MANILA, July 10 (Mabuhay) – The fi ve-member United Nations (UN) arbitral tribunal based in The Netherlands is set to delib-erate on Friday whether or not it will give weight to the Philip-pines’ arguments on the jurisdic-tion of the case it fi led against China.

In a statement, deputy presi-dential spokesperson Usec. Abi-gail Valte said the tribunal will be convening Friday to assess the presentations made by the Philip-pines during the past two days on its claims against China.

“In the past two days, the Phil-ippines presented its arguments to prove that the tribunal has jurisdiction over the matter and that there is no bar to the exercise of its jurisdiction,” Valte, who is part of the government’s delega-tion to the arbitration proceed-ings, said.

“The Philippines will await

word if it will be propounded ad-ditional questions by members of the tribunal,” she added.

Should the tribunal’s mem-bers have further questions to the Philippine side, another round of arguments will be held on July 13.

During the fi rst day of the ar-bitration hearings, Foreign Af-fairs Secretary Albert del Rosario urged the tribunal to exercise its jurisdiction over the Philippines’ case against China, citing its global importance.

Foreign lawyers have also been presenting arguments before the tribunal on why it should take up the case. They also asserted the Philippines’ environmental and fi shing claims against China dur-ing the second day of the hearing.

China, however, has refused to participate in the arbitration proceedings, insisting instead on bilateral talks to settle its territo-rial dispute with the Philippines.

Vol. 4. No. 42 LOS ANGELES Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015

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‘rocky’

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MANILA, July 11 (Mabuhay) – The Philippine delegation to The Hague is prepared to fi eld clar-ifi catory questions from the ar-bitral tribunal handling the case the Philippines fi led regarding its maritime dispute with CHina, Malacañang said Saturday.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the tribunal is like-ly to ask the clarifi catory ques-tions during the second round of oral arguments on July 13.

“Ito ay ginagawa nila kapag may kaunting clarifi cation na itatanong uli. Handa ang ating panel isagot ang kanilang kata-nungan,” he said on state-run dzRB radio, referring to the sec-ond round of arguments.

Lacierda said the lawyers in

the Philippine delegation are ready, adding they had one year to prepare themselves on the case.

Earlier, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the Philip-pines is to argue its case before the Arbitral Tribunal in the Per-manent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands on July 7 to 13. It said the hearings will address the issue of the Arbitral Tribunal’s jurisdiction over the case.

Presenting the Philippine po-sition is Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, as agent of the Philip-pines, together with counsels from Washington D.C.-based law fi rm Foley and Hoag, headed by Paul Reichler. (MNS)

Rescue personnel from Malabon City conduct a routine check of fl ooded areas using an amphibian tricycle at the Artex Compound in Malabon City on Thursday. The Artex Compound is a cluster of houses inside a compound that has been constantly under fl ood, with or without rains, for several years now. (MNS photo)

MANILA, July 9 (Mabuhay) – After an “impassioned plea” from the foreign affairs secretary, the American lawyers of the Phil-ippine government argued on Wednesday before the United Nations arbitral tribunal in The Hague the strength of the coun-try’s environmental and fi shing claims in the South China Sea.

During the fi rst day of oral arguments Tuesday, Foreign Af-fairs Secretary Albert Del Ro-sario accused China of violating international law by seizing ter-ritories in South China Sea “with overwhelming force.”

Deputy Presidential Spokes-person Abigail Valte said the sec-ond session focused on the coun-try’s arguments against China that did not involve territorial

disputes.“Professor Alan Boyle pre-

sented to the tribunal arguments regarding the strength of the Philippines’ environmental and fi shing claims against China” she said.

In addition to China’s claim on islands and maritime features within the 200-mile exclusive economic zones of its neighbor-ing countries, it has also been accused of adversely affecting the environment and fi shing com-munities with its massive recla-mations in the environmentally sensitive area.

Environmental group Ka-likasan PNE has called Chinese reclamation activities as an “eco-logical time bomb” that has been “wreaking havoc to the region’s

marine ecology.”Malacañang has sent a team

to represent the country in the arbitral tribunal, which will de-cide whether China’s nine-dash line claim is valid. China claims about 90 percent of South China Sea amid overlapping claims by other Asian countries. It has also refused to participate in the pro-ceedings and instead continued to build artifi cial islands.

“For the continuation of the First Round of Arguments, the Philippines’ lawyers further ex-plained to the Arbitral Tribunal how the case does not constitute specifi c exemptions under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which would preclude the tribu-

The 46th Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Hernando Iri-berri delivers his remarks upon assumption as head of AFP during the Testimonial Honors and AFP Change of Command Ceremony at the Tejeros Hall of the AFP Com-missioned Offi cer’s Club (AFPCOC), Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday (July 10). Iriberri replaced former AFP Chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang, Jr. following the latter’s retirement from his Tour of Duty. Lt. Gen. Iriberri is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Matikas” Class of 1983. (MNS photo)

MANILA, July 10 (Mabuhay) – Newly installed Armed Forces chief of staff Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri on Friday defended their decision to scrap the planned pur-chase of a shore-based missile sys-tem and instead, procure helmets, night goggles, and body armor.

In an interview with report-ers, Iriberri said he was the one who requested for the purchase of the helmets, night goggles, and body armor as he deemed it more important to protect the soldiers

during encounters.“We requested it to be moved

because as a commanding general of the Philippine Army, umikot ako and sa dami ng binisita ko, alam ninyo po ba na from 2014 to 2015, ang ating casualty sa ka-sundaluhan ay 280 at ang nasu-gatan ay 908 na,” he said shortly after assuming the top military post earlier in the day.

Prior to being named military chief, Iriberri served as command-

MANILA, July 10 (Mabuhay) – The commanding general of the Philippine Army has been named the new chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Lt. General Hernando Iriberri, who has been at the helm of the Army since February 2014, takes over the top military post as Gen. Gregorio Catapang retires from the military service. Iriberri is the 46th chief of staff of the military.

Bishop Leopoldo Tumulak, in his prayer for Iriberri during the

Filipino boxing champ and Sarangani Rep. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao on Friday visited Mary Jane Veloso, the Filipina sentenced to death in Indonesia for a drug-related offense. Pacquiao posted on his Instagram account a photo of him, his wife Jinkee, and Veloso in prayer. He also asked his followers to pray for Veloso, who got a reprieve earlier this year. (MNS photo)

Yogyakarta, Indonesia (AFP) Friday 7/10/2015 – Boxing su-perstar Manny Pacquiao visited a Filipina on death row in Indo-nesia on Friday, with the convict breaking down in tears as she prayed behind bars with the Phil-ippine sporting hero.

Mary Jane Veloso was sen-tenced to death in Indonesia after being arrested in 2009 with 2.6 kilograms (5.7 pounds) of heroin sewn into the lining of her suit-case.

She had been due to face the

fi ring squad along with other for-eign drug convicts in April but was granted a temporary reprieve after a woman suspected of re-cruiting her was arrested in the Philippines.

Indonesian authorities have in-sisted the case of Veloso, who has always maintained her innocence claiming that human-traffi ckers duped her, has only been post-poned while legal proceedings run their course in the Philippines.

“We’re hoping to help save

MANILA, July 10 (Mabuhay) – The fact that President Benigno Aquino III has been meeting with other possible bets was an indica-tion that he has not decided yet whom to support in the 2016 pres-idential election, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Friday.

To be more specifi c, Escudero said the President made no clear message, when he and Sena-tor Grace Poe met with him in Malacañang Thursday, that he was set on endorsing the possible presidential bid of Local Govern-ment Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.

Roxas has not publicly de-

PHL ready for newround vs. China

UN tribunal to assess PHL’s arguments vs. ChinaPHL argues environmental,

fi shing claims vs China

Army commander Iriberri is new AFP chief

Escudero: Aquino not yet certain whom to support in 2016

New AFP chief defends scrapping of planned purchase of missiles

Tearful prayers as Manny Pacquiao visits death row Pinay in Indonesia

See IRIBERRI, page 6

See ENVIRONMENTAL, page 6

See TEARFUL, page 6 See ESCUDERO, page 6 See MISSILES, page 6

1-877-35-NOPAY(1-877-356-6729)818-334-5445818-552-4500

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST2

By Hannah De Castro-Abinuman

Have you ever noticed how your gadgets have become an in-tegral part of your daily routine? Whether it’s a phone, a tablet, a laptop or a game console, these gadgets are being used daily by people of all ages, and have be-come so detrimental to one’s way of life, that it seems rather im-possible to even survive without it. Even among children, gadgets have been a staple in playing their games, and sometimes even considered as a status symbol! But whatever happened to us-ing one’s imagination? Whatever happened to being able to inter-act with your playmates, friends and parents or actually use your hands to create or build some-thing?

Although there is nothing wrong with using technology, James Ronald Lo, Co-founder and Chief Creative Offi cer of Taktyl Studios LLC, noticed that kids nowadays can be too engaged in gadgets. So he thought of a way to use these digital devices and yet still encourage social interac-tion, creativity and imagination. Recently launched via a Kick-starter campaign, Taktyl Studios introduces a digital app called, “ActionCraft Toy Box,” which is an arts and crafts digital/mobile application that provides users with tools to design and custom-ize their own paper toy action fi gure. Users can choose from a variety of templates in order to customize their very own action fi gure or paper toy. Once the user is satisfi ed with the look of his character, he then has to print

the template. To assemble, the user has to cut along perforated lines from the template and glue together the edges to create the ActionCraft paper toy.

Toys do not come cheap. How-ever, not all kids understand the concept of frugality at a young age. Sometimes within days after unboxing a toy, our kids, because of their excitement and imagi-nation, end up dismantling the pieces, or worse, break the toy al-together. Being a single dad liv-ing in the Philippines, Lo thought that there had to be better ways to play with his kids, without breaking the bank. So, he decided to design his own action fi gures using a commodity that’s easily accessible to everyone – paper. Thus, began James Ronald Lo’s “Paper Toy Adventures.” What started out as a pastime for him and his son, evolved into a blog, which he started 6 years ago. The blog was so well received, that it had followers from people all over the world (about 3,000 subscribers). His “paper toys” were being assembled, collected and enjoyed by people of all ages, from all walks of life. A publisher then took notice of his work and together, they designed and pub-lished the book, “Construct your Own Paper Robot” in 2012. Pret-ty soon, the demands for creating new paper toy design templates in the blog became too high for Lo to manage, which then led him to create “ActionCraft Toy Box.”

“In my blog, I upload pre-designed templates. But then I fi gured, why not involve the people in the creative process? And that’s why I launched Ac-

tionCraft. It lets users create and customize their own paper toys instead of just printing the ones I have designed,” said Lo.

ActionCraft Toy Box aims to encourage children to interact with their parents, siblings and other playmates. For younger kids, who cannot use scissors and cutters yet, the parent or adult helps the child create the paper toy. And in the process, shares a bonding moment between parent and child - a process that’s lack-ing in the use of most digital apps for kids. ActionCraft Toy box also instigates the user’s imagination and creativity. By customizing the clothes, armor and physical features of the toy, the child is encouraged to be creative. And after assembling the paper toy, he is encouraged to play with it, do puppet shows, create a video or make his own comics, and therefore, encouraged to unlock his imagination.

Currently, the app has been launched in Kickstarter, but their funding is not complete. In order to complete their fund-ing goal, ActionCraft Toy Box needs backers or supporters who can pledge money to join them in bringing their project to life. Help this Filipino-owned com-pany complete this project by supporting them at www.kick-starter.com/profi le/taktylstudios. Pledges start at $5.

For more info on ActionCraft or on how to help, visit these websites: www.taktylstudios.com; www.papertoyadventures.com; www.facebook.com/action-crafttoybox/; and Instagram: @papertoyadventures.

Manny Pacquiao: Sample customized “Pacman” look-alike paper toy.

Ready-made designs let you create ActionCraft Paper Toys by simply cutting and pasting

ActionCraft Paper Toy Workshop for Parents and Children, held at the Glendale Adult Center.

Filipino launches app that encourages creativity, more bonding time between child and parent

By Joel GuintoManila, Philippines (AFP)

Friday 7/10/2015 – A home-less Filipino boy has been overwhelmed with aid after a heart-wrenching photo of him studying on the pavement and using faint light from a Mc-Donald’s outlet went viral on the Internet.

Nine-year-old Daniel Ca-brera will fulfi ll his dream of becoming a policeman after donations of cash, school sup-plies and a college scholarship poured in, his mother, Christi-na Espinosa, told AFP on Fri-day.

“We’re overjoyed. I don’t know what I will do with all of these blessings,” the stunned

42-year-old grocery store em-ployee and domestic helper told AFP.

“Now, Daniel will not have to suffer just to fi nish his studies.”

The photo, posted on Face-book last month by a college student, showed Cabrera do-ing his homework on a wood-en stool placed close to a Mc-Donald’s window to catch the light from the store.

The 20-year-old medical technology student, Joyce Torrefranca, captioned her Facebook post: “I got inspired by a kid.”

It was then shared close to 7,000 times on the social net-working site and reported by local television.

Espinosa and her three youngest children, including Cabrera, have been living in her employer’s mini-grocery

store since their shanty home was gutted by fi re fi ve years ago.

Espinosa said she earned just 80 pesos ($1.77) a day working at the store and as a domestic helper for the store’s owners in their nearby home. She augments the income by selling cigarettes and candy on the streets on Mandaue, an urban center on Cebu island in the central Philippines.

Their grocery store home is close to the McDonald’s outlet that had served as Cabrera’s study nook, she said.

‘I want to reach my dreams’Cabrera’s father died in

2013 due to severe diarrhea, said Espinosa, who has three older children, all married and living separate from her.

She described the boy as a tenacious child with a single-mined focus on getting an edu-cation.

“He is a very studious and determined boy... he would insist on going to school even without his lunch money be-cause I have no money to give,” Espinosa said.

“He always tells me: ‘Mama, I don’t want to stay poor. I want to reach my dreams’.”

Espinosa said, aside from the cash, school supplies and scholarship offer that would guarantee his education through college, people had given school uniforms and a reading lamp.

The local church and govern-ment social welfare offi ce had also received aid on his behalf.

“Our problem is how to

manage all this fi nancial assis-tance,” the city’s social welfare offi ce chief, Violeta Cavada, told AFP.

“He has become a symbol of poor slum boys in the city who can’t study because they don’t have electricity.”

Despite strong economic growth in recent years, roughly one quarter of the Philippines’ 100 million people still live on less than one dollar a day, and giant slums dominate all ma-jor cities.

Torrefranca’s post was shared around the world and in multiple languages, includ-ing Spanish, German and Por-tuguese, all touched by the boy’s perseverance.

“I couldn’t believe how my post went viral and helped him in his studies,” Torrefranca told AFP on Friday.

She said she snapped a pho-to of the boy, whom she saw outside the fastfood chain for the fi rst time, while she was on her way home from school.

“I was in awe. While other streetkids were begging for alms, he was studying.”

Many who reposted Cabre-ra’s photo on their Facebook profi les agreed.

“I hope he makes it because in my book, he is a legend,” Alan Butler said on his Face-book page.

“Great story because thanks to this picture, his life will change. Sad, because it is one of the thousands, probably millions who live in these cir-cumstances,” wrote Christoffel Sneijders.

Aid after Filipino boy studying on street goes viral

Manila, Philippines (AFP) Sunday 7/12/2015 – The Philippines has agreed to host the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games after the two other countries next in line, Brunei and Vietnam, declined, a sports offi cial said Sunday.

This was agreed upon dur-ing a SEA Games Federation executive meeting in Singa-pore in June when Brunei, which was scheduled for the 2019 games, asked to pass due to “organizational rea-sons,” said Joey Romasanta, spokesman of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Vietnam, the 2021 hosts, also declined so the federa-tion offered the event to the Philippines, he told AFP.

The federation must still issue a formal invitation to the Philippines which the country must accept but in principle, the Philippines is assured of being the venue, Romasanta said.

“We agreed to host it but

formalities still have to be complied with,” he added.

The cash-strapped coun-try is not likely to build new facilities but will use exist-ing arenas, stadiums and hotels for the games, he added.

One request is that all the games be accessible by land unlike the last SEA Games in the country when some sporting events were held in the central islands.

The sprawling, former US airbase of Clark, north of Manila, which has been turned into a light indus-trial zone and tourism cen-tre, will likely serve as the base of the games but some events will be held else-where.

“All we need is a state-of-the-art track oval. We can work on that,” Romasanta remarked. He said the fund-ing for the games has yet to be determined as they will still select certain sports and events.

PHL to host 2019 SEA Games after Brunei, Vietnam decline

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 3

MANILA, July 10 (Mabu-hay) – President Benigno Aqui-no III on Friday challenged the new Armed Forces chief, Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri, to en-sure the peaceful conduct of the 2016 presidential elections.

“Alalahanin ninyo, malapit na ang eleksyo. Kasama sa in-yong ang tungkulin siguraduh-ing malinis at mapayapa ang pagpili ng pinuno,” Aquino said in a speech during the military change-of-command rites in Camp Aguinaldo.

Earlier in the day, Iriberri

was installed as the 46th chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in ceremonies in Camp Aguinaldo.

A member of the Philip-pine Military Academy Class of 1983, Iriberri, however, is scheduled to retire on April 22, 2016, less than a month before the May 9 national polls.

In his speech, Iriberri as-sured the Filipino people that “I am all yours to serve.”

Iriberri laid out the fi ve pri-orities he will focus on, includ-ing peace in the countryside,

treading the straight path, be-ing an advocate of transforma-tion, and implementing nation-al policy.

He also mentioned the im-portance of preparing for the 2016 elections.

“We should not lose sight to pave the way for a peaceful and credible elections,” he said.

Iriberri, who has been at the helm of the Philippine Army since February 2014, takes over the top military post as Gen. Gregorio Catapang retires from the military service. (MNS)

President Benigno S. Aquino III, accompanied by outgoing AFP Chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang, Jr., and newly appointed AFP Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri review the Honor Guards during the Testimonial Honors and Armed Forces of the Philip-pines (AFP) Change of Command Ceremony at the Tejeros Hall of the AFP Commissioned Offi cer’s Club (AFPCOC), Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday (July 10, 2015). (MNS photo)

Aquino challenges new AFP chief to ensure peaceful 2016 polls

Research published in The Lancet Psychiatry suggested daily tobacco use may be a contributor to mental illness. ©milan2099/Shutterstock.com http://grabtaxi.com/grab-car/ ©All Rights Reserved

Manila, Philippines (AFP) Wednesday 7/8/2015 – Philippine transport authorities authorized GrabCar as the fi rst company to operate under new rules govern-ing ride-sharing apps, state and company offi cials said Wednes-day.

Singapore-based GrabCar got the jump on US rival Uber which is still submitting documents to comply with the Philippines’ new regulations, said Mary Ann Sala-da, spokeswoman of the govern-ment’s land transport bureau.

Ride-sharing services – typical-ly Internet and mobile app-based alternatives to traditional taxis – are gaining popularity in the Philippine capital Manila, noto-rious for creaking train systems, decrepit buses and traffi c jams.

The government unveiled new guidelines for the industry in May after complaints from taxi cab op-erators. In some other countries, taxi drivers have held protests against ride-booking apps – argu-ing they represent unfair compe-tition.

But GrabCar and other “trans-port network companies,” will op-erate under different rules from taxi cabs, said Salada.

“We consider the transport net-work companies as distinct from the taxi industry,” she told AFP.

GrabCar vehicles can now only be summoned via smartphones and the Internet, and cannot pick up customers who hail them on the street like taxi cabs, she said.

She added that they can only accept credit card payments.

But like taxi drivers, GrabCar drivers will have to get a fran-chise licence from the transport bureau and their customers will

be covered under the same obliga-tory insurance as taxi passengers.

GrabCar drivers will also have a higher franchise fee, which must be renewed annually compared to seven years for taxi drivers.

Additionally, their vehicles will be allowed a shorter “lifespan” than taxi cabs, Salada said.

“With full accreditation, more Filipino commuters will be able to use GrabCar and be confi dent that we offer a legitimate and safe private hire service,” GrabCar Philippines said in a statement on its website.

“We will now focus on rapidly expanding our GrabCar service to serve more passengers across the Philippines,” it added.

The head of GrabCar Philip-pines, Natasha Bautista, con-fi rmed that her company had ob-tained government authorisation.

She expressed confi dence it would succeed even under the new rules.

GrabCar is already available in the Philippine capital but Bau-tista declined to say how many ve-hicles were operating under their system.

The Philippines is the fi rst country to institute nationwide rules on ride-sharing, according to both the transport department and ride-sharing companies.

Previously, only local and city governments had regulated the services.

In the US, the ‘disruptive’ app-based ride-hailing Uber ser-vice now accounts for 46% of all paid-for and claimed-for car rides in the US. Uber accounted for around 12% of paid-for rides –i.e., taxis, limousine hire and airport shuttles etc.

GrabCar becomes PHL’s fi rst authorized ride-sharing app

MANILA, July 13 (Mabuhay) –Philippine National Police

Offi cer-in-Charge Deputy Direc-tor General Leonardo Espina on Monday urged members of the police force to continue being of service to the country and its people.

Espina gave his farewell speech after Monday’s fl ag-rais-ing ceremony at Camp Crame in Quezon City, his fi nal one before his scheduled retirement from the prime PNP post on July 16.

Among the attendees of the ceremony are the PNP OIC’s wife, Mrs. Ma. Dina Espina, as well as PNP chief contenders Police Director Benjamin Bañez Magalong, Police Deputy Direc-tor General and acting chief of directorial staff Danilo Constan-

tino, and Police Director Ricardo Marquez.

Following Espina’s confi rma-tion of his offer to resign as PNP OIC last April, President Benigno Aquino III has been interviewing candidates for the highest posi-tion in the PNP.

Espina, who took over the top PNP post in acting capacity in De-cember last year, refused to say who among the possible choices would likely be appointed by the President, but added that he was, from time to time, giving Aquino inputs on the hopefuls.

“The President of the Philip-pines, by operation of law, has the sole prerogative to choose among all generals of the PNP... Crucial ang pagpili diyan eh,” he said. (MNS)

MANILA, July 10 (Mabuhay) – Malacanang on Friday an-nounced the appointment of An-drew Felix Arsenio De Castro as commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Govern-ment (PCGG), replacing Maita Chan-Gonzaga.

The Palace also announced the appointment of 74 other offi cials in the different agencies including Armina Dielle Kapunan as assis-tant secretary of Department of Transportation and Communica-tion (DOTC) and Calixto Mabesa Protacio as executive director of the Philippine Rice Research In-stitute under the Department of Agriculture.

Four provincial prosecutors of the Department of Justice (DOJ) have also been appointed. They are Attys. Ma. Arlene Cordovez as Prosecutor V in Leyte; Dima-puno Magangcong as Prosecutor IV in Zamboanga del Sur; Mari-am April Linsangan as Prosecu-tor IV in Cotabato City; and, Ivan Buyucan as Prosecutor II in Ifu-gao.

Other appointees include: Aldrin Cruz Santiago and Ber-nardita Apilado-Garcia as mem-bers of the Philippine Regula-tory Commission (PRC) board of optemotry; Filomino Castillo Jr. as member of the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board under Department of Trade and

Industry; Patroncino Sigua Cai-sip as member representing the workers’ sector to the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productiv-ity Board Region 4-A; Clasro Su-arez Cristobal, director general of Foreign Service Institute under Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Appointed also are Ruth Manigos-Tawantawan as Direc-tor IV of DENR; Dante Barzaga as Director IV and Allan Salin-gay Borromeo as Director III of DPWH; Raul Zaguirre Caballes acting director IV of Philippine Veterans Offi ce; Eleazar de Leon Balderas as presidential legisla-tive liaison offi cer III;

Ma. Gemma Mercado Ledes-ma as Director III of DepEd; Ja-net Pigganto Armas and Riduan Paslangan Hadjimuddin as act-ing director III of DSWD; Mary Lou Amarille Gesilva and Abigail Reposo Zurita as acting director III of DTI;

At the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Malacanang also announced the appointment of Ana Lyn Reyes Baltazar, Rolynne Avila Javier, Patrick John Dayrit Megia, Perla Malayao Upano, German Forca Yap, Marvin Amanonce Basquez, Pablio Loreniana Benitez Jr., Ray Barbosa Caceres, Agnes Ancheta de Leon, Charissa dela Torre Guerta, Belina Terrora Herman, Juanito Dijan Olave Jr., Lailyn

Alair Ortiz, Melody Estrellado Relucio, and Ofelia Asis Tactac Jr., all as acting local government operations offi cer VIII.

At the Department of Educa-tion (DepEd), 37 schools divi-sion superintendents have been appointed. They are Myrna Salmo Castillo, Maria Magda-lena Merano Lim, Helen Domag Paguican, Evangeline Penafl or Palencia, Jessie Liban Ain, Rom-mel Clarete Bautista, Ronaldo Batalao Castillo, Kahar Hadjies-mael, Danilo Calado Sison, Lrona Garcia Bugayong, Rita Espina Riddle, Ferdinand Silverio Sy, Feliciano Aleria Tamondong Jr., Anselmo Raceles Aludino, Roge-lio Pahunao Amador, Gilda Gono Berte, Fatima dela Cruz Buen, Raymundo Manangat Cantonjos, Susan Soreta Collano, Mariano Belbes de Guzman, Gemma An-dante de Paz, Nicasio Silvino Frio, Karen Lasala Galanida, Bene-dicta Batara Gamatero, Amador Delos Santos Garcia, Nelly Eday Garrote, Wilfredo Jaudalso Gab-arra, Flordeliza Castilo Gecobe, Joel Bagain Lopez, Nelson Sam-bajon Morales Jr., Natividad Glo-ria Ocon, Lynee Alvarez Penafl or, Ma. Heany Tutanes Postrado, Imelda Noval Sobardino, Gladys Amylaine Dechavez Sales, Er-nesto Francisco Servillon Jr., and Florante Espinosa Vergara. (MNS)

Palace announces appointment of PCGG commissioner, 73 others

In farewell speech, PNP OIC Espina urges police to continue serving Filipino people

LOS ANGELES

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST4

OPINIONMANILA, July 9 (Mabuhay) – More than to national security, the

dispute between Manila and Beijing in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) poses a threat to the country’s food security, Senate Presi-dent Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto said on Thursday.

Recto warned that if the world would allow China to put up a “no fi shing” sign around the disputed territory, it would “starve” Filipinos of a staple in their diet – fi sh.

“It will hit us where it hurts most – our stomach,” he said in a state-ment. “There lies the greatest danger of Chinese incursion in our terri-tory. It’s a formula for starvation. More than a national security ques-tion, it involves food security.”

“This is the reason why, regardless of our politics, whoever our bet for 2016 is, we should unite in support of our Philippine delegation to The Hague,” he said.

The Arbitral Tribunal at the Permanent Court of Arbitration is pres-ently hearing the Philippines’ complaint against China’s alleged exces-sive territorial claims at the Peace Palace at The Hague, Netherlands.

Recto suspected that China’s push into Philippine waters was moti-vated in part to secure rich fi shing grounds to satisfy Chinese appetite for marine produce.

“It’s a market of 1.360 billion people, each eating 31 kilos of fi sh each year,” he said.

“Ang West Philippine Sea ay kasama sa Coral Triangle, one of rich-est fi shing grounds in the world, kaya sino ba naman ang hindi maeen-ganyo?” (Who will not be tempted?) Recto said.

Encompassing 5.7-million square kilometers of ocean in six coun-tries, the Coral Triangle supports the sustenance of 120 million people who earn $6 billion a year in fi shery exports and tourism.

In all, Recto said Philippine fi sheries produced P244 billion worth of fi sh in 2013 – P93.7 billion from aquaculture, P80.9 billion from mu-nicipal fi shermen, P69.9 billion from commercial fi shers – or about 2 percent of the GDP

If China would succeed in making the West Philippine Sea its ex-clusive fi shpond, the senator said it would not only lead to the “disap-pearance of a large chunk of space from our territory, but also fi sh from our table.”

“So this is not just a battle about cartography but about calories. What we’re stopping is a Made-in-China food shortage,” he said, point-ing out the annual per capita consumption of fi sh and marine produce in the Philippines is about 36 kilos.

Of the 4.705 million metric tons (MT) of fi sh caught in 2013, Recto said commercial fi shers contributed 1.067 million MT, while municipal fi shermen added 1.264 million MT. The rest, or 2.374 million MT, was raised through aquaculture.

By one estimate, more than three-fourths of total commercial and municipal fi shing production came from the West Philippine Sea, the senator said.

Recto said the value of what commercial and municipal fi shermen produced in 2013 was about P150 billion.

“Put another way, it is a P410-million a day industry,” he said.“Ipagpalagay mo na lang na kalahati ay galing sa West Philippine

Sea, eh di P200 milyon ang mawawala sa atin araw-araw pag naglagay ang China ng ‘Do not enter’ sign sa Spratlys, sa Baja de Masinloc. Pati dagat sa tapat ng Ilocos inaangkin na rin nila,” he pointed out.(MNS)

MANILA, July 11 (Mabuhay) – Malacañang on Saturday welcomed a reported statement by Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison supporting the Philippines in its maritime row with China.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda welcomed as well the meet-ing between House of Representatives offi cials with Sison and National Democratic Front peace panel chairman Luis Jalandoni in Amsterdam.

“We certainly welcome the statement made by (Sison) on our case against China,” he said on state-run dzRB radio.

Sison had expressed support for the Philippine government’s case in fi ghting for national sovereignty and maritime rights in the West Philippine Sea.

Manila refers to some parts of the South China Sea as the West Philippine Sea. The Philippines had sent a delegation to The Hague to argue its case before the Arbitral Tribunal in the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

But Sison was quoted in an Inquirer.net report as saying lawyer Harry Roque Jr., who had branded the Philippine delegation’s trip to The Hague as a junket, had a “good patriotic reason to be critical of the size of the delegation.” (MNS)

MANILA, July 11 (Mabuhay) – The administra-tion and Senators Francis Escudero and Grace Poe had a good coalition in 2013, which could be sus-tained until 2016, a Palace offi cial said.

It was reported that President Aquino met with Escudero and Poe this week underscoring the im-portance of having a single candidate for the 2016 presidential polls. “Maganda ‘yung coalition ‘nung 2013, bakit hindi natin ipagpatuloy ang coalition on 2016?” Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said in a radio interview Saturday.

Lacierda was asked by reporters in an interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan if it’s disadvantageous for the administration party’s pro-reform initiatives if Poe and Escudero are not part of the coalition.

The President’s paramount concern is the conti-nuity of the reforms that he has started, Lacierda said.

“If you noticed the speeches that the President has been giving, he has always emphasized the im-portance of continuing the reforms,” he said.

“And so I think that’s paramount in his consider-ation as to who he will choose as his endorsee for the next presidential elections in 2016.”

The administration’s “daang matuwid” must con-tinue and the President hopes that everything that he achieved must be sustained, Lacierda added.

“Marami pa pong dapat gawin, hindi pa perpekto ang ating ginagawa, pero kung patuloy po nating gagawin ito at i-fa-fast forward po natin ang daang matuwid ay malaking tulong po ito sa ating sam-bayanan.”

The President said in his previous interviews that he will announced his presidential bet for next year’s election after his state-of-the-nation address (SONA) late this month. (MNS)

Good tie up between admin, Sens Escudero, Poe, must continue, says Palace offi cial

MANILA, July 9 (Mabuhay) – Three out of fi ve Filipinos or 62 percent have little trust in China amid the territorial row between Manila and Beijing, according to a survey by Social Weather Sta-tions.

SWS said the survey conducted June 5 to 8 also found 17 percent of Filipinos have much trust in China.

This accounted for a record-low net trust of -45 that the pollster classifi ed as “bad.”

“China’s lowest net trust score of -45 surpassed the previous record-low of -36 in June 2014, May 2012, and June 1995 during the Mischief Reef confrontation between the Philippines and Chi-na,” SWS said.

The Philippines had taken the dispute before an international tribunal, with China refusing to take part in such proceedings.

In contrast, the survey showed a “very good” +64 trust rating for the United States, and a “good”

+36 for Australia.But net trust for Saudi Arabia

was at a “neutral” -9, and a “poor” -10 for Malaysia.

“United States, in particular, has been enjoying positive net trust ratings since December 1994, ranging from moderate +18 in May 2005 to excellent +82 in December 2013,” SWS said.

It added Australia has scored positive net trust ratings since April 1995, ranging from neutral +3 in September 1995 to very good +55 in August 2012.

On the other hand, net trust in Saudi Arabia was a poor -19 in August 1994 before it rose to neu-tral -5 in March 2008, then stayed in neutral territory.

Net trust in Malaysia was at neutral -2 in August 1994 and fell to poor and bad levels from De-cember 1994 to March 2008, rang-ing from -37 to -16.

But it rose to neutral -2 in June 2008, and has remained in neu-tral territory until it got a poor

-10 in June 2015.SWS rates net trust ratings of

+70 and above as “excellent”; +50 to +69 “very good”; +30 to +49 “good”; +10 to +29 “moderate”, +9 to -9 “neutral”; -10 to -29 “poor”; -30 to -49 “bad”; -50 to -69 “very bad”; -70 and below “execrable.” “A single-digit net satisfaction is considered not signifi cantly dif-ferent from zero,” SWS said.

Close attention to territorial is-sue Also, the SWS survey showed 51 percent of Filipinos paid close attention to news reports on “the events regarding the confl ict be-tween the Philippines and China about who owns the islands in the West Philippine Sea.”

The SWS added the Philippine-China dispute was the fi fth most followed news event of 14 news events tested.

Some 51 percent followed the issue very closely or somewhat closely, compared to 52 percent for events regarding the K to 12 program (fourth).

SWS: 62% Pinoys have little trust in China amid territorial row with PHL; net trust rating -45

Chinese incursion to ‘starve’ Filipinos – Sen. Ralph Recto

Palace welcomes Joma Sison’s support for PHL in sea dispute with China

MANILA, July 13 (Mabuhay) – President Be-nigno Aquino III’s spokesman did not mince words against Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday, after being called out by Binay’s camp for his sup-posedly “arrogant remarks.”

In a text message, Sec. Edwin Lacierda, the Pres-ident’s spokesman, categorically accused Binay of spreading lies against the administration.

“We’re addressing all the lies of the Vice Presi-dent against the President ever since he started his presidential run with lies, lies and more lies,” Laci-erda told reporters.

He added that his recent statements defending Aquino is part of the administration’s “truth cam-paign” to counter Binay’s attacks.

“Tell them [Binay camp] it’s not personal. It’s a truth campaign,” the Palace spokesperson said.

“The VP cannot, with all due respect, handle the

truth,” he added.Ever since quitting the Cabinet last month, Binay

has been openly criticizing the Aquino administra-tion for its supposed failure to address the country’s problems, most especially poverty.

The Vice President, who is seen as the opposi-tion’s standard-bearer for the 2016 polls, also hit the goverment for supposedly being slow and tentative in helping Filipinos.

In response, Palace spokespersons and Cabinet offi cials have been debunking Binay’s allegations, saying the administration has been actively ad-dressing the country’s problems.

On Sunday, Binay’s camp criticized Lacierda and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, the administration’s presumptive presidential bet, for supposedly issu-ing “arrogant” and “shrill” remarks against the Vice President “that barely address the issues.” (MNS)

VP Binay all lies, can’t handle the trutch: Palace exec

By Paula Bustamante / Kelly VelasquezAsuncion, Paraguay (AFP) Saturday 7/11/2015

– Pope Francis decried the scourge of corruption as the “gangrene of a people” on Saturday in Paraguay, one of the poorest countries in South America and where graft is rampant.

The 78-year-old pope – in Paraguay on the last stop of a three-nation tour of South America—also railed against ideologies and hammered home the central theme of his trip to his home continent: equality.

Speaking to an enchanted crowd of 5,000 at a small stadium in the capital Asuncion, Francis drifted away from his scripted remarks, saying that “ideologies end badly, they do not work, they do not take into account the people.”

“Look what happened with ideologies in the last century... they ended in dictatorships, always,” he added, applause ringing out in response.

In a question-and-answer session, he denounced corruption, which plagues several countries in South America. But perhaps to avoid offending his hosts, he stressed that it was a recurring problem “among all peoples of the world.”

As he had done on previous stops during his trip, fi rst in Ecuador, and then Bolivia, Francis called for an end to poverty – also endemic in the region – and lamented today’s consumer society.

Wealth creation should not be “only for the ben-efi t of a few,” he said to more acclaim, and must be extended to “each citizen, without exclusion.”

He urged political leaders not to “sacrifi ce human lives on the altar of money and profi t.”

“In economics, in business and in politics, what counts fi rst and foremost is the human person and the environment in which he or she lives,” he said.

‘Glorious women’ Earlier in the day, before hundreds of thousands

of worshipers at the country’s main pilgrimage site, the fi rst pontiff from Latin America praised the sac-rifi ces of Paraguay’s “glorious” women during a his-tory marked by war.

Paraguay was left reeling during the so-called War of the Triple Alliance against Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay fought from 1865 to 1870, with a large majority of its male population killed.

Francis was speaking on the esplanade of the domed shrine of the Virgin of Caacupe, not far from the border with his native Argentina.

“I would like especially to mention you, the wom-en, wives and mothers of Paraguay, who at great cost and sacrifi ce were able to lift up a country defeated, devastated and laid low by war,” Francis said.

“You are keepers of the memory, the lifeblood of

those who rebuilt the life, faith and dignity of your people.

“God bless your perseverance. God bless and en-courage your faith. God bless the women of Para-guay, the most glorious women of America.”

The huge crowd was delighted to hear the pope deliver the Lord’s Prayer in Guarani, the language of the country’s indigenous people, spoken by 80 per-cent of the population.

Caacupe, about 55 kilometers (35 miles) east of Asuncion, has become a place of international pil-grimage thanks to a small wooden statue of the Virgin Mary that has been credited with various miracles.

The vast crowds played guitar, shook maracas and sipped gourds of mate – the herbal drink be-loved by many in the region.

Francis was apparently so moved by their singing that he was late to emerge from the basilica to say mass, but Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi later dismissed any notion that the pope was unwell.

“As you can see for yourselves, the pontiff is fi ne, everything is ok,” Lombardi said.

Thousands of Argentines traveled across the bor-der by bus - some on journeys lasting 50 hours - to welcome the pope in a homecoming of sorts.

“The pope has inexplicable powers of attraction, almost like a lover,” said Graciela Sosa, adding she had barely slept all night so she could get a prime viewing spot.

Francis also met with several family members and close friends who came in from neighboring Ar-gentina to see him, according to Lombardi.

‘Learn from the children’ At a children’s hospital in Asuncion, the pope

said: “We need to learn from your ability to fi ght, from your strength, from your remarkable endur-ance.”

He also made a quick surprise visit to a clinic for the terminally ill.

After visiting Ecuador and Bolivia, Francis ar-rived Friday in Paraguay, where 90 percent of the population is Catholic, to begin the fi nal leg of his eight-day tour.

Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay are predominant-ly Catholic and have been marked by a long history of poverty and inequality, especially affl icting indig-enous populations.

Francis heads back to the Vatican on Sunday af-ter an open-air mass in Asuncion, which will be at-tended by Argentine President Cristina Kirchner.

He will return to Latin America in September, when he travels to Cuba before heading to the Unit-ed States.

Pope laments corruption as ‘gangrene of a people’

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 5

By Nimfa U. RuedaIt’s offi cial: California will ob-

serve a Larry Itliong Day each year to honor the legacy of the Filipino American labor organiz-er who fought for racial justice and farmworkers’ rights.

Governor Jerry Brown yes-terday (Wednesday in Manila) signed into law AB 7 proclaiming the commemorative day on Octo-ber 25, Itliong’s birthday.

“Larry Itliong was one of the greatest labor organizers and leaders in California history,” said Assemblymember Rob Bon-ta (D-Oakland), the bill’s spon-sor.

“He was a hero not only to the Filipino-American community, but to all Californians and Amer-icans who fought and continue to

fi ght for socioeconomic and racial justice in our state and nation.”

The legislation, which was unanimously passed by the State Assembly on April 9, also encour-ages public schools to teach about Iltiong’s life and contributions to California.

Bonta, the fi rst Filipino Amer-ican elected to the Assembly, said the historic signing ensures that Itliong’s fi ght for justice, opportu-nity and equity will be “properly honored for generations to come.”

Itliong worked alongside prominent Mexican American civil rights leaders like Cesar Chavez to fi ght for equal rights, better conditions and wages for Filipino and Mexican farmwork-ers in the ‘60s and early ‘70s.

But his contributions to the

farm labor movement have been overlooked, said Bonta and many Fil-Am groups who have fought for the recognition of Itliong and other Fil-Am labor leaders like Andy Imutan and Philip Vera Cruz.

Itliong led the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), which was the fi rst to strike for improved wages and working conditions in Delano in 1965. What became known as the Delano Grape Strike launched the California

farm labor movement.AWOC and the National Farm

Workers Association, led by Ce-sar Chávez and Dolores Huerta, joined forces soon thereafter – at the urging of Itliong – to start the now internationally famous Unit-

A mural of Filipino labor leaders in Los Angeles.

California proclaims special day honoring Fil-Am labor leader

Asian Americans are making a signifi cant and powerful im-pact on the new American main-stream. Nielsen’s 2015 Asian American Consumer report en-titled, “Asian-Americans: Cultur-ally Connected and Forging the Future,” radically highlights how this fl ourishing segment is mak-ing a powerful impact on today’s economy and culture with their unique tastes, preferences and habits. In one year, the buying power of this market segment no-tably increased by more than $50 Billion. In its most recent report, Nielsen says the Asian American segment is considered as the fast-est growing and most culturally diverse segment in the US popu-lation and is perceived to poten-tially be the multicultural majori-ty in the United States in the near future. In 2014, the Asian-Amer-ican Buying power was at $770 billion. Showing a 46% growth in population from 2012 to 2014, this unique market segment is expected to increase its buying power to $1 Trillion by 2018.

“Asian Americans are focused on the future, trendsetting and leading the way in technology, digital entertainment and fresh food while maintaining strong ties to their cultural heritage. Increasingly ambicultural, Asian Americans’ cultural identities are shaping the mainstream market.” said Betty Lo, Nielsen’s vice pres-ident of Community Alliances & Consumer Engagement. “

Nielsen’s report examines Asian-American consumption behaviors in relation to the food, beverage and health and beauty categories.

In addition, Nielsen has pro-vided more detail on the ever-evolving technology and digital content categories, where Asian-Americans continue to exceed and are trendsetters when compared to the general consumer market in America.

Los Angeles, Unit-ed States (AFP) Friday 7/10/2015 – US actor Tom Selleck has struck a “tenta-tive” deal to resolve allega-tions he stole water from local authorities in drought-stricken California, an offi -cial said Friday.

The veteran “Magnum P.I.” star was accused of procuring deliveries of wa-ter taken illegally by truck from a fi re hydrant in Thou-sand Oaks, northwest of Los Angeles since 2013.

The Calleguas Municipal Water District accused the 70-year-old of illegally mov-ing water to his 60acre Hid-den Valley estate, according to court documents cited by the Los Angeles Times.

But the district’s re-sources manager Eric Bergh told AFP that a provision-

al agreement had been reached to resolve the row. The deal still has to be ap-proved by local authorities next week.

“We are pleased and be-lieve the tentative settle-ment is a positive step towards an ultimate resolu-tion of this matter,” he said.

“Staff intends to recom-mend Calleguas’ Board of Directors approve the set-tlement at its meeting next Wednesday,” he added, de-clining to give any further details. According to the LA Times, the water district spent some $22,000 on a private investigator to track the deliveries, which were fi rst observed in 2013.

Representatives for Sell-eck did not respond to re-quests for comment on the case.

Did Tom Selleck or did he not steal precious water?

ed Farm Workers of America.“While the farm labor move-

ment is often seen predominantly as a Latino movement, it encom-passed much more than just one ethnic group,” said Bonta, whose parents organized farmworkers in Kern County.

“Filipino American and Latino labor leaders built a beautiful collaborative relationship to cre-

ate the farm worker movement in California, and Larry Itliong played a critical leadership role in that movement. I’m grateful to

have this opportunity to rec-ognize his contributions to Cali-fornia.”

Itliong was from San Nicolas, Pangasinan. He migrated to the United States in 1929 at the age of 15.

Asian Americans rapidly on the move

Nielsen says the Asian American segment is considered as the fastest growing and most culturally diverse segment in the US population and is perceived to potentially be the multicultural majority in the United States in the near future. In 2014, the Asian-American Buying power was at $770 billion. Showing a 46% growth in population from 2012 to 2014, this unique mar-ket segment is expected to increase its buying power to $1

Buying power may hit $1-Trillion by 2018Here are the highlights indi-

cated in the media briefi ng re-cently done by Nielsen:

Asian-Americans are:Diverse and Culturally confi -

dent – their culture defi nes their shopping habits. They are increas-ingly confi dent about sustaining their cultural roots and are asser-tive about their shopping tastes and preferences. Asian Ameri-cans are generally wealthier than the average American household.

One the Move – Majority of the Asian-Americans in the U.S. are living in major urban areas of West Coast and Northeast, but their numbers are also growing in the suburbs and in parts of the Midwest and South.

On a journey from Inner health to outer well-being – They are drawn to brands that speak to the holistic dimension of Asian tradi-tions. These consumers want product and services that refl ect and complement “dual” lifestyles that engage both their native culture and the American main-stream.

Family-centric – They tend to live in extended multi-generational house-holds. Thus, they often shop in bulk and seek saving for the entire family budget. Asian-Americans frequent-ly shop at warehouses for good deals on bulk purchas-es.

Long-life buyers – Asian-Americans have a higher life expectancy and a lower median age than non-His-panic whites.

Discriminating shoppers who want and demand the best quality at a good price – Millenial Asian-Ameri-cans are loyal to brands. They do not mind spending more for quality wine and beauty products.

Socially empowered and

digitally adept – Asian Americans lead the way in technology, including both mobile and social media.

Increasingly “ambicul-tural” consumers – They are able to navigate the American mainstream in a way that maintains their native culture with effortless duality.

These signifi cant insights aid us in un-derstanding how cul-tural identity plays a major role in molding the Asian-Americans’ buy-ing habits and can pro-vide the basis for a busi-ness strategy to activate the fastest-growing and highest income consumer

segment in the American mainstream.

“Being someone who works in the advertising and marketing industry, reports like this get us so excited because having been in this business for 20 years, we know how lacking data is about the Asian consumer…” said Nita Song, president and chief operating offi cer of multicultural advertis-ing agency IW Group and member of the Nielsen Asian Pacifi c American External Advisory Coun-cil. “Without data, com-panies don’t make very critical decisions.”

Source: Nielsen’s 2015 Asian American Consumer Report

By Hannah De Castro-Abinuman

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST6

ENVIRONMENTALFrom page 1

IRIBERRIFrom page 1

TEARFULFrom page 1

MISSILESFrom page 1

ESCUDEROFrom page 1

nal from exercising jurisdiction over the case,” Valte said.

She said Philippe Sands, part of the Philippine legal team and professor from Matrix Cham-bers in London, answered ques-tions raised the day before while

Advocates Lawrence H. Martin, Professor Bernard H. Oxman and Paul S. Reichler “took turns presenting arguments involv-ing various points on why the Philippines’ claims fall squarely within the jurisdiction of the tri-

bunal.”“Professor Philippe Sands

closed the First Round of Ar-guments by summarizing the submissions of the Philippines presented in the course of the hearings,” Valte added. (MNS)

ceremony, asked for God to bless the new AFP chief “with the gift of stillness to be able to listen to the desires of the Commander-in-Chief and President Benigno Aquino.”

A member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1983, Iriberri is closely identifi ed with Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, for whom he served as spokesman and senior military assistant in the past.

A senior military offi cial said Iriberri was a last-minute choice of President Benigno Aquino III, besting at least three other strong contenders including

Southern Luzon Command Lt. Gen. Ricardo Visaya (PMA Class 83), Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado (PMA 82) and Western Command chief Vice Admiral Alexander Lopez (PMA 82).

Iriberri previously served a commander of the 503rd Infantry Brigade in the Cordillera region, and Chief of United Command Staff of the Southern Luzon Command.

With more than 30 years in active military service, he has received numerous awards, in-cluding fi ve Distinguished Ser-vice Stars, two Gold Cross Med-

als, one Bronze Cross Medal, and several Military Merit Med-als and Military Commendation Medals.

However, he is facing criminal and administrative cases before the Offi ce of the Ombudsman for his alleged failure to issue docu-ments for three procurement projects worth P97.7 million.

The complainant, supplier Joavi Philippines Corp., is seek-ing a six-month preventive sus-pension against him.

Iriberri is set to retire in April 2016, a month before the presi-dential polls. (MNS)

Mary Jane’s life, I think Mary Jane is a victim of human-traffi cking,” Pacquiao said after visiting the sin-gle mother of two young children in Wirogunan prison on the main is-land of Java.

During a 30-minute meet-ing, Pacquiao and his wife Jinkee prayed with Veloso. The convict broke down in tears as she prayed, a government offi cial who wit-nessed the meeting told reporters, and at one point tightly embraced the boxing star.

They swapped gifts, with Veloso giving Pacquiao a blue scarf em-blazoned with his nickname “Pac-man”, and the boxer giving her money. However prison offi cials said they would keep the money for her as it was against the rules for inmates to have cash. They did not say how much it was.

Pacquiao, who was in Indonesia to fi lm a television advert, was also

hoping to raise her case with Presi-dent Joko Widodo during a visit to the capital Jakarta later Friday.

Her case attracted huge atten-tion in both Indonesia and the Philippines, with near daily rallies of support and celebrities urging Jakarta to show her mercy.

Pacquiao is an international star who last made global headlines in May when he was beaten by Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas in what was dubbed “the fi ght of the cen-tury”.

Widodo has vowed there will be no clemency for drug traffi ckers on death row as Indonesia is facing an “emergency” due to rising narcotics use.

Seven other foreign drug con-victs and one Indonesian were ex-ecuted as planned on the prison island of Nusakambangan in late April, sparking an international outcry.

clared yet his plans in 2016 but Aquino’s Liberal Party has been pushing for his candidacy.

“Wala namang ganung ka-linaw dahil the mere fact na kinakusap kami at wala pa s’yang iniindorso, siguro patu-nay na ‘yun na wala pa talaga s’yang pasya sa kanyang kaisi-pan,” Escudero said when asked if the President indicated that Roxas would be his bet in next year’s elections.

(Things are not that clear yet, because the mere fact that he still talked to us and he has yet to make an endorsement is proof that he has not decided yet.)

“Dahil kung buo na ang kan-yang kasipan bakit pa po nya kailangang makipagpulong sa

ibang tao at bakit kailangan pa po n’yang lumabas sa kanyang partido?”

(If his mind is really made up, why would he meet with other people even the ones who do not belong to his party?)

“Maliwanag naman siguro ‘yun dahil kung talagang buo na ang kanyang kaisipan matagal na sana s’yang nag-endorso pero s’ya mismo pinagpaliban ang kanyang pagpili at pag endorso ng kanyang kandidato,” the sen-ator added.

(It’s quite clear that if he has made up his mind, he should have announced his endorse-ment long ago, but he has de-layed choosing and endorsing his bet)

Asked if he and Poe would be the President’s alternatives, Es-cudero pointed out that they are both independents and not part of the LP.

He said Aquino made no spe-cifi c offer either to him and Poe when they met but said the Pres-ident made an appeal to keep the administration coalition intact by supporting a common candi-date next year.

Escudero said Aquino also requested for another meeting with him, Poe, and Roxas.

“Hindi naman po kami tumanggi ni Senator Poe kaug-nay n’yan (Senator Poe and I are not opposed to that),” he said. (MNS)

ing general of the Philippine Army.“Makikita mo hindi sana sila

namatay, hindi sana sila nasug-atan kung mayroon man lang si-lang tamang helmet at saka body armor. Kaya lang dahil sa kaku-langan wala tayong maibigay kaya nagkaroon tayo nang ganyang kal-aking casualty,” he added. He said he asked the leadership to look into the needs of the soldiers prioritize their protection. “Iyon ang naging reason, naging basehan kung bakit nirequest ko, I requested for it. Gusto kong bigyan ng pansin yung pagbigay ng tamang proteksyon sa kasundaluhan, regardless, wheth-er it is for internal or external de-fense,” said Iriberri. He reiterated the argument of the Defense De-partment that the SBMS is just a proposal.

“Wala pa pong mga approval

diyan kaya we made a counter proposal for the best interest ng Philippine Army at ng ating kasun-daluhan. Iriberri denied that that they made the realignment to get commissions.

“Kasinungalingan yan. Wala na kaming ibang iniisip, as the commanding general of Philip-pine Army, kundi yung interes ng Army, ng ating kasundaluhan, para magampahan yung aming papel bilang protektor ng ating bayan,” he said.

Earlier, a local paper reported that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, retired AFP chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang and Iriberri removed the P6.5 billion shore-baed missile system deal be-tween Israel and the Philippines from the list of military hardware to be procured by the government.

The report, quoting an un-named source, said the realign-ment was done because a gov-ernment to government contract will yield no commission.

The Department of National Defense has since denied the allegation, saying “reprioritiza-tion was a collective decision by defense senior leaders, which was submitted to the President after going through the required

processes in the Defense System of Management, which took into consideration the dynamics of the country’s ever developing se-curity environment.”

President on Friday chal-lenged the new Armed Forces chief, Lt. Gen. Hernando Irib-erri, to ensure the peaceful con-duct of the 2016 presidential elections. “Alalahanin ninyo, malapit na ang eleksyo. Kasama

sa inyong ang tungkulin sigu-raduhing malinis at mapayapa ang pagpili ng pinuno,” Aquino said in a speech during the mili-tary change-of-command rites in Camp Aguinaldo.Earlier in the day, Iriberri was in-stalled as the 46th chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in ceremonies in Camp Aguinaldo.

A member of the Philippine Military

LOS ANGELES

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 7

Rumors of celebrity couple Bea Alonzo and Zanjoe Marudo having a problem with their re-lationship has surfaced anew. It was triggered by Zanjoe fl ying off to Europe by his lonesome a few days ago.

The couple, also known to trav-el together, has apparently not been posting pictures on social media of late. Their last photo together on Instagram was dated roughly two months ago.

Marudo was at the 13th Phil-ippine-Spain Friendship Day cel-ebration in Madrid last June 28. He then went to Ireland on July 4 for this year’s Dublin Barrio Fi-esta.

The event was part of the ongo-ing TFC Fiesta Caravan 2015 in Europe.

In an interview that aired re-cently, Alonzo admitted all is not well in the relationship.

However, she clarifi ed they are trying to remedy the situation.

“Siyempre who doesn’t want to stay in a beautiful relationship, ’di ba? So nandu’n kami,” she said.

In an interview in October last year, Alonzo admitted how she and Marudo are having diffi culty fi nding time for each other be-cause of their respective commit-ments.

Asked how they manage to make their relationship work de-spite the challenges, she said, “It’s really the commitment. When you commit to something and when you say, ‘I’m going to make this work,’ iyon ’yung pinaka impor-tanteng bagay. You will really be able to make it work.”

She added, “Kaya ’pag simula pa lang sinabi mo na, ‘Ay, hindi ko na talaga kaya,’ then hindi ta-laga siya mag-wo-work. So it’s re-ally a decision, it’s hard work for both of us.”

Early this year, Alonzo was ru-mored to be pregnant. She quick-ly quashed speculations via an Instagram post, saying, “…The RUMOR of me being pregnant is NOT true!!!”

Alonzo is currently busy with upcoming fi lm “The Love Affair,” which also stars Tom Rodriguez, Richard Gomez and Dawn Zulu-eta. No release date has been an-nounced yet. (MNS)

Enchong Dee’s self-titled album has reached the plati-num status ahead of his up-coming solo concert.

Star Music represen-tatives said Dee’s album reached platinum three months after it reached gold status.

“Maraming salamat po sa tiwala. Maliit na project lang po ito noong simula pero pinalaki niyo. Sa buong Star Music family ko, salamat. At sa lahat ng mga bata na nan-gangarap ngayon, ipagpatu-loy niyo lang po kasi one day magkakaroon din po kayo ng ganito,” he said.

After the show, Dee also posted a picture of him holding his plaque on his Instagram account.

Dee said he does not really consider himself a singer.“Disclaimer ko nga, hindi naman ako nagta-try para maging for

example sila kuya Martin (Nievera) or sila kuya Gary (Valencia-no). Sila talaga ‘yung singer. Pero kami, we want to perform, we want to entertain people as much as we can,” he said.

Dee said it has been his dream to record his own album since he was young.(MNS)

Kris Bernal seemed exasper-ated when she took to social me-dia to defend herself against those who think she has an eating dis-order just because she is slim.

On Instagram, Bernal posted a video of her eating a hefty meal.

In the caption, the actress said she is “sick” of defending herself.

“Most people think having a naturally small built is a gift, oth-ers think it’s sickening, or serious conditions like anorexia. Trust me when I say I’ve heard it all! Most comments are really snide! I know I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. Besides, this is just one video,” she said.

“I’m sick of constantly defend- ing myself about my fi gure. In this

industry, everyone is just body ob-sessed. Sweethearts, being small doesn’t necessarily equate to hav-ing an eating disorder or being anorexic! It’s pretty obvious that the answer is: GENETICS,” she added.

In another post, Bernal asked for understanding that she is just “petite and small boned.”

“I was not born perfect. This is just a photo. What you see is only a piece of me. Whatever I do, please understand that I’m just petite and small boned. I’m only human too! Changing and grow-ing,” she said.

She also shared pictures of her eating cake.(MNS)

Kapamilya actor Edgar Al-lan Guzman said winning his fi rst acting award made him treat his craft more seriously.

Guzman, whose foray into showbiz started when he was named grand winner in Eat Bulaga’s Mr. Pogi 2006, won best actor for his role in the fi lm “Ligo na U, Lapit na Me” in the 7th Cinemalaya In-dependent Film Festival in 2011. The actor admitted that he only decided to use his tal-ent in singing and dancing so that his mother won’t have to work for their family.

“Honestly, noong una pa lang, wala pa akong award, hindi pa ako nananalo, pa-

rang sa akin sa pag-aartista, ‘yung mga ginagawa ko pa-rang, sige, basta magkaroon lang ng income.

Pero mahal ko ‘yung gi-nagawa ko. Pero noong time na nanalo ako ng Cinemala-ya award, doon ako nagka-roon ng parang, gusto kong seryosohin ‘yung craft ko sa pag-arte.

Kailangan mag-exert ako ng effort para mapatunayan ko sa kanila na deserve ko ‘yung award, “ Guzman said.

Aside from acting in fi lm and television, Guzman has also appeared in the stage ad-aptation of “Bona,” alongside Eugene Domingo. (MNS)

Bea admits relationship with Zanjoe ‘on the rocks’

Bea Alonzo

Kris Bernal addresses anorexia rumors

Kris Bernal

Enchong’s album reaches platinum status

Enchong Dee

How acting award changed former ‘Mr. Pogi’

LOS ANGELES

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST8

NormReevesWC.com1840 E Garvey Ave South, West Covina, CA 91791

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Patrick Lucas

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Thursday July 9 2015 (Lon-don, July 8, 2015 (AFP)-AFP) – Omega-3 fi sh oils can be grown in fi elds using genetically modifi ed oilseed crops, British researchers said as they released trial results this week.

The discovery could, subject to further research, eventually mean the creation of a more sus-tainable supply of fi sh oil for fi sh farms, which need them to nur-ture their produce.

The oils come from seeds in crops grown by scientists in Cam-elina oilseed plants at Rothamst-ed Research, north of London.

Farmed fi sh consume large quantities of fi sh oils either di-rectly or in fi sh meal, which has led to concern about their envi-

ronmental impact.The plants were specially en-

gineered by introducing a set of synthetic genes based on DNA sequences found in marine or-ganisms.

Researchers unveiled the fi rst year results of a trial in a paper in the journal Metabolic Engi-neering Communications Tues-day.

“This is a globally-signifi cant proof of concept and a landmark moment in the effort to devel-op truly sustainable sources of feed for fi sh farms,” said the programme’s leader, Professor Johnathan Napier.

It is thought unlikely that hu-mans would consume the seeds from the plants directly.

Omega 3 fi sh oils could be grown and harvested in fi elds, according to a new discov-ery. ©HLPhoto/shutterstock.com

Omega-3 breakthrough could help fi sh farms: UK scientists

Friday July 10 2015 (Paris, France-AFP) - People who suffer from psychosis are about three times more likely to be smokers, but scientists have long scratched their heads over which one leads to the other.

On Friday, research published in The Lancet Psychiatry sug-gested daily tobacco use, already known to cause cancer and stroke, may be also be a contributor to mental illness – not necessarily result of it.

Analysing data from 61 stud-ies conducted around the world between 1980 and 2014, a team found that 57 percent of people fi rst diagnosed with psychosis were smokers.

The studies contained data on nearly 15,000 smokers and 273,000 non-smokers, some of whom were diagnosed with psy-chotic illnesses like schizophre-nia.

“People with fi rst episodes of psychosis were three times more likely to be smokers,” said a statement from King’s College London’s Department of Psycho-sis Studies, which took part in the meta-analysis.

“The researchers also found that daily smokers developed psychotic illness around a year earlier than non-smokers.”

It has long been hypothesized that higher smoking rates among psychosis sufferers could be ex-plained by people seeking relief from boredom or distress, or self-

Can smoking drive you mad? Study suggests it might

Research published in The Lancet Psychiatry suggested daily tobacco use may be a contributor to mental illness. ©milan2099/Shutterstock.com

medicating against the symptoms or side-effects of antipsychotic medication.

But if this were so, research-ers would expect smoking rates to increase only after people had developed psychosis.

“These fi ndings call into ques-tion the self-medication hypoth-esis by suggesting that smoking may have a causal role in psycho-sis,” said the statement.

The team stressed they had not conclusively proven that smoking causes psychosis, saying further research must be done.

But the results did suggest that smoking “should be taken seriously as a possible risk fac-tor for developing psychosis and

not dismissed simply as a conse-quence of the illness,” they wrote.

The researchers theorized that changes in the brain’s dopamine system may explain the associa-tion.

Dopamine is a chemical mes-senger that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure cen-ters.

“Excess dopamine is the best biological explanation we have for psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia,” said King’s Col-lege psychiatric professor Robin Murray.

“It is possible that nicotine ex-posure, by increasing the release of dopamine, causes psychosis to develop.”

Wednesday July 8 2015 (Re-laxnews) – Two studies pub-lished simultaneously in the US and Great Britain call into ques-tion the effi ciency of screening mammograms for breast cancer. These studies now join a debate that has been raging between specialists around the world.

The fi rst study, led by Profes-sor Philippe Autier from the In-stitute of Global Public Health, a joint health research initiative of Strathclyde University and the Lyon-based International Prevention Research Institute (iPRI), and Professor Peter Boyle, Director of the University of Strathclyde Institute of Glob-al Public Health at iPRI, was published in the Journal of the

Royal Society of Medicine.He and his team used the re-

sults from an infamous study conducted in Sweden in the 60s and 70s that has served as a basis for the implementation of screening mammogram proce-dures for breast cancer in sever-al countries, including England.

The study had concluded that early screening could prevent 20-25% of fatalities due to breast cancer.

Preven on policies worth revisingAfter analysis, today’s scien-

tists declared that the methodol-ogy of the study was wrong and that those fi gures were much too optimistic.

In fact, they believe that any reduction of deaths is probably

less than 10% and, according to Professor Richard Sullivan from the Institute of Cancer Policy, King’s College London, “At some point Britain will have to re-review its policy and this will be one of the pieces. My feel-ing is, give it another two years and Britain may need to con-stitute another group in 2017. The screening debate is far from over.”

This stance is not shared by all though. Professor Julietta Pat-nick, Director of the NHS Can-cer Screening Programmes, stat-ed in 2012 that “inviting women aged 50-70 for screening reduces mortality from breast cancer in the population invited by 20% and saves an estimated 1,300

lives a year in the UK.”16 million test subjectsThe second study

was led by Professor Richard Wilson from Harvard, who, with his team, analyzed data on more than 16 mil-lion women aged over 40 who resided in 547 different counties and reported to the SEER (Surveillance, Epide-miology and End Re-sults) during the year 2000.

Of those women, 53,207 were diagnosed with breast cancer that year and followed for the next 10 years. Analysis of the data was performed be-tween April 2013 and March 2015.

The results of the study, published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal, con-fi rm those of the fi rst study. According to the study, “A 10-percent-age point increase in screening is associated with a 16% mean in-crease in breast cancer incidence. However, there is no commensu-rate change in 10-year breast cancer mor-tality.” Even though the debate is ongoing between supporters of screening mammo-grams and skeptics, the number of studies that back up the effi -ciency of screening re-mains higher.

Breast cancer: Screening mammograms don’t necessarily reduce fatality rates

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 9

Lucas’ family owns a home health agency. And for 8 years, he worked alongside his siblings in growing their family business. However, due to recent programs launched by Obama Care, their facility experienced fi nancial diffi culties, and now business is not doing as well as it used to. In an attempt to help his family fi nancially, he decided to seek other avenues that would be lucrative. A friend then suggested that he try his luck at car industry. Fortunately, he was able to land a job at Norm Reeves Honda of West Covina, which became the fi rst move that would later on catapult him into the top salesman status that he has achieved today.

Shortly after being hired as salesman, Patrick Lucas began getting accolades. He started in March 13, 2014, but even as a green pea (industry term for newbie), he exceeded the branch’s expectations by selling 12 cars in a span of 1 month. On his 3rd month, he became the top salesman in the entire dealership, which consists of more than 30 salesmen. Good reviews and feedback from his customers began to amass in google and yelp (he mostly receives 4 or 5 stars). Since then his sales has been unbeatable in the entire dealership. In a short span of 6 months, he achieved “Silver” status. And that’s something that’s not usually attained by a green pea in a sort span of time. On his 9th month, he was promoted to fl eet manager. As of last month, he received the Silver award again. And now, he is on his way to achieving “Dealership Gold.”

When asked what motivates him to be excellent at his job, Lucas answered, “Without a doubt, my family.” Truly, his family, especially his mother, Emma Lucas and father Manuel Lucas, was the main reason for him entering the competitive world of vehicle selling and has also been his constant motivation to succeed.

Life was not always easy for Lucas. During high school, back when he was still living in San Francisco,

As the fl eet manager and top salesman in Norm Reeves Honda, West Covina branch, one would assume that Patrick Lucas has had extensive experience as a

car salesman. And just by having a 3-minute conversa-tion with him, it would be hard not to be impressed by how he effectively sells with such fi nesse and compe-tence, and at the same time be swept away by his engaging personality and his apparent charisma. But surprisingly, Lucas has only been in the car industry for a year. Before he found his true call-ing in the vehicle selling, Lucas was working in a totally different world – the healthcare industry.

A lesson learned from Patrick Lucas: Norm Reeves Honda of West Covina’s Top Car Salesman

HEART AND MIND IN SYNCBy Hannah De Castro-Abinuman

he was greatly ostracized and often bullied by his classmates. Some even went to the extent of going to his house to throw rocks, and left spiteful messages. The verbal and emotional at-tacks were too painful and brutal for a teenager to endure. And so, he had to leave the school. A few years later, his parents opened up a restaurant at the heart of the fi nancial district in San Francisco. But he was irresponsible at the time, and also due to his emotional struggles, he succumbed to the temptations of the world. He got hooked on drugs and his poor choices caused the restaurant to lose money and eventually, led his family to close the restaurant. But his family never left his side. They still maintained their love and support. And then one day, he went to church and had a life-changing experience – an awakening. From then on, he decided to end the actions that were slowly ruining his life. “Sa Diyos at sa pamilya ako humuhugot ng lakas. Kaya sabi ko sa kanila (family), ibabalik ko lahat sa inyo,” said Lucas.

Patrick Lucas’ life experiences have taught him to value people, to never discriminate and to treat everyone with respect and honesty. “I do not judge a person by his appearance, race, job or even credit score. My goal is to help all my customers, hanggang sa maka-kaya ko,” expressed Lucas. He believes that the number one goal is not to make the sale, but to help the customer fi nd what he is looking for. “At Norm Reeves Honda, we ask for 3 things – good credit, good job and good down payment. If a customer can provide even only 2 of those re-quirements, then I will fi nd ways to help him get the best deal.”

Despite the demanding hours (he works 12 – 16 hours a day), Lucas loves his job. He enjoys being constantly surrounded by people. He adores his bosses, General Manager Chad Limeux and General Sales Manager Gen Balouev who have done nothing but support him. Management even releases advertisements in newspapers and a billboard on the freeway featuring his achievements – a privilege only given to him. His job allows him to be who he really is without discrimination. Lucas adds that in his years working in different compa-nies, Honda was the only company he worked for where there’s instant gratitude, he gets online reviews for his work, people refer him to their friends for helping them. In the end he too, gains a friend in each customer and the feeling is very rewarding and quite satisfying. Although people think car salesmen are out to squeeze every inch of savings the buyer has, Lucas believes that sincerity, having a heart of service and informing the buyer of their op-tions are the best ways to close a deal. “I believe that even in selling cars, our hearts and our minds should always be in sync,” said Lucas. And true enough, not only does this phrase hold true in his work ethics, but in his life as well.For the best prices and top quality customer service, visit Norm Reeves Honda of West Covina or log on to www.normreeveswestcovina.com for more information. Better yet, call Patrick today at 1-888-868-9779.

Patrick Lucas welcomes you to Norm Reeves Honda of West Covina

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST10 LOS ANGELES

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PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Holy Spirit Thou who make me see everything and show me the way to reach

my ideal, You who give me the divine gift to forgive and forget the wrong that

is done to me and who are in all instances of my life with me. I, in this short

dialogue, want to thank You for everything and con rm once more that I never

want to be separated from You no matter how great the material desires may

be. I want to be with You and my loved ones in Your perpetual glory. Amen. A

person must pray this for three consecutive days without stating his wish. After

the 3rd day the wish will be granted, no matter how dif cult it may be. Promise

to publish this as soon as your favor has been granted. Grateful Thanks -SUSAN

PRAYERS

BalitaThe leading source of News and Information for the

Filipino American Community

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PRAYER to the BLESSED VIRGIN(Never known to fail)

Oh most beautiful ower of Mt. Carmel, fruit wine splendor of Heaven.Blessed

Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh

Star of the Sea. Help me and show me here you are my Mother. Oh Holy Mary,

Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech you from the

bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. (make request). There are

none that can withstand your power. Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for

us who have recourse to Thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your

hands (3 times). Say this prayer for three consecutive days and then you must

publish and it will be granted to you.Grateful Thanks.-BRENDAN

PRAYERS

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THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 Visit www.usasianpost.com 11

MOTORING

Wednesday July 1 2015 (Re-laxnews) – According to research from Bridgestone Tires and from Harris Poll, almost nine in 10 US adults will be taking a road trip in excess of 50 miles over the summer and 71% are planning on traveling much further.

That’s because the average US road trip, whether it be to visit friends, arrive at a specifi c desti-nation or is in itself the vacation, is some 1,300 miles. And the idea of being stuck in a car, potentially in a traffi c jam for hours on end is most appealing to the Millennial generation. In other words those that only a few years previously were sitting in the back of a ve-hicle asking their parents “are we there, yet?” every ten minutes.

Yet, more than three quarters (79%) of young adults said that they are planning at least one road trip this summer compared with 64% of Generation X respon-dents and 68% of Baby Boomers.

But whatever the age of the respondent, those with children

at home were the most likely of all polled to be taking to the road – 82% compared with 66% of re-spondents without dependent kids.

As for the idea that vacationing by car is a way of saving money, Bridgestone found that of the 2000 adults it surveyed, those that said they were hitting the road also aim to save up as much as $1000 per person before the trip starts. When asked, respondents ranked the car as their preferred mode of transport (75%) followed by fl ying (31%), while only 7% like the idea of vacationing via the train. The company also found that 18% of Americans will be heading out on their annual road trip during In-dependence Day weekend.

Yet with 1300 miles to cover, entertainment and reliving the boredom is high on US holiday-makers’ agendas and many are looking at the latest digital ad-vances. When asked by Harris Poll, 55% of respondents said that an in-car wi-fi hotspot would

make a journey more enjoyable and 40% said that having connec-tivity between their smartphones and the car’s infotainment system would make the journey safer.

Driving is the most dangerous form of transport and road ac-cidents the leading cause of acci-dental death in the US, and when asked about the latest generation of active safety features it’s per-haps unsurprising that consum-ers see them as a vital element of safer driving. For example, 86% said they’d feel safer on a jour-ney if their car had a blind sport monitoring system and 84% felt the same about a lane departure warning system.

Likewise, 77% of respondents felt that adaptive cruise control, which can maintain a safe dis-tance between the vehicles in front and behind even if they re-duce speed, would make them feel more secure and 73% said that a built-in navigation system would make them feel “more safe” when on a road trip.

The average road trip is 1300 miles. ©Dudarev Mikhail/shutterstock.com

Thursday June 25 2015 (Re-laxnews) – At the Festival of Speed in Goodwood, England, Ferrari is presenting a one-of-a-kind California T customized by the company’s bespoke division, Tailor Made.

This highly-personalized right-hand drive Ferrari California T sports a Bianco Italia three-layer exterior paint job with a double-asymmetric stripe in Blu Hellen, along with 20-inch forged wheels painted in Blu Hellen and Argen-to Nurburgring, all inspired “by the passion and colors of polo and horse racing,” in tribute to Fer-rari’s famous prancing horse.

The Ferrari California T Tailor Made will be on display alongside a comprehensive display of Tailor Made materials, inside Ferrari’s VIP hospitality enclosure re-served exclusively for their clients in order to highlight the brand’s customization prowess and abil-ity to cater to its clientele’s every demand.

Presented at the Geneva Auto Show in 2014, the California T is

Ferrari’s return to forced induc-tion, its fi rst turbocharged super-car since the F40. Powered by a 552-hp, 3.9-liter V-8 mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, the California T can hit 62 mph (100 km/h) from standstill in just 3.6 seconds and has a top speed of 196mph (316 km/h).

This Ferrari also possesses the latest traction control system to come out of its F1 program, which gives the car optimal acceleration coming out of corners.

Its carbon-ceramic brakes, coupled with ABS and ESP tech-nology guarantee quick braking, and its retractable roof takes just 14 seconds to turn this well-insu-lated hardtop coupe into a con-vertible.

Ferrari has also created an online confi gurator for its new California T that allows prospec-tive buyers to customize their car down to the last detail.

The Festival of Speed is taking place place in Goodwood, Eng-land, June 25-28. For more infor-mation, go to goodwood.co.uk.

The 2015 Goodwood Festival of Speed is hosting this Ferrari California T Tailor Made.©Ferrari

Millennials most likely to hit the road this summer

A one-of-a-kind Ferrari California T at Goodwood

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, July 15-21, 2015 THE US ASIAN POST12

By Abner GalinoFor actor Miguel Vera, the sec-

ond time around must have al-ways been sweeter (pun intended, or not).

Happily meeting the press af-ter the successful restaging of the well-known play Noli Me Tange-re at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Vera said he was happy with his performance as the lead character Crisostomo Ibarra.

The actor said he was more relaxed that night and believed that he has done as much or per-haps better than when the play debuted in Los Angeles in August last year.

The fans who gave the cast a standing ovation during the cur-tain call certainly confi rmed Ve-ra’s assessment.

Nonie Belarmino, one of the show’s producer, added that if things would turn our right, they would bring Noli me Tangere to San Diego, another Filipino-American hub in southern Cali-fornia.

Belarmino believes that Noli Me Tangere remains a potent vehicle, not only for showcasing Filipino culture, but as well as for passing on the patriotic senti-

ment to the younger generation of Filipino-Americans.

“Ang nag-iba lang naman yung panahon at yung mga karakter, pero ang sitwasyon (sa Pilipinas) ganon pa rin. Nandiyan pa rin ang korupsiyon at abuso,” Belar-mino explained.

A young man, Leandro Salud, 17, said he was able to relate to the play despite not having read the book Noli Me Tangere, from which the play was adapted, and not having lived in the Philip-pines for a long time.

“But I was in Manila months ago. I think (the play) it’s still relevant cause it talks about inde-pendence.”

Marides Uytiepo, also 17, a family of one the actors, said she understood the messages con-veyed in the play as they grew up in the Philippines and felt that a lot of them remain to be true.

“Even if I did not read the book, in the way they portrayed it, I get it. I think Jose Rizal is going to be relevant even in the years to come,’ the young girl added.

Doc Mae, who played the role of Sisa, added that while many of the scenes in the play were de-pressing, it still managed to bring out a message of hope in the end.

“Nasa atin na ngayon kung paano natin pagagandahin ang ating kinabukasan,” the actress concluded.

The other members of the cast who were notable in their perfor-mances were soprano Cristina “Kit” Navarro (Maria Clara), An-nie Nepomuceno (Dona Victori-na), Joji Isla (Padre Damaso), Ar-iel Dayanghirang (Padre Salvi), Joseph Gelito (Kapitan Tiyago), Bacchi Garcia and Joey Uytiepo.

Noli Me Tangere is a well-known play, not only because it was adapted from a novel of na-tional hero Jose Rizal, but also because it was originally created by contemporary Filipino icons namely; national artist Bienveni-do Lumbera (libretto), Ryan Cay-abyab (music) and Felix “Nonon” Padilla (direction.)

The play fi rst saw light in 1995 at the Tanghalang Aurelio To-lentino of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Its original cast included Monique Wilson (Maria Clara), Audie Gemora and John Arcilla, alternating as Crisostomo Ibarra, Bernardo Bernardo and Bodjie Pascua as Padre Damaso.

Both the restaging in the US were produced by Teatro Pilipino USA.

The cast of Noli Me Tangere poses for the fans shortly after the curtain call.

Noli Me Tangere hurdles 2nd restaging in LA, producers eye San Diego

MANILA, July 10 (Mabuhay) – Criticized for her supposed lack of experience, Senator Grace Poe enumerated on Friday her “ster-ling accomplishments” during her fi rst two years in Senate.

Poe’s offi ce listed in a press statement the bills that she ini-tiated in the upper chamber and issues that she investigated as head of the committees on peace and order, public information and mass media, and public services subcommittee.

“Her committees have been among the most active in conduct-ing public hearings and meetings in aid of legislation,” the state-ment said. As chair of the com-mittee on public information and mass media, the senator shep-herded the passing in the Senate of the People’s Freedom of Infor-mation Act which advocates a clean government by institution-alizing transparency and account-ability in all government transac-tions and operations.

She also led the hearings, as chair of the public services sub-committee, on MRT and LRT is-sues to provide solutions to “MRT challenges that imperil the safety and welfare of commuters, as well as diminish their productivity.”

“Poe saw to it that the neces-sary basic facilities repairs and upkeep are pursued accordingly,” the statement said.

“The DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communica-tion) has started the toilet reha-bilitation project across the 13 MRT3 stations which includes plumbing and declogging works, electrical and mechanical up-grades, new fi xtures installation, tile replacement, and repainting works.” “Civil works have begun at the North Avenue station while replacement of 100 meters of worn out MRT rails was accomplished as part of the 6,000 meters of lin-ear rail replacement project,” it further said.

Leading the public order com-mittee, the senator sought solu-tions to problems on violent con-fl ict, policing, drugs and crime.

In particular, Poe ensured the timely release of the committee

report on the Mamasapano inci-dent “to deter lapses in police and military operations and prevent unnecessary loss of life.” The inci-dent last January 25 left 44 elite policemen and several Moro reb-els dead. To modernize the Philip-pine National Police, Poe submit-ted a committee report to address challenges in the PNP which in-clude logistics, weapons, human resource system, increasing crimi-nality and deterioration of police stations.

With the staunch support of Poe, a bill amending Sec. 21 of the Dangerous Drugs Act to enable the government to effectively go after big-time drug pushers was enacted as RA 10640.

“In addition, a measure aimed at holistic response to the drug menace is expected to be approved on second reading. The bill seeks to include drug dependents who wish to be rehabilitated in the cov-erage of the Philippine Health In-surance Corp. and make it afford-able to them,” the statement said. To further reduce crime towards greater security for Filipinos, Poe initiated a bill seeking to impose stiffer penalties to better deter car thieves and protect the interest of motor vehicle owners. It is now up for approval on second read-ing. The senator also led a public hearing on bills seeking to provide incentives to independent fi lm-makers, promote Film Tourism and further protect the country’s artistic and cultural wealth from piracy.

It was also Poe, who brought to the public eye the “worsening” hunger and malnutrition situa-tion in the country when she deliv-ered a privilege speech underscor-ing the need to focus government priorities on ensuring that no Fili-pino child is deprived of his or her basic right to life and health.

“With the support of colleagues, Poe championed the initiative in the 2015 Budget Law for an in-stitutionalized free lunch feeding program for public school kids na-tionwide to address malnutrition and produce able young Filipinos, as contained in her Sustansya para sa Batang Pilipino bill.”

Grace Poe trumpets accomplishments as senator