November 2014 'A' issue

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GMA Kapuso Foundation reaches out to thousands in need Story on page 24

Connecting Global News & Views For The Community

ASIANS and other Americans of color in Hollywood can thank Sumi Haru for standing up for their representation in the industry. The pioneer Filipino-American actress and labor rights advocate famously refused to play a maid or a dragon lady or any role that stereotypes Asian American and other women of color. She picketed and blasted productions starring European performers as Asians where roles were unavailable to Asian Americans. Ms. Haru died October 16 in a Los Angeles hospital reportedly after battling emphysema. She was 75. Ms. Haru registered with the Screen Actors Guild in 1968, joined its board in the 1970s and in 1995 became its interim president — the first woman of color to head the organization. She was later elected first vice president. Born Mildred Sevilla on August 25, 1939, in Orange, New Jersey, to parents

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Looking back at her advocacy in the 1990s, Haru said progress had been made although the struggle continues. She is survived by two daughters and a sister. Filipino American Democratic Caucus of the California Democratic Party chair Melissa Ramoso and California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus State chair Clark Lee led party leaders in honoring the late labor leader and Hollywood pioneer. “The Asian Pacific Islander American and the Filipino American community will sorely miss Sumi Haru, a trailblazer in the Democratic Party and the Labor Movement who had always been a fierce fighter for equal opportunity, civil rights, and diversity in entertainment. She was a role model who actively encouraged and inspired many young people to become politically engaged. “Sumi’s work extends several decades in the entertainment industry, labor

advocacy, and Democratic activism. As a labor leader, she was a longtime SAGAFTRA leader who served as SAG’s Interim president and became the first woman of color to hold the position. She was the first Asian American to serve on the AFL-CIO’s national executive council as AFL-CIO National Vice President. In the Democratic Party, she was Southern Chair of the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus and the chair of the California Democratic Party Filipino American Caucus. “We will remember Sumi’s energy and smile that have touched the entertainment industry, the labor community, and the Democratic Party family alike. On behalf of the California Democratic Party Asian Pacific Islander Caucus and the California Democratic Party Filipino American Democratic Caucus, We extend our utmost sympathy to the Haru family and friends.” ■ Cherie M. Querol

Moreno / Philippine News / October 27, 2014 / 7:37 PM

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PIONEER FIL-AM ACTRESS, LABOR LEADER SUMI SEVILLA HARU DIES

who immigrated from the Philippines, Ms. Haru adopted her professional name to highlight the lack of Asians and other actors of color in the entertainment industry. Her family moved to Arvada, Colorado, where she was educated. While on a vacation in California, she met a film cast and crew and was drawn to their work. While she did not quite reach stardom as a performer, Ms. Haru attained distinction as an advocate for labor rights and race equality. She later produced and hosted shows for KTLA-TV Channel 5 and collaborated with the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs to mount events honoring the area’s minority populations, according to the Los Angeles Times. She co-founded SAG’s Ethnic Employment Opportunities Committee in 1971 and contributed to including affirmative action clauses into contracts.

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BUSINESS & FINANCE

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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Australia’s OceanaGold advances timetable for shift to underground production in PH mine MANILA - OceanaGold Corp has updated its production estimates for the Didipio copper-gold project in Nueva Vizcaya. Mick Wilkes, managing director and chief executive officer of the Australian company, said the updated technical report shows a potential increase in metal production and efficiency at the Philippine mine. “With the update to the technical report now complete and delivering very positive results, we continue to effectively execute on our strategy to maximize value from our existing assets,” he said. The report demonstrates the robust operational and economic attributes of “this very high quality asset,” Wilkes said. “An inferred resource target has been assessed as being economically viable, however it requires improved geological confidence,” he said. To do this, the underground operation at Didipio would be brought forward by a year with development of the underground portal and surface facilities scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2015. Under the revised mine plan, the open pit operations would be completed at the end of 2017, at which point the underground feed and open pit stockpiles will maintain the mill capacity

Wilkes said the first underground ore mine is expected in late 2017 – two years earlier than planned. “An earlier access to high grade ore from the underground and completion of open pit mining in 2017 is expected to result in improved production and cash flow profiles over life of mine,” he said. OceanaGold earlier said the redesigned underground work will include two mining domains that will increase the productivity rate to 1.6 million tons per annum (Mtpa) from 1.2 Mtpa previously. Wilkes said the company is preparing for construction of the underground portal scheduled to commence in the first quarter of 2015. “In addition to developing access to the underground mine, this will also allow us to explore for new resources at depth beneath the existing ore body. The cost associated with the development is fully financed through the strong free cash flow generation of the business,” he said. Pre-production capital cost for the underground development could reach $116 million (including purchase of mobile equipment) over a three-year period with the bulk of the capital expenditure taking place in 2016 and 2017. Sustaining the mine throughout its life would cost $75 million. Wilkes said the smaller open pit design has resulted in 67 million tons

Globe takeover of Bayantel requires Congress approval, says PLDT MANILA - The sale of Bayantel’s frequencies to Globe will require legislative clearance, according to PLDT. “Bayantel’s franchise specifically prohibits the transfer, sale or assignment of any right or privilege granted it without approval of Congress,” Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co said in a statement. “The arrangement circumvents pertinent laws and regulations regarding the assignment, allocation or use of radio frequencies that call for the public auction of the contested radio frequencies which remained idle for over 10 years or since the grant of provisional authority to Bayantel way back in 2000,” PLDT said. Globe Telecom Inc had acquired 98.26 percent of Bayan Telecommunication Inc’s loans and 100 percent of Radio Communications of the Philippines Inc’s (RCPI) liabilities. RCPI is a unit of Bayantel, both of which are owned by the Lopez Group. The acquisition cost $130 million, lower than the $400 million face value of Bayantel’s aggregate debt.

PLDT recently bagged 60-day temporary restraining order from the Court of Appeals, barring the sale of Bayantel to Globe. The Appellate Court said the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) should first act on the objections raised by PLDT before granting Globe’s acquisition of Bayantel. Globe was expecting last July to snag NTC approval of the Bayantel takeover, but the PLDT Group and Next Mobile sought to block the deal. As Bayantel’s largest creditor, Globe intends to convert its debt holdings into at least 54 percent of the former’s outstanding shares. Globe plans to unlock Bayantel’s key business assets, particularly in corporate data and broadband. The takeover would allow Globe to address rising demand for mobile data services, and Bayantel to build its mobile network. InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, which is part of the PLDT Group. ■ Darwin G. Amojelar / InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 4:12 PM

of waste eliminated from the previous mine plan, which translates to cost savings for open pit mining of $215 million between 2018 and 2020. “The higher underground production rate has reduced the unit

underground mining costs. With these changes, Didipio operation’s economics have been significantly improved,” he said. “Using a gold price assumption of $1,300 per ounce, copper price

assumption of $3.20 per pound, the company forecasts an after tax and capital expenditure cash flow of $944 million over the life of mine,” he added. ■ Orti Despuez / InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 12:25 PM

Philex’s Jan-Sep earnings drop by a third MANILA – Lower ore grades and weak international metal prices pulled down the nine-month earnings of the country’s biggest listed mining company. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Philex Mining Corp said it earned P950.6 million in the January to September period, a 34.27 percent drop from the P1.44 billion in the same nine months of last year. Excluding non-recurring items, the company’s core profit reached P901.2 million, or 39 percent lower than the P1.47 billion in 2013. The decline in profit was in spite an 8 percent increase in consolidated revenue to P8.378 billion from P7.73 billion last year. The higher revenue stemmed from more operating days this year, which mitigated the lower ore grades and weak prices. As the mine ages, output from the

Padcal copper-gold mine increasingly has become of lower grade, thus prompting Philex to raise the daily production to 27,000 metric tons from 25,000 previously. Gold production in the third quarter alone climbed 2 percent to 26,458 ounces from 25,844 ounces in the previous quarter, as ore grades hit a record at 0.440 grams per ton. “This was a result of operational adjustments aimed at bringing in better ore grade sources and maximizing metal recoveries,” Philex said. In contrast, copper production declined to 8,642,509 pounds in the third quarter from 8,728,904 pounds in the second quarter, adding to a lower average price of $2.95 per pound. “Our cost streamlining measures across the entire organization thus far are delivering the desired results. However, we believe that more needs

to be done moving forward to curtail the impact of low grades and weak metal prices on our bottom line. In addition, we are extensively exploring areas within and outside Padcal to extend the mine’s life beyond 2020,” Eulalio Austin, Philex president, said. He said the company is drilling in three sites adjacent to the Padcal mine as part of a five-year plan to tap beyond the 5 percent of its 14,000-hectare tenement in Benguet. Beyond Padcal, the company has completed pre-feasibility at the Silangan mine. “We are on-track with completing the bankable or definitive feasibility study for Silangan to de-risk the project and further increase our confidence level. We expect the [study] to be completed by mid-next year and are also looking forward to secure the remaining regulatory approvals to commence production,” Austin said. The company plans to employ the open-pit mining method, which involves the excavation of the surface of the ground to extract minerals. Located in Surigao del Norte, the Silangan mine combines the Boyongan and Bayugo deposits. Philex has set aside P4 billion for capital expenditures this year, with P3.4 billion earmarked for exploration work at the Silangan project and the remaining amount for Padcal. InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, which like Philex is chaired by Manuel V. Pangilinan. ■ Orti

Despuez / InterAksyon.com / October 29, 2014 / 3:39 PM


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BUSINESS & FINANCE

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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

No takers for 3-year maintenance contract of MRT3 MANILA – The existing maintenance provider of MRT3 will get another month’s extension of its contract after the government received no offer from the private sector for a three-year deal. Hernando Cabrera, spokesperson of the Department of Transportation and Communications-MRT3 Office, said the bids and awards committee yesterday declared a failed auction for the P2.2 billion three-year maintenance contract after none of the prospective bidders submitted a proposal. “We have to review again the terms of reference (TOR). We are now preparing the bid documents. Hopefully we can publish the new invitation to bid next month,” Cabrera said. He identified the prospective bidders as Busan Transport Corp, Mosan-Inekon Phils Ltd Co, SMRT International Pte Ltd, Miescorrail Inc and D.M. Consunji Inc. The government aims to award the three-year contract to the new maintenance provider before the end of the year, Cabrera said, adding that

the DOTC will extend the existing contract with Global-Autre Porte Technology until such time a new contractor is awarded. The one-year contract of APT Global ended on September 5, several weeks after the worst accident to involve the MRT3. While DOTC has pinned the blame for the accident on its personnel, persistent service interruptions have raised questions about the train system’s state of disrepair. Cabrera also rejected the rumor that the supply of new spare parts for MRT3 was not included in the TOR. “Not true. That is an irresponsible baseless statement. The TOR is designed specifically that the provision of spare parts necessary for efficient and safe operations is the obligation of the maintenance contractor,” he said. Running from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, MRT3 is operating at nearly 500,000 passengers per day, or way beyond its rated capacity of 350,000. A capacity upgrade has eluded the train system amid disputes between the private owner that bagged the 25-year build-lease-transfer contract

Photo by Bernard Testa

and the government, which leases the MRT3 at a cost of P7 billion a year. Last month, the DOTC unveiled a P9.7-billion plan to address the problems hounding the MRT3. This includes a buyout of the private owner

of the service, which is under a 25-year build-lease-transfer contract. At present, the rail system has a fleet of 73 Czech-made air-conditioned rail cars, of which up to 60 three-car trains operate daily. The trains run at

a maximum speed of 65 kilometers per hour to cover the rail system’s 13 stations in about 30 minutes, including short dwell times of about 25 to 35 seconds in each station. ■ Darwin G. Amojelar / InterAksyon.com / October 29, 2014 / 5:09 PM

Bangko Sentral warns of short-term volatility after US Fed ends stimulus

BPI opens shop in Japan MANILA - The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) has received regulatory approval to set up shop in Japan. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the Ayala-led lender said the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas granted the company the authority to establish a representative office in Japan. “Establishing a representative office in Japan will allow us to provide our hardworking countrymen in Japan easy access to remittance solutions and other BPI services. This will also open more doors for BPI for future partnerships in and around the region. Our hope is to serve more Filipinos around the world,” said Roy Emil Yu, senior vice president and remittance business division head of BPI Global Markets Group. The BPI Representative Office will be located in the Roppongi district of Tokyo, home to a big expatriate community, including Filipinos. The location also hosts several foreign embassies, including the Philippine Embassy, and is also the location of several remittance and money-transfer branches with which BPI has partnered with, such as Speed Money Transfer Japan K.K. (SMTJ) and

Japan Remit Finance (JRF). “Through the representative office, BPI seeks to address the primary concerns of Filipinos working and living in Japan by providing a presence in a key location, affordable remittance fees, competitive exchange rates, a hassle-free remittance process, tellers who are fluent in both English and Filipino, and fast transfer of funds to their beneficiaries in the Philippines,” BPI said. These funds can then be withdrawn from over 2,500 ATMs in the Philippines with no charge, or through BPI’s network of more than 6,500 accredited outlets, as well as door-to-door delivery and other methods. The representative office will aIso promote BPI to Japan’s financial community by acting as a point of contact to existing partnerships in the region. Aside from SMTJ and JRF, BPI also has a partnership with Kyodai to position the Philippine bank as a “reliable provider of secure automated solutions and multiple distribution services with highly professional front and back-end teams.” ■

Krista Angela M. Montealegre / InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 11:28 AM

MANILA - The peso fell against the U.S. dollar a day after the Federal Reserve ended its economic stimulus and signaled a longer wait for any interest rate increase -- a move the Philippine central bank welcomed. “The Fed’s announcement of the end of taper was widely expected, and to the extent this confirms the underlying strength of the US economy, it should be positive for the emerging market economy trading partners, including the Philippines,” Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said today.

Overnight, the Fed, as expected, announced that it would end its monthly bond-buying given an improving labor market. The US central bank also said it would keep interest rates at record lows for a “considerable time.” The Fed’s bond-buying had helped trigger rallies in emerging markets like the Philippines. “This also takes out one aspect of uncertainty in the market. The Fed action gives us some latitude to keep rates steady as our own domestic inflation dynamics fairly stable and allow previous monetary policy actions to filter through the economy,” Tetangco said.

BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. (left) and Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo.

“We will remain watchful of market conduct, particularly in the near-term in the spot foreign exchange market, check for threats of possible excessive moves and if there is need for BSP to act. — Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr.

He however warned of volatility in the short term, as the “language that the Fed could keep rates low for a considerable time could still keep market participatns on the lookout and therefore still mean some market volatility before the actual lift happens.” “We will remain watchful of market conduct, particularly in the near-term in the spot foreign exchange market, check for threats of possible excessive moves and if there is need for BSP to act,” he added. At the Philippine Dealing System, the exchange rate climbed to P44.9:US$1 from yesterday’s close at P44.715:US$1. Trading volume rose to $452.2 million from $387.65 million on Wednesday. During its most recent policysetting meeting, the BSP’s Monetary Board paused its monetary tightening in light of easing inflation pressures. Inflation eased to 4.4 percent last month after peaking at 4.9 percent in July and August. For October, the BSP expects price increases to slow down further. Before last week’s meeting, the Monetary Board had been tightening policy, raising overnight and special deposit account rates, as well as banks’ reserve requirement ratios. ■ Scarlet Venilia / InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 5:00 PM


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BUSINESS & FINANCE

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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Gone in 92 seconds: You wouldn’t believe what this

ATM card ‘skimmer’ pulled off bank’s premises. Sounds like a scene taken out of a Hollywood movie, right? Only this actually happened not in the U.S., but in the Philippines. That, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), is how

Ayala raises more than enough from preferred share sale to prepay debt MANILA – The Philippines’ oldest conglomerate raised P13.5 billion from the sale of preferred shares. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Ayala Corp (AC) said it sold 20 million preferred Class “B” Series 2 shares at P500 apiece. To address excess demand, AC sold an additional 7 million shares worth P3.5 billion. The maximum overallotment option was pegged at P5 billion. Proceeds from the offering will be used to prepay P12.95 billion in outstanding debt. The shares carry a dividend rate of 5.575 percent and will be issued on November 5. Similar to its outstanding series of Class “B” preferred shares issued last year, the new series are structured as perpetual. Payment of dividends will be cumulative. The shares are non-

convertible and will have no voting and pre-emptive rights. BPI Capital Corp, BDO Capital and Investments Corp and First Metro Investment Corp served as joint lead underwriters of the offering. The Ayala Group’s profit climbed by more than a third in the first semester to P9.8 billion this year from P7.30 billion a year ago on the strength of its property, telecom and water utility businesses. Aside from its recent investments in power generation and transport infrastructure, AC has businesses in real estate development, banking and financial services, telecommunications, water distribution, automotive dealerships, electronics manufacturing services, business process outsourcing, among others. ■ Krista Angela M. Montealegre / InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 2:58 PM

brazen scam artists have become. In fact, the scene above was taken from CCTV footage in one of the banks in the country. “We have actual live video where perpetuators were able to install the skimming machine, the micro camera and a keyboard template in about 92 seconds. And this was done inside a branch during office hours and you could imagine the type of risk that they take,” said BSP Assistant Governor Johnny Noe Ravalo. “The ATM was inside the bank during office hours and yet they not only tried, they actually did so. It is actually a very good thing that the branch manager and security people were alert enough they saw it and then after the individual left the branch they cut off the machine so no data was stolen,” Ravalo said. “The idea of having seen that for ourselves live -- 92 seconds -- is pretty fast in a live day-to-day transaction. It is how bold they can be,” he added. The anecdote above is the highlight of today’s launch of the BSP’s “AlertAko” exhibit, which features the central bank’s financial consumer protection advocacy. Ravalo said the ease with which

fraud is committed owes to the convenience provided by advances in technology. In the case of cardskimming machines, that inch-thick gadget is an “improvement” over the three-and-a-half inch contraption that “skimmers” used in the past. “We have seen important strides in the use of electronic technology – ATM, credit and debit cards and other electronic devices as well as the online execution of transactions. They provide the public with so much convenience that ultimately resulted in the growth of loans and improvements of quality of services they have rendered to the banking sector,” said BSP Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo. “And here is the paradox. The same advances in technology have emboldened many unscrupulous individuals to attempt to access our accounts even through illegal means,” he said. The exhibit features other gadgets and schemes used to defraud consumers through electronic payment systems --

from PIN reproduction devices to the international use of stolen credit card accounts. In some cases, stolen credit cards had been used successively in Europe, Africa and Asia even though the real owner was in another location, Ravalo said. Guinigundo said many of the known fraudulent schemes can be averted once banks shift to the EMV chip technology for transaction cards from the current magnetic stripe data encryption, which is susceptible to card skimming, among other fraudulent schemes. But until all banks in the country shift to EMV, the BSP said it would have to educate consumers about the risks of using cards in financial transactions, Guinigundo said. “We would rather empower the financial consumer so they can make sound decisions and to have the capacity to identify, detect and protect themselves from such financial scams,” he added. ■ Scarlet Venilia / InterAksyon.com / October 15, 2014 / 4:37 PM

ORIGINAL CREATION & COPYRIGHT RESERVED BY © HELLO PHILIPPINES 2014

MANILA - Imagine a person hogging an ATM, installing a cardskimming machine about an inch thick, a micro camera and a keyboard to boot -- all in a little over a minuteand-a-half, in broad daylight, during office hours, and -- get this -- inside a

Photo by Bernard Testa



8

BUSINESS & FINANCE

www.hello-philippines.com

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Wall Street’s rise props up Philippine share prices MANILA – Philippine share prices advanced on Wednesday in tandem with Wall Street’s overnight ascent ahead of the culmination of the U.S.

Federal Reserve’s policy meeting. At the Philippine Stock Exchange, the benchmark index rose 26.57 points, or 0.38 percent, to close at

Photo by Bernard Testa

7,093.31. The property counter rallied 1.24 percent to lead all sub-indices in the green. Advancers beat decliners, 107 to 72, while 34 issues were unchanged. Value turnover improved to P7.6 billion from yesterday’s P6.034 billion, as 11.13 billion shares changed hands. The most actively traded stocks were PLDT, Universal Robina, Island Information, Bloomberry and Ayala Land. The top gainers were Unioil, Forum Pacific and Wellex, while the biggest losers were Manulife, Federal Resources and United Paragon. “We’re mainly riding on the positive sentiment in US and Asia. US stocks were up because earnings were good

and consumer confidence was at an all-time high,” said Luis Limlingan, head of research at Regina Capital Development Corp. US stocks rose last night, as the Fed started a two-day policy meeting. Investors are awaiting signals from the US central bank on the direction of interest rates in the world’s biggest economy. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 1.1 percent to 17,005.75. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index climbed 23.42 points, or 1.2 percent, to 1,985.05 and the Nasdaq went up 78.36 points, or 1.7 percent, to 4,564.29. Wall Street has been on a recovery path buoyed by solid third-quarter

earnings after it was hit early this month by falling oil prices and concerns of slowing global growth. “There’s a little hope the Fed will push back the timing of raising interest rates from near zero, though ending the quantitative easing program is almost a certainty,” Limlingan said. He said it is crucial for the PSEi to break the 7,160-mark, its 50-day moving average, to sustain its upward momentum. “It’s important we’re able to test and break it as soon as possible or we will be consolidating on a sideways channel,” he said. ■ Krista Angela M.

Montealegre / InterAksyon.com / October 29, 2014 / 4:47 PM

Import costs temper Holcim Philippines’ Jan-Sep net income MANILA - The local arm of Swiss cement giant Holcim Ltd overcame higher costs in the third quarter to hit record earnings in the first nine months of the year. In a briefing today, Holcim Philippines Inc president Ed Sahagun said the company’s net income rose nearly 8 percent to P4.04 billion in the January to September period from P3.74 billion in the same nine months of last year. In the third quarter alone, profit rose 4 percent to P721.96 million from P691.21 million a year ago, as sales grew at a faster pace of 18 percent. Sahagun said the company imported more clinker during the period to ensure adequate domestic supply, as its plants undergo maintenance. Holcim Philippines expects to hike clinker imports to 800,000 tons for the full year from 600,000 in 2013. The firm is winding down its maintenance work to allow the plants to resume normal operations.

Robust construction activity was sustained through the rainy season, increasing net sales to P8.11 billion in the July to September from P6.86 billion in the same three months of last year. For the first nine months, net sales climbed 12.8 percent to P24.97 billion from P22.14 billion in 2013, as the company tracked the industry’s 11 percent growth coupled with a slight increase in prices, Sahagun said. He sees strong demand for cement continuing in the medium term on strong government and private spending coupled with the rollout of infrastructure projects under the Aquino administration’s public-private partnership program. Sahagun said the company expects to complete technical, financial and legal due diligence for the acquisition of Lafarge Republic Inc’s (LRI) assets by middle of next year in line with the merger of their parent firms. Holcim Philippines is acquiring

Lafarge Iligan Inc and Lafarge Mindanao Inc, increasing the listed firm’s market share to 37 percent from roughly a third at present. It is also purchasing LRI’s Republic Aggregates Inc and Star Terminal at the Harbour Centre in Manila. “This country needs any drop of cement it can produce unlike in other countries where they can decide what plants to run and not run. Current capacity is not enough to supply demand so we think any asset available is a valuable asset,” Sahagun said. Once Holcim Philippines acquire the said assets, LRI will be left with 22-23 percent of the market. The remaining assets will also be sold to other parties. Holcim revealed an all-share deal to acquire France’s Lafarge in April that would create a cement giant with combined sales of $44 billion. The merger is expected to be completed in the first half of 2015. ■ Krista Angela M. Montealegre / InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 2:49 PM

Government reverts to budget deficit in September MANILA – The government’s budget deficit stayed well below the ceiling in the first nine months of the year, as revenue growth outpaced expenditures. In a report, the Department of Finance (DOF) said the national government incurred a deficit of P31.1 billion at the close of the third quarter, way lower than the P235.5 billion ceiling for the period. Last month alone, the government ran up a P5.2 billion deficit, reversing a surplus last August but still lower than the P13.4 billion deficit in September last year. The government incurs a deficit whenever tax collections fall short of expenditures. Tax revenue last month reached P154.6 billion, a 21 percent increase from a year ago. This brought year-to-date collections to P1.4 trillion, or 13 percent more than last year. The Bureau of Internal Revenues (BIR), which accounted for more than two-thirds of government revenue, grew

collections by 23 percent to P105.7 billion in September. This brought the nine-month tally to P996.4 billion, or 7 percent below the target for the period. The Bureau of Customs contributed P32.9 billion in revenue last month, a 28 percent year-on-year increase. This brought its nine-month collections to P265.8 billion, or 12 percent below its collection goal. While revenue grew by double-digits, expenditures increased in the single digit, reaching P13.8 billion last month. Year-todate, government spending hit P1.5 trillion, or 16 percent below budget. “Our fiscal performance through the past four years has shown that through efficient tax administration alone, we have come a long way in augmenting revenues. However, in the light of efforts to accelerate Asean integration and boost the Philippines’ competitiveness, the Department of Finance expresses openness to a change in the tax system, particularly in the review of our income tax structure,” Finance Secretary

Cesar V. Purisima said. “Lowering income tax rates will attract even more foreign investors into the country but will be detrimental to our fiscal health if they are not offset by revenue-generating measures. Hence, we remain resolute in our stand that any tax reform pursued must be holistic, revenueneutral, and equitable so all Filipinosmay continue to benefit from a robust fiscal position. This is the mindset that we possess as we engage in discussions with legislators concerning tax reform,” Purisima added. ■ InterAksyon.com / October

29, 2014 / 12:27 PM

Finance chief Cesar V. Purisima

Energy department’s worstcase scenario for summer: 3-4 hours long brownouts MANILA - Three- to four-hour brownouts could still plague Luzon during peak hours next summer unless the supply of electricity improves. In a press conference, Energy Undersecretary Raul B. Aguilos said peak hours pertain to those periods in a day when electricity use climbs to its highest, or between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. and between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. He said the Department of Energy’s (DOE) forecast is based on a worstcase scenario of power plant outages because of technical problems. The best consumers can hope for is at least two-hour outages should plants not bog down and new generating facilities are put up as scheduled next year. DOE power planning director Irma C. Exconde said the grid’s projected deficit, including required reserves, would amount to 700 megawatts (MW). Besides calling on consumers to conserve energy, the DOE has been encouraging heavy users of electricity that have generators to enroll in the Interruptible Load Program (ILP). ILP is a voluntary scheme that compensates those that opt out of the grid during periods of tight power supply. Consumers will ultimately

pay for the cost of ILP through higher electricity bills. Aguilos said DOE is having a hard time securing the commitment of potential participants since Luzon would require at least 1,000 MW of generating capacity from the ILP. So far, the department has secured the commitment of a total of 108 MW, leaving it 892 MW short. Citing Meralco’s experience with ILP, Exconde said only half of the capacity from such sources is used when needed. The only other option in case the ILP does not pan out is for the Executive to have standby authority to purchase diesel generator sets (gensets). This is possible through Congress’ grant of emergency powers to the President, as provided for in the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA). “Our position here, as far as additional procurement of gensets or the rental of additional capacity is concerned, this is the option of last resort. We will leave it to the discretion and to the decision of [Congress],” Exconde said, adding that DOE would need P6 billion for the proposed procurement. ■ Euan Paulo C.

Añonuevo / InterAksyon.com / October 21, 2014 / 4:31 PM

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A perfect time for babies “I hope you have more papers than babies.” This is what one senior academic told me when I found myself pregnant barely through the first year of a Ph.D. in physics. It was a joke, but even so it was the last thing I wanted to hear. Out of fear of such remarks, I kept my pregnancy private for as long as I could. Although I was happily married and had the full support of my husband, the idea of raising a child while navigating a Ph.D. was very daunting. When I knew I had to break the unexpected news to my colleagues—if I fainted in the lab, at least they would not be surprised—I was nervous. I would have continued to worry until childbirth if it were not for some very comforting words from Steve, my second supervisor, who after hearing the news said, “Perfect. Now is the best time.” Most academic scientists would probably disagree with Steve’s assessment. In physics departments, more often than not, senior women have no children, and most of those who do have children had them rather late in life. Why should a woman even think of having children while still in graduate school? Steve’s reasoning, I gathered, is simple. In graduate school you are the responsibility of your supervisor. Your only job is to get a Ph.D.

Of course, that is an oversimplification. We are responsible for ourselves because in the end it is our careers at stake. We need to be reasonably motivated and organized if we are to succeed in our scientific ambitions. But because a Ph.D. is a joint project between student and supervisor, we can lean on a willing and supportive adviser. My supervisor made sure that my research could continue when I returned to work after giving birth. Even though I only took 4 months off, he extended my funding for a year to make up for my maternity break. I know I was very fortunate to have an accommodating supervisor, but it is always in the interest of our supervisors to ensure our success. Not all supervisors are so accommodating, but we need not assume the worst! Most students will say that graduate school is hard enough, and having a family will just make it harder. I disagree. Stripped of the details, graduate school is simple. There is just one goal: to get the degree. We do not have to apply for research funding, manage a research team, or deal with administrative jobs—duties that a faculty position would entail. Assuming we are reasonably organized, doesn’t it make sense to have a baby during graduate school? I learned that there’s another reason

that it makes sense not to wait: The timing makes sense. Raising a child gets easier as the child gets older (at least until he or she becomes a teenager, or so I have heard). Also, being a mother demands physical stamina, which is usually more bountiful when one is young. Professional responsibilities only grow as one climbs the academic ladder. So why not get past the most challenging phase of parenting during graduate school, when you are young and energetic and the only responsibility is to get the degree? My first few weeks as a mother were indeed the most difficult. I underestimated the amount of work (and joy!) involved in being a new parent. But it does get easier as children become more independent— as they themselves become explorers of the world. I also underestimated my capabilities. I think most people do the same thing. When I became a mother and time became so much more expensive, my efficiency and focus so improved that I became much more effective than I had expected to be. (And, as I believe my colleagues will attest, I was not bad to start with!) There are some practicalities. Graduate stipends are not that large, so a modest lifestyle is key. Good, affordable childcare must be available once you

resume your studies and research. At my university there is a subsidized, on-site nursery, which was especially convenient when I was breastfeeding. Also—this is important—unless you are a superhero, you need a partner who is willing to share at least half the childcare and household work. The nature of your science also factors into the decision. My experiments can be left running, which means I can easily go to the nursery if there are emergencies. I do not work in big international collaborations, which require being abroad often. I go to conferences once or twice a year, and that seems to be enough travel. I imagine that some research fields are less amenable to family life. Finally, getting back to your supportive supervisor: She or he needs to be flexible, especially when your child gets sick. The perfect time to be a mother is whenever you think you can be a mother. I did not really have the luxury of contemplation; I sort of trained on

the job. But, looking back, there is not a shred of regret. I do not feel less of a physicist because I am dedicated to my child, nor less of a mother because I am dedicated to physics. The two endeavors are not mutually exclusive, and it is easier, I think, to keep it that way when motherhood starts during graduate school. I am now in my second year as a postdoc. My son is 4 years old. I do not think that my scientific productivity has suffered, not even a little. And I can say for certain that being a mother has made me a better scientist and a better person, too. I often get asked how I managed to finish a Ph.D. while having a son. My sincere answer is, I could not imagine going through my Ph.D. without him. He is my constant reminder that we all started out as scientists. And just for the record: I have considerably more papers than babies. ■ Jacquiline Romero / KBK, GMA News / October 27,

2014 / 3:11 PM


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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

5 young Pinoys win in Rome poster-making contest FIVE young Filipinos recently made the country proud by winning in a poster-making contest in Rome. A news release from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday said the five won in the 2014 World Food Day International Poster-Making Contest held last October 16. The five were:

Age 9-12 Category

• 1st Place: Mr. Daryl Doie Aurelio, “The Role of the Family” • 2nd Place: Ms. Belle Angeline M. Aurelio, “My Vision” • 3rd Place: Mr. Angelo Hermina, “Family Unit in Farming”

Age 13-17 Category

• 2nd Place: Ms. Jhasmin Dabasol, “Family Farming for World Food Security” • Special Mention: Mr. Ernest M. Quitalig, “My Family That Cares for Our Mother Earth” The winners were chosen for their “originality, relevance to the theme,

and artistic ability,” the DFA said. Representatives of the Philippine Embassy in Rome received the awards on behalf of the Filipino winners during a ceremony held on October 21 at the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) headquarters. The contest, held every October 16 to mark World Food Day, was organized by FAO and the United Nations Women’s Guild (UNWG). October 16 is the date when FAO was founded in 1945. A total of 3,010 entries from 65 countries were submitted for this year’s contest, which had the theme “Family Farming: “Feeding The World, Caring For The Earth.” “The chosen theme aims to raise the profile of family farming and its significant roles in providing food security, nutritional access, and achieving sustainable development, particularly in rural areas,” the DFA said. ■ KBK, GMA News / October 29, 2014 / 12:59 PM

Fil-Am honored with prominent feature at Washington war memorial A Filipino-American US Army soldier, who narrowly escaped death after he was shot through the pelvis by a sniper in Iraq and endured a grueling rehab to get out of his wheelchair, has become one of the new faces of American war veterans with his photo prominently featured at the newlyunveiled American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C. Joseph “Joe” Bacani, 29, currently a junior psychology major at Columbia University, said he was both shocked and humbled upon learning only a week prior his place of honor on the woundedvets memorial which shows him still in his wheelchair after being awarded the Purple Heart. “I thought my image would be small, with thousands of veterans alongside me,” said Bacani at the recent unveiling of the memorial, with his image and story next to Bob Dole’s, the late senator who was severely wounded in World War II. “Then I saw the image, and I was like, ‘What? Are you kidding me?’ I’m larger than life-sized on that wall!” Bacani, who grew up in Tustin, California and joined the Army at 17 when he was still in high school, said he has always seen himself “as just like a normal average Joe.” The memorial, which took 16 years

Joseph Bacani’s photo is prominently featured at the newlyunveiled American Veterans Disabled for Life Memorial in Washington, D.C. Filipino Reporter photo.

to complete and was funded by $80 million in private donations, sits within view of the Capitol. It’s a collection of glass and granite walls representing wounded veterans from all wars and branches — of whom an estimated three million are alive today — clustered around an eternal flame. “It doesn’t end with the war; they live with it forever,” said Project director Barry Owenby. “They have a trauma of injury, a healing process, and then their rediscovery of purpose. So that’s the story that we’re trying to tell here.” Bacani, who was inspired to join the Army after 9/11, was deployed to Iraq in November 2006 and was stationed at Camp Liberty in Baghdad. From the beginning, he had a bad feeling, he recalled in an interview the New York Post. “We deployed with maybe 20 scouts and six snipers,” said Bacani, who was a cavalry scout assigned to the 1st Cavalry Regiment from Fort Hood, Texas. “I was really conscious about how shallow our platoon was.”

Joseph Bacani shown outside his school at Columbia University in New York City. Filipino Reporter photo.

On March 20, 2007, Bacani and his platoon were doing route clearance, sweeping for IEDs, or improvised explosive devices. “It was just five guys on foot and three or four other trucks full of guys,” he said. Bacani, in 50 pounds of body armor, had the mine sweeper. “So we found the IED,” he shared, “and five minutes after that, I first heard the clack from a rifle. And I was just like, ‘Oh, God. I know what that sound means.’” Bacani didn’t even have time to look back at his friend, Spc. Jesus Bustamante, who was also on foot. “I was trying to find out where the sniper was shooting from,” he said. “And as soon as I figured it out, I got shot.” He was shot in the tailbone and the bullet came out of his pelvis “as if the strongest person on the planet really hates your guts, and he got this sledgehammer from a blacksmith oven and took all his might and whacked you right on your ass,” he confided. Bacani tried to take cover, but he collapsed on the open road, all sense in his right leg gone. He was an open target. “I was just lying there, feeling this 140-degree sun, in full battle rattle,” he remembered. “And I was just like, ‘I guess this is where I may die.’” After playing dead, he cursed at the top of his lungs so his sergeant would know he was still alive. Bustamante had been shot twice — once in the knee and once in the rib, the bullet tearing through most of his vital organs and leaving him near death. Still, Bustamante “had this grenade launcher, the M203, and he fired rounds into the building. I think he saved both of us that day,” Bacani pointed out.

Bacani thought they were on the ground for 30 minutes — “a reasonable time” — before they were rescued and loaded into a Humvee and eventually flown to the Green Zone for emergency surgery. Unable to walk, Bacani was flown to Walter Reed, where he underwent intense rehab. It took him six months to walk without assistance, and still he wanted to go back to Iraq. He thought constantly of the many friends he had lost while serving there. In fact, two months before Bacani was shot, he had lost his roommate and best friend, Pfc. Darrell W. Shipp, who had become an older brother to him. On April 6, 2007, Bacani received The Purple Heart, awarded to US servicemembers wounded by an instrument of war in the hands of the enemy; it is one of the most recognized and respected military decorations. He also received the Combat Action Badge, which is awarded for actively engaging, or being engaged by, enemy forces. On hand to see him receive his decorations were his Ilocos Sur-born parents Norberto and Rosita, and his sister Jackie. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that he has come home,” Jackie said in a past interview. “He’s one of the lucky ones.” Jacquie said that during Bacani’s deployment, she and her parents got on their knees and prayed for her brother’s safety every night. “I know that not a lot of people are able to come home, and I’m just so grateful,” Jackie said. Today, Bacani still suffers from “intermittent and shocking nerve pain” that lasts about two minutes, according to the Post. He has aching muscle pain every day

and expects to have it for the rest of his life. He wears three KIA memorial bracelets — one each for his closest friends who perished in Iraq. “This is not everybody I’ve lost,” he said. On each of their birthdays, he said to himself: “I’m living your life. I’ll take over from here.” On Aug. 18, he enrolled at Columbia University, which has a long history of recruiting veterans and providing financial aid. This past May, 145 veterans graduated from the university. “I’m so happy I’m here,” Bacani said. “I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I just went to community college.” He finds it ironic to now be in New York, “because after I got out of the Army, I just wanted peace and quiet,” he says. “But moving to New York — I feel like I’m reborn. I have all these opportunities in front of me.” He’s majoring in psychology and plans to go into PTSD treatment and research. He still feels guilty he’s here and not in Iraq. “People are always telling me that I did enough, that I don’t have to go back,” he said. He’s proud of this new memorial and his place in it, but he worries that people might see it and feel something, then go on about their lives without realizing how much help veterans need. When asked if he thought his picture at the memorial was a window to his soul, Bacani said, “I hope so and I hope people can see beyond the wheelchair that there’s still a young man in there with many more years left to live, to make something out of himself.” ■ Filipino Reporter / October 30, 2014 / 7:17 PM



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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Pinoys urged to leave Ebola-hit West Africa

Health workers practice wearing protective suits and equipment during the ‘One Nation, One Direction for EBOLA Prevention’ training at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) hospital in Muntinlupa City on Tuesday, October 28. A first batch of personnel from government hospitals from all over the country is undergoing specialized training on Ebola measures from six international experts. DOH spokesman Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy said the procedures in the training modules will cover, among others, the patient’s entry into triage, confinement, and in case of ‘non-event,’ how their case may be used in ruling future cases.

THE Philippines on Thursday urged hundreds of its citizens to leave Ebolahit west African nations, as it announced anyone who returned would be placed under a 21-day quarantine. Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the government had made a “voluntary repatriation” call to about 900 workers in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. He told a local television network that President Benigno Aquino III had also ordered those who did return would have to be isolated in a government facility. “The president has asked us to come down with a ruling, anyone coming from those countries, they must undergo a 21-day quarantine,” del Rosario said. With 10 million Filipinos working abroad, the country is “very vulnerable” amid the outbreak of the killer disease, del Rosario said. More than 100 Filipino peacekeepers who will be pulled from Liberia next

month because of Ebola fears will also be quarantined in a military facility, health department spokesman Lyndon Lee Suy told AFP. Some US authorities have recently ordered quarantines, which have proved highly controversial amid concerns over potential human rights violations and whether they could have unintended, harmful consequences. The health department this week started training 130 doctors, nurses and medical workers from government hospitals to handle possible Ebola cases. Close to 300 others from private hospitals and local government offices will be trained in the coming weeks, according to Lee Suy. At least 20 government hospitals were designated as Ebola referral and treatment centres, including three in the capital, Lee Suy said. An entire hospital in the southern suburbs that specialises in infectious diseases and animal bites may be

designated as an Ebola centre should there be a large number of infections, he said. “We can’t say whether or not we’re prepared because that’s subjective, but we are in a better position to address the problem,” he said. Before the president ordered forced quarantines, 126 Filipinos who returned home from the three west African countries were “monitored” by the health department from their homes, according to Lee Suy. Twelve of the 126 developed fever within the 21-day quarantine period but later tested negative for Ebola, he said. The Ebola outbreak that has been ravaging west Africa has claimed 4,922 lives, according to the World Health Organization. The rate of infections in hardhit Liberia appears to have slowed, the WHO said on Wednesday, but it warned the crisis was not over. ■ Agence

France-Presse / October 30, 2014 / 2:26 PM

Senate urged to pass bill seeking P50,000 credit assistance to OFWs SENATOR Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Monday urged his colleagues to pass the bill providing P50,000 credit assistance to overseas Filipino workers. Angara said a similar bill has already been approved on second reading at the

House of Representatives, which is set to approve it on third and final reading this week. “I commend the members of the House for their favorable action on the bill which I have been filing since my days in Congress,” the former Aurora representative said in a statement. “I am hopeful that our version will receive the same support here in the Senate to address the needs of our modern heroes,” he added. Under the Angara-authored Senate Bill 1955, a credit assistance program will be created for OFWs to help them pay their recruitment fees and other costs incurred

during pre-employment, and to defray the living expenses of their families left behind. An OFW, with a valid employment contract, may avail of a P50,000 loan from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to defray living expenses of one’s family during the first months of absence, and to pay for recruitment expenses including placement fees, documentation costs and plane tickets. The loan will be entered into by and between the OFW-borrower and OWWA, with the next-of-kin as a co-borrower. “This credit facility is but another venue for government to support OFWs

for sending in much-needed foreign remittances that help maintain the country’s macroeconomic stability,” said Angara, who is the acting chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development. The loan shall be paid in 12 equal monthly installments at a preferred interest rate not to exceed six percent per annum through accredited banking institutions. “We have a duty to provide as much assistance as we can to OFWs for their immense contribution to the nation,” Angara said. Under the bill, failure to pay the

loan shall be sufficient ground for the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to withhold the issuance of the overseas employment certificate (OEC) and any other exit permit or clearance to work abroad to the OFWborrower. It further states that any government official or private entity who issues an OEC or exit permit to any OFW-borrower who has failed to pay the loan will be penalized with a 60-day suspension for the first offense, and dismissal from the service and permanent cancellation of license for the second offense. ■ Amita O. Legaspi / KBK, GMA News / October 27, 2014 / 12:01 PM

Low-income Pinoys in LA get assistance AS Filipino American History Month comes to a close, the Pilipino Workers’ Center (PWC) has continued its outreach to Filipino-Americans and Latinos, based at Historic Filipinotown (Hi-Fi), considered to be in absolute poverty. Household income in this neighborhood is lower than the threshold established by the Census of minimal standard of living for the composition of the household. “There is a myth that persists about Filipinos and Asians as ‘model minority,’ thus hindi natin kailangan ng tulong sa gobyerno (a model minority myth promotes the idea that Filipinos and Asian do not need government assistance),” PWC Executive Director Aqui Versoza told TheFilamLA. Versoza cited census results stating that: “5.4% of Filipino Americans are in absolute poverty (Jerry Park, on “Asians and The Model Minority”). She said a couple of the current projects that is available to low-income

residents of Hi-Fi is “TEAM” and “Changes.” A good number of those in poverty are seniors, relying solely on their Social Security payments. “Limited ang pag-intinde ng mga seniors natin tungkol sa mga tulong na para sa kanila tulad ng assistance sa utilities like phones, gas, water. Complicated kasi ang mga brochures or representatives cannot clearly explain in plain English their utilities’ program (Our seniors have limited understanding of certain assistances in utilities),” she said. Versoza said this year, PWC has given workshops and direct assistances to some 1,500 clients at the Larry Itliong Village (where the PWC has an office), churches and community halls on Changes and TEAM projects. Through these projects, clients receive information about requesting their utility companies such as Edison, Southern California Gas, Department of Water and Power to install SMART

meters in their homes or to help manage their bills; or for cell phone users to avoid unnecessary phone features such as three-way calling. “When the clients come to our offices, they can sign in for us to become their advocates with the utilities company,” said Versoza. “We have Tagalog-speaking advocates who can call the utility companies. Tinutulungan naming sila na tumawag sa mga kumpanya para ma-check ang power or water meter nila. Maaari nilang dalhin ang bill nila sa kuryente o tubig at susuriin naming bakit biglang tumaas ang bayad nila.” Teresita Mercado, a PWC staff and a former teacher from Manila, knows the difficulty posed by high bills on low income Filipino clients. She said, “Minsan ang pambayad nila sa pagkain ay napupunta sa cell phones or phone cards that they use to call their families long distance in the Philippines.”

Dondi Mangan, service recipient, learns about the Changes Program from staff Teresita Mercado. PWC Executive Director Aqui Versoza (standing) guides the briefing. Photo by Tet Valdez/The FilAm LA

Dondi Mangan who immigrated in 2001 told TheFilamLa that his cell phone bill was reduced significantly after a PWC staff assisted him in getting a better plan. “Lumiit ang bill ko at nagkaraoon pa ako ng better plan data with unlimited minutes and text,” he said.

He now volunteers at the PWC to pick up food at the Food Bank to distribute to his low-income compatriots. “I have shared my experience with my friends; I hope this reaches others to learn more about these programs.” ■ The FilAm LA / October 30, 2014 / 5:40 PM



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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

OFW groups welcome Senate probe on airport terminal fee integration OFW groups and advocates on Wednesday threw their support behind Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III’s plan to initiate a Senate investigation into the government’s plan to integrate airport terminal fee in airline tickets for international passengers. In a statement, Kenji Solis, founder of the Pinoy Expat/OFW Blog Awards, Inc. (PEBA) said the Senate inquiry will enable all stakeholders to present their side in an impartial and fair manner. “A Senate inquiry presents an impartial and fair venue for all stakeholders to be heard,” said Solis, who is also a Filipino community leader in Saudi Arabia Solis’ group has joined several others in urging the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to defer the November 1 implementation of its Memorandum Circular No. 08. Under the circular, terminal fees known as international passenger service charge (IPSC) amounting to P550 per passenger will be integrated in all air tickets, subject to remittance to MIAA by international airlines.

Collectively known as the #Noto550 Coalition, the groups said the scheme violates the law that exempts OFWs from paying terminal fee. “All we are asking is for MIAA to acknowledge and respect the rights granted to OFWs under the Migrant Workers’ Act of 1995, and as amended by RA 10022,” Solis said. He added those rights “include exemption from paying the travel tax, documentary stamps, and airport terminal fees.” “There is no mention in the law about a process to obtain refunds, or for OFWs to pay now and be exempt later,” Solis said. Under the MIAA memorandum, OFWs can avail of a refund upon submission of overseas employment certificate (OEC). PEBA is among 14 OFW groups that have signed a petition filed by OFW Family party-list Rep Roy V. Seneres before Pasay City Regional Trial Court asking for a temporary restraining order against the controversial MIAA circular. ■ KBK, GMA News / October 29, 2014 / 7:34 PM

UAE court jails sailor for molesting Pinay flight attendant, colleagues A United Arab Emirates court sentenced a sailor to one year in jail for trying to enter the cockpit of an Emirates plane in flight, and trying to molest a Filipina flight attendant and her colleagues last February. The Dubai Court of First Instance ordered the Ukranian sailor, 28, for risking the plane’s safety, air rage and molestation, Gulf News reported Wednesday. Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal also fined the sailor Dh1,000 for drinking, and ordered his deportation once he completes his sentence. The primary ruling is subject to appeal within 15 days, the report said. Court records showed the sailor got drunk and tried to enter the cockpit during the Dubai-bound flight. He became aggressive towards the flight’s security officer and the two air

attendants who tried to calm him down. Investigation showed the sailor ran up and down the aisle and tried to enter the cockpit, then groped a Romanian hostess and hugged and tried to kiss her Filipina colleague. Prosecutors charged the sailor with assaulting government employees including the security officer and air hostesses, who it said were trying to do their job at the time. For his part, the sailor, who appeared in court, admitted he had consumed alcohol but denied the rest of the charges. When asked if he assaulted the victims, the accused claimed that he acted in selfdefense. The Romanian stewardess said the incident took place 90 minutes after takeoff from Singapore. She said the accused “misbehaved on board and tried to smoke a cigar.”

She said the sailor also tried to enter the cockpit a number of times when he was drunk. “We prevented him from drinking more liquor. The flight’s security officer and others managed to restrain the defendant and buckle him into his seat after the pilot ordered them to do so. The defendant groped me,” she said. The Filipina said the sailor molested her as well. Meanwhile, the flight’s Sri Lankan security officer said they prevented the sailor from entering the cockpit. “When the pilot ordered us to restrain him and buckle him in his seat, he acted rowdily and assaulted us. We managed to buckle him into his seat until the plane landed safely in Dubai where he was handed over to the police,” he said. ■ Joel Locsin / KBK, GMA News / October 29, 2014 / 3:11 PM

3 THREE Malaysia-bound human trafficking victims rescued in Tawi-Tawi would-be victims of a

Ganda ng lola mo: 52-year-old is PHL’s bet for Mrs. World 2014

A 52-year-old mother of five will be the Philippines’ candidate for Mrs. World 2014, a report on “24 Oras” said Wednesday. According to Marlan Sabbon Manguba, who maintains a stunning 35-25-35 figure despite her age, her inspiration in joining the pageant comes from Ms. World 2013 Megan Young. “If they would just look at me, I am a package of how the Filipinos are and what

the Philippines is all about,” she said. Manguba, who already has one grandchild, said she underwent rigorous training for the international pageant, which will be held in the United States on November 18 She asked for the support of the Filipino community around the world. “Please pray for me. The prayers are really important for me,” Manguba said. ■ Andrei Medina / KBK, GMA News / October

29, 2014 / 8:04 PM

human trafficking ring who were bound for Malaysia were rescued in Tawi-Tawi last week, the Philippine Coast Guard said Monday. Citing a belated report, the Coast Guard said its operatives rescued the three young women in Barangay Pawan in Mapun town in Tawi-Tawi last Oct. 22. Acting on a tip, the Coast Guard rescued the three women aged 17, 18, and 24. It also identified the alleged trafficker as Ann Prado, but did not immediately say if Prado was arrested or charged. It said the three would-be victims disclosed they were residents of Zamboanga del Sur and that Prado sent them to Mapun aboard the motor launch Trisha Li.

The three were to be sent to Sandakan, but were temporarily billeted at the house of a certain Ryan Asaral while waiting for an available sea transport. Following the investigation, the Coast Guard escorted the victims to Zamboanga City and turned them over to the Department of Social

Welfare and Development Region 9 and representatives from Philippine Center on Transnational CrimeWestern Mindanao. The three are to undergo profiling, stress debriefing, counseling and court referral. ■ Joel Locsin / KBK, GMA News / October 27, 2014 / 1:28 PM


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INTERNATIONAL / GLOBAL NEWS

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

China punishes HK lawmaker for criticising leader A senior Hong Kong lawmaker was expelled from a prestigious Chinese government body Wednesday, in a sign that Beijing will not tolerate dissent from loyalists over pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous city. James Tien had his “qualifications revoked” as a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the state-run China News Service said. The prominent businessman and politician had criticised Hong Kong’s

embattled leader Leung Chun-ying for failing to put an end to more than a month of pro-democracy protests -- an unusual move for a pro-Beijing lawmaker. The CPPCC voted to pass the “decision on revoking Tian Beijun’s membership in the 12th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference”, the government body said, using Tien’s name in Mandarin and without providing further details. In a brief statement Tien said he

accepted the CPPCC ruling and would resign as leader of Hong Kong’s probusiness Liberal Party. “I just remembered I am a lawmaker in Hong Kong, neglecting my role as a CPPCC member. Maybe that was inappropriate,” Tien said of his comments about Leung. But he insisted later he would not withdraw his comments. “I see no reason for me to retract my statement or change my position... I speak from the bottom of my heart

anyway,” Tien told a press conference. Demonstrators have staged street rallies and road blockades for more than a month, calling for free leadership elections for the former British colony in 2017. The demonstrations present the most concerted challenge to Beijing’s authority since the bloody 1989 Tiananmen protests. Tien’s younger brother Michael, another Hong Kong lawmaker, told AFP before the announcement that his brother was being punished for perceived disloyalty to Leung. “The decision is definitely based on my brother’s comments about CY (Leung Chun-ying),” Michael Tien said. James Tien said last week that Leung should consider resigning for failing to halt the protests. “Residents are ignoring court injunctions (to disperse) and pandemocrats are being uncooperative. How is he going to govern?” Tien said on Friday, according to the South China Morning Post. Despite hailing from Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing camp, the 67-year-old politician is no stranger to ruffling political feathers. In 2003 he withdrew his party’s support for a government-backed national security bill amid large street protests, leading to the legislation’s collapse and the eventual resignation of Hong Kong’s then-leader Tung Cheehwa. He backed Leung’s opponent Henry Tang in the 2012 race to be the city’s chief executive.

Leung

increasingly

unpopular.

Leung’s popularity has taken a nosedive since the protests began last month.

A poll this week by the Chinese University of Hong Kong showed he now has a 38.6 voter approval rating on a 0 to 100 approval scale -- his lowest since taking office in July 2012, when he scored 53.9. A hate figure among protesters, who are calling for him to resign, Leung stirred fresh anger last week when he said that open elections were not feasible because they would result in the city’s poor dominating politics. The demonstrations were sparked by China’s decision that all candidates running for the top Hong Kong post in 2017 must be vetted by a loyalist committee, a decision which the protesters say will result in the election of a pro-Beijing stooge. China has refused to budge in the face of the rallies and has publicly thrown its full support behind the Hong Kong administration. Tien’s brother said the central government had little tolerance for dissent at such a crucial time. “President Xi (Jinping) himself has openly announced and had asked for all the support. The timing is crucial,” said Michael Tien, adding that Beijing leaders expect the city’s establishment politicians to support Leung “wholeheartedly”. “If there is any change at this moment (within the city leadership), the Occupy movement is going to turn into a severe, ugly crisis... they need CY Leung to stay here and resolve the crisis,” he said, referring to the protests known as Occupy Central. The CPPCC is a discussion body that is part of the Communist partycontrolled governmental structure. ■ AFP October 29, 2014

Singapore’s top court upholds anti-gay law SINGAPORE’S highest court on Wednesday dismissed a constitutional challenge against an archaic law criminalising sex between men, striking a fresh blow to the city-state’s growing gayrights movement. The Court of Appeal upheld rulings by lower courts that it was up to Parliament to repeal the provision in the penal code, known as Section 377A. “Whilst we understand the deeply held personal feelings of the appellants, there is nothing that this court can do to assist them,” judges Andrew Phang, Belinda Ang and Woo Bih Li said in a written verdict. “Their remedy lies, if at all, in the legislative sphere,” the judges said. The ruling addressed two separate challenges to the law. One was by Tan Eng Hong, who was arrested after being caught with a male partner in a public

toilet cubicle in 2010, while the other was filed by a gay couple. The judges said they only considered “legal arguments” and not “extra-legal considerations and matters of social policy which were outside the remit of the court”. According to the judges, examples of extra-legal arguments put forward by the appellants’ lawyers included that Section 377A represented “the tyranny of the majority” and that the sexual conduct of their clients caused no harm to others. However judges said such arguments were not for the courts to consider In a statement, Tan’s lawyer M. Ravi said the judgment was a “huge step backwards for human rights in Singapore”. Ravi added that it was “disturbing” that “the Supreme Court has now thrown this issue back to Parliament, when other Commonwealth countries have struck down this legislation as discriminatory and (an) absurd relic

of the colonial past”. Section 377A, first introduced in 1938 by British colonial administrators, carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail for homosexual acts. The law states: “Any male person who, in public or private, commits, or abets the commission of, or procures or attempts to procure the commission by any male person of, any act of gross indecency with another male person, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years.” Alhough Section 377A is not actively enforced, the government has said it should stay on the books because most Singaporeans are conservative and do not accept homosexuality. A scientific survey conducted by researchers at the Nanyang Technological University in 2010 and published last year found Singaporeans’ views towards homosexuality gradually becoming more positive compared to attitudes in 2005.

The study found religion a major factor determining attitudes towards homosexuals, with Muslims and Christians being the most negative. But the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights movement is growing steadily in Singapore, one

of the world’s wealthiest and most modern cities. Over 20,000 people gathered in a peaceful rally supporting gay rights last June despite a fierce online campaign against the event by conservative Muslims and Christians. ■ AFP / October 29, 2014



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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

FREE LISTING of events in HELLO PHILIPPINES newspaper. Please email info@hello-philippines.com to include your event. r listing does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation or fa f vouring by D I S C L A I M E R : The Events Diary ry HELLO PHILIPPINES newspaper. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those / r the Publisher. What’s On is a Filipino Events Diary r listing fo f r UK and Europe. of Hello Philippines newspaper and/o /o ry

DATE / TIME

2014 CALENDAR OF EVENTS – UK & EUROPE

EVENT

VENUE

Friday 7th November 2014

Mocha Girls UK Tour

Sunday 9th November 2014

The Red Brothers

Saturday 15th November 2014 Saturday 29th November 2014

Mutya Ng Pilipinas

Saturday 13th December 2014 6pm until 1am

Fil Mo Christmas Party

Miss Pearl Of Asia UK

Saturday 13th Philippine Centre December 2014 Dinner and Dance 6pm to 12pm Saturday December Simbang Gabi 20th 2014

ORGANISER

FM Bar 4th Press Conference, London The Dome, 2 Dartmouth Park Hill, Tufnell Park, London NW5 1HL Double Tree by Hilton Manchester, M1 3DG Camden Centre Jude Street, King's Cross, London, WC1H 9JE Mazenod Community Centre, Quex Rd, kilburn NW6 4PS.Off Kilburn High Road Park Inn Hotel Heathrow Bath Road, Middlesex, UB7 0DU SS Michael & Martin Church

CONTACTS / REMARKS 07414 442151 07720 263621 Francis 07456 506255 Nelson 07455 158114 Weng 07429 031275 www.dometufnellpark.co.uk www.mutyaunitedkingdom.com

MPOAUK

www.MissPearlOfAsia.com enquiries@misspearlofasia.com 07547 985 508

FILMO

Vannz Bio 07947160826 07445975098

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FREE LISTING of your events in HELLO PHILIPPINES newspaper. If you know of any events please contact us via in fo @ h e llo -p h ilip p in es.co m t o s u b m i t y o u r e v e n t . DISCLAIMER: The Events Diary Listing does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favouring by Hello Philippines newspaper. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Hello Philippines newspaper. This is merely an Events Diary Listing of what is happening within the Filipino Communities in Europe. This is for general information only. 1st Saturday

2014 MONTHLY FILIPINO COMMUNITY MASSES IN GREATER LONDON 5:00pm

1st Sunday

2:00pm

1st Sunday

5:00pm

2nd Saturday

4:00pm

2nd Sunday

2:00pm

2nd Sunday

2:00pm

2nd Sunday

4:00pm

3rd Sunday

3:00pm

3rd Sunday

3:00pm

Last Saturday

6:00pm

Last Sunday

12:00pm

Last Sunday

2:00pm

Every Sunday

5:00pm

First Wednesdays

6:30pm

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


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HEALTH and Lifestyle

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Coping with colds and flu MOST of us will have a cold this autumn or winter, and some of us will have the flu. Here’s how to look after yourself if these viruses affect you. Colds and flu are caused by viruses. There are more than 200 common cold viruses and three types of flu virus, with many different strains, so they’re hard to avoid. These viruses can be spread through droplets that are coughed and sneezed out by an infected person. The viruses can also be transferred via a person’s fingers or surfaces, such as door handles, if there are infected droplets on them.

The virus enters the body via the nose or eyes. If you have infected droplets on your fingers and you touch your eyes or nose, the virus can enter your body. Cold symptoms. The main symptoms of winter cold and flu bugs are: • coughing • sneezing • blocked nose • sore throat • headache • a slight temperature If these are the only symptoms you have, it’s unlikely that your GP will be

able to do anything. You may want to visit your local pharmacy, where you can get advice on how to manage the symptoms and buy over-the-counter medicine. Don’t pass it on. CATCH ITGerms spread easily. Always carry tissues and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. BIN ITGerms can live for several hours on tissues. Dispose of your tissue as soon as possible. KILL ITHands can transfer germs to every surface you touch. Clean your hands as soon as you can. Get rest and eat well. Dr Rupal Shah, a GP in south London, has the following advice: “Try to rest, eat well, avoid stress and keep hydrated. If you have a fever, you may need extra fluids. You could also take paracetamol to treat fever and pain, or inhale steam with a decongestant in to help clear a blocked nose.” Pharmacists say cold and flu medicines are among their top sellers in the winter. Some of the remedies combine painkillers with decongestants, which can help to manage symptoms. “Painkillers – such as paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin – can really help if you have a cold,” says pharmacist

Angela Chalmers. However, aspirin shouldn’t be given to children under 16 years of age. She adds that, “decongestants help to reduce the swelling inside your nose so you can breathe more easily”. Find your local pharmacy. In most cases, antibiotics (which are used to treat bacterial infections) aren’t necessary. “Colds and flu, and most coughs, are caused by viruses, so antibiotics can’t help. Minor bacterial infections will also be fought off by natural immunity,” explains Dr Shah. Children and colds. Children can be treated using some over-the-counter painkillers, to ease discomfort and help bring down a fever. Both paracetamol and ibuprofen are available as a liquid for children, and can be given from the age of about three months. Always check with your doctor if you aren’t sure which treatments you can give your child. There are some benefits, particularly for children, in catching a few coughs and colds. “Children tend to get a lot of colds because the body takes time to build up immunity. Your body learns to fight off a particular kind of virus every time you get an infection, which is why you get fewer colds as you get older,” says Angela Chalmers.

When to see a doctor. While most bugs will run their course without doing any real harm, Dr Shah says there are certain cases when you or your child should see a GP. These include: • if you or your child have a chronic condition – such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease • if you have a very high temperature and feel ill – for example, if you also have an unusually severe headache or abdominal pain • if your child is vomiting but does not have diarrhoea, or has a rash in addition to the fever • if your child stops drinking and is unusually lethargic • if your child’s fever doesn’t respond to paracetamol or ibuprofen Babies, as well as older and frailer people, should get help if they’re unwell. Always contact your GP, health visitor, practice nurse or nurse practitioner if either: • your child has other signs of illness, as well as a raised temperature • your baby’s temperature is 38C (100.4F) or higher (if they’re under three months) • your baby’s temperature is 39C (102.2F) or higher (if they’re three to six months). ■ NHS Choices

is because some people carry cold viruses without having symptoms. Getting chilled causes blood vessels in the nose to constrict, affecting the defences in the nose and making it easier for the virus to replicate. “Getting a cold from going out in the cold or after washing your hair is a myth,” says Dr Joshi. “Colds are common. If the virus is already there and then you go out with wet hair and develop symptoms, it’s common to think that is what caused it.”

Washing your hands will help avoid transmitting cold and flu viruses. Cold

Preventing colds and flu MANY people believe vitamin C can cure the flu and echinacea can prevent colds. But is there scientific evidence to back this up?

Can vitamin C stop a cold?

“Research has found no evidence that vitamin C prevents colds,” says Dr Hasmukh Joshi, vice-chair of the Royal College of GPs. In 2013, an updated review of studies into vitamin C and the common cold concluded that “regular ingestion of vitamin C had no effect on common cold incidence in the ordinary population”. The review results suggested that vitamin C might help prevent colds in people exposed to short periods of intense physical activity, such as marathon runners or skiers, but not in the general population. A daily dose of vitamin C did slightly reduce the length and severity of colds in the ordinary population. When it comes to flu, one person in three believes that taking vitamin C can cure the flu virus. It can’t. “Studies found that vitamin C offers a very, very limited benefit,” says Dr Joshi. “I wouldn’t recommend it.”

Does echinacea reduce cold risk?

The root, seeds and other parts of echinacea plants are used in herbal

remedies that many people believe protect them against colds. There have been several studies into echinacea’s effect, but no firm conclusions. A 2013 update of a review of trials on echinacea and the common cold found that echinacea products were not shown to provide benefit in treating colds overall, but that it was possible there is a weak benefit from some echinacea products. The review found that trials looking at whether echinacea prevents colds showed positive, but non-significant, results. The studies reviewed had varying results and used different preparations of echinacea. It’s not known how these compare with the echinacea in shops. “There is a belief that echinacea aids the immune system, but a survey of studies in 2005 showed that it did not,” says Dr Joshi. “I wouldn’t recommend that it helps, but if people believe it, they can take it.” Echinacea should not be given to children under 12 years old. Find out more about a study of echinacea published in 2012 at Echinacea cold study claims analysed. Will zinc put off a cold? There is some evidence that taking zinc (in lozenges, tablets or syrup) may reduce how long a cold lasts. A 2013 update of a Cochrane

review of studies into zinc and the common cold suggests that taking zinc supplements within 24 hours of the symptoms starting will speed up recovery from a cold and lessen the severity of symptoms in healthy people. Long-term use of zinc isn’t recommended as it could cause side effects such as nausea and a bad taste in the mouth. More research is required to find out the recommended dose. There has also been research into nasal sprays containing zinc. “Some people believe that the zinc lines the mucosa [the lining of the nose] and stops a cold virus attaching itself to the nose lining,” says Dr Joshi. “Unfortunately, this has been found to be no more effective than a placebo.”

Does getting cold or wet cause colds?

The only thing that can cause a cold or flu is a cold or flu virus. Getting cold or wet won’t give you a cold. However, if you are already carrying the virus in your nose, it might allow symptoms to develop. A study at the Common Cold Centre in Cardiff found that people who chilled their feet in cold water for 20 minutes were twice as likely to develop a cold as those who didn’t chill their feet. The authors suggest that this

So what does work to prevent colds and flu? The flu vaccine can prevent

you from catching flu. Apart from that, the best way to protect yourself from colds and flu is to have a healthy lifestyle. “Eat a healthy diet, take regular exercise and drink plenty of warm drinks in the winter months,” says Dr Joshi. “The important thing to remember is that most people are going to catch a cold in winter anyway, because there is no effective cure for cold viruses.”

and flu viruses can be passed through tiny droplets of mucus that are sneezed or coughed out into the air by an infected person, and breathed in by another person. If an infected person sneezes into their hand, and then touches an object (such as a doorknob, or railing on a train) the virus can pass from the object to the next person who touches it. By washing your hands, you will be getting rid of any viruses you’ve picked up on them.

Avoiding touching your nose and eyes will help stop you getting infected. Cold and flu viruses can

enter your body through the eyes and nose. If you have any infected droplets on your hands, and you touch your eyes or nose, you can pass the virus into your system. By not touching your nose and eyes, you’ll reduce your chances of catching a virus. ■ NHS Choices



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HEALTH and Lifestyle food

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Eating disorders: advice for parents

Supporting someone with an eating disorder IF your friend or relative has an eating problem, they will eventually have to get professional help from a doctor, practice nurse, or a school or college nurse. If a friend or relative has an eating disorder, such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating, you might want to encourage them to speak to someone about it. You could go with them for support if they want you to. But there are other things you can do. You’re already doing a great job by finding out how to help them – it shows you care. You may have noticed your friend has changed. They may no longer go out or want to be included in things. Keep trying to include them, just like before. Even if they don’t join in, they will still like to be asked. It will make them feel valued as a person. You can also try to build up their self-esteem, perhaps by telling them what a great person they are and how much you appreciate having them as a friend. Try not to give advice or criticism. Give your time and listen to them. This can be tough when you don’t agree with what they say about themselves and what they eat. Remember, you don’t have to know all the answers. Just being there is what’s important. This is especially true when it feels like your friend or relative is rejecting your friendship, help and support.

How are eating disorders treated?

Treatment for eating disorders varies around the country. Different types of help may be offered depending on where you live. Treatment includes dealing with the emotional issues as well as the physical, but this must be done slowly so your friend or relative is able to cope with the changes. Treatment will involve your friend or relative talking to someone about the emotional difficulties that have led to their eating disorder. It will also explore their physical problems, general health and eating patterns. Help with eating and putting on weight is usually not enough. The earlier your friend or relative embarks on the treatment programme and the more they engage with it, the better their chances of making a good recovery.

Will they have to go into hospital?

Most people with eating disorders are seen as outpatients. This means they visit the hospital – for example, one day a week. In severe cases, they might need to visit the hospital more often, or be admitted to hospital for more intensive support and treatment (known as inpatient care). Should I visit them in hospital? This depends on what your friend wants, how you feel and what the treatment centre allows. Let them know you’re thinking of them and would like to visit them. If this is not possible, you

can always write to them or call to let them know you’re still there to support them.

Can people be forced to get help for eating disorders? If your friend

or relative has lost a lot of weight, they may be in danger of starving themselves and developing serious complications. They may not be able to think clearly and may refuse lifesaving treatment. In these circumstances, their doctor may decide to admit them to hospital for specialist treatment. This can only be done after the doctor has consulted colleagues and they agree with the doctor’s decision. This is called being sectioned and it is done under the rules of the Mental Health Act.

Will they be cured when they come home? Your friend or relative will still

need your support. Most people with an eating disorder do recover and learn to use more positive ways of coping. But recovery from an eating disorder can be very difficult and can take a long time. Part of your friend may want to get better, while the other part might be very scared about giving up the eating disorder. They might think, “I want to get better, but just don’t want to gain weight.” They will probably have good days and bad days. During times of stress, the eating difficulties may return. Changing the way people with eating disorders think and feel is never easy and it takes time. ■ NHS Choices

IF your child develops an eating disorder, you may feel unsure how to help and how to act around them. Understanding your role. Your son or daughter’s behaviour may suddenly become very different from what you’re used to: withdrawn, touchy and even rude. This can make it very difficult to talk to them at a time when communication is so important. It can help to remember that they are likely to be defensive because their eating disorder is their way of coping, and therefore they will be reluctant to let go of it, at least at first. If your child is receiving treatment for their condition, the treatment team will play an essential part in their recovery. But don’t underestimate the importance of your love and support. Susan Ringwood, chief executive of the charity beat, explains: “Everyone who recovers from an eating disorder tells us how important it was to have unconditional love and support from those who care about them, even when they knew their behaviour was quite difficult to understand.” Speak to one of the health professionals in your child’s treatment team about your role as parent and carer, and get their advice on what you can do at home to help. The following tips may also help with communication and dealing with mealtimes. Tips for talking. Talking to your child about their condition can be very difficult, especially if they still can’t understand that they have a problem. However, communication is essential to help with recovery, so keep trying. When you want to talk to them directly about the eating disorder, Susan Ringwood advises that you: • Prepare what to say. • Don’t blame or judge. • Concentrate on how they’re feeling. • Stay calm. • Have resources to refer to. • Be prepared for a negative response. It can also help to: • Learn as much as possible about eating disorders. It helps you understand what you’re dealing with. • Emphasise that no matter what, you love them and will always be there for them. • Avoid talking about their appearance, even if it is meant as a compliment. Try to build their confidence in other ways, for example by praising them for being thoughtful or congratulating them on an achievement at school. • Avoid talking about other people’s diets or weight problems. • Talk to them about the range of professional help available, and say that you’ll support them through it when they’re ready. • Talk positively about activities they could be involved in that don’t involve food, such as hobbies and days out with friends. • Try not to feel hurt if they don’t

open up to you straight away, and don’t resent them for being secretive. This is due to their illness, not their relationship with you. • Ask them what you can do to help. • Try to be honest about your own feelings. This will encourage them to do the same. • Remember that the feelings behind the eating disorder may be really difficult for them to express. Try to be patient and listen to what they’re trying to say. • Be a good role model by eating a balanced diet and taking a healthy amount of exercise. Tips for mealtimes • If they are in treatment, ask their treatment team about the most appropriate way to arrange your mealtimes. • Consider going shopping together and agreeing on meals that are acceptable to you both. • An agreement with the whole family about what and when meals will be can help to set everybody’s expectations. • Agree that none of you will talk about portion sizes, calories or the fat content of the meal. • Avoid eating low-calorie or diet foods in front of them or having them in the house. • Try to keep the atmosphere lighthearted and positive throughout the meal, even if you don’t feel that way on the inside. • If they attempt to get too involved in cooking the meal as a way of controlling it, gently ask them to set the table or wash up instead. • Try not to focus too much on them during mealtimes. Enjoy your own meal and try to make conversation. • A family activity after the meal, such as a game or watching TV, can help to distract them from wanting to purge themselves or over-exercise. • Don’t despair if a meal goes badly, just move on. Help and support. If you need further support, there are a number or organisations that can help you. It is important that the whole family understands the situation and gets support. See your GP as soon as possible. Your GP and your child’s treatment team will then be able to offer advice. Alternatively, you can call the beat helpline on 0845 634 1414 to speak to an advisor about any issue related to coping with eating disorders, including how to find local self-help and support groups. Carers Direct provides a wealth of information on caring, including day-today living, claiming benefits and advice on combining caring with work or study. ■ NHS Choices



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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

ENTERTAINMENT CELEBRITY

GMA Kapuso Foundation reaches out to thousands in need GMA Kapuso Foundation, the socio-civic arm of GMA Network, made a lasting impact on thousands of lives through its most recent projects. During relief operations conducted from August 29 to 30, GMAKF provided 1,247 adults and children from Macalelon and Pitogo, Quezon with free medical consultations and medicines as part of efforts for victims of typhoon Glenda. Volunteers from the East Avenue Medical Center Surgery Department also took part in the project. The same assistance was given in the joint medical mission with Pharex Health Corporation, which serviced 850 people coming from depressed barangays. The event, which was held on August 22 in Tondo, Manila, was supported by volunteer doctors from Philippine Medical Association and Manila Medical Society and nurses from the Metropolitan Medical Center Nursing Department. In celebration of Sight Saving month, GMAKF together with the Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists (IPAO) as its main project partner provided free refraction and eyeglasses to 692 individuals (312 in Manila, 209 in Cebu, 181 in Davao) via

the Kapuso 20/20 project. 79 doctors gave their services for free, while Essilor Vision Foundation donated all the lenses and frames. A lecture on proper eye glass and eye care was also conducted during the events. On the other hand, the August Sagip Dugtong Buhay project held yearly at the EVER Gotesco Mall marked its 18th year on a successful note as it collected 1,871 blood bags (837,100cc) on August 8. The successful bloodletting which mobilized blood donors was done in partnership with Philippine Red Cross (6 chapters), Ever Gotesco Mall and Go Tong Foundation. With her birthday falling on the month of August, GMAKF EVP and COO Mel C. Tiangco held a simple celebration together with the beneficiaries of the medical mission with Pharex Health Corporation. The bloodletting activity was also conducted in line with Tiangco’s special day. Meanwhile, as Typhoon Luis crossed Northern Luzon last September 13, GMAKF distributed relief goods to evacuees in Binalonan, Pangasinan, which was flooded due to the heavy rains. A week after, the

country was struck again by another tropical depression, Mario, which made landfall in northern Cagayan. GMAKF immediately gave relief goods to flooded areas near Quezon City such as Marikina, Rizal, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela and Pasig. Once the roads became passable, GMAKF rushed to Bulacan, Ilocos Sur and Pangasinan to conduct relief operations. A total of 59, 644 individuals were given immediate relief assistance in the wake of both typhoons. In the same way, when the alert level for Mt. Mayon was raised from 1 to 3 last September 16, GMAKF travelled to Albay to conduct a soup kitchen and distribute relief goods to the residents, who were evacuated in Cabanaagan and Anuling Elementary School. A total of 9,150 evacuees were served through GMAKF’s efforts. “We remain committed to providing Serbisyong Totoo to our less fortunate brothers and sisters,” said Tiangco. “We credit the success of our projects to our partners, volunteers, and donors, who help us bring our plans to fruition.” To place a donation, interested parties may visit www.gmanetwork. com/kapusofoundation. ■

GMAKF through its Operation Bayanihan project extended much needed assistance to Typhoon Mario victims in Ilocos Sur.

More than 9,000 evacuees were given relief goods and served with hot meals during relief operations held for evacuees in Albay.

GMAKF also conducted relief GMAKF held a medical mission together with operations in Ilocos Sur as part of Pharex Health Corporation in Tondo, Manila. efforts for victims of Typhoon Mario, Medical consultations as well as medicines which struck the country recently. were given for free to over 850 people.

On its 8th year, the August Sagip Dugtong Buhay project proved to be a success once more as it collected a total of 1,871 blood bags. Volunteers worked hand in hand in the distribution of relief items for Typhoon Mario victims in Ilocos Sur.

In commemoration of Sight Saving month, GMAKF held the Kapuso 20/20 project in August.

GMAKF was quick to deliver relief goods to flooded areas due to Typhoon Mario. Photo shows GMAKF volunteer handing out relief items to residents of Habagat, Malabon.

GMA Network launches first bayaniserye ‘ILUSTRADO’ “I die without seeing dawn’s light shining on my country... You, who will see it, welcome it for me... Don’t forget those who fell during the nighttime.” —Jose Rizal, Noli Me Tangere He is widely regarded as the country’s most beloved hero. This Monday, get to know the man behind the hero as GMA News and Public Affairs brings to life the untold stories of Jose Rizal with the world premiere of the first-ever Bayaniserye on primetime television, ILUSTRADO. Ilustrado offers an educational and entertaining viewing experience as it features the life of Rizal as a young student in the Philippines to his travels in Europe as well as the major events

and influences that shaped his mind and actions as a reformist. Through his letters to his family and friends, Ilustrado depicts Rizal’s struggles while living abroad. And through his love letters, the series tries to illustrate his relationship with women and why he is considered a notorious lover boy. Produced by the same creative team behind the highly-acclaimed historical drama Katipunan and mini-series Bayan Ko, Ilustrado boasts of an ensemble of topnotch artists led by award-winning actor and Kapuso homegrown star Alden Richards as Jose Rizal. Joining him are Kylie Padilla as Leonor Rivera, who many historians believe was Rizal’s true love, and

Solenn Heussaff as Nellie Boustead, the French woman Rizal almost married. Portraying the role of Rizal’s beloved parents are this year’s Cinemalaya best actress Eula Valdez (Teodora Alonzo) and Ricardo Cepeda (Francisco Mercado). Freddie Webb gives life to Rizal’s uncle,

Don Jose Alberto, while Rizal’s brother Paciano Mercado is played by Marco Alcaraz. Child star Jhiz Deocareza plays the young Rizal. Also incorporated in the Bayaniserye are fictional characters representing some of Rizal’s antagonists – mother and son Conchita and Venchito Monteverde (played by five-time Urian best actress Jaclyn Jose and Polo Ravales, respectively); Padre Amado (Lito Legaspi); and young Venchito (Sean Ross). The cast also includes Max Collins as Consuela Ortiga, JC Tiuseco as Antonio Luna, Lucho Ayala as Jose Alejandrino, Bryan Benedict as Juan Luna, Jak Roberto as Maximo Viola, and Rhen Escano as Isidra Monteverde.

Under the direction of King Marc Baco, Ilustrado is filmed using the sophisticated Arri Alexa camera, along with equally high-end lenses provided by CMB Film Services Inc. GMA Post Production, using up-to-date 3D visual effects technology, has recreated the grandeur of the European cities where Rizal lived and completed his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. The series’ theme song is composed and performed by Gloc9 featuring Lirah Bermudez with additional arrangement by Simon Tan. Ilustrado, the first Bayaniserye on Philippine primetime, airs beginning Monday, October 20, 9:30pm right after Hiram na Alaala. ■ GMA


November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

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‘Front Row’ wins grand prize at the 2014 Unicef Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award For Television ONE of GMA Network’s awardwinning documentary programs, Front Row is this year’s winner of the prestigious UNICEF Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award for Television. Its winning documentary, “Ulilang Lubos” (Orphaned) follows the daily life of 10-year-old Princess, who has had to take care of three younger siblings since their mother abandoned them. Princess washes produce at a wet market to earn money. She receives five to 20 pesos for this. After working the entire morning, Princess then proceeds to her second job: scavenging. She has to do this every day to feed herself and her siblings. “I haven’t seen my mom since she left us three years ago,” Princess says. “We started scavenging to get some money and asking around for food. Sometimes we don’t have anything to eat and our stomachs hurt. We sleep on cardboard boxes on the floor. I envy my friends because they go to school but I don’t.” “Front Row: Ulilang Lubos” was praised by the jurors for reflecting the vulnerable children’s world in their own eyes. “It was very effective,” they said. “There are many heartbreaking moments in this film. The interviews were handled

with sensitivity and the three children came across as everyday kids. Their interaction during bath and meal times was very naturalistic, as if the cameras weren’t there. This is a powerful story that really captured the plight of these children.” The UNICEF further says, “Front Row: Orphaned is a powerful piece of television. It shows the importance of protecting and nurturing children, and the strength and resilience they possess, through the eyes of four abandoned children trying desperately to make the most of their lives,” said Christopher de Bono, Chief of Communications, UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific. “It is also a testimony to the value of powerful television storytelling, by motivating all of us to meet our responsibilities and address the suffering of children in need.” Dr Javad Mottaghi, ABU Secretary-General,

said: “To know there are documentary makers of this quality working in our region, chronicling the lives of our most vulnerable children and celebrating the triumph of their young spirits over great adversity, must spur us all on to be the best media messengers we possibly can. ‘Front Row: Orphaned’ shows how great documentary-making not only exposes inequality and exploitation but journeys deeper into the human spirit and reminds us that each human being, however young, poor and disadvantaged, carries the light of hope in their soul.” Christopher Slaughter, CEO of CASBAA, said: “CASBAA congratulates GMA Network for their unflinching look at childhood poverty in ‘Front Row: Orphaned’. Our industry reaches hundreds of millions of people around the world daily. It is heartening to see our medium being used as a platform not just for entertainment, but

in the service of such a worthy cause as alleviating the plight of children in need.” Managing Producer Joseph Israel Laban accepted the prestigious UNICEF prize last October 27 at the Asia Broadcasting Union awards ceremony held in Macau. He shared the viewers’ positive response to the program. “Since the documentary aired, one of the children’s relatives has reached out to them. Viewers are now sending two of the children to school and more help is still coming in. But we are hoping for a more permanent and comprehensive solution to address the plight of Filipino orphans, perhaps with better Government facilities to take care of them and their basic needs.” The UNICEF Asia-Pacific Child Rights Award was established by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), CASBAA and UNICEF in 2001. It

recognizes the efforts of broadcasters and producers in pursuing high quality children’s television and better coverage of children’s issues, and is given each year to the best programme on children’s rights produced in the Asia-Pacific region. Front Row’s “Ulilang Lubos” also previously won a Silver Screen Award at the 2014 United States International Film and Video Festival and received a Finalist citation at the 2014 URTI Grand Prix for Author’s Documentary in Monaco, the sole Philippine program to be honoured this year. Kapuso viewers abroad can catch the multi-awarded documentary program Front Row on GMA News TV International, which is available to subscribers in the Asia Pacific, Middle East, North Africa, and Canada. ■


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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Lav Diaz docu on typhoon Yolanda to have PH premiere AS real-life horror stories go, very few can hold a candle to killer typhoon Yolanda (or Haiyan to the rest of the world). One of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, it is also the most devastating Philippine typhoon in history leaving over 6,000 dead, over 28,000 people injured, over 1,000 more missing, and over P89 billion worth of damages to properties that left thousands of residents in hardest hit areas in Leyte and Samar homeless. Now Lav Diaz, arguably the country’s most celebrated filmmaker of the last two years, has taken it upon himself to dramatically capture on digital film the startling aftermath of Yolanda’s wrath, as seen from the eyes of the children that survived the tragic disaster. Aptly titled “Mga Anak ng Unos” (“Storm Children Book 1”), Diaz’s latest documentary comes on the heels of his consecutive international triumphs with “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan”, the country’s official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film of the 87th Annual Academy Awards scheduled for next year, and his Martial Law-inspired epic “Mula sa Kung Ano ang Noon” that won the Pardo d’oro (Golden Leopard) grand prize at this year’s Locarno International Film Festival. Like the latter film, “Mga Anak ng Unos” is shot in black and white. It had

its world premiere last September 23 at the non-competition section of the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival in South Korea. Next month, from November 6 to 16 to be specific, the film will compete in the Main Competition of the Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival (CPH: DOX) where it is described in the festival’s official site as “a sublime, cinematic report from a devastating corner of reality.” “There has always been a strong impulse towards non-fiction in Diaz’s comprehensive oeuvre. But in the almost dialogue-free ‘Storm Children – Book One’, one of the most uncompromising of contemporary filmmakers has gone all in. The fact that his characteristic, cinematic signature – the long and hypnotic scenes held in patiently observing black and white images – is present in every composition and every instant, underlines the urgency of his vision and its importance in international cinema over the past decade,” says the film’s description in CPH:DOX’s official site. Even with all the usual “trademarks” that characterize his films, “Mga Anak ng Unos” has a running time of 143 minutes or two hours and 23 minutes, making it Diaz’s shortest feature-length film in years. In commemoration of the first

A scene from ‘Mga Anak ng Unos’ (Storm Children - Book 1).

anniversary of Yolanda’s landfall, “Mga Anak ng Unos (Storm Children – Book One)” will have its Philippine premiere on November 4 at 7PM in Cinema 6 of Trinoma Mall in Quezon City. The film screening is a fundraising effort of DAKILA – Philippine Collective for Modern Heroism in partnership with the Embassy of Canada for the Climate Revolution campaign and the trust fund of the children featured in the film.

This special screening will also be featuring an exhibit of DAKILA’s ongoing Climate Walk, a 1,000-kilometer 40-day walk from Kilometer 0 Luneta to Ground Zero Tacloban in time for the anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda, participated by DAKILA’s core members Nityalila Saulo, AG Sano, Charley Sta. Maria, Christine Orias and Steph Tan and led by Philippine chief negotiator and representative to the UN Climate

negotiations, Commissioner Yeb Sano of the Climate Change Commission. Interested parties may reserve tickets for the film’s premiere priced at P250 until October 30. DAKILA can be reached at telephone numbers (+632) 4354309, (+63915) 1780240 or email address at activevista@dakila.org.ph. A reservation form may also be filled up at http://bit.ly/stormchildren-reserve. ■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014

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Annabelle insists Twitter war with Ruffa not a promo for reality show

Annabelle Rama and Ruffa Gutierrez.

TWO days after tweeting her displeasure over the present state of her daughter’s love life, controversial talent manager Annabelle Rama once again unleashed another series of tweets, this time to respond to those who had reacted to her previous exchange with Ruffa Gutierrez, including the media who reported about it. Annabelle specifically took to task those who had said or written that her posts were part of a stunt or gimmick to boost the ratings of the second season of “It Takes Gutz to be a Gutierrez”, which currently airs every Sunday at 9PM on the E! channel. Annabelle also stressed that it was Ruffa who had started their exchange with a series of tweets that explained why she had walked out of their family dinner. In explaining why she still finds it necessary to intervene in her daughter’s personal affairs even though Ruffa is already 40 and has two daughters of her own, Annabelle further tweeted the following:

Both Annabelle and Ruffa had made past claims that Ruffa had suffered physical abuse during her marriage to the Turkish businessman. However, Annabelle did not explain in her tweets why she called Mouyal “P.G.”, believed by many to mean “patay-gutom” or dirt-poor. Mouyal has been described in reports as a French-Arab businessman. In response, Ruffa seemed more conciliatory towards her mom. However, the actress and former beauty queen reiterated that she knew what she was doing and was very much aware of what had happened to her in the past. ■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / October 29, 2014 / 8:01 PM

Based on these tweets, it seems that Annabelle was indeed referring to Jordan Mouyal, the man who has been dating Ruffa since last June. During the birthday party of grandson Baby Zion at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club where Ruffa was accompanied by Mouyal, Annabelle noted his uncanny resemblance to Bektas and was quoted as telling her daughter, “Ruffa, namimiss mo ba ang suntok ni Ylmaz?”



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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Aquino approves Yolanda rehab plan MANILA - Ten days before the first year anniversary of super typhoon Yolanda, President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday approved the rehabilitation plan costing P167.9 billion. The plan, formally called the Yolanda Comprehensive Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan (CRRP), “outlines the national government’s commitment to implement over 25,000 rehabilitation and recovery plans and programs and activities (PPAs).” The 8,000-page plan was submitted by the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (PARR) and endorsed by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) to the President. According to PARR Secretary Panfilo Lacson, these PPAs should

result in the recovery of the 171 affected cities and municipalities in 14 provinces and six regions (collectively known as the “Yolanda corridor”) based on the principle of “build-backbetter.” Building back better should result from focusing on long-term, sustainable efforts to reduce vulnerabilities and strengthen capacities of communities to cope with future hazard events. In a news release, PARR said the P167.9 billion would go to:

■ InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 12:17 PM

BAGSAK MRT-3’s performance ‘unsatisfactory, to further deteriorate’ - HK experts MANILA – “The overall performance is unsatisfactory.” Foreign experts who have come to the Philippines to assess the performance of Metro Manila’s rapid transit system appear to reflect the sentiments of hundreds of thousands of Filipino commuters of the 14-year-old Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3). A team from the operators of MTR (Mass Transit Railway) Hong Kong invited by MRT Corp., the private owner of the MRT 3 system, to audit the aging 16.9-kilometer rail line, links the train’s unsatisfactory performance to its “inappropriate maintenance.” “It is believed that the unsatisfactory asset performance was very likely related to the inappropriate maintenance interval and maintenance content,” said the team from MTR Hong Kong in its assessment report, a portion of which was obtained by News5. The audit team also expects the condition of MRT-3 to become progressively worse if there would be no sufficient intervention for its upkeep. “It is expected that the train performance will further deteriorate in coming years if reliability improvement works and proactive maintenance

works are not implemented on the train fleet as well as depo plants,” the team said. Moreover, the team noted that MRT3’s condition would get worse “due to heavier duty in the future and more severe operating environment than the original design.” Representatives from MTR Hong Kong observed MRT-3’s “increasing running mileage,” which they said was due to the train’s “strengthened operations to 3 minutes headway and 18 hours operation per day and the grow(th) of passenger capacity per day from 360,000 as per

design to the actual capacity of up to 540,000 in 2014.” 5-year report requested, but only onemonth report provided. The assessment made by the audit team from Hong Kong was only based on MRT-3’s one-month maintenance report from June 5 to July 4, 2014, and did not include maintenance reports covering the dates when the ailing train was hounded by successive technical glitches, accidents, and interruptions. To be able to assess the MRT-3’s reliability performance trend, the Hong Kong team earlier asked for the train’s

File photo of the MRT-3 August 13, 2014 crash that injured 39 passengers.

“failure and maintenance records for the past five years,” or from 2009 to 2014. The team said it had requested the fiveyear record from MRT-3’s maintenance regulator, which is the Department of Transportation and Communications, and its maintenance contractor APT Global. “However, they (five-year failure and maintenance reports) are not yet available at the time when this report is prepared,” the Hong Kong team said. No incidents affecting train reported. Through the years, MRT-3 has encountered numerous mishaps incuding a small fire near Cubao station caused by a short circuit in 2009; a coach that got detached near the Kamuning station in 2011; a technical problem at Guadalupe station that paralyzed train operations in 2012; another paralysis in the whole northbound trip in 2013; and the August 13, 2014 overshooting of its tracks that injured 39 passengers. However, the Hong Kong experts noted that from the systems report provided by the maintenance regulator and contractor, “no significant incident which affected train service delivery was reported.” APT-Global on Thursday explained that it had failed to provide the five-year record to the Hong Kong audit team because it

has only been MRT-3’s maintenance provider for a year. “Therefore, we do not have the whole records of its operation for the past years. We complied diligently with the experts from MTR Hongkong and answered all their questions with regard to the maintenance of MRT, said Allan Ortencio, APT-Global spokesperson. Identify root cause. In its report, the audit team recommended that MRT3 undergo “failure mode, effects and critically analysis in monthly reports to identify the root cause and resolve the defects for critical systems including traction motor, door systems, and airconditioning unit.” Moreover, the team suggested “to reduce…preventive maintenance intervals and restore all stopped cars in the depot as soon as reasonably practicable.” “Besides, midlife/end-of-asset-life refurbishment shall also be performed for car-body structure, ATP system, Boogie and Door systems, in addition to the development and implementation of asset management plan with regular asset condition review.” ■ Mon Gualvez / News5 with reports from InterAksyon.com / October 31, 2014 / 12:39 AM

Top Aquino execs testify in Binay Makati probe

MANILA – Top members of the Aquino cabinet were summoned to testify on Thursday against Vice President Jejomar Binay in the Senate inquiry into the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building 2. Based on the agenda released to journalists by the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-committee chaired by Senator Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, the panel invited 61 public and private individuals including Binay and four members of Aquino cabinet. Among those invited to testify on the Batangas property linked to Binay were: • Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio “Gil” Delos Reyes

• Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Jacinto-Henares • Dennis S. Santiago, executive director of Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) • Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairperson Teresita J. Herbosa Binay did not show up, since he has a standing invitation from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Senator Teofisto Guingona III to appear on November 6, 2014 for the continuance of the probe. However, aside from the four high officials from the Aquino cabinet, it was also learned that only 20 out of the

61 individuals heeded the invitation and subpoena sent out by the Pimentel panel. From the Commission on Audit, those who appeared in the hearing are: Cecilia J. Espina, former auditor of Makati City; and members of the Technical Audit Personnel, Engineers Zalde B. Lavarro, Allan S. Florentino, Cecilio J. Pineda, Roldan L. Menciano, Flora M. Ruiz, Ricro R. Custodio and Rosalina H. Prestoza. Two engineers, Nemesio A. Avestruz and Roberto G. Ferrer, were also invited but they are both retired from the service. No one from the Makati City Hall,

led by Mayor Erwin Jejomar S. Binay Jr., including 10 heads of different departments, showed up despite their subpoena. Only Engineer Mario Hechanova, former Makati City General Services Department head and chief of the Bids and Awards Committee, attended. Former Makati vice Mayor Ernesto S. Mercado, however, attended the hearing, but he was not named in the invitation. From the private sector, those who attended the hearing were: Atty. Renato Bondal, Nicholas Enciso, both from Bondal Law Office; Engr. Efren Canlas, chairman of the Board of

Photo from Senate PRIB / Cesar Tomambo

Hillmarc’s Construction Corporation; and Engr. Robert B. Henson, president; Federico C. Cuervo, president and chief operation officer of Cuervo Valuers and Advisory Inc.; Rolando Dimaano of Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board; Antonio Tiu of Greenergy Holdings Inc., the owner of the controversial farm estate in Batangas; Atty. Martin Subido; and journalist/blogger Raisa Robles. ■ Ernie Reyes / InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 3:11 PM



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November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Palo archdiocese denies papal visit behind Yolanda survivors’ transfer PALO, Leyte – The Catholic archdiocese of Palo, Leyte said the visit in January of Pope Francis has nothing to do with the impending transfer of more than 250 families, all survivors of super typhoon “Yolanda,” from a bunkhouse settlement near the town’s government center and the archbishop’s palace. Nevertheless, Palo Archbishop John Du stressed that the Yolanda survivors should be moved to permanent housing and not to another bunkhouse settlement. The bunkhouse dwellers earlier said it was Mayor Remedios Petilla herself who told them on September 15 that they would have to move out because of the papal visit. And, although some of them have been assigned permanent relocation, the bulk say they will be moved to another bunkhouse settlement five kilometers from the town center, which they said would greatly affect their livelihood and their children’s education. Only recently, Palo homeowners said they, too, face displacement because of the papal visit after the Department of Public Works and Highways began demolishing houses and other structures along the highway leading to the seat of the archdiocese to make way for a road-widening project. Among the structures in danger of being torn down are the Almadro family ancestral home, built in 1924, and the Palo public library, which is located in a 200-year old house that is one of the oldest “bahay na bato” in the town and which the National Historical Commission of the Philippines has acknowledged as an “Important Cultural Property.” The quandary faced by the Palo residents has spurred the Promotion of Church People’s Rights, a progressive organization of religious from various denominations, to write Pope Francis in the hopes of getting him to speak out on crucial issues during his visit to the Philippines. When sought for comment on the impending transfer of the bunkhouse dwellers, Fr. Rex Ramirez, parish priest of MacArthur and spokesman of the archdiocese, said: “Wala namang kinalaman ang simbahan diyan kasi hindi naman kami ang nag-utos niyan (The church has nothing to do with that because we did not order that), not even the Pope.” Ramirez also said it would be wrong to bring the Pope into the controversy. In announcing his visit to the country early this year, Pope Francis said he wanted to do to the areas most devastated by Yolanda to see for himself the situation of the storm’s survivors and show solidarity with them.

“All I can say is walang kinalaman ‘yan (transfer of the bunkhouse dwellers) sa pagdating ng Santo Papa kasi ang rason ng pagpunta niya dito ay ang makasama tayo (that has nothing to do with the arrival of the Holy Father because the reason he is coming is to be with us). He should not be put into any controversy, particularly on that issue kasi wala siyang kinalaman (because he has nothing to do with it). He is innocent of that. He just wants to be with us. Kung sino man ang nag-utos na ilipat sila ay siya ang nakakaalam. Pero definitely hindi utos ng Santo Papa iyan (Whoever ordered their transfer knows the reason. But definitely, that was not ordered by the Holy Father),” Alvero added. Sought for reaction, Du said: “It’s not fair (to link the papal visit to the transfer of the bunkhouse dwellers), because even before (the papal visit was confirmed) there is already an agreement that the people staying (in the settlement) are just … temporary …” “So hindi magawang reason na (you cannot make it the reason) because of the coming of the Pope they are being drive out, no. Paalisin sila (They are being moved out) because they have to go to the permanent houses. Hindi naman sa bunkhouse siguro (It’s probably not to bunkhouses), according to the mayor … I know the houses are ready. They are being transferred to a permanent house.” “Hindi sa (Not to a) bunkhouse, sa (to a) permanent house dahil kawawa naman sila (because you have to pity them),not because of the Pope but they have to really transfer to what is really proper for human beings. Kasi ang (Because a) temporary shelter … is not really humane … not good for people who have dignity like us. So they have to be given proper permanent houses. Dapat ngayon, mag-transfer na sila sa permanent house, matagal na, magiisang taon na,hindi dahil kinakahiya natin sila (By now, they should transfer to permanent housing, it’s been so long, almost a year, not because they are an embarrassment to us),” Du told InterAksyon.com. However, the bunkhouse dwellers earlier said that, during the September 15 meeting, Petilla told them around 80 household-beneficiaries of housing to be built by the Tzu Chi Foundation would move into their new homes while the rest would be transferred to another bunkhouse settlement in Barangay Tacuranga by November. The PCPR’s letter to the Pope, signed by a number of priests and nuns who attended a forum to discuss plans for the papal visit, said: “We, the Filipino people, both the poor and oppressed as well as Church people who live in solidarity with them, look forward to your visit to the

The bunkhouse settlement for Yolanda survivors near the government center and the seat of the Catholic archdiocese in Palo, Leyte whose residents are scheduled to be removed in November ahead of Pope Francis’ visit in January. (Photo by Lottie Salarda, InterAksyon.com)

Philippines. We pray that you will join us in giving voice to the cry of the poor: 1. Pursue Just and Lasting Peace 2. Redistribute the Nation’s Resources • Food for the Hungry and Poverty Alleviation • Land for the Tillers • End Demolition of Urban Poor and Informal Settler Communities • Employment and Economic Opportunities for the Poor 3. Make Accessible Basic and Social Services 4. End Foreign Plunder and Domination They also mapped out a campaign “to draw attention to the issues that are faced by the poor in hope that Pope Francis will make a pronouncement on them, such as solidarity with the poor, widespread hunger and poverty, demolitions of communities, government inaction and insensitivity to typhoon Yolanda victims, human rights violations” and the continuing impasse on the stalled peace talks between the government and communist rebels. PCPR secretary general Nardy Sabino slammed the impending

transfer of the survivors, saying: “Inilalayo nila sa Papa Francisco ang mga survivors na nais nitong bisitahin. Pinalalayas ng mga palalo at mapagkunwari dahil gusto nila itago ang katotohanan at kahirapan na dinaranas ng karamihan. Itinatago nila ang pagsasamantala at pang-aapi na dinaranas ng karamihang mga Pilipino (They want to keep from Pope Francis the survivors he wishes to visit. The arrogant and the pretentious are driving them out because they want to conceal the truth and the hardships suffered by the many. They want to conceal the exploitation and oppression experienced by most Filipinos).” In the meantime, the survivors at the bunkhouse settlement continue to worry about their impending transfer. Cresencia Labordo, 48, who suffered a stroke more than two years ago, cried as she imagined life in the settlement in Barangay Tacuranga. “Sana huwag muna kaming ilipat doon hangga’t hindi pa po namin nasisigurado na sa permanent shelter kami titira. Kasi napakalayo ng paaralan para sa mga bata at wala kaming hanapbuhay doon sa Tacuranga lalo na po sa sitwasyon ko (I hope they

Children living in the Palo bunkhouse settlement write a letter they hope Pope Francis gets to read . (Photo by Lottie Salarda, InterAksyon.com)

don’t transfer us until we are sure we will be moved to permanent housing. Because it is so far from our child’s school and we have no livelihood in Tacuranga, especially someone in my condition),” Labordo said. Their fear that they might be forced to quit school if moved to the settlement kilometers away drove Grade 6 pupils Icee Labordo, Francisca Maceda, April Mae Escalante and Angelica Esquivel to write wrote a letter they hope reaches the Pope. Their letter, in full: Dear Pope Francis, Nabalitaan namin na bibisitahin niyo kaming mga Yolanda survivors sa susunod na taon. Masaya po kami na makikita po namin kayo kaya lang ay parang gusto kaming itago sa’yo para daw pagdating mo makita mong nakabangon na ang Palo. Sana po ay ipagdasal n’yo kaming mga biktima ng Yolanda. Ang saya saya na darating ka at sana po ipagdasal n’yo ang mga magulang naming maysakit at lahat ng survivors ng Yolanda para makabangon kami. Salamat po! (We heard that you will visit us Yolanda survivors next year. We are happy that we will see you but it seems they want to hide us from you so that when you come you will see that Palo has recovered. We hope you pray for us victims of Yolanda. We are happy you are coming and please pray for our sick parents and all survivors of Yolanda so we can rise up again. Thank you!) Icee Labordo Francisca Maceda April Mae Escalante Angelica Esquivel Asked if the archdiocese would be accepting letters such as the students’ and handing this over to the Pope, Alvero said: “We don’t have the information yet here in (the) local (level).” ■ Lottie Salarda / InterAksyon.com / October 25, 2014 / 11:55 AM



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PHILIPPINE EMBASSY AROUND THE WORLD

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Outstanding Filipino-Americans Honored in TOFA Awards in New York THE fourth The Outstanding Filipino Americans in New York (TOFA-NY) was an occasion to celebrate the achievements of Filipinos in the New York area during Filipino American History Month. On its fourth year on October 25, held at the Carnegie Hall in New York, it became a time of reflection as well, as keynote speakers congratulated the 14 winners and five Heritage Awardees and voiced the hope that the time has come to take professional success and achievement to the next level. With their accomplishments, said Jason Tengco, senior advisor at White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (WHIAAPI), Filipinos have made “a huge dent in the glass and bamboo ceiling.” It is time, he stressed, “not just to have a seat at the table but to lead the meeting.” Consul General Mario Lopez de Leon Jr. recognized the community’s efforts in elevating the profile of Filipinos in the US, especially during celebrations during the Filipino-American History Month. He said he would like to see more Filipinos assume leadership roles, as he gave kudos to TOFA-NY awardees for their “noteworthy skills, competence and social impact” in New York and throughout the US. He further acknowledged the rising visibility of the Filipinos in every field imaginable in the mainstream US society, and the recognition given by their American counterparts to the exemplary Filipinos.

Journalist and Rappler founder Maria Ressa, who hosted the awards ceremony at Carnegie Hall, said being Filipino American can cut both ways. “It is both a blessing and a curse,” she said. “If you don’t navigate the waters well, you’ll drown. But if you hold the values from both worlds, we create something new, we create a community that defines us.” CEO and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis urged this year’s awardees to remain proud Filipino Americans not easily disheartened by failures. She urged them to “fight bigotry and discrimination,” and to keep going whatever obstacles are in the way. This year’s 14 TOFA awardees are: Kinding Sindaw for Arts and Culture, Dennis Josue for Business and Entrepreneurship, Roger Santos for Community Service and Advocacy, Geena Rocer for Courage of Conviction, Michael Vea for Education, Reasearch and Technology, Jhett Tolentino fir Entertainment, Elle Madrona for Fashion and Style, Joel Javier for Food and Restaurants, Nemby Duran for Health Care, Jenab-i Pareja for LGBT Advocacy, Ritz Mazon Craves for Media and Publishing, Ludi di Asis Hughes for Public Service and Politics, Juliet Payabyab for Senior Welfare Advocacy, and Team Takbo for yOuth and Sports This year’s Heritage Awardees are award-winning songwriter

Primacy of the Rule of Law Underscored Anew at Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP “THE Philippines maintains that the rule of law must be the firm foundation for the settlement of disputes and that for countries which are not as strong as others, international law is the great equalizer,” Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Charles C. Jose echoed the words of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario during the Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP yesterday, October 28, at the Asian Center in UP Diliman. The DFA Spokesperson talked about the core issues involved in the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea dispute and the steps being undertaken by the Philippine Government to “defend what is legitimately ours. “If we do not challenge China’s ninedash line claim, a maritime claim that has no basis under international law, and do not stop China from forcibly changing the status quo in the South China Sea, we would lose as much as 80% of our legitimate maritime entitlements under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which include the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf,” Assistant Secretary Jose emphasized. During the open forum that followed his presentation, the DFA Spokesperson answered questions on the arbitration

DFA Spokesperson Charles C. Jose explains how UNCLOSafforded maritime entitlements apply to the Philippines.

case which the Philippines filed against China, ASEAN’s support for Philippine initiatives and the role of the Philippines-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement in enhancing national security. This edition of the Kapihan entitled “Spratlys: Law of the Sea or Law of the Mighty?” drew an audience composed of students, faculty members, and UP alumni. It was a follow-up to the lecture of Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, “Historical Truth and Lies: Scarborough Shoal in Ancient Maps,” which was held last October 23 at the Asian Center. Philippine Embassy Philippines Kapihan ng Bayan sa UP is a public service project of the UP Alumni Association that aims to serve as a regular forum for intelligent and constructive discussion of issues relevant to the our development as a nation. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / October 29, 2014

Philippine Consul General Mario De Leon, Madame Eleanor De Leon, and the awardees of TOFA enjoy the music of Darren Espanto at the end of the program. (Photo by Rolan Gutierrez)

Bobby Lopez, fashion designer and philanthropist Josie Natori; Dean of Academic Affairs at Columbia University Sheila Coronel; the founder of Fiesta In America trade and cultural expo; and the medical mission volunteers of Philippine Medical Association in America (PMAA). A brief but poignant moment came when Miss USA first runner-up Audra Mari recalled her Filipino roots. Her Filipino grandfather, surgeon Justo Mari, married an American woman and raised a family in North Dakota. She is witness to the enduring love between her grandparents who just celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary. Expressing thanks on behalf of the TOFA-NY board, founder and executive producer Elton Lugay said, “Trust and transparency are two things we take to

heart. We have reached our fourth year because of the open process by which the winners are nominated and voted and because the support and trust of the community have grown over the years.” New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo was represented by Gil Quiniones, CEO of the New York Power Authority. Through Quiniones, the only Filipino in the governor’s Cabinet, Cuomo offered his congratulations to the honorees as well as gratitude for Filipino-American contributions to the state. AARP, which supported the event, reached out to the Filipino-American community with its core message about taking care of the elderly. AARP Ambassador, Retired Army Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba, noted that caregiving is a family matter but is something

some tight-lipped Filipino families hardly talk about until the parents become ill and the need is there. He urged Filipino-American families to “start a conversation early” and invited them to visit the AARP website for resources on caregiving. The evening’s emotional and empowering moments were stitched together with musical entertainment courtesy of the Philippine Chamber Singers of Los Angeles, Broadway Barkada, Enteng Evangelista, UST Alumni Singers, Voice of McDonald’s’ Richard Lelis Tuozo, Pilipino American Cultural Arts Society of Washington D.C., Elaine Ficarra, pianist Yasuhiko Fukuoka, Pilipinas Got Talent’s Geo Ed Rebucas, and Voice Kids Philippines’ Darren Espanto. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / October 30, 2014

Secretary Del Rosario Congratulates Newly-Elected Indonesian President FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario represented President Benigno S. Aquino III at the inauguration of Indonesia’s 7thPresident Joko “Jokowi” Widodo during ceremonies held at the Nusantara Building (Parliament building) in the capital city of Jakarta, in the morning of October 20. In conveying congratulations to the newly sworn-in Indonesian leader on behalf of the President and the Filipino people, Secretary Del Rosario also mentioned that the Philippines looks forward to receiving President Widodo in Manila when he conducts his introductory visits in the region. It is customary for a newly-

elected President of a Southeast Asian nation such as Indonesia to conduct initial international visits within the ASEAN region. The Secretary also conveyed to President Widodo that President Aquino looks forward to closely working with the new Indonesian administration on cooperative endeavors that will further strengthen and deepen the abiding friendship between the Philippines and Indonesia. In response, President Widodo said “give my best to your President and I look forward to meeting him.” President Widodo was elected in national elections held on 09 July 2014. Prior to his election, he was Governor of Jakarta. The Indonesian constitution

provides for two presidential terms of five-years each. Outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono completed his second term as president on 19 October 2014. With a population of over 250 million and a GDP of almost US$1.3 trillion, Indonesia is not only the most populous Muslim nation in the world, it is also one of the influential countries in the ASEAN and East Asian regions. Since establishing formal relations close to 65 years ago on 24 November 1949, the Philippines and Indonesia have become solid partners, dependable neighbors and outstanding friends, often sharing similar views on regional and international political and economic issues. The Philippines and Indonesia have also signed at least 35 bilateral agreements covering a wide range of bilateral cooperation in areas such as defense and security, consular matters, trade and investments, maritime concerns, transportation and communications, energy, and tourism. Two-way trade between the two countries amounted to US$3.5 billion in 2013. ■ Philippine Embassy Philippines / October 23, 2014


NEWS

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

www.hello-philippines.com

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Recto raps DSWD for P2.6-B additional CCT administrative cost MANILA – Senate President ProTempore Ralph Recto on Tuesday scored the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) for allotting an additional P2.6 billion to the current P5-billion administrative cost in implementing the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) instead of funding the feeding program for malnourished children. “Budget space can be carved out of the P7.6 billion administrative cost of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) for the purpose of expanding feeding programs for malnourished children, Recto said. Recto said the overhead expense of the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) will increase to P7.6 billion from about P5 billion this year. “If we retain the amount, then there will be P2.6 billion more for supplemental feeding. If we allow half of the increase being sought, then it is still P1.3 billion in additional funding for, say, Programang Pagkain sa Pampublikong Paaralan,” he said. Recto chairs the Senate Finance subcommittee reviewing the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) budget. “We’re done with the hearings. I am now drafting my subcommittee report. I will recommend some internal adjustments in the DSWD budget,” he said.

For next year, DSWD’s budget will soar to P109 billion, P25.5 billion bigger than what it is getting this year, and catapulting the once-cellar dweller in government appropriations to the Top 5 biggest recipients. The bulk of the DWSD’s 2015 budget will be for the 4Ps, with a proposed allocation of P64.7 billion, of which P57.1 billion is in cash grants and P7.6 billion in administrative cost. The latter consists of personnel payroll, which will reach P3.35 billion next year; training (P404 million); monitoring (P429 million); publicity and information (P115 million); bank service fees (P700 million); and equipment purchase (P24.4 million). Recto said he would “validate the justifications for the proposed increases because some of them, on paper, are hefty.” “Is the almost 185% increase in the publicity budget really necessary? Why are we increasing payroll by P1.4 billion? Why are we doubling the allocation for monitoring to P430 million?” he said. “If the cash grant portion of CCT remains at P57 billion, then why are we increasing the CCT administrative expense by P2.6 billion?” the senator added. Once he determines what amounts can be realigned, Recto said, he will

recommend that these be “laterally moved to the feeding program for daycare pupils.” He said the budget for the “supplementary feeding program” of the DSWD is P3.36 billion next year. DSWD’s feeding program involves serving one hot meal a day for 120 days to 2,053,383 children up to 5 years old in daycare or under “supervised neighborhood play.” What the Senate can do, Recto explained, “is to increase the P14 per meal budget or increase the number of beneficiaries or both children.” The DSWD budget, he noted, can

only cover 30 percent of the estimated 7.3 million underweight, stunted and wasted children below five years old. Another option is to include supplemental feeding in other underfunded DSWD programs, Recto said. “One of these is the DSWD street children program, which targets a measly number of 3,000 kids,” Recto said. “If we are putting too much on its plate, then we can ask DSWD to partner with other agencies like DepED whose P1.3 billion feeding budget is way below what it needs,” Recto said.

He said other “feeding funds” can be sourced from programs outside those of the DSWD. “But we can begin with what the DSWD can dispose of,” he said. “The CCT administrative overhead is two-and-a-half times the proposed budget of the Department of Tourism, thrice the budget of ARMM, twice that of the Department of Trade and Industry, and bigger than the combined budgets of all the 29 state colleges and universities in Mindanao,” Recto pointed out. ■ Ernie Reyes / InterAksyon.com / October 28, 2014 / 7:16 PM


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NEWS

www.hello-philippines.com

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

Braving drizzles, nurses march in Baguio for their salary, health issues BAGUIO City – Braving drizzles and the cold weather, at least 200 nurses and health workers in their uniforms marched down Session Road here Wednesday, to decry the state’s lack of concern for their welfare. They said that while they render holistic care for the people, they are among the sectors who most suffer from job exploitation and receive low wages, contrary to what is mandated by law. “We ensure the safety of our patients, sometimes even compromising our own safety, yet we are unjustly treated with starvation wages that barely allow for decent life and hardly compensate for our critical role as health care providers,” said the Justice for Nurses Coalition in their statement. Low wages. The starting salary grade 15, which is equivalent to P 25,000 monthly for government nurses, is not being observed despite the law, explained Lolita Oracion, Governor of the Philippine Nursing Association in the Cordillera, in a press conference here. That salary grade is mandated by Republic Act 9173 or the Nursing Law of 2002, she added in a press conference conducted earlier before their march.

It was learned in the conference that nurses employed in the Baguio-Benguet area receive as low as P6,000-P8,000 salary per month. The dismal conditions of health services also complicate the situations of these health providers.

Nurse-patients

ratio

exceeded.

The nurse-patient ratio, under the Department of Health (DOH) standard of 1 nurse per 12 patients, is not being observed. Nurses are overloaded, with some of tem serving 50 people or one ward, according to Ma. Theresa Narcida, president of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center employees association. She added that instead of hiring more nurses to reach the proper ratio, hospitals are moving toward job order, which in reality is contractualization, added Narcida, citing the BGH-MC situation. Based on their association’s research, the effects of overload for nurses go back to the patients as a consequence, explained Mary Grace P. Lacanaria, officer of the National Association of Deans of the Philippines Colleges of Nurses.

Leaders of nursing groups in the Cordillera, in a press conference in Baguio City on Wednesday (Oct. 29), explain to reporters the situation of health workers, as part of their commemoration of Nursing Week. Photo by Arthur Allad-Iw, Interaksyon.com

Hiring more nurses to cope with the gap of services would reduce the patients’ fee, hospitalization lack and even consequential incidents, added Lacanaria, dean of the Saint Louis University Nursing Department. The number of 200,000 unemployed nurses can be reduced by employing more of them to cope with the gaps for needed health providers, the organization said.

Increase health budget, no privatization. Joel Ebesati said the

dismal conditions of health care should be addressed by the government, and their group continues to raise these both in their lobbying in Congress and in the parliament of the streets. Ebesati, from the Alliance of Health

Workers, spoke in the same press conference. The national budget for health services should be increased, he said, noting that only 1.3 percent of the GDP has been allotted by the government. This is much lower than what the World Health Organization recommends, or 5 percent of the GDP, he explained. He pointed out that the proposed 2015 national budget for health is a measly .33 percent of the GDP. The state should strengthen the public health system by setting aside privatizing government hospitals, as profit would be the main concern if privatized and not the priority of health services, he explained. Nurses’ week commemoration. To

raise their issues, various health workers bonded under the national Justice for Nurses Coalition. Ruth Thelma Tingda explained that while they unselfishly and uncompromisingly render services, “an gating tagapag-alaga ay walang magaalaga (no one is to provide care for our servant (nurses).” In commemorating their week, Tingda said they are raising the following issues: to raise the salaries of the nurses, job opportunities and security of tenure for the nurses both for the unemployed and underemployed, make health affordable to the people as such is a basic right. ■ Arthur L. Allad-iw / Northern Dispatch / Special to InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 3:28 PM

Sandigan allows opening of pork witnesses’ bank accounts, real estate, vehicle, travel records

Health chief Ona goes on ‘health leave,’ belying ouster; Garin is OIC MANILA - Health Secretary Enrique Ona, under pressure in recent months from overseeing efforts to keep the Philippines free from such deadly diseases as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MERS-COV) and Ebola, has gone on leave, refuting speculation he was being replaced. Ona said in a text reply to queries: “No, I’m on personal and health leave only. Garin OIC,” referring to DOH Undersecretary Jeanette Garin, who has lately been visible in the campaigns against infectious diseases. Ona did not elaborate on the nature of his health problems. He was said to have met with President Benigno Aquino III on Wednesday, where,

sources had said earlier, he was told he will be replaced. The absence of Ona from the Cabinet comes at a time of frenzied interagency preparations to enable the country to deal with the possible entry of the Ebola Virus Disease, a hemorrhagic killer that has claimed 5,000 lives globally, mostly in West Africa where the latest outbreak erupted. The Philippines has been described as one at risk of EVD considering its huge migrant worker population with OFWs based all over the world, including Western Africa, coming in and out of the country’s borders on any day.

MANILA – A division of the antigraft court has upheld its earlier ruling granting the motion of Janet Lim-Napoles’ camp to open the bank accounts of main pork barrel scam whistleblower Benhur Luy and other witnesses in the purported multibillionpeso anomaly. In an October 24 resolution, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division ordered the issuance of subpoena on the bank accounts of Luy, his mother Getrudes Luy and whistleblowers Marina Sula, and Merlina Suñas. The court likewise thumbed down the prosecution’s motion for the Sandiganbayan to overturn its August 22 ruling favoring the appeal of Napoles’ camp.

■ Dexter San Pedro / InterAksyon.com / October

30, 2014 / 10:55 AM

InterAksyon file photo of pork scam witness Benhur Luy.

“The motion for reconsideration and to quash/recall the subpoena duces tecum... on the bank account transactions and all other bank records of Benhur K. Luy, Gertrudes Luy, Merlina Suñas and Marina Sula is hereby DENIED for lack of merit,” the court said. The court said that while the whistleblowers are not the ones accused in the pork scam case, the money in their bank accounts could be part of the alleged Priority Development Assistance Fund kickbacks and thus should be scrutinized. The court issued the subpoena to the following banks where the whistleblowers deem to have accounts: Bank of the Philippine Islands; Metropolitan Bank and Trust Company; United Coconut Planters Bank; Metrobank Card Corp.; Banco De Oro Unibank; Land Bank of the Philippines; Philippine Savings Bank; and Citibank. Also, the court granted the motion of Napoles, the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind, to issue subpoena to the Land Registration Authority for it to produce records of real properties under

the names of the whistle-blowers. Moreover, the court granted Napoles’ motion to issue subpoena to the Land Transportation Office and the Bureau of Immigration for the agencies to produce records on the vehicles under the names of the whistle-blowers and thei overseas travels. The court said that “the rights of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized” is enshrined under Article III Section 7 of the 1987 Constitution. Also, the Fift Division said Article II Section 28 of the Charter states that “...the State adopts and implement a policy of full public disclosure of all its transactions involving public interest.” “Considering that the travel history records or records of real property registered under the name of Benhur K. Luy, Marina C. Sula and Merlina P. Suñas, are public records which are received by the government agency – the LRA, LTO and BI – in the conduct of its affairs... the request for the issuance of subpoena duces tecum over the said records of is hereby justified,” the court said. ■ Trish Roque / News5 / October 29, 2014 / 5:39 PM


MEDIA PARTNER

Lies Love THE award-winning New York production of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim’s musical HERE LIES LOVE will open the new Dorfman Theatre (formerly the Cottesloe), following its complete refurbishment as part of the NT Future project. HERE LIES LOVE plays from 30 September to 8 January, with a press night on 13 October. With concept and lyrics by David Byrne, music by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim, and additional music by Tom Gandey and J Pardo; it is directed by Alex Timbers, with choreography by Annie-B Parson, set design by David Korins, costume design by Clint Ramos, lighting by Justin Townsend, sound by M. L. Dogg and Cody Spencer, and projection design by Peter Nigrini. The music supervisor is Kimberly Grigsby; Justin Levine is the collaborating music producer, and the music editor is Matt Stine. The cast is Christine Allado, Gia Macuja Atchison, Mark Bautista (Ferdinand Marcos), Lauren Chia, Christopher Chung, Julius Ebreo, Jim Andrew Ferrer, Li-Tong Hsu, Dean John-Wilson (Ninoy Aquino), Maria Lawson, Kok-Hwa Lie, Frances Mayli McCann, Natalie Mendoza (Imelda Marcos), Aaron Jan Mercado, Martin Sarreal, Julie Yammanee and Sunny Yeo. The Public Theater’s production of HERE LIES LOVE, which premiered in New York in 2013 to critical and popular acclaim, traces the astonishing journey of Imelda Marcos, First Lady of

the Philippines, from her meteoric rise to power to descent into infamy and disgrace. The new Dorfman Theatre is transformed into a pulsating club for an immersive theatrical event which combines heart-pounding beats with adrenaline-fuelled choreography and 360-degree staging. Audiences are advised to dress comfortably and those in the pit performance area will stand and dance with the actors. There will be seating in the galleries; the performance length is 90 minutes. In addition to places bookable in advance, 20 tickets at £20 in the pit will be made available every Friday at 12 midday for the week ahead for every performance, bookable online. David Byrne is a founding member of the band Talking Heads and creator of the record label Luaka Pop. His works include Playing the Building, an interactive sound installation at the Battery Maritime Building, New York and the Roundhouse in London; contributions to the score of The Last Emperor, for which he won an Oscar; Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, a collaboration with Brian Eno; This Must be the Place, a collaboration with Will Oldham for the soundtrack to the Sean Penn film; and Love This Giant, his collaboration with musician St. Vincent. David Byrne’s books include Bicycle Diaries and How Music Works; he also publishes and exhibits visual art, including photography and filmmaking.

Dorfman Theatre Previews from 30 September, press night 13 October, playing until 8 January 2015

Fatboy Slim, also known as Norman Cook, is a Grammy Award-winning DJ, musician and record producer. He first rose to prominence in the 1980s as bassist of the indie rock band The Housemartins, and went on to form the band, Beats International. In 1996, as Fatboy Slim, he released Better Living Through Chemistry, and his followup successes include You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby and Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars. In 2008 he collaborated with David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal on The Brighton Port Authority. Alex Timbers’ credits include Rocky, Peter and the Starcatcher (codirector, Obie Award Best Director, Tony nomination Best Director), Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (also book writer; Drama Desk Award Best Book, Tony nomination Best Book), and The Pee-wee Herman Show on Broadway. He is the Artistic Director of the company Les Freres Corbusier. ■ HERE LIES LOVE is presented by special arrangement with Joey Parnes and EMURSIVE. The original cast recording of HERE LIES LOVE from Nonesuch records is now available to buy. The Dorfman Partner: Neptune Investment Management The National Theatre’s Airline Partner: American Airlines Press night: Monday 13 October at 7pm Contact: Susie Newbery on 020 7452 3061/snewbery@nationaltheatre.org.uk


36

NEWS

www.hello-philippines.com

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

HUMAN TRAFFICKERS’ MODUS

NAIA renovation works used for new routes to smuggle out people MANILA - An alert Bureau of Immigration intelligence agent has uncovered a new modus operandi for human smuggling at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, involving the use of “OB [official business]” passes by four women bound for the Middle East. Each of the women paid P150,000 for the entire operation on the guarantee they could fly out of Manila even as undocumented workers. The discovery of the mission to sneak out the women is but the latest, said authorities, in an apparent new modus operandi for human traffickers: using the temporary confusion caused by full-blast renovation works at the airport to find new routes for people smuggling, including, in some cases, having the victims attired as construction workers. According to NAIA immigration Terminal 1 head supervisor Dennis Opiña, a member of the Immigration

Travel Control and Enforcement Unit (TCEU) secretly observed the movements of syndicate members on the afternoon of Saturday October 25,2014. The TCEU staff, Paul Eric Borja, is assigned at the immigration arrival area. Last Sunday, he spotted an airport contractual worker identified in his report as Analee Soriano, assigned at the Security and Emergency Services (AGMSES). She was escorting four women wearing OB passes (Official Business identification cards) from AGMSES; the five women passed the arrival area around 6 pm and took the stairs going up to the departure area. His experience in profiling led Borja to suspect something was amiss: the four women looked more like “workers, not senders or welcomers” by the way they dressed, and seemed quite nervous, always looking around as they walked.

CORRUPTION 101, FROM FAMILY MANILA “I felt like I was a student!” That’s Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle gushing during a press briefing Thursday where he shared highllights from the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, held from October 5 to 19 in Rome. Despite his assignment as presidentdelegate of the synod, where he was tasked by Pope Francis to implement the latter’s orders and run the meetings, Tagle said he learned many things during what he described as “an exercise in collaboration” among the presidents of Episcopal conferences from all parts of the world. The synod was the first of two parts, the second being the ordinary synod happening in October next year. During the first synod, the bishops painted a picture of the challenges faced by the families in their respective countries. Having returned to their homes, the bishops are now studying the outcomes of the synod, and will consult with their flock so that by the time the next ordinary synod comes around, the Church leaders could return to the Vatican bearing proposals of the best concrete directions the Catholic Church can take in response. “I think it is very wise,” said Tagle in reference to the arrangements of the two-part synod. “With the complexity of the situation, it is better not to rush just so we have something to say. With the gravity and severity of the situations families face, it is good that the Pope said when we opened the extraordinary synod, ‘Be free to express your opinions and tell the stories of your country.’ And

Borja was also puzzled why the four OB pass holders choose to pass through the arrival area instead of directly entering the departure area, if their purpose is to meet somebody who is flying out. Borja secretly followed the four up to the departure waiting area and then called TCEU members assigned at the departure area, and asked them to question the four women on why they were wearing OB passes. Grilled by TCEU personnel, the four said they were waiting for their 12 midnight flight to Lebanon via Abu Dhabi on board Etihad Airways. One of the four women admitted that she is going to Lebanon as a directhire worker; they were met outside the airport by Soriano, who gave them OB passes to wear while entering the arrival area. Soriano then took it back from them at the departure toilet. The four were told their passports

File photo of NAIA Terminal 1’s passenger departure area. Photo by Bernard Testa, ©InterAksyon.com.

and boarding passes will be given shortly. Three of the four victims also said that they paid some P150,000 each - a “package” that covers passports, including fake immigration stamps and other airport taxes and fees.

Dressed up like construction workers. Julius Cortez, head of the

immigration Airport Operations Division (AOD) of the BI, said that some human traffickers take advantage of the situation at the NAIA Terminal 1 while it is undergoing renovation. They had previously discovered that some illegal passengers were even advised by human smuggling syndicates to

dress up like construction workers to mislead the authorities. Reacting to the incident, MIAA Assistant General Manager for Security and Emergency Services (AGMSES) head Vicente Guerzon said in a text message that “MIAA employees who are involved in the human trafficking have been re-assigned without prejudice of [being placed on] preventive suspension while under investigation”. Meanwhile, Soriano, the NAIA contractual employee, did not report for work since Monday and presumably went on AWOL (absent without leave). ■ Eric B. Apolonio / InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014

/ 5:55 PM

13 issues families face, according to the Synod of Bishops

we have a whole year to study the things that have surfaced.” Synod: not just same-sex, divorce debates. International media highlighted same-sex unions and divorce as being prominent in these discussions. However, at least 13 other topics were raised in the synod, according to Tagle. 1. The synod was aware that there were many signs of hope, despite the problems families faced. There were still families who were “heroically” trying their best to remain united. Nongovernment organizations and ecclesial movements were supporting families, women, children, and the poor, as well. 2. There was “a crisis of faith, a neglect of God,” said Tagle. Bishops asked whether a weakened faith could have an effect on a family’s relationship, given that for Asian Catholic countries, in particular, faith is one of the elements that bind families together. The idolatry of money, success, and achievement were also part of the challenge.

Cardinal Tagle, addressing a Caritas Manila dinner for donors in 2013 file photo. Photo by Bernard Testa, ©InterAksyon.com.

3. The economic crisis was another concern. Poverty and lack of jobs take their toll on the family. Young couples are discouraged from getting married and starting their own families because of these factors, “kahit na mahal na mahal na [nila ang isa’t isa] at hinog na hinog na ang kanilang ugnayan (even if they are in love and their relationship is ripe),” said Tagle. Some parents are also too attached to their jobs and are spending less and less time with their families. 4. Asian bishops lamented that because parents want their children to achieve, the kids are being unduly pushed to become hardworking students. This highly competitive environment robs these children of a childhood. And when they fail, some would go as far as to commit suicide, unable to endure the disappointment. “Yes, we want a decent life for the family, but at what cost?” asked Tagle. 5. As Christians comprise only three percent of the Asian population, many parts of the continent are seeing mixedreligion marriages. “How are we preparing Christian people who get married to nonChristian partners? Are they ready for interreligious dialogue?” Tagle asked. 6. Many families are being raised by single parents, not because women bore their children out of wedlock, but because the other parent had to migrate elsewhere for work. This was a great concern, said Tagle. What pastoral care should the Church give overseas workers and the families left at home so that they stayed faithful to each other? 7. War poses a big problem, tearing families apart as they seek refuge away from home. “The wounds of war, where do you see? In the families, especially the children,” said Tagle.

8. Violence against women and children at home was also a concern. “This often goes unreported,” noted Tagle. 9. Marriage requires a certain amount of “affective, emotional, psychological maturity of our people,” said Tagle. He recalled hearing a Filipino psychologist say that the period of adolescence now reached up to the age of 32. How could a 32-year-old who was still emotionally and psychologically a teenager have a decent family life? 10. “Pornography, the commercialization of the human body, prostitution, (and) cybersex” were challenges to the family, as well. “All of these (distort) human dignity, and especially the value of the human body and human sexuality,” said Tagle. Would husbands who had been exposed to these treat their wives with respect, or see them as objects? 11. The preparation of couples for marriage was another subject. A bishop commented that priests had to undergo 10 years of preparation before being ordained. Meanwhile, couples whowould be pledging a lifetime of commitment to each other are only required to attend a quick seminar. Tagle added that the Church must also guide the couple even after their wedding, especially in the first few “crucial” years of their marriage. 12. The synod also affirmed the roles grandparents and the extended family played in providing loving attention and care for children whose parents had migrated for work. 13. Last but not least, said Tagle, is the root of all values in the family; or the transmission of life being also important. The synod was not just talking about biological life, but “life

in its fullness – education, values, decency, faith. And related to this, the formation of our families in integrity, truth, and justice.” The Cardinal said this was especially true in the Philippines. “Sa family natututunan ang corruption, sa familynatututunan ang pagsisinungaling, sa family natututunan ang pandaraya, at kung minsan, nagagamit pang rason angfamily (It is in the family that corruption is learned, in the family that lying is learned, in the family that cheating is learned. Sometimes, family is used as a reason, too).” He said that the family should be the transmitter not of vice, but of values, love, and peace. Timeless values in a time of diversity, complexity. Tagle said that Catholics should not be shocked at the variety of opinions which were voiced in the first synod. He quoted Pope Francis as saying that the world was becoming more and more complex, and that to address complex situations, the Church should be at home with diversity and complexity. “What might sound like different opinions may be different facets of the same reality,” Tagle said. In the end, the teachings of the Church throughout the centuries were rich, as opposed to “monotone,” he said. A “great Christian tradition” could help them respond to new situations. Rather than seeing the diversity as “a betrayal of the Christian faith,” Catholics should realize that they were all motivated by one faith, that of God, the Church, and the people who were wounded and in difficult situations, Tagle said. ■ Tricia Aquino / InterAksyon.com /

October 30, 2014 / 3:46 PM


NEWS

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

www.hello-philippines.com

37

Juan Flavier - Mr. Let’s DOH It, People’s Senator - quietly passes away SENATOR Juan M. Flavier, indisputably one of the most loved, popular, and respected public servants in the post-People Power Philippines, died at 3:55 p.m. on Thursday, succumbing to multiple organ failure brought about by pneumonia. He was 79. Flavier leaves behind a sterling legacy in public health. He shepherded stricter anti-tobacco measures, battled infectious diseases with an internationally acclaimed multi-vaccine national immunization program, and worked to provide all Filipinos greater public access to health facilities and services. He was a lifetime champion of reproductive health, although he was ambivalent about lobbying for a law – foreseeing it as a divisive exercise – and instead espoused a “just do it” mentality, believing that administrative orders and sheer political will could deliver the services and access that Filipinos needed. He also authored and shepherded landmark legislation ranging from the Anti-Poverty Law which created the National Anti-Poverty Commission, to the E-Commerce Law, and the Indigenous People’s Rights Act. His work was widely acknowledged as the result not just of his keen knowledge and experience as a physician, but his communication skills and personal charisma. Famously short in stature, the 4’11” health champion was a giant in Philippine government and politics from the time he joined the Ramos administration in 1992 until his retirement from public service in 2008. Flavier helped lead the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM) and the International Institute for Rural Reconstruction (IIRR) - a Ramon Magsaysay Awardee - from 1967 to 1992, and his work in rural reconstruction was so influential that in the 1970s he was courted by former President Ferdinand Marcos to head the Ministry of Agriculture. Flavier declined the invitation, but eventually found himself in government when he was appointed Secretary of Health in 1992 by thenPresident Fidel V. Ramos. On Thursday Flavier succumbed to complications brought about by pneumonia. Over the past three

years he had suffered a series of small strokes that left his speech facilities intact, but compromised his balance and mobility. He remained on the board of Philhealth and the SM Foundation until 2013, largely withdrawing to a private retirement in his Tandang Sora home in Quezon City, occassionally speaking out on public health matters. He was admitted to the National Kidney Institute on the second week of September, and was in the hospital’s instensive care unit from September 11 until his death on Thursday. From Baguio to the Barrios. Flavier was born in Tondo on June 23, 1935 (he was named after John the Baptist, whose feast day landed on the following day) but grew up in the mining community of Balatoc, Benguet, and then Camp John Hay in Baguio City. His father was a lathe machine operator, and his mother he described in his memoirs as a semi-literate one-time factory worker who wrapped bars of soap at the Philippine Refining Company and sold used clothes in Baguio. He was the second-youngest in a household of seven children - including two adopted brothers but was easily the overachiever in the family. He was valedictorian of his class at the Baguio City High School and obtained his medical degree from the University of the Philippines. Shortly after graduating, he shunned offers to work in the US, and instead worked in rural development in the Philippines. In 1967, he was recognized by the Philippine Jaycees as one of the country’s Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM). Soon after joining the Ramos Government, the diminutive health secretary burst into the national consciousness with a Doctors to the Barrios program that challenged graduates of medicine to work in isolated barangays - there were hundreds - that had not seen professional medical workers in decades. The program caught the national imagination on the back of Flavier’s own credibility: More than a product of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins program on public health, Flavier was a student and protege of IIRR founder and Ramon Magsaysay Awardee Y.C. James Yen, pioneer of China’s Barefoot Doctors program, and Flavier himself became a barrio

doctor in Nueva Ecija and Cavite for more than two decades. From Barrio to Senado. At the DOH, Secretary Flavier launched an ambitious “Oplan Alis Disease” campaign, calling for a national “Ceasefire for Children” that would allow for a full weekend of unfettered, unimpeded immunization offensive throughout the Philippine archipelago. The military and communist and Muslim insurgents heeded the call, and with tens of thousands of volunteers assisting barangay health workers and NGOs deployed to every inhabited island, and the support of business groups, the Philippines was eventually certified to have achieved a 100-percent immunization rate. He became so popular that Flavier - known to Filipinos as “Mr. Let’s DOH It”, after his department’s rallying slogan - within two years won a seat in the Senate. He ran again in 2001, placing 2nd overall on the back of his advocacies for HIV-AIDS, poverty alleviation, public healthcare systems, indigenous people’s rights, traditional medicine, and the environment. He gained unparalleled approval ratings, despite the influential Philippine Catholic Church actively campaigning against him, penalizing him for his campaigns on reproductive health. ‘Flavier for President’. Flavier became a household name for his folksy charm and unbridled sense of humor. He was given to plain, even gutter, Filipino, and was not averse to ribald jokes in Visayan, Ilonggo, Ilocano, Bicolano, or whatever language was called for, but only as devices to illustrate and drive home his points about the health and well-being of Filipinos. Senator Flavier was so popular that in 2000,

then-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo persuaded him to agree to being “floated” as a potential presidential candidate of the then-ruling coalition of Lakas. The senator briefly flirted with the campaign, but within a week of landing on the front pages as a “presidentiable”, and after getting the endorsement of former House Speaker Jose De Venecia, Flavier declared that he “did not have the fire in his belly” to aspire for Malacañang. He retired from government upon the expiration of his second term in the Senate, save for accepting a trustee position at the Board of Philhealth. He also served as a trustee for the SM Foundation. Dr. Flavier is survived by his wife, Susan, and their children Jondi, Johnet, James, and Joy, their respective families, and a brood of grandchildren and great grandchildren: Jesse, Pauline, Carlo, Jeid, Kia, Migo, Pio, JJ, Jerick, and Jasmine. He died surrounded by his family, his former chief of staff at the Senate, Rudy Quimbo, former staff member Ramon Navarra, former DOH undersecretary Susy Pineda Mercado, and former senator Orly Mercado. ■ InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 4:18 PM

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MANILA – The Korean company that topped the bidding for the Angat hydropower plant will take over the facility tomorrow. According to state-run Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp (Psalm), the 218-megawatt plant will be turned over to Korea Water Resources Corp (K-Water), which topped the bidding in 2010 but failed to immediately take over the facility because of a legal challenge. The plant’s turbines are powered by the release of water from the Angat dam, Metro Manila’s primary

water source, raising concern over handing control of the reservoir to a private entity. Government officials, however, have clarified that the release of water from the facility would still continue to be based on existing protocols that would be decided by the National Water Resources Board. K-Water, however, will undertake the rehabilitation of the decades old dam, which is estimated to cost some P5.7 billion. ■ Euan Paulo C. Añonuevo / InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 8:03 PM

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SPORTS

www.hello-philippines.com

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

BOXING

Pacquiao ‘crossing fingers’ for megabout with Mayweather, but remains focused on Algieri HONG KONG – Filipino boxing star Manny Pacquiao said he hoped to finally step in the ring with archrival Floyd Mayweather next year as he denied he was taking his upcoming opponent Chris Algieri lightly. Pacquiao, mobbed by his supporters during a promotional trip to Hong Kong, said “I’m crossing my fingers” that the hotly anticipated Mayweather fight could happen in 2015. “Hopefully that fight will happen by next year,” he told AFP in an interview. “I’m crossing my fingers that that fight will happen but right now my mind is already set to focus on my next fight with Algieri. I think the time to talk about that issue is after the fight.” The eyes of the boxing world have

BOXING

long been on a showdown between the unbeaten American and eight-division world champion Pacquiao (56-5-2), two of the greatest boxers of their generation. The two regularly exchange taunts with “Money” Mayweather recently posting pictures of Pacquiao’s losses, and the Filipino last month telling his rival to stop “blabbing” and fight him. Pacquiao, 35, said he had a “couple of years” left before retiring — seemingly ample time to secure the money-spinning fight, if the two sides’ promoters can settle their differences. “I’m not thinking yet about retirement. I will continue my boxing career, the journey will continue in my boxing career and we’ll see what

happens,” he said. But he said his immediate focus was on his November 23 World Boxing Organization welterweight title defense in Macau against former kickboxer Algieri. Pacquiao previously dismissed the American as only an “okay” fighter, and this month he took a break from training to make his professional basketball debut in the Philippines’ domestic league. But he denied underestimating Algieri (20-0) and said he had been training to face a taller fighter. Algieri is about nine centimeters (3.5 inches) taller than the 1.69-meter (5ft 7in) Pacquiao. “No, absolutely I’m not taking this fight lightly because I know his hunger

and he’s young and he wants to win the fight, but I will not let that happen,” Pacquiao said. “I’m not thinking about the knockout because it will make me confident and careless,” he added. “If the knockout comes it will come but my focus is to make sure that 100 percent condition and killer instinct is there, the aggressiveness is there, so that’s my focus in training.” Pacquiao also said he was inspired

by the enthusiastic support he had received in Hong Kong, home to a large community of expatriate Filipinos. “I feel so very happy because I met a lot of Filipinos here in Hong Kong and I was surprised because I didn’t expect a lot of people in the streets,” he said. “The cheer of the people, their support, it helps a lot. It gives more inspiration and determination to focus and fight,” added the boxer. ■ AFP / October 28, 2014

‘Filipino Flash’ Nonito Donaire knocked out in sixth round by unbeaten foe Nicholas Walters

LOS ANGELES – Undefeated Jamaican Nicholas Walters knocked out Filipino star Nonito Donaire with one second remaining in the sixth round Saturday to win the World Boxing Association featherweight title. Walters landed a powerful overhand right to the left temple that sent the champion crumpling to the canvas and referee Raul Caiz counted out Donaire at 2:59 of the sixth round. “I invited him in and then I caught him with that powerful shot,” Walters said. “It was tough

work. He’s a super world champion. He caught me (with) a few shots early.” Donaire, who had never been knocked down in his career, was sent to the canvas for the first time in the third round before being sent down for good. “He knocked the (hell) out of me,” Donaire said. “I was at my best. I never trained this hard. He came out as tough as I thought he would be.” Walters, three years younger than Donaire at 28, improved to 25-0 with his 21st career stoppage inside the distance in his first world title bout. Donaire, who fell to 33-3, said he

needed to re-evaluate his career plans, potentially looking to a lower weight class, after being unable to cope with the superior size of Walters, who also opened a cut over the champion’s right eye. “I’ve got to go back to the drawing board,” Donaire said. “I just can’t compete with guys like Walters. He was overwhelming. I couldn’t match his size and his power.” Donaire had won titles at 112, 118 and 122 pounds and was defending for the first time the WBA crown he won in May at Macau over South African Simpiwe Vetyeka.

MAC Cardona had one of his rare explosions Wednesday night, knocking down 25 points, six rebounds and huge buckets in the fourth quarter run to help the NLEX Road Warriors blemish the once unbeaten card of the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel, 97-81. Once the league’s scoring leader, Cardona was offensive minded once more against a Ginebra team that looked invincible in the past two games. But despite his scoring prowess, the “Captain Hook” said that it was defense which won the game for NLEX. “Nung natalo kami against Talk N

eye of Donaire in the fourth round and used his superior reach to effectively jab and keep the Asian fighter at a distance until the final punch. ■ AFP / October 19, 2014

BASKETBALL

BASKETBALL

Defense main key in NLEX’s win over Ginebra, says top scorer Mac Cardona

Donaire was able to land a left hook that stung Walters just before the end of the second round. “I got a little bit too confident,” Walters said. “He caught me with a very good shot. Boom. “I recuperated from the shot just by walking to the corner. I came out and I knew I had a job to do and I went out and got that job done.” The Caribbean fighter answered by inflicting Donaire’s first career knockdown with 30 seconds remaining in the third round, slamming a right uppercut into the champion’s chin. Walters opened a cut over the right

Chot Reyes assures Gilas not disbanded, but says his staying on as coach depends on SBP mandate

Photo by Nuki Sabio, ©PBA Images

Text, sinabihan kami na nagbigay kami ng average na 99 points. So binaliktad namin, nag-focus naman kami sa depensa. ‘Yun ang gusto kong ginawa namin tonight against Ginebra,” Cardona said. NLEX was coming off a 103-81 beating against the Tropang Texters, and the Road Warriors did not allow any blowout against Ginebra after going toe-to-toe for the first three quarters. The Road Warriors then put their clamps on the Gin Kings in the fourth quarter, forcing Ginebra to shoot outside shots as NLEX waxed hot on

the other end for a 35-15 run that sealed the result. Apart from defense, the former La Salle stalwart Cardona is also happy that he is finding his rhythm with the dribble drive offense coach Boyet Fernandez is implementing. “Siguro suit lang talaga sa akin yung dribble drive,” Cardona told a small group of sportswriters after the game. “Since nung kay coach Chot (Reyes) pa kami, dribnle drive na yung tinatakbo namin. Yun din ang system ni Coach Boyet.” ■ Rey Joble / InterAksyon. com / October 29, 2014 / 11:55 PM

PHILIPPINE national men’s basketball team coach Chot Reyes assured that the Gilas Pilipinas program has not been disbanded, and said that his continuing on as head coach of the team depends on the mandate of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) Board. Reports came out on Thursday that the program had been discontinued and that Reyes was out as coach after the SBP approved of the formation of a selection committee for potential coaches and players for the national team.

But the Gilas mentor said he had received word from SBP president Manuel V. Pangilinan and executive director Sonny Barrios that the program will continue. “I have been assured by both SBP President MVP & ED Sonny Barrios that the Gilas program has not been disbanded, and will continue under a regime of broader consultation with the basketball community, which I support,” he said in a statement. He made no such assurances about his head coaching post, though. “As to whether I will continue to be the Gilas Coach or not depends on the SBP Board, under whose mandate I have served since being appointed Head Coach since 2012.” Under Reyes, Gilas Pilipinas reached great heights, finishing runner-up in the 2013 FIBA Asia Championships and competing in the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup, although it had a disappointing stint in the recent Asian Games in Incheon, Korea. ■ InterAksyon.com / October 30, 2014 / 9:39 PM


SPORTS

November 2014 – No. 21 • UK & Europe Edition

www.hello-philippines.com

39

MORE SPORTS

UFL: Phil Younghusband carries Loyola to FA League Cup semis STAR striker Phil Younghusband buried two goals to lift the Loyola Meralco Sparks to a 2-1 victory over rival Kaya FC and into the semifinals of the United Football League’s FA League Cup Monday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. Younghusband’s first goal came from the penalty spot, sending Kaya goalkeeper Nick O’Donnell the wrong way to open the scoring at the 24th minute. Kaya tied the game before haltime as Diego Barrera sent a long range rocket into the back of the net. Younghusband delivered once again for Loyola in the second half, unleashing an unstoppable effort past the hapless O’Donnell once again to lift the Sparks to a 2-1 lead which was enough to give them a semifinals seat. “It was a really good game. It was always going to be difficult against Kaya. Their fans won’t let me talk now. Incredible fans, they won’t stop,” said Loyola coach Simon McMenemy after the game amid loud heckling from the Kaya supporters. “I’m really impressed with the commitment from both sides. That was a really tough game for us, and we’re very proud to beat a team like Kaya.”

The Sparks will face another rival in Global FC in the semifinals, and McMenemy expects difficult battle. “It’s another tough game. It’s not going to be anything different, more of the same. They’re going to fight for everything. They have a little bit of a different shape. They know how to win. They’ve had a lot of success. So it’s going to be down to us to stop them. We’re keen and ready to go, we’re looking forward to it,” he said. Meanwhile, the heroics of Lee Jeong Woo saved the day for Pachanga Diliman FC as he converted a goal 10 minutes into the extra period for a 2-1 victory over the gutsy Manila All-Japan, whose Cinderella story ended but not without pushing its foes to the limit.

The Division Two side conceded just before half-time to a free-kick from Behrouz Khoshgavar, but forced the match into extra-time through Yugo Kobayashi’s 87th minute header. That was before Lee’s header sent Pachanga to the semifinals against Bacolod City powerhouse Ceres-La Salle FC. “This is a good opportunity for Pachanga Diliman to be a famous club if we win the game. I will try to work really hard with the players,” said new head coach Yuki Matsuda. “The players have great heart so we will be ready.” The semi-finals will be played on Tuesday also at the Rizal Stadium with telecast on AksyonTV. ■ InterAksyon.com / October 28, 2014 / 11:12 PM

Photo by Ver Marquez, ©InterAksyon.com

FOOTBALL

Photo by Ver Marquez, ©InterAksyon.com

Azkals up five spots in latest FIFA World Rankings THE Philippines moved up five notches in the latest FIFA World Rankings released Thursday. The Azkals rose to 129th from 134th last month to remain Southeast Asia’s best team in the global ladder ahead of regional rivals Vietnam (136th), Myanmar (137th), Malaysia (156th), Indonesia (157th), Singapore (161st) and Thailand (163rd). FIFA calculates every country’s ranking based on match results (a win, a loss or a draw), its importance (i.e. a friendly or a World Cup match), and the strength of the nation’s opponent ranking-wise. These points are then accumulated from the

country’s past results in the previous four years. The Filipinos last played against Papua New Guinea and cruised to an easy 5-nil win last October 12 at Rizal Memorial Football Stadium. The Azkals will next take on Nepal during a training tour in Qatar on Friday and Thailand on November 10 in Nakhon Ratchasima. The matches are part of the Azkals’ preparations for the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup in November where they will try to surpass their semifinal finishes in the tournament’s past two editions. ■ InterAksyon.com / October 26, 2014 / 4:04 PM


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Azkals to play Cambodia in final tuneup before Suzuki Cup FOOTBALL

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Photo by Ver Marquez, ©InterAksyon.com

THE Philippine national men’s football team will be facing Cambodia in the Azkals’ final tuneup before heading to the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup in November. The 129th-ranked Azkals and the 185th-ranked Cambodia will face off on November 14 at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, the Philippine Football Federation announced on Tuesday. Cambodia fell short of qualifying for the Suzuki Cup after finishing third in the qualifiers this month. Myanmar and Laos made it to the tournament proper after

finishing No.1 and No.2, respectively. Apart from the match against Cambodia, the Azkals have two more friendlies lined up in their schedule. The Filipinos will play Nepal during a training tour in Doha, Qatar on Friday and local club Al Ahli SC on Sunday before playing as visitors against Thailand on November 10 in Nakhon Ratchasima. The Azkals are grouped with host Vietnam, Indonesia and Laos in the Suzuki Cup where the Filipinos aim to surpass their semifinal finishes in the past two editions. ■ InterAksyon.com / October 28, 2014 / 10:49 PM


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