WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 VOL. 32 NO. 57 ISSN 0116-3973
HHHHH
TV teen actor,
3 others caught
in pot session
MOVING NAPOLES
COSTS R120K
2
Maximum security for Janet’s checkup
PAGE 2
PRESIDENT Aquino along with other national and local government officials flashes the ‘Laban’ sign during the 28th EDSA People Power commemoration in front of
the Cebu Provincial Capitol grounds in Cebu City, while Vice President Jejomar Binay together with former Vice President Teofisto Guingona and Quezon City Mayor
Herbert Bautista leads the wreath-laying ceremony at the People Power Monument in Quezon City yesterday. This was the first time that the celebration of the 1986
bloodless revolution was held outside Manila. (Photos by Cheryl Baldicantos & Mark Balmores)
For reactions or comments: tempo_mb@yahoo.com or tempo@mb.com.ph
2
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
Maximum security
for Janet’s checkup
RP asks China to explain
‘water cannon’ incident
By AARON B. RECUENCO
The Philippine National Police
(PNP) is expected to cough up at
least R120,000 in transporting embattled businesswoman Janet Lim
Napoles in her scheduled checkup
at Camp Crame in Quezon City today.
Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore
Sindac, chief police information officer, said the expenses will cover the
food of the police personnel who
would secure the so-called pork barrel queen and other expenses which
include the gasoline of all the vehicles that would be used to transport
her from Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta.
Rosa City in Laguna to Camp Crame
in Quezon City and vice versa.
“We still don’t know how much
would it cost but based on past
movements, the expenses is at
R120,000 for security before, during and after the transport,” said
Sindac.
Sindac was referring to the two
instances when Napoles was transported from Sto. Domingo during
her court appearance in Makati City
and at the Senate hearing.
The official admitted that all the
transportation expenses, including
that of today, are charged to the
operational fund of the PNP.
It was reported that the PNP organization is also spending some
R150,000 every month to secure
Napoles at Fort Sto. Domingo where
she has been staying since September last year.
Most of the transportation expenses are for a number of security
personnel and vehicles for Napoles.
NAPOLES
And Sindac said there is a need
for them to maximize the security
for Napoles to ensure her safety,
noting that it was the PNP which
was ordered by the court to secure her and any untoward incident
would out the organization in bad
light.
He added that in securing Napoles especially in transporting her,
the elite Special Action Force would
always assume that there is a great
threat to her life.
“The threat is always there and
we are considering her still as a high
risk detainee,” said Sindac.
No less than President Aquino ensured the safety of Napoles when
she surrendered to him in August
last year after a Makati court issued
an arrest warrant for a non-bailable
offense of serious illegal detention
filed by pork barrel whistleblower
Benhur Luy.
Napoles was also slapped with
a case of plunder along with some
senators and congressmen for the
alleged anomaly in the P10 billion
worth of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or the pork
barrel.
As of yesterday, Sindac said all
the units that would secure Napoles
have already met to iron out security measures on the routes and
while inside the PNP General Hospital at Camp Crame.
He, however, would not disclose
the time when Napoles would be
transported.
Napoles, however, is expected
to undergo laboratory tests that
include ultrasound for the reported
ovarian cyst. This after the Makati
court granted her request for medical check up but junked her appeal
to have it done at St. Luke’s Hospital.
At least three doctors are expected to attend to Napoles, and the
medical expenses may reach more
than R3,000.
And should an operation is needed, the leadership of the PNP General Hospital declared on Monday
that they have the capability to do
so.
“This is a special case and we
will still clarify with the court and
authorities concerned on who will
shoulder, who will put the bill for her
medical expenses,” said Sindac.
The medical check up is expected
to be done within the day, meaning,
Napoles is expected to be transported back to Fort Sto. Domingo
also today.
A FILIPINO-owned fishing boat sets off from Masinloc for the
Scarborough Shoal. (AFP)
Philippine President Benigno
Aquino demanded an explanation
from China on Tuesday over a report its coastguard had fired water
cannon at Filipino fishermen at a
disputed shoal.
Aquino said the foreign department had been asked to file a
“diplomatic message”, a day after
the Philippines’ military chief told
reporters of the incident at Scarborough Shoal – the subject of a
bitter territorial row in the South
China Sea.
“The first step would be a diplomatic message... directed at the
People’s Republic of China to ask
them to explain what this incident
was all about, what their intentions are,” Aquino told reporters,
when asked whether a formal protest would be lodged.
Scarborough Shoal is a rocky
outcrop, considered a traditional
fishing ground by Filipinos, which
lies just 220 kilometres (135 miles)
off the main Philippine island of
Luzon. It is about 650 kilometres
TV teen actor, 3 others caught in pot session
CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga — The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) announced yesterday the arrest of
a teenage actor and three others who were allegedly caught
smoking marijuana during an
international music festival here
recently.
PDEA director general Arturo
Cacdac Jr., in an interview, did
not drop names but said that
the 17-year-old teener was a
former contestant of a popular
reality TV show and had starred
in the hit TV series “Galema”.
Cacdac, however, identified
the other suspects as Juan Paulo Serafica, 19; Geano Dionisio,
23, both residents of Quezon
City; and another 17-year-old
minor who was with the group.
Citing reports, he said that
the actor and his group were
apprehended last Feb 23 after
they were caught in the act of
smoking pot during the music
fest just before midnight.
Combined elements of PDEA
Regional Office 3, PDEA Special
Enforcement Service,
Public
Safety Company, Angeles City
police and 302nd Air Intelligence and Security Squadron,
Philippine Air Force who were
deployed during the 7107 International Music Festival in Global
City, Clarkfield, Pampanga, arrested the group, he said.
Three persons were also invited for questioning, he added.
Seized from the group include
a stainless box containing marijuana dried leaves, a marijuana
stick, a blue tablet suspected
to be valium and a smoking
pipe with marijuana residue.
(Franco Regala)
Passenger punches
PAL flight attendant
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A man who
allegedly punched a Philippine Airlines flight attendant on a Los Angeles-bound jetliner has been charged
with interfering with a flight crew.
The FBI says 53-year-old Edgar
Nonga of Lakewood was charged
with the federal offense on Monday.
His bail was set at $10,000.
Prosecutors say Nonga got drunk
during a flight from Manila to Los
Angeles over the weekend and got
angry when he was refused more
drinks.
Prosecutors say Nonga swore at
crew members and twice punched
a flight attendant – including once in
the face. The crew, with help from at
least five passengers, restrained him
and he was arrested Sunday morning
when the plane landed.
He faces up to 20 years in prison if
convicted. His attorney, David Sutton,
declined to immediately comment.
from Hainan island, the nearest
major Chinese land mass.
The South China Sea is one of
the world’s most important waterways, home to vital shipping lanes
and believed to sit atop lucrative
mineral deposits.
Both sides engaged in a tense
standoff in the area in April 2012,
which ended with the Philippines
retreating from the shoal.
Aquino acknowledged that Philippine security officials were “not
sure at this point in time” whether
spraying water cannon at Filipino
fishermen was a standard operating procedure by Chinese vessels
in the area.
“We don’t want to react to a
one-off incident,” Aquino said.
Aquino said that as of Monday
there were Filipino fishermen at
the shoal “who were not being
harassed or intimidated by any
entity”.
Philippine armed forces chief
General Emmanuel Bautista said
the incident occurred on January
27, although he did not divulge
further details and it was not
clear whether any Filipinos were
hurt.
China on Monday refused to
directly respond to the allegations, insisting only that it had
“indisputable sovereignty” over
the area.
China claims most of the South
China Sea on historical grounds,
including waters near the coasts
of its neighbours.
The Philippines, along with
Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and
Vietnam also have competing
claims to parts of the sea, and
the rivalries have been a source
of tension for decades.
Last year, Manila asked a United
Nations arbitration tribunal to rule
on the validity of China’s claim to
most of the sea, but Beijing has
rejected the process. (AFP)
Local News
UN chief Valerie
Amos to revisit RP
U n i t e d
N a t i o n s
Humanitarian
Chief Valerie
Amos
is
scheduled to
undertake a
two-day visit to
the Philippines
beginning
Wednesday to assess the
humanitarian response almost
four months after typhoon
“Yolanda” (international name
Haiyan) struck the country.
In i t s a dv is o r y, t h e U N
Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
said Amos is expected to meet
with representatives of the
Philippine government, local
authorities and humanitarian
partners during her visit.
She also plans to travel to
Guiuan and Tacloban where she
will visit communities affected by
the typhoon and look at ongoing
relief efforts.
Amos previously visited the
Philippines twice in November
2013 to see for herself the impact
of the disaster and to ensure
adequate support for humanitarian
assistance.
According to UNOCHA, while the
government-led relief operation
has made marked progress,
millions of people still require
urgent assistance to rebuild their
lives and livelihoods.
It noted that more than a
million homes were damaged
or destroyed and over 4 million
people were displaced, with many
still in need of support to find
durable housing solutions.
Furthermore, farmlands and
fishing equipment were decimated,
limiting people’s ability to produce
food or earn an income. (Roy C.
Mabasa)
Sandiganbayan
nominees
Five trial court judges, two
officials of the Department of
Justice (DoJ), and an assistant
solicitor general are nominees
to the post of associate justice
of the Sandiganbayan that was
vacated with the promotion last
year of Amparo Cabotaje Tang as
presiding justice of the anti-graft
court.
The Judicial and Bar Council
(JBC) said the nominees are
regional trial court (RTC) Judges
M a r ya n n C o r p u s - M a n a l a c ,
Bernelito Fernandez, Ronaldo
Martin, Andres Soriano, and
Ma. Theresa Dolores GomezEstoesta.
Also nominated were DoJ
Undersecretary Leah TanodraArmamento and Chief State
Counsel Ricardo Paras III, and
Assistant Solicitor General Marissa
Macaraig Guillen. (RGP)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
3 World News
Bolstering regional growth centers development
Three Philippine regions – Central
Luzon (Region 3), Southern Luzon
(Region 4) and Central Visayas
(Region 7) – are identified as growth
areas and ideal sites to host industrial
economic zones. Infrastructure
development such as construction
and upgrade of roads and highways
are driving the developments in the
three regions.
Improved accessibility in Regions
3 and 4 is one of the keys of
development, according to leading
real estate advisory and services
firm CB Richard Ellis (CBRE). CBRE
said development projects in the
three regions are being undertaken
by Global Gateway Logistics City
for a major property project in
Clark Special Economic Zone, while
property developer Ayala Land is
developing areas in Porac, Pampanga,
near Clark, as well as industrial parks
in Laguna. Central Luzon, composed
of seven provinces – Aurora, Bataan,
Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga,
Tarlac, and Zambales – is the only
region accessible through three
international airports: Clark, Subic,
and Ninoy Aquino International
Airports. Road network upgrades
include modernization of the
North Luzon Expressway (NLEX),
opening of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac
Expressway, and expansion of
the Tarlac-Pangasinan-La Union
Expressway. Work on NLEX-South
Luzon Expressway (SLEX) connector
road will bridge Regions 3 and 4,
with the National Capital Region at
the center.
More infrastructure developments
are planned for Southern Luzon,
including the Cavite-Laguna
Expressway, connecting SLEX with
Daang Hari in Cavite. The expansion
of Light Railway Transit would add
to the region’s growth potential.
The largest Philippine region in area
and population, it is comprised of
the provinces of Batangas, Cavite,
Laguna, Marinduque, Oriental
Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro,
Quezon, Rizal, Romblon, and
Palawan. It was divided into Region
4-A (Calabarzon) and Region 4-B
(Mimaropa) by Executive Order 103
issued on May 17, 2002.
To u r i s m a n d i n f o r m a t i o n
technology (IT) are the key factors
for economic growth in Central
Visayas, consisting of four provinces
– Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental,
and Siquijor. More than 1.72 million
tourists visited the region in the
first half of 2013, while IT-Business
Process Outsourcing (BPO) brought
in P435.4 million in revenues in the
first three quarters of 2013. The
robust growth in tourism and ITBPO sector, along with increasing
remittances from overseas Filipino
workers spurred developments in
real estate, hotels, retail outlets, and
office space. Economic activity in
Cebu is second only to that in Metro
Manila, the CBRE noted.
We congratulate H.E., President
Benigno S. Aquino III and Vice
President Jejomar C. Binay, and
other Officers, for their collective
efforts in formulating strategies
and review project feasibility to
bolster the development of industries
and growth centers of the Filipino
people in our Republic of the
Philippines. CONGRATULATIONS
AND MABUHAY!
The Supreme Court (SC) on
Tuesday was asked to issue an order
that would compel retired police
director Lina Sarmiento to vacate her
post as head of the Human Rights
Victims Claims Board (HRVCB).
In a petition, former Bayan Muna
party-list Rep. Satur Ocampo told the
SC that Sarmiento is not qualified to
her new post because she used to
head the Philippine National Police’s
human rights affair office and
“became part of the machinery which
attempted to deodorize the stench of
the internationally condemned cases
of extra-judicial killings and enforced
disappearances.”
Ocampo also said that
Sarmiento was a member of
the former administration’s
Task Force Usig, a body created
supposedly to investigate cases of
extrajudicial killings and enforced
disappearances.
“Task Force Usig failed in its
mandate to prosecute the
perpetrators of these heinous
human rights abuses because it
passed on the blame to the victims
and their supposed organizations
rather than investigate internally
into the complicity of members and
officers of the police, military and
paramilitary,” he said.
Ocampo said Sarmiento is not
qualified because the law requires
the HRVCB chair to have “deep
and thorough understanding and
knowledge of human rights violations
committed during the regime of
former President Ferdinand E.
Marcos.” (Rey G. Panaligan)
SC asked to compel Sarmiento to vacate post
Museveni signs tough Uganda anti-gay bill
ENTEBBE (Uganda) (AFP)
– Uganda’s president called
homosexuals mercenaries and
prostitutes Monday as he signed
off on one of the world’s toughest
anti-gay laws, defying warnings from
Western donors.
Yoweri Museveni said he could
not understand how one could “fail
to be attracted to all these beautiful
women and be attracted to a man”
instead and described in lurid detail
his particular revulsion to oral sex.
“That is a really serious matter.
There is something really wrong with
you,” Museveni, a devout evangelical
Christian who has been in power
nearly decades, said of gay men.
“Homosexuals are actually
mercenaries. They are heterosexual
people but because of money they
say they are homosexuals. These
are prostitutes because of money,”
he added.
The bill he signed into law holds
that repeat homosexuals should be
jailed for life, outlaws the promotion
of homosexuality and requires people
to denounce gays.
“You push the mouth there, you
can come back with worms and
they enter your stomach because
that is a wrong address,” he said of
gay oral sex.
The signing of the law came despite
fierce criticism from US President
Barack Obama, who has warned
that ties between Kampala and
Washington would be damaged.
House OKs bill increasing burial aid to veterans
The House Committee on
Appropriations has approved a bill
that seeks to increase the burial
assistance to veterans from R10,000
to R20,000.
The committee chaired by Davao
City 3rd district Rep. Isidro Ungab
approved House Bill (HB) 694, which
was penned by Bataan 1st district
Rep. Herminia Roman, chairperson
of the Committee on Veterans Affairs
and Welfare.
Ungab said that the P20,000
burial assistance to veterans is
both “reasonable and affordable”
on the part of the government. He
described the current amount of
R10,000 as “unrealistic,” especially
in 2014.
“The R20,000 proposal is
reasonable assistance to our veterans
who sacrificed their lives for our liberty
and democracy. They deserve such
amount. The government can afford
a bigger amount of assistance to be
included in the national budget,” said
Ungab. (Ellson Quismorio)
Egypt gov’t quits
Egypt ’s government has
resigned, the prime minister
said on Monday, a step likely
to pave the way for army chief
Field Marshal Abdel Fattah alSisi to declare his candidacy for
president.
“(The government) made every
effort to get Egypt out of the
narrow tunnel in terms of security,
economic pressures and political
confusion,” Prime Minister Hazem
el-Beblawi said in a live nationwide
speech.
Beblawi, who was tasked by
interim President Adly Mansour
with running the government’s
affairs until the election, did not
give a clear reason for the decision.
For Sisi to run for president, he
would first need to quit as defence
minister. (Reuters)
Wanted
KIEV (AFP) – Ukraine issued
an arrest warrant for its ousted
pro-Russian president over “mass
murder” and appealed for $35
billion in Western aid as Moscow
denounced Kiev’s new reformist
team as illegitimate.
The dramatic announcements
by the nation’s untested Westernleaning ministers – approved
by parliament over a chaotic
weekend that saw president Viktor
Yanukovych go into hiding -- came
as the EU’s top diplomat arrived in
Kiev to buttress a sudden tilt away
from Russia.
Three months of relentless
protests over Yanukovych’s
decision to spurn an historic pact
with the European Union in favour
of closer ties with Ukraine’s old
masters in the Kremlin culminated
in days of carnage last week in
Kiev that claimed almost 100
lives.
Smart toothbrush
BARCELONA (AFP) – The world’s
first smart toothbrush was unveiled
Monday, allowing you to improve
your dental hygiene while sharing
the results online with your dentist
or to impress your friends.
Dental cleaning sessions last
two minutes, divided into four 30second segments, one for each
corner of your mouth.
“It is a world first,” said Michael
Cohen-Dumani, head of Procter
& Gamble’s Oral-B brand, which
plans to sell the product in Europe,
the United States and Asia from
June.
Sold for 219 euros ($300), the
brush relays your toothbrushing
activity to an application on the
smartphone, recording whether
you respect the two-minute rule
and whether you brush hard, but
not too hard.
If the results are satisfactory,
a message appears on your
smartphone: “Congratulations:
your teeth are shining.”
It also lets you share the
information on social networks or
directly with your dentist.
44
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
People Power started in Cebu – Aquino
By MADEL SABATER-NAMIT
President Aquino defended yesterday his decision to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the
EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986 in Cebu.
President Aquino led the flagraising ceremony and the Salubungan at the Cebu Provincial
Capitol in Cebu City before visiting more calamity-hit areas in the
Visayas yesterday.
Aquino said while many people would ask why he chose to
commemorate the EDSA People
Power anniversary in Cebu, his
answer would be, “Why not?”
He said that if the last chapter
of the four-day EDSA revolution
in 1986 happened in Metro Manila, it was in Cebu where the first
chapter of the bloodless coup
started.
The President said it was in
Cebu where his mother, the late
former President Corazon “Cory”
Aquino, launched a civil disobedience campaign to boycott crony
firms of the Marcoses.
He said he did not fear when
his mother went to Cebu during
that time because he knew that
De Lima: Tuason not
off the hook yet
Socialite Ruby Tuason, the
new eyewitness in the R10-billion pork barrel scam, is not
yet off the hook in the separate
plunder charge that the government filed against her in connection with the P900 million
Malampaya Fund scam, Justice
Secretary Leila de Lima stressed
yesterday.
While the Department of Justice (DoJ) has already accepted
Tuason to the witness protection
program, De Lima explained that
it is still up to the Office of the
Ombudsman to decide in relation to the plunder charge filed
against Tuason for her alleged
involvement in the alleged misuse of R900 million in royalties
from the Malampaya gas project
in Palawan.
Tuason, together with former
President and now Pampanga
Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,
former executive secretary Eduardo Ermita, businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and 19 others,
were charged with plunder before the Office of the Ombudsman last October 4.
“Well kasama nga sa testimony niya [Tuason] ang Malampaya
[scam] and not just PDAF [Priority Development Assistance
Fund scam] therefore, yung provisional WPP coverage niya ay
for both PDAF and Malampaya
[scam],” she said. (Leonard D.
Postrado)
his mother would be in good
hands.
The President also emphasized
that the People Power Revolution of 1986 did not only happen
in EDSA but in other parts of the
country.
“Hindi lang naman sa EDSA
nag-alsa ang taumbayan hindi
ba? May Cebu, may Davao,
napakaraming ibang mga lugar;
at palagay ko naman time na
rin after 28 years ma-recognize
iyong contribution ng iba’t-ibang
lugar. Pag-a-alsa ng taumbayan
yon sa buong Pilipinas at hindi
lang sa Metro Manila [It was not
only in EDSA where the blood-
less coup was held. We had it in
Cebu, in Davao, in other places
and I think after 28 years, we
have to recognize the contributions made in the different parts
of the country. This is a revolt of
the people in our country and
not only in Metro Manila],” Aquino said.
LTFRB hears jeepney fare hike petition
Minimum jeepney fares in the
National Capital Region, Region
3 and 4 may or may not increase
next month as the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) is set to
resolve the outstanding petition
of operators to hike public transportation fees.
The LTFRB said it will conclude
its marathon public hearings for
the petition to increase minimum
jeepney fares from R8 to R10 on
March 7.
In its joint petition dated De-
cember 9, 2013, transport groups
Alliance of Concerned Transport
Organization (ACTO), Federation
of Jeepney Operators and Drivers
Association of the Philippines (FEJODAP), Pangkahalatang Sangguniang Metro Manila and Suburb
Association (PASANG-MASDA),
Alliance of Transport Operations
and Drivers Association of the
Philippines (ALTODAP), and the
Liga ng mga Tsuper at Operator sa Pilipinas, Inc. (LTOP) also
asked government permission to
hike the existing R1.40 rate per
kilometer traveled to R1.75.
The transport groups likewise requested authorization to
implement a 50-centavo provisional increase while the main
petition is under deliberation.
But the LTFRB is yet to resolve
the request.
Chairman Atty. Winston Ginez warned operators against
adjusting fares without government approval, saying they have
to present solid evidence that
the increase is necessary. (Kris
Bayos)
New LTO plates out in April
The Land Transportation Office
(LTO) will start issuing new standardized license plates for registered motor vehicles and motorcycles this April.
After months of delay, the Department of Transportation and
Communications (DoTC) has finally ordered the joint venture of
Power Plates Development Concepts, Inc. and J. Knieriem BVPower Plates (PPI-JKG) to pro-
ceed with the supply and delivery
of plates for the LTO.
In a notice to proceed dated
February 17, 2014, PPI-JKG was
instructed to commence the delivery of 5,236,439 pairs of motor vehicle plates and 9,968,017
pairs of motorcycle plates under
the LTO license plate standardization program.
The five-year project was supposed to commence last Septem-
ber if not for the delay in issuing the multi-year obligational
authority for the contract by the
the Department of Budget and
Management.
DoTC Secretary Joseph Emilio
Abaya said the release of the new
standardized plates will eventually phase out the nine different
license plate editions that are
currently in use since 1981. (Kris
Bayos)
‘Martilyo Gang’ storms jewelry store
Massacre suspect
becomes state witness
A Quezon City court handling the
“Maguindanao Massacre’’ case has
allowed one of the accused in the
Nov. 23, 2009 bloodbath to become
a state witness in the multiple murder case.
In an 11-page order, Quezon City
Regional Trial Court Branch 221
Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes granted
the motion of the prosecution panel
to discharge suspect Esmael Canapia.
Canapia is one of the 197 accused
initially tagged in the massacre
case.
“After an evaluation of the evidence adduced, the Court finds the
motion to discharge Esmael Canapia
impressed with merit,” read the order
released to the media yesterday.
However, the defense panel has
opposed his discharge as an accused in the multiple murder case,
saying there is no absolute need for
his testimony as this was merely corroborative.
Solis-Reyes said that the court is
of the view that Canapia does not
appear to be the most-guilty in the
case.
She said Canapia was able to
identify three groups of suspects as
supposedly those who participated in
the massacre – those who were also
identified by other witnesses; those
who were identified by him and suspect Rex Ariel Diongon, who is also
seeking to be turned into a state witness; and those whom he uniquely
identified. (Chito Chavez)
Robbers believed to be members of the notorious “Martilyo
Gang” stormed a mall’s jewelry
store and made off with some R2
million worth of loot in Cubao,
Quezon City, yesterday morning.
Senior Superintendent Procopio Lipana, deputy director for
operations of the Quezon City
Police District (QCPD), said that
armed robbers struck the shop
of the First Allied Emporium Jewelry Inc. located at General Araneta Road entrance of the Farmers Plaza mall just across the
Araneta Coliseum at the Araneta
Center in Cubao.
Lipana said that at least one of
the fleeing suspects might have
been shot and wounded by a responding policeman identified as
PO1 Leo Damo.
Lipana said that they were
checking hospitals in Quezon
City for any wounded man.
Police sources said that the
suspects were able to take some
R2 million worth of jewelry.
Inspector Alan dela Cruz, chief
of the theft and robbery section
of the QCPD, learned that the
jewelry shop was being manned
by five employees when the heist
took place at around 9:45 a.m.
Dela Cruz said that five men
were involved in the robbery,
who drove away with their loot
aboard two motorcycles.
The employees told police that
the shop had just opened when
three men approached the shop,
including one who served as a
lookout, while the two others
each held a hammer and handgun.
At gunpoint, the suspects
declared a holdup and started
smashing the glass display cases
from which they took the pieces
of jewelry.
After taking their loot, the
suspects boarded the two motorcycles driven by their two companions.
Damo, who was posted at the
corner of General Roxas Avenue
and General Araneta Road, saw
the commotion and tried to run
after the fleeing suspects.
The policeman fired a shot and
reportedly hit one of the suspects
who sped towards the direction
of EDSA.
The Araneta Center management issued a statement, saying
that “our mall security is fully
cooperating with the authorities
to resolve the case.” (Jeffrey
Damicog)
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
MORE NEWS
Gov’t employee slain
KIDAPAWAN CITY – A gunman shot dead yesterday an employee
of the Kidapawan City government, a year after he survived the first
slay attempt here.
Supt. Leo Ajero, city police director, identified the slain victim as
Agustin “Jojo” Abiquebel, 40, an employee of the Environment and
Natural Resources Office of the city government.
Ajero said the victim, driving his motorcycle, was on his way to his
6 a.m. work shift when an unidentified man flagged him down along
the highway in Sandawa Homes in Poblacion.
Witnesses said the victim disembarked from his vehicle to talk to
the person.
Minutes later, a gunman approached them and repeatedly shot
the victim in the head and chest using a .45-caliber pistol, reports
said.
The victim died on the spot. The suspects, on board another motorcycle, fled towards the national highway.
Last year, the victim was driving his motorcycle when a still unidentified gunman shot him on his head. He, however, survived the
attack. (Malu Cadelina Manar)
Man dies in motorcycle accident
MABALACAT CITY, Pampanga – A man died when his motorcycle
slammed into a residential gate on Ninoy Aquino Road in Barangay
Sta. Ines, this city, Saturday.
Supt. Nelson Aganon, Central Luzon police spokesperson, identified the fatality as Ferley Manalo, 23, of Barangay Sta. Maria.
Police investigation showed the victim was distracted by the bright
light of vehicles from the opposite direction when it crashed into the
gate of a house.
The victim died on the spot from severe injuries. His body was
brought to the Pangilinan Funeral Parlor. (Franco G. Regala)
‘Ban peeing in public’
LUCENA CITY, Quezon – A local lady lawmaker wants to prohibit men
from urinating in public places.
In her privilege speech during the regular session of Sangguniang
Panlalawigan last Monday, Quezon 2nd District board member Elizabeth “Beth” Sio said she based her proposal on some existing laws on
the protection of environment, health, and sanitation.
She cited as an example the law that prohibits the disposal of human
waste into the rivers and other places.
She also proposed the installation of portalets or urinals in strategic
places to prevent men from urinating anywhere. (Danny J. Estacio)
Rape suspect nabbed in Rizal
An 18-year-old man facing four counts of rape was arrested Monday
by police in Tanay, Rizal.
Supt. Noel Versoza, chief of police, said Harry J. Rabusa, a resident of
Manila East Road, Barangay Bagong Bayan, Pililla, Rizal, was nabbed at
about 12:30 p.m. in his hideout at Sitio Pasipit, Barangay Plaza, Aldea,
Tanay.
He was apprehended by virtue of a warrant of arrest issued by Judge
Marie A. Ignacio of the Regional Trial Court Branch 80, police said.
Police record showed that Rabusa was also listed as number 3 most
wanted person in the town. He is now detained at Tanay police station.
(Madelynne Dominguez)
Mechanic electrocuted
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – A fire truck mechanic was
electrocuted while trying to catch fish at the water-filled basement of a
sugar mill here, police said yesterday.
Reports reaching Senior Supt. Oscar D. Albayalde, Pampanga provincial police director, identified the fatality as Alvin Mamangun of Barangay San Juan, City of San Fernando.
Police said the victim, a fire truck mechanic of the Pampanga Sugar
Development Company (PASUDECO), was electrocuted while he was
catching fish at the water-filled basement using a bamboo stick with a
110-volt live wire around 2:30 p.m., Saturday. (Franco G. Regala)
Pinoys paying for NFA’s
R180-B debt – Recto
By MARIO B. CASAYURAN
Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto tagged yesterday the National
Food Authority (NFA) as “inutile’’ for failing to protect local farmers through
subsidized rice importations as it incurred a staggering R180 billion in debt.
Saying that the R180 billion
debt could not be written off,
Recto said Filipinos are already
paying for this debt “as we
speak... (through) increased interest expense on the debt.’’
Sen. Cynthia Villar, whose Senate agriculture and food committee that heard testimonies of
government officials on the NFA
indebtedness and rice-related
issues such as gather unabated
rice smuggling in public hearing the other day, said the P180
billion debt was incurred by the
NFA in the past administration.
Since it is the taxpayers who
will pay these debts, Recto said
it is time for the national government to think of stopping the fi-
nancial hemorrhage of the NFA.
Recto also strongly suggested that government managers
should think of imposing tariffs
on rice importations since a study
of Dr. Roehlano Briones, senior
research fellow of the Philippine
Institute for Development Studies, a government think tank,
showed that it is time for government to simply forget its international commitments under
the World Trade Organization
(WTO) that imposes “quantitive
restrictions’’ on the importation
of rice.
“Bawal mag-import ng bigas,
basically. Limited lang and you
pay 50 percent (in tariff),’’ Recto
said when asked what a ‘’quanti-
tative restriction’’ means.
(It is prohibited to import rice,
basically. It (quantity) is limited
and you pay a 50 percent tariff.)
Recto said that the price of
rice went down last year and
that “last December, we are
paying 80 percent more than
what other consumers in other
jurisdictions,’’ he added.
“The NFA failed in its mandate.
We had 18 years to improve the
agricultural sector based on our
(international)
commitment.
And what do we get in return?
We have R180 billion in debts.
Prices of rice went up and it did
not help our farmers,’’ he explained.
Pampanga gov’t offers aid for Zapanta, kin
By FRANCO G. REGALA
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO,
Pampanga – Hopeful that Filipino worker Joselito Zapanta, who
is on death row in Saudi Arabia,
would be spared from beheading next month, the provincial
government here said it is ready
to assist their kabalen in his return to the country.
Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay earlier said the Philippine government has been given another
month to raise the blood money
needed to spare Zapanta from
the death penalty, and that his
chances (from not being executed) “are getting better.’’
In an interview, Gov. Lilia G.
Pineda said the provincial government is optimistic of his return, and that it will be assisting Zapanta and kin in the form
of livelihood and scholarship
grants.
The Pampanga Mayors League
(PML) has also assured to provide help for the Filipino worker and his family, according to
Pineda.
The governor’s statement
came after Zapanta’s mother,
Maymona, turned down the R2million funds raised by the provincial government and the PML
to help save his son from possible beheading this March.
The Zapantas, Pineda said, had
requested to divert the funds to
the survivors of typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas, noting that
the pledges and support from
President Aquino, donor groups
and even Prince Khalid Bin Bandar Bin Abdul Aziz, nephew of
Saudi King Abdullah, amounting
to SAR 1 million may already be
sufficient to spare her son’s life.
Reports say that the blood
money is still SAR1.48 million
(R17.5 million) short to complete
the SAR2 million being renegoti-
ated with the victim’s family.
The payment of the blood
money was originally due on
November 12, 2012, but was extended to March 12 last year. A
second extension was granted,
with the deadline lapsed last
November 3.
Binay said the government
is still in talks with (Saudi) officials to help save Zapanta.
It is likewise negotiating with
the victim’s family to lower the
amount.
6
WEDNESDAY,
FEBRUARY 15,
26, 2014
2014
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY
The Manila Bulletin, led by its Chairman of the Board of Directors
Dr. Emilio T. Yap, President and Publisher Atty. Hermogenes P.
Pobre, Executive Vice President Dr. Emilio C. Yap III, Editor-in-Chief
Dr. Cris J. Icban Jr., Business Editor Loreto D. Cabañes, Officers
and Employees, congratulate the Philippine Institute of Chemical
Engineers National Board of Directors headed by National President
Engr. Susan C. Benitez, Executive Vice President Albert A. Samuela,
Vice President Carmel C. Cacho, Vice President Arjames G. Balgoa,
Vice President Charmaine Luz D. Jamandre, and Vice President
Dyna C. Enad, Secretary Noel E. Aguirre, Treasurer Cyd P. Aguilera,
and the PIChE College of Fellows Governing Council led by
Chairman Engr. Eriberto D. Pineda, and Vice Chairman Engr. Cezar
S. Dela Cruz, other Officers and Members, on their milestone 75
years of existence, and for their collective efforts in strengthening
the organization as a pillar of the chemical engineering profession
for our Filipino people in our Republic of the Philippines.
CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!
EDITORIAL
Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers
75th Anniversary celebration
and National Convention
at the
Historic Landmark Manila Hotel
HE Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers (PIChE) is holding its Diamond Anniversary Celebration
TPIChE
and 75th National Convention on February 26-28, 2014, at the Historic Landmark Manila Hotel.
will take up in plenary and technical discussions vital national and global issues and policies
on the chemical engineering profession, with inputs from renowned speakers from government,
industry, and academe, both local and international. It will recognize officials and members who have
contributed to its cause and the success of its mission and vision. Officials and members of other
ASEAN chemical engineering societies are in Manila to join in the celebration.
Organized 75 years ago in 1939 by a 40-member group of chemist and chemical engineers, the
PIChE has grown to be a strong and solid society of 1,800 members. It was inaugurated in 1939,
with Jose C. Espinosa installed by President Manuel A. Roxas as its first President. In 1946, a chemical
engineering bill was presented to the Philippine Congress, which was enacted into Republic Act 318,
the Chemical Engineering Law, defining the practice of chemical engineering in the country. In 1959,
PIChE sponsored National Science and Technology Week, and in 1960, it adopted a Code of Ethics
and affiliated with the 32-member Confederation of Scientific and Technological Organizations of
the Philippines.
PIChE provides for the life-long career development of its members and promotes the ethical
practice of Chemical Engineering in the country. It is in partnership with schools, industries, and
related professional organizations to advance the competence and skills of its members and enhance
their participation in various spheres of national life – the Economy, industry, society, education and
environment.
The Manila Bulletin, led by its Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Emilio T. Yap, President and
Publisher Atty. Hermogenes P. Pobre, Executive Vice President Dr. Emilio C. Yap III, Editor-in-Chief
Dr. Cris J. Icban Jr., Business Editor Loreto D. Cabañes, Officers and Employees, congratulate the
Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers National Board of Directors headed by National President
Engr. Susan C. Benitez, Executive Vice President Albert A. Samuela, Vice President Carmel C. Cacho,
Vice President Arjames G. Balgoa, Vice President Charmaine Luz D. Jamandre, and Vice President
Dyna C. Enad, Secretary Noel E. Aguirre, Treasurer Cyd P. Aguilera, and the PIChE College of Fellows
Governing Council led by Chairman Engr. Eriberto D. Pineda, and Vice Chairman Engr. Cezar S. Dela
Cruz, other Officers and Members, on their milestone 75 years of existence, and for their collective
efforts in strengthening the organization as a pillar of the chemical engineering profession for our
Filipino people in our Republic of the Philippines. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
CA clears 10
Of Trees and Forest
Senator Manny Villar
cops charged
by Ted Failon Maximizing the benefits
The Court of Appeals (CA)
from large population
has dismissed the administrative
complaint filed by radio and
television news anchor Ted Failon
against 10 police officers in
connection with the arrest without
warrant of his househelps and
relatives after his wife committed
suicide on April 15, 2009.
In a decision written by Associate
Justice Amelita Tolentino, the CA
affirmed the 2011 ruling of the
Ombudsman that dismissed the
complaint against Chief Supt.
Roberto Rosales, Chief Supt. Elmo
DG San Diego, Supt. Franklin
Moises Mabanag, Supt. Gerardo
Ratuita, Chief Inspector Roberto
Razon, Senior Insp Jay Borromeo,
Insp. Erlinda Garcia, Chief Insp.
Enrico Figuerroa, Chief Insp.
Charry Lou Balanay Donato, and
Police Officer 2 Jocelyn Marcelo.
Failon, whose real name is Mario
Teodoro Failon Etong, together with
his sister-in-law Pamela ArtecheTrinchera and his househelps
Pacifico Arteche Apacible, Glen
Polan, Carlota Morbos, and Wilfreda
Bollicer, charged the police officers
with neglect of duty in violation
of Executive Order No. 226,
known as the “Institutionalization
of the Doctrine of Command
Responsibility in all Government
Offices, particularly at all levels of
command in the Philippine National
Police and other Law Enforcement
Agencies.”
The complaint stated that
on April 16, 2009, Manabag,
Ratuita, and Razon went to
Failon’s residence and arrested
the househelps without warrant
for alleged violation of Presidential
Decree No. 1829 (Obstruction of
Justice).
It stated that the warrantless
arrest was enforced in the presence
of their superiors, respondents
Rosales and San Diego.
It also stated that while Failon’s
sister-in-law and her brother,
Maximo Artehe, were at the
New Era Hospital, they were
also arrested without warrant by
respondents Mabanag, Ratuita,
Donato, Razon, Borromeo, and
Garcia. (Rey G. Panaligan)
Kasangga Mo ang Langit Reflections Today
Rey Langit
(Continued on page 11)
Another exorcist
Mayor Estrada: Nobody Gospel Reading: Mk 9:38-40
OHN said
is above the law
to [Jesus],
J
“Teacher, we
O
A
HUMAN being is born every
eight seconds, according to
the US Census Bureau (USCB). In
its online population clock about
the global population growth,
the world population reached
7, 1 4 5 ,7 0 0 , 0 0 0 l ast S u n d ay,
February 23, 2014.
Wikipedia, citing the USCB,
as well as estimates from
governments and from the United
Nations, says China’s population
reached 1.36 billion on February
23, accounting for 19.04 percent
of the world’s population. India,
the second most populous
country in the world, had a
total population of 1.24 billion,
also as of February 23. On
the same date, the population
of the United States, third in
the global ranking, exceeded
317.581 million. Indonesia,
fourth in the world and No. 1
in the Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN), had
249.866 million people as of July
1, 2013. Also in July 2013, fifthranked Brazil had a population of
201.032 million.
Other countries, in terms
of population, are Pakistan,
sixth-rank, with a population of
185.713 million as of Feb. 23,
2014; Nigeria, seventh, with
173.615 million as of July 2013;
Bangladesh, eighth, with 152.518
million as of July 2012; Russia,
ninth, with 143.700 million by
July 1, 2014; Japan, tenth, with
127.180 million as of Feb. 1,
2014; and Mexico, eleventh, with
a population of 118.395 million
as of Feb. 2014.
The Philippines, with a
population below 100 million,
is ranked 12th. As of Feb. 23,
2014, it had a total population
of 99.167 million, or 1.39 percent
of the global human count. The
country’s population, which was
estimated at 97.35 million in
2013, is expected to hit the 100million mark by the latter part of
this year.
7
4-day school
week for 20
The Department of Education
(DepEd) will adopt the proposed
four-day school week only on
20 schools that would be most
affected by the series of upcoming
road and infrastructure projects in
the metropolis.
This was learned by the House
Committee on Metro Manila
Development after its chairperson
Rep. Winston Castelo pressed
the attending DepEd official in
Monday’s panel hearing on the
agency’s stand on the pitch to
shorten school week to four days.
Attending on behalf of DepEd
Secretary Armin Luistro was
Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali,
who, in Filipino, said, “What I can
share to this committee is what
Secretary Armin Luistro last said
as a result of consultations about
this.”
“First, it ’s clear that this
(proposal) won’t be implemented
in all schools. Second, Secretary
Lusitro said that there are 20
schools identified so far…that will
be affected,” said Umali who is a
lawyer.
“So what you’re saying to this
Committee is that (DepEd) will
implement it on a selective basis,
only on the areas where traffic will
be affected?” Castelo asked, to
which the DepEd representative
answered, “yes.”
Luistro, Umali said, thinks that
now is also the best time to test the
proposed four-day school week,
because the 2013-2014 school
year dwindling down to just five
to six more weeks. (Ellson A.
Quismorio)
N February 24, 2014, the
local government of Manila
imposed a daytime truck ban that
aims to ease traffic congestion
in the city. Under this new city
ordinance, trucks are banned to
traverse the streets of Manila from
5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to
10 p.m. Trucks are allowed on city
streets from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The ordinance was met with
protest by truck groups and drivers,
who claimed that the ordinance is
detrimental to business, since
the hours they are banned from
entering Manila are most crucial
to delivering their goods on time.
Several trucker groups went on
strike to show their disapproval
of the ordinance.
We interviewed former President
and now Manila Mayor Joseph
Estrada on my radio show at
DWIZ 882 AM last Monday, and
he stated that truck groups should
have at least tried to observe the
said policy before they had gone
on protest.
Mayor Estrada dismissed the
claim of the protesters that the
truck ban is bad for business.
He said that the city ’s new
measure to address its traffic
problems had gone through
public hearing, and had been
deemed fit to be implemented
by parties from the government
and private sector.
Mayor Estrada noted that in
the event that the measure is
proven to be ineffective, he
will automatically shut it down.
However, he reiterated that in
order to check the merits of the
measure, all parties involved
should give it a chance and try
it out.
The former President, who
dismissed the truck strike, stated
that he will personally see to it that
the truck ban is observed. Dressed
in military camouflage clothing,
the mayor of the country’s cultural
capital declared that like a soldier,
he is duty bound to ensure that
the country’s rules and regulations
– in this case Manila’s – are
observed by the people.
As he simply put it, “Nobody is
above the law.”
saw someone
driving out
demons in
your name,
and we tried
to prevent
him because
he does not follow us.” Jesus
replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a
mighty deed in my name who can
at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is
for us.”
Reflections
DO NOT PREVENT HIM. John,
also known as the beloved disciple,
is dumbfounded that Jesus instructs
him not to restrict the exorcist who
does not belong to their group.
The reasoning of Jesus is simple,
but it makes a lot of sense:
“Whoever is not against us is for
us” (v 40).
Where does John get the idea that
he has the right to regulate exorcists
as they drive evil spirits away? Is
John like Peter as he tries to protect
Jesus from potential rivals?
Both Jews and Gentiles believe
in the power of evil spirits; both
have their own exorcists. With
the growing popularity of Jesus’
group, John naturally wants to
police their rank and to weed out
impostors. Narrow-mindedness is
starting to creep into the minds
of the apostles, as if they had the
exclusive rights towards the ability
to do good.
Jesus is very secure in his person
as Son of God and he does not need
to compete with anybody. Jesus
knows that the stranger is able to
accomplish much in exorcising evil
precisely because of his connection
with God through prayer and his
use of Jesus’ name.
***
Acknowledge goodness wherever
you see it, even among people who
are not of your group.
***
SOURCE: “366 Days with the
Lord,” ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul
Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.:
895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail:
publishing@stpauls.ph; Website:
http://www.stpauls.ph.
8
1iiiiijiii
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26,2014
Highspeed
Ronald Constantino
tempoen@gmail.com
Ente rta
. S,ta.rdom for four, Jonalyn, walan
In Diary ng Panget
Trailer
Nestor Cuartero
UST A THOUGHT: Whether
you think you can or you
think you can't, you're
right. - Henry Ford
l
***
CONIC FILM - Remember
"Bagets'?
It was the iconic youthoriented film of the 80's which defined
the fashion, language, lifestyle of the
decade. To date the word "bagets" is
still used to refer to young people.
"Bagets" was produced by Viva,
directed by Maryo J. de los Reyes, and
topbilled by Aga Muhlach, Herbert
Bautista, Raymond Lauchengco, JC
Bonin, and William Martinez, among
others.
Yes, Mayor Bistek and Aga used to be
"Bagets" - more than 30 years ago.
I
•
FULL STARDOM - Well, Viva's
at it again. This time with "Diary ng
Panget," based on 19-year-old fiction
writer Denny's Wattpad/com.hit and
last year's bestselling novel "Diary ng
Panget."
"Diary ng Panget" launches to full
stardom four of Viva's finest finds:
Andre Paras, Yassi Pressman, Nadine
Ilustre, and James Reid.
Directed by Andoy Ranay and
written by award-winning Mel del
Rosariofrom 19-year-old Pinaystudent
Denny's Wattpad.com.hit and 2013's
bestselling paperback of the same
title, "Diary ng Panget" is Viva Film's
second attempt at revolutionizing
local filmmaking via an adaptation of
a huge literary favorite.
It comes close on the heels of the
production outfit's current offering,
"ABNKKBSNPLAko?!," the Jericho
Rosales starrer based on humorist
Bob Ong's popular book, which had
successful premiere screenings at the
Gateway Cineplex and SM Megamall
recently.
•
TEEN ROM COM - The teen
romance-comedy follows the
interesting tale of Rhea "Eya"
Rodriguez (Nadine), an ordinarylooking but hard working girl with an
extraordinary character. She earns a
scholarship to the topnotch Willford
Academy, a school for beautiful, smart
but mostly snobbish students. She
works as a part-time food assistant
in her aunt's "Karinderya" and to
further make ends meet, she applies
as the personal maid to the only son
of Mr. Sandford, a multi-millionaire
businessman.
It is later that Eya realizes she will
be working for Cross Sandfor (James),
the most popular guy in Willford
Academy, student council president,
star athlete and commercial model.
Beneath the public persona of being
the perfect Prince Charming in every
girl's dream, Eya's ward is nothing but
disrespectful and arrogant, quickly
nicknaming her "Panget" (ugly). He
dumps seemingly endless tasks on
Eya and seems to enjoy seeing her
suffer and humiliated even in public.
However Eya's determination, wit and
resourcefulness put her at par with
her privileged torturer. And just like
that, Cross has met his match.
In school, Eya is befriended by Lori
(Yassi), a beautiful, down-to-earth
British girl who turns out to be secretly
in love with Cross since childhood. In a
chance encounter at the "karinderya;'
Eya meets Chad (Andre), a handsome
and sensitive boy, almost as popular
as Cross in school. But unlike Cross,
Chad is sweet, thoughtful and doesn't
seem to judge Eya by her looks. In all
her years as a non-existent wallflower,
Eya develops her first real crush.
Despite having a monster for a
boss, Eya feels lucky enough to find
two new friends in Chad and Lori.
As time passes, Eya's friendship
with Chad and Lori deepens while
her constant sparring with Cross
escalates. In one of his most devious
plots, Cross makes Eya the most
hated girl in school by spreading the
rumor that she is his girlfriend. Chad,
meanwhile, confides that he is madly
in love with Lori and enlists Eya's help
in professing his love for her.
Suddenly, Eya is caught in the
middle of the complicated love
triangle between Lori-Cross and
Chad-Lori. Will she succeed in turning
either pair into reality or will she end
up joining the fray and find love of
her own?
Touted to create a stir and a craze
of feverish proportion among today's
young generation, "Diary ng Panget"
is indeed a breath of fresh air that
draws inspiration from a unique tale
of teenage campus romance and
self-acceptance.
For more information on the
project, log on at "Diary ng Panget
The Movie" Facebook fan page or visit
Viva Entertaiment Inc.' s Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/
vivaportal
https://www.facebook.com/
groups/501304443291845/
https://www.facebook.com/DiaryN
gPangetMovie2014?fref=ts
SHE'S DONE HURTING:
Once maligned GMA Artist Center
singer Jonalyn Viray says she's
done hurting over words that
belittled her looks but not her
talent.
She's #Fearless now, which
also happens to be the title of her
forthcoming concert (February
28 at the Music Museum) that
celebrates her ninth year in the
music industry.
Jonalyn is very much aware
of the criticisms hurled at her,
especially in the beginning of her
career. 'They said I was ugly, too
dark, too short. I was really hurt,
but now I already know how to
handle that,' she told us during a
recent interview.
Instead of hurting forevermore,
Jonalyn did the next best thing .
She bravely admits she's had a
nose lift, which becomes her.
With the help of a stylist, she has
CHICAGO (AFP) - Harold Ramis,
the American actor, writer and
director of classic comedy films
"Caddy Shack" and "Groundhog
Day," whose star turn came in
"Ghostbusters," died on Monday.
He was 69.
Ramis, a longtime resident of
Chicago, was surrounded by family
and friends when he succumbed
to a rare disease that involves
swelling of the blood vessels, the
United Talent Agency said in a
statement.
He came to prominence in an era
in which US comedy made a major
leap forward on the big screen and
his success lay in a combination of
clever humor, outright silliness, and
absurd stunts.
His early films were often
centered on a rebellion against
authority or stuffy institutions - be
it the military comedy "Stripes"
in 1980, or college administrators
in the frat house caper "Animal
House."
His later work was infused
with a subtly spiritual striving for
JONALYN Viray
also become more confident of her
fashion sense.
#Fearless, the concert, Jonalyn
promises a night of fearless
performa nces.
"Marami akong kakantahin na
songs na kinatatakutan kong
kantahin. It's about time I stepped
out of my comfort zone,' the
"Sunday All Stars" mainstay
threatens.
redemption, such
as in "Groundhog
Day," where Bill
Murray is forced
to relive the same
day again and
again until he
gets it right.
Ramis was
cited as an
inspiration by a
new generation
of comedians and
directors such as
Adam Sandler
and Judd Apatow,
who cast him
as Seth Rogan's
father in the 2007
hit "Knocked Up."
His rise to fame started when
he joined Chicago's Second City
improv group in 1969, where
he worked with Murray and Dan
Aykroyd, whom he later starred
with in "Ghostbusters," and also
with comedy legend John Belushi.
After a stint on the National
Lampoon Show in New York,
· men t
In
~
NESTOR CUARTERO
Editor
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26,2014
.IIII/PII
9
9 takot Ex ni Dingdong gustong rna-meet si Marian
Jonalyn also denied talks her
former group, La Diva, disbanded
due to personal differences. She
was careful in making references
to ex-groupmates Aicelle Santos
and Maricris Garcia.
Guesting on Jonalyn's
anniversary celebration are
Regine Velasquez, host of"Pinoy
Pop Superstar" where Jonalyn
emerged as the grand winner;
"Pinoy Pop Superstar" runnerup Brenan Espartinez; and Kuh
Ledesma.
#Fearless is presented by GMA
Network and Creative Media
Entertainment.
***
BY THE WAY •.• Wally Bayola
has regained his old, funny self
on "Eat Bulaga" after a few weeks
of assuming tentative baby steps
back into the limelight. Wally was
sidelined for an extended period
due to a sex video that spread
far and wide.
Not yet able to laugh out
loud in public or worse, making
them laugh, is Vhong Navarro,
who's facing a new rape charge.
Incidentally, Vhong's surprise
appearance on the movie hit
"Starting Over Again" elicited
oh's from moviegoers.
kagustuhan nitong magkaroon ng
acting career doon. Unfortunately,
hindi nagkaroon ng katuparan ang
Hollywood dream ni Antoinette.
Ang iniwan niyang boyfriend noon,
Kapuso Primetime King na ngayon
at boyfriend ng Kapuso Primetime
Queen. May panghihinayang kaya
kay Antoinette? That's life. We can
never can tell. (pahiram Ara Mina).
Ay, 00 nga pala, may kapartner na
si Ara sa nakakalokang pamosong
linya niya . Napanood namin si
Jojo Alejar sa "Picture! Picture!"
ni Ryan Agoncillo sa GMA7 na
buong ningning nag-dialogue ng
"What are friends are for?" 0, di
ba, 'kaloka rin ang linya ni Jojo?
Pauso? Joke!
Timing
Rowena Agilada
MA lang na sinunod ni
Mark Herras ang payo ng
manager niyang si Lolit Solis
na aminin na niyang may anak na
siya. Inunahan ni Mark ang mga
diumano'y nagbabanta sa kanya na
may pasasabugin ang mga ito na
ikakasira ng kanyang career.
Wala namang lihim na hindi
nabubunyag. Parang nabunutan ng
tinik si Mark sa pag-amin niyang may
three-month old baby girl na siya
na Ada ang name. Ani Mark, hindi
isang kasalanan si Ada. Nagkamali
lang daw siya. Gano'n na rin 'yun,
di ba? Nag-sorry si Mark sa exgirlfriend niyang si Ynna Asistio at
sa pamilya nito.
Mark is 27 years old at 32 years
old ang kanyang handler (or road
manager) na naanakan niya. Hindi
malinaw kung girlfriend niya ito or
trip- tripan lang sila, kaya nabuo
si Ada. Whatever! Ayon kay Mark,
hindi dahilan ng paghihiwalay nila ni
Ynna 'yung nakabuntis siya ng ibang
babae. E, ano kaya?
Parehas na ngayon sina Mark,
Jennylyn Mercado at Yasmien Kurdi
na may mga anak na. Starstruck
batch 1 sila at magkakatrabaho
ngayon sa "Rhodora X." Mamaya sa
"Rhodora X," walang kama lay-malay
si Angela (Yasmien) sa masamang
~
balak sa kanya ni Roxanne (Jennylyn)
nang paakyatin siya nito sa yate
na pag-aari ni Nico (Mark Anthony
Fernandez). Pinaamoy siya ni Roxanne
ng pampatulog saka ikinulong sa
cabin.
Kinabukasan na araw ng kasal nina
Angela at Joaquin (Mark Herras),
hindi mapakali siJoaquin sa simbahan
dahil wala pa si Angela. Ibinalita ng
mga magulang nito na nawawala ang
anak nila. Walang kamalay-malay
si Nico (Mark Anthony Fernandez)
na nasa yate pala niya si Angela at
nakasamang maglalayag sa dagat.
Gay relationship
Nasa Pilipinas pala ngayon si
ANTOINETTE Taus
Antoinette Taus, ex-girlfriend ni
Dingdong Dantes. May nag-post sa
isang Instagram account na nasa
Clark, Pampanga si Antoinette. How
true kaya na she's looking forward to
seeing and meeting Marian Rivera?
"Marimar" days pa lang nina
Dingdong at Marian, napansin na
namin na may hawig si Marian kay
Antoinette noong minsang duma law
kami sa taping nito.Sinabi rin ito
sa amin ni Dingdong na may mga
anggulong magkahawig ang dalawa.
Pangiti-ngiti lang that time si Marian.
We remember pa rin, kasikatan
ng love team noon nina Dingdong at
Antoinette noong nag-desisyon ang
huli na magpunta sa United States sa
Opening day ngayon sa mga
sinehan ng "Unfriend" na hatid ng
Solar Entertainment. Umani ito ng
papuri sa nakaraang Berlin Film
Festival na ipinalabas sa Panorama
section.
Tungkol ito sa isang 1S-year
old gay na biglang iniwan ng
kanyang 17-year old boyfriend after
Christmas. Mahusay nailahad ni direk
Jay Altarejos ang mga masasakit
na pinagdaraanan ng isang gay na
kabataan sa fatal attraction nito sa
BF. May malaking papel ang social
media sa dramang ito ng dalawang
kabataan. Tampok sa pelikula sina
Boots Anson-Roa, Sandino Martin at
Angelo Ilagan.
medication since Tin has policystic
ovaries .. And now, God answered one
of our top prayers .. To have another
baby."
He added, "Tin is now on her 6th
week! !!!! With NO signs of policystic
ovaries! We are witnesses of how
powerful prayers are. God hears
them."
Married in 2009, Oyo and Kristine
have an adopted son, Quiel. Kristine
gave birth to her first-born, Ondrea
Meanwhile, Judy Ann Santos is
planning to have a baby this year.
The "Bet On Your Baby" host, who
is married to Ryan Agoncillo, fondly
tells a follower on her Twitter account
(@OfficialJuday) that she might be
back on TV "mid quarter of the year"
but admits "having a 3rd child is on
top of our list."
Santos was last seen on primetime
via the 2013 series "Huwag Ka Lang
Mawawala."
said that she doesn't want to commit
herself to projects that will consume
her family time, given that her priority
is to get pregnant this year.
At 3S, Santos tries not to pressure
herself to have another baby. "I try to
relax. If it happens, it will happen."
Apart from "Bet On Your Baby,"
Santos is set to host the upcoming
reality show "I Do" also on ABSCBN. (Jecelyn V. Macahindog/
mb.com.ph)
Gustong makita
IIJIElwJ ~~i!~i~~!~ weeba~~:~~!~nyti ~i~O~:'!2~ants a~n?~~e!..~~p'~!
through his Instagram account
(osotto) on Monday. The son of
comedian Vic Sotto posted the photo
of his wife's ultrasound.
Relating the story behind their
"answered prayer;' his caption read:
"Thank you Lord for this wonderful
blessing! We just want to share our
short beautiful story of how amazing
God is .. When 2014 started, we
believed God for so many things..
One of those is to have another
From bathrooms to museums: Odd sets for Oscar statuettes
Ramis headed up to Toronto
where he was head writer and a
regular performer on Canada's
wacky hit television show SCTV.
He began a long-time Hollywood
collaboration with director and
producer Ivan Reitman when
he helped write the script for
"Animal House," the 1978 film that
propelled Belushi - and college
toga parties - to fame.
THE most valuable piece of
hardware in Hollywood is the
13-and-a-half-inch (34-cm)
golden Oscar statuette, so
it is no surprise recipients
of the top film honors keep
theirs in a variety of safe
spots.
Emma Thompson, a twotime winner for "Howards
End" and "Sense and
Sensibility," has stowed her
Oscars in the bathroom, or
rather 100, of her London
abode.
"It's full of my most
precious possessions,"
Thompson said. "So it's not
as if I'm being rude. It's an
important place to me. And
the downstairs 100 is sort of
the place that all your guests
use. And it's nice for them to
have a go, pick them up."
Cate Blanchett, a
frontrunner for best actress
for her role in "Blue Jasmine"
for this Sunday's Academy
Awards, has to pay to see her
Oscar from "The Aviator."
"My Oscar is in a film
museum called ACMI
(Australian Centre for the
Moving Image) in Melbourne,"
the 44-year-old star said. "I
get to pay a ticket and go see
it every now and again."
Winners of the 2,809
Oscars awarded so far may
opt for the more mundane
living room, like Charlize
Theron for her "Monster"
Oscar, or the office, the
home for George Clooney's
two awards for "Argo" and
"Michael Clayton."
But Jennifer Hudson created an
award wall and put her statuette
for "Dreamgirls" in a starring role.
"It's actually a hidden wall," said
Hudson. "You don't realize it's a
wall and it goes into my futuristic
office, this is the truth, and it sits
there in the middle of all the other
awards and goes, ahhhh!"
Sandra Bullock has entrusted
her "The Blind Side" best actress
trophy to a confidant: her young
son, Louis.
"I'll let him tell you if he wants
to tell you, but it's his and he
knows where it is," she said.
(Reuters)
·• ~,
co
•
11
~
~
t
10
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
Entertainment
Disney seeks to crown revival
with ‘Frozen’ Oscar gold
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A critical and commercial success, “Frozen” marks a
second renaissance for Walt Disney’s legendary film studio – and is widely
tipped to win its first ever Oscar for best animated feature next weekend.
The movie, which has made
nearly $1 billion, is the culmination
of a revival driven by fierce competition and the studio’s purchase
of rival Pixar in 2006, bringing boss
John Lasseter into the Disney fold.
Critics have hailed “Frozen” as
one of Disney’s best ever movies, following the success of “The
Princess and the Frog” (2009),
“Tangled” in 2010 and 2012′s
“Wreck-It Ralph.”
If the movie does win at next
Sunday’s 86th Academy Awards, it
will be Disney’s first best animated
feature Oscar since the category
was created in 2001.
Disney has come a long way
since the turn of the millenium,
when the studio had been sidelined
by Pixar and its string of blockbuster hits from “Toy Story” and “Cars”
to “Finding Nemo,” Ratatouille” and
“Up.”
“Just like ‘Great Mouse Detective’ was a step up from the nadir
of ‘Black Cauldron,’ so ‘Princess and
the Frog’ was more successful than
the earlier films like ‘Home on the
Range’ and ‘Meet the Robinsons’,”
said Tom Sito, professor of cinema
at the University of Southern California (USC).
It is not Disney’s first comeback.
The 1970s and 80s were tough for
the studio, until a new generation
of animators arrived to create films
like “The Little Mermaid” (1989),
“Beauty and the Beast” (1991) and
1994′s majestic success “The Lion
King.”
Ironically, the Prince Charming
of this latest rebirth had been the
studio’s main rival: Lasseter, co-
JOHN Lasseter (center), Disney’s Executive Producer, with the
cast of ‘Frozen’ – (from left) Santino Fontana, Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell and Josh Gad – in Los Angeles. (AFP Photo)
founder of Pixar, who was named
Disney’s animated creative director
after his company became part of
Mickey’s empire eight years ago.
“Since the merger with Pixar in
2006, Disney Animation is once
more under the direct guidance of
an animator, John Lasseter. This
had not been the case since the
death of Walt Disney in 1966,” Sito,
a former Disney animator, told AFP.
The “Toy Story” and “Cars”
creator “brought in a lot of new
talent to the storytelling departments: clever young writers and
directors … We also (saw) a return
to the movie-musical format after
a 20-year hiatus, which for Disney
has always been a specialty,” he
added.
Music is at the heart of “Frozen”:
the movie’s keynote tune “Let It
Go” is a frontrunner to win the
best song Oscar next weekend.
Peter Del Vecho, producer on
the film, said Lasseter “changed
the culture at Disney Animation.
We’re a different studio than Pixar,
but a lot of the same ideas that he
learned there, he imported to us.
“The main thing he imported
was that we as filmmakers have
to take ownership of our product.
John sets a very high bar in terms
of story, in terms of research, and
you always want to hit that bar,” he
told AFP.
But the studio’s culture is also
highly collaborative, with directors
and screenwriters on projects able
to voice their opinions about others’ films after in-house development screenings.
“The best idea wins, you’re
encouraged to make mistakes and
to take risks,” said Del Vecho.
CNN says Piers Morgan’s
talk show is ending
CNN says the prime-time talk
show “Piers Morgan Live” is coming
to an end.
Morgan succeeded Larry King
in the 0200 GMT time slot three
years ago, but his show has had
lackluster ratings.
CNN said Sunday that the show’s
final airdate has yet to be determined.
Morgan is a former British tabloid
editor who turned to television,
including stints as a judge on NBC’s
“America’s Got Talent” and a contestant on “Celebrity Apprentice.”
He hosted BBC’s “You Can’t Fire
Me, I’m Famous” and did interview
shows and documentaries for ITV.
Morgan told The New York
Times that he and CNN President
Jeff Zucker were discussing a new
role for him at the channel. CNN’s
audience has tired of hearing a Brit
weigh in American cultural issues,
Morgan said in a story posted
online Sunday.
CNN did not comment on
Morgan’s future with the channel.
Morgan served as editor of The
Daily Mirror from 1995 to 2004. He
PIERS Morgan (AP Photo)
has been questioned in connection
with Britain’s long-running phone
hacking scandal, which has led to
numerous arrests, resignations and
the closure of Rupert Murdoch’s
News of the World tabloid.
Earlier this month, Morgan
confirmed that he was interviewed
in December by British police
investigating the illegal interception
of telephone voicemails. Morgan,
who said he had given a previous
witness statement, has consistently
denied wrongdoing. (AP)
Wonder cookie can increase bust size
MANY female celebrities have
reportedly resorted to non-organic
way to enhance the size of their
bust. With the arrival of a Japanesemade cookie product in the country,
will some of them try this “natural”
answer to the seemingly age-old
concern?
Exclusive F-CUP ASEAN distributor Jason Ti, who recently visited
the Philippines to ink a pact with
Watsons Philippines, disclosed that
their Japan-manufactured all-natural
breast-enhancing F-Cup cookies are
found safe and effective. It can claim
not just safety among those speci-
fied to be the product’s targeted
users (healthy women 20 years old
and above), but also even chances
of protection against breast cancer.
The 100-percent herbal breastenhancing food is the first and only
natural cookie bust-enhancer in the
Philippines reported to have reached
sales of about 4.5 million boxes in
Japan and won the HWB Award in
Malaysia as the “Best Bust Enhancement Food.”
Former Spice Girl member Mel C
(Chisholm), also known as Sporty
Spice, reportedly ate F-Cup cookies
regularly.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
Villar...
11
(From page 7)
Still, this news drew mixed reactions from
different groups, but I would rather look at the
positive side rather than get into the debate. In
my view, a 100-million population means a much
bigger base for domestic industries. Take a look
at China, the world’s most populous country.
The world’s biggest corporations compete
to get a big share of the Chinese market for
their products. Some of the world’s biggest
manufacturing plants are also in China, taking
advantage of the large labor pool and benefiting
from economies of scale.
A large population, at the very least, is an
added attraction to foreign investors. These
investors want to set up production hubs in
countries with a large population, which may be
considered a captive market for the investors.
The large domestic market also strengthens the
foreign investors’ competitiveness in the export
markets.
However, a large population, by itself, will
not automatically bring investors in droves.
Our advantage is that in addition to our big
population, we also have a large pool of skilled,
hardworking and English-proficient workers.
That’s why we are now a leading player in the
world’s business process outsourcing (BPO)
industry.
Our economy is growing faster than our peers
in the ASEAN, which is also a come-on for
investors, who will never consider putting their
capital in a sluggish economy. As often said in
analyses by different groups, the Philippines is
in a “sweet spot” in the investing community.
That is why inflows of foreign direct investments
are growing in double digits. In contrast to the
slack in neighboring countries, we’re still lagging
in nominal terms, but, at the rate we’re going,
we may be able to catch up with them sooner
than later.
In sum, reaching the 100-million mark or being
ranked 12th most populous country in the world
is not a cause for alarm. Our concern is how to
maximize the benefits from a large population
so that more investments come in to support
the revival of our manufacturing sector, which
in turn will generate jobs to support a growing
population.
(For comments/feedback email to: mbv.
secretariat@gmail.com or visit www.mannyvillar.
com.ph)
12 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
AGOS
Comics
RICHEL G. DOROTAN/LOUIE CELERIO
Sports
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
13
INCHEON ASIAN GAMES
Carrasco calls for early training
The Philippine delegation to
the Incheon Asian Games is
starting to take shape and the
Task Force wants candidates to
plunge into intense training at
the soonest possible time to enhance their chances of winning
a medal during the Sept. 19 to
Oct. 4 quadrennial sportsfest.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman Tom
Carrasco said during the PSA
Forum yesterday that athletes
who can prove in a top-flight
tournament by finishing in the
top 20 (world level) and fifth
(Asian level) will be tapped to
represent the country.
Carrasco said he would like
to see Asiad hopefuls start
their buildup right away as the
country is raring to improve on
its three gold medal haul in the
2010 Guangzhou Games.
The gold medal potentials
are basketball, boxing, cycling,
taekwondo and wushu, according to Carrasco although golf,
bowling and a few others can
pull off surprises.
The Incheon Games will
have 36 sports that will dangle
460 gold medals and Carrasco
said the POC will soon get
hold of all the names national
sports associoation heads want
included.
Carrasco said he expects
the delegation size to number
between 120 to 150, including
team sports like men’s basketball, rugby and baseball.
However, Carrasco said he
won’t be surprised if the total
number will hit about 100
athletes owing the strict criteria
the POC and the Philippine
Sports Commission are going to
apply.
Carrasco said the deadline
for submisison of entry by numbers will be on April 30, while
the last day for submission for
the entry-by-names will be on
Aug. 15.
The PSC is alloting R50
million for the training and
exposure of athletes vying for
inclusion aside from the R30
million participation in Incheon,
RACE TIPS
R5: Seni Seviyorum/Gawang
Pinoy; R6: One Bahamas/Top
Shot; R7: Batong Silyar/Divisoria; R8: Airway/Lola Carry.
TIPSTER C – R1: Richard/
Rockhen; R2: Pro Rata/Sweet
And Spicy; R3: Appenndectomy/
Joeymeister; R4: Super Charge/
Kate Ganda; R5: Seni Seviyorum/Power Factor; R6: Sharp
Cookie/Top Shot; R7: Divisoria/Yes I’m The One; R8: Dainty
Ankles/Airway.
BEST CHOICE – R1: Richard;
R2: Pro Rata; R3: Joeymeister;
R4: Super Charge; R5: Seni
Seviyorum; R6: One Bahamas;
R7: Divisoria; R8: Airway.
Today’s races (Santa Ana)
Starting at 6:15 P.M.
TIPSTER A – R1: Richard/
Key Boy; R2: Pro Rata/Sweet
And Spicy; R3: Fort Courage/
Joeymeister; R4: Super Charge/
Tarzan Maximus; R5: Power
Factor/Seni Seviyorum; R6:
Pilyo/One Bahamas; R7: Jenny’s
Cat/Divisoria; R8: Airway/Dainty
Ankles.
TIPSTER B – R1: Key Boy/
Richard; R2: Pro Rata/Tony Pee;
R3: Joeymeister/Abantero; R4:
Super Charge/Country Charm;
testament to the wish of the
PSC and POC to allow more
athletes to make the Asiad
grade.
“We are giving them all the
chances and opportunities to
qualify but they have to meet
the criteria,” said Carrasco,
stressing that NSAs that believe
they can go around the Task
2 friendlies
for Azkals
A mixture of new and
returning players will suit up
for the Philippine Azkals when
they play in two international
friendly matches starting this
Saturday against Southeast
Asian powerhouse Malaysia.
New Azkals coach Thomas
Dooley has brought in several
United Football League standouts to complement mainstays
like brothers Phil and James
Younghusband, Rob Gier,
Stephen Schrock, Neil Etheridge and Javier Patino for the
friendlies that also includes a
date with Azerbaijan on March
5.
The returnees are 2010 AFF
Suzuki Cup veteran Anton del
Rosario of Kaya FC, Nate Burkey of Pachanga Diliman and
Simon Greatwich of the Loyola
Meralco Sparks. The three
have been out of the national
squad for at least two years.
New faces that will don the
national colors are Kaya’s Kenshiro Daniels and goalkeeper
Nick O’Donnell while Fil-Swedish Martin Steuble, who hopes
to make his first cap for the
Azkals in both friendlies. (JT)
Answer yesterday
Force are in for a shock.
So far, boxing wants to include six male and two female
punchers, while cycling has already two shooins in the Caluag
brothers and golf chief Tommy
Manotoc is aiming to regroup
the triumphant Putra Cup Men’s
squad.
Carrasco added that tennis has Treat Huey as its main
man, while soft tennis, karatedo, rowing, shooting and
wushu have yet to name names
although wushu, based on its
track record and competence,
won’t have problems convincing
the Task Force that it deserves
a place in Incheon.
Regarding his sport of triathlon, Carrasco said the Filipinos
will have difficulty because of
the presence of Japan, China,
Korea and those from Central
Asia like Kazakhstan.
“It’s really a tough job for
us because of the caliber of
competition. Hopefully, our
athletes can survive the great
odds and bring home medals,”
said Carrasco, who was accompanied by fellow Task Force
member Paul Ycasas.
Carrasco, who just arrived
from Singapore, said judo will
also have rough sailing with the
presence of Mongolia, China,
Japan, Iran, South Korea, and
North Korea.
Retired two-time Olympian
and Asian Gamer John Baylon
shared the assessment.
“Suntok sa buwan. Kaya natin
talunin ang mga taga Southeast
Asia but not the Mongolians,
Chinese, Japanese, Koreans,
North Koreans and Iranians,”
said Baylon, who left the mat
two years ago after failing
to win his ninth straight SEA
Games gold in Indonesia. (Nick
Giongco and Clyde Mariano)
Patrimonio graces
WilCab Cup opening
The Tigerscribes and San
Mateo Spurs defeated separate
rivals to set in motion their
title bids in the 2014 PSA-PSC
Pakitang Gilas Basketball League
WilCab Cup Season 3 Monday at
the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Led by the Business Mirror’s
Diego de la Paz, the Tigerscribes
withstood the resilient comeback
of Charlie’s Dymons to hack out
a 58-46 victory while the Spurs
blew past the San Miguel Beer
Drinkers, 67-56.
De la Paz scored 12 of his 20
points in the fourth quarter while
grabbing 20 rebounds to lead
the Tigerscribes past a Dymons
team which failed to score after
tying the game at 46-all entering
the homestretch.
JC Trinidad added 12 points,
Philippine Daily Inquirer’s Cedelf
Tupas hit 11 points while Spin.ph
editor Dodo Catacutan produced
nine points and nine rebounds
in the tournament presented
by the Philippine Sportswriters
Association and the Philippine
Sports Commission and backed
by PRC, Sonia Trading, Milo
Best, ACCEL, Gatorade and Magnolia Purewater.
Manila Bulletin scribe Jonas
Terrado led the Dymons with 13
points and 10 rebounds before
fouling out. PBA photographer
Nuki Sabio had nine points and
12 rebounds while point guard
Nat dela Cruz chipped in nine
markers.
In the other game, three players scored in double figures for
the Spurs, who are out to regain
the title after losing to the Dymons in the Season 2 finals two
years ago.
Malaya reporter Jerome
Lagunzad and Philstar.com’s
AJ Bolando topscored with 14
points apiece with the former
adding six rebounds and three
assists while The Manila Times’
Josef Ramos made 12 points.
Rookie Christian Jacinto of
the Manila Bulletin turned in 27
points and 15 rebounds, Spin.
ph’s Reuben Terrado delivered
14 points and five rebounds
while the Daily Tribune’s Julius
Manicad had 10 points and 14
rebounds for San Miguel in a
losing effort.
Earlier, four-time PBA Most
Valuable Player and San Mig
Super Coffee team manager Alvin Patrimonio graced the lively
opening ceremonies highlighted
by the parade of the participating teams.
The PSC will also participate
as a guest team in the third
season of the league composed
mainly of members from the
country’s biggest sportswriting
fraternity.
14
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
Sports
D-LEAGUE ASPIRANTS CUP FINALS
NLEX readies broom
The broom is out and powerhouse NLEX is ready to use it as
it shoots for a place in history
in the PBA D-League Aspirants
Cup.
Out to erase the stigma of
their shocking defeat
to Blackwater Sports
in the finals of the
Foundation Cup
last year, the
Road Warriors are
determined to
finish off the Big
Chill Superchargers today when they clash
in Game 2 of their best-ofthree series at the Smart Araneta
Coliseum.
Though they went through
some scary moments before
finally winning Game 1, 79-75, it
was enough to give a huge buffer going into today’s 4:30 p.m.
game.
With Garvo Lanete struggling
offensively, former Letran star
Kevin Alas gamely took the scoring cudgels, coming through with
clutch baskets down the stretch
that helped scuttle Big Chill’s
furious rally.
Lanete, however, vowed to
rebound from a 4-point performance and that is certainly a bad
news for the Superchargers.
While NLEX coach Boyet Fernandez admits that momentum
is on their side, they can’t simply
ignore the fact that the Superchargers remain a potent force.
“Big Chill is a very dangerous
team and I expect that this game
will be tough. We can’t take any
chances now,” said Fernandez.
Fernandez is also confident
that Lanete can overcome his
shooting woes in the opener and
dish out his usual numbers for
the team which is trying to
win its third straight
Aspirants Cup title.
Alas, a future
top 10 in the PBA
Rookie Draft,
saved NLEX from
an embarrassing
meltdown when
he scored seven points at
crunch time, including a booming triple.
“They are a tough team, but
we have to be tougher,” Fernandez said.
Despite losing Game 1, Big
Chill coach Robert Sison remains
unperturbed.
“We have already made our
adjustments heading to Game
2. We reviewed the tape and we
saw how we lost, and the whole
team and management are
optimistic that we can execute
the plans that we have for this
game,” said Sison.
Reil Cervantes and Brian
Heruela are expected to carry the
fight for the Superchargers. In
Game 1, Cervantes finished with
17 points, while Heruela flirted
with a triple-double with 12
points, nine rebounds and eight
assists.
To extend the series, Sison
said they have to play smart and
consistent in both ends.
Rain...
eyeing to win his 16th PBA title
and third with the San Mig team
as he also won the Commissioner’s Cup championship in his first
season with B-Meg back in 2012.
“It’s been tough for us, we’ve
been fatigued and tired all the
way to this playoffs. But there’s
still something left in us to keep
pushing,” added Cone, who
hopes that that two-day off will
be enough for his players to
recover, particularly Marc Pingris
after he sustained an eye injury
in Game 4.
Pingris collected 18 points
and 15 rebounds in Game 4
despite being listed as doubtful
in Game 5, and he is expected
to lead San Mig’s attack in Game
6 together with former twotime MVP James Yap, PJ Simon,
Mark Barroca, Alex Mallari, Joe
deviance, Rafi Reavis, and rookies Ian Sangalang and Justin
Melton.
(From Page 16)
eight points in Game 5, while
Chan finally found his shooting
touch as he scored 24 points in
the previous game after averaging just 10.1 points in the first
four games.
“We have to believe in ourselves and stay positive. So who
knows? A win like this can turn
things around in our favor. So
we’re just hoping for that. We’ll
try to delay or postpone the
celebration of San Mig Coffee
(in Game 6). Hopefully if we can
delay it enough, it becomes our
celebration,” said Guiao.
San Mig mentor Tim Cone
admitted that exhaustion is
starting to slow them down.
“Are we tired? Of course we’re
tired. To say that we’re not tired
is not fair,” said Cone, who is
Game Today
(Smart Araneta)
4:30 p.m. – NLEX vs
Big Chill
“We just hope to play consistently from the start up to the
final buzzer. I just hope we get
the breaks so we can extend the
series,” Sison said. (Christian
Jacinto)
Dubai:
Federer
cruises
DUBAI (AFP) – Grand Slam
record-holder Roger Federer
began the second phase of what
he hopes will be a revival of his
fortunes by racing into the second round of the Dubai Open.
In the process, he displayed
some care-free hitting, lively
footwork, and an air of authority
which evoked his greatest days.
Beating Benjamin Becker, the
German once ranked in the a
top 40, 6-1, 6-4, was some way
from suggesting these might
return, but Federer did look
pleasingly upbeat and confident
as he dispatched a competent
middle-range opponent in only
62 minutes.
The 32-year-old Swiss legend,
now ranked only eight, wants
to do well in Dubai to show
his Australian open semi-final
last month represented a step
forward and not backwards, and
that his game still has the potential to reach its former levels.
“I’m playing top tennis right
now, so I don’t need to top that
stuff,’’ Federer claimed for his
Melbourne efforts, which saw
him beat Wimbledon champion
Andy Murray and former Australian Open finalist Tomas Berdych.
‘’For me it’s a matter of staying
healthy now, staying consistent,
and getting to semi-finals and
finals consistently and giving
myself opportunities really.’’
Certainly Federer has never
made a more eye-catching start
to this tournament.
He made several effective
forays to the net and found
an extra gear with his ground
strokes when he had chances to
break serve, which he did twice
in the first set and once in the
second.
<
ACTORS Patrick Stewart (X-Men), left, and Ian McKellen (Lord of
the Rings) attend an NBA game between the Dallas Mavericks
and the New York Knicks Monday in New York. (Associated Press)
Dirk nips Knicks
NEW YORK (AP) – Dirk Nowitzki’s 19-foot jumper bounced up
and then fell in as time expired,
giving the Dallas Mavericks a 110108 victory over the New York
Knicks on Monday night.
The Mavericks blew an eightpoint lead in the final 90 seconds,
then pulled out their third straight
victory.
Carmelo Anthony had 44 points
and nine rebounds for the Knicks.
He played strong defense on the
Mavericks’ final possession, but
was left standing in disbelief long
after the buzzer after Nowitzki’s
shot appeared to hit the backboard first, then the front rim,
then bounced up before dropping.
Vince Carter scored 23 points
and Monta Ellis had 22 for Dallas
(35-23), which has won nine of
11 and is a season-best 12 games
over .500.
BUCKS 130, 76ERS 110
In Philadelphia, O.J. Mayo
made seven 3-pointers and
scored 25 points, Ersan Ilyasova
added 20, and Milwaukee placed
seven players in double figures in
a rout of Philadelphia, which lost
its 11th straight game.
WARRIORS 104, PISTONS
96
In Auburn Hills, Stephen Curry
had 19 points, nine assists and
eight rebounds, and Golden
State clamped down on Detroit in
the second half of a victory.
CLIPPERS 123, PELICANS
110
In New Orleans, Jamal Crawford hit seven 3s on his way to
24 points, and the Los Angeles
Clippers beat New Orleans.
Crawford picked up where he
left off in Oklahoma City on Sunday, when he made five 3-pointers and finished with 36 points in
Los Angeles’ victory.
JAZZ 110, CELTICS 98
In Salt Lake City, Alec Burks
had 21 points, and Derrick Favors
scored 20 in his return from a hip
injury to power Utah to a rare
win over Boston, which lost its
fifth straight game.
Favors had missed the previous three games because of a
sprained right hip injury he aggravated in the opening moments
against Philadelphia on Feb. 12.
But the center established himself early with four baskets and
bolstered Utah’s leaky defense.
Sports
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
Smiles off for MP, Rhodes
By NICK GIONGCO
Manny Pacquiao plunged
into sparring yesterday, going
four rounds with undefeated
US fighter Lydell Rhodes in his
General Santos City training
headquarters.
Under the supervision of Freddie Roach, who arrived there
on Monday to preside over the
preparation, Pacquiao impressed
the Hall of Fame trainer in a
report relayed to the Bulletin by
Canadian Mike Koncz.
Roach and Pacquiao are
getting ready for the April 12
rematch with Timothy Bradley
at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas
and they’d be spending the
next few weeks mapping out
Palawan
winners
Dawn Albert Uy hacked
out a tough three-setter
over Joanne Zamora while
Russel Cero dominated
Lester Labor in two as they
retained their crowns in the
Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan
Express Pera Padala regional
age group tennis circuit presented by Tecnifibre at the
Ubay Tennis Club in Ubay,
Bohol last Monday.
Uy, from Ubay, outlasted
Zamora in the tiebreaker,
pulling off a 6-3, 5-7, 10-8
win to keep the girls’ 16and-under title while Cero
overpowered Labor, 6-1,
6-0, to repeat as the boys’
14-and-U champion.
The 16-year-old Uy,
however, failed to add the
18-and-U plum, falling short
against No. 2 Denise Kaye
Alota of Inabanga, who
pounded out a similar hardearned 6-4, 6-7(6), 10-8
victory.
Armina Gumapac, also of
Ubay, subdued Jenia Javellana, 7-5, 6-2, to bag the
girls’ 14-and-U crown; Rica
Trixie Gudilusao, also of Inabanga, took the 12-and-U
diadem with a 6-3, 6-3 romp
over Armeda Gumapac;
while unranked John Earl
Mendez from Jagna held off
John Rhey Magallano, 6-1,
2-6, 10-5, to pocket the 10unisex crown in the event
sanctioned by the Philippine
Tennis Association, headed
by president and Parañaque
City Mayor Edwin Olivarez.
the gameplan needed to exact
payback.
Bradley beat Pacquiao on
a controversial split decision
in June 2012 but rebounded
strongly by winning his next two
fights against topnotch opposition.
After defeating Pacquiao,
Bradley took on Ruslan Provodnikov, survived the Russian’s
fierce aggression en route to a
well-deserved split verdict.
In his last outing, Bradley outpointed Juan Manuel Marquez,
the Mexican counter-puncher
who knocked Pacquiao out cold
in late-2012.
Pacquiao is coming off a
lopsided win over Brandon Rios
in Macau.
RHODES, left, and Pacquiao – all smiles before ring session.
PINOY PRIDE BOXING
Servania vs ex-champ
The hard thing about fighters on the rise is that they are
supposed to give a good show regardless who the opponents are.
This Saturday night, Genesis
‘Azukal’ Servania and King Arthur
Villanueva take on separate rivals
in a show dubbed The Future Is
Now (Pinoy Pride 24) at the Grand
Ballroom of the Solaire Resort and
Casino.
Servania (23-0 with nine KOs)
faces former world champion
Alexander ‘Explosivo’ Munoz (365 with 28 KOs) in a scheduled
12-rounder for the World Boxing
Organization Intercontinental
junior-featherweight title.
In the main supporting bout,
Villanueva (24-0 with 14 KOs)
meets Mexican Fernando Aguilar
(9-6 with one KO) in a 10-round
super-fly match.
Dennis Canete, vice-president
of ALA Boxing, said the pressure
is on for Servania and Villanueva
to put on a show of force.
“The fact is that their opponents have nothing to lose and
everything to gain while our
fighters have everything to lose,”
said Canete during yesterday’s
PSA Forum.
Another rising star from the ALA
Floyd vs Maidana
LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Undefeated welterweight world
champion Floyd Mayweather
celebrated his 37th birthday on
Monday by announcing he’ll put
his 45-0 record on the line on
May 3 against Marcos Maidana.
The move comes after weeks
of speculation as to whether
Mayweather would fill his May
fight date with Argentina’s Maidana or England’s Amir Khan.
The brash American even ran
an internet poll in which fans
voted for the Khan match-up,
but World Boxing Council welterweight champion Mayweather
instead will take on World Boxing Association champ Maidana
in a unification bout.
“Marcos Maidana’s last performance immediately brought him
to my attention,’’ Mayweather
said of Maidana’s comprehensive
defeat of the previously unbeaten Adrien Broner on December
14.
The 30-year-old Maidana
dominated Broner from the
opening bell and registered two
knockdowns against the threetime world champion.
“He is an extremely skilled
fighter who brings knockout
danger to the ring,’’ Mayweather
said. ‘’I think this is a great fight
for me and he deserves the
opportunity to see if he can do
what 45 others have tried to do
before him – beat me.’’
stable, Albert Pagara (18-0 with
12 KOs) clashes with Isack Junior
(22-4-2 with eight KOs) of Indonesia in another scheduled tenner
at super-bantam.
Servania and Villanueva, who
both hail from Bacolod City, have
expressed their readiness to
fight for the world title and are
using this weekend’s fights as a
yardstick.
“These fights will determine
where they stand,” said Canete.
Munoz was set to arrive in
Manila late Tuesday from Caracas
after a layover in Tokyo, while
Aguilar will plane in Thursday.
A press conference is slated
Thursday at Solaire, while the official weighin will be staged at the
Robinson’s Galleria on Friday.
The fights will be shown on
ABS-CBN on Sunday.
15
UAAP:
NU eyes
final
National University seeks its
first finals appearance in the
modern era when it tackles
Ateneo in the stepladder phase
of the UAAP women’s volleyball
tournament today at The Arena
in San Juan.
Gametime is set at 4 p.m.
with the Lady Bulldogs holding a
twice-to-beat advantage against
the crowd-favorite Lady Eagles,
who are hoping to force a rubber
match for the last finals berth
with a win.
Awaiting in the finals is fourpeat seeking La Salle, which
claimed an outright slot and
a thrice-to-beat advantage by
virtue of sweeping the 14-game
elimination round.
NU will rely on the tandem of
sisters Dindin and Jaja Santiago
along with Carmina Aganon
and Aiko Urdas in its bid to inch
closer in its quest to capture the
school’s first women’s volleyball
crown since 1953.
But Ateneo is out to foil those
plans with the popular Alyssa
Valdez out to lead the charge.
Valdez fired 19 points as the
Lady Eagles kept their quest for
a third straight finals appearance alive with a 26-24, 25-23,
25-21 win over Adamson in the
first phase of the stepladder last
Saturday.
Michelle Morente, Ella de
Jesus, Amy Ahomiro and Aerial
Patnongon will also be tasked
upon to backstop Valdez.
In the first game, defending
champion NU looks to earn a
return trip to the finals when it
goes up against Adamson at 2
p.m.
The Bulldogs look to easily
dispatch the Falcons to arrange a
title showdown with first-time finalist Ateneo. (Jonas Terrado)
UFL: Forza shocker
Forza stunned league-leader
Manila Jeepney while Ceres-La
Salle and Union Internacional
Manila continued their winning
forms over the weekend in the
United Football League second
division at the Emperador Stadium in McKinley Hill.
Juriel Burda, Ivorian defender
Mahamadou Sissako and Arvin
Gaspe scored as Forza posted its
biggest win of the season with
a 3-0 blanking of the Jeepneys,
who failed to gain further clear-
ance over their closest pursuers.
Manila Jeepney’s loss enabled
Ceres and Union to pull within
striking distance in the title
race.
Jin Ho Kim hit two goals as
the Bacolod City-based Ceres
booted ripped Agila, 4-1, while
Curt Jordan Dizon and Fil-German Jeremy Theuer likewise hit
two goals each to power Union
over Dolphins United, 7-0. (Jonas Terrado)
SPORTS
Pacquiao tests
new sparmate
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014
Editor: REY C. BANCOD
PBA PHILIPPINE CUP FINALS
Rain or Shine
seeks equalizer
Derailed San Mig tries again
By WAYLON GALVEZ
A giant net filled with red-yellow-blue balloons
had been hanging from the ceiling of the SmartAraneta Coliseum since Sunday.
San Mig Coffee is aiming to let
it all drop tonight when the Mixers face resurgent Rain or Shine
in Game Six of the 2014 PLDT
myDSL Philippine Cup.
While the Mixers are itching to
let it all loose, the Elasto Painters
are out to prevent that from happening as they would also like to
get their chance to do the same
thing if they force a seventh
game on Friday.
San Mig leads the best-ofseven series, 3-2, and can close
it out with a victory for the
team’s 11th championship, sixth
in an all-Filipino tournament and
second straight after it won the
Governors’ Cup title last season.
But Rain or Shine apparently
has momentum on its side now
following an emphatic 81-74
triumph in Game 5 last Sunday.
In the 39-year history of the
PBA, only three teams were able
to come back and win a sevengame series, and it only happened once in the Finals stage
with Ginebra doing it in 1991
First Conference against Shell.
Even after Rain or Shine lost
three straight games – 2, 3 and
4 – to fall behind 1-3, coach
Yeng Guiao remained very optimistic in saying that the longer
the finals series goes, the better
it would be for them since his
team is relatively fresher than
their foes.
In this all-Filipino playoffs, the
Mixers have played a total of 15
games, including three in the
quarterfinals versus Talk ’N Text
and seven in the semifinals opposite Ginebra with both series
going the distance.
The Painters, on the other
hand, have played in only 11
matches, eliminating Globalport
with just one game in the quarterfinals and five against Petron
Blaze in the semifinals. Rain or
Shine also has a deep rotation
as it can go with its 14-man unit
while San Mig has only rotated
up to 10 (of 14) players.
“I don’t know if you call it
prophetic,” said Guiao, who is
aiming for his seventh league
title and first in an all-Filipino
conference. “But for us it’s just
reasonable or logical, they
played more games before they
got here to the Finals. We’re
hoping they get tired.”
“But the way the series is going, they’re not getting tired…
parang mas malakas pa sila. If
we’ll rely on them getting tired,
we’ll not win this series. We have
to win it on merit,” added Guiao.
For Rain or Shine to win Game
6, he’s hoping that his two top
offensive players, Jeffrei Chan
and Paul Lee, will come up with
huge numbers.
Lee averaged 25.5 points in
the two losses – Games 3 and 4
– but struggled and scored just
(Turn to Page 14)
GILAS brothers-in-arms Beau Belga of Rain or Shine, left, and
Marc Pingris of San Mig Super Coffee get entangled in Game 5
of the PLDT myDSL PBA Philippine Cup Finals Sunday at the
Smart Araneta Coliseum. (PBA Images)
•
15
Assistant Editor: TITO S. TALAO
Cebu Country
in crosshairs
By REY BANCOD
BACOLOD CITY – Cebu
Country Club will miss the services of two key players from
last year’s champion team,
opening the door to at least
three teams that can foil its
bid for a third straight Philippine Airlines Interclub crown.
The annual team event,
now on its 67th year, kicks off
Wednesday
at the Negros
Occidental
Golf and
Country Club
and Binitin
golf course.
The premier championship division
begins play at Binitin with CCC
expected to get stiff challenge
from Del Monte, Alabang and
reigning Founders champion
Orchard.
Mark Dy and Lloyd Jefferson
Go, who helped power CCC to
the title last year in Cebu, are
not around, but the rest of the
champion team, led by club
president Montito Garcia, are
back to make sure the trophy
stays in the Queen City of the
South.
Aside from Garcia, the other
Cebu players are Carl Almario,
Eric Deen, Jovi Neri, Marko
Sarmiento, Bayani Garcia, Gen
Nagai and Andre Borromeo.
The new recruits are Kiyofumi
Takahashi and Harvey Sytionesa.
Del Monte, a two-time
champion, is bringing in six
players that saw action in the
WWWExpress DHL Amateur
championship in Canlubang
last year.
They are Magno Arancon Jr.,
Leonard Lofranco, Mel Lurence
Cubillo, Francis Morilla, Noel
Langamin and Julius Bautista.
Arancon and Lofranco
finished third and fourth, respectively in Canlubang.
All six, along with Jelbert
Gamolo, 15, and Jovencio
Lusterio Jr., saw action in
Cebu. Jansen Morilla, 17,
will make his Interclub debut
while Arnido “Titing” Callo, a
member of the seniors’ squad,
complete the team.
Alabang Golf and Country
Club, runner-up last year,
remains a formidable team
despite the absence of Fil-German Keanu Jahns.
Andres Saldana, coming off
a strong second place finish
in Canlubang last week, leads
the young Alabang roster.
Also in the squad are national
player Justin Quiban, Sebastian Lorenzo, Ramon Garecia
III, JB Garcia, Miguel Shah,
Christopher Popp, Gabriel Manotoc, Paul Salvador and Jama
Reyes.
Orchard looms as a dangerous darkhorse with the entry
of John Kier Abdon, formerly
of Manila Southwoods.
The team also recruited
John Phillipe de Claro, Jose
Rodelio Mangulabnan and
Nicholas Santiago.
Back for another tour of
duty are club champion Salvador Enrique Arcilla, Thomas
Julio Benitez, Antonio Payumo,
Raymund Sangil, Alain August
Stehmeier and Stephen King
Stehmeier.
Orchard captain Francis
Montallana said they are optimistic of giving CCC a run for
its money.
The five-to-play, four-tocount team event uses the
PAL scoring system which
awards 1 point for bogey, 2 for
par, 3 for birdie, 4 for eagle,
for hole-in-one and 6 for
double eagle.
This year’s Interclub is being co-sponsored by CrossOver with Boeing, Philippines
Graphic, Stargate Media
(People Asia) and Rogue
as corporate backers. Also
lending support are Airbus,
Business Mirror, One Mega
Group (Travel Now), Philippine
Broadcasting Corporation, Manila Broadcasting Corporation
and Manila Bulletin.