200812

YEAR 12, No. 6 DECEMBER 2008 Home Paper of the 1999 Canadian Ethnic Journalists’ and Writers’ Club Winner for Best Editorial Toronto, Ontario

NDF to junk ceasefire, MILF doubts gov’t on peace NDF to junk ceasefire, MILF doubts gov’t on peace talkstalks

12 years12 years

Dancing To Be A Star - 33

INSIDEOoops & Bloops

What? FVR What? FVR press conpress con

‘prorogued’?‘prorogued’?- 7- 7

FEATURES:FEATURES: Krismas saKrismas sa‘Pinas and ‘Pinas and in Canada in Canada - 12 & 13 - 12 & 13

NO END TO WAR?NO END TO WAR?For thousands of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) soldiers, New People’s Army (NPA) guerillas and

Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) mujahideen scattered in the Philippine archipelago, nothing much will change. Pending genuine and lasting peace pacts, their lot will go on trembling at the nightmare of killing or be-ing killed, heaving heavy sighs in the confines of their cold, remote and lonely outposts, camps and lairs. If these gun-bearing Filipinos had a choice, they would rather be within the embracing arms of their families, co-existing peacefully with their neighbors and celebrating their fill of the earth. Unfortunately, they have few options, if not lacking of it - courtesy of their military and political leaders.

Most recent reports reaching the Manila Media Monitor said:

► The National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), political arm of the Netherlands-based Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) that controls the NPA, is bent on rejecting any ceasefire the Philippine govern-ment would offer even during for-mal peace talks, if resumed.

► The Moro Islamic Libera-tion Front (MILF) Central Com-mittee is claiming that the current regime and its Supreme Court - in junking the Kuala Lumpur-crafted Memorandum of Agreement on

Edited by BUTCH DG. GALICIA

Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) - shattered the trust and goodwill shown and shared by negotiators since the peace process with the Moro rebels began in December 2004; and is raising doubts on the government’s sincerity to move on to more peaceful options. The MILF’s military arm is the BIAF.

► AFP commander-in-chief Philippine President Gloria Ma-capagal-Arroyo, her Cabinet and military advisers are trying hard to salvage stalled or scuttled peace talks, kicking off with pre-emptive steps such as declaring a unilateral but interim Yuletide Season cessa-

tion of hostilities with the NDFP and the appointment of Mindanao native Rafael Seguis, a diplomat, as chairman of a new but still-unconstituted peace panel to deal with the MILF.

‘Phoney’ ceasefireIn a GMANews.TV dispatch

citing a statement posted at the CPP website, NDFP panel spokes-man Fidel Agcaoili described as ‘phoney’ any ceasefire, temporary or prolonged, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) or its negotiating panel might declare or offer.

Earlier, Executive Secretary

Eduardo Ermita said Malacañang was due to silence its guns during the holidays.

As in the past, a unilaterally-declared GRP ceasefire would be a ‘phoney one’ and would be a cover for the GRP to escalate mili-tary and police operations against the people and their revolutionary forces, Agcaoili said.

“The GRP panel will always preoccupy informal or formal talks with a premature demand for negotiating the last item in the agenda, which is the end of hos-tilities and disposition of forces.”

Moneygram hails Pacquiao victory MoneyGram marketing managers Nelly Chang (left) and Ivy Wisco (right) flank Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao in a Money-g r a m - s p o n s o r e d after fight party at Mandalay Bay’s Rum Jungle. MoneyGram is listed with the New York Stock Exchange. It has some 162,000 global money transfer agent locations in 180 countries and territories. In the Philippines, it works with super agents Kwartagram, Banco De Oro and PeraGram. PR (See related story on page 29)

(To page 30)

LocalLocalartistsartists

cutcutChristinaChristinaCD - CD - 3737

Pinoy parol hogsPinoy parol hogslimelight limelight - 28- 28

Philippine President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo has conferred the 2008 Presidential Awards on Toronto-based Filipino-Cana-dians and civic leaders Tobias Enverga, Jr. and Lilian Yared-Overs in ceremonies at the Rizal Hall at Malacañang on Dec. 10.

Enverga, president of the Philippine Independence Day Council and the Lucena City Association of Ontario, and Overs were among 31 Filipino individuals and groups overseas recognized for helping in national development efforts, advancing the cause of Filipino communi-ties abroad, and excelling in their fields of

Enverga, Overs honored in Palace awardsexpertise or profession.

Enverga, among four who received the Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino Award, was cited for his patriotism and love for fellow Filipinos through the continu-ous delivery of assistance and support by spearheading fund–raising campaigns for projects that benefit his kababayans.

Overs, founding president of the Toronto Carolinians (alumni group of the University of San

Carlos in Cebu City), was one of 16 who received the Banaag Award.

Overs’ foundation in Toronto has been

ENVERGA

(To page 3)

11:00 AM-Sundays 3:00 PM-Thursdays

Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 20082

3COMMUNITYCOMMUNITYDECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor

FCT Board seesbrighter future after

‘surviving turbulent times’The Board of Directors

of the Filipino Centre Toronto (FCT) remained confi dent the center is headed towards a brighter future, despite the tough times it went through in recent years.

In a press release sent to the Manila Media Monitor by FCT publicist Aida D’Orazio, the FCT Board said: “We are now nearing the end of 2008 and we are happy to report that we have survived some turbulent times.”

“Other voices out there are writing us off already. We are not quite over the hump yet, but we are confi dent that the future is bright,” the Board added.

Heftier 2007 incomeThe FCT press release,

noting fi nancial reports made during the center’s most recent annual gener-al meeting, said the center generated a total revenue of $507,290.21 in 2007, up from $480,412.45 in 2006.

Highlights of the

2007 fi nancial statement, made by Roman Chu of Chartered Management Accountants, included:

► Rental revenues, which slightly dipped from $383,021.11 in 2006 to $361,965.17 in 2007.

Part of the shortfall was due to the conversion of spaces in the building’s lower level into a Seniors’ Room and the Ottawa Hall for social events for up to 200 people.

In addition, three rentable units remained vacant during the period.

The Board said efforts are being made to attract new tenants to the building.

► Donations, which grew by almost 25 percent from $3,067.70 in 2006 to $4,046.00 in 2007.

► A grant of $50,000 the FCT got from the Ontario Ministry of Citi-zenship and Immigration.

► Revenues from the fundraising events, which rose from $70,155.33

(To page 6)

Tony San Juan, president of the Camarines Norte As-sociation Canada-Ontario (CNAC-O), has appealed to generous Ontarians and members of the community for financial and in-kind aid to help ease the pain of human and material loss of victims of recent flashfloods that hit Camarines Norte province in the Philippines.

San Juan said the dona-tions could be sent to the CNAC-O through him (416-491-2346) or Willie Nabus (416-972-0250) and Susan Llanera (416-421-4289 and 416-338-5395).

Donations could also be coursed through the Ca-marines Norte Relief and Assistance Fund, c/o Ca-marines Norte Association Canada Account No. 1488-0558-5211344, TD Canada Trust, 2428 Eglinton Ave. East, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada M1K 2P7.

Philippine news reports said seven of the province’s 12 towns - Basud, Daet, Labo, Mercedes, San Vi-cente, Talisay and Vinzons - were devastated by flash-floods caused by the run-off from Mount Labo after three

CNAC-O airsaid call forflood victims

(To page 16)

Community groups have joined ideas and hands in mapping out 2009 events and programs of the Kalayaan Filipino Cultural Organization (commonly known as Kalayaan).

Kalayaan chairperson Juliet Perez, in a recent meeting at the Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre, said this year’s theme, Rejuvenate Kalayaan,

“is about team building, promoting new ideas and people, as well as creating a bigger celebration of the Filipino community.”

Perez said the festivities would include a celebration of the June 12 anniversary of Philippine Independence and a cultural show featuring Filipino talents.

Volunteerism She cited the need for

volunteers “to breathe life into the committees,” noting the “diminishing interest in Kalayaan as an organization within the community.”

She said Kalayaan has been collaborating with as many Filipino-Canadian associations as possible to bring in new faces to help as offi cers or committee members.

(To page 17)

Community plans Rejuvenate Kalayaan events

conducting medical mis-sions, donating supplies and building classrooms in To-ledo, Cebu.

The biennial Presidential Awards - Lingkod sa Kapwa Pilipino Award, Kaanib ng Bayan Award, Banaag Award, and Pamana ng Pili-pino Award - was institution-alized in Dec. 1991 through Executive Order 498.

Since then, it had been conferred to 283 Filipinos and foreign individuals and private organizations over-seas. OPS

Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC) president Jun Enverga (left) lauds the help of volunteers like Leonie Manzanares in assuring the success of the annual Mabuhay Festival. The citations were made during the PIDC

Enverga, Overs ...(From page 1)

Volunteers cited in PIDC Appreciation Night

Appreciation Night on Nov. 22. PR

Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 20084 COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY

4 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU: Toronto/Mississauga/Scarborough/Richmond HillWeekend/Late evening appointments also available upon request

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showed me a way of managing all these pay-ments by keeping my business running. Now I am able to save some money to buy a house in the future. S.B.

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Officers and members of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto and Asian-Canadian Entrepre-neurs and Professionals share a poser with Ontario Minister of Health Promotion Margaret Best (6th from left) during their joint Christmas Party. Best (Liberal) is the Member of the Provincial Parliament for Scarborough-Guildwood. PHOTO: JOEY BAKING, Confidential

PCCT-ACEP Christmas bash

P h i l i p p i n e Consul General in Toronto Ale-jandro Mosquera is the guest speaker when the Knights of Rizal (KOR) Canada Region joins Filipinos worldwide in

KOR to recall Jose Rizal’smartyrdom at Earl Bales

recalling the martyrdom of Philippine national hero Dr. Jose Rizal on Dec. 30.

The KOR will have a wreath laying ceremony

RIZAL

and program starting at 5 p.m. at the Earl Bales Park in North York, where a monument of Rizal stands.

This year’s activities is c o o r d i n a t e d by the KOR

Oakville-Halton chapter under Mike Murphy, in cooperation with regional chancellor and ceremonial offi cer Joe Damasco. PR

The Citizenship and Immigration Centre (CIC) located at 55 St. Clair Avenue East, 2nd floor, Toronto, will have extended hours from Jan. 5 to March 31, 2009, for Permanent Resi-dent Card (PRC) pickup only.

As of Jan. 5, 2009, the extended office hours will be from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday to Friday.

You do not need to make an appointment to pick up your PRC.

When picking up the PRC, bring the CIC let-ter stating that the card is ready and all of the documents listed in the letter.

For more details, call 1-888-242-2100. PR

Longer hours for Permanent Resident Card pick-up

TORONTO - Canadian Immigrant Magazine, a print and online magazine serv-ing immigrants to Canada, has teamed up with RBC to launch the Canadian Im-migrant’s People’s Choice Award.

The national awards program recognizes the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants of 2009 and seeks to un-cover the untold stories and celebrate the remarkable achievements of outstanding Canadian immigrants.

“Canada is a nation built by immigrants, many of whom have distinguished themselves by working to make our country a bet-ter place,” said Canadian Immigrant publisher Nick Noorani.

“One in five people liv-ing in Canada were born in a different country. It’s time we recognize and celebrate their achievements,” Noora-ni said.

Nominees could be com-munity leaders, role models, entrepreneurs, teachers or volunteers - people who moved to Canada from an-other country and has since contributed to the rich diver-sity and success of Canada.

Achievements could ei-ther be professional or per-sonal and nominees must

hold landed immigrant or citizen status in Canada.

“RBC has a long-stand-ing commitment to helping newcomers succeed in Can-ada,” said Manisha Burman, director of Multicultural Markets at RBC.

“We are pleased to be in-volved in a program that not only recognizes the achieve-ments of individuals who are making a difference in Can-ada, but inspires others to do the same,” Burman said.

“Immigrants need posi-tive role models who mo-tivate them to succeed in a new country,” Noorani said.

“We’re calling all Cana-dians to nominate an immi-grant at canadianimmigrant.ca/top25,” he said.

Nominations are ac-cepted until Jan. 30, 2009. A panel would review the nominees and present a short list of finalists online.

From Feb. 16 to March 31, all Canadians could vote online for their choice.

The top 25 Canadian immigrants would be an-nounced in May 2009. Win-ners would be recognized in Canadian Immigrant Magazine, and receive a commemorative plaque and a $250 donation toward an authorized Canadian charity of their choice. PR

CIM, RBC to cite Top 25 Canadian immigrants

5DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor

MALIGAYANG PASKO AT MASAGANANG BAGONG TAON!MALIGAYANG PASKO AT MASAGANANG BAGONG TAON!Maraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na pagtangkilikMaraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na pagtangkilik

COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 20086

many bags will make you less aware of someone stealing from you. Never hang purses or handbags on shopping carts.

► Try making smaller shopping trips during less busy times.

► Have your wallet or purse close to your body and don’t carry too much cash.

► Keep the chequebook, credit cards and cell phones separate from each other.

► Change passwords for your debit cards if you haven’t done so in the past few months.

► When paying for purchases, be mindful that someone may be watching

The holiday season is upon us. Stores, schools and homes are beautifully decorated inside and out with Christmas trees, colored lights, glittering ornaments and, of course, parols.

Christmas is a time of year when we try to forget all about the violence and crimes in our city and just focus on our families and friends.

It is also a good time to remind everyone to take extra steps to ensure the joys of Christmas are not spoiled by criminals.

Here are some tips to keep safe and sound during the season:

When out shopping

► Crowded stores are a prime target for pickpockets.

Make sure to stay alert and be extra careful with your wallet or purse.

► Carrying too

Christmas Season“Tis the season to be safe”

The TORONTO POLICE SERVICEthrough Community Liaison Officer P/C Philip Mendoza

and observing you and your money.

► Thieves watch parked cars, so try not to return to your car to leave purchases and continue shopping.

When at home► Always secure and

lock doors, windows, garages or sheds.

► Make sure security lights are in working order and put internal lamps on timer switches if you are away.

► Having bought all those wonderful gifts, try and keep them out of sight. If you have windows near your Christmas trees, close the curtains or shutters.

► Note the serial

numbers of all expensive items such as cameras, video equipment, computers and TV sets. Take photos of valuable items to help with identifi cation if these are stolen.

► Don’t put empty boxes from Christmas presents out until the recycling collection day. Break up boxes to make it more diffi cult for burglars to see what new gadgets or electronic items you have inside.

If out ona holiday

► Always make it look like someone is at home by using timers for your lights and radios.

► Don’t leave curtains open exposing all wrapped and unwrapped gifts.

► Don’t forget to cancel newspaper delivery and have your mail picked up by your neighbor.

► Have your neighbor use your driveway once in a while to make it appear someone’s home.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday and remember: “Don’t drink and drive.”

Reminders► Annual blitz on

misuse of accessible parking permits, up to Dec. 31.

► Holiday R.I.D.E. Program: Spot checks, up to Jan. 1, 2009.

For any question, call 416-808-7071 or email [email protected].

Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon sa inyong lahat!

FCT Board ...(From page 3)in 2006 to $71,938.37 in 2007.

ExpensesIn the same report, the

FCT Board said it spent on: ► Wages and salaries,

down to $18,619.70 in 2007 from $45,949.13 in 2006.

The decrease was partly due to a hold-back in wages payable to building superintendent Felino Javier and offi ce coordinator Wendy Arena.

Both agreed to delayed pays to help defray the center’s immediate expenses.

► Professional services that reached a total of $224,137.94 in 2006 and $181,920.80 in 2007.

These pertained to legal fees and expenses related to the court-managed FCT elections in 2007.

The legal expenses came after Dr. Francisco Portugal etal. fi led an application for injunction against the FCT in 2005.

FCT had to get a second mortgage on the building amounting to $198,284.87 to cover liabilities.

Mortgage on the FCT-owned building has since stood at $1.22 million.

At the same time, the center had to shelve out $200,000 to fi x the air conditioning system that

broke down in 2007.Survivor

The FCT Board said its legal expenses might reach over $400,000, enough to cause most associations to go bankrupt.

“It is going to take years of fundraising efforts to be able to pay (the expense) back,” the Board said.

But FCT todate had ably met its fi nancial obligations

and had continued to provide improved activities, events, programs and services for its community clients.

Despite tough times, “the FCT is actually doing well fi nancially,” the Board added.

GratitudeThe FCT Board thanked

the Filipino-Canadian com-munity, supporters and friends who shared

with the FCT its vision of maintaining a center “where we are able to serve and provide programs that will help the seniors, the youth, new immigrants, and the community.”

The Board stressed: “As Filipino-Canadians we want a Filipino center:

► Where we can showcase the best of our culture and our people.

► That will help us maintain our identity in the Canadian mosaic.

► Where we can extend a helping hand to those who come for help, most especially our own people.

► Where we can help promote unity in our community, so that we can strengthen our voice as a people in Toronto and in Canada we call home.” PR

TV ads reach far.ADVERTISE with

416-285-8583

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 7VIEWSVIEWS

ACE ALVAREZ

What? FVR press con ‘prorogued’?

(To page 25)

Marketing Magazine’s recent news item: Two Canadian brands crack the top 100 in Interbrand’s annual ranking of the “Best Global Brands”.

Oh, don’t worry about it Filipino-Canadian publishers and television producers. It’s not Manila Media Monitor and Front Page Philippines YET!

So, there’s no need to be prompted to attack US YET!

***Another recent news item

in Marketing Magazine: Herbal Magic runs fi rst national campaign.

Why the need for a national campaign? Just apply magic and presto!

***From Manila Media Monitor

columnist Ricky Caluen, quoting an article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer:

“Salcedo said that, as far as she knew, Estrada was joined by all of his living brothers and sisters.”

Ricky asks “Did dead siblings also plan to be present?”

***

Recently, there was a news item that the LCBO recalled D’Aquino Pinot Grigio white wime from Italy.

George Soleas, the LCBO’s vice-president said the recall was issued because the bottles contained nothing but water. He said it was human error, and not an issue of tampering.

Soleas joked, “I guess someone was waiting for Jesus to turn it into wine.”

***Manila Media Monitor

columnist Mario Dimain for-warded an item saying that Las Vegas churches now accept gambling chips.

The message stated that this may come as a surprise to us that in Las Vegas there are more Catholic churches than casinos.

Not surprisingly, some wor-shipers at Sunday services will give casino chips, rather than cash when the basket is passed.

Since they get chips from many different casinos, the churches have devised a method to collect the offerings.

The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan monastery for sorting, and then the chips are taken to the casinos of origin and cashed in. The sorting, according to Mario’s forwarded message is done by the Chip Monks.

***Albee Enterprises’ Isa

Tugadi forwarded a message that humorously cited the experiences of a travel agent who, in her 30 years as such, took ‘troubling’ reservation requests and questions from some of the bright people in the Philippine government.

One female senator asked for an aisle seat so that her hair wouldn’t get messed up by being near the window.

***A former mayor of Parañaque

City wanted to go to Capetown. The travel agent was explaining the length of the fl ight and passport information when he interrupted the travel agent with, “I’m not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts.”

Without trying to make the former city executive look like the stupid one, the travel agent calmly explained, “Cape Cod is in Massachusetts. Capetown is in Africa.”

The former Parañaque mayor’s response, “click.”

***A member of the House

of Representatives called the travel agent, furious about a Florida package that the travel agency did for him and his TV star girlfriend.

The travel agent asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando, and he said that he was expecting an ocean-view room.

The travel agent tried to explain that it was not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state.

He replied, “Don’t lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state,” so, he expected to see the ocean on both sides of the hotel.

***From a very popular wife of

a senator: “Is it possible to see England from Canada?”

The travel agent replied, “No, it’s not.”

She said, “But they look so close on the map.”

***An actor who became a

senator asked the travel agent if he could rent a car in Dallas.

The travel agent noticed he had only an hour lay-over in Dallas.

When asked why he wanted

to rent a car, the senator said, “I heard Dallas was a big airport, and we will need a car to drive between the gates to save time.”

***From one senator: The travel agent said he needed

to know how it was possible that his fl ight from Detroit left at 8:20 a.m. and got into Chicago at 8:33 a.m.

The travel agent explained that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but he could not understand the concept of time zones.

Finally, the travel agent told him the plane went very fast, and he bought that.

***From one congressman to

the travel agent: “Do airlines put your physical description on your bag, so they know whose luggage belongs to whom?”

The travel agent said, “No, why do you ask?”

He replied, “Well, when I checked in with the airline, they put a tag on my luggage that said ‘FAT’, and I’m overweight. I think that is very rude!”

The travel agent looked into it and explained that the city code for Fresno, California is (FAT) and the airline was just putting a destination tag on his luggage.

***From a former presidentiable

- now a television star:The guy inquired about a trip

package to Hawaii.

Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 20088 VIEWSVIEWS

Managing EditorACE ALVAREZ

EditorBUTCH GALICIA

Associate EditorGIE ALVAREZ

Contributing EditorsGrace P. FreiresManny Freires

Ben ViccariMag Cruz Hatol

Pete LacabaMel Tobias

Editorial AssistantsLennart Leigh Alvarez-Mahoney

Dods Andrada

ContributorsEdwin AcunaBien Garcia

Jeannie PilapilEva Agpaoa

Mario DimainNoel PeradaLarry Torres

Chito Sarabia

Account ExecutiveMYRNA SORIANO

GraphicsIDTech Solutions

[email protected]

Philippine Communication FacilityGRACE MEDIA SERVICES

974 Metrica Street1008 Manila, PhilippinesTel/Fax: (632) 742-1484

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‘The champ’; ‘Resurrecting the Champ’ and

lessons therefrom

RoundaboutMAG CRUZ-HATOL

From TheMonitor’s Desk

ACE ALVAREZ

Surprises in list of RP’smost-admired TV personalities

(To page 18)

(To page 18)

The Philippines’ boxing pride Manny Pacquiao has displayed anew speed and power, battering pre-game favorite Oscar de la Hoya, and won every round until the eighth when the game was stopped with Pacquiao’s blinding power punches on the body and head of de la Hoya, described in the boxing world as perhaps the most popular boxer in his generation.

The defeated de la Hoya admitted that he has lost to a “great champion”.

This corner will not review further the Filipino boxing legend’s many feats, for these are subject of thousands of publications and broadcast media worldwide.

In the meantime, let’s take a trip to the future, where, for example, all the glitter of the spotlight is gone, and our Filipino hero has gone elsewhere to oblivion and no one knows where he is.

Ahhhh, a food for thought for some aspiring sports journalists who want to resurrect “the champ”. Hhhmmm … sounds like a familiar story. Indeed, it is, for this was the gist of the movie, Resurrecting the Champ.

In the movie, actor Josh Harnett plays up-and-coming sports reporter Erik Keman who rescues a homeless man who identifi ed himself as the “Champ”, and discovered that he is a boxing legend believed to have passed away.

For Keman, meeting the “Champ” was an opportunity to resurrect the Champ’s story and escape the shadow of his father’s success as a journalist, at the same

time presenting an opportunity for the ambitious reporter to re-examine his own life and his relationship with his family.

As a young reporter, Keman, however, made a dire mistake of not checking resources, hence, resulting in a potential lawsuit, almost losing his job and his credibility – the latter a very central part of our work as journalists.

Resurrecting the Champ is a good movie, with sad ending.

For sports journalists – and all sorts of journalists for that matter – including publishers and editors among us, will defi nitely draw a lesson here.

Unfortunately, for all of us, lessons are always learned at the end of the grave error, comission, or omission, and when we are already facing lawsuits.

As journalists, editors or publishers, all of us have to bear in mind that checking and cross-checking of all claims and attributions in our stories must always be done before, or during

the progress of writing and/or production of the story; in other words, before publication, or broadcast, and not after, where at this point, a journalist, his editor and publisher are subjected by the offended party to issue an apology for their failure to check and cross-check the claims made in the story, or worse, face lawsuits for defamation, libel and their cousins in the criminal offenses and civil liability books.

When in truth and in fact, we, writers, journalists, editors and publishers failed to check and cross check the claims made by one party in the story, and/or attributions made therein, and subsequently asked by the offended party to issue an apology, such probably, may be an easy and convenient way out of facing lawsuits for defamation, subject of course to the agreement contained between the parties involved.

In most cases, an apology only mitigates the commission of the alleged defamation, libel and

related charges.However, the most important

thing affected with the subsequent issuance of an apology is one’s credibility as a writer, journalist, editor and publisher.

If what you have in mind while reading this is the case fi led in court by very active Mississauga-based community personalities, Carlos Padilla and Willie Cantos against our colleagues in media, namely Rodel Ramos – as writer of the article at issue in the case, and Rolly Cabrera and Tess Cusipag – in their capacities as publishers of Taliba and Balita, respectively (and probably included as respondents are the corporate entities of the two publications which published the article in question), let me make clear that I am not talking about that here.

After all, our colleagues in the media who have been named respondents in the defamation case are presumed innocent until proven otherwise, if I may echo Philippine Press Club-Ontario (PPCO) president Tenny Soriano of what, in the fi rst place, is cited by subjective laws.

Rather, I’m talking about the lessons that could be learned from the movie Resurrecting the Champ: “Check and cross-check all the claims and attributions made in the story.”

So, we’re clear on these things. Thank you.

***When one does good work,

this column is always generous to give credit for such, hence,

The results of the national survey of the country’s most ad-mired personalities always seen on TV were disclosed by Anak TV recently, capping the nearly year- long survey that traversed several provinces and cities where up to 4,582 respondents were polled.

True to form, many person-alities merely resurfaced and have become staples in the annual sur-vey.

The likes of Mike Enriquez, Julius Babao, Piolo Pascual, Edu Manzano, Aga Muhlach, John Lloyd Cruz, Gary Valenciano and Arnold Clavio do not surprise anyone anymore.

They are firmly entrenched and simply dislodge one another in the numbers game.

This year, ABS-CBN news-caster Babao led the pack again, for the second consecutive time.

In the distaff side, Korina San-chez, Mel Tiangco, Sharon Cune-ta, Bernadette Sembrano, Karen Davila and Sarah Geronimo were once again in the list. Their inclu-sion is expected.

However, even the trustees of Anak TV and a number of media personalities were astonished by the appearance of four personali-ties in the magic circle.

The surprise bordered on de-light rather than on disbelief.

The subjects were least ex-pected to land the top slate for a variety of reasons.

Christine Bersola-Babao is not seen daily on Philippine TV but has been doing the guesting

rounds as part of her book writing projects and personal parenting advocacy.

She is a frequent product en-dorser, oftentimes with precocious daughter Antonia.

She is also the main host of Busog Lusog (Well fed and healthy) which airs weekly on ABS-CBN.

Hence, jurors and respondents recall her easily and find her wor-thy of emulation because she is wholesome and is intimately asso-ciated with such values as proper decorum, strong kinship and fam-ily togetherness.

Bersola-Babao has always placed in the survey since 2004, once even winning top slot.

Richard Gomez had for a few years been landing in the Ayaw Ko (I Dislike) List, having turned off many viewers by his demeanor, swagger and rough silhouette on TV.

His portrayal of villain roles on telenovelas apparently did not

influence voters as much as his wholesome presence as host of (the Philippine version of) Family Feud did.

Some judges also think the wholesome wife-factor ferried him across to the positive pole.

He should be thankful to Lucy for rubbing off her lithesomeness on him, they say.

Now we know why male politicians eyeing public office deliberately use their charming and lovely wives as weapons to wrestle votes.

Eyebrows were raised when a politician entered the circle, even flooring people when he landed slot 11 tied with Gerald Anderson and Cesar Montano!

Chiz Escudero is a standard winner in the popularity games.

We recall that he was top-notcher in the Halalan sa Pan-talan (Polls at the port) survey conducted among passengers of Negros Navigation prior to the elections of 2004.

His suave presence on televi-sion must have smitten the view-ers.

His opinion is regularly sought and he hardly comes on wild or an-gry even if he minces no words.

He seems beholden to no one and knows how to craft his re-sponses as though some ghost-writer is constantly coaching him.

The question asked in the top-of-mind survey was to name per-sonalities often seen on TV who the respondents thought were worth emulating by their kids (and that included news anchors, sing-ers, dancers, talk show hosts, re-porters. directors, priests who said masses, pastors who evangelized, even politicians).

For all intents and purposes, it was a survey of the most admired and most respected.

The results show it was also a popularity game.

On the other hand, it was not a surprise that everywhere we went, Gloria Arroyo and husband Mike figured prominently in the Ayaw Ko List, meaning people did not enjoy watching them on TV at all.

The top official landed 6th; the spouse (not as often seen on TV) was in the top 20 most disliked.

The darkest horse in the derby was Robin Padilla.

Analysts were able to figure out how he managed to squeeze in the list traditionally populated by the likes of Gary V, Mike En-riquez, Julius Babao and Aga

Christmas trees: a people’s icon

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 9VIEWSVIEWS

CommentaryBEN VICCARI

Our JourneyEVA AGPAOA

No single solution; no easy answer

(To page 30)

(To page 24)

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OPINION

Pinoy English:How is it now?

DAVAO CITY - Pinoy English: How is it now? If before our ability in English ranked number three after the

British and Americans and perceived as globally competitive, it has apparently deteriorated since a couple of decades ago.

No less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had shown concern over the decline of the English proficiency of her country-men in the past two years.

In view of that awareness, she wanted the aggressive return of English instruction in the educational curriculum in all levels.

Many well-meaning Filipinos in the academe and the business sector agreed with the corrective measure of the president.

Those in the diplomatic circle, of course, shun retrogression to the so-called Filipino “Bamboo or Carabao English”.

The shallowness of many students, graduates, teachers and oth-er users of English in the Philippines has been blamed on the bad effects of television sitcoms and programming and text messaging grammar.

Indeed, these two modern media were somewhat becoming de-structive to Filipinos in the negative sense of communication prog-ress.

Television programming, for example, is likened to Satan who would tempt an individual to be pulled away from more important activities at home that could include valuable reading and writing.

But the disciplined and erudite students of English as an inter-national language of transaction would not take any alibi for the downslide of the kind of capability existing among Filipinos of Shakespeare’s or Hemingway’s medium in world literature.

Speaking or writing in English, if I might point out, has been an individual responsibility to make good in the usage of a borrowed language.

For me, speaking or writing in English with faulty grammar and wrong choices of words, would be like poisoning the public.

I could never take a sentence spotty with wrong spelling and misrepresentation of a fact.

Would you believe that even some newspapers, especially tab-loids in the provinces with almost nil of additional budget for sub-editors, copyreaders and proofreaders, have remained accessories in the proliferation of bad Filipino English?

There have been countryside tabloids, many in Davao City, that would print poorly written press releases without editing.

It is worse in some instances when it came to columns from various callings, including unsuccessful bar examinees.

Trusting perhaps the educational backgrounds of some colum-nists, publisher-editors would just run their submissions sans the cursory look for errors from spelling of proper nouns to the agree-ment of verbs and many others.

Following were the contents of an introductory paragraph of a tabloid column here which I came across recently: “It is indisput-able facts, that media played a vital role in any kind of society on earth. As late USA President Thomas Jefferson said, “If I were to choice between a government and media, I would prefer the later. As a matter of fact, in a democratic society, the media is considered the fourth estate, besides the executive, legislative and the judicia-ry branches of government. Media plays as equilibrium of these branches of government.”

I hope you would still be around after reading the sickening lines. But I had been afraid the third US president might wake up from the grave and lodge a protest in the murder of the spelling of his popular surname in two counts and the mangling of words in his great libertarian statement in the l800s.

God forbid, our very own Ferdinand Edralin Marcos would not also follow suit to put to a stop to the wrong mouthing of his famous Martial Law address “My countrymen” by a boxer who had inno-cently used a singular form of the second word for several times in after-bout television interviews.

Sad to say, we could only be on the top of the rubbish yet, with our kind of English nowadays.

Time to make up, lest we break up. PNA Features and Opin-ions

By SATUR P. APOYON

It’s December again. The Christmas season is here marking the end of another year.

But this has been a year unlike any in recent memory ... an historic year with events that have changed the order of things.

This year we witnessed the Obama phenomena in the US.

Whether his election was an act of desperation or courage, that country’s political landscape and its renewed commitment to the democratic process has been transformed.

The American dream, and by extension, the dreams of many number of countries and people who aspire to the western ideal, that anyone, regardless of color, creed or class can rise to any position through sheer will and hard work, has been affi rmed in the strongest terms possible.

And regardless of individual reasons, the collective affi rmation of Obama demonstrated a courage and belief in the future which was long overdue.

This year, we also witnessed an economic tsunami that has brought us to the brink of a true depression.

The causes are many but the consequences are clear.

Every sector and individual will feel the effects to some degree.

Some of us will lose jobs or have to accept a lower standard of living.

Some of us will have to put our dreams on hold.

Each one of us will experience this downturn in a slightly different but equally painful way.

Many will be angry, confused and frustrated.

How did this happen? Who let it happen?

Our trust has been betrayed by the very institutions we believed would protect us in diffi cult times.

Big banks are failing. The auto industry is nearly bankrupt. The manufacturing sector is near collapse. Regulatory agencies have utterly failed to do their job.

Many many people are losing their homes and life savings.

Many governments will run a huge defi cit as they try to spend their way to recovery.

For the fi rst time, our generation is facing an economic landscape so severe, our way of life and that of our children’s may be changed forever.

This year we also witnessed an historic event here in Canada.

Our government is on the brink of defeat with the prospect

of being replaced by a coalition of the opposition parties.

This has never happened in Canada before. And I have very mixed feelings about this.

That our Prime Minster created the crisis through his own actions is not in doubt.

This was bad judgment and we deserve better from our leaders.

He gambled hoping to further weaken his opponents at a time when his entire focus should have been on the economy and in fi nding ways to deal with the global downturn affecting us all.

In the private sector this type of hubris and miscalculation loses jobs and brings down companies.

On the other hand, the prospect that we will have a new government not directly elected by the people is diffi cult to accept.

It’s true that the coalition would represent a majority of Canadians; however, our custom is to elect that majority at the polls putting a single party into power.

And in these times, when our

The late Ted S. Rogers was a man who truly gave contradiction to the pessimistic opinions of many that Canadians are dull, unimaginative people.

A true visionary, a great-hearted philanthropist, a beloved family man and an employer of thousands, Ted Rogers died recently at the age of 75.

To say that he will be mourned and missed is a cliché – Ted Rogers occupied a beloved place in so many hearts.

The progess of multicultura-lism in Canada is due to a bold move that Ted Rogers made when he rescued Canada’s fi rst multilingual, multicultural television station by the purchase of the ailing and fl oundering CFMT-TV.

Ted Rogers perceived a need and proceeded to fi ll it.

What became OMNI 1, OMNI 2 and the operations in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver, began with that purchase and the belief that the time for multilingual/multicultural broadcasting had begun and was being passed by.

The turnaround was swift and today Canada sets a worldwide example of how the needs of our

diverse peoples are being met.For this alone, apart from his

many other achievements, Ted Rogers stands tall in my own personal Hall of Fame.

***Alice Walker, activist poet and

novelist, is best known for her authorship of The Colour Purple, a book which became a much-lauded movie starring Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover.

This moving open letter to the President-elect of the United States seems destined to be a classic statement not only on behalf of America’s Blacks, but of all caring citizens in a multicultural society.

“Dear Brother Obama,“You have no idea, really, of

how profound this moment is for us. Us, being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history.

“But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the fl ame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart

can bear.“And yet, this observation

is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done.

“We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

“I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits suffi cient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on.

“One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is

Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 200810 VIEWSVIEWS

True meaning ofChristmas

The 3rd EyeMARIO DIMAIN

The

Un-ComfortZone

with ROBERT WILSON

Defeating theDe-Motivator

(To page 24)

Peace to men of goodwill;goodwill to men of peace

OmertaBUTCH GALICIA

(To page 34)

THE GEOMETRY OF SOLDIERY. Chest out, stomach in; quite tired and anxious but very much breathing and alive.

In new boots and uni-forms, the soldiers cradled well-oiled M-16s as they walked out of the roomy belly of a C-130 plane that flew them for an hour-and-a-half from a training camp north of the Philippines to Awang airport in Maguin-danao, some 600 air miles down south.

They were rearing to send telegrams and write letters to loved ones they never had the chance to say goodbye to. Immediately after a lightning military training program, they were told to go to Mindanao.

Before pen could hit paper to note that that they came in one piece, their senior officer - a second lieutenant fresh from the Philippine Military Acad-emy - barked the marching orders.

Their mission: to cross Kakar Creek (a four-ki-lometer long and about 50-meter wide waterway separating the island city of Cotabato from its mother province Maguindanao) and secure the area against a reported large-scale Moro mujahideen (freedom fight-

ers) attack on the city.Earlier that morning

in the ‘70s (was it 1973 or 1974?), two Philippine Air Force World War II vintage Tora-Tora planes rained bombs on the west bank of Kakar Creek.

Gunners nestled in both sides of hovering Huey he-licopters sprayed cal. 50 bullets to sweep off Moro rebel snipers atop coconut trees uncut by bombs.

Over at nearby Notre Dame University (NDU) some 500 meters from the creek’s east bank’s edge, co-eds sought the cover of old acacia trees and the school’s thick walls; or instinctively ducked, as bullets - spitted from guns from across the creek - zinged and wheezed past their eardrums.

City denizens living near the creek prepared for possible evacuation; al-though braver ones noncha-lantly stood in full view to enjoy the sight of warfare, the smell of gunpowder and the noise of ground-shak-ing bomb blasts and endless chatter of chopper guns.

Finally, the smoke cleared; then, eerie silence.

Meanwhile, soldiers smiled and waved to war-scared and -scarred people as the six-by-six army trucks they were loaded into

cruised along Notre Dame Ave. on its way to its final stop - Kakar Creek.

The troops (separately or jointly from the Philip-pine Army’s 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th and/or 17th Infantry Battalions) were, perhaps, gladly proclaim-ing their presence as peace-keepers and protectors.

It was about early after-noon when, with wary con-fidence, the troopers waded into the creek’s cold running stream, their loaded M-16s held over their heads.

When the last flank of soldiers went knee-deep into the creek’s west-end and the first flank was about to step into the cogon-blanketed ground over at the east-end, all hell broke loose.

Foxholes and dugouts, which military aerial fire-power failed to zero into,

opened as if by synchro-nized signal.

Kalashnikovs, FALs, carbines, garands, and even homemade pistols popped.

Bullets thudded and ripped through fatigues and bodies.

Ghostly gasps of death and ghastly cries of extreme pain filled the air.

Blood mixed and flowed with murky water; so did oil from unused guns.

Severed flesh floated with water lilies; while the dalag (mudfish) and hito (catfish) feasted.

As swift as time could fly, the carnage was over.

The Hueys were back, too late to do anything.

The rebels have gone with their dead and wound-ed. (A rebel commander later confided that they tied themselves and their

guns to each other, so the useless could be pulled in, recovered and kept away from the military that was expected to undertake mass scale reprisals on their kin.)

Whining ambulances and honking vehicles criss-crossed Notre Dame Ave.

Classes were stopped at NDU, where at least two students were grazed by bullets marked to-whom-it-may-concern.

The few who survived the creek ambush were dazed and in utter disar-ray, limping from wounds, which scars would someday remind them that they en-listed for a very risky job.

Those seriously im-paired (and might not have survived at all) were slumped in hastily-made stretchers, their limbs hang-ing loosely - linked only by what remained of their bloody-red and nearly gan-grene-blackened muscle tis-sues and sun-browned skin.

It looked like the seri-ously wounded soldiers were pleading for those limbs to disengage from the torsos, to end the misery.

A few meters away, workers at the Cabangon Funeral Homes frantically attended to the mortuary re-quirements of those killed.

The embalmed cadav-

ers, or what remained of the identifiable ones, were each cramped into body bags and into the few available silver metal caskets.

The bags and cases were loaded into trucks - the same ones that brought the soldiers to Kakar Creek - that would again cruise, this time grimly and without the smiles and the waves, along Notre Dame Ave. before snaking through a ten-kilometer stretch via Parang Road, Sinsuat Ave., the highway, Tamontaka, a major bridge over the Rio Grande de Mindanao, and onto Awang airport.

(After this sordid pa-rade not worth watching, the military’s Central Min-danao Command decided to transport dead soldiers for embalming at the city’s Villa and Cabangon funeral homes only at night. Power outages usually accompa-nied the transport.)

The roomy belly of the C-130 plane, which earlier flew in the soldiers, coldly accepted its new load.

Most of the dead were hastily-trained high school grads who never even knew what the war they got into was all about.

They were the sons of Ilocos, whose only fatal

(To page 14)

The sweet strains of a Puccini aria cut through the Saturday night clatter of the busy Italian restaurant in New York City, but it wasn’t coming from the aging voice of the Sicilian baritone who was hired to belt out favorites like Funiculi-Funicula. It was a soprano whose crystal clear voice fi lled the room. Within moments all the ambient noise came to a halt. Diners stopped eating and talking, busboys stopped clearing tables, the cooks even came out of the kitchen.

Singing on the tiny stage was the skinny moon-faced waitress from Ohio. The Sicilian heard she studied opera, so he invited her to join him, but what began as a duet ended in solo as he too was mesmerized by the beauty of her voice. When she fi nished, the place thundered in applause and I saw tears of gratitude glistening in her eyes. She had hit each note perfectly.

If only she had done that when she auditioned for the Metropolitan Opera. But she choked, fl inched, allowed a seed of doubt to creep into her consciousness and thus her voice.

She told me her story over a couple of beers after work. It was the fall of 1984, and I was a fellow waiter at the restaurant; just another struggling artist in the city that never sleeps. She explained that she got

nervous during her audition and couldn’t hit the high notes. She would get one more chance to audition, but she would have to wait an entire year.

I never found out if she made it; as a writer my art is portable and a few months later I moved to a city where they still have a bedtime. I suspect she did, because that night she received a proof - a vital beginning step.

Doubt is a silent killer. We transmit feelings of doubt to others through subtleties in our body language, facial expression and tone of voice. It is picked up subconsciously by those with whom we communicate. Worse than that, we communicate it to ourselves, and it seeps into our performance. Doubt is the De-Motivator and all too often it prevents us from even trying.

We all suffer doubt occasionally, and its cure is always the same: proof.

Proof that we are indeed talented enough to do what we set out to do. A proof doesn’t need to be big to eliminate doubt. A series of little ones can be just as effective.

I keep a journal - a log - of accomplishments. Both small and large, because they all add up to reasons for believing in my abilities. It is especially important to log the little ones, because they are so easy to forget or overlook, and yet they carry tremendous weight when it comes to giving ourselves confi dence.

You say, “I’m just starting out and have no accomplishments.” That just means you’re not looking in the right places. We all have successes, some of them may be found in different areas of your life. I often read in the Wall Street Journal about women, who after years as stay-at-home Moms,

Ho! - Ho! - Ho! The most familiar sound of the season from the world-famous overweight bearded man in red suit. Yes, you guessed it right. It is the good old jolly Santa, laughing his way down to the chimney.

Children love him. They see him as the courier of toys from the North Pole. His picture is everywhere.

Although many stories were written about him, he is still a myth that can be outgrown by the same little boys and girls who were fascinated by him and his

reindeers. No matter how the

world sees it, and no matter how we defi ne the season, there is no denying. It is Christmas! And the story behind it is real.

You can gather all the Santas and build a mountain out of them, but they can never overshadow the humble infant who was born in a manger in Bethlehem.

The picture of young mother Mary and her supportive husband Joseph looking at their newborn baby Jesus is the most

compelling image of Christmas ... the complete illustration of The Nativity and the fulfi llment of the prophesied Saviour, the Son of God and born by a virgin mother.

This image has been embedded in my head since childhood. I grew up envying the shepherds who were so blessed of being there to welcome Him.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be there in the stable, just gazing at the baby boy who was born to die for your sins? Wouldn’t it be spiritually uplifting?

And what if you were given the chance of a lifetime to quantum leap to the First Christmas? Would you take some photos with your digital camera? I can bet my bottom dollar, you would.

Thank God, this place has been preserved and readily accessible to anybody who is willing and could afford to travel to Bethlehem.

One may not see The Holy Family, but to visit the actual site where it all took place is an experience beyond measure.

Three years ago, in November 2005, my wife and I experienced the next best thing.

We were at the place where the bright heavenly star beamed down, its ray to

HOLY MANGER SITE

11VIEWSVIEWS

A house divided

PerspectiveRICARDO J.S. CALUEN

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor

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(To page 34) (To page 16)

I had a chance to visit Lincolnshire when I toured England a few years back. This county was England’s second largest during the Middle Ages.

Today’s visitors will still see vestiges of its Roman past. The major landmark of the shire, located some 127 kilometers northeast of London, is the 900-year old Lincoln Cathedral.

Built during the Age of Faith, this majestic structure is considered as one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals in Europe; to some, the fi nest specimen of English architecture.

I spent one glorious day soaking up the rich history of the cathedral with its one thousand and one historical and architectural vignettes.

Having spent so many hours inside, outside, and below the cathedral (where the casual tourist would have stayed long enough to have his picture taken), I had decided to head back to Manchester when I serendipitously “discovered” the other major attraction of the place: the Lincoln Castle.

It was one of the fortifi cations built by William the Conqueror, whose Norman invasion of England in 1066 was the last

time a continental power successfully conquered the isles.

What I consider to be my most memorable fi nd in my Lincolnshire visit lay enshrined in the castle: one of only four extant copies of the Magna Carta.

I fi rst heard about this great document in my high school World History class. Having later majored in Political Science, I couldn’t have been more thrilled to see an original copy of this mother of constitutions.

While I did not understand its Latin text, I certainly appreciated the full import of this charter that the codifi cation of some of England’s earliest laws and defi ned the relationship between monarch and subjects (really, the barons who forced King John to surrender some regal prerogatives in 1215).

Effectively, this sig-

nalled the beginning of the diminution of the absolute powers of English kings and the gradual development of consultative governance.

This government of power sharing and consul-tation slowly evolved into what we came to know as the English or Westminster-type parliamentary democracy.

This governmental type reached a high point in the aftermath of the so-called Glorious Revolution in 1688 when parliament’s supremacy over the monarchy was fi rmly established, giving birth to the world’s fi rst constitutional monarchy.

Technically today, with Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State, Canada remains a constitutional monarchy, with Michaelle Jean acting in vice-regal capacity as Governor General.

All these political

The tragedy of being in the wrong place at the wrong time ...

Bullets don’t have the intellect to choose the targets. It’s the person holding the gun who picks which mark to hit.

So when a bullet infl icts unintended death or injury to somebody, we fi nd it hard to believe it was meant to be.

To minimize the so-called “collateral damage” to non-combatants, the military, the police and other law enforcement agencies have formulated what they called rules of engagement or operational protocol.

In effect, these are procedures which seek to delineate the lawmen’s course of action in times of confl ict.

In a way, these procedures are meant to avoid infl icting damage to non-combatants or innocent bystanders.

Nonetheless, it is not uncommon when a breach of the rules or protocol takes place during operations to enforce the law or stop the commission of a crime.

Situations like this give rise to the question; “Is it worth killing innocent civilians in the process of bringing in and neutralizing

hard-core criminals?”From the standpoint

of the law enforcers and their lawyers - in case homicide charges are lodged against them, the slain non-combatants are simply classifi ed as “collateral damage,” meaning unin-tended damage to civilian life and property as a result of armed hostilities.

A case in point was the recent shootout between the police and a group of suspected robbers in Parañaque City that left three civilians, including a seven-year-old girl, dead along with 12 of the suspects.

“It’s just too bad,” Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile commented, adding that it was a matter of necessity that the lawmen had to shoot back when the bad guys started fi ring away after sensing the presence

of the policemen.Enrile insinuated that

the police opened fi re in self-defense.

He stopped short of saying it was unfortunate that the civilian casualties were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

For the family and relatives of Ronald Eusebio, a 39-year-old father of four children aged two to 13, the police added insult to injury by tagging him as one of the suspects.

Eusebio was on his way to the Skyway O & M Corp. where he works as assistant supervisor when tragedy struck.

The police insisted that he was one of the suspects, unmindful of a company ID he was wearing at the time of his death.

Apart from saying the “suspect” (referring to Eusebio) was wearing a

GENERAL DENTISTRYDr. Gilbert ChanDr. Daphne ChienDr. Janet HoDr. Janet WongDr. Michael Chin

Manila Media MonitorDECEMBER 200812 CHRISTMAS FEATURECHRISTMAS FEATURE

Christmas is an extremely important and revered holiday for Filipinos -- a time for family, for sharing, for giving, and a time for food, fun, and friendship.

The predominant Roman Catholic Fili-pinos are proud to proclaim their Christmas celebration to be the longest and merriest in the world, informally opening with the air-ing of Christmas carols over the radio and in shops and malls as early as September.

On a more religious note, Christmas celebrations begin formally on Dec. 16, with attendance at the fi rst of nine pre-dawn Masses.

The merriment continues non-stop un-til the fi rst Sunday of January or the Feast of the Three Kings, the offi cial end of the Yuletide season.

Simbang GabiThe early morning hours of Dec. 16

mark the beginning of the nine consecutive

pre-dawn Simbang Gabi (Christmas nove-na and night worship), a tradition with deep roots in the country’s religious culture.

Simbang Gabi is also known by its pop-ular Spanish title Misa de Gallo (Mass of the Rooster), as Catholic churches across the country peel bells around 3 to 3:30 a.m. long before the roosters crow.

The tradition is said to have originated from Mexico, like many Catholic practices and devotions found in the Philippines.

The pre-Christmas religious observance is looked upon as a sacrifi ce of love for it requires devotion and faith to get out of bed so early in the day, while fulfi lling one’s daily duties.

Further, it heightens the faithful’s an-ticipation for the Nativity of Jesus.

In traditional Filipino belief, however, completing the novena is also supposed to mean that God would grant the devotee’s

special wish or favor.Over time, Filipino communities have

creatively adapted Simbang Gabi.When only candles and lanterns were

used in rural areas in centuries past, most churches today in poblacions have electric lights; notwithstanding sound systems that blare Eucharistic readings and prayers and Christmas music to parishioners.

Many urban parishes, however, cel-ebrate Simbang Gabi around 8 or 9 p.m., not just in the morning, to accommodate the faithful with busy work schedules.

The custom is also kept among Filipi-nos living elsewhere in the world.

No matter how or when it takes place, the Simbang Gabi strongly shows the depth of Catholicism in the hearts of Filipinos.

Christmas decorsChristmas in the Philippines is a mixture

of Western and native Filipino traditions.Santa Claus, Kris Kringle and gift-giv-

ing, the Christmas tree, the Nativity scene and Belen, school and offi ce Christmas parties, sending Christmas cards, and sing-ing carols have all been inherited from the West.

There is no winter or snow in the Philip-pines at Christmas time. There are very few pine trees. There is no traditional Yule log or fetching of the pine sprigs.

And Santa Claus, though visible in dis-plays and believed by most Filipino chil-dren to exist, seldom comes bearing gifts.

Even then, there is no doubt it is Christ-mas in the Philippines. Filipino Christmas decorations are abundant and beautiful.

The bamboo parol (star lantern) is the symbol of Christmas in the Philippines, representing the guiding light, the star of

Krismas sa ‘PinasTagalog Christmas songs basically re-

fl ect the joyful spirit of Christmas in the Philippines.

TAGALOG CHRISTMAS CAROLS

Ang Pasko ay sumapit Tayo ay mangagsi-awit Ng magagandang himig Dahil sa ang Diyos ay pag-ibig. Nang si Kristo ay isilangMay tatlong haring nagsidalawAt ang bawat isaAy nagsipaghandog ng tanging alay.

Bagong taon ay magbagong-buhayNang lumigaya ang ating bayanTayo’y magsikap upang makamtanNatin ang kasaganaan.

Tayo’y mangagsi-awitHabang ang mundo’y tahimikAng araw ay sumapitNg Sanggol na dulot ng langit.Tayo ay magmahalanAting sundin ang gintong aralAt magbuhat ngayonKahit hindi Pasko ay magbigayan.

-- Levi Celerio

CAROLING CHILDREN

ANG PASKO AY SUMAPIT

(To page 15)NATIVITY SCENE as re-enacted in last year’s FCT Christmas play

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 13

In 1535, French explorer Jacques Cartier led 109 others keep alive the spirit of Christmas in a tiny palisaded fortress on the banks of the Ste. Croix River (now the St. Charles), near the present City of Quebec.

But other than be a joyous occasion of celebration and merriment, this fi rst Christmas observa-tion in Canada was characterized by the French settlers with helplessness only buoyed up by a fl ick-er of hope for their well-being.

According to a

Christmasin Canada

CARTIERCanadian heritage entry in canadafi rst.net and citing a Montreal Star report, the settlers were not ready for the brutal winter. “The buildings could not keep out the penetrating cold. There were no cellars in which to keep supplies. All the drinkables were frozen hard, and melted snow had to be used for water, as rivers and streams were soon locked fast by the ice. Salt meat and stale vegetables formed the greater part of the diet, and by Christmas time health was beginning to suffer and the fi rst whisper of the dread disease of scurvy was apparent among the whites.”

At the same time, the settlers were constant-ly wary of possible acts of hostility from earlier befriended Indians who lived in the Iroquois village nearby Stadacona and hovered around, always watching.

Everything, however, came to pass. Variety of traditions

Through the years, the infl ux of settlers from all parts of the northern hemisphere gave rise to Christmas celebrations drawn from a va-riety of cultural traditions, including those of the French, English, German, Ukrainian, and First Nations.

Christmas historian Bill Egan in his article Christmas in Canada noted the French for the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass, La Messe de minuit, after which the family would sit down for the reveillon or awakening, a huge banquet.

French Canadians have also introduced the creche or Nativity scene displayed beneath an adorned Christmas tree.

In modern Quebec, some French-Canadian families would wait until New Year’s Day for gift giving.

Egan credited the English for the Christmas feast of roast goose or beef along with plum pudding, although the American turkey had lately made its way into Canadian tables.

The English would still decorate homes with pine boughs and kissing balls and sang ancient carols.

German settlers who migrated to Canada in the 1700s brought with them the traditions of setting up Christmas trees, singing carols, put-ting up Advent calendars, making gingerbread houses, baking cookies and much more.

Today, children of German origin would anxiously await the arrival of Christkindl, the

messenger of the Christ Child.Their mothers would make stollen

and decorate hundreds of Christmas cookies. The Tannenbaum is in the place of honor in every home.

CRECHE (Nativity scene)

When French Jesuit missionar-ies established Christianity in na-tive villages in the late 1600’s, they also introduced the Christmas tradi-tions of gift giving, feasting, singing, dancing and drum-ming and games of strength which have all become part of the mid-winter cel-

ebrations for the First Nations.Egan wrote that children of the Cree Na-

tion would visit the homes of relatives on Christmas Eve and a cloth bag was hanged for each child. On Christmas morn, the chil-

(To page 15)

dren would collect the bags expectedly fi lled with gifts and candy.

Missionaries also brought Christianity to the Inuit and today, the latter would celebrate Christmas with huge feasts that featured car-ibou, seal and raw fi sh, and turkey. Christmas activities included har-poon throwing, whip cracking, wrestling and igloo building,

along with modern day entertainment such as snowmobile racing.

In the late 1800s, Ukrainian immigrants brought with them a rich blend of Eastern Orthodox and age-old agrarian customs.

Egan wrote that the religious obser-CHRISTMAS TREE

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blunder was vowing to blindly follow the orders of generals and politicians whose lame brains and scheming souls only had eyes for the big chunk of the war’s spoils.

The fallen would no longer be able to write letters; nor would they be able to tell their tales.

In two to three hours into the night, they would be home, to loved ones they never had a chance to say goodbye to.

Horizontally, they all came. Vertically, most of them went.

Such is the geometry of sol-diery ... all within a very bad day in a senseless war!

***Silent night, Holy night.All is calm, all is bright.

*** LOOSE CANNONS and

YOUNG TROPHIES. There were those nights two or three decades ago when the whistle of a cannon ordnance flying over roofs and destined for some rebel target was music to the ears of the scared. Such was also the ecstatic effect of random gunfire on dark and cold nights.

The dreaded tunes seemed to give Cotabato City residents an assurance, although false, that the military was there, alert enough to hold Moro rebels at bay.

Incidentally, Cotabato City is located between a major Armed Forces of the Philippines camp at Awang, Dinaig, Maguindanao to the south and a major Moro Na-tional Liberation Front (MNLF) camp at Darapanan, Sultan Kuda-rat, Maguindanao northward.

On one of those nights when Cotabato Light and Power switched off its main transmission lines, the whistling came - not only one but an uncountable series.

Early next morning, an army captain fetched and told me an ex-clusive of the eve’s artillery spree awaited me, for the weekly local paper The Mindanao Cross with which I worked as a reporter.

I was told the Awang-based cannons spewed a shower of bombs on orders of the Central Mindanao Command general who got word from intelligence that Moro rebels “were crossing com-munication lines.”

This meant that the rebels be-gan spilling over an imaginary territorial line into what was sup-

Peace to all men of goodwill; goodwill to all men of peace

(From page 10)posed to be the Republic of the Philippines; as if there was, by indirect admission, a B a n g s a m o r o homeland the MNLF were ideological ly and militarily justified to shed blood for.

Peace nego-tiators that time had agreed on a ceasefire pact that discouraged “crossing communication lines,” a provision that could be loosely interpreted as an act of aggression subject to retaliation.

When we got to an army-cor-doned area marked with moon-like potholes, the sight and stench of death greeted me.

Trophies of military might: Thus, the army captain called a row of a dozen or so human cadav-ers strewn over a grassy roadside patch somewhere in the outskirts of Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao - some ten kilometers north of Cotabato City and about three kilometers south of the MNLF’s Darapanan camp.

With years of exposure to the Mindanao conflict, I have gotten used to the sight and smell of the casualties of war and those of the so-called collateral damage.

I have stared death in the face a couple of times, leading me to believe that death was just one of those things people had to live with; that there really was no rea-son to moan about it since it was fated to happen anyway, no mat-ter the painful loss or malodorous waste.

But when I saw malong-clad women grieving over three life-less bodies, I can’t help but shed a tear or two.

The significant three of the bodies, all covered with cloth from head to knee, were unmistakably very much shorter than the rest.

I never had to uncover the bod-ies to know that these belonged to children too old to have beautiful dreams and lofty ambitions; and too young to mess with guns and live ammo.

No, my tears were not to sym-

pathize or empathize with the grieving mothers, nor for the dead children.

My tears fell after I tried but failed to rationalize how and why supposedly responsible officers and gentlemen could brazenly or-der a massive display of firepower and later nonchalantly shrug off the demise of children caught in the web of their miscalculated whim.

My tears fell after I tried but failed to understand how and why parents could let their children go and be part of the ways of mistrust and conflict.

My tears fell, realizing that unless something was done to end the Mindanao war, other boys and girls would be growing up in a paradise where guns would no longer be equated with fear but with oppressive power; where the only good friend would be a dead enemy; where ruthless vengeance would be the rule rather than the exception; and where hatred would take over the love innate in humanity.

My tears fell after I tried but failed to comprehend how God’s, or even Allah’s, mysterious ways work for children whose exuber-ance and ideals were cut short and put to waste by war.

I watched the mothers carry the bodies of their children and lay these gently on carabao-pulled sleds.

These children would be bur-ied before sundown, according to Maguindanaon rites and tradition.

With that thought, I could only hope that hearts that never took pleasure in the sights, sounds and feel of a brutal and destructive

CHILDREN OF CONFLICT DEADLY BABY

war would stay aground and never go six feet under.

***Sleep in heav-

enly peace,sleep in heav-

enly peace.***

While writ-ing this col-umn, I kept asking myself: Would it not be improper to recall and re-tell sad tales, in

this Advent Season of Joy, Hope and Love?

But if so, then it would like-wise be improper to recall and re-tell the story of Niños Inocentes, an essential part of an oft-repeated inspiring Christmas story.

Niños Inocentes came on a night centuries past when new-borns and children in Bethlehem went under the sword of King Herod’s soldiers who were tasked to eliminate a prophesied King of Kings born in a manger to a car-penter and a virgin mother days earlier.

The soldiers failed in their mis-sion; but were triumphant enough to stain their hands with the blood of innocent children.

The Prince of Peace and his parents had evacuated Bethlehem and headed towards safer grounds, under the guidance of an angel from heaven.

*** Let there be peace on earth

And let it begin with me.***

Day in and day out since man ruled earth, stories of war have been passed on by tongue, etched in stone, inked on paper, stored in microfilms, caught on stills and video and, lately, archived in computer servers and DVDs, if not graphically digitalized into children’s addictive pasttimes.

Except for the cast of char-acters, the setting, the place and the time, the stories I recalled and retold are no different from those that had happened eons ago and are today happening worldwide -- in the rural and urban battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan and of many nations wracked and wrecked by

poverty, injustice, civil unrest and armed strife.

War is so age-old that its glam-orization and immortalization in the history of nations dig deep into the bestiality of mortals, as opposed to the boring inaction un-der an air of true, lasting peace.

Peace may as well be a con-coction of contemporary minds, an abstract, to rationalize the ex-istence of modern-day displace-ment, violence, ruin and death.

Yet, it seems that everyone wants peace. Is peace really at-tainable?

Yes. The world will, indeed, be a more peaceful place to live in when we refuse to follow the schemes of evil minds, when we refuse to be smitten by the rhetoric and empty blabbing of the loud; when we refuse to justify acts of aggression as a necessary means to a bloody end; when we refuse to be part of war.

The presence of peace is not just about the absence of war.

Peace comes when we refuse to hate and hurt each other. Peace comes when we pull our knives off the other person’s back. Peace comes when we stop cheating.

Peace comes when we stop showing we are better off than someone else.

Peace comes when we respect the dignity and humanity of our neighbor; when we dare not falsely accuse any one as a threat because of his race, creed, skin color, or social and economic status.

Peace comes when we start forgetting about bestowed power and cloud nine. Lest we forget, even the feet of great kings and conquerors were glued to the ground and the only place these ultimately went was under dirt.

Peace is more than just the idea, the notion, the thought.

Peace is feeling it in our hearts, gladly and unconditionally giving and sharing its blessings, not just on Christmas Day but all the days of our lives.

The angels were never mis-taken when they sang Alleluia on the birth of the Christ Child on Christmas Day.

Nor were they mistaken when they proclaimed:

Peace to all men of goodwill; goodwill to all men of peace.

***

JUST A THOUGHT: WHO DOES NOT NEED PEACE?

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 15

Christmas in Canada (From page 13)vance of Christmas for Ukrainians began with the Feast of Saint Phil-ip, when homes, yards and barns were cleaned to the hilt. Cleansing of the body and soul would also be done with fasting and purifi ca-tion.

On Christmas Eve, a day of fasting ended with Sviata Vechera, or Holy Supper.

Combining agrarian symbols and Christian symbols, 12 dishes were served, to represent the 12 disciples and the cycles of the moon. The dishes also symbolized the most valuable products of the fi eld, garden, and orchard. Meat or milk would not be served with the meal as a sign of respect for the farm animals.

Prior to the meal, a sheaf of wheat is brought into the house by the father or household head, who would walk around the home’s in-terior three times and then place the wheat in a corner of the kitchen or dining room near the family’s holy icon. The sheaf, to remain throughout the Christmas season, represented the entire family in-cluding departed ancestors and the generations to come. The souls of the family are thought to be in the sheaf, representing the Christian belief in an afterlife and the boun-tiful fertility of the land.

Canadawide YuleToday, in some provinces, a

big winter festival, called Sinck tuck, is celebrated.

In Labrador, turnips are saved from the summer harvest and are

given to children, with a lighted candle pushed into a hollowed out hole.

In Nova Scotia, Scottish set-tlers introduced ancient Christ-mas songs and carols people sang each Christmas morning. During the 12 days of Christmas, small groups of belsnicklers, or masked mummers, would appear in neighborhoods, ringing bells, making noise, seeking candy or other treats. The hosts could try to guess who the mummers were and if they guessed right, the mummer would remove his or her disguise and stop making noises.

Children would be quizzed by the mummers on their behavior. Masked mummers have also be-come a Christmas tradition from

Krismas sa ‘Pinas(From page 12)

MANO PO, LOLA. Due re-spect is given to the matri-arch and other elders, not only during Christmas Day but all year round.

SIMBANG GABI. For nine mornings, the Fili-pino faithful fl ock to church to attend the Misa de Gallo, as they welcome the coming of the Christ Child.

PUTO BUMBONG. Children watch in anticipation for the puto bumbong to be cooked. Puto bumbong and bibingka are na-tive delicacies never to be missed during the Yule season.

Bethlehem.The parol emits a warmth un-

paralleled among holiday adorn-ments and is unique to the Philip-pines.

Filipinos enjoy decorating their homes. Brightly colored buntings or streamers are hung inside and out. Often, Christmas cards that illustrate scenes in the Philippines are pinned on red and green ribbons and hung in the sala (living room).

Candles and wreaths are com-mon; and lately made with local native materials. Many houses, particularly in urban areas, are strung with tiny blinking multi-colored lights inside and out.

Most Filipinos think it a must

to decorate their homes for the Christmas holidays.

Christmas decors are removed after the Feast of the Three Kings, and stored, ready to adorn living rooms anew next Yuletide season.

TraditionsNotwithstanding Western in-

fl uences, Christmas traditions have been adapted to fi t the nature and personality of Filipinos.

Christmas Eve in the Philip-pines is a tradition most families mark, a night without sleep mov-ing right into Christmas Day.

As Dec. 24 dawns, the last Mass of Simbang Gabi is attended; then preparations begin for Noche Buena, a fam-ily feast that takes place af-ter midnight.

T h e Noche Buena is very much like an open house cele-bration. Fam-ily, friends, r e l a t i v e s , and neigh-bors drop by to wish every fam-ily member “Maligayang Pasko” (Mer-ry Christmas) and to partake of food, buffet style.

T h e s e food recipes

are usually prepared for Noche Buena: bibingka, puto bumbong, hamon (ham), queso de bola (edam cheese), litson (pan-fried roast pork), kare-kare (oxtail stew in peanut butter sauce), meat turn-overs, relyenong manok (baked stuffed chicken), banana fritters, okoy (shrimp snacks), arroz caldo (chicken rice soup), churros (crul-lers), salabat (ginger tea), tsoko-late (hot chocolate), tropical fruits and many others.

The Noche Buena sets the an-nual reunion of immediate and distant family members. Some families may choose to exchange gifts at this time; others wait until Christmas day.

It is at this time when Filipinos pay respects to their elders, shown in the custom called Pagmamano - done by touching one’s forehead to the elder’s hand and saying “Mano Po.” The elder then bless-es one who has paid respect.

In general, the center of a family’s Christmas gathering is always the lola, the family ma-triarch or grandmother, who is deeply respected, highly revered, and always present.

Filipinos remember how their lola had their children form a line and step up to receive a small gift of coins. The older the child, the more coins he or she gets.

The fun, food, entertainment and chatting will seem endless, until the church bells peel, call-ing the faithful for the Christmas service.

PanunuluyanIn some areas, Catholic devo-

tees reenact the journey of Joseph and the pregnant Blessed Virgin Mary in search of lodging for the soon-to-be born Jesus Christ, in the traditional Panunuluyan, also called Pananawagan and Panan-apatan.

This street pageant is per-formed after dark on Christmas Eve, with actors portraying Jo-seph and Mary going to pre-des-ignated houses. They chant Wika Wika Bang Bang, a traditional folk song, to wake up the owner of the house and ask for lodging.

Also through a song, the own-ers turn away the couple, who leave for the parish church where a simulated manger is set up.

The birth of Jesus is then cel-ebrated at midnight with a High Mass or the Misa de Aguinaldo.

In Spanish, aguinaldo means a gift. The Mass suggests itself as a gift for the Child Jesus.

On Christmas DayChristmas Day is a popular

day for children to visit their un-cles, aunts, godmothers and god-fathers.

At each home visit, they are presented with a gift, usually candy, money, a suit or dress, or a toy. Food and drinks are offered at each stop.

“Mano po, ninong; mano po, ninag” is once more reprised.

It is a day of family closeness, and everyone wishes and shares good cheer and glad tidings.

Niños InocentesNiños Inocentes (Holy Inno-

cents’ Day or Childermas) is com-memorated on Dec. 28.

The innocents referred to were

the children under two years old massacred by order of Herod, who was seeking the death of the new-born Messiah.

However, since Herod was unsuccessful in killing the Christ Child, Filipinos mark the day by playing pranks on one another much like what is done on April Fool’s Day.

Media NocheOn Dec. 31 or New Year’s

Eve, families gather for the Media Noche or midnight meal – a feast symbolizing hopes for a prosper-ous New Year.

In spite of the ban on fire-crackers, many Filipinos in the Philippines still see these as the traditional means to greet the New Year.

In Mindanao, irresponsible gunholders used to fire their weapons into the air. This practice has long been banned and viola-tors put to jail.

The loud noises and sounds of merrymaking are not only meant to celebrate the coming of the New Year but are also supposed to drive away bad spirits.

Safer methods of merrymak-ing include banging on pots and pans and honking car horns.

Folk beliefs also encourage children to jump at the stroke of midnight so they would grow tall, displaying circular fruit and wearing clothes with dots and other circular designs to symbol-ize money, eating twelve grapes at 12 midnight for good luck in the twelve months of the year, and opening windows and doors dur-ing the first day of the New Year to let in the good luck.

Day of the Three KingsPhilippine Christmas celebra-

tions officially end on the Feast of the Three Kings, also known as the Feast of the Epiphany.

The day was traditionally commemorated on Jan. 6, but is now celebrated on the first Sun-day after the New Year, by papal proclamation.

Some children leave their slip-pers and shoes out, in the belief that the Three Kings would leave behind gifts like candy or money on or inside these footwear. This is, perhaps, the Filipino counter-part of Santa’s visit.

Jan. 6 is also known in other countries as the Twelfth Night, and the Twelve Days of Christ-mas referred to in the Christmas carol are the twelve days between Christmas Day (Dec. 25) and the coming of the Three Kings (Jan. 6). Internet sources

Newfoundland.In Toronto, Ontario, people

would start feeling the Yuletide atmosphere with the pomp and revelry of the annual Santa Claus Parade, which premiered on Dec. 2, 1905.

Like in other Canadian cities, shops and malls would be adorned with colorful Christmas decors and lights, complemented with piped-in Christmas tunes. And so would be homes and buildings.

It was said that radio stations would only start airing Christmas music with the fi rst snowfall.

Some traditions might have been exploited for mercantile benefi ts; but even so, the spirit of Chrtistmas, like the one fi rst ob-served in Canada, would live on.

PAROL. Unique to the Philippines, the parol - Christmas lan-tern depicting the Star of Bethlehem - lights up doorways and pathways of Filipino homes, sending the message that everyone is welcome to enter an abode of love and peace.

Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 200816

Tony Masongsong (seated at center) with girlfriend, Mavis -- an environ-mental planner for the Town of Markham, with few of his guests after the blessing of his new condo unit in Markham, Ontario. Standing from left are Ken, Vince, Aida, Nora, Fe, Mita, Alex, Ed and John. In front are Manny and Santy.

Tony’s condo blessingBELOW LEFT: Manila Media Monitor’s and Front Page Philippines’ Ace Alva-rez and OMNI Television National Vice President Madeline Ziniak, president and chair, respectively, of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA), offer a toast celebrating the 30th Anniversary of CEMA during its Season’s Dinner at the Golden Lions Banquet Hall in Etobicoke on Nov. 28. CEMA is

At CEMA’s Season’s Dinner

the premier organization for ethnic me-dia (print, radio, television and the new media) in Canada. Photo: Nick Do/Thoi Bao Vietnamese Newspaper. BELOW RIGHT: CEMA member and Philippine Press Club-Ontario president Tenny So-riano, with wife Myrna (from left), discuss issues of interests with long-time CEMA member Lucille St. Andre. Photo: Manila Media Monitor

days of continuous heavy rain in the last week of No-vember.

Also reported were a big number of dead and missing persons, some 2,200 fami-lies displaced and evacu-ated, and destruction of millions of pesos worth of public and private property.

The provincial govern-

Camarines Norte ass’n airs ...(From page 3)

ment had declared the area in a state of emergency.

San Juan said the CNAC-O has initially do-nated P50,000 ($1,250) in aid.

He assured donors and benefactors that all dona-tions would be properly ac-knowledged and accounted for. PR/JSJM

black jacket and a black motorbike helmet, the police have not presented any proof of his complicity in any criminal act.

While Eusebio’s kin were ready to accept his untimely demise, they vehemently protested the derogatory label being attached to his person.

“We demand justice,” a brother-in-law cried.

A similar plaintive cry came from the mother of Lea Alyanna de Vera, 7, who was also killed in the gunfi ght, along with her husband Alfonso.

Initial investigation

reports said father and daughter were aboard their family vehicle when the shootout erupted.

Witnesses narrated that Alfonso was trying to get her daughter out of harm’s way when he was gunned down.

The Commission on

Half empty / Half full(From page 11) Human Rights has stepped

into the picture even as the Philippine National Police Internal Affairs Service is conducting its own probe.

At the end of the day, will there be justice for the hapless civilian fatalities?

Your guess is as good as mine.

ADVERTISE WITH THE MANILA MEDIA MONITOR. Call 416-285-8583

17DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor COMMUNITYCOMMUNITY

Men and women of THE PILLARS, the Filipino-Canadian seniors group led by President Frank Maralag, pose for posterity as they celebrate the asso-ciation’s 29th foundation anniversary. Seated left to right are Babes Bilvar, Dora Lopez, Lily Zaragoza, Angelita Vera Cruz (Mrs. Pillars 2008), Elen Alm-eda, Nena Maralag, Caridad Tomas (Mrs. Pillars 2006), Fresca Hebros, and Mila Lupango. Standing left to right are Popoy Caña, Luisa Sasait, Ligaya Caña, Rose Letrondo, Ethel Panganiban Stewart (Mrs. Charity 2008), Letty Guiyab, Marita Enriquez (Mrs. Peace 2008), Jose Nocum, Estrella Tolentino, Lina Brown, Cirila Cruz, Zeny Crescini and Jim Lupango. MANUEL PAPA

The Pillars 29th anniversary celebration

“Membership is the blood of an organization,” said Kalayaan Secretary Charity Lim, while addressing those at the launch.

“You are what matters. Without you, there will be no Kalayaan. When we help each other grow, when we all work together, Kalayaan will grow stronger,” she stressed.

Fundraising chairperson Madge Baluca agreed: “When I accepted this position, I was hesitant. But I’m glad I am a part of this because as I look around,

I know I am not alone. I know each and everyone of you will get involved.”

Consul General Ale-jandro Mosquera called for committed involvement in the endeavor, and cited the growing number of ladies in the committees.

“I think we need all the ladies to take over everything,” he said. “Ladies are in power. This is the transformation, a way to rejuvenate Kalayaan,” Mosquera said.

Created in 1983, Kalayaan is the umbrella group sponsoring the annual

Kalayaan launches community event skeds at KCCC

PHOTOS ABOVE: Officers and members of various community groups, to include officials of the Philippine Consulate in Toronto, gather at the Kalay-aan Cultural Community Centre to show solidarity as they plan events and activities for the 2009 Kalayaan celebration.

Philippine Independence Day fete in Mississauga and its environs, with a mandate to promote and preserve Filipino culture. Jackielou Perez

Community plans Rejuvenate Kalayaan ...(From page 3)

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Basketball referee Romy Turla of PITO (center) celebrates his birth anniver-sary with his family at their residence in Ajax, Ontario. With him (from left) are son Pocholo, daughter-in-law Anna, granddaughter Arianna, wife Patri and sister Mercy. PR

Turla marks natal day with kin, friendsCOMMUNITYCOMMUNITY

Jing de Leon – brother of Toronto-based singing diva Josie de Leon, deserves the mention.

Jing de Leon is fast becoming very popular for the set designs he did at various stage presentations.

His recent work, which earned praises from among us in the media, were those he designed for the Celebrate Music concert of his sister Josie, and a couple of local artists affi liated with the family-operated Studio Six Productions, and the set at the Pasko sa Toronto stage; at least the part where the Studio Six talents narrated how Christmas is celebrated in rural Philippines through Filipino songs. At the same event, we heard that he was the one who designed and executed the set for the live Nativity scene at the show and trade exhibit, Sunday, November 23. Great set designs, Jing!

***Still at Pasko sa Toronto

… I could say that the work done by Ystillo, Inc., the company that produced and put together the show and trade exhibit at Halls F & G of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, did a good job on the event.

Congratulations to the producers of the event, popular physiotherapist Francis Rementilla and Rose Ami, the latter a media colleague.

During a brief talk with Francis at the event, he said he was very much satisfi ed as far as the turn-out of the people visiting the place was.

Front Page Philippines, the television program I produce and which airs on OMNI 2 Television, CJMT

Toronto, was a media sponsor of the event.

***Sometime late last

October. I found the following message in my inbox:

“It’s been ages since we last met. Maybe, it was twist of fate that I accessed my own blogs and much to my surprise, you were all over the pages.

“How are you doing, buddy? Can’t be less than too happy to know you’ve been doing good up there in Toronto.”

I was so thrilled to receive the message, coming from my compadre, Jimmy Montejo -- a very accomplished Manila-based journalist, and now, also writing a column for Manila Media Monitor.

Before we even worked together professionally at the news and public affairs department of what was during our time the top FM news station in Manila (as ranked by the Kapisanan ng Brodkasters sa Pilipinas [KBP] and awarded us the Top News Station for Metropolitan Manila – both in the AM and FM Bands Category), Jimmy was one of my buddies in and out of journalism school.

I thought of Jimmy’s message for the kind of friendship that he and I have – then and now, and merit mention, considering the season of the year, where most of us do fi nd time to be alone amd contemplate on the past to prepare and plan for the future.

As I recall my friendship with Jimmy, poet Joseph Parry’s Silver and Gold comes to mind:

Make new friends, but keep the old;

Those are silver, these are gold.

Indeed, my friendship with the guy is gold. For how can I forget - much more waste such friendship after it “ … stood the test,” as Parry puts it.

The poet continues ..Time and change - are

surely best;Brow may wrinkle, hair

grow gray;Friendship never knows

decay.For ‘mid old friends,

tried and true,Once more we our

youth renew.Of equal measure of

friendship as that I have with Jimmy is that which I have with Gerry Patungan – an ever loyal friend from San Fabian, Pangasinan and now lives in the San Fernando Valley area in California with his wife, the beauteous Belone (nee Fernandez).

Our communication continues to be open and we talk for hours every now and then on the phone. My friendships with these people are immeasurable, as I wish some of my new friendships are.

To all my readers, “silver” and “gold” friends alike, as you greet the Christmas season you may want to spend sometime alone, think of the year leaving us now, and meditate on your relationship with your friends (and, of course, family).

Is your friendship a one way one - which you keep and nurture only for your own interests and purposes? Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!

Regardless, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you! [email protected]

The champ, Remembering the Champ, and ...(From page 8)

Muhlach.Padilla was very visible

the past year: Asian Trea-sure and Joaquin Bordado (the assassin whose charac-ter resurfaces as a reformed guy, even bordering on the divine.

His TV commercial por-trays him as having turned over a new leaf too, swear-ing off alcohol!

It also helped that he is noted for being an em-issary-on-call, espousing peace during incidents where Muslims are in con-flict with Christians.

Of late, her pretty daugh-ter has been seen campaign-ing on TV for peace.

Hence, it is a real-life Joaquin Bordado story for Robin and that, says the analysts, answers the ques-tion why he is suddenly well-liked.

“We are suckers for re-formed people.”

Surprises in list of RP’s ...(From page 8)

PRC group’s Christmas party

Former Philippine Refining Company employees get together for their an-nual Christmas party at Joe and Leonie Manzanares’s home on Dec. 7. PR

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 19

Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 2008Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 200820

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23DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor

ABOVE: Baby Paola Julianne Panganiban is flanked by her Ninangs (god-mothers) Karen Diaz, Dr. Arla Rondilla, Tina Rondilla, Mariel Manale, Sal-ly Almeyda, Kat Leano and Anne Galicia after she was baptized at the St. Barnabas Catholic Church on Nov. 9. Cradling Julianne is mom Jen, as Jun, Mikee and Patricia Panganiban look on. BELOW: Julianne’s Ninongs (god-fathers) are Paul Aniceto, Jaie-R Libramonte, Monjo Panganiban (proxy), Alain Peña, Vic Gozum and Jonrey Bautista. PR

Paola Julianne Panganiban’s baptismal

24 Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 2008so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax.

“From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.

“I would further advise you not to take on other people’s enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion.

“We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise.

It is understood by all that you are commander-in-chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely.

“However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, ‘hate the sin, but love the sinner.’

There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no

more torture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people’s spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

“A good model of how to ‘work with the enemy’ internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet.

“Because, fi nally, it is the soul that must be preserved -- if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies.

“And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can fi nd an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world. We are the ones we have been waiting for.

“In Peace and Joy.”***

I may or may not have been attentive this season, but I haven’t noticed

Christmas trees: a people’s ...(From page 9)

the usual hubbub about Christmas trees which in spite of some misguided do-gooders seem to be in greater evidence than ever in stores and public places.

This is the time of year when celebrations, religious and otherwise are most evident. Eid, Diwali, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year all speak for a season of goodwill and joy in our existence.

It is true that the Christmas tree seems to predominate the environment but this year I have neither read nor seen a personal or public outcry at the ubiquity of the tree.

I recall one angry lady host on a so-called religious station who interviewed me (defending

multiculturalism) closing the show with, “I dare them to abolish the Christmas Tree.”

Studies show that the tree has its roots in pagan Germany, long before the seasonal tribute began in Germany in the 1600s whence it came to North America via the considerable waves of German immigration at that time.

It is believed that German immigrants were decorating trees in Canada long before their arrival in England, a country which through Dickens and other sentimental authors captured public attention.

Although an instrument of commerce as well as a home event, the tree has

long lost any religious signifi cance But, I say, so be it.

The Christmas tree is here and here to stay and a growing number of newcomers of diverse religious beliefs are enjoying its glowing presence. (Used with permission. Ben Viccari is past president of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association [CEMA] and makes frequent appearances on OMNI TV Commentary. Some of his commentaries are republished in this publication and slightly expanded in some cases from their 70-second broadcast originals. For more of his work, please visit Ben’s website at: http://canscene.ripple.ca)

return to the workforce in well-paid management positions. They acquire these jobs by citing in their resumes the many skills and achievements they learned through their volunteer work. What talents are you racking up through your hobbies and leisure activities?

Sometimes proof comes to us by comparing ourselves to others. Simply ask yourself, “Out of all the people who have ever lived, how many have attained what I want?” The sheer numbers alone will often be all the proof you need.

When all else fails, fall back on faith. Some of the most successful people in the world had absolutely no proof that they could achieve their dreams. All they had was a strong desire and a belief in themselves. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Take the fi rst step in faith. You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the fi rst step.” Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is a motivational speaker and humorist. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert’s programs please visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.

Defeating ...(From page 10)

Officers and members of The Pillars Cultural Association, in cooperation with Spectrum Health Care, conduct a free flu shot clinic for residents of St. Jamestown on Nov. 15. RHEZA EVANGELISTA/PR

The Pillars conduct free flu shot clinic

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 25

After going over all the cost info, he asked, “Would it be cheaper to fl y to California and take the train to Hawaii?”

***This one was from

another senator, who was also an actor:

He asked the travel agent, “How do I know which plane to get on?”

The travel agent asked him what exactly he meant, to which he replied, “I was told my fl ight number is 823, but none of these planes have numbers on them.

***Another government

offi cial asked, “I need to fl y to Pepsi-Cola, FL. Do I have to get on one of those twin-engine planes?”

The travel agent asked if he meant fl y to Pensacola, FL on a commuter plane. He said, “Yeah, whatever!”

***From another congress-

man who phoned the travel agent to ask about the documents needed to fl y to China.

The travel agent reminded him that he needed a visa.

“Oh, no I don’t. I’ve been to China many times and never had to have one of those.”

The travel agent double checked and sure enough, his stay required a visa.

When the travel agent told the congressman about it, he said, “Look, I’ve been to China four times and every time they accepted my American Express!”

***From another senator:

“I want to go from Chicago to Rhino, New York.”

The agent said, “Are you sure that’s the name of the town?”

“Yes, what fl ights do you have?” replied the senator.

After some searching, the agent came back with, “I’m sorry, ma’am, I’ve looked up every airport code in the country and can’t fi nd a Rhino anywhere.”

The senator retorted, “Oh, don’t be silly! Eve-ryone knows where it is. Check your map!”

The agent scoured a map of the state of New York and fi nally offered, “You don’t mean Buffalo, do you?”

“That’s it! I knew it was a big animal,” the senator said.

***As you know, former

Philippine president Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) was in Toronto recently to drum up the efforts of Gawad Kalinga on its work for the poor, not only those in the Philippines, but

elsewhere in other third world countries.

Here is a story in photos from the various events in Toronto that the former president attended.

In photo # 1 (courtesy of Philippine Press Club Ontario [PPCO] member Anagaile Soriano), do you know what FVR was saying?

S i r i t na? All he’s saying is this: “So far, this M a n i l a M e d i a M o n i t o r is the best in all aspects: content, layout; everything!”

Congratulations to Manila Media Monitor editor Butch Galicia!

Ooops! Wait, it doesn’t look like it is Manila Media Monitor; looks like it is Philippine Courier.

Oh, congratulations then to Philippine Courier publisher and editor, Ramon Datol!

***Among the newsmen in

the Philippines who are now based in Toronto, Tenny Soriano, Tony Sicat and Nestor Arellano are those who were known to former president Fidel Ramos.

These three newsmen covered the former Philip-pine president either during his service in the military, or when he was already president of the country.

In photo # 2 (Courtesy:Anagaile Soriano), at left is Tenny Soriano, the president of PPCO. Beside him is Tony Sicat, PPCO director. Not in photo is Nestor Arellano, who was seated with his colleagues in the PPCO during the press conference with Mr. Ramos held at Casa Manila on York Mills Rd., North York.

Can you guess what the thumbs up by Tenny, Tony and former president Ramos was for?

Sirit na? They were telling Nestor Arellano na ayos na at naiabot na?

(To the naïve in media work: never mind what is “ayos na at naiabot na”. We

What? FVR press con ‘prorogued’?(From page 7)

PHOTO 1

PHOTO 2

PHOTO 3

PHOTO 4

PHOTO 5 PHOTO 6

don’t really talk openly about it.)

***I n

photo # 3, l i k e w i s e courtesy of Anagaile, r e a d e r s m i g h t think that we PPCO

members are excited to pose for a souvenir photo with former president Fidel and Mrs Ming Ramos.

Truth is, we’re not. We were just watching the teleserye on the the new 52” plasma TV in front of us.

***In photo # 4 (courtesy:

Rico de las Alas, PPCO member) where FVR is pointing to Tenny, the latter r e s p o n -ded, “Ma-w a l a n g g a l a n g na, ano, you’re no longer the president, but I am. T o t o o , kahit na i t a n o n g mo pa kay Tony Sicat at kay Nestor Arellano.”

In the same photo, do you know what Myrna Soriano, wife of PPCO President Tenny, was saying to FVR?

Sirit na? Myrna was saying, “Fidel, my husband covered you for seventeen years at the Department of National Defense. He’s now

the president, ‘no. Now, it’s time for you to cover him. Here’s your media ID; you’ll be detailed at the Presidential Press Corps Offfi ce.”

***In Photo # 5

(courtesy of Mike Caducio, Philippine Courier), do you know why Mon Datol was so happy with all those papers he was handed over by FVR?

Sirit na? Sir Mondee Datol was so happy thinking that he was appointed by FVR as Chair of Philippine Sports Development Com-mission, forgetting in the process that FVR is no longer president.

***In Photo # 6 (courtesy:

Mike Caducio), FVR on PPCO member Larry Torres: “ … and so, by the powers vested in me, I confer on you the baccalaureate degree … ahhh … ahh … bachelor’s degree in … ahh … ahhh … (turns to Larry and …). You’re a bachelor, aren’t you? Ladies, here with me is a bachelor for the take.”

***Look what those people

standing behind in Photo # 7 (courtesy: Anagaile

days with Tenny while the latter was covering him at the Department of National Defense, and Mon Datol confers with Ambassador Chito Brillantes a business (as usual) proposition.

PHOTO 7

Soriano) put up with just to have a picture with FVR; They look “TH (for “trying hard”), including myself, while FVR shows PPCO prez Tenny the former’s memoirs on his

PHOTO 8

Mon, ten percent ako diyan, ha?

***What? The

FVR press c o n f e r e n c e has been “pro-rogued” by PPCO president Tenny? That’s what it looks like in Photo # 8 (courtesy: Larry Torres)! ***

In Photo # 9 (courtesy: Ariel Ramos, PPCO member), the guys and gals of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto (PCCT) are all

PHOTO 10

thumbs up with FVR. What the thumbs-up is

for? I don’t know, don’t ask me, please.

Most often than not, I don’t understand what we were, or are being asked to do yonder at the PCCT!

***In Photo # 10 (courtesy:

Mike Caducio), PPCO fi rst lady Myrna Soriano (right) laughs as Front Page Philippines TV program host Gie Alvarez delivers her standard extro from the table at: “Well, diyan po nagtatapos ang ating palatuntunan at sa ngalan po ng ating producer Ace Alvarez at … sa patnugot ng pahayagang Manila Media Monitor, ito po ang inyong lingkod, Gie, hanggang sa susunod na Ooops and Bloops, MALIGAYANG PASKO AT MANIGONG BAGONG TAON SA INYONG LAHAT!”

PHOTO 9

26 Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 2008 CALENDAR► DEC. 19: Bicolano Canada Com-munity Association Christmas Dinner-Dance, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 6:30 p.m. ► DEC. 19: Philippine Press Club - Ontario Christmas Party and Celebrity Night with Kol Hope Foundation, Inc., Casa Manila, 7 p.m.► DEC. 20: College of the Holy Spirit North American Foundation, Inc. Can-ada Chapter Christmas Party, Strate’s Banquet Hall, Etobicoke, 6 p.m.► DEC. 30: Knights of Rizal Canada Region Commemoration of the Martyr-dom of Dr. Jose Rizal, Earl Bales Park, 5 p.m.► DEC. 31: Filipino Centre Toronto New Year’s Eve Dinner-Dance.

FOR 2009► Up to JAN. 7: Roberto Lavidez’s The Tolerant Society art exhibition.► JAN. 24: Kalayaan Cultural Commu-nity Centre Fund Raising Event.► FEB. 7: Isabela Cultural Organiza-tion of Ontario 18th Anniversary and In-duction Ball, Rembrandt Banquet Hall. ► FEB. 27: Filipino Centre Toronto 2009 Filipino Singing Idol Competitions, Second Round, FCT Rizal Hall. ► APRIL 23: Filipino Centre Toronto 2009 Filipino Singing Idol Competitions, Third Round, FCT Rizal Hall.► APRIL 26: Kalayaan Cultural Com-munity Centre Children’s Fashion Show. ► MAY 30 (tentative): Kalayaan Cultur-al Community Centre Cultural Show.► JUNE 6 and 7: Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre Independence Gala Night and Summer Festival Picnic, re-spectively.

Front Page Philippines

A public service feature of the Ma-nila Media Monitor and the Philip-pine Consul General Offi ce. Also visit pakulo.com.

The gifts of Hope, of Joy, of Love, of Peace.

May these be yoursduring thisSeason of Adventand throughout theNew Year.

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3 P.M.

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media MonitorDECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 27The PHILIPPINESThe PHILIPPINES

NEWS ROUNDUPNEWS ROUNDUPPROSPERIDAD, Agusan del Sur - The electorate in the once lone congressional district of Agusan del Sur will be electing two members of the House of Representative in the May 10, 2010 national polls. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law Republic Act No. 95081 that divided Agusan del Sur, the biggest province in the Caraga Region - into two congressional districts. The towns of Sibagat, Prosperidad, Talacogon, San Luis and Esperanza and Bayugan City formed the first district while the towns of San Francisco, Rosario, Bunawan, Trento, Sta. Josefa, Veruela, Loreto and La Paz comprised the second district. PNA

Agusan del Sur: 2 cong’l districts carved

CABANATUAN CITY - Two security guards, one of them a 43-year-old lady, were awarded for honesty in the performance of their duties. Awardee Daniel Bautista, com-pany guard of a power firm here, returned a bag containing cash and valuables to a college student or Araullo University. On the other hand, awardee Erlinda Flores of TekForce Se-curity Agency reported to police how fellow guards stole goods worth some P40,000 from the CVC Mall in San Miguel, Bulacan. Dr. Joselito Cruz, president of the Philippine As-sociation of Detective and Protective Agency Operators Inc., bestowed the awards. PNA

Cabanatuan City: Honest people lauded

CEBU CITY - Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Lufthansa Technic Philippines (LTP), its maintenance provider, have launched the development of a P88-million main-tenance facility at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA). PAL president Jaime Bautista said “the facility is badly needed to accommodate the airline’s rapidly expanding fleet, particularly in Cebu.” The facility will rise on a 1.2-hectare lot, part of the LTP’s 2.6-hectare leased area at MCIA. The expanded area would ably accommodate PAL’s long-range, wide-body flagship, the Boeing 777-300Er. Construction of the facility would be completed by February 2009. PNA

Cebu City: Airport maintenance facility up

DAGUPAN CITY - The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist has started operating a bio-control laboratory that produces bio-control agents and helps ensure healthy and bountiful agricultural harvests. Agriculture official Violy Laforteza says the bio-lab, located at their office in Sta. Barbara, Pangasinan, produces the bio-control agent trichograma that kills corn borers. Trichograma is an insect that looks for the egg of a corn borer and sits on it, preventing the corn borer egg from growing. Once the egg is hatched, the insect would be a trichograma. The trichograma card or envelope given to farmers contains an egg. The card indicates the time frame to open it and when the egg is about to hatch. PIA

Dagupan City: Bio-lab makes trichograma

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY - Members of the Provincial Board (PB) of Palawan stood firm on their decision to declare a 25-year moratorium on small-scale mining in the prov-ince, saying they were ready to face any legal action that might be filed against them. PB presiding officer Vice Governor David Ponce de Leon said the ban covered endorsements for new applications for small-scale mining activities. Earlier, a national daily story said the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines denounced the PB’s action. Environment Secretary Jose Atienza said he wanted a review of the provincial legislation. Palawan Governor Joel Reyes signed on Nov. 25 Resolution No. 7728-08 declaring the moratorium, affecting over 300 small-scale mining applications pending before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Region IV-B Mines and Geosciences Bureau. The PB feared that if the applications were given due course, these would imperil and threaten Palawan’s fragile ecological balance, cause irreparable damage to its unique flora and fauna and seri-ously compromise the carrying capacity of its integrated ecosystem. PNA

Palawan: Firm 25-year mining moratorium

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan - The municipal government is bent on reviving its once thriv-ing cottage industries that placed the town in the trading map in the past. Mayor Ernesto Castañeda said his cultural revival program, to be funded under the One-Town-One Prod-uct program, would focus on the production of the famous Pangasinan bucayo (coconut candy), the tamales, puto lanson, tulapo (pork chicharon), bagoong (fish paste) and fans. Castañeda said these industries used to flourish since the Spanish time, but the next gen-erations of Lingayenses failed to sustain them for one reason or another. He also urged townsfolk to turn in old mementoes showing Lingayen’s glorious past. PNA

Lingayen: Old cottage industries revived

ILOILO CITY - The city is expected to raise more revenues and attract big-ticket invest-ments as it embraced a computerization project that would make business processing fast-er and real property tax collection more efficient. World Bank Portfolio Manager Maryse Gautier said the World Bank and Department of Finance-assisted project had two compo-nents: the Real Property Tax Administration System covering appraisal and assessment and land tax payment and collection and the Business Permit License Tax Administration System covering business tax, regulatory fees, charges assessment, business permit ap-plication and payment and collection. The 30-computer project was funded with P11.939 million, 50 percent coming from the World Bank. PNA

Iloilo City: Computerization spurs growth

ILAGAN, Isabela - Isabela province has been named as the first beneficiary of the en-vironmental project under the Clinton Global Initiatives (CGI). Isabela Governor Grace Padaca said the CGI-supported reforestation project would go a long way to help support provincial efforts to curb illegal logging in the area. Late last month, some towns were placed under a state of calamity due to floods that left many families homeless and caused loss of lives and property. CGI, spearheaded by former US President Bill Clinton, hoped to help developing and underdeveloped countries fight poverty through projects promoting environmental protection and preservation, education and other advocacies. The project would be implemented through the Lopez Group of Companies. PNA

Isabela: Province is 1st CGI beneficiary

Tahanan Non-profi t Homes Corporation, a housing development consisting of 42 units, is looking for a dynamic individual to manage the property on a part-time basis (minimum 21 hours per week).

The ideal candidate should possess an extensive knowledge of and experience working in Non-profi t Housing. He/she must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, a detailed working knowledge of budgeting and the costing process along with the ability to work in a challenging environment.

Reporting to the Board of Directors, the Property Manager will manage the Corporation’s administration, reporting, budgeting, landlord-tenant relations, as well as social programs and community relations.

The ideal candidate should possess the following:1. Minimum fi ve (5) years experience in rental housing management;2. Knowledge of legislation, funding and operation of provincial and municipal non-profi t housing;3. Proven track record in managing contracts and confl ict resolution.

Qualifi ed applicants are invited to submit a resume and cover letter via email by noon on Friday, January 9, 2009.

Resumes to be sent to:Attention: Vice PresidentTahanan Non-profi t Homes CorporationEmail: [email protected]

PROPERTY MANAGER(Part-time)

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CITY OF SAN FER-NANDO, Pampanga - Parol (Christmas lantern) makers from at least eight villages in Pampanga have confirmed their participa-tion in this year’s edition of the Giant Lantern Festival (GLF), a festival of lights and sounds emanating from handmade giant lanterns patterned after the Star of Bethlehem and depicting the joy and hope of the Holy Nativity.

City Mayor Oscar Ro-driguez, in announcing the city’s preparedness for the GLF, named the villages as barangays San Jose, Dolo-res, Sat. Lucia, Sto. Rosa-rio, Sto. Nino San Felipe, San Juan, San Nicolas and San Felipe.

Rodriguez said mak-ing the giant lantern never depended on the monetary capacity of the participants, but rather on their participa-tion and sense of belonging while performing a religious and cultural tradition.

Corito Lim-Panlilio,

GLF co-chairperson, said the festival would be staged on Dec. 20 and “we will expect to see our lantern makers innovate their crafts more.”

The festival traces its roots to the religious pro-cession known as “lube-nas,” which included a parade of star-like lanterns - made out of bamboo strips and papel de hapon (crepe paper) - that illuminated the carro (float) of religious icons and served as the pro-cessional light to guide the faithful through dark streets to the church fronting the town plaza.

The lubenas, a corrup-tion of the Spanish word novenas, were conducted on each of the nine days before Christmas, coinciding with the dawn masses known as Simbang Gabi.

It was said that the first lantern festival was made in honor of President Manuel Quezon. At that time, Que-zon made Arayat his rest area and converted Mt.

Arayat into a tourist resort.As a show of gratitude

to Quezon, the people of San Fernando conducted a Christmas lantern contest to honor the first family. Quezon donated the contest prize, which was person-ally awarded to the winner by then First Lady Aurora Quezon.

In the annual contests that followed, parol makers introduced more innova-tions on their giant lantern entries.

Colored plastic replaced the traditional papel de hapon.

Large steel barrels called rotors also substitut-ed for the hand-controlled switches to manipulate the lights.

Lanterns have likewise grown in size to about 20 feet today, and these are il-luminated by about 3,500 to 5,000 light bulbs.

Lanterns crated with used frames in 2003 entailed a cost of P150,000 each.

Entries made entirely of new materials cost as much as P400,000 or more.

Rodriguez said the city had received invitations to bring the winning lanterns to Tagbiliran City in the South.

Similar invites came from Filipino communities in California and Brussels.

Last year, the winning lanterns were taken to Aus-tralia. PNA

Giant Lantern Festival slated Dec. 20 in Pampanga

PARADE OF LANTERNS. The parol, in different shapes, colors and sizes, takes centerstage during the annual procession highlighting the lubenas, a religious-cultural tradition during the Christmas season.

29DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor The PHILIPPINESThe PHILIPPINES

COMPOSTELA VAL-LEY - Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao’s English may be as mangled as his face after every world title fight, but his doggedness to learn and speak the Eng-lish language has become a source of inspiration in public elementary and high schools in this province.

Governor Arturo Uy said Pacquiao’s fight to tame English has been the focus in his talks before stu-dents, as he seriously tack-

led the problem of English proficiency in the province.

Uy has been regular vis-iting public schools to speak about the value of good English as a vehicle to job opportunities and a secure future. “I am telling them that English can be learned if you are serious about it.”

He said he picked Pac-quiao as a model of how one could develop as an English speaker, even as the Filipino world champion still had a lot to learn.

Pacquiao’s doggedness to learnEnglish inspires ComVal students

Before, Pacquiao’s Eng-lish, during press interviews after world fights, was lim-ited to Yes and Okay.

“Now, while his de-feated Mexican opponents need interpreters, Pacquiao can face off the press with his struggling English,” he added.

Uy said Pacquiao might still have some battles ahead with his English but “his te-nacity to learn the language is a model that should be emulated by all.” PNA

Filipino hero and world pound-for-pound boxing icon Manny Pacquiao (left) lands a straight left on an already battered and swelling face of ten-time world boxing champion Oscar dela Hoya during their Dream Match at the MGM Grand Hotel on Dec. 6. Pacquiao won the non-title welterweight divi-sion fight by technical knockout after Dela Hoya called it quits before the start of the ninth round. After the holidays, Pacquiao’s fans will know who’s next on his list: Will if be welterweight greats Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas, or Ricky Hatton in London?

Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 2008 30 The PHILIPPINESThe PHILIPPINES

economy is so ravaged and our very way of life hangs in the balance, we need a strong coherent leadership that will see us through to recovery.

And I am not confi dent that this coalition would have the strength and vision required to face these uncertain times.

Our politicians have failed us at a time when we desperately need vision and leadership.

How do we cope with these signifi cant historic events?

There is no single answer

and no easy solution. We have to rely on each other.

These events will shape 2009 as a year of change. Some good and some bad.

There will be a fundamental shift in world power as countries readjust in answer to the changed economic and political landscape.

On a personal level we will feel the change as it affects our standard of living.

On a national level we will experience economic upheaval as our consumer base retreats and our global

trading partners decline. Canada depends on

exports and in particular on a robust US economy to absorb our exports.

We should anticipate that the decline in the US economy will have a direct impact here at home.

Despite all the bad news, I am very optimistic about the future. I know that we will survive and come out the other end strong and vibrant.

The US showed courage and optimism in November and this has sent a beacon of hope to us all.

No single solution; no easy answer(From page 9)

Amid a looming crisis they chose to stand their ground, unite and fi ght for their survival.

And we should do the same. We can do the same.

This Christmas season, more than any other in recent memory, has to be a time to refl ect and give thanks to all we have.

But more than that, it is an opportunity to deepen our commitment to stand together united and to help those that need it most.

May your Christmas be blessed and joyful. ([email protected])

MANILA - The Com-mission on Elections (Com-elec) has moved to Feb. 1, 2009 the start of the regis-tration of Filipinos overseas for the Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV).

The registration would end on Aug. 31, 2009.

The OAV registration, earlier set on Dec. 1, was moved due to defective Data Capturing Machines (DCM)

Comelec moves registration of OFWs to Feb. 1, 2009 sent back to the Comelec for repairs and time constraints in returning repaired DCMs to foreign posts.

Election Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer said Feb-ruary was most appropriate since many Filipinos from abroad were on vacation in December until January.

The Comelec is expect-ing to enlist one million voters, more than half of the

number of Filipino workers who registered in 2007.

Ferrer said interest on the May 10, 2010 polls would be high, as OFWs would be voting for the highest offi-cials of the country.

Duly registered Filipinos at least 18 years old could elect the President, Vice-President, Senators and Par-ty List Representatives.

Voting would be from

April 10 to May 10, 2010.OAV registration ap-

plicants should personally bring:

► A valid Philippine Passport. In the absence of the passport, they could submit an original/certified true copy and photocopy of Birth Certificate from the National Statistics Office in Manila (BC-NSO) and a Permanent Resident Card

(“Green Card”).Without the BC-NSO,

they could submit the origi-nal/certified true copy of non-availability of the BC from the NSO in Manila; the original/certified true copy of their BC issued by the Local Civil Registrar; or baptismal certificate.

► If a dual citizen, the original or certified true copy of Order of Approval

of the application to re-tain or reacquire Filipino citizenship or Oath of Alle-giance issued by Philippine Embassy/ Consulate or Bu-reau of Immigration;

► If a seafarer, a copy of the Seaman’s Book or any other document that would prove that that the applicant is a seafarer;

► Additional identity documents might be asked.

No end to war?(From page 1)

The agenda - as stipulat-ed in the Hague Joint Dec-laration and the Agreement on Reciprocal Working Committees agreed upon by the GRP and NDFP peace panels - should have been in this sequence: social and economic reforms; political and constitutional reforms; and the end of hostilities and disposition of forces.

Waste of time, inutileIn skipping the agenda’s

substantive order, the GRP “is trying to violate” the agreement, as it “is wasting time and rendering the talks inutile,” Agcaoili stressed.

Agreeing to a GRP-ini-tiated ceasefire “amounts to surrender and pacification of the revolutionary forces, casting away all previously signed agreements and con-verting the peace negotia-tions to surrender negotia-tions,” he said.

The NDFP’s rejection of what it called as tricky ceasefire preconditions laid out by GRP peace panelist Nieves Confesor was one of the major reasons why re-cent informal talks in Oslo, Norway bogged down and why peace negotiators from both sides left the table empty-handed.

The NDFP spokesman added that the NDFP ne-gotiating panel would not likely “agree to any kind of talks with its GRP counter-part unless there is a prior clear agenda.”

End to talks?Agcaoili also claimed

the NDFP has received

word from sources in Malacañang that the Arroyo regime planned to end the GRP-NDFP peace talks and blame the NDFP for it.

“The NDFP is not both-ered by such threats and plans of the Arroyo-Ermita-Gonzales-Esperon milita-rist clique. The lameduck Arroyo regime is coming soon to an end. The NDFP is already looking forward to a new GRP administra-tion,” he said.

Bleak prospects On another note, the

MILF Central Committee, in an item posted in its web-site, projected bleak peace prospects in 2009, and in-timated that, perhaps, “seri-ous and sensible peace talks could only take place when the next Filipino president takes office in 2010.”

The MILF said Presi-dent Arroyo has lost the credibility to go on talking peace with the MILF.

“She had faulted so se-riously and proved lack-ing in political will when it was needed most. She disowned her negotiators when she should have stood by them.”

The MILF referred to Arroyo’s tight-lipped sur-render of her own legal fight when the Supreme Court declared as uncon-stitutional the MOA-AD initialed by Arroyo’s ap-pointed and disbanded GRP peace panel, then headed by Rodolfo Garcia.

Using the constitution to stifle the MOA-AD vio-

lated an earlier GRP-MILF agreement that the issues of independence, constitution, sovereignty, and territo-rial integrity would not be raised in the negotiations.

False hopesThrough deputy spokes-

man Khalid Musa, the MILF also berated Arroyo and her Palace trumpeteers to stop sounding off false hopes that the GRP and MILF peace panels would be returning to the negoti-ating table, after talks were scuttled in August.

“Not on the govern-ment-announced Dec. 15 timeline; not anytime soon,” Musa declared, adding that the MILF has not received any invitation todate from Kuala Lumpur, which has been facilitating the GRP-MILF peace process.

Earlier, Presidential Ad-viser on the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said “we can look forward to the resumption of the GRP-MILF peace talks be-fore Christmas.”

Esperon said the gov-ernment “cannot afford to abandon peace because war is not the solution to the long-drawn Mindanao conflict,” adding “there is no alternative to peace. We cannot give up on peace.”

Seguis appointmentIn late November, Ar-

royo named foreign af-fairs undersecretary Rafael Seguis as GRP chief negoti-ator in talks with the MILF.

Seguis’s panel members are yet to be named.

Seguis - whose experi-ence included postings as ambassador in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Indonesia - has since visited MILF military affairs chair-man Aleem Abdulaziz “to discuss mutual interests.”

Saving face, funds?Seguis’s appointment

came in the wake of calls from the Organization of Islamic Conference and governments - including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan - pouring huge aids and grants for Mindanao re-habilitation, reconstruction and development.

The appointment also

came at a time after the 12-man Malaysian Inter-national Monitoring Team (IMT) ended its tour of duty in helping oversee the peace process.

But the IMTs from Bru-nei Darussalam, Libya and Japan have continued their stay in Mindanao.

Why not Indonesia?Meanwhile, Senate na-

tional defense committee chairman and former ma-rine general Sen. Rodolfo Biazon urged government to try Indonesia as GRP-MILF peace process facilitator, “if and only if we cannot do it alone.”

Indonesia, during the watch of Foreign Minister Ali Alatas, had played a major role in the inking of the 1989 peace agreement between the GRP and Nur Misuari’s Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., on the other hand, proposed the creation of a Bangsa Moro Federal State within the ambit of a federalized Philippine republic “to ful-fill the aspirations of Mus-lim Filipinos for genuine autonomy and recognition of their rights to preserve their cultural identity and live according to their Is-lamic faith.”

Both officials, however,

believed there was no need for a foreign mediator in the talks, “as long as both pan-els are sincere and decisive in resolving the issues in-volved in the negotiations.”

Amid the stinkOld hat to many, the war

of words and the propagan-da blitz at the top are soar-ing to unpleasant heights.

On the ground, the man-made conflict is slaughter-ing and displacing more people and is destroying more property faster than the string of natural disas-ters that are battering the Philippines.

All these develop-ments are piling up amid widespread poverty and injustice, a sick economy dependent on foreign aid and investments and re-mittances from offshore Filipinos, corruption at the highest levels, and an esca-lating slimy battle for politi-cal dominance in a national election coming up in the next 15 months.

Civil strife could very well be just one more heavy burden on the shoulders of most of 88 million Filipinos trying to eke out a good life in these tough and troubled times.

But must there be a war of no end for people to un-derstand the meaning of un-ending peace?

AID FOR DISTRESSED OFWS. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Ar-royo has ordered the release of a P250-million livelihood support fund for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) laid off by foreign employers due to a wobbling global economy. The loan fund would be used as startup capi-tal for OFWs, who decide to stay in the Philippines for good and set up businesses. In photo, Arroyo presents a package of aid and services to 105 Overseas Filipino Workers laid off as production workers in Taiwan. Assist-ing is Labor Secretary Marianito Roque. PHOTO: EDWIN PARIL/OPS-NIB

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor

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US$ Cdn$Dec. 12 48.09816 38.63055Dec. 11 48.15706 39.53606Dec. 10 48.20515 38.40864Dec. 09 48.54915 38.52933Dec. 08 48.74934 38.78044Dec. 05 49.05213 39.84729Dec. 04 49.33298 39.46481Dec. 03 49.13531 39.08683Dec. 02 49.42852 39.79557Dec. 01 48.75014 39.40740Nov. 27 49.17407 39.84678Nov. 26 49.17407 39.84678Nov. 25 49.41136 40.49922Nov. 24 49.90025 40.90000Nov. 21 49.86321 38.80155Nov. 20 49.94313 39.07913Nov. 19 49.86134 40.53507Nov. 18 49.97729 40.86210

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Are you worried about how a recession might af-fect you?

You can put your fears to rest because there are many everyday habits the average person can imple-ment to ease the sting of a recession, or even make it so its effects aren’t felt at all.

Here are seven ways to do just that.

No. 1: Have an Emergency Fund. If you have plenty of cash lying around in a high-interest, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC)-insured ac-count, not only will your money retain its full value in times of market turmoil, it will also be extremely liquid, giving you easy access to funds if you lose your job or are forced to

only one spouse’s income.In good times, this tactic

will allow you to save in-credible amounts of money.

In bad times, if one spouse gets laid off, you’ll be OK because you’ll be used to living on one in-come.

Your savings habits will stop temporarily, but your day-to-day spending can continue as normal.

No. 3: Have More Than One Source of In-come. Even if you have a great full-time job, it’s not a bad idea to have a source of extra income on the side.

With job security so non-existent these days, more jobs mean more job security.

If you lose one, at least you still have the other one.

You may not be mak-ing as much money as you were before, but every little bit helps.

No. 4: Have a Long-Term Mindset With In-vestments. So what if a drop in the market brings your investments down 15 percent?

If you don’t sell, you won’t lose anything.

The market is cyclical, and in the long run, you’ll have plenty of opportuni-ties to sell high.

In fact, if you buy when the market’s down, you might thank yourself later.

That being said, as you near retirement age,

7 recession-proofing waysBy AMY FONTINELLE

Investopedia writer, Yahoo!Financialtake a pay cut.

Also, if you have your own cash, it won’t be an is-sue if other sources of back-up funds dry up.

No. 2: Always Live Within Your Means. If you make it a habit to live within your means each and every day, you are less likely to go into consumer debt when gas or food prices go up and more likely to adjust your spending in other areas to compensate.

Debt begets more debt when you can’t pay it off right away.

To take this principle to the next level, if you have a spouse and are a two-in-come family, see how close you can get to living off of (To page 34)

MANILA - The Trade Union Congress of the Phil-ippines (TUCP) has called on the Department of En-ergy (DOE) to stop granting the Big 3 oil companies - Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. and Caltex Philippines Inc. (now Chev-ron Philippines Inc.) - new permits for additional retail outlets “to deliberately di-minish their stranglehold on the local market for petro-leum products.”

“The DOE should issue permits for new service sta-tions only to the smaller in-dependent oil firms. This is one sure way to purposely lessen the Big 3’s domina-tion of the local market, truly promote free and fair competition and safeguard consumers from potential pricing abuses,” TUCP sec-retary-general and former Sen. Ernesto Herrera said.

Herrera said that al-lowing the Big 3 to go on dominating the local mar-ket would make consumers “extremely vulnerable to potential price manipula-tion and other unfair trade practices.”

Jointly, the Big 3 has

commanded 85 percent of the local market for petro-leum products. The rest of the market is cornered by several smaller independent entities such as Total Philip-pines Corp., Oilink Interna-tional Corp., Seaoil Philip-pines Inc., Filoil Gas Co.

Inc., Unioil Petroleum Phil-ippines Inc., Eastern Petro-leum Corp. and Filpride Re-sources Inc., among others.

Based on 2007 gross revenues, Petron ruled 40 percent of the market (P212.932 billion in rev-enues); Pilipinas Shell,

TUCP urges DOE to stop giving Big 3oil firms permits for new retail outlets

30 percent (P164.703 bil-lion); Chevron, 15 percent (P77.888 billion); and the small independent firms, 15 percent (P82.27 billion).

Herrera said the Big 3 piled up P42 million in combined net profits every day in 2007.

The TUCP obtained a regulatory filing report show-ing that Chevron booked a net income of P2.851 billion in 2007, up P106 million from the P2.745 billion it made in 2006.

Shell had a net profit of P6.355 billion in 2007, up 54.1 percent from P4.123 billion in 2006.

Petron reported a net profit of P6.113 billion in 2007, up 2.8 percent from P5.944 billion in 2006.

The Big 3 raked in P15.319 billion in aggregate net profits in 2007 alone, Herrera said. PNA

MANILA - The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) has ordered power retailer Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to negotiate with and buy more electricity from state-owned National Power Corp. to ease the burden of high cost of pow-er on consumers.

The ERC said the order was based on a Department of Trade and Industry peti-tion seeking to lower Meral-co’s generation charges.

The ERC said this would match Meralco’s updated demand forecast figures “less the quantities under its independent power pro-ducer contracts.”

The ERC, however, cit-

Besides its money trans-fer and remittance services, the Philippine National Bank Remittance Co. Can-ada (PNBRCC) has started providing freight forward-ing services for Philippine-bound balikbayan boxes.

The service expansion became available, even before the January 2009 merger of PNB and Allied Bank, making the merger-bank one of the Philippines’ biggest and most stable.

Jun Miranda, Canada’s PNBRCC regional head, said the expanded service for freight was inspired by the thousands of Filipinos in Canada who placed their trust and confidence on the efficiency and efficacy of PNBRCC.

As a show of gratitude, PNBRCC has maintained its support for worthy pro-grams that help the commu-nity grow in Canada.

Miranda said these pro-

PNB Remittance getting strongerBy JOJO TADURAN

grams included the orienta-tion of new Filipino immi-grants coordinated with the Philippine Consul General’s Office in Toronto headed by Consul General Alejandro Mosquera.

On a larger scale, the PNBRCC and its clients have been strengthening Philippine foreign monetary reserves, as the company had been coursing remit-tances through the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. PR

Meralco Meralco shouldshould

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(To page 33)

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 33MONEYMONEY

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MANILA - The World Bank (WB) projects the Philippine economy to grow by 4.3 percent in 2008 and three percent next year, as the impact of the global economic storm spreads across the globe, even in resilient East Asian coun-tries.

The WB’s latest six-month assessment of the East Asia and Pacific re-gion’s economic health, however, said East Asian countries entered the cur-rent crisis “substantially better prepared” than they were during the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

The Bank said pub-lic finances, external bal-ances and balance sheets of banks and companies were strengthened in the last de-cade as a result of improve-ments in macroeconomic and structural policies.

It expected the Philip-pine economy to remain resilient, saying the direct impact of the turmoil on the country’s banking system would be marginal.

“The country’s resil-ience is no accident: it is mostly due to the robust buffers deliberately built since the East Asian cri-sis,” noted Eric Le Borgne, WB’s senior economist for the Philippines.

But Le Borgne cited the need for the Philippines to protect the sustainability of its fiscal sector to allow for better and more capital and

social expenditure. The WB said govern-

ment should ensure that monetary policy is appro-priate to control inflation-ary pressures that impact heavily on the poor.

The country’s average inflation rate from January to November reached 9.4 percent.

“Previous fiscal con-solidation and reforms has placed the Philippines in a good position to undertake counter-cyclical fiscal poli-cies,” Le Borgne said.

“Alongside extra spend-ing on infrastructure and targeted social safety nets, the government needs to have revenues firmly under control,” he added.

Meanwhile, WB coun-try director for the Philip-pines Bert Hofman cited the Philippine government for putting in place a well-tar-geted social safety net like the conditional cash trans-fer (CCT).

The CCT program pro-vides modest food, health and educational subsidies to the poorest of the poor in return for sending their chil-dren to school, attending health centers and for moth-ers, having regular prenatal and postnatal care.

“It’s one of the best ways to help the poor cope with the current crisis,” Hofman noted.

In the same report, the WB noted that countries would be better positioned

ed Meralco for implement-ing a number of discount programs and steps that ex-tend preferential treatment to poor households and provide incentives to power intensive industries.

The ERC extended the lifeline coverage for Meral-co’s power-consuming mar-ginalized sector.

Customers using below 21 kilowatthours (kwh) per month are getting a 100 per-cent discount; those using 21 to 50 kwh, 50 percent; 51 to 70 kwh, 35 percent; 71 to 100 kwh, 20 percent. PNA

You’ve reached that time in your life when you have time for doing those personal things that truly matter to you. Your age doesn’t really matter – what matters is that you now have the health, wealth and desire to give back to your community in a very tangible way.

You can choose to do that by giving donations directly to charitable organizations.

But you can also choose to take a more active role, through volunteering – and that, too, is something we Canadians are very good at.

And, very often, charitable giving through volunteering can be even more valuable than simply writing a cheque.

Volunteers are active everywhere – providing social and health services, educating, and supporting recreation, arts, culture, environmental and crime prevention programs.

They help run food banks, emergency shelters and crisis hotlines. They serve on the front-lines helping others, on fundraising committees, or on boards of directors for voluntary organizations.

Wherever they are and whatever they do, volunteers play a critical role in our society.

If you’re thinking of volunteering, here are some tips for getting the most out of

your volunteering experience:► Choose a cause you believe in – ask

yourself what causes or interests matter to you.

► Put your lifetime of skills and experience to good use – ask yourself what skills, experience or talents you want to share.

► Volunteer for an organization or cause that ‘fi ts’ your lifestyle and personality and is of personal interest to you -- ask yourself what you want to achieve from your volunteer experience and fi nd an organization that answers your question.

► Decide how much time you have to give and whether you want to stretch yourself – ask yourself if you want to learn about a specifi c cause or learn new skills … or even start a new career.

And by the way, volunteering is good for you.

A study by Volunteer Canada found direct links between volunteering and health. People who volunteer – especially if it involves helping others – are generally happier and healthier in their later years.

By planning now – having a strong fi nancial strategy and building up your retirement savings – you will have the time and nest egg to volunteer.

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to deal with the crisis if they could ably “maintain mac-roeconomic stability, shift exports to faster growing regions in the world, substi-tute external with domestic demand and continue struc-tural reforms to strengthen competitiveness.”

Ivailo Izvorski, WB’s lead economist in the East Asia Region, predicted that the global financial crisis would hit bottom by the third quarter of 2009.

However, the world economic growth is seen to rebound by 2010.

The National Economic and Development Author-ity projected the Philippine economy is headed for a rebound by 2010, even as-suming that the global re-cession lingers. PNA

WB sees RP GDP growing4.3% in ‘08; 3% in ‘09

By LESLIE D. VENZON

Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 200834

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you should make sure you have enough money in liq-uid, low-risk investments to retire on time and give the stock portion of your portfo-lio time to recover.

Remember, you don’t need all of your retirement money at 65 - just a portion of it.

The market might be tanking when you’re 65, but it might be headed to Pam-plona by the time you’re 70.

No. 5: Be Honest About Your Risk Tolerance. Yes, investing gurus say that peo-ple in certain age brackets should have their portfolios allocated a certain way, but if you can’t sleep at night when your investments are down 15 percent for the year and the year isn’t even over, you may need to change your asset allocation.

Investments are sup-posed to provide you with a sense of financial security, not a sense of panic.

But wait - don’t sell anything while the market is down, or you’ll set those paper losses in stone.

When market conditions improve is the time to trade in some of your stocks for

bonds, or trade in some of your risky small-cap stocks for less volatile blue-chip stocks.

If you have extra cash available and want to adjust your asset allocation while the market is down, you may be able to profit from infus-ing money into temporarily low-priced stocks with long-term value.

The biggest risk is that overestimating your risk tol-erance will cause you to make poor investment decisions.

Even if you’re at an age where you’re “supposed to” have 80 percent in stocks and 20 percent in bonds, you’ll never see the returns that investment advisors intend if you sell when the market is down.

These asset allocation suggestions are meant for people who can hang on for the ride.

No. 6: Diversify Your Investments. If you don’t have all of your money in one place, your paper losses should be mitigated, making it less difficult emotionally to ride out the dips in the market.

If you own a home and

7 recession-proofing ways(From page 32)

have a savings account, you’ve already got a start: you have some money in real estate and some money in cash.

In particular, try to build a portfolio of investment pairs that aren’t strongly correlated, meaning that when one is up, the other is down, and vice versa (like stocks and bonds).

No. 7: Keep Your Cred-it Score High. When credit markets tighten, if anyone is going to get approved for a mortgage, credit card or other type of loan, it will be those with excellent credit.

Paying bills on time, keeping the oldest credit cards open, and keeping the ratio of debt to available credit low will help keep your credit score high.

Conclusion. The best part about these habits is that they won’t only serve you well during times of re-cession - they’ll serve you well no matter what’s going on in the market.

But if you implement these financial strategies, a recession is less likely to have a significant effect on your financial situation.

dynamics came to fore recently in the wake of the constitutional crisis affecting “The Government” and Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition with the latter’s offer to form a coalition government, vice the incumbent.

The crisis came in the form of the government (Prime Minister Harper and his Cabinet) accusing the Liberals and New Democrats of blatant power grab in wanting to topple a “duly-elected” government (thanks to the 38% of the votes in the latest federal elections that the Conservatives garnered, earning them the right to form the government).

Yet, were one to follow the same logic and mathematics of democratic

representation, don’t the combined percentages of the LP, NDP, and BQ make for a wider plurality?

The prospect of an overnight change of government without a single gunshot being fi red or a ballot cast thrills me to no end.

This is parliamentary democracy in action, something I only read about in a Political Parties & Interest Groups course.

What I most enjoy in the unfolding scenario are the nuances of the politics at play: the role of the Governor General, the horse trading for cabinet seats among the Liberals and the New Democrats and, more importantly, the

momentary adjustments in political ideology or accommodation in the program of government in the face of a common enemy (suddenly the pro-coalition sidelines support of the Bloc Quebecois becomes all-too-important).

For “The Government” to function well, it must enjoy the confi dence of The House.

It is a time-honored practice in a parliamentary democracy for the govern-ment to resign once it loses the confi dence of the House either on a confi dence motion or because of the defeat of a major bill (such as the budget) under consideration.

This paves the way

for either fresh elections or the formation of a new government (in this case, a coalition government as offered by the LP and NDP).

Some view this instant change of government as a weakness in the parliamentary set-up because of the perceived instability of government.

Yet, adherents see otherwise: the practicality and imperative of change when this is most needed (and not at the end of a four-year term of, say, an unenlightened or dysfunctional president).

Walter Bagehot, the famous 19th century British parliamentary historian and journalist (one of the earliest editors of the thinking man’s magazine, The Economist) saw the import of change in power without an election.

His major opus, The English Constitution, is a

bible among parliamen-tarians.

With parliament prorogued (suspended, not dissolved) by the Governor-General, what remains to be seen is whether or not the Liberal Party, the main protagonist in this parliamentary tug-o-war, can sustain the alliance with the NDP.

More interesting, pundits have their tongues wagging, divining how long the party will remain solid; for a house divided will not have the wherewithal to mend a bigger divided house.

Just as an aside, Lincoln Cathedral fi gured prominently in the fi lming of The Da Vinci Code where some of the movie’s major establishing shots were megged in the cathedral (to simulate Westminster Abbey, which did not allow the fi lming in its premises).

King John of Magna

Carta fame was the same John which literature depicts in Robin Hood movies as usurper of the throne of his older brother, King Richard the Lionheart.

Toronto’s Runnymede subway station could very well memorialize the meadow where King John affi xed his seal on the original draft of the charter.

Initially a list of grievances aimed at curtailing the arbitrary powers of the king, the Magna Carta has since formed the basis of the constitutions and statutes of many other countries in the English-speaking world.

It is the foundation of the Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention for the Protec-tion of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the charter’s longer name is Magna Carta Libertatum - The Great Charter of Freedoms).

A house divided(From page 11)

the stable, wherein the three wise men once stood and knelt down to give homage to The King of kings.

The birthplace of our Lord Jesus is now securely contained by the massive structure of The Church of The Nativity in Bethlehem.

It was not exactly as I envisioned but the feeling was still overwhelming. In my heart I could hear the lyrics of the classic Christmas song Oh Come All Ye Faithful as I entered

the shrine in the basement of the Church.

I remember myself staring at the designated spot that the Christian scholars and historians believed was the place of the Holy Manger.

The more I looked at it, the more I wondered why there are still others who miss out on the true meaning of Christmas.

The momentous visit to Bethlehem was accentuated by the Christmas mass held

by Father Duffy inside the cave-chapel in the Shepherds Fields that was similar to the stable where Jesus was born.

Although it was in the middle of November, it was the best Christmas ever for me and my wife.

Did I take photos? Yes I did. And that goes without saying. I shot lots of photos.

I used some of them in producing a slide show that is now posted in You Tube, entitled Bethlehem 2005

under the channel Cinebell.

To those who have not visited Bethlehem yet, I would like to share with you the experience. I invite you to see it, at least once.

This December is another season to celebrate. I wish the Manila Media Monitor

True meaning of Christmas(From page 10)

and all of you who have been reading my monthly column, the Merriest of

Christmas and the Happiest of New Year. May the star of Christmas shine upon all

of us. Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon po sa inyong lahat!

CHRISTMAS MASS

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 35ENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

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Pasko sa Toronto producers Francis Rementilla (2nd from left) and Rose Ami (4th from left) pose with the show’s Manila-based star billers Kim Chiu (far left), Gerald Anderson and Jed Madela. Ystillo Inc. is the company that organized and put together the trade and stage presentation. PHOTO: Cour-tesy of PLANET PHILIPPINES

RIGHT PHOTO: FV Foods’ Melchor Galeon (left) and Flor Vendiola (right) strike a pose with Filipino actor Jericho Rosales -- dubbed as one of the sexiest men in the Philippine en-tertainment industry -- during a break from the latter’s performance at the Ystillo, Inc.-pro-duced Pasko sa Toronto

FV Foods at Pasko sa Toronto

at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Nov. 23. LEFT PHOTO: Members of the service staff of FV Foods are all smiles as they run a booth during the event. PR/AV COMMUNICATIONS

The stars of Pasko sa TorontoBisitahin ang mga

paborito ninyong alaala ng Disneyland sa pagtatagpo ng Disney/Pixar’s The Incredibles kina Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse at iba pang pinakamamahal ninyong Disney characters, at danasin ang mga sikat na Disneyland attractions tulad ng Haunted Mansion, It’s a Small World at Pirates of the Caribbean sa Disney On Ice spectacular, a Disneyland Adventure.

Handog ng Feld Entertainment, ang action-packed production ng Disney On Ice ay ipala-labas sa Toronto Rogers Centre sa loob ng 16 na araw, mula Disyembre 19 hanggang 28.

Sa pagbubukas ng mga park gates, agad pupunuin ng mga Disney characters ang arena ng kasiyahan.

Ang mga park visitors ay maaaring makipag-swing kay Baloo sa Jungle Cruise, lumipad na parang space ranger sa Space Mountain kasama si Buzz Lightyear, at sumabay kay Snow White at Cinderella sa Main Street USA parade.

Maaari ding makipagtu-lungan ang mga manonood sa super pamilya - ang The Incredibles - upang iligtas ang sinumang nangangailangan.

Bukod sa kasiyahan, may discount pa na $3 bawat ticket kapag binili ito kasama ang promo code:

ALCAV. Mabibili ang mga

tickets online sa www.ticketmaster.ca o tawagan ang 416-870-8000, o puntahan ang Rogers Center Gate 7.

Ang halaga ng ticket ay $15, $26, $39, $65 (VIP), at $90 (rinkside).

Maaari ding makakuha ng discounted tickets na may kasamang libreng Disney On Ice Souvenirs sa mga Disney on Ice booths sa mga major malls at iba pang mga events.

Para sa iba pang kaalaman tungkol sa Disney On Ice, bisitahin ang www.disneyonice.com o tawagan ang 416-866-8882. PR

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DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 37ENTERTAINMENTENTERTAINMENT

Rachelle Perez has been named Miss Teen Greater Toronto (GTA) Area and will represent the GTA in the Miss Teen Canada Globe pageant

Twelve Filipino-Canadian artists have lent their voices to cut A Tribute to Christina, a musical CD meant to raise enough funds to help cover costs of an ongoing private search for missing Christina Calayca.

The CD contains Jesamine Lim’s Straight From The Heart, Karen Tan’s A Day Goes By, Ross de Leon’s Day By Day, Darius Ciria’s Love, John Alix’s In Time, Joey Espineda’s In The Summer-time, Inah Canlapan’s A Falling Star, Natasha Barcena’s You Came Along, Au-drey Fabico’s If We Only Believe In Him, Rolly Reyes’s How Great It Is, Divina Facunla’s Meant To Be, and Josie de Le-on’s Pagminsan.

CD producer and promoter Jun Dadi-vas told the Manila Media Monitor that the 12 Toronto-based artists “voluntarilly gave their time and talents for this cause and I am just overwhelmed for the sup-port that they have given.”

Dadivas said the CD is scheduled to be out in the market by Dec. 19.

He added that he needed more spon-sors “for this fund raisng project to cover production and promotional expenses.”

Christina, then 20, had been missing since Aug. 6, 2007.

Police files said Christina was last seen in the Rainbow Falls Park, some seven kilometers west of Schrieber, on the coast of Lake Superior.

Police said Christina had been camp-ing with a cousin and two friends. They had spent a night at the park before Christina went missing.

Previous searches at the park failed to locate Christina, who was last seen jog-ging, in a blue hoodie sweatshirt, black pants and white running shoes.

Local artists cut Tribute to Christina (Calayca) CD

PEREZ

Perez named Ms. Teen GTA ‘09

in August 2009.

P e r e z , discovered during the Search for Miss Manila in which she was a contestant, has sought the support of people she will be r e p r e s e n -ting.

Perez was born on April 30, 1993 to Marites Araneta and Pablo Perez.

She enjoys singing, playing basketball and volleyball, and meeting people.

At Grade 10 and a consistent multi-awarded honor student at the St. Marcellinus Secondary School in Mississauga, Rachelle loves Math and French.

Her participation in the school choir and in stage plays has honed her passion in singing, shown at an early age of three.

At ten, she started

singing before crowds and from then on, compted in singing contests.

In April, she was one of the many Asian singers who made it to the fi nals of

the Young A s i a n S i n g i n g Idol Com-petition.

S h e came close to winning the Do You Think You Can Be A Star c o m p e t i -tion hosted by Filipino

entertain-ment icon German Moreno.

She also performed at the Filipinos Making Waves Festival.

On Oct. 9, she joined the Golden Voice Singing Contest in Burlington and won second place.

Rachelle’s community involvement includes being active in the Canadian Food for Children - to benefi t less fortunate children in Africa - headed by Dr. Simone of Mississauga.

She is also a volunteer host of a television show for Rogers Cable Channel 606. PR

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PABABA 1. Buti 2. Palayaw ng babae 3. Isaliksik 4. Kapalit 5. Patakaran 6. Simbolo ng Argon 7. Marahil 8. Sipol 9. Hulapi12. Peluka14. Kasuotan ng pari

18. Kiskis19. Hinggil21. Atsay24. Kulay ng manok25. Ganap na ipatigil30. Uri ng alak31. Sarado33. Sakit sa balat36. Maybahay37. Nota ng musika38. __ Solidarida(Sagot sa PAHINA 32)

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Huge balls of water gurgling forth from the earth, furious winds that can easily sweep away an entire village, seismic movements that can change lives – and the earth itself – in a matter of seconds.

Indeed, nature at its full force is both majestic and terrifying.

Full Force Nature, the Kapuso Network’s latest program, informs and entertains viewers by bringing them dramatic short stories about real life natural disasters.

The 30-minute program, hosted by Richard Gutierrez, aims to awaken viewers about the devastating impacts of natural disasters through impressive footage and eyewitness accounts.

“Ang focus ko ngayon

ay sa career ko at sa health ng parents ko,” Richard said when interviewed during the taping of the fi nal episode of his latest hit show Codename: Asero.

The handsome young actor’s parents, actor Eddie Gutierrez and actress-turned-talent manager Annabelle Rama, both recently underwent surgery one after the other.

Both are also reportedly recovering well.

After the action-adventure Asero, Richard jumps into something close to his heart.

As an advocate of the environment, Gutierrez will revisit, relive, and recount actual events brought by natural disasters.

All scenes will be active, raw, and real.

The host will also

Richard G. takes natural disastershead-on in Full Force Nature

impart trivia, eco-friendly tips, and helpful pointers on how to survive savage situations ranging from stormy weather to disastrous earthquakes.

For its pilot episode, Gutierrez will brave a deadly river in San Miguel, Bulacan, where he shot his fi rst primetime hit – Mulawin.

He will describe his own experience during the fl ash fl ood and meet face to face with the locals in the area.

Aside from taping for Full Force Nature, Richard is also busy training in horseback riding and fencing in preparation for his next series on GMA.

Also in the works is his movie with KC Concepcion, which is reportedly scheduled for a Valentine’s day playdate. PR

GMA Pinoy TV’s newest fantaserye, Luna Mystika, dazzled and mesmerized viewers in the Philippines when it fi nished its fi rst week on top of Philippine primetime.

Conducted by AGB Nielsen Philippines among Mega Manila households, overnight ratings data showed that from its debut on Nov. 17, Luna Mystika has consistently held on to the fi rst or second place.

That’s great news for Heart Evangelista, who took on her fi rst title role as a Kapuso star on Luna Mystika.

The program also marked

the fi rst time that Heart and hunky leading man Mark Anthony Fernandez starred as an onscreen pair.

Luna Mystika is a home-grown and original tale full of enchantment, revelations, transformations, and the most potent magic of all - love.

The brand-new GMA Pinoy TV show was inspired by stories of the mythical creatures called engkantos and their mystical world from Philippine folklore.

Heart plays the dual title roles of Luna, a kind-hearted girl born with a hideous face, and her mystical twin sister Celestina.

Mark portrays Dexter -- a blind lad torn between the love of Luna and Celestina.

Completing the cast are Dante Rivero as Joaquin Sagrado, Chanda Romero as Benita Alejandro, Sheryl Cruz as Alice Sagrado, Romnick Sarmienta as Dominic, Rita Avila as Diana Sagrado, Gardo Versoza as Dante, Ariel Rivera as Simon, Mark Herras as Kamilo, Luis Alandy as Andoy, Kris Bernal as Malou,

Aljur Abrenica as Libado, Iwa Moto as Donita, John Lapus as Karya, Beth Tamayo as Lanie, Pauleen Luna as Adita, Michelle

Luna Mystika makes dazzling debutMadrigal as Anata, Hero Angeles as Alguwas,

Mosang as Piryang, Marky Lopez as Efren, Bearwin Meilly as Bikodong, Jade Lopez as Susira,

Paolo Avelino as Johnny, Prince Stefan as Henry, and Jace Flores as Lucas.

With exciting story-telling and topnotch acting, Luna Mystika promises to keep its momentum going.

Heart’s statement during the show’s launch sums it best, “I’m at the highest point right now … everything … all my stars are aligned when it comes to my family, my love life, may career, health …everything.”

Catch the enticing tale of Luna Mystika from Monday to Friday at 7:40 p.m. PST and 10:40 p.m. EST only on GMA Pinoy TV. PR

MANILA - The Court of Appeals (CA) on Nov. 30 upheld an Office of the President (OP) ruling ask-ing producers of actor-pres-ident Joseph Estrada’s bio-flick Ang Mabuhay Para sa Masa to meet four condi-tions before the film could be publicly shown.

Ang Mabuhay Para Sa Masa Erap fl ick on holdThe conditions, which

modified a Movie and Tele-vision Review and Classi-fication Board resolution, were: (1) the bio-film could be shown on TV only after Estrada’s case before the Sandiganbayan have been resolved with finality; (2) even before the final resolu-

tion of the cases against Es-trada before the Sandigan-bayan, the bio film could be aired provided that sub ju-dice matters are deleted; (3) the result of the Supreme Court decision in Estrada v. Arroyo on the legality of the transfer of presidential power should be recognized

and reflected on the film; and (4) scenes should be balanced by featuring the side or reply of persons de-famed in the film.

The MTRCB disap-proved the bio-film’s show-ing for carrying libelous scenes, tending to threaten the stability of the country,

undermining the faith and confidence of the people in government and the inclu-sion of sub judice matters.

Film producer Publika-sia insisted the film’s airing is protected by the constitu-tional guarantee of freedom of speech, of expression and of the press. JOSEPH ESTRADA

DECEMBER 2008 Manila Media Monitor 39

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40 Manila Media Monitor DECEMBER 2008