for the Philippines

Lest we be misunderstood, allow us to first state that as the oldest continually running FilAm newspaper, Philippine News Today will forever be committed to supporting our beloved motherland, the Republic of the Philippines. We have seen governments come and go, some good and some bad. But whoever was in charge, we have always believed that we had a role to play in helping our country move forward.

It is therefore with grave concern that we now advice all our readers to think twice before heading back (or for the first time) to the land we call home.

At least for the present time, it is best to avoid taking a vacation there. Tens of thousands of recent travelers will tell you why. Flying in and flying out can be a nightmare. One can never be sure that the scheduled flight will be followed.

At times, it will be the airline’s fault, as is the case with one of the two flag carriers. There have been so many delays and cancelled flights that the Philippine Senate was forced to hold a hearing on what was going on following tons of complaints.

As expected, executives of that airline offered their mea culpas, especially to the affected passengers. Not many were willing to accept the public apology, and one lawmaker even went to the extent of threatening to suspend that airline’s franchise.

Then there is the main international airport, named after a fallen hero. The Ninoy Aquino International Airport has long queues on a daily basis, and has had extended delays and cancellations because the airport is badly mismanaged. Systemic failures have become the norm, and these usually end up with various parties pointing accusing fingers at each other on who was to blame.

Very recently, there has been an offer from the private sector to take over the management of the NAIA from a conglomerate comprised of top 1000 corporations. The offer makes perfect sense as the private sector has traditionally been more efficient than the public sector where running large organizations is concerned.

Yet the current administration is balking at the offer, seemingly because it wants more money from the proponents.

The current administration likes to pay lip service to providing good government to the people, but too often there is little concrete action to back up the glowing promises.

Appointing incompetents to high government posts because they extended financial and other forms of support when the current president was just running for office is the main reason for the failures of this second Marcos regime.

Because of the poor stewardship of the country, our beloved motherland has become a dangerous place to visit. The safety of tourists, for one, cannot be guaranteed, while those traveling for business had better be sure that they have sufficient guarantees from whatever source to assure their safety.

As the old saying goes, better to be safe than sorry.

To repeat, we love our motherland. And we would be the first to advise one and all to visit it one day. But only when it becomes properly governed as it was in the not-toodistant past when decent and competent men and women were in charge.

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has just completed his first year as chief executive, and as far as we are concerned he deserves a failing grade. He is all talk and all show, but very little substance.

Nowadays the folks who let loose on walls, buildings, bridges, and streets are called “artists” for their depictions of emotions they are likely unable to articulate otherwise. Some are now commissioned to use their creativity to blaze up structures along oft-trodden roadways. And the form of expression has evolved, leading to lucrative careers and worldwide fame as in the case of the late Jean-Michel Basquiat of New York.

Previously associated with youth gangs, graffiti escalated the notoriety of the “crew” whose markings screamed on public surfaces. Known as “taggers,” they illegally literally sprayed or splashed their names and slogans on mostly-government property. That was their act of rebellion, their attempt at immortality. Then they grew up, got jobs, raised families, and found other ways to vent their angst without crossing boundaries.

You would think the urge to tag would fade in adulthood.

Is the age of 27 old enough to have learned the value of an enduring landmark enough to marvel at it, imagine spectacles it witnessed through millennia and leave it be for succeeding generations to appreciate?

Apparently not for a man identified by Rome police as a “fitness instructor and delivery driver resident in Bristol (England) but originally from Bulgaria” who was caught on camera etching his and his girlfriend’s names on the Roman Colosseum a few days ago.

Just like millions of visitors to the Eternal City, Ivan Dimitrov could have taken in the staggering view of the ruins where gladiators battled wild animals, among big-ticket attractions of the time. Obviously he had never confronted the admonition to “Take only pictures, Leave only footprints” posted at American parks. Or chose to ignore it to prove his love and devotion?

The tourist was busted by incredulous Californian Ryan Lutz, who chided, “Are you serious, man” while documenting Dimitrov in action then uploaded the video on YouTube. Because of the viral video, the Carabinieri allegedly traced the offender in five days.

Dimitrov apologized in a letter to Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri for the “damage caused to an asset…(to) the heritage of all humanity.” He reportedly said he was not aware of the age of the 2,000-year-old amphitheater. Oh? Was he in the Italian capital for the Pasta Cabonara and not the antiquities?

“The boy is the prototype of the foreigner who frivolously believes that anything is allowed in Italy, even the type of act which in their own countries would be severely punished,” Dimitrov’s lawyer aptly described his client.

Will ignorance spare Dimitrov from 5 years in jail and a fine of up to 15,000 euros for what the Italian Culture Minister called an “uncivilized and absurd act” on a protected Unesco World Heritage site? What’s certain for now is that he has acquired the notoriety that motivated earlier taggers. But is the price worth it? ***

Cherie M. Querol Moreno is PNews Today Executive Editor.

Speaking of marriage

Contrary to fairy tales and romance novels, marriage is not all sugar and spice; neither does it have a fairy tale ending of “happily ever after”.

Marriage is a commitment ( a lifetime one, for Catholics), which two people enter into. It entails exclusivity , the likes of which Helen Reddy sang about when she sang:” you and me against the world”.

Marriages fail because the partners lack sufficient knowledge about each other or are not ready for a commitment, which calls for sacrifices from both partners.

When tgwo people are joined in wedlock, they should be prepared to accept each other’s flaws and idiosyncracies. There will definitely be a time when one or the other will cause irritation.

Arguments will arise, harsh words may be spoken. I always hope and wish that couples could bite their tongues on occasions when they want to lash out in anger over some inconsequential matter .

Words can hurt, and once spoken, cannot be retrieved.

Getting married, to be sure, is a huge step, and people in the throes of love would do well to pause and reflect on the wisdom of plunging into marriage.

Interestingly, divorces in the United States and elsewhere have decreased in recent years, possibly because fewer couples are getting married .

This is probably a good thing , except for the fact that young men and women are choosing to enjoy the benefits of marriage without the legal right to do so.

I believe in marriage, but only for those equipped to enter into it.

I remember a once-popular song which goes this way:” Love and marriage, love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage”, which is probably outdated in this modern age.

And yet, I hope there still are a number among our youths today who understand what marriage should be and maybe, just maybe, they will have their “happily ever after.”

BSP governor Remolona a US citizen for many years

SAN FRANCISCO – Do you know that newly appointed Bangko Sentral ng PIlipinas (BSP) Governor Eli M. Remolona was based for a long time in the United States and acquired US citizenship in the process and as such was a naturalized American for many years?

According to his profile posted on the Central Bank’s website, Remolona, who is now 71 years old, worked for 14 years at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and 19 years at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), described as “the bank for central banks.”

The appointment of Remolona by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as BSP Governor was welcomed by the business sector, saying it ensures continuity and enhances institutional stability. He succeeded Felipe M. Medalla, who had served as Monetary Board member since 2012. As BSP Governor, Remolona will also serve as chairman of the country’s Monetary Board which he first served as a member in August 2022.

Jose Teodoro K. Limacaoco, president of the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP), expressed the banking sectors support to Remolona. “With his extensive global experience and expertise in financial markets and regulations, we are confident that Dr. Remolona will anchor the Philippine banking industry not only towards continuous stability of the financial system but to growth and competitiveness in the regional stage,” he said.

“The BAP looks forward to working with Governor Remolona on various initiatives impacting the banking industry and its stakeholders, whether in the areas of financial market development, cybersecurity or sustainability,” Limcaoco added.

According to reports, Remolona’s journey in finance and economics began in 1972 when, upon graduation with AB Economics from the Ateneo de Manila University, he served as an economist at the Presidential Economic Staff and Development Management Staff of then Executive Secretary Alejandro Melchor under the leadership of the President’s father and namesake, President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. Remolona was also a Professor of Finance and the Director of Central Banking at the Asia School of Business in Kuala Lumpur, a collaboration with the MIT Sloan School of Management.

From 2008 to 2018, as the BIS regional head for Asia and the Pacific, he worked closely with Governors of the 12 leading central banks in the region to formulate policy on such issues as financial regulatory reform, capital market development, and financial stability, while also overseeing BIS reserve management for Asia-Pacific central banks.

In 2000, as the newly appointed editor of the BIS Quarterly Review, he overhauled the journal and turned it into a highly ranked scholarly flagship publication of the BIS. He has also published widely in leading journals in economics and finance, with papers that have attracted over 5,450 citations. Since 2005, he has been an Associate Editor for Finance of the International Journal of Central Banking.

In 1991, he joined Paul Krugman (awarded the Nobel Prize in 2013) and Susan Collins (now President of the Boston Fed) in a high-level economic mission to the Philippines to advise the Philippine government on structural reforms.

Remolona also taught at Williams College, Columbia University, New York University and the School of Economics of the University of the Philippines. He has given seminars at the Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, International Monetary Fund, Asian Development Bank, World Bank and many other central banks, and academic institutions.

He taught courses on monetary policy, money and capital markets, and digital transformation, contributing to the education and development of future finance professionals.

In 1982, he received a Ph.D. in Economics “with Distinction” from Stanford University and in 1972, a bachelor’s degree in Economics Honors from the Ateneo de Manila University. Also a product of public schools, he graduated valedictorian from V. Mapa High School in Manila.

BBM presidency one year after

“Genius of the below average.”

- Court of Appeals Justice Benjamin K. Gorospe “Tambaloslos!” – Cebu Visayan word made viral by VP Sara Duterte

The quoted words do not necessarily apply to the person of President BBM. But these are words which aptly describe the one year of the BBM administration. And for a clear understanding of the applicability of the words to one year of the current administration, let me first narrate how Justice Ben Gorospe used these words are worth remembering.

Genius and below average: To the ordinary mind, the combination of words genius and below average appears to be an irresoluble contradiction – a paradox. When we consider the usage of the words by Justice Gorospe, it does not seem that way.

Judge Ben Gorospe was one of three judges in the Court of First Instance of Misamis Oriental based in Cagayan de Oro City. The other two were Judge Bernardo Teves and Abundio Arrieta, Sr. The three of them graduated from the College of Law of the University of the Philippines. But Judge Ben towered over the other two by his size and height. He was a giant of a man and the most outstanding about Judge Ben was his colorful and razor-edge language. Other than that – he was a classmate of Ferdinand Edralin Marcos in the UP College of Law, thus it was not at all surprising Judge Ben addressed FM in public as Andy, the nickname of FM among his classmates and friends.

One fine day, Atty.Leon Buaya appeared in Judge Ben’s court. Buaya’s performance was dismal and embarrassing like a lamb lost in the woods instead of behaving like a lion as his name sugges. Buaya clearly was not familiar with the law and the facts of his case.

So Judge Ben thundered in his stentorian voice, “Pañero, you are not behaving like a lion or a crocodile. Spruce up, and stop behaving like a genius of the below average”, eliciting laughter in the courtroom, to Judge Ben’s delight and Atty. Buaya’s total embarrassment.

Does the county not look like Judge Ben Gorospe’s courtroom with someone behaving like Atty. Buaya?

Tambaloslos: Cebuanos and Mindanaoans should be grateful to Vice-President Sara Duterte for making the word tambaloslos famous by using it in describing a high ranking public official of this administration. This prompted someone in one Manila daily to write a story that tambaloslos refers to a mythical male figure with a minuscule ting-aling-aling. I don’t know where it got that but all my life I have been speaking Cebuano Visayan and Mindanaoan and reading, until high school, Bisaya, Tabonon and Saloma but I have never heard about the mythical figure and his tingh-aling-aling.

Where I come from, tambaloslos is a word used to describe someone who is – useless, worthless, liar, manipulative, untrustworthy and everything that is bad about a person. Come to think of it - does not the word sound familiar in describing the BBM administration?

Grades: Two of the leading Manila dailies have contrasting headlines on the BBM administration after a year in the saddle – one says, incomplete, and other writes, positive. The incomplete comes from a member of the academe and surprise of all surprises, BBM agrees with the rating Positive comes from the Philippine Chamber of Industries (PCI) and a horde of tycoons or businessmen.

Do I agree with either rating? If forced by my teacher to choose between the two – I will say, even if it is against my will, I choose incomplete because it is closest to disaster. Why not positive? It is certainly not because it is a lie closest to the judgment in an insane asylum.

Remembering Bernarda Gangano Elizarde

My beloved wife Virginia Jimenez Madlaing and I were blessed and fortunate to attend the Vigil/Rosary and Memorial Services of Bernarda Gangano Elizarde last Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at St. Cecilia Catholic Church, 2555 17th Avenue, San Francisco, California.

Bernarda Gangano Elizarde was born on August 20,1933 in Binalonan, Pangasinan to Juan and Remedios Gangano. The eldest of 8 children, she met and married her late husband Hermogenes Elizarde, who was in the U.S. Navy. She worked at the Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco for 29 years until she retired in 1999.

She died peacefully at home after a long battle with lung cancer on May 25, 2023, few weeks before her 90th birthday. She is survived by her 2 daughters, son-in-law, grandson and 5 sisters.

One of the heart-warming rendition of the evening was the duet of Father Mark Reburiano and Erick Francisco, grandson of the deceased, who sang “Loving and Forgiving” as requested by his grandmother before she died.

In the Tributes segment, I was one of those who was fortunate to share my thoughts and remembrance of Bernarda Gangano Elizarde. I would like to share my tributes to our readers and the general public.

“Good evening to everyone. I am Art Gabot Madlaing, townmate of Bernarda Gangano Elizarde from Binalonan, Pangasinan, Philippines.

In December of last year, an old client who read my columns “”How to Donate RP Properties Without Going Home” and “Selling Philippine Properties Without Going Home” published in the weekly PHILIPPINE NEWS TODAY” called aqnd referred me to Atsi Bernarda. After some preliminaries and phone conversation, Atsi Bernarda wanted to donate the properties she co-owned with her late husband, to her two daughters.

As founder of Mobile Signing Services, I first met Atsi Bernarda in person at her home in 18th Avenue, San Francisco last January 22, 2023 2-pm for the signing and notarization of the DEED OF DONATION drafted by our lawyer-friend for the properties located in Baguio City, Urdaneta City and Binalonan, Pangasinan, Phillippines. After the notarization, we had more conversation despite her breathing through the oxygen tube machine. She talked as if she had known me for many years. When I verified the amount of the check issued for our Notarization and Mobile Signing Services, she gave extra $100 for tip.

My beloved wife Virginia Jimenez Madlaing and I drove to the Secretary of State, Notary Public Section in Sacramento for the submission and apostle of the notarized DEED OF DONATION. When we delivered the apostilled DEED OF DONATIO to her home she gave another tip of $100. That’s how generous Atsi Bernarda was! Even in her drying days, she was more concerned for the welfare and interest of her daughters Leila Elizarde and Felicia E. Francisco.

I next met, Atsi Bernarda last February 12, 2023 for the signing and notarization of the Special Power of Attorney (SPA) authorizing her niece for the sale of the Philippine properties with the confirmation of her daughters. At this time, she asked about my sister Magdalena Sison. As a surprise, I brought my sister to her home where they had good conversation reminiscing their happy days with the Wong Family in Binalonan, Pangasinan who had bakery and restaurant.

With so many requirements and delay in the processing of the DEED OF DONATION, I last met Atsi Bernarda on April 6, 2023 for the signing and notarization of the SELF ADJUDICATON WITH DEED OF DONATION to her niece on the property located in Urdaneta City and DEED OF SELF ADJUDICATION with SPECIAL POWER OF ATTORNEY for the sale of the properties located in Baguio City and Binalonan, Pangasinan, Philippines.

Before joining the Bangko Sentral, Remolona served as Independent Director of the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) and the Chair of the Risk Manage-

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The rating: I am not involved in any kind of partisan politics – electoral or non-electoral. When I held elective office, I always advocated as a matter of principle that political partisanship ends after every election. After election, it is the obligation of every citizen to support every good policy and action of the administration but if the administration commits error, deliberate or not, it is

It was a blessing for me and my wife to have met and known Atsi Bernarda even for a very short period of four months. I know that she touched so many lives In her memory, I would like to read a poem entitled THE DASH written by the author Linda Ellis. THE DASH POEM