PinoyWatchDog.com Dec 9 2012 by Pinoy WatchDog

Filipinos everywhere celebrate Calungsod canonization

VOL. 2 NO. 4 • 16 PAGES •

25K CIRCULATED IN LOS ANGELES/ORANGE COUNTIES AND INLAND EMPIRE

Report says Philippines is 6th fastest growing Frank and Citi Private’s 2012 economy in the world Wealth Report has placed the Phil► By Melissa Salvador, PWD Manila Business Correspondent

ESPITE catastrophic global economic problems, the Republic of the Philippines is experiencing rapid economic growth, as exemplified by the 7.1 per cent GDP growth in the third quarter of 2012. President Benigno Aquino’s administration has pursued national reforms and programs to enhance our country’s economic landscape and has paved the way for a better future for Filipinos.

ippines at the 6th fastest-growing economy in the world between years of 2010 to 2050. Citi’s Chief Economist Willem Buiter, said, “as part of the process of fast economic growth, vast wealth will be created. The distribution of that wealth will be dictated by political factors as much as the economic process it-

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self, but there will be high returns from investment in skills and education.” Citi defines “Global Growth Generators or 3G as countries, regions, cities, trade corridors, sectors, industries, firms, technologies, products and asset classes that over the next five, 10, 20 and 40 years are expected to deliver high growth and profitable investment opportunities.” It is truly amaz-

MARQUEZ KO’S PACQUIAO

Turn to Page 3

► By DAVID CASUCO, PWD Sports Editor

AS VEGAS, December 8 – The collected gasp by Filipinos inside the 17,157-capacity MGM Grand Garden Arena reverberated all over the Philippine archipelago. Now the whole story can be told: Mexico City’s boxing superstar Juan Manuel Marquez put substance to revenge and redemption by pulling off an upset knockout win over the great Manny Pacquiao. Turn to Page 2

Photo by Romeo Balboa

► By Rene Villaroman, Managing Editor

ORONTO, December 6 – A study released here today points to Canada as shaping into a less welcoming country for immigrants from all over the world. The study, titled “Shaping the Future,” was written by public policy professor Naomi Alboim of Queen’s University and Karen Cohl, a former Ontario assistant deputy minister for citizenship. The study is critical of the changes in Canada’s immigration and refugee policies that were instituted during the Conservative government’s administration from 2008 until 2012. Turn to Page 12

► By Dionesio C. Grava, Deputy Managing Editor

hilippine Ambassador to Washington, D.C. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said that individuals and organizations in the US who would like to assist in the relief assistance can send their cash donations to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (www.ndrrmc.gov.ph); the Department of Social Welfare and Development (www.dswd.gov.ph); and the Philippine National Red Cross (www.redcross. Turn to Page 3 org.ph).

from our Pen Holidays at Templetown Page 13

PERRYSCOPE China’s true color Page 5

EDITORIAL

MY VIEW An Infectious Plague Page 4

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2012

Canada is shaping into a less welcoming country for immigrants, says report

Charitable Groups Mobilize, Appeal for Donations for “Pablo” Typhoon Victims

BUNKER SHOT

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There is a need for sane discussion of the Reproductive Health Bill by all its opponents. Page 4

Sunday, December 9, 2012

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Undocumented Workers Entitled to Decent Pay After Visa Denial and Termination

► By Joel Bander, Attorney at Law

o, you have been working for about a year for an employer who has sponsored you for a H1-B or Labor Certification. You have been paid a flat weekly fee less than the minimum wage. You are working more than 40 hours a week and are not getting time and one-half. They have promised that once your visa application has been approved that then they will pay you at least a minimum wage, but that you should be grateful that they are hiring you illegally and sponsoring you. ‘Don’t complain,’ they say, because we could cancel your employment visa application and terminate you. So, you wait. Then, after all that waiting, and working for next to nothing your

employment visa gets denied and your employer terminates you. Often, they will just start the same cycle over again, victimizing another hopeful alien. The reality is that they never intended for the application to be successful. And to make matters worse, you are the one who has paid the lawyer for this ineffectual visa petition and/or an employment referral agency for finding the employer, and the employer required you to use that attorney as a condition for the undocumented employment and bogus visa application. What does that mean? Often, there is an ‘arrangement’ between the unscrupulous employer and unethical attorney/employment agency because an objective attorney would have told you that the visa application has no merit.

Luckily, you have recourse. California, and most other states, has very employee-conscious wage and hour laws. These laws require that every worker, (with few exceptions) regardless of whether they are documented or undocumented, receive minimum wage and time and one-half for over time. If the employer has not paid them they are then liable for these amounts, interest and penalties. And they have to pay the worker’s attorneys fees! This means that even though your unpaid wages may only total $5000-8000, an amount usually considered too small for an attorney to handle, the interest, penalties and attorney fees under law completely reverse that economic inequity. And do not worry if you were paid only in cash. That is actually a separate, actionable labor claim! Sometimes, these claims can total over $50,000! $300 owed a week over a year or more plus interest

MARQUEZ KO’S PACQUIAO From Page 1

The end came 2:59 into the sixth round when Marquez caught Pacquiao with a wicked right to the face and the Filipino boxing hero fell down and out. It was a statement victory that every Marquez fan was hoping for. Certainly, it did seal practically all the loose ends of the storied Marquez-Pacquiao boxing rivalry. Highlight reels came aplenty as the fighters, both thinking knockout, threw all cautions into the wind and engaged each other in an intense welterweight slugfest last seen in the blockbuster Oscar dela Hoya-Felix Trinidad “Fight of the Millennium.” “Yes, I was careless,” Pacquiao said in a postfight interview. The Filipino prizefighter was brought to an area hospital for precautionary medical attention. Bob Arum, talking to sportswriters at the media center said Pacquiao’s “nose is probably broken, he has difficulty breathing and sustained some concussion.” Referee Kenny Bayless signaled “no mas” as the Latino fans went delirious: On their feet, they punched their fists in the air, yelled, shrieked, cried, screeched, and hollered in wild, orgiastic frenzy. Then, as the crescendo of “Me-ji-co, Meji-co” chant reached earsplitting level, the Filipinos made a beeline for the exits I craned over to the rowdy group with a Mexican flag near the press section and asked: “What was the celebration for? “Redemption has come for “El Dinamita,” senor. “Good answer,” I said, acknowledging them with a sidetracked look. It was a fitting end to a

Photo by Romeo Balboa

ring rivalry that had been a conundrum to even the elite boxing pundits. Marquez, fully aware that his very legacy is on the line, dug deep into his rich arsenal of experience to fashion out the victory that should galvanize his claim in boxing history as the “Nemesis of the Great Pacman.” The 39-year old Marquez, who climbed the ring a big 4-1 underdog, fought an aggressive fight, dropping Pacquiao 1:16 with a colossal right hand to the face. The Pacman returned the favor in the 5th when he tagged Marquez with a flurry of power shots that floored the Mexican. Manny Marquez (57-4-1 38 KOs) was actually looking for an abbreviated fight via knockout if only to shake off the pain of his past controversial defeats to Pacquiao. Tonight, he finally did it on his fourth try. No more ifs and buts, everything worked perfectly for the Mexican prizefighter. Talking in Spanish through an interpreter Marquez had this to say:“I am very happy, so, so happy with this victory,” said Marquez.

“This victory gives justice to me, to my country. I am very, very happy. I am grateful to HBO, to Bob Arum and the people who supported me for this fight.” “I was going to retire last year, but now that I finally won over Manny I am going to reconsider,” he said. A boxing lore that had been a conundrum to even the elite boxing pundits, the Pacquiao-Marquez conflict has captured the imagination of the boxing world. The fact is that even when the Pacman was at the top of his game and dominating every adversary thrown before him, the fights with Marquez were always difficult, very close and highly contentious. With the victory, the Mexico City boxer picked up a guaranteed $3 million fight purse. Pacquiao, on the other hand, took home most of the fight largesse of $8.5 million. These figures do not include the pay-per-view and foreign TV revenue takes, of which the two fighters have a considerable piece of the pie. In the undercards, two of three Filipino fighters fashioned out compelling victories.

and penalties can really add up! And even though the example above discusses workers who have been sponsored by their employer, any worker is entitled to these benefits. ‘But attorney’, I hear often, ‘the employer said he will turn me in to the USCIS if I sue him.’ This is an empty claim. The USCIS is working with the Labor Department to go after employers who abuse their employees as described in the column. And the employer is only exposing their own crimes by reporting the circumstances to a federal agent. Also, in California, the worker’s undocumented status is not even admissible in the court proceeding. The judge has been instructed by the legislature to not consider that fact, and the jury will never hear you are undocumented. Indeed, the employer’s lawyer cannot even ask you about your immigration status.

Dodie Boy Penalosa Jr., who hails from a family of boxers in Cebu City, conquered his foe and the hearts of boxing fans at the Garden Arena with a superb display

And let us not forget that money you have paid the attorney. You have a right to be reimbursed if there was no basis for the petition in the first place. In Los Angeles, and most other counties, the County Bar Association has a cheap and quick fee arbitration system that all attorneys are required to participate in. Once you win it is the attorney who must file a lawsuit to stop the refund of fees. (Atty. Joel R. Bander has over twenty five years of litigation experience. He has successfully handled numerous cases before Federal, State, Civil, and Criminal Judges and has participated in hundreds of arbitrations and trials. His office is in downtown Los Angeles: 801 S. Grand Avenue, 11th Floor, Tel: 213-873-4333, Email: info@ banderlaw.com, www.banderlaw.com.

of fistic firepower that made his father Dodie Boy and uncle Gerry Penalosa – champion boxers both – look like virtual underachievers. It was Penalosa’s 10th KO win

in as many outings. Penalosa Jr., a southpaw who trains under the watchful eyes of his father, Turn to Page 13

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Report says Philippines is 6th fastest growing economy in the world From Page 1

ing that our mother Philippines is included in Citi’s list of Global Growth Generators – or “3G” countries. Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Mongolia, Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are also on this list. According to National Statistical Coordination Board, “Philippine economy accelerates by 7.1 percent in Q3 2012. The beyond expectation third quarter growth was driven by the services sector with the robust performances of transport, storage and communication, financial intermediation, and real estate, renting and business activities supported by the five consecutive quarters of sustained accelerated growth of the Industry and the seemingly weather-tolerant agriculture sector. With the upwardly revised second quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) estimate, the growth for the first nine months of 2012 at 6.5 percent surpassed the upper end target of the 6.0 percent for the whole year.” Based on 2012 Wealth Report, Vietnam and Bangladesh have 7.5 percent growth rate, Iraq posts 7.7 percent growth, India has 8.0 percent growth rate, and Nigeria’s growth rate is pegged at 8.5 percent. In the 2012 Index of Econom-

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ic Freedom released by The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation, “the Philippines’ economic freedom score is 57.1, making its economy the 107th freest in the 2012 Index. Its score is 0.9 point higher than last year, with a significant improvement in business freedom.” Another survey on the best countries for business listed on Forbes, the Philippines maintained its ranking at 87th among the 141 nations. The ranking was based on “property rights, innovation, taxes, technology, corruption, freedom (personal, trade and monetary), red tape, investor protection and stock market performance.” President Aquino administration’s “Daang Matuwid” program has established its position as the Philippines’s ranking among the world’s most corrupt countries has improved its standing in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) this year by moving up 24 points, from 129th place in 2011 to 105th. The Chief Executive is committed in combating corruption and has placed better systems that would implement improved transparency. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima stated, “Philippine government collected P134.320 billion in Oc-

tober, soaring 29.2% from the last year and bringing the ten-month aggregate revenue to P1.253 trillion.” Year-on-year inflation slowed to 2.8 percent in November from 3.1 percent in October and the peso stabilized at P40.9 to $1. Department of Health 2013 budget of P54.6 billion promises better health care for all Filipinos. “Sixty-nine percent of the proposed budget will finance the subsidy for health insurance premium payment of indigent families to the National Health Insurance Program, health facilities enhancement program, implementation of the doctors to the barrios and rural health practice program, family health including responsible parenting, expanded program on immunization, national pharmaceutical policy development including provision of drugs and medicines, medical and dental supplies to affordable quality drugs available, elimination of diseases and emerging diseases, and rabies control program.” The Department of Agrarian Reform and the Cooperative Development Authority inked a landmark agreement last December 6 that would assist agrarian reform beneficiaries. President Aquino ordered the release of DAR budget

of P1 billion to finance credit assistance to farmer-beneficiaries of the agrarian reform program. Agency expected that the said fund will have an impact on the ability of these beneficiaries to transform their lives. President Aquino is committed to land reform all over the country by 2016. All of these achievements are only some of the means that the present government is working on for a bigger goal of competitive and revitalized Philippines. Doing what is right may not be always as easy as doing the wrong but the President will take is for the general welfare

of Filipinos. It is not impossible to work in unison. What we have in common is inborn – we are all Filipinos. Let us shout to the whole world that we are Filipinos and we want the best of this world simply because we deserve it! Melissa Salvador is a graduate of Economics. She earned Master in Business Administration from ATENEO de Manila University. Salvador is the President of iSynerji Global, Inc. (www.iSynerji.com) and Digital Strategist/Business Correspondent of PinoyWatchDog. com.

Charitable Groups Mobilize, Appeal for Donations for “Pablo” Typhoon Victims Fom Page 1

Her name was Aimee, a 7-yearold daughter of an overseas Filipino worker who had endured some 24 hours half-submerged in muddy water but died soon after being rescued. She had become the poster girl of the pain and devastation brought by Pablo, the worst typhoon that hit the Philippines this year. In a country where early Christmas cheers would have been the norm at this time of year, tragedy struck with such a devastating swath it left in its wake so much suffering and damage. The grim reaper has a bountiful harvest with

more than 500 bodies recovered so far. Blown in the wind; deaths in flash floods. That’s how one newspaper characterized the Category 5 storm that moved swiftly in its predicted path, sending roofs flying off houses, hectares of coconut trees tumbling, rivers bursting their banks, canceling flights and ferry services, church bells ringing and sirens wailing especially in some parts of Mindanao in the early hours of December 4. The predicted path included Bohol, Biliran, Camotes Island, Southern Leyte, Leyte, Eastern Turn to Page 10

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Editorial There is a need for sane discussion of the Reproductive Health Bill by all its opponents.

In a few days the fate of the Reproductive Health Bill being debated in the Philippine House of Representatives will be known. Leaders of the majority party in the House believe that the bill will pass by a small margin. Adding to the momentum of the bill’s eventual passing in the House is a statement made last week by outspoken Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago that it was “time for a showdown.”

“Rich or poor, Filipinos want the RH bill. We should do head-butting now,”said Santiago, sponsor of the bill in the Senate. “The House has reached a stage where the bill “should be put into a vote,” trumpeted a majority leader in the lower house. The Catholic Church, which is vehemently opposing the bill’s passage, has a different take on the looming House vote. Roman Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo claimed that typhoon “Pablo,” which killed more than 300 people in Mindanao last week, was a warning from God against passing the reproductive health bill currently under consideration by the house. Speaking at the Catholic Church-run Radio Veritas, Pabillo suggested the calamity, responsible for so much “death, destruction and misery, was actually the “Lord trying to send a message.” “I don’t know if it’s just a coincidence or if the Lord is trying to send a message to us that whenever that (RH Bill) is being discussed heatedly, it seems there’s a disaster that causes much suffering among us,” Pabillo suggested. Now, we are not saying that miracles and such do not happen, but what Bishop Pabillo is essentially telling Filipinos is that the Lord has a vested interest in all aspects of Philippine government’s affairs, including its legislative functions. If that were true, then it stands to reason that God needs to send more disasters to the Philippines for other pervasive ills in the country, like corruption in all levels of the government and the weak and corrupt justice system. Hundreds of thousands of Filipino lives have been lost to floods and typhoons and other natural calamities for hundreds of years. Those disasters may not have been totally attributed to God’s wrath. Fair-minded people who are familiar with their geography would simply ascribe these natural upheavals to the Philippines archipelago’s location in the Pacific, putting the Philippines in the path of destructive and deadly typhoons and hurricanes. Their unfortunate collateral damages in the form of landslides and floods are mostly due to governmental shortcomings and misdirected priorities. And there is a long list of that where nature’s preservation is concerned. For example: rampant and unregulated illegal logging in the forests of the three major island groups; clogged waterways, especially in urban areas, unchecked global warming, and a slew of other governmental neglects. The Catholic Church, just like every group that opposes the bill, needs to craft a message that is universally understood by all Filipinos, especially the poor, a sector that would be greatly served if that bill was made into law, and the sector that most often suffer the brunt of these natural disasters. The Church would be better served and understood if it stopped using metaphors in its campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Filipino citizenry. It needs to attack its adversary at a gut level, not with its continual usage of God’s name to advance its anti-RH Bill agenda. “While there is a general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is a great debate on its key proposals that the Philippine government and the private sector will fund and undertake widespread distribution family planning devices, such as condoms, birth control pills, and IUDs (intrauterine devices),” said Wikipedia. The Philippines is ranked 12th most populous nation in the world today, with close to 100 million people. The Filipino women’s fertility rate is “at the upper bracket of 206 countries,” Wikipedia said. A study shows that rapid population growth exacerbates poverty while poverty spawns rapid population growth. The RH Bill aims for improved quality of life through a “consistent and coherent national population policy.” The President has indicated his full support for the bill’s passing, although he has not tabled it as urgent. The population control aspect of the bill would certainly dovetail with his administration’s initiatives for continued economic growth and they will benefit the nation’s poor. Being a Catholic himself, President Aquino is walking on a tightrope with regards the ultimate disposition of this bill. And he is taking a populist approach with his support of this legislation even though its passing would seem to go against his Catholic faith and the Church’s doctrines. The time for reckoning of the RH Bill is at hand, after all the merits and demerits of the bill have been argued and debated on for months. At this point in its inception it deserves to go forward to claim its birthright and let’s leave the fire and brimstone behind.

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Sunday, December 9, 2012

An Infectious Plague

t appears that the gods of the mythical germanic kingdom of Valhalla have descended upon FACLA and spread a plague which makes its denizens lose their wisdom, turning them all into nuts. In the book--Gotterdammerung-- (Twilight Of The Gods) by Friedrich Nietzsche, these gods of Valhalla worked out a way to punish those they have condemned to destroy, by making them crazy first. By all indications, these demigods of the community are now suffering this infectious plague heaped upon them by our angry gods. And now, they are doomed to a state of mediocrity and irrelevancy, unless they wake up and shake off this stupor, and find ways to mend. How else can one explain the nebulousness and the apparent bad faith which accompanied the crafting of that resolution to expel 5 members of the Board of Directors? How could these demigods have approved a flawed document? The resolution did not resolve anything except to approve the violations but did not impose the penalty of expulsion. The title of the document--Resolution To Expel”-is misplaced, and it should be at the “resolve therefore” portion. A resolution is titled with the number and circa, like Resolution No. 101A-12. Now it is being passed around that nobody in the board wrote the document but instead had it written by an outsider who is said to be a paralegal. Why if this is true, this is madness of the highest order, wrought by the ire of the gods of Valhalla. To top it all, the granddaddy of this lunacy, they forgot to approve the resolution to expel, but had it sent to the 5 directors concerned, anyway. Why, Mr. Ben Basilio, who was instrumental in the drafting of the By-Laws, even overlooked the fact that to expel a director, a twothirds (2/3) or ten (10) votes of the members of the Board of Directors, composed of fifteen (15) members, is required to approve a motion to expel, even if there were no fifteen members present at the time. It is not two-thirds of the quorum nor two-thirds of all the members at the time constituting a quorum that will suffice. Nor it is a matter of substantial compliance. How could you claim then that these five (5) members of the Board of Directors were therefore expelled when there were only nine (9), repeat nine (9), signatures appearing in the document? It must be the plague of the gods at work! And they have enforced the resolution immediately by having their replacements, after paying the amount of two hundred dollars for their place in the sun, took their oath of office and took their respective seats among the demigods of the community. I just received information that the five ex-

pelled directors are now poised to claim their old seats, and the Board cannot now do the worse to them because they will never be able to have a two-thirds vote to prevent them from assuming their old positions. In this regard, what will happen to the five replacements who paid $200.00? That’s a good thousand bukol, eh bucks, which the organization may not have now. Wow, the gods’ plague is working some more. Really, Mr. Basilio, when is a petition to investigate considered a complaint? I guess, you’re talking of a preliminary investigation, where one determines if there is prima facie evidence to move forward and file a formal complaint. This is another instance which points to the fact that the atmosphere in FACLA ( Filipino American Community of Los Angeles, Inc.) is being polluted by a wave of clueless actions, no idea of lucidity at all. The petitioner, Mrs. Clarita Julian, presently the office manager of FACLA, seeks to have the Committee on Ethics and Grievances, of which Mr. Basilio is the sitting chairman, investigate a story related to her by one Mr. Kim Cabanig that Mrs. Erlinda Salazar told Mr. Cabanig stories and claims which could be libelous and unfair to Mrs. Julian and the president, Mr. Austin Baul. The petition was supported by the statements of Mr. Cabanig, which was uncorroborated and the statement of Mr. Baul which claimed that he too was told of the incident and purports to support the claim of Mr. Cabanig. Are these statements prima facie evidence? Mrs. Salazar is being asked now to answer the charges of unbecoming an officer and verbal abuse, when there’s no complaint filed against her. However, let’s take the statements at their face value: the statement of Mr. Cabanig is not corroborated and therefore inadmissible; that of Mr. Baul is pure hearsay He has no actual knowledge of the veracity of the story as it was only told to him, and therefore inadmissible too. What is best for the community, is for the Committee on EthTurn Page 13

Sunday, December 9, 2012

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China’s true color

ommunist China’s founder Mao Zedong used to say, “Power comes from the barrel of a gun.” It was true in his lifetime, and it was true during the reformist period of Deng Xiaoping. It was true during the tiger economy surge under Jiang Zemin. It was true during the globalization era of Hu Jintao. And it would be true in the era of Xi Jinping, China’s new ruler. And no matter how much China tries to promote “soft power” in an attempt to co-exist peacefully and harmoniously with the rest of the world, China is still the bully that is systematically slicing the Western Pacific like salami… piece by piece. Mao laid out China’s global goal in no uncertain terms. “We must conquer the globe where we will create a powerful state,” he said. Indeed, China today has territorial claims in nearly 20 countries, which include the following: Burma, Laos, Northern India, Vietnam, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the Ryukyu Islands, 300 islands of the South China, East China and Yellow Seas, as well as Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Taiwan, South Kazakhstan, the Afghan province of Bahdashan, Transbaikalia and the Far East to South Okhotsk (Source: Pravda, July 17, 2012). According to Mao, these territories were lost after the fall of the Qing dynasty in 1912. He dreamed of retaking them but didn’t live long enough to see it happen. And as China grows stronger economically and militarily, her voracious appetite for grabbing her neighbors’ land and waters, including the East China Sea and South China Sea, has put the Asia-Pacific region – nay, the world – closer to another senseless conflict. Territorial disputes In my article, “Trouble spots in Western Pacific waters” (October 5, 2012), I wrote: “On July 24, 2012, in her boldest move to date, China established a prefecture-level government in Sansha City located in Woody Island, which will administer all of the Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, and Macclesfield Bank. Woody Island — which was uninhabited when China forcibly took it from Vietnam 38 years ago — is now populated with more than 1,000 Chinese civilians with roads, a bank, a post office, a supermarket, and a hospital. Interestingly, Sansha is the smallest prefecture-level city by both population and land area (13 square kilometers or five square miles) but the largest by water area with two million square kilometers (772,000 square miles). In addition to the city government, China is also going to establish a military garrison in Sansha to protect her territory and sovereignty over the entire South China Sea. “With the establishment of the prefecture of Sansha, China achieved what she wanted without firing a shot: the entire South China Sea! Vietnam and the Philippines immediately protested China’s action. In response, China warned them against meddling in her internal affairs. “What’s China’s next move in the South China Sea?” Shock and awe On September 22, 2012, at the

opening of a trade fair for the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Nanning in southern China, then Vice President Xi said in his keynote speech that China’s own prosperity could only be guaranteed by having good relations with China’s neighbors. “The more progress China makes in development and the closer its links with the region and the world, the more important it is for the country to have a stable regional environment and a peaceful international environment,” he said. That’s well and good. But he also told the ASEAN leaders: “We are firm in safeguarding China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and are committed to resolving differences with neighbors concerning territorial land, territorial sea and maritime rights and interests peacefully through friendly negotiations.” It sounds like doubletalk to me. How can one negotiate with someone who already has a firm stand and is unwilling to compromise? It seems that his message was more like, “Let’s agree on my terms.” By mid-November, when Xi took over the post of Secretary General of China’s Communist Party and concurrently Chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, things began to happen. On November 28, China Daily reported that China’s island province of Hainan had empowered its border patrol police to “board or seize foreign ships that illegally enter its waters, or order these ships to change course or stop sailing.” The new regulation prohibits six illegal activities such as entering the province’s waters without permission, damaging coastal defense facilities, and carrying out publicity campaigns, which threatens the country’s security. And here is the stinger: The regulation also emphasizes that the “border police should strengthen the patrol of the waters off Sansha city and coordinate activities with the routine patrols of the South China Sea to protect the country’s maritime interests.” The regulation will take effect on January 1, 2013. China Dream The next day, November 29, Xi and the six other members of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party Central Committee Political Bureau (Politburo) -- China’s highest political body that rules the country – visited the “Road toward Renewal” exhibition at the National Museum of China, which

Where Did Christmas Go?

s I sat in front of the altar in our Church, I was dwarfed by the huge image of the Holy Family: St. Joseph standing behind the Blessed Virgin Mary who was carrying the child Jesus in her arms. The peace and quiet in the church was contagious, and merely looking at the three images calmed me down and produced the relaxation I was looking for while trying to escape the outside world. features Chinese history since the First Opium War in 1840-42. Speaking before the officials gathered at the event, Xi told his comrades to keep in mind that “the path decides the destiny” and he indicated how difficult it is to choose the “right road.” But he reminded them that they have to continue taking that road, “unswervingly.” Then he talked about the “China Dream,” saying: “In my view, to realize the great renewal of the Chinese nation is the greatest dream for the Chinese nation in modern history.” “We, this generation of Communists, must take what has been left to us by our predecessors as a departure for forging ahead into the future,” he said. And while he emphasized Deng Xiaoping’s revisionist brand of communism – “socialism with Chinese characteristics” -- Xi tried to reconnect with the Maoist old guard by quoting Mao, “But man’s world is mutable, seas become mulberry fields.” It seems like he’s blending his own ideological brand – a mixture of Maoism and Deng’s revisionism. He concluded his speech by saying: “I believe that by the time when the Communist Party of China marks its 100th founding anniversary (2020), the goal to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects will be inevitably achieved.” Xi’s metaphor is easily understood, which doesn’t leave any ambiguity on what’s in his mind. Makes one wonder if the event was stage-managed for the whole world to see what he intends to do during his 10-year reign. True color Xi laid out his master plan of what he’d accomplish by 2020; that is, a world superpower. He didn’t waste any time in consolidating his political power at home and at the same set in motion the steps necessary to take full and exclusive control of the East and South China Seas… and beyond. But for every action there is always reaction. The question is: How would China’s neighbors react and would they appease her just like what the European nations did to Germany 74 years ago? In the final analysis, Xi’s dream of China becoming a world superpower could bring the specter of another Cold War… or worse, a shooting war. Indeed, China is now showing her true color… that is, bloody red! (PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

Truly in this highly competitive world that is making life complex, the only sanctuary that promises peace of mind and worry-free days is our Church. After my meditation and as I walked to the door, a parishioner greeted me and said “Merry Christmas Bro. Larry.” Oh my God. Christmas is approaching but where is its spirit? Department stores, business offices, public and government buildings do not show any religious icons related with the celebration. What we see are giant letterings saying Merry Christmas, Merry Xmas, Happy Holidays, Bargain Sales offering from 10% to 50% discounts and mind-boggling advertisements luring customers to spend their hard-earned dollars. The air is filled with volumes of Christmas carols depicting digital preparation. It’s all about Santa Claus and his reindeer coming to town. Hardly can you hear religious songs for Advent. I called the Philippines last week and asked about the preparations Pinoys normally do back home. We are the only country in Asia which starts to celebrate Christmas in September until Christmas day. I was told even provinces, have joined and imitated the commercial celebration of Pasko in urban cities. So what gives? I am not anti-civilization nor the advancements that we are enjoying at present. But since we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ thousands of years ago, why can’t we see the profiles of the Holy Family on television major programs, popular newspapers and social media as seen during the birth of our Savior with the shepherds and farmers around the area. Children should have idea how it looked thousands of years ago during the birth of Jesus. You will have difficulty find-

ing religious cards on department stores. Religious calendars are nowhere to be found except on 99 Cents stores. To have some, you have to look for religious stores which are selling expensive icons as if these will assure your salvation. Children are accustomed to see Santa Claus and giant lanterns. Every now and then I received cards saying “Happy Holidays.” Where goes the greeting “Merry Christmas?” Other cards dropped the word Christ and replaced it with a big letter X in Xmas. Fil-ams can only connect with the Philippine celebration through the holding of Simbang Gabi in some Catholic churches here. Other than that, no more. Their American-born children do not eat bibingka. They have replaced it with hamburgers from McDonalds or Pizza from Round Table or Domino’s. Pritong manok was replaced by Pollo Loco or Kentucky Fried Chicken. The “mano po” was replaced with the high five or a handshake. With all these things, can we blame the young ones if they lose their connection to the real meaning of Christmas? On my way to my car I saw a small boy with a brown bag full of potato chips. He was sharing its contents with a homeless man seating on the sidewalk. He was singing a church Christmas carol in a broken and childish voice and greeted me Merry Christmas when he saw me. I felt relaxed and suddenly something flashed on my mind, Christmas is still around. As long as there is a child willing to celebrate it or share his blessings with people of other races. What matters is that you have it in your heart. To our readers Merry Christmas to everyone! To our Kababayans, Maligayang Pasko sa inyong lahat! Hanggang sa muli.

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Sunday, December 9, 2012

Bonifacio Day: Recounting the heinous execution of a hero

N her welcome address during a program marking the November 30 birth anniversary of Andres Bonifacio, Consul General Hellen Barber-De La Vega said: “This observance of Bonifacio Day is important because next year we will be commemorating the 150th anniversary of our hero’s birth. I am, therefore, happy to see among us young Filipino-Americans, because this is also a good opportunity for us to educate them, especially those born and raised in the United States, on the significance of the life and works of Andres Bonifacio in the history of the Filipino people.” Unfortunately that aspect of history has remained murky more than 115 years after Andres Bonifacio was executed at the height of the Filipino rebellion against the oppressive Spanish colonizers. In an audio-visual presentation during that consulate event, Deputy Congen Daniel R. Espiritu brought into focus that very contentious issue surrounding the death of the Philippine hero. Now is a most opportune time to point out inaccuracies in our historical narrative especially because the homeland is presently headed by a president who is also considered a history buff. During a speech in connection with the 40th anniversary of the proclamation of martial law last September, President Benigno Aquino III informed about a directive he issued to the National Historical Commission “to ensure that the source of information in students’ books will be the truth, not falsehoods pieced together by the propagandists, and not bits of deception by the revisionists.” Although the president was referring to attempts by some misguided segment of Philippine society to make the 15-year-long martial rule of dictator Ferdinand Marcos look good, the same revisionism is true in the case of Bonifacio’s death considering that the main culprit was no other than his rival in the Katipunan leadership who subsequently became the first president of the Philippine republic. Emilio Aguinaldo undoubtedly had the motive and influence to make that sordid episode of our history inaccurate (sanitized?) as taught in the classrooms and in its retelling to the people. The execution of Bonifacio In a document historian Teodoro Agoncillo affirmed a signed statement

of Aguinaldo dated March 22, 1948 accepting responsibility for ordering the execution of the Bonifacio brothers, Andres and Procopio. However, Aguinaldo also asserted that he commuted those death sentences but was prevailed by members of the Council of War Generals Mariano Noriel and Pio del Pilar to proceed with the execution otherwise they supposedly risked the disintegration of the revolutionary government as well as their own lives. The following is an excerpt from The Autobiography of Gregoria de Jesus translated by Leandro H. Fernandez published in The Philippine Magazine dated June 1930: “They fired a volley at my husband, and when he fell they stabbed him and struck him with the butts of their guns. My brother-in-law Ciriaco was seized by two and shot to death. Procopio they tied and beat, with a revolver. They then placed the wounded in hammocks, and those they had bound, and took them to the pueblo. When they saw me come out of the place where I had been hiding, the officers of the detachment ran towards me and tried to compel me to say where the money of Cavite or of the treasury was kept; they also took by force my revolver and even what little expense money we had. Then they hastened to tie me to a tree, attempting to force me to tell them the whereabouts of the money which they said we had collected.” Gregoria, whose Katipunan nom de guerre was Lakambini, was the wife of Andres Bonifacio. Filipino revolutionist, musician and composer Julio Nakpil fled Manila to fully embrace Bonifacio’s Kagalanggalangang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan (KKK). In 1896 he was commissioned by Bonifacio to compose the national anthem Marangal na Dalit ng Katagalugan. However, General Agui-

naldo did not declare it the official anthem preferring the composition of Julian Felipe, a fellow Caviteno. The following is an exerpt from Nakpil’s Apuntes Sobre la Revolucion Filipina (Notes on the Philippine Revolution) about the arrest of Andres and Procopio Bonifacio: “Then the Bonifacio brothers, unaware of what was going to happen to them, continued eating, their firearms being far from the reach of their hands. Aguinaldo’s men thereupon began to seize the firearms of the Bonifacio men and when they became aware of what was happening they were already disarmed. Nevertheless, there was, a struggle, but very unequal. According to the eyewitnesses, the one who stabbed A. Bonifacio in the neck was Lazaro Makapagal... It was an act of banditry: The jewels and money of the families of the murdered men were confiscated like war booty.” The killing of the Bonifacios brought condemnation on his rival, General Aguinaldo, who took over as president of the revolution after the Tejeros convention. In La Revolucion Filipina (The Philippine Revolution), translated into Tagalog by Leon Ma. Guerrero, Apolinario Mabini, also known as the Brain of the Revolution and Aguinaldo’s chief adviser, described as unreasonable and merciless the manner Mr. Aguinaldo caused the execution of Bonifacio. “The execution of Bonifacio,” Mabini states, “was a repulsive and shameless act by Aguinaldo, the triumph of self-interest over that of heroism.”

BONIFACIO DAY PRESENTATION. Deputy Consul General Daniel R. Espiritu presents an audio visual narrative about the Katipunan and the life and death of it’s supremo, Andres Bonifacio. (Photo by D. Grava) Mabini went on to declare that such act of hatred caused the loss of morale among many of those involved in the revolutionary movement which soon after withered and was defeated. Aguinaldo’s government didn’t last long and officials went into hiding in the dense forest of Biak-naBato mountain. Aguinaldo agreed later on to be exiled after calling on his fellow revolutionaries to surrender to Spanish authorities in exchange of 400,000 pesos in bribe money. Mabini also accused Aguinaldo of having masterminded the assassination of another rebel leader, Gen. Antonio Luna. “With Luna its firmest support, the revolution fell, and the ignominy of the fall, weighing entirely upon Aguinaldo, caused his moral death, a thousand times bitterer than the physical one; then Aguinaldo ruined himself, condemned by his own actions. That is the way Providence punishes the great crimes,” Mabini wrote. Julio Nakpil agreed on Mabini’s assertion. “They slandered him (Antonio Luna) of wishing to wrest the presidency from Emilio Aguinaldo, and for that purpose they invited

him to enter the rattrap of Kabanatuan to enable the very ones whom he (Luna) had disarmed for cowardice in different war actions to deal him the deathblow. Do not lose sight of the fact that the one who invited him (i.e. Emilio Aguinaldo) to a conference absented himself, which was a cowardly stratagem. When General A. Luna was dastardly assassinated on the stairs of the Convent of Kabanatuan and already fallen on the ground, the mother of Emilio Aguinaldo looked out the window and asked: “Ano, humihinga pa ba?” (Is he still breathing?) The way Luna was lured to the place of his execution eerily echoes the manner Bonifacio was enticed to leave Manila and visit Aguinaldo’s turf in Cavite. In his memoirs first published by the National Heroes Commission in 1963, Gen. Artemio Ricarte wrote: “the latter (Aguinaldo’s Magdiwang faction) frequently communicated with him, EACH TIME INSISTING MORE AND MORE ON THE INVITATION WHICH IT EXTENDED THREE TIMES... On the third invitation, Bonifacio acceded

to the petition of the Magdiwang government and came to Cavite province in December 1896, before the Christmas season.” When he arrived Aguinaldo was also nowhere around. General Ricarte continued: “While the government of the Philippine Republic was established in Buntis, one of the most wooded and rocky mountain between Maragondon and Looc, Emilio Aguinaldo, to get rid of his fallen rival, who was covered with wounds which were almost in a state of putrefaction for lack of medicine and attention, ordered the execution, first of Procopio Bonifacio and then of Andres, who, because of his wounds, was carried in a hammock to the place where his brother Procopio, two hours before, had been executed by Colonels Bonson and Paua. These two, it will be remembered were those who captured the Bonifacios in Limbon, Indang. Thus ended the life of the man, who, scorning dangers, had established the K.K.K. nang mga Anak nang Bayan; the man who had taught the Filipino people the true way to shake off the Spanish yoke.”

Sunday, December 9, 2012

PinoyWatchDog.Com

FIDES ECCLESIAE (Faith of the Church), the Musical, celebrates Year of Faith

► By Bernie Cortes-Kimmerle

he Year of Faith – 2012 - is very, very much alive for most Catholic nations all over the world. And more so in our country, the Philippines. This year marks the renewal of hearts so that Catholics can rediscover their faith in Christ, according to Bishop Oscar A. Solis. FIDES ECCLESIAE, the musical, directed by Vic Perez, held its gala on December 2, 2012 and achieved this purpose.The theater literally was jam-packed. I was there and seeing the crowd waiting patiently in line gave me goose bumps. So what is this about? Here’s the background: Thousands of Filipinos on November 9, 2012 tolerated the heat, stood in line to see and kiss the image of the second Filipino saint, St. Pedro Calungsod, which came from Rome and made rounds to different churches in Metro Manila, Northern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. A mass was led by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle who emphasized that we Filipinos should follow in the footsteps of this 17-yearold martyr and listen to the many catecheses about him. St. Pedro Calungsod of Cebu was born in 1654 and died on April 2, 1672. He suffered religious persecution and martyrdom in Guam when he was doing missionary work. He was only 14 years old when he was chosen by the Jesuits in their mission to the Ladrones Islands, Guam. There, Calungsod taught the Chamorro people Christianity…he baptized infants, children and adults while risking his life and eventually, was murdered. St. Calungsod was beatified on March 5, 2000 by Blessed Pope John Paul II and was officially canonized by Pope Benedict XVI at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City on Oct. 21, 2012. Since 2012 is considered the Year of Faith, a flurry of St. Pedro Calungsod musicals started to sprout – from the original Pinoy Musical called “Way Sukod” (Without Measure) in Cebu which depicts

Director vic Perez and Stage Manager Mimil Rosales with cast after matinee. Ms. Ivy Violan during rehearsals. She played the Wife of Viceroy.

the death of St. Calungsod, to a musical called Teen Saint Pedro in Guam to be shown also at the Meralco Theatre in Pasig on January 8 and 9, 2013. Thus, The Filipino Priest Association of LA, Cursillo Movement, Lay Volunteers of LA, Kateri Circles and the Chamorro Group of LA produced FIDES ECCLESIAE on December 2, 2012 at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. This musical, which took several months of rehearsals, highlights the lives of St. Calungsod and St. Kateri Tekakwitha. They are two of

The Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center was jam packed - gala night was sold out.

Bishop Oscar A. Solis with cast members during Fides Ecclesiae Rehearsals

Ruben Quatrona as Pedro Calungsod

Director Vic Perez doing his magic before the gala event. the seven recently canonized by Pope Benedict XVI. These two saints were chosen at a young age by the Jesuits and both died before they even reached the age of 20. Moreover, this musical was inspired by the fact that it connects with young people who at this time are having their own faiths tested. Fides Ecclesiae hoped to inspire our youth to bridge their relationship with God and renew their faith. Ruben Cuatrona Jr., a senior At Cerritos High School, played the role St. Peter Calungsod. Alexandra Ramos played the role of Kateri Tekakwitha. Ms. Ramos is a coloratura soprano. This 3-hour musical was directed by Vic Perez who is well known in the FilAm community for honing talents such as Regine Velasquez, Martin Nieverra and more. Celebrity and singer Ivy Violan’s participation made this musical extra special. She played the Wife of Viceroy. The music was written by Fr. Adrian San Juan, lyrics by Fr. Robert Victoria. Staging and choreography was by Mimil Rosales who came from a family of dancers. She was

Fides EccleSiae Poster

formerly Dance Master for the Manila Metropolitan Theatre. The set, staging and music were colossal. The cast was huge – not only did it have over 50 “lay people” as its cast, but the St. John Filipino Choir, Kutturan Chomoru, Baile Folklorico and Southern California Sinulog Dance Company participated in this glorious musical giving it an “epic” feel. Director Vic Perez stated: “The most amazing gift for this year is a Papal blessing for directing Fides Eccclesiaea spiritually enriching and hear- tugging production. We experienced numerous miracles from St.Pedro and St. Kateri while mounting this huge production. Thank you Fr. Robert Victoria of St. Anthony Church (writer of the play), I was close to tears when our first complete technical run happened during the matinee show. The show came out very well. I was sure in my heart that the saints and angels help us put this show together.”

Pope Benedict XVI gave a citation to Vic Perez for directing the musical.

The set of Fides – the cast, crew, production combined their efforts for this musical – GRATIS.

Finale

Sunday, December 9, 2012

PinoyWatchDog.Com

Filipinos everywhere celebrate

Calungsod canonization

► Dionesio C. Grava

recall a Sunday afternoon performance by young thespians from Davao City at the regally cavernous Hall of Liberty set at the elevated end of beautiful Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills. It was about the Catholic church’s Padre Diego (Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores) and his young assistant Pedro Calungsod spreading the gospel to the Chamorros in 1672 in the Marianas. Their proselytizing greatly enraged a local headman, which led to their persecution and ultimately death. That Godspell musical I saw a decade ago was a poignant retelling of the joy, the heroism and travails of pioneering missionaries who unhesitatingly traversed under harsh conditions even to uncharted places equipped with nothing but good intentions and the strength of their faith. The musical was taken from The Life and Martyrdom of Blessed Pedro Calungsod, a handiwork of famed Cebuano Msgr. Rudy Villanueva in response to the call “to propagate and promote the life story” of the then recently beatified

Calungsod. Church investigations are quite extensive regarding these things and ultimately concluded that Calungsod died while trying to defend San Vitores when the natives attacked them. On March 5, 2000 the teen martyr was beatified and in his homily during the beatification Pope John Paul II calls on the youth to emulate Calungsod: “From his childhood, Pedro Calungsod declared himself unwaveringly for Christ and responded generously to his call.” The young Calungsod officially

COMMUNITY CELEBRATES ST. PEDRO CALUNGSOD DE CEBU. From left: Amaury Agoncillo, chair of event; Glendale Mayor Frank Quintero; Edith Fuentes, candidate for the Glendale City Council; Hon. Hellen Barber De La Vega, Philippine consul general; Bing Dela Vega, a community leader; and Fr. Jim Bevacqua, pastor of the Holy Family Catholic Community Church in Glendale.

Pastor Jim Bevacqua of the Holy Family Catholic Community Church presents a painting of the new saint to Congen De La Vega. became San Pedro Calungsod de Cebu October 21 following canonization rites in the Vatican led by Pope Benedict XVI. Calungsod is now in league with his countryman San Lorenzo Ruiz, who was canonized in 1987. Catholic Philippines erupted with joy when Pope Benedict XVI declared Calungsod and six other new saints worthy of veneration by the entire Catholic Church. It was a day of joy for thousands of Filipinos who attended the canonization mass at the Vatican and those who watched the rites on television and digital streaming in the homeland. Thanksgiving celebrations were held in various churches in many places throughout the Philippines and among Filipino migrants elsewhere

in the world. In Glendale, a city next door to Los Angeles, the angelic voices of the Holy Family Filipino Chorale (HFFC) were raised to heaven on November 10 as the Holy Family Catholic Community Church celebrated the new saint with “Pedro Calungsod The Boy Who Would Be Saint Thanksgiving Concert.” The HFFC was joined by The UP Concert Chorus Alumni of Los Angeles in singing the Angelus and on to Tu Es Petrus, O Magnum Mysterium, Aba Ginoong Maria, Ave Maria, Prayer of Saint Patrick, Gloria, Panis Angelicus, Ang Panalangin ng Panginoon, Kordero ng Diyos, Prayer of St. Francis, Gaelic Blessing and For All the Saints. HFFC is headed by its musical director-conductor Tom Makiling, a graduate of choral conducting from the University of the Philippines. At the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Hall in Santa Monica Blvd., the Filipino Priests Association of Los Angeles had a press conference November 16 about their musical play: Life Stories of St. Pedro Calungsod and St. Kateri Tekakwitha. And on November 30, a thanksgiving mass was held for the new Filipino saint at the St. Genevieve Church in Panorama City with Most Rev. Alexander Salazar, D.D., Vicar of Office for Ethnic Ministry, as principal celebrant and Most Rev. Oscar A. Solis, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop of San Pedro Pastoral Region, as Homilist.

A church personnel stands next to the Holy Trinity and a poster of the new saint.

Members of the Holy Family Filipino Chorale pose for a photo with some friends. Standing in the middle, front (next to Edith Fuentes), is musical director-conductor Tom Makiling.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

PinoyWatchDog.Com

Fides Ecclesiae – Faith of the Church musical – Work of God and His saints

► By Fr. Robert Victoria

*Note: The following article was written by Father Victoria, sharing his reflections after Fides Ecclesiae musical was over - Bernie Cortes-Kimmerle “To those who believe, no explanation is necessary. But to those who don’t want to believe, no explanation is enough.” I came across these words during one of my pilgrimages to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, France. Those words beautifully explain what faith is about. Faith is about believing beyond words. Faith is about trusting in God’s goodness and in the power of His grace. That is what we experienced last Sunday, December 2nd when we staged the musical play, “Fides Ecclesiae – Faith of the Church” at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. We showed what faith is about as lived out by the two young saints, namely St. Kateri Tekakwitha and St. Pedro Calungsod. And while doing so, we also witnessed what faith can accomplish in the face of uncertainty. In the lives of those two saints, faith is about living each day for God in a very real sense. Faith is about believing that God is alive and that His presence and His graces are actively transforming the lives of His beloved children. In

Act 1 of our musical, which is the life of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, we showed that throughout her life she had that insatiable desire to belong to God and to be in communion with Him for all eternity. Her simple, short, yet very saintly life made her comparable to St. Therese of Lisieux, better known as the “Little Flower”. Many people who came to see our musical commented that they finally got to know who St. Kateri is and they all claimed that her life was truly imbued with holiness. In Act 2 of our musical, featuring the life of St. Pedro Calungsod, the audience was so touched by the song, “Give Me, Faith, O God.”, a prayer of St. Pedro Calungsod sung by Ruben Cuatrona Jr. The song which expresses the interior struggles of St. Pedro showed his human side which is very appealing to all especially to the young people who saw the show. Almost everyone was in tears. And I believe that the reason why the audience and even the cast and crew who were also watching were in tears is because we can all relate with St. Pe-

Fr. Robert Victoria

dro’s personal struggles and fears. And like St. Pedro, we also want God to strengthen and confirm our faith in Him. Last Sunday, we witnessed too that faith can really move mountains. Because of human limitations, the short time we had to put together this musical and having a cast of more than a hundred our rehearsals were

not very good. We were anxious and worried about how the musical would actually come out on performance day. But while the musical was being performed on stage each scene was happening very smoothly that we felt that the saints were actually present and actively helping us. In hindsight, you can say how could they not be present especially if what we were trying to do is to give glory to God who gave them to us as models of faith. And also we can add that how could they not help us if we are trying to reach out to the young people like them

of our time to inspire them to live holy lives. For us who put together this musical and for those who came to see it, we can only say that this musical being so wonderfully executed can only be the work of God and His saints in heaven. One can actually feel the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit, guiding us and moving us that day. I guess it had to happen that way to teach us the lesson that if we are to make a musical play about faith, we must be ready to be tested and tried in our faith in God and to trust completely in Him after we have given it our all.

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Currents

Sunday, December 9, 2012

FAPCCA is the modern press club, Says its President, Thelma Calabio

► By Bernie Cortes-Kimmerle

ut with the old, on with the new! December 2, 2012 marked the historic official oath-taking ceremony of the newly-created Filipino American Press Club of California (FAPCCA). The officers and its directors were sworn in by Deputy Consul General Daniel Espiritu, who gave a spirited speech and support for this new organization. FAPCCA had its first meeting last November 2012 and president Thelma Calabio shed light on this club’s meaning. Calabio stated: “This day marks the beginning of a new vibrant,

flexible, innovative and ambitious organization. Together, we will take bold and ambitious actions to make our new club to have a mark in our community or impact in the community and also to have our projects known in the community by promoting, connecting, networking and developing the spirit of teamwork, fellowship and camaraderie. We will strive to make this club to make it successful. I am confident that everybody will be supportive of this club.” Ms. Calabio further stated that “This press club is not only for journalist but all forms of media and journalism –radio, authors, contributing writers, journalists,

announcers, writers of social media such as bloggers, television, public relations, marketing, advertising –This is not only for writers – this is the MODERN PRESS CLUB – now happening in all states of the US and other countries. “ Deputy Consul General Daniel Espiritu hit the nail on the head when he said in his speech: “We at the consulate believe that journalists should be informative, but transformative as well.” He stated that during the martial law years in the Philippines, journalists at the time were “criticizing for the sake of criticism and forty years later, we do not want to hear the same thing.” He expressed his excitement that this club welcomes all those involved

Charitable Groups Mobilize, Appeal for Donations for “Pablo” Typhoon Victims From Page 3

Samar, and Western Samar in the Visayas. Provinces in Mindanao that were placed under the storm signal warning were Surigao del Sur, Surigao del Norte including Surigao Island, Dinagat Is., Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte inc. Samal Is., Compostela Valley, Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and Camiguin. The death and destruction In the aftermath of the storm’s landfall folks in the remote mining and farming town of Bataan, Compostela Valley, were shocked to find that the terrain had drastically changed. A report said that what used to be a field of coconut trees and wooden houses had turned into a gushing river as wide as the Edsa highway belt of Metro Manila flanked by rocks and boulders that had tumbled down the mountain. The estimated cost of damage to property, agriculture and infrastructure may soar to P5 billion or more. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that more than 5.1 million people (or 1,033,364 families) have been affected adversely in 1,862 barangays (villages) in 26 provinces throughout regions 4B, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and CARAGA. At least 211,000 people taking refuge at crowded government-run shelters, another

report said. Rescue officials said Mindanao’s east coast accounted for all but 40 of the 546 known deaths from Typhoon Pablo (Bopha). Other fatalities were reported in Palawan – 2, Capiz – 1, Central Visayas –7, Eastern Visayas – 2, Zamboanga City – 1, Northern Mindanao – 11, and Caraga Region – 11. Of the dead less than a hundred have so far been identified and more are missing. Earlier it was reported that at the height of the storm 1,710 passengers, 227 rolling cargos, 79 vessels, and 15 motor bancas were stranded in various ports in the country. Who to blame for the large number of casualties? On Friday, December 7, President Noynoy Aquino III inspected the ravaged areas in Mindanao accompanied by Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Corazon Soliman, Health Secretary Enrique Ona, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, and Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ramon Carandang. They first visited New Bataan and distributed relief packs and P10,000 to each family taking shelter in an evacuation center. “Your government will not stop until we ensure your lives improve and prevent this kind of tragedy,” he was quoted in Pilipino promis-

ing the victims of the tragedy that the government would hasten efforts to help them. He also expressed regret that so many casualties occur every time there is a disaster. Why did the tragedy happen and how to prevent it from happening again, he asked. Why, indeed, were there so many casualties when there were early warnings from the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration? According to an AP report, “The deaths came despite efforts by President Benigno Aquino III’s government to force residents out of high-risk communities as the typhoon approached. Vice President Jejomar Binay directed local executives, police and military officials not to allow those displaced to return to their homes in areas classified as danger zones. However, it wasn’t clear how quickly and where substitute homes would be built.” Outpouring of love and aid Pope Benedict XVI, in a message relayed by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone through the Papal nuncio in the Philippines, Archbishop Giuseppe Pinto, Thursday expressed his solidarity with the Filipino victims of the tragedy. United Kingdom Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire extended on behalf of the British government his deep sympathies to the families of the casualties and to those in evacuation shelters in many parts of Mindanao. Meanwhile, it was reported on December 8

in media and encouraged everybody to participate in the “Philippine Vote Project”. May 13, 2013 will be the midterm election for the Philippine Congress, its officials for the provinces, municipalities and Muslim Mindanao. FAPCCA is a Non-Profit Mutual Benefit Corporation registered in the State of California. Its mission: The purpose of the organization is to: • Advance, develop, and formally recognize the highest standards of journalism • Foster the highest ideals of ethics and fairness among members • Encourage social and intellectual exchanges between members of the media and those of the professional community with whom they

come into contact in other states and countries. • Raise public awareness of the profession and the club • Promote the development of future journalists from the ranks of high school and college students • Defend the principle of Freedom of the Press and the public’s right to have access to public information • Provide a place for journalists, public relations, corporate communications, marketing and advertising professionals to gather, network, and exchange ideas • Extend benevolence and assistance to recognized charitable organizations. FAPCCA’s board of officers and directors come from various Fil-Am Newspapers and are well-known in the

community for their journalistic and photographic talents. It is clear that FAPCCA is not a social club as they are serious about its purpose. The Executive Board of Officers are: Thelma Calabio, President, Mylah de Leon, 1st Vice President, Andy Edralin, 2nd Vice President, Bernardina CortesKimmerle, Executive Secretary, Manny Patolot, Auditor, Vic Magsaysay, Public Relations Officer. The Board of Directors are: Nicanor Arriola, Bernardo Bernardo, Romy Borje, Lorian Fausto, Yvee Tadeo Guevara, Malou Mariano, Frank Paras, Jr., Marc Pijuan, Susan Rozal, Lydia Soriano, Andy Tecson, Benny Uy and Giovi Zamora.

that hungry and homeless typhoon survivors in the towns of Maparat and Cateel looted shops and warehouses in search of food. Four days after the calamity struck, officials still struggled to bring in food and relief convoys through roads that had been blocked or swept away by floods and avalanches of rock, logs and mud. Officials said damage to roads and bridges by floods and landslides trapped 150,000 people for three days in Cateel and the nearby towns of Baganga and Boston, where they said 97 percent of buildings were flattened or unroofed. About 4,000 residents in the destroyed farming village of Maparat were left to eating fallen coconut fruits, said an AFP report. It said the survivors were sleeping 80 to a room on the bare concrete floor of the local elementary school, sharing the toilet’s two stalls and are doing their washing and bathing at a nearby spring, which is also their only source of water. In dire situations like these it is apparent that people affected need more than messages of solidarity or sympathies. In a press release the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., expressed its appreciation to the United States for its prompt response in support of disaster relief efforts in typhoon-ravaged areas in Mindanao. Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. announced that Washington would be releasing $100,000 to the Catholic Relief Services to help victims of Typhoon Pablo (international name Bopha). Reports also said the US Agency for International De-

velopment (USAID) will be sending assessment teams to typhoon-affected areas to determine where the assistance is most needed. Ambassador Cuisia said that Washington has provided $11.7 million in humanitarian assistance and over $4.1 million in disaster risk reduction activities to Manila since 2007. Ambassador Cuisia said that individuals and organizations in the US who would like to assist in the relief efforts can send their cash donations to the NDRRMC (www.ndrrmc.gov.ph); the Department of Social Welfare and Development (www. dswd.gov.ph); and the Philippine National Red Cross (www.redcross.org.ph). The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is reportedly targeting 3.7 million euros to help the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) support families displaced by the typhoon. The money will be used to provide immediate food and non- food relief items to the victims and finance their recovery through providing water and sanitation systems, cash grants to help restore livelihoods, and materials to rebuild homes. The Inquirer reported that cash and relief goods for the victims had poured in from foreign donors. Canada announced that it was giving P10 million (Cad$ 250,000) through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies to address the emergency needs of the people affected by the storm. In addition, a United Nations disaster and assess-

ment team, which includes a Canadian delegate whose deployment is funded through an ongoing CIDA project, has been deployed to provide direct support with the rapid needs assessments. Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr said that his government has offered P210 million (A$5 million) in assistance to the Philippines for the conduct of relief operations. ABS CBN Foundation International announced that it is currently accepting donations to assist in rescue operations and providing aid to over 86,000 families that are now in evacuation centers. Contributions can be made to “ABS CBN Foundation International (Typhoon Pablo)” online at www. abscbnfoundation.org or via checks to 150 Shoreline Drive, Redwood City, CA 94065. Yolanda O. Stern of One World Institute is seeking donations for a flood relief mission. She said OWI “does not use 1 penny for administrative or delivery fees. So give where your contributions land where you want it to. Donate at: www.theoneworldinstitute.org.” Boxer-politician Manny Pacquiao, who was scheduled to fight against Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez Saturday, has pledged support for the victims of the typhoon. In Los Angeles, Maria Amor Torres of the Exoti Group of Companies has informed PinoyWatchdog.com that the 3rd Annual Exotifit Christmas party will raise funds to be donated to our countrymen who are in pain and desperation as a result Turn Page 13

Sunday, December 9, 2012

PinoyWatchDog.Com

Rep. Erin Tanada: PHL better-off now on human rights

► Words and photos by Dionesio C. Grava

nder different circumstances she may have preferred to be somewhere else. However, being the face of the administration in this part, Consul General Hellen Barber-De La Vega had to respond in defense of what admittedly is not among her country’s shining moments -- the human rights issue -- and at the same time be wary of the sensitivities of her hosts. After all it was a commemoration of a heinous episode of our country’s history where many officials in the government had bloodied hands. Austin Baul, Jr., president mission on Elections to regof the Filipino American ister the candidacy of Esmael INTERMISSION FILLERS. Andy Community of Los Angeles Mangudadatu. While it was Tecson with his violin, Mon (FACLA), was designated to during the administration of Concepcion with his guitar deliver the welcome remarks. Gloria Arroyo Macapagal that and Bob Schroder with his Instead he took the Philip- the monstrosity occurred, the pine government to task for current President Benigno flute (inset). the brutal killings that shook “Noynoy” Aquino III has been an issue of every governthe foundation of our society. been overseeing its aftermath. ment from the time of Marcos’ Time wrote about it: “Even If the crimes committed Martial Law, in the time of for a country long hardened were too brutal, the wheels GMA and even in the time of to election violence, the mas- of justice turn excruciatingly President Noy. Tanada is the sacre of at least 57 de fenseless slow. An updated fact sheet deputy speaker of the House civilians on the main southern distributed by event organ- and the current spokesperson island of Mindanao, many of izers -- it raised the number of the Liberal Party, which has them relatives and support- of deaths to 58, 32 of them President Noynoy Aquino as ers of a local politician and a journalists -- shows that of the titular head and party chairlarge group of journalists, sets 103 accused arrested, only 76 man. a new low.” have been arraigned. Of the Tanada said that although In her response, Consul 28 Ampatuans accused, 17 human rights problems reGeneral De La Vega reflected are still out there and only two main, it is still better off comon her previous assignments have been arraigned. Even one pared to that of the previous -- China and Myanmar -- and of the principal suspects, for- administration. “Of course,” pointed out that there are mer Autonomous Region in he said, “there will be a lot of other countries much worse Muslim Mindanao governor debate, people say nothing than the Philippines in the hu- Zaldy Ampatuan, has yet to has changed. I say that some man rights arena. It is impor- be arraigned. things have changed. Who tant for us to recognize, said Meanwhile, four of the would have think that General the diplomat, that the Philip- witnesses have died, believed Palparan, who was extolled in pine government, the Filipino to have been killed to stop a State of the Nation address American community and them from testifying. It is pre- of GMA, is now being hunted others similarly aspire for sumed that the other witness- for what he is accused of havtruth and justice. That all the es had either been warned or ing masterminded?” countries in Southeast Asia bribed. At least 130 motions Tanada said that it is a consider the Philippines as the have been filed by the defense challenge for the Aquino adtorch bearer of democracy in stalling case proceedings. As ministration to locate Palthe region. In a subsequent they say, justice delayed is juspress release, Congen De La tice denied. Vega assured that the PhilipThe families and orphans pine government is steadfast left behind face hardships in finding justice for the vic- with the loss of breadwinners. tims of the massacre. Ninety-three of the accused That seemingly was of lit- are still at large. Many of the tle assurance to human rights private armies that give couradvocate Sokie Paulin who age to crooked political clans shared alleged horrible ex- and warlords to commit atro- A MEMORIAL AND FORUM. From left: Austin Baul, Jr., Mylah De Leon, Benny Uy, Sokie Paulin, Nimfa Rueda, Benjamin Pimentel, perience in the hands of the cious crimes are still around. Art Garcia and Vics Magsaysay. Philippine military in 1993 Three years after the massacre, the postponements and also insistence of some legislators to during President Fidel Raminimize appeals. But then insert a “right of reply” provimos’ administration. She that is also part of due process, sion at a time when the 15th and her husband were kidCongress is about to end. Tanada said. napped by the military, she The other invited guest, Congressman Tanada said, and they were freed also touched on his achieve- journalist-author Benjamin only because of the intercesments as a legislator includ- “Boying” Pimentel, expoundsion of human rights groups. ing the enactment of a law to ed on the FOI as it is practiced Until now there is no resolucompensate Martial Law vic- in the U.S. He also recalled his tion of that case but that she tims. It has passed the House friendship with Congressman hasn’t given up. already and hope the Senate Tanada dating back to their The November 21 event would follow. About his other activism against the Marcos was a somber memorial and forum on human rights MOMENT OF SILENCE. Lighted candles glow in the dark as at- RESOURCE PERSONS. Deputy advocacy, the Freedom of In- dictatorship together with Erand press freedom marking tendees of the event offer silent prayers in remembrance of the House Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” formation Act, he expressed in’s lolo, the late Senator Lorthe third anniversary of the victims of the massacre. From left: Bernardo Bernardo, Leo Pan- Tanada III, left, and Consul frustration that his term will enzo Tañada, and Erin’s father, Maguindanao massacre held dac, Frank Paras, Jr., Sokie Paulin, Congressman Erin Tanada General Maria Hellen Barber end on June, next year, and the former Senator Wigberto the House still had not acted Tañada.. De La Vega. at the FACLA social hall in and Congen Maria Hellen Barber De La Vega. Others who spoke duron it. He blamed the CommitFilipinotown. A candlelit moing the memorial event were tee of Information headed by ment of silence was observed the Philippines remains one of paran and prosecute him for and a recitation of Panatang the most dangerous countries the crimes he is accused of. dressed by the Supreme Court Rep. Ben Evardone who, from Mylah De Leon, Benny Uy Makabayan done. The event for journalists and for every- About the Maguindanao mas- to help the presiding judge fa- November 2010 up to Nov. 13, and Rafael Maniago. Fr. John 2012, had conducted only a Brannigan, SSC, of the St. was initiated by the Filipino one else residing in the region sacre, while people are saying cilitate the process. Columban Filipino Church, These are procedural is- total of three hearings. American Press Club of Cali- where it occurred. that three years is too long, Note: According to updated did the invocation. Vics MagThe invited speaker, Con- he justified it saying “that is sues that he said are within fornia and the National Union of Journalists of the Philip- gressman Lorenzo “Erin” Tan- due process in our country.” the judge’s domain. He urged reports from Manila, both Sen- saysay had a poetry reading, ada III of the illustrious family People are blaming President that we wait because there are ate and House versions of the Andy Tecson and Mon Conpines-U.S. Chapter. Remembered were the that champions social justice Aquino for the slow judicial 99 persons accused, each one FOI have passed their respec- cepcion performed Ang Bayvictims, part of an electoral was, surprisingly, in the camp process but the president does of them allowed a lawyer and tive committees. It will go to an Ko and Bob Schroder did convoy who were on their of Congen De La Vega. Hu- not run the judiciary, Tanada then each lawyer has to speak. the plenary next and is at a a flute rendition of Baleleng. way to the office of the Com- man rights, he said, has always said. The issue may be ad- Maybe the judge could reduce critical juncture because of the Emcee was Art Garcia.

Sunday, December 9, 2012

PinoyWatchDog.Com

Canada is shaping into a less welcoming country for immigrants, says report From Page 1

“While no single change would make Canada an unattractive destination, the cumulative impact may create the impression that Canada is no longer as welcoming as it was,” the study said. The 96-page report said some of those changes are potentially positive, such as refocusing the federal skilled worker program, an initiative to bring in skilled trades-people, an appeal process for selected refugee claimants, increased protection for refugees and transition to permanent resident status for eligible visa students. But other changes are “problematic,” including a decision to wipe out immigration application backlogs legislatively, the report said. The report was released just days after Minister of Immigration Jason Keeney announced that he had suggested changes in a bill that is now in the House of Commons. These measures include changes in Canada’s family immigration laws designed to combat marriage fraud. If passed by the Legislature, the new law would require newlyweds who bring a spouse to Canada to live together in what the government calls a “legitimate relationship” for two years or the sponsored spouse could lose permanent resident status. The rule will apply only to those who have

been married less than two years and have no children together at the time of their application. Kenney also tabled legislation in the House that would make it easier for the government to deport refugees, permanent residents and visitors for “serious criminality,” crimes where the punishment is six months or more in jail. “If you are a foreign national and you want the privilege of staying in Canada, don’t commit a serious crime…I don’t think that’s too much to ask people,” Kenney announced. Speaking at a public affairs show here last week, Kenney warned, “We will not tolerate people who seek to abuse Canadians who’ve sponsored them in or violate Canada’s laws and to treat marriage like some cynical, commercial transaction just to bring people in to Canada into what constitutes a form of human trafficking.” The conditional status will be waived in cases where there is evidence of abuse or neglect or where the spouse already in Canada dies, according to a Kenney spokesman. But there was more to the Kenney bill, including a measure that would allow the Immigration Minister to decide who can enter the country. One measure would give the Immigration Minister the power to deny someone entry or temporary

residence status for up to three years on the basis of public policy considerations, and another would let him override the rules to allow entry to someone the minister wants to be allowed in. The example provided in a background document is for a head of state who satisfies the minister that the visit is not contrary to the national interest, but who would otherwise not be allowed in. But the Canadian Council for Refugees is unhappy with regards the family immigration laws provisions, saying the exemption will not solve the problem. “Making permanent residence conditional for sponsored spouses gives power to the sponsor who may use the threat of deportation to manipulate their spouse,” lamented Loly Rico, President of the organization. “In situations of domestic abuse or violence, the measure will be a gift to an abuser,” she said in a statement. These changes being proposed would give new powers to the Minster of Immigration, including the ability to deny entry to visitors for public policy reasons and to override the rules to let otherwise inadmissible people come to Canada. “I think you can call them dangerous, you can call them serious,” Kenney stated. “We don’t want them in Canada anymore, and that’s the bottom line,”

he told Chris Hall of CBC News Network’s “Power and Politics.” The rules were developed over two years of consultation during which the government heard concerns from dozens of groups that victims of domestic violence could be unfairly penalized. “Sometimes, fraudulent immigration marriage facilitates violence against women,” Kenney said, citing cases of women being brought over by gangs for bogus marriages and possibly then pressed into sexual slavery. The new rules will be complaintbased, meaning it will be up to those caught up in fraudulent marriages to report possible violations to the Canada Border Services Agency. “The CBSA is not going into people’s bedrooms,” Kenney said Jinny Sims, an immigration critic, said she had serious concerns about the bill because of the power it gives to the minister and because the House immigration committee is studying the issue now but won’t finish the study until the fall. “We have concern about the growing concentration of power and control into the hands of the minister,” Sims said. “We raised concerns about that in C-31 (the refugee reform bill) and those concerns are now accentuated as we give more power to the minister,” Sims added.

“Shaping the Future,” the report, contends: “It’s the way the changes are made, the speed and breadth of these changes. It’s too much, too fast,” argues Professor Alboim, who is a senior fellow at Queen’s University’s Maytree Foundation, which focuses on community integration and diversity issues. “We haven’t really had the opportunity to understand what they all mean, how they will interact with each other, and what potential impacts these changes will have. We need to make these changes carefully,” Alboim advised. The report is highly critical of the Conservative government’s use of undemocratic methods to bring about these changes, for example, embedding them in omnibus and budget bills, and endowing the immigration minister with strong power to set policies with little public or parliamentary oversight. “It didn’t help that Ottawa decided to do away with a mandatory long-form census, a source of useful statistics for immigration outcomes and impacts,” Alboim pointed out. She concludes the report, saying: “I hope this (report) will spur discussions in the public discourse, and in the government, so we can have an informed conversation about the kind of future that we want for Canada.”

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Holidays at Templetown

f you find yourself surrounded by born-again maggots and dead religious crabs during the holidays you are – most likely – in Templetown. Don’t be surprised that they actrather strange and outlandish; they were not born that way. They came here; were fabricated, assembled, modified. They embracedtoxic faiths, attained some measure of prosperity, crushed by bad mortgages, survived failed marriagesand, finally, imbibed hubris that turned them into abominable creatures; the very same hubris that caused the free-fall of a high-perched shining archangel to a low life of serpentitude. Again, bienvenidos toesoteric Templetown, a pueblo created thrua malevolent decree by the warlocks of the north and populated by the most intriguing creatures on planet earth. Buck Mulligan had been here: He was blaspheming Filipino saints Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod in wild gaiety with his mock religious rituals. “This is my bible,” he moves around, fluttering his hands like wings with the Templetown Journal. Dorian Gray was here: He flaunted a false image of integrity and self-righteousness, but his portrait was deteriorating inside the chamber of a rundown community hall. Alyos ha, a virtual alter-ego of a chic Wilshire deputy, and the rest of the Karamazov brothers were here: They were all consumed – and destroyed – by their clash-

ing intense passions and personal demons, and by the very people that should have edified them. A lot more colorful personalities had passed their way thru the Temple town. There are even observations that this town, like Sodom and Gomorrah, could be a place wheresignificantevents happened: They say that somewhere in that narrow cul de sac things got out of hand when a wedding reception was disrupted by a miraculous water-turning-into-wine incident. And the Lahai-roirestaurant along Temple Road was where Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for some lentil stew. No, it was not a bowl of congee or arroz caldo as Bro. Hero P. Chico loves to put it. Thanksgiving Day was celebrated a couple of weeks back; who cares, I am going to acknowledge the people (tenderloving caring and praiseworthy creatures)

MARQUEZ KO’S PACQUIAO From Page 2

knocked out Raya 1:49 into the opening round that saw the Mexican-American crumple under the might of a wicked left hook to the head. “Hindi ko inisip na maaga matatapos, alam ko matitibay ang mga Mexican boxers. Salamat kay Sir Manny sa chance na maka paglaro rito (sa Vegas). Nagpapasalamat kay Papa (Dodie Sr.). Wala ako pag wala si Papa,” said Penalosa who proudly

presented himself early to the Filipino sportswriters at the media center. “At higit sa lahat, nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord sa panalong ito.” Earlier, the eight-round super featherweight match, GenSan southpaw Ernie “The Rock” Sanchez stamped his class over Cory Evans of the United States via a unanimous decision. Judge Tim Cheatham saw the fight 77-74 for Sanchez, while Lisa Giampa and Gerry Roth both scored 78-73 for Sanchez. Pinoy Watch-

My View

An Infectious Plague

From Page 4

ics and Grievances to seek for an amicable settlement. That should shake up things and put some sense in the process. Another thing is lift the prohibition on the use of the rest rooms against nonmembers, especially against those old Filipinos who just happen to be in the vicinity. You see, this may have caught the attention of the gods of Valhalla and provoked them to take action. As I said earlier, wake up and shake off this madness, and find ways to mend. By the way.....paging Mr. Chito Mandap. Please do not

PinoyWatchDog.Com

listen to the advise of certain members of your movement, especially Mr. Gil Mislang who should know better that to disclose your financial statement to the press and the public is for your own good and protection from suspicions of any sort. And Mr. Mislang should know that your 501-c3 requires you to make a public disclosure if requested since the money you are handling is public money. I hope Mr. Antero Pagunsan, who is a lawyer by profession and discipline, is aware of your obligation. We expect to hear from you soon.

who reminded me to keep a sunshine of smile in between storms. I am thankful for Asian Journal’s Mylahde Leon for reintroducing me to the luminaries of literature: A roller backpack full of books every week (Dostoevsky, O. Henry, Maugham, Joyce, Hemingway). “Read them again. I am tired cavorting with these guys,” she said. “And be sure not to write anything on the pages.” Licensed to be licentious, that is how I see this gritty Palanca winner. She does not buy Katherine Mansfield’s fixation that “ignorance is bliss.” Her mantra goes: “Access to knowledge, irreverent or otherwise, is power.” I thought Jim Murray Reader was a gem of a book. I am thankful for Philippine News’s Lydia V. Solis. I call her

dog saw it 77-74 for Sanchez. It was a different story for GenSan-trained Sanchez, who received a lot of punishment in the early two rounds, but couldn’t quit because he does not want to embarrass Pacquiao who brought him to Vegas. He came strong in the third when he tagged Evans with a series of shots, punctuated by that solid right to the chin. Evans was never the same after that. With a welt under his left eye and busted lips, Sanchez told Pinoy Watchdog: “Hindi ko na nga alam kung tutuloy pa ako after the second round, pero nahihiya ako

“Lady of Thyatira, the seller of purple cloth,” for being a good listener to anything I say even if they aren’t worth listening. Also, for giving me much-needed lifts whenever I get stranded in the SGValley for my workshops. Thank you for Boo Boo; he was a very cool gizmo. I am thankful for Pinoy Watchdog’s Lorenzo Pelayo. He is a necessary oxymoron. I came to know that enmity and compassion are not strange bedfellows after all; also, to his wife Ka Rosa for her generosity and loving kindness. I am thankful for Myrna Aquitania for the five o’clock let’sbeat-the-happy-hour rendezvous at the Americana for the perfectly–concocted mojitos, and the delectable sliders at Cheesecake Factory. I thought the blue shirt from Paris was heaven-sent. I am thankful for another Palanca Award winner Ella Madrigal Wagner for her unqualified support in whatever work that I do. She is one of my irreplaceable best friends in whom I am forever proud.Thanks for encouraging me to write in a narrative that I am comfortable with. I am thankful for FilAm journalists who are able to hold on to some moral moorings despite the brazen “we-don’t-care-about-thereaders” attitude being espoused by the gofers of darkness and the

lovers of the root of evil. I am thankful for Bayani Pacheco, Joel Paguio, Brother Frank Paras Jr., Matt Relox, and Manny Ilagan, for reminding me that there is enough goodness in men. The evil ones get the comeuppance of their evil ways; they eventually grow enlarged prostate. You bet they do. I am thankful for my friend, Hero, for dragging me to a latesummer Yosemite jaunt with a busload of obnoxious tourists at mga Pinoy na walang urbanidad (couldn’t say it any other way). And even though my hand-me-down iPod got stolen from my luggage, the journey was well worth it. Above all, I thank God who “Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I have cried out to you; but let the wicked be put to shame and lie silent in the grave. Let their lying lips be silenced, for with pride and contempt they speak arrogantly against the righteous.”(The author writes for L.A.-based Pinoy Watchdog, examiner. com, and Mabuhay News Service. He obtained his journalism degree at the University of Santo Tomas and took expanded theological studies at Angelus Bible Institute. Email him at davecasuco@gmail. com).

kay Sir Manny na nagdala sa akin dito,” he said. “Malakas yong kalaban ko. Sabi sa akin ni Buboy (Fernandez) kunin ko ang 7th, at ‘yan ang ginawa ko para manalo nga ako.” Filipino-American southpaw Mercito Gesta of San Diego, California lost to fleet-footed Mexican Miguel Angel Vazquez of Guadalajara, Mexico by a unanimous decision in the 12-round IBF world lightweight championship. Also, in the penultimate match which was WBA interim super featherweight title fight, Filipino Michael

Farenas lost to former Cuban amateur standout Yuriokis Gamboa in a unanimous decision. Judges Robert Hoyle, Dick Houck, and Glenn Townbridge scored 117-109, 118-108, and 117-109 respectively for Gamboa. Other undercards results: American Olympian Jose Ramirez TKOed Cory Siegawarth 2:20 into the first round in an auspicious debut as a professional boxer. “It was the first time I ever fought without a headgear. My pro gloves also felt smaller. I got it all working pretty quick and got in some good hard shots,” said Ramirez,

adding he intends to fight six times a year. In the WBA interim featherweight title fight, Javier Fortuna of California beat a feisty Irish boxer Partick Hyland via a unanimous decision. Judge Gary Meritt scored it 118-110, Duane Ford had it 116-112, and Dave Moretti saw it 115-113 all for Fortuna. David Casuco was former sportswriter and assistant sports editor of the Journal Publications in Manila. He obtained his journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas. Email him at davecasuco@ gmail.com)

Charitable Groups Mobilize, Appeal for Donations for “Pablo” Typhoon Victims

stricken areas in Mindanao A December 7 press release from the Dept. of Labor and Employment says that Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz ordered the release of an initial P5.5million funding for emergency employment and livelihood of workers who were displaced by typhoon Pablo in Caraga Region and Compostela Valley, particularly in the town of New Bataan. In a briefing with the president held at the Davao International Airport, NDRRMC Executive Director Benito Ramos said the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has already sent potable water to New Bataan, Compostela Valley. Albay is also giving water to the typhoon victims. The Dept. of Social Welfare and

Development will coordinate where to locate the water supplies for easy access of the people, Secretary Dinky Soliman said. Dept. of Health Secretary Enrique Ona informed that they have already distributed chlorine tablets where there is no safe drinking water yet as well as medicines to affected areas. Ona admitted there are some problems in distributing medicines because many devastated areas are still inaccessible. The Dept. of Trade and Industry is also doing price monitoring in coordination with the Philippine National Police to prevent traders from jacking up their prices. The government is also spearheading a “Diskuwento Caravan” to provide the people with affordable basic necessities.

From Page 10

of the worst typhoon that hit this year. She posted this in her Facebook page. Willo Lim, president of the Sto. Nino de Cebu Association of Southern California, also informed that a donation box for the victims in Cateel, Davao, will be provided during the organization’s Annual Christmas Dinner Dance on December 8, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel & Commerce Casino, City of Commerce. Songstress-entertainer Malou Toler sent in this email: “Yes, we are scheduling it for Dec. 27, I’m gathering artists and Evelyn is working on the venue.” Ms. Toler, a familiar sight in fun-

draising causes, is contacting artist friends to join in the humanitarian undertaking. Civic and church leader Pex Aves also volunteered to make representation with Councilmember Elito Santarina of the City of Carson to initiate a fundraising towards this end. ‘Pablo’ updates Amid a shortage of coffins in the calamity area, the Pampanga provincial government under the leadership of Governor Lilia G. Pineda had asked the Pampanga Mayors’ League (PML) to help in the preparation of at least 500 coffins for delivery to the typhoon-

PinoyWatchDog.Com

ntert inment & rts

Sunday, December 9, 2012

On Fil-Am actor Germaine de Leon, L.A. screening of “Manila Skies,” and the passing of a dear colleague

I’

d like to give a heads up to our media friends in Manila about FilAm actor Germaine de Leon, who is also in the movie “Here Comes the Boom,” (where Charice and another Fil-Am actor Reggie Lee stars opposite comedian Kevin James). “Here Comes the Boom” will hit Manila theaters come January 8. Germaine is one of the most successful Fil-Am actors in Hollywood onstage, tv and films. He is famous for his role in the hit tv series “Dexter” and currently playing lead in the well-acclaimed comedy play “Kong: A Goddamn 30-Foot Gorilla” at the SkyPilot Theater in NoHo

district. He happens to be a relative of the big Padilla clan and close to the Ranillo’s (Suzette, Dandin, Matt, etc.). He is the grandson of Jose Padilla, Jr. You can read my feature article about this talented guy in my next column. = In my last column, I mentioned about the lack of Filipino films we see in different film festivals around U.S. and I am happy to share that a few weeks ago, I saw Raymond Red’s “Manila Skies” (subtitled “Himpapawid”) starring Raul Arellano in one of its L.A. screening in a regular

theater. The film was entered at the 2010 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival but now was able to get a one week run in selected AMC theat-

ers here in L.A. and in some parts of the U.S. The movie is inspired by a true news account of a desperate man who lost his faith in the so-

ciety and decided to hijack a plane. Arellano gave a strong performance, cinematography was great (I think Red mentioned that he used a red camera) but it was the storytelling and screenplay that had me engrossed watching the film. Red, the only Filipino director who won a Palme d’Or at Cannes (2000) also just finished a black and white feature entitled “Kamera Obskura,” which won the Special Jury Prize at the recent 2012 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival held in Manila. Turn to Page 15

Concert Producer Jackie R. Katigbak of KATZ Entertainment (R.I.P.)

Sunday, December 9, 2012

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On Fil-Am actor Germaine de Leon, L.A. screening of “Manila Skies,” and the passing of a dear colleague From Page 14

Pag-Itim ng Tagak,” “Bakit The Philippine industry is May Pag-Ibig Pa,” “Maligno,” mourning the demise of vet- “Sa Dulo Ng Kris,” “Aliw-Iw,” eran and acclaimed director, “Uhaw Na Dagat,” among writer, and actor Celso Ad many memorable films. Castillo, who was succumbed to death at the age of 69, by a heart attack. He was known of doing erratic films, sex-themed movies as well as great period films that made a trend in the history of Filipino films. He directed 62 feature films and wrote 44 movie screenplays which started from 1964 to 2010. Some of his notable films include “Burlesk Queen” (Vilma Santos), “Ang Alamat ni Julian Makabayan” (Chris- Celso Ad Castillo (R.I.P.) topher de Leon), “Ang And here in L.A., the Pinakamagandang Hayop Sa Balat Ng Lupa” (Gloria Diaz), Filipino entertainment me“Asedillo” (FPJ), “Kung Bakit dia and Fil-Am community Dugo Ang Kulay Ng Gabi,” are very sad of the passing of “Tag-Ulan Sa Tag-Araw,” a dear friend and colleague “Ang Madugong Daigdig ni -- Jackie Regala-Katigbak, Salvacion,” “Patayin Mo Sa whom at the age of 51, lost Sindak si Barbara,” “Ihalik Mo her battle to breast cancer. Ako Sa Diyos,” “ Daluyong at Jackie, together with his husHabagat,” “Pagputi ng Uwak, band Gerry Katigbak and

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son Mikko produced many shows in Los Angeles in the past two decades under their family banner KATZ Entertainment. Katz last produced concert was the Starmagic 20, the 20th anniversary of ABSCBN where 19 stars from said network performed at the Shrine Auditorium. Jackie R. Katigbak was a former editor of Manila Standard in Manila, Philippines (and also worked at Manila Bulletin as an assistant editor) before migrating in Los Angeles. She has written and became entertainment editors for several L.A. publications including Asian Journal Publications, Weekend Balita, among others, and worked as a PRO for several brand (Goldilocks, Forex Cargo, etc.) before venturing into producing concerts and tour shows for Manila-based singers and artists. On a personal note, Jackie is one of the nicest and endearing person

I’ve known for many years. She was always cool, steady, and has a lot of patience. We were supposed to have a meeting after Thanksgiving to talk about Mikko’s pending Hollywood career (the kid wowed the judges during last year’s IMTA competition held at the Bonaventure Hotel!) and since then I took in Michaelo (Mikko) under my wings and swore to keep my promise that I’ll forever guide and help him. Suddenly, I was shocked about the sad news on Tuesday. There is a funeral service at the Forest Lawn in Cypress this weekend: Viewing on Saturday (10

L-R: Clinton F. Morales, Fil-Am actor Germaine de Leon seated beside his cousin Suzette Ranillo, Fil-Am actor Abe Pagtama, Director Raymond Red, this writer, and Spanish-Hollywood actor Christian Rodrigo. - 9 p.m.), Sunday visitation from 5-7 p.m. and mass from 7-9 p.m.).

Comments, please email me at oliver@iatalent.com.

Wows

JENNIFER LOPEZ MANILA, Regine Velasqez lost her voice! Piolo Pascual and Shaina Magdayao at dinner together

►By Vince Concepcion

ow, time flies so fast. It’s the 12th month of the year 2012 and things are kinda uneventful lately. For the concert scene, I heard the Rico Puno, Richard Gomez, and Patricia Javier in Pechanga was a moderate success last November. Another friend went to Noypitz in Glendale last night to watch Joey Albert, Raymond Lauchengco and Gino Padilla(this is sooo 80’s for me) who came to sing a few songs or so.

Well in Manila, the concert scene is soo thriving! Jennifer Lopez performed in the Mall of Asia Arena with a full 11,000 hard core fans watching with big stars and politicians dancing, cheering, and screaming with all the hoi polloi in the “Dance With Me “ tour concert of JLo which started in Panama. JLo appeared in one scene carrying a scarf behind her with the Philippine flag design. She wowed everybody when she said “Mahal Kita” to the adoring fans. Regine Velasquez had her most-talked about concert “Silver”

Lead star of “Manila Skies” Raul Arellano and Dir. Raymond Red with this writer.

for her 25th anniversary also in Mall of Asia a few weeks before the JLO show and the arena was filled to the rafters. The problem was not the crowd but Regine’s voice. In the concert, she confessed her voice was lost and she cannot reach all her usual high notes because of her rigorous rehearsals. The trooper that she was, Regine carried the concert with her guest artists like Lani Misalucha and Vice Ganda among others and the audience stayed with her all through the show. She promised to have a free repeat concert to be scheduled next year and all ticket

buyers will come in for free. Lani Misalucha had her own show at the Resorts World with “Journey with Me “ two weeks after Regine’s and she charmed the thousands of people who came to watch her show. Next year a big show is coming up by Starmedia with four of the biggest artists on February- a Valentine concert featuring ex lovers Martin Nievera Pops Fernandez and Regine Velasquez with Ogie Alcasid! Now, that is real starpower! No titles has been set yet. In the movieworld, there’s not much exciting chismis. This chismis about Piolo Pascual courting Shaina Magdayao or Piolo linked romantically with the lovely starsimply boring. I won’t bite that. It’s just non-news. Dr Vicki Belo had a Xmas Party for her Medical Group and was star studded with Regine Velasquez, Karylle, Melai Cantiveros, Isabelle Daza, Matteo Guidicelli, Christian Bautista among others. Hayy soo boring!Hopefully more exciting chismis next issue.

Jennifer Lopez holding the Philippine flag

Regine Velasquez loses her voice