T H E
ENTERT
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Rufa Mae Quinto gets engaged to nonshowbiz boyfriend See Page 5
WWW.USASIANPOST.COM
Vol. 5 No. 20
A BALITA MEDIA PUBLICATION
LOS ANGELES
Friday - Thursday, February 12 - 18, 2016
PHL’s raucous election season gets underway By Karl Malakunas
Manila, Philippines | AFP | Sunday 2/7/2016 − The Philippines’ raucous democracy cranks into top gear this week as campaigning begins for national elections, with familiar themes of corruption, dictatorship and celebrity star-power to dominate.
Commission on Election Chairman Andres Bautista demonstrates the function of a vote-counting machine (VCM), which will be used for the May 9 national and local elections, at a warehouse in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, Thursday. The machines are currently undergoing Hardware Acceptance Test (HAT).(MNS photo)
Local mayor shot in pre-election ambush M a n i l a , P h i l i p pines | AFP | Sunday 2/7/2016 − A Philippine town mayor was shot and wounded in an ambush in the conflict-wracked south on Sunday, two days before the official campaign for general elections in May kick off, police said. A gunman riding a motorcycle opened fire on Mayor Jasper Que as he drove with his two bodyguards in the port city of Zamboanga at around 9 am, city police spokeswoman Senior Inspector Helen Galvez told AFP.
Que, who is not seeking reelection, is mayor of Bongao, a remote seaside town in Tawi-Tawi, an impoverished island chain on the country’s southernmost tip. A relative is running to succeed him, according to election records. Que, who suffered three gunshot wounds to his arm, leg and buttocks, is recovering in a Zamboanga hospital while his assailant escaped. It was not immediately clear if the attack was election-related, See AMBUSH, page 12
The three-month campaign launches Tuesday with most interest on a crowded contest to succeed President Benigno Aquino, who has won global applause for six years of strong economic growth and a bruising anti-graft campaign. There are myriad other subplots, including a bid by dead dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s son to take the vice presidency and eight-time world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao’s run for a Senate seat. The jailhouse campaigns of two politicians charged with murder who are running in local mayoral elections, as well as graft-tainted
ex-president Gloria Arroyo’s run for a third term as congresswoman while behind bars, fuel a sizzling political atmosphere of chaos and chicanery. There are four major contenders in the battle to move into the presidential palace and most analysts predict the deciding factors will − as usual − be name recognition and charisma rather than ideology or policy. “In the Philippines, elections are like a circus with the candidates trying to attract attention with their performances,” Earl Parreno, an analyst at the Manila-based See ELECTION, page 12
13 Filipino workers killed in Iraq hotel fire identified
MANILA, Feb 8 (Mabuhay) − The 13 Filipino women workers who died in a hotel fire in Iraq have all been identified, the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad said Monday, as it clarified earlier reports that 14 Filipinas died in the incident. “Kahapon, natapos namin yung pag-identify ng mga remains nung ating mga sinawing palad ng mga kababayan. Right now, we’re in the process of notifying their next of See IRAQ FIRE, page 12
President Benigno Aquino III with PCOO Secretary Sonny Coloma grace the ceremony of Manila Bulletin 116th anniversary, offered a toast along with Vice Chairman and Executive Vice President Dr. Emilio Yap III and President of Manila Hotel Joey Lina in celebration of the anniversary. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation (MB) was founded as the Daily Bulletin on February 2, 1900 for the purpose of engaging in the publishing business. (MNS photo)
Tsinoy community a ‘treasured 2 Pinoys among 5 seafarers held hostage part of nation’: Aquino MANILA, Feb 8 (Mabuhay) − reaching as they are varied; your in Nigeria: report President Benigno Aquino III on unique culture has become part of
PAL-LAX Sales Manager Jemma Saranillo with her Team
PAL announces the launching of its non-stop LAX-Cebu flight on March 15 By Joy Marino
LOS ANGELES − Philippine Airlines is expanding its United States service with the launching of its non-stop flight from Los Angeles to Cebu, an executive of the Philippines’ national flag carrier announced. The launch of the flights between Cebu and Los Angeles coincides with the airline’s 75th founding anniversary on March 15, said Jemma Saranillo, PAL Los Angeles Sales Manager during the Roadshow Presentation held at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles last Wednesday, February 3. According to Ms. Saranillo, PAL will utilize its 254-seater Airbus A340 for the Cebu-Los Angeles flights. The Airbus A340 is equipped with a 36-lie flat business seats and 218 economy-class seats. See PAL ANNOUNCES, page 12
MANILA, Feb 8 (Mabuhay) -Five crew members of an oil tanker − two of them Filipinos − are believed to be being held hostage by separatist rebels off Nigerian waters, according to a US News report over the weekend. The report, citing the Associated Press, said the rebels hijacked first the Greek-owned MT Leon Dias then took with them the crew members − the Filipino cap-
See HOSTAGE, page 12
Monday joined the Filipino-Chinese community in celebration the Lunar New Year, calling it “a treasured component of our nation.” In a message, Aquino wished Tsinoys “happiness, prosperity, and good health” for the coming year. Aquino highlighted the heritage of Chinese-Filipinos, which he said, “adds depth and vibrancy to our Republic’s history.” “Your contributions are as far
our collective identity as Filipinos,” he said. “Thus, the government is one with you in celebrating the Lunar New Year − one of the most significant events in the Chinese calendar. May this event enrich, highlight, and promote the qualities, values, and ideals that make your community a treasured component of our nation; may it embody the harmony and hope signaled by the See TSINOY, page 12
Two die while running PHL marathon M a n i l a , P h i l i p pines | AFP | Monday 2/8/2016 − Two men including a decorated military officer died while running a charity marathon in the Philippines, organizers said Monday. “We are devastated over the loss of our two brothers who ran for a Hero during the 8th Condura Skyway marathon last February 7,
2016,” the organizers said on their Facebook page. It said a 38-year-old and a 40-year-old military officer died during Sunday’s race in Manila but gave no cause of death. Army spokesman Colonel Benjamin Hao said Major Arnold Lubang collapsed just a kilometre (0.6 miles) away from the finish
line, adding that an autopsy indicated he died of cardiac arrest. “We were shocked when he collapsed. He ran a lot. He was into all kinds of sports. When he was into something, he really went to excel,” Hao told AFP. Lubang had previously won the army’s third highest honour See TWO DIE, page 12