September 2013 fortnightly issue

UK & Europe Edition

September 2013 / Fortnightly

Volume 4 - Number 18

page 26

Connecting Global News & Views For The Community

FORTNIGHTLY

Celeb Scoop

E E FR

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Palace: Govt won’t hesitate to settle Zambo crisis by force Story on page 2

A contingent of PNP Special Action Force prepares to board a C-130 military plane at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City on Thursday, September 12, for Zamboanga City.

The elite PNP unit will augment government security forces engaged in a four-day standoff with an undetermined number of MNLF gunmen. Ariel Fernandez

Cebu Pacific is first PHL carrier to land in Dubai in 15 years

FIFTEEN years after Philippine Airlines (PAL) suspended its flights to Dubai, a Philippine carrier will once again fly to the United Arab Emirates—Cebu Pacific, this time around.

Cebu Pacific will be the first Philippine carrier to land in Dubai in 15 years, starting Oct. 7, to serve over half a million Filipinos working and living in the UAE, president and CEO Lance Gokongwei said Thursday.

Gokongwei was at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to meet the budget airline’s second brand new Aribus A330-300 which arrived from Toulouse, France.

The Manila-Dubai-Manila daily direct flights is the first long haul destination for Cebu Pacific, with fares that are up to 35 percent lower than other carriers, the airline said.

“Since we started international operations, our focus has always been to fly where Filipinos are,” Gokongwei said. “With our flights to Dubai, we can bring global Filipinos home faster, not just to Manila but wherever they may be in the Philippines,” he added.

The airline claimed its ManilaDubai-Manila service will be the fastest way to reach the Philippine capital and make same day

connections with its local network.

On its maiden Dubai-Manila flight, the airline will bring home “100 Lucky Juans” as part of an initiative to bring home 100 Global Filipinos for free.

PAL is also launching its direct flights to Dubai, starting Nov. 1.

PAL first flew to Dubai on August 4, 1982. The flag carrier was forced to suspended all operations on Sept. 23, 1998 as the Asian financial crisis deepened—a situation that was aggravated by industrial action

by PAL labor unions, which in turn compelled the airliner to pull out of most routes and drastically reduce its fleet.

Europe, US territories. As it earmarked $4 billion for its refleeting program, Gokongwei said Cebu Pacific is also looking at mounting long-haul flights to Europe and the United States.

He said the company will seek clearance from the European Union to enter European airspace.

“In November, we are going

to make a formal presentation to EU authorities and we are likewise working towards a certification to be able to fly to Europe,” Gokongwei told reporters.

Last July 10, EU Ambassador Guy Ledoux announced the lifting of a ban on Philippine carriers imposed in 2010, allowing PAL to restore flight frequencies in Europe after the Civil

Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) addressed major safety concerns.

Gokongwei also said Cebu Pacific is also targeting the US —particularly Guam and Hawaii —once the country’s status is upgraded to Category 1 by the US Federal Aviation Administration.

“For the US, there have been some pronouncements that Philippines expects to get out of Category 2 in the fourth quarter. At that point, we will probably look at certain routes in the US including Guam and Hawaii,” he said. ■ Danessa O. Rivera / VS/BM, GMA News / September 12, 2013 / Updated 7:58 PM

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NEWS

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Palace: Govt won’t hesitate to settle Zambo crisis...

MALACAÑANG on Thursday warned Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) fighters in Zamboanga City that the government will not hesitate to use force against them to protect the civilians there.

At a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said the rebels “should not entertain the illusion that the state will hesitate to use its forces to protect our people.”

“The forces of the state are ready to exercise the resolve of the government,” he said as the standoff between government forces and MNLF fighters in Zamboanga City reached its fourth day Thursday.

Despite his warning, Lacierda said

the government “is exhausting all avenues for a peaceful resolution to the situation” and advised the armed group to “cooperate to resolve this situation peacefully at the soonest possible time.”

“As for others who seek to take advantage of the situation, you will fail,” he said.

He was referring to Thursday’s encounter in Basilan between government troops and a composite team of Abu Sayyaf bandits and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters forces.

“The BIFF and ASG assumed they could take advantage of the situation.

They were wrong, as others who will also make similar attempts will be proven

wrong,” Lacierda said.

During the same press conference, Communications Secretary Ricky Carandang said only four out of the 95 barangays in Zamboanga City are affected by the standoff.

He also said government troops deployed to Zamboanga are “fully capable of overwhelming” the armed men, but other factors are being considered during their operations.

“The President has always been concerned about two things: containing that, making sure that it doesn’t spread out and get worse, making sure that the civilians who are being affected by this are unharmed as much as possible; and resolving this in a peaceful manner as

much as possible,” he said.

No PNoy trip to Zambo. Carandang said President Benigno Aquino III does not plan to visit Zamboanga anytime soon to take charge in resolving the crisis on the ground.

“It’s been discussed but there is no plan right now for him to go,” he said.

“The President wants to see things firsthand but there are other concerns.”

Aquino had earlier sent Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, and Armed Forces chief Gen. Emmanuel Bautista to Zamboanga to assess the situation there and update him regularly.

Carandang said the President has also directed concerned national

Continuation from page 1 government agencies to attend to the needs of the people of Zamboanga City.

Don’t believe rumors. Meanwhile, Lacierda advised the public not to believe rumors of clashes or abduction of religious leaders, saying these only seek “to inflame passions for various reasons.”

“Instead, listen to the authorities, who will give you the truth all the time,” he said.

Lacierda also said the palace is “very pleased” with the performance of Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco.

“Despite being new to the job, she has demonstrated true leadership,” he said. ■ Kimberly Jane Tan / KBK, GMA News / September 12, 2013 / 7:11PM

‘We’re not the only ones selling condos Bangko Sentral lowers 2013, 2014 inflation forecasts without permits,’ New San Jose Builders says A real-estate company which sells condominium units even without government permits said that it isn’t the only one engaged in the practice.

New San Jose Builders Inc. also denied it intended to deceive its customers, a spokesperson said.

“Look, we’re not even the only one who is violating the LTS [license to sell],” Gina Virtusio, the company’s public relations officer told InterAksyon.com in a phone interview. “If you look at the [Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board] website, there are other companies there who are served cease and desist orders (CDO).”

Issued by the HLURB, these orders bar a company from selling and advertising real-estate projects and from collecting monthly amortization from buyers.

Earlier, InterAksyon.com interviewed buyers who were able to purchase units—some as recent as April this year—even after the order was issued on May 4, 2010.

The buyers who have complained are “impatient” and “could not wait” to see their acquisitions as soon as possible, Virtusio said.

“Honestly, it’s not like we’re going around the [legal] process. There are marketing strategies that real estate developers are employing,” she said.

“We are not going to argue that, yes, we do not have the LTS [license to sell] the papers for this but this is already being processed. And the fee is P3 million, not P30 million,” she said, adding that delays are incurred in securing the license because many people are involved in the process.

The company had no intention to deceive the public with its 26-year track record and the complaints against the perceived delays in condominium projects are isolated cases, Virtusio said.

“We may be delayed, but we’re not deceiving our clients. There are other developers who are also late in delivery of units to buyers,” she said.

At the outset, Virtusio said the buyers knew that the company didn’t have a permit to sell.

After all, customers signed waivers even before they remitted their first payments, the company said.

However, even though buyers knew that the company didn’t have a permit to sell, the waiver cannot be used by the company as a defense “for depriving a buyer of any right which the latter has under the law,” the HLURB said.

This may be the reason why the housing agency issued two violation notices against New San Jose Builders

Inc., the latest dated August 29, 2013.

“We are also acting on the letterscomplaints which we received, and in fact, several conciliation conferences are scheduled for the parties to thresh out the issues and to find solution mutually acceptable to them,” HLURB-Expanded National Capital Region Field Office director Alfredo Gil M. Tan II said in a letter to InterAksyon.com.

Tan also advised the buyers who “believe they were aggrieved by unscrupulous acts” of property developers can seek help from HLURB so their concerns can be addressed. He said they will advise them further of their rights and available remedies under existing laws. ■ Likha Cuevas-Miel / InterAksyon.com / September 12, 2013 / 4:24 PM

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas lowered inflation forecasts for this year and the next as the rise in consumer prices registered at slower paces in the past months, and utility costs and a wage increase in the capital region were lower than expected.

In a press briefing after the Monetary Board policy meeting Thursday, Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo told reporters that officials revised their inflation 2013 forecast to 3.0 percent from 3.3 percent.

The new forecast now rests at the lower end of the central bank’s 3 to 5 percent inflation target this year.

For 2014, prices of goods and services are expected to accelerate by 3.9 percent from an earlier projection of 4.0 percent.

“There are three main factors for the revision. First is the July and August inflation were lower thanmarket expectations and putting our forward inflation lower,” Guinigundo said.

Inflation registered at 2.1 percent in August – the slowest in four years – pulling the eight-month average to 2.8 percent.

July inflation was recorded at 2.5 percent.

Guinigundo said inflation forecasts were revised downward on account of the P10 per day or around 2.2 percent increase in minimum wage in Metro Manila.

The Bangko Sentral had incorporated a historical 5-percent wage hike in its earlier price projections.

The lower and delayed announcements

of increases in utility rates were also noted cited as factors that contributed to downward revisions on the central bank’s inflation forecasts, Guinigundo said.

Well-anchored inflation expectations were among the reasons the Monetary Board cited in keeping policy settings unchanged in its September 12 meeting.

Sought for comment, Security Bank Corp. economist Patrick Ella said the continued decrease in inflation so far “warrants adjustments in [inflation] forecasts.”

Ella, however, said Philippine inflation may have “reached the bottom of the curve,” given rising price pressures amid turmoil in the Middle East and weakening peso.

But at the briefing, Bangko Sentral Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. noted the “balance of risks” to the inflation outlook. ■ Siegfrid O. Alegado / VS/BM, GMA News / September 12, 2013 / Updated 6:53 PM

Cebu Pac cancels Zambo flights until Monday; sets special PAF flight on Friday AIR carrier Cebu Pacific is canceling at least 16 flights with destination points in Zamboanga City until Monday, Sept. 16, due to the extended closure of the Zamboanga Airport amid the ongoing standoff there between government and Moro National Liberation Front forces.

But the air carrier also said a Philippine Air Force flight will take affected Cebu Pacific passengers from Zamboanga to Cebu on Friday.

“Cebu Pacific (CEB) is closely coordinating with the government for the re-accommodation of passengers affected by the Zamboanga Airport closure. On September 13, 2013, Friday, the Philippine Air Force will ferry affected CEB passengers from Zamboanga to Cebu,” it said.

It also said it has arranged two special

flights from Tawi-Tawi to Cebu, departing Friday, to accommodate passengers who are traveling for the Hajj Pilgrimage.

Cebu Pacific said its daily flights between Zamboanga and Tawi-Tawi had been suspended since September 9.

“Upon arrival in Cebu, passengers will be re-accommodated on scheduled CEB flights from Cebu to Manila on the same day,” it said.

Canceled flights. Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific said it is canceling 16 flights from Sept. 13 to 16 since the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines extended the suspension of Zamboanga Airport operations until Sept. 16, “to the current security situation in Zamboanga.”

The canceled flights include: 5J 851/852: Manila-Zamboanga-Manila 5J 855/856: Manila-Zamboanga-Manila 5J 859/860: Manila-Zamboanga-Manila 5J 857/858: Manila-Zamboanga-Manila 5J 433/434: Cebu-Zamboanga-Cebu 5J 393/394: Davao-Zamboanga-Davao 5J 839/840: Zamboanga-Tawi-Tawi-

Zamboanga 5J 845/844: Cagayan de OroZamboanga-Cagayan de Oro Cebu Pacific said passengers affected by these cancellations may rebook flights for travel within 30 days from original departure date with no penalties, full travel fund or full refund.

It said they may also reroute their flights to the nearest alternate station to Zamboanga.

Passengers may call (02) 7020-888 or (032) 230-8888 for their preferred option, any time even after their flights, it said.

“CEB hopes for its guests’ understanding as this situation is beyond the airline’s control. CEB will continue to provide updates as soon as available,” it said. ■ BM, GMA News / September 12, 2013 / 5:57 PM

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BUSINESS AND FINANCE

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

‘We warned govt:’ Mining investments to drop ‘dramatically,’ owing to govt policies—Lobby group MANILA - The Philippine government will miss its target investments from the local mining sector by 2016 as revenue-sharing issues push potential industry players to watch and wait on the sidelines, the sector’s lobby group said on Tuesday.

During an industry forum, Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez, Chamber of Mines of the Philippines (COMP) president, said that the country will not be able to meet the $16-billion mining investments target from 2004 to 2016 in light of the Aquino administration’s review of the industry’s tax regime.

“Mining investments that were supposed to happen during this administration will not happen. Let me tell you now that investments in the next three years will certainly, dramatically go down. We warned government of that in 2012, and sadly it is happening,” he said.

At present, $12-billion worth of investments in the sector are on hold as

investors await for the policies that may be adopted by the government.

Romualdez, who heads Benguet Corp, said that investors are concerned about the proposed 10-percent gross or 50-percent net excise tax on mining in place of the 2-percent excise tax collected from big companies.

Various groups earlier questioned what they deemed to be disproportionate tax imposed on large-scale miners.

The current rate, the COMP official said, is already “fair and equitable” since, aside from paying excise taxes, mining firms also pay 12 different taxes to the

government. These expenses are on top of the mining firms’ investments, personnel risk and efforts to secure over 150 permits, Romualdez said.

“The truth is our government receives over half of the total value of a mining project based on the internationally accepted AETR or the Average Effective Tax Rate,” he said.

AETR is the formula used to determine the government’s share throughout the entire lifecycle of a mining project, from the time the contractor starts to invest funds in the project to the very end of the mine life.

Romualdez said that for profitable projects, the Philippine government’s average effective revenue take already amounts to nearly 60 percent of the project’s pre-tax cash flows—significantly higher than that of the large mining countries of South Africa, the US, Chile, Australia, and Peru.

Instead of just focusing on big mining, Romualdez said the government should

also look into the operations of small-scale miners, whose operations are driving away big-ticket projects, “which contribute far more to inclusive growth than what has been reported in media.”

In the same forum, Senator Franklin M. Drilon said that Congress consider the industry’s proposal as it formulates a new tax regime for the sector.

“We are a listening Senate. We will do our best to determine what tax regime will work best,” he said.

The lawmaker has outlined the proposed measures to regulate the industry, which only takes up 0.7 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). These include the review of tax incentives, cancellation of stagnant contracts, and the grant of mining rights to those who employ best practices, complete remediation programs and secure all the necessary permits, among others. ■ Euan Paolo C. Añonuevo / InterAksyon.com / September 10, 2013 / 2:46 PM

As public outcry mounts, ‘pork barrel’ scam in spotlight ahead of annual meet between gov’t, IMF MANILA - Amid the rising public clamor against it, the pork barrel scam may end up on the agenda of next week’s meetings between President Benigno Aquino III’s economic managers and a visiting team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to government sources.

“They might check the governance, which could affect the investors’ confidence,” one source said, referring to the pork barrel scheme, which is part of governance since it involves the distribution of government resources to local constituencies.

An IMF team is set to visit on September 17-18 on annual discussions with Philippine economic managers under the lender’s Article IV consultations.

“Good governance is good economics.

If they do take it up, it will be at the level of the principals, not at the technical level,” another source said, adding that the IMF team has meetings the country’s economic managers, if not with the President himself.

Last July, the IMF raised its 2013 and 2014 economic growth forecasts for the Philippines to seven and six percent, respectively, from the earlier estimates of six and 5.5 percent. This is higher than the government’s 6-7 percent target for the year.

In its most recent Article IV report issued last April, the IMF had commended the Aquino administration for improving governance, thus strengthening the foundations for sound policymaking to reduce poverty, improve tax compliance, and create a more transparent public sector.

ERC approves P4.67 billion refund for Meralco customers MANILA – Meralco customers should expect a refund after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) authorized the utility to run after power plant operators that collected transmission costs twice over.

In a decision, the ERC pegged the amount owed by said firms at P4.67 billion, with San Miguel Corp (SMC) cornering nearly half of that amount at P2.19 billion.

The balance will be shouldered by Aboitiz Power Corp at P1.34 billion, AES Corp of the US at P866 million, and Semirara Mining Corp at P266 million.

The said firms, which acquired several power plants from the government auction block, charged transmission line costs that Manile Electric Co already levied on its customers and paid to the Wholesale

Electricity Spot Market, thus resulting in the double-charging.

The ERC gave Meralco 15 days to file a petition for the refund of the double collections, otherwise the utility “shall be the one liable to refund the subject amount to its consumers.”

Besides the said companies, the ERC earlier also meted the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp (Psalm) with P5.12 billion worth of overcharges for the same costs. Psalm oversees the assets and settled the debts of state-owned National Power Corp (Napocor).

InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, which like Meralco is chaired by Manuel V. Pangilinan. ■ Euan Paolo C. Añonuevo / InterAksyon.com / September 10, 2013 / 12:05 PM

The Supreme Court last Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) stopping the government from any further release of the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which for all intents and purposes pertains to the pork barrel funds that legislators get every year. Each senator is entitled to P200 million, while each member of the House to P70 million.

The pork barrel is at the center of public outrage over revelations that a network of bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs) had siphoned billions of pesos from the PDAF. The alleged scheme, revolving around detained businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, also suggests that legislators are involved in a grand kickback scheme.

Last month, President Aquino

succumbed to public pressure, announcing that the pork barrel would be removed from the proposed 2014 national budget.

His announcement came days before a mammoth rally held on National Heroes’ Day calling for the abolition of the discretionary funds that legislators get for their pet projects.

Some critics however have gone beyond calling for the removal of the PDAF. A former national treasurer, Leonor MagtolisBriones, has said any plan to abolish pork barrel should include the President’s own lard, which amounts to P310 billion in the proposed 2014 budget, a far cry from the P25 billion PDAF. “If the President is sincere with his ‘daang matuwid,’ he will abolish these budget items and use it for long term social

service and poverty alleviation programs,” Briones, who heads the non-government Social Watch Philippines, said.

“Billions are hungry, homeless, jobless, out-of-school, and have no access to health care here. All we need is political will from the President so that the funds will be used to serve the unserved and reach the unreached,” she added.

The Palace however has insisted that the President’s pork, as contained in the Special Purpose Funds, is needed to provide for national emergencies such as typhoons, war, among others. ■ Maricel E. Burgonio / InterAksyon.com / September 12, 2013 / 12:37 AM

PSEi returns above 6,000-mark as Syria worries subside

MANILA - Philippine share prices rose sharply on Tuesday, tracking the overnight gains on Wall Street, as risk appetite improved due to subsiding investor concern about Syria.

At the Philippine Stock Exchange, the benchmark index opened with a gain of 0.36 percent, as buying momentum gathered pace. The local barometer rallied 92.68 points or 1.54 percent to close at 6,089.72.

The mining and oil counter weighed on the market after Chamber of Mines of the Philippines said the government would miss its investment target by 2016 because of unresolved issues on revenue sharing with the industry.

The other counters gained at least 1.2 percent, led by the 1.96 percent jump in the holding firm sub-index.

Advancers beat decliners, 79 to 54, while 49 issues were unchanged. A total of 1.15 billion stocks worth P8.95 billion changed hands.

Most actively traded stocks were SM Prime, Universal Robina, Alliance Global, BDO and SM Investments. Top gainers were Ginebra, ATN A and 2GO, while the

biggest losers were Primex, SPC Power and iRipple.

“Our market is moving in tandem with the rest of the world,” said Jose Vistan of AB Capital Securities Inc. “Investors are relieved because of the easing tensions and concerns in Syria. There is now less pressure for a strike against Syria, easing inflationary concerns,” Vistan said.

Sentiment was upbeat after Russia—a key ally of Syrian President Bashar alAssad—proposed to put Damascus’ chemical weapons under international control to avoid a US-led military attack.

US stocks climbed on Monday after Chinese exports topped expectations while consumer inflation remained steady, underscoring the resilience of the world’s second biggest economy.

Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had its best performance in more than eight weeks, rising 140.62 points, or 0.9 percent, to 15,063.12.

Despite the initial euphoria, uncertainty over the US Federal Reserve scaling back its economic stimulus reared its ugly head.

“The market should not forget the issue on the Fed tapering. There is still a growing expectation for the Fed to pare its quantitative easing activities that will put pressure on markets again,” Vistan said.

“It now becomes a question of sustainability. After being up for the last three sessions, we can expect calls for a correction to grow,” said Jun Calaycay of Accord Capital Equities Corp.

The Fed will hold its policy meeting on September 17-18 and is expected to provide direction on the future of its economic stimulus. The US central bank’s $85-billion bond-buying program – the third tranche of what has come to be called “quantitative easing” (QE3) – has been a key driver of equities rallies in the past several months. ■ Krista Angela M.

Montealegre / InterAksyon.com / September 10, 2013 / Updated 3:46 PM

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

BUSINESS AND FINANCE

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COCKTALES: Court upholds San Miguel, stops Lucio Tan’s Tanduay from using ‘Ginebra’ brand

THE Court of Appeals has ordered Tanduay Distillers to stop production and to remove from the market all its gin products bearing the name and mark “Ginebra,” saying that the Spanish word for gin has not only been patented but historically had been associated with San Miguel’s “Ginebra San Miguel.”

In a decision released this week, the appellate court also ordered the Lucio Tan distillery to account for the gross sales of its trademark-infringing “Ginebra Kapitan” and pay San Miguel, its partner in Philippine Airlines, 50 percent of the total gross sales, in addition to P2 million in damages and P500,000 in attorney’s fees.

While the label and bottle designs of the two gin products may have stark differences, “it is very likely that the consuming public would be misled into thinking that Ginebra Kapitan is also a gin product of Ginebra San Miguel Inc. since it is the latter which is known to carry the said mark or tradename,” said Associate Justice Isaias Dicdican.

Associate Justices Nina AntonioValenzuela and Victoria Isabel Paredes concurred, and remanded the case to the Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court to determine the actual and compensatory damages.

Reached for comment, Tanduay Holdings president Michael Tan said the company would appeal the decision.

“Ginebra is a generic term,” Tan maintained.

Ginebra San Miguel has been in the market since 1945. Ginebra Kapitan, on the other hand, was launched in mid-2003.

Nieces sue forgetful aunt Helena Benitez

Childless educator-legislator Helena Benitez has been sued by her own nieces over the ownership and control of the ancestral Benitez home in Quezon City.

The 99-year-old matriarch was named respondent by Rosary Liboro Benitez, representing the Benitez Tirona Mira Nila Foundation, over the titles to the two hectareplus Mira Nila compound along Mariposa St. near Camp Crame.

The legal challenge came after the former senator had successfully petitioned Quezon City Regional Trial Court Judge Eleuterio Bathan to order the Register of Deeds to issue duplicate titles of the three lots comprising the Mira Nila compound on the ground that the certificates had been lost.

But Rosary Liboro Benitez, who belatedly got wind of the Quezon City court decision, questioned the same before the Court of Appeals, saying that the property, built in 1929 by the parents of the elder Benitez, had already been donated by the former senator to the clan’s Benitez Tirona Mira Nila Foundation.

The elder Benitez also happens to be the president of the foundation, whose board of trustees include her nieces Amelou BenitezReyes, Maritza Benitez-Canto and Ramona Benitez McClelland.

Ironically, the nieces managed to have

their aunt, who lives alone in the Italianinspired house with 15 staff, to sign the Court of Appeals petition against her own self as respondent.

“Despite Helena’s seeming conformity to the filing of the petition, this court issued a resolution dated January 21, 2013 directing her to file an answer, but she was not minded to do so,” the Court of Appeals said last month, nullifying the lower court’s order.

According to court records, the Court of Appeals’ summons and the petition naming the Benitez matriarch as respondent was received by her secretary, Ladelina Penida. It was not clear if Penida informed her principal about the litigation.

Rosary Benitez on the other hand declined to comment about the case.

According to the grapevine, the Mira Nila Foundation had managed to wrest control of the Benitez home from the administration of nephews Jose Conrado and Conrado, despite Jose Conrado - popularly known as Jolly Benitez, the deputy human settlements minister during the Marcos years - being the aunt’s alleged nino bonito.

The two gentlemen, as if competing with the ladies, revived the Helena Z. Benitez Heritage Foundation in 2010, the same year that Mira Nila was formed. According to SEC records, the nephews also managed to secure the foundation’s seed money from their landed aunt.

In between, the Benitez Tirona Mira Nila Foundation had managed to have the Benitez property declared by the government as a heritage house, preparatory to turning it into a museum and library. The Tirona name in the

foundation refers to Francisca Tirona Benitez, the mother of the senator who co-founded the Philippine Women’s University.

According to the grapevine, the historic house was already facing bank foreclosure when saved by the nieces. The PWU was also rescued from the banks’ deathly embrace by the timely infusion of cash and capital from a third-party investor, computer school STI owner Eusebio Tanco, who came on board along with Jolly’s son, the bingo entrepreneurturned-congressman Alfredo “Albee” Benitez.

Registrar falls in Ortigas condo battle The recently retired registrar of Pasig, Policarpio Espenesin, has been penalized with forfeiture of retirement benefits by the Supreme Court for having facilitated the snopaking of 38 condominium titles of Malayan Plaza in Ortigas in favor of landlord Malayan Insurance Co. A Malayan lawyer, Francis Serrano, was also ordered to stand trial before the Sandiganbayan along with Espenesin for having allegedly induced the latter to make the alterations despite the titles having already been registered in the name of ASB, Malayan’s joint venture partner and contractor.

The Malayan action came ahead of the conclusion of the arbitration proceedings which will determine how many of the contested units would be awarded to either of the two partners. Malayan and ASB have been feuding over construction costs, after the Asian currency crisis forced Malayan to assume the completion of the condo project with ASB Group having fallen into financial difficulties.

Espenesin had earlier been cleared by the

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Ombudsman, but the Second Division of the Supreme Court, in overruling the anti-graft prosecutor, said Espenesin’s mistake could not be dismissed as a “simple error” as the registrar had claimed.

“We are baffled by the Registrar of Deed’s failure to require documentation as his basis for his correction,” said Justice Jose Perez, on the defense of Espenesin that the CCTs had not yet been released to ASB prior to the snopaking.

“The change in the titleholder in the CCTs from ASB to MICO was an official documentation of a change of ownership,” especially with the titles already entered in the Registration Book of the Register of Deeds, Perez said in a decision released last month.

“Reliance on the mere word of even the point person for the transaction smacks of gross negligence” since any erasure, alteration or amendment on land and condo titles needs a court order, he added.

The high tribunal also sustained the dismissal of the criminal complaint against Malayan Insurance president Yvonne Yuchengco and former treasurer Gema Cheng for lack of evidence.

Heard through the grapevine The clubhouse of Alphaland Marina Club is being relocated inland instead of the original plan to build the structure above the water after piling work by the Manila Bay proved too much of a challenge even for the driven Alphaland boss Roberto Ongpin.

The Marina Club, for those unfamiliar with the area, is right across the street from the Solaire casino-hotel. ■ Victor C. Agustin /

September 10, 2013 / 3:48 PM

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NEWS

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Drilon starts ‘oral argument’ on pork TRO in Judiciary budget hearing MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Franklin Drilon virtually started the oral arguments on the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court against releasing the balance of the 2013 pork barrel, as he asked magistrates to clarify the fate of previously used funds and the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in the 2014 budget.

At a hearing on the budget proposed by the Judiciary for 2014, Drilon asked Associate Justice Marvic Leonen and Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta on whether the funds released to the implementing agencies were covered by the TRO. The high tribunal, acting on a petition filed by the Social Justice Society, issued the TRO on an initial finding that PDAF is unconstitutional.

“I am asking for a clarification, this is a budget hearing, I have the right to ask for clarification,” Drilon told the two associate justices.

But instead of answering Drilon’s quert, Leonen said he and Associate Justice Peralta cannot speak on the merits of the case since the Supreme Court decides as a court, not as individual justices.

“We accept that you have the right,

your honor, to ask [for a] clarification but I hope you understand that we move as a court,” Leonen retorted.

Drilon wanted to know if the funds that were downloaded to implementing agencies such as the National Kidney and Transplant Institute are covered by the TRO. “The funds in the NKTI are in the hands of the director of NKTI, they are the representatives of DBM, and are they are restrained?” Drilon asked.

Again, instead of answering Drilon, Justice Leonen advised the Senate to file a motion for clarification before the en banc.

“If there are any questions [on] why it’s difficult, it’s best that there be a motion filed in the Court so that the 14 Supreme Court justices can deliberate,” Leonen told Drilon.

Chiz to the rescue According to Senator Francis Escudero, Drilon is not questioning the merits of the case but only asking for a clarification on whether the previously released funds to the implementing agencies are covered by the TRO. “Hindi kinuwestiyon. Ang tanong ni Senate President Drilon ay ang practical application ng decision,” Escudero explained after the hearing.

Senate President Franklin Drilon questions SC Justice Diosdado Peralta (back to camera) at Wednesday’s hearing at the Senate, where Drilon asked for a clarification on the SC’s TRO on releasing the balance of the PDAF for 2013. At left is Sen. Cynthia Villar. Jamin Verde, InterAksyon.com

Escudero repeated Drilon’s concern that funds previously downloaded to the implementing agency, in particular the National Kidney and Transplant Institute, might be covered by the TRO issued by the SC. “For example, can the funds downloaded and now held by the implementing agency be released or spent already?” Escudero asked.

He said Drilon wanted clarification from the Judiciary on whether the pork barrel allotted in the 2014 national budget can be realigned if the Court has not yet decided on the constitutionality of PDAF by the time the General Appropriations (GAA) is enacted before year end.

“Can the PDAF in the proposed 2014 proposed budget, be realigned or touched? How about the PDAF that was

spent in past years--what happens if the court says PDAF is unconstitutional?”

Escudero asked, speaking in Filipino.

“Will all those be disallowed, and if so, should implementing agencies be told to return the funds? These are practical questions arising from a possible ruling of the SC. Senator Drilon did not tackle the merits of the case,” he added.

Insistent Drilon Drilon insisted that the Court must decide on the issue before December 31, 2013, because not doing so is tantamount to having the Judiciary impounding an item in the budget, the PDAF. “We assure the Senate and the public that we are aware of the importance of this case, and also we are fully aware on conceptual issues,” Leonen said.

With this, Escudero admitted that they cannot compel neither Leonen nor Peralta to make a categorical statement on the issue.

“Justice Leonen is right and I understand him. The court can only speak because Justice Leonen cannot bind the court by whatever he says.

We [Congress] might hold on to it” and there will be an problematic situation if the Court eventually decides otherwise, Escudero said. ■ Ernie Reyes / InterAksyon.com / September 11, 2013 / 8:24 PM

A FILM BY SEAN ELLIS

★★★★

★★★★

“SEARINGLY REALISTIC”

“INTELLIGENTLY SCRIPTED AND WHOLLY UNPREDICTABLE”

THE GUARDIAN

★★★★

“A HEART-BREAKING HEIST FLICK”

DAMON WISE, EMPIRE

MATT GLASBY, TOTAL FILM

IN CINEMAS SEPTEMBER 20 MetroManilaFilm

MetroManilaFilm

www.independentfilmcompany.com

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www.hello-philippines.com

Metro Manila

SYNOPSIS. Seeking a better life, Oscar Ramirez and his family decide to move from the poverty stricken rice fields of the Northern Philippine mountain ranges, and journey towards the capital mega city of Metro Manila. Upon arrival in Manila, Oscar and his family fall foul to various city inhabitants whose manipulative ways are a daily part of their survival.

Oscar manages to land a job as a driver for an armored truck company and is befriended by Ong, his senior officer.

Before long, it becomes apparent that Ong, has been planning the arrival of someone just like Oscar for sometime.

From paper to screen: The making of Metro Manila. The Story… How Everything Started Everything started with a fight: two employees of an armoured truck company, in full combat mode – that is to say M16 guns, bulletproof jackets and Kevlar helmets, screaming at each other in front of their armoured truck. It ended with one of them kicking the truck before they both got in and drove off. All this was enough to stimulate the imagination of writer/director Sean Ellis.

He was at the time visiting a friend in Manila, and witnessed this quite surprising event, which remained with him when he travelled back to the UK: “I kept on wondering what they were arguing about. And if an idea keeps coming back … it’s a story that’s important enough to pursue.”

The idea percolated for 18 months until Ellis wrote a 20-page synopsis with a clear beginning, middle and end, all based around that scene witnessed by the truck. Ellis flew to L.A. to meet old friend Frank E. Flowers.

The pair worked non-stop for two weeks on a script that fleshed out the synopsis and would be the basis of the film. It wasn’t complete, but along with faith and passion it was enough for Sean to travel to the Philippines to see if it was possible to put the project together.

Financing and Pre-Production.

Although the synopsis of the film generated much interest, it was Sean’s quest for authenticity and to shoot in the local Tagalog language that made the project a hard sell to financiers.

“I just couldn’t imagine going to the Philippines and making a film there where the actors spoke English. Great films always transcend their subtitles. I had to at least aim in the same direction otherwise risk the film’s authenticity.”

Ellis, together with the films other producer, Mathilde Charpentier set about budgeting the cost of the film with a stripped down documentary approach and a cast and crew completely made up of Filipino nationals.

The no thrills guerilla approach to making the film enabled the producers to raise just enough money for the 35 day shoot that Charpentier had scheduled for principle photography.

Ellis researched the Philippines extensively during pre-production and adjusted the script accordingly.

“In the original script the family leaves the rice fields and travels to Manila on a train.” Ellis explains. “Researching this I found that no train exists to the Northern province’s. We had to be accurate or I would feel a fraud if the Filipino audience noticed continuity problems.”

There was also the true story of Reginald Chua who hijacked Philippine Airlines flight 812. Reginald worked for his father, who owed a silk factory. A local rival killed Reginald’s father and the workers of the factory were also threatened. Reginald had no choice but to close the factory. With mounting debts, Reginald boarded flight 812 and hijacked it at gunpoint. After stealing all the passengers’ money he jumped from the plane with a hand made parachute made from the silk of his father’s factory.

“The story of Reginald Chua was so heart breaking that I couldn’t help but use it to draw parallels with the plight that the lead character of Oscar finds himself in. It serves more than just back story of a lesson in life, it weaves truth and fiction into an emotional climax for the films final reveal.”

The Production. Filming Metro Manila started in December 14th 2010 and wrapped January 31st 2011. It was entirely shot in Tagalog. Although difficult to begin with, the language barrier never became a real problem.

Right from the beginning of filming, Sean was fortunate enough to meet an incredible film team. Each and everyone of the cast and crew were devoted to give their best, no matter the long shooting days, how the humid weather or how stressful a tiny budget film can sometime be.

Even though Filipino people almost all speak English, Tagalog remains the language they use in their everyday life.

Directing in a foreign language could be a traumatic experience, but the British director actually took advantage of this situation.

“The process [of working in Filipino] became all about the rhythm of dialogue, not words. I became acutely aware of subtext … what people don’t say is far more interesting than what they do say.”

Ellis and his actors would talk at great lengths about the script’s dialogue, its meaning and its intention. The script was English and the actors would then make their own translation of the dialogue into Tagalog.

“That way, each actor gives a voice to his or hers own character. If the whole script was translated into Tagalog by one person then that becomes the voice for the film and I didn’t want that.” Says Ellis.

Shooting in the Philippines was a grueling yet extraordinary experience for a Westerner director. From the extreme poverty found in the slums to the enigmatic beauty of Banaue’s rice fields, the cast and crew found nothing but smiling faces and welcoming people eager to help with the filming. The Philippines really became part of the cast.

Metro Manila has gained a reputation

MOVIE SHOWCASE

for being a very violent city. What one can witness on arrival in the metropolis is machine gun guards in every shop.

Not only banks or jewely shops but also in Starbucks. Even the traffic wardens carry shotguns. Careful planning and the safety of the cast and crew was always paramount to the producers. A badly hurt kitten was rescued from the slums and nursed back to health – and even enjoyed a staring roll in the film! Lucky finally went on to live with Jake Macapagal, the films lead actor.

WRITER / DIRECTOR / PRODUCER: Sean Ellis. Oscar-nominated® director Sean Ellis started taking pictures when he was 11. Trained as a still life photographer, Sean moved to London from Brighton in 1994. Applying his knowledge of the still life and using it to light fashion models, Sean became one of the new generation of fashion photographers who were most sought-after in the late nineties.

Sean has written and directed three short films. Left Turn (2001), a dark psychological horror film. Cashback (2004), a visually rich black comedy which won the top award at over fifteen international film festivals, including the prestigious Chicago and Tribeca Film Festivals and was also nominated for a 2006 Academy Award®. His most recent short Voyage D’affaires (2008), was shown at the Hamptons Film Festival, the Chicago Film Festival and was nominated for a 2008 British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) award and won best film at the 2010 Fuji Short Film competition.

His first feature film was born from the

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

short film of the same name, Cashback (2006), which includes the original short film within its running time.

Sean’s second feature film, the psychological thriller, The Brøken (2008), stars Lena Headey (300, The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Oscar nominated actor Richard Jenkins (The Visitor, Burn After Reading) and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008.

CO-PRODUCER: Mathilde Charpentier. Mathilde met director Ellis in 2007 and helped turn his short English script “The Business Trip” into the French language short film “Voyage D’affaires” staring Guillaume Canet and Melanie Laurent. Metro Manila (2012) reteamed Ellis and Charpentier and is Mathilde’s first feature film as producer.

‘Filming Metro Manila was a compelling and tremendous experience.

I still remember leaving Heathrow airport on a cold and rainy day, to land on a boiling hot Filipino afternoon, jet lagged, thinking ‘Are we really going to make this?’. We gave ourselves 3 weeks to find a production team, a Filipino cast and all our locations and props. Never in a million years we could have made it this fast in the UK with such a small budget but the Filipino people love to help, don’t mind the challenge, and even though they don’t forget the business part, they offer what they have with an open heart.

We started shooting in the slums, which was one of the toughest moment of filming, Sean operating, directing, sounding and still finding some energy to laugh and make jokes.

A group of young girls seemed

very exited to see us filming in their environment and although possessing not much, they managed to give Sean some paper flowers and paper stars, and offered me a ring and wrote me a lovely note asking to… Befriend them on Facebook! The funniest thing being that I don’t even have a Facebook account myself.

The Actors, the crew, and the Filipino people in general were so helpful and generous, I feel we owe them this film completely.”

CO-WRITER: Frank E. Flowers.

(Writer/Director) is a native of the Cayman Islands who left to study film at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. His short film SWALLOW about teenage drug mules was an official Sundance selection and won numerous awards on the festival circuit before being licensed by HBO in 2004.

Frank E later wrote and directed the independent film HAVEN, a thriller which featured the ensemble cast of Orlando Bloom, Zoe Saldana, Bill Paxton and Stephen Dillane. Since that time he has developed several projects with major studios including a remake of TAPS for 20th Century Fox and subsequently served as showrunner and episodic director for the Fox Digital Series “THE ROPES” alongside Executive Producer Vin Diesel. He has also directed numerous commercials and videos for musical artists including Damian “Jr Gong” Marley, Heavy D and British rapper Ironik.

Currently Flowers is working on a feature film to shoot in the spring with producers Holly Wiersma and Cassian

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition Jake Macapagal

Elwes. He is repped by UTA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Metro Manila is his first collaboration with Sean Ellis.

THE CAST. “Everyone was superprepared and it’s evident in the performances. I’m most proud of the performances. There wasn’t a day on the set that wasn’t fulfilling,” Sean Ellis.

Jake Macapagal. Jake was the first actor to be cast for the film. He remembers how everything started: “Celine Lopez rang me one morning and asked to meet her for breakfast and a certain Brit director. I felt during our encounter that they needed help in terms of being connected to the ‘indie’ industry. So I rang up several actors I know and asked them to meet and greet the director the very same day.

“I assumed I will be helping on the production side, which I didn’t mind. I asked him for the character breakdown

of Oscar and thought “ I know the type he is looking for...”. Not me. I read for him and read for several possible actors [during the casting] and was offered the lead several days after. I received a call from Sean and he told me that he knew I was Oscar the moment we sat down for breakfast, the very first day we met.

He asked me “Are you ready to take this journey with me?”. I looked into his iridescent eyes and knew I cannot lose this adventure with Oscar and I plunged into the unknown. The script was brilliant and I had vivid dreams of the execution.

From then on it was though everything else was supposed to happen. And then we exhale.

Oscar’s plight is not far from every Filipino. All I have to do is open my eyes to reality and I am in his world. I don’t have to look far to smell, taste and live it.”

John Arcilla. For the role of the antagonist, finding the perfect actor

MOVIE SHOWCASE took more time. Sean was looking for something hard to put in words, and could find some of it in some actors, but was never really blown away. The British director remembers: “When John auditioned (for the role of the villain) … he was on fire. I realized he would bring to the table something I hadn’t thought of: Complexity. He’d be a bad guy you couldn’t help but love. You almost want him to succeed with the plan he has – And John brought this with him.”

John Arcilla described Ellis’ work style as collaborative: “Sean is cool. It’s like working with a teammate. I really felt that I was part of the creative process.

No pressure at all. It was as if we were discovering new things along the way. He was a perfectionist, too, which worked well with me. He would not stop until he got the right image and angles.”

THE MUSIC: Robin Foster. Foster and Ellis have worked together on many projects. When Sean asked him to score Metro Manila, Foster, who had never composed a full length score at the time, jumped on the occasion to deliver the most amazing work.

“I am naturally inspired by films in all my work, I would say it’s always been my muse, since day one. Metro Manila is no exception, I just let the images direct me, it’s a very urban film which really suits my style so it was a great to work to.”

The first time the British composer saw the movie, he came up to the editing

www.hello-philippines.com suite where Ellis worked, sat there for more than two hours and although the movie was a very rough cut, he was nothing but enthusiastic about it.

“Sean’s approach to lighting a scene is something that really speaks to me and is very inspiring. We’ve arrived at a point now where it’s very easy for us to be on the same wavelength, there’s a mutual respect for each other’s work and that always seems to come through on the screen.”

He started working on Metro Manila’s soundtrack immediately. It took him four months. Foster composed and produced the music, which was another challenge.

“The main theme to the film came from a song I was working on at the time, I often send Sean new tracks before anybody else and he was really taken with it. The track, “Life & Death” seemed John Arcilla with Jake

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to fit the film’s mood instantly so we took it from there and the track became the main theme. Metro Manila is a very urban film, but the main characters aren’t. There was a need to convey this through the music, bringing something more organic into it. The first scene is in many the ways the most important as it takes us from the country to the city and I had to score this in one piece. I tried various acoustic instruments for the rural theme and to my surprise found myself using a ukelele and a music box to start that scene, before descending into urban synths and guitars.

I knew the soundtrack had to be something special. On a more personal level in those 4 months both Sean and I became fathers, it was a very emotional period and this has definitely found its way into the film’s score.” ■

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September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Saudi officials: No leniency for illegal workers after Nov. 3 SAUDI officials on Wednesday reminded illegal workers, including Filipinos, that there will be no more leniency for them once the grace period for them to correct their status lapses on November 3.

The Saudi labor and interior ministries issued the reminder to illegal expatriate workers with the deadline less than two months away.

“Punishment will be imposed on violators, including expats and their employers, in accordance with the law. We will not show any leniency for violators,” the two ministries said as reported on Saudi news site Arab News.

A Reuters report said expatriates account for around a third of the population in Saudi, the world’s top oil exporter, and for decades the authorities have turned

a blind eye to visa irregularities to give Saudi companies a ready stream of cheap imported labor.

Countries with large numbers of undocumented workers include the Philippines, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Egypt, Nepal and Yemen, the Arab News said.

Last July, Saudi King Abdullah extended the grace period for illegal workers to correct their status, following calls from foreign embassies and employers.

The extension also stemmed from proposals by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Labor and Interior.

However, the Arab News report said the decree that announced the extension also warned of a crackdown on illegal workers once the amnesty ends.

Parent’s naturalization dooms child’s CSPA eligibility THE Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) has ruled that a parent who naturalized after his or her child’s 21st birthday destroyed that child’s eligibility for benefits under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA). Therefore, if you believe that your child may be eligible for benefits under the CSPA, you should seek the advice of an attorney before taking the oath of citizenship.

By way of background, the CSPA allows certain children who “aged-out” (turned 21) to nevertheless be considered a “child” based on a mathematical formula. Once the child’s “mathematical age” is determined to be under 21, the age is “locked in” under Section 3 of the CSPA (as long as the child also “sought to acquire” a visa within one year).

In that BIA case, an immigrant mother filed a petition for her minor child in the F-2A category. It took about 900 days for the USCIS to process and approve the petition.

By the time the child’s priority date became current in the F-2A preference category, the child was already 23 years old. However, by subtracting the 900-day processing time, from the child’s actual age, the child’s “CSPA age” would have been deemed to be 20 years old. So, under the CSPA mathematical formula, the child was qualified for benefits under the CSPA. However, after the child’s actual 21st birthday, and before the visa became available in the F-2A category, the parent naturalized. Because the parent naturalized after the child’s 21st birthday, the USCIS concluded that the child was no longer eligible for benefits under the CSPA and denied adjustment of status. The child was placed in removal proceedings, the immigration judge ordered removal, and the case was appealed to the BIA, which upheld the child’s removal.

The child tried to argue that he was being penalized just because his parent had mistakenly naturalized. Had the parent remained an immigrant, all would have been well and good. The family also argued that because the child’s age was already calculated to be under 21 (based on the CSPA mathematical formula), the parent effectively naturalized before the child’s 21st birthday under the CSPA.

The BIA rejected all of these arguments.

It stated that a child’s biological age on the date of his or her parent’s naturalization controls, not the child’s “adjusted age” based on the CSPA mathematical computation. Therefore, if this immigrant parent had filed a petition while the child was under 21, and also naturalized before the child’s actual/biological 21st birthday, then naturalization would help. However, this parent naturalized AFTER the child’s actual/biological 21st birthday. Therefore, the child was not eligible for benefits under the CSPA. (This ruling would also apply to children who could have been eligible under the CSPA as derivative beneficiaries of their parent’s employment or family based petitions, as well as F-2A petitions.

The parent’s naturalization could destroy their CSPA eligibility.)

Many people have the attitude that they will “act first and ask later.” They will file petitions or applications, take the oath of citizenship, or take other actions with respect to their family’s immigration situation, and then go to an attorney to ask if what they did was helpful. However, sometimes the damage is already done, and cannot be undone. How do you think this mother now feels, knowing that her naturalizing destroyed her child’s eligibility for a green card under the CSPA? Had she not naturalized, the child would have been eligible, but she went ahead and naturalized, messing up the child’s case and future. That’s why I advise to seek the advice of an attorney first, and then act.

■

Michael J. Gurfinkel / Filipino Reporter / ESQ.

September 11, 2013 / 1:24 PM

Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 30 years, and is an active member of the State Bar of California and New York, as well as the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Immigration Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has always excelled in school: Valedictorian in High School; Cum Laude at UCLA; and Law Degree Honors and academic scholar at Loyola Law School, which is one of the top law schools in California.

WEBSITE: www.gurfinkel.com Follow us on Facebook.com/GurfinkelLaw and Twitter.

“Hundreds of thousands of undocumented expatriate workers, including overstaying pilgrims and runaway workers who escaped from their employers, have rectified their status since the government announced the threemonth grace period,” the report said.

The crackdown against illegal workers, which led to thousands of arrests and deportations, started on March 28 because of the “Saudization” policy, which encourages the employment of Saudi nationals in private firms.

Saudi is host to the biggest population of overseas Filipino workers —about 1.5 million—many of whom are nurses, engineers, architects, and domestic workers. ■ KBK, GMA News / September 11, 2013 / 2:26 PM

Fil-Am gets $64,000 in matching funds EDWARD “Ed” Santos, who is hoping to become the first Filipino-American elected to the New York City Council, was the only one among five challengers to the powerful incumbent who received matching campaign funds from the city Campaign Finance Board.

Santos, 28, a former school teacher who is hoping to represent East Harlem, received $64,438, while the two-term incumbent he’s challenging, Councilwoman Melissa MarkViverito, collected $87,780.

No other candidate in the six-way council race landed the extra money, according to the New York Daily News.

“The Matching funds program is a great opportunity for people like myself who want to run for office,” Santos said.

“I am not independently wealthy.”

Taxpayers pay city candidates $6 for every dollar they raise.

The cap is set at $175 per donation, which turns into $1,225 when the matching funds are added into the equation.

Mark-Viverito has a deep campaign chest who is facing only unknown opposition,

yet she scored a huge taxpayer-funded bonanza, the Daily News said.

The Campaign Finance Board aims to “prevent payments to candidates facing minimal opposition,” said Campaign Finance Board spokesman Matt Sollars.

Mark-Viverito managed to persuade the board that her challengers are formidable.

She defended her payout, arguing she needs all the help she can get in order to stay in office.

Santos called the Mark-Viverito payout “unfortunate.”

“Though we agree that Melissa is the candidate most likely to win this race... the suggestion that she should take her opponents lightly and not fully compete in the city’s campaign finance system is disrespectful to our opponents,” stated a Mark-Viverito campaign spokesman.

Still, she is the clear front runner in her district, which includes East Harlem along with pockets of the South Bronx and the Upper East Side.

Mark-Viverito has raised more than $123,000 in private donations, records

showed, nearly quadruple the amount in her rivals’ accounts.

Santos, son of a Filipina immigrant nanny who successfully fought deportation in the late 1980s by seeking the help of top political leaders, is running in the Democratic primary on Sept. 10.

He has worked tirelessly on issues like education, economic development and senior care.

If he wins, he will be the party’s candidate this November to represent the redrawn District 8 (El Barrio/East Harlem, Manhattan Valley and Mott Haven) in the City Council.

The Fil-Am community’s attention has shifted to Santos after the recent full-term election of Rolando Lavarro, Jr. to the City Council of Jersey City last year.

Lavarro, only 43, was unanimously elected president by his fellow City Council members.

For more information about Santos’ professional and educational background and achievements, visit www. edsantos2013.com. ■ Filipino Reporter /

September 10, 2013 / 7:36 PM

Over 2,000 Pinoys in jail in Malaysia over immigration offenses OVER 2,000 Filipinos are languishing in jails in Malaysia as the Southeast Asian country continues its “biggest ever” crackdown on undocumented migrant workers.

Citing figures from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Sen. Ralph Recto said that most of the 3,732 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)—or a total of 2,236— reported to be in jail in 53 countries are imprisoned in Malaysia for immigration offenses.

On September 1, the Malaysian government launched its largest crackdown on an estimated half a million illegal foreign workers due to security concerns fueled by crime waves occuring in several regions in the country.

The DFA said last Thursday that nine undocumented OFWs were arrested in Labuan Federal Territory and Bintulu, Saarawak following a routine sweep by Malaysian authorities.

The DFA has advised Filipinos working in Malaysia to secure proper documentation and carry their papers around in light of

the frequent immigration checks Malaysian authorities are conducting to weed out illegal foreign workers.

“The dispersal of Filipinos worldwide has also resulted in the incarceration of [many of] them. Some of those who have joined the great Filipino Diaspora never found their own Promised Land,” Recto said.

Following Malaysia, China has the second largest number of OFWs in jail with 345, including those in Hong Kong and Macau.

Of the 108 OFWs currently on death row in six countries, 69 are in Chinese jails awaiting either execution or clemency, Recto said.

DFA officials, however, said in a committee hearing at the House of Representatives last week that only 80 Filipinos are in death row in seven countries, with 28 of them in China.

The statistics on OFWs currently in jail are compiled into a 732-page “Status of OFWs Report,” which the Department of Foreign Affairs submitted to the Senate last June.

In light of the surge in the number

of OFWs in jail, Recto has proposed the augmentation of the “Assistance-toNational Fund,” or the funds used by the DFA to respond to urgent requests for assistance made by individual or several OFWs abroad.

The fund was increased to P300 million from P150 million in the proposed 2014 budget of the DFA, Based on the data submitted by several Philippine consulates worldwide, one-third or 2,236 Filipinos are facing immigration- or work-related disputes. A total of 646 cases, meanwhile, are related to the possession or trafficking of illegal drugs.

Based on DFA records, the number of Filipinos detained around the world for drug-related offenseshas reached 696 as of August 2013, with 212 Filipino drug couriers imprisoned in China.

At least 510 Filipinos also remain in jail in Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar due to their involvement in “morality cases” such as drinking alcohol and “witchcraft charges,” Recto said. ■ Xianne Arcangel / KBK, GMA News / September 10, 2013 / 4:43 PM

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15 Pinoy sailors rescued by Pinay accuses Nigerian forces from pirates UAE hospital of FIFTEEN Filipino sailors of a Greekowned tanker were rescued by Nigerian naval forces a day after their ship was hijacked by pirates last month, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday.

The local manning agency of the Filipino crew reported to the DFA that the vessel MT Norte was seized by armed men on the evening of Aug. 16. Nigerian forces launched the rescue operation on Aug. 17.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said the Filipinos were all “unharmed and safe” and were brought to the Nigerian Naval Base in Warri state

for debriefing after the successful rescue operation.

They returned to their vessel on Thursday and are currently en route to the Nigerian city of Lagos, Hernandez said.

“We have instructed our embassy to visit the seafarers once they arrive Lagos and extend the necessary assistance to them,” Hernandez said.

The last piracy incident in Nigeria involving Filipino seamen was on Feb. 4, 2013 when pirates attacked MT Pyxis Delta, a Marshall Islands-flagged chemical tanker. The pirates were unsuccessful in their attempt to seize the

A female Filipino worker died in Syria over the weekend, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday, but her death was not related to the ongoing violence there.

“She collapsed while she was working and immediately brought to a local hospital but was declared dead on arrival,” Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez told a press briefing.

Local police and the coroner’s office said the Filipina, 29, whose identity was not disclosed by the DFA, died on Sept.

7 of “natural causes and there were no signs of foul play,” Hernandez said.

“We will be informing the deceased

overseas Filipino’s family members in the Philippines in due course,” Hernandez said.

Syria is in the midst of an extremely violent civil war where clashes between government forces and rebels have already claimed thousands of lives.

US President Barack Obama has called for punitive action against the regime of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad due to the chemical weapons attack that killed scores of civilians last month.

The Philippine government is scrambling to get more Filipinos out of Syria amid planned US strikes.

Since Manila mounted its mandatory

vessel because of armed personnel on board.

In nearby Somalia, where ransom kidnapping of foreign crew is prevalent, five Filipino seafarers are being held by Somali pirates.

The Philippines is one of the world’s largest providers of shipping manpower in the world.

A bulk of Filipino seamen or more than 20 percent of the world’s 1.2 million sailors are manning oil tankers, luxury liners, and passenger vessels worldwide, exposing them to piracy attacks. ■ Michaela del Callar / RSJ, GMA News / September 6, 2013 / 3:40 PM

© 2013 WESTERN UNION HOLDINGS, INC. All rights reserved.

Pinay dies in Syria — DFA

repatriation plan in 2011, the government was able to bring home more than 4,700 Filipino workers from Syria. At least 3,000 have remained, refusing to join Philippine government-organized evacuation citing lack of economic opportunities back home.

Hernandez said there will be no let-up in Manila’s repatriation operation.

“We are working double time to bring home as many Filipinos as possible,” he said. “We continue to urge our citizens in Syria to immediately contact our embassy in Damascus or our Honorary Consul in Aleppo for repatriation arrangements.”

■Michaela Del Callar / KBK, GMA News/ September

10, 2013 / 3:48 PM

‘medication error’ on unborn child A Filipina registered nurse based in the United Arab Emirates has filed a complaint against a Dubai hospital’s staff for allegedly giving her an overdose of steroids and endangering the life of her unborn child.

Blessilda Dizon said the incident occurred last Aug. 21 when she was rushed to a Sharjah hospital for an emergency Caesarean section.

“The main reason why I am pointing this out is for this to serve as an eyeopener and prevent it from happening again. If this can happen to me, who has a medical background, how much more to other people who don’t have a medical background and just go with the flow and say yes to medical procedures?” Dizon, 34, told Gulf News.

She said her baby was delivered full term and was initially diagnosed without abnormalities, but may have suffered from side effects of the drug injected to her last August 21.

A Dubai Health Authority spokesperson said the agency will investigate the matter once the formal complaint is processed.

“Depending on the severity of the case, a committee is formed comprising of healthcare specialists from the same field. Once the investigation is complete, we can determine the outcome if it

is negligence or not. In the event of negligence and/or malpractice, action is taken according to the severity of the case,” the spokesperson said.

Dizon said that during the operation, she had refused general anesthesia “as I wanted to hear my baby boy’s first cry and see if he’s alive when I deliver.”

She said in her complaint letter that she was given double the dosage of a steroid prescribed by her obstetriciangynaecologist at Al Garhoud Private Hospital on August 21.

The Gulf News report said the steroid was to help prevent pre-term labor and reduce the risk of lung immaturity of the fetus.

At the time, Dizon had developed gestational diabetes during her pregnancy.

But Dizon said that while her doctor ordered two doses of the drug in 12-hour intervals, the nurse injected both doses at once.

This caused a diminished movement of her baby, she said.

On the other hand, the Gulf News report said Dizon’s ob-gyne denied the alleged medication error, adding the dosage and administration of the drug was properly done. ■ LBG, GMA News /

September 7, 2013 2:49 PM

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September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

15 Pinoys with P10M intercepted Chinese VIPs sample Pinoy cuisine off Malaysian waters at PHL food fest in Shanghai

MALAYSIAN authorities on Tuesday took at least 15 Filipinos into custody after intercepting them off the waters of Semporna, Malaysia’s Bernama news agency reported.

The Bernama report said authorities also seized P10 million from the Filipinos, who were held for trespassing off Pulau Denawan in Semporna.

“At about 12:30 a.m., a (Quick Reaction Force) team patrolling the Ops Pasir area received a tip-off about a boat near Pulau Denawan. The QRF team led by QRF Company chief Major Rozaimi Mohamad managed to intercept and stop the boat at 3 a.m.,” said Malaysian Armed Forces Joint Task Force (ATB 2) Headquarters media relations officer Major Mohammed Fahmi Ishak.

“The boat had trespassed into the operational area, resulting in it being detained,” he added.

Bernama said the Filipinos were described as 22 to 49 years old. They were handed over to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

An initial inspection of the boat showed the Filipinos, including the crew, had valid travel documents and P10 million in a bundle.

The report said the money could have been meant to buy foodstuff, including rice, in Tawau.

Following the interception, the boat was towed to the military jetty at the Azumi Camp in Semporna. ■ ELR, GMA News / September 10,

INSTEAD of being treated to dimsum and noodles, Chinese guests at an event sponsored by the Philippine Consul General in China had a taste of signature Filipino dishes like lechon kawali and chicken inasal.

The event was the opening night of the Philippine Food Festival, dubbed as “Flavors of the Philippines,” which was attended by more than 100 dignitaries from the local governments of Shanghai, Anhui, Hubei, and Zhejiang, as well as from consular corps and the business sector.

Aside from Filipino food, traditional

music and folk dance also highlighted the event, which was held at the Hilton Hotel in Shanghai.

The week-long food festival, which will run until September 8, is part of the 20112013 Philippines-China Years of Friendly Exchanges, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in a statement.

In his opening remarks, Consul General Charles Jose said Philippine cuisine’s distinct flavor resulted not just from Filipinos’ ingenuity in the kitchen, but also from centuries of influence from China, Spain and other Southeast Asian countries.

The all-Filipino menu for the night, prepared by veteran Filipino chef Myrna Segismundo, consisted of lumpiang sariwa, kinilaw and ensaladang tinapa for appetizer; sopas molo for soup; ginataang sugpo, chicken inasal, lechon kawali and laing for the main dishes; and turones de manila, halo-halo and budin for dessert.

Members of the Chinese press sampled adobo earlier that day at lunch during the ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the hotel’s Atrium Cafe. ■ Xianne

HOPING to extend assistance to both documented and undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in distress, a lawmaker on Wednesday filed a bill that would allot P1 billion in special funds to the country’s “new heroes.”

“More and more OFWs are in distress.

The latest spate of civil unrest in the Middle East countries is a good example of how urgent the need to have standby funds intended solely for the varying needs of OFWs, especially returnees and repatriated ones,” said Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar.

In his proposed House Bill 2820, Villar said 30 percent of the total fund shall be allotted to support a livelihood training or retraining program for returning OFWs. The program will focus on imparting new skills to OFWs who have opted to remain in the country following their stints abroad.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the

fund shall be utilized for other pressing purposes such as repatriation, medical expenses, hospitalization and purchase of medicine through vouchers, migration fees for overstaying Filipinos, legal assistance including litigation expenses, legal fees ,payment of translation fees, attendance in court hearings, as well as the payment of blood money when necessary.

Part of the fund will also be earmarked for the basic necessities of OFWs who might be detained, Villar said.

Villar noted in particular the importance of setting aside a substantial amount for OFWs who are caught in distress, whether due to their host country’s political situation or due to maltreatment of their employers.

“Our OFWs encounter various problems, from maltreatment and employment-related issues to situation

beyond their control such as wars, natural calamities and other emergencies or disasters. We have to be ready to help them out at all times,” he said.

Last year, based on the 2013 figures of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), 2,283 overseas OFWs and their children were repatriated from strife-torn Syria, Egypt and from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

To date, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said that a total of 4,567 Filipinos have been repatriated from Syria, which is in the midst of a bloody civil war.

“We need to have a really good reintegration program for OFW returnees, through skills-up training, so ease them back as productive members of our society,” Villar said of the returning Filipinos. ■ Patricia Denise Chiu / KBK, GMA

Arcangel / KBK, GMA News / September 6, 2013 8:59 PM

House bill seeks P1B special Over 1,000 Pinoys in Al Khobar assistance fund for OFWs benefit from outreach program 2013 / 11:53 PM

AT least 1,234 Filipinos in Al Khobar benefited from the latest “Embassy on Wheels” outreach program of the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia last Aug. 30 and 31.

It was the 13th consular outreach mission of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh for this year, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

During the mission, the team processed 778 passport applications, 123 passport extensions, 13 “lost passport” services, 45 birth registrations, and 275 notarial and authentication services, the DFA said.

The team also released 1,600 new passports.

Led by Consul General Marshall Louis Alferez, the five-member embassy team was assisted by four passport encoders from the Filipino community in the eastern region.

Alferez thanked the Filipino community, many of whose members volunteered to help the mission.

The consular mission is scheduled to return to Al Khobar from September 13 to 14 at the Al Jazeera International School in Dammam. ■ KBK, GMA News / September 9, 2013

A court in the United Arab Emirates on Friday heard the case against a Filipina accused of attempting to smuggle 519.7 grams of cocaine last May 1.

The Filipina, 51, had been arrested

by Dubai airport police who detected the cocaine in her underwear, the Khaleej Times reported Saturday.

She was charged before the Court of First Instance with smuggling drugs while on transit.

The Khaleej Times report said the Filipina admitted during prosecution investigation

that she possessed the drugs and was about to smuggle it to Pakistan.

During Friday’s court hearing, a female police officer said the Filipina landed in Dubai around 10:30 a.m. on May 1.

“My superior told me to search her for any contraband and I took her to the personal search room,” the officer testified.

The officer said she found a capsule containing cocaine, hidden in the Filipina’s underwear. Police promptly seized the drugs and took the Filipina into custody. ■

/ 7:36 PM

Pinay charged before Dubai court for attempting to smuggle drugs

News / September 11, 2013 / 3:12 PM

US Embassy remembers 16 Pinoys killed in 9/11 attacks THE United States Embassy in Manila on Wednesday remembered at least 16 Filipinos who were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States 12 years ago.

Brian Goldbeck, deputy chief of mission of the US Embassy in Manila, said the embassy held a ceremony to remember those killed in the 2001 attack.

“US Embassy ceremony remembered those from 60 nations (16 Filipinos) murdered on 9/11,”Goldbeck said on his Twitter account.

Goldbeck said the ceremony also commemodated four four Benghazi colleagues who were killed last year.

On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists linked to

the al Qaeda network hijacked planes and used them as projectiles to strike major US targets.

Among the targets were the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

Over 3,000 lives were lost in the attacks. ■ KBK, GMA News / September 11, 2013 1:53 PM

in predawn Manila fire — report UAE minister lauds 1ATdead Initial investigation showed the four least one person died in a predawn Bonifacio Carta said the fatality, initially fire that hit a commercial-residential identified as Andrew Tang, was found in tried to climb to the fourth floor to escape OFWs, contributions For his part, Del Rosario emphasized the

THE United Arab Emirates’ foreign minister this week lauded overseas Filipino workers based there, during his meeting with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario.

UAE foreign minister Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan also stressed the need for more exchanged visits among Philippine and UAE investors, Gulf News reported Wednesday.

“Shaikh Abdullah emphasized the efficient role played by the Filipino workforce in the UAE, and their contributions to various development projects. He also stressed the importance of exchanged visits between investors and businessmen from both countries in order to open new avenues of cooperation,” the report said.

DVM, GMA News / September 7, 2013 / 5:26 AM

Philippines’ keenness to bolster ties with the UAE. “He also expressed his gratitude for the care and attention given to the Filipino community and workforce in the UAE,” the report said.

During their meeting, both officials discussed bilateral relations and ways to bolster them for the benefit of both peoples, the report said.

Both officials signed a memorandum of understanding on political consultations between the UAE and Philippines.

They also discussed “regional and international issues of mutual concern,” it added. ■ LBG, GMA News / September 11, 2013 / 8:04 AM

building in Manila’s Sta.Cruz district on Friday morning.

The fire started about 3 a.m. at 2512 Leonor Rivera Street in Sta. Cruz near the Chinese General Hospital, radio dzBB’s Manny Vargas reported.

Manila Fire District Chief Inspector

the second floor of the building.

Carta said it was possible he was trying to get down to the second floor from the fourth to put out the fire.

Tang’s family, including his wife and two sons, were rescued although they suffered from smoke inhalation.

the smoke.

The fire reached the fourth alarm before it was put out at 3:44 a.m.

Arson investigators are verifying information the fire stemmed from an overheating wall fan. ■ DVM, GMA News / September 13, 2013 / 4:54 AM

Corporate demand snaps peso’s rally THE peso weakened against the dollar on Thursday as corporations bought greenbacks to service their mid-month requirements, traders said.

A dollar fetched P43.89 when trading closed, 10 centavos more than the 43.79:$1.

Trade volume increased to $998.25 million from $776.28 million.

“Majority of the movement today was

on mid-month corporate demand,” a trader at a local bank said, describing the amount of dollars firms bought as “substantial to dictate trading.”

Firms usually buy dollars during the midor end-month to settle foreign-denominated transactions, fueling the greenback’s strength.

In a separate interview, a second trader said the peso’s gains earlier in the day were

pared by dollar-buying by firms.

The peso opened at 43.65:$1, a centavo shy of the local currency’s sessions high, as investors continued to focus on good Philippine fundamentals.

Traders see the peso moving within the 43.70 to 44.00 per dollar band on Friday. ■

Siegfrid O. Alegado / BM, GMA News / September 12, 2013 / 6:25 PM

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

INTERNATIONAL / GLOBAL NEWS

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China billionaires pass 300 as richest get richer BEIJING - The number of dollar billionaires in mainland China has passed 300 for the first time, an annual ranking of wealth in the world’s second-largest economy showed Wednesday.

The Hurun Report, a luxury magazine publisher, named property tycoon Wang Jianlin as China’s new richest person, saying he had more than doubled his worth to $22 billion.

There were a total of 315 dollar billionaires in the country, it said, up 64 from a year ago.

The average fortune of the top 1,000 stood at $1.04 billion—more than double their $440 million during the global financial crisis five years ago.

But some were dogged by scandal.

Wang Jianlin, head of conglomerate Wanda Group, pictured December 12, 2012, is named China’s new richest person

Three of last year’s 10 richest people in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, have been detained amid a corruption crackdown in the province.

Two others on the list are in prison, while Xu Ming, who joined this year at No 676 with $490 million, was a key witness against Bo Xilai last month in China’s biggest political corruption trial in decades.

According to court transcripts, Xu said he gave the former senior politician 21 million yuan ($3.4 million) in bribes, including purchasing a villa in the French resort of Cannes for Bo’s wife.

Real estate businesswoman and recent divorcee Wu Yajun fell from No 8 to No 22 and her wealth dropped nearly a quarter to $4.6 billion after she gave her ex-husband $3 billion—propelling him into the Top 50 in his own right.

Hurun called the transaction “the most expensive divorce settlement from a wife to

her husband”.

Inclusion on the Hurun rich list can be a mixed blessing, according to Oliver Rui, professor of finance and accounting at the China Europe International Business School in Beijing.

Market values of companies controlled by those on the rich list drop “significantly” in the three years following their appearance, he said in a research paper.

“Furthermore, due to public pressure, the government tends to scrutinise the rich list entrepreneurs and their affiliated companies more closely.”

Among businesspeople on the list, 16.95 percent were subsequently “charged, investigated or arrested”, compared to 6.84 percent among those who were not

included, he found.

“Investors in China regard entrepreneurs being included on the Rich List as bad news,” he said.

Real estate was the biggest source of ultra-rich fortunes in this year’s list, led by Wang, whose conglomerate Wanda Group recently also acquired the US cinema chain AMC Entertainment and a luxury British yacht builder.

But Lei Jun of mobile phone maker Xiaomi rose the fastest on the 2013 rankings after his worth shot up seven-fold to $2.6 billion.

Wang was also named as China’s richest man by Forbes magazine earlier this week, which estimated his wealth at $14 billion. ■

AFP / September 11, 2013 / 5:13 PM

Japan on high alert for disputed islands anniversary

TOKYO - Japan’s coastguard said it was “on high alert” Wednesday, a year to the day since Tokyo nationalised islands that China says it has owned for centuries.

Often-testy ties have soured dramatically over the last 12 months, with frequent confrontations between official ships from Asia’s two largest powers.

On Tuesday, Tokyo said it had not ruled out stationing officials there, provoking an ominous warning from Beijing that Japan “must be prepared to bear the consequences of this provocation”.

“We are on high alert as today marks the first anniversary of the nationalisation of the Senkaku islands,” coastguard official Yuma Miyako told AFP, referring to the Tokyo-controlled islands claimed by China as the Diaoyus.

Since last September, official Chinese vessels have regularly traversed the waters—China said Tuesday it had carried out 59 such “patrols”—each time being warned off by Japanese ships, and the two nations’ militaries have shadow-boxed in international waters and international skies.

Tokyo says it nationalised the islands as a way to take the sting out of a potentially explosive attempt to buy them by nationalists, who talked of developing

them for tourism.

It was somewhat wrong-footed by the vehemence of Beijing’s response, which saw violent protests erupt across China and diplomatic ties frozen, badly affecting a huge trade relationship on which both countries depend.

A change of government in Tokyo that made hawkish nationalist Shinzo Abe prime minister did little to soothe matters.

Xinhua Tuesday accused him of turning a blind eye to the nation’s “beautifying of atrocious wartime crime”, the latest in a long line of tongue-lashings Chinese state media has delivered.

Eight Chinese ships spent several hours in the islands’ territorial waters on Tuesday and four remained in the contiguous zone on Wednesday, Japanese officials said.

Contiguous waters are maritime areas adjacent to territorial sea where a coastal state has certain limited rights.

“We are preventing Chinese official ships from entering our territorial waters, with our ships sailing very close to the Chinese ships,” coastguard official Miyako said.

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a nation can evict foreign military ships that enter its

territorial waters. However, Miyako said, the rules regarding official ships, such as coastguards, are unclear.

“Therefore we are working in line with the Japanese government’s policy of demanding they stay out of our territory,” he said.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday repeated Tokyo’s mantra that the islands “are an integral part of Japanese territory”, but stressed Japan cherishes ties with China as “one of its most important bilateral relations” and was keeping the “door open” for dialogue.

Analysts say the row is unlikely to fade given China’s rising power and an uncompromising approach from both sides.

“I suspect the dispute won’t ever be resolved as long as they keep their current positions,” said Yoshinobu Yamamoto, professor of international politics at theUniversity of Niigata.

“It is wise and practical for the two countries to put it aside and shift their focus to other areas such as economic and regional issues,” Yamamoto said.

On Tuesday, Suga said the government was “considering it as an option”, when asked if Japan would station officials on

A Japanese Coast Guard vessel pictured on August 13, 2013

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks to reporters at his official residence in Tokyo on September 10, 2013

the islands, but did not elaborate.

Chinese foreign ministryspokesman Hong Lei said Beijing was “gravely concerned” by the remarks.

“China’s resolve to defend the sovereignty of the Diaoyu islands is firm, and we will not tolerate the Japanese side taking action to infringe China’s sovereignty,” he said.

“The Japanese side must be prepared to bear the consequences of this provocation.”

Japan annexed what it says were unclaimed islands in 1895. It says China’s assertion of ownership only came after the discovery of resources in the seabed at the close of the 1960s.

Beijing maintains that the islands have been its territory for hundreds of years and were illegally snatched by Tokyo at the start of an acquisitive romp across Asia that culminated in World War II. Analysts have warned the presence of so many vessels and airplanes increases the likelihood that a slip by one side could lead to a military confrontation, with serious regional, and possibly global, ramifications. ■ Kyoko Hasegawa / AFP / September 11, 2013 / 12:23 PM

Japan searches for 2,500 tsunami dead

Police search for missing tsunami victims near the Fukushima nuclear plant in northern Japan, on September 11, 2013

A man prays for the victims of the 2011 tsunami at a makeshift shrine in northern Japan, on September 11, 2013. ©Jiji Press.

TOKYO - Police and the coastguard in Japan carried out large-scale searches Wednesday for the bodies of more than 2,500 people still missing two-and-ahalf years since the quake-tsunami and nuclear disaster it spawned.

Some 90 searchers combed coastlines and water off the Onahama district of Fukushima prefecture, roughly 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of the crippled Fukushima atomic power plant.

“If you imagine the feelings of the family members of missing individuals, it’s very saddening,” said Hiroshi Kuno, police chief of Iwaki Higashi police station.

“We want to find the missing individuals or their belongings,” he told local media.

Similar searches were being carried out all along a vast stretch of the northeast of Japan.

The vast bulk of the coastline, along with rivers running into the sea, have been searched several times before, but officials say they are trying to ensure no spot has been overlooked.

The prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima were hit directly by the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and killer tsunami on March 11, 2011.

A total of 15,883 people have been confirmed killed by the natural disasters, many in Miyagi, which bore the brunt of the destruction.

The bodies of a further 2,654 people have never been recovered, but all are assumed dead.

Giant waves knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, which went through meltdowns and explosions that

contaminated a vast farming region.

No one died as a direct result of the nuclear crisis. However, the government has added a further 2,688 deaths to the total toll for the triple disaster, counting as victims those who died due to stress or other complications associated with evacuation.

The already improbable search for the missing is becoming more difficult as months go by and officials privately accept that many bodies will never be found.

Nearly 300,000 people who fled their homes due to the tsunami and the nuclear disaster still remain intemporary housing, recent figures show.

Many young people and families have left the region to start new lives. ■ AFP /September 11, 2013 / 11:34 AM

Saturday Lady, Mary Mediatrix of All Grace 3:00pm – 8:00pm 14 Penefrancia Fiesta 2013 and www.hello-philippines.com 14 & 15 September Saturday & Sunday Leicester 1st Basketball League DATE / TIME EVENT 721September Miss & Mr. Philippines UK 2013 September Mrs. Philippines UK 2013 Saturday Saturday 5:30pm – Till Late 6:00pm – 11:00pm 7 September Hataw Sa Tag-Araw 5 – The 28 September Pinoy Night Saturday Annual Worthing Filipino Festival Saturday 8:00am – 6:00pm 6:00pm – 11:00pm 7 September 1st Invitational Volleyball 28 September Mass and Procession on the Feast Saturday Tournament – Mens & Womens Saturday Day of San Lorenzo Ruiz and 8:00am – 6:00pm Division 3:30pm Bishop Philip’s Episcopal 8 September 1st Invitational Volleyball Address to Filipinos in the Diocese Sunday Tournament – Mens & Womens 58:30am October Bayanihan Night – 5:30pm Division Saturday 8 September Fluvial Mass in Honor of the 313th 7:00pm Sunday – 11:00pm Anniversary of the Feast of Our 12:00pm – 4:00pm Lady of Penafrancia 6 October A Day of Pilgrimage and Sunday Celebrating the Feast Day of Our Lady theCelebration Rosary 14 September Feast of Day of Our 6Saturday October Marian Pilgrimage at of theAllShrine Lady, Mary Mediatrix Graceof Our Lady of Mount Carmel Sunday 3:00pm – 8:00pm 14 & 15 September Penefrancia Fiesta 2013 and 19 October 20th Anniversary AnnualLeague Charity Saturday & Sunday Leicester 1st Basketball Dinner & Dance Saturday 6:00pm 21 September Mrs. Philippines UK 2013 Saturday 6:00pm – 11:00pm 26 October Mr. & Ms. Philippines Europe 28 September Pinoy Night Saturday Goodwill Ambassador Saturday 6:00pm 6:00pm – 11:00pm 16 November Miss Pearl of Asia UK 2013 28 September Mass and Procession on the Feast Saturday Saturday Day of SanBantay Lorenzo Ruiz163 and 16 November Plymouth Bata Charity 3:30pm Bishop Philip’s Episcopal Address Saturday Concert to Filipinos in the Diocese 2013 30 November Annual Dance Competition 5Saturday October Bayanihan Night Saturday 7:00pm – 11:00pm

Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, Crusade – West London London W6 8RF (Non-Profit Organisation) Guthlaxton College, Sports Hall, EVENTS DIARY UK & EUROPE Station Road, Wigston, Leicester VENUE ORGANISER LE18 2DS ILEC Conference Centre and Ibis Philippines UK Org Baden-Powell House, 65-67 Queen's Aguman Kapampangan UK Hotel, 47 Lillie Road, Earls Court, Gate, London SW7 5JS London SW6 1UD Homefield Park, Worthing, West Worthing Filipino Marian Community Centre, 1 The Cordillera Connection Sussex Community UK Stafford Road, Kilburn NW6 5RS BN11 2HZ Ramgarhia Sports Center, 8-10 Filipino Leeds Association St. John’s Cathedral in Portsmouth, Chapeltown Road, Leeds LS7 3AQ Bishop Crispian Way, Portsmouth PO1 3HG Sports Center, University of Filipino Leeds Association The Edge Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT Christall Hall, St Joseph’s R.C. Church, St Margaret Drive, Epsom Boat along the River Thames – Boat KT18 7JQ leaves at Butlers Wharf Pier, Shad

Thames. London SE1 2YE (on the Places to Walkway visit: Queen’s / East of Tower 1.

St Jude Shrine, Faversham Bridge on the South Shore) 2.

Carmelite Community, Aylesford Holy Cross Chapel, Charing Cross Aylesford, Kent Palace Road, Hospital, Fulham London W6 8RF Guthlaxton College, Sports Hall, Radisson Blu Portman Station Road, Wigston,Hotel, Leicester Portman LE18 2DS Square, London W1H 7BG Baden-Powell House, 65-67 Queen's Gate, London SW7 5JS Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin, Marian Community 1 Friedrichstrasse 151 Centre, , 10117 Berlin, Stafford Road, Kilburn NW6 5RS Germany The Camden Centre, Judd Street, St. John’s Cathedral London WC1H 9JE in Portsmouth, Bishop Crispian Way, Hotel, Portsmouth The New Continental Millbay PO1 3HG Road, Plymouth PL1 3LD Sion-Manning RC Girls School, 75 St Christall Street, Hall, StLadbroke Joseph’s R.C. Charles Grove, Church, St Margaret Drive, Epsom London W10 6EL KT18 7JQ

Filipino British Nurses Association of Surrey Tower Hill Station or Tower Gateway or London Bridge Station (15 minutes walk) / The Prayer Bus: Community RV1 Crusade – West London (Non-Profit Organisation) The Community Prayer Sponsored by different Crusade – West London Filipino Communities (Non-Profit Organisation)

Batangas Association UK (BAUK) Aguman Kapampangan UK Ms. Philippines-Germany The Cordillera Connection and Youth Cultural Group e. V Miss Pearl Of Asia Filipino British Association in Plymouth (F.B.A.i.P) Camarines Sur Filipino Filipino BritishUKNurses Community Association of Surrey

Merla – 07939 684 558 Jessie Amar2013 – 07983 576 082 September / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition Rico Casyao – 07769 262 947 CONTACTS / REMARKS Eva Macadangdang – 07983 593 /914 Zanie del Mundo – 07733 781 858 Marlowe Macadangdang – 07956 07886 881 432 944 520 / mp_uk@yahoo.co.uk / www.philippines-uk.org Stella – 07817 200 444 Earl Leonardia – 07823 883 830 Marvin Orfiano – 07411 177 652 Freddie Ocampo – 07595 248 917 Fr. Claro Conde 07803 191 502 Freddie Ocampo – 07595 248 917

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Junart Nieva – 07980 557 467 Ludy McGrath – 07704 854 399 Arthur Nieva – 07947 344 422 Celeste Sheath – 020 8716 3030 Elizabeth Villaflor – 07584 411 180 Norma Thomas – 01737 356 392 Mathie Smith – 07908 581 062 Price: £15.00 per person 7 December 20th Annual Christmas Dinner & Copthorne Tara Hotel, Scarsdale Aguman Kapampangan UK Zanie del Mundo – 07733 781 858 / 6 October A Day of Pilgrimage and Places to visit: The Community Prayer Betilda – 07919 380 513 Saturday Dance Place, Kensington, London W8 5SY 07886 881 432 Sunday Celebrating the Feast Day of Our 1. St Jude Shrine, Faversham Crusade – West London Merla – 07939 684 558 6:00pm – 1:00am Estella Gomez – 07817 200 444 Lady of the Rosary 2. Carmelite Community, Aylesford (Non-Profit Organisation) Price: £20.00 Erroll – 07429 187 991 6 October Marian Pilgrimage at the Shrine of Aylesford, Kent Sponsored by different Adelle Caguimbal – 07717 493 541 Omie – 07832 597 530 Sunday Our Lady of Mount Carmel Filipino Communities Essex Angulo – 07946 510 347 21 December BRITFIL Christmas Party Chasewell Community Social Club, British & Filipino Community Nilda Dean – denil123@hotmail.com Joseph Lontoc – 07902 395 741 Saturday Avoce Way, Cherwell Height, (BRITFIL) 19 October 20th Anniversary Annual Charity Radisson Blu Portman Hotel, Batangas Association UK Gloria Diaz – 07572 795 321 6:00pm Banbury, Oxon OX16 9YA W1H 7BG Saturday Dinner & Dance Portman Square, London (BAUK) Julie Villanueva – 07956 422 068 FREE LISTING of your events on the HELLO PHILIPPINES newspaper and if you know of any Events please contact us and submit event via email to the following at 6:00pm Chedyour Gomez – 079800 66 209 info@hello-philippines.com Tita Leus McCarthy – 07958 732 406 26 October Mr. & Ms. Philippines Europe Maritim proArte Hotel Berlin, Ms. Philippines-Germany / DISCLAIMER: The Events Diary Listing does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favouring by msphilippinesgermany.berlin@hotmail.com Hello Philippines newspaper. The views and Saturday Goodwill Ambassador Friedrichstrasse 151 , 10117 Berlin, and Youth Cultural Group www.msphilippinesgermany.org opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Hello Philippines newspaper. This is merely an Events Diary Listing of what is happening within 6:00pm Germany e. V the Filipino Communities in Europe. This is for general information only.

16 November Miss Pearl of Asia UK 2013 The Camden Centre, Judd Street, Miss Pearl Of Asia Email: enquiries@misspearlofasia.com 2013 Monthly Filipino Community Masses in Greater London Saturday London WC1H 9JE 116st Sunday 2:00pm Bantay Bata 163 Charity The Five New Precious WoundsHotel, Parish,Millbay Brentfield Filipino Road, Stonebridge Park, London NW10 8ER November Plymouth Continental British Association in Email: fbaip@fbaip.co.uk MervicPlymouth Monocillo – 07894 Saturday Concert Road, PL1 3LD 636 140 Plymouth (F.B.A.i.P) 1st Sunday 5:00pm Dance Competition 2013 Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Road, Sur Peckham, 1RH 30 November Annual Sion-Manning RC Girls School,Church, 75 St Friary Camarines Filipino London SE15 Junart Nieva – 07980 557 467 Saturday Charles Street, –Ladbroke Grove, Community UK Arthur Nieva – 07947 344 422 Allen Abeleda 07713 625 888 London W10Apostle 6EL Elizabeth Villaflor – 07584 411 180 2nd Saturday 4:00pm St Peter the Catholic Church, 103 Woolwich New Road, London SE18 6EF Mathie Smith – 07908 581 062 Moises Espanola – 07894 648 639 72ndDecember 20th Annual Christmas Dinner & Copthorne Tara Hotel, Scarsdale Aguman Kapampangan UK Zanie del Mundo – 07733 781 858 / Sunday 2:00pm English Martyrs Church, Chalkhill Road, Wembley Park, Wembley HA9 9EW Saturday Dance Place, Kensington, London W8 5SY 07886 881 432 Becky Sarinas – 07949 857 699 / 07425 761 519 / Lina B – 07579 418 510 nd 6:00pm – 1:00am Estella Gomez – 07817 200 444 2 Sunday 2:00pm St Dominic Catholic Church, 243 Violet Lane, Waddon, Croydon CR0 4HN Erroll – 07429 187 991 Merlie Mirto – 07722 216 462 2nd Sunday 4:00pm St. Anselm and St. Cecilia, 70 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3JA Omie – 07832 597 530 21 December BRITFIL Christmas Party ChasewellRamirez Community Social British & Filipino Community Nilda Dean – denil123@hotmail.com Feliciano – 07733 680 Club, 748 rd Saturday Avoce Way, Cherwell Height, 3 Sunday 3:00pm Sacred Heart of Jesus, New Priory, Quex(BRITFIL) Road, Kilburn, London NW6 4PS 6:00pm Banbury, OX16 9YA 210 202 Sheidrick Oxon de Leon – 07738 FREE LISTING of your events on the HELLO PHILIPPINES newspaper if you know any Events please contact us N1 and 3rd Sunday 3:00pm Blessedand Sacrament Parish,of157 Copenhagen Street, Islington 0SRsubmit your event via email to the following at info@hello-philippines.com Christy Sangalang – 07709 119 969 Last Saturday 6:00pm Our Lady Dolours, Servite Parish recommendation, Church, 264 FulhamorRoad, London SW10 Philippines 4EL DISCLAIMER: The Events Diary Listing does not necessarily constitute or of imply its endorsement, favouring

by Hello newspaper. The views and Fr Allan Satur – 020 7352 6965 / fulhamroad@rcdow.org.uk opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of Hello Philippines newspaper. This is merely an Events Diary Listing of what is happening within Roland Adap – r_adap@hotmail.com the Filipino Communities in Europe. This is for general information only.

Last Sunday 2:00pm St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 218 Roehampton Lane, London SW15 4LE 2013 Monthly Filipino Community Masses Rafael Santiago – 07795 254 451 in Greater London 1st Sunday 2:00pm Five Precious Wounds Parish, Brentfield Road, Stonebridge Park, London NW10 8ER Every Sunday 5:00pm Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, 20 Brixton Road, Oval, London SW9 6BU Mervic Monocillo – 07894 636 140 Ben Ortiz – 07723 318 486 1st Sunday 5:00pm Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, Friary Road, Peckham, London SE15 1RH First Wednesdays 6:30pm Filipino Mass and Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help, Farm Street Church of the Immaculate Conception Allen Abeleda – 07713 625 888 (Jesuit House Chapel), access on 114 Mount Street, London W1K 3AY 2nd Saturday 4:00pm St Peter the Apostle Catholic Church, 103 Woolwich New Road, London SE18 6EF Josie Ramos – 07723 024 591 Moises Espanola – 07894 648 639 2nd Sunday 2:00pm English Martyrs Church, Chalkhill Road, Wembley Park, Wembley HA9 9EW

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INTERNATIONAL / GLOBAL NEWS

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Taiwan’s speaker expelled as political scandal deepens TAIPEI - Taiwan’s ruling party expelled the parliamentary speaker Wednesday after he was accused of meddling in a lawmaker’s court case, deepening a political scandal that has rocked the island.

President Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of the the Kuomintang (KMT) party, said Wang Jin-pyng was “unfit” to head the legislature after he was accused of influencing prosecutors not to appeal in a breach of trust case involving lawmaker Ker Chien-ming.

Wang was suspected of asking thenjustice minister Tseng Yung-fu and a top prosecutor not to appeal last year’s acquittal of Ker, the party whip for the major opposition DPP (Democratic Progressive

Party) in parliament. Tseng resigned on Friday over the case.

The ruling party said Wednesday that Wang’s membership had been revoked for “damaging the party’s reputation”, rendering him unable to continue as speaker.

Wang later said he would appeal the party’s decision.

Wang, 72, was a KMT heavyweight known for his grass-roots influence, and his removal has sent shockwaves through the island’s political circles. He had been one of Taiwan’s longest-serving speakers, holding the position since 1999.

“I hoped Wang would have voluntarily resigned to maintain the last shred of

dignity for the parliament and the KMT,” Ma told reporters Wednesday.

The claims against Wang were uncovered by investigators wiretapping Ker’s mobile phone.

And Wang told reporters late Tuesday that this was an “illegal investigation”.

“I do not accept that prosecutors have unilaterally charged me with influencepeddling following an illegal investigation,” he said.

The DPP unexpectedly scrapped a TV debate slated for Sunday between Ma and his opposition counterpart, with party spokesman Wang Min-sheng saying the incident had plunged the island into “a constitutional crisis”.

Taiwan’s Legislative Speaker Wang Jinpyng (C) speaks at parliament in Taipei on September 11, 2013. ©Mandy Cheng.

“Now is not a good timing for the debate,” he said.

Analysts warned that kicking the parliamentary speaker out of the party could lead to a split within the Kuomintang.

Tseng, the former justice minister, has also denied wrongdoing. He was the third minister in the Ma government to step down in recent months.

In late July, defence minister Kao Huachu resigned following public anger over the death of a young conscript, who was allegedly abused in the military.

His successor, Andrew Yang, quit just six days after taking office over plagiarism allegations.

Taiwan’s judicial system has been criticised in recent years after a corruption scandal implicating top judges as well as a spate of controversial rulings involving child sexual assault cases. ■ AFP / September 11, 2013 / 4:05 PM

Two Koreas agree to re-open Kaesong industrial zone SEOUL - North and South Korea agreed Wednesday to reopen the jointly-run Kaesong industrial park on a trial basis from next Monday, five months after it was shut during soaring military tensions.

The reopening date was settled after a marathon, 20-hour negotiating session, and marks a tangible step forward for recent efforts to improve cross-border relations.

“The institutional foundation has now been laid for Kaesong to develop into an internationally competitive and stable industrial complex,” the South’s Unification Ministry said in a statement.

The two sides agreed that operations at the South-funded complex that lies 10 kilometres (six miles) over the border in North Korea would “resume on a trial basis from September 16,” it said.

Born out of the “sunshine” reconciliation policy initiated in the late 1990s by thenSouth Korean president Kim Dae-Jung, Kaesong was established in 2004 as a rare symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

It provided an important hard currency source for the impoverished North through taxes, other revenues, and its cut of workers’ wages.

It had appeared immune to previous downward spirals in North-South relations, but finally fell victim to two months of intense military tensions that followed the North’s nuclear test in February.

Pyongyang initially barred South Korean entry to the park in early April and shortly afterwards withdrew its entire 53,000-strong workforce—effectively

closing down the complex, which houses production lines for 123 South Korean firms.

Each side blamed the other, with the North insisting its hand was forced by hostile South Korean actions—in particular, a series of joint military exercises with the United States.

As military tensions eased, the two Koreas agreed last month to work together to resume operations at the zone.

As part of the deal, the North accepted the South’s demand that Kaesong be opened to foreign investors—a move seen

by Seoul as a guarantee against the North shutting the complex down again in the future.

Wednesday’s agreement, which followed talks that began Tuesday morning and continued through the night, includes plans to host a road show for foreign investors at Kaesong in October.

Seoul had pushed for compensation for the companies hit by the closure, and the two sides appeared to reach a compromise—agreeing to waive taxes for

the firms this year.

Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency confirmed an agreement had been reached but offered no details beyond the September 16 re-opening date.

Analysts stressed that Kaesong would remain a vulnerable project whatever safeguards are reached.

“This agreement offers no real guarantee that Kaesong will be insulated from political upheavals and military tensions in the future,” said Yang MoonJin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.

“Even the 1953 armistice is easily violated—that’s the reality on the Korean peninsula,” Yang said.

South Korea’s chief delegate at the Kaesong talks, Kim Ki-Woong, said the two sides had also agreed to set up an arbitration panel to handle any industrial disputes at the complex.

And further talks will be held on the South’s request for improving the communications infrastructure in Kaesong, including Internet access, Kim said.

Once Kaesong is reopened, observers say Pyongyang is likely to step up pressure on Seoul to revive another cross-border project—South Korean tours to the North’s Mount Kumgang resort.

The South suspended the tours—

North Korea delegate Pak Chol-Su (R) shakes hands with South Korean counterpart Kim Ki-Woong on September 2, 2013

another important source of hard currency for the North—after a North Korean soldier in 2008 shot dead a female tourist from the South who strayed into a restricted zone.

In response, Pyongyang scrapped a deal with the resort’s developer—Seoul’s Hyundai Asan company—and seized its properties there.

Seoul has agreed to discuss resuming the Kumgang tours but has delayed the date for talks to begin.

In the meantime, Kumgang will play host at the end of this month to the first reunions in three years of family members separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. Giles Hewitt / AFP / September 11, 2013 / 10:22 PM

Graphic on the Kaesong industrial complex on the North-South Korean border

Top China blogger appears on TV amid Internet crackdown South Korean Kaesong-based workers hold placards reading ‘We would like to work’ on August 14, 2013. ©Jung Yeon-Je.

The inter-Korean industrial complex of Kaesong seen from a South Korean observation tower in Paju, on December 22, 2011. ©Jung Yeon-Je.

BEIJING - One of China’s most popular microbloggers warned of the dangers of “casual” online posts in an interview with state-run media on Wednesday, as authorities continued a crackdown on Internet speech.

State-broadcaster CCTV asked Pan Shiyi, who has more than 16 million followers on Sina Weibo, China’s wildly popular equivalent ofTwitter, to describe the “social responsibility” of microbloggers.

Pan, a wealthy real-estate developer who has become an influential leader of public opinion through his online comments, said that popular microblog users should be “more disciplined”.

“If we are post completely casually... then the social impact and damage will be large,” he said.

Chinese authorities have launched a high-profile effort to control speech on microblog platforms in recent months,

A woman uses a Chinese keyboard in Hong Kong, on August 27, 2010. ©Mike Clarke.

after they became a key force shaping opinion amongst China’s more than 500 million Internet users.

Police have detained hundreds for posting information deemed to be “false”, according to reports.

The campaign has also focused on celebrity microblog users, who were summoned for a meeting at the offices of CCTV in August and told not to post information that conflicted with the “national interest”, according to state-media.

New regulations posted by China’s Supreme court this week said Internet users could face three years in jail if slanderous information spread online is viewed more than 5,000 times or forwarded more than 500 times.

China’s state-run media has said the campaign is aimed at combating online fraud and defamation, but activists say political speech has been targeted in the crackdown.

Posts on Chinese microblog platforms have long been censored at the request of authorities, but are subject to less-strict controls than print media.

Analysts say China’s ruling Communist party has been worried by its relative lack of ability to control the spread of information on microblog platforms, which have been used to expose official graft and incompetence. ■ AFP / September 11, 2013 / 2:59 PM

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NEWS

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Blame game: Mayor says Misuari disowns Zambo attack but Palace believes MNLF founder responsible ZAMBOANGA CITY/MANILA, Philippines - Zamboanga City Mayor Isabella ClimacoSalazar said Thursday that Nur Misuari had disowned the actions of a commander of the Moro National Liberation Front who led the attack on the southern port city but Malacanang maintained the MNLF founder was to blame for the violence.

Climaco-Salazar said she managed to talk to Misuari by phone Wednesday night “hoping that it would pave the way for the peaceful end of this crisis” and that the MNLF founder “disowned the actions of

Habier Malik, the leader of the hostagetakers with whom I communicated separately.”

This was disclosed Thursday by Mayor Climaco-Salazar, who said she and Misuari talked over the phone Wednesday night, “hoping that it would pave the way for the peaceful end of this crisis.”

Scores of MNLF fighters led by Malik, a trusted aide of Misuari, landed in Zamboanga and engaged government forces in fighting that entered its fourth day Thursday, leaving at least 12 dead and

displaced more than 14,000 residents, with an estimated 170 more either trapped in their homes or held hostage by the rebels.

However, in Malacanang, Communications Secretary Ramon Carandang told a media briefing that reports they have been receiving indicate Misuari’s group was behind the attack.

“There are many statements that have been attributed to him in the last few weeks, even months, that sometimes they feel convenient ... it’s convenient to

disown,” Carandang said.

“What we believe is that his faction, his group is behind it. So what he’s saying right now, if he’s really saying that, is

not consistent with what we know (had) happened,” he said.

Climaco-Salazar said Misuari told her he was giving his commanders a free hand “on the matter” of seeking a peaceful solution to the standoff.

“I expressed my openness to continue communication with Misuari as well as Malik,” with whom she has also been in touch, “to find peaceful resolution of this conflict,” Salazar added. ■ Janice Cave and Teofilo Garcia Jr. / Philippine News Agency / September 12, 2013 / 8:47 PM

How to cut pork: The 5-step Napoles process for skimming PDAF MANILA, Philippines – Whistleblower Benhur Luy on Thursday narrated to the Senate Blue Ribbon committee the steps taken by detained Janet Lim Napoles and certain legislators in manipulating the multimillion projects funded from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Aided by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Luy narrated in a power-point presentation how anywhere from 40-50% of the total amount of a project allegedly landed in the hands of lawmakers who assigned part of the PDAF to Napoles-created NGOs that were in turn endorsed by lawmakers to government implementing agencies.

A smaller fraction, called “SOP,” would later be given also in kickbacks to contacts in implementing agencies. He did not categorically say if kickbacks went to “contacts” at the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), which played a crucial role in releasing the Statement of Allotment and Release Order (SAROs) that served as trigger for releasing half of the “rebate” to lawmakers.

First step. Luy said at first Napoles and the lawmaker will agree on which implementing agency will be tapped to receive the pork funds and give these to the Napoles NGOs..

“Una po, mag-uusap si Ms. Napoles at lawmaker kung saan ilalagak ang pondo,” Luy said.

“For example, the lawmaker has P10 million in pork funds which will be funnelled to a particular implementing agency like the National Livelihood Development Corporation (NLDC).”

“May ganitong PDAF ang isang lawmaker, pork na ito ay ibabagsak sa NLDC bilang implementing agency kasi nag-uusap sila ni Ms, Napoles at lawmaker,

kasi may kausap na si Napoles sa NLDC,” Luy said.

Second step. Next, Napoles and the lawmaker will make a deal about the rebates from the P10 million pork funds coursed through the particular implementing agency.

“Nakikipag-usap si Napoles at lawmaker kung paano ang deal nila, kung paano makukuha ang rebates. Kapag nagkasundo na sila sa usapan tungkol sa rebate, makukuha na ng lawmaker ang 50% ng rebates,” Luy said.

He said that if the project cost P10 million, the lawmaker will get 50% of the total amount which will be advanced by Napoles to the lawmaker—either deposited in cash or in check to the bank account of the particular legislator or the assigned chief of staff.

“Kahit wala pa ang project, mag-uusap na sina Napoles at lawmaker tungkol sa rebates. Sa deal nila sa rebates, minsan nag-advance si Ms. Napoles, partial minsan cash or check sa lawmaker,” he said.

Asked by De Lima if he has evidence to substantiate his allegation, Luy said he has the bank account number of all legislators, and/or their chiefs of staff.

“I have the evidence particularly the account number of lawmakers kung saan ilalagay ang fund transfer, not only lawmaker, also their chief of staff, kung saan ipapasok ang pondo,” Luy said.

Third step. Lawmakers will write the Department of Budget and Management for the source of the fund, through the chairmen of the Senate committee on finance and House committee on appropriations.

“The lawmaker will write the DBM with attached identified implementing agency, and identified project descriptions and the

amount kung ano ang napag-usapan nila,” Luy said.

Fourth Step. After the completion of the documentary requirements submitted to DBM, the budget agency will release the Statement of Allotment and Release Order (SARO), of which the lawmaker will get one copy and the implementing agency, a second copy.

“So, kapag nandoon na ang SARO, the lawmaker will furnish a copy to JLN, and the other one for the agency copy,” Luy said.

Besides the lawmaker, Luy said Napoles, some of her staff or even Luy himself makes a follow-up with DBM on the status of the particular SARO requested by the lawmaker to be released to the implementing agency.

“Sometimes, we make follow-ups with DBM and also Napoles,” Luy said.

Sometimes, he said, DBM contacts would remark, “sina-SARO-han na nga namin kayo,” if they are slow in following up.

Fifth Step. Luy said that before Napoles pays the remaining 50% rebates or kickback to legislators, they ask the office of the lawmaker to make endorsement letters, memorandum of agreement (MOA), and project proposal.

“Kapag nandyan na ang SARO, the balance will be released for what we call full payment (to lawmakers),” Luy said But before that, Luy said their staff or him will make draft endorsement letters, MOA and project proposal which will be sent

Ex-solicitor general Frank Chavez dies; body cremated MANILA, Philippines - Former Solicitor General Frank Chavez passed away Wednesday night, television reports said.

Chavez, 66, died of a stroke, the reports said quoting his wife, Jean. He was cremated Thursday morning.

He has been confined at The Medical City in Pasig City since July after undergoing a bone-marrow transplant.

Chavez served as Solicitor General from 1987 to 1992. In 2011, he filed a plunder case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for the alleged misuse of funds of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

He was one of the founders of the

Brotherhood of Nationalistic, Involved, and Free Attorneys to Combat Injustice and Oppression (BONIFACIO). He was a partner in the Sycip, Salazar, Hernandez, and Gatmaitan Law Offices and a founding

partner of the Chavez Laureta & Associates law office.

Born in Bateria, Sagay, Negros Occidental on 6 February 1947, Frank Chavez finished his high school education in the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, graduating salutatorian in 1961. He then went to the West Negros College in Bacolod City for his college education, graduating summa cum laude in 1967 with a degree in Bachelor of Arts major in English. He earned his Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of the Philippines, graduating cum laude in 1971. He was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 1972. ■ Lira Dalangin-Fernandez / InterAksyon. com / September 12, 2013 / 9:45 AM

through emails to the office of the particular lawmaker for signature and eventual submission to the implementing agency.

“Bago nila makuha ang remaining 50% balance, mayroon silang endorsement letter, then memorandum of agreement and project proposal signed by the lawmaker or whoever assigned by the lawmaker,” Luy said.

“We draft the endorsement letter, and then email it to the lawmaker, kung sino man lawmaker na assigned to sign the document,” he added.

“I draft the endorsement letter, at isasalang nila yan sa letterhead of the legislator, siyempre papalitan nila nang kaunti o may revision ang content sa pagkaendorse o pagka-designate ng foundation,’ Luy said.

Luy said after submission of documentary requirements to the implementing agency and before the consumption of the project, Napoles will pay the lawmaker in cash or in check. ■ Ernie Reyes / InterAksyon.com / September 12, 2013 2:49 PM

Metro Manila water utilities prepare legal challenge after gov’t orders rollback in rates MANILA - Metro Manila residents can expect lower water rates in the next five years after the government today announced it had ordered both private companies serving the east and west zone concessions to reduce their tariffs.

In a press conference today, Emmanuel Caparas, acting chief of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) Regulatory Office, said the agency has decided to reduce Manila Water Co Inc’s base rate by 29.47 percent and that for Maynilad Water Services Inc by 4.82 percent.

This would redound to a reduction in Manila Water’s rate by P7.24 per cubic meter and in Maynilad’s by P1.29 per cubic meter.

The rollback would be implemented in equal installments over five years. The rate adjustment was borne out of the two concessionaire’s rate rebasing, wherein the MWSS reviews their spending requirements and decides on an increase or decrease in the tariffs to cover these costs.

Maynilad had proposed P692 billion in expenditures for 2013 to 2037, an amount that would have translated to an increase of P8.58 per cubic meter. Manila Water had petitioned for a P426 billion expenditure for the same period, and a tariff increase of P5.83 per cubic meter to cover the cost.

Caparas, however, said MWSS came up with lower tariffs after disallowing some expenditures that both concessionaries would have wanted to pass on to customers.

“Substantial disallowances were effected for unsubstantiated expenses, unliquidated cash advances, infrastructure projects, unjustified variation orders, capitalized interest, among others,” he said.

The new water rates will take effect 15 days after publication in newspapers of general circulation. Caparas said the rate adjustments could come as early as October.

Concessionaires to challenge gov’t decision. The MWSS announcement triggered a drop in the share prices of Ayala Corp, DMCI, Manila Water and Metro Pacific Investments Corp (MPIC). Ayala controls Manila Water, while MPIC and DMCI own Maynilad.

In a statement, Manila Water said the MWSS decision violates the Concession Agreement that both signed more than a decade-and-a-half ago, undermining the company’s efforts to ensure water supply and sewerage service for the duration of its concession.

“It is clear that the MWSS arrived at this rate determination after cutting away significant programs for building and maintaining the water and wastewater systems in the East Zone. Because of this, our ability to fulfill our service obligations to our customers will be severely compromised and impaired,” Manila Water said.

“Under these circumstances, we feel and believe it is our duty to challenge the MWSS rate determination. As such, we will file the dispute notice which officially commences the process of arbitration as prescribed in the Concession Agreement,” the Ayala-led water distributor said.

“We are duty bound to challenge their decision,” Jeric T. Sevilla, Manila Water corporate communications head, said.

InterAksyon.com is the online news portal of TV5, which like Maynilad is chaired

by Manuel V. Pangilinan. ■ InterAksyon.com / September 12, 2013 / Updated 6:04 PM

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NEWS

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Napoles kickbacks: Whistleblower Luy confirms dispensing millions to lawmakers MANILA, Philippines - The alleged brains of the pork barrel scam, Janet Lim Napoles, gave millions of pesos in kickbacks to lawmakers two ways: by depositing money in designated bank accounts of congressmen or issuing manager’s checks to them; or giving cash to senators or their staff, who disdained any other form of payment, the main government witness told the Senate on Thursday.

Appearing at the blue ribbon committee’s third hearing into the P10-billion scam involving the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), whistleblower Ben Hur Luy said it was usually Napoles herself who would personally get the cash from her staff at JLN Corp. and then meet with a lawmaker, if cash is the preferred mode of transaction. Asked what his evidence was about this, Luy said he faithfully kept ledgers detailing, daily, all money flows involving his boss and second cousin, Napoles.

Luy leads a cast of six whistleblowers with knowledge of the web of alleged corruption maintained by the JLN group for years, mainly by using PDAF of lawmakers to fund pre-identified projects supposedly carried out by JLN-created bogus NGOs, sometimes with connivance of government line agencies.

He said the average kickback to the senators and congressmen involved was 50 percent, or half, of the project cost— paid in advance by Napoles—while 10 percent went to the implementing agencies or to government-owned and controlled corporations.

“So, halimbawa po kung (for example, if there is) P10 million worth of projects, P5

million is allotted to (the) legislator.”

Going into more detail, he said: “Kasi po sa una, may napag-usapan na sila sa verbal agreement, may partial advance na hinihingi ang kausap niya, so ibinibigay ni Ms. Napoles (Because at first, when they come to a verbal agreement, whoever she talks to asks for a partial advance, which Ms. Napoles gives).”

Legislators would also ask Napoles for advance payment as soon as the project to be funded by their pork barrel was identified.

“If the DBM received the program listing, magbabayad na po ang opisina o si Ms. Napoles sa kausap niya or sisingilin na siya ng kausap niya doon sa 50 percent. Iyon po ang tinatawag namin na listing (our office or Ms. Napoles would pay whoever she was dealing with or they would ask her for the 50 percent. That is what we called the listing),” Luy said.

When the Statement of Allotment and Release Order (SARO) was released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Napoles would pay the balance of the kickback.

“Kapag dumating na po ang SARO, (in a) few weeks lalabas na ang NCA (Notice of Cash Allotment), ngayon lalabas, si Ms. Napoles po kasi very liquid siya, nagpapaluwal siya ng advance, may pera po si Ms. Napoles upang ipambayad ng advance (When the SARO was released, after a few weeks the NCA would be issued, Ms. Napoles is very liquid, she pays the advance herself, she has the money to pay the advance),” he said.

He also said the 10 percent for the implementing agency was paid only after

Whistleblower Benhur Luy faces senators Thursday, Sept. 12. ©InterAksyon.com, Jamin Verde.

the DBM released the NCA to the Napoles NGOs. “So magbabayad din siya sa kausap niya sa implementing agency, doon manggagaling din sa SARO. Kapag nabayaran ang NGO, doon pa lamang siya magbabayad sa implementing agency (She would also pay whoever she dealt with in the implementing agency, this would come from the SARO. Once the NGO was paid, only then would be pay the implementing agency),” Luy said.

“So halimbawa po, kapag lumabas na po ang Notice of Cash Allocation, good as cash na po iyon, after doon magbabayad sa agency regardless kung transient. Basta ang buo na nabayaran na, kapag nabayaran na ang NGO,so iyong pera na iyon, ibabalik namin kay Napoles kasi nagpapaluwal na siya sa kausap niya (So, for example, once the Notice of Cash Allocation was released, that is as good as cash, after that she would pay the agency regardless if it was transient.

Once everyone was paid, when the NGO was paid, that money, we would return to Napoles because she had already paid the

advance to the people she dealt with),” he added.

Aside from this, Napoles, on her discretion, might give five percent of the project amount to a lawmaker’s chief of staff and one percent to the president and incorporator of the NGO used for the project.

Money delivered to lawmakers’ homes or deposited in accounts. Luy said the kickbacks were either delivered to the lawmakers’ houses or transferred to their or their chiefs of staff’s bank accounts, in cash or in checks.

In some instances, legislators would themselves pick up the money from their office, said Luy. “Sila po (lawmakers) kumukuha sa opisina, kinukuha nila iyong pera. May instances na ipinahahatid sa bahay noong kausap ni (They would get the money from our office. There were instances the money was delivered to the homes of whoever was dealing with) Ms. Napoles or through their chief of staff,” Luy said.

Aside from documents signed by lawmakers, project proposals and endorsement letters, Luy said he also has the list of all the bank accounts of the lawmakers or their chiefs of staff.

“Mayroon po akong bank account ng mga kausap ni (I have the bank accounts of those who dealt with) Ms. Napoles which was submitted to the NBI,” Luy said. “Mayroon din po from the foundation, credited to the bank account of the lawmaker, (at) mayroon din from the foundation account credited to the account of the chief of staff (There are also deposits from the foundation credited to the account

of the lawmaker, and there are deposits from the foundation account credited to the account of the chief of staff).”

At this point, De Lima said the bank accounts are the subject of an inquiry by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).

“May I inform the body that the validation of those bank account were the subject of the on-going inquiry by AMLC,” De Lima told the committee.

Fake luquidation receipts. Luy also said Napoles fabricated receipts used by her NGOs as documentary evidence for liquidation of projects.

“Then we will submit receipts which was fabricated by Napoles for liquidation,” Luy said.

He wasn’t categorical in saying whether or not they paid off people in the DBM, which played a crucial role in the network because its release of the SAROs was the trigger for Napoles’ advancing half of the lawmakers’ rebate.

Luy did acknowledge that through the years, they would call up “contacts” in the DBM. Once implementing agencies alerted them of checks being available for project payment, the funds they withdrew from the banks, said Luy, would either be withdrawn and credited in various accounts of Ms. Napoles, or withdrawn as cash and brought to their office at Discovery Suites or Napoles’ home at Pacific Plaza condominium.

The cash would be placed in bags and kept in the master’s bedroom, or usually, in the bath tub, with corresponding tags to reflect their amount, said Luy. ■ Ernie P. Reyes /

InterAksyon.com / September 12, 2013 / Updated 4:15 PM

Only half of budget goes through Congress scrutiny, says ex-treasurer Briones

Out of 46 million who migrated to US, 2 million are from Philippines UNITED NATIONS - The number of migrants around the world rose above 230 million in 2013 with the United States, Western Europe and the Gulf oil states the biggest draws, the UN said Wednesday.

People who have left their own country have risen from 154 million in 1990 to 232 million and the proportion of migrants in rich countries is growing, said a new UN report.

More than half of migrants are living in 10 countries, with the United States the leading host nation with an estimated 46 million in 2013. The UN said there are 13 million people from Mexico in the United States and about 2.2 million who were born in China, 2.1 million from India and two million from the Philippines.

Russia has 11 million migrants, Germany 10 million, Saudi Arabia has nine million and the United Arab Emirates and Britain eight million each. France, Canada, Australia and Spain follow just behind, each with more than six million immigrants.

Migrants made up 10.8% of the population in rich countries and just 1.6% in poorer nations.

But the UN Department of Economic and Social affairs added that since 1990 “international migrants as a share of total grew in (rich nations) but remained unchanged in (poorer countries).”

In stark contrast, the report added that almost 90% of the world’s estimated 15.7 million refugees are in poorer nations. ■ Agence France-Presse / September 12, 2013 4:16 AM

MANILA, Philippines - A budget watchdog on Thursday exhorted Congress to scrutinize the proposed 2014 appropriations thoroughly and exercise its right over the “power of the purse” and not just be contented holding the “coin purse.”

“If you look at how much government is spending, then probably less than one half is scrutinized by Congress,” Leonor Briones, former national treasure and lead convenor of Social Watch Philippines (SWP), said in a meeting with lawmakers to discuss her group’s proposed Alternative Budget Initiative (ABI).

“When I asked who holds the power of the purse, one congressman said it is the Executive, and Congress holds the coin purse,” she added.

Of the P2.268-trillion budget proposed for 2014, Briones said that only P1.6 trillion, including the unprogrammed funds, will go through the scrutiny and will be approved by Congress.

“The other part is the Special Purpose Fund, which is P310 billion. But where are the rest? Well, you have the automatic appropriations which is P796 billion, which included interest payment, but does not include payment for principal, and then you have the IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment), and you have three other items, which have P20 billion each

that are also automatically appropriated,” Briones said.

Aside from this, there are also offbudget funds such as the remittances from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) which directly channels money to the President’s Social Fund (PSF), and the Malampaya Fund. According to Briones, both the PSF and the Malampaya Fund have billions in funds, but are beyond Congress’ scrutiny.

The President has the power to decide where these funds would be spent.

She added that Congress also does not have a say on the intelligence fund, which currently can only be audited by the chairperson of the Commission on Audit.

The two lump sum items under the PSF-calamity fund (P7.5 billion) and contingent fund (P1 billion) - are used upon the discretion of the chief executive.

“There are many lump sums ...

Congress can do something about this to regain the power of the purse,” Briones said.

The House appropriations committee has finished the committee hearings on the proposed 2014 budget and will start plenary deliberations on Monday.

Briones said there is also a need to clarify the powers of the Office of the President in deciding on the utilization of certain portions of the budget.

“There is a provision in the Constitution

Former national treasurer and Social Watch Philippines chair Leonor Briones: nearly half of budget not examined by Congress, which holds only “coin purse.”

that states that constitutional bodies, including the Office of the President, can realign items and use them as savings, but the interpretation is the Office of the President is the entire government system, therefore, the President can move around items,” she said.

The Alternative Budget Initiative proposed to augment the budget of some government agencies by a total of P76 billion to fund certain programs such as those that would benefit persons with disabilities, provide support to small and medium entrepreneurs, respond to climate change and beef up the country’s educational system.

Briones said the amount could be sourced from lump-sum items and off-budget items in the proposed appropriations. ■ Lira Dalangin-Fernandez / InterAksyon.com / September 12, 2013 / 4:06 PM

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HEALTH and Lifestyle

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Bullying: advice for parents Bullying: the facts MANY children and young people experience school bullying and bullying outside of school – but you don’t have to put up with it.

Almost half of all children and young people (46%) say that they’ve been bullied at some point during their time at school, according to the Tellus4 National Report (PDF, 1.33Mb), carried out in 2009.

Find out where to get help. If you’re being bullied, you don’t have to put up with it. There are many people and organisations that can help you If you’re concerned that your child is being bullied.

What is bullying? Bullying can take many forms: from teasing and spreading rumours, to pushing someone around and causing physical harm. It often happens in front of other people.

It includes name calling, mocking, kicking, taking belongings, writing or drawing offensive graffiti, messing around with people’s belongings, gossiping, excluding people from groups, and threatening others.

Why are people bullied? Children and young people are bullied for all sorts of reasons. It can be due to their race, their religion, their appearance, their sexual

orientation, because they have a disability or because of their home circumstances.

People are bullied for being black, white, fat, clever, gay, or red-haired. These are a few examples.

But people are sometimes picked on for no reason.

Cyberbullying is increasingly common both inside and outside school.

Cyberbullying is any form of bullying that involves the use of mobile phones or the internet. For example, sending offensive text messages and emails, circulating degrading images on the internet, or impersonating someone on social networking sites such as Facebook. For more information on cyberbullying and how to respond to it, The effects of bullying. Bullying makes the lives of its victims miserable. It undermines their confidence and destroys their sense of security.

Bullying can cause sadness, loneliness, low self-esteem, fear, anxiety, and poor concentration, and lead to self-harm, depression, suicidal thoughts and, in some cases, suicide.

Bullying can also affect children and young people’s attendance and progress at school. ■ NHS Choices

KNOWING or suspecting that your child is being bullied can be very upsetting, but there are many things you can do to resolve the problem.

Bullying is one of the biggest concerns for parents, according to Family Lives, a support organisation for parents that runs a free telephone helpline on 0808 800 2222.

If you find out or suspect that your child is being bullied, there are things you can do to resolve the problem. And you don’t have to find all the answers on your own.

There are a number of organisations, including Family Lives, that can give you help and advice (see Who can help with bullying? below).

How to help your child if they are being bullied. If a child tells you they’re being bullied, the first thing to do is listen.

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) advises parents and carers to let children tell their story in their own words, and to not dismiss their experience as part of ‘growing up’.

The NSPCC advises you to suggest to your child that they keep a diary of bullying incidents. It will help to have concrete facts to show the school.

The next step is to talk to the school.

How do you know if your child is being bullied? Sometimes children don’t talk to their parents or carers because they don’t want to upset them, or they think it will make the problem worse.

However, if you suspect that your child is being bullied, there are signs to look out for, according to the NSPCC. These include: • Coming home with damaged or missing clothes, without money they

should have, or with scratches and bruises.

• Having trouble with homework for no apparent reason.

• Using a different route between home and school.

• Feeling irritable, easily upset or particularly emotional.

Talking to the school about bullying.

To stop the bullying, it’s essential for you or your child, or both of you, to talk to the school.

Think about who would be the best person to approach first. Discuss this with your child because there may be a particular teacher your child feels more at ease with.

It’s worth asking about any school schemes to tackle bullying, such as peer mentoring, where certain children are trained to listen and help with problems.

You could ask to see the school’s antibullying policy, which every school has to have by law. This will enable you to see how the school plans to prevent and tackle bullying.

Who can help with bullying? All the organisations listed below provide support and information to parents.

Family Lives. Family Lives is a charity

that runs a free and confidential 24-hour helpline for parents. Call 0808 800 2222 to speak about any parenting issue, including bullying.

Bullying UK. The Bullying UK website, which is part of Family Lives, has a dedicated area for parents.

Kidscape. Kidscape is an anti-bullying charity that runs a telephone advice line for parents and carers (0845 120 5204), it also runs assertiveness training courses for young people who’ve been bullied.

There’s extensive information for parents and carers on its website.

NSPCC. The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) has information for parents on what to look out for and what to do if you think a child is being bullied.

Childnet International. Childnet is a charity promoting safe use of the internet by children. Its website has a wealth of detail including information about bullying for parents and carers.

Contact a Family. Contact a Family provides advice, information and support to the parents of all disabled children throughout the UK. It runs a free helpline (0808 808 3555). ■ NHS Choices

How can I stop being a bully?

PEOPLE who bully others often find it hard to ask for help. They may be worried that they’ll get into trouble with their teachers or that they’ll be bullied themselves.

It takes courage to stop being a bully.

Just because you’ve been involved in it doesn’t mean you have to continue. Help with bullying is not only available to those who’ve been bullied. Many anti-bullying support groups also help people who are involved in bullying.

Talk to a parent, teacher or an older pupil who you get on well with. If there’s any support system in your school for those who are bullied (such as a teacher who is designated to deal with bullying), they should be able to help you. Some schools have peer-support schemes,

where older children are trained to help younger children deal with bullying. Peersupport is usually available to children and young people who say they’re bullies.

If you’re worried about being judged, and don’t want to speak to anyone you know, you can get help anonymously by calling ChildLine on 0800 1111. ChildLine advisers will listen to any child whatever the problem, and give advice.

Why do people bully others? There are many reasons why people bully others.

It may be that they’re unhappy and taking it out on someone else. Many people who bully have low self-esteem, and bullying can be a way of coping with it. In some cases, people who bully are also being bullied themselves.

Others are encouraged by their friends

to bully, and do it because they don’t want to be left out. Some people pick on others because they’re looking for attention or because they’re feeling jealous.

What should you do if you see someone being bullied? If you witness a bullying incident, it’s important to do something. Don’t just walk away and ignore it.

You can tell the bullies to stop doing it, so long as you’re not afraid that it will lead to a confrontation.

The best thing to do is talk to someone, such as a teacher, parent or friend. If you’re worried about doing this, leave an anonymous note for the teacher explaining the situation. Then the teacher will at least be aware of what’s going on.

■ NHS Choices

Bullying: how to stop it IF you’re being bullied, you may feel isolated or frightened. You may find it hard to make friends or to talk to people your age. You don’t have to put up with bullying.

To stop the bullying, speak to someone. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it’s the first step to resolving a situation that’s not acceptable. Everyone has a right to feel safe at school, and your school is obliged to prevent all forms of bullying.

There are many people who will listen and help. Tell someone you trust, such as a parent, carer, teacher or friend. If you feel you can’t talk directly to any of these people, write them a note.

Sometimes, people think that talking to a teacher or parent will make things worse. If you’re worried about this, call ChildLine in confidence on 0800 1111,

explain the situation and ask for advice.

ChildLine advisers will help any child or young person whatever the problem, and they won’t judge you.

ChildLine also gives the following advice on its website: • Keep a record and save any nasty texts or emails that you’ve received.

• If possible, stay away from the bullies, or stay with a group when you don’t feel safe.

• Ask your mates to look out for you.

• Try not to fight back, as you could get into trouble or get hurt.

• Ask your school about its anti-bullying policy. This will tell you what your school should do about bullying.

Listed below are several helplines and organisations that can help you stop the bullying. ■ NHS Choices

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HEALTH and Lifestyle food

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Healthier takeaways TAKEAWAYS are often cheap, convenient and satisfying but, unfortunately, they’re not always very healthy.

Some takeaway meals can push you over your recommended daily maximum amount of salt and fat, which can lead to a variety of health problems, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Some takeaways and restaurants now list calories on their menus, which lets you opt for something with fewer calories.

Below are some tips on foods to avoid and healthier options when ordering your favourite takeaway.

Fish and chips. There are lots of ways of making your trip to the chippy a healthier one. Have a portion of baked beans or mushy peas and bread with your fish and chips. Watch out for other foods that are high in fat, such as pies and sausages.

The thicker the chips the better because they absorb less fat. Try to have a smaller portion or share your chips.

Ask for your fish and chips without salt— if you want some salt then add a small amount yourself.

Don’t eat all the batter around your fish because it soaks up a lot of fat. If available, have fish coated in breadcrumbs as it soaks up less fat.

Fish and chips that are cooked in oil at the right temperature taste better and absorb less fat. So watch out for soggy batter and chips because this is often a sign that the oil wasn’t hot enough.

• Try to avoid: thin-cut chips, pies such as cheese and onion pie or steak and kidney pie, jumbo sausage.

• Healthier options: fish coated in breadcrumbs, mushy peas, thicker-cut chips without salt.

Italian. If you’re having pizza, choose lower-fat toppings, such as vegetables, ham, fish and prawns. You could ask for some extra veg on your pizza to bump up your daily fruit and veg portions. But if you don’t want to increase the saturated fat content and number of calories in your meal, don’t ask for extra cheese.

With pasta dishes, if you want a lower-fat option then go for a sauce that’s based on tomatoes or vegetables rather than cream.

If you’re having a starter or a dessert then you could go for a smaller main

meal such as a starter-size pasta with a side salad—Italian restaurants often serve two sizes of pasta dishes.

Rather than garlic bread, which often contains a lot of butter (and is therefore high in fat), you could try bruschetta, which is a tasty ciabatta bread toasted and topped with fresh tomatoes and herbs.

• Try to avoid: large deep-pan pizzas, pizzas with the crust stuffed with cheese, triple cheese with pepperoni pizzas, creamy pasta sauces, garlic bread.

• Healthier options: small or medium pizza with a thin base and vegetable or lean meat topping, tomato-based pasta sauces, bruschetta.

Chinese. Anything that’s battered or marked as ‘crispy’ on the menu means it’s deep fried. Watch out for starters such as prawn crackers and spring rolls because these are generally deep fried.

Anything in batter will be high in fat.

Sweet and sour pork is usually battered.

Steamed dishes are the best option, but stir-fries are fine because they’re usually lower in fat and include vegetables.

• Try to avoid: sweet and sour battered

Barbecue food safety

FOOD poisoning cases double over the summer, so remember these simple steps to help keep food safe.

Food poisoning is usually mild, and most people get better within a week. But sometimes it can be more severe, even deadly, so it’s important to take the risks seriously. Children, older people and those with weakened immune systems are particularly vulnerable to food poisoning.

“The safest option is to cook food indoors using your oven,” says a spokesperson from the Food Standards Agency (FSA). “You can then put the cooked food outside on the barbecue for flavour.” This can be an easier option if

you’re cooking for a lot of people at the same time.

If you are only cooking on the barbecue, the two main risk factors are: • undercooked meat • spreading germs from raw meat onto food that’s ready to eat This is because raw or undercooked meat can contain germs that cause food poisoning, such as salmonella, E.coli and campylobacter. However, these germs can be killed by cooking meat until it is piping hot throughout Cooking meat on a barbecue When you’re cooking any kind of meat on a barbecue, such as poultry (chicken or turkey), pork, steak, burgers

or sausages, make sure: • the coals are glowing red with a powdery grey surface before you start cooking, as this means that they’re hot enough • frozen meat is properly thawed before you cook it • you turn the meat regularly and move it around the barbecue to cook it evenly Remember that meat is safe to eat only when: • it is piping hot in the centre • there is no pink meat visible • any juices are clear “Don’t assume that because meat is charred on the outside it will be cooked

pork balls with special or egg fried rice, prawn toast, spring rolls.

• Healthier options: crab and corn soup, steamed dumplings, steamed vegetables and plain boiled rice, steamed fish, chicken chop suey, Szechuan prawns.

Thai. Try to stick to stir-fried dishes or steamed dishes containing chicken, fish or vegetables instead of curries.

Thai curries, such as the popular green and red curries, contain coconut milk, which is high in saturated fat. If you choose a curry, try not to eat all the sauce. Have some steamed rice with your meal instead of egg fried rice.

• Try to avoid: fried rice, fish cakes, spring rolls, prawn crackers, satay skewers with peanut sauce and sweet and sour dishes.

• Healthier options: clear soups such as tom yum, salads, stir-fried meat, fish or vegetable dishes, steamed seafood dishes, such as fish or mussels.

Indian. Try to avoid anything that’s creamy or deep fried. To reduce the amount of fat in your meal, choose dishes with tomato-based sauces, such as tandoori and madras, plain

properly on the inside,” says the FSA spokesperson. “Cut the meat at the thickest part and ensure none of it is pink on the inside.”

Some meat, such as steaks and joints of beef or lamb, can be served rare (not cooked in the middle) as long as the outside has been properly cooked. This will kill any bacteria that might be on the outside of the meat. However, food made from minced meat, such as sausages and burgers, must be cooked thoroughly all the way through.

Raw meat. Germs from raw meat can move easily onto your hands and then onto anything else you touch, including food that is cooked and ready to eat. This is called cross-contamination.

Cross-contamination can happen if raw meat touches anything (including

rice or chapatti. Also choose plenty of vegetables, including lentil side dishes (known as dhal).

• Try to avoid: any creamy curries such as korma, passanda or masala with pilau rice, naan, bhajis, pakoras and poppadoms.

• Healthier options: tandoori or madras with chicken, prawns or vegetables, plain rice and chapatti.

Kebab and burgers. Donor kebabs can be high in fat. For a healthier option, go for a shish kebab, which is a skewer with whole cuts of meat or fish and usually grilled.

If you’re having a burger, avoid breaded or battered chicken or fish patties, extra cheese, bacon strips and high-fat sauces such as mayonnaise.

Instead, go for a regular, single-patty hamburger without mayo or cheese and have with extra salad.

• Try to avoid: large doner kebab with mayonnaise and no salad, burgers with cheese and mayonnaise, thin-cut chips, chicken or fish patties deep fried in batter.

• Healthier options: shish kebab with pitta bread and salad, grilled burgers made from lean fish or meat (beef or whole chicken breast) and without cheese and mayonnaise. ■ NHS Choices plates, cutlery, tongs and chopping boards) that then comes into contact with other food.

Some easy steps to help prevent cross-contamination are: • always wash your hands after touching raw meat • use separate utensils (plates, tongs, containers) for cooked and raw meat • never put cooked food on a plate or surface that has had raw meat on it • keep raw meat in a sealed container away from foods that are ready to eat, such as salads and buns • don’t put raw meat next to cooked or partly cooked meat on the barbecue • don’t put sauce or marinade on cooked food if it has already been used with raw meat Keeping food cool. It’s also important to keep some foods cool to prevent food poisoning germs multiplying.

Make sure you keep the following foods cool: • salads • dips • milk, cream, yoghurt • desserts and cream cakes • sandwiches • ham and other cooked meats • cooked rice, including rice salads Don’t leave food out of the fridge for more than a couple of hours, and don’t leave food in the sun.

See the Food Standard Agency’s GermWatch campaign.

Fire safety. Make sure your barbecue is steady on a level surface, away from plants and trees.

The Fire Service advises covering the bottom of your barbecue with coal to a depth of no more than 5cm (2in). Use only recognised firelighters or starter fuel, and then only on cold coals.

Never use petrol on a barbecue. ■ NHS Choices

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Meat in your diet MEAT is a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals in your diet.

However, the Department of Health has advised that people who eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red and processed meat a day cut down to 70g.

Making healthy choices can help you eat meat as part of a healthy, balanced diet. But some meats are high in saturated fat, which can raise blood cholesterol levels.

If you eat a lot of red and processed meat, it is recommended that you cut down as there is likely to be a link between red and processed meat and bowel cancer.

Meats such as chicken, pork, lamb and beef are all rich in protein. A balanced diet can include protein from meat, as well as from non-animal sources such as beans and pulses.

Red meat is a good source of iron, and meat is also one of the main sources of vitamin B12.

Food hygiene is important when storing, preparing and cooking meat.

Find out more about: • Meat and saturated fat • How much red meat?

• Storing and preparing meat • Cooking meat • Liver and liver products • Meat and pregnancy • Meat and a healthier diet Making healthier choices can help you eat meat as part of a healthy diet.

Meat and saturated fat. Some meats are high in fat, especially saturated fat.

Eating a lot of saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels in the blood, and having high cholesterol raises your risk of heart disease.

The type of meat product you choose and how you cook it can make a big difference to the saturated fat content.

For example: • pork chops—trim the fat from pork chops and grill them, and they will contain around one-third the fat of roasted untrimmed chops (6.4g fat and 2.2g saturated fat per 100g compared with 19.3g fat and 7g saturated fat per 100g) • rump steak—a lean grilled rump steak contains about half the fat of fried rump steak with the fat (5.9g fat and 2.5g saturated fat per 100g compared with 12.7g fat and 4.9g saturated fat per 100g) • chicken—fried chicken breast in breadcrumbs contains nearly six times as much fat as chicken breast grilled without the skin (12.7g fat and 2.1g saturated fat per 100g compared with 2.2g fat and 0.6g saturated fat per 100g) Make healthier choices when buying meat. When buying meat, go for the leanest option. As a rule, the more white you can see on meat, the more fat it contains. So, for example, back bacon contains less fat than streaky bacon.

These tips can help you buy healthier options: • Ask your butcher for a lean cut.

• If you’re buying pre-packed meat, check the nutrition label to see how much

fat it contains and compare products.

• Go for turkey and chicken without the skin as these are lower in fat.

• Try to limit processed meat products such as sausages, salami, pâté and beef burgers, because these are generally high in fat. They are often high in salt, too.

• Try to limit meat products in pastry, such as pies and sausage rolls, because they are often high in fat and salt.

Cut down on fat when cooking meat.

Cut off any visible fat and skin before cooking—crackling and poultry skin are much higher in fat than the meat itself.

Here are some other ways to reduce fat when cooking meat: • Grill meat, rather than frying.

• Don’t add extra fat or oil when cooking meat.

• Roast meat on a metal rack above a roasting tin so the fat can run off.

• Try using smaller quantities of meat and more vegetables, pulses and starchy foods.

How much red and processed meat should we eat? Red meat (such as beef, lamb and pork) can form part of a healthy diet. But eating a lot of red and processed meat probably increases your risk of bowel (colorectal) cancer.

Processed meat refers to meat that has been preserved by smoking, curing, salting or adding preservatives. This includes sausages, bacon, ham, salami and pâtés.

If you currently eat more than 90g (cooked weight) of red and processed meat a day, the Department of Health advises that you cut down to 70g.

Ninety grams is equivalent to around three thinly cut slices of beef, lamb or pork, where each slice is about the size of half a piece of sliced bread. A cooked breakfast containing two standard British sausages and two rashers of bacon is equivalent to 130g.

Storing, preparing and cooking meat. Good food hygiene is especially important when handling meat because of the bacteria that it can contain.

Storing meat. It’s important to store and prepare meat safely to stop bacteria from spreading and to avoid food poisoning: • Store raw meat or raw poultry in clean sealed containers on the bottom shelf of the fridge, so the meat can’t touch or drip onto other food.

• Follow any storage instructions on the label and don’t eat meat after its “use by” date.

• If you cook meat that you’re not going to eat straight away, cool it as quickly as possible and then put it in the fridge or freezer. Remember to keep cooked meat separate from raw meat.

• Always thoroughly clean plates, utensils, surfaces and hands after they have touched raw or thawing meat to stop bacteria from spreading.

Freezing meat. It’s safe to freeze raw meat providing that you: • Freeze it before the “use by” date.

• Follow any freezing or thawing instructions on the label.

HEALTH and Lifestyle food

• Cook the meat straight away if you defrost it in a microwave. If you want to defrost meat and cook it later, thaw it in a fridge so that it doesn’t get too warm.

• Use the meat within two days of defrosting. It will go off in the same way as fresh meat.

• Cook food until it’s steaming hot all the way through.

When meat thaws, liquid can come out of it. This liquid will spread bacteria to any food, plates or surfaces that it touches. Keep the meat in a sealed container at the bottom of the fridge so that it can’t touch or drip onto other foods.

If you defrost raw meat and then cook it thoroughly, you can freeze it again.

But never reheat meat or any other food more than once as this could lead to food poisoning.

There is more information about how to freeze foods safely in Food safety.

Cooking meat. It’s important to prepare and cook meat properly. Cooking meat properly ensures that harmful bacteria on the meat are killed. If meat isn’t cooked all the way through, these bacteria may cause food poisoning.

Bacteria and viruses can be found all the way through certain meat. This means you need to cook these sorts of meat all the way through. When meat is cooked all the way through, its juices run clear and there is no pink or red meat left inside.

Meats that you should cook all the way through are:

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• poultry and game, such as chicken, turkey, duck and goose, including liver • pork • offal, including liver • burgers and sausages • kebabs • rolled joints of meat You can eat whole cuts of beef or lamb when they are pink inside—or “rare”—as long as they are cooked on the outside. This is because any bacteria are generally on the outside of the meat.

These meats include: • steaks • cutlets • joints Liver and liver products. Liver and liver products, such as liver pâté and liver sausage, are a good source of iron, as well as being a rich source of vitamin A. You should be able to get all the vitamin A you need from your daily diet.

The amount of vitamin A adults need is: • 0.7mg a day for men • 0.6mg a day for women However, because they are such a rich source of vitamin A, we should be careful not to eat too much liver and liver product foods because over the years, a harmful level of vitamin A can build up in the body. This is because the body stores any vitamin A it doesn’t use for future use, which means you do not need to consume it every day.

Having too much vitamin A—more than 1.5mg of vitamin A per day from food and supplements—over many years may make your bones more likely

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to fracture when you are older.

People who eat liver or liver pâté once a week may be having more than an average of 1.5mg of vitamin A per day. If you eat liver or liver products every week, you may want to consider cutting back or not eating them as often. Also, avoid taking any supplements that contain vitamin A and fish liver oils, which are also high in vitamin A. Women who have been through the menopause and older men should avoid having more than 1.5mg of vitamin A per week from food and supplements.

This means not eating liver and liver products more than once a week, or having smaller portions. It also means not taking any supplements containing vitamin A, including fish liver oil, if they do eat liver once a week. This is because older people are at a higher risk of bone fracture.

Pregnant women should avoid vitamin A supplements and liver and liver products. See below for more advice.

Meat and pregnancy. Pregnant women should avoid: • Pâté of all types, including vegetable pâté. They can contain listeria, a type of bacteria that could harm your unborn baby.

• Liver and liver products. These foods are very high in vitamin A, and too much vitamin A can harm the unborn child.

• Supplements containing vitamin A, including fish liver oils, except if you are advised to take these by your GP. ■ NHS Choices

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CELEBRITY, SHOWBIZ & ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

‘Kanto boy’ role a big challenge for mestizo actor Steven Silva

Michael V., TV5 chairman Manny V. Pangilinan, Michael V.’s wife Carol, and TV5 chief entertainment content officer Wilma Galvante. (MJ Marfori/InterAksyon)

Michael V. asks public to defer judgment on Wally Bayola sex video scandal MICHAEL V. asked the public to defer their judgment on the sex video scandal involving his “Eat Bulaga” co-host Wally Bayola and EB Babe Yosh Rivera.

Initially, the comedian and TV host was at a loss for words when asked to comment on the controversy during an intimate dinner with TV5 chairman Manny V. Pangilinan and TV5 president and CEO Noel C. Lorenzana at the Meralco Compound in Pasig on Wednesday.

“Ako naman hindi makapag-comment hanggang hindi ko marinig straight from the horse’s mouth,” Michael V. said.

Wally has not appeared on the daily noontime show since Tuesday after the video spread on the internet late Monday.

Michael V. was well aware of many people’s negative reaction to the scandal, especially considering that Wally is married and has five children.

He said he had decided to give his friend Wally the benefit of the doubt and wait for him to air his side of the story. “I’m suggesting everyone should do the same alamin niyo muna ang totoo bago tayo magkomento,” he said.

Michael V. and his wife Carol’s presence

at the dinner with the TV5 bigwigs came as a pleasant surprise to many. After his close friend Ogie Alcasid officially transferred to the Kapatid Network recently, he declared to media that he was not leaving GMA, although he said he had committed to host a game show on TV5.

Michael V. revealed that he had discussed the idea of hosting a show on TV5 as far back as last year with newly appointed TV5 chief entertainment content officer Wilma Galvante, his former boss at GMA and a sponsor at his wedding.

When the idea of a local version of the hit US game show “Killer Karaoke” — a favorite of his children, he said — was brought up, he knew he had the perfect project.

“Yung karaoke part na yan sa kulturang Pinoy. Para lagyan mo ng ganung klaseng twist nagpi-fit talaga siya sa personality ko… And gustong-gusto ko ang tagline niya na whatever happens you dont stop singing!” he said with a laugh.

“Killer Karaoke” will premiere on September 14 as a part of TV5’s new weekend primetime lineup. ■ MJ Marfori / News5 / September 6, 2013 / 4:25 PM

Alden Richards and Tom Rodriguez sizzle as cover boys of a leading women’s magazine

IT’S all about men in the September issue of a popular women’s magazine with this year’s all-new, all-fresh batch of 69 bachelors and 10 centerfolds.

This year’s edition of the much-awaited hunkfest gives readers twice the pleasure with a double cover for the first time ever featuring Kapuso cover boys Alden Richards and Tom Rodriguez.

Batch 2013 of the magazine’s annual boyfriend buffet will make you want to go back to school and earn your “bachelors” degree. Among the 10 celebrity centerfold who would fire up your campus fantasies are scorching hot Kapuso leading men, Alden Richards, Tom Rodriguez, Dennis Trillo and Aljur Abrenica.

At the press conference for the said magazine’s Bachelor Bash, GMANetwork caught up with cover boys Alden Richards and Tom Rodriguez, who shared with us how they felt about being on the cover of the magazine.

Alden Richards, with his boy-next-door appeal, stated, “I never imagined myself to be on the cover of the hottest women’s

magazine in the Philippines, so I’m very honored and thankful to Summit Media for giving me this chance.”

The hunky and talented Tom Rodriguez, who currently stars in My Husband’s Lover shared, “Well, first and foremost, it’s very, very flattering. It’s such an honor kasi I’ve never really considered myself

YOUNG Kapuso actor Steven Silva has played different roles in various teleseryes since he won in Starstruck V, but he considers his latest character in GMA’s new series, Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas as his most challenging to date.

GMANetwork.com caught up with Steven during the press conference of Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas recently, where he talked about playing a kanto boy, his dream role, and working with fellow Starstruck V alumni Rocco Nacino.

“Kanto boy ako dito sa Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas. Masaya lang, kasi siyempre ang role ko bilang isang kanto boy, simple lang ang buhay namin. Sa mga eksena namin, puro kami nasa labas, minsan nagba-basketball, nagbi-billiards.

Minsan nasa tambayan, doon lang sa kanto. So far naman, masaya siya. I’m really enjoying,” Steven says about his character, Tisoy.

He admits he is having some difficulty in giving justice to the role, but Steven

is determined to do his best. “Medyo challenging din siya para sa akin bilang isang Fil-Am na kailangan maging isang kanto boy. It’s a challenge, but I’m enjoying it so far.”

He adds, “At saka weird kasi, kami naman ni Solenn galing kami sa Indio.

Medyo nahirapan kami doon kasi ‘yung problema namin sa mga lines na malalim na Tagalog. Nag-usap nga kami, sabi niya ‘Grabe naman, galing sa Indio bilang diwata, tapos ako ngayon isang

kanto boy.’ It’s just another challenge.”

As for his dream role, the mestizo actor answered quickly. “Siguro I want to try maybe isang soldier na nasa war. I’d also like to try playing a psycho killer. Just exploring lang kasi as an actor, I think you really need to explore.”

Steven also shared his experience of working with Rocco. “Masaya naman ang tapings namin kasi siyempre close kami ni Rocco. In terms of if I have to get used to a new partner or co-actor, wala kaming problema doon kasi matagal na kaming magkasama ni Rocco sa mga shows, sa Sunday All Stars. Halos every week, kahit wala kaming taping, I still see Rocco. I think that’s one thing that makes our taping fun, Kahit it’s work, nag-eenjoy pa rin kami.”

Catch Steven Silva as Tisoy on Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas, weeknights after Anna KareNina on GMA Telebabad. ■ Michelle Caligan / Bochic Estrada / GMANetwork.com / September 12, 2013 / 3:57 PM

Bible sharing with Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao at GMA-7 DESPITE being busy with his boxing training and his work as Saranggani representative, world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao still took time out to conduct Bible sharing last Monday, September 9 at his home network, GMA-7.

The Pambansang Kamao spread the Good News and encouraged the Kapuso employees and executives led

by GMA Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon to read and live according to the

teachings of the Bible.

Pacquiao has been widely quoted as saying that the Bible is manual to life. He went on to share that sometimes, while reading the Bible alone, he finds himself in tears.

An ambassador of faith, Pacquiao, in his drive to spread the word of God, often cites his own experiences as examples to promote change and encourage more people to renew their faith and

relationship with the Lord.

Pacquiao focused on Joshua 1:8 which says “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” which sums up the way the boxing icon lives his life now—inspiring more people to follow the Bible. ■ FRJ, GMA News / September 10, 2013 / 9:03 PM

QC RTC finds Rosanna Roces guilty of violating her contract with GMA Network THE Regional Trial Court of Quezon City decided in favour of GMA Network in the case it filed against Jennifer Molina, more popularly known as Rosanna Roces, for violating her contract as a Startalk host in 2004.

GMA filed a complaint against Molina in 2005 for breach of contract after appearing in ABS-CBN’s showbiz entertainment shows during the lifetime of her talent agreement with GMA. In a 7-page decision, Presiding Judge Alfonso C. Ruiz III of RTC Branch 216 ruled that Molina breached her talent agreement with GMA when she appeared in ABS-CBN’s shows with the same format

as Startalk, namely The Buzz and the defunct S-Files after she announced her “retirement” from show business.

The Court added that her announcement did not terminate her talent contract with GMA, which specifically prohibits her to appear or perform in any program of the same format or time slot as Startalk within the duration of the agreement.

“She cannot unilaterally dismiss a contract which she voluntarily entered into with the mere declaration that she is retiring from show business, and then escape the obligations stated in the contract,” ruled Judge Ruiz.

as sexy kaya nakakagulat at masarap sa pakiramdam. For such a respectable magazine like Cosmo to even recognize you, and even better than that to put you on the cover, talagang I’m dumbfounded, and I’m very thankful and happy about it so ayoko kuwestiyonin ‘yung desisyon nila.”

Centerfold hotties Dennis Trillo and Aljur Abrenica also shared their secret to having ripped bodies that make girls scream.

Prinsesa ng Buhay Ko star Aljur Abrenica, who is known for his chiseled abs, said, “Umiiwas po ako sa pork at sa mga mamantikang pagkain, tapos lagi po akong nagdadala ng bottled vinegar kasi ‘yun ‘yung pinaka healthy na sauce ng salad, and then lagi lang may disiplina, dedikasyon at kailangan talaga ihabol ‘yung work out.”

For award-winning My Husband’s

Lover star, Dennis Trillo, the formula is quite simple. What exactly does he do?

“Nagpapagod sa gym, kumakain ng tama at positive attitude. Ang pakiramdam ko ay masaya, masuwerte, at pakiramdam ko mahal ako ng maraming tao, pakiramdam ko lang ‘yun, hindi ko alam kung totoo,” he quipped.

Also adding heat to the scorching hot roster of bachelors are Kapuso hunks Benjamin Alves, who recently played Miguel in GMA Afternoon Prime, Unforgettable and Vince Velasco, who currently plays the boyfriend of David (Victor Basa) in My Husband’s Lover.

You’re definitely in for steamy surprises as these Kapuso hunks make your flights of fancy come to life at the magazine’s Bachelors Bash on September 24 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City. ■ GMANetwork.com / September 11, 2013 / 3:59 PM

Molina was ordered to pay GMA P1,500,000 representing liquidated damages, P400,000 as exemplary damages, P100,000 as attorney’s fees and cost of suit. ■ GMA News / September 12, 2013

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

CELEBRITY, SHOWBIZ & ENTERTAINMENT SCOOP

Derek Ramsay schedules Halloween, Xmas, World Cup 2014 trips with Cristine Reyes

HALLOWEEN in Hong Kong. Christmas in Palawan. World Cup 2014 in Brazil.

These are the vacation getaways that Derek Ramsay has already blocked off for himself and new girlfriend Cristine Reyes.

“So it’s already all planned! One big group. Her friends, my friends. They all get along,” Derek told News5 on Friday.

Since they officially became a couple on August 28, the Kapatid hunk has been peppering his Instagram account with pictures of Cristine. In fact, his profile photo shows the new couple kissing lips to lips.

“I’m very very happy. It’s the first time I have a strong relationship with a strong foundation,” he said.

Derek is known to be a generous boyfriend. Is the rumor true that he had gifted Cristine with a brand-new Range Rover even before they became a couple?

“No!” he declared, laughing. “She just asked for advice dahil alam niya mahilig ako sa cars. Pero hindi naman niya sinunod advice ko!” (more laughs). “But that’s a characteristic of Cristine that I like.” ■ MJ Marfori / News5 / September 9, 2013 / 1:01 PM

Derek Ramsay and Cristine Reyes. Photo from Derek’s Instagram account.

Filipina wins Miss Supranational 2013 crown in Belarus PHILIPPINE bet Mutya Johanna Datul bagged the Miss Supranational 2013 crown Friday night in Minsk, Belarus, besting 82 other candidates from all over the world.

Earlier, the 21-year-old, 5’8” beauty from Isabela was declared a strong contender for the title after being named Miss Personality.

Now on its fifth year, the Miss Supranational pageant is considered the

fifth biggest international beauty contest in the world, after Miss Universe, Miss International, Miss World, and Miss Earth.

Datul is the first Filipina—the first Asian, in fact—to be named Miss Supranational, which came with a $25,000 cash prize. Last year’s Philippine representative, Elaine Kay Moll, won third runner up in the pageant held in Warsaw, Poland.

Binibining Pilipinas Charities, Inc., the local franchise holder for Miss Supranational, announced in a statement that Datul will come home “to a rousing welcome” on Monday, September 9.

Miss Mexico was named 1st runner-up, Miss Turkey 2nd runner-up, Miss Indonesia 3rd runner-up, and Miss US Virgin Islands 4th runner-up. ■ InterAksyon.com / September 7, 2013 / 8:03 PM

Stuck in traffic for 2 hours, Kris Aquino takes MRT to make it to event

from the Guadalupe station to Shaw.

“Malaking tulong. Na-alleviate ang stress ko. Akala ko di na ako aabot,” Kris told InterAksyon at the awarding ceremonies for Lucky Me Hapag-Usapang Short Film Competition at the Shang Cinema.

The actress-TV host, an endorser of the instant noodle brand, was very pleased with her first experience riding the MRT. “Malinis, mabilis. After two hours of traffic dun mo lang maa-appreciate siya talaga… Ang bongga pag connected sa

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Edu Manzano vows to challenge himself on new late night weekend talk show STILL one of the country’s most soughtafter TV hosts, Edu Manzano returns to the late night slot that first gave us a glimpse of his hosting prowess after starting his career as an actor.

Although Edu has not hosted a late night show since “Not So Late Night with Edu” (which premiered on GMA back in 1985) and “Late Night with Edu” (which enjoyed a two year run on ABC-5 from 1992 to 1994), he said he is more than up to the task of livening up Saturday nights with his new show on TV5 — “What’s Up, Doods?”

“It’s basically a talk show and similar to what I used to do with ‘Not So Late Night with Edu’ but it has many other components and will break the mold of traditional talk shows,” Edu told InterAksyon during a recent gathering of TV5 talents and executives at the Lighthouse restaurant at the Meralco Compound in Pasig.

Edu added that while he is pretty much free to do whatever he wants on the show, including hilarious comedy sketches, he is also going out of his comfort zone. He will also take on challenges from netizens and do things he is willing to learn and has not done before.

“Basta ba hindi buwis buhay ay kakayanin ko,” he declared.

The best part is, he’s going to do it live.

“Actually, we’ll initially tape the first two episodes but after that, everything will be live. As a host, you always want to put your best foot forward. We want to go live because unpredictability is very important thing in a talk show. You have no control of what will happen so you have to learn

Edu Manzano regales guests at recent TV5 gathering as Alice Dixson, Grace Lee, Cherie Mercado, and TV5 executive Peter Chanliong, TV5 president and CEO Noel Lorenzana and TV5 Chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan look on. ©TV, Bayani Bravante.

how not to look too shocked if something happens that you don’t expect.”

Since “What’s Up, Doods?” is a weekly show, Edu jokingly said that the likes of Martin Nievera, Tim Yap and even TV5’s own Jojo Alejar have nothing to worry about.

“But I will soon go daily and then twice on Sundays so pati si Philip Abadicio, dapat na ring kabahan,” he cracked.

Of course, a big part of any talk show is the engaging banter that the host has with his guests, and Edu said that is something viewers will have to watch out for in his show.

“If you really want to grow as a host, you should listen to others. That’s why I enjoy working with the likes of, say, Billy Crawford, with my son Luis, because I also learn from them. In the same manner, I also learn from the guests that I have on my show.”

During the recent press conference for TV5’s Weekend Do It Better line-up that took place at the Megatrade Hall of SM Megamall, Edu revealed that one of those guests is none other than Pinoy Rock legend, Joey “Pepe” Smith.

In addition to his admitted admiration for the rock icon’s musical achievements, Edu said that after seeing the trailer of “Above The Clouds”, Pepe’s upcoming indie film for award-winning filmmaker Pepe Diokno, Edu said he developed a renewed interest in acting.

“That and Erik Matti’s ‘On The Job’ are two films that made me want to go back to making films and not just as an actor but also as a producer,” Edu told the media.

“What’s Up, Doods?” premieres on TV5 on September 14. ■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon. com / September 12, 2013 / 12:04 AM

Sineng Pambansa entry ‘Eman’ remains unfinished after Derek Ramsay bows out WITH only two days to go before the opening of the Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival All-Masters Film Festival, both the makers of “Eman” and the festival organizer, Film Development Council of the Philippines, have expressed optimism that the anticipated biopic of slain poet-warrior Eman Lacaba would be completed before the festival ends.

As revealed during the official opening night of the film festival at the SM Mall of Asia last Saturday, “Eman” was still in production after director Tikoy Aguiluz was called onstage to introduce his film.

“Matatapos din namin ito,” said producer

Kris Aquino rides the MRT on Tuesday night. Photos from her Instagram account.

LIKE the multitude of commuters in Metro Manila, Kris Aquino found herself in a traffic jam on Edsa on Tuesday night after a massive downpour caused by a thunderstorm.

After two hours of traveling from her Makati home, her car remained at a standstill in the Guadalupe area and she faced the prospect of missing an event at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

So the presidential sister and her security detail left her car and took the MRT

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Kris Aquino poses while waiting in line at the MRT Guadalupe Station.

malls!” she said.

Kris was also grateful to the commuters she met on the train.

“They were so nice to me,” she said.

She posted two photos of her short trip on her Instagram account. ■ InterAksyon.com / September 11, 2013 / 10:07 AM

Chantel Garcia, who accompanied Aguiluz on stage together with Miriam Lacaba, daughter of Eman.

Aguiluz himself insisted that “Eman” is an experiemental project that he could not have done if not for the festival. Unlike the other master directors who came with their respective film’s cast members during the launch, Aguiluz said his stars were still in Davao where the film was supposedly being shot. The filmmaker did not speak to reporters and immediately left after the program.

FDCP executive director Teddy Granados admitted to InterAksyon that “Eman” was still “a work-in-progress”. He hinted that the finished film may not make the opening of the festival on Wednesday but may still be screened before it ends.

“He (Aguiluz) is still working on the film but he assured us that he would be able to show it before the festival ends,” Granados said.

Because of scheduling issues, Granados also confirmed that actor Derek Ramsay will no longer play the title role as earlier announced but added the FDCP had no idea on the film’s cast.

“We really don’t have a complete picture regarding the film but we just told him, ‘Just work on it, just finish it and we won’t bother you anymore’. But you know our directors, they do work fast so we hope it can still be completed in time,” he said.

In a subsequent interview with InterAksyon on Monday, producer Garcia said, “The project is ongoing and we are

working really hard to finish ‘Eman’.

“To film Eman Lacaba’s life is a dream project. It has been a personal journey for me and hopefully the younger generation of filmmakers will affirm that to pay tribute to the icon that Eman Lacaba is in Philippine history is long overdue. Though filming is also overdue, we are indebted by our intentions. The director owes it to Eman Lacaba, as a producer owes it to his director. We will finish the film and will announce as soon as everything is definite.” she concluded.

For his part, Derek lamented not being able to do “Eman”, a project that many consider to be a career-defining role for any actor.

“I feel so bad because I really like that project. That was a project I really, really looked forward to but because of my schedule, I have to put that aside,” the actor told InterAksyon during the recent story conference for his latest TV5 weekly drama series, “For Love or Money”. ■ Edwin P. Sallan / InterAksyon.com / September 9, 2013 / 7:41 PM

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COMMUNITY EVENT FOCUS

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Congratulations to the organisers and all the Winners of Mr & Miss Bicolandia UK 2013 Bicol Association UK Ltd • Saturday, 17 August 2013 at Conway Hall • Photos on behalf of Hello Philippines by Wils Lights Photography

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

COMMUNITY EVENT FOCUS

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A Successful Charity Dinner & Dance organised by Ilang-Ilang Association Held at Baden Powell House on Saturday, 24th August 2013 • Organisers: Litz & Miguel Asuncion • Photos on behalf of Hello Philippines by Wils Lights Photography

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NEWS

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

JBC starts search for next CA justices, deputy Mindanao ombudsman

THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has started its search for the replacement of two retiring Court of Appeals justices, as well as the deputy ombudsman for Mindanao.

The JBC said those interested to become the next CA justice or deputy ombudsan have until September 20 to file their applications or recommendations.

They also have until October 7 to submit other requirements.

The CA posts will be vacated by Associate Justices Rosalinda AsuncionVicente and Pampilo Abarintos, who will retire on November 23 and December 14, respectively, this year.

Meanwhile, incumbent Deputy Ombudsman for Mindanao Humphrey Montesoro’s term ends on December 4 this year.

Applications or recommendations (with conforme) must be submitted in duplicate to the JBC Receiving Section, Mezzanine, Supreme Court Centennial Bldg, Padre

Faura St, Manila. Two copies of newly accomplished and notarized Personal Data Sheet must also be submitted with a recent 2×2 picture.

The JBC can be reached via 5529607 or 552-9598 (fax); or via e-mail addresses jbc@supremecourt.gov.ph and jbc87supremecourt@gmail.com.

Interested applicants are also required to submit two copies each of the following documentary requirements—the original and a photocopy—as well as a transmittal letter and a compact disc containing scanned copies of these documents: • Transcript of law school records • Birth certificate or any other proof of age and citizenship • Certificate of admission to the Bar (with Bar rating) • Clearances from NBI and Ombudsman • Clearance from the Office of the Bar Confidant (not required of Members of the Judiciary)

Philippines, Germany approve revisions to double-taxation agreement MANILA - The Philippine and German governments have forged a new agreement that avoids double taxation of businesses operating in both countries.

In a statement, the Department of Finance (DOF) said Secretary Cesar V. Purisima and Ambassador Martin Ney of the German Foreign Ministry signed a revised Double Taxation Agreement during the Philippine official’s visit to Berlin last September 9.

“By signing this, we also renewed the commitment between both of our countries to promote tax transparency as an international priority, and to help each other fight tax evasion in our respective jurisdictions,” Purisima said.

• Police clearance from place of residence • Results of the following medical examination (conducted within two months prior to the filing of the application or recommendation): Routine chest x-ray (excluding x-ray films); complete blood count; routine urinalysis; blood chemistry—FBS, BUN,Creatinine, Uric Acid, Cholesterol, and SGPT; electrocardiogram (12-Lead) • Sworn Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Networth for the past two years in case of applicants in government service, or for the preceding year for those in private sector • Affidavit that applicant was not a candidate for any elective office in the immediately preceding election Certificate of Compliance with, or Exemption from, the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Program (for private practitioners) • Certificate from employer re

for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Offices of the Ombudsmand and Deputy Ombudsman.

The JBC had recently come up with separate shortlists of nominees for the post of Sandiganbayan presiding justice (highest post in the anti-graft court) and overall deputy ombudsman (second highest post in the Office of the Ombudsman). ■ Mark Merueñas / RSJ, GMA News / September 12, 2013 / 3:41 PM

PHL envoy presents credentials to int’l antigraft academy

The renegotiated agreement would also allow for sharing of information, thus enhancing tax administration on both sides, he said. ■ Rain Castro / InterAksyon.com / September 12, 2013 / 9:35 PM

Finance chief Cesar Purisima signed the agreement on behalf of the Philippines

employment and pending/ decided case (not required of Members of the Judiciary) • Clearance and Certificate of Good Standing from the IBP National Office Performance Rating for the past three years (for those in government service except Members of the Judiciary) • Sworn Medical Certificate with findings or impressions on the results of the said medical examination • Income Tax Return or Certificate of Compensation Payment/Tax Withheld for the two preceding years • Certification as to number of years in the teaching of law in a duly authorized or recognized law school (for applicants for LEB only) • Two sample decisions/ resolutions/ pleadings Treatises, opinions, or articles written, edited, or published (if any).

The JBC, chaired by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, is constitutionally mandated to screen and vet nominees

Philippine Ambassador Lourdes O. Yparraguirre with Mr. Martin Kreutner, Dean and Executive Secretary of the International Anti-Corruption Academy. DFA Photo

PHILIPPINE Ambassador and Permanent Resident Representative Lourdes Yparraguirre presented her credentials to International AntiCorruption Academy (IACA) dean and executive secretary Martin Kreutner in Austria last Aug. 23.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the ceremony took place at the academy in Laxenburg, near Vienna.

“Kreutner conveyed his appreciation to the Philippines for its strong support to the IACA and its initiatives,” the DFA said in a statement.

It noted the Philippines is a founding member and became a party to the agreement for the establishment of the IACA in June 2011.

Yparraguirre said anti-corruption is a very important facet of the Aquino administration, which equates anticorruption with anti-poverty.

She added the motto of good governance is good economics led to “concrete success” for the Philippines.

Yparraguirre also said the Philippines’ partnership with IACA should focus not only on the treatment of symptoms but on the long-term remedies against corruption.

It should also focus on changing a culture of corruption and impunity into a culture of transparency and accountability, she added. ■ KBK, GMA News / September 12, 2013 / 3:33 PM

San Miguel again defers IPO of power-sector subsidiary Young Pinoys shine in int’l ballet tilt

MANILA - San Miguel Corp (SMC) again is deferring the initial public offering (IPO) of its power generation unit, as the diversifying conglomerate gears up to sell more shares in its food subsidiary to finance its expansion.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, SMC said the postponement of SMC Global Power Holdings Corp’s maiden share sale was due to “prevailing market conditions.”

Instead of tapping the equity market, SMC Global Power will raise $700 from the debt market to finance two new power plants with a combined generation capacity of 600 megawatts, according to a Reuters report.

SMC Global Power, the holding firm for the power generation assets of San Miguel,

is the country’s biggest power producer. It accounts for about a fifth of the Philippines’ total supply.

In June, SMC chief operating officer Ramon S. Ang said the conglomerate may raise $150 million from the sale of at least a tenth of SMC Global Power through an IPO, pegging the company’s value at $1.5 billion.

A month later, Ang said SMC was studying the best option to sell 49 percent of its power sector subsidiary within the year.

Adverse market conditions in 2011 prompted SMC Global Power to defer its P37-billion IPO. After a dizzying ascent to 31 record highs at the start of the year, volatility has gripped the local market as the US Federal Reserve mulls the end of its $85-billion bond-buying program, a huge driver in fuelling stock

market rallies in the past several months.

After wiping out its losses and touching bear territory, the PSE index has recovered to post a gain of over seven percent yearto-date.

SMC is also planning to sell up to 25 percent of San Miguel Pure Foods Co Inc next year in a follow-on offering to raise funds for its expansion.

Anchored on the strength of the economy, Purefoods is expected to grow by double digits by end-2013, faster than the four percent growth in the first half, the Reuters report said.

The conglomerate expects Purefoods shares to be sold at an “expected premium” due to the performance of the company.

Last year, Purefoods raised P6 billion from the sale of 25 million common shares, equivalent to 15 percent of the company, to institutional investors at P240 apiece.

Apart from food, beverage and power generation, SMC also has interests in packaging, oil refining and retailing, telecommunications, financial services, mining, property development and infrastructure. It entered the aviation business last year with the acquisition of a 49 percent stake in Philippine Airlines for $500 million. ■ Krista Angela M. Montealegre / InterAksyon.com / September 12, 2013 / 9:23 PM

THREE young pairs of Filipino dancers emerged victorious in an international ballet competition held in Hong Kong last month.

The six Filipinos bested at least 200 participants from other countries in the Pas de Deux division of the 2013 Asian Grand Prix International Ballet Competition (AGPIC) held last August 13 to 18.

A statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the Filipinos won gold and silver medals.

The Asian Grand Prix website listed the winners as: • Jasmine Pia Dames and Rudolph Capongcol - Gold • Dawna Reign Mangahas and Elpidio Magat, Jr.; Joan Emery Sia and Alfren Salgado – Tie, Silver In the senior division, Capongcol also received a silver medal while his partner, Dames, came in at fifth place. On the other hand, Mangahas received bronze while Magat entered at seventh place. Jessica Pearl Dames placed at six and Arnulfo Andrade Jr. eighth.

Dames and Capongcol were recipients of the Sansha Excellency Award, while Mangahas, Magat, and Andrade received the So Danca Prize for the Senior and Male Dancer category respectively.

Winners in the Junior division included: • Lormaigne Hannelore Bockmuhl – Junior A, Bronze; recipient of So Danca Prize for Junior Division • Pia Angela P. Custodio – Junior A, Fifth place • Raye Vince Pelegrin – Junior A, Sixth place; recipient of Summer Intensive Program scholarshipfor the Junior A Division • Rissa May Camaclang – Junior B, Silver • Jessa Balote – Junior B, Fifth place • Julio Laforteza – Junior C; Fifth place Some of the Philippine schools represented in the event were Acts School for the Performing Arts, Ballet Manila, and Steps Dance Studio/Sofia Zobel Elizade.

Capongcol and Sia had also participated in last year’s AGPIC where they were also victorious.

Held at the Y-Theatre, Youth Square in Hong Kong, AGPIC was established in 2011 and is open to young ballet dancers from all over the world.

Carlo Pacis, a former member of Ballet Philippines, is one of the former principal dancers of the Hong Kong Ballet who organized the competition. ■ Rie Takumi / KBK, GMA News / September 12, 2013 / 5:33 PM

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September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Remarks of Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. Del Rosario on the occasion of the 3rd High Level Public-Private Counter-Piracy Conference

BEFORE I begin, I would like to thank the Government of the United Arab Emirates for their hospitality and their dedication in tackling this issue of maritime piracy. As this is the third conference of its kind, I am pleased to see how awareness of our concerns is growing, and that the international community has taken many steps towards the eradication of maritime piracy.

The Federal Government of Somalia also deserves to be congratulated, as it has accepted assistance from the international community and has been successful in reducing the incidences of piracy in the highrisk area emanating from its coast. Peace and development in Somalia is ultimately the longterm solution to ending piracy, and we hope that the successes of Somalia be sustained as

we look forward to a future where piracy would no longer be a major concern.

Maritime piracy is a serious issue for the Philippines being the world’s largest supplier of seafarers since 1987 and as a flagstate registry for ocean-going vessels. The Philippines is the vessel-manning capital of the world, supplying one-fourth of the total seafarers, so that there is a high probability that a Filipino seafarer is victimized during a piracy incident.

Since 2006, about 826 Filipinos had been held for ransom by Somali pirates. With the decline in piracy off the coast of Somalia, only 5 Filipino seafarers are currently held in captivity.

There are 118 Philippine-registered oceangoing ships, 90 per cent of which pass through

Ambassador Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. and Ambassador Neritan Ceka sign the Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Council of Ministries of the Republic of Albania on the Waiver of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic, Service and Official Passports, at the Embassy of the Philippines in Rome, Italy.

(Left photo) Ambassador Reyes and Ambassador Ceka shake hands and exchanged toasts after the ceremony. (Right photo) Ambassador Reyes and Ambassador Ceka (seated) with Philippine and Albanian diplomats at the social hall of the Embassy of the Philippines.

the high-risk area near the Somali coast.

The Philippine Government, through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, has required that all seafarers undertake piracy awareness seminars before their deployment.

MARINA, as the flag-state administration for Philippine-flagged vessels, has come out with rules regarding the employment of privately contracted armed service personnel to help guard Philippine ships in the high-risk zone.

The Philippines has also contributed the services of a Naval Liaison Officer for the Combined Maritime Forces stationed in Bahrain, which has a mission to patrol the high-risk area. At present the Philippines has a bilateral counter-piracy training agreement with the United States for seafarers, which has been expanded to include counter-piracy training for ASEAN and East Asian seafarers.

The East Asia Seafarers Training (EAST) is tentatively scheduled for September 2013 in Manila.

I would also like to express the Philippines’ continued support for international efforts aimed at preventing and suppressing piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia. The Combined Maritime Forces – EUNAVFOR, NATO, AMISOM, and other international forces – have all contributed to a better security environment that has reduced incidences of piracy to an all-time low. Along with this, the Philippines hopes for the successful implementation of the Djibouti Code of Conduct on the Suppression of Piracy in Somalia.

Even with all the efforts of the international community thus far, we cannot afford to be complacent. Complacency with piracy comes at a high cost. After all, international shipping lanes are the lifeline of global trade,

and as previously stated, the World Bank estimates the economic impact of piracy at US$18 billion a year.

However, ships and goods are not the only assets of value at risk to piracy. Another valuable asset that traverses the seas is the seafarers. Even as international shipping is increasingly becoming automated, there is very much a human component in its operations. The navigation, maintenance, and efficiency of a ship have always been in human hands, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

There are people in these ships. These people have hopes and dreams. They have families. Most importantly, they have rights.

And when they become victims of piracy, all these are jeopardized.

The Philippines, as a member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Council, has implemented a variety of best practices in order to mitigate the impact of piracy on its direct victims, the seafarers.

As mentioned earlier, we have authorized Philippine-flagged ships to privately contract armed service personnel, giving them the option to literally combat piracy. This, of course, is an extreme option, and we have emphasized the risks of exercising this option.

Every Filipino seafarer is given a comprehensive orientation on what to do in the event of a pirate attack. We also take great care in ensuring that families of victims get all the information and counseling that they need. Once seafarers are rescued, we conduct debriefing sessions to understand more about the pirates and their methods.

We also assist them in getting their lives back together through post-traumatic counseling and other services.

But despite these efforts, we can only be as effective in our ability to coordinate with ship owners. We therefore urge ship owners

to be more open to sharing information on the status of captive seafarers. A little information will go a long way in helping families of victims maintain their resolve and in keeping their hopes alive. We have yet to address cases wherein a ship owner abandons the ship, leaving its crew to an uncertain fate. We call on ship owners to refrain from resorting to this course of action, as this also constitutes the abandonment of lives as it is an abandonment of property.

We still have a long way to go in our campaign against piracy. There is still much to be done, and the Philippine Government shall continue to engage and coordinate with the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations, relevant government institutions, adhoc groups such as the Contact Group on Piracy in the Coast of Somalia, and shipping and manning agencies in the Philippines to explore options and determine the best course of action to protect seafarers, ships, and address the problem of piracy worldwide.

In closing, I wish to again congratulate the Government of the United Arab Emirates for organizing this conference which has provided us a forum to exchange views on this important issue that is besetting the global maritime industry. I hope that this conference will help guide us in our search for more effective solutions to eradicate piracy in the high seas. Thank you. ■ Philippines Embassy Manila

Phl Attends ASEM Senior Officials Meeting in New Delhi

Bilateral meeting between Ambassaodr Reyes and Ambassador Ceka.

Philippines, Albania sign visa waiver agreement for diplomatic and official passport holders TWENTY-SIX (26) years since the establishment of Bilateral Diplomatic Relations, the Philippines and Albania signed their first Agreement in over two decades.

On September 09, the two countries signed the “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania on the Waiver of Visa Requirements for Holders of Diplomatic, Service and Official Passports.”

The Philippine Ambassador to Albania Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. signed the historic document with Albanian Ambassador to the Italian Republic, Neritan Ceka, at the Philippine Embassy in Rome, Italy. The agreement will facilitate exchanges of high-level and official visits and hopefully pave the way for greater cooperation in the

political, economic and cultural spheres.

The signing ceremony was preceded by a meeting between the two envoys that discussed the status of PhilippineAlbanian relations and other agreements under negotiation, including a Cultural Cooperation Agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Establishment of a Political Consultations Mechanism between the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs and the Albanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In March 2012, Ambassador Reyes presented his Credentials as non-resident Philippine Ambassador to Albania to President Bamir Topi in Tirana. The visit coincided with the Silver Jubilee of Philippine-Albanian relations and the Centennial Anniversary of the Republic of Albania. ■ September 12, 2013

FOREIGN Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Zeneida Angara Collinson, Senior Official Meeting (SOM) Leader of the Philippines to the Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) attended the ASEM-SOM Meeting held from September 03 to 05 in New Delhi, India.

Fifty senior officials from the 48 ASEM member countries, ASEAN Secretariat and the European External Action Service (EEAS) convened to discuss improvements in the ASEM working methods and ways to strengthen Asia-Europe cooperation in the political, economic and socio-cultural fields.

Senior officials acknowledged the need to maintain ASEM’s relevance in a highly interdependent world and to enhance its visibility. Assistant Secretary Collinson remarked that “in order for ASEM to remain a significant inter-regional forum, it is important that ASEM continue the robust

and healthy dialogue on compelling political issues of concern to both Asia and Europe.

ASEM can then add value to discussions made in other regional and international fora.”

There was also consensus that partnership in ASEM should move towards producing tangible projects for cooperation, such as on education and human resources development, renewable energy, water and waste management, SMEs, public health, urbanization and greenways, food safety, and disaster management and mitigation, among others.

Under the ASEM framework, the Philippines, together with Switzerland, will be co-hosting a Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and Climate Change Adaptation in Manila in 2014 and an International Experts’ Workshop on the Recovery of Illicit Assets.

Asia Europe Meeting Senior Official’ Meeting, September 03-05, 2013, New Delhi, India

At the sidelines of Meeting, Assistant Secretary Collinson conducted bilateral meetings with ASEM partners.

The agenda for the upcoming 11th Foreign Ministers Meeting which will be held from November 11 to 12 in New Delhi, themed “ASEM: Bridge to Partnership and Growth & Development” was discussed with the Senior Officials endorsing a format of two plenary sessions and a retreat.

ASEM is an informal process of dialogue and cooperation established in 1996 with the main objective of forging a comprehensive partnership between Asia and Europe. The Philippines is one of the inaugural members of ASEM. It is the only comprehensive forum where Europe and Asia engage one another at the highest levels of government. ■ Philippine Embassy Manila / September 9, 2013

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

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Nightmare goes on: More dead, more houses burned in Zambo MANILA, Philippines - As members of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) torched more houses and buildings while retreating from advancing security forces in Zamboanga City, Mayor Isabelle Climaco Salazar said the perpetrators of the crisis are fully accountable for the lives lost and the city’s destruction, and hoped the “full force of the law” would fall on their heads.

She urged residents to keep praying “our nightmare would end.”

At a briefing called by the local crisis committee Sunday afternoon, representatives of a Muslim association in Zamboanga also denied having called a jihad, and stressed that the Muslim residents are in complete harmony with the local government and with Christians.

Officials also appealed to parties spreading rumors about supply shortages, saying they should not fan people’s fears, or lay down the pretext for hoarding or profiteering. Commerce was reported to have normalized in several key areas of the bustling city by weekend, especially for traders of basic supplies.

Casualty count rising. As of Sunday afternoon, the military said the MNLF has

already suffered 51 dead and 19 of them were either captured or surrendered.

On the government side, the number of fatalities remained at 6 and 59 wounded.

Relatedly, Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairperson Loreta Ann Rosales praised government forces for giving paramount consideration to the safety of hostages in the conduct of “calibrated operations.”

Rosales said in her Twitter account: “We congratulate [our] brave policemen and soldiers in containing [the] MNLF rampage under International Humanitarian Laws (IHL)/Human Rights (HR) guidelines. You make us proud!”

Mayor Climaco-Salazar described the situation as “heartbreaking and upsetting” because of the destruction brought about by the “war for independence” being waged by Misuari and his loyalists. Pitched battles broke out anew over the weekend after a short-lived cease-fire brokered by Vice President Binay that took effect Saturday midnight was broken by fresh fighting.

The mayor called on Zamboanga residents to “keep praying” so that “our nightmare” would end.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said hundreds of houses, buildings and structures were being torched by the rebels in Sta. Catalina and Sta. Barbara.

3 bodies found. On Sunday morning, authorities recovered two dead MNLF rebels—a man and a woman—and another dead MNLF male fighter was also recovered in Sta. Barbara after government forces flushed out the rebels in several minutes of firefight at the Sta. Barbara Elementary School.

Four MNLF members—two men and two women—were also captured in Sta. Catalina. “Our operations are continuous and we’re gaining ground. We’re pushing forward to some areas they held and hopefully we will retake them soon,” Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, head of the military’s public affairs office, said.

Zagala added they were “looking [at] a speedy conclusion, but again we don’t want to use speed as our basis. It must be calibrated because there are hostages. Hindi tayo nagmamadali [We are not rushing]. Our focus is really for the hostages not to be hurt, ‘yun ang importante [that is important],” he added.

According to the Crisis Management

Fire breaks out in Sta. Barbara, one of the areas where pitched battles continued at the weekend between State forces and the MNLF. ©InterAksyon.com, Erwin Mascarinas.

Committee (CMC) led by ClimacoSalazar, four more hostages, including two children, were able to escape Sunday morning from their MNLF captors.

President Benigno Aquino III was still in the city to personally supervise the military operations against the MNLF. Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said the President is giving orders to ground commanders.

Also with him are Defense Secretary

Voltaire Gazmin, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Emmanuel Bautista, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Alan Purisima, among others.

The CMC said close to 70,000 evacuees continue to cram evacuation centers, and DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman said there are enough supplies for food, water and other basic things for the evacuees. ■ Jaime Sinapit / InterAksyon. com / September 15, 2013 / 5:26 PM

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Tread carefully on Enrile in pork barrel scam case, House minority leader tells govt lawyers MINORITY Leader Ronaldo Zamora on Wednesday advised government lawyers to ensure an airtight case against people they would link to the alleged pork barrel scam, cautioning them to tread carefully on the likes of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.

“You’re talking about somebody close to 90. If you want to make a case against him, make sure it’s an airtight case. Make sure your case will hold up in court,” Zamora said in a news conference.

“In the case of Senator Enrile, I would advise government prosecutors to be very, very careful. He’s not just somebody of a certain age, he’s also smart and a very competent lawyer. Baka akala nila iyong kaso nila ganun-ganun lang, baka mabigla sila to find out that the case is full of holes,” he added.

Enrile--the defense minister of both Presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Corazon Aquino who later launched coups against

the latter--has been named as one of the lawmakers who channeled his pork barrel to bogus non-government organizations run by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles.

President Benigno Aquino III said that government lawyers will start filing cases this week or next week based on the results of the investigation of the fact finding team composed of the Department of Justice, Office of the Ombudsman, and the Commission on Audit.

Zamora said testimonies of whistleblowers are not enough. They should be corroborated by documentary evidence to show how the alleged misuse of the pork barrel took place, and who benefitted from the money.

“Right now, what we have is graphs, you have networks, you have interesting questions, but you didn’t have a case until you are able to start talking to the people involved like municipal officials, mayors,

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile during the impeachment trial of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona in this file photo.

asking them for example, where the P30 million went,” he said.

In the same news conference, Representative Silvestre Bello of 1-Banat at Ahapo partylist, said that information

that would show that lawmakers directly benefitted from the PDAF has yet to be shown.

“Wala pang nagsasabi na itong si (Benhur) Luy (one of the whistleblowers) ay

nagdala ng P10 million kay Senator Revilla or Marcos...I’m not offering myself as lawyer for defense, pero kung iyong lang ang evidence nila, acquitted na ang senador because from those statements alone, there’s no evidence that the money went to the senators and congressmen,” Bello, former justice secretary, said.

Bayan Muna partylist Representative Neri Colmenares said that the testimonies of whistleblowers form part of the crucial evidence of the case, adding that the country’s justice system is witness-driven.

“Whistleblowers form part of the case.

Their testimonies doesn’t only come from witnessing, but from being part of it,” he said.

Colmenares said that the government should study on how some whistleblowers can qualify as state witnesses to bolster the case at hand. ■ Lira Dalangin-Fernandez / InterAksyon.com / September 11, 2013 / 5:32 PM

Job-creating foreign investments White for Kristelle: Murdered ad exec to be laid to rest Sunday Philippines - Kristelle Davantes, Sucat, Parañaque City. up more than a tenth in 1H the MANILA, Police probers earlier admitted they 25-year old advertising executive

MANILA - Foreigners pulled out more money than they invested in jobgenerating businesses at the close of the first half of the year, data released today by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

In a report, the BSP said the country suffered from $61 million in net outflows of foreign direct investments (FDI) last June, a reversal of the $307 million net inflows in the same month last year.

Despite the net pullout of investments last June, the country still enjoyed net inflows of $2.2 billion in the first six months of the year. This was 10.9 percent more than the nearly $2 billion in net inflows in the same six-month period last year.

In June alone, all categories of FDI registered weaker growth, if not contracted altogether. Equity capital reversed to net outflows of $193 million from last year’s net inflows of $78 million.

Reinvested earnings fell sharply from $123 million in June last year to $59 million in the same month this year.

Likewise, loans that foreign companies

granted their local subsidiaries or affiliates fell from $106 million in 2012 to $72 million this year.

The government has been counting on the country’s credit rating upgrade to fuel inflows of brick-and-mortar investments. Two of the world’s three major rating firms lifted the Philippines to investment grade.

Fitch was the first to upgrade the Philippines, followed by Standard and Poor’s, leaving Moody’s as the only rating firm that has yet to deliver an increase in the country’s debt score. Investment grade confers lower borrowing costs for a country, thus leaving it more resources to finance economic growth. ■ Arnold S. Tenorio / InterAksyon.com / September 10, 2013 / Updated 9:49 PM

whose brutal killing continues to baffle investigators, will be buried at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 15, according to the Facebook account of the Justice for KAE movement.

“Please express our sympathies to the family by wearing WHITE,” the Justice for KAE appealed to those who will join her final journey.

Mass will be first celebrated at Mary Immaculate Church on Moonwalk Village in Las Piñas City where her family lives, and where she was en route to when she disappeared after leaving Bonifacio Global City at past 1am last Saturday, Sept 7.

Her funeral cortege will then proceed after the mass to Manila Memorial Park in

were stumped by the motive of her assailant or assailants, after examination showed she was not raped and her personal belongings like mobile phone were intact.

However, her car, a gold Toyota Altis (PIM 966) remains missing. It’s the one she was driving when she left BGC around 1 a.m.

Saturday after a night out with colleagues who even saw her off at a parking lot on 9th Avenue at the BGC. Her family and friends started to worry when she didn’t come home; residents in Silang, Cavite later found her body beneath a bridge, and probers theorized she was killed elsewhere and dumped there.

She bore multiple stab wounds and had apparently been strangled.

from the the 8.2 percent contraction in June.

Leading last July’s growth was electronics, which was the country’s top export at 39.1 percent of the total shipments and increased 11.2 percent to $1.892 billion from the previous year’s $1.701 billion. Last July’s electronics shipments however came from a low base in 2012 when exports of the product contracted 24.6 percent.

The fastest growing export last July however was machinery and transport equipment, which increased 131.7 percent, but at $516.5 million accounted for only 11 percent of total Philippine shipments.

Japan emerged as the Philippines’ top market, with sales of $956.4 million, a fifth of the total exports and up 24.2 percent from $770 million a year ago. ■ Arnold S. Tenorio / InterAksyon.com / September 10, 2013 / 10:49 AM

Davantes was a senior account manager of McCann Worldgroup Philippines MRM, and holds a master’s degree in marketing communications from De La Salle University.

Her brutal killing has outraged many sectors, especially colleagues and mentors who praised her for her intelligence, passion for work and integrity. ■ InterAksyon.com / September 11, 2013 / 2:06 PM

Zambo City urges area residents to ‘seek safer ground’ amid clashes

RESIDENTS in of seven Zamboanga City areas of were advised Thursday evening to “seek safer ground” amid continued clashes between government and Moro National Liberation FrontMisuari faction forces.

In a public advisory posted on her Facebook page, city Mayor Isabelle

Climaco-Salazar also said the curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. will remain in place.

“Imposition of curfew will continue from 8 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. tomorrow and schools - both public and private will likewise remain closed. Only offices rendering frontline services will operate (Friday),” she said.

Rebound in electronics pushes up July exports MANILA - Philippine exports opened the third quarter on a positive note, climbing for a second straight month in July on the back of a double-digit increase in electronics shipments.

In a report, the National Statistics Office (NSO) today said sales abroad of Philippine-made goods grew 2.3 percent to $4.836 billion last July from $4.727 billion a year ago.

Last July’s increment however was slower than the 4.1 percent year-on-year uptick in June. Month-on-month, exports turned around, rising 7.7 percent in July

Kristelle Davantes from the Justice for KAE Facebook page

The sight of this woman playing with her infant along the Zamboanga City coastline contrasts with the ongoing violence in the city that started on Monday, September 9, when MNLF gunmen entered five villages and seized hundreds of civilian hostages.The woman was among the residents who on Wednesday, September 11, flee their homes by boats to avoid being caught in the crossfire.

The areas where residents were urged “to seek safer grounds and be out of harm’s way” were: Barangay Sta. Barbara Barangay Sta. Catalina Barangay Mampang Barangay Talon-Talon Barangay Rio Hondo Morning Breeze and Posadas Drives in Tugbungan In a series of posts on its Twitter account, the Zamboanga City government advised residents who wished to evacuate to coordinate with their barangay officials.

Food for soldiers Meanwhile, the city government assured residents who wished to provide soldiers food that the soldiers have their own rations.

“INFO FROM SOLDIERS: they have their own ration of food in their own combat packs good for seven days before going to operations in the field,” said the city government.

However, since the situation was abnormal and logistics were spread out thinly, “(i)f you happen to see them, please share.”

The city government also said there was no information of a power outage for the night. ■ DVM, GMA News / September 13,

2013 / 3:58 AM

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September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Sardine manufacturers warn that prolonged armed conflict wil disrupt supply next year

MANILA - Sardine manufacturers today warned that a prolonged shutdown brought about by armed clashes between government troops and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in Zamboanga City would compromise supply of the commodity next year.

Onjie Cruz, president of the Sardine Association of the Philippines, said memberfirms are losing P33 million a day -- or nearly P100 million in the last three days --because of a work stoppage triggered by the armed

conflict.

He said the group accounts for 85 percent of the country’s sardine production, as Zamboanga is home to six of the biggest canneries.

“If this continues for another week, we may have problems here in Manila,” said Cruz.

The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) yesterday said it has shut down the Zamboanga Baseload Port, which is the main gateway to the Zamboanga Peninsula.

Cruz said inventories remain adequate until December, but the work stoppage will impact on next year’s supply.

“High volume areas may run out. Luzon is our biggest market,” he said, adding that a shortage may be felt by June, when the lean season for sardines starts.

“We have committed no price movement until December, we will keep that,” Cruz said.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it will ask Zamboanga’s sardine

manufacturers to shift production to Luzon or Visayas in case of a prolonged conflict.

“Meron naman tayong alternative sources. Meron ding cannery sa Luzon, Visayas. Siguro they will shift operations,” said DTI Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection director Vic Dimagiba.

He however appealed to Zamboanga retailers to keep their stores open so residents can replenish their supplies. ■

Michelle Orosa-Ople / News5 / September 11, 2013 / 7:24 PM

Trade standstill looms in Zamboanga peninsula after PPA shuts down city port

MANILA - The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has suspended the operation of its port in Zamboanga.

The agency blamed the shutdown of the Zamboanga City Baseport on fighting between the government and a renegade group from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

The Port of Dapitan in Zamboanga del Norte however remains open.

The Zamboanga Baseport has a total cargo throughput of 1.71 million metric tons, based on 2012 data. Of the total, domestic cargo reached 1.65 million metric tons and international cargo, 63,519.

The port also handled 2.41 million

domestic passengers last year.

Zamboanga City Baseport is the main port of entry in the region. As the region’s commercial center, Zamboanga City serves as the peninsula’s trade link to other Southeast Asian nations, and to the rest of the world. ■ Darwin G. Amojelar / InterAksyon.com /

be “consequences”.

The UN report promises to be very technical with details of the missile used and possibly the trajectory of the missile, according to diplomats. It was not certain however that Sellstrom’s report would give full details of the chemical used.

“They have collected a considerable amount of evidence—evidence through samples, evidence through witness interviews—and they can construct through that a fact-based narrative that can get at the key facts of what happened on August 21,” a UN spokesman said on August 29 before the team left through Damascus.

The samples of blood, hair, urine, soil and other elements have been analysed

at laboratories in Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Finland, according to officials.

Alongside the report, Ban will make his own presentation which could also influence the next stages of the diplomatic debate.

“The commission had access to a very large amount of evidence,” said a UN Security Council diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “Any reader of the report will be able to guess who carried it out.”

“That is not so important now,” added a second diplomat. “What is important is the negotiations for a council resolution on the Geneva accord.” ■ Agence France-Presse /

September 10, 2013 / 4:02 PM

U.N. Secretary General Ban to present key Syria chemical report UNITED NATIONS - UN leaders have “agonized” over a report that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will present Monday on chemical weapons in Syria that could renew pressure on President Bashar alAssad, officials said.

Ban has already revealed that he expects the report by a UN investigation team to the UN Security Council to give “overwhelming” confirmation that arms were used in an attack near Damascus on August 21 in which hundreds died.

But the UN team is not allowed to say who carried out the attack, which the West blames on Assad. While diplomats say the detail will give a clear pointer to who is responsible, opponents and supporters of Assad—who pleads innocence—will be

looking for evidence to back their case.

A Russia-US accord on the dismantling of Syria’s chemical stockpile will also weigh heavily on Security Council consultations expected to be called Monday.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday slammed what he called attempts to “retouch” the UN report. Syria’s UN envoy, Bashar Jaafari, has also said his government will not accept a “politicised” report.

“Russia, the Americans, all sides, have been putting on pressure over this report,” a UN official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Ban’s office has agonized over every word. The message has to be how serious this attack was but also support the Russia-US initiative.”

Binay on aborted Zambo cease-fire: President knew I’d talk to Nur, I just wanted to save lives

MANILA, Philippines - Refuting critics who accused him of speaking out of turn on the aborted cease-fire in Zamboanga City, Vice President Jejomar Binay said Sunday he had spoken to President Benigno Aquino III since Wednesday on talking to MNLF founding chair Nur Misuari to peacefully resolve the standoff and save the lives of hostages and civilians.

The President knew he would try and reach Misuari, his former classmate, and that when he met Mr. Aquino when he flew to Zamboanga Saturday, he relayed to him Misuari’s terms, and he and the President discussed this over lunch.

Binay said he simply served as channel to relay the to and fro of terms between the President and Misuari, as the two did not have the chance to meet face to face. Binay declined to elaborate on the conditions that broke the deal even before it could take off.

“I don’t want to delve into the conditions kasi baka ma-exacerbate pa yung hindi pagkakasundo. So di bale na lang yun. Basta di nagkasundo

yung dalawang parties sa condition,” Binay said in an interview with GMA-7, a transcript of which was sent to media offices by the Office of the Vice President.

Past 11pm Friday, Binay announced to media that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Misuari had agreed on a case-fire effective midnight Saturday, to pave the way for possible talks for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.

Critics blasted Binay after the ceasefire collapsed when fighting renewed at dawn Saturday. But, Binay clarified he did not in any way twist what Gazmin said, which was that he was fine with holding fire “basta’t hindi kami papuputukan [as long as they don’t fire at our positions].’

He said Gazmin knew that he and the President spoke first on Wednesday about possibly talking to Misuari, and that Gazmin told him Thursday to wait awhile for the results of the talk between Zamboanga Mayor Isabelle Climaco Salazar and Misuari. When this was over, Binay said, he spoke next to Misuari on Friday. ■ InterAksyon.com / September 15, 2013

/ 4:38 PM

Diplomats from various countries also confirmed approaches to Ban about the report.

The UN team, led by Swedish expert Ake Sellstrom, went to Damascus on August 18 to investigate claims that chemical weapons were used near Aleppo on March 19 and at two other sites, which have been kept secret.

They were in Damascus when the attack on opposition-held Ghouta in the suburbs was staged on August 21. The United States says 1,400 people were killed, and, backed

by Britain and France, has blamed the Assad government.

The team was immediately put onto the Ghouta attack and will return later to investigate the other sites.

Threats to stage a military strike on Assad targets have been thwarted by the British parliament’s rejection of action, US President Barack Obama’s decision to seek congressional approval, and the Russia-US accord announced Saturday seeking to dismantle Syria’s chemical arms by 2014.

The UN report will influence any attempt by the UN Security Council to agree a resolution backing the Russia-US accord.

Lavrov has made clear Russia will not allow any UN resolution that approves the use of force if Assad does not carry out the accord. Western nations insist there must

September 15, 2013 / 11:40 PM

Top Filipino bet falls in second day of world junior boxing championships

KIEV, Ukraine – The second day of the 2013 AIBA Junior World Boxing championships proved to be a shocker for the PLDT-ABAP national team as one of their top bets succumbed in a slam-bang affair that the delegation thought they surely won.

Hipolito Banal Jr, 16, looked like he delivered the clearer punches in several exchanges against Azerbaijan’s Eljan Gafarli but three judges found it for the Azeri, all with identical scores of 29-28 in three rounds.

The 10-point must system is now used in Olympic-style boxing, giving a mandated

10 points to the boxer whom a judge feels has won the round. In this case, the judges gave Gafarli two rounds and Banal one.

The championships are being held at the impressive Kiev Sports Palace in this capital city around 480 miles west of Moscow, with 56 countries represented by 351 boxers aged 15-16 years old.

National coach Ronald Chavez, who worked Banal’s corner with juniors head coach Romeo Brin, was stunned by the decision. “Sigurado na kami na panalo kasi maganda pinakita ni Banal at nakita namin yong coach ng Azerbaijan na umiiling pagkatapos ng laban,” said Chavez.

Delegation head Ed Picson however called for sobriety reminding everyone that the rules do not allow protests over the judges’s decision. Only actuation of the referee may be questioned, per AIBA rules.

The setback leaves opening day winner Mike Angelo Plania and Paul Gilbert Galagnao to carry the torch for PLDT-ABAP. Plania, 16, takes on Puerto Rico’s Henry Lebron Jr. on Tuesday, while 15 year old Galagnao steps into the ring for the first time versus highly-touted Istvan Szaka of Hungary the same day.

The tournament ends on September 15. ■ September 10, 2013 / 12:57 PM

SPORTS

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

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Dodging Manny Pacquiao? Floyd Mayweather admits picking easier opponents for more money HOLLYWOOD - Floyd Mayweather says his undefeated record has been partly built on the backs of handpicked opponents who didn’t always provide the toughest fights but did help him become the world’s best paid athlete.

“Sometimes they say, ‘Well, Floyd Mayweather’s opponents was handpicked.’

That’s a good thing,” Mayweather said during a conference call with reporters to hype Saturday’s world title fight against Mexico’s Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. “I commend my team … when I sit back and I think about my career, I say ‘you know what? I had a cool career. I didn’t take any punishment’.

“If they say these guys were handpicked, they was handpicked to make $40 and $50 and $60 million, then you know what?

Keep handpicking them. If they’re going to keep paying, keep handpicking them.”

Mayweather, who Forbes magazine lists as the world’s highest paid athlete, has been criticized for dodging a potential mega fight with Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.

The two have tried several times over the

past few years to get the deal done for what would likely be the most lucrative fight in boxing history. But each time negotiations broke down when they couldn’t come to terms on a variety of issues, including drug testing and share of the revenue and purses.

Pacquiao’s camp blames Mayweather for the holdup, saying even when they agreed to all his demands—including drug testing—the American would come up with new increased demands to scuttle the blockbuster fight.

“Floyd’s statement speaks for itself. Now we know why he won’t give the fans the fight they want most,” Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach told AFP on Tuesday.

The fight with Alvarez is the second in Mayweather’s six-bout, 30-month contract with American cable network Showtime that could pay him more than $200 million.

After Mayweather beat Robert Guerrero in May, he said he wanted to fight again in September—marking the first time since 2007 he will be in the ring twice in a calendar year.

Mayweather’s guaranteed purse for the

Alvarez fight is reported to be a record $41 million which would surpass the previous record of $32 million he received for fighting Guerrero.

Organizers are also hoping that this fight will eclipse the 2.44 million record pay-perview sales and sales of more than $130 million racked up by the Mayweather and Oscar de la Hoya fight in 2007. Mayweather will also get a cut of the pay-per-view money on top of his guaranteed purse.

Mayweather, who is undefeated in 44 fights, says he will take nothing for granted when he faces World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association super welterweight champ Alvarez in a 12-round showdown of unbeaten fighters at the MGM Grand Hotel.

“I am not overlooking this guy,” said Mayweather. “In Mexico he is a young rock star and everybody that they put in front of him he was able to go out there and do his job.

“I am pushing myself to the limit right now.”

The last time Mayweather stopped an opponent inside the distance was two years ago and that came when Victor Ortiz lowered

Alaska tries to stop rampaging Petron Blaze; Air 21, Talk ‘ N Text in key match THE Alaska Aces will be standing in the path of the rampaging Petron Blaze Boosters when Governors’ Cup action resumes on Friday at the PhilSports Arena.

Riding high on a six-game winning streak, the Boosters will try to continue their race to the top at 7:30 p.m. against the Aces.

The duel comes after another crucial battle between Air 21 and Talk ‘N Text in the opener at 5:15 p.m.

Petron (6-1) is coming off a 122-88 beatdown of Talk ‘N Text on Wednesday, and are looking to make Alaska its next victim.

Import Elijah Millsap has blended in perfectly in Petron’s high-octane offense featuring local stars Alex Cabagnot, Arwind Santos, Marcio Lassiter, and June Mar Fajardo.

Alaska (3-3) will once again ride on the broad shoulders of reinforcement Wendell

McKines to try to stop the Boosters.

In the first game, Air 21 (1-5) tries to climb out of the cellar when it takes on Talk ‘N Text.

The Express will banner new recruits Asi Taulava and Joseph Yeo, who arrived in separate deals this week.

They will be taking on a Tropang Texters squad looking to recover lost pride after the drubbing it experienced last game. ■ InterAKTV / September 12, 2013 / 11:45 PM

John Pinto hits game-winner to lift Arellano past Lyceum in NCAA thriller JOHN Pinto buried a tough gamewinner with 1.7 seconds left as Arellano escaped with a 76-75 victory over Lyceum in a thrilling NCAA Season 89 action Thursday at The Arena in San Juan.

Pinto finished with 15 points, four of which came during a late rally that helped Arellano come back from a fourth quarter deficit.

After a 55-all deadlock at the end of the third period, Lyceum looked poised to pull away in the final quarter. The Pirates built a 72-65 lead with 2:50 left in the game thanks to back-to-back baskets by Tirso Lesmoras and Wilson Baltazar.

However, Arellano scored five straight

points capped by a Levi Hernandez triple to put the Chiefs within two, 72-70. Shane Ko answered right away with his own threepointer which gave Lyceum a 75-70 edge with 1:07 remaining in the game.

The Chiefs didn’t give up, having one last run left in their arsenal. Pinto sank a tough stepback jumper, then Keith Agovida scored a basket underneath to help Arellano come within one, 75-74, with 14.3 seconds left.

Disaster struck for Lyceum on the next play, as a turnover was called on Aziz Mbomiko who, as an inbound passer, moved during an inbound play off a timeout. That gave the ball back to Arellano,

which had a chance to steal the game.

Pinto then dribbled his way to the top of the key and took a tough turnaround shot, which bounced off the rim initially before finding the bottom of the net to give Arellano a 76-75 lead with 1.7 seconds left.

Lyceum had one more attempt, but Ko missed a desperation trey which allowed Arellano to snatch the victory.

Prince Caperal posted 25 points and 16 rebounds for Arellano, which improved to a 4-8 win-loss card and force tie with Lyceum, which has an identical record, for eighth place.

Mbomiko led the Pirates with 17 points. ■ Karl Decena / InterAKTV / September 12, 2013 / 6:59 PM

San Beda ties Letran for first place after walloping JRU DEFENDING champion San Beda dominated from start to finish to trounce Jose Rizal University, 68-54, on Monday at The Arena in San Juan.

Big man Ola Adeogun posted 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks to carry the Red Lions, who tied Letran for first place in the NCAA Season 89 team standings.

San Beda jumped out to a 14-4 first quarter lead behind Adeogun and Baser Amer, before extending the lead to as much as 19 points.

Staring at a 58-42 deficit late in the

final period, the Heavy Bombers tried to come back and launched a 9-2 run to come within nine points, 60-51, entering the last two minutes of the game.

But the Red Lions scored four straight points, before Amer sank a dagger layup with 10 seconds remaining to seal the victory.

Amer had 15 points for San Beda, which improved to a 9-2 win-loss slate.

Marco Balagtas scored 16 points, while Philip Paniamogan chipped in 14 points for JRU, which failed to gain headstart in the race for the fourth spot

after suffering its sixth loss in 11 games to settle for a tie with College of Saint Benilde and Emilio Aguinaldo College for fifth place. ■ Karl Decena / InterAKTV / September 9, 2013 /6:09 PM

both his hands and was looking at the referee for a ruling. Mayweather seized the moment and hit Ortiz with a combination of punches that floored Ortiz.

Since then, Mayweather has won 12-round decisions over Miguel Cotto in May 2012 and Guerrero.

Saturday’s fight will be contested at 152 pounds with Alvarez’s super welterweight titles on the line. Alvarez (42-0-1) is a 154-pound

champion and Mayweather usually fights at 147 pounds.

The 23-year-old Alvarez says he believes he has the perfect fight plan to register one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

“I am going to follow my game plan and I am going to fight my fight,” he said. “I am not going to allow him to fight his fight. I have a game plan.” ■ Agence France-Presse / September 11, 2013 / 3:27 PM

Bo Perasol ordered to serve suspension in next game; no forfeiture of Ateneo win THE Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles will not have to forfeit their win over UE last Sunday, but head coach Bo Perasol will have to serve out another one-game suspension, the UAAP Board decided in a meeting on Wednesday.

The possibility of a forfeit was raised after UE sent a letter seeking a probe of Perasol’s presence in the Mall of Asia Arena despite him serving out a one-game ban for his altercation with La Salle heckler JJ Atayde the previous week.

Ateneo countered with a letter of their own seeking an investigation of suspended UE player Ralf Olivares’ presence in the vicinity of the Red Warriors’ bench.

Instead of a forfeiture, the UAAP board decided that Perasol failed to serve out his penalty by being present at the game venue

and will thus be forced to miss Ateneo’s next game to comply with the suspension.

Perasol will miss his team’s final assignment, a crucial game against UST on September 18 that could decide their final four fate.

“I have yet to be officially notified of the board’s resolution to that particular matter.

I am not in a position to defend myself or whether I think the decision is right or wrong,” Perasol told InterAKTV in a text message.

“However, whatever it is, I will abide by it.

My team will fight for that final four slot with or without me at the helm,” he added.

Ateneo currently holds a 7-6 record, half a game behind UST (7-5) for fourth place. ■ Mikkel Bolante / InterAKTV / September

12, 2013 / 7:11 PM

Teenage Filipino boxers split opening day assignments in junior world championships KIEV, Ukraine – The 2013 AIBA Junior World Boxing Championships unfurled Sunday in this capital city, with 351 boxers from 56 countries worldwide answering the roll.

The Philippines’ PLDT-ABAP team, represented by four boxers, had two participants on opening day.

Michael Angelo Plania (54kgs, bantamweight) startled a much-taller Joto Taboshvili of Georgia in a unanimous decision while Jayson Daming (46kgs, pinweight) of Cagayan de Oro lost a tight contest to an also taller opponent, Kim Bi of Korea.

Plania courageously went inside the defense of the lanky Georgian boy who tried to counter but instead fell victim to the General Santos native’s quick jabs and overhand shots. Several times, the Georgian, despite the cheers of the crowd in this former USSR state, buckled under the young Filipino’s unrelenting attack.

Daming started strong and won the first round but faded in the second round. He gamely tried to get it back in the third but fell short to give up the decision.

The tournament, held every two years since 2001, features boxers aged 15-16

years old. It was formerly known as the AIBA Cadet World Championships. There are 13 weight categories ranging from 46 Kg (101 lbs) to 80+Kg (over 176 lbs.).

Tuesday will see Cebu’s Hipolito Banal Jr., younger brother of professional boxer AJ Banal, seeing action against Eljan Gafarli of Azerbaijan in their 48 Kg light flyweight match.

The fourth boxer in the team, Paul Gilbert Galagnao of Cagayan de Oro steps into the ring Wednesday versus Hungarian Istvan Szaka.

ABAP president Ricky Vargas revealed the boxers are new discoveries who were recruited after the PLDT-ABAP national championships last February in Maasin City.

“These are neophyte boxers from our grassroots development program. While they’re there for exposure and experience against the world’s best young boxers, remember that we plucked a young man from obscurity two years ago in Kazakhstan and he became world champion. That was Eumir Felix Marcial. You can never tell.”

Coaches are former Olympians Ronald Chavez and Romeo Brin. Delegation head is ABAP executive director Ed Picson. ■ InterAKTV / September 9, 2013 / 5:17 PM

38

www.hello-philippines.com

SportS

September 2013 / Fortnightly – No. 18 • UK & Europe Edition

Team Pacquiao gears up for October training...

Malditas fall back to earth as Philippines loses...

The Japanese, one of the guest teams in the tournament, made their presence felt right away with Mariko Tanaka scoring at the fourth minute.

Miyuki Takahashi made a goal at the 20th minute, while Satsuki Hashiura nailed a shot at the 45th minute to pad Japan’s halftime lead to 3-nil.

Haruka Imai scored at the 79th minute to give Japan a comfortable 4-nil lead. The Malditas avoided a blank slate after Heather Cooke found the back of the net at the 85th minute.

Despite the loss, Malditas coach Ernie Nierras was pleased with his team’s performance.

“It was a brutal game in the first half with the heat slowing the girls down,” said Nierras as quoted by the tournament’s official website. “It was a good game for our young

Continuation from page 40 players and even though we lost today, we still have two more matches to play for.”

With the result, the Filipinos are temporarily in a three-way tie with Japan and Myanmar, which have only one match under their cards, for first place with three points apiece in Group B. Only the two best squads from the bracket will advance to the knockout stages to face the top two teams from Group A, which features Australia’s U-19 squad, Jordan, Thailand, Malaysia and defending champion Vietnam.

Before facing the Japanese, the Malditas thrashed Indonesia, 6-0, last Tuesday to open the competition. They will next face Myanmar on Saturday and Laos next week to close out their matches in the group stages. ■ Karl Decena / InterAKTV / September 12, 2013 / 11:06 PM

Somodio bared that Roach will be coming to Manila on October 7 to oversee the extensive training regimen that Pacman will undergo from early October till late November in General Santos City.

“One month itatagal ng camp sa GenSan before proceeding to Macau for the remaining two weeks of preparations,” said Somodio, a former amateur fighter from Iloilo. “That’s the plan, at least for now. Kung may mababago man, it depends on the developments from now until late September.

“Coach Freddie hasn’t revealed yet what kind of preparations awaits, but what he told us is that it will be the toughest ever for Manny in an effort to keep in him focused in training without any distractions which affected his buildup program before.”

Promising British light-middleweight campaigner Liam Vaughan and Chinese counterpart Lian Hui have been tapped as to of Pacman’s sparring mates in the early stage of the camp.

Vaughan is a 23-year-old Liverpool native who owns a 7-1 win-loss record in his pro-career. He came to the Wild Card Gym only a few months ago but has already caught the attention of Roach and his team with his impressive sparring performances with world contenders Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Peter Quillin, James Martrosyan and Alfonso Gomez, among others.

Lian Hui (aka Ik Yang), 28, has a 13-0 win-loss slate with 9 KOs. He was born in a Chinese commune in Dalian but is now based in Anyang, South Korea where he started his pro calling.

Pacquiao, who will be a few weeks short of turning 35 on the day of his fight with Rios, has actually pitched his GenSan camp last week by starting with his condition-recovery aspect of preparations, running for 15 minutes at the P. Acharon Sports Center oval in that city.

Last week’s activities also included a gym workout at his GenSan version of

Continuation from page 40 Wild Card, doing mitts with childhood pal and assistant trainer Buboy Fernandez, limbering up exercises, punching the heavy bags, double end, speed ball, and skipping rope.

“Manny looks trim and fit, kasi naglalaro naman siya ng volleyball at basketball to stay in condition while in inactivity from boxing since early this year,” Fernandez said of his friend.

Fernandez said opening the GenSan camp was on Pacquiao’s own volition and will go on until Roach and his Wild Card team arrives.

“Alam naman ni Manny kung ano ang napapaloob sa labang darating kaya ngayon pa lang nag-desisyon na sya na simulan na ang camp,” Fernandez said. “Dito na lang kami sa GenSan para wala nang istorbo. Nandito na ang family nya at constituents para hindi na sya magpaparoon at parito sa gitna ng ensayo.” ■ Eddie G. Alinea / Philippine News

Agency / August 26, 2013 / 6:50 PM

UFL launches fantasy football game PHILIPPINE football fans will be able to enjoy the country’s premier league even more as the United Football League launches a fantasy football game for the upcoming Cup competition.

The UFL has signed a three-year deal with FanXT, a digital sports media company which is also the official provider of the fantasy football games of leagues in Finland, Hong Kong, India, and Taiwan.

With the fantasy game, fans can turn themselves into managers and form fantasy UFL teams from a selection of the league’s top players such as Phil and James Younghusband of the Loyola Meralco Sparks, Chieffy Caligdong of Green Archers United Globe, and Izzo Elhabib of Global FC, among others.

Fans can start forming their own fantasy teams by visiting http://fantasyufl.

fanxt.com. The UFL Cup will start on October 12.

This is the first time that the UFL ventured into fantasy football, and the

league hopes that it would connect more fans and bring interest in Philippine football to another level. ■ Karl Decena / InterAKTV / September 12, 2013 / 11:13 PM

No mercy as Petron destroys Talk ‘N Text by 34

Continuation from page 40 Legendary pool player Efren “Bata” Reyes also advanced to the next round following his 9-4 victory over Shawn Wilkes of the United States.

A two-time world champion, Reyes is currently playing in the loser’s bracket.

Also staying alive are former national open pool champion Carlo Biado and Mark Antony.

Biado, a semifinalist in the last staging of the World Ten Ball Championship in Manila, ripped local bet Saleh Ameen, 9-4.

Antony outlasted Hori Ryoji of Japan, 9-7.

coach Gee Abanilla, whose Boosters outscored the Tropang Texters, 28-7, in the second quarter to put the game away.

“I think that was big, that paved the way for this victory.”

Petron showed no mercy in the second half, leading by as much as 42 points a couple of times in the fourth quarter.

Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black seemed to wave the white flag early, taking out import Tony Mitchell with 10:08 left in the third quarter. Mitchell finished with just seven points in just 21 minutes of play.

Import Elijah Millsap scored 25 points, Alex Cabagnot added 20, and Marcio Lassiter chipped in 18 points for Petron, which didn’t score less than 28 points in any quarter. Arwind Santos and Chico Lanete finished with 14 and 13 points for the Boosters.

Talk ‘N Text lost its second straight game to see its record fall to 2-4 in a tie with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel for eighth and ninth places. That leaves the two teams in danger of failing to qualify for the playoffs. ■ InterAKTV / September 11, 2013

■ Rey Joble / InterAKTV / September 9, 2013 / 5:12 PM

/ 9:34 PM

THE Petron Blaze Boosters took no prisoners against the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, rolling to a 122-88 victory on Wednesday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

With their sixth straight victory, the Boosters continued to rule over the

Dennis Orcullo leads Pinoy charge in World 9-Ball... disposed of their respective opponents to advance into the round of 64.

Orcullo nearly swept his Iranian counterpart, Majid Gharehgozlou, 9-1.

Joining Orcullo in the last-64 is Corteza, who won the China Open last May, and Marlon Villamor.

“My game is in good shape,” said Corteza in an interview with World Pool Association press officer Ted Lerner. “I’ve been playing well for the last few months.”

Corteza, the runner-up to Mika Immonen in the 2009 World Ten Ball Championship in Manila, is in the hunt for his first ever world title.

Governors’ Cup standings with a 6-1 record, guaranteeing themselves a spot in the top four and twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.

“I think it was a big game for us, because I think we formally clinched twice-to-beat advantage,” said Petron

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sport Malditas fall back to earth as Philippines loses to Japan U-23 in AFF women’s tilt

AFTER a rousing opening day victory, the Philippine national women’s football team fell back to earth, losing to Japan’s Under-23 squad , 4-1, in the 2013 ASEAN Football Federation Women’s Championship Thursday at the Thuwunna Youth Training Center Stadium in Yangon, Myanmar.

Continued on page 38

Dennis Orcullo leads Pinoy charge in World 9-Ball Championship SIX of 15 Filipino players competing in the World 9-Ball Championship were able to survive after Day Two of the tournament.

Former world 8-Ball champion Dennis Orcullo and 1998 Asian Games gold medalist Lee Van Corteza stayed on the winner’s bracket as they easily Continued on page 38

TEAM PACQUIAO GEARS UP FOR OCTOBER TRAINING CAMP IN GENERAL SANTOS

MANILA - Comebacking eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao will be getting the best training camp he could get in his career, according to Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach as told to his Filipino assistant Marvin Somodio.

“We will be preparing Manny to win by knockout, no more, no less,” Somodio said in an email message to this writer quoting Roach. “Coach Freddie knows how important Manny’s coming fight with Brandon Rios to the remainder of

his career, kaya he prepared a buildup regimen needed to achieve our purpose.”

Somodio, who has been working at Roach’s Wild Card Gym in downtown Hollywood in Los Angeles for more than a year, was referring to Pacquiao’s

12-round encounter with Rios this coming November 24 in Macau, where the Filipino ring idol will try to bounce back from twin defeats he suffered in his two fights last year.

Continued on page 38