Pinoywatchdog com may 11 2013 issue

Pagbati Sa Lahat Ng Nanay: ‘Happy Mother’s Day’!

VOL. 2 NO. 8 • 12 PAGES •

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SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013

Invisible Scars: A Poignant Journey Of A Battered Woman

(Second of three parts) ►By ALMA LUNA REYES, Staff Writer In Part I, we went through my personal bout with domestic violence. We also got a chance to see the present state of things through data from Domestic Violence Statistics. According to available data, there are million other women who are in the

same situation as I was. Sad, but indeed, the ugly head of domestic violence knows of no border. It does not discriminate against color. Nor does it distinguish economic, financial status or educational attainment. It haunts every inch and every social strata of the global society. In Part II, let’s see how my children reacted. Let us also try to dis-

cuss what could have led my ex-husband to act the way he did.

As I tried to endure all kinds of abuse through the years, I braced myself from every blow and drew strength from my children. I got through my days because of their love. I tried to hide my tears but whenever they see me crying, they wiped my tears

away. They also said nice things that made me smile in the midst of all the horror that engulfed my whole being.

My eldest son, who was three years old at that time, but somehow old enough to have some understanding of my torment, asked; “Mama, di ba masakit ang sugat Continued on Page 9

SWS Survey: Erap Delineates Batman’s Role Estrada hopes to save Manila, Churchgoing in which he compares to the PH dropped crime-infested Gotham City

►By DAVID CASUCO, Manila Bureau Chief MANILA – Rosarito Detablan Balanac attends church services regularly all his life and identifies himself as “somewhat religious” with solid doctrinal knowledge having studied at a pontifical university.

He believes in the total transubstantiation of the holy Eucharist, sings in the church choir, knows all the prayers and has received all the necessary sacraments. But in the past few years he has been thinking of leaving the church with disturbing reasons: 1. his church does not seem to respond to his spiritual felt needs; and 2. he feels he is not connected to his God. Balanac, 31, is frustrated doing reliContinued on Page 3

►By DAVID CASUCO, Manila Bureau Chief

MANILA – When Joseph “Erap” Estrada decided to run for the Manila mayoral post, political pundits, the rich, the not-sorich, and the poor all agree: It is in the bag.

The former president, despite his bad fortunes the past few years, remains solidly connected with the “masa” or the poor Filipinos. Even when he was in jail, the masa never wavered their support for their reeland-real life hero.

And with Manila facing a myriad of problems Estrada feels he’s like Batman in Gotham City. His victory a foregone conclusion, Erap hopes to save the city of Manila, which he compares to the fictionErap Estrada shown here during a campaigh sortie in the slum areas of Tondao, Manila

Continued on Page 3

Covering Up Shady Dealings Behind Attacks On Bander

Atty. Paul Allen, Heir To Beirne-Balita False Advertising Tradition

►By the PinoyWatchDog.com Investigative Team

FOR OVER a decade it has been an ‘open secret’ in the Filipino community of Greater Los Angeles that the non-lawyers husband and wife team of Balita Media owners Anthony Allen and Luchie Mendoza were the actual owners of the Law Offices of James Beirne. In June of 2011 Paul Mendoza Allen, son of Balita Media publisher

Luchie Allen, was admitted to the California Bar. A few months later his image was in Balita newspapers alongside Attorney James Beirne, first as an associate, then quite quickly as his own firm with Beirne being moved over as ‘Of Counsel’. This new ‘Allen’ firm has all the same addresses, phone numbers, staff and advertising as the former

ALLEN

Beirne Law Office.

PinoyWatchDog.com’s investigative team has learned that in response to State Bar of California investigator’s inquiry that Attorney Paul Allen claimed he ‘purchased’ the Beirne Law Offices.

And then Attorney Beirne faded from the pages of Balita Media.

And now, in recent editions of Weekend Balita their Continued on Page 2

BALESH

Umayam’s New Lawyer Follows Paul Allen’s Pattern Of Deceitful Advertising (STORY ON PAGE 2)

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Saturday, May 11, 2013

PinoyWatchDog.Com

Atty. Paul Allen, Heir to Beirne-Balita False...

editor, Rhony Laigo, never known for particularly accurate or truthful reporting, or even cogent prose, has taken to the great Balita Media pastime of Bander-bashing, the insistent maligning of Attorney Joel Bander.

So why are these two sets of indisputable facts connected?

In an exclusive interview with PinoyWatchDog.com’s investigative team Attorney Bander explained the reasons Balita is completely obsessed with him. “It all started in 2009 with my uncovering Balita’s extensive fraudulent advertising about their circulation. They were printing no more than 35,000 copies a week from two editions but advertising they were the largest newspaper with 80,000 copies a week.” Bander added “Balita even advertised claimed they were audited by a circulation audit firm in New Jersey. But my investigator learned that that firm never even heard of Balita Media. Balita lies arethat audacious.”

But it got worse. Both Asian Journal and Balita were audited by Marin based Verified Audit of Circulation. It was concluded by this independent company that Asian Journal had the largest circulation between the two rivals. Balita Media actually failed the audit. However, Editor Rhony Laigo, undeterred as usual by facts, wrote stories and

went on television to pronounce that the audit results demonstrated that Balita was the largest.

Later, in deposition, Lagio admitted he did not need facts to write stories, his ‘beliefs’ were enough.

Balita Media later settled with Asian Journal, and now will never place in writing the amount of their circulation. [Give them a call and ask for a writing about their circulation.

They will say it is being sent, but will never send it.] However, PinoyWatchDog.com’s investigative team has learned that Balita’s advertising department will still misrepresent to callers circulation of over 30,000.

“But they will never print a number anymore, as their lies about circulation will be exposed.” [Give them a call and ask for a writing about their circulation. They will say it is being sent, but will never send it. PWD always prints the amount of its copies on its front page.]

But Balita Media went wild, attacking Bander in their newspapers at every turn, but not about the falsity of his investigation, but attacking his former firm’s performance assisting legal clients.

However, as Bander explained, he was undeterred. “I was approached by the Duldulao couple who lost their home because Attorney Beirne failed to file a bankruptcy for them in time. They were told by a number of Filipino law-

yers about the shady dealings of the Beirne Law Office, and how it was owned by non-lawyers. But those attorneys were afraid to take on Balita because of their ruthless media practices. A number of those attorneys referred the Duldualos to me because I am not scared of Balita Media.”

Bander then started to investigate Beirne’s advertising. Following the Balita mold he discovered pervasive and rampant false advertising by Beirne in Balita Media.

In fact, it was so bad that Beirne even stipulated to a Preliminary Injunction in court that he would not longer use “Misleading and Deceptive” advertising. For instance, Beirne claimed in advertising he had hundreds of immigration removal defense successes while at the same time was unknown to the insular immigration defense attorney community, and over 95% of his practice was for bankruptcy.

“Beirne admitted in litigation he had not facts to support this claim,” Bander said.

Balita Media publisher Luchie Mendoza is no stranger to this false advertising scheme. Attorney Beirne had been suspended from practicing law for publishing articles under Beirne’s name that she had written.

But then Luchie Mendoza Allen false advertising scheme con-

tinued when her son was admitted to the bar. However, Bander discovered that Attorney Paul Allen had on line postings that he had ten years of legal experience even though he was a new admittee, and even claimed he was a certified specialist in bankruptcy. Attorney Allen further claimed he was a ‘federal designated debt relief agency’ which was also false. So Bander brought a false advertising suit against new admittee Paul Allen, further bringing his mother’s ire.

In a filing before the California Court of Appeal Bander wrote “false claims of relationships with government agencies, and representations of ten (10) years of experience by new admittees, must not be permitted.”

However, Bander said that “through all of these controversies Attorney Paul Allen remains silent, an enigma, just a smiling young face that with his mother’s careful crafting of his image that has no texture. But that is always Balita Media’s plan. Just have unsuspecting poor Filipinos file bankruptcies, even if the owner of the law firm is not the lawyer.”

Bander admits “if I never exposed all of this false advertising Balita would not care about me.

Look, Attorney Norberto Reyes [the

From Page 1

high profile attorney devising the Bander Law Firm mortgage program] is being disciplined by the State Bar and Balita does not write a shred about that issue. Instead Luchie Mendoza attends Reyes’s promotional activity.” Bander concluded, “the attacks on me is about protecting Luchie’s business enterprises, her law firm and her newspaper, nothing else.”

Bander remains sanguine about the whole experience of being insistently attacked by Balita Media.

“If this is the price I have to pay for revealing the Balita/Beirne/Allen lies to the Filipino community I accept it. Filipinos deserve to know the truth. And the truth is that Balita, Beirne and Allen have a long track record of lying to the Filipino community.”

If news were about predicting the future, we will see more attacks on Bander, and Attorney Paul Allen never making a public comment about his ‘role’ in his law firm, or about his lying to the community about his level of legal experience.

Darna Umayam’s Lawyer Also Doing False Advertising

► By the PWD Investigative Team ON APRIL 18, 2013, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu granted Darna Umayam’s attorney Michael Lancaster’s motion to withdraw from

the Bander v. Umayam defamation case because Umayam was not paying her legal bills. Umayam quickly obtained new counsel, an unknown attorney named James Balesh.

However, the PinoyWatch-

Dog.com investigative team has learned that Attorney Balesh, similar to Attorney Paul Allen, has a pattern of deceitful advertising.

Attorney Allen’s claim to fame was making false representations that he had

ten years of legal experience when he was a new admittee. He stopped this practice of deceitful advertising once exposed

by PinoyWatchDog.com.

Now, PWD has discovered that Umayam Attorney

Balesh’s web page boasts that “we have won justice for thousands of personal injury clients for over three decades.” The web page also states that “over the past 25 years … Balesh has distinguished itself as one of the premier personal injury law firms.”

However, according to the State Bar of California’s web page, Balesh was admitted to practice law in September 1994, less than twenty years ago.

An attorney consulting with PWD on these matters, whose identity is not disclosed because Umayam has been known to use caustic and false attacks by her proxies on anyone exposing her deceit, said “this is not as bad as Attorney Allen, who had less than one year experience and claimed a decade. But saying 25 years, or over three decades of experience when only admitted for 19 is still pretty darn deceitful.”

Balesh’s legal advertising also violates attorney ethics by violating the Business & Professions

Code that requires that a spokesperson’s title be including in any representation. However, Balesh’s web site has an ‘testimonial’ that “James R. Balesh fought for me! … I couldn’t have done it without the support and expertise of your entire team.” But there is no name or title for this person. “This is a clear ethical violation of attorney advertising,” the PWD consulting attorney said. “You cannot have an anoyomous person endorsing an attorney.”

The Beirne Law Offices, which Attorney Paul Allen acquired, had a more severe violation, with a video of an actress falsely posing as a happy client.

“Again, this violation is not as bad as Attorney Bierne’s, but it is deceitful all the same,” the consultant said.

Balesh’s claims of winning justice for thousands of personal injury clients also appear to be false, the PWD consulting attorney said. “For 19 years that calculates to about 20 Continued on Page 3

PinoyWatchDog.Com

Saturday, May 11, 2013

SWS Study Shows Drop In Church Attendance...

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From Page 1

gion. He is one of what pollster Social Weather Station (SWS) calls the churchgoers who belong to the over nine per cent, or about one in every 11 Filipinos who “sometimes think of leaving the Catholic Church.”

Over 81 per cent of Filipinos claim to belong to the Catholic faith.

The SWS special report released on April 7, 2013, in a way, validates earlier suspicions that churchgoing in the Philippines has been on a decline. But without facts and data to back up, the claim that churchgoing has, indeed, become

unpopular remained well, just another urban tale. Until Fr. Joel Tabora, S.J., a high profile leader of the church, sounded off the alarm button. It was when the laity, the clergy, and yes, the SWS pollsters started to pay attention.

In an article posted in his blog (http://taborasj.wordpress.com/2013/02/07/ the-catholic-church-between-the-sublime-andthe-ridiculous/) titled “The Catholic Church: Between the Sublime and the Ridiculous), Fr. Joel Tabora, S.J., president of the Ateneo de Davao University, wrote,

Erap Delineates...From Page 1 al crime-infested Gotham City.

Estrada, who served as San Juan City mayor before holding national posts, said he is more capable of assuring security in Manila. It may be recalled that crimebusting was one of his priority programs when he became president from 1998 to 2001.

Why did he decide to run for mayor of Manila?

“Dito sa Maynila ako nakilala at sumikat bilang artista. Ang aking mga unang sumikat na pelikula ay tungkol sa buhay sa Maynila,” recalls Erap during an audience with mediamen early this week. “Ang mga Manileño rin, partikular ang mahihirap, ang sinasabing masa, ang pangunahing tumangkik sa aking mga pelikula kaya nakamit ko ang tagumpay sa industriya.”

Erap acknowledged that he owes a lot to the masa and it was them who made him what he is now.

“Kahit nung nakakulong ako, Hindi nila ako iniwan, ibinoto nila si Dra. Loi at anak kong si Jinggoy para maging senator,” he said, adding “Hindi ko rin sila pwedeng iwanan at pabayaan ngayon. I will dedicate my last years serving them. Buong puso akong tumatanaw ng utang na loob sa masang Pilipino, sa mga Manileño. Ako po ay nabubuhay...at mamamatay, pero hindi ako makakabayad ng utang na loob sa masang Pilipino.”

“Mabuti nga naisipan ni Erap tumakbo uli para gumanda uli ang Manila.

Last time umuwi ako, pana-

hon pa ni (Lito) Atienza, ang ganda-ganda ng Baywalk. I was so proud,” said a returning expat from Las Vegas. “Now, it is as bare, blighted and lifeless.”

Estrada argued that during the term of Manila Mayor Alfredo “Dirty Harry” Lim, criminals have become more brazen – even influencing law enforcers – in committing crimes in the metro.

“Manila has overtaken Quezon City as the carnapping capital. There is also a news report showing that agents of the Manila Police District are involved with kidnapping,” Estrada said.

A Manileño (born in Manuguit, Tondo) who truly loves Manila, which used to be the financial center and even more progressive than Hong Kong and some other Asian cities decades ago, he laments that the city is now besieged by gargantuan problems.

“Nakakapanghinayang naman na ang dating Lungsod ng ating mga Pangarap ay isa na ngayong lungsod ng krimen, nag-u-ulyanin, karumihan, at kawalan ng progreso at direksyon,” Erap said.

He added that he will pursue his “urban renewal program” employment, education, peace and order to be able to attract investors, revenue generation and fiscal transparency, health services, youth, women and seniors, cleanliness, greening and waste management, transparency in governance and emergency response action which he adopted in San Juan when he was mayor there.

Sa pamamagitan ng aking urban renewal program ay mapapanumbalik natin ang dating ganda ng Maynila bilang sentro ng economic activities, bilang major tourist spot at center of culture ng ating bansa.”

Among others, Erap said he will also look into the rehabilitation of the Metropolitan Theater, a cultural landmark in Manila, which is now in an awful state. (With MNS report)

“The Catholic Church is in trouble – even in Catholic Philippines … People has been leaving the Catholic Church. People are about to leave the Church… People are tired of lousy homilies that ramble in inanities that begin and never end, and never end because they should never have begun.

People are tired of being preached at, of being treated as if they were younger than adolescents, of being lectured, of being scolded, of being dictated upon… People love the truth. But the feeling is: people are being strangled by this truth. Their reaction: stop the world, I want to get off! Stop the holier-than-thou discourse, the theological bullying …

It is time, I think, for Mahar Mangahas to take out his social survey tools to help us understand what is happening.”

And Mangahas did just that.

In the SWS national survey conducted on Feb. 15-17, 2013, Mangahas found that weekly church attendance among all Catholic adults in the Philippines from 1991 to 2013 dropped from 63% to 37%, or a 26 per cent clip (See Chart 2). “The latest 37% weekly church attendance of Catholics in February 2013 matches the all-time low 37% weekly church attendance of Catholics in March 2008,” report the SWS. “The decline in Catholics’weekly church attendance from 1991 to 2013 is highly significant, statistically speaking.” In comparison, there are nearly twice as many of other Christians who are weekly churchgoers: 64% among Protestants, 70% among Iglesia ni Cristos and 62% among other Christians.

Seventy-five percent of Muslims attend masjid at least weekly.

The SWS summary of findings follows: • The new survey found that, compared to those of other religions, Catholics are less religious, and Catholics attend church less frequently.

• The long series of SWS surveys over time shows a slightly downward trend of church attendance among Filipinos, for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

• When asked to compare their current church attendance with that of five years

ago, the balance of comparisons is negative (i.e. those who now attend more frequently are outnumbered by those who now attend less frequently) for Catholics, Iglesia ni Cristo and Muslims, but is positive (i.e. the balance tilts towards those who now attend more frequently) for Protestants and other Christian subcultures.

• Among Catholics, having thoughts about leaving

the Church is more common (a) among those relatively less religious, (b) among those with relatively less frequent church attendance, and (c) among those whose present church attendance has decreased from five years ago.

The SWS survey was done using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 registered voters divided into random samples of 300 each in

Metro Manila; balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao (sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±6% for area percentages).

The SWS employs its own staff for questionnaire design, sampling, fieldwork, data-processing, and analysis, and does not outsource any of its survey operations.

Umayam’s Lawyer Also...From Page 2

successful cases a month.

That’s an extraordinary amount for a small office.” The web site claims Balesh also obtained $150 million for clients. “If that were true,” one web developer said, “he should have a better budget for his web page.”

Attorney Balesh’s web site also claims a $1.5 million verdict, but just entitles the case ‘Etc.’

Most of Balesh’s web site has Latin gibberish. The site is nowhere near completion.

“This does not appear to be an accomplished lawyer,” the consultant stated.

Lastly, the Balesh’s claims in Martindale Hubbell, a leading reference guide for clients to choose lawyers, that he was a board member of the Arab-American Educational Foundation.

However, their web site does not list him as a former board member.

That foundation did not

return a call for information. Reached for comment about Balesh’s Arab community affiliations defending Umayam’s antiSemitic laced diatribe in the defamation case, Attorney Bander, who is Jewish, said “I know nothing about this man except that he is lying profusely in his web pages.

But that can occur with any nationality.”

PWD has learned that Attorney Paul Allen’s mother, Balita Media pub-

lisher Luchie Allen, referred Attorney Lancaster to Darna Umayam. The investigative team has yet to learn how Umayam found Balesh. One commentator following the Umayam case closely stated “this attorney and these advertising violations, along with Darna’s regular pattern of deceit would appear that these two are meant for each other.”

Attorney Balesh refused comment for this article.

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If you’ve spent any time at all in California, chances are that most FilipinoAmericans kids you meet will tell you that their mom is a nurse, or if not the mom, an aunt or other close relative or friend. You can walk into any healthcare facility in the Golden State, (heck, maybe in the entire US!) be it a major hospital or a small convalescent home, and in it you will find The Filipina Nurse. If all these nurses call in sick the same day, I would hypothesize that the whole US Healthcare system will literally grind to a halt, if not collapse. These professionals work selflessly, day in and day out caring for patients, without much fanfare, working extended shifts, sometimes under less-than-ideal conditions.

Then they get home and, more often than not, have another set of duties to perform as Moms- cooking, cleaning, doing the laundry, etc.

This week we are celebrating Nurses Week, and this weekend, Mother’s Day; a double celebration, and fitting tributes

Editorial

Saturday, May 11, 2013

‘Dividing’ The Filipino Community

PinoyWatchDog.com is “Dividing the Community.” That’s the charge when we take a stand on an issue, or one of our exposes reveal wrongdoing.

In reality, the charge always emanates from the targets, benefactors, or friends of those individuals or institutions that are the subjects of PWD articles. It is usually nothing more than a smoke screen to hide, or deflect from, the embarrassing content of our stories.

Rarely, if ever, will the subjects of articles discuss the substance of the charges, either admitting fault or directly countering our facts.

Those committing frauds on the community cannot handle the truth. Hence, the standard smoke screen practice of preying on the fears of the First Generation about their standing in American, that we must band together against the outside forces ready to do harm to the Filipino. As if this was not land of the free and home of the brave.

PinoyWatchDog.com simply joins a grand American tradition – a free press. This newspaper maintains that open and robust discussion about public issues only strengthens a community. Sweeping dirt under the rug in the name of ‘Unity’ only continues to soil the reputation of Filipinos across our generational lines and with the American mainstream, causing as much harm as the underlying evil exposed by this newspaper.

The concept of ‘Filipino unity’ in America, or at least Southern California, is also a fallacy. We are

divided by distance, educational background, generational differences, social sophistication, even the ability to speak Tagalog. A second generation doctor in Irvine has little in common with a first generation undocumented care giver in Panoroma City. And our critical Second Generation loses faith in the strengths of our culture when spurious arguments of ‘Dividing the Community’ are raised. They live by American standards of integrity, and are more inclined to depart our heritage, or be embarrassed by it, when gullible First Generations buy into the ‘Dividing the Community’ argument instead of seeking the substance of the discussion.

Indeed, if our community was united would we not be speaking with a greater voice on the critical immigration issues of the day?

We are not living in the Philippines. We live in America. We must live by American standards of conduct; not smear campaigns, or spreading falsehoods and lies to protect a corrupt system or practices such as self appointed leaders systematically lying or stealing from the community, or non-lawyers owning law firms.

Most Filipinos understand the truth matters. We are damaged by the vocal minority employing deceit and fear as the basis of public discussion. Please enlighten our kababayan that to gain respect among the Second Generation and the American mainstream we cannot act as if we still live in the Philippines.

So the next time a Filipino says another is ‘dividing the community’ ask – “what’s your stake in this debate?” You will find out it has nothing to do with unity, but with the self interest against the truth – which is Our Reason for Being.

Nurse, Mom… Heroine

to the real people behind our community’s success.

I will venture to say that the foundation of modernday Filipino-American society is the Pinay Nurse and Mom (sorry Dads, I’m a dad too). Contrary to our Filipino saying that the Tatay is the “haligi” or foundation of the home and the Nanay is the light or “ilaw ng tahanan,” the history of Fil- Ams in the past 40 years or so will bring to bear the reality that nurses have been the anchor of the household, first coming here to work long, hard hours, braving the loneliness and homesickness, then bringing the family over when enough money is saved to allow the migration. My own Lola (grandmother) arrived in New Jersey in 1968 and after 6 years, moved to LA and petitioned for the whole family to come. The rest as they say is history.

Her selfless act of coming to a foreign country on her own, working, persevering, and saving her hard- earned money for the family, has contributed to a fortuitous chain of events that made it possible for me to graduate from USC,

and allowed other members of the family to go to college and pursue their own dreams. I am proud to say that recently, my first cousin received her Doctorate in Education at Loyola Marymount, and her younger sister is graduating from Harvard with her Masters in Education.

Without my Lola’s sacrifices, these successes would not have been possible. This story is repeated many times over, within Filipino communities all across the US, Canada, and worldwide.

Of course I’m not discounting other professions, most notably our physicians.

They have their place in the sun as well.

There are also many, many successful kababayans in other fields, endeavors, businesses and professions. But in terms of sheer volume and significance of contribution, the Pinay Nurse and Mom take the prize. Even as there are now many men and dads like me who are RN’s, the Pinay Nurse has long been the icon of stability for our community. My wife Roselyn is also an RN and formerly a Captain in the US Army.

She has done well, serving the community, God and

country as a mom and nurse, as most of her compatriots do on a daily basis. Thus, I salute her and all of our Pinay Nurses and Moms! To all these wonderful ladies, a heartfelt thank you. You are the real heroines of our community.

Joe Arciaga is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club and the National Association of Press Photographers. A proud USC Alumnus, he is a Registered Nurse by trade, whose expertise is in Workers Compensation Case Management. With a long-standing involvement in FilipinoAmerican and Asian Pacific American community and cultural events, Joe is a professional Master of Ceremonies and loves emceeing various events, especially the Annual City of LA Lotus Festival and the Annual Festival of Philippine Arts & Culture.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

‘Chop-chop’ solution to choppy sea disputes WITH China moving closer to total control of the South China Sea, the other five claimant countries are getting nervous… very nervous. Indeed, China’s neighbors are so nervous that they’re arming themselves in an attempt to stop China’s aggressive advances into their territories. But at the rate China is building her naval forces and deploying them to the South China Sea and East China Sea, there is only one country that could stop her – the United States.

But the U.S. is hesitant to get involved militarily in China’s territorial disputes with her neighbors. However, the U.S. made it crystal clear that in the case of Japan, she would defend Japan in the event China attacked her over the disputed Senkaku islands.

The Senkaku islands (Diaoyu to China), a group of five uninhabited islands and islets wedged between Okinawa and Taiwan, is a tinderbox ready to explode.

The standoff between Chinese maritime vessels and the Japanese Coast Guard could escalate into armed conflict at the slightest provocation from either side.

Japan had warned China that she would use force to stop Chinese occupation of the islands.

If war erupted between China and Japan, the U.S. is treatybound to defend Japan. And here’s the kicker: the U.S. has three other mutual defense treaties -- with Taiwan, Philippines, and Australia – that could turn the conflict into a war of global magnitude!

Which makes one wonder if Russia would be tempted to join the fray -- on China’s side -- to settle Russian-Japanese territorial dispute over the four South Kurile Islands.

Chop-chop During Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to Russia last April, Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted that one way of settling their dispute over the South Kurile Islands is to split them evenly. Putin’s solution makes sense. First, Russia and Japan get two islands each; secondly, it ends their dispute; and thirdly, war is avoided.

In the game of Poker, that’s called “chop-chop.” When there are only two players left before the “flop,” one player could propose a “chop-chop”-- that is, to split the pot evenly between them.

This“chop-chop” solution could be repeated in several flashpoints in the East China Sea and

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PinoyWatchDog.Com

South China Sea where China is embroiled in several territorial disputes with her neighbors.

Territorial disputes The Senkaku territorial dispute among Japan, China, and Taiwan could be settled easily since the uninhabited islands and islets don’t have value big enough to trigger a war between China and Japan. Actually, Japan and Taiwan had recently agreed – after 17 years of negotiation – to share fishing rights in the waters around the Senkaku Islands without settling the sovereignty issue.

The big – and complicated -territorial disputes are those that China has with five countries that have overlapping claims to parts or the entire Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei are claiming parts of the Spratly archipelago that are within their 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) while Taiwan is claiming the entire archipelago.

But China has arbitrarily drawn an imaginary line – referred to as the “nine-dash line” – that encompasses about80% of the entire South China Sea. She claims this as part of China since ancient times.

China and Vietnam are also claiming the Paracel Islands that China took over by force from Vietnam in 1974. And then there is the Scarborough Shoal -- which is within the Philippines’ EEZ – that China occupied in 2012.

Recently,China imposed a 15mile fishing restriction around the contested area.

Chinese checkers Over the last few years, China had become more assertive – and aggressive – in pursuing her territorial claims. Recently, she deployed naval warships to the South China Sea and landed troops on James Shoal, some1,100 miles south of China and 50 miles from the coast of Malaysia. It was symbolic act to establish control over the waters near Malaysia.

What China is doing is like a game of Chinese checkers, which is to move her pieces in single steps or jump over other pieces.

The objective is to be the first to move all her pieces across the board to “home”on the opposite side of the board.

On May 6, 2013, a fleet of 30 fishing boats left China’s Hainan province for the Spratly Islands under a unified command and accompanied by a supply ship and transport vessel. The fish-

A Bad Hangover

ing boats have a capacity of more than 100 tons each. They plan to stay in the disputed waters for 40 days. A Chinese official said that the operation aims to develop a “business model” that would let fishermen catch fish around the islands on a regular basis. In essence, that would set a precedent for future fishing forays to the waters around the Spratlys. Not too long ago, a high-ranking Chinese general proposed sending 5,000 armed fishing boats into the South China Sea. Last year China announced that effective January 1, 2013 Hainan police will board and search ships that would “illegally enter what China considers its territory in the disputed South China Sea.” Thus far, China has not imposed this new policy yet, lest it would provoke the United States who had made it crystal clear that “freedom of navigation” must be maintained in the South China Sea, which is one the busiest – if not the busiest – trade routes in the world. Can you imagine what would happen if China successfully blocked cargo ships heading to Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan, or the Philippines coming from the Indian Ocean through the Strait of Malacca?

Pivot to Asia Recently, the U.S. Navy Chief, Admiral Jonathan Greenert, during a nine-day trip to Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, reassured the U.S.’s allies in Asia-Pacific that the U.S. plans to expand her naval presence in the Pacific with new ships and hightech weaponry.

It is interesting to note that the U.S. Navy has 283 in her current fleet of which101 are deployed and 52 are in Pacific waters, and would be increased to 62 ships by 2020. That doesn’t take into account that there are 47 ships under construction or under contract including three nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the first of the three, will be launched in November 2013.

U.S.-China confrontation But the most contentious of China’s territorial disputes is with the Philippines. Recently, the Philippines took their dispute to the United Nations for arbitration Continued on Page 9

My gruesome final exam drained, exhausted, and overheated my brain. Thought processes had been banned in my head for the night. I submitted my blue book, questionnaire included. I picked up my dirty tangerine backpack and walked out of the white classroom filled with pensive students. The sound of the closing door felt as if Rambo’s dagger was lifted out of my chest; I was done with school, finally.

Out on the moonlit pavement of my dear public university, I wanted to laugh and cry and smile and dance, but knowing the absurdity of these actions done at the same time while walking to the parking structure I composed myself.

I drove home jubilant, yet with a grogginess of a man who drank too much.

No time was wasted after I parked my car in the garage; to cap the night away I fixed myself a screwdriver paired with a halfeaten bag of organic junk food. I drank and watched until the night was forgotten.

I’m free from our intense school work: 4-8 page essays, 400+ page reading assignments, pop quizzes, and spontaneous inclass writings. For the first time in nearly five years, I did not have to set my alarm for 6am to prepare for school.

As the sunbeam slithers and slides into the room, discomfort pervaded the morning after completing my college credentials.

The excitement and happiness of finally finishing college dwindled and faded and died out. Uncertainty supplanted my thoughts of bliss. My head was clear of temporal joviality, as the skies after the storm; all I could ask myself then was “What’s next?”

What do I do after the very last finals exam? What do I do the morning after graduation?

As they say, life in America is filled with opportunities. No school and homework present opportunities to stalk friends on Facebook, day and night. Or watch sports highlights on ESPN. Be a couch potato and wait for the next Fil-Am star to root for in American Idol. Or listen all-day to Eraserheads’ “Sa Wakas,” Third Eye Blind’s “Graduate,” and Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out.” Or I can be productive and finally clean our room, the apartment, or the house. Wash the dishes. Mop the floor. Read a book. Plant a tree. Cook a meal.

Maybe I can finally wash Mount Dirty Clothes.

I kid, of course; or not. But the phrase “I need money” pounded my temples like a bad hangover. It’s not that I’m greedy or anything, but money is an addiction we can never kick out of our system because we have shoes to buy, books and records to purchase, and bartenders to tip. And the monetary necessity and addiction require most of us to search for a job, full- or part-time.

Some students may be lucky enough to have a job to keep, whether it is in their chosen field or not, congratulations!

You can perhaps relax and enjoy life more than the newly graduate seeking employment. I commend you for your hard work and extreme juggling skills.

But whether we are job hunting or not, many of us cannot escape these dreaded words: bills and debt. They are banshees that appear and shriek at our faces when we least expect it, approximately around the next billing cycle or six months after graduation.

So then the sun shone bright and mighty and it dragged me to the desk where my laptop rested, and the necessity of finding a part-time job altered my morning ritual of washing the coffee pot and brewing and drinking coffee.

There is more certainty that the sun will find its place between mountains and clouds everyday than graduates finding and keeping a job. With this in mind, I spent my entire morning crafting a new resume because the old ones landed me zero job interviews with employers. And with so many rejections and no-replies in mind, resume building had been a painstaking task.

I cut and pasted keywords and phrases from old resumes to the new, and replaced weak adjectives with stronger ones with a similar feeling of unsuccessfully unraveling a Rubik’s Cube.

At morning’s end, all I could hope for is to receive phone calls or e-mails from employers and perhaps a decent lunch with cup of coffee.

Aphorisms I use(d) to survive life – in and out of college: I’m not the worst. Repeat several times whenever you see a grade lower than yours.

All you need is a great network of friends and family and a strong deodorant that will support, assist, and protect you throughout these rough and perspiring times.

The ability to sleep and wake up every single day is more important than hard work and a 4.0 GPA. If you can’t stand a professor, then sit down.

Sleep is essential to your education, so sleep well whenever, wherever: on your bed, in your car, or in class.

Unless if it was your major, you can’t dance your way out of college.

But class participation might. (francisjohann@gmail.com)

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PinoyWatchDog.Com

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Newsfeature BERNIE'S BOX

By Bernie Cortes-Kimmerle, Entertainment & Arts Editor BEAUTY QUEENS OF THE PHILIPPINES – PART I OF A SERIES Spring is in the air…freshness and beauty abound. So much so that there are several events coming up such as the long-awaited yearly Queen Lola Beauty Pageant AND Binibining Pilinas USA sponsored by Fil-Am Insider. Ms. Pilar Pilapil is the official spokesperson for Queen Lola 2013. Pinoy Watchdog thus decided to do a series of beauty queens from our motherland.

ENJOY! PHILIPPINES AT MAJOR BEAUTY PAGEANTS This is a list of Philippines’s representatives and their placements at the Big Four international beauty pageants, considered the most important in the world.

The country has won three of the four pageants, two Miss Universe crowns, four Miss International crowns and one Miss Earth crown.

Miss Universe – 17 placements Janine Mari Raymundo Tugonon -1st Runner-up – 2012 (born 19 October 1989 in Balanga, Bataan) is a Filipina beauty queen who holds the title Miss UniversePhilippines 2012 and placed first runner-up in the Miss Universe

...AND THE WORLD CELEBRATES

The Filipino Beauty Queens 2012 pageant. She is also a Ballet Protégé from the Ballet School of Manila.

Shamcey Gurrea Supsup 3rd Runner-up - 2011 (born on May 16, 1986) is a Filipina beauty queen who holds the title Miss Universe-Philippines 2011 and represented the Philippines in the Miss Universe 2011 pageant, in which she was declared third runner-up.

Supsup topped the Philippines’ national licensure examination for architects in June 2011. Not only did she obtain her Architecture degree from the University of the Philippines, but she also graduated with Latin honors (Magna Cum Laude).

Maria Venus Bayonito Raj 4th Runner-up – 2010 - aria Venus Bayonito Raj (born July 7, 1988) is a Filipina beauty queen. She was crowned Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 2010 (Miss Universe-Philippines) on March 6, 2010 during the pageant’s Grand Coronation Night at the Araneta Coliseum. There was a controversy regarding her birth certificate and Raj was dethroned

by Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. Raj was briefly replaced by second runner-up Helen Nicolette Henson since first runner-up Diane Elaine S. Necio, also from Bicol was only 17 years old and did not meet the age requirement policies of Miss Universe. On April 10, 2010, the Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc. allowed Raj to reclaim her title due to humanitarian reasons.

Maria Desiree Ereso Verdadero - 3rd Runner-up – 1984 - Desiree first joined the Bb. Pilipinas pageant in 1980 when she was only 17 but went unplaced. She rejoined the pageant the following year as runner up. In 1984, for

of the most popular and acclaimed actresses in the Philippines. She was the daughter of the late theatre and movie actor Vic Silayan. She retired from acting in 2003 and became active in church activities and worked as a part time announcer and host for The 700 Club Asia.

Silayan died aged 46 on April 23,

JANINE TUGONON

SHAMCEYSUPSUP

the third time, she won the elusive Bb. Pilipinas Universe title. Thus representing the Philippines in the Miss Universe pageant in Miami Florida. As we all know, Desiree won 3rd runner-up to eventual winner, Sweden’s own Yvonne Ryding.

Maria Rosario Rivera Silayan -3rd Runner-up – 1980 - Maria Rosario SilayanBailon better known as Chat Silayan (July 8, 1959 - April 23, 2006) was a Filipina beauty queen and actress. She won the 1980 Binibining Pilipinas Universe crown and became the third runner-up at Miss Universe 1980. A year after her stint in Miss Universe, her acting career began and she became one

2006 due to colon cancer. She was survived by her husband Michael Bailon and three children.

Miriam Redito Qiuambao – 1st Runner Up – 1999. Born in Quezon City to Magdalena Redito of Oas, Albay and Medgardo Quiambao of Bacacay, Albay on May 20, 1975 She is a licensed Physical VENUS RAJ

Continued on Page 10

Saturday, April 13, 2013

PinoyWatchDog.Com

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Saturday, May April11, 13,2013 2013 Saturday,

PinoyWatchDog.Com

Pusong Pinoy Sets The Gold Standard Of Non-Profit Fil-Am Organizations

►By IVY ANTONIO and BERNIE KIMMERLE

IT WAS a simple idea. Promote literacy through reading by ongoing book drives from the U.S. to the Philippines.

This month marks the 4th anniversary of the founding of Pusong Pinoy (PP), an all-volunteer California-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping underprivileged children in the Philippines.

How it all started: In May 2009, Pusong Pinoy’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer,

Donna B. Rosario, launched a book drive in her hometown of Chino Hills. Little did she know that then, she could not have foreseen that PP would evolve into an award-winning organization.

IT ALL STARTED WITH HER FAMILY. Ms. Rosario wanted to instill philanthropic values in her children and to

promote literacy to under privileged children all over the Philippines. Little did she know that teaching her kids some of life’s most valuable lessons would take her on a life-changing journey.

With success come challenges to hurdle. Since its early days as a book drive, the mother and son team of Donna and Noah took painstaking efforts to

It is refreshing to see a Fil-Am non-profit organization as TRANSPARENT as PP when it comes to proof of funds showcasing where donations went to. sort and pack gently-used books for disadvantaged kids from preschool to 4th grade level in the Philippines.

The original plan was to collect 1000 books. As more books came pouring in, Donna turned to Facebook to reach out to even more friends and the overwhelming response prompted her to create another

account thus giving birth to Pusong Pinoy on Facebook when she decided to add 1000 more books.

THEN PP BLOSSOMED Within months of opening the account, the number of ‘Likes’ increased as more friends and family came on board to support the book drive.

PP SETS THE GOLD STANDARD WHEN IT COMES TO HONESTY AND TRANSPARENCY Because of the organization’s growth and support of many Fil-Ams, PP had to streamline its mission to meet the needs of its ever-growing donor base and those of its recipients as well.

It is refreshing to see a FilAm non-profit organization as TRANSPARENT as PP when it comes to proof of funds showcasing where donations went to.

Pusong Pinoy made sure they acknowledged each book received. This practice set the standard that defines how Pusong Pinoy operates to this day.

As more monetary and in-kind donations kept coming, PP continued to forge partnerships with public schools and organizations in the Philippines designed to advance the well-being of Filipino children and their families in the areas of education, health care and social services.

With generous support from Heroes all over the world, Pusong Pinoy has so far provided 50,000 books to forty-five (45) public elementary schools and daycare centers, four (4) communities and seven (7) outreach organizations in the Philippines.

To date, it has provided assistance to approximately 19,000 disadvantaged kids through its various projects such as the food drive, scholarship program, livelihood project, feeding program and school supplies drive to

name a few.

Transparency and honesty.

Since its inception, PP has always taken its stewardship role very seriously. Acknowledging monetary and in-kind donations, however big or small, is always of great importance to this organization that has taken to the habit of using its Facebook page to give shout outs to its donors and volunteers through FB and their web blog.

100% of donations received are turned over to the donor’s intended recipient. In the past, Pusong Pinoy has had many opportunities of being chosen as beneficiary of fundraising events. In those instances, Pusong Pinoy allocates a portion of the proceeds towards an ongoing project while using some of the funds to cover operational expenses.This is always done with the benefactor’s full knowledge and consent.

And, PP is proud to say that they have not yet encountered “donor fatigue”.

PP adheres to a strict selection process to determine the worthiness of its potential recipients and partner organizations.

Due diligence is key to ensure that PP only aligns with likeminded individuals or groups that uphold the same standards of transparency and accountability. Because of this commitment, the organization has maintained a steady stream of repeat donors and supporters.

Due diligence, strict selection and efficiency works. Pusong Pinoy won the prestigious 2012 Gawad Geny Lopez Jr. Global Bayaning Pilipino Award for North America. It was conferred by the largest media and entertainment company in the Philippines, ABS-CBN Corporation, together with the Ugnayan at Tulong para sa Maralitang Pamilya (UGAT) Foundation for “its extraordinary work in the service of the Filipino people.

For more information, please visit their Facebook page or visit their website at www.pusong-

Saturday, May 11, 2013

PinoyWatchDog.Com

Invisible Scars: A Poignant Journey...

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From Page 1

Read the first part of Invisible Scars. Log on to: http://www.pinoywatchdog.com/theinvisible-scars-part-i-of-3-by-alma-luna-reyes/ mo? Bakit ka pa magtratrabaho?

(Mama, Are your bruises/wounds not hurting? Why do you have to go to work?) I answered; “I have to work so I can buy you milk” Then he replied; “ Hayaan mo Mama, paglaki ko, di ka na magtratrabaho, ako na ang magpapagatas sa iyo.” (“Don’t worry, Mom. When I grow up, I will be the one to work and I will be the one to buy you milk”). My little conversations with them did not only give me the strength and purpose to keep going, it helped me keep my sanity.

As I tried to protect them, they also tried to protect me. Form my end; I used to ask the nanny to keep them away whenever their father was in rage. Other times, when I had visible bruises, I sent them to my sister’s place. Despite all my efforts, however, the children were literary caught in the middle.

Once, when my eldest son was four years old, my ex-husband was about to hit me. My son bravely run and threw himself to cover me. The blow landed on his tiny body instead of mine. That incident was more than I could bear. It was worse than all the beatings I experienced through all the years. It shattered me into pieces. That was the time I went to see a lawyer for a separation agreement. My ex-husband and I then led separate lives for about two years but we ended together again.

All throughout this experience, the burning question in my head was; what led my ex-husband to act the way he did?

I am not a psychologist, thus, I can only give an opinion. It could be a lot of reasons but perhaps, because he, himself, grew up in a home marred with domestic violence and physical abuse. There’s so much insecurity in him. This insecurity drives him to assert superiority and control to the point of obsession.

My opinion is based on words that he uttered while he battered me. The most frequent were; “You’re a Luna? You’re a Luna? Let us see if being a Luna will do you any good right now!” This statement indicates how he felt about my family. He was always coy in front of my friends and relatives but his behavior in their absence is a totally different story. In addition to his insecurities about the family I came from,

he was not comfortable about anything I accomplish in school or in my job. He accused me numerous times of being arrogant. An example was when he went to my college campus one time. While looking at the bulletin board, he said; “I heard you made it to the Dean’s list, how come I cannot find your name here?”. I said; “because you’re looking at the Second Honors List, why don’t you find it in the First Honors”. That statement triggered a litany of crazy words.

That I was arrogant, I was full of BS and that I was no good anyway.

It is the same story in relation to my employment. Whenever I got promoted, he vehemently refused to believe that it was based on merits. One time, he came to my workplace and accused me of being a mistress to the owner. He hurled his accusation in front of my co-workers. It was another false accusation, of course. I gained some redemption in his eyes when, after I passed the California Bar, he said; “Marunong ka rin pala talaga. Hindi ako nuon naniniwala”.(You are really capable after all, I refused to believe that before).

Aside from his unpleasant reactions to whatever I accomplished, he was extremely suspicious about other men. There was this time we rode a jeepney in Manila. As soon as we disembarked, he slapped me. Surprised, I asked; “what was that for or what is it this time?” He said; “You were looking at that guy in blue!” In all honesty, I did not even notice that there was a co-passenger wearing blue.

The abuse that I experience turned me cold when it came to intimacy. His attempts at intimacy, and my rebuffs only brought on more violent rages. Even the thought of

‘Chop-chop’ solution...From Page 4

tion under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Philippines claims that under UNCLOS, she has fishing rights to resources and to enforce her laws within her EEZ. However, China had made it clear that she would not agree to an arbitration.

With no clear solution to China’s territorial disputes with her neighbors, sooner or later one of these disputes would become an armed confrontation involving China and the U.S. The problem is that China has declared the South China Sea and the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands as “core interests,” which means that they’re not negotiable. So how can China convince the other claimants to negotiate the disputed waters and islands when China’s position is that they’re not negotiable?

With the U.S.providing a “nuclear umbrella” over her allies in Asia-Pacific, it would be very unlikely for China to push her aggression to the limit. Instead what she’s doing is taking small steps like in a game of Chinese checkers, chop-chopping her way to “home” without alarming the U.S. and her allies. And pretty soon, she would accomplish her ultimate goal… without firing a shot.

being intimate with him turned my whole body cold. During my first year as a battered wife his touch became repulsive. As years went by, I came to detest his touch.

In the end I was just coldly indifferent.

My reaction to intimacy or the lack of it frustrated him a great deal. It led to numerous violent encounters. There were many times that he screamed at me and demanded that I be more pro-active, to engage or to somehow react. How could I? How I can I possibly enjoy the touch of a hand that inflicted so much pain and suffering to me?

I ended up with three children by just going through the motions. My children are the only saving grace of my marriage.

They are the reason I don’t regret my marital experience. If I did not have them, I could not have possibly survived my ordeal. Because of them, I realized that I had that strength of character within me. One thing I never imagined to have.

As I went through the dark alleys of domestic violence and physical abuse, I encountered a lot of good people who extended a helping hand in many ways.

Some offered me and my children a place to stay. Some hid me from him until things settle down. Some helped me get away.

On the other hand, there were also those who tried to exploit the obvious vulnerability of a battered woman. I also met wolves, in the form of men, lurking, waiting for the moment to seize their victim, easy prey – or so they think. As soon as they see an opportunity, they are like vultures who feast on an already dead body.

These types of men mistakenly believe that mistreated battered women just need a little attention, a sweet flattering word and a wonderful dinner to score a home run.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alma Luna-Reyes is a practicing attorney doing Consumer Law, Contracts/Civil Litigation and Family Law in California. Prior to practicing law, she was the Executive Editor of Forum Asia Magazine. Her writings appeared in different publications. She often writes using her pen name: Moon King which is the English translation of her name, Luna-Reyes. She can be reached at alreyes68@ yahoo.com.

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Saturday, May April11, 13,2013 2013 Saturday,

PinoyWatchDog.Com

Celebrity moms and daughters

By VIC PEREZ

OMG! OMG! OMG!Time flies and its Maytime. The season of blooming flowers and wonderful sweet times. It’s time to remember Mom so I just thought about celebrity moms and daughters. Top of mind , who comes to mind in Pinoy showbizville as our most celebrated Mother –daughter team and how do our mother celebrities take care of their celebrity daughters in real life and in reel.

Here is my own list, dahlings: Nora Aunor and Matet de Leon As you know, the Superstar adopted Matet when she was just an infant.

What you may not know is Ate Guy has a uniqe parenting style: absenteeism hahahahaha. No, seriously, Mama Guy makes Matet kneel in front of saints’ images. Generally, she is an affectionate mom, Matet confessed to Inquirer a couple of years back. She also confessed to being her mom’s biggest headache as far as family affairs go. Mom and daughter have been making up for lost time since Ate Guy returned to Manila in 2011 after a seven-year stay in the U.S (in which time Matet was raised by elder sister Lotlot, so the absenteeism bit was not totally untrue). In fact, Matet had been a frequent visitor to the Superstar’s home along with her two small kids

(with husband Mickey Estrada). Careerwise, Matet has been making a name as a character actress with GMA-7 where she is seen in several TV drama series.

Sharon Cuneta and KC Concepcion The Megastar had Kassandra Cristina with Gabby Concepcion when she was a teen so they look just like sisters.

What can you say, both ladies have it all: beauty, brains, talent, fame, riches.

Tons of endorsements between the two of them. Alas, malas sa mhen at some point. Sharon with Gabby and a few.

KC with Piolo. After the big breakup, Mega wishes KC finds someone who can stand up for her the way her stepdad, Sen. Francis Pangilinan, does for her mom. While she professes a hands-off stance on her MegaDaughter’s lovelife, she has been quoted as saying stuff like, KC’s new date, a French photographer, is “lalaking-lalaki! Hindi po siya babae.”

KC graduated from the American University of Paris in 2007.

Annabelle Rama and Ruffa Gutierrez Now there’s a volatile relationship hahahahaha. Ruffa is of course, Annabelle’s child with longtime hubby Eddie Gutierrez. Both were beauty queens in their heyday. Both are feisty gals who pick

Celebrate The Pilipino Beauty...

Therapist for the state of Indiana in the United States. Quiambao placed as 1st Runner-Up, with Kwelagobe winning the Miss Universe title.

Charlene Mae Gonzales Bonnin-Mulach –Top 6 – 1994.

She is a television and film personality and former beauty queen from the Philippines. Gonzalez won the Binibining PilipinasUniverse 1994 title and represented her country at the Miss Universe 1994 pageant held in Manila, where she won the Best National Costume award and was one of the top 6 finalists. She was born to actor Bernard Bonnin and model Elvira Gonzales, on 1 May 1974.

Geraldine Asis -Top 10 – 1987. Geraldine Edith “Pebbles” Villarruz Asis (born c. 1965) is a former Filipina actress and beauty queen popularly known as the BB Pilipinas Universe 1987 winner and Miss Universe semi-finalist in 1987. Before the local pageant, Asis was screened by Stella Márquez and the BB Pilipinas

fights onscreen and off with anybody who ticks them off--mostly the other hahahahaha. Generally, though, they stick up for each other. Ruffa campaigned for mommy dearest when she ran for a congressional seat in the recent elections.

A longtime contract artist for ABS-CBN, she ditched the top network for third placer ABC5 last year but is rumored to be staging a return to her former home. Ànnabelle stuck it out with Eddie, a rarity in showbiz; they have four kids including Ruffa. The latter has not been

From Page 6

CHAT SILAYAN

Charities, Inc. at the historic Manila Hotel where she passed and became the official candidate. She won the special titles of Best in Evening Gown and Miss Sunsilk and was crowned BB Pilipinas Universe 1987.

Rose Marie Singson Brosas - 4th Runner-up – 1975. Chiqui Brosas was the national favorite in the 1975 Miss Universe Pageant in El Salvador. Humbly called ‘Miss Numero Uno’ by the local press, she was the 1975 Miss Universe 4th Runner-up. A fresh graduate from the Assumption

MIRIAM QUIAMBAO

Convent was only 17-year-old when she joined the Binibining Pilipinas. After her reign, she went to France and completed her degree in International Business Administration at the American College in Paris. She returned to the country in 1980 and married Filipino-German business magnate Ralph Hahn in 1983.

as lucky in love, with a parade of failed relationships including Aga Muhlach, Robin Padilla and Zoren Legaspi. She married then separated from a Turkish businessman; they have two daughters.

Inday Baretto and daughters Gretchen, Marjorie and Claudine So how about those Barretto women sey mo?

You’ve probably heard of the widely publicized feud between siblings Marjorie, Claudine and Gretchen--all actresses-and their mother Inday. It reportedly blew up after Julia, Marjorie’s daughter with comedian Dennis Padilla, joined the ABS-CBN Star Magic studio. At one point, Gretchen’s sisters ganged up on her, then her mom came to her defense, saying if not for their Ate Gretchen, who bared skin in several sexy flicks in the 1990s, they would be in the poorhouse.

Kakalokah! The latest twist in this sordid saga is Marjorie’s nude photos coming to light. Julia has come out in defense of her mom. This mother-daughter drama is not over for sure. Abangan...

Oh, there’s also Vilma and Lucky— ay sorry, mothers and daughters lang pala .I forgot. I got carried away.

Happy Mother’s Day sa lahat ng mama! Muah Vavu!

QUEEN OF ALL TAXPAYERS

► By the PWD News Service MANILA – Queen of All Media and popular television host Kris Aquino paid nearly 50 million pesos in taxes to emerge as the top individual taxpayer for the year 2011, according to data released on April 15 by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Kris (real name: Kristina Bernadette Cojuangco Aquino), who is the youngest sister of the President, is one of the highest paid local celebrities. She draws her hefty income from television jobs and product endorsements.

She was on 17th spot the preceding year and vaulted on top with P49.87 million in income tax payments.

Known Filipino business tycoons and multi-millionaires were pegged way below in the BIR’s annual top 500 individual taxpayers list: Business tycoon Manuel V. Pangilinan took the fourth spot

who made it to BIR’s list were TV host and actor Vic Sotto, who was 19th with P14.72 million in tax payment; Derek Ramsey, who landed on the 120th slot (P7 million), Piolo Jose Pascual (No. 123, P6.98 million), Kimberly “Kim” Sue Chiu (No. 133, P6.71 million), Wilfredo “Willie” Revillame (No. 181; P5.85 million), and John Lloyd Cruz (No. 205; P5.41 million).

Smart Communications, meanwhile, was the biggest non-individual taxpayer, remitting P10.23 billion to the BIR. Power utility giant Manila Electric Co. came in second with P8.3 billion followed by oil firms Shell Philippines (P6.36 billion) and Chevron Malampaya (P6.3 billion). Nestlé Philippines landed fifth (P4.8 billion).

Completing the top 10 are San Miguel Brewery Inc. (P4.77 billion), Globe Telecom (P4.52 billion), cigarette maker Fortune Tobacco Corp.

(P3.7 billion), Petron Corp. (P2.62 billion) and Philex Mining (P1.87 billion). (dc)

Saturday, May 11, 2013 February 16, 2013

PinoyWatchDog.Com

Commun ty

11 11

One of my primos slicing my order of prosciutto

A Favorite

New York Shop ► Words & photos by Joel A. Nunez, Esq.

I

haven’t been to many places in the world, but I think New York is a foodie’s paradise. Trivia (that I picked off of a Snapple cap, so don’t hold me to this): there are more French restaurants in New York than there are in Paris. This says a lot about the city’s appetite, right? Moreover, I think all cuisines and permutations thereof are represented in New York. Just go to yelp and you can search for any restaurant. Lastly, New York is a great source of any ingredient.

Balut? Check! Tanglad? Check! Caviar? Check! Tabun-tabun... well...maybe when Kinilaw Bisaya takes over ceviche and sashimi as the raw fish of choice of New York diners.

Which brings me to International Foods.

The New York terminus for NJ Transit, which I take to commute to and from work in the city, is the Port Authority Bus Terminal. It can get very busy at times and having to avoid crowds on 8th Avenue can be a headache. One time, I detoured through 9th Avenue and discovered many good places on the walk to the Terminal, among which are Atomic Wings (good product. About $10 for 10 wings, a soda, carrot and celery sticks), and Esposito›s Meat Shop, which merits a separate blog.

Then I discovered International Foods (sorry, it has no website). It›s basically a Greek deli that sells more than just Greek staples. The staff is Mexican, and we call each other primo, and on my first visit, I saw a huge pail of pulpo (boiled octopus tentacles) on display. Then there was a customer trying out this pinkish dip with what looked like bizcocho (just don’t say that word to a Mexican woman or you’ll be thought of as crass).

My primo offered me a toast with the dip, and...I was in heaven. I have been buying their taramasalata (also spelled taramosalata) ever since.

What is it, you ask? It›s a paste with roe as the main ingredient, with potato, onion, lemon and olive oil.

International Foods› version is so good that Greek restaurants in the city don›t bother making their own and just buy from International Foods in bulk. What makes its version special? The addition of seltzer water, rendering it moussey and light.

While used mostly as a dip, the Pinoy in me tried it as taramasilog. Yes. I mashed it into rice with a poached egg.

Besides my favorite pulpo and taramasalata, this shop is a wealth of cured meats, preserves, halwa, spices, sweets, breads, herbs, rice, coffees, olives, cheeses. Name it, and they usually have it. The Greek owner looks masungit but is actually very friendly. If you’re a suki, then you get a discount or an extra ounce or two on your purchase (most stuff is sold by the pound). It was one of my primos who suggested using smoked paprika with my pulpo and I’m now a smoked parika fan.

I like the Divisoria vibe of this store.

Hanging from the ceiling racks are dried herbs and pans.

Rose LaBelle named Mrs. Kalayaan ‘13 ► By John Sacramento & Felix R. Manuel R.N. ON MARCH 23, 2013 Rosaly “Rose” Pacia LaBelle was crowned Mrs. Kalayaan 2013 during the Philippine Independence Day Council, Inc.’s (PIDCI) second annual pageant for married women. Held at the popular Astoria World Manor in Astoria, Queens, Rose wore a stunning see-through Filipiniana inspired ensemble. Rose will be one of the beauties that will be featured during the Philippine Independence Day Pa-

rade in New York on June 2, 2013 together with the different celebrities that will grace the event coming from the Philippines’ top three major networks. “ I would like to personally thank all of the benefactors and supporters of the PIDCI’s Mrs. Kalayaan 2013 pageant and gala. Special thanks to my campaign manager Mrs. Alice Soriano, who worked hard to make it possible for me. To all of my special friends my sincerest gratitude to all of you. It only proves to me once more that by showing kindness to others, others will

My favorite olives in the store. Being a suki, I am charged only $6 each time I buy these

return the favor. I am honored as Mrs. Kalayaan 2013 as a way to give back to our community. I will forever treasure the opportunity that is given to me” Rose enthused after the event.

The Coronation of Mrs. Kalayaan 2013 event is just one of several glittering events hosted by PIDCI in commemoration of the 115th year of Philippine Independence. Ms. Diwa ng Kalayaan (Spirit of Independence) will be crowned on May 3, 2013 at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Newark, New Jersey. The winner will also have her own float during the parade on June 2.

GRAND EVENT!! On June 2, 2013, the biggest and grandest Philippine Independence Day Parade outside of the Philippines will take place on Madison Avenue and will feature a Street Fair and a Cultural Festival.

ROSE LABELLE