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US tests China in South China Sea
US explains role in Mamasapano operation
American warship sails by island claimed by China: Pentagon
MANILA, Jan 29 (Mabuhay) – US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg on Friday confirmed that America played a role in the Mamasapano operation, but insisted that it was done “within the legal framework” of both countries. “There is cooperation, that all of this is done within the legal framework, and that there are agreements, and everything was done consensually or at the request of the Philippine government,” Goldberg said.
Washington, United States | AFP | Saturday 1/30/2016 – A US warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of a disputed island in the South China Sea Saturday to assert freedom of navigation, drawing a protest from Beijing, officials said. “We conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea earlier tonight,” Pentagon spokesman Jeff Davis said in a statement. Davis said the guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur made the “innocent See CHINA, page 12
SOUTH CHINA SEA JAN. 15, 2016: The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) conducts a live fire gunnery exercise with its 5-inch .54-caliber gun. Curtis Wilbur (inset) is on patrol in the 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt.j.g. Jonathan Peterson/Released)
Akihito visits Japanese troop shrine in PHL CALIRAYA, Philippines | AFP | Friday 1/29/2016 – Japanese Emperor Akihito offered flowers Friday at a shrine built in the Philippines for Japanese soldiers killed during Japan’s brutal World War II occupation of the Southeast Asian nation. The 82-year-old monarch and his wife, Empress Michiko, bowed twice while laying white bouquets at a table in front of the grey marble shrine, located in the lake town of Caliraya about three hours’ drive from Manila. In a half-hour event aired live in Japan by public broadcaster NHK, the imperial couple spoke and shook hands with former
Japan’s emperor, empress end PHL state visit
Japanese soldiers as well as relatives of their comrades killed in the Philippines. “You have survived difficult times,” Michiko said to one of the the soldiers in attendance. Akihito, meanwhile, told another: “Take care of yourself, stay well.” The royals are winding up a five-day visit to the Philippines to celebrate 60 years of diplomatic ties as well as to honour those who died during the Japanese occupation. Akihito has made honouring Japanese and non-Japanese who died in World War II a touchstone of his near three-decade reign See AKIHITO VISITS, page 12
During the reopened Mamasapano hearing at the Senate on Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile said that the
See MAMASAPANO, page 12
Rough seas halt bid to rescue stricken cargo ship with Filipino crew off France Bordeaux, France | AFP | Friday – Rough seas on Friday thwarted an attempt by salvage experts to prepare a stricken cargo ship for towing three days after it broke down off the western coast of France. A helicopter carried four experts from Dutch firm See ROUGH SEAS, page 12
Church calls on massive crowd to spread gospel
Cebu, Philippines | AFP | Sun- to the Catholic world,” he told a MANILA, Jan 30 (Mabuhay) – Japanese day 1/31/2016 – The special envoy crowd in a fenced enclosure estiSen. Trillanes Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko de- of Pope Francis told a gathering of mated by police to number about parted for Tokyo noontime Saturday after a hundreds of thousands in the Phil- 450,000. five-day state visit to the Philippines. Senior Superintendent Benjamin ippines on Sunday that they had a President Benigno Aquino III personally special role to play in spreading the Santos, police chief of Cebu City sent them off with departure honors at the gospel, even to developed nations. in the central Philippines, said an airport tarmac. Aquino was accompanied by Cardinal Charles Maung Bo of even bigger number were listening his sister Pinky who performed the duties Myanmar was delivering a homily outside the fence. MANILA, Feb 1 (Mabuhay) of a First Lady. Bo said Catholicism faced probat the closing mass after a week– A Makati court has issued Members of the Cabinet were also on hand long International Eucharistic lems of empty churches and dying a warrant of arrest against such as Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del vocations in other nations, and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV Rosario, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Congress. “This nation holds great promise See CHURCH CALLS, page 12 after it had found probable See EMPEROR, page 12 cause in the libel case filed against him by dismissed Makati Mayor Junjun Binay. Manila, P h i l i p - this year, his spokesman said sultation and meetings with with the largest Muslim rebLawyer Maricel Cairo, pines | AFP | Sunday Sunday. the stakeholders as well as el group, the Moro Islamic clerk of court of Makati Re- 1/31/2016 – Philippine PresCongressional leaders meaningful action so we can Liberation Front (MILF). gional Trial Court 142, said ident Benigno Aquino has have said they are unlikely continue the peace process”, But opposition from some “there is an order of proba- ordered special efforts to en- to pass the peace bill before his spokesman Herminio legislators had delayed its ble cause” on the case filed sure a peace agreement with the president’s term ends in Coloma told reporters. passage despite his lobbying. against the senator. Muslim rebels is implement- June. Aquino had hoped to pass Aquino’s chief peace neSee TRILLANES, page 12 ed even after his term ends See MUSLIM PEACE, page 12 Aquino had ordered “con- the bill to seal a peace accord
Arrest warrant out vs. Sen. Trillanes over libel case filed by Junjun Binay
Aquino says Muslim peace bid to continue after his term
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Airport cop held Aquino orders DOH to ensure for smuggling public safety vs. Zika virus rare animals Manila, Philippines | AFP | Sunday 1/31/2016 – Authorities at the Philippines’ main airport have taken possession of 47 rare animals or birds which an airport policeman was allegedly trying to smuggle to Japan, a senior wildlife official said Sunday. The wildlife included 11 tarsiers, 11 snakes, 11 monitor lizards, eight sailfin lizards, eagle owls and scops owls. They were found on Thursday, packed in styrofoam cases which were labelled as aquatic plants, said Theresa Mundita Lim, head of the country’s biodiversity bureau. “We received a tip last January. That is when we began our surveillance. We already observed (the suspect) going back and forth to the airport,” transporting items for shipping, she told AFP. The suspect had previously used his position at the airport to send shipments of suspected indigenous animals to a partner in Japan before he was caught, she added. He has been arrested for violating wildlife laws and could face four years in jail, Lim said. She said that while birds like cockatoos had previously been found being smuggled through the airport, this was the first time they had found tarsiers, one of the world’s smallest primates, hidden in an airport shipment. The Philippine tarsier is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “near-threatened.” Other species like the sailfin lizard and the eagle owl are listed as “vulnerable,” meaning they are at risk of extinction in the wild. It was the latest scandal affecting security personnel at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
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MANILA, Jan 30 (Mabuhay) – President Benigno Aquino III has instructed the Department of Health (DOH) to ensure public safety as much as it can amid the scramble of several countries to prevent the spread of the Zika virus that is associated with severe birth defects. “The DOH has been instructed by the President to [study] this matter and to [ensure] public safety as much as possible,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III said in an interview on staterun dzRB radio on Saturday. Quezon also allayed public fear of the disease saying that the virus is not easily transmittable, and that the DOH is already relatively prepared for the virus should it spread to the country. “Sa aking kaalaman at sa pagkakaintindi ko sa mga briefer at sa mga impormasyon tungkol sa virus na ito, it is not that easily transmittable. “Pangalawa, ang sa aking pag-
kakaintindi ng mga advisories ng DOH, ang mga precautions dito ay very similar sa precautions against dengue. In other words, ang [pagtuunan] natin dito ‘yung mosquito na nagdadala ng virus na ito,” Quezon said. DOH spokesperson Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy announced on Friday that the Philippines remains free of the Zika virus. While a case was documented in Cebu City in 2012, no other Zika case has since been reported, he added. “We don’t want to be alarmist, but it is not enough that people become aware of what is happening. We should always be on guard because it’s happening in other countries and it can also happen here,” Lee Suy told reporters. Quezon said each one has a role to play to keep the country free from the Zika virus. “It begins sa sarili nating mga bahay at kapaligiran to make sure na walang mga stagnant
water... Second, kung mayroon tayong nakikitang outbreak of dengue or similar diseases, to get in touch with your barangay health center,” he said. Tropical Southeast Asian countries said on Friday that they were bracing for Zika virus, with Malaysia saying it could “spread quickly” if introduced, but Thailand appeared to be bucking the trend with just a handful of cases a year. This was after the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the virus was “spreading explosively” and could infect as many as four million people in the Americas. Zika is linked to severe birth defects including babies born with abnormally small heads, is wreaking havoc in Brazil where the government has deployed more than 200,000 troops to eradicate mosquitoes. The WHO has issued basic facts and prevention measures against the virus. (MNS)
BOC seizes P118M worth of Thai rice
MANILA, Jan 29 (Mabuhay) – The Bureau of Customs has seized 118 twenty-footer container vans of what it claimed as illegal importations of Thai white rice valued at P118,000,000.00. Consigned to Calumpit Multi-Purpose Cooperative, the shipments arrived at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) from Thailand on separate occasions in November and December. The bureau on Friday said the shipments did not have any import permit. “A warrant of seizure and detention was immediately issued against the rice importations for violation of Section 2530 of
the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines, as amended, by RA 7651 and Lack of Import Permit from the National Food Authority,” the bureau noted. MICP Customs officials checked with the NFA if the shipments were issued an import permit. “On 7 January 2016, the NFA clarified it did not issue any permit to the consignee, the Calumpit Multi-Purpose Cooperative,” the bureau said. Forty-four twenty-footer containers first arrived at the MICP on November 24, 2015. Sixty two twenty- footer containers followed on December 1 to 3. The last shipment of 12 twenty-footer containers ar-
rived on December 12. A representative of the Calumpit Multi-Purpose Cooperative wrote to the District Collector of MICP, saying the NFA import permit for the shipments were being processed, according to the bureau. “However, NFA officials refuted such claim,” the bureau said. Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina has ordered an investigation to identify the people involved in the importations. MICP officials recommended that the shipments be auctioned off to preserve the value and quality of the rice and contribute to the revenues of the government.
Aquino says Muslim peace bid to continue after his term Manila, Philippines | AFP | Sunday 1/31/2016 – Philippine President Benigno Aquino has ordered special efforts to ensure a peace agreement with Muslim rebels is implemented even after his term ends this year, his spokesman said Sunday. Congressional leaders have said they are unlikely to pass the peace bill before the president’s term ends in June. Aquino had ordered “consultation and meetings with the stakeholders as well as meaningful action so we can continue the peace process”, his spokesman Herminio Coloma told reporters. Aquino had hoped to pass the bill to seal a peace accord with the largest Muslim rebel group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). But opposition from some legislators had delayed its passage despite his lobbying. Aquino’s chief peace negotiator Teresita Deles had told him that her office would be meeting concerned parties especially the MILF to firm up the mechanisms and the
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transition for when the peace deal is implemented, Coloma said. “We need to do all that is possible to ensure the full implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement... beyond this administration,” he quoted Deles as saying. The draft law is aimed at ending a Muslim separatist revolt in the main southern island of Mindanao that has claimed over 100,000 lives since the 1970s. The law would create an autonomous area and grant a measure of self-rule to the Muslim minority in the south of the largely Christian nation. Aquino wanted it passed this year but the timetable was set back severely following public outrage over the death of 44 police commandos in an encounter with Muslim separatist guerrillas last year. Adding to the time pressure is parliament’s scheduled adjournment in February before the campaign for presidential and other elections in May.
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What PHL will gain from Japan imperial couple’s visit MANILA, Jan 29 (Mabuhay) – The Japanese imperial couple’s visit to the Philippines will strengthen Philippines’ diplomatic ties with Japan and lead to economic opportunities for both countries, an official said. Philippine Ambassador to Japan, Manuel Lopez said the Philippine state visit, a first for Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko in over five decades, shows a deepening of ties between the two Asian nations. The ambassador said the announcement of the visit initially came as a surprise, noting the Japanese emperor and empress rarely travel and the Philippine government is up against many other invitations for the couple sent by various countries. “Since a few years ago we’ve been trying to work on the imperial royal family but we were only focusing on the crown prince because the emperor and empress hardly travels... When we were told a few months ago that it’s now the emperor and the empress coming to the Philippines we could not believe it, we were surprised,” said Lopez. Lopez acknowledged a “natural progression
of relationship” between Japan and the Philippines, with “foreign direct investments from Japan going up year after year, followed by tourism.” The past few years have also witnessed a series of big economic and political partnerships sealed between the two countries, including the agreement on military aids for the Philippines, Japan’s expression of support for the Mindanao peace process, and the $2 billion loan pledged by the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) to fund Philippines’ railway project. Lopez said the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) also paved the way for an increased Japanese direct investments in the country. “We have become much more competitive compared to our ASEAN neighbors so barriers have been reduce, have been made almost zero, ever since the JPEPA came into play, so that display the very important factor in the entry of Japanese businessmen,” he said. He also said many more Japanese foreign investments in the country are on the line, soonest to mate-
rialize of which is the establishment of the car manufacturing programs. “There’s so many projects in the pipe line, the one that will be coming up quite soon will be the car manufacturing program and we can see in the near future Japanese automobile companies setting up their factories here, together with their suppliers, with their spare parts manufactures, which will create thousands of new jobs for Filipinos. So we’re very excited about this because this will boost our economy definitely,” Lopez said. But Lopez said the strong bilateral relations does not only benefit Japanese companies as the Filipino companies now have gained more opportunities for investments in Japan. “We’re seeing now more and more Filipinos companies opening offices in Japan like the banks--Metrobank, BPI, BDO. Little by little we can see a bigger presence of Filipino companies in Japan,” he said. “With a little improvement on our side plus the reduction of tariffs I think you can see in the future more and more two-way investments,” he added. (MNS)
Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan visit the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in Los Baños Laguna on Friday (January 29) the last day of their five-day official visit to the Philippines. (MNS photo)
US envoy: Sea disputes not covered by EDCA
He, however, said that the US is MANILA, Jan 29 (Mabuhay) – US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip not anticipating a “shooting war” due Goldberg on Friday clarified that the to the sea disputes. “That is a hypothetical situation. disputes in the South China Sea are not covered by the Enhance Defense You have to know the circumstances are,” he said. During the interview, Cooperation Agreement (EDCA). “EDCA isn’t directly related to the Goldberg said that the US is opposed South China Sea issues. It’s about the visit of outgoing Taiwan Presithe United States helping its ally, the dent Ma Ying-jeou to Itu Aba. He said that the visit is not a “posPhilippines, as it goes about building a minimum credible defense,” Gold- itive development” “We don’t see the utility of these berg said. Goldberg added: “It’s not aimed at kinds of actions, which are unilateral any country or the disagreements in and which tend to inflame the situthe South China Sea.” ation rather than calm it,” he said. Goldberg also reiterated the US’ In case of a “shooting war” due to the sea disputes, the envoy said that stand against China’s construction the US will be ready to abide by the activities in the South China Sea. Meanwhile, Goldberg clarified Mutual Defense Treaty that it signed that “no new bases” will be built by with the Philippines in 1951. “The Philippines is a treaty ally of the US under EDCA. He said that the United States. President Obama, US facilities will be constructed on when he was here, said that the “co-located” facilities. treaty is ironclad. We take seriously He explained that the presence of our responsibilities, our obligations US facilities within Philippine armed pelled to take the wit- under the Mutual Defense Treaty,” forces camps will be built only in agreed locations. ness stand to expound Goldberg said. on his complaints. “He would have to be the first to take the witness stand, and that M A N I L A , J a n 3 0 present his “eight points” tungkol sa Martial Law, will be our opportunity (Mabuhay) – A Palace against Aquino at the medyo katakataka na to get him. He had al- official on Saturday Senate re-investigation, over the past 40 years, ways been evading us shrugged off rumors that giving way to rumors medyo nag-iiba halos in the Senate. Here, Malacañang pressured that Malacañang pres- bawat dekada ang mga he cannot avoid it any- Senate Minority Lead- sured the senator to keep kuwento tungkol dito. I more,” said Bondal in er Juan Ponce Enrile silent. think the reality spoke an ambush interview against presenting his “I’ll answer that by for itself,” he added. A shortly after the JDR. “eight points” against pointing out that it would day before the Senate reBondal believes the President Benigno Aqui- be difficult to base what investigation, Enrile said proceedings will be ad- no III over the Mamasa- Senator Enrile is going to he would present “eight vantageous to them pano bloodbath during do on what Senator En- points” against Aquino. since their evidence the Senate re-investiga- rile has said, if only be“I will prove eight can be used against the tion last Wednesday. cause Senator Enrile has points against the PresVice President. Instead, Presidential often done something ident, I will prove eight Certeza, however, Communications Under- different from what he specifications against disagreed. secretary Manolo Que- has said,” Quezon said the President,” Enrile, He said if the pro- zon III hit back saying on state-run dzRB radio. who requested for the receedings will be to the Enrile often does things “Pwede na lang po na- opening of the investigaadvantage of respon- different from what he tin balikan ang mga pa- tion, said in a television dents, then why did says. Enrile failed to palit-palit na kuwento interview. they file a motion to dismiss the case and eventually a motion for reconsideration, which were subsequently denied by the court. Certeza assured that the Vice President will face the respondents in due time. “If it is necessary, we will do that. Because there are other ways by which we can prove our case,” he said. The JDR was suspended and the next meeting is set on March 28, 2016, upon the request of respondents’ lawyers that other issues related to the case be settled first before proceeding with a fullblown JDR.(MNS)
Binay accuser wants Veep grilled in court MANILA, Jan 29 (Mabuhay) – The Senate blue ribbon subcommittee has already wrapped up its probe on the corruption allegations against Vice President Jejomar Binay, but one of his accusers say the fight is still not over and they might just have the chance to grill the Vice President. Lawyer Renato Bondal believes the P200-million damage suit filed against him and several other personalities by Binay last year may provide them the chance to bring the Vice President to the witness stand, which they failed to do in the 25 hearings conducted by the Senate panel. After more than six months, lawyers of the parties involved in the case met for a judicial dispute resolution (JDR) at the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Friday morning. The case is presided by Judge Elpidio Calis of Makati RTC Branch 133. It was on July 20, 2015 when Atty. Claro Certeza, on behalf of Binay, filed a P200-million damage suit against two senators, witnesses, and government officials for allegedly issuing damaging and prejudicial statements against him. Binay has accused
his enemies of mounting a smear campaign against him ahead of the 2016 presidential elections. Included as respondents in the complaint were Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano, Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice, former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado, former Makati official Mario Hechanova, former Makati barangay official Renato Bondal, Nicolas Enciso, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr, Insurance Commissioner Emmanuel Dooc, Securities and Exchange Commission chief Teresita J. Herbosa, AMLC officer Julia Abad, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, and the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Certeza, also a law professor, explained to reporters that the JDR is the last step of the court to allow mediation between parties and do away with the long and tedious process of litigation. But if the parties fail to resolve the dispute and agree to proceed with the trial, then the pre-trial conference is set. According to Bondal, since Binay is the plaintiff in the case, he would have to face the court and will be com-
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Drilon: Economy at stake in May elections MANILA, Jan 29 (Mabuhay) – Senate President Franklin Drilon warned Friday of a possible reversal of the country’s economic growth if wrong leaders are elected as he urged voters to make the sustainability of the economy a major issue in the May 2016 polls. Drilon issued the statement following the report of the National Economic Development Authority that the country’s gross domestic product grew by 5.8% in 2015. “There is a lot at stake for our economy in this upcoming election. All the economic gains we have achieved in the past six years will be put to naught and our people cannot fully benefit from them if our country falls into the hands of the wrong leaders,” he said in a press statement. He said outgoing Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan is correct in saying that “the challenge for next administration is to maintain momentum for reforms.” He said the ability of the country to sustain its economic momentum is mostly due to the reforms implemented by President Benigno Aquino III all throughout his term, buoyed by the fiscal discipline that was employed by his economic managers. Drilon said that the 5.8% growth in 2015 is a far cry from the 1.1% recorded in 2009. He said the economic gains could be reversed if the people would elect an inexperienced, ineffective, and corrupt leader. “The upcoming election is crucial in the sustainability of these reforms. The election will make or break whatever we have started under the Aquino administration. We must safeguard the reforms we have painstakingly put in place,” said the Senate leader. “Let us not throw away the gains we have made. Let us work together in order that we can sustain the reforms that made our economy robust and attractive to both local and foreign investments,” he added. The Senate chief also said that the laws passed by Congress helped lay the foundation for a healthy economy. These include, among others, the Sin Tax Reform Law, the GOCC Governance Act, the Philippine Competition Act, as well as the law that allows the full entry of foreign banks. Drilon is running for re-election under the administration’s Liberal Party. (MNS)
Sanders: Democratic socialist calling for revolution By Jennie Matthew
New York, United States | AFP | Sunday 1/31/2016 – Bernie Sanders, the Democratic presidential hopeful beating Hillary Clinton in the Iowa polls, is the country’s longest serving independent Congressman who is calling for a political revolution in America. An outsider like Donald Trump, albeit at the opposite end of the spectrum, the 74-year-old Democratic socialist may be the eldest contender in the White House race but he has done the most to inspire passionate support among young liberals. Outwardly serious – even friends call him grumpy – the senator from Vermont has spent a lifetime in public office addressing income inequality and fumes that the top 0.1 percent of Americans owns as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent. Bernie, as he is known to fans, calls inequality the great moral, economic and political issue of the times, and demands campaign finance reform that would prevent billionaires from spending unlimited funds in propelling their candidates to the White House. He has drawn thousands to his rallies, winning endorsements from Oscar-winner Susan Sarandon and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, which concocted a new flavor “Bernie’s Yearning” – mint covered in a thick chocolate – in his honor. “We are touching a nerve with the American people who understand that establishment politics is just not good enough. We need bold changes, we need a political revolution,” he said during a CNN townhall debate in Iowa on Monday.
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Ted Cruz: Tea Party firebrand aims to storm White House By Michael Mathes
W a s h i n g t o n , U n i t e d States | AFP | Sunday 1/31/2016 – Once reviled by fellow Republicans as a “wacko bird” eager to shut down the US government, Ted Cruz now aims to outmaneuver rivals and bring his Tea Party conservatism straight into the White House. With the Iowa caucuses looming Monday, Cruz is locked in a tight contest with frontrunner Donald Trump for their party’s presidential nomination. But Cruz, who has fought hard to maintain a prominent place for faith in American life, also sees himself in a battle for the very soul of the nation. As a freshman in the US Senate, the 45-year-old Texan – an intellectual proponent of a grassroots movement that has simmered for years under the Republican mainstream – has barely three years under his belt in Washington.But in the 2016 presidential race, his outsider status has played well with the right-wing base furious with what he derides as the “mushy middle” GOP establishment unwilling to play hardball against US President Barack Obama. For Democrats, Cruz is a dangerous demagogue they love to hate. To religious conservatives, he is a patriot, a thinking man’s champion of the common folk sent to Congress— and perhaps to the White House—to disrupt the ways of the go-along-toget-along establishment and fulfill the principles of smaller government. He has since become the movement’s north star, but critics blast him as a posterboy for Washington gridlock. Cruz, a master orator with a clear sense of mission, has angered his elders in both parties for showing little deference to seniority and snatching the spotlight from more experienced political stalwarts. He insists the government has wrecked the economy, infringed on religious liberty, put constitutional rights “under assault,” overtaxed Americans and sought to take away their guns. “We know how to fix this. And it’s to get Washington to stop screwing it up,” he told a conservative event last year. In September 2013, his conservative star power soared when he spoke for 21 hours straight to try to block a stopgap spending bill in the leadup to a crippling shutdown the following month. Many Republicans blasted Cruz for convincing Tea Party adherents in the House of Representatives to shut down government in a doomed quest to defund Obama’s crowning domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act. Cruz’s apparent eagerness to gum up the works led an exasperated John McCain, the 2008 Republican nominee, to deride Cruz and other Tea Party lawmakers as “wacko birds on the right.” From Harvard to the Hill -
A Texas-raised, Harvard-educated lawyer with a Cuban father and an American mother, Cruz joined the legal elite when he was accepted as a clerk for US Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist in 1996. He was part of former president George W. Bush’s legal team arguing the 2000 Florida presidential recount, later serving in Bush’s Justice Department and the US Federal Trade commission. He returned to Texas and in 2003 was appointed solicitor general, arguing many cases before the Supreme Court in Washington. In 2012, he ran for Senate with support from the anti-government, anti-tax Tea Party, defeating the establishment Republican and then steamrolling his Democratic opponent in the election. Cuban-American Cruz may enjoy plenty of support in Hispanic-heavy Texas, but he is a staunch opponent of immigration reform. He blasted Obama’s efforts last year to shield millions from deportation as “illegal amnesty,” and feuds with fellow candidate Senator Marco Rubio – whose parents immigrated to the US from Cuba – over who can clamp down harder on illegal immigration. A run from the right For millions of conservatives outside the US capital, the staunchly unapologetic Cruz is a hero, and he has fired up the base during his run. Cruz found himself in a crowded running lane: retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, ex-senator Rick Santorum and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee have sought the far-right conservative vote. Cruz has outshone them all. Only Donald Trump, the billionaire real estate tycoon who has refashioned himself as a conservative populist, now stands in his way of securing the nomination—or at least winning Iowa. With Trump upending the political playbook and launching personal attacks on his rivals, including Cruz, the Texan pledged not to sink “into the mud” in a battle of insults. “I think issues and substance, policy and vision and record should be the meat of politics,” he said during Thursday’s Republican debate, which Trump boycotted. Trump has hammered Cruz over his Canadian birth, suggesting bluntly that Cruz may not be eligible for the presidency. It has emerged as a point of contention in the campaign, but Cruz insists he is a natural-born citizen. Cruz pledges to “stitch together a winning majority” by bringing together conservatives, libertarians and evangelicals, who are all-important in Iowa. How will voters know that he is the candidate who will defend life, traditional marriage and religious liberty?
Japan doubles number of F-15s on southern island of Okinawa
Tokyo, Japan | AFP | Sunday 1/31/2016 – Japan has doubled the number of F-15 fighter jets deployed on the southern island of Okinawa, near disputed islands in the East China Sea, the defence ministry said Sunday. Japan’s Air Self-Defense Force now has about 40 F-15s on Okinawa’s Naha base, according to the defence ministry. The move comes as Japan and China have routinely clashed over ownership of the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Japan administers the uninhabited islands under that name but China
also claims them and calls them the Diaoyus. Chinese ships – mostly coast guard vessels – and aircraft have approached them to back up Beijing’s claims and test Japan’s response. “This is a very front line of national defence,” said Deputy Defence Minister Kenji Wakamiya, quoted by Jiji Press, at the Sunday ceremony at the Naha base to mark the creation of a new unit composed of the extra jets. The defence ministry moved about 20 F-15s from the Tsuiki base in the southwestern island of Kyushu to Naha, the defence ministry said.
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Why Ruffa is not interested in getting married again After her failed marriage to Turkish businessman Yilmaz Bektas, Ruffa Gutierrez is not in a hurry to tie the know again. Gutierrez, who is currently in a relationship with a French-Israeli businessman Jordan Mouyal, said her priority right now are her daughters and work. “I really want to focus on business. I want to focus on building my empire like you,” Gutierrez said. “I’ve been there, done that so now I’m very careful to just jump in a relationship.” Gutierrez, who stressed that
she and Mouyal are not living together, also admitted that her mother, feisty talent manager Annabelle Rama, doesn’t like her boyfriend. But she is hoping that Rama will eventually accept him. “I pray for it every day. That’s probably the reason why magkasundo na kami ngayon. She’s not fighthing with me all the time, so I’m very happy that even if she doesn’t accept, she respects,” Gutierrez said. Rama, for her part, explained that she doesn’t want her daughter to get hurt again. “Ayaw ko na ulit mangyari
‘yung nangyari sa kanya ‘yung ung sa ex-husband niya. Natakot kot ako eh,” she said. “Nung sila pa ni Yilmaz, grabe, wala akong ong tulog. Kapag nag-ring ‘yung ung phone ng madaling araw, alam am ko na umiiyak sa telepono ‘yon, on, naggugulpihan, maririnig mo na nagsasampalan sila. Alam am mo gusto ko siyang i-save, ang layo ko naman. Sus grabe umiimiiyak sa telepono. Kinukulong ong daw siya. Sabi ko lumayas ka na diyan,” Rama said. Gutierrez married Bektas tas in 2003. Their marriage was declared null and void in 2011. 11. (MNS)
Luis admits problems in relationship with Angel
Luis Manzano neither confirmed nor denied that he and Angel Locsin have already broken up, but admitted that they are currently going through a rough patch. Manzano made the admission after the premiere screening of “Everything About Her” on Tuesday, which stars Locsin and his mother Vilma Santos. However, Mazano refused to go into details but pointed out that this has been their first major misunderstanding since they got back together in February 2014. Citing a source, Manzano and Locsin are still trying to work things out. Despite this, Manzano said he still loves Locsin, which was why he showed up at the
Luis Manzano
premiere night of “Everything About Her” to support his girlfriend. “That’s a fantastic movie. Sobra sobra. Nung kinukwento nila mommy, nila Angel, grabe. Lahat ng kaba nila, lahat ng hard work nila for this movie, and everyone na part of the movie, talaga namang sulit na sulit. It’s a beautiful
movie. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. It’s a special night for so many people so nandito talaga ako,” he said. In his column for the Philippine Star on Wednesday, Ricky Lo cited an “unimpeachable source,” claiming that Locsin and Manzano have parted ways again weeks after they arrived from their recent vacation to the US. Lo, who did not reveal the reason for the break-up, added that there was no third party involved in the split. Manzano and Locsin decided to give their relationship another try in February 2014. (MNS)
Emotional Angel denies split with Luis
Angel Locsin
An emotional Angel Locsin denied reports that she and Luis Manzano have called it quits. Locsin clarified that she and Manzano are still a couple but are currently going through a rough patch. “Hindi pa po,” the
“Everything About Her” star said. “Mag pinagdadaanan lang po kami. Pero inaayos naman po namin.” Asked how she is coping with the first test to their relationship since getting back together back in February 2014, Locsin explained: “Sa lahat ng tao na nagmamahal sa akin.” “Kahit kay Luis, humuhugot pa rin ako sa kanya. Hindi pa rin naman nawawala iyung – kahit may problema kami, nandiyan pa rin ang pagmamahal. May mga kailangan lang kam-
ing ayusin. And I’m hoping na maayos,” she added. Locsin refused to go into details. She said: “Natatakot ako na baka may masabi ako na imbis na maayos namin, makasama pa. Ayaw ko naman kasi manloko o magsinungaling.” Manzano admitted that his relationship with the actress has hit a snag. He, like Locsin, also refused to go into details. Locsin and Manzano first became a couple in July 2007, but separated two years later. They confirmed their first break-up in October 2009, four months after their actual separation. Manzano and Locsin decided to give their relationship another try in February 2014. (MNS)
Ruffa Gutierrez
Why Ruffa is thankful to brother Richard Ruffa Gutierrez thanked her younger brother Richard Gutierrez for allowing her and her daughters to stay in his house in Dasmariñas Village. Gutierrez revealed that she and her daughters are using four rooms in Richard’s house. Richard and his twin brother, Raymond, turned 32 on Thursday. “He is nice. Chard was even saying, ‘Mom, come live with us na.’ He
wants everyone to live in one house,” Ruffa said. Ruffa hopes that by admitting that she is staying with her brother, rumors that she is living in with her French-Israeli businessman Jordan Mouyal would now stop. Aside from Richard, Ruffa also thanked her parents for taking her back and for always supporting her. (MNS)
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Julia Clarete visits Ciara amid third party rumors
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JM de Guzman returns to Instagram after ‘losing control’ He has been absent from Instagram for nearly three months, but actor JM de Guzman is now back online and has chosen to promote the upcoming commercial showing of his independent film for his comeback post. On his personal account, the 27-year-old De Guzman shared a promotional poster for the film “Tandem.” His role in the film won him Best Actor in the New Wave category of the recently concluded 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival. Back in November, De Guzman apologized to his followers for “losing control of himself” after posting a series of cryptic messages on his Instagram account. In one particular post, he even dared his father, Ronniel de Guzman: “Are you going to send me to rehab again?” It came a week after actress Jessy Mendiola confirmed that she
It seems that all is well between Ciara Sotto and Julia Clarete despite rumors tagging the singer as the reason behind the separation of Sotto and her husband, Jojo Oconer. Clarete has been rumored to be the third party in Sotto and Oconer’s marriage because she left the noontime show “Eat Bulaga” just days before Sotto announced on social media that she left her husband. On Instagram, Sotto shared two videos of Clarete and her son Sebastian visiting her on Monday night. “I love youuuuuuuuu! I really missed you and Seb,” Sotto wrote in the caption. In another post, SotMiss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzto gushed over Sebasbach believes Kapamilya star tian’s cuteness. Liza Soberano would make a good Clarete left “Eat Bu- Julia Clarete beauty queen. laysia. She has redo a show in Makati on laga” because she is Wurtzbach made this remark now residing in Ma- turned the country to Tuesday. (MNS) during a Twitter question and answer where she was asked who among the local celebrities could become Miss Universe. “I can think of a lot. But if I had to pick one.. Liza Soberano. She’s beautiful,” she answered. Wurtzbach’s response sent Soberano’s followers abuzz, with most of them saying the beauty queen has great taste. Soberano, who is the lead actress in the upcoming ABS-CBN series “Dolce Amore,” is one of the first Filipino celebrities who congrat-
JM de Guzman
has again called off her relationship with De Guzman. The actor, however, urged his fans to stop putting the blame on the actress. He wrote: “Please don’t blame Jessy nor ABS-CBN and my ‘All of Me’ family. I was going through very tough times, but by the grace of God.” The posts has since been taken down.(MNS)
Pia thinks Liza Soberano could be Miss Universe
Liza Soberano
ulated Wurtzbach when she won Miss Universe last December. Both of them are part of the Star Magic family. (MNS)
Sandiganbayan orders suspension of Ronnie Ricketts, 3 others MANILA, Jan 29 (Mabuhay) – The Sandiganbayan has ordered a 90-day preventive suspension of Optical Media Board chairman Ronaldo “Ronnie” Ricketts and three other OMB officials over graft stemming from the alleged mishandling of confiscated DVDs and VCDs in 2010. In a resolution promulgated on January 27–a copy of which was released to media on Friday –the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division orders the preventive suspension (pending litigation) of the respondents’ graft case in accordance with the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019). “Accordingly, the prosecution’s Motion to Suspend Pendente Lite is GRANTED…In the meantime, accused..are directed to cease and desist from exercising the function and privileges of their office for 90 days immediately upon receipt of this resolution,” part of the resolution said. Aside from Ricketts, the other OMB officials ordered suspended were Enforcement and Inspection Division (EID) head Manuel Mangubat, EID investigation agent Joseph Arnaldo, and EID computer operator Glenn Perez. The court also directed the Office of the President to implement the suspension order. Under Section 13 of the RA 3019, “any incumbent public officer against whom any criminal prosecution under a valid information” is pending before the court “shall be suspended from office.” Covered in Section 13 are cases “involving the crime of direct bribery, or of any offense involving fraud upon government, public
funds or property.” Since all the accused were arraigned on July 23, 2015, the information of the case against them is already deemed valid and understood by each of them, and that that if there is no pending motion from any of the accused to quash the case, the validity of the case information remains, the court said. “Under the rule, it becomes mandatory for the court to immediately issue the suspension order upon proper determination of the validity of the information,” it added. Meanwhile, the court noted that in their respective oppositions to the motion for suspension, the accused maintained that the facts in the case information sheet do not constitute the crime. But, the court said that the validity of these pieces of evidence the accused are refuting can be best resolved in a full-blown trial. In a graft complaint filed by the Office of the Ombudsman with the Sandiganbayan in June 2015, Ricketts and the other respondents were accused of “conspiring” with each other in “giving unwarranted benefit, advantage or preference” to private company Sky High Marketing Corporation. Based on the information of the case, personnel from the OMB under Ricketts, confiscated from Sky High Marketing building in Quezon City tons of pirated DVDs and VCDs on May 27, 2010. But in the afternoon of the same day, the confiscated items were “released and reloaded into the corporation’s vehicle” instead of filing the appropriate charges against the company.
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Cuisia briefs DC-based journalists on PHL foreign policy
WASHINGTON, D.C. — “In the past seven decades, the Philippines and the US have seen themselves become treaty allies, strategic partners and close friends. We believe that bilateral relations are truly at their best as they are comprehensive, dynamic and forward-looking,” Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. said in the opening of his special briefing for the members of the National Press Club on 27 January 2016 at the Philippine Embassy. The Ambassador briefed the audience on the outcomes of the recently-concluded 2nd Philippines-US Ministerial Dialogue, the Philippine Supreme Court’s favorable decision on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), and the Philippines’ position and advocacies on the South China Sea issue, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). “The Philippines and the United States recognize EDCA as a security component of our treaty alliance. It is especially critical to
enhancing joint capacities for the provision of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and to increasing the inter-operability of the Philippine and US Armed Forces,” the envoy remarked. Capacity-building efforts form a significant part of Philippines-US defense cooperation. “We appreciate the commitment and assistance of the United States towards enhancing our capacity for maritime domain awareness and maritime security,” Ambassador Cuisia said. The Philippines and China are currently embroiled in a maritime row concerning certain areas in the South China Sea. The dispute led the Philippines to initiate arbitral proceedings under the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea in January 2013. “Having an impartial third party rule on a case holds weight because one side will have the backing of international law,” the Ambassador explained. He also expressed support for sustained US Freedom of Navigation operations (FONOPs) in critical sea lanes of communication. On the subject of regional economic inte-
ARY News TV Chief Correspondent Jahanzaib Ali interviews Ambassador Cuisia following the special briefing for the members of the National Press Club on 27 January 2016.
gration, Ambassador Cuisia described the evolution of the AEC as a “slow and steady process that strikes a balance between the high ambition of full integration, and the realities of domestic constraints and equally important developmental objectives in the Member States.” “There is also clearly more complementarity today, rather than competition among ASEAN industries. Recent years have seen more trade within industries, belying the sceptics of the 1990s who predicted little impact and benefit from the ASEAN free trade area,” he added. Ambassador Cuisia also informed the group that expanding economic cooperation between the United States and ASEAN will be among the topics of discussion when US President Barack
Obama hosts the ten ASEAN leaders, including Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III, in a special summit in California next month. The Ambassador likewise remarked that the key results of the Philippines’ hosting of APEC 2015 are “vital building blocks towards eventually achieving the Bogor Goals for free and open trade and investment in the Asia Pacific region”. Delving into the Philippines’ keen interest in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), Ambassador Cuisia acknowledged the need to ensure that domestic economic reforms and good governance measures should parallel the high standards requirements of the TPP. He shared that the Philippines has engaged TPP participants in informal
Final 2 California escapees captured near upscale store
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Saturday 1/30/2016 – The two remaining escapees from a jail break in southern California have been captured in San Francisco, police announced Saturday. The two – identified as Hossein Nayeri, 37, and Jonathan Tieu, 20 – were arrested after a passerby recognized their white van as the
one authorities said had been stolen following the dramatic jail break last week in Santa Ana, near Los Angeles. Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens told reporters that Nayeri ran from the van, which was in the parking lot of a Whole Foods grocery store near Golden Gate Park, as police ap-
proached. Nayeri was arrested following a short foot chase, and Tieu was then captured when police returned to the van. Hutchens said “a number of” rounds of .380-caliber ammunition – but no weapons – were found in the vehicle. A fellow escapee, Bac Duong, 43, was
arrested Friday in Santa Ana after turning himself in. The men’s escape, in which they managed to cut through a ventilation grill and then use knotted bedsheets to rappel from the roof of the jail, had sparked an intense manhunt, leaving area residents in fear. The trio had been described as danger-
consultations in order to understand what would be required for accession to TPP. In the ensuing Q&A session, Ambassador Cuisia also fielded questions on Philippines-Japan relations, Philippines-US cooperation in countering terrorism and the good governance program of the Aquino Administration. “I have to say that the relations between Japan and the Philippines have also never been better. Japan has been very, very supportive of the Philippines,” the envoy said, adding that Japan has consistently been the Philippines’ largest provider of official development assistance and leading trade partner. Japan’s assistance in boosting the Philippines’ defense and security capacities were also cited as proof of the strong ties between the two countries. On the May 2016 presidential elections, Ambassador Cuisia pointed to poverty as one of the top campaign and election issues. He said that the Philippines must continue with the good governance reforms of the Aquino Administration in order for the country to have a fighting
chance in sustaining economic growth and alleviating poverty. The Ambassador’s briefing was well received by the members of the National Press Club (NPC). Tyler Crowe, who co-chairs the NPC’s International Correspondents Committee with Congressional Quarterly reporter Rachel Oswald, remarked, “This is our first event of the year. I’ve been to the Embassy of the Philippines a couple of years ago when I first joined the National Press Club. I have always loved coming here because everybody is so nice and I always end up learning a lot. I think 2016 is going to be a good year for our Committee as we plan to have a lot of really interesting and thoughtful panels with a lot of interesting and thoughtful people, and so I’m glad we can start it here.” “The National Press Club thoroughly enjoys the opportunities to greet Ambassadors from across the world and we really enjoyed the wonderful, educational conversation we had with Ambassador Cuisia,” said Mr. Thomas Burr, President of the National Press Club.
ous, “desperate” and probably armed. But on Saturday, Hutchens said that “the entire state can breathe a sigh of relief, because we have the other two dangerous individuals back in custody where they should be.” She said her department was coordinating with San Francisco police, who made the
arrest, for the men’s return to Santa Ana. The parking lot where the men were found is on Haight Street, in an area made famous as a hippie destination in the 1960s and 1970s, and which still attracts a sometimes motley mixture of tourists, drifters, hipsters and well-to-do residents.
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Coffee diet woos Americans with ‘Bulletproof’ pledge By Sara Puig
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Sunday 1/31/2016 A new coffee diet claiming to help lose weight and improve IQ is gaining a major following in the United States – and raising eyebrows among doctors skeptical of its benefits. Dave Asprey, the founder and CEO of the “Bulletproof Diet,” pulls no punches when making claims for his radical health recipe, cup of coffee in hand. “You become a better employee, better parent, better friend, better person,” said the former Silicon Valley entrepreneur now living in Canada. “My energy changes, my brain changes. I can pay attention, I can follow through.” The cornerstone of Asprey’s diet is a drink called Bulletproof Coffee, a modified version of the caffeinated beverage which uses beans stripped of mycotoxins – essentially mold that forms during the fermentation process. Add to that butter from grass-fed cows and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oil. The ingredients are
blended together to produce a creamy, naturally sweet beverage a bit like a milkshake, taken at breakfast in lieu of a meal. “So you drink a couple of these and all of a sudden you don’t care about food for a very long time,” said Asprey. “Your brain has energy that doesn’t come from sugar, you didn’t want sugar in your coffee and you lose the craving and you sort of have freedom.” Asprey used to weigh 300 pounds, and spent much of his life battling to lose weight. The coffee diet idea came to him during a trip to Tibet in 2004. He was weak with altitude sickness while traveling in the mountainous region – until he drank yak butter tea. Asprey was so impressed by the energetic effect of the drink that he tried to reproduce it at home. After years of trying all kinds of ingredients and combinations, he unveiled a patented formula in 2009 through his blog and on social media, claiming the coffee and an associated health regimen helped him attain a “body-
builder” physique. ‘Better our body’ Asprey’s diet is now one of the most popular in the United States, where a third of the population of some 320 million is obese. And his modified coffee has become the first link in an empire that includes the New York Times bestselling book “The Bulletproof Diet.” In addition to people looking to lose weight, it attracts athletes and supporters of “biohacking,” a movement that combines biology and food technology to improve physical and mental capacity. “Me and my wife are in the fitness industry, so we are trying to do things that better our body,” said Justin Lovato, a burly personal trainer. Past the hit of morning coffee, the method advocates a diet free of gluten and sugar that draws around half of its calories from “healthy fats” such as MCT oil, 20 percent from protein – preferably grass-fed meat and dairy or wild caught seafood – and the rest from organic fruit and vegetables. Other foods are classified as “bulletproof”, “suspect” or
“kryptonite” according to how they fit into the diet’s categories and meals are taken on a set schedule. A young athlete who gave his name as Ray said drinking the coffee every morning “increases your energy levels for sure.” “You don’t feel sleepy anymore, you don’t have the crash I would say after 20 minutes. Its effects are longer” than any of the products he has tested before, Ray added. Asprey also advocates brief bursts of high-intensity exercise, with a focus on allowing the body to recuperate with food and sleep. Where are the nutrients? Several celebrities have publicly lauded the benefits of the “miracle drink,” like actress Shailene Woodley – protagonist of “The Divergent Series” saga – ]and comedian Jimmy Fallon. But experts have raised the alarm over the diet’s nutritional value. The British Dietetic Association listed the “Bulletproof” method among its top 10 celebrity diets to avoid for 2016 – along with
such questionable fads as the “all kale and chewing gum diet.” “Un-bull-ieveable!” was its verdict. “Whilst the idea of minimizing alcohol and processed food is positive, the classification of foods is at odds with health recommendations and lacks evidence.” UCLA Medical Center nutritionist Amy Schnabel told AFP the diet could work short term. “ I n i t i a l l y , any diet that has you restrict large food groups does result in some weight loss,” she said. She also said the diet’s popularity was understandable—whether or not it is rooted in actual health benefits. “Coffee is a good source of antioxidants and it has caffeine. That would make any of us feel good,” said Schnabel, “whether it is black or loaded with cream.” “If you expect to drink one cup of this and feel good, and have mental clarity, you probably will – just because of the placebo effect.” But Schnabel also warned “the dangers of following this diet long term are possible nutrient deficiency.” Doctors widely
caution that the first meal of the day is the most important one and should contain cereal or bread (carbohydrates), eggs or yogurt (protein), fruit (fiber) and coffee or tea (stimulant). Asprey’s emphasis on the removal of mycotoxins is also potentially misleading, since coffee producers now regularly use wet-processing, during which the beans are washed and the toxins eliminated. He insists the benefits of his formula are proven. And beyond the science, the commercial success of Bulletproof Coffee is undeniable. The “Bulletproof” website does a brisk business in coffee and related health products – from engineered “healthy fats” to coffee “performance kits”, sleep-inducing mattresses, nightlights and “Zen” iPhone protectors that filter out blue light. The future looks bright, too, after Asprey’s company received an injection of $9 million from investors to expand its network of stores, the first of which opened in affluent Santa Monica, near Los Angeles, last year.
Bonta to address education, health disparities in Asian Pacific Islander community (Sacramento, CA) – Today Assemblymember Rob Bonta (D-Oakland) introduced legislation to uncover disparities within California’s diverse Asian Pacific Islander (API) population. AB 1726, the Accounting for Health and Education in Asian Pacific Islander Demographics Act (AHEAD Act) will track the status of API subgroups with respect to health outcomes and educational achievement. “Despite the general portrayal of APIs as ‘model minorities’, each of our diverse communities has unique social, economic, and educational needs that must be addressed differently,” said Bonta. “Instead of lumping many API communities together under the catch-all ‘other Asian’ category, the AHEAD Act challenges these stereotypes and identifies API subgroups that are being left behind.”California is home to the nation’s largest Asian American and second largest Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations. The Census Bureau calculates that each population grew by 34 percent and 29 per-
cent, respectively, between 2000 and 2010. “The population of California is uniquely diverse, especially within the API community. There’s no place on the planet like it,” Bonta said. “Hmong, Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, Samoan…. There are more than 23 distinct communities within the Asian American population and 19 within the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander population.” Despite the diversity of California’s API population, state agencies only report demographic data for a few of the major API communities. The list includes: Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, Asian Indian, Laotian, Cambodian, Hawaiian, Guamanian, and Samoan Americans. By failing to account for a large portion of the API population, California is unable to track the progress of the some of the fastest growing groups, including Hmong, Indonesian, Thai, and Taiwanese Americans. Recent studies demonstrate that some communities within the API community have fallen behind in important measure-
ments of public health and education. Although data shows the average API tends to have health insurance and is on track to obtaining a four-year degree, a break down by ethnicity demonstrates that Koreans, Cambodians, and Thai Americans have a higher percentage of being uninsured, and that Vietnamese, Laotian, Cambodian and Hmong American adults have the lowest educational attainment of Asian American ethnic groups. AB 1726 takes a critical and practical step for the API community by requiring higher education institutions and public health agencies to disaggregate data into additional categories. The bill requires the California Community Colleges, California State University, the University of California, the Department of Public Health, and the Department of Healthcare Services to collect and release demographic data for the following additional populations: Bangladeshi, Hmong, Indonesian, Malaysian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Taiwanese, Thai, Fijian, and Tongan Americans.
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MOTORING Can Japan overtake the US as the place to test autonomous driving tech?
Thursday January 28 2016 (Relaxnews) – Following Toyota and Nissan, Bosch is the latest car company to realize the benefits that Japan offers as a location for developing and testing autonomous driving technologies in real-world conditions. The company is setting up a dedicated facility in the country with the aim of having a highway pilot system – that can take over the driving on freeways – ready for production vehicles by 2020. “Because people there drive on the left, and because of the complex traffic conditions, Japan provides us with valuable insights for development,” said Dr. Dirk Hoheisel, a member of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH. The US has established itself as the country for carmakers looking to develop autonomous driving technologies in real-word conditions. The subject even made President Obama’s State of the
Union address on January 14. America is allocating $4 billion in funds specifically for automated vehicle research and development, but the focus is on easing congestion and pollution and reducing the number of road traffic accidents. “Meeting the challenge of a transformation to a cleaner and more modern transportation sector requires infrastructure that reduces congestion not by just paving new lanes, but by making better use of the lanes and capacity we have. Autonomous vehicles offer us a realistic way of doing that,” said the head of the Department of Transportation (DOT), Anthony Foxx. According to UN figures, 1.25 million people around the world are killed each year in road traffic accidents, and 90% are caused by human error. “In critical traffic situations, the right support can save lives,” explains Hoheisel about the technologies Bosch is
developing. Autonomous driving is also predictive, considerate driving, and US studies show that the types of autopilot technologies that will soon be production realities could offer fuel savings of up to 39%; less fuel burned means less pollution generated. However, allowing semi-autonomous cars on the road for testing and clearing the regulatory and moral issues surrounding the technology so that it can become a consumer reality, is another matter. During the Tokyo motor show, Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn underlined this problem. “No one can put autonomous driving technology on a car and let you benefit from it without the regulator accepting it,” he said. And that is one of the major reasons why Japan is set to become a very attractive location for taking semi-autonomous technology to the next level.
Bosch is accelerating its development of autonomous driving in Japan. ©The Bosch Group
Dutch test first self-drive minibuses
Friday January 29 2016 (The Hague-AFP) – The Netherlands started test-driving its first driverless minibuses on Thursday hoping to introduce a full-time autonomous passenger service in a central Dutch province by summer. Dutch Infrastructure Minister Melanie Schultz van Haegen took the first ride in a so-called “WEpod” shuttle, designed to carry six people without a driver between
the towns of Wageningen and Ede in the Gelderland province. “Currently two WEPods will drive around the campus” at Wageningen University, where it is being tested, said Jac Niessen, the university’s science spokesman. “At the end of a successful testing phase, the route will be expanded off campus,” the province said in a press release. The 12-minute route will take passengers
along quiet back roads, but the minibus will have to contend with cars, cyclists and pedestrians. It will be programmed with a carefully mapped-out route in which all obstacles including trees and streetlights have been documented. The eventual plan “is to have them drive on a route, within traffic from nearby Ede to Wageningen by the middle of the year,” Niessen told AFP.
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KITCHENOMICS I
FAMILY FEATURES
f you are like most Americans, you might have lapsed a little on your New Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resolution to eat healthier. Getting back on track is easy and guilt-free, and can be done with just a few steps. Celebrity chef and registered dietitian 'LDQH +HQGHULNV RŕľľHUV WKUHH VLPSOH ZD\V to help you get back on the right track and make sure you are eating the right foods: Â&#x201E; Eliminate sugary drinks, like soda, as WKH\ GRQÂśW RŕľľHU DQ\ QXWULWLRQDO YDOXH Â&#x201E; Identify ways to reduce the amount of food you eat, as we all tend to eat more than we need to. Â&#x201E; Most importantly, limit the amount of carbohydrates you eat â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this means trying to reduce the amounts of pastas, breads and sugars you are consuming Âą DQG IRFXV RQ HDWLQJ PRUH ÂżEHU ULFK vegetables, healthy fats and optimal protein. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to transform your favorite meals into healthy, low-carb meals that DUH ULFK LQ Ă&#x20AC;DYRUV DQG ZLOO VDWLVI\ \RX ´ Henderiks said. Henderiks has transformed some of her favorite meals into low-carb deliciousness for each meal of the day, including dessert, because you can still enjoy your favorite sweets and all of their great Ă&#x20AC;DYRUV ZLWK D IHZ WZLVWV WKDW PDNH them healthier. Living a low-carb lifestyle can also be HŕľľHFWLYH LQ KHOSLQJ \RX ORVH DQG NHHS Rŕľľ unwanted weight â&#x20AC;&#x201C; just in time for spring. Find more recipes that make it easy to eat low-carb all year long at Atkins.com.
Waldorf Chicken Salad in Lettuce Cups Serves: 2 1/4 cup Greek yogurt 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon dried thyme pinch of salt freshly ground black pepper 2 cups cooked, skinless chicken breast, coarsely chopped 1 rib of celery, diced 1/4 English cucumber, diced 1/4 apple, washed, peeled and diced 1/2 cup toasted, chopped walnuts 4 large Boston lettuce leaves, rinsed and patted dry 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese In medium mixing bowl, whisk together yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Fold in chicken, celery, cucumber, apple and walnuts. Place 2 lettuce leaves on each plate and spoon 1/4 of chicken salad into each cup. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve. Photos courtesy of Getty Images
Mexican Stuffed Breakfast Portobello Mushroom
Quick Tomato Salsa
Serves: 2 2 large Portobello mushroom caps 1 teaspoon olive oil 10 ounces (about 3 links) sweet Italian turkey sausage, removed from casing 1 cup chopped baby spinach 1/2 cup salsa (jarred or Quick Tomato Salsa recipe) 2 eggs 1/2 avocado, peeled and sliced thinly 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese WDEOHVSRRQ ÂżQHO\ FKRSSHG cilantro Heat oven to 400 F. Place mushrooms, smooth side up, on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and place mushroom caps smooth side up on platter lined with paper towels to drain some of the water. In medium frying pan, heat oil over medium heat. Brown sausage and break into small pieces with back of wooden spoon while cooking. Stir in spinach and salsa. Transfer mixture to mixing bowl to cool slightly. Carefully separate egg yolks then place whites in one bowl and yolks in 2 separate small bowls. Beat egg whites with fork. On baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place mushrooms smooth side down. Place half of avocado slices under mushrooms. Add egg whites and cheddar cheese to sausage mixture and combine well. Divide mixture in half and VWXŕľľ LQWR 3RUWREHOOR FDSV RQ WRS RI avocado. For each mushroom, make well in center of sausage mixture large enough for egg yolk. Bake 10 minutes and carefully pour yolk into each well. Bake until yolks are set, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.
1 tomato, cored and diced WDEOHVSRRQ ÂżQHO\ FKRSSHG onion WDEOHVSRRQ ÂżQHO\ FKRSSHG cilantro sprinkle of ground cumin sprinkle of garlic powder 1 lime wedge, juice only salt and pepper, to taste In mixing bowl, combine tomato, onion and cilantro. Season with cumin, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper, to taste.
Luscious Lemon Squares Serves: 16 Crust: 1/2 cup almond or hazelnut meal FXS FRFRQXW Ă&#x20AC;RXU 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon pinch of salt 1 tablespoon natural sugar replacement 3 tablespoons melted butter 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract Filling: FXS FRFRQXW Ă&#x20AC;RXU 2 tablespoons natural sugar replacement 4 large eggs 1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice Heat oven to 350 F. Line 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper. To make crust, in large bowl, combine DOPRQG PHDO FRFRQXW Ă&#x20AC;RXU FLQQDPRQ salt and sweetener. Add melted butter and vanilla extract. Combine all ingredients together and press dough evenly into bottom of baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly golden around edges. Remove from oven and set aside. 7R PDNH ÂżOOLQJ VWLU FRFRQXW Ă&#x20AC;RXU DQG sweetener together. Whisk in eggs and lemon juice. 3RXU ÂżOOLQJ LQWR FUXVW DQG EDNH minutes, until golden around edges. Let cool at room temperature then refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours before cutting into squares.
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Friday - Thursday, February 5 - 11, 2016
Visit www.usasianpost.com
THE US ASIAN POST
TRILLANES
EMPEROR
CHURCH CALLS
MUSLIM PEACE
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Asked if a warrant of arrest has been issued, Cairo said: “That is already automatic.” In a separate phone interview, lawyer Claro Certeza, Binay’s counsel, said he received an information from a source that an arrest warrant was issued against Trillanes in connection with the libel case. However, he has yet to be given a copy of the court’s decision. “Hindi daw ako entitled sa kopya kaya hindi ako binigyan,” Certeza said. “Maghihintay na lang ako ng kopya.”
Singson and Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya. Also present were Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhide Ishikawa. The visit coincided with the 60th anniversary of the normalization of Philippine-Japan relations with the President telling the Emperor during the state banquet that the visit underscored the depth of the two countries’ friendship which has been elevated to a strategic one.
MAMASAPANO From page 1
government should explain the role of the US in Oplan Exudos, which was aimed at neutralizing Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan. Enrile cited that the US-Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement deals only with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “It does not cover police operations which is actually nothing more than the enforcement of the criminal laws of the Philippines handled by the police organization of the country,” Enrile said after former Special Action Force commander Getulio Napeñas claimed that the US provided “real-time intelligence” during the operation. The Philippine National Police’s Board of Inquiry also mentioned in its report that the US provided real-time intelligence during the op-
eration. Goldberg said during the interview that the US has agreements with the Philippine National Police. “We have agreements that cover the police as well and our cooperation with Special Action Force has to do with international terrorism. We have dealt with the Special Action Force,” he said, insisting that the role of the US in the operation was done within the legal framework of the Philippines and America. There were reports that “real-time” situation of the operation in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano town on Jan. 25, 2015 were fed to a command center in Zamboanga City through a US drone. Goldberg declined to confirm or deny the presence of a US drone in Mamasapano during the operation.
the Philippines held a unique position as the world’s third-largest Catholic nation with a largely young population. “Christianity, they
say, is in a twilight zone,” he said. “Take heart, my brothers and sisters. The Philippines can take the twilight zone into an exciting dawn.”
ROUGH SEA From page 1
Smit Salvage to the Panamanian-registered Modern Express, which was listing dangerously in rough seas around 270 kilometers (170 miles) off the seaside resort of La Rochelle. The Dutch team managed to fix a line between the ship and a towing vessel, but swells of up to five meters (16 feet) “caused
the line to snap”, maritime authorities said. Nightfall prevented a second attempt and the operation will resume early Saturday, officials said. Because the 164-metre-long (538-foot) vessel is listing at 40 to 50 degrees, towing it will be dangerous and difficult, but not impossible, experts said.
CHINA
The law would create an autonomous area and grant a measure of self-rule to the Muslim minority in the south of the largely Christian nation. Aquino wanted it passed this year but the timetable was set back severely following public outrage over the death of 44 police commandos in an encounter with Muslim separatist guerrillas last year. Adding to the time pressure is parliament’s scheduled adjournment in February before the campaign for presidential and other elections in May.
AKIHITO VISITS
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passage” off Triton Island in the Paracel island chain, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. No Chinese navy ships were in the area at the time the US destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of the tiny 1.2 square kilometer island, he said. The operation was conducted “to challenge excessive maritime claims of parties that claim the Paracel Islands,” Davis said. While the United States takes no position on the various claims to the island, it does not
gotiator Teresita Deles had told him that her office would be meeting concerned parties especially the MILF to firm up the mechanisms and the transition for when the peace deal is implemented, Coloma said. “We need to do all that is possible to ensure the full implementation of the Comprehensive Agreement... beyond this administration,” he quoted Deles as saying. The draft law is aimed at ending a Muslim separatist revolt in the main southern island of Mindanao that has claimed over 100,000 lives since the 1970s.
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recognize any claimant’s right to its territorial waters. Beijing quickly responded, saying the move violated Chinese law and urging the United States to maintain peace. “The US warship, in violation of relevant Chinese laws, entered China’s territorial waters without authorisation. The Chinese side has taken lawful surveillance, vocal warnings and other related measures,” China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement.
– known as Heisei, or “achieving peace” – and now in its twilight. He has previously journeyed to other Pacific battle sites where Japanese troops and civilians made desperate last stands in the name of his father Hirohito. On Wednesday he bowed his head in sorrow during a sombre ceremony at the Philippines’ biggest war cemetery in Manila, vowing later never to forget the many Filipinos killed during the occupation. Tens of thousands of Philippine and allied US troops died march-
ing to Japanese concentration camps or in confinement during Japan’s World War II occupation. An estimated 100,000 Filipinos also died during the month-long campaign to liberate Manila in 1945, which saw aerial bombings and artillery flatten the city. Akihito’s visit is the first by a Japanese emperor to the Philippines and comes as the two countries strengthen economic and defence ties, partly to counter China’s increasingly assertive actions in disputed regional waters.