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May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Special Report:
Diokno resigns!
PNoy thanked friend for service and delikadeza
Ernesto Diokno
MANILA, Philippines (May 31, 2011) - Saying public interest should always prevail over friendship, President Aquino
announced yesterday his acceptance of the resignation of Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Ernesto Diokno after the
latter failed to give him a satisfactory explanation for irregularities in the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP).
Aquino said Diokno tendered his irrevocable resignation during their meeting at Malacañang before 2 p.m., and he
thanked Diokno for his “service and delicadeza.”
The President told reporters at a hurriedly arranged press
briefing at the New Executive Building that he already had a
person in mind to replace Diokno.
He said criticisms that he was soft on his friends in government were baseless as he and Diokno had been through a lot,
especially during the times when his mother, Corazon Aquino,
was fighting for democracy and Diokno was still a police officer.
“His decision to step down from his position will pave the way for the immediate implementation of reforms that we want to undertake
in the system of corrections, many of which he
(Diokno) had already stated,” Aquino said.
“Public service depends largely on the people’s trust and that is why anyone who serves in
government has the freedom to weigh whether
he is able to fulfill his sworn duties. I praise Mr.
Diokno for making a decision on the dictates of
his conscience,” Aquino said.
“Our policy is clear. Only the interest of the
people shall guide us in our decisions and not
association or friendship,” Aquino stressed.
The President said that from the beginning,
his government has maintained that the duty of
all public servants is to selflessly serve the Filipino people.
Aquino said he has repeatedly pointed out
the immense responsibilities that go with public
service and that the NBP incident should serve
as a lesson on how to improve the penal system
in the country.
The President said Diokno was not able to
explain why he was not able to stop the irregularities in the NBP.
The irregularities came to light after homicide convict and former Batangas Governor
Jose Antonio Leviste was found to have left the
NBP compound reportedly for an appointment
with a dentist in Makati City.
Diokno had admitted knowledge of Leviste’s prison privileges but had reportedly only
warned him of sanctions.
The President said any administrative case
against Diokno had become moot and academic
with his resignation.
Aquino disclosed he and Diokno talked for
about 20 minutes yesterday.
Gani Gregorio
Assistant
Sales Manager
May 7 - June 6, 2011
He said he liked it that Diokno was not
“thick skinned” or “kapit tuko” and that he
might consider him in another position, but not
in the near future and not in the “same situation.”
Aquino said Diokno was no longer a “spring
chicken” and was actually in retirement stage.
The President said the former BuCor director did not say sorry but his resignation could be
the “best form of apology.”
“I felt his pain. He told me it had been a
tough job,” Aquino said.
“This administration has always stressed
integrity among public servants, and everyone
accountable for the breach in BuCor will be determined and meted the proper disciplinary action,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda
said.
“The proposed reforms in our country’s
prison system, which the President recently
asked from various concerned government
agencies, will be making their way to his office,” Lacierda said, referring to possible relocation of the prison facility from Muntinlupa
City.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Diokno is administratively liable for Leviste’s unauthorized trip. In its 36-page report to President Aquino, the DOJ fact-finding panel also
recommended criminal and administrative actions against Leviste’s custodian Fortunato Justo for infidelity in custody of a prisoner.
The DOJ submitted the report to the President a few hours before Diokno’s resignation.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said Diokno’s decision to quit was a “graceful exit” and
the “most honorable, selfless way to address the
issue.”– (PHILStar.net - Delon Porcalla, Aie
Balagtas See)
Kit Santos
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Consultant
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5
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EDITORIAL
F R O N T L I N E
NINEZ CACHO-OLIVARES
Indecisive must be his name
Useless prison revamp
If anything should be revamped in the Philippine prison system, it should be
the way the system treats prisoners, which is almost inhuman, as prisoners are all
expected to suffer in crowded cells, stinking bathrooms and virtually being fed with
canine food.
Instead of having a rehabilitative penal system, what this country insists on is to
even have a stricter punitive penal system, which is, in all probability, the reason
prisoners who have the means to get themselves better prison lodgings and better
food, get for themselves these “perks” and the reason too that corruption becomes
even more intense.
Philippine jails are overcrowded, and yet there has been no move on the part of
government, the executive and the legislative departments, along with the judiciary,
past and present, to improve living conditions in jails, whether in Bilibid or in city
jails, or provincial jails, for that matter.
What is wrong with giving convicts and especially detainees in city jails, house
arrests with electronic monitoring bracelets, for authorities to check on their whereabouts? Such a system would certainly help decongest jails.
What is so wrong with judges suspending a prison sentence of a convicted felon,
if the crime is not murder or rape or some other heinous crime, as long as the convicted felon is a first time offender?
That convicted felon can certainly be made to do some community service as his
penalty instead of a jail term.
It is being done in other democratic countries and there is no reason for the same
system to be applied in this country.
The truth is, with detainees and convicts living in a hell hole and being housed in
cells with murderers and rapists, these convicts and detainees can hardly be expected
to be rehabilitated. Instead, they become hardened criminals, which will spawn more
hardened criminals because the current system actually breeds such hardened criminals.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) is said to be recommending a “total overhaul”
of the penal system, following the controversy over the special privileges enjoyed
by former Batangas Gov. Antonio Leviste and other VIP inmates of the New Bilibid
Prison (NBP).
“We will recommend a total overhaul of the system in the NBP, the replacement of the guards and even the officers. We are discussing the possibility of having
some members of the Philippine Army guard the NBP in the meantime,” the current
Officer-in-Charge and head of the DoJ panel investigating Leviste’s unauthorized
furlough was quoted as saying.
“There will be replacements or reassignments. We will include among our recommendations the retraining and reorientation among prison personnel. We will inculcate professionalism in the ranks,” he stressed.
But what is meant by a total overhaul is to bring the Army in, for added security.
But this is not the function or duty of the Army. There is also that recommendation
of a top to bottom reshuffle and the claimed strengthening of the security measures
in the national penitentiary and inculcate professionalism.
But does the DoJ really believe that such changes will stop the so-called VIP
prisoners from seeking better living prison conditions, or even stop the corruption
within the penal system?
The Army can be made to look the other way, as the Bureau of Corrections officers and staff have been doing — until something like the Leviste caper happens,
and then, after a time, everything goes back to “normal” in prison life.
There will be, for starters, a “stricter” way of dealing with VIP prisoners. But for
how long? Until after the media lose interest in the issue.
But it will crop up again, when the media spot yet another VIP prisoner out of jail
as the media in general, embrace the punitive penal system, and appear to believe
that prisoners should be made to suffer and rot in overcrowded jails, innocent or
guilty. Instead of rehabilitating them, and treat them humanely, they prefer to live
like pigs, as to them, that is the penalty for the crime committed.-(Tribune)
6
It has been some three weeks,
if not a month, since Noynoy announced that he will be appointing
losing vice presidential bet Mar
Roxas as his chief of staff, and that
an Administrative Order (AO), is
being drafted to clarify the functions of Roxas as his chief of staff
and the functions of his Executive
Secretary Paquito Ochoa.
While in Thailand on an official
visit, Noynoy told reporters that
he and his officials are still in the
process of drafting the AO to detail the responsibilities of Roxas,
adding that he wants Roxas to
handle some political and internal
management concerns, such as the
Presidential Management Staff
(PMS), along with other assignments Noynoy may be giving Mar
from time to time.
He was quoted as saying that before finalizing the executive order
for Roxas’ appointment, they will
meet together with Ochoa to discuss the separation of functions
and responsibilities.
Does it take that long for Noynoy
to decide just what duties Mar is
to be given, which is why to this
date, there has been no AO from
Malacañang?
But surely, if he had already
planned on taking in Roxas as his
chief of staff months ago or even
a year ago, Noynoy should already
know just what he wants Roxas to
do, by way of making him his chief
of staff, which incidentally, is a superfluity, given the fact that there
already exists an Executive secretary, who, strictly speaking has
overall supervision over the Cabinet members, along with the PMS.
So just what is Mar to do in
Malacañang as Noynoy’s chief of
staff, or does Noynoy even know?
He says part of the work would be
political. Just what does this entail?
Drafting political policies? Ensuring the hold of the Liberal Party
over Congress? But such types of
political issues should have nothing to do with Palace work.
But if such is what Mar is supposed to work on, then Noynoy
should appoint Mar as his political
adviser, and not his chief of staff.
Then too, why give Mar supervi-
sion if not control over the PMS,
when this is the function of his Executive secretary?
Besides, Noynoy was reported to
have said that his PMS chief, Julia
Abad, is 80 percent of his brains.
He still needs Mar to fill up the 20
percent of his brain? Geez!
But perhaps, even as Noynoy realizes the superfluity in having two
officials with more or less the same
functions, he still has to appoint
Mar as his chief of staff, just as he
had to appoint too many communications chief, to please both factions — the Balay and the Samar
factions. Noynoy is offering too
many positions to his partymates
and allies as rewards, which, however, tends to create more chaos
and confusion in Malacañang.
But that is not the end of it. While
Nonoy announced that his two
“temporary” Cabinet members
— the Environment chief and the
Local Government chief, Paje and
Robredo, respectivelty, are to become permanent Cabinet members,
he also announced that his ally and
losing senatorial bet, Nereus Acosta, is not taking the position of the
DENR chief. Instead, Acosta will
be appointed as a presidential adviser for environmental concerns.
This is another superfluity, but then
again, it would have been impossible for Acosta to be appointed
as Environment secretary, simply
because he has a graft case against
him before the Sandiganbayan and
there really is no way for him to be
confirmed by the Commission on
Appointments.
Still, why appoint him as a presidential adviser on environmental
concerns when there already exists a DENR chief, if not to reward
Acosta, an ally and party member?
Noynoy has been appointing too
many advisers and giving them
Cabinet rank, and all done on the
basis of political rewards.
So where is that much vaunted
reforms Noynoy speaks about all
the time, when he is doing exactly
as his predecessors did?
And whither went his daang matuwid, when he appoints allies who
are charged with graft and corruption?
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
THE TALL ORDER
Reprinted from
Malaya with the
author’s consent
By Mon Datol
Arrest smokers, arrest PNoy…
MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino
started to implement a strict no smoking
policy in public places in Metro Manila
last Monday. He said MMDA agents and
policemen will arrest all violators. Walang
sasantuhin. Walang palalampasin. Walang
kamag-anak. Walang kaibigan. Titikitang
lahat, maliban…
Si PNoy. Ang Pangulo. Ano bale?
****
Iyon ang big question mark. Could
Tolentino or any of his MMDA agents
issue a smoking ticket to PNoy if the Chief
Executive goes out in Malacanang ground
and smoke his imported cigarette? Will
PNoy be arrested if he goes out of his fave
bar and smoke in the sidewalk?
Or will Tolentino’s agents apprehend
Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa if the Li’l
Prez smokes outside his favorite nightclub
in Quezon Avenue in QC? Or will the
MMDA enforcers ‘handcuff’ any Senator or
Congressman or Member of PNoy Cabinet
who will be smoking outside their public
offices?
Sana nga ay may ma-sampolang ‘malaking isda’ ang mga bata ni MMDA Chairman
Tolentino at makunan ng mga newspaper
fotogs at TV cameras ang panghuhuling
gagawin sa kahit isang ‘Konsehal’ man lang
‘o kahit na Barangay Chairman para kahit
papaano ay di sasama ang loob ng mga ordinaryong tao na mahuhuling naninigarilyo
sa mga kalsada ‘o kahit saan parke at pampublikong mga lugar. At sana nga ay huwag
maging …
Ningas-cogon lang ang no-smoking
policy ng MMDA.
****
Not to be outdone, Manila Mayor
Fred Lim also ordered the Manila AntiSmoking Task Force to implement a no
let up action against smokers in city Hall.
The ‘Dirty Harry’ of Manila even cited the
2003Republic Act 9211 and Manila City
Ordinance No. 7748 to back-up his directive of totally prohibiting smoking in all
enclosed places like public buildings, malls,
theaters and restaurants and also public utility vehicles.
Will Mayor Lim, however, arrest violators
inside a public building called Malacañang
headed by its No. 1 smoker named Noynoy?
‘Yon lang.
****
President Noynoy Aquino readily accepted the resignation of Bureau of Corrections
chairman Ernesto Diokno and thanked his
friend for his delikadeza, hinted another
governmental post for the retired General
and exonerated him for any administrative
charges the DOJ has found out in its investigation of the flawed penitentiary system in
the Philippines.
Like DLIG Usec Rico Puno who caused
the botched Luneta Hostage drama and
where PNoy only gave his shooting buddy
Puno a slap on the wrist, Diokno is also
clearly one of the Palace anointed individuals who are enjoying the old political adage
of …
It pays to be in power.
****
Yah. Maliwanag pa sa sikat ng araw sa
tag-araw na it really pays to have a close
buddy, especially, a relative as president in
Malacañang. Protektado ka, pati na pamilya,
sa lahat ng bagay, pati na sa batas na dapat
ay ipatupad ng pantay-patay sa lahat ng
Pilipino.
Just look at the Hacienda Luisita for
a starter. The family Cojuangco-Aquino
owned Hacienda Luisita and until now this
vast sugar land, which should have been
divided and returned to the farmers thru the
Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of
1987, still is in the possession of the family
and making tons of money collecting toll
fees from the motorists who use the roads
inside the Hacienda built thru the government funds.
Per columnist Ambassador Ernie Maceda
in his well-read column at The STAR: ‘The
Aquino-Cojuangcos always benefit, that is
for sure, and despite Noynoy Aquino’s constant attacks against Gloria Arroyo and her
May 7 - June 6, 2011
administration, they certainly benefited a
lot from her administration, as not only was
the hacienda raw land sold to government
for right of way road grossly overpriced —
which sum was not even divvied up between
management and the hacienda farmers, since
the whole sum went to the CojuangcoAquino hacienda management — but also
from that private interchange, paid for by
the government, which means the people’s
money.’
P20 pesos ang singil ng mga Hacienda
jaguars sa bawat motor vehicle that would
use the Hacienda Road. And no receipt is
issued by the guards, eh? Pasok kaban-ngHacienda ang collect-tong na yon, ah! At
anong malay natin, baka kumiklita rin ang
chief of security ng Hacienda dahil nga
walang resibo, hindi alam ang laki ng kinikita sa kalsada, di ba?
Tuwid na daan ni PNoy? Eh, sa Hacienda
Luisita pa lang na kinalakihan ni Noynoy ay
baluktok na ang daan, sino ang maniniwala
kay PNoy ngayon sa sinasabi niyang ‘Tuwid
na Daan’ ang kailangan sa ika-uunlad ng
bayan?
That’s how Philippine politics is played
out. Those in power and position remain
untouched while they run against their political foes. But their turn comes, after they no
longer enjoy power and privilege. But for
now …
It really pays in power.
****
Kaya nga it’s very timely that the House
committee on suffrage and electoral reforms
chaired by Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr.,
has endorsed Bill 2877: “An Act declaring
an elective official ipso facto resigned from
his office upon the filing of his certificate of
candidacy.”
In the same manner, a senator would no
longer be allowed to aspire for the presidency or the vice presidency without relinquishing his or her Senate seat. The bill’s principal author is San Juan Rep. Joseph Victor
Ejercito. JV Ejercito said his proposal, if
approved, would be a major electoral and
political reform.
And the incumbents are prohibited from
using the taxpayers’ money and other government resources to promote their candidacies. The resignation requirement would
put all candidates in an election on an equal
footing. And it will preserve and protect
the constitutional edict that public officials
should serve the people with utmost loyalty
and the doctrine that public office is a public
trust. Galeng mo, JV.
Mabuhay ka, Erap! .. err…JV, anak ni
Erap, nga pala.
****
Well, being the country’s first bachelor
President, PNoy cannot prevent the public
from having a keen interest in his lovelife.
Alam naman natin ang mga Pinoy ay talagang mahilig sa teleserye at sa ‘tsismis.’ At
ang lovelife ni PNoy ay talagang sinusubaybayan ng balana. Bakit nga ba?
Dahil kay Kris Aquino! Na hindi mapigil
ang bibig sa pagbibigay ng details sa lovelife
ng Kuya Noynoy niya. Pero, ika nga natin,
good or bad publicity is still publicity, diba,
Ka Alfie?
By the way, talking about Kris, she told
people some months back that she will be
running for governor of Tarlac next election
set in 2013. Nagbunyi asng mga taga-Tarlac.
Hindi kumibo si Kuya Noy. Now, nagalit si
Kuya Noy dahil ang kaniyang Tita Tingting
Cojuangco, dating Tarlac governor at asawa
ng Uncle Peping Cojuangco niya, ay tatakbong Vice-Governor sa ARMM election!
Hindi raw papayag si PNoy na may
tumakbo siyang close relative sa anumang
election hanggat siya ang Pangulo ng
Pilipinas. Pero, kaya ba niyang pigilan si
Tita Tingting sa pagtakbo sa ARMM polls?
Tingnan natin. Teka, bakit yata biglang
tumahik si Kris sa pronoucement ni Kuya
Noy na walang makakatakbo siyang close
relative sa anumang election until 2016?
Paano na ang pagtakbo ni Kris sa Governor
ng Tarlac sa 2013?
Tahimik ang kampanya, ani Kuya Boy
Abunda.
‘Let us hope that this modus operandi will no longer
be in use under the concept of a government treading
the Daang Matuwid.’
Making the PPP work in John Hay
MY government welcomes the participation
of Thai companies in the country’s infrastructure
development through the Public-Private Partnership program," said PNoy during his Abhisit Veijajiva joint press conference with Thai Prime Minister following their bilateral meeting in Bangkok
last week.
In the media forum, the President said that he
had formally presented to the Thai prime minister the PPP, which, he said, aims to attract more
private business, both local and foreign, to invest
in various infrastructure programs in the Philippines.
That’s well and good and we hope for the
best. However, the latest business confidence
index survey by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas
(BSP) shows that business confidence for this
quarter fell to 31.8% from 33% from its firstquarter results.
The decline came after business sentiment
consistently improved last year, peaking in December 2010 after President Aquino vowed to
fix the fiscal sector first before imposing new tax
measures.
Among the reasons for the downslide, according to the BSP, was the "slow business procedures and fund disbursements for government
construction projects", along with high operating
costs due to soaring oil prices in the global market.
The President may find it difficult to convince
foreign investors like the Thais to do business in
the Philippines, if it cannot immediately address
what immediately needs fixing.
For one thing, Malacañang must make sure
that government agencies and state-controlled
corporations that deal directly with investors help
in selling the President’s PPP, instead of sabotaging this flagship program by arbitrarily changing
business rules in midstream. If the Aquino administration fails to fix this problem soon, then all the
hard work that the President and his economic
managers have put into his PPP program would
all be for naught.
An example of "investor-deterrent" or investor-unfriendly behavior was the way that the
Bases Conversion and Development Authority
(BCDA) has been shabbily treating its private
partner in the development of Camp John Hay in
Baguio City.
The BCDA, for instance, had been demanding back rentals from its private partner—the
Camp John Hay Development Corp. (CJHDevco) - now supposedly amounting to P2.4 billion,
while not lifting a finger to fulfill its end of their
contract.
The deal was that, besides providing the property, BCDA would set up and operate a One Stop
Action Center (OSAC) that would streamline all
applications and permits needed by investors in
the John Hay Special Economic Zone.
In other words, the BCDA’s OSAC would
eliminate red tape to make John Hay attractive
for investors to do business in the Zone.
But, instead of coming up with an OSAC, the
BCDA merely accepts applications for permits
and licenses, which it passes on, to other government agencies. Thus, instead of eliminating red
tape, it just added another layer that made the wait
longer for investors to get their requirements processed.
CJHDevco says that it has, in fact, been setting aside the proportionate ‘pro-rata’ rental payments to BCDA in an escrow account based on
what BCDA has delivered for development.
To date, JHMC’s OSAC does not have the
full authority to process and issue all the business, building and other developmental permits,
certificates, licenses, local and national, from all
government agencies to facilitate construction
and commercial operations in Camp John Hay.
As a result, CJHDevco incurred significant
losses and lost business opportunities since it was
not able to launch critical projects as scheduled
since the signing of the July 2008 RMOA.
CJHDevco claims that while some of its locators have been issued their Registration and
Permits to Operate, many, if not all, of these Registrations and Permits were issued beyond the 30
day turn around period, mostly after months of
waiting. CJHDevco had to close down locators
without the proper permits because of Notices
of Violation that CJH locators received from the
City Government of Baguio.
To date, any tree cutting applications are
still forwarded to the DENR for its approval and
JHMC remains to be a mere endorsing entity
without full authority to issue environmental permits directly.
CJHDevco has called for the convening of a
Joint meeting to tackle the outstanding disputes
and BCDA’s violations of the July 2008 RMOA,
to which, according to CJHDevco, BCDA has refused to respond.
Are we looking only at the investor side and
ignoring BCDA’s side?
What about the case of Manny Pangilinan,
who may now already be regretting the day he
signed the contract with the BCDA to build the
SCTEX expressway.
Pangilinan has been loudly protesting that the
BCDA wanted to change the rules midstream in
the implementation of the SCTEX project.
The concession agreement that MNTC signed
with the BCDA is already a perfected contract.
Both the Toll Regulatory Board and the Office of
the Government Corporate Counsel had already
approved it.
Under the original terms of the perfected
contract, the MNTC would pay semi-annual
concession fees in the first five years, which the
government would use to pay off loans that had
been secured to bankroll this road project. For the
remainder of the contract, the BCDA would have
a 20-percent share in all revenues from the road.
But just before the Arroyo-era officers stepped
aside and a new BCDA (with former congressman and Subic Metropolitan Authority Chairman
Felicito Payumo as Chairman) took over under
Aquino, the MNTC received a letter from management saying that it wants the contract terminated because of certain "money" issues.
Pangilinan would not reveal what these issues
were in his press briefings but, to me, it smells
like a run-of-the-mill rotten shakedown.
We couldn’t agree more with Pangilinan
when he said, "contracts with private companies
should be sacred, especially if the fulcrum of the
government’s economic program is the PPP program.
"If we decided to get out, the administration’s
PPP program will not look good to the international community."
The MNTC’s woes are actually mild compared to the tight fix that CJHDevco has found
itself in.
The CJHDevco’s job of developing the John
Hay economic zone is a tough one, as it had to
contend with an array of woes, such as the Asian
financial crisis and a Supreme Court ruling that
led to the pullout of incentives for the project.
Other investors would have simply given up on
the project long ago.
To save the project, the BCDA and CJHDevco drew up a Restructured Memorandum of
Agreement (RMOA) in 2008.
From what can be gleaned from the third
RMOA, CJHDevco acted as if nothing had happened despite the withdrawal of the fiscal incentives for the project. But instead of imposing
demands, the corporation merely required the
BCDA to set up the OSAC to facilitate the entry
of investors into the ecozone.
However, three years after the signing of
the restructured MOA, nothing appears to have
changed.
It’s not as if CJHDevco is waiting for something to just happen. It has already plunked P2.6
billion into the project since 2001.
The terms of the RMOA show that the obligations of CJHDevco were made current and are
now to be settled in accordance with the agreement. The amount demanded by BCDA cannot,
therefore, be construed as "rental arrears."
Moreover, the restructured agreement categorically suspends the BCDA’s entitlement to
rentals if and when it fails to put up the OSAC,
which both parties had agreed upon. So how can
the BCDA demand the payment of these so-called
"back rentals" when it had committed a breach
with its inutile one-stop shop?
This BCDA modus operandi of milking its
private sector partners for more money should
end if Malacañang is serious in making the PPP
the flagship economic program of the Aquino administration.
Let us hope that this modus operandi will no
longer be in use under the concept of a government treading the Daang Matuwid.
***
Readers who missed a column can access
www.duckyparedes.com/blogs. This is updated
daily. Your reactions are welcome at duckyparedes@yahoo.com
7
Philippine Courier
My Cup of Tea
By Dr. Leto Tigley
Reprinted from
Malaya with the
author’s consent
Restore ‘death penalty’ in the Philippines
Where have all the Boracay sandcastles gone?
My grandniece, Amanda, and her
Dad, We caught up with the last days
of summer in Boracay last week and
it was beautiful!
There were no floating seaweeds.
You literally swim with schools of
fish. Against the searing heat, it’s
cool, powdery sand and crystal clear
waters were perfect bliss.
We were there May 18 and 19,
weekdays. The beach was not teeming with people like what it was
when we were there for the wedding
of Magdalo officer Armand “Bem”
Pontejos and Bamby Frangue from
Caluya, Antique last April 29, right
after Holy Week.
Despite the abuse it has suffered
from over and senseless development, Boracay’s natural attributes
remain one of the best in the world.
Although I miss the quiet and serenity of the rustic Boracay in the early
80’s, I’m fascinated by the bohemian sub-culture that has developed in
Boracay, that makes it distinct from
other beach resorts in the Philippines.
In last week’s visit, we stayed
in SandCastles, Greg and Viveca
Hutchinson’s beachfront apartments
on Station 2, the best part of Boracay. (Greg is an Australian journalist. He is my co-author of the book
“Hot Money, Warm Bodies -The
downfall for President Joseph Estrada.)
It was a great relief to know that
the Hutchinsons six- year legal
battle over their original resort, just
beside the Apartments, is finally
over. Iloilo businessman Alfonso
Tan bought the leasehold rights and
succeeded in ejecting the illegal occupants that caused the Hutchinsons
a lot of trauma. A nightmare, Viveca
said. That story deserves a separate
column.
The Hutchinsons will continue to
run the handsomely- furnished Sand
Castles, the Apartments.
2006 photo by VERA Files'
Yvonne Chua. You rarely see this
now. What I missed in Boracay were
the sandcastles, the works of art by
Boracay’s beach children that used
to be one of the resort’s night attractions.
The municipality of Malay, where
Boracay is located, is now implementing strictly a 2007 ordinance
regulating sandcastle-making on the
beaches around the famous island
resort.
Sand lantern. This is also prohibited. A March 2011 VERA Files article by Ariel Sebellino stated “One
reason for the passage of the ordinance was that huge quantities of
sand are needed to make big sandcastles that are used as photography
backdrops for a fee. The once unregulated commercial activity affected
the natural terrain of the beach.”
Japan’s NHK TV featured the disappearing sandcastles in Boracay.
It’s Manila reporter, Charmaine Deogracias talked with police authorities who drive away the children
sandcastle makers from the beach.
The police officer said there had
8
been a research conducted by one
university that showed that the
ground loosens when dug up to
build sandcastles. Even when the
sandcastles are flattened, the sand
formations are never the same again.
“The (Boracay) sands are the only
attraction here that is what the tourists come here for. That’s why we
are protecting and preserving it.”
The ordinance prohibits making
of sand sculptures except for promotional or special events with a mayor’s permit. Aside from securing a
permit, sandcastles could now only
be built six meters from the edge of
the vegetation and they should not
hamper pedestrian flow along the
beach.
The ordinance provides that a
resident who violates any provision
of the sandcastle-making ordinance
shall be fined P2, 500. On the second and subsequent offenses, an additional penalty of 30 days imprisonment shall be imposed depending
on the discretion of the court.
It is also mandatory now for the
proponents to restore the original
terrain of the beach by leveling the
sand and cleaning the area after the
activity, the VERA Files article said.
My nephew's family enjoying the
sunset from SandCastles' beachfront
balcony. When we were there last
April, instead of magnificent castles
with intricate towers, we saw some
children making ‘sand lanterns’.
It’s a ground level lantern design
lighted underground.
Sand lanterns are included in the
prohibition and police would regularly chase the children away from
the beach.
The police said the municipal government frowned upon the children
asking money from the tourists for
their sandcastles which took them at
least four hours to build.
“These kids who are making sandcastles are asking donations from
tourists and if they don’t give they
force them, so it’s not good. Besides
those kids are not originally from
here, they came from elsewhere,”
the police told NHK TV.
He also attributed petty crimes
of robbery to sandcastle-making. “
Tourists get robbed by these kids.
They’ll entertain them while others
snatch their belongings and scamper
away.”
I remember the kids would put
cans for donations beside their sandcastles. I didn’t mind giving something in appreciation for their works
of art. It was in the open air, anybody
can see it and no one is required to
pay. It was purely voluntary.
But hotels like the Shangrila can
have sandcastles built for weddings
and special events in their exclusive
venues. All they have to do is pay
the fees charged by the municipal
government which I presume they
also charge to their guests.
Just like in the many issues besetting Boracay, the government seems
to have a penchant for coming up
with supposed solutions that do not
solve the problem.
On May 24, 2011, Kenneth Teo, 39, residing at Don Mariano Cui Sr. St. , Cebu City
while attending his water filling station was
shot by an unidentified gun man who immediately ran away to a waiting motorcycle and
disappeared. Maybe our Police Officers who
are stationed just a few blocks away were
tired and could also be sleeping on the bench
by protruding their opened abdomen with
much relaxation. And now, they are facing
a blank wall.
A 51-year old farmer from Asturias, Cebu,
a widower, like an animal, raped his 17 year
old niece in his farmland after serving his
lunch. The victim was found to have positive
findings, so, the accused was whisked into
prison and now awaits his court arraignment.
My suggestion; impound him like a savage
dog in a cage.
Another construction worker, Efren
Matedios, age 29 of Tabuelan, Cebu, killed
his 6-year-old niece the other day; sliced
open the abdomen and exposed the internal
organ and eat a part of it. His reasoning, he
was just helping the girl from the bad spirit.
He is a known member of a cult known as
“Sagrado Corazon”.
To sum it all, it is gruesome, heinous and
deserves again to revisit the law on capital
punishment which was rescinded during
the term of GMA. The reasons were we
are Catholics and we are against killing as
a means of punishment. We have it before
and that plunder is also punishable by death,
but, GMA repealed it to prepare herself
against any future sentences. GMA maybe
better than Nostradamus, eh? Presently, she
has two pending cases of plunder in the
Department of Justice.
What happened to the massacre of Journalists and Politician-wife in
Maguindanao Province in the last part of
GMA regime? What happened to the killing
of the alleged Militants and presumed leftist during GMA’s time, and also the present
government of Aquino? I think it should be
solved first so that we can say that judgment
is well served. My friend who was deported
to our country just a few weeks ago sighed
deeply and said, “May pag mamatay dahil sa
iyo”. Maybe, “ ikaw lang”.
I don’t know how good our Supreme
Court is now. The impeachment of Supreme
Court Justice Castillo was proven by the
Committee on Justice to have strong substance for indictment. He plagiarized his
decisions about the Comfort women during
WWW II, and was caught sans surprises,
by the UP academes. For me, he is no good
a justice and he deserves to eat his own
manure or drinks his own urine. Marquez, a
good Mexican Boxer, did it when he fought
against Floyd. Naturally, he lost.
My friend, Mon Datol, owner and editorin-chief of this number one newspaper in the
Toronto FilCan community, who is a boxing
savvy, has his own analysis in the coming
fight of Manny against JMM by November.
Expect it from his column. I lost a lot of
gambling imagination last May 7 and I don’t
want again to happen on this coming fight.
JMM deserves another try anyway. One
blogger said, “JMM” will bite the canvas
surely. Maybe, because he is old and not
comfortable on that weight, still there are
young ones who are better than him. Juan
Manuel Marquez can win against Pacquiao
on Urine Drinking Tournament. He could be
a number one pound for pound on that.
Expect President Aquino to have a
Cebuana wife soon. He was spotted on one
show together in one table. Probably, Mr.
President that would be a good pathway for
your life. This is also one way of evading
away from ex Bishop Cruz criticism on you.
Do it Mr. President, so that you can taste
the finest bread of Central Visayas, they call
it “Mamon” or the sweetest “bebingka” of
Mandawe. Almost certainly, Pnoy now is
salivating.
So, Cebu’s Governor, based on here
SALN is one of the richest politicians. She
tried to justify it by her numerous businesses
she acquired. Maybe she is right. But for her
critics, nobody believes her. Being rich on
the positions is not strange for Filipinos. The
government is the biggest business for politicians, and politics is the number one hobby
for lazy and greedy, or power hungry family
in our country. For the province, seldom you
can find a good dog. Most of them eat on
whatever foods you serve. They talked about
being a good Catholic and they believed that
they are already saintly. But behind it is the
true picture of a horny Lucifer.
About health, I got a message from a
relative in the Philippines telling me about
a drug made locally that can cure all kind of
illnesses. I asked her if it can cure cheating
or lying. She said, probably not, because
until now she has still that problem. Okay!
Is Cancer treatable? Not yet one hundred
percent. But there are lights at the end of
the tunnel. By yahoo mail, a friend from my
hometown in Cebu told me that the etiology
of Cancer is still unknown, only the secondary factors which are discovered. But cancer
is much better managed today, because there
are modalities of treatment which is now
accessible. But corruption, like cancer, is a
dreaded disease of the society, because it has
a virus that can infect even the whole house
of congress. The difference between the two
is that Cancer as a physical illness will only
destroy the individual, but for corruptions,
it can kill the whole society and make the
individual, who is the source, became fat
and rich.
The Bureau of Correctional is now
distressed by the problem of letting Ex
Governor Leviste free and has the privilege
of getting in and out from his jail sentence.
Leviste claimed that he had a dental appointment and his dentist clinic is just a block
away from his office. What is bad for him
is that the dentist he mentioned denied it.
BuCor Director, Ernesto Diokno, as reported
is a friend of Pnoy and it makes him good
shooting objects of the Presidential critics.
He had been advised by the Justice Secretary
to resign, yet, he resisted by saying that there
is no command responsibility applicable on
this case. The Jail Superintendent is the one
in charge in the forefront. But for his critics, he should resign. If he is in good mind,
maybe he should do it. There are probably
some thorns and loopholes in that institution.
They abuse the weakness of the prisoners by
extracting money in exchange for their artificial freedom. This is not a good example.
This is corruption and too bad if no one
would be punished.
The bad news again is that Canada is the
most corrupt among the G7. I hope this is a
false alarm. If this is true, then, USA is better
than Canada. How come Wal-Mart sprouted
numerously here, and they almost left US.
Tell that to the Marine!
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Special Feature:
Rizal Day-June 19, 2011
150th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Jose Rizal
TORONTO (May 31, 2011) - The Knights
of Rizal Canada Region are busy preparing
for the celebration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. They are celebrating also the 100th Year of the founding
of the Order of The Knights of Rizal.
Canada Region Commander Sir George R.
Poblete, KGOR is coordinating numerous
celebrations in the major cities in Canada,
(including Toronto, Montreal, Windsor,
Winnipeg,).The Central Canada celebration in Earl Bales Park in Bathurst St. in
Toronto.
Sir Noel Lalicon, KCR, the Chairman for
the "Beautification of the Rizal Monument" at Earl Bales Park have started the
landscaping work. (Sir Noel needs more
support from the Filipino-Canadians for
this Rizal project. If you could like to help
fund this project, call Sir Noel at 416-7514636 or email glalicon28@rogers,com.
Make checks payable to the Knights of
Rizal Canada Region).
On Sunday, June 19, 2011, the Rizal Day
celebration at Earl Bales Park will start at
11:00 AM, with a Wreath Laying by representatives from the Toronto Consular
Office, together with high Government
officials and Rizal Commanders. Rizal
Contests:"Rizal look-alike" and "Rizal
drawing" contest.
Finals and Picnic lunch will follow.
(Rizal Canada Region welcome donors
for prizes to these contests and food for
lunch. Donor may contact Chairman Sir
John de los Santos, KOR at 647-3459007, or Sir Noel Lalicon, KCR.).
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Canada Region Council briefed the
Philippine Press Editors on their plans
for the grand celebration of Dr. Jose P.
Rizal 150 Birthday Anniversary and the
100th year of the Knights of Rizal.
Other Rizal Projects this year includes:
•
Rizal Gala Night in Montreal on
June 5, 2011
•
Participation Flag Raising ceremonies in major Canadian cities on June
12, 2011
•
Floral Offering in Rizal monuments and markers in Toronto, Montreal,
Windsor and Winnipeg on June 19, 2011.
•
KOR Senior Wellness Program in
Winnipeg in June 2011
•
World Elder Abuse Awareness
Day in Winnipeg, this June 2011.
•
Participation in Canada Day Parades on July 1, 2011.
•
Toronto Chapter dinner-dance on
July 2, 2011.
•
Rizal Golf Tournament in Winnipeg in August 2011
•
Casino Trip Fund Raiser in Toronto in August 2011
•
Rizal Walk in Toronto in August
2011.
•
Canada Region Commanders Ball
on October 15, 2011 in Scarborough,
•
KOR Youth Recognition Awards
Night in Winnipeg in October 2011.
•
Festival of Lights in Toronto in
Dec. 2011
•
Rizal Essay Contests in Toronto
in Dec. 2011
•
Education Program & Youth Program in Central Canada Area
•
Martyrdom Ceremonies in the
major Canadian cities on Dec. 30, 2011
Sir George, Sir
Wynford, Sir Noel,
Sir Felix, Sir
John, Sir Ed and
Sir Jimmy who
started the "Beautification work" at
Earl Bales Park
L- standing:Region Archivist Sir Tom Ng, KOR: Scarborough Chapter Commander Sir Manny Yanga, KCR,
Sir Mario Alpuerto, Chairman Sir John de los Santos, KOR, Lady Irene de los Santos, LKoR, Region Adviser
Sir Popoy Cana,KGCR, Education Chairman Sir Jose Luzadas, KGOR . Host Chapter Commander Sir Felix
Tulagan, KCR, Media Committee Sir Jojo Taduran, KOR.
Seated, L-R: Region Deputy Commander Sir Dr. Tom Virey, KGOR, Region Commander Sir George R. Poblete, KGOR, PPCT VP Miss Rose Tijam, Lady Dolly Poblete, LKoR and Lady Odette Virey, LKoR. above
shows Sir George, Sir Wynford, Sir Noel
9
Philippine Courier
Stars of the Month
E-passport backlog resolved by July
MANILA, Philippines (May 28,
2011) — The Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) in Central Luzon is
now working double-time to address
the delay in the release of e-passports
and made a bold prediction that the
backlog – 13,000 e-passports – will
be down to zero by July this year.
In asking passport applicants for patience over the inconvenience caused
by technical problems encountered
by the DFA, its Officer-in-Charge
for Luzon Arturo V. Romua said the
previous backlog of 23 percent has
already been reduced to 10 percent.
Romua advised passport applicants
to submit their pertinent documents at
the earliest possible time so that they
may be in the pipeline for processing
By Ores Ting
Mothers: are truly the STARS
How do we embrace the love and affection of a Mother? For me, there are
no words to express in one’s life the special relationship and devotion of motherhood.
So to honor all Mothers I am featuring them as my STARS of the MONTH.
For Mothers are special human being and they are everything for us when
we are small and innocent… our lives and happiness revolve around them, not
only for the warm hug but for the strength and inspiration ; the blessings they offer and the sacrifices they endure.
Today, Mothers Day is celebrated in more than 40 countries though at different times but in Canada, the month of May is the special month to honor all
mothers and recognize them for the guidance and services imparted for their
individual child.
We all remember the Mothers words, “You will not understand the importance of all I do for you till you yourself become a mother”, so true indeed!
Mothers are amazing. They come in all sizes, shapes and forms. They are strict
but understanding. They carry the burdens but they still feel happy and contented.
They get angry, scream and yet they give compassion and support.
I am featuring some of these Mothers in our community who not only instilled to their children righteousness but joy, love and strength.
My own mother passed away recently; she was my steel magnolia and I am
blessed for her affection and she will always stay in my heart forever, a shadow
of her life and memories will not be forgotten.
I am pleased to feature these Mothers: they represent human inspiration, unfaltering patience and most of all love, courage and strength. I salute to these
Mothers!!!
Tess Meneses: a retired teacher, with three professional children; a nurse, a
bank manager and her only son, an IT specialist.
Naomi Andaya: a registered Hair Instructor, her only son is a Manager of a
private firm in Toronto. She has four grandchildren.
Adela Agustin: a Healthcare worker, her daughter is a microbiologist and
her son is a consultant.
Anita Sanchez: an architect, with two daughters and both worked for Government of Ontario Public Service.
(For Star of the Month inquiries, pls. call Ores Ting@ 416-546-9391)
Servicio Filipino
p Internationale
as the DFA tries to solve its backlog.
He said that due to the recent increase in passport applications and
other technical concerns of the epassport, the agency is currently
experiencing a backlog of at least
13,000 in the processing and releasing of passports.
He admitted that some of the technical problems are not in the DFACentral Luzon Office but in the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), which
prints the e-passports.
“We are also looking forward to the
earliest possible time that this technical problem will be resolved and the
releasing and processing will be back
to normal,” Romua said.
Bicolanos to hold picnic
at Ear Bales Park
TORONTO, Canada (May 31, 2011) - The officers and members of
the Bicol Canada Community Association (BCCA) will hold a picnic
on July 23, 2011 (Sunday) at the Earl Bales Park, (North York), Toronto, Ontario.
According to Rafael Nebres, BCCA President, there will be different
sports games and at the same time, parlour games for both the adults
and the younger groups. He is calling all the Bicolanos coming from
the provinces of Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon,
Catanduanes, and Masbate who are living in Ontario province to join
the sportfest, parlour games, among other events lined up for the affair.
Alex Guerina from Naga City is the chairman of the event while Ely
Olayon is the co-chairman.
For more information kindly call BCCA President Rafael Nebres at
416 - 618 - 1362, Email: rafael168@yahoo.com (St. Jamestown News
Service)*
GOTCHA!
Call us now at
(416) 266-3838 or
(416) 264-7676
Fax (416) 265-3939
And look for
Marissa Corpus (UP Graduate)
65 Elfreda Blvd.,
Toronto ON M1L 4L5
Email: mbcimmigration@yahoo.ca
> Want to sponsor / help a relative?
> Visitor needing an employer?
> Need a new employer?
> Any immigration problems?
> Caregiver sponsorship available
NARIRITO PARA
TUMULONG SA INYO!
10 YEARS HELPING OUR
KABABAYANS
Manila: Please call Rubie Tupas at Tel: (632) 830-0573
Fax: (632) 830-0547. Suite 821 Cityland Herrera Towers,
#98 Herrera Corner Valero Sts., Salcedo Village, Makati City
Email: mbbcons@nsclub.net
Member: Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC)
"Full Member" M041454
10
COURIER READERS: Jhane, Queenie and Mark Joe from Toronto West
taking time reading The Philippine Courier. - (Photo by TPC roving fotogs)
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
DOJ summons GMA over OWWA P550-Million plunder case
MANILA, Philippines (May 27,
2011) - The Department of Justice (DOJ)
has summoned former President and
now Pampanga Rep. Gloria MacapagalArroyo and three of her former officials
to appear before investigators on June 6
to answer charges of plunder involving
over P550 million of the funds of the
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
The DOJ panel conducting a preliminary investigation of the complaint
filed last month by former solicitor general Frank Chavez issued subpoenas last
Monday for Arroyo, former executive
secretary Alberto Romulo, former health
secretary Francisco Duque III and former
OWWA administrator Virgilio Angelo.
Arroyo and the three officials must
also answer charges of qualified theft,
graft and corruption, and violations of
Section 29 (3), Article VI of the Constitution, Articles 217 and 220 of the Revised
Penal Code, and Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code.
The DOJ panel is composed of Senior
Assistant State Prosecutor Theodore Villanueva, Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Lilian Doris Alejo and Senior Assistant
State Prosecutor Elizabeth Intos-Santos.
Arroyo and the others were ordered
to appear before the DOJ to submit their
counter-affidavits.
“Also, there are pieces of evidence submitted which shall be made available for
the examination by you and your counsel
at the same office during working hours or
any working day before the date set above
for you to submit your counter-affidavit,”
the subpoena read.
Chavez has reiterated his claim in his
previous complaint filed with the Office
of the Ombudsman in July 2004 that Mrs.
Arroyo and her officials “schemingly facilitated the diversion of the OWWA fund
for activities alien to its avowed purpose of
directly and exclusively benefiting OFWs
– particularly, for utilizing hundreds of
millions of the OWWA fund to finance the
re-election bid of respondent GMA (Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo).”
“Respondent GMA, in conspiracy with,
and with the indispensable complicity of,
her co-respondents herein, purposely and
systematically orchestrated the diversion
and/or misuse of the OWWA fund, financing questionable acquisitions by several
Philippine diplomatic posts in the Middle
East, the humanitarian assistance to Iraq,
and re-election bid of respondent GMA –
all of which do not contribute, and could
never have contributed, to the direct and
exclusive benefit of the Filipino overseas
workers,” Chavez alleged.
As evidence, Chavez submitted a
copy of Executive Order No. 182 issued
by Mrs. Arroyo on Feb.14, 2003 transferring OWWA Medicare Funds worth
P530,382,446 to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. then headed by Duque.
Chavez recalled that Mrs. Arroyo had
distributed millions of health cards from
the PHIC prior to the 2004 polls.
He also submitted a memorandum
signed by Romulo on Mar. 12, 2003 seeking release of $293,500 purportedly for
“preparatory activities of Philippine post
in Kuwait and purchase of vehicles and
stockpiling of posts in Lebanon, Jordan,
Oman, Bahrain, Egypt and Iran – in support of the US-led war in Iraq.”
The document had a marginal note
from Mrs. Arroyo which read “OK charge
to OWWA.” It also showed that another
$53,000 had already been taken from
OWWA.
Four months later, Angelo issued a
memorandum shelving the general financial assistance program of OWWA and
stopping the processing of
claims by overseas Filipino
workers under the program
worth P16,510,000. Chavez
said the amount roughly corresponded to the funds sought by
Romulo.
In another instance in May
2003, Romulo again requested
for P5 million supposedly for
funding of the “task force for
the coordination of Philippine
humanitarian assistance to
Iraq.” Again, Arroyo made an
annotation allowing the use of
OWWA funds.
Chavez said those funds taken from OWWA were used in
projects “which had absolutely
no direct and exclusive benefit
to OFWs.”
It was the third corruption
complaint filed in the DOJ
against Arroyo, who stepped
down as chief executive on
June 30 last year. The first was
the graft case filed by Bayan Muna Reps.
Teodoro Casiño and Neri Javier Colmenares in July last year in connection with alleged anomalies in the botched $329-million national broadband network deal with
China’s ZTE Corp.
The second was the plunder case filed
also last year by tax informant Danilo Lihay-lihay in connection with the sale of P1billion prime land near the old Iloilo airport
to Megaworld Corp. in 2007.
Reprieve
Meanwhile, the DOJ has again given
Arroyo’s son Ang Galing Pinoy Rep. Juan
Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo and his wife Angela more time or until June 27 to answer
the P73.85-million tax evasion charges
filed against them by the Bureau of Internal
Revenue (BIR) last month.
For the second time, the couple failed to
attend the hearing yesterday set by investigating panel chaired by Senior State Prosecutor Lagrimas Agaran since they are still
in the US on vacation, according to their
lawyer Ruy Rondain.
Rondain explained to the panel that
Mikey and his wife will arrive in the country on June 17. The panel stressed there
would be no more extension.
Mikey had earlier claimed that his right
to due process had been violated since the
BIR had filed the complaint even before
they could explain their side.
Rondain said the complaint was immediately filed with the DOJ last April 7, or
just two days after his client received an
audit notice.
In its complaint, the BIR accused the
couple of wrongful declaration of taxable income and non-filing of income tax
returns (ITR), in violation of section 254
and 255 of the National Internal Revenue
Code.
The lawmaker reportedly only paid BIR
P2.4 million, P1.7 million and P376,000 in
taxes for the years 2004, 2006 and 2007,
respectively, when he and his wife bought
several properties worth millions from
2004 to 2009 – including residential houses in the US, in Lubao, Pampanga and in
La Vista Subdivision in Quezon City.
The BIR patterned its investigation on
the Arroyo couple after the method used by
US authorities against gangster Al Capone.
Investigators found “substantial underdeclaration of income by over 30 percent
in those three years.”
Mikey also supposedly did not file ITR
in the taxable years 2005, 2008 and 2009,
while his wife also did not file any ITR
from 2003 to 2009.
If found guilty, the couple may face imprisonment of up to four years and fine of
at least P30,000 for each count of underdeclaration of taxes and imprisonment of
up to 10 years and P10,000-fine for each
count of non-filing of ITR.
PCCF, ADVOCATE FOR COMMUNITY, ADVOCATE FOR CHARITY!
Almost 500 guests witnessed the Induction Ball for the first executive officers of the new and much talked about up and coming organization, the Philippine
Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF) which was held last May 22 at the halls of Rembrandt Banquet Hall. All the Officers are highly respected and proven
members of the community and leaders of their own organizations. The new officers led by the President, Jimmy Marasigan (President of Batangas Provincial
Association of Canada and EVP Rosemer Enverga (St. Scholastica’s Alumni Association, AFCM) was finally inducted to their positions… it is like having an
oil change while the car is running at 200 kph. Why you might ask? It is simply because the organization, although in its infancy is already in the middle of
planning, and executing the biggest celebration of Philippine Independence this summer, the biggest Pinoy Entertainment and Trade show, the Pinoy Fiesta and
Trade Show sa Toronto.
May 7 - June 6, 2011
11
Philippine Courier
Global News
Armed residents put
up resistance to Syrian
army
BEIRUT (AP) -- Syrian troops
shelled a town in the center of the
country Monday, and for the first time
in the two-month-old revolt against the
president, residents armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades put up fierce resistance, activists said. State media said four soldiers
were killed.
Most of the opposition to autocratic
President Bashar Assad has taken the
form of peaceful protests by unarmed
demonstrators, though authorities have
claimed throughout the uprising that it
was being led by armed gangs and propelled by foreign conspiracies.
Two activists in the area said residents of two towns under attack in
central Homs province since Sunday
had taken up arms against troops and
members of the security forces and that
there were new casualties, though they
did not know how many.
Mladic will face heavy
evidence from earlier
cases
AMSTERDAM (AP) -- One of Ratko Mladic's most senior commanders
was in no doubt who was ultimately
responsible for the massacre of 8,000
Muslims in the Bosnian enclave of Sre-
brenica in July of 1995.
"This chain of command originated
with Mladic," argued Radislav Krstic,
the corps commander of the forces that
controlled this part of eastern Bosnia,
where the slaughter unfolded.
Through much of the 16 years Mladic was in hiding, evidence has been accumulating in the case files of the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal of his key
role in genocidal crimes in Bosnia, as
one after another of his subordinates
were sent to prison.
Protests break calm
in China's Inner Mongolia area
BEIJING (AP) -- Calls for justice by
Mongols in the resource-rich, prosperous borderland of northern China have
shattered the calm there to which Chinese leaders have grown accustomed.
Clashes that left two Mongols dead
in mid-May triggered protests in several cities and towns last week that have
become the largest demonstrations in
the Inner Mongolia region in 20 years.
The government has responded with a
broad clampdown, pouring police into
the streets, disrupting Internet service
and confining high school and university students to campus.
The strategy appeared to thwart a
major demonstration Monday in the
regional capital of Hohhot, though a
witness said students attempted to pro-
Balitang
Kutsero
test in one place but were turned back
by police. On Monday, President Hu
Jintao gathered the Communist Party's
powerful Politburo to discuss what it
said is the urgent need to reduce social
tensions and promote fairness.
Lagarde in Brazil to
promote IMF candidacy
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) -- French
Finance Minister Christine Lagarde
was in Brazil on Monday to kick off a
global tour promoting her candidacy to
head the International Monetary Fund.
Lagarde has emerged as the odds-on
favorite for the job. Her appointment
would make her the first woman in
charge of the scandal-rocked fund but
may also increase tensions with developing nations that argue countries
outside of Europe should be allowed to
lead the organization.
The IMF is hunting for a new leader
to replace former managing director
Dominique Strauss-Kahn, of France,
who quit May 18 after he was accused
of attempting to rape a New York hotel
maid. He has denied the allegations.
Fortis to buy Vermont
power company for
$470M
The Canadian utility Fortis Inc. says
it will purchase smaller electricity dis-
tributer Central Vermont Public Service Corp. for about $470 million.
Blanchett, other
prominent Aussies
back carbon tax
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) -Actress Cate Blanchett and former
conservative Prime Minister Malcolm
Fraser are among prominent Australians who threw their support Monday
behind the unpopular government plan
to tax major polluters for the carbon
gas they emit.
Hackers post phony Tupac story on PBS website
WASHINGTON (AP) -- PBS officials say hackers have cracked the
network's website, posting a phony
story claiming dead rapper Tupac
Shakur was alive in New Zealand, and
a group that claimed responsibility for
the hacking complained about a recent
"Frontline" investigative news program on WikiLeaks.
Taiwan show to feature
Apple tablet challengers
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Computer
manufacturers of all sizes and descriptions have been pushing to get a piece
of the ever-expanding tablet market
created by the launch of Apple's iPad
in April 2010.
man meant was ‘platonic,’
right, Pacman?
Pacman: Same thing, same
thing.
Paris: Yes, Jinkee, it’s just
platonic, okay?
okay, let’s move on. What’s
your secret, Pacman? You
seem to have “lady luck” with
you all the time.
Jinkee: Huh? So Paris is his
“lady luck,” ha?
Jinkee: Ikaw kasi, mahal!
Pa-atomic atomic ka pa dyan!
Babatukan kita, sige ka.
Pacman: ‘Aray! Huwag naman, baka ma-knock out mo
ako, mahal. He he he…
Jinkee: ‘Pwe! Pa-mahal mahal ka pa dyan. Manigas ka!
Paris: Guys, I don’t understand a word you’re saying. Can we speak in English,
please?
James: Oh no! That’s just an
idiomatic expression, Jinkee.
Jinkee: Who’s an idiot?
James: Idiot? No, no, no!
I said, idiomatic. It means…
uh…
Paris: Jinkee, you are Manny’s ‘lady luck,’not me. You
bring him luck, that’s what
‘lady luck’ means.
By Perry Diaz
Pacman and Paris Hilton
After Manny “Pacman”
Pacquiao’s post-fight press
conference last May 7, 2011,
my investigative reporter approached Pacman as he and
his party were leaving the
conference room. His wife,
Jinkee, and Hollywood actress
and hotel heiress Paris Hilton
were with him. “Hey, Pacman! Remember me? I interviewed you last year,” said
James. “Oh, yeah, you’re that
Jaime quack quack reporter
from Global Balita, right?”
replied Pacman. “That’s me,
except that my name is James
Macaquecquec,” said James.
“Same thing, same thing,”
replied Pacman, “Do you
want to interview me again?”
“Absolutely! Can we all sit
around a table? I’d like to
interview all of you if that’s
okay?” James asked. “Okey
with me,” said Pacman. They
all sat around a table.
James: First of all, I want
to congratulate you on your
victory, Pacman! That’s your
tenth straight championship
win, right?
Pacman: Correction! That
12
was my dozen championship
victory!
James: You mean… uh…
twelfth championship victory,
correct?
Pacman: Same thing, same
thing.
James: Jinkee, you must
be very happy with Manny’s
victory.
Jinkee: I’m one billion
happier! Just kidding. Hi hi
hi…
Paris: I’d be a billion happier too if I were married to
Manny. He he he…
Jinkee: Hoy, Paris, be careful with what you say! People
might think you’re having an
affair with my husband.
Paris: No need to be jealous
of me, Jinkee dear. Manny
and I are just friends.
Pacman: Paris is right,
‘mahal.’ Our friendship is just
atomic.
James: Yes, Paris is right.
Let’s get back to normal, okay?
I have a question for you, Paris.
What got you interested in boxing?
Paris: Well, when I was a
young girl I used to hang out
with the boys in my neighborhood. They taught me how to
box. I never lost interest in
boxing since. I’ve been to all
of Manny’s dozen championship victories.
Pacman: It’s twelve, not
dozen.
Paris: Same thing, same
thing.
James: Hey, you’re even
beginning to talk like Pacman,
Paris! That’s amazing!
Jinkee: Hmm… I don’t like
that.
Jinkee: Atomic! ‘Hoy’,
what do you mean by “atomic,” ha? ‘Loko!’
James: I’m sorry, Jinkee. I
James: I think what Pac- didn’t mean it that way. Okay,
Pacman: Paris is right, ‘mahal.’ You’re my “lady luck.”
James: Oh, how sweet. It
seems like you both have good
karma. Right, Pacman?
Pacman: Well, not really. I
read Karma Sutra and I find the
pictures funny. I prefer what
priests do, you know… missionary position. He he he…
James: Karma Sutra! Priests!
Missionary position! Now, you
really make me laugh, Pacman!
Ha ha ha… Oh, my stomach
hurts. Ha ha ha… I can’t… ha
ha… breathe…
Pacman: Stop it! What’s
wrong with what I said?
Paris: The book is called
Kama Sutra, not Karma Sutra,
hon.
Pacman: Same thing, same
thing.
Jinkee: Hon? Hmm… I
have read Kama Sutra, too!
‘Hoy,’ what’s going on between
you Paris? I bet you’re looking at the Kama Sutra pictures
together, ha?
Paris: Jinkee, I love both of
you.
Jinkee: You love us both???
What is this – a love triangle?
‘Maloko kang talaga ano?’
James: I think what Paris
meant was that she loves you
both as friends, Jinkee.
Pacman: ‘Mahal’, we’re plutonic friends only.
James: It’s pla-tonic, Pacman. Not plu-tonic.
Pacman: Same thing, same
thing.
Paris: I gotta run. I’ll text
you guys later, okay?
Pacman: Yeah, Paris, I look
forward to your ‘teks?’
Paris: Okey honey, I’ll ‘teks’
you when I’m in Rome. Maybe
you can join me for a Roman
holiday, okey dokey?
Pacman: Okey donkey, honey. He he he…
Jinkee: Huh? Roman holiday? ‘Walang hiya kayong dalawa, pa-honey honey pa kayo!’
Paris: I mean the three of us,
Jinkee.
Jinkee: The three of us?
‘Aba, gusto mo’ threesome ‘pa?
Patyun kita dira!’
James: Run, Paris, run for
your life! She’s gonna kill you!
Paris: Aw, shucks! ---- (PerryDiaz@gmail.com)
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Business
Edited by: Fidel Josol
House approves P50,000 OFW loan
MANILA, Philippines (May 27,
2011) — The House of Representatives has approved on third and final
reading a bill that would grant overseas
Filipino workers (OFWs) a maximum
P50,000 loan to cover the living expenses of their families or pay placement fees, documentation costs, and
plane fare of an OFW.
Unanimously passed in last Monday’s session, House Bill No. 4539 or
the Overseas Workers Credit Assistance
Act of 2011 extends the 12-month cash
advance to qualified OFWs to make it
easier for them and their families to
cope with daily expenses during the
first months of the worker’s absence.
Authors of the bill include: Representatives Juan Edgardo Angara (LDP,
Aurora), Mitos Magsaysay (LakasKampi, Zambales), Toby Tiangco
(PMP, Navotas), Rodel Batocabe (Ako
Bikol), Ignacio Arroyo (Lakas-Kampi,
Negros Occidental), Carlos Padilla
(NP, Nueva Vizcaya), and Leopoldo
Bataoil (Lakas-Kampi, Pangasinan).
Angara said that under the bill,
funding for the loans will be made
available by the Overseas Workers
Welfare Administration (OWWA). He
said all OFWs will be entitled to the assistance so long as they have valid em-
Buying power of OFW
remittances shrinks
MANILA, Philippines (May 25,
2011) – Minimal increase of remittance
flows to the Philippines are expected to
maintain, but the buying power of Filipino recipient cut down because of the
appreciation of the peso and inflation,
according to World Bank.
In its Migration and Development
Brief, the Washington-based lender
said remittance flows to developing
countries including the Philippines are
expected to grow at lower but sustainable rates of 7 percent to 8 percent annually during 2011 to 2013.
For this year, the Bangko Sentral
ng Pilipinas (BSP) projects remittances to grow by 7 percent to $20.1
billion. With a global economic recovery underway in 2010, the lender said
remittance flows to all six developing
regions registered positive growth in
2010.
The World Bank, however, said that
the value of remittance last year to the
developing countries shrunk because
of the nominal appreciation of their
currency against the dollar.
In the Philippines, the World Bank
estimated that remittance flow reached
$21.4 billion last year, up by 8.1 per-
MANILA, Philippines (May
21, 2011) –Transactions in foreign portfolio investments in the
first week of May has already
surged by more than a third, reflecting investors’ improved risk
appetite for emerging assets.
Data coming from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)
showed that year-to-date foreign portfolio investments or hot
money as of May 7 yielded a net
inflow of $437.74 million, up 70
percent from $130.69 million in
the same period last year.
The one-week flows have
brought the cumulative foreign
portfolio investments to $2.084
billion, up 50 percent from
$725.55 million in the same period last year.
Monetary authorities have
been attributing the strong hot
money flows to the surge in investments in fixed income peso
government securities.
Registered
investments
reached $1.7 billion in April, up
from $1.6 billion in March.
The BSP also said that in-
May 7 - June 6, 2011
vestments in shares listed at the
Philippine bourse continue to
contribute the bulk of hot money
inflows.
Latest data showed that investments at the Philippine
Stocks Exchange went up 28.3
percent to $934 million from
$728 million registered in the
same month in 2010.
The top five investors were
the United States, the United
Kingdom, Singapore, Luxembourg and Hong Kong, contributing 91.3 percent to total registered investments for the month.
Meanwhile, outflows for the
first week of the month went up
by 4 percent to $148.63 million
compared with $142.79 million
in the same period last year.
Cumulative outflows at endMay 7 inched up by 51 percent
to $4.7 billion from $2.3 billion,
year-to-date.
The BSP said favorable yields
and less risky fixed income securities continued to attract foreign
investments to the country. (Manila Times.net)
licensed recruitment agency or “direct
hirer” on the authenticity of the contract, the Zambales lawmaker added.
Tiangco said the bill also provides
the accreditation with OWWA of “as
many domestic and foreign banking
institutions as possible” authorized to
transact business in the Philippines.
He explained that this provision
will ensure accessibility of the credit
program to all OFWs.
According to Tiangco, the measure
also mandates online payment system
one year after the program has been
launched.
40 Aussie oil and gas exploration
firms investing in PH
cent compared to a year ago.
But the country’s remittance slowed
to 2.3 percent in local currency because of the appreciation of the peso
against the US dollar. The growth of
remittances in local currency terms
adjusted for inflation, the Philippines,
experienced a 1.4 percent contraction.
The BSP reported that remittances
to the country reached $18.763 billion
in 2010, exceeding its forecast of $18
billion for the period.
The bank said remittance flows to
countries in South Asia grew briskly
in the first quarter of 2011, but is expected to slow in 2012 to 2013 in a
lagged response to the global crisis and
the ongoing turmoil in North Africa,
which resulted in a slowdown in outward migration from South Asia.
In the Philippines, BSP reported that
remittances amounted to $4.6 billion
in the first quarter of 2011, 5.9 percent
higher than the level recorded on the
same period a year ago,
About 80 percent of remittances
were sourced from the US, Canada,
Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, Japan,
Singapore, United Arab of Emirates
and Italy.
Hot money continues to surge
ployment contracts through a licensed
recruitment and manning agency accredited by the Philippine Overseas
Employment Administration.
Angara said all loans will carry a
“preferred interest rate” of a maximum
six percent payable in 12 equal monthly installments.
Magsaysay said OFWs who avail
themselves of the loan should make
any member of their family a co-borrower.
No loan will be released by OWWA
without proper evaluation of the employment contract and plane ticket
and without a certification from the
MANILA,
Philippines
(May 27, 2011) —At least 40
prominent Australian oil and
gas exploration companies have
expressed strong and keen interest in investing in the Philippine upstream oil and gas industry, a favorable start for the
government’s international road
show for the Philippine Energy
Contracting Round (PECR 4).
These interested companies include Shell, Apache,
Chevron, AWT International,
Black Swan, CalEnergy, Cue
Energy Resources, ENI Australia, Exxon, Neon Energy, Otto
Energy, Woodside, Anglican
Resources PLC and Tap Oil,
Energy Undersecretary Jose M.
Layug Jr. said.
“The investor interest is
overwhelming and everybody
is keenly awaiting the availability of the DoE technical data for
their immediate evaluation. We
were pleasantly surprised with
the turnout despite the short notice,” Layug noted.
The Australian roadshow
held last May 23 was a kickoff event to promote the official
launch of the PECR 4 this coming June 30. The DoE has also
scheduled roadshows in Singapore, Houston and London.
This early, many investors have
already registered for the Singapore and London presentations
and have been awaiting information pertaining to the blocks
to be offered, Layug said.
PECR 4 formed part of
President Aquino’s long-term
plans to address the Philippines’
need for oil and gas and to reduce the country’s dependence
on costly imported oil.
As many as 15 contracts
for the exploration, development and production of prospective oil and gas sites may
likely be auctioned off. These
areas span across 7.92 million
hectares of areas in Cagayan,
Central Luzon, Northwest Palawan, Mindoro-Cuyo basin, East
Palawan and Cotabato. North-
west Palawan is home to the
Malampaya deep water gas-topower project, the largest and
most successful natural gas
industrial project in Philippine
history.
Layug stressed the need
to develop these new areas as
the demand for oil in the Philippines has been estimated at
300,000 barrels per day. The
entry of new companies that
would venture into exploring
and developing the country’s
indigenous resources would
reduce its dependence on imported petroleum products, he
explained.
The utilization of indigenous resources would also promote savings in tariffs and importation duties, Layug added.
Currently, there are 28 active petroleum service contracts
in the Philippines with Exxon
Mobil, Shell Philippines Exploration, Nido Petroleum, BHP
Billiton and Galoc Production
Co. among the operators.
Q1 OFW remittances swell to $4.6B
MANILA, Philippines (May
24, 2011) - Remittances from
overseas
Filipinos
coursed
through banks grew by 4.1 percent year-on-year in March 2011
to reach $1.6 billion.
As a result, remittances ballooned to $4.6 billion in the first
quarter, 5.9 percent higher than
the level recorded during the
same period a year ago, BSP Gov.
Amando M. Tetangco, Jr. yesterday said.
“The robustness of remittances was due to higher cash
transfers from both sea-based and
land-based workers, with their remittances for the first quarter expanding by 12.1 percent and 4.3
percent, respectively. About 80
percent of remittances reported by
local banks were sourced from the
US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom , Japan, Singapore,
United Arab Emirates, and Italy,”
Tetangco said.
He added: “Despite the ongoing social unrest in some parts of
the Middle East and North Africa
region and the string of disasters
in Japan, remittances maintained
a broadly steady pace of growth in
the first quarter of the year.”
Total remittances from Japan
continued to grow by 5.3 percent
to $219 million as more OFWs
resided in that country’s cities
outside the areas affected by the
calamities.
This represented, however, a
slowdown from the 12.2-percent
growth recorded a year ago.
Meanwhile, the remittances
of OFWs based in Bahrain, Yemen, Syria, and Libya collectively amounted to $40.1 million,
4.5 percent higher than the level
reached during the same period
a yea ago. This compared favorably with the 0.7-percent expansion registered in the first quarter
of 2010.
The continued deployment of
OFWs to various destinations
abroad over the next months is expected to help shore up the flow of
remittances into the country.
Data obtained from the Philippine Overseas Employment
Administration indicated that the
approved job orders for the period January 1- April 30 totaled
203,748.
Of this total, 30.2 percent
(61,497) consisted of processed
job orders, largely for production
and related workers, service, professional, technical, and related
workers to fill up job requirements
in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Moreover, government labor
agencies are looking into ways to
redeploy displaced OFWs to alternative work destinations such as
Australia where there are favorable employment opportunities
as a result of the reconstruction
projects to rebuild properties that
were damaged by the floods last
December.
The POEA, in its market update, reported that Australian territories are in need of construction
workers, welders, and carpenters
for its reconstruction projects.
Meanwhile, the continued expansion of the network of bank
and non-bank service providers
and innovations in financial products in the remittance market have
facilitated the wider capture of
fund transfers through the formal
financial channels.
Commercial banks’ established tie-ups, remittance centers,
correspondent banks and branches/representative offices abroad
reached 4,575 as of end-March
2011 compared to 3,962 at the
end of the first quarter of 2010.
(PJournal.net)
13
Philippine Courier
IT BUZZ
AROUND
By Miguel Caducio
We are used to watch gigantic movies in 3D only in movie houses and
we were totally awed by the technology used by the producers and the
directors of such films as Panda2, Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Beauty and
the Beast, THOR, The Green Hornet,
among others.
Now, the question of how to get 3D
technology into every living room and
a tablet computer into every hand is
set to dominate Asia’s largest IT fair
which opens in Taiwan next week.
Around 1,800 exhibitors from
across the world will descend on Taipei for the Computex fair, which runs
from June 7 – 12 (Tuesday to Sunday), hoping to generate an estimated
$23 billion of sales from 36,000 buyers, organizers say.
3D, tablets in focus at future-shaping Taiwan IT show
theatre, where they also had to wear
goggles,” said Stephen Jeng, secretary-general of the 3D Interaction
and Display Alliance. “But now,
equipped with Blu-ray 3D players,
people can see movies at home on
their own TVs.”
Most exhibitors are tight-lipped
over what new gadgets they will unveil at the show, hoping the element
of surprise will add to the impact
among potential customers.
But among technologies confirmed
to be on display is one developed by
the Industrial Technology Research
Institute (ITRI), a semi-official research body in Taiwan, allowing 2D
and 3D to be showed alongside each
other on displays.
Under the slogan “Shaping the future!” the fair will showcase a cascade of new products designed to stir
the interest of tech-savvy consumers.
3D is expected to take centre stage, as
the technology becomes cheaper and
migrates from multiplex cinemas to
ordinary homes.
Another example of what’s in
store is The HoloAD, a box-like
device developed by Taiwan-based
company Innovision, which allows
a three-dimensional display for advertisements. The development of
3D content remains slow due to high
production costs, but forecasts for
the sector are bullish.
“In the past, the resolution of the
TV displays was low, and people
could only watch 3D movies in the
In 2011 up to 12.9 million TV sets
with built-in 3D may be sold world-
14
wide, up from 3.5 million last year,
according to a forecast from ITRI.
Last year’s global sales of 3D TV
panels accounted for 2.1 percent
of the total number of panels sold
worldwide, according to the institute
which expects the figure to treble this
year before soaring to over 50 percent by 2015.
eration of brands hit the market since
Apple’s groundbreaking iPad was released in April last year.
Technology giants such as Samsung of South Korea and Japan’s
Sony have already released 3D televisions sets, and Taiwan players are
expected to follow later this year.
“Since the iPad was put on the
market, it has swept the world, and
demand will be even stronger this
year,” said Chang Li from the Taipei Computer Association which cohosts the annual event. “But Apple’s
competitors are not likely to sit idle
and let Apple keep dominating the
market,” he said adding: “They definitely will work together with manufacturers to vie for a big slice of the
market share. We estimate that at
least 50 models of tablets will be on
display at the show.”
Taiwanese manufacturers BenQ
and Chimei both plan to launch 3D
televisions in 2011. Chimei Innolux
Corp, a leading liquid crystal display
panel maker, is one of the Taiwan
high-tech companies now tying a major part of its revenue stream to the
new format.
“Our 3D display sales in China,
largely for use in desktop monitors
and TV sets, will account for 20 percent of total shipments there,” said
spokeswoman Loreta Chen.
The other hot new sector to be
showcased at Computex is the tablet
computer, which has seen a prolif-
This trend is spawning whole new
industries, such as a solar power-generating cover for iPad-type devices
and e-books, developed by Portable
Solar Power, based in the Taipei area.
Competitors have rushed to cash
in on soaring demand for tablets, a
trend that has eaten into PC sales.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tab is the bestselling rival to the iPad and Research
in Motion is the latest to join the fray,
with the release in April of its Blackberry PlayBook. (With report from
AFP)
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
May 7 - June 6, 2011
15
Philippine Courier
Entertainment
Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie's children
'forcing' them to marry
'In The Name of Love' among
world's top grossing films
MANILA, Philippines (May 25,
2011) - Star Cinema's latest movie offering "In The Name of Love" made
it to the list of top 20 highest-grossing films worldwide this first quarter,
the Associated Press reported.
The romance-drama film top
billed by Angel Locsin and Aga
Muhlach landed on the 15th spot,
earning $1,917,443 (approximately
P84 million) since its premiere on
May 11.
The report said the results were
compiled by Rentrak Theatrical and
provided by Hollywood.com.
Here is the complete list of the
top 20 movies at international theaters last weekend, according to AP.
Edited by: Melodie Claudio
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --Brad Pitt famously told
Esquire magazine in 2006 that he and Angelina Jolie
would not marry until “everyone else
in the country who wants to be married is legally able.” But, in a new
interview, the “Tree of Life” star said
his children are forcing the superstar
couple to reexamine that position.
“The kids ask about marriage,”
Brad told USA Today’s Weekend Edition in an interview posted on Saturday. “It’s meaning more and more to
them. So it’s something we’ve got to
look at.”
Beyond reconsidering marriage,
the actor told the newspaper that he
and his beautiful partner keep their relationship strong by making time for romance.
“There are no secrets at our house,” Brad said.
“We tell the kids, ‘Mom and Dad are going off to
kiss.’ They go, ‘Eww, gross!’ But we demand it.”
Brad, Angelina and their six children split their
time between “base camp” (a sprawling home in Los Angeles), a 1,000acre French estate and various film
sets located in countries around the
world, and the family’s frequent traveling has made Angelina quite adept at
packing.
“On the road, we’re a military mobile unit,” Brad said. “The kids have
got their stuff down to one backpack,
and they’re each responsible for their
own bag. Mom does the packing; she’s
quite gifted at that. Puts in just what
we need — nothing extra.”
The 35-year-old actress, who will
turn 36 on June 4, noted their kids didn’t yet inquire
about their marital status.
‘SABADABADOG!” premieres on GMA Pinoy TV!
MANILA, Philippines (May 26, 2011) - Television viewing will be more fun, colorful, and educational beginning May 28 and 29 as GMA Pinoy
TV airs the newest children’s show “SABADABADOG!”.
“SABADABADOG!” is a 30-minute educational
program designed for Filipino pre-schoolers, 3 to 6
years old. The program aims to provide entertaining, age-appropriate, culturally-relevant songs, stories, dances, animation, mascot segments, learning
segments, short features, music videos, and other
formats that can help in the holistic development
of children.
Led by veteran children’s program host Kuya Tonipet Gaba, “SABADABADOG!” also features four
brand-new mascots – Don Kahon, Mei-Mei, Bebe
Garu, and Sabadabadog – who will all join the kids
as they learn and have fun at the same time.
A production of the GMA Public Affairs group,
“SABADABADOG!” is from the same creative
and production team that created the long-running
and award-winning children’s program in the Philippines, “Art Angel.”
“SABADABADOG!” premieres May 28 in the
Middle East and May 29 in the U.S. and Asia Pacific on GMA Pinoy TV. Call your preferred pay
TV operator now to subscribe.
Hiring ASAP
-
Looking to hire a part-time
receptionist
ExExaminers.com Inc. Driving
School
Please call 416-752-5552
to arrange for an interview
16
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
416-850-5568
May 7 - June 6, 2011
17
Philippine Courier
Pinay is Canada's Miss World!
TORONTO, Canada (May 27, 2011) - A
beauty queen of Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish ancestry was crowned 2011 Miss World
Canada in Richmond, British Columbia held
May 19, earning the right to represent Canada
in the 2011 Miss World beauty contest to be
held in London in November.
Riza Santos, 24, a Canadian TV personality
and beauty queen also tried her luck in the
Philippines recently. Her parents are from
Bataan and Bulacan but she was raised in this
country. She studied Biological Science at the
University of Calgary and had hoped to become a doctor.
In 2006, she won Miss Earth Canada and
represented Canada in the Miss Earth beauty
pageant in the Philippines. She won Miss
Photogenic and Miss Fontana special awards
but she did not place in the semifinals.
Santos also completed training with the
Canadian military forces. She said that her
grandparents influenced her in pursuing a career in the military. She also became a news
reporter for the Army News.
But Santos became popular among TV fans
in the Philippines when she became a housemate in the ABS CBN “Pinoy Big Brother:
Celebrity Edition 2” in 2007. She placed second to comedian Ruben Gonzaga in the local
“Big Brother’’ franchise.
Aside from the Pinoy Big Brother show,
Santos also appeared in other TV shows such
as “Deal or No Deal,” “ASAP,” “Love Spell,”
“Wheel of Fortune,” “Palos,” “Lovebooks
Presents,” “I Love Betty La Fea,” and “Asian
Poker Tour.”
She also appeared
in movies such as
“When Love Begins,”
“Ikaw Pa Rin,” “Dobol
Trobol” and “Road
Raiders.”
Santos will compete in the Miss World
beauty pageant in London, England on Nov.
8, 2011.
Regine transfers to TV5
for higher talent fee
MANILA, Philippines (May 30, 2011)
- REGINE Angeles was discovered
as winner of the Be Bench contest on
ABS-CBN but she has now moved to
TV5 playing the conservative provinciana, Barbie Que, in the new version of
“Iskul Bukol” to start airing this Tuesday night.
After three years, she decided not to renew her contract with ABS and is now
managed by Manny Valera. “Utang
na loob ko po sa ABS ang start ko sa
showbiz at nabigyan naman nila ko
ng magagandang roles like in ‘Tayong
Dalawa’,” she says. “Kaya lang po, kahit three years na ko with them, di na
tinaasan ang talent fee ko, P5,000 per
taping day pa rin. Di naman sa mukha
akong pera kaya lang, I saw yung ibang
mas bago sa ’kin, mas malaki pa ang
bayad kahit pareho lang ang ginagawa
namin. Pinasabi ko naman ito sa Star
Magic but there’s no action, so hindi
na ako happy, lalo na pag location pa
ang taping. Like sa Subic, you spend
P2,000 sa gas. Magkano na lang matitira sa ’kin?”
So is she getting a higher pay in TV5?
“Yes, but I won’t say how much. Ang
maganda rito, hindi ako exclusive sa
kanila so I can work anywhere. Happy rin ako sa ‘Iskul Bukol’ kasi puro
mababait ang kasama kong sina Alwyn
Uytingco, Keempee de Leon and the
rest. Maganda bonding namin tuwing
taping.” – (People’sJournal.net)
SEE! The biggest Philippine Flag at the FIESTA!!!
TORONTO - JUNE IS
PHILIPPINE
INDEPENDENCE MONTH, the month
of Celebrations for Philippine Culture and Heritage, the
month to rekindle our longing
for our native land. We should
all say: Enough with the usual
Picnics and Parties! Let us say
MABUHAY TAYONG LAHAT!, Let us celebrate Philippine Independence Day in the
greatest of all fashion at the
Pinoy Fiesta & Trade Show
sa Toronto on JUNE 25 at the
Metro Toronto Convention
Centre.
Whole day entertainment with
18
the best of Pinoy Entertainment featuring the stars of
the number one network in
the Philippines, GMA Pinoy
TV, Carla Abellana, Arnell
Ignacio, Frencheska Farr and
other stars will entertain you
and your family for only $15.
WOW!
Let us raise the Biggest Philippine Flag in Canada, all 30
X 40 ft of them at the MTCC
North Building Hall C (A very
short walk from Union Station.) The Big Red White and
Blue with the Sun and the Stars
shining through will be raised
to commemorate the culmina-
tion of the biggest Independence Celebration for 2011.
Experience the hospitality of
Philippine Fiesta all in one day
What else is in store for you?
The biggest Trade Show by
Philippine Chamber of Commerce Toronto, Culture Philippines of Ontario, the little
Divas, The pageantry of Santa
Cruzan, the authentic Ifugao &
Igorot Show, Delicious Philippine Cuisine, Hip Hop, RAP
and a host of other activities to
entertain all of you throughout
the day.
not only what is in store for
you… it is what is in store
for our poor kababayan too?
Everyone will have fun at the
Pinoy Fiesta at the same time
everyone will be helping build
houses for the Poor, feed the
hungry and help the less fortunate… after all, Philippine
Canadian Foundation pledges
that part of the proceeds of
this event will go through ANCOP and the Kapuso Foundation and a host of other charities. YES, we are having fun
and helping at the same time!
Mabuhay tayong lahat!
Actually the real question is
For more info visit www.Phil-
ippineCanadianFoundation.
com or www.torontopcct.com
FOR TICKET INFO CALL
ROSEMER
416-284-9299,
Lita
416-818-4927 EAST
Mitz 647-938-0519, Gloria
416-282-4060, Sena 416-2843938 WEST Romy 905-8179977, Maria 905-677-3717,
North : Newmarket, Merle
647-203-1260,
Markham;
Bing 905-472-3194, DOWNTOWN Ben 647-726-3878,
Nieves 647-439-5967, Ethel
416-423-4753, Fred 416-5000542 EXHIBITORS Oswald
416-850-4966, Rafael 416618- 1362
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
May 7 - June 6, 2011
19
Philippine Courier
April 30, May 1, 7, 8 (Sat/Sun)
May 28, 29, June 4, 5 (Sat/Sun)
June 20, 21, 22, 23 (Mon-Thu)
20
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May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
HAIRBANK
(KOREAN HAIR SALON)
2nd Anniversary Special
• Color - short $45 - long $65
• Japanese straight perm - short $99 - long $120
• Magic straight perm - short $80 - long $90
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CELL 416 908 3960
email: babo_kiki624@hotmail.com
May 7 - June 6, 2011
21
Philippine Courier
22
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Melissa admits breakup with Jake
MANILA, Philippines (May 27, 2011)
-- Kapamilya actress Melissa Ricks breaks
her silence and finally reveals the status of
her real relationship with Jake Cuenca.
“Okay naman kami ni Jake,” Melissa
told members of the press at the launch
of her newest endorsement Cosmo Skin
L-Glutathione held at the Music Hall, SM
Mall of Asia May 26.
After a grasp of breath, she continued:
“O sige to be honest, wala na kami ni Jake.
And I just want everybody to be okay para
masaya na ang lahat. I just want everything
to be clear, wala ng intriga-intriga. Ayaw
ko na takbuhan yung [breakup] issue.”
“Siguro magkaiba lang kami ng set of
priorities. He has problems he has to fix, I
have problems I have to fix. I have to grow
up as well. I have to be more independent…
I’m very happy that he made me happy for
the past two years,” the upcoming “Nasaan
Ka, Elisa?” lead star explained.
Melissa insisted that no third party was
involved in their split, which according to
her, happened two months ago. “Walang
third party. Sana huwag naman intrigahin
na may ginawang masama si Jake kasi he
didn’t do anything wrong.” She only hopes
that “sana maging friends [pa rin] kami.”
“Siguro magtira ka ng konting pagmamahal para sa sarili mo,” she said giving
some sort of advice. “Meron pa namang
manghihinayang ka. That
was two years of my life
din and I don’t regret it.”
If there’s one thing
Melissa can rejoice of,
it is “I’m thankful na
napagdaanan ko ito na
may paghuhugutan na
ako sa mga eksena ko. It
takes time to heal a heart.
In time, I’ll be okay. Siguro right now, I’ll focus
on myself, on my career,
on being a better person.
Relationship is out of
the question for me right
now,” Melissa said, adding that she doesn’t enMelissa Ricks
tertain suitors at the moment.
Ending on a light
note, Melissa could only
natira [sa akin] kaya I’m happy now. I have
my friends. [I’m happy] with my career. wish for Jake’s happiness. “Sana
I’m growing up. Marami naman ako natu- maayos niya yung mga problema
tunan kay Jake, hindi lang sa lovelife, pero niya and sana happy siya sa career
niya. At sana happy siya. Everypati sa family and sa career.”
Asked if their relationship wasn’t worth body should be happy.”
The former couple were tofighting for, Melissa’s brief answer was “I
gether for two years. Jake and
did my part.”
Now that it’s over between her and Melissa worked together in 2006
Jake, Melissa said of what was supposed via the “Pedro Penduko” series.
to have been a happy ever after, “Siyempre
Jake Cuenca
Cristina celebrates another Year
With her popular son, Canadian Idol finalist Mikey Bustos on her side while receiving a selected group of special guests, a gorgeous Cristina, Cris to everyone, celebrated her
‘36th’ birthday May 27, 2011 & blew a glowing candle atop an ice cream cake brought by her dearest and closest friend ‘Mother’ Erena Garcia. Other special friends that came
and savored the excellent food served by Belle Bar and Restaurant located at the corner of Cinch and Bathurst were: Nancy and son Warren, Kuyang Ben, couple Alfredo and
Annie & daughter Stephanie, Ghilda and Rhay, Ligaya Joy, Delia, Alice, Charito and MonD. (Photos by TPC)
May 7 - June 6, 2011
23
Philippine Courier
308
24
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Sports
Edited by: Ross D. Tierra
Marquez-Pacquiao III a done deal
MANILA, Philippines (May 27,
2011) — Manny Pacquiao’s confirmation, boxing pundits have long agreed,
is as binding as a signed fight contract.
“Tuloy na po ‘yun, abangan n’yo
(It’s on, wait for it),” Pacquiao said
during an interview with ABS-CBN’s
Dyan Castillejo.
The Filipino ring superstar was, of
course, referring to his third clash with
Mexican great Juan Manuel Marquez
on Nov. 12 in Las Vegas.
Marquez, the WBA and WBO
lightweight champion, signed the contract—which assures him a personalhigh $5 million purse plus a share in
pay-per-view revenues—last May 19
at Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.
Pacquiao’s adviser Mike Koncz
is to bring the contract to Manila for
the pound-for-pound king’s signature.
Koncz has not arrived from the United
States, though.
Under the fight’s financial terms,
Pacquiao will get $20 million—virtually the same amount he earned in his
lopsided unanimous decision victory
over Shane Mosley on May 7—plus a
share in PPV revenues.
In their first tussle in 2004, Pacquiao settled for a draw despite knocking Marquez down three times in the
first round. They met again in 2008 at
130 pounds with Pacquiao squeezing
out a split decision on the strength of a
third-round knockdown.
The trilogy is set at a catch weight
of 144 lb with Pacquiao’s WBO welterweight title also at stake. Marquez
fought and lost to Floyd Mayweather
Jr. in the same catch weight in 2009.
If Marquez beats Pacquiao, a fourth
fight will be held with the Mexican,
who stands to receive $10 million.
Marquez and Pacquiao (File Photo by AP)
SPECTATOR
It was more of a peace talk than a fist fight …
By Al Mendoza
(The following are merged, abridged,
columns of mine from Manila StandardTODAY and Sunday PUNCH. The reason
being that I do not wish to repeat myself.
Thank you.)
************
DID you see Manny Pacquiao fight on
May 7 in Las Vegas, Nevada? I didn’t.
But I did notice Pacquiao shaking hands
with Shane Mosley so often I thought I
was watching a peace talk rather than a fist
fight.
More of the blame on Mosley than Pacquiao.
That’s why in a short while, I’m going
to rechristen Mosley from Shane to Shake.
Did Mosley also shake his head?
Yes. Very clearly, he did. In the third,
when he got decked by a right-left combination to the face.
When Mosley was down on all fours,
he appeared like he was shaking off some
cobwebs in his mind.
And I honestly thought that would be the
last time he’d do some head-shaking.
Wrong.
He shook his head a lot of times more,
almost each time after he had shaken hands
with Pacquiao.
Maybe, I was watching another fight?
I was supposed to see Pacquiao knock
Mosley out.
It didn’t happen.
Pacquiao didn’t want it to happen?
Seemingly, that was the case.
Look, he’d launch attacks but they came
sporadically, and without decisiveness.
The Pacquiao we knew who’d chase a
foe all the way to the showers, was somewhat tentative this time – almost unhesitating in putting a finality to a mission, impossible or otherwise.
Referee Kenny Bayless also tried to be
cute and ruled that Pacquiao suffering a fall
from a clear push by Mosley in the 10th
was a knockdown.
In the NBA, refs can review a foul, a
field goal, anything.
May 7 - June 6, 2011
In tennis, umpires can allow players to
challenge line calls.
In boxing, none of that sort.
Right or wrong, the referee’s word is final.
But never mind Bayless’s mindless call.
Jacquie’s last performance anyway was
more of a comedy show than anything.
There was no doubt that Pacquiao won it
unanimously, that Mosley never snatched
a single round in the dullest 12-round fight
in a decade.
There was no doubt even that in all the
multi-million dollar fights of Pacquiao, his
$20-million purse on May 7 was the easiest
ever in his 16-year career in the ring.
That can also be said of Mosley, whose
$5-million dollar take was carved in monumental marathon fashion – he kept running
away his shoes had more wear and tear
than his gloves.
Sure, they were trying to tickle us. Kid
us.
Nice try.
There was one glaring first in this latest
addition to Pacquiao lore: It marked the
first time that a Pacquiao fight (farce?) got
booed.
At first, I thought they were booing
mostly Mosley to expose his evil design to
come not to fight, starting in the sixth when
Mosley was merely there prancing about.
But when the booes kept coming in the
succeeding rounds, I thought, hey, Pacquiao was being booed, too, for his failure
to put away a foe old enough to disqualify
himself from doing stud farm chores.
OK, it’s not easy to take down a mobile
target. Bin Laden was as still as a chair
when fired upon and hit in the eye, resulting in his instant death.
But it was obvious Mosley came to run
and not to rough it up that soon, he and
Pacquiao had become first-rate bores in a
stand-up comic. Had Dolphy and Panchito
been around, they might have walked out
on them.
Pacquiao, now 53-3-2, win-loss-draw,
might not be in tip-top shape that’s why
he failed to earn his 39th KO win against
Mosley?
By preserving his record of not having
been knocked out in absorbing his seventh
loss in a 46-7-1 card, Mosley ought to be
proud?
He ought to be ashamed of himself.
So, starting today, Shane Mosley will
be rechristned Shame Mosley. Pacquiao
might do well to stand as chief baptismal
sponsor.
Surely, they will shake hands after the
rites.
************
Pacquiao fights poverty, not a friend …
I was wrong on two counts.
First, I said Manny Pacquiao will knock
Shane Mosley out.
Second, I said Mosley will be too slow
he’ll be easily caught by a knockout punch.
Let me add that I forgot altogether that
for a boxing match to happen, you need
two persons fighting.
In the Pacquiao-Mosley fight, only one,
seemingly, wanted to fight: Pacquiao.
Can’t blame Mosley.
After he got tagged in Round 3 by a
smashing right-left combination to the
face, Mosley was never the same again.
Kissing the canvass dazed, glassy-eyed,
he struggled to get up. Mosley fought a
scared fight from there.
His 18 years of boxing experience had
prevailed on him not to test the waters
again.
It was a mistake for him doing some
probing in the first two rounds. He was
booby-trapped.
Against Pacquiao, it’s landmine every
step of the way.
So, after the third-round knockdown,
Mosley walked the correct path: Don’t
take chances.
Walk facing traffic.
Against Pacquiao, every move is risky.
Don’t be surprised then if you saw Mosley mostly running away from Round 4 on-
wards. He was merely eluding harm’s way.
At age 39, Mosley was supposed to be
slow.
Yes, he was, but only on throwing
punches. Not only too slow, in fact, but
the punches were as rare as roses in bloom
during summer.
Pacquiao was also a bit slow this time?
Maybe. But let me tell you this.
Before the fight, Pacquiao and Mosley
did promotional fight tours together.
Closeness can be a contagious disease.
Friends that become too close with each
other can ultimately become lovers.
For those not in the know, Pacquiao is
inherrently a very friendly person. And
merciful at that.
Before the fight, Pacquiao had openly
declared his fondness of Mosley.
Mosley reciprocated by saying he’d join
Pacquiao in the Philippines when Pacman
pursues his vow to kill poverty in the country. Wearing a yellow T-shirt at that.
Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s American
trainer the last 10 years or so, was the first
to notice this.
Earlier, Roach had warned Pacquiao
about becoming too friendly with his sparring mates.
He aired the warning after noticing Pacquiao’s tendency to be “too soft” on his assault against his sparring mates in the runup to the Mosley fight.
Now, still surprised why Pacquiao was a
bit slow against Mosley?
Or, put in another way, were you that
stunned that Pacquiao failed to knock Mosley out?
Sorry, but I was not.
In fact, I’m even beginning to wonder:
Did we watch a fight?
Wasn’t Mosley’s foe a mere look-alike
of Pacquiao? An impostor, maybe?
Hit me hard, Pacman.
I need to wake up.
25
Philippine Courier
Tiger slumps to 12th in world rankings
TV5: P900-M to broadcast PBA
MANILA, Philippines (May league. It was only yesterday
31, 2011) — The country’s new- that Salud saw the proposal of
est broadcast player, TV 5, took TV5 and the decision of ABSanother bold step to make itself CBN.
a serious network power when it
However, with TV5 left as
offered a bid of more than P900 the only bidder, Salud said that
million for the Philippine Bas- it doesn’t mean TV5 will autoketball Association broadcast matically get the coverage of the
rights for a period of five
years.
TV 5, headed by telecommunications
mogul Manny V. Panglinan
whose company also owns
two teams in the PBA, was
the only bidder after ABSCBN withdrew from the
competition, a move that
stunned
Commissioner
Chito Salud.
“I was surprised by
their decision after their
active participation on
the whole process,” Salud
said yesterday after openManny V. Panglinan
ing ABS-CBN’s letter that
contained nothing but regrets.
PBA, saying the PBA Board of
Channel 5’s actual bid was Governors will make the final
not announced with one top PBA decision.
official saying “It’s more than
The only stumbling block is
P900 million, but less than P1 probably the fact that the owners
billion.”
of TV 5 also own Talk ‘N Text
Apparently, TV 5 was think- and Meralco, two teams playing
ing that ABS would bid P900 in the PBA. That may open quesmillion which the PBA has set as tions on conflict of interest.
the minimum. Salud said ABSTV5 executives are scheduled
CBN did not give any reason to make a formal presentation
why it decided not to offer a bid. of their financial and marketing
Both TV5 and ABS-CBN proposals to the PBA Executive
submitted letters of intent to the Committee and Management
PBA Commissioner’s Office last Committee on Friday. (Bulletin.
Friday, the deadline set by the net)
The Game
of My Life
By Bill Velasco
In the hustle of many new experiences
and ventures that The Good Lord has
blessed me with this year, I had all but forgotten that this is my 25th year in the media, both as a broadcaster and as a writer.
The occasion had slipped my mind, until I
kept getting this nagging feeling that 2011
was something special for me, especially
with the celebrations of the EDSA Revolution, which took place the month before
my graduation.
Looking back, there are so many reasons to be grateful for all the successes and
struggles that have made me who I am, for
better and for worse. I’ve always maintained that I have the best job in the world,
and it all really started with my wanting
to give something back to sports, which
saved me and gave me the chance to live
a normal life. Without all the swimming,
running, basketball and literally dozens of
other sports I’ve tried, I absolutely would
not be enjoying the colorful, memorable
life and career that I have had.
One thing I’ve taken pride in is having
been part of many firsts, not just in broadcast or print, but in sports itself. I have always said, if it has never been done, watch
me find a way to do it. As I’ve written before, God gave man such a long list of new
things to try, it would be disrespectful to
the Creator if we did not attempt to climb
some of those mountains on His list. That
was a challenge I always took personally.
After a couple of months as a production
assistant (gopher) at what was then PTV 4,
I had the opportunity to break new ground
26
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tiger
Woods plummeted depths he has not
reached in 14 years when he dropped
four spots to 12th in the world rankings issued on Monday.
The former world number one has
not triumphed anywhere since the
2009 Australian Masters and has been
steadily losing ranking points because
of his recent struggles on and off the
course.
In Monday's rankings, Woods is
sandwiched by fellow Americans
Bubba Watson (in 11th) and Dustin
Johnson (13th), the first time he has
been out of the top 10 since he was
13th on April 6, 1997.
Ever since his private life unraveled in sensational fashion at the end
of 2009 and he tried to repair his
crumbling marriage, Woods has been
a shadow of the player he once was.
It has been almost three years since
he clinched the last of his 14 major
titles and the prospect of adding any more
in the near future receded after he withdrew
from this month's Players Championship because of injury.
Aged only 35, Woods has already had
four surgeries on his troublesome left knee
and his latest injury setback comes at an inconvenient time with the second major of
the year, the U.S. Open, fast approaching.
Woods is a three-times winner of his national open and had initially planned to compete in the Quail Hollow Championship,
the Players and then the June 2-5 Memorial tournament to complete his U.S. Open
build-up.
However, he was forced to pull out of
Quail Hollow because of mild strains to his
left knee and left Achilles' tendon and those
same injuries led to his withdrawal from the
Players the following week.
Woods is rapidly running out of time
in his preparations for the June 16-19 U.S.
Open at Congressional Country Club in
Bethesda, Maryland.
He has repeatedly said he would quit the
game whenever he felt he was unable to
compete at the highest level.
"For me it is very simple, it (the time to
quit) is when my best isn't good enough any
more," Woods told Reuters shortly before he
won his most recent major at the 2008 U.S.
Open.
"I could not live with myself going out
and practicing and preparing as hard as I do
and knowing that if I go out and play my
best someone is just going to beat me." –
(Reuters)
25 years of firsts …
when ABS-CBN reopened after EDSA.
There we were, a platoon of cocky, knowit-all fresh graduates who had just helped
install a new government, paired off with
grizzled veterans who were coming home
after a 14-year hibernation or relocation. It
was not an easy fit at first. I was technically
the first sports correspondent, writer and
segment producer for the network, which
was just getting reorganized and back on
its feet after their dark days during Martial
Law. And there were so many stories.
Truth to be told, in those early days, we
drove our personal vehicles everywhere.
I logged an average of 100 kilometers a
day on weekdays and more on weekends.
(Traffic was not so bad then.) I once drove
to and from Quezon province to bring
back footage of the Palarong Pambansa for
airing the same day. I was also covering
various other beats and sports at the same
time. That kind of experience you can’t get
nowadays. I once set a record with nine
stories in one day, some of which aired on
TV Patrol the same night. Those were great
times.
As I was doing the sports segment for the
network’s morning show, I have the privilege of working with Noli de Castro, Korina Sanchez, Merce Henares, David Nye,
Vivian Zapanta, Jun Encarnacion, Dandin
Ranillo and many others who became giants in their fields. My first weekly sports
show, “Sportsweek” gave me the chance
to learn from legendary “Ka Kiko” Frank
Evangelista, who encouraged me to keep
writing. ABS-CBN later started covering
boxing matches, and I was soon immersed
in my first live boxing telecast, an international bout of Pretty Boy Lucas.
As fate would have it, those formative
years would lead to something bigger. I
sent a crew to cover the 1989 SEA Games
in Jakarta when nobody else did. In 1990,
the Sports Communicators Organization
of the Philippines (SCOOP) created a new
awards category, Outstanding Briaas News
Agency of the Year for our efforts. I was
also a producer to bring home a special
citation for Project: Gintong Alay, for that
coverage.
As I was starting my own family, I asked
permission to work outside the network.
My boss at the time, the late Rolando Cruz,
who would give me many of my big breaks
(including the first Philippine coverage of
the US Dream Team and the Metropolitan
Basketball Association), consented.
Thanks to my college professor Sev
Sarmenta and visionary producer Bobong
Velez, I joined the broadcasts. The PBA
games after its highest-rating season ever.
That career-changing break allowed me
to work with Joe Cantada, Ed Picson, and
Butch Maniego, who has been a broadcast
partner for more than 20 years. It allowed
me to witness the deafening roar of Ginebra crowds of the Jaworski era, Shell’s
original “big three” of Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc and Bobby Parks, the consistent excellence of Alvin Patrmonio and
Purefoods, and the ascendance of Alaska
and Tim Cone as they chased San Miguel
Beer.
Here were other firsts, as well. One of
my ideas allowed for the first-ever multiple
slow-mo replays in Philippine basketball
television. I got to interview all the heroes
of the game in its most magnificent moments, and inspired by Smokin’ Joe’s love
for nicknames, christened a young power
forward “The Captain” and an inspiring
kapampangan guard “the Atomic Bomb”.
“Electrifying” does not do those memories
justice.
Working with Vintage Enterprises gave
me ringside seat as producer of the 1991
Manila SEA Games, as the Philippines
showed what it could really do in sports,
with Eric Buhain and Akiko Thomson
drowning the opposition in the pool, and
our greatest athletes bringing the country
untold honor. My favorite coverage started
with me standing on the roof of the Isetann
building overlooking Araneta Coliseum,
introducing the gold medal game in basketball, as Marlou Aquino, Johnny Abarrientos, Vic Pablo, Vergel Meneses, Bong
Ravena, Jun Limpot and their captain, my
classmate Nonoy Chuatico, were coached
back to the gold by Francis Rodriguez. I
marveled at the engineering of The Big
Dome, as it withstood the loudest roars of
any crowd I had ever heard.
Those learnings opened new doors for
me, and I was given a rare opportunity to
direct for the first time. A daily public affairs program called “Action 9” was another big break, and at the tender age of 26,
I was given the reins to direct Atty. Dong
Puno, Rey Langit and Mon Tulfo. Needless to say, it was never boring. And their
combined experience was another eyeopener for me.
Those early memories still take my break
away, as I continue to search for new ways
to do new things. In the last year alone, I
have been given the chance to write my
first book, produce an international documentary, and appear in my first television
commercial. All these blessings fill me
with gratitude, as I in turn try in my feeble
way to give thanks to everyone who has
shown me kindness in my life and career.
The challenges continue. This is going
to be fun.
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Dallas vs. Miami: The Rematch
TORONTO (May 29, 2011) – Would Dallas
revenged its 2006 NBA Finals loss to Miami,
or, the Heats makes it two in a row over the
Mavericks when the two best teams from the
West and East Conferences collides May 31 for
the 2010-2011 NBA Championship.
Miami hosts Games 1 & 2 while actions shift
to Dallas for Games 3 & 4.
There are only 4 players left for the two teams
from the 2006 NBA finals, two from each team.
For Miami, Dwayne Wade and Udonis Haslem
will be back
for a possible
second title
while Dallas
Mavericks
stars
Dirk
Nowitzki and
Jason Terry
will be trying
to hand Dallas its first
ever
NBA
crown.
Other players who have made it again to the
NBA finals are LeBron James of the Miami
Heat and Jason Kidd. James played in the 2007
NBA Finals when he was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers while Kidd helped lead the New
Jersey Nets in 2002 and 2003.
The flashy veteran Kidd has played the most
playoff games of any active player who has not
won a championship, taking his teams to the
post season 14 years straight.
And while the NBA playoffs haven’t offi-
cially started, the Heats are the favorites in this
matchup, owing to the fact that the ballclub
boasts of three youthful stars in Wade, James
and Chris Bosh.
But the Mavericks are aching to get back at
Miami after collapsing in the 2006 NBA Finals.
Other than Nowitzki, Terry and Kidd, the Mavs
will also turn to Shawn Marion, Tyson Chandler and the unpredictable JJ Barrea to provide
the necessary support for the title-hungry Mavericks.
Then of course is
the coaching factor. Rick Carlisle
and Erick Spoelstra mark their first
time coaching in
the NBA finals.
Carlisle served as
an assistant coach
to Larry Bird back
in
1999-2000
while
Spoelstra
was part of Pat Riley’s staff in 2006.
Spoelstra is also the first Asian and FilipinoAmerican who reached the Finals of the NBA.
In 2006, Dallas won Games 1 and 2 only to
lose the next four games to the Heat. Will this
be a repeat for Miami or revenge for Dallas?
One thing is for sure though. We will either
see the Heat bagging their second crown or
see Dallas make history by nailing its first ever
NBA crown!
Punch Out
By Laurence Tierra
I’ve been trying to figure out in the
last two weeks why boxing legend and
Hall of Fame-bound Oscar dela Hoya
succumb to ‘personal pressure’ and
admitted he is hooked on ‘bad habit.’
Probably, dela Hoya could not yet accept until now that his heydays as boxing icon is now over and could no more
lay claim as the best there is in the beakbusting business, whether inside or outside the ring.
Could it also be Manny Pacquiao’s
demolition job on him still embedded
on his mind and continuously cause him
nightmare, ala-Ricky Hatton who also
fell to cocaine-addiction after absorbing a humiliating 2nd round KO loss
to the Filipino pound-for-pound kingpin? Hmmm… it now seems Pacquiao’s
granite hands are really ‘mind demolisher,’ eh? Two great fighters down;
Mayweather’s next?
Whatever the reasons behind the
Golden Boy’s downfall, the former
champion would be a very different
person after his self-imposed rehab.
You see, dela Hoya already apologized
to Manny Pacquiao ‘for any wrong doing in my part’ and told the pound-forpound Filipino 8-division titlist ‘you
are a great champion’, a statement boxing self-proclaimed pundit Teddy Atlas
can’t even mumble. Dela Hoya also
‘humbly apologized’ to his ‘promotions
mortal enemy’ Bob Arum, thus, possibly opening the door for co-producing
fights featuring Top Rank and Golden
Boy boxers, highlighted by the Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather super-fight?
Sana nga.
########
Juan Manuel Marquez is reportedly
May 7 - June 6, 2011
hiring a doctor to guide him attain additional weights without losing his power
and speed in preparing for his November 12 fight with Pacquiao in Las Vegas.
The Mexican agreed to a catchweight
of 144lbs fight, the welterweight division where Pacquiao is the reigning
WBO ruler. Marquez is the WBC junior
welterweight champion and would be
fighting in the higher weight class for
only the 2nd time; the first was when
he absorbed a tremendous beating at
the hands of Floyd Mayweather in their
145-lbs tussle last year.
Also, Marquez fought a one-dimensional fighter in Manny Pacquiao in
2004 and 2008. In November 2011,
trainer Freddie Roach said Marquez will
be in for a shock. Roach said Pacquiao
has transformed into a complete fighter
that the Mexican will be surprised to see
a different foe when they get it on for
the third time at the MGM Grand in Las
Vegas.
“Manny could only move in one direction (when they fought),” Roach told
ace fight scribe Ron Borges of the Sweet
Science.
Marquez drew with Pacquiao the first
time they traded leathers in a featherweight (126lbs) clash and narrowly lost
a decision in the rematch130lbs superfeatherweight tussle, and both results
Marquez said were controversial.
Aficionados believe the weight will
be a huge factor in determining the winner considering that while Pacquiao
has gotten better and better through
the years, Marquez has been slipping a
bit. In fact, in Marquez’s one and only
stint at welterweight, he fared miserably
against Floyd Mayweather, who clob-
Hidilyn Diaz batters 6 marks at PNG
Diaz in her recordwinning lift. (Photo by AFP)
BACOLOD CITY, Philippines (May 27, 2011) —Hidilyn
Diaz veritably stood way over her 4-foot-11 frame yesterday after shattering six records in the PSC-POC Philippine National
Games (PNG) here.
The 20-year-old lifter from Zamboanga City reset her own
marks in the women’s Open and junior 58-kilogram categories
of the weightlifting competitions that saw a total of 15 national
records fall all on the same day at the SM North Terminal.
Diaz, a 2008 Beijing Olympics veteran, registered a 95 kg in the
snatch and 120 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 215, topping
the scores of 94-115-209 she posted in the same events during
the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.
Her feat also eclipsed her old records in the junior ranks (1820). She lifted 111 kg in the clean and jerk in a tournament last
year in Uzbekistan, and 88 in the snatch and 196 total in the 2009
National Open in Bohol.
“This is a measurable sport and I was really prepared to break
the record,” said Diaz, who will aim for a spot in the 2012 London Olympics through the World Championships scheduled Nov.
11 to 20 in France.
Diaz will fly straight to Indonesia for the 26th Southeast Asian
Games on Nov. 12 to 28 right after the world championships.
“I’ve sacrificed so much for this [sport] after I stopped going to
school two years ago,” the computer science sophomore from
Universidad de Zamboanga said.
Sayang ang Bulls!
bered him with rapid-fire shots all of
12-rounds. Age factor could also takes
its toll on the Mexican considering he
is now 37 years old to the Filipino’s 32,
his strongest fighting years. Well, it’s
still more than five months before the
Pacquiao-Marquez fight, but we believe
betting odds would be on Pacquiao’s
side, as usual. 5-1, this early?
########
Shane Mosley is reportedly cooling
off his butts in Florida with his pretty
GF spending a part of his $5-million
‘easy’ prize Top Rank Bob Arum gave
him in his recent lackluster performance
against Manny Pacquiao. I lost whatever admiration I had for Mosley after
he ran away from Pacquiao. He made
himself ‘gago’ in the eyes of the millions of boxing fans who believed the
American would give the 8-divisionworld champ a very good fight. Instead,
Mosley showed how good his feet are in
backtracking and taught kids the art of
touch-glove.
Si Papa nga, eh, natalo raw siya ng
isang Coke Zero because he bet Pacquiao will end the fight inside 6 rounds,
the same prediction I did in my previous
column here. My wifey Yeng, yata, also
placed a bet ($5 ba mommy? Ang laki,
ah..hehehe) and also lost since Mosley
did not sleep in the canvass. Halos lahat ng Pacman fanatics here in Toronto
lost dahil tumakbo si Mosley and finished the 12-round contest. .. Hmmm..
hindi kaya pumusta sa sarili si Mosley
to finish the fight, kaya’t walang ginawa
kung hindi tumakbo lang? Kung tutoo
‘to: Shame on you Mosley!
Ani nga mga kaibigan ko rito sa Toronto at Chicago the morning after the
fight: ‘Let Mosley’s name stricken off
the books of prizefighting and change
his first name to SHAME in the manuscript’s footnote…. Ibahin na nga natin
ang topic. Kakauyam na si Mosley, di
ba, Utoy?
########
Sayang! That’s how my amigos in
Chicago mumbled when the Bulls lost,
1-4, to Miami Heats for the Eastern
Conference crown thus depriving Chicago to the NBA championship games
against Dallas Mavericks.
What a journey the Bulls have at the
start of the 2011 NBA season, winning 62 games and only losing 20 in
the elimination round, and eking out a
convincing 4-0 rout of Philadelphia in
the playoffs en route to a semis meeting
with the Heats. Pati ako, balik-Bulls ulit
ang pagtsi-cheers whenever my fatherin-law-cum-editor-in-chief watched the
NBA that feature Chicago. Eh, Miami
Heats pala si Papa simply because the
Heats coach is a Fil-Am and he supports
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. Hayun,
dalawang darili ko lang ang pumapalakpak kapag nakaka-shoot ang Bulls,
hehehehe… Ano, sira? Sarap yatang
magluto ng sinigang na pata sa bayabas
ng Papa, hano?
Well, the Bulls would be a force to
reckon with next season. Kailangan lang
nila ang isa pang magaling na pointguard. Go Bulls! Go Bulls! Na naman
ako after so many years na lumiban ako
watching the NBA after the Michael
Jordan-Scottie Pippen era. NFL, NBA
at boxing na ang sports na susubayan at
isusulat ko here. Ice Hockey? Baseball?
Nah. Punch out ako in those two disciplines.
27
Philippine Courier
Community Potpourri
JAENIAN IN LA: Fil-Ams in Los Angeles born in Jaen, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
celebrated their town fiesta with a Hawaiian-motiff affair last May 1, 2011. Some
Jaenian folks who attended the celebrastion include Oscar Velarde, Mr. & Mrs. Pascual among others.
OKOR - TORONTO CHAPTER & GAWAD KALINGA: Some officers and members of the Order of Knights of Rizal – Toronto
Chapter headed by Chapter Commander Felix Tulagan with Gawad
Kalinga - Canada President Solomon Exmundo in a meeting at Max
Restaurant. (St. Jamestown News Service – RAZ)
Ms. Grace Perez-Alavata of Hamilton, celebrated her natal day May 27 with a simple
dinner with her family - husband Emmanuel, RUBEN CRUZ (seated 3rd from right) celebrated his birthday recently in Todaughter Jeanrose and son Emman.
ronto. In the photo are his two sons AJ and Mark, his brother Randy, Froilan
and his dad Mr. Nicanor Corpus (seated right corner) with relatives and friends. Ernie Serrano (2nd right) celebrates his 61st bday recently. With him is his wife Tina
(Photo by PC)
(2nd left) and his in-laws.
Michael ties knot anew with Jessica
Showing his love would never die, Michael Datol of Florida, USA, made another vow to live ‘til death do us part’ to his lovely and understanding wife Jessica May 21, 2011 in
their 25th year wedding anniversary. It was a double celebration as Michael also celebrated his 41st birthday on that date. Here’s some photos of that memorable event courtesy
of the celebrant.
Ms. Chuchi Punzalan is shown here celebrating her 61st birthday with family
28
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Rhaina crowns Miss Manila 2011
TORONTO – Rhaina Dimayauga
bested nine other finalists from the
Greater Toronto Area (GTA) May 7
to emerge the grand winner of the
2011 Miss Manila pageant held at
the jampacked Korean Cultural Centre located at Leslie St., Toronto.
Christina Dumo was selected 1st
runner-up while Christina de Vries
was the 2nd runner-up. The three
beauties will represent the Fiesta
Filipina to all the activities in the
Filipino community inclusding FCT
Pistahan sa Toronto, Mabuhay Festival, Pista ng Kalayaan and Cabbagetown Festival.
Winners are also participating in the
flag raising ceremonies in Vaughan
and Markham and the Canada Day
parade in Markham.
Miss Manila is the official host of
the Philippine pavilion during the
Carabram festival in Brampton.
Pageant's proceed go to the Fiesta
Filipina Performing Arts center in
Mississauga
Fiesta Filipina is the longest running
Filipino group in Toronto since 1966
and still very strong.
The 10 Miss Manila finalists were,
(1)Chesca Lace Lagon, (2) Demmy
Romano, (3) Christina de Vries, (4)
Leah Villanueva, (5) Frances Besana, (6) Vanessa Rose Saracia, (7)
Kathleen Romero, (8) Jeena Romero, (9) Christina Dumo, and (10)
Rhaina Dimayuga.
Pacman richest in House
MANILA, Philippines (May 28,
2011) - Boxing champion and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao is the new
and only billionaire in the House of
Representatives.
A summary report of the 2010
statement of assets, liabilities and net
worth of the 284 members of the House
showed that Pacquiao has a net worth
of P1.13 billion and no liabilities.
The boxing legend dislodged former Las Piñas congresswoman Cynthia Villar, wife of Sen. Manuel Villar
who was the richest lawmaker in 2007
and 2008.
Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo
Benitez with assets of P624,847,943 is
the second richest congressman.
Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos
is the third richest with a declared net
worth of P623,600,000.
Fourth richest is Negros Occidental Rep. Julio Ledesma IV, with total
assets of P555,069,000. He is followed
by Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, with P475,611,941; Iloilo
Rep. Augusto Syjuco, P294,602,481;
and Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.,
P283,291,016.
Tarlac Rep. Enrique Cojuangco is
the eighth richest with P199,593,000
in declared net worth. He is followed
by Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas,
with a net worth of P195,780,000.
Rounding up the top 10 richest in
the House is Iloilo Rep. Ferjenel Biron,
who is worth P165,996,000.
ormer President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
is the 17th richest in the chamber with
a net worth of P140,212,268.57. Her
two sons, Ang Galing Pinoy party-list
Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo,
and Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado
“Dato” Arroyo, declared a net worth of
P95,547,024, and P87,263,644, respectively.
Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio
Arroyo, a brother-in-law of the former
leader, has a net worth of P137,922,797.
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez,
a neophyte lawmaker, is 15th richest
with P148,356,925.
Party-list representatives are also
among the most affluent, including
Catalina Bagatsing (ALE), with a net
worth of P137,237,288; Christopher Co
(AKO-BICOL), P94,086,359; Teodorico Haresco Jr., P93,138,245; and Homer Mercado (1-UTAK),P86,316,733.
As in the past years, militant lawmakers are among the poorest.
Anakpawis party-list Rep. Rafael
Mariano is worth only P75,711, followed by Bayan Muna party-list Rep.
Teodoro Casiño with P91,000 then Kabataan party-list Rep. Raymond Palatino with P190,000.
29
Philippine Courier
Joke Time
Ni Edgar Bello
Sekyu ..
Nag-aapply si Tomas na security guard...
Interviewer: Ang kailangan namin ay taong laging may suspicious mind, highly
alert, insistent personality, strong sense
of hearing with a killer instinct. Sa tingin
mo ba qualified ka?
Tomas:
Sa palagay ko po hindi.
Pwede po bang yun misis ko nalang ang
mag-apply? Very qualified siya dito.
***
Machismo …
Always remember, when SHE cancels a
date, she has to. But when HE cancels a
date, he has "TWO."
***
Ang buhay ay parang bato.... it is HARD!!
***
Kuha mo?
Aanhin ko ang napakalaking bahay,
mamahaling sasakyan,
milyun-milyong kayamanan, at masasarap na pagkain kung…
ang kapit-bahay ko ang may-ari ng mga
iyun?!
***
SA MAY KANTO
LASING:
Miss ang panget mo!
BABAE:
Kapal ng mukha mo! Ikaw
naman LASENGGO!
LASING:
Bukas di na ako lasing,
ikaw bukas panget pa rin!
Wahahahahaha.....
***
‘Di na minor…
ANAK:
Dad I'm fifteen na, pwede na
ba ako mag BRA?
DAD:
Di pwede!
ANAK:
But Dad, all my friends wear
bra na...
DAD:
Tigilan mo ako RENATO!!!
Baka pisain ko itlog mo!!
***
Now, NA!!!
HUSBAND: Pagkamatay ko ipamamana ko sayo 50 hectares ng lupa't bahay
at Ph350 million sa bank. Ano pa mahihiling mo?
WIFE:
Gusto ko mamatay ka na.
Ngayon na!
***
Itinago…
NENE:
Inay, pinatambling ako kanina sa school!
INAY:
Gaga! Gusto lang nila makita
panty mo!
NENE:
Alam ko po! Kaya nga
tinago ko sa bag yung panty ko eh!!...
***
Ang utot, bow….
ANAK: Itay, ano sa English ang utot?
AMA: Wind of change.
ANAK: Eh yung utot na walang tunog?
AMA: Sound of Silence.
ANAK: Yung utot na may dalang ebak?
AMA: Dust in the wind.
ANAK: Eh, yung di sinasadyang utot?
AMA: Aba, eh, ‘di, Careless whisper!
***
Di-tutoo …
Misis:
Darling, ano ang tawag sa
isang asawa na sexy, maganda, hindi
selosa, mapagmahal, masipag, mapagkalinga, masarap magluto?
Mister: Guni-guni!!!
***
Papaano nga ba?
TANONG:
Paano mo sasabihin sa
isang babae na mataba siya nang hindi
siya mababastos?
SAGOT:
"Uhm, excuse me, miss...
Mang Tomas ba ang lotion mo?"
***
Di nakakamatay ..
Husband: Kung di ako makaligtas sa
30
operasyon ko bukas, ikaw na sana ang
bahala sa lahat-lahat. .. I LOVE YOU!
Wife:
Tumigil ka! wala pang namamatay sa TULI!...
***
Lumaban, eh …
Juan:
San ka galing?
Pedro: Sementeryo, libing ng byenan
ko.
Juan:
E bakit puro kamot ang mukha
at braso mo?
Pedro: Mahirap ilibing eh... Lumalaban!!!
***
Potpourri-ng love …
Bigo ka ba sa love? Eto ang mga
BEST partners:
Kuba: Mapagkumbaba
Pilay: Hindi ka tatakbuhan
Bulag: Walang paki sa looks mo
Pipi:
Hindi nagbibitiw ng bad words
Duling: Hindi ka hahayaang mag-isa!
***
Si Gat Jose Rizal …
Sa Grade 1 classroom…
Guro: Sino si Jose Rizal?
Juan: Di ko po kilala.
Guro: Ikaw Pepe?
Pepe: Di ko rin po kilala...
Guro: Di nyo kilala si Jose Rizal?
Pedro: Ma'm, baka po sa kabilang section sya!
***
Paano humamon ng AWAY ang ....
BULAG? ‘Magpakita kayo mga Duwag!’
DULING? ‘Isa Isa Lang! para patas ang
Laban!’
PILAY?
‘Patay kung Patay! Walang
Takbuhan!’
***
Low bat na …
Man at 33 quits smoking. That's Will
Power
At 43, quits drinking. That's Will Power
At 53, quits gambling. That's Will Power
At 63, quits having sex. And that's Power
Failure!
***
Erapsky …
Erap: Kalokohan! Di ako naniniwala!
Walang taong ganun kataba!
Loi: Saan nangaling ang balitang yan?
Erap: Dito sa dyaryo. Sabi; "British tourist lost 2000 pounds."
***
Ok, go….
MMDA (with pen and ticket to a traffic
violator): Name?
Foreigner Driver: Wilhelm Von Corgrinski Papakovitz.
MMDA: Ahhh okay...(sabay tago ticket)...Next time be careful, ok?
***
Tisay …
Girl: Maganda ba ko?
Boy: Oo, kaya lang, Bumbayin ka...
Girl: Hindi naman ako mukhang Bumbay, ah?! Tisay yata to!
Boy: Oo nga, pero 'yung amoy mo, Bumbayin!
***
Sexy girl …
Gumimik sa mall ang tatlong binatilyo...
Jepoy: Wowowee! Ang cute nung babae!
Kevin: Sexy pa! Grabe!
Nathan: Sino? Yung naka-mini skirt, na
red? Yun, yun ba? Ha? Kilala ko siya!
Teka tatawagin ko ha, kuyaaahhh Ambet!
***
Talongges ..
Buboy: Sobra na talaga ang katangahan
ng kumare mo. Ang akala niya, ang
LAWSUIT ay uniporme ng pulis!
Jake: Sus! Tanga nga! Eh di ba, uniporme ng abugado yun?!
The Canada Premiere of: Ka Bel, A Documentary…
TORONTO - The film features the life and struggles of Crispin B. Beltran.
Ka Bel as he is commonly called was the prominent labour leader of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) or May First Movement and the Representative of
Anakpawis or Toiling Masses Partylist in the Philippine Congress. He was
acclaimed hero of the working class by the Filipino people.
We are showing the film in commemoration of the third anniversary of his
passing in May 20, 2008. He died at the age of 75 and his death is mourned
by the oppressed.
Through it, we aim to inspire our fellow Filipinos and other working people to
engage and persist in collective action in order to assert our rights as workers
here in Canada. We also wish to encourage our fellow Filipinos to become
involved in organizing work and campaigns that will help further the Filipino
people’s goals of attaining national freedom and genuine democracy.
Movie premiere details:
June 12th, 2011, Sunday, 1:00PM
Room SS 2117 – Sidney Smith Hall, University of Toronto
100 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario
Tickets are $10 each.
For tickets, please call: Bayani 647.896.7123 | Jay 647.210.566 | Elvie
416.836.0334
This movie premiere is FMWM’s effort to support two institutions in the
Philippines, namely:
The Crispin B. Beltran Resource Center. CBBRC is an independent institution serving the needs of workers and the urban poor. It is founded to uphold
the legacy of Ka Bel as a parliamentarian of the people. CBBRC’s programs
include the following:
Workers’ Night School and Skills Training Program
Policy Advocacy and Training for Grassroots Organizations
Social and Cultural Activities for Workers’ Families
The Kilusang Mayo Uno or May First Movement. KMU is an independent
labor centre that espouses the militant tradition of the Filipino working class
which has its roots in the formation of the country's first trade union, the
Union Impresores y Litografos de Filipinas in 1892, to the 1896 anti-colonial
and democratic revolution of the Katipunan, to the Congress of Labor Organizations (CLO) of the 1950's. It promotes genuine, militant and anti-imperialist trade unionism. Ka Bel served as its first general secretary in the 1980s.
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Metro
Edited by:
Maria Isabelle D. Bello
Filipino Brampton Resident is 2010 Humanitarian Awardee
BRAMPTON (May 11, 2011) - Every year, the City of Brampton honors
its citizens who have done exemplary
achievements in various fields including
Sports, Arts, Humanitarian, Leadership,
and Community Service. On Wednesday, May 11, 2011, Brampton Filipino
resident Joyce Rodriguez grabbed two
awards namely - Citizen Award for Humanitarian Achievement and Community Service for Brampton Safety Council. The award ceremonies were held
on Wednesday May 11th at the grand
Rose Theatre. It was a triple celebration
for Joyce as it also coincided with her
birthday. A thunderous applause by her
friends, families and spectators filled the
theatre as Joyce was presented with her
awards.
Joyce’s humanitarian and volunteer
work was not only limited here in Canada but also abroad. Her credentials include two-term past President and now
Treasurer of Peel Multicultural Council,
Director and immediate two-term past
President of Federation of Filipino Canadians of Brampton (FFCB), Director
of Filipino Health and Education Foundation, and Citizen Member, Brampton
Safety Council.
Under her
Presidency and
leadership with
FFCB, the organization has
adopted close
to 75 public
and elementary
schools in many
rural places in
the Philippines,
supports a drug
rehab centre for
boys and a rehab shelter for
victims of child
prostitution.
She has also
made contact
with
GASFI
(Gig and the
Amazing Sampaguita Foundation Inc)
in Manila whose mission is to provide
books to children whose parents are
working overseas. GASFI also receives
books and distributes them to more remote areas where the couriers cannot
get to. She has also formed a partnership with President Noynoy Aquino’s
Commission on Overseas Filipinos to
THE ROVING EYES
By Maria D. Bello
My parents are both experiencing similar
arthritis pain, my mom is on her left knee
and my dad is on his left ‘dirty’ finger and
right knee, and they sometimes visit us
writhing in pain though very secretive about
it. ‘Masakit na arthritis, kinikimkim at itinatago pa sa amin. Kitang-kita naman sa facial
expressions nila... hahahaha!’ Both nearing
their 60s, I learned that they are now taking
some ‘supplemental joint pain reliever’ capsules my mom’s co-worker suggested they
take. Don’t know yet if the ‘joint pain reliever’ has positive effect on my parents as
they haven’t visited us, yet. I’ll know later.
Well, the Mayo Clinic Staff has released
some Do’s and Don’ts about arthritis pain
which we’ll feature herein so that those who
suffers the pain, like my parents, could learn
something on how to deal with the problem.
Here it is:
‘You get all kinds of advice about exercise, medication and stress reduction, but
how do you know what will work best for
you? Here are some do's and don'ts to help
you figure it out. Read this:
Basics:
Whatever your condition, you'll have an
easier time staying ahead of your pain if
you:
•
Talk to your doctor about all your
symptoms, arthritis related or not. Sometimes seemingly unrelated problems are, in
fact, connected.
•
Give your doctor complete information about all your medical conditions,
not just arthritis.
•
Ask your doctor for a clear definition of the type of arthritis you have.
•
Find out whether any of your
joints are already damaged.
Everyday routines
Do some gentle exercise in the evening;
you'll feel less stiff in the morning. When
you're technically doing nothing — watching TV or sitting at your desk, for instance
— be sure to:
May 7 - June 6, 2011
identify priority schools in
need of books
and
school
supplies.
Joyce said:
“When I say
support,
we
do not send
them cash. If a
certain school
has needs other than used
books
and
computers, I
lead a fundraising event
to raise funds,
source out local (in the
Philippines)
shops to fill the need. This is in terms
of school supplies, band instruments
and uniforms, kitchen supplies, sports
equipment and first aid kits, building
shelves for libraries, or raising floors to
prevent floods so children can continue
to go to school. We collect used books
from various local schools, libraries and
homes in Brampton and Mississauga.
I have given up my portion of our garage so we can store the books. We sort
them out in terms of elementary or high
school levels, pack them and send them
using my own personal funds. There is a
sense of instant gratification when you
see the smiles of the children receiving the books - and these are books that
would otherwise end up in our landfills
here in Canada”.
Her second award was for Community Service for being a Citizen Member volunteer with the Brampton Safety
Council, whose primary goal is to make
sure Brampton students gets to school
safely, conducting school inspections,
assessing traffic and pedestrians around
the school, and reporting to the City
Council.
Joyce is the wife of Dr. William
(Bill) Rodriguez who has a successful
laser dentistry practice in Mississauga.
She is the mother of two talented boys,
Miquelon, a musician and theatre performer, and Patrick, a student in Public
Health.
Way to go Joyce and congratulations! You have made a difference and
made all the Filipinos proud not only in
Brampton but also abroad. (PR)
Arthritis pain: Do's and don'ts
•
Adjust your position frequently.
•
Periodically tilt your neck from
side to side, shake out your hands, and bend
and stretch your legs.
•
Pace yourself. Take breaks so that
you don't overuse a joint and cause more
pain.
Exercise:
When you have arthritis, movement can
decrease your pain, improve your range of
motion, strengthen your muscles and increase your endurance.
What to do:
•
Choose the right kinds of activities
— those that build the muscles around your
joints but don't damage the joints themselves.
•
Focus on stretching and strength
training.
•
Include low-impact aerobic exercise, such as walking, cycling or water exercises, for improving your mood and helping
control your weight.
What to avoid:
•
Running
•
Jumping
•
Tennis
•
High-impact aerobics
•
Repeating the same movement,
such as a tennis serve, again and again
•
Inactivity, which can lead to muscle atrophy and further decrease joint stability
Medications:
Several medications are available for arthritis pain relief. Most are relatively safe,
but no medication is completely free of side
effects. Talk with your doctor to formulate
a medication plan for your specific pain
symptoms.
What to do:
•
First, rest. Mild, occasional pain
may need nothing more than rest and the
application of cold or heat. Rest the painful
joint, and apply cold packs to relieve pain or
hot packs to ease stiff and achy joints and
muscles.
•
For occasional pain. Take overthe-counter (OTC) acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or aspirin tablets every four
hours to relieve occasional pain triggered
by activity your muscles and joints aren't
used to — such as gardening after a winter
indoors.
•
For longer periods of pain. Take
OTC ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or
naproxen (Aleve, others) a day for one or
two days if pain related to unaccustomed activity persists. Follow the dosing directions
on the package. Ibuprofen and naproxen are
classified as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) because they reduce
inflammation as well as pain. Technically,
aspirin is also an NSAID, but it's typically
used for purposes other than reducing inflammation.
•
When you anticipate pain. Try taking one dose of acetaminophen, ibuprofen
or naproxen a few hours before you start an
activity that's likely to cause joint pain.
•
When pain persists. Consult your
doctor if these medications aren't relieving
your pain.
What to avoid:
•
Overtreatment. Talk with your
doctor if you find yourself using acetaminophen, aspirin or NSAIDs regularly.
•
Undertreatment. Don't try to ignore severe and prolonged arthritis pain. It
may mean you have joint damage requiring
daily medication.
•
Focusing only on pain. Depression
is more common in people with arthritis.
Doctors have found that treating depression
with antidepressants and other therapies reduces not only depression symptoms, but
also arthritis pain.
Physical and emotional integration:
It's no surprise that arthritis pain has a
negative effect on your mood. If everyday
activities make you hurt, you're bound to
feel discouraged. But when these normal
feelings escalate to create a constant refrain
of fearful, hopeless thoughts, your pain can
actually get worse and harder to manage.
What to do:
Therapies that interrupt destructive
mind-body interactions include:
•
Cognitive behavioral therapy. This
well-studied, effective combination of talk
therapy and behavior modification replaces
ineffective coping strategies, such as emotional withdrawal and medication overuse,
with effective ones.
•
Lifestyle changes. Being overweight can increase complications of arthritis and contribute to arthritis pain. Making
incremental, permanent lifestyle changes
resulting in gradual weight loss is often the
most effective method of weight management. And if you smoke, find a way to quit.
Smoking causes stress on connective tissues, which leads to more arthritis pain.
•
Journaling and other coping skills.
The emotional release of journaling about
your feelings, as well as using other coping
skills, can result in decreased sensation of
pain.
•
Acupuncture. Some people experience pain relief through acupuncture treatments, when a trained acupuncturist inserts
hair-thin needles at specific points on your
body.
What to avoid:
•
Smoking. If you're addicted to tobacco, you may use it as an emotional coping tool. But it's highly counterproductive:
the toxins in smoke cause stress on connective tissue, leading to more joint problems.
•
Catastrophizing.
Negative
thoughts are self-perpetuating. As long as
you keep dwelling on them, they keep escalating until you believe the worst. Using
negative thoughts to cope with pain can
actually increase your risk of disability and
pain. Instead, focus on adaptive therapies
like distraction or calming statements.
31
Philippine Courier
Thinking
Out Loud
Destination wedding anyone?
By Tessie Lagtapon
I love weddings.
There is something about weddings and being a silent spectator to
the hope, wonder, anticipation and
yes, nerves of a couple so in love they
couldn’t imagine anything else, that
refreshes me. It’s like the first day of
spring when hope is in full bloom.
Child No. 4 decided to have a
destination wedding.
“Say what…?”
He explained. I was deeply offended.
What’s wrong with the old-fashioned
wedding among friends and family?
“Money.”
“I’ll donate.”
around the concept. I inwardly rebelled
especially since my oldest son and his
family couldn’t make it. The family
was not complete. I sulked.
Toronto was at nine degrees Celsius
when we left; Costa Rica five hours
later bear-hugged us with a sweltering
34 degrees. The wedding was Tuesday.
We had one day to bum around. I was
slowly melting. I smiled. This wasn’t
so bad after all.
Then bad news descended
upon us. The luggage that contained
her Chinese wedding dress, her mom’s
and maid of honour’s dresses and accessories was missing. The plane’s belly was empty which means one of two
things: the luggage never left Toronto
or it was on its way to Alaska. It was a
good thing she hand-carried her white
wedding dress.
“Politics.”
“I won’t impose.”
“Nope.”
I was pre-invited in October by
a form letter. I was directed to a website with details of flight and accommodations, guest list, activities, etc. Just
like that. I was offended again. I objected and whined but as my daughter
kindly reminded me, it is their wedding.
It took me months to wrap my brain
All of Monday was spent
on frantic phone calls to Air Canada.
They, whoever they were, promised to
look for it but their next flight in was
Wednesday. The wedding was moved
to Thursday. Cancelled weddings happen but postponed weddings? Air Canada has a lot to answer for. I seethed in
anger for my son and his bride. Nonetheless I admired the ease with which
my son, his bride and their friends accepted the change and carried on, like
nothing happened.
But he was always even tempered. He’s not into melodrama like his
mom.
Wednesday came. No luggage
from Air Canada. No one at Pearson
Airport could find a luggage with my
daughter-in-law’s name on it. Not one
took the effort to give her the wedding
she had dreamt of. Oooo… I was on
the warpath. Child No. 2 stopped me
on my tracks as I geared for a long distance war. The couple is taking care of
it. Graciously.
The day of the wedding was just like
any day. Hot.
We were in our finery and at
the beach by 10:00 am. My sandals’
heels were useless; my daughter was
barefoot. My husband and Child No. 3
wore the Filipino national costume for
men, the Barong Tagalog, very climate
appropriate.
The hotel staff had just finished the
bamboo canopy shrouded in a red gossamer material. Thirty chairs were laid
out. Red bird of paradise flowers were
strategically placed on two poles at
the back of the chairs. They served as
the entrance for the bride. Music was
provided by an iPod and speakers on a
table at the front. There was a covered
wicker basket container full of wet face
towels. You see, the Groom and his
men wore Tuxedos. Wet face towels
got passed around as we waited for the
bride.
The Bride was sparkling and beautiful.
She came down with her proud mother
by her side. Red rose petals were sprinkled on the sand where they walked. I
didn’t notice the music because it melded with the gentle lapping of the waves.
My son stood tall.
When did he get to be so tall. He was
just a pudgy little boy not too long ago,
a ham pretending to be Gandhi or Superman. Now, he was taking on a wife.
Time flew. It took all of fifteen minutes to exchange rings and embark on a
future so unknown. I offered them my
prayers and silent blessings.
The Chinese celebration that night was
full of symbolisms. My daughter-inlaw borrowed her aunt’s ceremonial
Chinese dress (no thanks to Air Canada) to match my son’s Chinese jacket;
a red pillow case stood for the veil as
they both knelt in front of us parents, a
gesture of respect. They bowed to each
other as a sign of fidelity and love.
Destination wedding is a fun way to
start a life together. Just make sure all
dresses for the wedding and accessories
are hand carried.
Because Air Canada won’t.
(416) 755-0909
32
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Poor farmers’
kids hurdle
schooling with
foundation’s help
By Jeremaiah M. Opiniano
Institute for Migration and Development Issues
ARYLLE Asuncion, 12, didn’t know
what hit him.
For five years, the timid son of farmers is sad-faced while envying classmates’ new school bags and notebooks at
Mlang Pilot Elementary School in North
Cotabato.
But on his first day as a sixth grader last school year, Darylle showed his
freckles in glee. He sported his own new
blue backpack that carried new school
supplies.
That’s not all.
“I am now enjoying free schooling,”
said this scholar of the Hong Kong-based
Filipino foundation WIMLER Partnership for Social Progress, which helped
19 other scholars whose families earn
less than a dollar a day.
The opportunity Asuncion got from
WIMLER not only made him finish elementary schooling last schoolyear:
he finished with style —with academic
honors.
Ask Marilyn Cabardo, Asuncion’s
adviser, who noticed that Darylle begs
off from reciting in class discussions.
“I observed some changes in (Darylle’s) attitude. He started to join school
activities and recite before the class. He
did well in his subjects,” Cabardo said.
Asuncion and 19 other scholars were
recommended by the schools’ parents
and teachers’ association (PTA) for support by WIMLER.
WIMLER president Leila RispensNoel, a Filipina-Dutch, said that while
WIMLER will continue finding sponsors
for poor students from Mlang, she hopes
the Mlang Pilot Elementary School’s
PTA can earn enough income to cover
the needs of their own pupils.
The partnership with the PTA, not
just for scholarships but also for a
school-based vegetable garden and poultry project, is among the highlights of the
two-year-old foundation’s 2010 projects.
WIMLER, an example of a overseas
Filipino group involved in migrant philanthropy, doesn’t even mind if its fund
balance at the end of the year 2010 is below a million pesos.
Anyway, we are still a young, small
foundation, Rispens-Noel says.
The commitment, though, to promote
inclusive and sustainable development is
there, WIMLER said in its 2010 annual
report.
But for the new elementary graduate
in Darylle Asuncion, his pride is now
evident.
On graduation day at Mlang Pilot Elementary School, he scribbled a “thank
you” note to WIMLER: Darylle says he
will definitely miss Grade VI had WIMLER not arrived.
“I hope WIMLER can continue to
support me,” he said in Ilonggo.
(The WIMLER Partnership for Social Progress implements projects aimed
at local communities in Mindanao, especially women and out-of-school youth.
The foundation (www.wimler.org, http://
wimler.blogspot.com) can be reached
at leila.wimler@gmail.com or at info@
wimler.org.)
May 7 - June 6, 2011
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33
Philippine Courier
AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER!
FACES
By Miss Rubi Talavera
Well, folks, we’re back~ after a much
needed vacation, we are once again in
front of our laptop narrating the past
events.
We’ll tell you about our trip to Florida
and New York and Atlantic City next
time, but meanwhile, allow me to congratulate my fellow colleagues and associates at the Filipino Canadian Real
Estate Association.
On Saturday, May 14th, amidst the
pageantry but devoid of pomp, the 150
or so realtors and guests gathered at the
Don Valley Suites and Toronto Hotel
(formerly the Crowne Plaza Hotel) for
their annual gala night, induction and appreciation of members.
President Larry Bercasio was resplendent in his black tie and so were Benny
Jose, Jon Amante, Victor Salazar, Ramon
Cezar, Carlos Cueto, Arlette Jarencio,
Clem Cabillan, William O’Brien, Tony
Arroyo, Joe Evangelista, Ariel Santos,
and Lee Sanchez.
The ladies in long gowns were outstandingly beautiful: Virgie Tigas, Sylvia Amante, Evelyn Orjalo, Dolores
O’Brien.
Real estate lawyer, Stephen Shub
came with his two gorgeous girls: his
wife, Cecile and his daughter, Shawna.
At the gate, we said hello to our tennis
partner and lawyer-friend, Tony Villarin,
who brought his equally beautiful wife,
Marisa, and his insurance broker brother,
Mario.
Filcrea adviser and lawyer, Florendo
Llameg Jr. also attended with his wife,
whose name escapes us now.
The two emcees were magnificent:
Mary Jane Viejo and Lilac Cana.
at Bistro, on Sheppard and Brimley and
owned by Joey, our favourite electrician), we found ourselves tripping the
light fantastic despite the stilleto heels.
What great music and terrific entertainment!
Take a bow, Filcrea!
IMELDA PAPIN AND CYNTHIA
ENRIQUEZ
From our Bff, Cynthia Enriqez, in Niagara Falls, we got this email:
“I was having a Sunday brunch with
my client, Marlene Miguel from Toronto,
at ASYA, a Pinoy restaurant in Niagara
Falls, when Singing Diva, Imelda Papin
and her crew stopped by.
know that I just did them for Marlene.
She said “ang ganda ng eyebrows
mo".
Well, I felt elated of course.
Imelda also sports wide brows which
is now the fad in the Phils. So Marlene
proudly said "she did them" – pointing
to me.
I gave Imelda my biz card . And the
whole time Imelda would meet people, se
would promote me and say very sincerely
"if you want to mag pa beauty, nandiyan
si Cynthia"..
Wow, what words of testimonials, eh!”
Visit Cynthia’s website at: www.permanentmakeupcanada.com or call her
at phone 416- 986-0448.
The night was wonderful.
From the outstanding live band (we
were told it’s the same band that plays
I was shocked, Imelda sat at our table
momentarily to compliment the distinct
eyebrows of Marlene. Imelda did not
See you next month!
Sylvia Amante, Marissa Villarin, Mario Villarin and Rubi Talavera, share Filcrea's Founding President, Benny Jose and his lovely wife, Ludy, Lovely co-emcee Mary Jane Viejo chats with our own glaman enchanting moment together at the Don Valley and Toronto Hotel pose for posterity during the Appreciation Night.
orous Faces columnist, Rubi Talavera, prior to the start of
during the Gala Night of the Filipino Canadian Real Estate Association.
the gala night festivities.
Meet the executive officers and directors of FIlcrea: from right to left: Virgie Tigas (Vice President, Membership), Rubi
Talavera (Vice President Publicity), Larry Bercasio (President), Benny Jose (Vice President, Constitution and By Laws),
Jon Amante, Tony Arroyo, Vic Salazar (Vic President Special Projects), Ramon Cezar, Clemente Cabillan, Evelyn Orjalo, Arlette Jarencio, Tony Villarin, Lilac Cana, Emily Sy.(Treasurer). Not in photo are Dolores O'Brien (Secretary) and
Romy Camacho.
While, Benny Jose, shares a smile with beauteous Leizel Albano....ano kaya ang iniisip ni
Benny? Hmmm...
Mrs. Venancia Franco, (seated in the middle) from the Philippine Consulate
in Toronto, was guest speaker and inducting officer at the Filcrea Gala Night.
President Larry Bercasio is also shown in the middle, standing.
Mortgage broker, Joe Evangelista, joins Realtors Syvia Amante, Virgie Tigas,
Benny Jose and Rubi Talavera for a little chat during the well attended event.
After a night of partying, the gorgeous Dolores O'Brien Happy Birthday to Conchita Venezuela (5th from left) as friends gathered
and our very own, tired, Rubi Talavera, take a break around her - Amy Chartrand, Filomena Targa, Rose Sibul, Chao Dee Lay,
Singing Queen Imelda Papin poses with two other beauties from Niagara with the other Filcrea boys and girls at the Hospitality ConchitaVenezuela (birthday celebrant), Nene Dumaguing, Norie Dray,
Suite.
Falls, Marlene Miguel and Cynthia Enriquez.
Rubi Talavera, Rose Harrison, Fe Santos, Lily Rinas, Yoly Ladines
34
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Teen's World
By Nicole Celeste
May was a stressful and interesting
month. Auditioning for the Next Star, going to a friend's gig, and competing in ultimate Frisbee games. Whew! And there’s
a lot more …
Ultimate Frisbee is an intense sport.
For all of you who think that ultimate Frisbee is easy, that you've got another thing
coming. Ultimate Frisbee is a mixture of
football, soccer and basketball. Out of the
four games that we've played, we won
one, with a fiery spirit, and amazing team
work.
Speaking of team work. A local
Scarborough band name JADE preformed
at the St Vincent's charity. The band consists of four members; Daryl Valdez lead
singer and guitarist, John France guitarist, Aaron Clasky drums, and Eric Reid
May 7 - June 6, 2011
A stressful month
on bass. The amazing quartet performed
a half an hour set list, including famous
mainstream music by Bruno Mars, Jason
Mraz, and The Beetles, just to name a few.
The band also preformed original music
that surprised the audience. The band's
performance was spectacular; Daryl's
voice impressed not only me but everyone
around, with his smooth voices and slick
guitar playing. John felt his music, sending energetic vibes towards the crowd,
ripping his solos. Aaron sang along with
the songs as he hit every beat, smiling
and being the life of the band. JADE was
amazing. If you want to check their music
out and support them, go to their YouTube
page, JADEmusic007.
Music is a large topic in my articles,
what with introducing new local bands
and talking about my own experiences.
A big moment for me with my mom was
auditioning for The Next Star. The Next
Star is a Toronto- based talent search that
helps youths ages fifteen and under show
their star qualities. The Next Star audition
took the whole day. Cameras flew the convention center as they tried to achieve the
best shots for TV. I sang my heart out in
front of the judge, but sadly I didn't make
it through, saying that I didn't have enough
confidence. It’s not the end of the world
for me despite my rejection. There’s still
more auditions to come. Am still young.
And besides, I met new friends and had
fun going through the entire process.
May is also Mother’s Day, so, we
visited Mama (actually Mama Frances is
my grandma being my mommy’s mother)
and spent some quality time with her and
my grandpa, who’s this paper’s editorin-chief. My 3-year-old brother Kyle and
I played, too, with my younger cousins
Iyam (5-year-old) and 2-year-old Yumi at
grandma’s front yard the whole afternoon.
It was really fun!
My cousins Yona and Juna were
with me as we visited Wonderland for the
first time. It rained that day but it did hinder our desire to have more rides all day
long. Another fun day with cousins my
age, eh!
May was a really a music-packed
month. With school coming to an end and
summer coming close, final assignments
are piling up and music is blowing up.
Let's hope for the best.
35
Philippine Courier
TICKLE ME!
Ni John Agustin
By Chuchi Punzalan
Then and now ….
1960:
2010:
Long hair
Longing for hair
1960:
2010:
KEG
EKG
1960:
2010:
Acid rock
Acid reflux
1960: Moving to California because
it's cool
2010:
Moving to Arizona because
it's warm
1960:
Trying to look like Marlon
Brando or Liz Taylor
2010: Trying NOT to look like Marlon Brando or Liz Taylor
1960:
2010:
Seeds and stems
Roughage
1960:
2010:
Hoping for a BMW
Hoping for a BM
1960:
2010:
Going to a new, hip joint
Receiving a new hip joint
1960:
2010:
Rolling Stones
Kidney Stones
1960: Disco
2010: Costco
1960:
Parents begging you to get
your hair cut
2010:
Children begging you to get
their heads shaved
1960: Passing the drivers' test
2010: Passing the vision test
1960: Whatever
2010: Depends
Something to keep you thinking all
day
If you are right handed, you will
tend to chew your food on the right side
of your mouth. If you are left handed, you
will tend to chew your food on the left
side of your mouth.
night.
The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows.
In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to
shave them off!
Because of the speed at which
Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7
minutes and 58 seconds.
The night of January 20 is "Saint
Agnes's Eve", which is regarded as a
Time when a young woman dreams of her
future husband.
---------------12 Things PMS Stands For :
1. Pass My Shotgun
2. Psychotic Mood Shift
3. Perpetual Munching Spree
4. Puffy Mid-Section
5. People Make me Sick
6. Provide Me Sweets
7. Pardon My Sobbing
8. Pimples May Surface
9. Pass My Sweatpants
10. Plainly; Men Suck
11. Pack My Stuff
12. Potential Murder Suspect
---------------The 5 Riddles.. ..
1. A murderer is condemned to death.
He has to choose between three rooms.
The first is full of raging fires, the second
is full of assassins with loaded guns, and
the third is full of lions that haven't eaten
in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?
2. A woman shoots her husband. Then
she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and
enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How
can this be?
3. What is black when you buy it, red
when you use it, and gray when you throw
it away?
To make half a kilo of honey,
bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual flowers
4. Can you name three consecutive
days without using the words Wednesday,
Friday, or Sunday?
Heroin is the brand name of
morphine once marketed by 'Bayer'.
5. This is an unusual paragraph. I'm
curious as to just how quickly you can find
out what is so unusual about it. It looks so
ordinary and plain that you would think
nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it. It is highly unusual
though. Study it and think about it, but
you still may not find anything odd.. But
if you work at it a bit, you might find out.
Try to do so without any coaching!
Communications giant Nokia
was founded in 1865 as a wood-pulp mill
by Fredrik Idestam.
Tourists visiting Iceland should
know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!
People in nudist colonies play
volleyball more than any other sport.
Albert Einstein was offered the
presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.
Astronauts can't belch - there is
no gravity to separate liquid from gas in
their stomachs.
Ancient Roman, Chinese and
German societies often used urine as
mouthwash.
The average person who stops
smoking requires one hour less sleep a
36
Suntok sa Buwan
Here are the answers to the riddles:
1. The third room. Lions that
haven't eaten in three years are dead.
That one was easy, right?
2. The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband,
developed it, and hung it up to dry
(shot; held under water; and hung).
3. Charcoal, as it is used in barbecuing..
4. Sure you can name three consecutive days, yesterday, today, and tomorrow!
5. The letter e, which is the
most common letter used in the English
language, does not appear even once in
the paragraph.
Bilibid or not …
Por jaws por sandos, saan ka naman
nakakitang bansa na ang mga bilanggo
ay malayang nakakalabas ng bilangguan, namamasyal, napapa-kodak pa
sa kalsada at nago-opisina sa air-conditioned building na paga-ari niya? Onli
in the Pilipins, mga kakabsat, di ba?
Maliwanag pa sa sikat ng araw ang
pagkaka-video ng Channel 2 XXX TV
show na ipinalabas sa ABS CBN TFC
rito sa Toronto ang pagkaka-dampot ng
NBI ke dating Batangas Gov. Antonio
Leviste habang nakasakay sa van niya
na nakaparada sa tapat ng Makati
building niya. Nahatulan si Leviste
ng habang-buhay (yata) dahil sa pagbaril at pagpatay niya sa best friend
niyang si Rafael dela Alas. At dapat ay
nakakulong ito sa Muntinlupa National
Penitentiary.
At isa pa, may mga preso raw na
Chinese nationals na convicted on drug
cases ang nawawala! Supposedly ay
may hatol na lifetime for drug possession of more than 58 kilos of shabu
ang isang Intsik nuon pang 1989, pero
last week lang nalaman na naka-eskapo
yata, dahil nawawala sa Munti, ng
walang nakaka-alam(?) umano!!! PangGuiness Record yon, ah. Pang-Believe
it or Not! Sa Pinas, bilibid or nut..
hehehehe…
-0At si Bureau of Corrections director
Ernesto Diokno ay parang patay-malisya lang sa nasabing isyu. Hindi raw
siya puwedeng kasuhan ng command
responsibility dahil hindi raw niya
alam ang kalakarang gayuon sa loob ng
MUnti dahil hindi siya nago-opisina sa
National Penitentiary Building. Kaya’t
bakit daw siya magre-resign sa kapalpakan ng kaniyang mga subordinates?
Ano siya, bale? Hehehehe … Oo nga
naman, BFF niya si Presidente Noynoy
at tanging si PNoy lang ang pwedeng
magtanggal sa kaniya. Eh, ano kung
nakakalabas-masok sa Munti ang mga
VIP convicts at mga mayayamang drug
traders, hindi naman siya ang nagpapalabas sa mga ito. Hindi naman yata
siya kumikita sa lagayan sa loob, kaya’t
hindi siya dapat mag-resign. Period.
Anaknghuweteng … ibang klaseng
opisyales itong mga BFFs ni PNoy
ah. Isang taon pa lang sa mga pwesto,
naglalabasan na ang mga anghit!
-0Iniimbestigahan na umano ang
isyung ito ni Department of Justice
(DOJ) Secretary Leila de Lima, ang
babaeng matapang umano na labanan
ang korapsyon sa Pinas kaya’t itinalaga
ni PNoy sa DOJ. Pero, tingin ko rito, Ka
Ramon, ay hindi kayang tibagin ni De
Lima ang pagka-BFF nina Dioknio at
PNoy dahil ayaw mag-resign ni Diokno
kahit na ‘kiniliti’ na ni Ms. De Lima
na mag-resign ang Director ng Munti.
Nag-file naman ng leave of absence
si Diokno habang may imbestigasyon.
Pero ang gusto ni De Lima ay sabihan
na ito ni PNoy ng: ‘You’re fired!’
Kung walang mangyayari rito, wala
ng mangyayari pa sa ating kulurang
Pinoy na lahat puwede sa Pinas at
wala ng susunod kahit sa maliliit na
batas tulad ng: “Bawal tumawid dito,”
‘Bawal umihi rito,’ ‘No parking,’
‘Bawal magsugal dito,’ ‘Bawal magsex dito.’
At ang mga bata, tutularan na lang
ang mga nakakatanda sa kanila dahil
hindi naman ikinukulong ang mga magnanakaw na menor de edad. ‘Bawal
magnakaw?’ Wala na sa mga bata at
mga gurang dahil ang mga Kongresman
ay di nakukulong o’ hinuhuli man lang
dahil sa mga ninanakaw ng mga ito sa
kaban ng bayan sa pamamagitan ng
kotong sa kanilang pork barrel, di ba,
Ka Ramon? – (Nadale mo, Johnny
meyn – ed)
Bawal pumatay? Eh, si Leviste nga,
pinatay ang BFF niyang si De las Alas,
pero, hayun, malayang nakakalabasmasok sa Munti, may bodyguards pa!
Iyang ba ang ‘parusa’ sa murderer?
Bilibid or not…
-0May matindi pang sinabi si Diokno
na napanuod ko sa TV Patrol at iyon
ang pag-alok daw sa kaniya ng isang
convicted drug trader nang milyones
para lamang mailipat ito sa Munti ulit at
makapag-operate ng drug (shabu) laboratory sa loob mismo ng Muntinlupa
Penitensiary. Hindi raw nkiya tinaggap
ang alok at ipnatapon sa malayong
kulungan ang convict. At ang ibig bang
sabihin ni Diokno ay INABUTAN na
niya ang mga kalakarang ito? Na nuon
pa pala ay may mga VIPs na na labasmasok sa Munti because of millions
of bribed money? Na may mga nakakatakas na moneyed prisoners na hindi
‘alam’ kuno, ng BuCor? Sino kumikita ng mga ‘lagay?’ Hanggang saan
nakakarating ang milyones na ‘lagay?’
Umaabot kaya ang lagayan hanggang
sa opisina ng Directoe ng BuCor?
Pero ang pinaka-sagad-sa-buto na
isyu sa Munti ay ang ‘food ration’ ng
mga bilanggo. Parang P5 lang yata ang
napupunta sa pagkain ng bawat preso
sa maghapon, gayung P8 ‘o P10 ang
budget sa 3 square meals ng bawat
bilanggo. Ilang libo naba ang bilanggo sa Pinas? Sa Munti, ilang libo ba
ang naka-piit duon? May P72-milyon
DAW kada buwan ang ‘kinikita’ ng
may hawak ng food rationing ng mga
bilanggo sa buong bansa, at, kung tutuo
ito, magkano ang napupunta sa bulsa
ng mga kurimaw sa BuCor? OK, hindi
lang sa Pinas nangyayari siguro ito,
dahil may movie na nuon ang tumalakay sa isyung ganito. Pero, bilibid
or not, kaya’t ang daming pumapayat
na bilanggo kapag lumabas na sa mga
kulungan at ang unang reklamo, masamang pagkain at tulugan.
-0Si Pangulong Noynoy Aquino na
kaya ang unang presidente ng Pinas na
magkakaruon ng POLITICAL WILL to
make changes, drastically, in the prison
system in the country of hundreds of
thousands of prisoners more than 50%
are not yet convicted of crimes they are
charged? Si PNoy na kaya ang uutas
sa maling kalakaran ng batas sa Pinas?
Makikita na kaya ng mga Pilipino ang
‘Tuwid na Landas’ na ipinangako ni
Pangulong Noynoy sa kaniyang kampanya nuong 2010? O’ dating daan
pa rin ng kotonggan at katiwalian sa
gobiyerno ng mga dating pangulo ang
ating tatahakin hanggang sa wakas ng
termino ni PNoy? Lord, Kayo na po
Bahala sa Pilipinas.
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
Fil-Can artists pay tribute to colleague Jeff Arota
Musicians all over the GTA came in droves May 1, 2011 at the Sunrise Bar and Restaurant of Bong Capitin, also an instrumentalist, to pay tribute to their fallen co-artist Jeff Arota who succumbed to the deadly Big C last month. 15 bands and a host of
individual performers did their respective acts and homage as tears freely flow the whole nightlong. Among the noted singers/
performers seen were Jen Camacho, Elaine Virola, Rodney Ronquillo, Chyrell Samson, Alvin Alba, Kuya’s Band, Cecille Araneta, Eduard Que, Rolly and Nieves Mangante, Nora cuenco, Beth Juane, Kit Toledo, Beyond Expression Band, Fred Camacho,
Romy Camacho, Daisy Domingo, Rhoda Maturingan, Arlene Gutierrez, Jenny James, Mitch and Raul Fernandez, among others.
Here are some photos of the event thru the lenses of TPC’s MonD.
May 7 - June 6, 2011
37
Classified Ads
Philippine Courier
SUPERSTARS AND SPECIAL STARS @ Pinoy Fiesta!!!
TORONTO (May 31, 2011) - Pinoy Fiesta Organizers
are proud to announce that our local Superstars will join
the Big Event on June 25, to name a few local star studded productions:
Culture Philippines of Ontario (CPO)
CPO, the premier Cultural Dance Company in Canada
started in 1985 and has evolved to be a very important
part of both the Filipino and mainstream communities
in Ontario. Culture Philippines continuously expands
its wings to share Philippine arts, music and dance to
people of all ages and gender. CPO will bring to you the
very essence of a lively Barrio Fiesta, complete with
the bamboo dance “Tinikling” and the dance of light
“Pandango sa Ilaw”
Little Divas
Be mesmerized and enchanted by the extra-ordinary
talents of our young lady performers, carefully chosen
from our local pool of girls endowed with gifts just fitting for angels. Alyssa Datu, Lucky Lucas, Ellie DeLizo, and Candace Santos have made their mark in different concerts and festivals. Let us bring them all together
for you, our gift to your senses!
HIP HOP
The Fiesta is also for the Young, the strong and the
rhythmic. Dance to the rhythm of the beat as different
group competes for the title of “Pinoy HipHop Champion 2011”. This is a very fast paced entertainment not
fit for the faint of heart.
The Best of our Local Artist
The ultimate entertainers, a group composed of new
and seasoned performers in the likes of Josie De Leon
and Emilio Zarris. They have been the favourite of the
community for a number of years. Pinoy Fiesta is bringing them back for you… we just bring you the best!
Special Kids for a Special Fiesta
As a promise of Charity, PCCF and PCCT will bring
the Pinoy Fiesta into a higher level of Inclusiveness and
Charity, Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show will present to
you a heart warming presentation of special kids with
special talents courtesy of the Down Syndrome Association of Toronto. Limited reserve spaces for Wheel
Chairs are available.
Your 15 bucks goes a long long way
After we enjoyed and celebrated with our Kababayan.
After we feasted on the talents of everyone, after we
have seen our favourite Kapuso Stars. The Pinoy Fiesta
will remain in the hearts of everyone most specially the
poor families in the Philippines that our support of Pinoy Fiesta will touch. Philippine Canadian Charitable
Foundation will donate the net proceeds of the Pinoy
Fiesta to build houses for the Poor via ANCOP, feed
the poor Children via the Kapuso Foundation, Help the
Down Syndrome Association of Toronto, the AFCM
Youth and other worthy causes. Let us help to celebrate
and celebrate to help!
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? BUY YOUR
TICKETS NOW!
For more information, ticket and exhibitors order contact : Call Rosemer 416 887 2167, Romy Rafael 416
985 2606 Jimmy Marasigan 905 472 3194. Exhibitor
spaces call Paeng 416 618 1362 or Oswald 905 850
4966
CROSSWORD PUZZLE
to punch out dollars and cents, with an
attached dial showing and recording
the amount deposited. He named it the
“Incorruptible Cashier.” It was, in fact,
the world’s first cash register.
WORD WATCH
Bank: from the Italian “banca” originally a moneylender’s table.
PESO-DOLLAR EXCHANGE
Across
1 Melon
7 Gasp
11 Flurry
14 Ice glider
15 Margarine
16 Talk
17 Washington city
18 Christ's mother
19 Expert
20 Remit (2 wds.)
22 King of Comedy.
24 Free of
27 Part of a min.
29 What Celestial
Seasonings makes
30 Jewish calendar
month
32 India religion
35 Revile
37 Tagalog for fish.
38 Traveler's aid
38
41 Milk fish.
42 Mexican food
brand
44 One (tagalog).
45 Tagalog for
Coconut.
48 Hoister
49 Defects
51 Penny
52 Loafer
55 Yes
56 Eye infection
57 Cat toy stuffing
60 Understand
64 Colony insect
65 Nix
67 Medium-sized tuna
71 Caviar
72 Bridge
73 Chilled
74 Evergreen tree
75 Soy Bean desert.
76 Shaped hair
Down
1 Central Standard
Time
2 Precedes an alias
3 Pouch
4 On top
5 Torah table
6 Expression of
pain (tagalog).
7 Volcano buried
city
8 Wing
9 Goody two shoes
10 Soy Sauce.
11 Open
12 Country house
13 Complies
21 United States of
America
23 Long-term
memory
24 Spiritual leader
25 Thoughts
26 Philippine super
heroine.
28 Nervous system
31 Newspaper
32 The Messiah
33 Gods
34 Frock
36 Small pipe
38 Doles
39 Clerk
40 Birthday ___
43 Kapamilya.
46 Door opener
47 Spice in Italian
seasoning
49 Fox hole
50 Sticky black
substance
52 Boa
53 Capital of Vietnam
54 Finned mammal
58 Institution (abbr.)
59 Pater
61 The alphabet
62 Chimney dirt
63 President Noy for
short.
66 Dit's partner
68 Infirm
69 Ball holder
70 Strange
BILL OF EXCHANGE
Q. Will the Central Bank redeem a tornup peso bill?
A. Yes, so long as the bill can still be
pieced together (like a jigsaw puzzle),
and its serial number remains intact.
For the Record. Seven of the world’s
ten largest banks are Japanese. On top is
Dai-ichi Kangyo Bank, Ltd., of Tokyo,
with toal assets of $428billion (as of
March 1993). Nest are Sumitomo Bank
Ltd., of Osaka ($409 billion) and Mitsui
Taiyo Kobe Bank, Ltd., of Tokyo (408
billion). The three non-Japanese banks
in the list are all French, the best place
being Credit Agricole Mutuel of Paris, at
No. 7 with $305 billion in assets.
Good Idea. The owner of a restaurant
in Dayton, Ohio, James Ritty felt that
he suffered his greatest losses, as did
other businessmen, when customer paid
their bills. Too often money went from
customer to cashier’s pocket. There was
no fast, efficient way to record or register incoming money. How to solve the
problem? Ritty invented, sometime in
1878, a machine with two rows of keys
Q. How come the dollar sign features an
“S” and not a “D”?
A. The peso sign is greatly responsible
for this. When the Spaniards brought
their peso to the New World in the
16th century, they had abbreviated the
currency’s name to a “P” and pluralized it by placing an S above and to its
right. Eventually the “P” was simplified
to a single stroke, and the “S” place
astride it. In the 1700s, young America
patterned its dollar after the peso and
adopted the peso sign. But this dollar
mark somehow, and with no explanation
whatsoever, now appeared with a second
line added to its configuration.
There are no income taxes in Bahrain,
Brunei, Kuwait and Qatar.
No-So-Famous-First. Credit cards were
first issued in 1900 by American hotels
to their most prestigious customers. In
1950 Diners Club introduced a “new”
kind of credit card. Instead of directly
providing specific goods and services,
Diners club acted as a “middleman” who
paid for all charges made in restaurants
belonging to Diners Club. The plan soon
grew to cover general travel and entertainment expenses.
WORD WATCH
Coin: from the Latin Cuneus, meaning
“a wedge.”
May 7 - June 6, 2011
Philippine Courier
May 7 - June 6, 2011
39