vol. xxix, no. 8 august 2011 ... · contents editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 cooperative...

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T a g a l o g C o r n e r . . . . , . . . . . 9

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Vol. XXIX, No. 8 August 2011 http://www.filipinostar.org

by W.G.QuiambaoOnce more, the saying that

"The power of a woman can not beunderestimated" is true. Aurora Osdonof the Mabuhay Team holds thedistinction of being the first FAMASpresident to serve the associationthree times - 1987, 2009 and 2011.Although Osdon and Cesar Manuel ofthe Samahang Makabayan Partygarnered 762 and 831 votes,respectively, Osdon was declared aswinner of the election. Osdon won dueto the implementation of the 150-votededuction from Manuel's total votesbecause of the violation of COMELECRules and Regulations.

The last election was marredby allegations of violations of theCOMELEC election Rules andRegulations. Some of the allegationsand accusations were posted on theFAMAS website by followers of Osdonand Manuel. From the beginning,the COMELEC was accused by SMP

supporters of conniving with Osdonwhen the election venue was movedfrom Mackenzie King Park to St.Kevin`s social hall. The idea,according to them, was for the MT todiscourage the voters from going tothe polls. Bernardo Sarmiento,chairman of the COMELEC,vehemently denied the accusation.

Meanwhile, a list of fiveviolations of COMELEC Rules andRegulations committed by the SMPwas lodged by Shinette Khoury,incumbent vice president andcampaign manager of the MT, with theCOMELEC on July 20. The violationsincluded: Dick Dahiroc, a supporter ofManuel, made a ribald andchauvinistic comment about Osdon;Dante Tabamo commented that "weshould keep the center more open asit is often closed.;” six people claimedthat they were offered by the SMP topay for their registrations; Amelia Lelis,

COMELEC declares Osdon as winner inFAMAS presidential election dispute

COMELEC Chair Budz Sarmiento with volunteer poll clerks Myrna Maranan-Francisco (left) and Carmen Zaballa. See Page 4 FAMAS Election

Jack Layton, NDP Leader, 61, Succumbs to Cancer(The Canadian Press)

OTTAWA — Jack Layton's untimelydeath from cancer Monday left agaping hole in Canada's politicallandscape.

In a poignant letter written onhis death bed, the NDP leader tried toassure Canadians that his party ismore than a one-man show, that it willsurvive, even thrive, in his absence.

But even Layton'scharacteristic optimism couldn't maskthe magnitude of the challenge nowfacing New Democrats.

Gone is the familiar, cheerful,mustachioed presence whose just-folks appeal propelled the NDP toofficial Opposition status in last May'selection, a historic high for Canada'sperpetual third party.

Gone is the popular leader onwhom New Democrats had pinnedtheir hopes of finally vaulting into

See Page 5 Jack Layton dies

August 20112 The North American Filipino Star


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EEddiittoorriiaallYesterday, the Senate of the

Philippines voted to ratify the Treaty foran International Criminal Court (ICC) –otherwise known as the Rome Statute– and the Philippines will officially ratifythe statute at the United Nations inNew York. This move is a triumph foraccountability and internationaljustice, and a blow against the cultureof impunity worldwide, as the ICC isthe most dramatic development ininternational criminal law – indeveloping a culture of prevention anddeterrence – since World War II.

The path to Philippineratification of the Rome Statute of theICC has been long and complex. Oneof the groups responsible for thisadvance – Parliamentarians for GlobalAction, of which I used to serve asPresident of the Canadian chapter –has lead the advocacy for Philippineratification for many years. CurrentPGA President and Chair ofInternational Council, Dr. RuthWijdenbosch, an MP from Suriname,commented that: “The Senate of thePhilippines vote of concurrence on theICC Ratification Bill … is to be warmlywelcomed. I wish to applaud my PGAcolleagues in the Senate of thePhilippines, in particular SenatorsMiriam Defensor Santiago andSenator Loren Legarda for theirextraordinary determination inbringing about this landmark day forthe Philippines. This decision is ofeven greater importance, to the extentthat the Asian sub-region continues tobe under-represented within the ICCsystem”.

Commenting also on thisdevelopment, Dep. Alain Destexhe

(Belgium), Convener of the PGAInternational Law & Human RightsProgram stated “From here inRwanda, a country that hasexperienced among the worstatrocities known to the internationalcommunity, I have just learnt that theSenate of the Philippines has given itsconcurrence to the ICC RatificationBill. This represents a genuinemoment of victory, not only for thePhilippines and its people but also forthe international community which hasembraced the ICC as a vitalinternational organ in combatingimpunity around the globe. I salute theSenate of the Philippines in taking thisimportant step”.

Another key player inensuring this advance for the rule oflaw is the Coalition for the ICC in Asia,and in the Philippines in particular,whose tireless efforts and instrumentalsupportive role have borne fruit. Civilsociety actors – although oftenfighting uphill - kept the flame of hopealive, steadfast in the belief that one

History seems to repeatitself in the Philippinec o m m u n i t y .

A few years ago, a similarcontroversy over the results ofthe election became a long-standing feud that resulted inexpensive legal battles. In theend, there was no winner. Justlike most court cases, the onlywinners are lawyers who chargehigh legal fees. FAMAS wassaddled with unpaid bills forquite a while until Au Osdon andher executive board came to bethe administration that madesignificant changes. For thefirst time in many years, FAMAShas financial statements thatshowed being in the black Ofcourse, the job was not done byone person alone. Manyvolunteers helped out. But itcannot be denied that Au Osdonhas carried her duties withunselfish devotion, regardlessof sharp criticisms from herdetractors. Now that Comelechas declared her and most ofher team as the official winnersin this year’s election, she hasbeen unnecessarily subjectedto so much pressure from allsides - both for and against thedecision of Comelec to issue a150-vote deduction against theteam that broke the rules.

In trying to make peopleunderstand the problem, wewould like to ask the followingquestions: Why do we need tohave a Comelec to oversee anelection? Why are rules andprocedures necessary inconducting any type of activity,whether it is football, hockey, orany type of competition? Whendo we follow rules? Do wechoose to follow them whenthey suit our goals, and ignorethem when they don’t? If rulesare broken, do we not expectthe penalties prescribed by the

rules? When one committed acrime which was not discoveredright away, will this prevent theauthorities from prosecuting thecriminal?

All of the problems weare facing now could have beenavoided had there been a strictadherence to the rules.The FAMAS Executive Board

exercised its prerogative toappoint the Comelec. If thecandidates did not want toaccept the rules set up by thisbody, why did they not say so atthe very beginning and refuse tosign their certificates ofcandidacy?

A lot has been saidalready and we need not saymore. Poisoned darts havebeen going around in various e-mails and websites. But itseems necessary to remindpeople to use some self-controland avoid using foul language incommunicating with oneanother. We should show somerespect, whether or not weagree with somebody’s opinion.

We are not going toparticipate in name calling, norare we willing to be dragged intocharacter assassinations.All we want is to focus on the

real issue of this controversywhich is not following the rules.It should not be focused onanything else for the problemreally started from the violationof a rule which unfortunatelyproved to be unfavorable.

Considering that no onehas anything to gain fromcontinuing this divisiveactivities, let true leadershipemerge which requires having abackbone and making toughd e c i s i o n s .

True leadership is not apopularity contest but it is amatter of acceptingresponsibility and recognizing

When do we follow rules?

Opinion Editorial by Hon. Irwin Cotler, MP

The Philippines and the Combatingof the Culture of Impunity

August 2011 3The North American Filipino Star


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COOPERATIVE NEWSday their unwavering commitmentwould bear fruit.

Initially, the post-WWIINuremberg/Tokyo Tribunals inspiredthe hope that a PermanentInternational Tribunal with globaljurisdiction would be established —and indeed an ICC was first proposedsome 60 years ago. However, it tookthe globalized horror of the killingfields of the nineties — the horror ofBosnia; the agony of Rwanda; thebrutalized women and children ofSierra Leone and Sudan; and theemergence of the unthinkable, ethniccleansing, and the unspeakable,genocide, to give the idea of aninternational criminal court the moralcompellability and sense of urgencythat it warrants.

What distinguishes theinternational criminal court from adhoc tribunals is that the ICC is the firstpermanent international tribunal with aglobal jurisdiction to try individuals forcriminal violations of internationalhumanitarian law. Accordingly, unlikethe International Court of Justice,whose contentious jurisdiction isrestricted to states, the ICC hasjuridical authority to indict individualsfrom any global killing field; and unlikethe ad hoc character of theYugoslavian and Rwandan war crimestribunals, the jurisdiction of the ICC —from the moment it takes effect for agiven state party — and soon thePhilippines – will not bechronologically or geographicallylimited

The ICC Treaty and correspondingimplementing legislation will serve toinstitutionalize and internationalize theNuremberg Legacy; work to end theculture of impunity; help deterinternational crimes while protectinginternational peace and security;counter the failure of national systemsto bring war criminals to justice;provide enforcement mechanismsand thereby overcome one of themain failings of international law;underpin state responsibility toprosecute, or to extradite for purposesof prosecution, any individuals in theirterritory who are accused ofinternational crimes of genocide, warcrimes, or crimes against humanity;and will help protect the mostvulnerable of persons in armedconflict: women, children, refugeesand the like.

In a word, the ICC Treaty is awake-up call and a warning to criminalhuman rights violators everywhere:there will be no safe havens, no baseor sanctuary for the enemies ofhumankind. The Philippians should belauded for this tremendous steptowards international justice and forjoining the family of nationssupporting the International CriminalCourt.

Irwin Cotler is the Memberof Parliament for Mount Royal andthe former President of CanadianBranch of Parliamentarians forGlobal Action and a long-timeadvocate for the establishment of aninternational criminal court.

Coop’s general assemblypostponed to October 16

In spite of the rain, we stillwent ahead with the picnic at BeaverLake Park. Using borrowed bigumbrellas from Cuisine de Manille, wewere able to have a picnic with somemembers and directors of the Coop.The rain stopped for a while later in theday and we were able to have a shortmeeting but due to the absence ofmany members, the election of newdirectors could not be held. It wasdecided to hold the assembly indoorsand use the headquarters of GilmoreCollege on 5320-A Queen Mary Roadon Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 2 p.m.

We are able to produce twofinancial statements, 2009 to 2010,which we will present to the nextassembly. They both showed deficits

due to low sales, and high costs ofmerchandise. One of the reasons forthe high cost is due to the slownventory turnover, hence, the productexpiration necessitates clearing stockat a low price, even below the cost. Ifmembers can be reminded to shopeven twice a month, the stock can bemore quickly sold and definitely willmake a huge difference in theprofitability of the Coop.

When we can establish amore regular hours of business, EsterVicente is willing to remind membersto come and shop at the Coop. Wehope to do so in a month or two.

Zenaida Kharroubi

IRWIN COTLER ON THEDEATH OF JACK LAYTON:CANADA HAS LOST “A GREATPARLIAMENTARIAN”

MONTREAL, August 22nd,2011 – The Honourable Irwin Cotler, MP(Mount Royal) expressed his deepsorrow at today’s passing of JackLayton, Leader of the Opposition. SaidCotler, “Canada has lost a greatParliamentarian, public servant, andadvocate for social justice. Ourthoughts and prayers are with Oliviaand the Layton family at this difficulttime”.

Cotler revealed that he andLayton shared a bond that formedwhen both men realized their fathershad battled prostate cancer. “WhenJack initially announced his illness –and in discussion with him it came outthat both our fathers had dealt with this

disease – he said ‘My father beat it, andI will beat it’”.

Cotler continued, “He was aperson of uncommon courage anddetermination. Even with the news ofhis new diagnosis, I believed andhoped, that once again, he wouldprevail”.

Cotler praised Layton’spolitical and Parliamentary prowess,saying, “Jack was a consummateParliamentarian. People may not realizehow often he would define the narrativeof the day in the House and then take itto the public square. He had a uniquetalent to articulate the anxieties andhopes of ordinary Canadians, whocame to know and love him as ‘Jack’. Itwas a privilege to serve in the Housewith him and to witness his indomitablespirit. We shall not see the likes of himagain”.Contact: 514-283-0171

From left: Desirée Fernando, Jennifer Lachica, Zenaida Kharroubi, Magnolia Camat, BenBade, Sophie Toledo, Au Osdon, Lina Fernandez, and Joanne Junio, Beaver Lake, Aug.21/11. Other members who came but not in the above photo were: Ramon Vicente, EsterVicente, Jojie Perez, Zeny and Danny Garcia. Guests were: Maggie & Benjie Calcetas.

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who was at the time in the Philippines,complained that her name wasregistered without her authorization;Lina Flores, a SMP candidate, handedflyers of SMP line-up to Nora Dulladuring moraorium..

Since the COMELEC foundthat there were no sufficient groundsor evidence presented by Khoury onthe first four charges, the accusedwere not found guilty. However, Floreswas found guilty of violations on thefifth charge

On the strength of Dulla'stestimony, the COMELEC foundFlores guilty for having violatedSection 10 and 11, Article VI of theFAMAS Rules and Regulations andProcedures. Flores distributedcampaign materials on July 10, a datecovered by the moratorium period andwas outside of the campaign period.The campaign period would not startuntil 12:00 a.m., July 16.

Flores argued that Khoury'scomplaints should not have beenheard because Khourry failed to abideby the 48-hour rule limitation as setforth in Sec. 1, Article X of the FAMASElection Rules, Regulations andProcedures. The COMELEC, however,believes that mere technicality mustnot be allowed to prevail uponcommon sense and more importantly,upon what is just and right. It will be atravesty of justice if we let the accusedto get off scot-free and worse yet, itmay encourage, rather thandiscourage, the others to commit thesame or similar violations.

COMELEC member AndreaNeufeld said, "If we pass down thepenalties as cautiously decided, a) wewill show the community that we`reserious about correcting violations andthus are setting a precedent as aCOMELEC to show the communitywe're serious about helping bringabout change, b) SMP will be mad, nodoubt, but 48 hour rule or not, theyVIOLATED THE RULES! And now theywant to hide behind a technicality? Tome, that is an admission of guilt.

I think it is right to deal out apenalty to Lina Flores - SMP must betaught that this COMELEC does notstand for shady games and less thanhonest behaviour. I believe that`breaking the rules` in the case ofthis technicality will champion thisCOMELEC more than harm us."

COMELEC member TeresitaCalica opines, "For me the timeelement is not a valid ground todismiss the complaint. It is very clearthat Lina Flores has violated one of theelection rules and regulations. Suchfraud destroys the sanctity of the ballotand takes away the trust of the votingpublic. We, the COMELEC, asguardian of democratic governanceshould discourage such actions andpunish those who are found guilty byimplementing the Election Rules andRegulations. It must also be stressedthat our Mission is to conduct honest,fair and peaceful elections but howcan this be attained if the guilty is notaccused because of mere technicality.If this happens now, then it will happenagain in the future?

We have announced publiclyduring the hearing that we don`t wantto disqualify anybody. Therefore, Isuggest that penalty be imposed onthe candidates of the SamahangMakabayan Party."

COMELEC vice chair RicardoRibaya has this to say, `Ms. LinaFlores made a mockery of themoratorium period for campaigning.The severity of this violation cannot betaken lightly or be simply dismissedbecause of technicality and thereforedeserves a penalty. Let us carry onwith what we believe is right."

Ms. Cynthia Puray stampedher seal of approval on this decision aswell. She said: “It is very clear thatthere was a violation as per COMELECRules and Regulations.”

The bone of contention wasthe severity or leniency of the penalty.Was the deduction of 150 votes fromeach candidate fair or not enough?

COMELEC explained thatUnder Section 1 of Article XX1Penalties and Complaints, Ms. Floresis penalized as follows: One hundredfifty (150) votes will be deducted fromthe total number of votes she willgarner in the election of August 14.Furthermore, since the rest of her slatemost likely benefited from the illegalcampaigning, the same amount ofvotes will also be deducted from therespective total votes of each one ofher running mates from thepresidential candidate to the lastdirectorial candidate."

COMELEC added that Section1 - Contravening the election rulesoutlined above and those sections ofthe FAMAS Constitution and Bylawsrelating to Qualifications of the

Executive Board and the COMELECmay result in penalties ordisqualification. The COMELECRESERVES THE RIGHT TO ISSUEMULTIPLE STRIKES or NON-STANDARD PENALTIES whereapplicable.

"All the candidates were giventhe Election Rules and Regulations,”said James de la Paz, president ofCouncil of Canadian-FilipinoAssociations of Quebec. “I'm surethey read it. If the SMP advisors knowall the laws like what they are postingnow, if there is anything that the SMPcandidates did not agree with the rulesand regulations because it isundemocratic, they should havebrought it to the attention of theCOMELEC then. Instead, they signedthe Certificate of Candidacy that theyabide by the Rules and Regulations ofthe COMELEC. They are adults.Nobody forced them to sign theCertificate of Candidacy. And now theyare complaining, after violating therules and regulations. If the situationhas been reversed, I am sure thegroup will impose the same rules.”

Although neither Osdon norManuel used the FAMAS website oremail to express their opinions, theirardent supporters did.

Khoury emailed an emotionaland vitriolic message to her formerfriend, Julie Parado, now a supporterof SMP: "Let me remind you that noneof this would be happening if SMPfollowed the rules and did not violateElection Rules and Regulations bydistributing flyers at Long Sault.Others saw it, too. Do you want tofurther embarrass yourself and yourteam if more witnesses start to comeout? Never mind all the otherallegations I filed pertaining to "votebuying" which you yourselfcondemned in the 2009 election whenyou called the police after seeingAlbert Floresca’s team buying votes.And now, you close your eyes? Justbecause it is your team. You canfabricate, you can continue to believeyour own truth and If I can argue withyou till I turn blue. I know I cannotchange you. Your truth dictates that AuOsdon is evil, ratification is bogus,COMELEC is our ally, etc. What next?And you ranted hours and hours onthe phone with me for years talkingabout your services to the community;so this is your definition of service?”

Elizabeth Raquel, a formerfriend of Flores, wrote: "May I remind

you Lina Flores that whatever you wereaccused of and penalized by theCOMELEC, I was not there to witness.But, during the election in 2009, whenwe ran as team mates under ChrisBautista's banner with our famousslogan, "Honesty is the Best Policy",you called our team for an emergencymeeting only for you to announce that"we should buy votes."

Mercy Umipig Sia, SMPcandidate, was quick to refuteRaquel’s story.

Felix Reyes, another supporterof SMP, emailed August 10, with acarbon copy to a number of Filipinos,"The incident happened in Long Sault,Ont. which is beyond the perimeter ofthe Filipino enclave in Montreal, Que.Long Sault, Ont. is a 2-hr highwaydrive from Montreal, Que., which isapproximately a 200 km-distance.What happened in Long Sault, Ont.stays in Long Sault, Ont. only. Period"

A supporter of MT could nothelp shaking his head, "I don't knowwhere Felix got that argument. All thepeople involved - the accused, thewitness, and accuser are fromQuebec. Does he know what he istalking about? Question mark!"

But Alia Rasul, candidate ofMabuhay Team said it all, "I appeal toevery one that rather than let thebumps in the road polarize us, let's allcome together in peace and fix it. Let'snot waste precious time and energy inpointing fingers and instead, movetowards progress."

Note: As of this writing , thedispute about the election results isstill unresolved.

Please take note that therewere 2,586 in the official list of eligiblevoters posted on the FAMAS websiteand the FAMAS Bulletin Board. Morethan 100 names were added to that listas people with official receipts ofregistration came to h ave their namesentered into the registry.

About 1,000 voters did not goto the polls. The question of manycommunity members are: Who arethese people and why did they notvote? COMELEC presumes that thesepeople are: those who knew that theirregistrations were paid for butboycotted the election because of thechange of venue and people whoknew that their registrations were paidbut did not vote because they did notlike the idea of vote buying.

From Page 1 FAMAS Election

Positiion Candidate’s Name Party Affiliatiion Total Votes Vote Deduction Net Votes RemarksPresident Au Osdon Mabuhay Team 762 762 Ellected

Cesar Manuel Samahang Makabayan 831 150 681Vice-Pres. Alexander Sy Mabuhay Team 720 720 ElectedInternal Dante Tabamo Samahang Makabayan 765 150 615

Vice-Pres. Gene Santander Mabuhay Team 791 791 ElectedExternal Mel Domingo Samahang Makabayan 708 150 558Secretary Melle Lugod Mabuhay Team 718 718 Elected

Tracy Alarcon Samahang Makabayan 607 150 457Treasurer Ramon Vicente Mabuhay Team 747 747 Elected

Lina Flores Samahang Makabayan 706 150 556Auditor Alia Ceniza Rasul Mabuhay Team 651 651 Elected

Cely Dagsaan Samahang Makabayan 747 150 597Accountant Agnes Calgo Mabuhay Team 694 694 Elected

Jhun Zapanta Samahang Makabayan 714 150 564PRO Al Abdon Mabuhay Team 734 734 Elected

Julius Abad Samahang Makabayan 709 150 559

OFFICIAL FAMAS ELECTION RESULTS



government in the next election.Gone is the glue that has held

disparate elements of the largelyrookie NDP caucus together.

Gone is the federal leader withwhom Canadians consistently toldpollsters they'd most like to have abeer.

What remains is a staggeredparty facing formidable challengesand an enduring mystery about whatactually caused Layton's deathbeyond the "new cancer" he referredto last month. Those questions werediverted to his grieving family.

Within moments of the Laytonfamily issuing a statement earlyMonday announcing his death, thetwitterverse was swamped with anoutpouring of grief. Within a couple ofhours, Canadians began leavingflowers and notes outside Layton'sToronto home and at the CentennialFlame on Parliament Hill, where theflag on the Peace Tower was loweredto half mast.

"R.I.P. Jack. You were ourHOPE," said one message attached toa bouquet of red roses.

Condolences poured in frompolitical friends and enemies alike.

Prime Minister StephenHarper said Layton will beremembered "for the force of hispersonality and his dedication topublic life."

"We have lost an engagingpersonality and a man of strongprinciple."

Harper, a piano player,recounted how he and Layton, aguitarist, had talked about playingtogether one day but never found thetime.

"I will always regret the jamsession that never was. That is areminder that we must always maketime for friends, family and loved ones,while we still can."

Liberal Leader Bob Rae saidLayton, both in his work as a Torontocity councillor and a federal MP,"leaves a powerful legacy of acommitment to social justice." A one-time New Democrat and premier ofOntario before joining the Liberals,Rae said he and Layton alwaysremained friends despite their politicaldifferences.

"Sometimes the world has away of breaking your heart. I think a lotof us feel that way today," Rae said.

NDP officials could not bear tocontemplate Monday how they'll fillthe void left by Layton's death at just

61 years of age.Party president Brian Topp, a

close friend and longtime senioradviser to Layton, said the NDPfederal council will take time to grievebefore meeting to discuss the processof choosing a successor.

"I don't expect we will get tothat for an appropriate period of time,certainly not until next week," he said.

But Layton himself had nosuch qualms about confronting thecruel realities facing his party, whichrebranded itself as "Jack Layton'sNDP" for last spring's election.

Ever practical, he penned aletter to Canadians on Saturday -- justover a day before his death -- in whichhe took pains to assure voters that theNDP's electoral success in May wasnot a flash in the pan.

He urged his party to wasteno time choosing a successor,recommending that a leadership votebe held "as early as possible in thenew year ... so that our new leader hasample time to reconsolidate our team,renew our party and our program, andmove forward towards the nextelection."

Layton tacitly acknowledgedthat his death will cause an upheavalin the federal political sphere,potentially stalling the NDP's recentmomentum and giving new life to themoribund Liberals, who were reducedto a third-party rump on May 2.

Addressing his NDPcolleagues, he wrote: "There will bethose who will try to persuade you togive up our cause. But that cause ismuch bigger than any one leader.

"Answer them byrecommitting with energy anddetermination to our work. ... Let'scontinue to move forward. Let'sdemonstrate in everything we do inthe four years before us that we areready to serve our beloved Canada asits next government."

Addressing Canadians,Layton emphasized the NDP team,predicting his 102 MPs will provethemselves to be a "compelling newalternative" to the ruling Conservativesand urging voters to "give them acareful hearing."

He had some wordsspecifically for Quebecers, whotriggered the so-called orange wavethat swept across the country in May.Enchanted by "le bon Jack,"Quebecers handed the party 59 of theprovince's 75 seats even though manyNew Democrat candidates werecomplete unknowns, some of whom

From Page 1 Jack Layton diescould not speak French and had nevervisited the ridings they now represent.

"You made the right decisionthen; it is still the right decision today;and it will be the right decision rightthrough to the next election," Laytontold Quebecers, calling his largelyrookie Quebec MPs "a superb team."

Layton crafted the letter withthe help of Topp, his wife, MP OliviaChow, and his chief of staff, AnneMcGrath.

During her last conversationwith him on Saturday, McGrath saidLayton was insistent that the comingleadership convention must be"motivating and energetic andsomething that would help withbuilding the party and the movement."

McGrath acknowledged it's"going to be a challenge" to fill Layton'sshoes. But she said he's leaving theparty with some strong "underlyingfundamentals" -- a revitalizedfundraising machine and a growingmembership.

"I think the key thing ... has gotto be that we remember who he wasand what he stood for and try and dowhat he wants us to do, which is tomake sure that his legacy is one ofbuilding."

Topp railed at the injustice ofLayton being felled by cancer beforehe could enjoy the fruits of eight longyears of labouring to bring the NDPfrom the political wilderness to thebrink of potential power.

"It is very unfair that, havinggone so far and done so much, hedoesn't have a chance to carry itforward," he said, echoing thesentiment of most New Democrats.

Still, Topp said NewDemocrats must adopt Layton's"hopefulness and his optimism" -- thequalities that endeared him toCanadians.

"Although no one can replaceJack Layton, we can continue hiswork. He taught us a lesson there thatwe will not forget about what it is thatthe people of Canada are looking forand it's an alternative to angry andsmall politics. And that's what JackLayton was all about. He was aboutoffering something bigger."

Another leader might adoptLayton's strategy but it's difficult toimagine any of his potentialsuccessors -- such as Montreal MPThomas Mulcair, Vancouver MP LibbyDavies and Ottawa MP Paul Dewar --matching Layton's sheer likeability.

His ability to connect withaverage folk was reflected in the coast-

to-coast outpouring of grief thatfollowed the early Monday statementfrom Layton's family.

"We deeply regret to informyou that The Honourable Jack Layton,leader of the New Democratic Party ofCanada, passed away at 4:45 amtoday, Monday August 22," said thestatement from his wife, Olivia Chow,and two children, Sarah and Michael.

"He passed away peacefully athis home surrounded by family andloved ones."

A funeral service is expectedto be held Saturday at Toronto's RoyThomson Hall. It is still unclearwhether there will be any stateinvolvement in the funeral for theleader of the official Opposition.

However, the family asked thatin lieu of flowers, donations be madeto the recently announced BroadbentInstitute, a left-leaning think-tank.

Donations can be made onlineat www.ndp.ca/inmemory. Canadianscan also offer condolences online atwww.ndp.ca.

Layton's death came a monthafter he appeared at a newsconference, looking frail and gaunt, toannounce he was suffering from anew, unspecified cancer and wouldtemporarily step down as party leaderand head of the official Opposition.

Rookie Quebec MP Nycole Turmeltook over within days, but the caucusand party all expressed hope forLayton's quick return to health.

It was not to be.Layton had been diagnosed

with prostate cancer in early 2010, butcontinued a crowded schedule whilegetting treatment. He suffered a hipfracture just before the start of thespring campaign but it was surgicallyrepaired. He leaned on a cane duringthe campaign, but seemed as full ofenergy and optimism as ever.

Toward the end of June,however, Layton began experiencingpain and stiffness. His condition swiftlydeteriorated, leaving the once fit andathletic Layton looking emaciated andfrail within just a few weeks.

The last federal political leaderto die in office was Andre-Gilles Fortin,who was killed in a 1977 car crasheight months after becoming leader ofthe now-defunct Social Credit.

Sir Wilfrid Laurier was leaderof the Liberals at the time of his deathin 1919. Sir John A. Macdonald,Canada's first prime minister, died inoffice shortly after winning re-electionin 1891.

Official FAMAS Election Results (continued) TotalPosition Name Team Votes Deduction Net Votes RemarksDirector, Membership Gina Medina Mabuhay 796 796 Elected

Elmer Manila S. Makabayan 701 150 551Director, ESCA Debbie Resurreccion Mabuhay 807 807 Elected

Alfred Neil Castro S. Makabayan 548 150 398Director, SportsYouth Christine Gevero Mabuhay 654 654

Mercy Umipig Sia S. Makabayan 832 150 682 ElectedDirector, Outreach Joan Junio Mabuhay 809 809 Elected

Renato Tejeros S. Makabayan 650 150 500Director, Spec. Proj. Rose Marie Arellano Mabuhay 738 738 Elected

Ruben Majaducon S. Makabayan 706 150 556

August 2011


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EarthTalk®E - The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: The U.S. House ofRepresentatives recently voted to stripthe U.S. Environmental ProtectionAgency (EPA) of its authority over statewater quality. Why did they do this,what are the ramifications and what doleading green groups have to sayabout it? -- Joseph Emory, York, PA

The legislation in question, theClean Water Cooperative FederalismAct of 2011 (H.R. 2018), passed theHouse of Representatives this pastJuly with strong support fromRepublicans and will likely be voted onby the Senate in the Fall. It aims toamend the Federal Water PollutionControl Act (also known as the CleanWater Act (CWA) in order to giveauthority over water quality standardsback to the states.

The bill’s backers—includingmost House Republicans andlobbyists for the mountaintop coalmining industry and factory animalfarms—claim it will bring jobs toAppalachia and other distressedregions of the country where they sayeconomic growth has been crippledby stringent environmentalregulations. The bill would prevent theEPA from overruling decisions madeby state regulatory agencies.

“By second-guessing andinserting itself into thestates’…standards and permittingdecisions, EPA has upset the long-standing balance between federal andstate partners in regulating the nation’swaters, and undermined the system ofcooperative federalism establishedunder the CWA in which the primaryresponsibilities for water pollutioncontrol are allocated to the states,”says GOP.gov, the website of theRepublican majority in Congress.“EPA’s actions have created anatmosphere of regulatory uncertaintyfor the regulated community, and havehad a chilling effect on the nation’seconomy and job creation.”

But those opposed to the bill,including the White House and manyCongressional Democrats, say that itsprovisions would undermine stringentfederal water quality protections somefour decades in the making.

“H.R. 2018 could limit effortsto safeguard communities byremoving the Federal Government’s authority to take action when Statewater quality standards are notprotective of public health,” said theWhite House after the bill passed in theHouse by a count of 239-184. Suchchanges, they added, could adverselyimpact public health and theenvironment through increasedpollution and degradation of water

bodies that provide drinking water,recreation and tourism opportunities,and habitat for fish and wildlife.

For their part, environmentalgroups couldn’t agree more. “Make nomistake: This bill would take theenvironmental cop off the beat and putat risk drinking water for millions ofpeople, the habitat for scores ofwildlife, and the jobs and economicgrowth that depends on a safer,cleaner environment,” said LarrySchweiger of the non-profit NationalWildlife Federation, adding that, ifenacted, the bill would take us “back toa time when rivers caught fire becauseof rampant pollution.”

Environmentalists areoptimistic that backers won’t haveenough Senate votes to pass the bill.Meanwhile, President Obama haspledged to veto any such legislationthat does make its way across hisdesk. But political winds shift quickly

inside the Beltway, and only time willtell if the bill will gain enough support towithstand a veto. The quality of thenation’s water supply hangs in thebalance.

CONTACTS: H.R. 2018,www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h112-2018; U.S. EPA, www.epa.gov;GOP.gov, www.gop.gov; NationalWildlife Federation, www.nwf.org.

EarthTalk® is written and edited byRoddy Scheer and Doug Moss and isa registered trademark of E - TheEnvironmental Magazine(www.emagazine.com). Sendquestions to:[email protected]. Subscribe:www.emagazine.com/subscribe. FreeTrial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

EarthTalk®E - The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: I love to cook andwhen I have the time I make soups,stews and pasta meals in largebatches and freeze them. I useleftover plastic containers, but I knowthis is not good. What kinds ofcontainers are safe for freezer foodstorage? --Kathy Roberto, via e-mail

Reusing leftover plastic foodcontainers to store items in the freezermay be noble environmentally, but itmight not be wise from theperspective of keeping food safelyfrozen and tasting its best when laterheated up and served. Many suchcontainers are designed for one-time

use and then recycling, so it’s notworth risking using them over andover. Likewise, wax paper, breadwrappers and cardboard cartonsshould not be used to store frozenfoods; these types of containers don’tprovide enough of a barrier tomoisture and odors and also may notkeep food fresh when frozen.

Luckily though, many other materialsare suitable for use as freezer-safestorage containers, at least accordingto the National Center for Home FoodPreparation. To qualify as “freezer-safe,” the Georgia-based non-profitmaintains, food storage containersmust resist moisture-vapor, oil, greaseand water as well as brittleness andcracking at low temperatures, whilebeing durable, leak-proof and easy-toseal. They must also protect foodsfrom absorption of off-flavors or odors.“Good freezing materials include rigidcontainers made of aluminum, glass,plastic, tin or heavily waxed cardboard;bags and sheets of moisture-vaporresistant wraps; and laminated papersmade specially for freezing,” reportsthe group.

As to the leaking of unsafeconstituent chemicals (BPA,phthalates, etc.) from certain plasticsinto foods, freezing is generally less ofa threat than heating, but it is better toavoid plastics known to be problematicanyway just to be safe. Polycarbonateplastic, marked with #7, contains BPAwhile polyvinyl chloride, marked with#3, contains potentially harmfulphthalates. If a plastic item does notbear a recycling number on its bottom,steer clear as it may well be a mix,

which classifies it as a #7polycarbonate.

Of course, the majority ofplastic containers designed for freezeruse are safe and, since they can bewashed and reused, are a betterchoice than disposable freezer bagsand wraps. For those still leery of usingplastic at all, glass containersdesigned to withstand largetemperature extremes, such as BallFreezing Jars (Mason jars) or anythingmade by Pyrex—regular glasscontainers could break when frozen orif thawed too quickly—can be asensible alternative. Also, beware ofloading up glass containers to the brimbefore freezing; some foods expandwhen frozen so leaving a little extraroom between the top of the food andthe bottom of the (airtight) lid is alwaysa good idea.

However you store your frozendelicacies, keep in mind that freezingfood may inactivate microbes likebacteria and mold but may not destroythem. According to dietician andauthor Elaine Magee on theMedicineNet website, just thawing outfrozen foods doesn’t necessarily meanthey are automatically safe to eat.Foods that require cooking still requirecooking for health’s sake after thawing.Also, Magee recommends quicklylabeling and dating any foods you arefreezing to facilitate purging ofpotentially spoiled or tasteless fooddown the line.

Come with us to pick applesat Mont St. Gregoire, the biggestapple orchard in Quebec onSeptember 25, 2011 at 9:30 A.M.

Call 514-485-7861 to reserveyour tickets.

The Cuyahoga River on fire in 1952. When ithappened again in 1969 it helped kick start themodern environmental movement including theestablishment of the Clean Water Act and thefounding of the EPA.

Freezing foods in plastic containers isn't asworrisome as heating them, but if you're leery ofplastic, glass containers designed to withstandlarge temperature extremes, such as Ball Jars(aka Mason jars), like the one pictured here, oranything made by Pyrex, can be a sensiblealternative. Just be sure not to load them to thebrim as some foods expand when frozen.Credit:Johnathunder, Wikipedia

August 20118



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Nasindak ang administradorng simbahang St. Kevin nang makitan’ya ang iniwanang basura (mgabasyo ng beer, mga upos ng sigarilyoat kung anu-ano pa) ng mgalasinggero ng kumunidad noong ika-14 ng Agosto, gabi ng eleksyon.Diumano, ang naturang mgalasinggero ay mga supporter ni CesarManuel ng Samahang Makabayan.Ayon pa sa balita, nagsisigawan dawang mga nag-iinuman na parang nag-aaway na ikinabahala naman ng mganakatira sa paligid ng simbahan.

Sa tindi ng galit ng nasabingadministrador, pinadalhan n’ya ngsulat ang walang kamalay-malay napangulo ng FAMAS. Palibhasa’ypangulo ng asosasyon, si Au Osdonang napagbuntunan ng galit ngnaturang tagapamahala. Kahit kailandaw ay hindi n’ya ipagagamit saFAMAS ang kanyang simbahan. Hindiako sang-ayon doon pero that’sanother story for another time.

Iyan na nga ba angikinababahala ng maraming miembrong ating kumunidad na pag nalukluksa puwesto ang grupong iyan, tiyak nababalik sa dating malagim nakalagayan ang FAMAS Center.Magmimistulang night club na namanang lugar at muling magiging marumi,amoy-sigarilyo at mapalot. Sayang angpinagpaguran nina Au at Shinette saloob ng dalawang taon.

*******OGERIO SYNONYMOUS TOILLEGAL INDUCTION – One of theobligations that Cesar Manuel agreedto be bound when he filed hiscertificate of candidacy last June is toabide by the FAMAS Constitution andBylaws and the FAMAS Election Rules,Regulations and Procedures. He can’tdeny it because he signed it.

The certificate of candidacy

that he signed also states that if heviolates that condition and any of theother conditions, he is riskingdisqualification or removal from office.

When he allowed a non-COMELEC member like Angie Ogerioto induct him not only for ceremonialpurposes but also to install him intooffice, he violated one of the conditionsset forth in his certificate of candidacy.I don’t mean to rain on Cesar Manuel’sparade but Ogerio’s action is illegaland not binding. She usurped what issupposed to be a prerogative of theCOMELEC. By partaking in that illegalinduction, Cesar and the othercandidates became accessories orconspirators.

*******NO VOTERS WEREDISENFRANCHISED – Despite theinsistence of the supporters of theSamahang Makabayan, 150 voterswere not disenfranchised in the lastFAMAS election because they wereallowed to exercise their right to vote inthe first place. Once those voters hadcast their votes in favour of thosepenalized candidates, those votesbelonged to said candidates alreadyand, therefore, could be taken awayfrom them for cause. That’s whathappened when Lina Flores jumpedthe gun and campaigned prematurely. That 150-vote penalty is theconsequence of the gross violationthat Ms. Flores, the SamahangMakabayan’s candidate for treasurer,committed during the campaignmoratorium. If she didn’t break therule, there wouldn’t have been anypenalty. Due to the grossness of theinfraction, the COMELEC decided thatit did not fall under standard penaltymentioned in Section 2, Article XXI ofthe FAMAS Election Rules, Regulationsand Procedures but under Section 1 of

the same article which gives theCOMELEC the power to issuemultiple-strikes or non-standardpenalties.

Before he joined the politicalfray, Cesar Manuel was given a copyof the election rules, regulations andprocedures. He expressly acceptedthose rules, regulations andprocedures when he willingly filed hiscertificate of candidacy last June 15. Basically, Cesar is a decent man.However, he allows himself to bemanipulated by the most manipulativepeople in the community. He shouldbe his own person if he is to be aleader to be reckoned with. I hope herealizes before it is too late that he’sbeing used by two-tongued, two-faced control freaks in hisorganization for their own ulteriormotives.

*******FORMER HONORARY CONSULJILTED – I never thought thatSalvador Cabugao, a former honoraryconsul and a competent charteredaccountant, would be so naïve toaccept the invitation of ever-cunningJulie Parado, one of his nemeses, toinduct Manuel into office only to findout to his chagrin that the bogusinduction was already done by AngieOgerio, the divide-and-conquerspecialist and JP’s BFF. Obviously, Mr.Cabugao was jilted and made like afool by those con artists. It’s patheticthat Mr. Cabugao failed to see throughtheir scheme. He took JP’s bait hook,line and sinker in exchange for littleattention.

There is a perception that Mr.Cabugao always craves attention andif he doesn’t get it, he sulks.Apparently, JP knew his weaknessand she took advantage of it. Anyway,hasn’t it occurred to him that Julie hasa “doctoral degree” in lying andmanipulation? I pity Consul Cabugaofor miserably falling into her trap.Nevertheless, I blame him more than Iblame Parado for becoming alaughing stock in the community. Itcould never happen to either Jamesde la Paz or Au Osdon.

*******THANK YOU, NILA! – Despiteseveral mistakes [all by my owndoing] during the recently heldFAMAS election, I can safely andcomfortably say that said electionwas, at least for the most part, more

peaceful, more orderly and fairer thanany of the past elections. Thanks to allmy fellow COMELEC members formaking such achievement possible.As many people already know, theCOMELEC’s job was never easy, butwe, as a team, pulled it through.

I would like to make specialmention of Ms. Nila Torquator-Ribaya,the indefatigable and devoted wife ofour vice-chairperson Dick, for theunwavering dedication and valuableassistance she had given ourcommittee. We should be grateful,and we are, to Ms. Ribaya for herindispensable service not only to ourTeam, but also to the entire FAMASorganization.

*******MARAMING SALAMAT DIN SAMGA POLL VOLUNTEERS – Naisko rin na magpasalamat sa mga pollvolunteers na naglaan ng kanilangmahalagang panahon, lakas at talinoalang-alang sa ikapagtatagumpay ngkatatapos na halalan ng FAMAS.

Dalawang sangay ng Knightsof Columbus – one from St. Kevin’sheaded by Rey Nacino, the other fromSt Malachy’s headed by NelsonAlvaro – that served as securityguards and poll clerks-canvassers,respectively.

Natutuwa naman ako sa mgapoll volunteers dahil hindi na nilabinaybay kung sinu-sino sa kanila ang“Dilaw” at kung sinu-sino ang“Purple.” Iyon kasi ang mga colormotifs ng Samahang Makabayan atMabuhay Team, respectively. Para samga poll volunteers, colorless angnagdaang eleksyon. Anyway, palagikaming salu-salo sa mga pagkain naprovided ng FAMAS Executive Boardsa kahabaan ng Advance Voting atnoon mismong Election Day.

*******VOTERS’ COMMENT ABOUTTHE BALLOT – Not a few votersexpressed their discontent that theCOMELEC should have explainedwhat a “write-in candidate” was. Theythought that they had to write – andthey did – on the space provided forsuch candidate the name of thecandidate they voted for. Theircomplaint seems legitimate. If I amstill the chair of the COMELEC in the2013 election, I’ll see to it that the

St. Kevin’s Church binaboy ngmga lasinggero

See Page 10 Any Which Way



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CHIRURGIEN DENTISTE / DENTALSURGEON

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9

"Luisa, Luisa," ang tawag ngkaniyang biyenan. "Parini ka at umiiyaksi Elnora." Dali-daling pumasok angmabait na ina sa loob ng silid.Samantalang pinapalitan niya angbasang lampin ng bata ay isangluksang paruparo ang pumasok sasilid. Si Luisa ay nahintakutan.Nalalaman niya ang pamahiin na angluksang paruparo ay tagapagbalita ngkamatayan. Naalaala niya ang asawaat anak na baka nagkaroon ngkapahamakan. Lalong sumasal angpagsikdo ng kaniyangkalooban nangdumapo ang paruparo sa barongpinagbihisan ni Pitong.

"Naku, Diyos ko, baka kungano na ang nangyari sa aking asawa,"ang wika sa sarili ni Luisa. Sa hangadniyang umalis ang paruparo ay kinuhaniya ang baro at marahang ipinagpag.Umalis ang paruparo, ngunitisang sulat na bukas ang nalaglag.Nangangatal ang kamay ni Luisangdinampot ang liham. Tiningnanniya ang lagda. "Emilia Aquino" -A!sulat ng kumare niya sa Kalagiman.

Kumpareng Pitong,

Pagkabasa ninyo sa sulat naito ay huwag na hindi kayo pumarini saamin. Isama ninyo ang KumarengLuisa at si Caridad. Kilala na ninyo siSencio. Ipinagtapat niyang lahat saakin ang pinagkasunduan ninyokagabi. Nasa mabigat siyangkaramdaman ngayon at ayon sa sabing manggagamot ay bumubilang nalamang ng oras. Kumpare, bilangpagpapahalaga ng kahilingan ngisang mamamatay ay inaasahan konghindi ninyo ipagkakait kay Sencio angkaniyang pakiusap na makita lamangkahit saglit ang asawa niya at anakbago siya yumao sa buhay na ito.

Mag-utos kayo,Emilia Aquino

"Langit!" ang hikbi ni Luisa.Pinagtiim niya ang dalawang bagangat batid niyang walang oras na dapatsayangin. Makikipagkita siya kay

Sencio. Ito ang nabuo agad sa loob niLuisa. Hinila niya ang tapis sasampayan at parang baliw na nanaog."Hoy! saan ka tutungo" ang saway ngmaingat na biyenan "Baka kamabinat."

"Dito lamang, Nanay, kayo naang maiwan muna kay Elnora."Matuling-matulin ang lakad ni Luisa.Salamat na lamang at sa liwasan aynakita siya agad ng isang karumatangpaupahan. "Sa Kalagiman," ang biglaniyang utos sa kutsero.

Lumuluha si Luisa at angsunod-sunod niyang buntong-hininga ay nakatawag ng pansin sakutsero. Malayo pa si Luisa sa bahayay naririnig na niya ang hagulgol niCaridad. "Huli na yata ako," angbulong niya sa sarili. Tuloy-tuloysiyang nanhik sa bahay. Wari siyangnahintakutan sa anino ng kamatayanganaki'y naghari sa bahay na yaon.

"Sencio, Sencio, asawa ko!"ang panangis ni Luisa at pagdaka'yniyakap ang maysakit at ang yayat namukha nito ay tinatakan niya ng halikna punong-puno ng pagmamahal.Si Sencio ay hindi makakibo. Inibigniyang itaas ang kaliwang kamayupang maabot ang leeg ni Luisa,ngunit hindi niya makayang gawin.Ang nanginginig niyang kamay ayhindi na maitaas. Sinapupo ni Luisaang nanlalamig na palad ni Sencio."Sencio, salamat at nagkita pa tayongmuli," ang wika na umiiyak na si Luisa."Lui...Lui...Lu.." at ang maysakit ayhindi na makapagsalita. Nangurong naang mga labi at ang salitang naisniyang bigkasin sa bibig ay hindi naniya nasabi, subalit nalalaman ni Luisaang pangalan niya ang hanggang sakahuli-hulihan ay siyang pangalangnasa labi ng kaniyang asawa. "Sencio,huwag mo kaming iiwan!"

"Tatay, Tatay!"Si Sencio ay malamig nang

bangkay. Sa mga labi nitong inihinangng pahimakas na halik ni Luisa aynaiwan ang isang ngiti ng kasiyahan.Nang hahawakan ni Luisa ang isapang bisig ni Sencio ay saka palamang niya napuna ang putol na

kamay. "Sawimpalad!" ang hikbi niLuisa, at ang putol na kamay ng patayna asawa ay binalutan ng mga halik athinugasan sa mga patak ng luha."Patawad, asawa ko!" ang wika niyakay Pitong. "Huwag kang manibugho,pahimakas ko na ito sa kaniya."

Napaiyak si Pitong sapakiusap ng asawa. Ang malungkotna kamatayan ni Sencio ay nag-iwankay Pitong ng isang mahalagang aral.Pinagsumikapan niyang ipagawa ngisang marikit na libingan ang mangingisda at sa ibabaw nito ayipinalagay niya ang ganitong mgatitik:DITO NAHAHABILIN ANG BANGKAYNI SENCIO, ANG MARANGAL NAMANGINGISDA.

* * * * *

Hoy! Kuya Pichu! (Aiden),

Ano bang makalaglag-lampinang pinagsasabi mo. Masdan mongang mabuti ang litrato ko sa"swimsuit competition!"

O baka naman mahulog angantiparang binili ni Tito A.J. sakatitingin mo sa akin.

Teka nga, nakakalakad ka naraw nang walang anumang gabay.Ako naman ay kaya pala nangangatiang aking gilagid sa ibabang harapng bibig ko ay dahil lalabas na angunang ngipin ko. Panay ko ngangsinasalat ng dila. Akala naman ngmga Lolo at Lola ay nilalaro ko langsila.

Pinag-uusapan na rito angpagpapabakod ng buong loobandahil sa napipintong paglaki natinupang huwag tayong makawalasa lansangan kapag naghabulantayo.

Nakita ko rin sa FaceBook naang hilig mo ay "drums" tulad ni TitoAdmhar.

Alam mo, akala lang nilaiyakin ako. Pero sa totoo lang,nagsasanay lang akong abutin angmatataas na nota.

Nagmamahal,

Pechay (Hailey)* * * * *

Sino ang karapatdapatmanungkulan - ang dinaya oang nandaya?

Ang Mangingisdani Atty. N. Baens del Rosario

Katapusangkabanata

Author Recreates the Love Story

Love is met with tremendouschallenges in novel

NEW YORK – The love storyhas long been a staple in literarytradition. From Shakespeare’s Romeoand Juliet to Erich Segal’s aptly titledLove Story, the boy-meets-girlstoryline is as varied as the authorswho pen them. Staking out her ownterritory in this tradition is author JoanP. Lloyd. Her novel Pyzaono Brothers(published by AuthorHouse) tells thecompelling story of a young womanwho finds love in the wake of tragedyand loss.

Barely an adult, NellyMcFarland has endured her share ofpain and suffering. After a gang ofmen violently assaulted and rapedher, Nelly’s father was murdered andher entire world shattered. Her friendsand family did their best to supporther, and her Aunt Dee from New Yorkfinally convinced the grieving youngwoman to come live with her in thecity.

After packing her fewbelongings, Nelly boarded the train toNew York and instantly locked eyeswith a man who would become herlover as she opened her heart to thepossibility of romance and a newfuture. When the man is killed, Nellyagain has to pick up the fragments ofa devastated life.

A new beginning awaits Nellyand is marked by a fateful encounterwith a man named Joseph Barnatelli.The minute Joe lays eyes on her, heknows he and Nelly have a destinybeyond either of their control. The twobegin a torrid love affair, but all thewhile Joseph is leading a double life –he’s married and is also the head of apowerful mob family in Brooklyn; so,his relationship with Nelly must be acarefully kept secret.

Spanning the course of 20years, Pyzaono Brothers is a well-crafted, sweeping romance filled withaction and suspense set against thebustling backdrop of Brooklyn,Manhattan and Chinatown. Joe andNelly’s love will strengthen after he’sthe target of numerous murderattempts, and he’ll struggle to run hisbusiness and meet the demands ofmarriage and the mob along the way.Lloyd’s complex characters may beflawed, but they have good intentions andtheir vulnerability ultimately showsstrength and courage. Get lost in thepages of this absorbing novel.About the Author

Joan P. Lloyd is a native New Yorker.She is married with one son and hasworked for the same company formany years. To visit the book trailerfor Pyzaono Brothers, visit

Dailymotion :http://www.dailymotion.com/video/34710052Youtube :http://youtube.com/watch?v=VBqluwNi0u0http://www.metacafe.com/w/7036387

August 2011



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HIS KIND WILL NEVER BEFAMAS PRESIDENT AGAIN – Afew days ago after the FAMASelection, the wife of a COMELECmember was harassed by a formerpresident of FAMAS. She was at therestaurant located near the corner ofVan Horne and Lavoie. While there,she encountered this cowardly andrude former president. He wasvituperating the COMELEC while shewas inside the restaurant. His verbalabuse of the COMELEC was too muchfor her to endure so she introducedherself as the wife of a COMELECmember, hoping that it wouldsomehow ease up his outburst. It didnot. If anything, it only exacerbated thesituation and made him even morebelligerent. He continued mouthinginvectives against theCOMELEC.”Palpak ang COMELEC!Palpak ang COMELEC!” he yelledrepeatedly.

As if he was not insulting anddespicable enough, he even hurledthe f-word on the COMELECmember’s hapless wife. He isassociated with people who could bemembers of Alcohol Anonymous ifthey are not already. So I figured hemust have too much to drink on thatday. Anyway, it only shows how muchhavoc too much consumption ofalcohol can wreak an otherwise niceand quiet man. He belongs to a groupwhom most members of thecommunity don’t want to see runningFAMAS.

Despite the controversy it hadgenerated, I think the rhetoricalquestion “Do you like FAMAS Centerto be like a motel and bar again?” wasa fair question to ask the electorate.

*******MR. FELIX REYES’ SLIPPERYSLOPES – The election rules,regulations and procedures that CesarManuel and his running mates signedto abide by include the following:Section 18, Article II which states “TheCOMELEC shall maintain jurisdictionover the winning candidates until theirassumption to office in accordancewith the FAMAS Constitution andBylaws. Any transgression of saidConstitution and Bylaws by any or allof those candidates may result in theirremoval from office.”

Furthermore, Section 19 of thesame article stipulates that “theinduction of the winning candidatesshall be the prerogative of theCOMELEC, and any inductionofficiated by anyone else is notbinding and shall be deemed forceremonial purposes only.”

Assuming, for the sake of

argument, that there were indeedeight former FAMAS presidents,community leaders and about 100Filipinos in the bogus inductionceremony yesterday as Mr. FelixReyes claims, it is hardly “an eloquentcollective testimony of the people’swish.”

I am absolutely sure that theMabuhay Team can easily gather asmany people, or even more, but Idon’t think that Ms. Au Osdon is thatludicrous to take it as “an eloquentcollective testimony of the people’swish”, let alone as “a people’stakeover of FAMAS and its environs.” Itseems that Mr. Felix Reyes is given toexaggerations.

In view of the aforementionedelection rules, I wonder why Mr.Reyes, who claims to be the smartestguy in the community and possiblemember of MENSA, considersyesterday’s induction of Cesar Manueland the rest of his winning candidates“legitimately valid.”

Here’s another one of Mr.Reyes’ fallacious arguments: “Whathappened in Long Sault stays in LongSault.” That’s one of the mostoutrageous arguments I have evercome across in a very long while. Thelady perpetrator and the people whosevotes she was soliciting were fromMontreal. The action that the formerwould like the latter to take was meantto be consummated in Montreal. Sowhy should the violation stay in LongSault? It doesn’t make sense, does it?

*******FOR THOSE WHO WANT TOKNOW — All major decisions of theCOMELEC were approved by at leasta majority of its seven members. Allare in the records. Those majordecisions include the Felix de Lunacase, the Shinette Khoury vs.CesarManuel, et al case and the 150-votededuction.

I would like to reiterate herethat Budz Sarmiento is not theCOMELEC, and the COMELEC is notBudz Sarmiento. To insist that it is is toinsult the intelligence of the other sixmembers, namely Dick Ribaya, TessCalica, Pastora Emma Denny, AndiNeufeld, Cynthia Puray and SonnyValdez (the last two resigned after theAugust 14, 2011 election due to theirrespective priorities) who are all smartin their own rights. I can and I docategorically say that they are notpushovers, not by any stretch ofimagination.

Hasn’t occurred to thosecritics and nitpickers that those peoplewould have already deserted me if Imade all those decisions alone andwithout their approval? Think about it.

From Page 8 Any Which WayCOMMUNIQUÉPour diffusion immédiate

PLANIFICATION DEL’IMMIGRATION AU QUÉBECPOUR LA PÉRIODE 2012-2015

Le gouvernement du Québecdéploiera-t-il les moyens nécessairespour intégrer les immigrants àMontréal ?

Montréal, le 25 août 2011 –Mme Mary Deros et M. MichelBissonnet, respectivement respon-sables des communautés d’originesdiverses et des relationsgouvernementales au comité exécutifde la Ville de Montréal, accompagnésde M. Aref Salem, conseiller associéaux communautés d’origines diverses,déposeront ce matin à la Commissiondes relations avec les citoyens, laposition de l’Administra-tionmunicipale sur la consultation quemène actuellement le gouvernementquébécois sur la planification del’immigration au Québec pour lapériode 2012-2015.

« La Ville de Montréal, grâce àses services de proximité, représenteun partenaire majeur dugouvernement du Québec en matièred’accueil et d’intégration desnouveaux arrivants. Plus de 70 % despersonnes immigrantes au Québecfont le choix de s’installer dans lamétropole. Les enjeux démogra-phiques, sociaux et économiques liésà la question de l’immigrationinterpellent notre Administration auplus haut point et nécessitent unredressement financier significatif », dedéclarer Mme Deros.

La Ville de Montréal demandenotamment qu’un montant

correspondant à 10 % des transfertsfédéraux liés à l’accord Canada-Québec soit équitablementconsenti aux grandes villes duQuébec et partagé au prorata desimmigrantes et immigrants reçus. En2011, le gouvernement du Québecrecevra 258 M$ du gouvernementfédéral pour intégrer en français lesimmigrants. En contrepartie, Montréalreçoit cette année quelque 3 M$,incluant un montant de base de 1,5M$. Montréal souhaite obtenir sa justepart de manière à maintenir et àaméliorer l’accueil et l’intégration desnouveaux arrivants qui constituent leprincipal moteur de la croissancedémographique de la métropole.

« Pour la Ville de Montréal, iln’est pas uniquement question de lesaccueillir mais il s’agit de leur fournirles outils dont ils ont besoin pourprendre réellement leur place au seinde notre société. Le gouvernementdoit donc consentir les ressourcesnécessaires à l’intégration desimmigrants. À défaut de quoi, il devraitréduire significativement le nombre denouveaux arrivants accueillisannuellement jusqu’à ce que l’intég-ration des immigrants déjà sur placeait été mieux assurée », de poursuivreM. Bissonnet.

Le gouvernement du Québecdoit également reconnaître davantagele travail effectué par les acteursinstitutionnels et communautaires, cequi permettra aux immigrantsd’assurer leur contribution à la sociétéquébécoise et d’exercer pleinementleur rôle de citoyen.

Des enjeux majeurs Il estimpératif d’accentuer la lutte contre la

Press releases in French

See Page 20 Immigration

We are cordially inviting you to come and join usfor the inauguration and blessing of our new

headquarterson Saturday, September 17, 2011

3:00 to 6:00 P.M.Gilmore College International

Open House. RSVP - 514-485-7861



Ask the Video Guy

Al Abdon

Video is one of the mostpredominant story-telling mediumstoday. Your family has stories to tellthat you need to capture, and yourchildren may tell your story someday.There's no way around it - yourparents, Lolo & Lola’s, aunts anduncles have lived through interestingparts of history that you've only readabout in books or told by your word ofmouth, and we'll bet much of yourfamily's history is completelyunrecorded. Now is the time to tell theirstory, before it's too late. Capturingfamily recollections on video is not onlyfun but eye-opening and educationaltoo; a way to preserve and share familymember's unique remembrance of theworld, and the impact that they'vemade upon it.

PreparationsThere are several ways you

can approach videos of familyhistories. One way is a literal history ofyour family and the other is history, toldby your family. Both of these areinteresting and a good family historywill have some of both. It will containstories about events and periods ofhistory, but also anecdotes of pets,weddings, homes, neighbors, andchildren.

Start by creating a timelinebeginning with your subject's birth andending with today. Along the line, fill inimportant dates in history that youknow of (President Marcos elected,Martial Law, People’s Power, MannyPacquio’s victory ). Mix this in withevents from popular culture, movies,

music and TV shows that your subjectmay have seen and liked. (A shortdiscussion before videotaping can bea big help.) Finally, add to the timelinea list of events important to thefamilies: births, weddings, houses,jobs, new cars, citizenships, etc. Thistimeline will be a starting point andguide in helping relatives tell theirhistory.

Next, compile a list of peopleyou can interview and theirrelationship with one another. Ifmultiple people have stories about asingle event, ask them all similarquestions. Your mother, for example,might have a very different recollectionof her wedding than the one youruncle has - you'll want to hear both.

Bring family photo albums tothe shoot, too. Choose representativeimages and have your subject talkabout the event or the people in them.You don't need, (or want) to use all thephotos, just a good representation,especially the ones that are clear andlarge enough to use.

ShootingWhen you have your timeline,

your lighting, and your subjectplanned, choose a location that tellssomething about your subject, likepart of their house or a back yard oryour first apartment. If you areshooting outside, you can control theaudio for ambient noise by using adirectional microphone or lavalier onyour subject. Some interviews wouldbenefit from a moving camera -perhaps taking granddad on a walkthrough the old neighborhood. Shakyhand-held camera work is sometimesthe path of least resistance but camerastabilizers for consumers arebecoming affordable and can greatlyimprove the quality of your footage.

Don't Ask for Answers: Ask forStories

Your interview style is going toplay a large part in the success of yourproject. Do you want an on-camerainterviewer who hosts the show? Or aself-contained narrative where only thesubjects are heard? If so, it's importantthat when you ask a question yoursubject's answer is self contained andcan be used apart from your question- this will let you edit out your ownvoice and also will allow you to easilyput group answers by different familymembers in the same segment of avideo. Don't ask your subjectsquestions, ask them to tell stories.

Don't ask, for example, "When did youmeet mom?" instead say "Tell meabout the day you met mom." Make itmore interesting.

EditingWhile your raw footage will be

very valuable, (hang on to it!) you'llalso need to make an edited version -most people won't want to hear lolatalk for four hours meanderingthrough 65 years of tales. There aretwo ways you can approach editing -either linear (chronologically) or bysubjects. Editing linearly - you start atthe beginning and follow a timeline.You can put up titles with years "1950-1955" etc., and go on up to thepresent day. Dividing your video intosubjects is useful if you're planning tomake multiple videos or editingtogether various family memberstalking about similar things (family,the first house, neighbors, pets, etc.)

Determining Your AudienceWhile all family videos are of general

interest, you may want to make onewith a particular audience in mind -perhaps honoring a set of belovedgrandparents approaching amomentous anniversary, cousins whoare going back to the Philippines, orgrandchildren who you want to sharethe family lore with. Adding titles withpersonal messages can make afamily history video into a gift that willbe treasured forever.

Our stories about ourexperiences as a child until we haveleft for Canada are full of extra-ordinary stories. Stories about yourchildhood playing “Tumbang Preso”with rocks, playing with fightingspiders or “Tex” remember thosecards we use to flip until it reaches theground? These games are unheard ofby our children today. Give them apart of your history. They deserve it.Start shooting.

Al AbdonHollywood Junkies Video

Family History

Let’s go apple pickingand have a picnic

When: Sunday, September 25, 2011Time: 9:30 A.M.Assembly place: Plamondon Metro (Van Horne)Donation: $15 eachReturn to Montreal: 3:00 p.m.

Annual Educational Picnic trip to Mont St. Gregoireorganized by Gilmore College International

Call 514-485-7861 to reserve your tickets.

Deadline: September 18, 2011Minimum required: 35 passengers.

Bring your picnic basket.



STAR PHOTO GALLERY

“Happy Gilmore Girls” from left: Jennifer Lachica, Desirée Fernando,and Arlene Manalo, posing for a souvenir of the Coop picnic atBeaver Lake Park on Sunday, August 21. They are avid supportersof the Filipino Solidarity Cooperative’s Marché Coop store. In spiteof the rain, they enjoyed themselves and took a lot of pictures.

The newly elected officers of the United Negrosanon Association of Montrea headed by Roy Javelosal were inducted by Mr. Salvador Cabugao during their induction night at 6767 Cote des Neiges center,August 13, 2011. A Chinese buffet of seven delicious dishes was served to all the guests.

The rain did not dampen our spirits of adventure and camaraderie. As the saying goes, the show must go onand so we dared to go ahead with the picnic in spite of the rain. Photo taken when a brief sunny break cameat Beaver Lake Park where Filipino Solidarity Cooperative members held a picnic, August 21, 2011.

August 201114





2.79lb

Half or Wholepork

Cut & Wrapped

3.49lb

Beef Blade steak

1.49lb

Picnic ham(with bone)

1. lb

Pork loinApproximately

15 lbs

2.89lb

Front quarter ofbeef Approximately

200 lbs

8.99lb3.49lb

Pork Spare Ribs

3.49lb

2.49lb

Beef short ribs

4.89lb

4.99lb

10 lbs & over

Regular smokedbacon

� Fresh pork blood

� Fresh bacon

� Fresh liver

� Pork skin

Available

83 Covey Hill, Hemmingford QC J0L 1H0

Tel.: (450) 247- 2130 or (450) 247- 3561

203

HavelockJackson Road

SherringtonBarrington

Hemmingford219

219

MaloneModers

Covey Hill Road

Boucherie Viau Inc.

Canada

U. S. A.

ParcSafari

Champlain

Class

SortieExit No.6

202 Lacolle

Napierville

St.Chrysostome St. EdouardSt. Remi

15

Fresh Belly with skin

Mon. Tue. Wed. 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.Thu. Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.Sunday Closed

Home smoked meat

BUSINESS HOURS

FreshSpecial

79

1 whole big Red Snapper or Blue fish,cleaned2 red bell pepper, julliened1 big carrot, julliened1 pc ginger, julliened1/4 cup vinegar1 cup water1/4 cup flour1 tbs brown sugar2 onions, sliced3 tbs minced garlicoil

Mixture : Dissolve flour in water thenadd in vinegar and sugar. Set aside.

Sprinkle all over fish with salt. Heat oilin a medium pan and fry fish until bothsides are brown. Set aside.

In a different pan, pour around 4 tbs ofoil then sautee garlic, onion, andginger until slightly cooked. Addmixture. When the mixture hasthickened, add carrots and red bellpepper. Simmer for 3 minutes. Seasonwith salt and pepper.

On a wide platter, top the fish with thehot sweet and sour mixture. Serve hotwith rice.

Ingredients

* 3 tablespoons olive oil* 1 onion, chopped* 2 cloves garlic, minced* 1/2 pound pork loin, chopped* 1/2 pound peeled and deveined

prawns* salt and pepper to taste* 1 tomato, chopped* 1/4 pound zucchini, seeded and

cut into bite-size pieces* 1/4 pound fresh okra, ends

trimmed* 1/4 pound fresh green beans,

trimmed* 1/4 pound eggplant, cut into bite-

size pieces* 1 small bitter melon, cut into bite-

size pieces

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot overmedium heat; cook and stir the onionand garlic in the hot oil until tender,about 5 minutes. Stir in the pork andcook until completely browned, 5 to 7minutes. Stir the shrimp into themixture; season with salt and pepper.Continue cooking until the shrimp turnpink, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoto the pot, cover, and let cook 5minutes. Stir the zucchini, okra, greenbeans, eggplant, and bitter melon intothe mixture; cover, and cook until thevegetables are all soft to the touch,about 10 minutes more. Serve hot.

Sapin-Sapin Recipe, made from riceflour or rice that has been soakedovernight then crushed into a paste,sometimes yams or yam flour, coconutmilk and sugar. Each layer is tinted(the bottom one a deep ube-likepurple, the middle a golden yolkyellow,the top one white), andsteamed before the next layer isadded.

This famous Sapin-Sapin originatedfrom the northern part of thePhilippines, the province of Abra. Atreat as sumptuous as sapin-sapin isno longer surprising when ways ofcooking it is already spread down toother provinces, and thus now beingenjoyed by many. Fast foods, cakeand pastry shops are making andselling their versions of sapin-sapin.Estimated cooking time: 1 hour and 30minutes

Sapin Sapin Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups malagkit dough(galapong)

* 1/2 cup rice galapong* 2 1/2 cups white sugar

* 3 cups cooked ubi (mashed)* grated coconut* 4 cups thick coconut cream (from 2-3

coconuts)* 2 cans (big) condensed milk* food coloring; violet & egg-yellow

Sapin Sapin Cooking Instructions:* sapin-sapin-2.jpg Blend all ingredients

except mashed ubi and food coloring.

Divide Into 3 Parts:* To one part – add mashed ubi. To

heighten the color of the ubi, add a dash ofviolet food coloring. Mix well.

To 2nd part – add egg-yellow coloring.Mix well.

To 3rd part – just plain white, nothing

to add.Grease a round baking pan. Line with

banana leaves and grease the leaves.Then, pour in ubi mixture. Spread evenly.Steam for 30 minutes or more, until firm.Note: cover the baking pan with cheesecloth before steaming.

* Pour 2nd layer on top of the cookedubi. Cover again and steam for 30minutes.

* Lastly, pour in 3rd layer or the plainmixture. Again, steam for 30 minutes oruntil firm.

* Meanwhile, fry the gratedcoconut until brown and put on top ofthe sapin-sapin.

* Cool before slicing.

Escabeche

Pinakbet

Sapin-sapin

Philippine Cuisine



Welcome to Gilmore College’s

and Inauguration/Blessingon Saturday, September 17, 2011

3:00 to 6:00 P.M.RSVP - 514-485-7861

New address:5320-A Queen Mary Road (near Decarie)

Snowdon

An opportunity for Leadership Roles

(18 years old and above)Inviting businessmen, students, teachers, professionals,ex-servicemen, veterans, retirées, pensioners andothers who can volunteer for 2-3 hours a week serviceto CO-ED YOUTH CITIZENSHIPDEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS of the World ScoutingMovement offered by Gilmore College and ScoutsCanada.

Purpose: Formation of the Group CommitteeName of chartered group: Laging Handa 0592 Scouts Canada,Quebec Council

Apply now by calling 514-485-7861 for an appointment and

fill up an application and police clearance form. Membership andtraining offered FREE.

The Philippine presidentexpressed "deep regret" Tuesdayfor the deaths of eight Hong Konghostages in a botched policerescue last year but rejected thefamilies' call for a formal apology.

President Benigno Aquino IIIsaid the lone gunman and not thestate is to be blamed for thetragedy. He compared the incidentto last month's attack by a"deranged gunman" who killed 77people in Norway.

He told reporters on theanniversary of the hostage-takingthat an apology connotes that thestate harmed the tourists, which hesaid was not correct.

The tourists were taken captiveon their bus by a fired policemanfighting for reinstatement. Hours ofunsuccessful negotiations turnedbloody when he opened fire,prompting police to chaoticallystorm the bus. The gunman waskilled by a police sniper.

A Hong Kong inquest earlier thisyear concluded that Philippineofficials contributed to or caused

the deaths of the tourists. PhilippineInterior Secretary Jesse Robredohas said that police fire did not killany of the hostages.

No one has been chargedcriminally for lapses in the policeoperation and only one official hasbeen fired.

"This was the act of one man, inthe same token that some of uscitizens have been affectedelsewhere in the world, we do notblame the entire population,"Aquino said Tuesday.

Tearful relatives and a survivoroffered flowers and lit incense at thedowntown Manila park where the11-hour drama unfolded on livetelevision the year before. Buddhistmonks chanted prayers while localanti-crime activists carried a whitecross bearing the names of thevictims.

"We continue to sympathizewith them," said Aquino, who didnot attend the commemoration."We really wish it did not happen."

He acknowledged that rescuerscould have performed better, butsaid any police force would faceserious limitations in responding toa gunman who suddenly changedhis negotiating position.

In a meeting Monday with therelatives and a Hong Konglegislator, Justice Secretary Leila deLima promised to relay to Aquinotheir demands for compensationand a formal apology, as well as thefiling of criminal charges againstpolice and other officials involved inthe botched rescue. a

Aquino: No apology forhostage death

Tanks opened fire at rebels tryingto storm Moammar Gadhafi’s maincompound in Tripoli on Monday,although the whereabouts of thelongtime Libyan leader remainedunknown a day after a lightningadvance by opposition fighters whopoured into the capital with surprisingease.

The international communitymeanwhile called on the longtimeleader to step down as euphoricresidents celebrated in the GreenSquare, the symbolic heart of theGadhafi regime.

Nato promised to continue airstrikes until all pro-Gadhafi forcessurrendered or returned to barracks.

Rebel spokesman MohammedAbdel-Rahman, who was in Tripoli,said pockets of resistance remainedand that as long as Gadhafi remainedon the run the “danger is still there.”

The clashes broke out earlyMonday at Gadhafi’s longtimecommand center known as Bab al-Aziziya early Monday, whengovernment tanks emerged from thecomplex and opened fire at the rebelstrying to get in, according to Abdel-Rahman and a neighbor.

An AP reporter at the nearby RixosHotel where foreign journalists staycould hear gunfire and explosionsfrom the direction of the complex.

Tripoli resident Moammar al-Warfali, whose family home is next tothe compound, said there appeared tobe only a few tanks belonging to theremaining Gadhafi forces that had notfled or surrendered.

“When I climb the stairs and lookat it from the roof, I see nothing at Babal-Aziziya,” he said. “Nato hasdemolished it all and nothing

remains.”The Rixos also remained under

the control of Gadhafi’s forces, withtwo trucks loaded with anti-aircraftmachine guns and pro-regime fightersand snipers posted behind trees.Rebels and Tripoli residents set upcheckpoints elsewhere in the city.

The rebels’ top diplomat inLondon, Mahmud Nacua, saidclashes were continuing in Tripoli, butopposition forces controlled 95percent of the city. He vowed Gadhafiwould be found, saying “the fighterswill turn over every stone to find him”and make sure he faced justice.

State TV broadcast bitter audiopleas by Gadhafi for Libyans todefend his regime. Opposition fighterscaptured his son and one-time heirapparent, Seif al-Islam, who alongwith his father faces charges of crimesagainst humanity at the InternationalCriminal Court in The Netherlands.Another son was under house arrest.

“It’s over, frizz-head,” chantedhundreds of jubilant men and womenmassed in Green Square late Sunday,using a mocking nickname of thecurly-haired Gadhafi.

The revelers fired shots in the air,clapped and waved the rebels’ tricolorflag. Some set fire to the green flag ofGadhafi’s regime and shot holes in aposter with the leader’s image.

But Gadhafi’s defiance in a seriesof angry audio messages raised thepossibility of a last-ditch fight over thecapital, home to 2 million people.Gadhafi, who was not shown in themessages, called on his supporters tomarch in the streets of the capital and“purify it” of “the rats.” a

Rebels storm Gadhafi’scompound

August 201116



FILIPINO STARS H O W B I Z G O S S I P

Princess of All Media Anne Curtishas acquired another title: Icon.

The TV host-actress was namedIcon of the Year at the third Us GirlsAugust Awards held lAug. 18 at theAmber Lounge in The Fort. She joins theranks of previous winners KCConcepcion (2009) and Angel Locsin(2010).

Donning a skintone-colored shortlaced dress, Anne thanked those whoare part of lifestyle magazine show "UsGirls" for the recognition.

“It’s truly an honor to be Icon of theYear,” Anne said in accepting the award.

Anne has been a staple presence atthe Us Girls August Awards, having beendeclared one of the most fashionablewomen both in 2009 and 2010.

In introducing Anne, "Us Girls" hostsIya Villania, Cheska Garcia-Kramer andAngel Aquino noted the Kapamilya staras “everyone’s favorite” and a “perfectrole model.”

This year’s August Awardsnoticeably has more winners per

category (four to five), as well as newcategories: most fashionable male, andsexiest male and female personalities.

It also included winners from GMA-7—a first at the August Awards. Theseare Dingdong Dantes (Most FashionableMale), Daniel Matsunaga (Sexiest Male),Marian Rivera and Jennylyn Mercado(faces of the year), Isabelle Daza (MostFashionable Female) and SolennHeussaff (Sexiest Female).

The youngest winner that night was16-year-old Julia Montes, also one of thefaces of the year.

Asked how she takes care of herface, Julia told Bulletin Entertainment,“Actually wala naman. Siguro lagi langdapat happy. Kasi pag lagi kang happy,siyempre lumalabas ‘yun sa mukha mo.”

Winners were determined throughcombined votes of the “Us Girls” hostsand staff, as well as the fans.

The event featured performances byGeneral Luna, Gloc-9, Moonstar 88,Franco, Princess, 3AM, and Pedicab.International singer-songwriter MariéDigby also graced the awards night andperformed her hit, “Say It Again.” a

Anne Curtis honored as 'Icon'

Anne Curtis

YouTube successes aren’t newanymore, especially after the likes ofJustin Bieber, Charice Pempengco andArnel Pineda made their mark—and indramatic fashion—through themedium. That said, many more arenow coming out of the woodwork,each eager to show their talents via thesame platform and in more ways thanone.

Maria AragonLady Gaga has seen “The Future”

and her name is Maria.Though her singing talent is

passable at best, 11-year old MariaAragon – or at least her sister – madesure she’d rise above the usualYouTube traffic by making a quaint littleversion of a hot song, in this case, LadyGaga’s “Born This Way.”

More heartfelt and earnest than theoriginal, Maria’s slowed down versionhighlighted the message ofempowerment inherent in the songand, with her sincere delivery, thewhole deal was sealed, so to speak.And just like that, a star is born.

Maria is currently recording heralbum for ABS-CBN’s recording label,Star Records.

Leanna Tabuñar

In what seemed to many a knee-jerk reaction, GMA has signed on

eight-year-old Leanna Tabuñar as aregular performer in their numerousvariety shows, including “PartyPilipinas.”

Discovering Leanna also throughYouTube—with clips of her singinguploaded by her musician-father—GMA Films president Annett Gozon-Abrogar and Vice-President forProgram Management Joey Abacanwere impressed after her videogarnered thousands of views, onlyweeks after being uploaded.

“Napakagaling nyang kumanta,magperform at wala pa syang formaltraining in voice. Talagang natural lang,tapos maganda pa sya, mabait. Anglaki ng potential niya na maging bigstar kung gusto niya ‘yun,” Abogarsaid in a report on Yahoo! Philippines.

Wilma Galvante, however,seemingly downplayed theiracquisition of Leanna, whom shedescribed as “very raw” and stillneeded development.

Arjohn GilbertThe young Aeta singer who just

recently got the attention of bothApl.de.Ap and Charice Pempengcoafter creating a big buzz with hisYouTube performance videos, ArjohnGilbert is now enjoying newfoundsuccess of sorts.

“I want to be the guy to first workwith him. I’ll be jealous if somebodyelse first does, but ayos lang. I give himthe best. If he needs help, I’m here,”Apl said about his cabalen in aninterview on “TV Patrol,” Aug. 16.

Charice, meanwhile, made herdesire to work with Arjohn apparent viaTwitter.

“Arjohn, next time I do my ownshow in the Philippines, I would lovefor you to come and perform withme! Other Youtube sensations includethe likes of five-year-old Filipinotwins Jeremy and Justin Garcia arewho are now receivingendorsement offers. a

New Sensations - YouTube discoveries (from left) Maria Aragon, Arjohn Gilbert andLeanna Tabuñar make the most of their Warholian minutes.

YouTube revived the video star

Brace yourselves for RegalEntertainment’s newest sizzling andtitillating offering, My Neighbor’s Wife,written and directed by Jun Lana.

Lead stars Dennis Trillo, Lovi Poe,Jake Cuenca and Carla Abellana fittheir roles to a T as they tackle theirscenes in a story of love, deceptionand infidelity.

Jake and Carla play husband andwife while Dennis and Lovi portraylovers. All four are friends but theirfriendship turns sour when Loviseduces Jake.

Since My Neighbor’s Wife’stheme revolves around maritalinfidelity, the film naturally carriesdaring scenes the four stars havenever done before.

Each of them went beyond their

limitations in order to give justice tothe required steamy and sexy scenes.

Of the four lead stars, Lovi isdescribed as the most daring —showing skin in torrid love sceneswith both Dennis and Jake.

Carla, the wholesome TV star inseries like GMA Network’s MagicPalayok, dares to bare enough ofherself while romancing the likes ofJake and Dennis on screen.

This display of professionalismcoupled with utmost cooperationduring the shoot didn’t go unnoticedas the mother and daughter team ofLily Monteverde and RoselleMonteverde-Teo expressed theirgratitude for their stars.

“They’re very professional.Maayos ang kanilang schedules athindi nagbigay ng sakit ng ulo whiledoing the film. Sa totoo lang, kahitdelicate ang scenes, wala silang arteat inhibitions that’s why I really, reallylove them,” related Mother Lily.

Touted to be this year’s hottestand most daring film, My Neighbor’sWife opens in theaters starting Sept.14. a

‘My Neighbor's Wife’ poised to bethe year's most daring film

Julia Montes

From left: Dennis Trillo, Carla Abellana,Lovi Poe and Jake Cuenca



The angry tides that washed overRuffa Gutierrez and her estrangedhusband Yilmaz Bektas seemed tohave subsided, with the formerrevealing that they are now on goodterms.

In an interview aired on“Umagang Kay Ganda,” Aug. 23, theformer beauty queen related, “Kamini Yilmaz? Okay naman. Actuallyngayon, good mood na namansiya…”

She also hopes that “hindi nakami guluhin niya (Yilmaz) and paramaging maayos ‘yung relationshipnamin for the sake of the kids.”

A few weeks back, Ruffa andYilmaz hogged the headlines afterthe latter went against the 2010decision of the Quezon City RegionalTrial Court granting the former thesole custody of their two children,Lorin and Venice.

The Turkish businessman, whomRuffa had said was given visitation

rights for their daughters, alsoallegedly intends to claimguardianship of Lorin and Venice. Heeven went as far as offering Ruffa $2million in exchange for theirdaughters to live with him in Istanbul.Ruffa, however, turned down theoffer.

Meanwhile, Ruffa held astorytelling event last Aug. 21 at theResorts World Manila, a joint projectwith her good friend, host-eventologist Tim Yap for 100 kidsfrom the Virlanie Foundation.

As seen on Twitter, personalitiespresent at the event includedIsabelle Daza, Tessa Prieto-Valdes,Bubbles Paraiso, Azkals playerJason Sabio, and Cristalle Henares.Singer Faith Cuneta and the VirlanieChoir performed during the event.

Lorin and Venice likewiseperformed a song number,“Umagang Kay Ganda” alsoreported.

Ruffa is grateful with the turnoutof the storytelling activity, which shenoted is just the beginning of morecharity projects she would organizewith Tim, according to the column ofJun Lalin, her publicist.

Should Yilmaz visit thePhilippines in the future, Ruffa wouldwillingly organize anotherstorytelling event and invite him toread for children, the same reportadded. a

Ruffa and Yilmaz 'okay' again

Ruffa hopes that she could be friendswith Yilmaz for the sake of theirdaughters (Photo from her Twitter)

Socialite-heiress Paris Hiltonmet up with her newfound friendsManny and Jinkee Pacquiao in adinner in a posh hotel in Makati.

“I’m so excited tonight to seeManny and Jinkee. I think they’resuch an incredible couple,” Parissaid on “TV Patrol,” Aug. 17. Shewas also impressed with the foodserved to them during the dinner.“The food is good. I love the foodin the Philippines. It’s delicious,”she shared.

Although her visit to thecountry has mainly to do withbusiness, Paris neverthelessfound time to kick back a little. “I

love being a businesswoman. It’swhat I do. But I love having agood life and traveling and livinglife to the fullest. You only liveonce,” she said.

The Hollywood celebrity alsoexpressed willingness to record asong with the pound for poundking. “That would be awesome,”she quipped.

In the show, she also showedthe Little Pacquiao dog that thecouple gave Paris as a gift.

Meanwhile, model GeorginaWilson defended her controversialtweet in which she questioned theplanned courtesy call of Paris inMalacanang. The Palace,however, has denied such a plan.

“I like her but I just don’t thinkthat it was necessary for him(President Noynoy Aquino) tomeet with her. I mean I would haveliked it if he met with Bruno Mars.He’s Filipino and brings a lot offame to the country and makes usvery proud,” Georgina explained.

Paris Hilton loves the Pacquiaocouple and Filipino food

Manny and Jinkee Pacquiao

There seems to be a smearcampaign against singer-actressSarah Geronimo as rumors abouther continue to mount.

As Sarah celebrated herbirthday last July 25, talks havecirculated about her motherallegedly hoarding her superstardaughter's cakes that weredelivered to “ASAP Rocks.”

Reportedly, Mommy Divineasked Sarah’s two bodyguards andproduction assistant to put all thecakes—given to the singer as giftsby her sponsors— inside her van.With the cakes of varying sizesinside her van, Sarah was left with

little space to sit.The “ASAP” production people

were reportedly disappointed tolearn that not one cake was left forthem to share. This prompted themto compare the singer with other“ASAP” regulars who celebrate theirbirthdays on the show andgenerously share their cakes withthe staff, crew and marshalls insidethe studio.

More, there are rumors that hermom had set a load limit for Sarah'scellphone. With this, she was leftwith no choice but to ask friends tocall her when she needed to talk tothem. However, everyone knowsSarah is endorsing atelecommunication line these daysso this should give her more thanample load.

Also, it has been reported thatSarah’s mom has also given her adaily allowance for her everydayexpenses. However, the amountseems to be very minimal. At times,when Sarah has spent all hermoney, she reportedly asks friendsto lend her some in case she wantsto buy something. a

- Showbiz continued on page 18

Rumors about Sarah Geronimocontinue

Sarah Geronimo

Hayden Kho, Jr. may be oncloud nine these days, with hisengagement to Dr. Vicki Belo, buthe couldn’t feel the same over thedecision of the ProfessionalRegulation.

The PRC based its verdict onthe November 2009 decision of itsmedical examinations board findingKho guilty of immorality andunethical conduct due to the videoscandal that erupted in the sameyear showing his sexual trysts withvarious women.

In a statement flashed on“Saksi” on Aug. 22, the ex-doctorturned entrepreneur admitted thatthe decision was “painful” and“difficult to accept.”

He further lamented that “I’mlosing my medical license not

because of lack of knowledge orskills or even lack of dedication tomy profession.

The “Saksi” report added thatKho’s lawyers are already studyingtheir options for appeal.

Meanwhile, Atty. RaymundPalad, legal counsel of sexy actressKatrina Halili, who was one of thewomen embroiled in the scandal,welcomed PRC’s decision, thesame news program reported.

He deemed that the dismissal ofKho’s earlier appeal to regain hislicense is a “strong message thatjustice is still present here in oursystem, and that people likeHayden has no place in the medicalprofession.”

Although his battle to regain hislicense seemed to have reached itsdead end—for now, Kho had atleast won one battle, prevailing overthe charges filed in 2009 by Haliliand her camp, accusing the latter ofviolating Republic Act 9262, of theAnti-Violence Against Women andChildren Act, due to the leakedvideos Halili maintained were takenwithout consent.

Judge Rodolfo Bonifacio of thePasig City Regional Trial Courtruled, in his decision released inDecember 2010, that the evidencepresented by the complainant wasinsufficient. a

Hayden Kho distraught overrevoked medical license; campmulls appeal

The Philippine Medical Associationsuspended Kho in 2009 from practicinghis profession (Photo fr. Kho’s Twitter)

August 201118



Showbiz Gossip Continued from p.17

Amid the adulation that hisyounger brother Phil has beengetting, James Younghusbandmaintains that he is not jealous ofhim.

“If anything, I support my brotherall the way. We support each otherno matter what,” he said In aninterview with “Showbiz NewsNgayon” aired Aug. 25.

Shrugging off rumors ofcompetition between them, Jamessaid he is happy whenever Phil getsnew projects or new endorsements.

“That’s what we are. We arebrothers. We support each other nomatter what. There’s no jealousywhatsoever,” the 24-year-old strikeremphasized.

‘Best friends’

More than being rivals, Jameslikened their sheer closeness to thatof best friends.

"We grew up going to the same

school, so we have many things incommon," the British-Filipino athletetold PEP in an article posted on June9. "Well, I guess we're like bestfriends."

However, like other siblings, theystill "fight" from time to time.

"We fight over petty things... butdefinitely, not about girls!" Jamessaid, laughing.

"We are complete opposites. Heis more of the expressive type. Ireally like expressing myself in otherways... I keep a diary and recordeverything. I hate it when I forgetsomething, so I document thingsjust in case," he said.

On defending Phil

Two months ago when newsbroke that Phil was already datingactress Angel Locsin, a certain KCDel Rosario, whom he was allegedly,dating came into the picture.

In abs-cbnNEWS.com’s June 10report, James defended his brotheragainst the allegations, saying,“there is absolutely no [romance]between Phil and the rumored non-showbiz girl that Phil is dating."

“KC (the girl) goes to the sameschool as my girlfriend. Just toclarify, Phil's only met KC once.Angel is only in Phil's eyes,” Jamessaid.

“This is the happiest I’ve seenhim in a really long time. He's alwaystalking about her. If anything I seeless of him,” he added. a

James denies rivalry with Phil

The Philippine Azkals' most popularstrikers, the siblings Phil (L) and James(R) Younghusband

Former matinee idol GabbyConcepcion is keeping a safe distancefrom his daughter KC Concepcion’srumored spat with boyfriend PioloPascual.

“Wala, wala akong pakialam sarelationship nila. It’s their relationship notmine. Just make good of it. Be happy,”he said on “TV Patrol,” Aug. 25, whenasked to comment on reports that thecouple is going through rough sailing intheir relationship.

A day earlier, on “TV Patrol”, Sharongave an intriguing statement thatsomehow hinted at the seeminglychaotic phase that her daughter is goingthrough in her personal life.

“I just want whoever it is that that willbe in my daughter’s life to love and takecare of her the way we would. Kasi hindiko pinalaki ‘yan para i-take for grantedlang o balewalain,” she said.

She went on to say that “we wentthrough so much when you were little.You don’t have to go through it yourself.”

“I’m not free to talk about what she’sgoing through,” Sharon notes, but adds

a reminder to her daughter that,“Kristina, mama's here. Don’t forgetyou’re my daughter. We love you.”

Gabby is hands-off about the issueas well. He refuses to give a message toPiolo with whom his daughter has beenin a relationship for 10 months now.

“It’s not my life. I don’t know what’sgoing on. I trust KC. I trust Piolo sarelasyon nila. If it works out then I’mhappy for them. If it doesn’t work out, lifeis like that, eh, ‘di ba?”

Aside from his daughter’s romanticlife, Gabby openly talked about hisreunion movie with his ex-wife Sharon.

“I’m all for it… why not? Kung ‘yanang gusto ng tao gusto ko rin ‘yan,” hesaid.

The actor said he’s ready foranything, including doing kissing scenesand bed scenes with Sharon.

“Wala akong kondisyon. I’m open.Kahit na ano,” he said.

The “TV Patrol” report said thatGabby is currently doing a remake of“P.S. I Love You,” which he and Sharontopbilled before. a

Gabby Concepcion: hands offon daughter's romance withPiolo Pacual

Gabby Concepcion

With his good looks and slim build,it's hard to believe that Mikael Daezhasn’t received any indecent proposalyet.

"No. Not at all. As in, not at all. As inzero talaga,” was Daez’ adamantresponse to PEP in an article publishedon Aug. 25.

Is he homophobic?"Not at all! I have friends, actually sa

barkada ko, I have [gay friends]...saextended barkada ko, may dalawa na

bading. Stylist sila, they work for amagazine. Sila yung nakakausap ko.’

Daez is a former model who shiftedto acting via GMA-7's “Spooky NightsPresents: Bampirella” where he playedopposite popular actress Marian Rivera.They have been paired anew on"Amaya."

With such high-profile projects, it'ssafe to assume that Daez has beenearning serious money. Yet, he has notinvested in any kind of business norbought anything big for himself. Hismoney, he said, goes to the upkeep ofhis and his family's house, if not straightto his bank account.

"Of course, I help out in thehousehold. Tinutulungan ko nanay ko,"he said.

As a newbie in the industry, andbeing a Business Managementgraduate, Daez shared that he intendsto save his earnings in his first year.

"Mag-ipon muna ako, tapos stepback Tingnan natin kung anongmagagawa ko sa pera ko," said Daez.

"Hindi naman ako spontaneousgumastos ng pera."

He, however, admits spending a loton one item: Food.

"Meron na akong nabili—isang boxng tuna. Tuna na pang-diet ko," heexplained. a

Mikael Daez on indecent proposals,his first year in showbiz

While others usually claim they arein the biz for fame and recognition,“Starstruck” graduate Diva Montelabasays she’s in it for the money.

Diva, Hyacienth Diva Montelaba inreal life, knew how hard life can be whilegrowing up in Cebu. Now a talent ofGMA Artist Center, she’s able to landgigs that show off her dancing andsinging skills.

However small her participation inany TV project or out of town shows is,she makes every peso count by savingit.

Her frugal ways worked to heradvantage as her grandmother was

diagnosed with cancer recently. Divaflew her to Manila to seek medical help.

“I was able to put aside moneybecause of my showbiz career. I’mtaking care of her, paying for herchemotherapy,” shared Diva.

She loves the fact that she earnsmuch more in Manila than when she didin Cebu.

“I’m enjoying pretty much my careeralthough I am not yet as popular assome actresses in GMA-7. I’m justenjoying everything. I don’t have anyproblems and I don’t have anyenemies,” she related.

“I’m happy and single and I’m inlove with all the people I meet and workwith. I’m not looking for a boyfriend. Idon’t go out but I’m not anti-social. I justdon’t want to go out and party,” Divaexplained.

Aside from being a regular dancer in“Party Pilipinas,” Diva is in the newdance-series of GMA-7 entitled “Time ofMy Life.” Directed by Mark Reyes, she iscast as one of the members of the dancetroupe The Elite Crew with fellow GMAArtist Center talents Steven Silva, EnzoPineda, Yassi Pressman and Myra Carel.

The pilot episode of the new showon Aug. 1, earned a 24.7 percent ratingaccording to Nielsen. a

Diva picks money over fame

KC Concepcion

Hyacienth Diva

Mikael Daez



Couple Mariel Rodriguez andRobin Padilla took time out tocelebrate their wedding anniversary inMaldives, an experience that she sayswas nurturing and peaceful.

“Masaya. Nag-enjoy kami.Relaxing,” Mariel said in her interviewaired on “Showbiz News Ngayon,”Aug. 23.

While on sabbatical, the "HappyYipee, Yehey" host discovered justhow religious her husband is.

“Dito sa trip na ‘to lalo akongnapabilib kay Robin kasi Ramadanngayon, eh. Nag-fasting siya doontapos he’s been praying. Gumigising(siya) nang maaga, nagdadasal. Sabiko bilib ako talaga dito kasi kahit nabakasyon, kahit na nagta-travel,nagagawa pa rin niya ang mgagano’n,” Mariel shared.

She also related the differentactivities that they shared as a couplewhile in Maldives.

“‘Yung first day pinictorial ako niRobin. He makes you feel beautiful.Day two naman, nag-biking kami.”

Robin explained that he did hisbest to make their trip a memorableone.

“Gusto kong maging alaalangmaganda ‘yon kaya lahat ng puwdekong gawin na sorpresa sa kanya,ginawa ko.Talagang binabantayannamin ang sunrise at sunset,” theaction star said.

For their anniversary, Mariel plans

to give Robin a scrapbook shepainstakingly made herself.

“Actually, hindi ko pa nabibigayang gift ko sa kanya. Hindi niya alam.Ang ginawa ko ‘yung mga pictures atsaka ‘yung mga naitago ko fromEurope trip, kinombine ko ‘yun

altogether. Scrapbook na kakaiba.”In the “SNN” interview, Robin

clarified reports that he opted not tohave a leading lady in his new sitcomso his wife won’t get jealous.

“Ay hindi naman. Iba angkaligayahan na binibigay ng leadinglady. Iba naman ‘yung... Wala lang ditona naitalaga kasi ang gusto nila iba-iba‘yung pumapasok na babae.

"Magagalit si Mariel nu’n. Anggusto ni Mariel, eh, merong leadinglady. Kasi ako naman sa kanya, gustoko may leading man din siya. Artistaka. Narito tayo sa mundo ng showbiz.Kailangan ‘yung mga personal, itatabinatin ‘yon.” a

More about Mariel and Robin's Maldives experience

Mariel Rodriguez and her loving husband Robin Padilla celebrated their firstwedding anniversary at the Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa in Maldives.

SM Box Office Queen: Goinghome with a title like SM Cinema’s2010 Box Office Queen is nolaughing matter.

Toni Gonzaga, who was honoredby the SM group Aug. 18 for thetremendous box office success ofher film, “My Amnesia Girl,” jokesshe had a good reason to star inanother comedy after achieving thefeat.

Toni faced a room-full of mediapersons that same evening onlyhours after she was crowned BoxOffice Queen to make a pitch for hernew movie, “Wedding Tayo,Wedding Hindi.” The movie co-starsher for the first time on equal footingwith former supporting playerEugene Domingo.

Written and directed by JoseJavier Reyes, the movie takes a lookat marriage from two vantage points.The first is from the dreamy-eyedview of it by first-time bride Toni,

while the second is from the jadedperspective of a wife, played byEugene, on the verge of a maritalbreakdown.

The romantic-comedy’s leadingmen are Zanjoe Marudo andWendell Ramos, playing escorts toToni and Eugene, respectively.

King and Queen: SM Cinema’sBox Office King and Queen awardsare an innovation by SM Cinema topromote further local movies and toencourage production of the same.The awards are handed out duringthe annual three-day filmmakingseminar and expo sponsored by SMCinema and Star Cinema. This year,the expo was attended by more than500 students and film enthusiasts.

Toni’s movie, “My Amnesia Girl,”produced by Star Cinema,reportedly grossed P164 million,several millions shy of the 2008 top-grosser film “A Very Special Love”which starred John Lloyd Cruz andtwo-time box office queen SarahGeronimo.

“My Amnesia Girl,” directed byCathy Garcia-Molina, was hailed asnationwide top-grosser for the year2010 by SM Cinema based oncollected data from the 230 theatersin 40 branches of SM nationwide.

The SM Box Office King title waswon by John Lloyd for the third timeafter having snatched it twicethrough “A Very Special Love” in2008 and “You Changed My Life” in2009.

SM Cinema picks its box officewinners on the basis of film grossfrom January 1 until December 31. a

Toni Gonzaga named Box OfficeQueen

Toni GonzagaAn unnamed spokesperson for

award-winning US TV show “Glee”belied rumors of a real-life rivalrybetween one of its female leads LeaMichele and former guest actressand performer Charice.

According to an article by theNew York Post on Aug. 23, thesupposed rivalry allegedly causedthe latter’s scenes to be“dramatically cut,” purportedly “toavoid upsetting the show’s star LeaMichele.”

“This is categorically untrue. Welove Charice, and she was awonderful addition to ‘Glee’ lastseason,” the spokesperson wasquoted as saying in the same story.

A “show source” was said tohave told NY Post prior that “Charicewas signed for a minimum of fiveepisodes and did a press junket with[fellow new star] Chord Overstreet”before the second season of "Glee,"and was supposed to have “a bigdebut, but things changed and they

didn’t put her back in.”“The word is, Lea is the big star,

and producers want to keep herhappy,” the source reportedly said.

Charice made her firstappearance on the TV show’ssecond season pilot last Septemberas Sunshine Corazon, a Pinoyexchange student at the fictionalMcKinley High and Lea's characterRachel Berry's singing rival.Charice's stint caused much hypehere and abroad, despite herappearing in only three episodesoverall including the finalé. In Julythis year, “Glee” creator RyanMurphy himself confirmed thatCharice’s Sunshine Corazon will nolonger be included in the show’sthird season, which will start airing inSeptember.

The “Glee” spokespersoncontinued, “While it is true that she[Charice] appeared in fewerepisodes last year than we originallyanticipated, this was due to her busyschedule and the natural creativeprocess in which some story arcs ...did not materialize as planned.”

The spokesperson alsodefended Lea, saying, “Lea is aconsummate pro who couldn’t bemore welcoming of otherpowerhouse singers on the show,from Kristin Chenoweth to IdinaMenzel, who is set to reprise her roleas Rachel’s birth mom this fall.”

In the same NY Post article, Leawas recently even quoted to havepraised Charice, “She’s definitely thetiniest ball of talent I’ve ever seen inmy life. Charice is beyond talented!”

'Glee' spokesperson deniesCharice-Lea rivalry

Charice and Lea


Personality profile of the month


by W. G. QuiambaoIs it possible to have three

loves at the same time? Alia CenizaRasul thinks so. But don't get herwrong. Her loves are Recyclable orNot, Buhay Ko and recently, service tothe Filipino community.

Alia Ceniza Rasul, thegranddaughter of former SenatorSantanina Tillah Rasul and formerAmbassador to Saudi Arabia,Abraham Rasul, moved to Dubai at theage of 10 in 1997. Her father wasassigned to be PNB's regionalrepresentative in Middle East andNorth Africa, the head office in Dubai.In 2006 , she moved to Montreal tostudy at McGill University.

While a student at McGill,where she recently obtained aBachelor degree in Economics andPsychology, she was a member of theExecutive Board of the McGill Chapterof Alpha Kappa Psi, the oldestprofessional business fraternity in theworld. She was awarded one of thehighest fraternity awards, the B.L.U.E.award, which is given to the fraternitymember who upholds the four pillarsof the fraternity: Brotherhood, Loyalty,Unity and Education.

Rasul's interest in recyclingpiqued when she was studying atMcGill University. "Recyclable or Not started as a schoolproject in which I set up a Recyclingcenter in a neighborhood coffee shopand observed it for days," said Rasul. "Iaudited the trash (measured howmuch recycling was mixed with regulartrash) and the results were terrible.People always mixed recyclable withnon recyclable. The next part of myproject was to survey people'srecycling knowledge. The result wasclear. Even though peopleacknowledged the recycling wasimportant, they admitted that theirrecycling knowledge was poor."

Rasul explains that recyclingis important because the world 'sresources are dwindling.

"We can not sustain life if weconsume faster than the planet canregenerate its resources," continuesRasul. "It is important that we find waysto live more sustainably for the sake offuture generations so that they mayhave enough resources to build theirown lives. We need to keep the wastehierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle) inmind. It is always better to reduce first,then reuse, then recycle.

Today, she has 2000subscribers to her blog.

"We have to raise awarenessby talking about recycling to friendsand neighbors. Tell people howimportant and interesting recycling is."

Recyclable or Not is not theonly project that keeps Rasul busy.She is also involved in Buhay ko saSmokey Mountain, a project aims toteach 25 students from the SmokeyMountain community how todocuments and share their livesthrough photos, videos and blogs. Theproject is a collaboration between theManila Jaycees and Young Focus

Foundation and was founded by hercousin, Abraham Rasul-Bernardo.

This innovative and creativeproject will allow the world a peak intothe hope and dreams of youth ofSmokey Mountain .

"I was a graphic designer forthe project as well as a social mediamanager," said Rasul. ”I helped set upand manage the project's face bookpage. (blog and twitter account). A lotof contributions were via the internet."

Because Rasul is in Montreal,she could not do much so she doesher best as an ambassador of theproject. Here, she tries to give it asmuch exposure as possible by talkingabout it everywhere hoping to attractpotential donors or volunteers.

Another love of Rasul isserving the Filipino community inMontreal. She confides that she hasfound her niches here.

Although Rasul is new in thecommunity and her posting last Aug.12 was not controversial, she attractedmore than 463 viewers, includingfeuding Filipino leaders. The followingis an excerpt of her heart-warming andtouching posting on FAMAS MessageBoard:

"For someone whose family isso far away, community becomes everimportant; I am glad that I have foundFAMAS. Admittedly, I was a littlehesitant to join at first but after beinginvited to a few FAMAS events, Ibecame intrigued. I watched Ms.PMAG and I was a judge at Miss TeenFAMAS. They were both fun, excitingevents carried out with a very highlevel of professionalism. The care andthoughts that went toward theorganizers of the events were tangible.

The past few months havebeen a whirlwind. - signing up forcandidacy, campaigning and now,election. It was quick but I now feel likeI belong here. So thank you for that.

I’ve learned that since the pastelection, unelected candidates havecontinued on to stay which is great. Itreally emphasizes win or lose, title ornot, we are all volunteers striving tobetter the community. I know thatthese elections have not been smoothsailing the whole way through butthat’s to be expected in a communityas dynamic as this.

In the end, it’s all about thework. Many individuals, including thecandidates, EB, the COMELEC, both

Twenty-four-year old Rasul touches the heartand opens the eyes of community leaders

parties and the many volunteers whohave done a great job to pull this verydifferent thing together, have offeredtheir skills, sacrificed family time andsometimes even worked through thenight. As such, there is a lot invested inthis that can lead to tension. But Iappeal to everyone that rather than letthe bumps in the road polarize us, let’sall come together in peace and fix it.This is what communities do. Let’s notwaste precious time and energy inpointing fingers and instead, movetowards progress.

I`ll repeat, in the end its allabout the work. And it’s apparent herethat work needs to be done. I lookforward to working for FAMAS in thecoming year, be it as a director or avolunteer.

pauvreté et l’exclusion sociale,notamment en contrant l’insuffisancede grands logements familiaux à prixabordable sur le territoire montréalais.La connaissance du français est aussiprimordiale à l’intégration desnouveaux arrivants sur l’île de Montréalet constitue un facteur de rétentionimportant. Davantage de ressourcessont nécessaires pour accroître lafrancisation des immigrants.

Puisque l’immigration s’avèreun facteur clé de la croissanceéconomique de Montréal, il devientessentiel que le gouvernement duQuébec déploie également les effortsnécessaires pour réduire les freins àl’emploi. La disponibilité et la qualitédu capital humain deviennent desenjeux majeurs pour la métropole. Ilest aussi primordial que legouvernement renforce les mesuresvisant à répondre aux besoinsspécifiques des femmes immigrantesqui éprouvent davantage de difficultésà trouver un emploi que les hommes.

« Afin d’accomplir notremission adéquatement et de releverles défis municipaux en matièred’intégration des immigrants, la Villesouhaite voir rôle d’acteur privilégiéreconnu et ses efforts davantageconsidérés par le gouvernement duQuébec », de conclure Mary Deros.

Le mémoire de la Ville deMontréal est disponible à l’adressesuivante :www.ville.montreal.qc.ca/devsocial.

From Page 10 Immigration

Filipinos cominghome from Libyahappy and sad

A handful of Filipinos were thefirst to board the first InternationalOrganization for Migration (IOM)boat to evacuate foreign workersfrom war-torn Tripoli on Thursday (3a.m. Friday in Manila).

Some were happy, some sad,but all were relieved.

Construction foreman RamilNyala, 45, complained that he wasleaving Libya empty-handed, withoutthe precious remittances that are keyto the Philippine economy.

“I was being paid $600 to $800

dollars a month. But they refused topay me. I haven’t had work for fourmonths, and I have to pay $350 amonth in rent, so my savings are alllost,” he said.

“All the stores closed a few daysago, and even if you have money,Libyans are the priority. We couldn’tsleep at night because of theshooting everywhere. I’m happy togo and join my family,” said Nyala.

“I’m happy to go home to thePhilippines,” said 9-year-old Arjan,whose mother worked at Tripoli’smain hospital. “I was frightened byall the bang-bang.”

Only 35 OFWsThe Department of Foreign

Affairs (DFA), citing a report from thePhilippine embassy in Tripoli, saidonly 35 overseas Filipino workers(OFWs) were able to board the IOMvessel.

The embassy had been able toarrange with the NationalTransitional Council (NTC) safepassage for 91 Filipino evacuees but“some OFWs from variousworkplaces could not be brought tothe port because of heavy fighting inthe streets of Tripoli,” DFAspokesperson Raul Hernandez tolda press briefing yesterday.

He said a team from theembassy would try to fetch the restof the group for a second boat tripbeing arranged by the IOM.

More than 1,700 Filipinos haveopted to remain in Libya even asFilipino diplomats warned them thatit was still too dangerous to ventureout.

“Clashes are ongoing in Tripoli”and “from the embassy, machinegun fires and explosions can still beheard,” Hernandez said, quotingforeign undersecretary RafaelSeguis who is in Libya to help withthe evacuation.

There were more than 26,000OFWs in Libya when antigovernmentprotests erupted six months ago.Around 13,000 of this number havebeen repatriated, but Philippineofficials could not account for therest, other than the several thousandwho had requested assistance toleave as violence escalated lastweek.‘We love Libya’

Some of the Filipinos wereobviously returning home withreluctance.

Julie, whose husband worked asa “senior production coordinator,”said she was sad to leave after livingin the country since 1982, almosthalf her life, because “we loveLibya.”

“I love the life, the weather, themoney,” she said. “The standard ofliving is better than in the Philippines.Here we have money, we don’t needto cook,” she said.

“Our children were born andstudied here, they speak Arabic andthey want to come back,” she said. a



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and bus linesCall 514-481-3097

APT FOR RENT

CDN Carlton, near hospital, shopping center, Metro, quiet street,bright rooms, Upper duplex, 5 1/2,

heated, equipped w/stove,washer/dryer, new floors,

ideal for professional / retired coupleTel. 514-485-7861

5891Victoria CDN

Presently Photo Studio$1350/mo Sept 1. Near Metro

(514)898-1339, (514) 575-4961

Toefel. English, French, MathCall 514-485-7861

TUTORIALS

Work for any business inaccounting or use it for yourown business. Register in theaccounting technician program

Call 514-485-7861Starts in September 2011

Provy Shine is looking for 6-8 automobilecleaners for a full-time, permanent

position (NOC 6662). Vehicle cleanersclean the interior and exterior of

automobiles in the wash bays. Cleanwork areas and equipment.

Location: Montreal Wage: $12.00/hrJob start date: 09/2011

Fax resume to 514-735-8577

AUTO CLEANERS

Concord Tours New York 3-day Tour

from $58 each & upNew York 3-day Free BirdTour

from $98 each & up

Toronto-1000 Islands-Niagara Falls2-day tour

from $38 each & up3-day tour

from $55 each & upNew York 4-day tour

from $112 each & upGaspe-Perce-Bonaventure Island

3-day tourfrom $95 & up

Boston-New York 4-day tourfrom $88 & up

Washington DC, New York, Atlantic City,Philadelphia 4-day tour

from $133 & up

New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince EdwardIsland 5-DAY TOUR

from $178 & up

Departures: Every SaturdayAll tours have a minimum of 3 activitiesFee covers bus and hotel, breakfastNot covered: Entrance fees, tips to the driver,and meals.Pick up from Place D’Armes Metroat 6:30 A.M.

Call 514-485-7861 for

reservations or for more details onother tours and international travel

presentsSummer Tours for your traveling pleasure


Pampanga Quality Longganisa, Hot & Reg.

$1.79 ea., 2/ $3.29

Grace & Mili Coconut Milk99¢ ea. Budha Rice Stick

99¢ ea.

Kumchum oyster sauce, 22 kg$4.99 ea.

Ligo sardines79¢ ea. 3/$2.00

Selecta Ice Cream$8.99 each

Jiangxi Vermicelli79¢ ea, 3/$2.00

Galunggong 3-52/$3.00

Basa Filet2/ $5.00

Jufran bana sauce$1.29 bottle

Pinoy Delight Longganisa$2.79 ea

Pure Foods Corned Beef$3.99 can

Elephant Glutinous Rice$11.99 bag

Wk Spaghetti Sauce1 kg $3.29 ea.

Shanghai Bokchoy79¢ lb.

Tomatoes79¢ lb.

filipinostar.org

Pork Picnic99¢ lb Chicken Legs

99¢ lb UFC Sarap Asim99¢

Pangasinan Fish Sauce$2.29 bottle

6430 Victoria AvenueMontreal, QCTel.: 514-733-7816

Sale prices valid fromAugust 27 to September 10, 2011



• International Trade Research• Legal Aspects of International Trad• International Trade Management• Intercultural Aspects of Trade

• Global Entrepreneurship• International Marketing• International Trade Finance• International Logistics• International Market Entry & Distribution

Enroll in the International Trade Program at GilmoreInternational College. Earn a C.I.T.P. diploma (Certified International TradeProfessional) Call 514-485-7861 for information.

Education raises the bar but lowers the barriers to a rewarding career.

NEW ADDRESS effective Aug. 1, 20115320-A Queen Mary Road(corner Decarie BoulevardMontreal, QC H3X 1T7Tel.: 514-485-7861Fax: 514-485-3076

E-mail: [email protected]: gilmorecollege.comFormateur agréé de la Commission des partenairesdu marché du travail

Office AssistantEarly Childhood Education Assistant Certified International Trade Professional P.A.B./PSW Nursing Aide

Snowdon Metro

From left: Edith Fedalizo, nursing aide instructor, Vilma Lagonilla, Gisele Arellano, andMildred Mendoza, students; Terry White, nursing aide instructor. (Not in photo: JoesieBinggayen). Seated (from left) Clarice Mackay, Zenaida Kharroubi, Amy Manon-og andSophie Toledo. Photo taken July 2, 2011 at St. Margaret CHSLD.

• English • French• Spanish • Filipino (Tagalog)• Mandarin • Italian• Accounting • Keyboarding (Touch Typing)• Microsoft Word, Excel, Access• Office Technology• PAB/PSW Nursing Aid• Early Childhood Education Asst.• Daycare Management• International Trade (C.I.T.P.)• Integration of ForeignGraduates

of Nursing (Permit Pending)• Seminars - Writers helping Writers

COURSES



Sunday French Class

August 201124



New Address: 5320-A Queen Mary Road(Near Snowdon Metro, Decarie)

Education raises the bar but lowersthe barriers to a rewarding career.

Professional Training provided forNursing Aide, Office Assistant, Medical &Legal Secretary, Accounting Technician,

Certified International TradeProfessional and Second Languages

Nursing Aide/PAB/PSW International Trade (C.I.T.P.)

FILIPINO SOLIDARITY COOPERATIVE, INC.Marché Coop5710 Victoria Avenue

Montreal, Quebe H3W 3H2(near Cote Ste. Catherine Metro)

(in the basement of Cuisine de Manille Restaurant)Tel.: 514-733-8915/ 514-485-7861

E-mail: [email protected] Website: marchecoop.comServices offered:Deliveryf ee $5 ($40 order & up) in NDG/TMR/St.Laurent, Telephone orders for pickup Members only - 2% discount on $35 cash purchase(except on rice and specials)

PAB/PSW Nursing AideEnhanced 600-hour

programmeFall 2011 Session

Winter 2012 SessionEnrollment going on

Classes start as soon as enrollmentminimum is achieved.

Budget payment plan, tax deductible fees, small groups

Register by appointment

Call 514-485-7861Open House and Inauguration of our new officeon Saturday, September 17 - 3:00 to 6:00 P.M.

Business Hours:Mon. to Wed. - 2 to 5 p.m.Thurs to Fri. - 2 to 7 p.m.Sat. & Sun. - 2 to 5 p.m.

WANTED: Members whocan volunteer to betrained as cashiers

Orientation session at St. Margaret CHSLD: PAB/PSW teachers showing students around on their first day: From left:Teachers: Sophie Toledo, Amy Manon-og, students: Gisele Arellano, Vilma Lagonilla, Teacher: Terry White, student:Mildred Mendoza, Teachers: Edith Fedalizo and Clarice Mackay. Not in photo: student: Joesie Bingayen.

Kim Hoodles, Regular -$1.99Sale $1.49

Macaroni, Shells - Reg. $2.49Sale - $1.69, 2/$3.50

Black or Red Beans, Reg. $1.69Sale - $1.29

Knorr Sauce - Reg. $1.39Sale - 99¢

Nescafe Coffee, Reg. $6.99Sale - $4.99

Calabro ground coffee, Reg. $3.99Sale - $2.99

Linguini, Capellini - Reg. $2.99Sale - $1.69, 2/$3.50

Maxwell House - Reg. $6.49Sale - $3.99

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vol. xxix, no. 8 august 2011 ... · contents editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 cooperative...

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