reached through telephone numbers (02) 722-1172; 722-1176; and 722-9497.

Meanwhile, Cacdac is setting up a desk at the POEA with a staff to provide reemployment facilitation services, as well as relevant information, to repatriates.

OFW-repatriates with money claims and other legal problems are attended to by the Legal Assistance Division (LAD) under the Anti-Illegal Recruitment Branch headed by Atty. Rose Duquez.

LAD is located at the fourth floor of the POEA Building along Ortigas Avenue in Mandaluyong City and can be reached through telephone number (02) 722-1189.

■Joel Locsin / KBK, GMA News / July 14, 2014 / 5:39 PM

Brunei opens door to Pinoy doctors, other health professionals THE Philippines has signed an agreement with Brunei Darussalam allowing Filipino doctors and other medical professionals to practice there “for short-term periods.”

The memorandum of understanding — signed last week by Philippine Health Secretary Enrique Ona and Brunei Health Minister YB Pehin Dato Hj Adanan — seeks to identify and address gaps in each country’s health sector, a report on the Brunei Times said.

“A significant aspect of this MOU is that it allows Filipino doctors and other medical professionals to work in Brunei for short-term periods to complement Brunei’s medical workforce, particularly in specialty

areas such as cardiology, nephrology, cancer treatment, among others,” Ona said in a statement.

Six areas will be targeted by the MOU, namely: • Medical and health research development.

• Public health including promotion and disease control and prevention with emphasis on non-communicable diseases, • Capacity development of health profession including management and human resource development, • Disaster preparedness and emergency medical services, quality assurance

and accreditation of health facilities and services, and • Health enforcement and regulations Both countries will prepare action plans and programs, including bilateral visits and specialized services as part of the exchange, the Brunei Times report said.

Last March, Adanan told The Brunei Times that the Sultanate has a disproportionate ratio of local doctors to patients.

Even with an increase of doctors in 2014—283 compared to 194 in 2008—the minister said they still lacked specialists to expand their medical services. ■ Rie Takumi /

KBK, GMA News / July 15, 2014 / 2:08 PM

Govt bans deployment of new hires to Kenya Man faces UAE court over rape of Pinay housemaid

CITING the deteriorating political and security situation in Kenya, Philippine labor officials on Tuesday banned the deployment of newly hired overseas Filipino workers there.

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Governing Board said this is in line with the Department of Foreign Affairs’ raising of the alert level in Kenya from “1” to “2.”

“Under Alert Level 2, only those OFWs with existing employment contracts are allowed to return to Kenya, subject to their compliance with documentation requirements,” Labor Secretary and POEA Governing Board chairperson Rosalinda Baldoz said in a statement.

Baldoz urged OFWs in Kenya to be “very vigilant and to contact the Philippine Embassy in Kenya in any eventuality.”

Citing government figures, the DOLE said there are about 440 Filipinos in Kenya.

In 2013, the POEA recorded 243 OFWs deployed there, mostly males and in occupations related to skills needed in the manufacturing industry. These include precision instrument makers, tool makers, production workers, engineers, and laborers.

Assistance package. Meanwhile, Baldoz said the DOLE is prepared to provide returning OFWs from Kenya appropriate assistance services and programs under the new “Assist WELL Program,” a reintegration package that

addresses welfare, employment, legal, and livelihood needs of repatriated OFWs. Under the program, returning OFWs will receive assistance at the airport to facilitate procedures from the tube to airport exit. They will also get temporary shelter and free food at the OWWA Hostel while awaiting travel to their home provinces.

If needed, they may also avail of counseling, especially those who may have undergone traumatic experiences.

Under “Employment,” returning OFWs will be provided with job placement/ referral assistance for local employment through the employment facilitation services of DOLE regional offices and Public Employment Service Offices.

Those who wish to return abroad other

than the country they were repatriated from will be referred to licensed recruitment agencies with POEA-approved job vacancies.

Also, the DOLE will provide competency assessment and certification to repatriated workers who wish to confirm whether they possess the competencies required in a preferred workplace.

Meanwhile, those wanting to start a business but need additional capital can avail of a loan between P300,000 to P2 million under the Reintegration Program Fund.

Under “Legal,” repatriated workers in need of legal advice will get it, including being informed of their rights and possible options for redress of grievances. ■ Joel Locsin / KBK, GMA News / July 15, 2014 / 4:55 PM

AN Emirati man faced a United Arab Emirates court Thursday over charges that he raped a Filipina housemaid after asking her to clean his military uniform last November.

The suspect pleaded not guilty while his lawyer accused the Filipina of drawing up a so-called Hollywood movie scenario to falsely accuse the defendant of rape, according to a report on UAE news site Gulf News.

“The housemaid has fabricated the rape allegations against my client out of malice.

She concocted the alleged rape in her head based on the scripts and scenarios of American movies. She failed to produce a good movie... as shown in her inconsistent and contradicting statements before prosecutors,” the Emirati’s lawyer told the Dubai Court of First Instance.

For his part, the defendant himself insisted he had “consensual sex” with the 29-year-old housemaid in his villa in November.

Prosecutors had charged him for having sex with the Filipina housemaid against her will and molesting her.

“I didn’t have sex with her against her will,” he said when he entered his plea, while his lawyer said the Filipina “was having an affair with him.”

His lawyer added prosecutors should have considered the case as a “consensual sex case and not a rape.”

‘Bizarre sex’. Court records showed

the defendant handed his dress to the housemaid and asked her to wash it. But shortly after the Filipina removed the military badges from the dress and put the dress in the washing machine, the defendant allegedly dragged her into his bedroom.

He then allegedly removed her clothes and had sex with her against her will.

The Filipina had told prosecutors the suspect arrived home at 3 p.m. and “forced me into his bedroom where he raped me” when he learned no one else was home.

“He also had bizarre sex with me.

When he finished, he went to the shower, so I locked myself in my bedroom. He apologized to me later but I asked him to leave me alone. When he left by car, I immediately ran away to the Philippines Consulate,” she said.

After reporting the incident to police, the housemaid said she guided authorities to her sponsor’s residence in Oudh Al Mutainah. There, the defendant was arrested.

‘Blackmail’. But the defendant’s lawyer argued the Filipina’s clothes were not cut or torn, and that the two “had consensual sex.”

The lawyer also said the housemaid had tried to blackmail the Emirati by asking for money in exchange for waiving her accusation.

A court ruling in the case is expected on July 21. ■ Joel Locsin / KBK, GMA News / July 11, 2014 / 3:22 PM

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

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Overseas Pinoys warned vs. Internet ‘love scams’ THE Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on Friday warned Filipinos against unscrupulous individuals or groups who are asking for money on the pretext of love.

The embassy issued the warning after receiving reports about Filipinas who were scammed by supposed lovers they met through chatrooms and Facebook.

In a news release, the embassy said one Filipina, who is based in Hong Kong, lost “huge sums of money” to her fiancé, a Malaysia-based Briton whom she met on social media.

“With their series of conversations on the Internet and with promising words of

this alleged Briton, the Filipina sent huge sums of money to him. The Briton was not heard from since,” the embassy said.

In another case, two Filipinas were victimized by an alleged Malaysia-based Translink Express Courier, which asked them to claim alleged parcels from their supposed lovers which were held up at the Customs office.

“They sent several amounts via Western Union, but were not able to get anything,” the embassy said.

Even foreigners were not spared, with one victim being a male Malaysian who was duped by a Filipina he met through Facebook and Skype.

“As time went on, the two did intimate acts thru webcam. Unknown to the man, the woman or the syndicate behind her recorded his indecent acts. The video is being used against the Malaysian national, with the threat that said video will be uploaded to YouTube if he will not send her money,” the embassy said.

“These Internet scams are just a tip of the iceberg, and there may possibly be more which have not been reported,” it added.

The embassy said it has forwarded these information to the Philippine National Police and the Royal Malaysian Police for further action. ■ KBK, GMA News / July 11, 2014 / 6:52 PM

Iloilo choir bags 3 gold medals in international tilt UAE cabbie cleared of groping Pinay passenger A choir from the University of San Agustin in Iloilo province bagged three gold medals in the International Choir Competition in Singapore on Sunday night.

The USA Troubadours topped the chamber, mixed and folkloric categories of the Orientale Concentus VII at the Star

Theater in Singapore, according to a report

by GMA Iloilo.

Before taking part in the competition, the group held a series of concerts to raise funds, the report said.

Professor Arne Lubasan, the group’s artistic director, expressed thanks to those

who showed support for the choir.

Following its victory, the group is expected to perform at a victory and thanksgiving concert for the Ilonggo community.

The choir had a guesting on GMA Iloilo’s “Arangkada” on Tuesday morning. ■ Joel Locsin / KBK, GMA News / July 15, 2014 / 7:43 PM

A United Arab Emirates court has cleared a taxi driver of charges that he groped his Filipina passenger while dropping her in front of her house last March.

The Dubai Court of First Instance cited lack of evidence in acquitting the 27-yearold Pakistani cabbie, according to a report on UAE news site Gulf News.

“I did not molest her or touch her indecently,” the driver had insisted when he entered a not guilty plea.

But when asked by presiding judge Ezzat Abdul Lat why he touched her, he said he was “soothing her and calming her down because she was scared.”

“I just patted her shoulder,” he added.

Monday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.

Prosecution records showed the Filipina reported the cabbie to police after he supposedly groped her. The driver was arrested behind a hospital in Al Nahda.

A policeman told prosecutors the woman had claimed the suspect “molested her and touched her indecently in his taxi.”

He said the Filipina also said that after she stopped the taxi behind one of the malls, “the driver molested her once they reached the back of the hospital… then she got out.”

“When I questioned (the cabbie), he confessed that he touched the woman’s top and immediately apologized. He also told the woman that he was sorry... the suspect quivered when I questioned him,” the policeman told prosecutors. ■ Joel Locsin / KBK, GMA News / July 15, 2014 / 12:45 PM

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July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

10 Pinoys safely evacuated from troubled Gaza – DFA PHL Embassy in Singapore mourns community leader’s death TEN Filipinos – women and children – were successfully evacuated by the United Nations from troubled Gaza Strip, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday.

Initially, 11 have signed up for repatriation to the Philippines, but one of the eight children stayed behind, Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said at a press briefing.

“The said three families have been extracted from Gaza and they arrived safely in Jordan yesterday,” Jose told reporters.

“They would fly back to Manila once exit formalities have been arranged by our embassy in Amman, along with their plane tickets,” he added.

Manila raised crisis alert level 3 over Gaza Strip – home to 108 Filipinos - due to escalation of conflict between Israel and Palestine. These Filipinos comprise of women married to Palestinians and children.

Alert level 1 or precautionary phase, on the other hand, remains raised in the West

A Catholic nun joins a group of Filipino Muslims in front of the Israeli Embassy in Taguig City during an interfaith rally on Tuesday, July 15. The rallyists are calling for an end to the Israeli air strikes in Gaza City, Palestine. More than 160 civilians, mostly children and elderly have been killed since Hamas militants and Israel launched their attacks. Photo by Roy Lozano.

Bank and in southern and central Israel.

Filipinos in these areas are advised to take the necessary precautions.

Jose said the Philippine government is closely monitoring the security situation in both Israel and Gaza.

“I think the Israel side are thinking of

ground assault so that’s something that we should keep close watch of,” he said, adding the enforcement of alert level 4 or forced evacuation would “depend on how things would unfold in the Gaza Strip.” ■ Michaela del Callar / RSJ, GMA News / July 15, 2014 / 3:57 PM

Pinoy faces UAE court for alleged theft of P353,896 curtain

A Filipino employee on Wednesday insisted on his innocence when he faced a United Arab Emirates court over the theft of curtains worth Dh30,000 (P353,896) from his employer’s store.

The Filipino denied charges he stole the curtains and fittings which were seized from his home last February, according to a report on UAE news site Gulf News late Wednesday.

“I did not steal the curtains... My

colleague gave them to me for safekeeping.

He told me that our manager gifted him those curtains and he would come back for them later,” the 39-year-old Filipino was quoted in the report as saying.

But the judge replied, “I’d like to have an employer giving me Dh30,000 worth of gifts.”

Three other Filipino employees are also being tried in separate cases while two other suspects have fled the country, the Gulf News report said.

A separate Gulf News story said the three other Filipino employees were sentenced to three monthsin jail and deported.

Prosecutors sought three months’ imprisonment for the suspects followed by deportation. A verdict is expected on July 16.

The Filipino was arrested shortly after police traced the curtains to his home.

Earlier, his employer’s German manager reported the missing curtains to police. ■ Joel Locsin / LBG, GMA News / July 10, 2014 / 9:39 AM

DFA warns Pinoys in Japan of Neoguri’s wrath THE Department of Foreign Affairs has advised Filipinos in Japan to take extra precautions and heed the advice of Japanese authorities as super typhoon Neoguri makes its way to Japan.

Neoguri, which was known in the Philippines as Florita, entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility but didn’t make landfall in the country.

“Our posts are closely monitoring the situation and are on standby to respond to distress calls from our countrymen,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose told a press briefing on Tuesday.

Philippine officials in Japan have reported that Neoguri is starting to be felt in Japan, Jose said.

The Philippine Embassy in Tokyo and the Consulate General in Osaka reiterated their advice to Filipinos, especially those who reside in the direct path of the typhoon, to make the necessary preparations and follow the safety precautions issued by the Japanese government, Jose said.

spread the good image of the Filipino and the Philippines in Singapore, it added.

“May he rest in peace! His memory will always be in the hearts and minds of his ‘kababayans,’” the embassy said.

According to a report on Pinoy Star Online, Albeus died last July 7. He collapsed while at work over two years ago and had been in a coma ever since. ■ Joel Locsin / KBK,

GMA News / July 14, 2014 / 1:32 PM

Five arrested, charged in Canada over immigration scam FIVE officers and employees of a recruitment firm in Canada were arrested and charged for identity theft and falsification of documents after a yearlong investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

A report on CBC Canada on Wednesday said employees working for Platinum Care, a recruitment and placement agency for foreigners, stole personal information from Canadians to create fake employment offers.

Enticed foreign workers would then enter the country through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, which is used to fill temporary labor and skills shortages.

In a separate report, CTV News Canada said the suspects are allegedly responsible for bringing 53 workers to Canada “under fraudulent means.”

While they have been released from police custody, the following were charged with “numerous counts” of identity theft, forgery, and “uttering forged documents”:

Rosanna Lim, 51, CEO of Platinum Care; Leahnette Acuna, 50; Shannon Lim, 25; Normita Mandoza, 58; and Fazeina Sarlat, 52.

Charles Jose, spokesperson of the Department of Foreign Affairs, told GMA News Online in a text message that they are still verifying from the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa if the five are Filipinos.

Philippine Overseas Employment Agency Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac has yet to reply to any queries. The agency has earlier warned Filipino workers against work offers in Canada, particularly in the food services center.

In an earlier report, Cacdac said a moratorium is in effect on the food services sector’s access to the Temporary Foreign Worker program.

“To avoid illegal recruitment, job applicants should reject offers of employment in pizza, hotdog, or other fast food franchise counters in Canada,” he said. ■ Rie Takumi / KBK, GMA News / July 11, 2014

/ 1:36 PM

Sailor faces UAE court for allegedly molesting Pinay stewardess

Residents battle strong winds while crossing a suspension bridge in New Taipei City as Typhoon Neoguri (Florita) neared eastern Taiwan on Tuesday, July 8. Japan is bracing for one of its worst storms in over a decade as Neoguri barreled towards the southern Okinawa island chain, with 55,000 people urged to evacuate as the weather agency issued its highest alert.

Photo by Sam Yeh ©AFP

An estimated 80,600 Filipinos reside in areas to be hit by the storm – the most powerful to hit Japan in decades.

Of this figure, 1,600 are in Osaka and 79,000 in Western Japan, Jose said, adding

the emergency hotlines of the Philippine Embassy, Consulate General and honorary Consul General have been posted at the embassy’s website for easy reference. ■ NB, GMA News / July 8, 2014 / 3:53 PM

Kin of OFW who died in HK suspect foul play, seek justice

RELATIVES of an overseas Filipino worker who died after falling from the 43rd floor of a building in Hong Kong last June 30 suspect foul play in her death and are seeking justice.

The kin of Arlene Carbon, 43, in Calinog town in Iloilo province do not believe her fall was a suicide and asked government to probe her death, GMA Iloilo reported.

“Hindi niya yan magagawa. Imposible yan dahil napakarami pa ng kanyang pangarap,” said Carbon’s sister Ailyn Nuñez.

“Kung may foul play, hindi naman siguro

THE Philippine Embassy in Singapore mourned over the weekend the death of a Filipino community leader who died last July 7.

In a post on its website, the embassy joined the Filipino community there in praying for the repose of the soul of Ronnie Albeus.

“A multi-awarded leader of the Filipino community, Ronnie Albeus, who once served as president of the Filipino Association in Singapore (FAS), will always be remembered as someone whose tireless dedication to the cause of promoting the welfare of OFWs in Singapore is unsurpassed,” it said.

It described Albeus as its “avid and consistent partner” in promoting good people-to-people relations between the Philippines and Singapore.

Albeus is an “ambassador” who helped

pwedeng hayaan na lang natin. Hindi lang naman hayop yung namatay, tao yun. Wala ba silang awa na ihulog siya sa building?” she added.

Nuñez said it is possible Carbon’s employer may have had a nervous breakdown and pushed her sister.

Carbon’s father Restituto, 76, also said he wants to know the real cause of his daughter’s death.

“Masama... Yung mahalaga sana ay malaman kung ano ang rason ng pagkamatay niya,” he said.

A separate report on Panay News quoted welfare case officer Jack Arroyo as saying they are still waiting for the official report from the Hong Kong police.

“We are still waiting for the official report from the Hong Kong police. As of now, we have no advice yet from our consulate officer in Hong Kong,” Arroyo said.

Citing initial details, Arroyo said Carbon allegedly fell from the 43rd floor of the Promenade condominium on Tai Hong Street, Sai Wan Ho, Hong Kong on June 30.

■ Joel Locsin / KBK, GMA News / July 9, 2014 / 12:40 PM

A Ukranian sailor faced a United Arab Emirates court Tuesday for allegedly endangering an Emirates flight by molesting and assaulting a Filipina stewardess, and for supposedly trying to enter the cockpit while drunk last February.

The sailor, 28, denied the charges where he was also accused of acting aggressively toward the flight’s security officer and two air hostesses who tried to calm him down, UAE news site Gulf Newsreported Wednesday.

However, he admitted before the Dubai Court of First Instance that he was drinking alcohol at the time.

When presiding judge Mohammad Jamal asked the suspect if he assaulted the flight crew members, he said he “acted in self-defense,” adding, “I did not beat them.”

Citing court records, the Gulf News report said the sailor allegedly ran back and forth in the aisle and tried to enter the cockpit.

He also allegedly groped a Romanian air hostess and tried to hug and kiss a Filipina stewardess.

The Romanian flight attendant told prosecutors the incident occurred 90

minutes after the flight took off from Singapore.

She said the suspect misbehaved on board and he tried to smoke a cigar.

“He also tried to enter the cockpit a number of times when he was under the influence of alcohol. We tried to prevent him from drinking more liquor. The flight’s security officer and others managed to restrain the suspect and buckle him into his seat after the pilot ordered them to do so. The defendant molested me and groped me,” she said.

For her part, the Filipina told prosecutors the sailor also molested her.

The flight’s Sri Lankan security officer said they prevented the sailor from opening the cockpit and entering it.

“When the pilot ordered us to restrain him and buckle him in his seat, he acted rowdily and assaulted us. However, we managed to buckle him into his seat until the plane landed safely at Dubai International Airport where he was handed over to the police,” he said.

A separate report on Khaleej Times said the case has been adjourned to August 24.

■ Joel Locsin / RSJ, GMA News / July 9, 2014 / 8:41 AM

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

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Filipino mom, 2 kids among MH17 crash fatalities, DFA says A Filipino mother, her son, and daughter were among the more than 200 passengers on board the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down in Ukrainian territory, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters Friday.

After notifying the families of the three fatalities, the DFA identified them as: • Irene Gunawan, 54; • Sherryl Shania Gunawan, 20; and • Darryl Dwight Gunawan, 15 Flight MH17 was on a scheduled flight from Amsterdam in The Netherlands to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when it went down in eastern Ukraine on Thursday night (Manila time). The aircraft did not make a distress call.

It was carrying 298 people, including

283 passengers of various nationalities, and 15 Malaysian crew.

In a separate press briefing, DFA spokesman Charles Jose said “the son is a teenager and the daughter is older than her brother.”

“That’s the only information that we could give as of the moment,” Jose told a press briefing.

The three are holders of Philippine passports, Jose said, citing DFA records, which also revealed that the residential address they indicated in their passport application was in the Netherlands.

“We are not sure if Kuala Lumpur was the transit of their destination or elsewhere,” Jose said, adding the Philippine Embassy

in Kuala Lumpur is in close coordination with Malaysia Airlines and other concerned Malaysian authorities.

Jose added the DFA will let Malaysia Airlines notify the family of the victims.

“But if they won’t be able to do so and if they request us, we will notify the next of kin,” he said.

Asked if the DFA will be issuing a travel advisory for Filipino travelers to Europe, Jose said, “None, so far.”

Jose also said it is up to the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to decide if it will issue a directive to Philippine air carriers to avoid the Ukraine corridor to and from Europe. ■ Michaela Del Callar / KBK/RSJ, GMA News / July 18, 2014 / 2:33 PM

An Emergencies Ministry member works at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014. The Malaysian airliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian militants on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard, a Ukrainian interior ministry official said.

Fil-Puerto Rican transgender honored at SF Pride Parade

A man works at putting out a fire at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash in the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014. The Malaysian airliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine by pro-Russian militants on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard, a Ukrainian interior ministry official said.

PHL coordinating with Malaysia on 3 Pinoys aboard MH17 flight THE Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is coordinating with the Malaysian foreign ministry to get more information about the three Filipinos aboard downed Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17.

Embassy Vice Consul Johann Veronica Andal also said Friday the embassy has sent personnel to Kuala Lumpur International Airport to get more information.

“We’re still coordinating with our Malaysian counterparts,” Andal said in an interview on GMA News TV’s “News to Go.” “We’re waiting for information from the Malaysian Foreign Ministry.”

Andal said there is no confirmation at this time on whether the Filipinos were tourists or workers. “Until now, we are still waiting for the briefing of the Malaysian foreign ministry about this particular incident,” she said.

For now, she said Malaysia Airlines’ standard operating procedure is to “first call the next of kin.”

“But until their next of kin have been informed by the Malaysian Airline authorities, hindi namin ilalabas yung pangalan out of respect for the next of kin,” Andal said in a separate interview on GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali.”

“We stand ready to provide any assistance as needed, depende yun kung anong kakailanganin ng next of kin,” she added.

Hotline. Malaysia Airlines provided a hotline for families of the passengers and crew in Malaysia and Netherlands: +603 7884 1234 (Malaysia) +31703487770 (Netherlands) Malaysia Airlines said MH17 was on a

scheduled flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur and went down in eastern Ukraine.

The aircraft did not make a distress call.

It was carrying 298 people, including 283 passengers of various nationalities and 15 Malaysian crew.

“With immediate effect, all European flights operated by Malaysia Airlines will be taking alternative routes avoiding the usual route,” it said.

Sympathies. Malacañang on Friday expressed the Philippines’ deepest sympathies to the families of the victims of the MH17 tragedy.

Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said the Department of Foreign Affairs will work with Ukrainian and Malaysian authorities to identify the three Filipinos on the ill-fated flight.

“The Philippines joins the entire global community in expressing its deepest sympathies to the families of the ... passengers of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17...,” he said Philippine agencies and officials also took to social media to express sympathies with those who perished in the crash.

As of Friday morning, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines posted on Twitter a message calling for prayers for MH17 crash victims. “#PrayForMH17,” the CAAP tweet read.

On the other hand, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines will meet with representatives of flag carrier Philippine Airlines to discuss the routes of PAL flights in Europe, radio dzBB’s Sam Nielsen reported.

SAN FRANCISCO - Bullies learned the hard way not to pick on Jewlyes Gutierrez.

For two years, schoolmates had been harassing the Hercules, California, teen for being transgender. On November 13, 2013, classmates taunted and threatened the daughter of Fernando Poquiz and Debra Gutierrez, and she fought back. What followed next stunned her family.

Her attackers and Gutierrez, who is of Filipino and Puerto Rican descent, were suspended, but Gutierrez was the only one who faced criminal charges for battery.

Shocked but undaunted, her sister Valerie Poquiz stood up for her and launched an online petition on Change.Org that generated support from 210,000 signers.

“The overarching issue here is the lack of educational programs and resources to create safe spaces, teach tolerance, and implement bully prevention,” Poquiz wrote to the Contra Costa District Attorney in a letter posted online.

“I am angered that Jewlyes is being prosecuted as she has already experienced so much hate and indifference by her peers.

Prosecuting her teaches her peers and our community nothing except that being homophobic is okay, that discriminating others because they are different is OK, that you can act immorally as long as you don’t initiate being physical.”

Poquiz urged Senior Deputy District Attorney Daniel Cabral to drop the charges.

The case grabbed the attention of rights advocates and legal experts who took up Jewlyes Gutierrez’s cause. Charges were dropped eventually, after everyone involved acknowledged their part and exchanged apologies as part of the Restorative Justice process.

For defending herself, Gutierrez, 16, was honored as a grand marshal at the June 28 Pride Parade in San Francisco.

“This was Jewlyes’ first pride float appearance and she was the youngest grand marshal they’ve had in San Francisco Pride,” Debra Gutierrez told Philippine News.

The retired AT&T project manager, Debra Gutierrez and her partner Fernando Poquiz adopted Jewlyes and her brother Elisha when they were 2 and 1 year old from their biological mother, Debra’s sister Diana Gutierrez, who is coping with health issues.

Debra and Fernando have three daughters of their own. Jewlyes is their youngest. Her mother has a message to families like theirs: “My advice to parents and families of transgender children is to keep an open mind and heart, that your children are already having such a difficult time with their own transition and coming out to their friends and family,” Debra told Philippine

News.

“Preventing them from express themselves is like asking them not to breath.

Transgender children cannot help how they feel inside and who they are. If it’s a phase that they are going through, it will eventually pass. If it’s not, then accept, love, and protect them.”

Debra expressed unconditional love for her daughter. ‘’I don’t understand why God created them that why; all I know is they are God’s children and have the same rights as everyone else, to live in a safe world. In reality it’s not always the case, like Jewlyes’ , but understanding and loving them will give them the strength, courage and confidence to face the world during the good and bad times.

At Pride, the family rode with allies Contra Costa Public Defender Kaylie Simon and Robin Lipetzky and Transgender Law Center representative Mark Snyder and Richmond Police Commissioner Nemy Bautista and wife Vicky Baustista .

Jewlyes’ supportive cousin Joey Bautista and the martial artists with Eskabo Daan Martial Arts School in San Francisco won the Marching Parade and aunt Diana Gutierrez received a ribbon for Fabulous Marching Contingent. ■ Cherie Querol Moreno / Philippine News / July 18, 2014 / 12:37 PM

Pinay gets 20 years in HK for drug trafficking A Filipina was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in Hong Kong after she was found guilty of drug trafficking, a report on “24 Oras” said Friday.

Hong Kong’s High Court handed down the guilty verdict on Nenita Ventura Manejero on Thursday, almost a year after she and her sister Vinia were arrested at the

Hong Kong International Airport.

The siblings were arrested on July 28, 2013 for carrying HK$9 million (P50 million) worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or “ice,” the report said.

Although the court convicted Nenita, it acquitted Vinia, 27, a logistics officer in the Philippines.

■ Joel Locsin, Rie Takumi, and Amanda Fernandez /

According to the “24 Oras” report, Nenita admitted to the crime, which prompted the court to reduce her sentence to 20 years instead of 30, while Vinia denied carrying illegal drugs to Hong Kong.

“Well, I could say that this is a miracle,” said Ody Lai, the siblings’ Filipina lawyer. “It involves huge amount of drugs, one of the biggest I’ve ever seen.”

She added: “It’s not easy to do the plea bargaining with the Department of Justice, but finally they agreed.”

The report said the siblings were on their way to the Philippines when arrested. Vinia had been to Hong Kong eight times prior to the arrest.

Vinia said in the report that the arrest and the trial had been a learning experience for her.

“Mag-ingat po tayo siguro,” she said.

“Hangga’t maaari ang tiwala sa isang tao, pamilya man, kaibigan man o kahit sino... huwag agad-agad magtiwala.” ■ KBK, GMA

LBG/KBK, GMA News / July 18, 2014 / 9:24 AM

News / July 18, 2014 / 7:14 PM

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EVENTS DIARY UK & EUROPE

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

FREE LISTING of your events on the HELLO PHILIPPINES newspaper and if you know of any Events please contact us and submit your event via email to the following at INFO@HELLO-PHILIPPINES.COM DISCLAIMER: The Events Diary Listing does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favouring by Hello Philippines newspaper. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Hello Philippines newspaper. This is merely an Events Diary Listing of what is happening within the Filipino Communities in Europe. This is for general information only.

1st Saturday

5:00pm

1st Sunday

2:00pm

1st Sunday

5:00pm

2nd Saturday

4:00pm

2nd Sunday

2:00pm

2nd Sunday

2:00pm

2nd Sunday

4:00pm

3rd Sunday

3:00pm

3rd Sunday

3:00pm

Last Saturday

6:00pm

Last Sunday

12:00pm

Last Sunday

2:00pm

Every Sunday

5:00pm

First Wednesdays

6:30pm

MONTHLY FILIPINO COMMUNITY MASSES IN GREATER LONDON

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 Five Precious Wounds Parish, Brentfield Road, Stonebridge Park, London NW10 8ER Mervic Monocil o – 07894 636 140 Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, Friary Road, Peckham, London SE15 1RH Allen Abeleda – 07713 625 888 St Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 103 Woolwich New Road, London SE18 6EF Moises Espanola – 07894 648 639 English Martyrs Church, Chalkhil Road, Wembley Park, Wembley HA9 9EW Becky Sarinas – 07949 857 699 / 07425 761 519 / Lina B – 07579 418 510 St Dominic Catholic Church, 243 Violet Lane, Waddon, Croydon CR0 4HN Merlie Mirto – 07722 216 462 St. Anselm and St. Cecilia, 70 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3JA Feliciano Ramirez – 07733 680 748 Sacred Heart of Jesus, New Priory, Quex Road, Kilburn, London NW6 4PS Sheidrick de Leon – 07738 210 202 Blessed Sacrament Parish, 157 Copenhagen Street, Islington N1 0SR Christy Sangalang – 07709 119 969 Our Lady of Dolours, Servite Parish Church, 264 Fulham Road, London SW10 4EL Fr Allan Satur – 020 7352 6965 / fulhamroad@rcdow.orgg.uk / Roland Adap dap – r_adap adap@hotmail.com St Pius X Catholic Church, 108 Orme Road, Kingston Upon Thames KT1 3SB Oliver Abasolo – 07782 661 922 St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 218 Roehampton Lane, London SW15 4LE Rafael Santiago – 07795 254 451 Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 20 Brixton Road, Oval, London SW9 6BU Ben Ortiz – 07723 318 486 Filipino Mass and Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Farm Street Church of the Immaculate Conception (Jesuit House Chapel), access on 114 Mount Street, London W1K 3AY – Josie Ramos – 07723 024 591

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

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India nurses return from Iraq to emotional welcome A group of 46 Indian nurses held “against their will” in a part ofIraq seized by Islamic militants returned home on Saturday to an emotional reunion with their families.

The relatives, clutching bouquets and hoisting “Welcome Home” banners, thronged the nurses as they emerged into

the airport in the southern Kerala state city of Kochi, tearfully embracing them.

“We’re happy and relieved,” one unidentified nurse told local television stations.

The nurses found themselves trapped while working in a state-run hospital in

An Indian nurse (left) is greeted by relatives after arriving at Kochi airport in the southern state of Kerala on July 5, 2014

Tikrit when jihadists launched their lightning offensive last month.

They had been moved from Saddam Hussein’s hometown to the militant-held city of Mosul on Thursday “against their will”, the Indian foreign ministry has said.

Circumstances surrounding the nurses’ release remain unclear and the foreign ministry said it could not divulge details.

The nurses told reporters at the airport they had no complaints about their treatment by the rebels.

“They took care of us,” one nurse told reporters.

The nurses boarded a chartered plane for India early Saturday from the city of Arbil, the Kurdish regional capital, where they had been shifted the previous day.

“I thank god for keeping my daughter safe in her hours of peril. She had gone to Iraq... to make our lives better,” M.V. Retnamma, the mother of one nurse.

“I can see her alive. For the last 25 days, we were praying for her safe return,” Retnamma said as she joyfully welcomed

her daughter Monisha.

Many Indian workers travel to the Gulf to seek better paid employment.

Around 10,000 Indian expatriates were working in Iraq before the jihadist offensive, according to the Indian government, and dozens have come home.

Some of the nurses who returned Saturday had previously resisted coming back as they had borrowed money to travel to Iraq and were worried about repayment.

“I’d taken a loan for going to Iraq. (But) I will not dare to go back to Iraq. Enough is enough,” nurse Sincy Sebastian told AFP. Joint effort. Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who welcomed the nurses at the airport, attributed their safe return to “joint efforts” by India’s foreign ministry, embassies and his state.

After Kochi, the flight was going to Hyderabad city and New Delhi to drop some 137 other Indian nationals who were in Iraq and had wished to return.

Nurse Marina Jose told NDTV news channel before leaving for India: “We never

thought we will come back.”

But she added in apparent reference to the rebels, “They didn’t harm anyone. They didn’t touch even. They talked nicely.”

The nurses’ group was separate from 39 Indian construction workers being held in Mosul, Iraq’s second-biggest city and the first to fall in the jihadist-led offensive that has encompassed territory north and west of Baghdad.

The trapping of the workers in swathes of Iraq overrun by militants has presented the first foreign crisis for the new right-wing government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The foreign affairs ministry has said releasing information about how the nurses were freed could jeopardise the security of other Indians in Iraq, including the construction workers.

Militants led by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group launched their offensive June 9, and swiftly seized large chunks of five provinces, sparking a crisis and alarming world leaders. ■ AFP / July 15, 2014

Iraq parliament elects speaker as Tikrit push falters IRAQ’S sharply divided parliament elected a speaker Tuesday in a step forward in the delayed government formation process, as a renewed bid to recapture Tikrit from militants ended in retreat.

World powers and Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, have piled pressure on MPs to set aside their differences in the face of a jihadist-led offensive that has overrun swathes of territory north and west of Baghdad.

After two fruitless sessions earlier this month, MPs elected Salim al-Juburi as speaker, a post traditionally held by a Sunni Arab that must be filled before the process of forming a government can go ahead.

US Secretary of State John Kerry swiftly congratulated Iraqi leaders and urged a rapid follow-up.

“The election of a speaker is the first step in the critical process of forming a new government that can take into account the rights, aspirations, and legitimate concerns of all Iraq’s communities,” he said in a statement.

“We urge Iraq’s leaders to follow this achievement with rapid formation of a new government pursuant to Iraq’s constitutional timelines.”

It was not immediately clear if Juburi’s election was part of a package deal also

involving the posts of president and prime minister.

Lawmakers must now elect a president, who will then give the biggest bloc the first chance to form a government.

In a sign of possible divisions within the dominant Shiite alliance, two rival candidates stood for the post of first deputy speaker.

Juburi announced in televised remarks that candidacies for president must be submitted within three days, and said parliament will next meet on July 23.

UN Iraq envoy Nickolay Mladenov, who has repeatedly called on politicians to make progress, said that “an important step was taken in restarting the democratic process in Iraq.”

Tikrit withdrawal. Earlier on Tuesday, security forces launched an attack on Tikrit, hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, aiming to revitalise a counteroffensive that began more than two weeks ago.

They initially gained control of the southern part of the city, but later pulled back south of Tikrit after heavy fighting, officers and witnesses said.

“Iraqi forces withdrew at the beginning of the night so that they would not be exposed to losses,” but would return later,

a senior army officer said.

However, any gains made in the city are likely to be offset by militants moving back in.

Things went better in Dhuluiyah, 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of Baghdad, where tribesmen and security forces succeeded in driving out militants after days of heavy clashes, a tribal fighter and a police officer said.

It is the second time that militants have been expelled from the town in recent weeks.

Jessica Lewis, a former US army intelligence officer who is now research director at the Institute for the Study of War, said the capture of Dhuluiyah could allow militants to isolate Samarra, a key city to the northwest.

They could also have used the town as a staging post for attacks on major military bases, the neutralisation of which would “compromise the strategic defence of Baghdad from the north”.

Violence struck other areas on Tuesday, with attacks including two car bombs in Baghdad killing at least 27 people.

The fighting and bombings came a day after the Pentagon said US military teams sent to Iraq last month had completed their assessment of Iraqi security forces.

Iraqi army vehicles pictured on a road in the town of Samarra, in the northern province of Tikrit, on July 12, 2014

The details were not publicly released, but The New York Times reported that one conclusion was that only roughly half of Iraq’s units are capable enough to be advised by US personnel, if the decision is taken to do so.

Deep divisions. Though parliament has finally made progress, deep divisions remain over key appointments and other issues.

Ties between the Baghdad government and Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region have hit a new low, and Maliki has pledged to seek a third term despite some lawmakers

and the Kurds demanding he step aside.

Kurdish leaders have taken advantage of the collapse of federal security forces across northern and north-central Iraq to take control of a swathe of historically Kurdish-majority territory outside their autonomous region in the north.

Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani has called for a referendum on independence for the expanded region.

Maliki, a Shiite Arab viewed by opponents as a divisive and sectarian leader, has refused to quit. ■ W.G. Dunlop / AFP / July 15, 2014

Israel to ‘expand, intensify’ Gaza campaign: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a joint press conference in Tel Aviv, on July 15, 2014

PRIME Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Tuesday to ramp upIsrael’s military campaign against Gaza, after an Egyptian truce plan failed to end eight days of crossborder fire.

“This would have been better resolved diplomatically, that?s what we tried to do when we accepted the Egyptian truce proposal today,” he said.

“But Hamas leaves us no choice but to expand and intensify the campaign against it,” Netanyahu said.

“That?s how we will act till we achieve our goal of bringing quiet to Israel?s citizens, while significantly harming the terror group,” he said of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which controls Gaza.

Netanyahu’s remarks came shortly after the army and emergency services announced an Israeli civilian was killed by a projectile that hit near the Erez crossing into the Gaza Strip, the first in the conflict in which 194 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since July 8.

In televised remarks, Netanyahu also addressed criticism from members of his cabinet earlier in the day, when Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman slammed the Israeli acceptance of the Egyptian truce and Netanyahu’s “hesitance”, saying Israel should conquer Gaza and expel Hamas from it.

“These are moments when decisions

must be made coolly and with patience, not hastily or noisily,” Netanyahu said.

“I?m determined to do the right thing, I know you trust me to ignore the background noises and focus on the main mission to safeguard you and your lives.”

Shortly after Netanyahu’s remarks, his bureau announced he had fired deputy defence minister Danny Danon, a firebrand member of his Likud party, who became a vocal critic of Netanyahu during the operation, calling him a “failure” and saying Hamas was controlling the conflict.

“It is inconceivable that the deputy defence minister will attack the country’s

leadership leading the campaign,” a statement read.

“The severe remarks show a lack of responsibility... and even are used by Hamas terror group to slam the government, as evident in their communication networks,” it said.

Meanwhile, speculation remained rife over a possible ground incursion, with no conclusive remarks from Israeli officials but a pledge to carry one out if the need arose.

“The army renewed its attacks and will increase them as much as necessary, in the air, sea and land, according to our orders,” the armed forces chief of staff, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz, said after Netanyahu’s remarks. ■ AFP / July 15, 2014

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Gaza rocket kills first Israeli as truce bid fails ISRAEL resumed a punishing air campaign against Gaza Tuesday after its Palestinian foe Hamas rejected a truce and fired dozens of rockets over the border, killing an Israeli for the first time.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the army would “expand and intensify” its Gaza operation after Hamas rejected the Egyptian truce proposal.

The renewed Israeli strikes killed two Gazans, raising the Palestinian death toll in eight days of violence to 194, medics said.

The Israeli was killed in a rocket attack on

Palestinians search through the rubble of a destroyed building belonging to a charity organization following an Israeli air strike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on July 15, 2014

an Israeli position near the Erez crossing with Gaza, the army said.

Hamas’s Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades armed wing said it carried out the attack.

The 38-year-old civilian had been delivering food to soldiers serving in the area, a spokesman for the Israeli emergency services told AFP. It was the first Israeli death of the conflict after nearly 1,000 rockets and mortar rounds hit the Jewish state. Four Israelis have been seriously wounded.

It came after Israel’s security cabinet said early Tuesday it would accept an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire to begin at 0600 GMT. But Hamas officials said they had not been consulted on the proposal and would not halt fire without a full-fledged deal including Israeli concessions.

The movement’s armed wing continued to fire dozens of rockets into Israel after the 0600 GMT deadline, sending tens of thousands scrambling for cover.

At 1200 GMT, the Israeli army announced it was resuming air strikes, after militants fired 47 rockets from Gaza.

The fresh raids hit Gaza City, southern Khan Yunis and Rafah and killed two people.

“This would have been better resolved diplomatically, that?s what we tried to do when we accepted the Egyptian truce proposal today,” Netanyahu said.

“But Hamas leaves us no choice but to expand and intensify the campaign against it,” he added.

Overnight, Hamas’s Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades armed wing rejected the Egyptian proposal for a truce to be followed by talks.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the movement had not been consulted on the truce bid, and called the idea of halting fire before agreeing on terms “unacceptable”.

A top member of Hamas’s exiled politburo, Mussa Abu Marzuq, sounded a more cautious note, saying the movement had no official position on the proposal and discussions were continuing.

Hamas has said it wants the end of Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the opening of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt as part of a truce deal.

It also wants Israel to free Palestinians it rearrested after releasing them in a 2011 exchange for an Israeli soldier held by Gaza militants for more than five years.

‘Cool and with patience’. In his remarks

on Tuesday evening, Netanyahu also took aim at domestic critics, responding to Foreign Minister Avidgor Lieberman who earlier slammed Israel’s acceptance of the Egyptian truce and Netanyahu’s “hesitance”, saying Israel should conquer Gaza and expel Hamas from it.

“These are moments when decisions must be made coolly and with patience, not hastily or noisily,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli premier also fired deputy defence minister Danny Danon, a firebrand member of his Likud party, who was a vocal critic of him during the operation.

Cairo’s truce proposal was announced overnight, and urged both sides to halt the violence and travel to Egypt for talks.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas was due in Cairo on Wednesday, but it was unclear if Hamas officials there were continuing to discuss the truce bid and if Israeli officials would also travel to Egypt.

The proposal won support from Western governments with President Barack Obama saying he was “encouraged” by Egypt’s efforts and hoped to see calm restored.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also urged Hamas to accept the

Egyptian proposal, accusing the Islamists of holding Gaza “hostage.”

But Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan put the blame entirely on Israel accusing it of carrying out “state terrorism” and a “massacre” of Palestinians in Gaza.

Strikes resume across Gaza. Israel launched Operation Protective Edge before dawn on July 8, hitting Gaza with an intensive air and artillery bombardment aimed at stamping out rocket fire.

Since then, 960 rockets have hit Israel, while another 215 have been intercepted by its Iron Dome air defence system, the army said.

In Gaza City on Tuesday, shortly after Israel resumed its air strikes, 44-year-old Suheil alHossari looked at the ruins of his home.

An Israeli warning call meant there were no deaths in the strike, but that was small comfort for Hossari.

“Everything is destroyed. The food we prepared for our iftar (Ramadan evening meal) is now under the ruins of my home,” he told AFP. “I don’t have money for food, let alone to rent a new house. I will stay here in the open and rely on God’s mercy.” ■ Jonah Mandel / July 15, 2014

India court suspends death sentences for Delhi gang-rape NEW Delhi - India’s top court has suspended the death sentences of two of the four men convicted of the deadly gangrape of a student in New Delhi, an attack that triggered international outrage.

The Supreme Court temporarily stayed the sentences passed on gym instructor Vinay Sharma and bus cleaner Akshay Singh for the 2012 attack while their appeals were examined, a lawyer said.

“The sentence was stayed by the court after we filed the special leave petition,” A.P. Singh, who represents the two men, told AFP. “We want a full bench to hear this appeal. The claims against my clients are totally false, they have been wrongly accused,” he said.

“They were not even in Delhi when this crime was supposed to have happened.”

Four adults were convicted and sentenced to death last year for raping the 23-year-old woman on a bus in the capital in December 2012, a crime that unleashed weeks of angry protests over India’s treatment of women.

The High Court in March this year upheld the death penalty on the four including Sharma and Singh, calling the crime “gruesome” and saying the case fell into the “rarest of rare category” which warranted execution.

The other two convicts, Mukesh Singh and Pawan Gupta, have already filed an appeal, with their sentences also put on hold.

Family to ‘continue fight for justice’. The physiotherapy student was raped including with an iron rod after she was tricked into boarding a private bus to go home from the cinema with a male friend.

Her male companion was badly beaten and could not come to her aid while the assault was being carried out. The pair were later dumped naked and bleeding on the roadside.

The woman died 13 days after the attack from the injuries inflicted upon her, after being airlifted to a Singapore hospital for specialist treatment.

She survived long enough to give enough information to police to allow them to arrest her attackers, whose trial was fasttracked.

A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai on Monday issued the order for the latest two as part of a procedure to examine the special-leave petition or appeal.

The victim’s mother, who cannot be

named for legal reasons, described the sentence suspension as unreasonable.

“If there is no death sentence for this crime, then which crime warrants a death sentence?” she told the CNN-IBN television network.

“We will continue our fight for justice.”

The victim’s father said the appeal had only delayed the men’s executions “for no reason”, adding that the suspension “will embolden the criminals”.

“Now the next hearing is in August, we will just have to wait for the court’s decision. It is the highest court in the country,” he told AFP. The attack led to tougher laws against rapists and sexual assault offenders and shone an international spotlight on what women’s groups called a “rape epidemic” in the country.

India court suspends death sentences for Delhi gang-rape. ©AFP

Despite the outrage that the attack triggered and the overhaul of the laws, India still reports horrific sexual violence against women across the country.

A juvenile was also convicted over the gang-rape and sentenced to the maximum of three years in detention, while another suspect was found dead in his cell in an apparent suicide. ■ AFP / July 15, 2014

Israel to ‘expand, intensify’ Gaza campaign: Netanyahu US Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during his final press conference after talks over Tehran’s nuclear program in Austria Convention Centre in Vienna, on July 15, 2014 US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart laid the groundwork Tuesday for an extension of a Sunday deadline to strike a historic nuclear deal after intense talks in Vienna.

A Western diplomat went as far as to say that it was now “highly probable” Iran and world powers would agree to such a move, and that the extension would be months not weeks.

“As it’s highly improbable that we will finalise in Vienna before the weekend, it is highly probable that there will be a wish to continue to negotiate in the coming months,” the diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

After a decade of rising tensions, the mooted accord between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany is aimed at easing concerns that Iran might develop nuclear

weapons and silencing talk of war.

Kerry said he would return to Washington to discuss with President Barack Obama “the prospects for a comprehensive agreement, as well as a path forward if we do not achieve one by the 20th of July, including the question of whether or not more time is warranted”.

He told a news conference after two days of talks with Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif that there had been “tangible progress on key issues, and we had extensive conversations in which we moved on certain things”, although “very real gaps” persisted between the two sides.

Zarif, in a separate news conference, said that although he still hopes a deal would be possible by Sunday, he believed enough progress has been made to justify a continuation.

“As we stand now, we have made enough headway to be able to tell our political bosses that this is a process worth continuing,” Zarif said. “This is my recommendation. I am sure Secretary Kerry will make the same recommendation.”

An interim accord struck in November between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany expires on July 20.

Extending the deadline has always been a possibility in order to keep the parties talking, but Washington in particular has stressed it will not agree to such a move without key concessions from Iran first.

US, Iran lay ground for nuclear talks extension

Intense domestic pressure. Iran denies seeking the atomic bomb and wants the lifting of crippling UN and Western sanctions.

The six powers want Iran to dramatically reduce in scope its nuclear programme for a lengthy period of time and agree to more intrusive UN inspections.

This would greatly expand the time needed for the Islamic republic to develop a nuclear weapon, should it choose to do so, while giving the world ample warning of any such “breakout” push.

Iran on the other hand has stated it wants to expand its nuclear facilities, insisting they are for purely peaceful purposes and that it has the perfect right to nuclear activities under international treaties.

Both sides are also under intense pressure from hardliners at home -- midterm US elections are due in November -- and both are wary of giving too much away after several months of talks.

‘Innovative proposal’. The key sticking point is uranium enrichment.

This activity can produce fuel for the

country’s sole nuclear plant or, if further enriched, the material for an atomic bomb.

Zarif however outlined a possible compromise in an interview with the New York Times published on Tuesday.

This “innovative proposal” would see Iran essentially freeze its enrichment capacities at current levels for between three and seven years.

But Kerry stuck to his guns on Tuesday, saying that nothing short of a reduction in Iran’s enrichment capacities was acceptable.

“We have made it crystal clear that the 19,000 (centrifuge enrichment machines) that are currently part of their programme is too many,” Kerry said.

The Western diplomat said that Iran’s position on enrichment has in fact shifted “very, very, very little” during the recent months of talks.

“An extension appears inevitable at this stage. The parties are neither prepared to sign the dotted line nor to walk away,” Ali Vaez, International Crisis Group analyst, told AFP. ■

Simon Sturdee and Jo Biddle / AFP / July 15, 2014

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Malaysian airliner ‘crashes in east Ukraine’: reports KIEV - A Malaysian passenger liner flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has crashed in insurgency-wracked east Ukraine, regional officials said Thursday, as Ukraine’s president said the jet may have been shot down.

Malaysia Airlines said it had “lost contact” with the Boeing passenger liner, which Ukrainian officials said had come down in a rebel-held zone in the Donetsk region.

“Malaysia Airlines has lost contact of MH17 from Amsterdam,” the airline, still reeling from the disappearance of flight MH370, said on its Twitter account.

“The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace,” it said, promising more details soon.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said the jet may have been shot down.

“We do not exclude that the plane was shot down and confirm that the Ukraine Armed Forces did not fire at any targets in the sky,” Poroshenko said in a statement posted on the president’s website.

Regional officials in Donetsk confirmed the plane had come down near the town of Shaktarsk.

“The number of dead is not yet known,” the administration said in a statement.

Emergency services were rushing to

the scene, a security source told InterfaxUkraine.

US stocks fell sharply following reports the Malaysia Airlines plane had been shot down, while Britain’s Foreign Office said it was “working urgently to find out what’s happened.”

The incident comes just months after Malaysia’s Flight MH370 disappeared on March 8 with 239 on board. The plane diverted from its Kuala Lumpur to Beijing flight path and its fate remains a mystery despite a massive aerial and underwater search.

Ukrainian jet ‘downed’. The reported crash came after Kiev accused Russia of downing a Ukrainian military plane on a mission over the east of the country, stoking tensions in the growing conflict on the edges of Europe that has claimed over 600 lives.

The allegation came a day after the US and EU bolstered sanctions against Russia over its perceived support of the separatist insurgency in the ex-Soviet state.

Moscow condemned the punitive measures against it as “blackmail” and warned of retaliatory actions against Washington.

In the first direct claim of a Russian attack on Ukrainian forces, Kiev said a

Malaysia Airlines airliners at Kuala Lumpur Airport in Sepang on June 17,

Russian airforce jet shot down a Ukrainian warplane Wednesday evening—before the fresh round of Western sanctions were announced—as it was carrying out its duties.

The pilot of the Su-25 plane managed to eject and was rescued by Kiev forces, Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council said.

Russia’s defence ministry—which NATO claims has massed some 12,000 troops along Ukraine’s porous border—dismissed the claim as “absurd”, Russian news agencies reported.

Sanctions hit Russian stocks. The dramatic developments on the ground came alongside a major diplomatic fallout over fresh Western sanctions that

Washington and Brussels hope will force Moscow to help halt the conflict.

In a tough move that left the EU trailing in his wake, US President Barack Obama took a swipe at major players in Russia’s finance, military and energy sectors in sanctions imposed Wednesday.

The Russian foreign ministry reacted in a furious statement: “We do not intend to tolerate blackmail and reserve the right to take retaliatory measures” against the US. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier warned that sanctions would inflict “very serious damage” on the already tattered US-Russia relationship.

Talks promised. In eastern Ukraine fierce fighting between government forces and pro-Moscow rebels has intensified in

recent days with some 55 civilians killed since the weekend.

The fighting forced more than a dozen Ukrainian border guards to flee into Russia seeking medical help with one dying from his injuries, the Russian authorities said.

Germany and France have been spearheading a push to revive talks between Kiev and the rebels over a potential ceasefire but attempts to hold a Skype videoconference fell through Tuesday.

Ukrainian forces made a string of major gains after Poroshenko tore up an unsuccessful ceasefire earlier this month, but progress has slowed since rebels retreated into two major regional centres where they have pledged to fight to the end.

■ AFP / July 17, 2014

Israel warns of wider Gaza assault as toll hits 267 GAZA City (Palestinian Territories) Israel warned Friday it could broaden a Gaza ground assault aimed at smashing Hamas’s network of cross-border tunnels, as it intensified attacks that have killed more than 260 Palestinians.

Diplomats stepped up efforts to halt 11 days of bloodshed in and around the battered Gaza Strip while Pope Francis demanded an immediate ceasefire in a phone call with Israeli President Shimon Peres and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud Abbas.

And Abbas reached out for French help to lobby Hamas allies Qatar and Turkey to pressure the Islamists into accepting a truce during talks in Cairo with Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

In the face of Israel’s land, sea and air offensive that has sent terrified civilians running for cover, the Islamist movement Hamas remained defiant and warned the Jewish state it would “drown in the swamp of Gaza”.

As Gaza residents spoke of a night of terror, with fierce gunbattles in the south and all-night shelling in the north, Netanyahu warned the operation could yet be widened, amid growing international calls to avoid harm to civilians.

“My instructions and those of the defence minister to the military ... is to prepare for the possibility of a significant broadening of the ground activity,” he told ministers in Tel Aviv.

Immediately afterwards, he convened his security cabinet to discuss plans for a possible expansion of the campaign, which began on July 8 with the aim of stamping out cross-border rocket fire.

Early on Friday, Israel approved the callup of another 18,000 reservists, taking the total number approved to 65,000, the army said.

Fleeing westwards. The ground operation, which began in the Gaza periphery at around 2000 GMT on Thursday, sent thousands of people fleeing west to

A missile is launched by an Iron Dome battery in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod

A wounded baby receives treatment at al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza City, on July 18, 2014

escape the fighting along the Gaza border, a UN official told AFP. “People are fleeing from east to west, away from the border,” he said indicating that so far, around 30,000 people were taking refuge in 27 UN schools and other institutions.

By mid-morning Friday, the road between Gaza City and Khan Yunis was deserted with only a single minibus, packed with passengers, careering south, its windows covered with makeshift white flags, an AFP correspondent said.

During Friday prayers, imams at Gaza’s 1,400 mosques relayed a single message to the faithful: “Be patient and strong, victory will come.”

But it was little comfort for those on the ground.

“All night long they were firing shells, we tried to sleep but we couldn’t ... the firing was so intense,” said 39-year-old Ghada Najjar, who was seeking shelter at a UN school in the southern city of Khan Yunis.

A Palestinian relative mourns during the funeral of Rani Abu Tawila, who was killed during an Israeli raid on Gaza City, on July 18, 2014

Mourners carry into a mosque the body of Muhammad Abu Musallam, a Palestinian young boy who was killed

An Israeli soldier waves as he drives a Merkava tank towards the border with the Gaza Strip,

“There is some safety here,” she said.

With food supplies running desperately low, the World Food Programme said had already distributed emergency food rations and food vouchers to more than 20,000 displaced people since the conflict erupted on July 8.

But with the ground operation, it was gearing up for a huge increase in the coming days, spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told reporters in Geneva.

“In the next few days, WFP hopes to reach 85,000 people with food distributions,” she said.

Gaza was also struggling with a 70 percent power outage after electricity lines from Israel were damaged, officials said.

“We usually receive 120 MW and now it is zero,” Fathi Sheikh Khalil, head of Gaza’s electricity company told AFP. “We asked the Israeli electricity company to repair some lines on their side but they said it’s too dangerous. Now 70 percent of the Gaza Strip is without electricity.”

Since midnight, 26 people have been killed across Gaza by Israeli fire, including three teenagers and a five-month-old baby, raising to 267 the total number of Palestinians killed in the past 11 days.

An Israeli civilian and a soldier have also been killed.

Israel has said the aim of the ground operation is to destroy Hamas’s network

of tunnels which are used for cross-border attacks on southern Israel.

On Thursday morning, 13 heavily-armed militants managed to infiltrate southern Israel before being spotted by troops, with one killed in an air strike and the rest fleeing back underground.

“It is not possible to deal with tunnels only from the air, so our soldiers are also doing that on the ground,” Netanyahu said, although he admitted there was “no guarantee of 100 percent success.”

Israel pulled out all of its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, but within a year it became the de facto seat of Hamas after it won a landslide victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections.

Meanwhile, as Abbas headed to Turkey to further regional ceasefire efforts, Israel said it was pulling out some of its diplomatic staff following violent protests targeting the buildings of its embassy and consulate in Ankara and Istanbul.

Overnight, hundreds attacked the Israeli consulate in Istanbul in a violent show of anger, with police firing tear gas and water cannon at the protesters, an AFP correspondent said.

A similar number of protesters sought to break into the residence of the ambassador in Ankara, but police stood by and did nothing, another correspondent said. ■ AFP / July 17, 2014

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HEALTH and Lifestyle

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

Safe swimming: what’s lurking in the water?

MORE and more of us, it seems, are rediscovering the pleasure of open water swimming. But bathing in the sea, lakes, streams, ponds or rivers can be risky to your health unless you take sensible precautions.

Here’s how to make sure you don’t catch or encounter anything nasty when taking the plunge.

Jellyfish stings. Jellyfish are responsible for the most stings in the sea around the UK and the problem is set to worsen as jellyfish numbers rise. UK jellyfish stings aren’t dangerous, but they can lead to an intense, stinging pain, sometimes with itching and a rash.

The Marine Conservation Society has produced a useful guide to different types of UK jellyfish. Their stings vary, but some species, like lion’s mane, are particularly painful.

What to do: Avoid swimming in jellyfish-infested areas, and never touch a jellyfish. According to the National Poison Information Service, neither urinating on a jellyfish sting nor applying vinegar will help.

The best treatment is to remove any remaining tentacles using tweezers or a clean stick. Applying an ice pack to the affected area will help reduce pain and inflammation.

You can also occasionally get stung in UK coastal waters by weever fish, stingrays and sea urchins.

Shark attacks. Believe it or not there are at least 21 types of shark in British waters including the Catshark, Blue Shark and toothless, plankton-eating Basking Shark.

But don’t worry, it really IS safe to go in the water. According to the Shark Trust, shark attacks are incredibly rare with many more

people killed or injured each year by bee stings, snakes, crocodiles or tigers.

The Trust adds that you’re highly unlikely to encounter a shark during a trip to our seaside. In any case, most British sharks are completely harmless with only two reports of unprovoked attacks by sharks in European waters since 1847.

Sewage in the sea. Swimming in sewage-contaminated sea water can cause a range of illnesses from gastrointestinal (digestive tract) and respiratory infections to ear, nose and throat complaints.

Many beaches in Britain have excellent water quality, others less so. The amount of sewage contamination varies from beach to beach.

What to do: To minimise the risks of swimming in polluted water, pick a Blue Flag beach or one recommended by the

Avoidswimminginjellyfish-infestedareas, and never touch a jellyfish. According to the National Poison Information Service, neither urinating on a jellyfish sting nor applying vinegar will help.

Marine Conservation Society (MCS). The Good Beach Guideis published by the MCS and indicates which UK beaches have excellent water quality.

Getting too cold. Outdoor swimming in cold water saps your body heat so your arms and legs get weaker and you could get into trouble if you’re unable to get out.

What to do: If you’re not used to swimming in cold water, the Outdoor Swimming Society recommends that you wear a wetsuit for anything more than a quick dip. It also advises that you: • Don’t jump into cold water – instead, wade in slowly.

• Swim close to the shore.

• Take warm clothes to put on afterwards as, even in summer, you’ll feel colder when you get out.

• Take extra care in reservoirs, which are deeper and colder than lakes and rivers.

Shivering and teeth chattering are the first symptoms of hypothermia. If that happens, get out of the water and warm up.

Blue-green algae. Blue-green algae can appear on lakes and ponds over summer, forming a powdery green scum.

Swimming in it can trigger skin rashes, stomach upsets and sore eyes.

What to do: Avoid swimming in lakes that have areas of blue-green algae.

Finding clean freshwater spots. Our rivers and streams and lakes are less polluted with chemicals and germs from sewage spills and animal waste than they’ve ever been. But not all of them are clean enough to swim in and could trigger stomach upsets and infections.

What to do: Generally, if the water looks clean and clear, it’s a good indication that it’s safe to swim in. If it’s scummy or cloudy, it’s best to avoid it.

The Environment Agency monitors the water quality of our rivers, streams and lakes regularly at over 7,000 locations. The Agency’s website can give a water quality rating for the stretch near you when you enter your postcode into their site.

Weil’s disease. Weil’s disease (also known as leptospirosis) is a bacterial infection spread by animal urine, especially that of rats. It tends to be found in urban rivers and canals, but you can also catch Weil’s disease in still water such as lakes, either by swallowing contaminated water or, more likely, by getting it into your bloodstream through a cut or graze.

What to do: Cover any cuts with a waterproof plaster before swimming and avoid swallowing the water. Never swim in an urban canal. If you develop symptoms of Weil’s disease within a few weeks of being in water, see your doctor. The condition can be treated with antibiotics.

Other water-borne infections. You can end up with diarrhoea and vomiting after swimming in sewage-contaminated streams, rivers and lakes. The main culprits are bugs such as E. coli and Cryptosporidium, which can be spread by swallowing water from lakes, streams and rivers containing sewage or any kind of animal or bird droppings.

What to do: To reduce your risk of tummy bugs, don’t drink from streams even if they look clear. Cows or sheep may have urinated in them. Wash your hands after paddling in a river or stream and avoid swallowing water while swimming.

Swimmer’s itch. “Swimmer’s itch” (cercarial dermatitis) is an itchy rash caused by certain parasites that live in freshwater snails. The snails live on the reeds around marshy lakes and stagnant ponds. On warm, sunny days the parasites can be released into the water and burrow into the skin of swimmers.

What to do: Although uncomfortable, the itching generally lasts no more than a couple of days. You can’t spread the rash to other people, and it doesn’t need treatment.

To reduce your risk of swimmer’s itch, avoid swimming or wading in marshy areas where snails are commonly found and rinse off as soon as you leave the water. ■ NHS Choices

Treating hypothermia

HYPOTHERMIA is treated by preventing further heat being lost and by gently warming the patient.

You should seek immediate medical attention if you suspect someone has hypothermia, as it can be life threatening.

Treating hypothermia at home If you’re treating someone with mild hypothermia at home, or waiting for medical treatment to arrive, the following advice will help prevent further heat loss.

• Move the person indoors or somewhere warm as soon as possible.

• Once the person is in a warm environment, carefully remove any wet clothing and dry the person.

• Wrap them in blankets, towels, coats (whatever you have available), protecting their head and torso first.

• Your own body heat can help someone with hypothermia. Gently hugging them can help warm them up.

• Encourage the person to shiver if they’re capable of doing so.

• If possible, give the person warm drinks (not alcohol) or high-energy foods,

such as chocolate, to help warm them up.

However, it’s important to only do this if they can swallow normally (ask them to give a cough to see if they can swallow).

• Once the person’s body temperature has increased, keep them warm and dry.

It’s important to handle anyone with hypothermia gently and carefully.

Things to avoid There are certain things you should not do when helping someone with hypothermia because it may make the condition worse: • Do not put the cold person into a hot bath • Do not massage their limbs • Do not use heating pads and lamps • Do not give them alcohol to drink Trying to warm someone up yourself with hot water, massages, heat pads and heat lamps can cause the blood vessels in the arms and legs to open up (dilate) too quickly. If this happens, it can lead to a fall in blood pressure to the vital organs such as the brain, heart, lungs and kidneys,

potentially resulting in cardiac arrest and death.

Severe hypothermia. If someone you know has been exposed to the cold and they’re distressed or confused, they have slow, shallow breathing or they’re unconscious, they may have severe hypothermia. Their skin may look healthy but feel cold. Babies may also be limp, unusually quiet and refuse to feed.

Cases of severe hypothermia require urgent medical treatment in hospital. You should call 999 to request an ambulance if you suspect someone you know has severe hypothermia.

As the body temperature drops, shivering will stop completely. The heart rate will slow and a person will gradually lose consciousness. They won’t appear to have a pulse or be breathing. If you know how to do it, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) should be given while you wait for help to arrive.

Medical treatment. If someone is admitted to hospital with severe hypothermia, advanced medical treatment can be used to warm them up.

Drinking a warm liquid or eating something sugary can help control shaking from mild hypothermia

This can be done by temporarily withdrawing blood from the body, warming it, and then returning it to the body. These techniques are cardio-pulmonary bypass (sometimes called heart-lung bypass) and extra corporeal membranous oxygenation (ECMO).

However, techniques such as this are

usually only available in major hospitals that have specialist emergency services or units that regularly perform heart surgery.

A person with severe hypothermia often stands a better chance of surviving if they’re taken directly by ambulance to one of these hospitals, even if it means bypassing a smaller hospital along the way. ■ NHS Choices

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

HEALTH and Lifestyle food

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Eating disorders: advice for parents IF your child develops an eating disorder, you may feel unsure how to help and how to act around them.

Understanding your role. Your son or daughter’s behaviour may suddenly become very different from what you’re used to: withdrawn, touchy and even rude.

This can make it very difficult to talk to them at a time when communication is so important.

It can help to remember that they are likely to be defensive because their eating disorder is their way of coping, and therefore they will be reluctant to let go of it, at least at first.

If your child is receiving treatment for their condition, the treatment team will play an essential part in their recovery. But don’t underestimate the importance of your love and support.

Susan Ringwood, chief executive of the charity beat, explains: “Everyone who recovers from an eating disorder tells us how important it was to have unconditional love and support from those who care about them, even when they knew their behaviour was quite difficult to understand.”

Speak to one of the health professionals in your child’s treatment team about your role as parent and carer, and get their advice on what you can do at home to help. The following tips may also help with communication and dealing with mealtimes.

Tips for talking. Talking to your child about their condition can be very difficult, especially if they still can’t understand that they have a problem. However, communication is essential to help with recovery, so keep trying.

When you want to talk to them directly about the eating disorder, Susan Ringwood advises that you: • Prepare what to say.

• Don’t blame or judge.

• Concentrate on how they’re feeling.

• Stay calm.

• Have resources to refer to.

• Be prepared for a negative response.

It can also help to: • Learn as much as possible about eating disorders. It helps you understand what you’re dealing with.

• Emphasise that no matter what, you love them and will always be there for them.

• Avoid talking about their appearance, even if it is meant as a compliment. Try to build their confidence in other ways, for example by praising them for being thoughtful or congratulating them on an achievement at school.

• Avoid talking about other people’s diets or weight problems.

• Talk to them about the range of professional help available, and say that you’ll support them through it when they’re ready.

• Talk positively about activities they

a game or watching TV, can help to distract them from wanting to purge themselves or over-exercise.

• Don’t despair if a meal goes badly, just move on.

Help and support. If you need further support, there are a number or organisations that can help you. It is important that the whole family understands the situation and gets support. See your GP as soon as possible. Your GP and your child’s treatment team will then be able to offer advice. Alternatively, you can call the beat helpline on 0845 634 1414 to speak to an advisor about any issue related to coping with eating disorders, including how to find local self-help and support groups.

Carers Direct provides a wealth of information on caring, including day-today living, claiming benefits and advice on combining caring with work or study. ■ NHS

could be involved in that don’t involve food, such as hobbies and days out with friends.

• Try not to feel hurt if they don’t open up to you straight away, and don’t resent them for being secretive. This is due to their illness, not their relationship with you.

• Ask them what you can do to help.

• Try to be honest about your own feelings. This will encourage them to do the same.

• Remember that the feelings behind the eating disorder may be really difficult for them to express. Try to be patient and listen to what they’re trying to say.

• Be a good role model by eating a balanced diet and taking a healthy amount of exercise.

Tips for mealtimes.

• If they are in treatment, ask their treatment team about the most appropriate way to arrange your mealtimes.

• Consider going shopping together

and agreeing on meals that are acceptable to you both.

• An agreement with the whole family about what and when meals will be can help to set everybody’s expectations.

• Agree that none of you will talk about portion sizes, calories or the fat content of the meal.

• Avoid eating low-calorie or diet foods in front of them or having them in the house.

• Try to keep the atmosphere lighthearted and positive throughout the meal, even if you don’t feel that way on the inside.

• If they attempt to get too involved in cooking the meal as a way of controlling it, gently ask them to set the table or wash up instead.

• Try not to focus too much on them during mealtimes. Enjoy your own meal and try to make conversation.

• A family activity after the meal, such as

Choices

Treatment will involve your friend or relative talking to someone about the emotional difficulties that have led to their eating disorder. It will also explore their physical problems, general health and eating patterns. Help with eating and putting on weight is usually not enough.

The more actively your friend participates in the treatment programme, the better their chance of making a good recovery.

Will they have to go into hospital?

Most people with eating disorders are seen as outpatients (which means they visit the hospital, for example, one day a week). In severe cases, they might need to visit the hospital more often, or stay in hospital for more intensive support and treatment (known as inpatient care).

Should I visit them in hospital? This

depends on what your friend wants, how you feel and what the treatment centre allows. Let them know you’re thinking of them and would like to visit them. If this is not possible, you can always write to them or call to let them know that you’re still there to support them.

Can my friend be forced to get help?

If they have lost a lot of weight, they may be in danger of starving themselves and developing serious complications. In these circumstances they may not be able to think clearly, which may result in them refusing essential treatment and even lifesustaining food.

A doctor may decide to admit them for specialist treatment. This can only be done after the doctor has consulted colleagues, who have to agree with the doctor’s decision. This is usually called

being sectioned because it is done under the rules in one of the sections of the Mental Health Act. Will they be cured when they come home? Your friend will still need your support. Most people with an eating disorder do recover and learn to use more positive ways of coping. However, recovery from an eating disorder can be a very difficult process that can take a long time. Part of your friend may want to get better, while the other part might be very scared about giving up the eating disorder. They might think, “I want to get better, but just don’t want to gain weight”.

They will probably have good days and bad days and, during times of stress, the eating difficulties may return. Changing the way people think and feel is never easy and it takes time. ■ NHS Choices

Supporting someone with an eating disorder IF your friend or relative has an eating problem they will eventually have to get professional help from a doctor, practice nurse, or a school or college nurse.

If a friend or relative has an eating disorder, you might want to encourage them to speak to someone about it. You could go with them for support if they want you to.

But there are other things you can do.

You’re already doing a great job by finding out how to help them. It shows you care.

You may have noticed that your friend has changed. They may no longer go out or want to be included in things.

Keep trying to include them, just like before. Even if they don’t join in, they will still like to be asked. It will make them feel valued as a person.

You can also try to build up their selfesteem, perhaps by telling them what a

great person they are and how much you appreciate having them as a friend.

Try not to give advice or criticism. Give your time, and listen to them. This can be tough when you don’t agree with what they say about themselves and what they eat.

Remember, you don’t have to know all the answers. Just being there is what’s important. This is especially the case when things are hard to cope with, particularly when it feels like your friendship, help and support are being rejected.

What does treatment involve?

Treatment varies around the country, and different types of help may be offered depending on where you live. Treatment includes dealing with the emotional issues as well as the physical, but this must be done slowly so that your friend or relative is able to cope with the changes.

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NEWS

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

Published: Full text of President Aquino’s National Address on DAP TO my beloved countrymen, my bosses.

I asked for this opportunity to speak to you today, to explain a few points regarding the Supreme Court decision on DAP. First of all: What was the situation when we came in? When we assumed office last June 2010, the 2010 budget was still in effect, and we likewise inherited the proposed 2011 budget. Of the 1.54 trillion pesos set aside for the government for the whole of 2010, only 100 billion—or 6.5 percent—was left for the remaining six months of the year. You really have to wonder: Where did the money go?

You may also remember anomalous projects like the dredging of Laguna Lake, where we were supposed to pay 18.7 billion pesos just to play with mud; or the GOCCs that gave away exorbitant bonuses to its officials and employees, even if they were already operating at a loss.

It is clear that corruption was endemic in the budgeting system of the past. We made sure to excise all of that—we cancelled anomalous projects, we corrected the governance of GOCCs, and we began to end all the sleight of hand with the people’s money. Through ZeroBased Budgeting, only programs that would truly benefit citizens would be given funding.

With this method, there is no room for continuing appropriations, which was one of the reasons we had such a complicated bureaucracy; why there were so many opportunities for corruption; and why there were programs that fed the pockets of a few, thus depriving benefits from the rest of the nation.

Although it wasn’t our intention, fixing the budgeting process stalled the public sector’s contributions to the economy. Because of underspending, our GDP went down. If we were to look at this as an irrigation system: We were left with leaky canals that let too much water out. We first had to make made sure to seal those cracks in the system so we do not waste any more water, and make the entire mechanism more effective. And because there were just too many cracks in the channels, we couldn’t bring enough water to certain crops, water they needed to flourish.

We carefully studied the situation. We discovered that there were departments that were able to implement projects quickly and efficiently using the funds given them, because they immediately streamlined their system.

There were also agencies that were in the process of examining their system, with an eye toward fixing flaws, to ensure that the people’s money wouldn’t be wasted. But, naturally, time didn’t stop as all this was going on; there were agencies that understood that they wouldn’t be able to use funds appropriated for the year toward projects for the people. So the question then was: What do we do with the funds we haven’t yet touched?

Meaning of savings. Allow me to clarify the meaning of savings in government. At home, don’t we see savings as something positive?

For example, if you are able to buy meat at a discount, then you can get more ingredients.

In the case of government, savings has a much more complex meaning. At times, savings are welcome, such as in the case of DPWH, where, through correct and stringent measures for bidding and procurement, we were able to save over 26 billion pesos. There are instances, however, when savings spell something negative for our countrymen. Every year, the Executive branch submits to the Legislature a list of priority programs, activities, and projects that need funding. Once enacted into law, the budget must be spent within the year of allocation. And if funds for certain programs are not spent, as they should have been, clearly our countrymen did not gain what they should have. Did this not redound to a disadvantage for our countrymen? What this means is that every time there are savings such

as this, every time funds remain unspent when they should have been spent, our Bosses are deprived of a benefit.

Without doubt, any good leader would want to implement projects that benefit the public at the soonest possible time. I do not see any reason to delay benefits for our countrymen, especially because we have the wherewithal to alleviate their plight. It is clear that if you delay the benefits due them, you prolong the suffering of the Filipino people.

DAP was a strategy. Our strategy to meet our obligations: the Disbursement Acceleration Program or DAP. This is the second matter that I wish to discuss tonight.

DAP is not a project—it is an efficient way of spending the budget; it follows the law and adheres to the mandate granted to the Executive Branch. We did this to properly allocate funds, and by so doing maximize the benefits that the people may receive.

How did DAP start? Hours before delivering my SONA in 2011, I was given a progress report by all government departments. I was taken aback by certain information given to us.

For instance: According to DepEd, out of the 8,000 school buildings that they had targeted to build, they were only able to complete 18.

To be honest, DepEd had tried its best, but they faced a number of concerns—problems with land, assessment issues, as well as the complex processes in our bureaucracy. This is why, we asked them directly: Can you still meet your target in the remaining five months of the year? They responded to this candidly: “We are doing all that we can, but we can only build three to four thousand classrooms until the year closes. We will have to build the remainder next year.” Thus was the story: Despite the many setbacks that the agency had to face, DepEd delivered. And now, we have eliminated what we inherited—a backlog of 66,800 classrooms.

The sitio electrification program is another project that was successfully implemented through the efficient use of savings. In 2012, our target was to energize 4,053 sitios. The budget had allotted 3.87 billion pesos for this. And because of the speedy and efficient implementation of this project, the National Electrification Administration requested more funds to light up an additional 2,110 sitios.

Through DAP, in 2012, 1.264 billion pesos were made available to electrify a total of 6,163 sitios—out of the 36,000 that we need energize.

Is it not right that funds that had been otherwise left unused were utilized for programs that had proven effective, so that targets can be met and the benefits to the people can ensue at the soonest possible time? Another advantage of this system: Projects that were temporarily suspended for a given year would not have to compete for funding with the other finished projects in the following year. This is clearly a win-win situation.

Now, let’s talk about agencies such as the National Irrigation Authority or the NIA. When I spoke at their anniversary, they proudly stated that they had doubled their performance in meeting targets for rehabilitation and reconstruction. Looking at the numbers, however, we see that for the past ten years, they’ve performed well below target—targets that they set for themselves. We all know that it’s much easier to hide corruption through repairs, rather than through new projects, where the question simply becomes: Is it there, or isn’t it? For example: Can we see the new irrigation canals, or can’t we?

The NIA’s administrator back then also explained why, after achieving an 87 percent accomplishment rate for irrigation projects in 2011, the accomplishment rate dropped to 65 percent in 2012. Their excuse: 40 percent of the projects were in Mindanao, and was thus

affected by Typhoon Pablo. Let me remind everyone: Typhoon Pablo hit Mindanao in the first week of December 2012. We asked, what reasons did they have to push the completion of Mindanao projects to the last three weeks of 2012? On top of this, remember that there are fewer workdays during Christmas and New Year’s. Incredible, isn’t it? I don’t think anyone would agree with this style of management, and we can’t let such attempts to fool us pass.

We’ve since replaced the said NIA administrator.

Our aim is to not prolong the implementation of projects. The Cabinet agreed, regarding their respective funds: Use it or lose it. If you cannot use the funds allotted for this year, clearly, those are savings. We are given the chance to extend, at the soonest possible time, those benefits that have immediate impact to our Bosses. In this way, benefits that may have been delayed are replaced by other benefits. Let us also remember that the government is at a deficit: We have to borrow funds for our projects. If we allow funds to go unused, then we would be paying interest for nothing. The people clearly have nothing to gain from this setup.

The Supreme Court’s decision questions our use of savings, and raises concerns on when we can use unprogrammed funds.

They want savings declared only at the 31st of December of each year. If that were the case, when would the government be free to utilize these funds? Following their logic on savings, projects that could have been funded in the middle of the current year would have to be delayed until the following year.

We also have a list of projects that would only be funded if government experiences a windfall in earnings, which are referred to as unprogrammed funds. With the Supreme Court’s decision, benefits would be delayed, because it would take until March of the following year to fulfill all the requirements regarding these funds; on top of this, it would all then have to go through another four to six months of bidding and procurement. If you file a report in March, it would be September of the following year by the time all of these processes are done. All in all, almost two years would have passed before the benefits of funds would redound to the people.

With 20 typhoons, should people wait?

What are the implications of this? We have programs for the relocation of informal settlers to safer places. In the system the Supreme Court is ordering us to bring back, it might take two more rainy seasons before we are able to relocate our countrymen. Let us remember: about twenty typhoons come our way each year. Is it right to ask those living in hazardous areas to just leave everything to prayer?

My conscience cannot bear this. I cannot accept that our countrymen will be exposed to danger because I let the process of bringing them assistance be unduly extended. Let us remember: The National Treasury belongs to our citizens.

It is not only my conscience that dictates the efficient spending of funds; various provisions of the law that is our country’s Administrative Code clearly allow for the use of savings. For example, let us now read Book VI, Chapter 5, Section 39 of the 1987 Administrative Code of the Philippines: “—Except as otherwise provided in the General Appropriations Act, any savings in the regular appropriations authorized in the General Appropriations Act for programs and projects of any department, office or agency, may, with the approval of the President, be used to cover a deficit in any other item of the regular appropriations…”

As you can see, this law openly gives the President the power to transfer savings to other projects. It does not limit the transfer to only one department or branch of government. In other words: We did not transgress the law when we

implemented DAP. The Constitution and the Administrative Code are not at odds with each other.

In fact, we were surprised to find that the Supreme Court decision did not take into account our legal basis for DAP. How can they say that our spending methods are unconstitutional when they did not look into our basis? Even until now, Section 39 of the Administrative Code is in effect, along with its other sections.

This becomes even more worrisome when we take into account the “operative fact doctrine,” which the Supreme Court also mentioned in its decision. This is simple. When a Supreme Court declares as unconstitutional any law or edict by the Executive, only those projects yet to be implemented under said law are deemed prohibited. The declaration does not include completed projects if this means stripping our citizens of benefits. This is only natural because it is not right to destroy bridges that have already been built, or to demolish houses that have already been bestowed to families of informal settlers.

Likewise, this doctrine also recognizes that implementors do not have to be held accountable as long as the edict was carried out “in good faith.” But in their decision, the judges immediately presume the absence of good faith, which would then have to be proven through trial. What happened to the principle of “innocent until proven guilty?”

There are also those who say that DAP and PDAF are the same thing. Excuse me.

DAP is different from PDAF. With PDAF, the corrupt funneled government funds into fake NGOs, money then allegedly divided among themselves. It’s clear that with DAP the people’s money was never stolen—the funds were used for the benefit of Filipinos. And not for later, not soon; but—now: Programs that could be implemented immediately were implemented immediately.

And didn’t the Supreme Court itself, the World Bank—even critics of DAP—didn’t they all admit that DAP helped improve our economy?

It is clear that the Supreme Court has much to consider that they may better clarify their decision regarding DAP; perhaps they can even identify DAP’s negative effect on the country.

We will appeal the Supreme Court’s decision. We will do this by filing a Motion for Reconsideration, which will allow them to more fully and more conscientiously examine the law.

There are those who say that this decision might be a personal vendetta against me—that I am being dared to act in the same vindictive manner against them. All I can say—as the President, as the father of this country—is that we need temperance and forbearance—we must comply with due process.

Any lawyer we might speak to will caution against this move. The Supreme Court voted 13-0 against DAP; only one abstained. The mere hope that the decision will be overturned is a monumental one. We had also been warned that pushing through with this motion might put us in greater danger.

Message to the Supreme Court. My message to the Supreme Court: We do not want two equal branches of government to go head to head, needing a third branch to step in to intervene. We find it difficult to understand your decision. You had done something similar in the past, and you tried to do it again; there are even those of the opinion that what you attempted to commit was far graver. Abiding by the principle of “presumption of regularity,” we assumed that you did the right thing; after all, you are the ones who should ostensibly have a better understanding of the law. And now, when we use the same mechanism— which, you yourselves have admitted, benefit

At 6pm Monday, July 14, 2014, President Benigno S. Aquino III spoke on national television to address issues connected with the Disbursement Acceleration Program which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional.

He justified it and said the government is filing a Motion for Reconsideration.

our countrymen—why is it then that we are wrong?

We believe that the majority of you, like us, want only the best for the Filipino people. To the honorable justices of the Supreme Court: Help us help our countrymen. We ask that you review your decision, this time taking into consideration the points I have raised tonight.

The nation hopes for your careful deliberation and response. And I hope that once you’ve examined the arguments I will submit, regarding the law and about our economy, solidarity will ensue—thus strengthening the entire government’s capability to push for the interests of the nation.

Perhaps, no one will dare to doubt that we have pushed for reform these past four years.

And I must ask: What is expected from those of us who are advancing reform?

We know that the system we inherited was one that did not help, or did not do enough to help, our countrymen. We are now righting the wrongs in the system, so that it may work towards this goal: To uphold the interests of the people, our Bosses who handed us our mandate. Thus, to the Supreme Court, our message: Do not bar us from doing what we swore to do. Shouldn’t you be siding with us in pushing for reform? Let us, therefore, end this vicious cycle that has taken our people hostage.

On this note, allow me to share a text message I received in the last week. It reads: “The politicians are making fiesta regarding DAP; but to our simple non-legalistic mind, it is like a motorist who parked in a ‘no parking zone’ because he had to rush to save the life of an accident victim, which has more value.

I’m praying hard that these people will see the good of the people rather than their own ambition.”

To this I replied: I think the situation now is similar to what you mentioned, and it might be even worse. I am after all being arrested for parking in an area that up to now hasn’t yet been declared a no-parking zone. Is this reasonable?

To my Bosses, in the coming days, I, along with my Cabinet as well as some beneficiaries of DAP, will be providing more information about this important topic. I encourage all of you to read the decision of the Supreme Court, as well as their concurring and dissenting opinions, so that you may better understand what I have said tonight. For those concerned regarding the programs that had received funding but have been put on hold because we need to follow the decision of the Supreme Court, do not worry. We will return to Congress to ask for a supplemental budget to ensure that all benefits are delivered.

Finally, let me impress upon everyone: DAP is good. Our intentions, our processes, and the results were correct. Bosses, I promise you: I will not allow your suffering to be prolonged— especially if we could do what we can as early as now.

Thank you, and it is my hope that you now better understand the situation. ■ President Benigno Simeon Aquino III / July 14, 2014 / 7:12 PM

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5.3-M without power: Meralco reports ‘extensive damage’ from #GlendaPH MANILA - Power is not likely to be restored soon to blacked out areas of Metro Manila and Southern Luzon after the Manila Electric Co. reported “extensive damage” to facilities in the National Capital Region and Southern Luzon due to Typhoon #GlendaPH. At a news briefing, Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga said power had been cut to 92 percent of the power utility’s franchise area, up from an earlier estimate he gave of 90 percent.

This means some 5.3 Meralco customers were without power.

By mid-afternoon, the utility firm stated on its Facebook social network page that around 86% of Meralco customers were still without electricity.

“Generation plants in the South are unable to deliver power as NGCP Southern Luzon Grid remains out.

“We are currently assessing the extent of the damages in our distribution facilities incl. poles, transformers, wires and subtransmission lines.

“No estimated time yet as to when power will be restored in affected areas, especially in hardest hit areas like Calabarzon.

“We appeal for your understanding as we continue our restoration efforts. We are gearing all our efforts and continuously coordinating with NGCP, other stakeholders to be able to bring back power.”

Asked how soon power could be restored, Zaldarriaga said that was “very difficult to answer,” although he added that crews are making the rounds to assess the damage.

Most of Laguna and Cavite and all of Quezon province were also without power.

“Our sense is that Glenda repeatedly went around NCR” before heading for Bataan, knocking down a lot of Meralco’s transmission facilities, he said in a radio interview earlier.

Earlier, Meralco also said it had undertaken preemptive power interruptions ahead of the storm’s arrival in the Metro Manila area.

In a related development, officials of the National Grid Corp of the Philippines (NGCP) said in a briefing that Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay and Sorsogon in Region 5; and Quezon, Laguna, Batangas, Cavite and Rizal in Region 4, Bataan in Region 3 were all cut off from the grid as of 8:00 P.M., July 16, 2014.

Parts of Bulacan and Pampaga were also without power.

In Metro Manila, more than three-fourths of the Manila Electric Co (Meralco) franchise was without electricity as of 1:00 P.M. on the same day after major power plants in Southern Luzon were isolated from the grid due to damaged transmission facilities and power lines.

To augment supply, NGCP said it plans to convey power from generating plants in Northern Luzon to the affected areas.

Before nightfall, NGCP estimates to bring back at least 60 percent of power to the Meralco franchise.

At around noon, NGCP had posted the following list of transmission lines and facilities affected by the typhoon:

LUZON: 500-kV Facilities affected: 1. San Jose – Nagsaag Line 2. San Jose – Tayabas Line 3. Dasma - Tayabas Line 4. Dasma – Ilijan Line 5. Nagsaag-Bolo Line 230-kV Facilities affected: 1. Mexico – Hermosa Line 2. Hermosa – Limay Line 3. San Jose – Balintawak Line 4. Daraga-Bacman Line 5. Labo – Naga Line 6. Daraga - Bacman Line 7. Naga – Tiwi C Line 8. Naga - Daraga Line 9. Daraga - Tiwi A Line 10. Gumaca - Labo Line 11. Naga - Tayabas Line 12. Gumaca - Kalayaan Line 13. Gumaca - Labo Line 14. Tayabas - Daraga Line 15. Malaya – Kalayaan Line 16. San Jose – Malolos Line 17. Binan –Muntinlupa Line 18. Binan – Dasma Line 19. Binan – Bay Line 20. Calaca – Bacnotan Line 21. Calaca – Sta.Rosa Line 22. Calaca – Amadeo Line 23. Araneta - Paco Line 115-kV Facilities Affected: 1. Dasmarinas-Rosario Line 69-kV Facilities Afffected: 1. Bay-Calamba 69-kV Line 2. Gumaca-Hondagua-Tagkawayan 69-kV Line

A resident of Barangay Batasan in Quezon City eats by candlelight after typhoon Glenda cut power to most of Metro Manila. Photo by Bernard Testa, ©InterAksyon.com

3. Gumaca-Pitogo-Mulanay 69-kV Line 4. Daraga – Legaspi 69-kV line 5. Daraga – Sorsogon 69-kV line 6. Naga-Libmanan 69-kV line 7. Naga-Lagonoy 69-kV Line 8. Naga-Iriga 69-kV line 9. All 69-kV Lines in Batangas and Sorsogon * South Luzon Areas, including provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, Quezon, and Bicol Region have been isolated from the grid due to the effect of Tropical Storm Glenda.

VISAYAS: 1. Facility: Paranas – Taft – Quinapondan 69-kV line Customer/s Affected: ESAMELCO 2. Facility: Calbayog – Catbalogan 69-kV line

Customer/s Affected: SAMELCO I 3. Facility: Calbayog – Catarman – Allen 69kV line Customer/s Affected: NORSAMELCO 4. Facility: Calbayog – Palanas – Cara 69kV line Customer/s Affected: SAMELCO I 5. Facility: Catarman – Bobolosan 69-kV lline Customer/s Affected: NORSAMELCO Other facilities affected: 1. Leyte-Luzon 350-kV High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC)* *No power flow from Luzon to Visayas ■ (With additional reporting by Euan Paulo C. Anonuevo) / InterAksyon.com / July 16, 2014 / 11:05 AM

Albay, zero casualty sa hagupit ni ‘Glenda’ DAHIL sa maagap na pagkilos, nakamit ng lalawigan ng Albay ang kanilang layunin na walang masawi sa hagupit ng bagyong “Glenda.” Sa panayam ng GMA News TV’s “SONA” nitong Martes ng gabi, sinabi ni Albay Governor Joey Salceda na malaking porsiyento ng mga nasasawi sa kalamidad ay mga mahihirap.

Sa pulong balitaan nitong Miyerkules ng hapon, sinabi ni Salceda na nakapagtala lang sila ng ilang kababayan na nagtamo ng minor injuries bunga ng malakas na hangin at pagbugso ng ulan na idinulot ng bagyo.

“Zero casualties. May mangilan-ngilang injuries pero hindi naman nirereport

officially rito sa opisina,” pahayag ng gobernador sa ulat ng GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali.”

Bahagyang pinsala rin lang umano ang iniwan ng bagyo sa lalawigan partikular sa mga bahay.

“Ang estimate ko diyan, most of the damage were privately absorbed, but they have public externalities. Ang ibig sabihin po, kailangan matulungan po ang families whose houses are made of light materials kasi iyan po ang nilipad, or yung middle class na yung rooftop nila ay made of GI [galvanized iron] sheets,” paliwanag niya.

Kabilang ang Albay sa mga lugar na matinding tinamaan ni Glenda matapos

Residents in Ligao City, Albay fall in line to buy kerosene and gasoline in preparation for power outages that may result from Typhoon Glenda on Tuesday, July 15. Typhoon Glenda is moving westward and is expected to make landfall in Bicol Tuesday evening. Photo by Michael Jaucian.

itong tumama sa kalupaan ng lalawigan nitong Martes.

Sa panayam ng GMA News TV’s “SONA” nitong Martes ng gabi, sinabi ni Salceda na maaga nilang pinaghandaan ang hagupit ng bagyo. Kabilang dito ang pagkansela agad ng mga pasok sa mga eskwelahan at maging sa pribadong opisina.

Inihanda rin umano ng lokal na pamahalaan ng panlalawigan ang mga evacuation center at inilikas kaagad ang mga taong nasa kritikal na lugar.

Paliwanag pa ng gobernador, sa panahon ng kalamidad ay mga mahihirap ang kadalasang nasasawi dahil sa kawalan nila ng kapasidad na isalba ang kanilang sarili. Ito umano ang tinutugunan ng gobyerno para maiwasan na may buhay na mawawala kapag may kalamidad.

“Kasi 85 percent ng namamatay during disaster e mahirap, bata, elderly,” paliwanag ni Salceda. “the less yung 15 percent siguro yung tatanga-tangang mayayaman.”

Sa pulong balitaan nitong Miyerkules, sinabi ni Salceda na pagkakalooban ng housing loan ang mga nawalan o nasira ang bahay dahil sa bagyo.

Kumikilos rin umano ang lokal na pamahalaan para maibalik na ang suplay ng kuryente sa lalawigan.

“Yung kuryente, hopefully maibalik kaagad kasi ang generators namin pagod na, at nag-lolowbatt na po ang aming communication lines,” anang opisyal.

Inaasahan na makalalabas ng Philippine area of responsibility si “Glenda” sa Huwebes. ■ FRJ, GMA News / July 16, 2014 / 5:24 PM

SC mum on PNoy attack MANILA – The Supreme Court refused to comment on President Benigno Aquino III’s blistering attack on its unanimous decision declaring key provisions of the Disbursement Acceleration Program unconstitutional.

High court spokesman Theodore Te said the tribunal had “no comment on the President’s speech.”

In his nationwide address on primetime television Monday evening, Despite the ruling, Aquino continued to defend the discredited spending program and, even as he said the government would file a motion for reconsideration, attacked the Supreme Court’s ruling.

And, in what many saw as a threat against the tribunal, he said: “My message to the Supreme Court: We do not want two equal branches of government to go head to head, needing a third branch to step in to intervene.”

“We find it difficult to understand your decision. You had done something similar

in the past, and you tried to do it again; there are even those of the opinion that what you attempted to commit was far graver,” he added.

He also asked the justices to “review your decision, this time taking into consideration the points I have raised tonight. The nation hopes for your careful deliberation and response. And I hope that once you’ve examined the arguments I will submit, regarding the law and about our economy, solidarity will ensue -- thus strengthening the entire government’s capability to push for the interests of the nation.”

Earlier, ousted Chief Justice Renato Corona challenged his successor, Maria Lourdes Sereno, to personally answer Aquino’s accusations against high court.

Sereno was appointed by Aquino to replace Corona.

Among the issues raised against the DAP was its alleged use to sway lawmakers into voting to remove Corona. ■ Brian Maglungsod /

InterAksyon.com / July 15, 2014 / 2:18 PM

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

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A little help from friends: Teams from EU, UN checking out sites hit by Glenda MANILA – Typhoon Glenda’s destructive antics have prodded the country’s friends, who were quick to respond after Yolanda, to rush to offer help once more. The international humanitarian community under the United Nations and the European Union separately said on Wednesday they are ready to assist families affected by Glenda.

In a statement, EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux said teams of humanitarian aid officers from the EU are now assessing the situation on the day typhoon Glenda hit the country.

“A team of echo or humanitarian aid officers in Manila is currently monitoring the situation and assessing the damage of typhoon Glenda,” Ledoux said.

In another development, Luiza Carvalho, the UN humanitarian coordinator, said in a statement: “We are in close communication with respective government counterparts as well as the Humanitarian Country Team and field offices for constant updates on the latest situation,” The typhoon was projected to affect 22 provinces with a population of 43 million.

Of the 43 million, 136,000 households live in areas highly susceptible to landslides and storm surge.

Half of these households, about

342,200 people, are poor, the UN said.

“Evacuations have taken place in vulnerable areas on a needs basis.”

It added that the “government’s new response approach of augmenting the capacity of affected regions with a twin province from an unaffected area will be activated according to needs.”

So far, national and local authorities are responding with teams and pre-positioned items such as food, non-food items, medicines and health-related aid.

Logistics and telecommunications are available to the most needed areas and two C130 aircraft with helicopters are available for relief operations, if required, the UN said.

“A Task Force from the humanitarian community was set up to agree on additional measures to enhance our readiness to respond and remains on standby,” Carvalho added.

Typhoon Glenda (international name Rammasun) is the first typhoon to strike the Philippines since Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) on November 8, 2013.

Glenda crossed large areas of South Luzon, Albay and through Metro Manila, heading towards Bataan.

Red Cross swings into action.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC)

has swung into action soon after Glenda lashed parts of the south since Tuesday.

As of Wednesday, more than 37,800 families were affected from 64 municipalities nationwide. The number of affected families is expected to increase as reports from the field come in, said a report of PRC Operations Center.

These affected families are temporarily housed in more than a hundred designated evacuation centers being monitored by PRC. Philippine Red Cross Chairman Richard Gordon deployed volunteers and staff across the country to conduct field assessment and continue providing assistance to affected communities.

“We enjoin staff and volunteers nationwide, especially those who were affected by typhoon Glenda to be alert 24 hours a day and continue to monitor their respective areas. We should always be prepared to act immediately for any untoward incident,” said Gordon.

Staff of the PRC’s operations center, as well as the Disaster Management Services, and Emergency Response Units of the Red Cross were directed to preposition rescue equipment, rubber boats, generator sets, fuel and vehicles for operation and deployment even before typhoon Glenda

Evacuees from Tacloban arrive at the Astrodome Tuesday as typhoon Glenda started to lash the city most affected by typhoon Yolanda eight months ago.

entered the Philippine area of responsibility.

Even late into Tuesday night, Gordon led the staff and volunteers at the NHQ Opcen while typhoon Glenda moved across Central Luzon. Early Wednesday morning, Red Cross emergency vehicles—rescue trucks, amphibians, fire trucks, water tankers and ambulances—were utilized for the operations. Three payloaders were mobilized to clear debris.

Earlier, relief supplies were prepositioned in areas that were in the path of typhoon Glenda, for quick distribution.

PRC chapters in Northern and Central Luzon, the National Capital Region, Southern Meanwhile, PRC Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang encouraged local chapters to report any development about typhoon Glenda to Operation Center.

“Let us all continue to monitor, coordinate and report status of evacuees, overflow of dams, landslides, floods and general conditions to the PRC Operation Center,” said Pang. ■ Pots de Leon / InterAksyon. com / July 16, 2014 / 11:47 PM

DAP allocations best confirmation of pork barrel in disguise – IBON MANILA – The manner in which lawmakers were allocated funds from the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) for projects they requested is the clearest confirmation that the program is similar to the pork barrel or the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of lawmakers, the research group IBON said Friday.

IBON said that billion in pesos in DAP funds were also channelled to activities or agencies that contributed little to Malacanang’s avowed goal of perking up the economy.

Malacanang on Friday afternoon (July 18) filed its motion for reconsideration with the Supreme Court, which declared in a 13-0 ruling that the program was unconstitutional.

DAP funds, estimated to reach to as much as P177 billion, came from “savings” pooled by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) from various agencies. In its ruling, the SC said four practices that underpinned DBM’s execution of DAP violated the Constitution,

The Department of Budget and Management’s main office in Manila: its unilateral, arbitrary judgment on realignment of billions didn’t yield substantial impact on economy, says IBON

including: the cross-border transfer of funds across different branches of government; the warped interpretation of savings before yearend; the arbitrary hijacking of funds allocated to certain projects under the budget law and realignment to others.

“President Benigno Aquino dispensed these billions of pesos to legislators, agencies, local government units and beneficiaries at his discretion, for purposes that he defined unilaterally, and with only a semblance of legality,” IBON said.

Clearly pork barrel. “All these make the controversial DAP consistent with being pork barrel while not directly resulting in broad benefits to Filipinos,” it added.

According to IBON, a scrutiny of the list of DAP-funded projects released by the DBM revealed that at least P17.3 billion was given as PDAF-type funding for “priority local projects nationwide requested by legislators, local government officials and national agencies.”

There were three allotment releases for these in the amounts of P6.5 billion (approved by the office of the president on October 12, 2011), P8.1 billion (June 27, 2012) and P2.8 billion (December 21, 2012) At least P30.7 billion worth of large lump-

sum items were also approved including: • P10.1 billion for ambiguously titled “various infrastructure projects,” “various local projects,” and “various priority projects” especially by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); • P7.8 billion to local government units consisting for an “LGU support fund,” “performance challenge fund,” and “development assistance” to Quezon province; and, • P10.9 billion for supposedly peace and development-related projects. There was also P2.0 billion for national roads in the president’s home province of Tarlac and P43 million for “capacity-building” of nongovernment organizations and people’s organizations.

Minimal impact on economy. At least P47.5 billion was also used for items and activities that IBON said had minimal impact on the economy, including P3.7 billion for improving government offices, purchasing information technology equipment, a global tourism media campaign, and others.

The government offices improved included Malacañang (P20 million), Department of Interior and Local Government (P100 million), Department of

Tourism (P200 million), National Economic and Development Authority (P207 million) and Philippine Institute of Development Studies (P100 million).

IBON also said the P7.6 billion worth of projects to the Light Rail Transit Authority, Department of Science and Technology, some hospitals and others had “minimal stimulus effect,” as the money was spent on largely imported equipment and supplies or training of employees for foreign Business Process Outsourcing firms.

There was also P36.1 billion of mainly financial transfers and payments especially for recapitalization of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, but also including various equity infusions or payments of financial obligations of government agencies, according to the group.

“The profile of the projects funded by DAP do not fit with either delivering services to the people or stimulating the economy.

The case of the DAP illustrates how the abuse of presidential powers and discretion makes hundreds of billions of pesos in public funds vulnerable to use for patronage and partisan politics and, at worst, corruption,” IBON said. ■ Lira Dalangin-Fernandez / InterAksyon.

com / July 18, 2014 / 6:37 PM

No power? No problem! 5 ways Pinoys recharged their devices in the middle of a Metro-wide blackout

TYPHOON Glenda left millions of Filipinos without electricity Tuesday and Wednesday, but ever-resourceful Pinoys found ways to keep their oh-so-critical devices charged.

Here are five ways Pinoys recharged their devices in the middle of a Metro-wide blackout.

1. Malls. People drove (ever so carefully) around a maze of broken branches and fallen trees to get to their nearest mall, to invade every cafe, restaurant, or establishment willing to lend (or sell) some juice. One beer house in SM Bicutan was

charging P40 per hour to let you plug into the wall socket - and, of course, you had to order something from the menu.

(Bonus: Most malls came with free wifi.

And aircon. Assuming you beat the crowd and managed to get in.)

Who didn’t think to go to the mall during the brownout?

2. Hallways (For condo dwellers only).

Residents of vertical villages spilled out of their respective units on Wednesday, taking over the few outlets in the common areas and corridors (just outside their neighbors’ doors), on the given that the hallways were

hooked up directly to the buildings’ backup generators.

Instagram user @beerloverinmanila was lucky that his condo had a generator.

3. Power banks. Thank you, corporate giveaways! Maraming salamat, friend, for that last-minute Christmas gift c/o CD-R King! And thank yourself for being in the habit of always keeping the things always charged. We predict a boom in sales (and appreciation) for that little extra weight in your bag that’s worth it, after all.

Instagram user @janine_sanyamarie stayed connected thanks to her power bank.

4. Other devices. How quickly we realize what’s most important to us.

Laptops vs smartphones? Have USB cable, will drain one for the other. Sorry, my trusty computer, but will resuscitate you when all’s good. For now, give it all up for the doall phone.

Good thing Instagram user @ ryanglodoviza’s laptop has a number of USB ports! Or else, bye-bye, iPad and iPhone!

5. Cars. Carbon monoxide poisoning aside, this was family-bonding time in the garage, or out in the street. But who are we

kidding? One car has, what, one, two USB ports? Dad and Mom first, then the kids. Or heck, why don’t we all just drive to the mall?

Low-batt? No problem! Instagram user @arlowithak just started his car and voila!

“Alternative source of power!” ■ InterAksyon. com / July 16, 2014 / 6:55 PM

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CELEBRITY, SHOWBIZ & ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

Soho retires as exec, remains Kapuso GMA Network Inc. announces the retirement of Jessica Soho after thirty (30) long years of loyal, dedicated and outstanding service as an employee and First Vice President for News Programs.

Jessica has served the network well in various capacities as a News Reporter up to 1988, Production News Manager (2000), Acting News Director (2002), Vice President for News (2004), Vice President for News Programs (2008) up to her last promotion last year (2013) as First VP for News Programs.

Under her leadership, GMA News became the leading and most credible broadcast news organization in the country with its premier newscast, 24 Oras ending competition’s ratings dominance shortly after it was launched in 2004.

SAKSI also became an even stronger brand through the years and continues to dominate in its timeslot.

Jessica also helped launch and establish all the other daily news programs on both GMA and GMA News TV as primary news sources in their time slots.

“I am most proud of the fact that under my watch, the credibility of GMA News became even stronger. Filipinos watch us because they know we can be trusted to deliver accurate, objective and balanced reporting because we have no political agenda or biases and we have consistently proven that through administrations, past and present.”

“We mean it when we say, walang kinikilingan. Walang pino-protektahan.

Serbisyong Totoo lamang, “ Jessica said.

Jessica is home-grown in GMA. “I am a Kapuso through the core of my being. I have worked with only one (1) network throughout my entire career because I truly believe in the network’s independence and professionalism,” she adds.

And although she is retiring from her news executive duties, Jessica stays on as a Kapuso talent as she continues to host her weekly primetime top-rated and award-winning news magazine programsKapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS) on GMA and BRIGADA on GMA News TV as well as anchor her nightly news program State of the Nation (SONA), also on GMA News TV. These programs – KMJS and SONA, recently helped win for GMA Network Inc. its fourth George Foster Peabody Award for its

coverage of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

SONA also recently won Silver Medal in the US International Film and TV Festival (USIFV) also for its coverage of Typhoon Yolanda.

BRIGADA was given the Gold Medal and for the first time for the network and the Philippines, the much-coveted One World Medal.

Jessica was also recently named Most Trusted News Presenter, for the fourth consecutive year, by Reader’s Digest.

“I can never thank the network enough for everything it has given me and my family. I especially thank all my mentorsmy bosses and cameramen in our old newsroom as well as my colleagues nowfellow managers, producers, reporters, talents and crews for the opportunity

to lead them. It has been a great honor and privilege working with the best in the industry,” Jessica said.

“Although I am retired from my position, I will always be a proud member of GMA News and Public Affairs, “ she adds. ■ GMA

GMA Network maintains top post in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila in June

GMA Network sealed the month of June on a positive note as it held on to its lead in Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, citing data from the industry’s most trusted ratings service provider, Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

Urban Luzon and Mega Manila represent 77% and 60%, respectively, of all urban TV households in the country.

For the period June 1 to 30 (with the dates of June 26 to 30 based on overnight data), GMA ruled in Urban Luzon with a 34.5% total day household audience share, surpassing ABS-CBN’s 32.7% by 1.8 points, and TV5’s 11.6% by 22.9 points.

GMA similarly maintained its lead in total day ratings in Mega Manila with a 35.9% household audience share, up 5.9 points from ABS-CBN’s 30% and up 23.2 points from TV5’s 12.7%. GMA bested ABS across all time blocks in Mega Manila.

Furthermore, GMA outnumbered ABS-CBN in the list of the most watched

programs (including specials) in both Urban Luzon and Mega Manila, totalling 18 and 20 (out of 30), respectively. Kapuso programs that figured prominently in both the Urban Luzon and Mega Manila lists include Magpakailanman, Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho, 24 Oras, My Love from the Star, Celebrity Bluff and Niño.

Likewise making it to both lists are newly launched programs My Destiny, Marian, Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real, and Ismol Family.

In over-all NUTAM, GMA grabbed the afternoon block lead from ABS-CBN with a 33.5% household audience share compared to the latter’s 31.9%.

GMA subscribes to the Nielsen TV Audience Measurement service, while ABSCBN is the lone local major TV network that subscribes to Kantar Media, formerly known as TNS. Nielsen data is gathered through a greater number of sampled homes nationwide in comparison to Kantar Media. ■ GMA

Ang Dalawang Mrs. Real main casts, Maricel Soriano, Dingdong Dantes and Lovi Poe

Niño main casts, Miguel Tanfelix and David Remo

Marian show by Marian Rivera

Tom Rodriguez and Carla Abellana

Kapuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera continues to shine Miss World Philippines 2014 signs contract with GMA Network THERE’S no denying that Kapuso Network’s Primetime Queen Marian Rivera is having the time of her life. Her stellar career continues to pan out with successful TV projects, major endorsement deals, and awards.

She recently earned an incredible feat, being hailed as Media Magnet of the Year at the launch of this year’s Yahoo! Celebrity Awards. The accolade distinguishes Marian as the most popular and most talked about figure in the entertainment industry.

Also, for the second straight year, Marian reigned supreme as she bagged FHM’s Sexiest Woman in the Philippines title.

This makes Marian the first one to win the coveted award three times. She snagged her first title in 2008. For this year, Marian earned more than 1.5 million votes – almost twice the number she got from last year.

“I feel so blessed sa mga recognition na ito, pero tulad ng lagi kong sinasabi noon, hindi ko makakamit ang lahat ng ito kung hindi dahil sa mga bumoto at patuloy na sumusuporta sa akin. Thank you sa Yahoo! at FHM dahil magsisilbing inspirasyon ang awards na ito na lalo kong pagbutihin ang aking trabaho, [I feel so blessed for having this kind of recognition, but as I always say, none of these would be possible without my loyal fans and supporters. I wish to thank Yahoo! and FHM for giving me the inspiration

to continuously shine and persevere as an artist.]” shares Marian.

As if these are not enough, Her Royal Beauty’s legion of fans also keeps growing as she continues to dazzle on and offcam. These days, Marian’s on-screen pursuits involve joining Jose Manalo, Paolo Ballesteros, and Wally Bayola in Eat Bulaga’s “Juan for All, All for Juan” segment, where she enjoys the privilege of visiting and helping some of the noontime show’s avid viewers.

Marian also keeps herself busy by flexing her choreography muscles in her primetime dance show. She ignites every Saturday night with her dancing prowess along with other renowned performers. Joining her are Christian Bautista, Paolo Ballesteros and Asia’s Pop Sweetheart Julie Anne San Jose. ■ GMA

PHILIPPINE broadcast industry giant GMA Network is the official media partner of Miss World Philippines 2014.

The contract signing was held on July 4 at the GMA Network Center and attended by the top officers of the Network.

Just like the pageants held in 2011 and 2013, Miss World Philippines partners with GMA Network again this year to stage and broadcast this prestigious event. Last year, the Philippines made a significant milestone as Megan Young was the first Filipino to be awarded the Miss World title.

“We’ve been partners with GMA from the beginning since 2011 and we feel that there’s

no better or stronger home for us than GMA,” says Miss World Philippines National Director Cory Quirino on having GMA as a media partner. “In 2011, we successfully launched the brand Miss World Philippines wherein we placed first runner-up. This 2014, Megan comes home to crown our queen. This will be the first time she will walk the Philippine stage as our very first Miss World. It will be very historic for us and we would like to share that history-making moment with GMA,” she adds.

Meanwhile, Gozon also expressed his gladness that GMA Network was chosen as Miss World Philippines 2014’s media partner.

“Our partnership with Miss World Philippines

is getting stronger and longer, and we are very glad that we are chosen again to be its partner. That’s why we are entrusted by Cory.

I’m sure she appreciated what we have done in the past.”

The Filipina who wins this coveted crown will be a shining example of the heart and soul of Filipino womanhood. The winner and her court will put her beauty to good use by caring for the marginalized women and children of the Philippines through various charities.

The 2014 Miss World Philippines Pageant will be held in September and viewed nationwide in the Kapuso Network and viewers all over the world. ■ GMA

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

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5 memorable moments in Jessie J’s Manila concert JESSIE J performs for her Filipino fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on June 14.

(Photo by Kris Rocha) Until typhoon Glenda got everyone’s attention with her scary, howling winds two days ago, Jessie J was pretty much the talk of the town early in the week. And for good reason.

Best known for the hits “Do it Like a Dude”, Price Tag” and “Domino”, the 26-year-old British dance diva delivered an unforgettable show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last June 14 that kept everyone on their feet from start to finish.

Just how unforgettable? Here are five big reasons why both Jessie and the fans that flocked to the Big Dome to see her had an absolute blast in her very first Manila concert. # 5 Her energy and wide-eyed enthusiasm. While Jessie lacked the flamboyance of Kesha and Lady Gaga, it was her infectious energy that made her so much fun to watch. Opening the show with the one-two punch of the rocking “Sexy

Lady” and the feet-stomping “Domino”, Jessie was a sight to behold when her towering frame wrapped in a glittering shade of pink took center stage and immediately got the crowd pumped up.

Except for the R&B ballads “Sweet Talker”, “Who You Are” and an acoustic medley that included a surprise reading of Oasis’ “Wonderwall”, Jessie sustained her seemingly surplus of energy throughout the set, much to the delight of the audience.

The Energizer bunny has nothing on this woman. #4 Her soaring voice. Even the most seasoned performers (i.e. J. Lo) can get pitchy when one doing one live show after another. But the quality of Jessie’s singing was surprisingly consistent, at least in her recent concert. Her voice particularly soared in the big hits “Wild” and “Laserlight” in which she encouraged the audience to sing along with her.

“It’s okay for you to sing out of tune. I’ll sing in tune,” she egged the crowd. And she kept her promise. She sung very much

in tune as if it was the first time she was performing the songs in her set list, many of which she had been singing since 2011. #3 Her ability to inspire the audience with her spiels. Saying that music saved her life, Jessie took pride of her humble beginnings that in between songs she delivered spiels that felt like motivational speeches. Her lengthy spiels that bordered on monologues were mostly about standing up for one’s self, ignoring the bullies and proclaiming that “it’s okay not to be okay”.

But her mostly female fans responded well to what The Guardian UK aptly describes as her “big sisterly kindness”. It also doesn’t hurt that her speaking voice, with that distinctive but not too heavy Brit accent was just as sexy as the one we hear warbling on her records. #2 Her willingness to share the spotlight with Morissette Amon. But just as Jessie was generous to share her thoughts to her fans, she was also more than happy to share the stage with at least one homegrown talent. Performing the power

ballad “Who You Are”, she called on “The Voice of the Philippines” finalist Morissette Amon to sing with her onstage.

The former TV5 star was more than up to the challenge as she held her own against Jessie’s powerhouse vocals. Belting the song to a lilting climax that brought cheers for both performers, Jessie was the one who sounded like a fan when she asked everyone to give a big hand to Morissette. #1 Her big hits and more. Of course, the hits are what the crowd came here for and they got more than a generous sprinkling of them in Jessie’s 15-song set. “Domino” and “It’s My Party” were pure perfection while a cover of Bruno Mars’ “Treasure” to extend “Calling All Hearts” early on was nicely done. Even little known gems like “Excuse My Rude” and “Ain’t Been Done” closed her set on an equally exuberant note.

Of course, Jessie J saved the big guns for last. “Do it Like a Dude” and “Price Tag”, which she finally unleashed during her encore, were certainly worth the wait.

The bitter aftertaste of Glenda

notwithstanding, Jessie J’s first Manila show provided enough highlight moments that should still linger in the consciousness until she returns for a return engagement. Here’s hoping she beats another killer typhoon to the punch when she does.

Jessie J’s studio albums, “Who You Are” and “Alive” are exclusively distributed under MCA Music (Universal Music Philippines) and are available for download digitally on SPINNR.PH and iTunes, or in CDs in all Astroplus | Astrovision and Odyssey stores nationwide. ■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / July 18, 2014 / 4:29 PM

Lav Diaz’s latest epic feature to compete at Locarno fest LAST year, maverick filmmaker Lav Diaz was the president of the jury for the films entered in the Concorso Internazionale or international competition of the 66th Locarno International Film Festival. His acclaimed epic sagas “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” and “Batang West Side”

were also screened in the Switzerlandbased filmfest.

This year, Diaz is back in Locarno with a new film, “Mula Sa Kung Ano ang Noon”.

But instead of being screened in exhibition, Diaz’s latest opus is actually competing at the Concorso internazionale section as the

A scene from Lav Diaz’s latest film, ‘Mula Sa Kung Ano ang Noon’.

director is no longer a member of the jury.

“Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon” is said to be the first full-length Filipino film to vie for the main competition at Locarno.

Clocking at more than five hours, Diaz’s latest is also eligible for the prestigious festival’s highest award, the Padro d’oro or Golden Leopard Grand Prize.

Having recently won the Grand Festival Prize at the recently conducted World Premieres Film Festival Philippines, it looks like “Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon” is on pace to duplicate the achievements of “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” in the international filmfest circuit.

Produced by the Film Development Council of the Philippines and Sine Olivia Pilipinas, Diaz’s film is set in the Philippines during 1972 when Martial Law was declared. In a remote barrio, strange things are happening. Wails are heard from the forest, cows are hacked to death, a man is found bleeding to death at the

crossroads and houses are burned.

Diaz said the title of the film was actually taken from the Latin phrase “a priori,” which is used in Western philosophy as knowledge independent of all particular experiences, an argument/ justification on the essentiality of truth that is easily gleaned even without empirical evidence. The filmmaker added that the story of the film revolves around the lives of poor villagers in one of the remotest regions of the Philippines before Martial Law was declared.

Loosely based on real events and characters, the film examines how an individual and collective psyche responds to extreme and mysterious changes in social and physical environment.

Among the film’s large cast of characters are Perry Dizon, Roeder Camañag, Hazel Orencio, Karenina Haniel, Reynan Abcede, Joel Saracho, Mailes Kanapi, Ian Lomongo, Noel Sto. Domingo,

Evelyn Vargas, Teng Mangansakan, Ching Valdes-Aran, Bambi Beltran, Dea Chua, Kristian Chua, Kim Perez and Kints Kintana.

Now on its 67th year, the Festival de film Locarno is one of the oldest film festivals in the world alongside Cannes and Venice. It has been dubbed as “a festival of discovery” as it takes pride in discovering new trends and launching the careers of numerous actors and directors.

Lasting for eleven days every August, it is held at the Swiss-Italian town of Locarno, considered as the world’s capital of auteur cinema. The 2013 festival presented over 219 feature films and 59 short to mid length films from 46 countries. It also attracted an audience of 162, 919 people from all over the world.

As announced during the official festival press conference last July 16, the 67th Locarno Film Festival is set to take place from August 6-16. ■ Edwin P. Sallan /

InterAksyon.com / July 18, 2014 / 12:15 AM

Kim Chiu leads in five categories in Yahoo! Celebrity Awards BARRING an avalanche of votes for her fellow nominees, it looks like Kim Chiu is on her way to become the big winner of the Yahoo! 2014 Celebrity Awards.

As voting for the annual fan-determined awards concludes on its final day this Saturday, July 12, the 24-year old ChineseFilipina actress enjoys a comfortable lead over her nearest rivals in the Celebrity of the Year (59 percent) and Actress of the Year (67 percent) categories.

Although Kim is not directly nominated in three other categories, her recent projects are figuring prominently in the Teleserye and Movie of the Year contests while one of her fan clubs is also grabbing a share of her spotlight. “Ikaw Lamang”, the ongoing ABS-CBN soap opera that she headlines with Coco Martin, Julia Montes and Jake Cuenca, is the runaway leader for Teleserye category (66 percent) while “Bride for Rent”, the Star Cinema romantic comedy she topbills with “special friend” Xian Lim also holds a commanding lead for Movie of the Year (74 percent).

KimXi, Kim and Xian’s official group of

die-hard fans, is currently in the driver’s seat for Fan Club of the Year (55 percent).

Kim and Xian won as Love Team of the Year for the last two years but the pair was not nominated this year. Instead, the unlikely tandem of Vice Ganda and Karylle is leading in this category (50 percent) with Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla (35 percent) hot on their trail.

The three other close races are for Female Emerging Star between Julia Barretto (40 percent) and Janella Salvador (37 percent); Female Performer between Sarah Geronimo (49) and Julie San Jose (45); and Female DJ between DJ Chacha (49) and last year’s winner, Nicole Hyala (47).

Other leaders enjoy comfortable cushions in their respective categories with last year’s winners Coco Martin (Actor of the Year), Papa Jack (Male DJ) and “TV Patrol” (News Program of the Year) likely to repeat.

Also leading their respective categories are Bea Binene and Jake Vargas (Celebrity Couple), Padilla Family (Celebrity Family), Vice Ganda (Social Media Star), JC de Vera (Male Emerging Star), Jake Cuenca (Male

Kontrabida), Jennylyn Mercado (Female Kontrabida), Andrea Brillantes (Child Star), Vhong Navarro (Male Host), Kris Aquino (Female Host), Jeron & Jeric Teng (Male Hothlete), Gretchen Ho (Female Hothlete), Bamboo (Male Performer), Parokya ni Edgar (Band of the Year), Yolanda Moon (Emerging Band), “Bakit Ngayon” by Julie Ann San Jose (Song of the Year), and 90.7 Love Radio (FM Radio Station).

Last year’s top winner, Marian Rivera is nominated in four categories, including Celebrity and Actress of the Year where she currently trails Kim. Even if Marian does not go on to win, she was already honored with the Yahoo! Media Magnet of the Year during the announcement of nominees last June 4.

Over 9 million online and SMS votes were cast for the 22 categories up for grabs in 2013. This year, that number has already been surpassed as over 9 million votes for 28 categories were already tallied after only three weeks of voting.

Voting activity was further enhanced by a campus tour featuring the newly introduced Yahoo-On-the-Road bus which showcased

the nominees for the Band of the Year and Emerging Band categories. Over 20,000 students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Lyceum of the Philippines University and the Far Eastern University not only interacted with the nominated bands and other featured performers but also took the time to cast their votes inside the bus.

Asked why the annual awards was renamed from Yahoo OMG! Awards to Yahoo Celebrity Awards starting this year, Nitin Mathur, senior director of marketing for Yahoo! Asia Pacific replied that the “new name better reflects what the Awards stands for.”

“We think it’s a more appropriate name since the awards are an extension of the Yahoo! Celebrity site which features rich, exciting content for entertainment enthusiasts,” Mathur told InterAksyon and other media during the final stop of the “Yahoo! On The Road” campus tour at FEU. Voting for nominees is open online at yahoo.com.ph/celebrityawards until July 12, 2014. Users may follow the awards on Twitter @yahooph #YahooAwards. The

Kim Chiu in a publicity photo for her evening soap, ‘Ikaw Lamang’.

winners will be announced at the awards night on July 18 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Tickets are available for free at SM Tickets.

■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / July 12, 2014 /

3:07 PM

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July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

‘On The Job’ wins big in FAMAS; ER, KC grab acting plums ERIK Matti’s acclaimed crime drama, “On The Job”, won six awards while “Boy Golden” took home five trophies, including the top acting honors, at the 62nd FAMAS Awards night held last Sunday at Solaire Resort & Casino.

“On The Job” won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing,

Best Story and Best Sound.

Although he did not win for his performance in the film, “On The Job” lead star Piolo Pascual was this year’s recipient of the prestigious FPJ Memorial Award, an honor that recognizes of his body of work.

Hot on the heels of its Star Awards sweep

Director Erik Matti poses with the six FAMAS trophies won by his film ‘On the Job’. Photo posted by Erik Matti on his Instagram page.

last March, “Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill” won five awards for Best Cinematography, Best Musical Score, Best Theme Song (“Midas”

by Abra), Best Actor (ER Ejercito) and Best Actress (KC Concepcion).

It’s the third straight FAMAS Best Actor Award for the former Laguna governor following wins in 2012 for “Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story” and in 2013 for his Emilio Aguinaldo biopic, “El Presidente”. ER also won Movie Actor of the Year in this year’s Star Awards also for “Boy Golden” and was this year’s honoree for the FAMAS Grand Award.

Meanwhile, this is the second straight Best Actress win for KC after also winning Movie Actress of the Year in the Star Awards. The wins of “Boy Golden” come as a vindication of sorts after the film was totally shut out of the 2013 Metro Manila Film Festival despite being nominated in 10 categories.

The MMFF’s big winner, the political thriller “10,000 Hours”, managed to win two awards for Best Supporting Actor (Pen Medina) and Best Supporting Actress (Bela Padilla).

Other winners include Adrian Cabido of “Lauriana” (Best Child Performer), the MMFF horror thriller “Pagpag” (Best Visual Effects) and the fantasy comedy, “Kung

Fu Divas” (Best Special Effects) which was also co-produced by Matti’s Reality Entertainment film outfit.

The complete list of winners: Best Picture – “On The Job” Best Actress – KC Concepcion, “Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill” Best Actor – ER Ejercito, “Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill” Best Director – Erik Matti, “On The Job” Best Supporting Actress – Bela Padilla, “10,000 Hours” Best Supporting Actor – Pen Medina “10,000 Hours” Best Child Performer – Adrian Cabido, “Lauriana” Best Screenplay – Erik Matti and Michiko Yamamoto, “On The Job” Best Cinematography – Carlo Mendoza, “Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill” Best Editing – Jay Halili, “On The Job” Best Story – Erik Matti and Michiko Yamamoto, “On The Job” Best Sound – Corrine de San Jose, “On The Job” Best Musical Score – Carmina Cuya, “Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill” Best Visual Effects – Blackburst, “Pagpag” Best Theme Song – Abra for the song, “Midas”, “Boy Golden: Shoot to Kill”

Best Special Effects – Dave Yu, “Kung Fu Divas Special Awards: Male Movie Star of the Night – Gerald Anderson Female Movie Star of the Night – Valerie Concepcion Calayan Male Celebrity of the Night – Gerald Anderson Calayan Female Celebrity of the Night – KC Concepcion FAMAS Grand Award – Jeorge Ejercito Estregan FPJ Memorial Award – Piolo Pascual Art Padua Memorial Award – Boy Abunda Dr. Jose Perez Memorial Award – Mario Dumaual Exemplary Award for Public Service – Engineer Felizardo Jun Sevilla Jr. Excellence Award in Criminal Justice Pao Jail Visitation Team/Legal, Medical Dental, Optical Mission – Chief Public Attorney Persida Rueda Acosta Presidential Award – Tzu Chi Foundation German Moreno Youth Achievement Award – Hiro Peralta, Ken Chan, Jerome Ponce, James Reid German Moreno Youth Achievement Award – Janine Gutierrez, Julia Barretto

■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / July 15, 2014

/ 11:10 AM

40th MMFF vows ‘bigger, better, bolder’ New Wave tilt

WHILE it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion that the next Metro Manila Film Festival will feature the same line-up of box office stars and familiar franchises from the last two to three years, those looking for films with artistic value may find solace in the festival’s increasingly popular “New Wave” edition.

Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman and MMFF overall chair Francis Tolentino recently announced that entries for Full Length, Animation, Student Shorts or Student Short Films, and Cinephone sections of the New Wave section are now being accepted at the MMDA office in Makati City.

Introduced in 2010, the MMFF’s New Wave section has added to the continued popularity of independent films that serve as a platform for aspiring student and indie filmmakers to showcase their talents.

Although not as prestigious as popular independent film festivals like Cinemalaya, Cinemanila, CineFilipino and the Film Development Council of the

Philippines’ Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival, the MMFF’s New Wave section has had its share of entries that have earned accolades outside of the MMFF. These include Jerrold Tarog’s “Senior Year” (2010) Adolfo Alix, Jr.’s “Haruo” (2011), Will Fredo’s “In Nomine Matris (2012), Tyrone Acierto’s “The Grave Bandits” (2012), Alvin Yapan’s “Mga Anino ng Kahapon” (2013) and Armando “Bing” Lao’s “Dukit” (2013). These films were also honored with wins or nominations by other award-giving bodies like the Gawad Urian and the Young Critics Circle.

Encouraged by these achievements, Tolentino promises a “bigger, better and bolder New Wave Section” for the MMFF’s 40th year.

For the Full Length category, entries must have a minimum total running time of 75 minutes and must have been completed from 2013 onwards. Deadline for submission is September 17.

Student Shorts, on the other hand, is open to student filmmakers from local

colleges and universities. Entries must have a maximum 20 minutes running time and must have been filmed within 2014.

Deadline for submission is October 4.

For the Animation category, entries must have a maximum total running time of 12 minutes and completed from 2013 onwards. Deadline for submission of entries is September 17.

The Cinephone competition, meanwhile, is a nationwide cellphone movie-making contest for high school and college students. This year’s theme is “Pagbangon Pagkatapos ng Kalamidad (Disaster Recovery/Rehabilitation)”.

Deadline for submission is October 4, with 60 videos to be selected as finalists.

Tolentino added the Full Length entry to be adjudged as Best Picture will receive a cash prize of P300,000. A “Special Jury” prize will also be awarded with P200,000 cash.

For Student Shorts, the Best Picture will receive P50,000 and P25,000 each for special awards while the Best Picture in the Animation section will be rewarded

A scene from ‘Dukit’, last year’s Best Picture winner in the MMFF New Wave section.

with a P100,000 cash prize.

Six winners in the Cinephone competition will each receive P25,000 plus paid internships from Viva Films, Scenema Concept, and Quantum Films, among others.

For more information on the MMFF’s New Wave competition, visit www.mmffnewwave.ph or www.mmda.gov.ph/mmff, www.facebook.com/metromanilafilmfest or twitter.com/mmfilmfest. ■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / July 14, 2014 / 9:33 PM

TV5 presents new game show ‘Quiet Please! Bawal ang Maingay’

Richard Gomez, host of ‘Quiet Please! Bawal ang Maingay’, and Howard Huntridge, senior executive producer of Freemantle Media.

TV5 is primed to take over your Sunday nights with its newest program, “Quiet Please! Bawal ang Maingay”, a comedy game show like no other.

Airing every Sunday at 8PM beginning August 10, “Quiet Please!” sets itself apart from the usual game shows on television with its unique and exciting concept.

Contestants must accomplish a series of timed challenges without setting off the giant noise-meter (an ultra-sensitive, noisemeasuring device that sounds an alarm when it reaches a certain noise level). Ultimately, the goal is to move as silently as possible through all the rounds—and with less noise, the contestants win bigger prizes!

“Bravely, what TV5 has done was to develop this idea alongside us and turn it into a program. So this is a groundbreaking program because it is the first real full show of this idea. The Philippines will also be the first country in the world to air this show by Freemantle,” shares Howard Huntridge, senior executive producer of Freemantle Media, the same studio that the Kapatid Network recently worked with in locally franchising the top-rating show “Killer Karaoke”.

Aside from the belly-aching fun and excitement that viewers will experience while watching the game show, they will also be treated to finally witnessing the

much-awaited return to television of one of Philippine showbiz’ ultimate heartthrobs.

Richard Gomez marks his game show comeback as the host of “Quiet Please!

Bawal ang Maingay”. Joining Goma as his co-host is sassy comedienne K Brosas, whose candid commentary and signature funny antics will definitely provide viewers the humor in the program.

Soon, viewers will definitely be treated to a whole different kind of entertainment with “Quiet Please! Bawal ang Maingay” making Sunday nights an even more enjoyable and exciting family affair, beginning August 5 at 8PM. ■ July 15, 2014 / 10:53 AM

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

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Nora Aunor may get National Artist nod again – after PNoy’s term

EVEN as fans of snubbed National Artist for Film nominee Nora Aunor have initiated a signature campaign to have her declared as the “Filipino People’s National Artist”, the legal counsel of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts which nominated

Nora Aunor wears a statement shirt in this photo with actor Gardo Versoza, her co-star in her Cinemalaya film ‘Hustiya’. Photo posted by Gardo Versoza on Facebook

the legendary actress for the honor said all is not lost for Ate Guy. “Ms. Aunor’s name may be re-submitted and she need not go through the [vetting] process again,” NCCA legal counsel Trixie Cruz-Angeles told InterAksyon on Thursday.

Angeles, however, added that nominations for the next batch of National Artists are not yet open and that “the selection process is conducted every two to three years”. That means the next batch would most likely be proclaimed by the next president as President Noynoy Aquino has only two years left on his term.

Aquino said he decided not to proclaim Aunor as National Artist because she was implicated in a drug case and served a sentence for it. This was quickly disputed by Nora’s lawyer, Atty. Claire Navarro Espina, who insisted that the actress was never convicted.

Meanwhile, senator and NCCA commissioner Pia Cayetano said the actress earned her nomination based on merit, and the issue of personal character was not part of the rules of the vetting process.

“The rules do not provide for the moral character ng tao na kasama sa decision. It was a collective decision at that time, at that level that regardless of your personal feeling about her involvement in drugs, hindi kasama sa rules yun. That was the decision that was made,” said Cayetano, who chairs the Senate committee on education, arts and culture.

However, Cayetano acknowledged that it was Aquino’s prerogative to consider moral grounds in approving the NCCA’s nomination.

Last June 23, NCCA chairman Felipe de Leon said in a letter to President Aquino distributed to Malacañang reporters that the NCCA and the CCP “fully respect your authority to exclude any nominee for the award if it is in the national interest. Indeed, we are happy that we have a new set of National Artists.”

Asked if the NCCA has any plans of reviewing its nomination criteria for National Artist as a result of Aunor’s controversial snub, Angeles said “the NCCA always conducts a review of its procedures with

every batch and does assessments and analysis.”

The lawyer added that although Aunor need not go through the selection process should her name be re-submitted for nomination, others like the late Comedy King Dolphy and even the four controversial artists (Carlo J. Caparas, Cecille GuidoteAlvarez, architect Francisco Mañosa and fashion designer Pitoy Moreno) named National Artist by former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may all still be nominated.

“Those who were nominated before but did not pass may also be nominated again.

The four who were inserted by Mrs. Arroyo may all still be nominated. Dolphy has not yet passed the process,” Angeles said.

Dolphy’s family, however, is not interested in aggressively pursuing his nomination for National Artist. But should there be a clamor for it, the Quizons will be appreciative of fans who would initiate it. The late actorcomedian had been nominated when he was still alive back in 2009 but was denied by the selection committee.

“I don’t think our family is interested to push or go against that. We don’t want people to think we are lobbying for the award. Let’s just let it run its course. I know my dad’s fine wherever he is, and I bet, is being rewarded handsomely for what he did in his lifetime,” said son Ronnie Quizon.

Ronnie and brothers Eric and Epy Quizon have publicly stated that Aunor is unfairly denied of the honor she deserved. Epy even went on as far as saying that the actress is not only a national artist but a national treasure.

Meanwhile, the “People’s Acclamation to Declare Nora Aunor as National Artist” at Change.org has so far elicited 1,710 signatures online. The convenors of the Nora Aunor for National Artist Movement, which initiated the campaign, said the people’s declaration of Aunor as National Artist will be made official once they gathered one million signatures.

In earlier reports, Angeles was quoted as saying that the NCCA is not part of the signature campaign. ■ Edwin P. Sallan and Ernie Reyes / InterAksyon.com / July 11, 2014 / 8:15 AM

Trailer of disaster flick ‘Into The Storm’ horrifies Tacloban moviegoers EIGHT months after killer typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) claimed over 6,000 lives and left a trail of destruction in its wake, its survivors are still trying to pick up the pieces even as they continue to mourn the loss of their loved ones.

So when one of the malls at Tacloban City in Leyte recently re-opened its cinemas, the people of one of Yolanda’s hardest-hit provinces were very welcoming.

“It’s great that Robinsons Place Tacloban opened the cinemas again, and now we can watch movies in all their digital glory,” Tacloban native Aaron Almadro posted on his Facebook page on Sunday.

Almadro started his career in media with ABS-CBN Publishing in 2006 before relocating back to his hometown in 2010 where in addition to operating his own travel and lifestyle magazine, he is also a marketing manager at Nissan and a tourism consultant of the local government.

Almadro — who lost both of his parents in the storm surge that swept Tacloban on the black Friday morning of November 8 — is still in mourning. As some sort of silver lining, he recently announced his engagement to Daisy Polistico, his girlfriend of four years.

Last Saturday, Aaron and his fiancée

went to Robinsons to watch “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” “But instead of getting giddy that it was about to start, we had the shock of our lives,” Almadro said as he revealed that the trailer for an upcoming Hollywod disaster flick was first shown.

“Robinsons, I know that it seems that Super Typhoon Yolanda happened ages ago, but it’s been only a few months. Why on earth would you show a trailer of INTO THE STORM, a movie of, well, tornadoes and storms!??? My heart skipped a beat when the roaring winds, flying roofs, houses ripped off their foundations, rushing water, and people shouting and crying were shown. It was all too familiar to all of us. The whole movie house went dead silent,” he posted further, clearly articulating his outrage at what he still could not believe he had just seen.

“Sobrang trauma makakita ng ganun uli. Hindi na nga ako nanonood ng mga documentaries or old news about Yolanda,” he admitted in a subsequent interview with InterAksyon.

Scheduled to open in theaters nationwide this August, “Into the Storm” is described as a “found footage” disaster movie about a group of high school students who document the events and

aftermath of a Category 6 tornado. It is also the latest in a long line of big budget disaster flicks that many moviegoers look forward to.

But in the same manner that certain films should never be shown on commercial flights, there are certain disaster flicks that resonate too close to home.

While some of these types of films offer more than sheer popcorn value and depict survivors in compelling and even heroic fashion as in the case of the tsunami dramas “Hereafter” and “The Impossible”, people who have actually survived similar catastrophes may not be ready to relive their nightmare on the big screen.

In the cases of the Yolanda survivors, they may never be. For this reason, Almadro is appealing to the management of Robinsons not to show the film in Tacloban as the trailer alone is unnerving enough.

“We lost lives, family members, homes during Yolanda. Instead of forgetting the horrors of the past by watching a good movie, it all came rushing back. Please be sensitive, we may be a strong bunch of people, but don’t you dare show movies like that in Tacloban. Ever,” he said. ■ Edwin

P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / July 14, 2014 / 8:18 AM

A scene from ‘Into the Storm’.

Yolanda survivor Aaron Almadro (extreme right) with brother Carlo Mark and fiance Daisy Polistico. Photo posted by Aaron Almadro on his Facebook page.

Former Pinay child star Josephine ‘Banig’ Roberto back after long hiatus

BEFORE young stars Charice Pempengco, Sarah Geronimo, Jessica Sanchez, and all the rest of the kid belters and YouTube sensations, there was a little Filipina girl named Josephine ‘Banig’ Roberto, who wowed Filipinos from all over the world with so much pride and joy.

After a long hiatus, she is back with her special concert titled “Unplugged Series” at the world renowned GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live on Sat. July 19, 2014 at 7 p.m., where major music artists such as Lady Gaga, Seal, Stevie Wonder, John Legend, Imagine Dragons, Lifehouse, Michael Bolton and many more, have

once staged their intimate performances.

As all the new young talents come and go in the entertainment business, Josephine Roberto, a.k.a. Banig, never left the hearts of the audience who have followed her career for years.

Banig won the International Star Search competition representing the Philippines. She graced memorable performances on several TV shows in the U.S. such as The Arsenio Hall Show, Into the Night with Rick Dees, Maury Povich Show, Good Day LA, just to name a few.

She headlined major solo concerts at landmark venues such as The Hollywood Palladium, Wiltern Theater, Trump Taj

Mahal and the list goes on and on. Her last two albums “Silent Whispers” & “Josephine Roberto” were released in the U.S. and included three of her singles, “Boogie on the Dance Floor,” “Walk” and her very 1st U.S. released Tagalog single, “Igalaw Natin,” which charted on trade publications CMJ and DJ Times.

What is evident is that the child wonder never failed to leave the hearts and minds of Filipinos who have watched her powerful performances since the young age of eight when she joined Ang Bagong Kampeon. She was dubbed as the young Whitney, Mariah, Tina and Janet. This kid became a household

name not only in the Philippines but to different nationalities who witnessed her powerhouse performances in the U.S. She’s all grown up but her talent never faded. In fact, she is more equipped in showing the world the skills and experience of what it really takes to be a world-class entertainer. Most will always remember her as little Banig, but now introduced by her real name, Josephine Roberto. As a special treat, she will also unveil her latest music video for her upcoming single “He Wants To Get It.” For tickets, visit josephineroberto.com or doubleplayent.com. ■ GMA / July 14, 2014 / 12:06 PM

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July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

Mel Sta. Maria: Understanding The President’s Response to the SC’s DAP Ruling ONE of my favorite jurists, former United States Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. said: “The genius of the Constitution rests not in any static meaning it might have had in a world that is dead and gone, but in the adaptability of its great principles to cope with current problems and current needs.”

That is the reason why it is very important to always test the limits of the Constitution in a democracy. Its meaning, significance, application and relevance cannot be frozen in time. They must be able to respond adequately to the changing times and new situations resulting from both human-made and natural causes. It cannot always be the same paradigm all the time. As Justice Brenan said the “great principles” of the Constitution must “cope with the current problems and current needs.”

And testing the limits of the Constitution to answer the challenges of the times rests mostly on the executive department for it is this great branch that deals with the country’s daily concerns. It is dutybound to constantly search for solutions to skyrocketing prices of food, gasoline, transportation, and education, to problems of peace and order and even foreign aggression on our soil. In times of calamities, it must act with celerity to save lives and properties and, eventually, to rebuild what has been destroyed. In this fastpaced and modern world, decisions, if not made immediately, may prove irrevocably damaging to the lives and properties of our fellow citizens -- like looking for immediate and available resources to be spent to evacuate our OFWs whose lives are in danger in war-torn Middle East.

No other branch of government faces greater urgency and responsibility. Both the Judiciary and Congress’ mandates require thorough deliberations and therefore necessitate a reasonable degree of time spent before coming up with a decision or legislation. It is the Executive which has to grapple with the daily challenges of the phrase “time is of the essence.” It does not have the luxury of delays.

But, even in the face of the enormous problems of our country, the desire of any President, including President Benigno Aquino III, to remedy them will not always be proportionate to what is achievable.

As I have said in my previous articles, the country’s problems are extremely difficult, the responsibilities so great and yet when

we examine the president’s powers, they are not limitless.

As Theodore C. Sorensen, the special adviser to the late President John F. Kennedy, observed, a president “is free to choose only 1.) within the limits of permissibility; 2.) within the limits of available resources; 3.) within the limits of available time; 4.) within the limits of previous commitments; 5.) within the limits of available information.”

Sorensen further adds: “The President of our democracy must contend with powerful pressures of public opinion, with co-equal branches of the government, and with a free and critical press.”

It is in this light that I understand the disappointment and frustration of the President when the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional certain acts and practices of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). His flexibility has been effectively clipped. His quick-reaction time to remedy problems, especially the unexpected ones needing necessary funding, all but disappeared. He has been legally crippled by another branch of government in certain respects. For example, a desire to immediately subsidize the rising cost of gasoline so that jeepney drivers need not ask for a fare increase which will ultimately benefit the commuters cannot now be achieved by the President by getting money in a department, no matter how idle and incipiently unused those millions of pesos may be. Said money is not “savings” as jurisprudentially determined.

Moreover, some sectors have questioned the President and the DAP implementers on their intentions -- were they in good faith or bad faith? Good faith is simply the absence of malice. In law, this can arise from two situations: the first is from a “mistake of fact” and the second from “difficult questions of law.” For example, a woman honestly believed that she married a single man who turned out to be married -- that is a mistake of fact for which the woman cannot be guilty of bigamy. But then again, after incriminating evidence has been shown, honest belief must be subject to proof.

On “difficult questions of law”, the question on the DAP is a good example.

The issue reached the Supreme Court. The petitioners and the Office of the Solicitor General put forth very good and plausible arguments. There was no easy answer considering the seemingly conflicting laws

and relevant provisions of the Constitution involved. It was a difficult issue but a decision had to be made. And when the Supreme Court decided, one party turned out to be in error and the other correct. It does not necessarily mean though that the one in error committed the acts with malevolent intent. Bad faith must always be proven by convincing independent evidence. And even now, still a good point of discussion that highlights the complexity of the problem is whether certain sections of the Revised Administrative Code relied upon by the executive are still effective or not.

Then, you have the call for impeachment of the President on the ground of “culpable violation” of the Constitution. I believe that this call is tenuous at best. The law mandates that not only should there be a “violation”, but it must also be “culpable”.

Again, constitutional culpability connotes a malicious intent and a pre-meditated conduct to injure the people. Arrayed in the Constitution along other very serious ground such as treason, high crimes, bribery, graft and corruption, betrayal of public trust, “culpable violation” cannot have any other import.

At this point, I do not think that the violation of the President, if any, has reached that level unless convincing evidence is shown. Indeed, certain sectors, especially the opposition, suspect that the money given to the senators were bribes to oust Chief Justice Corona. The thought may be plausible but accusations and suspicions are, still, not evidence. As I recall, between the former Chief Justice’s admitted dollar accounts, then his “walk out” and the Senators’ reaction to such behavior, few doubted then that an impeachment vote could not be reached.

As to the president’s advisers, the defense of good faith may not make them criminals, but, considering their positions, the enormity of the problem and the magnitude of the mistake, public interest must always outweigh any claim of good faith, even if it were true. And public interest dictates that the people must always feel secure that, in their government, correct advice on significant aspect of governance is always forthcoming and that their tax money is well spent. A costly mistake in advice, even in the presence of clear convincing proof of good faith, may be

enough to tell the adviser “good luck in your future endeavor, thank you for your loyalty and service to the country, but it is time to go.” A hard, nay painful, decision for the President but a decision, nevertheless, that comes with the great responsibilities of the office. But in the end, it’s the President call, which again can open up serious debate.

Lastly, what about the President’s strong remarks directed against the Supreme Court in his July 14, 2014 speech? I stated earlier that I can understand his frustration with the decision. However, as I listened to the President’s speech, my initial reaction was why should it be so blunt and so combative?

A President’s demeanor in expressing displeasure on a co-equal body should be more circumspect and “stately”. Although we can take comfort in the President’s mention of due process and the filing of a motion for reconsideration, challenges, not only to jurisprudence, but to the rule of law itself, though merely perceived, are always a concern.

But as I continue processing the event and the speech in my mind, I thought that, in our constitutional system of checksand-balances, there is also wisdom to sternly warn another branch of an actual or possible intrusion that is believed to be against legitimate policies. Tasked with solving the daily concerns of the nation, any President, as Theodore Sorensen said, need not be modest for, in the end, “no one else sits where he sits or knows all that he knows.”

Sorensen adds: “Consequently, selfconfidence and self-esteem are more important than modesty. The nation selects its President, at least in part, for his philosophy and his judgment and his

conscientious conviction of what is right -- and he need not hesitate to apply them.

He must believe in his objectives. He must assert his own priorities. And he must strive always to preserve the power and prestige of his office, the availability of his options, and the long-range interest of the nation.”

Some Justices of the Supreme Court, on the other hand, are not at all blameless. It will also do well for some of them to show respect to the President and his cabinet by exercising more restraint in their use of words, preventing any insinuation of executive bad faith prior to any actual and concrete findings based on credible evidence as to the same. Wittingly or unwittingly, sufficient provocation might have been made by their language prompting the President to respond with snarky remarks to bring home his point.

Ultimately, President Aquino alone, more than the Supreme Court or the Legislature, will be accountable for the fortunes or misfortunes of the Filipino people during this period. The burden is heavy. And if he is checked by the Supreme Court, the “checking” might not be necessarily correct, but, in our system of government, it will be institutionally final.

President Aquino has to take it on the chin, move on, and search continually for other novel and legal ways to respond to the nation’s problems. This setback should not deter him from again legitimately testing the boundaries of the Constitution in this fastchanging and fast-moving world. And the President should do so again and again and again. Otherwise, the nation will be stuck in a condition of stagnancy more damaging to the country. ■ Mel Sta. Maria / July 16, 2014 / 8:36 AM

Marcos redux? PNoy’s defiance on DAP hints Court ofturnlooming autocracy - Joker down the government’s motion policy statement,” he said.

MANILA – President Benigno Aquino III’s belligerence in the face of the Supreme Court decision on the Disbursement Acceleration Program has stirred memories of the dictatorship his parents fought to

Former Senator Joker Arroyo

bring down, one of those who stood by them in that struggle said Tuesday.

Former Senator Joker Arroyo said it appeared to him that Aquino intends to discredit the judiciary and render it impotent, tighten his control of Congress and make himself supreme.

Arroyo made his name as a human rights lawyer during the dictatorship of the late Ferdinand Marcos, defending Aquino’s father, opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., against charges of murder, subversion and illegal possession of firearms and, after Marcos fell in 1986, became executive secretary of then President Corazon Aquino, mother of the incumbent.

He stressed that, “by his oath of office, the President is duty bound to preserved

and defend the Constitution.”

Yet, in an address to the nation on primetime television Monday, Aquino not only defended the DAP, key provisions of which the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional, he also unleashed a scathing attack against the tribunal and its decision even as he said the government would file a motion for reconsideration.

“The President does not question that power of the Supreme Court, but questions the Justices’ collective capacity and integrity to exercise that power,” Arroyo said.

“Goodbye, Constitution. Hurrah to President Autocracy,” he said.

“What if the Supreme Court does not reconsider its 13-0 unanimous decision on DAP? What will the President do?” he asked.

“Is the President saying that if the High

for reconsideration, the government will not comply with the original decision?”

“If the President carries out his threat, that would dismantle the balance of power under the Constitution, which is anchored on the co-equality of the three branches -- the executive, the legislative and the judiciary,” he lamented.

“If the President expresses lack of faith in the Supreme Court, who will? It has no armed forces to protect itself, or the police to enforce its judgments,” he added.

He said Aquino’s address “practically declared a state of war with the High Tribunal in a conflict of high and emotional drama beamed nationwide.”

“What cannot be overlooked is that when the President speaks, he makes a

Encircling the SC. Arroyo noted that even before Aquino’s address, the administration had already mounted a massive encirclement of the high court, beginning with threats by administration allies in Congress to scrap the Judicial Development Fund, a move he said could emasculate the judiciary by stripping it of its constitutionally guaranteed fiscal autonomy.

He also cited the Commission on Audit’s publicizing the earnings of the individual justices, a move he said was intended to embarrass them and a recently issued Bureau of Internal Revenue memorandum to tax a hitherto tax-free wage increase for judicial employees under the JDF. ■ Ernie Reyes / InterAksyon.com / July 15, 2014 / 6:19 PM

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY NEWS AROUND THE WORLD

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Overseas Voter Registration Breaches One Million Mark for the First Time

THE Department of Foreign Affairs, Overseas Voting Secretariat (DFA-OVS), announced today, July 11, that for the first time in the eleven-year electoral history of Philippine overseas voting, overseas voter registration (OVR) breaches the one million mark.

“The preparations by the Department and the Commission on Elections led to a successful start for the registration process,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario said in a letter.

“The challenge for OV registration is to maintain the momentum by keeping the overseas Filipinos interested and engaged in this democratic process,” Secretary Del Rosario further said.

During the second month (June) of OVR in preparation for the 2016 presidential elections, the Foreign Service Posts (FSPs)

processed 20,039 new OVR applications.

This is a 7.5% increase from the recordbreaking performance (18,631) of last May, bringing the two-month total to 38,670.

When added to the existing accumulated overseas voter stock of 975,263, the onemillion registered overseas voter mark is broken by the total of 1,013,933.

Also in June, the first Overseas Voter Registration Center (OVRC) in the Philippines for this election cycle was opened at the Office of Consular Affairs (OCA), Macapagal Avenue, ASEANA Business Park. Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), immigrants, and seafarers who are about to leave for abroad, and who are not yet registered as overseas voters, may now register at this newly launched facility. In addition, these registrants no longer have to set an appointment to apply for renewal

of passport. Their OVR stub will allow them access to the Passport Division’s Courtesy Lane.

“At the current pace of registration, we could have an overseas voter stock of over two million for the 2016 presidential elections. Attaining this goal can definitely be a game changer,” said DFA Undersecretary for Civil Security and Consular Concerns and DFA-OVS Chairman Rafael S. Seguis. The DFA-OVS, together with the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), has set an ambitious, but statistically attainable, goal of one million new overseas Filipino voter registrants for the registration period covering 06 May 2014 to 31 October 2015.

A challenge confronting the FSPs is aging voter registration equipment which constantly malfunction. The equipment was provided by the COMELEC during the

previous election cycles. DFA-OVS is closely coordinating with the COMELEC on how to address the situation. Both the Secretariat and the Commission are confident that a solution is at hand, despite the meager resources available to the COMELEC for overseas voter activities since it is not an election year.

The top ten performing Foreign Service Posts for the month of June are: Dubai (2,216); Toronto (1,373); San Francisco (1,299); Abu Dhabi (1,161); Kuwait (1,031); Los Angeles (989); Jeddah (941); New York (847); Singapore (787); and Milan (764).

All Filipino citizens who expect to be abroad during the thirty day (09 April – 09 May 2016) overseas voting period for the 2016 presidential elections, at least 18 years old on 09 May 2016, and not otherwise disqualified by law, may register

as an overseas voter, at all Philippine Foreign Service Posts including the three (3) Manila Economic and Cultural Offices (MECO), Office of Consular Affairs, Macapagal Ave., ASEANA Business Park, and at other COMELEC approved registration centers within or outside the Philippines. An updated list of registration centers may be viewed on www.dfa-oavs.gov.ph or www.comelec.gov. ph. ■ Philippines Embassy Manila / July 14, 2014

Philippines welcomes us senate resolution on maritime security WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Philippines welcomed a United States Senate resolution urging Beijing and other parties

to the Declaration of Conduct in the South China Sea not to undertake new unilateral attempts to change the status quo prevailing

in the disputed areas since 2002.

The Philippine Embassy said Resolution 412, which was passed by the Senate last Thursday, also reaffirmed Washington’s strong support for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and, more importantly, its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines.

In his report to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario, Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said the resolution, was introduced

by Sen. Robert Menendez (Democrat, New Jersey), Chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and co-sponsored by Senators Marco Rubio (Republican Florida), Ben Cardin (Democrat, Maryland), John McCain (Republican, Arizona), James Risch

(Republican, Idaho), and Patrick Leahy (Democrat, Vermont).

“We welcome the passage of Senate Resolution 412 and express our gratitude to Chairman Menendez and his colleagues in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for their support of the Philippine position,” Ambassador Cuisia said.

The resolution also “urged all parties to refrain from engaging in destabilizing activities, including illegal occupation or efforts to unlawfully assert administration over disputed claims and ensure that disputes are managed without intimidation, coercion, or force.”

In its resolution, the US Senate said Manila properly exercised its rights to

peaceful settlement mechanisms in filing an arbitration case against China and expressed hope that Beijing abides by the ruling.

The resolution, which came a few weeks after Manila protested the reclamation activities being undertaken by China in other disputed areas in the South China Sea, also reaffirmed the strong support of the US Government for freedom of navigation and other internationally lawful uses of sea and airspace in the Asia-Pacific region.

Ambassador Cuisia also noted that said Senate Resolution 412 reaffirmed US long standing policy on Article 5 of the PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty. ■ Philippine Embassy U.S. July 14, 2014

Us firms eye Philippine partners for modern agritech applications

GAINESVILLE, Florida—The positive economic developments in the Philippines has elicited strong interest from a number of American companies and institutions in Florida to collaborate with counterparts in the Philippines on modern technological applications, particularly in agriculture.

“We welcome the interest of companies and universities to collaborate with Philippine institutions in the field of agricultural science and technology,”Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia,

Jr. said in his report to the Department of Foreign Affairs on the recent economic diplomacy mission to Florida that he led.

“We see these as steps toward realizing a modernized smallholder agriculture and fishery sector, a diversified rural economy that is dynamic, technologically advanced and internationally competitive,” Ambassador Cuisia said in his report to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario.

Ambassador Cuisia said BioTork, a

PHL Ambassador to Italy Meets with International Development Law Organization Director in Rome PHILIPPINE Ambassador to Italy Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. met with International Development Law Organization (IDLO) Director General Irene Khan on July 4 to discuss the possible collaboration between the Philippine Government and IDLO including capacity building in disaster

response and climate change adaptation and mitigation, among others.

Director General Khan informed the Ambassador that IDLO will be sending a team to the Philippines in August this year to conduct a scoping mission to explore programs which can be initiated particularly in the above mentioned areas.

Ambassador Reyes provided Director General Khan with an update on the Philippine Peace Process particularly the implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. The Ambassador proposed that IDLO consider projects in Mindanao.

IDLO, based in Rome, is an intergovernmental organization with the mandate to promote the rule of law. IDLO works in the areas of rule of law, justice, peace and democracy, social development and sustainability. ■ Philippine Embassy Manila / July 15, 2014

Gainesville-based company, wants to work with a Philippine laboratory that will validate its technology of producing highvalue fish feed from molasses with the use of its patented microorganisms.

He said Biotork is also interested in having a joint venture with a Philippine company that can adapt its technology into existing fermentation infrastructure and capacity.

Agriculture Attaché Dr. Josyline Javelosa, who accompanied Ambassador Cuisia in the mission, said the Department of Agriculture will link BioTork with the University of the Philippines at Los Baños and the sugar industry for the simultaneous validation of this technology as applied to molasses produced in Philippine sugar mills.

“The University of Florida’s Center for Renewable Chemicals and Fuels has also

welcomed potential collaboration with Philippine research institutions such as on biofuel production from sugar bagasse, said Javelosa.

Another institution of the University of Florida, the internationally-acclaimed Sid Martin Biotechnology Incubator has welcomed to share its successful experience , in commercializing bioscience research, Javelosa added.

According to Director Patti Breedlove, a key factor in the success of the incubator is the strong entrepreneurial spirit that supports commercialization of solid technology produced by topnotch research capabilities and facilities.

Ambassador Cuisia and Javelosa, along with Commercial Counselor Maria Roseni Alvero also met with an official of Altavian, another Gainesville-based company, who proposed the use of their small unmanned

The Embassy’s Economic Outreach team led by Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. visited the University of Florida’s Center for Renewable Chemicals and Fuels.

aircraft systems to help Filipino farmers establish agricultural mapping services to address crop production issues, conduct survey-grade mapping of mining and construction operations and develop high resolution imagery for smaller islands around the Philippines.

In Miami, the Florida International University’s International Hurricane Research Center has also expressed interest in collaborating with Philippine institutions on storm surge modeling, according to Javelosa.

“The common interest is to minimize the impact of Florida’s hurricanes and Philippine typhoons on agriculture and surrounding communities in general and to provide an opportunity to bring researchers together to come up with solutions,” Javelosa said. ■ Philippine Embassy U.S. July 11,

2014

Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. was accompanied by Trade Representative Maria Roseni Alvero and Agricultural Attache Josyline Javelosa during the Economic Outreach in Florida. Philippine Embassy U.S.

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PNoy’s defense of DAP flawed – Fr. Bernas PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III’s defense of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) was flawed, constitution expert Fr. Joaquin Bernas said, as it depended on the Administrative Code of the Philippines for its legality, despite the code being superseded by the 1987 Constitution.

In an interview on GMA News’ TV’ “State of the Nation with Jessica Soho” Tuesday evening, Bernas explained that the Administrative Code was an executive order issued by then-President Corazon Aquino before the 1987 Constitution was promulgated.

“Anything that happened before the Constitution was promulgated, they are valid until you find out that it is in conflict with some provisions of the Constitution, and this is what happened here,” Bernas, who was among those who drafted the 1987 Constitution, said.

In a nationwide televised address on Monday, Aquino argued that Section 39 Chapter 5, Book VI of the Administrative Code of the Philippines gave the president the authority to transfer government funds

between programs and projects of any department, office or agency.

“Hayagang binibigyan ng kapangyarihan ang Pangulo na maglipat ng savings sa ibang proyekto. Walang nakasaad na limitado sa isang departamento o sangay ng gobyerno ang paglilipat ng savings,” Aquino said.

Bernas, however, countered that the Supreme Court was correct in its interpretation of the Constitution when it declared certain acts of the DAP as unconstitutional.

Among the practices under DAP that were struck down were the declaration of unobligated and unprogrammed funds as “savings”, the “cross-border” transfer of savings between the executive branch and the other branches of the government, and the funding of projects not stated in the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Bernas said that Article VI, Section 25 (5), of the 1987 Constitution clearly stated that the President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

were not allowed to transfer funds from their departments to the other branches of government.

The power to augment. In a separate interview, former SC Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban said that although the President was allowed to transfer or augment funds, this power was limited to the agencies under the executive department.

Panganiban also said that there should be a clear mechanism in the transfer of savings among the executive branch’s departments.

“The President [Aquino] merely exercised his power of augmentation. In the exercise,

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

certain acts were declared unconstitutional because some requirements of the Constitution were not followed. The DAP itself and the power to augment are not unconstitutional,” Panganiban said.

Meanwhile, former University of the Philippines College of Law dean Pacifico Agabin said that the tone of Aquino’s speech hinted at a move towards Charter change.

In his speech, Aquino said, “Ayaw nating umabot pa sa puntong nagbabanggaan ang dalawang magkapantay na sangay ng gobyerno kung saan kailangan pang mamagitan ng ikatlong sangay ng gobyerno.”

Aquino was referring to Congress as the third branch of the government.

Agabin said that as the legislative branch of the government, the Congress could amend certain provisions of the Constitution to give legal basis for the implementation of the DAP. “What the Congress can do is to constitute itself as a Constitutional Convention to amend the Constitution, so as to amend that portion of the Constitution which stipulates that the power to appropriate public funds lies in Congress,” Agabin said. ■ Elizabeth Marcelo / DVM, GMA News / July 16, 2014 / 2:07AM

Jessica Zafra: ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ - Liberated by Disco

WE caught the second-to-the-last show of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at Resorts World Manila, and were much impressed by the production. A good time is had by all, though we wished we could hear what the nuns across the aisle were saying during the scene where someone fires ping-pong balls out of someplace mentioned in the RH bill. The technical aspects - production design, costume, make-up, lights, sound: excellent. The band: solid.

The actors who play the drag queens

are the stars, but the music carries the show, and the show would not exist without the Divas who bring the disco hits of Gloria Gaynor and company to life. Timmy Canlas, Lani Ligot, and especially Bituin Escalante her voice is a time machine to the Seventies, someone call Giorgio Moroder.

It is dangerous to open any show with Michael Williams playing Tina Turner singing “What’s Love Got To Do With It” - it makes the audience want more of Michael playing Tina, maybe “Better Be Good To Me”

or “Private Dancer”. But then he disappears, leaving us bereft.

Fortunately this does not last long. We meet the first queen: Leo Tavarro Valdez as Tick/Mitzi, who embarks on the road trip to distance Alice Springs to see his little son.

Yes, drag queens can be fathers. Now we love Priscilla the bus, and road trips are fun, but couldn’t they save the two weeks of travel and take the plane?

Then again, there would be no plot.

Tick convinces the retired Bernadette (Jon Santos) and ambitious young queen Adam/Felicia (Red Concepcion) to join him - of course they snipe at each other, but soon they are on the bus. Priscilla begins in Sydney then travels to the outback, but the only actor with an Australian accent is an aborigine tour guide, which is funny.

Speaking of accents, we were distracted

by Leo Valdez’s, which sounds like he was doing an impression of Sir Ian McKellen in the TV comedy Vicious. As Gandalf fans know, one does not simply imitate Sir Ian. You shall not pass.

Jon Santos plays Bernadette as a lady reminiscent of Patrick Swayze’s Vida Boheme in To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar, the pallid Hollywood remake of Priscilla, so we got a

little confused. But Jon Santos is a pleasure to watch - maybe in future shows he could do Bernadette as Ate Vi with a touch of Sylvia La Torre? Red Concepcion has the most physically-taxing role as the obnoxious Felicia, and his energy level is astounding.

When the movie The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert was shown in Manila, it got some flak for one of the characters - a Filipino mail-order bride who used to perform in a club, playing ping-pong without a regulation paddle.

We cannot deny that there are mail-order brides and exotic club performers from the Philippines, so any protest would be toothless, but surely in a Filipino production showing in the Philippines that character could be changed somewhat? She spoke a lot of Tagalog in the show, mostly to insult her Australian husband without his being aware of it. And I admit that we do this a lot when talking about foreigners, but it was strange because she was surrounded by other Filipino actors speaking English and feigning ignorance of Tagalog. It’s not offensive exactly, but it’s weird.

Later, as audience members got out of their seats to dance, I wondered why much as I enjoyed the show, I wasn’t more into Priscilla. Then it occurred to me

that I already hang out with gay men who express themselves through disco. One of my friends has every single Donna Summer recording, including remixes; I could listen to her on my iPod nonstop for three days.

Disco is not some retro thing to us; it is an essential part of our childhood that we’ve never discarded, even if during the indie rock 90s I would rather die than admit I knew who Sylvester was. You know that hackneyed phrase “the soundtrack of your life”? Ours was produced by Nile Rodgers.

And disco was essential to the Gay Liberation movement. Until the disco era, men could not dance together in public - in America, they could get arrested. With the advent of disco, gay men could show off their moves in a club as long as there was one woman in their group. It must be noted, though, that not all gay men have the urge to dress like Mitzi, Bernadette and Felicia and dance, boogie wonderland. The five gay men I watched the show with don’t own a feather boa between them.

At the end of the show, the producer announced that Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, the musical, is going to Singapore.

Bravo! Singapore really, really needs you.

I would change the ping-pong shooter, though. ■ Jessica Zafra / July 14, 2014 / 12:21 PM

Myth: Entrepreneurship is the key to becoming rich EMPLOYEES who go through mid-life crises tend to dream of setting up their own business. Being their own boss, they think, would allow them to earn more money and be happier overall.

But if you are of this mindset, then you are likely to be in for a very big disappointment.

Here’s why: Reasoning #1: ‘I’ll have more control over my time’. Conventional wisdom says that as an entrepreneur, you will have more control over your time. Not only do you not have to punch in and out of the office time clock, you can work or stop working whenever you want.

Or can you?

Believe you me, to be a successful business owner you will have to work more

than eight hours a day, five days a week.

The only thing is that successful business owners do not mind the extra hours put in because they enjoy what they are doing.

And remember: as a business owner, no work, no pay. At least you have paid vacation and sick leaves as an employee, not to mention the other non-monetary benefits.

Reasoning #2: ‘I’ll be my own boss’. Not only is this a lame reason for setting up your own business, it is also not entirely accurate. Sure, you will have people reporting to you. But you will still be answerable to even a lot more people: your customers. Do you remember what President Benigno Aquino III said in his inaugural speech? He said, “Lahat kayo ay

boss ko.” Think about it. Being President is probably the highest position anyone can have. And yet he has over 90 million bosses he has to report to every day!

What entrepreneur wannabes fail to consider is that customers are also bosses.

And just like with President Aquino, you too will have your own multitude of bosses.

Furthermore, it can be worse if your customer is a corporation. You’d have to talk to more than just one person within the company—in fact, you’d probably have to deal with several departments, from purchasing to finance and collections.

Reasoning #3: ‘It will improve my standard of living’. More income is one of the major reasons people want to set up their own business. However, it is also one

of the most elusive goals. Studies show that entrepreneurs will have to endure a lower standard of living while the business is still trying to take off.

In addition, roughly 19 percent of businesses fail one year after start-up. About 56 percent of them will fail four years after start-up. And 69 percent will have closed down seven years after start-up. (Data from the paper “Business Employment Dynamics Data: survival and longevity, II” by Amy E. Knaup & Merissa C. Piazza.)

Don’t get me wrong. Entrepreneurship can be very rewarding. But you need to take the romanticism and myths away from it before you can even work at becoming a successful and happy business owner.

Furthermore, financial freedom and

happiness can also be achieved by the employee. All you need to do is be entrepreneurial-minded: as employees, you sell your labor to your client, who is your employer. If you want your service to be continually bought, you must also continue to be innovative, efficient and effective in your service delivery.

Be always on the lookout for improving the operations in your sphere of influence in the company. Focus on what you can do for your company and the rewards will come.

■ Efren Ll. Cruz is a registered financial planner of

RFP Philippines, personal finance coach, seasoned investment adviser and bestselling author. Questions about this article may be posted here, sent by SMS to 0917-505-0709 or emailed to efren@personalfinance. ph./ BM, GMA News / July 16, 2014 / 5:09 PM

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NEWS

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

Jan.-May remittances up 5.7% to $9.4B, Bangko Sentral reports MONEY transfers by overseas Filipinos expanded by 5.7 percent to $9.4 billion in the first five months of the year, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported Tuesday, citing the continued deployment of overseas workers.

In May alone, cash remittances grew by 5.4 percent to $1.98 billion from $1.88 billion a year earlier, Bangko Sentral data showed.

The data is as expected and well within the 5 percent growth expectations of the central bank, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company research head Ildemarc Bautista told GMA News Online.

“We are expecting very good inflows this year and we don’t see any issues at this point to short- to medium-term,” he said.

“This will be positive for consumption spending,” he added.

Cash remittances from land-based and

sea-based workers increased by 5 percent to $7.1 billion and 8.1 percent to $2.3 billion, respectively, in the five months to May. “The steady deployment of overseas Filipino workers remained a key driver in the sustained growth in remittance flows,” the statement read.

Preliminary data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) showed the approved job orders for totaled 371,097, of which 38.5 percent were processed for service, production, and professional, technical and related workers in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Taiwan, and Qatar.

“The continued efforts of banks and non-bank remittance service providers to expand their international and domestic market coverage... provided support to the robust growth of remittances during the period,” the central bank said.

The money transfers still largely originated from the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong.

Personal remittances for the first five months increased by 6.1 percent to $10.4 billion from $9.81 billion in the comparable period last year.

For the month of May, personal remittances rose 5.5 percent to $2.195 billion from $2.081 billion a year earlier.

“The sustained expansion in personal remittances during the first five months of 2014 was underpinned by the steady growth in remittance flows from both landbased workers with long-term contracts (5 percent) and sea-based and land-based workers with short-term contracts (8.1 percent),” the statement read. ■ Danessa O.

Rivera / VS, GMA News / July 15, 2014 / 5:59 PM

Nomura expects Bangko Sentral to raise policy rates 100 basis points this year BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas will raise policy rates by a total of 100 basis points this year, beginning in July when the Monetary Board holds its next meeting, Nomura said

Friday, reflecting on the latest BSP move that left the rates unchanged since October 2012.

On Thursday, Philippine monetary authorities kept the lending and borrowing

rates unchanged at record lows and maintained the reserve requirement for banks, but raised the yield on Special Deposit Accounts (SDA).

The overnight borrowing rate at 3.5 percent and overnight lending at 5.5 percent were kept at these levels since October 2012.

Raising the SDA rate was a surprise move on the part of Bangko Sentral and its policy-setting Monetary Board, the financial services giant noted in a daily research summary.

“BSP kept its key policy rates unchanged as expected, but surprised by raising the rate on Special Deposit Accounts by 25 basis points to 2.25 percent,” the summary read.

“The Monetary Board decided to adjust the SDA rate to counter risks to price and financial stability that could emanate from ample liquidity, noting that a modest upward adjustment in interest rates would be prudent amid robust credit growth,”

Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. told reporters after the policy meeting Thursday.

However, Nomura sees a different risk than liquidity concern on the part of Philippine officials.

“In our view, the bigger focus going forward is inflation risks, as underscored in the policy statement and the upward revision to BSP’s inflation forecasts.

“This reinforces our view BSP will hike the policy rate by a total of 100bp this year, starting with a 25bp rise at the next meeting on 31 July, Nomura said.

Also, after the policy meeting Thursday, Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo told reporters the decision to tweak the SDA rates instead was due to the adjusted inflation forecast which still remained within the 3 to 5 percent target this year and 2 to 4 percent in 2015.

“It also addresses at the same time both the issues of low interest rates and continuing ample liquidity in the system,”

he added.

Bangko Sentral raised its inflation forecast for the year to 4.4 percent from 4.3 percent, and to 3.7 percent from 3.4 percent for 2015, he said.

Domestic liquidity or M3 expanded at a slower pace of 32.1 percent to P6.9 trillion in April from a 34.7 percent in March, central bank data showed.

M3 – the broadest measure of money – includes currencies in circulation, bank deposits, and money market funds among other highly liquid assets.

Inflation in May quickened to 4.5 percent from 4.1 percent in April and 2.6 percent a year earlier on higher prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, bringing the yearto-date figure to 4.1 percent.

In view of how Nomura sees the latest Bangko Sentral action will pan out, its strategists think the peso “... will be further supported by portfolio inflows once BSP commences its rate-hiking cycle.” ■ Victor

Sollorano / KG, GMA News / June 20, 2014 / 11:17 AM

PHL banks tighten Q2 consumer credit line, but open to big business – BSP survey MOST banks were strict on consumer borrowers, but kept credit standards to big businesses unchanged in a relatively open manner in the second quarter due to steady demand, a Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas survey showed.

The respondent banks considered households and middle-market business borrowers as riskier customers, according to the survey results released Friday.

The quarterly Senior Bank Loan Officers’ Survey is conducted to enhance Bangko Sentral understanding of institutional

lending behavior. Thirty-one banks responded to the latest survey.

Overall credit standards for enterprises were unchanged as banks’ tolerance for risk remained steady, the central bank said in a statement.

“Their outlook on the domestic economy as well as specific industries, such as real estate, renting and business activities, wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, financial intermediation, and utilities likewise remained unchanged,” the statement said.

“The current standard was not changed, in other words, banks continue to process loan petitions on the basis of current standards,” Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo told reporters in a separate briefing Friday.

The survey also showed some banks tightened credit standards to middle-market enterprises and household loans “owing to banks’ reduced tolerance for risk and perception of stricter financial system regulations.”

In particular, banks imposed stricter

Philippine Business Bank to buy Rural Bank of Kawit for P15M PHILIPPINE Business Bank, the thrift banking arm of businessman Alfredo Yao’s Zest-O group, is acquiring a rural bank in Kawit, Cavite for P15 million as part of an expansion program.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange Thursday, PBB said its board approved the acquisition of “all issued and outstanding shares of stocks of Rural Bank of Kawit Inc., including the deposit for subscriptions.”

The bank will acquire 486,525 shares of the bank for P30.83 a piece or a total of P14.9996 million.

The acquisition is subject to approval from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and other regulatory agencies, the bank said.

Last May, PBB president and CEO Rolando Avante said the bank will focus on expanding in the provinces where the small and medium enterprises are.

For this year, the bank targets to open 26 branches, five of which are in Metro Manila and 21 in the provinces.

In March, it got a license to open 21 new branches, most of which will be located in the Visayas and Mindanao.

For expanding in Metro Manila, the bank is targeting to open two branches in Manila, two in Quezon City and one in Parañaque City. ■ Danessa O. Rivera / VS, GMA News / June 19, 2014 / 12:38 PM

standards for all types of household loans – auto, personal and housing loans – except for credit card, the BSP said.

“Banks are becoming more risk averse...

Because of prudential considerations,” BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. told reporters in another briefing.

“But even if that has been the case, if you look at contribution of consumption to GDP, it continues to be strong,” he said.

Growth in loan demand from households reflected the low interest rate environment and more attractive financing terms offered

by banks, the central bank said.

For the next quarter, more banks see a slight easing of lending to businesses on “a more favorable outlook on the domestic economy, expected improvements in the profitability and liquidity of banks’ asset portfolios,” it said.

Meanwhile, credit to households is seen to tighten further as banks expect stricter financial system regulation and reduced tolerance for risk, Bangko Sentral added. ■

Danessa O. Rivera / VS, GMA News / July 11, 2014 / 3:43 PM

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38

www.hello-philippines.com

SPORTS

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

Rampaging Fullback: Thoughts from a Filipino fan who loves German Football “FOOTBALL is a simple game. Twentytwo men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”-Former England striker Gary Lineker, 1990 In the 2014 FIFA World Cup Final in Brazil, Germany took a bit more time than that, but the result was the same. Germany rode the early Argentine onslaught, weathered the Lionel Messi-led counter attacks and scored in the 113th minute to lift the World Cup for the fourth time in their storied history.

For most Filipinos, the World Cup Final passed without too much fanfare. After all, kick-off was at the ungodly hour of 3 a.m. and only the hardcore fans would stay up and watch.

But for this writer, things were slightly different. I have been following the Bundesliga for a good number of years now and was fortunate to have covered and commentated on the Bundesliga for Sports5 for two years, hence I will be familiar with the German players, and their club setup, more than most Filipinos.

This will also explain why I had a deeper emotional investment in this game than the average Filipino football fan, to the point that people have asked me if I was half-

German. (The answer is nein.)

So, how did Germany pull it off, winning football’s ultimate prize? It was definitely anything but easy.

Let’s try to put Germany’s situation in Azkals parlance.

Going to the tournament, Germany lost their best central midfielder from Euro 2012, Ilkay Gundogan, to a long term injury; they also lost 2014 Bundesliga Player of the Year Marco Reus days before the World Cup to ankle problems. For the Azkals, it was just like losing Chris Greatwich and Phil Younghusband.

Germany was forced to start the World Cup with four central defenders in the back four, somewhat like putting in Juani Guirado, Rob Gier, Amani Aguinaldo and Aly Borromeo as your back four – solid but not exactly offering too much pace nor options at the fullback positions.

Yet they offered no excuses and just went about their business.

It would help that Germany had the depth to replace the absentees, underscoring the fact that they have 23 quality players and not just eleven.

This came to fore when Christoph

Kramer, arguably Germany’s 6th choice central midfielder, came on for Sami Khedira who was injured in the warm-up and the team barely missed a beat.

In the end, Germany are deserved champions, going to South America to become the first European country to win there and along the way defeating its two greatest superpowers – Brazil and Argentina – in succession.

Azkals fans would note that two of the last World Champions have had players coming from a few strong club teams – Spain with Real Madrid/Barcelona and Germany with Bayern Munich. Perhaps this is a template that Global FC in the UFL is trying to emulate for the Philippine National Team.

Lastly, a word on Lionel Messi.

A twitter post from @Bundesbag sums it up perfectly, “The idea that Messi’s status is diminished because he’s not won a World Cup is absurd. A team is as good as its worst player, not its best.”

So, Germany are World Champions and will add a fourth star to their crest. The Bundesliga fan in me is rejoicing, but the Azkals fan in me is envious to the point of sadness.

Will we ever see the Azkals in the World Cup, at least in our lifetime? We can always dream of being in the world stage, but we have to be truthful to ourselves as well – the last Southeast Asian team (Indonesia) to grace the World Cup was in 1938.

Perhaps we should set our sights lower — Asian Cup first, or maybe conquer Southeast Asia via the Suzuki Cup first.

Meantime, this fan’s football romance with Deutschland and German football continues. It has been one helluva ride, and promises to be even more exciting. ■ Ryan Fenix is InterAksyon.com’s resident football analyst.

His football column Rampaging Fullbackappears exclusively on the site. He runs the football blog The Prawn Sandwich Brigade and covers football for Sports5. For more football discussion, follow him on Twitter /InterAksyon.com / July 15, 2014

UFL Football Alliance Cup kicks off on Saturday at new Rizal Memorial pitch Ateneo’s Jerie Pingoy to banner one of four THE season-ending tournament of the United Football League kicks off on Saturday as the top six clubs of Division One begin battle in the Football Alliance Cup at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

The Football Alliance Cup was added to the league’s calendar this season on top of the Cup and League play. Teams play in a knockout tournament, with the winner going home with P100,000 cash prize which will be donated to their charity of choice.

“The FA Charity Cup serves as a fitting end to the very successful UFL 2014 Season. We have invited the top 6 1st Division teams to take part in this special knockout tournament. It is our way of giving back to the football loving community that has supported us throughout the years,” said UFL General Manager Rely San Agustin.

League champion Global and runnerup the Loyola Meralco Sparks received byes in the semi-finals, awaiting the winners of the quarterfinal ties between Kaya and Pachanga PLDT Home Fibr, and Stallion Gilligan’s and Green Archers United Globe.

Philippine teams in FIBA 3×3 World Tour in Manila

Photo by Mark Dimalanta ©AKTV

All quarterfinal and semi-final matches will be played in two-legged contests, with scores carrying over from the first game into the second leg. Given that all matches will be held in one venue, there will be no away-goals rule.

Kaya and Pachanga begin their quarterfinal series at 3:15 p.m., while Green

Archers and Stallion begin their own duel at 6:45 p.m.

Apart from culminating the UFL season, the Football Alliance Cup also provides the clubs a first taste of the newly-renovated Rizal Memorial Football Stadium which now features a new artificial pitch. ■ InterAksyon. com / July 11, 2014

FORMER high school standout Jerie Pingoy will join three other Ateneo players who are still completing their residency requirements on one of the teams the Philippines will be fielding in Manila Masters of the FIBA 3×3 World Tour on July 19 and 20 at the SM Megamall.

This was disclosed by Blue Eagles team manager and SMART Sports executive Epok Quimpo to InterAksyon.com.

The controversial Ateneo sophomore is serving out a second year of residency with the university before being eligible to suit up.

Pingoy, a two-time Most Valuable Player for Far Eastern University in the UAAP’s junior ranks, caused a stir when he chose to commit to Ateneo for college.

The collegiate league instituted a new rule – the so-called ‘Pingoy rule’ – forcing high school players making a move from one UAAP school to another for college to sit out two years before being allowed to play.

The rule was contested by Senator Pia Cayetano, who believes it will deprive a

student-athletes the freedom to choose a school to represent.

With Pingoy left out of the Ateneo lineup for a second straight year, he will have the opportunity to showcase his wares in the FIBA 3×3 World Tour tournament this weekend.

Pingoy will lead a team comprised of fellow Ateneo players KG Carbala, Adrian Wong and DJ Henderson.

Their squad was tapped to replace the FIBA Asia 3×3 Under-18 champion team of Kobe Paras, Prince Rivero, Arvin Tolentino and Thirdy Ravena, which was originally eyed to make a reunion in the tournament.

All four players have conflicts in their schedule, though, with Paras not receiving clearance from his coach in the United States and the other three all figuring in the La Salle-Ateneo matchup this coming Sunday in the UAAP. Tolentino and Ravena are now part of the Ateneo Blue Eagles while Rivero is playing with the defending champion De La Salle Green Archers. ■ Rey Joble / InterAksyon. com / July 14, 2014

Gilas Pilipinas tops Jordan to complete sweep of Group B ahead of FIBA Asia Cup quarterfinals THE Philippine national men’s basketball team survived its first real test of the tournament after squeaking past a Rajko Toroman-coached Jordan team, 71-70, to sweep its Group B assignments in the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China.

Ranidel De Ocampo scored the last five Gilas Pilipinas points, including a threepointer with 35.2 seconds that turned out to be the biggest shot of the game, to lead the Filipinos to a third straight win in the tournament.

Paul Lee led the way with 16 points while De Ocampo finished with 14, including four three-pointers, as Gilas emerged victorious against a tough Jordan squad that fought until the final buzzer.

Naturalized center Marcus Douthit, who saw limited action against Singapore in

their last game, came up with 13 points and nine rebounds in this one.

Jordan had a chance to tie or win the game in the dying seconds after LA Tenorio missed a short stab that turned into a Jordanian fastbreak. But the Filipino scrambled back in time and a corner three from Wesam Al-Sous failed to find the mark.

The early goings of the game saw a duel between the two behemoths, 6-foot10 Ahmad Al Dwairi of Jordan and Gilas’ Douthit, as they went back and forth.

But the Filipinos provided more support for their center as they charged to a 15-6 run, with Douthit scoring seven and Al Dwairi having all six of Jordan’s points.

The Philippines opened the second quarter on an 8-2 run to push the lead up to double figures for the first time.

But the Filipinos went cold after that, scoring just five points over the next eight minutes as Jordan unloaded a 14-3 run that brought them all the way back to tie the game.

The teams entered the half deadlocked at 30-apiece.

Douthit, who was scoreless in limited minutes in their last game, scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds in just the first two periods.

In the third quarter, Lee tried to keep the Philippines in the game as he scored eight successive Gilas points in a three-minute span.

But Jordan found a groove late, scoring seven unanswered points as they took a five-point lead late in the third.

Lee, who had been playing well for the

Photo from Josh Reyes’ Instragram

Philippines, was whistled for two quick fouls in the opening minutes of the fourth, forcing him back to the bench for a key stretch.

The scores: Gilas Pilipinas (71) – Lee 16, De Ocampo 14, Douthit 13, Dillinger 9, Belga 7, David 4, Tenorio 4, Alas 2, Fajardo

2, Washington 0, Lanete 0, Aguilar 0.

Jordan (70) – Al-Sous 14, Al Dwairi 13, Wright 11, Alawadi 9, Hussein 7, Eid 7, Alhamarsheh 7, Abu Ruqayah 2, Abdeen 0.

Quarterscores: 17-12, 30-30, 49-52, 7170. ■ InterAksyon.com / July 15, 2014

SPORTS

July 2014 / Fortnightly – No. 14 • UK & Europe Edition

www.hello-philippines.com

39

PLDT offers discounts for ‘Gilas Last HOME Stand’ charity event PLDT Home’s current and new subscribers hoping to watch ‘The Last HOME Stand’, an All-Star charity event featuring the Philippine national men’s basketball team, on July 22 to 23 at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum could have a chance to avail of exclusive deals to get special ticket prices.

Subscribers who upgrade to PLDT Home Fibr before July 15 can get 30% off on tickets to the basketball event that will feature superstar cagers Blake Griffin, Damian Lillard, Paul Pierce, DeMar DeRozan, Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry and Nick Johnson, alongside the Gilas Pilipinas squad set to compete in the FIBA World Cup in August.

The event will give the country’s top basketball stars a chance to pit their skills against the US contingent of top pros in a historic showcase.

Griffin, one of the sport’s top dunkers,

and DeRozan will engage Ginebra forward Japeth Aguilar in a high-flying slam dunk competition while Lillard and Lowry test Talk ‘N Text guard Jimmy Alapag in an explosive three-point shootout.

It will also feature a clinic for the Gilas and US players conducted by elite skills coach John Lucas and, of course, a pair of pickup games featuring the basketball stars at their competitive best.

“This is a fitting send-off for Gilas as they defend the Philippine flag at the 2014 FIBA World Cup. This is our grand comeback to the world stage, so having a special pickup game with a powerhouse cast of players will definitely rally the spirits of Filipinos and inspire the boys to play harder,” Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes said.

It is important for PLDT HOME to be represented in the world of sports as it continues to resonate with parallelisms to

real life, “ said PLDT executive vice president and head of home business Ariel P. Fermin.

“As an illustration, the values of the game – togetherness, celebration, sacrifice are also true for a family that aspires to achieve a common ambition.”

“Sports inspire family members to achieve more and move as one. And this is what we do for our national team, Gilas, we give them unwavering support from one home team to another to get as far. “ Fans who wish to be a part of this historic milestone will be thrilled to know that tickets start at P750, an affordable amount for a world-class sporting event.

For more details, log on to lasthomestand.pldthome.com.

ADVERTORIAL | Upgrade to PLDT Home Fibr on June 27-July 15 & get 30% off on #GilasLastHomeStand tickets! ■ InterAksyon.

com / July 14, 2014

Kia coach Manny Pacquiao to attend dispersal draft for PBA expansion teams FILIPINO boxing icon and current Kia Motors coach Manny Pacquiao will be present when his team participates in the PBA dispersal draft, which will be held on Friday at the league offices in Eastwood City, Quezon City.

PBA media bureau chief and special assistant to the commissioner Willie Marcial confirmed the development to interAksyon.com.

Pacquiao is the head coach of one of two expansion teams for next season. His team, Kia, will participate in the dispersal

draft to fill out its roster with players that were left unprotected by their mother teams.

Among those that may be available for Kia to select are two-time PBA MVP Danny Ildefonso, Rain or Shine regulars Alex Nuyles and Larry Rodriguez and Alaska’s first-round pick from a year ago, former Ateneo star Ryan Buenafe.

Blackwater Sports is the other team slated to participate in the dispersal draft alongside Pacquiao’s squad. ■ Rey Joble /

InterAksyon.com / July 15, 2014

Photo by Justin Gener ©InterAksyon.com

Kaya, Stallion through to semifinals of UFL Football Alliance Cup

KAYA FC and Stallion Gilligan’s move on to the semifinals after nailing separate victories in the United Football League Football Alliance Cup Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

Kaya dominated Pachanga PLDT Home Fibr in identical 4-1 victories of their twolegged quarterfinals series, while Stallion survived Green Archers United Globe on penalties to advance to the next round.

Diego Barrera scored two goals for Kaya in the second leg to help the squad set up a semifinals clash with rival the Loyola Meralco Sparks.

After carrying a 2-nil advantage coming into the second installment of their clash, Stallion allowed Green Archers to tie the series after Chieffy Caligdong buried two goals in the dying minutes.

In extra time, Jesus Melliza buried a header to put Green Archers ahead, but OJ Clariño answered through a penalty kick as the match went on to be decided on penalties.

Stallion went on to win the penalty shootout, 3-1, to book a semifinals clash with Global FC. The two-legged semifinals will begin on Saturday. ■ InterAksyon.com / July 16, 2014

sport

MANNY PACQUIAO UNVEILS PLANS FOR NATIONAL BOXING CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT COTABATO City — Convinced there are Filipinos who have boxing skills but have been untapped, Filipino sports icon Manny Pacquiao decided to open pandora’s box by staging a national professional boxing championships.

This program primarily is aimed at discovering new talents in a sport which has produced this country’s greatest sports heroes, like Pacquiao.

Called “Manny Pacquiao National Boxing Championships,” the monthly boxing tournament will feature eight boxing teams from all over the country where each will field eight boxers in eight weight categories who will fight from six to eight rounds in a double roundrobing format.

The fights, to be held in a venue in Metro Manila, are scheduled to be aired weekly in a major television network with Manny Pacquiao himself hosting the show to be known as “Manny Pacquiao Presents.”

“This is what I want to do after I am done with fighting myself. I would like to discover new talents and promote them,” Pacquiao, the Saranggani representative to Congress, said in a statement.

He said negotiations are ongoing with Solaire Resort & Casino as the possible venue of the tournament.

The participants in the tournament will be boxers in the Junior Flyweight (108 lbs.), Flyweight (112 lbs.), Junior Bantamweight (115 lbs.), Bantamweight (118 lbs.), Junior Featherweight (122 lbs.), Featherweight (126 lbs.), Junior Lightweight (130 lbs.) and Lightweight (136 lbs.) Divisions.

Each boxer will have to figure in at least five matches before he is declared MPP National Boxing Champion which will earn him the Manny Pacquiao Trophy and a cash prize of P100,000, aside from the purse he will be receiving each time he appears in the tournament.

Under the rules of the

tournament, only those who have not won national, regional or world titles are qualified and the boxers must not be over 28 years old at the time of the tournament.

Boxers who will come out as champions in the tournament will be given a promotional contract and an opportunity to train abroad under known boxing trainers.

Already, five teams from Mindanao have signified their intent to join the tournament.

These are the boxing clubs from Davao City, General Santos City and Saranggani, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato’s Braveheart Boxing Club, and Bukidnon.

Only three more teams from Luzon and the Visayas are needed to complete the number of teams for the tournament.

The Manny Pacquiao National Boxing Championships is expected to be launched by the last week of July. ■ Philippine News Agency / June 17, 2013 / 12:22 PM