Planet Philippines (Edmonton Edition) November 2011 Issue

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POLITICAL DYNASTIES STILL DOMINATE CONGRESS President Benigno Aquino III delivers the State-of-the-Nation Address before a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives.

The persistent dominance of political dynasties in Philippine politics partly explains why attempts towards democratic electoral reforms and social legislation to uplift the lives of the poor have been difficult to pass in Congress.

BY SATUR C. OCAMPO

HAT POLITICAL dynasties continue to dominate Congress isn’t hard news anymore. A news report on an Asian Institute of Management Policy Center study showing this has been relegated to the inside, rather than the front, page of a major daily.

Nonetheless, it’s worth looking deeper into that study, which tends to indicate that legislators belonging to political dynasties represent areas with lower per-capita incomes and higher poverty levels although this needs further validation.

More significantly, the AIMPC study reveals that an increasing number of political dynasties are gaining seats in Congress. This fact points up the glaring failure to realize the 1987 Constitution’s declared state policy “to guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

It’s also useful to correlate the AIMPC study with those made earlier, as these confirm that political dynasties have held

The party-list system, which seeks to give representation to “marginalized and underrepresented” sectors, has not led to any meaningful electoral reform. sway in our national life for much too long — over 100 years!

Their persistent dominance in Philippine politics also explains why attempts towards democratic electoral reforms and social legislation to uplift the lives of the poor have been difficult to pass in Congress.

Politics of the elite

First, consider these findings of the AIMPC study: 1. At least 115, or 68 percent, of the members of the 15th Congress (the House of Representatives) elected in 2010 have relatives who have been members of the 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th congresses, or local officials who were elected in 2001, 2004, 2007 and 2010.

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A bigger number — 144 — are related to other members of Congress or local officials elected in 2001, 2004 and 2007.

2. Based on their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, legislators belonging to political dynasties appear to be richer (average net worth: P52 million) than those not belonging to dynasties (average net worth: P42 million).

3. Members of political dynasties also dominate membership in the major political parties: 76 percent of the Lakas-Kampi; 57 percent of the Liberal Party; 74 percent of the Nationalist People’s Coalition; and 81 percent of the Nacionalista Party.

4. Seventy-seven percent (77 percent) of the legislators aged 2640 belong to political dynasties; 64 percent of those aged 41-55 are also from political dynasties.

Is there a direct link between political dynasties and the incidence of mass poverty? Roland Mendoza, AIMPC executive director, emphasizes that notwithstanding the initial finding that wealthier legislators tend to represent poorer constituencies, further study and analysis are needed to conclusively determine this.

However, the earliest study, done in 1965 by Dr. Dante C. Simbulan, established that the elite in Philippine politics and government have historically exploited

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Is there a direct link between political dynasties and the incidence of mass poverty? the poverty and ignorance of the masses to win political power, and wield that power for their personal benefit.

How dynasties evolved

This political elite came from the propertied and educated class, who had been given local administrative roles since the latter part of the Spanish colonial rule. Constituting the principalia that became surrogateaccomplices of the Spaniards, they performed similar services under the American colonial administration, and have taken the dominant role in Philippine politics since the Commonwealth years and throughout the postWorld War II Republic.

Dr. Simbulan chronicles their evolution; he documents their economic interests, lifestyles, and behaviors in government over a period of 18 years, spanning the presidencies of Manuel Roxas,

Political dynasties dominate elections in the Philippines, where money, personality and political clout rule.

Elpidio Quirino, Ramon Magsaysay, Carlos Garcia, and Diosdado Macapagal in The Modern Principalia, The Historical Evolution of the Philippine Ruling Elite.

In an update of his book in 2005, Simbulan ruefully concludes that his findings 40 years ago “still ring true today.” He observes: “In every province in the whole country, the ruling elite families — the so-called political dynasties — are still very much in evidence and they continue to lord it over not only the political life but also the economic and so-

cial life of the common people.”

Another study in 2004 by four journalists of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism — Sheila Coronel, Yvonne Chua, Luz Rimban and Booma Cruz — depicts how “political families have dominated Congress for 100 years.”

Sources of wealth

Titled The Rulemakers, How the Wealthy and Well-born Dominate Congress, the study however points out that while the legislature has always been the bastion

NOVEMBER 2011

of the wealthy, there have been changes. It explains: “The sources of (the legislators’) wealth are more diverse, so that Congress can no longer be described as a ‘landlord-dominated’ legislature. The caciques of old have been replaced by real-estate developers, bankers, stockbrokers, and assorted professionals and businesspeople… Still, the reality is that a congress of multimillionaires makes laws for a poor country.”

The study also takes note of another change: the entry of the party-list representatives from the “marginalized and underrepresented” sectors (who are constitutionally allotted 20 percent of the total number of seats in the House). It devotes a section, titled “In search of alternatives,” mainly to the entry of leftist political parties and the “laying of the groundwork for political and electoral reforms.”

But after 10 years of the partylist system, no reform legislation that can at least reduce the dominance of the political dynasties has gained headway, for obvious reasons.

Worse, political dynasties began appropriating for themselves some party-list seats in 2007, then more in 2010 — courtesy of the Commission on Elections. (The Philippine Star) n

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Edmonton Edition

BY PEPPER MARCELO

Jean

EOPLE CALL them “cougars” – women over 40 that remain desirable and sexy even in middle age. Former President Joseph Estrada puts it more colorfully in street lingo: May asim pa. With exercise, diet, and the wonders of cosmetic surgery (read: botox, liposuction, boob job, noselift, facelift), women are now are able to mature with style, elegance and oomph. (Author’s note: This is not to imply that all the women featured in this piece have resorted to the cosmetic procedures.) The marvelous makeover must be well worth every peso (lots of ‘em to be sure), the physical ache and medical risk. Suddenly the gallivanting husband comes home early and takes a renewed interest in the wife. And for the separadas, hooking up with younger men now isn’t as difficult and distasteful as it used to be.

Planet Philippines goes cougar-hunting in the glittery world of showbiz in search of celebrities who live by the mantra “50 is the new 40.”

Zsa Zsa cover of the December 2001 issue of the men’s magazine FHM. Of her numerous male admirers, she says, “Even naman before, they’ve always been there. That’s why I always say, ‘Where the boys are, someone waits for me.’”

In the following piece Planet Philippines goes cougar-hunting in the glittery world of showbiz in search of celebrities who live by the mantra “50 is the new 40.”

To avoid a catfight, we have listed in alphabetical order our top ten female cougars.

Gretchen Barretto

“La Greta,” as she’s known for her diva status and sassy attitude, is undisputedly one of the most beautiful faces in local showbiz. For three decades she has been a fixture on film and television, the ramp, and, much to her chagrin (says she), the gossip pages.

A fashion icon and a certified bon vivant, courtesy of longtime partner, tycoon Tonyboy Cojuangco, she has graced the cover of every glossy magazine in town. Whether in a luxuriant Inno Sotto gown or in faded denim pants, La Greta is the embodiment of style and class.

Dina Bonnevie Gretchen

Now a grandmother (!) at 50, the former

Dina Regal Baby still makes heads turns with her sultry persona and voluptuous figure. Introduced in 1980 in the film Underage, she cemented her nymphet image in her breakout movie Katorse, also in 1980. She has had two failed marriages – first to Vic Sotto, with whom she has two children, and later to a businessman, which lasted only a few years. Miss D was 39 and a mother of two teenagers when she agreed to strip for the

Pops Fernandez

The erstwhile Concert Queen is deceptively quiet about her love life after her failed marriage to singer Martin Nievera, who bore her two sons, and brief romance with actor Jomari Yllana. Turning 45 in December, she says she’d rather have another child than a new husband. In 2006 she caused a stir when she appeared on the cover of FHM. Asked why she did it, she replied, “I wanted to do so something I’ve never done before, and agree to do it before I cannot do it anymore. It’s something I can do now so I might as well do it now.”

Jean Garcia

Pops

Housewives may hate her for her kontrabida roles in teleseryes but the men are in awe of her alluring and scintillating beauty.

Behind the virginal smile and delicate demeanor is sex appeal personified. Obliging the macho crowd, she consented to bare skin on the cover of FHM (October 2008 issue), the first and only time that she allowed the adoring macho horde to have a peek at her physical assets. But the 42-year-

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old temptress says her proudest achievement is her two children - aspiring actress Jennica (with estranged husband, actor Jigo Garcia) and Kotaro (with a Japanese businessman). Happily single for three years now, her last publicly known boyfriend was actor Polo Ravales, who is 13 years her junior.

Cherie Gil

There is no more apt description for this alluring, versatile actress than the moniker “Sexy Kontrabida.” Sexy and mean, the 48-year-old mother of three is known for uttering the famous movie line, “You are nothing but a second-rate, trying hard copy cat!” Confidence, sophistication and class are what make a woman sexy, she says. And when does she feel most sexy? “When I am perfectly groomed and wearing my sexiest underwear, yet no one can see. Oh, and when I am wearing great four-inch heels.” In June 2008, she and her husband of 20 years, Israeli violinist Roni Rogoff, parted ways.

Dawn

Eula

Cherie

For the separadas, hooking up with younger men now isn’t as difficult and distasteful as it used to be.

Zsa Zsa Padilla

Years ago her partner, Dolphy, used to say she was his natural Viagra. Going by the Comedy King’s reputation as a connoisseur of women, the accolade speaks volume about Zsa Zsa’s animal appeal and magnetic personality.

Asked what’s the sexiest item in her closet, she teased, “Uh, probably a lace camisole that I don’t wear underwear with, hahaha.

You get the picture.” The 47-yearold mother of three isn’t ashamed to admit that “a little part” of her body is no longer original (though she would not say which). She is one of our most seductive chanteuses in the mold of Carmen Soriano in the ‘60s and Didith Reyes in the ‘70s.

Lorna Tolentino

Even at 49, the acclaimed actress remains luminous and beguiling. Beginning as a child actress in 1969, LT metamorphosed into a lovely and scintillating beauty, which landed her in “bold” flicks in the ‘70s. After she married action star Rudy Fernandez in 1983 and later bore him two sons, LT shed her sex siren image and built a solid reputation as a top-caliber dramatic actress. Even with her husband’s approval, she declined an offer to appear on FHM, “kasi pinagdaanan ko na ang pa-sexy-sexy.” Still reeling from Rudy’s death in 2008, she can’t say if she’ll fall in love again.

Eula Valdez

Like fellow cougar Jean Garcia, Eula is an alumna of FMA, a popular character actress, separated with two children, and involved

Lorna with a man 13 years her junior. It was in 2008 that she hooked up with ramp model Rocky Salumbides. Their May-December affair set tongues wagging but the couple has managed to survive the nasty whispers and mischievous stares. The 43-year old enchantress, says FHM, has an appeal that can put many women half her age to shame. “Her doe-shaped eyes and the interesting curve of her mouth emanate the mysterious allure of a woman who has been there and done that.”

Regine Velasquez

Asia’s Songbird is known not only for her powerful voice but also for her alluring charm and magnetic beauty. She has not posed for any men’s magazine or appeared in a sexy role but audiences are well aware of her physi-

Regine

SUDOKU RULES: Place a number from 1-9 in each empty cell. Each row, column and 3x3 block bounded by bold line (9 blocks) contains all the numbers from 1-9

SOLUTION ON PAGE 25

cal assets (thanks to those plunging necklines and body-hugging outfits). Just ask the fans who voted her No. 7 in FHM’s Sexiest Women for 2010. Surprisingly for a single and attractive celebrity,

she had only one boyfriend - singer Ariel Rivera - before her husband, Oge Alcasid. At 41, she is set to deliver her first ever baby in November. One hopes that motherhood would not turn the cougar into a lioness.

Dawn Zulueta

This 42-year-old doe-eyed mestiza is demure by showbiz standards when it comes to flaunting her physical assets.

Ex-boyfriend Richard Gomez, who knows a thing or two about women, can attest to her stunning beauty and sex appeal. Entertainment columnist Ricky Lo writes: “She can look expensive without even trying to. Even if unadorned with expensive jewelry and accessories, she manages to look classy.” When not in front of the camera - which has become less frequent after her marriage to businessman-politician Anton Lagdameo – Dawn dotes on her two children, five-year-old Jacobo and two-year-old Ayisha. n

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CELEBR TY RUFFA SPILLS JOHN LLOYD’S DRINKING PROBLEM

RUFFA Gutierrez’s “tell-all” revelations about her previous relationship with John Lloyd Cruz and the reason for their breakup sent shockwaves in the showbiz world.

In an interview with co-host Mo Twister on TV5’s entertainment show Paparazzi last Nov. 6, Ruffa said that the final straw that led her

SHARON

IS SHARON THROUGH WITH ABS-CBN? THE persistent rumor that Sharon Cuneta is leaving ABS-CBN for TV5 resurfaced after the last taping day on Nov. 5 of the Megastar’s Christmas special for her lifestyle show, Sharon At Home. The Christmas special will be shown on Dec. 17 on Lifestyle Network, a cable channel owned by ABS-CBN. Sharon’s other TV show on ABS-CBN, Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition, aired its last episode on Oct. 8. Meanwhile, the reality singing contest that she hosts, Star Power: Sharon’s Search for the Next Female Pop Superstar, won’t have a second season.

The network has not announced any new show for the Megastar. Sharon’s contract with ABS-CBN expires in January 2012. The actress-singer has been a Kapamilya since 1997.

Last September when the rumor of her transfer to TV5 first surfaced, Sharon said, “At this point in my career, I don’t see yet any reason to leave ABSCBN. I love Ma’am Charo [Santos-Concio, ABS-CBN president and COO] very much.”

But she said she was open to listening to any offers that would open up more opportunities for her.

One of her managers, Vic del Rosario, is close to TV5 executives, bolstering the suspicion that something is cooking.

to end their secret year-long affair was John Lloyd’s drinking problem.

With this startling revelation, many observers are wondering how it would affect the matinée idol’s career, particularly his numerous product endorsements – from a headache pill to pizza to shampoo.

(See related item in this section.)

Ruffa said she and Lloyd became a couple in March 2009 after they met on the set of ABS-CBN’s show Betty La Fea in 2008. She said she broke up with John Lloyd in February 2010.

Asked what caused their breakup, Ruffa said: “Alam mo yung pagiging babaero niya, siguro second na lang yun, e. Pero let’s first go to the problem na sinabi niya sa akin na ayun, ‘Hindi mo magugustuhan pag nakilala mo na ako,’ and I said ano yun?’ Then sinabi nga niya sa akin na ‘I drink a lot, hapon pa lang minsan umiinom na ako.’”

She continued: “And of course coming from a relationship so volatile [and] abusive, ang sagot ko sa kanya, ‘You can drink all you want till you turn blue, I don’t care.’ Pero naging problema yun, kasi there

REVILLAS IN DISBELIEF OVER KIN’S MURDER

JOHN LLOYD were times na we would go out, bigla na lang siya nakakatulog. Binubuhat siya palabas ng club, siyempre nahihiya naman ako. So that was our main problem.”

John Lloyd subsequently got involved with Shaina Magdayao. There are unconfirmed reports that the two have split after a quarrel as a result of Shaina sending “nasty” text messages to Ruffa in October. Ruffa maintains she is not “relationshipwrecker” and assures Shaina that “she has nothing to worry about.”

Shaina left for the US last Oct. 26. She and John Lloyd have remained mum about the status of their relationship.

PIOLO: KC AND I ARE GOOD

PIOLO & KC PIOLO Pascual insists that his relationship with KC Concepcion is fine despite rumors of their breakup.

“We are good. We are just looking forward to the show tomorrow.

It’s been a while since I performed here in San Francisco. I’m excited for the show,” Piolo told ABS-CBN News last Nov. 7. Piolo and KC were in San Francisco for a concert. They recently performed in shows in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

After the San Francisco show, Piolo will return to Manila to start filming his new drama series, Padre de Pamilya.

It will be recalled that KC hurriedly left for Europe early last month amid reports that she had broken up with Piolo.

In an interview before her departure, KC said that she’s going abroad to find herself again. “Kailangan ko lang ng oras para sa sar-

ili ko,” she said.

Without giving details, KC said that a lot of things happened to her life and that she’s going to Europe to take a break.

Asked then if Piolo knew about her trip, she replied, “Hindi ko alam.”

Since then, nothing was heard from the couple. Even KC’s mom, Sharon Cuneta, who had been very vocal about her support for her daughter, has remained quiet on the matter.

AFTER burying Ramgen Bautista, 23, on Nov. 2, five days after he was shot and stabbed in his Parañaque home, the BautistaRevilla political clan of Cavite is still in a state of shock and disbelief after two of the victim’s siblings were implicated in the murder. (Editor’s note: Bautista is the real surname of the clan patriarch, former actor and senator Ramon Revilla Sr.. His screen name is Revilla, which he subsequently used when he joined politics. His sons who are in politics, including Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., have also adopted the surname Revilla.)

Police pointed to Ramgen’s younger brother, Ramon Joseph, as the mastermind and sister, Ramona, as an accomplice. The two siblings and other accomplices including the hired killer, who remain at large, are facing murder and frustrated murder charges.

Police theorized that the killing stemmed from disagreement over the handling of the P1-million monthly allowance from their father, Revilla Sr. Police said the money was being managed by Ramgen.

Ramon Joseph is in police custody. But Ramona left hurriedly for Hong Kong on Nov. 4 after admitting that she was not abducted by the killer as she claimed earlier. She is believed to have joined her Turkish husband in Istanbul.

Senator ‘Bong’ Revilla, halfbrother of the victim and the two suspects, was incensed upon

GENELYN learning of Ramona’s departure.

“I was shocked just like everyone. Talagang hindi kami makapaniwala. Itong pag-alis niyang ito is a sign of guilt. Hindi siya dapat umalis. Dapat hinarap niya itong imbestigasyon kung talagang siya ay hindi guilty,” Bong told ABS-CBN’s Bandila.

The mother of the three siblings, Genelyn Magsaysay, daughter of former senator Genero “Gene” Magsaysay, stands by her two other children’s claim that they are innocent. She has a total of nine children by Revilla Sr. The girlfriend of Ramgen, Janelle Manahan, survived the attack and is currently confined in a hospital. She said Ramona and the killer were the only other people in the room when they were attacked.

The 84-year-old Bautista-Revilla patriarch, also called Don Ramon, fathered 72 children by 16 different women.

REGINE GIVES BIRTH TO BABY BOY

REGINE Velasquez gave birth to a baby boy on Nov. 8, her husband Ogie Alcasid announced via his Twitter account. The couple had expected the due date to fall on or about Nov. 22 yet.

Ogie tweeted that their son, whom they have named Nathaniel James, was born at 7:47 p.m. He expressed his thanks to their friends and fans for their prayers.

He said he and Regine settled on the baby’s name last month but got to thinking about it back in July.

“Nathaniel kasi [it] means

REGINE & OGIE

gift of God, yung naisip naming nickname is Nate, parang ang pogi, no,” Ogie said in a TV interview.

Mayamang pakinggan ang pangalan, di ba? Sosyal na sosyal. At gusto naming nickname niya ay Nate. Para lang siyang isa sa characters ng Gossip Girl! Kaya kapag tinawag namin siya, ‹Nate!› Uy, ang sosyal!

Yung James naman, matagal na naming gusto ni Reg ang pangalan na James. Biblical name kasi ang James at match siya sa Nathaniel. Kaya sosyal na, magiging malapit pa sa Diyos ang anak namin. ”

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NOVEMBER 2011

CELEBRITYFILES

CLAUDINE, RAYMART CLAIM THEY’RE STILL TOGETHER

“WE are still together, we have not separated.”

That’s the claim of Claudine Barretto and Raymart Santiago in a joint statement a few days after the couple’s money in the bank was found “missing.”

The couple, however, did not mention the “missing money,” reportedly amounting to P5 million, in their statement nor did they cite any marital problems as alleged in media reports.

The separation rumor, which has been going around for many months now, was bolstered when Claudine was seen on television crying inside a bank last Oct. 25

CHARICE FAMILY RECONCILES AFTER DAD’S SLAY

RAYMART & CLAUDINE when she was told that the money in her joint account with Raymart had already been withdrawn.

The couple has remained mum about the bank incident.

Showbiz insiders insist the couple’s marriage is in trouble.

Entertainment columnist Ricky Lo, who said the couple had been

NORA INKS 3-YEAR CONTRACT WITH TV5 NORA Aunor signed a three-year guaranteed contract with TV5 to do television programs and special shows as well as movies with the network’s sister firm, Studio 5-Cinemabuhay.

The Original Superstar could not contain her emotions and broke down after the signing ceremony.

“Hindi ako makapagsalita,” she said. “Kasi, yung suporta [ng TV5 management], ngayon ko talaga nakita. ‘Di ba, pag mga singkuwenta anyos ka na, kahit anong gawin mo, dumarating yung time na... ‘wala na?’

Pero sa kanila kasi, nandun pa ring yung pagtitiwala nila. Sa kanila ko lang naramdaman yun. ‘Tsaka nakakausap ko sila [management]. Sa iba, ang dami mong dadaanan. Kahit na makausap mo, kung ano yung pinag-usapan ninyo, hindi nila susundin.“ She added: “Ngayon lang sa akin nangyari ito. Ngayon lang ako nabigyan ng [ganitong] importansiya at respeto. Kaya ngayon ko nakikita yung nangyayari sa Amerika, sa ibang bansa, na habang nagkaka-edad ka, mas lalo kang nirerespeto, bilang artista.”

Nora’s first project with TV5

NORA was the recently concluded month-long mini-series, Sa Ngalan Ng Ina. Jo Ann Bañaga, TV5 unit head, said Nora can look to busy years ahead. “May mga pelikula. May soap opera din,” she said.

Some of the TV projects lined up include a drama anthology and a reality show for new singers where Nora will appear as singing coach.

After her throat surgery to repair her singing voice, Nora will do recording and concerts.

separated for two months before the incident, commented: “. . . sources also said that the couple are trying to ‘iron things out’ through their lawyers. If nothing is wrong, what is there ‘to iron out?’

These past months, Claudine and Raymart were said to be having domestic troubles.”

THE family of international singing sensation Charice Pempengco reconciled last Nov. 2 during the wake of her father, who was stabbed to death on Oct. 31 near his house in San Pedro, Laguna.

Russell Mejia, Charice’s aunt, said the death of Ricky Pempengco, Charice’s estranged father, paved the way for the family to “unite.”

“Sa ngayon, naging maganda kasi, nagkaisa kaming magpamilya. ‘Yung side ni Charice, ‘yung side namin, nagkaisa dahil sa kanya [Mr. Pempengco],” said Mejia, younger sister of the victim.

For her part, Charice said through her Twitter page that she had always wanted to visit her father while he was alive.

She said her father’s siblings did not allow her to do so, even telling her not to use his surname. The 19-year-old singer was only three when her parents separated.

Charice hurriedly left her concert in Singapore and flew

CHARICE to Manila last Nov. 2. In a statement upon her arrival, she said, “Whatever happened in the past, siya pa rin ‘yung daddy ko. I don’t know how I’m going to move on,” she said.

KRIS IS TOP TV ENDORSER

TWO Kapamilya stars topped the list of celebrities endorsing various products on television.

Based on data from Nielsen, Kris Aquino and John Lloyd Cruz are the first and second most popular celebrity endorsers from January to June 2011.

“Maybe because we’re star struck naman ever since. Historically, behavior na natin yan ever since,” explained Eric Barrera, Nielsen Media Director for Client Service, in a press briefing.

Kris leads the list with the number of endorsed brands at 10, followed by John Lloyd with eight.

KRIS The third spot is shared by five showbiz celebrities, each promoting 7 brands. They are husband and wife Zoren Legaspi and Carmina Villaruel, Ryan Agoncillo, Sarah Geronimo and Vic Sotto.

They were followed by four other personalities with six endorsements each: Anne Curtis, Marie Lozano, Mi-

chael V, and Sharon Cuneta.

Judy Ann Santos and Kim Chiu share the fifth spot with five endorsements each.

Tied at sixth place with four endorsements each are Derek Ramsey, Dingdong Dantes, KC Concepcion, Kim Atienza, Manny Pacquiao and Marian Rivera.

BIANCA BARES RELATIONSHIP WITH CAGER

TELEVISION host Bianca Gonzalez publicly revealed for the first time that she and professional basketball player JC Intal are officially a couple.

Speaking to The Buzz, Bianca said it is only now that she publicly spoke about their relationship because this was the only time that someone asked her about it in an interview.

“Yes. Hindi kasi ako artista na parang laging nasa presscon or laging nag-ge-guest sa talk

BIANCA

show,” she said. “Ako ang nagi-interview. So finally now na tinanong ako, wala naman akong dine-deny. Nasa Twitter nga lagi.

First time ko matanong, so oo there’s nothing naman to deny.”

Intal was part of the Ateneo Blue Eagles team that won the UAAP basketball championship in 2002. He is now playing for Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association.

He was formerly involved with actress Carla Abellana.

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CONFESSIONS OF A

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Edmonton Edition

ORANIAN

Surviving a series of personal crises, the original Superstar makes a triumphant return after an eight-year absence.

BY MICHAEL L. TAN

HY NORA Aunor?

I might simply say, “Because she’s a superb actress, and a good singer.” Few will disagree with that, even the Vilmanians, and among those who disagree, it would probably be because of some class bias, as in, “Yeah yeah she’s good, but she’s so… bakya.”

But precisely. Nora helped to transform the bakya/burgis dichotomy. It used to be that the burgis (from “bourgeoisie,” mutated to mean upper classes) and the lower class bakya kept to their side of the fence, but partly through Nora, the lines have blurred.

I came of age on The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and, in mellower moments, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan. Nora Aunor was on the periphery of my consciousness, like Filipino movies which were then considered fodder for the masa.

And yet, one couldn’t help but sit up and take notice of Nora.

Here was this rising star who didn’t fit into the mold. Unlike

other aspiring actresses, she was short and dark and truly came from the masses.

Nora’s life wasn’t just a ragsto-riches saga but a fairy tale with princes and villains. Consider how she started out in her native Iriga, Camarines Sur, competing in a singing contest at age 11 and winning the grand prize of P20 – just what she needed to help pay an elder sister’s tuition.

Nora plays the role of a reluctant politician in TV5’s ongoing miniseries, Sa Ngalan ng Ina.

You just couldn’t escape Nora. Some years back in a small bakery while buying some pan de coco, I found an unfamiliar item: bread with a chocolate drop on it, called “Pan de Nora.” I realized later that most bakeries carried this bread, meant to commemorate Nora’s famous mole.

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She went on to Naga and then to Manila to win more amateur contests, changing her name in the process from Nora Cabaltera Villamayor to Nora Aunor, the name of her aunt and uncle who became her de facto guardians.

In 1967, aged 14, Nora won the national championship in Tawag ng Tanghalan. The following year, Alpha Records signed her up.

And so she crooned her way to stardom. How could you pretend she didn’t exist when her voice was always coming in from someone’s radio? Was it the neighbor’s?

Was it your household helper’s?

Oh my, it’s my own Lola!

It was a voice that changed through the years as Nora herself was transformed, from the kawawa (pitiful) waif, to the lovestruck but more confident teeny-bopper, to the self-assured adult.

Then she broke into the movies, churning out one film after another while the rumor mills kept up with the gossip, linking her to frequent co-star, Tirso Cruz III, the “Pip” in the iconic “Guy & Pip” love team. Yet for all the rumors about Pip, she ended up marrying actor Christopher de Leon, her co-star in Banaue. That marriage challenged class barriers, and the bakya/burgis distinction.

From song-and-dance routines, she moved on to drama with Himala in 1983. The movie about faith healers was named by CNN as one of the best Asian films ever made. “Walang himala…!” (There is no miracle!), the character Elsa tells the expectant crowd, the phrase becoming so entrenched into local lexicon that it has been used in commercials and comedy shows.

The following year, Nora did Merika, about a Filipino nurse working in America. Earlier, in 1976, she had also played a nurse aspiring to work in the US in Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo. On the eve of her trip, her brother is shot dead by an American soldier in Clark who claims he had mistaken the boy for a wild pig.

“My brother is not a pig!” Nora’s character declares with defiance, the phrase again evolving into a popular punchline in local jokes.

The two films were powerful social commentaries, and only Nora could have played out our collective tensions, anxieties and contradictions. The actress continued doing movies that touched on national concerns, notably DH (Domestic Helper) in 1993 and The Flor Contemplacion Story in 1995, about another DH in Singapore.

You just couldn’t escape Nora.

Some years back in a small bakery while buying some pan de coco, I found an unfamiliar item: bread with a chocolate drop on it. “Pan de Nora,” the storekeeper told me, surprised I was even asking.

I realized later that most bakeries

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NOVEMBER 2011

NINE LA AUNOR MOVIES YOU SHOULDN’T MISS

Nora as a faith healer in Himala.

BY MARIO A. HERNANDO

H

Nora and Tirso Cruz III accept acting awards at the Quezon City Film Festival in 1972.

She’s home now, a balikbayan, too early for retirement and certainly with enough time for a comeback of sorts.

carried this bread, meant to commemorate Nora’s famous mole.

It didn’t end there. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, running for president in 2004, had posters plastered throughout the country with her looking like Nora, down to that famous facial mole.

La Aunor was art imitating life, but later her life went on to imitate art. Like the nurse in Merika, she too left to live in the land of milk and honey, occasionally coming home, only to quietly slip back to the US. Then one day in 2005 she made the headlines

again after being intercepted at the airport with 8 grams of shabu (metamphetamine). She later did 18 months of drug rehab and was spared imprisonment.

My initial reaction was, “Oh no, to go into drugs when you’re young… even Rizal tried marijuana in his teens. But why in mid-life? Why not ballroom dancing?”

But fans have been more forgiving. After all she’s been through, her meteoric rise to stardom and a life that knew no privacy, followed by a slack and a fading from public memory, drugs probably offered some comfort.

She’s home now, a balikbayan, too early for retirement and certainly with enough time for a comeback of sorts. But she’s lowkey about it all, much like her fans, now senior citizens or close to it. May we all, burgis and bakya, age as gracefully. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) n

OW DOES one pick a star’s best movies from a list of almost 200 titles?

The task is most difficult when a prolific and creative actress is involved, like Nora Aunor who has done countless worthy movies under several award-winning directors.

Admittedly, personal preference comes first, followed by the honors the films have reaped, and the impact they have made on the actress’ career and filmmaking in general.

1. “Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos,” 1976, directed by Mario O’Hara. Social drama and love story set during World War II. Nora falls for a gentlemanly Japanese officer, prompting outraged provincial folk to snip away her tresses. A local swain and admirer is helpless against the mob. The movie gives Nora her first major award, the Gawad Urian for best actress.

2. “Minsa’y Isang Gamu-Gamo,” 1976, Lupita Concio. Another social drama set during more contemporary times. Stars Nora as a nurse who wants to migrate to the US. Best remembered for the defiant outburst, “My brother is not a pig!” occasioned by the shooting of Nora’s brother by an American soldier who claimed he had mistaken the boy for a boar. The phrase has become iconic among Nora’s gay impersonators.

3. “Ikaw Ay Akin,” 1978, Ishmael Bernal. A refreshing change of role for the superstar, cast here as a smart and sophisticated horticulturist at odds with best friend and real-life rival Vilma Santos. Notable for its experimental and long closing shot of the two friends’ reunion, with only their eyes talking.

4. “Bona,” 1980, Lino Brocka.

A quiet, “non-commercial” movie about a young showbiz fan slavishly serving an aspiring movie hunk that treats her like dirt. Along with “Himala,” this movie is Nora’s claim to local and international fame.

5. “Himala,” 1982, Ishmael Bernal. Big themes, big moments, big crowds and a big cast characterize this exposé of the exploitation of faith and public gullibility. Nora plays a young faith healer who draws huge crowds into her backwater town for the miracle of healing and transformation. Famous for that grandiloquent speech much quoted by her adoring impersonators: “Walang himala! Ang himala ay nasa ating puso.” The only Filipino film in CNN’s 10 Best Asian Films of All Time. Also won the 1983 Bronze Hugo Prize at the Chicago International filmfest.

6. “’Merika,” 1984, Gil Portes.

Long before Lav Diaz probed into the Filipino diaspora in “Batang West Side,” Portes has shown through this movie how a professional OFW copes with loneliness, homesickness, and other rude awakenings. This small film is sensitive, insightful, and superbly-acted by the cast, especially the superstar.

7. “Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit,” 1989, Elwood Perez. Epic Filipino melodrama about loving, battling lovers from childhood to senior years, full of bittersweet love, resentment, recrimination, spite, and surprises. Features the phenomenal “Guy & Pip” tandem re-teamed more than 20 years later. Considered the “Gone with the Wind” of everyone involved in the production, and maybe of PH cinema.

8. “The Flor Contemplacion Story,” 1995, Joel Lamangan. Based on the real-life tragic tale of a Filipino DH hanged in Singapore for drowning her master’s child. Role seems tailor-made for Nora, who leads a large, star-studded cast helmed by the acclaimed actor’s director.

9. “Naglalayag,” 2004, Maryo J. de los Reyes. Nora plays a distinguished judge who falls for a much younger cab driver and faces society’s contempt. Swept the Manila Filmfest awards, including Best Picture, Director, Actor and Actress.

(Philippine Daily Inquirer) n

NOVEMBER 2011

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24 PHILIPPINES

BY MARIA ALETA NIEVA NISHIMORI

SIGNIFICANT portion of families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have climbed out of the low-income bracket to become part of the lower-middle-class families, according to a Nielsen Media survey released in October.

“With the study that we had in 2007, we are seeing that the families of OFWs have improved,” said Ma. Cristina Estandarte, Nielsen’s Client Service Manager.

Estandarte said that there is upward movement of OFW families from the lower-income groups as compared to Nielsen’s previous study done in 2007.

“There is a significant percentage that moved up to the C2 income class segment. That is something positive happening with our economy and also with their families,” said Estandarte.

Growing middle class

Based on the 1,316 OFW beneficiary households surveyed this year, the DE class or lower-income families now only comprise 48%, compared to 66% in 2007. From 23% in 2007, the lower middle-income-class families this year is at 39%.

Nielsen Managing Director Jay Bautista explained that they used a set of criteria to determine the classification of surveyed OFW families.

“In terms of actual classification, we have several criteria that we determine for low income middle class. Things like the type of house that you have, appearance of the home, appliances that you have, educational attainment, occupation, income, location of your house, if you are able to obtain your house or presence of, or absence of, cars, etc. We have a whole list of criteria that we use and a point system is applied,” Bautista said.

Those belonging to lower middle-income-class families grew from 23% in 2007 to 39% in 2011.

MORE OFW FAMILIES MOVE UP TO MIDDLE CLASS

Eighty-three percent of those surveyed said they receive remittances on a monthly basis, 96% said most of the funds is allocated for basic needs like food, utility bills, home rental, and education; and 17% claimed that they try to invest and save as well.

to make sure that their families survive on a daily basis,” said Bautista.

Estandarte said that remittance inflow is still on the rise. In fact, the year 2010 posted a high of $18.7 billion.

“We are seeing that this will still grow despite again what’s happening around us. From January to July this year, remittance already posted $11.3 billion and we are expecting a lot of remittances would come in this fourth quarter,” she said.

While majority of those surveyed or 83% say that they receive remittances on a monthly basis, 96% said that most of it is allocated for basic needs like food, utility bills, home rental, and education.

Invest and save

Managing remittances

Despite the economic downturn in US and Europe and the political instability in the Middle East, more and more Filipinos are still leaving the country for work abroad.

“Filipinos are still looking for opportunities outside the country to support their families. Much of the income that they receive abroad is basically

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Families of OFWs invest on appliances, entertainment media and gadgets like laptops and mobile phones.

Aside from the basic needs, 17% of the respondents claimed that they try to invest and save as well.

“Hindi lang siya pang-gastos talaga lahat. So they spare a little, kahit papaano. For them to save, they invest on household appliances, they get insurance, they buy real estate, get a car, some said they started to have a business. Mayroon din pong tumataya sa lotto,” Estandarte said.

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Island-hopping tours in Palawan take you to isolated beaches, where you can swim, snorkel or just relax.

One of the draws of Palawan lies under the water; divers will see colourful reef fish, corals and perhaps turtles, dolphins and white-tipped sharks.

BY KATE MCGEOWN

IFE DOES not get much better than when you are island-hopping near the town of El Nido, on the island of Palawan in the far west of the Philippines.

Sheer limestone cliffs encase beautiful white sand beaches, waters teem with brightly-coloured fish and pink sunsets provide the backdrop for seafront barbecues.

The Philippines has, for the time being, avoided the tourist influx invading its South East Asian neighbours, like Thailand and Vietnam. But for those who venture there, the beaches and scenery rival anywhere else in the region, yet with far fewer visitors.

El Nido is the classic example. It is perhaps best known as one of the settings for the Robin Crusoethemed game show Survivor.

It is not quite off-the-beatentrack, but compared to Thailand’s Phuket or Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, the archipelago of islands surrounding El Nido offer the increasingly rare opportunity to find yourself alone on a palmfringed beach.

To get to these islands, you

ISLAND HOPPING IN A PHILIPPINE PARADISE can either hire your own boat or take one of several tours from the town. Once there, you can easily spend your days lazing around on the white sands and dipping into the crystal-clear waters, or messing about in motorboats and

kayaks, stopping to have lunch in an isolated cove.

Some tours take you to the rocks where locals make their living by collecting birds’ nests for the manufacture of birds’ nest soup (a Chinese delicacy and how

You can easily spend your days lazying around on the white sands and dipping into the crystal-clear waters, or messing about in motorboats and kayaks, stopping to have lunch in an isolated cove.

It is not quite offthe-beaten-track, but compared to Thailand’s Phuket or Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay, the archipelago of islands surrounding El Nido offer the increasingly rare opportunity to find yourself alone on a palm-fringed beach.

El Nido, Spanish for “the nest”, got its name).

One of the draws of Palawan lies under the water; divers will see colourful reef fish, corals and perhaps turtles, dolphins and white-tipped sharks.

North of El Nido are the Calamian islands, with a number of wrecks to explore. As an amateur,

most of my experience has been confined to purposely-sunk fishing boats in easy-to-reach locations, but in the Calamians, even fairly inexperienced divers can navigate their way inside World War II Japanese warships sunk by the US Navy in the 1940s. On the second deck of one ship, I floated past an old car.

It had folded in on itself and there was a little clownfish swimming out from the chassis.

El Nido has so far escaped the tourist hordes because getting there takes time and effort. There are direct flights from Manila to Coron in the Calamians, but then it is another six or seven hours to El Nido by boat. Alternatively, you can fly from Manila to Puerto Princesa -- Palawan’s largest city -- but it is another five hour taxi or bus ride up from there.

The exclusive resorts use several small airline services linking Manila to a little airfield overlooking the bay. Although the flights are available to non-guests, that option, like the resorts themselves, is pricey (about 6,400 Philippine pesos one way), while the Coron/Puerto Princesa alternatives are often less than 2,000 pesos). It may be worth it though, for the amazing aerial views of the archipelago. (BBC.com) n

SUDOKU ANSWER FROM PAGE 19

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MORE OFW FAMILIES MOVE UP TO MIDDLE CLASS From page 24

Another notable improvement from the 2007 survey is the payment of loans/debt which decreased from 8% to 2% this year.

“The 2%, these are OFWs na nababayad pa po ng kanilang utang para sa sila ay makaalis...placement fees,” said Estandarte. “We see that they do allocate their money wisely,” she added.

Investment priorities

The survey also showed that families of OFWs invest on appliances, entertainment media and gadgets like laptops and mobile phones for their children and for communication purposes.

“We saw that OFW families have higher ownership rate compared to the regular Filipino families. Given all these entertainment media that they have, and the ownership of gadgets, we see that their (media) exposure is relatively higher than the regular Filipino family,” she said.

Bautista also cited a previous study that showed OFWs as one of highest internet users, tapping social media such as Facebook and Twitter, to be

Compared to the regular Filipino family, more OFW families go to the malls (82%) and eat out in fastfood restaurants (83%) at least once a month.

able to get in touch with their families.

“Which is why investments in things like mobile phones, computers and internet access is also a priority in this segment,” said Bautista.

Meanwhile, compared to the regular Filipino family, more OFW families are spending time together by going to the malls (82%), supermarkets (76%), and eating out in fastfood restaurants (83%) at least once a month.

“Looking at it as well, their consumption of going out, dining out, is higher than that of a regular Filipino family,” she said. (abscbnNEWS.com) n

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