June 2013 b issue

UK & Europe Edition

June 2013 / Fortnightly

Volume 4 - Number 12

page 26

Connecting Global News & Views For The Community

FORTNIGHTLY

Celeb Scoop

E E FR

www.hello-philippines.com

REMITTANCES IN APRIL REACH $2-B MANILA - The funds sent home by overseas Filipinos workers in April alone went up by 7 percent to $2 billion from a year ago, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said today.

In a statement, BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco said personal remittances in the first four months of 2013 reached $7.7 billion or 6.4 percent higher than the level recorded the same period last year.

This was driven by the 4.6-percent growth in remittances by land-based OFWs with work contracts of one year or more, which is about threefourths of the total amount sent back home.

Remittances from sea-based and land-based workers with short-term

contracts went up by 9.4 percent.

Cash remittances coursed through banks rose 5.7 percent to $6.9 billion at end-April, with seabased and land-based workers’ transfers growing by 9.3 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively About 76 percent of the remittances that were sent through banks came from the US, Saudi Arabia, Canada, UK, UAE, Singapore and Japan.

The BSP said the remittance flows remained strong due to the sustained demand for skilled Filipinos worldwide.

According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), more than

30 percent of the 367,738 job orders approved in January to May were mainly for service, production and professional, technical and related personnel.

The job orders are for opportunities in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Taiwan, Kuwait, Qatar and Hong Kong.

Aside from high labor demand, the expansion of bank and nonbank service providers’ wider global coverage--achieved either through tie-ups or establishment of remittance centers--has helped in capturing the steady flow of remittances into the Philippines. ■ Likha Cuevas-Miel / InterAksyon.com / June 17, 2013 / 6:29 PM

Where did OFWs’ remittances go in 2Q?

Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

MANILA - Where do the remittances of overseas Filipinos go when these reach their loved ones back home?

Of the 525 households polled by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), 95.4 percent said they used the remittances for food, 67 percent for education, 54.9 percent for medical payments

and 42.1 percent for debt payments.

Those who said they used the remittances for savings declined to 39.4 percent from 42.1 percent in the first quarter. Respondents who said they put away the remittances in investments such as business capital or in stocks went down, as well as those who said they bought

consumer durables, motor vehicles and real property.

Repondents in the National Capital Region (NCR) followed the national trend while those outside NCR said more OFW housholds used the remittances to pay down their debts and for savings.

■ Likha Cuevas-Miel / InterAksyon.com

/ June 17, 2013 / 11:34 AM

2

NEWS

www.hello-philippines.com

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

for worst: Amid talk ‘Hot money’ leaves Philippines in May Bracing of extension, amnesty for after US Fed hints end to bond-buying ‘illegal’ OFWs ends July 3 MANILA - “Hot money” flowed out the Philippines last month amid concern that the US Federal Reserve would scale down a bond-buying program that has fueled stock market rallies around the world.

In a statement, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said the country suffered net outflows of $641 million worth of foreign portfolio investments in May, a reversal of the net inflows of $1.1 billion in April and $106 million in May of last year.

This after foreigners invested $2 billion last month, but pulled out $2.6 billion from the Philippines. This year’s inflows and outflows were higher than the $1.5 billion and $1.4 billion, respectively, last year.

The BSP attributed the bulk of inflows to robust corporate profits in the first quarter and to the peaceful conduct of the mid-term elections last May. Nine out of every 10 dollars invested in the Philippines went to the stock market.

Of the $1.8 billion invested in stocks, holding companies got $664 million, followed by banks, $297 million; property

firms, $205 million; transport companies, $136 million; and food, beverage and tobacco firms, $135 million.

Two billion dollars of the “hot money” that left the country went to the US, as the Fed announced the likely end to its quantitative easing amid signs that the world’s biggest economy is on the mend.

So far this year, gross inflows to the Philippines have reached $12.8 billion, or nearly half the $7 billion in the same five-

month period last year and two-thirds of the $18.4 billion that entered the country for the entire 2012.

Gross outflows of $11 billion at endMay were already more than threefourths the $14 billion for the entire 2012, with this year’s five-month net inflows of $1.6 billion hitting 40 percent of the $3.9 billion for the whole of last year. ■ Ben Arnold O. De Vera / InterAksyon.com / June 14, 2013 / 6:31 PM

Revilla defends ‘long overdue’ Sangley redevelopment into Cavite twin ports MANILA, Philippines – Amid protests from fisher groups and nongovernment organizations, Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. on Monday defended the proposed redevelopment of Sangley Point in Cavite City into an international airport and seaport, calling it an overdue initiative.

In a statement, Revilla said the twin ports development is included in the “Cavite: Vision 2010” development master plan penned by noted architect and urban planner Jun Palafox of Palafox Associates, which was complemented by Executive Order 629 issued in 2007.

Because of ‘Vision 2020’, Executive Order No. 629, Series of 2007 was issued, directing the Philippine Reclamation Authority to convert Sangley Point in Cavite City into an international Airport and Seaport,” Revilla pointed out.

Salvador France, Pamalakaya vice chairperson and convener of Koalisyon Kontra Kumbersiyon ng Manila Bay (KKKManila Bay), had said earlier 26,000 fishing families in coastal villages stretching from Bacoor to Cavite City will be displaced from their main source of livelihood once Malacanang agrees with foreign investors and financiers of the Sangley Pt. Reclamation Project at the Cavite Peninsula.

Pamalakaya’s France had said, 26,000 fishing families or roughly 156,000 people “will be immediately dislodged from their livelihood and communities and what the government will offer for survival of a lifetime is P15,000 for each displaced family. People of the Philippines, we have a looming massacre of people, livelihood and environment here, rolled into one courtesy of this great Sangley Point robbery

by foreign monopolies.”

Pamalakaya said in a statement: “The large-scale reclamation project in Sangley Point will send the fishing villages of Bacoor, Noveleta, Kawit, Rosario, and Cavite City to the deathbed of environmental catastrophe and destruction. The reclamation plan will kill the livelihood of tens of thousands of fishermen and other people dependent on Cavite’s fishing for their day-to-day survival.”

However, Revilla argued that the redevelopment of Sangley Point will decongest Manila and boost tourism and the economy, and provide more jobs and revenues for Cavite.

“I hope and pray that it pushes through this time,” Revilla said. According to him, the master plan was finalized late 2000 and was bared over 12 years ago in March of 2001. “Since then, our plan and vision was abandoned by the Provincial Government of Cavite, and was just freshly being referred to when Governor [Johnvic] Remulla was elected three years ago.”

“I have been making requests to this administration in light of E.O. 629 to

support the conversion of Sangley Point to an International Airport and Container Port, but no actions on my representations have been made,” he added.

According to Revilla, the All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corp. (ARRC) consortium, where Solar Group is the lead local partner, submitted a letter of intent last Jan.10 to redevelop Sangley Point, a former United States Naval base in Cavite City, to undertake the project with foreign partners.

William Tieng of Solar Group was earlier quoted in news reports as citing the “firm commitment” of their foreign partners to the undertaking. He identified them to include Flugfahen Munich, operator of the Munich airport in Germany; Hamburger Hafen und Logistik, the biggest operator in Germany’s Hamburg port; Ferrovie Circumvesuviana, an Italian rail company; power firm Isoluc Corsan; Deutsche Bank; COWI, Inros Lackner and GMP Architects; contractors Hochtief and Rizzani de Eccher; and a lead reclamation contractor in Royal Boskalis Westminster. ■ Ernie Reyes / InterAksyon.com / June 17, 2013 / 7:17 PM

MANILA – (UPDATE 6:59PM) Amid media reports in Saudi Arabia that the Kingdom may extend by another three months its amnesty for “illegal” migrant workers, the Philippine government was urged nonetheless to prepare contingency measures should the Saudis decide against another 90-day grace period.

The amnesty granted by King Abdullah for all ‘illegal’ migrant workers in the Kingdom, including the estimated 22,000 undocumented overseas Filipino workers, ends July 3, barely 16 days to go, migrant rights group Migrante said Monday.

However, Saudi officials are considering to extend by another three months the amnesty program for foreign workers who violated their visa terms, Al Riyadh newspaper reported Monday.

The original 90-day grace period was meant to give the nearly 2 million ‘illegal’ migrant workers time to fix their documentation, and thereby leave the Kingdom or transfer to other sponsors as allowed by Saudi authorities.

There are an estimated over one million Filipinos in Saudi Arabia, the original hub of OFWs when the Philippines first adopted a labor-export policy in the seventies as a stop-gap measure to provide jobs for skilled Filipinos and shore up the economy.

Extension of grace period uncertain.

Migrante vice chairperson John Leonard Monterona, also the group’s coordinator in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), said in a statement Monday: “An extension to the 90-day grace period remains uncertain, though it is possible. Only His Highness King Abdullah could grant an extension by issuing a royal decree ordering the concerned Saudi authorities.”

After July 3, without an extension granted, “the situation of the thousands undocumented and stranded OFWs in Saudi Arabia will become very complicated and problematic,” Monterona said.

Saudi authorities led by the labor ministry began in mid-April a massive crackdown on all ‘illegal’ migrants in the Kingdom as part of enforcing of Saudi’s Nitaqat law, which requires priority hiring for Saudi nationals over expatriate workers. As part of the Nitaqat mandate, Saudis need to be rid of overstaying or ‘illegal’ migrants who are employed by companies under so-called Red and Yellow categories—meaning, non-compliant with gthe Nitaqat law.

Responding to appeals from private companies and the general public, the Saudi King granted a 90-day grace period weeks after the start of the massive crackdown that rounded up hundreds of ‘illegal’ migrants, including 30 OFWs per Migrante monitoring.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), citing reports from its labor officials in Saudi Arabia, earlier

counted 6,500 stranded OFWs in Jeddah who requested assistance for repatriation; and another 3,500 in Riyadh.

On June 15, the Department of Foreign Affairs said 414 OFWs were repatriated from Saudi Arabia.

Contingency needed, with only 4% repatriated. In calling for the government to have solid contingency measures in case the amnesty deadline lapses as originally set on July 3, Migrante highlighted the still-formidable task ahead, given the huge numbers of OFWs involved. Monterona said their records showed nearly 12,000 OFWs have sought government assistance as of January (2013), before Saudi’s massive crackdown on ‘illegal’ workers.

Using the Philippine government figure of 10,000 stranded OFWs who sought repatriation assistance since January 2013, Migrante said the 414 repatriates, as confirmed by the DFA from Saudi Arabia, would only represent a measly 4.14 percent of those needing assistance.

Monterona wondered, “with the grace period ending July 3 with only a small number of undocumented OFWs repatriated, what will happen to those who could not leave the Kingdom amid reports that Saudi authorities will resume the crackdown after July 3?”

News reports earlier quoted the Saudi authorities’ plan to impose stiffer penalties on “illegal” workers who failed to leave the Kingdom and are caught after July 3.

Penalties for them would range from at least a year of imprisonment and a fine ranging from 12,000-20,000 saudi rials (roughly equivalent to P137,000-P230,000), Monterona added.

The DFA was expected to ask the Saudi government to extend the 90-day grace period for ‘illegal’ OFWs. Over a million Filipinos live and work in the oil-rich kingdom, and the Philippine government has been encouraging those with documentation problems to seek embassy help immediately and work these out.

The Saudis have announced amnesty for illegal foreign workers if they want to leave the country permanently. The amnesty covers all expatriates with labor and residency violations, according to the report.

The amnesty is aimed at helping reduce the number of illegal workers in the country.

Under the amnesty, they could leave Saudi Arabia without having to pay fines and its accumulated fees, the newspaper cited Economic Monitor, Abdulrahman Al Qahtani as saying.

The Saudi government departments and foreign embassies in Riyadh have been witnessing a rush as many foreign workers are trying to leave the country.

Aside from closely following the release of stranded OFWs exit clearances with the Saudi authorities, The Aquino government should now prepare contingencies. We urge the concerned government agencies to be proactive in helping our stranded OFWs so that they could come home and reunite with their loved ones in the Philippines,” Monterona said. ■ PNA / Xinhua

with Interaksyon.com / June 17, 2013 / 5:33 PM

4

www.hello-philippines.com

NEWS

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

Moving beyond growth: Building a future with decent work Mr. President, I congratulate your esteemed leadership of the Conference.

I also congratulate Director General Guy Ryder and commend him for his incisive and forward-looking report. The Philippines, with its tripartite constituents, supports and is ready to engage the ILO on its Centenary Initiatives outlined in the report of the Director General.

Achieving sustainable and inclusive growth that generates decent jobs continues to be the priority concern that ILO’s tripartite constituents must confront, as they look toward its centenary of global leadership in the 21st century world of work.

The 7.8% growth rate of the Philippines, the fastest in Asia, 1st quarter this year, has been preceeded by improvement in our global competitiveness and achieving first grade investment rating.

The positive growth, however, continues to present a formidable challenge to the persistent problems of unemployment and underemployment. There are good indicators, though, that the quality of jobs and the country’s decent work profile are improving.

‘Long-term structural solution remains elusive’. The MDG indicator on employment to reduce poverty, expressed in terms of the ratio of the self-employed and unpaid family workers to total employment, is narrowing. Wage and salary and full time employment are expanding. Mean hours

of work is increasing. But the long-term structural solution to the problem remains elusive.

The biggest growth still remains in the service sector where precarious employment is prevalent. While growth in industry, manufacturing, and construction is high, the momentum needs to be sustained. Investments in agriculture have to be expanded. Climate change mitigation measures and promotion of green jobs have to be prioritized. Social protection for those at risk must be provided. Human capital investment for a competitive workforce must continue. Migration has to be linked with development.

The tripartite partners continue to respond to these challenges with a combination of reforms to help create a positive climate for investment and improve the employment situation. Industry roadmaps to growth are being crafted to mainstream employment as central to development strategy of inclusive growth. On labor policies, broad participation of the social partners in policy and decision making processes has been unprecedented, propelled by the recent law strengthening tripartism and social dialogue.

The Single Entry Approach for fair, speedy and inexpensive labor justice has been institutionalized by the passage of the law mandating a 30-day conciliation of all labor cases, keeping arbitration as last resort.

To protect workers’ wages and benefits,

600 labor law compliance officers and inspectors will implement the new labor law compliance system, using a mix of developmental and regulatory approaches to benefit micro, small, and medium enterprises. With technical assistance from the ILO, the system features real time data capture and transmittal from the field using electronic checklist stored in mobile devices and gadgets. With an additional budget of P286 million, the new system covers joint assessment of compliance of general labor standards, safety and health, child labor, freedom of association, collective bargaining and maritime labor regulations consistent with the ILO Maritime Labor Convention, 2006, due to take effect this August.

As provided in the landmark ILO Convention 189 which the Philippines has ratified, the Kasambahay Law that gave full recognition to the basic rights and benefits of household workers was put into effect last 4 June 2013. Bilateral agreement including standard employment contract embodying the universally accepted terms and conditions of employment of household service workers have been concluded recently with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Similar agreements with other countries in the region are under negotiation.

Investing in people. Investment in our human capital continues to receive

Photo courtesy of the Department of Labor and Employment

the highest budgetary priorities. The Kindergarten Education Act, the Enhanced Basic Education Act, and the Philippines Qualification Framework are being implemented to address the deficiencies in our education and training system, making it more responsive to the demands of the industries and at par with the international standards.

For the vulnerable sector, the call for adequate social protection is being responded to using the ILO Recommendation on Social Protection Floor. Tripartite constituents have agreed to pursue a nationally - defined SPF convergent government program using the four guarantees in the Recommendation to cover an estimated 15 million vulnerable workers.

We recognize that part of our growth is still consumption led, mostly from remittances of our migrant workers. But as we continue to focus on developing

the local economy, we are now seeing investors who are able to match the salaries and benefits of our migrant workers and are now returning home, making migration a genuine choice, not an inevitable necessity, and less social cost to the families. The task to make growth less dependent on foreign remittance is most opportune and more challenging today for the Philippines than ever.

Mr. President, the Aquino administration recognizes decent work as primordial to any development strategy predicated on inclusive growth to improve the quality of life of our people. We reaffirm our support to the ILO as it engages the tripartite constituents in building a future of decent work under a regime on social justice and social cohesion. For the ILO, the challenge is to continuously review the relevance of international labor standards to the fast changing world of work and to equip its constituents with capacities to easily adjust and adapt and make decent work a distinct reality in every workplace.

Lastly, Mr. President, we look forward to the crafting of the post 2015 UN Development Agenda where the results of this Conference will surely find its rightful place.

Thank you, Mr. President. God bless the ILO. ■ Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz / Secretary of the

Department of Labor and Employment / June 16, 2013 / 1:11 PM

NY-based think tank raises two-year growth forecast for Philippines

Don’t collect placement fees from householdworker applicants, recruiters warned MANILA, Philippines – The government has warned recruiters against skirting the ban on placement fees for applicants for overseas household-service worker (HSW) jobs by imposing excessive miscellaneous fees, and said violators could have their licenses cancelled.

The chief of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) issued the warning following a directive from Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said the prohibition on charging placement fees, whether done before the jobseeker flies abroad or arrives there, is covered by POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 6, Series of 2006.

The POEA in the past had received reports some recruiters were trying to make up for their “loss” from the no-placement fee policy by charging excessive fees on other items--for medical examination, training, video bio-data, and pre-departure orientation seminar.

A violation of the no-placement-fee

policy is considered a grave offense that could warrant a cancellation of license, regardless of the number of complainants, said the POEA. Cacdac explained that passing on the recruiter’s service fee to jobseekers was barred in line with the regulations of most host countries, which make employers pay a service fee to shoulder all the cost of hiring and deploying HSWs. This means “licensed agencies can still collect placement fee or service fee, provided that it should not be shouldered by the worker but by the foreign principal,” Cacdac said.

To prove his point, he cited the Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (SHARP), a group of 52 licensed recruitment agencies that deploy HSWs to Hong Kong and which scrapped the collection of placement fees from workers they send abroad.

“I urge other recruiter associations to follow” the SHARP’s example, he added.

■ Jet Villa / InterAksyon.com / June 16, 2013 / 2:07 PM

MANILA - Global Source Partners has upgraded its growth forecast for the Philippines by more than a percentage point for this year on the back of a high election-related spending and private construction.

In its latest research note, the New Work-based think tank said it raised its gross domestic product (GDP) growth outlook for the country from an earlier estimate of 6.1 percent to 7.2 percent this year.

This growth, however, is mainly based on business cycle rather than on “permanent structural shift” that potential investors---including those new players that only place bets on investment-grade markets—are waiting for.

“Our GDP revisions reflect largely the high current election-related spending growth, including likely frontloading in public infrastructure that may last only up to this quarter, and the ongoing private construction boom, a lagging indicator of past investment decisions in residential and business buildings that according to industry experts, take two to three years to complete,” the report said.

“The maturing of this cycle and rising interest rates will bring growth back to more normal levels, perhaps as early as late 2014 or early 2015,” it added.

Global Source has also raised its growth projection from an earlier forecast of 5.8 percent to 6.2 percent.

The think tank said that the muchhoped for revival of investments in public private partnerships or in industrial zones may not be significantly large to keep

growth high beyond 2015.

Meanwhile, Global Source also said that the recent drop in the equity, bond, and peso markets is not caused by any change in the Philippines’ fundamentals but rather it reflects the portfolio flows going back to the U.S. “Compared with other emerging markets, local financial prices may have been affected more because Philippine assets are among the most overvalued (e.g., very high price-earnings ratios) due in large part to past capital inflows attracted to the country’s growth story and prospect of investment grade ratings,” it said.

After the three credit ratings upgrades, foreign portfolio investors see that there are no “clear further upside plays” so they have decided to take profit. They have taken into consideration the recent data that showed “poor” foreign direct investment and export numbers, as well

as the World Bank’s downward revision of global growth.

Now that foreign capital have been exiting the local market, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has less reason to worry that the monies being pushed our out of the special deposit accounts would become inflationary.

“Given their conservative risk profile, will likely have limited impact on prices of risky assets,” Global Source said.

The Monetary Board on Thursday last week kept its policy rates unchanged, with key borrowing and lending rates at 3.5 percent and 5.5 percent, respectively and the SDA rate at 2 percent.

“The peso’s depreciation is also welcome news. Both developments (SDA changes and weaker currency) will help to repair the BSP’s balance sheet and increase policy flexibility,” Global Source added. ■ Rain Castro / InterAksyon.com / June 17, 2013 / 5:06 PM

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

Megawide eyes tie-up with India’s GMR to bid for other airport projects MANILA - As part of its diversification program, Megawide Construction Corp plans to team up with India-based GMR Infrastructure Limited in bidding for other airport projects under the government’s public-private partnership (PPP) initiative.

“We are interested because our partner is GMR. GMR [operates] the second best airport in the world,” said Louie Ferrer, Megawide corporate information officer, referring to the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in India.

The government is bidding out the contracts to operation and maintenance airports in Panglao, Bohol; Puerto Princesa in Palawan and Laguindingan, Misamis Oriental.

GMR is leading a consortium that was awarded the concession to operate, manage and develop the IGI Airport, which has been named by the Airport Council International the world’s second best airport in the 25-40 million passengers category.

Aside from IGI, GMR has built and operates Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in India and Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International Airport at Istanbul, Turkey.

Megawide has teamed up with GMR in bidding for the project that will build a new passenger terminal at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

“Because of GMR, lumakas ang loob namin,” Ferrer said.

“They were looking for a partner in the Philippines. They were really interested.

They participate in PPP projects all over the world pero Philippines is booming talaga so they were really interested,” he said.

Starting as a high-rise developer, primarily projects under SM Development Corp, Megawide has diversified into infrastructure and has become an active participant of the government’s PPP projects.

In August, the Megawide-Citicore Holdings Investment Inc consortium won the contract for the government’s classroom project, the second of the Aquino administration’s PPP projects to take off.

The Megawide-World Citi Inc consortium was the lone bidder that showed up last week to submit qualification documents for the Philippine Orthopedic Center modernization project. The Health Department is determining if it is eligible to bid for the project.

Megawide continues to construct new towers of SMDC, but the Sy-led property developer’s share in its business has dropped from to 30 percent from a high of 75 percent.

“It’s not because we have less projects with SM but because of the new clients,” Ferrer said.

Megawide bagged the construction of Shang Properties Inc’s Shang Salcedo Place in Buendia, Rockwell Land Inc’s office tower in The Rockwell Business Center in Ortigas and Filinvest Land Inc’s office building at the FIlinvest Cebu Cyberzone.

Megawide registered a net income of P320 million in the first three months, up by nearly a quarter from P260 million in the same period last year, on higher revenues and improved operating efficiency. ■ Krista Angela M. Montealegre / InterAksyon.com / June 17, 2013 / 3:40 AM

www.hello-philippines.com

5

Bangko Sentral says global demand to stay weak, cuts 2013 inflation forecast THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas lowered its inflation forecast for the year on expectations of modest global economic activity, a ranking official said Thursday.

Monetary authorities now see consumer prices rising by 3.1 percent this year, slower than an earlier projection of 3.2 percent, Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo told reporters at a briefing.

“The modest pace of global economic activity could continue to temper the broad outlook for inflation,” Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said in the same briefing.

Benign price movements of oil and nonoil goods doused expectations of prices moving at a faster pace, Guinigundo said.

In May, inflation settled at 2.6 percent, unchanged from a month earlier. The May figure pulled inflation in the first five months to 3 percent—at the lower end of Bangko Sentral’s 3 to 5 percent target.

Benign inflation has paved the way for monetary authorities to keep policy rates—a benchmark for bank loans—at record lows of 3.5 percent for overnight borrowing and 5.5 percent for overnight lending since October.

This has allowed corporations and individuals to borrow and spend for less, helping the economy expand.

On Thursday, the Monetary Board kept policy unchanged.

Guinigundo also announced, however, that the central bank raised its 2014 inflation forecast to 3.6 percent from 3.4

percent earlier as funds previously parked in the Bangko Sentral are withdraw and placed in more productive economic activity.

“The higher forecasts were on assessment of the liquidity impact from latest cuts in our SDA (special deposit account) rate and limits on it,” he said.

The yield on SDA placements, which monetary authorities use to manage liquidity, were cut thrice since January— the last being in April.

A higher yield against other investment instruments mops up liquidity in the financial system, while a lower rate flushes money out into the economy.

In May, the Bangko Sentral also limited the types of funds banks can deposit in the SDA window.

“Going forward, the BSP will continue to monitor emerging price and output conditions to ensure that the monetary policy stance remains consistent with maintaining stable prices while supporting economic growth,” Tetangco said in announcing recent policy moves of the Monetary Board. ■ Siegfrid O. Alegado / VS, GMA

News Online / June 13, 2013 / 5:02 PM

6

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

www.hello-philippines.com

PLDT says on track to hitting full-year profit goal on strength of Internet business MANILA - Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co (PLDT) is on track to achieve its core profit guidance after “encouraging” results in the first five months of the year, its chairman said today.

On the sidelines of the telco’s stockholders meeting, Manuel V. Pangilinan told reporters that the company’s mobile Internet and home businesses buoyed profits in the January to May period.

“The surprising growth in mobile Internet as well as pleasant growth in what we call the home business of PLDT —which is the DSL (digital subscriber line), the wireless DSL, the Telpad, and now we have Cignal TV over fiber—that’s all propelling the fixed-line businesses of PLDT and that has shown significant growth in the first five months and we expect that to continue,” said Pangilinan.

For the year, PLDT had projected core profit to reach P38.3 billion. In 2012, the company recorded a core net income of P37.3 billion.

“It looks like the outlook for the year is better than we anticipated,” said Pangilinan.

During today’s stockholders meeting, PLDT president Napoleon Nazareno said 2013 will be a year when the dominant telco “returns to growth.”

“The acquisition of Digitel and the network transformation program had a

dampening effect on 2012 financials.

However, these investments combined with our multimedia strategy should now put the company back in the growth path and in the best position to profit from farreaching changes that are happening in the converging worlds of telecoms, Internet and media,” Nazareno said.

In the first quarter, PLDT suffered an eight percent drop in net income to P9.2 billion from P10 billion in the same period last year due to “exceptional transactions.”

Core profit, which excludes foreign exchange gains or losses and other nonrecurring income, grew by four percent to P9.6 billion from P9.2 billion last year.

Partly owned by Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co Ltd and Japan’s NTT group, PLDT’s consolidated service revenues inched up to P40.96 billion from P40.85 billion over the same period.

Had the peso remained stable, consolidated service revenues would have been higher by a percent, the country’s biggest telco said.

PLDT’s capital expenditures are expected to reach P29 billion for the year, P7.4 billion lower than the amount spent last year.

InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, a member of the PLDT Group. ■ Krista Angela M. Montealegre / InterAksyon.com / June 14, 2013 / 6:11 PM

PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan (2nd from right), president Napoleon Nazareno (2nd from left) join other board members during stockholders’ meeting. Bernard Testa

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

MVP Group open to marginal increase in Meralco stake, opts for ‘orderly’ divestment by San Miguel MANILA - The group of Manuel V. Pangilinan remains lukewarm to increasing its stake in Manila Electric Co (Meralco) should San Miguel Corp decide to divest its shares in the utility.

On the sidelines of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co’s (PLDT) annual stockholders’ meeting, the telco’s chairman Pangilinan told reporters that the group has yet to decide if it will purchase additional shares in Meralco from San Miguel.

“In terms of our current shareholding, we’re comfortable with that and we will assist whatever way we can,” he said.

San Miguel president Ramon S. Ang earlier said the company will entertain offers for its shares in Meralco.

The country’s largest electricity distributor, Meralco serves Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The group of PLDT and Metro Pacific Investments Corp (MPIC), through Beacon Electric Asset Holdings Inc, controls roughly 48 percent of Meralco.

San Miguel, on the other hand, owns 36 percent of the utility.

While interested in hiking its Meralco stake, the PLDT-MPIC Group may run after a “modest” increase so as not to trigger

MVP in ambush interview by reporters during PLDT stockholders’ meeting. Photo by Bernard Testa

a mandatory tender offer at the bourse, Pangilinan, who also chairs MPIC and Meralco, said.

Under the Securities Regulation Code, the acquisition of more than 51 percent of a listed company will warrant an offer to shares held by existing stockholders.

“We need to understand the process, the size of the offering, pricing of the offering. We just want to see—and San Miguel wants that as well—an orderly procedure for the divestment,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan also chairs TV5, of which InterAksyon.com is the online news portal. ■ Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo / InterAksyon. com / June 14, 2013 / 5:56 PM

8

www.hello-philippines.com

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

Sangley reclamation plan for airport wil destroy livelihood of 26,000 Cavite fishing families

MANILA, Philippines - The planned large-scale reclamation project in Sangley Point that would pave the way for the construction of international airport and seaport at the former US naval station would destroy the livelihood of 26,000 Cavite fishing families, a fisherfolk alliance said Sunday.

Salvador France, Pamalakaya vice chairperson and convener of Koalisyon Kontra Kumbersyon ng Manila Bay (KKKManila Bay), said 26,000 fishing families from Bacoor to Cavite City will be displaced from their main source of livelihood once Malacanang agrees with foreign investors and financiers of the Sangley Pt. Reclamation Project at the Cavite Peninsula.

“Twenty six thousand fishing families or roughly 156,000 people will be immediately dislodged from their livelihood and communities and what the government will offer for survival of a lifetime is P 15,000 for each of the displaced family. People of the Philippines, we have a looming massacre of people, livelihood and environment here rolled into one courtesy of this great Sangley Point robbery by foreign monopolies,” the Pamalakaya official said.

Another group of fishermen, allied with the left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), said in a statement: “The large-scale reclamation project in Sangley Point will send the fishing villages of Bacoor, Noveleta, Kawit, Rosario, and Cavite City to the death bed of environmental catastrophe and destruction. The reclamation plan will kill the livelihood of tens of thousands of fishermen and other people dependent on Cavite’s fishing for their day-to-day survival,” Myrna Candinato, chairperson of the Pamalakaya-affiliated Alyansa ng

Mandaragat ng Bacoor, Cavite Inc. (Alyansa), said Malacanang should shelve the project and instead think of better ways on how to resolve hunger and poverty plaguing all coastal areas and fishing villages of the province. “ An export-based industrialization program such as the development of Sangley Point into an international airport and seaport is not the right prescription for development. Why kill tens of thousands of fishing jobs, displace tens of thousands of coastal people, and sacrifice the fragile environment at the altar this transnational takeover?” Candinato asked.

The plan. France said the Sangley Point reclamation project to be undertaken by the Philippine Reclamation Authority under the National Reclamation Plan (NRP) will be met with strong opposition from affected fishermen and residents. He said the people in coastal areas of the province have been informed ahead of the project and that opposition to the reclamation plan of the Cavite Peninsula is shaping into a big fight that will involve fishermen across the Manila Bay. “We will involve the people from North to South of Manila Bay to fight this millennium sell-out of national patrimony to transnational giants. We will not allow this exportation of surplus capital by foreign monopolies to wreck havoc on people’s lives and environment,” said Pamalakaya.

Last week, Wilson Tieng, chairman of Solar Group, and the lead local partner of All-Asia Resources and Reclamation Corporation (ARRC) consortium announced that a number of foreign investors are willing to finance the reclamation and development of Sangley Point into an international airport and seaport South of Luzon area.

The ARRC, the local proponent of a proposed project to redevelop Sangley

Point said foreign partners, mostly Europe-based, include Flugfahen Munich, operator of the Munich airport in Germany; Hamburger Hafen und Logstik, the biggest operator in the Hamburg port, also in Germany; the Italian rail company Ferrovie Circumvesuviana; power firm Isoluc Corsan; Deutsche Bank; COWI, Inros Lackner and GMP Architects; contractors Hochtief and Rizzani de Eccher; and Royal Boskalis Westminster, the lead reclamation contractor.

On January 10, the ARRC submitted its letters of intent to undertake the twin projects to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA), the renamed PEA, the agency that acts as the clearinghouse for reclamation projects in the country.

The ARRC proposal was “in response to the need to develop premier international gateways in the country, as well as Executive Order No. 629, Series of 2007, directing the PRA to convert Sangley Point in Cavite City into an international logistics hub with a modern airport and seaport through an enabling reclamation component.”

The Phase I of the airport project, is estimated to run from 2014 to 2018 and would involve the reclamation of 2,500 hectares on the flight line of the Atienza Air Base, the development of a 50-milliona-year airport terminal, and the first of two runway systems estimated to cost P56.2 billion and P45 billion, respectively, according to ARRC. It said the development of a 50-milliona-year passenger terminal is demanddriven based on the current 31 million annual passenger traffic in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia), the capacity of which is constrained by limited space.

The Cavite coastline as seen from CavitEX shows some bamboo poles where mussels are cultivated and gathered. Veronica Uy/InterAksyon.com

In its letters of intent, the ARRC also proposed the “redevelopment of the Naia complex with the relocation of the Atienza Air Base to Runway 06-24 in the Villamor Air Base.” It also called for redevelopment of Naia 1 into a “greenbelt mixed residential area” between 2020 and 2025.

On the other hand, Phase 1 of the project also calls for the reclamation of 50 ha offshore of the Atienza Air Base with a budget of around P8 billion, and the construction of a 200-million-liter capacity bulk liquid port, estimated to cost P10.8 billion.

The ARRC said the development of the bulk liquid port is demand-driven, resulting from the proposed relocation of the existing 83-million-liter capacity of the Pandacan depot (in Manila), which supplies 70 percent of the shipping industry’s needs, 90 percent of lubricant requirements, 75 percent of all aviation fuel needs, and 25 percent of the demand for chemicals.

Also included in the proposed reclamation and redevelopment of Sangley Pt. are the construction of the 17-kilometer Sangley-CavitEx to link the projects to the Naia complex; the 32.5-km Aguinaldo Light Rail Transit, using the alignment of the Sangley-CavitEX link to the Naia complex and Tramo to connect to the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 Taft Station; and an 8-km, four-lane, snake-shaped cable-stayed bridge linking the twin projects to Boulevard

2000. The bridge project alone is estimated to cost at least $2.3 billion, according to ARRC. ‘Dying Manila Bay’. “Reclamation will hasten the death of Manila Bay which is currently under the Intensive Care Unit and in full environmental comatose. That undertaking by design and by orientation, and by law is against the SC decision on Manila Bay. If President Benigno Simeon Aquino III and the PRA will not listen and will continue to subscribe to Sangley prescription of foreign financial oligarchs, then expect the grand destruction in Cavite,” warned Pamalakaya.

Pamalakaya, Alyansa, and KKK-Manila Bay pressed President Aquino to rescind the June 21, 2007 Executive Order signed by former President Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo.

The groups were referring to Executive Order No. 629 directing the PRA to develop Sangley Point in Cavite City into a logistical hub with modern seaport and an airport, citing the R-1 expressway extension project as enabling component.

Pamalakaya said the R-1 extension project resulted to diminished fish catch and destruction of remaining corals and mangroves in Bacoor Bay. The same Cavite road project is also being blamed for the flooding in Bacoor and nearby coastal towns in the province. ■ InterAksyon.com /

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through its policy-making body the Monetary Board, has liberalized the framework for the cross-selling of financial products by banks.

Under the new guidelines, banks may use their premises to market and sell the financial products of their related parties under a banking group or a financial conglomerate, the BSP said Tuesday.

“This reform initiative makes available to consumers a broader array of financial products using the existing branch network of the banking system,” said BSP governor Amando Tetangco Jr. in a statement.

Cross-selling is an international practice that separates the production of a financial product or service from its distribution.

Under the MB-approved guidelines, bank premises are used as an access point for financial products offered by related parties.

Aside from allowing all types of banks to perform cross-selling, the new rules also dispense with the submission of product by product documentary requirements under the previous guideline.

While documentary requirements have been streamlined, governance standards have been strengthened. An oversight mechanism specific to cross-selling has been outlined in the new rules. Among others, a complaints handling mechanism has been instituted.

“The BSP is cognizant of the need to sustain high standards of risk management.

This is the reason why we limit the products to those without investment risk and allow only banks with CAMELS rating of at least 3 to perform cross-selling,” Tetangco said.

CAMELS stands for capital adequacy, asset quality, management, earnings and liquidity rating system.

Financial products that might be included in the cross-selling are credit cards; auto, home mortgage, personal and other retail loans; term, life, non-life and other protection-type insurance products; cash, debit and related products; and other similar financial instruments that maybe authorized by the Monetary Board. ■ KBK,

June 16, 2013 / 11:56 AM

22.4% of households have BSP revises cross-selling framework savings in Q2 – BSP survey ONLY 22.4 percent of households had savings at the start of the second quarter of the year, according to the latest Consumer Expectations Survey conducted by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The percentage is a slight decline from the 24.5 percent with savings around the start of Q1 2013, when the first Consumer Expectations Survey of the year was conducted from Jan. 21 to Feb. 1.

The Q2 survey was conducted from April 3 to 15, with a total sample size of 5,884 households. Of this total number, 3,036 (51.6 percent) were from Metro Manila, while 2,848 (48.4 percent) were from the areas outside the National Capital Region.

The Q1 survey was conducted not long after Typhoon Pablo devastated parts of Mindanao and Visayas in December 2012, while the Q2 survey was conducted days

after Fitch Ratings upgraded the Philippines’ credit rating to investment grade.

In the latest survey, an increase of households in the higher-income group with savings was outpaced by the drop in savings among households in the low- and middle-income groups.

The percentage of respondents that expected to save money in Q2 remained at 31.9 percent, the same in Q1. The expected savings rate of 10 percent of household income was also unchanged from last quarter.

Among the respondents with savings, about 64 percent had bank deposit accounts, while 11.3 percent put their money in cooperatives, paluwagan and other credit loan associations. The rest, about 23.6 percent, kept their savings at home—a decline from 42.8 percent in the previous quarter.

By geographical location, a slightly higher percentage of respondents in Metro Manila reported having households savings (25.6 percent) compared to those in areas outside NCR (21.9 percent).

Of the 525 households in the survey that received remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), 95.4 percent used the money for food, 67 percent for education, 54.9 percent for medicl payments, and 42.1 percent for debt payments.

The percentage of OFW households that used their remittances for savings dropped to 39.4 percent in the current survey from 42.5 percent in the first survey.

The respondents’ reasons for saving money included having funds for education, emergency, hospitalization and business capital. ■ BM, GMA News / June 16,

2013 / 4:55 PM

GMA News / June 11, 2013 8:13 PM

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

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

www.hello-philippines.com

9

VP Binay eyes Germany’s dual Meralco explores partnership with vocational system vs unemployment Korean firm, investments in Myanmar

THE Philippines could learn from Germany’s use of a dual vocational system to help address the problem of unemployment, Vice President Jejomar Binay said.

Binay, who recently returned from a working visit in Germany, said the dual vocational system is reason for the relatively low unemployment among German youths.

“We hope we can apply a similar scheme in the Philippines especially with the implementation of the K-12 program and we look forward to a possible cooperation with Germany on this in the future,” he said.

Binay, the presidential adviser on overseas Filipino worker concerns, discussed the matter with German Labor Minister Dr. Ursula von der Leyen during his recent working visit to Germany.

He said von der Leyen, who talked about the dual education system with the chief executive officer of Ayala Corp., “expressed her interest to return to the Philippines to speak more about the dual vocational system of training.”

Also, he said Germany is offering to help the Philippines integrate the K-12 basic education system to the dual vocational system.

Under the German dual vocational system, students take apprenticeships in

a company and vocational education at a vocational school.

The training at the firm lasts two to three-and-a-half years, with the trainees getting a certificate at the end of the training.

Binay also noted those taking the vocational courses are treated like professionals.

“Isa ‘yan sa ipinagmamalaki nila. That is giving dignity doon sa mga vocational courses,” he added.

Equivalency of academic degrees.

Meanwhile, Binay said he and von der Leyen are exploring forging a bilateral agreement on the equivalency of academic degrees between the Philippines and Germany.

He said the Commission on Higher Education recommended the initiative, having signed a similar agreement with the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports last year.

“We believe such an agreement would lead towards an eventual mutual recognition of degrees for professional purposes.... This would also help in our efforts to facilitate the deployment of Philippine health care professionals under the recently signed agreement between the Philippines and Germany,” he said.

Filipino nurses. Earlier, Binay met

with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle to discuss the deployment of Filipino nurses to Germany.

An initial batch of 50 nurses is to be deployed in 2013 and the next batch of 500 deployed by 2014.

The Office of the Vice President noted there is now a tie-up between the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the International University Cooperation Education (iUCE).

Under the arrangement, Filipino students enrolled under this program have the option to continue their studies in Germany.

Students who take part in the program shall obtain a fully state-recognized Philippine bachelor degree from UST. If they opt to continue in iUCE, they can graduate with a degree recognized by the German Ministry of Education. LBG, GMA News / June 16, 2013 / 8:00 AM

MANILA - The country’s largest electricity distributor Manila Electric Co (Meralco) continues to scout for potential projects and partners both here and abroad in line with its plan to boost its power generation portfolio.

Manuel V. Pangilinan, Meralco chairman, told reporters over the weekend that the company has stepped up talks with Korea Water Resources Corp (K-Water), the winning bidder for the privatized 218-megawatt Angat hydroelectric power plant in Bulacan, for a possible partnership.

“We’ve spoken to them, we visited Daejeon, Korea where their headquarter is.

I don’t think they already made a decision which group they partner with. At least we take a look at it,” he said.

K-Water needs a local partner in the Angat dam’s hydropower component to comply with a Supreme Court decision that upheld the privatization of the facility.

The Korean firm offered the winning bid of $440.8 million for the power plant in 2010 but was questioned in court, preventing its takeover of the power facility.

Meralco is looking to build 2,700 megawatts of capacity in the Philippines to help the company temper its rates and secure its electricity supply.

The company recently invested in an 800-megawatt liquefied natural gas power plant in Singapore in partnership with First Pacific Co Ltd of Hong Kong.

Besides its investment in Singapore, Meralco is also looking at Myanmar as a potential opportunity for expansion but the company has yet to identify which projects to pursue.

“The prime minister is laying emphasis on new power assets that will be built there,” Pangilinan said.

Power projects in Myanmar, Pangilinan said, is part of a “broad spectrum of opportunity”, which also includes water, agriculture and mining.

Pangilinan, who also chairs infrastructure investment firm Metro Pacific Investment Corp, said they are also looking at potential investments in these sectors.

InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, which is chaired also by Pangilinan. ■ Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo / InterAksyon.com / June 17, 2013 / 4:21 AM

Discover

Philippines Airfares starting from *

£ 597 • Flights

Worldwide

• Holidays

• Sports Tours

Take a stop on your way home, in one of our specialised destinations.

For more information visit www.paradisevacations.co.uk

Call us on

0208 166 5050 A 01, Olympic Way, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 0NP

T + 44 (0) 20 8166 5050 F + 44 (0) 20 8166 5100

E info@paradisetravels.co.uk E sales@paradisevacations.co.uk

All above fares are for low season travel, includes taxes, subject to seat availability & conditions apply

10

www.hello-philippines.com

IMMIGRATION / OFNEWS

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

Body of Pinay shot, killed Two key PHL envoys in Saudi Arabia end tour of duty in Virginia to be repatriated this week - PHL Embassy PHILIPPINE officials will help repatriate this coming week the remains of a Filipina-American who was shot dead in a wholesale store in Virginia last May. According to a tweet from the Philippine Embassy in Washington, Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. assured the family of Mylene de Leon-Scott that they were facilitating the repatriation of her remains.

Cuisia had himself paid his final respects Saturday night (US time) to de Leon-Scott, who police fatally shot at a Costco store in Sterling, Virginia.

He also extended his condolences to de Leon-Scott’s former husband, two daughters and uncle, the embassy added.

“Cuisia expressed hope that

authorities would soon conclude their investigation and release the results,” the embassy said.

Filipino-American community groups were outraged over the fatal shooting of de Leon-Scott, calling for an impartial probe into the incident.

Cuisia, in an earlier news release, said that the Embassy “shares the concerns expressed by Ms. Scott’s family in the Philippines and the members of the Filipino-American Community that law enforcement officials may have responded with disproportionate force.”

A Washington Post report on the killing said that a sheriff’s deputy shot and killed Scott after she allegedly came at him with a knife. ■ DVM, GMA News / June 16, 2013 / 10:54 PM

Pinoy baby unable to leave Saudi hospital with P4M unpaid medical bill THE family of a baby born prematurely in Saudi Arabia is asking for financial help because the baby’s medical bills there have reached up to around P4 million pesos.

In a report aired Friday on GMA News TV’s “Balitanghali,” it was noted that the child’s parents, both overseas Filipino workers based in Saudi, want their baby to be released in the hospital.

However, this has yet to be achieved because the baby’s medical bills have so far amounted to around 400,000 Saudi riyals, or more than P4 million pesos.

Dexter Mateo, the father of the baby, was interviewed on “Balitanghali” by Pia Arcangel after the report aired. He said the baby, though more or less fine, still needs some treatments.

“Sa ngayon po ma’am nasa ospital pa rin po ang baby, medyo maayos naman ‘yung kalagayan, pero ang problema po ngayon is yung mata lang is nasa treatment pa rin po, kasi may problema sa retina,” he said.

Mateo said that if it weren’t for the high amount of hospital bills to be paid, it is now safe for the baby to be taken out of the hospital.

The eye treatments can also be continued at home. “’ Yung bill lang po yung problema ngayon, anytime pwede na pong mailabas iyong bata,” he also said.

The baby’s father said his family has yet to raise enough money because the fundraising has just begun. “ Wala pa po talaga kasi kaka-umpisa pa lang po namin mag -fundraising. E sa ngayon pa po, wala pa po kaming nalikom na pera para sa bill namin,” Mateo said.

The report noted that the baby’s grandparents have also called for the government’s assistance so the child can leave the hospital, but they have yet to receive a response. ■ Gian C. Geronimo / VVP, GMA News / June 14, 2013 / 3:30 PM

THE Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia has lost two key officers who had ended their tour of duty there and have left the Kingdom.

In a news release on its website, the embassy said the departure of the two is part of the “regular rotation” of embassy and attached services officials.

Leaving their posts were First Secretary and Consul Mohd Noordin Lomondot and social welfare attache Nilda Oliva.

Lomondot, the head of the embassy’s consular section, left last May 29 to assume his new post as First Secretary

and Consul in the Philippine Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Replacing him is Winston Almeda, who is to arrive in mid-June from the Philippine Embassy in Paris, France.

Meanwhile, Oliva ended her two-year tour of duty last June 1 and has left for the Philippines.

Her replacement is Perlita Panganiban, a registered social worker and holder of a Masters of Social Work from the University of the Philippines.

The embassy said Panganiban, a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Commerce, with a major in Management

at the Saint Louis University in Baguio city, served as Chief of Division in Institutional Development and also as Chief of Technical Division, of DSWD in Cordillera Administrative Region.

It said Panganiban has presented a country paper on child abuse in the Philippines at the Japan College of Social Work during the 17th Asian Social Welfare Administration Study Program in Tokyo in 1999.

She has also received awards, citations and commendations during her 33 years of government service. ■ LBG, GMA News / June 16, 2013 / 10:17 AM

POEA goes after recruiters collecting placement fees from domestic workers to Hong Kong THE Philippine government said recruitment agencies that collect placement fees from Filipino Household Service Workers (HSWs) applicants risk losing their license.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said a total prohibition on charging placement fees from HSWs exists, based on POEA Governing Board Resolution No. 6, Series of 2006.

“Very clearly, licensed agencies can still collect placement fee or service fee, provided that it should not be shouldered by the worker but by the foreign principal,” he explained.

Cacdac said recruiters should not to circumvent the no-placement fee policy by collecting excessive fees supposedly for medical examination, training, video bio-data, and pre-departure orientation seminar.

Violation of the prohibition on placement fee collection is considered a grave offense whereby the imposable penalty is cancellation of license, regardless of the number of complainants.

Cacdac noted that in most host country, employers are the ones who pay a service fee to shoulder all the cost of

hiring and deploying HSWs. Cacdac said a group of licensed recruitment agencies deploying HSWs to Hong Kong has decided to scrap collection of placement fees from its workers.

“I urge other recruiter associations to follow the lead of the 52 members of the Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (SHARP), which have committed to support the government’s campaign to improve the welfare of Filipino household workers in other countries,” he said. ■ VVP, GMA News / June 15, 2013 / 7:00 PM

New 1,500-seat Catholic church to open in UAE on Friday FILIPINO Catholics in the United Arab Emirates stand to benefit from a new 1,500-seat Catholic church that will open at the Ras Al Khaimah area on Friday.

Vatican representative Cardinal Fernando Filoni will consecrate the 5,000-square meter, Dh18.5-million St. Anthony of Padua Church in the Al Jazira Al Hamra district, Gulf News reported.

There are an estimated 700,000 Catholics who go to 10 churches and served by about 40 priests speaking a dozen languages in the UAE, the report said.

In Ras Al Khaimah alone, there are about 6,000 Catholics, the report noted.

“The church is very much alive here, in Africa and certainly in Asia. All of the

members are migrant workers. Besides Filipinos, Indians and Christian Arabs, we have a growing number of Korean Catholics too. Services in rather small churches here are packed, while in Europe, big and beautiful cathedrals are almost empty,” Fr. Galdolf Josef, 73, secretary Abu Dhabi-based Bishop Paul Hinder, told Gulf News.

Josef added that Ras Al Khaimah is “developing quite a bit, especially its industries and tourism, and so is the number of migrant workers.”

The consecration ceremony falls close to the feast of St Anthony of Padua, patron of lost items and people, on June 13.

The officials expected to attend the opening include Archbishop Petar

Rajic, Apostolic Nuncio to the Arabian Peninsula and Bishop Paul Hinder, Vicar Apostolic of Southern Arabia.

Gulf News noted that the 1,200-seat church can accommodate up to 1,500 worshippers. Two major roads link the new church to Umm Al Qwain, Ajman and Sharjah.

The new church also has a basement hall while two buildings have offices, meeting and catechism rooms and the priests’ accommodation.

Meanwhile, a new church is also under construction in Abu Dhabi’s Mussafah industrial district. The structure is on a 5,000 square-meter land granted by the government. ■ VVP, GMA News / June 14, 2013 / 5:20 PM

DFA urges alleged sex-for-fly victims Memorial service held for 5 Pinay nurses in in Middle East to file complaint limo fire, probe results may be out this week

THE Department of Foreign Affairs on Friday urged alleged Filipino victims of “sex-for-fly” scheme reportedly involving Philippine labor officials in the Middle East to come forward and file a complaint.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said the department has yet to receive a complaint from victims of so-called “sex for fly” scheme, wherein distressed Filipino women are allegedly being offered immediate repatriation by Philippine labor officers assigned in DFA’s diplomatic missions in exchange for sex.

The Philippines is one of the world’s top labor-exporting nations with about 8.6 million skilled and unskilled workers scattered abroad, mostly in the Middle East.

Remittances from Filipino migrant workers constitute a significant source of

the country’s foreign exchange as they send home over $20 billion per year.

The Department of Labor and Employment, Hernandez said, is also conducting its own investigation, since those involved are from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

“We would, however, appreciate if any of the supposed victims of this scheme will come forward and provide the embassy or DOLE with a formal complaint detailing the whole incident,” he said.

“As you know, sex-related offenses are, more often than not, done in secret and these acts are not normally documented, so it would be very hard for us to prove that such an offense was committed if no one will speak up.” ■ Michaela del Callar / VVP, GMA News / June 14, 2013 / 6:30 PM

A memorial service was held on Saturday night (PHL time) for five Filipina nurses who died in a limousine fire in last May, as officials hope for answers to lingering questions on their tragic fate when official probe results are released as early as this coming week.

The Philippine Embassy in Washington posted on its Twitter account a photo of the memorial service program for the five, with Msgr. Mariano Balbago Jr. as officiating priest.

It said the memorial service was in memory of Anna Alcantara, Jennifer Balon, Michelle Estrera, Neriza Fojas, and Filomena Geronga.

The five died after a stretch limo they were riding to a hotel for Fojas’ bachelorette

party caught fire.

Philippine ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia Jr. said there are “still many questions left.unanswered in San Mateo Bridge tragedy that took five promising lives.”

“Hopefully we will get answers when authorities release results of official investigation next week,” he said.

Costco store shooting. Ambassador Cuisia also requested prayers for Filipina Mylene de Leon-Scott, who policemen fatally shot during an incident at a Costco store on May 29.

“May we also soon find answers to the many questions surrounding her untimely death so she, too, can be allowed to rest in peace,” he said.

Some Filipino-American community groups earlier expressed outrage over the fatal shooting of de Leon-Scott, calling for an impartial probe of the incident.

Authorities initially said de Leon-Scott was shot dead by police officers responding to a reported disturbance inside the Costco Wholesale Store in Sterling.

“We request authorities to conduct a thorough, impartial and expeditious investigation of the incident,” Cuisia said.

He aded that the Embassy “shares the concerns expressed by Ms. Scott’s family in the Philippines and the members of the Filipino-American Community that law enforcement officials may have responded with disproportionate force.” ■ ELR, GMA News / June 16, 2013 / 6:06 AM

WORLD NEWS

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

www.hello-philippines.com

11

Britain’s Kate in last engagement before giving birth

Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge rides to Buckingham Palace after the Queen’s Birthday parade in London ©afp.com / Carl Court

The Red Arrows team perform a fly-past as the British royal family members watch from Buckingham Palace ©afp.com / Carl Court

Catherine (R) and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall ©afp.com / Carl Court

LONDON - Prince William’s wife Catherine on Saturday carried out her last public engagement before giving birth to their first baby, at Queen Elizabeth II’s official 87th birthday celebrations.

The monarch was without her 92-yearold husband Prince Philip, who is spending a second week in hospital recovering from exploratory abdominal surgery.

Kate, who is eight months pregnant, travelled to the Trooping the Colour military parade in a carriage, while William rode on horseback, wearing his uniform as honorary colonel of the Irish Guards, as he did to their wedding in April 2011.

The colourful ceremony is an annual dose of traditional British pageantry, in which soldiers in scarlet tunics and black bearskin hats march in formation.

Catherine rode in an open carriage with William’s brother Prince Harry and the princes’ stepmother, Prince Charles’s wife Camilla.

The heavily pregnant royal smiled and waved to the crowds lining the route to Horse Guards Parade, the central London parade ground.

William and Kate’s first baby, which is due in July, will be third in line to the throne behind William and his father Prince Charles.

Kate carried out her last solo public engagement on Thursday, launching a

Mandela showing ‘sustained’ improvement: Zuma LONDON - Prince William’s wife Catherine on Saturday carried out her last public engagement before giving birth to their first baby, at Queen Elizabeth II’s official 87th birthday celebrations.

The monarch was without her 92-year-old husband Prince Philip, who is spending a second week in hospital recovering from exploratory abdominal surgery.

Kate, who is eight months pregnant, travelled to the Trooping the Colour military parade in a carriage, while William rode on horseback, wearing his uniform as honorary colonel of the Irish Guards, as he did to their wedding in April 2011.

The colourful ceremony is an annual dose of traditional British pageantry, in which soldiers in scarlet tunics and black bearskin hats march in formation.

Catherine rode in an open carriage with William’s brother Prince Harry and the princes’ stepmother, Prince Charles’s wife Camilla.

The heavily pregnant royal smiled and waved to the crowds lining the route to Horse Guards Parade, the central London parade ground.

William and Kate’s first baby, which is due in July, will be third in line to the throne behind William and his father Prince Charles.

Kate carried out her last solo public engagement on Thursday, launching a new liner in the southern English port of Southampton, sending a 15-litre bottle of champagne smashing into its hull.

Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent—a first cousin of the queen—took Prince Philip’s place on the dais to take the salute alongside the sovereign.

The duke, a grandson of king George V who served for two decades in the British army, will be on duty again in a more familiar role within weeks— presenting trophies at the Wimbledon tennis championships.

It is thought to be only the third time that Prince Philip has missed Trooping the

Colour after not attending in 1962 and 1968 when he was away on royal tours.

The ceremony—a hangover from preparations for battle when colours or flags were “trooped” down the rank so soldiers could recognise them—marks the queen’s official birthday.

Her actual birthday is on April 21 but traditionally the monarch has another in the summer months, because the weather is supposed to be better for open-air celebrations.

The parade was followed by a flypast over Buckingham Palace, with the royal family joining the queen on the balcony.

Britain’s only airworthy World War II-era Lancaster bomber was followed by modern Tornado and Typhoon fighter jets.

The Red Arrows aerobatics team then left red, white and blue smoke trailing through the sky.

Despite her husband’s hospitalisation, Queen Elizabeth seemed in good spirits as she waved to the crowds. ■ AFP / June 15, 2013 / 7:35 PM

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (centre), daughter Zenani (right) and grandaughter Zaziwe visit Mandela, in Pretoria ©afp.com / Alexander Joe

new liner in the southern English port of Southampton, sending a 15-litre bottle of champagne smashing into its hull.

Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent—a first cousin of the queen—took Prince Philip’s place on the dais to take the salute alongside the sovereign.

The duke, a grandson of king George V who served for two decades in the British army, will be on duty again in a more familiar role within weeks—presenting trophies at the Wimbledon tennis championships.

It is thought to be only the third time that Prince Philip has missed Trooping the Colour after not attending in 1962 and 1968 when he was away on royal tours.

The ceremony—a hangover from preparations for battle when colours or flags were “trooped” down the rank so

soldiers could recognise them—marks the queen’s official birthday.

Her actual birthday is on April 21 but traditionally the monarch has another in the summer months, because the weather is supposed to be better for open-air celebrations.

The parade was followed by a flypast over Buckingham Palace, with the royal family joining the queen on the balcony.

Britain’s only airworthy World War IIera Lancaster bomber was followed by modern Tornado and Typhoon fighter jets.

The Red Arrows aerobatics team then left red, white and blue smoke trailing through the sky.

Despite her husband’s hospitalisation, Queen Elizabeth seemed in good spirits as she waved to the crowds. ■ AFP / June 15, 2013 / 7:35 PM

North Korea proposes high-level talks with US

SEOUL - North Korea proposed high-level talks with the US on denuclearisation and easing tensions on the Korean peninsula, just days after it abruptly cancelled a rare meeting with the South.

Tension has been high on the peninsula since the North’s third nuclear test in February that triggered new UN sanctions which ignited an angry response from Pyongyang, including threats of nuclear attacks on Seoul and Washington.

A rare high-level meeting between two Koreas scheduled for June 12 and 13, which would have been the first between the two sides for six years, was cancelled on Tuesday due to spats over protocol.

The latest proposal came as the North was under increasing pressure to abandon its atomic arsenal and its belligerent behaviour, not only from the US and its ally the South, but also Pyongyang’s sole major ally, China.

“We propose senior-level talks between... the (North) and the US to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula and ensure peace and security in the region,” the North’s powerful National Defense Commission said in a statement carried by state media.

The North is willing to have “broad and in-depth discussions” on issues such as the building of “a world without nuclear weapons” being promoted by US President Barack Obama, it said, inviting the US to set the time and venue for the meeting.

“If the US has true intent on defusing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and ensuring peace and security in the US mainland and the region, it should not raise preconditions for dialogue and contact,” it said.

Analysts said Washington was unlikely to accept the latest proposal without any concrete action from Pyongyang to move towards denuclearisation—a pre-condition for any talks long demanded by the US. Glyn Davies, the US pointman on North Korea policy, last week repeated calls for the North to take steps to end its nuclear programme and warned that this year’s crisis increased Washington’s hesitancy to engage again.

“The US has repeatedly made it clear that

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) visits a restaurant in North Pyongan province ©afp.com/Kns

it was not interested in a dialogue for the sake of dialogue,” said Yang Moo-Jin, a professor at the University North Korean Studies in Seoul.

“So I’m not sure if Washington will respond to the talks offer, especially if it was made without any behind-the-curtain negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington in advance,” he said.

In another move to step up pressure on Pyongyang, chief nuclear envoys of the US, the South and Japan are to meet in Washington on Wednesday to discuss ways to resume the long-stalled six-nation nuclear disarmament talks on the North.

The nuclear-armed communist state said in Sunday’s statement that it was committed to denuclearisation of the peninsula but defended its atomic arsenal as “self-defence” against what it called military and nuclear threats from the US. “The legitimate status of the (North) as a nuclear weapons state will go on... until... the nuclear threats from outside are put to a final end,” it said, urging the US to also scrap all sanctions against it.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who agreed at a summit with Obama earlier this month that the North must give up its nuclear arsenal, is also to hold talks with the South’s leader Park Geun-Hye on June 27.

“The North is hard-pressed to show some kind of reconciliatory gestures to avoid being further isolated in this dynamic, especially by China,” said Kim Yong-Hyun, a North Korea expert at Seoul’s Dongguk University. ■ Jung Ha-Won / AFP / June 16, 2013 / 06:41 AM

12

www.hello-philippines.com

WORLD NEWS

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

G8 can bridge Syria differences: Cameron LONDON - British Prime Minister David Cameron on Sunday insisted that G8 countries share enough common ground on the Syrian crisis to forge a consensus at the group summit, which begins in Northern Ireland on Monday.

Cameron was speaking after talks in London with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been at odds with the West over the war-torn nation.

“What I take from our conversation today is that we can overcome these

British Prime Minister David Cameron (R) greets Russian President Vladimir Putin at 10 Downing Street ©afp.com / Andrew Cowie

A picture shows destruction in Sbeneh, south of the Syrian capital Damascus ©afp.com / Ward al-Keswani

differences if we recognise that we share some fundamental aims: to end the conflict, to stop Syria breaking apart, to let the Syrian people decide who governs them and to take the fight to the extremists and defeat them,” said Cameron.

Putin, who has provided military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad despite pleas from the West, has been dismissive of US claims that the regime has used chemical weapons and insisted Russia had acted appropriately.

“We are not breaching any rules and norms and we call on all our partners to act in the same fashion,” he said at a joint press conference.

Putin also warned that countries mulling supplying arms to forces fighting against Assad’s regime risked tarnishing their reputation after footage emerged last month of one rebel apparently eating the heart of a dead soldier.

“It is barely worth it (supplying arms) to support people who not only kill their enemies but open up their bodies and eat their internal organs in front of the public and the cameras,” Putin said.

“Do you want to supply these people with arms?

“In that case this hardly has anything to do with the humanitarian values which have for centuries been preached in Europe,” he added. “At least in Russia we cannot imagine this.”

Cameron has not said whether he favours sending weapons to the rebels.

Washington has vowed to send military

aid to rebel forces after saying it had proof that the Assad regime had crossed a “red line”.

American officials will not reveal exactly what military support will go to the rebel Supreme Military Council, although by many estimates it will initially be assault rifles and ammunition.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who is pushing for an international peace conference on Syria, warned on Saturday that the chances for a political settlement could be undermined by the regime’s use of chemical weapons.

Putin will meet US President Barack Obama in Northern Ireland on Monday, the opening day of the Lough Erne summit.

Sunday’s talks came as Damascus branded Egypt’s “definitive” severing of relations with Assad’s regime “irresponsible”.

Islamist President Mohammed Morsi announced Saturday that Egypt would close Syria’s embassy in Cairo and recall Egypt’s charge d’affaires from Damascus.

He also called for a “no-fly zone” over Syria.

The international community has long been divided over how to tackle the Syria conflict, which according to UN figures has cost at least 93,000 lives since March 2011.

The fighting has taken on increasingly sectarian overtones, pitting a Sunni-led opposition against the Alawite-dominated regime.

Shortly after Putin and Cameron met, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights

reported that a car bomb exploded at an army checkpoint close to a military airport in Damascus.

The blast close to the Mazzeh military airport in the west of Damascus was heard in several neighbourhoods in the capital and flames were visible from a distance, the Britain-based group said.

The G8 summit is also likely to consider the impact of the election of moderate cleric Hassan Rowhani as Iran’s new president.

Putin urged him to forge closer ties with Moscow, while the United States offered the prospect of direct engagement with Iran but Israel called on world powers to keep up the pressure over the Islamic republic’s nuclear drive.

Iran is a key ally of Assad, staunchly backing his embattled government.

The Syrian opposition accuses Iran of providing Damascus with weapons and encouraging Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah militia, which relies on Tehran for support, to dispatch fighters to Syria.

Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi said Damascus would seek to expand its relations further with Tehran following Rowhani’s victory.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis called on the G8 to push for “an immediate and lasting ceasefire” in Syria.

“Peace demands a far-sighted renunciation of certain claims, in order to build together a more equitable and just peace,” he wrote to Cameron. ■ Anna

Smolchenko / AFP /June 16, 2013 / 9:23 PM

Turkey PM says ‘duty’ to oust protesters as clashes rage

ISTANBUL - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday told a crowd of more than 100,000 supporters it was his “duty” to order a crackdown on an Istanbul protest park, as police and antigovernment demonstrators faced off in fresh clashes.

A full day after riot police dislodged thousands of protesters occupying Gezi Park, officers in the city were still firing tear gas and jets of water at pockets of protesters determined to regroup.

Some 10 kilometres (six miles) away, in a much bigger park, Erdogan put on a show of strength for supporters of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), drawing the largest crowd yet since the demos against his government erupted more than two weeks ago.

Addressing the cheering sea of people, many of whom wore white AKP caps, a combative Erdogan said protesters had forced his hand by defying repeated warnings to clear out of the park.

“I said we were at an end. That it was unbearable. Yesterday the operation was carried out and it was cleaned up,” Erdogan said. “It was my duty as prime minister.”

The violence sparked by the Gezi Park evacuation marked a major escalation in mass unrest that has posed the biggest challenge yet to the Islamic-rooted government’s decade-long rule.

Two of Turkey’s main trade union federations, KESK and DISK, announced they would go on strike Monday in protest at the latest police clashes.

Turkey’s political turmoil first began when a peaceful sit-in to save Gezi Park’s 600 trees from being razed prompted a brutal police response on May 31, spiralling into countrywide demonstrations against Erdogan.

The crisis has claimed four lives and injured nearly 7,500 people so far, according to the Turkish Medical Association.

Saturday evening’s intervention in Gezi Park saw officers with gas masks and riot shields storm the patch of green, sending thousands of campers scrambling out of their tents to escape clouds of acrid tear gas.

Many sought refuge in the luxury hotels bordering the park, prompting police to douse the lobby of at least one five-star establishment with water as guests choked on tear gas fumes.

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in the capital Ankara and the western city of Izmir in solidarity overnight.

Throughout Sunday, clusters of protesters in Istanbul engaged in hourslong cat-and-mouse games with police.

The demonstrators, in dispersed groups that numbered in the hundreds, chanted “Erdogan, resign!” and at times hurled back stones and plastic bottles.

Many complained that the water cannons were spraying water mixed with pepper spray, leaving protesters and passers-by alike coughing in the streets.

Ankara also saw fresh police clashes.

As evening fell, some people leaned out

of their windows banging pots and pans to support the demonstrators.

Opponents accuse Erdogan of authoritarian tendencies and of forcing Islamic conservative reforms on the mainly Muslim but staunchly secular nation of 76 million.

But the 59-year-old, who has been in power since 2002, remains hugely popular.

The AKP has won three elections in a row and took nearly half the vote in 2011, having presided over strong economic growth.

‘Gezi Park returned to the people’.

The Taksim Solidarity group, seen as most representative of the protesters, said “hundreds” had been injured in the weekend unrest, while Istanbul governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu put the number at 44.

Amnesty International said it believed dozens had been detained.

Gezi Park and the adjoining Taksim Square, another focal point for the protests, were sealed off Sunday and heavily guarded by police.

Yellow tape lined the area, blocking entry to pedestrians, as bulldozers broke up protesters’ makeshift barricades and municipal cleaners returfed grassy areas and planted fresh flowers.

“Gezi Park and Taksim Square have been evacuated and returned to the people,” Erdogan told the party faithful.

Erdogan has taken a tough line on the protesters but made an unexpectedly conciliatory gesture when he held talks with Taksim Solidarity representatives on Friday.

Turkey reels as two visions of the country’s future clash ©afp.com

He offered to suspend the Gezi project pending a court ruling on its legality, if protesters agreed to leave.

But the group rejected the olive branch, saying the government had failed to address all their demands, which include a call for arrested demonstrators to be released and for police chiefs in cities that saw clashes to be sacked.

The United States and other Western

allies, along with human rights groups, have widely criticised Erdogan’s handling of the crisis.

Germany on Sunday again urged Turkey to respect the right to demonstrate.

“Freedom to demonstrate and freedom of expression must be guaranteed and peaceful citizens respected,” government spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a tweet.

■ Ceren Kumova / AFP /June 16, 2013 / 7:55 PM

EVENTS DIARY UK & EUROPE

www.hello-philippines.com

14

DATE / TIME

20 June 2013 Thursday 7.15pm

EVENT

VENUE

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition ORGANISER

“Boses”, First Screening in UK This is the first screening in the UK of this highly-acclaimed Filipino film directed by Ellen Ongkeko Marfil, with the acknowledgement of the Philippine Embassy, London.

Riverside Studios Crisp Rd., London W6 9RL (Nearest Tube Stn: Hammersmith)

22 June Saturday 6:00pm 29 June Saturday 9:00am - 6:00pm 29 June Saturday 29 June, Saturday 2-9pm 29 - 30 June Saturday & Sunday 30 June, Sunday 8:00am – 6:00pm 6 July 2013 Saturday 7.30pm

One Love ABRA A Fund Raising Event for the Children of Abra, Philippines Northern Ireland Barrio Fiesta 2013

The Star of Kings 126 York Way, Kings Cross, N1 0AX

“Boses” is a poignant tale about a gifted boy made mute by his unbearable experiences and his emotionally damaged mentor as they find their voice through the redemptive and healing power of music.

Q&A follows with Director Marfil and lead actor and violinist Coke Bolipata.

European Network of Filipinos in Diaspora (ENFiD)

Lower Botanic Gardens Belfast

Proud Filipinos of Northern Ireland with TFC Fiesta Caravan

Independence Day Celebration & Youth Summer Fun Independence Day Celebration

Brayhead, Bray, Ireland

Kaliwat Iliganon Association (KIA) - ROI Philippines Sligo-Leitrim Filipino Association

6 July Saturday 7 July Sunday 7 July, Sunday 9:00-6:00pm 7 July Sunday 12 - 15 July Friday - Monday

Pistahan sa Newcastle 2013

13 July Saturday

Fiesta sa Cardiff 2013

13 & 14 July Saturday & Sunday 13 & 14 July Saturday & Sunday

Birmingham Barrio Fiesta 2013

20 & 21 July, Saturday & Sunday 10:00am – 7:00pm 27 July, Saturday 9:00am - 5:00pm 28 July, Sunday 11am - 7pm 3 August Saturday

29th Barrio Fiesta sa London 2013

3 August Saturday 3 August Saturday 3 August Saturday 8pm - 2am 3 & 4 August Saturday & Sunday 3& 4 August Saturday & Sunday 16 - 18 August Friday - Sunday 17 August Saturday 17 August Saturday 30 & 31 August Saturday 19.30 & Sunday 15.00 / 19.30 7 September Saturday 14 September Saturday 14 & 15 September Saturday & Sunday 21 September Saturday 19 October Saturday November Date tbc

Barrio Fiesta in Sussex Summer Party at the Beach!

Mr. & Miss Bikini Open Philippines UK 2013 PINOY LIVE SESSIONS 5

Lancing Beach Green Sussex, BN15 8RA Conway Hall 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1 4RL AAA below Archangel – 11 Kensington High Street, W8 5NP

Milton Keynes Barrio Fiesta 2013

Campbell Park, Avebury Boulevard, MK City Centre, Milton Keynes MK9 4AN The Mill Community Centre, Celbridge, Co Kildare, Ireland Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Merrion Road Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square Holborn, WC1R 4RL East Brighton Park, Wilson Avenue, Brighton The Cockpit Theatre Gateforth Street Marylebone NW8 8EH ILEC Conference Centre and Ibis Hotel 47 Lillie Road, Earls Court, London SW6 1UD Holy Cross Chapel Charing Cross Hospital Fulham Palace Road, London W6 8RF Guthlaxton College Sports Hall, Station Road, Wigston, Leicester LE18 2DS Baden-Powell House South Kensington 65-67 Queen’s Gate London SW7 5JS Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, Portman Square, London W1H 7BG TBC

4th Annual Sportfest - Ireland Barrio Fiesta Sa Bradford 2013 London Piano Trio and Friends, In association with The Inter-Cultural Society of London

Leeds Barrio Fiesta 2013 Pista Sa Bristol 2013 Pista Sa Paris Pilgrimage to Lourdes France Coach trip

A Weekend Pilgrimage to Norfolk

Mitcham Barrio Fiesta 2013 1st Barrio Fiesta Sa Dublin Barrio Fiesta Sa Colchester 2013

2nd Summer Sportsfest 2013 CFC European Mega Conference Dublin, Ireland Mr. & Miss Bicolandia UK ‘13 Barrio Fiesta Sa Brighton Sayaw Miss Philippines & Mr. Philippines UK 2013 Mama Mary’s Birthday Penefrancia Fiesta 2013 - Leicester 1st Basketball League Aguman Kapampangan Mrs. Philippines UK 2013 20th Anniversary Dinner & Dance Parokya Ni Edgar Comeback Concert

Gillooly Hall, Adelaide Street, Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland Palmerstown Sports Centre, Oakcourt Ave. Palmerstown, Dublin 20 Ladyhill Park Allerton Road, Bradford BD15 St. John’s Smith Square London SW1P 3HA

Blaydon Rugby Club Hexham Road, Swalwell Newcastle Upton Tyne NE16 3BN Event Field Temple Newsam Road Leeds LS15 0AE The Park Centre, Daventry Road, Knowle, Bristol, BS4 IDQ Stade de la Muette 60 Bd. Lannes 75016 Paris Lourdes, France

University Hospital of Wales, Sports and Social Club, Heath park, Cardiff CF14 4XW Woodgate Valley County Park, Clapgate Lane Bartley Green Birmingham B32 3DS Norfolk - places to visit: Sandringham Estae, Carmelite Community at Quidenham, Claretian Missionaries, Cambridge Bus Tour and Chauffeured Punting Apps Court Farm near Hampton Court, Hurst Road, Walton-on-Thames Surrey KT12 2EG Three Kings Piece, Commonside West Road, Mitcham, Surrey, CR4 4HA National Basketball Arena, Tymon Park, Tallaght Dublin 24 Lower Castle Park Colchester CO1 1TJ

CONTACT / REMARKS

For more details, call the Box Office at 02082371111 or visit www.riversidestudios.co.uk Tickets at £9.50, concession at £8.50

Carol Panday: 07903 547 676 Chelo Taylo: 07738 380 570 Vannz Bio: 07947 160 826 TFC: 00 800 7868 4535

Filipino Crumlin Community British-Filipino Association of Bradford The London Piano Trio, Robert Atchison, Olga Dudnik, and David Jones are pleased to return to St John’s with renowned friends William Hawkes and Christopher Laurence.

The concert features two very well known pieces by Mozart and Schubert together with the world premiere of Jed Balsamo’s work, Piano Trio No.2, commissioned for the London Piano Trio by The Inter-Cultural Society of London.

Filipino Community of Newcastle Upon Tyne (FILCAN) Filipino Leeds Association (FLA) Association of Filipino-British in Bristol TFC Fiesta Caravan Batangas Association UK

Star Dragon Events in cooperation with Samar Leyte Association Wales UK (SLAWUK) Filipino Association of Birmingham Pilgrimage Chaplain: Fr. Norlan Julia

ABS-CBN Europe Limited and Philippine Centre Mitcham Filipino British Association Bayanihan Entertainment and TFC FIBRICS (Filipino British Cooperative Society) in Cooperation with Colcheter FILBRIT Community KMF Events Limited Comedy Central Entertainment Group UK Live bands – Rock/Alternative - 8pm – 2am FIREFALLDOWN plus Anino, Opp Zikk, Jehnniel + Free Harmonic (DJ Celebrate til late) Filipino British Society Celbridge Filipino-Irish Community & CFIBA CFC UK - Yorkshire, Midlands & Isle of Man Bicol Association UK Ltd Brighton and Hove Filipino Community LK Dance Company Philippines UK Org

Aguman Kapampangan UK Batangas Association UK

Nina Ricci Santos: 07780 076 256 Box Office: 020 7222 1061

Sally Sellars: 07886 742 417/ Bong Bangayan: 07824 338 251 Eden: 07809 404 580 / Chris: 07766 015 698 Wilma: 07846 088 537/ filipinoleedsassociation@gmail.com Julius 0778 632 0131/marksburyrd44@yahoo.co.uk TFC: 00 800 7868 4535 Ched Gomez: 07980066209 / Julie Villanueva: 07956422068 /Lorna Fortunado - 07776223212 / Tita Leus McCarthy - 07958732406 Richard: 07414 442 151 Jhune: 07855 294 528 Lito: 07956 211 903 Rozen Malonzo: 07985 159 203 / Dennis Cortes: 07737 540 136 / Marlo Quilang: 07531 022 269 Betilda: 07919 380513 Merla: 07939684558

Omie Rocha: 07867 940 447 londonbarriofiesta@yahoo.com Atty. Romulo Rivera, 07891 604 638 or 07789 930 496 Ronald Dalida: 07766 314 207 018721410 / 086-0750807 / 087-1209270 Allan: 0750 669 3837 / Joy: 07717 441 468 Jing: 07834 323 408 / info.fibrics@yahoo.co.uk Ron Albano: 07827 965 478 Rannie Castillo: 07775 441 369 Jonjie: 07737 371 830 Matt A: 07429 334 079 £7 on the door or £5 in advance from www.aaa.uk.net Visit Facebook /3RhythmsProduction Maria Davis: 07737 676 850 Grace: 07951 939 090

Salvaleon: csalvaleon@yahoo.com Julius Maristela: 078 2333 6085 Garry Gabot: 07917450125 / Riezel Paniza: 07872512828 / Email: events@bahfc.co.uk Ronnie del Barrio: 07445 132 613 hello@lkdance.org.uk / www.lkdance.org.uk Eva Macadangdang: 07983593914 / Marlowe: 07956944520 / MP_UK@yahoo.co.uk / www.philippines-uk.org Mario: 07818021874 / 07557348240 Jessie Amar: 07983576082 Rico Casyao: 07769262947 Zannie del Mundo: 07886881432 Gloria Diaz - 07572795321 / Julie Villanueva - 079422068 / Ched Gomez - 07980066209 / Tita Leus McCarthy - 07958732406 Alaistair Macdonald: 07584 242 763 Rodolfo Alvia: 07855 294 528

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.

2013 Monthly Filipino Community Masses in Greater London 1st Sunday

2:00 p.m.

5:00 p.m.

2nd Saturday

4:00 p.m.

2nd Sunday

2:00 p.m.

2:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m.

3rd Sunday

3:00 p.m.

3:00 p.m.

Last Saturday

6:00 p.m.

Last Sunday

2:00 p.m.

Every Sunday

5:00 p.m.

First Wednesdays

6:30 p.m.

Five Precious Wounds Parish, Brentfield Road, Stonebridge Park, NW10 8ER Ms. Mervic Monocillo 07894636140 Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, Friary Road, Peckham SE15 1RH Mr. Allen Abeleda 077 1362 5888 St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 103 Woolwich New Road, SE18 6EF Mr. Moises Espanola 078 9464 8639 English Martyrs Church, Chalkhill Road, Wembley Park, HA9 9EW Ms. Becky Sarinas 079 4985 7699 or 074 2576 1519 St. Dominic Catholic Church, 243 Violet Lane, Waddon, CR0 4HN Ms. Merlie Mirto 077 2221 6462 St. Anselm and St. Cecilia, 70 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, WC2A 3JA Mr. Feliciano Ramirez 07733680748 Sacred Heart of Jesus, New Priory, Quex Road, Kilburn, London, NW6 4PS Mr. Sheidrick de Leon: 07738210202 Blessed Sacrament Parish, 157 Copenhagen Street, Islington N1 0SR Ms. Christy Sangalang: 07709119969 Our Lady of Dolours, Servite Parish Church, 264 Fulham Road, London, SW10 4EL Fr. Allan Satur: 02073526965/ fulhamroad@rcdow.org.uk/ Mr. Roland Adap r_adap@hotmail.com St. Joseph’s Catholic Church/ 218 Roehampton Lane, London SW15 4LE Mr. Rafael Santiago 077 9525 4451 Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 20 Brixton Road (Oval), SW9 6BU Mr. Ben Ortiz 0772 331 8486 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 , W1K 3AY / Josie Ramos 077 2302 4591

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

Aguman Kapampangan UK Summer Disco 2013 Fundraising event held on Saturday, 18th May 2013

Photos by: Wils Lights Photography on behalf of Hello Philippines

Community EVEnt foCus

www.hello-philippines.com

15

16

www.hello-philippines.com

NEWS

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

Fish For Peace: Accord between Manila, Taipei lopsided in Taiwan’s favor, says group MANILA, Philippines – Will peace come at a high price for the country’s fishing sector and millions of Filipino consumers? The fisher-rights advocate PAMALAKAYA raised this question Monday as it detailed an allegedly lopsided - in Taiwan’s favor - setup being forged by the Philippine government with the island amid the two sides’ vaunted agreement never to use force in resolving their maritime disputes.

The fishery pact being crafted with Taiwan means “unlimited access to Philippine waters,” where the betterequipped Taiwanese fishing fleets have for decades operated with impunity, said the activist fisherfolk alliance.

Talk of fishery cooperation resurfaced after Taiwan and the Philippines pledged not to use force in fishing disputes, in the wake of the May 9 fatal shooting off Balintang Channel of a 65-year old Taiwanese fisherman by elements of the Philippine Coast Guards (PCG).

The decision never to use force was reached during the first preparatory meeting on fishery cooperation between Manila and Taipei foreign officials held in Manila on Friday. The Philippines and Taiwan agreed to avoid a recurrence of incidents such as the death of Hung Shih-cheng, who was apparently hiding in an area near the engine room when

the boat was fired upon by Filipino coast guards while operating in waters Taiwan also claims as part of its economic zone.

“The fishery pact which the Philippine government wants to clinch with Taiwan will put us in an extremely disadvantage position. It is like serving the country’s marine wealth in silver platter to Taiwanese fishing giants at the expense of the patrimonial, sovereign and territorial rights of nearly 100 million Filipino people. It is colossal excuse coming from a weak government who cannot depend and assert sovereignty and independence,” said Salvador France, vice chair of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a press statement.

Only a handful of Philippine fishing fleets are capable of exploring the country’s ocean waters compared to the vastly improved Taiwanese fishing fleets which regularly poach inside the country’s territorial waters to fish for tuna and other high-value marine resources, according to France. “Taiwan wants unlimited fishing access in PH and that is the real score and the Manila government seems like ready to give in to the request,” he said.

Mr. Aquino’s proposed fishery pact with Taiwan, said Mr. France, will

effectively expand the coverage of the existing RP-Taiwan Sea Lane Accord signed during the administration of former President Ferdinand Marcos, and which was strengthened by an executive order signed by the president’s mother, former President Corazon Aquino, and then Executive Secretary now Senator Franklin Drilon on August 5, 1991.

France was referring to the late President Aquino’s Executive Order No. 473, entitled Establishment of Sea Lanes for the Use of Fishing Vessels in Proceeding to and From Their Fishing Areas in the South Pacific Ocean Subject to Certain Conditions.

The innocuous objective was patently abused, said Pamalakaya: “While what was given by former President Aquino and then Executive Secretary to Taipei was sea passage rights, the same Executive Order had effectively allowed Taiwanese fishing vessels to poach and fish under the cloak of sea passage rights. Now, the son will try to legitimize this ocean grabbing spree through the forging of one-sided agreement.”

Huge investments along Tuna Highway. Meanwhile, indications are rife that the Aquino administration will approve, said Pamalakaya, the request of Taiwan’s Nan Tsan Aurora Ltd. to

invest in three different export-oriented projects inside the controversial Aurora Pacific Economic and Free Port (Apeco) zone in Casiguran, Aurora---this, as a sign of goodwill with Taipei prior to the discussion and eventual approval of fishery cooperation pact.

Aurora’s fishing grounds facing the Pacific are part of the Philippines’ socalled “tuna highway” starting from Luzon down to Mindanao, including the tuna capital General Santos City. It is so named because of the very rich fishing ground.

Pamalakaya quoted Apeco President and CEO Malcolm I. Sarmiento, Jr. as saying the Taiwanese agribusiness group Nan Tsan Aurora Ltd., Inc. is engaged in agriculture, mariculture, aquaculture, and fish and agri-processing. The agricorporation group, the largest in Asia, submitted its proposal through a Letter of Intent by lawyer Johannes R. Bernabe, the company’s legal representative.

Pamalakaya said it learned that Nan Tsan will engage initially in fish processing as its priority undertaking, for which it will lease a seaside area of 1,000 square meters where it will build and install the required facilities and equipment. This undertaking will kick off starting the second quarter of 2013. ■ InterAksyon.com / June 17, 2013 / 3:22 PM

Kat.ph seizure raises specter of Cybercrime Law’s ‘takedown clause’ MANILA, Philippines — The highly controversial Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 may be suspended for now, but recent moves by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) raise the specter the IP office’s new powers enable the cybercrime law’s “takedown clause.”

On Friday, the IPOPHL ordered a 72hour temporary restraining order (TRO) against kat.ph, a popular torrent-listing site around the world as notorious as The Pirate Bay, after a complaint filed by the Philippine Association of Recording Industry Inc. (PARI) for allegedly hosting copyrighted OPM materials.

Abe Olandres, a popular blogger and technology expert, raised concern that the recent move by IPOPHL puts all Philippine domains and websites under

the chopping block if they are alleged to be hosting copyrighted content on their websites.

“With this precedent, it is now clear that any similar TRO can be placed against any other PH domains that provide or link to illegal content,” Olandres said in a blog post.

Sites that could get affected include those that host or link to copyrighted content; publishes music lyrics; share cracks or hacks to devices; and post videos of locally produced content, among many others.

“This reminds us of the takedown provisions of the currently suspended Cybercrime Law,” said Olandres, who also owns and operates a domain and Web hosting company. The “takedown clause” in the suspended Cybercrime

law gives the Department of Justice broad powers to issue a takedown notice against any website it finds to be violating the law without the need for a court warrant.

“If your hosting provider and domain registrar is based out of the country, then a local TRO might not have any affect,” he added. “Otherwise, if your service provider is a local company or one the telcos (which acts as a data center), then the same can also happen to you.”

Though the move could send a chilling effect on other local websites, targeting the infringing website’s domain could be futile in the intent to curb copyright infringement online as it is easy to circumvent.

In the case of kat.ph, the people behind the site immediately redirected the listing to a new domain in another country just within minutes after the kat. ph’s domain seizure, making the content in question available again to users.

The domain owners, however, have not signified if they intend to argue their case in the Philippines.

New powers. According to lawyer Romel Regalado Bagares of the Roque & Butuyan Law Offices, IPOPHL’s move stems from its new administrative powers bestowed upon it due to the recent enactment of the new IP code, as well as revisions to its administrative procedures two years ago.

Under an Office Order issued in 2011, the IPOPHL’s Bureau of Legal Affairs (BLA)

Director was given the power to issue a 72-hour temporary restraining order against an alleged copyright violator provided “that the applicant therefore will suffer grave injustice and irreparable injury.” The same order was used by IPOPHL in dispensing the case against dotPH and kat.ph.

“An administrative procedure is separate and distinct from the civil and criminal aspects of the case. It is also quicker compared to the regular civil and criminal remedies,” Bagares said.

The newly enacted amendments to the IPO Code, which caused an uproar online for being too restrictive in the importation of books and optical media, has placed broad enforcement powers in the hands of the IPOPHL which were only available before to various lawenforcement agencies.

“IPO now has enforcement powers, with the cooperation of PNP/NBI and other law enforcement agencies. It also has ‘visitorial powers’ to ensure compliance by businesses of IP laws.

This was not available before,” Bagares explained.

Given the takedown of kat.ph, Bagares said local websites should be wary of this new capability of IPOPHL. “Local websites may be subject of the same procedure if they host copyrightinfringing materials,” he added. dotPH’s swift action. Acting on the complaint of the Philippine Association of Recording Industry Inc. (PARI), the

IPOPHL dispensed a quick 72-day temporary restraining order on Friday against dotPH Domains Inc., the local domain registrar of kat.ph, effectively suspending access to the site from anywhere in the world. dotPH said it acted swiftly on the order of suspending the kat.ph domain as it is company policy to comply immediately with government orders directly affecting domains under its registry.

“If there is a determination that the domain is being used in violation of law, an order issued by a court or relevant authority to suspend the domain, then of course we will comply like we have in this case,” said Emil Avancena, dotPH spokesperson, in an email interview with InterAksyon.com.

Avancena said PARI representatives had initially approached dotPH in 2011 to request the suspension of the domain but the latter did not comply only agreed “if provided with an order from a court or appropriate authority.”

He said this is also the first time that the government had asked them to suspend a domain due to violation of Philippine laws.

Last year, InterAksyon.com reported that torrent-listing sites such as kat. ph were exploiting weak laws in the Philippines governing copyright and domain ownership online in operating their websites, which had already been outlawed in some countries. ■ J.M. Tuazon / InterAksyon.com / June 17, 2013 / 6:42 AM

18

www.hello-philippines.com

NEWS

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

Cocktales: PCSO names PNoy campaign funder to arbitrate lotto case of Cojuangco in-law THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has appointed one of President Aquino’s biggest campaign contributors to arbitrate with a gaming concern chaired by a Cojuangco in-law, also a PNoy campaign contributor, over a disputed wireless lotto betting contract.

Cory Aquino-era environment secretary Fulgencio Factoran Jr. has been named

by PCSO chairman Margarita Juico as arbitrator in its dispute with DFNN, a listed technology company chaired by Antonio Lopa, whose late brother Ricardo was married to the late sister of Cory Aquino, Teresita Cojuangco.

Factoran’s appointment, DFNN told the Philippine Stock Exchange Friday, came after the Court of Appeals upheld DFNN’s case last March to force PCSO to settle their contractual dispute via arbitration.

DFNN and PCSO signed a lease agreement way back in 2003 wherein DFNN would lease to PCSO computer and software equipment that would enable customers anywhere to place lotto bets on mobile phones.

The project never took off, after the two gaming concessionaires in Luzon and Visayas-Mindanao protested the DFNNinspired revenue-sharing arrangement, claiming the DFNN deal would infringe on the exclusive online gaming franchises the PCSO had earlier awarded them.

According to the industry grapevine, the looming DFNN entry could spark a three-cornered fight in the current

imbroglio between Luzon concessionaire, the Malaysian-controlled Philippine Gaming Management Corp., and VisMin concessionaire Pacific Online, a consortium that includes Liberal Party leader Rep. Albee Benitez.

Refusing to succumb to PCSO pressure to reduce its concession fee with two years left into its contract, Philippine Gaming sued Juico and the rest of the PCSO board after the sweepstakes office allowed Pacific Online to operate in Luzon and compete with Philippine Gaming.

The arbitration case is on top of a complaint filed also by DFNN against the PCSO board with the Ombudsman for having allegedly illegally cancelled the DFNN contract.

“The filing with the Office of the Ombudsman does not preclude other legal action, which the company may take, to insure and protect the interests of its shareholders,” DFNN said.

Ayala Land to build hospitals. The Zobels are joining, quite belatedly, the hospital business now dominated by its frenemy, the Metro Pacific Group.

According to the pro-Zobel chatter, Ayala Land plans to build a hospital in each of the commercial business districts it is developing in key urban centers, starting with Iloilo.

But unlike Metro Pacific, Ayala Land would remain as a builder and would prefer to outsource the operations of the medical facilities to third parties.

In Iloilo, Ayala Land has partnered with the Panay Medical Ventures, a group of local doctors schooled at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital.

The hospital construction venture should go hand-in-hand with Ayala Land’s plan to build and operate a network of hotels in the same developments under its homegrown brand, Seda.

Forbes Park loses garbage case Marcos son-in-law Gregorio Araneta III has won the penultimate round against the Forbes Park Association on his refusal to pay or at least reduce the association dues and garbage collection fees levied on his McKinley home, with the Court of Appeals last month modifying a Malacanang decision favoring Forbes Park.

Appellate justices Priscilla BaltazarPadilla, Rosalinda Asuncion-Vicente and Agnes Reyes-Carpio in effect reinstated a previous Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board decision ordering Araneta to pay delinquent association dues since 1998 but allowing him to negotiate with Forbes Park the garbage collection fees imposed on his property.

Other McKinley homeowners whose imposing houses also fall outside the gated community, like Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and telecom magnate Raymond Moreno, have been keenly monitoring the case, believing that the CA decision strengthened their proposal to relax the zoning regulations in the busy thoroughfare linking Ayala and The Fort.

Money-Go-Round. Amid lingering legal challenges about the extent of the company’s foreign ownership, the directors and key officers of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone attended Friday’s shareholders’ meeting attired to a man and to a woman in crisp tailored barong tagalog. Even the foreign executives in the PLDT board wrapped themselves in the national dress.

After Busan and Seoul, Philippine Airlines will start a third destination to South Korea, in the southwestern city of Muan, with a twice a week service beginning July 25.

Heard through the grapevine.

The Lopez clan of ABS-CBN and First Philippine combine has finally agreed to the Ayala Land proposal to demolish the

Asian Institute of Management building and build two new condos on the onehectare campus, after having received a firm assurance that the Lopezes’ naming rights to the business school would be retained.

The new AIM would be housed in several floors of the shorter of the two buildings, which would be built on what is now the student dormitory. The taller, second building would be a residential condominium, which Ayala would sell to the public to defray the cost of the redevelopment.

In addition, the AIM board is negotiating with Ayala to donate several condo units which the school plans to lease and widen its revenue stream. ■ Victor C. Agustin / June 17, 2013 / 12:20 PM

US Navy Secretary Mabus says alliance Singapore rejects conspiracy theory about US with PH vital amid US defense rebalance scientist found dead by Filipina girlfriend

MANILA - U.S. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus is on a three-day visit to the Philippines, in a trip deemed crucial to America’s defense pivot and ranged against a backdrop of rising maritime tensions between China and Southeast Asian countries.

Mabus, who will conduct official government meetings and visit with U.S. personnel, said in a statement released by the US embassy in Manila: “As we rebalance to the Pacific, our alliance with the Philippines has never been more important than it is today.”

Mabus said he looked forward to “exploring opportunities to work with the Philippine armed forces to build greater maritime capacity and increase security and stability in the region.”

Meetings were set between Mabus and AFP Chief of Staff General Emmanuel Bautista, the Flag Officer in Command of the Navy Vice Admiral Jose Luis Alano, and other senior U.S. and Philippine government and military officials.

Mabus’ visit reflects the importance that the United States holds for the strong and enduring relationship with the Philippines, according to the US embassy statement.

Mabus is expected to discuss bilateral and multilateral security issues and efforts, maritime security, counter-terrorism efforts, and regional humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, it added.

The Secretary of the Navy conducts all business matters for the two uniformed services that make up the Department of the Navy, the Navy and the Marine Corps.

This involves implementing policies and programs to support the national security objectives established by U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel. Additionally, Mabus oversees the construction and repair of naval ships, aircraft, and facilities. He is responsible for an annual budget in excess of $170 billion and provides leadership for almost 900,000 people. ■ InterAksyon.com / June 17, 2013 / 7:59 PM

The USS Paul Hamilton, a guided missile destroyer, is seen in US government file photo when it docked in the Philippines—one of dozens of US vessels that have visited the country with increasing frequency as America rebalances its military presence toward the Pacific side.

SINGAPORE - The Singapore government on Monday rejected a conspiracy theory behind the death of an American scientist found hanged in the city-state last year, saying he killed himself after a bout of depression.

Summing up its position at a coroner’s inquest into electronics engineer Shane Todd’s death in June 2012, a government statement said “it is clear from the medical forensic evidence that the medical cause of Shane’s death was asphyxia due to hanging.”

Public hearings on the case were held from May 13-27. An independent coroner’s verdict on the cause of death is due to be handed down on July 8.

Todd’s family, who believe Todd was murdered, stormed out of the hearings on May 21, saying they had “lost faith” in the proceedings and describing it as one-sided.

They later said they may have the body exhumed in California for further tests.

The head of the Singaporean legal team that assisted the family during the inquest told AFP that the Todds, now back in the United States, were still considering whether to file a formal closing submission to the coroner.

“They have contacted us,” said Gloria James-Civetta. “A decision has not been reached on whether or not there will be a submission.”

Lawyers for the Singapore government cited suicide notes left by Todd on his laptop computer, a psychiatrist’s testimony that he

File photo of Rick and Mary Todd, AFP/ST

suffered from depression, and a browsing history showing he accessed suicide websites before his death.

“The conspicuous absence of any evidence to support the next-of-kin’s homicide theory must be viewed in juxtaposition with the overwhelming evidence pointing inexorably towards suicide,” said a closing statement read in court by senior state counsel Tai Wei Shyong.

“It is submitted that (the) homicide case theory is entirely misplaced and unfounded, and that Shane’s death was a suicide.”

Tai said the scientist’s depression had likely worsened in the months before his suicide, as evidence showed he did not complete a prescribed course of anti-depressants or schedule follow-up appointments with his psychiatrist.

“It is therefore highly likely his major depressive disorder was not being treated during the two months before his death,” he said.

In earlier statements to the inquest, Todd’s parents said he feared he was being made to compromise US national security in a secret project involving a Chinese telecom

firm accused of international espionage and a state-linked Singapore institute that employed their son.

The two firms—the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) and China’s Huawei Technologies—said they only held preliminary talks on a potential project with commercial applications, but did not proceed.

A US congressional committee last year labelled Huawei and ZTE, another Chinese telecom firm, as potential security threats that should be excluded from US government contracts and barred from acquiring US firms.

In a separate closing summary to the coroner Monday, the IME said there was no evidence to support the family’s allegation that Todd was forced to disclose sensitive information that could harm US national security.

During the hearings, the Todd family’s star witness, US pathologist Edward Adelstein, recanted an earlier theory that Todd was garroted with a cord in his own apartment.

He presented a new theory: Todd was killed by assassins who used a stun gun before choking his neck and then hanging him to make it look like a suicide.

But Adelstein presented no evidence and two other US pathologists testified in support of Singapore police findings that Todd hanged himself from his bathroom door.

Todd was earlier found dead by his Filipina girlfriend, Shirley Sarmiento. ■ Agence

France-Presse / June 17, 2013 / 4:53 PM

Authentic Recipe

Fuller Flavour

Light & Crunchy

Bigger, Better Value & 10% Extra free

Distributed by

ASCO Foods Limited Unit 7 & 8, Amersham Commercial Park, Raans Road, Amersham, HP6 6JY. Tel: 01494 434 953 Fax: 01494 726 387 Email: info@ascofoods.com Web: www.ascofoods.com

20

NEWS

www.hello-philippines.com

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

US vows military aid to Syria rebels as battles rage DAMASCUS - A US pledge to step up military aid to Syrian rebels because of alleged use of chemical arms by the regime drew criticism from Damascus ally Russia and from UN chief Ban Kimoon.

Syria itself dismissed the accusation as “lies.”

The UN secretary general said arming either side in the 27-month war, which has cost tens of thousands of lives, “would not be helpful”.

Ban said he has been “consistently clear that providing arms to either side would not address this current situation.

There is no such military solution.”

The harder US line also dismayed Moscow, which had been working with Washington to organise a peace conference.

US data on chemical weapons was “unconvincing”, it said, warning Washington against repeating the mistake it made when invading Iraq after falsely accusing Saddam Hussein of stocking weapons of mass destruction.

Top Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov also said the US decision to provide military aid to Syrian rebels would damage international efforts to end the conflict.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama are to meet at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland on Monday.

The US decision prompted Sweden to warn of the danger of an arms war between rival foreign backers of the regime and the rebels.

The conflict in Syria topped the agenda in a video conference on Friday among G8 leaders ahead of next week’s summit, British and French officials said.

Obama’s administration announced late on Thursday that it had reviewed intelligence reports and concluded that regime forces had used banned weapons, including sarin, in attacks that killed up to 150 people.

US officials refused to rule out moving towards arming rebels, and said Washington would provide backing to the rebel Syrian Military Council.

Britain and France, which had already

Syrian rebel fighters hold a position on June 13, 2013 in the northwestern town of Maaret al-Numan ©afp.com / Daniel Leal-Olivas

A young Syrian boy walks with an old rifle as he helps fighters in Maaret al-Numan ©afp.com / Daniel Leal Olivas

A picture released by the Syrian Presidency on Facebook shows Bashar al-Assad in Damascus ©afp.com

Syrian rebel fighters at a shooting range in Maaret al-Numan ©afp.com / Daniel Leal-Olivas

said they believed the Syrian government had resorted to using its chemical weapons stockpiles, welcomed the US announcement.

But Damascus dismissed it as “a statement full of lies” and asked how Washington could continue to be regarded as an honest broker in any UNbacked peace conference.

“The American decision to arm armed terrorist groups demonstrates... the direct involvement of the United States in the Syrian bloodbath,” state news agency SANA quoted a foreign ministry official as saying.

It “raises serious questions about

their good faith when it comes to finding a political solution in Syria,” the official added.

The New York Times cited US officials as saying shipments to the rebels would include small arms and ammunition and anti-tank weapons, but not anti-aircraft weapons.

The Wall Street Journal said US military proposals also include a limited no-fly zone over rebel training camps that could stretch up to 40 kilometres (25 miles) into Syria from neighbouring Jordan.

But incoming US national security adviser Susan Rice acknowledged there

are “downsides and limitations” to imposing a no-fly zone.

Sweden warned that the US promise of military aid to the rebels risked prolonging bloodshed that the United Nations says has killed at least 93,000 people since March 2011.

“I don’t think the way forward is to get an arms race going in Syria,” Foreign Minister Carl Bildt told Swedish news agency TT. Hawkish US lawmakers welcomed the administration’s change in position, but Senator John McCain said the president needed to go further.

“We need heavy weaponry. We need

the kind that can counter tanks, and we need surface-to-air missiles,” he said.

Representatives from countries that support the Syrian opposition met in Istanbul with the SMC chief, General Selim Idriss, to discuss possible weapons deliveries, an opposition spokesman said.

Khaled Saleh, a spokeman for the opposition Syrian National Council said: “At this stage, we expect that the international community would begin to supply the SMC... with sophisticated arms, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles because that is what the Assad regime uses.”

The US announcement came with the rebel coalition under extreme pressure on the battlefield from government forces supported by Hezbollah fighters from neighbouring Lebanon.

In a televised address on Friday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his group will stay involved in the conflict, after having helped the regime recapture the key town of Qusayr.

“Before Qusayr is the same as after Qusayr. Nothing has changed,” he said.

In Cairo, meanwhile, thousands of Islamists rallied to express support for calls by several Sunni Muslim clerics for a holy war against Assad’s regime.

Egypt, is an overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim country, and it is Sunnis who are the backbone of the revolt against Assad, whose Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

In the latest fighting, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported, fierce battles swept the northern city of Aleppo and the central city of Homs.

Loud explosions rocked the Old City of Homs and its Bab Hod neighbourhood, as the army pressed a siege they have kept up on the two rebel districts for the past year.

Oil prices surged Friday partly in the wake of Washington’s announcement on military aid.

New York’s main contract, WTI crude for July delivery, added $1.16 from Thursday to $97.85 a barrel, its highest since the end of January. ■ AFP / June 15, 2013 / 09:35 PM

No placement fees: DOLE lists 52 recruiters that do not pass deployment cost to leaving maids MANILA - Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz on Monday lauded 52 recruitment agencies that have committed to abide fully with the government’s noplacement-fee policy for household service workers under the Household Service Workers Reform Package.

“I congratulate the members of the Society of Hong Kong Accredited Recruiters of the Philippines (SHARP) which have committed to support the government’s campaign to provide protection and welfare of the household service workers as provided in the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s (POEA) Household Service Workers Reform Package,” said Baldoz during the presentation of the SHARP commitment at the Pan-Pacific Hotel.

During the event, which has for its theme, “Saving the Hong Kong Market, A Continuing Commitment,” the member recruitment agencies of SHARP, signed a Covenant for Reforms in the deployment of household service workers to Hong Kong.

Aside from supporting the noplacement fee policy, the agencies also committed to formulate an improved training program for Hong Kong-bound household service workers to enhance their skills, personality, and jobpreparedness.

SHARP member-recruitment agencies also pledged to support the establishment and operation of the HSW Help Desk to be set up by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Hong Kong.

They also promised to undertake corporate social responsibility (CSR)

projects that will directly benefit the families and dependents of deployed household service workers in Hong Kong.

The 52 certified no-placement-fee agencies for Hong Kong are: Ascend International Service Inc.; Asian International Manpower Services Inc.; Aim High International Placement Corp.; Anifel Management and General Services Corp.; Baguio Benguet International Recruitment Agency Inc.; BECMEN Service Exporter and Promotions Inc.; Concorde International Human resource Corp.; DA Rodrigo International Inc.; ED-FRO-BON Manpower Services; Eyequest International manpower Services Inc.; Emerald International Manpower Services Corp.; Empire International Human Resource Inc.; Finds Staff Placement Services Inc.;

France Asia International Inc.; Gatchalian Promotion Talent’s Pool Inc.; Gammon International Manpower Agency Inc.; Gerdin International Manpower Inc.; Great One International Placement Agency; Erdin International Manpower Inc.; Greenfield International Manpower Services Inc.; Greenworld Placement Services; God’s Will International Placement Inc.; Hopewell Overseas Manpower Network Inc.; Humania International Inc.; Jake International Manpower Services; JEDEGAL International Manpower Services; JENSEN Manpower International Agency; John Maurice International Inc.; King’s Manpower Services Inc.; LaSuerteInternational Manpower Agency Inc.; LUZVIMIN Employment Agency Inc.; Mariposa International Services Co. Inc.;

Mariz Manpower Services; MARDEL International Management and Services; Max International Placement Inc.; McLaine Management Consultancy Group Inc.; Mega Manpower Corp.; Michaelangelo Manpower Exponent Corp.; Mother’s Way Overseas Specialist Corp.; Novation Resources Phil. Inc.; OLM International Job Placement Corp.; Power Horizon International Resources Inc.; Reliable Recruitment Corp.; Sacred Heart International Services Inc.; September Sta Inc.; Success international Placement Inc.; SMC Manpower Agency Phil. Co.; Speed Development Manpower Resources Corp.; Staffline Inc.; 10th Story Placement Agency Inc.; Verde International Manpower Agency Inc.; and Zontar Manpower Services Inc. ■ InterAksyon.com / June 10, 2013 / 1:56 PM

22

www.hello-philippines.com

HEALTH and Lifestyle

Healthy heart in women DID you know that women are three times more likely to die of heart disease than breast cancer?

In the years following the menopause, your risk of getting heart disease rises significantly. But you can take simple steps to protect yourself.

1. Get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked. If you’re over 40, ask your GP about having a health check to assess your risk of developing heart disease. This would include checking your blood pressure and cholesterol level.

If your blood pressure or cholesterol level is higher than it should be, this increases your risk of heart disease.

Your GP can suggest lifestyle changes or, if necessary, prescribe medication to reduce your blood pressure or cholesterol.

2. Stop smoking to protect your heart. You’re twice as likely to have a heart attack if you smoke. Over the past few decades, men have increasingly quit smoking but women haven’t been

stopping smoking as much. In fact, more young women now smoke than young men. Stopping smoking will lessen your chances of developing heart disease.

3. Do more exercise to prevent heart disease. Only about one woman in four in England does enough physical activity to protect her heart. Try to do more exercise, including regular aerobic exercise such as walking and swimming.

To protect your heart, you need to do at least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (such as cycling or fast walking) every week.

4. Lose weight if you need to. About six in every ten women in England are either overweight or obese. Carrying excess weight puts a strain on your heart, and you’re more likely to have high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which also increase the risk of heart disease.

5. Change shape to reduce your risk of heart disease. Your shape matters as well as your weight. Like many women in the 40-60 age group, you may be apple

shaped, where excess weight settles around your waist. Being apple shaped puts you at higher risk of heart disease than being pear shaped, where excess weight is concentrated on the hips. Aim for a waistline of less than 80cm (31.5 inches).

6. Drink moderately to help your heart. Drinking a little alcohol regularly may be good for your heart, but make sure you stay within the recommended limits. Drinking more will increase your risk of heart problems. Heart healthy drinking for women is one or two units of alcohol a day. If you drink more than this, you’ll increase your risk of heart disease.

Too much alcohol, or binge-drinking, can damage the heart muscle leading to abnormal heart rhythms or heart failure.

7. Balance your diet. Eat healthily and be especially careful not to eat more salt than is recommended (no more than 6g a day) and to cut down on the amount of saturated fat you eat.

8. Don’t rely on HRT to stave off heart disease. Doctors used to think

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

that using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for menopausal symptoms also protected women against heart disease.

Research now suggests that HRT isn’t heart protective and, as with all drug treatments, there are side effects. Take HRT if you need it to relieve menopausal hot flushes and night sweats, but don’t expect it to help your heart.

9. Manage your stress. Some studies have suggested that stress can contribute to heart disease. If you feel under a lot of stress, it’s important to learn how to relax.

There are some simple techniques you can learn to help you cope with stress. If you feel so stressed and anxious that it’s affecting your daily life, your GP can help you deal with it. ■ NHS Choices

Ten-minute workouts Why body shape matters

ADULTS should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity every week. But you can reach this minimum target by doing three 10-minute sessions, five days a week.

Physical activity provides a wide range of health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke, maintenance of mobility, control of body weight and increased mental wellbeing.

But for many of us, finding the time to fit exercise into a busy schedule isn’t easy. If you find it difficult to spare time for physical activity, don’t give up. You can achieve your weekly minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity by splitting 30 minutes of activity each day into three sessions of 10 minutes.

Moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity means an activity that causes your heart rate to rise, and you to break a sweat: for example, fast walking or cycling.

Play with the kids. “Go bike riding, play football or use a trampoline,” says Professor Ken Fox from Bristol University’s Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences department. Finding time every weekend to do something active with your kids helps to keep the whole family fit.

Skip yourself fit. Skipping is good for the heart, bones, flexibility and coordination. And it’s not expensive: all you need is a skipping rope, a pair of trainers and a safe space. Depending on the intensity of your workout, skipping will typically burn between 70 and 110 calories in a 10-minute session.

Swap the sofa for cycling. If you don’t fancy braving the gym or the traffic, why not set up a stationary bike in front of your TV? Pedal away in front of your favourite shows, and before you know it you’ll have done 10 minutes. This works

just as well if you prefer using a treadmill for fast walking or jogging. For a 60kg person, 10 minutes of moderate-intensity cycling will burn around 60 calories, and 10 minutes of fast walking will burn around 50 calories.

Take the stairs. You’d be amazed how many staircases you can take in during the day, and choosing to use them rather than a lift can help you burn calories as well as toning up your legs and bottom.

Get walking. Fast walking is one of the easiest ways to fit a bit of exercise into your day. Stride around the block in your lunch hour, walk the kids to school or take the dog for a walk. Try using a pedometer to keep track of how many steps you do.

Dance the night away. Energetic dancing, whether at a class or home alone with your headphones on, is great

fun and good exercise. If you enjoy what you’re doing you’re more likely to stick with it and exceed your 10-minute target. If you do join a class, you’ll find exercising with other people a great way to keep motivated. For a 60kg person, 10 minutes of energetic dancing burns around 65 calories.

Park and walk. If you have to drive to your appointment, you don’t have to miss out on exercise altogether. When you park, leave the car further away than usual from your destination and walk the rest of the way. If you’re shopping, leave your car in the space furthest from the shops, and you’ll benefit from the added bonus of carrying your bags back to the car park.

All quoted rates of calorie burning will depend on your weight and gender. ■

NHS Choices

MANY doctors now believe that when it comes to your health, your waist measurement is important.

While body mass index (BMI) is a good way to tell if you’re a healthy weight, it doesn’t tell the whole story.

BMI is a measure of how healthy your weight is for your height.

If your BMI is over the healthy range, this means that you’re probably carrying extra fat. But did you know that your health could be at greater risk depending on where you store that fat?

We store spare body fat under the skin, and also around the vital organs in our abdomen. We now know that this fat around the abdomen causes more health problems than, say, fat carried around the bottom or on the thighs.

Having a large amount of tummy fat (when compared to having fat around the bottom or thighs) makes you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and heart problems.

If you have a lot of fat around your abdomen, you can get advice on how to lose it from the video at the bottom of this page.

Measure your waist. To find your true waist, feel for your hip bone on one side.

Move upwards until you can feel the bones of your bottom rib. Halfway between is your waist. For most people this is where their tummy button is.

Use a mirror the first time to see what you’re doing, and to make it easier to measure.

For women: Ideal: less than 80cm (32”) High: 80cm to 88cm (32” to 35”) Very high: more than 88cm (35”) For men: Ideal: less than 94cm (37”) High: 94cm to 102cm (37” to 40”) Very high: more than 102cm (40”)

How to calculate waist-to-hip ratio.

Working out the risk to your health is simple. Using a tape measure take the following steps: 1) Measure your hips.

2) Measure your waist.

3) Divide the waist number by the hip number.

A ratio of 1.0 or more in men or 0.85 or more in women indicates that you are carrying too much weight around your middle. This puts you at increased risk of diseases that are linked to obesity, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Your body shape. If you carry excess weight around your abdomen, that means you’re an “apple” shape. Those who carry excess fat around the bottom and thighs are “pear” shaped.

Anyone who is carrying excess weight, anywhere on the body, would get health benefits from losing that weight.

But if you’re an apple shape, it’s particularly important that you take action to achieve a healthy weight.

You can do this by making lifestyle changes to improve your diet and increase your physical activity.

Remember, physical activity can improve the health of anyone who is overweight, and it’s not just a matter of burning calories: your heart, lungs and circulation will benefit too. ■ NHS Choices

24

HEALTH and Lifestyle food

www.hello-philippines.com

Citrus chicken recipe

Nutritional information Nutrient Energy Protein Carbohydrate (of which sugars) Fat (of which saturates) Fibre Sodium Salt

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

Per 100g 110 kcal (464 kJ) 6.9g 18.1g 1.7g 1.7g 0.3g 1.1g 0.01g 0.1g

Per 621g portion 684 kcal (2881 kJ) 42.7g 112.3g 10.7g 10.5g 2g 6.5g 0.09g 0.2g

NHS Choices

What happens if I take too much vitamin E? There is not enough evidence to know what the effects might be of taking high doses of vitamin E supplements each day.

Fat-soluble vitamin K. Vitamin K has several important functions. For example, it is needed for blood clotting, which means it helps wounds heal properly.

There is increasing evidence that vitamin K is also needed to help build strong bones.

Good sources of vitamin K. Vitamin K is found in: green leafy vegetables, such as broccoli and spinach; vegetable oils; and cereals.

Small amounts can also be found in meat and dairy foods.

How much vitamin K do I need? Adults need approximately 0.001mg a day of vitamin K for each kilogram of their body weight.

For example, someone who weighs 65kg would need 0.065mg a day of vitamin K, while a person who weighs 75kg would need 0.075mg a day.

You should be able to get all the vitamin K you need by eating a varied and balanced diet.

Any vitamin K that your body does not need immediately is stored in the liver for future use, so you do not need it in your diet every day.

What happens if I take too much vitamin K? There is not enough evidence to know what the effects might be of taking high doses of vitamin K supplements each day.

Water-soluble vitamins. Watersoluble vitamins are not stored in the body, so you need to have them more frequently.

If you have more than you need, your body gets rid of the extra vitamins when you urinate. As the body does not store water-soluble vitamins, these vitamins are generally not harmful. However, this does not mean that all large amounts are necessarily harmless.

Water-soluble vitamins are found in fruit, vegetables and grains. Unlike fatsoluble vitamins, they can be destroyed by heat or by being exposed to the air. They can also be lost in water used for cooking.

This means that by cooking foods, especially boiling them, we lose many of these vitamins. The best way to keep as many of the water-soluble vitamins as possible is to steam or grill foods, rather than boil them.

Water-soluble vitamins are vitamin C, the B vitamins and folic acid.

There are also many other types of vitamins that are an important part of a healthy diet.

What are minerals? Minerals are necessary for three main reasons: building strong bones and teeth; controlling body fluids inside and outside cells; turning the food you eat into energy.

Minerals are found in foods such as meat, cereals (including cereal products such as bread), fish, milk and dairy foods, vegetables, fruit (especially dried fruit) and nuts.

Essential minerals include calcium and iron, although there are also many other types of minerals that are an important part of a healthy diet.

What are trace elements? Trace elements are also essential nutrients that your body needs to work properly, but in much smaller amounts than vitamins and minerals.

Trace elements are found in small amounts in a variety of foods such as meat, fish, cereals, milk and dairy foods, vegetables and nuts. ■ NHS Choices

Vitamins and minerals, do we need them?

VITAMINS and minerals are essential nutrients your body needs in small amounts to work properly.

Most people should get all the nutrients they need by eating a varied and balanced diet. If you choose to take vitamin and mineral supplements, be aware that taking too many or taking them for too long can cause harmful effects.

Some people may need to take vitamin and mineral supplements.

The pages in this section contain advice and information about vitamins, minerals and trace elements essential for health, including: what they do; how much you need; what happens if you have too much; safety advice about supplements.

What are vitamins? There are two types of vitamins: fat-soluble and watersoluble.

Fat-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins are found mainly in fatty foods such as animal fats, including butter and lard, vegetable oils, dairy foods, liver and oily fish.

While your body needs these vitamins every day to work properly, you do not need to eat foods containing them every day.

This is because your body stores these vitamins in your liver and fatty tissues for future use. These stores can build up so they are there when you need them.

However, if you have much more than you need, fat-soluble vitamins can be harmful.

Fat-soluble vitamin A. Vitamin A is also known as retinol and has several important functions.

These include: strengthening immunity against infections; helping vision in dim light; keeping skin and the linings of some parts of the body, such as the nose, healthy.

Good sources of vitamin A. Good sources of vitamin A include: cheese, eggs, fortified low-fat spreads and yoghurt.

Liver is a particularly rich source of

vitamin A, although this means you may be at risk of having too much vitamin A if you eat liver more than once a week.

How much vitamin A do I need? The amount of vitamin A adults need is: 0.7mg a day for men and 0.6mg a day for women.

You should be able to get all the vitamin A you need from your daily diet.

Any vitamin A your body does not need immediately is stored for future use. This means you do not need it every day.

What happens if I take too much vitamin A? According to some research, having more than an average of 1.5mg a day of vitamin A over many years may affect your bones, making them more likely to fracture when you are older.

This is particularly important for older people, especially women, who are already at risk of osteoporosis. This is where your bone density reduces and you have a higher risk of fractures.

If you eat liver or liver pâté more than once a week, you may be getting too much vitamin A. If you do not get enough vitamin D, you could be more at risk of the harmful effects of too much vitamin A. People who may be particularly short of vitamin D include: all pregnant and breastfeeding women; all people aged 65 and over; people who are not exposed to much sun, for example those who cover up their skin for cultural reasons, or those who are housebound or confined indoors for long periods; and people with darker skin, such as people of African-Caribbean and South Asian origin.

Fat-soluble vitamin D. Vitamin D has several important functions. For example, it helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body.

These nutrients are needed to keep bones and teeth healthy.

A lack of vitamin D can lead to bone deformities such as rickets in children, and bone pain and tenderness as a result of a condition called osteomalacia in adults.

Good sources of vitamin D. We get most of our vitamin D from sunlight on our skin. The vitamin is made by our body under the skin in reaction to summer sunlight.

However, if you are out in the sun, take care to cover up or protect your skin with sunscreen before you turn red or get burnt.

Vitamin D is also found in a small number of foods. Good food sources are: oily fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel; eggs; fortified fat spreads; fortified breakfast cereals; and powdered milk.

How much vitamin D do I need? Most people should be able to get all the vitamin D they need by eating a healthy balanced diet and by getting some summer sun.

Groups of the population at risk of not getting enough vitamin D are: all pregnant and breastfeeding women; babies and young children under the age of five; older people aged 65 years and over; people who are not exposed to much sun, such as people who cover up their skin when outdoors, or those who are housebound or confined indoors for long periods; people who have darker skin such as people of African, African-Caribbean and South Asian origin.

Fat-soluble vitamin E. Vitamin E has several important functions. For example, it helps maintain cell structure by protecting cell membranes.

Good sources of vitamin E. Vitamin E is found in a wide variety of foods. The richest sources are plant oils such as soya, corn and olive oil.

Other good sources include: nuts and seeds; wheat germ, found in cereals and cereal products.

How much vitamin E do I need? The amount of vitamin E you need is: 4mg a day for men and 3mg a day for women.

You should be able to get all the vitamin E you need from your daily diet.

Any vitamin E your body does not need immediately is stored for future use, so you do not need it in your diet every day.

time to make sure it doesn’t stick.

3. Once the chicken is cooked, add the other ingredients. Then bring it to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer over a low heat for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

4. While the chicken is cooking, cook rice according to packet instructions.

Allergy advice This recipe contains wheat (gluten).

Food safety tips • always wash your hands, work surfaces, utensils and chopping boards before you start and after handling raw meat, including poultry • keep raw meat away from ready-toeat foods such as salad, fruit and bread • make sure that the chicken is cooked until steaming hot all the way through, that no pink meat is left and that any juices run clear • cook the rice as required and use immediately, or cool within one hour, refrigerate, then use within 24 hours. ■

A zesty protein-rich dish, not to be confused with lemon chicken. Try serving it with brown rice and some green beans.

• Serves: 2 • Time: 45 minutes Ingredients • 1 tsp sunflower oil • ½ onion, finely chopped • 1 chicken breast • 1 dessert spoon plain flour • ½ red pepper, sliced • juice of 1 orange, or 75ml orange juice plus 25ml water • 1 carrot, peeled and sliced • 1-2 medium potatoes, cubed • chopped parsley (optional) • black pepper, freshly ground • 130g brown rice, raw Method 1. Heat the oil in a pan and brown the onions over a low heat for two to three minutes.

2. Cut the chicken breast into large pieces and coat each piece in the flour.

Then add the chicken to the pan and brown for two minutes, stirring all the

26

www.hello-philippines.com

CELEBRITY, SHOWBIZ & ENTERTAINMENT

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

‘Babagwa’ is intriguing Cinemalaya entry about online scammers SELF-CONFESSED film buff Jason Paul Laxamana has been a regular viewer of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival since its very first edition nine years ago when he was still in college.

In 2007, he joined the film industry when he became a script supervisor for Maryo J. de los Reyes’ “A Love Story”, a job that he again took on for Brillante Mendoza’s “Serbis” the following year where he is also credited as dialect coach.

He finally directed his first indie short “Balangingi” in 2010 which was followed by his first full-length feature in “Astro Mayabang” in 2011.

This year, Direk Jason said he has come full circle with an intriguing film about an Internet scammer that marks his Cinemalaya debut.

“Up to know I still can’t believe bahagi na ako ng Cinemalaya, samantalang dati, nood-nood lang ako,” Laxamana told InterAksyon in a recent interview.

His film, “Babagwa (The Spider’s Lair)”,

is an entry in the New Breed section of Cinemalaya and stars Alex Vincent Medinal, Joey Paras, Alma Concepcion, Kiko Matios, Nico Antonio and Chanel Latorre.

Also credited as its writer, Direk Jason said the film is actually inspired from true stories involving people he personally knew.

“The most specific inspiration comes from a friend I used to have. He had a girlfriend on Facebook he never met. He was so smitten by the ‘girl,’ but when I looked at her profile and photos, it was clear to me that the ‘girl’ wasn’t who she claimed to be,” he recalled.

“But my friend was so in love in that he really believed everything the online person says, even at the cost of his friendship with other people, including me. He was even working on his passport because the Internet girlfriend told him she will take him to the States, and together, they will live there.”

Of course, the happy ending that

Alex Vincent Medina and Joey Paras in a scene from ‘Babagwa’.

Laxamana’s friend had hoped for never materialized. On the other side of the coin, the filmmaker also knew of a friend who was an actual Internet scammer in real life.

“I didn’t know that he was one until I heard stories from his victims, some of whom I knew. So when I was composing the story, I thought, what if the scammer/ poser was actually the one who falls in love with the person he/she is trying to victimize?”

And that’s how “Babagwa” was crafted.

To get the film made after it qualified for Cinemalaya, Laxamana knew he would be needing more than the P500,000 seed money that the film festival foundation granted.

Thankfully, he found an unlikely ally in indie producer Atty. Joji Alonso of Quantum Films whom, up to that point, he did not even knew personally.

“Siya ang nag-finance ng movie aside sa P500,000 seed money mula sa Cinemalaya. I only knew her by name, kasi nakikita ko ang pangalan niya sa ibang films like ‘Ang Babae sa Septic Tank’ at ‘Posas.’ When she asked if I’m interested to partner with her for ‘Babagwa’, medyo na-pressure ako kasi mostly award-winning ‘yung mga films niya. Pero she believed in the project kaya ayun, natuloy ang partnership namin.”

In casting for the top four roles in the film, Laxamana said he was fortunate to get the services of some really good actors, beginning with Alex Vincent Medina (“Palitan”, “Pascalina”, “Supremo”) who plays the role of the Intenet scammer.

“Isa siya sa top three choices namin nung pumipili kami. Aside from his rugged look na bagay sa role, nakita ko na rin ang

performance niya sa ibang indie films. Siya din yung pinaka-game na gawin ‘yung mga eksena, kahit medyo maselan,” he noted.

In his film debut, commercial model Kiko Matos plays the role of the imaginary person whose image is being used by the scammer on Facebook.

“Kumbaga, everytime na may ka-chat or kausap sa phone na prospect na biktima si Alex, ang akala nung biktima, si Kiko ang kausap nila. Sa casting call ng Cinemalaya sa CCP namin nakuha si Kiko. Aside from his mestizo looks (he’s half-Portuguese), okay naman siya during the script reading,” Laxamana said.

Taking on the role of Alex’s accomplice is gay actor Joey Paras who turned in sterling performances in Jun Lana’s “Bwakaw” and, most recently, in Cesar Apolinario and Marnie Manicad’s “Dance of the Steel Bars” that’s currently showing in SM Cinemas.

“Siya si Marney, yung accomplice ni Alex sa scam. Ang toka ni Marney, siya ang nagme-maintain nung Facebook profile na ginagamit nila sa pambibiktima. Siya ang parang mastermind nung modus operandi.

I was astounded by the amount of input he invests in his roles. He even deglamorized himself for this role kasi iyon ang tingin niyang bagay sa material,” Direk Joey further enthused.

Finally, veteran character actress Alma Concepcion portrays what is probably her most challenging role in years, as the wealthy spinster Alex intends to victimize but instead ends up falling in love with.

“Alma strikes me as a ‘hot mama,’ so that alone makes her appropriate sa role.

Kagaya kay Joey, I never really had the chance to see a lot of Alma’s past works,

pero nung script reading, ganoon din. She had her own input. Tapos, I didn’t expect her to be so down-to-earth. She listened very well and is very light to work with.”

As a bonus, Direk Jason even got the services of accomplished horror filmmaker Topel Lee, who is actually the film’s director of photography.

“Ang may kilala talaga kay Topel eh yung line producer ko, kasi nakatrabaho niya sa film ni Topel na ‘Ouija’.

“Since exposed ako sa works ni Topel habang nasa college pa ako, siyempre go ako kaagad nung sinuggest siya sa akin.

Di ko mapa-pass up ang chance. Mas laking tuwa ko noong nakatrabaho ko na siya sa set. He’s very gentle and down-toearth. Hindi intimidating and I loved the fact that he suggests his ideas, kumbaga, nakikipag-collaborate talaga siya, hindi lang nag-aantay ng utos. I love that quality,” he beamed.

Shot mostly in Laxamana’s home province of Pampanga for 10 days in a span of three months, the director said his “Babagwa” experience has made him a more confident filmmaker.

“Content-wise, my first film, ‘Astro Mayabang’ was lighter, with a lot of pop culture references. ‘Babagwa’ is dark, and contains mature scenes which I have never done before. It turns out kaya ko rin pala.”

Given the contrasting subject matters of his previous and current work, Direk Jason however admits that he’s still trying to find his niche in the industry.

“I’m still confused kung saan ba talaga ako appropriate—sa light comedies or dark, serious movies. I guess only time will tell,” he conceded. ■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / June 14, 2013 / 3:19 PM

Daiana Menezes denies being a battered wife but resumes intriguing messages on Instagram NO, she said she was not raped, she was not hurt, and she is not a battered wife.

That’s what Brazilian model and actress Daiana Menezes pretty much made clear in a taped interview aired on “The Buzz” Sunday.

Appearing together with her husband, outgoing Cagayan De Oro Rep. Benjo Benaldo, Daiana said she was only trying to get her husband’s attention who she said had been very busy as of late.

“We don’t really owe an explanation to anyone, but it has gotten to a point that even the government officials are asking us what’s happening. I’m aware about the DSWD. I’ve never reached out to them asking for help. Gabriela, I answered right away, No thanks, we will solve it ourselves,” she told “The Buzz” host Boy Abunda.

“I want to make it clear because some people are thinking we are seeking attention from the public. And we’re like, no, no, no, we’re just a normal couple.”

So what was all those posts about alluding to rape and domestic violence all about?

“We really had a big and huge fight,” Daiana told Abunda. That’s when Congressman Benaldo explained what happened.

“We were talking about a big problem, something that happened in the house with our people there. I was then busy campaigning and I would always tell her that I need my sleep because I’m campaigning and I have to wake up early,” he said.

“Then she would talk to me about things happening in the house. She thought I wouldn’t believe her that’s why she posted those things.”

“He said, ‘Don’t talk to me’. That’s how he would talk to me (during the campaign).

It took a post para maniwala ang asawa ko at ang pamilya niya na totoo ang sinasabi ko,” Daiana added.

Neither the solon nor the actress specified what exactly was happening in their house.

As for the photo of the scarred arm that she posted and later deleted on Instagram, Daiana admitted that it was indeed her arm but it got scarred after her husband was apparently trying to stop her from something they also did not specify.

“Sometimes I have to hold her,” he admitted. “I was trying to stop her but it’s not violence or physical.”

Daiana tried to explain it further but what she said sounded both cryptic and even more intriguing. “If you’re against

violence in a marital relationship, you get hurt by your husband, even if it’s very minimal. But I didn’t know that people would actually notice it.”

In her less than polished English, the Brazilian then went on to apologize to everyone who was affected by all her posts including Benaldo, .

“I regret to have brought him to any situation that may alleged him,” she said.

“My apologies (to everyone) but it’s really my emotion.”

For his part, Benaldo said he wasn’t really affected by Daiana’s posts. “I know the truth,” he declared.

She told Abunda that one of the important lessons she learned in this episode is to be careful with what she says and posts online. “It’s up to the interpretation of whoever is seeing, especially people who don’t know you very well.”

However, a few hours before the taped interview aired, Daiana once again posted several bizarre messages on Instagram.

The first was a message that says, “I thought you were different. But hey, it’s not the first time I’m wrong”, which prompted one Instagram user (eleuson) to comment, “puro ka papansin”.

The second Instagram post was

another intriguing message that said, “It’s bad manners to say, ‘I love you’ with a mouth full of lies”.

This was followed by a message that said, “The complete manual of Things That Might Kill You” which was accompanied by a tweet that said, “Ourselves. That’s what I’m feeling. Mali na naman?”

Another Instagram photo she posted was that of her and her mom with the caption, “Thank you mama for being at @ thebuzzofficial, for traveling 3 days to get here FORGIVING HIM WHO ASKED FOR IT, #youKnowAllTheTruth … Thank you for still being there.” ■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / June 16, 2013 / 9:41 PM

Daiana Menezes with husband Cong. Benjo Benaldo in a taped interview with Boy Abunda on ‘The Buzz’.

28

www.hello-philippines.com

CELEBRITY, SHOWBIZ & ENTERTAINMENT

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

New programs launches and season premieres on GMA Life TV this June NOW on its 5th year, GMA Life TV, the first Filipino lifestyle channel abroad offered

by GMA International, is serving up a new slate of program launches and brand new seasons all in the month of June.

The magazine-cum-travel program Today with Francis hosted by Atty. Francis Papica opened its second season last June 1. Airing every Saturday, the show promises to take viewers to new locations with the most interesting guests joining its resident host.

Last June 4, The Tim Yap Show, which brings the latest updates and trending showbiz topics straight from social media, also aired its second season. With its multi-hyphenated host dishing out new “Yapdates,” the program is set to become bigger and more colorful with new guests and intriguing stories airing Tuesdays through Saturdays on the channel.

The TV adaptation of the 1980’s movie Blusang Itim also premiered last June 4.

Just as many people got captivated by Snooky Serna’s role as Jessa, GMA Life TV is certain that fast-rising Kapuso actress Kylie Padilla would be as mesmerizing in this brand new series. This time around, the story promises to be more gripping as it revolves around the fashion industry. It can be seen on GMA Life TV Tuesdays through Saturdays.

Also premiering on GMA Life TV this month is season two of Mega Fashion Crew, where in a new batch of fashion hopefuls vie for a spot in the industry. Billed as one of the greatest opportunities to ever come into the life of a struggling youth creative, the continuation of MEGA’s widely followed TV offerings airs every Saturday on GMA Life TV. Meanwhile, in celebration of Father’s Day, Reel Life takes on a Father’s Month theme this June. For the rest of the month, Reel Time will be airing Ano Ba Talaga Kuya? starring Smokey Manaloto

and Sharmain Suarez on June 8; FPJ’s action-packed Kalibre .45 on June 15; the fantasy movie Agimat: Anting-Anting ni Lolo topbilled by father and son Bong Revilla, Jr. and Jolo Revilla on June 22; and the action-romance movie, Eto Na Naman Ako featuring Robin Padilla and Vina Morales on June 29.

GMA Life TV is available in the U.S, Canada, the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, Hong Kong, Guam, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Madagascar with an estimated one million viewers from all over the world.

It will also be launched in additional pay-TV systems in North Africa and the Asia Pacific Region this year.

For more information on the channel and program schedules, please visit the GMA International website www. gmanetwork.com/international, Facebook page www.facebook.com/gmalifetv or Twtter page @GMA_LifeTV. ■

Jasmine Curtis-Smith launches movie career with two indie films

TV5 princess Jasmine Curtis-Smith is launching her movie career in two independent film festivals in the country.

“This year I’ve done two indie films already. One for CineFilipino which is called ‘Puti’ under the direction of Mike Alcazaren. Ito medyo edgy, dark and there’s a lot of changes, may physical changes ako na ginawa, not the usual Jasmine,” an excited Jasmine tells InterAksyon.

“Also, I did one in Israel for Cinemalaya called ‘Transit’ under the direction of Hannah Espia with Ms. Irma Adlawan, Ping Medina and Mercedes Cabral. Ito even more challenging kasi nag-Hebrew ako, and also we were in a different country to shoot the entire film so talagang kailangan talagang makisabay sa mga legends ng indie,” she adds.

Her older sister, Anne Curtis, is naturally proud of Jasmine’s introduction to the movie industry via the indie route.

“That’s grounds I’ve never touched,” Anne says during the culmination of the ‘Ginuman Fest 2013’ in Pasay City over the weekend. “Untouched territory ‘yan for me so for her to be able to achieve that in the early stages of her career, to do an indie film, I think it’s an amazing thing, an experience for her.”

However, Anne admits she was concerned about the movie being filmed in the Middle East.

“I was very worried for her but at the same time when I can see her updates sa Instagram mukha naman siyang nag-eenjoy and when I actually got to see snippets of the trailer naiyak ako kasi ang ganda, ang ganda ng pelikula. Dapat talaga abangan sa Cinemalaya,” Anne gushes.

Jasmine herself admits that safety was far from her concern as the production team made sure that they were ready for anything and everything.

What was on her mind the whole time was getting through scenes with her costars who happens to be legends in the indie industry.

“Nakaka-pressure! We did a few Hebrew tutorial lessons but not so much na na-polish ko agad ‘yung accent,” she recounts. “When we were in Israel I still had trouble making it sound smooth kasi iba talaga kapag dun ka lumaki tsaka pag fluent ka in Hebrew. Eh kailangan mukhang fluent ako sa Hebrew dahil dun ako lumaki kunwari.

“Kailangan ko pa ring itantya yung phase ng pagsasalita ko and yung pagbigkas ng mga words kasi halata mo kapag hindi tama eh. Saka pag nag-pause

ka sa ganitong word iba na yung meaning or iba na yung sense na sinasabi mo so mahirap siya. But on set, since kasama ko naman mga powerhouse, they were able to help me, motivate me and it was nice kasi it didn’t feel like I was being directed by them, they were just guiding me and making me feel like I’m not less of an actor than they are,” a grateful Jasmine says of her castmates.

As for going up against superstar Nora Aunor in the Best Actress category at the CineFilipino Awards, Jasmine holds true to their family’s motto of positivity.

“You really always have to think positive but I don’t expect a lot, I’m just happy to be able to have a project.

Maging thankful ka na kung anong meron ka and if it comes, wow, taray ko!

But if it doesn’t, well there’s many more chances in the future, bata pa naman ako ayokong magmadali sa mga awards, dapat well-deserved ko,” she says.

“Transit” is part of Cinemalaya’s New Breed Category, which will run from July 26 to August 4 in CCP Theaters, Trinoma and Greenbelt Cinemas.

“Puti” will be shown during the CineFilipino Film Festival starting September 1. ■ Anna G. Cañoneo / InterAksyon. com / June 10, 2013 / 5:11 PM

Ellen Adarna flaunts lean bikini body

Jasmine Curtis-Smith in a scene from ‘Puti’.

© Anna Canoneo/InterAksyon

ACTRESS Ellen Adarna tweeted this Intagram collage of selfies on Thursday showing off her lean physique. This is probably the slimmest the “Bubble Gang” mainstay and two-time FHM cover girl has looked since she joined showbiz in 2010.

Ellen, 24, is an advocate of juicing — a diet in which she hardly consumes any solid food, only fresh fruits and vegetables that she juices and drinks all day.

Her current physique is perfect for her latest project — the lead role in her second film, “Isang Tag-araw sa Buhay ni Twinkle Marie Payawan”.

She stars as an 18-year-old adopted daughter of a retired Army general who is forced to rehabilitate from her cocaine addiction while getting to know her biological father — a former communist rebel who is dying of cancer.

“Isang Tag-araw” is director Gil Portes’ entry in the Sineng Pambansa All Masters Film Festival in September. Ellen made her film debut in his most recent film, “Bayang Magiliw”, shown last April.

The screenplay for “Isang Tag-araw” was written by InterAksyon entertainment editor Enrique Ramos. ■ InterAksyon.com / June 14, 2013 / 5:22 PM

4th BBQ Fiesta 2013

July 13, 2013 - Saturday - 9:00am to 7:00pm

Hewitts Farm, Court Road, A224, Orpington, Kent BR6 9BX Entrance pay sa BBQ Barrio Fiesta is £5.00 per car £1.00 walk-in per person and the entrance pay will go straight to Hewitts Farm as payments for the use of the place. You can bring your own stuff i.e gazebo / tent, BBQ grill, table, chair, drink and food to share.

PROGRAM:

Welcome Address National Anthem Filinvest Dance Presentation Cultural Dance Presentation BEBAK Igorot Dance Presentation Local Community Presentation BBQ Lunch Family Fun Games Raffle Draws Other Surprises 6th OFBA Basketball League - Fiesta Cup 2013 - May 4 to June 29, 2013 every Saturday from 5:00pm to 9:00pm Darrick Wood School, Lovibonds Avenue, Orpington, Kent BR6 8ER Finals and Awarding - June 29, 2013 - Darrick Wood Sports Centre

CONTACT: Resty Borda 07900 063 437

Sponsors:

JM Remittance

ASIAN MINI MART

Media Partners:

Co-Presentors:

Major Sponsors:

Media Partners:

32

www.hello-philippines.com

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY LONDON KALAYAAN 2013

Photos by Wils Lights Photography on behalf of Hello Philippines

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY LONDON THANKSGIVING MASS & SALO-SALO

www.hello-philippines.com

33

Photos by Wils Lights Photography on behalf of Hello Philippines

Media Partner:

36

www.hello-philippines.com

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY AROUND THE WORLD

PAG-IBIG Fund Service Desk Inaugurated in Oman

Ambassador Joselito A. Jimeno (center) with Atty. Bernabe (2nd from left), Labor Attaché Ernesto Bihis (2nd from right) and Welfare Officer Sylvia Tolentino (right) during the formal opening of the Pag-IBIG Fund Service Desk in Oman.

THE Philippine Embassy in Muscat informed the Department of Foreign Affairs that Pag-IBIG Fund President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Atty. Darlene Marie Berberabe, led a delegation to the Sultanate of Oman for the formal opening of the Pag-IBIG Fund Service Desk.

The inauguration of the Pag-IBIG desk was the highlight of the morning celebration of the 115th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence on June 12.

The service desk located at the offices of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office/ Overseas Workers Welfare Administration was formally inaugurated by Philippine

Ambassador to Oman Joselito A. Jimeno and Atty. Berberabe.

In her remarks, Atty. Berberabe noted that the opening of a Service Desk in the Sultanate is Pag-IBIG Fund’s Independence Day gift to all the Filipinos in Oman.

On June 14, the Pag-IBIG delegation, in partnership with the Embassy successfully conducted a Pag-IBIG Fund Community Forum at the Al Falaj Hotel, Ruwi. It was attended by more than 200 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and was viewed live via online streaming by different Filipino community groups in the far areas of Shinaz, Sohar, Duqm and Salalah. ■ June 17, 2013 / 02:56 PM

Atty. Darlene Marie Bernabe discusses Pag-IBIG Fund membership benefits to an eager audience.

PHL, EU Senior Officials Meet in Brussels, Belgium

DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Policy Evan P. Garcia and the Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific of the European Union’s European External Action Service (EEAS) Viorel Isticioaia Budura led their respective delegations on June 11 at the 8th Philippines-European Union (EU) Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) in Brussels, Belgium.

Both sides acknowledged the positive developments in Philippines-EU relations since the last SOM in December 2011 and reaffirmed their commitment to reinforce cooperation on a broad range of issues, including trade and investment, development cooperation, human rights, air and maritime transport, the preservation of marine biodiversity and energy In the discussion on human rights, Undersecretary Garcia exhorted the EU to

sign the United Nations Convention on the Protection of Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

The Philippines and the EU welcomed the lifting of the Significant Safety Concerns by the International Civil Aviation Organization recognizing that progress had been achieved by the Philippines in the area of air safety and looked forward to the prospect of Philippine air carriers being able to start direct flights to the EU. The Philippine side also updated the EU on developments in its efforts to strengthen its maritime administration and training system of seafarers. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to work together to ensure that this matter would be successfully addressed.

The Philippines and the EU also discussed developments in the Asia Pacific regional security architecture.

They welcomed the accession of the EU

to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia and discussed the momentum of ASEAN integration following the 22nd ASEAN Summit held in Brunei in April 2013. The Philippines noted the EU’s intention to further enhance its engagement with Asia and expressed its support for EU membership of the East Asia Summit. Discussions were also held on the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea issue and both sides agreed on the importance of resolving disputes through peaceful and collaborative means in accordance with international law such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The next Philippines-EU SOM is scheduled to be held in the Philippines in 2015.

A joint statement was issued by the Philippines and EU at the conclusion of the meeting. ■ June 13, 2013 / 06:59 PM

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

PHL Embassy in Mexico Inaugurates NewlyEstablished PHL Honorary Consul’s Office in Belize THE Philippine Embassy in Mexico informed the Department of Foreign Affairs that that the newly-established Philippine Honorary Consul’s office in Belize was officially inaugurated at a formal ceremony held in the evening of June 10 at the Matalon Business Center in Belize City, Belize’s commercial, educational and cultural capital along the country’s Caribbean seaboard.

The inauguration rite was attended by guests from the government and business sectors as well as from the diplomatic and Filipino communities.

Leading the Belizean government at the ceremony was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Attorney General Wilfred Peter Elrington.

The diplomatic corps was well represented, with the British high commissioner and the ambassadors of the United States, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Cuba in attendance. Many of the honorary consuls general and consuls also attended, including those of Japan, France, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Peru and Lebanon.

First Secretary and Consul Angelo V. Amonoy, who represented the Philippine Embassy in Mexico at the ceremony, administered the oath of office to the Philippines’s first honorary consul in Belize, Atty. In his remarks, Consul a.h.

Arguelles thanked the embassy for its initiative in establishing an honorary consular post in Belize. He expressed his commitment to work towards ensuring the welfare of the Filipino community in Belize and in promoting greater understanding and cooperation between the Philippines and Belize.

On behalf of the Embassy, Consul Amonoy said that the establishment of a Philippine representation in Belize opens up new avenues for a mutually beneficial partnership between the Philippines and Belize, and expressed the Philippine government’s resolve to nurture and further deepen its political, economic and cultural relations with Belize, with the assistance of our new honorary consul.

A former British Crown Colony, Belize is a young, diverse and resource-rich country which gained its independence in 1981. Its government is pursuing a development strategy that is focused on promoting domestic and foreign investment in the areas of internationally traded services (ITS), tourism, agribusiness, aquaculture, mining, petroleum and energy. Presently, Belize is arguably the fastest-growing tourist destination in Central American and the Caribbean. It also has a fast-consolidating business process outsourcing (BPO) sector, with its young, educated and English-speaking population.

After the official inauguration, the Filipino community held an advance celebration of the 115th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence. Consul a.h. Arguelles read the President’s message while Consul Amonoy conveyed SFA’s message on the occasion. The audience was also treated to some song and dance renditions by Filcom members.

Consul Amonoy also extended passport renewal and other consular services to the Filipinos in Belize in the morning and afternoon of June 10. ■ June 14, 2013 / 03:08 PM

First Secretary and Consul Angelo V. Amonoy congratulates Honorary Consul Mikhail Arguelles after taking his oath of office.

Foreign Affairs Indersecratry for Policy Evan P. Garcia and European Union (EU) Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific of the European Union’s European External Action Service (EEAS) Viorel Isticioaia Budura reaffirm the strong partnership of the Philippines and the EU at the 8th PHLEU Senior Officials Meeting.

The Philippine and EU delegations, led by Undersecretary Garcia and EEAS Managing Director Isticioaia pose for a photograph at the conculsion of the 8th PHL-EU SOM in Brussels.

(Left photo) Members of the Filipino community in Belize join in the celebration during the inauguration of the newly established Philippine Honorary COnsulate in Belize City. (Right photo) Members of the diplomatic corps come together to congratulate new COnsul a.i. Arguelles.

Sponsors:

Media Partner:

38

SportS

www.hello-philippines.com

June 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 12 • UK & Europe Edition

Philippines ’90 percent ready’ to host FIBA Asia Championship in August

Edrin Dapudong KOs South African foe...

Continuation from page 40

Dapudong, 27, avenged his controversial split decision loss in his first meeting with Buthelezi last November by landing a left hook to the jaw two minutes, 29 seconds into the opening round that stunned and silenced the Buthelezi supporters.

American referee Robert Byrd immediately called it over and out as Buthelezi’s handlers rushed to his aid.

Dapudong, a native of M’lang, North Cotabato reportedly was emotional after realizing he had won the title this time around.

His manager, former North Cotabato governor Manny Pinol, had earlier said before the fight that the only way to win

in South Africa, known for its hometown decisions, was to knock an opponent out and he had made this clear to Dapudong.

It was Dapudong’s 28th win and 17th KO against 5 loses while Buthezi suffered only his third defeat against 13 victories.

Pinol said Dapudong’s victory was a vindication of his questionable defeat in the first meeting.

“Dapudong, is the dream catcher for having snared the dream that we have chased all of these years,” Pinol said.

“He will definitely serve as an inspiration to the other boys in the Braveheart Boxing Club and guide his teammates in catching their own dreams,” Pinol added. ■

Global falters against Kaya, hands Stallion UFL title The result cemented Stallion’s hold of the League championship with a 15-1-2 win-draw-loss record for 46 points to finish the season on top of the standings. The squad also stamped its dominance this season, bagging its second straight crown after winning the Cup competition last December.

Global looked poised to pull away with a victory, with striker Izzo Elhabib burying a shot after a Kaya miscue at the eighth minute for the squad’s early 1-nil lead.

Elhabib then struck again at the 35th minute to put Global to a comfortable 2-nil cushion.

But Kaya found a golden chance to score moments after, earning a penalty kick at the 39th minute. Veteran midfielder Chris Greatwich muffed his shot, but was able to recover and hit the back of the net off a rebound to trim Kaya’s deficit to 2-1 through halftime.

After giving up a goal, Global took another blow as coach Brian Reid was sent off due to a verbal altercation with Greatwich after the penalty shot.

AKTV file photo - Mark Dimalanta

Continuation from page 40 Kaya completed its comeback in the second half after defender Junior Muñoz sank a header at the 57th minute off a cross from the left flank which evened the match at 2-2.

The woes continued for Global in the second half after star midfielder Jason De Jong got a red card at the 70th minute, forcing the squad to play with just 10 men.

Midfielder Carlie de Murga added salt to injury for Global as he scored an own goal at the 81st minute which allowed Kaya to go all the way with the victory.

Aside from helping Stallion win the League crown, Kaya also finished the season on a high note after solidifying its spot at the fourth place with an 8-7-3 card for 28 points.

Meanwhile, Global, which has a 13-1-3 slate for 40 points, settled for a secondplace finish after winning the League title in goal differential last season.

It was the first League crown for Stallion, which joined Division One only two years ago. ■ Karl Decena / InterAKTV / June 13, 2013 / 10:20 PM

THE Philippines has been pronounced ready for the hosting of the FIBA Asia championship a little less than three months before the games begin on August 1.

Samahang Basketbol Ng Pilipinas deputy executive director Bernie Atienza announced in last Friday’s SCOOP Sa Kamayan session that his association headed by president Manuel V. Pangilinan is 90 percent ready to stage the 16-nation tournament that serves as the qualifying for the 2014 FIBA World Cup set in Spain.

“Yes, all the most important aspects of preparations, from the games venues to hotel accommodations, etc. have been set in place to make the FIBA Asia tournament very memorable to our guests, some 400 to 500 of them, including 320 players,” assured Atienza, who is also the head of the secretariat of the Local Organizing Committee.

“Boss MVP and the SBP is, indeed, doing everything to make our hosting turns out the best ever because, as we were told, FIBA international is making this Manila meet the yardstick of all the coming regional championships on the way to the world conclave.

“This having been said, Boss MVP and the SBP are eyeing this 27th edition of the FIBA Asia (to be) a championship like no other.”

(InterAKTV is part of InterAksyon.com, the news website of TV5, which is chaired

by Pangilinan.)

Proof that the entire basketball world is awaiting the Manila event, the SBP deputy executive director said, is the assurance that no less than the FIBA president Yuan Maimini of France and secretary-general Patrick Baumann will come to attend at least the opening ceremony.

Also expected to grace the regional championship are FIBA Asia president

Saud Bin Al-Thani, secretary-general Hagop Khaijirian, secretary general emeritus Datu Yeoh Cho Hock, as well as FIBA secretary-general emeritus Boris Stankovic and director for sports Zorn Radovic.

Some 200 other guests, including 40 foreign media men and a 12-man statistics team from Geneva, as well as representatives from time-keeping manufacturer Tissot are also coming to observe how the games will be run and why the Philippines has been known for its organizational savvy, according to Atienza.

All the 350 or so players, coaches, and utility men from the 16-nation field will be housed at the Dusit Hotel in Makati, disclosed Atienza.

The posh Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City and the historic Manila Hotel will be homes for the VIPs, including FIBA and FIBA-Asia officials, during their stay in the country.

The referees and other games officials will be billeted at the Diamond Hotel, also in Manila.

All participating teams will be given air-conditioned shuttle buses, the same

priviligea to be accorded print and broadcast media men covering the event. Members of the foreign press will have to reserve hotel rooms on their own as early as possible to avoid the rush.

Atienza said that as of the end of last week, 22 media outfits have already requested accreditation forms for the right to cover the championship.

“The main hub of the tournament, as everybody knows, is the newlybuilt Mall of Asia Arena, which doesn’t need any further refurbishing but is still being spruced up to ensure the comfort of those who will watch the games,” Atienza, who represented SBP executive director Sonny Barrios.

“Chair Richie Garcia of the Philippine Sports Commission, which owns the Ninoy Aquino Stadium (inside the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex) has also promised us to start repairing the alternate venue soon.”

Designated practice venues are at the Treston College Gym, University of Makati Gym, the Makati Coliseum, and the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. ■ Eddie G. Alinea / Philippine News Agency / / June 10, 2013 / 4:49 PM

Photo courtesy of Chot Reyes

Pinoy amateur boxers gear up for China tournament MANILA - The Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines said Tuesday it is preparing its team for the forthcoming traditional boxing tournament next June 16 in Southern China.

ABAP executive director Ed Picson told a forum the tournament would be a tough but good test on how the Filipinos would rise to the challenge.

Picson said the China tournament would be a good opportunity for the Filipinos to prepare for the South East Asian Games in December and the World Boxing Championship, also in 2013.

He does not expect the team to be at its peak, but expressed hope the discipline it has during the preparations wouldmake the members copetitive.

Mark Barriga would be the representative for the light-flyweight division, Ian Clark Bautista for the

flyweight, Mario Fernandez for the bantamweight and Jonel Cantancio for the lightweight category.

Picson also said the International Boxing Association has imposed new rules in the open boxing.

AIBA launched the team-oriented World Series of Boxing where fighters battle without head guards and vests in five-round bouts under a 10-point must scoring system. ■ Philippine News Agency / June 5, 2013 / 5:21 PM

BAUK TRIP TO LOURDES, FRANCE 12 TO 15 JULY 2013 (FRIDAY TO MONDAY)

Price: £245.00

Deposit: £100 to book a place (non-refundable)

Let us know if a passenger needs a visa to enter France so we could co-ordinate with him or her. Please allow at least 3 months to secure a visa. All passports must be valid for at least 6 months on date of return.

Itinerary:

Day 1: 12 July 2013 – Friday 9:30am – Departure Venue: Westminster Cathedral, Victoria 12:30pm – Ferry Crossing to France Over night travel to Lourdes...

12:00pm – Optional Lunch available at Hotel 16:00pm – Prompt Departure from Astoria Vatican Hotel Packed Dinner will be provided on the coach.

Over night journey back to Calais.

Day 2: 13 July 2013 – Saturday 7:00 - 8:00am – Arrive at Lourdes - Breakfast upon arrival - Check into the Astoria Vatican Hotel - After Breakfast its Free Time... Lunch is not included.

19:00pm – Dinner (Drinks not included) After Dinner Free time

Day 4: 15 July 2013 – Monday Early Morning Ferry Crossing 12:00pm – Arrival in Westminster Cathedral, Victoria (No allocated drops along the route)

Day 3: 14 July 2013 – Sunday 7:00 - 9:00am – Breakfast 10:00am – Check Out (Luggage will be stored safely until departure at 16:00pm)

PRICE INCLUDES: • Travel by Luxury Coach • Ferry Crossing • Snacks enroute on the coach • 1 night Accommodation including 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner and 1 packed meal

To book please call: Ched Gomez 07980 066 209 / Julie Villanueva 07956 422 068 / Lorna Fortunado 07776 223 212 / Chloe Masilungan 07939 035 370 / Tita Leus McCarthy 07958 732 406

sport Edrin Dapudong KOs South African foe to become latest Filipino world boxing champion

DAVAO CITY — Edrin Dapudong finally became the first world boxing champion from North Cotabato after stopping South Africa’s Gideon Buthelezi in the first round to grab the International Boxing Organization junior bantamweight title at the Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg, South Africa Sunday morning (Manila Time).

Continued on page 38

Global falters against Kaya, hands Stallion UFL title

STALLION Sta.Lucia clinched the United Football League championship Thursday night after Kaya FC came away with a 3-2 victory against Global FC at the Emperador Stadium in Mckinley Hill in Taguig.

Needing a victory to keep its crown defense alive, Global squandered a 2-nil lead to let Kaya derail its rival’s title hunt and allow Stallion go home with the championship.

Continued on page 38

GILAS TO FACE EX-NBA WINGMEN AS NATURALIZED PLAYERS FROM JORDAN, THE road to the 2014 FIBA World Cup just got tougher for the Philippine team after two former NBA players agreed to suit up for rivals in the Asian qualifiers.

Andre Emmett and Jarvis Hayes will be playing as naturalized citizens for Jordan and Qatar, respectively, in the FIBA Asia Championship to be held in Manila in August.

The 6-foot-5 Emmett, who has seen action for the Memphis Grizzlies and the

New Jersey Nets in the NBA, is currently starring for the Amchit squad in Lebanon.

A collegiate legend at Texas Tech under Bobby Knight, he will be replacing another prominent naturalized player, Rasheim Wright, in the Jordan lineup.

With Jordan bracketed with the Philippines in Group A, Emmett is expected to make life difficult for Filipino defenders at the wing spot.

The 31-year-old Hayes, meanwhile, played for three NBA teams — the Washington Wizards, the Detroit Pistons, and the New Jersey Nets. From 2003 to 2010, he compiled an average of 8.3 points per game.

The 6-foot-7 swingman is currently playing in Israel, averaging 19.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He is considered one of the steadiest three-point shooters in the league, averaging 45.2 percent from

three-point region while also shooting a steady 84-percent clip from the foul line.

Qatar is bracketed in Group B and is expected to advance in its group. The three teams from Group A will join the top three teams in Group B at the end of the first round and the Filipinos are likely to face Hayes’ team in the second round. Asia ■ Rey Joble / NBA D-League photo / Qatar in FIBA / InterAKTV / June 9, 2013 / 10:51 PM