Manila Media Monitor -- AUGUST 2010

AUGUST 2010 Toronto, Canada

ALBERTA continued on p. 3

RP continued on p. 12

Alberta MLA’s electionpromise haunts him back

Carl Benito, a Filipino-Ca-nadian Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) in Alberta made the front page of the Ed-monton Journal, Friday, Au-gust 22, over his pledge to do-nate his MLA salary to charity. The Liberals said Benito has not met his promise.

The Liberals said that Beni-to made the promise himself in his 2008 campaign pamphlet: “If elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Alberta, I will donate my MLA salary as a scholarship to young people in Mill Woods.”

And, to make sure there was no confusion, the Liberals pre-sented Benito’s campaign liter-ature: “Carl Benito will donate his MLA salary for scholar-ships to young people in Mill Woods.”

The Edmonton Journal sto-ry said the Liberals twice used an automatic call system in the riding during the third week Carl Benito, PC MLA for Millwoods in Edmonton, Alberta.

of August. The first call was an informal poll asking voters whether Benito should resign for what they said was a bro-ken promise. They said that 63 per cent of the 718 people who responded think Benito should step aside. The second series of calls allowed people to au-tomatically connect with the premier’s office to voice their displeasure.

The Liberals’ executive di-rector Corey Hogan said the move was inevitable, given Benito’s failure to donate his entire salary to scholarships. “Some behaviour is just inex-cusable and demands action,” he said. “The residents of Ed-monton-Mill Woods deserve more than broken promises.”

The riding was held by op-position parties from 1986 to 2008, when Benito defeated Liberal incumbent Weslyn Mather.

In the 2008 election, Benito

promised to donate his annual MLA pay to charity. Provincial MLAs make a base salary of $78,000, but committee work and other duties push average salaries to about $130,000.

After the election, Benito reiterated his promise, telling reporters that as a real estate agent he had done remarkably well in the 2006 housing boom: “Let’s put it this way -- I don’t have to work anymore.”

So far, Benito has donated only $6,000 and plans to do the same this year, the story said.

Benito said his campaign promise was misunderstood and that he only intended to give the equivalent of one year’s salary to scholarships, which he said he will still do.

Benito told The Journal, “I think there’s no issue about how much I will be donating because that’s very clear ... No-

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III inspects the bullet-ridden tourist bus of Hong Thai Travel, which was used by Hongkong nationals before the unfortunate hostage-taking incident at the Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila on midnight of Tuesday, August 24. The President expressed his condolences to the families of the victims, who are mostly tourists from Hongkong. (NIB-PCOO Photo)

RP to reactivate tourists police, security forces

President Benigno Aquino III said he would reactivate “tourist police, security forces designed to protect the tourist areas” in tourist areas all over the country.

This developed after nine persons died in a hostage-tak-ing aboard a tour bus in the Philippines, Monday, August 23, at least two of them, at this

writing, were identified as Ca-nadian citizens travelling in the Philippines.

According to presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, the President held a one-on-one meeting with Chinese am-bassador Liu Jianchao, then an expanded meeting that in-cluded officials of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and

Hong Kong officials.

President Aquino III gave the same assurance to Hong Kong Chief Executive Don-ald Tsang during a 15-minute phone conversation, and reit-erated his government’s “deep sorrow” over the death of eight Hong Kong tourists in Mon-day’s hostage-taking incident.

The hostage-taking began when a former policeman with an M16 rifle commandeered the bus carrying tourists, main-

2 Manila Media Monitor August 2010

3August 2010 Manila Media MonitorNEWS

‘‘

Asking a work-ing writer what he thinks about crit-ics is like asking

a lamppost how it feels about dogs.

- Christopher Hampton

As you read this let-ter, I bet that you have seen/heard about what happened earlier in our country.

Tourists were hostages of a policeman in Manila, Rolando Mendoza. After a few hours of the hor-rible crime, some of the victims were dead includ-ing the hostage-taker.

I wrote this letter not just to apologize, but also to let everyone know that we Filipinos are not all like Mendoza.

We are loving and good-hearted people. For so many years, our coun-try has been standing tall and surpassing every dilemma; be it small or big.

Years ago (back when I wasn’t born yet), you have watched us fight for what we think is right.

We fought for the de-mocracy of our nation.. The EDSA revolution. But that’s just one out of many.

We Filipinos have been serving other coun-tries for our families and we treat you as our own as well.

With all due respect, I thank you all for giv-ing us the trust through the years; for helping us to become what we are now.

The Philippines is more than just a group of islands. We are a nation of strong and remark-able people; a country of beauty and love known to be hospitable and well-valued.

I humbly apologize for what happened tonight.

No one in this world would want something like that to happen, for life should be valued.

I politely ask the atten-tion of the world: please do not judge and mistreat us just because of what happened tonight.

I have been searching the net and found terrible things.

Hong Kong advices to avoid travels here; China and HK bans Filipinos …and that the Philippines is the worst place to go.

I can’t blame you for what you have decided, but I hope that you could understand.

Our country is now in a sea of problems. And I know for sure that we-helped you in a way, or another.

Let peace and under-standing reign this time.

I know that this letter will just be trash , but I wish that you would un-derstand.

On behalf of the Phil-ippine population, WE ARE SORRY.

As a song puts it…“… And I believe that

in my life I will see an end to hopelessness, giv-ing-up and suffering.”

And if we all stand to-gether this one time then no one will get left

behind. Stand up for life.

STAND UP FOR LOVE.

Sincerely yours, Reigno Jose Dilao

Catbalogan City, Samar

The PhilippinesAugust 23, 2010(Shared by Chuchi

Punsalan for Manila Me-dia Monitor readers)

Manila Media Monitor

Tel. (416) 285-8583

body told anybody that it’s the entire thing.”

Graham Thomson of the Edmonton Journal said in his article, “Ar-guably, Benito told ev-erybody it was the entire thing when he offered up a promise as stark as, ‘I will donate my MLA sal-ary’. The wording does not leave much room to manoeuvre but it hasn’t stopped Benito from try-ing to wiggle his way out.”

Thomson further wrote, “Not only does he now say he didn’t mean he’d donate the salary every year for four years, he says he didn’t even mean the whole salary. A government MLA’s total salary with commit-tee work runs well over $100,000. Benito says he was only referring to the MLAs’ basic indemnity of $52,000 but for the sake of public relations, he has decided to bump the scholarship fund up to $75,000.

“However, even by that measurement, Beni-to has fallen short. In an interview, Benito said he

awarded $8,000 worth of scholarships to high school students going on to post secondary educa-tion in 2009. To make the issue even more confus-ing -- and Benito is very good at confusing this is-sue -- he told The Journal … he had awarded only $6,000 in scholarships in 2009.

“Anyway, in his four-year term he hopes to award a total of $24,000 in scholarships. That means he still needs to add $51,000 to reach his self-imposed, self-regu-lated $75,000 goal.

Thomson said that Benito is scrambling to make up the shortfall, not just to save his own reputation but to placate a very irritated premier.

Officials at Ed Stel-mach’s office said the premier is concerned that Benito’s bent, arguably broken, election promise threatens to sully all poli-ticians, not just Tories and not just Benito.

They suggested Ben-ito hand over the money to the Edmonton Com-munity Foundation to run the scholarships after 2012.

“We’re giving $41,000 to the Edmonton Com-munity Foundation and then we are managing the $24,000 so the to-tal commitment will be $75,000,” said Benito.

But the Journal article by Thomson pointed out, “Except that $41,000 plus $24,000 equals $65,000, not $75,000. When asked if he had made a simple math error, Benito re-alized he is actually $10,000 short and said he’d make up the differ-ence by giving $34,000 in scholarships over four years. Benito may have been a whiz as a real es-tate agent; his math skills could use some work.

“It all sounds a little makeshift and a lot con-fusing. Benito said he never meant to deceive anyone and blames the mixup on his inexperi-ence as a rookie politi-cian.”

“I’m sorry if there’s any confusion,” said Benito. “My apologies.”

By late afternoon of Friday, August 20, the Liberals said roughly 94 people had been con-nected to the premier’s office.

But the premier’s of-fice said only 22 calls came in and not all were against Benito.

Cam Hantiuk, the pre-mier’s communications director, said Stelmach has no plans to ask Beni-to to step aside.

“Mr. Benito’s com-mitment had nothing to do with government policy,” Hantiuk said. “Ultimately it’s a matter between the MLA and his constituents.”

The Liberals plan to pick a candidate October 2 to face Benito. Mather has already declared her intention to run again and Hogan said at least one other person is consid-ering it. (Manila Media Monitor with files from Graham Thomson, Ar-chie McLean of The Ed-monton Journal)

ALBERTA from p. 1RP from p. 1

ly from Hong Kong.The gunman, who was

apparently trying to de-mand that he be rehired, initially released nine of his hostages, but kept an-other 15 on the bus.

The 12-hour standoff ended in a spray of bul-lets. Eight passengers were killed, as well as the gunman, 55-year-old Rolando Mendoza.

Tour organizers said earlier that five of the peo-ple in the hostage-taking were carrying Canadian passports. The two who died in gunfire were sis-ters and identified as Jes-sica Leung, 14, and Do-ris Leung, 21, who, their mother told Hongkong Cable Television, were students in Canada. The Canadian mission in Ma-nila was working closely with local authorities on the matter.

Here at home, Law-rence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, of-fered Canada’s condo-lences to those affected by the incident, saying that Canada welcomes the commitment of Phil-ippine authorities to con-

duct a full investigation of the incident.

The Canadian Foreign Affairs Ministry said that friends and relatives seeking information on Canadian citizens they believe may have been affected may call Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada’s Emer-gency Operations Centre at (613) 943-1055, or toll-free within Canada at 1-800-387-3124.

Meanwhile, in an in-terview with Hongkong television, a woman whose family members were killed in the inci-dent accused Philippine authorities of having botched negotiations with Mendoza. She and others feel the Filipino tactical police unit acted recklessly when it shot at the bus repeatedly to end the hostage-taking.

Officials in Hong Kong and Beijing issued warnings against travel to the Philippines and angrily demanded a full investigation into the in-cident.

Chinese Foreign Min-ister Yang Jiechi said his

RP cont’d on p.17

A letter from a teenage Filipino to the whole world

‘‘Anger makes you smaller,

while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.

- Cherie Carter-Scott


(416) 671-0577)www.alldebtsolutions.ca

NEWS

Public outraged over video showing police torturing suspect

MANILA – The Com-mission on Human Rights (CHR) launched recently an investigation on the Philippine National Po-lice (PNP) amid pub-lic outrage over a video showing an officer tortur-ing a naked man.

The graphic video, which ABS-CBN televi-sion said it had obtained from an unidentified in-formant who recorded it on a cell phone, showed the officer in civilian clothes whipping the man with what appeared to be a stick.

A rope appeared to be tied to the victim’s penis, which the torturer would yank in between blows to the body.

“This is very disturb-ing. They treated him worse than an animal,” said Coco Quisumbing, the CHR chairman, who had reviewed the clip.

“This is the very first time that this happened

[actual torture caught on video] and it is ground-breaking,” she added.

“Police should now submit to our investiga-tion in a timely manner,” Quisumbing told an ABS-CBN radio affiliate.

While allegations of torture and extra-judicial killings carried out by police and military are nothing new, the airing of the video was the first time such incident was shown on public televi-sion.

ABS-CBN did not say when it took place, and the fate of the victim was unclear.

One of those who had closely reviewed the clip at the rights commission said she could hear the torturer berating the vic-tim as a criminal.

The Manila police commander, Chief Supt. Rodolfo Magtibay, said that the incident appeared to have taken place in a

police station under his jurisdiction.

He confirmed that the torturer was a police of-ficer who had since been sacked from his post and was now under investiga-tion related to possible criminal charges.

“There is no place for a policeman like that,” Magtibay said.

The PNP high com-mand also on Wednesday vowed to prosecute po-licemen involved in the reported torture of a rob-bery suspect inside a po-lice community precinct (PCP) in Manila, setting the tone for a wider in-vestigation of similar incidents perpetrated by policemen elsewhere in the country. (With reports from AFP)

Teachers’ group asks SC to void faulty GSIS deductions

MANILA -- A TEACHERS’ group has filed a petition asking the Supreme Court (SC) to nullify the recurring de-ductions allegedly made from the salaries of the teachers and other gov-ernment employees on three Government Ser-vice Insurance System (GSIS) policies.

In its petition for re-view on certiorari, the group Teacher’s Dignity Coalition (TDC) said the deduction under the poli-cies initiated by former GSIS President and Gen-eral Manager Winston Garcia were unconstitu-tional.

The said policies are the Premium-Based Pol-icy (PBP), Automatic Premium Loan Policy (APL), and Claims and Loans Interdependency Policy (CLIP).

TDC claimed that un-der the PBP, the teachers’ benefits are computed by the GSIS not on the basis of actual premium payments deducted from members, but on pre-mium payments actually remitted to and posted by the GSIS in its database.

Meanwhile, the APL allows the GSIS to au-tomatically convert as personal loan of the em-ployees the amount of

mandated shares which the government-employer fails to pay, with interest of 6 percent per annum compounded monthly.

CLIP, they said, sub-jects a defaulting mem-ber’s claims and benefits to compensation against such member’s loan pay-ables to the GSIS.

The TDC, together with the Manila Public School Teachers Associ-ation (MPSTA) and four individual petitioners, earlier filed a complaint against GSIS but the Court of Appeals upheld last month the constitu-tionality of the GSIS pol-icies. (Manila Times)

Divorce bill revived in HouseMANILA - The Ga-

briela women’s party-list group has revived a mea-sure legalizing divorce in the country to give couples in “irreparable marriages” another legal

remedy in addition to the country’s existing laws on legal separation and annulment.

Representatives Luz-viminda Ilagan and Eme-renciana de Jesus filed

House Bill 1799 or “An Act Introducing Divorce in the Philippines” that drew strong opposition and little support from

DIVORCE cont’d on p.11‘‘Short is the joy

that guilty pleasure brings.

- Euripides


6 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 NEWS

My good friend, Lino Montillano, was so excited

to be in touch with me

A C E A L V A R E Z

After my wife, Gie, and I went to join my townmates, August 7, from Muntinlupa City for our grand picnic at Erindale Park in Mississauga, my townmate, Lino Montil-lano (whom I last saw almost twelve years ago) e-mailed me two days later, saying, “Thank you to you and Gie for coming over at our picnic,” adding, “I will be in touch.”

Another two days passed, and I was copied with an e-mail which Lino sent to Chit Unira – another townmate and likewise, a schoolmate, saying, “Ikaw na Chit ang bahala kay Ace.”

… so, there goes the “I will be in touch.” I think Lino just broke the contact with me.

Lino Montillano is one of

the pillars of the informally orga-nized Muntinlu-pa City organiza-tion. The others are Bert Unira, Mon Marcelino, Perry Delfin, Mert Bunyi and Rey Molera.

***Shortly after

Rosemer Enver-ga was appointed Consultant for Eastern Canada by GMA Pinoy TV, her superi-ors in California, namely Jush An-dowitt and Tony Rulloda, phoned her, saying that the black t-

shirts (which GMA TV people wear at special events) for Rose-mer were on their way to T.O.

There’s no truth that Rose-mer declined them, so that she may go in style at GMA TV-spon-sored special events, similar to the photo you see in this page.

***Still on Rose-

mer …One proof

that her new job for GMA Pinoy

TV befits her is that whenever

she is on the microphone, she announces all the events – the fundraising efforts that she volunteers to work on in the community.

Even at the debut of her daughter, Reeza, last July 2, Rosemer announced forthcom-ing events that she was raising funds for. She says, “Ayoko na, ano ba ‘yan? Nagiging au-tomatic na.”

At the 30th Filipino Pilgrim-age to Midland, Ontario on August 7, the photo in this page speaks for it-self; Rosemer was handing out flyers for the “Pistahan sa Ola” for last August 15. No lost time and opportunity to mar-ket events and generate funds. “Pistahan sa OLA” was aimed at raising funds for the repair of the kitchen at the “Our Lady of Assumption” parish hall on Bathurst Street.

Indeed, GMA Pinoy TV had the right choice in the selection of its GMA Media Consultant in Eastern Canada. As I wrote in this column in February 2010, Rosemer Enverga has a

reputation for handling those sold-out events we saw around during the recent years.

***IT IS NOT TRUE that when

the Philippine Independence Day Council (PIDC) directors, officers committee chairs and members met for the first time after the Mabuhay Festival last July 24 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the follow-

ing was the agenda:

1) Apology to the Media;2) Apology to the en-

tertainers, specifically to Roy Tugbang and his group, “The Champions”;

3) Apology to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the dumping of food …

4) … Oh … I can’t even

OOOPS cont’d on p 26

Rosemer Enverga


Manila gets $434 Million in US grantsWASHINGTON, D.C --

The United States has given the young Aquino administra-tion a virtual vote of confidence by approving $434 million in grants for four programs aimed at combating poverty and cor-ruption. ”Congratulations to the people and the Government of the Philippines for tackling dif-ficult challenges to create tan-gible opportunities for growth and prosperity,” said Millen-nium Challenge Corp. (MCC) Chief Executive Officer Daniel Yohannes in announcing the grant approval.

The outright MCC grants called “compacts” will go to:

First, $54.3 million in in-vestments to computerize and streamline business processes in the Bureau of Internal Rev-enue. This project will bolster the effectiveness of revenue collection and reduce opportu-nities for corruption.

Second, $120 million to expand Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services, a community-based, rural development program.

This innovative approach to development strengthens local accountability and empowers poor communities to design and drive the projects they need to increase their incomes and improve their lives.

Third, $214.4 million to construct and repair 220 kilo-meters of roads in Samar and Eastern Samar. This road proj-ect, which traverses 15 munici-palities, will improve access to markets and services for farmers, fishers and small busi-nesses in some of the poorest provinces in the Philippines.

According to an MCC fact sheet, the compacts include approximately $37 million for administrative and oversight costs of the projects. This bud-get includes the cost of ad-ministration, management and auditing as well as fiscal and procurement agent services and environmental and social over-sight. The cost of monitoring and evaluation of the compacts is budgeted at $8.26 million.

The compacts may be signed after a 15-day congressional notification period, which fol-

lows MCC board approval on August 5.

Philippine Ambassador to the United States Willy Gaa, who has shepherded the Phil-ippines’ quest for MCC com-pacts, said the MCC board ap-proval was a breakthrough of sorts for Manila.

Earlier this year, the MCC board headed by US State Sec-retary Hillary Clinton deferred approval of the compact agree-ment until after the Philippine national elections in May this year.

Apparently, the MCC board at the time wanted a firm com-mitment from the new admin-istration that it would abide with MCC policy objectives, particularly the provision on corruption and transparency.

The Philippines actually became eligible for a compact agreement as early as 2008. But the Arroyo administration failed the corruption criterion, including the last one released for Fiscal 2010 (the US fiscal year starts in October).

Strong pitchAccording to diplomatic

sources, then President Gloria Arroyo also sought the MCC compact because it would give her administration a “seal of approval.” But as she became embroiled in one scandal after another, some involving her family, the MCC became in-creasingly reluctant to give the compact agreement.

But when the new admin-istration of President Beni-gno Aquino 3rd asked for the MCC grants, the aid agency’s board did not have to wait for its fourth-quarter board meet-ing to act on the Philippine re-quest.

President Aquino, who ran and won on a promise to end corruption, is apparently get-ting positive response from the US government.

He actually made a strong pitch for his anti-poverty and anti-corruption priorities of government in his July 8 letter to President Barack Obama.

“The elimination of pover-ty, through sustained economic growth, the promotion of good governance and addressing corruption, has been a solemn

pledge during my campaign and which I and my govern-ment fully intend to accom-plish,” the Philippine President told Obama as he mentioned the immediate benefits an MCC compact will have on his priority programs.

The MCC was created by the US Congress in 2003 through the Millennium Chal-lenge Act of 2003. It is an in-dependent US development agency that helps lead the fight against global poverty with in-novative infrastructure projects through five-year grants called compacts.

The MCC partners only with countries that can show mea-surable support for a free and open political system with ac-cess to open markets, according to its website. Only countries with proven track records in anti-corruption, civil liberties and the rule of law may part-ner with the MCC in crafting a development program unique to their local conditions.

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From the Monitor’s Desk

A C E A L V A R E Z

Remembering those who started it all at Earl Bales Park

IBC is an unpolished jewel

RoundaboutM A G C R U Z - H A T O L

14 years of dedicatedcommunity service

Managing EditorACE ALVAREZ

Associate EditorGIE ALVAREZ

Contributing EditorsRICKY CALUENMARIO DIMAIN

MAG CRUZ HATOLGRACE P. FREIRESMANNY FREIRES

BEN VICCARI

Editorial AssistantLEN ALVAREZ-MAHONEY

ContributorsEVA AGPAOA

NOEL PERADALARRY TORRES

Account ExecutivesMYRNA SORIANO

JOHN TAN

GraphicsCOBIE CRUZ

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REMEMBERINGcont’d on p.18

IBC continued on p.17

VIEWS

We were dismayed that the supposed July relaunch of “Batibot’’ on television never came true despite an earlier an-nouncement by TV 5.

The news, released in April when the station disclosed its plans under a new ownership, sent many parents spinning with glee. We wonder what prevents TV5 or the show pro-ducers from coming out with the landmark program.

Two recent announcements from the PNoy administration also delighted us and the ex-citement mounts over the pos-sibility that finally, the plans can bear fruit this time.

RPN and IBC, heretofore sequestered stations, will be privatized and NBN will be converted into what could be the country’s public broadcast-ing system akin to BBC.

In truth, this is old news. Privatization attempts have been bandied four times since 1986. The lure of free broad-cast publicity and exposure, helpful during election period, had always come in the way of serious privatization efforts.

The RPN case is contentious because the Benedictos claim to be rightful owners. They have been in the doldrums for

years and when Solar took over nearly 90 percent of the pro-gramming grid, its employees were left with hardly anything to do. Gone are its halcyon days of John ‘n Marsha, Super-star, Marimar, and other huge hits.

IBC seems to be the sta-tion ripest for privatization. It was already declared by the Supreme Court as an acquired asset of government based on PCGG’s statement of fact as far back as 1992. Hence, technically, IBC is already a non-sequestered station and its previous patriarch-owner, the former Ambassador Roberto Benedicto, had already ceded his claims over the station.

Hence, the Supreme Court statement. (The only fly in the ointment, as it were, is a claim of its former general manager who to this day insists he owns

20 percent of the station. The case is still filed in the lower courts. )

The Marcoses, not surpris-ingly, are again noisy about the planned privatization for reasons we all understand. If they lay claim ownership, in part or whole, of either or both stations in question, then a lot of legal and political equa-tions will have to be reworked. We now wonder why they are against privatization.

IBC has transmitters situ-ated all over the country with potential capacities the envy of major networks. It is not surprising why the giants have been wooing IBC to trade channel assignments. Which-ever of the three major players acquires IBC’s signal is prom-ised the lead in terms of reach, clarity and strength and these can be parlayed into billions in

the ratings game.Former IBC president Bob

del Rosario spent much of his term at the helm securing mon-ey to pay the salaries of his res-tive employees. The programs on his station were mostly blocktimer-produced which brought in meager funds.

The station produced shows were, by and large, non-per-formers even if a handful of them won Anak TV seals dur-ing their heyday.(Good Take, Entrepinoy and Serbis on the Go)

Glory daysLike its neighbor, RPN,

IBC-13 was used by previous administrations as receptacles for people that the Palace owed some form of political debt to.

Del Rosario, a no-nonsense broadcaster who rose from the ranks through decades of dili-gence, was the best thing IBC leadership had in years.

He was well-loved by the employees and had both feet planted firmly on terra firma. It was simply his sense of journalistic balance that cost him his position. The lady in Malacañang was tipped that

I had not been to Earl Bales Park for a couple of years until recently when my wife and I were at the Tanza, Cavite As-sociation of Canada for the annual picnic and Caracol Fes-tival of the organization upon the invitation of fellow jour-nalist Tenny Soriano and his wife, Myrna.

I was so surprised how Earl Bales Park really became the hub of Filipinos for its sum-mer picnics and gatherings that when we arrived at about 1:30 PM on a Saturday, parking space was so scarce.

Before Earl Bales Park en-joy its closeness to the Filipino community by late 90s as the site of many organizations’ summer gatherings, most orga-nizations did hold their gather-ings at Seton Park on Thornc-liffe Park Drive in the former Borough of East York.

While Filipinos enjoy to the max the use of Earl Bales Park for numerous weekend activi-ties – not to mention afternoon summer leisurely walk, most, probably, did not know how it all started.

It was in the late 90s toward the celebration of Philippine Centennial that Earl Bales Park “took over” Seton Park as the site for most of the activities described above.

It started when businessman Emanuel ‘Mann’ Nacario chose Earl Bales Park as the venue

for the event he organized and led, and which he dubbed as “The Philippine Fiesta Picnic and Musical Show – 100” in celebration of the 100 years anniversary of the declaration of Philippine Independence.

Together with then Toron-to Consul General Francisco Santos, Mann spearheaded to make representation with the City of Toronto leading to the installation of the bust of Dr. Jose Rizal in the grounds. The installation of the monument of the Philippine national hero was the last one allowed by the City of Toronto. I gathered that after such, the city did not allow further construction of monuments in the grounds.

During those times, the monument costs $5,000 to build. Mann donated the first thousand. The following also contributed a thousand each on the fund: Roland Chan of Liland Insurance, Dr. Guiller-mo de Villa, Dr. Victoria San-tiago and the balance from contributions of the communi-

ty collected by the Knights of Rizal (KoR). The donors opted to waive inscription of their names in lieu of the Filipino community in Toronto.

Annually since then, the KoR holds simple but appro-priate ceremonies by laying wreath at the foot of the Rizal monument at Earl Bales during events of special significance to the independence of the Philippines and its people.

***Having late dinner one eve-

ning with my wife, Gie, and Danny Samson and his wife, Wilma, at a Scarborough res-taurant, Danny commented on my column in July, “Manifes-tations of ‘His righteousness’,” by affirming the same is true.

He narrated about what his brother, Noli, who lives in Al-berta with his family told him.

Danny said that before Noli took his retirement from his long-time employment, he was advised to apply for credit lines as he would have difficulty getting such when retirement

kicks in; and so Noli did, leav-ing the credit line available when need arises.

Danny proceeded by saying that later in Noli’s retirement, a relative in the Philippines in need of urgent financial help for a hospital emergency ap-proached the latter for such.

Regardless that Noli has retired – and aware even that payment to such loan sought could not be repaid by his poor relative in the Philippines, Noli wholeheartedly run to the res-cue.

Noli concluded his story, “Alam mo, Danny, today, I don’t even know where money is coming from. The money I lent and was never settled af-terwards came hundred fold back to me; I don’t even know where they are coming from.”

***We, who practice commu-

nity newspapering, oftenly get confused in what we are doing, or supposed to be doing.

Those of us who pride our-selves with, first and foremost, journalists for many years, are not excluded from this confu-sion.

One item at issue is our ob-jectivity.

For example, in writing a news story, we are supposed to deliver a balance report, out-

9August 2010 Manila Media Monitor

The Master Plan

The 3rd EyeM A R I O D I M A I N

Bayang Magiliw, Perlas nang Silanganan … We miss you!

You’re Entitledto My Opinion

J U N E N V E R G A

VIEWS

I have attended dozens of events in my lifetime in Canada and in most of those, they sing the Philippine national anthem, “Bayang Magiliw”.

For us living outside the Philippines, singing the anthem in another country evokes vari-ous feelings.

Especially for those who were born and raised in the Philippines, we proudly and passionately sing “Bayang Magiliw”. For most people, singing the anthem during In-dependence Day celebration, goose bumps and tears were just, but normal.

When we hear our National Anthem, we could not help, but sing with fervor “Bayang Magiliw … Perlas nang Silan-ganan … Alab ng puso … sa dibdib mo’y buhay…! Some of us even scream in unison to the lyrics, as if by screaming, we say, “We want to go home! We are missing our beloved Coun-try! Some of us even sing with a question, “What are we doing here? Take me home!

Then the song continues … “Sa dagat at bundok sa simoy at sa langit mong bughaw”. On this note, a good number of us, close our eyes and try to pic-ture our beloved country: the green mountains and the gentle breeze that cool us up, as we

stroll along the shores of the blue sea. We could feel the warm touch of the Philippine sun; we could hear the laugh-ter of our chil-dren playing in the streets of our barrio ….What a feeling!

The anthem ends with verses … “Lupa ng araw, ng lualhati’t pagsinta, buhay ay langit sa piling mo”. For us outside the Philippines, we clamor so much to be with our loved ones -- people we left be-hind; people we want to give a better life to. These are the rea-sons why Filipinos work hard and endure sacrifices for years, just to have the opportunity to bring their kids with them to a better life.

“Aming ligaya na ‘pag may mang-aapi, ang mamatay ng dahil sa iyo.” From here, I feel that each of us sing the same tune, but with a different meaning. For many Filipinos, the verse “ang mamatay ng da-hil sa iyo” meant to strengthen the promise to the families that was left behind. For some, a re-minder of the reasons why they left the Philippines: to escape

poverty, the abuse of power and the threat of harm. These last verses could also mean our desire to go back to our native land, retire, rest and be with the land we forever call home.

If you have not tried it yet, close your eyes next time when you sing “Bayang Magiliw”. With your eyes closed, listen, enjoy, be proud and feel the beauty and grandeur of the Philippines and of being a Fili-pino.

On another note, when fam-ilies from the Philippines send you a text or email you about tu-ition for your favorite niece, or, “kailangan ng gamot ni inang” … “our house needs repair” … “tinangay ang kalabaw nang baha!” … the next anthem we sing sometimes is quite appro-priate, “Oh Canada!! I need the money… I will follow thy boss command …”.

While writing this column, I

had this feel-ing to give back more … what can I offer our OFWs; our new heroes? Here is the best I can of-fer, the song for OFW’s:

Bayan Ko, nasa Ibang Ban-sa Ako

Ako ay isang dayuhanMalayo sa bayan kung si-

napupunanAko ay masipag, matiyaga

at matatagSa trabaho, ang amo ay pa-

natag

Sa pabrika , ospital at opi-sina

Wala tayong katulad, sulit ang ating bayad.

Filipino, Filipino sa iba’t ibang lupain

Malayo sa bayan, tayo ay pagpalain,

Kailangan tayo ay Magsu-mikap

Ang ekonomiya nang ating bayan ay mahirap,

Walang hinaharap na sagana para sa lahat,

Nag-aantay lamang nang ating mga remittance.

Filipino, Filipino ano ang ating gagawin,

Kung ang pagbabalik ang tanging Layunin,

Ang ating natutunan sa ating hiram na lupain

Ay ating itaguyod at e remit din natin.

Tayo ay magsamasama at ipunin ang ating puwersa

Ang bayan nating mahal kailangan nang dangal.

Dangal nating natutunan ay ating ipadala

Para sa pag-unlad nang ating sambayanan.

Filipino, Filipino nasa mun-dong ibayo

Filipino tayo ! Ipagmalaki ! Ipagdiwang !Mabuhay Tayo !

If you do not know the tune to the foregoing lyrics, do not worry; I don’t either! :) Please email me the tune that will be best for the lyrics. Let us create this music that will be sang by all OFWs all over the world. Let us put all our musi-cal talents together and build the OFW anthem! These are just my opinions … Please be entitled to them. ([email protected])

The outcome of any given project fully depends on its planning or the lack of it. With-out the well drafted blueprints of engineers and architects, the construction of bridges, roads and buildings would be in chaos. To simply put it, one must have a plan or at least the understanding to follow one.

When we fail to plan, we are actually planning to fail. What about failing after thor-ough planning? Well, we can always go back to the drawing board and make the necessary changes to iron out the flaws. With some luck, the revision may yield our high

expectations, the second time around. But then again, there are still no guaran-tees. In a heart-beat, unforeseen elements could derail our plans. That is why in the truest common sense, an alternate plan is a must.

James Bond, the famous secret agent 007 is a classic example. In every mission he

carried out, he always had a plan “B” -- a swift escape plan when things go awry. Clever? No. Scripted is the better word to describe it. He is just a character created by an author’s vivid imagina-tion.

In the real world, when ma-

jor setbacks befall us, we tend to get disheartened and utter the big WHY? We ask bitterly in disapproval. Are we being cursed? Is the world unfair to us? What have we done wrong to deserve such a fate? Listen closely my friend; the answers

are blowing in the wind. If we just pay attention to

what is going on around us, we could see the underlying messages and the little hints

from above. Everything hap-pens for a reason. Our past, our present lives and the fu-ture are all interwoven like connected dots that shape the master plan, designed for each one of us; tailor-made for our

individuality. We cannot stop it, nor change it. Nothing can. But we can count our blessings for knowing that we are each as-

signed a master plan prepared by the hands of the Master Builder who knows what is best for us.

When we are hurting, it

is His plan to teach us endur-ance, forgiveness and allow us to seek our hidden strength. When we succeed, it is His plan to make us excel and maintain humility. When we are in abundance, it is His

plan to make us generous to others and give Him praise. It is also His absolute intention that when we find the talents that He has provided us, we must pursue them; put them into good use; share them and make our world a better place.

When Jesus said, “I am the truth, the way and the life,” He was being precise with God’s master plan for us. He is the gateway, and as Christians, all

we need to do is enter the narrow gate and follow the path.

From here on, let us all stop questioning and give thanks. Like a drifting leaf on the rapids, just sit tight and go with the flow. Have faith, God is behind the wheel. We are merely passengers. The Master of all

navigators is steering the way and will never let us down. His master plan has already been laid out. Let us all stick to it. Praise God _ and Amen. ([email protected])

“When we are hurting, it is His plan to teach us en-durance, forgiveness and allow us to seek our hidden strength. When we succeed, it is His plan to make us excel and maintain humility. When we are in abun-dance, it is His plan to make us generous to others and give Him praise. It is also His absolute intention that when we find the talents that He has provided us, we must pursue them; put them into good use; share them and make our world a better place.”


Our JourneyE V A A G P A O A

An Inspiration forEveryone

An Honor and Privilege

Fast Food ForThought

R u d y M . V i e r n e s

VIEWS

“U.S. citizenship is an hon-or and a privilege” said a natu-ralized citizen from Sudan. I say “Amen” to that for I, too, am now honored and a privi-leged American citizen after I have taken the solemn Oath and Pledge of Allegiance to America.

The historic date and place: July 29, 2020 at he Paramount Theater in Oakland, Califor-nia..

To become a citizen of this great country is the highest privilege. It marks a new era in one’s life and this will not be easily forgotten. For me it is now indelibly etched in my memory; a footnote of my per-sonal life and a tale to tell.

There were 1,310 of us com-ing from 109 countries from every point in the compass: from Afghanistan, to Tonga, to Zimbabwe – comprising a great diversity of colors, creeds, backgrounds, cultures, heri-tages, ancestries, persuasions, shapes and sizes, moneyed and marginalized, but are equal as “peers of kings.” They braved the oceans to come to these shores starting from the pil-grims of old, landing at Angel Island in the West Coast near San Francisco and at the El-lis Island in the East Coast of New York harbor, where they were welcomed by the Statues of Liberty bearing a beacon of hope and promise.

They all came in assiduous quest for the proverbial holy grail, for adventure, for great-er opportunities, and brought with them their vast wealth of talents and skills, new ideas and ideals that have defined, enriched, and strengthened the fabric of this great nation.

The Pledge

of Al-legiance

was first published on Sep-

tember 8, 1892. The original pledge reads as follows: “I pledged al-legiance to my Flag, and the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indi-visible, with Liberty and Justice for all.”

In 1942 Congress of-ficially recognized the pledge. On June 14, 1954, by another act of Con-gress, the phrase “under God” was added. In sign-ing the legislation, then Pres. Dwight Eisenhower said: “In this way, we are reaffirming the transcen-dence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way, we shall constantly strength-en those spiritual weap-ons which forever will be our country’s most pow-erful resources in peace and war.”

On July 29, 2010, I took the stage to lead my fellow inductees read the re-vised and current pledge. In reading the Pledge I ad-libbed: First part of the sheet I was pro-vided says “Good Morning.” I repeated it “Good Morning” and added “Magandang um-aga po sa inyong lahat. I am Adolfo ‘Rudy’ Viernes from the Philippines.” There was an effervescent cheer from Filipinos who constituted a big portion of the inductees, as were Hispanics and Hindus.

The last portion of the sheet says “Thank you very much.” I added, “As we say in Fili-pino, ‘Maraming maraming salamat at Mabuhay’.” The crowd clapped lustily. Then I waved a tiny American flag as they, too, waved theirs, as the cameras clicked to record the event for posterity.

It was a moment to soak for all its worth.

The whole text of the pledge that I read (without ad-lib): “Good Morning! Please fade

the flag of the United States, place your right hand over your heart and repeat after me. I pledge allegiance to the flag, of the

United States of Amer-ica, and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation under God, indi-visible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much.” It said a lit-tle but said it all.

Now I am officially a member of the American Club, a part of a “new generation of Americans: even at my late age, in the same league as Barack Obama, as Robert Gates, as Kobe Bryant, as Karya Shivashankar, with a pre-cious possession that of United States citizenship.

When I got home, sur-prise and happenstance, I found a letter from the Marin County (Califor-nia) Superior Court, Of-fice of the Jury, summon-ing me to report for jury duty on Aug. 20, 2010. There have been five

summons that I have received since I became an immigrant in 2001, but I could not answer them because I was not quali-fied. Now that I am, I will gladly do so.

Serving in the jury is one of the responsibilities and du-ties of responsible citizen-ship, aside from participation in the democratic processes, like right to vote and be voted upon, the freedom to express oneself, to have a free rein to

do as you wish as long as you do not bother or harm others in doing it, to believe in any creed and to enjoy certain un-alienable rights among them are liberty, life and the pursuit of happines. No dream is be-yond reach in this tolerant so-ciety that is the United States of America. With industry and resolve, anyone can find one’s own footing.

God bless America, land that I love, and now my own sweet home. As I sang the Star Spangled Banner with my fel-low inductees, I felt chill up the back of my spine. And when I reached the last line ”O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave”, I was already overwhelmed by a profound sense of patriotism that stirred my soul, my feeling saccha-rine sweet.

The last part of the hour-long ceremonies was the dis-tribution of the Certificate of Naturalization. I felt the privilege of being the first to receive mine from Mr. Randall Ricks of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service in San Francisco who was seated at my right on stage.

Let us toast to ourselves. This occasion comes only in a lifetime. It was a defining mo-ment for me that will endure, for it begins a new episode in my life as a United States’ citi-zen and to participate in this government of the people, by the people and for the people. Now I am ready to do some-thing for my new country. Pres. John F. Kennedy said “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.” ([email protected])

I was reminiscing this week about my personal journey and this column. I wanted to tell you that it has been a joy writ-ing this column and talking with each and everyone of you over the past three years. Your feedback and encouragement (and yes sometimes criticism) has been a constant source of inspiration. I have learned so much from you and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I also owe Ace and Ge Al-varez a debt of gratitude. Their generous support has been unwavering. They offered me space to write this column at a time when I was unproven and without credentials. They took a chance on me and I will

always be grateful for their courage.

I started out writ-ing about the journey many of us have taken in this country. Though each of us has a different story to tell, there are many common threads which tie us together as a community.

Time and time again, I am awed by the sheer cour-age many of you have shown throughout your journey. To say this has been an inspiration would be a gross understate-ment. I have witnessed many

of the things our community has achieved.

We come to this country with virtually nothing -- and many of us from poverty and in desperate need. We came here and started to build. With only our determination, we build up our lives brick by brick. And the foundation we built was a strong one. Our children will

stand on that foundation

tall and proud and continue to strengthen it so that our

community may have a powerful voice in this country.

We are the first wave. The laborers, the maids, the nan-nies, the PSWs. Many with education well beyond the need of these tasks. We are the invisible people who clean up at hospitals, take the dishes away in restaurants. We are the anonymous faces of large cor-porations and chain stores who get screamed at and abused

when something goes wrong.But we took whatever was

available, because we had a vision of a community in the not to distant future of law-yers, doctors, politicians and business leaders. We put our knowledge, our education, our experiences and wisdom aside to clean the floor, wash the dishes, change diapers. We did this for our children, our parents and all the family back home depending on us to pave the way for their future.

I applaud your courage and heart. It has been a humbling experience to learn from you the true meaning of sacrifice. We are a community built on

California-based Manila Media Moni-tor columnist Rudy Viernes leads the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States for a new batch of 1,310 new American citizens, the very first ever Filipino to have done so at such oath-taking ceremonies.(Courtesy: Angie Wilson)

INSPIRATIONcontinued on p.15


Ramon Magsaysay Foundation honors awardees

MANILA -- Two Fili-pino science educators, three Chinese environmentalists, a Japanese advocate for nuclear disarmament, and a Bangla-deshi advocate for the rights of disabled persons were honored recently by the Ramon Mag-saysay Foundation for excel-lence in their respective fields of endeavor.

The 2010 Ramon Magsay-say Awards ceremonies were held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The seven awardees were Christopher Bernido and Ma. Victoria Carpio-Bernido of the Philippines; Huo Daishan, Pan Yue, and Fu Qiping of China; A.H.M. Noman Khan of Ban-gladesh; and Tadatoshi Akiba of Japan.

President Benigno Aquino III presented the awards to each laureate at the CCP main theater.

The Ramon Magsaysay Awards was founded in 1957 in honor of the late President Ramon Magsaysay Jr., who died in a plane crash in March

that year. Since then, 267 indi-viduals and 17 organizations have received the prestigious award.

Aquino in his speech thanked the awardees “for be-ing symbols of the highest ideals of human kind, and for shining your light in a world that is in constant need of good examples.”

He personified Magsaysay as “perhaps the most beloved president in the history of our nation.”

Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon C. Aquino, also received the Ramon Mag-saysay Award in 1998.

Two of the three Chinese awardees, Pan Yue and Fu Qip-ing were not present to receive their awards.

One of the Chinese recipi-ents, Huo Daishan, arrived in the Philippines on Aug. 25, two days after the hostage in-cident. Huo, a photojournalist, was honored for his work that raised awareness on the effects of pollution in China’s river Huai.

Huo said he has no hesita-tions about visiting the Philip-pines even after the hostage in-cident. “[Filipinos] are really hospitable, very friendly, and very hardworking, he added.

‘Dynamic learning’The Bernidos are physicists

who run a progressive high school for underprivileged stu-dents in Jagna, Bohol. Through a system they call “dynam-ic learning,” students at the school spend most of their time doing independent study rather than listening to lectures.

Upon receiving the award, Carpio-Bernido said, “Far from being barriers to educa-tion of the highest standards, poverty and scarcity allow us to systematically zero in on the core of the learning process.”

Akiba is the three-term may-or of Hiroshima, Japan. He has led a worldwide campaign for a nuclear weapons-free world.

In 1999, he formed a coali-tion of city mayors from 144 countries to pressure national governments into nuclear dis-

armament by 2020.Photojournalist Huo was

honored for his efforts to raise awareness about the effects of pollution on China’s third-larg-est river, the Huai. He vowed to use his prize money “for building more water purifying systems in the villages along the Huai River,” saying this would ensure that the Magsay-say Award would directly im-pact the lives of poor farmers in the area.

Khan created in 1996 the Center for Disability in Devel-opment, an organization that has since provided services and inclusion opportunities for people with disabilities in Ban-gladesh. “I salute... the persons

with disabilities who made us realize that it is not their impair-ment, but rather the attitudinal and environmental barriers that impede their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis as others,” he said.

The final award was shared by Chinese government offi-cials Pan Yue and Fu Qiping, who were not present at the awards ceremonies.

Pan Yue is currently the vice-minister of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, while Fu Qiping is the leader of Tengtou Village in Zhejiang province, one of the small-est yet most environmentally progressive communities in China.

their colleagues in the House of Representatives.

The bill states five grounds for the filing of a petition for divorce. According to the mea-sure, couples who may apply for divorce include those who have been separated in fact for five years and those already le-gally separated for two years.

Grounds for legal separa-tion may also apply when these same grounds have already

DIVORCE from p.4 caused the irreparable break-down of the marriage. In addi-tion, psychological incapacity, causing one’s failure to comply with essential marital obliga-tions, and irreconcilable differ-ences causing the irreparable breakdown of the marriage are also recognized as grounds for divorce, the bill said.

“We cannot ignore the fact that existing laws just do not

DIVORCE cont’d on p.14

12 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 NEWS

RP from p.3

government was “ap-palled” and phoned his Philippine counterpart, Alberto Romulo, to voice concern.

Hong Kong residents expressed outrage and media outlets in the Chi-nese territory denounced Philippine police as in-competent.

“We are going to condemn the Philippine government,” said Vin-

cent Fang, a legislative councillor in Hong Kong. “The Hong Kong people are very furious over this whole situation.”

Police promise inter-nal audit

Philippine police con-ceded that they had made blunders ending the bus hijacking amid outrage over a bloody assault that was played out on live television.

Commandos fired doz-ens of bullets into the bus

and smashed its windows with sledge hammers as they tried to storm it, but were then forced to wait outside helplessly for over an hour as the hi-jacker used his captives as human shields.

The standoff in Ma-nila’s tourist district on Monday finally ended when police fired tear gas into the bus and a sniper shot the gunman in the head, but by then eight of the tourists on board had

been killed.Amid a storm of criti-

cism from Hong Kong’s government and people around the world who watched the shoot-out live on television, Manila police commander Leo-cadio Santiago admitted mistakes had been made.

“We saw some ob-vious shortcomings in terms of capability and tactics used, or the pro-cedure employed, and we are now going to investi-gate this,” Santiago said on local television.

Earlier, Philippine police defended their actions but promised an internal audit to review the events leading to the deaths.

National police spokesman Agrimero Cruz told the Associated Press, “Of course what happened was far from ideal … Nevertheless, we are congratulating our personnel because despite the lack of equip-ment ... they risked life and limb.”

Reports had it that some police commandos

lacked helmets and ap-propriate communication equipment, and the team had no ladder vehicle to help climb aboard the seized bus, while storm-ing it — shortcomings that hampered a speedy response.

Newspaper reports from 2008 indicated that Mendoza was among five police officers charged with robbery, extortion and grave threats. The charges were laid after a hotel chef in Manila complained that officers had falsely accused him of using drugs in order to extort money from him.

The presidential spokesperson said that Hong Kong officials asked the government to conduct an investigation into the incident, and to “ cooperate with the Hong Kong Working Group in the investigation to en-sure that nothing like this would occur again.”

Lacierda said that the Chinese ambassador “thanked the President for his immediate atten-tion on the matter and

giving them the chance to meet with him, and also making sure that all the instrumentalities of the government are already in place to assist the vic-tims.”

Further, the presiden-tial spokesperson said that Liu “expressed ap-preciation for the swift attention given by the Philippine government.”

Lacierda also said that the meeting might be enough to keep bilateral ties between the Philip-pines and China from getting strained.

President Aquino de-clared Aug. 25, 2010 a national mourning day “in solidarity with the people of Hong Kong and the families of the slain”.

Aquino instructed all public institutions in the Philippines and embas-sies and consulates over-seas to lower the Philip-pine flag to half mast on that day. (Manila Media Monitor with files from the Xinhua, CBC, The Associated Press and The Canadian Press)

Toronto City Council enacts new zoning bylaw

The Toronto City Council has enacted a new, single, city-wide zoning bylaw.

The zoning bylaw regulates the use of land and buildings as well as their height, size, bulk and location. Previously, the City of Toronto had 43 different zoning by-laws inherited from the six pre-amalgamation municipalities.

The new zoning by-law, now in effect, is the result of an eight-year harmonization exercise, with the principal em-phasis on developing a common terminology, structure and set of de-fined zoning terms that apply across the city.

The new zoning bylaw maintains current devel-opment standards (height, density, setbacks and use)

as much as possible, pro-tecting Toronto’s existing neighbourhoods. It was developed with extensive opportunities for the pub-lic to comment and pro-vide feedback. Citizens and stakeholders were encouraged to participate in the public consultation process to ensure their comments were heard on

BYLAW continued on p.14


By Adam Chapnick

To an outsider, the structure of the Canadian judiciary is just as com-plicated as the legal chal-lenges that it faces every day. The British North America Act of 1867 granted the federal gov-ernment jurisdiction over criminal law but left the provinces with the pri-mary responsibility for the administration of jus-tice. So the provinces run the federal courts, but the judges in those courts are appointed by the federal government.

To confuse matters further, the provinces also have their own courts, and in this case they appoint the judges

themselves.The final court of ap-

peal in Canada is the Su-preme Court. It replaced Britain’s Judicial Com-mittee of the Privy Coun-cil in 1949.

Canada’s policy of ap-pointing judges differen-tiates us from the United States where most judges are elected. Critics of the Canadian process call it undemocratic. In the U.S., they like to argue, judges are accountable to the people. In Canada, they owe their allegiance to the political elite.

Supporters of the Ca-nadian approach argue that the appointment pro-cess is better. First, the political elite typically make their recommenda-

tions based on the advice of legal experts, and this ensures that Canadians receive the best possi-ble treatment before the law. Second, they note that the permanent ap-pointments give judges the freedom to interpret the law without fear of a popular backlash ending their employment after the next election.

Canadian law also says that judges be well-paid and, thus, not open to bribery or other efforts to sway their thinking.

The power and promi-nence of the courts in Canada increased dra-matically in 1982. By creating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and putting it in the constitu-

tion, the elected politi-cians transferred signifi-cant responsibilities for interpreting the law into the hands of the judges. In other words, Parliament still makes law in Cana-da, but governments and members of parliament need to keep the Charter in mind at all times, and it’s up to the courts to de-cide if they have.

Admittedly, the Char-ter includes a “notwith-standing” clause, allow-ing federal or provincial parliaments to override the courts temporarily, but it is rarely invoked.

Critics complain that the Charter has contrib-uted to the decline of democracy in Canada as judges, who are not

elected, can now over-rule the will of the popu-larly elected members of the House of Commons. But it is worth recalling that the judiciary never asked for the Charter. Members of parliament made a conscious deci-sion to include the Char-ter when they changed the Constitution in 1982 and brought it home from Britain.

The role of the courts in Canadian society be-came particularly impor-tant shortly after the Que-bec referendum of 1995. Voters there had in effect been asked to decide if they wanted to remain in Canada, and by a very narrow majority decided they did. The following year, Canada’s attorney general asked the Su-preme Court to comment

on the legal implications of any effort by the prov-ince of Quebec to unilat-erally leave Canada.

The court concluded that Quebec did not have the right to declare inde-pendence on its own. But, it said, the government of Canada had an obliga-tion to negotiate if a clear majority of Quebeckers supported independence. As a result, the federal government began work to clarify matters.

Passed in 2000, the Clarity Act established the conditions under which Quebec could ne-gotiate separation from Canada. This was an ex-ample of the new level of dialogue between the democratically elected

CANADIAN LAWcontinued on p. 18

Canadian Law and Order: The Courts


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1075 Bay Street Toronto, Ontario M5S 2B1Tel.: (416) 928.3113 Toll Free: (800) 463.1512

Fax: (416) 928.0821Web: www.newwavetravel.net E-mail: [email protected]

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NEWS

Lawyers ask Immigration bureau to deport 7 Chinese executives

MANILA -- A GROUP of pro-environment lawyers asked the Bureau of Immigration to deport and blacklist seven Chinese mining executives in Zambales province for human trafficking and illegal exploita-tion of natural resources.

In a three-page Complaint for Deportation dated August 10, the Green Lawyers of the Philippines Inc., through its

President Dante Carandang, lodged a complaint with the immigration bureau against the Chinese executives allegedly operating the Coto Mines in Masinloc, Zambales.

Officially charged before the bureau were: Ye Zhou, Shen Bing Hua, Shi Jian Chu, Dong Guilin, Shen Hui, Shi Zhen Yu and Shen Zhen Huan.

The document alleged that

BYLAW from p. 12


Philippine Chamber of Commerce-Toronto president Rafael Nebres (center) and PIDC Adviser Jun Enverga (right) are among those who led the recep-tion team for Progressive Conservative Provincial Party Leader Tim Hudak at the PIDC Mabuhay Festival and Trade Show 2010, Metro Toronto Convention Centre, July 24. MPP Hudak sent his, and his party’s congratulatory mes-sage to the Filipino community. (Manila Media Monitor Photo)

this important subject. Feed-back from public consulta-tion was consolidated and re-viewed by the project team and changes were made to the draft bylaw where appropriate and necessary.

Some key parts of the by-law:

• The entire bylaw will be available online through inter-active maps which allow the user to search by address and see the specific zoning details that apply to that property.

• The new zoning bylaw sets out comprehensive perfor-mance standards for each zone

category and it also includes new standards related to built-form, including minimum heights in commercial/residen-tial (CR) zones.

• The bylaw aims to protect existing regulatory standards with respect to setbacks, height and similar building require-ments.

• Site-specific zoning by-laws and minor variance per-missions will continue to be recognized.

• The bylaw introduces new regulations related to vehicular and bicycle parking and load-ing requirements, as well as new definitions for terms such as “gross floor area” and “es-

tablished grade,” which will help to ensure regulations are interpreted the same way in all parts of the city.

• The bylaw has been made user-friendly for residents and businesses, with the follow-ing new features: The bylaw is cleanly organized and uses plain language and coloured maps to increase user accessi-bility.

• Rules applying to rooming houses are replicated from ex-isting provisions.

• The new bylaw strives to protect ravines by applying regulations to lands, buildings and structures in or partly in the areas identified on the Con-

the accused engaged in human trafficking by facilitating the entry of around 80 Chinese re-cruited supposedly to work in the mines.

The complaint also stated that these workers did not have valid work permits and visas, as well as not passing immi-gration inspection formalities when they entered the country.

“Respondents are undesir-able aliens [who violated con-stitutional], immigration, and other laws of the Philippines,” the document added. “Accord-ingly, they must be ordered de-

ported after due proceedings.”It was suspected that the

foreigners acquired the right to operate the mine when they entered into a P250-million agreement with Compania Minera Tubajon Inc.

The executives allegedly established a new management team and infused funds for the maintenance and development of the Masinloc chromite proj-ect.

Carandang also said that the mining operation is not covered by any financial and technical assistance agreement with the

government, adding that Con-solidated Mines, the tenement owner, did not sanction it.

“Wherefore, complainant prays that this honorable com-mission give due course to this Complaint for

Deportation; and after due hearing, order their [the execu-tives] immediate deportation . . . and bar their re-entry into the Philippines,” the complaint says.

servation Overlay Map.• A transition protocol has

been developed that aims to protect existing development permissions and prevent delay of active development applica-tions.

• As the former 43 zoning bylaws will not be repealed, if a property is shown as “Not Part of this Bylaw” on the new zoning bylaw maps, the former zoning regime and regulations that existed prior to the enact-ment of the new zoning bylaw will continue to apply. The intent is for these properties to eventually be incorporated into the new zoning bylaw.

DIVORCE from p.11

suffice. Getting an annulment can be very expensive while legal separation will not give estranged couples the right to remarry,” Ilagan said.

The measure’s explanatory note further elaborates on the need for a measure to address the commission of violence in marital relations.

Official figures from the Philippine National Police in 2009 showed that 19 women fall victim to marital violence every day. Among the forms of violence and abuse against

DIVORCE continued on p. 17


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INVITATIONNewly elected president Eva Agpaoa of the Isabela Cultural Organization of Ontario

is calling all the Isabelans to participate in the organization.The date, venue and other information on the induction of the the new officers and

directors will soon be announced. The inducting officer will be the Governor of Isabela. Invitations have likewise been sent to the mayors of the various towns comprising the province.

The newly elected president said that the Isabela organization website will be run-ning up soon. A Facebook account was likewise opened. For additional information, please e-mail evaagpaoa.isabelaorg_toronto.ca.

‘‘You’re alive. Do some-thing. The directive in life, the moral impera-tive was so uncompli-cated. It could be ex-

pressed in single words, not complete sentences.

It sounded like this: Look. Listen. Choose. Act. - Barbara Hall,

the shoulders of heroes and giants.And it can be frustrating and demor-

alizing. And we begin to doubt our-selves. Over the years, I have talked about many of the things which affect our daily lives. But throughout, I have tried to be honest and consistent in my message to you. One of the things I have talked about often is this: First and fore-most, believe in yourself. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you are not capable of something greater. You are the only person who is allowed to set limits on your future.

I know there are times when things look so dark and bleak;times when even the smallest thing seems impossible. I know, because I have lived those times as well. Those were the times that made us vulnerable. They shook our belief in our abilities. They made us doubt. But nothing has changed. You are still the same strong, capable person. Only the circumstances are different. Believe in yourself. More than ever, in these tough times, believe in yourself. And others will believe in you too.

I wish for each of you peace and prosperity in your journey. ([email protected])

INSPIRATION from p. 10



CanadianBusinessman, 48 years, 5’6”,152 lbs., seeks younger,

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Call (647) 274-7179.

IBC from p. 8

DIVORCE from p.14

Agriculture departmentinvestigates sugar smuggling

Manila – The Depart-ment of Agriculture (DA) said that it was investi-gating alleged connec-tion between smuggling activities within the sugar industry and the “abrupt” shortage in the supply of sugar in the country.

According to Agricul-ture Secretary Proceso Alcala, the agency was

checking on the allega-tions that several indus-try stakeholders were in-volved in the smuggling of sugar products, citing sugar importation records over the last decade.

“For the past several years, we have not expe-rienced any shortage in the supply of sugar. Now, we are now checking on

the allegations claiming that smuggling activities within the sugar industry have made sugar avail-able in the domestic mar-ket, at the cost of hurting our prices,” he said.

Alcala added that he was informed by several stakeholders about the il-legal practices by several people, citing that the

NEWS

one evening newscast featured the opposition about half a minute lon-ger than it did the admin-istration. The sentence was swift and merciless. The poor del Rosario, who did not seek the top post in the first place, was given the runaround and was made to accept terms of separation not even closely commensurate to his decades in service.

What the Palace for-got was that he was an organic employee, not mere presidential stooge.

Del Rosario regrets

that in his time, he was unable to produce any children’s programs simply because they did not have funds or part-ners who committed to support such endeavor. When one checks the ex-isting IBC programming, one will see a wasteland peppered by inane info-mercials, canned docu-mentaries and a slew of ho-hum programs. “What can one do no production funds and with equip-ment that have seen better years?” asks del Rosario. “The frequent changes in management have de-moralized the employ-

ees because there was no continuity.

We could not go back to the glory days of Iskul Bukol, Chicks to Chicks and our regular block-buster films,” he added.

Whoever gets IBC and the prime land where it sits and can pump in billions to improve the station’s technical facili-ties, will have his hands full with a lot of creative possibilities.([email protected])


country’s last importa-tion record of sugar was in 2002.

During a press confer-ence , he maintained that there should be no reason for sugar prices to shoot up, saying that there is a possibility of an “artifi-cial shortage” in the sup-ply of the commodity.

women committed in 2009, wife battery ranked the highest at 6,783 cases

or 72 percent.“For women in abu-

sive marital relationships, the need for a divorce law is real. It is high time that we give Filipino couples, especially the women, this option,” De Jesus said.

Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga strongly opposed the bill, saying “the fam-ily is the foundation of a good citizenry.”

“Allowing absolute divorce would undoubt-

edly weaken the solidar-ity of the family. It would also encourage married couples who have dif-ferences to immediately seek divorce, though dif-ferences can still be rec-onciled,” Barzaga said.

He said he anticipates various religious groups to lobby against the bill. “I still adhere to the bibli-cal saying that what God had join together, let no

DIVORCEcontinued on p. 18

18 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 PEOPLE & EVENTS

legislature and the ap-pointed judiciary in the development of Canadian public policy.

At about the same time, the creation of the territory of Nunavut in the Canadian North added something different to the judicial system. Unlike Canada’s other provin-cial and territorial courts which deal with basic cases separate from ap-peals, the Nunavut Court of Justice deals with both types of claims.

Another recent addi-tion to the Canadian court system is the sentencing circle. In some First Na-tions communities, these circles advise judges on appropriate punishments

for native peoples who have been declared guilty under the law.

A final and increas-ingly prominent element of the broader court system in Canada is the administrative tribunal. These bodies can deal with controversial issues such as allegations of human rights violations (although their decisions are still subject to judicial review). Such tribunals have generated emotional debates among Canadians over the extent to which governments should in-trude upon the right of individuals to speak their opinions freely.

Canada’s courts have come a long way since 1867. Today, just as they have for close to 150

years, they continue to change to meet new de-mands.

Further Reading: Da-vid E. Smith, The Peo-ple’s House of Commons, Ian Green, The Courts.

The Canadian Experi-ence is a 52-week history series designed to tell the story of our country to all Canadians. Sponsored by Multimedia Nova Cor-poration and Diversity Media Services/Lingua Ads partners, the series features articles by our country’s foremost histo-rians on a wide range of topics. Past articles and author bios are available at http://www.cdnexperi-ence.ca. The Canadian Experience is copyright © 2010-2011 Multimedia Nova Corporation.

The logo contest of the marketing committee of the Kalayaan Centre would like to inform the public that the contest deadline has been ex-tended to Thursday, Sep-tember 30, 2010. Please

KALAYAAN CENTRE LOGO CONTEST DEADLINE EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 30

email new entries with your high resolution jpeg files to [email protected]. Those who have submitted entries do not have to resubmit. For contest rules, please check our website www.

CANADIAN LAWfrom p. 13

REMEMBERINGfrom p. 8

DIVORCEfrom p.17

kalayaancentre.ca or join our fan page at www.facebook.com/kalayaan-centre.

For more information call 905-602-0923.

lining both sides of the story. Most often than not though, this does not happen and only present the subjective part of the story – which is how we,

newswriters/reporters, look at a situation, leav-ing the other party fend for themselves where to look for help in correct-ing the impression cre-ated by the published subjective story. In other words, most often than not, when we (friends/colleagues, I wrote “we”)

newswriters/reporters write a “news” story, we often confused it as writ-ing our columns – which by its very nature, are subjective, being a mir-ror of our own opinions and views.

This comment is

prompted by the recent stories published on GMA Pinoy tv artist Wendell Ramos disrobing his top before the audience at the Mabuhay Festival and the choice of GMA TV sending Katrina Halili as one of its top billers at the same festival.

While one story stated that it sought the com-ments of the organizer of the event -- the Philippine Independence Day Coun-cil (PIDC), on these mat-ters and no response was received, still the story did not seek the views of other people who saw the show and might have dif-fering views from those presented in the story.

Back to the issue of objectivity -- and in fair-ness to my colleagues in community media, who wrote the stories men-tioned above, in a new

study recently which asked, “is objectivity possible in journalism?” posted by Dana Lacey in “The Canadian Journal-ism Project”, some re-spondents commented as follows:

Respondent Katie Lohrenz wrote:

“I find writing by people who disclose and discuss their biases/backgrounds dramati-cally more compelling than sterile I-refuse-to-take-sides-so-decide-for-yourself writing. I think it’s possible to explain and analyze both sides of a story and fulfill a jour-nalistic purpose without sitting on the fence.”

Survey respondent Robert McClure wrote:

“No journalist is truly objective, if that term is meant to mean some-one who has no opinions

about the subjects he or she covers. Subjectivity starts right from the point at which a journalist chooses a subject to cover and goes right on through to who is interviewed, what quotations are se-lected, how the headline is written, and on and on. But what makes journal-ism different from other practices with which it is sometimes confused, such as PR or politics, is that journalists are in the business of ‘independent’ verification of fact.”

The post made by Lacey from a report writ-ten by Sammer Bhuchar of “Spot.Us” stated that, “Increasingly, the idea of traditional objectivity is being challenged by this new, proactive age of media consumers. To those who challenge the ideal, it is an outdated standard that has crippled journalists from digging

deep into stories.”Bhuchar wrote: “The

Internet has bypassed the once highly regarded norms of gatekeepers at a news desk, and now it seems to be challenging the long held model of objectivity in journal-ism.”

The survey polled 500 Spot.Us users. Only 13.5% of respondents identified objectivity as being what journalism is all about; 44.6% said objectivity was “difficult but possible. It sepa-rates the wheat from the chaff”; 27.6% chose the answer “transparency is the new objectivity.”

Bhuchar also cited survey respondent Amy Gahran as having writ-ten that “Basically, ‘ob-jectivity’ in journalism began post WWII as a strategy to make news content more palatable to a broader advertiser base.

That worked — and it helped enable newspaper consolidation in many cities. But the strategy took on a life of its own — and while it yielded some benefits, it’s a fun-damentally not credible premise. Journalism is created by people, and people are not objective. As media has become multidirectional, it’s be-come ridiculous to try to ignore that reality. News organizations that choose a veneer of objectivity over the practice of trans-parency undermine their own credibility. The sad thing is, many news orgs cling to their veneer of objectivity because they think it builds credibility. They’re eating their own dog food.” ([email protected])

man put asunder.”Parañaque Rep. Roilo

Golez also objected to the bill, saying “that is

like giving a married couple a Weapon of Mass Destruction that they can use against each other even for petty, solvable marital problems.”

He said half of his classmates at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis ended up di-vorcing their spouses just a few years after getting

married.Aurora Rep. Juan Ed-

gardo Angara warned that allowing divorce could lead to the prolif-eration of “gold diggers”

and broken families.Akbayan party-list

Rep. Walden Bello, how-ever, backed the measure, saying the Philippines is the only country with no

divorce law.“Let’s join the 20th

century,” Bello said. (Philippine Star)




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PANGASINAN ASSOCIATION

OF CANADACelebrates

20th Anniversarywith Accomplishments

of Projects, and ... Fun ... Fun ... Fun ...

Dr. Ernesto Quinit, PACA Founder and Ad-viser, thanks everybody for support on the organization’s projects

President Quintin Palisoc and wife, Emily, ad-dress body to recognize outstanding members for the support.

PACA Officers, Directors, District Representatives and Advis-ers pose for a souvenir photo of one memorable evening

23August 2010 Manila Media MonitorPEOPLE & EVENTS

‘‘Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a

person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.

-Kurt Vonnegut (1922 - 2007)

An exhibition dance by the Bayanihan Youth Club of Simcoe County:(BCYSC) vice president Audrey Bushell and club president Andre Campos during the-group’s “Filipiniana Induction and Summare Party 2010” in the north of To-ronto.(Courtesy: Remy Cabansag)


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PEOPLE & EVENTS

Parishioners of Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church on Central Parkway E in Mississauga host a party for Fr. Sol Paranas (3rd from right, 2nd row) to celebrate his 30th anniversary in priesthood. Fr. Sol came to Canada from Bohol, Philippines some 20 years ago. Among those with him in photo are Divina and Jimmy Villamater; Doming and Tita Badilla; Ruben and Linda Javier; Val and Jean Mape; Jaime and Carmen Hauyon; and, Buddy Paras and Deedette Potes. (Courtesy: Cely Factura)

Paul Pigon was graduated by the Ryerson University with a degree of BS in Biology. The graduate is the only son of Danny and Suzanne Pigon of Scar-borough.

Silayan Community Centre kicks off its mid-term activities with line and folk dancing at the May Auditorium, 20 West Lodge Avenue .The next SCC’s ac-tivities will be Halloween, Christmas and SCC’s 42nd anniversary celebra-tion next year. For details call Silayan Community Centre at (416) 926 9505.

L-R: Oswald Tugadi, president of high-end, all service printing company Al-bee Enterprises on Canadian Road in Scarborough celebrates his birth an-niversary over dinner with friends, Action Honda general manager Rafael Nebres, Mrs. Sylvia Nebres, Oswald’s wife, Isa; Gie and Ace Alvarez. (Manila Media Monitor/Front Page Philippines photo)

GET-TOGETHER FOR VISITING FRIENDS: Rudy and Ludy Priscilla (stand-ing at extreme left in back row), Gloria Dy, Mr. and Mrs. Arwyn Dy, hosted a get-together for visiting friends from the US and Peru recently. The visiting friends are Mr. & Mrs. Sergio Yap from New York, Mr. and Mrs. Alden from Florida, Mrs. Elena Fuellas and family from Chicago, and Mrs. Isabel Vda Neyra with daughter Ema and son Alonso from Peru. (Tony Sicat)

‘‘In silence man can most readily preserve his

integrity.- Meister Eckhart

25August 2010 Manila Media MonitorPEOPLE & EVENTS

26 Manila Media Monitor August 2010 ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

PIDC’s ‘DANCING TO BE A STAR’ SLATED OCT. 2, 2010

The 4th season of “Dancing To Be A Star”will once again buzz with excitement!

Leonie Manzanares, event chair, said the PIDC event to be held at Studio 8 Banquet Hall in Toron-to on October 2 will highlight Ballroom, Latin and Standard dance competition.

Organized by the PIDC, the organizers are work-ing to make this competition bigger and better.

Canadian top ballroom Latin and standard compet-itors will once more show off their dancing skills.

For details on how to participate, tickets and other matters, please contact the following: Leone Man-zanares - 905 567-4829; Rory Elefano - 416 733-7818 ([email protected]); Gene Elamparo - 416 284-3547 ([email protected]); Nene Ticzon - 416 560-8433 ([email protected]); or, Pete Mauricio - 905 301-8408 ([email protected])

‘Dancing to be a Star” is the last event of the PIDC for this year.

Caregivers working in Thornhill at a summer gathering, attended also by their employers, wards and representatives from the Philippine Labor Office.in Toronto (Terry Olayta)

remember the rest of the apologetic items in the agenda! (I’m scratching my head).

A consolation to the PIDC though is: Not to worry, they’re not “major, major mistakes” – to borrow from Miss Philippines-Universe Venus Raj. So, PIDC doesn’t have to change really the name of the event next year to “MABUWAY FESTIVAL”. But more power to you, friends!

***From a forwarded message from Edgar

Morado, formerly of the National Media Pro-duction Center in the Philippines: “We’ve gone from a computer that takes up a whole room to one that is almost too small to read. Now the trend is reversing. They are getting bigger and bigger again.

“Oh, and the inventor’s bank accounts just keep getting bigger.”

***From a forwarded message from Phil-

ippine Press Club-Ontario Treasurer Mogi Mogado:

These should make you laugh and feel sad (if it’s true).

Were we this inteligent at 16????

GCSE are the standard exams in the UK for kids 15 - 16 yrs

The following questions were set in last

year’s GCSE examination These are genuine answers (from 16 year

olds)....... .....and they WILL breed.

Q. Name the four seasons.A. Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar -----------------------------------------------Q. Explain one of the processes by which

water can be made safe to drink.A. Flirtation makes water safe to drink

because it removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and canoeists

-----------------------------------------------Q. How is dew formed?A. The sun shines down on the leaves and

makes them perspire -----------------------------------------------Q. What causes the tides in the oceans?A. The tides are a fight between the earth

OOOPS from p.6

OOOPS cont’d on p.28


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Manila ready to dazzle for historic gay beauty pageant

MANILA (AFP) - Fifteen muscular gay men strut the stage in a whirlwind of sequins, feathers, gold and glitter while a transvestite dressed as Lady Gaga performs the American pop-star’s latest hit.

The scantily clad men are vying for the crown of “Mr Gay World Philippines” and Filipino-Arab fashion designer Sherwin Abuel wins the title in a crowded suburban Manila nightclub after wowing the judges on the catwalk.

The contestants were re-quired to compete in tradi-tional pageant categories such as “Best in swimwear”, “Best in formalwear” and “Mr Con-geniality”.

But the contest was also about promoting equal rights, and Abuel started his reign as Mr Gay with an expression of pride.

“Being gay is not my choice. I was born with it and I love it,” said Abuel, 34, who will represent the Philippines when it becomes the first Asian country to host the annual Mr Gay World contest next year.

The Philippines is a devout-ly Catholic country but Abuel

said he had never faced dis-crimination.

Organisers of the Mr Gay World contest said this was one of the main reasons why the Philippines was chosen to host the global contest in March next year, after the first two events were held in Canada and Norway.

The vice chairman of Mr Gay World Philippines, Mac Bordallo, pointed to conserva-tive Muslim religious values in countries such as Malaysia as reasons for not hosting the event there.

He said efforts to establish a presence in China also failed last year when police stopped them from hosting a national Mr Gay contest.

And while Bangkok may have a reputation for being Asia’s most gay-friendly me-tropolis, Bordallo said Manila was increasingly attracting the pink tourist dollar.

“Foreigners have only known Thailand as a gay tourist destination, but this is changing”, Bordallo said.

He said the Mr Gay World event was expected to bring in many more gay tourists, and

organisers were already pre-paring packages to some of the country’s best destinations such as the tropical island of Borocay.

In Manila, the gay enter-tainment scene has exploded over the past decade, accord-ing to Glenn Maboloc, presi-dent of the non-government organisation KRYSS, which promotes gender equality, hu-man rights, and sexual health for the youth.

“The gay nightlife took off in the late ‘90s,” Maboloc said.

“These days, the daily

haunts have extended to mas-sage parlors and gay bars, the type that feature men dancing half-nude on the stage.

“Comedy bars where most of the entertainers are gay or transgender have also become hugely in demand of late.”

Manila also boasts a range of drag-shows, with the Moulin-Rouge-style cabaret at Club Mwah, which opened in 2004, one of the top attractions.

At Club Mwah, transexual performers in flamboyant cos-tumes regale a mainly local audience with song and dance numbers from gay icons such

“Mr Gay World Philippines” and Filipino-Arab fashion de-signer Sherwin Abuel with his court.

as Liza Minnelli and Di-ana Ross.

Of the nightclubs, Bed has remained one of the most popular since open-ing its doors in 2003.

On a national level, there are many examples of acceptance for gay men despite opposition from the Catholic church and a macho culture in which boxing and cock-fighting are two of the male population’s favou-rite pastimes.

The Philippines made headlines when it held the first gay pride march in Asia in 1994 and it re-cently became the first country in Southeast Asia to have an official gay po-litical party.

That party -- Ang Lad-lad (Out of the Closet) -- said it attracted more

than 120,000 votes in the May national elections.

The Philippines also allows gays to serve in its armed forc-es.

But gay rights advocates say much more work lies ahead.

There are no anti-discrimi-nation laws in the Philippines and same-sex relationships are not officially recognised.

An anti-discrimination bill that seeks to “prohibit discrim-ination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender iden-tity” was first submitted to par-liament in 1999, but has never been passed.

and the moon. All water tends to flow towards the moon, be-cause there is no water on the moon, and nature abhors a vacuum. I forget where the sun joins the fight

---------------------------------

--------------Q. What guarantees may a

mortgage company insists on?A. If you are buying a house

they will insist that you are well endowed

-----------------------------------------------

Q. In a democratic society,

how important are elections?A. Very important. Sex can

only happen when a male gets an election

-----------------------------------------------

Q. What are steroids?A. Things for keeping car-

pets still on the stairs (Shoot

OOOPS from p.26 yourself now , there is little hope)

-----------------------------------------------

Q. What happens to your body as you age?

A. When you get old, so do your bowels and you get inter-continental

-----------------------------------------------

Q. What happens to a boy when he reaches puberty?

A. He says goodbye to his boyhood and looks forward to his adultery (So true)

OOOPS cont’d on p.31

29August 2010 Manila Media MonitorARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

What’s Cooking, Toronto?Life…Pinoy Style,

the cooking and lifestyle hit TV program aired over GMA Pinoy TV, is visiting the Greater To-ronto Area on September 10-13, to tape a few epi-sodes for its upcoming season.

Program host celeb-rity chef Ron Bilaro will check what’s cooking in the homes of some Pinoy households, including that of immigration at-torney Rafael Fabregas in Niagara Falls, and dentist Bill Rodriguez in Brampton.

A meet-and-greet event with fans of Life…Pinoy Style will be held on September 12 start-ing at 11 in the morning at the Aristokrat BBQ Restaurant located at 355 Wilson Ave in North York ON. Aristokrat owner Ray Sunga says he will give a discount of 25% to all who come to the event.

“Everyone is welcome to come to this casual gathering. We want to see how our kababayans are doing in Toronto, and how Life…Pinoy Style

can help them stay con-nected with our heritage and the global Filipino community,” said Ex-ecutive Producer Rome Nichols.

Since 2007, the TV program has whetted the appetites of Filipino im-migrants especially in the United States and Can-ada, with its impressive presentation of Filipino cuisine and fusion reci-pes.

Chef Bilaro, a Le Cor-don Bleu graduate who has a successful career as a private chef in Chi-

Tanza, Cavite Association of Canada celebrates Caracol Festival

(All photos are courtesy of Ramon Datol, Publisher/Editor of the Philippine Courier)

cagoland, has also been captivating hearts with his down-to-earth inter-views or chats with his guests.

“Isa sa mga goals namin ay ang ma-inspire ang ating mga kaba-bayan, lalo na yung mga dumadaan sa hirap bilang immigrants, kaya we es-peciallwant to connect with caregivers in Cana-da during this visit,” Bi-laro said.

Life…Pinoy Style is being aired in North America via GMA Pinoy TV, and in the Midwest-ern United States via Comcast.

L-R: Josie Tole-do, Carmen Hill, Deedette Potes, Nydia Nene, Lin-da Javier, Jean Mape, Tita Badilla and Nini Atencio pose for a sou-venir photo of the Silver Lining Hawaiian Dance held at the South Common Mall in Mississauga, On-tario, Saturday, August 14.

PAG cont’d on p.31

Philippine Artists Group wows French Canadians

Coaticook, Quebec is now embedded in the hearts and minds of Fili-pinos who visited that scenic, friendly place recently. Situated about seven and a half hours by car east of Toronto, Coa-ticook is so beautiful and memorable the place and its gracious people will haunt and beckon you to return again and again

The visit there started with the Philippine Art-ists Group being invited

by the Coatic’Art (PAG’s equivalent organization there) and the officials of the town of Coaticook, Quebec. The event, a summer art festival, Rêve d’août (August Dream) was held in August 5, 6 and 7, 2010, with the col-laboration of Coatic’Art (Artists of the Coati-cook River Valley), the Philippine Artists Group – Canada, and the Con-


EarthTalk®

From the Edi tors of E /The Environmenta l Magazine

How Important is it to change the fluids in your vehicle?

Car OwnershipMade Easy

R A F A E L N E B R E S

Volcanic geothermal energy provides significant amounts of power in Ice-land, New Zealand and the Philippines. Some analysts believe that the U.S. has enough geothermal capacity to provide 20 percent or more of electricity needs. Pictured: The Palinpinon Geothermal power plant in the Philippines.(Mike Gonzalez, Wikipedia)


Q

A

ENVIRONMENT

This is another very important, yet understat-ed topic. Most people are under the presumption that the engine oil is the only FLUID that requires replacement. There are a number of other fluids in your car, which are of equal importance.

Today I will focus on the transmission and brake fluids in your ve-hicle.

It is a fact that 90% of all transmission failures

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Most of these can be blamed on worn out fluid that should have been replaced. Transmission

fluid breaks down over time due to heat. This heat destroys the fluid’s lubricating qualities leading to trans-mission slippage, clutch

burnout, and other costly damage. It is strongly recommended to replace the transmission fluid at

the recommended inter-vals set out by the man-ufacturer to protect the transmission.

It is also a fact that brake flu-id attracts

moisture, which cor-rodes the

internal components of your brake sys-tem. With

today’s anti-lock brak-ing systems, the rust and other debris accumulat-ing in the fluid causes

internal damage leading to expensive repairs. It is strongly recommended to replace the brake fluid at the intervals set out by your manufacturer (usu-ally every 3 years) to pro-tect the braking system of your vehicle.

Another prevention tip, “that can make your car ownership easy ” . ([email protected])

Is there any way to harness volcanic energy to meet our electricity and other power needs? -- Antonio Lopez, Chino, CA

The short answer is yes: Heat generated by underground volcanic activ-ity can and has

been harnessed for elec-tricity for over 100 years around the world. Utili-ties can capture the steam from underground water heated by magma and use it to drive the turbines in geothermal power plants to produce significant amounts of electricity. Getting at the sources is not so easy or cheap, though, as it requires drilling into unstable sec-tions of the Earth’s crust and then harnessing the heat energy miles below the surface.

Despite these difficul-ties, volcanic geothermal energy reserves account for about a quarter of Ice-land’s energy consump-tion (with the rest taken up by another clean re-newable resource, hydro-power dams). Accord-ing to statistics from the Geothermal Energy As-sociation, the Philippines is also a big user of geo-thermal power: About 18 percent of that country’s

electric-ity comes from un-derground volcanic sources.

And in New Zealand,

geothermal accounts

for about 10 percent of total electricity consump-

tion.But be-

lieve it or not, the

United States is

actually the world’s largest pro-ducer of

volcano-derived

geothermal electricity, but still only derives less than one percent of its total power from such sources. California and Nevada are the leaders in this nascent form of renewable energy do-mestically, but promising efforts are also underway in Oregon, Utah, Alaska and Hawaii. Some ana-

lysts believe that the U.S. has enough geothermal capacity to provide 20 percent or more of the na-tion’s electricity needs.

Against the back-drop of diminishing oil reserves, tapping volca-nic energy has become a high priority for some other regions as well. The war-ravaged East African

nation of Rwanda is hop-ing to provide power for its people by harnessing the energy from volcanic gases at Lake Kivu, one of the continent’s larg-est lakes, covering some 1,000 square miles. The lake is one of three known “exploding” lakes sub-ject to violent and some-times deadly “overturns”

triggered by volcanic activity. Methane and carbon dioxide from an adjacent volcano mix methane and carbon dioxide into the lake, making it a veritable tinder box,

threaten-ing the lives and homes of some two million people

in the re-gion.

In re-sponse to the risk—and also to pro-

duce ener-

gy—the Rwandan govern-

ment has started using

a large barge to suck up

water and ex-tract the

methane gas therein. The methane is then used to fire the gas-powered Kibuye power plant. Al-ready the system is pro-ducing 3.6 megawatts of electricity—some four percent of Rwanda’s total power supply. Within a few years, project back-ers hope to be generat-ing between 50 and 100

megawatts of power from the operation. Extracting the methane also signifi-cantly reduces the risk of explosions, thus provid-ing a measure of safety for area residents.

Humans have barely put a dent in the amount of power that can be cap-tured from volcanic ac-tivity, but analysts expect to see much more of this form of power coming online over the next few decades. The U.S. Geo-logical Survey refers to this phenomenon as the “plus side of volcanoes.” Environmentalists and others are hopeful that volcanic geothermal en-ergy can become a major player in meeting a sig-nificant portion of our en-ergy needs in our increas-ingly carbon-constrained world.

CONTACTS: Geo-thermal Energy Associa-tion, www.geo-energy.org U.S. Geological Sur-vey, www.usgs.gov.

SEND YOUR ENVI-RONMENTAL QUES-TIONS TO: EarthTalk®, c/o E – The Environ-mental Magazine, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; [email protected]. E is a non-profit publication. Sub-scribe: www.emagazine.com/subscribe; Request a Free Trial Issue: www.emagazine.com/trial.

31August 2010 Manila Media MonitorARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

Q. What does ‘vari-cose’ mean?

A. Nearby --------------------------Q. What is the most

common form of birth control?

A. Most people pre-vent contraception by wearing a condominium (That would work)

-----------------------Q. Give the meaning

of the term ‘Caesarian section’

A. The caesarian sec-tion is a district in Rome

FRONT PAGEfrom p. 28

PAG from p. 28

Q. Name a major dis-ease associated with cig-arettes.

A. Premature death -----------------------Q. What is artificial

insemination?A. When the farmer

does it to the bull instead of the cow

-----------------------Q. How can you delay

milk turning sour?A. Keep it in the cow

(Simple, but brilliant)

Q. How are the main 20 parts of the body cat-egorized (e.g. The abdo-men)?

A. The body is con-sisted into 3 parts - the brainium, the borax and the abdominal cavity. The brainium contains the brain, the borax con-tains the heart and lungs and the abdominal cavity contains the five bowels: A, E, I, O and U (with!)

-----------------------Q. What is the fibula? A. A small lie ----------------------

necticut River Artisan Group (artists from New Hampshire and Vermont, USA). The Americans’ participation is aptly so, as Coaticook is straddled by New Hampshire in one side, and Vermont in the other.

The delegation of Fili-pino Canadians are com-posed of prominent artist Romi MananQuil, who is a founder of the PAG and its long-term president for many years; current

president Omel Masa-lunga who are both heads of delegation, and Frank Cruzet, Jun Afable, Rolly Abarilla, Toots (Calixto) Quiachon, Teody Asun-cion and Cobie Cruz. Oth-ers in the delegation are Rose Tijam, a friend and supporter of PAG and an officer in the Philippine Press Club-Ontario; Ma-rissa Corpus, president of the recently formed Phil-ippine-Canadian Art Col-lectors Club (PCACC), Necie MananQuil, and Cecile and Trisha Asun-

cion . The French-speaking

Coatic’Art association has been long graced by the membership of Filipino impressionist painter Koni Pineda Mar-coux, a well-respected member of the Greater Toronto-based Philip-pine Artists Group. She moved to Coaticook in 2003 with her husband Luc Marcoux, a retired Canadian military dip-lomat formerly based

PAG cont’d on p.33


GMA Pinoy TV lights up the screens with

‘Ilumina’

True to its word of provid-ing superior entertainment to Pinoys around the world, GMA Pinoy TV brings to light anoth-er ground-breaking program – the newest drama-fantasy se-ries, “Ilumina.”

“Ilumina” premiered on Au-gust 5, featuring a powerhouse cast and a captivating plot that will surely keep the viewers – children and adults alike – glued on TV.

Leading Ilumina’s grand ensemble of stars are King of Phil-ippine Drama Christo-pher de Leon as Fred-erico, multi-awarded actress Jean Garcia in a dual role as Elvira and Melina, award-win-ning actress Ara Mina as Elsa, and featur-ing the return of 2004 Brussels International Film Festival Best Ac-tor Cesar Montano to GMA Network as he plays Romano.

Ably complementing them are some of the hottest Ka-puso stars today – 2007 Golden Screen Awards’ Breakthrough Performance winner Rhian Ra-mos as Romana, 2009 Box Of-fice Awards’ Most Promising

Male Star of Movies and TV winner Aljur Abrenica as Iñigo, and Starstruck Season 3 Ultimate Female Sur-vivor Jackie Rice as Krisanta.

With seasoned fan-tasy series director

Mark Reyes at the helm, “Ilu-mina” unveils a legendary tale of the white and black sorcerers and their struggle to seize the powerful Ilumina, the Book of Magic. Legend says that who-

ever possesses the Ilumina will achieve enormous power.

Romano (Cesar Montano) is a farmer who accidentally finds himself amidst the power struggle of the white and black

sorcerers. His loving wife, Elsa (Ara Mina), will help Romano get through the situations they find themselves in.

Little does the cou-ple know that the sor-cerers’ search for the elusive Ilumina will

intertwine the lives and loves of their own children – for-merly conjoined twins Romana (Rhian Ramos) and Krisanta (Jackie Rice).

Despite their opposite per-

sonalities, the twin sisters still profess similarities as they like the same things. The twins’ re-lationship starts to falter, how-ever, when Romana discovers she has telekinesis. This leaves the powerless Krisanta ex-tremely envious, and that the only magical thing she has is a streak of veins on her cheek

that becomes promi-nent when she gets an-gry or emotional.

Regardless of their differences, Romana still loves her twin sister very much. The conflict arose when they meet Iñigo (Aljur Abrenica), a wealthy, free-spirited young man who has been longing for the atten-tion of his father. He will be the love inter-est of both Romana and Krisanta.

Unknown to the twins, the mysterious Elvira (Jean Garcia) has been keeping tabs

on them. She is the second wife of wealthy philanthro-pist Frederico (Christopher de Leon) who has been playing a part in the lives of both Ro-

GMA cont’d on p.33

Christopher de Leon as Frederico Jean Garcia as Elvira Cesar Montano as Romano


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HampasPag-iisang dibdib___AminMr. TaulavaTalasAni sa bukidNatutuhang bagayTulisang dagatKaharapSisidlan ng gamitPatsePetrolyoKasama ng sagoArtistang FuentesPutolPalayaw ni EdgarMortizIgib____EngkantadaIyak ng SanggolDamong ParangSedang artipisyal

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121416182122232426 © Copyright 2006 Mindmaster Publishing Quezon City, Philippines

Classic Pilipino Puzzle 5

Sagot sa puzzle sa pahina 38

ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT

‘‘Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual

who can labor in freedom.- Albert Einstein

mana and Krisanta – as financier of the medical procedure that separated the conjoined twins, and as the father of Iñigo, the young man both sisters love. Elvira seeks the powerful Ilumina, and she believes that Romana and Krisanta would lead

her to where the Book of Magic is hidden.

In her effort to get the Ilumina, will Elvira, whose dark past remains a secret, be able to entice Krisanta to join her? Will Romano be able to save his daughters from the hands of Elvira? Who will conquer the heart of

GMA from p.32

PAG from p.31

in Washington, DC, and now a Councilor and in-charge of Arts and Cul-ture in Coaticook. Koni Marcoux has retained her membership and contact with the PAG, and in fact has continued to partici-pate in its art exhibits in Ontario and in Quebec. She is concurrently with the Coatic’Art.

On another ground-breaking feather on its cap, the Filipino artist’s works were prominently exhibited at the Fran-çoise-Maurice Library. There was also an exhibit of a collection of Phil-ippine books on its his-tory and culture, mostly

written or translated in French, at the Arts and Culture Pavilion. Mayor Bertrand Lamoureax, at ribbon-cutting ceremo-

ny, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Filipino delegation, and expressed his desire that the Filipino artists’ par-

ticipation at that momen-tous event will be a start of future collaboration and interaction with their French-Canadian coun-terparts

In the other hand, Ber-trand Thibault, president of Coatic’Art and him-self an artist of note, ex-pressed his admiration of the works of the Filipino artists, and expressed his hope that there would be future collaboration be-tween the Quebec and Greater Toronto artists.

Omel Masalunga and Rolly Abarilla presented Mayor Lamoureax their art works as gifts to the Coaticook Council and the people of the com-munity. Also presented as gift to the Council and to Coatic’Art is a pre-cious set of prints of se-lected paintings from the PAG collection. These art works will be on per-manent exhibit in Coati-cook.

The art festival also covered two days of out-door painting of selected historical spots in Coati-cook by the Quebecois, American and Filipino

artists. Their works were exhibited at the fare-well cocktail party at the Coatic’Art Gallery.

Koni Pineda Marcoux stated that the visit of the Filipino artists is a historical event as it was the first time that Filipino artists won recognition in Quebec. She commented that the well-acclaimed presence of the Philip-pine Artists Group in the art and social scene

in Quebec is a testament to PAG’s individual and collective strength. She enthused that “We raised the flag of not only PAG but of our beloved Pilipi-nas.”

The Philippine Artists Group, fresh from their successful out-of-prov-ince work, is currently preparing for their year end shows and other ar-tistic activities. (PR)

Iñigo: will it be Krisanta or Romana? Are the for-merly conjoined twins destined to be separated forever? And who will finally possess the pow-erful Ilumina?

Catch the enchant-ing new GMA Pinoy TV series, “Ilumina,” begin-ning August 5.

Coaticook Mayor Bertrand Lamoureux (2nd from left) cuts the ribbon at the opening of the PAG art exhibition at the Francoise-Maurice Library in Coaticook. Shown are (L-R) Vice-President Gisèle Perron (Library Board of Directors), Mayor Lamoureux, Library Director Patrick Falardeau (partly hidden), Coatic’Art President Bertrand Thibeault, writer Rose Tijam (behind), PAG President Omel Masalunga and PAG founding President Romi MananQuil.

At Koni Marcoux’s gallery cum studio. Standing L-R: Necie MananQuil, Cecile Asuncion, Frank Cruzet, Koni & Councilor Luc Marcoux, Trisha Asuncion, Marissa Corpuz. Front L-R: Romi MananQuil, Rose Tijam, Omel Masalunga and Teody Asuncion.


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Marketing Efforts.

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Radio.

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MANILA -- Without medi-cal evidence supporting the beneficial effects of virgin co-conut oil on human health, the product might not “secure its sustainable future,” the Phil-

ippine Coconut Authority said recently.

After almost a decade, the PCA is encouraging manufac-

Hacienda Luisita plans to convert 500 hectares into model farm

MANILA - The manage-ment of Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI) is mapping out plans to convert more than 500 hectares of land into a model farm that would be managed and con-trolled by farm-workers living in the Cojuangco-owned es-tate.

As part of its plan, HLI, now led by lawyer Fernando “Nan-do” Cojuangco, signed recently a memorandum of agreement with Goldbrix Ventures Inc. to pursue a 50-hectare farm proj-ect in Tarlac City that will cre-ate job opportunities for farm-workers in Luisita.

“As we firm up our future plans for HLI, the farm-work-ers will be given the chance to earn more both from farming and from the Stock Distribu-tion Option. And this is a win-win solution for all parties,” Cojuangco said.

HLI and Goldbrix have agreed that they will handle the technology and sales and marketing of the farm produce, while the farm-workers will manage and control the plant-ing of high-yield crops.

Villacrusis said that the farm-workers can learn about small greenhouse technology which will help minimize loss-es during the rainy season and maximize their yield.

“We will use a new technol-ogy called small greenhouses that even if it’s raining, our vegetables will not be affect-ed,” Villacrusis said.

To further boost productiv-ity, the Luisita management has earmarked some 500 hect-ares for sugarcane farming which will also be managed by the farm-workers. (Philippine Star)

New ADB study recommends better wages

MANILA – (Manila Times, Aug. 23, 2010) MIDDLE-class Filipino families with a large number of household members are at risk of falling into poverty if the government fails to create policies that im-prove wages, education and healthcare, an Asian Develop-ment Bank (ADB) study has warned. In the study, “The Rise of Asia’s Middle Class,” the Manila-based lender said that middle-class households with large family size and an equally large member of de-pendents are more likely to fall into poverty.

”The larger the number of household members working as own-account members and casual/temporary employees, the greater the risk the house-hold will fall into poverty,” the ADB added.

The bank considers a family middle class if it has a purchas-ing power parity (PPP) of be-tween $2 and $20 a day.

In 2006, 53.9 percent of Fil-ipinos were considered middle class, higher than the 43.8 per-cent in 1988.

The ADB study said that 73.8 percent of the middle class are in urban areas and 34.5 per-cent in rural areas.

According to the study, there were 30.7 percent of Fili-pinos with a PPP of $2 to $4 a day; 11.8 percent, $4 to $6 a day; 8.1 percent, $6 to $10; and 1.5 percent, $10 to $20.

Filipinos with PPP of more than $20 a day are considered rich, while those with PPP of $1.25 a day are poor.

In 2006, the number of poor Filipinos went down to 21.8 percent from 28.8 percent in 1988. ‘‘

Look to your health; and if you have it, praise God and value it next to con-

science; for health is the second bless-ing that we mortals are capable of, a

blessing money can’t buy.- Izaak Walton

In the Philippines, middle-class individuals are much more likely to work in the gov-ernment and in private corpo-rations.

The ADB’s estimate was based on the country’s Family Income and Expenditure Sur-vey for 1988 and 2006.

The National Statistical Co-ordination Board (NSCB) ear-lier reported that the number of middle-class Filipinos shrank from 19.9 percent of the popu-lation in 2003 to 19.1 percent in 2006.

But this collapse was not as sharp as that between 2000 and 2003, when the number fell from 23 percent to 22.7 per-cent.

In 2006, the NSCB said that the middle-income class may be defined as being com-posed of families with annual income ranging from P246,109 to P2,000,072.

In 2008, however, a family needed an income that ranged from P276,626 to P2,251,551 to be considered middle class. And in 2009, it would need to earn close to half a million pe-sos to be in the middle class.

The ADB study said that the middle-class population (PPP of between $2 and $20) in de-veloping countries increased from 44 percent of the popu-lation in 1988 to 54 percent in 2006 (about 45 million people), a moderate and unsurprising increase given laggard growth in the economy.

The increase meant that about 21 million people were added to the middle class dur-ing the 18-year period, the vast majority of whom were added to the $2 to $4 and $4 to $10 consumption groups

BUSINESS

”Even in the Philippines, with far slower economic growth than other countries, the middle class had grown significantly over the last two decades,” ADB said.

It, however, added that low-er-middle class—consuming $2 to $4 per person a day—is very vulnerable to slipping back into poverty at this level, which is only slightly above the developing world poverty line of $1.25 per person a day.

Jong-Wha Lee, ADB chief economist, said that policies are needed to encourage the creation of and access to more well-paid jobs and more ad-vanced education and health care to help prevent slippage back into poverty, and these policies mitigate additional environmental constraints and health concerns.

With appropriate middle-class-friendly policies, the re-port said that Asia will be able to move away from export-led to domestic-led consumption growth and reduce its exposure to negative external shocks, such as the 2008 global finan-cial crisis, which began in the US.

In turn, such move will also help correct the global imbal-ances that contributed to the financial crisis.

The ADB study showed that Asia’s consumers spent an estimated $4.3 trillion (in 2005 purchasing power par-ity dollars), or about one-third of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development consumption expenditure, in 2008 and by 2030 will likely spend $32 trillion, comprising about 43 percent of the world-wide consumption.

PCA endorses medical studies on virgin coco oil

PCA continued on p. 35


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BUSINESS

‘‘Our character...is an omen of our des-tiny, and the more integrity we have and keep, the simpler and nobler that

destiny is likely to be.- George Santayana (1863 - 1952), “The Ger-

man Mind: A Philosophical Diagnosis”

Biggest Southeast Asia corn facility rises inIsabela

MANILA -- Southeast Asia’s biggest corn-processing facility in Isabela province will soon be functional.

President Benigno Aquino III will inaugurate the post harvest facility during next month’s Philippine National Corn Congress.

Philippine Maize Federa-tion president Roger Navarro said the Reina Mercedes Corn Processing Center has the ca-pacity to process as much as 200,000 metric tons (MT) of yellow corn per year.

The P500-million facility is also equipped with state-of-the-art bulk silos that can store as much as 60,000 MT of grain for more than six months, he said.

Navarro said the facility will buy fresh corn-on-cobs and process these into high quality grains for the feed millers.

The center will be using ad-vanced renewable energy tech-nologies to help reduce green-house gases and attain energy self-sufficiency. The facility

will use corncobs as biomass fuel for the dryers, he added.

“The immediate benefit to our small corn farmers will be higher income by as much as 15 percent as the center will buy the produce from farmers directly as corn-on-cobs, by-passing trader and layers and give them spot premium on cash basis,” Navarro said.

The Reina Mercedes Corn Processing Center is a project of Mindanao Grains Process-ing Co. Inc., a unit of La Fil-ipina Uycongco Corp. Group of Companies and the Depart-ment of Agriculture.

Based on government fig-ures, corn production from July to December 2010 will contract to 3.80 million MT from 3.82 million MT in the same period last year.

For the 2010, the whole year production is expected to drop to 6.22 million MT from 7.03 million MT in 2009. (GMA News)

turers of virgin coconut oil to study its effects on humans.

What manufacturers are highlighting are personal testi-monies and anecdotal stories of people from around the world, about how virgin coconut oil changed their lives, PCA ad-ministrator Oscar Garin said.

Virgin coconut oil, once considered as a sunset industry, has already “suffered badly,” the PCA said.

“It is by the researches done by people around the world who kept their faith on coconut that enabled the industry to rise up again,” Garin said.

These researches are indica-tive of the beneficial effects of coconut oil — the so-called “healthiest oil on earth” — to heart and vascular diseases and HIV/AIDS, he added.

“But these findings together with innumerable anecdotal stories still need a definitive clinical study to establish that virgin coconut oil is beneficial to body cholesterol,” Garin pointed out.

He said PCA is now consid-ering the adoption of public-private partnership, as enun-ciated by President Benigno Aquino III, for the research

and development cooperation.“We know for a fact that all

business entities, including our coconut products manufactur-ers, are allowed by law to set aside a certain percentage of their income for use in their research and development,”

PCA from p.34 Garin said.A portion of manufacturers’

income may be pooled to help fund very timely and vital re-search on the product.



Home Karaoke exec-utive Andrew Cheng (7th from left) pres-ents his performers and production staff at the conclusion of excellently produced 20th anniversary pre-sentation of Home Karaoke held recent-ly in Scaborough, On-tario. They are joined in the photo op by Gie Alvarez (5th from right), host of tv pro-gram Front Page Phil-ippines. The show with carefully audi-tioned talents from the diverse commu-nity of Toronto was taped for later airing on Front Page Philip-pines.(Courtesy: Joe Baking)

Front Page Philippines tv program host Gie Alvarez joins Home Karaoke Ltd. executive Andrew Cheng on the stage to announce the grand prize raffle winner.(Courtesy: Joey Bak-ing/ Manila Confidential)


BUSINESS

How to sell your home Quick at a Higher Price!In this month’s article, I will

discuss two of the many ways to get your home sold quickly.

When we are listing a house in the market, we all want to sell it at the highest price pos-sible.

There are many ways to achieve this goal, but one of the most profound, established and proven way to get more money from your house is through renovations and staging.

We only have one shot at impressing potential buyers, so it is important to take some time to prepare your house

before the start of your show-ings. When a potential buyer comes up to your home, you need to make a really good first impression. Keep in mind that first impressions always last.

Many Sellers do not want to renovate before selling their house because they believe that it is too costly to do so. The fact is sellers do not have to spend a lot to renovate. Some-thing as simple as painting the front door and changing the door handle can go a long way -- making the potential buyer feel that the home has been

updated. Three key points that will help any house going on the market is to ensure that your home is fresh, clean and has a nice paint job.

The Kitchen and Wash-rooms are the main areas that sell a house. When looking over these main areas in the house you want to keep these points in mind:

• Ensure that there are no leaks in your faucets and toi-lets.

• Change your faucets and the knobs in your kitchen and bathroom cabinets.

• Make sure that the cabi-nets are re-phased as they be-come worn out and used the most.

• If you want to save, you can make your cabinets look new with new paint or just an-other coat of varnish.

To back up and support the renovation, it is best to follow it up with staging.

I do agree that renovating is often enough to sell a house, but a staged and renovated home is irresistible to buyers giving you a better chance of selling your house faster and at

Critical Illness insurance – you need it not because you are going to die, but because you are going to live … and because you may have illness-related expenses that you may not have considered.

While you might be sur-prised at the growing number of Canadians who are being di-agnosed with a critical illness at an increasingly early age, the good news is that medical advances are increasing life expectancy and there are much brighter prospects for surviv-ing. Check out these statistics:

• 70,000 Canadians suffer a heart attack each year and 1 out of 2 heart attack victims is un-der age 65 – but 95% survive their first attack*

• 1 in 3 Canadians will de-velop some form of cancer – but 65% will survive at least five years*

• After age 55, the risk of stroke doubles every 10 years and 1 out of 20 Canadians suf-fers a stroke before age 70 – but 75% will survive it*

• Women have a 1 in 9 chance of developing breast cancer – but only a 1 in 27 chance of dying from it.**

• Men have a 1 in 7 chance of developing prostate cancer – but only a 1 in 26 chance of

dying from it**You might expect that pro-

vincial or employee health plans will pay for all the ex-penses associated with critical illnesses like these but many are not covered. The benefits of critical illness insurance are most important during the first few months after diagnosis when emotions and costs are typically at their most intense. With this type of insurance, you receive a lump sum cash payment, after a 30 day waiting period after diagnosis for any life-threatening illness covered by the policy, usually including the most common such as can-cer, heart attack and stroke. The benefit is tax free under current tax legislation and yours to use any way you wish -- perhaps to pay for expenses not covered by provincial and health plans like these:

• Many drugs or other med-ical expenses

• Private treatment, a nurse, child care provider or house-keeper

• Medical treatment outside Canada or in another province

• Medical equipment – a wheelchair, scooter or home care bed

• Retrofitting your home or vehicle to accommodate a

wheelchair or chairlift• Pay off your mortgage,

car loan, credit cards, lines of credit or business loans

• Avoid dipping into your RRSP or your child’s RESP

You want to be able to fo-cus on recovery not costs – and critical illness insurance can help you do that at a most critical time. Please call your profession-al advisor, Rho-wena Adolfo, at (416) 558-3078 (or e-mail: [email protected]) to show you how critical illness insurance can complement your other forms of insurance pro-tection and fit into your overall financial plan.

*Disability Insurance and Other Living Benefits, CCH

**Canadian Cancer Society, 2006

(This column, written and pub-lished by Inves-

tors Group Financial Services Inc.(in Québec – a Financial Services Firm), presents gen-eral information only and is not a solicitation to buy or sell any investments. Contact your own advisor for specific advice about your circumstances. For more information on this topic

please contact your Investors Group Consultant. Insurance products and services are dis-tributed by I.G. Insurance Services Inc. (in Québec – a Financial Services Firm). In-surance license sponsored by The Great-West Life Assurance Company outside of Quebec)

the price you want. Staging in-volves decorating and making your house look its best.

Keep these pointers in mind when you decide to sell: paint, consider renovating your kitchen, consider renovating your washrooms, and stage. Feel free to contact me, Romeo Chadley Crisostomo, at Home-life Dreams Realty, Inc., (416) 806-9225 or (905) 477-5200, for any questions or concerns.

Critical Illness insurance – why you need it


T A P I K K A S A L

T A L I MA R

NG U L A M A N

T A P A L

K U G O N

P A L A Y

B A G

G A S

S A L O KO O R A

R A Y O NU H A O

A I D I

K A T A P A TA L L P I R A T A

A M A L I A L B A L IB O B O T

A S I I

Sagot sa PUZZLE

Pistahan sa OLA -- a two-day event of prayers, entertainment and mini trade show

ANCOP Canada By popular request for the Cana-dian Idol participant -- Martha Joy sings

Crimson Rice Band

Daughters of Isabela

Natalie Rafael, Miss Philippines PIDC 2009, with a tahitian dance number

Not even a heavy downpour could dampen the audience’s spirits

Pistahan lead organizer Rosemer Enverga

Pistahan organizer Jun Enverga with newsmen Tenny Soriano and Ace Alvarez (Joe Baking Pho-to)

Filipino handcraft


A concelebrated mass, prayers, entertainment and a mini trade show mark the “Pistahan sa OLA”, August 14 and 15, at the “Our Lady of Assumption” parish on Bathurst Street, Toronto in celebration of the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The “Pistahan ...”, organized by the Temporali-ties Committee of the Archdiocesan Filipino Catholic Mission, also served as a fundraiser for the much-needed repair of facilities at the parish. Observers believe that the “Pistahan ...” will grow to become bigger in the next coming years and an event to reckon with in the future. “Pistahan ...” also featured a mini trade show with booths from various Filipino-owned businesses and services, including food stalls where visitors enjoyed Filipino food delicacies. (Manila Media Monitor Photos)


Manila Media Monitor -- AUGUST 2010

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