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NOVEMBER APRIL 2012 2014 NOVEMBER 2014

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Verbatim Kung palagay . . . niyang mali ang direksyon namin, siyempre malaya din siyang hindi na sumama sa aming mga kilusan.

President Aquino, reminding Vice President Jejomar Binay that as Cabinet member he is obligated to offer solutions, not just criticisms, to the country’s problems and that he is free to leave the Cabinet if he no longer believes in the administration’s direction

I think he is being crucified by his own sins against the country. The lashes he feels are representative of every crime he has FULL PAGE AD committed against the people.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, reacting to Vice President Binay’s lament that he is being “crucified” by his political enemies

The innocent is as brave as a lion, the guilty flees.

Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, quoting a passage in the Bible in reaction to Vice President Binay’s refusal to attend the Senate hearing on allegations of corruption against him

Pagkatapos ng Yolanda, magagalit ka sa Kanya… Pero sino ang lalapitan ko?

Papoose Lantajo of Palo, Leyte, a survivor of Typhoon ‘Yolanda’, on how his faith in God has helped him cope with the tragedy

I don’t want to call for Aquino’s resignation because Binay will replace him. And that’s even worse, it’s scary.

I’m being forcibly crucified and punished for sins made up by detractors and deceivers.

Vice President Binay, referring to corruption allegations against him which he has dismissed as lies and politically motivated

Fr. Edu Gariguez, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ National Secretariat for Social Action, Justice and Peace, on the prospect of Vice President Binay assuming the presidency

Basically, my soul is . . . male but I’m not going to go through that stage where I’m going to change everything.

Charice Pempengco, accepting her sexuality but nixing the idea of having sex change surgery during an interview with Oprah Winfrey

Lahat ng tingin ng tao sa pulitiko, kung hindi walanghiya, magnanakaw na.

Joey Marquez, comedian and former mayor of Paranaque City, on why he has no plans to go back to politics

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FROM PACMAN TO SUPERMAN I

Boxer, Entertainer, Evangelist, Politician, Basketball Coach

T’S about time someone spoke out on Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao’s considered priorities.

“I wish he’d be more involved here,” Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. was quoted as telling reporters in reference to the congressman and his duties at the House of Representatives.

The Speaker made the point after noting Pacquiao’s recent debut as professional basketball playing coach, which he made while in training for his title fight with American Chris Algieri in Macau.

That Pacquiao is overstretched is a reasonable conclusion. Apart from his not inconsiderable duties as a member of the House of Representatives, he is currently occupied with holding his footing as world eight-division boxing champ, if not stealing time to indulge his passion for basketball; as well, he is into chess (cockfighting and billiards are supposedly past loves), sings with a band, and dabbles in acting. Not least, he is a husband and father, is active in his church, and is a spokesperson for the virtues of disaster preparedness.

The list can run the most able-bodied man ragged, but the champ appears none the worse for wear. But that’s only if the way he looks were the sole measure of his stamina. If one were to take his measure in terms of the formidable roles he has taken on, would the re-

Congressman Pacquiao hosts visiting Vice President Binay in General Santos City. sults be as impressive, as goodlooking?

For example, notwithstanding the hosannas by the inevitable chorus that sings to him in his every foray, his debut as pro basketball playing coach was less than spectacular, and the attentive observer would wonder why the time and effort were not put instead in his training for the fight with Algieri. Again, his handlers appear to have been too indulgent: What if, revved up by the heady public anticipation of his performance on the hard court, he met with a grave injury (despite Freddie Roach’s appeal to other players not to “hurt” him)? That would have unnecessarily set back his preparations for the Macau bout. For another, and more important, example, Pacquiao’s performance as secondterm representative of Sarangani, which continues to rank among the top poorest provinces in the country, is hardly stellar. It is reported that he was

a no-show 60 of 168 session days in the 15th Congress, and 38 of 69 session days so far in the current Congress—hardly a surprise, with the training for his boxing bouts taking two-three months. He has, to be sure, authored a number of bills now pending in various House committees since 2010 and 2013, but his entry into lawmaking, particularly for the benefit of his constituents, has yet to bear visible fruit. He has yet to demonstrate what he has learned, if any, about true public service since he first took office in 2010.

Rather, Pacquiao’s rise to prominence—actually a remarkable narrative that can inspire young people in similar straitened circumstances—has been largely marked by the worst in traditional politics. In the company of patrons, warlords and hangers-on, he took the trail blazed by those who invoke popularity as the sole qualification for public office.

With his vast personal fortune, he has perpetuated the mentality of the balato and the dole.

As though it were part of the territory (and in these parts, it certainly is), he has begun building a political dynasty that so far includes his wife as vice governor of Sarangani and his two brothers and a sister-inlaw as barangay councilors and captain, respectively, in their hometown of General Santos.

And he has made noise about seeking the presidency.

Those who shudder at the thought are not comforted by the fact that he is too young to seek the top post, or even the one next to it. The latter idea was suggested only recently when Vice President Jojo Binay, beleaguered by corruption charges raised in a Senate inquiry, showed up at Pacquiao’s turf and was duly hosted and escorted around by the champ.

It appeared as though they were surefire running mates in 2016, and Binay was not exactly quick to shoot down the notion.

Suggestion, like imagery, is a powerful thing. It’s said Pacquiao would next gun for a seat in the Senate. Once upon a time, Sen. Lito Lapid arrived at an official ceremony on horseback, evoking his onscreen hero persona. Good show, but what simmers now in the public memory is nothing heroic, possibly only the Lapid family’s profitable quarrying business. Pacquiao, the fondly termed “National Fist,” should know his limitations. (Editorial, Oct. 25, 2014, Philippine Daily Inquirer) n

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House OKs bill granting credit assistance to OFWs

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MEASURE creating a credit assistance program for overseas Filipino workers even before they leave the country has been approved by the House of Representatives on third and final reading.

Under House Bill 4985 or the proposed Overseas Workers Credit Assistance Act, OFWs may borrow up to P50,000 from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to defray the living expenses of his or her family during the first months of absence or to pay for recruitment expenses including placement fees, documentation costs and plane tickets.

However, only OFWs with valid employment contracts processed through licensed recruitment and manning agencies accredited by the Phil-

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We go beyond what is Filipino. Splash carries your brand across all across the migrant community network: With our readers now coming from other nationalities.

ippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) may avail themselves of a loan.

Under the proposed legislation, the next-of-kin ofFULL the OFWPAGE AD should sign as co-borrower in the loan entered into by the OFW and OWWA. The credit should be paid in 12 monthly installments at a preferred interest rate of not more than six Additional drop points where it matters: Also in 3 major airport percent per annum. lounges and over 40 International English student lounges The loan shall be covered with a loan redemption insurance from any private insurance remitting the loan payment regterms imposed upon the loan provider duly registered with ularly to OWWA through the acwill be considered as sufficient an accredited by the Insurance credited banking institutions. ground for the POEA and all its Commission.

A provision in HB 4985 man- offices, including its deputized OWWA will be tasked to accred- dates the establishment of an and accredited private entities it as many domestic or foreign online payment system one and the Philippine Overseas banking institutions as possible year after the effectivity of the Labor Offices (POLOs) to withwhich are duly authorized to do measure to allow OFWs to pay hold the issuance of the Overbusiness in the Philippines in the loan amortization through seas Employment Certificate order to serve the loan payment the Internet.

(OEC) and any other exit permit needs of the OFW borrowers.

An OFW’s failure to pay the or clearance to work abroad to The OFW will be responsible for loan or any violation of the him or her. (GMA News)

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Our Collective Guilt Over Metro Manila Traffic

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OW do you solve a problem like Metro Manila?

It has come to this, that a drop of rain traumatizes us all with its dreadful consequences: EDSA gets clogged, the train stops, power breaks down, commuters are stranded, and yet another day is wasted.

The capital of Asia’s best performing economy next to China is losing its wits on the streets. Over the past weeks, a few minutes of heavy rain have brought its thoroughfares to a standstill in practically every corner – whether the wellpaved avenues of Makati or the pot-holed streets of Navotas.

This has got to be the worst traffic situation in history for a metropolis of 12 million people and in a country that’s the 12th most populated in the world.

At stake is no longer just our sanity or happiness as a people.

In its 2014 global competitiveness report, the World Economic Forum hailed the Philippines’ structural reforms but gave us a failing mark in

infrastructure. The Philippines ranked 91st in terms of infrastructure – in particular, 108th in airports and 101st in seaports.

A study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency shows that Metro Manila loses P2.4 billion ($53 million) in potential income daily due to traffic jams. Local and global economic experts have declared that poor infrastructure has become the biggest threat to the Philippine economy given its burgeoning population.

Even businessmen cite traffic as one of the hindrances to doing business in the Philippines – sometimes even worse than corruption.

One wonders why this has not triggered protests or a bottom-up approach that activists usually campaign for in their advocacies.

Why is there individual anger but no collective rage?

Could it be because of collective guilt? After all, we have not moved this infrastructure

problem beyond our dining table conversations or daily litanies from our cars. We have not gone to our communities to get a sense of how we could collectively address the problem. We have not been involved in mass transportation issues beyond what we follow in the news as we’re stuck in traffic. We have not done anything beyond rant as we continue to budget for that third car for our family.

And there is no better proof of this than the delayed construction of badly-needed trains which runs in direct contrast with the strong car sales.

Government inertia combined with public indifference to mass transportation is a fatal disease that’s killing urban Philippines.

The situation calls for more than a traffic czar. It calls for a radical shift in the way we view our commute from our home to our workplace which, due to limited space and limitless population, has ceased to be simply our personal business.

The problem of mass transportation will not be solved by individual action alone – because a crisis in mass transportation creates other crises that impact our everyday lives, no matter how many chauffeur-driven Porsches you could afford.

Traffic, like death, is the ultimate equalizer.

What needs to be done urgently?

A responsible government overcomes bureaucratic hurdles and puts up the infrastructure for it. On the other hand, a responsible community reduces the burden – like cars, the daily back and forths – to these infrastructures.

A responsible local government clears the road for those who choose to walk or run or take the bike.

A responsible big business, on the other hand, tempers its greed and stops building malls and condominiums where there should be roads.

A responsible traffic enforcer not just implements the rules but plays by the rules.

A responsible driver knows when to turn and does not grease his way through.

A responsible and organized sector, on the other hand, makes sure both become a reality.

A responsible people begin to care for mass transportation and take part in it (just ask bike-riding lawmakers in The Netherlands for inspiration).

And who knows? Perhaps a responsible Catholic Church will stop getting in the way of efforts to control our population which, in essence, is a core component of the mess we face today.

It’s high time we addressed this unstated collective guilt – collectively. (Rappler.com) n

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OFW model families recognized

EING an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) - earning a living in another country for the economic wellbeing of the family - takes a lot of considerations to balance the existence of loved ones, where the upkeep of the family is assured despite the physically distance.

Stories of broken families, children into drugs, squandered remittances, among others, are the sad realities that some OFWs have suffered.

But there are exceptions.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in northern Mindanao, under the Department of Labor and Employment, on its 10th year, recognized this year the OFW families who hurdled bad and sad times and fulfilled their dreams of economically sound and harmonious living.

The Model OFW Family of the Year Award (Mofya) which recognizes the successes of OFW families that despite the distance of a parent have managed the affairs – values and strong ties – of the family that saw through children who completed their education; prudence in spending the hard earned remittances; and maintaining their good standing in the community.

Mofya has the land-based and the sea-based sectors where three nominees for each sector had been carefully selected by a committee composed of Raymundo G. Agravante, DOLE-10 regional director, as chairman; Harry B. Borres ,OWWA-10 OIC regional director as vice-chair; Oscar Baldoman of the National Commission on Indigenous People; Fritzie Estoque, director Liceo Center for Community Development; Buenaventura Barete of Surigao Education Center; Mila Pace, marketing manager Globe Telecom SM City; and Pastor Rey Cimene of Glorious Hope United Fellowship Center Inc. The 2014 nominees in the landbased sector are the families of Wilfredo C. Ancajas of Purok

The Model OFW Family of the Year Award (Mofya) recognizes the successes of OFW families that despite the distance.

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Masilakan II, Poblacion, Lugait, Misamis Oriental; Architect Renato A. Castillo, of Sumpong, Malaybalay City; and Virginia D. Catacutan of Purok 2A, San Miguel, Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon.

Sea-based nominees are the families of Simplicio B. Lariosa of Purok Mauswagon, Poblacion, Lugait, Misamis Oriental ; Capt. Calvert T. Ramos of Purok 2, Mago-ong, Linamon Lanao del Norte; and Capt. Meinrado Villame of Purok Molave, Maranding, Lala, Lanao del Norte.

The 2014 Mofya Land-based award went to Ancajas family who is married to Bernardita Densing. The couple have four children who are now professionals.

Ancajas worked for 20 years as foreman piper in four different companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In June this year, he decided to settle down with his family and forego the overseas job.

The family of Capt. Calvert T. Ramos got the Mofya sea-based sector award. He is a seamanoverseas for 16 years now being a master mariner of Britol Offshore Services Pte. Ltd. He is married to Ida Aranas, a certified public accountant.

Mrs. Aranas decided to leave her job at the then National Steel Corp., and devoted her

time rearing and caring their children who are now professionals.

The Aranas family, through the years, has acquired properties, like a condominium unit and a 2-story residential house in Metro Manila and several other

properties in Linamon, Lanao del Norte, notwithstanding Capt. Ramos’s investment in the stock market and an incorporator of Oceanus Maritime Crewing Services, a manpower recruitment agency.

(Sun Star)

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Whatever it is, it’s become clear that driving in Metro Manila is a circus — just not the fun, cottoncandy variety.

NOVEMBER 2014

LONDON

Why Driving in Manila Is Like Going to the Circus

By scott r. garceau

I

USED to love the circus as a kid. When Ringling Bros. or Barnum & Bailey would come to town, I’d be the first to beg my parents for a ticket to the big top.

That was before I actually ran away and joined the circus — that is, I moved to the Philippines and joined the traffic spectacle that greets Manila drivers on a daily basis. Yes, spills, thrills and chills are what driving in Metro Manila is all about, friends.

You’d think I would be used to it by now but sadly, this circus still surprises the bejeesus out of me. It could be the annual convergence of rainy season with the (inevitably stupid) decision to commence multiple road excavation projects during the most miserable time of the year for commuters; or it could be the sudden appearance of big rig trailer trucks now hogging the roads at all hours, forcing you to renavigate at every turn. Whatever it is, it’s become clear to me that driving in Metro Manila is a circus — just not the fun, cotton-candy variety I experienced as a youth. More like a House of Horrors.

Here’s why.

• You’re surrounded by vendors. No circus is complete without a constant stream of hawkers selling popcorn, soda pop, cotton candy and pretzels up and down the aisles. Hark to Manila’s streets, and you’ll

Everybody who gets behind the wheel here has paid for their front-row ticket already: they expect a little gory entertainment once in a while in return. be treated to local variants — isaw, balut, boiled peanuts, prawn crackers and the occasional dashboard ornament.

Step right up!

• You’re surrounded by clowns. There’s just no end in sight, from bus-driving bozos who suddenly stop right in the middle of the road to pick up a couple of fares, thus causing several near fender benders in the process, to the funny characters who ride their undersized bicycles around in swerving patterns on the road while wearing earphone buds, to the not-so-funny jokesters who text on their cell phones while steering motorcycles — sometimes with four or five people stuffed on the back, not unlike a clown car. Bonus points for not killing anybody!

• The elephant parade.

Who doesn’t love to see that big old lumbering troupe of circus elephants, holding on to one another’s tails with their

trunks, just like in Disney’s Dumbo? On Manila’s streets, we get the adorable equivalent every single day: miles and miles and miles of semi-trailers, lined up in single lanes like it’s an elephant’s funeral. Of course, getting anywhere near these behemoths while stuck in traffic is about as advisable as stepping in a rampaging pachyderm’s path. And if you like your elephants a little more “free range,” step right up to EDSA, where swerving, rampaging buses are always in season.

• Death-defying feats. Part of the fun of going to the circus is the imminent possibility that someone will fall off the trapeze or get their head eaten by a lion. This kind of thrill is available constantly on Manila streets. If you look around for even a few seconds, you’ll see near-death experiences at almost every intersection! All it takes is the compacted chaos of hundreds of people driving

a wide variety of motor vehicles — cars, SUVs, FX buses, pedicabs, motorcycles — not to mention the weaving bicyclists and kalesas and pedestrians who are more attached to their cell phones than any healthy sense of self-preservation. If you think you’re man enough for the real circus, strap yourself in and take a ride through town. It will make your hair stand on end!

• Test your endurance.

Forget about games of skill and strength, like shooting ducks in a row or swinging a hammer to ring a bell; Manila’s streets are all about stretching your patience to the physical breaking point. If you can get through this daily ordeal without going postal, you really are a strongman!

• Gawkers aplenty. Everyone knows the circus is all about morbid human curiosity. We want to see dangerous tricks undertaken for our amusement. We love to gawk, and there’s no shortage of this particular type of circus patron in Metro Manila, where every traffic incident is an excuse for each car to sloooowly crawl by the crash scene, in the hopes, maybe, of seeing a mangled bloody body lying underneath a motorcycle. Hey, everybody who gets behind the wheel here has paid for their front-row ticket already: they expect a little gory entertainment once in a while in return.

• Sideshows aplenty. Sometimes the smaller tents provide the biggest thrills at a circus.

Those with decidedly more offbeat tastes can catch the localvariety freak shows, ongoing at practically every street corner or intersection you chance upon in Metro Manila. Tipping is optional. (The Philippine Star) n

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ANILA’S creaking train network means a miserable threehour work commute for salesman Gerard Galang – just one example of major infrastructure woes that analysts say threaten to cool the Philippines’ red-hot economy.

Peak-hour hell comes in many forms in the city of 12 million people, with commuters experiencing a sweaty, stinky crush on dilapidated trains and giant queues to buy tickets.

“I pity myself and my fellow commuters but I don’t have any other option than the train,” said Galang, 29, who inhales antiseptic rubbed on to his hands to help negate the stench on the train.

“It gets so crowded our faces get pressed against each other and on doors and windows.”

Galang spends three hours commuting to work every day, half of which is spent in queues.

For other commuters on buses or in cars, daily gridlock worsens to a complete standstill that can trap people for hours when even small rain storms trigger flash floods.

The Philippine economy has in recent years shed its reputation as one of Asia’s laggards, with growth of 6.4% in the second quarter maintaining its status as the region’s best performing after China.

The country also recently gained its first investment grade scores from the big three global credit rating agencies.

Urban decay Infrastructure development, however, hasn’t moved at the same pace, and economists warn the creaking systems that are of so much frustration to millions of people will also have a growing impact on economic growth.

“Our facilities are not built

NOVEMBER 2014

LONDON

Urban Decay Threatens Hot Philippine Economy

Commuters experience a sweaty, stinky crush on dilapidated trains and giant queues to buy tickets. for an economy that is growing at seven percent every year,” Ronald Mendoza, a senior economist at the Asian Institute of Management, in Manila told Agence France-Presse.

Mendoza said growth could have been faster had it not been for the ageing airports and road networks that turn off foreign investors and tourists, and limit the movement of local trade.

Manila already loses 2.4 billion pesos ($53 million) in potential income daily due to traffic jams, according to a study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Among the other infrastructure problems are power shortages that lead to brownouts, clogged drainage that exacerbate frequent rainy season floods and an Internet network so slow that it sparked a parliamentary enquiry.

Millions of people in slums,

and even some residents of middle class districts, do not have access to running water.

And Manila’s decades-old international airport, with malfunctioning air conditioning and leaking toilets, has been cited by a travel website as the worst in the world.

No quick fix President Benigno Aquino and his team are acutely aware of the problems.

“Sustaining the economy’s high-growth trajectory requires continued investment in infrastructure,” Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan told Japanese businessmen.

The government is planning to increase infrastructure spending from 2.2% of gross domestic product in 2012 to five percent by the end of Aquino’s term in 2016.

As part of that, the government will pursue its so-called

public-private partnership program. More than 50 projects are being put out to private builders.

Balisacan also said implementing a P2.6-trillion ($58 billion) “dream plan” drafted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency was a top priority.

The agency’s plan calls for an expansion of rail and toll road networks to provinces north and south of Manila, spreading economic activity, as well as a subway system for the capital.

It also envisages a new Manila airport terminal.

Many of the projects cited by the Japanese plan are included in the PPP pipeline, but these have moved painfully slowly due to regulatory delays and court cases between rival bidders.

Fewer than 10 contracts for the public-private partnership program have been awarded during Aquino’s first 4 years in office, with no projects yet completed.

And while Aquino’s intentions are laudable, there is only a limited amount it can do before his term ends in the middle of 2016, according to Mendoza.

“Many of these projects are perfectly doable, especially the airports and toll roads,” Mendoza said.

“What’s needed is a multiadministration plan... many of them take up to three administrations to finish.”

Philippine leaders are elected to single, 6-year terms, raising continuity problems.

Manila residents, in the meantime, have little choice but to count the personal cost of the urban decay.

Jury Domino, who owns a catering business, said evergrowing delivery times eat into his profits – with his vans held hostage for hours guzzling fuel in traffic and staff having to be paid overtime.

“It’s a big hassle, expenses rise every month and the problems pile up,” he said. (Agence France-Presse) n

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They Who Lost Much: Pedro, 22 Kinfolk; Ireneo, 31 P By danny petilla

ALO, Leyte -- One found his voice; the other descended into his own dark, personal abyss.

Pedro Lacandazo Sr. and Ireneo Pasacao, patriarchs of two clans that lost the most members to Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan), have each carved paths to repairing their lives a year after the monster storm swept through Leyte province.

Pasacao, a 62-year-old fisherman, lost 31 members of his clan, including his brother Genaro, 74; sister Natividad Bendoy, 75; daughter Merly, 31; 10year-old granddaughter Mary Vianney Hart; and 27 nephews, nieces and in-laws.

Together with three sons and a daughter, Pasacao survived the storm surges by holding on to a concrete wall for hours.

Lacandazo lost 22 loved ones, including his wife, Normacita, 60; brother Fernando, 55; five daughters, 11 grandchildren, a nephew and three in-laws.

He survived the onslaught of storm surges by hanging on to steel bars in their concrete house.

Official village documents show that the Lacandazos and the Pasacao-Bendoy clans took the heaviest losses in Barangay San Joaquin (population: 5,000), one of the coastal villages in this town facing the Leyte Gulf that took a direct hit from Yolanda’s violent storm surges.

San Joaquin lost 385 of its residents on that tragic morning of Nov. 8 last year.

“Those roaring and thunderous succession of three huge waves are still fresh in my memory,” said Lacandazo, a

Pedro Lacandazo visits the mass grave of his family and relatives at San Joaquin Parish Church in Palo, Leyte. local businessman and freshly minted politician.

Palo Mayor Remedios L. Petilla designated him to the local village council after two sitting councilors—Pedro Napoles and Elizalde Requiz—perished in the storm.

“Mayor Petilla got scared because he (Lacandazo) was running around the village brandishing a bolo,” said a neighbor, who requested anonymity.

Lacandazo confirmed the bolo incident and admitted that he was angry and confused a few days after the killer storm.

“I just lost almost everybody I loved. What did they want me to do?” Lacandazo said.

“Everybody lost somebody in our village,” said Gregorio Papoose Lantajo, the 48-yearold barangay captain of San Joaquin. He lost his 73-year-old father, Gregorio Sr., a retired schoolteacher.

Lacandazo has become an activist, fighting for the rights of typhoon victims and survivors, and protesting the slow pace of government help.

“Yolanda was the first tragedy. But the turtle-like pace of government help is the greater tragedy,” said Lacandazo, who lost the barangay elections in

October 2013.

Malacañang officials brought Lacandazo and his only surviving grandson, John Paul Madrigal, 12, to Bohol province during the Edsa People Power Revolution celebration rites in February. He said he had a picture showing him near President Aquino.

But Lacandazo claimed he was used by Malacañang officials—who are quite unpopular in this part of the country—for their own public relations purposes.

“I honestly feel I was used by those people,” Lacandazo said.

With almost his entire clan gone, fisherman Pasacao slowly descended into paranoia as he became resentful of neighbors and strangers, finding solace only in talking to his house a few weeks after Yolanda.

“I think the old man just went bonkers. It was very strange,” said a neighbor, who requested not to be identified.

A widower even before Yolanda, Pasacao was quick to anger and quarreled with neighbors and close relatives, including his nephew Sergio Bendoy, a 52-year-old retired policeman.

“I understand what my un-

cle is going through but I support him because that is what family is all about,” said Bendoy, who lost his wife, Criselda, 52; daughters Marie Coleen, 20, and Marianne Joy, 16; and yearold grandson Matthew Jones.

At one time, Pasacao drove away American members of the Mormon faith from Salt Lake City, Utah, who volunteered to rebuild his hut destroyed by the typhoon.

“I was raised a Catholic; I will not let anybody who does not share my belief construct my house,” Pasacao said.

“I thought I was going to go crazy,” said Pasacao, who claimed he had found a semblance of serenity after lingering bouts of sadness, depression and deep personal doubts.

Still grieving from the loss of his wife Bienvenida to tuberculosis on July 30, 2000, Pasacao said his resentment finally gave way to acceptance and contentment after he started receiving various forms of help coming his way.

Now he owns two fishing boats and several fishing nets, and at least P30,000 in cash assistance given to him by local and foreign aid organizations.

Pasacao also reported that Catholic Relief Services, the international charity group based in Baltimore, Maryland, had agreed to help him rebuild his house.

“I do not know what our government can do without this aid from international groups,” Pasacao said.

Today (Nov. 8), Pasacao and Lacandazo—who are distant cousins—are holding a joint commemoration of the multiple death anniversaries of their loved ones at a mass grave in front of the San Joaquin church, where most of them are buried.

(Philippine Daily Inquirer) n

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NOVEMBER 2014

Love Offers Fresh Dreams for ‘Yolanda’ Survivors T

ACLOBAN - Jovelyn Luana and Joel Aradana plan to light candles at a mass grave to mark one year since Super Typhoon Yolanda stole both their families, but they will do it hand-in-hand, sharing a new love that promises fresh dreams.

Luana lost all of her six children and her husband of 13 years when Yolanda, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded, thundered across her coastal town in the central Philippines.

About one kilometer (half a mile) away, the same immense storm surges that savaged Luana’s future also destroyed Aradana’s shanty fishing home as they carried his wife and two of his children to oblivion.

The storm on November 8, 2013 killed or left missing more than 7,350 people, the world’s deadliest natural disaster last year, as it laid to waste dozens of already poor farming and fishing communities.

For the next few months, Luana and Aradana endured with hundreds of thousands of other typhoon survivors tormenting grief.

Luana would have killed herself except she could not find anywhere high enough to tie a rope that had been scavenged from rubble.

Then they found each other.

They met at a cash-for-work program run by a foreign aid group six months ago, with a joke from the incomprehensibly effervescent Luana borne from their similar first names and shared tragedies an unlikely icebreaker.

“I told him: ‘I am a Jo, you are a Jo. I am a widow and you are also a widower. So we were meant for each other’,” Luana said with a big smile as they stood outside their shanty hut recently just a few meters from the sea on the outskirts of Tacloban, one of the worst hit cities.

Luana, 31, said she unexpectedly felt hope after meeting Aradana, nine years her senior.

“I realised we both had similar values... and he is loving, he is caring, he is responsible,” Luana said, pointing out Aradana worked hard as a fisherman and construction worker, yet also helped do the laundry and cook.

“He would make a good father.”

Aradana cited companionship and the power of two over one as initial attractions.

“Since she likes me and I like her, I told her it is much better that we live together so we can move on with our lives together, rather than doing it alone,” said Aradana, who speaks much more quietly than Luana and is seemingly less able to mask sadness.

Their shared experiences have indeed proved a vital adhesive in the early months of their relationship.

“We talk to each other about our losses,” Luana said. “There

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Joel and Jovelyn: ‘We talk to each other about our losses. There is a lot of sharing. We share both happiness and loneliness.’ is a lot of sharing. We share both happiness and loneliness.”

Luana’s lost children were aged from 19 months to 12 years. Her mother, a sister, three nieces and nephews, as well as her best friend, also died in the storm.

Most of the bodies of Luana’s dead family members were found in the days and weeks after the typhoon, discoveries which she said helped her heal.

Aradana’s pain has been exacerbated by not finding the bodies of his wife, his only son, aged 7, and a 13-year-old daughter.

He still has two younger daughters, living then and now with grandparents in another province, and an elder daughter who is working elsewhere.

“I would have wanted to kill myself too, if it wasn’t for them,” Aradana said.

Yolanda also crippled Aradana and Luana financially.

The couple’s new home is in one of the typhoon-affected areas’ newly declared “danger zones” in which people are not legally allowed to live but where tens of thousands of the poorest Yolanda survivors do.

Luana could not return to her job as an appliance sales woman and a year later the only work she can find is giving pedicures, manicures or massages to neighbors in their slum community for the equivalent of

about one dollar a session.

Aradana occasionally gets construction work for about eight dollars a day, or if not goes fishing using a boat donated by an aid group then sells his meagre catches at the local market.

They rent their hut, made of scavenged typhoon debris and a tarpaulin from an international relief group, for P200 ($4.5) a month.

An initial flood of food and other relief goods dried up months ago.

For a recent breakfast of noodles and vegetables, Luana added a single prawn given to her by a neighbor.

“It is really hard for us to rebuild again, we lost everything... it is as if we are back to zero,” Luana said.

But the rebuilding has begun.

They are planning to get married, and Luana is expecting their first child in May next year.

“I am so happy I am pregnant,” Luana said. “I am longing for a big family. Just like before...

I miss the noise of the children.”

When asked his thoughts on Luana’s pregnancy, Aradana expressed another form of haunted joy.

“I am hoping it will be a boy because I lost my only son,” he said. (Agence France-Presse) n

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POEA warns agencies vs forged OFW documents

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ECRUITMENT AGENCIES submitting fake documents of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are liable for misrepresentation, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) warned.

“We consistently ruled that misrepresentation is incurred when a licensed recruitment agency furnished or published false notice, information or document in relation to recruitment and placement of overseas Filipino workers,” POEA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac said.

The POEA said several licensed recruiters have already been penalized for submitting forged TESDA national certificates.

Just recently, Cacdac ordered the cancellation of the license of Jardy International Promotion Agency, Mi Amore International Services, Inc., and Greenback International Manpower Services.

He also suspended of the license of Beracah Human Resources Consultancy, Global Medical Systems, Inc. and Cinderella International Manpower Services Corporation, for passing on to the POEA fake Comprehensive Pre-Departure Education Program Certificates of Attendance (CPDEP-COA).

“These agencies are liable for leading the POEA to believe that the documents of applicants are authentic, when in truth, the subject certificates are fraudulent,” Cacdac said.

The penalty of cancellation of license is imposed on a recruitment agency found to have committed misrepresentation for the third time.

Cacdac earlier reminded re-

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The POEA is warning recruitment agencies about submitting fake OFW documentation and warns that will be liable. cruitment agencies that they were expected to ensure the authenticity and validity of documents submitted to the POEA because they are liable for any irregularity in its issuance.

As a consequence of the penalty of cancellation of license, the officers and directors of Jardy International Promotion Agency, Mi Amore International Services, Inc., and Greenback International Manpower Services who committed the offense are disqualified from participating in the business of recruitment and placement of overseas Filipino workers.

(Pinoy OFW)

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PH tops in gender equality among Asia-Pacific nations T

HE PHILIPPINES remained the top performer in the AsiaPacific in terms of gender equality, even as the country fell four notches to rank ninth out of the 142 economies assessed in the Global Gender Gap 2014 report.

Last year, the Philippines placed fifth in this index by the World Economic Forum, which studies the gap between women and men based on four main indicators: health and survival; educational attainment; economic participation; and political empowerment.

Based on the Global Gender Gap 2014 report, the Philippines was able to maintain its No. 1 ranking in two indicators, namely, education and health, but fell eight notches to rank 24th under the economic participation indicator.

Under politics, the Philippines’ ranking further declined by seven places to 17th of the 142 countries in the index.

The ninth edition of the Global Gender Gap Index aims to understand whether or not countries are distributing their resources and opportunities equitably between women and men, irrespective of their overall income levels, by measuring the gender inequality gap through four indicators.

According to the WEF, Nordic nations remained the most gender-equal societies in the world. Last year’s leading four nations— Iceland, which ranked first globally, Finland (2nd), Nor-

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The Philippines remained the top performer in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of gender equality, and is 9th in the world. way (3rd) and Sweden (4th)— were joined by Denmark, which climbed to the fifth from last year’s eighth place.

There is considerable movement in the top 10, with Nicaragua climbing four places to sixth, Rwanda entering the index for the first time at seventh, Ireland falling to eighth, the Philippines declining four places to ninth, and Belg i u m climbing one place to tenth.

The United States rose three places to rank 20th in 2014, after narrowing its wage gap and improving the number of women in parliamentary and ministerial level positions, the WEF said.

According to the WEF, in its

nine years of measuring the global gender gap, the world has seen only a small improvement in equality for women in the workplace.

Gender gap for economic participation and opportunity now stood at 60 percent from 56 percent in 2006 when the WEF first started measuring it.

Based on this trajectory, with all else remaining equal, it will take 81 years for the world to close this gap completely, it said.

The report further showed that the gender gap is narrowest in terms of health and survival at 96 percent globally, with 35 countries having closed the gap entirely. This included three countries that have closed the gap in the past 12 months.

The educational attainment gap is the next narrowest, standing at 94 percent globally, wherein 25 countries were reported to have closed the gap entirely.

While the gender gap for eco-

TOP Gender Equal Countries (2014): 1 - Iceland 2 - Finland 3 - Norway 4 - Sweden 5 - Denmark 6 - Nicaragua 7 - Rwanda 8 - Ireland 9 - PHILIPPINES 10 - Belgium 20 - United States 26 - United Kingdom nomic participation and opportunity lags behind, the gap for the fourth pillar of equality measured—political empowerment—remains wider still, standing at just 21 percent, even as this area has seen the most improvement since 2006.

(Inquirer)

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Showbuzz Kim forgets lyrics, charms concertgoers “BABAAN niyo lang ang expectation niyo, ah! Huwag masyado!”

This was Kim Chiu’s warning before her solo, acoustic performance of I’m Yours at a packed Queen Elizabeth Theater in Toronto last Oct. 24 as part of the “One Magical Night” tour featuring Star Magic artists, including Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo.

In viral videos of her number, the 24-year-old actress appeared nervous as she gestured the sign of the cross just before strumming the first parts of the Jason Mraz hit.

Before hitting the chorus, Kim abruptly stopped, saying,

“Nawala ako.” The candid moment triggered laughter in the audience, who cheered her on as she appeared embarrassed over the mistake.

Kim managed to get through the number without a hitch, and even had the audience singing her parts towards the end. At that point, she rejoiced over finishing the song.

She appeared less nervous a

Lost in rendition

Sarah, Piolo in Valentine movie

night later in Edmonton, where she reprised the number for another set of Canada-based Filipinos.

Kim charmed the audience with her jokes and quips as they waited for the sound system to be set up. She drew laughs for translating one sentence after another from Cebuano, her native language, to Tagalog and then English.

Why Kim is not interested in politics KIM Atienza is firm is his dislike for politics.

“People like me because I’m Kuya Kim [who’s] n o t interested in politics,” the popu-

lar TV host said when asked if he has plans of running for public office in 2016. “If they see Kuya Kim interested in politics, they will not like [him] anymore.”

Kim was once a councilor of Manila who was then groomed to succeed his father, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza.

But after entering television he

completely turned his back on politics.

“Ayoko na. Ayoko na ‘yon.

Galing na ako diyan. May mga pulitikong sobrang galing. Magaling sila, dahil passionate sila dun, e. I don’t have the passion... if you ask me why, I don’t know. I’m passionate about the triathlon. I’m passionate about my family. I’m passionate about TV. I am not passionate about politics. Pag walang passion, ba’t mo gagawin?

“I can exist. I can survive. I can probably even be good [in politics], but will I be happy? “I will not be happy, ba’t ko papasukin? Tutulong na lang ako sa likod. And I know that I’d be of more use... doing the thing that I do.”

POP star Sarah Geronimo and primetime heartthrob Piolo Pascual will be paired on the big screen for the first time via a Valentine’s Day offering next year.

In an interview with ABSCBN News, Piolo disclosed that he will start work on the film after the conclusion of Hawak Kamay, his ongoing TV series.

“Magpapahinga ako ng mga ilang araw [pagkatapos ng ‘Hawak Kamay’],” he said.

“Magsisimula na kami ng pelikula with Sarah for Valentine’s kaya hindi ko alam kung paano ko magagawa magpahinga. . . Pero, iyon, may playdate na siya.”

The movie project follows Piolo’s most successful movie in his 20-year career, Starting Over Again, which was released early this year and now ranks among the highest grossing local films of all time.

Sarah has a string of box-office hits such as the A Very Special Love trilogy co-starring John Lloyd Cruz. Her most recent film, Maybe This Time, similarly crossed the hundred-million mark in earnings when it was released in May. “Matagal ko na rin pinangarap na makasama si Sarah, so finally ito na nga, nakapag-pitch na sila sa amin pareho and excited ako sa project na ito,” said Piolo.

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Showbuzz Matteo: Not a problem if Sarah’s ‘the bigger star’

She maybe a superstar but they’re equal in love.

MATTEO Guidicelli does not mind that his girlfriend, pop star Sarah Geronimo, is seen as “the bigger star” in their relationship.

In a TV interview Boy Abunda asked the 24-year-old actor, “Let me be very, very straight-

forward. Sarah is a bigger star.

Is that a problem?”

Matteo answered: “In my eyes, it’s not a problem. When we’re together, I don’t see her as a superstar. I see her as the person I love and as a normal person. . . She sees herself as a

Bea: We quarrel but we’re fine FOR Bea Alonzo, her occasional fights with Zanjoe Marudo, her boyfriend of over three years now, are an inherent part of being in a relationship.

Addressing persistent rumors that she and Zanjoe have already broken up, the 27-yearold actress told reporters, “It doesn’t bother me, kasi alam ko naman ‘yung totoo. We don’t have a perfect relationship, but we’re perfectly fine with it. I mean, we fight and nagkakabati rin kami. It’s just part of being in a relationship. Gano’n lang ‘yon.

You fall and then you learn.

“It’s not like pag magaaway kami, i-a-announce ko sa lahat ng tao, but one thing is for sure, we’re still together.

Malalaman niyo naman if we’re not together.”

Bea explained that her arguments with Zanjoe mostly stem from their lack of time for each other, given their respective

Sometimes work gets in the way of love. schedules.

“Pinag-aawayan namin ‘yan, iyong lack of time for each other, but nagkakaintindihan naman,” she said. “Pag ikaw na ‘yung nandoon sa posisyon na hindi mo na nakikita ‘yung partner mo, talagang minsan it gets to your head, eh… Nakakairita na parang gusto mong kumain sa labas, wala kang kasamang boyfriend, at siya rin walang kasamang girlfriend. So nagiging [problema] siya. Pag hindi kami masyado nagkikita, doon nagkakaroon ng hindi pagkakaintindihan.”

normal person. She wants the best for me also. I want the best for her. I just want her to see what’s normal.”

Their packed schedules only allow the two to see each other once or twice a week, according to the actor.

“It’s just like triathlon,” he said. “If you really love something, you find ways to do it, you find ways to be with the person.”

Having just released her 11th studio album, Perfectly Imper-

fect, Sarah has been touring to promote the new record. This is on top of shooting episodes of the ongoing reality show The Voice of the Philippines where she is one of the four coaches.

Matteo is currently promoting his first comedy film, Moron 5.2: The Transformation, which opened in theaters nationwide on Nov. 5. He will also star in the 15th installment of Shake, Rattle & Roll, one of eight entries in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival.

Concubinage raps vs Derek, Angelica dropped MARY Christine Jolly has formally dropped the concubinage complaint she filed against estranged husband Derek Ramsay and his former live-in partner, Angelica Panganiban.

This came about after the couple reached on Oct. 24 a legal settlement of the cases filed with the courts.

“The parties made peace with each other and part of the peace is this one [withdrawal of concubinage complaint],” said Mary Christine’s lawyer, Argee Guevarra.

On Oct. 29 the Makati Prosecutor’s Office approved Mary Christine’s motion to withdraw the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children (VAWC) complaint she filed against Derek.

In return, Derek has agreed to provide financial

Ex-lovers Angelica and Derek: Off the hook support for the couple’s 11year-old son, Austin.

Atty. Guevarra refused to disclose details of the financial support promised by Derek.

“We cannot disclose the details of the agreement,” he said.

“It’s just that both parties are willing to move on. Part of this moving on is to lead separate lives outside marital bonds.”

“Of course, we foresee the filing of annulment cases in the future,” he added.

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PIOLO PASCUAL

HOMESTRETCH By niki yarte

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ORE than a decade since his big break in Mel Chonglo’s Lagarista, Piolo Pascual is still making waves and headlines in Philippine entertainment. His latest film, Starting Over Again with Toni Gonzaga, was a certified box office hit, raking in around P400 million at the box office. Currently he can be seen opposite Nikki Gil and Iza Calzado on prime time soap opera Hawak Kamay. He also just recently signed on to do a romantic Valentine’s Day feature with pop star Sarah Geronimo. His face and persona is still used to launch new products or promote old ones - from vitamin supplements to financial plans – and he still attends to his recurring gig as host and performer on ASAP. However, when his 2013 selfproduced film On the Job opened to critical acclaim but struggled commercially, raking in only P11 million, doubts were raised about his continued credibility to fill theaters. The film was the latest in a string of projects that counted on his bankability but performed less stellarly than expected, including his teamups with Angelica Panganiban (Every Breath U Take), Angel Locsin (Love Me Again), Regine Velazquez (Paano Kita Iibigin), and Bea Alonzo (Dream Boy).

As Piolo’s career enters the homestretch, his son Iñigo follows in his footsteps.

Piolo was ready to call it quits but his star just would not easily fade away.

Last year, the 37-year old actor opened up about feeling “used up”, empathizing with fellow actor John Lloyd Cruz, who had earlier expressed his own intentions for early retirement, citing “being married to the industry” for practically half his life as his primary reasoning. Piolo added that he wanted to commit more time to his US-based son Iñigo who would soon be turning 18 years old. With his ABS-CBN contract also soon to expire, many tabloids, blogs, and fans speculated that Piolo was approaching his final year in showbiz.

As the actor himself revealed earlier this year, Starting Over Again could just as easily have been his last film. During the film’s victory party, an emotional Piolo told a room full of reporters: “I was ready to settle down in the States. I was so at peace knowing that this [film] could be my swan song”.

Indeed, Starting Over Again would’ve capped off an illustrious career that saw Piolo’s star blaze brighter than his contemporaries Diether Ocampo and Marvin Agustin who were already shining when he was just

starting as a bit player in the late 1990s. His stirring performance in 2002’s Dekada ‘70 earned him every possible accolade for that year and remains one of his most memorable to date. His onscreen chemistry with Judy Ann Santos produced one of the most well-received love teams in recent memory, yielding four movies that were among his most successful vehicles: Kahit Isang Saglit (2000), Bakit ‘Di Totohanin (2001), ‘Til There Was You (2003), and Don’t Give Up On Us (2006).

Another critical and commercial success was 2004’s Milan with Claudine Barretto. Behind the scenes, he has an impressive array of films under his producer belt including the independent digital film Manila (2009), the successful Kimy Dora franchise, and, of course, OTJ. His meteoric rise to superstardom, of course, didn’t come without its set of drawbacks.

From hounding questions about his sexuality to his much-publicized relationship and eventual break-up with KC Concepcion and even Iñigo’s supposed disapproval of rumored fling and OTJ co-star Shaina Magdayao, much of his vaulted personal life had been forcibly pried open despite protest from the self-described “private person”.

Piolo admitted that he would be more than happy to leave this part of his life behind.

However, ABS-CBN and even Iñigo had other plans. The network recently extended his contract for another couple of

years, immediately giving him a new show and a movie to busy himself with. “[More than the contract] it was the support of my station and the support of the people around me. Headlining a show [and] a movie [is] a blessing”, he said about the change of heart.

Piolo also shares that this son dissuaded him from retiring and that the younger Pascual still wanted to see his father on TV. Iñigo is currently in the country promoting his first feature film, Relaks, It’s Just Pag-Ibig, which his father also produced. “I don’t want him to be in showbiz but it’s in the blood”, he once said about his son following in his footsteps. “I was hoping that he’ll make a name for himself in the States first, so he won’t have to be in my shadow”.

With a new contract and a son whose career he is certain to look after, it would be a while before we see the last of Piolo Pascual – even as younger actors like Coco Martin, who recently took over two of his most prolific endorsements, and Gerald Anderson, who he personally picked to star with in OTJ, ready themselves to fill the vacuum he would eventually leave. When that time comes, it’s hard to imagine that Piolo wouldn’t be ready or welcoming. Despite being advised against talking about retirement, Piolo openly admits: “I cannot wait for the time that I get my life back. I’m not getting any younger and I still want to take on other things”. n

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Regatta: Truly unique of Zamboanga!

In promoting the culture of our Beautiful South, we feature beautiful Zamboanga as we help rebuild the city

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ONGING FOR a place to experience a month long festivity of faith and culture?

Zamboanga, a port city in the southernmost tip of the Philippines and home to nearly a million people of diverse cultures and traditions, is just an ideal rendezvous, where modern living traces its roots to a Latin heritage.

In the past, Zamboanga was known for its moniker as the country’s “City of Flowers” in reference to the floral plants that used to adorn most of the ancestral homes. But others say the city’s old branding was a figure of speech for the beauteous Zamboangueños—the mestizos and mestizas of old Zamboanga. Either way, however, no longer holds true today, at least for those who believe in the potentials of Ζamboanga City to compete with the rest of the global communities in terms of tourism investment and promotion.

Thus, a new Zamboanga is rising to the challenges of economic integration. This time, Ζamboanga is aptly branded as the “Latin City of Asia” or “Asia’s Latin City,” which lends meaning to the city’s widely spoken language “Chabacano,” a Creole of the Spanish language.

Whatever name you call the city does not matter anyway. One thing for sure, this part Asia takes pride in its abundance of seafood and ecotourism sites like the pristine beaches, waterfalls and caves, which are attracting visitors.

But, what better reason to explore the exotic beauty of Ζamboanga than to experience the thrill and the grace of vintas with their colorful sails, racing against the sea waves off R.T. Lim (Cawa-Cawa) Boulevard. The event is traditionally known as “Regatta de Zamboanga” and is one of the highlights of the annual “Zamboanga Hermosa Festival” that runs throughout the month of October of each year.

The Hermosa Festival is a showcase of songs and dances, of beauty and fashion, of sports and cultural entertain-

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The Zamboanga Regatta is one of the region’s most famous national treasures. ment—all in celebration of the Zamboangueños’ unwavering devotion to their miraculous patron saint, the Our Lady of the Pillar or the Nuestra Señora La Virgen del Pilar.

Conducted under the auspices of the City Tourism Office, the Regatta or vinta racing is open to everybody of any age and origin, able to provide his own small vinta and a sail, which is usually made from pieces of cloth in different but striking colors sewn altogether to make one colorful glide.

The vintas are woodened hulled and of the same size, just enough for a pair of two sailor-

racers on board each vinta. The sail or glide is mounted in the center of the vinta. The vinta then navigates on the wind’s path; hence, the need for a paddle to change direction.

The Badjaos, who belong to the nomadic tribe of sea gypsies in the Zamboanga Peninsula, are no strangers to vinta racing because by tradition it is their way of life. The vinta is a prized possession of every Badjao family. It is something they cannot live without. For them, the vinta is not only a mode of transportation that they travel on from a place to another; most importantly, it is their

home.

Every year, the Badjaos, young and old alike, are the mainstays or regular participants of the Regatta and more often emerges as winners.

Regatta is undeniably unique of Ζamboanga! Nowhere else in the country not even throughout Asia, but only in this part of the world, that vinta racing has become an annual event of such theatrical significance.

Classic or primitive as it would seem, but in essence Regatta a sojourn into the heart and soul of Zamboanga made vibrant by the unity and harmony of its people notwithstanding their differences in faiths, customs and traditions.

Over the years, Regatta de Zamboanga has been a fave attraction for local folk and visitors who would swarm on the boulevard to watch and cheer the participants of the half-day competition, usually on a weekend morning preceding Oct. 12, feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar, every year.

Aside from the excitement that it offers, Regatta de Zamboanga also provides a picturesque stage for photography enthusiasts.

Photographers, pro and amateur alike, would find themselves struggling only to capture the aesthetic beauty and the drama of the racing vintas as seen through the might of their lenses. And, in this generation of netizens, of smartphones and of social media, the Regatta is a perfect backdrop for “selfie” and “groupie” modes.

This year’s Hermosa Festival bannered the theme “Levanta con Fuerza Y Fe: Marcha con Alegria, Devocion Y Unidad” in an apparent move to dramatize ongoing efforts of the city government under the leadership of Mayor Beng Climaco to build back a better Zamboanga, a year after the infamous siege.

Next year’s Regatta is this early already worth looking forward to with much eagerness and thrills. Be there! Ride on the vinta and be part of Zamboanga’s amazing journey to building better, a more progressive and peaceful communities. (Vic Larato)

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Rites of Remembrance

On November 7, the eve of the 1st anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda, the employees of the Leyte Park Hotel in Tacloban City on behalf of all the victims of the super typhoon, release lanterns with prayers that misfortune will take flight and light will show them the path toward the renewal of their lives.

On to Christmas

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After Undas, on to Christmas. Known for having the longest Christmas celebration, the country is slowly but surely moving to Christmas mode as shown in this display of native Christmas lanterns at a street side stall at the Central Market in Manila.

s Mass Grave

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Workers paint wooden crosses in honor of fatalities of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) at a mass grave in Tacloban City. The remains of hundreds of ‘Yolanda’ victims have not been recovered one year after the devastating typhoon hit the country on Nov. 8, 2013.

‘Undas’ Crowd

Thousands of people queue at the gates as they flock to the Manila North Cemetery on All Saints’ Day. It has been a tradition for Filipinos to flock to cemeteries during Undas, short of holding a reunion where the family can be once again with their departed loved ones.

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Flash Flowers Abloom

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A farmer harvests flowers in a farm in La Trinidad, Benguet, in time for Undas, the Pinoy’s joint commemoration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day. La Trinidad is a major producer of cut flowers.

s Beating the Heat

Unmindful of health and safety risks, a girl dives from MacArthur Bridge into the polluted waters of the Pasig River in Manila to cool off from the heat.

Fun and Fitness

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A spirited crowd of 8,232 stretch out during a 30-minute non-stop dance-exercise session at the SM City parking lot in Cebu City, beating the Guinness World Record for the Largest Zumba Class.

s Ride On

If you think you have seen everything on Manila’s streets, look again. This small 50 cc motorcycle – which is ideally suited for one rider only – carries seven (yes, seven!) passengers! On top of that, only the driver is wearing helmet, improperly at that.

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Success for the Philippines in World Travel Mart 2014

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HE WORLD Travel Mart was held from 3-6 November 2014 at the Excel London.

The Philippine booth was represented by The Philippines Department of Tourism (PDOT). It is the primary government agency based in the United Kingdom tasked with generating an increasinglygreater influx of British travellers to the Philippines utilizing its tourism brand, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines”.

The stand was 300 square meters big and was located at the Asia Pacific Pavilion beside other Asian countries like Japan, Indonesia, and Taiwan.

Alongside PDOT were various branches of the Tourism Board from Zamboanga, Camiguin, Siargao, Boracay, Palawan, and Aurora, as well as different Philippine-based travel agencies and resorts. Various officials from local government units were also present in the event. Senator Lito Lapid was said to have graced the event on 5 November.

The Philippine delegation focused on the five themes: business, history/culture, sports/ adventure/eco-tourism, lifestyle/entertainment and music/arts. Special activities were

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also held including a Blogger Expo where visitors get to hear first-hand experiences from the prominent travel connoisseurs themselves who have gone to the country recently.

In addition, the Filipino people were recognizing the efforts and contributions of famed individuals and prestigious organizations that have been instrumental in supporting Typhoon Haiyan victims almost a year ago.

Visitors to the Philippines Pavilion also experienced an 800-year-old fiesta recreated within the Philippine stage with performances by renowned

dance troupe Lahing Kayumanggi as part of the Festival Theme promoted by the exhibition.

Cultural performances by the troupe will highlight the different destinations. Exhibit goers also got to taste Philippine cocktail mixes using our very own Mango Rum, Manille Liqueur de Calamansi and Don Papa Rum. During the said event, Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III, President of the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines talked about the country’s upcoming “Visit the Philippines Year 2015”.

“At the moment the biggest

campaign that we launched for 2015 is the ‘Visit the Philippines Year’. It is going to be a year-long calendar of events, that will hopefully compel foreign visitors as well as our domestic travellers to go around the Philippines and to experience the destinations and in fact participate proactively in the events to be lined up for 2015.”

“And we have big sporting events, we have big cultural festivals, we have music and arts festivals, we even have the Pope. Pope Francis is coming over in January. He is a topnotch visitor for 2015.”

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WHAT’S ON

TRAVEL

I

TA Travel has signed a new agreement that will see it promote the Philippines as a destination for young travellers.

The marketing deal, which was signed with the Philippines Department of Tourism, will see STA promote the Southeast Asian country in the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France and Australia.

As part of the ongoing ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ campaign, four independent filmmakers will travel to the Philippines with the aim of capturing the country’s main visitor pull factors, including volcanoes, national parks, beaches, island hopping and social tourism.

“At STA Travel we are always focused on discovering new and exciting destinations for our travellers and this year we sent a team of product developers out to the Philippines to find out what it had to offer,” said STA’s CEO, John Constable.

“As a consequence, we are now delighted to be working so closely with the Phili p pine Tourism Board to promote such an exciting destination with our brand new ideas and tours. For example, we are supporting an initiative called ‘Gawad Kalinga’ which invests in the regeneration of local resource to build Philippine com-

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The Philippines targets young travellers with STA FULL PAGE AD

munities. The Philippines is one of our must-visit destinations for 2015.”

The Philippines’ Department of Touri s m ’ s chief operating officer, Domingo Ramon C Enerio III, commented that “improvement in infrastructure… [and] numerous valuefor-money options” would make the Philippines a tempting option for young travellers.

“In addition, we have a number of off-the-beaten-track and non-traditional offerings across the islands that are cer-

tainly of interest to this market,” he added.

The move is timely; backpacker bible Lonely Planet recently named the Philippines as one of its ‘Top Countries to Visit’

for 2015.

Under the ‘It’s More Fun in the Philippines’ campaign, the country is aiming to welcome 10 million international visitors by 2016. (Travel Daily Media)

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NOVEMBER 2014

Palawan Named ‘Top Island

W

ITH its worldrenowned underground river, the island of Palawan emerged as the top island destination in a poll by an awardwinning US travel magazine.

Beating 147 other islands throughout the world, Palawan was voted as “Top Island in the World” in the 27th annual Readers’ Choice Awards of Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

The magazine announced the results on its website on October 20 after over 76,600 readers cast their votes.

Palawan was given a rating of 88.750 by the readers owing mostly because of the declaration of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River as one of the new seven natural wonders of the world.

“Palawan’s natural wonder is one of the longest underground rivers in the world, traveling five miles through a subterranean cave system. Guided boat tours take visitors down a portion of the waterway, where karsts, natural rock formations created by dissolving limestone, loom in every direction,” the magazine said.

Boracay Island in Aklan province was also included in the ranking at number 12 and given a rating of 82.683.

“This itty-bitty island (10 square miles) in the Philippines is as close to the tropical idyll ideal as you’ll find in the Philippines, with gentle coastlines and transporting sunsets. Add in a thriving nightlife scene, and you have one of the top

in the World’ Kayaking in the enchanting lagoons in El Nido, Palawan. tourist spots in the region,” the magazine said.

“The aptly named White Beach is Boracay’s main draw, with powdery white sand and shallow azure water ideal for swimming and snorkeling,” it said.

Palawan was able to beat other world-famous islands such as Bora Bora in French Polynesia (25th), Maldives (19th), Bali in Indonesia (17th), Bermuda (14th), Santorini and Cyclades in Greece (7th), and Maui in Hawaii (3rd).

The Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Survey started in 1988. The 2014 survey got 76,659 responses “Individual candidates are judged on a set of criteria relevant to their category, based on a standard five-point scale: excellent, very good, good, fair, and poor,” Conde Nast explained in how they are ranked.

In a related development, the influential travel guide Lonely Planet ranked the Philippines at No. 8 on its list of the Top 10 destinations in the world to visit in 2015.

Puerto Princesa’s Subterranean River is adjudged one of the new seven natural wonders of the world.

The Philippines joins nine other destinations in the annual list, which includes Singapore, Namibia, Lithuania, Nicaragua, Ireland, Republic of Congo, Serbia, St Lucia and Morocco.

“Many would say the time is well overdue for the Philippines to be recognized as the next big travel destination in Southeast Asia,” wrote Joe Bindloss in an article published on the Lonely Planet website.

“With more than 7,100 islands, the Philippines has one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines, fringed by dive-tastic coral reefs, sprinkled with sunbatheready white sand, backed by

LONDON

swaying palm trees and dotted with simple resorts of nipa-palm thatched huts,” he added.

Other factors -- such as the government’s effort to boost tourism; the Filipinos penchant for street parades and food festivals; and the decision of the European Union to lift the travel ban on the country’s premiere flag carrier Philippine Airlines -- all contributed to the win, according to the article.

Bindloss also found a silver lining in the ever-growing traffic problem in the metro. He wrote: “Try clinging to the back of a jeepney speeding through the crowded streets of Metro Manila.”

“Based on US Army jeeps left behind after WWII, these stretched wonders are part public bus and part art installation, adorned with extravagant chrome trim, custom upholstery, hundreds of decals and dozens of superfluous lights.

“Boarding and disembarking from these supercharged vehicles is conducted at breakneck speed, then it’s back into the traffic, horn blaring, music blasting, and on to the next stop,” he added.

Lonely Planet also recently aimed the spotlight at the country’s capital, Manila.

In an article titled “10 Reasons to Visit Manila” published last Oct. 13, the travel guide noted the several positives “despite the crime, pollution, poverty, corruption, overpopulation, and horrendous traffic jams currently associated with the city.”

Trent Holden, the author of the article, listed down some of the must-visit places in the metro, such as the Spanish-influenced centerpiece Intramuros; a number of world-class museums, art galleries, restaurants, and clubs; and a couple of tourist spots that are a “day and overnight” trip away from Manila.

“Sure, it’s not without its faults, but with a booming economy and buzz generated by a hip new wave of restaurants, nightlife and galleries, Manila has renewed vitality and selfconfidence,” Holden wrote. n

NOVEMBER 2014 APRIL 2012

LONDON

EMBASSY NEWS

EMBASSY OUTREACH - NORWICH

IMPLEMENTATION OF TERMINAL FEE INTEGRATION PROGRAM

The Embassy will hold its next Consular Outreach Mission for 2014 in: Date/Time: 15 Nov. 2014 (Saturday), 10:00am to 5:00pm Venue: Clover Hill Village Hall, Humbleyard, Norwich, Norfolk NR5 9BN Contact Person: Ms. Tess Ward 07964048305 Those requiring passport services are requested to fill out the Passport Service Request Form and send to embassy@ philemb.co.uk or fax to 0207 930 9787 from 07–31 October.

For more info please go to http://philembassy-uk.org/

WHAT’S ON 7-16 Nov. 2014

Mocha Girls UK Tour Venue: FM Bar, London (conference 4th November) Essex, London, Cardiff, Bolton, Dublin, Belfast, Birmingham Contact: 07414 442151 07720 263621

13 Dec. 2014

Fil Mo Xmas Party Time: 6pm to 1am Venue: Mazenod Community Centre, Quex Rd, Kilburn NW6 4PS Price: £10 Contact: 07947160826 or 07445975098

20 Dec. 2014

Simbang Gabi at SS Michael & Martin Church Venue: 94 Bath Road, Hounslow, Middx TW3 3EH Contact: TBA

WHAT’S ON

LONDON

LONDON

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Effective 01 November (deferred from 1 October) 2014, the Philippine Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) will be implementing the International Passenger Service Charge Integration Program, i.e., the IPSC – commonly known as the airport terminal fee - shall be incorporated into the cost of airline tickets at point of sale.

The aim of the integration scheme is to address congestion in all Ninoy Aquino International (NAIA) terminals caused by the increasing volume of passengers, through the adoption of measures that reduce processing times.

ll t of a ppor In su events in d o it go un y omm the c

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Miss Pearl of Asia UK Venue: Jude Street, King’s Cross, London, WC1H 9JE Contact: www.MissPearlOfAsia. com// enquiries@ misspearlofasia.com

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Unplugged Acoustic Night Time: doors open 5pm Venue: Bar FM, 184 Uxbridge Road, London Tickets: £7 (adv), £10

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Philippine Centre Dinner and Dance Party Time: 6pm - 12mn Venue: Park Inn Hotel Heathrow Bath Road, Middlesex, UB7 0DU Prices: £45 Adults, £35 Children 10-12 Semi-formal attire Contact: Cynthia 07941335557

The 12 Bands of Christmas (Pinoy Musikero UK) Time: 6pm till late Venue: Bar FM, Shepherd’s Bush, London Prices: £5 Entry Contact: Obi Juan 07878363066

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NOVEMBER 2014

LONDON

By bernard l. supetran

W

HEN we think of the glorious empires of the ancient world—their rise and fall, and how they had helped shape the world as we know it—we must thank—or blame—Hollywood for “educating” us about them.

Cotabato

The ‘Empire Province’ But there is one very littleknown empire with its own illustrious history that Hollywood has not brought to rich, colorful life on the silver screen, one that had existed in what is now the island of Mindanao: Cotabato, the “Empire Province.”

Once the Philippines’s biggest province, Cotabato embraced the south-central region of Mindanao and covered what are now the provinces of (North) Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sarangani, Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat, as well as the cities of General Santos and Cotabato, with the latter designated as the capital.

Created from the vast Moro Province by the American civil government on September 1, 1914, old Cotabato, which stretches from the Moro Gulf to Sarangani Bay, boasts of fertile farm lands, magnificent mountain ranges and lush tropical rainforests.

Despite the geopolitical partitions made through the decades, Cotabato remains as the mother province and the cradle of culture of Region 12, or Soccsksargen, an acronym of the provinces comprising the area.

Even before it officially existed as a province, Cotabato was the domain of the legendary 18th-century Muslim leader Sultan Dipatuan Kudarat. It was during his rule that Mindanao enjoyed its golden age.

Cotabato’s fame substan-

tially rests on the 13 tribes that contribute considerably to the province’s cultural richness. Ten of these—the Teduray, Manobo, Tagabawa, Igorot, B’laan, Matigsalog, Ilianen, Kirintiken, Tinananon and Aromanen tribes—are indigenous, or lumad; another—the Maguindanaoan tribe—is Muslim.

Kalivungan Festival The cultural tapestry these tribes have woven is showcased in the Kalivungan Festival, held annually to mark Cotabato’s foundation day. Kalivungan, which means “gathering” in the Manobo language, is a veritable window to the music, dance, rituals and the way of life of the province’s indigenous, Christian and Muslim peoples.

According to Gov. Emily Taliño-Mendoza of Cotabato, this festival brings to the fore the notion of unity in diversity among the lumads, Christians and Muslims, who have made the province a land of harmony.

She said the month-long festival included homegrown outdoor activities, two of which are the Lumba Anay sa Salba Bida, an 8-kilometer river-tubing challenge at the AlamadaLibungan River, and the Lumba sa Pulangi River, a regatta of dugout canoes.

Another part of the festival was the exotic music that the Maguindanaoans’ kulintang brass percussion ensemble played at the Kapagana Fes-

tival in Pikit town. The climax of the festival, however, is the Streetdance Showdown, held on September 1 at the Cotabato Provincial Capitol complex in Kidapawan City.

During this showdown, groups of dancers from the different municipalities rendered contemporary interpretations of lumad and Muslim dances.

Emerging tourism destination Mendoza said she and other local government officials would soon finish building their provincial museum, which would serve as the repository of Cotabato’s heritage and culture.

Also planned to be built is the Provincial Pavilion. Dubbed “The Basket,” the pavilion would showcase Cotabato as a major fruit basket in Mindanao.

The province is becoming known as an agritourism haven because of its sprawling farms, ecoparks and vast plantations of tropical fruits, such as durian, marang, pomelo and mangosteen.

Medium-scale agro-industries on organic wines, rice, sugar, coffee and palm oil, among others, are also on the rise.

On the tourism front, Cotabato’s anchor attraction is the socalled KMM Ecotourism Triangle, made up of Kidapawan and the towns of Magpet and Makilala, which are the popular gateways to the 10,311-foot Mount Apo National Park. This mountain is the country’s tallest.

Street dancing competition during the Kalivungan Festiva A sought-after access point is the Moncada folk religious community at the New Israel Ecopark in Makilala. The upland village has a 2.3-kilometer, two-line zipline that is reputedly the longest in Asia and treats one to an exhilarating zip through hills and valleys.

Hidden in Alamada’s upland is Asik-Asik Falls, which is, perhaps, Cotabato’s most photographed tourist spot. These boast of rejuvenating, curtainlike icy waters that pour out from rocks on a cliff.

Fort Pikit is a hilltop historical landmark in the town of the same name. Built in 1893, the fort was used extensively during the Spanish and American periods, as well as during World War II. Declared a national historical landmark by the National Historical Commission in 2011, it is undergoing restoration and development.

The province’s rough topography has endowed it with an expansive cave system in the Kulaman watershed in Kabacan municipality, now considered a potential destination for those into spelunking and canyoning.

Mendoza said these positive developments in the agricultural and tourism sectors would help Cotabato relive its old glory as the Empire Province and prepare for the challenges of the changing times. (BusinessMirror) n

NOVEMBER 2014 APRIL 2012

LONDON

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Former domestic worker develops app for OFWs

G

ROWING UP in a fishing village in Bohol where she considered her family the poorest, the creator of a potentially lifesaving application for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWS) never thought she would ever be an app developer.

Myrna Padilla developed the OFW Watch app to help distressed migrant Filipino workers. According to the application’s description, “OFW Watch will alert you, in complete privacy, if an OFW near you is in trouble.”

The description adds, “We will recommend a course of action for you to take, such as contact the local authorities. You will decide in complete privacy and anonymously if you can act. The course of action will NEVER involve financial assistance.”

Padilla says the app “connects you to other Filipinos in the area who share the same language, hometown and even profession.”

OFWs may also report sus-

Myrna Padilla developed the OFW Watch app to help distressed migrant Filipino workers. pected abuse cases and missing From being a domestic worker persons through the applicaand a labor rights advocate in tion.

Hong Kong, Padilla now heads Having grown up poor, Padilla Davao-based FULL PAGE AD Mynd Consulting, said she never expected to bea software company that evencome an app developer. tually developed mobile appliPoverty fueled her desire to cation OFW Watch. become an OFW; that desire “I applied the knowledge that I increased her vulnerability to gained from the Internet for my human trafficking. That vulneradvocacy. We developed OFW ability caused her to become a Watch,” she said. victim of trafficking at 16.

More than an application, OFW In 2006, Padilla went home. Watch aims to uphold volunteerism and unity among OFWs, while enabling an easier way to call for help.

“All they have to do is download the application and register. Once a person becomes a member of OFW Watch, they will automatically be included in the database,” said Padilla.

The app can detect a person’s location, as well as registered OFWs near him. When a problem or an irregularity is noticed, adjacent OFWs may be moved to take action.

The OFWs’ other online accounts – such as Facebook –

T: 0207 5818100

at your doorstep!

Name: Address:

Home phone:

Mobile:

PINES

LONDON

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(Rappler)

JOB RELATED AD

Email: O TO E 2012

may also be synched with OFW Watch, so once a person stops communicating, other OFWs will notice.

According to Padilla, she discovered her hidden passion for computers through her 8-yearold ward in Hong Kong, Jonathan.

“My boss instructed me to follow Jonathan at all times. She told me, ‘Whenever he would open his computer, just watch.

Don’t do anything,’” she shared.

At first, the idea of the job terrified a non-technology savvy Padilla.

“Sabi ko noon, ‘Patay.’ (I said then, ‘I’m doomed.’) I didn’t even have the slightest idea what a computer was,” she said.

But as soon as she watched the 8-year-old use the computer, she was hooked. “I was very amazed. Every time the little black thing was moved, there were changes in the screen,” she shared with a laugh.

“I first learned how to use a mouse, then word applications, then surfing the Net, then emailing.”

As of now, OFW Watch has more than 100,000 members, Padilla said. This was accomplished without advertising.

“Word of mouth lang… And it’s the nature of the Filipinos to volunteer. Kaya mabilis na lumago ang miyembro ng OFW Watch (It’s only by word of mouth....And it’s the nature of Filipinos to volunteer, that’s why the OFW Watch membership grew),” she shared.

The app may be downloaded for free on iOS from the appstore or Google Play.

LONDON

AUGUST 2014

Just for a yearly subscription fee of £ 10, please send this form and your cheque payment to: Philippine Service Corporation Flat 285 Brompton Road, London SW3 2DY email: splashpress@aol.com Start your subscription immediately!

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Live in Housekeeper wanted for home in North London. Usual domestic duties, cleaning ,ironing, shopping etc. Must like animals as two friendly Labradors to be walked each day. No Children. Man in his 60s. Occassional family and friends. Own room, en suite.

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NOVEMBER 2014

LONDON

Why I’m Proud of My Philippine Passport H By kach medina

AVING read a lot of articles lately surrounding the so-called limitations of having a Philippine passport, I’ve seen way too many comments like, “Oh, we only rank number 69 in the world for free entries and can only visit 58 out of 218 countries!”

I think it’s about time someone discussed the advantages of having a Philippine passport from the point of view of a long-term traveler. When I say long-term, I mean that I’ve been traveling for over a year now and plan to travel for three years more!

Sometimes I’m not sure how to answer questions like, ‘Where is your home?’ We move around a lot and make our home in many places. However, whenever people ask me where I’m from, where I was born and where I eventually plan to settle down, I always answer loudly and proudly, “The Philippines!”

If you’re a long-term traveler, regardless of which country you come from, you probably prefer to travel to places that fit your budget and where you can easily pick up freelance/casual work.

When I say freelance, I refer to working for hostels or restaurants in exchange for food, teaching yoga or even teaching English – not as a career but just to replenish your travel funds.

These kind of jobs are ideal in Asia and South America, where we Filipinos are often Visa-Free or Visa-On-Arrival.

In our case, however, we’re long-term travelers and tend to stay in countries longer, so we often have to apply for a visa in the embassy.

With Jonathan (my boyfriend and traveling buddy) having a British passport and me holding a Philippine passport, we have the same requirements, yet my passport often has the advantage of saving us a lot of money on visa fees, like our 6-month multiple-entry visa for India. I only paid $69 while Jonathan had to pay $132. That saving was our budget for 3 days!

Having a Philippine passport has never been a problem for us since we started this trip.

We’re Visa-Free or Visa-On-Arrival in Southeast Asia and now that we’re in South America, I can easily go to Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia with a free visa.

While getting a visa for Argentina, Chile and other some other Central American coun-

tries may not be free, that doesn’t mean that it’s hard.

As Filipinos, we can travel in most of Europe with a 90-day Schengen visa. We can get a sixmonth tourist visa for the UK and up to 10 years tourist visa in the USA, albeit the process may not always be easy.

To be honest, your budget for one year in Asia or South America would probably only last for two months in these countries, which is why you see so many foreigners who prefer to live in the Philippines and other Asian countries. Not to mention that to them, it’s a postcard paradise. Jon has already practically insisted that when the time comes, we settle down in the Philippines!

Although not totally unique, Filipino backpackers are a rare sight in the world of long-term travel, especially in comparison to the hordes of other nationalities. People are usually curious about where I am from, what language we speak, where it is

on the map, what our food is.

Filipinos are known around the world for a number of very positive reasons; friendly and welcoming, helpful, hardworking and a lot of fun are a few things we are renowned for.

The reason so many people know about us is that as a nation, we actually travel quite a lot. Most of these travelers are overseas foreign workers, who are able to work abroad thanks to their own hard work, dedication and commitment.

These OFWs are testament to the number and quality of educated professionals coming out of the Philippines.

Filipinos are undoubtedly some of the most traveled people in Southeast Asia and we have always found a strong, although sometimes small, Filipino community wherever we.

It’s easy to forget how beautiful your own home is sometimes. We always seem to look outwards at the unknown. New and exciting places tempt us with the promise of new experiences, people and stories to tell our friends and future children and of course, that’s all part of what traveling is all about.

Often though, we lose perspective of what we have on our own doorsteps. We have one of the most beautiful places in the world to call home, much of it still largely unspoiled unlike many other Asian destinations.

People from all over the world visit the Philippines for its mountains, lakes, rivers and picture perfect beaches with crystal-clear water. People who have never visited our country hang pictures of it on their wall.

One important lesson that traveling the world has taught us both, is to really appreciate the places we come from.

When you really get to know your own country first and to understand what you already have, you gain a higher level of appreciation for the new places we visit and the people you meet.

Travel, experience, live!

(Rappler.com) n

NOVEMBER 2014 APRIL 2012

LONDON

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NOVEMBER APRIL 2012 2014

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