MANILA, Dec 15 (Mabuhay) – Vice President Jejomar Binay said Monday that he would fi ght Senator Grace Poe should she run for president against him in 2016.

Asked if he would pursue his bid if the administration picked Poe to be its standard-bearer in 2016, Binay said: “Opo naman.” (Of course.)

He recalled that immediately after the elections in 2010, he al-ready declared his intention to be-come president.

“Kinabukasan matapos ang halalan, nagpahayag na ako. Talaga namang naghanda ako para maglingkod bilang pangulo ng ating bansa,” Binay said. (The day after the elections, I made the announcement. I have prepared myself to serve as the next presi-

dent of the country.)“Tutuloy akong magkakandi-

dato kahit sino pa po ang maka-kalaban,” he added. (I will run no matter who I run against with.)

Binay stressed, “Ang issue sa darating na halalan ay karana-san at kakayahan.” (The issue in the upcoming elections would be experience and capability.)

The Vice President has re-mained the top choice of 28 per-cent of voters, according to the latest Pulse Asia survey. Poe is second with 18 percent.

However, unlike Binay, Poe has repeatedly said that she had no plans of joining the presiden-tial derby.

And while they were being pit-ted against each other, Binay said

See BINAY, page 6

Vol. 3. No. 13 LOS ANGELES Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014

Lani to Charice:

Keep singing for Pinoys

See PAGE 10W W W . U S A S I A N P O S T . C O M

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

Vice President Jejomar Binay sprinkles holy water at the tomb of Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) at the Manila North Cemetery on the oc-casion of the 10th death anniversary of the acknowledged Filipino movie king on Sunday (Dec.14, 2014). Also in photo are Senator Grace Poe and movie-TV actress Susan Roces (2nd from left). (MNS photo)

MANILA, Dec 15 (Mabuhay) – Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday alleged that his former ally turned enemy, former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, was trying to convince their common friends in the United States to testify against him.

“’Yong complainant namin nag-punta sa America. Alam na namin kung ano ‘yong mga pinagpupun-tahan niya (Mercado). Pinagpipil-itan niyang tumestigo at gumawa ng istorya,” Binay said in a press statement.

Binay said Mercado, who went

to the US late last month, per-suaded their common friends there to testify that the Vice President received commissions from them for various projects in Makati City.

“’Yong mga gusto nilang tu-mestigo, pinupuntahan nila (Mer-cado’s camp) na magsinungaling – na tumanggap ako sa kanila ka-hit na wala naman ‘yon. …Pinun-tahan si gano’n. ‘Sabihin mo na lang si Binay, bati-bati na tayo. Hindi ka na namin pahihirapan sa Senate,’” Binay said.

Aside from talking to certain

individuals, Binay said Mercado also took photos of some proper-ties in the US, among them prop-erties allegedly owned by Merca-do himself.

Binay said he expects Merca-do to present these photos in the next hearing of the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee in January next year and make it appear that the properties are owned by him or his alleged dummies.

“Eto [si Mercado] kukuha ng litrato. [Tapos sasabihin,] ‘Prop-erty ito niya, property ni Binay

Members of ProGay and women’s rights group Gabriela rally in front of the Supreme Court in Manila last month to denounce the alleged government inaction on violence against women. The rally was held just as the high court was on its second day of oral arguments on the constitutionality of the PHL-US Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. The suspect in her death, as US Marine, has been charged with murder. (MNS photo)

By Joel GuintoManila, Philippines | AFP |

Monday 12/15/2014 – Philippine prosecutors on Monday charged a US Marine with murder over the death of a Filipino transgender woman, in a case that has fanned anti-American sentiment and tested close military ties.

Private First Class Joseph Scott Pemberton used “treachery, abuse of superior authority and cruelty” against his alleged vic-tim, lead prosecutor Emilie Fe de-los Santos said as she announced the charge.

“We believe we have a strong case,” delos Santos told a nation-ally televised briefi ng.

Pemberton will not be allowed to post bail, she said. Murder is punishable by up to 40 years in jail.

Jennifer Laude, a 26-year-old transgender woman also known

as Jeffrey, was found dead on October 12 in a cheap hotel in a red light district of the port city of Olongapo.

Pemberton, who had just fi n-ished taking part in US-Philip-pine military exercises near Olon-gapo, had checked into the hotel with Laude and was the last per-son seen with her, police said.

The charge sheet against Pem-berton released on Monday de-tailed what the prosecutors said was an unprovoked and relentless attack against a defenceless vic-tim.

“Respondent Pemberton choked Jennifer from behind. Ob-viously, in that position, Jennifer was deprived of the opportunity to defend herself,” the six-mem-ber prosecutors panel said in the charge sheet.

“Undeniably, respondent

MANILA, Dec 15 (Mabuhay) – Some 100 operatives from vari-ous law enforcement agencies swooped down on the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) Monday morning and discovered illegal drugs and some home items, including a hot tub, inside the maximum security compound of the prison.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, accompanied by elements

of the National Bureau of Inves-tigation (NBI), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Philippine National Police (PNP), held a surprise inspection at the national penitentiary’s maximum security compound amid reports that convicted drug lords are still able to continue with their opera-tions inside jail.

By Jérôme CartillierWashington, United States |

AFP | Monday 12/15/2014 – For-mer Florida governor Jeb Bush, brother of the 43rd president of the United States and son of the 41st, appears to be preparing a bid to become the 45th.

George H.W. Bush’s 61-year-old second son promised Sunday that he would make up his mind on whether to run “in short order.”

But would his presidential her-itage be a bonus or a burden?

As speculation grips Washing-ton at what is the de facto start of the November 2016 presiden-tial election, many commentators have spoken of Bush as a heavy-weight Republican contender.

But, aside from possible Bush fatigue, he shares with defeated 2012 Republican fl ag-bearer Mitt Romney a career in off-shore pri-

General Santos, Philippines | AFP | Sunday 12/14/2014 – Philippine boxing legend Manny Pacquiao vowed to chase Floyd Mayweather into ring submission after his US rival offered to fi ght him next year in a blockbuster world title face-off.

“He (Mayweather) has reached a dead end. He has nowhere to run but to fi ght me,” Pacquiao told AFP late Saturday, hours af-ter the undefeated Mayweather issued the May 2 challenge on US television.

The two were long-time rivals as the “best pound-for-pound” boxers of their generation, but the Speaking to Showtime Sports on Friday night, Floyd Mayweather said he wants his

next fi ght to be against Manny Pacquiao, who is coming off an impressive win over Chris Algieri (his opponent in this photo) last month in Macau, China.

By Glenda KwekSydney, Australia | AFP |

Monday 12/15/2014 – Two hos-tages and the lone Iranian-born gunman were killed as heav-ily armed Australian police early Tuesday dramatically stormed a central Sydney cafe to end a day-long siege sparked when the “self-styled sheikh” took 17 people hostage.

Police in SWAT-style gear

hurled percussion grenades and opened fi re, unleashing a fl urry of loud bangs and fl ashes in the eatery in the heart of Australia’s biggest city, after a number of the staff and customers managed to fl ee for their lives.

Police moved in after an ex-change of gunfi re, with the 50-year-old “lone gunman” shot and killed, New South Wales Po-

Binay: I will run against Poe

VP Binay: Mercado trying to convince more friends in US to testify against me

Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush to run for Bush 45th.

Jeb Bush a step closer toward White House run US Marine charged with murder

Pacquiao says Mayweather has ‘nowhere to run’

Drugs, hot tub, Playstation seized inside Bilibid

Gunman, two hostages killed as police storm Sydney siege cafe

See MERCADO, page 6

See BILIBID, page 6

See SYDNEY SIEGE, page 6

See JEB BUSH, page 6

See PACQUIAO, page 6

See US MARINE, page 6

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST2

MANILA, Dec 15 (Mabuhay) – The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has inhibited itself from the plun-der and graft charges of Senator Jinggoy Estrada related to the pork

barrel scam.In a letter dated December 10

addressed to Presiding Justice Am-paro Cabotaje-Tang, the division said it was inhibiting due to per-

sonal reasons.“May we request for our re-

fusal in the above-indicated criminal cases for personal rea-sons,” said the letter signed by Division Chair Associate Justice Roland Jurado, and members Associate Justices Alexander Gesmundo and Ma. Theresa Do-

lores Gomez-Estoesta.The division had been hear-

ing the bail proceedings of Es-trada from plunder.

Estrada faces plunder and graft charges before the court for his alleged involvement in the purported diversion of his Pri-ority Development Assistance

Funds to ghost projects.Estrada is detained at the

Philippine National Police Cus-todial Center with fellow ac-cused Senator Ramon Revillla Jr. Meanwhile, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile is under hospi-tal detention also for plunder. (MNS)

Court backs out of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada cases

MANILA, Dec 15 (Mabuhay) – “I plan to retire.”

This was the statement of Ma-nila City Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Monday, when asked if he will seek a second term in 2016. “I have a very good vice mayor to continue the projects that I have started,” the former

President said in a press confer-ence. “I already committed to my vice mayor. He is very much qualifi ed,” he added.

Like Estrada, his vice mayor Francisco Domagoso, popularly known as Isko Moreno, was also an actor and a three-term coun-cilor of the city’s fi rst congressio-

nal district.Estrada said he felt “vindi-

cated” after the people of Manila voted for him in the 2013 mid-term elections against then in-cumbent Mayor Alfredo Lim.

In 2010, Estrada ran as Presi-dent but lost to President Benig-no Aquino III. (MNS)

Erap retiring in 2016, turning Manila’s reins over to Vice Mayor Isko

MANILA, Dec 15 (Mabuhay) – As complaints against taxi driv-ers spike towards the Christmas season, the Land Transporta-tion Franchising and Regula-tory Board (LTFRB) on Monday issued a memorandum circular

(MC) requiring all taxi operators in Metro Manila to submit a list of authorized drivers and issue ID cards in a bid to protect the riding public.

Taxi operators found breach-ing the provisions of the MC will

be meted a penalty of P5,000 per violation.

“Dahil sa sunud-sunod na mga insidente na sangkot ang ilang mga taxi drivers sa pag-sasagawa ng krimen katulad ng holdap, rape at iba pagsasa-

mantala sa mga manan-akay, kailangan nating magpatupad ng ordi-nansa upang masawata ang ganitong mga masa-mang tangka sa publiko,” LTFRB chairman Atty. Winston Ginez said in a statement.

The regulator noted a sharp increase in the number of complaints against discourteous, ar-rogant, dishonest and ir-responsible drivers while several passengers were victimized by drivers and their accomplices.

“As part of our man-date in ensuring the safety of the people, we need to act to protect the riding public from these criminals disguising as legitimate taxi drivers,” Ginez said.

List of taxi driversAll taxi operators in

Metro Manila must sub-mit a list of their autho-rized drivers in soft and hard copies to the LTFRB Information and System Management Division (ISMD) on or before Jan-uary 15, 2015, together with an affi davit attest-ing that the list is com-plete and names of the drivers are all legitimate.

The operators are also required to update their list by to submit-ting to ISMD the names and other details of their drivers who are no lon-ger authorized to drive their units, as well as new authorized drivers, every 15th and 30th of the month.

Taxi operators were also ordered to issue identifi cation cards to their authorized drivers with contents and design to be prescribed by the Board.

Taxi drivers must con-spicuously hang the IDs in the rear view mirror of the taxi units.

Drivers without IDs are barred from driving their units.

Non-compliant drivers also face penalties, the LTFRB said.

Once the MC takes effect, taxi drivers must secure an LTFRB cer-tifi cate to verify their employment history and check if there are any pending complaints against them.

Taxi operators face cancellation, suspension or revocation of their franchise if their driver fails to secure the LTFRB certifi cate.

The drive was launched with the sup-port of the Land Trans-portation Offi ce Depart-ment of Transportation and Communications Action Center, PNP-HPG and DILG Emergency No. 117. It was also sup-ported by the Philippine National Taxi Operators Association, Associa-tion of Taxi Operators of Metro Manila, Airport Transport Concession-aires Association Inc. and National Center for Commuter Safety Protec-tion to launch the drive against taxi crimes.

Complaints prompt LTFRB to get tough on taxi drivers and operators

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 3

MANILA, Dec 13 (Mabuhay) – Following the government’s pre-emptive actions to Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), Malacañang on Satur-day expressed hopes this could be the start of a “culture of prepared-ness.”

Deputy presidential spokesper-son Abigail Valte said such a cul-ture is needed in dealing with an average of 20 cyclones that pass through the country every year.

“Coming off our recent experi-ence with Ruby, we hope we’re evolving to a culture of prepared-ness,” she said on government-run dzRB radio.

In the weekend before Ruby was projected to make landfall over Eastern Visayas, local gov-

ernments in Bicol and Visayas preemptively evacuated residents in danger zones.

As of Saturday morning, fi g-ures from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed Ruby left at least 18 dead.

The Philippines earned praise from many in the international community for the preemptive ac-tions.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations said its secretary-general Le Luong Minh cited the preemptive efforts in mitigating losses and damages.

“ASEAN Chief commended Philippines for its early warning efforts and disaster preparedness

plans which mitigated losses and damages,” the ASEAN said.

Minh also expressed ASEAN’s sympathy to the Philippines in the wake of Ruby - while still recovering from super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

Australia welcomed continued reports that “preparedness by lo-cal authorities has helped to limit the impact of the typhoon.”

It also promised to “continue to work with the Philippine Govern-ment and international partners to support the typhoon response as required.”

“Our actions tend to show we are starting to (imbibe) a cul-ture of preparedness,” Valte said. (MNS)

(BUSAN, South Korea) President Benigno S. Aquino III welcomes Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak during the bilateral meeting at the Westin Chosun Busan Hotel on Thursday (December 11) at the sidelines of the 25th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit 2014. (MNS photo)

BUSAN, South Korea, Dec 13 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno S. Aquino III said he brought up the issue of the “pyramid scam,” particularly concerning Manuel Amalilio, founder of Malaysia-based investment company Aman Futures, with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak last Thursday.

The two leaders had a bilat-eral meeting on the sidelines of their attendance of the 25th An-niversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - Re-public of Korea (ASEAN-ROK) Commemorative Summit here.

“Pwede bang sabihin ko na lang sa inyo, pinag-usapan na-min ang tungkol kay (Manuel) Amalilio and there was a very good response from Prime Min-ister Najib (Razak),” President Aquino told the media during his regular coffee meeting with them on Friday when asked about the issues raised during the bilateral meeting.

President Aquino declined to expound on the details of his dis-cussion on Amalilio, saying only that he does not want to pre-empt a “nice development” that

he expects to happen soon.The Philippines has been

seeking the extradition of Amalilio, a Filipino of Malay-sian descent who had reportedly duped thousands of Filipinos in a P12-billion investment pyra-miding scam.

Having managed to evade ar-rest, Amalilio fl ed to Malaysia where he was apprehended for carrying a fake passport. After facing a two-year jail sentence, he was freed by Malaysian au-thorities.

The Malaysian Ministry of Home Affairs has since rejected the appeal of the Philippine gov-ernment to extradite Amalilio, allowing him to elude the syn-dicated estafa case fi led against him in the Philippines.

While there is no extradition treaty between the Philippines and Malaysia, the Department of Justice has vowed to have Amalilio deported and brought to justice.

Aside from Amalilio, Presi-dent Aquino also discussed with Prime Minister Najib the kid-napping incidents concerning Malaysians. (MNS)

MANILA, Dec 13 (Mabu-hay) – The House Committee on Information and Commu-nications Technology has ap-proved for plenary debate a proposed measure that would require the registration of pre-paid Subscriber Identity Mod-ule (SIM) cards to help law enforcement agencies in their campaign against criminality.

House Bill 5231, which sub-stituted House Bills 525, 858, 1519, 2444, 2588, 2624, 3295, 3602 and 3928, establishes a system of sale and registration of SIM card for pre-paid users by registering pertinent data in a registration form.

Under the bill, to be known as the “Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registra-tion Act,” every direct seller shall require the end user of a SIM card to present valid iden-tifi cation with photo to ascer-tain the latter’s identiy.

The direct seller shall also require the end user to ac-complish and sign a control-numbered registration form issued by the respective Pub-lic Telecommunications Entity (PTE) of the SIM card being purchased.

The registration form shall

include an attestation by the end user that the person per-sonally appearing before the direct seller and the identifi ca-tion documents presented are true and correct and that the person is one and the same who has accomplished and signed the registration form.

An end user who does not produce valid identifi cation with photo and who fails to ac-complish a registration form shall be refused sale of a SIM card by the direct seller.

“The registration of pre-paid SIM cards would put a stop to the brazen theft of mobile phone units which have be-come an indispensable com-munication tool to everyone,” according to Rep. Rodolfo G. Biazon (Lone District, Muntin-lupa City), author of HB 525.

Rep. Sergio A. F. Apostol (2nd District, Leyte), author of HB 858, said the registration of SIM cards would reduce kidnapping and other petty crimes. Rep. Marcelino R. Te-odoro (1st District, Marikina City), author of HB 1519, said one of the key provisions of the measure is authorizing the PTEs to automatically de-activate the services of unreg-

istered existing pre-paid SIM card subscriber.

A fi ne of P 300,000 should be imposed for the fi rst time if the offense is committed by a PTE, P 500,000 for the second offense and for the third and subsequent offenses, a fi ne of P 1,000,000 for every offense.

Further, the bill imposes a penalty of suspension of its operation on any direct seller who fails to comply with the provisions of this Act and a fi ne ranging from P 5,000 to P 50,000. The National Tele-communications Commission (NTC) is mandated to promul-gate the rules and regulations necessary to ensure the effec-tive implementation of this Act. Other authors of the bill approved by the committee chaired by Rep. Joel Roy Dua-vit (1st District, Rizal) are Reps. Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District, Cagayan de Oro City), Maxi-mo Rodriguez, Jr. (Party-list, Abante Mindanao), Magnolia Rose Antonino-Nadres (4th Dis-trict, Nueva Ecija), Sherwin Gatchalian (1st District, Valen-zuela City), Marlyn Primicias-Agabas (6th District, Pangas-inan) and Winston Castelo (2nd District, Quezon City). (MNS)

Palace hopes Pinoys starting to develop a ‘culture of preparedness’

House panel okays bill requiring registration of pre-paid SIM cards

Aquino brings up ‘pyramid scam’ issue with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib

LOS ANGELES

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST4

Filipina Pop Star Princess Sarah Geronimo is poised to open New Year with a bang for a two-night concert to endear followers and avid patrons of the only getaway for music and game lovers, Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, Califor-nia on January 16 and 17 at 8 p.m.

Pechanga Resort & Casino is well-known for hosting the best and the brightest Fili-pino entertainers and performers such as Mega Star Sharon Cuneta, veteran actor Richard Gomes and OPM (Outstanding Pil-ipino Music) legend Rico J. Puno, who gave wholesome entertainment to the delight of the crowd in previous engagements.

Variety is the name of the game for Pechanga Resort & Casino, the reason why it is hosting in January 2015 the fi rst-ever two-day concert of Geronimo dubbed as ‘Perfect 10’ by Viva Live group.

At age two, Geronimo, who was gifted with talent in both singing and acting, started a series of shows in the malls. She born July 25, 1988 by Filipino parents, Di-vine and Delfi n and is the third of four chil-dren.

When she turned four, her mother led her to audition to different TV programs where she became part of the kiddie show, Pen-Pen de Sarapen (4-6 years old), Ang TV (7-8 years old), and NEXT (8-9 years old).

She likewise, performed in various other venues as hotel lounges and huge shopping malls and in 1995 became one to perform for the 1995 visit of Pope John Paul II.

In 2003, when Geronimo was just 14 years old, she joined the singing competi-tion Star For A Night hosted by Ms. Regine Velasquez. On fi nals night, Sarah’s rendi-tion of Celine Dion’s To Love You More won her the P1-million and a managerial con-tract at Viva Artist Agency grand prize in the singing tilt.

Soon enough, Geronimo became busy with albums, concerts, soap operas, host-ing chores in Sunday variety show ASAP, movies and endorsements. She became a role model for many aspiring young sing-ers and dubbed as the Pop Star Princess. She starred in such teleseryes as Bituing Walang Ningning, Pangarap na Bituin, and the short lived TV musical series 1DOL.

She was cast in such fi lms as Filipinas, Captain Barbell, Masikip sa Dibdib, Annie Batumbakal, Lastikman: Unang Banat and Hating Kapatid. But she really made an

impact as a box offi ce star when she did A Very Special Love and You Changed My Life opposite John Lloyd Cruz. The two romantic-com-edy fi lms were both box offi ce hits. She also starred with the recently concluded fi lm opposite Coco Mar-tin, released in August 2014.

On TV, Sarah Geronimo is a regular on ASAP. She also had a Sunday night musical variety show entitled, Sarah G. Live. Sarah also

sat as one of the four coaches of real-ity singing competition.

All year-round, Pechanga Resort & Ca-sino delights its audiences not only in pre-senting innovative entertainment shows but more importantly, in varied gaming ac-tivities and foods galore, plus a tons of raf-fl es and giveaways for visiting participants.

Time is running out. Buy your tickets now – from $85, $75, $70 and $65. Tickets are available at the Pechanga Box offi ce or online at www.Pechanga.com/tickets. Room and show packages are available. To pur-chase wheelchair seating, please call the Box Offi ce at 1-877-711-2946.

Shows in the Pechanga Theater offer a comfortable and intimate concert experi-ence. With 1,200 seats in its theater, each show features state-of-the-art and acousti-cally perfected sound.

Enjoying favorite artists at Pechanga versus other venues proves effortless with free valet and self-parking for guests, com-plimentary casino/resort shuttles, gourmet and casual dining options on site, plus com-fortable chairs and an up-close view from every theater seat.

About Pechanga Resort & CasinoPechanga Resort & Casino offers one of

the largest and most expansive resort/ca-sino experience anywhere in the country. Rated a Four Diamond property by AAA since 2002, Pechanga Resort & Casino pro-vides an unparalleled getaway, whether for the day or for an extended luxury stay. Offering more than 3,000 of the hottest slots, table games, world-class entertain-ment, 517 hotel rooms, dining, spa and championship golf at Journey at Pechanga, Pechanga Resort & Casino features a des-tination that meets and exceeds the needs of its guests and the community. Pechanga Resort & Casino is owned and operated by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. For more information, call toll free 1-877-711-2946 or visit www.Pechanga.com. Follow Pechanga Resort & Casino on Facebook.com/Pechanga and on Twitter @Pechanga-Casino. Pechanga Resort & Casino is open 24-hours. Guests must be 21 and older to enter the casino.

Pechanga Resort & Casino’s New Year Gift: Filipina Pop Star Princess Sarah Geronimo Live in Concert on Jan. 16 & 17

Live concert is on June 16 and 17.

LOS ANGELES

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 5

By Jean-Louis De La VaissiereVatican City, Holy See | AFP |

Saturday 12/13/2014 - Pope Fran-cis may be known for champion-ing dialogue, but faced with the certainty of riling China, analysts say, he ducked out of a meeting with the Dalai Lama.

Sensitivities over the fate of the Catholic minority in China were foremost on the pope’s mind when he decided against greeting the Tibetan spiritual leader, ac-cording to observers.

A spokesman for the Holy See confi rmed Thursday that the pope would not meet the Dalai Lama – whom the Argentinian pontiff “obviously holds... in very high regard” – despite the Tibetan’s presence at a meeting in Rome of Nobel peace laureates.

Francis, an advocate of in-terfaith ties, isn’t the fi rst pope to wrestle with the question of whether to grant an audience to the Tibetan Buddhist leader.

His predecessor Benedict XVI met the Dalai Lama in 2006 but declined follow-up visits in 2007 and 2009.

The issue of how to handle Ti-bet is of strategic importance for the Vatican. China is home to sev-eral million Catholics and Protes-tants, whose freedom of religion is heavily curtailed.

The establishment of diplomat-ic relations between China and the Vatican would allow Catholi-cism in the world’s most populous nation to fl ourish.

Since becoming pope, Francis has given new impetus to the qui-et discussions that have been on-going between Rome and Beijing since the 1980s.

A meeting with the Dalai Lama could jeopardise that, given Bei-jing’s known abhorrence of any gesture of solidarity towards Ti-bet by other powers.

A spokesman for the Dalai Lama said he was “disappointed” but acknowledged that a meeting with the pope could have caused “inconvenience.”

“The Vatican’s diplomatic ob-jective is to avoid actions that fuel instability in already tricky situ-ations and avoid decisions whose consequences are paid for by oth-ers – in this case, Chinese Catho-lics,” Andrea Tornielli, a commen-tator with the Vatican Insider site, said.

On his return from a visit to South Korea in August Fran-cis had expressed a wish to visit China as early as “tomorrow” and voiced admiration for its “wise people.”

“The church only asks for lib-erty for its task, for its work – there’s no other condition,” he said, referring to Beijing’s tight control over the country’s “offi -cial” Catholic church.

Papal priority China’s Communist leader

Mao cut ties with the Holy See in 1951. The dialogue resumed after the Cultural Revolution, under John Paul II.

China has been top priority for the Vatican ever since.

President Xi Jingping and Francis exchanged letters of con-gratulation on their respective elections in 2013.

In September, Argentina’s Info-bae news site reported that Fran-cis had followed up with a letter to Xi, inviting him to a meeting at the Vatican.

China has around 12 mil-lion Catholics, half of whom are members of the state-controlled Chinese Patriotic Catholic Asso-ciation. The remainder belong to underground churches that are loyal to the Vatican, although there is some overlap.

The chief bone of contention between Rome and Beijing is Chi-na’s policy of consecrating of bish-ops without the pope’s approval. In the rest of the world, bishops are named by the pontiff.

For China, renouncing control over the nominations would mean relinquishing part of its sover-eignty. Beijing is also wary of the infl uence of Western ideas spread by Catholics and Protestants.

There are two schools of thought in the Vatican on normal-ising ties. One believes that the Vatican should reach an agree-ment with China “on a less prob-lematic nomination process,” says Regis Anouil, a French specialist on Asian churches.

The other fears that China would twist any agreement in its favour.

The pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong, which has been backed by two local cardinals, is likely to dampen any vague desire China had to relax its grip on re-ligion.

Sister Bernardina Aguillon picks up a 2015 Pope Francis calendar being sold in front of the Quiapo Church in Manila on Friday. Many memorabilia are fl ooding the market as the visit of Pope Francis in January next year nears. (MNS photo)

China rules: Why the pope ducked meeting with Dalai Lama

By Jennie MatthewNew York, United States |

AFP | Saturday 12/13/2014 – Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in New York and Wash-ington on Saturday, stepping up demonstrations across the Unit-ed States demanding justice for black men killed by white police.

The rallies in the US capital, New York, Boston and in several Californian cities were among the largest in a growing protest movement sparked by the kill-ing of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mis-souri on August 9.

Grand jury decisions not to prosecute the white offi cers re-sponsible for 18-year-old Brown’s death and a fatal chokehold on New York father of six Eric Gar-ner in July, have triggered weeks of protests.

A sea of demonstrators shut down parts of Manhattan and Washington’s Pennsylvania Ave-

nue that leads to the Capitol with cries of “No justice, no peace!” “Justice Now!” and “The whole damn system is guilty as hell!”

Though police in Washington did not provide an estimate of the crowd size, it appeared far larger than the 5,000 people organizers initially said they’d expected.

In New York, police said ap-proximately 25,000 took to the streets. The organizers tweeted that 50,000 people turned out. Their Facebook page had said that 48,000 would take part be-fore the rally began.

The mixed crowds of black and white mobilized many young peo-ple but also families, children, parents and the elderly.

They held aloft banners pro-claiming “Stop racist police” and “I can’t breathe”—the last words uttered repeatedly by Garner, as police wrestled him to the ground for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes in New York’s Staten

Island.A string of deaths at the

hands of offi cers, including that of 28-year-old Akai Gurley in Brooklyn, have infl amed resent-ment against police tactics in the United States and distrust many blacks feel toward law enforce-ment.

The Garner and Brown fami-lies were joined in Washing-ton by relatives of 12-year-old Tamir Rice, who was shot dead last month by Cleveland police, and of Trayvon Martin, who was killed in Florida by a neighbor-hood watchman in 2012.

History-making moment Garner’s widow and wife took

to the stage before the energized crowd.

“I am here not only for march-ing for Eric Garner, but for ev-eryone’s daughters and sons and nieces and nephews and dads and moms,” widow Esaw Garner said.

Thousands rally in US ci es to protest police killings

LOS ANGELES

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST6BINAYFrom page 1

MERCADOFrom page 1

JEB BUSHFrom page 1

BILIBIDFrom page 1

SYDNEY SIEGEFrom page 1

PACQUIAOFrom page 1

that he and Poe could run to-gether.

“Posible po ‘yon. Ang sina-sabi ko naman palagi tiyak na ako ay magkakaroon ng vice president,” Binays said. (That’s possible. I always say that I will surely run with a vice president.)

But he said it was too early to say who his vice president would be.

“Kailangan pa po ng masus-

ing pag-aaral,” he said. (This needs thorough study.)

He added that those who would not be his running mate would be his “foe.”

“Maraming gustong maging vice president ko. Yung hindi ko mapipili, ginawa ko nang kalaban ‘yon,” Binay said. (Many want to become my vice president. Those whom I will not choose, I will already con-sider as foes.)

ito. Siya ang may-ari niyan. Dummy (niya) yan.’ ‘Yan na ang lahat ng naabutan na-tin,” Binay said.

Binay maintained that he has no property in Bev-erly Hills, as earlier claimed by Mercado in a televised Senate inquiry.

“Ngayon, [property sa] Beverly [Hills naman]. Hin-di ko nga alam kung saan sa Amerika ‘yong Beverly [Hills] na ‘yon,” Binay said.

Binay, meanwhile, slammed the blue ribbon subcommittee for what he

described as “prolonged proceed-ing to infl uence the public’s per-ception” against him.

vate equity which may not sit well with voters.

And, when it comes to wooing the conservative Republican base in his own party’s primaries, he could suffer from his seven-year absence from the political scene and largely centrist positions.

In particular, his moderate position in the explosive US im-migration debate, may hurt his chances of selection.

Government authori-ties seized suspected sha-bu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) from con-victed drug lord Peter Co in his room at the maxi-mum security compound.

Authorities also dis-covered a storage area, secret pathway, enter-tainment appliances, and even a sauna facility in-side his room.

lice Commissioner An-drew Scipione said at a press conference.

A man, aged 34, and a woman, 38, were also pronounced dead after being taken to hospital.

“It was the act of an individual. This should never destroy or change the way of our life,” Scipi-one said.

dream fi ght has never materialized to the dis-appointment of the box-ing world.

“I will try my best to (make) this a thrilling and entertaining fi ght. But I doubt if he’s gonna engage me in a slugfest,” said the Filipino, win-ner of an unprecedented eight world titles in dif-ferent weight classes.

“You all know his fi ghting style. Most of his previous fi ghts, if not all, induced us to sleep,” said Pacquiao from his south-ern Philippines home city of General Santos.

Should the fi ght hap-pen, Pacquiao, who turns 36 on Wednesday, said he will do to Mayweather what he did to another previously undefeated American, Chris Algieri, who lost to the World Boxing Organization welterweight champion in Macau last month.

US MARINEFrom page 1

(Pemberton) made sure that Jennifer was dead. He did not stop at badly beating her up and chok-ing her, he made sure she suffered to her death.

“He deliberately and repeatedly plunged her head down the toilet un-til she breathed her last.”

Pemberton, aged 19 at the time of the death, had asked via his lawyer to downgrade the murder charge to homicide, which carries a maximum 20-year prison term.

He has made no other comment on the case.

Outcry Laude’s death sparked

street protests in the Philippines, a former US colony that gained inde-pendence in 1946 but has retained a close alliance.

An enduring US mili-tary presence since the independence has been a constant source of anger for vocal and powerful American critics.

LOS ANGELES

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 7

For editorial: Do you have a story tip, letter to the editor or suggestion? Please email info@usasianpost.comor mail your letter to: Editorial Department, The U.S Asian Post, Balita Media, Inc., 520 East Wilson Ave., Glendale, CA 91206. Submissions must include full name, mailing address and contact numbers. All contributions are subject to the paper’s editorial standards. For advertising, please email info@balita.com.

The U.S Asian Post is a publication of Balita Media, Inc., the leading source of news and information for the Filipino American community, which also publishes Weekend Balita. Views and opinions expressed by contributing writers and syndication partners are solely theirs and do not necessarily reflect that of the publishers. All advertising materials are subject to the paper’s editorial standards and discretion. All rights reserved.Reprints of materials published in the newspaper should have the explicit permission of The U.S Asian Post.

OPINIONMANILA, Dec 15 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III on

Monday enjoined new offi cers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to resist corruption.

During the graduation rites of the AFP Offi cer Candidate Courses, Aquino said military offi cials should muster strength to clean their ranks.

“Ibang klaseng tapang at dangal din ang hihilingin sa inyo sa pagharap sa tuksong maaaring makaengkuwentro habang nagsisil-bi sa bayan,” Aquino, the military’s commander in chief, said in his speech.

“May mga magtutulak ng sobreng hitik sa salapi, kapalit ng pirma. May mga magtatangkang padaliin ang buhay ninyo, kapalit ang prin-sipyo,” he added.

Aquino, who won in 2010 on an anti-corruption platform, also told AFP offi cials that his administration’s drive against corrupt offi cials are already bearing fruit.

He said his presidency has succeeded in bringing back the people’s trust in government.

“Alam kong gagawin ninyo ang tama, dahil tiwala akong nakikita ninyo ang magandang bunga sa pagtahak natin sa tuwid na daan,” Aquino said. (MNS)

MANILA, Dec 15 (Mabuhay) – Despite the problems they faced this year, nearly nine out of 10 Filipinos or 88 percent will face the coming New Year with hope, according to a new survey by pollster Pulse Asia.

In its survey conducted Nov. 14 to 20, Pulse Asia said this was the “pre-dominant sentiment in every geographic area and socio-economic class.”

Only one percent will face the coming year “without hope” while 11 percent are ambivalent, it added.

A breakdown of the 88 percent of those facing 2015 with hope includes 86 percent in Metro Manila, 91 percent in Luzon, 89 percent in Visayas and 84 percent in Mindanao.

Such a sentiment is prevalent among 90 percent of Class ABC, 89 per-cent of Class D and 84 percent of Class E.

Those facing 2015 “without hope” include one percent in all geographi-cal areas and almost all socio-economic classes—with zero percent of Class ABC having such a sentiment.

Christmas 2014On the other hand, the survey also showed more than half or 52 per-

cent of Filipinos expect their Christmas celebration to be “no different” from 2013.

However, it said more Filipinos see a more prosperous Christmas cel-ebration for their families this year than last year.

It said this is the majority sentiment in Metro Manila (51 percent), Mindanao (51 percent), and the rest of Luzon (55 percent) and in Classes D and E (53 and 51 percent respectively).

Visayans (46 percent) and those in Class ABC (44 percent) share this view or even expect a more prosperous celebration compared to 2013 at 41 and 47 percent respectively.

At the national level, 34 percent of Filipinos say the coming Christmas season will be more prosperous for their families.

Only 14 percent believe this year’s celebration will be poorer than last year’s, the survey added.

“Between December 2013 and November 2014, there is an increase in the percentage of Filipinos expecting a more prosperous Christmas sea-son for their families (+12 percentage points),” Pulse Asia said.

It noted such movements in Metro Manila (+21 percentage points), Vi-sayas (+16 percentage points), Class ABC (+21 percentage points), and Class D (+13 percentage points). The percentage of Filipinos who see a poorer holiday season for their families this year fell at the national level by 10 percentage points and in the Visayas (21 percentage points) and Class D (9 percentage points), it added.

Survey backgroundThe survey was conducted with 1,200 representative adults, with a ±

3% error margin at the 95% confi dence level.At the time the survey was conducted, the issues of the day included:the Senate’s continued investigation into allegations of corruption

against Vice President Binay;the cancellation of a debate between Binay and Senator Antonio

Trillanes IV; the Senate probe into the reported overpricing of the Iloilo Convention Center, which was endorsed by Senate President Franklin Drilon as a recipient of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF); the participation of President Benigno Aquino III in the 22nd Asia-Pacifi c Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in China and the 25th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Myanmar; global efforts to stop the spread of the Ebola virus and, in the Philippines, the 21-day quarantine in Caballo Island imposed on Filipino

By Fran BlandyParis, France | AFP | Monday

12/15/2014 – His motives are a mystery and his acts described as random and deranged, but ana-lysts say the gunman who took a Sydney cafe full of terrifi ed peo-ple hostage could still score a pro-paganda coup for jihadists.

Bearing a black jihadist fl ag, the Iranian-born Islamist created precisely the sort of lone-wolf at-tack urged by groups such as the Islamic State – replete with bomb threats, hostages and panic in a major Western city.

Although any link to a specifi c group has yet to be established, the explosions and fl ashes of the dramatic police storming of the cafe that left two hostages and the hostage-taker dead, drove home the increasing reality of the “lone wolf” threat.

The gunman was named in Australian media as an Iranian-born “cleric” called Man Haron Monis, aged 49, who had sent of-fensive letters to the families of dead Australian soldiers and was out on bail on charges of being an accessory to the murder of his ex-wife.

He was described as a “fringe Islamist” who acted on his own, and while the reasons for his acts remained murky, analysts said IS could take it as a win for their cause.

“The key thing with these at-tacks isn’t to cause lots of casual-ties, it is to cause a media buzz, get everyone focused on it, every-one talking about it,” said Mat-thew Henman, the head of Lon-don-based IHS Jane’s Terrorism and Insurgency Centre.

“Every time this sort of thing happens, even if there are no ca-sualties, it is still a propaganda victory for the Islamic State who can say we have people all over the world who are prepared to act in our name.”

He said even if the Sydney gunman had not drawn inspira-tion from IS “they will try and claim (the attack) as some kind of victory for them.”

The web-savvy jihadist group that has seized large parts of Iraq and Syria has sent shivers down spines across the globe with calls for spontaneous attacks on “dis-believers”.

This poses a nightmare for Western authorities who already have their hands full trying to prevent nationals from leaving to fi ght alongside IS and tracking them when they return.

“Islamic terrorism has now be-come totally decentralised,” said Steven Emerson of the US-based

Aquino to new AFP offi cers: Resist corruption

Pulse Asia: 88% of Pinoys facing 2015 with hope

Sydney hostage drama: A jihadist propaganda win?

Investigative Project on Terror-ism.

Islamic State spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani in Sep-tember singled out Australia, along with France, Canada and America in his rallying call to kill “disbelievers... including the citizens of the countries that en-tered into a coalition against the Islamic State.”

‘Attention-grabbing’ Henman said there had been

a “considerable increase” in lone-wolf attacks around the world in the past year coinciding with the IS group’s reign of terror in its new so-called caliphate.

“They have realised all they need to do is something which is attention-grabbing, whether it’s running someone down with a car, attacking someone with a knife, which maybe isn’t going to cause high casualties but is seen to be doing something,” he told AFP.

In May this year a Frenchman who had spent more than a year fi ghting alongside Islamist ex-tremists in Syria was arrested for killing four people at the Brussels Jewish Museum.

In September Australia foiled a plot by IS jihadists to carry out

random beheadings in the coun-try and saw a suspected militant shot dead after he stabbed two policemen.

October saw the fi rst success-ful jihadist attacks on Canadian soil – including the storming of its parliament – which resulted in the deaths of two unarmed sol-diers.

The idea of individual jihad is not new.

Al-Qaeda has for years called on recruits and volunteers to go it alone without specifi c orders or training.

Online jihadist magazines have published recipe upon rec-ipe for homemade bomb-making – “how to make one in your moth-er’s kitchen” being one of them – as well as lists of prime targets and are the source of lone wolves for their criminal activities.

“ISIS has copied that same play book in calling for local at-tacks,” said Emerson, using an alternative name for the group.

“These attacks are happening all over the world now especially fuelled beyond the Internet by the rise of social media which has pushed the message of Islamic terrorism virtually as fast as the speed of light.”

peacekeepers returning from Liberia;

Filipinos’ commemo-ration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day as well as the fi rst anniversary of Typhoon Yolanda;

the probe being con-ducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) into the reported anomalous procurement of vaccines in 2012 by Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Enrique Ona and DOH Undersec-retary Eric Tayag;

the report of the Sen-ate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs which calls on the Offi ce of the Ombudsman to determine whether or not Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Direc-tor General Alan Purisi-ma should face graft and corruption charges;

the approval by the House Committee on En-ergy of Joint Resolution No. 21 which seeks to grant Aquino emergency powers to allow him to more effi ciently and effec-tively address the loom-ing energy crisis in 2015 and the Senate’s approv-al on second reading of a bill that would raise the tax exemption cap for the 13th month pay and other benefi ts from the current P30,000 to P82,000

the lower electricity bills of Manila Electric Company (Meralco) cus-tomers for November 2014 primarily due to lower generation charges, among others.

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST8

The Grinch reveals himself during the 2014 spectacular GRINCHmas tree with fi re-works display by NBC at Universal Studios, graced by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Gar-cetti, the “GRINCH,” Yvette Nicole-Brown, Carols and Alexa PenaVega.

Comedy is fi rst Asian American TV show in 20 years

By Hannah De Castro-AbinumanStaffWriter

On this year’s Conference for Creative Content (C3), Vi-sual Communications presented ABC’s newest comedy TV show – “Fresh Off The Boat.”

A special screening of the pilot episode was held last De-cember 6 at the David Henry Hwang Theatre in Los Angeles for students, creatives, media executives and community orga-nizations of the entertainment media. The screening was then followed by a panel discussion, moderated by actor and Asian American community leader, Amy Hill.

During the panel discussion, attendees of the event were able to learn more about how the show came about and the chal-lenges faced by the producers and media executives in creat-ing and presenting an Asian-centered show in today’s TV in-dustry in the United States.

Members of the panel include actor and producer, Randall Park (who plays Louis Huang in the show), the show’s creator for television and executive pro-ducer, Nahnatchka Kahn, Exec-utive Producer Melvin Mar and ABC’s Executive Vice President for Comedy Development, Samie Kim Falvey.

“Fresh Off The Boat” is the fi rst Asian American network television show in twenty years, since All American Girl, which

aired in the same network back in the 1990’s. And being part of the cast of All American Girl, it was just fi tting for Amy Hill to be chosen as the moderator of Fresh Off The Boat’s panel dis-cussion.

Inspired by a true story, the show is based on the memoirs of celebrity chef and television personality Eddie Huang. Fresh Off The Boat is centered on the life of a hip-hop loving, 11-year old, Chinese boy (Eddie) trying to fi t in. Set in Suburban Orlan-do, it also illustrates his family’s struggles of living in America during the 1990’s.

The show is a classic immi-grant story seen through the eyes of a fi rst generation Asian American child. Samie Kim

Falvey (EVP for Comedy De-velopment at ABC) said, “For years we’ve been looking for an immigrant family show because we felt that this was the original American story, and we felt that it was not being told. We knew that a show like this will tran-scend race and will be a love let-ter to America, if executed prop-erly.”

“Fresh Off The Boat” will surely tickle your funny bone as Natch Khan’s creative comedic genius is very apparent in the dialogue (she’s also known for her work in Don’t Trust the B---- in Apartment 23).

And though the show’s genre is comedy, it also depicts the more serious issues that im-migrants face in their journey towards the American Dream. With the show having a very diverse set of writers, it was important for them to make the script appear authentic and very specifi c but still feel universal.

The show is not just about Asians but about being an out-sider in your world. It’s about how an individual gets judged or ostracized for being different, which is something that a per-son of any race can relate to.

Fresh Off The Boat stars Ran-dall Park as Louis, Constance Wu as Jessica, Hudson Yang as Eddie, Forrest Wheeler as Em-ery and Ian Chen as Evan. Ed-die Huang provides the voice over narration.

The series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and is set to air on ABC in 2015.

‘Fresh Off The Boat’ is coming soon on ABC

Randall Park plays Louis Huang in the show

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Nov. 26, 2014 – Southern California Edi-son (SCE) warns customers to stay vigilant this holiday sea-son as impostors, claiming to represent the utility, continue a telephone scam demanding im-mediate payment for allegedly past-due electricity bills.

The hustle and bustle of the season makes customers espe-cially vulnerable as telephone bill scammers increase calls threat-ening to disconnect electrical ser-vice unless immediate payment is made on past-due bills. The caller demands that payment be made through a prepaid card and urges victims to purchase a

prepaid debit card, load a specif-ic amount of money on the card and give the card number to the scammer.

Once the impostor collects the card’s value, the customer has been defrauded and the money is gone.

Authorities warn that scam-mers have become more aggres-sive. Impostors recently resorted to making claims that local po-lice will be called to your home or business if an immediate payment is not received. Oth-ers have established bogus tele-phone lines that state: “Hello. Thank you for calling Southern California Edison Disconnection

Department.”Truth is, SCE does not contact

the police about customers’ bill payments and the utility does not have a “Disconnection De-partment.”

“The best way for customers to protect themselves against utility impostors and this phone scam is to educate themselves, their em-ployees and their friends about being aware when they receive telephone calls from individuals demanding money for payment,” said Kari Gardner, manager, SCE Consumer Affairs.

In recent years, an estimated 13,000 SCE customers have re-ceived calls from phone scam-

SCE warns customers to be aware of utility bill scam this Holiday season

mers posing as utility employees threatening to disconnect service due to unpaid bills. According to law enforcement offi cials, the majority of victims are small business owners and entrepreneurs whose fi rst language is not Eng-lish.SCE customers who suspect a fraudulent call should ask for the caller’s name, department and business phone number. SCE customers should end the call and report the incident immediately to local police or SCE at 1-800-655-4555.

SCE offers the fol-lowing additional tips to customers: SCE will never call and demand immediate payment with the threat of service dis-connection. An SCE em-ployee will never ask for money in person.

SCE does not accept prepaid cards from cus-tomers for bill payments.

SCE does not conduct credit transactions on weekends or holidays.

Never reveal personal information, including your credit card, ATM or calling card number (or PIN number) to anyone.

Never use a call-back number provided by an unknown caller to verify billing information. And, SCE does not use exten-sion numbers. Instead, call legitimate SCE tele-phone numbers printed on your utility bill or ac-cess SCE’s website (SCE.com).

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 9

PALA, CA, December 10, 2014… Pops Fernandez, the Filipino “Concert Queen” will perform with the Society of Sev-en in a special Filipino concert at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Febru-ary 7, in the Events Center at Pala Casino Spa & Resort. Lhey Bella, a rising Filipino star, also will perform with the Society of Seven. Fernandez, one of the most popular performers in the Philippines, has recorded numerous chart-topping songs and attracted sell-out crowds throughout her 20+-year career.

The Society of Seven is a va-riety group and show band that traces its roots back to the ‘60s and performs throughout Asia and the United States. Lhey Bella enjoys a wide musical range and performs jazz stan-dards, dance tunes, R& B and rock and roll.

Tickets on sale at 10 a.m., Friday, December 12, with no service charge, at the Pala Box Offi ce in the casino, or call 1-877-WIN PALA (1-877-946-7252). Tickets also are available at Star Tickets, 1-800-585-3737, or www.startickets.com.

Pala is located in Northern San Diego County; from San Diego/Riverside, take I-15 to Highway 76 east fi ve miles; from Los Angeles County and Orange County, take I-5 south to Highway 76 east, then travel 23 miles. Pala is 15 miles north

of Escondido, 12 miles south of Temecula.

Address: 11154 Highway 76, Pala, CA 92059

Telephone: 1-877-WIN-PA-LA (1-877-946-7252)

Web site: http://www.palaca-sino.com

Other shows coming to Pala:Kathy Griffi n, 7:30 p.m., Sat-

urday, January 10, 2015, Events Center. Tickets, $60. $50, $40, $30 at www.startickets.com

Tu Quy (Fantastic Four) Viet-namese Concert, 7 p.m., Satur-day, January 17, 2015, Events Center. Tickets, $100, $55, $45, $35, at www.startickets.com and all Vietnamese ticket outlets.

One Night Only California’s Best Elvis Impersonators with Travis Allen, James “King” Kruk, Rob Ely, 7 p.m., Satur-day, January 24, 2015, Infi n-ity Showroom. Tickets, $30, at www.startickets.com

Arrival From Sweden The Music of ABBA, 7 p.m., Satur-day, February 14, 2015, Infi nity Showroom. Tickets, $45, $37, atwww.startickets.com

Jim Jefferies, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, February 21, 2015, Events Center. Tickets, $40, $30, at www.startickets.com

Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band, 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 14, 2015, Events Center. Tickets, $125, $100, $95 atwww.startickets.com

Pala Casino Spa & Resort includes a Las Vegas-style ca-sino with 2,000 slot machines, 87 table games and 13 poker tables; a 507-room hotel; a 10,000-square-foot, full-service spa and salon that features 14 treatment rooms; a state-of-the-art fi tness center; swimming pool with 12 private poolside cabanas, and dual-temperature outdoor whirlpool hot tub. Pala also offers 10 restaurants and 40,000 square feet of meeting and convention space. Pala Ca-sino Spa & Resort is an AAA Four-Diamond Award winner for 11 consecutive years.

Its state-of-the-art Pala Spa was named the number one spa on the West Coast and one of the top 100 spas in the Unit-ed States for 2013 by Spas of America. Previously, Pala Spa was named the 2009 Best Ca-sino Spa by Spas of America, the 2009 Best Casino Spa by the Southern California Gam-ing Guide and in 2012 received a spaAward and was selected by Spas of America as one of the top 100 spas in the United States.

In 2011, Pala Casino Spa & Resort was voted Best Casino in San Diego by the public in the 10News.com annual A-List poll sponsored by KGTV-TV 10 Newsin San Diego. For more information, visit http://www.palacasino.com.

Pops Fernandez, Society of Seven in Filipino concert, Feb. 7, at Pala

Washington, United States | AFP | Mon-day 12/15/2014 – Run-ning America, Presi-dent Barack Obama can do. But fi nding a gift for his wife Mi-chelle is a tough one.

“She’s very fash-ionable and she looks good. I’m worried about buying her clothes,” the president said Monday on the ra-dio show “On Air With Ryan Seacrest.”

“On Christmas Day, she will look at it and

say ‘That’s very sweet honey...’ and I never see her wear whatever I bought.”

“Michelle’s hard to shop for,” he said. Choosing a gift for his oldest daughter, 16-year-old Malia, is easier.

“Malia is fun to shop for because she is a big fi lm buff. So one year I got her a collection of the 100 greatest mov-ies ever made and she loved that,” he said.

“That may have

been my best Christ-mas present to her.”

At the end of No-vember, Obama visited Washington’s Politics and Prose independent bookstore with his two teenage daughters, where he purchased “some books for vari-ous members of the family.”

The Obamas leave Friday for Hawaii, the president’s home state, where the family tradi-tionally spends Christ-mas.

Christmas shopping is a puzzle for Barack Obama too Pope to ride open, ‘vulnerable’ vehicle in PHL: churchManila, Philippines | AFP | Tuesday

12/16/2014 – Pope Francis has asked to ride an open vehicle when he visits the Philippines next month, making him both “vulnerable” but more accessible to the people, the Filipino Catholic Church said Tuesday.

The government announced last month a custom-built “popemobile” would be built in co-ordination with Vatican security to protect him from unspecifi c threats during his January trip to Asia’s Catholic bastion.

However, Filipino church offi cials revealed Tuesday the vehicle will be open and “not bul-letproof” to accommodate the demands of the visiting church leader.

“What this means is our Holy Father will be very vulnerable during his visit,” said Father

David Concepcion, a member of a church com-mittee preparing for the papal visit.

Francis is to arrive in Manila from Sri Lan-ka on January 15 and spend an entire day on January 17 hearing mass and comforting vic-tims of Super Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban city and Palo town on the central island of Leyte.

The typhoon, the strongest ever to hit land, killed or left missing 7,350 people and left mil-lions of others homeless in November last year after it triggered tsunami-like giant waves that wiped out entire towns.

Pope Francis, who has shunned the pomp of his predecessors, said earlier this year he pre-fers to use open-top cars rather than the Vati-can’s bulletproof “popemobile” used by previ-ous pontiffs, which he called a “sardine can.”

Pops Fernandez and the Society of Seven (inset)

LOS ANGELES

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST10

Lani Misalucha was asked to give advice to her fellow singer Charice, who lamented the “bul-lying” she has received time and again from Filipino viewers de-spite her achievements on the in-ternational stage.

Misalucha, who is known in Las Vegas as “The Siren of the Strip,” said Charice should continue to pursue her passion and keep on singing for her fellow Filipinos.

Comparing Charice’s situation with her fellow Filipinos to a ro-mantic relationship that needs to be fi xed, Misalucha stressed that the young singer should not give up on her Filipino audience.

“Ganito na lang siguro. Kung ako si Charice [at] nangyari sa akin ‘yon, ang gagawin ko na lang is to continue on. Parang kunyari, sa [magkasintahan], ku-nyari ‘yung lalaki ay nagkaroon ng kasalanan doon sa babae at ‘yung babae ay ayaw na siyang

tanggapin. Eh gusto mo talagang bumalik sa girlfriend mo, ano ang gagawin mo? You just have to ex-ert extra effort for you to win her back. It’s just that. If you really love that person, you just have to do everything for you to get her back. Parang ganoon lang ‘yon. ‘Yun lang ang nakikita kong anal-ogy,” she told reporters.

“You just have to continue and go on. If you feel that the people don’t like you anymore, keep on singing for them,” added Misalu-cha.

Charice earlier said that de-spite her achievements, Filipino viewers tend to dwell on her sup-posed shortcomings and continue to criticize her for her looks, her personal life and, more recently, her sexuality.

In June 2013, Charice made international headlines when she confi rmed that she is lesbian, end-ing months of speculation.(MNS)

Lani tells Charice: Keep on singing for Filipinos

Lani Misalucha

At 33, award-winning actor Coco Martin is still not ready to settle down in the near future.

Martin said he is still in the process of saving up for his fam-ily, knowing fully well that he will not be in showbiz forever.

“Siguro gusto ko munang saga-rin habang okay ang lahat. Gusto kong makapag-ipon. Gusto kong magkaroon ng time na makabawi sa family ko para maalagaan ko sila. Para if ever dumating ‘yung time para sa akin, nagawa ko na lahat para sa kanila,” he ex-plained.

“Dadating din yung point na ‘yun. Ipon-ipon muna hanggang maging maayos lahat,” he added.

Martin, who is marking his 10th

year in show business, recalled that when he was starting out, all he wanted was to have regu-lar acting gigs. “Ang hinihiling ko lang naman noong araw ay mag-karoon lang ako ng regular na trabaho. Ngayon binigay sa akin lahat ng blessing kaya talagang

pinagsusumikapan ko lahat ng meron ako ngayon,” he said.

Martin threw a party last week to celebrate his birthday and his fi rst decade in showbiz. It was attended by his family and close friends within and outside the en-tertainment industry.

“Sabi ko nga, para makapag-balik-tanaw naman sa mga taong tumulong sa akin nung nagsisim-ula ako, nung mga panahon na wala pa ako. Para magkita-kita ulit kami,” he said. (MNS)

Why Coco Martin is not yet ready to settle down

Coco Martin

Toni Gonzaga thanked Jolina Magdangal on Sun-day for serving as her in-spiration since she began her showbiz career.

Gonzaga shared how she would watch the re-turning Kapamilya star in awe during her concerts in the 1990s.

“Napakalaking inspi-rasyon ni Jolina lalo na nung ‘90s sa mga katu-lad namin na aspiring makapasok sa industriya. I got a chance to work with her sa front act sa mga concert niya. Hindi mo mararamdaman nung time na ‘yun kung gaano siya kalaking artista. Nakikipag-usap siya sa

akin na akala mo hindi siya si Jolina Mag-dangal,” Gon-zaga said.

S h a r i n g how she wit-nessed that fame never really got into Magdangal’s head, Gonza-ga continued: “Nakikita ko

pa siya nun, kasi kapag may con-cert siya, sisilipin ko kung paano siya nagre-ready. Siya lang ‘yung nag-iipit sa buhok niya.”

Gonzaga said even her father told her before to be like Magdan-

gal when she makes it in showbiz.“Sinabi ng daddy ko sa akin,

‘Kung meron kang isang artista na tutularan kapag narating mo ‘yung kung ano man ang gusto mong marating, dapat si Jolina ‘yun.’ Hindi siya nagbabago. Sinabi ng dad ko ‘yan,” she said.

Magdangal offi cially marked her return to ABS-CBN by sign-ing a two-year contract with the Kapamilya network.

Magdangal’s fi rst project is the soap “Flordeliza” with her origi-nal love team partner, Marvin Agustin, who is also making a comeback as a Kapamilya.

Magdangal said she is excited to be part of ABS-CBN again after 12 years. (MNS)

How Jolina Magdangal inspired Toni Gonzaga

Toni Gonzaga

He has high hopes of breaking into the international theater scene the way his friends Mark Bautista and Rachelle Ann Go have done.

“I dream of that. Kung magkakaroon ng right role for me, kung bumagay ako sa role, I would love to do that… darating din siguro sa tamang panahon,” Christian Bautista says in an interview.

Mark is cast as the late President Ferdinand Marcos in the Lon-don run of “Here Lies Love,” while Rachel plays Gigi in the West End revival of “Miss Saigon” musical.

Although Christian doesn’t feel left out or even pressured to match his friends’ achievements, he does admit, “may longing (lang na) sana someday kung para sa akin ay maabot ko rin (ang interna-tional theater break).” He is, nevertheless, grateful for his numer-ous projects and juggles his time between drama series “Strawberry Lane,” musical variety “Sunday All Stars” and dance show “Marian.”

Asia’s Romantic Balladeer is “very proud” of Mark and Rachelle, noting in particular the rave reviews the former has been receiving for his performance. “This guy is so hardworking and I’m so happy na nakukuha niya ’to. I’m very happy for him,” he says.

With the three of them being products of TV talent shows, and also good friends that have often worked together, comparisons are inevitable. Christian accepts that and remains pragmatic about it.

Christian Bautista dreams big

LOS ANGELES

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 11

By Pierre-Henry DeshayesOslo, Norway | AFP | Monday

12/15/2014 – Farmed Norwegian salmon – repeatedly criticised for its supposed effects on health – can be safely eaten even by preg-nant women, a new report by ex-perts said Monday.

A fi xture of Christmas and New Year celebrations in Europe, farmed salmon has become more and more controversial, with a French TV programme last year branding it the “most toxic food in the world”.

But health watchdogs tasked by the Norwegian government to investigate the issue say women in particular should eat more of the fi sh.

“The benefi ts of eating fi sh far outweigh the insignifi cant risk of pollutants and other substances,” said Janneche Utne Skaare, of Norway’s Scientifi c Committee for Food Safety (VKM).

“Given the present level of the most dangerous toxins like PCBs, dioxins and mercury, even people who eat a lot of oily or white fi sh would not absorb them in harm-ful quantities,” Skaare, a biolo-gist and toxicologist, told public broadcaster NRK.

Norway is the world’s biggest producer of farmed salmon, and it is one of the country’s main export earners after oil.

The Norwegian authorities had previously advised young and pregnant women to limit their consumption of oily fi sh to two meals a week so as not to expose their children to health risks.

Warning lifted But that warning on eating

salmon, trout, mackerel and her-ring has now been lifted. In fact, the new VKM report “stresses how important it is for this group

to eat fi sh because it has been proven that mothers eating fi sh has a positive effect on the devel-opment on the nervous system of fetuses and breast-fed babies,” said public health chief Knut-Inge Klepp.

According to the new report, farmed salmon now contains 70 percent less dioxins and PCBs than when Norwegian authori-ties last did major tests in 2006, and levels of mercury have been halved due to changes in what fi sh are now fed on.

Vegetable oils have largely re-

placed fi sh meal and oil which made up for 90 percent of the diet of farmed fi sh in 1990. The Nor-wegian research institute Nofi ma said fi sh protein now makes up no more than 29 percent of their diet.

Tests by the VKM show that you can eat more than a kilo of farmed salmon a week without risk, Norwegian public health of-fi cials maintained.

They recommend that people eat at least two or three fi sh-based meals a week, or between 300 and 450 grams (10.5-16 ounces), half of which should be oily fi sh.

Norway says farmed salmon safe and urges public to eat more

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Monday 12/15/2014 – A Brit-ish government-commissioned review has found that resistance to antibiotics could account for 10 million deaths a year and hit global gross domestic product by 2.0 to 3.5 percent by 2050.

The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance said surgeries that have become widespread and low-risk thanks to antibiotics, such as cae-sarean sections, could become more dangerous without urgent ac-tion.

The review announced by British Prime Minister David Cameron was led by Jim O’Neill, former chief economist at US investment bank Goldman Sachs, and included British senior public health ex-perts.

It found the region with the highest number of deaths attribut-able to antimicrobial resistance would be Asia with 4.7 million fol-lowed by Africa with 4.1 million, while there would be 390,000 in Europe and 317,000 in the United States.

For comparison, the review estimated that the second-biggest killer, cancer, would account for 8.2 million deaths a year by 2050.

“The damaging effects of antimicrobial resistance are already manifesting themselves across the world,” the report said.

“Antimicrobial-resistant infections currently claim at least 50,000 lives each year across Europe and the US alone,” it added.

The calculations were based on existing studies by the think tank Rand Europe and the consultancy KPMG.

Antibiotics resistance could kill 10-M a year by 2050

(Relaxnews) - As studies emerge classifying sitting for extended periods as bad to our health, wobbly stools and exercise balls are replacing offi ce chairs, pedal sets are being installed un-der desks and everyone’s talking about how to stay physically ac-tive while seated at their desk. But what can we expect from ac-tive sitting? LA-based trainer and martial arts expert Philippe Til weighs in on the facts and fables.

Fact: Effective posture is the basis for active sitting, so if we start off slumped, we might not get anything out of it at all.

“Doing exercises in a chair or on an exercise ball without taking posture into account is like stack-ing fi tness on top of dysfunction,” says Til. To get started, take what he calls the “horse ready” posi-tion. “Sit on the edge of your chair with your spine straight and your shoulders squared,” he says, “And open up your thigh-to-trunk angle so that it’s obtuse—this part is

very important. Your feet will be directly under your shoulders.”

Fable: Active sitting is a good way to get in shape.

Hardly, according to Til, who says that it should never be con-sidered a substitute for whole fi t-ness. “Active sitting is still sitting,” he says. “It’s not going to help you lose weight and it certainly won’t increase your cardiorespiratory fi tness levels. It will, however, get your blood fl owing and can hinder some adverse long-term effects on the joints if done properly, start-ing with proper posture.” Fact: Once good posture has been es-tablished, blood fl ow and oxygen intake improve.

The simple postural adjust-ment that Til suggests can open the airways in your lungs.

“I’ve had clients with frequent-ly occurring headaches who have seen them stop once they changed their posture, which is most likely due to the increased oxygen in-take and blood fl ow.”

What active sitting can do for you - and what it can’t

According to a new report, farmed salmon now contains 70 percent less dioxins and PCBs than when Norwegian authorities last did major tests in 2006, and levels of mer-cury have been halved due to changes in what fi sh are now fed on.©Paul Cowan/shutterstock.com

LOS ANGELES

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST12 LOS ANGELES

TEL.: (818) 552-4503 ext 402 • Fax: (818) 550-7635 • MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED

For advertising, call (818) 552-4503 ext 402 • Fax (818) 550-7635 • email: advertising@balita.com

HOW TO SEND US

editor@balita.comBY E-MAIL

PRESS RELEASES

Press releases should include your signature, full name and complete address (as well as

telephone number). Letters that do not meet these requirements will not be used.

All contributions are subject to editorial standards. Articles are printed subject to space

availability and at no cost to the sender.

The Editor

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRAYERS

Balita

BalitaGET RESULTS!ADVERTISE WITH

US TODAY!

NOW AVAILABLE!Balita Digital Copy

Mag Tayo!www.usasianpost.com

I will make your computer working again, fast and virus-free,install new parts or even upgrade your computer software (if applicable). Desktop or laptop, I'll find out why your computer is malfunctioning and fix it right away!

COMPUTER REPAIRGot virus? Is your computer so sloooowww; has a blue screen; the videos are not playing; or your Internet's not working?Is there something wrong with your computer?

I WILL Fix IT*For a flat fee of

Call us at (818) 823-5388 Email us: LAComputerShop@yahoo.com(* Dr y rdwar r r ra y r a y.)

LA Desktop & Laptop Services

d f

p*

ANIMALTESTING

FIGHTINGPRAYER to the BLESSED VIRGIN(Never known to fail)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

PRAYERS

DRIVER/ASSISTANTF/T for Assisted Living facilities. Transport, shopping, del food/supplies to each home, inven-tory. Must have clean driving record, drivers lic. at least 5 yrs. Must provide DMV printout. (714) 227-5766.

NANNY/BABYSITTERBaby girl. Eastvale, CA. M-F live-in/out. Exper pref’d. Age 65 & below pref. Light cleaning. Private room & meals incld. Joy 909-964-9233 Nolan 626-439-2460 lv detailed msgs.

LONG BEACH AREALive-in caregiver, prefer lady, six days/wk. No experience neces-sary. Board and care facility for elderly. Must have Soc. Sec. No. Call (562) 997-0906.; (562) 714-0986.

APT. FOR RENT1 BR, 1 BA, $750/mo. utils paid. Separate unit, 1 car park. Very close to N. Hollywood frwy. Call 818-422-9351.

CONDO FOR RENTCerritos - 3 BR/ 3 BA, gated comm..$2,450. Bell ower – single family home 1 lev-el, 2BR 1 BA, gated comm. $1,650. Townhouse-Bell ow-er- 2BR /1.5BA $1,500. Call to view 310.639.6464 x 110; 310.938.2607

THE US ASIAN POST Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 Visit www.usasianpost.com 13

MOTORING SUVs and crossovers have never been in

higher demand and the trend looks like it’s here to stay. But what is it about cars with a utilitarian vibe that is proving so popu-lar?

Automotive trends don’t start or stop overnight. It takes billions in investment and fi ve years of development work to bring a new car from the sketchpad to the forecourt. Rather they start slowly then keep building momentum year after year. A perfect example is the SUV ‘crossover,’ where demand for cars with a utilitarian look but a refi ned feel seems to be showing no signs of abating.

In fact, according to IHS Automotive, demand for cars that fall into the SUV seg-ment is up 88% since 2008, which makes it the fastest growing segment around the world. One in fi ve new cars on the road is of the SUV variety and everywhere you turn a manufacturer is offering either a new se-rious off-roader from the likes of Land Rov-er or a fun crossover such as the Fiat 500X.

The Chinese and American markets are currently driving global car sales – two re-gions where the SUV look has long been coveted – and therefore trends. But in Eu-rope too utility vehicles grew from 8% of the market to 19% between 2008 and 2013.

And driving much of that demand in Eu-rope is the Nissan Qashqai, which in No-vember set a new sales record for a vehicle built in the UK – taking just six years to achieve 2 million vehicles sold.

But when there is so much choice on the market, from people carriers, to coupés and luxury sedans, why are consumers gravi-tating towards vehicles like the Qashqai and its growing list of competitors?

Nissan’s Ian Tonkin says that, simply put, they offer owners the best of both worlds: “Modern crossovers and SUVs pro-vide owners with enhanced space and prac-ticality when compared to a C- or D-seg-ment car. In addition, a high-riding driving position gives drivers a good view of the road ahead. Crossovers in particular also deliver, in some cases, greater effi ciency than D-segment rivals, which is attractive

to buyers.”In the US, where the love affair with the

traditional SUV is so entrenched that the relationship only gets put on hold when emissions laws change, tax legislation is al-tered or there is uncertainty about gas pric-es, the popularity of the Crossover segment has been nothing short of remarkable. If IHS’s fi gures are broken down so that ‘true SUVs’ and crossovers are separated, then in the US, crossovers are currently outsell-ing SUVs and minivans combined and are second only to ‘cars’.

But more traditional SUV sales are booming too and partly due to the fact that companies are making their latest models more comfortable, less agricultural and more fuel-effi cient.

Jim Farley, Ford executive vice presi-dent, Global Marketing, Sales and Ser-vice says that SUVs now account for 23% of Ford’s global sales. He forecasts that by the end of the decade that fi gure will have risen to 29%. He also believes that the car that fi rst ignited the American public’s pas-sion for 4X4s is the Ford Explorer, which he describes as “The SUV America fell in love with—a vehicle built for the perfect family adventure.” The new 2016 Ford Ex-plorer, which made its global debut at the LA Motor Show in November is indicative of this growing trend. It is the most refi ned SUV that Ford America has ever developed and boasts class-leading fuel economy and levels of safety technology and creature comforts one normally associates with a Cadillac or Lexus.

And even though it has serious off-road capabilities, its four-wheel drive features were played down at its launch in favor of highlighting its car-like handling and at-tention to cabin detail such as USB charg-ing ports integrated into every seat.

The popularity of the crossover shows no signs of abating, in fact, if anything 2015 could be the year when the trend really hits its peak and goes premium with new launches from Audi, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, BMW, Jaguar, Maserati and even Lambo-rghini.

The second-generation Nissan Qashqai launched in 2014. ©Nissan

2014: The year the crossover crossed over

Ahead of the 2015 Detroit motor show, BMW has given its range-topping M6 sportscar so subtle a makeover it could be diffi cult to spot.

However, look for long enough and you’ll see that car – whether in coupé, Gran Coupé or con-vertible form – has a redesigned kidney grille, front and rear aprons and bigger, more menacing air intakes.

BMW has also developed new forged 19-inch alloy wheels (20-inch on the Gran Coupé) and, on the hard-top variants, redesigned the carbon fi ber roof. It is now more contoured, lighter and sits slightly lower, improving the car’s already excel-lent center of gravity.

Inside the differences are quicker to spot. The levels of trim and styling have been taken up a notch as have the range of optional extras poten-tial owners can choose from.

Under the hood it’s business as usual. The new M6 has the same (admittedly wonderful) 4.4-li-ter V8 twin-turbocharged engine as before and its fi gures are also the same – 0-100km/h in 4.2 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250kph (155mph).

However a competition package is available that will add an extra 15bhp to the engine’s al-ready impressive 552bhp and will knock a whole 0.1 seconds off its 0-100km/h dash. What will be a new addition to the 2015 model is a reworked

two-stage exhaust system that BMW says pro-duces a more satisfying engine note.

The updates aren’t limited to the fl agship 6-Se-ries variants; all models in the range are getting similar though less aggressive external and inter-nal tweaks. However, in the case of the standard range, the engines are also getting improvements. BMW says that six-cylinder and eight-cylinder gas engines now all meet the strictest European EU 6 regulations, their effi ciency has been im-proved and so have acceleration and responsive-ness.

The company is also for the fi rst time offering its XDrive all-wheel drive system as an option on the standard range, as well as passive rear-wheel steering for keeping the back end in check when making progress.

The 2015 BMW M6: Blink and you’ll miss it

The new BMW M6 Coupé. The new car will be offi -cally unveiled in January. ©BMW Group

Visit www.usasianpost.com Wednesday - Tuesday, December 17 - 23, 2014 THE US ASIAN POST14

(BUSAN, South Korea) President Benigno S. Aquino III participates in the 25th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit at Busan Exhibition and Convention Cen-ter on Friday (December 12). With the theme: “Building Trust, Bringing Happiness,” the summit aims to strengthen Korea’s relationship with ASEAN through trust, which should result in happiness for the citizens of ASEAN and the ROK. (MNS photo)

MANILA, Dec 13 (Mabuhay) -- Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima will now comply with the pre-ventive suspension order issued against him by the Offi ce of the Ombudsman, after President Be-nigno Aquino III asked him to do so.

PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor said, “Yes, he will comply. Pangulo na ‘yan e.”

Earlier, Aquino said the allega-tions against Purisima have yet to be proven but added that the Ombudsman’s processes needed to be followed.

“Now, did he knowingly com-mit this grievous error? Iyon ang kailangang ma-prove. But at the same time, having said that, [if] the Ombudsman feels that he has to be preventively suspended, then he has to comply and he has been told to do so,” Aquino said.

Asked about Purisima’s con-tinued stay at the offi cial resi-dence of the PNP chief inside Camp Crame and a possible con-fl ict with PNP offi cer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leon-ardo Espina, Aquino said: “No, [Purisima] is not supposed to be leading.”

However, Mayor said as of Friday, Purisima remains at his quarters, dubbed as White House,

inside Camp Crame.The Offi ce of the Ombudsman

ordered a six-month preventive suspension on Purisima over an allegedly questionable contract the PNP entered into with a cou-rier service in 2011, to make sure he would not infl uence the out-come of the investigation into the deal.

The complaint that triggered the Ombudsman probe on Purisi-ma and the other offi cials alleged that the respondents entered into a contract with courier service WERFAST Documentary Agency in 2011 for the delivery of fi re-arms license cards even without proper accreditation.

In a press statement issued on Sunday, Purisima denied any in-volvement in entering a contract with WERFAST.

He said the contract between the PNP and WERFAST was ex-ecuted on May 25, 2011, or more than a year before he was ap-pointed by Aquino as the chief of the PNP on December 18, 2012.

On Friday, Sen. Miriam San-tiago said Purisima should va-cate the White House – the PNP chief’s offi cial residence in Camp Crame – out of delicadeza.

“Hindi siya dapat doon mag-stay kasi all of these are inherent with the position,” Santiago said.

MANILA, Dec 15 (Mabuhay) – A former Interior and Local Gov-ernment Secretary on Monday said President Aquino acted indeci-sively on the controversies surrounding Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima.

Ex-DILG chief Rafael Alunan said the President’s half-hearted action on Purisima instilled doubt on his leadership.

Purisima is facing a six-month suspension for approving the al-legedly anomalous Werfast deal.

“Actually, I was quite perplexed. He was not decisive. There was waffl ing. It was obvious to the public. Things like this should not be allowed because it gives room for doubt about the President’s leadership, his values, etc and that impacts on the daang matuwid campaign,” he said.

“In matters like this, I think it is important for the President to take decisive action,” he added.

Alunan said the President should replace Purisima “just to sta-bilize the institution so that it can continue its normal activities without a Damocles sword or cloud of doubt over their heads.”

Aquino indecisive on Purisima – Alunan

Purisima to comply with Ombudsman’s suspension order – spokesman

MANILA, Dec 16 (Mabuhay) – A former political opponent of Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday has fi led graft and plun-der charges against him and 30 others in connection with the al-leged overpricing of the construc-tion of the P1.33-billion Makati Science High School.

In an 11-page complaint fi led before the Offi ce of the Ombuds-man, lawyer Renato Bondal said the construction of the building was overpriced by P862 million.

Bondal said Binay, who was then Makati mayor, conspired with his son Makati City Mayor Erwin Jejomar “Junjun” Binay Jr., some former and current Makati offi cials, and 10 execu-tives of Hilmarc’s Construction Corp.

Junjun Binay was Makati City councilor at the time the vice president was city mayor.

This is the second plunder com-plaint Bondal fi led against the Binays. The fi rst complaint was in connection with the supposed overpricing of Makati City Hall Building II.

Bondal said the construction of the high school building was “implemented using the same mo-dus operandi employed in the con-struction of the overpriced Makati Parking Building.”

Plunder, graft raps fi led vs. Binay over ‘overpriced’ HS Science bldg

He noted that the construction was divided into six phases, with simulated bidding for each piece, which he said is prohibited under Republic Act 9184 or the Govern-ment Procurement Act of 2003.

Bondal also pointed out that during the ocular visit of the Sen-ate blue ribbon subcommittee, which is investigating the alleged overpricing in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II and other allegations of irregular-ities against Binay, it was found that the construction of the high school building was not yet fi n-ished.

“Makikita ninyo, January 2014, accepted na and completed ang phase six, kaso nung nag-in-speksyon ang mga senador, may lumabas na ang 8th, 9th, 10th fl oor ay hindi pa tapos, pero bayad na ang phase na iyon, kaya malaki talagang katiwalian ang nakiki-ta,” he said.

Preventive suspensionMeanwhile, Bondal urged the

Ombudsman to preventively sus-pend the Vice President and other current Makati City government offi cials so as not to tamper the evidence.

“Gaya ng unang complaint na-min, dito sa pangalawang com-plaint, humihingi kami ng pre-ventive suspension, kasi marami

pa talagang madidiskubreng anomalya sa city government of Makati,” he said.

However, he admitted the chal-lenges in accessing documents.

“Napakahirap um-access ng mga dokumento, kaya sana mag-karoon ng preventive suspension para ang mga dokumentong hindi inilalabas, magkaroon kami ng pagkakataong makuha,” Bondal said.

‘Sino ba si Bondal?Reacting to charges fi led

against Binay, Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, United Nationalist Al-liance interim president, simply asked, “Sino ba si Bondal?”

Tiangco said Bondal is an ally of former Makati City vice mayor Ernesto Mercado, a former Binay ally who is now among Binay’s chief accusers.

“Siya (Bondal) ang kakampi ni Mercado. In 2010, siya ay tumak-bong councilor under Mercado, and he lost,” he said.

Mercado had accused the vice president of involvement in ir-regularities and of having hidden wealth.

Tiangco also said that in 2013, Mercado ran against the younger Binay in the mayoral race.

“Both times, natalo siya,” he said. “More importantly, these buildings are in Makati, ang in-aakusahan ay ang mayor ng Makati, at ang kalaban ay taga-Makati.”

“Ang mga mamamayan ng Makati ang tunay na nakakaalam kung may anomalya nga, kasi kung totoo man ang sinasabi niya (Bondal), bakit hindi siya nanalo sa eleksyon?” he added.

Aside from this, Tiangco also pointed out that local government units undergo an audit every year and that the Commission on Au-dit has never found any anomaly in the transactions entered into by the Makati City government.

However, Tiangco assured the public that the Binay camp will answer the charges as soon as the Ombudsman will seek their reply to the complaint. (MNS)