VOL. 28 NO. 12 NATIONAL EDITION NEW JERSEY NEW YORK (201) 434-1114 $1.00w w w w w w wMARCH 21-27, 2014

u Story on page 8

SAN FRANCISCO, California -- Ac o a l i t i o n o f c o m m u n i t y g ro u p sdesignated Thursday, March 27 as“Community Call to Action Day” tomobilize telephone calls to the US StateDepartment urging Secretary of StateJohn Kerry to recommend TemporaryP ro te c te d S t a t u s ( T P S ) fo r t h e

Philippines to the US Department ofHomeland Security (DHS).

The coalition provided (202) 647-6575 as the telephone number to call onMarch 27.

The coalition agreed on the call toaction in a national telephone conferencecall held on March 15 to discuss the statusof the campaign to grant TemporaryProtected Status (TPS) to the Philippines,a move that may benefit as many as500,000 Filipinos in the United Stateswho are currently out status.

Arnedo Valera of the MigrantHeritage Commission, the WashingtonD.C. group, which initiated the call for TPSlast November, reported that PhilippineDesk Officer David Arulanantham at theUS Department of State confirmed thatthe favorable recommendation for TPSfor the Philippines is now on the desk ofSecretary John Kerry, awaiting his reviewand signature.

“This positive development is theresult of our community's unifiedc a m p a i g n t o l o b b y t h e S t a t eDepartment,” said Loida Nicolas-Lewis,national chair of US Pinoys for Good

Mass phone-in forTPS on March 27

Flagship of US 7th Fleet back in PHu Page 7

Fil-Am model falls to her deathBy Kristine Mangunay

MANILA -- A 28-year-old woman fell to herdeath from her unit on the2 8 t h f l o o r o f acondominium building onThursday, March 20 inPasig City in what thepolice said was a case ofsuicide.

According to caseinvestigator PO3 LaurenceP u n z a l a n , H e l e n aBelmonte, who describedherself on her Facebookp a g e a s “ a F i l i p i n a -American model who actsand hosts on occasion,”had personal problemsthat might have promptedher to kill herself.

She was the daughterof Joan Lorraine Belmonte,

founding creative directorof One Mega Group Inc.,which publishes glossymagazines such as Mega,Lifestyle Asia, Travel andMeg.

Punzalan said Helenafell from the 28th floor ofthe Renaissance Towers1000 on Meralco Avenue,Ortigas Center, in PasigCity, at 1:30 a.m. Thursday.

She landed on the roofdeck at the seventh floor,he added.

A c c o r d i n g t o t h ep o l i c e m a n , t h einformation that thevictim had some personalproblems came from herboyfriend whom he didnot identify. Punzalan,h o w e ve r, re f u s e d t o

Helena Belmonte. Facebook photo

By Frances Mangosing

MANILA -- The USS Blue Ridge,

the flagship of the United States 7th

Fleet,is back in Manila.

The commander of the 7th Fleet,

Vice Admiral Robert Thomas,

arrived ahead of the ship and met

with Navy chief Flag Officer in

Command Vice Admiral Jose Luis

Alano on Monday,March 17.

He also visited the Navy

Headquarters in Roxas Boulevard on

Tuesday.

The USS Blue Ridge arrived on

Tuesday at South Harbor for a four-

day goodwill visit.US Navy data said

that the US 7th Fleet based in Japan is

the largest US numbered fleet, with

60-70 ships, 200-300 aircraft and

approximately 40,000 sailors and

Marines operating in the region on a

typical day.

The goodwill visit came amid

territorial disputes with China over

theWest Philippine Sea although the

military officials of both countries

made no mention of China.

The ship first visited in March

last year. It is expected “to highlight

the strong historic, community and

military connections” between the

US and the Philippines.

Amid heightened tension over sea dispute

Vice Admiral Robert Thomas, commander of the United States 7th Fleet, visits the Navy Headquarters.

Photo/Navy Public Affairs

UP back on top as 'average' student aces barBy Christine O. Avendaño

MANILA -- A shy andaverage law student of theUniversity of the Philippinescame from behind his class totop the 2013 bar examinations,ending an almost decade-longabsence of the premier stateuniversity from the top position.

Not only that. Five UP lawstudents also made it to the top

10 passers of the bar exams, abig leap from last year when noone from the UP law schoollanded in the top 10 rankings.

It was such a busy morningfor the 27-year-old NielsonPangan that he had not yetspoken to his parents when theInquirer reached him, hoursafter the Supreme Courtannounced the exam results.

Pangan said he had been

busy taking calls asking himabout his landing first in theexamswhich were so difficultthat, according to the bar examchair, Associate Justice ArturoBrion, it prompted the highcourt to lower the passing gradeto 73 percent this year.

Pangan said he did not evenknow how he fared in the exams,prompting this reporter to tell

Marcos grandson passes Bar

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Estrada: 'We're ready to rumble'On looming plunder case decision

By Maila Ager

MANILA -- “We're ready tor u m b l e ,” s a i d S e n a to r J o s e“Jinggoy” Estrada when askedabout the impending decision onthe plunder case filed against himfor his alleged involvement in theP10-billion pork barrel fund scam.

But Estrada said he was“expecting the worse” consideringwhat he described as “trial bypublicity” generated by the scam.

“Yes, I'm expecting the worseand because of the trial by publicitygenerated by this so-called scam, ebaka bumigay sila (They might giveup),” he said, apparently referringto the Office of the Ombudsman,where the case has been filedagainst him.

The senator remained hopefulthough that the Ombudsman wouldrender a fair decision on the issue.

“I really don't know whatcharges they are going to file beforethe Sandiganbayan. Ano ang ipa-filenila sa Sandiganbayan? We're notyet sure kasi as far as we'reconcerned wala talagang kaso,mahina yung kaso laban sa amin,”Estrada added.

Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. Inquirer file photo

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THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 2March 21 - 27, 2014

Forest fire damages mystic Mt. BanahawBy Delfin T. Mallari Jr.

LUCENA CITY -- A forest fire hasdamaged a large area near theadjoining peaks of Mt. Banahaw andMt. San Cristobal and may havedestroyed endangered plants andanimals in a place some local sectsconsider holy, officials said onThursday, March 20.

The fire on the western slope ofthe volcanic crater facing Sariayatown in Quezon province wasbelieved to have been started bybackpackers who ignored a ban ontrekking on the 2,158-meter-highMt. Banahaw, which is closed forpreservation.

Arnulfo Juan, director of theDepartment of Environment andNatural Resources (DENR) inC a l a b a r z o n ( C av i te , L a g u n a ,Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), told amorning news conference here thatat least 50 hectares of cogon wereburning atop Mt. Banahaw and 100-140 ha of grassland within areforestation area on the 1,380-mMt. San Cristobal were ablaze.

Fire Officer 2 Marx Pranada,Bureau of Fire Protection chief inQuezon, said local fire fighters had nocapability to fight a forest fire of thatmagnitude.

By midday, however, other DENRofficials in the region said the fireappeared to have died out on its own,apparently stopped by the wetforest.

Ernesto Amores, head of the

Sariaya Municipal Disaster RiskReduction and Management Council,said the fire was first spotted around6 p.m. on Wednesday, with theo b s e r va t i o n o f s m o k e f r o mMaharlika Highway.

Fire fighters still had not reachedthe blaze some 18 hours after it wasf i r s t o b s e r v e d , s a i d E l m e rBustamante, another official of theSariaya disaster council.

But television aerial picturesshowed the area covered with whitesmoke late Thursday afternoon, thefire having burned out without fire

fighters getting there.

“The fire was definitely causedby man,” said Salud Pangan, DENRpark superintendent for Mt .Banahaw and Mt. San Cristobal.

Pangan said intruders sneakedinto the restricted area undercoverof darkness. Banahaw and SanCristobal have a combined land areaof about 10,000 ha, but there are onlythree forest rangers on the westernslope in Quezon, she said. “Ideally,the huge area should have 12 forest

Rangers,” she added. Amores said thefire was the first on the western slopeof Banahaw.

Wildlife officials of the DENRsaid Banahaw's forest, including theprotected zone, was home to scoresof animal species found only in thePhilippines, including a species ofcloud rat discovered only in 2004.Officials said they still had to receivea report of the extent of the damageto the mountain caused by the forestfire.

Ivan Herzano, a project officer ofthe private group Foundation for thePhilippine Environment, said thatdespite access restrictions, forestrangers lacked the capability to trackpeople who may be illegally enteringthe protected area.

Hunters illegally looking forgame could have lit dry litter on theforest floor by carelessly discardingcigarette butts, Herzano added.

Herzano's group has recentlycompleted a 60-ha reforestationproject on the mountain, which hasprotected zones that are off limits tohuman habitation, as well as“multiple-use zones” on its lowerslopes reserved for locals.

On Tuesday, grass fire struck theslope of San Cristobal on the side ofSan Pablo City, destroying 10 ha ofcogon and parts of a reforestationproject. Pangan said the fire wasstarted by “reckless” honey beecollectors.

The Protected Area ManagementBoard, a multisectoral body taskedwith the enforcement of Republic ActNo. 9847, which designates Mt.Banahaw and Mt. San Cristobalprotected areas, has closed Banahawto trekkers up to February 2016 toprotect the gains from reforestationthat has been going on since 2004.

Camping, praying and otherreligious activities are allowed onlyin designated areas near the foot ofthe mountain. Inquirer.net

Started by intruders

Protected species

Reforestation project

BURNING PEAK. Forest fire lights up the peak of Mt. Banahaw on Wednesday night as seen from a village at the foot ofthe mystic mountain. Environment officials fear for some species of plants and animals endemic in the era. The fire isbelieved to have been started by backpackers who intruded into the restricted area. JEROME QUEJANO/CONTRIBUTOR

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 3March 21 - 27, 2014

Netizens want Senator Santiagoas PH's next woman PresidentBy Bong Lozada

MANILA -- She said it, and herpeople responded.

After Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, arguably the most populargadfly in the Philippine Senate, saidthat a woman should lead the countryin 2016, an overwhelming supportfrom Netizens went her way.

I n a n u n o f f i c i a l p o l l b yINQUIRER.net regarding Santiago'sstatements, the senator got the

queen's share of votesas of Tuesdaynight - with 19,035, or 82.44 percent,of the total 23,089 responses.

As any other queen, all othercompetitors humble beneath herthrone with the closest, Sen. Grace Poe,o n l y h a v i n g a m e a s l y 1 , 8 3 5supporters, or 7.95 percent of thewhole realm. Another feisty fellow,Justice Secretary Leila de Lima got 961votes, 4.16 percent.

Other choices were BatangasGovernor Vilma Santos got 285 votes,

1.23 percent, Sen. Pia Cayetano got225 votes, 0.97 percent, and Sen.Loren Legarda got 162 votes, 0.07percent.

Netizens, who have not found anysuitable lady to lead the countrysimply gave their own suggestionswhich under the “others” and got 586responses, or 2.54percent.

Santiago said in March 11 that awoman should lead the country in2016 as to meet the gender equality inthe Philippines. Inquirer.net

By Bong Lozada

MANILA -- He may have left thePhilippines, but his heart rightfullybelonged to a Filipina.

Last Saturday, March 15, formerUnited States Ambassador to thePhilippines Harry Thomas, 57-years-old,and Mithi Aquino, 36, were married in aprivate gathering at the Church of theBlessed Sacrament in Manhattan's East76th Street in New York City.

Filipino-American priest FatherFreddy Balinong officiated the wedding.In a feature article from the PhilippineDaily Inquirer dated Sept. 8, 2013, it wasthe first time the hefty diplomat everm e n t i o n e d o f Aq u i n o a n d t h e i rrelationship.

Former US ambassador to Manila marries Filipina

Amb. Harry Thomas and Mithi Aquino. Inquirer.net photo u Page 4

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 4March 21 - 27, 2014

Fil-Am model ...From page 1

elaborate on what these problems wereas the victim's boyfriend has yet to givean of f ic ia l statement to pol iceinvestigators.

According to a police report, Helena,her boyfriend and a female friend hadgone to a party earlier. It added that the

three of them went back to the victim'sunit afterward and the boyfriend said heand their mutual friend had helpedHelena, who was intoxicated, go to bed.

They then left the unit, leaving thevictim by herself. When he and hisfemale companion returned afterward,they found Helena gone and, afterchecking, discovered her body on theroof deck at the seventh floor.Inquirer.net

Former US

Ambassador ...From page 3

“Well, I am very fortunate to havemet a Filipino woman,” Thomas told PDILifestyle editor Thelma Sioson San Juan.

According to San Juan's interview,friends of the couple disclosed that thetwo met in a cruise ship where Aquinowas training the staff.

Both Thomas and Aquino havechildren before getting married, the

former has a daughter living in the USand the latter has a son and daughter,who are both still young.

Before the marriage, Thomasalready has one arm around Aquino insocial functions and civic works that theambassador had attended.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas would nowsettle in Arizona where the Jolo-nativewould continue her career as a designerand the former ambassador to teach atthe Arizona State University.

“I'm just happy for the wedding, Ifeel so lucky to have Harry,” Aquino saidin a television interview. Inquirer.net

Flagship of US ...From page 1

“I talked to Admiral Alano last nightand we continue to learn from each other.For example, our joint Carat exerciseserves as a model of how the Philippineand US Navies can cooperate and worktogether to address shared securityconcerns,” Thomas said in a statement.

“We have a saying in the 7th Fleet thatwhen a friend is in need the 7th Fleet willassist whenever possible because that'swhat friends do,” he also said.

He added that they are assisting thePhilippines “to improve its maritime

security capabilities. Key Philippineefforts include improving maritimedomain awareness through developmentof long range aircraft and water bornepatrols within the Philippine economice xc l u s i o n z o n e a n d e n h a n c i n gintegration among the national coastw a t c h s y s t e m . K e y t h e r e i sinteroperability and integration.”

Activities such as staff-to-staff talks,sports events, professional exchangesand ship tour will be held during the visit.

Navy personnel will also be given achance to study and familiarize with theship's weapons and communicationsystems. Inquirer.net

Pork payoffs to newscasters ErwinTulfo, Del Prado, others baredBy Nancy C. Carvajal

MANILA -- The payoffs, in theguise of “advertising expenses,”included prominent broadcastjournalists.

Erwin Tulfo, a television newsanchor, and Carmelo del PradoMagdurulang, a radio talk showhost, were allegedly among thebeneficiaries of the diversion ofcongressional allocations fromt h e P r i o r i t y D e ve l o p m e n tAssistance Fund (PDAF) coursedthrough state-owned NationalAgribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) andsubsequently to ghost projects ofbogus foundations, according toc h e c k s a n d a c c o m p a ny i n gdocuments made available to theInquirer.

Former Nabcor officialsRhodora Mendoza and Vic Cacalsaid that a check for P245,535 wasissued to Tulfo on March 10, 2009,drawn from a Nabcor account atUnited Coconut Planters' Bank(UCPB), Tektite Branch PSECenter, Ortigas, Pasig City.

Three checks were separatelyissued to Magdurulang by Nabcorin 2009on April 27, May 14, July 6 -totaling P245,535 - all drawn fromthe same Corporate Account No.00196-000848-4 in UCPB, theysaid.

The checks were described inthe accompanying vouchers as

“Advertising expenses,” accordingto documents submitted to theOffice of the Ombudsman andmade available to the Inquirer.

Mendoza and Cacal have sentdocuments to the Office of theOmbudsman purporting to showthat Senators Juan Ponce Enrile,Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon Revilla Jr.and Edgardo Angara and 79representatives coursed a total of

P1.7 billion in PDAF allocationsthrough Nabcor, which thenchanneled the monies to dubiousnongovernment organizations(NGOs), during the period 2007 to2009.

The lawmakers have deniedthe charges.

T h e O m b u d s m a n i sinvestigating 38 people, includingEnrile, Estrada and Revilla, inconnection with a complaintinvolving the alleged diversion ofP10 billion in PDAF allotments tophantom projects and kickbacks.

M e n d o z a a l s o t o l d t h eInquirer that another prominentTV and radio personality receivedP2 million from Nabcor presidentAlan Javellana on the instructionof then Agriculture SecretaryArthur Yap “as payoff to stopcriticisms of a Nabcor project.”

“Nabcor shoulders the under-t h e - t a b l e e x p e n s e s o f DA(Department of Agriculture) onthe instructions of Secretary Yap,”Cacal said.

Mendoza, Cacal and Javellanaare among the 38 people underinvestigation in connection withthe P10-billion PDAF scam.Mendoza and Cacal have appliedto become state witnesses.

Cacal said that a DA project tobuild a total of 708 kilometers offarm-to-market roads and 200

A prominent TV and rad iopersonality received P2 million fromNabcor president Alan Javellana onthe instruction of then AgricultureSecretary Arthur Yap “as payoff tostop criticisms of a Nabcor project,”Nabcor official Rhodora Mendozahas claimed. Inquirer photo

After Lee, anotherbig fish expected

By Christian V. Esguerra

MANILA -- Brace yourself for thecapture of another big fish.

President Aquino on Wednesday,March 19 hinted at the impendingarrest of yet another high-profilefugitive, more than two weeks afterthe arrest of housing developerDelfin Lee.

Speaking on the sidelines of thePinoy Music Festival in Manila, thePresident declined to divulge moredetails, but said the ongoingoperation, if successful, would“surprise” the media.

“You will be impressed with thecaliber of those who would bearrested,” he said during an ambushinterview.

“I can promise you that you willbe surprised, if the [operation]succeeds,” he added, noting that theoutcome would show “the ability [of]our law enforcement entities.”

With Lee now behind bars, thecountry's top fugitives have beenreduced to fourretired Maj. Gen.Jovito Palparan, former Palawan Gov.Joel Reyes and his brother Mario, andformer Dinagat Rep. Ruben Ecleo Jr.Each of them has a P2-million priceon his head. Reynald “Jojo” Lim,brother of detained businesswomanJ a n e t L i m - N a p o l e s , a l l e g e dmastermind of the P10-billion porkbarrel scam, has a P5-million bounty.

The President defended thePhilippine National Police and hispolitical ally, Oriental Mindoro Gov.Alfonso Umali, in connection withthe capture of Lee, who is accused of

syndicated estafa charges, anonbailable offense.

Lee, who is detained at thePampanga provincial jail in the Cityof San Fernando, allegedly defraudedthe Pag-Ibig Fund of some P7 billionusing bogus borrowers, who had lenttheir names and signatures to hiscompany, Globe Asiatique RealtyHoldings Corp., in exchange for sumsof up to P5,000.

When the borrowers wereunable to pay the loans, GlobeAsiatique paid the amortization andsold the housing units to otherbuyers, resulting in double selling.

Asked to explain the phone callmade by Umali to PNP DirectorGeneral Alan Purisima on the arrestof Lee, the President replied:“Perhaps, we should just thank [thepolice].” “As I say, the right answer tothat is, 'Where is Mr. Lee now?'Arrested. So who blocked his arrest?Isn't it that if someone influential,someone occupying a high positionintervened, he would not have beenarrested. But he was and he's now injail, right?” he added.

Umali, treasurer of the rulingLiberal Party, came under fire formaking the phone call, especiallyafter Vice President Jejomar Binayalleged that influential people hadtried to have Lee released.

Malacañang earlier said thePresident was “satisfied” withUmali's explanation about the callwhen the two political alliese x c h a n g e d t e x t m e s s a g e s .Inquirer.netu Page 5

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 5March 21 - 27, 2014

Estrada: ‘We’re ready ...From page 1

(I really don't know what charges they are going to file before theSandiganbayan. What are they going to file at the Sandiganbayan? We're not yetsure because as far as we're concerned, there is really no case; the case is weakagainst us.”

Aside from Estrada, two other senators Juan Ponce-Enrile and Ramon “Bong”Revilla Jr. and other personalities have been charged at the Office of theOmbudsman also in connection with the pork scam. Inquirer.net

Pork payoffs ...From page 4

units of market-related infrastructurewas the subject of the supposed“advertisement.”

Tulfo and Magdurulang areknown as hard-hitting broadcastpersonalities whose shows cater toassisting aggrieved listeners.

Contacted by the Inquirer, Tulfodenied he received money fromNabcor and said he did not enter intoany transaction with Javellana.

“Somebody could be using myname, I want to investigate whocashed the check and what bank,”Tulfo said in a telephone interview.

Magdurulang, who uses Melo delPrado as his name in his broadcasts,

said when reached by phone, “Strictmasyado ang GMA diyan. Ayokongmagsalita (GMA is strict. I don't wantto talk).” Then the phone went dead.

“Except for a voucher thatjustified the processing of thepayments, no other documentspassed our desk to justify theexpenses for media men,” Cacal toldInquirer. Apart from the broadcasters,Nabcor also hired the services of suchmedia outfits as MEDIAaffairs Inc.and Full Circle communications forthe food terminal project of DA,Mendoza said.

Mendoza said that an estimatedP5 billion worth of projects camefrom the DA's attached agencies, suchas the Agricultural Credit PolicyCouncil, Bureau of Soil and WaterManagement, and the Bureau of Posts

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The whistle-blower in the Harry Stonehill caseBy Sylvia Europa-Pinca

Now that a lot of whistle-blowers are hogging the headlines, agood question is: Whateverhappened to the first big whistle-blower in the Philippines?

I am referring to MeinhartSpielman, the man who spilled thebeans on Harry Stonehill, a powerfulAmerican in the 1960s who madehis way to the top of the corporateheap allegedly by bribing Philippineofficials.

Nobody knows Spielman'swhereabouts and a lot of peoplethink he was killed in Sulu provinceor drowned somewhere.

But believe it or not, I found himat a nursing home called ForestGrove in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, inthe early 1990s. But this is goingahead of the story.

Very few, if none at all, of thisgeneration know about HarryStonehill. Some sources on theInternet say he was an Americansoldier who served in the USliberation forces in the Philippinesduring World War II. After the war,he decided to stay in the Philippinesand started a business, and in lessthan two decades was able to build abusiness empire reportedly valuedat $50 million.

S t o n e h i l l s t a r t e d 1 8corporations and they fast becamepromising and high-earningbusiness ventures. He was in suchbusinesses as tobacco, glassmanufacturing, cement production

and many others.He also originally had this bright

idea of reclaiming Manila Bay. Heclaimed he owned the land wheret h e C u l t u ra l C e n t e r o f t h ePhilippines complex now stands.

Where does Meinhart Spielmancome in?

Spielman was manager of HarryStonehill's US Tobacco Corp. and anexecutive of Stonehill's group ofc o m p a n i e s . A f t e r a v i o l e n tconfrontation over intracompanymatters, Spielman walked into theUS Embassy in Manila on Dec. 9,1961, to present documents thataccused Stonehill of serious acts ofwrongdoing. Some of his chargeswere bribery, influence peddlingand economic sabotage. Spielmanalso presented a blue book thatlisted top Philippine senators andeven

the President then [DiosdadoMacapagalEd.] as having receivedmoney from Stonehill.

Stonehill was deported withouttrial. Not long after disclosing thealleged sins of Stonehill, Spielmandisappeared from the scene. Therewere accounts that he wasdiscreetly put away or drowned inthe Sulu Sea.

My interest in Stonehill andSpielman was a result of myhandling a project sometime in1989 with a public relations guynamed Mars Marquez. Stonehilllonged to return to the Philippines,which he considered his home, andreclaim the properties he left here.

Stonehill requested a publicrelations agency to revive in theFilipinos' minds the good deeds thathe had done for the Philippines. Hebriefly visited Manila a year after the1986 Edsa People Power Revolutionand planned to recover his wealth.

He was still alive, althoughalready powerless, when I metSpielman at a nursing home inAlberta sometime in the early1990s. I worked as a nursing aide inForest Grove Nursing Home wherehe was being cared for.

Spielman was old, emaciatedand sick. He was literally skin andbones, but his mind was still sharp.He lived in a small room and was

taken care of by nurses and nursingassistants in shifts.

Nobody visited him. I was a newimmigrant in Canada and mymemory of our client Stonehill wasstill fresh in my mind. Whatattracted me to this old man was hisname. Was this the man who was thewhistle-blower in the case ofStonehill who got deported foralleged tax evasion, bribery andcorruption in the Philippines?

Out of curiosity, I decided to visithim in his room and say hello,expecting him to give me a warmgreeting.

One day, I found the courage todo that. I went to his room and saidto him, “Hi, Mr. Spielman. Goodmorning! I am Sylvia Europa fromManila, Philippines. By the way, doyou know Harry Stonehill?”

That elicited a violent outburst Inever expected from an old, dyingman.

“Get off here! Get out of here!” hescreamed.

I felt like I had discovered asecret that no one in the Philippinesknew. This was bolstered by the factthat unlike other patients, nobodyvisited Spielman. He died a fewmonths later and the Canadiangovernment buried him.

To this day, I wonder if I hadreally found Meinhart Spielman. Iwanted to write about him then but Iwas not sure if people would beinterested.

Very few knew about him andHarry Stonehill, so I relegated it to

the back of my mind. But with allthese whistle-blowers talking aboutgraft and corruption, and beinghailed as heroes, I thought it wastime to resurrect the first whistle-blower in the PhilippinesMeinhartSpielman.

Spielman would have opened acan of worms and had top officials inthe Philippines at that time indicted.But like Harry Stonehill, he wasspirited away fast.

Was he really killed, as somepeople claimed? Or was he allowedto disappear and land in Canadawhere he led a long, lonely, solitarylife?

I found him alone in a humblenursing home. Who supported him?It was obvious he had no familyconnections in Canada. Nobody evervisited him and he was probably onwelfare. Canada had to bury himalone; there was no family to grievefor him.

Stonehill was deported and wasnever allowed to return until afterthe Edsa People Power Revolution.Would he and Spielman havechanged Philippine history if theywere allowed to stay here and testifyagainst corrupt officials at thattime?

Poor Spielman had to hide inCanada to protect himself - andperhaps to protect some bigpoliticians here.

(Editor's Note: Sylvia Europa-Pinca is president and CEO ofEuropa Public Relations Inc.)Inquirer.net

Harry Stonehill. PHOTO FROM THE

LOPEZ MUSEUM AND LIBRARY

COLLECTION

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 6March 21 - 27, 2014

Fil-Am wins $45Kwith lucky guess on'Wheel of Fortune’

Emilbert de Leon, a nursinga s s i s t a n t f ro m D a ly C i t y,California, won the $45,000 grandprize on Wheel of Fortune onMarch 19 by correctly answering“new baby buggy” based only ontwo revealed letters.

De Leon's lucky guess was so

startling that show host, PatSajak, jokingly patted him downin “search” of a hidden device.

The San Francisco StateUniversity mathematics graduatewent through several auditions toappear on the show. Inquirer.net

Emilbert de Leon gasps after winning guess after just two letters were

revealed. CBS DISTRIBUTION

Ombudsman pins perjuryrap on Virgilio Garcillano

MANILA -- The Office of theOmbudsman (OMB) on Tuesdayfinally indicted former ComelecCommissioner Virgilio Garcillano forallegedly presenting spuriousdocuments and lying under oathduring a congressional hearing onthe infamous “Hello Garci” scandalinvolving former President GloriaMacapagal-Arroyo, now a Pampangarepresentative, in 2004.

The OMB found probable causeto charge Garcillano with perjury in aresolution approved on March 18 byOmbudsman Conchita CarpioMorales. The case stemmed from thecomplaint filed in January 2012 bythen party-list Representatives NeriColmenares and Teddy Casiño(Bayan Muna) against Garcillano forallegedly falsely testifying underoath and presenting a spuriouspassport during a congressionalj o i n t c o m m i t t e e h e a r i n g i nDecember 2005.

The “Hello Garci” controversyarose after audio recordings of atelephone conversation emerged in2005. The conversation, presumedto have been between Garcillano,who was then a commissioner of theCommission on Elections, andArroyo, a reelectionist presidentialcandidate, is thought to haveoccurred at the time the results ofthe 2004 elections were still beingtallied.

Morales agreed that Garcillano

made “a deliberate and willfulassertion of a falsehood” during thecongressional hearing when hetestified that he never left thePhilippines after the “Hello Garci”controversy broke.

The Ombudsman resolution saidthat an Aug. 31, 2005, note verbaleissued by the Singapore foreignministry confirmed that Garcillano“transited in Singapore on 14 July2005 on board a Learjet 35 with theregistration number RP-C-1426”and “departed Singapore on 15 July2005 onboard Singapore AirlinesFlight SQ 320.”

It said that Garcillano took hisoath before Rep. Emmylou Talino-Santos, “a competent officerauthorized to administer oaths,” atthe start of the congressionalhearing, as evidenced by thetranscript of stenographic notes.

The resolution said the OMB also

found Garcillano to have violated thepassport law when he presented af o r g e d p a s s p o r t b e f o r e t h econgressional hearing.

It cited a laboratory examinationreport from the Bangko Sentral ngPilipinas dated March 20, 2006, thatconcluded that Garcillano's passportdid not conform to the standard.

The passport was found tocontain these signs of forgery: Asmaller-size booklet; variance in thepaper and print used on the insidefront and back covers; additionalstitching along the seam; presence ofcuts and joints along the seam;presence of the text “Bisa-Visa” onthe upper portion, and variance inthe print quality of certain texts onpage 32.

Garcillano, being in possessionof the forged passport and the one tobenefit from its presentation to thecongressional joint committee, is“presumed to be a forger,” the OMBsaid.

However, it dismissed the chargeof falsification by a public officerbecause the element of “takingadvantage of [an] official position”was not present.

Although he was a public officer,Garcillano acted “not by reason of hisoffice, his position as Comeleccommissioner not having anythingto do with the issuance of apassport,” the OMB said. Inquirer.netTransited in Singapore

Presumed forger

Former Comelec CommissionerVirgilio Garcillano. Inquirer photo

La Union's WWII herohonored with statueBy Erwin G. Beleo

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union -Colonel Gregorio Hufano, a WorldWar II hero of what historians havecalled the “Victory of Bacsil Ridge,”has been elevated to a modern dayicon this province with the unveilingof a statue in his honor in this city, lastWednesday, March 20.

Mayor Pablo C. Ortega said thestatue, which now stands at the hillymountain village of Bacsil, this city,was erected to recognize the braveryand leadership of Colonel Hufano,endearingly called “Bunog” by thepeople of this city, until his recentdeath in July, 2013.

Col. Hufano's exploits were socaptivating and a source of pride ofthe people of La Union that in 2002,then Mayor Mary Jane Ortega and herhusband, La Union 1st District Rep.V i c t o r O r t e g a , i n i t i a t e d t h epublication of history books,magazine write-ups, and even agraphic novel on his life.

In those pages, it was told howthe group of Filipino soldiers led byCol. Hufano and his brother Lt. Col.Juan R. Hufano repulsed the attack ofthe Japanese forces and successfullydefended their post that led to thecomplete liberation of what was thenSan Fernando town on March 19,1945.

Col . Hufano's company ofsoldiers had also attacked earlier aJapanese signal detachment inBangar, the northernmost town of LaUnion in which 15 were killed and 12

captured on the side of the enemy;and the next day, the Hufano brothersattacked the well-defended Japanesegarrison on Baroro Bridge inBacnotan, La Union.

Marking last March 19 as aholiday, Mayor Pablo Ortega and ViceMayor Hermenegildo Gualberto ledthe simple rites to honor Col. Hufanowho died at the age of 96 with Maj.Michael Charles A. Van Haven, chief ofthe Army and Marine Programs,Security Assistance Division of theJoint US Military Assistance Group inthe Philippines, as guest speaker.Manila Bulletin

HERO OF BACSIL RIDGE. The statue of thelate Colonel Gregorio Hufano, a proudson of La Union and hero of the 'Victory ofBacsil Ridge' that led to the liberation ofthe province in World War II, is unveiledat the hilly mountain village of Bacsil inSan Fernando City, last Wednesday,March 20. (Erwin G. Beleo)

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Mass phone-in ...From page 1

Governance (USP4GG), who moderatedthe March 15 national conference call.

“We must not let up now. We need tocontinue to lobby the US governmentunti l TPS is approved for thePhilippines,” added Jon Melegrito,spokesman of the National Federationof Filipino American Associations(NaFFAA).

Under US immigration law, theSecretary of the Department ofH o m e l a n d S e c u r i t y, u p o n t h erecommendation of the Secretary ofState, may designate a country, orportions of a country, for TPS whenconditions exist such as an on-goingarmed conflict or an environmentaldisaster in the country that temporarilyprevents the country's nationals in theUS from returning safely.

Once a country receives a TPSdesignation, nationals of that countryresiding in the U.S. would not be

deportable and may receive temporarylegal status that allows them to receiveemployment authorization andpermission to travel abroad.

Community groups represented inthe conference call were urged to askeveryone they know, even non-F i l i p i n o s , re g a rd l e s s o f t h e i rimmigration status in the US, to call theUS State Department Comment Line at202-647-6575 on Thursday, March 27.

After a voice message is heard,press: 4 for operator, then ask for thecomment line, and then leave yourmessage: “Temporary Protected Statusfor the Philippines must be designated.I urge Secretary of State John Kerry torecommend to the Department ofHomeland Security that TPS bedesignated for the Philippines. Myname is (say name) from (say city andstate).”

When Haiti was struck by adevastating earthquake on January 12,2010, the US government granted TPSto Haitian citizens in the US extending

u Page 8

UP back on ...From page 1

him he had scored 85.8 percent.

Pangan, a member of theIglesia ni Cristo, was at the INCtemple when he heard the news.

“I was surprised, I did notexpect to top the bar,” saidPangan, who added that in lawschool, he only ranked average,or in the middle of a class of 200students. But he said he made upfor it come bar review time,studying 10 hours every day onweekdays, mostly at the UP lawlibrary. He also said friends at lawschool helped him in his studies.

UP law professor HarryRoque described Pangan, whoattended his international lawclass, as “more of the shy type” inclass, where 50 percent of theg r a d e c o m e s f r o m c l a s sparticipation.

Roque had given him a 2.5grade. “I'm so happy for him,”Roque said, adding this showedthat even for average lawstudents, it did not mean the barexams were “unsurmountable,”especially if “you put your heartinto it.”

Roque attributed the goodshowing of UP this year to the factthat last year the UP law collegestarted to require students tot a k e b a r r e v i e w c o u r s e sfollowing what seemed to be adearth of UP students in the topspots of bar exams.

Roque said UP had put apremium on producing good andworld-class lawyers.

Still, Roque said that while hewas elated about UP's showing inthe bar exams, he still did notagree with the country's “fixation[on] the bar exam results.”

Brion said a total of 1,174 outof 5,292 bar candidates passedthe exams, or 22.18 percent ofthe total examinees.

Brion said the high courtdecided to lower the passinggrade due to several factors,which included the “structure ofthe grades,” where the scores had85 as the highest and 28 as thelowest.

He said the court alsoconsidered that many of theexaminees had difficulty withmultiple choice questions, whichmade up 20 percent of the exams.“But generally, they did very wellw i t h t h e e s s a y t y p e o fexamination.”

“ H a d t h e r e b e e n n oadjustment, had it been strictly75 (the passing grade), 694would have passed. That wouldconstitute 13.13 percent of theexaminees,” Brion told reporters.

The 2013 bar exams were the1 1 2 t h c o n d u c t e d i n t h ePhilippines. Since 2000, the 2013exams had the sixth-lowestpassing rate, the lowest being the2012 exams, with only 17.76percent of the examinees passingthem, followed by 19.68 percentin 2002, 20.26 percent in 2010,20.48 percent in 2000 and 20.58

percent in 2008.A total of 5,641 filed a

petition to take the 2013 exams.Of the 5,641, only 5,593 wereallowed to take the exams whilefour applications were deniedand 44 withdrew.

Out of the 5,593, only 5,303examinees appeared on the firstSunday of the exams. Thenumber further went down to5,297 on the second Sunday, and5,292 examinees finished the lastSunday of the exams.

The other top bar placerswere UP law student Mark XavierD. Oyales, who tied for secondplace with Ateneo de ManilaUniversity law student DiannaLouise R. Wilwayco (with 85.45percent); University of Batangas'Rudy V. Ortea (84.2 percent);UP's Eden Catherine B. Mopia(84.05 percent); University ofSan Carlos' Tercel Maria G.M e r c a d o - G e p h a r t ( 8 3 . 9percent); University of Cebu'sManuel Elijah J. Sarausad (83.8percent); San Beda College'sKatrine Paula V. Suyat (83.75percent); UP's Michael T. Tiu Jr.(83.7 percent); Ateneo studentMarjorie Ivory S. Fulgueras(83.65 percent) and UP's Cyril G.Arnesto (83.6 percent).

The bar passers will taketheir oath as new lawyers onApril 28 at the PhilippineInternational Convention Centerin Pasay City.

UP last topped the bar in2005. Inquirer.net

At the temple, praying

Not insurmountable

22.18 percent

Passing grade lowered

Also at the top

Oath on April 28

Marcos grandson passes2013 bar examinations

By Nestor Corrales

MANILA -- A grandson offormer President Ferdinand E.Marcos, who topped the Barexaminations in 1939, is amongthe 1, 174 who passed the 2013 barexaminations.

Ferdinand Richard MichaelManotoc, the second child of IlocosNorte Governor Imee Marcos,graduated from the University ofthe Philippines (UP) College of Law.

The late strongman Marcos,who is also a graduate of the UP laws c h o o l , t o p p e d t h e B a rexaminations during his time witha 98. 80 passing percentage.

The late President's rating wasthe highest score ever attained inthe Bar exams but questions fromvarious sectors prompted theSupreme Court to re-calibrate hisscore to 92.35 percent.

Thus, former Supreme CourtAssociate Justice Florenz Regaladoof San Beda Law kept the record ofthe highest Bar exam passing rateof 96.7 percent which he achievedin 1954.

Governor Marcos, meanwhile,expressed joy over her son'sachievement.

“Proud of my 4th generation UP

Law son, Atty. Michael Manotoc, forpassing the Bar exam. Even if Ididn't want him to be a lawyer, I amso happy he is one now,” Gov.Marcos told reporters Tuesday.

UP's Nielson G. Pangan toppedthe Bar with the score of 85.8, thefirst law graduate from UP to topthe exam after eight years.

Photo from Gov. Imee Marcos

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 8March 21 - 27, 2014

Fil-Am broadcasterRobert Henry diesin Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Robert Henry, radio host of the“East-West Show” passed away last Friday, March 14. Hisshow aired live from Las Vegas every Thursday at 1 to 2 p.m.

Henry was the recipient of the Outstanding CommunityReporting award in Radio Category during PhilippineAmerican Press Club's Second Plaridel Awards lastOctober.

The Plaridel is given to an individual for his exceptionalcoverage of issues affecting the local Filipino Americancommunity. In the short year and a half that the “East-WestShow” aired it provided a unifying spirit by celebrating thediverse cultures within the growing Asian population inLas Vegas and Nevada.

Henry was also board chair of the Filipino AmericanChamber of Commerce of Greater Nevada. His colleagues inthe Chamber said he was a tireless leader in the FilipinoAmerican community and will be sorely missed.Inquirer.net

Robert Henry. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Mass phone-in for

TPS on March 27From page 7

them temporary legal status in the USfor a period of 18 months. This hasbeen extended several times becauseHaiti has still not recovered from thedamage of the earthquake.

Last year, the US governmentextended TPS to Syria because of thecivil war that is raging in there. Asidefrom Syria, Sudan and South Sudanwere also granted TPS in 2013.

Other countries that have alsoreceived TPS designation in past yearsinclude El Salvador, Nicaragua,Somalia and Honduras as a resultingof devastating natural calamities thathave occurred in those countries.

A bipartisan group of 20 USsenators led by New York Sen. Charles

Schumer (D-New York) sent a letterto Pres. Barack Obama urging him togrant TPS to the Philippines.“Typhoon Haiyan has wroughtunparalleled destruction and tragicloss of life in the Philippines,”declared the senators in their letter toPres. Obama.

“Victims of Typhoon Haiyanc l e a r l y m e e t t h e e l i g i b i l i t yrequirements for TPS, and we urgeyou to extend this designation as soonas possible.

T h e U n i t e d S t a t e s h a sdemonstrated its commitment toassisting the Philippines with therecovery effort through foreign aid,military assistance and reliefsupplies,” the letter added.

There are at least 500,000Filipinos in the US who are out ofstatus and would benefit from TPSdesignation of the Philippines. Theirhopes that the Philippines would be

granted TPS are buoyed by the factthat Pres. Obama has supportedimmigration reform that wouldlegalize the status of 11 millionpeople in the US and that he will bevisiting the Philippines in April of2014 and could present thePhilippines with a special gift.

“Granting TPS to the Philippineswould allow hundreds of thousandsof Filipinos in the US to send billionsof dollars of their income to thePhilippines to aid an economy thatwas devastated by SupertyphoonYolanda,” said Dr. Celia Lamkin, a TPSa d v o c a t e f r o m S a i p a n w h oparticipated in the March 15conference call

“For the sake of our mothercountry, we urge all Filipinos in the USto save the date and make the time tocall the State Department on March27,” said Loida Nicolas-Lewis.Inquirer.net

Spain police arrest 20 Filipinos in drug raidsAgence France-Presse

MADRID -- Spanish police said onTuesday, March 18 that they hadbroken up two drug trafficking ringsspecializing in crystal meth, arresting42 people, almost half of themFilipinos.

Police seized eight kilos (17.6pounds) of the highly addictive drugand 15,000 ($21,000) in cash in raidsacross Madrid, Barcelona and Murcia,the police said in a statement.

Crystal meth - also known as “ice”or “shabu” - is fairly common in NorthAmerica and Asia, but has only startedto appear in Spain over the last year,they added.

Police arrested 20 Filipinos, 19Spaniards and three Africans - oneeach from Mali, Senegal and Togo.

One of the two gangs used a carimport-export business as a frontcompany.

“Thanks to this front company thedetainees avoided raising suspicions

with their frequent trips betweenSpain, Italy and Africa and above allthey tried to give the appearance thattheir activities and the money raisedwere legal,” the police statement said.

Police made the first arrests inDecember - focusing on those whodistributed the drug around Spain.The arrests “in recent days” havet a r g e t e d t h o s e s u s p e c t e d o fsmuggling it into the country.Inquirer.net

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 9

vgslaw@gmail.com

March 21 - 27, 2014

By Bert Eljera

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- In a showof growing political muscle, threeFilipino-Americans are seekingelective office this year amidincreasing evidence that thecommunity is surging in numbers.

Of the three aspirants, CherylMoss, who is running for her fourthterm as a District Court judge, is themost well known. The two othersare running for a seat in the NevadaSenate and in the Assembly, bothfrom the same district.

Ron Quilang, a Republican, isseeking the post in the NevadaSenate representing District 9. JoeTinio, a Democrat, is running for aseat in the Nevada Assembly, alsofrom District 9, where many Fil-Amslive.

“It's a sign of our growingpolitical maturity as a community,”said Rozita Lee, a member of theWhite House Commission on Asiansand Pacific Islanders and a longtimeFilipino American leader. “It's greatto see folks seek public office andrepresent our interests.”

Moss, the grandniece of thelegendary Rudy Oquendo, one of thefirst Filipinos to settle in Las Vegasand after whom a city street wasnamed, is seeking her fourth term asDistrict Court judge, FamilyDivision, Department 1.

In 2000, she ran for the firsttime, and won with heavy supportf ro m t h e F i l i p i n o - A m e r i c a ncommunity. She ran and won againin 2002 and 2008.

“The Filipino voters now feelthey have a purpose for going to thepolls,” said the 47-year-old Moss.

“They feel they now have a say ingovernment politics. They feel moreconfident as a growing powerfulvoting block to support candidatesthat would best represent theirinterests.”

S h e s a i d t h a t F i l i p i n o -A m e r i c a n s h a v e a b e t t e rappreciation of the importance ofvoting, of participating and gettinginvolved in politics, and are moreconfident in their decisions to enterpolitical races.

I n t h e l a s t f e w y e a r s ,immigrants from Asia, includingfrom the Philippines, have outpacedLatinos, the traditionally largestgroup of new arrivals.

And the biggest group ofimmigrants coming to Nevada fromoutside the United States bothlegally and illegally are not Latino,according to Census Bureau datareleased last month.

Immigrants from Asian almostdouble the immigrants from Mexicoand Central America, according tothe Census Bureau's County-to-County Migration Flows data basedon its annual American CommunitySurvey.

Robert Lang, director ofBrookings Mountain West at theUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas,said there are a few major jobmagnets for Southern Nevada thatpull employees from Asia.

One is health care. The LasVegas area lacks about a third of thehealth care workers it needs tosupport the population it has, so itdraws heavily from overseas,especially from the Philippines,

where it gets a lot of nurses, saidLang .

“The Philippines puts nursesthrough a serious science program,”he said. Some hospitals here,including the Rose Dominicangroup of hospitals, have recruitedheavily in the Philippines a fewyears ago, and nearly half of its1,500 employees are Filipinos.

Another employment draw isgaming. Singapore and Macau areu n d e r g o i n g m a j o r g a m i n ge x p a n s i o n , a n d t h e r e a r ecorporations connected to thoseplaces and Las Vegas, so there isnatural exchange of workers andmanagers, Lang said.

There's a lso the gamingmanufacturing business. The No. 1user of green cards to get foreignworkers is UNLV, but No. 2 isKonami Gaming based in Las Vegas,said Lang “They get engineers,people with high-technology skillsand other highly skilled workersfrom Asia.”

Official 2010 Census say thereare about 30,000 Filipinos andFilipino-Americans in Las Vegas,but unofficial estimates put thenumber at as many as 100,000.

Their presence is obvious inh o s p i t a l s , s c h o o l s , c a s i n o s ,churches, shopping malls andgroceries. They seem to beeverywhere. On weekends, you'dthink Seafood City, a populargrocery on Maryland Parkway, is ashopping center in Makati.

The influx of Filipinos have evenf o r c e d t h e C l a r k C o u n t yDepartment of Election to includedTagalog among the languages usedfor ballot and related election

materials.Section 203 of the Voting Rights

Act mandates that if a minoritygroup reaches 10,000 citizens whoare not proficient in English orthose limited-English speakersbecome five percent of the citizenvoting-age population votingmaterials must be available in theirlanguage.

The determinations are madeevery ten years following thecensus. Data released last Octoberrevealed that Filipinos in the U.S.reached that threshold in four newjurisdictions, including ClarkCounty, of which Las Vegas islocated.

According to the 2010 Census,there are 98,351 Filipinos inN e v a d a , t h e l a r g e s t A s i a npopulation. Asian and PacificIslanders total 195,436 or 7.2percent of the state's 2.7 millionpopulation.

But because most Filipino-Americans are fluent in English,however, there was not much use ofthe Tagalog ballots in the lastgeneral elections, according to ClarkCounty election officials.

The Tagalog ballots are notexpected to give Moss, Quilang andTinio any edge against theiropponents.

Quilang, who owns his ownbusiness, is in a crowded four- manRepublican field in the Juneprimary. The winner will faceD e m o c ra t J u s t i n J o n e s , t h eincumbent, in the general electionin November.

“As a longtime resident of LasVegas, I understand the uniquecircumstances that residents faceevery day. Although I am not acareer politician, I am a husband,

father and small business owner,”said Quilang in a statement.

“ T h r o u g h p e r s o n a l a n dprofessional experiences theser o l e s h a v e h e i g h t e n e d m ya w a r e n e s s , u n d e r s t a n d i n g ,compassion and self initiative,” said.Tinio, a seniors advocate who headsthe Adult Care Providers of Nevada,is also in a crowded race for aNevada Assembly seat, with twoother Democrats.

Up for grabs is a two-year term,with the winner in the Democraticp r i m a r y f a c i n g u n o p p o s e dRepublican David Michael Gardner.The winner will serve the remainingtwo years of Andrew Martin's term.Although winning is not a certainty,the participation of Moss, Quilangand Tinio reflect a more visible rolefor Filipino-American in Nevadapolitics.

Judge Cedric Kerns, whosemother is Filipino, was the first Fil-Am to be elected in Nevada's historywhen he won a seat as a municipaljudge in 1997.

Moss said she's proud that oneof her relatives was one of the firstFilipinos settlers in the valley,

A grandaunt was one of the firstFilipino teachers in Las Vegas, andboth of her parents were doctors.Rudy Oquendo, the granduncle wasa deputy sheriff, who died in 1964.

“The legend was that UncleRudy won a significant sum ofmonies in Keno and he donated aportion of it or half of it to achildren's home or orphanage,” saidthe 47-year-old Moss. ” Thus,Oquendo Road was named afterhim.” Inquirer.net

Grandniece of pioneer

Asians outpace Latinos

Health care and gaming

Big Filipino population

Up for grabs

Fil-Am clout grows in NevadaPinoy Pride celebration in Las Vegas. Contributed photo/Facebook

Judge Cheryl Moss. Contributed photo/Facebook Oquendo Road, named after Filipino pioneer. Contributed photo/Facebook

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

Columnists: Reuben S. Seguritan, Esq.,Juan L. Mercado, Joseph G. LariosaCorrespondent: Grace G. Baldisseri

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and donot reflect the opinion of the paper nor that of the publisher.

Email: filexpress@aol.comPhone: 201-434-1114 Fax 201-434-0880

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THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 10

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March 21 - 27, 2014

Buildingbetter citiesWith extreme weather disturbances now the new normal

worldwide, it's but appropriate for governments to seek “bestpractices and new approaches” to bringing about “livablecities” that will ensure the well being, indeed the very survival,of their constituents. It takes bold thinking as well as an openmind.

In the Asia-Pacific, the modern city also needs to be“resilient”meaning capable of surviving not only the naturaldisasters that regularly come our way but also the unnaturalblight brought about by unchecked urban growth.

This was the essence of the 2nd Annual Pacific CitiesSustainability Initiative (PCSI) Forum held last week in Manila,where foreign and local experts in urban living andsustainability shared their thoughts and discussedpossibilities concerning such life-and-death issues as disasterpreparedness, recovery, integrated planning, housing,investment, and good governance. The idea was to engage andshare ideas within the community of nations, according to thereality that is climate change.

The PCSI was launched in 2009 as a collaboration betweenthe influential think tanks Asia Society and Urban LandInstitute (ULI) in partnership with other leading organizationsand schools. It is aimed at fostering meaningful discussionamong the Asia-Pacific countries toward such goals asreducing energy use, protecting the environment, adapting toclimate change, and building smart, livable cities.

The Asia-Pacific region regularly experiences all manner ofnatural disasters from typhoons to earthquakes to tsunamis.The Philippines continues to suffer the effects of thedevastation wrought by Supertyphoon “Yolanda/Haiyan” inNovember 2013. In many frightening ways we have been madeaware of the wisdom of preparing for the worst, and of the utterfolly of haphazard preparations.

In welcoming the delegates to the PCSI Forum, ULIPhilippines chair Carlos S. Rufino said it was a privilege for thePhilippines to host the conference “given our own most recentexperience” with Yolanda/Haiyan. He said that “despite thegeographical vulnerability and environmental challenges inthis age of climate change, the

Asia-Pacific region has never been more resilient.”Asia Society Philippines Foundation chair Doris

Magsaysay-Ho said the PCSI Forum would provide city mayorsand their administrators with “the chance to draw out ideasand principles from the experiences of the gathered expertparticipants.” And along with the timely exchange of ideas, theconference also laid down the groundwork for the 2015Philippines Livable and Resilient Cities Competition. Twenty-one Philippine cities - from Angeles to Zamboanga - will vie fortop honors in best urban planning and disaster risk reductionto meet the challenge of climate change.

The competition thus promises to be an opportunity toapply the lessons learned from the conference a significantlearning experience that cannot but lead to better lives. “We are

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Enforcement Policies UnderReview to Ease Deportations

President Barack Obamaa n n o u n c e d l a s t w e e k t h a tdeportation policies will bereviewed to make sure thatenforcement is done “morehumanely”. He asked Secretary ofHomeland Security Jeh Johnson toconduct the review. The Presidentin making this pronouncement alsoexpressed his “deep concern aboutthe pain too many families feelfrom the separation that comesfrom our broken immigrationsystem.”

A f t e r m a n y m o n t h s o fmaintaining that the White Househas no power to stop deportations,the President's move is welcomedb y m a ny i m m i g r a n t - r i g h t sadvocates. The President has beeninsisting that the law must befollowed and only Congress can

p a s s a l e g i s l a t i o n h a l t i n gdeportations. Last year, he alsoindicated that he cannot easeenforcement because his priority isto push for the passage of theimmigration reform bill.

With the immigration reformbill still not moving in Congress,advocates intensi f ied theirc a m p a i g n t o p r e s s u r e t h ePresident to stop deportations.

The number of deportationsunder the Obama administrationwill reach 2 million this April, a lotmore than the deportations underthe Bush administration. Thisprompted the National Council ofLa Raza to call the President“deporter-in-chief”. According toSecretary Johnson, this numberalso includes those who wereturned away at the border whichwere not regarded as deportationin previous administrations.

According to Angela Kelley ofthe Center for American Progress,

around 5,000 American childrenend up in foster homes because oneor both their parents have beendeported.

T h e h i g h n u m b e r o fdeportations likewise promptedSenator Chuck Schumer of NewYork, Senator Dick Durbin ofIllinois and Senator RobertMenendez of New Jersey to appealt o t h e P r e s i d e n t t o s l o wdeportations.

While the President pledged toreview enforcement policies, hestressed that he would not be ableto legally stop deportations norexpand the 2012 order called theDeferred Action for ChildhoodArrivals (DACA) which grantedtemporary deportation reprieve toundocumented immigrants whowere brought to the U.S. aschildren.

One of the proposed changes inpolicy being considered by officials

Jitters

“The Age of Anxiety” is a poemW. H. Auden wrote in 1947. It dealswith man's search for meaning in aturbulent world and won the 1948Pulitzer Prize for poetry. LeonardoBernstein thereafter composed“Symphony No. 2 for Piano andOrchestra.” Princeton UniversityPress, in 2011, published a newedition of the poem.

“Our times are an Age ofAnxiety,” Deacon Greg Kandrawrote on the feastday of St. Joseph,Mary's spouse and foster father ofthe Christ. Tomorrow's rites honorone who goes through the gospelswithout uttering a single word. Yet,he acts decisively to save his familywhen threatened.

Venerating Joseph emerged inthe fourth century. And in 1847,Pius IX designated March 19 to citea man who shielded his family fromterror. Think Zamboanga Cityunder siege by the Moro NationalLiberation Front. Or the Ukrainecrisis. Did the 200 plus on boardMalaysia Airlines Flight 370scream?

Warned of Herod's fury, Josephtook Mary and the Son, “who didnot have his eyes” by night. They“departed to Egypt, remainingthere until the death of Herod.”They became refugees, as are manySyrians and Nigerians today.

On return, Joseph discoveredthat Archelaus reigned in his fatherHerod's place. So he slipped intothe remote village of Nazarethwhere his Son “grew in wisdom,age and grace.”

J o s e p h k n e w e c o n o m i cinsecurity - wondering how he'd

support his family. A carpenter'swages are paltry compared to thetake, by nine out of 10 welshers, attoday's Bureau of Customs. Josephpaid taxesto “render unto Caesar.”They're collected by people likeLevi, who morphed into Matthew.Or Bureau of Internal Revenue'sKim Henares who is clobbered forher zeal but remains untainted.

He was a descendent of theroyal house of David. “Joseph, sonof David,” is the angel's salutation.“Do not be afraid to take Mary asyour wife. For the Child within herwas conceived by the Holy Spirit.”

Joseph speaks to our ownjitters, Kandra writes. This is notwhat I had planned, he must havesaid. Everything is suddenlydifferent. How many of us say thatabout our lives? We face, likeJoseph, uncertainty, even terror.Many are petrified in a world

u Page 12

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 11

Makinglife worth

living

Ellen Tordesillas

Opinion

By Perry Diaz

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March 21 - 27, 2014

BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin shoal: Test for MDT

The rising tension at theAyungin shoal, just 21 nauticalmiles from Mischief Reef whereChina has built fortifications,could be a test on the usefulness ofthe 1951 PH-US Mutual DefenseTreaty

In its statement issued lastFriday, March 14, the Departmentof Foreign Affairs said: “The BRPSierra Madre, a commissionedPhilippine Naval Vessel, wasplaced in Ayungin Shoal in 1999 toserve as a permanent Philippineinstallation in response to China'sillegal occupation of Mischief Reefin 1995. This was prior to thesigning of the Declaration ofConduct of Parties in the SouthChina Sea in 2002. The Philippines

reiterates that Ayungin Shoal ispart of its continental shelf overwhich the Phi l ippines hassovereign rights and jurisdiction.”

This is the first time that thePhilippine government admittedthat the 100 meter-long SierraMadre, a World War II vintage LSTthat had served the United Statesas USS Harnett County during theVietnam War and acquired by theP h i l i p p i n e s i n 1 9 7 6 , w a sdeliberately grounded in AyunginShoal, 105.77 nautical miles fromPalawan. Before, Philippineauthorities played coy about thegrounding of Sierra Madre inAyungin shoal, which the Chinesecall Ren'ai Reef.

Last year, at the AseanRegional Forum in Brunei, ForeignSecretary Albert del Rosariodisclosed that Chinese ForeignMinister Wang Yi told him “ thegrounded ship has been there forso long.”

Del Rosario said he replied:“We don't have money to move it.”He further said Wang offered to doit themselves.” To which he said hedidn't comment.

It is also significant that theDFA statement stressed that BRPSierra Madre is a commissioned“commissioned Philippine Naval

Vessel.” A country's navy ship isconsidered part of its territory.

Under the 1951 MutualDefense Treaty, “ Each Partyrecognizes that an armed attack inthe Pacific area on either of theParties would be dangerous to itsown peace and safety and declaresthat it would act to meet the

common dangers in accordancewith its constitutional processes. “

It also states that”… an armedattack on either of the Parties isdeemed to include an armedattack on the metropolitanterritory of either of the Parties, oron the island territories under itsjurisdiction in the Pacific Ocean, itsarmed forces, public vessels oraircraft in the Pacific.”

The United States has beenvocal against what it considersChina's aggressive moves in SouthChina Sea, which China claims toown almost wholly under its muchdisputed 9-dash line map. But ithas stressed that it is neutral in theterritorial disputes over the areaalso involving Brunei, Malaysia,Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Justice Antonio T. Carpio, in aspeech last year, said that “the U.S.has made it clear that the islands,reefs and rocks in the South China

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BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal. Photo from New York Times.

Was Conrad Capa kicked upstairs?It all began last March 6, 2014

when the Philippine NationalPolice (PNP) arrested fugitive realestate developer Delfin Lee at theHyatt Regency Hotel and Casino inErmita, Manila. With a P2-millionprice on his head since 2012, hiscapture ended a nationwidemanhunt by PNP's elite Task ForceTugis.

But no sooner had Lee been inpolice custody than a series ofunusual events started to happen.First, Oriental Mindoro GovernorAlfonso Umali reportedly phonedPNP Director General AlanPurisima in connection with Lee'sa r re s t . T h e fo l l o w i n g d ay,President Benigno “P-Noy” AquinoIII sent a text message to Umali, ara n k i n g p o l i t i c a l a l ly a n dTreasurer of the Liberal Party,asking him to explain why hephoned Purisima?

In a press briefing, presidentialspokesman Edwin Lacierda saidthat Umali called P-Noy and

explained why he called Purisima.Lacierda said that P-Noy was“ s a t i s f i e d ” w i t h U m a l i ' sexplanation; however, he did notelaborate what was Umali'sexplanation.

In an attempt to put a positivenote to Umali's explanation,C o m m u n i c a t i o n s S e c re t a r yHerminio Coloma said over Radyong Bayan that Umali calledPurisima because Umali's lawyerAtty. Gilberto Repizo - Umali'sprovince mate and friend -requested it. He quoted Umali assaying that Repizo wanted to“clarify the basis for the arrest ofMr. Lee because as far as his campknew, the Court of Appeals alreadyhas a decision in favor of his client.”the arrest warrant remained valid.However, Coloma couldn't say if P-Noy was convinced of Umali'sexplanation.

L e e w a s c h a r g e d w i t h

syndicated estafa, a nonbailableoffense, in connection with twohousing projects in Pampangaprovince. He was accused of usingfictitious members of the HomeDevelopment Mutual Fund (Pag-Ibig Fund), a government program,to obtain housing loans totalingP6.6 billion that he used inG l o b e A s i a t i q u e ' s X e v e r asubdivisions in Bacolor andMabalacat towns of Pampangabetween 2008 and 2011.

Lee pulled the scam by usingnon-existent or fake homebuyersand paying them to apply for Pag-

Ibig home loans. After the homeswere built, GlobeAsiatique wouldt h e n s e l l t h e m t o o t h e rhomebuyers who would discoverlater that the homes they boughtwere in the names of bogus orghost homeowners.

On May 22, 2012, a RegionalTrial Court in Pampanga issued awarrant for the arrest of Lee, hisson Dexter, and three officers ofGlobeAsiatique. The manhunt wason. It involved the PNP and theNational Bureau of Investigation(NBI). Last December, after 20months of hard investigative work,Task Force Tugis was able to trackLee living in a house in MetroManila. When the task force led bySenior Superintendent ConradCapa nabbed Lee last March 6,Capa must have felt proud forcapturing one of the country'smost wanted fugitives, the so-called “Big Five,” which include

former Palawan governor JoelReyes and his brother formerCoron mayor Mario Reyes, formergeneral Jovito Palparan, andformer Dinagat congressmanRuben Ecleo. “We had five originaltargets. One down, four to go.Hopefully, mahuli yung the rest,”Capa said in a report aired on “24Oras.” Indeed, with four more to go,Capa was probably enthused todoing his very best to capturethem. Nothing or nobody couldstop him now, he probably mused.

But, alas, Capa couldn't befarther from reality or to be morep r e c i s e , r e a l p o l i t i k . W h a thappened next stunned Capa andbaffled many people. There wassimply no reason why Capa's boss,PNP Chief Purisima, wouldabruptly transfer him one weekafter Lee's capture, to Cebu asDeputy Regional Director forHousing loan scam

Manhunt

Reward or punishment?

Mar's latest snafu

They say that those who live inglass houses, especially in theCubao area, shouldn't throwstones. This is particularly true ifthey intend to run for Presidenta n d p i c k s o c i a l i t e s w i t hc o n t r o v e r s i a l p a r e n t s f o rbridesmaids at their wedding.

The name of Divine Lee,s o c i a l i te d a u gh te r o f ve r ycontroversialand very mucharrestedreal estate developerDelfin Lee, has been trending ons o c i a l n e t wo rks s i n c e la s tweekend. The younger Lee, yousee, was one of the bridesmaids ofbroadcaster Korina Sanchez whenshe wed candidate Mar Roxas in2009.

Now, there's nothing wrongwith Divine Lee being a bridesmaidof Korina and Mar, except that

Roxas in his current incarnation assecretary of the Department ofInterior and Local Government hasmade a very public dare to hissupposed main rival in the 2016presidential elections, VicePresident Jejomar Binay. Roxasdemanded that Binay substantiatehis claims that some people ingovernment were protectingDelfin Lee, who has been thesubject of a long manhunt forallegedly pulling off a scaminvolving the funds of the Pag-IBIGfund, which Binay now heads asgovernment housing czar.

Meanwhile, Roxas' otherinvolvement in the Delfin Lee casehas been just as suspicious: As theExecutive official in charge of thenational police, Roxas approvedthe “promotion” of the head of PNPTa s k F o r c e T u g i s , S e n i o rSuperintendent Conrad Capa, tothe position of deputy chief of theregional police office in Cebu.

Capa first shot to prominencewhen his men arrested Delfin Leeinside a hotel in Manila, long afterthe high-f ly ing real estated e v e l o p e r w a s s u e d b ygovernment for making fictitiousclaims on behalf of Pag-IBIGmembers. In so many words and invarious fora, Capa has sinceaccused his superiorseveryonefrom PNP Chief Alan Purisima toofficials of Malacañang Palaceofactually demoting him to adeputy's post because he was ableto arrest Lee.

Roxas has since clammed up onthe issue of Lee. “Stonewall” Roxashas been known to do that everytime he opens his mouth andinserts his foot into it, like the timehe went to Tacloban City to remindthe mayor that he is a Romualdezand the President is an Aquino.

It's a good thing for Mar that hisPresident is so solidly behind himthat he will never really want for

protection, much like Divine Lee'sdad. Of course, if and when Roxasdecides to go it alone in 2016, it willbe a different matter altogether.* * *

While Roxas' fingerprints aresupposedly all over the case ofDelfin Lee, he is also being linked toanother brewing controversy bythose who subscribe to the theorythat Mar is also running anotherdepartment concurrently withDILG. I'm talking about thescandalous attempt by theDepartment of Transportation andCommunications of the P17.5-b i l l i o n c o n t ra c t t o re p a i r,rehabilitate and expand theM a c t a n - C e b u I n te r n a t i o n a lAirport.

Of course, another Cabinetsecretary, Joseph Emilio Abaya, issupposedly in charge of DOTC. Butanybody who knows anythingabout how Mar runs DOTC, his oldpost, by remote control through

t h e s e n i o r b u re a u c ra t s h eappointed when he led thedepartmentand who take ordersfrom no one but Marsuspect thathe may have something to do withwhat's going in Cebu, as well.

I'm not really a fan of SenatorSerge Osmeña, but the lawmakerfrom Cebu has gotten my attentionfor threatening to sue DOTC forinsisting on awarding the contractto the consortium of GMR-Megawide, despite the fact that theproponent has already beenexposed as being in a conflict ofinterest situation. Osmeña haseven responded to PresidentNoynoy Aquino's snide remarkabout “ampaws” seeking tosucceed him by saying that it isAquino's people in DOTC who mostresemble the sweet-on-the-outside-but-empty-on-the-insidedelicacy. Osmeña, who still claimsto be a staunch ally of Aquino, has

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THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 12March 21 - 27, 2014

Building better ...From page 9

confident that the PCSI Forum will serve as aplatform for key leaders to engage inconstructive dialogue, share valuableexperiences and practical solutions to promoteinternational partnerships, help each otherbecome more prepared, and plan togethersustainable and resilient communities for thenext generations,” Rufino said.

Applying the lessons requires both ambitionand devotion. And it has been done. After theterrible earthquake that leveled Christchurch in2011, New Zealand lifted interest rates lastweek after a three-year moratorium due to itsbooming economic recovery. Such bullishnesswas also exhibited in 2012 by Auckland, NewZealand's largest and most populous city, whenit launched a 30-year blueprint to turn itself intothe world's most livable city.

The PCSI Forum highlighted the urgent needfor concerted thinking in battling the dangersbesetting the planet. If our cities are to survive -and flourish - in this changing world, then it isimperative to buckle down to work. It is onlythrough working together that humankind willsurvive. At no time has the adage “no man is anisland” been more resonant than now.

Enforcement ...From Page 10

of the Department of HomelandSecurity would be to ease up onthe deportations of aliens whoviolated immigration laws but donot have criminal convictions.With this change in place,enforcement would be focusedon aliens who have been chargedor convicted of crimes and thosewho pose a threat to public safety.

Another proposed change iseasing up on the program called“Secure Communities.” Underthis program, immigrationauthorities are allowed torequest local jails to holdundocumented aliens until theyare transferred to federalfacilities. If this proposed changeis approved, local detentions willbe restricted.

Meanwhi le , Republ icanSenator Jeff Sessions of Alabamasees the President's latest moveas “further demonstrating that hecannot be trusted to enforce anyi m m i g r a t i o n p l a n f r o mCongress.” Speaker Boehner'sspokesman Brendan Buck alsopointed out that, “the President isobligated to enforce the laws wehave. Failing to do so would

damage - perhaps beyond repair -our ability to build the trustn e c e s s a r y t o e n a c t r e a limmigration reform.”

The White House stressedthat only a legislation enacted byCongress can fix the brokenimmigration system and effortsare continually being made topressure the GOP-led House topass the immigration reform bill.

Meantime, the President hasexecutive authority to grantt e m p o ra r y re p r i e ve f ro mdeportation as part of his“prosecutorial discretion.” Heused his executive authoritywhen he deferred deportation oft h o u s a n d s o f y o u n gundocumented immigrants byissuing the DACA order.

With the continued refusal ofHouse Republicans to act on theimmigration reform bill, millionsof undocumented immigrants arehopeful that the President willexercise his executive authorityonce again and keep them frombeing separated from theirfamilies.

(Editor's Note: REUBEN S. SEGURITAN

has been practicing law for over 30

years. For more information, log on to

his website at www.seguritan.com or

call (212) 695-5281.)

JittersFrom page 10

where cash (or pork barrel?) is theultimate yardstick.

“A model of Joseph, as believer,would pass muster in almost anyChristian church,” Presbyterianminister Howard Edington wrote. ATime magazine book review notes,“In providing the Child with safetyand family love, Joseph discovered apurpose for his own life within thegreater purposes of God.”

Joseph showed the Child, “all thenatural love and all the affectionatesolicitude that a father's heart canknow.” When his Son took his firststeps, Joseph held his hand. Togetherin the carpenter shop, they talked,worked, laughed and prayed. Themother was never far away. She neveris.”

We need to see Joseph in thecontext of the often unremarkedbond between fathers and sons,wrote Filipino theologian CatalinoArevalo, SJ. See that in the “chaptersand chapters of day-to-day existencetogether,” which the Scriptures passover in silence.

He learned from Joseph “how toavoid the knots in the wood, how tocut it along the grain and how to makesure it is already quite dry so it will

not unexpectedly split.” How didJoseph transmit the deeper lessons?How is a parent's love, both hard loveand tender love, all the way true?

At his inaugural Mass as the265th successor of Peter, on March19, 2013, Pope Francis said: Be“protectors, like Joseph, by caring forthe poor, families, friendships and theenvironment… Joseph responded tohis calling by being constantlyattentive and receptive to God'splans, not simply to his own. And forthis reason he is all the more sensitiveto the persons and surroundingsentrusted to his safekeeping.”

Being a protector “is not justsomething involving us Christiansalone. It also has a prior dimension.(Being) simply human, it involveseveryone… It means protectingpeople, showing loving concern foreach and every person, especiallychildren, the elderly, those in need,who are often the last we thinkabout.”

As a craftsman from Galilee,Joseph was merely one man amongmany, St. Josemaria Escriva notes in“In Joseph's Workshop.” What hadlife to offer to someone from aforgotten village like Nazareth? Or tothe 2.96 mill ion unemployedscattered in 42,027 Filipinobarangays? “Nothing but work: workevery day, with the same constant

effort.”Yet, God relied on this ordinary

man to do great things. In Hebrew, thename Joseph means “God will add.”G o d l a v i s h e s u n s u s p e c t e ddimensions to the lives of those whodo his will. God chooses the simpleand humble to do his work. In theirsparse style, the gospels give of thetitle of Jesus as “Son of Joseph.” Sodoes the genealogy.

There is no record when - and,more important, how - Joseph died.“As a man lives, so shall he die,” an oldadage says. Some therefore infer thatit may have been Mary who, withtears, gently closed his eyes after hebreathed his last. He lay in the arms ofthe Carpenter who, before the tombof his friend Lazarus, wept. Maybe.Who knows?

Our national hero was given hisname: Jose. So are many Filipinos. Heis “officially” protector of the church,patron of the Christian home, ofworking people and of Christianvocations, and at the end of life, in amost significant way, patron of thedying.

We fret in this country's “Age ofAnxiety.” Thieves in barong jockey tobecome president in 2016. Othersclaw to remain in power. Who amongthese measure up to the Scripture'saccolade for Joseph? “He was a justman.”

BRP ... From page 11

Sea are outside the scope of theMutual Defense Treaty.”

So far, the United States has notgone beyond expression of concern.State Department spokeswoman JenPsaki last week described China'sblocking of the Ayungin-boundcivilian ships as “ a provocative movethat raises tensions.”

She added:” Pending resolutionof competing claims in the SouthChina Sea, there should be nointerference with the efforts ofclaimants to maintain the status quo.”

The latest confrontation inAyungin shoal happened last weekwhen Chinese Coast Guards blockedtwo civilian ships hired by thePhilippine Navy to bring supplies tothe eight members of the PhilippineMarines stationed in BRP SierraMadre. The past months, under anatmosphere of peaceful co-existence

t h a t C h i n e s e a n d P h i l i p p i n eauthorities informally agreed on, thePhilippines uses civilian ships tobring supplies to Sierra Madre whichthe Chinese Coast Guard do notbother.

China alleged that the two shipswere not bringing just food suppliesbut also “concrete and rebar andother construction materials with apurpose of building facilities on thereef.”

The importance that Chinaattaches to Ayungin shoal is noted byits recognition of Philippine presencein eight places in South China Sea(Lawak, Patag, Parola,Pag-asa,Kota,Panata,Rizal, Likas) but not inAyungin Shoal.

Foreign Ministry SpokespersonHong Lei said Monday that China “willnever allow any form of occupation ofthe Ren'ai Reef …”

He warned that “China watchesclosely and is highly vigilant onfurther possible provocations in the

South China Sea by the Philippinesand it must bear all the consequencesarising therefrom.”

What if China decides to tow theB R P S i e r r a M a d r e ? R e t i r e dCommodore Rex Robles said thatwould be “an intrusion into Philippineterritory.” Retired diplomat LauroBaja Jr said “that would be an act ofwar, worse than the water cannonincident.”

Using the MDT as cover, thePhilippines is allowing the UnitedStates to build military facilitiesinside military camps for the latter tocarry out its Pivot Asia securitystrategy. The agreement is expectedto be signed next month during theManila visit of President Obama.

If China tows BRP Sierra Madreout of Ayungin Shoal, will the UnitedStates help the Philippines under theMDT?

That's a relevant issue thatPresident Aquino should clarify withObama.

Was Conrad ...From page 11

Operations. In a press briefing,Purisima defended his actionsaying that Capa's relief was not apunishment but a reward, apromotion. He said that Capa hadbeen in the task force for a longtime and was now due for atransfer. He added that the newassignment would give Capa achance for a promotion to one-star general.

But Capa had none of that.Caught by surprise, he wasfrustrated by the sudden turn ofevents. He felt that his transferwas not a commendation for ajob well done. He said that everyofficer in the PNP knows it's not apromotion. Capa said that ifPurisima had wanted to promote

him, there were several vacantpositions in Camp Crame, PNP'sheadquarters, he could have beenassigned to.

S o , i f i t w a s n o t acommendation or reward, whatwas it then? Could it be that Lee'sarrest and the subsequentintervention of Umali had anybearing on Capa's relief? Or couldit be that Purisima punished Capafor reportedly leaking theinformation that Umali had calledPurisima to intervene on behalf ofLee? Capa was suspected ofspreading rumors that Umali hadpressured Purisima to releaseLee. But Capa denied that he wast h e o n e w h o l e a k e d t h ei n f o r m a t i o n o n U m a l i ' scommunication with Purisima.But regardless of who had leakedthe information, the fact that

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THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 13March 21 - 27, 2014

Was Conrad ...From page 12

Umali had indeed called Purisimaon behalf of Lee's lawyer, makesone wonder why would Lee'slawyer break protocol on mattersthat should have been donethrough official channels?

At the end of the day, Capa's“problem” with his boss Purisimamight not have been due towhether he leaked the Umali-Purisima telephone conversationor not. His fate may have beensealed the moment he capturedLee. He had stepped on big toes….very big toes. And in military-oriented organizations like thePNP, when you step on big toes,you are punished by being kickedupstairs; that is, you're assigned

to a new job that seems to bemore powerful but is actuallyless powerful, which makes onewonder: was Conrad Capakicked upstairs?

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

Mar’s latest ...From page 11

also questioned the financialcapability of GMR-Megawide,noting that the local partner doesnot have the financial capability(or the ability to raise the moneythrough local banks) to fund theproject . Another Cebuanol a w m a k e r, R e p . R o d r i g oAbellanosa, pointed out thatMegawide, the local partner ofthe consortium, only has P8billion in resources during therecently held Congressionalhearing conducted by thecommittee on transportation onthe Mactan Airport biddingproject.

DOTC has hedged on reportsthat the contract to rebuild theCebu airport has already been

awarded to GMR-Megawide. Butthe Public-Private PartnershipCenter, led by Cosette Canilao,has announced that the deal hasalready been sealed.

(Canilao's PPPC seems hell-bent on pushing the approval ofthe Cebu airport deal becauseher agency still doesn't have aserious, big-ticket PPP projectf o u r y e a r s a f t e r A q u i n oannounced his flagship program.Really.)

When Aquino said that Roxaswould run “80 percent of mygovernment” after his election in2010, perhaps you were one ofthose who think he was actuallyjoking. Well, it turns out thatAquino was deadly serious ingiving us a sneak preview of aRoxas presidency, if it everhappens.

Task Force Tugis leader Sr.Superintendent Conrad Capa

Secretariat set up to protect Pacific CoralTriangle

By DJ Yap

MANILA -- The Philippines hasentered into a regional agreemente s t a b l i s h i n g a p e r m a n e n tsecretariat responsible

f o r t h e t e c h n i c a l a n dadministrative management of theCoral Triangle, one of the mostbiologically diverse regions in theworld, of which the country is part.

Environment Secretary RamonPaje recently signed the regionalagreement setting in motion theestablishment and operation of asecretariat for the Coral TrialInitiative for Coral Reefs, Fisheriesand Food Security (CTI-CFF) basedin Manado, Indonesia.

“This agreement clearly reflectsthe unique role of CTI-CFF inprotecting and sustaining theworld's epicenter of marinebiodiversity as a fully operationalsecretariat that will coordinate theimplementation of the CTI RegionalPlan of Action,” Paje said in a newsrelease.

Paje signed the agreementpersonally presented to him by Dr.Sjarief Widjaja, secretary-general ofIndonesia's Ministry of MarineAffairs and Fisheries, and chairmanof the CTI-CFF Interim RegionalSecretariat, at the main office of theDepartment of Environment andNatural Resources in Quezon City.

The Coral Triangle is consideredone of the most ecologically richregions in the world, bounded byIndonesia, Malaysia, Papua New

Guinea, the Philippines, Timor Lesteand the Solomon Islands.

It is home to 600 corals,comprising 76 percent of theworld's known coral species, andhas the highest diversity of reef fish,with 2,500 species, or 37 percent ofthe planet's reef fish concentrated inone area.

It is also the spawning andnursery ground for four principlemarket tuna species that populatethe Western and Central PacificOceanyellowfin, albacore, bigeyeand skipjack supplying close to 50percent of the global tuna catch.

CTI-CFF is a multilateralpartnership designed to safeguardthe region's extraordinary marineand coastal biological resources forfuture generations by promotingsustainable fisheries and livelihood,and climate change resilience andadaptation measures.

Paje said the permanentregional secretariat would play acentral role in putting in placeeffective adaptation measures in the

Region, especially for coastalcommunities, to improve theirresilience to climate change.

“The impacts of climate changeare very real threats to us in theregion and this agreement rolls outthe full operation of the regionalsecretariat in May in time for the 5thCTI-CFF Ministerial Meeting inManado, Indonesia on May 16, 2014during the World Conference onCoral Reefs,” Paje said.

He said the agreement wasreached during the 9th SeniorOfficials Meeting of the CTI-CFFInterim Regional Secretariat, whichwas hosted by the DENR inNovember last year.

Under the auspices of theIndonesian government , theconstruction of a five-story RegionalSecretariat building on a 6,000-square meter compound providedby the provincial government ofN o r t h S u l a w e s i i s n e a r i n gcompletion. The compound will alsohouse the CTI headquarters.Inquirer.net

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 14March 21 - 27, 2014

Fil-Am Kids Compete for Little Missand Little Master Philippines USABy Grace G. Baldisseri

New York -- Spring Fest2014 organizers led byNanding Mendez of Fiesta inAmerica will present thetwelve (12)candidates whowill vie for the 2014 Little Miss& Little Master PhilippinesUSA on Saturday, March 22 at4pm at the Loving LifeLearning Center, 4 West 43rdS t . , N e w Yo r k , N Y. T h ecoronation will be on Sunday,April 27, 1pm at the AstoriaManor, Queens New York.

This youth competition isnow a part and parcel of Fiestain America's Annual Events for2 0 1 4 . F i e s t a p re s i d e n t ,Nanding Mendez, sees theintegration of this event to helpthe Fil-Am youth discover theirinnate talent, share their gifts,a n d p r e p a r e t h e m f o rleadership in their respectivecommunities.

Most of the candidates areborn here in the United States.It is important that they have aknowledge of their culturalheritage, tradition and valuesthat we are proud of.

Fiesta in America is proudto announce the followingcandidates composed of sixgirls and 5 boys: Little MissPhilippines-USA candidatesare: Claramae Calvar Oliveira,

Aliyah Renee Rodriguez,Jasmine Wyra Garcia, CaitleenAlexandra Salnave, AndreaMateo and Venia AdelouiseS i p a l a y. L i t t l e M a s t e rPhilippines USA candidatesare: Shunnar Obeido, Nate PaulM e r i n , H e n n e s s y C a s hTiankee-Caspe, Kevin CalvarOliveira, and Antonnie Edtosa.

The titleholders of the2014 Little Miss & LittleMaster Philippines will becrowned on Sunday, April 27 at1 pm at Astoria Manor, Queens,NY and will receive $500 each.The first runner up will receive$300 each and the secondrunner up with $200 each.

Little Miss & Little MasterPhilippines will receive acrown, sash, trophy, bouquetand scepter. The runner up willreceive a crown, sash, trophyand bouquet.

For tickets, please call:F i e s t a i n A m e r i c a( 2 1 2 6 8 2 6 6 1 0 ) , E m i e P.( 9 1 7 8 5 8 2 9 4 0 ) , J o e l A .( 6 4 6 2 6 9 6 8 8 2 ) , A l i c e S .(3477509245), Marissa G.(6462071481), Virgi l R.(9178224192) Cristy R.( 3 4 7 2 4 1 4 9 3 2 ) , M i l a A .(347302 5490) or email:sepmgzn@yahoo.com or visitwww.philippinefiesta.com

Nanding Mendez, Fiesta in America president

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 15March 21 - 27, 2014

UPA&FR Gives To CommunityThe New Jersey-based University

of the Philippines Alumni & FriendsRondalla was one of eleven Filipinostring instrumentalists based in theUnited States and in the Philippineswho donated their music towards theproduction of a CD entitled

. 100% of the CD sales go to reliefand rehabilitation programs forPhilippine calamity victims.

In answer to an appeal by MilitaryBishop Leopoldo S. Tumulak , DD, thePamanang Pinoy CD project donatedP200,000 to Pondo ng Pinoy's HAPAG-ASA FAST2FEED to help feed hungryand malnourished children in areasheavily affected by series of man-made and natural calamities inZamboanga, Bohol, Cebu, Samar andIloilo. The program also helps theparents learn skills and value toimprove their capacity to care fortheir children, and livelihood trainingto give them access to employmentand income-generating activities.

Thus far, a running total ofP475,000 has been shared from thePamanang Pinoy CD proceeds asdirect assistance to various displacedcommunities:

a) Provided funds to ABS-CBNFoundation, Intl. Sagip- Kapamilya forthe emergency feeding and packagedgoods distribution;

b) Provided funds to MaasinArchdiocese, Leyte (thru OutreachAsia and Salesian brothers of Cebu)for the emergency feeding andpackaged goods distribution;

c) Provided water containers,pots and pans for women residents ofBasey and Marabut, Leyte to cook themuch-appreciated donated goods.

d) Helped establish lumber

production venture out of the millionsof downed coconut trees in Bgy. Patoc,Dagami, Leyte and Bgy. Miguelay, SanJuan, Leyte by providing them withcommercial type chain saws. Clearedareas were re-planted with newcoconut trees, and vegetable gardensmade on the open free areas. The cocolumber produced were sold to localresidents at reduced price for use inrebuilding their homes, while extral u m b e r we re s o l d to n e a rbycommunities.

e) Helped rebuild a house inMission San Jose, Dagami, Leyte toinspire many to help rebuild otherdestroyed houses at minimal costwith some material and sweat factorhelp from the home owner in a timelymanner.

The Pamanang Pinoy CD project,spearheaded by California-basedPagyamanin Likas Musika (PLM)project director George Gange,originally was produced to benefit thePLM Rondalla Instruments LendingProgram for children in underservedareas in the Philippines. From itshumble beginnings in 2010, the

Rondal la Instrument LendingProgram has to date accounted forf i f t y ( 5 0 ) c o m m u n i t y / s c h o o lbeneficiaries. This number includesan orphanage in Davao; foundationscaring for street children in QuezonCity, Pasay City and Bacoor City;elementary schools in Payatas andSouthern Leyte; Gawad Kalingavillages in Imus , Cavite and Angat,Bulacan; indigenous tribes in Roxas,Palawan; a school for the visuallyimpaired in Davao, and the PhilippineNational School for the Blind in PasayCity. Several additional Philippinevillages and schools have beennominated, and are awaiting fundingto obtain the beneficiaries' rondallainstruments.

The UPA&FR had designated thePLM Rondalla Instruments LendingProgram as beneficiary of its 20anniversary concert in 2012 and alsoco-sponsored the annual PLMRondalla Festival held in theP h i l i p p i n e s w h e r e i n s e v e r a lchildren's rondalla beneficiariescome together and perform.

In addition, the UPA&FR has alsobeen performing for var iousfundraising events in New York,Connecticut, and New Jersey tobenefit Philippine calamities andtyphoon Haiyan victims.

a) Immediately after TyphoonYolanda hit the Philippines, onNovember 13, at Our Lady Star of theSea Parish International Night inStamford, CT, whence the group wasf e a t u r e d , U PA & F R t o o k t h eopportunity to pass the hat for thetyphoon victims.

b) Once more, on December 28,the group participated in Typhoon

Haiyan Appeal Mini-Concert at St.Anastasia Church in Teaneck, NJorganized by Philippine Associationof Medical Technologists (PAMET-NJ)and PhilanTruePeace.

c) On December 14, members ofUPA&FR participated in ProjectMabuhay organized by the NationalAlliance for Filipino Affairs at Louise& Jerry's at Hoboken, NJ for the samecause.

d) On January 15, UPA&FRwelcomed 700 attendees with theirmusic at the Relief for the PhilippinesFundraiser at the Hilton Garden Inn in

Staten Island, NY. Presented by theFilipino community through the SanLorenzo Ruiz Association of StatenIsland, the event raised over $70,000for the Archdiocese of New York fordirect aid to the victims.

The Pamanang Pinoy CD isdedicated in honor of the memory ofBayani Mendoza de Leon (1942-2013), Presidential Awardee forPhilippine Heritage, who hadtremendous influence in raisingawareness and appreciation ofPhilippine music in the United States.Prof. de Leon was also the first musicdirector of the UPA&FR when it wasestablished in 1992. A CD withUPA&FR entitled “Musika Rondalla,consisting of beautiful rondallaarrangements by Prof. de Leon washis last rondalla recording. The groupaims to have his legacy reach as manypeople as possible.

Calling rondalla enthusiasts! TheUPA&FR offers free lessons on Sundayafternoons in Linden, NJ to all agegroups with all musical abilities(beginners to experienced) interestedin learning to play the bandurria, laud,octavina, guitar, and bass.

Pamanang

Pinoy

th

To purchase the CD's, and for more

information on rondalla lessons and

p e r f o r m a n c e s , p l e a s e e m a i l

upafr.president@gmail.com or call (732)-

3 1 7 - 3 3 6 4 o r v i s i t

www.home.comcast.net/uprondalla/

Pamanang Pinoy list of pieces

CD cover

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 16March 21 - 27, 2014

S A M E T R O H O N D A

MAYROON PO TAYONG

FILIPINO SALES TEAM NA

HANDANG TUMULONG AT

PAGLINGKURAN KAYO.

HALINA PO KAYO SA AMING

P I N A K A - M A L A K I N G

N U M E R O U N O N G

DEALERSHIP SA BUONG

METROPOLITAN AREA!

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 17March 21 - 27, 2014

Mindoro's dance festival stunning, asight to behold

By Amadís Ma. Guerrero

Apart from the captivating ambience of Puerto Galera, thereis much to discover and experience in the province of OrientalMindoro, an hour and 10 minutes ride via fast craft from thePort of Batangas City.

For trekkers, there is Mt. Halcon, which straddles the twoMindoro provinces. The capital of Calapan, a coastal city, hasnumerous beach resorts. The sand may not be as alluring as thatin Boracay or Palawan, but it will do if you are not the sosyal(uppity) type. Check out Parang Beach Resort, Donnyland,Filipiniana Resort Hotel, with its attractive native decor, andAnahaw Island View Resort.

The latter resort hosts tour packages to “hidden” CaluanganLake on board cruiser and floating restaurant, near Mt. Halcon;Lantuyan River in Baco; and white-water rafting in San Teodoro.With its 13 waterfalls, Arigoy White-water Rafting in SanTeodoro is said to be a kayaker's dream.

There are Mangyan settlements and caves which are sacredto the indigenous peoples, Naujan Lake, the ruins of Kuta churchin Bongabon, and a large cave complex in the town of Roxaswhere you and your children can go horseback riding (not in thecaves, silly, but in the surrounding forest).

A new tourist attraction within Calapan is the 45-hectareSilonay Mangrove Conservation Area and Ecotourism, located inthe island barangay of Silonay, a sprawling breeding ground forfish, sanctuary for all kinds of birds, including bats, and filledwith mangrove species. There may be a few snakes in the water.

The project, funded by the local government andinternational agencies, adapts to climate change, is near the sea,and protects Calapan from storm surge.

Streams of water run through the area, and tourists cankayak here. But first they have to be oriented on protecting theenvironment. A fascinating 350-meter boardwalk, withillustrations of the flora and fauna here, enables visitors toexamine the mangroves up close.

Oriental Mindoro's grand festival of the year was the recentPandang Gitab dance parade competition, the root word beingpandango as in the charming folk dance “Pandango sa Ilaw,”while gitab denotes “a flicker of lights.”

Hundreds of youths, male and female, in attractive nativecostumes and bearing what seemed to be thousands of lanternsand lighted candles, massed in front of the Santo Niño Cathedralin downtown Calapan and made their way through the nearbystreets of the city.

There were lanterns and lighted candles placed inside coversor in glasses, with different shapes and sizes, glimmering ingolden hues. The youths walked, sashayed, danced, chanted andmoved their arms gracefully.

It was a tribute to the light which conquers the darkness. Itwas stunning, a sight to behold. Inquirer.net

Mangroves wonderland

Pandang Gitab

GOLDEN girl muse PANDANG Gitab procession. Photo by Amadis Ma. Guerrero

A blaze of light

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 18March 21 - 27, 2014

At the Ambassador’s Residence, 13 East 66th Street, New York, NYStanding, from left

Front row, from left:

: Dr. Dolly Rivera, Deputy Consul General Zaldy Patron, Consul Kira Azucena, Dr. Connie Uy, Medy Taeza, Nena Smith, Rose Javier, Lita Roxas, Dr. Edgar Lerias and Mrs. Mary Jane Lerias

(PAFCOM 2014 Grand Marshals), Sue Henderson, Ph.D. (President, New Jersey City University), Mario Garcia (PAFCOM 2014 Overall Chairperson), Consul General Mario L. De Leon Jr., Mrs. Eleanor De

Leon, Helen Castillo, Precious Espiritu (Miss PAFCOM 2014), Ledy Almadin, Cultural Attache Olive Magpile , Vice Consul Khrys Corpuz. Lito Pernia, Jun Hornilla, Greg Agulan.

Courtesy call of the Philippine-American Friendship Committee, Inc. (PAFCOM) to Amb. Mario De Leon Jr., March 17, 2014

A delightful evening with the Consul General and his staffA delightful evening with the Consul General and his staffA delightful evening with the Consul General and his staffA delightful evening with the Consul General and his staff

An Invitation for Entrepreneurs

ABOUT JCFACC

The purposes of the JCFACC are: a) To serve

as the voice of the Filipino-American

business owners in Jersey City in matters

of commerce, industry and development;

b) To serve as a forum for social interaction

and discussions of legal, financial and

economic issues affecting the business

interests of members; c) To stand united

for or against the passage of law,

ordinance or regulation beneficial or

detrimental to the business of any

member; and d) To hold, sponsor, or

support any social or community

activity that will enrich the cultural

heritage of the Filipino-American

population in Jersey City.

JERSEY CITY FIL-AM CHAMBER OF COMMERCEThe Business Owner's voice in matters of commerce, industry & development

2713 Kennedy Boulevard, Jersey City, NJ 07306 Phone: (201)434-1114

Jersey City Fil-Am Chamber of CommerceDinner Meeting

Tuesday, April 1, 2014 @ 6:30 pm sharpPal Inasal Resto & Grill

663 Newark Avenue, Jersey City, NJ 07306

Sponsored by:

VICTOR D. REYES, ChFC, CLUCo-founder and President

Envision Strategic Financial Group

To register, please call 201-434-1114

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 19March 21 - 27, 2014

Dr. Benigno R. Sales, Jr.1943-2014

Dr. Benigno “Ben” R. Sales, Jr. of Howard Beach, New Yorkpassed away on Sunday, March 16, 2014.

Dr. Ben was a beloved member of the Filipino-Americancommunity and could frequently be called upon to supportthe projects of numerous organizations. He was a staunchdonor to projects and activities that benefit persons close tohis heart - the underprivileged people in the Philippines.

Dr. Ben is survived by his wife Fe, children and grandchildren.

Viewing was held at

Dr. Ben was the president of the Philippine Medical Associationin America (PMAA) and led the most recent surgical, medicaland humanitarian mission of the PMAA in Nabua, CamarinesSur, Philippines last February 2014.

James Romanelli-Stephen Funeral Home inOzone Park, New York on March 19-20. Funeral Mass at 10:45

am at St. Helen Church, 157-10 83 Street, Howard Beach, NYon March 21 and interment following immediately at St. JohnCemetery, 8001 Metropolitan Avenue, Middle Village, NY.

rd

Bayani M. de Leon (1942-2013)

Bayani Mendoza de Leon, acomposer, who distinguishedh i m s e l f a s a m u l t i -i n s t r u m e n t a l i s t , a r ra n g e r,c o n d u c t o r, p o e t , w r i t e r,ethnomusicologist and culturalscholar, and recipient of the 2008Pamana ng Pilipino PresidentialAward, died last September 14,2013 in Las Pinas City ofcomplications from a stroke. In aritual ceremony held at thePalawan Sea near El Nido,Palawan, Philippines, his asheswere scattered on January 26,2014. He was 70 years old andlived in Las Pinas, where hemoved to in 2012 after more than35 years of living in the U.S. Formany years a resident NewJersey, his last years were spent inMonroe, NY.

The influence of Mr. de Leon,who was also a master martialartist and teacher, spreadthroughout the Philippine-American community as a culturebearer in raising awareness andappreciation of traditional andcontemporary Philippine musicand arts in the US. In February2014 he was posthumouslyawarded the Gawad Rondalla bythe National Commission forCulture and the Arts (NCCA)through the MusicologicalSociety of the Philippines.

In a musical career that beganin the 1960s, Mr. de Leoncomposed many versatile works,r a n g i n g f r o m o p e r a s ,symphonies, art songs to avant-garde pieces scored in the mostunconventional formats. By 1971he had become a distinguishedmember of the League of FilipinoComposers. In 1979 he went tothe US as a Fulbright-Haysscholar in music and studiedavant-garde music compositionat the University of California, SanDiego, where he received hisMaster of Arts. He is listed in

Grove's International Dictionaryof Music and Musicians.

" M u s i c i s t h e h i g h e s tmanifestation of the sacredword," he told an interviewer. " Itstremendous power lies inaffecting the vibrational state ofone's being in a positive way.”A m o n g h i s m a n ya c c o m p l i s h m e n t s , h e h a scomposed deeply esoteric worksthat successfully interprettraditional folk music from theP h i l i p p i n e s a n d m a d e i taccessible for an entirely newglobal audience.

Among his seminal works areBatong-Buhay for rondalla,Bantay-Bata, which combinedP h i l i p p i n e i n d i g e n o u sinstruments with the Westernharp and clarinet, Mga SugatangPerlas, a music-dance play, andtwo contemporary bal letsAtlantis and Anting-Anting. Hehas also composed severalhundred musical arrangementsof Philippine folk and indigenousm u s i c , s t a n d a rd c l a s s i c a lrepertoire, Broadway and operatunes and world music for band,rondalla, guitar, chorus, andvarious chamber groups andorchestras.

Outside of his musical career,Mr. de Leon earned recognition asboth writer and editor. He hadworked at the National MediaProduction Center where he was

the vernacular section chief, ande d i t o r o f " P a g - a s a " , ag o v e r n m e n t - p u b l i s h e dmagazine. In 1965 he was therecipient of the Palanca Award forhis short story, "Mga Luha NiLela.” He ended his 25-yearcareer as an editor for thepublishing giant Simon &S c h u s t e r / P r e n t i c e H a l lPublishing as Managing Editor,Higher Division, of PearsonEducation Publishing in UpperSaddle River, New Jersey.

The American composer JohnCage, with whom he shared bothmusical and philosophical ideas,once said of Mr. de Leon, “if youhave a question on any topic of aspiritual nature, this man cananswer it.” Mr. de Leon was aKriya yoga initiate and taughtboth yoga and tai chi for manyyears, and generously shared hisexpertise in the healing arts. In1975, he founded the firstG u r d j i e f f s o c i e t y i n t h ePhilippines. He served as mentorto many aspiring musicians andartists from different disciplines,sharing the spiritual content ofwhat he taught, always instillingthis most important internalaspect in his students.

Bayani Mendoza de Leon wasborn on November 24, 1942, inManila, the son of composer andPhilippine National Artist FelipePadilla de Leon and concertpianist Iluminada Mendoza. Mr.de Leon is survived by his wife thepoet Rhodora V. Penaranda, hisfour children Lakasnubay (NewJ e r s e y, U S A ) , S a r i g h a n i(Nashville, Tennessee, USA) Okira n d A m i h a n , h i s t h r e egrandchildren Nadia, Laela, andTyler, his first wife, concertpianist Cynthia Guerrero de Leon,and his siblings Felipe “Jun”,Tagumpay, Magdangal, andMarilag.

Composer and musician Bayani M. de Leon was a leading scholar of Philippine music and culture

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 20March 21 - 27, 2014

Poland tourism execsarrive in PH for trade

CLARK FREEPORT -- Officersof the Poland Chamber of Tourism( P C T ) a r r i v e d a t C l a r kInternational Airport here onFriday for a five-day Philippinefamiliarization tour.

The delegation, led by PCTpresident Pawel Niewiadomskiand vice president GrzegorzChmielewski, arrived on boardQatar Airways Flight No. QA930.

The chamber officers werea c c o m p a n i e d by K r z ys z t o fSteiman, account manager of QatarAirways in Warsaw, and someofficials of Polish travel agencies.

The Polish delegation waswelcomed at the airport terminalhere by Philippine Ambassador toPoland Patricia Ann Paez andofficials of Clark InternationalAirport Corp. and the CentralLuzon regional office of theDepartment of Tourism.

Paez, in a statement, said thefirst visit by the Polish tourismchamber in the Philippines wouldopen the door to tourists fromPoland. She said Qatar Airwaysnow has a direct flight fromWarsaw to Manila.

The Polish delegation is

particularly interested in ViganCity in Ilocos Sur province, a worldheritage site, and Boracay Island inAklan province. It is set to visit thet w o p l a c e s d u r i n g t h e i rfamiliarization tour.

Reynaldo Catacutan, ClarkInternational Airport Corp. vicepresident for airport operations,said the Polish were impressed by

the warm and friendly receptionthey received. “We took good careof the Polish delegation,” he said.

The delegation is scheduled tomeet with representatives ofPhilippine travel agencies onMarch 18 to establish partnershipsand promote the Philippines as atravel destination for Polishtourists. Inquirer.net

Boracay is a favorite destination in the Philippines for foreign tourists.

Inquirer file photo

PEZA registers 104%growth in investmentsat P35.4B in 2 monthsBy Bernie Magkilat

Investments registered withthe Philippine Economic ZoneAuthority (PEZA) in the first twomonths of the year jumped 104.39percent over the same period lastyear as investors, who failed toregister in the last two months lastyear because of the Yolanda tragedyfinally made it early this year.

PEZA Director-General Lilia B.De Lima told reporters at the “IdeaG l o b a l E n t r e p r e n e u r s h i pSymposium 2014” in MandaluyongCity that investments in theJanuary-February period this yearwent up to P35.437 billion asagainst P17.338 billion in the sameperiod last year.

According to De Lima, the surgein investments in first two monthsof the year was largely due to theregistration of projects which weresupposed to come in the last twomonths last year but had beenpostponed because of the Yolandatragedy and the succeeding reliefefforts.

“These are the strugglers butfailed to register in November andDecember last year because allefforts were focused on the Yolandarelief efforts,” said De Lima. TheYolanda tragedy even slightlypulled down PEZA's overallinvestments in 2013 by a negative11 percent.

“But they finally made it earlythis year,” De Lima reported. DeLima further said the agency will

continue to maintain its 10 percentinvestments growth target for theyear.

In terms of exports, De Limareported that exports for the entireyear of 2013 went up 7.12 percentto $42.873 billion from $40.024billion.

PEZA exports account for 76percent of the country's totalcommodity exports.

PEZA's exports were accountedfor by its 3,183 operating ecozonelocators in its 300 ecozones acrossthe country.

Employment has also breachedthe one million mark to 1,048,351or 14.94 percent higher than the912,047 in the entire year of 2013.

Cumulative PEZA investmentsfor the period 1995 to December2013, already reached P2.617trillion while exports hit $519.97billion.

Meantime, De Lima reportedthat her recent investment missionto Japan has yielded positive resultsi n n e w i n v e s t m e n t s i nmanufacturing sector particularlyelectronics, automotive parts,shipbuilding and aerospace.

The Japan mission, which wasorganized by the Sumitomo-MitsuiBanking Corp., has brought De Limato meet with various Japanesebusinesses in Tokyo, Osaka, andsmaller prefectures in Japan, whichaccounts for the huge amounts ofmanufacturing investments in thePhilippines.

Warsaw sightseeing bussports PH tourism ad

A 4×12 meter image ofPalawan is being showcasedaround the major streets ofWarsaw, Poland.

Philippine Ambassador toPoland Edgardo R. Manuellaunched the project whichs h o w c a s e s t h e N a t i o n a lGeographic's winning photo ofGeorge Tapan last April 25.

The image, shot in OnukIsland, Balabac, Palawan, ismounted on one full side of aWarsaw City Sightseeing hop-on-hop-off tourist bus.

The project will run from

May to July 2012, building-uptowa rd s t h e Ph i l ip p in es 'Independence Day celebrationsand the Euro Cup 2012 wherethousands of tourists areexpected to attend.

The project has been madepossible through the valuablesupport of Honorary ConsulEdward Magiera, President ofED&F Man, and KrzysztofSzymborski of the Balt icContainer Terminal, a subsidiaryof International ContainerTe r m i n a l S e r v i c e s , I n c .Inquirer.net

Gov't to spend P4.17Tfor infrastructure,tourism, social projects

The Aquino administrationhas committed P4.17 trillionworth of public investments inthe remainder of its term tomake the benefits of thegrowing economy trickle downthe poor.

Arsenio Balisacan, directorg e n e r a l o f t h e N a t i o n a lEconomic and DevelopmentAuthority (Neda), said thegovernment acknowledged thatgains from the country'sexpanding economy remainedexclusive largely to the middleclass and the rich and that itvowed to help address thephenomenon through higherpublic investments.

In a speech Tuesday duringan economic forum organizedby the Investor Relations Office(IRO), Balisacan said the publicinvestment program for thesecond half of the Aquinoadministration was valued atP4.17 trillion.

“The proportion of the poorhas remained high from 2003 to2009 despite modest economicgrowth during the period.Poverty rate dropped to 25.2

percent in 2012 [from 26.3three years before], but we had asetback last year,” Balisacansaid.

Last year, poverty incidencewas expected to have risen fromthe 2012 level due to thea d v e r s e i m p a c t o f a nearthquake that hit the Visayasin October and Supertyphoon“Yolanda” that struck inNovember.

The biggest share of P2.46trillion in public expenditures ism e a n t f o r v a r i o u sinfrastructure projects that willboost investments and to makeru ra l a re a s a n d to u ri s mdestinations more accessible.

The second-biggest share ofP733.14 million is intended tofund projects and programs fors o c i a l d e v e l o p m e n t ,particularly education, skillstraining, and health.

Development of fisheriesand agriculture sector will bethe biggest beneficiary as it willget P549.06 million out of thetotal targeted spending for thepublic investment program.

The balance will be used tofund other initiatives meant tohelp achieve inclusive growthsuch as projects and programsmeant to make disaster-proneareas resilient, those meant toaid innovation in the servicesand industry sectors and thoseintended to implement reformsin the bureaucracy to furtherpursue the good-governancea g e n d a , a m o n g o t h e r s .Inquirer.net

Arsenio Balisacan

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 21

To advertise, please call 201-434-1114

March 21 - 27, 2014

AirAsia to fly KL-Kalibo fourtimes weekly starting AprilBy Emmie Abadilla

AirAsia will start flying directfrom Kuala Lumpur to Kalibo, thegateway to tourist haven, BoracayIsland, four times a week on April 18,2014, every Monday, Wednesday,Friday and Sunday.

This will be AirAsia's thirdPhilippine destination with directflights available via AirAsia Zest fromKuala Lumpur, Miri and KotaKinabalu.

I n c o n j u n c t i o n w i t h t h eannouncement, AirAsia will be givingaway Free Seats with applicable taxesand fees one way for P1,078 which areavailable for booking online atwww.airasia.com from 12:00 p.m.today, February 19 until February 23,2014.

Apart from the Free Seats,AirAsia's global loyalty program, BIGis also offering Priority Redemptionfor BIG members from 0 BIG Pointsonwards, beginning 0001hrs to

1200hrs (GMT+8) on 19th February,ahead of the general public.

The travel period for these freeseats will be from the commencementof the inaugural flight on 18th April2014 until 31st January 2015.

Apart from the website, the freeseats can also be booked via AirAsia'smobile apps which are available oniPhone, Android devices , theBlackberry Z10 and now on theWindows Phone platform as well.Simply search AirAsia on therespective app stores to downloadand start booking!

“We are proud to add Kalibo, thegateway to Boracay Island, to ourextensive list of exciting destinations,”announced Aireen Omar, ChiefExecutive Officer of AirAsia Berhad.

“AirAsia has the widest networkcoverage throughout ASEAN and thePhilippines is an emerging market forlow cost carriers,” she added. ManilaBulletin

World Bank scales downPH growth forecastBy Chino Leyco

The World Bank has slightlylowered its economic growth forecastfor the country due to the supertyphoon “Yolanda” that struck centralPhilippines in November last year.

In a statement, the WashingtonD.C.-based lender said yesterday thatthe Philippine gross domestic product(GDP) will grow by 6.6 percent thisyear, lower compared with the bank'spre-Yolanda forecast of 6.7 percent.

The World Bank, meanwhile,raised its 2015 forecast for thePhilippines to 6.9 percent from anearlier 6.8 percent.

“[The growth will] depend on thespeed and scope of the reconstructionprogram. The key challenge of thereconstruction process is to developand enforce explicit standards for'building back better' for safe andr e s i l i e n t b u i l d i n g s a n dinfrastructure,” World Bank said.

“An action-oriented, coalition-supported program on generatingmore and better jobs is needed,” itadded.

World Bank said by addressingthe jobs challenge and ensuringtimely as well as sustainablereconstruction in affected areas willhelp disaster survivors get back ontheir feet and mitigate future risksfrom calamities.

Motoo Konishi, World Bankcountry director said the $8 billionreconstruction program launchedrecently by the government willreduce the negative impact of thetyphoon and enable the country tobuild back better homes, schools,h e a l t h f a c i l i t i e s , u t i l i t i e s ,infrastructure, and livelihoods.

“Over the coming years, acomprehensive agenda to support ther e v i v a l o f a g r i c u l t u r e a n d

m a n u f a c t u r i n g w i l l f u r t h e rstrengthen the country's resilience tocalamities,” Konishi said.

“Reforms to secure propertyrights, enhance competition, simplifyregulations, and increase investmentsi n h e a l t h , e d u c a t i o n , a n dinfrastructure will make this happen,”he added. The disruption to economicactivity in the affected areas will pulld o w n g ro w t h t h ro u g h l o we rc o n s u m p t i o n , b u t a s p e e d yi m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f t h eReconstruction Assistance on Yolanda(RAY) program would partially offsetthe decline in consumption, Konishisaid.

Meanwhile, the downside risks togrowth, the World Bank said couldcome from a slower global recoveryand the end of quantitative easing inthe US.

“Slower growth in high incomecountries and in China wouldtranslate into lower external demandgiven the country's strong linkages tothe global supply chain for electronicparts. A slower Chinese economycould also stall the recovery ofPhilippine exports,” the bank said.

Karl Kendrick Chua, World Banksenior economist for the Philippinessaid the scaling back of quantitativeeasing in the US would result in higherborrowing costs, lower capitalinflows, and a decline in asset pricesin the Philippines.

“ W h i l e h i g h l y l e v e r a g e dbusinesses and households may beaffected, the overall impact on thePhilippines is expected to bemanageable, given its strong currenta c c o u n t s u r p l u s a n d h i g hinternational reserves, flexibleexchange rate system, and sustainabledeficits and debt levels,” Chua said.Manila Bulletin

More malls eyed by newproperty developerBy Doris C. Dumlao

MANILA -- DoubleDragonProperties Corp., a joint venturebetween Mang Inasal founderEdgar “Injap” Sia II and Jollibeeg ro u p fo u n d e r To ny Ta nCaktiong, expects to invest up toP23.75 billion to build 100community malls under the“CityMall” chain brand in thenext five to six years.

Sia, DoubleDragon chair, saidthis rollout of the 100 CityMallcommunity malls would bring to700,000 square meters theleasable space inventory ofCityMall Commercial CentersInc. (CMCCI), the propertydeveloper's flagship unit.

For the first 25 CityMalls thatwill be completed between nowand the end of 2015, capitaloutlays are estimated at P6.35billion, Sia said at an investors'b r i e f i n g i n r e l a t i o n t oDoubleDragon's initial publicoffering.

After raising equity throughan initial public offering worth asmuch as P1.16 billion, Sia saidDoubleDragon would tap thedebt market to augment fundingfor its expansion plans.

“The company intends tooffer P3 billion first tranche offund raising either (through saleof) bonds or corporate notes orcombination by the secondquarter of this year,” Sia said.

While bonds require atedious registration processbecause they are sold throughretail investors, corporate notesare sold to no more than 19institutional investors, thusoffering faster fund-raising fortop-tier corporations.

CityMall, which the companyintends to be its flagship project,is envisioned to become one oft h e l a r g e s t i n d e p e n d e n tcommunity mall chains in the

country with a footprint of about5,000 to 10,000 square meterseach. Each community mall willbe located in prime locations allover the country, but mostly inthe Visayas and Mindanao.

Ahead of DoubleDragon'sIPO, tycoon Henry Sy's SMInvestments Corp. has acquireda 34 percent stake in CMCCI butDoubleDragon kept a 66 percentinterest as well as managementcontrol. Inquirer.net

http://doubledragon.com.ph/ photo

Asia's Q1 business sentiment

upbeat; Philippines most bullishAsia's top companies are

more upbeat in their businessoutlook in the first quarter of2014, with Philippines showingsolid improvement amid othercountries' persistent concernsover the global economy,according to the latest AsiaBusiness Sentiment Surveypublished on Wednesday.

The poll, conducted byThomson Reuters in associationw i t h I N S E A D , a g l o b a lmanagement and businessschool, was compiled betweenMarch 3 to 14. The indexsurveyed more than 200 ofAsia's top companies in 11economies across sectorsincluding property, financialsa n d t e c h . C o m p a n i e sparticipating in the surveyi n c l u d e d H y u n d a i H e av yIndustries, Fast Retailing Co.Ltd. and International ContainerTerminal Services. Of the 102A s i a n c o m p a n i e s t h a tresponded, 65 percent reporteda neutral outlook, 31 percentwere positive and 3.92 percentw e r e n e g a t i v e i n t h e i rprospects.

Corporate sentiment in thePhilippines rebounded the most

in the first quarter of 2014, withall 12 respondents reportingpositive sentiment that pushedthe sentiment index to 100, evenas the majority of them wereconcerned about the uncertaing l o b a l e c o n o m y . M o s tcompanies in the countryreported higher new orders andemployment levels as massiverebuilding efforts, including thegovernment's $3.1-bil l ions p e n d i n g p l a n a f t e r adevastating typhoon in earlyNovember, are set to helpsustain strong economic growththis year.

Together with Philippines,South Korea also outweighedweakness in China, India andAustralia amid persistentconcerns over the globaleconomy.

O v e r a l l s e n t i m e n t i nSoutheast Asia's $15-trillioneconomy was mostly positive,with Thailand being the onlycountry in negative territorydue to the lingering politicalturmoil. In export-reliant northAsia, Japan and South Koreashowed a solid recovery as theyreported increased orders. Yet,14 out of 17 respondents in

Japan were neutral on businesssentiment as they brace for ahike in consumption tax fromApril, which may ease a recentr e c o v e r y i n d o m e s t i cconsumption.

Uncertainty about the globaleconomic outlook and risingcosts remained the biggest riskfactors for the region's firms,according to the survey, whichalso found sentiment in theautos, retail and resources e c t o r s i m p rove d , w h i l econfidence among companies inthe building sector tumbled.Solid gains in Japan, South Koreaand regional trading hubSingapore supported the index,but weaker sentiment fromChina, Australia and Indiaunderscored fragile prospectsfor an improvement in globaldemand.

C h i n a ' s e x p o r t sunexpectedly dropped 18percent in February, fuelinginvestor concerns over coolinggrowth in the world's second-biggest economy. Chinesepremier Li Keqiang said thee c o n o m y f a c e d “ s e v e r echallenges” in 2014 and hinted

u Page 22

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 22March 21 - 27, 2014

Why the Filipino can take the global centerstageApprentice Asia's Jonathan Yabut and renowned author and speaker Fredrik Haren talk of finding

one's grit, sparking creativity, and finding the right mindset

By Irene Fernando

The Filipino is poised to conquerthe world and the Philippines isbound to lead other countries interms of technology, trends, products,talent, everything.

This statement may seem so boldand even self-serving, but it is notentirely a lie. After all, the country isonce again on the radar of othereconomies, and Filipinos have earnedthe reputation of being talentedindividuals in a wide array ofexpertise. Yet the words “poised” and“bound” make the statement seemthis is still in the pipeline.

So what is missing? What wouldmake the puzzle complete so that theFilipino can reach his potential andthe Philippines can be on top again?

If you ask the first Apprentice Asiawinner, who happens to be 100percent Pinoy, he would pointtowards the fact that the Philippineshas been through a lot in the past andthis has made a lot of Filipinos settlefor the status quo.

“We've gotten this automaticmindset that it's okay to be at thislevel because we've always beenthere. A lot of us are risk-averse,believing that we'd rather be at thisstage that is controllable versusshaking things up and gambling,”asserts 29-year-old Jonathan Yabutduring the first London Speaker

Bureau Breakfast Luncheon held inManila recently.

Yabut, who spoke about dreamingbig no matter how small one is, shareshis experience in the reality TV showthat earned him his position as Chiefof Staff of Tony Fernandes, CEO ofaward-winning budget airline,AirAsia.

While he could have been happywith his eight-to-five job as a ProductManager for International Services ofGlobe Telecom and later on as SeniorBrand Manager at GlaxoSmithKline,Yabut strove for something more. “Itold myself I don't want to be a smallfish in a big pond. I wanted to prove tothe world that the Philippines coulddo it. I took the risk,” the Economicsmajor from U.P. says.

“If I got eliminated and booted outof the first episode, it would be a bigembarrassment, but I told myself Idon't have any option. It's either youdo it or you don't. You're going to live alife anyway, so you might as well dosomething about it - how I wish moreFilipinos would think like that,” heshares.

Even renowned author andspeaker Fredrik Haren firmly believesin the potential of Filipino creativity.The founder of The InterestingOrganization, one of Sweden's leading

creativity companies, says thePhilippines is one of the countries inAsia that has the highest level ofcreative confidence.

Haren believes we should takeadvantage of our experience underdifferent countries in the past.“Creativity is the ability to take twoexisting things and to combine themto improve lives. The Filipinos arebest positioned to do this. Why?Because you've been invaded so manytimes. You have knowledge aboutmany cultures - Spanish, Asian,American and your own culture - youhave knowledge of the whole world,”he points out. “If anyone can sell andd o g l o b a l p r o d u c t s w i t hunderstanding of what the worldwants, no country is in better positionto do so than you,” he says.

“That does not mean you aregoing to [be]…it means you have thepotential,” says Haren, who authoredboth “The Idea Book” and “TheDeveloping World”. “But that's goodenough. Just add grit,” he says.

Grit is what Yabut refers to as the“unexplainable secret to success” thatis “out there”. It was what has pushedthis consistent class valedictorian towork doubly hard to realize hisdreams. “That grit for me was sourcedfrom my insecurities of my humblebeginnings. I told myself I'm going to

make it big even if I don't have somuch in life. I wanted the Filipino tostand out in an international arena,”Yabut, who saw all 154 episodes of theentire Apprentice franchise, shares.

If Filipinos can find their own gritand use it to be more creative, will wefinally find our spot in the worldwithout having so much doubt inourselves?

Haren says one thing that isholding us back is our islandmentality that thinking that we needto conquer our own island. Accordingto him, for businesses to besuccessful, companies must stopbeing nationalistic to a fault. “Don'tfocus so much on the Philippines.Focus on making products for theworld. You don't have to be huge to beglobal. Have a global mindsetregardless of what you do,” he advises.

He observes, too, that someFilipinos are so conscious about beingFilipino that they forget to be human.“It's not bad to be Filipino. You shouldbe proud, but you should not let thatdefine who you are. Add another layerto your mindset,” he suggests.

Learning to focus on what is goodabout the Philippines as a country isone. There are some things in theFilipino culture that we shouldactually let go of because they are badfor us. “And you've done it before. Yourculture is about opening up, that's theFilipino culture. So you shouldembrace that. You excel at what you'regood at and then you get rid of thethings that are bad,” he ends. ManilaBulletin

Taking Advantage Of Being A

Pinoy

Of Finding Grit And Letting Go

Jonathan Yabut

Fredrik Haren

Asia’s Q1 ...From page 21

Beijing would tolerate a slowerexpansion while it pushes throughreforms aimed at providing moresustainable growth in the future.“The sentiment (in China) is notg re a t … T h e re i s n' t a l o t o ftransparency on what happens next,”said Stephen Green, head of Chinaresearch at Standard Chartered.

By sector, the retail industryshowed a big improvement, with halfof the eight respondents neutral andthe other half positive, taking thereading up 17 points to 75 from 58 inthe fourth quarter of 2013. In a sign ofgrowing confidence in the sector,Asia's top apparel retailer, Japan'sFast Retailing Co. is among global

retailers expanding aggressively inAsia, with plans to boost sales ingreater China by more than 30percent this year. “A recoveringeconomy has contributed to therosier performance of retailing indeveloped countries in Asia,” saidEuromonitor International analystHoney Lim.

“In addition, the completion ofnew and revamped malls in the citycentre and suburbs has supportedvalue growth of retai l ing inSingapore in 2014. High rental costs,particularly in Singapore and HongKong, also drove prices upwards asretailers pass increasing costs to end-consumers.”

S e n t i m e n t a m o n g A s i a na u t o m a k e r s a l s o i m p r o v e dconsiderably, with all 11 respondentssaying they were neutral on theoutlook. Manila Bulletin

Great people throughout historyoften fail, quite miserably, beforefinally reaching their goals, saysinternational business strategist DanWaldschmidt.

“Van Gogh sold only one paintingduring his lifetime; Winston Churchilllost every public election untilbecoming prime minister at age 62;Henry Ford went bankrupt five times;Albert Einstein was a terrible studentand was expelled from school;Sigmund Freud was booed from astage,” says Waldschmidt, author of“Edgy Conversations: How OrdinaryPeople Achieve Outrageous Success,”(www.EdgyConversations.com).

“Ideas, brilliance, genius they allmean nothing without the guts,passion and tenacity necessary tomake your dream a reality. But often,people fall back on excuses and give

up on trying to reach their goals.”Most of us have dreams, and many

of us have big ones, but few of usactually see them through, he says.

He offers six tricks for jumping offthe excuse train and forge the path toyour goals.

Mean, small-mindedpeople know that they suck. That'swhy they are so cranky and eager topoint out others' mistakes. They hopethat by causing others to feelinadequate, everyone will forgetabout how woefully off the mark theirown performance is. Don't blameanyone, for any reason, ever. It's a badhabit.

Not everything needs tobe done in place of sleep. If you workfor a boss, then you owe them solid

time. You can't cut that out. You can,however, cut out television time,meetings and anything else that getsin the way of achieving your goals.Replace entertainment with activitytoward your goal.

You're alive to succeed.Stop comparing your currentproblems to your last 18 failures. Theyare not the same. You are not the same.Here's something to remember: Yourentire life has been a training groundfor you to capture your destiny rightnow. Why would you doubt that? Stopwhining. Go conquer.

And then do itnext time. If you spend a decade ortwo earnestly trying to be better,that's exactly what will happen. Thenext best thing to doing somethingamazing is not doing somethingstupid. So learn from your mistakesand use the lessons to dominate.

Exercise is a great example. Living inthe moment requires you to live atpeak performance. A huge part ofmental fitness is physical fitness. Asparring or running partner is a greatway to refresh physical competition.Physical activity accelerates mentalmotivation.

Do this once or twice and

you'll snap out of your funk pretty fast.When you start genuinely apologizingfor being a bad influence on thosearound you, you learn to stop whiningand start winning.

Dan Waldschmidt is the author of“Edgy Conversations: How OrdinaryPeople Achieve Outrageous Success,”(www.EdgyConversations.com). He isan international business strategist,speaker, author and extreme athlete.His consulting firm solves complexmarketing and business strategyproblems for savvy companies all overthe world. Dow Jones calls his EdgyConversations blog one of the topsales sites on the internet. He's beenprofiled in BBC, Fox News and TheToday Show, and he is a sought-aftermedia source.

Avoid the need to blame others

for anything.

Stop working on things that just

don't matter.

Refuse to let yourself wallow in

self-doubt.

Ask yourself, “What can I do

better next time?”

Proactively take time to do

things that fuel your passion.

Apologize to yourself and those

around you for having a bad

attitude.

About Dan Waldschmidt

How to Overcome Excuses in 20146 Tips to Gain the

Edge and Meet

Your Goals

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 23

u Page 24

u Page 24

March 21 - 27, 2014

Sugar Pie DeSanto, FilipinoAfrican American blues legend

By Boying Pimentel

SAN FRANCISCO, California --Her parents her dad was a Filipinoimmigrant, her mom an AfricanAmerican named her UmpeyliaBalinton.

That wouldn't have worked as astage name at music clubs andb l u e s f e s t i v a l s w h e r e s h eeventually became famous andadored.

So Umpeylia, derived from“ampalaya,” which was also herFilipino grandmother's name,became Sugar Pie DeSanto.

She's a pioneer in the bluesworld, an incredibly dynamicperformer who shared thelimelight with the likes of Howlin'Wolf, Willie Dixon and Etta James.

You can see what an amazingperformer she is in a black-and-white clip from a 1964 bluesfestival in England.

Etta James was her close friend,so close in fact that it's beenreported incorrectly that they werecousins. That's not surprising sinceEtta James spent a great deal oftime with Sugar Pie's family whenthey were growing up in SanFrancisco in the 1950s. They werepractically sisters.

In fact, they even beganexploring the music world

together, although Etta Jameswould eventually become morewell known than her childhoodfriend. To be sure, Sugar Pie had herown following, revered as singerand artist.

In 2008, she was honored witha Pioneer award by the Rhythm andBlues Foundation. She was 73 then.But watch her bring the housedown in another clip of theceremony in Philadelphia in whichBonnie Raitt introduced her.

“I've been in this business 56years and this has never happenedto me,” she said.

The award followed a painfulchapter in her life. I first heardabout her eight years ago fromnews of a tragedy in Oakland notfar from where I live.

In October 2006, Sugar Pie'sapartment burned down. Shesurvived, but her husband, JesseDavis, did not. Her name came upagain last July.

I was then in Manila for theCultural Center of the Philippinep r o d u c t i o n o f m y p l a y ,“Pramoedya,” about the Indonesiannovelist Pramoedya Ananta Toerwho was imprisoned by theSuharto dictatorship in the '70s butwho did not let years of abuse andoppression stop him from writingpowerful novels about his people.

I certainly would not haveassociated Sugar Pie with a famousIndonesian writer. But somehowthat connection was made throughfilm director Auraeus Solito, nowknown as Kanakan Balintagos.

Kanakan saw the play and saidhe felt for Pramoedya even thoughhe didn't know much about theIndonesian novelist. And that washow the Sugar Pie connection cameup.

He asked me to join a project: totell the story of a great artist, whosetale deserves to be known by abroader audience. For while SugarPie is a legend in American music,many people, including Filipinos,are not familiar with her story.

A team led by producer Jong DeCastro and Kanakan, together withSugar Pie's longtime manager andfriend, Jim Moore, wanted toc h a n g e t h a t t h r o u g h adocumentary film on her life andcareer.

The film is to be called“Bittersweet,” a play on UmpeliyaBalinton, aka Sugar Pie DeSanto'snames.

We hope to turn this into acommunity effort, so I ask you tocheck out the site for the project ats u g a r p i e d o c u m e n t a r y. c o m .Inquirer.net

Sugar Pie DeSanto. Screengrab fromyoutube.com/watch?v=XZIzF2uC9MM

Sugar Pie DeSanto at the 2008 Pioneer Awards

Jessica Sanchez airssupport for MalayaBy Jecelyn V. Macahindog

Fil-Mexican “American idol”runner-up Jessica Sanchez ishappy that half-Pinay MalayaWatson, 16, made it to the finalsof “American Idol” Season 13.

“I hope she makes it really,really far. I hope she does well. Ihaven't been able to watch theshow much but I hear that she'sdoing awesome. Good luck toyou. I'm here to support,”Sanchez told ABS-CBNNews.

She gave the young Top 10contender this piece of advice:“Just stay strong, don't give upeven if there are haters outthere.”

The singer-actress said shehopes to meet with Watsonsoon. Manila Bulletin

Half-Pinay Malaya Watson

Gervais: Being a pop starin PH and taking on Vegaswith a Muppet

Ricky Gervais with Miss Piggy and Kermit; (inset) a young Ricky as part of

Seona Dancing

By Janet Nepales

Los Angeles -- “I don't knowhow I became so popular in thePhilippines in the '80s as a pop starw h e n m y s o n g s f l o p p e deverywhere,” the 52-year-oldactor-comedian Ricky Gervais toldus when we talked to him for hislatest movie, “Muppets MostWanted.”

Nearly 30 years ago, the formerGolden Globe host stole the heartsof many Filipino teenagers as thelead singer of Seona Dancing, aBritish New Wave group thatpopularized “More To Lose.” Rickythen looked like a young DavidBowie.

“I had lots of hair then and wasmuch slimmer,” the British actorsaid.

In the film by director JamesBobin, Ricky portrays DominicBadguy, the sidekick of Constantine(the world's number one criminaland a dead ringer for Kermit), whop o s e s a s t h e M u p p e t s '

international tour manager.A sequel to 2011's “The

Muppets,” the movie also stars TinaFey (as Nayda, a Russian Gulagofficer who is a fan of Kermit) andTy Burrel l (as Jean PierreNapoleon, a French Interpolinspector looking for Constantine).

Ricky, in fact, gets to sing anddance with the Muppets in thismovie. His song with Constantinetitled “You're Number 1, I'mNumber 2” is very catchy.

He got to improvise “lots” in themovie. “You work on the page; youadapt it. You do a few for fun. Then Iusually ruin the take fromlaughing…”

He added, “I think that when Iam hired, it's usually to be a bit ofme. I am not hired to be like DanielDay-Lewis. I am hired to be a bitlike Ricky Gervais, a snarly, ruderversion. So I think that they let medo my own thing to a certainextent.” On being a former pop star,he said, “I think it's every kid's

Those Flying EigenmannsBy Bayani San Diego Jr.

Filmmaker Peque Gallagafondly calls actor-siblings Michaelde Mesa and Mark and Cherie Gil,The Flying Eigenmanns. “Like thehigh-wire trapeze artist-familyThe Flying Wallendas , theEigenmanns perform death-defying acrobatics in acting,”Gallaga told the Inquirer. “They arefearless.”

Mark, Cherie and Michaelcomprise the second generation ofthis esteemed acting clan, oftenc o m p a r e d t o H o l l y w o o d ' sBarrymores.

Mom is character actressRosemarie Gil (whose filmographyboasts classics like Celso Ad.Castillo's “Burlesk Queen” andEddie Romero's “Ganito KamiNoon, Paano Kayo Ngayon”). Dad issinger-actor Eddie Mesa, “ElvisPresley of the Philippines” in the

1960s (Eigenmann is his realsurname).

The clan's third generation -Mark's children Gabby and AndiEigenmann and Sid Lucero andMichael's sons Ryan and Geoff

Eigenmann - is making headway inthe biz, too. Cherie's daughterBianca has shown a keen interestin acting as well. (Even the in-lawsare award winners - Gina Alajar(Ryan and Geoff's mom), JaclynJose (Andi's), Bing Pimentel(Sid's).

Third generation

Mark Gil (left), Cherie Gil and Michael de Mesa with the clan'snewest member, Ruis Cael, Ryan's son Facebook photo

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 24March 21 - 27, 2014

Gervais: Being a

pop ... From page 23

dream. I was 20 and I wanted to be apop star. That was a mistake. I shouldhave wanted to be a musician. And Inever made that mistake again. Sowhen I came to this, I knew that Ishould be a writer first and an actorsecond. That's what that (experience)taught me. I will always earn if I am awriter or a stand-up. I will never be anout of work actor, because I will just goon the road.”

Ricky described his younger self as“unbearable… I always wanted to bethe funny guy be funnier than the guynext to me. I wanted to be the last guyat the party telling the best jokes. ThenI got fat, and that was the best thing

that ever happened to me.”He did lose the weight, however.

“That was for health reasons. I am stillthe fat guy inside.”

As for working with both Kermitand Constantine, Ricky said, “Well,Kermit is very sincere and so you cancon Kermit in character. Constantine,he's streetwise and he is evil so it's adifferent vibe. I love Kermit, but I loveworking with Constantine. I want to goon the road with Constantine. I want todo Vegas with Constantine.”

Ricky also described Miss Piggyand Kermit's relationship, saying, “Ilove the relationship because it's likeshe plays this huge diva who lovesKermit and who wants to be with him,wants to marry him… and Kermit isscared of her. He's intimidated by her.So he's really sweet…” Manila Bulletin

Those flying ...From page 23

Michael credited their parents forthe clan's prodigious talents. Eddie wasunderrated, Michael said. “He was agood actor, too.” Michael recentlyreturned from the United States(where he, his parents and his son AJare now based), to act in GMA 7'safternoon soap, “Innamorata.”

Like Cherie and Mark, Michaelstraddles the mainstream and indiescenes effortlessly. He may portrayIshmael Bernal in Chris Martinez'splanned biopic, and is committed to actin two plays this year: the musical “LaCage aux Folles” (Nine WorksProductions) and the straight drama“The Little Foxes” with his siblings. It'sthe first time they are sharing the stage.

“We last acted together on RPN 9's'Bisperas ng Kasaysayan' in 1994,”Michael said. They appeared withRosemarie and Gina in RPN 9's 1991series “Cebu,” megged by Gallaga. “I'mlooking forward to 'Little Foxes'; it'll beMark's first time onstage,” Michaelsaid.

“I have the same fears for thisproject, as for every play I do,” Cheriesaid, “but since I am collaborating withmy brothers, I am sure the end resultwill be pure magic.”

Mark is on pins and needles. “Stagedebut - it's exciting and scary!” he said.

Cherie and Mark recently sharedthe screen in Gabby Fernandez's indiefilm “Mana.” She described the “high” ofacting with a family member: “It'smuch more intense. 'Mana' was aboutcomplex family dynamics so it madethe task of tapping personal truthsmuch easier.”

She is currently portraying iconicVogue editor Diana Vreeland in “FullGallop” (Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium,RCBC Plaza; last two dates March 21and 23). “It's important for me to keepacting,” she said. “I am attracted to goodroles and great stories. But it is intheater that we find the best materialsfor women.”

Cherie has taken the bull by thehorns, producing her own stage plays(“Full Gallop”) and movies (Gallaga'swell-received “Sonata”) for hercompany, My Own Mann Productions.

M i c h a e l h a s ve n t u re d i n todirecting. (He did TV shows and moviesin the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Recently, he directed the Christmasepisode of the GMA 7 drama anthology“Magpakailanman.”)

Acting goldWhat is it about this clan that yields

acting gold? Mark swears he neverwatched his parents' old movies, noteven to study their technique. “Wenever talked about work; we still don't.It's uncanny that we are knownindependently… we each went our ownway.”

Do they pressure the youngergeneration to excel as well? “Not really,”Michael said. “I just advise them to lovethe craft because then, it will love youback.”

For the young ones, the familyname is certainly more blessing thanbaggage. Geoff told the Inquirer:“Everyone expects a lot; I take that as achallenge, not something negative.”

Sid has won several acting trophieshimself, but recalled pressure “in thebeginning.” He related, “People tendedto compare us with our elders. That'swhy I didn't use my real family name asscreen name. It's not a competition; wejust want to do well on our own.” (Thatscreen name is a tribute to his dad justthe same: It's the name of Mark'scharacter in the movie “Batch '81.”)

Sid, who last appeared in the GMA 7shows “Magkano Ba ang Pag-Ibig” and“Katipunan,” makes it a point to act inindie movies like Lav Diaz's four-hourepic, “Norte.”

Geoff is more identified withmainstream projects like GMA 7's“Adarna,” but would like to do indiefilms again. He did cameos in SigfriedBarros-Sanchez's “Mga Anak niBrocka” and Joel Ruiz's “Baby Angelo.”“I enjoyed doing those,” he said. “In'Baby Angelo,' I played a stoner… it fitme to a T!”

That's what sets the Eigenmannsapart, Sid noted. “We are not afraid ofbecoming the characters we play.” It'sall about honesty, dad Mark agreed, andgave pieces of advice to the thirdgeneration: “Be professional. Honeyour craft. Keep your feet on theground. Aim for longevity.”

Gallaga captured the Eigenmanns'acting secret succinctly: “It's a totalstate of being, an instinct for behavioraltruth. They have an ability tou n d e r s t a n d c h a ra c t e r a n d b eswallowed up by it. It's an utterdisregard for being beautiful, cool orsexy. It's genetic.” Inquirer.net

Pins and needles

TO ADVERTISE, PLEASE CALL

201-434-1114

By Bong Lozada

MANILA -- It has hauntedF i l i p i n o s o f c o u n t l e s sgenerations, and now it hasbedevilled American audiences.

Arguably Philippine folklore'smost frightening creature, the“Aswang” has swooped down onAmerican television screens andprovided the Filipino-brand ofscare, with NBC's “Grimm”grabbing the no. 1 spot of scriptedshows in the US on the evening ofMarch 7.

And no better actor to be inthe center of Philippine folklore'sposter “Wesen” than FilipinoReggie Lee.

“ G r i m m ,” a d e t e c t i v e -suspense thriller that featureshumans that turn into mythicalcreatures cal led “wesens,”catapulted to the top spot in theTV ratings as the “Aswang”-themed episode titled “MommyDearest” captured the hearts of

fans that was evident in the socialmedia hysteria.

Netizens expressed theirfright and shock after the“Aswang” landed on their fear-laden minds.

Twitter user, @tresgaus,simply described the episode as“Great” with an 8-of-10 ratingw h i l e @ D a i a n e B o l o n h e s icommended the episode as“Superb” and an 9-of-10 rating.

Lee, who spent his childhoodin Quezon City, hopes that therewill be more Philippine-inspiredepisodes and said that heoriginally submitted four Filipinocreatures of the dark to be cast as“wesens.”

In an interview with RubenN e p a l e s , I N Q U I R E R ' sEntertainment correspondent inHollywood, Lee said that hesuggested the “Aswang,” “Kapre,”“Tikbalang,” and “Duwende.”

“I'm so grateful that that thecreators of 'Grimm' decided to use

my actual heritage to introducemy character to the 'creatureworld,'” said Lee who stars asSargeant Drew Wu. “How often dowe have a Filipino storyline inmainstream television?”

In typical Filipino fashion, the“Aswang” snuck in the dark night,let out its long tongue, thenpreyed on a pregnant Filipina'sfetus' amniotic fluids but wasabruptly ended when the womanslashed the “Aswang's” tonguewith a shattered vase piece.

In a review from Den of Geek,“Aswang” was described asGrimm's “scariest monster yet.”

“This episode is rooted inFilipino folklore, and the 'Wesen'is as horrific as we're likely to seeon the big screen,” ChristineHorton said in her review.

In an unsavory twist of fateh o w e ve r, L e e' s c h a ra c t e r,Sergeant Drew Wu, was sent to apsyche ward after he confrontsthe “Aswang.” Inquirer.net

'Aswang' swoopsdown on AmericanTV, grabs No.1 spot

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 25March 21 - 27, 2014

Pinoy Relief: For Pinoys by Pinoys abroadBy Pau Aguilera

A s i d e f r o m b e i n g afundraising show for thesurvivors of typhoon “Yolanda,”the “Pinoy Relief ” benefitconcert held on Tuesday, March11, at the Madison SquareGarden in New York was also ashowcase of Filipino talent in aninternational level.

For one, Filipino-Americansinger and “American Idol”runner-up Jessica Sanchezenthralled the audience withher rendition of “Let It Go,” thehit theme of the Disneyanimated film “Frozen.”

W h a t m a d e h e rperformance of the BestOriginal Song at the 86thAcademy Awards extra specialw a s h a v i n g o n e o f i t scomposers, Fil-Am RobertLopez, accompany her on piano.

Jessica even praised Robertfor being part of an elite group ofartists that are “EGOT” winners.EGOT is the abbreviation of thefour major annual Americanentertainment awards: theEmmy, Grammy, Oscar, andTony. Robert is only the 12thperson to be part of this group,the first Filipino to become one,and the youngest one at that.

On being able to contributeto the relief efforts, Robert said,“Just to imagine the devastation

of the typhoon, you know, itbroke our hearts and we've beenlooking for a way to get back.”

Filipina pop sensationCharice also sang her hit“Pyramid,” while the band ReoBrothers, who originated fromTacloban, performed TheBeatles original “Help” as theircall for assistance.

The night also featuredshow headliner Academy Awardwinner Jennifer Hudson, and

Plain White T's, among others.According to “Pinoy Relief” co-chair Tony Alvarez, they areaiming to raise $5 millionequivalent to roughly P250million to aid the 55,000residents of Guiuan, EasternSamar.

“And over the next sixmonths, three basic things:Build homes, build schools, buyboats,” he said. Manila Bulletin

Jessica with one of the show's hosts, apl.de.ap (Instagram)

The 38th Hong Kong IFFpresents Philippines DayCharity screenings

Joel Torre in 'On The Job’

Hong Kong -- The Hong KongInternational Fi lm Festival(HKIFF) in collaboration with theFilm Development Council of theP h i l i p p i n e s w i l l h o l d t h ePhilippines Day March 30 intribute to the victims of TyphoonYolanda. Philippines Day presents“On the Job,” a sensation at the2013 Cannes Directors' Fortnight,directed by Erik Matti, starringPiolo Pascual and Joel Torre, and“Kimmy Dora: Ang KiyemengPrequel”, the latest chapter in asmashingly successful comedy

franchise, directed by ChrisM a r t i n e z , s t a r r i n g E u g e n eDOMINGO. Talents from both filmsEugene Domingo, Piolo Pascual,and Joel Torre will attend thescreening to meet the audience. Aportion of ticket sales will bedonated for the relief of thetyphoon victims.

The Festival will also screenseveral Filipino films in itsdedicated country- in- focussection “The Glories of FilipinoCinema”, including the highly-

u Page 26

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 26March 21 - 27, 2014

The 38th Hong

Kong ... From page 25

charged drama set in the Marcos yearsstarring Eugene DOMINGO Barber'sTales, the return of cult directorElwood Perez with “Otso,” Cannes FilmFestival 2013 acclaimed masterpiece

“Norte, The End of History” by Lav Diazand in the “Restored Classics” section,Lino Brocka's daring portrayal of streetlife and gay society in Manila in theManila in the Claws of Light (1975).

The 38th HKIFF will be held fromMarch 24 to April 7, with 300 titlesfrom 56 countries and regions, 88 ofwhich are world, international or Asianpremieres. Manila Bulletin

Eugene Domingo snags nomination at the“Asian Oscars” - 8th Asian Film Awards

The multi-talented Filipinoactress Eugene Domingo received aBest Actress nomination at theprestigious Asian Film Awards (AFA)for her role in the film Barber's Tales.The role had previously earned MsDomingo a Best Actress award atthe26th Tokyo International FilmFestival in 2013.

Eugene Domingo will face stiffcompetition from 4 other nomineesYoko Maki (Japan, The Ravine ofGoodbye), Han Hyo-joo (Korea, ColdEyes), Zhang Ziyi (Mainland China,The Grandmaster) and Hee Ching Paw(Hong Kong SAR, Rigor Mortis).However, Ms Domingo is no strangerto the AFA, having been nominated inthe Best Actress category in 2012 andwinning the Most Popular Actressaward via online voting. Her vastexperience in the film industry willdefinitely help in her bid to win anaward in the Best Actress category.

The AFA, dubbed the “AsianOscars” for its prestigious status andscale, will be held on 27 March 2014at Macau's City of Dreams state-of-the-art Dancing Water Theatre. Theaward ceremony will honor the best ofAsian films with 14 award categories.This year's award ceremony at Macausees a total of 73 nominations from 13countries and regions.

The annual Asian Film Awards wasestablished in 2007 as the first Asianfilm awards that recognizes all thecinematic talents in the Asian region.The AFA is the only ceremony in the

World that brings together the Asiancinematic elite.

The AFA will be the focal point ofglobal attention as World-renownedfilmmakers and celebrities gather onthe red carpet. The judging panelconsists of 12 respected film industryexperts that will screen the nominatedfilms through stringent judgingprocesses and eventually vote todecide the winners of each of the 14categories. The annual awardceremony has garnered attentionfrom both industry professionals andmovie fans alike. The AFA strives topromote cultural exchange betweenfilm industry professionals from allacross Asia in the hope of propellingAsian films to greater heights.

th

About Asian Film Awards

Eugene Domingo

Jasmine hopes to attendBrussels film fest for 'Puti'

MANILA - Coming from thesuccess of her first independentfilm “Transit,” Jasmine Curtis ishonored that another movie ofhers is making waves in theinternational scene.

Curtis' second independentmovie “Puti” has been includedin the official selection of the32nd Brussels InternationalFilm Festival in Belgium, whichwill be held on April 8 to 20.

But as much as she wants toattend the international festival,Curtis said she might not make itbecause of she has to shootanother movie.

“Gusto ko sana kaso merondin kaming isang movie nagagawin in that timeframe. It'sstill in the works. We are stillplanning and fixing everythingbut we've already met with Regaland we are hoping we will beshooting at around that date na,”she said.

Curtis, however, said all isstill good even if she doesn'tmake it to Brussels.

“Hindi pa namin sigurado ifwe can push the movie back for abit and attend the Brussels. Butotherwise, okay lang naman ifwe can't attend because ourdirector will be there for the film'Puti,'” she said. Curtis said she isexcited to work on her upcomingproject with Regal because shelikes doing suspense drama

films. But before that, Curtis saidshe first needs to focus on“Dementia,” her big-screenproject with veteran actressNora Aunor.

“We are leaving in a week togo to Batanes and we'll befilming the entire movie therefor two weeks. I'm trying to stillmentally psych myself paramaging prepared ako foreveryday work lalo na with Ms.Nora. Hanggang sa nandoon nas i g u r o a k o , s a k a k o n amararamdaman,” she said.

Curtis said she hopes tolearn from the veteran actress.

“We are not close yet. Oneday pa lang kami nagsama for ashoot… I feel very privileged. Ihave the advantage. Madamiakong matututunan from her.She may not tell me directly butfrom just observing her, I will beable to gain knowledge which Ican use in the future,” she said.

Jasmine Curtis

Vice Ganda gears upfor European tour

MANILA -- Comedian Vice Gandais preparing for his European tournext month.

On Twitter, the "It's Showtime"host expressed his excitement over hisnewest project.

" S o e x c i t e d f o r t h e#IViceGandaMokoSaEurope this

coming April!!!!! Yeeeeehaaaa!!!! TheHorse just keeps on kickin'!" he wrote.

V i c e G a n d a m a d e t h eannouncement right after hissuccessful tour in the United States.

"Thank you so much MadlangP e o p l e i n A m e r i c a f o r u ro v e r w h e l m i n g s u p p o r t !#IViceGandaMokoSaAmerika ConcertTour is such a huge success," he said ina Twitter post.

"Congratulations and Thanks SoMuch to the entire TeamVice for notjust a successful but also a verymemorable US Tour!!!! It was a blast!"adds Vice Ganda, who took a breakfrom hosting the ABS-CBN noontimeprogram "It's Showtime."

Vice Ganda won his Best Actortrophy from the 30th PMPC StarA w a r d s f o r M o v i e s f o r h i sperformance in the 2013 MetroManila Film Festival entry "Girl BoyBakla Tomboy."

Actress Toni Gonzaga accepted theaward on his behalf.

Vice Ganda

Mayor or governor?MANILA -- Should he enter

politics, TV host Luis Manzanosaid he would like to start asmayor of Lipa City, the samepost held by his mother, VilmaSantos, before she becameBatangas governor.

The 32-year-old actor was

asked which of the twopositions he prefers to pursueshould he decide to run forpublic office. Manzano has beenrumored to be reconsideringrunning for either Lipa mayoror Batangas governor in the2016 elections. u Page 27

Luis Manzano

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 27March 21 - 27, 2014

Will Anne Curtis' Dyesebel ratebetter than Marian Rivera's?By Walden Sadiri M. Belen

Anne Curtis is at the top ofthe social media game. HerInstagram account has morethan 1.5 million followers. OnTwitter, she has 6.14 millionfollowers. Her official Facebookfan page has more than 124,000likes and growing.

The question is, will it helpher establish a better pilotepisode rating for “Dyesebel”when it premieres tonight?

GMA-7′s version of the fairytale, starring Marian Rivera,premiered in 2008 with areported 44.9% rating.

Drumbeaters are crowingt h a t A n n e ' s v e r s i o n o f“Dyesebel” is the biggest andmost expensive produced ever.

Dreamscape EntertainmentTelevision, who is responsiblefor the Kapamilya Networkacquisition of “Dyesebel” andother Mars Ravelo classics, iskeeping mum on the cost of thefantaserye but just looking at thecast, one can deduce that theyspent millions already.

Joining Anne in the seriesare two of ABS-CBN's mostb a n k a b l e a c t o r s , G e r a l dAnderson and Sam Milby. Also inthe cast are Ai Ai delas Alas, ZsaZsa Padilla, Albert Martinez,Gabby Concepcion, Eula Valdez,Gina Pareno and Dawn Zulueta.

Pre-production includess w i m t r a i n i n g w i t h t h ePhilippine Mermaid SwimmingAcademy in locations like Coron,Palawan.

“Maraming preparationspara sa role na ito and for thewhole series. Nandun na 'yungt a m a n g p a g - a a ra l n g f i nswimming, 'yung pagwowork-out para maging fit and alsomaking sure na pwede akong

maging best Dyesebel ever parasa ating mga viewers for thisgeneration,” shared Anne.

Anne added that trainingusually lasts from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.As for her costume, shedescribed it as “tailor made.”

“It's made of silicon, whichwas made for my body. Talagangsinukatan ka. Nilagyan ngplaster ang katawan mo,” saidAnne, noting this is why shedoesn't have shells or haircovering her breasts.

With such a big production,“Dyesebel” directors DonCuaresma and Francis Pasionare thankful that they didn'tencounter any problems withtheir actors.

“Lahat sila very professionalna kahit alas tres ng madalingaraw si Ms. Ai Ai nasa gitna ngdagat na hindi nagrereklamo.Sabi ko nga kahit ako hindi kokaya 'yun. We're blessed withthe biggest and nicest stars,”commented Don.

“Sobra silang ka-daling ka-trabaho and humanga angprofessionalism nila kasi hindinga madali 'yung nasa dagat. SiAnne nga nanginginig sa gitnang dagat sa sobrang lamig. Pero'pag sinabi mong action, pag-lumangoy very graceful naparang walang temperature angtubig,” expressed Francis.

On her part, Anne said thatshe likes being Dyesebel as she isa “water baby.” Isn't she worriedthat being exposed to theelements might wreck havoc onher skin and hair ? What doesthe companies whose productshe endorses have to say?

“I think the companiesnaman understand if it's a role,'di ba? Like for example the goodthing about Belo is that I'mendorsing a sun block so pasokpa rin. So not so bad pa rin. All ofmy endorsements are veryexcited naman about me doing'Dyesebel,'” she replied. ManilaBulletin

Anne Curtis as Dyesebel

Yeng's movie 'Shift' winsin Osaka film festival

MANILA - The first big-screenproject of Yeng Constantino baggedthe top prize in the Osaka Asian FilmFestival 2014.

Directed by Siege Ledesma,Constantino's film “Shift” was namedbest picture, beating 10 other entriesfrom six other part ic ipat ingcountries.

A Cinema One Originals 2013entry, "Shift" tells the story of an"unconventional relationship"between call center agent Estela(Constantino) and her gay mentor,Trevor (played by Felix Roco).

As the winner, the people behindthe film will be receiving 500,000 yen.

Meanwhile, another Filipinomovie, “Anita's Last Cha-Cha” wasgiven a special mention.

The film tells the story of 12-year-old Anita (played by Teri Malvar),who falls in love with a grownwoman, Pilar (played by AngelAquino).

The other winners in competitionwe re H a J u n g - wo o fo r M o s tPromising Talent, Carina Lau for BestActress, "Forever Love" for the ABCAward and “Kano” for the AudienceAward.

In a statement posted in itsofficial website, Eugene Domingo,who is part of the jury of the 2014festival, thanked all the participantswho poured in all their hard work inall the film entries.

“While all of us on the jury agreethat this year the Korean films and thefilms from The Philippines are the

ones that impressed us the most, thehard work all of you filmmakers didmade our jobs watching so manymovies in such short amount of time awhole lot easier,” Domingo said.

“This year, we merit a film for it'ssimplicity, honestly and it's integrityfor pushing boundaries,” she added.

Aside from Domingo, the othermembers of the jury were Taiwan'sTom Shu-yu Lin, and China's YangLina.

The 8th Osaka Film Festival ranfrom March 7 to 16.

Yeng Constantino

Mayor or ... From page 26

"Kung saka-sakali mang papasokako sa landas na 'yan, I think it would beproper to start as mayor," Manzanosaid. "Ayokong rumatrat kaagad andhave so much even if I don't fullyunderstand what I'm in."

As advised by his mother, who ist ipped to be a possible vice-presidential candidate in 2016,Manzano said he intends to study firstbefore entering politics.

"As of this conversation, hindi pa,"he said, when asked to categoricallyanswer whether he is planning to run."I believe I have to study first. Peromalay natin, bukas baka mag-aral na

ako ulit . [ I can study] publicadministration and all the courses thatmom took also."

Luis said he can always undergo"on-the-job training" under Santos inBatangas, Manzano added, "Of course,gusto ko magsimula ng mas mababanang kaunti, dahil angdami ko pangkailangan matutunan."

"'You have to study,'" he said,recalling his mom's words. "Siya angnumber one na nagsasabi sa akin niyan.And she wants to talk to me about it,actually."

Following the recent finale of thegame show "Minute to Win It," which hehosted, Manzano announced that he isset to do another ABS-CBN project, butdidn't share details.

No bad blood between Ai Ai and KrisBy Pau Aguilera

Comedienne Ai Ai delasAlas has finally put to rest talksof her alleged rift with KrisAquino.

“Hindi kami galit,” Ai Ai said,repeating the words threetimes for emphasis, as seen onthe video of a recent ABS-CBNinterview.

She also requested themedia to stop asking her aboutKris, “kasi lumalaki nang walanamang kwenta. 'Wag na natinisali.” For Ai Ai, it's better “(na)manahimik na lang” so as not toaggravate matters.

The Comedy Concert Queenis even “willing” to appear onthe “Aquino & Abunda Tonight,”which Kris hosts with Ai Ai'stalent manager Boy Abunda.

“Oo naman, wala naman saakin 'yon. Alam naman natin namarami kaming pinagsamahanni Kris.”

Ai Ai is also “okay” with theidea of Kris doing the interview,“pero mas maganda kung si Boy

na lang, oo, siyempre ama ko'yon. Huwag kayong ganyan,intrigera kayo.”

Rumors about Kris and AiAi, who used to be co-judges on“Pilipinas Got Talent” and co-stars in the box office hit“Sisterakas,” not being on goodterms stemmed from theformer flying off to London

while the latter was grievingover the death of her biologicalmother, Gloria Hernandez.

Ai Ai had been evasive aboutthe issue in past interviews,while Kris has since publiclyapologized for not being therefor her friend during the time ofmourning. Manila Bulletin

'Inday Bote' to be turnedinto television series

MANILA -- Television and filmdirector Wenn Deramas will bedirecting the TV adaptation of RegalFilms' "Inday Bote," which originallystarred William Martinez, RichardGomez and Maricel Soriano as Inday.

Deramas revealed that after his hitafternoon series "Galema," which willair its finale on March 28, he will startworking on "Inday Bote" with teenstars Nash Aguas and Alexa Ilacad asInday.

Ilacad and Aguas are currently partof the teen series " LUV U."

"May sisimulan kasi akong agad-agad, 'yung 'Inday Bote,' teleserye,"Deramas said. Deramas said he hopesSoriano will like the TV series, which is

based on her classic comedy flick thatwas released back in 1985.

"Inday Bote," which began as akomiks novel by Pablo S. Gomez, tellsthe story of a tomboy and her youngerbrother Onyong who sell used bottles,one of which turned out to be magical.

Ai Ai and Kris

Alexa Ilacad and Nash Aguas

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 28March 21 - 27, 2014

'To have world-class athletes,take politics out of PH sports'By Alfred Dicioco

LOS ANGELES, California --Before Wilfred Uytengsu, Jr.,president and CEO of AlaskaMilk, became a competitive tri-athlete, he was a swimmer. Infact, he was the captain of theUniversity of Southern Californiaswim team.

Uytengsu recently returnedto his alma mater to inauguratethe renovated swimming facilitynamed after him, the UytengsuAquatics Center, thanks to his $8million donation, the biggest giftto USC by a student-athlete and aFilipino.

Uytengsu sat for an interviewwith INQUIRER.net to talk abouthis passion for swimming,lessons he learned from his latefather, and his thoughts on thestate of Philippine sports.

How was your experiencebeing one of the few minoritieson the USC swim team?

There was a JapaneseAmerican swimmer whose nameis Scott Matsuda and there wasB e n L a u wh o i s C h i n e s eAmerican. There were three of usthere during my time I neverreally looked at whether I wasAsian or Asian American, thatjust didn't really enter into theequation. It was whether youwere willing to put in the work asan athlete.

What must be done to havemore world-class athletes fromthe Philippines?

This going to be a little bitcontroversial, but I think weneed to take the politics out oft h e P h i l i p p i n e O l y m p i cCommittee (POC), the SportsCommission and I the PhilippineAmateur Swimming Association,of which I was briefly thepresident shortly after I returnedto the Philippines.

The parents approached meand said there are all kinds ofproblems in the swimmingprogram a lot of favoritism goingon. I was a victim (of favoritism)too. When I came back to swim inthe 1981 Southeast Asian Games,the coach took me out of mymajor events because hisswimmer was swimming thesame events. I said, “Well, let's

race right now. The fastestswimmer swims.” And he said,“No, it's too late to do that.” I saidit's going to take less than aminute.

In a sport like swimming ortrack and field, anything that'swith a stopwatch, it's prettysimple who should be on yournational team, the fastestathletes. Now you could argue infigure skating or gymnastics, it'sa subjective sport. It's a little bithard to do. But when it's time-based, it should be your fastestathletes.

Granted, we had the goodfortune of having the likes of theConcepcion Brothers, EricBuhain, Akiko Thomson, and afew others, all of whom weretraining in the United States. Youhave to ask yourself again, “Why

Wilfred Uytengsu Jr. YOUTUBE PHOTO

Bob Dylan, Ashanti visitPacman; Jessica to singPhilippine Anthem

Bob Dylan and Manny Pacquiao (Twitter) Manny Pacquiao and Ashanti (Instagram)

By Rowena Tan

Filipino ring icon Manny“Pacman” Pacquiao received severalunexpected celebrity visitors,March 13, at the Wild Card Gym inLos Angeles where he was trainingfor his rematch with American boxerTimothy Bradley on April 12.

Among the visitors are GrammyAward-winning musicians BobDylan and Ashanti.

On the same day, Pacquiao tookto twitter to share his photo withDylan, captioned, “After BOB DYLANw a t c h e d m e t r a i n t o d a y ,@FreddieRoach said, 'I think A HardR a i n ' s a - G o n n a F a l l o n@TimBradleyJr.'”

Dylan, who took up boxing in hislater years in an effort to stay fit, isknown for his songs “Blowin' In TheWind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin.'”

Ashanti, who has acceptedPacquiao's offer to sing America'sNational Anthem for the rematch,

dropped by to give Pacquiao a copyo f h e r r e c e n t l y r e l e a s e d“BraveHeart” album.

Pacquiao is no stranger tocelebrity visitors while training atthe Wild Card Gym.

Some personalities noted tohave visited Pacquiao in the pastinclude actors Mark Wahlberg,Christian Bale, Mickey Rourke andbasketball superstar Kobe Bryant,among others.

“American Idol” runner-upJessica Sanchez will sing thePhilippine National Anthem at therematch between Pacquiao andBradley.

Pacquiao announced this viaTwitter on Saturday.

“ T h e t a l e n t e d@JessicaESanchez will be singingthe Philippine National Anthem atmy fight with @TimBradleyJr onApril 12,” read his post. ManilaBulletin

'Talented' Sanchez

Lionel Messi breaks Fil-Spanish great's recordBy Cedelf P. Tupas

MANILA -- Filipino-Spanishfootball great Paulino Alcantara'sincredible scoring record of 369goals for top Spanish club Barcelonathat stood for 87 years was finallybroken Sunday, March 16.

And it took one of the world'sfinest footballers to make the newmark. Argentinian wonder LionelMessi passed Alcantara as the club'sall-time leading scorer with a hat-trick in Barca's 7-0 drubbing ofOsasuna in the Spanish La Liga.

Born in Iloilo City to a Spanishfather and a Filipino mother,A l c a n t a r a r e p r e s e n t e d t h ePhilippines and Spain at theinternational level.

“Paulino Alcantara is the bestfootball player to have representedthe Philippines in football,” saidPhilippine Football Federationpresident Mariano “Nonong”

Araneta, who also hails from Iloilo.

Alcantara, who became a doctorafter his playing days, powered thecountry to a 15-2 win over Japan inthe Far East Games in Tokyo in1917.

The win over Japan remains thebiggest in the country's footballhistory. The Japanese have sinceb e c o m e a n i n t e r n a t i o n a lpowerhouse while the Philippinessurged only recently in the worldrankings. Alcantara was the firstAsian to make a mark in Europeanclub football.

In 2007, the InternationalFootball Federation (Fifa) actuallynamed him the greatest Asianplayer of all time.

He earned the nickname“Romperredes,” or the Net Buster,after a goal he scored for Spainagainst France in Bordeaux in 1922was struck so hard it broke the net.Alcantara's exploits was celebratedby the PFF during its centennialcelebration in 2007. Inquirer.net

ACROSS

1. Ottoman title

6. Foliage

10. Head14. Bestow

15. Arab chieftain

16. Wicked

17. Sensible

19. Auctioned20. Used to boil water

21. Downwind

22. It ebbs and flows

23. Pry

25. Duck down

26. Stinging insect30. Ethically indifferent

32. Take advantage of

35. A short novel

39. A gripping hand tool

40. Disavowal41. Reasonable

43. A movement

downward

44. Afternoon nap

46. Cocoyam

47. Swindle50. An essay

53. Low-fat

54. Craggy peak

55. Wealthy

60. Where the sun rises61. Car

63. Affirm

64. Russian emperor

65. Brusque

66. Depend67. Arid

68. Precipitous

DOWN

1. Recreational area2. Away from the wind

3. Thin strip

4. Party thrower

5. Coral island

6. Meadow

7. Insignia8. Control surface on a

plane

9. No charge

10. Plague

11. Steer clear of12. Diacritical mark

13. Church officer

18. Born as24. Big wine holder

25. Roof overhangs

26. Cried

27. Spindle

28. Whirl

29. An amusingremark

31. Was a passenger

33. Course around a

star or planet

34. Small island36. Misled

37. Territory

38. Countertenor

42. Take up the cause43. Dip lightly

45. Disagreeable

woman

47. Transparent

48. Throw with effort

49. Artist's workstand51. Shade tree

52. Ancestors

54. Makes lace

56. Assist in crime

57. Calamitous58. If not

59. Bottomless

62. Mineral rock

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 29

EXPRESS CROSSWORD

Solution to Issue 11 CrosswordSolution to Issue 11 Sudoku

EXPRESS SUDOKUHOW TO PLAY: Place a number from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so that each

row, each column and each 3x3 block contains all the numbers from 1 to 9

March 21 - 27, 2014

To have ... From page

28

are our best swimmers trainingabroad?” Again, I think it's thepolitics. And so, the heads of all thenational sports associations,whether it's swimming, football,or basketball, I think they need toput the athletes' concerns first,make sure they have the rightcoaching, the right nutrition.

Unfortunately, I don't see thathappening and that's why we seethe Philippines less competitivetoday than we were 40 years ago.Now, I think there are a few peoplein sports who are trying to make adifference, but I don't think they'rein the majority.

Describe the work that you aredoing with the Alaska YouthDevelopment Program.

We have a professionalbasketball team that has achievedsome success given us somepedigree to run basketball camps.We have the franchise to sponsorboth Junior NBA, and this year welaunched Junior WNBA. We'repartnering with arguably the bestname in basketball globally, theNational Basketball Association,and with its coaches. We take thetop 10 players of the boys to play atournament. Last year, they got togo to Staples Center, and KobeBryant came out on to the court.We're also going to pick five girls todo that and one coach because werealized it's important that thecoaches have the fundamentals.

The second initiative is infootball. Long before the Azkalsbecame popular, we've longs u p p o r t e d s o c c e r i n t h ePhilippines, and we've run soccer

camps through the summer. Werun the single largest tournamentin the country called the AlaskaCup. We've been doing that for 16years, and 3,500 kids in a weekend,as young as five years old, from theclubs at school and organizationsparticipate.

We have added to that a smallbatch of aspirational tri-athletes;we have six children who we thinkhave the potential to become tri-athletes. We sponsor them in whatwe call Alaska Tri-aspire and we'dlike to see them (this is separatefrom the Triathlon Association ofthe Philippines) become the besttri-athletes they can be andperhaps represent the Philippinesone day at the Asian games, andwho knows, maybe one day, theOlympics.

How did your father, WilfredUytengsu, Sr., influence yourphilanthropic work?

My father had become morephilanthropically inclined in thelast 10 years of his life. He decidedthat he wanted to give back to oneof his universities. He was atStanford and he got his secondengineering degree at IndianaTech. He transformed the latter'salumni house, an old antebellumbuilding into a LEED (Leadershipin Energy and EnvironmentalDesign) certified green building.My father being an engineer wasreal ly intr igued about theenvi ron m en t a l en g i n eer in gchallenges for that, so he said,“Sure. Let's go ahead and do it.

I remember the stories that Iwould hear about him, talkingabout it almost like a teenager inthe enthusiasm of my father. Thesad part is, my father passed awaytwo months before the building

was completed. So I went toIndiana Tech and I kind of had togive the speech that he would havegiven for that.

It was really unfortunate thathe didn't get the chance to seewhat he wanted to share. I talkedto my wife whom I met at USC and Isaid, “We should not wait 'til we'renot around to give back because Ithink the joy, the pleasure ofseeing people receive what it is wegive and whatever that maybe, Ithink it's coming back ten-fold tous. Why wait 'til you're six feetunder when you can afford to doso?”

Why did you decide to donate$8 million dollars to the USCAquatics department?

The USC swim program is oneof the best in the nation. I wasn'trecruited to swim at a majorprogram. I had a chance to swim atsmaller ones. But when I wasinvited by a family friend to look atUSC and I saw the Olympians, Isaid to myself, “I would muchrather be a smaller fish in a bigpond and have the opportunity tocompete and participate at thehighest level possible.”

I was in a car accident in mysenior year. I broke my leg andthey said that I probably wasn'tgoing to swim again. And so, Ishowed up on campus in a castand had to start my first six toeight weeks swimming with a cast,which was kind of crazy.

T h e c h a l l e n g e s a n dopportunities I had at USC had abig impact on my life, personallyand professionally. I knew at somepoint in time that I would like to beable to give back to the university.Inquirer.net.

Chess sensation, women's hoops starhailed as UAAP Athletes of the YearBy Celest R. Flores

MANILA -- La Salle's chess sensationJan Jodilyn Fronda and Far EasternUniversity women's basketball starCamille Sambile shared the Athlete of theYear honors of UAAP Season 76.

Fronda and Sambile were not only thebest in their respective sports in theleague, but they also sparkled incompetitions abroad for the Philippines.

The two ladies were feted at theseason 76 closing ceremonies at CenturyPark Hotel in Manila Wednesday (March19) night. The 20-year-old Frondafinished 28th in the 2013 World JuniorChess Championship in Kocaeli, Turkey,and played in the ASEAN Age-Groupchampionship in Thailand last year beforeleading La Salle to a “four-peat' in chesschampionship and bagging her thirdstraight MVP award.

“I'm so happy. I wasn't expecting this,because almost every year the Athletes ofthe Year come from the popular sports. I'mhappy to be able to get the chance torepresent chess,” Fronda told reporters.

Although the Lady Tamaraws failed todefend their women's basketball crown,Sambile dominated the competition enroute to her first MVP award. Sambile was

also one of the national team mainstayswho helped the country clinch the silvermedal in the 2013 Southeast Asian Gameswomen's basketball tournament inMyanmar. “I really wasn't expecting this. Ifound out today, so I was shocked. Even inmy previous awards, I wasn't expectingthose. So I was really shocked,” said thesoft-spoken Sambile.

University of the East's youngerfencer Divine Romero, who also sawaction in last year's Asian Youth Games inNanjing, China, shared the limelight bywinning the juniors' AoY plum. The GreenArchers also hogged the spotlight forbagging the overall crown in the seniors'division for the second straight season.

The UAAP also paid tribute to athleteswho donned the country's colors in thelocal and international competition alongwith the league's rookie of the years andMVPs in all sports. The league also gavespecial distinction to those who excel notonly in sports but also in academics likevolleyball stars Abi Maraño of La Salle andKathy Bersola of UP, FEU booter DexterChio, NU tennis player Fritz Verdad,Adamson softbelle Elvie Entrina, USTtaekwondo's Jane Narra, Ateneo swimmerAxel Ngui and UE's Romero. Inquirer.net

UAAP season 76 Athletes of the Year receive their award at the closing ceremonies on March 19

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 30

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working woman fromWestern Europe and

her 2 cats.

References and securitydeposit requested.

Replies to:bettier1@gmail.com

PSYCHICLOUISE

Spiritual Leader andAdviser.

Help all problems oflife.

One free question byphone.

Also palm and cardreading.

Address:1265 Forest Avenue

Staten Island, NY10302

Telephone:

718-720-1865

LIVE-INNANNY

WANTED

Live-in full daynanny for 3

month old boy,light housework.

Infant careexperience with

valid ID essential.

Immediateemployment

possible

Call:

Or973-251-2428

732-236-4226

Eric'sSteakhouse inPalisades Park,NJ is looking to

hire experiencedsous chef,waiters,

waitresses andbusers.

Off Grand Aveat Palisades

Park.Public

transportation isstress free.

Ask for Eric.

201-960-3770

HOUSEKEEPERWANTED

Housekeeperneeded in

Morganville, NJ

Live in or out

Live in mustwork 1 weekend

day

Please callFelicia

732-688-9392

March 21 - 27, 2014

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 31March 21 - 27, 2014

THE FILIPINO EXPRESSPage 32March 21 - 27, 2014