The Filipino Express Issue 17

VOL. 29 NO. 17 April 24-30, 2015 NATIONAL EDITION NEW JERSEY NEW YORK 201-434-1114 $1.00

Negotiator tells Fil-Ams PH must not waste real chance for peace with Moros

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer (left), chief government negotiator for the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the Philippines, receives the Hillary Rodham Clinton Award for Advancing Women in Peace and Security from former US senator and Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton (center) and Georgetown University President John DeGioia at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, April 22. AFP/Saul Loeb. Screengrab from www.gmanetwork.com

ByCecileCaguinginOchoa

LOSANGELES,California--She'ssoft-spoken,barelyfivefeettallandyet her words are deliberate,precise, just as one would expectfromaskillednegotiatordevotedtofinding a peaceful agreementbetweenthePhilippinegovernmentand the Moro Islamic LiberationFront(MILF).

Professor Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, chair of the Philippinegovernment panel (GPH)metwithmembers of the Filipino Americancommunity and local media here

Friday, April 17 at an open forumfacilitated by Consul General LeoHer re ra L im on t he peace negotiations with the MILF. Herm e s s a g e : T h e p r o p o s e d Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)should not be held hostage to theMamasapanoinvestigations.

The framework agreements i g n e d b y t h e P h i l i p p i n e government and MILF is seen aspaving theway for the creation ofthe Bangsamoro political entity toreplace the “failed” AutonomousRegion in Muslim Mindanao(ARMM).

AccusedofsellingcountrytoMuslims,FerrerundeterredPage6

OICchiefwarnsofradicalizationifpeacedealfailsPage7

Page6

LET THE WAR GAMES BEGIN. US soldiers disembark from a Chinook helicopter during an air assault exercise with their Filipino counterparts in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija province, at the start of the joint US-Philippines annual military exercises. AFP PHOTO

US-PH war drills open amid China buildupByAllanMacatuno,ArmandGalang,CynthiaD.Balana

FORTMAGSAYSAY,NuevaEcija-- Ramon Lacbain II on Monday,April20, joinedsome100regularand reserve members of thePhilippineNavyintraininglecturesconducted by Philippine and USofficers at the start of 10-dayannualwarexercises.

“Inthenextfewdays,wewillbeparticipating in live-fire drills,maritimepatrollingorsurveillanceand inland area defense,” said

Lacbain,vicegovernorofZambalesprovinceandaNavyreservist.

L a c b a i n w i l l s e r v e a s commander of the 13th NavalReserveGroupinCentralLuzon.

What hewill learn during theannual Ba l ikatan exerc ises involving 6,000 US and 5,000Philippinesoldierswill,asofficialsput it, serve to enhance efforts toboostsecurityinaregionsubjectedto “bullying” by China that USPresident Barack Obama scoredrecently in the wake of Beijing'sconstructionofmilitaryfacilitiesin

disputedwatersoffZambales.“Wemakenopretensethatwe

are helping the Philippines as itfieldsaminimumcredibledefense,”US Ambassador Philip Goldbergsaid at the dri l ls ' openingceremony.

“The US is committed to itsalliance… and theUSwill defendthe important principles offreedomofnavigationintheairandthesea,”Goldbergsaid.However,heinsistedthattheexerciseswerenotdirectedatChina.

Page4

Trafficking defense eyed for Filipina on death rowByChristineO.AvendañoandJeromeAning

MANILA -- Vice PresidentJejomar Binay met with his I ndones i an coun te rpa r t on Wednesday,April22,anddeliveredan appeal formercy forMary JaneVeloso,theFilipinofacingexecutionfor drug trafficking in Indonesia,even as two Filipino lawyers whoflew to Jakarta to help Veloso saidnew grounds had been found thatmayjustifythereversalofherdeathsentence.

Lawyer Edre Olalia and a teamfromtheNationalUnionofPeople'sLawyers (NUPL) said an additionalgroundthatshouldbehighlightedina secondappeal for judicial review

was that Veloso was “primarily ahumantraffickingvictiminthefirstplace, and therefore, must beprotected.”

Binay met with Vice PresidentJusufKalla soonafterhearrived inJakartaonWednesday.ThetwoheldtalksintheIndonesiancapitalbeforeBinaywenttoBandungprovincetoattend the April 22 to 24 AsianAfrican Conference, Binay's officesaidinastatement.

According to the statement,BinaygaveKallaacopyofPresidentAquino's letter to IndonesianPresident Joko Widodo, appealingforclemencyforVeloso,aswellasa“humanitarianappeal”fromVeloso'sfamily.Veloso,a30-year-oldmother

Page8

Aquinorenewsservicevowto'bosses'ashisratingsfall

President Benigno Aquino III. MALACANANG PHOTO BUREAU

ByJerryE.Esplanada

MANILA--Malacañanghasreneweditspledgetoserveits“bosses,”thepeople,intheremaining14monthsofPresidentAquino's term in the wake of theadministration's lowest net satisfactionratingsince2010.

“(W)e need to continually ascertainthesentimentsofourbosses,”thePalacesaid,reactingtothefindingsofarecentSocialWeatherStations(SWS)survey.

T h e s u r v e y f o u n d t h e administration's net satisfaction ratingdroppingtoarecord-low“moderate”+19percent,a15-pointdropfromthe“good”+34ratinginDecember2014.

TheAquinoadministrationenjoyedaPage5

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 2 April 24-30, 2015


ByNestorCorrales

MANILA--Sen.GracePoe,whohas closed in on Vice PresidentJejomar Binay as the voters'preferredPresidentin2016,isalsothe leading choice for ViceP r e s i d e n t , r e s u l t s o f a SocialWeather Stations (SWS)surveylastmonthshowed.

Poewaschosenby26percentofthe 1,200 adult respondents whowere asked to name a candidatethey would likely vote for thesecond-highestpostinthecountry.Therespondentswerenotgivenalistofnamesandwereaskedtogiveonlyonename.

ThesurveywasconductedfromMarch20to23.Ithadamarginofe r r o r o f p l u s - o r -m i n u s 3 percentagepointsfornationaldata.

Behind Poe were InteriorSecretary Mar Roxas with 12percentandBinaywith7percent.

All three, togetherwith DavaoCityMayor Rodrigo Duterte, wereamong the leading choices toreplacePresidentAquino in2016,results of the same SWS surveyreleasedlastweekshowed.

B i n ay wa s t h e f a vo r e d presidential candidate of 36percent of the respondents whilePoe was picked by 31 percent.RoxasandDuterteweretiedatthirdplacewith15percent.

Neophytehasadvantage“The public sees Poe as a

newcomer and voters are looking

for a new candidate who can betrusted,” said Earl Parreño, amember of the board of theInstituteforPoliticalandElectoralReforminaphoneinterview.

Beinganeophytecomeswithanadvantage and a disadvantage,Parreño said. The advantage, hesaid,isthatonehasnobadrecordwhilethedisadvantageisthatheorshehaslessexperience.

The results of the surveyshowedPoewasashoo-inforVicePresident and thiswas the reasonseveralpartieswereconvincingherto run in the next elections,accordingtoParreño.

He, however, noted that withmore than a year before theDecision, the ratings could stillchange.

Poe,whoisinthemiddleofherfirst term in the Senate, has notdeclaredherplansfor2016.

Other names that appeared inthe survey of vice presidentialpreference included Sen. FrancisEscudero (6percent), Sen.MiriamDefensor-Santiago(5percent)andDuterte(4percent).

Alsomentionedwith3percenteach were Sen. Ferdinand MarcosJr.,Sen.AlanPeterCayetano,ManilaMayor Joseph Estrada and Sen.AntonioTrillanesIV.

Other names were Sen. LorenLegarda (1.7 percent), formerSenators Panfilo Lacson (1.6percent) and Manny Villar (0.6percent), detained Sen. JinggoyEstrada(0.6percent)andBatangasGov. Vilma Santos-Recto (0.6

percent).Marcos said he was not

supportingPoeyet.A member of the Nacionalista

Party, Marcos said he was takingthis position because he did notknowPoe'splansandwhichpartyshe would align with should sheseekthepresidency.

“ S h o u l d s h e j o i n t h e Nacionalista (Party), then we willhelpher.Ifnot,wewillhelpourowncandidate, not her,” said Marcos,replying to questions raised by

reporters in the City of SanFernando,Pampangaprovince.

Marcos,whoclaimedhehadnoplans to run for President in the2016 elections, said he was notcommitting the Ilocano votes toPoe.

“That's up to her. She has tocampaign[andseektheirsupport],”hesaid.

'Sister'PoeAlocalcolumnistaskedMarcos:

“Areyourunningwithyoursister?”Marcos, perplexed, asked:

“Sister?”Whenthecolumnistreferredto

Poe,whohaslongbeenrumoredtobe the daughter of the latestrongmanFerdinandMarcoswithanactress,thesenatorsaid:“Ihavenoothersisters.Imee(IlocosNorteGov. Imee Marcos) and Irene[Marcos-Araneta] are my onlysisters.”

At the press briefing, anotherreporter tookup the samematter,by asking if the senator and Poehavebloodrelations.

Marcos made light of thesituation, replying that because ofpersistent rumors about theirsupposed kinship, he has beenfondly calling Poe “Sis” and she,addressinghimas“Kuya,”orelderbrother.

Poe,adaughterofthelateactorandNationalArtistFernandoPoeJr.andactressSusanRoces,toppedthesenatorial race in the May 2013elections.Inquirer.net

GracePoetopchoiceforVPinpoll;Roxasafarsecond

Sen. Grace Poe. JOAN BONDOC/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 4

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AccidentalconfrontationShortly before overseeing

the start of the exercises, Gen.GregorioPioCatapangJr.heldaseparate news conference torelease surveillance photosshowingChinesereclamationateight previously submergedreefs in the disputed SpratlyIslands,sayingBeijing'sactionsinc rease the r i sk o f an accidentalconfrontation.

“We have compe l l i ng reasonstoraiseourvoicetotellthe whole world the adversee f f e c t s o f C h i n a ' s aggressivenessthathascreatedtensions not only among thecountrieswhohaveoverlappingclaimsinthearea,”saidthechiefof staffof theArmedForcesofthePhilippines.

On c e c omp l e t ed , t h e artificial islands could betransformed into offshoremilitary bases with airstripsandmaritime patrol hubs thatcould threaten the freedom ofnavigationinthatsectionoftheSouth China Sea,with busy oiland commercial cargo lanes,Catapangsaid.

He sa id some o f t he reclamation projects wereseveral kilometers from aPhilippine-occupied islandand

a reef, raising the possibilitythat Chinese military patrolscould cut off Manila's access,along with that of Filipinofishermen,tothoseareas.

Philippine governmentagencies are meet ing to determine how to respond tothe situation, Catapang said,addingthatthecountrywantsapeaceful resolution based oninternationallaws.

At the weekend, fishermentoldtheInquirerthataChineseCoastGuardvesseldroveawayafleet of eight Filipino boatsfishing in their traditionalgrounds at Panatag Shoal(ScarboroughShoal),wheretheC h i n e s e i n f r a s t r u c t u r e constructionwastakingplace.

Exchangeofknow-howThe joint land training for

Balikatan will be held in FortMagsaysay, a 73-hectare trainingfacilityofthePhilippineArmy.

“This cooperation in termsof training and exercises hasproven to be beneficial to theorganizationandtothecountry,as a whole, as it involves theexchangeofmilitaryknow-howbetween the participatingcountries, and beyond [itsmandate],throughtheconductof peace and developmentinitiatives,” said Maj. Gen.Glorioso Miranda, commanderofthe7thInfantryDivision.

C o l . L aw ren c e M i n a ,

commander of the CombinedA r m y F o r c e s , s a i d i n t e r o p e r a b i l i t y a n d cooperationdefinethespiritofB a l i k a t an ( s hou l de r - t o -shoulder).

The military drills wouldtake place inside the NavalEduca t i on and Tra in ing Command in San Antonio,Zambales,240kmfromPanatagShoal,aterritorybeingdisputedbythePhilippinesandChina.

Subic Bay MetropolitanAuthorityChairRobertoGarciasaid US warships and supplyvessels had been unloadingequipment and provisions intheformerAmericannavalbasesince last week. Some of theequipment have been shippedto war game sites in CentralLuzon.

Philippine military officialssaid the maneuvers, whichinvolve more than 90 aircraftandships,werenotdirectedatChina.Butthevenueofsomeofthewargamesinwatersfacingthedisputedregionandafocusonterritorialdefenseappeartolink the exercises to the long-simmeringconflict.

ProjectionofChinesepowerChinese off ic ials have

defended the land reclamationbysayingitisBeijing'sterritory,adding the facilities were forpublic use and to supportfishermen.

But the Philippine military

hassaidthemassivescaleofthereclamation activities and theemergence of runway-likefacilities raise the possibilitytheycouldbeformilitaryusetoreinforce China's extensiveterritorialclaims.

TheSpratlychainofislands,reefs and atollswheremost ofthe Chinese land reclamationactivities have been detected,has long been contested byChina, the Philippines, Taiwan,Malaysia, Vietnam and Brunei.Aside from possible oil andnatural gas resources, the vastregion also straddles busy sealanes and teems with richfishinggrounds.

ViceAdm.AlexanderLopez,Balikatanexercisedirector,saidthatBalikatanhadtaken“newerand better initiatives” towardbetter exercise administrationandexecution.

“I must say that there wasbetter focus and attention tominute details,” Lopez saiddur ing Ba l ikatan 2015's openingceremoniesheldattheAFP Commissioned Officers'ClubinCampAguinaldo.

Lopez said that about 70members of the AustralianDefenseForcearealsoincludedintheexercise.

Brig. Gen. ChristopherMahoney,USBalikatanassistantexercisedirector,saidthisyear'sBalikatan “will surely be thebestyet”asitmotivatedseveralnations as participants and

observers.

IncreasedtensionsAmong the countries that

sent observers were Brunei,Cambodia, India, Indonesia,J a p a n , L a o s , M a l a y s i a , S ingapore , South Korea , Thailand, Timor Leste andVietnam.

Mahoneyexpessedthehopethat these countries wouldsomedayjointheexercisesandcontributetomakingtheworldsecure,stableandprosperous.

“Weknowfromthepreviousgeneration of exercises thatworking together, security andstability aren't free,” Mahoneysaid.“Wehavetoworkatit,bothare achievable when we worktogethercooperatively.”

“TensionsintheAsia-Pacificregion have increased due toexcess ive and expans ive maritimeandterritorialclaims,aggressivebehaviorthataimstoc h ange t h e s t a t u s quo , undermining the rule of law,threatening the freedom ofnavigation and overflight,”Foreign Undersecretary EvanGarciasaid.

“We look to our ally, theUnited States, to engage theirownnetworkofalliancesintheregionsinhelpingtoupholdtheinternationalorderithasforgedandput intoplacesinceWorldWar II, thereby maintainingregional stability,” Garcia said.Inquirer.net


Aquinorenews...Frompage1

“Very good” +64 net satisfactionratinginSeptember2010,whenitwasratedforthe first time,anda“good”+45scoreinMarchlastyear.

S a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h t h e administrationwas“verygood”in10outof19surveyssince2010.Itscoredgood7timesandmoderatetwice.

I n a s t a t e m e n t , Communica t ions Secre ta ry Herminio Coloma Jr. said theadm in i s t ra t i on wa s “ f u l l y determined to carry on andcompletethepriorityprogramsinall five pillars of the PhilippineDevelopmentPlan.”

Hesaidtheneedto“ensurethatreforms will be sustained bystrengthened public institutionsand tread the righteous path andensure that good governancebecomes the norm at all levels ofgovernment.”

Changingmind-setsColoma, also head of the

Presidential CommunicationsOperationsOffice,maintainedthat“gains from the transformationofmind-sets and institutionswill besustainedandmadepermanent.”

In itsnationwidepollof1,200adults,takenfromMarch20to23,the SWS found that 48 percentw e r e s a t i s f i e d w i t h t h e administration's performancewhile29percentweredissatisfied.

This resulted in a net score(satisfied minus dissatisfied) of+19,down15pointsfrom+34(58percent minus 24 percent) inDecemberlastyear.

The percentage of those whowere nei ther sat is f ied nor dissatisfied increased from 17percent at the end of 2014 to 23percentinMarch.

The survey had a margin oferrorofplusorminus3percentagepoints for national numbers andplusorminus6percentagepointsforMetroManila,therestofLuzon,theVisayasandMindanao.

For the SWS, net satisfactionscores of +70 and above areconsidered“excellent”;+50to+69“very good”; +30 to +49 “good”;+10 to +29 “moderate”; +9 to -9“neutral”;-10to-29,“poor”;-30to-49“bad”;-50to-69“verybad”;and-70andbelow“execrable.”

MirroredfallingratingsThedeclineintheratingofthe

current administration mirrored

thefallinAquino'snetsatisfactionrating,whichwasreleasedearlierthismonth.

Froma“good”+39(63percentsatisf ied minus 24 percent dissatisfied),thePresident'sscorewas down to “moderate” +11 (47percentsatisfiedminus36percentdissatisfied).

Across socioeconomic classes,s a t i s f a c t i o n w i t h t h e administration fell from“good” to“moderate.” InClassABC, itwasa22-pointdropfrom+41to+19.InClassD,itfellby14pointsfrom+32to+18.InClassE,itwasa16-pointdropfrom+40to+24.

Thesurveyalsoshowedthatinthe Visayas, the net satisfactionrating stayed “good,” up 3 pointsfrom+31inthepreviousquarterto+34.

In Metro Manila, the ratingstayed unchanged from +21 inDecember2014.

On the o ther hand , net satisfaction in the rest of Luzonwent down from “good” to“neutral,” falling toasmuchas27pointsfrom+35to+8.

InMindanao,itfellfrom“good”to“moderate,”adropof17pointsfrom+43to+26.

Maguindanaomassacre

Amo n g 2 0 i s s u e s , t h e administration got a “very bad”r a t i n g i n r e s o l v i n g t h e Maguindanao massacre, scoring -50.

Itscored“poor”inensuringthatnofamilywilleverbehungry(-11)andmaking sure oil firms do nottakeadvantageofoilprices(-13).

In five issues, it was rated“good” : Helping v ict ims of disasters, +42; helping the poor,+34; promoting the welfare ofoverseas Filipino workers, +34;protecting the environment, +32;andforeignrelations,+30.

The administration received a“moderate”ratinginthefollowingissues: Preparing for climatechange, +29; defending thecountry's territorial rights, +22;tellingthetruthtothepeople,+15;restoringpeaceinMindanao,+12,andprovidingjobs,+11.

Itgota“neutral”ratinginsevenissues: Fighting crime, +9; rehabilitation of Mindanao areashit by conflict , +7; fightingterrorism,+6;eradicatinggraftandcorruption,+2;reconciliationwithc o m m u n i s t r e b e l s , - 3 ; reconciliationwithMuslimrebels,-3 and fighting inflation, -8.Inquirer.net

Escolta fire guts iconic 65-year-old Savory restoByNathanielR.Melican

MANILA -- A three-hour fire destroyed theiconicSavoryRestaurant,a popular landmark anddining destination onEscoltainManila.

About P25-millionworth of property andequipment were lost inthe blaze that racedthroughtherestaurantatthefootofJonesBridge.

T h e t h r e e - s t o r y building, the pioneerSavory outlet put up in1950, had burned downby the time firefightersannounced the fire wasundercontrolat1:59p.m.

According to ManilaF ire Marshal l Ja imeRamirez, the blaze wasfirst reported to themaround11a.m.Fromthenon,itwasanuphillbattleto save the 65-year-oldstructure and the otherbuildingssurroundingit.

Lessthananhourafteri t w a s r e p o r t e d ,

firefighters raised theTask Force Bravo alarm,which involves sendingadditional fire trucksfromneighboringcitiestohelpputouttheblaze.

“We had difficultyextinguishing the firebecause the thick smokepreventedusfromaimingour hoses in the rightdirection,”Ramirezsaid.

“We also requestedmore trucks to help uscontain the fire andpreventitfromspreadingto the buildings nearby,”headded.

Arson investigatorshave not yet determinedhow the fire started, buth ave f o c u s ed t h e i r investigation on therestaurant'skitchen.

Initial reports citedrestaurantstaffsayingtheb l a z e c o u l d h a v e o r i g i na ted f rom an exhaustfantheyfailedtoturnoff.

“ W e w a n t t o determine exactly where

the f i re came f rombecause theexhaust fanswereplacedatthebaseoft h e c h i m n e y . S o something caught firebeforeitreachedthefansa n d t h e c h i m n e y,” Ramirezsaid.

The Inquirer tried tocontact the managemento f t h e r e s t a u r a n t , officially known as TheOriginalSavory1950, forastatementregardingtheincident,buttherewasnoresponseasofpresstime.

However, in posts onTwitter and Facebook asthe blaze raged, thecompany ra l l i ed i t s c u s t om e r s t o s t a y p o s i t i ve , u s i n g t h e h a s h t a g #PrayForSavoryEscolta.

“Times of trouble aretimesoftrust,”oneupdateread. “Positivity throughadversity. Thank you forallyourprayers,”anotherupdatesaid.Inquirer.net


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Accused of selling country to Muslims, Ferrer undeterredByNikkoDizon

Government chief peacenegotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrersaidthatthefalloutfromthe Mamasapano incidentincluded Islamophobia andmisogyny.

Ferrermadethestatementas she accepted the HillaryRodham Clinton Award forAdvancingWomeninPeaceandSecurity on Wednesday, April2 2 , a t t h e G e o r g e t own University.

“As I speak right now, theceasefireremains inplace.Butthe vision of lasting peace isbeing shut out by the narrowhorizons of certain politicalelites,andbyapublicfedwith

misinformation and driven bypre judices bordering on Islamophobia,”Ferrersaid.

“And misogyny too. If former secretary Hi l lary Rodham Clinton had beencalled a 'funny lady' in thecourse of her drive to findpeacefulsolutionsandcreativecompromises in one area ofconflict, I in turn had beencalled a 'dumbbitch,' a traitorand a weak negotiator whobartered away the country tothe Muslims/Moros,” Ferreradded. But Ferrer emphasizedshewouldnotbedeterredbyallthe criticisms, as harsh andpersonalastheycouldcome.

“We have gone this far inour peace process. There

should be no turning back,”Ferrersaid.

Ferrer shared this year'sClinton Award with Staffan diMistura,UnitedNationsspecialenvoytaskedtoseekapeacefulresolution to the conflict inSyria.Ferrerwaschosenfortheaward for her “indefatigableworktobringaboutpeaceinthePhilippines” her “historic roleas the first female chiefn e g o t i a t o r t o s i g n a c o m p r e h e n s i v e p e a c e agreement,” said AmbassadorMelanneVerveer.

Ve rvee r i s exe cu t ive director of the GeorgetownInstituteforWomen,PeaceandSecurity said in her letter toFerrerinFebruary.Inquirer.net

President Aquino and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (center) applaud in this file photo as peace panel chairs Miriam Coronel-Ferrer of the Philippine government and Mohagher Iqbal of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front exchange copies of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro that they signed on March 27, 2014, in Malacañang. LYN RILLON

NegotiatortellsFil-Ams...Frompage1

“It will be unfortunate if thisopportunity (the peace process) willslipawayagain,”Ferrercautions,asshenotedthatsofarthreemonthsworthofimportant work on the ground hasbeen replaced by time spent inlegislative hearings. The hearings ontheBBLresumedMonday,April20att h e P h i l i p p i n e s ' H o u s e o f Representatives.

Formany in the functionroomofthePhilippineConsulateGeneral,thiswas their first meeting with thenegotiator.MiriamCoronel-Ferrerwasappointed in December 2012 byPresidentBenignoAquinoIIIaschairof the Government Peace Panel (forpeace talks with the MILF, replacingMarvicLeonenwhowasappointedtotheSupremeCourt.

Her a cademic background buttresses her acquired skills andtraining in diplomacy; she graduatedcum laude from theUniversityof thePhilippines (UP) in Diliman with adegreeinphilosophyin1981.Shehasamaster's degree in Southeast AsianStudiesfromtheUniversityofKentatCanterbury and teaches politicalscienceattheU.P.SheearnedaNobelPeacePrizenominationin2005forherinitiativesagainstlandminesandfact-findingmissions investigatinghumanrightsabusesinCambodiaandNepal.

Iye,hernickname,wasaproductofthe Philippines' National DemocraticFront (NDF), in a movement thatstarted in the '60s, which advocatedarmed revolution to change thepolitical and economic system of thePhilippines.Asastudentactivistinhertwentiesatthenation'sradicalhotbed,UP, she admitted to believing incommunistidealsthen,smiling,“Whowouldn'tatthattime?”

In 2000 she changed he r perspective and adopted “peacefulmeans” in basically changing society.ThiswasatthetimesheservedasthedirectoroftheUPThirdWorldStudiesCenter and was a convener of theProgram for Peace, DemocratizationandHumanRightsoftheUPCenterforIntegrativeandDevelopmentStudies,until2005.

InMarch2014,Coronel-Ferrerandthegovernmentpanel that sheheadsn e g o t i a t e d a n d s i g n e d t h e Comprehensive Agreement on theBangsamoro (CAB) with the MoroIslamicLiberationFront.TheOfficeofthe President on the Peace Process(OPAPP)takespridethatsheisthefirstwomanintheworldtohavesignedamajor peace agreement as chiefnegotiator.

I n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h

INQUIRER.net, she lamented that theMamasapanoincidentinMaguindanaolastJanuarycausedthe“ceasefiretobebroken.” But as she has expressedbefore, “thepeacenegotiations isnotforthefaint-hearted.”

In an earlier press statement shesaid: “Aswehave saidmany times inthepast,thispartnershipbetweentheGPH(Philippinegovernment)andtheMILFisalsonotfortheimpatientandthe impetuous who, in the face ofdifficulty, immediately throw in thetowel.

Coronel-Ferrer said one of theb iggest impacts o f the peace negotiationssheheads is that “itwillstopthewarbetweengovernmentandMILF, although it will not stop allcircumstancesrelatedtothedecades-old conflict such as atrocities andarmed group clashes by certainpoliticians.” She expects that 30,000armedmen to goback tonormal lifeandbepartofsociety.

Shesaidthatwhilethepeacetalkswere mostly held in Malaysia, issuesregarding both countries' claim onSabahwerenotpartoftheagenda.

There were six women in theBangsamoro Peace Process includingFerrer: Secretary Teresita QuintosDeles,presidentialadviserfrom2003;Yasmin Busran-Lao, director IonaJalijali; Undersecetary of NationalSecurityCouncilZenaidaF.Brasas;andAttorneyAnnaTarhataBasman.

Coronel-Ferrerobservedthatanti-Mus l im sent iments i s deep ly embedded in Philippine culture.“Vicious ang pagtingin ng ilangkababayan natin sa Muslim,” sheadmitted.There'sdistrust,probablyonboth sides. “I was even accused ofhavinganaffairwithaMalaysianandIreceivedsexual insultsontwitter.Forthe first time, someone twitted andcalled me a 'dumb bitch,' after theMamasapanoincident.”

“The biggest opportunity is theopportunitytoreformtheinstitutionsthat are now in place and that is, toinstitute an autonomous governmentthat will be stronger and morefunctional,”Coronel-Ferrerexplained.

Shefurtherexplainedthatpartofthegoalis“todelivergoodgovernancethatwillmakepeoplefeelthattherighttoself-determinationisarightthatcanbepracticedthroughcoexistence.Andthattheyarealsomadeupofdifferentgroups, different ethnicities, differentpoliticalgroups,menandwomen,andtraditional leaders along withupcomingleaders”thatemergedfromtheMororevolutionarymovement.

Hopefully, she said, a channel forpeaceful competition for politicalpowerintheregioncouldemerge,inafuture where there would be “lesspolitical violence, fewer guns in thestreets.”Inquirer.net

Senators differ on BBL, MILF issuesByChristineO.Avendaño

MANILA -- Would thecontinued refusal of thecountry's biggest rebel groupto surrender its fightersinvolved in the Jan . 25 Mamasapano massacre affectthe proposed BangsamoroBasic Law (BBL) that ispendinginCongress?

Tw o s e n a t o r s g a v e opposingviewswhenaskedtocommentontheMoroIslamicLiberation Front's (MILF)declaration that it would not

giveupitsmenwhomayhavev i o l a t e d t h e c e a s e f i r e a g r e e m e n t w i t h t h e governmentaftertakingpartinthe killing of 44 PhilippineNational Police Special ActionForce (SAF) commandos inMamasapano,Maguindanao.

M I L F c h i e f p e a c e negotiatorMohagherIqbalhassaidtheMILFwouldbetheoneto impose disciplinary actionon its members involved inv io la t ions o f the peace a g r e e m e n t w i t h t h e government.

“Itisuptothegovernmentto enforce the law,” SenatePresidentFranklinDrilonsaid,even as the Department ofJustice (DOJ) recommendedthe prosecution of 90 Mororebels,includingMILFfighters,whotookpartinthemassacreoftheelitepoliceforce.

A s i d e f r o m t h e 4 4 commandos, 17MILF fightersandthreecivilianswerekilledintheencounterthatendedtheSAF operation to captureinternational terrorist Zulkifli

Consul General Leo Herrera Lim introducing Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, chief government peace negotiator at a forum in Los Angeles. Photo by Dante Ochoa

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SenatorsdifferonBBL...Frompage6

binHir,alias“Marwan,”andhisFilipinolieutenant,BasitUsman.

Inaradiointerview,Drilonsaidtherefusalby theMILFshouldnotaffecttheBBLas“thepassageoftheBBLandthe enforcement of the law aredifferent.”

AnaddedissueBut Sen . Francis Escudero

disagreed, saying on the same radioprogramthatitwasanaddedissuetothedeliberationsontheBBL.

Escudero said the MILF had noimmunity from prosecution for theMamasapano clash, which is why itcannotinvokethepeaceagreementtoescaperesponsibilityforitsactions.

“Amnesty is givenafter thepeaceagreement is signed and not before,”Escuderosaid.

Hesaidhewouldliketoknowtheposi t ion of the Of f ice of the Presidential Adviser on the PeaceProcess (Opapp) on the DOJ recommendationthatchargesbefiledagainsttheMILF.

He said he would like to see theOpapp side with the government onthisissue.

Lastweek,ajointDOJandNationalBureau of Investigation panel recommended the prosecution of 90rebels from the MILF and theBangsamoroIslamicFreedomFightersfor theslaughterof35of the44SAFcommandos from the 55th SpecialActionCompanywhichwasinvolvedinthe daylong gun battle in Barangay(village) Tukanalipao, Mamasapano.Inquirer.net

OIC chief warns of radicalization if peace deal failsByChristineO.Avendaño

MANILA -- The visiting topofficial of the Organization ofIslamic Cooperation (OIC) onMonday, April 20, warned thatthe failure of the Philippines tosettle the peace problem inMindanao could open the doorfor radical groups to createtroublethere.

Still, OIC Secretary GeneralIyadAmeenMadanisaidhewas“optimistic” that the proposedBangsamoro Basic Law (BBL),w h i c h w o u l d s e a l t h e government's peace deal withthe Moro Islamic LiberationFront (MILF), will be passed inCongress.

“Ithinkwearereachingthatpointwhereeverybodywantstosit down and everybody wantspeace,”Madanitoldreporters.

Madani,whohasbeeninthecountrysincelatelastweek,metseparately on Monday withPresident Aquino , Senate President Franklin Drilon andSpeakerFelicianoBelmonteJr.

“Wecameoutofthemeetingwith the President optimisticthat(theBBL)wouldpassunderhis watch,” Madani told Palacereporters, adding that Aquino'scommitment to the peaceprocesswasapparentandmanyappreciate the President'sefforts.

HeexpressedhopesthattheBBLwouldbeapproved“soonerrather than later” and warnedthat “if it is diluted” it would

render the ComprehensiveAgreement on the Bangsamoro“anemptyshell.”

Madani doused concernsthataBangsamoroautonomousregionwouldultimatelyleadtoaseparatestate,sayingsuchfearswere“unrealistic.”

Also present at the Senatemeeting with Drilon were Sen.Ferdinand “Bongbong” MarcosJr., chair of the Senate localgovernment committee tacklingt h e p r o p o s e d B B L , a n d Presidential Peace AdviserTeresitaDeles.

Drilon said Madani's visit

shouldnotbeviewedasabidoftheOICtopressurelawmakerstopasstheBBL.ThemeasurefaceddifficultiesinCongressfollowingoutragesparkedbythedeathsof44 elite police troopers inMamasapano, Maguindanaoprovince, on Jan. 25while on amission to take out high-valueterrorists in MILF-controlledterritory.

I n t h e i r j o i n t n e w s conferenceaftertheiroverhalf-hourmeeting,DrilonandMadanidescribed the Mamasapanoslaughteras“unfortunate.”Theysaidtheepisodeshouldnotaffect

thepassageoftheBBL.“We all agree that it should

notdistractus,”Madanisaid.Madani said that during his

visithelikewisemetwithleadersof the MILF and the MoroNational Liberation Front. HesaidthatmostoftheMorogroupswere committed to achievingpeace.

He was asked what hethoughtwouldhappeniftheBBLwasnotpassed.

“Ithinkifwedon'tsettlethati s sue… we w i l l l o se the opportunity that is so near usnow,”Madanisaid.“Icanonlysaythatitwillcreatefrustration,thatit will create tension, createdisappointment and anytime,anywhereyouhaveconditionsofthisnature,youopenthedoorforsomeelementstoradicalize.Yougive these radicalized elementsammunition.”

He said a successful peaceprocess in Mindanao would“minimize and eliminate theprospectofradicalization.”

Drilon later told reportersthattheOIC'ssupportwould“goa long way in encouraging allquarters in the country tosupporttheBBL.”

“The stability of MindanaoandachievingpeaceinMindanaois a signal and it's a foundationuponwhichinvestmentswillbecomingandaddressthepovertyinmanypartsofMindanaobothfromtheOICandthoseoutsideoft h e O I C , ” D r i l o n s a i d . Inquirer.net

OIC VISITOR. President Aquino welcomes Organization of Islamic Cooperation Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani in Malacañang. MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

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'Larry Itliong Day' bill passes California State AssemblyByChristinaOriel

LOS ANGELES -- A bill requiringCalifornia to annually observe “LarryItliong Day” unanimously passed theStateAssemblyonThursday,April9.

UnderAB7,authoredbyAssemblymemberRobBonta(Dem-Oakland)-thefirst Filipino-American elected to thestate'sAssembly-October25,Itliong'sbirthday,willbe thedesignatedday tocommemorate the Filipino Americanfarmlabororganizer.

“The a c comp l i shmen t s and contributionsofLarryItliongshouldbeproperly memorialized within thehistoryandcultureoftheUnitedStatesof America. Larry Itliong deservesproper recognition for his numeroussacrificesinthenameofjusticeandthesuppression of several inadequateworkingconditions,”thebillstated.

The bill also encourages publicschoolstoteachaboutItliong'slifeandcontributionstoCalifornia.

“On Larry Itliong Day, all publicschoolsandeducationalinstitutionsareencouraged to conduct exercisesremembering the life of Larry Itliong,recognizing his accomplishments, andf am i l i a r i z i ng pup i l s w i t h t h e contributions he made to this state,”readsAB7.

ImmigrantfromPangasinanItliong,originallyfromSanNicolas,

Pangasinan, emigrated to the UnitedStates in 1929 at the age of 15, andworked as a migrant farm worker inMontana, South Dakota, WashingtonandCalifornia,wherehesawtheplightof other labor workers, especiallyFilipinos.

As a leader of the AgriculturalWorkers Organizing Committee (AWOC), Itliong is remembered forsparking the California farm labormovementin1965,organizinganeight-day strike with 1,500 Filipino grapeworkers in Delano. The boycott calledforincreasedwagesandbetterworkingconditionsforthefarmworkers.

“LarryItliongwasoneofthegreatestlabor organizers and leaders inCalifornia history,” Bonta said in astatement.“HewasaheronotonlytotheFilipinoAmericancommunity,buttoallCaliforniansandAmericanswhofoughtandcontinuetofightforsocioeconomicandracialjusticeinourstateandnation.AB7properlyhonorshislife'sworkand

l egacy o f f i gh t ing for jus t i ce , opportunity,andequity.”

ItliongeventuallyjoinedforceswiththeNationalFarmWorkersAssociationledbyCesarChaveztostarttheUnitedFarm Workers of America. However,Itliong's contributions have not beenetched into the country's history,] aslargelyasChavez's.

“Whilethefarmlabormovementisoften seen predominantly as a Latinomovement,itencompassedmuchmorethan just one ethnic group. FilipinoAmericanandLatinolaborleadersbuiltabeautifulcollaborativerelationshiptocreate the farm worker movement inCalifornia, and Larry Itliong played acrit ical leadership role in that movement,”Bontasaid.

RecognitionincreasingIn2010,theCityofCarsonbecame

the first in theUnitedStates to issueaproclamation to dedicate a day toItliong; Los Angeles County shortlyfollowedwitharesolution.

Three years later in 2013, CarsonCity Council passed a resolution tocelebrate Larry Itliong Day everyOctober25,andother recognitions forthelaborleaderfollowed.

The same year, Governor JerryBrown signed AB 123 into law - alsoauthored by Bonta - requiring statecurriculum to include the untoldcontributions of Filipino-Americans,likeItliongandPhilipVeraCruz,tothefarmlabormovementinCalifornia.

Alvarado Middle School in UnionCity was renamed Itliong-Vera CruzMiddleSchool,becomingthefirstschoolin the country to be named afterFilipino-Americans. And in HistoricFilipinotown, the Pilipino Workers'Center and the Little Tokyo ServiceCenteropenedtheLarryItliongVillage,a housing development that providescommunity spaces and 44 units ofaffordablehousing.

The participation of Filipino-AmericansinthefarmlabormovementhasapersonalconnectionforBonta,ashisparentsorganized farmworkers inKern County. Sharing these storiesremainsoneofhisadvocacieswhile inoffice.

“ I 'm g ra t e f u l t o h ave t h i s opportunity to recognize [Itliong's]contributions to California,” he said.Inquirer.net

Late farm workers' leaders Cesar Chavez and Larry Itliong, right.

Traffickingdefense...Frompage1

of two,wasconvictedofdrugtrafficking in 2010 and wassentenced to die by firingsquad.ShelostherfirstappealinajudicialreviewofhercaseandtheDepartmentofForeignAffairs(DFA)consideredfilingasecondappeal.

B i n a y i s h o p i n g t o personallymeetwithWidodowhile he is in Indonesiaattending the conference thatWidodowillbehosting.

He said he wanted toappeal to Widodo who alsorecently appealed to theKingofSaudiArabianottoexecutean Indonesian domestic worker.

“ I a m c e r t a i n H i s Excellency understands whyweingovernmentaredoingallwe can to save the life of ourk a b a b a y a n . I t i s t h e responsibilityofgovernmentsto come to the aid of theircountrymen, especially thosein difficult circumstances,” hesaid.

NewpleadingOlalia and another NUPL

lawyer,MinnieLopez,havemetwith Veloso's Indonesianlawyers and are helpingprepareanewpleading tobepresented to the IndonesianSupreme Court, citing newgrounds that could justify therecallofhersentence.

“ In accordance wi th internationalandparallellocal

l aws , she mus t no t be penalizedforanyallegedcrimewhich was integral and inconnectionwithsuchahumantrafficking scheme, and mustinsteadberepatriatedbacktothePhilippines,”OlaliasaidinastatementfromJakarta.

O l a l i a f l e w t o t h e IndonesiancapitalonMondaywithVeloso'sfather,CesarandLopez.

Olalia said the Filipino-Indonesian teamwas waitingfor thePhilippineEmbassy togivethemacopyofanaffidavitthatwouldbeusedas “newlydiscovered evidence” to bolstertheirappeal.

“The newly discoveredevidence is the affidavit ofMary Jane that the PhilippineDrug Enforcement Agencytook when they came toIndonesia onMarch 29 [and]documented her being avictimofhumantrafficking,”he

said. The affidavit will betranslated by the PhilippineEmbassyintoBahasa.

O l a l i a s a i d Ve l o so ' s Indonesianlawyerswere“veryreceptive” to the humantrafficking-drug traffickingconnection.

Olalia explained that theIndonesian Supreme Courtaction on the second judicialreviewcouldcomeasearlyasonedayafterfilingoraslateassixmonths, “theoretically butalsobasedonprecedents.”

The National LawyersGuild (NLG) of the UnitedStateshascalledonIndonesiato remove Veloso from deathrow,andgrantherrightstodueprocess, a proper trial andhumanetreatment.

“Bringherhome,”saidNLGpresidentAzadehShahshahaniinanApril21lettertoWidodo.Inquirer.net

Supporters display placards outside the Indonesian Embassy at the financial district of Makati city, east of Manila, Philippines during a picket Wednesday, April 8, 2015 to ask for clemency for convicted drug trafficker Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso. AP FILE PHOTO

Page 9

[email protected]

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSApril 24-30, 2015

Elderly Fil-Ams top in household incomes - studyByHarveyI.Barkin

SAN JOSE, California --Filipino Americans aged 50andoverinSanFrancisco,LosAngeles andNewYork areashave 90 percent healthi n s u r a n c e c o v e r a g e , according to a three-partAARP study released earlythisyearonAsianAmericansandPacificIslanders.

Fil-AmsaresecondonlytoJapanese Americans (96percent) and rate more inhealthcare coverage thanChinese Americans (86p e r c e n t ) , V i e t n ame s e Americans (84 percent),Asian Indian Americans (84p e r c e n t ) a n d K o r e a n Americans(75percent).

The study is significantbecause “Asian-Americansand Pacific Islanders are thefastestgrowingracialgroupintheU.S.,”AARPVicePresidentofMulticulturalMarkets andEngagement, Daphne Kwok,said “And yet, the (AAPI)c o m m u n i t i e s a r e u n d e r s t u d i e d a n d underserved.”

T h e p r o b l e m w i t h a s se s s ing AAP I hea l th insurance coverage is thatAAPIs can't be benchmarkedas one monolithic group aswith other Americans. Thes t udy l i s t e d l a n gu a g e barriers,costs(becausemanyAAPIs are self-employed orruntheirownsmallbusiness),age (some immigrant AAPIsaged 65 and over a re ineligible for Medicare) andpovertyasobstaclestohealthinsurancecoverage.

HighcostofinsuranceThestudynotedthatmost

Chinese Americans andFilipino Americans acquiredthe i r hea l th insurance coverage through their employer and employeeunions, still the primaryvehiclesforcoverage.

Becauseofthehighcostofcoverage, the study said, 20

percentofAAPIsaged50-64areuninsured,comparedwith15 percent of the same agegroup in the general U.S.population.AndsixpercentofAAPIs aged 65 and over areuninsured, against one percent of the same in thegeneralU.S. population.Only33percentofAAPIsaged65and over have pr iva te insurancewhile52percentofthe same in the general U.S.populationhaveit.

Thestudynotedthatwhilemany AAPIs can't affordhealth insurance coverage,AAPIs aged 50 and overactuallyhavehigherspendingpowerthanmostothersinthesame age group in the U.S.generalpopulation.

Thereportattributedthisto most AAPI householdsbeing generally larger andmult i -generational . Thereport listed AAPI 50 yearsandoverhouseholdspendingat$60,466asagainstAfrican-American (at $35,013) andLatino(at$38,693).

It also revealed that 76percentofAAPIs50yearsandolder owned their homes,compared with 63 percentamngAfricanAmericansand62percentamongLatinos.

InhouseholdincomesforAAPIs 65 years and over,Filipinosareontopofthelistat $53,831, followed by theJapanese ($43,824), Tongans( (42 ,328) , Indones ians ($38,214)andthegeneralU.S.population($33,906).

Yet,ofAAPIsaged65andover who are below thepoverty level, Filipinos atsevenpercentare justbelowthegeneralU.S.populationat9.5 percent, but above theJapaneseat6.2percent.

M o r e o b s t a c l e sThe study also said lack offamiliaritywiththeU.S.healthcaresystem,isolationandlackof transportation compoundthe difficulties, especiallyamongmiddle-agedandolderAAPIs.

Acculturation was alsopointedoutasafactor.ManyAAPIs 50 and older whoimmigrated to the U.S. mayhave re ta ined or ig ina l cultural values and do nothaveEnglishproficiency.Itisestimated that two-thirds ofAAPIsareimmigrants.

The study pointed out:“Asian Indians may preferhome treatments. ChineseAmericansmaypracticemoretraditional Chinese medicinelike acupuncture. FilipinoAmericansmaybelieveintherelationship between goodhealthandthebalanceofhotand cold. Korean Americanshave the concept of 'hanyak'while Southeast Asians maysubscribe to traditionalBuddhisthealthpractices.”

The study revealed thatamong Filipino Americans,themostcommonlyreportedhealth problems are: cancer,cardiovascular d isease , d iabetes , hypertension , stroke,andasthma.

AAPIsprovidebestelderlycare

TheAARPstudyalsosaidthat54percentofAAPIs aremost likely to talk about thecaregiving of their elders todoctors or health providers,against 36 percent of thegeneralU.S.population.Fifty-one p e rc en t o f AAP I s contributefinanciallytotheirelders' caregiving as against27percentofthegeneralU.S.population.

Thestudyalsopointedoutthat “AAPI families areresistanttoplacetheireldersin institutional facilities. Intheir traditional culture,AsianIndiansevengofurtherbyresistinghomevisitsfromhealthcareprovidersbecausethey would rather seek helpfrom family and friends.Traditional Pacific Islandersshow preference to beingcared for by family duringillnessratherthangoingtoadoctor.” Page12

Calif. Senate bill to give health coverageto undocumented passes committeeByRosePaquette

SAN MATEO, California -- Alandmark bill to extend subsidizedhealth care to some 1.25 millionundocumented immigrants in California - more than one third ofwhomareAsiansandPacificIslanders,passed the California Senate's HealthCommitteeonApril15.

Senate Bill 4, also known as the2015HealthforAllAct,sponsoredbySen.RicardoLara(Dem-BellGardens)passed7-0,accordingtoreportsbytheOrangeCountyRegister.

Capital Public Radio's KXJZ Newss a i d t he b i l l was suppor ted unanimously by the committee'sDemocratic members, Republicanmembers of the same committee,however,abstainedfromthevote.

ThebillisnowupforfundingbytheSenate Appropriations Committee.The measure is part of a 10-billlegislativepackagethataimstoexpandhealth coverage, among otherprotect ions , to undocumentedimmigrants.

Among the details of the bill thatwould benefit the undocumentedimmigrantsincludeMedi-Calcoverageand subsidized health coveragethrough a newly created insuranceexchange. Medi-Cal is California'sMedicaidprogram.

If that request is denied, SB 4directsthestatetoestablishamirrorexchange to provide equivalentcoverage options to undocumentedindividuals.

FundingissueLawmakersfailedtofindfundingto

coveratleast$1.3billionannualcost,thereasonSB4stalledinalegislativecommittee last session, reports said.Thelegislativepackage,likewise,doesnot include budget plans for thecoverageexpansion.

Last year, Larawasworkingwithofficials in Washington, D.C. on afederal waiver to expand Medi-Calcoveragetoimmigrantsandonwaystolimitthecostofexpansion,whichthesenatorclaimsisdownto$400million.

AndonApril7,Laraannouncedtheexpansiontohealthcarecoverageforal l Cal i fornians, regardless of immigration status. He directed theDepartment of Health and Humanservices to seek a waiver from theFedera l government to a l lowundocumentedimmigrantstheabilitytobuyhealthinsurancefromthestate's

health care exchange, coveredCalifornia.

Modelfornation“Nooneshouldsufferanddiefrom

aneasilytreatablecondition,nomatterwheretheywereborn.WiththeHealthfor All, we'll help California familiesthrive -andsetapowerfulmodel forthenationtofollow.Ourstate'shealthand economy stand to benefit,” Larasaid.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA)specifically excluded undocumentedimmigrants from insurance coverageprovided through the health careexchange(CoveredCalifornia).

“Byensuringeveryonehasaccessto health care, we can improve thehealthof our entire community, limittheovercrowdingofemergencyroomsand reduce the costsofhealthcare inCalifornia,”accordingtoLara.

Meanwhile, State Senator JanetNguyen (GOP -Ga rden G rove ) reportedly said, “I'm open to thediscussionofaccesstohealthcareforall, because I'm a firm believer inpreventivehealthcare.”

Nguyen, however, raised herconcernairedbyKXJZ,“Ithinkthestateneedstobeabletopayforitandtakecareofthecurrentenrolleeswhilewelook at ways to bring in moreenrollees.”

Immigrant rights groups laudedthe Lara bill. “It is the first step tomakingsurethateveryCalifornianhasequitable access to health care,”Doreena Wong, spokesman of theHealth Access Project at Asian

Page13

California State Sen. Ricardo Lara, Health for All Bill sponsor.

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Lito A. Gajilan, Jr.

Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,Juan L. Mercado, Joseph G. Lariosa

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the publisher.

Email: [email protected]: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880

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April 24-30, 2015

EU's moral obligationThisshouldn'tbehappening-notinthe21stcentury,and

certainlynotinEurope.Whenyouhearorreadnewsthatasmanyas900peopledied

when their boat sank as they fled war and hunger in theirhomeland, you think of the Vietnamese “boat people” of the1970s and 1980s - the huddled masses of refugees whocrammedricketyboatsandenduredthehardshipofweeksatseatoattemptabetterlifeinanothercountry.From1975to1995,asmanyastwomillionpeoplefledthestrifeinVietnambyvariousmeans; about 800,000 of them escaped by sea, leading to aninternationalhumanitariancrisisascountriesinSoutheastAsia-Thailand,Malaysia,Indonesia,SingaporeandthePhilippines-werefacedwithwavesofhungryanddesperaterefugees.ThePhilippines, despite its limited resources, cared for theVietnamesedispossessed that had endedupon its shores byestablishingthePhilippineRefugeeProcessingCenterin1980ontheBataanPeninsula,whichwouldeventuallyhousesome18,000Indochineserefugees.

While the “boat people” phenomenon has eased up inSoutheastAsia,ithasreappeared,shockingly,onthedoorstepofprogressive, wealthy and cosmopolitan Europe. For the pastmonths andweeks, hundreds of refugees andmigrants haveperishedonperilousjourneysacrosstheMediterraneanSeaasthey tried to escape the turmoil and poverty in their nativecountries forwhat they imagined to bemore secure lives onEuropeansoil.ThelatesttragedyoccurredofftheItalianislandof Lampedusa last Sunday, when a boat crammed withpassengersfromAlgeria,Somalia,Senegal,Niger,Mali,Zambia,Ghana,EgyptandevenBangladeshcapsized.Some700people,mostthempackedintheboat'slowerlevels,arebelievedtohavedrownedastheboatsank.Accordingtosurvivors'accounts,thesmugglerswhohadmadeakillingfromgettingrefugeesaboardforheftyfeeshadlockedthedoors,trappingthepeopleinsidetotheirdoom.It's“genocide-nothinglessthangenocide,really,”saidPrimeMinisterJosephMuscatofMalta,inhisdenunciationofthehumantraffickers.

But Loris de Filippi, president of the internationalnonpartisanmedicalorganizationDoctorsWithoutBorders,hadharsher words for leaders of the European Union, who hebelievesareengaged inhalf-hearted,ditheringeffortsdespitesome 10,000 migrants, mostly from Africa, heading to thecontinentjustlastweekandthousandsmoreatriskofdyingontreacherous voyages across the sea. Up to 5 percent of therefugeeswho attempt to sail across theMediterranean don'tmakeit,accordingtotheUnitedNationsHighCommissionerforRefugees.

Ineffect,“amassgraveisbeingcreatedintheMediterraneanSeaandEuropeanpoliciesareresponsible,”saidDeFilippi.

Indeed,theresponsesofarbyEuropeannationshavebeenmarked by a general unwillingness to assume full-scaleresponsibility for the humanitarian crisis swamping theirborders.ItalyhasbornethebruntoftheforcedmigrationasthesouthernmostislandofLampedusahasbecomethepitstopformanyrefugeesfromAfrica,thelatestofthemdisplacedbythefighting in Libya and Syria. Italian Defense Minister RobertaPinottihascomplainedthattheburdenshouldn'tbeItaly'saloneand must be shared by all of Europe. That call for a morecoordinated,unifiedresponse to thecrisishasbeenmetwithdisturbingindifferenceinsomequarters:TheUnitedKingdom,

Good Moral Character Requirement to Cancel Removal

Aliens who are placed inremovalproceedingsmayapplyfora relief known as cancellation ofremoval. If granted, the alienbecomes a lawful permanentresident.

To be eligible, the applicantmustestablishphysicalpresenceintheU.S.foracontinuousperiodofat least ten years and mustdemonstrate exceptional andextremely unusual hardship to aqualifying U.S. citizen or lawfulpermanent resident relative ifdeported.

The applicant must alsoestablishgoodmoralcharacterforthe ten years immediate ly preceding the application. Adetermination of good moralcharactermayeitherbemandatedbystatuteorpurelydiscretionary.Althoughthetermisnotdefinedby

law, the statute identifies certainclasses of individuals who arebarred from establishing goodmoralcharacter.

They include those who haveengaged in prostitution, drugtrafficking, and smuggling; thoseconvicted of crimes of moralturpitude; and those who havegiven false information for thepurposeofobtaining immigrationbenefits,amongothers.Ifthealienisfoundtohavecommittedanyoftheseoffenses,thestatuterequiresa finding of lack of good moralcharacter.

InacasedecidedbytheCourtofAppeals for the First Circuit analien was found to have falselytestified before in immigrationproceedings and this statutorilybarred him from showing goodmoralcharacter.

That case involved BeltsyReynoso, a foreign national who

married Lemuel Martinez, a U.S.citizenthroughwhomsheobtainedherconditionalresidencyin2002.InNovember 2003, she sought toremove the conditions on herresidencyand requestedawaiverof joint filing requirement on thebasis of a marriage which sheclaimedtohavebeenenteredintoin good faith. The Department ofHomeland Security (DHS) deniedher petition because she failed tomeet her burden of establishingthathermarriagetoMartinezwasbonafide.

TheDHSdeniedhersecondandthird waiver petitions. She wast h e n p l a c e d i n r e m o v a l proceedings where she pursuedherwaiverpetitionandappliedforcancellationofremoval.

The immigration judge notedthenumerousdiscrepanciesinthetestimony of Reynoso during the

JGLEyeByJOSEPHG.LARIOSA

Filipino dual citizens cannot contribute to poll campaigns, says complaints

The regional Commission onElections (Comelec) director inLegazp i C i t y w i l l have an unenviable role of resolving aseminal question: Can a dualFilipino citizen allowed to vote inPhilippineelectionsbe allowed tocontribute also to a politicalcampaign?

Comelec Region 5 DirectorRomeoB.Fortestoldthisreporterthathealreadycamedownwithadecision but he is keeping hisdecisionupclosetohisvest.“Iamgoing tomake a recommendationtotheComelecnationalofficebutIamnot going todisclose it to youbecause my recommendation isconfidential,” Attorney Fortes, ahumanrightsvictimduringmartiallaw,explained.

Hisdecision,ifaffirmedbythePhilippine Supreme Court, willresonate to millions of Filipinooverseas absentee voters, whowould also like to contribute topolitical campaigns in the 2016nationalelectionsandbeyond.

Fortes' resolution stemmedfrom three alleged Comelecviolations filedagainstAtty.MariaLeonor “Leni” Gerona Robredo,who beat resoundinglyAtty.NellyFavis Villafuerte, for the thirddistrict congressional seat ofCamarines Sur during the 2013mid-term elections. The defeatedcandidate is the wife of powerfulformer Camarines Sur governorand former congressman Luis R.Villafuerte.

Rep. Robredo, widow of the

revered former and the late LocalGovernmentandInteriorSecretaryJesse Robredo, was accused ofviolating Sec. 96 of the OmnibusElection Code (OEC) for solicitingandreceivingcampaignfundsfromfo re i gn s ou rc e s , wh i ch i s punishable by imprisonment anddisqualification for holding publicoffice.

M r s . R o b r e d o , w h o i s celebrating her birthday on April23rd, is alsoaccusedof failing “toreporttotheComelecthenamesofthe actual contributor(s) to thelatter's campaign,” which isrequiredbySec.98ofOEC.Section98 prohibits “any person from making any contribution in anynameexcepthisownnorshallany

Page14


ByPerryDiaz

Opinion

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April 24-30, 2015

Is Napoles' conviction fair to the people?Reclusionperpetua,or20years

andonedayto40yearsinprison,was the sentence meted to JanetLim Napoles for the crime of“SeriousIllegalDetention”againstwhistleblowerBenhurLuy,notforthemore serious charges of graftandplundershe'sfacingbeforethegraftcourtSandiganbayan.

Since Napoles is alreadysentenced toreclusionperpetua -L a t i n f o r “ p e r m a n e n t imprisonment” - it really doesn'tmattermuch if theSandiganbayanwouldconvictherofplunder.TheplunderchargethatarosefromtheP10-billion pork barrel scam hasbeen lingering in the graft courtwithnoconvictioninsight.

Now that Napoles is safely“hidden” from public view andscrutiny for at least the next 20years, the pressure to prosecuteherisoff.Theplundercasecanthenbe put in the back burner, tosimmer slowly - very slowly - tokeep it justwarm enough for thewheelofjusticetomove,albeitata

muchslowerpace.But to a lot o f people ,

particularly many members ofCongress who allegedly have hadillicitdealswithNapolesto“steal”fromtheirporkbarrelallocations,the conviction of Napoles gavethemasighofrelief.Nowtheycango about with their normal liveswith no “Sword of Damocles”hangingovertheirheads.

Indeed,exceptforthreeoftheircolleagues,lifehasbeensogoodtothese lawmakers in the past fouryearsoftheAquinoadministration.With record amounts of porkbarrel allocations and the “extra”pork they received through theillegal Disbursement AccelerationProgram (DAP), many lawmakershavealottothankNapolesfortheuseofherbogusnon-governmentorganizations(NGOs)tofunnelandlaundertheirtakesfromtheirporkbarrel.Theleasttheycandoforheristoletherservehertimeinprisonpeacefully…andsilently.Ofcourse“silence”wouldalsobenefit these

lawmakers. As the late SenatorGenaro Magsaysay used to say,“Silence is golden,” silence wouldindeed be the ambrosia for theirpoliticalsurvival.

ConvictionbyconvenienceButwhatIfindratherstrangeis

the easewithwhichNapoleswasprosecuted for “Serious IllegalDetention.” Was it a case of“convictionbyconvenience,”whichNapoles may have agreed to inorder to satisfy some powerfulpeoplewho'dwanther“silence”inexchange for her life? And whatwould be a better choice: life inprisonorlifeintheafterworld?

Buthowaboutthelivesofthethree senators ex -Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile andSenatorsJinggoyEstradaandBongRevilla-whoarenowindetentionfortheplunderchargesrelatingtothe Napoles pork barrel scam?Charged with a non-bailableoffense, the three could be indetentionfortherestoftheirlivesifNapoles refused to cooperateandtestify against them. And whyshou ld she? She' s a l ready incarceratedandwon'tseethelightofdayforthenext20years.Tohelpin the prosecution as a statewitnessagainstthethreesenatorswouldn'thelphercaseunless thepresident would grant her executive clemency during theChristmasseasonthisyear.

The quest ion i s : Would PresidentAquinopardonNapoles?While it hasbeen speculated thatNapoleswaspolitically connectedwith Aquino as evidenced byphotos taken of Aquino andmembers of the Napoles family

during political and fund-raisingevents, an executive clemency forNapoles seems likeapoliticalhotpotato.Butdidn'tformerPresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo pardonconvicted plunderer ex-presidentJoseph “Erap” Estrada? It wouldthen surprise no one if the nextpresidentwouldgrantclemencytoNapoles and the three senators,which wouldmakes one wonder:Whowouldbethepresidentmostlikely to pardon Napoles and thethreesenators?

PresidentialderbyToday, the presidential front-

runner is Vice President Jejomar“Jojo”Binay,who,sofar,istheonlyone who has dec lared h is candidacy. However, close behindhim and getting closer is Sen.GracePoe,whohasyet todeclarehercandidacybutthebetsareonthatshewillrunforpresident.Thelatest Social Weather Stations(SWS)surveyshowsBinaywitha

Makinglife worth

living

Ellen Tordesillas

A golden opportunity for the Supreme Court to right a wrong

The Supreme Court has beenpresentedthegoldenopportunitytorightawrongthathasspawnedcorruption and a culture ofimpunitybyelectedofficials.

InthehearingofthecaseonthesuspensionbytheOmbudsmanofMakati Mayor Jejomar Erwin“Junjun” Binay, Jr. before theSupreme Court, lawyers of Binayi nvoked t h e ” d o c t r i n e o f condonation” also known as the“Agu ina ldo doc t r ine ” t ha t immunizesanelectedofficialfrombeing removed foradministrativemisconductoncere-elected.

Thedoctrinedoesnotapplytocriminalcases.

The condonation doctrine

over-stretched the proverb, “ThewillofthepeopleisthewillofGod.”

This much-abused doctrinehas no legal and constitutionalbasis. It's origin goes back to a1959 decision by Supreme CourtJusticeDavidJ.GutierrezwhenhedecidedinfavorofMayorArturoB.PascualinacasefiledbyProvincialBoard.

Pascualwas electedmayor ofSanJose,NuevaEcijainNovember1951andreelectedin1955.

In dismissing the charges ofmaladministrative, abuse ofauthority, and usurpation ofjudicial functionsagainstPascual,Gutierrez said, “When the peoplehaveelectedamantooffice,itmustbeassumedthattheydidthiswithknowledgeofhislifeandcharacter,and that they disregarded orforgavehisfaultsormisconduct,ifhehadbeenguiltyofany.Itisnot

for the court, by reason of suchfaultsormisconducttopracticallyoverrulethewillofthepeople.”

Many other public officialsused that doctrine to hold on totheir positions when facingremoval from their electedpositions. One of themwas rebelsoldierRodolfoE.Aguinaldowhowas elected governor of Cagayanprovince in 1988. In December1989, he joined the coup d'etatagainstPresidentCoryAquino.Hewasre-electedin1992.

Then Interior Secretary LuisSantos filed a case againstAquinaldo. Using “condonationdoctrine,”JusticeRodolfoA.NoconsaidAguinalso's“re-electiontotheposition of Governor of Cagayanhas rendered the administrationcasependingbeforeusmootandacademic.”

That is what Junjun Binay

argues:hisre-electionin2013hasi m m u n i z e d h i m f r o m administrative sanctions inconnection with the overpricedMakati CityHall Parkingbuildingbuilt to the tune of P2.3 billionduringhisfirstterm.

OmbudsmanConchitaCarpio-Morales is asking the SupremeC o u r t t o r e v i s i t t h e “ C o n d o n a t i o n / A g u i n a l d o doctrine”becauseithasbecomearefugeofcorruptpublicofficials.

“This present (Binay) casepresentsa fortuitousopportunityfortheHonorableSupremeCourtto emphasize the fundamentalprinciple that 'the purpose of anadministrative proceeding is toprotectthepublicservicebasedonthetime-honoredprinciple thatapublicofficeisapublictrust,'”shesaid.

TheOmbudsman further said

herofficewouldbedeficientinitsconstitutional designation as“protectorof thepeople” if itwillcontinuetobeshackledbyalegalfiction that provides blanketimmunity from disciplinarymeasures to re-elected officialswithout regard to the peculiarcircumstances of each and everycase.

***A concerned citizen, Mariano

Tecson, sharedwith us his viewson the Condonation/Aguinaldodoctrine:

“ I s u ppo r t t h e c a l l o f Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales for a review of theSupreme Court policy - the so-called Aguinaldo doctrine -absolvingelectedpublicofficialsofadministrative charges once theyarereelected.

Inevitable decline

It's practically inevitable: AllPresidents since 1986 haveexperienced drops in popularityas the end of their termsapproaches. The current ChiefExecutive is no exception to thisphenomenon.

For instance, the wildlypopular Cory Aquino, upon herassumptiontothehighestofficeinthe land, could get away withdec la r ing a revo lu t ionary government to basically dowhatevershewanted.Nearingtheendofhertumultuousreign,Corycould not even summon up afraction of the early crowds ofsupportersthatwereahallmarkofher rallieswhen she took on thetaskofcallingfortheextensionoflease of the USmilitary bases in

the Philippines a job that hergovernment miserably failed toaccomplish.

Cory'ssuccessors, forvariousreasons, suffered the same fate.Fidel Ramoswas hobbled by thefirstAsian currency crisis,whichwipedouttheeconomicgainsthathistermhadusheredin.

JosephEstrada,whilehefailedto complete his term, quicklyturned from a popular populistleaderuponhiselectionintoabadparody of himself, until he wasoustedforhisallegedinvolvementin the illegal numbers game ofjueteng, among other sins. AndGloria Macapagal Arroyo washelplesstoreversetheperceptionofhertermascorruption-riddled,whichcausedhersurveynumberstodipintonegativeterritory.

President Noynoy Aquinoseemstobesufferingthesamefate

of his predecessors, for yetanother reason entirely. Thesecond Aquino has been stuckwith the “noynoying” tag, whichhas led to the widespread beliefthat he has done nothing ofsignificance after unreasonablyraisingexpectationsthathecoulddeliver everything from goodgovernancetobasicinfrastructureasheentersthesixthandlastyearofhisterm.

O f c o u r s e , l i k e o t h e r Presidents before him, Aquino isfighting the waning of his once-stratospheric popularity witheverythingthathe'sgot.Andlikethose who went before him, heseemsdoomedtofail.

Aquino's reason for resistingthedeclinehastodowithensuringthat he stays out of jailwhen hesteps down. This is why herepeatedly declares these days,

when he attends even the mostinsignificant of public functions,thatheisnotalameduckandthathis power to make his chosensuccessor win in next year'selectionsremainsundiminished.

The reality, as survey aftersurveyhasshown,isthatAquinoisjustbarelykeepinghisheadabovet h e w a t e r s o f n e g a t i v e acceptabilityandpopularity.Andthereisnothingthathecando,itseems,toreversethetrend.

I t i s s i g n i f i c a n t t h a t Malacanang seems to haveabandoned the strategy of pretendingtoignoretheresultsofthe surveys which show anirreversible decl ine in his popularity.Whereoncethepalaceshrugged off survey data withdismissive statements about justcontinuing to do the work ofgovernance, Communications

Secretary Herminio Coloma nowsaysthat“thereissignificantroomforimprovementand...[a]needtocontinuallyascertaintheneedsofourpeople.”

WhatAquinoseemshell-benton doing is to continue makingpublic appearances toprove thathe is stillworking, verymuch incontrolandthepossessorofgame-changingendorsementpowers.Ifsubsequent surveys show thatAquino's poll numbers arecont inuing to p lumb new, unfamiliar depths despite hisefforts, I expect the campaign tofurtherintensify.

There is no other option forAquino,really.Buthistoryandthe“stickiness” of the popularperception that he is a failure asPresidentareagainsthim.

IseenoreasonwhyAquino's

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 12April 24-30, 2015

EU’smoral...Frompage10

forinstance,hasbeenheavilycriticizedforitsrefusaltotakepartinsearchandrescueoperationsforsurvivorsofMediterraneanshipwrecks;itarguesthat doing so would only encourage more people to try illegallyimmigratingtoEurope.

Butwouldthatkindofnonactionstemthetide?Therefugeesarefleeingfor their lives; theywill brave theworst perils in order to survive, andEurope happens to be the nearest safe haven for them, whether itscountrieswantthemornot.Thecontinentsimplycannotslamitsdoorsandpretendthatalliswellevenasthedeathtollbeyonditsbordersclimbstoevengrimmerfigures.HumanRightsWatchputsitmorestarkly:“TheEUisstandingbywitharmscrossedwhilehundredsdieoffitsshores.”

As in Southeast Asia two decades ago, European nations are beingasked to act in a compassionate, humanemanner toward some of theworld's poorest, most helpless human beings. By the light of theEnlightenmenttowhichthecontinentgavebirthandfullflower,ithasamoralobligationtocometotheircareandrescue.Inquirer.net

Goodmoral...Frompage10

proceedings and the information shepreviouslyprovidedtotheimmigrationauthorities. She indicated during her2005interviewbeforetheDHSaswellasinherpriorwrittenstatementsthatsheandMartinezseparatedinOctober2002. However, during her in-courttestimony, she indicated that theyseparatedinthesummerof2002.

Reynosoalsoprovidedinconsistentinformationonherprioraddresses,thedatewhenshemetMartinez,wherehelived,howlongshelivedwithhimandwhen each of the spouses left themaritalhome,amongothers.

ThejudgeconcludedthatReynosogave false testimony before theimmigration court and denied herapplicationforcancellationofremovalfor lack of good moral character. Thejudge likewise denied her waiver

petition because the documentaryevidenceshesubmitteddidnotsupportgoodfaithmarriagewithMartinez.Thedecision was upheld by the Board ofImmigrationAppeals.

TheCourtofAppealssustainedtheBoard's decision. It reasoned thatReynoso's conflicting testimonyregarding how long she andMartinezhad been together and other relateddetailsarerelevanttotheprimaryissuewhichwasthevalidityofthemarriage.

The court, however, pointed outthat the false informationneednotbematerial. Any falsehood, according tothecourt,evenhowimmaterial,madewiththesubjectiveintentofobtainingimmigration benefit undermines aperson's good moral character and iscoveredbythestatute.

(Editor's Note: REUBEN S. SEGURITAN has been practicing law for over 30 years. For more information, you may log on to his website at www.seguritan.com or call (212) 695-5281.)

IsNapoles’conviction...Frompage11

popularity rating of 36% last March,downfrom37%inDecember.ButPoe'spopularityhas increased significantly,from 21% in December to 31% lastMarch.With the presidential electionstill a little over a year away, theirratings could change dramatically inthefollowingmonths.

Assuming that the two maincontenders for the presidency areBinay and Poe, who, between them,would most likely, grant clemency toNapoles and the three senators? Tosome people, it's a no-brainer “Ofcourse, Binay will pardon them,stupid!”Iconcede,buthowaboutPoe?Hmm…

RealpolitikWhilePoedoesn'tseemtohaveany

directconnectiontoNapolesoranyofthe three senators, there would bepowerful and influential people whowould seek clemency for them. Butwouldshebeableresistthem,someofwhommightbebigcontributorstoher

presidential campaign? She might beable to resist at the beginning of herterm. But it would be a differentsituationoncerealpolitiktakeshold.Bythat time, horse-trading would onceagain be the norm rather than theexception.

Which makes one wonder ifNapolesandthethreesenatorswouldever be convicted of plunder? Itreminds me of American gangsterAlphonse Capone. Unable to gatherevidence to prosecute and convictCapone of more serious crimes, theFederalgovernmentdecidedtochargehim for a much lesser charge, taxevasion. In 1931, Capone was foundguilty and sentenced to 11 years inprison. He was never found guilty ofany of the more serious crimes hecommitted.IsJanetLimNapolesgoingtobethePhilippines'AlphonseCapone,nevertobeconvictedofmoreseriouscrimes?

For now, we have to settle for aconvictiontoalessercrimeof“SeriousIllegal Detention,” which begs thequestion:IsNapoles'convictionfairtothepeople?

([email protected])

Agolden...Frompage11

“Intheabsenceofenablinglawfor it, at the very least, theA gu i n a l d o c ondona t i o n doctrineshouldbefoundedonsound logic. With all duerespect to Supreme Courtjusticesconcerned,itseemsthedoctrine is flawed and suffersfromwhatmaybeconsideredalegaltechnicality,asfollows:

1.Absolutionbyreelectionshould be premised on theholding of clean and honestelections - but only thosecoming from the planet Marscouldnotseethemajordefectsofourelectionsystem.Underit,re-electionistlocalgovernmentofficialscanusepublicfundsinundertaking vote-buying projects. In addition, throughdifferentmodesof corruption,theymaystealpublicfunds,buyvotes of their generally poor

constituents, and engage ino ther forms o f e lec t ion manipulation and cheating toensuretheirreelection.So,whyshould questionable results ofourelectionprocessesbeusedto justify absolution fromc r i m e s o f t r a d i t i o n a l politicians, especially thosebelonging to well-entrenchedpoliticaldynasties?

2. A more compellingreason: Local governmentsreceive internal revenueallotment from the nationalgovernment. The IRA includestaxes paid by the taxpayingpublic nationwide. If part oflocalgovernmentfunds-whichinclude IRA from the nationalgovernment-isstolenbylocalgovernment officials, their actofcorruptionisacrimeagainstthe entire nation's taxpayersfromwhom part of the stolenfunds originated, and thecomplainants in the criminalcaseagainstthemwillbeallof

thePeopleofthePhilippines.“Therefore,ifabsolutionby

reelectionistobeperpetuatedasaSupremeCourtpolicy,suchreelection should be by thewhole nation's aggrievedtaxpayers and voters , not byjust the limited local votingpublic that originally electedtheerringgovernmentofficials.Asthis logicallyneededvotingbyallaggrievedtaxpayersandvoters is not being done andwillnotbedone,thenthefatallyflawed policy of absolvingt h rough r e e l e c t i o n t h e government officials chargedwith corruption should bediscarded.

The assumed regularity ofthe Ombudsman's actiona g a i n s t t h e c h a r g e d governmentofficials,completewith prima facie evidenceagainst them, should berespected by the SupremeCourt.“

Inevitable...Frompage11

numberswouldimproveinthecoming days, despite hisdenials and Johnny-come-latelyactivity.It'sjustnotgoingtohappen.***

The d e c i s i on o f t h e Supreme Court voiding thegovernment's P268.8 millionc o n t r a c t b e t w e e n t h e Commission on Elections anditsfavoritetechnologyproviderSmartmatic to repair andrefurbish the controversialPrecinct Court Optical Scanmachinesshouldspurthepollbodytolookforotherwaystoensure that next year 's

electoralexercisewillcontinueasscheduled.

There is simply no reasonwhyComelecshouldjustthrowup its hands andwarn darklythata“noelection”scenarioisin the offing, like a childwhohasbeendeniedsomecovetedcandy.

After all, it's perfectlypossible that Comelec itself istoblameforthefixthatit'sin,when it delayed action on therefurbishingcontractuntil thevery last minute or at leastmere months before theretirementofformerChairmanSixto Brillantes. It stands toreason that Smartmatic, rightafterthe2013elections,soughtapproval for the contract, togive itself time to inspect and

fixitsPCOSmachines.But the poll agency didn't

appear to have any sense ofurgencyaboutthematter.Itwasas if theBrillantescommissionfully intended to present thepublic (perhaps with thecooperation of Smartmaticitself) with a fait accompli, asituation where there wasnothinganymorethatcouldbedoneaboutthedeal.

If a new bidding for there furb i sh ing contrac t i s required, Comelec should dothat,doublequick.Itshouldnolongerpineforthetimewhenitwasgettingeverythingitwantsand having its contractorprovide it especially sinceBrillantesisnolongerthere.

ElderlyFil-Ams...Frompage9

“Among Chinese Americans, thereis reluctance to discuss end of liferelated issues because of karma, thebelief thatmentioning somethingbadcan make it happen,” the study said.“Caregiverswithsimilarethnicityandlanguagemaybedesiredbythosewhoreceive care, as was reported among

older and less acculturated Japanese-Americanadults.”

The study added, “F i l ip ino Americansmaymovefromonechild'shome to another to take care ofgrandchildren, while they themselveswould be cared for later by theirchi ldren. Housing a l ternat ives provided by the community and thechurch are seen among KoreanAmericans.”Inquirer.net


280 Luis Munoz Marin BoulevardJersey City, NJ 07302 201-333-8060

BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

April 24-30, 2015

A Chinese strategy: manipulating the recordByJohnNery

One of the leading scholarsonthegeopoliticsofcompetingSouth China Sea claims is theFrench geographer Francois-Xavier Bonnet, a researcherwith the French Institute forResearch on ContemporarySoutheast Asia or Irasec. TheFriday before Holy Week, hereadaprovocativepaperattheSoutheastAsiaSeaConference,heldattheAteneoLawSchoolinMakati City; I was not able toattend the forum, but he waskindenoughtosendmeacopyofhispaper.

Itisashortbutpotentworkofresearch,callingintoquestionthe “grand narrative” of the“archaeological campaigns”launched by Beijing in the1970s. “Among the artifactstheseexpeditionsfound[intheParacelislands]wereporcelainsfrom different periods, theremainsoftemplesandseveralsovereignty markers,” Bonnetwrites. “These markers weredated 1902, 1912 and 1921.”The campaigns served as thebasisforextendingthehistoryofChina's“inspectiontours”ofthearea,andthusofitsrightstotheParacels,to1902.

And then it gets reallyinteresting. Allowme to quotefromBonnetatlength:

“There is a simple reasonwhynoscholarhasbeenableto

unearthanyhistoricalrecordsofthe 1902 expedition: it neverhappened.Insteadevidenceofa1902voyagewasconcoctedatamuchlaterdate:1937.

“In June 1937, the chief ofChinese military region no. 9,Huang Qiang, was sent to theParacels with two missions:FirstlytocheckreportsthattheJapanese were invading theislandsandsecondlytoreassertChinesesovereigntyoverthem.According to records of hismissiondatedJuly31,1937,heleftGuangdongonJune19andarrived in theParacelson June23.Thesameday,hevisitedfourislands of the Paracels in theAmphitrite Group (Woody,Rocky, Ling Zhou and Beiisland).Thefollowingday,June24,heleftforHainan.

“Thisshortandconfidentialmissionhasbeenrecountedbythe Chinese historians HanZenhua,LinJinZhiandHuFengBin in their seminal work'Compilation of HistoricalDocumentsonourIslandsoftheSouth Sea' published in 1988.However, if they published thereport of July 31, 1937, theyforgot, consciously or not, topublishtheannexofthisreport.Fortunately, the confidentialannex of this report had beenpublished in 1987 by theCommittee of Place Names ofGuangdong Province in a bookt i t l e d ' C omp i l a t i o n s o f

ReferencesontheNamesofAllour Islands of Nan Hai.' Thisannex gives the details of theactions of Huang Qiang in theParacels.

“ In th is annex , Q iang explained that, as planned, hisboat was loaded with 30sovereignty markers. Amongthem,fourdatedfromtheQingdynasty, the others from 1912(the first anniversary of theRepublicofChina)and1921.Hecarriednomarkersdated1937,however, because the missionwasconfidential.Histeamfoundthe four markers dating fromtheQingdynasty,dated1902,int h e c i t y o f G u angdong . According to the annex of hisreport, his team buried them a r k e r s , n o t i n g t h e i r geographical coordinates, onthe four islands. On Bei Dao(NorthIsland),theyburiedtwomarkers from 1902 and fourfrom1912.OntheislandofLingZhou, the team buried onemarker from 1902, one from1912andonefrom1921.OnLinDao (Woody Island), twomarkers from 1921 wereburied. Finally, on Shi Dao(RockyIsland),theydepositedasinglemarker,dated1912.

“ I n s h o r t , t h e 1 9 3 7 expedition placed a total of 12markers on the i s lands , includingthreebearingthedate1902.Theywereforgottenfrom

Page14

Calif.SenateBill...Frompage9Americans Advancing Justice, saidonThursday,April16.

“AsanorganizationservingtheAsian American, Native Hawaiianand the Pacific Islander (AANHPI)immigrantcommunitiesforover30years,wehaveseenthecriticalneedof health care for the more than400,000 estimated undocumentedAANHPIs, or about 15 percent ofCalifornia's total undocumentedresidents,”Wongadded.

Fil-AmsReactFilipino Americans expressed

mixed reactions when interviewedbyINQUIRER.netovertheweekend.

Jessie Go, a Fil-Am owner ofPhone Depot inside SerramonteMallinDalyCitysaid,“It'sunfair.It'sa waste of taxpayers money. Howcantheyjustifytoaskforhealthcarewhen they didn't even work andcontribute, where's the justicethere?”

Gosaidthatinsteadofusingthet a x p aye r ' s m o n e y f o r t h e undocumented, the state and thegovernmentcoulduseitsomewhereelse, like helping veterans, theretired elderly and citizens thatneedswelfare.

“Whynotpasstheimmigrationreformlawfirst?”Gosaid,beforetheundocumented immigrants canavailofthehealthcoverageentitledtocitizensandpermanentresidents.

Jose“JP”Padua,formerUSArmysoldierandasemi-retiredsupplierforaconstructioncompany,alsodidnotapproveofthebill.

Padua,a residentofRichmond,C a l i f o r n i a , b e l i e v e s t h a t undocumented immigrants are notentitledtothebenefit.“Theyshould

legitimizetheirpresence.It'snotfairfor everybody, we're working herelikedogs.”

On the other hand, a paralegalwho works for a huge insurancecompany and who spoke oncondition of anonymity supportedthe bill: “It would be alarming toknow if one of your loved ones orfamily is sickor illwalkingaroundwith a communicable disease andwithouthealthcoverage.”

“ I ' d p r e f e r t h a t t h e s e undocumented people be properlyimmunizedandtreatedbecauseit'snotsafeforourkidsandoursociety,”shesaid.“Infact,oncethey'reunderthesystem,theywouldnolongerbeaburdentosociety.“

UCLAresearchUndocumentedimmigrantscan

get better health care in Californiathan the rest of the country,according to Steven Wallace,associate director of the UCLACenter for Health Policy Researchand co-author of a new report,“California Is the First in Care forUndocumented,”releasedApril16.

Thereportwasajointeffortbythe UCLA Center for Health PolicyResearch, the UC Global HealthInstituteandtheUCLABlumCenteron Poverty and Health in LatinAmerica.

Most states have restrictivepolicies. “It is frustrating that somany states have policies thatignoreorexcludeagroupofpeoplewho work hard and contribute somuchtooursociety,”Wallacesaid.

“The neglect or outright d i s c r i m i n a t i o n o f t h e undocumented does not just hurtworkersandtheirfamilies.Ithurtsthecommunities that relyon themfor the basic labor thatmakes oursocietyfunction.”Inquirer.net


Inquirer.net

April 24-30, 2015

Filipinodualcitizens...Frompage10

candidate or treasurer of apolitical party receive acontributionorenterorrecordthe same in any name otherthan that of the person bywhomitwasactuallymade.”

Robredoisalsoaccusedof“election offense of vote-buying,inviolationofSec.261(a) (1)” ofOEC formaking oro f f e r i n g t o m a k e “ a n expenditure , direct ly or i nd i rec t ly, o r c ause an expendituretobemadetoanyperson, association, entity,communityinordertoinduceanyoneorthepublicingeneralto vote for or against anycandidateorwithholdhis/hervoteintheelection.”

Shealsoaccusedofgiving,offeringorpromisingmoneyoranything of value in order toinduceanyoneorthepublicingeneraltovotefororagainstacandidate or to withholdhis/hervoteintheelection.

Robredo denies the vote-buyingaccusation,sayingthatasaprivatecitizenbefore theelections,shewasnotcapableof using public funds to buyvotes.

The unlawful campaignsolicitationarosefromanopenletterfromRobredo“writtenatthebehestofLoidaN.Lewis,anAmericancitizen”publishedonF a c e b o o k , s e e k i n g “solicitations from foreignsources,”“TosupportAtty.Leni

Robredo's campaign, pleasemake/send checks to Mailcheck payable to Loida LewisITF(intrustfor)LeniRobredo,P.O.Box1080,GracieStation,NY, NY 10028, For morei n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t : https:www.facebook.com/attyLeniRobredo.”

“Manymoreforeignnationals”

AsidefromAtty.Lewisthesolicitationrequestresultedinthe contribution of “manymore foreign nationals,” whowere listed as “natural-bornA m e r i c a n c i t i z e n s o r naturalized American citizensfrom whom campaign fundsthat were solicited and fromwhom Leni Robredo receivedcampaign funds, namely, Dr.Edward Seidel, Atty. RodelRodis, Robert Federigan,Robert, Heiberger, RainierAsprerandRichardSublett.

Otherdonorswereforeignen t i t i e s , i n c lud ing The UnlimitedAgency,Inc.andTheBicol U.S.A. of the Midwest,both based in Illinois; andFundrazr, an online websitebased in Canada which wasused to raise funds fromAnonymousDonorsabroad.

Attorney Lewis turnedoverP500,000(US$11,363)toRobredo. This contributioncamefromthepersonalpocketof Ms. Lewis and “frompersonal accounts of Filipinocitizens although some alsohad names of their husbandspu t i n the webs i te fo r customary reasons, whilesome put the names of their

company in the website foradvertisingpurposes.”

In her affidavit, AttorneyLewis added, “this kind oflisting was allowed in thewebsite as the donors' list,wheredonorsarefreetoputin”any name, including fictionalones for personal reasons. Atany rate, the money which Iturned over to Atty. LeniRobredo was from my ownpersonalfundsandfromfundscollectedfromFilipinocitizenslivingtheUnitedStates.”

Usingthelegalmaxim,“Ubilex non distinguit nec nosdistringuiredebemos”orifthelaw does not distinguish,neither do we distinguish, apersonwhoclaimstohavedualnationality, one is foreign, theotherlocal,thatpersonstillhasa f o r e i g n n a t i o n a l i t y component that makes itunlawful to solicit or receivep o l i t i c a l c a m p a i g n contr ibut ions from said person.”

Complainant Villafuertearguedthatsuchperson(dualcitizen) “still has a foreignnationality component thatmakesitunlawfultosolicitorreceive political campaigncontr ibut ions from said persons because the law isexplicit in that any foreignnational, without distinctionbetween a dual citizen and anon dual citizen is prohibitedsource of political campaigncontribution.”

On the other hand, basedon Sec. 98, Villafuerte arguedthat“evenifthecontributionsare lawful, (it) will still

constituteviolationsofSec.98of the OEC if not recorded orreported in the truenamesoftherespectivecontributors.”

Villafuerte argued thatinterpretationandapplicationofSec.96of theOECmustbestrictly construed against thedonors, the solicitors andrecipients because the re-acquisition or retention ofFilipinocitizenshiparosefromtakingofanoathofallegianceto the Philippine governmentand the Constitution frownsupon “dual allegiancewhen itclearly stated under Art. IV,S e c t i on 5 o f t h e 1987 Constitution” that “Dual allegianceofcitizensisinimicalto the national interest andshallbedealtwithbylaw.”

V i l l a f u e r t e a d d e d , “Republic Act No. 9225 a.k.a.CitizenshipRetention andRe-acquisitionActof2003”didnotexempt Filipinos with dualcitizenship or dual allegiance,from providing contributions(thru soliciting or receiving)from the prohibited foreignsourcesindicatedinSec.96ofthe OEC. Therefore, they aren o t e x e m p t e d f r o m prohibition.”

In her counter-affidavit,R e p . R o b r e d o d e n i e d “soliciting nor directly orindirectly accepting foreigndonations.” She also deniedsetting up the solicitationwebsite, saying complainants'“conclusion is (not) onlyi l logical but (it is also)baseless.”

([email protected])

AChinesestrategy...Frompage13

1937to1979butthen'discovered'between1974and1979byarchaeologistsandPLAtroops.Thisis almost certainly the explanation for amysterioussentence inSamuels'bookwhenhewrotethatthesetabletsof1902werethoughttohavebeenlostduringWorldWarII.”

The1937expeditionsetsailfiveyearsafterChina discovered that the French had claimedpart of the Paracels, and four years after theFrenchsoughttoexpandtheirfootholdinAsiabyannexingnineSpratlyislands.InBonnet'smuch-discussed 2012 paper, “Geopolit ics of ScarboroughShoal,”hedrawsapictureofChinesebefuddlement when news about the Spratlyannexationcirculated.

“ThesetwoclaimsoftheFrenchgovernmentconfused the minds … not only of the Chinesepublic and the media, but also the officialauthoritieslikethemilitaryandthepoliticiansinGuangdong Province and Beijing. In fact, theChinese believed that the Spratly Islands andParacel Islands or Xishawere exactly the samegroup,butthattheFrenchhadjustchangedthename as a trick to confuse the Chinesegovernment. To ascertain the position of theSpratlyIslands,theChineseConsulinManila,Mr.Kwong,went,onJuly26,1933,totheUSCoastandGeodetic Survey and discovered,with surprise,that theSpratly Islandsand theParacel Islandsweredifferentandfarapart.”

ThepracticeofwhatBonnet calls “patrioticarchaeology” was mirrored by TaiwaneseexpeditionstotheSpratlys;sovereigntymarkerswere placed in Itu Aba and perhaps two otherislands(thereissomedisputeintherecords)in1956 (the same year Filipino Thomas ClomaclaimedtheSpratlys)but“backdated”to1946.

Which makes Bonnet ' s conc lus ion unassailable: “In all, it suggests that 'patrioticarchaeology' is deeply flawed and that expertsshould be wary before relying on it to passjudgmentontheterritorialdisputes.”Inquirer.net



Pamulinawen Panagbenga

Sagayan Shariff Kabunsuan

President Aquino officially declared2015 as ‘Visit the Philippines Year’

By Susan Isorena-Arcega

MANILA -- The Aliwan Fiesta is a major cultural event that the public looks forward to every summer. It started 12 years ago when the Manila Broadcasting Company (MBC) mounted it to emphasize the rich cultural diversity of the nation.

Today, in partnership with the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the city governments of Manila and Pasay, MBC continues to organize Aliwan Fiesta, with over 5,000 performers and craftsmen participating.

Bringing together the major town festivals from all over the Philippines in a single venue, Aliwan Fiesta has become a battleground for street-dance choreography.

T h e e n e r g y , d i s c i p l i n e a n d sy n c h ro n i zat i o n ex h i b i te d by t h e performers constantly amaze the judging panel as well as the multitudes lined up

Page17


Halamanan Kalivungan

Lumad Basakanon Manaragat

Festival of festivals ... From page 16

throughout the stretch of Roxas Boulevard, between Quirino Grandstand and the CCP Complex.

The costumes and props utilizing indigenous materials exemplify the spirit of innovation that marks Filipino design.

Despite words of caution from purists who view street dancing as being detrimental to the preservation of traditional culture, Aliwan Fiesta has become a powerful medium of contemporary creative expression.

Most of the dances are based on folkloric rituals handed down from generation to g e n e r a t i o n , b u t g i v e n m o d e r n interpretations by local choreographers.

Street dancing is part of the fiesta, which is an economic barometer. During fiesta, airlines, shipping firms and hotels are fully booked; the souvenir trade is booming; and local productivity reaches an all-time high.

This year, Lumad Basakanon of Cebu, 2015 grand champion, will make its bid for a fifth win for the Sinulog over Panagbenga of Baguio City, Benguet; Sakuting of Dolores, Abra; Pamulinawen of Laoag, Ilocos Norte; Bato Art Festival of Luna, Isabela; Halamanan of Guiguinto, Bulacan; Desposorio of Malolos, Bulacan; Pandang-Gitab of Oriental Mindoro; Candle Festival of Candelaria, Quezon; Boling-Boling of Catanauan, Quezon; Mayaw-Mayaw of Pinabacdao, Samar; Manaragat of Catbalogan, Samar; Kalivungan of Cotabato; Shariff Kabunsuan Festival of Cotabato City; Sambuokan of Mati, Davao Oriental ; Meguyaya of Upi , Maguindanao; and Sagayan of Datu Piang, Maguindanao.

The visually arresting celebration converges in Manila on April 25 for the finals. Pyrotechnics will cap off the Aliwan Fiesta. Inquirer.net



An eighteen year old stunner crowned Diwa Ng Kalayaan 2015An eighteen year old stunner

from Hasbrouck Heights, NewJersey was crowned Diwa NgKalayaan2015lastApril11,2015at the Grand Ballroom of theDoubleTree by Hilton Hotel,Newark, New Jersey. KatherineCampbell,2013NationalAmericanMiss New Jersey Teen winner,added another crown to hercollection.

The5′4beautywhodefinitelyhasamilliondollarsmilealsowontheMostPhotogenicaward.

ShewascrownedbyoutgoingqueenMikaelaAlexaRadaassistedbyConsulGeneralMarioLopezDeLeonJr.andMrs.Kalayaan2014JojiRafael; while the scepter waspresented by PIDCI President FeMartinezassistedbyRolandDavid.

Rianne Avendula-Philips (16)of New York, New York wascrowned Miss Filipino-American,

st1 RunnerUp,andrompedoffwiththe Miss Congeniality and MissCharityspecialawards.

The other young talentedtitleholdersare:HiyasngPilipinas-Jasmine Binag from Nutley, NewJersey; Bituin ng Luzon- JoannaLizardo from Allendale, NewJersey; Bituin ng Visayas - AnneMarie Lim from Jersey City, NewJersey; and Bituin ng Mindanao -Andrea Hermoso from Bayonne,NewJersey.

Inkeepingwiththetraditionofpurity and prest ige of the competition,theDiwangKalayaanwinnerswhopersonifythebeauty,intelligence,andself-confidenceoftheyoungFilipino-AmericanswillserveasAmbassadorsofGoodwillfor one year as they promote thecommemoration of the annualAnniversary of the Declaration ofPhilippine Independence. Theywillbepresentedtothepublic

ridingafloatattheIndependenceParade and during the outdooropen-stage Cultural Festival to beheldonSunday, June7th,2015inNewYorkCity.

AboutthePIDCIThe Philippine Independence

DayCouncil,Inc(PIDCI) a501C3tax exempt organization, iscomprisedof volunteers from theFil-Am communities and from itsmembership-baseoforganizationsfromtheNY-NJ-CTTri-StateArea,extendingtothejurisdictionofthePhil Consulate General in NewYork.

In celebration of the annualcommemorationoftheDeclaration

of the Philippine Independence,the PIDCI, with its group ofv o l u n t e e r s a n d w i t h t h e cooperation of the ConsulateGeneral of the Philippines, worktogethertoorganize,plan,produce,andpresentaseriesofthelargestcommunity events such as theGrand Marshal Gala, the search,selection and coronation of theDiwa ng Kalayaan, (Spirit ofIndependence), theMrs.KalayaanandcenterpieceofthecelebrationisthePhilippineIndependenceDayParade. Heldyearlysince1990onthefirstSundayinJune(thisyearonJune7th),theParadesharesthedaywithaStreetFair, featuringaFilipino Food Festival, and the

Cultural Festival presented on anopenstage.Since1996,theannualcommemoration is hailed byFilipinoseverywhereasthelargestcelebration of the PhilippineIndependence outside of thePhilippines. All threeeventstakeplace on Madison Avenue inmidtownManhattan,NYheldfrom38th Street down to 23rd Street. Andfortheannualculminationofthe commemoration there's thePhilippineIndependenceBalltobeheldonJune13th,Saturday.

Throughout the years, PIDCIcontinuestoraisetheawarenessoft h e F i l i p i n o - A m e r i c a n communities about its goals andvisions toward a successful

celebration by putting togetherprograms on education on youthdevelopment; and furthermore,PIDCI raises the consciousness ofthe general masses about ourhistory and cultural heritage. Itlikewise, undertakes annualfundraising events to benefit thePhilippine Independence Daycelebration as well as supportother charitable projects whenneeded.

As the PIDCI organizationmatures, our thrust is to takeadvantage of the multitudeattendance during the months-long Independence Celebrationthatbegan25yearsago,andbeanavenue to contribute back to ourcountry and to our “Kababayans”. PIDCI would l ike to createawareness amongst our Filipinoa n d F i l i p i n o - A m e r i c a n compatriots regarding our socialresponsibility with this year'stheme: “The Filipino: An ActivePartner in Environmental andClimateChangeGovernance”.

WeinvitethepublicandFil-Amo rgan i z a t i on s t o j o i n t h e Independence festivities andvo l u n t e e r i n t h e v a r i o u s committees as we honor ourglorious past, celebrate and beproud of our history, culture andt r a d i t i o n s , p r om o t e o u r achievements and build a bettertomorrow! This year we arehonoring the 2015 Parade GrandMarshalReubenS.Seguritan,ESQ.(PIDCI Founding President 2002)whowillleadtheParadealongwiththe various Philippine and U.S.dignitariesinvitedspearheadedbyourConsulGeneralMariodeLeon,Jr.andPIDCIPresidentFeMartinezand the PIDCI Executive OfficersandBoardMembers.

DIWA NG KALAYAAN 2015 WINNERS. From left, Bituin ng Visayas-Anne Marie Lim; Hiyas ng Pilipinas-Jasmine Binag; stRianne Avendula-Philips Miss Filipino-American (1 Runner-Up); Katherine Campbell- Diwa Ng Kalayaan 2015; Bituin ng

Luzon- Joanna Lizardo; Bituin ng Mindanao-Andrea Hermoso.

UNIFFIED Celebrates First Year Anniversary; outstanding Fil-Am educators given citationBySonnyAustria

NEW YORK, New York -- The United Federation of Fil-Am Educators (UNIFFIED),whosevisionistoorganizeandun i fy F i l ip ino-Amer ican teachers around the UnitedStates of America into ano r g a n i z a t i o n t h a t w i l l showcase their exemplaryabilitiesintheschool and inthe community, celebrated itsone-year anniversary lastSunday, April 19, at the NewYork University Palladium inManhattan.

Highlight of the eventwasthe giving out of citations tooutstanding Fil-Am educatorsfor their perpetual years ofc o m m i t m e n t a n d commendable devotion to theteaching profession in theUnitedStates.

“I consider UNIFFIED anideal organization that canprovideFil-Ameducatorswithsupport programs in theirteaching requirements”, saidAmbassadorMarioDeLeonJr.,

C o n s u l G e n e r a l o f t h e Philippine Consulate in NewYork. He further stated thatteaching is a nobleprofessionandthateveryFil-Ameducatormustbegiventheopportunityinhisorherquestforteachingexcellence and UNIFFIED canprovide a breadth of strategicguidance.

Linda Mayo, a formerDeputy Mayor of the City ofJersey City and the firstFilipino-American elected tothe Board of Education ofJersey City,was conferred the“Gawad Lampara” award forher commendable support toUNIFFIED and her advocacywork for Fil-Am educators intheUnitedStates.

“Insoshortatime,wehavebecome a dynamic, inclusiveorganization where Fil-Ameducatorsnetworktogethertomake amazing things happen.Wearecommittedtoprovidingtheidealplacewhereteacherscanbenefitthroughsharingofexperiences and expertise,”stated Lumen Castañeda,

UNIFFIED founding chair andthe founder of “Search forUlirang Guro (OutstandingFilipinoTeachers)ofAmerica.”

Mr s . C a s t añeda a l s o announced that the nextsummit of UNIFFIED will beheldinLosAngeles,CaliforniathisMay22-24.

Interested parties maycontact her @917-538-1702,email:[email protected]. Linda Mayo, center, proudly shows off her “Gawad Lampara” citation. Also in photo are

Ambassador Mario De Leon Jr., l eft, and UNIFFIED founding chair Lumen Castañeda.L

Several of the awardees with Amb. Mario De Leon Jr. and Lumen Castañeda. Photos by Velzon H. Velez


Tourism shines after 'Yolanda'ByJoeyA.Gabieta

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte --The tourism industry inEastern Visayas, a region stillreeling from the devastationleftbySupertyphoon“Yolanda”(international name: Haiyan)has started to bring muchneededincomeforpeopleandlocalgovernments.

A c c o r d i n g t o t h e DepartmentofTourism(DOT),at least three million touristsvisitedtheprovincesofBiliran,Leyte, Southern Leyte, Samar,Northern Samar and EasternSamar, generating revenues ofatleastP3.2billionin2014.

Thefigurewashigherthanthatof2013.Theregionwashit

hard by Yolanda on Nov. 8,2013.

The monster storm, thestrongest to make landfall inhistory,killedmorethan7,000people and destroyed P130billioninproperty.

Karina Rosa Tiopes, DOTdirector for Eastern Visayas,saidthenumberoftouriststhatvisitedEasternVisayasin2014c o u l d b e c o n s i d e r e d a “milestone.”

Sheattributedtheincreasein tourist arrivals to thegovernmentcampaigntobringin tourists and the support ofthe private sector and localgovernments.

“Tourism is everybody'sbusiness,”saidTiopes.

She,however,admittedthatthe thousands of members ofvarious humanitarian groups,both foreign and local, fueledtheincreaseinarrivals.

These groups are helpingthe surv ivors and loca l governments recover fromYolanda.

Thesevolunteers,shesaid,arealsoconsideredastourists.“Everyoneiscounted,”shesaid.

AmongtheattractionsthatdrawtouristsintheregionaretheSto.NiñoShrineinTaclobanCity;theKalanggamanIslandinPalompon town, Leyte; LakeDanao Park in Ormoc City;MaasinCityZooinMaasinCity;and Sohoton Caves in Basey,Samar.Inquirer.net

Part of the Sohoton Cave in Basey, Samar. Vicky C. Arnaiz

HowChinaisupsettingtheoldglobaleconomicorderAgenceFrance-Presse

WASHINGTON -- With itshuge new infrastructure bankand i ts ambit ions for a globalized renminbi currency,Chinaisleadingtheupendingofa70-year-oldglobalorderbuiltonAmericaneconomicpower.

B e i j i n g ' s r i s e w a s confirmed this week at theSpring meetings of the WorldBank and In te rna t i ona l MonetaryFundinWashington,the two institutions by whichthe economic vision of theUn i ted S ta tes has been propagated across the worldsincetheirfoundingin1944.

The US-selected presidentof the World Bank, Jim YongKim, applauded China's “boldstep in the direction of multilateralism” for its newAsiaInfrastructureInvestmentBank(AIIB),evenasmanyviewitasarivaltotheBank.

WorkingwithWorldBankKimstressedthoughthathe

expectstheWorldBankandtheAIIB will work “very closely”together.

That appeared to pull theWorld Bank away from itsmajor shareholder: togetherwithallyJapan,WashingtonhasrefusedtojointheAIIBevenasnearly f ive dozen other countries have applied toBeijingtobepart.

BeijingmovedontheAIIB,

wh i ch a ims t o s uppor t infrastructure developmentacross the Asia region, asanother China-backed projectannouncedin2014,theBRICSbank,hasstalled.

Bu t t ha t i n s t i t u t i on , plannedwith fellow emergingeconomic powers Brazi l , Russia,India,andSouthAfrica,was designed as well as a

In this Oct. 21, 2014 file photo, a worker dressed an emperor costume to attract customers as he stands outside a shop selling souvenirs at the Wangfujing shopping district in Beijing, China. AP

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Biz Buzz: Spratlys tension in the boardroom

For the most part, business tiesbetween the Philippines and thePeople's Republic of China haveremainedimmunefromtensionsthathaveplaguedtherelationshipbetweenboth countries over the group ofpotentially resource-rich islands andreefs in the West Philippine Sea (orSouth China Sea, as the rest of theworldcallsit).

Left and right, we still see largeFilipino conglomerates investing inprojects in the mainland, whileChinese-made goods continue toproliferateinthemanystorefrontsandshelvesacrossthePhilippines.

But the first signs of this tensionhave apparently spilled over into thebusinesssector,BizBuzzlearned.Andit's not just any rinky dink businessthat'saffected,butamajorfirmwhoseoperations have nationwide - andnationalsecurity-implications.

Biz Buzz learned recently thatseveral Chinese officials of NationalGrid Corporation of the Philippines,the company thatownsand runs thecountry'spowertransmissionsystem,have been effectively barred by thegovernment from returning to thecountry.

Recall,ofcourse,thatstate-ownedStateGridCorporationofChinaowns40percentofNGCP(astakeitacquiredduringtheprivatizationoftheassetsofNationalTransmissionCo.afewyearsago), while the balance is owned byFilipino firms Monte Oro Grid Corp.and Calaca High Power Corp., whichcontrol a combinedmajoritywith 30percentstakeeach.

Accordingtoasourcefamiliarwiththe matter, the NGCP officials weresubjected to a government policy ofgradually phasing out of foreign

nationals in the key utility firm,especially since relations betweenboth countries are not at theirfriendliest.

Our source says that, from 20officials - including technical peoplelikeengineers - theChinesepresenceinNGCPwillsoonbewhittleddowntothree,mainlytheirrepresentativesonthefirm'sboardofdirectors.AndeventhisnumberwillnotbecommensuratetoStateGrid's40percentstake,astheyare presently entitled to four boardseats onNGCP's 10-manboard.WithonlythreeseatstobeheldbyChinesenationalscomeJune,thecompanythatowns 40 percent of NGCP willeffectively have only 30 percentrepresentation.

This, of course, will not be aproblemiftheyusevideoconferencingtechnologyduringboardmeetingsorifthe Chinese side finds a Filipinonational to physically represent theirinterestsintheboardroom.

Inanycase,BizBuzzcheckedwiththeBureauofImmigration(whichwasresponsibleforthenewpolicy)andwelearned that the Chinese nationalswere not denied working visas, butwere instead limited to two terms ofsix-monthvalidityeach.

“Some of the visas will expire inJune2015whileothers inJuly2015,”our source said. “There are alreadyFilipino understudies who willeventuallytakechargeofrunningthesystem once the visas of the Chineseexpire.”

Given the ongoing tensionsbetween both countries, this policymakes sense. Although China wouldsurely disagree.Daxim L. Lucas.Inquirer.net

PH said to be on its way to become Asia heavyweightByPaoloG.Montecillo

MANILA -- The Philippineeconomy is projected to expandsignificantlyover thenextdecadeand a half to become one ofSoutheast Asia's heavyweights,fueled by a growingmiddle classand a resurgent manufacturingsector.

IHS Global, a think tank, saidthat the government's business-friendly policies would lead tohigher levels of investment,helpingcreatemorejobsandraiseincomesinthecountry.

Overthenext fiveyears,grossdomestic product (GDP) growthmayaverage5.5percent,forecastsshowed. If thisexpansionweretobesustained,percapitaincome,orthe money the average Filipinomakes, could double to $6,000 ayearby2024.By2029,thesizeofthe economy is expected tomorethan triple from $310 billion in2015toover$1trillion.

“Thesesignificant increases inper capitaGDPwill create one ofAsean'slargestconsumermarkets

of the future, as themiddle classrapidly expands over time,” IHSGlobalAsiaPacificchiefeconomistRajiv Biswas said. “Thiswill helpattract foreign direct investmentby mult inat ionals into the Philippines manufacturing andservicesindustry.”

The main growth drivers forthe Philippines economy are therapidly growing outsourcingsector and the strong flow ofremittancesfromFilipinoworkersabroad.Theexpectedgainsmaybeattributed to the large pool ofuniversity-educated workers aswell as the strong English-languageskillsoftheworkforceinthecountry.

In the Philippines, the exportrevenuefromthebusinessprocessoutsourcing (BPO) sector morethan doubled between 2008 and2014, reaching an estimated $18billioninrevenuesby2014,whilethe totalnumberof employees inthe IT-BPO industry exceeded 1million.

By 2016, the Philippines' IT-

Page22


Global finance leaders see economy strengtheningWASHINGTON -- Financial

officials from the world's majoreconomies on Friday, April 17,welcomed modest improvementsintheglobaleconomywhileside-stepping fears rattling globalfinancialmarkets thatGreecewilldefaultonitsbailoutloans.

TheofficialsfromtheGroupof20issuedajointcommuniquethatpledged greater efforts to boostconfidence and reduce economicvulnerabilities. The meetings'chairman, Turkey'sDeputy PrimeMinister Ali Babacan, said theproblems confronting Greece didnotcomeupduringthetwodaysofofficialdiscussions.

While Greece wasn't on theofficial G-20 agenda, it was a hottopiconthesidelinesofthefinancemeetings , which concludedS a t u rd ay, A p r i l 1 8 , a f t e r discussions among the policyp ane l s o f t h e 188 - n a t i on InternationalMonetary Fund anditssisterlendinggroup,theWorldBank.

US Treasury Secretary JacobLewsaidhestressedinaseriesofone-on-one meetings, includingdiscussions with Greek FinanceMinister Yanis Varoufakis, that itwas u rgen t t ha t t he deb t negotiationsberesolvedquickly.

“I reiterated throughout thesetalks that failure to reach ana g re emen t wou l d l e ad t o immediatehardshipinGreeceandincreaseduncertaintiesforEurope

andtheglobaleconomy,”LewtoldreportersatanewsconferencelateFriday.

Greek officials said theyplannedtomeetrepresentativesofthecountry'screditorsSaturdayinasearchfor“commonground.”Thecountry,whichhasreliedonloansfromtheinternationalcommunitysince 2010, is fast running out ofcashwithconcernsmountingthatit could miss two debt paymentsdueinMaytotheIMF.

FearsthatGreececoulddefaulton itsdebtandabandon theeurocurrencygroupsentshockwaves

through global markets Friday,April17.Afterbeingdownnearly360 points, the Dow Jonesindustrialaveragerecoveredabittofinishdown279.47,adropof1.5percent.

S ome f i n a n c e o f f i c i a l s expressed their frustration withG r e e c e ' s n e w l e f t - w i n g government, elected in January.LuisdeGuindos,Spain'seconomym i n i s t e r, s a i d t h e G r e e k g o v e r n m e n t h a d s e n t “contradictory” signals regardingthenegotiations.

“Wehavewastedveryprecious

time over the last three or fourweeks,” de Guindos said in aninterview with The AssociatedPress.

“The communication of theGreek government has not beengreat.Theyhavenotmadealotoffriends,” he said, while adding, “Iexpect and I hope that thecommunicationwillimprove.”

TheUnitedStatesalsocameinfor heavy criticism during themeetings from other nationsunhappythatCongresshasstillnotapprovedthelegislationneededtoput into effect IMF reforms thathavebeenstalledforthepastfiveyears.ThereformswouldboosttheIMF's resources to deal withcountriesfacingfinancialtroublesand increase the voting power offast-emerging economies such asChina,BrazilandIndia.

Lew said he had assured hisfellow finance ministers that theObama administrat ion st i l l believed it would soon overcomeobjections from Republicanlawmakers and win approval inCongressfortheIMFreforms.TheUnited States is the IMF's largestshareholder and congressionalapproval is the last hurdle toputtingthereformsintoeffect.

ChineseViceFinanceMinisterZhu Guangyao said in a speechFriday that the failure topass theIMF quota reforms had damagedthereputationoftheIMFandtheG-20 and the image of the United

States.Growingfrustrationhascaused

othermajor countries to examineways to break the stalemate, anapproach that could lessenAmerica's influence on globaleconomicissuesifUScriticsweresuccessful.

JapaneseFinanceMinisterTaroAso,speakingtoreportersaftertheG-20 meeting, noted the growingdissatisfaction over the stalemateand said: “There are other campswhoaresayingwecanleavetheUSbehind and do something else.However, there's a voting powerbeingheldbytheUnitedStates,soit's not realistic to think aboutotherways.”

Asthelargestshareholder,theUnited States is the only countrywiththepowertovetokeyactionsattheIMF.

In remarks prepared for thefinanceofficials,LewalsowarnedSouth Korea, Germany, China andJapan to do more to boostconsumer demand in their owncountries instead of relying onexports to the United States andelsewhereforgrowth.

Babacan told reporters thatofficialsdiddiscussriskstomarketstabilitythatcouldcomewhentheFederal Reserve begins to raiseinterest rates. Babacan has saidthere was a view that the Fed isdoing a better job of providingguidance about its future moves.Inquirer.net

US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew speaks during a news conference during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Washington, Friday, April 17, 2015. AP

PH seen posting BOP surplus in 2015

ByPaoloG.Montecillo

MANILA -- The Philippines isexpected tomakea turnaround thisyear, earning more money fromover seas t han i t spends a s investments flood in and structuralflows such as remittances andrevenues from certain industriesholdup.

BangkoSentralngPilipinas(BSP)DeputyGovernorDiwaC.Guinigundosaid a comfortable balance-of-payments (BOP) surplus wasprojectedforthisyear,reversinglastyear'sdeficit.

“Evenaswecontinuetoreassessour BOP projections for 2015 and2016, thecurrent trendspoint toatleast a $1-billion surplus,” he toldreportersthisweek.

Thisfollowsthereleaseofdataonthe country's $244-million BOPdeficitinMarch,reversingthesurplusrecorded in the previous threemonths.ThedeficitinMarchbroughtthe Philippine economy's year-to-datedeficitto$877million.

BOP is a summary of all thebusiness the country does with therest of the world. A surplus meansmoremoneyentered,ratherthanleft,the country. A deficit means theopposite.

Sourcesofincomeforthecountryinclude remittances from overseasFilipino workers, income fromexportsofgoodsandservices,foreign

investments and revenues fromcertain industries such as tourismandbusinessprocessoutsourcing.

Meanwhile, thecountryusesthedollarsitearnsontheimportationofgoods,suchasfoodandfuel,andthepaymentofforeigndebt.Divestmentsmade by foreign investors are alsocountedasoutflows.

BOP data is tracked closely toensure that the supply of dollars intheeconomyremainsampleenoughto a l low businesses and thegovernmenttotransactwiththerestoftheworld.

Lastyear,duetomassiveforeignd ives tments in J anuary, the Philippines posted a BOP deficit of$2.88 billionthe first deficit since2004.

Guinigundo said policymakerswere more optimistic this year. Hesaid the current account position,whichcountsonlyrecurringformsofincomesuchasremittancesandtraderevenues, would likely reach asurplus of $6.8 billion, based onforecastsmadeinOctoberof2014.

Meanwhile, capital and financialaccounts,referringtoinvestmentsinequity and debt securities, areexpected to recover significantlyfrom 2014's external payments“ b l o odba t h f o l l ow i n g l a r g e volatilities in the global financialmarkets in relation to the tapertantrum.”Inquirer.net


HowChina...Frompage20

challenge to the World Bank and IMF,wheretheoldpowerstheUS,EuropeandJapandominate.

Athreat?Critics fear the new development

bankswillchallengetheWorldBank inlending topoorer countries byofferingthemeasiertermsandfewerrestrictionsgoverningthesocialandenvironmentalimpacts of large projects, underminingstandards established to protectvulnerablepopulations.

The Chinese approach is morepragmaticthough,witheachinstitutionfillinganeed,saidChristopheDestaisofCEPII , the French international economicsthinktank.

Countries are searching for newopportunities in public works andenergy,andalsofortheirbanks,hesaid,thelatterpossiblyexplainingwhyUSallyBritainrushedtojointheAIIB,hesaid.

WeakeningUSinfluenceFor its part, China is seeking “an

outlet for its industrial overcapacity”whileatthesametimeaiming“toweakenUSinfluence,”saidDestais.

ButChinaisnotabandoningtheUSand Europe-dominated Bretton Woodssystem of multilateral developmentbankssetupin1944,howeverimperfectitis,hesaid.“Chinafindsituseful.Ithasthemeanstoinfluenceit,thoughstillnottoshapeit,”especiallysincetheUSdollarremainstheworld'scorecurrency.

But China's growing power keepsWashingtonnervous.

EvenasnewinstitutionsliketheAIIBemerge, US Treasury Secretary Jacob

Lew said in a statement Saturday: “Iwould like to underscore that the IMFremains the foremost internationalinstitution for promoting globaleconomicstability.”

Nobel Prize-winning economistJosephStiglitzsaidtheUShostilitytotheAIIBisanewsignofitsinsecurityoveritsglobalinfluence.

USsharesblameButWashingtonisalsoatfaultinthe

erosion of its Bretton Woods-basedpower.

TheUSCongresshasrefusedtoratifycrucial reforms at the IMF laid out in2010thatwoulddoubleitsfundingandrecognize with higher shareholderquotas the rise of economies such asChina and India. As the IMF's largestshareholderbyfar,Washingtonhasnowblocked the reforms for four years, togreat criticism from allies and rivals intheworldeconomy.

“ThisremainsanimpedimenttoIMFcredibility,legitimacyandeffectiveness,”lashed the G-24 group of emergingeconomies at the IMF-World Bankmeetingsthisweek.

InternationalizingrenminbiThe AIIB is not the only front of

China'schallengetotheoldUS-centeredglobaleconomicstructure.

After decades of closely controllingitscurrency,therenminbioryuan,Chinaisnowmovingtointernationalizeit,andasking that it be included in the IMF'sbenchmark basket ofmajor currencies,known as SDRs, or special drawingrights.

Thatmove, which could happen asearlyas2016,wouldofficiallyelevatetheyuan toworldstatusandboostChina'sprestigeinsidetheIMF.Inquirer.net

What GDP, GNP don't tell usByCielitoF.Habito

Notafewquestionhowtoomuch i s made o f gross domestic product (GDP) orgross national product (GNP),asiffasterGDPorGNPgrowthdenotesimprovedwellbeinginthe country. It does not. Eveneconomists will assert that itwasnevermeantto.TheUnitedStates may have the highestaggregateGDPintheworld,butwe certainly can't say thatAmericans are collectivelyb e t t e r o f f t h an peop l e anywhere else. Last year, thePhilippine economy shone asthe second fastest-growingeconomyintheworld,withits6.1-percent GDP growth, andanevenfaster6.3-percentGNPgrowth. But we all know wecannot claim that Filipinosimprovedtheirlivesfasterlastyearthanmostotherpeoplesoftheworlddid.

GNP and GDP simplymeasurethelevelofeconomicactivity, that is, thetotalvalueof final goods and servicesproduced in the economywithin a specified period,usuallyinaquarter,orinayear.(Theword“final”isimportant,ascountingproductionofrawmaterials and intermediategoodsandserviceswouldleadtomultiplecountingofthese.)OurGNPmeasurestotalvalueof production by Filipinos,whetherhereorabroad.Thus,itcountsproductionbyFilipinoworkers overseas, and withfactorsofproductionFilipinosown, while it doesn't countp r o du c t i o n w i t h i n t h e Philippines by foreigners andforeign-owned factors ofproduction.It'shelpfultothinkof GNP as Gawa ng Pilipino.GDP, on the other hand,m e a s u r e s v a l u e o f a l l production done domestically( t h a t i s , w i t h i n t h e Philippines),regardlessofwhodid it. GDP could thus wells tand for Gawa di to sa Pilipinas.GDPtendstobemorecommonlyused,especially forinternational comparisons,beingmoreindicativeofvigorinthedomesticeconomy.

DoesrisingPhilippineGDPorGNPtellusthatthelivesofFilipinos are improving?

Certainly not. We must allunderstand what aggregateGDPorGNPtellsus,andwhatitdoesn't.

First, GDP/GNP statisticsonlymeasure production thatgoes through themarkets.Yetso much production neverdoes , a s w i th produc ts produced and consumed athome. For example, one cane i ther buy a meal in a restaurantorcookitathome.Amother can either hire theservices of a yaya, or care forherbabyherself.Ahomeownercaneitherhireaplumbertofixa leaking faucet, or fix ithimself. In each case, theformer gets counted in theGDP/GNP accounts while thelat ter doesn' t . So mucheconomicproductionismissedin the measurement simplybecause home productionactivitiesforownconsumptionare omitted. This makescomparisons across countriesof varying levels of marketdevelopmentproblematic.

GDP and GNP measureproduction of goods andservices, whatever their nature. The problem is, somegoods and serv ices are producedtooffsettheilleffectsof other production activities.Pollutioncontrolequipmentisagoodexample.Soaredrugstocure respiratory and otherenvironment-related illnesses.Productionofthesegoodsneednottakeplacehaditnotbeenforotherproductionactivitiesthat harm the environment.And yet as we sum up all oftheseproductionactivities,weare led to think that theeconomyhasimproved,simplyb e c au s e t h e re i s mo re aggregateproduction.

When youwreck your carin a road accident and injureyourself in the process, youactually raise GDP because ofthe additional repair andmedical services that becomenecessary.When a family in arich country sends off theirelderlytoanursinghome,theyraise GDP by the value of theservicesprovidedbythelatter(yet when a Filipino familydecides to care for its ownelderly, there is no effect onmeasuredGDP).Whenamajor

calamity destroys propertiesand public facilities, therebynecessitating massive repairand reconstruction, GDP goesup due to such remedialactivities.Inallthreeinstances,higher GNP is not associatedwith greater happiness, butrather the contrary. Clearly,t h e r e i s n o d i r e c t correspondence betweenGNP/GDP and happiness orwell being. This is becausegoods and se rv i ce s we consume are not ends inthemselves; they are merelymeans to increase happinessbutcanjustaswellultimatelyreduce it (take cigarettes orcasinos,forexample).

Furthermore, GDP/GNPtellsusnothingabouthowthebenefits of production aredistributed.AhighrateofGDPgrowth gives little reason torejoiceifthegrowthturnsoutto be narrowly-based, comingprimarily from a few rapidly-growing industr ies and benefittingonlyafew.Itisnotenough, then, to attain a highoutputgrowthrate;thegrowthmustalsobebroad-basedtobeofwiderbenefittothegeneralpopulation.

Finally, the GDP/GNPaccounts fail to consider thatincreasedproductionactivitiesareaccompaniedbysignificantdegradation and depreciationoftheenvironmentandnaturalresources. It has long beensuggestedthatamoreaccurateset of economic accountss h ou l d a d j u s t f o r t h i s depreciation of the “naturalcapital.” After all, privatebusinesses routinely accountfor depreciation of capitalequipment, along with otherdirect costs incurred by thefirm. What is still keeping“natural resource accounting”from being widely applied isdifficultyofmeasurement.

Fromalltheabove,it'sclearthatmuchmorethanGDP/GNPgrowth rates are needed toobtain a better and fullerappreciation of how well oureconomy is doing, and howbetter (orworse)offFilipinosare becoming. In the end, theGDP/GNPgrowthratebyitselfdoesn't really tell us much.Inquirer.net

PHsaidtobe...Frompage20

BPO industry is projected to have 1.3millionemployees.Therapidgrowthofthis industry is also driving economicdevelopmentinanumberofcitiesacrossthe Philippines, with Manila and Cebunowrankedamongtheworld'sleadingBPO hubs. Also, remittances fromFilipinoworkers abroad rose to a newrecordof$26.9billionin2014-up6.2percent from the level seen in 2013,providingakeysourceofstrengthforthePhilippines'balanceofpayments.

Overseas workers' remittancesdirectlysupportconsumerexpenditureand residential housing construction,becomingakeydriverofGDPgrowthinthePhilippines.

Inthelongterm,thedevelopmentofthe Philippines will depend on themanufacturingsector'scompetitiveness- whether it can effectively harnessforeignanddomesticinvestmentflows.

“This will require considerableimprovement of the business climate,withthePhilippinesstillrankedverylowglobally on the World Bank's ease ofdoing business rankings,” Biswas said.Inquirer.net

ByNestorCorrales

SeniorsOfficialsoftheAssociationo f the As ia -Pac i f i c Economic Coope ra t i on (Ape c ) member economies met on Wednesday, April22 , to discuss strategies andinnovationsonimprovingthestateoftheautomotiveindustryintheregion.

The 22nd Apec AutomotiveDialogue attendedbymore than100participants was formally opened attheDusitThaniHotelinMakati.

TradeAssistantSecretaryCeferinoRodolfo, keynote speaker during theevent, highlighted the importance ofthe Asia-Pacific region in theautomotivesector.

Rodolfocitedtheimportanceoftheintegration of small and mediumenterprises(SMEs)inthe“AutomotiveGlobalValueChains.”

Th i s means Apec member economies are “encouraged to movetowardmore integrated regional andglobal approaches to automotive

policies.”Rodolfosaidtheautomotivedialogue was an avenue for Apecmember economies to formulatestrategiesand integratedevelopmentto the automotive industry in theregion.

The Apec Automotive Dialogue,which the Philippines last hosted inApril22,2005,willlastuntilApril24.

Thedialogueispartoftheseriesofdialogues among senior officials ofApecbefore the23rdApecEconomicLeaders' Meeting in the country thisNovember.

Apec has 21member economies,namelyAustralia,BruneiDarussalam,Canada, Chile, People's Republic ofChina, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan,Republic of South Korea, Malaysia,Mexico, New Zealand, Papua NewGuinea, Peru, Republic of thePhilippines, Russia, Singapore, ChineseTaipei(Taiwan),Thailand,theUn i t ed S t a te s , and V i e tnam . Inquirer.net

AutoindustryatcenterofApecofficialsmeet


Lewis debut film “With Child” to be featured in SOHO Int’l Film Festival NYC

“Three years ago, Titus Heckel wrote WITH CHILD with my friend Kerry van der Griend in mind to play the lead. Kerry suggested me for the role of Petra, and when I read the script, I thought it would be a good fit for my first film as lead producer. It has been an utter joy to work with this team, and I love the message of the film: What we choose now affects our past,” says Leslie Lewis, the elder daughter of Fil-Am civic leader and philanthropist Loida Nicolas Lewis.

NEWYORK,NewYork(April10,2015)--Afterbeingshortlistedintheprestigious2014 Cannes Film Festival Critics'Week,theindependentfilm“WithChild”willnowbeheadliningthe2015SOHOInternationalFilm Festival NYC at the Village EastCinema,Auditorium1onMay16,Saturdayfrom4:20pmto6:20pm.Thefestivalwillfeatureappearancesbyandpost-screeningQ&Awiththecastandcrew.

DirectedbyTitusHeckel,thefilmtellsthe story of a blue-collar constructionworker,AudenPrice (portrayedbyKerryvanderGriend)andhis journeyafterhiswife's death. Despite protests from hissister-in-law,Audenchoosestoraisehis4-montholddaughteralone.Heencounterschallengesasasingledadlookingforwork,andthensoonfindshimselfspunaroundbytheromanticadvancesofhiseccentricnewemployer,PetraDell(playedbyLeslieLewis).

Leslie Lewis is an accomplishedtheateractor,bestknownforcreatingandstarring in Miracle in Rwanda, a one-woman show based on the life ofImmaculée Ilibagiza, who survived theRwandan genocide in 1994. Over 10,000theatergoers in six continents have seenthe show. Lewis is also passionate aboutfitness, being a certified yoga instructorand co-author of the “Athlete MindsetWorkbook.”HerroleasPetraDellin“With

Child”isherfirstappearanceasaleadinafeaturefilm.

“There isathin linebetweencomedyandtragedy,andIamfascinatedwiththeoddappropriatenessofcomedyinthelightofsadnessandviceversa.Myfilmstraddlesthisline,”saysdirectorTitusHeckel,whoisalso co-producer with Lewis. Heckel'swide-rangingeducation,whichincludesadegreeinphysicsandaMaster'sdegreeintheology,giveshimauniqueperspectiveonthestorieshetells.“WithChild”ishisfirstfeaturefilm,whichbeganitsfestivalrunatthe largest Asian Film Festival in Busan2014.

To watch the trailer of “With Child,”v i s i t t h e i r o f f i c i a l w e b s i t e : www.WithChildMovie.com.

To purchase tickets to the May 16North American Premiere screening ofWithChildattheSOHOInternationalFilmF e s t i v a l : h t t p : / / c h i l d b r i d g e . Eventbrite.com.

YoumayalsosupporttheirIndiegogoCampaignathttp://bit.ly/withchild.

SOHOInternationalFilmFestivalMission. By enticing filmmakers,

journalistsandcineastesfromtheUSandacrosstheglobe,SOHOFilmFestexpectstodrawaudiences toNewYorkCity,knownfor its artistic community and culturalsophistication, helping boost the profile,

thesenseofpride,andtheeconomyofthelocalcommunityandthecityitself.

GeneralInformation.Acceptingfull-length features , short f i lms anddocumentaries from professionals andamateursalike, SOHOFilmFestwillholdscreenings,panels andhost social eventsand other networking opportunities foreveryoneinvolved.Leadingfiguresfromalldisciplines of the film industry includingdistributors and media will be inattendance.

SOHO Film Fest's Executive Directorand Head of Programming is SibylSantiago, daughter of Filipino veteranactressanddirectorLorliVillanueva,andarecipient of The Outstanding FilipinoAmericansinNY,Arts&CultureAwardatCarnegieHall.

'Ekstra' hailed as best foreign feature film in Houston fest

Jeffrey Jeturian's drama-comedyfilm“Ekstra”washailedasthegrandwinner for best foreign feature filmduringtheawardingritesofthe48thWorldFest-Houston InternationalFilmFestivalheldonSaturday,April18,inTexas.

Ekstra, which starred seasonedactress Vilma Santos, also won aplatinumRemiawardforthecomedycategoryinthefilmfestival.

Teen actor Jake Vargas wasnamed“BestRisingStar”forthefilm“Asintado,”whickalsobaggedagoldRemiaward.

Inthe“maturethemes”category,Joel Lamangan's “Kamkam” wasawardedagoldRemi,anhonoralsogiventoPerciIntalan's“Dementia”inthehorror/fantasygenre,.

Theannual film festival,nowonits48thedition,honorsexcellenceinvarious types of independent filmsandfilmmaking.

For this year's edition, only 51filmswerechosentopremiereinthefestival out of 500 entries fromaroundtheglobe.AJH/WithareportfromBayaniSanDiegoJr.Inquirer.net

Jeffrey Jeturian is overjoyed for “Ekstra's” best foreign feature film win at the 48th WorldFest Houston International Film Festival. Photo by Louie Ignacio

PHstaratherfilm'sDenmarkscreenings

Filipino actress MercedesCabraltraveledtoCopenhagentoattendaspecialscreeningof“Ros i t a ,” w i t h d i re c to r Frederikke Aspöck, at theHjørring Bio Center on April14.Thenextday,shegracedapreview with the Filipinocommunity and the galascreening wi th cos tars , including Jens Albinus and

Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, at theDagmarTeatret.“It'sawesometobeback,toseethecastandcrew again,” Cabral said. “Ifinallygot towatch theentirefilm.”

Albinus appeared in Larsvon Trier's “Nymphomaniac:Vol. I” in2013.Følsgaardwasbest actor at the BerlinInternationalFilmFestival for

“ARoyalAffair”in2012.Cabralplays the titular character in“Rosita,” about a mail-orderbridetornbetweenalonelyoldman and his son. It is hersecond foreign feature film,a f ter Park Chan-wook 's “Thirst,” which premiered inCannes in 2009. Bayani SanDiegoJr.Inquirer.net

The stars of “Rosita” at the gala screening, Dagmar Teatret (from left): Jens Albinus, Mercedes Cabral and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard Photos courtesy of Shandii Bacolod


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April 24-30, 2015

All Iza Calzado wanted: a BenCab portraitByMarinelR.Cruz

Preparing to perform in amusicalplayforthefirsttimethismonth, IzaCalzado isabundleofnerves.

“Who wouldn't be?” Calzado,32, exclaimed when the Inquirerasked. “But I'm excited, too,because it's something new, after13 years in the business.” Sheadded,“Thestoryof'Sabel'isverybeautiful. I have faith in DirekFreddie (Santos). He takes goodcareofme.”

Santos, who directs “Sabel:LoveandPassion,”alsowrote thelyricsandlibretto.TheplaywillbestagedatTheTheatreinSolaireonApril30.

Theprojectwasinspiredbythecharacter Sabel, a scavenger thatNational Artist for Visual ArtsBenedicto “BenCab” Cabrera firstphotographed and sketched in1965.

Santos said Calzado was hisfirst“andonly”choicetoplaythepart.“There'ssomethingaboutIzathat strikes us as loony, I don'tknowwhy,”hequipped.“Whenhername was brought up, everyoneimmediately agreed. I'm just glad

she's available. She's supposed tobeabroad,studying.”

Forthemusical,Calzadowillbeoutfitted in rags. She recentlyposedforBenCabfortwoportraits,oneofwhichwillbeused for thepublicityposter.TheInquirerwasinvitedtothetwo-hoursession.

Though edgy at this point,Calzadohasfoundtherightframeofmind for theperformance.Theonlythingthatdauntsherishaving

to deliver long lines of poetry inEnglish.Onceshegets thatdown,shesaid,“IwilljustbeSabel.”

She related, “The images ofSabel that I saw in the BenCabMuseuminBaguiomovedmeinaway I still can't describe. Maybebecause she's an icon, or maybebecause I'mvain, Iaskedonly forone thing when the role wasoffered to me: to be painted byBenCabasSabel.”

Santos described the play as“experimental.” She explained,“There'sonlyonecharacter,Sabel.

She tells her story while thePhilippine Ballet Theater (PBT)

interprets it. It is set tomusic byLouie Ocampo and sung by localstageactors.”

Sheherselfwillnotbesinging,Calzadoclarified.“Iwilldance-atleast I'm sure of movement -thoughnotatthelevelofPBT.”

Santos noted that BenCab'swork inspired the idea o f incorporating dance. “There's somuchmovementinhispaintings.”

H e ' s h o p i n g f o r a n “international crowd” in theaudience “because it's a veryFilipinostory.”

The story is set in a “reallydynamic” period in the country'shistory: “The Spaniards have leftandtheAmericanshavejusttakenover.”

Incidentally,BenCabmarkshis50thyearasavisualartistthisyear.“I'm[mounting]aretrospectiveineight museums around thecountry. The musical opens myyearlong celebration,” he told theInquirer.

The Lopez Museum wil l showcasehisbookart;theCulturalCenter of the Philippines, hisgraphics; and the Ayala Museum,hisportraits.Inquirer.net

Iza Calzado (left) says BenCab's paintings of “Sabel” move her in ways she can't describe.

BenCab created two portraits of Iza as Sabel, one of which will be used for the publicity poster.

Comedian Ritchie d'Horsie diesComedian Ritchie d'Horsie

passedawayonFriday(April17)evening.Hewas58yearsold.

His niece April Alcober toldINQUIRER.net that he died ataround9:24p.m.onFridayinhisresidence.

Alcober said the comedian,whose real name is RicardoReyes,wasdiabeticandhadbeenhaving a hard time breathingduringthepastseveraldays.

She said they attribute thedeathtomultipleorganfailure.

His last dialysis session wasextremely difficult for him,Alcobersaid.

Actress-scriptwriter BibethOrteza on Saturday (April 18)morningpostedonherFacebook

page, “Rest in peace, RicardoReyes, aka Ritchie D'Horsie.Godspeed.”

Ortezasaidtheactorhadbeen“in and out of the hospital.” Shesaid the last time theysaweachother, he was already on awheelchair,waiting forVicSottoatthestudioofEatBulaga.

Reyeswasamongthecastofpopular comedy show “IskulBukol.”Healsostarredinseveralfilms.

Orteza,whowashisco-starin“Iskul Bukol,” said Reyes was a“ga tungero” who en joyed “stokingupfiresforfun.”KS/Witha report fromBayani SanDiego.Inquirer.net

Ritchie d'Horsie. Screen grab from YouTube


GMANetworkisthePhilippines'BiggestWinnerinthe2015NewYorkFestivals

GMANetworkisthePhilippines'BiggestWinneratthe2015NewYorkFestivals, bringing home 4 WorldMedalsand4FinalistCertificatesforitsNewsandPublicAffairsprograms.

GMA's late-night documentaryprogramFrontRow,ledthewinnersasitbaggedtheGoldWorldMedalinthe Best Public Affairs Programcategory for its feature on then e u r o d e g e n e r a t i v e d i s e a s e AmyotrophicLateralSclerosis(ALS).The documentary took viewersbeyondtheviralIceBucketChallengeandshowedtherealstorybehindthedisease in the eyes of ALS patientsandtheirfamilies.

GMA a f t e r n o on p ro g ram Reporter's Notebook won a BronzeWorld Medal in the CommunityPortraits category for its “Burak atPangarap” episode. The storycentered on twelve-year-old Junjunwhosefamilywaslefthomelesswhenafirerazedtheirhomeandmorethanahundredotherhouses inMalabonCity.

GMA News TV's MotorcycleDiaries took home a Bronze WorldMedal in the Human Concerns

category for its “KarapatanngBata”episode. The episode showed howpoverty denies countless Filipinochildrentheirbasicrights.

GMA News TV's “May Pag-asa”Station ID, a collection of stories ofhopewhichrevealedthelittleknowntragediesandchallengesbehind thesuccess of the channel's on-camerapersonalities, also won a BronzeWorld Medal in the Station/ImagePromotioncategory.

FourmoreFinalistsrecognitionswere awarded to GMA Network.These included Kapuso Mo, JessicaSoho, Katipunan, Reel Time and“WalangRapesaBontok,”oneofthewinningentriesinthefirstCineTotooPhilippine Documentary FestivalproducedbyGMANewsTV.

TheNewYorkFestivalsawardedits2015winnersataceremonyheldat the National Association ofBroadcasters' Conference in LasVegas lastApril14.Nowonits57thyear, the Festivals honored theworld'sbestTVprogramsand filmsfrom among entries submitted byover50countries.

From left, Exec. Producer Joseph Conrad Rubio, Motorcycle Diaries Host Jay Taruc, Reporter's Notebook Host Maki Pulido, Reporter's Notebook Exec. Producer Ian Carlos Simbulan and Program Manager Nena Dumol at the 2015 New York Festivals

Kapuso PrimetimeQueenMarianRiverahaswithdrawn from herupcoming program “TheRichMan'sDaughter”andh e r GMA P i n oy TV guestings abroad due toher delicate condition.GMA Ne twork f u l l y s u p p o r t s M a r i a n ' s decision and strongly

believes that Marian andher baby's safety is firstand foremost. We wouldl i k e t o a s s u r e h e r supporters that Marianwillstillbeseeninvariousshows in the KapusoNetwork. We pray for ah e a l t h y a n d h a p py pregnancy for our dearMarian.

GMA Network's Official Statement on Marian Rivera

Marian Rivera

Rhian Ramos replaces pregnant Marian Rivera in GMA soap

Actress Rhian Ramos hasbeen tapped to replace thepregnantMarianRivera in theupcomingGMAlesbian-themedTVsoapopera“TheRichMan'sDaughter.”

GMA head writer SuzetteDoctolero in a post on herFacebook page and a textmessage from GMA CorporateCommunication head AngelJavier separately confirmedthat Ramos will take overRivera'srole.

Docto lero a lso asked Rivera's fans to continuesupportingtheprogram.

“The Rich Man's Daughtertaping today. Rhian Ramos isthenewJadereplacingmydearMarian (namasaya ngayon sakanyang medyo sensitibongipinagbubuntis). I hope andpraythattheeverloyalMarianfans / supporters will stillsupport the show (lalo't walanamang may kasalanan),”Doctolerosaid.

InastatementsentthroughPep.PH, Ramos said that she“looksforwardtothechallengeo f p o r t r a y i n g R i v e r a ' s character.”

The announcement wasmade three days after Riverabacked out from the projectcitingthedelicateconditionofherpregnancy.

“TheRichMan'sDaughter”

featuresalivestoryofawomaninlovewithanotherwoman.

The “Kapuso PrimetimeQ u e e n ” m a r r i e d a c t o r DingdongDantes inDecember2014.ThecoupleconfirmedonApril 13 that the actress wast w o -m o n t h s p r e g n a n t . AU/AJH/ With a report fromBayaniSanDiegoJr.,PhilippineDailyInquirer

Rhian Ramos. Inquirer file photo

Kim Chiu hopes she has found Mr. RightByArvinMendoza

HasKimChiufinallyfoundher“Mr.Right”?

Actress K im Chiu on Tuesday, April 21, said shehoped she had already foundheronetruelove.

“SanasiyangasiMr.Right…alamnamanponatinkungsinoang malapit sa 'kin ngayon,”Kim said during the launch ofher new album at VanillaCupcake Bakery on MotherIgnaciaStreet,QuezonCity.

“Mr. Right,” composed byChristianMartinez,isthelatestsingle in the actress' albumentitled“ChinitaPrincess.”

KimsaidshededicatedthesongtoactorXianLim,whowasalso her leading man in thesong's music video whichwouldbereleasedsoon.

OnMonday,Xianpostedonhis Instagram a lengthybirthday message for Kim,saying what they have wasspecial.

“From our first time onscreen together, and our firstpicoutsideofwork…Somuchhas changed. From being astrangerfromallthewayacross

t he wor ld , you became someone I can trust, someonewhowill be there bymy side,fightingandconqueringbattlesofeverydaylife,”Xiansaid.

KimsaidshewassurprisedXian didn't greet her on herbirthday,April19.Shesaidtheactorlaterexplainedtoherthathefearedshemightnotgethismessage due to the deluge ofgreet ings she would be receivingthatday.

“Angsarapsapakiramdam

namay taong shoulder to cryon,na'andyanlangsiyalagiforme,”Kimsaid.

ChinitaPrincess,Kim'sgiftto her beloved fans, includesfive original song and onerevival.

She said her songs, whichhaveadashofpop,acousticandballad, reflected the currentstateofherheartandmind.

“Gusto ko kung ano yungnararamdaman ko ngayon,

Kim Chiu welcomes the members of the press during her grand album launch at Vanilla Cupcake Bakery, Mother Ignacia St., Quezon City. Adrian Gonzales

WhatAlessandralearnedfrombeingMommyD

MANILA--AlessandradeRossithoughtitwas"genius"ideatocastherintheroleofMannyPacquiao'smother, Dioinisia Pacquiao orMommy D, in the biopic "KidKulafu."

De Rossi agreed that she hassimilaritieswiththepopular"Pac-Mom." Playing her, however,a dm i t t e d l y p r ove d t o b e challenging for the 30-year-oldactress.

"Nakaka t awa a ko n ang bonggang-bongga,"shesaid,whenaskedhowshe reactedwhen shewas offered the role. "Feeling konapaka-geniusnungnakaisip.Kasisi Mommy D, 'di ba, seryoso nanakakatawa. May pagka ganoondin ako, eh, 'yung mahirit , malikot."

According to de Rossi, whileshe did not meet Mommy Dpersonally,shestudiedafootageof

Alessandra de Rossi

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April 24-30, 2015

KimChiuhopes...Frompage25

kungano'yunggustokongiparamdamsaibangtao,gustokonasaloobngCDko.”

Her secret for staying happy?“ExpressYourself,”thesixthsonginthealbum.

“Ayokong mag-stay lang sa ibangbagay na comfort zone ko. Gusto konakapalibotsa'kinmasasayangtao…ayokong i-dwell 'yung problema sa'kin.”

For all the basherswho said thatshe couldn't sing, she offered the

upbeattrack,“SayWeDon'tCare.”“Inunahankona silabagopanila

tanungin bakit nag-release si Kim ngalbum,”shesaid.

In2007,StarMusicreleasedKim'sfirst solo album “Gwa Ai Di,” whichreceivedagoldandaplatinumaward.

HerfirstnationwidealbumlaunchonApril19atEastwoodMallwassoldout.“ThefirsttimeinthehistoryofStarMusic,”producerRoxSantossaid.

“The songsare easy to singalongwithandveryrelatable,”Santosadded.

Theotherthreesongsincludedinthe album are “Darating Din,” “WalaMan Sa'yo Ang Lahat” and “Someday(CrazyLove).”RC.Inquirer.net

WhatAlessandralearned...Frompage25

her interview to get hermannerismsandspeechpatternsright.

Explaining her approach to therole,shesaid:"Angginawako,paranghalu-halo ng caricature, abstract andrealism,paranamanma-feellahat."

Asked what she learned fromportrayingMommyD,deRossisaidsherealized the important part thatmothersplayinshapingthecharacter

andfutureoftheirchildren."Kunganoangisangtao,iyonlahat

aydahilsakunganoangnanaynatin.Totoonaman,eh,"shesaid."Kunganosi Manny ngayon, kung bakit siyawinner, kung bakit siya champion,dahil tinuruan siya ng nanay niya namagdasal nang bongga-bongga, atnagingistriktoangparentsniya."

"Kid Kulafu," which was releasedWednesday in cinemas nationwide,was directed by Paul Soriano andfeatures teen actor Buboy Villar as ayoung,strugglingPacquiao.(MNS)

Filipinoclassicalsingerin'Asia's Got Talent' buzzedstraightthroughtosemisByOliverM.Pulumbarit

“I wasn't sure they'd like myperformance,but rightafter singing, Iwas very surprised by the reactionsthat I got from the judges and theaudience,” said Filipino “Asia's GotTalent” contestant Gerphil GeraldineFloresinane-mailinterview.

The24-year-oldclassicalsingergotthecoveted“GoldenBuzzer”approval,automatically sending her to thesemifinalround.This,from“oneofmyfavoriteartists,” judgeDavidFoster, inthe April 9 episode of the talent tilt.Eachofthefourjudgesgetstousethe“GoldenBuzzer”onlyonce.

“You certainly did not disappointanybody in this room. It was a reallysolidperformanceandyourpitchwasgreat,” the seasoned music producer-composersaidafterGerphil'srenditionof“SpeakSoftly,Love.”

Gerphil, who admitted to being“super-nervous” prior to her number,likewise wowed judges Melanie C,Anggun,andVanNessWu.

TensescreeningThe singer from Parañaque City

toldtheInquirerthatshewasalsotenseduring the screening process. “I wasasked to submit a two-minuteminus-one[recording]forthejudgesauditionbeforewetraveledtoSingapore.Whenwearrived,allactsweregatheredinabigholding room.ThiswaswherewewaitedforourturntogoonstageanditwasontheauditiondayitselfthatIwasinformedwhothejudgeswere.”

Tohersurprise,oneofthemwastheaforementionedproducer.“Iwasreallyshocked to [learn] that David Fosterwasoneofthem.Ithasalwaysbeenmydreamtosing[before]him.Atthesame

GERPHIL Geraldine Flores

Page27

Nikki Gil bounces back: I refuse to wallowByAllanPolicarpio

Having recently lost loveand found another, Nikki Gilsaidrecordingandreleasinganew album couldn't havecomeatabettertime.

All that transpired in thepast two years, she said,helped her give depth to thematerialsomethingthatdidn'thappen in her previousefforts.

“At the risk of soundingcheesy,Isayallthatmademycurrent work more soulful,”Nikki said of “Love Revisited(UniversalRecords)”-herfirststudioalbumsince2010,andherfifthoverall.

Nikki,whobrokeupwithsinger-TVhostBillyCrawfordin 2013, is engaged tobusinessman BJ Albert. Theyplantotietheknotbeforetheyearends.

Asongin“LoveRevisited”thatshefeelsshegavejusticetoistheRegineVelasquezhit“You'veMadeMeStronger.”

The 12- t rack a lbumfeatures well-loved Filipino

lovesongthatshepersonallyselected-suchas“You'reMyHome,”“ASmileinYourHeart,”“ I t ' s O v e r N o w ” a n d “Farewell.”ItalsoincludestheP h i l P o p 2 0 1 4 e n t r y “BabalikanMoRinAko,”whichsheinterpreted.

A n o t h e r s o n g t h a t resonated with her was RicSegreto's “Loving You,” saidthe 27-year-old celeb, who'spartial to “complexmelodiesandheartfeltlyrics.”

The one that most aptlydescribes her current state,shenoted,is“WhenIMetYou”

b y A p o H i k i n g S o c i e t y . “ E v e r y t h i n g ' s beautiful … and butterflies!”quippedNikki,who said thatsinging is her top priority atthe moment. “I missed bothworking in a studio andperforming in front of a liveaudience,”shesaid.

Asked how she quicklyb o u n c e d b a c k f r o m heartbreak, Nikki said shesimplycouldn'tholdagrudge,“I refused to wallow. Loveneverrunsout;themoreyougive, the more it will comeback.”Inquirer.net

Nikki Gil thinks her current work is more soulful


'Expendables 4' role? Pacquiao interestedByBayaniSanDiegoJr.

MANILA -- Coming soon to atheaternearyou:Pacmansluggingitoutwiththestarof“Rocky”and“Rambo.”

Last year, Hollywood starSylvester Stallone reportedlyoffered Filipino boxing championMannyPacquiaoastarringroleinthelatestinstallmentoftheactionfranchise“TheExpendables.”

Addingfueltotherumorswasthe fact that Stallone and “TheExpendables” costar and formerC a l i f o r n i a G o v . A r n o l d Schwarzenegger were spottedringside, during Pacquiao's fightwith Chris Algieri in Macau inNovember2014.

Stallone and Schwarzeneggerreportedly met with Pacquiao inthe locker room before the fightandofferedtheplumrole.

According to recent onlinereports, Stallone is courtingPacquiao,HongKongmartialartsexpert JackieChanandAmericanwrestler Hulk Hogan to join thestar-studdedfourthinstallmentof“TheExpendables”-tobeefuptheaction franchise's box-officechances.

Once again, the rumor millwent onoverdrivewhen StallonevisitedPacquiaointheWildCardGymonSaturday,April18,inLosAngeles,where the eight-divisionworldchampionistrainingforhisfightwithFloydMayweatherJr.onMay2inLasVegas.

Did Stallone and Pacquiaofinally get to talk about “TheExpendables4”?Thetwolegendsposed for several photographs -one fun snapshot (which shows

Pacquiaopunchingtheactorwhoplayed boxer “Rocky”) was evenposted by the Filipino champ onTwitter.

B u t a s f a r a s m o v i e negotiations are concerned,Pacquiao'sbusinessmanagerEricPinedaisnotthatoptimistic.

InterestedbutbusyThemovierolehadbeenonthe

tableforthelongesttime,Pineda,

whoisinManila,toldtheInquirervia text message. “[The project]hadbeenofferedbefore,”hesaid.“AndMannyisinterested.”

Production,however,willhaveto work around Pacquiao'snotoriously tight schedule. “Now,heisbusywithtrainingand,afterthefight,hewillbebusywithhiscampaign for the May 2016elections,”Pinedasaid.

Politics will inevitably get in

theway of Pacquiao'sHollywooddebut.

No, he is not running forpresident.

RunningforsenatorPacman would rather slug it

out with Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Chiz Escuderoi n s t e a d o f S t a l l o n e a n d Schwarzenegger.

Pineda said Pacquiao “is

planningtorunforsenator.”“Duetohisverybusyschedule,

therearenoconcreteplansfortheHollywood movie, [we are notsure] whether it would pushthroughornot,”Pinedasaid.

Still,itisnotuncommonfortopHollywoodstarstovisitPacquiaointhegym.

BigstarFi l ipino f i lmmaker Paul

Soriano, who directed Pacquiao'sbiopic “Kid Kulafu,” told theInquirer in a multiplatforminterview that the Filipino boxerwastreatedlikea“bigstar”intheUnitedStates.

“Hollywood stars like MarkWahlbergandJimCaviezelwouldlineupoutsidethegym,waitingfortheir turn to seehim.That is thekindofstarMannyisoutsideofthecountry.Heisrespectedandwell-loved,”Sorianosaid.

“The Avengers” stars ChrisHemsworth (yes, Thor himself)andJeremyRenner(Hawkeye)areavowedPacquiaofans,too.

Oscar nominee Liam Neesonagreed todo thenarrationof thedocumentary“Manny”becauseofhis admiration for the Filipinopugilist.

Late-night talk show hostJimmy Kimmel, also a knownsupporter, sang the inspirationalwalk-outballad“LalabanAkoparasa Pilipino” that Pacquiao hadcomposedforthefight.

So will “Kid Kulafu” takeHollywoodbystorm?

ThatcouldverywellbehisnextbigfightifMayweatherendsuponthecanvas.Inquirer.net

FUN SNAP. Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao clowns around with one of his Hollywood fans, actor Sylvester Stallone, who is also known for his film portrayal of the boxer Rocky Balboa. Photo from Manny Pacquiao's Twitter account.

New Gigi in 'Saigon' is Filipino, tooByLeaSalonga

AnotherFilipinoperformerhasjoined the West End company of“MissSaigon.”

Natalie Mendoza (who lastplayed Imelda Marcos in thecritically acclaimed production of“Here Lies Love” at the NationalTheatre in London) is replacingRachelleAnnGoasGigiastheshowentersitssecondyear.

Natalie is a “Saigon” veteran,havingpreviouslyperformedintheSydneyproduction.ShealsoplayedArachne in Broadway's “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.” Jon JonBriones (The Engineer) and EvaNoblezada(Kim)willremainintheproduction.

Congratulations,Natalie!AsforwhatRachelleAnnisup

to,weshouldstay tuned. Ihaveafeeling something incredible is inthecards.Anotherofherdreamsisabouttocometrue.

World-classIn 2003, I was a Cream Silk

“ambassador.” I did two sets ofte levis ion , pr int and radio commercials(oneset inatheater,theotherinspiredbythefilm“TheMatrix”).Now,12yearslater,Ihavereturned as part of Cream Silk's“World-Class Filipina” campaign,alongside Anne Curtis, Heart

EvangelistaandToniGonzaga.We all took part in a special

documentary titled “Portraits: ACelebration of the World-ClassFilipina,” which airs April 25, 10p.m., on ABS-CBN, and April 26,9:30p.m.,onGMA7.

The documentary, directed byrenowned f i lmmaker Marie Jamora,followsthefourofusaswe

goaboutourpassionsandpursuits.Itnarratesmyuniquelifeasa

coach on “The Voice of thePhilippines,”andasaperformerinNew York (the film crew waspresent at rehearsals and theperformance of my most recentc o n c e r t a t T o w n H a l l , “Kaleidoscope”)andhereathomeinthePhilippines.Theyweretheretoo at the last “Jammin' forHelp”concert for the Brave 44 at TheTheatreinSolaire.

The final interview was heldlast March, with Marie herself atthehelm,andManmanAngsico,afrequent theater col league, assisting her and acting asinterviewer. The one-on-onetouched on my life as I traveledthrough the West End andBroadway as a performer, to mynewestjobdescription:coach.

I f t he re' s any th ing the documentary will show, it's thatthepathworthtakingisn'talwaysaneasyone.Thereismuchsacrificeandhardship(andmorethanafewtears). But this is somethingeveryoneknows,ifwearetomakethesedreamscometrue.Thefourof us are testament to hardworkhelping realize our most ferventwishes.

TomyfellowCreamSilkbrandambassadors, congratulations oneverything! You are all truly#WorldClassFilipinas.Inquirer.net

Natalie Mendoza is a “Miss Saigon” veteran and previously played Imelda Marcos. photo by Riker Bros/FACEBOOK

Filipinoclassical...Frompage26

time, I was very nervous -myconfidencelevelwasverylow,”she said. “The judges areinternational entertainmentindustryicons.”

Gerphilsaidsheislearningtobemoresecureofhertalentand identity, especially at thisintensely competitive stage:“It'sveryimportanttostaywhoyouare,andyouhavetobelieveinyourself.Thiscompetitionistough and the only reason foryou to fail is ifyoudoubtyourtalent.”

Growingupinanartisticallyappreciativehome,Gerphilsaid,exposedhertodifferenttypesofmusic.“Itwasasimpleandyethappyatmosphere;musickeptit alive,” she recounted. “Welistened to all kindsofmusic -country, pop, Broadway, jazz

and even rock. But it wasclassical music that really gotmyattention.Igothooked.”

Two artists stood out, shesaid: “JoshGrobanandAndreaBocelli…theybothsingwithsomuch pass ion and the ir dedication to their work isincredible.”

WinorloseWin or lose, Gerphil said,

she ultimately aspires toentertain, “to perform aroundthe world and represent theP h i l i p p i n e s a s a classical/crossover singer and,h o p e f u l l y , b e c o m e a n internationalrecordingartist.”

To aspiring singers, sheadvised: “Believe in yourself,never give up and if youmustdream,dreambig!”

(“Asia's Got Talent” grandfinalsareonMay7;grandfinalsresults are on May 14. Forvoting details, visit http://as iasgotta lent . tv/vote/ . ) . Inquirer.net

For details, call us at 201-434-1114 or send an email to [email protected]

The Filipino Express is only $40

(52 copies) for one year. That’s

only 77 cents per copy and

mailed right to your home !


Pacquiao-Mayweather: in the eyes of common foesByBongLozada

ComeMay 2, Manny PacquiaoandFloydMayweatherwillgoatopthe squared circle at MGM GrandGardenArena.

Before Pacquiao-MayweatherfaceofffortheFightoftheCentury,let'stakealookathowbothfightersfaredintheotherfightswheretheyfacedsimilarenemies.

MiguelCottoPacquiaofoughtagainstMiguel

Cotto onNovember 2009 atMGMGrandforashotanunprecedentedseventhworldtitle insevenworlddivisions.

People were saying that Pacquiaowascrazyclimbinguptowelterweight to fight the WBOWelterweightchampion.

Criticisms proved futile asPacquiaoobliteratedCottoandwonvia technicalknockout in the12thround.

Incontrast,itwasarguablythetoughest fight of Mayweather'scareer.

Toughest in the sense thatMayweatherhadtoengageinarealfight against a relentless Cotto intheWBC,WBALightMiddleweightTitle unification match on May2012atMGMGrand.

Mayweatherleftthefightasthevictor but for a time in hisillustriouscareerhewasbloodied,batteredandbruised.

JuanManuelMarquezJuan Manuel Marquez' match-

upwithMannyPacquiaostretchedtoafour-partseriesthatultimatelybroughtthemostdramaticplotsinPacquiao'scareer.

Pacquiaowon two, the secondone in a head-scratching decision,Marquezwonone,viaadevastatingknockout, and they drew on the

first.MarquezputhisWBAand IBF

Featherweight titles on the linewhile Pacquiao staked his RingMagazine Featherweight title in aunification bout where the fast-rising Filipino was seen as theunderdogandtheMexicanaprimepower.

Pacquiaowasridinganintense13-fight win streak coming to hisMay2004fightagainstMarquezatMGMGrandGardenArena,andthatmomentum carried him as heflooredMarquezthreetimesinthefirst round. But Marquez held hisgroundtoreachthe12throundandseeadraw.

OnMarch 2008, Pacquiao andMarquezmetoncemore,thistimeat Mandalay Bay Resort & CasinoalsoinLasVegas.

Pacquiao sent Marquez sittingonthethirdroundwithasolidleftand that proved vital as bothfighters were almost even in thepunchcards.PacquiaooutpunchedMarquezinsixrounds,Marquezgotthebetternumberinfiveandtheywereeveninthethirdround.

A split decision gave Pacquiaothe WBC Superfeatherweight andRing Magazine Junior Lightweighttitles.

AthirdfightsawPacquiaofightinanew,andslower,mannerwhileMarquez went out hell-bent forrevenge.

Technically, Pacquiao andMarquezfoughttheir25throundonNovember2011atMGMGrand,butinathirdweightdivision.Pacquiaow a s d e f e n d i n g h i s W B O Welterweight title against theWBO/WBA lightweight championMarquez.

A more technical Pacquiaofought slower and landed lesspunches than his previous fightsshowedupagainstMayweather.Hewonviamajoritydecisiontoretain

his title. This uneventful showingultimatelyledtothefourthfight.

OnDecember2012attheMGMGrand,PacquiaoandMarquezmetoncemore.Notitleswereatstake,just bragging rights. Both fightersweredetermined toputanend tocontroversies.

Andtheybothdelivered.Marquez knocked Pacquiao

down in the third round then thePacman sent Dinamita down thematinthefourthround.

Comethesixthround,withonlyasecondtospareandMarquezonthe corner, Pacquiao attacked.ButMarquez sneaked in a powerfulright and Pacquiao was down forthecount,his firstknockout in13years.

Finallytherewasaclearwinner.Unlikeafour-fightseriesfought

across three weight divisions,Mayweather and Marquez onlyfought once back on September2009 at the MGM Grand GardenArena.

Mayweather,whojustcameoutof retirement for this one, wasstepping in the ring againstMarquez for bragging rightsbetween the sport's premierdefensivefighters.

M a y w e a t h e r w o n v i a unanimous decision but it wasn'twithout controversy. Marquez, 18monthspriortothefight,wasa130pounder then had to move towelterweightforthefight.

ShaneMosleyA fight between friends,

PacquiaoandShaneMosleyborenoanimosity towards each otherleadingupfortheirMay2011fightatMGMGrand.

Pacquiaoenteredthefightwitha 13-fight win streak and wasnamed the no.1 pound-for-poundboxer in the world according toRingMagazine.

Whileitwasveryfriendlyaffairbetweenthetwo,PacquiaostillsentMosleytothematwithasolidleft.Pacquiao retained his WBOWelterweightbelt.

Mosleyhadthechancetofinallydent the perfect record of Mayweather on May 2010 at theMGMGrand,buthecouldonlydosomuch.

M aywe a t h e r, u s u a l l y a defensive minded fighter, wentaggressiveandthisalmostcosthimthematch.MosleyrockedhiminthesecondroundbutMoneystillfounda way to win via unanimousdecision.

RickyHattonPacquiao entered the realm of

the welterweights for his fightagainstHattonanditgunningforasixthtitleinasmanydivisionswasseenasapreposterousmove.

Hatton put his Ring MagazineLight Welterweight title against,thattime,theworld'sbestboxeronMay2009atMGMGrand.

EvenPacquiao's stature as thebest boxer in theworld could notsparehimfromcriticswhosaidthata featherweight fighting a lightwelterweight, a champion at that,for the first time is just askinghimselftogetbeaten.

It was as if the world hadforgottenhowPacquiaoobliteratedh i s o pponen t i n h i s f i r s t welterweight fight five monthsprior. His opponent? Oscar De LaHoya.

With all the hype surroundingthefight,you'dthinkitwillbealongone, yet Pacquiao ended it in thesecond round with a vicious left,arguably oneof his best knockoutpunchesofhiscareer.

Both fighters entered the fightwith undefeated records but onlyone leftMGM Grand in December2007witha stillperfect record. It

wasMayweather.Hattonenteredthelavisharena

withapre-dominantBritishcrowdbutallthosecheerswenttonaughtas Mayweather dominated theManchesternative.

Mayweather scored a decisive10throundknockoutastheBritishsangfortheirfallenhero.

OscarDeLaHoyaIt was the match that saw

Pacquiaoshowcasehisdevastatingpower in a new and unfamiliarterritory,thewelterweightdivision.

Pacquiao faced his idol, theGoldenBoy,Mr.OscarDeLaHoyaonDecember 2008 atMGMGrand inhisfirstfightaswelterweight.

Fromtheopeningbell,Pacquiaowasthebiggerman.Fromrounds1to 8 it was the Manny Pacquiaoshow. Combos left and right,Pacquiao was in the zone, a zonewherenomortalman canachieveeasily.

At thestartof theninthroundDeLaHoya'scornerstopsthefight.

Therewasafightinthering,buttherewasmore.

Yes Mayweather won via splitdecisionintheirMay2007fightatMGMGrandandtooktheWBClightmiddleweightbelt,butitwasFloydJr.andFloydSr.whowerethestory.

FloydSr.hadbeenDeLaHoya'strainer forsevenyearsandSeniorhadthepotentialtotrainafighterwhowashell-bentonknockinghissonout.

Still,despitehowestrangedtheMayweatherswere,theystillfoundreconciliation with Senior behindJuniorandPacquiaotrainerFreddieRoachbehindDeLaHoya.

I t was fami ly mag i c a s Mayweather took the victory andDe La Hoya lost confidence inRoach.Inquirer.net

Manny Pacquiao watches as the referee consults with Miguel Angel Cotto of Puerto Rico (L) and stops the fight in their WBO Welterweight Championship fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on November 14, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao won his seventh world title in as many divisions. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTON

US boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L) and Puerto Rico's Miguel Cotto (R) duel it out on May 5, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada, during their Super Welterweight Championship fight. Mayweather Jr. defeated Cotto on a unanimous decision in the 12-roud bout. AFP PHOTO/Frederic J. BROWN

Referee Kenny Bayless (C) holds back Juan Manuel Marquez (R) as Manny Pacquiao (L) lies face down on the mat after being knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez on December 8, 2012, at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP PHOTO / John Gurzinski

Floyd Mayweather of the US (R) punches Juan Manuel Marquez of Mexico in their Welterweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena September 19, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS

Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines (R) lands a punch against Shane Mosley of the US (L) during their bout for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title at the Garden Arena in the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 7, 2011. Pacquiao retained the WBO welterweight title by beating Mosley to extend his winning streak to 14 bouts. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS

Floyd Mayweather Jr. throws a right to the head of Shane Mosley during the welterweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 1, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mayweather Jr. defeated Mosley by unanimous decison. Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images/AFP

ACROSS 1. Free-for-all 6. Travelled through water 10. Part of an ear 14. Hawaiian veranda 15. Sharpen 16. Found on a finger 17. Ancient Greek marketplace 18. Decays 19. Accomplished 20. Sermon on the Mount 22. Therefore 23. Soak 24. Eagle's nest 26. Lingo 30. 60s dancers 32. Birdlike 33. Hairy 37. Pins 38. Threesomes 39. Smell 40. Onetime 42. Diving bird 43. French for "Red" 44. Very small 45. Tiara 47. Buff 48. To fancy (archaic) 49. Careful 56. As well 57. Anagram of "Dome" 58. Indian antelope 59. Slender 60. Type of cereal grass 61. Overgrown with ivy 62. Small horse 63. Blend 64. American retailer

DOWN

1. Tell all 2. Anger 3. Dwarf buffalo 4. Verruca 5. Go-between 6. Gesture of indifference 7. Comes from trees 8. Initial wager 9. Communications 10. Underline 11. New Zealand native 12. Overindulge 13. Margarine

21. 2,000 pounds 25. Dawn goddess 26. Jest 27. Affirm 28. Trailer trucks 29. Culinary art 30. Cunning 31. Double-reed woodwind 33. Snob 34. Biblical garden 35. Anagram of "Snob" 36. 3 38. Roars

41. Expression of surprised admiration 42. Beginning 44. Bar bill 45. A stringed instrument 46. Varnish ingredient 47. Anagram of "Merit" 48. Stinging insect 50. Modify 51. Hubs 52. Rant 53. Largest continent 54. Layer 55. Terminates


Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines stands over Ricky Hatton of England after Pacquiao knocked him out in the second round during their junior welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena May 2, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Al Bello/Getty Images/AFP

British Ricky Hatton (R) battle with US Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, 08 December 2007. WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. won by K.O and keep his WBC title. AFP PHOTO GABRIEL BOUYS

Manny Pacquiao (R) hits Oscar De La Hoya in the fifth round of their welterweight bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena December 6, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (R) and Oscar De la Hoya exchange blows in their WBC Super Welterweight world championship boxing match 05 May 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Floyd Mayweather remained undefeated by winning a 12-round split decision over Oscar de la Hoya 05 May to take the World Boxing Council super-welterweight title in an epic slugfest of US rivals. AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK

ByRoyLuarca

HOLLYWOOD--This isno trash talk fromFreddieRoach.MannyPacquiao'schieftraineronSunday,April19,saidthatforallhisreputationasadefensivegeniusandtremendouscounterpuncher,FloydMayweatherJr.isfarfrominfallible.

Roach said that Mayweather commits too manymistakesinthering-lapsesthatheexpectsPacquiaotopounceonintheirgiganticwelterweighttitleunificationclashonMay2attheMGMGrandGardenArenainLasVegas.“Hemakessomanymistakes,”saidRoachoftheunbeaten pound-for-pound king. “He's gifted but hemakesalotofmistakes.”The55-year-oldRoach,aseven-time Trainer of the Year awardee, cited specificexamples.

“Herollsbuthedoesn'tcounter,”saidRoach,himselfa former topnotchboxer. “Hedoesn't comebackwithwhat that roll created. Those are things that Eddie(Roach's late trainer, Futch) taught me but I wasn'ttalentedenough.”

While agreeing thatMayweatherhas the talent todominatehisfoes,Roachsaidhewillhavehishandsfullagainst Pacquiao. Aside from being a southpaw,Pacquiaodeliverspunchesinbunches,manycominginweirdangles,andaretoofasttobedeflected,Roachsaid.

HenotedthatMayweatherhasalowknockoutrate(55.52percent)because“hedoesn'tfinishthejob.”

“Thebestthing[Mayweather]doesisfeint-he'sthebestfeinterintheworld,”saidRoach,whoclaimstohavecomeupwithaplantohaltMayweather'sunbeatenrun.

AllthatPacquiaoneedstodoislistentohimonfightnightandexecutethegameplan,hesaid.

Mayweather himself has describedPacquiao,whohas beenbeaten five times, the last via a sixth-roundknockout by Mexican rival Juan Manuel Marquez in2012,asmistake-ladenandreckless.Inquirer.net

Roach: Mayweather will pay for his lapses

EXPRESS CROSSWORD

Solution to Issue 16 CrosswordSolution to Issue 16 Sudoku

EXPRESS SUDOKUHOW TO PLAY: Place a number from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that each row, each column and each 3x3 block contains all the numbers from 1 to 9


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THE FILIPINO EXPRESSTHE FILIPINO EXPRESSApril 24-30, 2015